Spirituality & Enlightenment

Spirituality & Enlightenment

Ask The Ghetto Shaman

Ask The Ghetto Shaman

Dear Ghetto Shaman,

How is making issues of spirituality murkier and cloudier helping anyone?  You bring darkness to enlightenment.

Genpo T

Dear Genpo,

You need to do two things to move into the light of cosmic understanding, my friend.  First, contemplate the sound of one cheek farting.  Do this for a year and then read one of my first works: Demystifying Mysticism through Mumbo Jumbo.  If that doesn’t clear things up, I don’t know what will.

The Ghetto Shaman

Fantasy Characters Living Through Real Apocalypses Protest Fake End of Days

Alex Bone

Collapsing Shack, AZ—The Fantasy Adventuring Characters Team or F.A.C.T.s has lodged a formal complaint against, “All nay sayers, doom mongers, rapture renegers and end of dayers.”  Those who have survived real fictional apocalypses are not at all impressed with these endless prophetic false alarms.

There’s always some loser with a Sinner Repent sign and where has it gotten them?  FACTs wanted to get the real story from real apocalypse savvy fictional characters.

First, we caught up Elric of Melnibone, from the Elric Saga, who said, “Your petty apocalypses would not keep me from opening a second bottle of dragon blood wine or slaughtering a trusted friend. When your world sees the Armies of Chaos transform an entire continent into undulating entropy, then you’ll get my attention.”

Harry Potter was unavailable for comment, because it was half-price, topless centaur massage day over at Dagon Alley.

His friend, Ron Weasley, did have this comment, “Bloody hell, Voldemort is about to annihilate everything and you muggles are worried about your cable being shut off during some nonsensical rapture? Oh, I feel so sorry for you wankers. Piss off.”

We tried to interview Frodo Baggins, but the whole Fellowship was in Rohan, helping Bilbo sign up for a 28-day program to help him kick his ‘Hobbit Herb’ addiction.  Oh, and his sponsor is suggesting he stay away from “ganja-boy” Gandalf.

We were able to get an audience with Tom Sawyer, quite accidentally.

“Don’t know about them Apocalypses, and such. I guess it’s when God gets real mad, like when Becky pinched me when I painted her hair fire station red. Say, wanna help me paint some fun stuff, fer just a nickel?”

I was forced to press on alone after my driver and photographer stopped to help Tom paint his fence.

I tracked down Neo, from the Matrix, who added, “I was born into an apocalypse of such horrifying proportions—rare is the human mind that can comprehend it, but, in a pinch, those birthing pods make really great Jacuzzis! The other day Trinity and I broke into one and—” 

As I limped on I soon spotted Jack Primus and asked him if living in a foul world filled with supernatural serial killers makes him angry at all these fake doomsday predictors.

“It sure as hell does! After all of this crying wolf, you guys won’t be ready when it really hits the fan.  Oh, and it will hit said fan.  Meanwhile, times are tough…‘fact, I’d be willing to trade you this ‘war axe’ for a pitcher of ale and a cheese steak.”

I tried to find John Conner, but one Terminator model finally wised up and just blew him and his preschool to kingdom come.  I did manage to catch up with Mad Max, but when I mentioned those ‘end of day’ preachers, he went on an anti-Semitic rant, so I had to put him down. 

I’m not sure what we learned interviewing real apocalypse survivors—well, real fictional ones, but we did learn one thing: you can get a really cool war axe cheap these days.  Oh, and my partner never did make it back.  After painting Sawyer’s fence he made the mistake of trying to interview Cthulhu for this post….never do that.

Ask The Ghetto Shaman

Ask The Ghetto Shaman

Dear Ghetto Shaman,

OK, I almost buy this overcoming fear with beer stuff, but can you explain any of this shit without trying to sell me a book?  Oh, and who are the Zen Carnes?

Oceal

Dear Oceal,

Of course I can explain it without trying to sell you a book.  Consider one of my new audio CDs, Change Your Thinking through Drinking.  And, if you act right now, I’ll make mine a double.

The Ghetto Shaman

P.S.  I was raised by Zen Carnes, but I don’t like to talk about it. 

Ask The Ghetto Shaman

Ask The Ghetto Shaman

Dear Ghetto Shaman,

I accidentally found your work entitled Inspiring Women to Heel.  You control freak sicko! 

Tanya

Dear Tanya,

Thank you for the feedback.  Actually, Sicko was by Michael Moore.  Your confusion stems from having read book 2 first, is all.  Please read Acceptance and Surrender: Why I Insist the Women in My Life Understand These. Only then will you master the Tao of Skull Fucking.

The Ghetto Shaman

Ask The Ghetto Shaman

Ask The Ghetto Shaman

Dear Ghetto Shaman,

Your last reader nailed it.  You’re preaching about enlightenment, yet you’re glorifying the abuse of alcohol, hallucinogens, and things you probably make in your basement.  BWTF?

Sincerely,

Hal

(I’m not telling you where I live, bitches)

Dear Hal,

Thank goodness for RSS feed cookies, or we’d never have been able to track down all of your personal information and sell it on the black market for Mad Dog money.

Look, I only have a short column through which to convey a ton of important information.  To really understand the true essence of my teachings, you should purchase my latest masterpiece, Opened Heart, Bloated Liver: a Warrior’s Path to Partying.

The Ghetto Shaman

P.S. BWTF? Is that Big Wet Titty Fun?  … just a guess, but an educated one.

Ask The Ghetto Shaman

Ask The Ghetto Shaman

Dear Ghetto Shaman,

Not sure you are contributing to society. It seems you behave poorly after you’ve been beer drinking and hell-raising.  Maybe you need to switch to wine, or maybe you need professional help.

Sincerely,

Carman

Dear Carman,

Note sure what your question is, but I will address what I can:

A. Sure I contribute to society, just not in a positive way.

B. Wine is for people who haven’t developed a palate for beer.

C. Yes, I do behave poorly when drinking, which may explain my nickmame, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Heineken.

The Ghetto Shaman

Ask The Ghetto Shaman

Ask The Ghetto Shaman

Dear Ghetto Shaman,

I read your book Tales of Shamanic Debauchery and now I am asking myself why?  What was the point of writing that thing?  And what is your reference in Chapter four to your power animal?  You don’t explain this and then the chapter ends rather abruptly.

Tamisha

Fort Collins, CO

Dear Tamisha,

Sometimes we read without remaining present, our minds often wander and lose focus, so we end up missing critical elements.  That’s not the case with this book.  I was very drunk when I wrote it.  The title should have made that clear.  The chapters end when my transmission from the spirit realm ends.  I usually have some forewarning when the spin monsters descend from the cosmic void.  Oh, and I broke up with my power animal.  So what are you doing Thursday, Tamisha?

The Ghetto Shaman

Ask The Ghetto Shaman

Ask The Ghetto Shaman

Dear Ghetto Shaman,

Do you have any nick names or aliases? Just curious.

Greg D.

Straatmore, CO

Dear Greg,

Some call me the Keeper of the Sacred Knowledge. Others call me Dances with Drinks. Still others call me the Man Who Should Stop His Drunken Facebook Posts!

The Ghetto Shaman

P.S.  And don’t even get me started on Toking Twitter Tuesdays!

Ask The Ghetto Shaman

Ask The Ghetto Shaman

Dear Ghetto Shaman,

Do you have any advice for the newlyweds, William and Kate?

Sincerely,

Charles & Camilla

Dear royal peeps,

I’m really beginning to question the authenticity of some of these emails…like the last one, Vern from Vernon?  BWTF?  That’s, of course, a shamanic phrase meaning Bustie White Titty Fuckers, which is Persian for…fine, I’ll bite. 

You should have eloped!  Sure you got some tourism benefits, but jolly old England aint so f-ing jolly anymore.   Save your cash, start pinching some pounds.   Wait, that didn’t work. 

The Ghetto Shaman

P.S. Oh, and tell Kate about my next Rieki Robotripping Retreat. Don’t worry, she’ll get the royal treatment.  

Ask The Ghetto Shaman

Ask The Ghetto Shaman

Dear Ghetto Shaman,

Since you are such an erudic chap, maybe you can help me out.  I read this passage somewhere: “I see a fountain bubbling with life. Language is not able to reveal this. For the entire eighth, my son, and that are in it, and the angels, sing a hymn in silence.”  I forget where I found this quote, but that night I had a profound dream, almost a peak experience.  Do you care to comment?  Do you know what it might mean?

Vern

Vernon, NJ

Hey Vern,

Vern from Vernon?  Really?  Sure I am erudic, phonetically.  Actually, I am a rude dick—it think you wanted erudite.  But I know the quote of which you speak.  I found it through a union with the higher realms and the Wikipedia Gods.   Obviously the “fountain bubbling with life” is reference to an ancient CO2 tap system of some type.  “Language is not able to reveal this” translates as the ineffable buzz of the malt liquor mammas.  “For the entire 8th” is reference to the finishing of the sacred 8th pint, in Buddhism this corresponds to the eight pint path.  Once the aspirant chugs the 8th beer, he or she passes through the challenge of the spin monsters and arrives at enlightenment or, in some cases, the drunk tank.

The Ghetto Shaman

P.S. Either that or it’s about jerking off.  I’m sure it’s one of the two.