Calling MoonChild here!

[X-press]

http://thumb-3a.image.altavista.com/image/182544980

Dear MoonChild, (http://www.englishsabla.com/forum/member.php?s=&action=getinfo&userid=1036)

You have registered on 14th February 2002. You are one of our very faitful member and post nearly on a daily basis since joining the english sabla. Still members have asked in this thread (http://www.englishsabla.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8211&pagenumber=6) to know you more and I am sure there is more to discover ;).

You are free to answers or ignore the questions posted below. Feel free to answer them per section if you wish. Good luck!


Age:

Gender:

Nationality:

Status:

Profession:

Religion:

Personal Questions:

1) Describe a typical day of your life.

2) Do you have any special hobbies?

3) You already have Faith and Braendon, would you like to have more children in the future?

4) What do you think is better for a woman: a great career but no children, or a family without profession?

5) If you had the choice to live somewhere else than America, which country would you choose and why?

6) Which countries have you visited until now?

7) Complete this sentence: Happiness for me is....


English Sabla related questions:

1) What is the meaning of your nick?

2) Which Sabla within this forum do you visit the most?

3) Since joining you are very faithful to this forum, what attracts you so much?

4) What did you learn the most out of this forum?

5) Did you make any close friendship with a particular member since joining?

6) What change you would like to see in this forum?

7) Are you active in another forum beside english sabla?


Members, it is your turn now to ask MoonChild more questions and as usual I expect a lots of posts here…;)

[Wanderer]

Xpress,

I called her and told her that she's wanted for an interview.

[raffee]

Go on moonie, pull your pantyhose up (or pretend to! I dont like panyhose either), and get answering!

I'd been hoping to come home and find that you had responded, but I was sadly disappointed. Yallah! We are all eagerly waiting.:p

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by raffee
I'd been hoping to come home and find that you had responded, but I was sadly disappointed. Yallah! We are all eagerly waiting.:p

Sorry Raf, I've got a nasty stomach bug and couldn't answer until things settled down a bit :(

OK, here goes...

[Wanderer]

Originally posted by MoonChild
Sorry Raf, I've got a nasty stomach bug and couldn't answer until things settled down a bit :(


Purely a coincidence that she cooked last night ;)



:p

[MoonChild]

Age: 36

Gender: female

Nationality: US

Status: married (like anyone didn't know that ;) )

Profession: biostatistician and database manager for an organ transplant center

Religion: none formally... a tongue-in-cheek wiccan but that's more of an enjoyment of the traditional forms of recognition of nature and the turning of the seasons, and appreciation of their understanding of the symbolism connecting mundane and divine. What I really believe should probably get it's own post or two :)

Personal Questions:

1) Describe a typical day of your life.
Wake up around 5am to a crying baby, bring him into bed and nurse him then sleep for another hour. Then make coffee for Wanderer and myself and bring them back to bed where we watch the morning news and play with Braedon for a few minutes before getting ready for the day. Get Faith on the school bus, drive to work, drop off Braedon at daycare. 2 or 3 times during the day I will go to the nursery to see him. Then it's home, where I talk with Faith about school, get her started on homework, care for Braedon, do household chores, go to the gym. Some nights I make dinner, some nights Wanderer does. On Tues/Thurs Faith goes to her dad's house so I work later, then Wanderer and I watch a movie or TV, or play on the computer.

2) Do you have any special hobbies?
Sleep ;)
I actually like to play a computer game called "Diablo" and don't care if I'm supposed to be too old for such things - it's somehow relaxing to bash monsters :D I also LOVE to read and almost always have a book (or 2) in progress.
When it's warm out the family enjoys boating and we spend as much time on the water as we can.
When I have the time and mental energy, my personal hobbies are astrology, Sabla (of course), and reading/discussing metaphysical and science topics.

3) You already have Faith and Braedon, would you like to have more children in the future?
This is actually a hot topic of discussion in our household these days :). Braedon is such a great kid that we want to make another little MoonChild-Wanderer mix ... but not until he is both sleeping through the night and walking!

4) What do you think is better for a woman: a great career but no children, or a family without profession?
I think it depends on the woman. Personally I want/need both so there are career choices I won't make as they would take me away from my family too much (no 60 hour work weeks for me!)

5) If you had the choice to live somewhere else than America, which country would you choose and why?
Well, I'm not well-traveled (yet!), so I don't have much personal experience with them... I wouldn't want to limit myself to just one though :). The only thing better than traveling would be to live in many places for a year each, to immerse myself in new cultures in a way you can't get in just a week of visiting.

6) Which countries have you visited until now? Not many - Canada, Bahamas, and Germany. On my wish list - Mexico, England, the Netherlands, Greece and the Greek Isles (preferably by sailboat), Peru, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Prague (not a country I know), and of course Oman :cool: to name just a few :)

7) Complete this sentence: Happiness for me is.... the love of my family, satisfaction in what I've accomplished so far, the hope of even better things in the future.


English Sabla related questions:

1) What is the meaning of your nick?
My astrological sign is Cancer, which is symbolized by the Moon. I feel at peace when I meditate on the moon, and most content with myself when I accept the "tidal" nature of my personality.

2) Which Sabla within this forum do you visit the most?
Politics (though I've gotten stale on that recently), Religion, H&E, Member's lounge.

3) Since joining you are very faithful to this forum, what attracts you so much?
I enjoy debate with people on a variety of topics, I like seeing how people think and react, I like making friends with those from different backgrounds and cultures and learning more about them. When involved in a thorny topic, I'm stimulated to learn more about it than I would otherwise.

4) What did you learn the most out of this forum?
As I said above, I've learned a lot about how people think, about other countries and cultures. I've learned a lot about Islam and the people who follow it. I've learned more about human nature, for instance what "triggers" people to switch from reasonable debate to angry, reactionary fights ;)

5) Did you make any close friendship with a particular member since joining?
I don't like naming people as favorites or disliked. Those named as favorites feel unreasonably special, and those not named feel hurt and left out.

6) What change you would like to see in this forum?
Recently, I've seen too many "cliques" forming - everyone wants to list their favorite members, their best friends, or their particular "enemies". This has gone hand in hand with flaring tempers, intolerance of dissenting opinion, and attacking personalities instead of discussing topics. I would like to see a return to the mutual respect of other people and cultures that leads to intelligent debate and sharing of information.
Additionally, I very much hope that we can keep our bonds of friendship even if our countries on opposite sides of a war - because no matter what the governments do, we as people are much alike and with no communication there is no hope for peace.

7) Are you active in another forum beside english sabla?
I am part of an e-mail list of women who were pregnant at the same time I was, who had all experienced previous miscarriage. It was a tremendous support group during an anxious pregnancy, and we have remained great friends who 'talk' every day about our lives and kids :)


Looking forward to your questions :)

[look__at]

Wake up around 5am to a crying baby, bring him into bed and nurse him then sleep for another hour

which crying baby that is ? Braedon or wandy ?

:gap: :gap:

[Equality]

Moonchild,
i am very happy to know you more, and wishing you and your family all the best and happiness, and you are most wellcome to Oman.
I have 2 question to you, hoping you can answer me,
1. what is your idea about islam and muslim people, since you have joined us and it seems to me you are interested to know more?

2. sorry to ask you this question, but you and wonder are wonderfull and unique couple here in sabla, may i know the weakness points of wonder or if you want to make him angry what kind of weapon you use :D ? No need to to answer this question if you dont want!

wishing you all the luck:)

[Shinoda LP]

A beautiful interview Moonchild ... may you and your family live a long happy life together ...

Let us know if the hot discussion topic taken a positive turn ... how long before your kid starts to sleep along and walk? ;)

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by look__at
which crying baby that is ? Braedon or wandy ?

:gap: :gap:

Sometimes Wanderer cries in pain when it's his turn to get the baby and I have to poke him to wake him up ;)

[MoonChild]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by samaki
1. what is your idea about islam and muslim people, since you have joined us and it seems to me you are interested to know more?

Before I joined the sabla I had a stereotype of the muslim woman as being pretty unhappy, a prisoner in her own home not allowed to go out, not allowed to make her own decisions about her own life and totally under control of her father or husband. I don't think I'm entirely wrong, that things are like that in KSA and used to be like that in Afghanistan, but I've learned that this is at least as much cultural as religious and that in countries like Oman there is much more freedom for women than I thought.

I've learned a lot more about what Islam says about women's place in society vs. what it actually is in the different countries and I wonder that the most "fundamentalist" countries are actually furthest from the actual teachings of Islam in their treatment of women :(

In many ways I've learned that the people of muslim countries believe and behave the same way that people in christian countries do (or did, as most western countries are now secular). For instance, emotionally there is a feeling of brotherhood with other muslims, but in behavior it is still tribe against tribe and the inability to band together to accomplish goals. Muslims pay a lot of attention to the persecution of other muslims and send them charity, just as christians are mainly concerned about persecution of other christians and send THEM charity - without looking honestly at the whole situation which may have more to do with politics than religion. From this I've learned that the more people are different, the more they are the same :)

2. sorry to ask you this question, but you and wonder are wonderfull and unique couple here in sabla, may i know the weakness points of wonder or if you want to make him angry what kind of weapon you use :D ?

Wanderer's weak points?! Are you trying to get me in trouble?! :p
Sometimes he is moody ;)
I never TRY to make him angry, as the only time he says things to hurt my feelings is when we fight :sorry: And he is wonderful the other 99.999%of the time. So I HATE to fight.

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by Night_rideR
how long before your kid starts to sleep along and walk? ;)

:p we are doing pretty well with sleeping recently. It'll be another few months before he starts to walk though! I'm sure our sabla friends will be among the first to know if/when there will be another sabla baby :)

[Equality]

thanks again moonchild, and your answer are appreciated, the main problem in some muslim countries is the way of islamic applications, islam is flexible, freedom, and equality between man and woman, the countries you have mentioned, apply the islam in a complicted way. we know that aswell.

regarding my second question, i do respect wonderer and his writings, but i would like to get him one time, he is so cool, anyway both of you are lucky to be togeather. cheers :)

[Maha]

thats great to know u more moonchild .......... but i got tow q if u dont mind ..........i know its personal but just wondering .........
how did u meet wonderere b4 he marry u
and next q how old r ur children ..........:p

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by Maha
how did u meet wonderere b4 he marry u
and next q how old r ur children ..........:p

Faith is 7 years old and Braedon is 6 months old.

How we met ...
Wanderer worked for the company that wrote the software that I use in my work, and we spoke on the phone a few times b/c his job was to help me install it. That's the first thing I noticed about him ,what a wonderful deep voice he has (it's kind of like James Earl Jones) :)

A few months later I flew across the country to a meeting that the software company was hosting and met him in person. We had a great conversation and I thought he was handsome and a really interesting person, but we were both married to other people at the time so I came home and didn't think too much of him again...

until...

a few months after THAT, I discovered some major bugs in the software and spent a lot of time talking to just about everybody in the company to resolve the problem. By this time, Wanderer and I were both going through separation/divorce and we started talking to each other on a more personal level, sharing stories about our unhappiness and what had gone wrong in our marriages. This led to a lot of communication to get to know each other, first through e-mail later on the telephone, and we pretty much decided before ever seeing each other in person again that we wanted to be together.

The only problem was, he lived 3,000 miles away. I would have gladly moved there, but had a daughter and was embroiled in custody battle. Since of course I couldn't leave my child, he decided to move across the country to be with me, and a little while later we got married :)

So being with him was a little like jumping off a cliff (it's a big responsibility when someone gives up everything to be with you!), and it's the best thing that has ever happened to me :)

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by samaki
i do respect wonderer and his writings, but i would like to get him one time, he is so cool, anyway both of you are lucky to be togeather. cheers :)

I AM lucky to be with him :)
Good luck "getting him", he's wicked smart,. I rarely win arguments with him (the real reason I don't like to argue ;) )

[Navy_boy]

May allah bless u ,, I got no question ,, :D

the best future for yr children ,,,

[Navigator]

Are you Demo or Repu ?1:rolleyes:

[raffee]

Great start to your interview moonie, although I dont think I found out anything I didnt already know about you;) ...I guess I follow your posts closely enough to pay attention to those details. I always thought it is common courtesy to do that, so imagine my surprise when I am STILL asked by sabla members if I am single or not, and whether I am Omani.:rolleyes:

Anyways, let's start with some easy ones, and work our way up.

~In your answer to the religion question, you said what you really believe would qualify/require one or two posts. Naturally, I must ask that you devote those posts to elaborating here.

~How is your ex in terms of the role he plays in Faith's life? Do you ever pick up on conflicting values being taught to her? Is he ever interferring in your new life? Do you get along ok? In short, what is your relationship with him like now? (I ask because my ex has just gotten remarried but still finds the need to question my children about my personal life, and wont talk to me in person or even on the phone...he still insists on a mediator/go-between).

~How does this relationship affect Faith?

~How does Wando deal with it? What is his opinion on it? and does he have any children from his previous marriage?

~You have said (in other threads) that you are very unhappy/dissatisfied with your current job. Care to elaborate? What other job do you think would be more fulfilling for you now and why?

~Your story about your meeting wando is truly inspirational. I would love it if you can further elaborate on how you 'knew' he was the one.

Okedoke, that's all for now. Back with more soon!

[Mr Tickle]

do you have a love swing above your Grand piano?

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by Navigator
Are you Demo or Repu ?1:rolleyes:

Neither, officially. You could call me a social democrat, in that I think government should not regulate personal behavior but is the appropriate organization to oversee corporate responsibility (environmental & safety issues for instance that would take a back seat to profits if allowed to do so). BUT I'm more of a fiscal republican, in that I think government should be fiscally responsible and not in the business of taxing the h*ll out of working people to provide welfare for those who are too lazy to work!

I'll vote for whoever I think is the best candidate, no matter what their political affiliation... but also believe that there are rarely any decent candidates... most politicians are in it for the power and the glory, not from a desire to serve.

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by mr pinnochio
do you have a love swing above your Grand piano?

No, but it sounds like a "grand" idea :D
I'll be sure to install one when we finally buy that grand piano :p

[MoonChild]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by raffee
let's start with some easy ones, and work our way up.

:p I was beginning to wonder when I'd hear from you ;)

OK, one at a time :)

~In your answer to the religion question, you said what you really believe would qualify/require one or two posts. Naturally, I must ask that you devote those posts to elaborating here.

I'm proud to admit that "I don't know", as I believe that none of us Know, but most are too afraid of the "dark" to admit it even to themselves. I like having fun with metaphysics, which are all those lovely questions about how and why we exist, that can never be verified because the scope is vastly out of human experience. The feeling of "certainty" that we call "faith" must come from one's own heart, for one's own comfort - but frequently touches only lightly on Truth.

I amuse myself with exploring the potential Answers as to what is the universe all about, from the buddhist "we are all spirit creating the illusory experience of physicality out of Void" philosophy, to the idea that there really is an all-powerful First Cause (God) who created everything for His own purposes.

Actually, the idea that I was created by God as part of the universe, and that He is watching my life, makes me feel like a science experiment ::shudder::

There is a lot "out there" that we don't (normally) perceive, and some people have a greater talent for perceiving and manipulating the creative energy of the universe than others (the same way that some have talent for painting that I will never have). When they are observed doing so, some call it "miracle", "answer to prayer", "magic", "ESP", "serendipity", or "luck".

I believe that humans are spirits inhabiting physical bodies, and that it's unlikely that we would be the only type of intelligent spirits. These may have varying levels of intelligence, interest in humans, and "moral" interests. I think that over the centuries these others who take an interest in us have been called gods, angels, devils, fairies, aliens, etc.

I've had enough personal experiences and received some pretty useful information through non-standard means, that I know there must be more "out there" than Science can currently explain. All my meanderings are a way to try and put my own experiences and the common mythologies of humanity into some consistent context.

After all that... I believe that Shakespeare probably had it right - that "all the world is a stage, and men and women merely players." Once we have finished the play, we will become aware again of who we really are :)

[MoonChild]

OK, next on Raffee's list :)

~How is your ex in terms of the role he plays in Faith's life? Do you ever pick up on conflicting values being taught to her? Is he ever interferring in your new life? Do you get along ok? ~How does this relationship affect Faith?

Hmmm I've been thinking about how to make a very long story short...

when we were married, my ex played almost no role in Faith's life. This is one reason I left him. Suddenly, she became important to him (or at least control of her was)... and he managed, through a combination of foolishness on my part and manipulation and court battles on his, to get shared physical custody. Meaning she spends EXACTLY half her time with us and half her time with him (every Tues, Thurs, and every other weekend).

Yes, there are very different expectations in the different households. With her dad (and his mother, who pretty much lives with him, helped buy his house and does all the cleaning etc for him), she is Princess Faith who has NO expectations of proper behavior or responsibility for anything. I mean, she is 7 and I think he still dresses her :duh: She orders them both around (I've seen her do it), fetching, carrying, and picking up after her.

Whereas at our house she is PART OF A FAMILY (not Princess and Servants), and since she was 4 years old she has set the table, been expected to eat what is served her for dinner and clear her place afterward, dress herself, clean her own room, pick up her toys from common areas, say please and thank you, etc etc. Just one example, at our house she must say "may I have some juice please", at his house she can just say "I wish I had a soda" and someone will bring it to her.
We are far tougher on her, but on the other hand I think we have more fun - we go boating, take her on adventures, go out to eat at real restaurants (not just McDonalds because Dad is too lazy to cook), make up fun games and stories and laugh much.

I don't know what effect this will have on her in the long run, I can only hope that we are counter-acting her being spoiled so badly with her dad so she knows how to get along in the real world!

As far as how he and I get along these days... we are generally cordial but it took about 5 years to get past threatening each other with lawyers and court action for every little thing. He is a bizarre, unreasonable person and played too many nasty tricks on us to ever forgive or forget what a snake he can be. Even this past Christmas season was marred by stupid sh*t about how much time she spent with whom, blah blah blah.

[Mr Tickle]

Moony,

I hear that Americans like the taste of salty liquids - is this true?

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by mr pinnochio
I hear that Americans like the taste of salty liquids - is this true?

Naw, mate, that's NOT why we dumped the tea in the Boston Harbor :rolleyes:

[MoonChild]

OK, getting to RAF question #3 :)
~How does Wando deal with it? What is his opinion on it? and does he have any children from his previous marriage?

no previous children, thank goodness or neither of us would have been free to move!

it hasn't been easy for sure, dealing with a screw-ball ex. It was much worse at first, as I grew up with an emotionally abusive father, then married young to a passive-aggressive manipulative SOB, so I wasn't exactly assertive or healthy in my responses to my ex during the divorce and custody process. I either let my ex walk all over me, or over-reacted the other way and did stuff that got me in trouble with the courts :( Wanderer would get furious with me at times and in retrospect I dont' blame him...

Slowly I've learned to stand up for myself and for Faith, which makes it easier on all of us!!!

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by raffee
~You have said (in other threads) that you are very unhappy/dissatisfied with your current job. Care to elaborate? What other job do you think would be more fulfilling for you now and why?

Partly I'm just bored, and have been for some time. I get excited about design and analysis - problem-solving. Well, once I got the system set up, there's nothing left to do but run the reports and deal with problems. B-O-R-I-N-G. Partly there were some bad situations in my office while I was on leave and now there are hard feelings all around and it's not the friendly work environment it used to be.

I like design, and teaching people how to turn data into useful information and how to collect the data properly to get the information they want out of it. I really enjoy statistical consulting and would do it again in a heartbeat.

Or my fantasy career is to go back to massage school and update my license and be a massage therapist. My alternative fantasy career is to become a forensic scientist. There's a great graduate program in our city for it :)

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by raffee
[B~Your story about your meeting wando is truly inspirational. I would love it if you can further elaborate on how you 'knew' he was the one. [/B]

It's hard to describe without getting all mushy and poetic ;) but I'll try!
In one way, it was like looking into a mirror - we even coined a phrase, "Constantly Amazed" ("CA" for short) because we were soooo much alike in our thinking, feeling, experiences, needs, desires, what we want out of life, etc etc etc. It was like meeting myself in a way, and simply recognized one another when we met.

In another way just getting to know him was like an oasis when I had nearly died in an emotional desert. I am a very emotional creature, and loving and being loved is the most important thing in the world to me - yet I was married for 9 years to a man who really didn't know what emotions are, it was like my ex couldn't even "see" me - marrying me was a task that he had completed, and he didn't see the need to waste any further time on maintenance. I had given up hope and dismissed my dreams of a "true love" as silly fantasy.

Then suddenly this warm, emotional, caring, understanding man appears just when I am dying of loneliness. Beyond that, he wanted the same things I do out of life - family, adventures, a comfortable lifestyle of sharing with each other. Beyond that, he's a great cook, shares equally in the housework, doesn't have any weird male superiority complex, is appreciative and affectionate. Beyond that, he doesn't have any major neuroses of his own and understands the reality of PMS, as long as I don't get too far out of hand ;)

With all that, I'd love him even if he were 4 feet tall, covered in warts, and had bad breath. It's just my good luck that he's tall, handsome and smells good :p

Oh, then there is the "marital chemistry" :cool:

OK, I got a bit mushy but what do you expect?!
Dunno if this will help you find your own soul-mate... maybe with a bit of thought I can come up with some general principles of soul-mate recognition :)

[MoonChild]

OK Raffee I got thru them all :p

Guess I'm ready for the tough ones now ;)

[i_hate_you]

nice interview.

[SoMe1]

I read your interview, upside down and inside out! Its one of the best love stories, Holloywood should make a movie out of it :D :D

I have no further Question, just to wish the both of you a wonderful life along with the kids

[raffee]

Funny how despite our differing beliefs I still find that we are so very alike on so many levels and in so many different ways.:D

Right, let's do this point by point.

I've had enough personal experiences and received some pretty useful information through non-standard means, that I know there must be more "out there" than Science can currently explain. All my meanderings are a way to try and put my own experiences and the common mythologies of humanity into some consistent context.


Would you care to share some of those experiences please? Im sorry for being a tad nosy, but Im fascinated.

[raffee]

I can come up with some general principles of soul-mate recognition


Yes please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D

[raffee]

What, in your opinion, is 'death'? What happens to our spirits when we die? And finally (for now) what in your opinions is (or was) the purpose of life? (not on a personal level, but on the grand scale of things)

(Told you they would get harder;))

[Arabian Princess]

Intresting interview moony .. it is like am reading a book :)

Well my quetsion is about your ex husband, (if it is too personal please dont answer) since you say he is not emotional why did you decide to marry him?? was it becuase your family situation? were you in love before and then the love just disapeared??


I am perosn who atch alot of movies and from there I knew alot of the american culture, do you consider what in movies does actually happen in the american culture? Example, the idea that there are alot of single mothers who suffer from thier partners (beating, swearing,...), is there alot of kids who actually hate thier parents because thier parents dont care??? simply what I mean is what we see in movies, is it true???

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by raffee
Would you care to share some of those [paranormal] experiences please? Im sorry for being a tad nosy, but Im fascinated.

That's OK, I knew you'd jump on this one like a hawk on a mouse :D
Just a few examples then :)

Frequently, when I walk or drive down the street at night, the streetlights go out - a friend of mine who claims to be telepathic (able to read thoughts) says this is common in telepaths :) Ask Wanderer how often I read his mind :)

I'm also highly empathic - able to perceive the emotional state or feelings of others - I actually feel other people's pain in my own body sometimes. I'm a certified massage therapist and when I give massages I use the sensations I'm feeling in my own body to know where they need the most attention. If the tension in their muscles has an emotional component, especially if it's linked to trauma, I usually "see" color surrounding the area as well. Without any prompting, my clients have given me feedback so i know I'm correct- either they tell me that was the most healing part of the massage, or have an emotional release that includes telling me about the trauma.

some specific examples of "information" - for instance, once when I was in college i slept at a friend's dormitory after studying late. I woke up early in the morning for no reason and felt like I should go home - so I got up (this is like 6am) and drove home, to find that my boyfriend had been sitting on my front step for about 5 minutes (he had been out caving all night and was muddy and wanting to borrow my shower).
often, when I am driving too fast and I feel the sudden urge to slow down, I'll see a police car waiting for speeders within 5 minutes of when I slowed down :). I've also had other kinds of strong urges NOT to do something, and later found out something bad would have happened... while in army training sometimes we would sneak out after lights-out, but one night I felt the strongest urge to go back to bed, and there was a surprise bed-check about 2 minutes later! Little things like that :)

Sometimes I can "make things happen" - maybe it's coincidence but happens a little too frequently - like when we were over-night boating once and Wanderer made a slightly snotty comment about "do we really need two lights on", I was a little annoyed by his tone, and just as I had this flash of annoyance one of the lights *poof* turned off by itself - totally freaked Wanderer out and we still laugh about it :)

To be continued :)

[X-press]

Very fascinating interview MoonChild and I knew that there were so much more to discover about your great personality.

Every thing your wrote here was extremely interesting and touchy, but I found this passage below particularly poignant:


Originally posted by MoonChild
In another way just getting to know him was like an oasis when I had nearly died in an emotional desert.[/B]

You and Wandy are true inspiration and I wish you a long a happy life together.

I do have few mixed questions today ;)

1) You said in one of your post: "I grew up with an emotionally abusive father, then married young to a passive-aggressive manipulative SOB.."

Though I realize these are very private experiences, I am sure many guest/members in this sabla might face similar situations if not with their parents, maybe with their spouses. How come you never posts in the Problems Sabla or tried to help others there who might need to hear you?

2) I am fascinated by your gift of "telepathy" and being able to heal. I remember you posting once about this ancient healing art called Rekei. In your post here you said: "If the tension in their muscles has an emotional component, especially if it's linked to trauma, I usually "see" color surrounding the area as well.

Can you give more details as to what you mean by "color"?

3) And for last, you talk about being in the "army training and sometimes sneaking out out after lights-out,.." As a woman, why did you have to be in any army training and how long did it last?

Thanks.

[MoonChild]

(I'm trying to answer questions in order so I don't miss any...)

I've also had some experiences that seem to involve other, non-physical, "people". Those of you who don't believe in such things, don't bother arguing that I may have been hallucinating or just in a highly imaginative/gullible state - I know all that. I'm only including the experiences that have some external component.

Again just a few examples so you don't end up with my complete life story ;)

1. My parents owned a building, about 150 years old, where my mother had a crafts store and my dad did woodworking. Downstairs was the store, upstairs we used for storage and offices but it in the past it had been apartments. Once, when I was alone in the building and the doors were all locked, I heard footsteps walking through the workshop, then up the stairs and across the floor above me (I hadn't heard the door open). A few minutes later, the footsteps came down the stairs, back through the workshop. Again no sound of the door. When I checked, the back door was still locked with keys on the inside.

2. At one point in my first marriage, when I was very unhappy, I actually tried to will myself out of this world - I wanted out of this life so I could "start over" (I did anddo believe in reincarnation). I was lying on the couch or on the floor, I don't remember, trying to let my spirit loose it's hold on my body. Just as I felt my "self" begin to detach and rise away from my body, the clock alarm started ringing in the bedroom, jolting me back into my body. When I went to turn the alarm off, the clock read midnight but the alarm was set for 6am. Why did it go off at that moment?

to be continued...

[MoonChild]

This last story is very special and personal to me, so even if you don't believe me or in my perception of Diety, please respect my experience.

As some of you already know, I have had several miscarriages. Twice Wanderer and I miscarried babies in 2001. AFter the 2nd miscarriage in 8 weeks, the doctor told us to wait 3 months before trying again so I could heal properly. After 3 months were up we decided we were going to try again. The night I was beginning my fertile phase that month, I sat in our back yard under a full moon in a prayerful and receptive manner. After a little while, I Felt the presence of a Lady on the bench beside me. Of course I could not see Her with my physical eyes, but in my mind she was neither young nor old, but a mother like myself, beautiful and radiant, veiled in shadows and light all at once. She said nothing but sat with me as a companion. Her presence was a comfort and a promise at the same time. I knew it was the Goddess as I had envisioned Her.

After a bit, I felt somewhat guilty for not inviting the God-aspect as well, and as soon as I had the thought, I perceived a Male Presence - a warrior who said not a word but took up a guarding pose, His back to us, and His unspoken reassurance that He would hold me from all harm was so powerful that it brought tears to my eyes.

I don't know how long the moment lasted - 30 seconds maybe, or 30 minutes. But after a while, They told me it was time to go. About 10 seconds after I "felt" them leave, Wanderer came outside with a cup of tea for me (I couldn't have known he was about to open the door).
In that time I had received wordless promise that all would be well, that my dreams would be realized and safe-guarded.
2 weeks later, I discovered that I was pregnant with Braedon, and you know the ending to that story :)

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by raffee
What, in your opinion, is 'death'? What happens to our spirits when we die? And finally (for now) what in your opinions is (or was) the purpose of life? (not on a personal level, but on the grand scale of things)

OK, this is just my opinion - I'm the first to admit I may be completely wrong - but I hope not :)

I'ts hard to talk about death and purpose without talking about Diety. I honestly don't know if there's a God "out there", apart from "all this" - I think it's more likely that "God" is what I think of as the inherent intelligence/awareness of the web of all existence. in the same way that somehow our brains generate consciousness and co-exist with our spirit/soul - the whole universe generates consciousness and co-exists with God.

I don't think God makes value judgements on experience. Want to know what it's like to be a star? Well, then, go BE a star for a few eons. What's it like to be human and in love? Go BE human for a lifetime. Or 6. However many it takes to have the experiences you desire.
I think at a grand scale it's ALL good, and everything that happens is just a giant kaleidescope of ... well... Life... Experience... God is just a little kid in yellow rubber rain boots jumping in a puddle to see a rainbow in the droplets.

We are the little droplets... we rise, sparkle in the sunlight, then fall back into the puddle.

On the grand scale of things, the Purpose of Life is....

Life.

I'm a spirit, I came here to have the Human experience, and when I "die" - leave this body - I'll go back to awareness of the spiritual realm and decide what to do next.

[raffee]

So it is fair to say that your own beliefs stem from your particular/specific expereriences, as interpreted by your own thought-maker, and you are thus interpellated into the worldly/societal/human realm based on those conscious and sub-conscious interpretations, right?

In other words, it is all very subjective and personal, and therefore, it is thus for all mankind, depending on their own experiences and individual ability/level of interpretation, so clearly, noone is more 'right/true/correct' than anyone else!

Well, maybe that's just my own personal analysis of things, and that is why I take great offence from those who try to devalue anyone elses' beliefs (for better use of the term).

Even your explanation depicts an incomplete and developing understanding, and may be deconstructed by pesty critics to show contradictory or inconsistent trains of thought, but I would never be so presumptuous or arrogant, because, as I said, it is all a matter of experience lightly seasoned with ability, perceptibility, and age.

I have had many experiences of my own, pity noone ever asked me to share them, but having had those experiences makes me sympathise to a greater degree with your own.:) Maybe I chose to explain them differently, based on the available contexts I had, but they were nevertheless just as 'real' as yours were, and have left residual traces in other areas of my life and my understanding of it.

Ok, next question. What would you choose to do with you spirit after this human experience?:D

[Wanderer]

Originally posted by MoonChild
like when we were over-night boating once and Wanderer made a slightly snotty comment about "do we really need two lights on", I was a little annoyed by his tone, and just as I had this flash of annoyance one of the lights *poof* turned off by itself - totally freaked Wanderer out and we still laugh about it :)


True. Now "freaked out" might be an overstatement, but it was a rather interesting coincidence.

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by raffee
So it is fair to say that your own beliefs stem from your particular/specific expereriences, as interpreted by your own thought-maker

don't yours? It's just that you bought the package while I ordered a la carte :)
any belief system must be inclusive of my experiences. that is, it must either explain them or allow for their existence. Otherwise I am insane (a possibility, but I seem functional in other ways...)
A belief system must also explain or allow for what is easily observed to be true - gravity, for instance, or natural selection. None of the formal religions I've studied meet those two criteria.

we've got two choices about belief - decide for ourselves, or let someone else decide for us and ignore the evidence of our own lives.

noone is more 'right/true/correct' than anyone else!

It's not that no one is correct, it's that within the confines of physical existence, we can't prove our positions. Meet me in the afterlife and we'll compare notes ;)

Even your explanation depicts an incomplete and developing understanding, and may be deconstructed by pesty critics to show contradictory or inconsistent trains of thought, but I would never be so presumptuous or arrogant, because, as I said, it is all a matter of experience lightly seasoned with ability, perceptibility, and age.

Careful now, shall we really start de-constructing Islam for contradictory or inconsistent trains of thought? OF COURSE my explanation is incomplete, my whole PREMISE is that we CAN'T know what is true while we are here. what I wrote is just what makes the most sense to ME based on what I've seen, learned about the world, and experienced, logic, and what I would LIKE to be true.


I have had many experiences of my own

I'd like to hear about them, and how you interpret/explain them :)

Out of curiosity - how would you explain my various experiences that I've written about in the context of Islam? I won't be offended if you say it was all my imagination, I'd just like to know :)

[Wanderer]

Originally posted by MoonChild
... They told me it was time to go. About 10 seconds after I "felt" them leave, Wanderer came outside with a cup of tea for me (I couldn't have known he was about to open the door).


Please note that I am not properly credited as being psychic for timing my arrival to coincide with the departure of MoonChild's spirits. I though it rather considerate of me to not disturb the three of them whilst they communed.

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by Wanderer
Please note that I am not properly credited as being psychic

:D

[X-press]

MoonChild, what about answering my questions...:sorry:

[MoonChild]

I'm not ignoring you, honest! You guys are asking tough questions and I'm trying to put some thought into them! Besides, I actually had to do some work today at work :p

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by Arabian Princess
Intresting interview moony .. it is like am reading a book :)


You mean I talk to much? ;)

Well my quetsion is about your ex husband, (if it is too personal please dont answer) since you say he is not emotional why did you decide to marry him?? was it becuase your family situation? were you in love before and then the love just disapeared??

Believe me, I asked myself this question a LOT! I think it's partly because of my childhood, my father dominated the household in a passive-aggressive sort of way- he wasn't overtly violent but more like a volcano that just might blow at any time. He also loved to make me cry and hate myself, which I did on a regular basis - when I was little, about every 2 weeks I'd have screaming hysterics over the mean things that he'd said, and Mom's way of being the peace-maker was to make excuses for him and tell me to shrug it off.
Anyway, that's just to explain that, first of all I wasn't the best judge of character, growing up with THAT example. Second, anyone who came along who was CALM seemed heavenly. When I met my ex, I was so relieved to be with someone who didn't scream and stomp around and say nasty things to me that I didn't look any farther.

That's only part of it... I was in love but there were too many things I didn't know about what living with him would be like. I knew within 2 weeks of getting married that there could be serious trouble, but it could have worked if he'd been willign to work at it and compromise.

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by Arabian Princess
is what we see in movies, is it true???

Hmmm... yes and no. Hollywood dramatizes everything, maybe makes it look like every household is a seething cauldron of violence. It exists, but I think it's pretty rare.

I think the thing about America is that almost every situation you can imagine, probably does happen somewhere... I don't know if you could even describe a "typical" family! At every socio-economic level there is every combination of sad and happy families.

Personally I'm not close to my parents, but I don't hate them. I know (now) that my dad, if not actually mentally ill, suffered from clinical depression my whole life and that made it very difficult for him to reach out to others. But I DO know that both my parents love me, and did the best they could. He gave me a better life than he had, and the tools to make something of myself, and that's not so bad...

[raffee]

don't yours? It's just that you bought the package while I ordered a la carte

Of course mine do too. That's exactly my point. And no moonie, I didnt buy 'the whole package'. I do not 'subscribe' to Islam as interpreted by the various scholars, but rather found its theology to be closest to 'the truth' according to my own personal experiences and insights, thus I take from it what I choose, and practice what is right for me, as an individual, and I interpret it within my own contexts, frameworks and paradigms of imagination.

What you have said is simply a reiteration of what I was saying!:D, and as you made your choices based on those indentifiable principles (and others Im sure), so did I. I reject nothing without at least trying to figure out where it could fit into my existence, or alternatively, where I fit into its existence in concept and practice.

Thus far, Islam (not the society of, but the theory of) has called the loudest to my own heart and soul, and it gives me the comfort I need. That doesnt mean that I have ceased to search or am limiting my potential to grow.;)


we've got two choices about belief - decide for ourselves, or let someone else decide for us and ignore the evidence of our own lives.

I totally agree, and Ive done the first. Noone decided for me, I am continuously searching.

It's not that no one is correct, it's that within the confines of physical existence, we can't prove our positions. Meet me in the afterlife and we'll compare notes ;)

So we both agree there is an afterlife.;) It will be a pleasure dear.


Careful now, shall we really start de-constructing Islam for contradictory or inconsistent trains of thought? OF COURSE my explanation is incomplete, my whole PREMISE is that we CAN'T know what is true while we are here. what I wrote is just what makes the most sense to ME based on what I've seen, learned about the world, and experienced, logic, and what I would LIKE to be true.

Moonie, exactly my point!!!!!

[raffee]

I'd like to hear about them, and how you interpret/explain them

I shall tell you about 'some' of them, but not in your interview! This is your stage, not mine! Maybe in my future interview, or another thread.

How would I explain them in the context of Islam? Well, they are not my experiences for me to explain, and I would never be so cynical or narrow-minded as to say it is your imaginings. That would be utter nonesense on my behalf. I believe they are as true for you as mine are for me, and not too different either

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by X-press
How come you never posts in the Problems Sabla or tried to help others there who might need to hear you?

Mostly because Omani/Islamic culture is so different that I think my any advice I might be tempted to give wouldn't be very relevent. I do keep an eye on topics posted and give my 2 cents occassionally. As to why I don't post any problems... those ghosts have long since been laid to rest :) And I really have quite a nice life now :)

2)If the tension in their muscles has an emotional component, especially if it's linked to trauma, I usually "see" color surrounding the area as well.Can you give more details as to what you mean by "color"?

Have you ever played with seeing auras? in a nutshell, look at someone (works best if they are against a white wall), sort of un-focus your eyes, and you may see a sort of glow or haze around them. Although I CAN see it physically sometimes, I frequently work with my eyes closed or only loosely focused, and I'm paying more attention to a visualization of the person in my mind - this makes it easier to pay attention to the information coming from my hands and not be overwhelmed by visual input. (in massage, very tiny actual movements can SEEM large as a muscle relaxes. Although I can feel it, the physical eye can't see it, so if I use my eyes too much I might not give that event the proper attention). Anyway, I've got this mental image and suddenly a color will flare out or envelope the area of importance.

3) And for last, you talk about being in the "army training and sometimes sneaking out out after lights-out,.." As a woman, why did you have to be in any army training and how long did it last?

I didn't have to do it, I joined the Army National Guard as a way to help pay for college. Although men are required to sign up for the draft at age 18, no one is required to be in the Army unless the draft is invoked.
National Guard is like the local militia - you go through some basic training for your chosen skill (mine was Military Police) along with full time Army trainees, then go back home. You attend training one weekend per month near your home, plus a 2-week session once a year. National Guard is usually called out for local emergencies - floods, etc. and are the essentially a half-trained force to call up to active duty in case of war. I was in the Guard for 6 years, which paid a little bit each month and the government paid for part of my college loans. I was actually discharge for medical reasons about 2 months before my unit was called to process Iraqi soldiers during the Gulf War!

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by raffee
Ok, next question. What would you choose to do with you spirit after this human experience?:D

I have no idea... not sure what my spiritual agenda will be assuming I do a good job here :)
I think it'd be nice to hang out in the cosmos for a while, maybe do some galaxy surfing :p

[MoonChild]

Raffee surely you have more questions for me :p
I'm still working on general principlies of soul-mate recognition :)

[el7ilwa]

Originally posted by MoonChild


6) What change you would like to see in this forum?
Recently, I've seen too many "cliques" forming - everyone wants to list their favorite members, their best friends, or their particular "enemies". This has gone hand in hand with flaring tempers, intolerance of dissenting opinion, and attacking personalities instead of discussing topics. I would like to see a return to the mutual respect of other people and cultures that leads to intelligent debate and sharing of information.
Additionally, I very much hope that we can keep our bonds of friendship even if our countries on opposite sides of a war - because no matter what the governments do, we as people are much alike and with no communication there is no hope for peace.


[/B]

Just I wanna say that I like what u said & I hope ppl can understand that:) ....& nice interview I have no Qs 4 u so far dear:wink: .

[MoonChild]

Thanks, Eli :)
I'd wondered if anyone had paid any attention to that part! :)

[Navy_boy]

I joined the Army National Guard

r u aproud of that ... I would say of course yes ,,,

u talked about the training ,,,was it a real military one ??or just kinda of... :D
what is yr rank ??
shall i say ,,,,good morning/evening Mam ,, :D

[Wanderer]

I have personally observed that she is a fair shot with a 9mm Beretta, Navy_boy.

Though that is not what she trained on.

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by Navy_boy
u talked about the training ,,,was it a real military one ??or just kinda of... :D
what is yr rank ??
shall i say ,,,,good morning/evening Mam ,, :D

I went through "basic training" with all new recruits, plus MOS training to be Military Police. Most of my mates were regular army so I hope it was real training :D
I was always disappointed that the women had to use '38's while the men got 9mm handguns. Using a revolver always made me feel like a cowboy :rolleyes:

My commanding officer had put in the paperwork for Sergeant but it didn't come back before I got out, so I never made it past Spec 4. Several officers tried to talk me into officer training and/or full time army but I'm too independent for the military :)

But, since I'm theoretically old enough to be your mother, you can call me Mam ;)

[MoonChild]

By the way, this was so long ago that the regular army guys I went through training with were sent to Germany to man watch-towers and stare at the East Germans on the other side of the border!

[Navy_boy]

Originally posted by MoonChild
But, since I'm theoretically old enough to be your mother, you can call me Mam ;)
Mam yes mam ,,, :D


I went through "basic training" with all new recruits, plus MOS training to be Military Police. Most of my mates were regular army so I hope it was real training
so u got punished many times i think ,, :D


happy daaays... :wink:

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by Navy_boy
so u got punished many times i think ,, :D


push-ups are a privelege, not a punishment ;)

[Navy_boy]

Originally posted by MoonChild
push-ups are a privelege, not a punishment ;)
it still kinda of ,,,
at the end it is necessary for exchanging to the militarty bearing ..:D

[X-press]

Originally posted by MoonChild
1. My parents owned a building, about 150 years old, where my mother had a crafts store and my dad did woodworking.
....I heard footsteps walking through the workshop, then up the stairs and across the floor above me (I hadn't heard the door open).

I am quite intrigued MoonChild by your spiritual connection and experiences.

The event, in the 150 years old building your parents owned, seems rather scary. (1) What was your reaction after you realized the door was locked from the inside? (2) Did you tell your parents and were there more similar experiences in that same building?


Originally posted by MoonChild
2. At one point in my first marriage, when I was very unhappy, I actually tried to will myself out of this world - I wanted out of this life so I could "start over" (I did anddo believe in reincarnation).

Thanks for sharing this with us and it is very sad to reach a point of your life where you do no longer want to be. (3) Can you tell us how you expected your soul to come out of your body without actually committing suicide (or dying)? (4) Do you think it is possible for you to achieve this through pure mental concentration only? (5) and for last, tell us more about your believes in reincarnation.

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by X-press
The event, in the 150 years old building your parents owned, seems rather scary. (1) What was your reaction after you realized the door was locked from the inside? (2) Did you tell your parents and were there more similar experiences in that same building?

Well, as soon as I heard the footsteps I knew something was wrong b/c I would have heard the door open (it always stuck and creaked when opened). I was NOT ABOUT TO GO CHECK OUT THOSE SOUNDS!!!! I guess I figured that I may not be able to run from trouble but I didn't have to go looking for it either :) After it was over though, and nothing bad had happened, Ithought it was kind of cool.
My mother also had many experiences of hearing things, I think she saw apparitions as well (she obviously was there a lot more often and spent more time upstairs where people had lived). Not only had the basement housed a butcher shop, I heard people had died alone in the upstairs apartments.

My mother, who is a pretty well grounded woman, has also seen a lady in the old house they currently live in (which is 250 years old). She says she got the distinct feeling that the ghost was just checking her out, making sure that the new owners would take good care of the place, and hasn't seen her since!



(3) Can you tell us how you expected your soul to come out of your body without actually committing suicide (or dying)? (4) Do you think it is possible for you to achieve this through pure mental concentration only? (5) and for last, tell us more about your believes in reincarnation.

I fully expected to die once my soul left my body, that was the point. Why didn't I take pills or shoot myself? I think it was sort of a test for myself - if I was right about being a spiritual being, then physically destroying the body shouldn't be necessary. I'd be able to just "leave". It seemed to be working, but I'll never know - if it hadn't been for the alarm going off at that particular moment with no physical explanation, I'd dismiss it all as a dream.

I'm not sure what else you want to know... I don't have any firm beliefs about it... but it's more fun to speculate pleasant things than the hellfire and ****ation stuff that the christians are so fond of :)
It just makes sense to me that spirit doesn't have a whole lot of restrictions - there's an awful lot of spiritual people who say that reincarnation is to learn lessons and work your way back to oneness with God - and maybe that's true - but maybe sometimes we have lifetimes for fun, or as to rest between lifetimes of tough spiritual work? Or just to experience Life? Not necessarily as "humans" of course. If the universe was Created, wouldn't one reason to Exist be to experience Creation? Heck, maybe true enlightenment when you do it "just for fun" :)

One time I was thinking about the nature of existence and the idea of the "akashic library", which is the repository of all knowledge in the universe - not a "place" but an awareness or ability to tap into "god's omniscience". (where else would prophets get their knowledge?). I was wondering what it would be like to tap into this knowledge, say for instance to know all about house-flies? And the answer that came into my mind was "well, just BE fly and you will know", and the lesson was that I was "here" (human) because I had chosen to experience humanity. And then it was like I heard a voice in my head saying (with some satisfaction) "NOW you've got it". It's one of the few times in my life when the "voice in my head" really felt like Someone Else.

[X-press]

Originally posted by MoonChild
[size]My mother, who is a pretty well grounded woman, has also seen a lady in the old house they currently live in (which is 250 years old).

....:eek: :( and she still lives there? I would be scared to death, would call right away someone to bless the house and make sure to move out on the same day!


[i]if I was right about being a spiritual being, then physically destroying the body shouldn't be necessary. I'd be able to just "leave". It seemed to be working, ...

I am sorry to come back to this, but I find this pretty amazing! It is the first time I hear someone believing that they can "die" simply by raising their spirit out of their body (through concentration I suppose).

You said: "It seemed to be working..", you must have felt something different at that moment to believe that it was working. If it is not too difficult for you, describe this particular moment and your experience to somehow "depart".



[i].. but maybe sometimes we have lifetimes for fun, or as to rest between lifetimes of tough spiritual work? Or just to experience Life? Not necessarily as "humans" of course. If the universe was Created, wouldn't one reason to Exist be to experience Creation? Heck, maybe true enlightenment when you do it "just for fun" :)

MoonChild, do you really believe that we can experience Life as something else than "humans"? I thought that people who believed in reincarnation, do not believe in God and his oneness but in eternal life from one creation to another.

As you are a believer of reincarnation, my question is: what do you think you were before being MoonChild and what you might be in your after life?


[i][size=1]....and the lesson was that I was "here" (human) because I had chosen to experience humanity. And then it was like I heard a voice in my head saying (with some satisfaction) "NOW you've got it". It's one of the few times in my life when the "voice in my head" really felt like Someone Else.

Very intriguing, but very interesting....hoping more members will ask more questions now ;)

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by X-press
I am sorry to come back to this, but I find this pretty amazing! [b] It is the first time I hear someone believing that they can "die" simply by raising their spirit out of their body (through concentration I suppose).

You said: "It seemed to be working..", you must have felt something different at that moment to believe that it was working. If it is not too difficult for you, describe this particular moment and your experience to somehow "depart".

Oops, I forgot to mention that part. Have your heard the descriptions of people who have near-death experiences, how they rise to the ceiling watch their own bodies on the operating table and stuff like that? That's pretty much what happened to me. I felt something like an internal "pop" as if some resistance had suddenly broken, and I was "above myself" looking down at my body. I felt like I was floating away like a balloon rising. I didn't go thru the ceiling or anything, I just felt like I wasgently floating farther away from my body - and that was the moment my clock alarm went off and it "startled" or "jolted" me back into my body. I swear, I felt like I had just been dumped in a bathtub full of ... er, well, "fecal matter". I had felt so "clean" as a spirit and it felt just filthy to be back.

As far as raising your spirit out of your body, the idea of astral travel or astral projection of one's spirit out if the body is a very old one, although the emphasis is usually to do it without losing hold to the bonds of life :)

[MoonChild]

posted by X-Press

MoonChild, do you really believe that we can experience Life as something else than "humans"? I thought that people who believed in reincarnation, do not believe in God and his oneness but in eternal life from one creation to another.

MOST people who believe in reincarnation believe in God. The traditional Judeo/Christian/(Islamic) view is that you have one life and at the end of it God judges you and sends you to heaven or hell based on some rather hotly debated criteria. They all agree, however, that ONE short lifetime determines your place in eternity.

an alternative view, however, is that God created us (spirits with free will) with the intent that we share in His joy in creation. The "fall" is not, however, an ancestral/historical event, but an individual event - we have lost our ability to participate in Eden/Heaven, but we can re-attain that state of enlightenment. The mechanism for doing so is reincarnation - each life is both a lesson and an opportunity to redress wrongs we have done others in past. Some see these incarnations as necessarily human but personally I don't see why it needs to be that way.

I don't claim to know the Nature of God, but the idea of personal responsibility for my own growth is appealing. Even more appealing is the idea the God would give us the opportunity to LEARN and come back to Him, rather than throw us down on earth, give us a few short years to sort through a series of conflicting instruction manuals (with little/no evidence that ANY of them are correct), then send us to eternal ****ation if we don't choose the right one.

Even the WORST parent I've ever heard of wouldn't do that to his children.

As you are a believer of reincarnation, my question is: what do you think you were before being MoonChild and what you might be in your after life?

I don't have any memory of non-human existence :). I do have a few "past life memories" - and I don't have a shred of evidence that any of it is true, so make of it what you will ;)
But I remember a rather lovely lifetime spent as a wife and mother in Ireland in the middle ages; a rather brief existance as a "berserker" warrior in a Germanic tribe, spent torching enemy villages and raping their women, before (much to my surprise) getting my head bashed in during a raid; being a black female slave in Creole Louisiana in the early 18th century; being a priestess of some sort in a truly ancient mediterranean society who was more interested in a certain priest than in her duties, and failed her community because of it.
Beyond that, I feel certain that I've spent past lifetimes with my father, my ex-husband (we came together this time for him to redress past wrongs, and he just made it worse), and other ones with my beloved Wanderer, who has always been my cosmic playmate and frequent Knight in Shining Armor :)

I'm not sure what's next... I'm afraid I still have some unfinished business with my dad and my ex that I'll have to deal with at some point ... but hopefully I can spend some quality time galaxy-surfing first :)

Alternatively, there is no God, we are the random product of big bang and evolution, we have no purpose, and death is the End. But that takes all the fun out of metaphysics :)

[SoMe1]

Wanderer mentioned that you make waffles, and those are one of my fav! but i don't know how to make them, would you be kind enough to give me the ingredients please and the way of making them?

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by SoMe1
Wanderer mentioned that you make waffles, and those are one of my fav! but i don't know how to make them, would you be kind enough to give me the ingredients please and the way of making them?

let me look up the recipe at home to make sure I don't get the proportions wrong!! I will post for you tonight :)

[SoMe1]

Splendid, thanks Mooni, i would owe both you and wanderer one once i get it right "that is cooking it" and id get you to taste some of it when you come to Oman :D :D

[MoonChild]

OK here it is:

You need:
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, separated
1 3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together. In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks with a fork. Mix in the milk ,oil, and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture and stir until blended but still slightly lumpy.
In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until peaks form. Gently fold them into the b*a*t*t*e*r. Do not overmix

Let the mixture sit for a few minutes while the waffle iron heats up, then cook according to waffle iron directions.

Variations: replace 1/2 cup cooking oil with 1/2 cup applesauce. Or, at the very end, fold in 1/2 cup blueberries for blueberry waffles.

enjoy!

[SoMe1]

Thanks a lot you sweet lady, i shall try to make some for dinner today

[X-press]

I bring back MoonChild's interview as I found it really interesting. Do not hesitate to ask her more questions...:)

[silver_ring]

nice to know about you ..well

i 'll ask one question i have asked wanderer befor ;)

which one can enter your mind and sounds believable

christian or islam ? :)

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by silver_ring
which one can enter your mind and sounds believable

christian or islam ? :)

Neither :D

I have already evaluated both and found neither "believable".

[Wanderer]

Originally posted by MoonChild
Neither :D

I have already evaluated both and found neither "believable".

Ah, all these new religions.

Sometimes the old religions are the best ;)

[qais]

Do you like being single or married with kids?

[X-press]

MoonChild,

1) It seems you have never visited any arab or muslim countries, would you be interested to come on holiday in Oman?

2) Do you think that more americans are more aware where Oman is, or do they still have never heard of this name?

3) Do you talk to your friends about Oman and this forum? What is their first reaction?

4) Can you say if since september 11, your friends and family are trying to know more about this side of the world?

5) What brought you this forum and do you feel you learned a lot about a different culture than yours?

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by qais
Do you like being single or married with kids?

Definitely married to Wanderer and our wonderful children :)

I'm not cut out to be single - especially not at my age ;). but I was never into the dating scene or went to night clubs - I want to be in love with someone and share things with them, not play around or be alone...

:)

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by X-press
1) It seems you have never visited any arab or muslim countries, would you be interested to come on holiday in Oman?

Heck, yeah!!! Anyone who cares to contribute to a fund for 4 tickets to Oman, PM me ;)
Seriously, I'd love to visit, it sounds like a beautiful country and of course I want to meet all my sabla friends!


2) Do you think that more americans are more aware where Oman is, or do they still have never heard of this name?

They are after talking to me :). The average Joe is still pretty ignorant about the Middle East and would only know about Oman if it showed up on a map of the war coverage :rolleyes:



3) Do you talk to your friends about Oman and this forum? What is their first reaction?

First, they ask "why". Then they ask if I think the FBI monitors my computer activity :p Then they are impressed with my grasp of international affairs and make depreciating comments about their own ignorance .


4) Can you say if since september 11, your friends and family are trying to know more about this side of the world?

We've had many conversations about what we've learned from our friends here, although we are typically the ones who initiate the conversation :p. My family isn't the type to have the stereotypical attitude of fear or suspicion, anyways. I think generally there is more interest in learning about that area of the world, depending on the wattage of the intellectual bulb involved - there are plenty of folks who can't pick out Canada on a map so their opinions don't count ;). (hopefully they don't bother to vote, either!).


5) What brought you this forum and do you feel you learned a lot about a different culture than yours?

Answering this will require a pretty long answer so I'll do it separately :)

[MoonChild]

Originally posted by X-press
5) What brought you this forum and do you feel you learned a lot about a different culture than yours?

Well, Wanderer found it after 9/11 (I'm not sure how), and he started being very active. He was spending a lot of time on the computer when he was supposed to be in bed with me, so I wanted to see what the attraction was :p Also he'd talk about the topics he was involved with that were pretty interesting :)

We decided that I would join, but not mention that I was Wanderer's wife and just for fun see how long before people started figuring it out from the hints we'd drop :D. That was a lot of fun!

I have learned a tremendous amount about both islamic and arabic culture - and the difference. Most Westerners haven't any clue that what they see in the media of "islamic" countries is often cultural rather than religious. Many of my early questions were about what was dictated by religion vs. an arabic tradition.

I've discovered that many stereotypes about arabic women, while probably true in Saudi Arabia (harems, full coverage, can't drive, no protection under law etc), by no means apply to the women of other ME countries. I've loved getting to know the educated, professional arab women (like Seham and Dr. N among many others :) )and learning how you think - the similarities and differences in attitudes and expectations of society and career between ME and West. How they balance societal pressure and push for social change within the construct of Islam. Also, the non-arab (or expat) muslim women in different countries (like Raffee and Scottish Gal) deal with the same issues, but more from the perspective of maintaining Islamic mores (veils, social behavior) in a more permissive society.

I've also (sadly) had some of my negative stereotypes of arabic/islamic culture validated - the unthinking rejection (by some) of anything not in the Qur'an against all physical evidence, the ignorance of the young people on certain topics, superstitious beliefs, a blind hatred of anything "zionist" or "israeli".

All of these things (and more, but this is getting really long!), help me understand a little more about the causes and/or people behind world events, and I'm willing to dig a little deeper into politics/world events of the area than I used to be, because having friends there makes it more interesting and more personal!

It's also inherently interesting to learn about other cultures - when I was young, I had pen-pals all over the world, we would write each other letters that took weeks to be delivered. This whole forum is like a cornucopia of pen-pals where I can meet friends from all over, without the wait :) Gotta love the internet!