Comparing P-books to E-books

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Books, E-books, P-books

 

Anyone who has visited my home knows that I have a great passion for books. I have thousands of them. They are everywhere, stuffed into every room and into cupboard space. Books are my best friends. Most of the time, I prefer to sit with a really good book than to be out socializing with humans.

Because of my love for books, I was very resistant to, perhaps even afraid of, digital books for the longest time. However, since there are now some books that are only available in digital format, I saw the handwriting on the wall. I must give in and purchase an e-reader. When I did finally purchase an e-reader, I was rocked by how versatile they were. Best of all, there is absolutely no better way to travel than with an e-reader chock full of books. I used to carry half a suitcase of books whenever I traveled and as you can imagine the weight of these books can add up quite quickly.

I can’t imagine myself sitting for hours in airports and on planes with nothing to occupy my mind other than my own thoughts so I always take more books than I actually need as insurance that I would not run out of reading material. Now I can board the plane with one little e-reader weighing 7 ounces and yet have a thousand books on it, which leaves more room for clothes or souvenirs in my luggage.

It then began to dawn on me that I could have the best of both worlds. Just because I had an e-reader, didn’t mean I had to forego my collection of p-books. Both paper and digital have their own benefits. I now have three categories for my books:

1. Reference books I want to keep forever I will buy as p-books.
2. Books that I will read only once (and then give away) I will buy as e-books.
3. Those books that I refer to quite frequently will be bought as p-books and e-books so that wherever I am, I have access to the book.

The technology of the book is not similar to that of music or movies where the evolution was from vinyl to tape to CD/DVD to digital. Here each subsequent generation was a big jump in quality and convenience. But e-books are not simply a better format replacing an inferior one; they offer a wholly different experience. So I predict that p-books and e-books are going to co-exist.

I am now proud to say I am bibook. I love books in any form. Books are my best friends. They are my entertainment, my escape, and my ecstasy.

In the end, it’s not really important in what format we read, only that we do read.
In the following section I list 22 advantages of both book formats so that you can decide which form is best for you.

*P-book = Paper or printed book.
**E-book = Electronic or digital book.

ADVANTAGES OF E-BOOKS

• E-books save space.
• E-books are cheaper. Many are free. (However, the initial cost of the reader should be factored in.)
• E-books save on resources such as paper.
• E-books are convenient.
• E-books have multimedia and interactive capabilities.
• E-books can be stored online in the cloud and so never lost or destroyed.
• E-books can be accessed from multiple sources such as smartphone, reader, tablet, or computer.
• E-books are more private because the cover is not visible to others and they can be password protected.
• E-books are searchable.
• E-book authors can receive more profit per book due to cheaper production costs.
• E-readers are usually lighter and smaller to hold than a book.
• E-readers can have dictionaries and other resources available at a finger’s tap.
• E-readers can instantly translate words into other languages.
• E-readers may allow you to read footnotes without changing the page or losing your place in the book.
• E-readers can store over a thousand books on one half pound device.
• E-readers are back lit so they can be read in the dark without an external light.
• E-readers can adjust text size and font.
• E-readers estimate how much time is left to the end of the chapter based on your personal reading speed.
• E-readers give access to newspapers and magazines.
• Many e-books are sold nowadays with bonuses, which you usually do not get with a p-book.
• Buying e-books online is instantaneous and there are no shipping costs.
• Some e-books are not published in paper form.

ADVANTAGES OF P-BOOKS

• P-books don’t break when dropped.
• P-books do not have glare like many screens.
• P-books won’t malfunction, break down, or be subjected to viruses.
• P-books never have to be charged.
• P-books don’t require technology and don’t produce e-waste.
• P-books don’t require looking at a screen that is emitting radiation.
• P-books can be signed, numbered, and printed with beautiful bindings.
• P-books can be used as decoration in homes and offices.
• P-books are easier to borrow and lend.
• P-books have a kinesthetic experience of holding a book, turning pages, and flipping forward and backward.
• P-books have physical beauty.
• P-books have smell, feel, and weight.
• P-books are collectible.
• P-books can be written in more easily.
• P-books are nostalgic.
• P-books are easy to use. You just open them up.
• P-books require no power sources.
• P-books have no digital licensing restrictions to sharing.
• The value of p-books can rise in time.
• Multiple books can be worked on easily at once.
• One statistic reports that people read faster in print form than digital form.
• Some p-books are not published in digital form, especially older titles.

Do It Yourself Divination

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Divination

Divination is the practice of foreseeing the future. Many diviners, however, work with the client’s past and present in order to clear the way for the future. The word divination is derived from the Latin root “divinus”, which means “divine” or “inspired by a god”. Sometimes divination is called fortune telling. Divination has been used throughout history and within various cultures in the form of reading events as signs or omens.

Anyone can practice divination. You don’t have to consider yourself a psychic even though everyone has intuitive capabilities. The more you use your intuition, the more developed your intuitive skills become. There are specific ways to enhance your intuitive skills such as reading intuitive instruction books, taking intuitive development classes, and practicing, practicing, practicing.

Use divination wisely. It has been proven in the study of quantum physics that just by focusing on the future we can alter its course. However, divination can be used as a tool to bring unconscious information from our subconscious and superconscious minds. By calming our mind and focusing our attention, we are able to open our conscious minds to new information. The act of divination and the use of tools to form patterns can greatly assist us in our focus.

There are many forms of divination but this article’s focus is on one particular form of casting lots. This practice of throwing items such as shells, stones, bones, sticks, beans, dice, coins, or cards, is called cleromancy or sortilege. The items may be thrown on the ground, on a mat or hide, or in a circle.

“Throwing the bones” is a slang term that originated from some indigenous cultures. The bones might consist of animal bones, stones, coins, cowrie shells, nuts, and other natural objects. “Bones” is also slang for dice, which may have originated from divination bones.

DIY DIVINATION STEPS

Here is a step by step process for creating your own divination system. Divination systems can be purchased but I have found that when I created my own system with meanings that I assigned to each item, my intuitive readings felt much more powerful and clear.

Step 1: Collect your objects. You can use any number of items you wish and they can be of any type. I use natural items so that I feel tapped into the nature spirits and the energy of mother earth. (See photo below.)

Step 2: Assign a meaning to each item. The meaning of each item can be obtained through simple intuition, meditation, or shamanic journeys. Make sure you record the meaning of each item in a journal.

Step 3: Pick a ground to throw on. Some suggestions for a ground to throw on would be a circle or square large enough to contain all the objects when thrown. Some objects may fall outside of the circle or square and that has as much meaning as those that fall within. You can draw a “grid” on paper or you can purchase a cloth to use as a ground. The Q’ero, the indigenous descendants of the Inka, weave a cloth called a four quarter cloth. It is a great ground to use for divination. (See photo below.)

Step 4: Ground yourself and create a sacred space. This is an important practice for protection purposes. When you are ready to begin a reading, do a grounding visualization. Then open sacred space by calling in your spirit protectors and guides. Ask them for their guidance and support during your divination session.

Step 5: Choose a question. Here are a few guidelines to help you formulate the question you want to ask during your divination session:

• Ask one simple precise question at a time. Do not use compound questions, i.e. use “and” or “or” in the question.
• Don’t ask “yes”, “no”, “should”, or “when” questions. You will get more precise information if you use questions that begin contain “who”, “what”, “where”, “why”, or “how”.
• Only ask questions about yourself unless you have informed consent to ask questions on behalf of another soul.

Step 6: Cast objects on ground. As you consciously think about your question, throw the items on your ground.

Step 7: Interpret meaning. Your intuition is stimulated by focusing on the visual results of the items thrown. However, you may receive information through feelings, hearing, or thinking (knowing). For additional information about interpreting meaning, refer to Section #3 below.

Step 8: End the session. When your session is complete, gather up your items. You may want to clear them by some form of smudging with sage or Florida water. Keep them in a safe place. Thank and release all the spirit protectors and guides that assisted you during the session.

The photo below shows a set of items I created. They have been thrown on a Q’ero four quarter cloth.

I will share the meaning of each item for example purpose only:

Stick – Male Acorn – Growth / Future
Cowrie Shell – Female Prickly Seed – Fire / South
Crystal – Thought Triangle Stone – Earth / West
Coral – Emotion Shell – Water / North
Pine Cone – Spirit Feather – Air / East
Eucalyptus – Ancestors / Past Corn – Abundance & Sustenance
Oval Stone – Foundation / Present Open Cone Pod – Possibilities
Acorn – Growth / Future
Prickly Seed – Fire / South
Triangle Stone – Earth / West
Shell – Water / North
Feather – Air / East
Corn – Abundance & Sustenance
Open Cone Pod – Possibilities

DIVINATION INTERPRETATION

Many times Spirit passes messages to us in forms other than language such as metaphors and pictures. You may not be able to interpret the meaning of your thrown objects literally or the meaning may have an obscure message that will make more sense sometime in the future. You may want to record the results of your divination session in a journal for future reference.

There are two ways to derive meaning while “reading” the bones:

1. Each item has a specific meaning. Note where the items fall in relation to each other and the significance of their meanings. What metaphors can be drawn from the location of each item?
2. The overall pattern of the items after they are thrown. What is the meaning of their position and their relationship to other items on the ground?
   The figure below shows how meaning can be applied to the location and pattern of the items after they are thrown. I developed this grid after studying different sources including the psychology of art therapy and sand tray therapy. Don’t take this grid as gospel. You can develop your own meaning from the location of items on the ground.

Copyright © 2014 Drake Bear Stephen. Except where acknowledged. http://www.DrakeInnerprizes.com