Pneumatised!

MM,

I finally had some time this past weekend to add some more stuff to my website. Notably, I have added some pages featuring my watercolour art.

I don’t consider my art to be great or anything like that, but I have been doing some watercolour now and again. (Read my web page, “Creative Expression for Spiritual Growth” for why I started doing art.) Now, I felt it was time to share what I’ve done. If you have any comments on any of my water colour pictures, please feel free to post a comment to this blog entry.

Cassandrah’s Art – Page One
(follow the links on the above web page for pages 2 and 3)

BB,
Cassandrah
Your local webmistress
Brigid’s Flame

Well, it’s time again. Soon, the streets of Toronto will be buzzing about the latest films at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Each year I try to go. Last year, I only had time to see two movies – a documentary and a martial arts film (Kung Fu Hustle starred and directed by Stephen Chow). This year, Nathan and I bought 10 coupons in advance so we get to pick 5 movies to see and get advance tickets. I still have to pick my movies though. Somehow, Nathan and I will decide on which 5 to see. So far, I know we’re going to see Jackie Chan’s new flick, The Myth, which is a move away from his usual slapstick comedic martial arts. That’s not to say that he won’t be doing some serious fighting, I’m sure we’re still going to see some amazing Jackie Chan moves.

Aside from Jackie Chan’s new movie, I still have to determine what other movies might be interesting. I need to go through the Programme Book and read through the film descriptions. As I’m not quite as fast a reader as Nathan, this will probably take me some time so I don’t expect to have picked my first draft of movies until later this afternoon or later tonight.

For those who have yet to experience the Film Festival, below is a review I wrote on the documentary I saw last year at the Festival – perhaps it might inspire people to check out the Festival this year (and the documentary, if it’s available). The movie was called Scared Sacred and was directed by Velcrow Ripper. I originally posted this review on a previous message board I started and wanted to post it here. The message I discuss in the review is extremely relevent to this website and in many ways has helped push me to get the website up.

September 16, 2004 8:01 p.m.

Scared Sacred by Velcrow Ripper

“Breathe in suffering, breathe out compassion”

The above is a Buddhist philosophical concept, but in the documentary
Scared Sacred by Velcrow Ripper, it becomes a survival technique.

Each year, I go to the Toronto International Film Festival to
experience something different than what is normally dished out from
Hollywood. This year, I was quite amazed by the documentary, Scared
Sacred. Perhaps it is because it falls in line with a view I’ve held
the past few years and each year that view grows stronger. The movie
sparks inside me the sense of urgency that the world is in danger, it
is suffering, and long in need of healing. Ripper seems to feel as I
do that the time is now for US to make changes in the world, to take a
stand and say what needs to be said.

The documentary is a summary of the travels of the director, Velcrow
Ripper, in an attempt to find and encapsulate some sense of hope, if
it exists, for the world. Ripper does what not many individuals would
dare do – he visits various sites of disasters. In the darkest
shadow, perhaps we may find some sense of hope, a gleam in the
darkness shining out for us to reach for, something to hold onto that
says that perhaps there is an end to all the cruelty and suffering of
this world.

This sense of hope appears to Ripper and to the audience in various
forms – from a doctor in Bhopal, India setting up a medical practice
for survivors of the Union Carbide disaster; a musician in Afghanistan
finally having the freedom to play again; an Afghani woman exiled in
Pakistan fighting for women’s freedom, a young woman dressed as an
angel in New York City, and finally an Israeli father, who vows NOT to
seek revenge for the slaying of his 14-year-old daughter.

Along the way, some messages stay clear in my mind. First, is the
artist in Bosnia, who is still living in the same apartment as that
day when the bombs first fell, who says that it is her work, her art
that has helped her survive. It is in the mind, she states, where
freedom lies. Later, toward the end, the Israeli father of the slain
14-year-old states that he has a choice in how to react to his
daughter’s death. Does he go out and take revenge for her death as is
so common around him? Does this ease his pain? Or does he instead
find compassion and continue to say his story and tell of his pain and
therefore, hope that others will listen, not just hear, but listen and
understand? It’s obvious he has chosen the latter. The message here
is that ultimately true freedom is in our mind and in the choice of
how to respond and react to a disaster, a crisis, a personal tragedy.

In this world, for some it may seem there is no choice but to take
revenge, but yet there are some who still feel the freedom of making
the choice. Is there something that makes these individuals stand out
from those who feel there is no choice? Perhaps. Perhaps there is
something that makes a person naturally resilient to tragedy and
disaster. Perhaps only certain people are meant to carry the hope in
the world. Perhaps only certain people are meant to understand what
it means to truly feel compassion.

Ultimately, someone will ask why I would watch such a movie. Maybe
just like Ripper, I need to see if there is some hope in this world of
suffering and cruelty. In some way, I’m still uncertain. Perhaps the
only hope left is what is carried in my heart. But then again, Ripper
did make this movie. His documentary has an important message to say.
So I am not alone with this hope of mine.

I must commend Velcrow Ripper for this documentary – not just for
making it but for deciding to make it and visit those people and
places.

Hopefully, more people will see this documentary and hear the message.
As Ripper said during the Q&A after the screening, there is a sense
of urgency in the world. I agree, the urgency is there. But also,
more people are needed to respond to it. “…Breathe out compassion”
We need it to survive.

Hope you enjoyed the review. Got the message I hope.

Cassandrah
Your local webmistress
Brigid’s Flame

MM,

I’m not a running fan. I’ve always found it a little boring to just run, but as a new challenge for me and because I’ll have to do this next year to test for my 2nd dan black belt, I have to start training for a 10km run.

Now, this isn’t easy work. Professional athletes make it look easy. At the gym, I do the threadmill as a way to keep up my cardio on my days off taekwondo or when I feel I haven’t gotten a good cardio workout. So far, I’ve only been able to establish a 9.67 minute mile pace (i.e., running at 6.2 mph I finish a mile in just under 10 minutes) For a 10km run, that means I’ll finish in 1 hour (10 km = 6.2 miles). What this means is that I’ll have to increase my pace or I’ll be exhausted after an hour. Running at a faster pace is more efficient and better cardio-wise. (More on running, see Wikipedia article on “running”.)

To properly train for a 10k run, most sources say somewhere between 10 to 12 weeks consistent training is adequate to ensure completion of the run. This depends on who often you train – 3 or 4 times a week. Generally, less or more than that is not effective. Once or twice a week won’t get your cardio up as you have to constantly put the bar higher and more than 4 times a week doesn’t allow your body to properly rest after the strain you put on your body (most notably knees and ankles) from training. So not only do I have to put in my hours at the do jang (where I already put lots of strain on my knees and ankles from the kicking and bouncing) but I have to somehow fit running training in 3 times a week. (And let’s not talk about the work I actually should be doing… but hey, this all fits together… I can’t be an expert promoter of health and fitness if I’m not healthy and fit. Talk the talk. Walk the walk. Integrity – one of the taekwondo principles. See? That all relates.)

Aside from the above stated reasons for doing a 10k run, I also feel that the challenge is also a test of my spirituality. Being able to accomplish the run is all in the mind – ask the professional runners. The mind can make the body do what it wants it to. So, having set my mind to do this, I should have no problems completing the 10k. 🙂 However, my goal isn’t just completing the 10k run – it’s completing it and feeling great after. I don’t want to just complete it and then collapse right after. The goal is to complete it feeling exuberant and with a smile. (Perhaps I’ll be a running fan afterall… oh, little cynical other me voice in the head saying “Don’t push your luck.”)

But before all that happens, there’s the training. In the end though, I think it will be worth it. My spirit and soul will probably thank me (my body will thank me later I think after a good rest and lots of water!).

BB,
Cassandrah
Your local webmistress
Brigid’s Flame

P.S. Anyone have a good training plan (3 times a week), please post. Thanks.

MM,

I recently started taking Haidong Gumdo classes – a Korean sword martial art. So far, I’m enjoying it.

When I was studying taekwondo, I was introduced to a variety of weapons arts – short sticks (Tahn Bong in Korean), nunchakus, and long staff (Jang Bong in Korean, or commonly known as bo staff in Japanese). While I enjoyed these weapons arts, at the time I was primarily focused on learning taekwondo and getting a base in that one martial art first (i.e., finally getting my black belt). I also particularly wanted to learn Sais (if you don’t know what a Sai is, it’s the weapon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Raphael uses) and sword. For Sais, I’m pretty much learning it on my own right now as I have not found anyone to teach it. But I’ve been lucky to find that a taekwondo do jang teaches sword – Haidong Gumdo. After my first three classes this week, I already feel that the sword is my weapon (see “What Kind of Weapon Am I?” quiz below). It has a grace and feel that is natural and seems to complement what I’ve already learned from taekwondo. It also emphasizes learning patterns, something I learned I love from taekwondo, and teaches Dahn Jun, a breathing exercise very similar to many other moving meditation styles utilizing the tantien (an energy center located a few inches below the naval; Reiki students, Tai Chi students, and other martial artists should be familiar with this concept).

This week too (yesterday night), I also got a taste of what to expect from a sword test. Patterns, of course, but also blowing out a candle with a sword. In order to blow out a candle with a sword, one must develop excellent technique and create wind with the weapon. This is a concept that is very important to any kind of strike in martial art. This recalls to my mind my taekwondo instructor (one of the best!) saying that we should hear the wind every time we punch or strike. After seeing the candle blowing yesterday, I decided to have a go at it. Even if I don’t blow the candle out with the sword, at the very least it will let me know how good my technique is and be good practice for me!

In doing this sword practice (today!), I decided to try blowing out the candle with an empty hand technique from taekwondo. This I thought much more than breaking concrete would be a very good test of my martial arts abilities. So sitting on both knees and leaning over slightly, I started doing knife hand techniques passing over the candle flame. Now, this is tricky because you have to make sure you do not exhale sharply and blow out the candle with your breath! As a taekwondo student, I got used to doing my kiap (Korean for “yell”) while doing techniques, but could not while trying to blow the candle out with my hand. All I could do was control my breathing through my nose. To my amazement, eventually I blew out the candle with my knife hand strike! Yay! I was a little stunned and happy. “Wouldn’t my instructor be proud?!” I tried this again with a standing candle (the first one was a tea light), and did it again. A third try today did the same thing.

So, now I know I can blow a candle out with a knife hand strike. Next, I’ll have to do that in less tries (I lost count but I think it was around 10 tries) and of course, I will have to do this with a sword! Thinking I will need roughly one month of sword practice…

BB,
Cassandrah
Your local webmistress and “kickmeister”
Brigid’s Flame

P.S. On a theoretical note, all martial arts deal with developing and controlling internal energy through practice. It is good control of energy that allows a martial artist to accomplish some amazing feats.

MM,

Summer is now upon us – more for some than others apparently.

I woke up today around noon to the fire alarm blaring and someone yelling from outside, “If anyone has a cell phone, call 911. Your building’s on fire.” I quickly got dressed, went out on the balcony and looked up to see smoke rising from the top. A huge cloud of dark grey smoke. Wondering what to do I came back inside and looked around for my three cats. In the distance, the sound of the sirens from fire trucks came closer. I went back outside again to see a fire marshal checking the building and heard her yell, “You got flame.” Lucky for me, she saw me watching her and waved at me to get out of the building. So I darted back inside and grabbed one cat (Dove), put him in the carrier, grabbed another one (the littlest female, Pixie), put her in the carrier with her dad, and tried to get the last one, Poupon. Of course she was non-cooperative. I chased her out from under the bed, but she jumped on the window sill and then onto my desk shelves. By this time, I could already smell the smoke from the fire 6 floors above. Not sure how long it would take to get her to cooperate and not quite sure how fast the fire might spread, I had to leave her and after closing the balcony door, quickly left the apartment with the other two cats in the carrier.

I took the stairway down of course. Only two flights, lucky me being on the third floor. I was about to head out the back door, but noticed charred pieces of whatever lying on the ground outside and no firepeople there. I quickly turned and went the other way out the front door. Walked over to the sidewalk to rest a bit and get my bearings. Then one of the firemen came over and asked that I move to the other side. I quickly mentioned I had one more cat in my apartment.

Once across the street to a safe spot, I put the carrier down and checked on the two cats inside. They weren’t happy but they were safe. Feeling bad about leaving my other cat inside still, I looked at the building carefully. It looked like the fire hadn’t spread very far (it was on the top floor and as everyone knows fire tends to rise), so chances are with the firepeople here so fast it wouldn’t get to the third floor where my poor Poupon was likely cowering under the bed telling herself to find a “happy place”. Still, I felt bad about leaving her behind.

(Incidentally, one girl was standing on her 7th floor balcony still. She didn’t look panicked, but apparently she needed help getting out as she appeared a few minutes later escorted by two firemen who quickly got her on a stretcher and into a standing ambulance. Aside from coughing and probably being in a mental shock, she appeared to be fine.)

Next, I called Nathan at his work. I figured he probably would want to know what was going on. By this time, it looked as if the fire was being contained. The dark grey smoke dissipated and it looked as if a few firepeople came back down already. I told Nathan what was happening and that it looked like everything was fine, but I was feeling a bit nervous. Being the sweetheart that he is, he decided to come back and comfort me.

I told him that I left Poupon upstairs and was feeling bad about it. Of course he being rational said she’s probably okay. The fire didn’t spread down. Granted I knew this, but still it felt better to hear it from someone else. Eventually, some of the fire trucks started to head out. So, about an hour after leaving my apartment people started heading back into the building. Nathan and I followed suit. On the way in, just in front of the main doors was charred remains of what was once a stove and oven. Speculating has it that someone left the stove on with something on the burner. That someone is not going to have a nice time coming home later. What a mess! One would hope most of the damage was smoke damage and none of their personal stuff got barbecued.

Once Nathan and I got upstairs, I sent him to check on Poupon who was of course still under the bed and I let the other two cats out of the carrier. Dove decided he wanted to check out the place to make sure things were okay. I don’t think he quite realizes that there was a fire 6 floors up. Pixie however is a bit traumatized. She decided jumping up on the kitchen cabinets into the top corner would be safe for her. As I type, I believe she is still there. Not only was there this awful noise earlier, but I had to pick her up and shuffle her into the carrier and take her outside. Still feeling bad about not being able to get Poupon out, but at least I know now she’s okay.

There are some remarkable “coincidences” (btw, I don’t really believe in coincidences) surrounding this event today. One, summer solstice was on Tuesday and I lit some candles that night since I could not make it out to Sabbat in the park. Two, we are celebrating the Sabbat tonight with my study group. Three, Nathan was just writing on his blog about Chinese mythology of foxes and fire maybe an hour before the fire started . Seems that maybe there’s just too much energy going on about Sun and fire today.

Maybe it’s time for some water energy, at least enough to balance the fire energy.

Brigid, goddess of healing springs and well, I petition you today for some cooling healing water energy!

BB,
Cassandrah
Your local webmistress
http://www.brigidsflame.com/

P.S. Life lesson for today: pet owners, especially cat owners, should definitely have a plan to save your precious four-footed friends!

MM,

Yes, I know this blog has been quiet as of late. It’s partly because, like everyone else, I need time to myself. It’s also partly because I haven’t had time to write. So there… that’s my excuse.

Lately, I’ve been busy keeping up with my workout schedule and doing taekwondo. So much for me still to learn. Technically, I could have received 2nd dan this year, but decided last year after receiving my first dan that I needed to let my knee do some more healing and that it wasn’t worth sacrificing my knee to rush to get 2nd dan (besides, how good will I be with a bad knee?). However, it is only recently that my knee has felt pretty good so I’ve been training hard like before (but paying attention to when my knee tells me I’ve had enough). Either way, I guess I’m getting ready for next year really early! I’m just NOT going to blow out my knee again in the process.

I’ve also been doing more meditation than usual (part of my training towards Wiccan Priesthood). So far the meditation has been interesting. It has always helped me in some way such as clearing out my thoughts or focussing more on one thing. I’ve also used meditation to help me with my taekwondo patterns (“poomse” in Korean). It’s almost as if I have a little video camera in my head, I can see myself three dimensionally moving, doing my techniques. I discovered early on that this helps me train my muscles to do what I want them to do. For me, it seems to be a process of if I can see it in my mind, I can do it physically (and sometimes much better than before).

Today’s meditation has motivated me again. Hence, me writing on this blog today! Hehe. I feel quite energized and awake today and focussed on the things I need to do. Though I’m sure at some point, my head will get all cluttered again. Ah, it’s just the way of things. I’ll just do more meditation.

I guess there are two messages I’m trying to convey in this blog entry today. One, meditation is really good for motivation and is energizing. Two, meditation can enhance martial arts.

So, okay, can’t wait for the concrete next year. Bring it on!

BB,
Cassandrah
Your local webmistress
http://www.brigidsflame.com/

Dog is god spelt backwards? Evil is live spelt backwards? Expanding on the that, devil is lived spelt backwards?

Hm… something to think about.

BB,
Cassandrah
Your local webmistress
http://www.brigidsflame.com/

MM,

This week has so far been busy as usual, but I’ve still been thinking of the Sushi buffet I had on Saturday night.

It was YUM! Understatement. This buffet dinner took place 8 days after my Dedication and it was just so delicious. Now, normally I go ga-ga for sushi (or any seafood), but because it was the first nice dinner out since the Dedication, I was just melting. The star of the show that night was the teriyaki beef which was grilled to perfection. For me and my sweetie, perfection was a steak grilled to medium rare with just enough juice left in the beef. (Okay, if there are any vegetarians out there reading this, I would like to convey my apologies for any discomfort you may feel reading about my meat eating habits. I have my own beliefs, but being vegetarian is not one of them!) The beef was still nice and tender. If beef could melt in your mouth, this one nearly felt like it did. It was so tender and juicy that what chewing that was needed to eat the beef was painless. Nate and I had to order a second dish of the beef.

The supporting actor in this drama was the salmon sushi. I love sushi and it was awhile since I’ve had it. On top of fasting for Dedication, not having had sushi for awhile just made it all the yummier! The salmon sushi had a good texture – smooth and the taste was so delicate. I was basically “hm…” the whole time I was eating the salmon. The rest of the meal was just as yummy. For the sushi, in addition to the salmon, we had crab, red snapper and another fish. We also had some sashimi (just the raw fish, no rice or seaweed with it) and decided the rice added a nice flavour, so ordered more sushi. For the hot dishes, in addition to the teriyaki beef, we had teriyaki salmon, some breaded shrimps and chicken (don’t recall the Japanese name for these two dishes).

Now, the surprise of the dinner was the avocado roll. I normally don’t go to a sushi buffet and order vegetable, but the avocado roll was just as “meltilicious” as the teriyaki beef. I made the mistake of ordering the avocado and cucumber roll first and then the avocado roll, so I was too full to order another one. However, for a drink I ordered an avocado shake which is always yummy at that restaurant.

Finally, after having ordered a few times and letting my stomach digest some food, my sweetie and I decided we had better head home. Although, I’m sure if I stayed another half hour I might have ordered more food.

Hm… it just occurs to me the sushi buffet made up for my not being able to have a seafood smoothie during my fast!

In addition to the marvelous sushi buffet dinner the past Saturday, this upcoming Saturday is my mom’s birthday celebration. We are actually going to dim sum this year! For years, we used to go for dim sum for nearly all our little family get-togethers, but the past few years opted for a Chinese buffet. What a sudden switch back! Yay! I love dim sum. It is one of things I loved most about growing up in my culture. Dim sum is the best.

It consists of primarily little stuffed dumplings made with rice flour. They are usually stuffed with pork or shrimp. My favourites are “seiw mie” and “hak gao” (roughly the English spelling in order to pronouce the words). “Hak gao” is basically a shrimp dumpling. Yum! (See, I did say I was a seafood fanatic.) “Seiw mie” is a little pork dumpling. Other dim sum favourites of mine are the meatballs, cooked the way only the Chinese can, and the “cheng foon”. “Cheng foon” is a form of rice noodle. It is long and thick and rolled up inside is either beef, shrimp, or chicken. I usually prefer the beef and shrimp ones. These are eaten dipped in soy sauce. Additional dim sum foods can include rice porridge (also yum, the only thing better when I have a cold is Vietnamese beef noodle soup), BBQ pork ribs, some stuffed vegetables and of course some dessert items. Popular for dessert is a jello dessert that does not taste like your normal jello. It’s much smoother and creamier. For drinks, of course, there is the famous green tea!

So, looks like I get another yummy meal soon. I can’t wait, to tell the truth. I love dim sum and I love going out with Nate. Any excuse to get him out of the house with me! Hehe…

Well, gentle readers. Time for me to sign off. It’s getting late or early, depending on if you are sleeping or not.

BB,
Cassandrah
Your local webmistress
http://www.brigidsflame.com/

P.S. I just got hungry again writing this. Damn, that was a good buffet!

MM,

Asatru is a pagan tradition based on Norse culture as well as its mythology. This is evident in the ritual I attended recently.

My first impressions of it were in comparison to Odyssean Wicca. Creating a ritual space was done by forming a circle as is done in traditional Wicca. There did not appear to be a ritual cast or sweep (however, this may have been done previous to the entry of the participants). Few ritual tools were present. The notable difference was the use of fire and water (melted ice) instead of the traditional four elements of air, fire, water, and earth. The use of fire and water is congruent with Norse mythology where it states that fire and ice were used in the creation of the world. The fire and water was then used as a means of purifying the ritual space (and thereby, the participants in it). Another difference in comparison to Odyssean tradition was the laying down of weapons (even ritual blades) with the exception of the Summoner’s staff.

This ritual in particular was based on the idea of an open assembly in Norse tradition, called Thing (from “thingvalla” meaning “assembly place”)¹. Adapting this ancient tradition, the ritual idea was to create sacred space so that people felt free to voice their opinions and views or air their grievances (or both) so that the leader of the community would know each individual’s views.

Overall, I thought the Priest performed the ritual well. The Norse tradition seemed to have been well researched. Providing a sacred space for people to discuss their opinions is a nice idea. However, I felt this would have been better done in a small group. As with any ritual where people are allowed to talk freely with no time limit, some people may take it upon themselves to dominate the discussion. In a ritual such as this one, one person may take it upon oneself to push one’s own opinion on everyone else. To a minority of individuals who may disagree, this might easily feel like “tyranny of the majority.”²

The energy of the ritual was different compared to some rituals that I am familiar with. Since the ritual idea was to remain open to individual views (even contentious and highly political ones), it was left open for both positive and negative energies to enter the ritual. For the most part, people had good intentions behind their thoughts and there was overall more positive energy than negative. However, when the negative energy was projected into the ritual, it was not easy to ignore.

If I were to rate this particular ritual based on the energy and feel of it, the scale would tip towards the low end. Unfortunately, by the nature of the ritual idea itself, the energy in the ritual is entirely dependent on the participants. If I were to rate this ritual based on performance of the Priesthood and the accuracy of the ritual to Norse tradition, the scale would swing over to the high end.

Endnotes
1. http://www.castletown.org.im/heritage/keys/first_tynwald.html
2. John Stuart Mill’s essay “On Liberty” (excerpt located at http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:CKnG_hyk6ggJ:www.serendipity.li/jsmill/
jsmill.htm+%22tyranny+of+the+majority%22&hl=en

BB,
Cassandrah
Your local webmistress
http://www.brigidsflame.com/