Captions?

[substitute]

"Nope, still not white."

I do enjoy making fun of New Age people.

Comments

[sachmet.livejournal.com]

I feel the presence... of Patrick Swayze. Let's kiss.

[yoscott.livejournal.com]

A High speed camera catches a Suburban Housewife Ninja about to snap the neck of a woman as she blinks.

[threepunchstuff.livejournal.com]

It puts the melanin in the skin or else it gets the soccer mom again.

[seriesfinale.livejournal.com]

Whatever's going on, the woman on the right clearly wants her money back.

[halfjack.livejournal.com]

"In just 10 easy sessions your head could be THIS BIG."

[alfaguru.livejournal.com]

"Damn, this plexiglass helmet's heavy. Hold on, honey, and try not to breathe too often."

[dr-strych9.livejournal.com]

Sheila demonstrates effective techniques for psychic strangulation.

[eamajyn.livejournal.com]

the joke was pretty funny!

on a more serious note, i'm going to go out on a limb to speak my mind about the second part.

reading the recent talk about acceptance and passivity here, i am surprised that making fun of people for spiritual practices would be a joyful experience. unless i am mistaken, i am not seeing evidence in this photo of the activity causing anyone harm. i certainly don't know what the hell they are doing, but it doesn't seem exclusive, or like it's oppressing anyone or making any outward judgments. i guess i am a little sad, and confused as to what warrants the ridicule.

then again, maybe i just need to lighten up.

regardless, thank you for this. it's inspiring me to figure out a little more where my own lines are drawn.

[substitute.livejournal.com]

I think it's bullshit and fraud. That's why.

[eamajyn.livejournal.com]

a lot of my personal practices, including anything meditative, are considered new age, because they are eclectic. this creates a personal interest in this particular grouping and labeling, and the ridicule it receives. "new age" is a term commonly used to label anything that is unorthodox or out of the norm in spirituality. things that don't adhere to one specific doctrine. i don't think that quality in itself makes anything bullshit or fraud. many of my beliefs and practices are ancient, including zen meditation, which i believe you are familiar with. the fact that i am an american who believes in science as well as zen could easily qualify me as new age.

maybe we have a different view of what "new age" is. like the difference between a christian (in the actual, not popular sense of the word) and a television evangelist? i hope so, else i might just be grouped in the category of people you like to make fun of, which would be very sad for me. =(

[substitute.livejournal.com]

You may notice that I never comment in your LJ when you talk about spirituality. This is why. There is a big gulf between our ideas about these things, and I'm not sure how big it is.

I am vocal about my likes and dislikes. I talk politics a lot, and I'm pretty harsh about our President and his party. Not all of my friends agree with that. I'm pretty harsh about evangelical Christianity too, and some of my friends are serious believers there. Sometimes that's difficult, but we feel it's worth the trouble of dealing with divergent opinions in order to be friends.

What I mean by the New Age, and what I both dislike and mock, is a mix-and-match assortment of context-free Eastern religious beliefs, fantasy-novel versions of European mysticism, and American materialism.

[eamajyn.livejournal.com]

I don't think the gulf is actually that big, based on your definition of New Age. It sounds like you are talking about pop-culture spirituality, which I sometimes have trouble with too. I just needed to understand what you meant so as not to take your statement personally. I wasn't attacking you, only attempting to clarify.

I love that you are vocal about your likes and dislikes, whether I agree or not. I can understand most of them because they are/have been either explained and supported, or I already have the correlation myself. This case was different because I didn't have those things, and needed some clarity about what you meant. Thank you for giving that to me.

And just in case I have been grouped:
My beliefs are not context-free in the slightest, but I have come to realize that it is nearly impossible to encapsulate in a journal considering the amount of time and study spent to have the understanding I do thus far. I try not to have conversations about deep spiritual issues with anyone who is not in deep spiritual work. But I can assure you I am a student, not a dilettante.

Church of California

[(Anonymous)]

That's what one of my friends refers to the 'faith' she was brought up in, and now use it in reference to free-form, all-you-can-eat salad-bar enlightenment.
Subject to change daily of course.
q>What I mean by the New Age, and what I both dislike and mock, is a mix-and-match assortment of context-free Eastern religious beliefs, fantasy-novel versions of European mysticism, and American materialism.

[sissyhips.livejournal.com]

...based on the photograph?

[substitute.livejournal.com]

No. The photograph is just a hilarious example, although the medicine show faith healer who provided the picture deserves credit.

[trinnit.livejournal.com]

Use the force, the fore is within you.

[stimps.livejournal.com]

"Once we get your prana down to size, we go in for a couple weeks of phlegm reduction, using a Swiss Copper railspike about... this size! Don't worry, they're designed to let you get in your SUV no problem."

[zebulon-y.livejournal.com]

STIMPS I LOVE YOU

[stimps.livejournal.com]

:D

YAY!!!

[dossy.livejournal.com]

I sense much thetans (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thetan) here.

[dossy.livejournal.com]

Alternatively:

"Honey, no matter how hard I try, I just can't make you look like me (http://www.imdb.com/gallery/granitz/0604-nbc/Events/0604-nbc/henders1.nfl.html?path=pgallery&path_key=Henderson,%20Florence%20(I))."

[changeng.livejournal.com]

"Dorothy plays her negro-shaped theremin".

I looked it up

[hersheyjumper.livejournal.com]

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


and now I wanna play with one REALLY bad.

[frobisher.livejournal.com]

My hero for the day (the icon helped. :-)

[poncif.livejournal.com]

ya, giggle-fit ensued. so wrong in all teh right ways.

[sassastonia.livejournal.com]

hi substitute
one sig sivar recomended that i 'friend' you- he said i would dig that voodoo that you do-not in those words you understand-
anyway i got around to lj peeping on you tonight.
i read the bit about being well-meaning-i read the bit about boyfriends- i wanted to read more-i wanted to tell you that you could add me back and that i would like that.

[substitute.livejournal.com]

Pleased to meet you!

[inobetter.livejournal.com]

DEMONS be GONE

I will smush your head now

OOOOO - You're gonna get it!

What ever you do - Don't open your eyes (I am almost done brainwashing you).