Being alive now is like watching the stage manager dismantle the set as the performers strip off their costumes and gossip among themselves. The grand illusion is dissolving. Recognizing that the ones we thought were heroes are actually villains is disillusioning, but it's also an opportunity for us to realize what is essential in us. I will definitely be borrowing the idea of Pretend Time. It's a brilliant idea to delight children, but also for adults who have stifled their imagination and allowed their identities to fossilize. Thank you for this beautiful essay!
I felt wistful and hopeful, both: wistful for the childhood you and both had, and hopeful for the green shoot on the other side of this sad, chaotic, confusing time.
I loved that you ended with poetry! Perfect! That's really what we're headed for!
What an eye and heart your have for beauty, Kathleen. Thank you.
What a lovely inspiring article. Thank you and it was also a relief to see so many Australians with common sense. Something that we will all need to develop and nourish in the years to come. 🙏🙏🙏
The lifting of veils and masks…one decides to either live naked and true, or don the mask yet again.
But these masks only partially hide yourself from others, never from yourself.
G. K. Chesterton once wrote: “Madness does not come by breaking out, but by giving in; by settling down in some dirty, little, self-repeating circle of ideas; by being tamed.”
Thank you for your writing—a window of sanity and a clear heart. Always a gift. ❤️
Always excellent at getting to the heart of some pretty abstract stuff. My awakening came during covid, probably in tandem with the mandates of chemical injections which in my gut felt insane, even when I was still a mask wearer and believed in the "leaked" virus. My awakening evolved from there, where the world I knew for over 50 years slowly unraveled. A lot of it was hard to face, and I remember a pinnacle moment when the entire matrix cracked in half for me. I was overwhelmed with fear and sadness, but also a relief and sense of freedom I had never felt before. It was awful, but everything finally made sense. And then of course, I let it all sink in and process. Not having a lot of hope in the fake world is not fun, but breaking free of it was a true gift.
"I am a pisshead, and even I know it is a scam." Such a beautiful sentiment. I think those with an inflated sense of intellect always discount the common 'pissheads'. And there are way more of us than there are of them, as I count myself common. Maybe not in the language of the common Aussie man, but still...
My daughter is looking to 'Unschool' her kids next year. I love that. It is an interesting concept of a child led education. After all, kids are so curious and all the public school does is try to fit them all into the same mold, hence, your "Pretend Time." I always appreciate you and your words. ♥♥♥
I always savor you, Kathleen. There are two things this brought up for me. One is a response-episode I'm composing for the Breggins' podcast on 'Anti-Semitism gets personal.' I'm pretty sure the person they'd grown fond of, and were dismayed by their articles, is me. I want to go into that place of mutual fondness and see if I can clarify with love what I see as the newest and oldest psyops.
It also brought up two dreams I'd had about my oldest daughter. In one, she'd had a baby and I was so afraid that I'd hurt it, I thought, I'd rather die. In the other she was living with other people and one was suddenly gone, had died, but no one was talking about it. She'd decided she just couldn't talk to me and in my dream I thought, next time I think I'd rather die.
When I finally told her this dream, she said, "I shouldn't tell you this ..." then segued. I pulled her back and she told me she'd thought, "I can't wait to show mom this dress" and heard a voice say, "But you won't be able to."
Now, as a bereavement counselor in the middle of a bereavement boom where she's experienced people in her work family, marriage family and extended family die this year, death is much on her mind. We both felt better after talking about it and didn't see it as ominous. I haven't told her that the Tarot card I pulled in relationship to her the next morning was the death card. But once again, I think it's giving the interpretation, not a prediction.
What I take from this is that transformation is coming, both death and birth. I think I need to get over the feeling that I can't be responsible, that I'm not competent enough, trustworthy enough. For myself, I think I need to be prepared to be alone again, in my heart, but knowing that I'm really not. But if I need to be, that's okay too.
That was the story I'd wanted to talk to you and Mary about, and this seemed like the right opening.
Really loved this one and the poem. As I was weeding yesterday, and actually enjoying the simple exercise, I had the thought that someday I might look back on this morning, wishing weeding was a problem.
What a strange world we are in - especially for those of us who have decades and decades of remembering. So many illusions. At least for those of us who have been paying attention lately and seeing what/who is lurking behind the curtain. IDK if that makes any sense... I saw a comment on a post recently that read "When all the old people are gone it'll be a better world." 😳 Ouch.
I'm particularly impressed, Kathleen, that you remember your kindergarten teacher's name!! Thx for sharing your story and your thoughts. XO
Excellent analogy. Nice to hear a story that seems to have become elemental in your life, and such a valuable lesson. Sometimes teachers cannot fathom the good they can do when they create structures that allow for both respect and creativity. I am sending this to my sister, a retired life long teacher.
It's unfortunate that our schools don't teach the technique of active imagination to older students. A friend is very proficient at it, having studied Jung. Based on her experience, I gave it a try and was amazed by the results. Here's a good summary from the Brave AI:
Jung’s active imagination is a meditation technique developed by Carl Jung between 1913 and 1916. It aims to bridge the conscious “ego” and the unconscious by translating the contents of the unconscious into images, narratives, or personified entities. This often includes working with dreams and the creative self via imagination or fantasy.
To practice active imagination, you can follow these steps: 1) Choose one of your most recent dreams to analyze. 2) Find a comfortable place to sit down and meditate. 3) Grab a pen and paper. 4) Focus your conscious mind on the expressions of your unconscious mind (the dream). 5) Allow your unconscious to reveal itself through images or narratives. 6) Engage in a dialogue with these images or narratives, interacting with them as if they were separate entities.
The goal of active imagination is to bring the forces of the unconscious into balance with our conscious mind, integrating archetypes to achieve psychic wholeness. This technique allows individuals to explore and confront the contents of their unconscious during wakefulness, rather than relying solely on dream analysis.
Being alive now is like watching the stage manager dismantle the set as the performers strip off their costumes and gossip among themselves. The grand illusion is dissolving. Recognizing that the ones we thought were heroes are actually villains is disillusioning, but it's also an opportunity for us to realize what is essential in us. I will definitely be borrowing the idea of Pretend Time. It's a brilliant idea to delight children, but also for adults who have stifled their imagination and allowed their identities to fossilize. Thank you for this beautiful essay!
I always look forward to your insight. You have a way of cutting through the noise and right to the essence of us.
I felt wistful and hopeful, both: wistful for the childhood you and both had, and hopeful for the green shoot on the other side of this sad, chaotic, confusing time.
I loved that you ended with poetry! Perfect! That's really what we're headed for!
What an eye and heart your have for beauty, Kathleen. Thank you.
What a lovely inspiring article. Thank you and it was also a relief to see so many Australians with common sense. Something that we will all need to develop and nourish in the years to come. 🙏🙏🙏
Beautifully articulated!
The lifting of veils and masks…one decides to either live naked and true, or don the mask yet again.
But these masks only partially hide yourself from others, never from yourself.
G. K. Chesterton once wrote: “Madness does not come by breaking out, but by giving in; by settling down in some dirty, little, self-repeating circle of ideas; by being tamed.”
Thank you for your writing—a window of sanity and a clear heart. Always a gift. ❤️
Always excellent at getting to the heart of some pretty abstract stuff. My awakening came during covid, probably in tandem with the mandates of chemical injections which in my gut felt insane, even when I was still a mask wearer and believed in the "leaked" virus. My awakening evolved from there, where the world I knew for over 50 years slowly unraveled. A lot of it was hard to face, and I remember a pinnacle moment when the entire matrix cracked in half for me. I was overwhelmed with fear and sadness, but also a relief and sense of freedom I had never felt before. It was awful, but everything finally made sense. And then of course, I let it all sink in and process. Not having a lot of hope in the fake world is not fun, but breaking free of it was a true gift.
I always assumed that "they," meaning some authorities ably carrying out their tasks, would tell us the truth. Now I wonder why I believed in it!
"I am a pisshead, and even I know it is a scam." Such a beautiful sentiment. I think those with an inflated sense of intellect always discount the common 'pissheads'. And there are way more of us than there are of them, as I count myself common. Maybe not in the language of the common Aussie man, but still...
My daughter is looking to 'Unschool' her kids next year. I love that. It is an interesting concept of a child led education. After all, kids are so curious and all the public school does is try to fit them all into the same mold, hence, your "Pretend Time." I always appreciate you and your words. ♥♥♥
I always savor you, Kathleen. There are two things this brought up for me. One is a response-episode I'm composing for the Breggins' podcast on 'Anti-Semitism gets personal.' I'm pretty sure the person they'd grown fond of, and were dismayed by their articles, is me. I want to go into that place of mutual fondness and see if I can clarify with love what I see as the newest and oldest psyops.
It also brought up two dreams I'd had about my oldest daughter. In one, she'd had a baby and I was so afraid that I'd hurt it, I thought, I'd rather die. In the other she was living with other people and one was suddenly gone, had died, but no one was talking about it. She'd decided she just couldn't talk to me and in my dream I thought, next time I think I'd rather die.
When I finally told her this dream, she said, "I shouldn't tell you this ..." then segued. I pulled her back and she told me she'd thought, "I can't wait to show mom this dress" and heard a voice say, "But you won't be able to."
Now, as a bereavement counselor in the middle of a bereavement boom where she's experienced people in her work family, marriage family and extended family die this year, death is much on her mind. We both felt better after talking about it and didn't see it as ominous. I haven't told her that the Tarot card I pulled in relationship to her the next morning was the death card. But once again, I think it's giving the interpretation, not a prediction.
What I take from this is that transformation is coming, both death and birth. I think I need to get over the feeling that I can't be responsible, that I'm not competent enough, trustworthy enough. For myself, I think I need to be prepared to be alone again, in my heart, but knowing that I'm really not. But if I need to be, that's okay too.
That was the story I'd wanted to talk to you and Mary about, and this seemed like the right opening.
Really loved this one and the poem. As I was weeding yesterday, and actually enjoying the simple exercise, I had the thought that someday I might look back on this morning, wishing weeding was a problem.
What a strange world we are in - especially for those of us who have decades and decades of remembering. So many illusions. At least for those of us who have been paying attention lately and seeing what/who is lurking behind the curtain. IDK if that makes any sense... I saw a comment on a post recently that read "When all the old people are gone it'll be a better world." 😳 Ouch.
I'm particularly impressed, Kathleen, that you remember your kindergarten teacher's name!! Thx for sharing your story and your thoughts. XO
This "Essential Self" theme seems to be going around.
I know it certainly is for me.
Peeling the onion, as it were.
Perhaps this is a common theme for all of us at some point.
Excellent analogy. Nice to hear a story that seems to have become elemental in your life, and such a valuable lesson. Sometimes teachers cannot fathom the good they can do when they create structures that allow for both respect and creativity. I am sending this to my sister, a retired life long teacher.
Wonderful poem. Thank you.
It's unfortunate that our schools don't teach the technique of active imagination to older students. A friend is very proficient at it, having studied Jung. Based on her experience, I gave it a try and was amazed by the results. Here's a good summary from the Brave AI:
Jung’s active imagination is a meditation technique developed by Carl Jung between 1913 and 1916. It aims to bridge the conscious “ego” and the unconscious by translating the contents of the unconscious into images, narratives, or personified entities. This often includes working with dreams and the creative self via imagination or fantasy.
To practice active imagination, you can follow these steps: 1) Choose one of your most recent dreams to analyze. 2) Find a comfortable place to sit down and meditate. 3) Grab a pen and paper. 4) Focus your conscious mind on the expressions of your unconscious mind (the dream). 5) Allow your unconscious to reveal itself through images or narratives. 6) Engage in a dialogue with these images or narratives, interacting with them as if they were separate entities.
The goal of active imagination is to bring the forces of the unconscious into balance with our conscious mind, integrating archetypes to achieve psychic wholeness. This technique allows individuals to explore and confront the contents of their unconscious during wakefulness, rather than relying solely on dream analysis.