Going into Duolingo was a big leap for me. Not only had I not learned a new language since my school days, but this was an online app which essentially meant I had to learn and teach myself. There is not tutor, and you are guided through each lesson in which you have to comprehend and use a foreign language without input. You may have to read, write, speak or place words in the correct order. I can say this though, I have found it fun to use and it has been a surprisingly rewarding experience so far.
My profile (pictured above in a screenshot) shows that I joined in August, and over 3 months I’ve accumulated nearly 9,000 total XP. This is quite significant. My languages are shown as studying German and Russian. If you want to follow my progress and you are also on Duolingo, feel free to follow and I’ll follow back. I primarily focus on German and have only started to use Russian on Duolingo to consolidate things from a book I use. I have reached many milestones already.
It has been easy to use, navigate and recently they updated the learning tree – which I wasn’t too fond of. The app is online or on a phone and can be used anywhere. The lessons take you through various topics, learning all the essentials, except you will not learning it in order, you will build upon what you have learned. So you may learn how to order in a café and then later learn how to speak the full vocabulary of such an event. For example, you order coffee, then later, you learn how to say things like I would like a coffee please. Or I would like a coffee what would you like? This allows progressive learning in a gamified language learning app.
A big bonus is that it is free. I highly recommend this platform (not sponsoring me, although if Duolingo see this they are free to do just that). Over four months my progress has been remarkable and enjoyable. I’m now soaring through units, learning and retaining information more effectively than reading a book. The repetitive speaking system, in which phrases and words are repeatedly shown the same things multiple times, allows better retention.
Russian is a bit more difficult and as such I am using a combination of sources, like books and audio CDs as well. I feel that you could reach a satisfactory beginner level if you worked through all the units – numbered at around 114 for German. I believe from what I have learned so far that completing all of it would mean you are at least B1 level of the CEFR scaling system. However, this would also be dependent on other factors like frequency of learning, interaction with native speakers and general motivation and of course the learner’s ability to actually remember this information and use it.
I’m happy to rate it at 4 stars up to now: there are flaws and the spoken sections of learning leave something to be desired. It is also flawed in that the majority of the scenarios that are demonstrated in the language you are learning is simply unrealistic.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Unrealistic scenarios include owls not playing football and dogs reading books. But Duolingo’s fun, childlike characters certainly bring a bit of enthusiasm to the learning process.
The site offers a paid option which removes adverts. Aside from this it is now integrating the stories system into the learning, so a milestone might consist of reading a story in the native language you are learning, as opposed to being optional as it was before. This is a good, progress step to keep it mixed up. You also have access to thousands of lessons offered on the site from as low as $2 for an hour. I believe it’s set up for schools too.
Overall, and this is a brief conclusion, it is worth the time. But you need to stick at it daily to actually progress. I cannot imagine anyone progressing beyond introductions, family and dining etc. if they chose one lesson a week. They’d get bored. Consistency and integration into you own life is key. Take the lessons into your real-world experiences to begin to apply the vocabulary to real world situations. Travel or interaction with native speakers is also highly recommended for better learning.
It indicates different languages to learn and expected time. French is considered easier than German.
I think learning something new should be fun! I chose languages as the first part of this post since I find it the most fun thing to do. It allows you to become engrained into foreign culture and at the same time you are able to learn to speak and communicate in that language.
Apparently it takes six months or longer to learn a new skill. This is nothing to be afraid of but instead to enjoy. Why rush? The above site provides tons of things. From writing, languages, reading skills, painting, art and craft, dancing, musical instruments, design, crafting clothing, making things, photography and more!
Combined the idea is to learn something new whilst enjoying yourself. It is not productive to focus on something you don’t like. Although if you push yourself and focus and study etc., then you will likely come to enjoy it.
As we age our brains don’t really learn like they did as children. A healthy mind is an active mind. You learn by doing, and doing so helps improve those brain connections. You can experience improved well-being, happiness, reduced stress, improved memory and confidence, feeling more well rounded, and finding it easier to interact with others. It may also help you more into a new career, or to progress in your career, or to help people.
Learning a new language might help you to do some volunteering for a charity who supports refugees for example. It could also help you become a translator. One of the best thing you can do is learn something new, something you’ve never experienced before.
Learning doesn’t mean just skills though. It means anything that challenges you to experience new things. Going to a new place, learning the routes and then coming away having learned them is a learning experience. Interacting with new people, speaking to them and learning names is a different kind of learning but still useful. If you have anxiety then this is particularly good to help your brain relearn how to socialise for example if you were unable before. Cooking is a form of learning, whether that is with the aid of a book or not doesn’t matter.
Reading books – helps improve memory and attention and focus (learning). Writing and researching – helps to learn a topic, think of an essay you had to do once.
Sometimes when we push ourselves we become these incredible people that surprises us.
We cannot sit back and let out potential lay dormant.
Welcome to episode 5 of the Medieval England History series. You can access all the episodes by going to this link here. I hope you are enjoying this nostalgic adventure into the heart of what England was during the time of the black death. If you do like what you read then be sure to follow because new episodes are posted regularly. Today this episode is about medieval castles!
Castles in medieval England served a very important purpose, they were designed and built primarily as the homes and fortresses of a monarch or noble. Early castles would have been built from earth and wood, but as the times moved on, by the 12th century most castles were built from stone.
The roof of the castles were built or covered with slates, clay tiles or wooden shingles. The castle had to be well guarded and defended both by men and in terms of the position and structure, because a poorly built castle meant almost certain doom for the occupants. That is why they built castles on steep hills or at the top of rock cliffs, sometimes beside the sea. The positions meant that the castle automatically had an advantage from attack, as potential invaders had to get up the hills or cliffs before getting into the castle. It was still possible though, and the use of other weapons like catapults certainly helped this.
If the castle was not built to house a monarch or noble then it could have secondary uses or purposes. Notable is the use of castles as barracks to house soldiers (spearmen, militia, swordsmen, archers, crossbow men, knights, billmen etc). They could serve as prisons, armories, treasure houses, and the center for local government… yes, they still had a government in medieval ages, albeit under the rule of the monarch. Other less violent uses included using castles as brew houses, laundry, workshops, dovecotes, and stables. It was not uncommon to have a few of these things mixed together in a castle grounds, along with a barracks for example.
The castle would be surrounded by a huge wall which would be many meters high and dense. They were not just walls, they were 3 layers thick consisting of; a rough stone inner shell, a thick solid filling of flint and rubble, and an outer layer of stone called ashlars. The wall would have a flat walkway which would allow guards to keep watch and to notify the other guards should an intruder be noticed. The archers if there were any would be able to use a embrasure, which would allow them to shoot whilst protected by the wall. And, don’t forget the medieval ages was brutal, so the openings in the wall allowed boiling water or stones or even waste at times to be thrown down onto any attacking enemy. Most castles had a moat too, which was an added level of protection, a stream of deep water that surrounded the castles. Castles built near lakes or rivers could use that water by digging or channeling water to the moat. A drawbridge would allow access across the moat and would be raised if an enemy approached.
Stokesay is the most well preserved castle sites in England. Worth a journey to spend a day looking around.
Inside a castle was a little different to outside. They did not have what we have today, but did have quite a lot of things that we might be surprised at. They didn’t have central heating of course, they had alternative more costs effective means of keeping warm (that is a joke, it didn’t cost anything to light a fire back then). Only the Lord and Lady of the castle had used a main fireplace, along with thick, heavy blankets, mattresses made of feathers, fur covers etc. So the Lord and the Lady (nobles) or the Monarch (I suspect a lot more than just blankets, including women for kings). The workers, or anyone not a noble had to sleep in the towers which were cold and damp, and you can imagine the winter. In summer though, the castle would still remain cold for the workers.
A castle hall was the biggest, grandest room in the entire fortress. The middle ages saw it common place to sleep in the hall. It was the place to dine and to drink and socialise. Lords of the castle would host social gatherings and people gathered in the hall for a massive feast and listened to music (yes, the played musical instruments, played by minstrels, or wandering singers). Occasionally the Lords might also host a jousting event in a field outside. There were laundry too, and bedding and clothes were washed, and everything was maintained. Everyone in the castle had a job, even if it was to provide entertainment and this resulted in castles being loud and busy.
Attackers could use moveable towers to climb over the walls, could tunnel under the walls, and of course use catapults, which were employed later on. Attackers could stop the supply of food and water and other resources and even kill assisting soldiers coming to the castle.
Waste disposal in castles was not as good as the personal hygiene. Castles did not have plumbing which means the waste would remain in one place until it was cleaned by chamber maids (they still did it, and for a pittance), although a poor sanitary waste system was a lot better than a lower class citizen. People in medieval ages had regard to personal hygiene and washed their hands, took baths and brushed their teeth! They brushed their teeth using something called a miswak, brushing or scrubbing the teeth until they ‘felt’ clean. Others could use a cloth or their fingers. Personal hygiene was advocated for as early as the Vikings, who encouraged use of combs and act of washing. People would get their hair cut by a barber, who also performed minor surgeries to the teeth and pulled out rotten teeth, talk about a worthwhile visit.
Thank you for reading episode 5 castles in the Medieval England History series. If you enjoyed this then stay tuned by liking, commenting, reblogging, following and more! The next in the series will be a little more about the life in castles, particularly focusing on the roles within it, starting with the cooks! Cooks are a very important roles in the castle of medieval times.
If you could read something that told you about the ride that is the teen years, would you? What about the existential crisis that is the 20s? Beyond that there is nothing more than mundane truth.
‘The joys of being a father.’
‘You’re a father?’
‘No, but I observed a father.’
Unspoken challenges of the old gentry, abusive of the creators power. Existence and living are not to be more than observation. If we ever found the truth of being young, it would be after our retirement, or in the words of the young, our expiration date. It feels like a sell by date was always the way to go, to keep people fresh in packets like the dry broccoli leaves that you peeled away from the stem.
‘I’ll never make the final run, I’m too old.’ Say it again and say it with justice in your heart.
‘To not make the final run, is to be the final run.’ Or so it seemed, like the plastic that had faded on small car toys tossed into large dirty crators in the ground, or the sesame pool of the lagoons filled with bottles and disposable knives and forks. If you had enough of them, could you faction of look of contempt?
‘Say you did not want to know the truth?’
‘You are the one to ask the question, and that means something.’
If the truth of the young is to be free and to be liberal in speech and mind than to be happy and content with the present and to be together, or to ride the long seas of rapid change through hurricanes and birdstrikes, shall we suddenly wither to the floor and then roll around in petty arrogance?
‘Two many, or thrice the lady came to suns glorious rays.’
‘Passion does not exist beyond desire.’
Say they, the ones with the gorgeously glamorated fiction spectacle. An organic being with robotic features. The mouth that moves in time to the sound of the radio, or the hand that types in time with the clicking of the clock. It will not stop until they become engrained like rice in the supermarkets on the shelves, unable to move without being chosen.
A selective breed of a particularly selfish generation who choose self-imposed rights and choices over the emotions and feelings of others. Traded the empathy and compassion for immediate relief and instant fulfilment. Long gone it seems it the genuine traits of the heart to seek to be together, to enjoy the company of a family, like the talking siblings who might be of different gender, of the same group. A gathering with sacred and immortal bindings to reality, a connection shared which has been replaced by material items, greed, lust, gluttony and the most irremovable of all, the undying loneliness of the world. Do people not want to gather together for meaningful and happy events without alcohol or other substances? Or do they stick it out because they have to appear good or compliant or risk looking like they don’t care. Surely the man who stays alone for the night than spend the night with bickering individuals is more in line with the values of self respect and honesty than one who parades the mask all evening at his souls expense? What of the woman who cannot face her husband for fear of lack of love, or the mother who will not comfort her children for fear of lack of reciprocation?
‘Do you want to live a free life or to be enslaved to the idea of truth?’
‘Truth does not mean lying to oneself, or to others.’
Certainly a lie can spread far and wide and deceive en-mass. And the outcome should not be compliance like uneducated humans in a field grazing on grass and corn. Education is the pillar of a developed society, yet it is a system that has become only one focused on a limited number of possibilities.
‘What are those limited possibilities?’
‘Well, they are simply these.’
That education is a tool to allow the economy to function without children to get in the way of working parents;
that the poor standard of education is deliberate so as to not provoke any possibility of independent thinking of free thought;
if they don’t tell us anything that is true, we will grow up to become just like them, ignorant and self-imposed;
it is better to allow people to think they are smart, than to actually teach them anything worthwhile.
So the list could be extended, but the topic of education is divisive. It is ancient, since the times of the Egyptians, education has helped people to become better at understanding the world around them, from medicine to mathematics to astronomy, art, science and beyond. Philosophical topics arousing from the law for example, built off of principles of morality, good, and the concept of God and the natural law as a state that humans too should be aware and educated on. A mere distraction or a deeper, more worthwhile and actionable protest than studying the hidden mysterious of the Aztecs.
It is here, in this world of consumerism and selfish desire, and students and young people laced with the poison of intelligence that dwindle the fire of compassionate yearning. In a time of darkness, or enlightenment, a man formed to flesh and blood, came to sacrifice himself.
‘He did not have selfish desire, rather, unconditional love.’
A love that was boundless and capable of transcending time. Millions of people have learned of the son of God, yet very few understand the message of his sacrifice. Our we bound to be stuck on our own crosses, or can we too gather the love within our hearts to dismiss perceptions of age, colour and gender, and come together to forget what we think we know and join together as one?
Does the effort to assist a lady to cross the road, require more effort than a degree in a university? What about the young man, newly employed who seeks to arrive early everyday in the hope he will impress his boss? So that he can go out at the weekend, but is too busy to talk to a friend to sort something out for ten minutes? Acts that only serve the ego and the self, do not develop the self or the soul, and instead accumulate to a machine, programmed to work and to sleep and to consume.
‘Consuming and working sound fine, just pay me.’
‘Money is not a resolution for young or old.’
It is not the answer to even a million problems and neither is mindless talk and propaganda of helping others. It is not buildings stocked with refugee donations, unmoved and untouched. It is not a charity donation box on the checkout counter that stands full for a day before being put in the till. It is not the man who stand in line for a sandwich, just so he can avoid going to the canteen at work.
Or the family who’s parents are not happy to see their children wearing cheap clothes or buying normal or cheap food, for they need expensive, organic and gourmet products and anything less is poor.
The disillusioned are trapped in hell, money cannot possibly equate to wealth or to love. It can be the devil, and have a mere fleeting and familiar and even similar effect, but is quite different. It is the young generation who feel the need for money the most, yet they do everything in their conscious capacity to avoid the truth, which is not to seek money. Being happy doesn’t mean a better food quality, or bigger living accomodation, or more material belongings, or more clothes or better hair or a fitter body, it is something that lives in all of you, right now. The problem is people are so caught up looking elsewhere, that they forget to stop, and to look around, and to smell the flowers and look at the sun and the clouds.
They forget to feel the rain on their faces and begin to live in a sort of disconnected reality. A reality where they cannot be happy, because the truth is they haven’t even started to look for it, they have been distracting themselves this whole time. If they took a moment to observe the birds and to feel the soft grass beneath their fingers, they might suddenly wake up and understand just what happiness is.
Why do I feel bored in life? How many years do I have to put up with this? What can make things better?
Ugh! {You cry in perceived pain, turned out you enjoyed it}
The ugly yet satisfying truth lingering beneath a broken heart of pain and lust. A sword and shield that are laid down in a cupboard, forgotten and then later discovered and pawned off to contribute to your so-called retirement funds.
Integrity, lost through the childhood or adulthood depending on how desperate you actually are. Have you retained it through the years? Can you feel the honesty stripped away and now replaced with the art of bullshit? {bullshit = rhetoric}
“Oh no! I’ve reached 25 and I am an old woman and now I have no idea what to do because my delicate eye lashes, expensive Gucci or Prada handbags makes me poor. Mummy and daddy no longer give me £1000 a month spending money or have my boyfriend publicly shamed because he gave me pathetic bunch of lilies instead of 50 red roses at £200.”
“My anus needs bleaching!” Spoke by a man in a suit whilst driving his Ferrari to his office in which he sits for 8 hours doing less work than a nurse for £89,000 a year.
Then a footballer at £200,000 a month jumps in: “Hello I love playing with balls. It pays well.” The football disagrees.
Alas! Politician and local area MP for Surrey hops around on one foot whilst sticking his middle finger up at a picture of the Queen, all the while having his learned friends glorious shit thrown at him as part of his initiation into the party: Our mutual circle jerk club.
Wait, news headlines talk about a virus sweeping the globe causing the sniffles. Yet the East are obliged to send children to school in full nuclear suits. Don’t worry, you won’t hear them cry or complain. If they do, our automatic drones will charge through the streets chanting mindless propaganda restricting rights you never had to begin with. Children ushered into vans, where to?
I wrote zombie apocalypse stories, because that is my favourite genre. Now the world is becoming a zombie apocalypse. In those stories people still retain the right to treat their minds and bodies how they wish, providing they are alive and not a zombie. We live in a world though where choice is taken from us. We don’t see it until it is too late because of all the distractions. Are you distracted by media, internet, work, news, food or health?
CHOOSING AND BELIEVING ARE DIFFERENT THINGS
Health means many things. I suspect most people like to think that they are in good health and that is what they want: good health. That means making choices to support ones health. You might like to increase the amount of exercise you do, or eat a healthier diet. Do you really want those changes for yourself out of your own choosing, or have they been chosen for you? Diet and exercise are the two ingredients forced down our throats when it comes to reducing disease and illness and boosting wellbeing. Well I have news for you, it doesn’t work for a lot of people. They are told to keep at it, and that things will improve. No, if it doesn’t work then it won’t change no matter how long you keep at it. A personal experience:
‘A few years ago I ate vegetarian, ate 1 meal a day with a snack or two, and exercised moderately everyday for a few months. During that timeI dropped around 6 kg and was borderline underweight. I wasn’t eating anywhere near enough. Despite the weight loss, my body looked skeletal and I felt like my body was starving. My health actually deteriorated at well, causing me to get sick often. The funny thing is that I was not vegan, which meant I still had the benefits of certain animal products like eggs. I had some people tell me to eat more. I actually struggled to regain the weight even on a high calorie diet for several months. It took over a year not only to regain some weight, but to stabilise my health. I had discovered for the second time in my life that advice from so-called medical professionals and the government can be detrimental. I really was doing everything right, and actually was probably eating a good amount for my weight at the time.’
There are others with similar experiences, who wished they’d never started dieting and increased exercise because it has actually made things worse for them and some don’t think they will get back to normal. It can be dangerous! Take all of the advice from another person with salt, even what I am saying. People can and do follow healthy diets and exercise, I learned how to do it without the negative effects. I find that moderate exercise, especially exercise easy on the joints, like walking, biking and swimming and maybe some body exercise {pushup, situp, leg raise, planks etc.} at home to be the most beneficial.
When given a diagnoses by a doctor for example, we take that at face value. Now my experience with the health system is extensive and I know {sadly this is not bullshit} a lot more about my health than a doctor. I suspect you do too. Why? I live with my own flipping body and I know my mind and body better than an external person who cannot experience my life. You see, just because you have high blood pressure at an appointment that does not mean it is high all the time and definitely does not mean ‘medication’ immediately. Likewise, a scan which reveals some shading on your lung does not mean ‘antibiotics’ immediately. Nor does it mean cancer. You see you are so much better off without the health care system. So many ailments can be treated at home and without medication. Antibiotics are overused. From personal experience, don’t be afraid of leaving if you don’t feel comfortable or that you are being told dangerous information, such as needing treatment when you know you don’t. Over treating minor conditions is killing your body. Do not be forced to have medication for mental health problems either, even if you are convinced by a psychiatrist to take them. If you don’t want it, you don’t have to! Obviously if you need them and accept that and they help then great! But we live in over diagnosed and over prescribed antidepressant and anti-anxiety pill nation. The majority of people don’t need them.
Choosing what you need and believing what you are told are completely different things. Believing that a professional knows more than you can be detrimental. Use your underused initiative! How many ‘experts’ come onto TV {I don’t watch it anymore, haven’t done for years}, and start talking about the ‘scientific’ benefits of beauty products? Are you kidding me? HAHAHAHA COMPLETELY LAUGHABLE. You might as well get your anus bleached for all the scientific benefits. What about the dangerous trends of social media, like the ridiculous ice bucket challenge? Read my article on the dangers of social media here. Of course the stupidity was masked and pushed away as it was ‘for charity.’ Sure, how much money actually went to the cause? We live in a silent nation too afraid to speak out!
FEAR AND DESIRE ~ DRIVING US TO DELUSION
A critical driving force of the human race. So, you don’t choose, things are chosen for you, using the magic of advertising and social media and news. Your views are not your own and neither is your home or your car or even your pet dog. Do you know why? Do you care, or are you content to let the banks take control of your property at any minute? A private entity that controls public resources, like controlling the government. Big companies, pharmaceutical and other, controlling and dictating what the government makes into legislation and what it feeds us. Then the circle of bullshit – remember rhetoric = bullshit and vice versa – is initiated and continues until the public accept it, which does not take long, and then they feed the information themselves until it evolves to the point that the majority of things said at the beginning are forgotten and we don’t really understand it. The message or information source is usually lost and becomes part of things like ‘social norms’ {another joke}. People are then convinced that the lie is truth and sometimes the lie can drive them to believe that they have a right to something, or a desire to do something. Great examples are black lives matter – hiding beneath the surface until it garnered the media attention and decided that black people have the right to go around stealing, beating and attacking police and white people – because they are in the minority. What about feminism? Turned violent against men because certain women think that men can’t stop thinking about them or sex – grow up.
You usually outward when you cannot look inward. You spend money and shop and distract yourself with all these fantastic material things because of adverts and what other people told you. You are scared of who you really are, what is going to happen to you and what the world thinks of you. I have some news, this is fear. You fear not appearing proper if you don’t join the argument to get the vaccines, or the argument to support the popular view, which usually does not have any logic, and any use of logic will cause the other people to shout. They don’t shout answers or arguments, they usually shout because you make more sense then they will. They cannot accept that they are wrong. You don’t need others to tell you what you desire either. Do you really desire expensive perfume and clothes? Do you really desire to ‘fit in’ or to look like you aren’t poor or that you don’t belong to a certain group? This innate and delusional belief system is making people physically and mentally unwell. What about the idea that you can look and dress how you want? Well, it has been blown out of proportion.
People nowadays are all about being different and have created this culture of being different, which is itself so common that to be a part of it is more of a statement of ‘I am insecure and need attention’ but if you take that attention away, they gather in groups to stand out again and make themselves heard. Take a look at trans rights, forcing the idea that children should be allowed to pick a ‘gender.’ Let me clear something up, you are born a boy or a girl.
I recently asked what I perceived to be a girl {because her picture looked like one, and had a girl name} about her gender, do you know what she said when I asked is she was a woman? ‘I am non-binary.’ It also transpired that this ‘being’ was polyamorous. I had to look up what non-binary was. Why on earth could I not get a straight answer? You see, the lies and the fear has spread so far now and is so engrained that women are afraid to say they are women. She was clearly a female. Two genders okay, male or female. How does a woman have babies? People have now got to the point they are afraid of saying words like ‘vagina’ and ‘penis’ and would rather play mind games letting us figure out things like non-binary meanings. I am sorry to say this, but you cannot avoid your gender by simply stating non-binary. It is stupid to believe you can. This is nothing but delusion, the result of fear and desire. Afraid of the truth, desiring to be different.
Afraid of the truth, desiring to be different.
Wizard
CONCLUSION
Independence of mind and body are really important to having an improve life. But, reality dictates what we should believe and desire and teaches us things that are not true. Do they really want to eat fast food, to diet and exercise, to pay mortgages and drive expensive cars and go out drinking and socialising and being a part of that cult of personality? Does the man really want to be a woman and vice versa? Do your children want education or are they trauma bonded into a system to work… sorry, to slave away for the rest of their lives in the hope the master may throw a bone to them?
The lies that the government have told us, the belief system about an afterlife? Do you really want to waste your lives slaving away, being a part of this instead of doing what matters? Eat healthy, work a good job {rather than doing your passion} and make sure to not break the laws or hurt others and definitely do not question us. If you want the truth get initiated into the disgusting world of the occult. Sell your soul so you can feel shame and guilt all your lives because you think you have sacred knowledge. Live in delusion that you are better or that you are somehow different. You have no choice and you are not meant to cry and ask big questions. You are not supposed to think outside the ‘social norm and will be persecuted if you do. Love and hate are the same things because we love your slavery and hate you at the same time. We get off in secret masked sex parties, raping, torturing and beating women as sex slaves whilst convincing the public their money is being put to good use. We take drugs day and night because we know that none of it means anything. We don’t care about you, so shut up and eat your shit food.
Lavender – relaxing and stress relief and protection
Romans 12:3 – “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”
It hertz like love at 5:28 in the afternoon. Scatter the roses on my bed. Spray the oils around our room.
Stay true to the heart and the mind. The green heart chakra that connects us with the green earth. Be assured, your existence is considerable. Have the courage to go on even in self reliance, stand in the dark days of adversary.
Pslam 46:10 – He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Be still, know that everything is energy. That you were born from energy, that you will transmute into a different energy upon departure.
Blue, the colour of forgiveness. My favourite colour. Forgiveness is not weakness. It is acceptance. It is to achieve a higher state of self love and care than a lot of other people. I have been there, I have forgiven. I have felt the reward and been blessed by angels for my actions. You can’t expect to reach the better state of existence without giving it a try. The hardest part is acceptance and then, forgiveness. There is no easy path. You were not born because it was easy. Quite the opposite. You are here because life is a challenging journey. You should never be ashamed of who you are or what you want in life. Good people know in their hearts, that they are good.
Butterfly – symbol of transformation
I can’t profess to have all the answers, or to be able to give you a lot of information. I cannot give you a lot because you simply have to learn or experience it for yourselves. To rely on others experiences and understanding wouldn’t be fair to yourself or make sense. One journey or life is not identical to another. In turn and time, you will come to realise your own destiny and meaning. Transformation as represented by the butterfly, from larvae to having wings. Just as a hero must take a vast journey to sleigh a great evil. Just as the angels are helping people everyday to get their wings. So too, you shall know in time what it means to fly for yourself.
Forgiveness doesn’t come easily. Although to forgive is to be more powerful, it does not absolve those impure of heart or mind of sin. Repentance is needed. You cannot be expected to forgive without repentance. I don’t think we as humans are expected to go this far, although it does and will continue to happen, because here on earth, there is some incredible people. Bad people supposedly forgiving their evil brothers of sin, are no more enlightened, as their gains and relations are founded on evil intentions.
On that point, time to end.
Luke 12:3-4 – “Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.“
As some of you may know, I have just recently completed my LLB degree. As a recent graduate (unable to attend a graduation ceremony yet) I feel extremely glad to have achieved what I have up to now – a degree in law. Graduating with a 2.1 upper second class undergrad LLB is an honour, and I graduate with honours.
This is when the real journey starts. Granted, I could have recorded my progress on my LLB and I considered doing so many times. The time wasn’t right and at the end of the day, the journey starts now, not during a course when you have no clue as to the future.
Satan once said that… no quotes from the devil in the same post as the law! A honourable and age old profession, lawyers are one of the oldest professions in the world. The legal profession has its origin in ancient Greece and Rome. Not quite as old as toolmakers or tailors, but relatively. If a couple of thousand years counts. To this day, the barristers of England and Wales must be a member of one of the four Inns of Court. Namely, the Lincolns Inn, Grays Inn, Middle Temple and Inner Temple. The temples have roots in the knights templar and the original knights templar Temple Church is located within Inner Temple grounds. Hosting the yearly ‘crossing the bar’ ceremonies. Some would say that the general area of Temple, London, is one big elite showground where big money talks and large, costly infrastructure gentrifies you as soon as you enter the area. Notable for its historic buildings, including the Royal Courts of Justice building, a recognisable legal piece.
Picture from Bing images.
The barristers of England and Wales also get a reputation for being paid a lot. I can assure you that with some research and general internet reading that this is not the case. Solicitors have the stability and high pay of prestigious law firms and they instruct barristers to work in court on their clients behalf. A steady income for many. Barristers on the other hand are self employed, earning from the work they do and not a penny more. They have chambers rent, overheads, accountant fees, clerk fees, travel costs, indemnity insurance and the list is rather extensive. Naturally the longer they practice the more of a reputation they have and more income. Trainee barristers completing their ‘pupillage’ – a year long apprenticeship with chambers, are given a lump sum of money at the start… and criminal law is abysmal both in terms of pupillage awards and general pay, probably being the lowest paid out of all areas coupled with public law.
So they don’t earn a lot off the bat. In fact, they have accumulated in the region of £50-£60,000 in debt to become a barrister. It’s a 3 part journey. First, the degree. I say degree, because you can complete any degree, yes any, and then complete a 1 year graduate diploma in law (GDL) before progressing to stage 2, the bar practice or vocational course (BPC). They have recently updated the courses and now there are more options when choosing this path, including splitting the course into two, but more on that later. So, the GDL is essentially a fast track course and to be honest, I do not accept that GDL students can possibly learn and comprehend 3 years of law study in a year, including exams.
Anyway, rage aside, from either the law degree or GDL you go onto the barrister training course. The course consists of theoretical and practical exams, mock trials, plenty of advocacy and courtroom practice, mooting, pro bono (if you want) and the possibility to combine a master of law (LLM) with the course.
The costs for the bar course and a masters is going to set you back between £13,000 to £20,000, depending on study location and university or institute offering it. Passing the course is hard like anything else, more so for law students as its tons of reading and stressful work hours. There is also no guarantee of passing nor of going on to successfully get a pupillage. Many graduates work as paralegals during their courses to gain invaluable experience. I am completing pro bono voluntary work currently with an ‘environmental’ law firm. Don’t worry, I won’t blame the course fees on the environment.
So there you have it. I hope this post is of interest to someone out there. I also hope you enjoyed reading it. I will be posting things on this page, including photos when I get a camera phone again, so that you can follow my journey. It might be a weekly post, it may be a monthly post. All I know is, I can’t wait to sip that cold mojito on that warm beach.
Follow your dreams and ambitions, don’t let anyone deter or hurt you. Never change to suit someone else’s agenda, be yourself, live and laugh. Explore topics of interest, get educated or start a career in a field you like.
“Walk on the path that is empty and eventually, people will follow.”
It gets hard at times, harder so when you are pushed and beaten to the bottomless pit by greedy vipers intent on ruining the love and compassion that pours from your heart. It’s not enough to stand aside and let the darkness encapsulate the light or sit silent as the clouds block out your sunshine. It’s not enough to deter the evil whilst passively ignoring the cruelty that is so dominant in the world. It takes truth, courage, fearless warriors that are destined through their lives to lead and rise up and rebel. There is no violence to come, only peace. Peace can attain a thousand armies of justice, more so than the pitiful weapons of the scared. True love and insight is born from the seed planted since time immemorial. An angel guides you into the chambers, you seek your path and beat it until all those nay-sayers are begging for forgiveness. You walk confidently among the beautiful hearted, the caring and sweet tendered, musically lipped friends that you are safe with.
A poem dedicated to nature, the earth, the wildlife, the humans and the unknown.
Wash Away
Washed away into the sea, sinking, beneath broken dreams come clattered shell rocks, gold mines unveiled clams, ball of fire distinguished under sand, rupturing around the fish and coral reefs, I am close to the bottom and sinking faster, salting sadness now converting to gloomy surprise as the sun streaks across bare body under water, wash away, and wash today.
Thanks for reading. Please let me know what you are up to today, I am writing and will practice guitar later on this evening.
psychedelicwizard 