everyone loves being an expert

[snugglekitty]

Recently, people have been asking me some really fun questions.

"So, Honey, got any tips on how to host a successful play party?" Oh yeah.

"Do you have any resources on the Green Man I could look at?" You know it.

There is nothing like being asked questions you know the answers to, to make you feel smart and competent.

Anybody else wanna try? Go ahead. Ask me something. :)

Comments

[desiringsubject.livejournal.com]

What's a green man?

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

Oh! I didn't see that one coming. :) A green man is a masculine forest spirit or wilderness deity. You've probably seen a million pictures of them and not known what they were. He's generally portrayed with leaves or shoots growing out of his mouth. He is viewed as a symbol of the cycle of life - death leading to rebirth in a different form. And he's very very witchy.

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

[jacflash.livejournal.com]

Does a dog have Buddha-nature?

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

Oh, you're just being a smart aleck. Yes, a dog has Buddha nature. Next?

[opn.livejournal.com]

Can I watch you (frog?) take apart a sweater -- or at least *start* to watch -- sometime?

[catya.livejournal.com]

Any fabulous ideas for an Imbolg ritual?

[chienne-folle.livejournal.com]

Heck, I wanna hear the answers to the ones you've already been asked. You've already told us about the Green Man; wanna answer this one:

"So, Honey, got any tips on how to host a successful play party?"

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

Absolutely. However, you might also find these links helpful:

http://community.livejournal.com/knitting/4283889.html
http://www.neauveau.com/recycledyarn.html

[teratomarty.livejournal.com]

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could in fact chuck wood?

[desiringsubject.livejournal.com]

I totally want an answer to that one too.

[desiringsubject.livejournal.com]

Ah, like aroraborealis's recent post on "stereotype threat" it's something I knew the concept for but not the name/proper noun.

[desiringsubject.livejournal.com]

Parenthetically, the first thing that came to my head was some kind of rival Blue Man Group. Heh.

[desiringsubject.livejournal.com]

I'd say something that involved starting very slow seeds indoors. My oregano is still going strong b/c I started it with everyone else on May 1. (imvfd did it as an anniversary ritual thing, seed planting). But oregano (as it turns out) is very slow germinating. Start some very slow germinating seeds at Imbolc and then they'll be seedlingish by the spring equinox. Then you can do something else with them.

Of course, I'm going to be in Tropical climates for all of this. How does near equatorial neo-paganism work?

Oh wait. There. There's my question.

How do you do neo-paganism at near equatorial latitudes?

(My personal answer is a non-answer...I'm going to be haunting botanicas etc. and learning about Santeria. Also, there's a rumor that my dad's hometown is a bastion of indios, and I might even be able to acquire some Taino learning. Woot. Encouragement to host an info sharing will be sought when I return.)

[desiringsubject.livejournal.com]

I think that if lady_anemone answers this one, you and I should aggregate it with our knowledge and start a knowledge bank, yes?

[tisana.livejournal.com]

Why is it, if water is clear and colorless, that if a towel gets wet, it turns darker?

I've never quite understood that. I don't think water refracts light when it's absorbed into something the way it does in a glass.

Or maybe...why do the good die young? Or was Billy Joel lying to us?

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Hee. I think there are a few of us who could contribute to that one. Of course, most of it applies to any party -- just adjust the details as necessary.

[chienne-folle.livejournal.com]

*laugh* I think holding a good party is simple:

1. Invite good people (reasonably social, reasonably well-behaved, reasonably clueful)
2. Have lots of food
3. Make expectations clear
4. Make sure the number of guests matches the amount of space

Most of the rest of the things people do are either nice but non-essential frills or ways of dealing with having failed at either #1 or #3.

Of course, I'm a great fan of frills, but they're neither the cake nor the icing; they're the sprinkles on the icing. :-)

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

What are some things I can do to get more body and energy work for free (or barter)?

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

*sticks tongue out at you both*

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

Heh. I can see why.

The references I suggested, by the way, were

Green Man: Tales from the Mythic Forest, which is a collection of stories, and
Green Man: Archetype of Our Oneness with the Earth, which is more academic and has a lot of pictures.

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

I like doing Imbolc rituals in the early morning. I like it when they involve candles, creativity, and plans for the New Year. And dairy! It's great that we have a dairy holiday. *grin*

To be more serious - I think Imbolc is a great time to have people doing crafty things, either together (all the same project or type of project) or with everyone doing their own thing, since Brigid is the goddess of creativity.

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

Why yes, yes I have! Thanks for asking!

1) Have munchy food in small portions, not big bowls of stuff that's hard to digest. (Cheese and crackers good. Chili bad.)
2) Turn up the heat! No one will want to get naked if they're cold. It should be warm enough that you feel slightly overheated in street clothes before the guests arrive.
3) As a subset of the "good people" thing you mention later, it can be helpful to think about who you want to play with and who your friends are likely to want to play with. It's true that sometimes people surprise you, but mostly one can predict the choices of one's friends.
4) Start the night with something that is not play, but is sexy and gets people comfortable. A flirty party game, for example. Our last one featured an icebreaker of guessing the correct definition of Kama Sutra positions. This is especially important if everyone doesn't already know each other.
5) Consider different types of space people will want to play in. Ask your guests if anyone has a sling you can borrow. Most people do scenes lying down, standing up, or bent over something. A blanket on the floor is better than nowhere to lie down at all. Chairs are best for aftercare or voyeurism. It's very helpful if the standing-up space has enough room for floggers and the like. Designate an area as a chill space without play, probably near the food.
6) Come up with rules for your play party, and post them. Include mundane stuff (don't torture my cat!) as well as types of play that you don't want to take responsibility for or that need your permission.
7) Consider your own liability. Make sure you don't admit anyone under 21. Consider not allowing alcohol, and definitely don't allow other drugs. Disallow any play YOU think is likely to lead to calling the paramedics. If you need money for the overhead, make it an optional donation rather than an admission charge. Think about what you will say and do if the cops show up.

Those are my tips! I imagine you already thought of many of them, but I hope they were helpful.

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

Why is it, if water is clear and colorless, that if a towel gets wet, it turns darker?

I asked my favorite technical consultant that one. He said that as far as he knows, light is refracted in fabric by free fibers that are standing up. When they are wet, they are matted down and do not reflect as much light. He compared this to the way that running your hand over a carpet or piece of velvet can make it look lighter or darker.

Or maybe...why do the good die young? Or was Billy Joel lying to us?

The good don't die young. It just seems that way, because we remember people who died when we were still young and idealistic ourselves wrapped in a rosy glow, as long as we didn't hate them. (I love that song!)

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

I'm happy to answer that - but what are you already doing to get this?

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

None. Even a woodchuck that can chuck wood can be presumed to have better things to do with his or her time.

[katkt.livejournal.com]

The interesting and accomodating part of my brain is still asleep. Only the goofy tweaky part of it is awake. So I'm really sorry for this, but I couldn't resist. Just be thankful it's not completely arcane.

Consider the following hypothetical situation:
Two trains start out 3000 miles away from each other on opposite ends of the same track, moving towards each other. One train is moving at 20 mph, and the other is moving at 30mph. A mechanical drone shaped like a bee (classically, this problem involves an actual bee, but no bee would ever do this) flies at 10mph back and forth from the front of one train to the front of the other. If the mechanical bee keeps flying (tirelessly) back and forth between the two trains until they collide, how far does it travel before getting smooshed horribly?

[katkt.livejournal.com]

Next?

Does a mechanical drone shaped like a bee that exists for the sole purpose of getting smashed between two trains (see below) have Buddha nature?

:-)

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

How do you do neo-paganism at near equatorial latitudes?

Great question. I have a little experience with this, because of a trip to Jamaica a few years ago. I was kind of overwhelmed by all the magic I could sense there - it made me feel very small and foreign.

What I wish I had done is to have spoken with my gods, spirits, etc, before getting on a plane, and said, "I am going to this faraway place. Will I find you there? If not, can you put in a good word for me with the powers that be? Also, can you tell me what observations would be appropriate to make for you and/or them in that place?"

I did keep all my senses open and my shields firmly in place when I was in Jamaica, at least until we reached the bed and breakfast we were staying at, which was heavily warded and dedicated to Yemaya, much to my intense surprise. I also tried to keep a low magickal profile. I didn't want to attract the attention of anything that I wouldn't be able to handle. I wasn't sure I had backup. That was an okay approach, though very nervous-making. If I had it to do over, a ritual before leaving would definitely be central.

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Adrian!

splitting hairs

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

Just be thankful it's not completely arcane.

Hey, if it was arcane, I would have a chance of answering it!
I'm great at troubleshooting mystical crap. *grin*

Since the whole point of this was about people asking me things that I already knew, or at least had a chance of knowing, and since I was also focusing on serious questions (though I didn't say so), I'm going to choose not to answer this question.

okay, so.

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

With the lack of an answer to my question, I'm going to go ahead and answer your question using the assumption that you're not doing anything to arrange body- and energywork for no money.

The only suggestion I can give you about getting body and energywork for free, is to learn how to do it and do it on yourself. Most healers are in the position of lots of people wanting their time and help. If we gave it away for nothing, we'd use ourselves up. Most of us don't want to do this because, among other things, it would mean we wouldn't be able to help people anymore. So, starting from the place of, "How do I make nonmonetary exchanges for more body- and energywork?" may get you better results.

Here are a few things that people can do to get more massage/energywork. I'd imagine you've already done some.

1) Go to massage and/or energywork parties.
2) Host a massage or energywork party. Your work hosting it is generally seen as the exchange.
3) Think about what skills and services you can barter in exchange for massage or energywork. Most practitioners are open to professional-quality skill exchanges, but "I can give you a backrub, even though I don't have any training," doesn't fly. If you're not very experienced with massage or energywork, think about what else you're good at. Maybe a hobby or something that's a part of the job you do for money.
4) Think about what objects you can barter in exchange for what you want. This is more of a catch as catch can kind of thing. Most people who use barter have a list of stuff they're looking for, but are unlikely to want random things.
5) Ask your friends who do these things if they're interested in setting up an exchange, or post on the bostonbarter community.
6) Go for it!

I hope that was helpful. If you're already doing all of these things, leave a comment and I'll come up with some more ideas.

Re: okay, so.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

First of all, I appreciate your reply and I'm sorry I hadn't yet responded. Your re-wording of my question doesn't actually have any different a meaning to me than my own, though I do like it better, since of course my point wasn't for nothing, but rather just not for cash.

I am a trained (and licensed) massage therapist and I practice multiple energy modalities. I don't have the space to host a gathering of that sort and can't remember the last time I was invited to one, but generally speaking that's a good idea and I would like to attend such things.

In answer to your previous question, no, I'm not really doing anything toward that goal right now beyond thinking that it'd be a good idea, so it was what came to mind when I read your post.

Re: okay, so.

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

I am a trained (and licensed) massage therapist and I practice multiple energy modalities.

Well, here's an easy one - want to try doing a trade with me sometime? I also do multiple energy modalities. I'm experienced and I'm good at it. And, as it happens, I haven't gotten a massage recently. :)

Re: okay, so.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

That sounds great. :) Do you have a table at your place? I can also do floor-based work, though that would be fairly different.

Re: okay, so.

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

Yup, we have a nice EarthLite table with reiki ends. :)

Let's continue this over email, shall we? Drop me a line, I'm not sure what your current address is.