Was I a bit Pasty for you?

You know often people who are attracted to our kind of circles languish under the belief that we all get on and that it is all a big happy family. Then they get somewhat disheartened when they have anything to do with the so-called "community". This reminds me of a quote from The Seven Faces of Dr Lao but enough of that for another time. Anyhow our much vaunted solidarity ..... Hmmm .. well like most ideals it looks excellent on paper but tends to be somewhat different in the wider world - still to me that is what an ideal should be ... something to strive towards.

Here I will be discussing the moment wherein we sometimes adopt stange faces and guises as we move about the place. Much to the dismay of some who may have been busily categorising some of my more vocal moments there is a good reason for me to occasionally defend those who look shall we say ... less than normal? Recently some had bites at some people on a Sunday documentary on the telly. Some people assumed that because I disagreed with some of what was said I also simply disagreed full stop. Well as I said in contrary to that belief, looking wierd is simply something that each individual must confront and weigh up the pros and cons of for themselves.

The fact is that when we follow our convictions in various belief structures we eventually discern that what attracted/s us and that we are following is simply a part of a larger current - much like streams of large rivers for example. In some of these streams, specialised equipment is required to deal with rapids, weirs, eddies and etc. Some of these manifest as abilities that we are granted, skills that are presented to us to learn that we may have an ingrained aptitude for etc and some others are simply how the flavour (if you will) of that current changes us. If you eat a bit of curry every day eventually you can want to and be able to eat lots of it .... it becomes only natural. Some times the amount you like seems almost abnormal to outsiders ... dare we even say supernatural? In some currents even the very physicality of the path walker can be altered - and they end up physically resembling eachother!

When this is considered it should come as no surprise that certain alignments of currents favour certain appearances. Sometimes it is even required by that path as a fealty or to more suitably house and facilitate the flow of that current. It winds up having layers and layers of meaning IF you know what you are looking at - all of which may be utilised to further the goals of the current and the operator concerned.

As for another sticking point for some people - the choosing of odd names ... well I will be the first to admit I have responded with the statement: "Oh so your parents were too poor to get you a real name eh Starwind? Well I shall call you FRED" BUT it should also be stated that names have power - they bend reality by use of intonation and their use of various essences so I generally only do this when certain people change their names simply because they could never cope with who they were really. When someone has a name it goes some way to defining them and the taking of a new one generally means that the precincts of the past name no longer apply for whatever reason. New work - new work name so to speak.

I generally only object when it has been done stupidly or simply to escape who they are. There are a couple out there who have always been dismayed that I will not use their newly chosen name - they often refuse to hear the explanation: "If you had been who you were before you changed it and were now someone different I would use it but you were simply too embarassed to be yourself and you certainly haven't become anyone new!"

It is true that there are some WIERDO looks about - and most of them I object to - simply because they lack conviction, beauty and artistry but well this is an issue really and not one that is entirely dependant on conditioning as it does cut from both sides .. and can happen even within ones socialisation. All we can do is take such into acount when trusting our instincts or abilities and what they tells us of people and etc.

Choosing to ride the wierd look dragon can make certain goals more easily attainable ... the mask worn by any individual, if properly observed tells a great deal about the direction of the operator/pathwalker (and this definately includes how normal someone looks - I have known real deviants to look very normal indeed when it is advantageous!) We tend to surround ourselves with things that feed and amplify those conditions that we find conducive to the attainment of our goals. You want to know an operator? What do they eat? What do they listen to? What do they watch? What do they drink? etc etc etc ...

Could it be that we judge books by their cover too often? Well why shouldn't we? Everyone would like to truly say that it is what is inside that counts but I always remember a bit from Adrian Mole's diary that goes something like: "Yah and if they were as ugly as sin you'd never of noticed what good person inside they are!" One of the ways I try to curb my natural scepticism is by looking at what is SAID by the person rather than who they are in the circles so to speak. Even pathological liars have been known under certain circumstances to reveal surprisingly deep truths and the popular media in all it's fascile shallow glory can be surprisingly incisive if critiqued well for meaning on the larger scale of things.

Why would someone do the silly walk campaign is a question often asked.To my mind there are:

those who know no better (for whatever reason - not necc a nasty criticism!),
those who express the turmoil of their selves,
those that express the tumult or otherwise of their currents/path/work and
those who do so for a purpose.

I have done all three to the dismay of many from time to time - including myself. The validity of each I personally suspect is largely dependant on what the participant gets out of it (like so much else). Metathought and honest self evaluation is essential to the pathwalker who wishes to go far without going insane. I don't consider this a cynicism but rather an observation of fact - none of which are better than others - simply different ways of achieving different things. The diabolist and the pope share this in common - they are both striving towards their own visions of enlightenment. That this places them at odds with each other is best resolved by simply treating it as a fact of the process. They don't have to be friends to complete their circle nor to exist independantly - it is simply a fact that sometimes occurs along the way.

So to refer back to the short list:

Were you yourself, was it useful to do so, did it show you more of the life ahead?
Did it help you cope with who you were, are, becoming?
Did it further your understanding of your vocation and the goals inherent therein?
Did you get your way/goals?

Perhaps at the end of the day the issue that should be being addressed here is one of personal predjudices. Well let me just here say that I don't buy the stance that the more spiritual you are the less predjudice you have. That simply isn't the case! Besides of which, I LIKE my predjudices! They make me who I AM and I have no desire to become anyone else. I like who I am, my friends like who I am, my wife and son like who I am - should I REALLY give a DAMN about what anyone else thinks? And if so tell me WHY.

Don't get rid of your predjudices! Observe them, learn from them and treasure them. Just don't let them control you. One thing I must say that I do tend to disagree with is the notion that we must become someone/thing OTHER than what we are in order to experience the path that was designed for us. The wise man is always afraid ... he simply doesn't let his fear stop him from doing what must be done - I feel certain we have all heard that somewhere and it is one of my faves.

I have always lived by it and don't care if those lesser can't handle that.