Faith - Shaping and Transformation
Got Faith?
A while ago I posted a message about "shaping," a meditation technique I'd developed to help alter my physical appearance, throughout several communities. At the time I posted it, I was not willing to make any claims of it's effectiveness because at the time it was still largely theoretical. I just had extreme confidence that it would work.
About seven months later, I can now confidently say that it DOES work. Although my personal feeling is that it's effectiveness has very little to do with the actual methodology compared to the fact that I had (and still have) an undying belief that it would work, and that my body is in fact evolving. The meditation itself was simply a focus I believe to channel my faith in the universe and the impossible.
How is this a pagan issue? Well, I suppose it depends on how far your pagan umbrella extends. I feel this is a form of magick which enables us to alter our selves and surroundings through our beliefs, and for me is an intimately spiritual process.
While the photos below reveal changes to my face, there are some larger things that have been captured on camera due to the fact that, until a couple days ago, I only had a web cam. I am shrinking at my physical last week it was revealed that I am now an inch and a half shorter than I was a year and a half ago (I was 5'10, now I'm 5'8.5).
Me Before Attempting Any Appearance Alterations
(A band aide on my nose)
Me Present
Facially, the greatest focus in meditations have been to sculpt a rounder face, higher cheeks, and higher arching eyebrows. Granted I do tweeze, but I believe they sit higher now as well. you can see the general placement of the brows on my face regardless of shaping.
Additionally, I've been getting blisters occasionally on my feet from my shoes -- yesterday I went shoe shopping and I have gone from wearing a MEN'S size 10 shoe, to a WOMEN'S size 10-10.5. This is a HUGE difference. For those of you who are not familiar with the difference in shoe size, you can assume that a women's equivalent shoe size is approximately 3 sizes larger than men's -- sometimes wide is needed.
My hips are becoming somewhat more feminine, I now have an A-cup breast size from no-cup, and lastly my body hair growth has slowed.
Now, some of you may read my journal and discover that I've been on hormones for about 5 weeks. This is true, however there were significant changes before then, and estrogen does NOT account for reduction in body and head shape. If anything, the logical conclusion would be that it would have been reinforcing my existing bone structure due to the fact that estrogen helps bone development. Lastly, this radical a change in appearance is... not likely at my current dose after such a short period of time.
If anyone is interested in the specific methodology, I'll be happy to share. No less, the post isn't really about that given that I feel that belief is what makes reality happen. To quote Salma Heyak's character in Dogma "It doesn't matter what you have faith in so long as you have it."
A while ago I posted a message about "shaping," a meditation technique I'd developed to help alter my physical appearance, throughout several communities. At the time I posted it, I was not willing to make any claims of it's effectiveness because at the time it was still largely theoretical. I just had extreme confidence that it would work.
About seven months later, I can now confidently say that it DOES work. Although my personal feeling is that it's effectiveness has very little to do with the actual methodology compared to the fact that I had (and still have) an undying belief that it would work, and that my body is in fact evolving. The meditation itself was simply a focus I believe to channel my faith in the universe and the impossible.
How is this a pagan issue? Well, I suppose it depends on how far your pagan umbrella extends. I feel this is a form of magick which enables us to alter our selves and surroundings through our beliefs, and for me is an intimately spiritual process.
While the photos below reveal changes to my face, there are some larger things that have been captured on camera due to the fact that, until a couple days ago, I only had a web cam. I am shrinking at my physical last week it was revealed that I am now an inch and a half shorter than I was a year and a half ago (I was 5'10, now I'm 5'8.5).
Me Before Attempting Any Appearance Alterations
(A band aide on my nose)
Me Present
Facially, the greatest focus in meditations have been to sculpt a rounder face, higher cheeks, and higher arching eyebrows. Granted I do tweeze, but I believe they sit higher now as well. you can see the general placement of the brows on my face regardless of shaping.
Additionally, I've been getting blisters occasionally on my feet from my shoes -- yesterday I went shoe shopping and I have gone from wearing a MEN'S size 10 shoe, to a WOMEN'S size 10-10.5. This is a HUGE difference. For those of you who are not familiar with the difference in shoe size, you can assume that a women's equivalent shoe size is approximately 3 sizes larger than men's -- sometimes wide is needed.
My hips are becoming somewhat more feminine, I now have an A-cup breast size from no-cup, and lastly my body hair growth has slowed.
Now, some of you may read my journal and discover that I've been on hormones for about 5 weeks. This is true, however there were significant changes before then, and estrogen does NOT account for reduction in body and head shape. If anything, the logical conclusion would be that it would have been reinforcing my existing bone structure due to the fact that estrogen helps bone development. Lastly, this radical a change in appearance is... not likely at my current dose after such a short period of time.
If anyone is interested in the specific methodology, I'll be happy to share. No less, the post isn't really about that given that I feel that belief is what makes reality happen. To quote Salma Heyak's character in Dogma "It doesn't matter what you have faith in so long as you have it."