About
This person
Welcome! I'm Howard Shippin; born in the UK (1956); living in Wahat al-Salam/Neve Shalom, a small binational village in Israel/Palestine.
The name "hosh" came to me as a shortening of my name for use on the internet. But, as relevant to this blog, I learned much later that it coincidentally carries the meaning in Farsi and Urdu of "consciousness / conscious" (ہوش , होश), for example in the Nakshabandha Sufi practice of "hosh dar dam" (mindful breathing). It's a synonym of chaitanya (चैतन्य) - also meaning "consciousness" - which happens to be another name I once got landed with with by a yoga guru, and which I used for a few years.
This blog isn't trying to preach either sufism or yoga (or anything), but it *is* informed by such schools of practice, because these have been among the principle proponents of the need to delve into matters of perception, awareness and consciousness.
This gemlog/weblog
This weblog/gemlog is intended to complement my main WordPress site and will specifically focus on matters related to perception, awareness and consciousness. It will include posts and links that relate to these themes.
This gemini capsule/website
Written in Gemini protocol format (gemtext), a markup language that is simpler than html, resulting in a plainer or less encumbered presentation. For more about the gemini protocol see:
gemini://admin.flounder.online/gemini.gmi
https://admin.flounder.online/
Both the gemini capsule and its web proxy are hosted by a service that provides free hosting for gemini. See:
Elsewhere
Wordpress
A classic web log with journal entries, various topics and photos.
Hubzilla (Nomad fediverse social media instance).
Where I often write short or long posts, the majority of which may be viewed by friends/followers:
https://hub.volse.no/profile/hosh8764
Fe.disroot (ActivityPub / Mastodon) instance)
Where I also follow people, but rarely post.
hosh.flounder.online/