A Recent Failure and How Spirit Always Has My Back
Do you listen to podcasts? I’m in love with them. My podcast playlist includes a diverse collection. Here are just a few: Why Shamanism Now by Christina Pratt, The RobCast by Rob Bell (a Christian teacher who has a VERY exciting take on Christianity and spirituality in general), The Savage Lovecast (by Dan Savage, a relationship and sex advice show), The Good Life Project, The Lucky Mojo Rootwork Hour, Start Up, Serial, Invisibilia, On Being with Krista Tippet, TED Radio Hour. Even though they are all about different things, somehow they all support each other and come together in my head. I’ve long known that podcasts, for whatever reason, are important to me. They aren’t just interesting. They seem to be way that Spirit talks to me. Yes, even through the Savage Lovecast (Dan is always reminding us to "use our words!" This is good advice in almost all situations.). And it is through a podcast that the Divine gave me a reminder of who I am, or more appropriately, of who I want to be. Not only who, but also how. Let me explain. This year I’ve been working on being kind. Not just polite or nice, but kind in the deepest, truest senses of the word. I want to focus on the person I am interacting with and really hear them, which is an important part of kindness. Through listening, we can understand what a person needs. By understanding what they need, you can meet that need with grace and while honoring of their dignity. Perhaps this comes easy for you. I imagine not everyone is as mean and self-centered as I often am. For most of my life, my identity has hinged on what people think about me and on being perceived as “smart.” Consequently, I spent a lot of energy making sure that I was seen as “smart” without regard for how it made others feel. It is shameful that it’s taken me this long to realize how I was behaving and to begin changing it. The heartening news (for me and for those around me) is that because of the shamanic work I’ve done over the last few years and particularly last winter, I am making (mostly) good progress in being more kind. But recently I failed. I knew it when it was happening and I still did it. For someone who wants to be seen as smart, I sure can be stupid. A friend posted one of those amusing (or not so amusing) political pictures and quotes on Facebook. This friend is generous, loyal, and loving. She has only ever treated me with friendship and love. She and I have very different political views. We never discuss politics. As you may have noticed, the world is really kind of crazy at the moment and emotions are running so high and it affected me, even though normally I’m great at ignoring political craziness. I wrote a comment that was measured and thoughtful and dripping with judgement disguised as reason (one of my specialties). I knew it was a mistake and I deleted it without posting. Then I wrote her a private message that was the same. I deleted it because I knew that it would achieve no good end and would just throw gasoline on a fire. That very evening I saw her along with another friend and we all chatted. That picture she posted came up. And even though I’d resisted twice already, was already very aware that commenting would be A Very Bad Thing, I opened my mouth and let the words fall out. We parted with hugs and good wishes, but let me assure you, I felt lousy. The conversation was not a conversation, an exchange of ideas, or an interest in what the other person thought. It was simply an exchange of opinions fueled by emotions. No one was enlightened. No one felt like they understood the other better or walked away respecting the other person's opinion. There was no forward movement. The next day I listened to Episode 56 of the RobCast. It is part of a very interesting five part series call Politics and Guns. This part is called the Power of Policy. I’d encourage you to listen to the whole series. Like I said: very interesting. Through this episode the Divine helped remind me not so much of who I want to be (I know who and I know I failed that night) but just as important, how to be that person. One of the things that stands in the way of true kindness is judgment. And I don’t know about you, but boy oh boy, I can be very judgy. It kind of goes with wanting to be thought of as smart. See, if I can judge whatever you say and prove that it is weak logic or an incorrect premise or a mistaken fact, then I get to look smart. And like an asshole. Looking smart and being an asshole doesn’t accomplish anything except making people not want to be around you. It certainly isn't kind. It does not further dialogue. It does not encourage working together to solve problems...it just makes it feel like there is and never can be common ground. If I am interested in solving problems in this world, then being a smart asshole isn’t the route to go. Besides, I want to kind, dammit. The opposite of mental judgment (in my opinion) is curiousity. And Rob Bell agrees. In that episode I mention, he talks a lot about this issue and gives suggestions for talking to people in a way to actually encourage sharing and working together rather than to fuel disagreement. First, it is helpful to admit that you are not going to change each other’s minds, probably at all or ever. And you are certainly are not going to do by yelling louder or by using hateful, inflammatory language. Second, making sure that everyone knows your opinion isn’t really that important. Likely they already know or can guess. If you are posting mean-spirited “funnies,” ask yourself why you are posting them. What is your objective and how likely is it that that funny that insults everyone who disagrees with you is going to affect positive change in the world? Probably it is just doing more to widen the gap, to make the possibility of solutions even less likely. More than likely, it is spreading hate and general negative energy. But then, I’m kind of woo woo like that. I believe words (spoken or written) have power and that we shouldn’t throw them around so lightly and thoughtlessly. Third, probably the best you can do is to sincerely try to understand the other person. If you stop assuming that the person who disagrees with you is just a stupid idiot who shouldn’t be allowed to vote, you might find out that you are not as far apart in your opinions as it first seemed. We are not taught how to be interested in others or how to ask questions in a way that doesn’t feel like an interregation. So Rob gives us some ideas. Here are ones that I liked: 1. The always useful: “Tell me more about that.” Simple, direct, this statement is neutral, conveys interest and the intent to actually listen, and gives the other person a chance to talk in depth rather than in sound bites, headlines, or bumperstickers. 2. “What people, sources, journalists, shows, etc, helped shape your beliefs?” Just as I swim in the waters of tarot and, for example, the podcasts I mentioned, other people swim in different waters. If you understand what is shaping a person, you can understand more about him or her. 3. “When did you first realize this is how you thought/felt?” This can be an interesting question both the asker and the asked. It invites the person to think back and trace how their opinions were formed. It may also remind that maybe they didn’t always feel this way and that if they changed their mind once, they may change in it again, if they take in new information. 4.” How do your _____________ friends feel about that?” This one is MUCH trickier as it is very easy to come out sounding patronizing. But if someone is making a blanket statement about, say, Muslims, Christians, gay folks, Republicans, etc., ask them “How do your Muslim friends feel about your opinion/belief?” It’s tricky because more than likely they don’t have any of the people they are bashing as friends because, as most of us know, once you actually know someone personally, it is harder to villainize, demonize, or hate an entire class that would include your friend. Also, if they do have friends within the group they are villainizing, maybe the question would encourage them to engage in dialogue. See, instead of spreading hate and willful misunderstanding, you can spread curiosity! 5. “What specific policy bothers you the most?” Also tricky because if people are like me, they may not know actual policy, and so it can come off sounding like “I want to feel smart” or “I am an asshole and want to make you feel stupid.” But the point is, it is easy for me to say “I think we need more gun control!” However, to be honest I don’t know what a person in my county or state has to go through to get a gun. Is it the same every where? And it is easy for someone to yell back at me, “You liberals want to take all our guns away!” Clearly on opposite sides of the debate, right? Maybe, maybe not. If we looked at an actual piece of policy, we might find that either we are really close in what we think is acceptable or close enough that we could agree on compromises that we could both live with. Without calling each other hateful names. What does all of this have to do with kindness? I think it has a lot to do with kindness because I think kindness includes respect for others. And mean-spirited funnies aren’t respectful. Calling each other names and saying things in a purposefully inflammatory manner isn’t kind. Hell, I’ve even heard people use the very neutral descriptors of “Democrat” and “Republican” in tones of voice that make them sound like filthy words. If we are going to save this world and save ourselves, it isn’t going to be through one side being right and the other wrong. It isn’t going to be through taking stands like “I will never compromise my beliefs” (and the logical conclusion, which is: and I will impose my beliefs on everyone around me). It is going to be through compromise, through understanding. How hard is it to be sincerely intersted in someone? So that’s what I’m going to focus on in the coming months (until it becomes natural for me): kindness. Letting go of needing to be smart (and an asshole). Releasing judgment and embracing curiousity. Listen and respect my fellow human beings instead of assuming because they have a different label than me that I already know everything I need to know about them. I failed and it sucked. I hate failing, but I’ll deal with that once I get this kindness thing down. The Divine was there, through my podcast habit, to remind me what being kind actually looks like. I'm grateful for Divine grace that is infinitely patient with me. And if you read this all the way through, I'm super grateful for you!
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Sometime this summer, I listened to a podcast (I think it was the Good Life Project, but I don't remember the guest's name). The guest said that very few people can arrange a whole year "off" to take a sabbatical. Even though he worked for himself, he couldn't manage it. He realized, though, that he could manage to schedule a week "off" for a mini sabbatical. He tried it and liked it and decided to make it a regular part of his life. He works for 7 weeks and then takes one week off, then repeats the cycle. The week off isn't necessarily to just binge watch Farscape (which I would also love to do). It is to refill the well. Recharge the batteries. Feed what feeds you. Attend to your soul. You know, all the things that get pushed down the To Do List. Even though I work for myself, I couldn't take off completely. So I compromised by only attending to the essentials, which could be done in less than a hour a day. I broke up my hour with 30 minutes just before lunch. That was the first time I would launch my email that day. I'd do what I could for 30 minutes, then done. Later, about 30 minutes before the end of my working day, I checked my email again. Most interesting, was my sabbatical week rules for Facebook. I can't tell you how much time I spend on FB. There is a lot about FB that I love and I would never "give it up." Instead, I realized that I need to re-evaluate the time I spend there and the purpose I am there. Good: keeping up with friends. Bad: FOMO...Fear of missing out. After just checking in with FB once or twice a day for a week, this weekend I went back to my normal practices and was shocked to see that so much of what read was nothing new. I know. But really, I was shocked. I realized that FOMO kept me from being as present as possible in my own life. I realized that I am interested in almost everything and I could spend my whole life reading about fascinating and forgettable things posted on FB. By keeping my online visits to a minimum, I was really surprised by all the time I had and how much I accomplished. And I wasn't trying to accomplish anything in particular. Now that the week is over, I declare it a success. By the end of the weekend, I was energized and ready to get to work. I think I will approach my work over the next 7 weeks with passion and no resentment. You see, I'm interested in lots of things and sometimes I get really sad that I can't do or explore everything I want. Now I will know that every 8th week, I'll be able to go wherever my fancy takes me. I realize I am lucky, that I can structure my work life so that I can do this. Maybe you can't take a full week off. But the guy who originally had the idea knew he couldn't do a year, so he came up with an option that worked for him (and me). That means, you can figure out something that works for you, maybe a long weekend or maybe one evening a week. Maybe it seems indulgent or irresponsible to do this. But I don't think so. I think refilling our wells and exploring the things that delight our souls, even if they don't earn money, add great benefit to our lives. Yes, it has taken me, a stereotypical Capricorn, over 50 years to realize this. Better late than never! Here are some things I did last week since I wasn't on email or FB or working much. I journaled and read. I made art. The leaf is watercolor, the pumpkin is oil pastels, the rattle is pencil. I also watched a ton of YouTube videos on watercolor instruction. I would have watched ones on oil pastels but there aren't many. I took walks around Como Lake and through my neighborhood. I copied about a hundred scraps of paper (with brilliant ideas scribbled on them) onto index cards for easy sorting and reviewing. I refreshed my altar. May you, my dear friends, find some time to nourish your souls. May life make it easy for you to feed what feeds you. May you find inspiration and refreshment whenever you need it.
This morning I listened to a Good Life Project Riff (short podcasts that briefly explore a subject) called What if You Were Defined by Your Worst Moment? You can listen to it HERE. I suggest you do, because it is really good and under six minutes.
I've seen too many relationships, beautiful, loving, nurturing relationships or reputations thrown away or destroyed, because one person made a mistake. As Jonathon says in the podcast, a lifetime of loving, kind acts can be erased by one moment of reaction, stress, anger, or other human emotion. He posits and I agree, that we do better (and are making a more accurate judgment) to look at the long haul, the cumulative goodness as the norm and the one thing, the one mistake, as an anomaly and part of being human. And you must know, I'm talking about mistakes and not talking about things like assault and such. Nor am I talking about reasonable discernment. He turns the question on us: how would our characters be described if someone used only our worst moment? How accurate would it be? Not very, I bet. So why are we so quick to think that one mistake means we need to say "Aha! They've shown their true colors and now I will never trust them again!" We, or at least I, do this to myself as well. One mistake and I think of myself as some lame loser who has never had one bit of value. Or maybe something less extreme, but still, pretty hateful and unrealistic. I don't know why we do this. Maybe because it makes life easier in some ways. We like things simple and black and white. Rules help make things easier and just cutting a person off is a lot easier than working through emotional messes. Maybe next time you find yourself judging yourself or someone else, first measure that thought against the idea of judgment being a way to give life rather than crush life. Image: Judgement from Llewellyn's Classic Tarot, by Barbara Moore and Eugene Smith Snickerdoodles: A Delicious MetaphorAt the Minnesota State Fair, there are lots and lots different categories for entering your best efforts in the arts, baking, knitting, crop art, and more. In each category, there a many different lots, or subcategories, you can enter. In the baking category, there is one that I always find interesting. Each year, they pick a different recipe--this year it was Snickerdoodles--and each entrant bakes the cookies using the exact same recipe. The picture above is just a few of the many cookies entered. As you can see, even though they all supposedly used the same recipe, the results are all different. I'm sure there are lots of reasons: quality or specific types of ingredients, relative humidity, technique, tools, the type of oven used, timing. Even if they controlled for all of that, I think the cookies would still come out differently because each baker adds something of him or herself to the mix, something that is uniquely themselves. Besides making me want to eat many cookies, looking at them reminded me a lot of tarot readings. In some groups or on Facebook, sometimes people will do a reading for themselves and ask the group for input. I always wonder about the usefulness of that, because I think that you can put the same, say, three cards in front of a dozen readers and even using the same question and positional meanings, you will get different conclusions. The reason goes deeper than tarot education and experience. Underneath all of that are our personal beliefs about what tarot is, how it works, where the answers come from, the role of the reader, etc. These are all questions (and there are even more) that I have my students answer before we even get into "what the cards mean." Because what the cards mean depends on your core beliefs about how the world works. Good bakers understand that baking is more than measuring ingredients and following directions. Just like a good artist doesn't simply make a painting that looks like a photograph; they make a painting that expresses a core truth that lies in their heart or mind or soul. There is an alchemy that happens in the creation, an alchemy that starts from within. In fact, the alchemy starts from within and affects the reading before it even begins. It will influence what kind of sitters you read for, how you handle their questions (including type, wording, and approach to the reading), how you interpret the cards, and how you present the information (as well as how, if at all, you "edit" the information you see in the cards). These are all things that new readers want to know the "rules" for. But unless the rules come from their core, it's not really their most authentic reading. Many readers tap into that core accidentally, because they are trying to access their intuition or something "more." I think that cultivating a firm understanding of your beliefs will help a reader tap into that place of alchemical wonder more easily and more consciously, and, in the long run, it will help them become a better reader. My wish for you, my friends, is that you are always able to access the divine core within you and add your own unique magic to whatever you create, whether it is cookies or a tarot reading. A few weeks ago we hosted our very first ever retreat. We called it Through the Looking Glass and, of course, used the theme of the Alice story of the same name. Mirrors, or more accurately, the way we see ourselves, figured prominently in the work that we did.
This work was based on a kaleidoscope of things that I experienced, learned, read, and figured out over the past two years or so. So many things worked together to create this transformative experience in my life, an experience that changed so much about me, including allowing me to dream big enough to create this event. I wanted to pull together all those elements in a coherent way and present it to others in the hopes that even one of them has the same incredible experience that I did. It was something that I knew could not be done in a single workshop. It required days, so a retreat seemed like the best method. We took over Orchard House, a house on the grounds of Buttermilk Farm in Wisconsin. We brought in curtains and pictures and all kinds of things, making it into our own temporary wonderland. The three main bedrooms for the guests and the common area (where we did most of our work) each had an altar, one for each element. The picture above is the Earth altar. In the large grassy field outside of the house, we made a huge labyrinth using flour. The labyrinth was part of our very moving, hour-long closing ritual on Sunday morning, but it was also used by our guests Saturday under a nearly full moon. The dew glistened in the moonlight like stars laying on the ground and the floor shone bright white. It was really magical. Lisa (my wife) and Michelle (my sister) made the labyrinth on Friday afternoon and each day I "fed" it by adding more flour and keeping the lines clear. As I fed it, I prayed that whoever walked it would leave behind what they needed to and take away a special message. Friday and Saturday, I taught, led the guests on journeys, and gave them time to do readings using spreads created to support the journeys and the lectures. The goal was to create a ritual that they will do on the Winter Solstice, to release what hides their divinity from themselves and the world and to shine their authentic truths through their thoughts, feelings, words, and deeds. Between now and then, they have work to do to prepare. Because contrary to what many thing, transformation doesn't begin and end in one instant. Transformation requires a cauldron or a crucible that will not react with the process, so the work between now and then prepares their inner cauldron. After the ritual, more work (and support) is required because once you are transformed, your changes ripple out into your life. Conflicts may occur. Relationships may alter or even explode. You may decide to do crazy things like start a One Year Teaching program or host a retreat. It wasn't all work, though. Everyone bonded so quickly and it was like we all became fast friends immediately. On Saturday night, we had a bonfire and one wonderful guest brought a guitar and we sang under the stars. On Sunday we had a Mad Tea Party Brunch (there is a photo of the table below). The retreat was more amazing than I could have dreamed and I can't wait to offer it next year. My wish for you, my friends, is that you always see your shiny, beautiful, divine selves and do what you can to nurture and support that precious gift that is completely you! In my shaman training, we've been working on learning how to bless. That's been a big theme in my life since the fall, when I began training as a blesser for the Solstice ritual. Since then, I've been training for the Equinox ritual, which was this past Friday. For each ritual, we learned about and experienced (through specific journeys) the energy we wanted to summon and bestow. We learned techniques to strengthen our connection with and to enhance our ability to summon that energy.
The biggest difference between the two experiences, though, was the experience of blessing during the rituals. During the Solstice ritual, I worked hard at "blessing." My spiritual teacher did say that if you feel like you are trying too hard, you are probably getting in the way more than anything. During the Equinox ritual, I realized that I was not "working hard." I was joyfully and easily blessing the people. What was the difference? What do I mean by "working hard"? I want to be clear on this, because make no mistake, hard work is involved. But during the ritual is not the time to work hard. The hard work is in the preparation. Through disciplined journeying, drumming, and meditation in the weeks before the ritual, we were ready to simply summon, focus, and release the energy. The ritual was pretty wonderful. I loved walking through the people, seeing their faces, full of expectation and trust, and knowing that they were, indeed, being blessed. And by being a servant to Spirit, to them, I was also greatly blessed. Like a gratitude practice, praise can change your life. We've all heard that people who practice gratitude are, in general, happier than those who don't. In my family there are two gratitude practices that we've found useful.
Every Friday for the past several years my wife, Lisa, emails me a list of "3 Good Things" from the week. Sometimes her lists have twelve things on them. Sometimes she admits to having a hard time coming up with three...but that is rare. She claims that this practice gives her a strong foundation that helps her through challenging times. Together, we have a jar on the kitchen counter. Throughout the year, we (independently) write things that make us happy or that we are grateful for on slips of paper, fold them up, and put them in the jar. On New Year's Day, we dump them out and read through all of them, as a way of symbolically seeding the coming year with happiness and gratitude. I've recently learned about a practice that is similar to a gratitude practice: a praise practice. This is from my shaman teacher, Jaime Meyer. Here are the simple steps to spontaneous praise: Who: Whoever you like...the Universe, the Divine, God, Goddess, the Great Mystery, Spirit (personally, I've praised all of these and it's helped me connect with the beautiful complexity of, well, of the Great Divine Mystery of the Universe). When: Every day or at the very least, three times a week. The idea of any sort of practice is being regular and having discipline. How: This is the fun part. Think of different art forms. Then imagine the Great Spirit or Universe or whoever you believe in as an artist of that art form and praise his/her/its brilliant work. Say what you think of out loud. Yes, really. Out loud. Give voice and life to your praise. For this example, I imagined the Wondrous Mysterious as a sculptor: In the hush of a held breath you lean in close with gentle hands and sensitive fingers shaping the world according to your great heart and bringing to life the dreams that dance in the center the center where all things begin In each masterpiece you craft you leave a piece of you in the center so that we can find our way back to you. As you can see, you needn't worry about being "good," just sincere and enthusiastic. It gets easier with practice and soon you can break into praise whenever you like. Why: Gratitude is awesome and I will never stop doing that. One big difference between praise and gratitude is that praise focuses solely on the wonder of the Divine while gratitude focuses on your life. It is a slight, subtle difference and sometimes praise meanders into gratitude. Since I've started praising, I've found my perspective shifting, my heart opening up. I started paying attention to wonderful things to praise and found that the more I looked, the more I found. Praising, rising so often as it does from the subconscious, also teaches me about the Divine. In hearing the words I allow my soul to speak, I discover truths that I might not have come to through my mind alone. Tarot is a tool used by many people. There is no one single commonality amongst all the people who use the cards, except of course the cards themselves. One of the things that shapes how a person would use the cards is their beliefs. Tarot’s structure makes it well suited as a map for many belief systems, including my own current explorations using shamanic practices and applying shamanic beliefs. As is the case with so many different belief systems and practices, there are several obvious parallels between shamanism and tarot. These parallels are not unique to shamanism and tarot. You can, and many have, drawn parallels between tarot and other systems for understanding the world.
1. Structure (or, in a sense, cosmology) Tarot has a structure: Major Arcana, Minor Arcana, four suits, numbered cards, and court cards. Shamanism also has a basic cosmology (or shared structure of the world) that includes the Upper World, Middle World, and Lower World. It also distinguishes between Ordinary Reality and Non-Ordinary Reality. I would not go so far as to say that these distinctions relate directly. The similarity is that they bring a specific structure to the human experience and structure is what helps us understand, describe, and talk about our experiences. 2. A Way to Find (Divine) Answers One of the most popular uses of tarot cards is in readings. Readings are ways that people seek answers, inspiration, and guidance. Journeys are a shamanistic technique that allows the journeyer to find answers, inspiration, and guidance. Another subcategory parallel is that you can do a tarot reading for yourself as well as for someone else, and you can also journey for yourself or on behalf of someone else. 3. Approach Both tarot and shamanistic journeys depend on the intent of the diviner and the clarity of question as well as the practitioner’s skill with symbol recognition and interpretation. One difference between the two is that some tarot readers can answer multiple questions using only one spread of the cards while most people journey on only one question at a time. 4. Influence of the Practitioner Some readers agree that there are basic meanings to each card (although not all readers agree on this), but even within the range of basic meanings, a reader brings his or her own personal interpretations to the reading. Similarly, there can be shared symbolism amongst journeyers (for example, the Foundation for Shamanic Studies has a program devoted to the Mapping of Non-Ordinary Reality, most people who journey interpret their experiences, whether for themselves or for another, based on their personal relationships with the entities that they encounter and the experiences that they have. Most readers translate the cards into “plain English” so that the interpretation makes sense to the person receiving the reading. Shamanistic practitioners, when they journey for someone else, often give the interpreted message without explaining what they experienced during their journey. This has been my experience in classes and group work as well as when I’ve been on the receiving end of shamanic services. 5. Healing Both readers and shamanic practitioners, in general, seek to do good, to provide healing and encouragement and comfort where they can. The intention is to help and most work hard to provide the information discovered, whether in a reading or during a journey, with love and respect. Or perhaps it is enough to illuminate a specific corner of someone’s world.
Many tarot readers believe that the question asked before the cards are shuffled and spread is very important. There are many facets of discussion about this, though, and no universal agreement. There are probably just as many readers who do not have their clients ask a question. However, for those who find questions useful, it’s always interesting to think about how to phrase a good question. Years ago I read The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (published by Penguin Books) and one passage (pp 60 – 61, paperback edition, 2005) struck me as so interesting I copied it out in a journal. I’ll reproduce it here. “The greatest challenge of science, its art, lies in asking an important question and framing it in a way that allows it to be broken into manageable pieces, into experiments that can be conducted that ultimately lead to answers. To do this requires a certain kind of genius, one that probes vertically and sees horizontally. Horizontal vision allows someone to assimilate and weave together seemingly unconnected bits of information. It allows an investigator to see what others do not see, and to make leaps of connectivity and creativity. Probing vertically, going deeper and deeper into something, creates new information. Sometimes what one finds will shine brilliantly enough to illuminate the whole world. ….To see questions in these ways requires a wonder, a deep wonder focused by discipline, like a lens focusing the sun’s rays on a spot on paper until it bursts into flame. It requires a kind of conjury.” From this observation, I took four main points: 1. Ask an important question This does beg the question “how does one know what is an important question.” Perhaps we know intuitively or perhaps we ask the question and wring out all the answers we can and determine the importance of the question based on the significance of the answers. A common example of what many consider a “bad” or “less useful” or in the words used here “not important question” would be something like: Is my ex going to come back to me? The answer could be yes or no or maybe. But how significant is that answer to the asker’s life? How is it going to change or illuminate them? Some readers would encourage digging deeper. For example, asking why the person is having trouble letting go of the relationship, how this information would shape his or her present actions, or how can the wound caused by the ending of the relationship be healed? 2. Frame the question in a way that creates manageable pieces This is where spread selection is influenced. After assessing the question and determining the facets of it that may yield the most useful information, use (or design) a spread that can best reflect these aspects. 3. Probe horizontally After the cards are laid out for the reading, scan them looking for patterns and connectivity. Use that information to pinpoint insights. This aspect of reading, especially the initial scan, can answer the whats and the hows of a situation. 4. Probe vertically I found it fascinating that by delving deeper, we actually create new information. “Create” rather than “discover.” Part of going deeper is asking “why.” So, in a relativistic way (in which the observer influences the outcome), probing vertically “creates” new information that can influence the outcome, either of a situation or of the insight and/or guidance gleaned from the reading. When we “create” new information, we can then cycle back to the probing horizontally, seeing how the new information affects the previously established patterns or creates new ones. Again, this aspect can answer the whys of a situation. If used, these steps can create an interactive, dynamic reading that will provide more insight than a simple, static one. Answering what one might call a “non-important” question may give someone comfort (or the opposite, depending on the answer). But spending time with any question and teasing out its complex layers can lead to the “important” question nestled within the surface concern. Once you find that question, you open the door to greater illumination. I got the idea to do the birthday tour from this list: CLICK I've attached the map of my route (at the end of this post) which went along with photos of the donuts we ate at each (in the order we ate them in). Granny Donuts Mojo Monkey Mel-O-Glaze A Baker's Wife Glam Doll Angel Food The two other spots on my list that we didn't get to were Chef Shack and The Donut Hut, both were closed (and we were relieved). As a baseline I got a plain cake donut at each spot so that I could compare apples to apples, plus one other donut which was usually whatever they suggested in the City Pages article. I have included the prices along with my notes. (If I bash your favorite donut shop just know it's not my intent to to do so, I was just trying to find my favorite shop in the cities. Also, I thought every place had their merits but I had to use some kind of scale to narrow things down so I don't ever have to do this again :) Granny Donuts, Robert Street, West St. Paul (City Pages ranking #2 My ranking #1) Apple Fritter $2.50, Plain cake donut .75, Lemon bizmark .80 The Hmong couple who own this place are so friendly and great. They gave us more to eat than we paid for and everything was so perfectly what it should be. The plain cake donut was light, the dough wasn't overworked, it had the slightest hint of spice to give it a profile other than just sugar, slight fried crisp on the outside and moist on the inside with just the right amount of sweetness. The apple fritter was perfect. This apple fritter is what every other apple fritter wants to be when it grows up. Chewy, carmely, crispy, moist, everything you want a fritter to be. Plus, you could eat off this thing for breakfast and finish it as lunch. The only criticism we had was that it could have used slightly more apple, but other than that it was perfect. We were given the lemon bizmark by the owners who insisted we try it because it was their favorite. We were so glad they did because it was luscious. Lightly fried with no glaze and the most amazing lemon curd filling. It was light and tart and just the right amount of sweet and it, like the other pastries was just quite perfect. If you want a donut shop that can service all your donut needs we highly recommend Granny Donuts. Mojo Monkey Bakery, W. 7th St., St. Paul (City Pages ranking #9 My ranking #6 out of 6) Raspberry Brie Bizmark $2.59, Plain cake donut $1.59 I will never go here again. The plain cake was raw in the middle. And tasted more like a spice cake than a plain cake donut. And the bizmark, though I have to give them props for being able to taste the brie and raspberry, there was just way too much sweet glop on this thing. It was just a glob of sweet. Full disclosure: I was slightly biased against Mojo because of a couple of bad visits previously but I was willing to give them another shot. I think this place is mostly a marketing ploy that will play itself out very soon. They have a great name and logo, bad location, odd customer service business model and gimmicky donuts that are mostly not well thought out. Mel-O-Glaze, Minnehaha Parkway, Mpls (City Pages ranking #10 My ranking #3) Plain cake donut $1, "Crispie" $2.00 The guy working the counter told us we were late. There weren't a ton of donuts to choose from by 12:30 or so but we were able to get a plain cake and one of their signature items, a "crispie." The plain cake was very good, slightly crisp on the outside, with the perfect dense to lightness dough ratio. It was sweet but not overly so and the flavor profile didn't bend in any strange direction, it tasted like a plain cake donut should. The crispie was super flakey and not too sweet. Not sure if I would get one of these again but it seemed like something my grandpa would have loved. Mel-O-Glaze is an institution in this part of south Minneapolis, having been around for 65 years. They know how to do donuts and you wouldn't be disappointed if you stopped in here for a sweet treat some morning. A Baker's Wife Bakery, 42nd St., Mpls (City Pages Ranking #1 My ranking #2) Plain, cinnamon sugar, chocolate glazed cake donuts, all .50 Deciding between Mel-O-Glaze and Baker's Wife for #2 was difficult, they are kind of tied in my mind when it comes to the plain cake donut. I elevated Baker's Wife to #2 because of the rest of their offerings. This is a full service bakery with lots of other wonderful looking baked goods (cakes, loaves of bread, buns, brownies, cookies, etc). Plus, they serve good cold press coffee. Their plain cake donut was a perfect 10 in my book, slightly crispy on the outside with a nice fried taste (but not too greasy), sweet but not overly so, with a perfect light chew to the cake. I wasn't impressed with the chocolate glaze which just tasted sweet to me, but the cinnamon sugar version was nice and added a little complexity to the flavor. Glam Doll Donuts, Nicollet Ave, Mpls (City Pages Ranking #5 My ranking #5) Chocolate cake donut $1.25, raised plain $2, Femme Fatale (raspberry crème filled bizmark) $3 I love Glam Doll, more for the marketing (pin-up girls!) than the donuts. I think their dough is usually overworked. This visit was better than my previous ones, the dough was slightly less tough. The cake donut had a good texture but the flavor was off, I could taste too much baking soda, which when eating the donut plain really stood out. When I took a bite with the chocolate frosting it was much better because the sweet of the frosting balanced out the bitter. Their chocolate frosting at Glam Doll is good. Generally their flavors are good I have to say. Unlike Mojo, when Glam Doll does interesting things to donuts they don't usually push it over the edge with mounds of filling and frosting, they get the flavors right and the balance of frosting-filling-donut. This was the case with the Femme Fatale which I would have never tried if the City Pages hadn't noted it as their choice for signature donuts. The raspberry crème had a vibrancy and just-right tartness to it that balanced perfectly with the sweet of the white icing. Though the dough was still slightly tough, it wasn't too bad and there was a nice amount of filling. The raised plain was a waste of stomach space. Angel Food Bakery, 9th Street downtown Mpls, right next to Hell's Kitchen
(City Pages ranking #7 My ranking #4 DonaPart (cronut) $4.50, Plain cake $1.50, Lemon Bizmark $2.50 The European style pastry case with the glass front and multi-tiered plates full of beautiful pastries is the first thing you see when you walk in this place. It makes you want to try one of everything. But I couldn't wait to get my mouth around their version of the cronut (croissant fried up like a donut). I wasn't disappointed, their Donapart was delicious, flakey in that moist way that croissants are, crispy fried outside with a just-right sweet glaze. I want to go back to try their bacon maple version where they weave cooked bacon pieces in with the croissant dough, fry it and then glaze it with a thin maple frosting. The plain cake wasn't worth eating, but the lemon bizmark was delicious. Their filling was different from Granny's in that Angel Food does more of a lemon cream pie rather than a lemon curd. Angel Food does not scrimp on their filling either, with their bizmark you will get a bite of cream with every bite. I love that. I definitely want to go back to this place to try a few more of their pastries. As far as their donut dough goes, it wasn't anything to write home about, but I want to see if their other offerings show better. I'd go back. |
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