trystinn | 'Interests, we got interests' meme (Paigemom)

They say everybody writes a journal with the hope that someday somebody will read it. I think most people in the explicitly-public LJ-land list interests in the hope that someday somebody will ask about them. This meme, like a dating service, turns all that hoping-somebody-will-ask into a straightforward request. Viva communication!

Explicitly request it in a comment below and I will choose 7 of your LJ profile interests for you to explain/write about.

Aradia - I've been a Charles Leland fan for years, especially his "Songs of the Seas" and "Etruscan Remains". I find I like the idea of the Gods sending down a leader to teach witchcraft, freedom and rebellion to the masses. We have an outdoor statue supervising the Spiral Walk out front dedicated to her.

Chabad - while controversial, Chabad House is a modern Chassidic Jewish community. They are absolutely focused on communication, continuing education and questioning their ecstatic faith. Their take on Kabbalah is particularly engrossing.

Dexter - I've always been interested in Forensic Psychology (stick with me here) and this very sympathetic, funny take on a serial killer's life is absolutely engrossing.

Ishtar - a Babylonian goddess I've just begun a relationship with, very similar to Astarte in the north and Astarted (Semetic). She is the goddess of love, fertility and war. Her wrath could not be stopped and she delighted in ruining the lives of her lovers.

Hers is the original Descent of the Goddess, which differs greatly from either Inanna's (Sumerian), Demeter's or Wicca's own. Her lover Tammuz, a fertility God who dies each year, is similar to the Horned God in several ways, different in others. It ends with: "On the day when Tammuz plays for me on the flute of lapis lazuli, playing it for me with the porphyry ring. Together with him, play ye for me, ye weepers and lamenting women! That the dead may rise up and inhale the incense."

Scrying - I've always had a way with reflective surfaces and use several forms of divination based on touch and vision. From this, I've amassed a large quantity of glass balls and crystal ones mostly as gifts from friends. In Judaism, the sacred seeing stones Urim (guilt) and Thummim (Innocence) were put into the sacred breastplate of the High Priests of the Temple. Others claim these were a single stone with two distinct sides, or two stones used in a pouch for Ordeal divinations. Either way, I've always adored and used multiple scrying techniques.

Stellar deities - For the last few years, I've become very interested in how stellar deities (i.e. deities of stars instead of moons or planets) differ from other celestial divinities. Among these, interestingly enough, are the origins of the great Archangels.

Vinyl cafe - A CBC production, somewhat similar to "Prarie Home Companion", but not as shlumpy. The host Stuart McLean is a wonderful story teller, unrepentant sentimentalist and music lover. What I adore about Stuart is his humanity - when calling and getting a wrong number, he nonetheless heard something in the teen's voice and asked how the kid was doing. What followed was a heart-wrenching sharing of his parents' pending divorce and an ongoing relationship between a troubled kid and one of Canada's National Treasures. Unlike PHC, I've found so many great musical artists through this show that I wouldn't otherwise found.