The Tarot Suites and Writing
i think that writing and magic are pretty much synonymous what I am trying to say is that there are certain things which are given as advice to magicians which I would also think would be useful advice for somebody who is aspiring to be a writer these are the four suits of the tarot deck starting from the lowest um that would be discs they represent your ability to deal with the material world the hard physical world that we all exist in so for a writer that means yes pay attention to your ph...This progression applies not only to writing, but to life and other subjects as well. I can see it with my exploration of ludology. At first I consumed every possible game, then I became more discriminatory, I found compassion for the community, and eventually the willpower to maintain productivity.
Choose to be Happy
It isn’t what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it. For example, two people may be in the same place, doing the same thing; both may have about an equal amount of money and prestige, and yet one may be miserable and the other happy.
Why? Because of a different mental attitude. I have seen just as many happy faces among the poor peasants toiling with their primitive tools in the devastating heat of the t...
Do Not Be Governed by Chance
The periodic movements of the universe are the same, up and down from age to age. And either the universal intelligence puts itself in motion for every separate effect, and if this is so, be thou content with that which is the result of its activity; or it puts itself in motion once, and everything else comes by way of sequence in a manner; or indivisible elements are the origin of all things.- In a word, if there is a god, all is well; and if chance rules, do not thou also be governed by it.
Your Judgement Bothers You, Not the Thing Triggering the ...
If thou art pained by any external thing, it is not this thing that disturbs thee, but thy own judgement about it. And it is in thy power to wipe out this judgement now. But if anything in thy own disposition gives thee pain, who hinders thee from correcting thy opinion? And even if thou art pained because thou art not doing some particular thing which seems to thee to be right, why dost thou not rather act than complain?- But some insuperable obstacle is in the way?- Do not be grieved then, ...
We Make Life Short by Dissipating It
Seneca observed that “we do not receive a life that is short, but rather we make it so,” by dissipating it
in “extravagance and carelessness.” How better to describe the contemporary leisure experience? Americans spend, on average, more than three hours per day—more than 60 percent of their “leisure” time—watching TV and scrolling through social media (often at the same time). “All boats are rising here,” boasts entertainment mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg. “More people are wa...
Fantasy Reflected How the Privileged Wanted the World to Be
For far too long, fantasy, as a genre, was used as a way to reflect the worldview of those in power. It leaned into stereotype and reflected how the privileged wished the world was. Modern fantasy is more reflective of the actual world, which includes the wide variety of life experiences that exists.
Trans people, people of color, and women playing a larger role, are all part of modern fantasy because they’re all part of the actual world, and it’s important that our stories and world bui...
Chengyu: Four-Character Chinese Expressions
心神不宁 (xīn shén bù níng): “to feel bad about nothing”
损人利己 (sǔn rén lì jǐ): “to seek benefit at the expense of others”
幸灾乐祸 (xìng zāi lè huò): “to enjoy others’ misfortunes”
力不从心 (Lì bù cóng xīn): “the qualities aren’t at the level of the aspirations”
亦步亦趋 (yì bù yì qū): “to blindly imitate someone”
桃李满天下 (táolǐ mǎn tiān xià): “to have pupils everywhere”
省吃俭用 (shěng chī jiǎn yòng)...
Live the Present
—Estoy vivo —dijo al muchacho mientras comía un plato de dátiles en la noche sin hogueras ni luna—. Mientras estoy comiendo, no hago nada más que comer. Si estuviera caminando, me limitaría a caminar. Si tengo que luchar, será un día tan bueno para morir como cualquier otro.
»Porque no vivo ni en mi pasado ni en mi futuro. Tengo sólo el presente, y eso es lo único que me interesa. Si puedes permanecer siempre en el presente serás un hombre feliz. Percibirás que en el desiert..."I'm alive," he said to the boy while he ate a plate of dates on the night without bonfires or moon. While I'm eating, I don't do anything but eat. If I were walking, I would just walk. If I have to fight, it will be as good a day to die as any.
»Because I do not live in my past or in my future. I only have the present, and that is the only thing that interests me. If you can always stay in the present you will be a happy man. You will perceive that life exists in the desert, that the sky has stars, and that warriors fight because this is partof the human race. Life will be a party, a great festival, because it is only the moment we are living.