Preference and Culture

Introduction

In our present society, there are few educated individuals who will make the argument that a person's Preference is either moral or immoral. This belief has become so deeply imbedded in the philosophies of certain people, that the term Preference or preferencial is now almost synonymous with amoral. For instance, if someone were to state that HomoSexuality were immoral or unethical, one could respond, HomoSexuality is a Preference, just like HeteroSexuality. Neither is inherently good or bad, as they are decisions that do not cause tragedies or atrocities. Yet, this is an example of the modern sexual attitude responding to other cultural superstitions. Another example would be someone claiming that strawberries are immoral to eat, and another may respond, If a person's diet includes strawberries or bananas, or apples, or any fruit, it is only a question of Preference, and certainly does not enter the realm of Ethics. And by Preference, I mean that it is something that a person finds appeal to. It is thus believed that a person is not good or bad if he finds more beauty in the stars than he does in the sunrize, that a person is neither of rich or poor character if his heart is warmed most when among friends and least when among strangers -- a person is not good or bad for the food that they find to taste the best, because that is their Preference. That is the subject of this piece of writing.

A Foundation For Right And Wrong

It is not difficult to discern from the introduction that I used the least controversial topics when saying that Preference is amoral. There are some moral philosophers who will go to the extent to say that every action is amoral, and simply a matter of Preference. Then, there are those theologians and moralists who argue what qualifies as Preference, and what qualifies as an act of imMorality. For instance, in the Introduction, I gave an example of an act of Preference by citing H omoSexuality. Even today, in our very prejudiced times, it would seem that the population will not agree that this is almost wholly Preference. There are moralists who will claim that HomoSexuality is an abomination, an act of indecency and wholly immoral. Similarly, though it may be a bit of amusement, I would not be entirely shocked to find a philosopher who believed it was immoral to prefer the taste of an orange over the taste of an apple. I believe, though, as far as my moral philosophy supports, that a person's Preference to HomoSexuality or HeteroSexuality is equalled to a person's Preference to the taste of oranges or the taste of apples. My essential philosophy in matters of Ethics can be found in numerous of my pieces. Simply put: I believe that an action which causes suffering is immoral. Just one look upon this sentence alone is enough to raise one hundred doubts, and for each one, one thousand questions accompanied by hypothetical scenarios. It is not m y intent to prove this thesis in this paper, though I have intentions to fully elaborate upon it with evidence and answering arguments in a longer piece. The purpose of this essay is simply to understand the concept of Preference and the concept of Culture, as they relate to Morality and Freethought.

Culture -- A Preference

Among those of us who may be referred to as the Underground -- the various assortment of squatters, people versus corporation shoplifters, urban guerillas, protestors, activists, reformist writers, political and social dissidents -- the Culture seems radically different than that of modern society. The Communists, for instance, differ greatly from the mainstream, in that we do not believe in the bourgeoise right to property (or, in other words, the idea that one man may become rich by the labor of another). Animal Rights activists differ in that they believe in the right of all conscious beings on the right to life. All of these subsects o f the Underground differ from the mainstream in their political agenda, as do those who work for drug policy reform, those who work against foreign sweat shops, Civil Rights activists, among others. These are the obvious differences that constitute these groups in their own particular ways. Yet, still, there are cultural differences, sometimes leading from their ideology and sometimes not -- or, a particular individual of this subsect adopted a cultural attribute, and it soon followed suit with others of that group. For instance, Communists are notorious for using the word comrad in addressing each other, but it was first used in the late 19th century as an alternative to Sir, Mister, Madam, Misses, or Miss, in that a person was recognized not as a male or female, but as a person. It cannot be denied that these Communists were Feminists, believing that a person's gender does not determine the content of their heart. But believing this was not enough, so the distinction in titles between males and females (an arbitrary distinction) was entirely removed from the Culture of the Communists.

The example that I draw from the Communists is perhaps the best. However, today it is almost uniform for a Communist to refer to another Communist as comrad. The Culture of Animal Rights activists, though, may differ from group to group, or even from individual to individual. I have talked with friends about using a word that would simply indicate a conscious being, because that is the only object of our belief in justice. Scientifically, using the words animal, or creature, would be inaccurate, as jelly fish show little signs of consciousness, yet they fill the prerequisite of being an animal. These are only examples of Culture, though. Ultimately, the Culture of the members of these Underground groups varies drastically from the main stream, but only in varying degrees from one another. The essential premise is this... Culture is something t o enrich our lives, allowing us everyday to become more aware of art, creativity, and ingenuinity, but Culture is not a substitute or alternative to a code of Ethics; it is only a result of the rise of an independent civilization.

Centuries of repression of the sex act -- of the most natural instinct of any organism -- has led all Freethinkers to hold different opinions on this matter, every one regarded by the society as a heresy. Those who conformed to the rules of society, at the first sight of a gentle touch of another's face or belly, this has led to immediate revoltion. Intimacy, written with the whisper of affection in the ear of a lover, has been reviled, held as the ultimate sin. The people believed these lies, and they committed a most unjust betrayal to their children by repeating the prejudices. The brilliance of compassion has never shined so bright, as when two friends are enjoy the pleasure of love with each other. In regard to sex, I have met a gre at deal of varied opinions. I remember once conversating with a friend, telling him of how I longed to be with a lover, stating, I enjoy the affection and intimacy of it, and the orgasm or pleasure of it is not really an end to physical love for me. My friend responded that I held such an opinion, because I was a good person. Yet, at hearing these words, I found myself greatly perplexed. A person is not made good or bad by how they Personally decide to treat sex. I met one Vegetarian female who never wanted to have sex, because it simply didn't interest her, but she certainly must have had consideration for others, because she refused to eat meat. I have known certain males who preferred a quick engagement of sex, simply to orgasm -- but when they proposed sex to another, they never tried to hide what they wanted or what they were aiming at. They have been, also, charitable individuals, friends of humanity. I have known, on the other hand, individuals who I would com e to regard as unworthy of the air they breath, and yet some were more predisposed to careless sex than violence, and others weren't. Simply put, it was a Preference. The song, Mind Sex, by the artist Dead Prez -- an Anarcho-Socialist, rap group -- despises the attitude about sex that it is something to go after, without regard to any sense of decency or fairness. I agree with this attitude by Dead Prez, and when I saw people acting in a reckless manner trying to obtain sex, without any regard towards the hurt feelings of others, I despised them as well. The attitude of not lying to others, inherent in this song by Dead Prez, is an equally justified Culture as that of those of us who enjoy affection more than pleasure, or those who enjoy pleasure more than affection, or those who find that the whole sex act is too cumbersome to be considered any benefit to themselves. A person can hold any of these Preferences (Cultures, if I may be so liberal), and it is how honest, ju st, and fair their dealings are with others that determines whether they are good or bad -- as far as their Culture of sex, it is as much a question of Morality as is the question of the taste of an apple over an orange.

When we come to the question of drugs, there are certain sights and images that immediately come to mind. We think of the countless of thousands filling our jails. We look behind the bars that man has made for his own kind, stare into the dark, and we see ourselves: imprisoned in a society that looks at happiness as addiction, that sees freedom as a virulent plague, that looks upon every scientist as a pawn to tyranny. As we approach the question of drugs, before any argument is raised, we are taunted by the unrelenting moans of suffering of those who have been imprisoned, those who had never done wrong to anyone. There is not one Freethinker who can honestly condemn a drug user. However, even among psychonaughts -- whose primary goal in life is t o experiment with as many substances as possible -- there is a certain apprehension of certain drugs and their users. Allow me first to examine those groups with a least liberal opinion of drugs. To those who believe in sort some of social, economic, or political reform, who still hold a more conservative creed of drug use, will inevitably hold myths. For instance, they may believe that drug use is unhealthy, that it destroys mental ability, that all drug use eventually leads to a person becoming a junkie. When a person comes into their presence and wishes to aid them in their reform, and makes their habit known, they typically will be regarded as a second-class person, if not outrightly rejected. Among psychonaughts, there is a near deathly fear of heroin and crack, the harder drugs. Most are stemming from the movie Trainspotting. Though I have met a great deal of heroin and ex-heroin addicts, I found that they hardly resembled junkies: they were kind and charitable, paying for food and alcohol (as well as drugs) for their friends, and they always paid back their debts. I have heard more stories of a person neglecting their entire life so they could worship a drug when it was not heroin. But regardless, call it a vice or an interest, drug use is simply Preference, and a person is more likely to be heralded as virtuous if they enjoy building model airplanes as opposed to shooting up. Inevitably, a man who attends to his duty of compassion for his fellow human beings -- regardless of whether he uses heroin or psychodelics -- is a matter of character and not of Culture.

Among all Freethinkers, there is a certain appreciation of art and science. These fields of creativity have expanded the understanding of mankind in all realms. We no longer look to the natural world, full of questions. The last day that we saw it rain and wondered why it rains has come and gone. The last day that we looked for a human expression of emotions, o f feelings, of sadness and joy, the last day that we looked for human expression and could not find it -- this day, also, has come and gone. Freethinkers, then, look to poetry, painting, drawing, and literature, as an expression of mankind. The painter not only paints for his audience, but he does so to appease his soul. The same can be said of the poet or the author. It is not just a means of conveying an idea, but also the means of telling the story of your spirit. With all the virtues and merits of art, and the consequence of its appreciation, all underground thinkers and Freethinkers (I use these two terms synonymously) will find a certain inclination towards it. Similarly, as though ignoring a great absurdity, those who do not read books, or appreciate art, or enjoy music, will sometimes be treated with a secondly manner. Perhaps, to a certain extent, this prejudice may be justified. A man who does not worry himself with books (be it literature, science, or poet ry), or does not concern himself with what others think, this person will tend to be in a much more degraded state, intellectually, than a man who is interested in what others say. But regardless, if a man does not find poetry to give him inspiration, he is only slightly different than a man who finds only Shakespeare's poetry to be inspiring. The only difference is that while the second man has ignored every poet but one, the first man has gone one step further and has ignored simply every poet. If a person were to take no time to appreciate the art that painters have draped the earth in, or to not hesitate for a moment to hear the beauty of music's sweet melody, I would not call them of a lesser grade of person, any more than I would consider someone of a lesser grade if they enjoyed a different type of music or art. The profound disdain that a Freethinker gives to a person unCultured is unjust in its assertion, because every person ought to seek the Culture and Prefer ence that gives them the most happiness.

The only purpose of Culture is this: to enrich the happiness and the understanding of the Cultured person. When a Culture fails to do this, then there is no reason to continue practising it, as it is a deterent of the only intrinsic good. Though it may be difficult for a person to strip themselves of the ideology and creeds that they have believed for a great deal of time, to remove beliefs that they logically know to be flawed, it may occur sometimes only under time and duress. Yet, the ultimate purpose of it is productive of happiness: Personal development. There are some attributes that Freethinkers will find among each other, unabridged. The trait that causes a person to strive for goodness, to commit an action only so that it increases the happiness of the men around him, to be just and fair in all decisions -- this trait can be found among all reformers and Freethinkers.

www.punkerslut.com

For Life,

Punkerslut (or Andy Carloff) has been writing essays and poetry on social issues which have caught his attention for several years. His website http://www.punkerslut.com provides a complete list of all of these writings. His life experience includes homelessness, squating in New Orleans and LA, dropping out of high school, getting expelled from college for subversive activities, and a myriad of other revolutionary actions.

Author:: Andy Carloff
Keywords:: Preference,Culture,Morality,Ethics,Choice,Personal,Desire,Lust,Sexuality,Psychology,Psychiatry
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Darius and the US Postal Service

DARIUS: - Coins bearing his visage are found in the Americas but we would never expect to see normal academic overviews mention this for public consideration. And I was not surprised when I read many other things about Aryans and supposed first Empires, as I read the following part of a far larger presentation. Was the US support of the Shah connected to a larger and long term plan to manage the plebs or serfs who think they are free?

Cyrus recognized that the known world he wished to conquer included Egypt, Carthage, Ethiopia, and Greek colonies on the Mediterranean coast as far as Gibraltar, but for the time being he thought he had better seize the known world to the east (except for distant, legendary China). In about a year he took lands as far away as what are now the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. He rushed west again and fell upon Babylon by diverting the unfordable Gyndes River, a tributary of the Tigris which protected the city , into many shallow hand-dug channels. There he freed the forty thousand Jews held in the Babylonian captivity. A few years later, putting down a revolt in the east, Cyrus died in battle. His troops brought his body back to Pasargadae, and laid it to rest in the tomb with the Nordic roof. N.B.

Cyrus was not only the world's first great emperor; he was a humane man, who treated his victims benevolently, honored their gods, and set higher standards for the profession of kingship than most other monarchs down through the centuries. His son and successor, by contrast, was a brute who had earlier kicked his pregnant wife to death. He adored flattery, not blinking even when a courtier told him, I do not think you are the equal of your father, because you do not have a son like the son he left behind. Nevertheless, before he mysteriously committed suicide, he managed to capture Egypt and pack the pharaoh back to Iran. Upon his death, according to Herodotus, the seven young no bles who formed the imperial council met and agreed to accept as king him among them whose horse should neigh first at dawn the next day. One groom made sure that his master would win by providing a delectable, neigh-worthy mare for the stallion. In this way the noble named Darius became king, although his own account of his ascent, which he left engraved on stone, differs in ways that do not make nearly as good a story.

Whatever the truth, Darius turned out to be second only to Cyrus as Great King, King of Kings, and even more than Cyrus, the architect of the Persian Empire. Despite his chance choice, Darius had the royal blood of Achaemenes in his veins, for he descended from a collateral branch of the family. Darius ruled for thirty-five years, at first putting down rivals (he fought nineteen battles at the rate of nearly a battle a month, and defeated nine upstart kinglets), then giving the empire the institutions that Cyrus had been too busy to devise. He had to k eep the subject populations contented enough not to revolt (for the conquered masses greatly outnumbered the ruling Persians), but disciplined enough to pay heavy taxes to support the court and the armies. (2)

He established a secret spy network not unlike his far later relative and recent King, the Shah of Iran; but he also established a reliable postal service not unlike the Pony Express that Herodotus was inspired to write the words now used as the motto of the US Postal Service. We have all heard it and wondered perhaps, why we are not told the origin bespeaks great things in other cultures.

Sir Roger Stevens to write, in The Land of the Great Sophy: There can be no proper understanding of what underlies modern Iran unless we recognize the significance of this triumph of legend over history, or art over reality, this preference for embellishment as against unvarnished fact, for ancient folk beliefs as against new-fangled creeds. (3)

Author of Diverse D ruids
Columnist for The ES Press
Guest 'expert' at World-Mysteries.com

Author:: Robert Baird
Keywords:: Shah of Iran, US Postal Service
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Alexander and The Alchemists

INTRODUCTION:

The Christians of the Greek mainland also numbered him among the saints. Alexander is honored as the pious knight, the defender of Christendom, as yet another Byzantine hero,

Alexanders popularity surpassed that of any of the other heroes of the ancient world. His achievements, whether real or imaginary, in all their endless variety, adorned both secular and religious monuments. Countless are the paintings and works of plastic or miniature art that flooded the medieval world. Further, many of the numerous illuminated manuscripts dating from the eleventh to the seventeenth centuries depict Alexanders achievements; some of them are of exquisite craftsmanship, while others have a charming simplicity in their execution

He ventured as far as the earthly paradise near the Pillars of Hercules, where a number of wise descendants of Herakles a De Danaan had taken refuge to escape the debauchery and lawlessness of mankind and where they had lived sinc e on vegetables and scholarly wisdom. This is the site of Tartessus. Thence he came to the Island of the Blessed, beyond the Ocean Could be Lyoness was still above water or it could be Ogygia[ancient ones as identified by Plutarch in the spot we call Iceland. It could be what we call the British Isles where his Bruttii cousins and supporters would have welcomed him. (1)

Of all the Great names in history there are few who are as complex and misunderstood as this red-headed Kelt born to King Philip II of Macedon. Some historians say he was the first to proclaim himself Divine while still alive. There is little difference between saying one is Divine and what the Pharaohs and Popes do as they claim to speak for the Heavenly Father or other representative of the Sun (Son). There were other similar mythic heroes including Lugh that myth-makers borrowed from. They went so far as to give Alexander credit for the travels of Odysseus and more. The myth-makers art in the family of the noble De Danaan is still a powerful social engineering tool. You will see a lot of the myths including those that became Jesus and you should question all perspectives about all these people. It is possible that Alexander did go to places like the Americas and Jesus too. Jesus (Yeshua) would have done so with his father-in-law who was the Roman Minister of Mines as well as a member of the Sanhedrin.

In a life about the same length as Jesus he left a similar indelible mark on history. He tried to educate and build a truly good domain after he had the pact with his Keltic brothers who did not fear him. We speak of him as Greek or Macedonian but these are just ways of differentiating people, as if these people really felt sovereign states had much right to rule; as they have come to do in our current corrupt society. Alexander was no saint and it would be better if we knew more about the things he believed and loved rather than the great battles where he out-maneu vered or bought off those who were supposed to fight for his enemies.

His tutor Aristotle was the son of Nichomachus the Royal doctor to King Amyntas. That tutor was even greater than Alexander and they shared things such as are written in the Secretum Secretorum which deals with alchemy. Alexander is rumored to have found the grave of Hermes and thus became the owner of the Tabula Smaragdina or Emerald Tablet. Under his direction Ptolemy (another alchemist) was put in charge of Egypt and the building of a great city with a Library that could elucidate our past and truly put an end to all the stupid things we think about our forefathers; but they intended to use it to Hellenize the world. Without knowing our true cultural heritage we have become sniveling head-bobbers catering to the present Empire. That Empire seeks to convince us they are the best kind of government mankind has ever had but some people always seem to be doing a lot better for themselves than they sho uld. Education is a tool that can be abused for the purposes of propaganda and it is hard for the brainwashed to see what is happening. For example, at first the Egyptians did not mind Greek being taught to their citizens. I am all for one language everyone can understand, one set of laws, one police force and one world order; but I am not for Synarchy or oligarchy.

I deplore the Hellenization or claiming of great ascendancy and Divinity that his ego took to make himself big enough to help others, but I admire many things about what he did. Can you imagine what the 500,000 books in the Library of Alexandria could provide for us today? The Senchus Mor and Psaltairs galore would have been there along with the Dogon and Timbuktu story of ancient things. The knowledge Pythagoras learned from the Great Pyramid in terms of the Therapeutae Singing of the Spheres would have left some clues to harmonics and what we know as String Theory today.

The impacts of Alexanders li fe on modern society are not nearly as great as they should have been. If the Great Library he caused to be built had survived, the Empires of religious intolerance the world has witnessed would be far further ahead. We might even have grown enough to ethically meet the technological and other challenges we now face. But his Hellenizing propaganda and the expansion of Empire was a large part of what lead others to do what they did. Napoleon is part of this hierarchial through-line. Julius Caesar and other Sons of Aeneas were as well. Lord Mountbatten was a student of heraldry, genealogy and sphragistics above all else. He arranged the union of Princess Di and Charles for the purpose of uniting ancient Royal bloodlines. He also changed the name of his family to Windsor so the people of the British Isles would not have to be constantly reminded that they were already the subject of the German Royal family. Their enemy the Kaiser as well as the Russian Czars whose title comes f rom Caesar are the same family. All of these people can take heart in knowing they are related to Alexander the Great, and there are many Romanovs with the name Alexander or Alexandra.

I am sure there are many things about Mystery Schools and the elites who benefit through secret knowledge or pacts and agreements in the life of Aristotle. There is absolutely no doubt about the importance of alchemy in his life. The question remains to what extent Alexander understood the ancient Brotherhood of Iesa and the Great Pyramid they left to convey the concepts and science that many Mystery Schools including Napoleons Masons say they know. There are many people like Napoleon who modeled themselves after Alexander. All of European history is a record of the transformative impact of his life. Could this all have been planned? In 1938 FDR said If it happened, it was planned.

Napoleon was far more important to societal changes and organizing the present laws than any other m an. He had help (or was directed) from many good people who you hear very little about. One of those people started the Royal Institution which later brought us Michael Faraday and his great scientific researches into the Fields of Energy that Newton (an alchemist) had called the Aether. This man is the alchemist/spy Count Rumford. Like Lafitte who tried to free Napoleon from the designs of murderous Royals and later funded Marx; Count Rumford was a man above any one nation; as are all Physiocrats or Merovingians. Napoleon hooked him up with a lot of other people as we see in this brief quote. Many people think Alchemists pursued making gold from lead. It was people who employed fakirs (The Nobility) that were largely into that. The lies against alchemy are evil and when Alchemists back the One World Order they are right to do so no matter what evil must be done to achieve it, I can argue. But you will have to read my book on Rumford to see the full reasons for my saying that in relation to what Napoleon was most likely doing and being directed to do.

In 1802 Rumford returned to Munich: his friend the Elector had died and he wanted to be assured of his continuing patronage and pension from the new Elector Maximilian. Finding that all was well he visited Paris. Napoleon was very impressed with him and put R in the special care of famous scientists and mathematicians, among who were Laplace, Lagrange, Delambre and Bertholet. This is when he met and fell in love with the widow of the great chemist Lavoisier. (2)

There is more to this than meets the eye. When Napoleon went to Italy he procured (took or stole) the works of the great alchemist Leonardo da Vinci. Da Vinci was a bastard and Napoleon may have had an affinity with him just as he did with Alexander the Great, who was his lifelong hero. To what extent Napoleon studied alchemy is a matter of debate but he surely would have known many of the things we will address about Alexanders involvement in the Great Work. Napoleon would have been a part of alchemical humanistic or other designs as long as he was in power or at least since he joined the Masons and Merovingians. Like Alexander, Napoleon took scientists, historians and other scholars along with him on his Egyptian campaign.

Many of the founders of the Illuminati of Napoleons era were great students of Frater Albertus Magnus and his young protg named Aquinas. Aristotles greatest influence on the present comes to us through Jesuit influences and educational prerogatives that are the foundation of Western culture. Aquinas put Aristotelian tho ught into the Church dogma. Alumbrados means Illuminati and the De Medicis and Borgias who created the Jesuits through initiates to Heliopolitanism like Loyola are part of a clan who did this planning. Aristotle had to leave Greece shortly after Alexander died and he was dead a short time after that. To what extent Aristotle sold out to the forces that influenced Plato or caused Socrates to drink hemlock is not fully known. Are these forces still in control of people to this day? I think I have shown they are, in many other books. It is the top-down and trickle down Voodoo Economic structure. Truth is stranger than fiction!

Check out my storefront at Lulu, I will add this book to it shortly.

World-Mysteries.com is a place you can see more of my work.

Author:: Robert Baird
Keywords:: Alexander the Great, Alchemists
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Cleanth Brooks' The Language of Paradox

In The Language of Paradox, Cleanth Brooks takes on the Language of poetry, stating that at its core poetry is the Language of paradox. Brooks bases his position on the contradictions that are inherent in poetry and his feelings that if those contradictions didnt exist then neither would some of the best poetry we have today.

Using works from Wordsworth to Shakespeare Brooks shows how the only way some ideas can be expressed is through paradox. His be st example of this idea is from Coleridges description of imagination,

reveals itself in the balance or reconcilement of opposite discordant qualities: of sameness, with difference; of the general, with the concrete; the idea with the image; the individual, with the representative; the sense of novelty and freshness, with old and familiar objects, a more than usual state of emotion, with more than usual order(Brooks 40)

Brooks points out that while it is an eloquently worded statement it is also a series of paradoxes. He argues that since poetry spends its time trying to explains ideas and emotions as intangible as the idea of imagination it too has to use paradox to best convey those thoughts. Brooks bolsters his argument on the use of paradox in poetry through a close reading of John Donnes Canonization. He says that if it were not for paradox Donnes poem would either come across as not taking love seriously or not taking religion seriously.

Since the poem does neither, Brooks concludes that Donne is able to use the discordant image of two lovers giving up the physical world for their love and through their sacrifice achieving sainthood only because of the paradox that the imagery of their love and that of their religion generates.

I agree with Brooks to a point, poetry is filled with paradoxes as a way to convey emotions or sentiments that arent so easily expressed through a single train of thought but have to encompass many contradictory ideas to begin to describe that emotion or sentiment.

His example of Coleridges response to what imagination is, is an excellent example of his hypothesis. However, the Coleridge example also undermines his premise in that paradox is not just the Language of poetry or literature but the Language of life. In everyday life we find ourselves trying to explain something, an idea, event, an emotion that is not easily explained by simple, straight-forward terms but requires a series of contradictions or paradoxes, if you will, to properly convey their meaning.

There is no reason why poetry shouldnt be any different and I think the radical tone of the chapter, this idea that he is creating a new and previously un-thought of way to look at poetry, is unfounded and hardly revolutionary.

T.S. Johnson is a Florida Based Freelance Writer for Hire, Providing Nation-Wide, Professional, Freelance Writing Services. For All of Your Writing Needs Visit http://prologuezine.com Today!

Author:: T.S. Johnson
Keywords:: Cleanath Brooks, Language of Paradox, literary theory and criticism, Language, new critics
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Mysticism

Mythology

Myths are clues to the spiritual potentialities of the human life. Joseph Campbell

Mythology is told through stories, Rituals and Symbols as a way to share experiences and connect with the divine or sacred. A myth is a story that gives life meaning and guides us to an understanding of the purpose of life as well as how life works. There are many different religions in the world today, yet each one believes theirs is special and contains the truth; all other religions are just myths. However, beyond the religious specific ceremonies, Rituals, stories and Symbols they all represent the end result, which is cultivating universal events and relieving concerns of everyday life. Each religion has something to offer with insights and spiritual perspectives, thus Mythology is found everywhere.

As our world evolves to another level of consciousness, which can be called spiritual awakening, or Age of Aquarius, key questions are beginning to be explored on deeper levels. These questions include: Where did I come from? What happens when I die? Why is there bad/evil in the world? What is my life purpose? . Fundamental religion and orthodox science have trouble with Mythology because of the need to have concrete, visible evidence. This, unfortunately, is a reflection of lacking in Imagination, looking beyond boundaries and understanding the Soul or spirit. Myth opens the Pandoras Box to unpredictability, uncontrolled experiences, and truths of great magnitude in relativity or an unreal world.

Keith VonderOhe gives three key points about Mythology. The first states that myths are ultimately expressed in story form. The human Soul needs deeper meaning reaching beyond the rational, scientific mind reaching into Imagination, symbolism and creativity. New layers showing new ways are necessary for our spiritual growth through Mythology and stories. These stories connect with the divine mystery of life unfolding a path to wholeness, healing and understanding. The second key point explains that we have several mythologies guiding our lives simultaneously. Creating harmony is essential in creating a balanced life and by formulating our own personal Mythology we can define its meaning ourselves. Finally, the third key point is the power of a myth can dissipate over time. At some point in history, Mythology looses its importance thus leaving behind a legacy and allowing newer mythologies to take its place.

David Elkins, author and PhD, points out that when we view Mythology as inferior to science and religion, we see it as irrelevant to moder n day living. Actually, there is a lot of value in Mythology we need in order to nurture the spirit and Soul leading us on a path to enlightenment. It is a guidance system that helps us evolve through the various stages and major events in our lives. Mythology is a record of the past with wisdom helping us understand our journey and how to create a smooth ride. There is a theme in Mythology which states, there is an invisible plane supporting this visible one. This is a channel for spiritual energies to nurture the Soul and support our spirituality. Both VanderOhe and Elkins believe man has destroyed our ability to embrace Mythology as an integral part of our lives. Organized religion has destroyed the ability to connect spirit with Symbols, Rituals and stories alienating the next generation in spiritual growth. Through the systematic destruction of the Native American way of life, our forefathers took away their traditions and Mythology. The results of these experiences ar e the loss of lifes meaning, joy and happiness. The Soul cannot live solely by science, logic, reasoning or linear thoughts, rather it strives for meaning and grounding. Mythology is a map of ourselves and can be a tool for exploring the deeper meaning of life.

The movie Pleasantville is about change and loss of innocence. It is a reflection of imagined perfection that is shattered by the realization of new discoveries when values change. The movie exemplifies the goodness in change, new horizons we can manifest and hope for a better life. The reference to a road that continues to endlessly circle is an analogy to life with boundaries. Learning that roads go on forever and there are no boundaries allow us to awaken to the world around us and to loose our attachment to the familiar. Pleasantville in black and white suggests the loss of potential and possibilities, while the color version shows the gaining of a new world full of knowledge, enrichment and loss of innocenc e. We cannot hide from ourselves, the truth or other realities; rather we must open up to the present and future with outstretched arms and welcoming the new and different from what we currently accept.

Today, we struggle to keep alive an old system rather than explore new stories and Symbols. Searching for understanding the connection to divine and transforming to a new consciousness is the key to evolution. Rituals that once identified spiritual reality have lost their power to nurture and give sustenance to lifes questions. New archetypes are evolving from our consciousness allowing us to see clearly the oneness of life, raising our spiritual awareness, blending science with spirit and moving away from untruths. VanderOhe believes our spiritual Mythology needs to change in order to help people connect with the divine and move to the next level of consciousness.

Eileen Wood is a mystic and healer. She is currently pursuing her Masters at Atlantic University bas ed on Edgar Cayce philosophy. Her degree will be in Transpersonal Studies understanding the mind,body and spirit connection. Eileen is a Reiki Master/Teacher and practices Arcing Light, Intuitive Healing, and enhances people's lives through teaching, guidance and inspiration. She is opening a retail/cafe business that will nurture the mind, body and spirit: Mystic Gardens and Cafe. Contact information: http://www.serenityexpressions.com, 919-523-7872, eileen@serenityexpressions.com.

Author:: Eileen Wood
Keywords:: Mysticisim, Mythology, spiritual awakening, Soul, Symbols, Rituals, Consciousnsess, Imagination
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Numbers Nature and Philosophy (Part 2)

In part one of this article we discussed Numbers in nature and their possible philosophical significance. In this part we consider some other unusual aspects of Numbers.

Zero and Infinity

Unlike other real Numbers Zero and Infinity do not have any quantitative attribute. Strictly speaking they are not Numbers although mathematicians do consider Zero as a finite number. The statement that I have five dollars makes perfect sense but I have Zero dollars does not. If asked to I can show the five dollars but cannot show the Zero. So Zero is just a concept like Infinity. The concept of a thing is not the thing itself but only an attempt to describe what it is.

Zero and Infinity figure prominently in philosophy, especially in Eastern philosophies. They are considered two sides of the same coin, as are all pairs of opposites. They are interlinked like the two ends of an infinite spiral and also contained in each other. We cannot go into the details of these philosophical arguments here and simply mention that the Ultimate Reality is described as smaller than the smallest and larger than the largest (Vedanta) and nothing is everything (Tao).

Irrational and Transcendental Numbers

Numbers that cannot be expressed as a ratio of two intege rs are called irrational. I suppose they are called irrational because of the belief that the only rational way of expressing a number is in terms of two other whole Numbers. Their decimal expansions do not terminate nor become periodic. The most well known irrational number is the square root of two. These Numbers are, by definition, indeterminate, although geometrically one can get the value of square root of two by measuring the hypotenuse of a right-angle triangle with height and base equal to one. However, as we shall see later, it brings in another problem the error of measurement.

As one can guess from the name itself, the definition of transcendental Numbers is a little complicated. (These are Numbers that are not roots of integer polynomials so they are not algebraic Numbers of any degree.) All transcendental Numbers are irrational. Frankly I do not know what they transcend other than an easy definition! Anyway, two are most common. One is associated with ci rcle and is denoted by the Greek letter Pi; the other is denoted by e for exponential and is associated with logarithm. Another such number is the so-called golden ratio denoted by the Greek letter Phi, which is apparently favored by nature and can be traced even in human anatomy. Architectures using this ratio are aesthetically more pleasing. It also related to Fibonacci sequence discussed in part 1 of this article.

Approximations and Errors

Since the values of irrational and transcendental Numbers cannot be determined precisely, one has to resort to approximation. Any approximation has some inherent error. This means that the use of these Numbers will not yield a unique result. The circumference or the area of a circle cannot be determined precisely because it involves multiplication by Pi. The exponential growth of any variable quantity cannot be calculated exactly because of the use of e. The same is true for using the golden ratio. If we use geometrical meth ods of determining the values of the square root of two or the circumference of a circle, the approximation error translates into measurement error which can never be completely eliminated.

This takes us back to what was mentioned about Zero. No matter what we do we can never get to Zero. The same holds for Infinity. This bears an analogy to the spiritual goal of reaching the Ultimate Reality. If this goal is nirvana, it cannot be attained while living. One can only strive to get as close as possible and the closest possible approach is called enlightenment.

Dharmbir Rai Sharma is a retired professor with electrical engineering and physics background. He obtained his M.S. degree in physics in India and Ph.D. in electrical engineering at Cornell University. He has taught in universities here and also in Brazil, where he spent sometime. He maintains a website http://www.cosmosebooks.com devoted mainly to philosophy and science.

Author:: Dharmbir Sharma
Keywords:: Numbers, Zero, Infinity, Irrational number, Transcendent Numbers, Golden ratio
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Animus Mundi and Intelligent Design

Animus Mundi:

The World Mind or Critical Mass of intellectual and spiritual energy was called Animus Mundi by the spiritually aware revivalists of the turn of the century. The spirit or anima (Aristotle) in all that is includes things not alive as we think of it. The Mayans put it this way Do not put yourself in front of your Self. There is a qualitative aspect to our genetic mutations and other changes in the world around us. Koestler saw some of it and Bucky Fuller (A charmed person to be sure.) put it forward as creative realization. I also have enjoyed many other Fullerisms and principles. His Observer of the Observed is a tool I have found useful in keeping balance even as I seem to be hysterical in the joy of what goes on around me. Bucky said that the world around us is the way it is because we think or made it that way because of our mindset or what might be termed our paradigm. All we need to do to actualize great and wondrous change is to think differently .

Dr. Janice Boddy says we have a Reifying thrust of Materialism and we need to develop a Reifying thrust of Spiritualism I think.

CIRCADIAN RYTHMS:

Just as Gertrude observed in her airplane flights over America, there are designs that open and aware artists or people can tune into. The ancients who worshipped Ra or other sun-gods were more aware of our intricate and intimate involvement with the sun than you might imagine. It is not just the desire for melatonin such as the Star Fire Ceremony of the Rosicrucians like Gardner that allow me to say this. He details the psychic and spiritual effects on us through the Third Eye. It is not just the accuracy of the prophetic Mayan calendar which tracks the transit of Venus in its short count. That transit has a means of understanding the effect of the sun when combined with the Long Count or Polar Wander Path. I have tried to describe these things in other books and I confess it is not a simple discussion; or at least I am not able to make it so. Suffice it to say, there are ways we are impacted by the forces of nature that make us a very habit formed creature far beyond mere psychological conditioning. The billions of years that life has been evolving in concert with or alongside the effects of the stars and cosmic or earth energies are in all of us whether we are attuned to it or not.

When man does not know all the awesome potential he (she) has to develop God does God develop as well as God would like? When man does not fulfill a positive harmonizing function and all manner of other life forms suffer because of it, does that mean it was God who was the problem? I say God (he/she/it) or Divine Providence must grow or harmonize and man making God the culprit for mans own deceits and destructive acts is mere anthropomorphing ego. We must stop the divisive and racist designs that old religions and other insane constructs cause. There is more MUCH more wealth and health availab le for all life on earth if only we ethically planned to act in creative cooperation with All that IS. This is the real Charm of Making. Intelligent Design:

WILLIAM DEMBSKI: - Rather than deal with Intelligent Design thoughts and the math of this highly accredited academic who was given a Research Center at Baylor University, that has been in the news a lot over the last few years; I will place some thoughts that may be confusing but touch upon some of the issues of the Origin of Life as debated in the larger theme of our beginnings and consciousness studies. It is a response with other people in a long thread of posts on the matter of Creationism and Intelligent Design.

I see Evolutionary Theory as a study of the Origin of Life not the genesis of the human species. There are few researchers (including Jacobson of ASU who discovered Lucy) who will not do any human evolutionary tree today. Darwin did not go to the Galapagos to study humans. He tried also to maint ain he was not inspired by Lamarck (whose work includes an attunement or qualitative aspect that Russian science still employs rather than the more quantitative approach of most Western scholars) but it was subsequently shown that Darwin was well versed in Lamarckian principles and employed much of his insight though from a different premise or POV. Darwin also had a Theory of Love. You do not read about it and that is sad, because that really integrates what I am about to demonstrate if this discussion goes to the nature of lattice intersectional consciousness.

That is where one encounters another theory - different from Interventionism or the alien seed from microbial RNA lattices. Darwin was greatly hampered by his materialistic science that understood nothing of the cellular level of life biologic. They had no microbiology or electron microscopes. It is upon the cellular substrate that each lifeform has been created and the Human Genome Project assures us we are no t so different genetically from the worm. I offer certain 'Faith'-based evidence as proof of that contention.

This theory suggests that the crystalline structure of rocks and minerals had a part to play in focusing energy to the biological soup ingredients at the beginning of life on earth. It is cutting edge stuff and I have only seen one article on it. I like this theory because I am a great fan of String Theory and Solid State Physicists like Robins and Tiller of Stanford (He has a recent book on Creation of life which I quote and have referred to many times in these debates.). String Theory tells us that all matter and energy is derived from 'one dimensional harmonic forces'. Now I can also draw the Logos into this and ask about the two muons separated in the deep Sudbury research center. How can sub-atomic pArticles communicate as was shown in this study? If they can communicate do they have some rudimentary consciousness? Indeed consciousness may not be only existent in biologic life.

Going down that path will eventually take us to our most feared Creator or the collective unconscious, and the ONE of many non-theistic disciplines like Buddhism. I did not come to the point I am at (OPEN), by desire to believe in a Creator. I assure you I am raised in the most Atheistical up-bringing and approach. But now I see some merit in something these religions may have intuited somehow.

In the open state any asymmetry causes an energy imbalance to build up, caused by rectification of random fluctuations occurring in the surrounding region. When some shock causes closure, an energy discharge will occur and the resulting flow can provide the shock needed to cause a change in state of other nearby junctions. So waves of switching action will arise spontaneously: t hese could be the quantum waves: the core feature of quantum theory. Furthermore, all the ingredients are present from which a working neural network could evolve and could ultimately yield a primary consciousness.

The network or grid, now defining the nuether and represented symbolically by a rectangular mesh in Figures 3, 5, and 6, would interconnect everything in the universe. As yet, however, no universe of matter could exist. Spontaneous creation of the nuether had to occur first, followed by evolution of its consciousness, since on this model matter would require deliberate design. This came from the site of the Center for Philosophical Freedom and an extensive article by Ronald Pearson which includes this description of his work as well Articles by and about Ronald Pearson, the Derbyshire s cientist who has discovered a structure of the ether that has potential to evolve intelligence. This has provided the mathematics to back up the experiments of Sir William Crookes and Charles Richet. In these experiments, deceased people returned, proving they had survived death. (12)

I see so much in current science that supports life after death theories; and yet it may not be our personality which continues to exist in the ways most religions or concepts like Karma think of it. Beyond limbo or purgatory and these local event horizon states or attached energy bandwidths I think little could be likened to what we would call our own persona. In closing let me say simply we must learn to think and question in the Socratian manner or else we are headed for a lot more war and other ghastly results.

When she came out of the anaesthetic, she turned to the always faithful Alice B. Toklas and said, What is the answer? The heartbroken Alice was unable to reply and, afte r a pause, Gertrude went on: In that case, what is the question? These, it is said were her last words.(13) And in my mind no bard or mere poet ever asked a more important question of life each and every day.

Author of Diverse Druids Columnist for The ES Press Magazine Guest 'expert' at World-Mysteries.com

Author:: Robert Baird
Keywords:: Intelligent Design, Animus Mundi, Charmed Circle
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