Random Stuff Saturday

Uh yeah, What He Said....

Hugh wrote in early today with a particularly insightful response to my latest post. Included was a quotation that I wish to share:

"For those who believe, no proof is necessary.

For those who don't believe, no proof is possible".

--Stuart Chase

He definitely has a point. Perhaps the most frustrating part of dealing with a skeptic is that there is absolutely no way to prove your points in a way that the skeptic will understand. You can point out some of the studies that have been made of various "paranormal" phenomena, cite the people you have helped, and so on until you are blue in the face, but far more often than not it is impossible to bridge the divide between believer and nonbeliever. This is why your victory lies, not in convincing the skeptic of anything, but of maintaining your belief and practice in the face of skepticism.

Where the Hell Is The Rain?

It has rained all of one day in the Bay Area so far this winter. One day. That is nearly one for the record books. This is worrisome. Not only because rain is cleansing and nourishing to the land, fills our reservoirs and empowers me personally, but because it is in no way natural for this region at this time of year. If you are local to the San Francisco Bay Area, it might be time to add a request for rain to your prayers and rituals. Yes, I know rain-calling is so widely used as to be almost cliche, but there are reasons for that.

In the modernized world, water comes out of a tap; many people give little thought to its ultimate source unless the news reminds them. The rain cycle is something that we learn in school but is quickly forgotten as irrelevant by most of us. But there was a time in our more rooted past when rain was a life-or-death prospect for those who worked or foraged the land. Rain was both a mercy and a threat: too little and crops died, wells and streams dried up and people were seriously endangered; too much and crops--or animals and people--drowned. The buffer of water reclamation, purification and distribution technology may have left us complacent in this matter, but--it is only a buffer. It cannot supply us forever. At times like this, staring at a drastically subnormal rainfall figure, we are reminded that we are not so independent of the natural world as many of us would like to believe.

They're a Dessert! They're Pornographic! they're....

I recently inherited a set of what are variously called Mochi Balls (isn't that served at Japanese restaurants?) Shaman Balls (errr), Moqui Marbles, Moqui Stones, and Shaman Stones. Whatever you call them, they are concretions--compacted sandstone surrounded by a shell of hematite. They are brownish grey, seem light for their size, and come in two types--males, which are lumpy or have crystalline growths on their skin, and females, which are relatively smooth. They are generally used in pairings of one male, one female. The energy of the two types of stone supposedly interact with each other in an interesting way.

Moqui Stones--or whatever--male on left, female on right

Rockman has a great article on the stone's physical properties and provenance here. As for their metaphysical properties, there are websites all over the Net about their supposed ability to balance the energy body, promote healing and restful sleep, and all sorts of other good things. As with any other stone or material, I prefer to see for myself, so I'm going to start working with them and seeing what I come up with.

The pair I inherited are large gumball sized, and fit perfectly in my palms when I hold them. Once they warm up they become very comfortable in the hand and difficult to put down--I'm currently two-finger typing with the male in my left hand, female in my right, largely because I can't stop picking the little buggers up and playing with them. It is a very relaxing experience, and I'm reluctant to let go. There's definitely something to these rocks, though it will take time for me to determine what.