Claim your victory

#Armanen #Futhork Entry 11: #Sol

"The eleventh I know when I lead into battle the friend and the beloved. I will sing into his shield and the battle is won; luck all around."

How often does one go into battle? We fight battles everyday. Maybe not the kind of war that requires weapons...but all of us are in a battle for self preservation. For the Nordic cultures real battles were part of normal life...you plant crops, raise children and go to war.

The worst kind of dillusion is the idea that one should live a life without battling. We have to realise that struggle is part of our world and part of the path to self mastery.

The rune SOL is the believe in victory in battle irrespective of the battle itself. What is interesting to me is that in this context is firstly that SOL is about friendship and secondly that SOL is about leading the charge into the battle shield. For the runemaster their is no fear to battle. Where there is a threat or a challenge the initiative must be taken to battle. But battling is not a irrational charge with the blind faith that all will turn out victorious. The word "when" implies that we must consider timing and conditions before leading into battle. "The art of war" make it clear that several factors need to be understood before we start a battle. To be victorious of our own battles- whether they are fought physically or spiritually - we have to look at proper timing.

A battle is always won by strategy and awareness of the battlefield. The great generals like Alexander the Great always relied on both. A good strategy without adaptability will ultimately fail. A charge into battle hoping to win based on the battle conditions alone will also fail. In any endeavour when we are faced with a challenge we must be clear on our strategy but remain flexible to change if circumstances demand a change. 

Whenever we go into a battle we must realise that we seldom do it on our own. We can never fight our battles in isolation. Those who are close to us will always be involved and impacted by our battles. Even when we might have an issue at work it will ultimately influence what is happening in our homes. We should therefore always consider the impact our personal battles will have on our friends and loved one's. A battle truly won is a battle where friends and loved ones did not get hurt. When we battle the victory must be a blessing to all around us. 

Dont fear to battle. Always seek victory in battle. Select the time of battle. Consider the well being of your friends and loved ones when you choose to battle.

Entry 10: "Ar" of the Armanen Futhork series can be seen here: Choose your perspective

Communicating

I am at a course: Professional business writing skills for managers. Although I write a lot and since I am Afrikaans speaking I hope to be learning something new that will further improve my writing. It should not make a difference on how I write on Xanga, since Xanga is often more like shooting form the hip. I just write on Xanga as things come to mind. On the rare occasion I would try and put together a true master piece. My effort to write a master piece often results in less comments. Sometimes it is my most basic writing that suddenly rocks my world onto the flood light of hitting the Xanga top list... There had been times that I ask myself...Why this or that writing was so popular. We just covered the difference between linear communication and the constructivist approach. The latter is suppose to be knew but I wrote about constructivism even before I started to blog. Constructivist theory in essence says that we have different perspective and that we create a new reality between us when we communicate.  The positive thing about the course is that I can go home earlier.

Tonight I will judge presentations at at a youth leadership course of Toastmasters international. I always enjoy these events. Seeing young people stepping up to the moment to voice their opinion is alway for me a heart warming experience. One's hope in the future of humanity gets restored when you see young people living a positive life. This is one reason why I stay with Toastmasters - the programme truly enables a person to live a more meaningful life. Meaning that does not just come through effective communication but a meaning that comes from being of service to the community. Communication it the thread that links meaning into the fabric of our communal existence. 

1st Time Taiko

Drumming

Yesterday I had another first. Live is a series of #experiences. I have some freedom to choose some of those experiences. Each person is limited by factors like health, wealth, relationships and access to resources to what they can experience. Experiencing something new is possibly one of the best ways of enriching our lives. Is there anything more rewarding than experiencing something new in life?

I went to a #Taiko #drumming workshop with my daughter. A friend of mine who is very involved invited me. I had done some drumming before but I had no clue what Taiko is. What a wonderful surprise!! Taiko drums are large drums beaten with banshees. We had to sit through a talk on the different types of drums and styles...which made little sense to the uninitiated. But a bit of theory never hurt to create a folder within which to store experience. We did some warm up exercises since Taiko drumming takes a bit of energy. The exercises were not staineous however, and nothing more than what I will do for a warm up before Tai Chi. The Taiko drums have a rich history and found itself into temples and deeply connected with culture. Apparently it originated in China and was then brought over to Japan. The current school in South-Africa is the only of its class.

That very first hit of the drum was almost like entering into the sacred space of a new experience. The vibration pulsates not just through air but also brings the spirit or nature of the drum in direct contact with the drummer. We learned the stance of a Taiko drummer which showed why it is more than just beating the drum at a particular rhythm. We were exposed to various beginners rhythms and I was surprised at both the simplicity and complexity of Taiko drumming. The key is keeping count to know when a rhythm will change.  The rhythm of drums always fascinated me and now standing there hitting the drums myself was truly as if a new connection was established between myself and the web of life.

I went home very satisfied. The experience spoke to my soul and restored a new vibration into my life. I felt a new wave of energy to explore life itself.

I am still contemplating whether I must try to take on such an activity. I am very tempted but time and cost are both preventing me from making an outright commitment. I have no doubt that such an activity will enrich my life...I will contemplate further and then decide. For now it is sufficient to just enjoy the pleasure of having done something totally new in my life.

Another Xangan disappear

Reminicence

How sad when a #Xangan disappear? Without saying good bye...a site is just closed. Given the time spend commenting and being commented upon...it is almost cruel. Just without trace and without word. That people I know must go is not strange or wrong. All arrive and all must go but without saying: "Cheers" that feels so wrong. When Xangan's leave and close their sites without a word it is always sad. Was the comments they left just an empty illusion of friendship or something real.

I never try to keep people on #Xanga...those that left a message and say "I am sorry but I must go", I greeted with a smile and the hope that one day we will met again on some forum... But I truly feel annoyed with friends who commented and shared ideas for a long period of time just disappear overnight without  word. So here is my plea to all Xangan's and even more to those who consider themselves to be my Xanga friends. You are valued so please, please, please if you have to go send a last message just to say good bye. Your writing and comments will still be missed but at least there was a point of closure.

Just dropping of the world without word is almost like suicide...leaving others just to wonder what happened to that soul that spoke into your world. When you leave your comments on my site ...it is never taken light. Your words are little treasures that continue long after they have left...through the impact they had on me. I can list those who truly made Xanga memorable for me and those who had an impact on me. Yes each count in there own special way. Xanga is a special place for me where I share my deepest thought, my inner mind, the strive in my emotions and all those things that go by. When you read and comment it does make a difference and it makes at least one guy smile. You must never under estimate that value of your words as they depart from you to enrich another.

I can not make you stay but I implore once more...please, please, please...just sent a short message and say good bye. 

The world of magic

Viewpoint

The world of #magic is scoffed at my #science and technocrats... the current mindset of the world. The mindset of magic has almost been totally lost through persecution. Fortunately something of that mindset has remained and it has something to teach us if we are open to learn from it. The pshycology of the magical mindset is a facinating study and something worthwhile understanding even if you can not associate with the mindset.

Magic is often seen as hocus pocus and slight of hand. But the true magician sees the world differently and take magic very seriously. Others see magic as pure evil but the magician sees magic as neutral. For the magician magic  is evil of good depending on how it is used. A key concept to the mindset of magic is "Mutually beneficial relationships". So in this sense good implies that the magician is not just taking from the world but is also giving back to the world. We see ancients giving gifts to the gods hoping to receive something of equal value back. If you understand this world of mutual beneficial relations, you begin to understand why sacrifice was so important in ancient religions. Off course this can turn out very dangerous when the person giving the sacrifice have a selfish aim. Offering a child for example for gain is not only mutually beneficial to that person and is god.... but not to the child. True magic is a world of abundance where the sum is more than the parts....thus true magic happens where all gain from an action. Thus magic is a wholistic worldview where the total realised potential is increased.

Another interesting view on Magic is that Magic focuses on the improbable or the unique. Where modern science for repeating patterns...the magician views that as a low order level magic. What repeats is easy to understand and master. Synchronicity, the one time event or success that can not easily be repeated is the world of the magician. The magician looks in the world of chaos to find that spark of significance and tries to harnass that power.The magician is a rebel by nature and does not submit to any authority for the only authority the magician accepts is his/her own #consciousness and #conscience.  For this reason the magician can be very unsettling for the community who prefer the slumber that comes with predictability. The magician embraces unpredictability and embrace the uniqueness of the present moment. Magic is being aware of what is in the moment and therefore requires awareness of what is possible in the moment as well as attention to detail that makes the moment different.

Magic can be dangerous for it is a search for power. This search for power if unchecked can turn even magic of good intent into a source of evil. Power is addictive and power corrupts the mind. Magic is one side of the polarity...the side of will focused by intent. Magic must balanced  #power with #love and #wisdom. Magic can be defined as directing the will to increase individual power and influence.  Magic seeks to tap into a field of energy that is benevolent, such that all aspects of life will improve.

We may scoff at magic...evaluating it against the progress of science - yet the mindset that created magic is not far removed from today. Today we see the stock broker seeking power through the unpredictability of the stock market. The stockbroker is also aware of focus, uncertainty and in search of power. But the stockbroker seeks richness without considering the impact on the whole. The true magician sought to harness the powers that will improve all aspects of life. When we look at the science and all it has given us, we must also look at the old idea of magic and wonder if it can not be a missing link in our knowledge of today.

Age of Legends

Computer gaming

My enjoyment of a computer #game is no secret. I love roll playing games and games like Oblivian and the elder scrolls just takes my fancy. My latest enjoyment is a simple game with a simple interface. No animation, no 3D worlds but still an excelent game! The game that has grabbed my fancy over the last few days is the Age of Ledgends. It is a free game I started playing over BlackBerry. A world of battle is presented in the user interface consisting only of numbers. What really caught me is how even this simple game relies on strategy. The game is played as long as you would like to continue and the highest players seem to be on level 200.  The aim is very simply to gain weapons and companions whith whom you can devastate your enemies. You have several sources of income with which you buy these weapons and companions. Your ability to fight is influenced on how you invest into 5 variables. Although it is strategy that is only the start of the real game.

Rather than being a simple strategy game this is a social game. Firstly you have to build a guild of friends who, when done smartly, will become part of a force. This aspect of play is often missed by by players because they just add members to their guild since your guild size determine the number of weapons that can be deployed. But far more it is about building relationships with your guild so that they can help you when another player harrasses you. Then you can build a clan with ten members. This is where the real game starts for clans war against each other. This is where the real action starts because now you create team strategies of how to play together to win a war. I have such a nice group of people in my clan. We had long discussions over BlackBerry about stratgegies. It is a skill to figure out how to use each player's strengths to attack an enemy with mutlitple variables....of which all is not known.

I would be totally busy with the game but fortunately you ran out of energy and stamina and then you have to switch off and go do something else. So if you wondered...I am not just stydying and working...sometimes I am also playing.

Have fun and never let the child within die.

State of the nation address

#Politics

I took the day of work yesterday because it was the state of the nation address of South Africa's President, Mr J #Zuma. Roads into the city was blocked off and it simply was easier to stay at home and work on my PhD research.

I was quiet impressed by the President's address. He highlighted the past achievements and set the direction going forward as a country. The feedback was well aligned with the objectives that he set in the previous two years. Indeed progress had been made in many areas like education and the fight against crime. Poverty however still seem to be a problem in South Africa. Like the previous year the focus of the government remains on job creation. The government aims to put in place various infrastructure development projects which they believe will create the job targets they set for themselves. The main opposition party says these goals might not be achievable since there is no funding mechanism provided for the projects. However for a developing country an investment in infrastructure is not a bad place to start. Infrastructure should  ultimately lead to economic development. The focus is on building infrastructure to deliver basic services often take for granted in developed worlds like clean water, electricity and the road infrastructure. Although the president did mention that industrialisation must happen concurrently he failed to give any details. The infrastructure plans could be named by referencing clear instances targeted but it seems the investment in infrastructure is mainly focused on satisfying short term employment objectives rather than creating long term growth opportunities. Without proper planning an investment in infrastructure that yields short term benefit will be a destroying wealth rather than creating it. There will be a focus on increasing South Africa's mineral export capacity. The concern with this is not the mining of the minerals but simply the export of minerals without adding value before exports. Again it seems that the focus is on the right things but it is with the wrong time frames. Nothing has been said in terms of stimulating the growth of small and medium enterprises. Infrastructure by itself does not bring wealth...it is how you use the infrastructure that will help South African's to create wealth.

As a white #Afrikaner citizen of the country I was disappointed to hear that the government will intensify race based policies like Black Economic Empowerment through introducing legislation. I still maintain that a developing country can not afford to ignore all its human capital. Race based policies are aimed at correcting inequalities created in the past but it destroys wealth.  The race based reform of land, is aimed at moving white owned land to be black owned. Contrary with my feelings on Black Economic Empowerment (#BEE) I do think there is a need for land reform. The majority of land is owned by a minority of people. Targets for change must be set and executed. However it seems that the government is instituting permanent race based measures of racial discrimination rather than just using it as a temporary tool for transformation. I am convinced the implementation of race based policies contributes to the poverty of the country. Afrikaners, specifically are enterprising and creative, and they are not given equal opportunities to contribute to the country's growth.  Given that less than 10% of the population is white, there is no reason to continue to discriminate against white people. I will maintain this view until racial policies had been abolished and the country can truly enter into a period of racial harmony and unity.

So overall I am impressed by what has been achieved, the clarity of goals and I think the government puts the emphasis in the right places. On the negative side my opinion is that the plans are not founded sufficiently on a long term plan for the country. Although I support the need for land reform in the country at the present moment I despise the emphasis on the Black Economic Empowerment policy, which is discriminating on the basis of race between people. These policies does not utilise all the countries human capital and it makes it more difficult for white South African's to play a meaningful role in terms of the countries growth path.

Listening to your body.

#Health

My pondering this week will be arround the theme of assistance and the fact that we must acknowledge what our needs are. A need is something that we must have as something essential for our survival. My kids all did a project where they must differentiate between needs and wants where needs are a "must have" and a want a "would like to have". More specifically the survival and physical needs we experience on a daily basis. Last week I pondered the fact that we come with baggage and a set of capabilities that predetermine what we can and can not achieve. Our genetic make-up determines an aspect of self that we can not easily change. We are born to be a certain length and there is not much we can do to change that. I had been short as a child and I am aware how being short can influence how people view a person. As I grew up I am closer to the normal although I am definitely not a tall person. With our physical limitations comes needs that makes us different.

A tall person might bend down to be closer to the normal while a short person might walk taller but these does not change who we are. The stoic approach is fundamental to when we look at ourselves in the mirror...we should be concerned only about that which we can change in life. If short for example it does not help to ponder being taller....the question is what to do with that which is a given. Often short has advantages...for example when we were in caves I could more easily move around because I was short. What we need to do is to understand what we can and can not change and look at what we can change to make the best of the situation. The body is an expression of our energy field ...a physical crystallization of the energy pattern that makes up the soul and inner man. Learning to listen to the body is an essential tool for living a happier life.

I know people who never listen to their body...they do not rest enough, they eat wrongly etc. So an critical tool to develop in the search to live life fully is to listen to our bodies. I know a great contemplation technique where one just sit still and become aware of the body...listening to it and asking yourself what it means. A sick body is a body communcating with us. Although all illness can not be cured is still is beneficial to develop the habit of listening to the body speaking. In the modern world we search for the perfect body and reject the body we have...forgetting that it reflect something essential of who we are. We have to learn to reconnect to the body and become sensitive for the dialog between body and mind. Then we will equip ourselves not to address the wants of the body but to address the needs of the body. Rather than rich foods...our bodies might need more exercise...or less. However it requires time to listen to the body and become aware of how our body functions. When we address the real needs of the body we will begin to grow also mentally and emotionally.

Our body tells us when we are hungry, thirsty...or breathing incorrectly. Our body notifies us when there is a perturbation in its balance. We should hear the message and adapt accordingly.

+ Nauthiz - Uruz

$Gurdjieff in the $Kabbalah

New Insight

I am reading a book called: "Total Kabbalah" and suddenly realised a correspondence between the diagram of the tree of life and the teachings of Gurdjieff which improves my understanding of the tree. Each sephira can be related to Gurdjieff's ellaboration of man:

Malkut is the physical body that interact with the physical world through the 5 senses that can be observed.

Yesod is the multiple "I"'s or various roles we play that act on impulses and is much asleep and operates almost like a machine without consciousness and choice but rather based on impulse which triggers learned patterns. This is the domain where we begin to observe ourselves and start the process of awakening. In Yesod we embrace subjective art and look at the world from a local perspective.

Hod is the intellect or thinking center of man which is interpreting and evaluating the sense experiences of man.

Nezach is the emotional center of man.

Tiferet is the central "I" or the observer which observes our actions, thoughts and emotions. When we are operating from multiple "I"'s , the physical, emotional and thinking centers operates out of balance and the one is doing the other's work. Tiferet is the point of self-remembering when the cental I begins to crystalise as our authentic self in touch with the divine.In Tiferet we come into contact with objective art and see the world from a more objective perspective.

Gevurah relates to the higer intellectual center, which can only be activated or accessed when the lower physical, emotional and thinking centers are operational. Gevurah is the awakening of consciousness

Hesod relates to the higher emotional center, which can only be activated or accessed when the lower physical, emotional and thinking centers are operational. Hesod is the awakening of conscience. When we refrain from expressing negative emotions in Nezach, Hesod is activated.

Keter, Hokhmah and Bina is essentially unchanged since it is beyond man's direct perception but the above correspondences elegantly explains Gurdjieff's view of man. I still need to ponder this model for its value....or if I find anything that does not make sense disregard the model. For now it is an interesting model to ponder.

Choose your perspective

#Armanen #Futhork Entry 10: #Ar

"The tenth song I know is for when ill wishing spirits fly high in the air, I make them all to turn back, bewildered their minds, turning back"

 This is a continuation of a series of writings on the rune song of Odin as was presented in the Havemal.

The tenth song covers the unseen world. How often do we have negative thoughts or face the judgements of others. The interpretation of ill wishing spirits are open but both negative thoughts and judgements are ways examples of ill wishing spirits that are aimed at hurting us...especially on an emotional and spiritual world. The warrior-wizard simply deflect negativity, criticism by acknowledging the source. Having affirmed himself with IS in the physical world, the Warrior-Wizard also affirms himself in the spiritual unseen world of the inner mind. By focusing on Ar the rune master protects himself against evil from both investing him as well as from evil hurting him. If somebody scolds the runemaster he simply deflects it back to the person doing the scolding. We have to take responsibility for our actions and if we act in a negative fashion we know that we will have to deal with the consequences of those actions. Sometimes these attacks might come from "high" or without us knowing that it is meant to harm us. However by having the right attitude we can be more resillient against such stalking attacks. By not reacting to these attacks our enemies mind is bewildered as they fail to see us fail. Another form of a modern ill wishing spirit is depression. With Ar depression is transformed into an opportunity.

Ar is also connected with the power of the sun, the light. So what does the rune master use to dispell ill wishing spirits. Its simply the light of truth. Ignorance and arrogance both invite ill wishing spirits to nest in our minds. But the rune master using Ar is always in search of truth and leaves no idea or thought to be accepted without question. The rays of the  sun brings life and so where truth is established it will lead to life. Ar is also therefore linked to life and action. When the rune master felt down or finds himself in a hopeless situation he will use Ar as the key to access that part of his subconscious mind that restores his energy levels and uplift his mood. By focusing on Ar negative thoughts, emotions and physical feelings are dispelled by a higher order key. This is the secret of using runes. The magic of runes lies in having keys that can be used to trigger our subconscious to move to a different reality that is a more positive state of mind.

We experience things based on how we perceive them. We have a choice not just over our actions but also over how we perceive our world. A father can see his child as being naughty or for the same situation see his child as being inquisitive or adventurous. Ar reminds us that we have a choice about how we perceive situations and events. You can choose to see the negative in everything or the positive. The rune master does not blame others for his choice but rather become aware that it is a choice so that he takes responsibility for his choics. Ar tranform a negative perspective into a positive one.

The rune Ar as used in stav in the Younger futhark tradition

Entry 9: "IS" of the Armanen Futhork series can be seen here: Affirming self