Have you ever been to a "Star Trek" convention? 1.5.11

I would never consider dating or being involved with someone who.... 1.5.06

Is SC the only place where you actually enjoying doing surveys? 1.4.28
{affirmative action, international native visions, castle design}

What colour would it be? 1.5.11

Are you two-faced person? 1.5.12

If you thought your government was evil or morally wrong, would you consider taking terrorist acts against it? 1.5.13

What color would your lightsaber be? 1.5.17
If you were a Darth Vader, what color would your lightsaber be, and why? Please explain in comments.

Which of the following products have you tried snorting just to get high? 1.5.8

Why do some people think sex is offensive? 1.5.21

Have you ever been to a "Star Trek" convention? 1.5.11

Kristal_Rose 1.5.12
Other - yes, because even though I am a fan, I wouldn't bother going to such an event except that it happened to be bundled as part of a sci-fi convention I was at. 23 years ago, when i was 16, half a dozen of us fantasy gamers would rent a fancy hotel room, turning two beds into four. One slept in the chair, another in the tub; I guess we were homophobes. The conventions had people running through the parking lots in Logan's Run outfits (we were partially there to flirt with the opposite gender in scanty costumes). The Dr. Who club would knit 12' scarves. We would play D&D in conference rooms, and purchase all sorts of movie stills (betty boop & the sorcerors apprentice in my case) or the latest technology (I got a holographic necklace of an eye, which even the disco & surfer crowd thought was rather bitchin' back at school.) One machiavellian friend sold school chocolate bars on credit; we were starving, spending all our money on toys, and the parents would be good for it after we returned.
If I constrain myself to only one TV show, it's Star Trek. It's the best metaphor for the things I'm going through most of the time. I'm also fond of Ally McBeal and Gilliam Girls. Other than that, it's the arts and sciences on PBS, or ecclectic radio shows.
During highschool I also was an actor in the rennaissance faire (we'd also live in the woods, marching 16th century celt style), and had associations with fantasy authors and mystical church leaders. It was a delightful balance.

kate 
Once, in 1979. A dinky litte ST convention in Eugene. We couldn't even get George Takei to come,
but at least I saw the infamous blooper reels.

Kristal_Rose replies to kate 
Oh, the main cast of Voyager was in the Santa Parade, and I was on the starting line across the
street from Alex Trebek of Jeopardy. I just stumbled upon this while christmas shopping, I had
wanted to go, but it's time and location weren't well publicised. In fact, it was on the TV news as
happening a couple days later than it really did. That's hollywood for you.

I would never consider dating or being involved with someone who.... 1.5.06

Kristal_Rose 
Alcoholism is out. So are any current destructive attitudes.

Kristal_Rose replies to anonymous 
I've never met anyone in the same relationship waiting 10-16 years before having kids. I'd prefer a
God loving partner. A God fearing one sure sounds unfortunate though. The concept goes with the anonymous handle though.
joalis 
I don't understand why more people would be willing to go out with someone with a criminal record than someone who wears sandals with socks. Seems to me that sandals with socks is only a
superficial thing.
dabprovin replies to Kristal_Rose 
Yes, it's me dabprovin Aka anonymous. I didn't wait 10-16 years before having children.It's a long
story.I met my first husband (then boy friend)at the(age 12)the same year my mother died.When I
was 17 my dad died & I had my first child. By the time I was 19,I had two children from him & had
been so horribly abused,almost on a daily basis,that I made a decision that would alter my life
forever. I finally got up the courage to tell myself enough is enough! And I left him.But,here's the
clincher,he was doing my (so called best) friend next door,& that really did it for me.A few months
later I met my (now) husband.That was back in 1972 we got married in 1980 & I finally was able to
get pregnant(after trying for 8 years) Did alot of crying during that time.I thought something was
wrong with me.Then I started blaming him cause I had already given birth to two kids so it must be
him.When I finally gave up trying,that's when I got pregnant with MY third child (my husbands
FIRST born) It was well worth the wait.Any ways,why does God fearing sound unfortunate?If he
fears God,he would probably be more inclined to do the right thing by you.Do other people with the
anonymous handle concept fear God too?Not a bad thing,really. Perhaps if more people feard
God,maybe so many people wouldn't be running amuck creating havoc in the world. Hummmmm
that's food for thought though.
Kristal_Rose replies to dabprovin 
One general rule (kind of like the golden rule) is to look at all your actions/decisions and see if they
are motivated by love or fear. Although I already knew God well at the time, this rule was the one
that changed my life from teetering on the brink of heaven and hell, to being more consistently a
heaven. I learned far more of what God was capable of when I stopped fearing God and earthly
consequences. Fear empowers the dark side.
I have met people before who preach fearing God; they always seem to be borderline criminal
types struggling to do good despite themselves. I think the personal change it could promote is
comparable to whethar children are raised entirely by punishment or nurture. My children were
almost never punished and are very responsible, educated, creative, aware, etc. I live next to
Children raised by constant punishment and deprivation; The 7 deadly sins are swarming in them and
I don't expect much from them at his rate.

dabprovin replies to Kristal_Rose 
Your right!!Fear does empower the dark side. The DEVIL actually feeds off of fears.Don't want
that!!But,now that I'm older & (still trying )to gain wisdom along the way,I usually ask myself "Will
what I do/say be pleasing in God's eyes?" That is first & fore most MY golden rule. Cause when it
come down to it,IF what ONE does/says are infact pleasing in HIS eyes then everyone & everything
is irrelevant.Ones actions/decision made,based on the motivation of love or fear,holds no water
here.Countless decisions/actions are done everyday by individuals for many strange reasons. Some
out of plain desperation & stupidity,some because of their limitations in choices, others simply feel
the need for a challenge,& still others,out of shear boredom.Too many to list.I too have known some
borderline criminal types in my life,struggling to improve their quality of life also,some were
capable of making a significant changes in their life,and with out a mere mention about preaching of
fearing God.Even became law abiding individuals. Paying taxes,receiving tax returns buying
homes,paying morgages etc.I wouldn't discount the CHILDREN you live next door to just yet!!All
Gods CHILDREN are our hope for a better world.I don't think I live next to any CHILDREN being
raised on CONSTANT Punishment & Deprivation.However,if I did I would at lest try to do the right
thing.Whatever that may be,during these CHILDRENS time of need.From your description,that
almost sounds like living in third world conditions.I'm surprised that,parents of this nature with
these CHILDREN are living under those conditions.But,worse yet the fact that they live next to
you,under those conditions.Quite sad really. However,Kudos to you for raising
responsible,educated,creative etc.Children & with minimal disciplined.That takes much skill &
patience to practice that kind of parenting.Especially in this day& age.If memory serves me
correctly,would those 7 deadly sins(that are swarming in these CHILDREN)be
VANITY,GREED,LUST,PRIDE,ENVY,GLUTTONY,& ANGER? Let's see "CHILDREN raised by
CONSTANT Punishment & Deprivation" I so can see these children living with ANGER.Who
wouldn't?Hummmm,GREED,ENVY,GLUTTONY,PRIDE,VANITY? Yup,that's what depravation will
do to you alright.O.K. this LUST thing,could be just a little bit iffy. I definitely have a problem
envisioning CHILDREN in that mode. BUT,your right,don't expect much from them. After all what
do these CHILDREN really owe you anyway? Their CHILDREN!! Besides at this rate the poor things
are probably dead & gone by now.Especially since no adult minded individual THERE has the ***"s to
put a stop to the atrocities being done against these CHILDREN!! Have a Nice Day! Those Children
aren't!! AND YOU KNOW THAT first hand. RIGHT??? You don't have to go far,their next
door!!KUDOS again to you!

Kristal_Rose replies to dabprovin 
I think you got the wrong take on some of what I said. As far as lust goes, one of the few
times I saw everyone (moms & grandma) having smiles and laughter was when the five year
old girl was doing one of the raunchiest sex dances I've ever seen, matching the stuff you
see in see some R movies. The 9 year old boy is always trying to touch some private part of
mine or show me his genitals. The other time I witnessed the grandmother laughing was
when the television was full of flames, and she was telling her two year old granddaughter
that the world was on fire and that she was to blame and should be proud of what's she
done. I remember Easter a year ago: I painted eggs the night before for them and put
them in the garden, as did a couple visting church group people (I heard the granny say
"she's brave to go in this house"). I went out for my personal easter service up on a hill to
meditate on the ascencion and rebirth and all. I waited all day upon my return hoping the
kids would at least get their easter egg hunt, but instead they were never let out and the
house was full of screams and beatings all day. I called child services. The granny talks on
my porch about the good way she is raising the children when in front of my window, after
she has these run ins with me. But an hour later, she's smacking her kid because he's shown
up home with a toy in his backpack. I teach them piano, harmonica, math, spelling, and mostly
social behavior. Unfortunately, i can count on my good deeds being matched equally with
afflicted suffering. I was worried that I only had till December to impart human values in
these children (one can crack their head, and the others won't even turn to notice, they are
taught not to, or for that matter take an interest in anything.) So often I am in tears over
how they are treated. Half the time they are accused of being stupid or hardheaded. I've
so often spent hours wondering what to do, or just praying for them. I'm on a disability
income, but I still seem to buy them nearly as many toys as their family (I spent $90 on
baby shower gifts for another neighor I've only talked to a few times). I finally decided
that my last option was to actually possess the parents to stop the abuse. Unfortunately, I
couldn't take care of my own life while doing so, so after a day of that, I asked god to take
care of it (hoping he could rewrite them) during my evening prayers. I woke hearing them
being served eviction papers. Technically the reason is late rent, but the landlord is tired of
having other tenants move to escape the trauma. On a mystic level, things are much worse: I
can be sure whenever I consider something to be miserable, that I will hear thewm laughing
through the wall. Whenever they walk past my door, I lose my TV or radio reception, or my
computer freezes. Any of several appliances I've let any of them touch immediately dies,
even brand new ones. I was once in meditation and saw two sentinels made of black hole
with fire coronas at the window, I opened my eyes and it was the two boys looking in my
window. I once heard the youngest girl walk by the window and say "that's kristal, when she
sleeps, bubbles come from her head". (which was true, just to give you a contrast between
the creative side I was on, and the annhilating side they were on.) I talked to the granny
about her religion the next day and she said it's baptist and could be likened to collecting
souls (my step dad was a baptist minister and sure didn't pass anything like that on to me).
I once meditated on granny's consciousness to get a better understanding of what I was up
against. What I got was evening of visions of every earthquake, tornado, locust swarm, etc.
you could imagine. I was wondering why the 2 year old cries several hours each day. Half an
hour later she poked her head in my window and said "because there's no water" In spite of
these dreadful mystic visions, I treat the kids as I would my own children, and in fact they
behave with out a tear, and far more happiness, interest, civility, & compassion then they do
out in the yard or in the house. The granny doesn't want them out of her control. She argues
that they can't go crying to others because they need to find "love within themself". I admit
that's true in a way, but being deprived of all joyful interactions with the world doesn't
seem to me to be the way to find it. I believe wholeheartedly in sharing all you can. From the
time I've spent with them, I can see that if I had raised the children they might have
turned out as angelic as my own, but I don't have that opportunity. I've spent a couple
years creatively wracking my brain for a solution to this problem. I've had prayers for all
sorts of fantastic miracles answered, but not much in this area. By 'expect of them', I mean
that without intervention, they could very well turn out like their father who is rumored to
be in prison for murder.
I have gone above and beyond what any social-service volunteer or minister I've heard of
might have done. I'm sure there's a lesson in all this, but it seems I've failed. In
desperation I've even given the thought that I was supposed to learn discompassion or even
relish gods creation of hell a shot. That lasted less than a minute; the thought was instanly
followed by beatings next door, and I couldn't take it. It served as an indicator that likely
all my positive prayer had not been inneffectual. Much of my earlier life I couldn't stand to
be within a block of an argument. I live next door to the worst of everything I stand against
in values. The one bizarre quirk in this paradigm was that when my own children and family
were visiting on vacation, she got a fast-food breakfast feast for us two mornings in a row.
So far the most effective thing to have worked has been to be upbeat, ignore them, and
concentrate on my own problems instead. Like for instance, I've always wanted to take
them to a park or the beach or something to compensate for their deprivation, but I can
never get the parents to agree on an actual date, so instead I go out on a date with my
girlfriend to the beach, and find that's what they did that day too.

I've tried every prayer, consciousness, and positive tactic or behavior I've ever heard of.
If you have any ideas on what is going on or what to do about it, please tell me. I get the
idea you believe I am at fault or should have helped in some way I haven't considered.
Perhaps that's true, But I'm obviously not aware of how.
The subject matter oy my church has been to pray into being a new age in which everyone is
to be merged with the will of God, whethar they like it or not. I would object to the idea,
believing that karma alone would rectify problems over time. But I get the idea that
granny's been around a 1000 lifetimes without learning a thing, and that cancelling free will
is the last option left.
They're actually playing in fair harmony today, a very rare calm. I haven't a clue why.
Considering the eviction, I would have expected the worst yet. My current plan is to keep
putting it in God's hands, and try to forget I ever saw the atrocity and called part of God's
creation evil. Your thoughts..?
dabprovin replies to Kristal_Rose 
I KNOW I didn't get the wrong take on what you said. However,your current plan to keep
putting it in God's hands, may be one of your best ideas yet. Perhaps on a mystic level, one
COULD TRY to forget many things.
joalis 
Fear of punishment is the lowest stage of moral reasoning. If that's all you give a kid to
"teach" right from wrong, they will never move beyond that.
Kristal_Rose replies to joalis 
exactly

Kristal_Rose replies to dabprovin 1.5.15
I think you got the wrong take on some of what I said. As far as lust goes, one of the few times I saw everyone (moms & grandma) having smiles and laughter was when the five year old girl was doing one of the raunchiest sex dances I've ever seen, matching the stuff you see in see some R movies. The 9 year old boy is always trying to touch some private part of mine or show me his genitals. The other time I witnessed the grandmother laughing was when the television was full of flames, and she was telling her two year old granddaughter that the world was on fire and that she was to blame and should be proud of what's she done. I remember Easter a year ago: I painted eggs the night before for them and put them in the garden, as did a couple visting church group people (I heard the granny say "she's brave to go in this house"). I went out for my personal easter service up on a hill to meditate on the ascencion and rebirth and all. I waited all day upon my return hoping the kids would at least get their easter egg hunt, but instead they were never let out and the house was full of screams and beatings all day. I called child services. The granny talks on my porch about the good way she is raising the children when in front of my window, after she has these run ins with me. But an hour later, she's smacking her kid because he's shown up home with a toy in his backpack. I teach them piano, harmonica, math, spelling, and mostly social behavior. Unfortunately, i can count on my good deeds being matched equally with afflicted suffering. I was worried that I only had till December to impart human values in these children (one can crack their head, and the others won't even turn to notice, they are taught not to, or for that matter take an interest in anything.) So often I am in tears over how they are treated. Half the time they are accused of being stupid or hardheaded. I've so often spent hours wondering what to do, or just praying for them. I'm on a disability income, but I still seem to buy them nearly as many toys as their family (I spent $90 on baby shower gifts for another neighor I've only talked to a few times). I finally decided that my last option was to actually possess the parents to stop the abuse. Unfortunately, I couldn't take care of my own life while doing so, so after a day of that, I asked god to take care of it (hoping he could rewrite them) during my evening prayers. I woke hearing them being served eviction papers. Technically the reason is late rent, but the landlord is tired of having other tenants move to escape the trauma. On a mystic level, things are much worse: I can be sure whenever I consider something to be miserable, that I will hear thewm laughing through the wall. Whenever they walk past my door, I lose my TV or radio reception, or my computer freezes. Any of several appliances I've let any of them touch immediately dies, even brand new ones. I was once in meditation and saw two sentinels made of black hole with fire coronas at the window, I opened my eyes and it was the two boys looking in my window. I once heard the youngest girl walk by the window and say "that's kristal, when she sleeps, bubbles come from her head". (which was true, just to give you a contrast between the creative side I was on, and the annhilating side they were on.) I talked to the granny about her religion the next day and she said it's baptist and could be likened to collecting souls (my step dad was a baptist minister and sure didn't pass anything like that on to me). I once meditated on granny's consciousness to get a better understanding of what I was up against. What I got was evening of visions of every earthquake, tornado, locust swarm, etc. you could imagine. I was wondering why the 2 year old cries several hours each day. Half an hour later she poked her head in my window and said "because there's no water" In spite of these dreadful mystic visions, I treat the kids as I would my own children, and in fact they behave with out a tear, and far more happiness, interest, civility, & compassion then they do out in the yard or in the house. The granny doesn't want them out of her control. She argues that they can't go crying to others because they need to find "love within themself". I admit that's true in a way, but being deprived of all joyful interactions with the world doesn't seem to me to be the way to find it. I believe wholeheartedly in sharing all you can. From the time I've spent with them, I can see that if I had raised the children they might have turned out as angelic as my own, but I don't have that opportunity. I've spent a couple years creatively wracking my brain for a solution to this problem. I've had prayers for all sorts of fantastic miracles answered, but not much in this area. By 'expect of them', I mean that without intervention, they could very well turn out like their father who is rumored to be in prison for murder.
I have gone above and beyond what any social-service volunteer or minister I've heard of might have done. I'm sure there's a lesson in all this, but it seems I've failed. In desperation I've even given the thought that I was supposed to learn discompassion or even relish gods creation of hell a shot. That lasted less than a minute; the thought was instanly followed by beatings next door, and I couldn't take it. It served as an indicator that likely all my positive prayer had not been inneffectual. Much of my earlier life I couldn't stand to be within a block of an argument. I live next door to the worst of everything I stand against in values. The one bizarre quirk in this paradigm was that when my own children and family were visiting on vacation, she got a fast-food breakfast feast for us two mornings in a row.
So far the most effective thing to have worked has been to be upbeat, ignore them, and concentrate on my own problems instead. Like for instance, I've always wanted to take them to a park or the beach or something to compensate for their deprivation, but I can never get the parents to agree on an actual date, so instead I go out on a date with my girlfriend to the beach, and find that's what they did that day too.

I've tried every prayer, consciousness, and positive tactic or behavior I've ever heard of. If you have any ideas on what is going on or what to do about it, please tell me. I get the idea you believe I am at fault or should have helped in some way I haven't considered. Perhaps that's true, But I'm obviously not aware of how.
The subject matter oy my church has been to pray into being a new age in which everyone is to be merged with the will of God, whethar they like it or not. I would object to the idea, believing that karma alone would rectify problems over time. But I get the idea that granny's been around a 1000 lifetimes without learning a thing, and that cancelling free will is the last option left.
They're actually playing in fair harmony today, a very rare calm. I haven't a clue why. Considering the eviction, I would have expected the worst yet. My current plan is to keep putting it in God's hands, and try to forget I ever saw the atrocity and called part of God's creation evil. Your thoughts..?

dabprovin replies to KissofTreachery 
Yea,your absolutely right!! That was way rude of me.I'm sorry. I lost my head. No point in
stirring up negativity here,especially when a majority of the people here at SC are actually
really,really nice.AND highly intellectually stimulating to boot.But,above all that.....most are
Very,Very Witty & seem to strive to keep things in perspective & lite.Those are the ones I
love the most,& hold dear to my heart.If anyone can make me laugh,I immediately draw
close to them.I understand that sometimes one might use wit & laughter to mask pain. I can
totally relate.Anyway,Thanks on your insight.Which reminds me I need to apologize to
Kristal also,for going off half cocked like that. :x

Kristal_Rose replies to dabprovin
I never noticed. where? ah, here. Apology accepted. I expect you meant well, though I doubt you saw the extent to which I was trying, and how the rules of karma seem to be haywire in this situation. I just let the kids over a few minutes ago to play with some of my viewmaster collection, and that was followed by a similar time of parental anger next door. I was hoping since I did manage to temporarily forget that that happens, that it would no longer be true, alas, no. I repaired a chain bracelet I gave one of the kids by attaching it with a betty-boop key hook I had recently bought for my girlfreind. I had to give it to him via granny, who said she'd give it to him. A couple days later, he came by looking so dejected, asking me to repair the clasp again. When asked where the Boop key-clasp went, he said it got lost, but I have suspicions he never received it.

Is SC the only place where you actually enjoying doing surveys? 1.4.28
{affirmative action, international native visions, castle design}

Kristal_Rose replies to kaleb777 
If you want to more conscientiously fuck with the system, suggest you are a eighteen, watch only
MTV and Wrestling, and only drink water and eat fresh meat, fruit and vegetables.
kaleb777 replies to Kristal_Rose 
What about telling them I'm 88yo and only watch MTV and Wrestling? 
Kristal_Rose replies to kaleb777 
I was hoping to see oranges and brocolli advertised to teeny-boppers, but yours is certainly more
humorous. You can't sell those old fogies too much mascara and Dr. Pepper. Ah, I see the brilliance
of your thinking now. Fill wrestling and MTV with ads for convalescent undergarments and
denture-cream to scare away little kids from too much TV.
kaleb777 replies to Kristal_Rose 
I was recently asked my race at a work equal opportunity survey. I ticked indigenous, because I
was born here, although I am of European origin. I was told I was not indigenous, so I told them
they could stick their survey. I refuse to discuss what breed I am in 2001 so my employer can get
brownie points for employing more people who don't look like me.
Kristal_Rose replies to kaleb777 
I feel indigenous amongst other things.
I think one problem which makes people seem so aloof, directionless, apathetic, etc. is that they
have no sense of being one with the land and it's history.
kaleb777 replies to Kristal_Rose 
Maybe that's because we are constantly told we do not really belong here (Australia, I don't know
about the US) because we are not Aboriginal. Recent Australia Day celebrations were called
"Invasion Day" by some, not all, Aboriginal activists. I feel very close to this land. I love it. Just
because I am white and early white people made a few mistakes here (they were only applying their
knowledge of the European landscape here) doesn't mean I don't belong. I think if the divisive
rhetoric of the left wing is ignored, and they stop trying to categorize people into the "nature
loving, harmonious native" and the "exploitative, nature conquering Europeans" people might really
come together and love the land.
Kristal_Rose replies to kaleb777 
Sounds much like the US (not quite as bad as 'invasion day' though).
I have native vision quests although both parents were born in europe. The native world views are
not in the interest of capitalists.
kaleb777 replies to Kristal_Rose 
What are native vision quests?
Kristal_Rose replies to kaleb777 
I'm staying up later these nights to get myself on a day schedule again, so this 2pm is really late
night for me.
Short Story: Being connected with the earth in such a way that it reveals history and spirits, for
instance a steel bridge with ivy appears deeper in the mind as a log bridge, a rock where sky
waters and cave waters meets is reminiscent of Quetzalcoatl, You stare at a wall hanging of a white
buffalo while the gift shop plays some indian chanting and realise that what you are feeling (the
great white spirit) and hearing is a synonym for many ancient western names for god as well Yod He
Vav He, You walk from the pier as the amusement park closes and feel the temple pilgrimages of
generations long long lost, you see a chair that shows you ancient designs of all sorts of ancient
jungle lagoon stilt houses & pueblo designs & house boats & crows masts. It all reveals iself in such
a fashion that it tells a history of a civilization. I wouldn't purely call it 'native' quests, because
sometimes I'm being shown the history of ancient polynesian, egyptian, ethiopian or other cultures.
I've seen Eden, Solomons temple, the birth of writing, and many other histories. Also when I'm in
this state I bicycle wherever spirit takes me and end up at a panoramic peak of LA, at a
hydroelectric plant, or other remote attration that has a temple quality suited to that evenings
meditation. Sometimes I learn of how certain cultures migrate souls. I've done a rain dance at a
party in which an inter-tribal chief (he thanked me for noticing his soul was as heavy as a hill of
stone) had also appeared (glad someone was there to appreciate the spirit pictures from sacred
native grounds I had taken); many tribes were gathering the next day to do a rain dance, when I got
home from the party the next morning, I meditated for a dozen hours instead of sleeping during
which the skies (and my mind) were filled with lightening and the next two weeks were full of the
biggest rain storm LA had seen in years. I can get these visions in meditations in bed too, and often
visit all sorts of places through history including travelling through the stars (never landed on
another planet yet). Sometimes when I do these things, especially when I enter another person, my
body feels like I'm plugged into a 440v electric outlet. If you want more details, I'd need to go
into my journal, but I think you get the idea.
I cruised the want ads this morning, and am quite interested in applying for an admin. position for a
tribal council.
kaleb777 replies to Kristal_Rose 
Don't forget your own ancestors. I think Europeans are being conditioned to believe that we are a
new, brash, silly, and unwise people with no connection to the land. We are humans too, and we have
been around just as long as every other culture on Earth. We have some secrets too.
Kristal_Rose replies to kaleb777
I do admire them too. America has exploited it resources into near collapse with it's frontier capitalism attitude. Not so in Europe where they farm airstrips, keep ancient buildings, reuse shipping materials, etc.
Oh, wrong context. I'm fairly international. I have a bit of arthurian, alchemy, irish trinity & pagan. etc in me, though i prefer to study those things at their roots. I haven't seen my dad since I was three, but still have on the back burner finding if I'm heir to his castle. When I was three I used to design castle details like mechanical methods for lighting gas chandaliers (I attribute that to past life experience). When I was a teen I was fantasy gaming and for no reason I could figure out was designing a castle shaped much like a toilet bowl. Just last night I was watching a PBS show on castle seiges using trebochet's (giant counterbalanced sling shots capable of flinging 300 lb boulders). I realised that what I had designed was a castle able to withstand a trebochet, which I just now became aware of in this life. I recall Shambala.

What colour would it be? 1.5.11
If you took everything that you own, and ground it up into a fine powder, and then mixed it thoroughly, what colour do you think it would be? I'm not suggesting that you actually try this at home.

heyzeus1 
labrador blue.
Kristal_Rose 
A BLUISH BROWN (about 70% cyan, 40% yellow, 20% red) because green and violet are the main
colors here, but I have a whole rainbows going everywhere, (crystals, door curtains, jewelry,
wardrobe, knick-knacks, etc.) colored lights, etc.
I studied quite a lot of advanced color theory (practical, theoretical, perceptual, metaphysical). I
had many reasons to call myself Kristal. I've made my new advances in my pen prototype; soon it will
change to infinite colors in mid stroke as easily as one changes the width of a brush stroke. 
Kristal_Rose replies to heyzeus1 
not dutch, gun metal, delphinium, slate, or
cobalt-aquamarine-chartreuse-periwinkle-turquoise-peacock blue?
Maarten replies to Kristal_Rose 
That makes 130%...

Kristal_Rose replies to Maarten 
Not in color mixing teminology; 0-0-0 CYM is white, 100-100-100 is black, 100-100-0 is 0-100-100
makes Red (orange is about 0-100-70) 100-0-100 makes Blue.
The three primaries CYM have as their secondaries RGB. When mixing light the 3 primaries are RGB
(like the dots on your monitor or TV) and the secondaries (mixes halfway between) are CYM; In
light, red and green make yellow. In light 100-100-100 is white and 0-0-0 is black. These are
theoretical. Software like Photoshop shifts the numbers a few percent depending on the print
process used.
People are incorectly taught that Red, Yellow, & Blue are the painting primaries. Red is actually a
mix of magenta & yellow. Blue is actually a mix of cyan and magenta. Pure Purple is made from cyan
and magenta - if you use red you are introducing some yellow and get a muddy purple. Likewise for
greens - if you use blue instead of cyan you are introducing some magenta and get something a bit
foresty. The only good thing about the incorrect primaries is that they automatically give paintings a
forest quality. Look at Japanese paintings though, they have brilliant colors more frequently that
implies they don't mix paints, or use the correct theory (which printers have known for nearly a
century).
Maarten replies to Kristal_Rose 
I C. Didn't know you were talking CYM.
Kristal_Rose replies to Maarten 
I have my great-great grandmothers paint set beside me. My mom is a full time artist. One of my
degress is in art (studio & history). I can explain color in terms of lighting tempurature, wave
spectrum, 3D rectalinear and 3D CIE models. I can explain why we see what we see given our types
of eyes and what other types of alien eyes would be capable of seeing, given different cone
quantities. I've worked on a an 'Albers' filter for Photoshop that creates the illusion of constant
color (in movie subtitles for instance) by actually shifting the color to compensate for the
perceptual shift from the contrast to diverse adjacent colors (for instance a yellow-gray line will
appear yellow on a gray back ground, and gray on a yellow background, so the color needs tweaked
depending on what's nearby if you always want it to appear yellow-gray).
Colors are how I sort all my cognitive/perceptual/mystical experiences.

heyzeus1 replies to Kristal_Rose 
probably not. nor magenta, fushcia, maroon, ivory, indigo, turqoise.
though gun metal is pretty close to labrador.
Kristal_Rose replies to heyzeus1
Do you have any labradorite specimens? or any labradors?
heyzeus1 replies to Kristal_Rose 
no! niether!
i have a sweater i define as a labrador blue color, if i could show it to you you would see what color i
mean. there is a paint color by that name also. it's a very grey-blue, but doesn't look like both
colors. some people say its grey, some people say its blue, if that makes any sense. but no, i don't
have any lab specimens!
Kristal_Rose replies to heyzeus1 
I know it. It's much softer than the color of the stone. For a moment I had accidentally pictured
belinite which is really cool. It's the only stone I know in the same clinic formanion as quartz crystal,
but its jet black instead of clear; A curious coincidence like the cosmological timing that makes the
dark side of the moon possible.
heyzeus1 replies to Kristal_Rose 
hm ive seen that i think.
i like smoky quartz meself.
Kristal_Rose replies to heyzeus1 
I love it too. I saw a great 10" smoky quartz ball with a deity in it. They offered it to me for $750
(a months funding for me). I then pointed out what was inside and they figured they could get
$5000 for it. I then had a meditation that night of her history which ended in volcanic disastor.

heyzeus1 replies to Kristal_Rose 
i had an obsidian crystal ball for years, i don't remember what i did with it. it was very cool, it had
"poles" of reflective gold on the top and bottom, it was very unique. i bought it in 1988 at a roadside
stand in ponchaq springs , co. for 50$ and carried it with me for about ten years.

Kristal_Rose replies to heyzeus1 1.5.16
Sounds quite powerful, like the spheres of creation, also much like the means I used to create streams of positive and negative creation running through my house. My concentration is on earth restoration and social activism these days, now that I see I'm free to transcend it if I wish.

Are you two-faced person? 1.5.12

heyzeus1 
allah has the eight limbs and two faces of the all seeing eye, where the crow screams and thirty
paces deep shall the third face be found.

Kristal_Rose 
I have multiple personalities: in order of appearance: Thor, Amy, Kristal, Jasmine, Vivian, Celeste,
Kathryn/Joan, plus anyone elses I want to borrow temporarily.
Andrahanari - Brahmani. What do you want?
Kristal_Rose replies to heyzeus1 
Sounds like Horus as much as Siva-trimurti. Where's that quote from?
I didn't want to mention the Kali-Visnu kronos-uranus aspect. Looks like were commenting in synch.
I have a sculpture I made in rose quartz of horus/kali, the virgin mary/gaia, ganesh, etc. It's a
giant 3 faced sperm inside a triple vagina. It oscillates/sings. It commemorated my devirgination as
a woman in which I experienced 1000's of similar experiences including lilith & the virgin mary. I
thought the stone was white, but I finally washed and waxed it the morning after that experience
and discovered the stone is entirely blood streaked. I didn't have a clue that I was making it. I
started out just making an abstract scientific conception in which I was going to pump red, green, &
blue light into the three ribs and have the 3 mix in the center.

Biggles286 
Sometimes, I think I can be a little. I don't think it's in a negative way though - I just have
different ways of dealing with different people and different situations.

Kristal_Rose replies to Biggles286 
My method differs a little with everyone I meet. When you meet a frenchman, it helps to speak (&
think) some french.
Biggles286 replies to Kristal_Rose 
My some French would be a *very* small amount! It's the only language I can speak at all except
for English :-(  If I get to go to Russia on my gap year, I hope to learn Russian (otherwise I'll be
stuck!)
Kristal_Rose replies to Biggles286 
The point was that in a sense, everyone has their own language / worldview. You don't want to talk a
mile a minute to someone who thinks that minimalism is a sign of maturity.
Je parle en Francais aussi. J'ai travailler dans une garage Citroën pour dix ans.
Biggles286 replies to Kristal_Rose 
It's okay, I got your point :-)  I just wandered off on a tangent somewhere...........!
I'd respond to your French, but I can't remember much. I can translate what I read okay, but I
have trouble formulating sentences myself now. It would probably come back to me if I did a
refresher course.

heyzeus1 replies to Kristal_Rose 
my phrase above was just instantaneous verbal flatulance, but before writing it i was trying to think
of siva's name (i had a mental picture with the two faces eight arms). funny you mention
kronos-uranus i forgot about that one. wasn't that the father of zeus and everyone, and they cut
him up and threw him into the sea? 
Kristal_Rose replies to heyzeus1 
Ah, I forgot that part. He was eating all his kids first. Time has a way of doing that. Time can be
frozen into still frames of matter, after it leaves the moment of creation. I was rather disturbed
to find that out, since it was outside what I thought to be the limits of creation.

Kristal_Rose replies to micah 
DID?
micah replies to Kristal_Rose 
Dissociative Identity Disorder. 
Kristal_Rose replies to micah 
I can imagine someone trying to put that label on you. Did they? I could be accused of it too when I
enter certain states.
micah replies to Kristal_Rose 
It's way too subtle to notice. 
Kristal_Rose replies to micah 
For people who look outside-in, yes I guess so. Objectively entering dream connectedness with
nothing but a guiding mood as baggage. 'Travelling in water' is not as bad as 'travelling in fire
(dangerous)', 'lost in air' (possibly useful) or 'lost in earth' (probably all most psychologists can
imagine, though i'm sure they've seen the other behaviors)'. Does this make sense to you?

micah replies to Kristal_Rose 
If being 'lost in air' would pertain to having an alter whose personality tends toward a more Pisces
perspective, I may have a faint clue of what you're talking about. Otherwise....you lost me on that
one.
Kristal_Rose replies to micah 
Pisces is a water sign - travelling in water. Aquarius is an example of air. I imagine anyone could do
any of these, but now that you mention, yeah, i can see that one's sign would give them a
predisposition towards a tendency. 'Lost in air', would be more 'head in the clouds'. Water still
looks at this plane, though in a flowing dreamy fashion. I can partially see the realm of air people
(my daughters a gemini) but I've only visited. It's not where I live. Even my air experiences are a
bit watery.
By travelling I mean perceiving or working primarily on that plane. By lost, I mean so entirely on that
plane, that you aren't on the earth so to say; you're either on auto-pilot, or your actions on one plane
just appear to be actions on another, or your on one of those other planes and have lost your
bearings.
micah replies to Kristal_Rose 
I associate Pisces with 'Head in the clouds'.
Kristal_Rose replies to micah 
They daydream. It's not the same thing.
heyzeus1 replies to Kristal_Rose 
yeah freeze frames are disconcerting
Kristal_Rose replies to heyzeus1 
Oh, you caught that. Yeah that was weird. I learned about it from a girlfriend into Kali. I extended
einsteins theory of relativity a bit, and found that even math proves it exists. Have you witnessed it
at all? I can call it part of my reality in the way I can call anything including the void part of
creation, but it's certainly not what I called reality, though I concede there is a continuing memory
we can call history. I believe even history can be changed in a blink, for instance 30 years ago we
discovered rocks with DNA that have been here for billions of years. I'm willing to say that 40
years ago the world never had rocks with DNA. Ya with me?
heyzeus1 replies to Kristal_Rose 
yeah i have experienced some kind of time disruptions when i was a kid, and not due to drugs either.
ive had a lot of wierd things happen. and i know what you are getting at about the history thing. ever
hear of those particles scientists were studying (i dont remember what they were called), but they
found out by accident that when recorded on film these particles did different things and moved in
different patterns than when observed physically by the scientist. wierd, huh? history is a
subjective thing. and so i guess is everything else.

Kristal_Rose replies to heyzeus1 
Particle-wave observor phenomenon.. God-creator supplies infinite realities and god-perceiver
determines which.

heyzeus1 replies to Kristal_Rose
yeah its a wierd game though. even if you don't percieve god you get to play with all the
toys, but you have less rules.

Kristal_Rose replies to heyzeus1 1.5.16
Yeah, it's a subset to be sure. I'd say science is 'more rules' and 'less possibility' though. On the other hand, they miss out on all sorts of realms and understanding basics like karma.

If you thought your government was evil or morally wrong, would you consider taking terrorist acts against it? 1.5.13

Kristal_Rose 
No, I might peacefully protest though. More likely, I'd pray acts against it (obsolete policy), pray it
go the right way, or infiltrate it and set it right.
Business is just as much government as government is. I have one associate who is behind connecting
your cell phone to ads for all the products you walk past and the ability to buy them though that
phone too. Bush has a media campaign full of military fever, but a few decent things too.
People who think violent protest could change things are about half a century outdated. They
probably can't even see the things that they should actually be concerned about, particularly social
manipulation through media, & resource management. Our appliances use a fraction of the electricity
they did once, back when everyone owned a 300 lb. stereo and an electric can opener, yet we are
told we need to cut down forests and build several nuclear plants. I was impressed though when
people figured out what the World Trade Center was about. I believe in Ghandi's methods. Violence
is never necessary.

Kristal_Rose replies to Maarten 
You're planning to call Bush and chant Hare Krshna?
Maarten replies to Kristal_Rose 
No, joining the IRA.
Kristal_Rose replies to Maarten 
My cousin lives in Ireland. He was a peaceful anarchist at one point. I helped him design a laser to take out town surveillance cameras, and I showed him how to make phosphourescent inks from laundry detergent and photocopied books of passport stamps from communist countries we had around the house, so that he could smuggle political prisoners out of the USSR. That was many years ago, I think he followed my advice to avoid a life of espionage paranoia (already his encryptian schemes were being stolen), and became an atmospheric scientist.
Sowehow, I doubt you're serious. I hope you're not. I must say though that I don't think it's fair that the Seinn Feinn give up their weapons if Britain won't.

What color would your lightsaber be? 1.5.17
If you were a Darth Vader, what color would your lightsaber be, and why? Please explain in comments.

Kristal_Rose 
If I were me, it would be violet. If I were Darth Vader, it would be black.. an anti-light saber.
What a riot.

Kristal_Rose replies to Zang
One of my first mystic experiences was on a star-wars video game back around 1982. I wasn't doing all that hot (I'd never been good at stuff like video games back then.) Suddenly I'm flying through the dearth star corridor and the stereo speakers chant "Use the force Luke, use the force". I entered a new state and had flawless flying and shooting.
In real life, colors I have used as weaponry are white. Colors I have seen used in a negative matter are red, black, and green. Other colors I have moved about through are gold, violet, platinum, clear, and blue.
Zang: I design color coordinated auras, esp. green & lavendar. I can rarely even see them myself, but others who can comment on them. At the minimum they're reading my mind about what color aura I wanted. In times of serious need I just wear white spirit.
As I answer this a helicopter flies overhead. I always like to scatter a good array of multi-spectral energy around the block to screw up their readings. But then they're probably on infrared. They often show up in time for certain subject matter I type. They circle my building nearly weekly. I used to be able to attribute their presence to some parallel man hunt, but the it dawned on me that they don't use loudspeakers or sirens, and aren't accompanied by squad cars. They just circle around with search lights for about 40 minutes all the time for no apparent reason. They first appeared when I wrote a letter for clinton about the risks of nano-technology, they appeared in five minutes and hung out for two days, following me to school. Even my friends reported that after they talked to me, they would be followed by black limos. That was good fun.

Zang replies to Kristal_Rose 
*clears his throat* uh...okay? 
SueBee 
Purple, because it's my favorite color. What other reason could there be?
SueBee replies to joalis 
Well, that's a good reason to choose purple. Who says it's the color of protection? That's
cool but I've never heard it before.
Kristal_Rose replies to SueBee 1.5.19
I didn't know that was officially being said anywhere, but I do cast violet auras upon my bike and cats and such to protect them. I've left my $1000 bicycle unlocked for hundreds of hours while shopping, attending classes, etc., so it does seems to work.
I once wandered, lost in love, seeing purple light rain all about me, through a bowling alley while someone was broadcasting a great kabuki of Prince's 'Purple Rain'. Everytime I glanced at a lane, there would be a strike.

SueBee replies to Kristal_Rose
Send some my way please! 

Kristal_Rose replies to SueBee 1.5.19
done :-) with some white and metallics even.
SueBee replies to Kristal_Rose 
Oh, I like it! Thank you! 

dabprovin 
A lavendar-ish baby pink
Kristal_Rose replies to dabprovin 
Periwinkle would be good too.

dabprovin replies to Kristal_Rose 
Is that what I'm describing? Humm.Never thought about it that way.I need to go take a look at my
color chart.

Kristal_Rose replies to dabprovin 
No, periwinkle is on the dutch-blue/turquoise side of lavendar, not the fuchsia side. It's a very
sweet relaxing color, not as pasionate as the one you mentioned.
dabprovin replies to Kristal_Rose 
OOoooh.O.K. :}
Kristal_Rose replies to dabprovin 
;x

wavez2000 
I wouldnt be apart of the dark side of the force, i'd be a jedi princess and have my own unuique
saber and be luke skywalker's "babe"
Kristal_Rose replies to wavez2000 
You wouldn't be 'apart' of it eh?
wavez2000 replies to Kristal_Rose 
nope, jedi life is the best!!!
Kristal_Rose replies to wavez2000 
Sinister humor. I was picking on your typo "Not a part of the dark side" vs. "Not apart from".
It's cheerful to see your obliviousness. Yep, I definitely try to stay on the right side of the force,
"Pure power corrupts" as they say. Joda is 'Jod He'. Jod He Vav He is the hebrew for Jehovah.

heyzeus1 replies to joalis 
don't forget!
rainbow = hippies
Kristal_Rose replies to heyzeus1 
I guess that would definitely include me. I still have the rainbow beaded curtains up in the house
and crystals on the windows, & the homemade lava lamps, not to mention I honeymooned three
weeks across the country camping in a graffitied vw bug, and of course had the music, drugs,
organic diet, and homemade furniture and all that to match when I was younger.

heyzeus1 replies to Kristal_Rose 
how do you make a homade lava lamp? 
heyzeus1 replies to Kristal_Rose 
some say jesus origional name (before years of translation) was yeshua, which i think would
translate to modern joshua
Kristal_Rose replies to heyzeus1 
lava lamp: boil a wax of mineral oil (baby oil is impure), grocery parrafin, and crayola crayons for
color. Make the liquid from a mix of 70% & 90% alcohol and food color. You will need to tune the
right proportion of alcohol for several hours at operating temperature. The way it works is that the
thermal co-efficient of expansion is greater (and less fluid) for the wax than the alcohol. When hot
it expands and weighs less, when cool it contracts, weighs more than the alcohol, and sinks again.
Yes there are tons of names. Enheduanna speaks of this in "what is your real name".
I made a lamp which appears as a gold lime bobbing in an antique orange crush bottle with a lamp
base and stone base of orange with lime speckles and striations. A bamboo arrangement is built into
the lamp. I've made others which say as much.

SueBee replies to Kristal_Rose 
What do you put it in? Is there a place where you can buy the electrical components and jar?
Kristal_Rose replies to SueBee 
No. You have to find a nice wine or soda bottle or jar (antique stores are good) and find or build a
lamp to fit; something with a metal shade that allows the bottle to sit directly on the bulb (a 40w
reflector or appliance bulb is about right). You want something the cat wont knock over though.
SueBee replies to Kristal_Rose 
Sounds too complicated for me, but I was just curious anyway.
Kristal_Rose replies to SueBee 
My 13 year old daughter made one for her science fair project complete with density calculations (which you fake afterwards to fit what worked). She seems to be 10 or 20 years ahead of me an the same age in so many respects. I skimmed most of the public library's science and engineering section by the time I was 8. Engineering's one of her low points. I expect great things of her, though she might just live in a log-cabin. She's the one person I would instantly trade my life in for to save.

Which of the following products have you tried snorting just to get high? 1.5.8

Kristal_Rose 
Nothing from this list but a few things that aren't on it including:
{all long long ago, and usually only once or twice}
nutmeg
bananadine
powdered jalapeno pepper juice (on a dare)
tried coke a few times long long ago
coke (the soda) during my first time with the other (pure & natural, probably hasn't existed
for a decade or two). My friend says "here, you'll want to wash it down with this". I knew
what I was doing, but i figured what the heck, i'll try it. It tastes like diet coke by the time it
drips down.
'locker room' or 'rush' (amyl nitrate) - do they still sell this stuff?
nitrous oxide (laughing gas used by dentists and in whipped cream)
and snuff (finely powdered perfumed fermented tobacco) I still carry with me as something
to entertain with at parties.
the stuff on my list wasn't great, but the stuff on this list is really bad.

smurf 
Not interested in getting high. What a waste. People who get high obviously don't have enough
existing brain cells to risk losing a whole lot more ...
Kristal_Rose replies to smurf 
Do you ever drink alcohol?
smurf replies to Kristal_Rose
Do I EVER drink alcohol? I could count on one hand the amount of times I've had a
bit. I had 1 glass of wine at a movie premier, 1 glass of wine to celebrate passing a
course, 1 glass at Christmas last year. And I think I remember tasting a KGB a
couple of years back. And that's it Boring, huh?
Kristal_Rose replies to smurf 1.5.21
Every month I buy a bottle or two of wine or a fancy hard liquor. It's evident I don't drink though, because now I have a huge collection in need of a cabinet or some parties.
Well, you've avoided the trap I set for you. Congratulations. :-)
I was preparing to show the positive and negative ways in which alcohol compares to drug experimentation or abuse, then suggest you not condemn one but not the other. Monks are known to get drunk, other traditions use various other drugs. I find virtue and fault in them all depending upon ones self-discipline and motives.
I see halucinogens and grass as heightening perception, the others I have no interest in though I've tried most of them once or twice. Don Juan teaches that you're not supposed to become a habitual user; that each plant teaches a lesson, after which you should be able to take your mind to that consciousness without drugs. Alcohol is really low on my list. It seems to dull all faculties. The only praise I have for it is that it also dulls inhibitions, which is a benefit to shy people at parties who might otherwise not participate in conversations. None of these have detracted from connection with God, and most have even helped me learn new things. I think you will miss the point if you try to speculate on the nature of drug experiences based on getting drunk sometime, though indeed many drugs are like that but worse.
I agree that they are waste of time, like playing video games, but I also think a person should get into a good video game at least once, just to acknowledge the appeal. If you thought you were going to hell for trying acid, then I'd stay far away because that's exactly what you would experience. Likewise I think your character would bring out the paranoia, and not the warm emotional side of weed. I just want you to keep in mind that although they will probably never do you much good, and destroy the lives of many, that for some they have served good purposes. Disneyland, trail hiking, and skydiving all have their place for certain people.

If you were to do LSD where would you purchase it? 1.5.13
joalis replies to Maarten 
Yesterday of the day before, I was reading about something that happened in Amsterdam. I
can't remember what it was, but it made it to the news on the net. Would you be able to
guess what news story that might have been?
Kristal_Rose 
If I knew where to get it these days, I wouldn't publicise it. I did it once a decade ago, and a
couple times half a decade before that. It amplifies everything. I wouldn't recommend it
unless your life is full of love already. I thought it was great. But my universe can get as
weird or full of realisations as I want without drugs now, especially with prolonged meditative
states.
Kristal_Rose replies to joalis
About 20 years ago, when I worked the drive-thru window at Jack-in-the-Box (in the beach
tourist town of Santa Cruz, CA), A guy drove through on acid (on a friday/saturday night 9
out of 10 driving customers were on something - scary) and was telling me how how the actual
devil had been on his windshield and bit his knuckle. I was worried that perhaps some (more
corporeal) being actually had been on his windshield to inspire his vision. Oh, those were crazy
times too.
Kristal_Rose replies to Persephone 
This looks weird. There's no anonymous, yet you have two comments, possibly contradictory.
Persephone: It's really hard to get acid... & Persephone replies to anonymous: Why are you
asking such a question?... Both yours?
I found LSD to be fleeting & vivid (airy) where shrooms were more sustained &
impressionistic (watery). They are about the safest drugs out there physiologically, on the par
with all the things pschiatrists prescribe like SSRI's. Continued use probably isn't good, but
most people aren't inclined to do it frequently anyhow. Ecstasy is like the emotional aspect of
shrooms, but bad stuff, health wise. I believe the 'I'm an orange' story is one of those urban
myths that have been floating around for decades, but i do know some first hand stories: One
freind of a freind made the mistake of giving some acid to the cat, after which it would never
leave it's spot on top of the water heater. The other was a workshop neighbor that gave up
acid after watching an ocean pier walk off into the sunset.
romkey replies to Kristal_Rose
I think Persephone was replying to the anonymous who created the survey
I know people who've had severe problems after using LSD too - but they had severe
problems before, as well.
While I may say it's one of the safest psychoactives from a toxicity perspective, I'd never
advise using it without having some idea of what you're getting into, using it in a safe space
and with a healthy mind and body. Otherwise you're asking for trouble - but it's similar to the
trouble you're asking for in many other circumstances.
Kristal_Rose replies to romkey 
The proportion of drug books to drug experiences was about 1:1 for me, excluding grass and
alcohol.
I would never do a halucinogen unless I was out in nature or at home with sweet people.
Living in Santa Cruz, CA, it was common to hear lectures from Leary, McKenna, Weil, etc. on
the radio.
Kristal_Rose replies to albert 
Yea, your back. 
Have you tried acid? I think many of us here have. ..and I would consider them sane.
I think of exploring drug states on the par with exploring arts, sciences, geography, cultures,
religions, games, meditation states, etc. 
I heartily recommend trying it at least once in a sweet semi-controlled environment for
anyone trying to understand the mind.
romkey replies to albert 
it's like doing particle scattering experiments with your consciousness... but I hold that it can
be used safely, and that you can learn a lot from it.
SueBee replies to romkey 
Thanks! I'm about due for a trip to the library.
Kristal_Rose replies to romkey 
well worded. I see those particles within a unified field context myself.
albert replies to romkey 
Certainly can be used in a situation that decreases risk to a more reasonable level, (although
'safely' is a misleadingword to use), I believe. BUT, I don't believe that very many people
are going to limit their usage of a substance to perfect conditions, once they have tried it
once or twice (or three times) and gain a little (unfounded) confidence. Its pretty easy to be
careful the first time. But as time goes on, and nothing bad happens (maybe BECAUSE of your
precautions), you fall victim to the fallacy of positive instances, and start lowering your shield.
EVENTUALLY, somethings going to come right over the top of it and pound you in your head.
Because for every time that it doesn't.. you take fewer precautions. 
And once you have done something once, all the hard work is done... the apprehension
(Assuming you have any), the actual finding of the drug, the psychological significance... those
are gone the second time, its easier (psychologically as well as practically) to continue the
behavior... its easier to do something the 3rd time than it is to do it the second time. The best
bet, for 95% of people, is to stay away from it. Sure, there are those out there who actually
CAN handle these things, but... how do you know if you are one of them with complete and
realistic confidence? 
albert replies to Kristal_Rose 
Average SC user is not an average individual. Generally speaking, this is a highly intellectual
community. Even for the internet. An interesting question is... what about sc attracts such
people...
IN any event, yeah, there are a lot of people out there who used LSD once/twice/twenty
times with no serious negative results.
But... what if the ratio is... 1 to 100. 100 people used the drug once with no negative results,
and 1 used the drug once with serious negative results of one form or another. Chances are,
you aren't going to ever meet the one, and if you do, he isn't going to want to talk about it, or
volunteer information on it. A 1% chance of screwing up your life... over an 8 hour long
experience...
romkey replies to albert 
by that argument you might as well stop breathing...
Kristal_Rose replies to albert 
Guess what, the world is being prescribed psych meds in abundance, most with 6-14%
liklihood of some nausea, rash, sleeplessness, ticks, confusion, irritability, or something.
Nardil even has a 2% risk of fatality. Most of those used for schizophrenia will cause
irreversible extrapyramidal symptoms (street shuffling) after about 7 years of use. I lived
in Santa Cruz, where most of the people you met had tried acid. I have seen plenty of lives
damaged by coke and heroin and even habitual grass usage, but never by halucinogens.
albert replies to Kristal_Rose 
That is not a good analogy. Most psych. meds DO have serious side effects. BUT, they are
used to treat serious disorders, and they are prescribed by people with Medical Degrees
under close observation, and produced by big pharmaceutical companies (as in, they are
consistent in dose), and they are checked for drug interactions...
Boredom is not a serious disorder. A drug dealer is not as qualified as a physician. 'LSD' isn't
always the same chemical (often-times it is another LSA), nor is there a standard dosage, or
way of determining the volume of lsd in a hit.
Using heroin every single day for a year will screw you up. We already know that. I am not
disagreeing. Using LSD every single day for a year would probably screw you up MUCH
worse.
Using (a reasonable quanitity of reasonably pure) heroin ONCE is probably less dangerous
than using (a reasonable quantity of) LSD once, ignoring the addictive potential which heroin
has and LSD doesn't really have. The drug LSD, on a DOSE BY DOSE BASIS, is VERY
dangerous. Generally, the danger is reduced by the fact that very few people use LSD more
often than... say... 20 times in a 1 year period, standard usage is probably more like 1-20 times
per year for up to 4 years.
Standard usage for heroin, however, is more like... 1-700 times per year, for up to 20 years.
Sure, it is safer to use LSD only once than to get addicted to heroin, and it is safer to use
heroin only once than get addicted to alcohol or nicotine. BUT, we must assess the danger on a
use by use basis. Unless you include the 'danger of addiction' with heroin, you really can't
compare its single-use-risk, to that of LSD.
Kristal_Rose replies to albert 
My motive was exploration, not boredom. Doses can be calibrated accurately. I suspect that
labs like Sandoz still produce this stuff. Look at our meds survey, a huge proportion of us are
on pharmaceuticals with similar risks. Perhaps some people do flip out; I've never run into
them, but I have run into hundreds who did just fine. The people I met who tried heroin
regretted it, those on acid did not, even though they usually gave it up. Many spiritual
practices like prolonged meditation and fasting can create similar seratonin effects. Do you
consider that dangerous too? In ancient cultures halucinogenic usage was limited to priests
and ceremonial usage with training. I agree that it would be foolish to give it to reckless
paranoid people cruising the streets with paint guns. I consider LSD to be amplifier of a
persons potential. People with bad stuff to amplify are at risk.
So do you know anyone who had a bad trip?
albert replies to Kristal_Rose
1) There are people for whom the use of lsd is... Logical... Reasonable... With Point.
2) These people are RARE.
3) Most people who think they are one of these people are not.
Every study ever done, has lead to the conclusion that illicit drug use, however
controlled or limited, in the vast majortiy of cases, is detremental to the physical and
psychological health of the user. There are readily available statistics out there (and
you can get them yourself), on the dangers of LSD. 
Do you really think, that all those Ph.D.s, all those M.D.s, Psy.D.'s out there, are
'naive' and are being misleading about the very drugs and drugs users which they
study and deal with on a regular basis?
The answer to your last question is yes. There was a group of about... oh... 5 young
men around here (they are all around 21 now), who, began using LSD around 4
years ago, and continued to use (to varying extents), for a year or two, but have since
stopped. It did not do a single one of them any good. Even THEY, at this point, can
detail the exact way in which it fucked up their lives. I saw two of them distributing
anti-drug literature at a local rave. One developed a stutter. One is just... different...
know than he used to be. Almost like he is high on Pot, even when he isn't. All of
them ended up at the local University (and a couple of them, I distinctly remember,
had dreams of making it a little farther in life), and not a single one of them is on the
track to getting a degree any time soon... (as in, within the next 3 years.). Truth be
told, they are all kind of a little... more... out of touch... dissociated from reality... than
they used to be. Un-realistic.
I'm not saying LSD can't be a good experience, I am saying that chances are, EVEN
IF YOU THINK IT WILL BE, it won't be. 
Kristal_Rose replies to albert 
1)& 2) Agreed. I think their are 3 basic motives for drug usage: 1) Mind expansion, 2) Thrill seeking, 3) Escapism. Escapists are diging their grave resorting to drugs, Thrill seekers could find healthier outlets, Mind expanders can get lost in the land of lotus eaters and not realize that they're not progressing further.
The acid era was created by Ph.D folks.
People attracted to acid also had a propensity towards 'liberal arts' attitudes. If one developed a stutter, it wasn't a bad trip, it was doing way too much for way too long. I could name 20 psych meds which would do worse in a similar administration. I had an exploratory drug agenda that sat on my books for years before I accidentally found what I'd intended. 'Lysperiments', I'd labelled it. They were fools to let their life slide by, but in ways, quite comparable to a popular culture that spends it time immersed in video games, and are also, in a different manner, out of touch. Still, to some degree, it's a lifestyle decision. I can imagine you putting up a great arguement against people wasting their college years on becoming thespians, with no great motivation to become professional performance artists. It's like a parallel world that's a sort of fairy kingdom (there are quite many really). Truly, living in those kingoms disassociates people from the others, and they should have a good idea where they are headed before they get stuck somewhere. But then a high percentage of society manages to get itself stuck somewhere, and jumping off a high-rise because you lost your corner office is no better than seeing UFO's on moonlit evenings under the wisterias. Kindness & appreciation of life matter more than whethar or not one has goal oriented consciousness. I personally believe in a balance of these realms. It is indeed sad when anyone gets stuck in dead end, as those gents you mentioned had. My personal experiences have been quite different from yours. Given yours, I would have probably come to the same conclusions as you.

Why do some people think sex is offensive? 1.5.21
Kristal_Rose 
Possibilities include: they wish to keep it private, it should be made more special by it's
limited visibility, it should not be debased by treating it as just another entertainment, they
haven't been desensitized to it, they are embarrassed or unsure of their own sexual
beliefs, they would rather spend their public time on other subjects, they don't actually find
it offensive but believe others do and wish to protect their image, they hope to protect the
young from adult concerns...
More unfortunate possibilities include: they were told it is a sin; their own thoughts of it are
corrupted with associations of vulgar, violent, or other contaminant thoughts; they have
experienced rape or other atrocities; they can not control their own behavior so wish to not
have it triggered; they never enjoyed sex and think it icky like a snotty nose...
There's just a ton of stuff that can go wrong in the human psyche.
Kristal_Rose 
I've noticed different cultures have different attitudes too.
I grew up with white upper class, where a lot of subtlety and tact (A Frasier rapport) was
involved in dating; 'sex' might never even be said, though it was the undercurrent subject of
a conversation. In contrast, I see cultures who might yell across the street "Hey sexy
mama, let's get funky". With all my conditioning, I find it repulsive, yet argueably, it's more
honest than what I'm accustomed too. Likewise, I find it quite offensive when other cultures
teach lude dancing to their 7 year olds (I've had neighbors in two towns do this).
Personally, I've noticed that I sometimes occupy my attention elsewhere during sex scenes
in movies. I have my doubts that that's a good sign. At least I quite enjoy the real thing with
a loving partner.

Oscar 
Because it has been taken out of context way too much. It is supposed to be a private thing
that is special, not some sort of conquest that everyone strives for and is proud of when
they get it and those who get it more are even more triumphant.

Kristal_Rose replies to Oscar 
I believe in what you're saying and try to preach that understanding, and yet I'll give you a contrasting story that you'll probably find shocking. Many years ago in the first couple years of my spiritual awakening which included 8 years of celibacy, I was at a night club, and had been too shy to ask anyone to dance. It occurred to me that if I were tighter with God, that I could probably ask any gal there too make love with me while the crowd let us alone or admired us. Last October, it occurred to me that I needed to have some fun as transgendered lesbian while I still had the chance until a real relationship came along, and that I should taste meaningless promiscuity at least once, so I decided that that should occur that at the party I was going to. I was at an art reception with a live band, exchanged a sentence or two with a school teacher and her mother, and the next thing you know we were squirming on the floor (no sex though) for the next hour while the crowd we ignored somewhat cheered. It was, as I envisioned years earlier, a win-win situation in which everyone enjoyed themselves and no one was offended (God can arrange who shows up where). Although I had some spiritual bonding with her, it was still a rather hollow experience which confirmed my suspicions about such activity. I don't really have much sex drive though, so it was actually a bit more like a swedish massage art performance piece in time with the music. The rest of the time at the party was filled with my favorite pastime, preaching about the diverse omnipotence of God we can experience. That night was an experiment, on the surface, it was an example of how society probably shouldn't behave, but the deeper lesson was about how God can change the rules of your reality.
I guess I want to know how you feel about this paradigm because your spiritual views are probably the most opposite of mine of anyone here. I don't wish to hear your favorite quotes. I want to know your deepest feelings on the possibility that my path might be as viable as your own, or at least understand what I'm trying to accomplish, even if you reject the mechanics of the theology.
I understand that you are probably sensitive about even considering these thoughts, fearing being heretical. Ask me to back off, and I will. Folks like Natsim here are already phrasing lessons far more appropriate for where your at. Say nothing, and I'll probably continue to just drop my in my 2¢ worth while expecting you to comment to others instead, and safeguard what you imagine needs protected.
I too consider the conquest mentality vulgar.

Oscar replies to Kristal_Rose 
I guess the main thing is that I have admit my ignorance. Most of the time I don't reply to your
comments because the terminology and wording that you use goes far above my head. I have no idea
what you are hinting at or what you are saying most of the time.
Because of this, I don't know what your beliefs are or what your question is. Rephrase it so that a
high school graduate can understand and I may be able to answer you.

Kristal_Rose replies to Oscar 
Thanks for letting me know. I otherwise would have kept babbling in a way you don't understand.
Almost everything i said was a separate point.
Together, these points made a point that was abstract or subjective. You probably prefer concrete
examples and questions. I'll try to summarise:
1) God can bend the rules of the world in such a way that everyone is happy.
2) Biblical advice is not hard and fast. It's still good advice, but there are times, and even whole
cultures to whom the same rules do not apply.
3) God trained me out of lust long ago. Someone watching me at the party could have thought I was
a sex maniac, but my purpose was more to prove to myself that through god, even that which I
thought could never happen could be granted in the blink of an eye.
4) People at the party were amused, not offended. That was because I could see Gods hand in all of
it. If I considered them mere people, and could care less if I offended them, God might have sent
the type that get offended my way, which would have been bad karma.

PS- At that same party in which I was preaching and feeling out on the floor (is their a new term for
it 2 generations later?), I also met my girlfriend with whom I have a close, but entirely non-sexual
relationship with.

I basically directed this extreme example at you, because you seemed most likely to be suffering
through trying to live by a whole bunch of rules, when I feel 
that god is a living force surrounding us as suits our evolvement.. That most important is the
attitude in which we do things, not which things we do.

Hopefully that was a bit easier reading. It's hard for me to outline thoughts, and still speak in an
easy conversational style.

Kristal_Rose replies to Oscar 1.5.23
btw: Never be afraid to admit you don't understand. It's the most considerate thing to do for everyone involved. (except when you're in a large group that is clearly more advanced than you, and you would be infringing on what they got to learn. If they're at the same level, then ask; someone else is probably wondering the same thing.)
I used to be afraid to ask peoples names, after hearing it once, but I learned that people want you to know their name and are accepting that your memory for names ain't great. {I do have a trick though; I ask God, and just at that moment someone will call the person by their name. Likewise I can ask the TV questions, say for instance "how does photosynthesis work", and a show will appear soon explaining it. This is excellent for bible study. You can have faith that when you flip open the bible, the passage is worth contemplating for what you are going through at the time. Further (once you've reached the mystic stage) you can have the radio help explain what your bible passages mean, or forego the bible entirely, and have the radio (or passers-by)(in the mystical interpretation) be your bible on a moment by moment basis. It's helped me know for instance know who to hand money out to and who not to. btw- I'm explaining to you what the bible calls the logos. There are other types of logos too. You could call it Jesus (it's a voice of Jesus (if you're pure (it's the devil if you aren't))). It was my gateway to God, but there are other ways too.} There are probably less than a million or two people connected to the logos in such a fashion so don't fret if you never hear it. It's a long road. It usually starts for people overnight, when they accept christ as their savior, or whatever equivalent their religion has (the fundamental part is that they're ready to replace their world with one of God's hand).

Oscar replies to Kristal_Rose
Thank you for the simpler explanation. I didn't mean to sound rude when I was asking for it,
but I'm sure you have a lot of good things to say. If I weren't trying to work and use SC at the
same time, I could have probably figured it out. 
From what I can tell, our beliefs are completely opposite. 
I don't believe that God bends. "Yesterday, today, forever Jesus is the same." I don't believe
that He will change Who He is or what He is to make man happy. The rules have been set
in advance and it is up to us to bend to meet them.
I do agree with you about the attitude thing though. "Man looks on the outward appearance,
but God looks at the heart." It is more of how we do something (our heart attitude) then it is
the thing we do. God is not pleased with lip service though, it is more pure hearted action
that pleases Him.
joalis replies to Kristal_Rose
Then why is it that when you knock something over or off a table, either by accident or to
get it out of your way, people get all perturbed because you made a loud noise and didn't
say 'oops'... even if you are in a good mood?

Kristal_Rose replies to joalis 
No, of course not. But answering this example is a really poor context to demonstrate the concept. I could you the inter-dimensional answer to this, but it would be complex and probably not something you could get into. There are states of being in which an apology is unnecessary, in those, everyone is psychically bonded and their hearts are aglow. Neither of us are there now, so I will give a more mundane explanation of the karma involved.
Such things that occur naturally without intention such as scratching your self, letting the dog out, etc. don't naturally indicate a lack of respect, society however has deemed it so, none-the-less. A person aware that others feel such in such away, and can indeed feel disrespected, has an opportunity to be compassionate towards their concerns. It is an opportunity much like a pretty blouse is an opportunity to praise someone. Suppose someone did apologize, but did so in a tone that was detectibly sarcastic or passive-agressive. You would probably be more perturbed than if they had merely silently cleaned up the mess. People who have good hearts and fearless behavior are bound to have their actions and words follow. Only for an would it make sense to feel concern and not act upon it. Sensitive people will know the invalid spreads love even though they can act upon it. Contrariwise, how would you feel about the boyscout that comes to your door, asking if you need help with your garbage, grumbling all the while about what a pain "do a good turn daily" is, and sneering with distaste at your decor. When a young child knocks something over I am perturbed about their behavior, because I know that they have not learned what society's hang-ups and expectations in such matters are.
I remember once long ago doing some college theater work where I felt I was tucked into a corner quietly having my skills under-utilized. Someone approached me out of the blue and said "You think that you are not doing anything, but your prayers are making a big differnce here." Most of my prayers are answered, but no one living solely on the physical plane would have reason to associate community progress with anything I was doing. Some people are unable to carry out higher and lower work simultaneously, as I once had difficulty with. There is a difference between 'in a good mood', and 'loving others'. Back on the physical plane, you should be able to read a persons body language and comport. For some a shy apologetic glance will suffice, for others, you should be able to see that they are high minded reverent beings, although they silently clean the mess without apology. You know how to judge character. I think your example was that of obliviousness, not a higher connection. I think you are arguing against a meaning that was never intended.
A much more appropriate context for this would be in the service a person does do. For instance, they might wish they could landscape their entire slum for the benefit of their neighbors. Instead they only do as much as they can do, which might be to landscape the sidewalk in front of their yard. In my experience, operating like this with enough prayer to back it up will in fact result in the city or the other neighbors following suit. Sufi's and other Eastern religions, but even Christianity by some interpretations, reccomend that you see God in each other; that you serve people to serve God, and consider gifts from others to be gifts from God. When you have faith in this system, you can live a carefree socialist karma in which you can give to the needy wihout expectation of repayment because you are giving to God who can return payment when you need it through another body. It is a separate paradigm at odds with others unfortunately which would shackle us in an 'every man for themself' form of responsibility. It requires some experience to balance both realms simultaneously.

Kristal_Rose replies to joalis 
This discussion would have been more relevant to the "Do you agree that one gives little when they give of their possessions, and that it is when they give of themselves that they truly give?" survey.

Kristal_Rose replies to Oscar 1.5.24
I think you'll agree with most a comment I just made to joalis re: pure hearted action.
For debates sake, if you care to play, or so I might better understand what you mean..
I believe that God is omnipotent and embodies everything. On a whim God has the ability to decide "I'm tired of being 6 billion people and galaxies like grains of sand", and a second later God could annihilate the entire universe and take the form of a happy little glowbug where the star Andromeda used to be. It seems God has changed his position a few times in the bible: "No more floods, guys.", "It's about Jesus, not the law now, guys."
btw: My attention to the survey was equally divided in a rare fashion, so I suppose I'm getting in synch with you.
I spent a couple hours pacing around thinking about you. I opened Romans to get a word on what you were going through. It is roughly comparable to different path I went through as renunciant yogi in ways. I'll explain that later.
This comment is for you. It is not meant to be mistaken as a generality. I question tonight whethar it is even as useful to where your at as I imagined earlier, so please bear with me, even if type this for no other reason than to justify last nights study.

Background: You are part of God. God is eternal. You seem willing to believe in wrath. God has the patience even to put you through a life of misery if such is indicated, since your here for the long run anyhow. I, however don't wish to have you undergo a miserable lesson similar to one I had to go through.
Almost all religions exist to get one to evolve to a higher spiritual consciousness. Most religions in fact have several methods. Yoga includes devotion, service, discipline, renunciation, etc. Some are much more pleasant paths than others. Christianity too offers several similar paths. Different churches emphasize different lessons: there are 'fire and brimstone churches', and 'new age christian churches' which don't bring up wrath much at all. After chatting with you I felt it necessary to explore Romans. I will summarise it as best I can, in the context of us being ignorant parts of an omnipotent eternal being.
Romans 7: The law was created to call sin that which comes naturally to the body. The law is designed to be more severe than you can achieve. Because you wish to align yourself with good, you will make an enemy of this world and your life until it becomes an unbearable hell. You will wish to escape, but that is not permitted either. Your only option is to partially escape by having your consciousness enter a higher realm while accepting that your body was meant to sin.

I will now illustrate with my personal experience. I briefly chose the paths of devotion, then service, with a bit of renunciation. It was great. I gave up worrying about all sorts of crazy schemes, was more focused, and basically took care of work and home priorities while spending the rest of time in worship. Within a couple of weeks of my conversion, I heard the voice of God. It directed me through all sorts of transformations, for instance urging me to quit smoking. However, I had now seen that there was more to reality than I had seen in my more agnostic period, and was eager to transform as rapidly as possible. I thought if some renunciation was good, the most would be best. The voice commanded that I be obedient at times, that I forsake all earthly attachment, which meant for instance that I was not allowed to talk with other people unless I could see them as extensions of God. I even tried to work without watching what I was doing and attempting to surrender to God's consciousness instead (it actually worked, but it sure was painful to surrender my most precious vision). Ultimately though, I wasn't able to handle having cut all my ties with the physical world; I was still seeing it, I just wasn't partaking in it anymore. I then got the notion that perhaps God was testing my faith by leaving me no option but the test of suicide. I was talked through that one even, having made a ceremony of it. I lived through it suffering nothing but a cave like ringing in my ears for a few days and having to go through plenty of garlic and niacin flushes. Anyhow, the next day I was told by God that the only reason I went through with all that was because I had the hardheaded notion that God required sacrifice of me, and that until I went through the worst, I wasn't going to let go of foolish notion. After that, I realized that God was here to help me through physical reality which I was meant to enjoy. I'd come to accept all the gifts I already enjoyed, like being an artist. I asked God how can I serve with this skill and 3 hours later I was invited to be part on the guiding committee of a 1/4 mile mural project to save the beaches. My life had made a delightful turn-around. I realize this isn't quite the path you are on, but I see some similarities. There are things in peoples personal paths to God which exist as methods of transformation, not ends in themself. I wish to say though, that not unlike that prescribed in Romans, though I have transcended being subject to the law, it is still my duty to abide within it, constantly honing, reevaluating, and refining my understanding and practice of morals and ethics to higher standards. We differ in that mine are derived from frequent dialogue with God, life experience, and karma. When I'm 90 years old, or until such time as I am entirely merged with the consciousness of God, I still expect to be hammering out the nuances of best thought and behavior, even though I consider this world to be bordering on illusion. I expect new situations to constantly demand new interpretation. God guides me through managing my credit, yet the bible prescribes (with damn good reason) that credit interest shouldn't even be allowed to exist. We are about to enter an age in which people have a wireless internet connection hardwired into their brains and computers existing at a molecular level in everything you touch. A metaphysician from three millenia ago would say that that was basically what exists already. None-the-less, I suggest that without intense interpretation of the highest ideals present in the bible, that it's social rules will not immediately seem to apply. Billions of people think that 'Thou shalt not kill' doesn't pertain to video games, but what if all we experienced was a video game. You might think that couldn't happen, but just five years ago the average person thought cloning a mouse to be outrageous. Now it's generally as a boon towards coming organ transplants, while meanwhile scientists clone the most complex brain tissues and make computers out of the stuff. God will exist even when the appearance of physical reality has changed beyond recognition.
Hopefully I didn't catch you at work on this one. Romans is a lot to digest.
Kristal_Rose replies to Oscar 1.5.24
I could summarise and simplify this too into specific points, but not tonight. For the meantime I'll quote from a person who rescued me "There are dead-ends, cul-de-sacs, and side trips along the path." I was trapped in pure Déja-vu at the time and he pointed out "Just because it's spiritual doesn't mean you should pursue it". As you can see, these don't particularly apply to you, except in the sense that anything any person does falls short of absolute divinity.
By the way, I appreciate the way we get along in spite of our major differences.
So what kind of work do you do. Apparently you get a computer.

Oscar replies to Kristal_Rose 
Does that scare you?
I'm just curious because it does bother me.

Kristal_Rose replies to Oscar
So far, there interfacing the parietal lobe. The primary immediate purpose seems to be to
network soldiers (the Borg of star trek) and connect them directlly to their weapons and
cameras. The idea though is to turn us into parts of a consolidated machine. It's kind of like
cell phones (which they hope real soon to have speaking advertisements as you pass
products in the grocery). People will accept that as necessary cost of mobile
communication. I hate to think that people might one day consider advertisements in their
head a neccessary cost of being able to talk to each other. They can already identify which
marathon runner is where by a device that fits in a shoelace, and they microchip pets. .. and
they're pushing the idea that your children won't be safe if they aren't so connected. Being
able to compete with this technology is one of the reasons I practice my telepathy. There
may be a time when it is the only way to communicate without being plugged into
technology.

I'm never being hooked up permanently to something electronic. If it didn't get abused, it would be far more revolutionary than the telephone, being able to share thoughts with anyone anywhere, even share surreal group movies created on the spot. If you've seen the matrix or the 13th floor, this is where it's heading. Quickly. Big companies are working on ways to intercept lifes vital functions far more severely than the tobacco industry. They do things like replace farmers seeds with new breeds that need licensed yearly. If they have their way you won't be able to have sex without buying the proper prescription. I have a peer I talk to who is behind the targeted advertising you'll see on cell phones soon (he also preaches nanotech). Years ago people weren't expecting ads on the internet. If your observant you'll realize that their not any just any ads either. If you type in a chat room that you like photography, you'll get camera ads. Some consumer types think that's the coolest. Only ads you're interested in. Imagine computerized versions of advanced psychiatrists that hear your every thought and decide which news or products to inform you of, and how to go about it. If they figure out your a hypochondriac they'll have you fearing everything, perhaps even suggest a freeway has high pollen so you'll drive by sponsored stores instead that have the kitchenware you've been trying to hold off buying. I don't like it at all. But still, God will always be there watching out for us. A dozen nuclear bombs have accidentally landed in the US, but misfired. People like me can make fantastic use of the internet to find scientific and metaphysical stuff. Since my background ear is on a higher plane of interpretion, I don't hear TV ads anyhow: I'm conversing with God. I'd expect likewise living in VR. But I'm a back to nature person. I believe every yard should have a hen and a goat and some fruit trees, and everyone should be sharing their skills with their neighbors, including guitar and storytelling. There's nothing like being face to face. For me, life is VR anyhow. I pray for newsworthy events, and they happen. I've played with magically conjured light particle streams. I know how much of Gods painters canvas this world really is. When they develop nanotechnology, you will have a revolution in 2 years, like the computer took a century roughly. When that happens, all matter will be subject to nanoviruses that travel at the speed of electricity through air reconfiguring every particle they touch. You could say "make all trees purple today", and in a couple seconds the world would have purple trees. There will be no difference between life and VR. I foresaw this back in 1993. I've travelled to the future in meditation and seen it happen (though I believe the future can change). I figured out the missing concept that will make that sort of nanotechnology possible, and sent it to the department of energy in hopes of preventing the 14 fission plants to be built here in california. The ancient jewish and chaldean metaphysicists say this has happened before. The tree-of-life (the main map for those jewish priests), though a model of different realms of God consciousness, is also a model of nuclear physics to build a golem (animated matter). This was where Einstein learned his primitive stuff from (he only learned how to crack open the atom, not how to redesign matter). My church, a sizable organization, has the specific mission of preventing this from happening again.
This is probably far more than you ever wanted to concern yourself with.

TeddyMiller 
An amusing news item from England, on what's considered offensive: 
"A couple were tried for lewd behaviour in a public place recently: They had had oral sex in front of
a trainload of families coming back from a day at the seaside. Nobody said a word—until they lit up
a post-coital cigarette then someone told them they were in a no-smoking compartment and
complained to the conductor."

Kristal_Rose replies to Nicoletta 1.6.4
This is the most unique viewpoint I've seen expressed in awhile. I suspect you represent far more than just yourself, perhaps an entire modern sub-culture. Without passing direct judgement; even though I can validate harems, non-nuclear tribal matriarchies, polygamy, polyamory, generation-rotating-3some-marriages (my own creation), and other structures; I find this trend disturbing or do not grok it. Do couples with this 'no-baggage' attitude experience tears of joy during sex, or just treat it as 'sport-sex' and satisfy their lusts. At best I can imagine it to be conducive to existentialism, possibly even a (loving?) state of satori (pure enriched sensory consciousness). I wonder what is meant by no-baggage. Does that mean satisfying your partner is a business deal in exchange for the hope that they will reciprocate or increase your reputation? If it is not emotional then perhaps one day some sexy robot might suffice as a partner? For me, sex is at the minimum a creative media to express love. During tantra it is a means to share great spiritual experiences over several hours (one time, not many) including the exchange of 1000's of past lives. It seems this new attitude is right out of 'Brave New World' in which sex was divorced from the concept of bonding and childbirth altogether (test tube babies). It seems terribly dehumanizing. Perhaps you can explain the thinking a bit better for me. In victorian times people might have been offended by public sexuality, but that only added to the sense of private mystique and endearment. I doubt few were against public sexuality because they were jaded, and probably less because they were genuinely anti-sex. If society is becoming anti-sex, that is another victory for 'brave new world' and '1984'. I do believe in celibacy as a means of enrichening sexual quality and for spiritual purposes. If sex is becoming perceived as a form of coordinated masturbation, I am quite sorrowful.