Does what you see in the mirror change who you are?
Welcome back, dark passengers. Today, we’re going to take a break from ghosts and the evil death plots of the Mayan calendar. In fact, we’re going to take a break from nearly everything we talk about on here.
As you can imagine, I’ve had a lot of time to mull things over during my absence from blogging over the last few months. For those who don’t know, my refrigerator flooded my house at the end of April and then my contractor “friend” decided to tear up the house even more and run off with the repair money. Some friend. While the first contractor was a total jackass, he did get my thinking started on mirrors.
Actually, he said that my husband was delusional for thinking I look better without makeup…
After I was done rolling my eyes at his shallowness, I realized that, to a degree, I agreed with him. How many times do I waste time putting on makeup just because I know I’m going somewhere that people will have cameras? How many times have I told my husband he’s a sweet liar for saying I look good when I know I don’t?
On both counts, too many.
Are Mirrors Responsible for Moods? Continue reading “A World Without Mirrors” »
A World Without MirrorsTags: attitude, behavior, how you feel about yourself, mirrors
Do Buddhist beliefs support the world ending on December 21, 2012?
Happy weekend, dark passengers. Apologies for being late on our first post in our year + series on why the Mayan calendar is bent on killing us in 2012. For some reason, taking a nap seemed like a good idea when I got home Friday and it morphed into just going to bed for the night extremely early. Sometimes, sleep wins, I guess.
Anyway. As we begin our look at possible events and cataclysms for December 21, 2012, I think it’s important to mix in a bit of information on why various groups believe something big – perhaps even the end of the world – is heading our way. This means it’s time to delve into the wonderful world of eschatology.
Um, yeah…what’s eschatology? So glad you asked.
Eschatology is the study of the end. For some, it’s the end of an age. For the others, the end of mankind or the world itself. Doomsday and apocalypse scenarios enter the picture once you bring spiritual beliefs into the mix.
Crash Course in Buddhist Eschatology Continue reading “Buddhist Eschatology and 2012” »
Buddhist Eschatology and 2012Tags: Buddha, Buddhist eschatology, December 21 2012, doomsday prophesy, end of the world, Mayan calendar ending
Does this Mayan calendar signal the end of the world on December 21, 2012?
On December 21, 2012, the world is going to end. I know, it sucks. Apparently, the ancient Mayas hated us and chose to stop time on that date. I was hoping to collect on the Social Security they’ve been sucking out of my checks since I was 16 before dying, but that’s clearly out of the question now...
I suppose we should all work really hard to save money for the next year and half so we can stop working and have an extended doomsday party for all of 2012.
What’s actually happening? The Mayan Long Count calendar ends on the 2012 Winter Solstice. Because the Mayans created such accurate astronomical calendars and projected it so far into the future, this leads the doomsayers to believe they stopped the calendar because there’s no time left to count.
A less dramatic theory is that the Mayans planned to end their Long Count calendar on December 21, 2012 to coincide with the galactic alignment that will occur on that day. While it may sound far-fetched that they actually knew about that solar event, you must remember how accurate they were about tracking the cycles of stars, planets and the moon. How they were able to gather such in-depth knowledge of the cosmos remains a constant source of mystery and debate, but it’s still feasible that they could have calculated the alignment’s date.
So, should we fear the end of the Mayan calendar in 2012? Will the end of the calendar be little more than the symbolic turning of a page to the next calendar cycle as we do every December 31? Will there be massive, life-altering changes?
Who knows. There are enough end of the world predictions and scenarios from a variety of cultures and religions to fill an encyclopedia. Rather than writing a giant dusty book people would only look at during research paper time, I thought we’d break it down, one scenario or belief at a time until the big day in 2012 is upon us.
So, since December 21, 2012 falls on a Friday, I thought we’d take a look at a different doomsday theory/ascension scenario/end of the world prophesy every Friday until time stops…or we’re passed it and have to scramble for a new end of the world date to worry about. Sound good?
If you’ve got a particular end of the world/doomsday scenario for 2012 you’d like to make sure I cover (and really, with 123 weeks, I imagine I can hit them all), feel free to leave a comment about it so I can add it to the list. Have a particularly out there theory you think only you can properly detail for us? That’s cool too. I’m betting I’ll have an available guest slot or two in the next year and a half. 
Make sure to join me next Friday. I can’t make any promises, but we might look at the Buddhist eschatology on the subject to kick us off. You totally thought I was starting with aliens, didn’t you?
Jen
“Let your dark passenger come out to play…Be your own nemesis!”
Photo credit: Wikipedia (public domain)
Tags: 2012, December 21 2012, doomsday prophesy, Mayan calendar ending, Mayan Long Count calendar, winter solstice
A young Kansas City girl struggles to understand why spirits choose to congregate in her room each night after the lights go out. Or why she can sometimes know things about the future well in advance. Her mother retreats to the solace of her bubble bath. Her grandmother gives her a flashlight for when she’s scared at night and tells her she’s psychic.
No, dark passengers, I’m not talking about myself in 3rd person and pretending to be from KC. Instead, we’re delving into the life of renowned psychic Sylvia Browne through her book Psychic: My Life in Two Worlds.
Full Disclosure: I got a shiny new copy of the book from the publisher for free. In exchange, I agreed to give my fair and honest review, not hype up the book if I hate it. I might have a bizarre addiction to books, but I still haven’t reached the point where I sell my soul for them…
I’m going to talk at length about three aspects of the book, but you can skip to the final section if you just want to get to the opinion about whether it’s worth the read…
Growing Up Psychic Continue reading “Psychic by Sylvia Browne- A Book Review” »
Psychic by Sylvia Browne- A Book ReviewTags: Psychic, psychic gifts, Sylvia Browne
Sometimes you must admit you're not in control and go with the flow. Image via Wikipedia
Happy weekend, dark passengers. It would seem that life continues to get in the way of my best intentions when it comes to writing. Isn’t that always the way though? We make plans. The Universe pulls the rug from beneath our feet to remind us we aren’t as in control as we believe.
A worthwhile reminder, really.
In fact, these last almost two months have taught me a powerful lesson: Life goes on just fine, even if it’s not as I’d planned. I know, I know…Thank you, Captain Obvious, for whipping that from your Pez dispenser of wisdom. And you’d be right. This isn’t rocket science, yet I think we all need the reminder every now and again.
Why is it that we place such high importance on our carefully-designed plans, then go into panic meltdown mode the moment they turn asunder? I mean, really…it’s a bit foolish and prideful to think we’ve ever truly got it all figured out.
Allow me to give you a brief example of how the Universe has bitch-slapped me upside the head these last several weeks, some of the lessons I’ve learned from it, and finally, a glimpse at what’s coming for Your Dark Passenger…
Well, Hello There, Unexpected Twists
If you’re one I count among my friends, or a blog lurker who’s read one of the recent posts on this or my fiction blog, you already know that Continue reading “Learning from the Unexpected” »
Learning from the UnexpectedTags: book tour, chaos, Empathic Abilities, psychic abilities, psychic gifts, Sylvia Browne
Contrary to popular belief, I didn’t fall off the world since the last post on April 28th because I was struck dead over my thoughts on the paranormal. Instead, the water filter to the refrigerator decided it was tired of doing its job and had a minor temper tantrum, only putting about 90% of my house under roughly 28,000 gallons of water in the span of 12 hours. No biggie.
I was probably meaning to tear up all my carpet, rip out baseboards and sheetrock, and replace the majority of our furniture anyway. At least now insurance can cover much of it…
Of course, the timing was slightly annoying since I still had two days left in our series on the relationship between religion and the paranormal. Because I’m incapable of leaving things undone, we’ll be wrapping those up later in the week or early next week.
What about the May series on conspiracy theories, you ask? We’ll start that right afterwards and carry it through the month of June, along with the regular paranormal goodness you expect from Your Dark Passenger. (or the insane ramblings you expect…either way…)
And as a special treat, Your Dark Passenger is the official last stop on Sylvia Browne’s online book tour for her new book entitled, Psychic. I’m supposed to provide my book review on Wednesday, June 30 – and I will – but you can probably expect extra little tidbits as I read in addition. I have to admit, I really hope I enjoy the book since we all know I won’t lie about it.
Might be a touch on the awkward side if she pops by to discuss reactions to the honest story of her life as a psychic if I’ve posted a scathing review…
Since everything else is up in the air, why not tell me what YOU want to read about this summer on YDP? Psychic abilities, serial killers, conspiracy theories, paranormal goodness…You know that with me it’s ALL fair game.
Jen
“Let your dark passenger come out to play…Be your own nemesis!”
Tags: Announcements, book tour, conspiracy theories, Paranormal, psychic abilities, relationship between paranormal and religion, Sylvia Browne
Image via Wikipedia
The countdown to the end of the series on the relationship between religion and the paranormal is on. Tonight, we look at prayer and channeling.
Are they similar or are they nothing alike?
Let’s get to it, shall we?
To give us a base of understanding, my Merriam-Webster Dictionary has this to say:
Prayer
- a supplication or expression addressed to God or a god; a set order of words used in praying
- an earnest request or wish
- the act or practice of praying to God or a god
- a religious service consisting chiefly of prayers
- something prayed for
- a slight chance
Apparently Merriam and Webster are comfy using the word you’re supposed to be defining as part of the definition and hanging a preposition at the end of the sentence… Continue reading “Are Prayer and Channeling Alike?” »
Tags: channeling, Edgar Allan Poe, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Prayer, relationship between paranormal and religion, Religion and Spirituality, religious beliefs
Image via Wikipedia
Happy Tuesday, dark passengers. It’s time for the final guest post of our series on the relationship between religion and the paranormal.
Guest poster M. Lane is a mother of two living in Texas. She had a strong Christian upbringing and has also dealt with numerous unwanted entities in her home. Her interest in the paranormal stems, in part, from these unwanted invisible visitors, some of which came with less than sweet intentions.
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It’s hard to justify multiple beliefs, especially now that Continue reading “Justifying Spiritual Beliefs” »
Justifying Spiritual BeliefsTags: Bible, Christianity, Ghost, God, Hell, Jesus, Paranormal, personal experience, relationship between paranormal and religion, religious beliefs, smudging
Image by Zombie Inc. Wholesale zombies for over 20 years via Flickr
Happy Monday, dark passengers. Tonight, we kick off the final week in our series on the relationship between religion and the paranormal. And seriously, is it even possible to do a month-long look at these topics without discussing Jesus?
Okay, it’s probably possible, but it seems like it would be lacking somehow…
Anyway. I’ve heard people of a multitude of faiths agree that Jesus was certainly an enlightened figure capable of performing a variety of acts that are nothing short of miraculous, even if they don’t necessarily believe him to be God, messiah or Savior. So, if there can be some measure of agreement about the healings performed by Jesus, the question as to how he could do it is worth a look. Continue reading “Was Jesus a Lightworker?” »
Was Jesus a Lightworker?Tags: Bible, Christianity, God, healing, Jesus, lightworking, miracles, Paranormal, reiki, relationship between paranormal and religion, religious beliefs, spiritual gifts
Image via Wikipedia
Happy weekend, dark passengers. Of course, this isn’t just another normal weekend, it’s the last in our series on the relationship between religion and the paranormal. We’ve still got one more week to go, but things will wrap up by Friday. Today, however, we discuss the existence of angels, demons and ghosts.
I’m going to be really honest with y’all. This is the post I’ve been dreading since we started the series a few weeks back. In fact, I nearly removed it from the calendar altogether.
But no discussion of the paranormal or religion would be complete without taking a look at spirits and entities, so here we are.
Angels, Demons and Ghosts are a Touchy Subject
In general, yes, talking about entities is always a conversation filled with landmines and foot in mouth moments. Of the religions that belief in angels and demons, I’ve found they usually disallow room for ghosts. Other religious and/or spiritual groups don’t believe in demons. Some only view angels as people doing positive works, not in a ethereal form.
Then there are those, like myself, who deny Continue reading “Existence of Angels, Demons and Ghosts” »
Existence of Angels, Demons and GhostsTags: angels, demons, Empathic Abilities, evil, Ghost, God, Paranormal, personal experience, relationship between paranormal and religion, religious beliefs, Satan, supernatural
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