It’s Beltane again…

…so I thought I’d post another of my artworks to celebrate the occasion. This one was done using coloured pencils on cardboard, and features an alien couple enjoying the great outdoors during the equivalent of Spring time on whatever planet they’re from …and yes, I know there’s snow-capped mountains in the background and no leaves on the tree, but that’s all part of “Spring” on their planet. As usual it also reflects my own inner turmoil and feelings of alienation and “difference” at the time.

Today’s the Day…

…of the “Christian prayer offensive on 17th October to pull down satanic altars to save Australia from bushfires and other disasters” or “Taking the high places for Jesus” or “spiritual warfare operation”. Yep, these are names which “Catch the Fire Ministries” use on their website/blog in reference to their planned Canberra gathering today …hmmm.  The main focus will be on the meeting at Mt Ainslie in Canberra,  but apparently there are other gatherings planned in various locations for those who can’t make it to the nation’s capital.

Thoth Tarot Deck

I’ve been thinking of buying a Thoth tarot deck to add to my collection so I’ve been looking online and found a few different versions published by 2 companies — AGMuller (Switzerland) and U.S. Games — which I found rather confusing trying to decide which of the many versions I preferred.

F***ing Spam!!

I am really getting tired of the amount of spam comments that have been directed to my blog lately. Fortunately WordPress  uses a wonderful plug-in called Akismet to filter the spam and hold it for me to check and delete, so at least the crap doesn’t get published on my blog for all to read. As of this very moment Akismet has protected my site from 1,014 spam comments. Of course this leads to the question of WHY???? Why do spammers continue to send their crapulent little messages about erectile dysfunction, penis enlargement and various “pleasure enhancing” pharmaceuticals to blogs and email accounts all around the world when so much time, effort and money has been invested in stopping these sorts of messages? Is the effort of setting up spam bots and sending this crap really worth it for what must be a minuscule amount of money made from the one moron in a million who might actually click on a link and buy something? I guess some people get a sick sense of satisfaction out of annoying others. Could there really be enough flaccid fools out there who do buy this stuff online, risking their health and possibly even their lives by self-medicating, buying goods that aren’t even guaranteed to have the desired effect or even contain the ingredients they’re supposed to? How would you really know what’s in a packet of pills you buy online from a less than reputable supplier? Oh well, hopefully “natural selection” will eventually play its part to eradicate “stupid” from the gene pool. Meanwhile, the rest of us have to put up with the irritation and frustration caused by the copious streams of spammy effluent flowing into our various blogs and email accounts every day.

Runes, cards & life’s possibilities…

Occasionally I consult my various oracles, tarot decks and runes  just to see what insights they might reveal. I’m often blown away by their amazing accuracy and synchronicity — somehow Spirit causes precisely the right ones to be chosen, continually reinforcing the idea that it’s not all just chance or coincidence. Last night was no exception. I decided to consult the Oracle of the Dragonfae (by Lucy Cavendish) and pull just one card to get a brief overview about certain things affecting a part of my life right now.

PAN Inc …shiny new website!

Click on the banner above to see this wonderfully new, information packed, easy to navigate marvel of internetty brilliance!

A Tarot Journey …my new blog

As part of Spheres Of Light’s Dark Moon Circle work I am attempting to study and hopefully learn something about the tarot. To help me along on this journey I decided to create another blog to document my progress (or lack of it, LOL). There’s not a lot there yet but hopefully as time goes on it’ll grow substantially. Click on the image below…

Different …it’s not so bad

In my previous blog I briefly referred to the idea of “being different” and whether or not it was considered acceptable to be so. That reminded me of a video which I discovered recently — the link was posted on one of the autism forums/e-groups I’m a member of. The film clip is from  a 1970 feature film of the children’s television series, H.R. Puffnstuff with Mama Cass Elliot in the role of “Witch Hazel”. It’s not about Asperger’s Syndrome and in spite of the presence of  a lot of witches it’s not about Paganism either, LOL. However, I love the song lyrics which can be interpreted to be about either, or both, or anything else that sets people apart, yet brings them together in their “differentness”.  It all depends on your point of view.   Enjoy…

Through My Eyes

Through My Eyes, sung by Thanh Bui is an attempt to help people get a handle on what it’s like to live with an autism spectrum disorder. Music by Fiona Johnson. Words by Valerie Foley. Inspiration from the lives of those close to us who live with an ASD. It will be available for download on iTunes soon. All proceeds to Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect).

I often get annoyed at “autism awareness” campaigns when they promote or encourage comparisons of autism with being trapped or kidnapped, as if autism is some evil and totally separate entity which needs to be eradicated in order to make the affected person “acceptable” or “normal”.  There is also the implication that being different is bad, unacceptable and just plain wrong. These types of campaigns ignore the fact that autism is an integral part of the whole person and that it is often responsible for their gifts and talents, as well as their difficulties and perceived shortcomings. Personally I find such campaigns to be very negative and quite offensive.

But this beautiful and very moving song (I get all emotional just listening to it — thinking of my own personal experiences and those of my kids) is different in that it encourages people to accept those with autism as people who experience the world in a different way. It’s about acceptance and understanding rather than cure and eradication.

Funny thing is I first became aware of this Australian video clip via a fellow blogger in the US. Thanks Lori!

One year old today!

My blog is one year old today! Thank you to everyone who reads it and gives me the encouragement to continue writing my inane ramblings.