Shekinah

I had never heard that there is a feminine aspect of God in the Judaic/Christian Bible until I was reading an issue of Parabola magazine in a bookstore the other day.  I have a sneaking suspicion that those Catholic patriarchal dogma-enforcers are behind this suppression of the feminine aspects of the Christian and Jewish perception of God.

I really don't think that something that created the universe has an XY chromosome or male reproductive organs so I feel like the whole representation of God as being an entity with completely "male" characteristics is absurd and a patriarchal cultural invention.    

http://www.adishakti.org/_/shekinah_is_the_cosmic_womb.htm

Neuroscience, Mental Illness, and Spirit Possession

How does an anti-psychotic cause increased blood flow [(perfusion) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfusion]  to the left temporal lobe of the brain in a patient with mental illness?  By the way, his family thought he was possessed by an evil spirit.  I also do not understand how the diagrams in this article show increased perfusion to the left temporal lobe. http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/content/3/1/9325

Then there is this bizarre story about a church in Pensacola where the supposed Holy Spirit was physically felt and physically acted upon people in the church.  People are quick to explain away these phenomenon but what is really going on?  In situations like this it seems like more than the power of suggestion or a concentration of energy.  I have been to charismatic churches and I have felt wobbly and peaceful and I have been knocked over by the "Holy Spirit".  And it would last for a while afterward.  At a drum circle I felt and saw a similar energy but the light that I saw and felt seemed broken up into splinters rather than a consistent glow like my supposed experience with the Holy Spirit.  Admittedly, this article is very biased from a specific perspective but it still relates an interesting occurrence.  http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/FBCPENSA.HTM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trance

Song of Songs

Haha!  (Pronounced with the inflection that one would use to say, "Aha!")  Writing songs!  So many genres, such limited audience for multigenred artists.  It doesn't matter, though.  I am writing this music to communicate with my creator.  It's been such a long time!  I've never written a song like this before where I hear melody loops in my head that go together and figure them out on a keyboard and put them all together like a beautiful call and response between myself and God.  Whoa.  What have I been doing all these years (hypothetical)?  It is somewhat reminiscent of Swans with the intense organ drone but that was not intentional it just came out that way.  Hooyah!  I am really overjoyed!!!!!!!!!!   Thanks and praise be to God, He/She/It has put a new song in my heart.  

Psychotic Episodes and Pet Store Dreams

I've had 4 psychotic episodes.  They were really amazing but I really don't want to ever have one again.  A much better trip than any drug I've been on and they certainly have lasted a lot longer than any drug.  I guess I will choose to be grateful for those experiences but they were also very scary at times (though the last one was mostly positive but there was still a lot of scary stuff mixed in there).

I have recurring dreams about working at pet stores.  I have worked at two pet stores but I don't think I have dreamed about those two specific pet stores at which I actually worked.  There are two "dream pet stores" that I find myself returning to and working at in my dreams sometimes.  One is at a mall.  I have never worked at a pet store at a mall.  One is in a basement.  I have never worked at a pet store in a basement.  At both of them I am on drugs and not performing well.  I think my drug usage is usually worse at the basement pet store.  There are usually problems with the fish in my dreams.  And the birds, but it's been more problems with fish lately.  Last night I had a dream where I accidentally put an angel-type fish in with some oscar-type (meat-eating) fish.  The oscars ate the angel fish.  I was very sad about it.  Other fish were dying in the dream, too.  Once I had a dream that there were walls of water that the fish were in and the water was not in any type of tank or container.  That was a weird one.  I usually have trouble feeding the animals in the dreams or I forget to feed them or I make some kind of mistake with their care.

Addendum 8/3/13:  I did not realize I had mentioned the pet store dreams in my last post.  Apparently they must be important to me.  :-)