Sampler edition of ‘Positively Wyrd’

by Tom Graves

This sampler-edition ebook of Positively Wyrd is based on the first edition of the book, as published by Gothic Image in 1995. Chapters highlighted in bold are included in this sampler-edition.

  • Introduction
  • 1 Living in the dark
  • 2 A weird kind of fate
  • 3 The senses taker
  • 4 Everyone is to blame
  • 5 I am what I am
  • 6 Affirmative action
  • 7 Wants and needs
  • 8 Control and other myths
  • 9 Time to let go
  • 10 All the fun of the fair
  • 11 One step at a time
  • 12 Weaving the threads of wyrd
  • 13 My word is my bond
  • 14 It’s all imaginary
  • 15 Divine coincidence
  • 16 Dancing with our selves
  • 17 The art of empowerment
  • 18 We’re busy doing no-thing
  • 19 Which I is me?
  • 20 Stretching the boundaries
  • 21 Self and others
  • 22 Relating
  • 23 Working in a weird world
  • 24 It isn’t easy being green
  • 25 A wyrd way of life
  • Appendix: Further reading

Positively Wyrd
Harnessing the chaos in your life

by Tom Graves

This ebook edition (EPUB, MOBI, PDF) published April 2014

by

Tetradian Books
Unit 215, Communications House
9 St Johns Street, Colchester, Essex CO2 7NN
England

http://www.tetradianbooks.com

Originally published in 1995 by Gothic Image, Glastonbury, England
ISBN 0-906362-27-X (paperback)

_ _

© Tom Graves 1995, 2014

The right of Tom Graves to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher and the authors. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not by way of trade be otherwise lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1 Living in the dark

  • “There’s a whole in my bucket…”

2 A weird kind of fate

  • In the hands of fate
  • A subtle hint of weirdness
  • Weaving a different world

3 The senses taker

  • Choosing not to choose
  • Avoiding emotion
  • Beliefs, feelings, senses
  • A habit of choice

4 Everyone is to blame

  • “You can’t get there from here”
  • Tyrant and victim
  • Who’s to blame?
  • No-one is to blame

5 I am what I am

  • Whose life is it anyway?
  • The ‘silliness barrier’
  • The ‘trall poppy’ syndrome
  • Strengths and weaknesses

6 Affirmative action

  • The curse of belief
  • An affirmative habit
  • Into action

7 Wants and needs

  • What do you want?
  • We all want more money
  • What do you need?
  • What do you want from me?
  • What do you need from you
  • “I’m a substitute for another guy”
  • Take aim…

8 Control and other myths

  • Fear is a four-letter word
  • I want to be powerful
  • A different kind of power
  • New Age, new illusions?
  • A time to trust

9 Time to let go

  • Non-attachment, non-detachment
  • “Nobody’s perffect”
  • Let go of knowing
  • An end to suffering

10 All the fun of the fair

  • Riding the roller-coaster
  • The hall of mirrors
  • Walking the tightrope
  • Bring on the clowns!

11 One step at a time

  • A state of survival
  • Facing frustration
  • Panics and priorities
  • Re-accepting self
  • The process of change

12 Weaving the threads of wyrd

  • A web of connections
  • The ordinariness of wyrd
  • Do what you will
  • …but be sure that you will it!

13 My word is my bond

  • Choosing your words
  • A question of commitment
  • Doubt and discipline
  • The role of religion

14 It’s all imaginary

  • Real or imaginary?
  • Invisible images
  • Watch the details
  • Real imagination
  • Inventing the real world

15 Divine coincidence

  • Cause and coincidence
  • Every weirdness
  • As above, so below
  • Prediction and paradox

16 Dancing with our selves

  • Stance and dance
  • A dramatic gesture
  • The flow of the dance

17 The art of empowerment

  • As the muse takes us
  • The art of listening
  • Drawing our visions
  • Words on the wind

18 We’re busy doing no-thing

  • Allowing ourselves to notice
  • When less is more
  • Time to slow down
  • Do it consciously

19 Which I is me?

  • What - or where - is ‘I’?
  • Caught in the web
  • A choice of boundaries

20 Stretching the boundaries

  • Reclaiming the balance
  • The export of blame
  • Facing fear
  • A world without walls

21 Self and others

  • The sound of silence
  • Being selfish
  • Being self-reliant
  • A web of choices

22 Relating

  • Soulmates and cellmates
  • Happy families?
  • Friends and other allies

23 Working in a weird world

  • A world of connections
  • A world of confusions
  • A world at work

24 It isn’t easy being green

  • A sense of value
  • A sense of place
  • A sense of healing
  • A sense of trust

25 A wyrd way of life

Appendix: Further reading

  • Wyrd
  • Self-exploration
  • Philosophical perspectives
  • Fiction

Up next

Preface