Baedon's Sandbox: 2014

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Remember, Remember.....

English: The Discovery of the Gunpowder Plot, Laing Art Gallery (Tyne and Wear Museums) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Remember, Remember the Fifth of November
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot
I know of no reason why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot

Guy (alias Guido) Fawkes was one of the members of The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 in which a group of Catholics attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill James I, the King of England, to protest Protestant rule. As the man chosen to light the fuse and the first captured, Guy has received the lion's share of attention among the conspirators. The long of it is as follows: Since Henry the VIII's reign, England was divided between Catholics and Protestants with the factions fighting bitterly over control of the throne. Queen Elizabeth I had been staunchly Protestant, but with her death and the succession of James I as King, Catholics had thought their persecution was at and end. They were wrong. Shortly after James' coronation in 1603, it became clear he had no intention of granting leniency to the Catholics.

Guy himself was born in England in 1570 but by the turn of the century, Guy had spent several years fighting for Spain in the Netherlands, as well as participating in the Siege of Calais. His years of service earned him a reputation for his bravery and skill, especially with munitions. (Spain, a long-time rival of England, was staunchly Catholic and was often seen as an ally to English Catholics.) It was through his reputation and his pro-Catholic activities that he was brought to the attention of Thomas Wintour. It was Wintour who invited Fawkes into the circle of men that initially comprised The Gunpowder Plot.
The initial five members of The Gunpower Plot (of which Guy was one of; the Plot would eventually grow to thirteen members) first met in 1604 and began their plans. By March, 1605, the conspirators had rented a cellar under Parliament and began stockpiling 36 barrels of gunpowder. Guy was in charge of maintaining the stockpile, keeping the gunpowder fresh until Parliament's next session. In October, word of the conspiracy leaked, possibly by someone within the Conspiracy, although the warning did not mention the Plot specifically.

English: "Guy Fawkes in Ordsall Cave". Google books edition. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Believing they still had time, Fawkes and his conspirators went ahead with their plans. Parliament was due to meet on November 5th and it was that day that King James' men discovered the stockpile. They also discovered Fawkes, who was standing guard, and on his person they found all the tools necessary to light the gunpowder. Guy was captured, interrogated, and tortured; after two days he confessed the details of the Plot. Along with the surviving members of the conspiracy (several members died during attempts to capture them), Fawkes was tried on January 27th, 1606, and executed on Janury 30th.
After The Gunpowder Plot was foiled, King James decreed that on the anniversary of the plot's failure should always be remembered. 400 years later, that celebration is known as Bonfire Night where bonfires and fireworks are lit, and effigies of Fawkes (known, appropriately, as "guys") are burned, in celebration. (You'll have to ask the individual revelers whether or they are celebrating the Plot's failure or its attempt.)

Friday, October 17, 2014

21 Life Changing Questions You Can't Afford To Not Ask

Imagine finally taking off seven coats you've been wearing on top of each other for years and years. You've forgotten that some people consciously choose to live without seven layers of coats on even though most people are living that way.

You remember the possibilities you imagined your life would be when you were a child. You decide to take off the coats and start running joyfully through the spring fields you forgot about. You move into the light where you finally begin to laugh and live feeling inspired every day instead of simply walking around reacting to life, complaining, counting down the days to the next weekend or vacation until you finally die.

Start taking off the coats that have layered your soul since you started to grow up. Forget about the negativity of the news. Don't believe negative people telling you that you can't make more money or move to a nicer city or do anything to better your life. Ignore all the forces telling you what you can't do. Close your ears to people who blame their boss, the government, their friends, and their circumstances for what they don't like about their lives.

It's time to leave 'em all behind and say "See ya!" It's time to adopt a new Belief System (yeah, whatever we believe is simply B.S.) just opinions we made up that may or may not actually be true.) It's time to drop all that limited thinking that keeps you stuck on the birth-school-work (paycheck-to-paycheck)-death merry-go-round.It's time to learn the magic of saying "YES". I'm going to make YES your new favorite word. Imagine what you want most in life right now. Dream BIG. Think of what your ideal life would look like. See all the tiny details. You have no limitations. You can have exactly what you want.

Money is no object. Your time is your own to spend as you like for as long as you wish. Dream BIGGER now. What fills your soul with more joy than you've ever felt before? Remember the best experience of your life? Start there and make it as amazing as you can.

How are you spending your days and nights? Who are you with? What are you doing? What emotions are coming up? What smells are in the air? What are your favorite foods that you're eating and tasting? What cities and countries are you visiting? What are you wearing?

As you reach out to touch your loved ones you're sharing this life with what sensations run through your hands? Get as specific as possible. The more specific you are the more you'll get out of doing this. I want you to see, hear, feel, taste and smell every little piece of the life you were born to live.

As you walk into your dream house how big are the doors? How high are the walls? How much of the square footage is covered in windows? How have you furnished it? How many rooms does it have? How many rooms does your guest house have? How many acres of property do you own?
What do you see outside of the windows? A meadow? A stream? The ocean? The sunset?

Is this the most fantastic day of your life? YES, it is. Get more in depth. See how your smile looks. Feel the warmth in your heart and the ease and peace in your spirit. Hear the sounds of the surroundings that feed your soul. Feel the excitement in your bones as you realize that you are actually living in your dream come true.

How amazing do you feel right now? You deserve this life don't you? YES, you do. This is no accident. If you are in a human body then you deserve to use it to build the life you truly want to be living. Hundreds of thousands of people are doing it right now. Can't you do it too? YES, you can. You may need some help, guidance and support, but you can and you will create the life of your dreams. YES, it's yours for the taking.

YES, you're ready. YES, you will live it now. How do you feel right now? YES, right now at this moment. Imagine feeling this light and warm every day. You're smiling aren't you? If you aren't then you didn't do the exercise above slow enough to absorb it and I invite you to do it again. Feeling is what creates what we have and do. Positive thinking without honest feeling behind it will leave you wondering why nothing's changed.

When you learn to consciously create with your feelings you'll start getting better results in your life. Right now you're probably getting results based on your unconscious feelings. The scary part of this is that most people only feel in reaction to what happens to them. I'm teaching you how to create with your feelings instead.

Please re-read this exercise and get precise about what you want. Simply getting conscious about your desires and feeling as if you're already living this way will magnetize it to you. You're creating everyday so you may as well do it consciously to get what you really want. You deserve it, so go for it!

Managing Your Fearful And Obsessive Thoughts

A girl lost in her thoughts.
Source: Wikipedia
Photographer:

Muhammad Mahdi Karim

There are times when people encounter fearful thoughts that can be difficult to manage. For some people, the more they try to get rid of the thoughts, the more difficult they become to manage. As a result, here is a brief list of techniques that a person can use to help manage their fearful and obsessive thoughts.

The first thing a person must do is not to dwell or focus on the fear provoking thought when it comes. The more a person tries to reason out the thought or focus on the fear behind the thought, the stronger the thought becomes. The next time you encounter an obsessive thought, get into the practice of not dwelling on it.

A person should visualize a red stop sign in their mind when they encounter a fear provoking thought. When the negative thought comes, a person should think of a red stop sign that serves as a reminder to stop focusing on that thought and to think of something else. A person can then try to think of something positive to replace the negative thought.

Sometimes, a person may encounter a lot of scary thoughts coming at them all at once. Instead of getting upset, remember that these thoughts are exaggerated and are not based on reality. Usually it is the fear behind the thoughts that gets us worked up. Ignore the fear behind these obsessive thoughts, regardless how the strong the fear may be. If you ignore the fear behind these thoughts, then the thoughts become easier to manage.

A person should keep a small notebook of positive statements that makes them feel good. Whenever they come across a positive and uplifting verse that makes them feel good, write it down in a small notebook. A person can then carry this notebook around in their pocket and whenever they feel anxious, they can read their notebook.

Another thing to remember is that no one can predict the future with one hundred percent certainty. Even if your fearful thoughts tell you otherwise, the fact is that there are circumstances and factors in every situation that can not be anticipated. We may be ninety-nine percent in predicting the future but all it takes is for that one percent to make the biggest difference.

There are ways to deal with your obsessive thoughts and with the proper treatment you can live a productive life.

Managing Your Fearful And Obsessive Thoughts
Copyright © 2006, Stanley Popovich

Writer's Resource Box:

Mr. Stanley Popovich is the author of "A Layman's Guide to 
Managing Fear" an easy to read book that presents a overview 
of techniques that are effective in managing persistent fears 
and anxieties. For additional information go to: 
http://www.managingfear.com

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