(no subject)

     "A lily bulb is the center of the future plant, containing all that is needed for growth. When it is set over water, it will first reach down with many white roots to drink deeply. Only then will it begin to split and put forth splendid green shoots. The same is true of life. We need to put deep roots down in order to bring forth beauty.
     While most people can accept that anyone needs a strong foundation in life, we are speaking here of a more literal interpretation. Those who follow Tao believe in meditating upon all the centerd of the body. It would be wrong to think of spirituality as wholly brain-oriented. Quite the contrary. One must establish a deep connection to one's very energy, which arises in all parts of the body. One must come to terms with one's sexual energy, which comes from the loins. One must become aware of one's legs (what else holds you up all the time?) in order to become more stable. What is below is essential to what is above. What is below is the source of tremendous energy.
     Therefore, when meditating, learn methods that focus on all parts of the body and mind. When moving, pay attention to the legs. When acting, make sure that you are well connected to others. When learning, master the fundamentals. If you do this, you will be able to fulfill your ultimate potential."

—Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao

(no subject)

     "A lily bulb is the center of the future plant, containing all that is needed for growth. When it is set over water, it will first reach down with many white roots to drink deeply. Only then will it begin to split and put forth splendid green shoots. The same is true of life. We need to put deep roots down in order to bring forth beauty.
     While most people can accept that anyone needs a strong foundation in life, we are speaking here of a more literal interpretation. Those who follow Tao believe in meditating upon all the centerd of the body. It would be wrong to think of spirituality as wholly brain-oriented. Quite the contrary. One must establish a deep connection to one's very energy, which arises in all parts of the body. One must come to terms with one's sexual energy, which comes from the loins. One must become aware of one's legs (what else holds you up all the time?) in order to become more stable. What is below is essential to what is above. What is below is the source of tremendous energy.
     Therefore, when meditating, learn methods that focus on all parts of the body and mind. When moving, pay attention to the legs. When acting, make sure that you are well connected to others. When learning, master the fundamentals. If you do this, you will be able to fulfill your ultimate potential."

—Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao

the plot thickens... random ancestry crap

My mother sez:

[My great-great-great-grandfather and -mother] were here more than likely before 1845 or around 1845 your [great-great-grandfather] was born Dec 1851 Luke

Thomas wife Elizabeth I don't have exact birthdates; death dates or marriage dates, which of course makes for a real problem with such a common name

What I have been able to find out was from the 1880 census records for Lockport NY

and at that time he was 66 years old he was born in Ireland, wife Elizabeth age 69 born in Ireland his occupation was works in a quarry

son Michael was living with them at the time of the census age was 35 he was single a laborer and was born in Canada

Also son Luke age 31 born NY occupation stave joiner [this date doesn't seem to add up - if he was born in 1851, then he can't have been 31 in 1880, but then my father says his great-grandfather Luke's birthdate was always in question and that he himself claimed it was 1849, which would add up]

so possibly they had immigrated in 1845 first to Canada then NY.

---

So not only did I have several generations of blood back there in that area of the continent before someone moved to Ohio and then my father's family moved to California in the 1950s, but it turns out they may actually have lived specifically in Canada first? It boggles the mind. Six generations to come full circle eh? *chuckles* 'Course I'm told it takes seven generations in the same place for the relationship between people and land to develop, so no wonder so many Americans are "rootless", since lots of us don't have that many even in the country, never mind in the same few tens of square miles.

I just find it amusing that it's the place my paternal line first lived here, and now my life is (hopefully) leading me back there. On the other hand, my mother was born here in California, but I don't know where that leads past her own mother, since she was adopted. It would be interesting if that side was all Californians back to the same period of time... 1848-1849? lol! illuviel and ahril - more "gold" for ya? And re: red and gold.. why, those are the, ahem, 49ers' colours, of course. Not that I care, but my mother is pretty religious about 49ers football. What a bizarre constellation of meaningless meaning this is.

I always figured that if I have "it", I got it from my paternal line because that's where the reasonably pure Irish stuff is (I think my paternal grandmother is German stock, but I don't know, and I don't know anything about any of the other wives on up the line except for the aforementioned Elizabeth 3-greats grandmother, who was obviously Irish, and whose name my own most resembles, although my mother's middle name is also Elizabeth), but on the other hand, they're all brown hair and blue eyes and I appear to have gotten my colouring mostly from my mother.

But then again again, I don't know what my grandfather looked like when he was younger; I've been comparing myself to the other living people of my paternal line and in that context I do come up kind of "changelingish" due to my mother's genetics. But maybe I wouldn't look too different from further paternal ancestors, or other maternal ancestors. I don't know. (I do know that I don't fit into the "greater sensitivity and greater health problems" crowd.)

And then of course there's the fact that neither of my parents "has it", I mean, manifesting it in any sense, so either it's not there or you can be a carrier like you can with sickle-cell anemia or something...

the plot thickens... random ancestry crap

My mother sez:

[My great-great-great-grandfather and -mother] were here more than likely before 1845 or around 1845 your [great-great-grandfather] was born Dec 1851 Luke

Thomas wife Elizabeth I don't have exact birthdates; death dates or marriage dates, which of course makes for a real problem with such a common name

What I have been able to find out was from the 1880 census records for Lockport NY

and at that time he was 66 years old he was born in Ireland, wife Elizabeth age 69 born in Ireland his occupation was works in a quarry

son Michael was living with them at the time of the census age was 35 he was single a laborer and was born in Canada

Also son Luke age 31 born NY occupation stave joiner [this date doesn't seem to add up - if he was born in 1851, then he can't have been 31 in 1880, but then my father says his great-grandfather Luke's birthdate was always in question and that he himself claimed it was 1849, which would add up]

so possibly they had immigrated in 1845 first to Canada then NY.

---

So not only did I have several generations of blood back there in that area of the continent before someone moved to Ohio and then my father's family moved to California in the 1950s, but it turns out they may actually have lived specifically in Canada first? It boggles the mind. Six generations to come full circle eh? *chuckles* 'Course I'm told it takes seven generations in the same place for the relationship between people and land to develop, so no wonder so many Americans are "rootless", since lots of us don't have that many even in the country, never mind in the same few tens of square miles.

I just find it amusing that it's the place my paternal line first lived here, and now my life is (hopefully) leading me back there. On the other hand, my mother was born here in California, but I don't know where that leads past her own mother, since she was adopted. It would be interesting if that side was all Californians back to the same period of time... 1848-1849? lol! illuviel and ahril - more "gold" for ya? And re: red and gold.. why, those are the, ahem, 49ers' colours, of course. Not that I care, but my mother is pretty religious about 49ers football. What a bizarre constellation of meaningless meaning this is.

I always figured that if I have "it", I got it from my paternal line because that's where the reasonably pure Irish stuff is (I think my paternal grandmother is German stock, but I don't know, and I don't know anything about any of the other wives on up the line except for the aforementioned Elizabeth 3-greats grandmother, who was obviously Irish, and whose name my own most resembles, although my mother's middle name is also Elizabeth), but on the other hand, they're all brown hair and blue eyes and I appear to have gotten my colouring mostly from my mother.

But then again again, I don't know what my grandfather looked like when he was younger; I've been comparing myself to the other living people of my paternal line and in that context I do come up kind of "changelingish" due to my mother's genetics. But maybe I wouldn't look too different from further paternal ancestors, or other maternal ancestors. I don't know. (I do know that I don't fit into the "greater sensitivity and greater health problems" crowd.)

And then of course there's the fact that neither of my parents "has it", I mean, manifesting it in any sense, so either it's not there or you can be a carrier like you can with sickle-cell anemia or something...