(Time and Mind)

Shifting does distort my sense of time.

Perhaps though, you might also look at it as having your memory affected as well. If your experiences from 4:00 to 6:00 are blocked out, then it will seem like that time did not exist. When you experience things in great detail, and retain the memories, it will seem like time slows down.

As for blocking out memories... it's what people in Psych-land call "losing time". Although I've brought this up a gazillion times, I'll mention it again... Do some reading about dissociative disorders. The differences between what people here call "wereism" and what the shrinks call "dissociative identity disorder" are very few. (Yes, including p-shifts.)

(Rhain)

Although I do not know you as a person, it is quite obvious where your interest lies, in so far as religion is concerned. I do not fault you for it, and in fact, I admire your dedication to what you believe in. I do wonder though, whether you have given serious thought to certain aspects of evangelism. Not that I think you should change your mind about it - to the contrary - I think that it's a noble pursuit. What I mean is that the way you seem to be going about it seems... well... not very effective. If you stand back and look at yourself from an outsider's perspective, you'll see that the Christians around you take to you rather well, but those who are not Christians do not. That's a bit of what I meant by wanting to hear your words rather than the words out of the bible. In fact, I think that your constant "God Bless"s and praises of your lord for all to see is hindering your ability to reach those who do not follow Christian tenets. It is my understanding that the purpose of evangelism is to reach out to those who have not "found Christ". My friend, those who have steered clear of Christianity will turn away from those sorts of words. They'll stop reading as soon as they hit the word, "God". I think that it might be useful to think about other ways to guide others toward what you perceive to be the path of the righteous. Sometimes, saying, "Stop being such an ass towards him! I'm sure that you don't like being singled out like that! What's the problem?" works 1,000 times better than, "Christ told us to love thy neighbor as thyself." Christ had some good ideas... but quoting scripture or even referring to those ideas as his all the time might actually serve to make people run from the idea. See what I'm saying? The references to Christ and other biblical figures works well on Christians, even on those who might be considering "straying from the flock", so to speak, but to those who are anti-Christian and may be in need of some of the bible's wisdom, those references will only serve to cause them to close their ears.

(What's the meaning of the net to vampires and others?)

The fact that communicating on the net forces people to go beyond the physical is one of my favorite things about the world in which I live. Sometimes I can't say much for the progress of the human race, but in this instance, I am truly thankful for human technology. I think that the web will do more to assist in the evolution of the human race than anything else since the "discovery" of fire.

(Follows Ravens)

As for my name... well... It's a given name, given to me from the spirits which surround me. Actually I've spent a great deal of time and energy attempting to discover its meaning for myself. Wolves follow Ravens, and in that it makes sense, as I do have Wolf spirit in me... too though, I've come to realize that I am also that which I follow.

As to where they're leading me... Where am I going? Well... Hopefully they're leading me in the right direction. Hopefully I'm leading myself to where I am meant to be... on all levels.

I SPEAK FOR THE TREES

-I feel very alone. I guess that's because I am. Was it written in my book of life that I was to be alone? Being alone is tough. Perhaps my soul is stronger than I give it credit for being. I doubt that a weak soul could withstand being so alone. Well, be that as it may, it still feels like crap. Whatever strength I have does not make it feel much better. Well, I suppose that life's not over yet.-

---

-It's always water, water and fire. There are bursts in the sky. It's always the same... the water turns into fire from the bombing. It's not fire per say, nor is it lava really. It looks like water, smooth with waves and ridges, but it's fire. Sometimes it's day; sometimes it's night. There is not a lot of panic or screaming. The people just seem to accept their fate. They walk to the "water" and jump in. There's no sreaming, or flailing. They just vanish into it.-

(Realities of the persona within)

Truth. The way I see it, Truth is transient. It's not that what you thought to be true wasn't... it's just that it changed over time. Growth seems to do that, make truth seem like a lie sometimes. When I'm happy, I tend not to analyze things as much, I seem to just accept them as reality, no questions asked. When I'm not happy, I question things a lot because I'm not satisfied with the way things are. When I desire change, I look for the things that seem "off" somehow, so that I know where to start with changing.

I don't think that hardening is the answer, although it's always an option. (Sort of like suicide.) I think that becoming callous and putting up walls is letting "them" win. To keep an open heart during times of pain is, well... damn painful, but growth and becoming stronger usually are painful processes. Keeping the heart open always gets my vote for the best path to travel.

I believe that both hate and rage serve a purpose. They let you know when it's time to change something about your life or current situation. They seem to serve as a pointer, telling you what to focus on, what things you need to look at within and/or outside of yourself. Sometimes, I think, one just needs to be really pissed off for a while. Feeling is never wrong, it's just the actions which go along with feeling that can be questionable at times. I think that maybe the best way to find peace is to allow yourself to feel the rage and hate, then to find an outlet - like talking or writing or beating up an inanimate object or even screaming at the source sometimes (if you can pin it down and it seems open to hearing you out.) Once feelings are expressed, they seem to change or grow - for better or for worse - so sometimes expressing hate and rage can lead to feeling a bit more peaceful.

When did humanity become evil?

I don't know. "Evil" is a moral construct. The things which are called evil vary from person to person. Some days I see humanity as evil (including myself) and then some days I don't. On those days, I just see it as humanity. It's not good, not bad; it just is, whether I like it or not, and who am I to judge it anyway? It depends on if I really believe in evil at that particular moment. Either way though, evil or not, it's not for me to rid the world of anything. It's only for me to rid myself of the evil I feel inside of me, and for me to evolve into a better being than I was a minute ago. "Better" meaning happier and more content with myself.