Famous Last Words: Strong Women

(GettyImages/WireImage Photo by Kevin Mazur; Web Source.)

My reading for this week: Overall, my reading was not very interesting. I had time to do both my readings, but I forgot to do a declaration for Part B. The underlying themes the stories used allowed me to create my own stories. I know after reading the Adam and Eve unit I should read topics I am not aware of for the sake of my sanity. I was raised in a Southern Baptist household and I am not a religious person; some of the oppressive themes of the Bible concerning Eve was frustrating for me. Even though I grew up in a Christian home, my mother is a strong woman, but my parents equally share the responsibilities - they both 'wore the pants' in the relationship. 

Your best writing for this week: In my opinion, the writing I did in this class if the best writing because I enjoyed writing the stories more than I liked writing case studies and critical analyses. I have not had any issues in writer's block (knock on wood). I used a writing style similar to the first two stories I wrote.

Other people's writing: During the project feedback assignment, I found two stories I enjoyed reading. I laughed, squealed, shouted with triumph during some of the scenes in one of the stories. Both stories showcased strong female characters which I think is a theme of mine, a crucial aspect for me. One of the writing styles was delicate and vivid in its imagery while the other was action packed and quick paced. They were different styles, but they consisted of strong females which the units lacked. I think it is admirable for someone to rewrite the stories or create new ones involving strong women.

Your other classes: My other courses are frantic and busy. There are no connections I can find within this mythology course. I think in my Digital Design course I could pull artistic themes into my adobe designs. Also, I might be able to pull in some mythology themes later into my Capstone class.

Outside of school: I went to a play called Galileo’s Torch on Friday night. It depicted Galileo’s life and how the church and religion destroyed his life. The lighting and the actors did well with what they were given considering the author of the play was a scientist and could not correctly portray human emotion well. I also was roped into watching a classic Bollywood movie called Kuch Kuch Hota Hai which means something happens in English. It’s a stereotypical Bollywood movie: very overdramatic and bright colors, but it was fun to watch. The only thing I did not like about the movie was the instances where the male love interest humiliated the love interest, but this made her fall more in love with him.  My Indian friend says this is very common in Bollywood movies. Other than that, I enjoyed the movie and will most likely watch another Bollywood movie.

Next week: I have an exam and a meeting on Monday plus Part A of the reading for this class. I plan to finish Part B and the Storytelling on Tuesday as well as another assignment due on Tuesday. Wednesday I plan on working with extra credit for this class. I have a two-day career fair on Friday and Saturday I am attending for Gaylord College. Plus many more meetings.

Wikipedia Trails: from Lilith to Xochiquetzal

I read the Adam and Eve Unit for Week two and three. I was aware of Lilith before this class through a television show called Supernatural. Reading the Adam and Eve units that mentioned Lilith and actual jewish mythologies of her were really interesting and eye-opening.  Many Christians are not aware of Lilith, so this is entertaining and satisfying for me. 

The next link was Samael. Lilith's page mentioned after she and this archangel coupled, she refused to go back the the Garden of Eden. Now, Samael is known by many names and none of them good: Angel of Death, Venom of God, Poison of God, or Blindness of God. He is regarded as both good and evil.

Samael was rumored to have mated with angels of sacred prostitution with the exception of Lilith. I found this interesting because sex is a very taboo thing in the Bible. It has many names: temple prostitution, cult prostitution or religious prostitution. It is a sexual ritual performing intercourse or other sexual activities in the content of religious worship. There are any cultures which influence Western culture on the list of ancient societies that partook in 'sacred sex:' Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome and the Hebrew Bible.

Finally, going through the places that witnessed sacred prostitution I found a text on Xochiquetzal. In Aztec mythology, Xochiquetzal is a goddess associated with fertility, beauty and female sexual power. She also served as a protector for young mothers. I chose this link because I was interested in South American mythology; it was also the first mention of a society not near the Europe or Africa. 

(Xochiquetzal Codex Fejérváry-Mayer 29-1 from Wikimedia Commons.)

Tech Tip: Reverse Image Search

(Susanoo slaying the Yamata no Orochi, by Toyohara Chikanobu from Web Source.)

Yamata no Orochi means Eight-Forked Serpent in English and depicts a legendary 8-headed and 8 tailed Japanese dragon. Susanoo is the Shinto storm god is banished from Heaven since he tricked his sister. He comes to find two earthly crying because they have to sacrifice their daughters to Orochi. He tricked and won against the serpent. 

Feedback Thoughts

(Photo for Web Source.)

RECEIVING:

Silence the Critical Voices in Your Head
Look for the Positive: using one's strength is just as beneficial, if not more, than improving our weaknesses. So constructive criticism is important, but focusing on what one did well is crucial to betterment.
Hear the positive: Embrace and reuse tactics that brought forth the positive feedback, not just the negative.
Dig in to understand the positive: I think exploring praise is something a lot of people have difficulty with because some people will misinterpret this as being smug or arrogant. So learning how to response and communicate with someone without coming off as overconfident is important.
Believe the positive, and act as if it were true: I have trouble following with this step. Despite being given praise and positive feedback, I usually do not believe those who tell me I have done well. Believing what they are saying is something I need to work on, and I hope to succeed in not doubting those who give me positive feedback because they are usually my peers and friends.

Practice, practice, practice listening to those who provide positive feedback and praise.

Using Harsh Feedback to Fuel Your Career

"We hold ourselves back without even realizing it. Why?"

We confuse behavior with identity: Being defensive, oh my old friend. Internalizing negative feedback to your person instead of viewing it as constructive criticism. This also has to go both ways though, because if we are learning how not to internalize negative feedback, we are later reading on how to give feedback. So, the individual who is giving the feedback could not be giving it correctly (but that could be that little thing called defensiveness).
We believe in the fallacy of well-roundedness: I am little confused on this part. From my interpretation, I should set goals for myself, but I should not hold myself to them if they do not turn out as I planned? Also, I should look for help and collaborate with someone who enjoys the task.
We're perfectionists: I have issues with this. I will also push an assignment until the last minute because I do not think myself capable of completing the assignment/project until I have a sense of complete understanding. This ties in with the second point the author mentioned when he stated look for collaborators.

How to overcome these obstacles:
1. Embrace emotions: I do this anyway!
2. Do not demonize: My response to this is: "Love/Care about me less." Very awkward way of investing in me...
3. Prioritize: Go through the feedback and determine what's worth fixing. I do not tend to do this; I weight all feedback equally and I know my mindset is faulty.
4. Piggyback on a skill: or a weakness and work it in a way that is beneficial for you.
5. Commit: Perfection is fantasy. Be appreciate of negative feedback because reflecting back on that feedback will help overcome those weaknesses.



GIVING:

Be a Mirror: Give Readers Feedback That Fosters a Growth Mindset

Five Qualities of Feedback:
1. Be specific: Focus on the progression of how they read the book instead of say how they did it.
2. Focus on what the reader is doing: Not on what they are missing. Only mention what a mirror would notice, and not what is not there.
3. Focus on the process: especially the hard work they put into reading. We want to value their progression and efforts rather than the immediate end result.
4. Make sure it can transfer: We want to be able to apply this to other things not just reading a book.
5. Take yourself out of the feedback: Focus on the child and not the adult. Instead of saying "I liked this part.." one should use "When you..." I think we should use this, but we are not children and I want to write topics that an adult would enjoy. I would like the constructive feedback, and I want to hear they enjoyed my reasonings for writing a detail or few and discuss that aspect of it.

The Difference Between Praise That Promotes Narcissism vs. Healthy Self-Esteem

"You must have worked really hard.": Focus on the efforts of the individual rather than giving end of the results praise like "You're really smart." Focusing on the efforts increases the child's or individuals self-esteem and unconsciously teaches them through hard work and overcoming challenges is rewarding.

"Every child before the age of eight, is a narcissist." I love it, and then heartbreak because parents are doing this unknowingly as they grow older. Parents are overvaluing their children by not praising the their efforts of their hard work, but rather the end results. By the end of the study, the team could link each child's tendency toward self-esteem or narcissism back to the parents. Narcissism is linked to violent outbursts when special treat is not given and because they lack empathy.

Praise on effort increases the chances the child will work harder to succeed after a failure.

Week 3 Storytelling: Sunflower

Sunflower 

(Elk from Web Source.)

An elk's cry echoed throughout the trees - he is calling her.


She was silent as she made her way through the trees. The moss-covered ground was soft under her bare feet. Her hair was bound in a long braid with small, white flowers woven into the soft strands. Birds greeted her with their songs as she passed under the trees.

She sighed.

She created this forest: created the elk, deer, bears, wolves and rabbits who roamed the trees; the birds who sang for her; the streams that cut through the earth; the foliage of every shade of green; the flavors of fruits and herbs. This forest was her garden and there was no one to share it with. An ache settled in her belly.

The animals appreciated her creation of their home and the animals accompanied her from time to time, but she was lonely.

She crossed the tree line into an open clearing and spotted the herd of elk. A majority of them ignored her as she walked through the herd, but she brushed her hand over their hides as she moved through them. The bull raised his head from grazing as he heard her come near.

She smiled as she approached him.

“Hello, old friend,” she murmured.

He nudged her offered hand and she leaned down to kiss him between his eyes. She knew why he called upon her. His newborn calf joined them today.

The woman and the bull made their way over to the center of the herd where the new mother and her calf were resting. The mother bleated at her in welcome and she knelt down to pet her neck. The small calf curiously looked at the eternal woman as she gently petted his mother. The woman then cast her attention to the curious calf who had shuffled closer to inspect her.

“You will grow strong like your father,” she cooed at the calf as she rubbed his head and behind his ears.

“Yes,” she kissed him between the eyes, “you will grow and lead this herd. I will watch over you to ensure it.”

The calf enjoyed the attention he received and laid his head in her lap to entice more petting. She smiled and looked up at the bull who shook his head and huffed at her. She cuddled the young calf as the buck returned to his grazing.

Not for the first time, she envied the elk mother. This was the second calf she birthed; the female sibling was among the others enjoying their meal in the sun.

There were other females pregnant, all in different stages. She would be making numerous trips to the herd in the next few months to welcome them. She envied it and wished for her own companion as a deep ache settled in her belly.

The bull grunted at her noticing her sadness, and she turned her head to look at him. She paused.

She stared at the sunflower he was chewing, and an idea formed in her mind. She created this forest and everything in it. She could create.

A laugh bubbled up out of her throat while the ache slowly faded; and the bull startled when she jumped up to kiss his nose. She promised to return before the next birth, and then disappeared into the dense forest.

She needed lots of sun for her plan to work. When she arrived at her little cottage, she could hardly contain her excitement and hope.

The sun was still high in the sky, and she turned around to look right at the sun before closing her eyes. Power thrummed through her body and she focused her energy to her hands - she clapped and pressed them together.

The white energy overflowed through her fingers, as the concentrated power swirled and formed in her hands.

When she was done, she held her breath as she opened her hands and cradled a single tiny, sunflower seed.

She let out a soft gasp and then smiled. She continued to stare at the seed as she walked to her garden. She hurriedly dug a hole, not bothered by the dirt under her fingernails. She gently laid it in the soft black dirt and carefully covered it.

Now she waited.

She waited impatiently and watched as the days passed.

On the seventh day, a seedling popped from the rich soil. Her hope grew as the flower did.

She watered every day and spent all her free time in her garden. The flower continued to grow: the anthers appeared, the stem continued to grow, leaves rolled out and it soon towered over her.

It happened when the elk herd came to visit her on a late afternoon in mid-summer. The little calf followed her wherever she went and she slipped him tart berries to snack on.

She spied the older bull watching the sunflower stalk, and she softly called to him. He turned his head toward her, his antlers brushing the stalk, and huffed at her.

Oh. She stumbled over to him. She reached up to gently take the large flower head in her hands. The flower was ready to burst.

Her heart was pounding; she was nervous and hopeful.

She could see slivers of yellow as the bud slowly opened. She could see movement inside the bud, she could feel a kick. She lost her breath when a tiny hand poked through the yellow petals. The small hand clung to her finger when she reached up to touch the soft skin. Tears gathered in her eyes when more petals popped open to reveal a healthy baby. She cooed at the little thing, and blue eyes opened to stare at her. She smiled and laughed as the child shyly smiled back at her.

The bull rested his head on her shoulder to look at the baby cradled in the sunflower.

“You will grow up to be strong and loved, my little one.”

Author's Note: For this week, I read the Adam and Eve unit. This unit is a traditional Jewish legend and is not found in our Americanized King James version of the Bible. Most people know the story of Adam and Eve; God created the world in seven days and then he creates Adam to be a caretaker of sorts. God knows Adam will be lonely, so he creates Lilith (that's right, Eve was not the first lady) who was not going to be subservient to Adam and she left him. Then Eve was created, and they were married by God himself. The snake manipulated Eve into eating the forbidden fruit and then she manipulated Adam into eating the fruit as well. 

For my story, I focused on the creation theme God used for Adam. Many stories revolve around the males, so I decided to change it by having a woman create the world. The story starts rather ambiguous and ends rather ambiguously. Ha. I did not give the woman a name or any of the characters a name; however, I have unofficially given the title ‘the Mother’ to our mystery woman. I did not give descriptions of the characters either, because logically there would not be anyone to record what she looked like at the time of the story. I wanted to create a sense of agelessness as well. The woman herself is mysterious, I did not give any details to who she is or what she is for this piece. 

God was never mentioned to have a romantic companion; this woman is literally ‘God’ in this piece. I translated that bit of information into my story as well. If God has not need of a romantic companion, then why should ‘the Mother’? I mainly left it up to the reader to develop her back story based on their perceptions of the story. Instead of Adam needing a companion, I changed it to the powerful being needing a companion. I also wanted to create a sense of innocence which is provided by the companion being a baby rather than a grown adult. The gender of the baby is also up for the readers’ opinion based on how they interpret the story. 

Bibliography: Adam and Eve from Genesis The Bible; The Legend of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg; The Forgotten Books of Eden.

Reading Notes: Adam and Eve, Part B

I know some of my notes could be taken the wrong way, so I want to halt any misunderstandings. The points I make do not 100 percent reflect my beliefs. I take points because I plan to use the themes the original story used and recreating them to fit my story.

Bibliography: Adam and Eve from The Forgotten Books of Eden, by Rutherford H. Platt, Jr.

The Darkness:
-"This darkness is not a punishment. But, O Adam, I have made the day, and have placed the sun in it to give light in order that thou and thy children should do your work."
- "O Lord, take Thou my soul, and let me not see this gloom any more, or remove me to some place where there is no darkness." But God the Lord said to Adam, "Verily I say unto thee, this darkness will pass from thee, every day I have determined for thee, until the fulfillment of My covenant when I will save thee and bring thee back again into the garden..." Basically, you have to suffer a little bit to get back in my good graces.

The Sunrise and the Serpent:
- "And a wind came to blow from heaven by command of God that carried away the serpent from Adam and Eve, threw it on the sea shore, and it landed in India." So India is not considered a great place, and thats why the serpent was 'banished' to India or the reason India is not considered great is because the serpent was 'banished' there?

Worship and Blessing:
- "Therefore did He say unto him, 'O Adam, do not again kill thyself as thou didst, by throwing thyself down from that mountain.'" Despite everything that has happened between 'man' and the powerful being, the powerful being still cares and worries for the 'man.' The 'man' realized this and offered to do what ever it he could to please go once again.

(Photo by Daniel Burka; from Web Source.)

Reading Notes: Adam and Eve, Part A

I know some of my notes could be taken the wrong way, so I want to halt any misunderstandings. The points I make do not 100 percent reflect my beliefs. I take points because I plan to use the themes the original story used and recreating them to fit my story.

Bibliography: Adam and Eve in Legend of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg and Genesis in the Bible by multiple prophets. 

The Creation: 
- a sacred day where no one is allowed to do any work
- the earth was a key ingredient in the creation of man
- A powerful being needed another being to appreciate the work they created, so the powerful being made 'man' (and because perhaps they were lonely)
-A realization that maybe the 'man' could become lonely too, so the powerful being created another being to bring the 'man' companionship
- allowed exclusive access to everything except one tree
- nudity is fun

The Fall:
- serpent represents wittiness and manipulation 
- "Your eyes shall be open, and ye shall be gods." The powerful being keeps up a cascade that maybe they are not lonely and only wanted another being around to be worshipped and appreciated by the 'man' and the snake could represent another being that is jealous or has a dislike for the powerful being. The snake could tell the 'man' that if he eats the 'fruit' then his eyes will be open to the truth that the powerful being is not so powerful after all, but just another being looking to be accepted by others.
-nudity is not so good anymore, a dead giveaway that something is not right
- 'A mother of all living' things
- they are no longer ignorant
- a paradise is locked away, and no one will ever enter again

The Ideal Man:
- every trait similar to 'man' which were passed down to his offspring were their downfall
- I am laughing that 'Eve is to ape compared to Adam's handsome perfection'; its so sexist I cannot stop laughing at how ridiculous it is. I do not even want to finish this unit anymore. 
- 'so the soul sees, but cannot be seen'
- foretelling all the generations to come later
- thousand years to 'man' equals one day to 'powerful being'
- 'man' was given the opportunity name everything
- mankind owes all crafts to 'man' 

The Fall of Satan:
- 'man' was envied of other powerful beings
- "How can I love this creature more than I can love you?"
-  The powerful being cheated to show the 'man' favoritism 
- 'Michael' bade 'Lucifer' to reconcile with the powerful being
- Love became twisted and corrupted

Lilith:
- a case of mistaken identity on the 'man's' part
- 'woman' was also made of earth and insisted upon her equality due to their identical origins 
- 'man' complained - how am I not surprised.
- 'demon children' would be taken - a mother to all dark things instead of all living things
- influential over babes

Eve:
-  powerful being and 'man' did not want the same thing to happen to 'man's' next companion so they took away origin equality so that could not be a valid excuse. Can you tell how much I despise this?
- 'chaste portion of the body'... so 'man's' companion is to be chaste... 
- "Nevertheless, in spite of the great caution used, 'companion' has all the faults God tried to obviate - daughters of Zion were haughty and walked with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes; Sarah was an eavesdropper in her own tent, when the angel sale with Abraham, Miriam was a talebearer, accusing Moses, Rachel was vinous of her sister Leah; Eve put out her hand to take the forbidden fruit, and Dinah was a gadabout." I'm so tired of sexism.
- But you know what, Adam took the damn fruit too.
- perfumes is a must.... because boys do not stink of body order...
-  because women brought death to the world... but Adam was just another idiot who accepted the damn fruit. But no, lets not share the blame.

Paradise:
- if the soul is worthy, the gates will open
- a 'mother' stream that quenches the entire earth
- 'man' had friendships with those in higher ranking than him, so being this could be beneficial if the powerful being becomes angry

The Fall of Man:
- his mental gifts result in his infidel, envy made him mediate and plan the death of 'man'
- The servant obviously forced the 'companion' against the tree and ate the fruit himself, this could be taken as a form of physical and mental abuse
- Hahaha, 'man' ate the fruit
- However, this reminds me of Romeo and Juliet when Eve thinks Adam will take another wife if  she dies, so she is desperate for him to eat the fruit as well so they could die together. 
-  You can only find assistance where you found disgrace. 

The Punishment:
- The angels gave Adam one of their days, meanings he would live for nine centuries of life and 70 years to his offspring.
- the reason snakes slither on their stomachs.

The Punishment, cont.:
- "The moon's light is obscured by night. Instead of shining like the sun, all the length of the day, she grows old quickly, and must be reborn and reborn, again and again."

(Lilith by John Maler Collier; from Web Source.)

As you can tell, I am a child of Lilith because I demand equality.