NeoWayland's Lexicon
Politics • Sex • Magick • Economics • Philosophy • Science • Nekkid • Celebrations
version
A work in progress. Script links go to the timetable. Internal site links are underlined. Uppercase links go to specific entries.
A dashed border and red banner means I don't agree with the definition or that it is a dangerous idea.
O
objective reality versus subjective reality
❝Objectivity is a philosophical concept of being true independently from individual subjectivity caused by perception, emotions, or imagination. A proposition is considered to have objective truth when its truth conditions are met without bias caused by a sentient subject. Scientific objectivity refers to the ability to judge without partiality or external influence, sometimes used synonymously with neutrality.❞
“Objective truth” and “subjective truth” are philosophical concepts. While these ideas may use the words of science, they may not always be based in science. Understanding is vital. Very few scientists discuss “objective reality” and “subjective reality” because these concepts can't be measured or replicated. “Objective truth” is a useful tool to minimize bias and the observer effect, but that's all. “Objective truth” is largely a matter of perspective, shared perception and assumptions. More times than not,“objective truth” is a fallacy. It may make you feel better, but it's not objective. People will cite science truths and facts to create the case for “objective truth,” and then try to justify moral pronouncements because they are “objectively true.” The sunrise is a great example, because we perceive the sun “rising” when it is actually the Earth moving. People's “objective truth” isn't that the Earth moves, it's that the sun “rises.” It's even a useful fiction in most cases, although not a truth.https://lexicon.neowayland.com/oo/#objective-subjective https://lexicon.neowayland.com/oo/#objective-reality
Occam's razor aka the K.I.S.S. principle Keep It Simple, Stupid
❝ Occam’s razor, also spelled Ockham’s razor, also called law of economy or law of parsimony, principle stated by the Scholastic philosopher William of Ockham (1285–1347/49) that pluralitas non est ponenda sine necessitate, “plurality should not be posited without necessity.” The principle gives precedence to simplicity: of two competing theories, the simpler explanation of an entity is to be preferred. The principle is also expressed as “Entities are not to be multiplied beyond necessity.”❞
➢ www.britannica.com/topic/Occams-razor See alsoexpert, Hanlon's razor, K.I.S.S. principle, Law of Complication, master https://lexicon.neowayland.com/oo/#occam
occultation
❝the Moon occults or eclipses a star or planet❞https://lexicon.neowayland.com/oo/#occultation
Odinist
❝An Odinist is someone who gives lip service to honoring Odin and “Norse” or “Germanic” culture. They draw on the tradition first established by Guido von List. The Thule Society and Nazis carried on and amplified that tradition. Else Christensen introduced it to the U.S.❞Rory Bowman, Why does white supremacist Odinism thrrve in prisons? from Wild Hunthttps://lexicon.neowayland.com/oo/#odinist
official
What they are called and how they are recognized. It's the difference between a benchwarmer who is there for the social stuff and the one who stays late to help clean up. For some, the label is the most important part. Others may not even be “official” but they're more than willing to pitch in.https://lexicon.neowayland.com/oo/#official
Old Breed
One who lives their honor. Members of the Old Breed show altruism, tolerance, forgiveness, reciprocity, fairness, and above all honor. Honor determines if your outlook is short term or long term. Actions have consequences. Long term rules means honor brings advantage. Short term rules mean that honor is a disadvantage. A culture only exists in the long term if creates rules that reward virtue. The Old Breed only thrives is where honor and the classic virtues are recognized and rewarded. My grandfather called them “good folk,” they are the “salt of the earth” types so beloved of certain writers. They may not be leaders or elites, but they bind everything together by their actions.See alsohonor, honor, honor culture, temporary copy of You Are Not Alone, With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa https://lexicon.neowayland.com/oo/#old-breed
oligarchy
- a form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; government by the few.
- a state or organization so ruled.
- the persons or class so ruling.
➢ www.dictionary.com/browse/oligarchySee alsopolitics https://lexicon.neowayland.com/oo/#oligarchy
oikophobia ❝the repudiation of inheritance and home❞
❝Oikophobia, also ecophobia, is a term used in psychiatry to refer to an aversion to home surroundings. It can also be used more generally to mean an abnormal fear of the home, or of the contents of a house. The term derives from the Greek words oikos, meaning household, house, or family, and phobia, meaning "fear . . . disproportional to the actual danger posed". In 1808 the poet and essayist Robert Southey used the word to describe a desire to leave home and travel. Southey's usage as a synonym for wanderlust was picked up by other nineteenth century writers. In a 2004 book, the word was adapted by the British conservative philosopher Roger Scruton to mean "the repudiation of inheritance and home." He argued that it is "a stage through which the adolescent mind normally passes", but that it is a feature of some, typically leftist, political impulses and ideologies which espouse xenophilia.❞
✧
❝Xenophobia is fear of the alien; oikophobia is fear of the familiar: "the disposition, in any conflict, to side with 'them' against 'us', and the felt need to denigrate the customs, culture and institutions that are identifiably 'ours.' " British philosopher Roger Scruton❞
https://lexicon.neowayland.com/oo/#oikophobia
omphaloskepsis
- Contemplation of one’s navel.
- Complacent self-indulgent introspection.
https://lexicon.neowayland.com/oo/#omphaloskepsis
onosecond
❝The horrible moment when you realise that you have accidentally done something very slightly wrong which has very bad (usually embarassing) implications for you. This is typically the moment of realisation that you just sent a dirty text message to a close member of family, typically your mother, rather than the intended recipient.❞
https://lexicon.neowayland.com/oo/#onosecond
operative magick
Executed as needed. Think home repair or DIY projects.https://lexicon.neowayland.com/oo/#operative-magick
opposition - astronomy
☍ ☍❝the instant when a planet appears opposite the Sun as seen from Earth❞https://lexicon.neowayland.com/oo/#opposition
opposure
Emphatic opposing attacks masked as arguments and directed against an individual or group. Opposure has nothing to do with the merits or failures of the target. Opposure has nothing to do with reason or debate. The targeted can do no right and any who oppose them can do no wrong. Anything the targeted said will be turned against them, even if it means leaving out words and taking the quote out of context. The goal of opposure is to massively discredit the target so they will never be believed and will only be remembered as a dangerous fool.
❝A few days ago, I was accused of "shilling for racist cops" (among many other things). Now the "evidence" was that I did not wholeheartedly and actively support Black Lives Matter. I had explained on that particular board years ago that the founders of BLM had said some very questionable things and some of them had exploited the people they claimed to defend. This is actually very common. You disagree with somebody or some group that is fronting for a cause and suddenly you are labeled An Enemy of the cause. I'm regularly accused of being a hypocrite because I don't believe in and regularly denounce the climate change panic even though my faith is Earth-centered. It's one huge reason why I distinguish between ecology and environmentalism. Opposure means there are always going to be those who take what you say, write and do out of context to make you look guilty of their accusations. You don't conform to what they think is "right," so the ends justify the means if only to silence you. It's always going to be an emotional appeal rather than factual. Or truthful. Most people live by their hearts, not their heads. The counter is to aim your words at good people used to thinking and twist the opposure against itself by pointing out the context and your reasoning.❞
https://lexicon.neowayland.com/oo/#opposure
oracle deck
❝Oracle card decks can contain any number of cards and are often distinctly different from the standard tarot. They are frequently themed with animals, trees, angels, crystals, etc., with each card having its own message.❞➢ Star Bustamonte, Finding the right deck for divination: a discussion,
from Wild HuntSee alsoLenormand deck, shapeshifter deck, tarot https://lexicon.neowayland.com/oo/#oracle-deck
ordinary people doing ordinary good
OPDOGThe small kindnesses given without a hope of reward. The things folks choose to do out of their own hearts because it’s the right thing to do. The things that really hold our culture together.https://lexicon.neowayland.com/oo/#opdog
orrery
❝An orrery is a mechanical model of the solar system that illustrates or predicts the relative positions and motions of the planets and moons, usually according to the heliocentric model. It may also represent the relative sizes of these bodies; but since accurate scaling is often not practical due to the actual large ratio differences, a subdued approximation may be used instead. Though the Greeks had working planetaria, the first orrery that was a planetarium of the modern era was produced in 1704, and one was presented to Charles Boyle, 4th Earl of Orrery – whence came the name. They are typically driven by a clockwork mechanism with a globe representing the Sun at the centre, and with a planet at the end of each of the arms.❞
https://lexicon.neowayland.com/oo/#orrery
orthopraxy
- correctness or orthodoxy of action or practice.
- Medicine/Medical. orthopraxia
https://lexicon.neowayland.com/oo/#orthopraxy
Ostara
Vernal equinox.Traditional neopagan sabbat. Quarter day, Lesser Sabbat, Low Holiday, solar festival, & Earth Day (original). Ostara marks the vernal equinox and the middle of spring, not the beginning. Planting begins.❝The word Ostara is just one of the names applied to the celebration of the spring equinox on March 21. The Venerable Bede said the origin of the word is actually from Eostre, a Germanic goddess of spring. Of course, it's also the same time as the Christian Easter celebration, and in the Jewish faith, Passover takes place as well. For early Pagans in the Germanic countries, this was a time to celebrate planting and the new crop season. Typically, the Celtic peoples did not celebrate Ostara as a holiday, although they were in tune with the changing of the seasons.❞➢ History of Ostara, The Spring Equinox from Learn Religions✧
❝As Spring reaches its midpoint, night and day stand in perfect balance, with light on the increase. The young Sun God now celebrates a hierogamy (sacred marriage) with the young Maiden Goddess, who conceives. In nine months, she will again become the Great Mother. It is a time of great fertility, new growth, and newborn animals. The next full moon (a time of increased births) is called the Ostara and is sacred to Eostre the Saxon Lunar Goddess of fertility (from whence we get the word estrogen, whose two symbols were the egg and the rabbit. The Christian religion adopted these emblems for Easter which is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox. The theme of the conception of the Goddess was adapted as the Feast of the Annunciation, occurring on the alternative fixed calendar date of March 25 Old Lady Day, the earlier date of the equinox. Lady Day may also refer to other goddesses (such as Venus and Aphrodite), many of whom have festivals celebrated at this time.❞➢ Ostara Traditions from The Celtic Connection✧
❝The days and nights are now equal in length as the Young God continues to mature and grow. We begin to see shoots of new growth and swelling buds on the trees. Energy is building as the days become warmer with promise.❞➢ INDEX: Ostara from Witchvox✧
❝Time moves on, and in a short while we come to the Spring Equinox - the time of equality of day and night, when the forces of the light are on the increase. At the centre of the trio of Spring Festas, Alban Eilir [the Light of the Earth] marks the more recognizable beginnings of Spring, when the flowers are beginning to appear and when the sowing begins in earnest. As the point of psychological development in our lives it marks the time of late childhood to, say, 14 years - Imbolc marking the time of early childhood [say to 7yrs]. We are in the Spring of our lives - the seeds that are planted in our childhood time of Imbolc and Alban Eilir will flower from the Beltane time of adolescence onwards as capacities and powers that will help us to negotiate our lives with skill and accomplishment.❞➢ The Eightfold Wheel of the Year & the Druid Festivals
from The Order of Bards, Ovates & Druids✧
❝Incidentally, there is no historical justification for calling May 1 ‘Lady Day’. For hundreds of years, that title has been proper to the vernal equinox (approximately March 21), another holiday sacred to the Great Goddess. The nontraditional use of ‘Lady Day’ for May 1 is quite recent (since the early 1970s), and seems to be confined to America, where it has gained widespread acceptance among certain segments of the Craft population. This rather startling departure from tradition would seem to indicate an unfamiliarity with European calendar customs, as well as a lax attitude toward scholarship among too many Pagans. A simple glance at a dictionary (Webster’s 3rd or O.E.D.), encyclopedia (Benet’s), or standard mythology reference (Jobe’s Dictionary of Mythology, Folklore & Symbols) would confirm the correct date for Lady Day as the vernal equinox.❞➢ A Celebration of May Day Beltaine from The Witches Sabbats✧
❝The Calendar (New Style) Act 1750 (c.23) (also known as Chesterfield's Act after Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain. The Act had two parts: first, it reformed the calendar of England and the British Dominions so that the new legal year began on 1 January rather than 25 March (Lady Day); and, second, Great Britain and its Dominions adopted (in effect) the Gregorian calendar, as already used in most of western Europe.❞➢ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calendar_(New_Style)_Act_1750See alsoAlban Eiler, Easter, eleven missing days, Esther, Eostre, Eastre, Eoastrae, equinox, equinox, Earth Day (original), Greenmark, Greenmark, Greenmark, Lady Day, Lady Day: The Vernal Equinox, Oestre, Ostara: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for the Spring, Ostarun, solar festival, vernal equinox, The Witches’ Sabats https://lexicon.neowayland.com/oo/#ostara
Other, the
One outside the social groups currently shared by one’s self. How we treat the Other may be THE defining mark of a civilization.https://lexicon.neowayland.com/oo/#other
❝A person who identifies as non-human, typically as being wholly or partially an animal or mythical being.❞
✧
❝Otherkin are a fringe group of human society who, for one reason or another, believe themselves to be the reincarnation of mythic creatures, typically elves, though others include dragons, demons, vampires, ogres, deities, and so on. Related groups include therianthropes, who believe themselves reincarnations of animal souls, and otakin/otakukin, people who think they are reincarnations of fictitious characters from Japanese anime, manga, and video games. Otherkin often find themselves the subject of ridicule. In the majority of cases, it is because their beliefs fly in the face of rational, critical thinking and tend to fall apart very quickly under hard scrutiny. One of the most common beliefs is of an Elven Holocaust in which humankind supposedly wiped the elves from the Earth, despite the fact that no such evidence, archaeological or otherwise, exists anywhere in the geologic record either for the supposed holocaust, let alone the existence of elves. Other aspects common to Otherkin belief include a sense of superiority over their fellow human beings. This takes a variety of forms, such as a tendency to ascribe positive aspects of the human personality as something only unique to Otherkin. "Mundanes", the rest of humanity who do not share their beliefs or are simply unaware of them, are looked down upon as inferior brutes. Otherkin often exhibit certain personality traits common to dissociative disorders and manic depression. This includes what are known as grandiose, persecutory, and religious delusions. This combination makes them very unpopular.❞
✧
❝Otherkin are a subculture who socially and spiritually identify as not entirely human. Some otherkin claim that their identity is genetic, while others believe their identity derives from reincarnation, trans-species dysphoria of the soul, ancestry, or metaphor. Joseph P. Laycock considers the belief to be religious.❞➢ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OtherkinSee alsoOtherkin https://lexicon.neowayland.com/oo/#otherkin
othering
- treating people from another group as essentially different from and generally inferior to the group you belong to
- a divided society where all problems are blamed on the other side
✧
❝By “othering”, we mean any action by which an individual or group becomes mentally classified in somebody’s mind as “not one of us”. Rather than always remembering that every person is a complex bundle of emotions, ideas, motivations, reflexes, priorities, and many other subtle aspects, it’s sometimes easier to dismiss them as being in some way less human, and less worthy of respect and dignity, than we are. This psychological tactic may have had its uses in our tribal past. Group cohesion was crucially important in the early days of human civilization, and required strong demarcation between our allies and our enemies. To thrive, we needed to be part of a close-knit tribe who’d look out for us, in exchange for knowing that we’d help to look out for them in kind. People in your tribe, who live in the same community as you, are more likely to be closely related to you and consequently share your genes. As a result, there’s a powerful evolutionary drive to identify in some way with a tribe of people who are “like you”, and to feel a stronger connection and allegiance to them than to anyone else. Today, this tribe might not be a local and insular community you grew up with, but can be, for instance, fellow supporters of a sports team or political party. It’s probably not quite as simple as the just-so story we’re describing here. But there’s no doubt that grouping people into certain stereotyped classes, who we then treat differently based on the classes we’ve sorted them into, is a deeply rooted aspect of human nature. Intergroup bias is a well established psychological trait. “If you’re not with us, you’re against us” is a simple heuristic people often use to decide whether someone is part of their tribe or not. If you are, then you can be expected to toe the line in certain ways if you don’t want to be ejected; if you’re not, you can be dismissed and hated as an “other”, the enemy.❞➢ Othering 101: What is "Othering"?
from There Are No Others
❝The trust we share among ourselves and how we use that trust is really what defines our community. I've said that how we treat the Other may be the defining characteristic of a great human civilization. I stand by that.❞➢ Characters from Technopagan Yearnings❝That's today's quick definition of liberty, folks. It's not a right unless the other guy has it too.❞See alsoalways cooperate with the other guy, Golden Rule, Hollywood Can’t Stop ‘Othering’ Red State USA from Hollywood In TOTO, NeoNotes — Help, parity test, politics, politics (partisan), tribalism (bad), https://lexicon.neowayland.com/oo/#othering
outlier effect
People on society's fringes tend to be more tolerant of unusual or taboo behaviorshttps://lexicon.neowayland.com/oo/#outlier
outrage machine outrage mob
❝…the implied assumption is that the American people, the majority of the American people also are angry and demanding of an apology and want the perp gone. It's not the case.❞➢ Rush Limbaugh, Trump Beat Back the Outrage Machinehttps://lexicon.neowayland.com/oo/#outrage-machine
Overton window
❝The Overton window is a political theory that refers to the range (or window) of policies that the public will accept. The idea is that any policy falling outside the Overton window is out of step with public opinion and the current political climate, and formulated to try and shift the Overton window in a different direction, or to expand it to be wider.❞➢ What is the Overton window? from New Statesman✧
❝The Overton window is the range of ideas tolerated in public discourse, also known as the window of discourse. The term is named after political scientist Joseph P. Overton, who claimed that an idea's political viability depends mainly on whether it falls within a range acceptable to the public, rather than on politicians' individual preferences. According to Overton, the window contains the range of policies that a politician can recommend without appearing too extreme to gain or keep public office in the current climate of public opinion.❞
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❝Imagine, if you will, a yardstick standing on end. On either end are the extreme policy actions for any political issue. Between the ends lie all gradations of policy from one extreme to the other. The yardstick represents the full political spectrum for a particular issue. The essence of the Overton window is that only a portion of this policy spectrum is within the realm of the politically possible at any time. Regardless of how vigorously a think tank or other group may campaign, only policy initiatives within this window of the politically possible will meet with success. Why is this? Politicians are constrained by ideas, even if they have no interest in them personally. What they can accomplish, the legislation they can sponsor and support while still achieving political success (i.e. winning reelection or leaving the party strong for their successor), is framed by the set of ideas held by their constituents — the way people think. Politicians have the flexibility to make up their own minds, but negative consequences await the elected officeholder who strays too far. A politician’s success or failure stems from how well they understand and amplify the ideas and ideals held by those who elected them. In addition to being dependent on the ideas that form the boundaries of the political climate, politicians are also known to be self-interested and desirous of obtaining the best political result for themselves. Therefore, they will almost always constrain themselves to taking actions within the "window" of ideas approved of by the electorate. Actions outside of this window, while theoretically possible, and maybe more optimal in terms of sound policy, are politically unsuccessful. Even if a few legislators were willing to stick out their necks for an action outside the window, most would not risk the disfavor of their constituents. They may seek the good of those who elected them, and even the good of the state or nation as a whole, but in pursuing the course they think is best, most will certainly take into account their political future. This is the heart of the Overton window theory.❞➢ An Introduction to
the Overton Window of Political Possibilities
from The Mackinac Center for Public Policyhttps://lexicon.neowayland.com/oo/#overton
oxytocin the “cuddle hormone”
A hormone released during intimate touch and other bonding behavior in many mammals. Oxytocin is naturally released during pregnancy and birth, but can be easily stimulated with physical contact or sex. Some studies show that heightened oxytocin in males is the reason for satisfaction with sexual partners. Increased oxytocin probably causes increased aggression against those Others not recognized and not bonded with the group. How this agression is expressed depends on tolerance and other cultural mores.❝Touch seems to be as essential as sunlight.❞✧
❝Although poets and authors have tried to describe love, in the world of neuroscience, researchers have found that the naturally occurring hormone oxytocin and love are intimately related. Often called the love drug, oxytocin plays a role in bonding, maternal instinct, enduring friendship, marriage, and orgasms. Loretta Graziano Breuning, Ph.D., says that oxytocin is a mingling of trust and physical touch, as well as love-making. And new research tells us that oxytocin can even help us to become more accepting of others. "Oxytocin increases the ability to recognize differences between self and others and increases positive evaluation of others❞➢ Oxytocin: The Love and Trust Hormone Can Be Deceptive
from Psychology Today✧
❝Sex plays a central role in reproduction, and it can be pleasurable, but new findings suggest that it may serve an additional purpose: bonding partners together. A study of newlywed couples, published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, indicates that partners experience a sexual 'afterglow' that lasts for up to two days, and this afterglow is linked with relationship quality over the long term. "Our research shows that sexual satisfaction remains elevated 48 hours after sex," says psychological scientist Andrea Meltzer (Florida State University), lead author on the study. "And people with a stronger sexual afterglow -- that is, people who report a higher level of sexual satisfaction 48 hours after sex -- report higher levels of relationship satisfaction several months later." Researchers had theorized that sex plays a crucial role in pair bonding, but most adults report having sex with their partners every few days, not every day. Meltzer and colleagues hypothesized that sex might provide a short-term boost to sexual satisfaction, sustaining the pair bond in between sexual experiences and enhancing partners' relationship satisfaction over the long term.❞➢ A 48-hour sexual 'afterglow' helps to bond partners over time
from Science Daily✧
❝"When you're first becoming intimate, you're releasing lots of dopamine and oxytocin. That's creating that link between the neural systems that are processing your facial cues, your voice and the reward system" of a partner's brain, said Larry Young, a professor of psychiatry at Emory University in Atlanta. He studies the role of oxytocin in social bonding. As time goes on, and couples become less intimate, Young noted that linkage can decay. But activities that release oxytocin, such as really looking into another person's eyes, holding hands, kissing and having sex may help restore the connection. "To me, it suggests that it may be a way to help prevent the decay that can occur that leads couples to separate," he said. Hurlemann agreed: "I think this is the only reason that we do hug and touch each other all the time. I think this is the mechanism that keeps oxytocin levels high in relationships."❞➢ How the 'Love Hormone' Works Its Magic from WebMD✧
❝t's sometimes known as the "cuddle hormone" or the "love hormone," because it is released when people snuggle up or bond socially. Even playing with your dog can cause an oxytocin surge, according to a 2009 study published in the journal Hormones and Behavior.…Oxytocin is a particularly important hormone for women. "Oxytocin is a peptide produced in the brain that was first recognized for its role in the birth process, and also in nursing," said Larry Young, a behavioral neuroscientist at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. The hormone causes uterine contractions during labor and helps shrink the uterus after delivery. When an infant suckles at his or her mother's breast, the stimulation causes a release of oxytocin, which, in turn, orders the body to "let down" milk for the baby to drink. Oxytocin also promotes mother-child bonding. Studies show that "female rats find pups to be aversive if [the females are] virgins," Young told Live Science. "But once they give birth, the brain is transformed, so they find the pups irresistible," he said. And similar findings are seen in humans. A 2007 study published in the journal Psychological Science found that the higher a mom's oxytocin levels in the first trimester of pregnancy, the more likely she was to engage in bonding behaviors such as singing to or bathing her baby.❞➢ Oxytocin: Facts About the 'Cuddle Hormone'
from Live ScienceTouch, seduction and oxytocin are closely linked. Particularly if someone is touched in an unusual place like a haircut, the inside of a wrist, the hollow of the neck, or just around and below the shoulder-blade. Yes, there are obvious spots like nipples or inner legs near the genitals, but the overt is best saved for later. Start with the unusual intimate areas and work up to the obvious. American culture puts an emphasis on youth and looks, but lasting sexual satisfaction comes from sex with same partner(s) every few days. Of course children have their own non-sexual needs from adults around them. Oxytocin without climax encourages bonding even without sex. Proximity is certainly another trigger. Casual touch, comforting touches after trauma, even hair brushing builds ties between people. This may be why we are so protective of our personal space, especially in dense populations.See alsoA bonding behavior, Dunbar's number, Love Hormone Could Also Lead to War from Live Science, polyamory, polygamy, sex, sex rules, sexual beings https://lexicon.neowayland.com/oo/#oxytocin