All I could see was a long line of ants, proudly marching their way into our new apartment! The first thing I wanted to do was run and seek out the largest bottle of bleach that I could find. Not the best idea… After a few deep breaths,  I thought it out and decided that a non-toxic blend would be a better idea…something that would make the ants feel more like they were entering a stream room rather than a death bath… I just wasn’t quite sure WHAT I should use.

Like most people, I contacted the lovely internet. Plenty magazine’s comprehensive look at Nontoxic Ant Antidotes was a wonderful resource. Black pepper, cayenne pepper, and chalkboard chalk are all good ant deterrents… and Dr. Bronner’s peppermint castile soap. Yeah! ANOTHER use for Dr. Bronners! I checked my cabinets but all I had was Dr. Bronners Rose flavor along with a nice Basil scented Mrs. Meyers cleaner. Even though both of those options are non-toxic, the flavors just SHOUT  instant ant party.

Another option was to make an ant motel with Borax, a solution of sugar dissolved in water, some Kleenex or toilet paper, and glass jars. You can mix equal amounts of Borax and sugar water and pour over a crumpled tissue in the bottom of the glass, cover container and poke holes (i.e., ant doors) in lid.

I decided to try the black pepper since that was to most convenient option at this time. So far so good. Only time will tell…

Dave and I decided to take the imfamous Jung & Myers-Briggs personality test. Come to find out, we share the exact same personality — Give or take a few qualities of course…The only bad thing is that it says it is hard to share the positive qualities at the same time…EEKKK!! We both can’t be super idealist ALL the time, right?… So, take a look, understand us better and see if the test reads you right.

The MBTI preferences indicate the differences in people based on the following:

How they focus their attention or get their energy (Extraversion or Introversion)

How they perceive or take in information (Sensing or iNtuition)

How they prefer to make decisions (Thinking of Feeling)

How they orient themselves to the external world (Judgement or Perception)

Our Result: Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving

(Extraverted Intuition with Introverted Feeling)

Rather than working, we should be sailing the seven seas! :)

General Overview

ENFPs are both “idea”-people and “people”-people, who see everyone and everything as part of an often bizarre cosmic whole. They want to help (at least, their own definition of “help”) others, on both an individual and a humanitarian level. On one hand they are interested in new ideas on principle, but ultimately discard most of them for one reason or another. On the other hand, they love life, seeing it as a special gift, and strive to make the most out of it.

They are warm, enthusiastic people, typically very bright and full of potential. They live in the world of possibilities, and can become very passionate and excited about things. Their enthusiasm lends them the ability to inspire and motivate others, more so than we see in other types.

They see meaning in everything, and are on a continuous quest to adapt their lives and values to achieve inner peace. They’re constantly aware and somewhat fearful of losing touch with themselves. Since emotional excitement is usually an important part of the ENFP’s life, and because they are focused on keeping “centered”, the ENFP is usually an intense individual, with highly evolved values.

ENFPs have what some call a “silly switch.” They can be intellectual, serious, all business for a while, but whenever they get the chance, they flip that switch and become CAPTAIN WILDCHILD, the scourge of the swimming pool, ticklers par excellence. Sometimes they may even appear intoxicated when the “switch” is flipped.

ENFPs are global learners. Because they live in the world of exciting possibilities, the details of everyday life are seen as trivial drudgery. Close enough is satisfactory to the ENFP, which may unnerve more precise thinking types, especially with such things as piano practice (”three quarter notes or four … what’s the difference?”) They place no importance on detailed, maintenance-type tasks, and will frequently remain oblivious to these types of concerns. When they do have to perform these tasks, they do not enjoy themselves. This is a challenging area of life for most ENFPs, and can be frustrating for ENFP’s family members. Amazingly, some ENFPs are adept at exacting disciplines such as mathematics.

Work Related

ENFPs have an unusually broad range of skills and talents. They are good at most things which interest them. Project-oriented, they may go through several different careers during their lifetime. To onlookers, the ENFP may seem directionless and without purpose, but ENFPs are actually quite consistent, in that they have a strong sense of values which they live with throughout their lives. Everything that they do must be in line with their values. An ENFP needs to feel that they are living their lives as their true Self, walking in step with what they believe is right.

They may become unhappy when they are confined to strict schedules or mundane tasks. Consequently, ENFPs work best in situations where they have a lot of flexibility, and where they can work with people and ideas. Many go into business for themselves. They have the ability to be quite productive with little supervision, as long as they are excited about what they’re doing.

Because they are so alert and sensitive, constantly scanning their environments, ENFPs often suffer from muscle tension (NO DOUBT!!). They have a strong need to be independent, and resist being controlled or labeled. They need to maintain control over themselves, but they do not believe in controlling others. Their dislike of dependence and suppression extends to others as well as to themselves.

Social/Personal Relationships

Most ENFPs have great people skills (Like Mark Twain up there). They are genuinely warm and interested in people, and place great importance on their inter-personal relationships. Once an ENFP has learned to balance their need to be true to themselves with their need for acceptance, they excel at bringing out the best in others.

They have an exceptional ability to intuitively understand a person after a very short period of time, and use their intuition and flexibility to relate to others on their own level. They can tell what is going on inside of others, reading hidden emotions and giving special significance to words or actions. Friends are what life is about to ENFPs, more so even than the other NFs. ENFPs are energized by being around people.

ENFPs take their relationships very seriously, but also approach them with a childlike enthusiasm and energy. They have a great deal of zany charm. They are outgoing, fun, and genuinely like people. As mates they are warm, affectionate, and disconcertingly spontaneous, affirming, nurturing, and highly invested in the health of the relationship. They have excellent interpersonal skills, and are able to inspire and motivate others to be the best that they can be. However, attention span in relationships can be short; ENFPs are easily intrigued and distracted by new friends and acquaintances, forgetting about the older ones for long stretches at a time.

They seek and demand authenticity and depth in their personal relationships, and will put forth a lot of effort into making things work out (aka ARIEL, the Little Mermaid!). They like to hear from their significant others that they are loved and valued, and are willing and eager to return the favor. They enjoy lavishing love and affection on their mates, and are creative and energetic in their efforts to please.

Relationship Conflicts

A problem area for ENFPs in relationships is their dislike of conflict and sensitivity to criticism. They are perfectionists who believe that any form of criticism is a stab at their character, which is very difficult for them to take. Conflict situations are sources of extreme stress to the ENFP. They have a tendency to brush issues under the rug rather than confront them head-on, if there is likely to be a conflict. They are also prone to “give in” easily in conflict situations, just to end the conflict. They might agree to something which goes against their values just to end the uncomfortable situation. In such cases, the problem is extended and will return at a later time. The ENFP needs to realize that conflict situations are not the end of the world. They are entirely normal, and can be quite helpful for the growth of a relationship. They also need to work on taking criticism for what it is, rather than blowing up any negative comment into an indictment against their entire character.

ENFPs may also feel threatened by individuals with strong Judging preferences. With a tendency to take any criticism personally, the ENFP may find themselves irritated or emotional when the Judger expresses a negative opinion, believing somehow that the Judger is expressing disapproval or disappointment in the ENFP.

And now for a break down of the terms. You know us better already, right??!! ;)

Extraverted iNtuition

The physical world, both geos and kosmos, is the ENFP’s primary source of information. Rather than sensing things as they are, dominant intuition is sensitive to things as they might be. These extraverted Intuitives are most adept with patterns and connections. Their natural inclination is toward relationships, especially among people or living things.

Intuition leans heavily on feeling for meaning and focus. Its best patterns reflect the interesting points of people, giving rise to caricatures of manner, speech and expression.

Introverted Feeling

Auxiliary feeling is non-verbally implied more often than it is openly expressed. When expressed, this logic has an aura of romance and purity that may seem out of place in this flawed, imperfect world. In its own defense, feeling judgement frequently and fleetly gives way to humor. ENFPs who publicize their feelings too often may put off some of the crowd of friends they naturally attract.

Extraverted Thinking

Thinking, the process which runs to impersonal conclusions, holds the extraverted tertiary position. Used on an occasional basis, ENFPs may benefit greatly from this ability. Less mature and lacking the polish of higher order functions, thinking is not well suited to be used as a prominent function. The ENFP unwary of Thinking’s limitations may find themselves most positively mistaken.

Introverted Sensing

Sensing, the least discernible ENFP function, resides in the inner world where reality is reduced to symbols and icons–ideas representing essences of external realities. Under the influence of the ever-present intuition, the ENFP’s sensory perceptions are in danger of being replaced by hypothetical data consistent with pattern and paradigm. When it is protected and nourished, introverted sensing provides information about the fixed. From such firm anchoring ENFPs are best equipped to launch into thousands of plausibilities and curiosities yet to be imagined.

Perhaps the combination of introverted Feeling and childlike introverted Sensing is responsible for the silent pull of ENFPs to the wishes of parents, authority figures and friends. Or perhaps it’s the predominance of indecisive intuition in combination with the ambiguity of secondary Fi and tertiary Te that induces these kind souls to capitulate even life-affecting decisions. 

ENFP Idealist: Champion

Like the other Idealists, ENFP Champions are rather rare, say two or three percent of the population, but even more than the others they consider intense emotional experiences as being vital to a full life. (See: Buster Keaton) Champions have a wide range and variety of emotions, and a great passion for novelty. They see life as an exciting drama, pregnant with possibilities for both good and evil, and they want to experience all the meaningful events and fascinating people in the world.

The most outgoing of the Idealists, Champions often can’t wait to tell others of their extraordinary experiences. Champions can be tireless in talking with others, like fountains that bubble and splash, spilling over their own words to get it all out. And usually this is not simple storytelling; Champions often speak (or write) in the hope of revealing some truth about human experience, or of motivating others with their powerful convictions. Their strong drive to speak out on issues and events, along with their boundless enthusiasm and natural talent with language, makes them the most vivacious and inspiring of all the types.

Fiercely individualistic, Champions strive toward a kind of personal authenticity, and this intention always to be themselves is usually quite attractive to others. Far more than the other Idealists, Champions are keen and probing observers of the people around them, and are capable of intense concentration on another individual. Their attention is rarely passive or casual. On the contrary, Champions tend to be extra sensitive and alert, always ready for emergencies, always on the lookout for what’s possible.

Champions are positive, exuberant people, and often their confidence in the goodness of life and of human nature makes good things happen. Yay!

On another note: We put our two weeks in on Monday. I know. We are crazy and irresponsible. We are also unhappy, our health meter is low, and we want to experience life while we are young. We were born to be explorers.  Now that we are in a classified-type grouping, there seems to be a list of careers that would be great for us to fall into when we decide to place ourselves in a new job situation. If you know of any low key jobs that fall in this group, ring us. ;) 

Career Paths for the ENFP:

• Consultant (sounds okay..)
• Psychologist (why not?)
• Entrepreneur (totally!)
• Actor (Dave can take this route…)
• Art Director (Yeah!)
• Teacher (Yes)
• Holistic Health Practitioner (Totally!)
• Counselor (Sure)
• Politician / Diplomat (No)
• Television Reporter (NO)
• Computer Programmer, Systems Analyst, or Computer Specialist (Yes, but only if it is web design)
• Scientist (Haha.)
• Engineer (Hahahaaa.)

And as Joseph Campbell puts it, “I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.”

Take the test! See for yourself if Jung can read you like a book! :)

When we mourn those who die young – those who have been robbed of time – we weep for lost joys.  We weep for opportunities and pleasures we ourselves have never known.  We feel sure that somehow that young body would have known the yearning delight for which we searched in vain all our lives.  We believe that the untried soul, trapped inside its young prison, might have flown free and known the joy we still seek.  We say that life is sweet, its satisfactions deep.  All this we say, as we sleepwalk through our time and through years of days and nights.  We let time cascade over us like a waterfall, believing it to be never ending.  Yet each day that touches us, and every man in the world, is unique; irredeemable; over.  And just another Monday.  Ah, but those lost Mondays of our young friend!  How much better they would have been!  Years pass. Decades pass.  And living has not been done.

~Josephine Hart

Artwork by Nick Owens

Seeing death as the end of life is like seeing the horizon as the end of the ocean.

~ Davis Searis

]]> http://www.thefloatinghouse.com/2009/nick-owens-sad-to-see-you-go/feed/ 1 http://www.thefloatinghouse.com/2009/newest-friends/ http://www.thefloatinghouse.com/2009/newest-friends/#comments Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:37:44 +0000 jessica http://www.thefloatinghouse.com/?p=250 Craftressing

Garden Of Delight

Balance Life Communication

Gorse wine

Nettle Beer

The Hand of Bibi Fatima

The Hand of Bibi Fatima represents the Sacred Feminine in Islam. This contemporary re-working of a traditional symbol incorporates additional power symbols from different cultures.

••••••••

The yin yang symbol and Star of David are for male-female energy balance.

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The Celtic Triple Goddess symbol honours the three phases of a woman’s life.

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The henna leaf patterns remind us of our connection to Mother Earth.

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The spirals on each finger call in the energy required for spiritual evolution. The central spiral grounds that energy in the center of the palm.

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The lotus flower represents soul awakening. Infinity symbols signify limitless possibility and union. These symbols are propelled forward by whale’s tales, signifying fearlessness, beauty, power and balance.

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The Hand of Bibi Fatima calls us to reconnect with the Sacred Feminine in others and ourselves with love, balance, strength and gratitude.

Art in Nature

Wheel of New Beginnings

Art in Nature #2

Blue Jay noticed that bear had not said a thing. Finally, Blue Jay asked bear why was she so silent and bear replied, ‘I’m listening and learning. I don’t need to talk; I already know what I know.’” ⁵

In our usual and everyday discourse, it is rare that we get to express a complete thought without being interrupted. Most people do not fully hear the person who is speaking, because they are concerned with their own opinions, and the need to express those opinions immediately. One way to promote deeper listening skills is to invoke a no pen and pad rule. This rule demands that we put down our physical as well as mental pen and not take notes, but instead really listen and understand what is being communicated to us. We want so bad to reach for the pen and begin our own thought process before we are even able to take in what is being communicated. If we just let go and practice patience, we can feel the tension leave our body and our mind. We become engaged with the speaker and become involved in the conversation. What a beautiful feeling! The ideas and feelings will come out naturally and full of meaning if we can all just allow the conversation to flow and trust the source before we are ready to put our own thoughts into action. Practice patience and active listening. You will be able to truly understand the reason and meaning of the conversation and what you are suppose to take from it. Remember, you already know what you know.

While one listens carefully to what is said, it is just as important to recall that “sometimes humans need to listen to what people are not saying rather than listening to their words.” ⁶

The Great Spirit created us with two ears and one mouth.  The Great Spirit did this with purpose. It is for us to remember to listen carefully to not only what another says but to what she does not say.

[source]

5- Kent Nerburn, The Wisdom of the Native American, 10 (New World Library) (1991)

7- Jamie Sams, Earth Medicine, 28 (Harper San Francisco ) (1994)

According to Indian legend, you do not choose an animal guide as your personal spirit guide. The animal chooses you and they decide to whom they will reveal themselves and make their friend. As of right now in my life, I believe that I have been chosen by a spirit animal to help guide and teach me- The Rabbit.

Now I have to be honest- the rabbit was not my first choice. It wasn’t my second choice. I didn’t even consider a rabbit as a choice; it just didn’t cross my mind.  I was hoping for the swan, an owl or the raven – something that focused on my positive traits and something that sounded romantic and mystical. The rabbit was nowhere near what I was imagining.

I began to direct my energy on allowing my spirit animal to find me and I came to this conclusion after many personal questions were answered, dreams were spoken, and encounters occurred.

Each Animal has its own medicine which is unique to that specific creature and its spirit cannot be chosen like the color of your new car. Discovering who your animal guides are is a process of paying attention to the spirits around you and following the signs. It is a process of developing your inner knowledge and spiritual understanding.

According to Manataka, If you want your spirit animal to find you, you should focus on asking for your spirit animal in dream or thought. First, pray about it. Second, be satisfied with whatever happens or does not happen. It if comes, then it comes. If it does not, then it does not.

Animals are wondrous happy creatures. There is no doubt that animals have

beautiful, balanced emotions. They love and defend one another. They feel sorrow and melancholy yet they know nothing about greed, envy, and hate. They live their entire lives without sin.

The Rabbit

Rabbits are regular visitors to the land where Beyond the Rainbow lives, most often between dawn and dusk. They stay close to the edge of the forest, and though deeply absorbed in the process of eating, are always alert. At the sight of a hawk or the sound of a human footstep they disappear into the undergrowth.

An interesting aspect of Rabbit is that different cultures have widely varying understandings of this animal. The Egyptians associated it with being, while in China, where it is one of the astrological animals, it is associated with good fortune and the moon. People born under its sign are believed to be sensitive and artistic.

In many Native American traditions Rabbit is named the Fear Caller. It is believed that it shouts out its fear of the predators who rank it high on their dining list so loudly that it attracts them, and thus brings that which it fears into being.

If we look at this idea with deeper understanding we see how well Rabbit teaches us that we create our lives with our thoughts and feelings. Rabbit experiences fear, projects it outward, and creates in the external world conditions which mirror its inner terrors.

For us humans this is an important lesson. The idea behind repeating affirmations, focusing on positive images, and programming one’s crystals to help realize dreams is that thoughts have energy, and that focused attention on a thought creates a vibration which will help that thought to become reality. This is as true when you think about what you don’t want to happen.

So often, though, our focus on what we don’t want to happen is automatic, instead of deliberate. It’s an undercurrent of consciousness, gathering strength secretly. Thus, it’s important to bring our fears into consciousness and to treat them with the same tenderness we would treat a frightened child.

I mentioned before rabbits’ ability to be alert and aware of its surroundings at all times. For us, this translates into recognizing that we have the power to create with our thoughts, to be conscious of them, to be focused on our dreams, and to not allow ourselves to be distracted from our intentions, especially not to be distracted by fear from realizing our dreams.

I believe I can learn a lot from the Rabbit. :)

American Indians view all things in creation as having spiritual energy. All things are connected and worthy of our respect and reverence. Their way is to seek balance and harmony within the complex tapestry of life called the Great Circle of Life. As they move within the circle, they emphasize these truths:

Everything on earth is alive;

Everything on earth has purpose;

Everything on earth is connected;

Everything on earth is to be embraced.

A principal tenant of their belief is that all things are connected and we are related to all things in the circle.

Oh, How I do long to explore on a two wheel adventure ride! Woe is me! Woe is me! I need more moped in my life.