American Idol...going down the drain

So anyway, this year's American Idol sucked BIG TIME. We're down to the last 5. And I am ashamed of my fellow citizens. How the heck can you have Scott Sable(is that his name?) and Anthony Federov still lingering around? And how the hell did Nadia leave the competition so early? She should have been the next American Idol. And to make it worse, Constantine (who is hot as hell ) was voted off last night. I understand on Tuesday he did a crappy job, but overall, he's a good singer. People make mistakes. And Nikko Smith... he was voted off once, but when Mario quit American Idol, he was back and kickin' for a few more weeks. Why he was voted off?

If Scott becomes the next American Idol then I'm not watching again....

....(Yeah right)

Atheists Can Help The Religious Too You Know

Many people may not see it in a positive light or have it cross their mind such as it just did mine. However, I realized that Atheists can help religious people in so many ways. Having someone on the outside, whose values aren't restricted by dogma and sometimes fear, can offer a different kind of perspective on things that you may not have been able to shed light on before.

They may not always have the right answer, they may not even have the answer you are looking for. But I think the best thing that can come from conversing with an Atheist is that you can learn more about yourself and where you stand on things. And people believe that God or the Divine works in mysterious ways, who says that God would not send a non-believer to at least get you to think? Perhaps they are the answer to your prayers for knowledge and clarification. Perhaps they are the finger of God, pointing towards you, asking you to look within yourself for the answers.

Gold Digging at Wendy's

Hehe... I'm not sure if anyone has heard of the story about the lady who claims she's discovered a finger in her Chile when she was eating at Wendy's.

Well, click the following for a follow-up.

Woman in Wendy's Case Waives Extradition

Who the hell would go that far to get money out of a restaurant? And to top it off, who's going to fall for a finger? A fly, a roach? Maybe. But a finger? ...

Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese Follow-Up

Remember the hype with the grilled-cheese that sold on ebay for a lot of money? Well check this, as some of you know, I do my own little ebaying. When I checked the most watched items on ebay, guess what I saw? None other than The Official Holy Pan That Made the Grilled Cheese

HA!

LOL

The "devil" can make his money in all sorts of ways huh? People are so gullible. And the worst thing is that they don't even realize it. The woman is rich as it is from the sale of the grilled cheese. (Okay, maybe not rich, but has gotten a great deal of money.)

When will there come the time where I can scratch images in toast and get millions for it? lol

Here are some other things that seem to sell quite well on ebay:

Condoms
Tampons
Box full of air

Something that doesn't seem to be selling at the moment I found this auction, but I thought it was interesting.
Mother and Child Beyond the Grave, Hand of God

and much more of course...lol :D

Quizzical

You are a NATURAL KIND SOUL. You like nature, find
art in many things, and you are kind at the
heart. Some could say that you are an old soul
too!


What do your eyes reveal?
brought to you by Quizilla


Your wise quote is: "Be kind to unkind people,
they probably need it the most" by
Ashleigh Brilliant.
You try to look beyond apperance, try to give
people second chances and are probably very
kind. Understanding is your biggest personality
trait, and thoose you can see through should be
grateful. If they aren't already. You detest
narrow minded people, because they can't see
what's really there. Facades is not your thing
and you strive to always be who you really are.


What wise quote fits you?(pics) UPDATED
brought to you by Quizilla

A SCULPTOR OR CERAMIC PROFESSION. CERAMICS ARE
BEAUTIFUL AND YOU CAN OWN YOUR OWN LITTLE SHOP!


What artsy profession will you have some day??
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Your connection with darkness is through your
interest in vampires. Theese occult beings
fascinates you. Their lives are just something
you would kill for, and if you would have the
opportunity to be sired, you would. Living a
mortal kind of life is just so ordinary and
boring. You aren't necessarly evil just because
of this interest/obsession, you just can
connect with them and their lifestyles. Though
people have a hard time understanding this and
chances are you're a social outcast. Perhaps
you hate your life and therefor developed this
interest, to escape reality.


What is your connection with darkness? (pics)
brought to you by Quizilla


The last two lied...lol...well, the second to last one was half right. I'd love to have my own spiritual shop. Why not? Vampires? I'm not really into vampires, although they are interesting.

Communing With Spirit in Music

Yesterday I attended a drumming circle. I am always so excited to go because it is a chance for me to be around people like me. People who are interested in music of course, as well as people who are very spiritual. When I first saw the ad in a local newspaper, I didn't even think that I'd come together with people who also share a spirituality similar to mine. I was even more surprised when I asked the person who organized the group why he enjoys drumming, and he told me that it was his way of getting closer to God. I began noticing more when I attended the drumming circles, I've noticed some people who wore their spiritual and cultural symbols and clothing that reflected their beliefs and customs. It's nice to be around people who are so accepting and open.

It is one place where I never really expected to be able to relate to people in other ways besides my love of music. But I enjoyed my time. I notice many times during drumming circle, I may space out and at times, fall into a mini trance (I'm more in some sort of limbo, but very conscious of what's going on). And people comment on how time flies.

What's beautiful about my experience there is that, it's a free for all drumming circle. That means there is no real facilitator who starts the heartbeat of the music, nor are there any rules on how you're supposed to drum. You are welcome to bring in your own percussion instruments, although at times I have seen people bring in flutes and other woodwind instruments. People of all ages come in and there is no limit to the number of people or the type of people welcome. When people stop in to watch and listen, we usually encourage them to join us, although we don't force them. Eventually, most of our "visitors" end up joining and thne commenting afterward that it was such a wonderful experience and how they would come again. We've had the numbers of people ranging from a small group of about four people to about 25! The most beautiful part is that we all eventually begin to tune into each other and sound like we've been playing for years. It's one thing about diversity that drumming circle teaches me and that, even though individually we may be different and live life differently, but in essence, it is all apart of a greater whole. And everything is connected one way or another which makes it even more beautiful.

The experience of just relaxing and the enjoyment on banging out on some drums is something that many people should try. I would never force people, but I think it would be good for all different reasons. You can even use the drum to let off some steam or to zone out reflect on the day's events or something. Anything really. And even if you're a little out of tune, so what? People are there to have fun and relax.

Forgiveness

The other day I decided to walk with my boyfriend in a park that is just stunningly beautiful. I told him I wanted to go during the sunset because I’ve never seen it at that time and I thought it would be beautiful. So of course, I drive to the parking lot. I see a group of guys sitting on and around this car. I took one look at them and for some reason, I didn’t trust them. I told my boyfriend quietly before we got out of my car and he was like, “Oh yeah?” and I said, “Yeah, but I’m not sure why.”

We had my dog with us because I thought he would really like this place. As we got out of the car we noticed another dog that randomly comes up to us wagging it’s tail. My boyfriend asks those guys whose dog it was and they told him that he belonged to the people who live across the street from the park. My boyfriend thought it was irresponsible of them to have their dog running around like that and running up to strangers. They agreed.

So then afterward we continued off towards the trail. The entire time I was a nervous wreck for some reason, and I kept reminding my boyfriend. I even told him, “I hope they don’t do anything to my car, even though it’s old. I mean, who would want to bother with it?” (I tried reassuring myself)

And he was like, “Yeah”.

So then we kept walking. I was still nervous most of the time. It was hard for me to absorb the beauty without that constant feeling of butterflies in my stomach. But eventually I was able to appreciate the beauty of the place with it’s streams and beautiful rock formations. A familiar bridge by the area was broken on one side. That pissed me off that someone would be so stupid and careless. Below this bridge are rocks and I only wondered what kind of stupidity went on there.

As we returned the first thing I tried to do was peep over the hill to check the status of my car. As I got closer, things seemed fine until I got to the back. The silver painting of the letters looked chipped, but I said nothing and tried to dismiss it as part of my paranoia. But as I was driving, I kept wondering if it was like that before. Eventually I let it slip my mind.

Until yesterday when my boyfriend proceeded to give me an oil change and I had spent more time looking at my car. When he was done and we were looking around at it, I asked him if he remembered if the letters looked like that. He said no. And so, I told him my concern, “Remember how I was nervous about those guys hanging around in that car and I was constantly nervous that they would do something?”

And he nodded. He didn’t need to say anymore as he knew what I was thinking.

This morning, I woke up around 3:00. I quickly became angry thinking about it. I was so fumed. I asked that Spirit take care of them and let them feel hurt like I did. I kept repeating, even as I was very tired, I kept saying, “Please, if they are truly guilty, let them feel the pain that I have, except three times worse. If not, please take my anger and frustration away. Even though this car is old, I’m very proud to have it because it runs well for it’s age and there is no rust on the body and I’m proud to show that the body especially for an American made car, is in very good condition. And this is my first car; I’ve only had for a little over a month!”

And then I kept asking that Spirit take my anger away because I didn’t want to feel that way anymore. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I was exhausted and I didn’t want to stay up all night thinking of such things.

Then a thought entered my mind that perhaps I should forgive them.

“Forgive, forgive, forgive....forgive them? How am I going to do that?” Then I began thinking, “Most important, why am I going to do that?”

Then that’s when I realized that I’m finding it harder and harder to forgive people. So I lie there last night trying my hardest thinking why I should forgive them. I remembered my belief in that Spirit resides in everyone and everything. Then I began remembering how not all of us are in touch with the spark of God that resides in us all and that we must forgive each other for that. That we are not in touch with the love that is Spirit.

But even knowing that, it was still hard for me. This was absolutely horrible and I was beating myself up over the fact that I couldn’t forgive others as easily as I used to. I was also beating myself up for forgetting to ask for protection on my car and I haven’t gotten to doing such a spell for it. I began trying to release my anger to Spirit, asking that it is taken and turned into love for others. That something good is done with this energy. And so, I began forgiving them saying that not everyone realizes that their little pranks may cause more harm than they realize. Then I began thinking of similar things I’ve done to others and I realized that it is karma biting me in the butt. I then began to forgive myself as well.

When I woke this morning, it felt like a dream. In fact, anything that happens in the night for me feels like it was a dream. So here I am typing on this beautiful sunny day listening to Aria on the PC. I think about the lettering on the car and I can picture them in my mind doing what I felt they did and not getting angry for it. Have I truly forgiven them as well as myself? Did I discover the hard way that I still have lots of work when it comes to forgiving others and seeing others as people like me, all trying to find a way to survive in this world? I think I have and I am determined to continue to learn to forgive. But I must learn to forgive myself the most. That’s something I’ve always had a hard time doing.

Nature's Role in Spirituality

Today I wanted to talk about nature's role in my Spiritualitual journey. Believe it or not, it plays quite a role. For me, Spirit has always been everywhere. The wonder of the nature of Spirit is present to me in the beautiful enviornments that are becoming more seemingly hard to find. But I also feel that I am able to find the beauty and wonder in even the simplest of things.

I enjoy places such as the deep evergreen woods of pine and spruce with the soft bed of pine needles and cones on the ground. The water is another favorite of mine, whether it be a brook that bends and turns and rolls over rocks and stones below with beautiful trees casting their shade with the sunlight sprinkling through. Or the beautiful ponds with fish, turtles and frogs in a quiet secluded area. I also enjoy watching the animals and how they behave towards one another. All of it very interesting. The following are pictures that I took. Just click each one for a larger image.


(taken right after a rainfall)


(Bird watching is one of
the things I enjoy doing)


(Lilac tree. They have
a strong but pleasant
smell.)









(I thought that was
pretty cool)


(I was outside cutting
the hedges and I saw this.
I got frightened even though
it's a harmless garter snake.
lol...I think)

By appreciating the beauty that is Spirit's creation on this Earth I am thanking Spirit for the wonderful things in life. The thing with appreciating nature is that you don't have to be intelligent to be able to recognize beauty. When I am outside, I feel that I am one with Spirit. That as soon as I fill my lungs with the fresh air, Spirit is filling me with love and serenity. Being in nature has helped to clear my mind and give me a new sense of hope and renewal. I have learned that through all the ugly things this world may have, there are things that are just as beautiful if not more.

Fun Quizzes once again...

Which internet subculture do I belong to? [CLICK] You are a Trekkie! It's a geek, Jim! You probably have a starfleet uniform and a tricorder. Bonus points if you speak klingon. One day you will walk down the aisle with your buttertroll trekkie partner, humming to the Yoyager theme. More Quizzes at Go-Quiz.com

Beyond Reflection Highway Contentment Meadows 4 Bog of Eternal Marriage 15 Fame City 60 Dumpsville 145 County Jail 292 Please Drive Carefully

Username:

Where are you on the highway of life?

From Go-Quiz.com

Book Questions

Someone asked me these questions and I'd figure I'd share them here as well.

You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book do you want to be?

Man, I really don't know. I haven't read many of the books on the banned books list. I've read Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Great book.

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? Who?

No, not that I could remember.lol

The last book you bought is:

Let's see I just got three books online for the price of one (shop ebay everybody lol). I got:

Spell Crafts by Scott Cunningham and David Harrington
Emracing the Moon by Yasmine Galenorn
and Spirit of the Witch by Raven Grimassi

What are you currently reading?

The three books above as well as:
The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels,
The Mystic Christ by Ethan Walker III
and The Ramayana (Hindu/Indian Spiritual Text)

Five books you would take to a deserted island:

Honestly, I really don't know....only five? I've got a whole library! And V.C. Andrews series are all seperate right now. I can't have them all together in one book! lol

In Memory of Pope John Paul II

As many of us know, Pope John Paul II passed away yesterday. To many, he was like a spiritual father figure. And so, his passing has touched many hearts, both young and old and people of all ages and cultures.

He was a very influential person who tried to bring peace about the world in many ways. click here for some. I am no Catholic nor am I a Christian, but I'll give him his respect. Just as you don't have to be Hindu or Indian to like Gandhi and appreciate his good deeds. Good people are good people. And good people can come from anywhere and in any way. All good people deserve their respect and should be recognized for it.

I don't know what else to say. I thought about him all last night though. He's done things to try to bring peace amongst the Jews and the Christians. And people of various faiths outside Christiandom respected him.

You know, I didn't know this before, but I found it interesting that he did not agree with the war in Iraq and you'd think President Bush would stop and think about why the highest ranking person in his faith would disagree with the war in Iraq. *shruggies*

I got accepted to one of the schools I applied to!

AAAAHHHHH!!!!

I really didn't think I'd get accepted, but I guess they liked my resume and my grades showed improvement and all that mess. And it was a school that sent me something like every week in the mail. So when I saw I got something from them, I rolled my eyes like this. ::) lol and said, "Aww damn, not another one!" But I opened it anyway.

And the paper (which felt more like some sort of thick...manilla?) was folded all nice and intricate. A seal covered it and then I was like, "For such an expensive school, they sure spend a lot of money on the pointless stuff"

I unfolded it and then BAM!!! It hit me, right there! The first line talking about they'll accept me for the upcoming fall!

So I called my mom and my grandma and I left a message on the answering machine at my school reading them the first line and telling them I expect a cake and we'll photocopy this and tack it up on the wall. lol (we're really laid back)

Man, and I thought I wouldn't make it!

Church Guilt

The church can make you feel so guilty at times. It's not even God or Jesus that makes me feel horrible about my Spiritual beliefs, it's the people of the church. When I feel guilty when I do my dance meditations or when I have interest in mysticism and mystical things, I don't feel it's God reprimanding me. Nor do I feel Jesus is, but I feel the heat from the people of the church. All that dogma can really hurt somebody when it is used the wrong way. The guilt makes me want to move farther and farther away from the churches I grew up in. There was no sincere love or sincere feelings for me, but a trap. I see the faces of some of the attendants as demons trying to get me to do something that goes against my nature. That goes against what I feel in my heart. It feels as if the church only wants me there to feel secure in their beliefs, that the Bible is God's word. But God speaks to me through my heart and spirit, not the book. God tells me to be kind to all and to treat people with respect both physically and emotionally.

Religious intolerance is really horrible and it's something that anyone who has felt hurt from religious people who can't seem to respect the beliefs of others should never experience. Where is the humility and being a good samartian that Jesus taught us?

How would they like it if they grew up in a predominately Muslim country and there were but a few Christian churches and people would discriminate them left and right because of their beliefs? Let's say that they'd continually come and emotionally antagonize you about Allah this and Allah that and to totally disregard you as a person, but a scum who doesn't deserve to be apart of them in the Human Race?

...

To me, it seems to be a spiral of confusion and hatred, a big mess. It's as if they want others to feel their insecurities so that if they are wrong in their beliefs, they are not alone. Or people just want the seats in their church to be warmed. The denominations can't even seem to find an agreement on the role of God, Mary and even what Jesus was crucified on....

Jesus... what an awesome guy. Who else would take the time to teach people and to unconditionally love them for who they are...souls trying to find their way? And He was condemned left and right, being called heretic and all that....only to help those who truly needed it. To me, Jesus was a Mystic, seeing the life and love of Spirit in all things, in every creature and every creation. He was able to see what truly lies within each person's spirit... the ultimate that makes up each and every being upon this earth. He didn't disregard people beause they didn't believe what he believes. And because He was able to see the core of each and every individual's being, He was a forgiving figure.

When will we learn to forgive ourselves so that we can forgive others? When will we shed our hatred and celebrate our differences? When will people become Christ-like as they have vowed in their churches?

But through all this, I don't hate the church go-ers, nor the people who adhere to that religion. Nor do I blame the religion. It's just that, sometimes our confusion between one another can be hurtful and we may not always understand or realize why it is so. It's like we expect people to understand where we are coming from, yet we never truly share what our beliefs and feelings are.

I just want to put some lyrics here by the Black-Eyed Peas that touched my heart when I first heard it.

Where Is The Love?

What's wrong with the world mama?
People living like aint got no mamas
I think the whole worlds addicted to the drama
Only attracted to the things that bring you trauma
Overseas yeah we tryin to stop terrorism
But we still got terrorists here livin
In the USA the big CIA the Bloodz and the Crips and the KKK
But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And if you hatin you're bound to get irate
Yeah madness is what you demonstrate
And that's exactly how anger works and operates
You gotta have love just to set it straight
Take control of your mind and meditate
Let your soul gravitate to the love y'all

People killing people dying
Children hurtin you hear them crying
Can you practice what you preach
Would you turn the other cheek?
Father Father Father help us
Send some guidance from above
Cause people got me got me questioning
Where is the love?(where is the lovex3)(the love2x)

It just ain't the same all ways have changed
New days are strange is the world the insane?
If love and peace so strong
Why are there pieces of love that don't belong
Nations dropping bombs
Chemical gases filling lungs of little ones
With ongoing suffering
As the youth die young
So ask yourself is the loving really strong?
So I can ask myself really what is going wrong
With this world that we living in
People keep on giving in
Makin wrong decisions
Only visions of them livin and
Not respecting each other
Deny thy brother
The wars' going on but the reasons' undercover
The truth is kept secret
Swept under the rug
If you never know truth
Then you never know love
Where's the love y'all?(I don't know)
Where's the truth y'all?(I don't know)
Where's the love y'all?

People killing people dying
Children hurtin you hear them crying
Can practice what you preach
Would you turn the other cheek?
Father father father help us
Send some guidance from above
Cause people got me got me questioning
Where is the love?(where is the lovex3)(the lovex3)

I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I'm getting older y'all people get colder
Most of us only care about money makin
Selfishness got us followin the wrong direction
Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images is the main criteria
Infecting their young minds faster than bacteria
Kids wanna act like what the see in the cinema
Whatever happened to the values of humanity
Whatever happened to the fairness and equality
Instead of spreading love, we're spreading animosity
Lack of understanding, leading us away from unity
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feeling under
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feeling down
It's no wonder why sometimes I'm feeling under
I gotta keep my faith alive, until love is found
Now Ask Yourself

Where is the love(repeat 4x)

Father Father Father help us
Send some guidance from above
Cause people got me got me questioning
Where is the love?

Now sing with me yall
One world one world
We only got
One World One World
Thats all we got
One world One world

Now,Theres somthin wrong with it(Yea)
Now,Theres somthin wrong with it(Yea)
Theres somthin wrong with the wo-wo-world

One world one world
We only got
One World One World
Thats all we got
One world One world