Astral Answers: Jesus is Magic
Dear Shae,
My sister is an ultra-religious fundamentalist Christian. She and her husband believe that God himself decided on them having 8 children. I guess I can handle that, but as I get older I am less and less able to find any real satisfaction in keeping a friendship with her. I don’t want to just cut things off completely, but when we’re together the whole Jesus thing is ALWAYS there, hanging over us. She insists that she won’t try to convert me anymore, which always seemed to be the problem. I’ve realized lately, however, that it’s me who needs to get over her ever-present religion. It annoys the hell out of me. I am an atheist, but I don’t want to be the kind of arrogant atheist who goes around criticizing everything in sight. I would like to have genuine respect for her religious beliefs, but the truth is that I just don’t. How can I stop this trend of liking religious people less and less?
Atheist Rising Continue Reading
The Age of Aquarius is Nothing Nefarious
Dear Shae,
I’ve heard remarks about how household endeavors (caretaking, gardening, landscaping etc) can put you in touch with the efforts of your past selves. I’m fond of this idea, and see in both myself and in my friends an affinity for activities that could easily have ancient roots. How can I apply this sensitivity to my more modern technological endeavors? Certainly, a 12th century incarnation had no interest in Facebook, or the iPhone/Android dilemma, but there must be a common thread. Connections, calculation, memory tools, and the pursuit of better tools are endeavors as old as human history. How can I search for a technological connection with my distant past?
Dumb Love: Help, I Think I’m Being Seduced!
Witness the birth of a new regular THF feature. It’s called “Dumb Love.” It began with the epic wikiHow tutorial “How to Hug a Girl” and continues now with the greatest Yahoo Answer I have ever read.
This 15 year old is having trouble deciding “what to do” about a girl who appears to be seducing him.
Via Yahoo! Answers:
This girl is slowly seducing me and luring me in, what should I do?
Hey so I’ve been hanging out with this one chick friend named Taylor (I‘m 15 and she‘s 17) and we always spend time together alone.
Taylor’s very attractive amd alluring, her boobs are much bigger than any other girl at school, and they bounce when she walks. Plus she has plenty of curves.
There are these little things Taylor will always do that secretly drive me crazy. Flipping her hair, putting her hand on mine, kissing my cheek or neck, giving me hugs. Taylor’s really hot, and lately, she seems so comforting and helpful with my problems. If I’m feeling depressed and I text my friends asking them to come over, Taylor’s there in a flash sitting in my lap, with her soft arms around me, her huge warm boobs flattening against my chest, her lips on my cheek, and her soothing words being whispered in my ear.
Astral Answers: Speaking in Tongues
Dear Shae,
So, I have a problem. I am a Christian. All of my friends are not. I don’t want to make a blanket statement but most Christians I’ve met are ignorant, hateful sacks of sh*t that I can’t get along with. I much prefer the company of people who don’t believe they have the answers for everything and don’t judge my behavior. The problem is I don’t feel that they respect my faith at all. They make offhand comments like all Christians are stupid or something like that, when I’m standing right there. I don’t make it an issue most of the time because I don’t want to turn them off. Should I be standing up to them? Should I find new, however-stupid-they-may-be friends who share my beliefs?
Sincerely,
Clueless
Astral Answers: When Your Third Eye Needs Glasses
Dear Shae:
I want to paint. I want to dance. I want to free my creative spirit. Recently, I’ve even had some invitations to do so: a gallery invite, an open art show, a drunk and willing dance partner. But my creative energy just feels.. stifled. How do I reopen my mind’s eye? Do you see any rejuvenation in my future? Please help.
Lossless
Astral Answers: Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing Store
Dear Shae Rue,
My girlfriend, like all girlfriends I’ve had before her, seems oblivious to the interest of other men–or rather, she sees their attention and conversation as innocuous and friendly. One of her coworkers, in particular, bothers me. This is nothing more than a gut feeling, but he comes off as the sort of guy who would try and seduce a girl in a relationship just because he could. And I am convinced he would love to seduce my gf. Part of this is that I feel intimidated by him and the other men she works with- they’re all very upscale, fashionable people, which I am arguably not.
Its not so much that I think she would like to sleep with him, but her inability to see his true intentions would make her ripe for misleading and manipulating. I have not really articulated this to her more than once, as I don’t want to come off as petty and jealous. I also don’t want to plant a seed where there was none.
What should I do? Should I express my concerns? I have no evidence but my gut feeling here. Should I keep it to myself? If so- how can I feel better about this situation? I hate feeling jealous, and I know its an unattractive trait to have. But lately, I cant help it.
-Preemptively Jealous in Phoenix
Two Spaces After a Period is Wrong.
“What galls me about two-spacers isn’t just their numbers. It’s their certainty that they’re right.” -Farhad Manjoo, Slate A couple of years ago, I noticed something funny in a document a friend had written. It looked horrible. It took me a moment to figure out what it was. And then a floodgate opened up somewhere [...]
The Rules of Writing: Vonnegut v. Wilder
These two men, Author Kurt Vonnegut (Slaughterhouse-Five, Cat’s Cradle, Breakfast of Champions) and Screenwriter Billy Wilder (Sunset Boulevard, Double Indemnity, Some Like It Hot), are two very different writers who wrote in two very different mediums. But in their lives, both men offered some of the best and most concise advice on writing that I’ve [...]
Week in Review 2/28/11-3/4/11
It’s been a big week. The Heated Forest finally launched, we heard from a few new voices, and got a peek at some of the ongoing features that will be a part of our little sylvan family. I’m a little bummed myself. Why, you ask? Well hypothetical reader- I’ve had better weeks. I was hoping [...]
Imagining Things on Behalf of Strangers
Step 1: Choose a fellow rider.
Step 2: Observe his or her body language.
Step 3: Imagine the thoughts behind said body language.