Projects => The F Plus => Topic started by: Lemon on July 13, 2014, 03:34:48 pm
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: Lemon on July 13, 2014, 03:34:48 pm
with Boots Raingear, John Toast, Isfahan, Kumquatxop, JT, and Lemon. Content for this episode was compiled by Montrith. Edited by Boots Raingear. Have you ever thought to yourself "Man, I wish a pagan would come up to me and talk to me about how their religion works"? Well, that's a service you're gonna need to pay for. This is Wizard at Large Consulting, a company which.... uh.... you know, there's cleansing and raiki and stuff. This week, The F Plus is trying to avoid calling Nazi Christian Spiderman.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: Sovereign on July 13, 2014, 03:41:54 pm
Is this a sneak peek into J.K. Rowling's next heptalogy? EDIT: I love it when these people go on these long explanations in an attempt to legitimize their bullshit psychodragongod powers, then they slip into a tangent about lore they probably copied from their fantasy novel which they can't get anyone to publish.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: KingKalamari on July 13, 2014, 06:42:26 pm
My favourite part was when Isfahan was reading about Namor the Submariner and was all "Oh, so that's where that guy got his name from" mostly because I am one of the, like, twelve people who actually knew what he was talking about...
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: montrith on July 13, 2014, 07:42:04 pm
When Lemon did his "Finnish" accent I honestly thought he'd had a stroke or something.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: Lemon on July 13, 2014, 07:50:36 pm
When Lemon did his "Finnish" accent I honestly thought he'd had a stroke or something. montrith, July 13, 2014, 07:42:04 pm
It must be weird hearing such a pitch-perfect impression.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: montrith on July 13, 2014, 08:10:49 pm
When Lemon did his "Finnish" accent I honestly thought he'd had a stroke or something. montrith, July 13, 2014, 07:42:04 pm
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: Cheapskate on July 14, 2014, 04:58:24 am
Are Xtian Prayer Bombs like the booby-trapped holy water bottle in Ben and Arthur? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZCCVCu9Uqw)
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: Mister Smalls on July 14, 2014, 10:50:41 am
(http://x4.fjcdn.com/comments/Oh+Lord+bless+this+thy+hand+grenade+that+with+it+_f8524e575fb1348363e668bc034e8458.jpg) Once at the number three, being the third number to be reached, then, lobbest thou thy Xtian Prayer Bomb towards thy foe, who, being naughty in My sight, shall snuff it.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: Yossarian on July 14, 2014, 04:23:43 pm
With dragon help it was not that hard to drain the sphere into a containment field and then completely shift the energies releasing them into emptiness, the akasha, the illiaster or whatever you want to call the Spirit
Are you sure shes not just talking about her Bad Dragon dildo?
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: crow on July 14, 2014, 05:46:17 pm
I wonder what her closet looks like
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: A Meat on July 14, 2014, 05:49:21 pm
It's probably full of hitachi magic wands.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: crow on July 14, 2014, 05:53:14 pm
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: Goose Goose Honk At Me Now on July 14, 2014, 06:24:16 pm
It kind of warms my heart to realize that, somewhere in the world, there are like 30 crazy Christians who cover everything with the blood of Jesus at all times, and like 30 pagans who believe it's their duty to give reiki to honeybees and defuse prayer bombs, and these two groups are secretly at war with each other but are both so crazy that it doesn't even matter.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: Agent (gobble, gobble) Coop on July 14, 2014, 08:03:08 pm
It kind of warms my heart to realize that, somewhere in the world, there are like 30 crazy Christians who cover everything with the blood of Jesus at all times, and like 30 pagans who believe it's their duty to give reiki to honeybees and defuse prayer bombs, and these two groups are secretly at war with each other but are both so crazy that it doesn't even matter. Cuddleclobbermonger, July 14, 2014, 06:24:16 pm
I'm not sure how I feel about this custom Vampire: the masquerade campaign.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: Adam Bozarth on July 15, 2014, 12:55:11 am
I liked the discussion of Paganism at the end, though I disagree that they are holding all of this information in their heads.
From being raised Catholic and taking lots of courses in improv, I've noticed how good people can be at making shit up that sounds right. In Catholicism, there's lot of rules to follow, and everyone acts like they know why. In truth, I'm not sure most Christians in general know why they follow certain traditions or ceremonies, but if you pushed them on it, they'd have an answer. People can fill in gaps by giving a correct-sounding answer, but it doesn't make any sense. Improv is very similar, because there are a lot of techniques and axioms and any bad scene can be explained with one of them.
It's a combination of having repeatable phrases, undefinable forces, and self-confidence. You hear enough of the parlance, it gets in your head, and then you start filling the gaps in yourself with your own self-delusion. Pagans are engaging in a sort of spiritual hedonism. If it feels good, believe it. The problem with paganism is that there are no real central tenets, no guiding figure, no traditions. It's a bunch of non-Christian beliefs Mod-Podged together by burnt-out Baby Boomers. Then the internet gets involved and Harry Potter somehow becomes real.
What's troubling is that we are all capable of this self-delusion. We can all convince ourselves we know the truth when we are wrong. Not necessarily about the big stuff, but even person to person, day to day. The only real way to be sure you'll get to the truth is to open yourself to the possibility of being incorrect. Just as Socrates said, the only thing I know is that I know nothing. Pretty smart stuff. That's why Socrates as my personal savior.
Have you heard the Good News? You're an idiot.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: nigeline on July 15, 2014, 02:05:17 am
I liked the discussion of Paganism at the end, though I disagree that they are holding all of this information in their heads.
From being raised Catholic and taking lots of courses in improv, I've noticed how good people can be at making shit up that sounds right. In Catholicism, there's lot of rules to follow, and everyone acts like they know why. In truth, I'm not sure most Christians in general know why they follow certain traditions or ceremonies, but if you pushed them on it, they'd have an answer. People can fill in gaps by giving a correct-sounding answer, but it doesn't make any sense. Improv is very similar, because there are a lot of techniques and axioms and any bad scene can be explained with one of them.
It's a combination of having repeatable phrases, undefinable forces, and self-confidence. You hear enough of the parlance, it gets in your head, and then you start filling the gaps in yourself with your own self-delusion. Pagans are engaging in a sort of spiritual hedonism. If it feels good, believe it. The problem with paganism is that there are no real central tenets, no guiding figure, no traditions. It's a bunch of non-Christian beliefs Mod-Podged together by burnt-out Baby Boomers. Then the internet gets involved and Harry Potter somehow becomes real.
What's troubling is that we are all capable of this self-delusion. We can all convince ourselves we know the truth when we are wrong. Not necessarily about the big stuff, but even person to person, day to day. The only real way to be sure you'll get to the truth is to open yourself to the possibility of being incorrect. Just as Socrates said, the only thing I know is that I know nothing. Pretty smart stuff. That's why Socrates as my personal savior.
It's really easy for one person's on-the-fly creativity (or delusions) to become religious canon - limbo, Mormonism, Scientology etc... As someone who also grew up Catholic, it always scares me just how much of religion is made up of trying to disguise the fact that most beliefs and practices stem from some random fucko proclaiming "LET IT BE SO".
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: 🍆 on July 15, 2014, 04:02:02 am
At first I thought Himalayan Bowl was code for some dank ass kush, but even weed dealers need business sense, so that doesn't fit.
Anyway. Mystical episodes always baffle me. Like Lemon, I had my flirtations with paganism, but they were mostly centered around the aesthetics of it. Even as a preteen I couldn't actually force myself to believe that candles and symbols were gonna do shit, or that my tarot card readings actually meant anything. I don't understand how a person can actually go through life as an adult believing in this stuff. You'd think they'd have an abundance of proof their MaGicks aren't doing shit.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: punpun on July 15, 2014, 08:43:30 am
I honestly and truly had no idea what was going on.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: crow on July 15, 2014, 09:24:09 am
I liked the discussion of Paganism at the end, though I disagree that they are holding all of this information in their heads.
From being raised Catholic and taking lots of courses in improv, I've noticed how good people can be at making shit up that sounds right. In Catholicism, there's lot of rules to follow, and everyone acts like they know why. In truth, I'm not sure most Christians in general know why they follow certain traditions or ceremonies, but if you pushed them on it, they'd have an answer. People can fill in gaps by giving a correct-sounding answer, but it doesn't make any sense. Improv is very similar, because there are a lot of techniques and axioms and any bad scene can be explained with one of them.
It's a combination of having repeatable phrases, undefinable forces, and self-confidence. You hear enough of the parlance, it gets in your head, and then you start filling the gaps in yourself with your own self-delusion. Pagans are engaging in a sort of spiritual hedonism. If it feels good, believe it. The problem with paganism is that there are no real central tenets, no guiding figure, no traditions. It's a bunch of non-Christian beliefs Mod-Podged together by burnt-out Baby Boomers. Then the internet gets involved and Harry Potter somehow becomes real.
What's troubling is that we are all capable of this self-delusion. We can all convince ourselves we know the truth when we are wrong. Not necessarily about the big stuff, but even person to person, day to day. The only real way to be sure you'll get to the truth is to open yourself to the possibility of being incorrect. Just as Socrates said, the only thing I know is that I know nothing. Pretty smart stuff. That's why Socrates as my personal savior.
I'm curious, do you believe that knowledge is possible?
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: Cat Planet on July 15, 2014, 03:06:25 pm
I'm not against new age folks in general - I mean, one of my best friends is really into Yoga and has even studied at a Thai ashram for a few months. Another one of my acquaintances is a Slavic neo-pagan who seems like an interesting person. However, the modern Western "fairies and dragons" type of paganism irritates me irrationally, probably because it's the selfish nerd mentality taken to its logical extreme. You don't like following a rule in *pagan school X*? No big deal, just join another Star Sparkle Conclave with entirely different rules and beliefs, which you will accept unconditionally. I believe that the word "religion" in Latin means "something that connects people". However, with the Western pagan bullshit, there is no connection - everyone believes in their own flavor of crazy. With dragon help, I shall now press the "Post" button.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: Adam Bozarth on July 15, 2014, 04:26:17 pm
That's tough. I feel like there is an undeniable truth but humans aren't able to perceive all of it. There's just too much to know in order to know the absolute truth.
I do believe we all construct an understanding of the world around us, but every perception is different. For the most part, we all have things that nearly everyone can agree on, like what colors are what or what wind feels like. However, after a certain point, you are constructing your own perspective on the world. The more you learn, the less you have to make up, but even what you choose to learn can affect your perception. At one point, these people perceived the world of magick as within the realm of possibility. The problem is that they never think about if their assumptions are true or not.
You have to keep your individual knowledge fluid, dynamic, ready to change. What led me out of Catholicism was the fact that the tenets all had a basis in fact and reality that suited a long ago age. Ironically, the more I learned in my science classes in Catholic school showed me how backwards and spooky the church still is.
As far as humans ever grasping real, undeniable Truth goes, I don't think it's 100% attainable. That truth is an asymptote that we will forever be curving towards, but we won't ever grasp.
Does that answer anything or do I sound like an idiot who was kicked out of Honors Philosophy?
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: Mister Smalls on July 15, 2014, 05:14:40 pm
JT possibly has the most soothing voice of any F Plus guest reader, perhaps second only to Lou Fernandez.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: nigeline on July 15, 2014, 05:24:02 pm
That's tough. I feel like there is an undeniable truth but humans aren't able to perceive all of it. There's just too much to know in order to know the absolute truth.
I do believe we all construct an understanding of the world around us, but every perception is different. For the most part, we all have things that nearly everyone can agree on, like what colors are what or what wind feels like. However, after a certain point, you are constructing your own perspective on the world. The more you learn, the less you have to make up, but even what you choose to learn can affect your perception. At one point, these people perceived the world of magick as within the realm of possibility. The problem is that they never think about if their assumptions are true or not.
You have to keep your individual knowledge fluid, dynamic, ready to change. What led me out of Catholicism was the fact that the tenets all had a basis in fact and reality that suited a long ago age. Ironically, the more I learned in my science classes in Catholic school showed me how backwards and spooky the church still is.
As far as humans ever grasping real, undeniable Truth goes, I don't think it's 100% attainable. That truth is an asymptote that we will forever be curving towards, but we won't ever grasp.
Does that answer anything or do I sound like an idiot who was kicked out of Honors Philosophy? Adam Bozarth, July 15, 2014, 04:26:17 pm
Ironic how Catholic School Science kills so many people's faiths. Strangely enough, many people I know didn't reject belief outright but instead moved towards paganism/magick/new-age bullshit because it was more fluid. Unfortunately for them, they're still wrong.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: montrith on July 15, 2014, 06:04:15 pm
JT possibly has the most soothing voice of any F Plus guest reader, perhaps second only to Lou Fernandez. Mister Smalls, July 15, 2014, 05:14:40 pm
I'd like to use this opportunity to call dibs on "Voice that inspired most crappy accents".
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: Adam Bozarth on July 15, 2014, 06:17:11 pm
My voice isn't soothing? Hmmph.
Yeah, I think new age appeals to the spiritual needs we all have, and it's more exotic than the patriarchal robe fest of the Catholic Church. I don't blame them. If you could have magic powers through a religion, that is more enticing than being a servant to a really violent deity who says he loves you no matter what.
But I also think that happens when people are good at science in school and their rebellion makes them actively hate learning and exploring the intricacies of reality. It's a shame. I don't know how you solve it besides getting kids excited about books with interesting facts in them instead of wizard stories.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: Mister Smalls on July 15, 2014, 06:41:05 pm
I feel like you've been in enough episodes to qualify as just a reader, rather than a guest reader. </asscover>
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: Fatty Bo Batty on July 15, 2014, 07:25:28 pm
My voice isn't soothing? Hmmph.
Yeah, I think new age appeals to the spiritual needs we all have, and it's more exotic than the patriarchal robe fest of the Catholic Church. I don't blame them. If you could have magic powers through a religion, that is more enticing than being a servant to a really violent deity who says he loves you no matter what.
But I also think that happens when people are good at science in school and their rebellion makes them actively hate learning and exploring the intricacies of reality. It's a shame. I don't know how you solve it besides getting kids excited about books with interesting facts in them instead of wizard stories. Adam Bozarth, July 15, 2014, 06:17:11 pm
True story, my friend's fussy baby was calmed down and started giggling by listening to you talk about not receiving a Capuchin monkey.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: Adam Bozarth on July 15, 2014, 07:36:29 pm
I am very worried that a baby was listening to the F Plus, but I am glad that he or she has such sophisticated taste already at such an early age.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: Fatty Bo Batty on July 15, 2014, 07:42:11 pm
Eh, it wasn't dick-bugs, waifus, or F-list, so it's fine.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: crow on July 15, 2014, 08:45:37 pm
That's tough. I feel like there is an undeniable truth but humans aren't able to perceive all of it. There's just too much to know in order to know the absolute truth.
I do believe we all construct an understanding of the world around us, but every perception is different. For the most part, we all have things that nearly everyone can agree on, like what colors are what or what wind feels like. However, after a certain point, you are constructing your own perspective on the world. The more you learn, the less you have to make up, but even what you choose to learn can affect your perception. At one point, these people perceived the world of magick as within the realm of possibility. The problem is that they never think about if their assumptions are true or not.
You have to keep your individual knowledge fluid, dynamic, ready to change. What led me out of Catholicism was the fact that the tenets all had a basis in fact and reality that suited a long ago age. Ironically, the more I learned in my science classes in Catholic school showed me how backwards and spooky the church still is.
As far as humans ever grasping real, undeniable Truth goes, I don't think it's 100% attainable. That truth is an asymptote that we will forever be curving towards, but we won't ever grasp.
Does that answer anything or do I sound like an idiot who was kicked out of Honors Philosophy? Adam Bozarth, July 15, 2014, 04:26:17 pm
I understand, it's a soft postmodern take on things. I personally came at it from the other way, I was a believer in nothing, and things added up too much for me to say that reality is nonexistent. I actually ended up in a church, Eastern Orthodox Christianity to be exact, because they said that logic and reality are fluid and that God is unknowable except through what He reveals to us.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: A Meat on July 16, 2014, 04:11:32 pm
Has anyone mentioned that Oberon is the name of the king of the fairies in a Midsummer Night's Dream, a fittingly bullshit fake name for a guy whose previous fake name was "Otter G'Zell" (according to Wikipedia, which also happens to put him in the category "American libertarians")
Also go ahead and GIS Oberon Zell-Ravenheart if you haven't yet, he looks exactly like the image that pops in your head when you hear the words "hippie wizard".
Also, his personal website http://www.oberonzell.com/index.html
look at the 'contact' section if you want to invite him to your con (you have to pay for all of his expenses of course)
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: Tiny Prancer on July 16, 2014, 04:54:29 pm
Somewhat unrelated but worth bringing up for a similar tangent of "fucking new age hippie idiots", here's an article about how a bunch of asshole new ageists visiting Serpent Mount keep burying these stupid trash objects called "Orgonites" into the mound because they're supposed to have spritirual powers or some bullshit and they're trying to "reactivate" the mound. (http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/06/06/crazy-theories-threaten-serpent-mound-demean-native-heritage-149733)
Especially noteworthy is this quote, which really gets to the heart of the bullshit:
Longtime resident and earthworks enthusiast Geoffrey Sea noted something weirdly familiar about much of the terminology used by New Age groups—such as “intergalactic portals”—and the notion that secret elements were being mined at Serpent Mound. “Why do I know this?” wondered the local historian and researcher. “There is an element of cheesy science fiction that runs through all of this.” He finally realized that much of the New Age terms relating to Serpent Mound and the “light warriors” seems to come from the 1994 film Stargate. According to Sea, the film’s story line features space travelers who enter a giant portal that, once activated, zaps them across the galaxy, where they encounter an alien civilization that looks like ancient Egypt. The aliens are mining a secret element used to power space ships.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: EYE OF ZA on July 19, 2014, 11:29:18 pm
I'll be honest, I listen to this podcast while doing other things a lot, so sometimes it takes me a few listens to appreciate the nuance. Usually I get a pretty good idea of the site and of what you read. Even the weird ranting blogs.
I've listened to this episode three or four times and I have no clue what this website is or what it offers.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: Sovereign on July 20, 2014, 01:09:23 am
I'll be honest, I listen to this podcast while doing other things a lot, so sometimes it takes me a few listens to appreciate the nuance. Usually I get a pretty good idea of the site and of what you read. Even the weird ranting blogs.
I've listened to this episode three or four times and I have no clue what this website is or what it offers. EYE OF ZA, July 19, 2014, 11:29:18 pm
I feel the exact same way. As far as I can tell it's just some eccentric hippie trying to make some money off of gullible people while also writing a bunch of high fantasy nonsense. Any further attempts in trying to decipher the messages might result in brain damage.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: A Meat on July 20, 2014, 02:48:18 am
So I was curious about what "Himalayan Singing Bowls" are (they're basically just bells) and through a few Youtube related videos I somehow ended up on this video:
It seems to be a dude in a Plague Doctor mask unboxing a LootCrate and softly making shitty jokes for almost forty minutes.
I don't think there's a way I can explain this, I mean, I don't get the regular "lady crinkling paper in front of your ear" ASMR, but this is totally baffling in every shape and form.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: Tiny Prancer on July 20, 2014, 03:17:44 am
I've occasionally dabbled in ASMR stuff, and there's a lot of ASMR videos that cross over into other general youtube vlog stuff, like unboxing and craft videos, but I can't really explain the plague mask. I think maybe it's a fantasy/scifi element? Or it's for people who have issues with making eye contact? There's a very wide range to what people do for these videos.
But yeah, as someone who grew up with new age-y stuff, Himalayan Singing Bowls are something I came across pretty commonly. They're a standard "spiritual" instrument that's sold at stores that cater to new age interests and regularly bought because they make a nice sound and they're related to eastern religious practices which means they're super important to buy when you want to be up with your new age game.
(man I really need to listen to this episode soon so I can see how much different or not different at all it is from the new age stuff I grew up with.)
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: Sovereign on July 20, 2014, 03:20:10 am
That's kind of the gimmick in the ASMR community, people figure out that they can build an audience by recording relaxing sounds so why not use your $6000 microphone for wacky characters and weekly "shows"? Good on them for putting a creative effort in it I guess, but if ASMR could be induced via text it would appear in an Fplus episode. It's not even that the dialogue and costumes video creators choose are inherently stupid, but they often end up really bizarre because - surprise - a lot of them are weird people. That's probably why you're not supposed to pay much attention to what the person in the video is saying.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: A Meat on July 20, 2014, 04:05:33 am
I just tried searching for some sort of online discussion of ASMR on forums or something, but I didn't really find anything beyond either people asking "What's ASMR?" or "Isn't ASMR awesome?" I'm going to guess most of it is just Youtube based and therefore unfit for F+.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: Sovereign on July 20, 2014, 04:49:58 am
I just tried searching for some sort of online discussion of ASMR on forums or something, but I didn't really find anything beyond either people asking "What's ASMR?" or "Isn't ASMR awesome?" I'm going to guess most of it is just Youtube based and therefore unfit for F+. A Meat, July 20, 2014, 04:05:33 am
Now we wait for one of those people to go rogue and create a blog filled with nutty tirades about the government and water.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: Isfahan on July 20, 2014, 07:52:47 am
Now we wait for one of those people to go rogue and create a blog filled with nutty tirades about the government and water.Sovereign, July 20, 2014, 04:49:58 am
Even better, nutty tirades about the government and water whispered into a binaural microphone. It could be called the Crazy Homeless Man Role-Playing ASMR video series.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: Bobalay on July 20, 2014, 01:43:46 pm
Himalayan Singing Bowls are an actual thing, but it's just a fancy title for "a bell that sounds nice." They're a great meditation aid but that's about it.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: Tiny Prancer on July 22, 2014, 01:21:42 am
I am about halfway through this episode and I have to report that even as someone who grew up with new age stuff and personally got fairly obsessed with it during a few years of my teenhood, this shit still doesn't make a lot of sense.
For reference, stuff I recognized as being common were the "surrounding negative energy/things with white light and cleansing it/sending the negative energy to somewhere else to be cleansed/discarded", claiming you can communicate with animals spiritually, the "spiritually healing the land/an animal/a thing in general" practices, and obviously the millions of workshops or special cleansing ceremonies for ridiculous prices. The incredibly long list of specific rituals you CONSTANTLY have to do is another pretty common thing.
I can't say I had much experience with the whole channeling dragons and using comic book characters as spiritual guides stuff, but I'm absolutely certain it's more common than what I experienced. I know I read through a certain amount of guidebooks about speaking with faeries and star people for guidance. I think the "use fictional characters for spiritual guides" thing was more commonly used as a talking point for what could be learned from them or whatever but then again, not what I experienced. Being dragonkin is also not something I ever heard come up, but there's plenty of "in a past life I was native american/asian/celtic/a fairy/a dragon/an elf/etc so I have spiritual experience from those past lives and/or I channel them and also various gods" stuff.
The "Christians are spiritually attacking me/my friend's land/the country" thing is something I've NEVER heard before now. Admittedly my experience wasn't a full-on pagan thing, more that my mom casually dabbled in various new age shit and my family attended a Unitarian Universalist church so there was still some Christianity involved. The persecution complex about Christians not liking you, sure, that I've seen, but insisting that they were spiritually attacking you with "prayer bombs"? That's totally new to me. It also sounds like it's veering into the area of mental illness more than this lady wants to believe (and it wouldn't be surprising, since new age stuff has a tendency to attract people with mental issues because it's all rituals and rules and shiny things.)
Using a shitty plastic children's wand is also something I haven't heard of much, although "use what you have available" is a common encouragement, although you'll still be recommended to buy expensive native american/asian/celtic/etc-related things to use for worship and ceremony.
I'm pretty sure the rise of the internet has allowed for a lot of new and questionable new age practices to pop up in ways they never could before, because now people can make websites and talk on forums to other likeminded people and convince each other that what they're doing is totally real and important.
Title: Episode 143: Harry Potter and the Weekend Seminar
Post by: Ike on July 24, 2014, 12:59:01 pm
Himalayan Singing Bowls are an actual thing, but it's just a fancy title for "a bell that sounds nice." They're a great meditation aid but that's about it. Bobalay, July 20, 2014, 01:43:46 pm
Actually, the bowls are cool for how they're tuned into harmonic frequencies, which is what gives them that "pure" sound that New Agey types rave about. I have one and I play with it a lot.