User:Charlie/Omens From The Dog Park

✧✧✧ Omens from the dog park is a form of divination, based on findings during dog-walks at a park. ✧✧✧

The Dog Park

Since adopting my dog Kiri in 2021, I have been regularly taking her to our local park, Museum Park. Since starting that routine, the park itself has undergone many changes. But one thing has remained the same: its generally ominous aura..

In addition, since walking my dog, three times a day, everyday, the way I perceive and observe the city, and especially the walkways has drastically changed. Kiri is a habitual scavenger, like many former strays. This has led me to develop a new skill, the ability to proficiently scan the ground for any sort of comestible and/or non-comestible objects, always one meter ahead of a sniffing dog. A skill that greatly benefits from color-vision! All in all, this has led me to regularly spot "interesting things" scattered on our walks. Which I have started documenting throughout the years. Becoming in my own way a habitual scavenger.

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Ominous bits

Omen: "An omen (also called portent) is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change." [1]

In January 2025, I finished reading the Liveship Trilogy by Robin Hobb, in which exists an island called "the Other Island". In the story, the island is believed to house an oracle, where pirates and sailors travel to seek divination from "the Others", grotesque humanoid fish creatures who inhabit it. When on the island, the omen is sought by walking over a designated beach and picking up one to three stranded objects, of the many strange objects one may find, that most resonate with oneself. Then, after crossing the shore, one meets an Other who will take the objects, and from them, profess an omen to the visitor. After that, one is to promptly leave the island, and under no circumstances sneak off with an object!

The overall plot of the island and this form of divination resonated with me. Especially, because it reminded me of all the odd teed-bits and pictures collected on my walks, over the years. And how, many-a-times, I have found myself fabulating on their origins and meaning. Sometimes, even trying to construe some sort of omen from my findings.

Omens from the dog park are just that, omens interpreted from the odd finds and encounters from walking my dog at the park. But also a fun experiment about making stuff up.

The Omens

Sunday - 26/01/25

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  1. "Walhalla", a newspaper

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  2. A white lighter

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  3. Another white lighter but with an "X"..

Objects & thoughts:

1. Object reads "Walhalla", with an illustrated white man's face. Ominous..! It seems to be the latest newspaper from Theater Walhalla, here in Rotterdam. The newspaper already laid there yesterday, and since it was still there today, I took it as a sign! "Walhalla", dutch for Valhalla, is the realm in Norse mythology in which fallen fighters and legendary heroes ascend to, after death. "What finer way to exist other than fighting, killing, and feasting with your erstwhile enemies, united in the common enterprise of training for the final battle”[2] As many other parts of Norse mythology, it is frequently co-opted by alt-right and white-supremacist groups. Very ominous, indeed. When visiting Theater Walhalla's website this morning, the first headline read "2025 is het jaar van de Vrouw": 2025 is the year of the woman.
2. The white lighter made me think of the infamous "white lighter theory" and the 27 Club, an urban legend fringing on conspiracy theory about musicians and famous people who died at the age of 27, supposedly while in possession of a white lighter. The number 27 may have an ominous significance. Maybe relating to a date? Today is the 26th, and tomorrow.. Or the year 2027, two years from now?
3. I walked past another white lighter, shortly after the first. This clipper-style one had a prominent "X" on it. And some other text, which I did not read. Alas, the "X" currently makes me think of one thing only: Elon Musk's Twitter rebrand. (Which Musk would certainly be pleased to know.) Considering Musk's current actions and blatant public alignment with right-wing fascist rhetoric and neo-nazi groups, something nasty must be afoot..

Omen:

✦ The omen seems bad, possibly a warning! ✦

The first object could point towards something relating to the news and the alt-right. The second, towards the number 27. Both evoke the theme of death. The last could point towards an individual, or a platform, which also link back to the alt-right of object 1. All three objects are primarily white. And at closer inspection, all three objects are positioned in a declining angle (left to right), in the pictures. Another possible hint at the negative impact of a near-future event. "The year of the woman" remains to be placed within this premonition. Only the future will tell..

Sunday - 02/02/25

frozen river

Objects & thoughts:

On this cold early Sunday morning, ominous signs from Museum park were sparse.

What was plenty, however, were the sheets of ice covering the entirety of the river, and the many coots running across it, merrily quacking. A heartwarming, if not finger-freezing sight.

Eurasian Coot

The otherwise deserted park's atmosphere was that of tranquility and peace; As if frozen in time, awaiting the promise of spring to bring about warmer days.

As Kiri and I made our way to the park's exit, the crisp air was suddenly filled with the resonance of church bells. As their echoes subsided, marking the beginning of weekly congregations, I, too, felt the urge to seek refuge in a place of worship—home.

Omen:

✦ Cold times ahead. Or are there? ✦

Whilst we arduously continue to chop up the Amazon forest to make into yet another fugly iteration of the same tarot cards, so that one day, everyone may be able to find the deck that really speaks to their soul, for the good of all people and Amazon©; We are turning a blind eye to the growing lies and misleading of another (state-sanctioned, may I say) divination method: Meteorology. A practice of future-telling that has become increasingly unreliable! Just a few days ago, the influx of dutch people out-and-about, basking in the sun, brought with them the hope of warmer weather ahead. Only for this hope to be squashed by sudden frost and misery. - But maybe it is all a sign of bad omens ignored for too long.

"Monday ☼ 5° ☾ 2°, Tuesday ☼ 5° ☾ 2°, Wednesday 6° ☾ 3°, Thursday ☼ 6° ☾ 3°, Friday 6° ☾ 3°, Saturday ☼ 6° ☾ 3°, Sunday ☼ 7° ☾ 3°"???

Only the future will tell..