October 08 - Bibliomancy - Dancinbear & Tabi & Cat*

[Cat*]

Hi tabi,

Thank you for the reading. I'm still a bit too sick to properly give feedback, but it seems quite useful on first glance. I'll be back later (tomorrow, I guess) when I've recovered a bit more.

---

Hi Dancinbear,

My sickness over the last few days has caused delays in just about anything, but I'll get your reading up and done as soon as possible.

[Dancinbear]

No worries, take your time and feel better. Health comes first.

I have to get to Tabbies reading. I think I'll have time this weekend T.

[Cat*]

Hi Dancinbear,

Thanks for your patience. Here's your reading.

I used Terry Pratchett's "A Hat Full of Sky."

Originally Posted by Dancinbear

Could you do a reading focusing on the spiritual path I am choosing right now? Any book of your choice will do.

STRENGTHS

Bobbing for Piranhas, that sort of thing.

- p. 334

Well, to participate in an activity like Bobbing for Piranhas, you surely must bring quite some courage and readiness to take a risk. The saying "no risk, no reward" comes to mind. You also have to be quick and get it right almost at once.

In terms of a spiritual path, this also reminds me of the Halloween game of Bobbing for Apples which originally comes from English/Scottish/Irish traditions. Apples make me think of harvest, nature, something earth-centered. Since I have also read in this thread that you are interested in Paganism, this might further confirm this path for you.

But, since it's Bobbing for Piranhas, and not for Apples in this particular quote, I believe that you might end up discovering a talent and/or need to bring together things from different traditions, possibly in an unconventional/surprising way.

WEAKNESSES

"I was lying in bed and I thought, well, there's no reason to stay up here feeling sorry for myself," she said.
Tiffany stood up. "I'm so sor--" she began, but Miss Level waved a hand vaguely.

- p. 276

Well, here we have lying in bed (that is, not doing anything), feeling sorry for oneself, guilt, and vagueness. Do you have a tendency to any of that? It would probably be a good idea to work on it, then.

To give you some context for the quote: Miss Level is an older witch where young Tiffany is living and working as a sort of assistant/apprentice. She has been hurt by Tiffany, accidentally but rather drastically. This is the first time after that accident that the two speak. So, going with the storyline, you need to get up and moving all by yourself, no matter how impossible and/or unfamiliar it feels.

It could also be about a difficult (but - when able to work through the issues of conflict - still well-functioning) relationship to a teacher-person in terms of your spiritual path.

ADVICE

Aw'fly Wee Billy had come with Jeannie from the Long Lake clan, which often happens. He was very young for a gonnagle, but as Jeannie had said, there was no age limit to gonnagling. If the talent was in you, you gonnagled.

- p. 113

This seems to say most of all that you should do what seems to be most "in you", spiritually. Even if you might not seem a perfect fit for a particular path in other people's eyes. If it's what you're called to do, do it.

And yes, doing it is the whole point here, not (just) thinking about it. Choosing a spiritual path is not an intellectual matter, it comes from within. It comes from discovering a talent, a "pull", a calling, something that can't be quite explained. I assume you will notice it when it happens.

Paying attention to any recurring themes, or lineages of people who have come before you (which could mean your ancestors, but which doesn't have to mean your biological/ethnic ancestors) might also prove helpful. I believe that your spiritual path is tied to a specific responsibility, a particular role in a community. It is not a solitary path, even if much of your practice (note the ambiguous meaning of that word!) is done on your own.

Thank you for allowing me to read for you. I hope this is useful. Please let me know if anything is unclear and I'll do my best to clarify.

[Cat*]

Hi tabi,

Finally, my feedback. Thank you so much for your patience.

Originally Posted by tabi

1) strengths As author, I feel the crudeness of my style may be a little offensive to some, but hope my desire to afford general pleasure will excuse my defects. [pg. 15~The Pearl No.1]

While you may not write the way everyone needs or wants you too you do what you have to do to filfull your own needs and wants as a writer. While those that do write try to make a story that is pleasing to a general public sometimes you have to satify your self first before you really feel as if you're pleasing anyone else.

The quote still has me chuckling now that I reread it. But let me start at the beginning. My current writing project is my MA thesis which has been in the not-writing stage for very long now. First, I "suddenly" lost interest in academic writing as a style and politically. Then, I also lost interest in my topic (but picking a completely different one wasn't an option for various reasons). I've never had such a severe case of writer's block ever before. I've never before felt like I had to write in a style that felt wrong. All of this didn't make much sense to me. So I did a million other things that were moderately entertaining, and sometimes also useful, but mostly, well, plain old procrastination.

I'm finally realizing that I'm imagining all those "rules" about my writing. I mean, I've gotten the equivalent of (almost) straight A's throughout my many years at the university, so why should my writing style suddenly be "not good enough" anymore?! Surely there is enough room for me to stretch out and maybe even bend the rules a little, just like it has always been. Why am I suddenly limiting my idea of "proper academic writing" to something so stiflingly narrow?! Sheesh. I really need to get over that and write the way I've always written. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, remember, Cat?

This is so true. If I have been satisfied with a text, no matter what kind of text, then usually other people have been liking it, too. (Sure, not every text is ever liked by everybody, but let's say the people who mattered have gotten the point - and given me good grades, if applicable.) I don't wanto write any differently, and it seems like I literally can't write any differently than straight from my heart and mind. And why do I suddenly doubt my abilities to do just that when it has been the way to go, the way that brought me success and recognition, and article offers, and good grades, and even a little money for so many years now?!

2) weaknesses Alice was so attached to me that since my first visit to her home, she had solicated her aunt to arrange with my guardians for my permanent residence with her during my minority, which quite fell in with their views, as it enabled me to see more society, and often meet gentlemen who might perhaps fall in love with my pretty face. [pg 97~The Pearl No.3]

You're going to have problems working if you keep societizing and falling for all those pretty faces. You need to learn discinple and know when to work and when to play. Yes it is okay to have some fun but got to keep your mind on business of writing to cuz nothing is going to write itself.

Well, in my case the socializing is mostly done online, and the pretty faces are the pretty faces of webpages of all sorts. Reading/posting online is my #1 way to procrastinate - while I keep telling myself that I'm almost working... ("See? I'm sitting at my desk! I could be starting to write my thesis any minute!") And there we have the undue "attachment," too. My "permanent residence" in virtual worlds instead of putting all these fabulous ideas into action.

Yes, you are so very right. I desperately need to learn discipline and to make a clear distinction between work and play. Or, that failing, I need to make my work into that thing that fascinates me so that I want to attach myself to it and have it take up permanent residence in my head. Which seems like the more familiar and more likely way to go. I'm not sure this is a good time to develop entirely new habits. Rather I believe I need to make my old habits work in my favor.

(I'm happy to - tentatively - report that this strategy seems to work. I have finally(!) regained interest in my topic - and if nothing else works, I can always write from a place of anger. Anything that generates energy is welcome as a starting point.)

3) advice ...when sudden inspiration seized me to make a couple of very rude sketches; one of the old girl sitting on a chamber utensil; but the other was a rural idea of her stooping down with her clothes up to ease herself, in a field. [pg 17~The Pearl No 3]

Find inspiration, humor and pleasure in the small things in life. Even if you're the only one to get it. Yes it may hurt a bit afterwards but did it make you or someone else smile in the process? Is that worth the pain afterwards? Humor and laughter are always need in writing. And you always get your best ideas when you're happier.

Sudden inspiration indeed. Some recent fortunate events have brought me several points of departure for my thesis writing, all at once. I'm full with ideas all of a sudden and am indeed "roughly sketching" them out for the time being. I'll worry about sorting it all out later, now seems to be the time for chaotic production. Which is really the way I work best: first make a creative mess, and then clean it up with a structuring eye later. I still don't understand what has kept me so long from actually doing anything, but mostly I'm just happy and immensely relieved that some of my creative juices have started flowing again. Immediate experience and all-around immersion in my subject matter really is the way to go (which fortunately conincides with almost three weeks where I don't need to go to work but can completely crawl into my thesis matter).

All of this makes me happy, and if it doesn't, there's always sarcasm as a last resort. I'm making snarky remarks about what I read again, and that's usually a fruitful beginning of a more well-rounded critique. I also have found some things in relation to my topic that actually delight me, which is even better.

I also need to remember that there will be rewritings, as there have always been rewritings. Nothing needs to be perfect from the get-go. I need to remember the process of writing.

Well, I believe I'm finally on my way, and hope that my current optimism will carry me through three days of boring customer service work until I can crawl back into the world of my thesis topic. Who knows, maybe even my workplace will turn out to be an inspiration? It wouldn't be the first time!

Well Cat I have to say that was interesting and very difficult cuz I kept getting side tracked into the story line.

Yeah, that sometimes happens to me, too, when I do bibliomancy. Let me assure you that it hasn't hurt the reading. (I have also bookmarked the source to get back to it later on since it really seems to be quite interesting!)

Thank you for a useful and enjoyable reading.