The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the revelation:

the man says to Ithiel,
    to Ithiel and Ucal:
“Surely I am the most ignorant man,
    and don’t have a man’s understanding.
I have not learned wisdom,
    neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One.
Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended?
    Who has gathered the wind in his fists?
    Who has bound the waters in his garment?
    Who has established all the ends of the earth?
    What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if you know?
“Every word of God is flawless.
    He is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Don’t you add to his words,
    lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar.
“Two things I have asked of you.
    Don’t deny me before I die.
Remove far from me falsehood and lies.
    Give me neither poverty nor riches.
    Feed me with the food that is needful for me,
lest I be full, deny you, and say, ‘Who is Yahweh?’
    or lest I be poor, and steal,
    and so dishonor the name of my God.
“Don’t slander a servant to his master,
    lest he curse you, and you be held guilty.
There is a generation that curses their father,
    and doesn’t bless their mother.
There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes,
    yet are not washed from their filthiness.
There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes!
    Their eyelids are lifted up.
There is a generation whose teeth are like swords,
    and their jaws like knives,
    to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men.
“The leech has two daughters:
    ‘Give, give.’
“There are three things that are never satisfied;
    four that don’t say, ‘Enough!’:
    Sheol,
    the barren womb,
    the earth that is not satisfied with water,
    and the fire that doesn’t say, ‘Enough!’
“The eye that mocks at his father,
    and scorns obedience to his mother,
    the ravens of the valley shall pick it out,
    the young eagles shall eat it.
“There are three things which are too amazing for me,
    four which I don’t understand:
    The way of an eagle in the air,
    the way of a serpent on a rock,
    the way of a ship in the middle of the sea,
    and the way of a man with a maiden.
“So is the way of an adulterous woman:
    She eats and wipes her mouth,
    and says, ‘I have done nothing wrong.’
“For three things the earth trembles,
    and under four, it can’t bear up:
    For a servant when he is king,
    a fool when he is filled with food,
    for an unloved woman when she is married,
    and a servant who is heir to her mistress.
“There are four things which are little on the earth,
    but they are exceedingly wise:
    The ants are not a strong people,
    yet they provide their food in the summer.
    The hyraxes are but a feeble folk,
    yet make they their houses in the rocks.
    The locusts have no king,
    yet they advance in ranks.
    You can catch a lizard with your hands,
    yet it is in kings’ palaces.
“There are three things which are stately in their march,
    four which are stately in going:
    The lion, which is mightiest among animals,
    and doesn’t turn away for any;
    the greyhound;
    the male goat;
    and the king against whom there is no rising up.
“If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself,
    or if you have thought evil,
put your hand over your mouth.
    For as the churning of milk produces butter,
    and the wringing of the nose produces blood,
    so the forcing of wrath produces strife.”

Proverbs 30 WEB Spoken and Sung

The words of King Lemuel—the revelation which his mother taught him:

“Oh, my son!
    Oh, son of my womb!
    Oh, son of my vows!
Don’t give your strength to women,
    nor your ways to that which destroys kings.
It is not for kings, Lemuel,
    it is not for kings to drink wine,
    nor for princes to say, ‘Where is strong drink?’
lest they drink, and forget the law,
    and pervert the justice due to anyone who is afflicted.
Give strong drink to him who is ready to perish,
    and wine to the bitter in soul.
Let him drink, and forget his poverty,
    and remember his misery no more.
Open your mouth for the mute,
    in the cause of all who are left desolate.
Open your mouth, judge righteously,
    and serve justice to the poor and needy.”
Who can find a worthy woman?
    For her value is far above rubies.
The heart of her husband trusts in her.
    He shall have no lack of gain.
She does him good, and not harm,
    all the days of her life.
She seeks wool and flax,
    and works eagerly with her hands.
She is like the merchant ships.
    She brings her bread from afar.
She rises also while it is yet night,
    gives food to her household,
    and portions for her servant girls.
She considers a field, and buys it.
    With the fruit of her hands, she plants a vineyard.
She arms her waist with strength,
    and makes her arms strong.
She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
    Her lamp doesn’t go out by night.
She lays her hands to the distaff,
    and her hands hold the spindle.
She opens her arms to the poor;
    yes, she extends her hands to the needy.
She is not afraid of the snow for her household,
    for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
She makes for herself carpets of tapestry.
    Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected in the gates,
    when he sits among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and delivers sashes to the merchant.
Strength and dignity are her clothing.
    She laughs at the time to come.
She opens her mouth with wisdom.
    Kind instruction is on her tongue.
She looks well to the ways of her household,
    and doesn’t eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and call her blessed.
    Her husband also praises her:
“Many women do noble things,
    but you excel them all.”
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain;
    but a woman who fears Yahweh, she shall be praised.
Give her of the fruit of her hands!
    Let her works praise her in the gates!

Proverbs 31 WEB Spoken and Sung

An Introduciton to Wisdom - chapters 1 of the Psalms, the book of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes.

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked,
    nor stand on the path of sinners,
    nor sit in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in Yahweh’s law.
    On his law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water,
    that produces its fruit in its season,
    whose leaf also does not wither.
    Whatever he does shall prosper.
The wicked are not so,
    but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked shall perish.

Proverbs 1

The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel:
to know wisdom and instruction;
    to discern the words of understanding;
to receive instruction in wise dealing,
    in righteousness, justice, and equity;
to give prudence to the simple,
    knowledge and discretion to the young man—
that the wise man may hear, and increase in learning;
    that the man of understanding may attain to sound counsel;
to understand a proverb and parables,
    the words and riddles of the wise.
The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge,
    but the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.
My son, listen to your father’s instruction,
    and don’t forsake your mother’s teaching;
for they will be a garland to grace your head,
    and chains around your neck.
My son, if sinners entice you,
    don’t consent.
If they say, “Come with us.
    Let’s lie in wait for blood.
    Let’s lurk secretly for the innocent without cause.
Let’s swallow them up alive like Sheol,
    and whole, like those who go down into the pit.
We’ll find all valuable wealth.
    We’ll fill our houses with plunder.
You shall cast your lot among us.
    We’ll all have one purse”—
my son, don’t walk on the path with them.
    Keep your foot from their path,
for their feet run to evil.
    They hurry to shed blood.
For the net is spread in vain in the sight of any bird;
but these lay in wait for their own blood.
    They lurk secretly for their own lives.
So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain.
    It takes away the life of its owners.
Wisdom calls aloud in the street.
    She utters her voice in the public squares.
She calls at the head of noisy places.
    At the entrance of the city gates, she utters her words:
“How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?
    How long will mockers delight themselves in mockery,
    and fools hate knowledge?
Turn at my reproof.
    Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you.
    I will make known my words to you.
Because I have called, and you have refused;
    I have stretched out my hand, and no one has paid attention;
but you have ignored all my counsel,
    and wanted none of my reproof;
I also will laugh at your disaster.
    I will mock when calamity overtakes you,
when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
    when your disaster comes on like a whirlwind,
    when distress and anguish come on you.
Then they will call on me, but I will not answer.
    They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me,
because they hated knowledge,
    and didn’t choose the fear of Yahweh.
They wanted none of my counsel.
    They despised all my reproof.
Therefore they will eat of the fruit of their own way,
    and be filled with their own schemes.
For the backsliding of the simple will kill them.
    The careless ease of fools will destroy them.
But whoever listens to me will dwell securely,
    and will be at ease, without fear of harm.”

Ecclesiastes 1

[Too long for this field]



Wisdom Beginnings Psalm Proverbs Ecclesiastes 1 WEB (Dune)

The Moodscope Blog gets a musical makeover!

Polish Your Lens, Change Your World

Your Inner Narrative is Your Superpower. It's Time to Tune It, Edit It, Rewrite It!

I loved this thought for the day, "Your inner narrative is the lens you live through; polishing it can change the whole landscape."

Together, let’s read that again. Let’s let it sink in. Let it marinate.

This isn't just a nice idea. This is a seismic truth. That voice in your head? It’s not just background noise. It’s the operating system for your entire life – especially for your future what happens next. It’s the colour grader for your reality, the director of your personal movie.

And if that soundtrack is full of static, distortion, and crackles of self-doubt, the whole picture looks dim. But here's the revolutionary part: you are the sound engineer. You have your hands on the mixing desk. It's time to turn down the noise and turn up the signal.

So, how do we polish this lens? How do we go from a scratchy, skipping record to a high-definition, surround-sound experience? Grab your toolkit. Here are the practical steps.

Step 1: CATCH THE CRITIC (The Art of Spotting the Static)

You can't change what you don't notice. The first and most crucial step is to become a detached observer of your own thoughts.

This is a "soundcheck." You're identifying the feedback, the hum, the off-key notes before the main performance begins. You're mapping the noise.

Step 2: CHALLENGE THE EVIDENCE (The Cross-Examination)

Your inner critic is a terrible lawyer - it presents speculation as fact and past failures as eternal truth. It's time for you to become the prosecuting attorney.

The Practice: When you catch a critical thought, "I always fail at this," stop and challenge it.

Step 3: CHANGE THE CHANNEL (The Re-framing)

Once you've challenged the faulty evidence, you must consciously install a new, more accurate narrative. This is the active act of polishing.

The Practice: Re-write the thought. Make it kinder, truer, and more useful.

Step 4: CURATE YOUR INPUTS (The Signal Chain)

A guitarist knows that the sound starts with the guitar and the cables. Garbage in, garbage out. Your mind is the same. What you feed it directly shapes the inner narrative.

The Practice: Audit your inputs for a week.

Polishing your lens isn't a one-off gig. It's a daily soundcheck. It's a lifelong tour.

Some days the feedback will scream. Other days, the harmony will be perfect. But every time you Catch, Challenge, Change, and Curate, you are taking control of the mix. You are moving from being a passive listener to the lead guitarist, the producer, and the engineer of your own life's soundtrack.

Lex

A Moodscope member

Polish the Lens - Monday Moodscope Blog

[Verse 1]
My longship's docked, my helmet's horned and proud
I'm shoutin' "Skol!" inside a thundercloud
I don't need Stairway, I need Stairway to Heaven's Gate
With a goddess on each arm to help me celebrate
I'll trade my vinyl for a viking's fiery pyre
Go out in flames, not in a NHS retire'-home mire
One last crusade where the mead is never watered down!
Served by a shieldmaiden in a chainmail evening gown!

[Verse 2]
I saw a seer, she read my runes and said "My dear,
Your fate's not writ on some clerk's spreadsheet, have no fear.
A desk will not be where your saga meets its end,
But 'neath a dragon-prowed ship, with a Valkyrie as your friend!"
So flush my meds right down the Bifröst, let 'em go!
I'm takin' different pills that make a berserker's blood flow!
Last thing I'll see won't be a nurse with kind intent...
It's a battle-angel saying "Daddy, where's your helmet?"

[Refrain]
I love Valkyrie Warrior Maidens
With the cleavages I could ski down.
Come to Mumma!
Motorboatin’ to Valhalla!

[Guitar Solo]

[Bridge]
So paint my portrait not with oil, but with WAR!
And the strained fabric of a leatherette brassiere!
I ain't chasing heaven's pearly gates no more...
I'm kicking down the door to Odin's wet dream, yeah!
Final breath? Make it a foghorn on the sea of sin!
A legacy of "WHOAH! Did you see where he's been?!"

[Outro]
Don't wanna fade... (NO!)
Don't wanna fade... (HELL NO!)
I WANNA DROWN IN A BLONDE BRUNETTE REDHEAD FLOOD!
I WANNA GO OUT WITH A...

I LOVE VALKYRIE WARRIOR MAIDENS!
WITH THE CLEAVAGES I COULD SKI DOWN!
COME TO MUMMA!
MOTORBOATIN' TO VALHALLA!

Motorboatin' to Vallhalla TNG II

[Verse 1]
My longship's docked, my helmet's horned and proud
I'm shoutin' "Skol!" inside a thundercloud
I don't need Stairway, I need Stairway to Heaven's Gate
With a goddess on each arm to help me celebrate
I'll trade my vinyl for a viking's fiery pyre
Go out in flames, not in a NHS retire'-home mire
One last crusade where the mead is never watered down!
Served by a shieldmaiden in a chainmail evening gown!

[Verse 2]
I saw a seer, she read my runes and said "My dear,
Your fate's not writ on some clerk's spreadsheet, have no fear.
A desk will not be where your saga meets its end,
But 'neath a dragon-prowed ship, with a Valkyrie as your friend!"
So flush my meds right down the Bifröst, let 'em go!
I'm takin' different pills that make a berserker's blood flow!
Last thing I'll see won't be a nurse with kind intent...
It's a battle-angel saying "Daddy, where's your helmet?"

[Refrain]
I love Valkyrie Warrior Maidens
With the cleavages I could ski down.
Come to Mumma!
Motorboatin’ to Valhalla!

[Guitar Solo]
(A shred-tastic, face-melting, dive-bombing solo that sounds like a guitar being ravaged by a pack of tone wolves. Seriously indecent harmonics and whammy bar abuse.)

[Bridge]
So paint my portrait not with oil, but with WAR!
And the strained fabric of a leatherette brassiere!
I ain't chasing heaven's pearly gates no more...
I'm kicking down the door to Odin's wet dream, yeah!
Final breath? Make it a foghorn on the sea of sin!
A legacy of "WHOAH! Did you see where he's been?!"

[Outro]
Don't wanna fade... (NO!)
Don't wanna fade... (HELL NO!)
I WANNA DROWN IN A BLONDE BRUNETTE REDHEAD FLOOD!
I WANNA GO OUT WITH A...

[REFRAIN x2 TO FADE]
I LOVE VALKYRIE WARRIOR MAIDENS!
WITH THE CLEAVAGES I COULD SKI DOWN!
COME TO MUMMA!
MOTORBOATIN' TO VALHALLA!
[MOTORBOATIN'! MOTORBOATIN'! GUITAR FEEDBACK..]

Motorboatin' to Vallhalla

My son, if you will receive my words,
    and store up my commandments within you,
so as to turn your ear to wisdom,
    and apply your heart to understanding;
yes, if you call out for discernment,
    and lift up your voice for understanding;
if you seek her as silver,
    and search for her as for hidden treasures;
then you will understand the fear of Yahweh,
    and find the knowledge of God.
For Yahweh gives wisdom.
    Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.
He lays up sound wisdom for the upright.
    He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
that he may guard the paths of justice,
    and preserve the way of his saints.
Then you will understand righteousness and justice,
    equity and every good path.
For wisdom will enter into your heart.
    Knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
Discretion will watch over you.
    Understanding will keep you,
to deliver you from the way of evil,
    from the men who speak perverse things,
who forsake the paths of uprightness,
    to walk in the ways of darkness,
who rejoice to do evil,
    and delight in the perverseness of evil,
who are crooked in their ways,
    and wayward in their paths,
to deliver you from the strange woman,
    even from the foreigner who flatters with her words,
who forsakes the friend of her youth,
    and forgets the covenant of her God;
for her house leads down to death,
    her paths to the departed spirits.
None who go to her return again,
    neither do they attain to the paths of life.
Therefore walk in the way of good men,
    and keep the paths of the righteous.
For the upright will dwell in the land.
    The perfect will remain in it.
But the wicked will be cut off from the land.
    The treacherous will be rooted out of it.

Proverbs chapter 2_mixdown

Probably the most exciting Progressive Rock ensemble to emerge out of Southern England for the last decade - largely thanks to the Father-Sons partnership of Richard McKee (Guitar) and Joshua McKee (Drums) and Lex McKee (Composer) - there's a stong hand at play here.

Neo Babylon, but not for long - Sn*w St*rm

My son, don’t forget my teaching,
    but let your heart keep my commandments,
for they will add to you length of days,
    years of life, and peace.
Don’t let kindness and truth forsake you.
    Bind them around your neck.
    Write them on the tablet of your heart.
So you will find favor,
    and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
Trust in Yahweh with all your heart,
    and don’t lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make your paths straight.
Don’t be wise in your own eyes.
    Fear Yahweh, and depart from evil.
It will be health to your body,
    and nourishment to your bones.
Honor Yahweh with your substance,
    with the first fruits of all your increase;
so your barns will be filled with plenty,
    and your vats will overflow with new wine.
My son, don’t despise Yahweh’s discipline,
    neither be weary of his correction;
for whom Yahweh loves, he corrects,
    even as a father reproves the son in whom he delights.
Happy is the man who finds wisdom,
    the man who gets understanding.
For her good profit is better than getting silver,
    and her return is better than fine gold.
She is more precious than rubies.
    None of the things you can desire are to be compared to her.
Length of days is in her right hand.
    In her left hand are riches and honor.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness.
    All her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her.
    Happy is everyone who retains her.
By wisdom Yahweh founded the earth.
    By understanding, he established the heavens.
By his knowledge, the depths were broken up,
    and the skies drop down the dew.
My son, let them not depart from your eyes.
    Keep sound wisdom and discretion,
so they will be life to your soul,
    and grace for your neck.
Then you shall walk in your way securely.
    Your foot won’t stumble.
When you lie down, you will not be afraid.
    Yes, you will lie down, and your sleep will be sweet.
Don’t be afraid of sudden fear,
    neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it comes;
for Yahweh will be your confidence,
    and will keep your foot from being taken.
Don’t withhold good from those to whom it is due,
    when it is in the power of your hand to do it.
Don’t say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again;
    tomorrow I will give it to you,”
    when you have it by you.
Don’t devise evil against your neighbor,
    since he dwells securely by you.
Don’t strive with a man without cause,
    if he has done you no harm.
Don’t envy the man of violence.
    Choose none of his ways.
For the perverse is an abomination to Yahweh,
    but his friendship is with the upright.
Yahweh’s curse is in the house of the wicked,
    but he blesses the habitation of the righteous.
Surely he mocks the mockers,
    but he gives grace to the humble.
The wise will inherit glory,
    but shame will be the promotion of fools.

Proverbs 3 WEB

Moodscope has 10 cards that measure positive traits.  This is a blog that shares all ten.

Blog Ten - Good - Friends

Moodscope is an innovative way for people to treat their own low mood problems using an engaging online tool. Anyone in the world can accurately assess and track daily mood scores over a period of time. We have proved that the very act of measuring, tracking and sharing mood can actually lift it.

Blog Ten - Good - Friends

Moodscope

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