Responsibility

Hi all,

Today I am writing about responsibility. The one thing I have noticed about people who would fall into the category of what some people would call moaners/whingers/losers is their complete inability to take any responsibility for themselves. This is also the mindset of criminals and abusers.

It doesn't really matter who they blame for their predicament: it always falls into the category of some-one else. It's almost like delete as appropriate fate/God/society/the state/bad childhood/nature etc. etc. Now note, I am not saying that people are responsible for what happens to them, (although some philosophical systems teach this). To me that is patent nonsense because it would imply that individuals have full control of the world external to them. Quite clearly with six billion people on the planet not everyone can be in total charge of their external circumstances!

No, what I am suggesting is that people are responsible for how they respond, (response - ability), to events that happen to them. Two people can go through the same experience and have entirely different reactions which suggests that it is not events themselves that determine our responses. It is rather a matter of how we view them and also whether we apply any system of morality to inform our response to events.

That is how we are responsible for ourselves. In our response to life.

Life is not always apparently fair. People act unjustly towards us. Life mistreats us. Nature can be cruel and we can be caught up in collective situations, like war etc., that are not of our own making and that we oppose even. But the one thing we can control is our response.

If you say you cannot control your response you are lying to yourself. You are absolving yourself of very thing that separates us from other animals: moral agency.

Quite frankly if you really cannot control yourself your place is in a prison or a sanatorium for the insane. And as I have worked in both places I can testify that there really are people so damaged or insane that they literally cannot stop their compulsions to kill and rape etc. Now these people really cannot control their behaviour. For every- one else it is a cop out to say that.

Now while you are responsible for your behaviour that doesn't mean that you shouldn't be able to ask for help or feel bad about doing so. Or that you should feel eternally guilty for what you did in the past. Though there is a place for guilt I believe.

I do not subscribe to the view of NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) that people were "doing the best they could at the time with the resources they had". I think this is a simplistic and sentimentalised view of the human condition. Plenty of times people were not doing their best. People can be lazy, greedy and manipulative and know that they are being these things. These are moral choices.

On the other hand people can be genuinely unaware that what they are doing is wrong and/or not have access to the real reasons they are behaving in a particular manner e.g. such as unconscious motivations. However as I believe that we all made a choice to come to Earth to learn our lessons, on a soul and a karmic level we are still responsible for our behaviour.

And on a more prosaic level, even if we do not know why we do what we do, society has to treat us as responsible for our behaviour in the sense that we are the agents that carry out the actions.

So where does guilt come in? Well guilt is an indicator that we have transgressed some moral code that we have internalised. That is, it is within us. It doesn't matter if no-one else knows about the offending behaviour: the point is, we know.

It is important that we try to get to know ourselves enough to examine whether the guilt we feel is really earned or not. What I mean by that is that some guilt people feel is unearned in the sense that it is a conditioned response to a belief system that may have been imposed upon them as children. As an adult they don't really believe in the belief system anymore but they feel guilt as a conditioned response.

An example of this might be the way some people feel about sex. They know logically that sex isn't really dirty but they still feel guilty about it. If you suffer from this type of guilt you may be in need of some therapy to recover because you do not deserve it.

But what about the guilt that you have earned. For example if I came home feeling stressed and hit my dog, (I wouldn't by the way), I would feel guilty because I had transgressed my own moral code. This type of guilt acts as a moral barometer and alerts me to change my behaviour. If it doesn't then feeling guilty is a merely indulgence.

The point is the guilt should lead me to changing my behaviour or to rectify the situation. If I have done that, or if it is not possible, feeling guilty any longer is redundant. And not only that but if continued it is dangerous to both mental and physical health. At this point you need to learn to forgive yourself.

You made a mistake. You have done what you could to put it right. You forgive yourself and move on. If other people continue to harbour grudges against you then that is their problem and none of your business.

Also I would say that you cannot take responsibility for outcomes. By that I mean you cannot be responsible for the effect your behaviour has on other people. Other people's response to your behaviour is influenced by many factors, most of which will be beyond your control.

What you are responsible for is your intentions. If you always act with good intention even if the effect of your behaviour turns out to be negative you have behaved morally and responsibly.

An example of this might be if you finished a love relationship because you no longer loved then person. The other person may be a good person but you just don't love them any more for some reason. So as gently and kindly as you can break up with them. And then in grief they commit suicide. Are you responsible for their death? No, you are not.

There is only on person responsible for their death and that is them

On the other hand if you hounded some-one you thought had wronged you and made their life a living hell and in depression they killed themselves are you responsible. Well in this case yes and no. The decision to take their own life was still their choice but you made a contribution to the situation by your evil intentions. So you are responsible your intentions and the part that played in the persons death.

So morality always comes down to intention and not necessarily outcomes.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this as some people did email me to clarify my position on responsibility.

Ultimately I believe you cannot run away from your own soul and it is that soul, as the representative of God, that will ultimately judge you.

Until next time,

Blessed be,

KK

PS Also taking responsibility gives you power over your life. You cease to be a victim. And another good thing to remember is that blame looks backwards but responsbility looks forward!

What are We?

*
Hi all,

How very prosaic life is at times. At the moment I am stuck at home with a second degree burn on my leg. This was due to a bowl of soup being spilt down my leg accidentally.

Wow did I scream with pain! Apparently second degree burns are the most painful type of burns and one of the most painful injuries possible. Anyhow I did first aid, got to a hospital and now it is healing up nicely. The nurse has also said there should be no scaring which is good.

But how prosaic life can be. Because I cannot go anywhere because of the leg people have been coming to see me and with all the extra time of my hands I have been having some amazing conversations. And they have caused me to see that some of my friends are not as developed as I supposed them to be.

In one conversation I had a friend who told me that we are "the sum of all our experiences". Now he did actually mean all the experiences in all of our lifetimes. But to me the idea that we are just "the sum of all our experiences" falls little short of those materialistic sociologists and psychologists etc. who taught in the the sixties that people became thugs etc because they had a bad childhood etc etc. This just renders humans being into robots that merely react to outside influences. It is behaviorism at its worst.

To say that on a karmic or spiritual level we are just "the sum of all our experiences" makes us seem like spiritual robots. It is a form a spiritual behaviorism. God is ringing the karmic bell and in a spiritual Pavlovian way we react.

To say that someone is just "the sum of all their experiences" is to render a human being as something that is merely enacted upon by outside influences. Now a dog may repond Pavlovian like to the ringing of a bell but you and I are not dogs.

Two people can experience the same event and respond to it differently. Therefore it is not true to say that we are shaped merely by our experiences. It would possibly be truer to say that we are shaped by how we respond to our experiences. But what is the 'I' or 'we' that is responding?

Well to me the 'I' or the 'we' that responds is our soul. I could say that the soul is that eternal part of ourselves that chooses to come into the world to learn lessons. But I will not say that I believe that is the truth. The truth is that our souls are not part of ourselves. They are ourselves. We do not have a soul: we are a soul. Everything else that we consider to be ourselves such as our minds, our personalities, our bodies even are not really us. Not is the sense of them lasting forever. They are just temporary vehicles created to facilitate our learning in one particular lifetime.

I would like to say here that I have used the word "repond" with regard to the soul. However there are many people who although they are a soul in Reality are identified with their ego. That is their little Earth self. They think that is who they really are. At that level of consciousness they do not respond they "react". These are the people whose behaviour the materialist psychologists and sociologists can predict. Because in truth their level of consciousness is more or less a little higher that that of Pavlov's dogs. And with the right Government programs those who at this level have been conditioned to become thugs can be reconditioned "trained" to become better behaved. But it is training and not education. Education is of the soul. What materialistc Government programs teach and what an educated (enlightened) soul learns is the difference between information and Knowledge.

Now I believe that enlightenment for most souls is a ongoing process. It is like drip drip drip. The soul is enlightened for most people over many lifetimes. Their are some like Buddha for whom it was instantaneous. But for most people it is a ongoing challenge.

One thing I am asked over an over again is how is the crossover made from being identified as a conditioned ego to starting to become an enlightened soul and I can only answer truthfully: I do not know. Perhaps this is one of the Mysteries that certain occult schools claim to teach. I don't know. All my my spiritual insights have come as a result of direct contact with the Divine mainly through my dreams and my poetry.

All I can say with certainty is that it is true "When the student is ready the teacher will appear" - occult saying.

So what are we? We are souls that have chosen to come to Earth to learn more lessons. Whether or not we do learn them is entirely out responsibility.

Until next time,

Blessed be

KK

* Acknowledgement: this image is by William Blake and was designed by him for his grave.

Spiritual Ancestry

Hi all,

Well first you may wonder why I have inserted a picture of a string of beads under the heading spiritual ancestry. I am using the picture to extend an analogy used by Annie Besant in her explanation of reincarnation.

From the translation by Annie Besant, Discourse ii, 18-25.

WHAT IT IS THAT REINCARNATED ?

"...... Thus successive bodily lives are linked together like pearls strung upon a thread, the thread being the living Principle, the pearls upon it the separate human lives."

Well in most peoples understanding pearls are white. (I know black pearls exist but we will leave that out for now!)

I understand that Annie Besant used the pearl analogy because pearl necklaces were common at the time she was writing. Now a days many people, especially those you might call New Age wear strings of differently coloured beads.

And this is not for nothing. Rainbow colours are used to emphasis inclusion and the umbrella nature of New Age spirituality. That it covers many different paths and traditions.

I am using the string of coloured beads in that way also but for a different reason.

Recently there has been a great surge of interest in the British media in people seeking out their ancestry. That is their physical ancestry.

Now this makes complete sense if you are a materialist, (that is you are an atheist), or if you do not believe in reincarnation. After all what else could you trace your "roots" too other than along your physical blood line. These must be your ancestors.

But if you believe in re-carnation, thinking that your ancestors can only be those linked by blood to the physical body you choose to incarnate in during this lifetime does not seem to make any sense at all. You are saying that somehow the identity of your soul and that of your body are linked in some ongoing way. That, for example, if you are born white then your true lineage of ancestry is within the white race, (which would be the case in my physical ancestry which I am using for this expamle). However, I reject this completely because, in my understanding of reincarnation, I may have reincarnated as a black person previously, (I am white in this incarnation), so how can my true lineage be in the physical ancestry of the body I have presentedly incarnated in? My answer is that is cannot be.

My true lineage, my true ancestoral line must be in my spiritual ancestry. That is my true ancestors must be those soulsI have been karmically and spititually involved with in previous lifetimes. But short of past life regression therapy, (of which I am suspect - but that is a different story!) , I cannot truly know who all my spiritual ancestors, (which I shall call true from now on), were.

It is true that I feel a karmic connection to many people I meet in my present life, and it may be true that I have karmic connections with some of my previous blood relatives but it may not neccesarily be true.

The one exception I would make to this statement is that we obviously have karmic connections to our birth parents since we chose them to be the vehicles to bring about our present incarnation. However it may not be a strong karmic connection or even an ongoing one. For example. if a person was adopted their strongest karmic connection, their true connection, may be with their adoptive parents.

So why did I used coloured beads in my anology? It was to emphasise that the chances are, that since many of us have lived possibly hundreds of lifetimes, our true spiritual ancestry can be traced through incarnations covering both genders, many cultures, many races, many sexual orientations, and any other variation you would care to mention. This being that case our connection with the whole of humanity would be self evident.

However there are still Pagan traditions that insist that spiritual ancestry and phyiscal ancestry are the one and the same thing. That one only re-incarnates within ones race for example.

This is true of some people who have misused the norse tradition of Asatru to perpetuate racist beliefs as in this paper https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/1811/6559/1/White%20Blood.pdf. However, as the author notes most Asatru followers are not racist and the racist beliefs expressed by some "followers" do not necessarily repesent mainstream Asatru. Much as most Christians would not consider the Klu Klux Klan as a Christian church but the Klu klux Klan regard themselves as so!

My main worry would be that in making physical and spiritual ancestry one and the same thing one lays the ground open to racisim and Fascism as indeed this was one of the beliefs that Hitler used in a distorted form to justify his Nazi philosopy. And it was the Nazi philosophy that gave moral impetus the regimes horrific and inhuman consequent actions.

Of course my strongest objection to seeing physical and spiritual ancestry as one and the same thing is the logisical absurdity of it as previously explained. Also with regard to race - could some-one explain to me when I become "white" or "black"? I mean what if I am of mixed race? What percentage of blood is needed to classify my predominant race type? Believe me some people have wasted their lives trying to answer this question!

I have an easier answer. There is no pure "black" or "white" race. It doesn't exist. We are all realted to each other, even on a purely physical level. Every one is our brother and sister.

We belong to one race. The human race. And it is a rainbow!

Until next time,

Bessed be!

Krystal Klere

The Coming Spiritual Struggle

Hi all,

As most of my dedicated readers will know I believe that there is an ongoing clash between the worst aspects of patriachy and equalism/liberalism. That is to say there is a clash between fundemental patriachal values, (authoriatarianism/rule of law/conflict/the use of force/violence etc.) and the values of equalists/liberals, (liberty, non-discrimination, democracy, gentleness, concensus, the spirit of the law etc) that is happening right now and it is my belief that this will eventually polarise whole societies. Well when I observe society this becomes very apparent.

There are whole belief systems whose believers think that women are inferior, that gay people are "dirty dogs", that people of other belief systems are inferior and that it is OK to treat them so, that democracy is for weak people and violence used to enforce their view of what is right is acceptable, commendable even.

Sound familiar? I should say so. These are the values that spurred the Nazi's on and fuelled the Second World War and the mass murder of innocent civilians. It doesn't matter how you dress it up: these are fascistic values. They stand diametrically opposed to the values that the West holds dear. These values threaten to destroy our liberal Western democracies if they ever come to fruition in the West.

This is the biggest battle of all ideologies and I believe will be one of the foremost spiritual struggles of our times. And there won't be any sitting on the fence.

You either stand against the fascistic values or, even if you don't hold them, you will become part of the problem.

"All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing. " - Edmund Burke.

Of course in this day and age that also includes good women. Especially good women.

As always,

Blessed be,

KK

Happy New Year! New Beginnings!

Hi all,

Another New Year is here so Happy New Year to you all! And what a year it's been and is going to be.

It was with regret that I noted the execution of Saddam Hussein. While I understand that many people affected by this man may have wanted his death and may feel safer now he is dead I still am against the death sentence. And what really upset me was the gratuitous glory people took in spreading the mobile phone footage around the Internet. Are we still the lynch mob? I guess many are but I pray for a world when we progress collectively beyond that low level of consciousness. That is all I will say on the subject.

Now on to a happier message. Remember you cannot change the past but the future is unwritten and can be determined by you. This is so despite to the amount of fortune tellers around. Any real psychic/sensitive will tell you that they can only predict possibilities and trends and give warnings. Any-one who tells you the future is written in stone and only they can see it should be avoided for the charlatans they are.

So I will wish you all a Very Happy New Year. And as always,

Blessed be!

KK

The Duty to Become Peaceful

Hi all,

Today I am writing about Peace. We wish Peace upon people as if it were a outside entity that can descend upon people, or as something that other people can give you. Well this is not so. Your Peace is your responsibility. Peace will come because you order your life so it becomes a fertile place for Peace to grow. And Peace will come because you live in accordance with higher spititual values, such as forgiveness and loving your enemy, rather than give into to baser human values such as revenge and hatred.

If you continue to seek revenge and nurse grievances and feel hatred, no-one, but no-one in this world, or even God can "give "you Peace.

That said, I also said that a duty lies upon you to create your life in such a way that it becomes a fertile ground wherein Peace can dwell. Because other people can diminish your path to Peace or even try to destroy it. If they are are full of hatred and bitterness they may feel very envious of any Peace you have achieved and may try to destroy or diminish your Peace.

If you are spiritually able to help them do so, if you wish. But if you do not have the spiritual strength to stand up to these destructive people you have the right, and perhaps even the duty, to avoid them. It serves no highter purpose to allow your Peace to be destroyed.

As that beautiful poem Desiderata says "Avoid loud and aggressive persons for the are vexations to the soul" And your first duty is to your own Soul.

Maybe very advanced spiritual beings such as Jesus and Buddha etc. could be with such persons and maintain their own Peace and even calm people down. But most people are not in that place so the first thing you must preserve is your own Peace.

There can never be Peace on this planet while it does not dwell in your Soul.

So start there.

Pax and as always Blessed Be,

KK

Krystal Klere's Christmas Address 2006

Hi all,

First I will say Merry Yuletide, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays as many of my other blogs now point to this one for the Christmas Address.

Let me also say at the start many thanks to you all for your kind thoughts, blessings and gifts during this my Crone year, and also for the Christmas/Yuletide presents I have yet to open. I wish you all Peace, Comfort, Joy and Love now and always.

My husband and I have parted officially. I call it the parting of the ways. Of course there is a certain amount of discord bertween us because parting always hurts. But there is not enmity and I have already received a Christmas card from him. According to my religion , Paganism, a couple stay together "as long as love lasts"*. This to me seems to be the most loving and civilised way of handling human relationships. To tie people into to a loveless marriage. or union, on account of "duty" seems to be quite barbaric to me and almost guaranteed to lead to resentment and hostility. Still some people seem to accept this idea.

I hope you are surrounded by people you love this Wintertide, and by people who love you. For me this not does not have to mean blood family. To me the spiritual family is much more important. And that includes people who are there in the flesh and in the spirit.

If you are alone make sure to love yourself. Eat well and do things that give you pleasure. You deserve it. And remember if others do not appear to love you, or appreciate you, it is their loss. The lotus is within all of us. So love yourself this Christmas. And if you do get down remember is it really just one more day.

We live in a materialist capitalistic world where Mammon seems to rule more at Christmas that the spirit of Jesus. And the ringing of cash tills is more common than the rings of jingle bells.

So in the spirit of Christmas try to remember some-one less fortunate that yourself and do them a good turn. (And there always is some-one like that) And in the spirit of Humanity try to do this everyday for the rest of your life.

If you wish to donate, my chosen charity this year is the Childrens Hospice International charity who do amazing work.

May the God, Goddess or Life, (whichever you believe in) , bless you all the Christmas/Yuletide/Holiday and in all the years to come.

And as always,

Blessed be,

KK

PS* When I say "the end of love" in a relationship I am referring to personal and romantic love. I still Love my husband as a aspect of the Divine that I have had close knowledge of. That can never change. If that were not so, in my opinion. it would never have been really Love.

Krystal is in Australia

Hi all,

Greetings from Australia! I am here to see my third husband from whom I live separately but whom I still love. I will be seeing him tomorrow and I am really looking forward to it!

One week of love, romance and adventure.

I hope you can all be as lucky one day.

Until next time.

Blessed be,

KK

Pearl of Wisdom 4/10/06

Hi all,

My thought for the day comes from the words of Jesus.

Jesus said, "Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you. Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you" (Luke 6:27-28).


Until next time,

Blessed be,

KK

Childhood Sexual Abuse, Rape and Prostitution

Hi all,

Yes, I know I said that all I would be publishing for a while would only be thoughts for the day but something happened yesterday that made me decide to update this blog.

The reason I decided to update this blog is with regard to prostitution and childhood sexual abuse. Is there a connection I hear you ask? Well the answer is - yes, there can be. And the reason I raise the question is that yesterday I attended a psychology conference and the subject matter was the connection, (if any), between childhood sexual abuse adult sex workers.

I am a qualified social worker and worked in the past in an outreach project in London that helped sex workers, (aka prostitutes). One thing that became apparent to me when I worked in the project was the high incidence of women who worked as prostitutes who had been sexually abused as children. About 70% at the project I worked in.

The theory goes something like this. Women who are sexually abused as children become conditioned to see themselves as sex objects and that is the only way they can get "love". Upon becoming adults they still, (maybe subconsciously) , see themselves as sex objects, but when they demand money for performing sexual services they feel empowered because now they are making money by being sexual objects, and are in charge and not an object of abuse. Of course in reality they are repeating a pattern they were conditioned to believe in i.e. that their role in the world is to be a sexual object.

I actually believe that this theory makes a greal deal of sense. Where I part company with some more radical feminists is that I still believe that if a woman believes that becoming a prostitute, at the time in life she becomes one, is the best option for her then I think we should honour that choice. We should respect anyone doing the best they can for themselves at the time.

When the time comes when she is able to, or needs to, move on from that role then she should be enabled to do so. But for me prostitution remains a valid life choice as long as a woman wants to do it and is not forced to do so through pimping, drug addiction or poverty. (In other words being forced by external circumstances).

If she chooses to become a prostitute because of where she is at internally at the time then that choice should be respected.

I also have no time for the patriachal religions and their take on prostitution.

Prostitution is not a "sin" is the accepted sense of the word. The only "sin" involved is in those who exploit prostitutes for money. And neither is she a victim to be pitied. She made the best choice she could at the time and should be respected for that.

As for those who see her as some sort of vile repository of dirt, sin and immorality to be viewed with horror and revulsion then I would suggest this. That they are projecting their own twisted view of sexuality onto her, and that in their minds, whether this is conscious or not, sexuality itself is dirty. Therefore since the prostitute has experienced so much of it she must be filthy indeed.

Contrast this attitude to the matriachal period of history when sex was considered sacred and prostitutes where considered priestesses as they are today in my religion - Paganism.

No, if anyone should be regarded as the "sinners" in this whole sorry affair it should be those who defile young girls and cause them to go down the route of prostitution to begin with. And also all rapists and paedophiles everywhere.

But even then I do not even believe these people to be "sinners" in the conventional sense because I do not believe in "sin". Yes, certainly what they do is evil and they are responsible for it. And the reparation for what they have done, and their own healing, is indeed their responsibility.

But that aside and with regard to the prostitutes. Let us honour them for dealing with the pain of childhood abuse in a creative way that does not hurt more children. And let us also honour the men who go to them as clients for dealing with their sexual needs in a civilised way and not through emotionally hurting, or raping, other unwilling women.

As always,

Blessed be,

KK

Pearl of Wisdom 2/10/06

Hi all,

My first thought for the day is this :-

"Don't give that which is holy to the dogs, neither throw your pearls before swine, lest perhaps they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." Matthew 7:6

And I also saw another saying and contemplated it and I knew then that Jesus believed in Karma.

"Therefore, by their fruits you will know them." Matthew 7:20

As always,

Blessed be

KK

Pearl of Wisdom 1/10/06

Hi all,

I am both a writer and a political activist and this is a thought for those who think there is a dilemma between loving peace and being political active.

"I love with one hand and fight with the other. In my dreams I love with both hands" - Krystal Klere

Blessed be,

KK

Pearl of Wisdom 28/9/06

"History need not be destiny but if you believe it must be you have already made it so." - Krystal Klere

Blessed be,

KK

Pearls of Wisdom Commences

Hi all,

Sorry I have been away so long. I have been concentrating on my books and as I have so little time on my hands at the moment, for the foreseeable future I will be posting a thought for the day rather than posting an online diary.

I have had lots of emails asking how I am and also to ask me to write my blog - so thank you all. I am very very well!

I hope my thoughts for the day will help comfort, guide and heal you. (I will be calling them Pearls of Wisdom but believe me this is what other people have insisted on calling them - not myself!)

Much love as always,

Blessed be,

KK

Love Ye One Another

Hi all,

Jesus said "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another"John 13:34-35 (The Holy Bible)

Yesterday I was on a Treasure Hunt with friends in the middle of London and we came upon a man lying collapsed in the middle of the pavement. This was about 7.00 on a Tuesday evening. And do you know what people did? They just walked around him. I was shocked and horrified. And I don't think it is just to do with London. I have come across similar things in other foreign large cities.

Anyhow we did not pass him by. He appeared to be drunk and asleep, but I am not a doctor and could not say that he was categorically. In any event, even if he was, he still needed help. So we summoned a couple of Community Police Support Officers and they took over looking after him.

If I ask you to do anything on this blog it is this: please do not walk by on the other side. One day it may be you, or some-one you love needing help. Love isn't just a word, or a feeling, ultimately it is an action. So I would ask of you only this: please live love.

To quote George Bernard Shaw:-

"I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live.

Life is no 'brief candle' for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for a short moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations."

I could not agree more with this statement.

On another note about action. I am going to the 30th Festival for Mind, Body and Spirit this weekend with a friend of another religion. It will be fantastic because I went to the first one when I was a graduate student in London in 1977!

I'll report back!

Until then,

Blessed be,

KK

My First Audio Poem - Freedom!

There are Two Sides to Everything (at Least!)

Hi all,

I am still working on the birthday entry as I want to post some photo's in the members area and I have not had all of my birthday celebrations yet. So that is a work is progress at the moment!

Just for today's entry I wanted to concentrate on the Pagan belief that there are two sides, (at least), to everything. Light and dark are two sides of the same coin, and not two separate, and warring entities, as perceived by some religions for instance. There is light and shadow in everything, and both, in the right circumstances are correct.

Being as I am a believer in the paranormal and spiritual worlds I thought it was only right that I investigated the skeptical side of things. So last night I attended a meeting for skeptics and listened to a talk by a speaker who was a physicist and also believed in the paranormal. Then there were questions and answers. It was incredibly interesting and I had some very detailed, (and a little bit heated), discussions with people.

The picture that you see above emphasizes to two predominant sides of human nature. The dragon (the shadow) side and the fairy (the light or iridescent) side. And both are valid and necessary.

So for the skeptics :-

"Materialists and mad men never have doubts". (G.K.Chesterton)

And for those who claim to know, (as opposed to believe) :-

"Doubt is not a pleasant condition but certainty is an absurd one". (Voltaire)

Until next time,

Blessed be,

KK

PS Whilst researching on another subject I also came across two other quotes I thought worthy enough to bring to your attetnion. As you know I recently turned 50 and so am entering my croning years. Many changes have occurred and some of them have thrown me. In a rapidly changing world many people are fearful but the Universe works in mysterious ways and for those who fear change read this:-

"What the caterpillar calls the end of the world,the Master calls....the butterfly."---Richard Bach, author

And finally to skeptics this:-

"For those who believe, no proof is necessary, for those who do not believe, no proof is possible."--John & Lyn St. Clair Thomas, Eyes of the Beholder.

I am Hard at Work Now on Publishing the BooK! Hurray!

Hi all,

Sorry I haven't posted for sometime now, I've had a touch of flu - I'm OK now though. However thanks to all those people who have communicated with me through my new email address. I do promise you I will try to answer all your emails as soon as possible. And fulfill advanced book orders.

I am also still working on my birthday entry, (as the celebrations are sill going on!). So thank you to every-one who sent me presents and cards. I have sent an email to every one I can think of to say thanks, but want to thank all of you publicly in this blog for thinking about me.

I am sorry but I have to say no to people who have asked me to do personalised poems for them. I'm sorry but I do not offer this service. My poetry is for humanity in general

Until next time,

Blessed be,

KK

I'm a Crone Now! Happy Fiftieth Birthday to Me!

Hi all,

In this past week two significant things have happened. I celebrated my 50th birthday and an acquaintance of mine, (I would not call him a friend), died.

These two things happening in the same week and the way in which they happened have caused me to reflect upon life a bit more than usual.

First of all I would like to say a very big "Thank You!" to the personalised Krystal Klere bottle of champagne sent to me my Krystal Klere Internet Fan Club. (And I didn't even know I had one!) This was organised by the Acting Moderator Neil. Thank you Neil.

I drank the champagne on the eve of my birthday along with my husband before we went out to dinner with other friends. I had woken up in the room where I was born earlier that day before coming back to London.

I had lots of fantastic presents including ones from both my ex-husbands and two ex-boyfriends! I also got a fantastic present called "The Orgasmatron" from a group of girlfriends, some of whom had been lovers of mine in the past.

I had presents from Pagan friends and also from my foster children and God children. I also had many others including 350 emails wishing me "Happy Birthday". However the most amazing present I got, which came collectively from some cyber friends I have, (I run a cyber "agony aunt" column), was 50 gold and silver pieces of jewellery hanging from a "Birthday Tree"! Amazing!

I have had five birthday parties already with different groups of friends and have two more to go. (I am going to one this evening). And I have one final dinner with my husband and his last and most important present!

So I want to thank everyone who sent me a present, a card, an e-card, well wishes of any type and also everyone who organised or attended any events held to celebrate my 50th birthday. My life is awash with love and I am very appreciative of that fact.

So thank you everyone and as always,

Until next time.

Blessed be

KK

Poetry Book out by the Summer Solstice!

Hi all,

As many of you know who visit my private website my new, (and first) , poetry book will be out by the Summer Solstice. That is the 21st June 2006 in the UK.

If you want to join my private website please email me at krystalklere@hotmail.com .

I am also in the process of setting up my own commercial website for the purposes of selling my book since I understand that Blogger does not support commercial activity, which I respect because it is free.

Talking about free. Have many of you noticed how many free things there are on the Internet? I mean really legally free, without strings? And I don't just mean a free trial. There are websites that offer free web design and free hosting to private entrepreneurs and small businesses and I mean completely banner and ad free.

I must admit when I first looked into this I was a bit suspicious having been brought up on the premise that "There is no such thing as a free lunch".

Of course I knew that in the non-for-profit sector that this is totally untrue. Many people volunteer their money and their time for charitable causes. (I know because I do). But the idea that people would volunteer their resources for free so that other people could make money is a new, and extremely uplifting, idea for me.

Though much of the Internet is used for bizarre or disreputable means is undoubted, it has also unleashed a spirit of generosity in humankind that many of us believed possible, but not feasible perhaps, in this Incarnation.

That said I am glad to be alive now to see it. Perhaps it will knock the capitalist myth on it's head forever: that human beings primary motivation is to get back more that they put in to something - commonly known as making a profit.

Don't get me wrong: I am not against a person profitting from their labours, but let's face it, there is a difference between making an honest profit, and profiteering, which is what I believe would happen if capitlism was unfettered. That said, to me the twin tyrannies of Communism and Fascism are, I believe, two sides of the same coin. Both of them, under the guise of bettering mankind, really seek the same thing: domination of ones fellow man.

Sometimes preventing some-one's freedom, like restraining the criminal for example, may be necessary. But to desire to dominate fellow human beings for the sake of it is inherently evil.

I see the desire to have power over people, (as opposed to having power over one's own life), to be the greater evil in history, than the desire for money, (or greed).

Winston Churchil said 'Democracy is a very bad form of government. Unfortunately all the others are so much worse.' And I agree.

The picture that you see in this post was designed for me by a reader. I'm not sure I can see the future, but I will sure as hell try to contribute to it positively!

Thanks for all the birthday wishes you have sent me already. If you want to send more you can use the email address above.

I'm fifty this month. I'll be becoming a Crone soon!

I'm not giving the exact date for privacy reasons. I love you all but there are some very strange people on the net.

Check this out

Blessed be,

KK

The Cost of War

Hi all,

My new and first anthology of poetry will soon be available. So please hold on and be patient!

Having got Valentine's Day out of the way I am now concentrating upon my fiftieth birthday so the book may be out in about the Summer. Stay tuned and I will update you.

In the meantime I am having an early birthday celebration with my ex-second husband at a Champagne Bar in London this evening! Life is strange but immensely exciting!

Also, I was checking out some websites and found this on David Icke's. It's just shows you that people can be radically different but still united on some things like being against the Iraq war.

Check the running Cost of the Iraqi War here !!!

Shocking and in Britain this lady is still fighting to get Herceptin to save her life.

Blessed be,

KK

Merry Christmas (belated) and a Happy New Year!

Hi all,

Sorry, I have been a bit busy recently with my University work so I will wish you all a belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! As you know many of you are now members of my Poetry website but because of copyright issues this is a pay only site and members have to sign a disclaimer that they will not copy my poetry. Which you have done willingly! My Poetry book will be out later this year. If you wish to become a member of my paid Poetry site please contact me.

On a personal note it is my 50th birthday this March and I will be waking up in the room where I was born. How many people can arrange that? I can do this because the house that I was born in is now a Guest House. I think that is Fate.

I hope my picture brings you a smile and as always,

Blessed be,

KK

Don't Worry! Be Happy!

Hi all,

To cheer yourselves up on these cold winter days go here

Blessed be,

KK

Promoting the Peace Pledge Union

Hi all,

For a world without war check out this link:-

http://www.ppu.org.uk/poppy/white_index.html.

I hope one day we can all share their vision.

Blessed be,

KK

Let's Celebrate Life - It's Our Duty!

Hi all,

You may think that the title of this post is contradictory because after all isn't duty usually something unpleasant? Well not now. I am putting a different spin on things.

Yesterday was a sombre day for me and one that threw up many emotions, but today I woke up with a new and renewed spirit: I want to celebrate life in all it's joy.

No-one ever died in a World War so we could live in miserable gratitude and feel guilt at being alive because we didn't suffer as much as they did - did they? And if they did what exactly were they fighting for?

No, people died so we could live joyfully and wonderfully free. The best way to appreciate the sacrifices of those who died is live as fully and joyfully as you can now.

We should never forget the past and those who made sacrifices for us but I would add two thoughts here:-

"The past is a good place to visit but no-one should live there"

We live in the present.

And also:-

"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it".

This is the most important reason why we should not forget.

Got to go now. I'm going to raise a glass of champagne to my father.

Cheers!

As always,

Blessed be,

KK

Wear Your Poppy with Pride

Hi all,

I have just finished the two minute silence on today Armistice Day to remember all the war dead who fought and died so my country, (the UK), and others could be free.

My father was one ot the British soldiers who helped to liberate the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. He was twenty five years old and had to help bury the, (mainly), dead Jewish prisoners. It scarred his life.

He told me to wear my poppy with pride and pledge "Never again". So I go to schools now and teach the children what Armistice Day really means to ensure "Never again".

My father and I had disagreements over many things, but never the part he played in the war. Of that I am immensely proud.

My father, along with so many others who fought in the second world war is dead now so I publish this to honour him and all the other brave men and women who fought.


For the Fallen

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.
Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.
They went with songs to the battle; they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Laurence Binyon (1869 – 1943).

On this Sombre Day still,

Blessed be,

KK

Your Gift to Yourself and Your Duty to the World

Hi all,

Yes, I know I have been away from blogging for a while. But I have had a stressful week that has also taught me something very important.

Most of my stress this week has been caused by computers. However, as in most things, if you look for it there is also the gift in the experience. (This comes from Oprah Winfrey)

Through my struggles I learnt more about how to protect myself on computers and also how to recoup money from unscrupulous big businesses. However I also learnt something more important.

One of the most prevalent and destructive things in our world today is stress. Because of how I reacted to things recently I learnt something about how to control my stress levels and also learnt that controlling these were my responsibility. And when I am less stressed I am a nicer person.

So therefore since being the nicest you you can possibly be is a moral imperative, (well I think it is), I formulated a new way of thinking about stress. To remain as stress free and relaxed as possible, (in healthy ways), is a gift to yourself and your duty to the world!

Just a thought!

Blessed be,

KK

Back at Uni!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX to you all. Sorry it has been sometime since I posted but after 25 years I am now back at Uni doing a B Sc (Hons) degree in Information Technology and Computing and it is taking some time to get used to it! However, I have finally mastered it and will be blogging again more regularly from now on.

Halloween is coming up and after that here in the UK it is Bonfire Night on the 5th of November. I'll educate non-UK citizens about these two things in a later blog.

But for now I thought I'd let you see my Angel side of me. Regular readers will know what that means!

That's all for now.

Blessed be,

KK

Paradoxes and the American Dream

Hi all,

This morning I woke up and the word paradoxes came into my mind. Or seeming paradoxes.

The reason for this is Hurricane Katrina.

It would seem that the good ole' USA can get aid and helicopters to help victims within two days when the Asian tsunami struck, but weeks after Katrina struck New Orleans is still in a mess.

And another paradox is that of the wealthiest country in the world asking everyone else, including some of the worlds poorest countries for aid. Donations have come in from many third world countries including BANGLADESH yes, you saw it right, BANGLADESH!

Now, there has been speculation that the reason aid and relief have come so late, and been so badly organised in New Orleans is because most of the population there is black. I don't happen to think this is the case. I did at first but upon examination I have another explanation, although colour is linked to it. I think the reason aid was not forthcoming at speed is not because the people are black but because they are poor and even this is not the direct link. The direct link is that poor people in the USA are unlikely to vote Republican, (the political party President Bush represents). So therefore there are very few Republican votes to be got out of this New Orleans situation.

Whereas, in helping after the tsunami there were R votes on two counts:-

(1) Americans could feel proud of America in its response and this fed patriotism - a very strong sentiment in the USA.

(2) President Bush could play the worlds statesman and make America, (and the Republicans), look good. Again a play to patriotism.

Now President Bush, under the American political system, cannot stand again because he has already had two terms in office, but he would still want to help bolster his party, and try to make sure that the next President in also a Republican.

This I think is at the heart of this apparent paradox.

And I said there was a link with the question of the people of New Orleans being black. Well that link is that if you are are black in the good ole' USA, where anyone can become President, you are ten times more likely to live in poverty than if you are any other colour.

So much for the American Dream!

Blessed be!

KK

Salute this Hero!

Hi all,

When you go out this evening in London raise your glasses and salute this man.

Mr George Psaradakis was the driver of the number 30 bus that got bombed on 7/7/05 in London. Two months on he is returning back to work ON THE NO. 30 BUS and is continuing business as usual.

What a hero!

And when you raise your glasses remember all the unsung heroes who risk their lives every day so that this country, and this city, can live in, (relative), peace!

Blessed be

KK

Love, Friendship and the London Bombs

Hi all,

I had an incident yesterday that made me think about life and the London bombs.

I have a "friend", well I thought he was a friend, but I think he is more of an acquaintance really after rewiewing how treats me. Well over the week-end he was ill and telephoned me for advice on what product to use to help recover from his cold. This is because I am something of a health buff. I was away for the week-end so he left a message for me.

After a wonderful week-end away I rang him back on Monday morning to recommend some products and explained I had been away for the week-end. We had a ten minute conversation and when I put the phone down I realised that the entire conversation had been about him and his health. Even though I had mentioned that I had been away for the week-end, (not something that I do often), he did not ask about it. In the entire conversation he never asked how I was or bothered to thank me for the information I had given him.

Even if it were not entirely hurtful to have a one-sided conversation, at the very least it was just plain rude. On top of this was that this was the only time that this person has bothered to phone me at home in about three months. When he needed something!

That started me thinking and I thought "What am I getting out of this apart from being hurt by his total indifference to me and my needs" And you know what I couldn't think of much!

The London bombs were a wake-up call for me and as far as I am concerned life is too short to fill it with people who don't give a damn about you. Their interest in you is more about what they can get than what you are.

And I started to evaluate myself. And do you know, I decided that I am a beautiful and intelligent woman and deserve more than to be treated like that.

It is just as easy to abuse someone by taking them for granted as it is to abuse them by being verbally or physically violent.

That said the only person responsible for allowing the situation to continue would be me. And so I decided it would stop.

I have more than an abundance of friends and I do not need passengers.

When this same person saw how many Christmas presents I got for Christmas he even suggested that I should give some of them away to charity. Why should I? Some people have determined that that is what I am worth; why should I throw their gift in their face by giving it away? I wouldn't like that if I gave some-one a gift. Yes recycle it a few years later, but not right away.

Some-one once told me he didn't get invited to many parties. I asked when he last held one? Of course there was no answer, because he didn't hold parties.

For people who complain that they have no friends I have very little sympathy. they haven't learnt the basic rule of life: that in order to receive you first have to give. You can be selective in that giving, but you still have to give.

If you think that you have nothing to give, then go and work as a befriender for a charity. I did this with Age Concern in the UK. I started visiting a housebound old lady. The first time I visited she cried because, apart from the community nurse she had not had a visitor in a year. IN A YEAR.

We all have something to give. OURSELVES.

And be sure of this. If you don't think you are worth anything, then the world will take you at you own evaluation of yourself.

And guess what when I go to see that old lady now, it is not an act a charity. She is now my friend. She shares her history with me and I enjoy the visits. So there is mutual exchange.

I do not expect gratitude from anyone. That is patronising. But I do expect appreciation - in the dictionary sense of the word. "Appreciation - recognition of the value or significance of something!"

If I am regarded as being of so little value that even enquiring as to how I am feeling is off the agenda then what is the point of that "friendship".

If others do not value you, move on to those who do. Your loss will soon be noted!

Blessed be

KK

A New Guy Sneaks on to the Team

Hi all,

Did you see somebody trying to get a look in on the "Don't worry - be happy!" image?

Yes it was who you thought and he has sneaked onto the team. He wanted to get a look in and you cannot keep a good koala down! But we might have known that his getting on the team would lead to THIS!

Blessed be.

KK

Thank God it's Friday!

Hi all,

Just to say thank God it's the end of the week! Friday doesn't usually affect me the way it affects many people because I am self employed and mainly work through the Internet anyway, so I can work when I want, (to some extent - I still have to eat etc!).

However, one factor struck me yesterday about the Internet and our lives in general. As in some ways they become richer, we may also have to take care that they do not become poorer.

I am talking mainly about the Internet and the media, (TV, radio etc). While the Internet and cable and satellite media give us more choice, they may also mean that in the real, physical world we get cut off from our neighbour's and so the community disintegrates around us.

I have just spent the last week working on the Internet and while it was immensely enjoyable and enriching for me, it occurred to me, that apart from seeing specific friends, I had not even gone out of the house to stroll around my local neighbourhood. Which is a normal thing for me to do because I try to walk everywhere I can. I can drive but choose not to.

As well as putting on a few pounds I also realised I felt cut off from my, (physical), neighbours. So I took a stroll around my local outdoor market and was reminded that people exist in the real world still and not just in cyberspace!

I think all our new technology has the potential to bring great benefits to humankind. I also think we must make sure it unites us rather than divides us.

A friend of mine said that the Internet is the new technological manifestation of collective human consciousness. Well it certainly has the potential to be. Let's hope it is, and for the better!

Have a good weekend.

Blessed be

KK

Cheers and Welcome to my New Moderator's Section!

Hi all,

This is just to say hi! to my new moderator who now also has his own private section.

I am not going to give details about him here as this is in the public arena but he knows who he is!

So cheers!

Blessed be

KK

Finding a Cure for Writer's Block

Hi all,




I've got a bit of writer's block at the moment and so am making, in my desperation, a call to the Goddess.






"Oh Polyhymnia Goddess of Sacred poetry,
Confer Your blessed muses gift upon me,
That I may bathe in the light of Your glow,
And feel once again my creativity flow,
And of writer's block forever be free!"

Here's hoping!

Blessed be,

KK

True Intelligence

Hi all,

Sorry I haven't had time to post recently. The sun is shining here in the UK so I have been out walking.

One of the great things about one of my jobs - writing, is that you can do it anywhere. So I have been away from my computer and outside writing. And also walking. I love walking.

However, I am slightly disabled today as I have sprained my shoulder and was in pain. So I am going nowhere being drugged up on the highest Ibuprofen I could find.

So I have been musing around on the Internet looking at all the strange things people do on it.

And I don't mean pornography! I never use the Internet for pornography as I don't like most pornography. I find it too harsh.

But there is stranger stuff than pornography on the Internet. And this is one I find very strange: people forming high IQ societies to prove to themselves that they are smarter than the rest of us.

They are not content with joining Mensa which accepts the top 2% of the most intelligent people. No, they have to go higher than that and be in the top 1% or the top .10% even.

Now I can understand people joining Mensa because it has an active and international social life, but observing these other societies they seem to do nothing other than prove that you can pass IQ tests better than 99% of other people.

Of the people who join I would say (IQ) Intelligence Quotient, (supposedly), high, (IQ) Interest Quotient, (definitely), zero! IMHO

Surely true intelligence means having a life, and if you don't have one, then getting one. I think the people who join these clubs may have a high IQ but they certainly don't appear to have a life!

The image at the beginning of this article says it all really. That's true intelligence!

Blessed be,

KK

24 hr Yob Culture - Guaranteed 100%

Hi all,

The British government is trying to make sure that the prevailing yob culture that is haunting this country at the moment is here to stay. How does it plan to do this? By introducing 24 hour drinking, (as in alcoholic drinking).

As a nation we cannot drink responsibly even when we do not have 24 hour licenses so by what dent of thinking is the government now trying to introduce 24 hour drinking?

If this is how our leaders think Goddess help us!

That's all for now. I'm off to have a, (responsible), drink!

Blessed be

KK

Be Afraid Be Very Afraid

Abundance

Hi all,

I work up with a thought on my mind this morning. Pruning*. Yes I know that it is a strange one. But it is a concept I have heard through blogging. That occasionally you "prune" your website Pruning is in it's original sense a gardening term and and means:-

* Prune
"trim (a tree, shrub, or bush) by cutting away dead or overgrown branches or stems."
(From The Concise Oxford English Dictionary)

And then I started thinking we could use this concept in our own lives. To cut away that which is dead or just in our lives but serving no real purpose. Now this may seem a cruel concept in human terms. Do we get rid of people. Well yes, sometimes, would be my answer.

That is not to say that you only have people in your life because they serve a purpose for you. That's wrong. People should be valued as having intrinsic worth in themselves regardless of any roles they play. But all healthy relationship should be built on the concept of exchange. The relationship should be beneficial to both parties.

This is why I am against the traditional concept of charity. That of doing something for someone else. I am much more in favour of empowering people so they can help themselves. As the old saying goes "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day: teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime".

But back to pruning. As any gardener knows the main purpose of pruning is to make way for new life and to make the existing life stronger and purer. And that is how I started to think of applying the concept to my life.

My life, and yours, is a living growing thing. Our creation. And we are the gardener in charge of the garden, and occasionally we may need to prune our lives. To get rid of that which isn't working in order to make space for new growth.

I also started to think about this term in relation to things I own.

I am in the lucky position that I get more presents than I can possible use. This is because of other aspects of my life. I have tried to persuade these people to give the money to charity but that didn't work. A friend of mine explained to me that when people give to a person that the giving usually involves ego, and they want the joy of giving to that specific person, so it does not come from the same place as charitable giving, so giving to charity could never act as a substitute for wanting to give to a particular person. Maybe not, but I have managed to get my admirers to give money to my favourite charities, so my personal persuasion can work to some extent.

Anyhow pruning. What I do with a lot of my possessions is keep them for a few years and then give them to charity. Or sell them second hand and give that money to charity. So I guess I am "pruning". Or "recycling" to use a modern word.

I think being wealthy, or having abundance, could be described as being in the position of being able to give things away without feeling loss. Knowing that you will receive again in time.

Well you know what we can all give something away. What can you give away that costs you nothing, but can make another person feel like a million dollars? Answer - a smile!

Personally what I give away for free, for charitable purposes, is something very precious. My time!

So I hope you all have abundance in your lives and spread it around for others to share!

Blessed be

KK

The View from Outer Space

Hi all,

Well quite a few new features have been added to this weblog including a forum, guestbook and traffic meter. Also a Private Members Area with a new security feature for attempted hacking in. And I know this works because someone has already attempted to hack their way in and they could not get past the security feature.

Which leads me nicely on to my thought for today...

The way we live on earth. For example, why do so many people expend so much energy trying to wreck other people's computer systems through trying to hack in and speading virus's and the like? If they are so clever why don't they get a job in computing and earn the big bucks that the industry pays? I would suspect the answer lies in their lack of social skills.

While they may have the intellectual capacity to do a computing job they simply can't get on with other people. And it doesn't matter how clever you are, to get on in life in anything you need to be able to get on with people. So in their bitterness, because they cannot create anything, be that a good job, or good relationships etc., they do the only thing they are capable of, they destroy.

I think the world is full of human goodness but I sometimes think that if the planet Earth was ever studied by extra terrestrial beings they would come to the conclusion that the human race was one the the most illogical and brutal species in the universe.

A few facts they might look at might be for example:-

(1) One half of the world starves while the other half cites obesity as the second greatest killer after cancer. Or at least this, in the sense of all the diseases and fatal conditions that arise out of, and/or, are made worse by being obese.

(2) After travel, the arms industry is the biggest billion dollar industry on the planet. More money is spent on finding different ways to kill people than is in invested in caring for them.

(3) In sexual behaviour it is still considered by some people that if a woman sleeps around she is immoral, whereas if a male engages in the same behaviour it is the making of him! (I deliberately used the word male here, because in my opinion, it definitely doesn't make him a "man"!)

And I could go on, but I won't. I am sure you get the general drift.

I am reminded of the the anti-psychiatry psychiatrist RD Laing when he suggested in his book"Knots" the ridiculous notion of asking a schitzophrenic to adjust to the world as it is. He said that perhaps insanity is a sane reponse to insane world. Or as he put it, from the perspective of a patient:-

"Positive and Negative Binds

Negative: Can't win. Everything I do is wrong.Positive: Can't lose. Everything I do is right. I do it because it is right.It is right, because I do it.

They are playing a game. They are playing at not playing agame. If I show them I see they are, I shall break the rules and they will punish me. I must play their game, of not seeing I see the game." From "Knots" by RD Laing.

For those interested in pursuing this matter more click here.

Personally I am sitting on the fence about this one. All I can say is NEVER ACCEPT SO CALLED EXPERT ADVICE WITHOUT EXAMINING IT FIRST. So called experts are first and foremost human and can be wrong. That said, don't go around second guessing everyone and everything just for the sake of it. That doesn't make you intelligent; it just makes you a jerk.

Blessed be,

KK

The Answer to the Puzzle

Hi all,

There are two ways of reading this sentence: "genuinehappinessistobefoundnowhere" and these are:-

(1) Genuine happiness is to be found nowhere.

(2) Genuine happiness is to be found now here.

Which one did you see?

Credits to The Happiness Project

Blessed be

KK

Promoting Polyamory!

Hi all,

Here is the universal symbol for Poly folk. Of which I am one. Promoting polyamory! Click here for an explanation.

Blessed be

KK

What do you see?

Hi all,

Here is an interesting thing. What do you see in these letters?

"genuinehappinessistobefoundnowhere"

Answers tomorrow or later.

Blessed be,

KK

Pope Benedict X I V and Neo-Paganism

Hi all,

I noticed a news items on the BBC news today which I think will bypass most people but I think it may be an important indication of how the new Pope thinks.

The Pope was in Cologne and was warning against the new rise of anti-semitism. And that's well and good except during the speech he also said this:- "In the 20th century, in the darkest period of German and European history, an insane racist ideology, born of neopaganism, gave rise to the attempt, planned and systematically carried out by the regime, to exterminate European Jewry," he said. (Italics mine).

It would be truer to say that SOME Nazi's practiced a convoluted form of NeoPaganism and were into the Occult: it is a well known fact that Hitler was interested in the dark side of the Occult. But to say that this represents NeoPaganism is similar to saying that the Crusades represented Christianity as taught by Christ. What some Nazi's followed was a warped interpretation of NeoPaganism that the Nazi's used for their own ends. Officially the Nazi party was atheistic because all allegiance had to be given to the State. Just as atheism was the official line of the Communist Party in the USSR - because again all allegiance had to be given to the State. Allegiance to God would have competed in both cases for total allegiance to the State. This is one of the reasons why both of these regimes were considered to be totalitarian.

Now it may be that the Holy Father has not investigated this matter fully and sincerely believes that he is right. But I think it is more indicative of his Conservative thinking. Imagine if he had said that Al-Qaeda represented Islam. There would have been an outcry.

But it is OK to give this distorted view of NeoPaganism and the resultant adverse publicity to those not informed about Paganism true message. The one rule that Paganism states is: Do what you will but harm none. Hardly a moral message that equates with the attempted genocide of the Jews!

It is not for nothing that I also note that Paganism is the Catholic Church's historical enemy, at least in the sense that the Catholic Church sought to repress the native Pagan traditions of many countries when it sought to establish itself there.

Where it couldn't completely quell Pagan traditions it sought to incorporate them. So you get the Christmas Tree at Christmas, which is a Pagan not a Christiran tradition. And that is just one example.

Could it be that the Holy Father, (or his advisers), have noted that Paganism is a fast growing religion and especially so amongst young people, and so his comment about it was thrown in for good measure?

Paganism is attracting young people because it is more in keeping with the liberal traditions of modern society than traditional Catholicism and that of course is in direct contradiction to the direction Pope Benedict XIV would like to see society go in.

And this now comes a short time after the Pope condemned Harry Potter as leading youth to the Occult.

If the Pope wishes to make peace between the world religions if is a pity that he does not extend this invitation to modern Paganism which is now established in the UK as a bona fide religion to the extend that it is recognised by the Home Office and there are now Pagan ministers in prisons.

People may try to stem the tide but we are here to stay and growing.

Blessed be Pope Benedict XIV.

Blessed be all others also,

KK

PS I composed this yesterday.

Today I add a quote from Isaac Bonewits "The term “Neopaganism” has nothing to do with the Catholic Church’s recent use of “neo-paganism” to refer to Hitler’s Germanic Mesopaganism, which incorporated nineteen centuries of Christian anti-semitism and dualism. Hitler, after all, considered himself a good Christian and was perceived as such by many, if not most, German Christians at the time. The Catholic Church is simply trying to distract attention away from its responsibility for creating the Western cultural environment that dehumanized Jews, and from its pathetic record in opposing the Holocaust while it was going on (not to mention the value to the Church in trashing competing new religions by associating us with the Nazis)."

Well done Isaac!

KK

Compensation Culture

Hi all,

I am writing today about compensation culture as I listened to my friend Nick Ferrari talking about it on LBC this morning.

We, (in the West), are getting to the stage where we think that there has to be a reason for everything and that, if something goes wrong, someone must be to blame, and so someone should pay. Well I'm telling you folks it just ain't true. Sometimes things happen and they are just accidents. And sometimes human beings make mistakes as anyone can, and should be forgiven. Believe me a life spent trying to get even, for the perceived, or even real times you have been unjustly hurt just isn't worth it. I can say this because I have been there and it doesn't take you anywhere you really want to go. You will become trapped in your own prison of darkness and it will be a prison of your own making. Yes, your own making.

That isn't to say that was done to you was just: maybe it wasn't. And that isn't to say where there is injustice you shouldn't fight it: you should. But compensation culture is about blame. It is about asking what can I get.

If you really want to feel empowered about righting a wrong done to you ask instead: what can I do? What can I do to make sure this doesn't happen again to anyone else? That's real power and real justice.

And treat yourself kindly. Whatever you needed to do to survive was what you had to do at the time. It doesn't matter if other people condemn you because you took drugs or whatever: they weren't walking in your shoes. And if they did who is to say that they would not have handled it worse that you did? So be kind to yourself.

Or course if you did real wrong to others it is up to you to sort that out and not blame your parents/society/etc. delete as appropriate.

And remember the best revenge is living well in a healthy and productive way.

I'll leave you with this poem

William Ernest Henley. 1849-1903

Invictus

OUT of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.


In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.


Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.


It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

This poem was written by the author when he was in hospital. He suffered tuberculosis of the bone and has a leg amputated.

So with whatever is going on in your life, let us not descend into hatred or bitterness. And especially this so in the light of the London bombings.

Let us show in our lives that we are bigger than their, (the terrorists), hatred.

I am happy to report that in my neighbourhood in London there is still racial harmony. In fact my next door neighbour, my GP and my pharmacist are all Muslims and we are still getting on as normal. So the terrorists did not win after all.

My best wishes to you all and thanks to all of you who have contacted me with your kind comments about my blog.

Blessed be,

KK

London Police Keeping London Safe!

Keeping London Safe!

Yes indeed the Metropolitan Police are working for a safer London as you can see!

Back in London

Hi all,

I arrived back in London yesterday safe and sound. And already I have had yet another blue with a friend.

I told this friend that I had had a wonderful time in Oxford and he said something sarcastic. When I questioned him on this he said it was a joke. I asked him if he noticed I wasn't laughing. There was no reply to this.

And here's the point. I have noticed that there is a pattern in this and it is a classical pattern of response.

When a person sets out to achieve something, any type of thing: it could be a move to a new city, a decision to change one's job, or to slim, whatever, some people respond negatively. Usually the change that the person is initiating is, (from the point of view of that person), for their betterment. So you would think that friends would support that decision. Because you do suppose that friends want the best for you.

And in the beginning friends may support you. However, some people maybe THREATENED by the change so they start to undermine you.

I once started to slim and initially I was supported by (female) friends. However, when I started to succeed and start to feel and look a whole lot better some of these friends turned on me and started getting quite bitchy. I was confused until some-one pointed out that the same friends had tried to slim on several occasions and had not succeeded so my achievement was a threat to them.

My advise to any-one is to feel compassion for people like that but move on.

I am reminded in saying this of the words of Nelson Mandela at his inaugural speech. They were:-

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

So let your light shine however you see it.

My journey goes on, but London contrasts deeply with the my hometown. Not always badly, but right now, deeply.

That said I am in the process of creating a private area of the website that will only be accessible to those to whom I issue a password. This will be sent to those selected via email or text message.

Coming soon..

That's all for now,

Blessed be

KK

Still in Oxford

Hi all,

Well I am still in Oxford and boy it is so peaceful here. I see on the TV about the bombs in London and it seems a world away.

I have even made new friends here and am already looking at property.

I have two other English towns to consider and possibly a Scottish one before I make my decision about where to live. But it seems definite that it will not be in London.

The strange thing is I have met a number of other people who are considering doing the same thing, so I am not alone in this exploration.

I have walked everywhere since I came to Oxford. There are several reasons for this.

One is that the city is highly pedestrianised and also that a single bus journey costs a £1. So I am getting fitter and also saving quite a bit of money. Another is that breakfast is included in the cost of my accommodationn so I am having a cooked breakfast every morning.

The b and b, (bed and breakfast accommodationn in the UK), I am staying in starts cooking the bacon at 7.30 every morning and this makes my tummy rumble and ensures that I wake up.

I took a walk by the river and the midges bit me. I know that insects abroad like me a lot but now it seems that the English ones do also. I'll have to be careful!.

That's all for now. Sorry if this post is a bit boring but I am posting it in a public library so am being a bit cautious.

The girl typing next to me also seems to thump the keys rather than just tap them and this is putting me off a bit! The whole bench is shaking. I wonder if she is very angry, or just enthusiastic?

Got a LFF meeting this evening. Regular readers will know what this is!

Blessed be

KK

A Post from Oxford

Hi all,

Just to say I am now in Oxford and I am writing this on a public computer. Yet another learning process.

I have a great sense of well-being having left the stress of London behind and I am convinced I have done the right thing.

I am now looking around for a suitable property and have registered to stay in a convent. Very good value for money!

I won't be posting as much in the next few days as I have to pay to access the computer and am limited by time, but you know I wish all of you the very best!

Good luck on your own journey's.

Blessed be,

KK

Life Goes On

Hi all,

Just a quick note to say that I am on my way to Oxford today and that I am about to get the tube to Victoria Coach Station. A little bit nervous, but I have decided to do this in preference to getting a taxi, ( or mini-cab), as we say in England.

Looking forward to seeing my hometown again.

It's a little bit of a holiday where I will test the waters to see if I want to live there again.

As a writer I am used to late nights and late rising, so getting up at 7.00 this morning was a shock to the system and I am sure I shall sleep on the coach!

By 9.00 I had showered, made my sandwiches, had breakfast and packed. Amazing.

I will check in again when I am in Oxford.

Have a good day!

Blessed be

KK

Doing Things the English Way!

Hi all,

Right now writing is my therapy. It helps to heal my soul and my emotions. In this respect I am lucky because I have this outlet and it is a constructive one.

I am going to Oxford tomorrow to see about re-locating there. However I did get reminded that I still live in Britain when I tried to book my fare for the coach.

First I tried on the Internet: it accepted all my credit card details and then told me the e-ticket option was not available for that fare! So then I rang the company and after being told three different conflicting fares for the same journey I finally got it sorted out. I also got a concession because I am disabled.

My advice if you are visiting this country is make sure you know about concessions because you sure as hell won’t be told about it by any tourist staff!

The Aussies say the English (Pommies) whinge. After they have lived here a bit guess what? – they do to.

This reminds me of a friend who went to a restaurant in London and got very bad service. He refused to pay the 12% “gratuity,” (also colloquially called “service”), that was automatically added to the bill. When he left the restaurant the waiter came running after him saying “Sir, sir there was no service”. To which my friend very straight faced replied “So I noticed!”

You’ve got to laugh because if you didn’t you would cry.

Blessed be

KK

London Blues Continued

Hi all,

I’ve had yet another blue with the same friend. It seems that the tension in London is driving us apart and we are both coping with it in different ways. My way is to want to acknowledge it, but get away from it.

Now this other person has so constructed their life that they have little choice but to stay here. Then they suggested moving to Oxford with me! Now I must say that this friend has copied me before, but since I do not want them to move with me I am going to keep very reticent about my new address when I do move.

It seems to me that sometimes the very tensions in life act as catalyst to catapult you along in a new direction. This certainly seems to the case in my life at the moment.

We so don’t understand each other right now.

Most parents do their very best to bring their children up so they can cope with life. But who teaches you how to deal with bombs on tubes and the tension that creates? How could ever teach your child how to deal with that?

I’m just trying to do my best and live from day to day.

If my life does change and this friendship ends or lessens I am reminded to the words of John Donne in last three lines of “The Good Morrow”:-

"Whatever dies, was not mixed equally;
If our two loves be one, or thou and I
Love so alike that none can slacken, none can die."

He is speaking of course about romantic love. but I think it can apply to any type of friendship or love.

So we will see my friendship with this person was "equally mixed".

Blessed be

KK

A Blue with a Friend

Hi all,

It’s tense in London at the moment. Last night I had a blue with a friend of mine. (Blue is Australian slang for an argument or disagreement. I like the word – it is expressive.)

Well this blue was about the London bombings. My friend thinks they will end but I am not so sure . I’m not sure that he isn’t sticking his head in the sand.

I am planning to move out of London to Oxford. I have been considering this for some time, but the bombs may have acted as a catalyst.

I have had to consider whether I am being a coward or not, and think this may have been the case if it was only the bombs that made me consider leaving London, but it isn’t.

And now a thought: is it a cowardly act to want to make your life more safe? I mean isn’t this what people do everyday as a natural act?

You don’t deliberately walk across a road without looking. You put security on your house if you can afford it. You get a cab, if you can afford it, in preference to getting the night bus.

Without wrapping yourself in cotton wool, you try to be as safe as you can. This would seem to me to be healthy and sane.

So am I being a coward in wanting to move to a safer, bomb free city? In a word - no. Am I lucky that I am in a position to be able to do this? – perhaps according to your belief system. Are we in charge of our lives within certain parameters? – absolutely.

My first responsibility is to myself and those I love. After that I will do what I can to help my neighbour. And if some people don’t like that order of things then that is their problem!

Blessed be,

KK

Life is Surreal

Hi all,

I was just reflecting on how surreal life is. Or at least how surreal my life is in general.

I am a website designer as well as a writer, so almost all of my work takes place in the mind. And my job is, for the most part, the creation of fantasy.

Sometimes I develope characters and they seem to take on a life of their own - as if they existed already in some other dimension. At other times I wake up with a poem in my head and when I write it down I am not even "there". It is as if some-one else is doing the writing - and I'm not talking about spirit guides!

But the most mind blowing thing of all is to think that in a thousand years time people could still be reading what I have written.

In fact if Karma is true it could be me reading my own words without even knowing it! Mind bloggling!

Blessed be

KK

Near Death Experiences and Churches

Hi all,

I just did a long post and then lost it! I have now learnt to do the draft as a Word document just in case! Also I can do a spell check which blogger doesn’t have at the moment!

I was listening to Lord Pearson and Banksy on LBC this morning discussing near death experiences. Very interesting.

I have also decided I may start attending the Unitarian Church which would seem to suit me.

This was going to be a longer post but I am no longer in the mood because of losing my previous one!

I identify, amongst other things, as a Pagan, so I will leave you with the Pagan goodbye blessing.

Blessed be,

KK