The Circular Journey

Do The Numbers

From time to time, I like to review The Circular Journey to see how many people it has reached and where in the world people are logging in to get here.

Looking at the numbers makes me feel better. I read somewhere that looking back at past accomplishments can generate a little more self-confidence and make life seem a little more agreeable. Those aren't the actual words I read. Just the way they spoke to me.

I created the blog in 2008 and published the first post on June 30 of that year. The first post got 22 views. I have never promoted the blog in any way other than listing it on a few social media sites as my website.

The Circular Journey began as a journal to help me cope with my mother moving from Tennessee to North Carolina. She had lived in the same house for 70 years and lived in that same small, rural community all her life. Moving away was one of the major events of her life. Mine too.

For the first year, give or take, I wrote my experiences caring for my mom. Not long after I began journaling there, my relationship with Mom changed. We became great pals. I was her chauffeur and her errand boy, and we celebrated Christmas twice per year. Hallmark movies figured into it.

I removed all the blog posts that dealt with those early years and I removed a few that just didn't suit me anymore. The oldest post in the blog now is dated February 22, 2012. It's called Let The Good Times Roll, yes it's about Mardi Gras, and it currently has 136 views.

Eventually, The Circular Journey became a journal for coping with mental health syndromes. A number of them. Finding humor in the circus that takes place in my head, and sometimes spills over into real life, helps to cheer me up and gives me hope that Jimmy Buffett is right when he sings, "..if we didn't laugh, we would all go insane."

This blog is an important part of my life and I'm so very grateful to every person who logs in to read it. Please continue to visit and tell your friends about the blog. And if you have a minute to spare, I'd love to read any comment you might share.

Here's the short tally as of June 28, 2024:

279 Total Postings 102,274 Total Views 9 Followers

All Time Top 5 Most Popular Posts:

Strange Case of the Cat in the Night

Precession and Whatnot

As soon as I woke this morning, I felt numb inside, numb to all emotion. The power principles that usually help to lift the mood were not working.

I’ve recently questioned the Universe’s sanity over her decision to enroll me in multiple courses of instruction simultaneously. I reasoned it might be helpful to have a heart-to-heart with Princess Amy if a small cluster of gray cells in the brain has anything to pass for a heart.

“Amy," I said, "I feel like a man who has drunk from the cup of life and found a drowned beetle at the bottom.”

"Perhaps life in the 21st century is an acquired taste," she said. "I remember that you hated Brussels sprouts for years but now you fancy them. Give modern life the same chance you gave Brussels sprouts."

"You think there's hope in that approach, do you?"

"You might consider this," she said. "When you examine it narrowly, how little do you really have to dislike about your current situation? You're only unhappy because life isn't like it was in the gay nineties but just think how very few there are of decades like the 1990's. One in a century is my guess."

Our talk didn't help. Some occasions demand nothing less than a time-out. This was one of those occasions. Minutes later, had you been looking for me, I could be found walking through Magnolia Plantation. My plan was to consider all my options, which didn't take long. There were few.

As I strolled casually down the sidewalk with the artist formally known as Prince singing "Get Crazy" in my left ear, a fire truck suddenly popped up like a demon king in a Thai water opera, and tooted a horn that sounded like Rush Limbaugh denouncing liberal democracy.

It's never difficult to tell the difference between a ray of sunshine and a Genome who's been pushed too far. And in that moment, it has never been more clear.

That doesn't mean that I tornadoed around in public like the Tasmanian Devil. Certainly not. I behaved like the nice boy next door, always my strategy when in public. I mentally gave the driver a piece of my mind and I searched the databanks for choice, juicy words.

If negative emotions ever invoked a dark reality on any piece of fire-fighting equipment, that f-f equipment was one.

The major exception to the rule about Taz's behavior is that I often, regrettably, do behave like Taz when in the company of Ms. Wonder. What a saint she is! I don't know how she puts up with me. Please contribute to her campaign.

But in that startling moment mentioned above, the Limbaugh moment, the idea of being tugged this way and that, reminded me of the Buckminster Fuller concept of precession.

I know! Look, I've never denied that my mind works in mysterious ways. Mr. Fuller's precession is just another example of that. Some people find my chaotic thinking amusing. It may be helpful to think of it like Brussels sprouts. I'll bet you once didn't like them either.

An example of precession is the combined effect of the sun’s gravitational pull on the Earth and the velocity of the Earth as it circles the sun. The first force is acting to pull the Earth into the sun; the second is working to escape the sun's pull and send the Earth hurtling into the cold depths of space.

The combined effect of the two forces provides the perfect combination to keep the Earth in orbit at just the right distance from the sun to support life and be hospitable to you and me.

I know! Magic!

I can only hope that a bit of precession will result from my personal tug-of-war and have a magical effect on my life. And on Wonder's life. She deserves it far more than I do.

Don't misunderstand. I'm not saying the idea of escaping gravity and flying off into space isn't appealing.

Life Is An Illusion

My favorite barista, Laura, was ringing up my order when she directed a curious look toward the neighborhood of my right ear. I immediately assumed there was a noodle hanging there but it turned out to be something far more interesting. Laura explained that a Tootsie Roll had just emerged from my ear.

Those were not her exact words but that's what my subtle ear heard. As soon as she said it, I knew that the Universe was tapping me on the shoulder. It was a reminder that the material world is an illusion.

Tootsie Rolls don't get from one place to another by ear delivery. TRs are delivered by 18-wheelers, like the one emerging from my ear with Tootsie Roll painted on the side. Or was there a truck on the road behind me, at the level of my ear?

Just before Laura's vision, I was taking a break from the work of planning a new meditation workshop. I spent most of the morning thinking about how our minds tell us things that are not true and how meditation can teach us to harness our minds in more beneficial ways.

Now, for those of you who think that the purpose of this post is to announce my workshop, you're close. I'm actually announcing a new blog that will focus on meditation. I'll tell you all about it in that blog.

I know it's a nick out of time but that's the way I work.

Ride The Wave

There is a tide in the affairs of men [and women] that, taken at the flood, leads on to victory.

~~ William Shakespeare, McBeth

One of the secrets known to the masters of Alchemical Shamanism is that the Universal Consciousness works for the good of its children. Simply stated, the Universe is looking out for your best interests.

Don't misunderstand, I'm not pretending to be a master of anything. No, I got my information straight from Ms. Wonder, who, as you know full well, is a master of everything.

She denies it but I can see through her attempts to pass as a normal denizen of the earth. Probably an alien avatar sent to guide humans to higher consciousness and create a better life on the planet for everyone. I mean, those are my thoughts.

I do know a little about life energy, sometimes called vital energy, but only because I follow the path of Fierce Qigong in my quest for Camelot. I do hope you pay attention to the regular postings here on The Circular Journey because if you miss a few episodes you're going to find yourself lost. Just think of missing an episode of Morning Show and you'll get the idea.

*** Questions?

Consult the disclaimer at the end of this post (not now;

wait until you get to the bottom.)

So, as I was saying, I know that vital energy, the Qi (energy) in Qigong (energy work), fluctuates. It rises and falls, it grows and subsides, and it's in constant motion between negative and positive, dark and light. Lupe makes use of these Qi fluctuations when performing her duties as Emergency Backup Mistress of the Greater Wilmington Night.

When the energy is directed toward you, it comes at you like the swells of the ocean that build in power and momentum until they break into waves. All you need to do is wait for the right moment and then launch your Qi surfboard onto the crest of the wave. That energy wave will deliver you to your dreams.

That's all there is to it. Simple.

Simple but not easy. How do you know when the right wave comes along? How do you know that the next wave is for you?

There is a method of living that will put you on the right wave without knowing beforehand that it's your dream ride. I call it fierce living or living life on life's terms.

Waves come and go. Some are meant for you and some aren't. What you do is paddle out into the deep water (or get out into life where opportunity will bump into you). That's where the waves crest and when a promising opportunity comes along, you take it. If it's not for you, it will either never build to anything worthwhile or else, you'll fall off.

It doesn't sound ideal but it's the best option we have. When the right wave comes along, you'll be there riding it for all you're worth and, if you don't abandon it, you'll be carried almost effortlessly to your goal.

That's the method I'm using in my quest for Camelot.

Disclaimer: (read the following very, very fast)

The information and content provided in this blog post are for entertainment purposes only and are not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a healthcare provider before starting any exercise, or wellness program.

If you feel uncomfortable or unsafe at any time, whether following the suggestions in this blog post, or any other situation you may find yourself in--love relationships can sometimes be the most problematic-- stop the activity immediately and contact your health-care provider.

The Quest For Camelot

In the words of some poet or other, I've forgotten the name just now, all troubles afflicting modern life, no matter how alarming they seem, will subside into a mere trifle under the influence of a steaming cup of the globally grown and locally, what is it? That's right, the locally roasted brew-haha that we affectionately and respectfully dub as Jah's Mercy.

The above is what Mr. Kier, my high-school English teacher, would call a run-on sentence. But aren't some subjects deserving of a lengthy treatment? I think so.

Although coffee is a favorite subject of mine and I am fiercely devoted to the stuff, on this particular morning, I was inclined to question the poet's sentiments.

I'd wandered around the long-leaf pine savannah of Brunswick Forest, drinking a triple-shot espresso, and expecting the mood to lift like the morning fog. Didn't happen.

Eventually, I came to the spot where my Rock, that most dependable paragon of strength and resilience, stood looking out over the waters of Evangeline Lagoon.

That very spot, that sun-flooded Eden, is the most congenial spot for happily-ever-aftering--think of Camelot where it never rains 'till after sundown, and by sunup the morning fog has flown. That's the baby!

However, on this particular morning, it just wasn't so. The mood remained bleak and grey. I didn't like it.

What to do? That was the question I asked myself. Surely there was a power principle in my mental toolbox, a metaphorical socket wrench that I could use to tighten up the emotional works.

I looked inside for an answer or a clue to brighten the day. And I was in luck.

Last night on Deb & Samantha, that's the name Wonder and I gave it, but if it's not the name of the podcast, I apologize. Anyway, on that podcast, Samantha said, or maybe it was Deb, that we tell ourselves stories about our lives and those stories become our lives.

Now, I agree fully that we tell ourselves stories about our lives. I do it all the time. And I'm open to the idea that those stories become our reality. Given that, pay close attention because what I'm about to say is the salient point.

Change the stories you tell yourself and you change your life.

I don't know about you but, as for me, I love that idea. This blog has always moved in that general direction and I think that with a bit of tinkering, The Circular Journey can, and will, become the stories that change my life.

And so now I'm off on the quest for Camelot!

But I won't find it without your help. Please stay with me.

Don't forget to tell your friends about The Circular Journey and leave a comment because I'd love to hear from you. Remember my friends, life comes hard and fast. It pays to be ready for anything.

Fierce Qigong!

The Circular Journey

Connected

Do The Numbers

Precession and Whatnot

Life Is An Illusion

Ride The Wave

The Quest For Camelot

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