lotusinthemud

lotuses bloom, untouched by the water, with roots deep in the mud

 

Seeing Wetiko: On Capitalism, Mind Viruses, and Antidotes for a World in Transition

By Alnoor Ladha, Martin Kirk

  

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It’s delicate confronting these priests of the golden bull
They preach from the pulpit of the bottom line
Their minds rustle with million dollar bills
You say Silver burns a hole in your pocket
And Gold burns a hole in your soul
Well, uranium burns a hole in forever
It just gets out of control.
– Buffy Sainte-Marie, “The Priests of the Golden Bull”¹

What if we told you that humanity is being driven to the brink of extinction by an illness? That all the poverty, the climate devastation, the perpetual war, and consumption fetishism we see all around us have roots in a mass psychological infection? What if we went on to say that this infection is not just highly communicable but also self-replicating, according to the laws of cultural evolution, and that it remains so clandestine in our psyches that most hosts will, as a condition of their infected state, vehemently deny that they are infected? What if we then told you that this ‘mind virus’ can be described as a form of cannibalism. Yes, cannibalism. Not necessarily in the literal flesh-eating sense but rather the idea of consuming others – human and non-human – as a means of securing personal wealth and supremacy.

You may dismiss this line of thinking as New Age woo-woo or, worse, a leftist conspiracy theory. But this approach of viewing the transmission of ideas as a key determinant of the emergent reality is increasingly validated by various branches of science, including evolutionary theory, quantum physics, cognitive linguistics, and epigenetics.

The history of this infection is long, strange, and dark. But it leads to hope.

Viruses of the Mind

The New World fell not to a sword but to a meme.
– Daniel Quinn²

One of the most well-accepted scientific theories that helps explain the power of idea-spreading is memetics.

Memes are to culture what genes are to biology: the base unit of evolution. The term was originally coined by the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in his 1976 book, The Selfish Gene. Dawkins writes, “I think that a new kind of replicator has recently emerged . . . It is still drifting clumsily about in its primeval soup, but already it is achieving evolutionary change at a rate which leaves the old gene panting far behind.” He goes on, “Examples of memes are tunes, ideas, catch-phrases, clothes fashions, ways of making pots or of building arches. Just as genes propagate themselves in the gene pool by leaping from body to body via sperms or eggs, so memes propagate themselves in the meme pool by leaping from brain to brain, via a process which, in the broad sense, can be called imitation.”³

Soul Loss

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SOUL LOSS – 18 SIGNS A PART OF YOUR SOUL IS LOST & HOW TO GET IT BACK

WHAT IS SOUL LOSS?

Soul loss can manifest in many ways. How do you know if you need soul retrieval?

Maybe you are struggling to get over a relationship breakup or know someone who is struggling with this? Or the problem is bereavement? Loss of a home or a job? Are you still affected by the wounds and effects of a difficult childhood or another traumatic experience, such as bullying at school or at work? Do you feel like you haven’t been the same after a serious illness or accident? Hold feelings that do not obviously stem from a particular event; apathy maybe; a lack of focus and enthusiasm; depression; addictive behaviours; low self-esteem?

In that case, a skilled shamanic practitioner can journey to find the missing parts and persuade them to come back, a process known as soul-retrieval. More on that later. Let’s first look at the sympthoms of soul loss.

Shamans understand that parts of our soul can leave our bodies. If, however, those parts do not return, the result is a sense of emptiness and a feeling that something is missing.

 

SIGNS YOU ARE SUFFERING FROM SOUL LOSS

They are many and can include a sense or feeling of:

• somehow being incomplete; that something is ‘missing’
• numbness or flatness; of just going through the motions
• hopelessness, apathy and indifference; like a spark is missing
• being disconnected from life or what is around you; as if you are living in a dream
• depression, ranging from mild, to moderate, through to severe
• feeling lost, indecisive and aimless
• procrastination; time-wasting; or finding it hard to sustain focus or effort
• a lack of confidence and self-belief
• having a strong inner critic who puts you down and is always on your back
• phobias and anxieties; fearfulness
• missing memories (where have the memories gone, and why did they go?)
• addictions or other compulsive behaviours and/or thought patterns
• never having really recovered from a past event
• repeatedly returning to a person, location or behaviour that is unhealthy for you
• inability to move on from an issue or event, despite efforts to do so
• finding it hard to (re)invest in the future with enthusiasm and optimism
• grief, fear, anger or rage that you cannot seem to shake off

Breaking through

So many are breaking down because they cannot carry the weight of falsity any longer. They are breaking through to a more authentic consciousness, tired of carrying the weight of the lie that is so thoroughly encouraged in this distracting culture. Sadly, this cry for authenticity is often stigmatized as a ‘breakdown,’ as though they are machines that stopped working. We need to up-frame these experiences and see them for what they are: break-throughs for inner freedom. At some point, we just can’t carry the bullshit anymore and long to be real.

~ Jeff Brown

Before our white brothers arrived to make us civilized men...

John (Fire) Lame Deer, Sioux Lakota - 1903-1976 ~

 

"Before our white brothers arrived to make us civilized men,

we didn't have any kind of prison. Because of this,

we had no delinquents.

Without a prison, there can be no delinquents.

 

We had no locks nor keys and therefore among us

there were no thieves.

When someone was so poor that he couldn't afford

a horse, a tent or a blanket,

he would, in that case, receive it all as a gift.

 

We were too uncivilized to give

great importance to private property.

We didn't know any kind of money and consequently,

the value of a human being

was not determined by his wealth.

 

We had no written laws laid down, no lawyers,

no politicians,

therefore we were not able

to cheat and swindle one another.

 

We were really in bad shape before the white men arrived

and I don't know

how to explain how we were able to manage

without these fundamental things

that (so they tell us) are so necessary for a civilized society."

 

- John (Fire) Lame Deer, Sioux Lakota - 1903-1976

Everything was possessed of personality, only differing from us in form

 

Chief Luther Standing Bear (Mato Najin) - Oglala ~

 

Children were taught that true politeness was to be defined in actions rather than in words. They were never allowed to pass between the fire and the older person or a visitor, to speak while others were speaking, or to make fun of a crippled or disfigured person. If a child thoughtlessly tried to do so, a parent, in a quiet voice, immediately set him right.

 

Expressions such as "excuse me," "pardon me," and "so sorry" now so often lightly and unnecessarily used, are not in the Lakota language. If one chanced to injure or cause inconvenience to another wanunhecun, or "mistake," was spoken. This was sufficient to indicate that no discourtesy was intended and that what happened was accidental.

 

Our young people, raised under old rules of courtesy, never indulged in the present habit of talking incessantly and all at the same time. To do so would have been not only impolite, but foolish; for poise, so much admired as a social grace, could not be accompanied by restlessness. Pauses were acknowledged gracefully and did not cause lack of ease or embarrassment.

 

In talking to children, the old Lakota would place a hand on the ground and explain: "We sit in the lap of our Mother. From her we, and all other living things, come. We shall soon pass, but the place where we now rest will last forever." So we, too, learned to sit or lie on the ground and become conscious of life about us in its multitude of forms.

 

Sometimes we boys would sit motionless and watch the swallows, the tiny ants, or perhaps some small animal at its work and ponder its industry and ingenuity; or we lay on our backs and looked long at the sky, and when the stars came out made shapes from the various groups.

 

Everything was possessed of personality, only differing from us in form. Knowledge was inherent in all things. The world was a library and its books were the stones, leaves, grass, brooks, and the birds and animals that shared, alike with us, the storms and blessings of earth. We learned to do what only the student of nature learns, and that was to feel beauty. We never railed at the storms, the furious winds, and the biting frosts and snows. To do so intensified human futility, so whatever came we adjusted ourselves, by more effort and energy if necessary, but without complaint.

 

Even the lightning did us no harm, for whenever it came too close, mothers and grandmothers in every tipi put cedar leaves on the coals and their magic kept danger away. Bright days and dark days were both expressions of the Great Mystery, and the Indian reveled in being close to the Great Holiness.

 

Observation was certain to have its rewards. Interest, wonder, admiration grew, and the fact was appreciated that life was more than mere human manifestation; it was expressed in a multitude of forms.

 

This appreciation enriched Lakota existence. Life was vivid and pulsing; nothing was casual and commonplace. The Indian lived - lived in every sense of the word - from his first to his last breath.

 

~ Chief Luther Standing Bear (Mato Najin) - Oglala

Autistic women’s experiences of diagnosis

:: Autistic women’s experiences of diagnosis

 

• 1 Positive & negative experiences
  • 1.1 Reactions to autism over time
• 2 Strategies that help post-diagnosis
• 3 Further reading
• 4 References
• 5 Tags
• 6 Disclaimer
• 7 Comments

 

Acceptance after diagnosis is essential
for the well-being of autistic women

Research shows autistic women struggle with significant exhaustion from trying to hide their difficulties and conform to societal expectations. Participants felt that diagnosis often helped them understand their needs and be kinder to themselves. Diagnosis also helped women interpret what had happened to them in the past. Finally, it helped them connect with a community and improve relationships. While a diagnosis identifying that a woman has autism is the most significant factor in her future well-being, research shows that acceptance post-diagnosis is essential for autistic women.

Having never viewed autism through the prism of disadvantage, I saw my autism diagnosis in a positive light. Before my diagnosis, I felt constantly misunderstood and lonely. Though I was camouflaging significantly, I never felt any real effort by others to understand me. I suspect most people did not know that I was not what I seemed.

My diagnosis also led me to review my whole life and the experiences I had within the framework of autism. The heightened empathy to the degree that I always needed to solve friends’ problems so that they and I could feel better. An obsession with the colour purple. The sensory differences, such as gagging from certain foods. I preferred sameness, such as drinking smoothies daily, eating pasta with ketchup daily for about a year, or repeating a song on a loop until I eventually got sick of it. A voracious thirst for knowledge. The avoidance of social situations when at all possible. And so on. This review consumed me for many years, and now, seven years post-diagnosis, I still uncover new information to contextualize my life as the research pours in.

Shamanism and Buddhism in Buryatia part 2

 

 

Shamanism and Buddhism in Buryatia part 1

 

 

Autism: Unmasking: 3 Steps to Take Off the Mask

 

Is masking good for you in long term? For some autistic people, masking has been so comfortable because it protects them in a lot of situations. Some autistic people would rather hide their authentic selves than being worried about people not accepting them.

Autistic masking has its benefits but it also has its downsides, too. It can make more damage to your authentic self more than you can imagine. In this video, we'll discuss more about masking and the 3 steps to take off the mask.

TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Introduction

00:35 - In this video

00:58 - The purpose of masking

03:06 - 1st step to take off the mask

05:24 - 2nd step to take off the mask

07:02 - 3rd step to take off the mask

13:48 - Empowering aspect to dropping the mask

 

Handling Disclosure as a Self-Advocate

By Ryan Walsh

As an autistic self-advocate, it is no secret that disclosing my autism to others has and always will be a complicated process throughout my life. There are many factors that go into how, when, why, and to whom I will disclose my autism, but they all have to do with the purpose for the disclosure and the anticipated response. I do believe there are times where disclosure is disadvantageous as a result of potential mistreatment. When I do disclose, I generally only share the information that is relevant to the individual I’m disclosing to.

There are, of course, the responses I expect and those I don’t, and it is always a matter of unknowns as to whether disclosing will actually aid my self-advocacy in the end. With that being said, I generally tend to disclose my autism whenever I feel that it serves a purpose for myself or another person. For example, when I worked at a Starbucks, one of my coworkers asked me why I was so disorganized all of the time when I moved between my stations. I told her that I have autism and that my executive functioning skills often led me to do things outside of the most logical or efficient order. I also explained that my time management skills were not always the best, and so I tried to prioritize getting the customers what they needed as fast as possible before doing things like cleaning, even though the rules demand that we clean and produce products simultaneously. I added that if I did not clean or organize something immediately, she should not worry and I would get to it at a time that I felt was most productive for me. I also told her that if she needed something done right away that she should not hesitate to ask me and I would refocus myself to the necessary task. She responded that I “didn’t look like a person with autism” but that she was glad I informed her so she had an explanation for my behavior at work.

For anyone who discloses their autism to others on a semi-regular basis, these kinds of lukewarm responses are all too common. On one hand, the person genuinely wants to be supportive and is glad to have been made aware of an important fact about their friend or coworker. But on the other hand, they may not have the necessary tools or knowledge to have an informed response or help in a way that is most effective for you. This is one of the better case scenarios, because it is also possible to encounter individuals who actively discriminate against autistic people. This is why I prefer to disclose when I feel that I can trust the person I’m disclosing to. When I disclose to new friends and in other social situations, they are generally supportive. I tend to run into more difficult situations in impersonal environments where people may not be as supportive.

This variability often makes disclosure a tricky choice for me, because I never know how a person is going to respond. I can only hope that they wish to be helpful, and even if they do, the stigma that society perpetuates is often still evident in their response. I do not hold these individuals accountable for how they respond when they are trying to be helpful, as I understand that their intentions are good. This does not mean that these responses are not upsetting to me or that people should not try to educate themselves. I don’t believe that any one person should take on the responsibility of trying to solve the massive issue of societal stigma but instead try to be a source of knowledge for those around them.

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Asperger/Autism Spectrum Fact Sheet

 

About Asperger/Autism Spectrum:

• It is neurological and affects the way information is processed in the brain.
• It is often an invisible difference. Many people appear very competent, but have difficulties in areas of communication and social interaction.
• It has a genetic and hereditary component and may have additional interactive environmental causes, as yet unknown.
• It is a developmental difference. All individuals have social/emotional delays, but continued growth seems to be life-long.
• The prevalence of autism is 1 in 59 (CDC, 2018).
• Girls and women are under-diagnosed. There are currently four males diagnosed for every one female, but the true ratio may be as high as one female for every two males.

Common Strengths:

• Average to high intelligence
• Unique sense of humor
• Honest
• Strong sense of fairness and justice
• Specialized interests
• Feel things deeply
• Detail oriented
• Good memory, especially for facts in their area of interest
• Build friendships through shared interests

Common Challenges:

• Sensory sensitivities (hypo or hyper) to light, noise, smell, touch, movement, or taste.
• Fight or flight emotional responses that seem extreme for the situation-but are often due to underdeveloped coping skills and an unpredictable or overwhelming environment.
• Social anxiety or anxiety in general.
• Perseveration, perfectionism, or asking for help.
• Stamina for persisting through boring or challenging tasks.
• Flexible thinking and problem solving–seeing the world in black and white.
• Organizing, planning, prioritizing, initiating, persisting (executive function skills).
• Understanding verbal and non-verbal language in social contexts.
• Understanding what others are thinking and feeling (e.g. Theory of Mind or Perspective Taking).
• Missing unwritten rules that aren’t taught explicitly, but others pick up more intuitively.

Additional traits some individuals may have:

• Low muscle tone and difficulty with fine motor skills; although some excel in individual sports or are tremendous artists.
• Co-occurring mental health diagnoses like depression or anxiety. ADD is very common.
• Superior skill in a particular areas such as painting, writing, math, music, history, electronics, or composing.
• Difficulties working in groups.
• Low self-esteem can be an issue for individuals, especially when they don’t see that others around them are experiencing the same challenges that they are.

Asperger/Autism Spectrum Tips:

• Learn about the diagnosis and how it affects you.
• Learn how and when to talk about it to others (disclosure).
• Make time to explore your interests and use your skills–don’t only focus on your challenges.
• Find a supportive community where you can be yourself (like AANE!).
• Work with a coach or therapist to help you identify and plan how to reach your goals.
• Analyze how environment, sensory needs, and social demands impact your energy so that you know which activities and people help you relax and which raise your anxiety or stress.
• Get help with social and communication skills so you will feel less anxious interacting with others.
• Consider medications, with the guidance of a professional.
• Set up routines and prepare for transitions.
• Do not force eye contact–as many people experience it as painful.
• Provide organizational supports (visual supports may be better for some people).

 

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Understanding Autism Therapy Using the Internal Family Systems Model

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April 12, 2021 by Dr. Tasha Oswald:

As an autism therapist, I have been asked by clients and other professionals to describe my approach to autism therapy. Throughout my career, I have researched many different therapeutic approaches to determine what would be best for the neurodivergent clients I serve. I have found Internal Family Systems or IFS to be a powerfully effective way to help clients manage anxiety, and improve mood, self-esteem, and interpersonal communication, and treat trauma.

I am passionate about the IFS model and am excited to share with you how I use it to help teens and adults who are neurodivergent. My hope is that understanding the IFS model will provide you with a necessary framework to better understand yourself or a loved one with ASD.

What is Internal Family Systems

The Internal Family Systems model, or IFS for short, recognizes that all people have a Self and parts. Take a moment to think whether you have ever heard someone say something like, “Part of me feels hurt, but another part of me feels angry”. Naturally, we refer to “parts” when describing our own inner experience.

Richard Schwartz developed the IFS approach after listening to many people in his therapy office describe their inner parts. He learned that the inner turmoil people experience is often from parts that are polarized (e.g., part of me feels lonely and wants friends, but another part of me avoids people for fear of rejection). Richard Schwartz also came to realize that all people have a Self, which includes qualities like Self-compassion, non-judgmental curiosity, and calm. The Self, he discovered, can help resolve inner turmoil and bring balance to our inner system. This allows a person to feel more comfortable and confident, less torn about decisions, less anxious and depressed, and more hopeful.

 

Three Types of Parts

All people have three types of “parts.” These types are: vulnerable parts (exiles), firefighter parts, and manager parts. Below, I will break down the different types of parts and give some examples. As you are reading, I invite you to think about your own parts and how they may be impacting your thoughts and actions.