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    When Lightworking Isn’t Enough

    askdrding | Angels,Exquisite Self Care,Spirit,Vomit-Spewing Aliens | Tuesday, 10 June 2008

    Yeah, I said it.

    First off, what the hell is Lightworking? Lightworking is considered a New Age concept and involves engaging meaningfully in positively transforming, expanding, and/or uplifting work where the intent is to better the universal consciousness through service. It entails a lot of clarifying of intention as well thoughts in general, consciously directing one’s energies and actions in a positive manner, and, well, some kind of non-sarcastic faith in something greater than yourself.

    [For some really interesting and practical articles, see Steve Pavlina’s stuff online, or check out anything written by Doreen Virtue, Ph.D, or alternately you could sashay your hipster ass to your local bookstore and just kinda bumble around in the New Age section while trying to not let people see you, lest they think you hold out some kind of really uncool, totally non-ironic hope for humanity.

    In truth, what we now refer to as Lightworking has been around for aeons. Case in point — neolithic peoples had shamans whose main responsibility was to connect the rest of the tribe to the Unseen Worlds for the higher and greater good of all. Why, even many longstanding organized mainstream religions contain elements of Lightwork. Imagine that. Lightworking can also be viewed simply as trying to act in a manner true to one’s essential nature as a being born of inherent divinity, light and good.

    Betcha thought I was going to talk about “fuckery” and “kicking Dr. Phil’s ass” today, dintcha?

    Ole Dr. Dingge E. Dingg likes to mix it up. I think I’m going to do a few Drunken Monkey kung-fu moves just to celebrate. That’s better.

    Sometimes Lightworkers get into trouble when they encounter beings of, shall we say, less than such singular or positive intention. Such beings include: mean people, unspeakable monsters* and their ilk, overweening narcissists, psychopaths, sociopaths, and anything with the word “douche” or “asshat” attached. I think that about covers it.

    My saintly old Gradual School advisor once told me “Ding, sometimes it’s really important to know how to intimidate people.” This, of course, freaked my lil pie-eyed, idealistic Universal Caretaker self right out and right into some excessively chunky shoes, a sweater vest that I won’t admit to owning but rather borrowing, a carton of mentholated Marboros, and this haircut, but that’s a story for another day.

    I’ve met a lot of lightworking folk in the last year who could use a dose of protection from the Dark Side Of The Force’s minions. Luckily I’ve got Evil Manservant Jeebes to fight my battles for me. And if you’ll recall, EMJ is actually mostly all about this. If you’re too lazy to click, here I am quoting my own vainglorious ass in all its vain and assy glory.

    Everyone should have an Evil Manservant. Either that, or everyone should personify all undesirable aspects of his/her psyche into a sneering, awkwardly formal yet diabolical valet.

    Words to live by, people. Words to live by.

    By now I’m sure you’re asking yourself What the hell is Dr. Ding on about? Or maybe Is she smoking the crack cocaines? Maybe she really is a lucite-heeled poledancer down at the biweekly Sons of Hermann Krackenkokainefest after all? Huh.

    So stay tuned for our next exciting episode, where all shall be revealed. Next up: Self Improvement DIY: How To Make Your Very Own Intrapsychic Sith Lord For Fun And Profit.

    *Cthulhu, mostly. I gotta admit, the rest of them have their moments.

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    Etsy: QueenBodacious

    Pardon My Narcissistic Ballyhooing

    Dr. Ding is still whoring herself gleefully out over at UGO.com. For real; my editor thinks I’m a lucite-heeled poledancer down at the Sons of Hermann Biweekly Krackenkokainenfest who just so happens to have read Freud in the original German. I am so sneaky and wicked bad like that. But they pay me*, so it’s totally cool.

    My latest clinical masterpiece is entitled “How to Make Love to a Geek” and can be found here. Enjoy. Go on, you deserve it.

    *I know, right?

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    Etsy: QueenBodacious

    Dr. Ding Sez

    Dr Ding | Relationships | Friday, 23 June 2006

    Dear Dr. Ding:

    What is it about me that drives men away? I’ve never had a relationship last more than 6 months, and they all seem to end the same way; he tells me it’s not me, that it’s him, and that he’d like to just be friends. I just don’t get it.


    My friends all tell me that I’m attractive and that I have a good personality, but that I just haven’t met the right person yet. I’m a professional, I work hard at my job and have nice things, so I know I’m not a loser. I’m a good person. But…I’m 29 years old and don’t want to be alone forever. Help.

    Sad Downtown Girl

    Dr. Ding sez:

    Oh, Girl.

    I’ll get right to the point; you’re confusing your self-worth with your external qualities, and your relationships are suffering as a result. You discuss external things like attractiveness, professional status, hard work, and having nice things. You describe your personality, the only internal characteristic mentioned, the only thing remotely close to your spirit, your essence, the very core of your being, as “good.”

    Good?

    You know what sorts of things are good? Dogs. Dogs are good. “Good dog!” we say when Fido sits prettily for a treat. “That’s a good puppy!” when they manage to poop outside. Other things that can easily be summed up by this word include: a suit, a pair of shoes, jewelry, hair, and possibly a meal. Things can easily be described as good, but people are so much more. You are so much more.

    How long have you been trying your damndest to not be alone, to win people over, to work the hardest, to have the latest purse or furniture or hairstyle? How long have you been worrying about being good enough in others’ eyes versus following those glittery, multicolored threads that weave that mysterious tapestry of your soul? I happen to think you’re on to yourself regarding this whole relationship-driving-away/fear of being alone thing. You haven’t spent enough time making yourself happy and reflecting on what you deep-down really think of yourself.

    We get a fair-sized chunk of our self-esteem from our accomplishments in life, from the raises at work, from the finely-played frisbee toss, from being able to speak three languages or discern chardonnay from cat piss. But guess what? You can do all that frisbee-tossing and Mandarin-speaking until you’re the perfect shade of Cerulean blue, and it won’t make a damn bit of difference unless underneath all those things you have some sense of yourself as inherently worthy of love that isn’t tied to those very achievements! Holy Paradox, Batman. Without peaceful acceptance of our own intrinsic self-worth we humans tend to endlessly struggle and worry and fret about what other people think of how “good” we are. Men pick up on this, it’s like a low-frequency electronic signal that buzzes “I don’t know who I am! Don’t leave me so I can continue to ignore my own wants and needs and focus on you you you!”

    A radical idea: spend the entire next free weekend in your rattiest jeans, oldest t-shirt, and the shoes you wore to paint the guest bedroom. You may wash your hair, but don’t style it. You can pick only one cosmetic to use. Rent your favorite cheesy movies. Hang out with your most oddball or eccentric friends. Compose a poem. Read something heavy by Hermann Hesse and ponder. Hard. Read something light and fun. Giggle. Dig in the garden. Make an elaborate dessert just for yourself. Treat yourself to dinner. People-watch. Do what pleases you.

    In other words, spend some time getting to know the real you, not this other-defined good girl who fears she’s as loser because she isn’t in a relationship. My guess is that you will really like what you find; the real you. And the bonus part? People who genuinely like themselves almost automatically attract others to them who feel the same. The take-home message? Stop trying so hard to be good, spend more time being real. Find out what makes you tick. Enjoy your life, and you will find that life smiles on you.

    -Dr. Ding

    Etsy: QueenBodacious
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