What do you think about WikiLeaks?

I had been going to post an offshoot of my Toxic People post from yesterday, but with all the crazy WikiLeaks crap going on, I'm going to give my 2 cents. 

I think that the principal behind the idea of WikiLeaks is a great thing.  Governments should not hide as much as they do from us.  I don't like being lied to by my government.  I think it's great that people feel that they can really stand up to that.

That said, the world stage is shaky enough right now.  Iraq, Afghanistan, now the Koreas?  What next?  I heard on the news the other day that because of the Armistice, Canada will pretty much be obligated to go over there if there is a war.  I don't want that, not with my brother wanting to join the army.  Beyond that, there is no place in a civilized world for war.  It's times like this when I wish I knew a spell that would smack people upside the head and tell them, "What the EFF are you doing?!"

I think the best we can do is hope that governments around the world do a decent job of damage control.  That's doesn't often happen, but we can hope, right?  The last thing we need is for some crazy over-confidant dictator to get a hold of sensitive information and think they can finally attack the world.

Did you know that November 17th was World Peace Day?  How many of us knew, or observed it if we did?  The make every day Earth Day campaign is great, but the earth will heal itself after we've all killed ourselves off.  I think we need to make a "Everyday is World Peace Day" campaign, and place greater importance on that.  Once we quit fighting each other, we can work together fighting what we've done to our plant. 

I realize that I kind of went off on a tangent here.  My original point, what do you think of WikiLeaks?  Do you agree with what they are doing, or do you think they are only making an unsteady world that much more shaky?  Do you think WikiLeaks could do something better, or different?  What's your opinions?

Hoping for less craziness,

Goddess Bless

S.

The Toxic People Problem

This is something that is becoming more and more common.  It's not that there weren't always toxic people.  It's that we aren't "allowed" to do anything about them anymore.  We are taught from such an early age to treat others as we would want to be treated, to always be nice, to be the better person.  In most cases, this works out just fine.

However, there are those cases of the toxic "friend".  The one that owes you money.  "I'll give it to you next paycheck, just let me buy a new Blackberry...".  The one that gives the hidden barbs about anything from clothing style to the car you drive.  "I wouldn't be caught dead with one of those, oh wait, you have one?  Right...".  There are so many different types that I couldn't name them all.  You know the one that is in your life.  We all have one.  Sometimes they end up being people we work with, in which case we really can't do anything about them.  Sometimes, though, we can.

Unfortunately, mine is someone that I've been friends with for the better part of a decade.  We stayed friends through a cross country move or three, through a bitter period where he suddenly became a born again Christian and tried constantly to convert me.  We've been through the deaths of mutual friends and steady decline of his mother.  Through abusive relationships.  Through break-ups and hard luck.  We've shared a multitude of jokes, pranks,  and silly things.  We've shared music, and singing and and long drives in the middle of the night.  He used to be my best friend.  About 4 or 5 years ago, though, we changed.

I grew up.  I went through a whole string of bad relationships in a row, had a couple epiphanies, and decided to change the way I was living.  He didn't.  He continues to party and spend his money on ridiculous things that he has no use for.  On vehicles he can't drive because he has never gotten his driver's license.  On 400 dollar phones, and no, he doesn't need it for work.  All this while owing me almost 300 dollars.  Which he has owed me for about 3 years.  Did I ever really expect to get it back?  No.  Would it be nice?  Yes.  I'm finding myself realizing of late the only reason I continue to suffer through his constant "I screwed up my life again, what do I do now?" phone calls is because I'm harboring some deluded hope of ever seeing the money.  So I'm putting a stop to it.  I told him that he needed to give me the money by November 30th, and that was only because we have been friends for so long.  I don't expect to see it, but I needed to put a date on "it".  On the end of the friendship.

I'm going to write him a long letter, explaining how I've changed and how I feel he hasn't changed.  On how I feel used by him, and just generally letting him know how I feel.  I told Sean this, and he said "Why?  Just don't talk to him anymore.".  Maybe it's just a guy response, but I know personally I would want the closure for myself and for my old friend.

The first thing when dealing with a toxic friend is to realize that they are, in fact, toxic.  Without this, there is nothing else.  It took me a long time to realize this, and I've been struggling with what to do about it for several months now.  You have to realize why you need to cleanse your life of these people.  Toxic people drain your self respect, your health, your sanity.  You need to accept that the issues they have that make them toxic are not your fault.  You need to realize that these people would be this way regardless, and that you have no responsibility to them whatsoever.  If you can't physically cut ties with the person, if you have to see them every day for work, then you need to mentally cut ties with that person.  If you allow them to bother you, to use you, to hurt you, to control you, then they win.  It's as simple as that.  It's all about winning control over your own life again.  When you cut ties with someone mentally or physically, it is important to have a relationship with a good support system in place.  I have my husband and several real friends that I can (and already do) turn to, so the only think I personally need to do is cut the ties.  And let me tell you, writing about it is a whole lost easier than actually doing it is going to be.

A Spell to Remove A Toxic Person's Hold on You

Items Needed: 
Regular Ritual Items
1 Clove Garlic, crushed
A few Kernels of Cracked Black Pepper
A White Candle
A piece of paper with the person's name written on it
A cupful of water

This is best done during a waning crescent moon.  Cast a circle.  Light your candle.  On your altar, mix the Garlic and Black Pepper together.  Rub the Garlic and Pepper mixture on the paper with the person's name on it, saying "By hurting me you only hurt yourself.  I release myself from your hold.  Begone from my life."  Light the paper with the candle, saying, "With this flame I cleanse myself of you.  I purify my life.  I will no longer be held back by you."  Place the burning paper in your cauldron (or a bowl) and as it burns, visualize the person's hold on you being lifted and floating away like ash on the wind, leaving you free.  When the paper has burned completely, pour your cupful of water on top of the ash, visualizing the flowing water carrying the person's toxicity away.  Say, "You no longer have a hold on me.  Like this water, I am free and flowing where I will.  As I will, so mote it be."

Empty the water from the cauldron or bowl down the sink, and watch your toxic "friend" drain out of your life.

I sincerely hope that this helps someone else dealing with a toxic friend, it's not an easy thing to do.  It is necessary though.  We need to detach in order to regain control of our lives.  Even while we are dwelling on what to do about the toxic people in our lives, remember to let your true friends know how much it helps that they are there for you! 

Goddess Bless,

S.

What a night.

I had such a terrible sleep!  We are all sick in this house, Sean and Brianna are just getting over it and mine is starting to get worse.  My throat feels like I swallowed a million nails.  Okay, maybe not that many.  You get the idea.  On top of all that, I had nightmares all night last night.

Actually, just one nightmare.  It was on of those recurring ones, though.  Every time I woke up, I tried to shake it off, went and got a drink of water.  The minute I fell asleep it started all over again.  It really bugged me, but at least I know what it means.

It starts off with me in bed, Sean telling me that he will have to come and get me in half an hour because he has to leave for work and Brianna isn't sleeping.  So I'm laying there, and I can't get back to sleep.  So I get up, and realize I'm in this dungeon thing.  The bed is there, it's just a dungeon.  There are high brick walls, at least 20 feet high.  It's damp, there is hardly any light.  It feels mossy.  Directly across from the foot of the bed is a ladder, leading up to a circular gated opening.  So I climb up, and go through the gate.  Then a specter shows up.  It's all different shades of blues, it's floating and wispy.  It's Kevin, the husband of my friend Steph.  He's telling me I can't get through, that I have to go back.  And he starts throwing Ninja stars at me!  The little four pointed ones.  So I catch each one (I'm so not that coordinated in real life, trust me.) and throw them back at him, and eventually "kill" him that way.  He reappears though.  He tells me I have to go into the next hallway, and suddenly he is behind me pushing me through the halls so fast everything just looks like a blur.  Then as suddenly as it started, everything comes to a stop in front of a gate similar to the first.  I go through the gate and there is my friend Steph!  She has this beautiful long blond hair, but in specter form it's like she's channeling Galadriel from Lord of the Rings when she goes all crazy for a minute.

Galadriel from Tolkien Forums

Then Steph tells me the same thing her husband did, that I can't get through and have to go back.  Then SHE starts throwing Ninja stars at me!  But these were 7 pointed!!  Again, I had to catch them and throw them back and "kill" her.  Then she appeared behind me and told me I had to go on, and pushed me super fast down to the next gate.  At this gate nothing appeared, it was like my dream was giving me a rest.  My dream self got to walk all the way to the next gate.  The next gate it was my Dad, and the one after him was my Brother.  My brother had throwing axes.  It was weird.

Finally I got out to our living room (don't ask, I have no idea) and Sean said I could have slept for another couple of hours, he has no clue what I'm talking about.

Then I wake up.  I think I had this dream for couple reasons.  Part of it being I'm sick, but mostly I think because I despair of ever getting a real sleep ever again.  I think another part of it was the fact that I ate so close to bedtime.  To my lament, I've discovered through Blogs of Note this blog called "The Chubby Vegetarian" and he has some AMAZING recipes on there.  This Dutch Baby being one of them.  Of course, we only had icing sugar on ours, and it was so good.  I can think of dozens of applications for this recipe,  and I'm seriously considering having it for every meal today.  I'm not a vegetarian and never will be, what with Sean being a butcher and all.  I still think I'm going to be going there for a lot of recipes. 

So I guess this was a fairly long post.  I only meant to explain that I was planning on taking the day off seeing as I'm so tired.  I guess I didn't though!  Hope everyone has a better day than I had a night.  Goddess Willing, I'll get a decent sleep tonight!

Goddess Bless,

S.

As a side note, if anyone has a good sleep spell to recommend, bring it on!  Mine don't seem to be working lately.