tek2way: Endless - Death (Bachalo) (Endless - Death (Bachalo))
[Reposting from my WordPress (which is, itself, in a state of disuse, but that's neither here nor there for this post's purpose), as it occurs to me now, that this is a better forum for such a post. Don't skewer me too deeply on the content. I haven't completely reread it, and my bed is calling me back to dally away the early morning.

As of April 2017, moved to coincide with the date I actually wrote the entry.]

In Love with the Darkness
(originally posted March 12, 2014)

I have been in quite a funk for the last couple of days. You see, I don’t adjust well to Daylight Saving Time. It affects my mood in general, and I’ve been affected more than usual this year. However, that’s a post for another day.

Today, I went to see “300: Rise of an Empire” with a couple of friends. I almost didn’t go, and armed with the knowledge I have now, that would have been a tragic decision. You see, the movie was precisely what I needed to calm my nerves, with its sex, violence, and blood, all in glorious 3D. More than that, though, was the main character, Artemisia, played by Eva Green.

Her character was dark. That is, she was arguably Neutral Evil on the D&D scale. She had reasons for her personality, but that did nothing to lessen the cutthroat nature she exhibited. From the punishment she served onto a failing general to how she manipulated those around her, including a God-King, she was cold, calculating, menacing, and dangerous.

…and I was immediately taken with her.

Sure, she was quite beautiful, with her long black hair and piercing brown-eyed gaze, but it was her personality that grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. I found myself, to be brutally honest, turned on by her actions. Even in the scene in which she punished a failing general, I was trying to soak up everything about who she was. I realized I was brainstorming ideas to win her.

That revelation startled me. “I like nice girls,” I told myself, “not women this clearly bad for me.” I have long told myself that I want the woman who is a nice girl. Eowyn from Lord of the Rings, for example, may be a fighter, but she also firmly walks in the light. While I may be attracted to someone like Black Widow from the Avengers, I never really considered her someone with whom I’d desire a relationship.

Or do I? The women I’ve found myself most attracted to in my life were not “safe”. Of course, I’m referring to those few women in real life that I’ve become close to. My first girlfriend was nice to me, but had a wild streak that eventually caused our breakup. My love from NJ was a bad woman from start to finish. While my longest relationship with a woman wasn’t terribly dark, the circumstances surrounding our relationship (and who we had to keep in mind) were not all rainbows and unicorns. While I freely admit that I may be stretching the examples above just a bit, I also think that there may be a grain of truth within it, too.

No matter how small Artemisia would have made me feel, as long as she was there at the end of the day, I would have been more than happy with her. No, that’s not quite right, either. Honestly, I think that she echoes something within my own soul, that I normally keep on a tight rein, for fear that it would break free and chaos would ensue.

Tonight, though, I embraced that darkness, and I found that I liked it. I attempt to live virtuously, not for any deity figure, but because I believe that’s how I should live. Doing the right thing has ever been my driving force, but for a couple of hours this evening, I walked the other path. Even in the sex scene (it’s 300, does that really surprise you?), I found that I would love that kind of relationship. Harsh at times, violent at times, yet with a mutual desire and love that ties it all together and keeps it from being simply a lust-fueled physical affair. I recently even wrote a letter about a bad relationship I had, and in it, I was appalled at my ex’s suggestion that I was anything but a gentle, loving partner.

What I find particularly interesting about this seemingly-new discovery is that, while it may feel new, it probably isn’t. Death isn’t something that many would consider a good thing, yet I have felt an absolute love of Death – albeit as personified by Neil Gaiman in Sandman – for over 20 years now. In recent years, as I have explored my pagan side, I am smitten with Freya; however, not as her love and fertility aspect, but as the goddess of Death who gets choice of the slain before Odin. I fell in love with a Michael Whelan painting of Diana/Artemis (it’s only recently that I learned they are two distinct goddesses, so that one image continues to serve as representation for both in my mind), and male suitors of her, according to myth, did not fare well.

I’ve always thought about my ideal relationship as one in which I am provider and protector. It’s not out of some antiquated ideal, but it’s what I want to do for the one I give my heart. Tonight, though, I considered the possibility that my ideal may not need a protector; truthfully, she may be my protector. I considered the possibility that the gender-standard roles in a relationship are reversed, or at the very least, interwoven more than in a typical manner.

This is a lot for me to process tonight, and I decided to put it down on “paper” before I forget it, because I know this is just the first inkling of a much larger thought process. I’m sharing it on my WordPress mainly because I wanted to get it published somewhere there’s a chance someone will see it. I don’t know why, but I want to air these words with the universe.

If you are here from the Facebook link, you are in the same group that saw that letter about my ex from New Jersey. I apologize for the random, meandering way I wrote this, but as I like to say, flow-of-consciousness is important for puzzling out things like this.

tek2way: Endless - Destiny (Endless - Destiny)
Two days ago, I updated this journal for the first time in 18 months. Since then, I spent all afternoon yesterday, drinking with my buddy, Chuck, talking about all manner of things, from my life to his life to religion and spirituality to science and logic.

I didn't exactly wake with a hangover, but I somehow overworked my arms to the point that laying in bed made them hurt. As a result, I've been up and down today, resting as much as I could, trying to let them heal naturally, since I didn't want to take acetaminophen or ibuprofen.

I finally settled in for the night (or so I thought) and began reading more of The Gathering Storm (Wheel of Time). The chapters I covered were nothing particularly noteworthy. However, they shifted my consciousness to pondering some of the subject matter that I covered last night.

The first thing I realized was that maybe, just maybe, I could relax and not hold so much against others, especially when I recognize that I did similar myself when I was younger. That doesn't mean that things will just be automatically okay, but it does mean that there's no reason to nurture anger and hate over something stupid.

I also realized that I will *never* be completely comfortable acknowledging any kind of friendship on a deep, emotional level. PARTICIPATING in the friendship is one thing, but I have too many trust issues and let downs in my life to be comfortable with naming anything that touches that emotional level. I get along best with those who recognize the bond for what it is, and just share a nod with me in reference to it. We recognize it; we don't have to give it names and shit to make it count.

Some I've known have been very particular about wanting names for it all, and when they push, I shut it down. Sometimes, it's even negatively affected my relationship with them. I choose when to let someone through. It's not a test, or a matter of perseverance, or an obstacle to overcome. Telling me that opening up is important does *NO* good, because every person is different, and allowing someone to get that close should only be done with someone that I can truly trust. Look above. There aren't that many.

Of course, there are facets to the level of trust. I trust some with my complaints about work. I trust some with my relationship woes. I talk to some about my life and fears. Some, like Rick, are those with whom I know I can share pretty much anything. I've known Rick over two decades. That level of trust didn't occur overnight. To those who think they should be closer to me than they are, I say, "quit rushing it, or you risk making me doubt the trust I've already put in you."

Next, I got up and picked up around my place. It was far from a pig sty, but it also needed some TLC. While doing that, I was struck by the sensation that I needed to reclaim who I am from the mists of time. That, for whatever reason, how I define myself has been scattered over the preceding years. Some of those things probably needed to be cast aside, so that I may grow as the person I am now. Some of those things, though, are things I should never have allowed to slip away. I let things go because it seemed like a good idea at the time. I did because someone who probably meant well thought it was a good idea (and to which I agreed at the time). I gave up some things because of pressures from my job caused me to have to compartmentalize some things, so that I could be better at my job.

So, I lit the candles I have in my room, burned some incense, and just soaked in the vibe of my home which feels just slightly more like it should always have. I have no name for what this is, nor do I ascribe this feeling to some mystical being. I am quite deliberately choosing to NOT think about specifics.

...like people, the gods who want a relationship with me must earn my trust. I am sovereign unto myself, and answerable only to myself. The universe itself already Knows me and understands.

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