As you might already know, Linden Lab had announced a few weeks ago that SLB9 (Second Life Birthday) would be a “community event” this year, and that in essence meant no centralized set of sims for events and exhibits. Many of us who have participated in past SLB celebrations were disappointed, and quite frankly, the whole idea of distributed events across the grid just didn’t feel right. Fortunately, members of the community have stepped up and donated ten sims to the cause, so SLB9 will happen as it should.

The details can be found by clicking here. I am very happy this has occurred, and it just serves to demonstrate how great this community of Second Life is. Spread the word!

Like the Fool, we all start our SL journey as a fresh Noobie, unaware of what adventures await. As we go and grow, we experience love and loss, success and failure, bravery and fear, and with enough persistence, we find redemption.

It is easy to quit when things feel dark; it is easy to surrender when we are unsure of the path; it is easier to run away than it is to stay.

But darkness always yields to the sun, and eventually the Fool becomes the Sage, lighting the path for all the other Fools who will soon traverse the same road.

If it sounds as if SL is the same as RL, it is.

Life is life, and life is experience, wherever you are. Enjoy it, be strong, grow, and do something along the way to help those who are travelling behind you.

If you use the numerical format of mm/dd/year for todays date, it is 3.14.2012. So as things go, someone named Larry Shaw declared it as Pi Day. Of course if you remember your geometry class studies, you’ll remember that the number Pi is usually expressed as 3.14, hence the correspondence between todays date and the number usually expressed for Pi.  You might also remember that it is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter , and as far as we know, it is a number that seems to  have no end.

That is interesting, but it makes me wonder about possibilities.  For example, humans have long considered the circle a sacred space.  Astrology is calculated using the circle.  The Pi Day occurs in the sign of Pisces according to tropical astrology, and Pisces is the sign associated with the transcendental, which coincidentally is also what Pi is described as being.  Now I realize that none of this might mean a thing, but it is interesting because it reminds me that even as we come to believe our modern knowledge is immense and rational, the universe throws us a curve ball that allows us to look at things differently, if we so choose.  But it is equally rational to look at connections and ask yourself what they might mean.  The answer might be “nothing” or it might be something more profound.

In any case, have a happy Pi Day!

 

Love is more than unicorns and rainbows, princes and white knights, the Hollywood cliche of boy meets girl. Love is not a fantasy, and is misunderstood because we are taught to believe it is a pure happy dance for eternity.

True love is something that lives deep in the soul, the very fiber and essence of our being. It conquers fear, it dissolves hate, it fuels dreams, and it gives us strength to face the tough challenges in life. It is eternal when it fully engulfs and infuses the internal, and then made real by the words and deeds we give to those in our lives. Love is the strength to stand in the fire and hold your ground when everyone else has chosen to run away in fear.

It is said that to get love one must give love, but this is partially true, for love should never be expected, bartered, sold, traded, and treated as a commodity. It is not something one can take, keep, possess, own, or conquer. It exists at every level from the physical to the spirit, and is far greater
than the limitations of lust. It is found when you understand that is the foundation of everything, the essence of everything, and the goal of everything. It is found when you have the courage to rise up and embrace it fully, to finally be free of the fear of it, and to know that has always been there.

I’ve been a member of the virtual world Second Life for well over five years, and if you know anything at all about Second Life, you can imagine that over that course of time nothing should surprise me anymore. After all, it does represent the frontier of web, and as is the case with frontier spaces, the experiences are wild.

Nevertheless, I still do on occasion encounter that thing or two that completely makes me do a double take Mind you the tagline for Second Life is “your world, your imagination,” so on some level what I expect to be surprised by is some sort of new cool creative idea, or some fascinating conversation, or perhaps even some new attempt at scamming people (for the latter unfortunately seems to exist no matter where you go).

But this recent event falls into none of those categories. In fact, at some level it seems rather prosaic, being that is was simply a question that a stranger asked me at random, for which I had no answer, at least immediately. The question was this:

“Are you a witch?”

Now this took me aback for a few minutes, not because I was offended, but rather because I was wondering why someone would ask me this? True, I do have a sim named Witches Forest, which has some pagan inspired themes and loosely pagan inspired artwork. I also have this blog, which at times touches on the same subjects. But nowhere does it say “I am this or I am that.” Further, the profile of the person who asked me the question had nothing in it to indicate that they had any interest in wiccan related subjects, and the tone of the question (yes you can pick these vibes up) felt hostile.

Further, it struck me that this was a very personal question, and what right does someone have to just ask a person something of that nature? Is it acceptable? Is it acceptable to ask a person out of the blue “are you a Christian” or “are you Jewish” or any other member of something? I certainly don’t think so, and I don’t know people who go around asking people these things. What a person believes is their own private decision, and is none of my business. And what was the purpose in asking me something like that?

Don’t get me wrong, if someone chooses to wear their belief system on their sleeve, that is fine with me. But let’s get something clear, religious affiliation has been used as a tool of persecution and genocide for ages, and it continues to this day in some places in the world. And to be asked by a stranger, for no apparent reason, if one is a member of a group that has suffered persecution is something that is out of bounds. It is simply not acceptable.

The other aspect of all this is that I am an artist, and as an artist I am willing to explore the human experience and all of its belief systems, but I do so with respect. I set up Witches Forest as a sim wide art piece, And when it comes to witches, I apply the same level of respect I apply to everyone else. What I don’t respect, however, are individuals who think they are above everyone else, and imply or assert that some other group is “evil.” That is at the heart of what bothers me about this question:

“Are you a witch?”

My answer: it is none of your business.

Meaning of the Three of Swords:

 

When the Three of Swords appears in a reading, it usually is a sign of betrayal. It can mean emotional pain, heartbreak, and being deserted. There is little that can be done to spin this card as anything positive other than to say that at least now you will know the truth, especially if you’ve sensed that something was amiss in a situation, but had no hard proof.

The Three of Swords indicates you will have that proof.

Essay:

 

It is said that actions speak louder than words. But sometimes, words matter. Sometimes the things we say to one another can destroy, even as we attempt to walk them back. Because sometimes words are action, especially when delivered in the heat of the moment, and quite often they are things we later regret.

This is especially true in a close relationship, because consider this aspect. If you find yourself lucky enough to grow close to someone, close enough to say “I love you” and have it accepted, from that moment on everything you say about that person, everything you utter, has the total an absolute power to build that relationship or destroy it. And the paradox of all this is that it only requires a few words to ruin the bond that exists.

This might sound a bit trite or overdramatic, after all, they are just words, right? Is so, then does “I love you” mean nothing because they are just words? Does saying something like “for better or worse” mean nothing because they are just words? If your word isn’t your bond, then what is? Actions? Okay, but don’t words indicate thoughts, and thoughts precede action? So if words translate to actions, then perhaps the negative words betray an upcoming action, one that will destroy everything you worked to build.

So if you don’t want to lose that one thing you can never have back, be careful of what you say, for words do matter.

It’s my birthday, and today I am thinking about time. Not time as it shows on the clock, or time as it shows on the calendar; but time as an elusive river that we all traverse.

The funny thing about time is that this momentary experience in the physical realm quickly and imperceptibly passes into an ethereal place where dreams and ghosts reside, that become pure memories and reflections, and can no longer be touched or felt in any physical manner.

The other funny thing about time is that it somehow feels as if it is a journey. But the destination is unknown, the reasons for travel unclear, and the time of arrival fuzzy at best. And if it is a journey, then what is the mode of transportation, and further, who is the passenger?

These are, on the surface, silly questions I suppose. But consider, what would it mean if our physical bodies are the means of transportation? Then it becomes a more interesting question perhaps. If life is a journey, my body the vehicle, and the passenger is me, then who, or what am I? Am I something more than just this body?

Unfortunately, there is no clear answer, although there are hints. Hints and speculation, but no clear answers. At least not yet. So my conclusion this day, the day of my birth, is that time will slowly reveal things, but all in its own time. In the meantime, as I travel on my journey, the wise course of action is to simply enjoy the ride, to sit back, laugh, smile, wonder, and feel every experience. For it is a gift, the gift of time.

As we begin a new year, it is a good time to reflect on what we have, and what we wish to find on the road ahead. It is a good time to remember that the things we really seek in life are the intangible things: love, respect, happiness, fulfillment, truth, beauty, and good cheer.

These are not things that can be bought and sold, placed on shelves for consumers to consume, but rather, these are the things that make life worth living.

Sometimes I feel we have forgotten this as we race to buy the latest gadget, the latest designer shoe, or the latest sports car. But no matter how many things we have, if we don’t have the light inside, we have nothing. If we don’t shine brightly, we are nothing. But each of us is a shining light if we believe.

I still believe. Do you?

Today I received an email inviting me to join Diaspora, which if you have not heard of it, is an open source alternative to Facebook. So I decided to sign up and see how well it works. I’m happy to report that so far, so good. While it says that Diaspora is still in alpha, it seems to work. Even better, it allows us to create our social networks on a platform that isn’t beholden to Facebook or Google.

I will post more of my thoughts about the service once I’ve had a chance to use it deeply. If you’re interested in looking at it, the main page for creating an account can be found at https://joindiaspora.com. The service is free, and doesn’t ask ten bazillion personal questions when registering for an account, so hopefully this network will work out.

What’s in a number? I guess it depends who you ask, and on a day like today, most people have an opinion. So I thought I would take a look at a few of the archetypes that surround the number 11, and see where the conversation goes from there.

Tarot

Let’s start with the tarot archetype, which interestingly has two options for card 11. The first one (as seen in this post) is associated with Justice. The idea here is that the scales of justice are balanced, and the sword cuts both ways. But this is earthly justice, the courts, law, fairness, balance. Thus the number 11 represents a balance, perhaps a delicate one, but a balance nonetheless.

A way to view this is that if something is working in balance, the number 1 on the right and the left work together to increase (1 + 1 = 2 as we learned in kindergarten). Conversely, if something is out of balance, the numbers cancel out each other, and we are left with zero. As such, the encounter with the number 11 is a situation where we have a choice. If we choose to act rationally, with an open objective mind, and we work collaboratively, the outcome will be more than we had before.

However, if we choose to act emotionally, perhaps with fear, anger, or other emotions, we could end up with less than we had before. In this instance, the 11 represents the basis of civil society, a society that works to promote balance and fairness. So it’s interesting that we are seeing movements such as Occupy Wall Street arise in the shadow of this 11-11-11 date (and yes I realize OWS has been around for a few months by now). What does it mean? Perhaps there is a lesson in this card that can apply.

The alternate archetype for tarot card 11 is Strength.  It is typically depicted as a woman who is gently taming a lion, so it is a refined strength.  The meaning of this card is that of self-control, gentleness, stability, inner strength, and composure.  So taken this way, the 11-11 would represent these things, that the war is won through higher forms of strength and perseverance, rather than bowing to more base instincts that are normally associated with fighting.

 

Numerology

In numerology, the 11 is considered one of the master numbers, and contains a dynamic force.  According to Juno Jordan, the 11 has:

…the will and determination of the dual 1′s supporting the number 2.  The number 1 gives a gentle courage, strength, and purpose.  The word “spirit” (when represented in numerological form) digits to a 1… the number 11 is called a “spiritual messenger.”

 

It is interesting that in both numerology and tarot, the number 11 is considered a higher form of being, whether it be through strength or spirit or both, and there is a sense of balance about it.

 

Astrology

What does astrology say about the number 11?  While astrology doesn’t deal directly with the meaning of numbers per se, we can look at the 11th house and the sign associated with the house.  The 11th house was called the House of Good Spirit in classical astrology. Modern astrology attributes the 11th house to groups, social networks, computers,  and both the social rules that mold a society and the revolutionary expression that can break the society apart.  It gives us community, and friendships, but also requires participation of everyone.

The sign associated with the 11th house is Aquarius, which is the sign of the visionary and the humanitarian.  Aquarius is ruled by Saturn (traditionally) and Uranus (modern).  The planet Saturn is order, and is associated with law, rules, discipline, karma, and order.  Uranus represents dynamic change, innovation, and progressive action.

An interesting bit of information is that Uranus is currently in Aries (the first sign, the sign of initiative) and is in opposition to Saturn in Libra (the sign of justice).  So once again we have this concept of justice, progress, and the rule of law, all working against each other or with each other, depending on choices.

 

Summary

What does all this mean?  It does seem that the archetypes associated with the number 11 all point to the idea of a struggle that will require wisdom and working together to be successful, or a struggle that will lead to something worse.  The choice seems to be ours, each of us.  I have no idea where all this is leading, but it is intriguing that these archetypes all point to the same thing, which is presently manifesting itself in the real world. Turn on the news and you will hear about OWS, struggle, the Saturn energy that is in power trying to hold back progress versus the Uranus energy of the people in the streets and on the web who are trying to push things forward.  I don’t know how that story ends, but the wisdom being put before us says “work together to find peaceful and fair solutions for everyone.”

Happy 11-11-11