Freedom?

I found this graphic on AnonOps Communications, a blog concerned with internet freedom in Tunisia, as far as I can gather. They wrote an open letter to the US Dept of Justice regarding their attempts to gather information from the Wikileaks Twitter account, calling out their blatant hypocrisy.You are hereby encouraged to check them out!

I've been gone for awhile. I think it started around the end of daylight savings time. There's something about darkness that forces introspection, I suppose. At any rate, I've become more and more aware of the ways in which my mind is NOT free. I felt I could not speak with any conviction about "breaking the chains," so to speak, when I am complicit in my own imprisonment. What is the point of rejecting society's grasp in my free time, when I still go to work for the government every day and pay my taxes?

What good is it to wash my hair with baking soda and vinegar when I still worry about pimples? What good is it to eat healthier when I am still in the pocket of Big Tobacco?

I'm reading V for Vendetta right now, and it is illuminating some parts of this inner conflict. I know that something inside me needs to break in order for me to be really free. The anticipation is both exciting and frightening. I don't know if it will be an external event, as it was for Evey, or just an internal reorganization process.  I don't know if I should wait patiently or actively seek it out.  I don't know what effect this would have on the direction of my life, or how it would affect the people closest to me.  I feel like I don't know much of anything anymore.

The more I think about it though, the more I feel that what I really need is to more fully enjoy the roses.

I wish I knew how...

 Image source

Anarchist Internet Memes - Now THIS is the kind of PR I'm talking about!

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 Lolcat source

Finding Freedom within the Body

Blah blah blah yoga is great, I know it's the last thing anyone really wants to hear. But personally, I do practice yoga occasionally. This week's free class on Yogatoday is called "Finding Freedom within the Body" and I really resonate with the concept of finding strength, space and balance within the physical plane in order to find the same on mental/emotional/spirtiual plane.  And the teachers (in this case, Neesha) can be so damn poetic!

"On the last few breaths, go for freedom, go for expression, feeling like you're a star - with star energy sparkling from your central point out to your edges, stretching."

"Remember, the mountains do not exist because their bases are all over the place, they rise up to the sky with freedom from a solid foundation."

To Vote or Not to? This Anarchist's Perspective

I'm always a little torn on election day. That part of me that wants democracy so badly says "Come on! It might help, if only to show that some people can think outside the bipartisan box! I love you Ralph Naderrrrr...." Or some such blather. Plus, I'm irritated by the people who say "You can't complain about anything if you don't vote... nyah nyah nyah."

But then the radical ass-kickin' part of me starts raging. "You love the idea of democracy, but you know that in America it is little more than a facade. Do you really want to put your stamp of approval on the government? Do you actually support any of the candidates and believe that this time things are really gonna change?

... Yeah. Didn't think so."


 "But.. but.. but... facebook is pressuring me now! 19 of my friends have already gone to the polls!!!"







 

"Well... okay, that is pretty fucked up. But if you really feel the need to go down to your polling station, please tape some of these to the trash cans!"




"That seems fair. But you know, on second thought, it's probably a better use of my time to work on something that might actually make some change in the world - me!"








"Atta girl. And remember what Emma Goldman said,
'If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal.'"

Musical Monday

I'm late again, but with a reason this time.  I started typing up the lyrics to a song yesterday and someone made the point that it sounded preachy and had too much God and Lord stuff going on. I thought about it and decided that I agree... I liked the idea and feeling of the song but... I don't want anyone getting the impression that I'm religious. Ha!

So, here's another song by the same band, Village of Peace. It's called Divine Love, and it celebrates the love between Krishna (the supreme God of Vaishnavists) and Radha (the original source of divine feminine energy without which Krishna would have no power).

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"I sing for love - divine love!

I sing for love - Radha Krishna love!"

Love is the most revolutionary act there is, in my humble opinion. While I respect and admire many religious traditions, LOVE is my religion. It's also my prevailing cornerstone of anarchist theory and praxis. Perhaps I'll write more on that later!

Things I Love Friday

It's Friday already and it's been too long since I showed my gratitude to the Universe. Let the lovefest begin!!

-We had an awesome SHAREfest.

-from FML to MLIA (my life is average) to MLIM (my life is magical) which is much more positive and awesome! http://averagewizard.com/

-surprise 12 pack of soft pretzels for zac. Yayyy fall fundraisers.

-gettin crunk with people from the office at a coworker's pigroast
-Paid to Exist is going awesome! But obviously, i haven't had much spare time for the ol' blog recently.
-lots of time to myself last weekend
-enjoyed my first Reiki session thoroughly - and left feeling like I was on strong narcotics. I really shouldn't have been driving.

-i love how my shamrock keeps its leaves closed for days until i water it, and like clockwork it opens right up the next day. And I love how if you sit really still, you can watch it move and twitch... and get lots of fresh oxygen in the process.

-I'm excited thinking about the halloween costumes I want to make.

-awesome morning on "Indigenous People's Day" - AM loving, followed by seeing 4 deer outside, and then packing up a lunch for zac and getting him out the door on time.
-Pakha's Thai was the best saturday night date everrrr. <3

-long conversations in an English-style pub

-watching Cosmos until really late at night, and then forming the Church of Carl Sagan of Latter Day Dinosaurs.

-peanut butter stir-fry!

-going to the craft store!

-the annual Mechanicsburg Halloween Parade!

-realizing that Zac and I have been on a spiritual journey together since we met in 8th grade. Back then, we both thought Wicca was our path. Not a bad guess, really.

-the going-away party for our downstairs neighbors was simultaneously awkward and awesome.

-trying new things: kombucha (it's DISGUSTING)

-learning new things: GIFs!!!!!