[FairfieldLife] Re: Starz's Spartacus
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Joe geezerfr...@... wrote: Cippolina was a real master, way ahead of his time. Is he still around? Those Quicksilver concerts when they were a quartet with Gary Duncan, were incredible! As I see from Message View that Bhairitu posted, John died some time ago. I agree with you about the original quartet. Back when I and my college hippie friends were promoting rock concerts, Quicksilver was our favorite group to hire. And to party with. The dynamic between Cippolina and Gary Duncan (self-described as The Agony and the Ecstasy) was electric, and wonderful. None of the latter formations of Quicksilver (adding Dino Valenti and Nicky Hopkins) were as good. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu noozguru@ wrote: tartbrain wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu noozguru@ wrote: tartbrain wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu noozguru@ wrote: I had some email exchanges with Alan a few years back. He had claimed on his podcast that rock musicians of the 1960s didn't know that much about music (he claims to be a former profession songwriter). Au contraire, even people like Graham Parson had jazz backgrounds. Brian Wilson was also into jazz and composition. So were many of the well known rock stars I met and we used to compare notes. I particularly remember siting with some of the guys from the Greatful Dead at my house listening to John Cage. We were all music students that looked at the rock scene and thought hey we can write that stuff in our sleep! With all due respect to John Cage -- he broke a lot of boundaries, but the John Cage concert I went to -- was about 1000 record players each playing a different song, symphony opera, nature sound world music or spoken narrative. And John was there, but no visibly present. Probably walking around the audience -- who were walking among the record players. Or perhaps hiding behind a stage curtain -- I could have written that in my sleep. In fact I think I have a few times. Did you know Emil Richards and his cosmic micro tonal band? Paul Horn's friend. And a meditator of course. The Grateful Dead seemed to be sort of micro tonal -- tuning their guitars to some out there scale. And particularly QuickSilver live -- who I used to tell friends they played like you know, 100 dissonate notes and chords per second Or maybe they were just to far tripping to tune their guitars by standard means. And thanks for the Digital video insights I didn't know Emil Richards but did know Paul Horn. I knew the Quicksilver guys too. Lived next door to John Cipollina and Nicky Hopkins (who also played on a lot of the Beatles cuts as well as in The Rolling Stones). I like the breadth of Nicky Hopkins -- he was everywhere. I remember him from the Jeff Beck Group (with Rod Stewart -- when he was good :), Ronny Wood and of course Jeff Beck. And later with Jefferson Airplane -- and about everybody else. John Cipollina was amazing to watch live. And had the look of the archetypal hippie -- when the term was new and fresh -- tall, thin, long stringy hair, intense gaunt look, good and interesting guitarist. QS's Who Do You Love -- the greatest rock song ever recorded -- or played live. To create his distinctive guitar sound, Cipollina developed a one of a kind amplifier stack. His Gibson SG guitars had two pickups, one for bass and one for treble. The bass pickup fed into two Standel bass amps on the bottom of the stack, each equipped with two 15-inch speakers. The treble pickups fed two Fender amps: a Fender Twin Reverb with two 12-inch speakers and a Fender Dual Showman that drove six Wurlitzer horns. His style was highly melodic and expressive. Cipollina's classical past no doubt influenced his guitar style, which was miles beyond the usual pentatonic blues-scale work of many of the other psychedelic-era guitarists. His work on fellow dueling guitarist Gary Duncan's electric arrangement/adaption of Dave Brubeck's Take Five, retitled Gold and Silver, which appears on the self-titled first album of Quicksilver, is an excellent example of how Cipollina took rock to places it usually didn't dare to venture. You didn't live next door to them in Mill Valley did you? If so -- did you hang with Clover? Sons of Champlain? (And who was The Girl from Mill Valley that Hopkins composed a song for on Beckola?) Yup, it was Mill Valley with George and Marsha Lucas living across the street. Nick Gravenites hung out there frequently. Didn't know the Son of Champlain but hitched a ride with the father once. Don't know who the girl was. Played in
[FairfieldLife] Re: Gas Pump Blues
Gotta agree. I love the concept of the project, but I've been bored senseless by the people themselves, for almost exactly the reasons tartbrain puts into words so well below. As for the Yahoo discussion group, way into their heads is too kind. One visit was enough. I can't see most people on the street viewing these interviews and seeing that much difference between Buddhas at the Gas Pump and Bubba at the Gas Pump. That said, I look forward to other interviews, in the hope that one or more of them will stand out. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, tartbrain no_re...@... wrote: I started to watch the 4 videos on you tube -- an then sampled the audios on the blog -- listening to segments of about 10 contributors. While all nice people, there was not much compelling material in the hour of so I listened. Certainly there could be great gems hidden in the material I passed over. But I got bored with most. Perhaps an unfair parallel, but the energy, tone, insights, vibrancy, love for the universe, cascading love for others was not there. It was as if I could have been listening to a show on people who found Jesus. They may have had and are having a transformational experience. But its not apparent how it has really affected their lives in deep and profound ways. I came away thinking, I wouldn't spend much time on what ever they are doing -- the value is not manifesting in their lives. Similar to my impressions of those testifying for Jesus. They may be having profound experiences -- being he center of the universe and all. These experiences may actually be real -- though there is a large distance in establishing that -- for themselves and for any listeners. Not that they have to prove anything. But I have friends who experienced the same with psychedelics -- center of the universe, egoless states and all. I am not sure that was real, not sure that it wasn't. But they did not do much with the experience. It may have shifted them in good ways. The experienced of egolessness is profound and can be lasting. But it was not transformational in the sense of some blazing persons I know or have been with. But these Pump people, have little of the -- and this is hard to articulate -- vibrancy of life, humor, quickness of mind, flowing insights, shakti, glow, spontenaity that others I know, have seen, have. For the latter, I am inspired by them to obtain what they have. From the Pump people, I have no aspiration to obtain what they have -- from what I have heard thus far. And these things I listed are outer things, perhaps superficial, and meaningless with regards to inner states. however, I know the THING -- it may be weak and transitory -- but I think we all know the clarity, energy, clearness that can come from that THING. and I have seen the THING ripely manifest in others. And I don't see it much in these people. And the yahoo group -- I read a 20 or so posts. The posters are way into their heads -- it would appear from their posts. Dry expositions. While a small sample, i don't see the energy, vibrancy, life surging from their words.
[FairfieldLife] Volcanic Ash Cloud Turns Out to Be Finale of Lost
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-borowitz/volcanic-ash-cloud-turns_b_5\ 40283.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-borowitz/volcanic-ash-cloud-turns_b_\ 540283.html Volcanic Ash Cloud Turns Out to Be Finale of Lost Andy Borowitz ICELAND (The Borowitz Report http://tinyurl.com/pj3476 ) - A gigantic ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano that blanketed Northern Europe on Thursday and paralyzed air travel across the continent has turned out to be part of the finale of the television series Lost, network officials confirmed today. Bracing themselves for the public uproar over a special-effects spectacle gone awry, ABC officials today attempted to explain how the producers' desire for a fitting ending to the increasingly convoluted series led to an aviation nightmare. The producers of Lost set off a small explosive charge underneath the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland, hoping to create a cloud of black smoke, said ABC spokesperson Carol Foyler. That was pretty much the only way they could think of to end the series. After the gigantic cloud of volcanic ash threatened aircraft for miles around, it was clear that this time they went a little too far, she said. But even as ABC was taking great pains to explain how the Lost finale ended in a volcanic eruption that cost European airlines billions of dollars, longtime Lost fanatics were doubting the network's story. Tracy Klugian, 27, a web designer from Evanston, Illinois who has seen every episode of the confusing series at least eight times doesn't believe that the gigantic ash cloud could possibly be the end of the series: For one thing, it makes too much sense. Mr. Klugian said he was spending all his free time looking for alternative explanations: I even checked out if 'Eyjafjallajokull' spelled backwards means anything. It doesn't. More here http://tinyurl.com/pj3476 .
[FairfieldLife] Re: Volcanic ash keeps flights across Europe grounded.....
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Alex Stanley j_alexander_stan...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Hugo fintlewoodlewix@ wrote: I'm hoping mount Eyjafjallajokull (will we ever learn how to pronounce that) http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/pronounce-eyjafjallajokull-10392613 I replayed the pronunciation repeatedly, and I *still* can't pronounce it. Strange, where do those t-sounds come from (fjalla fyatla; kull kutl)? BTW, the name seems to mean Island-mountain-glacier eyja --- island fjalla --- mountain jökull --- glacier
[FairfieldLife] Statement from the EU Parliament in Brussels about The Cloud
As many of you know, European Union immigration and visa procedures have been criticized in the past as being cum- bersome, discriminatory, vague, and a nightmare of bureau- cracy run wild. We have tried to fix this problem the old-fashioned way, by throwing additional bureaucrats at it, but that seems only to made the problem worse. So we have decided to take one of the countries applying for future membership in the EU up on its kind offer of solving the problem for us, in exchange for the promise of full EU membership during our next full Parliamentary session. Iceland, the soon-to-be EU member, has kindly fired up one of its many volcanoes, effectively sealing off Europe from the rest of the world, and allowing us to announce our new immigration and visa policy. It is short, simple, and without ambiguity -- the exact thing that critics of the old policy have been screaming for: If you're here in Europe now, you get to stay. In fact, if you're here now you pretty much *have* to stay, unless you can find a boat somewhere. If you're not here now, you ain't coming, even for a visit. End of story. If you have any problems with this, take it up with the volcano.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Volcanic ash keeps flights across Europe grounded.....
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, lurkernomore20002000 steve.sun...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Hugo fintlewoodlewix@ wrote: It's like going back in time a century, the high price of oil keeps most cars off the road so us cyclists are having a super time, and on a straw poll of folks I bumped into in cafes and walking the street EVERYONE wants air travel banned permanently as it's *so* nice here at the moment. Likely except when THEY want the convenience. This strikes me as pretty stupid and elitist. Well pardon us for thinking the world would be a better place without so much pollution and noise. The proof is right here right now. Mind you, I'm sure that when all the people I know who are stranded abroad get back the poll might look a *bit* different. If they get back that is... Why don't they, and you stop using your computer. Because I'd hate to deprive you of all my wit and wisdom [ahem]. Are you aware of how much energy is consumed with one search. Why are you even posting? You are causing your own environmental damage every time you click, aren't you? Yeah, one search is about the same as going on a long haul flight. Lucky I can't use my computer at 40,000 feet, the world wouldn't stand a chance! Teasing aside, I stand by my point, current economic growth is unsustainable due to peak-oil and overpopulation etc. So we are going to have to scale it all back very soon anyway. Why not start with clean air? Try some and see, it's real nice stuff.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Lou Valentino: Astrological Predictions for April 2010 come true................
Was all that doggin' Lou? I don't know why. I find the messages he posts inspirational. Methinks I am out of the loop. This is a spiritual forum which beings that aspire to vibrate higher log onto. Negative makes the tummy hurt y'all. Help the digestion and re write that. Just sayin' -MeoOOwww
[FairfieldLife] Re: Statement from the EU Parliament in Brussels about The Cloud
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_re...@... wrote: As many of you know, European Union immigration and visa procedures have been criticized in the past as being cum- bersome, discriminatory, vague, and a nightmare of bureau- cracy run wild. We have tried to fix this problem the old-fashioned way, by throwing additional bureaucrats at it, but that seems only to made the problem worse. So we have decided to take one of the countries applying for future membership in the EU up on its kind offer of solving the problem for us, in exchange for the promise of full EU membership during our next full Parliamentary session. Iceland, the soon-to-be EU member, has kindly fired up one of its many volcanoes, effectively sealing off Europe from the rest of the world, and allowing us to announce our new immigration and visa policy. It is short, simple, and without ambiguity -- the exact thing that critics of the old policy have been screaming for: If you're here in Europe now, you get to stay. In fact, if you're here now you pretty much *have* to stay, unless you can find a boat somewhere. If you're not here now, you ain't coming, even for a visit. End of story. If you have any problems with this, take it up with the volcano. This must be what the NLP meant by management by Natural Law. Most effective.
[FairfieldLife] A flabbergasting Today's Message from Ramana Maharshi !
A Flabbergasting Message from Ramana Maharshi Message List Reply | Delete Message #12333 of 12334 Prev | Next In the middle of a dispute in french on a french blog Perles de Bonheur on ND I wrote an answer saying that present interpretation of Ramanas words were corrupting and equal to the Angel Lucifer's pov and that that one had more Beauty and Divine IQ than we have -a little of the same as we discuss here, -hence reason to carbon : and thinking : Now they will throw me out of that Blog too the following happened and I wrote it to that group as follow in english : 18 avril 2010 11:17 AnkhAton a dit Seconds after the above words, here in the corridor , I passed an ancien book cabinet and there fell a little booklet out of it with no visuable reason. The title is: FORTY VERSUS by RAMANA MAHARSHI and I thought flabbergasted and grateful: This is a message So I thought to do what some people do with the Bible and just open in the book in the middle. The text on Page 25 text 21 is : The scriptures declare that seeing the Self is seeing God. Being Single, how can one see one's own Self? If Oneself cannot be seen, how can God be? To be absorbed by God is to see Him. The traduction in English by ULlADDU NARPAADU S. Cohen Edition : Watkins London isfrom 1978 If ULLADU only knew this -what happened- ankh
[FairfieldLife] Look on the bright side.
The reply function seems to be not working today so I'll expound on my reply to Lurker here. Do you remember the TM intro lecture when one of the benefits proposed was that a reduction in the background noise of the mind would allow you to hear deep thoughts more clearly This is what the sudden removal of the thousands of large jets circling over the towns of southern England is like. I can sit in my garden and without realizing what it is that's missing I can hear what bird song actually sounds like, there is a deep silence that seem to go on forever. We just got so used to the permanent racket pounding out of the sky at us that we mistook it for how the world is. Maybe you don't live under an airport stack, lucky you if that is the case. But it's harder to get away from the pollution caused by aircraft, and they are foul things. The residents of west London are amazed at how much nicer their town are without the airport, so much so that when it starts up again I would expect a major depression to hit almost everyone. You just don't realise how crap this is until it's gone. And the government want to build *another* runway at heathrow, demolishing two perectly nice villages in the process. What's it all for? Where does it end? Oh yeah, peak-oil. I forgot.
[FairfieldLife] New Maharishi book hits the streets...
As far as I know it's new anyway. I think this is the one Shemp was after reading. http://www.robesofsilkfeetofclay.com/
[FairfieldLife] Re: Shroud of Turin Report (or, When the Fans Hit the Sheet)
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Mike Dixon mdixon.6...@... wrote: It seems the swath of fabric carbon tested, was from the patched material. Carbon dating on the same kind of fabric, linen, found in Egyptian tombs, have been *off* by seven hundred years or more due to contamination by bacteria or something growing over time on the linen. Because of this, the carbon 14 dating is considered inconclusive by many. --- On Sat, 4/17/10, TurquoiseB no_re...@yahoogroups.com wrote: From: TurquoiseB no_re...@yahoogroups.com Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Shroud of Turin Report (or, When the Fans Hit the Sheet) To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 6:20 PM  --- In FairfieldLife@ yahoogroups. com, Sal Sunshine salsunshine@ ... wrote: On Apr 17, 2010, at 7:18 AM, TurquoiseB wrote: At this point the Big Test of the Shroud's Woo Woo Quotient and the lasting value of its textile darshan will be whether he can actually get home. The Cloud (as opposed to the Shroud) emanating from Iceland and covering Europe has now closed Italian airspace as well, and none of the airlines are answering their 800 numbers. If he gets home tomorrow as planned, consider that a big win for those who believe in the value of visiting holy relics. Barry, hasn't carbon dating pretty much confirmed this as a fake? My bro is more than aware of the carbon-dating, but quotes the TB's argument on it without claim- ing to believe it one way or another. That is, some time ago a small fragment of the Shroud was snipped and taken away for carbon dating and tested to have come from the 12th century. However, the backing of the Shroud is admittedly from the 16th century or something like that, and the Shroud itself has been patched numerous times over the years. So if a Shroudie TB wanted to keep believing, all they would have to say is, They carbon dated part of a 12th-century patch, not the material of the actual Shroud itself. Ya can't argue with that. At least I can't. The most recent findings I know of are that the face is identical to one of Leonardo's drawings that he made of a cadaver he was studying in one of his pursuits of understanding how the body really worked. Facial recognition software apparently matches them perfectly. Also the head is too small for the body and the picture is bigger at the front than the back, meaning that when the exposure was made (it really appears to be a photograph) they did the front and back seperately and got the wrong distance from the camera obscura in one of them. The most obvious error to me is that it looks like a photo and not like the image would if it had been draped over some- ones head. That would've stretched it and he'd end up looking like an alien - which might start a whole new conspiracy! I saw these guys do a lecture on it that became a docmentary that I can't find a link to: http://www.picknettprince.com/books/turinshroud/turin.htm They are very convincing and have left the ball in the court of the believers to disprove them. I think it will run and run at least until it gets handed over to science so they can do a better job of testing it than they did last time. Then again, if he gets something out of it, fake or not, good for him. My feelings exactly.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Father Len Dubi: How TM enriches my religious life
Wow, Carol, you've been through a lot. Congrats on making it out the other end! I read most of your narratives. Tough stuff. Also read up a bit on Christian Universalism, which I'd never heard of. It seems like a very appealing approach if one feels an affinity for the essence of Christianity but not so much for the form it has taken with regard to orthodox doctrine and dogma. (Some of my ancestors were inclined toward the Quaker version of Christian Universalism--I've known they were Quakers but not about the connection with C.U.--and got in big trouble for it.) Me, I'm a committed 30-years-plus practitioner of TM, 20-years-plus of the TM-Sidhis. You could say I'm a TB in terms of MMY's teaching on the nature and mechanics of consciousness, but definitely *not* a TB with regard to the TMO, or to MMY's views on anything other than consciousness--e.g., world affairs. I practice TM and the TM-Sidhis not because I believe in them but because they enrich my life. And I've spent enough time around the TMO to be quite sure it's nothing I want to be directly involved with. I'm not inclined to any form of organized religion. My family heritage is Christian, but if I were somehow required to pick a religion, it would most likely be Judaism, because of its essential humanity (in theory if not always in practice) and the way it values questioning (two Jews, three opinions). On the other hand, I might become a Quaker. But I seriously doubt either is in the cards. I don't think of myself as having beliefs per se; they're more like working hypotheses, subject to change. The version of Advaita Vedanta MMY taught has been, so far, the most satisfactory and satisfying hypothesis I've yet encountered, but I can't say I believe in it. I'm curious to know, if you want to say, how you came to join FFL.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Obscene crucifix shocks parishioners.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, tartbrain no_re...@... wrote: snip Hopefully world museums and collectors will ban together and gift the world the art of the ages in digital form. if anything, it will increase their traffic -- the more one gets hooked on great art -- the more one will go out of the way to see. Interesting how that has happened with music so much more easily and thoroughly. Martin Scorsese is doing a wonderful thing with art films http://www.theauteurs.com/dashboard Boy, that's quite a find! I'd be inclined to join, but its Terms of Service and Privacy Policy made me a bit wary, especially the bit about needing to reread them every week in case something has changed, rather than being notified. It also seems to be put together on a social-networking model, which I'm wildly allergic to. I loved the paintings thread on one of the forums, though (Our Favorite Paintings: The Great Auteur Art Gallery). Spent an hour going through about half of it. What a neat idea! Ran across this video, which you might like--it's a sequence of very quick shots of every painting in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in NYC that was on display when the video was made: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3QHkFc3NZw The paintings go by way too fast to be able to focus on any of them, but some kind of essence of art comes through, or came through to me. Don't know how to describe it any better, but it was some set of abstract qualities the works all had in common. (Or most did, at any rate.) If you're quick, you could watch it full-screen and hit Pause to contemplate a particular painting. Unfortunately it's not high-def, so it's all a bit fuzzy.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Shroud of Turin Report (or, When the Fans Hit the Sheet)
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Hugo fintlewoodle...@... wrote: snip The most recent findings I know of are that the face is identical to one of Leonardo's drawings that he made of a cadaver he was studying in one of his pursuits of understanding how the body really worked. Facial recognition software apparently matches them perfectly. Also the head is too small for the body and the picture is bigger at the front than the back, meaning that when the exposure was made (it really appears to be a photograph) they did the front and back seperately and got the wrong distance from the camera obscura in one of them. The most obvious error to me is that it looks like a photo and not like the image would if it had been draped over some- ones head. That would've stretched it and he'd end up looking like an alien - which might start a whole new conspiracy! I saw these guys do a lecture on it that became a docmentary that I can't find a link to: http://www.picknettprince.com/books/turinshroud/turin.htm Fascinating. They say the Shroud image is a perfect match with a Leonardo painting of Christ, Salvator Mundi (minus the moustache and beard). They have links to two very impressive .wmv videos; the first juxtaposes the painting with the Shroud image, the second juxtaposes the Leonardo painting to another painting somebody else made from a negative image of the Shroud. Worth a look. Turin Shroud to Salvator Mundi: http://www.picknettprince.com/books/turinshroud/Shroud%20to%20Salvator%20quick%20version.wmv http://tinyurl.com/y4tsza5 Aggemian's Shroud Portrait to Salvator Mundi: http://www.picknettprince.com/books/turinshroud/Shroud%2002%20-%20aggemian%20shroud%20portrait%20to%20salvator%20mundi.wmv http://tinyurl.com/y5pcz5t They are very convincing and have left the ball in the court of the believers to disprove them. I think it will run and run at least until it gets handed over to science so they can do a better job of testing it than they did last time. Hard to see how the similarity between the Shroud image and the paintings could be explained otherwise. Maybe scientific evidence dating the Shroud isn't even required.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Gas Pump Blues
lurker: Then again, I don't have time to do a lot of speculative exploring... Well, you seem to have had time to post to FFL on Saturday night! LOL!
[FairfieldLife] Re: Father Len Dubi: How TM enriches my religious life
Barry frantically tries to distract attention from the exposure of his lies in a previous post, his usual approach to dealing with being nailed. Never seems to occur to him that this tactic just results in his being nailed *again*. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_re...@... wrote: Hilarious. All these years of stalking me and Judy has *still* never figured out that the most revealing parts of her retorts are the things that *she* snips out of posts. In this case, the part she cut out was IMO the whole reason she went crazy enough to write all of this: Now twice in one week she has herself described her own actions that way. 'Bout bloody time. Everyone else here has known it for years. But it's a possible sign of sanity when she can finally admit it. Get it? I suggested that she might be showing signs of sanity. THAT is what made her go more insane than ever. Is that funny, or what? Hmm. If what Barry means is that one might be reluctant to assent to his evaluation of one's sanity, he's quite right. Sort of like having Michael Vick testify to one's kindness to animals, or Sarah Palin compliment one on one's clarity of speech, or Goldman Sachs commend the integrity of one's financial dealings. Of course, I did quote the first sentence, because it was a knowing lie. As noted, I've never described my actions as stalking. That was Barry's invention. And since I've regularly talked about what I *do* do, the rest is a lie as well--it can't be something I've finally admitted when I've mentioned it repeatedly, so my sanity doesn't enter into it at all; it was a non sequitur. The issue of whether she's stalking me is easily settled It was never in dispute that I go after Barry, nor that he goes after me. If he wants to call it stalking when I do it, he also needs to call it stalking when he does it. As noted, the *dispute* was whether, as he claimed repeatedly, I stalked him in the sense of following him around from forum to forum. That was a lie as well. He finally decided to shift the meaning from following him around to simply poking and prodding, but he never acknowledged having done so, *hoping* that folks would continue to interpret stalking in the more common following-around sense. He was stalking me before I ever arrived on this forum (at his invitation, no less) and has continued to do so ever since, just as he's been doing for 16 years. , and without any claims either on her part or mine. Watch closely over the next week, and note how many times she feels it necessary to fire off a Get Barry post. Then do the same with me with regard to mentions of her Some weeks he fires off more Get Judy posts than I do Get Barry posts, other weeks it's the reverse. All told over the years, however, there have been *far* more of his than mine. It's easy for him to predict what will happen any given week by simply holding back on his Get Judy posts until the following week. What *he* has never realized is that his little schemes don't affect me in the slightest. I'll respond to whatever I feel like responding to regardless of his predictions. Indeed, I can just echo his own declaration: I will comment here on Fairfield Life the way I fuckin' *want to*. I got over doing what other people wanted me to do or expected me to do or tried to 'guilt' or 'shame' me into doing some time ago. The difference being, of course, that what he wants to do is lie, and what I want to do is expose lies and tell the truth. The basis for the continuing friction between us is that he doesn't want me to do what I want to do and does everything he can in useless attempts to intimidate me into stopping. , and see if there is any reason you can think of FOR her Get Barry posts *except* stalking me because she's obsessed with me. Matter settled. Well, not quite. The way to settle it would be for Barry to reform himself and see whether I stop going after him. Awhile back I made a post listing the various ways his posts would need to change (first among them being to quit lying) for this to happen; I'm sure he can find the post if he wants to give it a try. I'm equally sure he won't, because--as he says--he doesn't *want* to reform. So he'll have to learn to live with being repeatedly exposed as a fraud, phony, hypocrite, etc., etc. *As* will be the question of her sanity. The question of Barry's pathological lying having been settled long since, he's not exactly in a position to comment on anyone else's sanity.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Father Len Dubi: How TM enriches my religious life
Thanks for the kind words Judy. Of course, we all have tough stuff. As my son often quotes (or close to a quote) Biblo Baggins, It's dangerous business going out your front door. :-) Yay for life and gratitude for all the good! I had never heard of Christian Universalism either until 2007. At the time I was thrilled; I thought I could have my cake and eat it too. Ha! Then, through various circumstances, I grew out of that 'phase.' Yet, I still consider that aspect of spirituality. Also, serendipity would have it that I was introduced to CU via some awesome folks. A couple of those have blogs I still visit at The Beautiful Heresy http://www.thebeautifulheresy.com/ and Mercy Not Sacrifice http://mercynotsacrifice.blogspot.com/ . I was introduced to Rene Girard http://www.jamesalison.co.uk/texts/eng05.html via my introduction to CU. I found his interpretation of scripture to be intriguing as well. I share all this because it was a big deal for me to step out of my fundamentalism into these other interpretations. Interesting about your Quaker ancestors. I find cultures intriguing and even fascinating. Us humans make for great studies!! ;-D I like your idea of a working hypothesis. As a friend of mine said, I need a yellow caution tape wrapped around me with 'EXPERIMENTAL' written on it. Ha! How I came to FL? I can't recall now if I found it while googling Transcendental Meditation or John Knapp. I'm thinking I came across it when checking up on John Knapp as I was looking into hiring him to help me work through some recovery issues and was checking him out on the web. I did hire John and he was a great help to me. I actually was prompted to hire him because of what I experienced in the 'anti-cult' movement; in certain aspects, it was as toxic as The Way. I describe my time in The Way as a slow chronic illness and my time in the anti-Way group as a car wreck. In the last year I've become a lay activist in regard to toxic groups and toxic group recovery. Thus my interest in the TMO. Though my experience with the TMO wasn't toxic, I've met others who have a different experience. Since 2006 I've also read about and met folks from various groups and have heard similar stories though the beliefs may be quite different, from atheist groups to Eastern to Christian to psychology groups. In regard to TM and the TMO, I endeavor to distinguish the two. I have no problem with the practice as long as a person benefits from it. I do have a problem when an org makes people into non-persons and disregards the individual. That said, I know we are all human and fall into disregarding others. I fall into that as well, but hopefully less these days. Well, that was a ramble and probably more than you want to hear. ;-) Thanks Judy! BTW, my first name is Judy but my parents always called me by my middle name, Carol. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jst...@... wrote: Wow, Carol, you've been through a lot. Congrats on making it out the other end! I read most of your narratives. Tough stuff. Also read up a bit on Christian Universalism, which I'd never heard of. It seems like a very appealing approach if one feels an affinity for the essence of Christianity but not so much for the form it has taken with regard to orthodox doctrine and dogma. (Some of my ancestors were inclined toward the Quaker version of Christian Universalism--I've known they were Quakers but not about the connection with C.U.--and got in big trouble for it.) Me, I'm a committed 30-years-plus practitioner of TM, 20-years-plus of the TM-Sidhis. You could say I'm a TB in terms of MMY's teaching on the nature and mechanics of consciousness, but definitely *not* a TB with regard to the TMO, or to MMY's views on anything other than consciousness--e.g., world affairs. I practice TM and the TM-Sidhis not because I believe in them but because they enrich my life. And I've spent enough time around the TMO to be quite sure it's nothing I want to be directly involved with. I'm not inclined to any form of organized religion. My family heritage is Christian, but if I were somehow required to pick a religion, it would most likely be Judaism, because of its essential humanity (in theory if not always in practice) and the way it values questioning (two Jews, three opinions). On the other hand, I might become a Quaker. But I seriously doubt either is in the cards. I don't think of myself as having beliefs per se; they're more like working hypotheses, subject to change. The version of Advaita Vedanta MMY taught has been, so far, the most satisfactory and satisfying hypothesis I've yet encountered, but I can't say I believe in it. I'm curious to know, if you want to say, how you came to join FFL.
[FairfieldLife] Mystical Placebos (Re: Shroud of Turin Report (or, When the Fans Hit the Sheet)
To me, its a fascinating illustration of projection manifesting -- a sort of mystical placebo effect. If one believes a relic or symbol (or for that matter practice, posture or pranayam -- or hug, darshan, or saintly attention, or wafer/wine, incense and flowers, murtis and icons, herbs and incantations) is blessed and real, then regardless of its actual status, it can create the expected effect for the individual. Turquoise's Barry's brother saw white light -- perhaps a poetic description o his feeling -- perhaps actual white light shone for him. Yet given the the below discussion, it would appear the dose is not the real thing, but rather a mystical placebo. I can relate. I have taken mundane objects and santified them in my mind -- and used a focus for appreciating nature and the universe -- and I walk away with a cleansed, uplifted, expanded state. Of course maybe my mundane object starting point was not mundane at all -- but holy and sacred as everything. Perhaps the entire universe and all of its contents is holy and sacred and worthy of respect and reverance. Each step is on holy land, each heart a sacred heart. Even if that is a placebo, it is a grand and magnificent one. Or perhaps, reflecting recent posts, there actually is that intense self-referral Love bending back into itself, self sufficient and blazing at the core of everything -- loving each particle of creation far more intensely than we might love back. Then reverence and appreciation of the sacred is not placebo, but a gateway to appreciating reality -- and a process that invokes a real response from the universe -- or that piece of it However, if the part is in the whole and the whole is in the part, this holographic type structure would imply reverence for the part brings a response -- blessings in mystical terms, from the Whole. And reverence for the Whole may bring concentrated blessings to a singular part in our gaze or vicinity. Then again it may be as delusional and temporary as a coke-head believing they are king of the world -- their momentary state being so grand. But I say, if one is going to be deluded, do it in a vast and magnificent way. Go for the gold. Let the universe be a blazing inferno of self-referral intense Love, where the part is the Whole and the Whole is the part. Its not a crazy as thinking a larger granite counter top in ones kitchen will actually bring sustained happiness. (Though per my thesis, the granite counter top could be the placebo that opens up the blazing love of the universe to Ashley an Biff in the upscale gated-community.) --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jst...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Hugo fintlewoodlewix@ wrote: snip The most recent findings I know of are that the face is identical to one of Leonardo's drawings that he made of a cadaver he was studying in one of his pursuits of understanding how the body really worked. Facial recognition software apparently matches them perfectly. Also the head is too small for the body and the picture is bigger at the front than the back, meaning that when the exposure was made (it really appears to be a photograph) they did the front and back seperately and got the wrong distance from the camera obscura in one of them. The most obvious error to me is that it looks like a photo and not like the image would if it had been draped over some- ones head. That would've stretched it and he'd end up looking like an alien - which might start a whole new conspiracy! I saw these guys do a lecture on it that became a docmentary that I can't find a link to: http://www.picknettprince.com/books/turinshroud/turin.htm Fascinating. They say the Shroud image is a perfect match with a Leonardo painting of Christ, Salvator Mundi (minus the moustache and beard). They have links to two very impressive .wmv videos; the first juxtaposes the painting with the Shroud image, the second juxtaposes the Leonardo painting to another painting somebody else made from a negative image of the Shroud. Worth a look. Turin Shroud to Salvator Mundi: http://www.picknettprince.com/books/turinshroud/Shroud%20to%20Salvator%20quick%20version.wmv http://tinyurl.com/y4tsza5 Aggemian's Shroud Portrait to Salvator Mundi: http://www.picknettprince.com/books/turinshroud/Shroud%2002%20-%20aggemian%20shroud%20portrait%20to%20salvator%20mundi.wmv http://tinyurl.com/y5pcz5t They are very convincing and have left the ball in the court of the believers to disprove them. I think it will run and run at least until it gets handed over to science so they can do a better job of testing it than they did last time. Hard to see how the similarity between the Shroud image and the paintings could be explained otherwise. Maybe scientific evidence dating the Shroud isn't even required.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Volcanic ash keeps flights across Europe grounded.....
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com , cardemaister no_re...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com , Alex Stanley j_alexander_stanley@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com , Hugo fintlewoodlewix@ wrote: I'm hoping mount Eyjafjallajokull (will we ever learn how to pronounce that) http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/pronounce-eyjafjallajokull-10392613 http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/pronounce-eyjafjallajokull-10392613 I replayed the pronunciation repeatedly, and I *still* can't pronounce it. Strange, where do those t-sounds come from (fjalla fyatla; kull kutl)? I've now heard three different audio clips of Icelanders pronouncing it--and they're all different. The New York Times's City Room blog had a cute piece on Friday about the pronunciation: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/16/iceland-volcano-spews-conso\ nants-and-vowels/ http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/16/iceland-volcano-spews-cons\ onants-and-vowels/ http://tinyurl.com/y5wpm6k http://tinyurl.com/y5wpm6k They asked a bunch of New Yorkers to give it a shot and have audio clips of the results. Only one person-- a Swede--even came close, according to Icelanders. But the *Icelanders themselves* don't all pronounce it the same way! Listen to the guy who pronounces it at the beginning of this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jq-sMZtSww http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jq-sMZtSww That's nothing like either of the other two clips I've heard from natives. The rest of the video features various Brit news announcers trying to pronounce it, with varying degrees of success, none apparently correctly. According to the Times, Icelanders are falling down laughing at our attempts to pronounce it. This is from an Icelandic news site: Really NOT FAIR, dammit, not when you yourselves can't agree on how to pronounce it! Give us a break!
[FairfieldLife] Re: Obscene crucifix shocks parishioners.
Curtis: For me the lingham/yoni worship is one of the more honest versions of spirituality. There is magic between those two that transcends their Ginger Rogers Fred Astaire coupling... That seems to be the idea: the sexual opposites united in order to spiritually transcend the mundane. For example, Vajrasattva in Yab-Yum with his Dombi. In Tibetan iconography, the vajra (dorje) is the male active aspect and the bell (ghanta) is the female passive aspect of the Transcendental. But, Lord Shiva doing the 'Tandava Dance' would more closely resemble Fred and Ginger! The dorje is a male polysemic symbol... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vajra Shiva's Tandava is a vigorous dance that is the source of the cycle of creation... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tandava
[FairfieldLife] Re: Father Len Dubi: How TM enriches my religious life
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jst...@... wrote: Barry frantically tries to distract attention from the exposure of his lies in a previous post, his usual approach to dealing with being nailed. Never seems to occur to him that this tactic just results in his being nailed *again*. Nailing Barry to the Cross. Nice Sunday image. Perhaps our long-future heirs will worship the shroud of Barry -- and pray at the place of his crucifiction. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_reply@ wrote: Hilarious. All these years of stalking me and Judy So now a third party is stalking both of you. The adventure thickens. Like Indiana Jones and the the Infinite Tail-Chasing Dog. has *still* never figured out that the most revealing parts of her retorts are the things that *she* snips out of posts. But if the part is in the Whole, and the Whole is in the part -- what does a few snips here and there matter? In this case, the part she cut out was IMO the whole reason she went crazy enough to write all of this: Ah, the Crazy Illumined. Such a fantastic tradition. Now twice in one week she has herself described her own actions that way. 'Bout bloody time. Everyone else here has known it for years. But it's a possible sign of sanity when she can finally admit it. Get it? I suggested that she might be showing signs of sanity. Is it placebo sanity or real sanity. -- I suppose it doesn't really matter -- per adjacent post. THAT is what made her go more insane than ever. Is that funny, or what? Hmm. If what Barry means is that one might be reluctant to assent to his evaluation of one's sanity, he's quite right. Sort of like having Michael Vick testify to one's kindness to animals, or Sarah Palin compliment one on one's clarity of speech, or Goldman Sachs commend the integrity of one's financial dealings. See, Emptiness is at the core of Fullness. Who has had this experience. See almost everyone. Of course, I did quote the first sentence, because it was a knowing lie. As noted, I've never described my actions as stalking. That was Barry's invention. Stalking the Wholeness. Sounds like a great new HBO series. And since I've regularly talked about what I *do* do, the rest is a lie Given that all of creation is a lie -- delusion, maya, the liar fits right in. (Pardon my lack of attention, but I can't quite figure out who is lying to whom here, at this point) as well--it can't be something I've finally admitted when I've mentioned it repeatedly, so my sanity doesn't enter into it at all; it was a non sequitur. The issue of whether she's stalking me is easily settled It was never in dispute that I go after Barry, nor that he goes after me. If he wants to call it stalking when I do it, he also needs to call it stalking when he does it. As noted, the *dispute* was whether, as he claimed repeatedly, I stalked him in the sense of following him around from forum to forum. That was a lie as well. He finally decided to shift the meaning from following him around to simply poking and prodding, but he never acknowledged having done so, *hoping* that folks would continue to interpret stalking in the more common following-around sense. He was stalking me before I ever arrived on this forum (at his invitation, no less) and has continued to do so ever since, just as he's been doing for 16 years. Well, a definate A for effort. What fortitude. The man is on a mission. A religious crusade? , and without any claims either on her part or mine. Watch closely over the next week, and note how many times she feels it necessary to fire off a Get Barry post. Then do the same with me with regard to mentions of her Some weeks he fires off more Get Judy posts than I do Get Barry posts, other weeks it's the reverse. All told over the years, however, there have been *far* more of his than mine. It's easy for him to predict what will happen any given week by simply holding back on his Get Judy posts until the following week. What *he* has never realized is that his little schemes don't affect me in the slightest. I'll respond to whatever I feel like responding to regardless of his predictions. Indeed, I can just echo his own declaration: I will comment here on Fairfield Life the way I fuckin' *want to*. I got over doing what other people wanted me to do or expected me to do or tried to 'guilt' or 'shame' me into doing some time ago. Ah the world would be so much more wonderful if everyone just did it their own F'ing way -- without regard for others' f'ing way. Actually, that might be a great new cult: The F'ing Way. The difference being, of course, that what he wants to do is lie, and what I want to do is expose lies and tell the truth. The basis for the continuing friction between us is that he doesn't want me to do what I want to do and does
[FairfieldLife] Re: Look on the bright side.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Hugo fintlewoodle...@... wrote: This is what the sudden removal of the thousands of large jets circling over the towns of southern England is like. I can sit in my garden and without realizing what it is that's missing I can hear what bird song actually sounds like, there is a deep silence that seem to go on forever. The NY Times's The Lede blog had a poignant video someone made in Garden Valley in the U.K.--dunno where that is-- of a blackbird singing at dawn, something he apparently never normally hears uninterrupted because of the jets flying over: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wytoOvrVCQ I grew up in New York City and was totally inured to the constant sound of airplanes. Where I am now on the Jersey Shore, there's maybe one a week or so that comes over, and it always feels like a big intrusion. So I can sympathize.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Father Len Dubi: How TM enriches my religious life
Judy, below is a link about Girard's theories if you or anyone is interested. http://www.kyrie.com/outer/girard/Girard_and_Theology_Part_I.pdf http://www.kyrie.com/outer/girard/Girard_and_Theology_Part_I.pdf Cheers,~carol http://www.kyrie.com/outer/girard/Girard_and_Theology_Part_I.pdf --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Carol jchwe...@... wrote: Thanks for the kind words Judy. Of course, we all have tough stuff. As my son often quotes (or close to a quote) Biblo Baggins, It's dangerous business going out your front door. :-) Yay for life and gratitude for all the good! I had never heard of Christian Universalism either until 2007. At the time I was thrilled; I thought I could have my cake and eat it too. Ha! Then, through various circumstances, I grew out of that 'phase.' Yet, I still consider that aspect of spirituality. Also, serendipity would have it that I was introduced to CU via some awesome folks. A couple of those have blogs I still visit at The Beautiful Heresy http://www.thebeautifulheresy.com/ and Mercy Not Sacrifice http://mercynotsacrifice.blogspot.com/ . I was introduced to Rene Girard http://www.jamesalison.co.uk/texts/eng05.html via my introduction to CU. I found his interpretation of scripture to be intriguing as well. I share all this because it was a big deal for me to step out of my fundamentalism into these other interpretations. Interesting about your Quaker ancestors. I find cultures intriguing and even fascinating. Us humans make for great studies!! ;-D I like your idea of a working hypothesis. As a friend of mine said, I need a yellow caution tape wrapped around me with 'EXPERIMENTAL' written on it. Ha! How I came to FL? I can't recall now if I found it while googling Transcendental Meditation or John Knapp. I'm thinking I came across it when checking up on John Knapp as I was looking into hiring him to help me work through some recovery issues and was checking him out on the web. I did hire John and he was a great help to me. I actually was prompted to hire him because of what I experienced in the 'anti-cult' movement; in certain aspects, it was as toxic as The Way. I describe my time in The Way as a slow chronic illness and my time in the anti-Way group as a car wreck. In the last year I've become a lay activist in regard to toxic groups and toxic group recovery. Thus my interest in the TMO. Though my experience with the TMO wasn't toxic, I've met others who have a different experience. Since 2006 I've also read about and met folks from various groups and have heard similar stories though the beliefs may be quite different, from atheist groups to Eastern to Christian to psychology groups. In regard to TM and the TMO, I endeavor to distinguish the two. I have no problem with the practice as long as a person benefits from it. I do have a problem when an org makes people into non-persons and disregards the individual. That said, I know we are all human and fall into disregarding others. I fall into that as well, but hopefully less these days. Well, that was a ramble and probably more than you want to hear. ;-) Thanks Judy! BTW, my first name is Judy but my parents always called me by my middle name, Carol. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: Wow, Carol, you've been through a lot. Congrats on making it out the other end! I read most of your narratives. Tough stuff. Also read up a bit on Christian Universalism, which I'd never heard of. It seems like a very appealing approach if one feels an affinity for the essence of Christianity but not so much for the form it has taken with regard to orthodox doctrine and dogma. (Some of my ancestors were inclined toward the Quaker version of Christian Universalism--I've known they were Quakers but not about the connection with C.U.--and got in big trouble for it.) Me, I'm a committed 30-years-plus practitioner of TM, 20-years-plus of the TM-Sidhis. You could say I'm a TB in terms of MMY's teaching on the nature and mechanics of consciousness, but definitely *not* a TB with regard to the TMO, or to MMY's views on anything other than consciousness--e.g., world affairs. I practice TM and the TM-Sidhis not because I believe in them but because they enrich my life. And I've spent enough time around the TMO to be quite sure it's nothing I want to be directly involved with. I'm not inclined to any form of organized religion. My family heritage is Christian, but if I were somehow required to pick a religion, it would most likely be Judaism, because of its essential humanity (in theory if not always in practice) and the way it values questioning (two Jews, three opinions). On the other hand, I might become a Quaker. But I seriously doubt either is in the cards. I don't think of myself as having beliefs per se; they're more like working hypotheses, subject to
[FairfieldLife] Re: Look on the bright side.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jst...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Hugo fintlewoodlewix@ wrote: This is what the sudden removal of the thousands of large jets circling over the towns of southern England is like. I can sit in my garden and without realizing what it is that's missing I can hear what bird song actually sounds like, there is a deep silence that seem to go on forever. The NY Times's The Lede blog had a poignant video someone made in Garden Valley in the U.K.--dunno where that is-- of a blackbird singing at dawn, something he apparently never normally hears uninterrupted because of the jets flying over: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wytoOvrVCQ I grew up in New York City and was totally inured to the constant sound of airplanes. Where I am now on the Jersey Shore, there's maybe one a week or so that comes over, and it always feels like a big intrusion. So I can sympathize. I used to live in an urban setting, near an airport, with regular flight overhead. I sort of liked it -- it drowned out the noise of the winos and crack-whores on the sidewalk below. (only half kidding, well maybe 3/4s -- but definately an element of truth (for once in my postings)). I wonder how the ducks and geese and other birds feel in the vacinity of Heathrow. They may be going what ever happened to that wounderous song of the humans? I so miss its tranquil drone and the patterns of its songs and calls. Please neighbor bird, sign my petition to create a protected human sactuary so we can once again hear the sweet wonderous sound of the human birds. Humans are part of nature. Technology is part of humans' nature. Ergo the creatures hatched from human nature -- are part of nature. I just love the smell of fresh laid asphalt in the morning. It smells like .. like Victory
[FairfieldLife] Profiting from 12/21/2012 Hysteria--It's Happening Already
I'm not especially worried about the world ending on 12/21/2012--anymore than I think The Rapture is coming any time soon. http://bicsplace.blogspot.com/2009/12/rapture-will-take-place-before-mo\ nday.html However, I am worried about what seems to me the increasingly likely probability of lots of people massively freaking out in the days leading up to 12/21/2012. Here's a report from NBC News on a large deep-underground shelter being built in the Mojave desert between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It is reported that about 1000 applications have already been received for spaces in the shelter in the event of a natural or man-made disaster--at about $50,000 a pop. Here's a link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T9heta_qLI to another video put out by Vivos, the California company building the shelter and also claiming to be planning a nationwide network of similar installations. Vivos Underground Shelter Network: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T9heta_qLI If they're serious, there must be some really big money expecting to turn a hefty profit from all of this. I think we'll be hearing about a lot more crazy shit like this over the next two-and-a-half years. I hope I'm wrong. Really. NBC Video report: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qA7U6-A14c via: http://bicsplace.blogspot.com/2010/04/12212012-hysteria-its-here-now.htm\ l
[FairfieldLife] Re: Father Len Dubi: How TM enriches my religious life
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Carol jchwe...@... wrote: Judy, below is a link about Girard's theories if you or anyone is interested. http://www.kyrie.com/outer/girard/Girard_and_Theology_Part_I.pdf http://www.kyrie.com/outer/girard/Girard_and_Theology_Part_I.pdf Cheers,~carol http://www.kyrie.com/outer/girard/Girard_and_Theology_Part_I.pdf --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Carol jchwelch@ wrote: Great stuff. Thanks. And apologies for sharing posts, but thanks to Judy for he Moma slide show. That was great. A frees up a whole afternoon from having to wander through Moma :) On the article, I got only half the way through -- if i read it all today I know I will dwell on it and starting reading related material -- and the end of the day shall suddenly appear out of nowhere -- and my pressing obligations shattered. I had not ever thought of mimetic desire -- but I get the point. And the central role of the scapegoat -- and sacred violence that unifies internal warring factions against a common enemy (the latter concept is more familiar -- but the link to mimetic desire makes it richer.) Looking for applications in life, society, history -- mimetic desire would seem to be the key principal in financial bubbles -- a thing gains value in our eyes as others are perceived to think it of value. One buys a stock or house because it is rising in value -- thus ergo, it must be of value and we want to capture some of that, so we did up the price, others follow suit -- and soon the public price -- far out states the intrinsic value. Poof -- the bubble bursts -- and as we have seen it can devastate a world economy. Obvious parallels to dating and marriage rituals. I was so locked into a bubble of delusion as a teen and probably into my 20's that a woman was more desirable if she was thought highly of by my peers. Sounds so silly -- but it manifests itself in many ways -- trophy wives, whose on your arm on the red carpet at the Oscars, and certainly in corporate settings -- having an attractive socially graceful (though not necessarily deep) spouse can be be a boost at corporate social functions -- entertaining of business associates, clients, and all. And political wives of course. Sports, and the hometeam 'syndrome are an interesting example of scapegoats to unify the warring factions within a group. Nothing makes a politican more endearing -- to some -- to be for the right football team. Yeah, we make think each other stink, and we rather loathe each other, but yes (fill in blank, niners, steelers, raiders, vikings) totally rock and we are life long brothers in that fundamental understanding of the universe. And babbling on more about football, rooting for the home team, in high school and college (yeech) unifies the masses, particularly the intra-cult blood lust from the frat boy types as they mimetically desire, in successive waves of bidding, for the trophy GF. Binding together to celebrate the Greatest Generation, or The Troops or the Heroes of 9/11 or for Empire and King or Queen allows even relatively civil and cultured societies to turn a blind eye to the the autrocities and horrors the Band of Brother delivers to the scapegoat enemy -- the sacred violence that brings the nation or society together. Again great article. Thanks, Thanks for the kind words Judy. Of course, we all have tough stuff. As my son often quotes (or close to a quote) Biblo Baggins, It's dangerous business going out your front door. :-) Yay for life and gratitude for all the good! I had never heard of Christian Universalism either until 2007. At the time I was thrilled; I thought I could have my cake and eat it too. Ha! Then, through various circumstances, I grew out of that 'phase.' Yet, I still consider that aspect of spirituality. Also, serendipity would have it that I was introduced to CU via some awesome folks. A couple of those have blogs I still visit at The Beautiful Heresy http://www.thebeautifulheresy.com/ and Mercy Not Sacrifice http://mercynotsacrifice.blogspot.com/ . I was introduced to Rene Girard http://www.jamesalison.co.uk/texts/eng05.html via my introduction to CU. I found his interpretation of scripture to be intriguing as well. I share all this because it was a big deal for me to step out of my fundamentalism into these other interpretations. Interesting about your Quaker ancestors. I find cultures intriguing and even fascinating. Us humans make for great studies!! ;-D I like your idea of a working hypothesis. As a friend of mine said, I need a yellow caution tape wrapped around me with 'EXPERIMENTAL' written on it. Ha! How I came to FL? I can't recall now if I found it while googling Transcendental Meditation or John Knapp. I'm thinking I came across it when checking up on John Knapp as I was looking into hiring him to help me work through some
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Look on the bright side.
tartbrain wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jst...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Hugo fintlewoodlewix@ wrote: This is what the sudden removal of the thousands of large jets circling over the towns of southern England is like. I can sit in my garden and without realizing what it is that's missing I can hear what bird song actually sounds like, there is a deep silence that seem to go on forever. The NY Times's The Lede blog had a poignant video someone made in Garden Valley in the U.K.--dunno where that is-- of a blackbird singing at dawn, something he apparently never normally hears uninterrupted because of the jets flying over: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wytoOvrVCQ I grew up in New York City and was totally inured to the constant sound of airplanes. Where I am now on the Jersey Shore, there's maybe one a week or so that comes over, and it always feels like a big intrusion. So I can sympathize. I used to live in an urban setting, near an airport, with regular flight overhead. I sort of liked it -- it drowned out the noise of the winos and crack-whores on the sidewalk below. (only half kidding, well maybe 3/4s -- but definately an element of truth (for once in my postings)). I wonder how the ducks and geese and other birds feel in the vacinity of Heathrow. They may be going what ever happened to that wounderous song of the humans? I so miss its tranquil drone and the patterns of its songs and calls. Please neighbor bird, sign my petition to create a protected human sactuary so we can once again hear the sweet wonderous sound of the human birds. Humans are part of nature. Technology is part of humans' nature. Ergo the creatures hatched from human nature -- are part of nature. I just love the smell of fresh laid asphalt in the morning. It smells like .. like Victory I have a municipal airport nearby. When I moved here it was not very busy. I mainly housed private planes and a helicopter school. There had been some attempts by regional airlines to use the airport but those were generally rejected by the community mainly because years ago a private plane taking off from the field and losing power crashed into the nearby shopping mall at Christmas time killing some folks (a national news story that day). About a year after 9-11 though I started noticing a lot of helicopter traffic overhead. I thought it was DHS going over the top. But after a while I also realized there was an increase in private jet traffic. So what I've figured is that due to a lot of restrictions at our three area large airports corporate jets have been moved to this field and those helicopters (which go right over my house since they follow the nearby freeway) are ferrying overpaid corporate bigwigs to and from the corporate jet to corporate headquarters probably in San Francisco.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Profiting from 12/21/2012 Hysteria--It's Happening Already
Why would any sane person go to a shelter (actually perhaps the question actually answers itself). The week preceding is going to be the most awesome party ever (making spring breaks look like puritan prayer meetings. Unprotected fornicating bodies everywhere (what you are going to put me in jail for fornicating on the street! ha!). Abundant opiates, cannabis, hallucinagens, amphetimines and cocaineflowing freely -- (what like I am going to get addicted within a week?!) Every garage band ever will be out on the streets, on every rooftop, at full amps. It might even be better than the Summer of Love. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, do.rflex do.rf...@... wrote: I'm not especially worried about the world ending on 12/21/2012--anymore than I think The Rapture is coming any time soon. http://bicsplace.blogspot.com/2009/12/rapture-will-take-place-before-mo\ nday.html However, I am worried about what seems to me the increasingly likely probability of lots of people massively freaking out in the days leading up to 12/21/2012. Here's a report from NBC News on a large deep-underground shelter being built in the Mojave desert between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It is reported that about 1000 applications have already been received for spaces in the shelter in the event of a natural or man-made disaster--at about $50,000 a pop. Here's a link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T9heta_qLI to another video put out by Vivos, the California company building the shelter and also claiming to be planning a nationwide network of similar installations. Vivos Underground Shelter Network: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T9heta_qLI If they're serious, there must be some really big money expecting to turn a hefty profit from all of this. I think we'll be hearing about a lot more crazy shit like this over the next two-and-a-half years. I hope I'm wrong. Really. NBC Video report: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qA7U6-A14c via: http://bicsplace.blogspot.com/2010/04/12212012-hysteria-its-here-now.htm\ l
Re: [FairfieldLife] Volcanic Ash Cloud Turns Out to Be Finale of Lost
TurquoiseB wrote: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-borowitz/volcanic-ash-cloud-turns_b_5\ 40283.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-borowitz/volcanic-ash-cloud-turns_b_\ 540283.html Volcanic Ash Cloud Turns Out to Be Finale of Lost Andy Borowitz ICELAND (The Borowitz Report http://tinyurl.com/pj3476 ) - A gigantic ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano that blanketed Northern Europe on Thursday and paralyzed air travel across the continent has turned out to be part of the finale of the television series Lost, network officials confirmed today. Bracing themselves for the public uproar over a special-effects spectacle gone awry, ABC officials today attempted to explain how the producers' desire for a fitting ending to the increasingly convoluted series led to an aviation nightmare. The producers of Lost set off a small explosive charge underneath the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland, hoping to create a cloud of black smoke, said ABC spokesperson Carol Foyler. That was pretty much the only way they could think of to end the series. After the gigantic cloud of volcanic ash threatened aircraft for miles around, it was clear that this time they went a little too far, she said. But even as ABC was taking great pains to explain how the Lost finale ended in a volcanic eruption that cost European airlines billions of dollars, longtime Lost fanatics were doubting the network's story. Tracy Klugian, 27, a web designer from Evanston, Illinois who has seen every episode of the confusing series at least eight times doesn't believe that the gigantic ash cloud could possibly be the end of the series: For one thing, it makes too much sense. Mr. Klugian said he was spending all his free time looking for alternative explanations: I even checked out if 'Eyjafjallajokull' spelled backwards means anything. It doesn't. More here http://tinyurl.com/pj3476 . I wonder what Mike Rivero would think about that? Who's Mike Rivero? Glad you asked. He was an effects tech on Lost and I believe he specializes in the the explosive effects. He's also a host for the conspiracy oriented website www.whatreallyhappened.com. He also hosts a podcast and I often listen to his Saturday show. He's a little different from the usual conspiracy crowd, more left leaning and an atheist. The latter sets him apart from the Bible thumping crowd that frequently listen to the survivalist sponsored conspiracy shows. The first part of yesterday's show he talked about the consequences of the volcano's eruption and how government might use the economic effects as an opportunity to take away more rights from citizens. He is, of course, based in Hawaii and talked a bit about the local volcano and especially warned people that if they visit to pay attention to those signs on the path to not stray off the paths because that seemingly firm looking ground nearby is actually just a think layer of glass over molten lava and Darwin award candidates have been known to go a molten death straying off and falling through the glass. At the start of his second hour a caller talked about the Catholic stuff and Rivero talker about the sham of religion mentioning how it goes back to ancient Egypt with the sun obelisks which were of course phallic symbols because the king had to have a bigger dick than everyone else. You can download and listen to his podcasts here: http://gcnlive.com/podcast/what_really/pcast.php A couple weeks back he was doing reruns due to being busy with the final episode of Lost.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Father Len Dubi: How TM enriches my religious life
-- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, tartbrain no_re...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: Barry frantically tries to distract attention from the exposure of his lies in a previous post, his usual approach to dealing with being nailed. Never seems to occur to him that this tactic just results in his being nailed *again*. Nailing Barry to the Cross. One of his own construction... Nice Sunday image. Perhaps our long-future heirs will worship the shroud of Barry -- and pray at the place of his crucifiction. Crucifiction--[sic]? --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_reply@ wrote: Hilarious. All these years of stalking me and Judy So now a third party is stalking both of you. Heh. The common enemy meant to bring us together by serving as a scapegoat, a la Girard? snip And since I've regularly talked about what I *do* do, the rest is a lie Given that all of creation is a lie -- delusion, maya, the liar fits right in. (Pardon my lack of attention, but I can't quite figure out who is lying to whom here, at this point) Well, it's all on the record for anyone who's curious. snip Apologies for any perceived slights. I am an equal opportunity fun and mirth seeker. My way of having fun with words. No prob. Enjoy your comments, always.
[FairfieldLife] Mystical Placebos (Re: Shroud of Turin Report (or, When the Fans Hit the Sheet)
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, tartbrain no_re...@... wrote: To me, its a fascinating illustration of projection manifesting -- a sort of mystical placebo effect. If one believes a relic or symbol (or for that matter practice, posture or pranayam -- or hug, darshan, or saintly attention, or wafer/wine, incense and flowers, murtis and icons, herbs and incantations) is blessed and real, then regardless of its actual status, it can create the expected effect for the individual. Turquoise's Barry's brother saw white light -- perhaps a poetic description o his feeling -- perhaps actual white light shone for him. Yet given the the below discussion, it would appear the dose is not the real thing, but rather a mystical placebo. I can relate. I have taken mundane objects and santified them in my mind -- and used a focus for appreciating nature and the universe -- and I walk away with a cleansed, uplifted, expanded state. Of course maybe my mundane object starting point was not mundane at all -- but holy and sacred as everything. Perhaps the entire universe and all of its contents is holy and sacred and worthy of respect and reverance. Each step is on holy land, each heart a sacred heart. Even if that is a placebo, it is a grand and magnificent one. Or perhaps, reflecting recent posts, there actually is that intense self-referral Love bending back into itself, self sufficient and blazing at the core of everything -- loving each particle of creation far more intensely than we might love back. Then reverence and appreciation of the sacred is not placebo, but a gateway to appreciating reality -- and a process that invokes a real response from the universe -- or that piece of it However, if the part is in the whole and the whole is in the part, this holographic type structure would imply reverence for the part brings a response -- blessings in mystical terms, from the Whole. And reverence for the Whole may bring concentrated blessings to a singular part in our gaze or vicinity. An odd but intriguing side thought: What if each of is an icon used for worship by others in he cosmos. Devas, cells, existence itself. Fits into the intense love the universe has for you -- idea / placebo / fantasy / delusion. And that by pour blessings on you in their offerings and santification of the idol -- they purify and enliven we -- the stone murtis -- upon which they put their loving attention. We of stone become walk, talking enlivened divinity. I suppose this genre could be termed Spiritual Fiction -- akin to Science Fiction. The latter has its value in pondering progress and technological change, ethics and all. SpiFi i guess could also have similar value -- in exploring mystic theses, gut feelings, intuitions and simply speculation about the underlying realities of life and the cosmos. The counter part to trekkie conventions -- hmmm maybe -- Burning Man with shades of Fuiggi and Amma-thons. (And of course a dash of he latter years' Dead Head concerts.) Then again it may be as delusional and temporary as a coke-head believing they are king of the world -- their momentary state being so grand. But I say, if one is going to be deluded, do it in a vast and magnificent way. Go for the gold. Let the universe be a blazing inferno of self-referral intense Love, where the part is the Whole and the Whole is the part. Its not a crazy as thinking a larger granite counter top in ones kitchen will actually bring sustained happiness. (Though per my thesis, the granite counter top could be the placebo that opens up the blazing love of the universe to Ashley an Biff in the upscale gated-community.) --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Hugo fintlewoodlewix@ wrote: snip The most recent findings I know of are that the face is identical to one of Leonardo's drawings that he made of a cadaver he was studying in one of his pursuits of understanding how the body really worked. Facial recognition software apparently matches them perfectly. Also the head is too small for the body and the picture is bigger at the front than the back, meaning that when the exposure was made (it really appears to be a photograph) they did the front and back seperately and got the wrong distance from the camera obscura in one of them. The most obvious error to me is that it looks like a photo and not like the image would if it had been draped over some- ones head. That would've stretched it and he'd end up looking like an alien - which might start a whole new conspiracy! I saw these guys do a lecture on it that became a docmentary that I can't find a link to: http://www.picknettprince.com/books/turinshroud/turin.htm Fascinating. They say the Shroud image is a perfect match with a Leonardo painting
[FairfieldLife] Re: Father Len Dubi: How TM enriches my religious life
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Carol jchwe...@... wrote: Thanks for the kind words Judy. Of course, we all have tough stuff. Yes, we all have our tough stuff, but usually-- providentially?--only in proportion to how tough *we* are. As I was reading your story at the links, I kept thinking, Man, I could *never* get through all that myself. You're one very tough cookie! snip I like your idea of a working hypothesis. As a friend of mine said, I need a yellow caution tape wrapped around me with 'EXPERIMENTAL' written on it. Ha! Very neatly put. How I came to FL? I can't recall now if I found it while googling Transcendental Meditation or John Knapp. I'm thinking I came across it when checking up on John Knapp as I was looking into hiring him to help me work through some recovery issues and was checking him out on the web. I did hire John and he was a great help to me. I actually was prompted to hire him because of what I experienced in the 'anti-cult' movement; in certain aspects, it was as toxic as The Way. I describe my time in The Way as a slow chronic illness and my time in the anti-Way group as a car wreck. I have a whole batch of issues with Knapp, as it happens, which I won't go into; if you've found him helpful, that's good. I've never been involved with an anti-cult group, but boy, from what I've seen of how they go about things, I couldn't agree with you more. They're like mirror images of the cult syndrome, it seems to me. (Probably not all of them, but the noisier ones, at least.) In the last year I've become a lay activist in regard to toxic groups and toxic group recovery. Thus my interest in the TMO. Though my experience with the TMO wasn't toxic, I've met others who have a different experience. I didn't get into TM until I was in my mid-30s; I think that made a difference in my susceptibility to the TMO. I found it offputting almost immediately. Had to interact with it to some extent to get what I wanted from the program, but I kept it strictly at arm's length. Since 2006 I've also read about and met folks from various groups and have heard similar stories though the beliefs may be quite different, from atheist groups to Eastern to Christian to psychology groups. My sense is that the TMO is pretty mild compared to some other groups. In regard to TM and the TMO, I endeavor to distinguish the two. Yup. Not all that difficult, really. Take what you need and leave the rest. I have no problem with the practice as long as a person benefits from it. I do have a problem when an org makes people into non-persons and disregards the individual. That said, I know we are all human and fall into disregarding others. I fall into that as well, but hopefully less these days. I think the trick is to stick up for one's own individuality. I even know a few longtime, hardcore TMO people who have managed to hold onto their autonomy. It can make you into a nonperson only if you give it permission. Well, that was a ramble and probably more than you want to hear. ;-) Not at all! You bring a fresh perspective and a cheery disposition, which isn't all that common around here. Thanks Judy! BTW, my first name is Judy but my parents always called me by my middle name, Carol. No kidding. Which do you prefer?
[FairfieldLife] Re: Father Len Dubi: How TM enriches my religious life
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Carol jchwe...@... wrote: Judy, below is a link about Girard's theories if you or anyone is interested. http://www.kyrie.com/outer/girard/Girard_and_Theology_Part_I.pdf http://www.kyrie.com/outer/girard/Girard_and_Theology_Part_I.pdf Thanks! Interesting stuff. Want to read it again before I comment. It seems to have several very direct connections to some of the stuff we've been talking about here lately.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Volcanic ash keeps flights across Europe grounded.....
Yea, I understand the sentiment. Kind of like the chick in the egg. We deplete one set of resources, and we have to find something new, hopefully more efficient. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Hugo fintlewoodle...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, lurkernomore20002000 steve.sundur@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Hugo fintlewoodlewix@ wrote: It's like going back in time a century, the high price of oil keeps most cars off the road so us cyclists are having a super time, and on a straw poll of folks I bumped into in cafes and walking the street EVERYONE wants air travel banned permanently as it's *so* nice here at the moment. Likely except when THEY want the convenience. This strikes me as pretty stupid and elitist. Well pardon us for thinking the world would be a better place without so much pollution and noise. The proof is right here right now. Mind you, I'm sure that when all the people I know who are stranded abroad get back the poll might look a *bit* different. If they get back that is... Why don't they, and you stop using your computer. Because I'd hate to deprive you of all my wit and wisdom [ahem]. Are you aware of how much energy is consumed with one search. Why are you even posting? You are causing your own environmental damage every time you click, aren't you? Yeah, one search is about the same as going on a long haul flight. Lucky I can't use my computer at 40,000 feet, the world wouldn't stand a chance! Teasing aside, I stand by my point, current economic growth is unsustainable due to peak-oil and overpopulation etc. So we are going to have to scale it all back very soon anyway. Why not start with clean air? Try some and see, it's real nice stuff.
[FairfieldLife] New book with words by Ellen Roth and photos by Werner Elmker........
check out this new book with words by Ellen Roth and photos by Werner Elmker... at this link you can actually flip through all 40 pages and also order the book..: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/invited/762052/9b1419ba5b183eccd85c71ef13b14e78http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/invited/762052/9b1419ba5b183eccd85c71ef13b14e78
[FairfieldLife] Re: Look on the bright side.
Used to live in Vegas.Constant air traffic, planes, helicoptors, be they police, with beams,TV news, or for pleasure helicoptor rides, and the hospital helicoptors. live in Iowa now. My kids exclaim, oh, there's plane- like it's a really big amazing thing when we go into the cities here. I hear the birds, and think, how amazing this place is...God made a beautiful place here.I never knew a place like this still existed. i like it so much better than the city;that being all i knew for 30 years. Cities promote monkey mind. Little itty bitty towns have peace and bliss that promotes serenity. My opinion.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Father Len Dubi: How TM enriches my religious life
Post sharing. :-D Don't mind at all. Nuttin' on the net is sacred, though some folks would like to think so. Not sure what Moma is and, of course, I am not going to touch the online relationship feud(s), for lack of a better word. I probably should clarify that I have no idea if Girard is a Christian Universalist or not. It just so happens that the CU folks I hooked up with were beginning a book study of one of Girard's books, so I jumped on board. Girard's take on Myth is that they all stem from some actual events which then are made mystical. And when he got to the Hebrew Myth (the Bible), he discovered a different outcome from the god and the one being slain as the scapegoat. I really had to stretch my indoctrinated sacrificial view to even grasp what he was getting at. I'm not a Girardian. But I do think his theory has validity. He speaks sometimes in extreme absolutes, which are red flags for me, at least where I am currently. I like your examples. You do a much better job than I in bringing in some applicable practicalities. I may start a thread here on Girard, if anyone is interested. I don't know how much I'd participate in it. Is that legal around here? hehe To start a thread and let others have at it? I would say it seems this thread had gone all over the place. But here we are, back at the sacrifice, and/or scapegoat. Thanks for chiming in Barry. At least I assume you are Barry? :-D Cheers,~carol --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, tartbrain no_re...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Carol jchwelch@ wrote: Judy, below is a link about Girard's theories if you or anyone is interested. http://www.kyrie.com/outer/girard/Girard_and_Theology_Part_I.pdf http://www.kyrie.com/outer/girard/Girard_and_Theology_Part_I.pdf Cheers,~carol http://www.kyrie.com/outer/girard/Girard_and_Theology_Part_I.pdf --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Carol jchwelch@ wrote: Great stuff. Thanks. And apologies for sharing posts, but thanks to Judy for he Moma slide show. That was great. A frees up a whole afternoon from having to wander through Moma :) On the article, I got only half the way through -- if i read it all today I know I will dwell on it and starting reading related material -- and the end of the day shall suddenly appear out of nowhere -- and my pressing obligations shattered. I had not ever thought of mimetic desire -- but I get the point. And the central role of the scapegoat -- and sacred violence that unifies internal warring factions against a common enemy (the latter concept is more familiar -- but the link to mimetic desire makes it richer.) Looking for applications in life, society, history -- mimetic desire would seem to be the key principal in financial bubbles -- a thing gains value in our eyes as others are perceived to think it of value. One buys a stock or house because it is rising in value -- thus ergo, it must be of value and we want to capture some of that, so we did up the price, others follow suit -- and soon the public price -- far out states the intrinsic value. Poof -- the bubble bursts -- and as we have seen it can devastate a world economy. Obvious parallels to dating and marriage rituals. I was so locked into a bubble of delusion as a teen and probably into my 20's that a woman was more desirable if she was thought highly of by my peers. Sounds so silly -- but it manifests itself in many ways -- trophy wives, whose on your arm on the red carpet at the Oscars, and certainly in corporate settings -- having an attractive socially graceful (though not necessarily deep) spouse can be be a boost at corporate social functions -- entertaining of business associates, clients, and all. And political wives of course. Sports, and the hometeam 'syndrome are an interesting example of scapegoats to unify the warring factions within a group. Nothing makes a politican more endearing -- to some -- to be for the right football team. Yeah, we make think each other stink, and we rather loathe each other, but yes (fill in blank, niners, steelers, raiders, vikings) totally rock and we are life long brothers in that fundamental understanding of the universe. And babbling on more about football, rooting for the home team, in high school and college (yeech) unifies the masses, particularly the intra-cult blood lust from the frat boy types as they mimetically desire, in successive waves of bidding, for the trophy GF. Binding together to celebrate the Greatest Generation, or The Troops or the Heroes of 9/11 or for Empire and King or Queen allows even relatively civil and cultured societies to turn a blind eye to the the autrocities and horrors the Band of Brother delivers to the scapegoat enemy -- the sacred violence that brings the nation or society together. Again great article. Thanks, Thanks for the kind words Judy. Of course, we all have tough stuff. As my son often
[FairfieldLife] Re: Father Len Dubi: How TM enriches my religious life
Tough cookie. Ha. Not sure about that, but I am putting on weight, becoming a larger cookie. ;-) I don't know how far you read the narrative and if you read about my dad. He was (and still is in memory), one tough cookie. After his wreck and subsequent quadriplegia, he continued to live (13 years) as fully as one can. I have a few stories on my blog about that. Even as type this I shake my head at how he faced that part of his life. And my mom too, as she was his main caretaker. Yes, I'm sure there are folks here who would have issues with Knapp. I for one, benefited greatly from his work and I'd even say we are somewhat like colleagues now...except that I'm not a professional anything, other than a mom and life survivor. I agree with you that folks can become life time TB in a field and still maintain enough autonomy to be who they are and be happy. Those of us who succumb(ed) to the soul murder that totalistic groups can exact, do so for various reasons. Still the group holds some (much?) of the responsibility for that. It is something I continue to ponder on varying levels. When I first began to experience the cult-like behaviour of the anti-Way folks, I googled anti-cult cults and found the following link. Another Look at Scientology http://bernie.cncfamily.com/sc/site.htm After that, over the following couple years, I made all sorts of connections which led to all sorts of conversations (3-D and 2-D) and some books, of course. I was quite naive in regard to group dynamics, so it's been a learning process. Hopefully I've learned something! :-D I like the question posted on Arthur Diekman's site http://www.deikman.com/wrong.html of rather than asking, Is this group a cult? a more appropriate question may be, How much cult-like behaviour is going on here? I don't want to come across like I am spamming my blogs. So I'm sharing the following link with some hesitancy. But because of the nature of the conversation, I'll pass it along. No one has to look or read it. :-D Folks have much more important living to do!! Yes! Following is a link where I am (slowly) penning some memoirs about what happened within that anti-Way world (3-D and 2-D). As I've been composing, the story has taken a turn (more than I've expected) of sharing my experiences with leaving The Way. It's becoming clearer and clearer to me how much of my Way mindset and expectations and naivety played into my responses in the anti world. Here is the link: ~as the forum turns~ http://exgreasespotter.wordpress.com/about-this-blog/ As far as which I prefer, Judy or Carol. Hmm, I'm not sure. I used to prefer Carol. That said, I chose Judith Piper as a pen name for some poetry publications, when I first began to come out of my shell. I like the name Judith more than Judy. My given name is Judy, not Judith...so I adapted. ;-) O.K. I feel a bit self-conscious about sharing all that I've just shared. But I'll click 'send' anyway. Thanks again!~carol :-)--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jst...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Carol jchwelch@ wrote: Thanks for the kind words Judy. Of course, we all have tough stuff. Yes, we all have our tough stuff, but usually-- providentially?--only in proportion to how tough *we* are. As I was reading your story at the links, I kept thinking, Man, I could *never* get through all that myself. You're one very tough cookie! snip I like your idea of a working hypothesis. As a friend of mine said, I need a yellow caution tape wrapped around me with 'EXPERIMENTAL' written on it. Ha! Very neatly put. How I came to FL? I can't recall now if I found it while googling Transcendental Meditation or John Knapp. I'm thinking I came across it when checking up on John Knapp as I was looking into hiring him to help me work through some recovery issues and was checking him out on the web. I did hire John and he was a great help to me. I actually was prompted to hire him because of what I experienced in the 'anti-cult' movement; in certain aspects, it was as toxic as The Way. I describe my time in The Way as a slow chronic illness and my time in the anti-Way group as a car wreck. I have a whole batch of issues with Knapp, as it happens, which I won't go into; if you've found him helpful, that's good. I've never been involved with an anti-cult group, but boy, from what I've seen of how they go about things, I couldn't agree with you more. They're like mirror images of the cult syndrome, it seems to me. (Probably not all of them, but the noisier ones, at least.) In the last year I've become a lay activist in regard to toxic groups and toxic group recovery. Thus my interest in the TMO. Though my experience with the TMO wasn't toxic, I've met others who have a different experience. I didn't get into TM until I was in my mid-30s; I think that made a difference in my susceptibility to the TMO. I found
[FairfieldLife] Smoke on the Water
Animation of ash cloud over Europe from Iceland's volcano: http://www2.dmu.dk/atmosphericenvironment/Vulkansky/dreameu_ani.gif
[FairfieldLife] Re: Gas Pump Blues
For more than two weeks I have repeatedly and closely listened to the BATGAP episodes via iTunes downloads via a portable iPod. The BATGAP episodes are a fascinating record of the personal histories and subjective perspectives of persons who have courage to publicly discuss permanently established positive shifts in awareness. Here-to-fore, an individual's declaration of a permanent shift in awareness called into question the validity of the experience. Rick Archer and the BATGAP interviewees promote egalitarian principles of experience and expression of higher states of awareness. BATGAP is a vehicle for positive cultural advancement by diminishing the influence of exploitive individuals and hierarchical institutions that for control purposes employ excessively exclusive principles of experience and expression by default and discourage members' advancement. -Mainstream --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, lurkernomore20002000 steve.sun...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, tartbrain no_reply@ wrote: And the yahoo group -- I read a 20 or so posts. The posters are way into their heads -- it would appear from their posts. Dry expositions. While a small sample, i don't see the energy, vibrancy, life surging from their words. Hard to strike gold twice. FFL with all it's problems has some good edg (edge) and gets into some interesting discussions. But I think you've pretty well nailed this Buddha at the Gas Pump. And those interviews-I've only listened to the Foster's piece, but there wasn't much there to make me want to push on. Then again, I don't have time to do a lot of speculative exploring.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Smoke on the Water
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, do.rflex do.rf...@... wrote: Animation of ash cloud over Europe from Iceland's volcano: http://www2.dmu.dk/atmosphericenvironment/Vulkansky/dreameu_ani.gif Notice in this animation the one country not covered by the cloud. Some have suggested that this is because of the powerful Woo Woo emanating from Sitges. But I think it's because Penelope Cruz was seen sunbathing nude near here recently and no god in his right mind is going to let clouds force *her* to cover up.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Smoke on the Water
Hmmm, even God can miss now and then -- I suggest you spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder. He's sure to try again. My job is to not get between you two. Edg --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_re...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, do.rflex do.rflex@ wrote: Animation of ash cloud over Europe from Iceland's volcano: http://www2.dmu.dk/atmosphericenvironment/Vulkansky/dreameu_ani.gif Notice in this animation the one country not covered by the cloud. Some have suggested that this is because of the powerful Woo Woo emanating from Sitges. But I think it's because Penelope Cruz was seen sunbathing nude near here recently and no god in his right mind is going to let clouds force *her* to cover up.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Gas Pump Blues
On Apr 18, 2010, at 5:14 PM, mainstream20016 wrote: For more than two weeks I have repeatedly and closely listened to the BATGAP episodes via iTunes downloads via a portable iPod. The BATGAP episodes are a fascinating record of the personal histories and subjective perspectives of persons who have courage to publicly discuss permanently established positive shifts in awareness. Here-to-fore, an individual's declaration of a permanent shift in awareness called into question the validity of the experience. Rick Archer and the BATGAP interviewees promote egalitarian principles of experience and expression of higher states of awareness. BATGAP is a vehicle for positive cultural advancement by diminishing the influence of exploitive individuals and hierarchical institutions that for control purposes employ excessively exclusive principles of experience and expression by default and discourage members' advancement. This public service announcement was brought to you by the You got a problem with that?? and the We don't take no shit from anybody foundations, hoping to provide a happier and more enlightened viewing experience for you and your family. Any and all comments should be directed immediately to the Up yours department. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, lurkernomore20002000 steve.sun...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, tartbrain no_reply@ wrote: And the yahoo group -- I read a 20 or so posts. The posters are way into their heads -- it would appear from their posts. Dry expositions. While a small sample, i don't see the energy, vibrancy, life surging from their words. Hard to strike gold twice. FFL with all it's problems has some good edg (edge) and gets into some interesting discussions. But I think you've pretty well nailed this Buddha at the Gas Pump. And those interviews-I've only listened to the Foster's piece, but there wasn't much there to make me want to push on. Then again, I don't have time to do a lot of speculative exploring.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Gas Pump Blues
I think all of that is good. However, as stated, I have not found it very interesting, yet. I have not listened as extensively as you, and there may be great gems that I missed. However, others seem to be having the same problem as I -- in maintaining interest. Perhaps these may be raw feeds that need a bit of editing -- with the whole left for those that want full access. And as I have suggested in several posts, some deeper probing, while considerate and sensitive to the fact that these are very personal stories, would be useful. For example, a Curtis type (Curtis, you are an archetype already!) examining the statements in an epistimological framework would be fascinating, IMO. And, bold claims, such as I experienced being the center of the universe deserve a bit more follow-up -- not just Gee that s great. Perhaps you can share the segments, experiences, ideas from the tapes that you found most interesting. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, mainstream20016 mainstream20...@... wrote: For more than two weeks I have repeatedly and closely listened to the BATGAP episodes via iTunes downloads via a portable iPod. The BATGAP episodes are a fascinating record of the personal histories and subjective perspectives of persons who have courage to publicly discuss permanently established positive shifts in awareness. Here-to-fore, an individual's declaration of a permanent shift in awareness called into question the validity of the experience. Rick Archer and the BATGAP interviewees promote egalitarian principles of experience and expression of higher states of awareness. BATGAP is a vehicle for positive cultural advancement by diminishing the influence of exploitive individuals and hierarchical institutions that for control purposes employ excessively exclusive principles of experience and expression by default and discourage members' advancement. -Mainstream --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, lurkernomore20002000 steve.sundur@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, tartbrain no_reply@ wrote: And the yahoo group -- I read a 20 or so posts. The posters are way into their heads -- it would appear from their posts. Dry expositions. While a small sample, i don't see the energy, vibrancy, life surging from their words. Hard to strike gold twice. FFL with all it's problems has some good edg (edge) and gets into some interesting discussions. But I think you've pretty well nailed this Buddha at the Gas Pump. And those interviews-I've only listened to the Foster's piece, but there wasn't much there to make me want to push on. Then again, I don't have time to do a lot of speculative exploring.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Smoke on the Water
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_re...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, do.rflex do.rflex@ wrote: Animation of ash cloud over Europe from Iceland's volcano: http://www2.dmu.dk/atmosphericenvironment/Vulkansky/dreameu_ani.gif Notice in this animation the one country not covered by the cloud. Some have suggested that this is because of the powerful Woo Woo emanating from Sitges. But I think it's because Penelope Cruz was seen sunbathing nude near here recently and no god in his right mind is going to let clouds force *her* to cover up. (How would clouds force her to cover up? Don't you mean to let clouds cover her up?) FWIW, as scary as it looks in the animations and on radar, the cloud is virtually invisible from the ground over Europe; it's very high up, and the particles are too tiny and too widely dispersed to be seen as a cloud--but they're still a serious threat to aircraft. (And they may well result in some spectacular sunsets.) This has been an advisory from: --THE CORRECTOR--
[FairfieldLife] Re: Starz's Spartacus
Indeed. Dino Valenti (IMO) basically ruined an incredible band with his ego-mad, semi-serviceable vocals. Nicky was a wonderful pianist but he was much to mellow to compete with Valenti or even to get Valenti to lighten up a bit. Valenti ended up writing practically all the material after that. All those incredible Bo Diddley jams and the brilliant tune The Fool from the first album. That's the QSM that I loved in concert and on record. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_re...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Joe geezerfreak@ wrote: Cippolina was a real master, way ahead of his time. Is he still around? Those Quicksilver concerts when they were a quartet with Gary Duncan, were incredible! As I see from Message View that Bhairitu posted, John died some time ago. I agree with you about the original quartet. Back when I and my college hippie friends were promoting rock concerts, Quicksilver was our favorite group to hire. And to party with. The dynamic between Cippolina and Gary Duncan (self-described as The Agony and the Ecstasy) was electric, and wonderful. None of the latter formations of Quicksilver (adding Dino Valenti and Nicky Hopkins) were as good. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu noozguru@ wrote: tartbrain wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu noozguru@ wrote: tartbrain wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu noozguru@ wrote: I had some email exchanges with Alan a few years back. He had claimed on his podcast that rock musicians of the 1960s didn't know that much about music (he claims to be a former profession songwriter). Au contraire, even people like Graham Parson had jazz backgrounds. Brian Wilson was also into jazz and composition. So were many of the well known rock stars I met and we used to compare notes. I particularly remember siting with some of the guys from the Greatful Dead at my house listening to John Cage. We were all music students that looked at the rock scene and thought hey we can write that stuff in our sleep! With all due respect to John Cage -- he broke a lot of boundaries, but the John Cage concert I went to -- was about 1000 record players each playing a different song, symphony opera, nature sound world music or spoken narrative. And John was there, but no visibly present. Probably walking around the audience -- who were walking among the record players. Or perhaps hiding behind a stage curtain -- I could have written that in my sleep. In fact I think I have a few times. Did you know Emil Richards and his cosmic micro tonal band? Paul Horn's friend. And a meditator of course. The Grateful Dead seemed to be sort of micro tonal -- tuning their guitars to some out there scale. And particularly QuickSilver live -- who I used to tell friends they played like you know, 100 dissonate notes and chords per second Or maybe they were just to far tripping to tune their guitars by standard means. And thanks for the Digital video insights I didn't know Emil Richards but did know Paul Horn. I knew the Quicksilver guys too. Lived next door to John Cipollina and Nicky Hopkins (who also played on a lot of the Beatles cuts as well as in The Rolling Stones). I like the breadth of Nicky Hopkins -- he was everywhere. I remember him from the Jeff Beck Group (with Rod Stewart -- when he was good :), Ronny Wood and of course Jeff Beck. And later with Jefferson Airplane -- and about everybody else. John Cipollina was amazing to watch live. And had the look of the archetypal hippie -- when the term was new and fresh -- tall, thin, long stringy hair, intense gaunt look, good and interesting guitarist. QS's Who Do You Love -- the greatest rock song ever recorded -- or played live. To create his distinctive guitar sound, Cipollina developed a one of a kind amplifier stack. His Gibson SG guitars had two pickups, one for bass and one for treble. The bass pickup fed into two Standel bass amps on the bottom of the stack, each equipped with two 15-inch speakers. The treble pickups fed two Fender amps: a Fender Twin Reverb with two 12-inch speakers and a Fender Dual Showman that drove six Wurlitzer horns. His style was highly melodic and expressive. Cipollina's classical past no doubt influenced his guitar style, which was miles beyond the usual pentatonic blues-scale work of many of the other psychedelic-era guitarists. His work on fellow dueling guitarist Gary Duncan's electric arrangement/adaption of Dave Brubeck's Take Five, retitled Gold and Silver, which
[FairfieldLife] Re: Gas Pump Blues
I had (and may continue, but I'm on pause right now) a very very long conversation with one of the BATGP folks, Dan, over months of time, and I took the tact that I would assume he was enlightened and just, you know, sincerely ask questions as if he were sorta a personal guru with whom I might have some rough and tumble debate and not be thought disrespectful. My intent was to see if I test his POV such that I could jam him into some corner and make him cry uncle, but the dude has bested me time and again, and I find myself pleased thereby. Because of that exchange, I definitely moved my philosophy a notch or two down the eveolutionary road. And not in any direction I ever expected to walk. Here's the start of that conversation I had with diswartz2 (Dan.) The thread starts out named as Questions, but my and Dan's dialogue is mostly under the title Compassion with daring. It shouldn't be too hard to click from riposte to riposte. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BuddhaAtTheGasPump/message/78 Also, I wrote this to Rick just days after the group started: Rick, Seeing as there are a lot more un-enlightened folks out there, I believe there's gold to mine by finding those who can debate that side of the concept with equal clarity about their non-freedom. Perhaps an excellent interview with a well adjusted non-seeker might be as instructive to listeners if you are able to go toe to toe with such folks and really attempt to drill down into their belief-sets -- if things go well, then the axioms of consciousness would emerge -- sez moi -- from the minds of even the most inveterate atheists. Such an interview might notch up audience membership if you can display a spiritually neutral intent to educate. If a more general audience is thusly served by showing them their own POVs defended vigorously, such an audience might be moved to closely examine their own conclusions which they may discover to have been adopted from their parents or early childhood environment without the prophylaxis of having an editor protecting their developing mind from untoward influx. To that end, I would suggest that Curtis Mailloux would be a wonderful guest for your show. Edg --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, tartbrain no_re...@... wrote: I think all of that is good. However, as stated, I have not found it very interesting, yet. I have not listened as extensively as you, and there may be great gems that I missed. However, others seem to be having the same problem as I -- in maintaining interest. Perhaps these may be raw feeds that need a bit of editing -- with the whole left for those that want full access. And as I have suggested in several posts, some deeper probing, while considerate and sensitive to the fact that these are very personal stories, would be useful. For example, a Curtis type (Curtis, you are an archetype already!) examining the statements in an epistimological framework would be fascinating, IMO. And, bold claims, such as I experienced being the center of the universe deserve a bit more follow-up -- not just Gee that s great. Perhaps you can share the segments, experiences, ideas from the tapes that you found most interesting. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, mainstream20016 mainstream20016@ wrote: For more than two weeks I have repeatedly and closely listened to the BATGAP episodes via iTunes downloads via a portable iPod. The BATGAP episodes are a fascinating record of the personal histories and subjective perspectives of persons who have courage to publicly discuss permanently established positive shifts in awareness. Here-to-fore, an individual's declaration of a permanent shift in awareness called into question the validity of the experience. Rick Archer and the BATGAP interviewees promote egalitarian principles of experience and expression of higher states of awareness. BATGAP is a vehicle for positive cultural advancement by diminishing the influence of exploitive individuals and hierarchical institutions that for control purposes employ excessively exclusive principles of experience and expression by default and discourage members' advancement. -Mainstream --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, lurkernomore20002000 steve.sundur@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, tartbrain no_reply@ wrote: And the yahoo group -- I read a 20 or so posts. The posters are way into their heads -- it would appear from their posts. Dry expositions. While a small sample, i don't see the energy, vibrancy, life surging from their words. Hard to strike gold twice. FFL with all it's problems has some good edg (edge) and gets into some interesting discussions. But I think you've pretty well nailed this Buddha at the Gas Pump. And those interviews-I've only listened to the Foster's piece, but there wasn't much there to make me want to push on. Then again, I don't have time to do a lot of speculative exploring.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Volcanic Ash Cloud Turns Out to Be Finale of Lost
Bhairitu: ancient Egypt with the sun obelisks which were of course phallic symbols because the king had to have a bigger dick than everyone else... An Egyptian stele or obelisk is a funery monument, not a phallic symbol. Ancient Egyptian obelisks are designed after the petrified rays of the sun and were associated with the sun god Ra. They are not phallic, in Egypt or in Rome. Obviously the talk show host is just making this up to make you think he knows something about the Egyptian religion. You probably thought the obelisk was a tantric symbol, right? Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Father Len Dubi: How TM enriches my religious life
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Carol jchwe...@... wrote: Tough cookie. Ha. Not sure about that, but I am putting on weight, becoming a larger cookie. ;-) I don't know how far you read the narrative and if you read about my dad. He was (and still is in memory), one tough cookie. After his wreck and subsequent quadriplegia, he continued to live (13 years) as fully as one can. I have a few stories on my blog about that. Even as type this I shake my head at how he faced that part of his life. And my mom too, as she was his main caretaker. I did read about that. Amazing. Bless 'em both. snip I agree with you that folks can become life time TB in a field and still maintain enough autonomy to be who they are and be happy. Those of us who succumb(ed) to the soul murder that totalistic groups can exact, do so for various reasons. Still the group holds some (much?) of the responsibility for that. Unquestionably. The group ought to do whatever it can to ensure that members *don't* create cultlike relationships with it. The TMO doesn't, unfortunately. It is something I continue to ponder on varying levels. When I first began to experience the cult-like behaviour of the anti-Way folks, I googled anti-cult cults and found the following link. Another Look at Scientology http://bernie.cncfamily.com/sc/site.htm Oh, yeah, Bernie. Good guy. More than a decade ago, a discussion on alt.religion.scientology about anticult groups was crossposted to alt.meditation.transcendental (maybe by Bernie, I don't remember, but he participated), where I was hanging out at the time. If you go to his home page, click on his Third Way section, and look under Moderate Participants and then Moderate Critics, you'll see a link to some posts of mine he's reproduced from that discussion. He and I had something of a mutual admiration society going. I've had no contact with him since, but I was glad to see just now that he's kept the site relatively current. It's really well done. After that, over the following couple years, I made all sorts of connections which led to all sorts of conversations (3-D and 2-D) and some books, of course. I was quite naive in regard to group dynamics, so it's been a learning process. Hopefully I've learned something! :-D You sound like you've learned more than most! I like the question posted on Arthur Diekman's site http://www.deikman.com/wrong.html of rather than asking, Is this group a cult? a more appropriate question may be, How much cult-like behaviour is going on here? Yes, excellent point. I don't want to come across like I am spamming my blogs. So I'm sharing the following link with some hesitancy. But because of the nature of the conversation, I'll pass it along. No one has to look or read it. :-D Folks have much more important living to do!! Yes! Following is a link where I am (slowly) penning some memoirs about what happened within that anti-Way world (3-D and 2-D). As I've been composing, the story has taken a turn (more than I've expected) of sharing my experiences with leaving The Way. It's becoming clearer and clearer to me how much of my Way mindset and expectations and naivety played into my responses in the anti world. Here is the link: ~as the forum turns~ http://exgreasespotter.wordpress.com/about-this-blog/ Thanks, if I have a chance I'll take a look. You sure are doing a lot of writing. As far as which I prefer, Judy or Carol. Hmm, I'm not sure. I used to prefer Carol. That said, I chose Judith Piper as a pen name for some poetry publications, when I first began to come out of my shell. I like the name Judith more than Judy. My given name is Judy, not Judith Ha, me too! ...so I adapted. ;-) I started using Judith as my official name when I went to college, but I'd been called Judy for so long that Judith sounded too stiff in an informal context. So I'm still Judy for most intents and purposes. O.K. I feel a bit self-conscious about sharing all that I've just shared. But I'll click 'send' anyway. Oh, heck, we do a lot of personal sharing here. Send away!
[FairfieldLife] Post Count
Fairfield Life Post Counter === Start Date (UTC): Sat Apr 17 00:00:00 2010 End Date (UTC): Sat Apr 24 00:00:00 2010 128 messages as of (UTC) Mon Apr 19 00:02:42 2010 26 tartbrain no_re...@yahoogroups.com 15 TurquoiseB no_re...@yahoogroups.com 14 authfriend jst...@panix.com 10 yifuxero yifux...@yahoo.com 9 Bhairitu noozg...@sbcglobal.net 6 Hugo fintlewoodle...@mail.com 5 curtisdeltablues curtisdeltabl...@yahoo.com 5 WillyTex willy...@yahoo.com 5 Carol jchwe...@gmail.com 4 nablusoss1008 no_re...@yahoogroups.com 4 lurkernomore20002000 steve.sun...@sbcglobal.net 4 Duveyoung no_re...@yahoogroups.com 4 do.rflex do.rf...@yahoo.com 3 Joe geezerfr...@yahoo.com 2 m 13 meowthirt...@yahoo.com 2 cardemaister no_re...@yahoogroups.com 2 Sal Sunshine salsunsh...@lisco.com 2 Mike Dixon mdixon.6...@yahoo.com 1 mainstream20016 mainstream20...@yahoo.com 1 Vaj vajradh...@earthlink.net 1 I am the eternal l.shad...@gmail.com 1 Dick Mays dickm...@lisco.com 1 AnkhAton ankha...@yahoo.com 1 Alex Stanley j_alexander_stan...@yahoo.com Posters: 24 Saturday Morning 00:00 UTC Rollover Times = Daylight Saving Time (Summer): US Friday evening: PDT 5 PM - MDT 6 PM - CDT 7 PM - EDT 8 PM Europe Saturday: BST 1 AM CEST 2 AM EEST 3 AM Standard Time (Winter): US Friday evening: PST 4 PM - MST 5 PM - CST 6 PM - EST 7 PM Europe Saturday: GMT 12 AM CET 1 AM EET 2 AM For more information on Time Zones: www.worldtimezone.com
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Volcanic Ash Cloud Turns Out to Be Finale of Lost
WillyTex wrote: Bhairitu: ancient Egypt with the sun obelisks which were of course phallic symbols because the king had to have a bigger dick than everyone else... An Egyptian stele or obelisk is a funery monument, not a phallic symbol. Ancient Egyptian obelisks are designed after the petrified rays of the sun and were associated with the sun god Ra. They are not phallic, in Egypt or in Rome. Not phallic? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obelisk
[FairfieldLife] Re: Gas Pump Blues
What I can't figure out is, who would really want to talk about themselves like this? It's kind of like talking about your sex life. It's sort of personal thing. Sometimes these types of experiences come up in conversations here, but usually as side bar, not the main dish. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_re...@... wrote: Gotta agree. I love the concept of the project, but I've been bored senseless by the people themselves, for almost exactly the reasons tartbrain puts into words so well below. As for the Yahoo discussion group, way into their heads is too kind. One visit was enough. I can't see most people on the street viewing these interviews and seeing that much difference between Buddhas at the Gas Pump and Bubba at the Gas Pump. That said, I look forward to other interviews, in the hope that one or more of them will stand out. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, tartbrain no_reply@ wrote: I started to watch the 4 videos on you tube -- an then sampled the audios on the blog -- listening to segments of about 10 contributors. While all nice people, there was not much compelling material in the hour of so I listened. Certainly there could be great gems hidden in the material I passed over. But I got bored with most. Perhaps an unfair parallel, but the energy, tone, insights, vibrancy, love for the universe, cascading love for others was not there. It was as if I could have been listening to a show on people who found Jesus. They may have had and are having a transformational experience. But its not apparent how it has really affected their lives in deep and profound ways. I came away thinking, I wouldn't spend much time on what ever they are doing -- the value is not manifesting in their lives. Similar to my impressions of those testifying for Jesus. They may be having profound experiences -- being he center of the universe and all. These experiences may actually be real -- though there is a large distance in establishing that -- for themselves and for any listeners. Not that they have to prove anything. But I have friends who experienced the same with psychedelics -- center of the universe, egoless states and all. I am not sure that was real, not sure that it wasn't. But they did not do much with the experience. It may have shifted them in good ways. The experienced of egolessness is profound and can be lasting. But it was not transformational in the sense of some blazing persons I know or have been with. But these Pump people, have little of the -- and this is hard to articulate -- vibrancy of life, humor, quickness of mind, flowing insights, shakti, glow, spontenaity that others I know, have seen, have. For the latter, I am inspired by them to obtain what they have. From the Pump people, I have no aspiration to obtain what they have -- from what I have heard thus far. And these things I listed are outer things, perhaps superficial, and meaningless with regards to inner states. however, I know the THING -- it may be weak and transitory -- but I think we all know the clarity, energy, clearness that can come from that THING. and I have seen the THING ripely manifest in others. And I don't see it much in these people. And the yahoo group -- I read a 20 or so posts. The posters are way into their heads -- it would appear from their posts. Dry expositions. While a small sample, i don't see the energy, vibrancy, life surging from their words.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Gas Pump Blues
On Apr 18, 2010, at 7:24 PM, lurkernomore20002000 wrote: What I can't figure out is, who would really want to talk about themselves like this? It's kind of like talking about your sex life. It's sort of personal thing. Sometimes these types of experiences come up in conversations here, but usually as side bar, not the main dish. Maybe their sex lives will be the subject of the next set of interviews. Stay tuned. Sal
[FairfieldLife] Re: Gas Pump Blues
I guess you've got something about Saturday nights, Richard. I am guessing that you must have sensitive about it in junior high school, and not having plans on that night. Fortunately, Richard we are at least, chrnologically past that point in our lives, and we may, or may not have plans on Saturday night, and that's just plain, alright. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, WillyTex willy...@... wrote: lurker: Then again, I don't have time to do a lot of speculative exploring... Well, you seem to have had time to post to FFL on Saturday night! LOL!
[FairfieldLife] Re: Look on the bright side.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, m 13 meowthirt...@... wrote: Cities promote monkey mind. Little itty bitty towns have peace and bliss that promotes serenity. My opinion. Oh yea. This is definitely the case. How one raises kids etc. has nothing to do with it. Itty bitty towns are just magical, idyllic, paradise - almost entirely devoid of problems. (?)
[FairfieldLife] Re: Gas Pump Blues
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Duveyoung no_re...@... wrote: I had (and may continue, but I'm on pause right now) a very very long conversation with one of the BATGP folks, Dan, over months of time, and I took the tact that I would assume he was enlightened and just, you know, sincerely ask questions as if he were sorta a personal guru with whom I might have some rough and tumble debate and not be thought disrespectful. My intent was to see if I test his POV such that I could jam him into some corner and make him cry uncle, but the dude has bested me time and again, and I find myself pleased thereby. Because of that exchange, I definitely moved my philosophy a notch or two down the eveolutionary road. And not in any direction I ever expected to walk. Here's the start of that conversation I had with diswartz2 (Dan.) The thread starts out named as Questions, but my and Dan's dialogue is mostly under the title Compassion with daring. It shouldn't be too hard to click from riposte to riposte. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BuddhaAtTheGasPump/message/78 Also, I wrote this to Rick just days after the group started: Rick, Seeing as there are a lot more un-enlightened folks out there, I believe there's gold to mine by finding those who can debate that side of the concept with equal clarity about their non-freedom. Perhaps an excellent interview with a well adjusted non-seeker might be as instructive to listeners if you are able to go toe to toe with such folks and really attempt to drill down into their belief-sets -- if things go well, then the axioms of consciousness would emerge -- sez moi -- from the minds of even the most inveterate atheists. Such an interview might notch up audience membership if you can display a spiritually neutral intent to educate. If a more general audience is thusly served by showing them their own POVs defended vigorously, such an audience might be moved to closely examine their own conclusions which they may discover to have been adopted from their parents or early childhood environment without the prophylaxis of having an editor protecting their developing mind from untoward influx. To that end, I would suggest that Curtis Mailloux would be a wonderful guest for your show. Edg --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, tartbrain no_reply@ wrote: I think all of that is good. However, as stated, I have not found it very interesting, yet. I have not listened as extensively as you, and there may be great gems that I missed. However, others seem to be having the same problem as I -- in maintaining interest. Perhaps these may be raw feeds that need a bit of editing -- with the whole left for those that want full access. And as I have suggested in several posts, some deeper probing, while considerate and sensitive to the fact that these are very personal stories, would be useful. For example, a Curtis type (Curtis, you are an archetype already!) examining the statements in an epistimological framework would be fascinating, IMO. And, bold claims, such as I experienced being the center of the universe deserve a bit more follow-up -- not just Gee that s great. Perhaps you can share the segments, experiences, ideas from the tapes that you found most interesting. Thanks Edg / Duveyong. I did read the first thread -- long one (I think it was first -- ) and it is good. D has a very gentle and kind air about him. So -- my small sample yesterday has been further filled out -- and there certainly is some good material at the Pump. I can't vouch for all of it, certainly some is not my cup of tea -- but not much is. If I got the theme of the thread, it is about resistance and as i would term it -- in life, letting go of having to have it my way, letting go of expectations, letting go of what is possible, letting go of limits (which is not oh just think positive -- quite different). Essentially taking as it comes in a total way. Taking it to extremes, which I think what D is actually suggesting, is not a picnic. Its fundamentally letting go of fear of survival. or letting go of avoidance of humiliation. Not D's words -- but my take on them. But it really is a mode of transcendence -- and we long ago bought into that. I have not read Carol's story, but I get bits and pieces from other posts. While not much of a jyotish fan, I do like the symbolism and adjectives it brings to language. I sense it was a Saturn type of time (not necessarily literally, in your chart) in that many things slowly got rolled over and crushed as if by a huge huge slowly rolling ball. Or seared out of you. I can relate -- all can I am sure -- (unless you have had a totally blessed an sheltered life) -- I have had something parallel, probably way less intense -- but still quite serious. A series of events, losses, crushings -- not all necessarily painfully -- some like losing something and actually feeling
[FairfieldLife] Re: Gas Pump Blues
Dude, you've got more big words here than we've heard in a long time. I pretty much bailed after the first sentence. But based on what seems to be your very dry and academic assessment, I can see where these accounts would have been right up your alley.. -- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, mainstream20016 mainstream20...@... wrote: For more than two weeks I have repeatedly and closely listened to the BATGAP episodes via iTunes downloads via a portable iPod. The BATGAP episodes are a fascinating record of the personal histories and subjective perspectives of persons who have courage to publicly discuss permanently established positive shifts in awareness. Here-to-fore, an individual's declaration of a permanent shift in awareness called into question the validity of the experience. Rick Archer and the BATGAP interviewees promote egalitarian principles of experience and expression of higher states of awareness. BATGAP is a vehicle for positive cultural advancement by diminishing the influence of exploitive individuals and hierarchical institutions that for control purposes employ excessively exclusive principles of experience and expression by default and discourage members' advancement. -Mainstream --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, lurkernomore20002000 steve.sundur@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, tartbrain no_reply@ wrote: And the yahoo group -- I read a 20 or so posts. The posters are way into their heads -- it would appear from their posts. Dry expositions. While a small sample, i don't see the energy, vibrancy, life surging from their words. Hard to strike gold twice. FFL with all it's problems has some good edg (edge) and gets into some interesting discussions. But I think you've pretty well nailed this Buddha at the Gas Pump. And those interviews-I've only listened to the Foster's piece, but there wasn't much there to make me want to push on. Then again, I don't have time to do a lot of speculative exploring.
[FairfieldLife] Cherry Blossom Festival in San Francisco
After having breakfast at a Thai restaurant near the Ocean Beach, I decided to visit the Japanese Center. When I got there, I realized that today was the Cherry Blossom Festival. There was a parade of organization members of the Japanese community, including a float of the annual festival queen and princesses. The parade was highlighted by a Buddhist organization's palanquin of a temple ark of some sort. There were two half naked guys riding the palanquin who were leading the members and carriers in a ecstatic chant, equivalent to a football cheer in a football stadium. As the palanquin prodeeded some members of the group started started spraying water to everyone in the crowd. Some of spray got into me. I supposed that the water was a good thing, a symbolic spring rite of passage. The center today was a hub of activity. At the main plaza, there were store booths and a beergarten, just like those of the Northwest spring and summer festivals. For anyone visiting the city, he or she should attend this festival to celebrate the days of spring, along with the various sites and activities that are available here. JR
[FairfieldLife] Housing and the End of Upward Mobility in the U.S.
http://seekingalpha.com/article/199135-housing-and-the-end-of-upward-mobility-in-the-u-s Love will swallow you, eat you up completely, until there is no `you,' only love. - Amma
[FairfieldLife] Mirror Image?
From the NYT, April 19, 2010: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/19/world/asia/19swami.html?hp
