self help reading + music

What a banana fold is, which actually even now that I know what it is I’m not sure I’m picturing it correctly. And I don’t want to keep trying.

And how a Body Mass Index is calculated: "The index is calculated by dividing a person's weight in pounds by his height in inches, squared, and multiplying that total by 703." (And my X and Y thing was hard to follow? Who the hell thought that up, and why do you suppose 703 is the magic number?)

Finally, for Virgo this week: Philosopher George Gurdjieff declared that most of us are essentially asleep, even as we walk around in broad daylight. We're ignorant about the higher levels of awareness we're capable of; we're blind to the continuous flow of life's miraculous blessings. He said that in order to wake up and stay awake we need regular shocks. Some of these are uncomfortable, forcing us to face our own stupidity. But other shocks are delightful. They're doses of sacred medicine that entice us to shake off our sleepiness and come to attention in pleasurable ways. I believe that in the coming weeks you'll be offered a steady supply of the latter.

(Methinks perhaps the body mass index calculation was used to gauge my “steady supply” odds.)

Odetta - Weepin Willow Blues (for New Orleans)