Alchemical links...

Alchemical notes for my amusement:

1. Adam McLean's site; see also The Alchemy Website.
   
2. The Chymistry of Isaac Newton
   
3. Glossary
   
4. History and links
   
5. Sacred Text Archive
   
6. Symbols (ooh, purty!)
   
7. Taoist Alchemy
   
8. Wikipedia
   

The Sword, the Shapechanger and a Dysfunctional Family...

I just read the fourth Kate Daniels novel, Magic Bleeds. Enjoyed it as much as the other four stories - counting "A Questionable Client" in the list. ( A few specific comments... )

20-Minute Retreats...

20-Minute Retreats by Rachel Harris. I liked the way this book is set up. Lots of good quotes. Every chapter is about a trait - Faith, Forgiveness, Intuition - and each chapter contains exercises... no, 'exercises' isn't a good word for it - contains meditations on fostering that trait. And each chapter has questions pointing out why a person would need to retreat. For instance:

1. You can hardly remember the last time you had a moment to yourself.
   
2. You feel an unquenchable inner yearning.
   
3. You don't laugh as much as you used to.

These things relate to lives of stress and distraction, and in every chapter my answer to the questions was 'no'. Okay, given the examples above, I do feel an unquenchable inner yearning - but it isn't a desire for spiritual peace, which I think I have, it's a desire to learn and experience life, and I wouldn't want to lose that. Curiosity and a sense of wonder: the most valuable things in my life.

I laugh a lot. Living alone, and currently having no job, I get as much time to myself as I want. I don't feel consumed by guilt or anger, I'm not plagued by anxiety. Which is not to say I don't have my worries; 'unemployed', remember? But on the whole, I began to feel like an impostor just opening the book.

At one point Harris pointed out that saying we can't find twenty minutes in a day to relax, retreat, and meditate, is simply wrong - we probably spend twenty minutes a day watching ads on television. To which I could only think, hoo, boy, this book is so not addressed to me. I don't spent two minutes a day watching ads on TV. Never have, never will, don't want to.

So, okay, accepting that this book wasn't written for me, it was still a good read. Some of the exercises in deep breathing, visualization, chakra work and creativity are things I may well do. Some of the quotes ( were terrific. For example... )

Musical themes...

The 30 Days of Torchwood meme:

( Day 16: Favourite Piece of Music. )

Harry Potter and Luke Skywalker...

You know how they say there are only two plots in the world?

Try Harry Potter and Star Wars.

Joseph Campbell was right.