Licking my wounds

The simple fact is, if you throw spears at people who try to help, you will reach a point at which there will be no more offers of help from anybody.

049 "AMBER ALERT"

049 "AMBER ALERT" please read!

The Holographic Universe

Proposition:
Each sentient creature lives in a universe of their own, sharing that universe with the reflections of other sentient creatures beyond their own universe.

Is the universe of a given creature generated by their own awareness? or something beyond themselves?

Does a given creature exercise supremacy in their own universe?

Discuss

A couple of thought experiments

Eternity

Imagine yourself in space, far enough above the plane of the ecliptic that you can see the Earth majestically turning beneath your feet.

Now, where you are in space, is it day or night?

Infinity

Imagine that your entire world, everything that is, can be mapped onto the surface of a ball, and you are standing on that ball. You can explore the surface of the ball in any direction, but the further you travel, the smaller you become in relation to the size of the ball.

Is it possible to explore the entire surface of the ball?

Childhood's End

Someday we are going to discover that we are not the Cat's Meow of the universe, we are going to wake up in a world that is acknowledged to be only one of many occupied worlds in the Milky Way galaxy. Perhaps this will happen in my lifetime, perhaps not. But I am certain it will happen. When it does, what will it mean for you? I recommend you start thinking about this today.

Yes, the study of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and extraterrestrial biological entities (EBEs) attracts a huge number of people with strange beliefs. But for many of those people, their beliefs are no stranger than the experiences that led them to those beliefs. If the emotionally and mentally unstable were the only examples we had, we would be justified in doubting their veracity, but I urge you to set aside an hour or two to listen to some of the presentations recorded by the Disclosure Project, presentations by civilian and military aircrew, air traffic controllers, NASA retirees, and even NASA astronauts. If you have only a few minutes, the physicist, Stanton Friedman, deserves listening to on the subject of how information has been withheld and knowledge denied by the United States government.

Yes, some of the things that the U.S. government has concealed were matters of national security and secrecy is justified, but not I think, for all cases. Change is coming and we need to be ready.

Night, Day, Before, After

From the surface of the planet, it is undeniable that day follows night. But from as little as one astronomical unit above the plane of the ecliptic, it becomes clear that day and night are the product of the planet's shape, something experienced only by the inhabitants on the surface of the planet.

If you can grasp that concept, you are ready to proceed to the beginning of understanding what eternity is:

There is no then, no now. There only is. When a Christian prays in the words of the Lord's Prayer "Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven" they are asking that the completed, perfected state of the eternal kingdom be reflected on Earth. Now, is it possible, for a domain changing with time to truly reflect the changeless, perfect eternal? how might this prayer be answered?

What is the Internet good for?

I don't suppose many people have ever asked themselves that. But I find myself increasingly including links to other people's articles, or sites that I have found interesting, and which deal with the topic under discussion.
In ways never before possible, the Internet offers the means to share, and debate knowledge.
On my own blog I present musical resources in the hope of encouraging readers to find their own musical voice, but in the telling of my stories, I also try to include as much relevant background information as possible.
Yes, there is a lot of unreliable information out there, but if we compare notes, and share what we have found to be true, perhaps in time we can outweigh the poorer-quality information. And have fun doing it, after all, human beings are nothing if not sociable creatures. And I believe that is one of the reasons sharing information is so important to us.
Which came first, sharing knowledge, or sociability? I think one provided the means to the other.

Land of My Fathers

Normally, when I'm feeling the pressure I request a lighter assignment and get something like a visit to the Music Hall, or my recent jaunt to report on the Commedia dell'Arte, so this time around I was rather surprised to get a briefing to join a train taking evacuee children from London to comparative safety in Wales at the height of the Battle of Britain!

It's just as well I arrived with time to spare before the train leaves. I had just settled down in the little Lyons Tea Shop across the way with a pot of tea and two slices of toast when the air raid siren started up. I had no idea which way to go and I think one of the waitresses must have seen the bewildered look on my face. She just seized me by the arm with a "Come along, Madam" and dragged me fifty yards down the street to the entrance to the Tube where we joined the throng hustling to get down out of the way of the bombs.

We didn't have long to wait, there was a descending whistle and the platform beneath my feet trembled a fraction before I heard the terrifying BANG! from somewhere overhead. At least I wasn't the only one who screamed. Then a stout fellow in tweed jacket and circular glasses stood up, took the pipe out of his mouth and announced in stentorian tones "Nothin' to worry about. Missed us by a mile!"

By my watch it was about twenty-five minutes before the "all-clear" sounded and we all started making our way back up to street level. Everything seemed more-or-less as it had when we went down; doorways still sandbagged, windows still taped, but about five hundred yards down the street, what had been a department store was now a gaping shell. The roof, floors and windows all destroyed by the blast, and the street littered with rubble and fragments. Already a couple of Bobbies were putting up barricades blocking traffic from the corner. And I had five minutes to retrieve my suitcase from Lyons and scoot across to Paddington Station to find the platform where my train should be waiting.

It seems so British that only a few minutes after the streets have been bombed from the air by Nazi aircraft, there are enthusiastic young boys running down the platform with notebooks and pencils in hand to jot down the details of the locomotives. And not far behind them, a small crowd of children aged between five and fifteen, loaded down with suitcases, knapsacks, and gas masks in cardboard boxes, and labels on string around their necks are being shepherded along by a handful of older women.

Once the train gets under way, at first children are running to-and-fro but things gradually quiet down, until we are joined at Ealing Broadway station by more evacuee children than I would have thought possible. It seems as if we have to stop at every one of the stations along the way, and at the larger ones, there are servicemen and women either boarding or leaving the train. As we approach Swindon, a group of boys further down the carriage is excitedly discussing the possibility that we might catch a glimpse of the major locomotive engineering works

We're only a couple of minutes out of Swindon when the train slows down and inches forward, then there is a loud bang, and one of the little girls starts crying. One of the older boys is trying to reassure her that it was only a detonator on the line to warn the workmen carrying out repairs as he guides her along the carriage to be comforted by the older lady sitting in the seat across the aisle from me.

She begins to sing a soothing lullaby to her young charge:

Before long, the girl who was so upset a few minutes before is curled up beside her chaperone and sleeping peacefully while some of the older girls are staring in amazement at the huge expanses of green fields passing by, and I take a few minutes to get to know my travelling companion, from whom I copied the song reproduced above.

Her name is Mrs.Reese, and she has relatives on her husband's side of the family in Wales, with whom she, and her two daughters will be staying.

Railhead!

Railway enthusiasts may like to follow these links (if you haven't already bookmarked them and explored them down to the last sleeper!)

Railways in England

Museum of the Great Western Railway (the G.W.R. aka God's Wonderful Railway)

The British National Railway Museum at York.

The written content of this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

Twain Shalle Be One Flessh

• I should have listened to Mooder. You're never going to putte thatte bookcase up, are you?


• Oh leve yt out! They're not doing any harme here, are they?


• How am I ever going to ynvite anyboddie in for a coffee? they take one looke and see your pile of books and the next thinge they're askynge me if I can rede theryn. As yf!


• Alright, I'll go have a word with Giles Forrester about getting some plankes and stuff


• No, on seconde thoghts! You just move them into your studdie so I've got somewhere to put dinner.


• Alright sweetherte. What we having tonight?


• You aske me thatte everich night and I tell you the same thinge everich night. Pottage.


• Againe? Butte faith! yt ys the thrid night thys weeke we've hadde pottage. What do you spend the houskeepyng on?


• Verily! I sholde mak you doe the shoppynge then maybe you'll see how farre five pense farthinge goes

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something completely irrational

LoraSprouls has picked the subject of 5 superstitions for this week's Friday Five. So, am I superstitious? I would like to think not. After all, there are very sound practical reasons for:

• not walking under a ladder (some historians of superstitious beliefs tell us that in times gone by, summary justice was sometimes arranged by lynching an offender under a ladder!)
• a four-leafed clover will bring good luck (of course! they are rare enough, you can flog it for a small fortune on Ebay!)
• fingernail cuttings should be saved, burned or buried (this goes back to some of the very oldest magical beliefs: bodily fragments such as fingernails, hair, or teeth can be incorporated into spells to affect a person).
  

But what about some less obvious superstitions?

• Step on a crack; break your mother's back (? In my experience children tend to be backbreaking no matter where they step. It's all about clothing hung up on the floor, toys left scattered; is there anything more painful than a Lego brick on the stairs in the dark?)
• If your ears burn, someone is talking about you.

How about this for an encyclopedic list of superstitions?

Postscript:
I thought about this while commenting on somebody else's blog. Musical instruments have souls; treat your instrument with the same care and attention you would treat your lover, and when it can no longer be played or repaired, consider its feelings when deciding what to do with it.

In an age before Playstations and Wiis

The group's topic for this week is Childhood Entertainment. Which in my case could mean bike riding, making model houses, painting, and generally getting under Mom's feet. But I'd rather sit and watch TV when there was anything worth watching. (When I was younger, a lot of the time, the TV was just showing the "test card" aka trade test transmission).

I never realized until years afterward, how big a part music played in my childhood, and how important it was to me.
The music that I loved included:

• Camberwick Green which included:

• Belle et Sebastien
• Robinson Crusoe
• Doctor Who
• UFO

I think that last one is particuarly appropriate to end my Friday Five for this week. In the original show it was accompanied by a view of the Earth, dwindling in the distance.
Don't worry. I will be back.

Humility

Our universe is vast. From a human perspective, the possibilities for learning are almost limitless.
Part of humility is seeing so much, and doing so little. Even if you can see so much more that could be done, humility is doing what you are called to do.

The Word of doG

1. In the beginning was Nothing, verily, not even a dish for food.
2. And doG barked. And the Nothing brought forth the Great Big Ball.
3. And doG barked again. And the Great Big Ball brought forth trees and lamp-posts, and fire-hydrants and a multitude of interesting smells.
4. And doG barked, saying "Let there be Lady dogs and Gentleman dogs, and let them sniff each other's behinds, and multiply, and be fruitful, that the Great Big Ball shall be full of waggy tails".
   

Paradise, whither?

Every year, at about this time, I mourn the paradise I remember from so long ago. There was no casting out. Only an inevitable journey. With every year, I seem to be further from the paradise I remember, and yet, the door to everything that really matters to me is deep within my own spirit.

I am reckoned, broadly, to be numbered in the wealthiest 1% of the world's population. I have abundant food, a comfortable home, my own personal transport, more than one computer, and obviously, internet and telephone communications.

But I don't own my soul.

I made no pact with the devil. But I sold my soul to my creator, who is best able to keep it. And I receive in return? reconciliation. The assurance that someday I will return to that paradise that now is only a memory, never again to leave.

What venture, Master Wilbye?

Was John Wilbye a courier for Sir Thomas Kytson, conveying secret messages in preparation for an English revolution? as part of my efforts to find an answer, I obtained an astrological chart for Master Wilbye. Before continuing, learn more (and sample Master Wilbye's music) in my blog.


Sun in Aquarius:

In this house, the Sun giveth his Glory to thought and art. The native is an artist, or musician perhaps? or in these changing times, even a playwright? This position speaketh that the native is capable of astonishing surprises.

Mercury in Aquarius:
Mercury, planet of the mind, is swayed by the Uranus, master of invention and cunning works. The native may have moments of uncommon inspiration, or a philosophical talent.

Venus in Aries:
Venus in the house ruled by fiery Mars. The native hath great lust and fiery passion. These virtues may show in bed, or in his calling, though he should take pains to govern them closely.

Mars in Scorpio:
He is driven by passions and desires, hath great stamina, a strong will, and the determination to achieve whatsoever his heart conceiveth. Thus would this be a good aspect for an intelligencer, or intriguer.

Jupiter in Taurus:
This aspect reinforceth the meaning of the Sun in Aquarius before mentioned; the subject is an easy friend, companionable and generous.

Saturn in Scorpio:
Saturn, the planet of steadfastness, indicateth in this house that the subject is not only sturdy in various ways, but capable of great efforts.

Uranus in Capricorn:
Uranus, the planet of innovation visiteth the house of Saturn, whose talent is for structure and method. This suggests that the native will be involved in some way in generating novel ideas and making things heretofore unseen. Again, a good confirmation of the aspect of the Sun in Aquarius before mentioned.

Neptune in Gemini:
Primarily a planet of inspiration, Neptune is most likely to manifest in literature or poetry, since Mercury, prince of Gemini, is the planet that governeth the mind and speech or letters.

Conjunction Moon-Venus, orb = 02°28'
Both the Moon and Venus are planets of water. For a female nativity, this giveth womanly virtue; in a male nativity, a natural understanding of women and ease of relating with them. The male should be ware of foppish fancies. This aspect speaketh also of an affinity with the world of faerie whereof I will speak no more.

Opposition Mars-Jupiter, orb = 05°36'
The aspect giveth the native great lust, daring, and love of adventure. The soul seeketh action, and can be industrious as the bee. The native doth all things in large measure. This aspect may transpose the Jupiterian need for expansion into journeying abroad.

Opposition Jupiter-Saturn, orb = 09°07'
Jupiter and Saturn bear incarnate opposite sets of values. Outbearing Jupiter seeketh the prominence, and doth venture all. Melancholie Saturn favours caution and seeketh not the companie of others. The native must reconcile the twain or hazard their wits, but mark! if the native masters the opposing forces of both, they will be driver of their own chariot (witness even Master Shakespeare whose stars bode even so).

Trine Sun-Mars, orb = 07°49'
This trine giveth the subject mastery of himself, and thereby of all about him.

Square Mercury-Mars, orb = 03°48'
This matching of Mars and Mercury giveth a lively wit if the subject let not the smoak of Mars' fire cloud his eyes. It giveth also a lively tongue, and thereto should heed be paid.

Sextile Sun-Uranus, orb = 03°39'
Herewith the Sun lendeth his Glory to cunning Uranus. The native of this aspect hath quick wits but also tendeth to secret knowledge. It may also be that Fate will play a fickle game with him, granting now favour, now falling. The native would do well to heed the lesson of Prometheus, though he fancy he may fare where others have failed, he should beware lest he offend.

Sextile Venus-Neptune, orb = 04°40'
While Venus and Neptune dance thus in the heavens, the native will bear many gentle traits. Music and art will be meat and drink to them, and they will seek ways to bless their fellows, but failing, lest they pay heed to make substance of their dreaming.

The goal is not the goal

I saw something this evening.
In his famous prayer, Saint Francis wisely said that;

It is in dying that we are born to eternal life

We cannot grasp the Kingdom of Heaven. It is only when we do not try, when we "Let go, and let God" that we receive grace.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery* to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.

(Phil.2:5-7.)

Buddhists believe that the absence of desire is the first step in achieving enlightenment. The harder we try, the less we achieve. The goal is not the goal.

*The Greek text could be translated as "considered it not something to be grasped".

All the time in the world

To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.

I received a message this morning.
The message was sent by me, but not by me.
By me in the past.
Time really is not a simple progression of cause and effect, but an infinitely complicated web, past, future and apparent present all inextricably linked.
Time did not "begin", will not "end". It came into being without beginning or end.

Are You With Us or Against Us

Entry for June 24, 2007
Whether you are homosexual or not, you should repost this in support of your friends and loved ones who are. Love is not defined by color, creed, or gender.


I am the boy who never finished high school, because I got called a fag everyday

I am the girl kicked out of her home because I confided in my mother that I am a lesbian.

I am the prostitute working the streets because nobody will hire a transsexual woman.

I am the sister who holds her gay brother tight through the painful, tear-filled nights.

We are the parents who buried our daughter long before her time.

I am the man who died alone in the hospital because they would not let my partner of twenty-seven years into the room.

I am the foster child who wakes up with nightmares of being taken away from the two fathers who are the only loving family I have ever had. I wish they could adopt me.

I am not one of the lucky ones. I killed myself just weeks before graduating high school. It was simply too much to bear.

We are the couple who had the realtor hang up on us when she found out we wanted to rent a one-bedroom for two men.

I am the person who never knows which bathroom I should use if I want to avoid getting the management called on me.

I am the mother who is not allowed to even visit the children I bore, nursed, and raised. The court says I am an unfit mother because I now live with another woman.

I am the domestic-violence survivor who found the support system grow suddenly cold and distant when they found out my abusive partner is also a woman.

I am the domestic-violence survivor who has no support system to turn to because I am male.

I am the father who has never hugged his son because I grew up afraid to show affection to other men.

I am the home-economics teacher who always wanted to teach gym until someone told me that only lesbians do that.

I am the woman who died when the EMTs stopped treating me as soon as they realized I was transsexual.

I am the person who feels guilty because I think I could be a much better person if I didnt have to always deal with society hating me.

I am the man who stopped attending church, not because I don't believe, but because they closed their doors to my kind.

I am the person who has to hide what this world needs most, love.

I am the person ashamed to tell my own friends im a lesbian, because they constantly make fun of them.

I am the boy tied to a fence, beaten to a bloody pulp and left to die because two straight men wanted to "teach me a lesson"


---IF YOU BELIEVE THAT HOMOPHOBIA IS WRONG... REPOST THIS

---IF YOU ARE IGNORANT... IGNORE

Double helix

This is not about Watson and Crick, and not an attempt to be funny.

I get messages from time to time. Usually a bit cryptic. "Double helix" is the latest. The implication is something powerful, and intertwined. The potency relates to the intertwining.

Does this relate to the letter from my son a few days ago? not sure. Only time will tell.

OK, double helix: think of the caduceus - the physician's symbol, two snakes entwined around the staff of Mercury, an ancient symbol of healing. Yes, our genetic material takes the form of a double-helical molecular structure but I get the feeling that the meaning here is not that simple (seldom is, anyway).

Look at the helices from another angle: above. The two helices make a circle. We are ONE. One is STRONG. There is no end to the circle. The circle is complete. But the circle (in this case) is only weaker unless both the helices are present.

How can I do the best for my child?

After some trial and error (I've reared my own, and some grandkids) I have learned a few things that work. And some that don't.

Treat your children as intelligent people. They may not understand all the terms you would use with an adult, so simplify things to a point that they can understand, but answer their questions truthfully to the best of your ability. If there's something you're not sure of, admit it: sometimes they'll suggest an explanation that makes sense within the framework of their own understanding. Listen to what they tell you, you will learn from it!

Join them in their world. When they invite you into their games, participate as much as you are able. Let them lead as much as they want, and take the lead when they let you. (If!).

Be dependable. When you promise to do something, do it. If you promise to do it on a particular day, or at a particular time, do it. Of course there will be times when you can't keep that promise, Explain why you can't keep the promise, but do all you can to keep as much of the promise as possible. If you have to do what you promised at a later time, make that an agreement with your child. If you have to do something different with your child instead, make that an agreement with your child.

Show your child that you love them. Hug them. Make time to play with them. Read to them. Sing to them. Listen when they want to talk to you. Yes, parents are always busy, but even if you cannot stop what you are doing, spare a little of your attention for them. Don't try to buy your child's affection. Toys, sweets and treats will get you a reputation as an easy touch, but you won't have the depth of relationship with your child that will endure for years, through good times and bad. And more importantly, your child will eventually realize that they are missing something vital.