This book by Irish author, poet, painter and mystic George William Russell, is a set of transcendent essays on Celtic mysticism. Known by his pen name AE (which is short for Aeon), Russell was friends with many other figures of the Celtic renaissance of the early 20th century, including Y.B. Yeats, and James Stephens.
The Candle of Vision describes Russells’ luminous excursions into the otherworld, including clairvoyant and prophetic visions, precognition of Gnostic concepts, past-life and astral journeys, and, always, heightened awareness of the beauty that pervades mundane reality. Russell describes encounters with what today we would call UFOs, and attempts to construct a private Kabala based on an intuitive reconstuction of a primal language and alphabet. Lastly, he attempts to put a mystical gloss on the primeval Celtic pagan deities. Lovers of Celtic lore and ecstatic mystic literature will both find much to enjoy in this short book.
New Thinking Allowed with Jeffrey Mishlove James Tunney, LLM, is an Irish barrister who has lectured on legal matters throughout the world. He is a poet, a scholar, and author of The Mystery of the Trapped Light: Mystical Thoughts in the Dark Age of Scientism plus The Mystical Accord: Sutras to Suit Our Times, Lines for Spiritual Evolution. His paintings have been shown in galleries in Scandinavia and London.His website is http://www.jamestunney.com. The focus on this Live Stream Event will be James’ newest book, TechBondAge.
“process of reasoning, mental process of passing from the cognition of premises to the cognition of the conclusion,” 1520s, from Latin ratiocinationem (nominative ratiocinatio) “a reasoning, calm reasoning,” noun of action from past-participle stem of ratiocinari “to reckon, compute, calculate; to deliberate, meditate; to reason, argue, infer.” This is a compound of ratio “reckoning, calculation,” also “judgment, reason” (see ratio) + -cinari, which probably is related to conari “to endeavor, to try,” from PIE *kona-, from root *ken- “to hasten, set oneself in motion” (see deacon).
Like so many unpleasant encounters today, this one began on Facebook. I got a message from someone I had met once at a spiritual retreat. We had a pleasant time together, connected on social media, and then never crossed paths again. Out of the blue, she showed up via Messenger with a screenshot of a post (see below) warning me that taking a Covid-19 vaccine would somehow block my divine connection to spirit and eliminate my chakras.
Screenshot by author
No information about the source of this doomsday message was offered. The message itself is hearsay (“reports coming in”), and it derives a conclusion (“cutting off source flow”) without considering other explanations. The message is riddled with gaps in information: How many reports? Who are these “healers”? Were the people whose chakras were supposedly cut off dropping dead or just walking around like chakra-free zombies? When I put forth a gentle request for answers, I received nothing in return. She simply deleted all of her messages.
Authority and Credibility
Allow me to venture a radical hypothesis: Your life choices should not be guided by anonymous internet sources based on hearsay. If you’re awakened spiritually and know not to believe every thought that passes through your mind, why should you believe random thoughts passing through your FB feed from a strangerwithout at least subjecting them to some minimal standard of scrutiny?
To that end, you might want to evaluate a source’s credibility based on some sense of their authority to opine on the topic — whether that’s training, prior opinions offered on a related topic, or some other indicia of authority. Next, separate and apart from their authority, consider whether the information they provide is bears indicia of reliability. Look at the clarity and detail of their opinion; obvious holes, gaps in information, or leaps in logic should be warning signs. Finally, consider whether they offer corroborating evidence of some kind, such as data, statistics, or testimony from other, credible sources.
The mere fact that an argument is made forcefully does not make it true. Hearsay, anonymous third-party sources, gaps in logic, and an inability to dispel alternative explanations are just some of the many indicia that a proposition is not credible.
As for my experience with the vaccine, I will do my best to honor the advice I have just given.
I am a conscious channel and intuitive who has published four books of spiritual wisdom and offers spiritual guidance to individuals. My gift is pointing out the psychic and emotional blocks holding you back from living a life of possibility and wonder. I use my real name, not a pen name or adopted name, so there’s some risk to my reputation.
I had a kundalini awakening in early 2016. It has never stopped. Even today, I go into a blissful state for at least 30 minutes almost every day; sometimes it’s much longer, and occasionally the energy skips a day or two. Chakra opening, clearing, and expansion is, for me, a near-daily experience. I’ve told my story a few times, in different places.
Don’t take me a face value just because I assert some claim to knowledge. Read my work (on this platform or in my full-length works), and then decide if I have any authority to opine on a given topic or you find me to be a credible source of information.
My Guidance During the Pandemic & With the Vaccine
What follows is my story. Early on in the pandemic, in late February 2020, New York City was not yet the epicenter that it would soon be. At this point, the CDC guidance was that masks were not necessary. The virus was believed to be a problem limited to (and contained within) China. As I headed to the subway to make my way to Manhattan, my gut gave me that very clear signal of danger, and I heard that I was to stay at home that day.
Shortly thereafter, I heard that we should purchase masks and stock up on food. Then I was told to tell my husband to work from home. He listened, and two days later someone in the office came into contact with the virus, and the office was shut down. This was early March. Soon thereafter, masks became the norm and were hard to find, and our supermarket shut down for 2 weeks. New York City became the epicenter. Thanks to my guidance, we were prepared.
Thereafter, I consistently followed the science and my intuition in the choices I made. Even though I often rely on my intuition, I do not reject science. It’s true that human beings often claim to understand aspects of our world, only to realize that we have made false assumptions and need to correct them. In other words, scientific knowledge is constantly being revised because we learn more than we previously knew, and our conclusions must be adjusted. This is not anti-science. This is the scientific method itself.
For that reason, blanket generalizations and sweeping rejections do not guide me. I rely instead on a process of evaluation, built on reason and intuition. I read and listen to my guides, who have never led me astray. For example, when I traveled to the Amazon for an ayahuasca retreat, I very clearly was guided to get the yellow fever vaccine. By contrast, I did not take any medication for malaria, because it has deleterious side effects and can interfere with ayahuasca. I had no adverse reaction to the vaccine, and I had a wonderful retreat where I had enormously powerful experiences with nature.
Fast-forward to the beginning of 2021. I was initially skeptical of the speed with which the vaccines had been given emergency authorization because they were based on a technology that had not been tested widely. I wanted to know what the safety data said. It turns out that there was already a decent amount of safety data for mRNA vaccines, even prior to the introduction of the covid vaccines.
By the time I was eligible to sign up for a vaccine, millions of people had received it, and the data for its safety had grown. As with all decisions, I also sought confirmation from my internal guidance, and I heard very clearly that I should get the vaccine — and a particular one, in fact. I asked again, to make sure the message was clear, and it was.
The day after I received my first dose, I felt some arm soreness. I also felt the kind of fatigue that washes over me just before I come down with a cold or the flu, a sign that my immune system is ramping up. I rested, and the fatigue left in a day, followed by the arm soreness faded a couple of days later. The same thing occurred after the second shot, only the effects were milder.
I am happy to report that my chakras remain intact. The kundalini energy still moves up and down through them, as it did before I took the vaccine. None of my friends who are psychics or healers has informed me that any chakras are missing or that I am now blocked from source. I have worked with several private clients, and my intuitive faculties feel as sharp as ever. Simply put, I can discern no change to my chakras or connection with spirit.
The Takeaway
You don’t have to believe my story. Subject my tale to your evaluative process to determine whether you believe me to be a credible source and my story to bear the hallmarks of veracity. You might believe me, dismiss me, or have questions. If you were to point out that I offer no corroborating evidence, I would applaud you for your discernment.
Even if you decide my story is credible, you still need to make your own decisions. Why should my story exert any authority over your life? I offer my story only to reiterate the need for standards of scrutiny in evaluating the information we read on social media. Those are especially necessary when someone is claiming that a vaccine is going to harm your spiritual connection to the universe.
I’m fairly certain that no one’s chakras have been eliminated by a vaccine; if you can’t feel your chakras, there’s probably an alternative explanation. But if you claim otherwise, I hope you’ll bring some rigor to the issues of authority and credibility. It’s the least you can do for your reader, and far better than spreading hearsay as if it were a truth that should guide someone’s life.
Spiritual author, conscious channel, and psychic reader who interrogates conventional spiritual wisdom and illuminates our sacred connection to the divine.
On October 20th, 2021 we have a Full Moon in Aries. Continuing the “action” theme initiated by the Mars-flavored New Moon in Libra on October 6th, this month’s Full Moon in Aries is as fiery and as cardinal as it can be.
Whatever has been brewing in the first 2 weeks of the lunar cycle will now reach a climax.
The Full Moon is at 27° Aries and it is opposite the Sun and its own ruler, Mars in the sign of Libra. And as if this was not enough cardinal energy, the Full Moon is also cornered by Pluto in Capricorn, forming an explosive Cardinal T-square.
Aries, the first sign of the zodiac is all about me, the individual. Aries is the primordial big bang, the birth, the process of exploding into existence. There is an inevitability about Aries’ birthing process. We do what we have to do.
However, the ruler of this Full Moon, Mars, is in Libra, opposing this Full Moon. Mars is at odds with its own sign, telling Aries “No, you can’t really get your way, at least not until you figure out the Libra stuff first”.
And just when we think we have some idea about what needs to be done, Pluto, who is squaring both the Moon in Aries AND the Sun/Mars conjunction in Libra, laughs at our futile efforts to get things ‘right’.
No matter how hard we try to do the ‘right thing’ Pluto comes to tell us that there’s no such thing as the right thing, and that the more we try to control the process, the harder we make it for ourselves.
This Full Moon in Aries will take us from the highs of “I’m going to do this no matter what” to the lows of “but I can’t because of(fill in the blanks)…law/travel restrictions/etc.” whatever greater forces are at play and influence our situation. At the same time, the cardinal intensity is too strong to ignore. We have no choice but to act.
But what should we do? Should we listen to the Moon in Aries and do what feels right? Should we perhaps take some time to consider the Oher’s (Sun/Mars in Libra) perspective? Or Me and We doesn’t matter anyway, because Pluto has the final say – as he always does?
The ruler of the Full Moon, Mars, is in an almost perfect square orb with Pluto. Mars and Pluto have a similar energy since Pluto is the higher octave of Mars. Mars is brave – he goes for what he wants, for what it ‘feels’ right at a gut, DNA level, even if he lacks experience – much like the Fool in the Tarot Card.
Pluto shares Mars’ drive and energy, but, as a generational planet, he also has the experience that Mars lacks. Pluto is a Mars that has been through a lot and understands how the world works.
When these two planets speak to each other – like they do now, at the time of the Full Moon – there is an overwhelming amount of energy that screams to be unleashed. We may feel that there’s no way we can stop this incredible life force from emerging, and that we need to take action – any action.
What’s the next best action? What can we do to honor our personal truth, as the Full Moon in Aries wants us to?
Again, anytime we have Pluto in the mix (especially when we talk about a tense aspect like the square), getting our way – with ease – is simply not an option. Pluto wants us to fight, to try hard, and eventually surrender to the greater forces at play.
Since we talk about an Aries Full Moon and a Full-Moon-activated-Mars, again, standing still is not an option. Indeed, Pluto will push us to take action – action that may or may not be in line with our plans or with what we thought we wanted, but that will eventually make perfect sense in the grand scheme of things.
I am excited to bring to you, in October, my upcoming guest Natacha Alpert, a woman that has taken an item of everyday use and made it into an engineered artform.
Here is a woman with an incredible background spanning stories from the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and the U.S.A.
Her strength of character, will, charm, warmth, and independence have given her a unique sense of insight and wisdom for today’s space, time, and place continuum.
Natacha is a reminder that today, new ideas and opportunities are everywhere for those who have the courage to seize them! You have more than you think you have. You can do more than you think you can.
Share with me how one woman took responsibility to use natural curiosity, intelligence, talents, abilities, and what some would call the ability to channel the divine to create a life of choice.
The Full Moon in Aries injects a surge of energy into situations that have come to feel a little stale. A sense of greater emotional invigoration is sure to stir up something, but we have the courage and drive to deal with it. If our resolve seems to fail us, the Moon–Mars opposition suggests we could see it modeled by others — and can draw inspiration from them.
Mars is traditionally linked with the male archetype and associated with masculine behavior — but not necessarily burly, physical strength or aggression. With Mars in Libra, we may see strong leadership by someone with an incisive ability to bring out the best in others. Sometimes true strength emerges when letting someone else shine — like a mentoring relationship when there is no need to prove ego dominance, and power arises through team effort.
Also signi cant is a pairing of the Moon with dwarf planet Eris — named after the goddess of chaos and discord in Greek mythology. Themes associated with Eris and Moon in aspect — according to Henry Seltzer in The Tenth Planet (Wessex Astrologer, 2015) — include a sense of connection with all of mankind and a desire to foster peace and harmony, without sacrificing principles. The overriding idea with this pairing is that you are happy and con tent within yourself, trust in life, don’t fear other people, and seek to know how you can be of service to others.
I have to admit that on a bad day some of this could sound almost idealistic and too good to be true, but I do know a lot of people who aim to operate in exactly such a way — and do so successfully. Some of them are good friends, and many of them are my heroes. The Moon and Eris open this opportunity to each of us at this time, offering a chance to see beyond the veil of the ego’s needs so often linked to individual survival.
One of the great upshots of this period could be a chance to dispense with ongoing anxiety around a situation that has dogged us for a long time. If there is really nothing to fear but fear itself, then we can pierce through the veil of illusion and realize that only negative thoughts — perhaps through accumulated, rough experiences — are creating perceived problems.
The fi re energy of Aries lends the Moon power to surpass its regular pattern and express in a less constrained way, reminding us of what is real and vital. There is a blaze of glory with our emotions, and we have a chance to feel something in a pure and undiluted way.
If there is a potential spanner in the works, it shows in a t-square of the Full Moon to Pluto in Capricorn. Pluto was demoted to dwarf planet around the time Eris was promoted to that very status, becoming the new “tenth planet.” As many astrologers have expressed, just because scientists decide to reclassify planets due to the discovery of new bodies, it doesn’t mean we have stopped knowing what Plutonic energy feels like when embodied in a person or situation!
So, whilst Eris may be busily attempting to plant seeds of love and acceptance to blot out a degree of discord, Pluto could be in the background mashing up a potent, poisonous potion! We may have some sympathy for certain Plutonic expressions, especially since they are so often linked with people feeling powerless and inadequate. But when they can fi nd a more peaceful plateau of love and respect, the poison may seemingly just evaporate.
Also, there could be the need for some to manage toxic buildup so that it does not become destructive — such that might manifest as physical toxicity within the body, but could equally relate to thought processes and feelings which lead to extreme actions. A sextile from the Moon to Jupiter in Aquarius reminds us that if we catch ourselves entangled in dif cult dynamics, we still have the freedom of choice — for example, fi nding ways to draw back and release ourselves from these forces. This might require letting go of typical Mars energy — deciding to not let anger rule the day, for instance. Or, opening one hand and cupping it kindly with the other, instead of clenching fi sts. Whilst it may seem counter-intuitive at first, it may also mean we ultimately come out true winners.
This article is from the Mountain Astrologer, written by Diana Collis.
I Love Docs On 26 September 1983, the computers in the Serpukhov-15 bunker outside Moscow, which housed the command center of the Soviet early warning satellite system, twice reported that U.S. intercontinental ballistic missiles were heading toward the Soviet Union. Stanislav Petrov, who was duty officer that night, suspected that the system was malfunctioning and managed to convince his superiors of the same thing. He argued that if the U.S. was going to attack pre-emptively it would do so with more than just five missiles and that it was best to wait for ground radar confirmation before launching a counter-attack. ILoveDocs.com is your YouTube destination for full-length feature documentaries. Don’t miss an upload: https://youtube.com/c/ILoveDocs Visit I Love Docs. https://ilovedocs.com
A woman in the audience once handed Elvis a crown saying, “You’re the King.” “No, honey,” Elvis replied. “There is only one king — Jesus Christ. I’m just a singer.” Gary Tillery presents a coherent view of Elvis’s thoughts through such anecdotes and other recorded facts. We learn, for instance, that Elvis read thousands of books on religion; that his crisis over making bimbo movies like Girl Happy led him to writers such as Gurdjieff, Krishnamurti, and Helena Blavatsky; and that, while driving in Arizona, an epiphany he had inspired him to learn Hindu practice. Elvis came to believe that the Christ shines in everyone and that God wanted him to use his light to uplift people. And so he did. Elvis’s excesses were as legendary as his generosity, yet, despite his lethal reliance on drugs, he remained ever spiritually curious. When he died, he was reading A Scientific Search for the Face of Jesus. This intimate, objective portrait inspires new admiration for the flawed but exceptional man who said, “All I want is to know and experience God. I’m a searcher, that’s what I’m all about.”
There are many reports of strange cults which enthral their followers and cut themselves off from the world. Invariably led by gurus, or spiritual leaders, the fruit of these cults are mass suicides in the South American jungle or the self-immolation of hundreds in besieged fortresses.
(Goodreads.com)
...including chapters on Gurdjieff, Jung and Freud. (m.z.)
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