Re "Question of the day: how do you know you exist?":
This is elementary. I know I exist. That is only thing of which I am
*absolutely* certain. What I can't be certain of is that *you* exist. In an act
of condescension on my part I am prepared to accept that you *probably* do
exist - at le
“Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the
black flag, and begin slitting throats.” ― H.L. Mencken
Re Barry's: "I've seen a number of people have strong experiences of "being
enlightenment," and then afterwards "back off" and run away from any sadhana
(spiritual practice, such as meditation) that would make "being enlightenment"
"come back.":
The classic account of that experience is Suzanne
Re "I personally believe that it's possible to see the physical DNA strands in
a human cell while in samadhi which Patanjali describes as a siddhi for being
as small as an atom.":
I think you are right. When I took high-dose LSD (400mcg+) I could see the
cellular processes within my (and ot
. . . However, if you like the weird side . . . Suppose the Clifford reading is
right and DMT allows us to revert to cell-consciousness and in some sense
"read" DNA? There's a wonderful take on life's origins called "directed
panspermia" which holds that our planet was seeded with DNA by aliens
Re "The pineal gland is a possible physical explanation for the visions. But
it's also possible that these visions are actually manifestations of subtle
beings that exist in another dimension of space and consciousness and are
picked up by the mind at its heightened peak of receptivity by DMT."
Re "Fascinating speculation about fantasy visions having been triggered by a
naturally-occurring DMT trip. Having seen the original cave paintings at
Lascaux and other prehistoric European caves, I think they might have been
inspired by similar bursts of brains getting creative on their own asse
Re "the energy field was so powerful and so transformative that you really
*couldn't* hold on to any fixed version of self to identify with. One desert
trip blew you out of your socks and out of your self, for at least a week.":
The downside of these powerful transformations is that it can scare
Re "Since you took DMT, what did you personally experience? How did you feel?
Did you see any visions?":
Within seconds of inhaling the stuff visions are popping up in your entire
visual field. Weird, jester-type images - so fleeting you don't get a chance to
make sense out of the experie
Re this Chuang-tzu quote: "A monk fell asleep and dreamed he was a butterfly.
When he awoke, he asked himself "Was I a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or am
I a butterfly dreaming I am a man"?
Chuang-tzu's point was NOT to imply that all experience is dream-like (it
isn't); Chuang-tzu's poin
What a shit-hole Afghanistan has become. It used to be a hippie haven a long,
long time ago. Check out these pictures of women in Afghanistan pre-Taliban . .
.
http://dangerousminds.net/comments/it_didnt_always_suck_to_be_a_woman_in_afghanistan
http://dangerousminds.net/comments/it_didnt_alw
Re "I know some people who have done ayuhuasca, they say it is quite a
demanding experience.":
Any drug that makes its partakers vomit (eg, heroin and ayahuasca) I assume is
our body's way of telling us this isn't a good idea.
I did try DMT a few times (an ingredient in ayahuasca) which gives
Don't know who to thank more: Robert Palmer for his effortlessly stylish
persona or Terence Donovan for his brilliant direction of the iconic video.
R.I.P. to both of them. And the models played their parts to perfection also.
"Addicted to Love" gets a thumbs up from me.
Re "The TurquoiseB is a downer, fer sure!":
Yet turquoise is a beautiful colour and stone. This is what I read from a
Google search:
"Perhaps the oldest stone in man’s history, the talisman of kings, shamans,
and warriors. It is a stone of protection, strong and opaque, yet soothing to
the tou
Re Share's "Also, and more importantly, I believe that a woman takes on a man's
karma when they have intercourse.":
That's an intriguing speculation. Where have you encountered that suggestion
before? (And why shouldn't a man take on a woman's karma when a couple make
love?) Of course, the
An experience is something that has a beginning and has an ending. That applies
as much to "spiritual" experiences as to any other. A truly transcendental
event is outside time and so cannot begin or end. What could that be? Well how
about awareness itself? That never ends (even in sleep!).
An
Re "So, what's wrong with Katy Perry?"
Not a lot I confess. My apologies to Katy for slagging her off. She strikes me
as a fun girl and has brought a lot of pleasure into our drab lives! I'm
especially pleased she's finding TM an important plus in her life.
I picked on her as her biggest e
Let's be clear: Russell Brand is a total creep. His excuse is that he's bipolar
- but Stephen Fry is also bipolar and Stephen remains a fully-paid up human
being - intelligent, warm-hearted, witty. That fact that Brand is a popular
celebrity tells you just how far contemporary society has lost i
Scientists at Tübingen University, Germany say, older brains aren't weaker than
younger brains. Instead they believe they are just slower due to years of
stored up information. They say many tests used to determine brain power of
elderly favour the young.
http://tinyurl.com/k64ccvn http://tin
Stephen Gough - the "Naked Rambler" - is an activist, and a former Royal
Marine. In 2003-2004, he walked the length of Great Britain naked. He did it
again in 2005-2006, but was arrested in England and in Scotland. He has been
repeatedly rearrested for public nudity within a short period, each t
If you really want a job that sucks (a prestigious job, that is - we can all
think of low-status work like prostitution that really does suck!) I've always
thought that being a forensic pathologist pretty much takes the biscuit. I also
read somewhere that dentists have a high rate of suicide.
Re "Islam is more tolerant than what is being practiced by some Muslim sects":
Have you actually read the Koran? Take a look at this conference footage from
Sam Harris's site.
As Harris says:
"The organizers of this conference believe (with good reason) that “extremist”
views are not rare am
Is it not possible that *the* infallible sign of being enlightened is that you
don't seek followers or power? I'm sure there have been many individuals over
the centuries who have had that awakening experience and at that same moment
realised that their insight would be completely misunderstood
Re "This ruling just shows that these people are still ignorant, in spite of
their faith.":
Ignorant *because* of their faith. The intolerance of Islam no longer
surprises anyone. Thank God we've still got Sam Harris to stick it to these
barbarians now that Christopher Hitchens isn't around
Re "People take words much too literally":
That's my view. I think the original founders of the world religions were
talking about a change in consciousness. They had an insight (ie "in - sight").
The unwashed masses take the words as a description of the objective world "out
there". As the
"Marriage is for women the commonest mode of livelihood, and the total amount
of undesired sex endured by women is probably greater in marriage than in
prostitution." - Bertrand Russell
The human race has emerged from prehistory and has developed its culture for
millennia but we're still con
"Marriage is for women the commonest mode of livelihood, and the total amount
of undesired sex endured by women is probably greater in marriage than in
prostitution." - Bertrand Russell
The human race has emerged from prehistory and has developed its culture for
millennia but we're still con
One of my favourite country classics (bear in mind I'm British so American
country has an exotic element that would be lost on Yanks) is Merle Haggard's
Okie from Muskogee. First time I heard it I took it straight as a conservative
Yank protesting about the permissive hippie culture. The second
One of my favourite country classics (bear in mind I'm British so American
country has an exotic element that would be lost on Yanks) is Merle Haggard's
Okie from Muskogee. First time I heard it I took it straight as a conservative
Yank protesting about the permissive hippie culture. The second
One of my favourite country classics (bear in mind I'm British so American
country has an exotic element that would be lost on Yanks) is Merle Haggard's
Okie from Muskogee. First time I heard it I took it straight as a conservative
Yank protesting about the permissive hippie culture. The second
I sympathise with Russell Brand's campaign to convince people not to vote as I
have zero sympathy with any mainstream political party. I suspect though that a
better plan is for those of us who are alienated from the political process to
vote for fringe parties (communist, fascist, libertarian)
It was pretty clearly a suicide, according to the person who was with him and
attempted to join him. She survived, he didn't. :
A suicide pact! Well, the fact she survived nicely makes my point that trying
to overdose on Valium is a dumb idea. He owned a gun so he had a more effective
means
Re "Guy croaked himself.":
Did Rama leave a suicide note? If not, it seems a funny way to commit suicide.
Some reports claim he took 80–150 Valium. Valium comes in 2mg, 5mg and 10mg
strengths. Assume (tops) he took 150 x 10mg = 1,500mg diazepam. People have
taken 2,000mg of valium and had n
There's a link at the end of the Wholock video to another clip showing how he
(?) combined the elements and masked out unwanted material. The possibilities
are endless. We're used to sampling in music but given all the film footage now
available at a mouse click you could combine clips from asso
WHOLOCK - Sherlock meets The Doctor!
For any FFLifers who have encountered the Doctor Who series (both series share
writers) some smart kid has put together a meeting between Sherlock and the
Doctor for YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3bGYljQ5Uw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3bGYljQ
Stunning photos. The mother only got her first camera in 2013. She puts many
professionals to shame.
The location looks idyllic - you have to wonder what pictures a young mother
would take who lived on a sink estate in London.
We're going to have to agree to disagree on this series. And opinion seems
equally divided on the comments below on-line reviews.
For me, the whole point of the Holmes stories was to see the great man solving
crimes. This series is far too involved in the characters of Holmes's immediate
circle
Re "make it count on more than one level.":
I guess actors have an excuse for doing some serious workouts . . .
You're casting the role of Achilles in Troy. You've got a choice between
Charles Hawtrey . . .
. . . or Brad Pitt. How long do you want to think about it?
Re "The last accountant I saw on some game show, looked like a lifer in a
maximum security prison.":
I always wonder when I see a muscular type whether they're unemployed or have
just got out of prison. Who else has the time to put in?
We're getting dumber. At least most everyone else is ;-)
The article only skimmed the issue but it's not clear to me why having instant
access to info via the internet makes someone smart. No more than being able to
look up an entry in the Encyclopedia Britannica.
Someone who had taken th
Re "In public spaces, some degree of conservative uni-dress-code will enable
women to break glass ceilings.":
Is this dress code to be enforced by the authorities then? Sounds like Maoist
China to me.
The line "I am a great believer in the uni-sex dress-code" was copied over (by
Yahoo not me!) from a post by Jason. I don't advocate any dress codes. Jason
can defend that view if he wishes.
My input was about the hypocrisy of Muggeridge and Tolstoy - both men who were
enthusiastic fornicat
Re "Tolstoy gave the right advice.":
Possibly. But, as I said, it's the hypocrisy of Tolstoy that grates with me.
The English conservative journalist Malcolm Muggeridge (a true British
eccentric but a first-rate broadcaster) was a big fan of Tolstoy. One time in
the 1960s he gave a talk
Re "As a result I didn't see such highly acclaimed films like Silence of the
Lambs":
Me neither! And horror is my favourite genre. (And I really like Jodie
Foster.) But as I've said before, I like atmospheric, art-house horror like
Don't Look Now rather than being seriously scared or having
"The Democrats want my guns and the Republicans want my porno mags and I ain't
giving up either" - Joey Ramone
That view - ie, mainstream politicians of both the left and the right are
*not* the solution to our problems - has always appealed to me. Punk was more
than just music, of course.
Re "You obviously didn't get the humour siddhi ":
Wow! That's the one they should be teaching. Religions have tended to assume
that a "serious" approach to the practice is the same as a "solemn" approach.
(That's one reason I was attracted to Aleister Crowley - he introduced humour
into myst
Re "What kind of upbringing you have anyway?":
I learned never to be a hypocrite. (Jesus taught the same thing, remember?)
I have no time for people who take a "don't do as I did, do as I say" attitude.
Tolstoy could well be the greatest writer in world literature. Bearing in mind
I've only read him in English translation, his novels and stories are
perfection. But - and it's a very big but indeed - he suffered from old-man
syndrome. When he was a young nobleman the serfs on his estates brought
Re "I see hedonism, debauchery and greed enough without paying to do so for two
hours in a movie theater.":
That's my attitude also - I'll be giving it a miss.
Talking of movies, years ago I saw They Shoot Horses Don't They?, starring
Jane Fonda, which took the marathon dances of the 1920s in
The new movie by Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street starring Leonardo DiCaprio,
is attracting criticism. Scorsese and DiCaprio are claiming it's a send-up of
the greed and hedonism of the über-rich. The critics (probably rightly) point
out that for the audience it's going to seem more like a glam
Re "the opposing forces, broadly defined as materialism":
Yes, the obsession with money and the status it confers is the only value in
today's society - or certainly the value that now dominates in both the UK and
the USA. It's so bloody philistine and degrading and small-minded and has
tri
Excellent find! That answers my question.
If you want to see real-life computer girlfriends take a look at this BBC
documentary in which 40-year-old Japanese men use "Love +" to date teenage
virtual girlfriends. The relevant six-minute segment runs from 14:49 - 20:49 .
http://www.youtube.com
Excellent find! That answers my question.
If you want to see real-life computer girlfirends take a look at this BBC
documentray in which 40-year-old Japanese men use "Love +" to date teenage
virtual girlfriends. The relevant six-minute segment runs from 14:49 - 20:49 .
http://www.youtube.com
No
I've not seen either film but judging by the trailer the character Jasmine does
come across as hard work to be around. Though the fact that her story is a star
role for Cate Blanchett suggests she's interesting to watch as she goes to
pieces.
Re Her: does Scarlet/Samantha ever fight back? (W
Begin at the beginning. The New York Dolls were punk's parents. "Looking for a
kiss" is from 1973 but has that recognisable sound and sensibility.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvmvMFXWzc8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvmvMFXWzc8
As Judy says - just copy and paste. I'm using a laptop if that makes any
difference.
No chart visible - sorry.
Re "the advertiser boycotts amounted to gross economic irrationality":
If the socialist press were advocating nationalisation of private companies it
wouldn't be "irrational" of said companies to boycott the papers.
Apart from that quibble it was an interesting review. Spain was an important
Miguel de Molinos was very popular with laymen and women. The reason he was
condemned by the Church was because he was giving people a method of
"salvation" that bypassed the Church hierarchy. (There were other contemporary
Christians teachers that taught similar methods so he didn't emerge out
Yes, Centering Prayer is a rip-off of TM. But there are precursors remarkably
like TM in the earlier Church, especially among the Quietists.
The 17th-century Miguel de Molinos taught us to turn our attention inward
without imagination and adopt a passive attitude to whatever arises in your
mind
1973: Leeds, Yorkshire, UK.
Another interesting question is: how many FFLifers were given their mantra by
MMY himself? (Not me.)
I wonder if people were more likely to continue TM if they were initiated by
MMY. Not in the early days when he was an unknown (and perhaps he was giving
out t
Re "IMO emotional blackmail occurs only when there is a personal relationship
between the people involved.":
You opinion is false. Hunger strikes whip up a lot of emotion!
Re "In the US suffragettes jailed for their beliefs went on hunger strikes and
were force fed as a result. Would you say y
Re "It IS interesting, however, to see all the critical reaction -- some of it
near-hysterical -- to nothing more than showing narcissistic, sociopathic
Sherlock Holmes, master of Being In Control, acting like a bumbling oaf and
being stumped by a rather simple plot.":
We rely on Holmes to r
Re "I am so fond of waterfalls":
Crikey! Shows how slow I'm becoming. I completely missed the nod to the
"Reichenbach Fall" in the Sherlock death leap at the end of the last series.
But it has been an age since I read the original story and this version is so
hip and postmodern any relation
People who starve themselves to make a political point should be ignored and
allowed to die.
I detest people who use emotional blackmail to get their points across. We
were given the gift of rationality so let's use it. Give me reasons why
Position X is preferable to Position Y and I'll either
An airline pilot reports a close encounter with a UFO near Heathrow Airport
which has baffled the aviation authorities. Something's out there.
http://tinyurl.com/pv2sgzs http://tinyurl.com/pv2sgzs
Just finished watching the second episode in the new series of Sherlock and I
can inform FFLifers it was the most self-indulgent pile of crap I've ever
witnessed on TV. Two-thirds of the story was devoted to Sherlock and Watson's
relationship with some cringe-worthy attempts at humour and genero
I was amused to see Derren Brown make a cameo appearance in this new Sherlock
opener.
Have you noticed he's now going bald? He always was but he wore a hairpiece in
his early TV series. When I saw his live show I found it cringe-worthy when,
before he came on stage, he announced his presence
Re : Think about "Alien."
Yes, I'm a big fan of all the films in that series and Sigourney Weaver really
made the Ripley role her own. But you've missed my point - because I didn't
explain myself very well. The Alien films were scripted *from the get-go* to
highlight the central female lead
Re "Moriarty in this series is also about the most evil guy I have seen":
The series creator and writer Mark Gatiss also plays Mycroft. He's so snooty
and superior he's a hoot and I always enjoy his appearances.
Sherlock in the original stories was always passionately on the side of
justice
Re "The Bechdel Test. To pass a film must:
1. Have at least two women -- with names -- in it
2. Who talk to each other
3. About something besides a man":
What's the point of the Bechdel Test? Some films - war movies? prison movies?
- may work best *without* any women. It's a man's world out
The BBC "Sherlock" is a worldwide hit but I read that the USA is *not* so
enamoured and viewing figures there are quite low.
I love the original Holmes tales (though Poe's Dupin is the original and the
best) so I enjoy this modern updating but the series does strike me as a bit
smug and self
Re "Why is it so difficult for you to understand the one, before you go off
speculating on the three? ":
Because there has to be duality before a "subject" (you, for example) can
speculate about an "object". The One has to divide for that to happen; and so
the One + the subject + the object = t
The HOMEGROUP Icon suddenly appeared on my desktop (a large green ball
surrounded by three smaller blue balls). Why did that suddenly show up? I've
never seen it before. I see I can't move it to the Recycle Bin either.
Microsoft can be so creepy.
Re "But did Mary watch the dead body of Jesus for three days solid and then
become enlivened before her living eyes? Nope. Did she see the stone from the
door being removed? Nope.":
YES!
Matthew 28:1-6 (NIV)
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and
t
I said: "raised on the third day" (Paul's phrase) only makes sense in reference
to a physical event doesn't it?":
Richard, playing silly buggers, says: "Raised from the dead means raised to a
spirit . . . in which case, Jesus would have been hovering naked in front of
Mary Magdalene":
She wo
Re Paul:
1 Corinthians 15:3-5 (NIV)
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ
died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was
raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to
Cephas, and then to the Tw
Having watched Lars von Trier's "Antichrist" and found it utterly repellent and
pointless I'll pass on this new one.
I've seen only one of his other films: "Europa" (1991). Set in post-war
Germany it had a rather dodgy Nazi chic element to it so the Cannes controversy
decades later when he e
Re "rites included ritually kissing the anus of a cat":
I hope novices were told in advance what to expect when they joined rather
than finding out having spent decades working their way up the hierarchy.
Re "When you add in Iamblicus’s idea that humans were so fallen they couldn’t
return to the gods by theoria (thus needing theurgic erôs/philia":
Presumably that was based on his own experience and observation of his fellow
Platonists' struggles. Not so different to Indian ideas about the kali yu
Richard isn't confusing me. My point is that choosing a *woman* to be the first
witness makes the "story" more believable (to moderns) as a made-up account
would have had the first witness a male in that patriarchal society. Angels
don't count being non-sexual!
I like these psychedelic speculations but would point out that Amanita muscaria
(fly agaric) is a deliriant rather than a lucid psych like LSD. A sweaty,
unpleasant mind-fuck more suited to shamans seeking an out-of-the-body
experience rather than sadhus seeking to escape from the wheel of life
Re "The Trinity is a theological formulation in Christianity ... not a
philosophical idea. :
Yes, but the Christian theologians were indebted to the Neoplatonists,
especially the divine Plotinus and Iamblichus.
The One is at the top of the hierarchy. The first emanation is Nous (Divine
Mind
Another possibility is that aliens have picked up our transmissions of
"Keeping Up with the Kardashians" and are avoiding us like we avoid vacationing
in Detroit or Newark.
Re "According to the Bible, Mary Magdalen was the first to see the risen
Christ.":
Indeed. Now bear in mind that in those far-off days a woman's testimony would
be regarded as very much inferior to a male witness. If the Gospel writers were
making the story up would they have chosen Mary as a
What does the new year have in store for us?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIFkjiJm0gc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIFkjiJm0gc
Let's not forget groovy Julie Driscoll. Probably the best cover of Donovan's
"Season of the Witch". Eat your heart out Austin Powers.:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCKZPEleI-U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCKZPEleI-U
Re "Yes, this is India where money talks":
Money talks everywhere unfortunately, but the recent high-profile rape cases
in India which have shocked the world probably mean something will be done this
time.
Is there anything viler than the rape and murder of that young Indian girl
some mont
Barry plugs John Renbourn on a parallel thread. I only know his work with
Pentangle. I prefer their old songs to Fairport these days.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q9of8OhkeQ&list=FLJad8vN225Nr5hDIzlEOYMA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q9of8OhkeQ&list=FLJad8vN225Nr5hDIzlEOYMA
The photo you post of Lama Yongden was on the title page of "The Secret Oral
Teachings in Tibetan Buddhist Sects" by Alexandra David-Neel. I bought the book
decades ago in a regular book store and remember the assistant who served me
couldn't stop smirking. Alas, the petty humiliations we must e
"Johnny Remember Me" - yes. My favourite Joe Meek production (whereas Maggie
Thatcher's was "Telstar"!). The fawning and fainting girls . . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e4JXwd7XMo&feature=youtu.be
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e4JXwd7XMo&feature=youtu.be
But returning to the theme, this is my favourite from that time. Even better
that "Terry" by Twinkle. And there's a TM theme as Marianne Faithfull did
receive her mantra from MMY himself. She later regarded him as a complete
charlatan.
"As Tears Go By".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8JJ6du3V
Re "Twinkle was stunningly awful.":
Yes, she does rather divide opinion. The hip mods liked her! The production on
that number rules; it demands headphones and volume.
Re "What about, at the other end of the scale, Millie and her Boy Lollipop?":
Damn you ! I was about to post "My Boy Lo
Fairport are the only name I recognise. Like you I was a big fan of the Liege
and Lief album.
What grated with me is that "Fairport Convention" weren't a band but a *label*
under which different personnel produced albums which could have no continuity
with earlier works.
My fave Liege and Li
Re "Not to mention Sandie Shaw, the barefoot wonder. Or Cilla Black!":
Yes to both of those.
Welsh lass Mary Hopkin scored big time with "Those Were the Days". (Popular
with American soldiers in Vietnam, I understand.)
Another one I really liked was Twinkle [sic]. She penned most of her ow
posting about the Seekers:
The Clark Kent lookalike on bass always makes me smile.
Judith Durham of The Seekers (Australian band) was pitch perfect with angelic,
soaring voice. They don't make music like this any more.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nze8B39OB0k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nze8B39OB0k
Fifteen-year-old Lulu. A little girl with a big, big voice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqYiUiWXM5M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqYiUiWXM5M
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