Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Hi all. It was suggested that another thread should be started for just general chat and getting to know one another.

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa191%2Fcynthiag932%2Fcoldwatersunset.jpg&hash=10fbbfd5fbdc28adfb90f8abccaa3ef1c5ff39c8)

We are an island standing apart from all else. But are also a part of nature, as much as the shore, the water, the trees and the  sun.

Cindy

Hi Cindy,

   I'll just start by writing what I did this morning.

   I went to service at our Unitarian Universalist church.  Today's service revolved around our gratitude for nature such as the moon, the sun, water, animals, birds, food, and so on.  The children served us small squares of cornbread and tiny symbol (plastic) glasses of cranberry juice.  We listened as the minister explained to the children how the separatists brought the ideas of freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press over from the Netherlands.  They learned those ideas there.  They never would have been able to pick up those ideas or especially practice them had they stayed in England.  In fact, they were supposed to be killed had they hung around there.
  Anyway, we stacked some food for the hungry up by the alter as part of the service.  We promised part of our collection to the Nathan Hale group.  They are trying to help disabled and messed up veterans who are not being serviced by the government.
  We were reminded by the minister that the stone which lies at the bottom of the upper pews in the rear of the chapel is the last stone the pilgrims stepped on when they were attending their place of worship in the Netherlands.  The stained glass window that shows a printing press being destroyed is because the king of England finally persuaded the King of the Netherlands  to smash the separatists' printing press from which they produced their literature and bibles.
   We also learned that the Dutch wore wooded shoes because they lived where it was always wet and the shoes kept their feet dry.
   We all know that the natives here taught the pilgrims about using corn as a staple for their meals, but we went over it again because it really is very important in that it demonstrates that different people can not only live in peace, but also contribute to the welfare of each other.  Also, when you consider that one half of the colonists died during that first winter, you can see how easy it might have been for the natives to do nothing for the survivors.  The importance of the lessons by the Indians to the pilgrims cannot be understated.

   Anyway, the reason I am using this service to describe myself is that I find the story of the pilgrims to be very powerful as a learning tool for myself and as inspiration as to how I should conduct myself.  If not for the kindness and the generosity of the Dutch in the Netherlands and the Natives here, they would surely have perished.  If not at the hands of the English throne, then by nature itself in the bountiful yet hard world they had eventually found themselves.

   I also like a good laugh as many of you know.  Just so you don't think I'm some kind of humorless person -  :laugh:


Love,

Rebis

Hi Rebis, welcome to the Getting to know one another, androgyny talk.

I love what you had to say about the pilgrims and how they could not have survived without the help of the people that knew the ways of the land. I was born in this country, actually I was raised in the timber lands of Ontario. A beautiful land it was, but had a very harsh environment during the winter. I am Iroquois descendant but grew up with the Ojibwa.  My church has always been the land itself the air is the Great Spirit that blows life unto the mother earth.

I have not really gotten into any religions except for the Catholic church and when I was 16 we parted company. I have nothing against any faith or church that is the choice that individuals take for what ever their reason. I have learned many things in part from one religion to another and I do consult the bible to if I can find any references that may confirm a certain thought or feeling.

I have discovered just how the qualities of empathy and the level spirituality the androgyne folks are part of and that was what caught my attention, and curiosity. I just have a desire to learn more about the androgyne, who in many ways I have come to discovered I can identify with many of the traits that have been talked about. This is a general chat for Androgyne people and please don't hesitate to speak what is from the heart.

Cindy

Well, I always hesitate to speak from the heart.. =/ It often leads people to think that I don't have one.

I really haven't any idea about what to say.

Hi Milo
Just say anything that's on your mind, this is what this thread was meant to be. Anything at all even about the new shoes you bought today.

Cindy

Talking about shoes. At work today I have these white slip on shoes with pink flowers on them. I love those shoes but they are starting to fall apart. Going to need to think about replacing them shortly.
I'm finding the more I dress appropriately for me,  the less I want to 'go back' - I feel like a starved person suddenly on the edge of a great buffet and only allowed to sample the entrees. I am starting to find shopping for man clothes a real trial - even if it is for something I really need for work, I usually end up buying nothing and running off home to mope. I've been thinking of talking to me wife about being able to dress the way I want - at least at home. There has been a lot of creep in my dress lately which she has accepted really well. Her biggest fear is of being someone that other people look at and I can be rather visible, but she is becoming more comfortable too. 

I certainly have opportunities to dress in private but it just does not cut it. I want to be me, and recognised as being me, I want to live. We are getting there slowly. I just need some patients I guess. Interestingly the more we go along the more we switch in and out of traditional male female roles. Just yesterday she was the one holding me tight and stroking my hair and acting all protective in a distinctly masculine way. It was good.

My second appointment for facial hair removal is in a couple weeks. Even after one session I am loving it. My face is smother, I have about half the facial hair, shaving is easier and more pleasant (though more frequent dues to patchiness).

I'm not entirely sure what the destination is for the way I appear. I would like to keep feminising until I reach a point where I feel I'm where I want to be.

Quote from: NickSister on November 18, 2007, 03:12:33 PM
I certainly have opportunities to dress in private but it just does not cut it. I want to be me, and recognised as being me, I want to live.

It's suffocating to pretend to be something you're not, isn't it?  I have often felt like I was choking myself/suffocating/drowning to please others.  In the past couple of years, I've had two business professional jobs where you really can't dress in between.  If you're a woman, you have to wear women's clothes and shoes, and if you're a man, you have to wear a suit and tie.  It would be really hard to get around it.  Both of those positions were in sales and you have to be confident and outgoing, and really, you have to be "normal" or people won't buy from you.  I lasted less than a week in the field for both of them because I couldn't do it.  The job I just started is business casual (though it's in a call center, so it's not like anyone would know if we wore jeans, but anyway...) and we can wear jeans on Friday.  It's not that different, but it's flexible enough that I'm not suffocating.  All I have to do is answer the phone.  I can dress androgynously.  I don't have to be someone else to get paid.  The salary potential is much less than both of those, but I'm more happy than I ever would have been doing those jobs and making $200,000 a year.  I'm also thinking about going back to school to be a teacher.  I'll probably go back next fall, although I really hate the idea of taking out more student loans...ugh.

It's a shame that society tries so hard to make us all the same.  I've always thought that a lot of my peers were "sheep" in the sense that they all tried to be what MTV wanted them to be and a lot of adults I knew were always trying to keep up with the Joneses. 

I'm glad that I'm different.  I'm glad you all are different and that we are all different together.  Unique just like everyone else?  Absolutely.  If I were like everyone else, I'd be bored to death. :D

My appearance is a strange thing. =/

Sometimes it feels good to dress up in a long skirt and sometimes I like to wear a shirt and tie. Most of the time though, I wear boys clothes that are worn, comfortable but still slim/tight fitting and then I choose whether to wear a binder or a bra according to the day. It puts me somewhere in the middle and that is what suits me best. And even when I'm at my manliest I still have eyeliner and painted toenails. XD

I think that if I had a male body, or at least no breasts, that I would probably never feel uncomfortable that way, either. However, it's the boobs that signal to people "Hey, girl." and they then call me "Miss" which irks me. I like to float from neutral to male. That's where I fit in and when someone assumes otherwise because I wear pink or something, I get very frustrated. So, I think that top surgery would probably fix that to a point for me, and generally being less quiet about who I am might help people understand me better, on the whole.

Gender roles don't really effect me all that much. I played football on the boy's team and took ballet lessons. My parents really didn't believe in teaching me how I ought to be. Instead, they encouraged me to express myself and challenge the expectations of others. My mom just laughed and took a picture when I wore two different shoes and clown make up to kindergarten and so I was never really expected to be male or female, except by strangers who were uncomfortable with me.

I get a lot of weird looks on the street when I'm passing as male but wear a short skirt over my jeans. XD I've actually been attacked by homophobic men before who found me attractive but were enraged because they thought that made them gay. 0.0 A few lawsuits later, they changed their tune. =/

Sounds like you had some good parents there Milo.

Yeah, suffocation is a good description Jaimey.
What would you like to teach Jaimey?

I went to teachers training college for a bit intending to teach in...um I guess you guys in the States call it High School. I was going to be qualified to teach Biology, Math(s), Physics, and Chemistry. I got to my first teaching placement and suddenly was reminded that kids were not there to learn, so I packed it in. I could not hack it. Looking back I should have trained to teach younger kids. I think I would have liked that much better. Make sure you take time to develop 'the stare' and learn some crowd control techniques.

Now days I am a usability researcher, helping to design things for the internet (I find out what people want and try to create specifications for what that is, I can't actually build it). Things are pretty relaxed in my office in terms of dress code.

Quote from: Jaimey on November 18, 2007, 05:38:05 PM
It's suffocating to pretend to be something you're not, isn't it?  I have often felt like I was choking myself/suffocating/drowning to please others.

Definitely.

As I said in my intro post, I'm a Maths/Science tutor and I've just finished a BSc.  For my next step, I could study another two years and get a formal teaching qualification.  I'm really undecided.  I don't want to study two more years just to put myself into another suffocating environment.

Sadly, there are still a lot parents who think that being gay or lesbian is something bad that happens to your kids when they have dodgy gender role models, or that every man is either cisgender straight or a paedophile. :(

Don't let that negative tone get me wrong, though.  Overall I'm happy enough with how my life is.  There are lots of challenges, especially right now, but I feel okay about them.

Aside from all that, I live in Australia, I'm a diehard geek and 20.  That sums me up very roughly.

Quote from: Milo on November 18, 2007, 06:08:09 PM
My appearance is a strange thing. =/

Sometimes it feels good to dress up in a long skirt and sometimes I like to wear a shirt and tie. Most of the time though, I wear boys clothes that are worn, comfortable but still slim/tight fitting and then I choose whether to wear a binder or a bra according to the day. It puts me somewhere in the middle and that is what suits me best. And even when I'm at my manliest I still have eyeliner and painted toenails. XD

I think that if I had a male body, or at least no breasts, that I would probably never feel uncomfortable that way, either. However, it's the boobs that signal to people "Hey, girl." and they then call me "Miss" which irks me. I like to float from neutral to male. That's where I fit in and when someone assumes otherwise because I wear pink or something, I get very frustrated. So, I think that top surgery would probably fix that to a point for me, and generally being less quiet about who I am might help people understand me better, on the whole.

Gender roles don't really effect me all that much. I played football on the boy's team and took ballet lessons. My parents really didn't believe in teaching me how I ought to be. Instead, they encouraged me to express myself and challenge the expectations of others. My mom just laughed and took a picture when I wore two different shoes and clown make up to kindergarten and so I was never really expected to be male or female, except by strangers who were uncomfortable with me.

I'm surprised by how alike we two are :3 I can pretty much say I've experienced all that you have in regards to how you dress and how you view your body (though I cannot easily pass as male just yet) lol, I did ballet from ages 5-13 (had to quit cause of feet issues) I remember wanting to learn the boys roles and yar, my parents rocked too on the whole 'not making me conform to normal behaviour' XD

In other news, I went to the library today and got out a bunch of books on ->-bleeped-<- related topics, the one I'm reading now is titled 'Female Masculinity' by Judith Halberstam. Highly recommend it.

Bah, dammit, can't write for much longer as I have work... see's ye all.

Chars
Geekstin.

Hi all and Jaimey

QuoteI'm glad that I'm different.  I'm glad you all are different and that we are all different together.  Unique just like everyone else?  Absolutely.  If I were like everyone else, I'd be bored to death. 

I do so agree with that statement, I don't remember not having anyone think I wasn't weird. Why should I even want to change that at 62? The only thing I don't like at times is the loneliness. Well Wing Walker and I went to Seattle to meet with a lady for lunch. She is a member of Susan's and she's a wonderful soul. At least I am not alone, I have a new friend and I have my Wing Walker. and you guys.  ;D 

Cindy

Quote from: kestin on November 18, 2007, 10:49:13 PM

Bah, dammit, can't write for much longer as I have work... see's ye all.

Now that is unfortunately the whole truth of it.

Am back from work!

So yeah, I'm a full-time animation student 9-4:30 mon-thurs plus 20+ hrs work on top of that. Every. Single. Week. That being said, I do love my job (cleaning at an advertising agency where they make pretty things, drink alot and I get animation contacts through!) And school is pure awesomeness, cause I get to draw all day, I love animating (its the disney style we're doing, hand-drawing and flipping of teh paper) I haven't missed one day of school in the two years I've been there so far.

But yes, regardless of the little free-time I have, I still hope to be a regular here :3

Hi Kestin
Your work making cartoon animations sounds interesting, I have drawn cartoons actually I can pretty well draw anything, but I'm afraid not animations. I think it would be neat to watch someone make them.  ;D

Cindy 

I do life drawing but that's about all. Theatre is my art. I act professionally. ^^

Actually, you know, my high school drama teacher told me that one of my greatest strengths as an actor was my androgyny. I would never have trouble playing male or female parts. Which explains why he cast me for five male rolls and three female ones. XDD

I love theatre so, so much.

I used to be into theatre, acted with the RSC for a bit. There is a really special feeling that you get from it. I'm not good enough to be close enough to it any more, so I avoid it a bit now. But I did love it so much.

I don't really know if I'm any good but it keeps me employed so I figure that I must be good enough. XD

So, besides thinking about gender all the time (what, there's other things? :o), my passion is music. I play various stringed instruments; fiddle, mandolin, acoustic guitar, banjo, etc., and am fortunate to make a living teaching private lessons and playing some gigs. I've recorded some albums too ;D

I live in a rural area, and we've recently started growing more of our own veggies, yum. I'm Jewish by birth, however all religions/spiritualities interest me, particularly ways in which gender variant people have been part of these. I've also been an activist for much of my adult life, am currently thinking that I'd like to find a way to be more active in transgender issues, perhaps even getting a job working on them. I want to create (and live in) a world in which it is safe to be ANY gender one wishes to be.

zythyra

Hi y2gender

I wish you much luck in your quest to work in transgender issues. That is what I am presently trying to get into, so much paper pushing, "aghhhhhhh" I guess for one I need to have a lot of patience. In the mean time I have been working with a couple of people on my own, that is at least giving me some gratification and and it helps towards making me feel useful for something.

Cindy

Posted on: November 19, 2007, 08:55:26 PM

---

Hi Milo

"Wow" working in theatre was always a passion for me but I never really got there. Except for some play acting in my own home, sometimes I had some friends come over to watch, it was all for the fun of it, but at least I played female roles. That is about as far as that went or as close as I came to being an actor. I did and actually still do have a pretty good imagination. I have written children's short fantasy stories. In my younger days I was very much androgynous in appearance and a late developer and there was a time during the hippie era I passed as a girl, well I have that story posted around this message board somewhere.

Cindy     

I'd love to be an activist of some kind but my employment is very fragile. My public image largely decides who casts me for what role. So, if I seem to be a part of any fringe culture, it could be pretty bad for my career.

So, I'm stealth about a lot of things, including my ->-bleeped-<-.

I tried acting when I was a kid. Never really dedicated enough to apply myself properly though. But I love performing, I use music as an outlet for this. Until my kid was born I had a rock band and played drums. I just loved being on stage and cutting loose.

I can play quite a range of instruments, piano, wood winds, guitar, but again was never dedicated enough to get any true mastery. The only reason I would practise is for the performance, I get bored easily otherwise.

Seems to be the story of my life. I have a talent for many things but no dedication or drive to back it up. I would call it lack of discipline.

Hi NickSister
I can so identify with what you say start a project then quit half way through it, or finding out that the funding is not available to finish the project. The only papers I got for anything was for engineering and architectural designing and that didn't last long after the drafting table and tee square were replaced by the computer. I am a high energy person even at my age I can get restless and bored unless I have some type of task to work on.

Cindy   

Quote from: NickSister on November 18, 2007, 06:16:53 PM
I was going to be qualified to teach Biology, Math(s), Physics, and Chemistry. I got to my first teaching placement and suddenly was reminded that kids were not there to learn, so I packed it in. I could not hack it. Looking back I should have trained to teach younger kids.

Or older. Most of the kids are still interested in learning new stuff when they start school, but that attitude seems to disappear over the next few years, I suppose partly because of puberty. Around the time they start graduate studies things get better again -- most of the ones who just want a diploma have drifted away, hopefully to productive jobs somewhere.

But yes, learning new things was fun, which is a major reason why I have more or less stayed around for a third of a century. Somewhere along the road it also dawned on me that teaching those who share that feeling is just as much fun, which is another reason why I like to sit here surrounded by half-written articles and B./M.Sc. thesis drafts. Primary school might have been a good option, too, except that it involves too much responsibility: over here the students are grown-up enough to be in charge of themselves.

  Nfr

Quote from: NickSister on November 18, 2007, 06:16:53 PM
What would you like to teach, Jaimey?

I went to teachers training college for a bit intending to teach in...um I guess you guys in the States call it High School. I was going to be qualified to teach Biology, Math(s), Physics, and Chemistry. I got to my first teaching placement and suddenly was reminded that kids were not there to learn, so I packed it in. I could not hack it. Looking back I should have trained to teach younger kids. I think I would have liked that much better. Make sure you take time to develop 'the stare' and learn some crowd control techniques.

At first, I'll probably go for middle school science/social studies.  It just depends on what the school of education determines a geography major to be...I'd prefer social studies.  My first goal is to get my teaching certification so that I could teach while earning my master's in teaching.  After that, I think I'd either like to become certified to teach high school English/creative writing, go into administration, or get my doctorate in education and try my best to improve the public school system.  I'm not ambitious at all... :) 

And I've got the stare down...my little brother  >:D is 13.

Posted on: November 22, 2007, 12:32:37 AM

---

Quote from: cindybc on November 19, 2007, 01:04:57 AM
Hi all and Jaimey

QuoteI'm glad that I'm different.  I'm glad you all are different and that we are all different together.  Unique just like everyone else?  Absolutely.  If I were like everyone else, I'd be bored to death. 

I do so agree with that statement, I don't remember not having anyone think I wasn't weird. Why should I even want to change that at 62? The only thing I don't like at times is the loneliness. Well Wing Walker and I went to Seattle to meet with a lady for lunch. She is a member of Susan's and she's a wonderful soul. At least I am not alone, I have a new friend and I have my Wing Walker. and you guys.  ;D 

Cindy

I'm definitely the type that revels in being different.  :D  I used to have some friends who tried so hard to be a part of the "popular" crowd and they would subtly criticize me for not being like them.  Too bad they can't see how much more fun I have than they do.  :laugh:

I wish I could draw.  Even my stick people look stupid... :embarrassed:.  My main interests are manga, books, music (I played percussion through college, but I'm not very good...I prefer singing in my car  :D), etc.  I really want to get into education reform in the US because public education is pretty bad in some areas.  That's one thing I'm passionate about (not so passionate about those student loans though...).  I also do a lot of creative writing and I would like to write novels...I'm always so excited when I get an idea, but then my motivation disappears...it's going to take a while.   ;D  If I do write that best selling novel, I'll let you know!  :angel:

Quote from: Jaimey on November 22, 2007, 12:36:18 AM
I really want to get into education reform in the US because public education is pretty bad in some areas.  That's one thing I'm passionate about

That's a worthy goal.  Education can be really satisfying.  Ultimately, I want to get into some kind (all kinds) of science communication, myself.

Does anyone here know anything about homeschooling? I do know that there is more of that happening now. it is geared for helping special children with above average acuity to learn at their own rate right at home, of course under the supervision of a parent..

Cindy   

best way to finish a novel is to be bored enough to finish it.

Quote from: Pica Pica on November 29, 2007, 01:51:53 AM
best way to finish a novel is to be bored enough to finish it.

and by 'finish' you mean...

      eating?
          reading?
                burning?
Dressing it like a snowman and sending off on the bus to Boise, Idaho?

                                  >:D

writing dumb-ass

I writed a whole novel me.

Quote
It's suffocating to pretend to be something you're not, isn't it? 

Yes it is!! It's funny because all of the places I've worked up until now has been in non-suffocating environments but I was always afraid to be 100% me whether it was the way I walked/talked/stood/smiled/dressed.
Now that I'm to the point where I don't care anymore and I just want to live as me I can't because I'm going to be starting a new career with the government. This position is so male dominated with women taking up only 5% of the agency, so you can only imagine. Oh I'm female by the way struggling with TG issues but these days I identify as an androgyne. I still have a lot to figure out!!
I thought hard about whether I wanted to take up this position because of this reason but my heart keeps telling me to, so what can I do.  :-\
But anyway,  :icon_omfg: yes the suffocation bites!! :icon_omfg:

Quote from: Jai on November 29, 2007, 07:36:07 PM

Quote
It's suffocating to pretend to be something you're not, isn't it? 

Yes it is!! It's funny because all of the places I've worked up until now has been in non-suffocating environments but I was always afraid to be 100% me whether it was the way I walked/talked/stood/smiled/dressed.
Now that I'm to the point where I don't care anymore and I just want to live as me I can't because I'm going to be starting a new career with the government. This position is so male dominated with women taking up only 5% of the agency, so you can only imagine. Oh I'm female by the way struggling with TG issues but these days I identify as an androgyne. I still have a lot to figure out!!
I thought hard about whether I wanted to take up this position because of this reason but my heart keeps telling me to, so what can I do.  :-\
But anyway,  :icon_omfg: yes the suffocation bites!! :icon_omfg:

Hi,

   You don't think there's some wiggle room for you to express yourself some?  Or, is it a uniform kind of job?

Posted on: November 29, 2007, 08:15:43 PM

---

Quote from: Pica Pica on November 29, 2007, 01:11:59 PM
writing dumb-ass

I writed a whole novel me.

If you wrote a novel, then how come we never saw it in a bookstore?

Although, it kind of explains why I've been missing you around lately.  That is, if you'd been writing one the past week or so.

Are you sure you didn't just shoplift a novel, cross out the writer's name and then write in your own?

Hi, I have written 5 novels a few years back they were fantasy stories for children. Well guess what? The manuscripts are still sitting  in a briefcase in my closet collecting dust. Don't have, nore am I gonna delusion myself that I will be able to afford an editor, hard enough to swing bucks for SRS. But writing those novels were excellent therapy to keep me from getting lost into the depths of depression at the time.

Cindy 

Quote
Hi,
You don't think there's some wiggle room for you to express yourself some?  Or, is it a uniform kind of job?

Hey Rebis  ;)

Yes it is a uniform job so dressing would come easy at least, unfortunately other than that, I'll be in hiding again.  :(

Quote from: cindybc on November 28, 2007, 09:43:54 PM
Does anyone here know anything about homeschooling? I do know that there is more of that happening now. it is geared for helping special children with above average acuity to learn at their own rate right at home, of course under the supervision of a parent..
Cindy   

Has nice forums
http://www.homeschool.com/new/

Has General Info
http://www.holtgws.com/faqabouthomescho.html#Who%20Homeschools?

Thank you Jai for the information. My mate and I have been working on starting an online Cyber School for homeschoolers. It has been difficult to raise interest in the concept.

Cynthia

No Problem Cynthia. I was able find it on Google. Unfortunately, I don't know much about homeschooling but this sounds interesting and it seems like something that could definitely work. What have you done so far to try to get the word out?
Jai

Quote from: cindybc on November 28, 2007, 09:43:54 PM
Does anyone here know anything about homeschooling? I do know that there is more of that happening now. it is geared for helping special children with above average acuity to learn at their own rate right at home, of course under the supervision of a parent..

Cindy   

I don't know a whole lot except that 75% of homeschooled kids in the US are evangelical Christians and their curriculum is heavily influenced by the right wing...things like, "global warming doesn't exist because it hasn't gotten that much hotter" and "our country was founded on Judeo-Christian values..." (not sure what constitution they're reading...)  For a better idea of this population of people, watch "Jesus Camp."  Enlightening (heh) and terrifying...and it only confirms that some people shouldn't be allowed to breed.  :angel:

Hi Jaimey
We have been sending out invitations to any of the boards on  the net that we could find that dealt with parents and homeschooling. I also have sent invitations to home schooling association with no results.  The cyber school is set up with sample classroom's to present to interested parties *with the emphasis  and understanding* that the final touches and adjustments would be done by the parents and a teacher who wish to participate with the school.

This Cyber school was especially aimed towards gifted children that have been classified as problem children at school, Even though these children actually show an above average intelligence. Unfortunately many of these children end up being classified as misfits then put on some type of meds, like ritalin or whatever other medication prescribed to them by the system..

I have met some of these children and I will say is *problem children my foot.* It urks me when children are unjustly diagnosed as having some type of psychological problem.

I love children very much. I had the privilege of having 11 of them go under my roof through the years I just wish I could do something to help those children and so I came up with this cyber school. I have also had the privilege to share with the same type of children in a group called "PSY children" and I found them to be truly intelligent kids. Not unlike some that I have met here on Susan's board.

Well it wasn't good enough apparently. But the next one will be a doozy.

Quote from: cindybc on November 28, 2007, 09:43:54 PM
Does anyone here know anything about homeschooling? I do know that there is more of that happening now. it is geared for helping special children with above average acuity to learn at their own rate right at home, of course under the supervision of a parent..

Cindy   

I teach private music lessons, some of my best students have been home schoolers... they're often highly motivated.

Quote from: Jaimey on November 30, 2007, 11:31:26 PM
For a better idea of this population of people, watch "Jesus Camp."  Enlightening (heh) and terrifying...

That's a good movie. We also recently watched Friends of God: A Road Trip with Alexandra Pelosi, very enlightening. And scary!

y2g

I truly don't understand it, but fore one to become enlightened they must first go through the trials of  their own personal Hell in order to learn how to see the light. The word that appears to link us together is abuse.

It is such a shame that it has to be that way. My early childhood was wonderful and sometimes when I wish to escape from what is happening in the now I go back in time and visit my childhood.. Yes we do retain much of the child inside.

I would not trade any of what I have worked so hard to learn today for anything in the world. All is as it should be.

Cindy

Yeah...evangelical Christians are a frightening bunch.  Most of them are hypocrites anyway.  For example, my father, who used to be a drunk who couldn't keep a job and dragged my mother and myself through the mud, keeps saying, "I don't know about Eli," my younger cousin, who happens to be gay, but not out (his grandfather is a Southern Baptist preacher and I've met that side of his family...they are RED-redneck...yikes).  I keep wondering why he thinks he has any right to judge anyone else.  One day my mom (they're divorced now, thankfully) finally looked at him and said, "don't know what?"  It just proves that they've never really READ the Bible. 

I actually grew up in a Christian household, but not evangelical, and the church I grew up in really helped me not reject God completely, to keep some sort of spirituality.  The main reason I stopped identifying as Christian was other Christians...and that gave me the drive to do some searching on my own to find out what I really believe.

I agree with Cindy about having to go through your own Hell to see the light.  I would not be who I am now without having gone through what I have and I like who I am.  My life has made me very compassionate towards others and in the last couple of years, I've really gotten what I think is an enlightened perspective on life.  I think it's mostly that I just realized that everyone has a bad day and sometimes you just have to let things go.  :)


(y2g, I just netflixed Friend of God...thanks for putting that on there.  I love trying to figure people out, although the evangelicals aren't too hard...they are mostly uneducated, they don't think for themselves, and are afraid they'll go to Hell or worse, be rejected by their communities if they accept something different...such a small world would suffocate me)

Her is a post I submitted that I brought in from elsewhere and though you all might be interested in. I do not believe all the propaganda judging of a church any church But I do belies that are many passages in the bible that will guide you if you really look for the answer.

I believe that we are free will agents, all of humanity. This means we are free to make any decisions we desire.  The consequences will be in direct proportion to the effort we decided to put into it.  Whether it be positive or negative is irrelevant in the gander scheme of things in Universe. But what you take or send to universe it will constantly seek to balance herself out. 

We either make the right decision or the wrong decision.  we are all wherever we are because of the decisions we have made.   

Time and space are but a continuum, where time, space, and dimension are all illusion, changeable by man's desire.  Now is the time we should be using our gifts of creativity and there would be no limits as to what we could create as a united human race.

Cindy 

Quote from: Jaimey on December 08, 2007, 02:58:47 PM
(y2g, I just netflixed Friend of God...thanks for putting that on there.  I love trying to figure people out, although the evangelicals aren't too hard...they are mostly uneducated, they don't think for themselves, and are afraid they'll go to Hell or worse, be rejected by their communities if they accept something different...such a small world would suffocate me)

I think you'll like this movie Jaimey! The thing that amazes me most is that some people won't think for themselves, and just take someone else's word for it. Oy!

y2g

Quote from: y2gender on December 09, 2007, 07:11:46 AM
The thing that amazes me most is that some people won't think for themselves, and just take someone else's word for it. Oy!

Me too!  They really frustrate me. 


Cindy,

Are there a lot of evangelicals in Canada?  (you did say you were from Canada, right?)  I don't know much about Canada's religious culture.

The midwest (which Kentucky is kind of in...we're kind of southern, and Louisville is kind of northern minded...KY's pretty diverse and hard to peg...AND YES, WE DO WEAR SHOES!!!...but only if we have to...hehe...I know someone was thinking it!).  I don't mean to be judgmental...it was meant to be an insightful (okay, so I am a little biased  :P) description based on the people I know.  I will say that the biggest difference I've noticed between evangelical Christians and non-evangelicals is education, and when it isn't education, it's political party.  Educated evangelicals are almost always Republican (and stubbornly so...I've never met one that wasn't, but then again, I've not met all of them, have I?  I'm trying to stay away from blanket judgments, but they irritate me so much!!!  :laugh:)

I told my mom this weekend that I don't believe in Satan...for a non-evangelical, raging liberal, she didn't take that as well as I thought she might.  She didn't tell me I was going to Hell or anything like that...she was just puzzled because I don't really believe in fallen angels or Hell or any of that stuff.

Hmm...

Satan is like about the biggest lie of all, in my view.

   The poor creature is used to scare superstitious people into behaving.  When you use fear to control other peoples' morality, it creates a tension in the poor souls who fall for it that makes their lives feel less beautiful than they could be.
    It makes the folks resentful.

Hi Jaimey

I live in the British Columbia province of Canada.  As a nation, Canada is secular and does not feel the same influences from churches as might be felt elsewhere, like in the U.S.

There are laws protecting GBLTTSQQ persons from discrimination in employment, housing, equality under the law, and public accommodations.  I have yet to see any open hatred for us not have I seen what in the States is called a hate crime.

We are as diverse here as in the States, and maybe more so because we have a huge population of recent immigrants, many of whom sought to be out from under the influence of religious leaders or the groups they lead.

I feel safe here and I am treated well by my doctors, pharmacist, and wherever I go people address me by the gender that I present.  My soulmate and life-partner is still quite sensitive to such things and she finds it a pleasant change.

I live in BC and it appears that the churches here do not get into politics and BC is very heavily protected by laws. And Vancouver itself having a big population 

As for the devil, Lucifer, and hell, I believe one creates their own hell and manifests their Satans, in their minds right here on this planet. Witch burners, KKK, skinheads, and all that other such hatred is utter idiocy.

I would say that it was the persecutors who were the Satans that were executing those whom they see as servants of Satan. 

As to what happens in the hereafter, I don't suppose one will ever know unless we are one of the fortunate that comes back to tell the rest. I only just believe that we are all as one within the oneness that knows not time, ad infinitum.   

Canada is the true America.

That's it.  I think we all need to move to Canada.  How many extra rooms do you have, Cindy?  ;)

Posted on: December 14, 2007, 06:21:40 PM

---

y2g,

I watched Friend of God...wow.  I don't even know what to say.  I kept yelling at my computer (I was watching it on there) the whole time.  "Behemoth is a dinosour"...are you kidding me?  I even dug out my old bible to see what it said about Behemoth.  It said that most people believe that Behemoth was a HIPPOPOTAMUS...yeah.  The whole anti-evolution movement baffles me too...every year you hear on the news how the flu and other viruses are getting stronger and evolving, yet these people don't believe in evolution...and they believe that dinosaurs walked with man on Earth...wow.  I really loved that girl who told Alexandra Pelosi that she didn't think Pelosi had studied all the facts...amazing.

I like that it focused on the politics more than Jesus Camp (which scared the bejesus out of me...gotta love brainwashing).  One thing I was never willing to be was a sheep and these people seem to have NO ABILITY to think for themselves...if any of them stopped and thought for a moment, they'd realize how little like Christ they really are.  The leaders of those major right wing/evangelical movements disgust me.  Even sheep can be evil if their shepherd is. 

...*ehem* I have never seen that giant cross, nor have I ever played biblical mini golf... >:D

Quote from: Jaimey on December 14, 2007, 06:58:55 PM
That's it.  I think we all need to move to Canada.  How many extra rooms do you have, Cindy?  ;)

Posted on: December 14, 2007, 06:21:40 PM

---

y2g,

I watched Friend of God...wow.  I don't even know what to say.  I kept yelling at my computer (I was watching it on there) the whole time.

I've seriously thought of moving to Canada many times during the last few years...

Jaimey, I'd hate to think of you having a sore throat from my recommending a movie  ;)

y2g

Hmm I don't follow any religions, I have my own [spiritual] faith that I have developed through the years. I don't put down anyone else's beliefs unless it is outlandishly moronic. And even then what can I do except pray to Great Spirit to have mercy on these red necked christian.

As for coming to Canada I must say that BC is about the nicest province of them all. Vancouver area is has tropical rain fores and so far it has only gone down to freezing three times since I have been here. If you guys don't mind sharing a room with all my imaginary pets and my two ghosts  you are welcome to stay. :laugh:

Thanks!  I'm packing right now, Baby.   :)

Quote from: cindybc on December 15, 2007, 01:04:04 AM
If you guys don't mind sharing a room with all my imaginary pets and my two ghosts  you are welcome to stay. :laugh:

Wouldn't you be surprised if 50 androgynes just showed up at your door one day?  hehe...Perhaps one of these days I'll make it out that way...I have a friend in Portland, OR who keeps telling me I should...darn money.

Posted on: December 16, 2007, 12:28:02 PM

---

y2g,

my throat wasn't too sore from yelling.  ;D  i felt a little weird though because I was wearing headphones and i live by myself, so if there were someone outside my window, who knows what they would have thought?  hehe. 

Actually, if anyone knows anymore good documentaries about that subject or any other for that matter, send me a message!  I LOVE documentaries!

Quote from: Jaimey on December 16, 2007, 12:30:33 PM

Quote from: cindybc on December 15, 2007, 01:04:04 AM
If you guys don't mind sharing a room with all my imaginary pets and my two ghosts  you are welcome to stay. :laugh:

Wouldn't you be surprised if 50 androgynes just showed up at your door one day? 

Now that would be an awesome party!  ;D I'll bring some musical instruments  :)

Quote
my throat wasn't too sore from yelling.  ;D  i felt a little weird though because I was wearing headphones and i live by myself, so if there were someone outside my window, who knows what they would have thought?  hehe. 

Actually, if anyone knows anymore good documentaries about that subject or any other for that matter, send me a message!  I LOVE documentaries!

Glad you didn't get a sore throat.  :) That movie made me want to scream too... We also love watching documentaries. I'll let you know if I can think of others to recommend.

y2g

I don't watch very much TV, I just pick up what ever I want to know on the computer. I use to like renting movies, my favorites were children's stories. I use to write children's stories to. I just love children's stories, especially the fantasy ones.

Cindy

I LIKE tv, but cable's expensive...so right now I am limited to Netflix, NBC (it's fuzzy, but it comes in) and downloading.  Actually, I'm downloading a couple of Japanese dramas right now...I LOVE Japanese television!!!  I can't wait to move (Jan. 4th!!!) because my roommies and I are going to get cable and internet!  No more sitting in coffee shops and feeling bad for not buying anything! :)

I like children's shows/movies too!  I love anime (if you hadn't noticed) and Miyazaki has made some of my absolute favorite movies, like Howl's Moving Castle.  That's one of my favorite books too (it's by Diana Wynne Jones...everyone should read it!!!).  I also love The Little Princess, The Secret Garden, and classics like that. 

Some other good movies (if anyone wants a recommendation for something different) are The Bird People In China, F**K (pretty interesting...and funny!), Escaflowne (anime, but not for kids really), any Miyazaki film (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, etc.), hmm...I love movies, but now my mind is blank.

Definitely let me know if you think of any, y2g!  This is what I feel like when I watch religious documentaries like Friend of God or Jesus Camp... :icon_userfriendly:.  And I'm normally such a nice person...

I love films, but I mostly have an unreconcilable hatred of fantasy. I get so riled. 

I like some fantasy and I also HATE  :icon_burn: some fantasy...it depends on the story.  I don't generally read fantasy...especially the authors who have series that are 20 books long and every book is 600 pages...ugh.  When I worked at the bookstore I read a lot of "young adult" fantasy.  It's a lot better than "adult" fantasy.  They keep it short and relatively uncomplicated. 

As far as movies goes...it's about the same.  It really depends on the story.  But I generally prefer dramas and documentaries to fantasy.  I like foreign film as well. 

But I agree with you on the children's book thing. I think there is a lot of pointers for the way forward in adult fiction from children's books.

Hi I love fantasy, the especially the type I dream up myself in my mind. My ability to fantasise might have been the one element that kept me from going insane back during my troubled years some time back. I use to play act my own fantasies, even if it took remodeling the entire living room to do my act, it became my stage. I even put on some really good acts for friends, all of the characters I played were female. This was what actually kept me from fearing that I was loosing it, it actually helped me learn about myself more and that this little person was not doing anything bad at all. I was only seeking attention, my way of telling people this is me. I was just lost and lonely.

I had a vision last night where I saw the little anime you have for your avatar standing and looking over the edge of a cliff. While he/she was intently peering down over the edge towards the bottom, from where I stood I could only see the expanse of a dry desert like gulch. I looked to the other side of the gulch where there was another horizontal wall that extended the whole length of the gulch, there didn't appear to be anything out there that was unusual. I walked over to your anime  and peered down where he/she was looking. Near the bottom I saw what appeared to be a very large bottomless spiral or vortex. each of the slowly spiraling rings rotated inwards, clockwise. Each ring were all different colors,  and they appeared to have their own inner luminosity. I came to and that was it.

Yes I like animes.

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa191%2Fcynthiag932%2FNewPicture2.jpg&hash=5eb861448237d614bb99626f2de3003843c1b75a)

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa191%2Fcynthiag932%2FAnimes.jpg&hash=68fc97f5ea0ab49a5561aecc5372e3599976c189)

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa191%2Fcynthiag932%2Fanime2.jpg&hash=83e82f6a45c8006e39ae6fa90b46bac58008f94c)


Cindy
   

Quote from: cindybc on December 17, 2007, 07:03:54 PM

I had a vision last night where I saw the little anime you have for your avatar standing and looking over the edge of a cliff. While he/she was intently peering down over the edge towards the bottom, from where I stood I could only see the expanse of a dry desert like gulch. I looked to the other side of the gulch where there was another horizontal wall that extended the whole length of the gulch, there didn't appear to be anything out there that was unusual. I walked over to your anime  and peered down where he/she was looking. Near the bottom I saw what appeared to be a very large bottomless spiral or vortex. each of the slowly spiraling rings rotated inwards, clockwise. Each ring were all different colors,  and they appeared to have their own inner luminosity. I came to and that was it.

WOW.  That's awesome.  I wonder what it means.  I never have very comprehensive dreams.  Sometimes, I get the message, especially since I reopened the door to spirituality.  For example, the other day I had a dream that my deceased grandmother took me to the doctor...now, it wasn't as simple (or should I say "normal") as all that, but essentially that was what happened.  I think that it was my grandmother telling me that I was sick, being concerned that I was sick, or maybe she was just caring for me like she did when I was little...(don't worry, though...I wasn't 'sick-sick', just sinus-y sick).  I was very comforted by that dream. 

Even more interesting, during a particularly dark period in my life (during the time I was basically a non-believer in anything...well, I was trying to be...), almost every dream I had involved me running away from something.  EVERY SINGLE DREAM.  Sometimes it was a spider dangling above me and I couldn't move, sometimes it was just me driving and not able to go anywhere, or I would drive/bike/run until I fell...they were never good.  In the last few years I've become a very restless sleeper. 

In the past few months, I've really lightened up and DECIDED to be happy and my dreams aren't as stressful as they were, but if I sleep on my back, they do tend to be more stressful than if I don't...I'd love to see some scientific information on brainwaves during sleep based on sleeping position...

Hi Jamey

Not sure what the dream meant I never did learn to read dreams although I  am aware and can sense many different types of energy around me, like electricity, electronic equipment, people animals, plants, even the elements of nature.

I have had some bad dreams and good ones. I have had some that actually manifested into reality. Like you may have heard, be careful what you wish for, well to a greater degree it is a fact. Positive and negative Karma, one works as equally efficient as the other.

I have been at some really beautiful places, how could i best describe them well how about this little story I wrote some time back that I pieced together from different place I have seen in visions.

Agathar

I WANNA BE A WITTLE KID on a planet named Agathar. Mauve valleys, purple mountains and fuchsia sky with puffy pink clouds  and, oh, so very awesome, a pretty aqua-colored lake sparkling like a gem in the sunlight.
"Oh my!" There are other wittle children here, and they have "dragonfly wings" "WOW! Awesome!" I can see them flitting playfully between the mauve trees.
There is synchronicity, peace, love, and tranquility throughout the land, the silence and peace only broken by the beautiful chorus of tiny song birds in the valley and the playful, musical laughter of the little children.
The little children with the dragonfly wings dart playfully in and out, and, oh! Will you look over there? On the other side of the valley lies the tranquil lavender surface of a large inland sea with several different layers of densities of water molecules, like oil on water, just lots more different layers.
Forests of mauve and green are bordered by fields of dazzling shades of red, gold, orange, blue, amethyst, constantly shifting colors with the light, warm breeze and dappled sunlight.
The river systems are a radiant red from the pomegranate sun above.
Distant purple mountains and mauve sky with pink clouds are so pleasant to the eye and soothing to the spirit. Oh, and I can't forget the crystalline, singing waterfalls in the woods that sound like a thousand angels singing harmoniously, in unison with the the energetic pulse of the Mother Planet herself.
All around the valley there are giant trees, SO TALL that I fall on my back while looking up at them! The tops disappear into the pink clouds above and if one was to climb up to the top of these giant trees, above the clouds, it is said that you will find the Cadosee, the tiny Hobbit-like people with colorful moth wings.
The Cadosee live in small, close-knit villages they built among the intertwining limbs of the giant trees. There they share love, caring, and happiness.
"Captain Brighteyes here, calling unknown planet, copy unknown planet? I need your coordinates for landing specifications. What are your instructions? Over!"
No response.
Captain Brighteyes is in her quantum-level puddle jumper, now running low on bubaline. She shouts into her communicator that she is "running very low on fuel, coming in for emergency landing, over!!"
She fights the controls as she enters the atmosphere. The QLPJ shuddered and rattled like it was about to fall apart at the seams.
Brighteyes sees a patchwork landscape of multiple colors below, coming up rapidly towards her before she passes out.
Two Cadosee sitting in front of their grass hut-like home were looking up at the myriad of bright stars when they noticed this streak of white light coming down out of the sky right towards them. The Cadosee ran atop one of the large limbs in the tree that was their home, just as this great white ball crashed through their hut, demolishing it. The white ball continued towards the planet's surface and stopped with a loud crash and a huge cloud of dust.
**********