A Slacker, a Huckster and a Narcissist in Everyday Ramblings

I am being a total slacker chick this weekend… Well, not a total one, I did walk to the Central Library yesterday afternoon to take the Sandman comic compilations I had out back. I didn’t finish them as they were quite dark but it is interesting that when I checked them out three weeks ago they were just on the shelves and now there are 7 holds. I may be a slacker, but I am a hip one. :) Very retro.

Today I ordered a hold on a book called Portland: A Food Biography. It looks like it has some interesting historical tidbits. Up top there is a picture of a house I walk by all the time but don’t think I’ve ever posted a picture of before. Because it is on the hill behind me it is pretty impossible to get a decent shot without wires. And yes I know I could photoshop them out but that is not my thing. I like to share what the eye sees. Or at least this eye.

I spent the day yesterday, partially prompted by your comments, to think about why I am embarking on this extravagant latest chapter in modern dentistry. There are a couple of basic reasons, the first is medical, what is going on in my mouth is clearly affecting my energy level and health. I have discomfort as well, that this will relieve. We talked about the likelihood of both pelvic surgery and hip replacement. Those are terrifying prospects to me.

The other thing is about the teaching. When I teach people both look at and listen to me. And my plan is to keep teaching for at least another 14 years until I am 75 and then re-evaluate then. So it isn’t like I will have this quiet life in retirement in four and a half years…It will be quieter in some ways but more out there in public in some ways too as I want to get involved in the local politics of neighborhood enhancement and restoration.

I listened to the latest TED Radio Hour about cities and one of the speakers talked about how the only politics that work anymore are at the local level, but that they do work. I saw that with the proposed track “improvements” happening later this year. We didn’t get all of what we wanted by a long shot but we did save a whole bunch of trees and a certain access and cut down the amount of new parking spaces going in.

I expressed my opinion and it was heard. This is pretty amazing when you consider how much of the population on this planet doesn’t have that option.

The Red Tailed Hawk I saw in the tree over there a few weeks back, I think I saw her, or one just like her very close as I was walking down to my appointments Friday. I think she may be my totem animal.

Or not.

I recently heard this interview with this “spiritual teacher” Matt Kahn about his new book, Whatever Arises Love That, which I found absolutely fascinating. I watched a video he has in conjunction with the book.

His website is http://www.truedivinenature.com/

He may in fact actually believe everything he is saying. He has an incredibly polished presentation and says in the video straight out that you don’t have to do anything but be quiet and listen to what he communicates to you energetically from a whole host of spirit guides and revered masters that have gone before and you will begin to love yourself and heal the world.

Cool!

Besides going to “psychic school” for over a year and learning specific meditation and focusing techniques when I lived in San Francisco I spent a lot of time exploring new age propaganda, much of it around this idea of bringing prosperity, material wealth towards one by thinking about it. I came across a lot of folks who truly believed in this method of finding comfort in the material world.

What I believe is that there is much we don’t understand on a energetic level. And that having an open mind about what we don’t know is important and useful, and can certainly be beneficial in the body.

But my tolerance for ambiguity drops basically to zero when I believe folks find themselves exploiting other’s weaknesses with this not fully understood stuff. This guy gives me the heebie jeebies. He creeps me out. Apparently he is coming to Portland in a couple of weeks.

Last night I listened to this interview with this wonderful research psychologist that has written a book about con artists. Here is a link to the review…
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/books/review/the-confidence-game-by-maria-konnikova.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fbook-review&action=click&contentCollection=review&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront.

Now that I have spent some time understanding how Narcissists work I was not surprised to find that con artists are often Narcissists.

Oh speaking of… Mr. Fine China contacted me through Facebook yesterday to say he still had a book I gave him and asked how to get it back to me…

Sigh.

(sorry I can’t seem to get the link shortcut to work this morning.)

Last updated January 12, 2016