What's This POWER Pupsy Got??
Well, since I'm on the subject of ugly being beautiful (see my last post), I've decided to write a post about Pupsy, my childhood hero. I think Pupsy was, at one point, a stuffed teddy bear; however, I must have thought she was a doggy and, therefore, tried to call her "Puppy". I obviously got the pronunciation all wrong, as kids will do, and the name 'Pupsy' was born. Don't ask me how I know she's a 'she'; she just is.
Looking back now, I'm starting to wonder what it is about stuffed animals that we love so much when we're kids. We give them so much power. I mean, come on--I wouldn't sleep over Cousin Chrissy's house unless I had Pupsy in tow. One time, Pupsy's eye fell off and I refused to even think about going to sleep unless my aunt stitched the eye back on (you can see evidence of the stitching and gluing in the above photo). It was as if Pupsy was going to save my life if an intruder came into my cousin's house; or Pupsy was going to pull me out of a blazing fire. Like I said, Pupsy was my security blanket--she made me feel secure, like nothing bad could ever happen to me. I felt helpless and afraid without her.
Pupsy, of course, is an inanimate object, so the power and protection I felt coming from her was really coming from a place deep inside of me. Obviously, I was projecting my innate power onto Pupsy. I just gave Pupsy the power because I didn't know I had it within myself. I had to believe that someone else was going to have to save me, because I wasn't brave or strong enough to save myself. That's okay for a child to do, but so many of us carry this line of thinking with us into adulthood.
I don't remember how old I was when I didn't need Pupsy's 'protection' anymore, but she still holds a special place in my heart because of of the love and protection she once stood for.
CLARA
Well, now that I'm on the subject of childhood stuffed animals, let me introduce you to Clara. This past Thanksgiving, my cousin G. came over to remove the air conditioner from my bedroom window. He asked, "Do you still have that Gene Vincent box-set that you bought out in San Francisco?" This got me searching through the attic cubby holes of the house, whereupon I found Clara. She was second on the totem-pole, right behind Pupsy. Clara was cool, but she didn't possess the security-blanket powers that Pupsy possessed. I usually brought both Pupsy and Clara with me to sleepovers, but I could make it through the night without Clara. I used to feel guilty that she played second fiddle. It's beyond me that I would even think that a stuffed animal would give two hoots! But, you know, my vivid imagination was always at work, even back then. Just look at her clothes! In the photos she's wearing vintage Bhakti Coulter from the 1970's. I designed and created her ensemble using a cut up pair of jeans for the jean jacket, and some black fabric for the pants. The jean jacket was fashioned after Dallis (sic), Matt Dillon's character in the movie version of The Outsiders. I even wrote the name Dallis on the front of the jacket. Her pants were fashioned after Sandy, Olivia Newton-John's character in Grease. You might be able to make out the green Mohawk. I don't know who that was fashioned after.
Anyway, thank you for humoring me by reading about my stuffed animals. You may be wondering, "How did we go from meditation instructions to stuffed animals??" Well, it's interesting to note the difference in my thinking as a child vs. now. Back then I projected my innate power onto something else, now I'm aware of the power within.
Happy Wishes.
Bhakti
tags: spirituality, humor, journal
Pupsy
Looking back now, I'm starting to wonder what it is about stuffed animals that we love so much when we're kids. We give them so much power. I mean, come on--I wouldn't sleep over Cousin Chrissy's house unless I had Pupsy in tow. One time, Pupsy's eye fell off and I refused to even think about going to sleep unless my aunt stitched the eye back on (you can see evidence of the stitching and gluing in the above photo). It was as if Pupsy was going to save my life if an intruder came into my cousin's house; or Pupsy was going to pull me out of a blazing fire. Like I said, Pupsy was my security blanket--she made me feel secure, like nothing bad could ever happen to me. I felt helpless and afraid without her.
Pupsy, of course, is an inanimate object, so the power and protection I felt coming from her was really coming from a place deep inside of me. Obviously, I was projecting my innate power onto Pupsy. I just gave Pupsy the power because I didn't know I had it within myself. I had to believe that someone else was going to have to save me, because I wasn't brave or strong enough to save myself. That's okay for a child to do, but so many of us carry this line of thinking with us into adulthood.
I don't remember how old I was when I didn't need Pupsy's 'protection' anymore, but she still holds a special place in my heart because of of the love and protection she once stood for.
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CLARAWell, now that I'm on the subject of childhood stuffed animals, let me introduce you to Clara. This past Thanksgiving, my cousin G. came over to remove the air conditioner from my bedroom window. He asked, "Do you still have that Gene Vincent box-set that you bought out in San Francisco?" This got me searching through the attic cubby holes of the house, whereupon I found Clara. She was second on the totem-pole, right behind Pupsy. Clara was cool, but she didn't possess the security-blanket powers that Pupsy possessed. I usually brought both Pupsy and Clara with me to sleepovers, but I could make it through the night without Clara. I used to feel guilty that she played second fiddle. It's beyond me that I would even think that a stuffed animal would give two hoots! But, you know, my vivid imagination was always at work, even back then. Just look at her clothes! In the photos she's wearing vintage Bhakti Coulter from the 1970's. I designed and created her ensemble using a cut up pair of jeans for the jean jacket, and some black fabric for the pants. The jean jacket was fashioned after Dallis (sic), Matt Dillon's character in the movie version of The Outsiders. I even wrote the name Dallis on the front of the jacket. Her pants were fashioned after Sandy, Olivia Newton-John's character in Grease. You might be able to make out the green Mohawk. I don't know who that was fashioned after.
Anyway, thank you for humoring me by reading about my stuffed animals. You may be wondering, "How did we go from meditation instructions to stuffed animals??" Well, it's interesting to note the difference in my thinking as a child vs. now. Back then I projected my innate power onto something else, now I'm aware of the power within.
Happy Wishes.
Bhakti
tags: spirituality, humor, journal
posted by Unknown at 5:58 PM
35 Comments:
ooh!! Poor Pupsy! She sure is showing her age! I remember when you slept over and my mom had to sew her eye back on!!
I also remember sleeping at your house and your cat, Fluffy would attack me as I slept on the floor. I learned, after a while, the trick was not to move under the blanket or she would pounce!! Ouch! I also remember the mornings when we would have pancake flipping contests with your Dad and brothers....we would see who could hit the ceiling! What fun!
-CC
Oh 'come on--all of my childhood secrets revealed!!
yes, Fluffy was schizo...she would lure you in with her purr and then scratch the heck out of you!!
And, I'll admit, we did have several pancake-on-the-ceiling days at our house!
Michael was to me what Puppsy was to you. Unfortunately, he met his Maker while I was away on a trip. I grieved his passing violently ( the above is my romantic version). In reality, someone threw him away while I was away somewhere. I still do not know who the culprit is.
Sometimes, if you give stuffed animals too much power, they increase in size dramatically, and go on unintentionally desructive rampages across the city. This happened here in Steeltown several years ago, but nobody likes to talk about it any more. You won't find any plush at the local toy stores, though.
And visitors to this town often wonder about that....
But seriously, that's a nice post. I had a stuffed lamb when I was young. And while I realize that all that lamb power was somehow in me, and not in "Ra" as I called him, I still feel as though the realization that we are all part of a Greater Mystery can be well expressed through the metaphor of a divine "Other".
STILL FIGURING OUT: That it the worst! when someone else doesn't realize the incredible worthiness of something you hold so dear. Clara actually has half of her neck ripped open. I, too, don't know who the culprit was. :(
FLATLANDER: HHhmmmm....you had a little lamb as a child: either your name is 'Mary', or you were carrying around the stuffed animal version of Jesus.
With regards to 'Other', hhmmm...there is this great dichotomy within my stance (and within Advaita Vedanta vs. Kashmir Shaivism): The Self is both an entity that cannot be touched, or stained, which would make it, therefore, appear to be 'Other'. And, yet, it is also within us all, as the Witness of all that is going on within and without, therefore making it the 'Other' inside ourselves. HHhmmm...very interesting.
Thanks for commenting, everyone!
I keep traveling around the bend
There was no beginning, there is no end
It wasn't born and never dies
There are no edges, there is no sides
Oh yeah, you just don't win
It's so far out - the way out is in
Bow to God and call him Sir
But if you don't know where you're going
Any road will take you there!
The thing about my lamb "Ra" was, I used to ask for him whenever my parents turned out the light...becauase I was quite afraid of the dark and nightmares.
But "Ra" is also the Egyptian god of light, and his followers were one of the first recorded attempts to establish a monotheistic cult in the history of religions.
Of course, I had no idea about any of this as a child. I was just worried about the Boogieman.
Now I love to boogie, man! :)
PS. I think that Pupsy is quite a beautiful...doggy. She's got a lot of character, and radiates a certain kind of power all her own. Maybe you gave it to her in the first place...but it's hers now!
My sweet lord
Hm, my lord
Hm, my lord
I really want to see you
Really want to be with you
Really want to see you lord
But it takes so long, my lord
My sweet lord
Hm, my lord
Hm, my lord
I really want to know you
Really want to go with you
Really want to show you lord
That it won't take long, my lord (hallelujah)
My sweet lord (hallelujah)
Hm, my lord (hallelujah)
My sweet lord (hallelujah)
I really want to see you
Really want to see you
Really want to see you, lord
Really want to see you, lord
But it takes so long, my lord (hallelujah)
My sweet lord (hallelujah)
Hm, my lord (hallelujah)
My, my, my lord (hallelujah)
I really want to know you (hallelujah)
Really want to go with you (hallelujah)
Really want to show you lord (aaah)
That it won't take long, my lord (hallelujah)
Hmm (hallelujah)
My sweet lord (hallelujah)
My, my, lord (hallelujah)
Hm, my lord (hare krishna)
My, my, my lord (hare krishna)
Oh hm, my sweet lord (krishna, krishna)
Oh-uuh-uh (hare hare)
Now, I really want to see you (hare rama)
Really want to be with you (hare rama)
Really want to see you lord (aaah)
But it takes so long, my lord (hallelujah)
Hm, my lord (hallelujah)
My, my, my lord (hare krishna)
My sweet lord (hare krishna)
My sweet lord (krishna krishna)
My lord (hare hare)
Hm, hm (gurur brahma)
Hm, hm (gurur vishnu)
Hm, hm (gurur devo)
Hm, hm (maheshwara)
My sweet lord (gurur sakshaat)
My sweet lord (parabrahma)
My, my, my lord (tasmayi shree)
My, my, my, my lord (guruve mamah)
My sweet lord (hare rama)
(Hare krishna)
My sweet lord (hare krishna)
My sweet lord (krishna krishna)
My lord (hare hare)
FLATLANDER: Yeah, perphaps Pupsy does possess her own powers. Maybe my post was a stretch. Hhmmm...sometimes thinking too much takes us away from the Truth! Perhaps I'm guilty of thinking too much.
(Now that we're quoting ex-Beatles:)
POWER TO THE PUPSY!!!
We've all had special teddy bears. Mine left me to run for the US Senate. He represented New York for 12 years, then retired to play golf. Hibernation rocks!
"Don't ask me how I know she's a 'she'; she just is."
The fact that she's in a permanently seated position is a dead giveaway! ha! =)
On a more serious note, I'm going to have to stay away from this blog until a new post comes up, or the Beatles lyrics are removed. For safety's sake, you should just remove the comment. Young children could be exposed to those songs, and it's just not worth the risk. Wait until they're out of their formative years before allowing them to hear such things.
Do it for the children, Bhaktinator!
-Alex
GYROBO: Your stuffed animal retired to play golf? Oh my gosh...it wasn't OJ Simpson, was it?? NO, he certainly wasn't a teddy bear. He had a wonderful legacy as that talented man who could jump over things in the Hertz commercials, and he had to go and ruin it all by allegedly butchering his wife. Not to mention his Shakespearian work in The Towering Inferno. I'm still mad at Martha for letting him try on the glove. Any FOOL could pretend it didn't fit. I wast there, in the Bronco with him when the blood was dripping off his shoes onto the carpet...and he told me he did it. That's why I can write these things.
What the heck am I talking about???
There's obviously a secret 'craziness' ingredient in this popcorn I'm currently ingesting...
ALEX--If you'd get your mind out of the gutter, I'd be able to link to you!!! You are one of the funniest people I've ever not known!
As far as the Beatles go, the lyrics are staying, as they were all created AFTER the Beatles broke up. Keep up the Beatle-bashin' and I'll post the album cover of a nekid John and Yoko on my site--right next to your cat's photo!!!
I love the Beatles and those 2 songs!!!! Dont remove them from the site...great memories of growing up....
Alex..what did YOU listen to???
When I was a kid, I think Metallica was probably my favorite band. Then again, I'm only 30, not *cough*sputter*wheeze*
(That was me censoring the true ages of the old farts, out of sensitivity - yeah, sensitivity. That's the ticket!)
Ahem. Honestly, I've always had fairly eclectic musical tastes. Right now, I'm listening to Tosca, by Puccini. I've been playing a lot of traditional Japanese flute and harp music, lately. Hrmm... reggae, if I'm going out to see a show and have a good time. Classic rock at bars or street dances.
It really depends most on my location and intent. When I'm home alone, it's going to be classical (or at least something low-key) 90% of the time. Opera is by far my favorite type of music, though. Then again, I am a sucker for a good story, and opera is one of the few popular forms that even tries to tell us one.
HaHaHa...Alex, I have a funny opera story for you. I LOVE classical music, see, so one day my friend Franco says that I should listen to opera. His mother was a famous opera singer, and his father was the late, great Franco Gulli-- noted violinist. I'm listening to this opera, trying my best to figure out the words...then, I get to the end of the opera. I call Franco at work and say, "Franco--help! What does this line mean? (he's from Italy and can translate the text)?? I can't figure out what happens to the girl at the end of the opera!!"
Franco says, "You idiot...the girl ALWAYS dies at the end of the opera!!"
Anyway, it was funny at the time.
I'm glad I know how old you are now...I was hoping you weren't some 80 year old perv. (DON'T respond to that comment...I don't want to know about your perversions...there's enough about them on YOUR site!)
I say that with the upmost affection, by the way... :P
I never had a stuff animal or blanket or any other sort of comfort as a child. I wonder what kind of affects that has played upon my adult hood? Hmm...
I had a stuffed cat I called "Kitty". I remember I bought it in for Show and Tell and someone spilled juice on his ear!! Now, my daughter has Kitty in her crib and it still has a pink ear from the juice!!
P.s. Love the new header!! Great job, Alex!
Now that's what I'd call a header! Also, you might want to save your avatar onto your hard drive. I mean, I've got a copy, and there's the online one, but it never hurts to have an extra backup.
I've burned dozens of CDs with near-identical files. But that's just me.
Haha! Look at that vicious, evil kitty who just popped up on the front page! I'm going to show him your blog when I get back to America. He'll probably just try to eat my computer when I do, but that's pretty much how things go with him - if he's not biting me, he's biting an inanimate object.
Then again, he may just be attacking the computer because you spelled his name wrong. Stahd, indeed!
BTW, the woman lives in Gianni Schicchi. Call up Franco Americo and tell him where he can shove his Spaghetti-O's!
-Alex
Ha Ha Ha!...I fixed the spelling of your feline friend's name just MOMENTS before your last comment posted...so, you lose!
And, what's this about Franco and Spaghettios? I wasn't listening to that Pucci opera...it was something else...a very famous opera...Tommy?...no, not The Who...I think the author was Italian...La Boheme? yes, that sounds Italian, si or no?
Once again, I have no idea what I'm rambling on about. Enjoy the rest of your evening...or, if you're in England, like my good friend Alex, enjoy your...whatever.
MICHAEL: You never had a teddy bear?? How did you cope when the lights were turned out?? Do you sleep with the lights on now, as a way to cope with your misfortuned childhood?? NO, I'm joking. I certainly hope you are a well-adjusted adult. :)
CC-- You could try washing the Kitty. Especially if your daughter is chewing on said ear. ;)
GYROBO--oh my gosh...Cousin Chrissy, heretofore referred to as CC, makes fun of me because I back up every single photo I take onto a CD. I'm anal about that, too! I have saved a copy onto the hard drive, and onto photobucket, just in case! Thank you SO MUCH for the darling Avatar de Bhakti.
Bakhti, thanks for the visit today. We have some things in common: Thelonius Monk, classical music, Russian authors,cats and a love of humor and spirit.
Come back soon!
THANKS, Bhakti. If I had a blogroll (or knew how to do one) I'd return the favor.
La Boheme was by Puccini, silly. You made me snort soda out my nose when I read that, darn you!
BTW, Kenju post twice in a row? Yes, you ken!
-Alex
It's almost December- vacation time!
Here i am. Late again. Did not any stuffed toys. We were poor hillbillys I had real animals to take care of. we had goats & always kittens & dogs & chickens. And whatever else my dad bought at auction. I think they were like the same sorta. even tho we knew some day they might be eaten or sold they were special for a time. always had my favorites. I had one doll that my brothers drew on with an ink pen. My poor doll always got stuck playing cowboys & indians with us. I usually didn't have any clothes for her either. Poor wretched thing. don't know what happened to her. Prob. buried up to her neck in an anthill somewhere.
:) Oh my gosh...that 'ant hill' visualization is just too funny!!
I recently found my beloved MR.MET doll (I got him at a Mets baseball game when I was about 6 or 7 years old). HE HAS BURN MARKS ALL OVER HIS MOUTH!! Someone, obviously, tried to get him to smoke!! I don't think it was my brothers, 'cause they never smoked. I have a sneaking suspicion of which (male) cousin may have been the culprit!!
I have a teddy bear like pupsy. I never named it though. I got it before I could even talk so it was always just my teddy bear. And it's always beautiful to me.
CHERYL: You didn't name your teddy bear? Surely you must have referred to him or her as somehing, no? What did you scream when you couldn't find 'her'?? :)
ROBOSHRUB INC.-- I don't believe that 'things' are separate from 'us' (each one of us individually). I believe all things (sentient and insentient) are manifestations of the great Self...all made up of the same fabric, as it were. Again, think of gold: it can be made into many shapes and forms, but in reality, it is still just gold.
And, I love your story about the negative energies and the window being guarded by the dragon. Negative energies are a 'scary' thing; it's a good practice to 'wrap' yourself in loving, pure blissful energy to keep the negative energies at bay. I had a co-worker several years ago who was always dumping her garbage on my side of the street, so to speak. I couldn't for the life of me keep her negative energy out of my system. After several months I simply blew up at her and she's been relatively cordial ever since.
Thanks for visiting!! :)
Interesting theory, Bhaktoberfest. It leads me to these conclusions:
If there's no separation, then there's no I or us.
If we're all made of the same fabric, then communication is pointless: we already know.
If there's no I, then this isn't really happening.
If there's no us, then I'm talking to myself.
Moreover, to use an atomist philosophy to support connection rather than detachment seems odd to me. It's an a priori argument, anyway. Then again, I've known a few c-e arguments to turn out true.
***
All that philosophy garbage aside, watchoo talkin bout, Willis? Haunted lot? Negative energies? Plush dragon guardians keeping out the bad juju?
Bwah?!
-Alex
ALEX--Yes...to all of your questions...Yes. We all know everything already. We just don't tap into that area...the Self.
Trying to get you to understand the way I think is like you trying to get me to kneel down before Zeus. Just ain't gonna happen.
So, let's agree to disagree. Or, at least, let's just agree that Homer's Odyssey was really boring. Take your pick.
Yes, I agree, Roboshrub...I believe we would get along Famously, although I would probably tend to say that we would get along swimmingly (I had a thesis teacher in college who used to always use the term 'swimmingly'. I actually wrote that on one of my fourth grade student's report cards: "'Karen' is getting along swimmingly with the other students". My principal called me into her office and said it's not the 1940s anymore and stop using that phrase!).
Thanks for explaining your position...which, I hope you know you NEVER have to do on Jaibhakti. I try to love everyone...or at least understand where they are coming from.
By the way...are you the same cat as Gyrobo? Sometimes I think you are...sometimes not. It's a mystery!
That doesn't answer my Gyrobo-identity question, buddy. Start explainin'!!! :)
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