2012 Begins
Posted by Michelle Moquin on January 1st, 2012
Happy New Year!
I HOPE that everyone had a fantastic celebration last night!
So…what is the mood this morning? I woke up feeling introspective…wondering what lies ahead for me in this new year. What do I want to create for myself, for my relationship, for this country…for this world. What responsibility do I have to myself, to others? What influence do I have that I can draw on to make this world a better place for all?
So many questions that I was inspired to pull a Rune. I went and got my Book Of Runes by Ralph Blum, and my little bag of Runes. Now some of you might think that pulling a Rune is stupid or silly, but I have found that when I need guidance, I consult the Book Of Runes. If you are not familiar with Runes, here is a brief description:
You are holding something very special: a part of the ancient past and, perhaps, a part of your future.
Based on a tradition over one thousand years old, this contemporary Oracle has established itself as a remarkable aid in practical decision making. When first published in 1983, R. Buckminster Fuller said: “What a wonderful thing to have done-midwife the rebirth of an ancient oracle.”
A huge success with over 700,000 copies sold, The Book of Runes has proved itself to be a modern classic. For this, the tenth anniversary of the work, Ralph H. Blum has expanded and refined the runic system, making the Runes the most profoundly useful self-help tool of our era.
And every time the perfect Rune presents itself to me when I put my hand in the bag. However this time was a little different. The first Rune that I pulled I thought was for the question that I posed, but after I pulled it, and read it, I was confused. This particular Rune didn’t seem to suit my question but felt more appropriate to me personally. So I opened up my Rune book and found a chapter called “Runic Override”. In brief this means that the Rune tuned into a more specific issue, something I am possibly avoiding or something I am not consciously aware of. This made me smile because it was so right on. I knew this particular Rune was meant for me.
So I pulled again and this time my question was more straight forward: I wanted to know “what Obama needs to do to turn this country around, and make it better for all, now and when he wins 2012“. I put my hand in my little Rune bag and pulled out this Rune:
I went to the front of the book to find out what Rune it was, and where I could find what it meant. This Rune is called “Dagaz” and when I opened the book to the corresponding page, my mouth dropped open and again I smiled.
Dagaz means “Breakthrough Transformation day”.
As I began to read my pulse began to race. Once again, the Runes were right on. And as I read I took on a “world” view, instead of a “self” view since it pertains to all of us and not necessarily Obama personally.
Here is the final Rune belonging to the Cycle of Initiation. Drawing Dagaz marks a major shift or breakthrough in the process of self-change, a complete transformation in attitude – a 180-degree turn. For some the transition is so radical that they no longer continue to live the ordinary life in the ordinary way.
Because the timing is right, the outcome is assured although not, from the present vantage point, predictable. In each life there comes at least one moment which if recognized and seized, transforms the course of that life forever. Rely, therefore on radical trust, even though the moment may call for you to leap empty-handed into the void. With this Rune your Warrior Nature reveals itself.
If Dagaz is followed by the Blank Rune, the magnitude of transformation might be so total as to portend a death, the successful conclusion to your passage.
Note: I did pull a second Rune and it wasn’t a Blank Rune.
A major period of achievement and prosperity is often introduced by this Rune. The darkness is behind you; daylight has come. However, as always you are reminded not to collapse yourself into the future or to behave recklessly in your new situation. A lot of hard work can be involved in a time of transformation. Undertake to do it joyfully.
The second Rune I pulled was Berkano, and again I smiled.
Berkano means Growth Rebirth A Birch Tree
Another of the Cycle Runes, Berkana denotes a form of fertility that fosters growth both symbolically and actually. The growth may occur in affairs of the world, family matters, one’s relationship to one’s Self or to the Divine.
A Rune that leads to blossoming and ripening, Berkana is concerned with the flow of being into their new forms. It’s action is gentle, penetrating, and pervasive.
What is called for here is going into things deeply, with care and awareness. First disperse resistance, then accomplish the work. For this to happen, your will must be clear and controlled, your motives correct. And dark corners should be cleansed, this must be carried out diligently and sometimes with expert help. Modesty, patience, fairness and generosity are called for here. once resistance is dispersed and ratification carried out and seen to hold firm, then, through steadfastness and rigth attitude, the blossoming can occur.
So I pulled this Rune as it is shown above. However this particular Rune also has a “reverse” (where if pulled “reverse” would look like a backward “B”) Even thought I pulled it as shown, it is a good idea to read the “reverse” as well just to keep aware of the unseen aspects that might impede movement, or to keep in touch with the unseen side of nature.
Reversed: Events or more likely aspects of character interfere with the growth of new life. You may feel dismay at failing to take right action. But rather than dismay, what is called for is diligence. Examine what has occurred, your role in it, your needs, the needs of others. Are you placing your wants before the needs of others? Strip away until you can identify the obstacles to growth in this situation. Then penetrating gently, imitate the wind.
You may be required to fertilize the ground again, but through correct preparation growth is assured.
*****
Readers: What do you think of the Runes that I pulled? Thoughts? Opinions? Blog me.
And have a wonderful day enjoying the first day of the year! May it bring all the joy, HOPE, love, good health, prosperity, and whatever else you wish for yourself, your loved ones, the world.
Once again, I am grateful for your presence here. And I look forward to another year…some of the same same…and some so very different and exciting.
Peace & love….from me.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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January 1st, 2012 at 12:42 pm
Add a Mini-Workout to Your Workday… and Live Longer
For those of us with desk jobs, it was a big bummer to learn that sitting on our bums for hours on end can increase our mortality risk—even if we get regular exercise!—according to a recent article in Current Opinion in Cardiology.
What’s more, research has shown that the extreme dangers of prolonged sitting include an increased risk for cardiovascular disease… colorectal cancer… obesity… diabetes… and potentially deadly blood clots in the lungs.
Given that more than 80% of jobs in the US are now sedentary (compared with just 50% five decades ago), day-in-day-out sitting represents a huge and growing health problem.
But there is good news—because breaking up sedentary time with spurts of activity has been shown to help offset the health risks of sitting.
So, even when we’re stuck at the office, we can protect ourselves with some creative get-up-and-go strategies and a few nifty gadgets sold at sporting-goods stores and/or online.
For specifics, I consulted two renowned exercise experts and research collaborators, James A. Levine, MD, PhD, a Mayo Clinic professor in Rochester, Minnesota, and coauthor of Move a Little, Lose a Lot … and Catrine Tudor-Locke, PhD, director of the Walking Behavior Laboratory at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in
Baton Rouge. Their suggestions…
Stand up when you can.
Using the muscles necessary to stand activates substances that have good effects on how the body uses and stores sugars and fats.
Plus, standing burns three times as many calories as sitting, Dr. Levine pointed out.
Automatically get to your feet whenever a coworker stops by to talk.
When on the phone, stand and rise up onto your toes, then lower your heels back to the ground… repeat these heel lifts as many times as you can.
Get an adjustable-height computer workstation. Raise it so you can see the screen and reach your keyboard while standing… lower it when you want to sit down.
(Avoid prolonged standing if you have back problems, Dr. Tudor-Locke cautioned.)
Step on it. “Standing is better than sitting, but walking is even better than standing,” said Dr. Levine.
Walk fast to the restroom (and take the stairs to one on a different floor), then do an extra lap around the office before heading back to your desk.
Helpful: Drink plenty of water throughout the day, Dr. Tudor-Locke suggested—this forces you to take more frequent bathroom breaks (as well as promoting good hydration).
Rather than meeting with a colleague or two in your office or a conference room, have a “walking meeting” in the corridor.
If you have enough space and the whir of a machine won’t bother coworkers, try a treadmill desk (a treadmill with a flat surface at the front).
You don’t have to use it all day or even go fast—walking for one hour at a leisurely pace burns 100 to 200 calories more than sitting for the same period of time, Dr. Levine said.
Or use a mini-stepper—a small device with two footpads that lets you step in place against resistance—when standing at your adjustable-height workstation.
When you must sit, move some muscles. “You’re not trying to ‘feel the burn’ with an intense workout—the idea is just to move as much as you can,” said Dr. Tudor-Locke.
Sit on a stability ball (a large inflatable plastic ball). The continuous tiny adjustments necessary to stay upright on the ball will engage many more muscles (especially the abs, back and pelvis) than sitting on a chair, Dr. Levine noted.
An average-height woman needs a 21-inch-diameter ball… use a 17-inch ball if you are shorter than five feet… use a 25-inch ball if taller than five feet, seven inches.
When waiting for a report to print, do some seated biceps curls or shoulder presses with five-pound hand weights.
Or use a resistance band (a three-foot-long strip of latex) for some seated chest presses or triceps toners.
March in place as you read your e-mail, raising your knees as high as you can without hitting the underside of your desk.
Put a portable mini-cycle (a diminutive version of a stationary bicycle) beneath your desk and pedal while you work.
Helpful: Encourage your coworkers—especially your boss—to join in your “deskercise” movement. Dr. Levine said, “If workday physical activities are frowned upon or laughed at, they fail quickly.
But when everyone is into them, you get a sense of merriment in the workplace—and then people are quite happy to get moving.”
Source: James A. Levine, MD, PhD, is a professor of medicine in the division of endocrinology and director of the Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis Laboratory at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
He is also the coauthor of Move a Little, Lose a Lot (Crown). Catrine Tudor-Locke, PhD, is an associate professor and director of the Walking Behavior Laboratory at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
January 1st, 2012 at 4:36 pm
I wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR (as we say onh earth).
I am continuing with my comment #1 yesterday. In 1815 — 1816 “The Year without Summer.”
I feel it was worthy of a deeper explanation. This can be researched in any history book or Googled on your computer.
It really happened. Now we know exactly why. The volcanic Mount Tambora eruption on the island of Sumbawa, Indonesia (then part of the Dutch East Indies), plus the Suns rays being blocked out by a Planet-sized Alien Mother Ship.
This “Year Without a Summer” was caused by a combination of a historic low in Solar Activity blocked out by a Alien Mother Ship plus a succession of volcanic eruptions capped off by the Mount Tambora eruption of 1815 — the largest eruption in 1,300 years.
The weather was too cold to farm all over the world. Hunger and famine were prevalent and 100’s of thousands died from the lack of food.
Crop failures worldwide caused the price of wheat, grains, meat, vegetables, butter, milk and flour to rise sharply and precipitated a worldwide famine.
Aliens have caused many aberrations on earth that were written in history and scientists do not have the answers to them to this very day. Much of it caused by Alien intervention.
HOWIE
January 1st, 2012 at 6:56 pm
I googled it Howie. There were several references to a “star” blocking out the Sun. It was a special treat to know that the “star” was actually an alien space ship.
Wonderful. I love this blog.
January 1st, 2012 at 7:05 pm
/7t3, what does my country have to do to get you guys off our back? Japan cannot take another crippling earthquake.
Ito
January 1st, 2012 at 7:08 pm
I’m starting the year off wrong. I am no where near having what I want on the head of my dick near me.
January 1st, 2012 at 7:59 pm
Michelle, I agree with your assessment. That last Berkano was the clincher. It signals the prospering of an enterprise or venture.
What else is this for Obama, if not a venture to fix an enterprise devised by the republicans.
Happy New year.
Nicolas
January 1st, 2012 at 8:03 pm
Howie, what’s this Japan problem about?
January 1st, 2012 at 8:12 pm
I like runes too. And I agree it cements the promise of a good beginning.
Let me not forget to wish you and the rest of the blog a very successful New Year.
Ursla
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:58 am
THE INAUGURATION OF POLICE STATE USA 2012. Obama Signs the “National Defense Authorization Act ”
With minimal media debate, at a time when Americans were celebrating the New Year with their loved ones, the “National Defense Authorization Act ” H.R. 1540 was signed into law by President Barack Obama. The actual signing took place in Hawaii on the 31st of December.
According to Obama’s “signing statement”, the threat of Al Qaeda to the Security of the Homeland constitutes a justification for repealing fundamental rights and freedoms, with a stroke of the pen. The controversial signing statement (see transcript below) is a smokscreen. Obama says he disagrees with the NDAA but he signs it into law.
“[I have] serious reservations with certain provisions that regulate the detention, interrogation, and prosecution of suspected terrorists.” Obama implements “Police State USA”, while acknowledging that certain provisions of the NDAA are unacceptable. If such is the case, he could have either vetoed the NDAA (H.R. 1540) or sent it back to Congress with his objections.
The “National Defense Authorization Act ” (H.R. 1540) is Obama’s New Year’s “Gift” to the American People.
He justifies the signing of the NDAA as a means to combating terrorism, as part of a counter-terrorism agenda. But in substance, any American opposed to the policies of the US government can –under the provisions of the NDAA– be labelled a “suspected terrorist” and arrested under military detention.
“Moreover, I want to clarify that my Administration will not authorize the indefinite military detention without trial of American citizens. Indeed, I believe that doing so would break with our most important traditions and values as a Nation. My Administration will interpret section 1021 in a manner that ensures that any detention it authorizes complies with the Constitution, the laws of war, and all other applicable law.” Barack Obama is a lawyer (a graduate from Harvard Law School). He knows fair well that his signing statement –which parrots his commitment to democracy– is purely cosmetic. It has no force of law. The signing statement does not in any way invalidate or modify the actual signing by President Obama of NDAA (H.R. 1540) into law.
“Democratic Dictatorship” in America
The “National Defense Authorization Act ” (H.R. 1540) repeals the US Constitution. While the facade of democracy prevails, supported by media propaganda, the American republic is fractured. The tendency is towards the establishment of a totalitarian State, a military government dressed in civilian clothes.
The passage of NDAA is intimately related to Washington’s global military agenda. The military pursuit of Worldwide hegemony also requires the “Militarization of the Homeland”, namely the demise of the American Republic.
In substance, the signing statement is intended to mislead Americans and provide a “democratic face” to the President as well as to the unfolding post-911 Military Police State apparatus.
The “most important traditions and values” in derogation of the US Constitution have indeed been repealed, effective on New Year’s Day, January 1st 2012.
The NDAA authorises the arbitrary and indefinite military detention of American citizens.
The Lessons of History
This New Year’s Eve December 31, 2011 signing of the NDAA will indelibly go down as a landmark in American history.
If we are to put this in a comparative historical context, the relevant provisions of the NDAA HR 1540 are, in many regards, comparable to those contained in the “Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of People and State”, commonly known as the “Reichstag Fire Decree” (Reichstagsbrandverordnung) enacted in Germany under the Weimar Republic on 27 February 1933 by President (Field Marshal) Paul von Hindenburg.
Implemented in the immediate wake of the Reichstag Fire (which served as a pretext), this February 1933 decree was used to repeal civil liberties including the right of Habeas Corpus.
Article 1 of the February 1933 “Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of People and State” suspended civil liberties under the pretext of “protecting” democracy: “Thus, restrictions on personal liberty, on the right of free expression of opinion, including freedom of the press, on the right of association and assembly, and violations of the privacy of postal, telegraphic, and telephonic communications, and warrants for house-searches, orders for confiscations, as well as restrictions on property rights are permissible beyond the legal limits otherwise prescribed.” (Art. 1, emphasis added)
Constitutional democracy was nullified in Germany through the signing of a presidential decree.
The Reichstag Fire decree was followed in March 1933 by “The Enabling Act” ( Ermächtigungsgesetz) which allowed (or enabled) the Nazi government of Chancellor Adolf Hitler to invoke de facto dictatorial powers. These two decrees enabled the Nazi regime to introduce legislation which was in overt contradiction with the 1919 Weimar Constitution.
The following year, upon the death of president Hindenburg in 1934, Hitler “declared the office of President vacant” and took over as Fuerer, the combined function’s of Chancellor and Head of State.
The Reichstag Fire, Berlin, February 1933
Germany’s President (Field Marshal) Paul von Hindenburg
Obama’s New Year’s Gift to the American People
To say that January 1st 2012 is “A Sad Day for America” is a gross understatement.
The signing of NDAA (HR 1540) into law is tantamount to the militarization of law enforcement, the repeal of the Posse Comitatus Act and the Inauguration in 2012 of Police State USA.
As in Weimar Germany, fundamental rights and freedoms are repealed under the pretext that democracy is threatened and must be protected.
The NDAA is “Obama’s New Year’s Gift” to the American People. …
Michel Chossudovsky, Montreal, Canada, January, 1st 2012
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:03 am
Happy New Year to all!
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