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| "Shores of Heaven" - by Rassouli |
..Eh. It's all good. I actually had a pretty decent day, despite losing a few hours to my make-up class, which was fascinating, as usual. Plus, I'm on a bit of a roll with my world-building, which always equals happy times for me.
I like progress.
I guess that's why I'm so antsy and moody right now in regard to changing courses. Nothing's really happening, so I'm kind of stuck in this worrying mode. That's why I detest this society: we're forced to live in the future, and living in the future means I have to worry about something. Deadlines, projects, how I'm going to sustain myself...
But that's not what this post is about.
Instead, I'm focusing on an area pertaining to my readings. As I stated before, I'm a little (okay, a lot) doubtful about them. I want to be specific. I want to be able to give great amounts of detail. I read a post earlier on SF: someone I had read for in the past was talking about this other member who's giving "archetype" readings (it all sounds fancy but interesting at the same time - I'm kind of considering asking for one...). She quoted:
I usually receive vague readings here on SF.. as a spiritually developed being I am able to see what is me and what isn't me...
This reading was one of the best - most accurate and put down on words that I haven't seen before...
Now, I obviously can't recall all the readings I ever gave to people. In fact, I had to double-check my files to see if I had ever given this person an art reading. It turns out I did: once. An aura reading. I felt a bit relieved because I know my aura readings tend to be a bit more spot-on (they're not like guide portraits where the sitters go: "I don't know my guides, but I guess this resonates!"). What I'm saying is that I felt... ashamed that I'm not any better than I am.
I know that sounds foolish, and I'm sure a handful of people back at SF would try and convince me otherwise, but it's the truth. I'm about to be charging people for my services. You have those who argue that charging for such services is unethical, and while I technically agree, this is going to be my life, and for the unforeseeable future, I'm going to have to sustain myself. So if I'm going to have to charge, I want my work to be worth it. I want people to know that I want them to get the most out of me for their money / energy. And in order to do that, I want to be better at receiving details.
While I've been dwelling on all this, El'azar has been providing me solutions and suggestions on how I can better connect with people. Along with that, I had a revelation while playing GW2 a couple days ago.
I'm sure most - if not all - of my readers are unfamiliar with Guild Wars, so I'll try to sum this up the best I can: in a nutshell, there is a race of plant-humanoids you can play in GW called sylvari, born from an immense and beautiful tree called the Pale Tree. Sylvari pretty much grow on this tree - they're not born. And before they awaken in the real world, they are sentient in a "pool" of consciousness known as the Dream of Dreams, or quite simply, the Dream. The Dream consists of all memories and thoughts of sylvari who exist in the real world - it's a way to teach saplings - who have not yet awakened - about essential aspects of existence.
Pretty much everything is shared amongst sylvari both in and out of the Dream. So in that way, sylvari are all connected, and are therefore quite empathic (unless they follow Nightmare, but that's a different story).
My revelation was: in many ways, the Dream is like spirit. Or Source, even. In fact, the culture behind the sylvari mirrors my own understanding of existence at present. Remember my tree metaphor? Yeah. In the case of GW2, the Pale Tree and the accompanying Dream can be considered "Source," and all the sylvari who are born from it experience life and therefore contribute to the Dream: the well of knowledge for both the Tree and the other sylvari who are born from it. And guess what? They all have their own perspectives on life, despite being taught the same things.
So with this in mind, I thought it would be highly beneficial to me to utilize the fictional Dream in my own development. Throughout the GW2 story, sylvari who are connected to the Dream often say things like "I see within the Dream that ____ will happen," or "The Dream showed me this." It's even possible to see potential futures within the Dream.
On the surface, it may seem silly, but I think this will help me a lot. Often times I feel like Source/spirit is so vast that my limited brain can't take in a lot of what's being communicated. But if I can have a "tool" such as this, I may be able to feel more connected to Source energy and others.
I feel like "Home" - or the state of existence we're in outside of the physical - is a lot like the Dream. It fits my interpretation, anyway. You get a glimpse of the Dream when you start out as a sylvari character, and it's pretty much a big jumble of random things that other sylvari have seen and experienced on their travels: from other races to great beasts. Maybe this is what the "original" Source energy "sees"... if there is such a thing.
It's definitely fascinating to think about. But yes... I think whenever I connect to "Source energy," I'll refer to it as the Dream - both to assist my connection and amuse myself.
That's one of the many reasons why I love GW2... not only is it filled with adventure, history, lore, and wisdom, it's filled with metaphors that can apply to one's own view on life. And that, in my opinion, makes for a hell of a great game.
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| Screenshot courtesy of vegas123456 @ deviantART |
Hey you, don't forget that "archetype" readings are different from general question or futuristic kinds of readings. Archetypes are about your personality. And generally speaking, archetype personalities already share so many common traits amongst each other to make it easier to describe what their "type" is.
ReplyDeleteSo don't go comparing yourself to someone who does readings that just describe people's characteristics and traits. What so many people don't seem to "get" is that so many inherit traits and characteristics are a hell of a lot more universal amongst thousands of people, then most people even realize. That's because most people can't seem to wrap their minds around the idea that they actually do have more common characteristic traits with thousands of other people, 'cause everyone wants to believe they are so different from everyone else that they couldn't possibly be that similar.
Since you are a writer, I'm sure you've had to come across this concept at least once or twice, "there are no new stories, just retellings of the same 'basic' storyline, only with different characters and different way of coming to the same conclusions". Also, Archetypes are not a whole heck of a lot different then zodiac sign traits. Of course people are going to be able to connect with those traits, because they're basic universal traits.
So just because someone gave rave reviews on a reading filled with characteristic traits which are usually pretty darn universal to that characteristic group to begin with, does not mean that the person who gave the reading was any better at giving readings then you are! Your readings are more about helping to give/find answers that people are looking for, and not so much about telling a person stuff they already know about themselves :p
I have to admit - this made me giggle. I'm not exactly comparing myself to this person; I was just made a little doubtful because someone I had read for before had made the comment on how most readings she had received on SF were "vague."
DeleteI know that my plain old intuitive/clairvoyant readings tend to be vague (and even some art ones), which is why I have a whole list of people I'm trying to practice on.
I get what you mean about the archetype thing, but yeah, I'm not exactly worried over this one little person because as you said, they're personality-based and yada yada...
Your last statement: well, sometimes I don't feel like I give specific enough answers. Now, though, I wonder if it's supposed to be that way, so people would trust themselves more, but at the same time, people will be paying me for such answers, and I want to be able to provide, you know...?
Ok, I get where you're coming from now. But this person could also be one of those SF reading junkies who signs up every time someone offers a freebee ;P So that "most" still doesn't implicate you, lol.
ReplyDeleteYou do know I'm gonna keep blowing your horn for you until you stop worrying and fretting so much about your own abilities, right? And I ain't gonna let you get away with doubting yourself all the time, little sister ;P
Ok, give this a try. Get one of your close friends at home to pay you, say a dollar, for a reading on something specific, like trying to find a lost or missing item. This way you can get practice in a more business type situation where you'll have it in the back of your mind that you've got to get this, cause you were actually paid. Usually, something in the mind kind of snaps to and focuses much better when it's an actual business transaction, then something you're just doing to get practice at. And start working on getting more specific information by having someone ask you questions that they already know the answer to, so they can tell you right then if you got it right or not. The more you can do that, the better you're going to be able to trust yourself at getting more specific answers instead of being too vague.
But don't start off by doing that for just anyone out looking for a reading. You need to do this with people who actually want to help you develop your skills and give good honest feedback, and not just out to get something for themselves. Work on tapping into the specific stuff on people who's energy you can actually tap into first and build up your confidence before working on people you may not be able to read so easily.
And if you can't find anyone at home who will pay you a dollar, then start holding either one on one, or small group sessions in a private chat setting. But try to lay off on doing the "free for all" readings once you get through that bunch at SF, till you get some more confidence in your abilities to get more specific info. And then just limit it to the first three to see how it goes.
Not really trying to tell you what to do, just giving suggestions and advise :)
Wow. You're totally right. That's some seriously good advice.
DeleteOf course ... I wouldn't be able to read for anyone in my daily life - at least not until I get into that channeling group I'm waiting for. So I think I might take the alternative suggestion and hold private one on one readings.
I know you're speaking the truth because I seem to get better results for those I care about (although you're a bit difficult - might be those soul connection ones... soul connections aren't my forte lol).
I get what you mean about the free-for-alls. They're very impersonal which makes it difficult, but at the same time I like it only because I won't be biased by things I already know about the person.
But wow. You're so right and I will definitely be taking that advice. Thanks, sis! :)
LOL! I always seem to be some form of difficulty, even to my own self ;) Guess it's just my lot in life.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget, that the questions can be as simple as "what color shirt am I wearing?" You don't have to get super elaborate at first. These should be questions that you can be told right away if you are correct or not.
Don't remember if I ever told you how some friends of mine and I used to hold practice remote viewing session in a chat room. We would take turns getting a mental image of something in our line of sight and project that out to each other. Then we'd take turns describing what it was that we were getting images of. Most of the time, we'd be pretty right on, or we'd pick up other things that were in the line of sight, but just not exactly the thing that was being projected. But even that was still good, cause it meant we were still able to connect to the person enough to see what was around them.
Of course, that's with remote viewing, so it's going to be just slightly different for doing readings. But the same principle applies when learning to trust your intuition and messages from spirit.
So if you're ready, here's your first question. What kind of calendar do I have in my room? Just think it over for a bit and see what kinds of images come to mind. Write them all down and I can tell you how close or right on you are.
That reminds me of the telepathy exercises Lulu and I used to do. We only practiced with colors, but most of the time, we were pretty good. Despite artistic inclinations, sometimes I feel like my intuition is better than my clairvoyance, which makes sense to me because intuition is so raw and honest while clairvoyance is often subject to bias or a personal dictionary.
DeleteWhich brings me to your question about the calendar. When I first read that question, I felt flowers. Something floral or decorative and colorful. Just now, I felt it as something feminine... goddesses came to mind, or those graceful art nouveau figures. And then, out of nowhere, dogs/puppies.
My strongest impression is that it's something feminine/artsy/decorative...
Yeah, I used to do something like that with Westleigh. We'd take turns sending energy to specific areas on each others body and report what we were feeling.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting on what you were picking up about the calendar. I kept looking at this months picture when writing up that last post, but I didn't want to try sending any telepathic information about it because I wanted you to see how well you could come up with stuff on your own. There's actually a lot of nature depicted on the picture, with flowers, grapes, a tree and lots of green grass in the background. And there is a woman wearing a long green dress sitting on a bench with bowl of grapes and a goblet of wine on either side of her. She does look rather Goddess/graceful/art nouveauish with her hair all swept up on top and big flowers in her hair. No dogs or puppies in the picture, but there is a big white bull standing behind her.
This year I went with Llewellyn's Astrological calendar, so the picture this month is a representation of May, springtime and Taurus. All and all, I think you did a really good job of picking up on the actual images in the picture for this month. But maybe this one was a bit too tricky of a challenge, since the actual theme of the calendar is a little more vague if you're only concentrating on the one month at a time. But yes, all the pictures are quite artsy/decorative and not typically what you usually see in astrological representations.
But now I'm thinking that maybe this was a good little lesson/challenge after all, because now it might start getting you to think about asking your intuition more specific questions to try and narrow things down to get to the bottom of finding the more specific answers instead of the general vague ones.
How about this, start writing down a list of questions that you can ask yourself each time you work at developing your intuition, kind of like playing 20 questions with yourself to go from the vague to the more specific.
I think I'm actually going to start doing this too. I've done it with my story writing to help solidify my characters and plot lines. And I've done it with my pendulum before, but since pendulums are too easy come up with incorrect responses if you can't keep your thoughts completely neutral, the results were too inaccurate. But I think I'm going to start using that with my card readings and see how that goes.
Hey, you want a reading from me so I can test this theory out?
Huh. Not too bad, lol.
DeleteI was trying to focus more on the general theme of the calendar while simultaneously fighting doubts ("is Tri actually into this kind of stuff?"). Nice to know I wasn't completely off.
That's another nice idea - it might come in handy when I start working on my reading list again. For the past several, I would just write down what came to mind, or what impressions I was getting, but a lot of it was vague. There was one chick I read for that I felt had gotten out of a "dark spot" - but I didn't know what this spot was. Turns out her husband's father/stepfather had just committed suicide... and I hadn't really picked up on that. Would I had I asked what this "spot" was? I don't know. But it's worth looking into.
And sure - I'll guinea pig for you. I love your readings - they never disappoint. :)
OMG!!! I'm such an idiot!!! I just realized that I actually have several more calendars "in my room". I was only focusing on the one right in front of me, LOL. I have three older calendars from my favorite gothic fantasy artist, Joseph Vargo (which I have no plans of ever getting rid of cause the artwork is so damn good) stacked up against the wall on my computer counter. And then two more, a mini one in my bathroom and a pocket one in my purse, that are actually for this year. And guess what, both of those have puppies on them!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat's even funnier, is that neither of those two puppy calenders are really my style. They were just the best choice out of what little choices I had when I needed to get them. The one in the bathroom was for keeping track of the days I was actually exercising and taking my pills. And the pocket one was so I could keep track of my hours at work. But since I'm actually quite picky about what kind of calendar I end up with, I tend to discount the puppy ones cause they don't mean that much to me. So that could be why you were having doubts of if I was even into that stuff, cause it's partially yes and partially no, since there actually is more then one calendar in my room, LOL!!! Guess that'll teach me to find a more specific question to ask. And here I thought I was being cleaver asking about my calendar in the first place, lol. Guess I'm just being difficult again ;)
And now I'm wondering if you were picking up on those older goth art calenders, when you were picking up on the artsy decorative stuff, cause even though they are dark gothic images, I find them to be hauntingly beautiful.
Ok, for your reading, ask me a specific question so I can see how well I can pick up on the details with asking various questions. But try to make it a question about stuff that you haven't talked about in any of your blogs or on the board.
Hahaha. Well, I can't say that I picked up on anything gothic, but it's nice to know that the puppies weren't entirely random. They "popped in" which is why I mentioned them (despite me feeling like they were "wrong").. I wasn't going to at first, though!
DeleteDang it, Tri. LOL.
Ohhh crap. A specific question that I haven't talked about here? Uhhh. That's a tad difficult. There's only one thing I can think of that I'm positive you don't know about because it's only been mentioned between me and a dear friend, but I'm not sure if I want to reveal it.
Eh, I guess I can. Okay, there's a project I'm feeling doubtful about at present but would like to complete in the future. However, it will probably cause a bit of conflict for me if published. What is this project, and what do you feel about it being seen by many eyes?
Would that work?
That should be fine. . . . But I think I'm gonna have to wait a few day before I do it. I just had to put my 16 year old cat down today :( So gonna need some time to grieve.
ReplyDeleteAwww. ;_; My condolences.
DeleteDon't even worry about it, then! It's unimportant.
xxx