We’re living in the age of Trickster—and The Emerald podcast has re-issued an episode on that subject that is worth your time. As discussed in the episode, when Trickster is not ritually recognized as a necessary renewing force, he shows up in more destructive ways. The repressed returns as symptom.
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The meditation app Headspace has added an AI therapist to help you process your emotions. And, again, we see promoters of these services saying they should be used “with care”–as it rolls right along. My employer provides a subscription to Headspace and it’s a cheap way not to cover therapy.
My Political Action Plan
I came across this in my notes from two years ago. I don’t recall if I planned to do more with this or not, but it seems okay to me in its current form.
My political action plan:
- Our political and economic system is a world eating monster with an unalterable hostility to life. Until the powers that be get serious about killing that monster, I’ll continue assuming they are emissaries of the monster and accord them all the respect that position is due.
- Although I am a sworn enemy of the world-eating monster, the reality is that I am living in enemy-occupied territory. Daily life requires some transactional relation with the enemy. So I will seek to minimize the necessary evil with simplicity.
- I will regard the enemies of the world eating monster as allies, if only even temporarily. I will listen to them, engage them in conversation, and encourage them in their enmity with the world eating monster.
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The line from Lord Summerisle, which I’ve used of myself before, applies again today: “A heathen, conceivably, but not, I hope, an unenlightened one.”
French chicory as a decaf coffee substitute
I love coffee. I could easily be one of those people drinking pot after pot, but I limit myself to one or two (large) mugs per day. On the two-mug days, I can tell that it makes me a little buzzy; probably not good for me. I started buying decaf but heard that there may be health concerns with the chemical used in decaffeination.
Recently I bought a bag of French chicory, which is often touted as a naturally caffeine free coffee alternative. The first time I tried it, I used the same proportions as coffee and found it a bit too strong. Today I reduced the chicory, added a touch of oatmilk and that worked well. I wouldn’t say it tastes like coffee but it definitely has coffee’s bracing bitterness. So I recommend it. On those days when I want a second mug of coffee, I plan to drink chicory.
