Visions of Trump's Parade

THE DYNAMIC LAWS OF PROSPERITY

My favorite prosperity affirmations from Catherine Ponder's excellent book, "The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity":

-I am an irresistible magnet with the power to attract unto myself everything I divinely desire.

-I release, loose, and let go.

-I am now open, receptive, and obedient to life's rich instructions and guidance.

-All financial doors are open, all financial channels are free, and endless bounty now comes to me.

-The divine plan of my life unfolds step by step. I happily recognize each phase of it, accept it in my present and future, and let it show me how to make the best of my life.

-Nobody or no set of circumstances can keep my God-given good away from me and I rejoice in this knowledge.

-Every day in every way I am becoming financial independent.

-Regardless of taxes, the cost of living or the rate of unemployment, my income can and does increase richly.

-Divine intuition is now working through me and in me , in and through all concerned, producing easily and quickly the perfect outcome and the perfect result.

-Rich, divine ideas now come to me and I am in all ways abundantly guided, prospered and blessed.

-I give thanks for that the divine solution quickly appears.

-Everything and everyone prospers me now and I prosper everyone and everything.

-I am persistent and I go forward. I am not on the way out-I am on the way up.

Pope Francis Accuses Chile Sex Abuse Victims of Slander

"SANTIAGO, Chile -- Pope Francis accused victims of Chile's most notorious pedophile of slander Thursday, an astonishing end to a visit meant to help heal the wounds of a sex abuse scandal that has cost the Catholic Church its credibility in the country. Francis said that until he sees proof that Bishop Juan Barros was complicit in covering up the sex crimes of the Rev. Fernando Karadima, such accusations against Barros are "all calumny." -CBSnews.com

Today's headline about the Pope accusing victims of sexual abuse as slanderous is nothing new. It's the norm. And people wonder why the "Me, too" has emerged as a powerful forum on sexual harassment and abuse. It is because victims are fearful they won't be believed, feel ashamed, and know the power of retribution. They suffer in silence hiding their 'dirty secrets'. Why? Because the predator skillfully knows how to manipulate the story line. Predators know how induce fear so the victim believes she will:
-be portrayed as seductive, crazy, or 'asking for it', or making it up; 
-worry the her perpetrator is powerful enough to appear as a wrongfully accused pillar of the community (with supporters who denounce the her with disparaging verbal assaults); 
-be terrorized because there are verbal, emotional, social, and physical threats made by the perpetrator. 
-regret the publicity, have old wounds reopened, and face a barrage of criticism why she waited so long to acknowledge the abuse.

Why would anyone want to go through this? The conspiracy of silence,  supported by a climate of denial, is preferable to the trauma of public disclosure. 

Sexual abuse is more common than one can imagine. You'd be hard pressed to find a woman who hasn't personally known a friend, relative, or some other woman who hasn't silently swallowed being sexually victimized. After years of covering up their shame, a number of my female friends shared their abuse stories with me. They felt they had to 'tell someone'-they needed to know someone believed them. Because women tend to share close bonds, we know it is rare that w woman would make up a secret like this, hide it for years, and then only divulge this on condition it will not be repeated. We have seen how some of our fellow females have struggled with past sexual abuse. Even when there is a good set of coping mechanisms, dealing with being sexually violated takes time to heal and some never escape the issues that emerge when trauma goes unresolved. 

Even after years or decades of secrecy, women who have been sexually abused are afraid of their abuse being revealed because of enduring the painful consequences of retelling what happened. They suffer PTSD symptoms having to relive the abuse, risk humiliation at having their credibility impeached, and by impugning the predator's reputation they are told their experiences are just 'false memories'. I have heard it all. 

Pope Francis, as you protect those complicit in knowing and protecting those who perpetrated this horrific sexual abuse under your religious authority, you are equally as guilty in propagating the sexual exploitation of children. The conspiracy of silence ends here.







  

THE 'SHITHOLE' COUNTRY MY GRANDPARENTS CAME FROM

Mr. Trump's purported comments about immigrants from 'shithole' countries immigrating to the United States really hit a nerve with me. My paternal grandparents came to the US (pre-World War l from Poland) to escape the horror of war. The relatives who were left behind suffered unimaginable suffering which was later repeated with World War ll. When my grandparents immigrated to this country, they too were looked upon as 'shithole' immigrants. They were viewed as too stupid to hold any intelligent job and too backward to assimilate. To this day, Polish jokes abound in spite of them having one of the highest literacy rates in Europe, higher than even the United States. But stereotypes die hard; it is easy to cling to bias and prejudice. 

Because I was quite young when my grandparents died, I only have vague memories of them. The only thing I know is that they came here to escape persecution and wanted their progeny to have a better life. They could have not have envisioned how their brave choice to emigrate allowed their descendants to flourish. They were often derided as 'DPs' aka, dumb Pollacks. Their foreign language, different culture, and choice to live within their local Polish community reinforced preconceived ideas about them. This stereotype continues today, but now that we have Africans, Asians, and people of Hispanic descent (mainly people of color), the Caucasian Poles are not as big of a target. Color, not culture, has replaced the worn out stereotypes of what Mr. Trump and many in our country fear. Their foreign languages, cultures, and tendency to live in their own communities make them a target of prejudice as much as the Irish, Italians, and Poles were more than a hundred years ago. 

My grandparents did not live to see what their lineage produced: an incredible list of highly intelligent professional people who have contributed to our society. They would have been proud to know their  courageous journey to find a better life in this country produced such accomplished progeny. 

BTW: I am in good company. "A quick glance at Wikipedia's list of Polish people demonstrates the stereotype as false. Poland has produced notable minds in such diverse areas of knowledge as Astronomy (Nicolaus Copernicus), Chemistry (Marie Curie), Music (Frédéric Chopin and Henryk Górecki), Literature (Stanisław Lem), Religion (Karol Józef Wojtyla AKA Pope John Paul II), and Politics (Lech Wałęsa). A deeper look into that list reveals a number of highly intelligent Polish people who are less well known." -Wikipedia

The other half of my family is the coveted group Mr. Trump would like to see immigrate (I am also Irish, French, and Scandinavian). Basically in Mr. Trump's world, white people are good, people of color are bad. It is time for this to change. The change starts with us as individuals.

We have forgotten we are a nation of immigrants. We have lost touch with why our forebearers originally came to this country. We forget that all people want a better life for their children. I do not know what the solution is to our immigration problem but I know it is not castigating them for wanting what my grandparents wanted for me. 

The Messy Business of Death

The Light Shall Overcome The Night

When you find yourself alone in the shadows
Void of peace and tricked by deceit,
Know that light flushes out the dark
And there's a light deep within your heart

If you find yourself in a crowd blind of clear sights,
Remove yourself from their company, and find some light

It will always be darkest before dawn
So prepare yourself a light
Because darkness will surely come

For shadow shrouds over everyone and everything,
Never are you alone when the night comes to cling

We all share the same sun and the same moon
But with life comes fire, let us use it to banish the present gloom

Together, when we all contribute to the fire
We can create warmth and huddle around the campfire
Until this present darkness expires

Some may be lost within the pitch black, and absent day
Some may even run wild in search of prey 

But know this..
Within your heart can start a spark,
The smallest fire can give birth to soaring flames
So bright you might even forget the darkness even came

The light shall overcome the night, breaching through the skies
So hold fast to your light, whatever it may be
A candle, a torch, a lantern, or even the full moon shining across the seas -Justin Worthy

SAVVY SORCERESS SEEKING WISE WIZARD

Sometimes witches just wanna have fun. 

'Savvy sorceress is seeking to expand her quest to find a wise wizard for an enchanting association. To be clear, I am not looking for warlocks with benefits as I have medical, dental, and other pension perks from my own exciting career manufacturing broomsticks. Additionally, I am not into FBs (fortuneteller buddies) due to their limited appeal. However, an astute conjurer of words might be able to whisk me away from my coven if he bewitches me with sagacious spells, charms me with clever hexes, and demonstrates witty sophic soothsaying. 

This sibyl's diversity of interests includes advising Macbeth, brewing potions, cauldron cooking, and hanging out at the lair. My prognostications foresee a likely bond with an available alchemist who rather enjoys the company of a quirky crone with a wicked sense of humor and a penchant for the innovative. Would be thrilled to experience magical magnetism with the right oracle. 

BTW: those already hypnotized by marriage, mesmerized by other enchantresses, or are besieged by misfortune tellers would be better off following the yellow brick road."

Death of a Brewery

A few years ago I knew a competent PhD biochemist, who in a fit of mid-life pique, decided to pursue his dream of owning a brewery after being laid off from his pharmaceutical job. His unfulfilling marriage to a successful physician, the pressure of raising two trophy sons, and a bruising lay off from a prestigious job, seemed to propel his unrealistic dream of making it big as the brewmeister of a scientifically produced exceptionally crafted beer. Defying all logic and business acumen, he proceeded backed primarily by his wife's and other investor's money. Indeed, initially things seemed to be heading in a positive direction-he took top prizes at the State Fair for his micro-brewed beer. That is, until his marriage crashed, the economy tanked, and the competition of over 250 other equally impressive microbreweries in the county overwhelmed his crafted cathexis. His brewery was outgunned by his competitors: under capitalized, poorly marketed, and naively managed, he continued to throw good money after bad attempting to sustain his burgeoning business nightmare.

The problem with most intelligent scientists is they are impeccably trained to persevere in spite of obstacles or until the research funding runs out. Their hubris does not permit them the insight that, because they are successful in one area in life, they might not be successful when they are out of their league in another area. Probably the biggest Achilles heel of any scientist is a reluctance to foresee failure. The Scientist Brewmeister knew he was not all that great when it came to business but continued to raise funds from investors, even when all signs were indicating his brewery was as solvent as the S.S Titanic. As a member of MENSA, he was too smart to fail.

Coming from a more humble background, I listened to the Scientist Brewmeister's stories of endlessly seeking investors and knew his desire for beer-driven success and prestige was a pointless exercise in futility. Not being a businesswoman, I could see he was way over his head. He was a small fish in a big pond of more moneyed, established, and popular craft beer entrepreneurs. The sign on the wall was not big enough for him to walk away before disaster struck. We drifted apart but I wondered how long it would take before his world would come crashing down.

This week I read an article in a local paper how the Scientist Brewmeister put his brewery up for sale last year. He had hoped a larger craft beer company would financially absorb him but continue to allow him keep his craft brands. That did not happen. To prevent foreclosure he sold off 90% of his brewery, kept his brands, and is now trying to keep alive producing beer for his small biergarten in an industrial park way off the beaten path. One does not need to be a psychic to know this a last ditch attempt to stave off the inevitable. Going from scientist to beermaster/bartender in a biergarten has got to be a stinging consequence of his poor business acumen.

The Scientist Brewmeister is now close to sixty. Divorced from his largest most pissed off investor, financing two kids in college, and facing the demise of the last of his dream, his world has collapsed. This is not the happily ever after story he envisioned. He admitted his choices were to go back to the pharm industry or be a beer consultant. Re-entering the traditional marketplace after being away from academia and the pharmaceutical industry for more than a decade he will discover the true cost of his mid-life crisis. Sixty years of age is ancient in a data-driven, publish or perish world. A highly competitive marketplace awaits the advanced degreed in this millennial world. 

Underneath the hard crustiness of most emotionally detached scientists, there lurks a great deal of insecurity covered up by arrogance and delusions of intellectual invincibility. The Scientist Brewmeister is a lesson in how pride goeth before the fall and how a high IQ does not guarantee success. 

Because of my background in vocational consulting, I knew his mid-life fantasy, financed by his ex-wife, would likely end up in ruin. It is well known in vocational counseling that starting a business is the least successful vocational option once someone loses a job because of it having the highest percentage of failure. Frequently people who take this option do not have the entrepreneurial verve to make it work and usually won't listen to reason. It is a sad footnote for me that there was nothing I could have said or done to have prevented his fall. I wrote him to tell him how sorry I was that he lost so much. No reply is expected.