In this continuing series, you are invited to find insights that awake from in-depth conversations with interesting and poignant guests. Our next meetup is a conversation: Our topic “The Future is Now and Your choice to be in it.”
Theme: Today is Tomorrow, in having life skill hacks in choosing to live your most authentic self. In the future your adaptability and agility to live who you are, as you want, will come under more social pressures, economic pressures, time bandits, and the programming algorithms of artificial intelligence (AI).
‘AI’ is already impacting the decisions and fate of businesses, education, government, and in people’s lives in unimagined ways.
Due to today’s technology and latest scientific advances, we now have young people living and playing in created spaces, such as a virtual space, virtual reality, the Internet, or cyberspace, that has allowed for them to represent themselves in gender-swapping roles and/or genderless human bodies, which are products of pure information. We get instances of films in which a pleasurable experience is taken up by people playing characters entering cyberspace as shown in films like The Thirteenth Floor (1999), eXinstenZ (1999), Inception (2010), or Avatar (2009), among others. In them, the difference between “self” and the “other” becomes less clear.
Add to this mix some people’s concerns or want of control in areas of morality, ethics, and security to govern these areas in the future.
All of this brings us to the questions of how we could live vs how should we live and what might that look like?
Some individuals have started to take charge of, and to take ownership of, how they will live life in this brave new world of humans, biology, machines, and algorithms.
Join me and my guest Nelson in our discussion of one man’s journey from biological structure to concept to a genuine representation of oneself.
Today is Tomorrow, in having life skill hacks that allow you to choose to live your most authentic self.
This event is free, one hour beginning at 11: 00 a.m. Pacific time- Sunday, January 31, 2021.
Much of what we know and feel about the First World War we owe to Vera Brittain’s elegiac yet unsparing book, which set a standard for memoirists from Martha Gellhorn to Lillian Hellman. Abandoning her studies at Oxford in 1915 to enlist as a nurse in the armed services, Brittain served in London, in Malta, and on the Western Front. By war’s end she had lost virtually everyone she loved. Testament of Youth is both a record of what she lived through and an elegy for a vanished generation. Hailed by the Times Literary Supplement as a book that helped “both form and define the mood of its time,” it speaks to any generation that has been irrevocably changed by war.
THE HEAVENS—Expressing uncertainty about how to handle the awkward situation, The Lord God Almighty was reportedly blindsided Monday after His illegitimate son Xyzyys from the Andromeda Galaxy tracked Him down. “Dammit, he clearly used his own money to travel here and he doesn’t have any way to get home, so I guess I kind of have to let him crash on my couch for a couple days, but my apartment is no place for a kid,” said The Supreme Being, tossing some old Miller Lites and copies of Playboy into a waste basket to accommodate His unexpected guest. “He seems like a nice enough kid, but I have to play things smart here until I can confirm that he’s really mine. If his mom is the insectoid creature I’m thinking of, she’s fucking nuts, so I better not promise him anything or I’m going to get slapped with a paternity suit. I’ll just try and keep him busy until I can get a DNA test processed.” At press time, God had enlisted St. Peter to go throw the ball around with Xyzyys so He could get another 45 minutes of sleep.
Aquarius, take note of poet Emily Dickinson’s comment, “My business is circumference,” meaning her calling was to be in quest of awe and sublimity. (Shutterstock)
It’s time for Aquarius to expand and elevate their minds, hearts and souls
ARIES (March 21-April 19): On May 4, 2019, my Aries friend Leah woke up in a state of amazement. During the night, she felt she had miraculously become completely enlightened. Over the next 16 hours, she understood her life perfectly. Everything made sense to her. She was in love with every person and animal she knew. But by the next morning, the exalted serenity had faded, and she realized that her enlightenment had been temporary. She wasn’t mad or sad, however. The experience shook her up so delightfully that she vowed to forevermore seek to recreate the condition she had enjoyed. Recently she told me that on virtually every day since May 4, 2019, she has spent at least a few minutes, and sometimes much longer, exulting in the same ecstatic peace that visited her back then. That’s the Aries way: turning a surprise, spontaneous blessing into a permanent breakthrough. I trust you will do that soon.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): One morning, famous French army general Hubert Lyautey (1854–1934) instructed his gardener to spend the next day planting a row of saplings on his property. The gardener agreed, but advised Lyautey that this particular species of tree required 100 years to fully mature. “In that case,” Lyautey said, “plant them now.” I recommend that you, too, expedite your long-term plans, Taurus. Astrologically speaking, the time is ripe for you to take crisp action to fulfill your big dreams.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Someone asked poet E. E. Cummings what home was for him. He responded poetically, talking about his lover. Home was “the stars on the tip of your tongue, the flowers sprouting from your mouth, the roots entwined in the gaps between your fingers, the ocean echoing inside your ribcage.” What about you, Gemini? If you were asked to give a description of what makes you feel glad to be alive and helps give you the strength to be yourself, what would you say? Now would be a good time to identify and honor the influences that inspire you to create your inner sense of home.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): “Be sweet to me, world,” pleads Cancerian poet Stephen Dunn in one of his poems. In the coming weeks, I invite you to address the world in a similar way. And since I expect the world will be unusually receptive and responsive to your requests, I’ll encourage you to add even more entreaties. For example, you could say, “Be revelatory and educational with me, world,” or “Help me deepen my sense that life is meaningful, world,” or “Feed my soul with experiences that will make me smarter and wilder and kinder, world.” Can you think of other appeals and supplications you’d like to express to the world?
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Throughout his many rough travels in the deserts of the Middle East, the Leo diplomat and army officer known as Lawrence of Arabia (1888–1935) didn’t give up his love of reading. While riding on the backs of camels, he managed to study numerous tomes, including the works of ancient Greek writers Aeschylus and Aristophanes. I’d love to see you perform comparable balancing acts in the coming weeks, Leo. The astrological omens suggest you’ll be skilled at coordinating seemingly un-coordinatable projects and tasks — and that you’ll thrive by doing so. (P.S.: Your efforts may be more metaphorical and less literal than Lawrence’s.)
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Sculptor Stefan Saal testifies that one of his central questions as a creator of art is to know when a piece is done. “When making a thing I need to decide, when is it thoroughly made, when is it, dare-we-say, ‘perfected.’” He has tried to become a master of knowing where and when to stop. I recommend this practice to you in the next two weeks, Virgo. You’ve been doing good work, and will continue to do good work, but it’s crucial that you don’t get overly fussy and fastidious as you refine and perhaps even finish your project.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You’re entering the potentially most playful and frisky and whimsical phase of your astrological cycle. To honor and encourage a full invocation of gleeful fun, I offer you the following thoughts from Tumblr blogger Sparkledog. “I am so tired of being told that I am too old for the things I like. No cartoons. No toys. No fantasy animals. No bright colors. Are adults supposed to live monotonous, bleak lives? I can be an adult and still love childish things. I can be intelligent and educated and informed and I can love stuffed animals and unicorns. Please stop making me feel bad for loving the things that make me happy.”
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “Nature cannot be ordered about, except by obeying her,” wrote philosopher Francis Bacon (1561–1626). That paradoxical observation could prove to be highly useful for you in the coming weeks. Here are some other variants on the theme: Surrendering will lead to power. Expressing vulnerability will generate strength. A willingness to transform yourself will transform the world around you. The more you’re willing to acknowledge that you have a lot to learn, the smarter you’ll be.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In his book “The Lover’s Dictionary,” David Levithan advises lovers and would-be lovers to tell each other their very best stories. “Not the day’s petty injustices,” he writes. “Not the glimmer of a seven-eighths-forgotten moment from your past. Not something that somebody said to somebody, who then told it to you.” No, to foster the vibrant health of a love relationship — or any close alliance for that matter — you should consistently exchange your deepest, richest tales. This is always true, of course, but it’s especially true for you right now.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): On Oct. 8, 1867, the United States government completed its purchase of Alaska from Russia. How much did this 586,000-acre kingdom cost? Two cents per acre, which in today’s money would be about 37 cents. It was a tremendous bargain! I propose that we regard this transaction as a metaphor for what’s possible for you in 2021: the addition of a valuable resource at a reasonable price. (P.S.: American public opinion about the Alaskan purchase was mostly favorable back then, but a few influential newspapers described it as foolish. Don’t let naysayers like them dissuade you from your smart action.)
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “My business is circumference,” wrote poet Emily Dickinson in a letter to her mentor. What did she mean by that? “Circumference” was an important word for her. It appeared in 17 of her poems. Critic Rochelle Cecil writes that for Dickinson, circumference referred to a sense of boundlessness radiating out from a center — a place where “one feels completely free, where one can express anything and everything.” According to critic Donna M. Campbell, circumference was Dickinson’s metaphor for ecstasy. When she said, “My business is circumference,” she meant that her calling was to be eternally in quest of awe and sublimity. I propose that you make good use of Dickinson’s circumference in the coming weeks, Aquarius. It’s time to get your mind and heart and soul thoroughly expanded and elevated.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Should I quote the wisdom of people who have engaged in behavior I consider unethical or immoral? Should I draw inspiration from teachers who at some times in their lives treated others badly? For instance, Pisces-born Ted Geisel, better known as beloved author Dr. Seuss, cheated on his wife while she was sick, ultimately leading to her suicide. Should I therefore banish him from my memory and never mention the good he did in the world? Or should I forgive him of his sins and continue to appreciate him? I don’t have a fixed set of rules about how to decide questions like these. How about you? The coming weeks will be a good time to redefine your relationship with complicated people.
Homework: Where in your life do you push too hard? Where don’t you push hard enough? Testify: FreeWillAstrology.com.
Got a call today letting me know that long-time Prosperos student and friend Bruce King died in a New Orleans hospital on October 20, 2020 after a short illness.
I first met Bruce in the ’70s at The Prosperos center in Santa Monica.
He was a great friend to the The Prosperos, a great friend of Thane Walker, Billye Talmadge, Marcia Herndon, Perry Dickey, Ken Wauchope and many others, a contributor to the Bathtub Bulletin, a musician, a great lover of New Orleans, a great lover of France and all things French, having spent some time in Paris as a child, and a loyal friend to anybody who knew him.
I know this is a very incomplete remembrance of Bruce, so please add your own comments to this post or send me photos of Bruce or other memorabilia or anecdotes so we can share them with the readers of the Bathtub Bulletin. (E-mail me at zonta1111@aol.com)
A memorial service may be held in New Orleans.
–Mike Zonta, BB editor
Here’s a BB article from October 2016 from Bruce King and Zoë Robinson, H.W., M.
MINDFULNESS (FROM BRUCE KING AND ZOE ROBINSON, H.W., M.)
I am grateful for an email I received recently from Bruce King. Bruce has said I might forward it on to you so I hope you will take a moment to read it through. Thank you Bruce . . .
“Thanks so much for this. I think you’re entirely right in your attempts to promote the practice of Mindfulness among the Prosperos. I also agree that it a very useful expansion – one might even call it a perfect fit. At the risk of telling you something you already know, here’s why –
Actually, Mindfulness is, or was, at least in theory, part of the curriculum of the Prosperos, in the form of the “Minute Exercise”, taught by Thane in his Lessons in the Fourth Way. The “Minute Exercise” was derived, I’ve come to believe, from Thane’s long study and practice of Zen Buddhism. I’ve used both the “Minute Exercise” and breath-based meditation, and the only difference I can see is in the way the relaxation response (if that’s the right term for it…) is elicited. Once there, the process – of letting thoughts, images, and/or memories enter the mind while withholding judgment, then letting each one go – seems identical.
Another thought: Much of what Thane taught – or what I got out of my training, anyway – was a kind of “Zen on the fly”, a constant paying of attention, including self observation, while withholding judgment (so indeed Mindfulness, in the broadest sense of the term) as one goes about one’s “ordinary” life. So that’s another way Mindfulness can be said to fit in.
A final thought: Interestingly enough, I remember Thane saying, at the start of Lessons in the Fourth Way, that those lessons were going to go “beyond Translation and RHS”. So I think it’s more than likely that he considered Mindfulness, in the form of the “Minute Exercise”, to be a very advanced technique – at least for us, at that time, which was during the first six months of 1972…
It’s 4 AM. I’m up. can’t sleep. cold feet. Thought I’d type for a while while I see if the ambien I took 5 minutes ago can kick in and let me have a couple more hours. Jeff is going to go shopping for me. He sent a text last night and I sent him a list. We’ll see how he does. David across the street brought over a blueberry pancake with berries and syrup last night as I was heating up some chicken soup. It was an easy call. I went for the sweets. His sermon on Samson is actually very good. It is short and to the point. And he said I could post it here so why not. It’s 9 minutes long. This is the guy that came over and built and installed my new mailbox last summer. Hope you enjoy it.
Feats of strength. Feets of strength. The holy spirit within.
CIM Lesson 19 — I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts.
Lucia was incredible last night.
12:15 PM — Well I am in the Zoom room for Yunus’ tutoring session and he hasn’t shown up. I’ve called him and his sister and left messages and sent him an email. We’ll see if he comes or not. So I thought I’d just write awhile while I waited. I did get a few more hours sleep. Got up at 10ish, got a load of laundry in, ate a bowl of cereal, made sure of my rides for tomorrow and Friday’s chemo treatments and normal coffee and morning meds and wound cleaning. It’s kinda nice today so I’ll spend some time outside.
Lucia was wonderful last night. I hope you got to experience it. The soprano really had some serious singing chops and she could act as well. It was just full of wonder and drama and treachery. 2nd time I’ve seen this production. The story as is the case with most opera is over the top with tragedy and trickery and the heroine as usual ends up being the victim of ruthless men. No different here. The music though, you can just listen to that music and not think or care a whit about the story. It is just so entrancing. Tonight is Norma. I might skip that one so I’m not too saturated for La Traviata on Thursday night. La Traviata is the other big opera that I have sung in. In both Lucia and Traviata I was just one of those anonymous guys in the background that sang in the chorus. This is one of things I love about Alaska. I never in a million years would have had the opportunity to experience that kind of collaboration in the lower 48, that much pure fun. But in Anchorage, a small city trying to grow and keep it’s people there and give them some kind of entertainment at night in the winter, the opportunity for someone like me — a plain Joe — were just there. Right place at the right time. All I had to do was show up and sing. But the experiences were as rich and rewarding as any I have had in my life.
I have seen 2 different productions of La Traviata at the Met this past year both excellent. One is a very traditional treatment like Lucia was. Very period very good. I have that one recorded on my Tivo since GPB showed it once and I taped and didn’t erase it after I watched it. The other is a more modern interpretation with the entire opera playing out on one set. The chorus is non-gendered so gender neutral and there is a new silent character added to the opera that the director put in it. It is Germond’s father who just observes (and influences) everything going on. In the final act he does sing the very small role of Dr. Grenville as Violetta dies, but he IS Germond’s father. And if you watch it you will see why that is important. It is an excellent version and a very creative vision of the opera and the one I hope they show tomorrow. Both have wonderful sopranos. And well the MUSIC. It’s all about the music anyway. Remember that. Listen listen listen. So that’s Thursday and you can call this another commercial. I love both of these operas and I know them the best of any because I learned all the music way back when I was in Anchorage. Tocsca is Friday another really excellent opera. I might miss that one since I have the full blown 7 hour chemo on Friday and don’t know how I will be feeling that night. And then Saturday is Wagner’s Die Walküre. I will probably skip the first half and join for the beginning of the third act. The first act is good, just long. Same with second as Brünnhilde and the god Wotan enter the story. But the opening of the third act, I know you know that music and it will set you on fire with excitement especially if it is the production I saw this summer. Talk about woman power — I mean WOMAN POWER!! This is the real deal. Don’t miss the Ride of The VALKYRIES on Saturday night. It’s a long opera (and you do have to be pretty hard core to get into Wagner) but do catch The RIDE in the third act if you can’t make it through it all.
So I hope you take advantage of this free all star opera week on demand at the Met. Your life will be richer for it.
12:45 and Yunus has not come to his tutoring yet. 14 years old. God love him but I want him to start taking responsibility for his life by like showing up when he is supposed to. He’s gonna have to learn that sooner or later if he’s going to get along in this country. It’s hard enough for a refugee. Well it’s almost 1 PM. I’ll keep the room open so I can hand it off to the next tutor who will be tutoring Yunus’ sister. She should be showing up soon. The thing with Yunus is that you never know what is going on with him. He lives in an abusive situation and there are things going on his life that he can’t control. Especially at age 14 when he’s confused about everything anyway. Thank god for the easy life we all have in comparison.
Too funny. I just heard from Louisa by email that this week Dekalb county has in person school on Wednesday. Usually Wednesday is an online day. But since Monday was a holiday, they made Wednesday this week an in person school day. And they forgot to include me on the email last night to tell me. Oh well. I just sat here and wrote so the time was not wasted at all.
I am going to go put the clothes in the dryer and do a few things around the house. Back later.
Just saw this:
3 PM — Here is a synopsis of The Valkeries coming on Saturday. Just for those interested. It’s kind of another one of those pesky archetypes. Remember those?
ACT I
Pursued by enemies during a storm, Siegmund stumbles exhausted into an unfamiliar house. Sieglinde finds him lying by the hearth, and the two feel an immediate attraction. They are interrupted by Sieglinde’s husband, Hunding, who asks the stranger who he is. Calling himself “Woeful,” Siegmund tells of a disaster-filled life, only to learn that Hunding is a kinsman of his enemies. Hunding tells his guest they will fight to the death in the morning.
Alone, Siegmund calls on his father, Wälse, for the sword he once promised him. Sieglinde reappears, having given Hunding a sleeping potion. She tells of her wedding, at which a one-eyed stranger thrust into a tree a sword that has since resisted every effort to pull it out (“Der Männer Sippe”). Sieglinde confesses her unhappiness to Siegmund. He embraces her and promises to free her from her forced marriage to Hunding. As moonlight floods the room, Siegmund compares their feelings to the marriage of love and spring (“Winterstürme wichen dem Wonnemond”). Sieglinde addresses him as “Spring” but asks if his father was really “Wolf,” as he said earlier. When Siegmund gives his father’s name as Wälse instead, Sieglinde recognizes him as her twin brother. Siegmund pulls the sword from the tree and claims Sieglinde as his bride, rejoicing in the union of the Wälsungs.
ACT II
High in the mountains, Wotan, leader of the gods, tells his warrior daughter, the Valkyrie Brünnhilde, that she must defend his mortal son Siegmund in his upcoming battle with Hunding. She leaves joyfully to do what he has asked, as Fricka, Wotan’s wife and the goddess of marriage, appears. Fricka insists that Wotan must defend Hunding’s marriage rights against Siegmund. She ignores his argument that Siegmund could save the gods by winning back the Nibelung Alberich’s all-powerful ring from the dragon Fafner. When Wotan realizes he is caught in his own trap — he will lose his power if he does not enforce the law — he submits to his wife’s demands. After Fricka has left, the frustrated god tells the returning Brünnhilde about the theft of the Rhinegold and Alberich’s curse on it (“Als junger Liebe Lust mir verblich”). Brünnhilde is shocked to hear her father, his plans in ruins, order her to fight for Hunding.
Siegmund comforts his fearful bride and watches over her when she falls asleep. Brünnhilde appears to him as if in a vision, telling him he will soon die and go to Valhalla (“Siegmund! Sieh auf mich!”). He replies that he will not leave Sieglinde and threatens to kill himself and his bride if his sword has no power against Hunding. Moved by his steadfastness, Brünnhilde decides to defy Wotan and help Siegmund. Siegmund bids farewell to Sieglinde when he hears the approaching Hunding’s challenge. The two men fight and Siegmund is about to be victorious, when Wotan appears and shatters his sword, leaving him to be killed by Hunding. Brünnhilde escapes with Sieglinde and the broken sword. Wotan contemptuously kills Hunding with a wave of his hand and leaves to punish Brünnhilde for her disobedience.
ACT III
Brünnhilde’s eight warrior sisters — who have gathered on their mountaintop bearing slain heroes to Valhalla. They are surprised to see Brünnhilde arrive with a woman, Sieglinde. When they hear she is fleeing Wotan’s wrath, they are afraid to hide her. Sieglinde is numb with despair until Brünnhilde tells her she bears Siegmund’s child. Now eager to be saved, she takes the pieces of the sword from Brünnhilde, thanks her, and rushes off into the forest to hide from Wotan. When the god appears, he sentences Brünnhilde to become a mortal woman, silencing her sisters’ objections by threatening to do the same to them. Left alone with her father, Brünnhilde pleads that in disobeying his orders she was really doing what he wished. Wotan will not give in: she must lie in sleep, a prize for any man who finds her. She asks to be surrounded in sleep by a wall of fire that only the bravest hero can pierce. Both sense this hero must be the child that Sieglinde will bear. Sadly renouncing his daughter (“Leb’ wohl, du kühnes, herrliches Kind”), Wotan kisses Brünnhilde’s eyes with sleep and mortality before summoning Loge, the god of fire, to encircle the rock. As flames spring up, the departing Wotan invokes a spell defying anyone who fears his spear to brave the flames.
It’s 5:30 PM and I’m watching the taped coverage of the inauguration on PBS. Biden is talking now. Gaga was great and I was really happy to hear This Land is Your Land added. So I’m gonna just let this fly and start again later if I want to. I want to hear the poet. I saw her interviewed on PBS a couple of days ago.
Democracy needs an update — one that respects and engages citizens by involving them in everyday political decisions, says writer and researcher Max Rashbrooke. He outlines three global success stories that could help move democratic systems forward and protect society against the new challenges this century is already bringing.
This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxAuckland, an independent event. TED’s editors chose to feature it for you.
