What's on your mind today?

[Tank]

I'm basically screwed. Too much to do, not enough time.

Sleep...pffft.

7 day account suspension?

Sounds like the rational thing to do, but I believe such a measure would backfire as if I couldn't post on HAF I wouldn't think of anything else all day! I don't want HAF to become a forbidden fruit I can't taste...

Ok.

[Guardian85]

Re: Soapbox Science.

Not quite the same but an idea I approve of, is something I am listening to on BBC World Service - "A Pint of Science". It organises scientists to talk, in a relaxed way, about science in pubs. Seems it has already been exported to other countries.

Science in the pub! Perfect!

Now you made me think of this again:

[Dave]

Re: Soapbox Science.

Not quite the same but an idea I approve of, is something I am listening to on BBC World Service - "A Pint of Science". It organises scientists to talk, in a relaxed way, about science in pubs. Seems it has already been exported to other countries.

Science in the pub! Perfect!

Now you made me think of this again:

Excellent. I'll have another please!

[Arturo]

Speaking of black magic, I have a renewed interest in studying witchcraft again. I'm not planning to take it up as a religion but I think there are possibly some certain psychological concepts behind some ideas of majick. One's I'm interested in and want to implement myself. For example, self love.

[Magdalena]

Speaking of black magic, I have a renewed interest in studying witchcraft again. I'm not planning to take it up as a religion but I think there are possibly some certain psychological concepts behind some ideas of majick. One's I'm interested in and want to implement myself. For example, self love.

That's nice.

[Biggus Dickus]

Apparently for some silly reason, here in the USA, today is "National Doughnut Day"...and doughnut people have gone crazy. This is a "Grilled Cheese Doughnut"...things are starting to get out of control here.

[Sandra Craft]

Speaking of black magic, I have a renewed interest in studying witchcraft again. I'm not planning to take it up as a religion but I think there are possibly some certain psychological concepts behind some ideas of majick. One's I'm interested in and want to implement myself. For example, self love.

That's nice.

Is self-love really a form of black magic?

[Sandra Craft]

Apparently for some silly reason, here in the USA, today is "National Doughnut Day"...and doughnut people have gone crazy. This is a "Grilled Cheese Doughnut"...things are starting to get out of control here.

Well, I . . . ew.

[xSilverPhinx]

Speaking of black magic, I have a renewed interest in studying witchcraft again. I'm not planning to take it up as a religion but I think there are possibly some certain psychological concepts behind some ideas of majick. One's I'm interested in and want to implement myself. For example, self love.

How does this work? I never saw a link between ideas of magic and something like self-love.   

[Arturo]

It may not even be the magic itself but the philosophy that goes along with it. In some traditions they have this idea of finding the light in the darkness. Symbolically this could mean to someone that there is hope in even the worst circumstances. They also believe that there is good and bad energy. And some people send you bad energy. So you want good energy, and not bad.

With enough mental gymnastics, these ideas could be a form of self love. Trying to grow and cultivate good energy from a place of bleakness would be beneficial if you believed in it.

But as for the magic. I don't know specifics, but I think that people who "use magic" use psychological tricks to attract people and convince them of things that they want them to know. I want to know what those psychological tricks are if they exist.

[Dave]

It may not even be the magic itself but the philosophy that goes along with it. In some traditions they have this idea of finding the light in the darkness. Symbolically this could mean to someone that there is hope in even the worst circumstances. They also believe that there is good and bad energy. And some people send you bad energy. So you want good energy, and not bad.

With enough mental gymnastics, these ideas could be a form of self love. Trying to grow and cultivate good energy from a place of bleakness would be beneficial if you believed in it.

Done properly it will probably work as well as any if the other "positive thinking" techniques that have been tried over the centuries. Visual aids such as madallas, vocal aids like chants, musical instruments (especially drums that are close to the human heart sound) can help "clear the mind", for some, in order to establish an environment for change,

At one point I tried a "meditation" technique where you make yourself aware only of the real world arround you, the patterns of pressure on your body from however you are sitting or laying, the sounds from the smallest/nearest to the loudest/furthest. The object was to fbe fully aware of only real world sensations and stimuli, displacing the bad memories or fears about tomorrow. Takes time and efgort to reach the right level of "outer awareness", and then take that with you into daily life, but it can help. And needs no equipment or special room, symbology etc etc., just a bit of quiet, a bit of time and reasonable physical comfort.

[Icarus]

Another device that is sometimes useful is the comic strip method.  When you are having some mental anguish,  draw a mental picture of a single panel of a comic strip......The characters in the strip might be speaking.... the words will appear in the balloon. Mentally erase any words that are there.  Now mentally expand the balloon until it fills the entire panel. Nothing else in the panel is visible except the white oblation.  You now have a framed white space that you can contemplate for a few minutes. Concentrate on the blankness of the space.

This simple gimmick sometimes works to defeat insomnia.

Do not do this while driving, while operating machinery, or during a sexual encounter.

[Velma]

The occasional times when my racing thoughts keep me from sleeping, I shout "Stop!" in my head. Many times it does stop the chaos and allow me to get to sleep.

[Arturo]

Velma, that sounds like a trigger word that you've discovered/developed for yourself​. That's the stuff I'm interested in. Knowing people's triggers and exploiting them to help people let go of emotional problems.

Icarus, that's a good creative way to wipe away your problems. I do a form of that with thoughts

Gloucester, I think I did that before too when I was having a psychotic episode. I was trying to connect with things psychically.

[jumbojak]

Ants. Seems the ivy has called in the ground trumps to support the air power in the form of hornets. I'm going to try a massive bombardment of a syrup/borax mix to take them out and go after the rest of the ivy. Fresh stocks of ethyl benzene should deal with the wasps and hornets. Operation Defoliate drags on anoother week...