Tarot cards vs Me

Yesterday I had my cards read by Dieter. There three things for me that came out, firstly the past and how it damaged me, the current that is hurting and confusing me and the future that seems to offer hope.

Here is just the notes of the reading:

First card says you're out of balance;
The second one says it has to do with your social life, or rather, the people whose company you enjoy.
The foundation card speaks of options/confusion.
The past/passing card speaks of skills, the actual working of a job, the more physical side of it. You've stopped enjoying your skills and talents
Dreams/desires card: your dream is enjoying your life again.
OK, the future card throws me a bit. It's the card I would have used to represent you, but it speaks of learning something new.
Yourself: Queen of Rods. Someone "forceful", who helps people help themselves. Also speaks of a time for you to make your voice heard and to stand on your own feet, physically and emotionally
Your environment: 7 of Pentacles. Rewards for hard work, and knowing that what's worth it is worth working for.
Your hopes/fears: 10 of Cups. It's a relationship, but also getting lost in the relationship.
Getting so absorbed in the relationship that you lose sight of either yourself or what's happening around you / in your life
The last card - The outcome: the Ace of Wands. A time of newness: new relationships, new work, new experiences. New phases. Newness and good things.
(Note: Wands are also Rods. Remember that relationships aren't necessarily romantic. )

I will discuss these notes later.

1 December - World Aids Day

behind enemy lines

behind enemy lines

by thecolourofgrace

Corrie Ten Boom said, "The first step on the way to victory is to recognize the enemy." I find Aristotle guiding me along this train of thought as he highlights that the biggest enemy we face is not necessarily something, or someone, external to us: "I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self."So where does this leave me? Or, rather, what does it draw me back to? A quote (naturally) from Jeremiah, echoing this awareness that we are at times our own worst enemy: "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" This statement has always gripped me by the heart because it succeeds in simultaneously debunking the illusion that we have ourselves figured out. It is a sobering truth that the person we should know the best can be the most deceitful and seemingly uncurable.Taking a long, good look at yourself is generally not a pleasant experience, but I also firmly agree with Socrates that an unexamined life is not worth living and that the examination of self needn't be isolated or depressing . This thought brings be back to Virginia Woolf: "If you do not tell the truth about yourself you cannot tell it about other people". This notion that a balanced view of who we are enables us to put the world, and the people around us in perspective is a valuable one. Equally valuable is, to my mind, the process of learning to yield to the wisdom of our friends (thanks for that one Sophocles!) trusting that they see us with eyes of love and thus enable us to disarm the enemies within in a way we could never achieve flying solo.And finally one last thought from Virginia Woolf that somehow ties in with all of this or perhaps it ties it all together: "I thought how unpleasant it is to be locked out; and I thought how it is worse, perhaps, to be locked in."

GAGA launches Born This Way Foundation (BTWF)

Pop phenomenon and LGBT activist Lady Gaga has announced the launch of a foundation to support programs and initiatives to empower young people.
Named the Born This Way Foundation (BTWF), after her most recent album, the foundation will be headed by Gaga and her mother Cynthia Germanotta and will be backed by a number of respected groups in the US.
"The non-profit charitable organisation will lead youth into a braver new society where each individual is accepted and loved as the person they were born to be," said a statement on the star's website.
BTWF will focus on youth empowerment and equality by addressing issues like self-confidence, well-being, anti-bullying, mentoring and career development and will utilise digital mobilisation as one of the means to create positive change.
"My mother and I have initiated a passion project. We call it the Born This Way Foundation. Together we hope to establish a standard of Bravery and Kindness, as well as a community worldwide that protects and nurtures others in the face of bullying and abandonment," said Gaga (25).
An advisory board will be appointed and announced soon as will additional details about the organisation. The official launch will take place next year.
Gaga has been a vocal critic of the recent epidemic of bullying of gay teens in the US and has even met with President Obama about the issue.

Visit www.BornThisWayFoundation.org to sign up for more information on the foundation.

Stop the parole application of the man that murdered Brett Goldin and Richard Bloom

The families of Brett Goldin and Richard Bloom, who were murdered in 2006, are opposing a parole application by one of the men involved in the attack.
Nurshad Davids was sentenced to 15 years in prison for hijacking, kidnapping and armed robbery after being found guilty in the hijacking of Goldin and Bloom that led to their murder.
After serving just five years and five months, Davids, who testified against his co-accused in the trial, has applied for parole.
The victims’ relatives have now launched an online petition against Davids being granted his freedom. They also intend to express their opposition directly to the authorities.
"Myself, my daughter Samantha, Bryan Hellmann - Richard's partner - and Brett's father have lodged a formal application with the parole board to be part of the hearing," Goldin's mother, Denise, told 702 News on Monday.
The parole hearing is set to take place on November 16.
In April 2006, the naked bodies of Goldin (28), a popular actor, and clothing designer Richard Bloom (27) were found in Mowbray, Cape Town. The two men, who were openly gay, had been shot in the head.
Davids admitted to being involved in the hijacking of Bloom's car at gunpoint but claimed that he was not present when Goldin and Bloom were killed.
"To me, the hijackers are the source of it all," Goldin told Mambaonline. "They are creating the supply to feed the demand and I feel that they should have let Brett and Richard go once they had both their car keys and their possessions," she said.
Two other men, Shavaan Marlie and Clinton Davids, pleaded guilty to murder and were each sentenced to 28 years in prison.

Source: http://mambaonline.com/article.asp?artid=6302


Sign the petition by following this link: http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/saynotoparole

British gay man murdered and set on fire

With a possible serial killer about in South Africa, it is sad to hear that of a young man been murdered in the UK. What is to follow is an article about the story:

A 28-year-old British gay man has been murdered and set on fire in what could be one of the most brutal anti-gay attacks in the UK in recent history.
The partially-naked body of Stuart Walker was found in the early hours of Saturday morning in an industrial estate in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Police said that he had suffered horrific injuries and that he had been set on fire. They have also not ruled out the possibly that he was sexually assaulted before being killed.
The authorities are investigating the possibility that the attack on Walker was related to his sexual orientation as a motive.
Chief Superintendent John Thomson told the Scottish Daily Record, however, that "there are a number of open lines of inquiry and we have no distinct motive as yet. I remain optimistic we will being those responsible to book sooner rather than later".
He also denied earlier claims that the well-liked hotel barman had been found tied to a lamppost.
According to reports, after attending a party with friends, Walker was last seen at around 2.30am on Saturday morning near to where his body was found.

Source: http://mambaonline.com/article.asp?artid=6281

Twitter- homophobic’s account has been removed

Seems the Twitter - homophobic’s account (i.e. @mabsmiller) has been removed after police launched a search on this person and this was it was due to a complaint by Matt. Great on you Matt. The interesting thing, however, was that the police actually took Matt’s complaint seriously even though his profile picture is of him in his undies only.

However, locally if this would have been the case one is thoughtful that any action would have been taken. It reminds me of a tweet Helen Zille received form a 26 year old white male that had the words “boom rooker” (weed smoker) in it. This man asked Helen Zille a question, why was it so hard for him to find work in South Africa and particularly in Cape Town. She didn’t answer him, but mocked his twitter handle.

It is such pathetic replies from political leader that is problematic in South Africa. If Helen Zille looked as the man’s details she would have seen he is 26, white and male, which means that he only has about 17% chance of getting a position compared to an equally qualified person of a different race and sex in South Africa due to BEE policies. If this 26 year old was indeed gay, then one should have deducted a further 40% off the 17% to determent his chances for employment.

Besides the point that politicians, such as Helen Zillen that need to ask the question if such discrimination is still fair in the current environment, the issues that social media is now demanding of a possible harmonizing of international communication laws to avoid the misuse and discrimination of minority groups. We will have to wait and see how social media is in fact changing our political landscapes, if any.

Alleged photo of the homphobic Twitter user - @mabsmiller

-o-

Web article: Police on the hunt for homophobic Twitter user

Merseyside Police were last night seeking information about the identity and whereabouts of a person identifying himself as Jay Miller, of Liverpool, after the individual posted a string of homophobic abuse on social networking site Twitter.
User complaints were made to the Metropolitan Police who are also assisting in the investigation, and will be contacting members of the public to provide evidence.
Miller posted a number of obscene messages on the site shortly after the death of 28-year-old gay barman Stuart Walker, using the account @mabsmiller.

Source: http://www.blottr.com/north-west/breaking-news/police-hunt-homophobic-twitter-user