ACIM 48

“There is nothing to fear.”

–Marianne Williamson

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26  (11:00 am PDT)

“Conversations with Calvin”

Tune in and Enjoy the Zoom Podcast.  This interview is between, Calvin Harris, H.W., M., and  William Fennie, H.W., M. which can be informative and fun as we look at highlights of William’s life journey: Career Choices; Views about Education, Having a Calling, Purpose, and Goals; and his journey path in The Prosperos.

A Prosperos Sunday Meeting Presentation

                             Zoom Meeting 

For this free, one-hour event beginning at 11: 00 a.m. Pacific time- Sunday, September 26, 2021.

ZOOM LINK

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/332275676

Орлин Вълчев

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In the Mood

Artist

Glen Miller

Album

Los Grandes Del Rock,Vol.1

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Zebralution, Unit Media Music, INgrooves, SME, Naxos Digital Services US, Inc, UMG, Believe Music, BMG Rights Management (Europe) GmbH (on behalf of Pipila Records S.A. DE C.V.); UMPG Publishing, LatinAutor – SonyATV, UMPI, UNIAO BRASILEIRA DE EDITORAS DE MUSICA – UBEM, Shapiro Bernstein, LatinAutor – UMPG, Abramus Digital, Polaris Hub AB, LatinAutor – PeerMusic, LatinAutor – ACODEM, LatinAutor, Kobalt Music Publishing, LatinAutorPerf, ASCAP, IMPEL, and 18 Music Rights Societies

“Words may, through the devotion, the skill, the passion, and the luck of writers prove to be the most powerful thing in the world.”

–WILLIAM GOLDING

Born this week in 1885

Sir William Gerald Golding, CBE FRSL (September 19, 1911 – June 19, 1993) was a British novelist, playwright, and poet. Best known for his debut novel Lord of the Flies, he published another twelve volumes of fiction in his lifetime. Wikipedia

Thursday 10:30AM (theonion.com)

WASHINGTON—According to the results of a new poll released Thursday by the Pew Research Center, the majority of Americans would swap democracy for a $100 Best Buy gift card. “Our research found that 72% of Americans would agree to give up all free and fair elections in the U.S. forever in exchange for a $100 certificate they could use to purchase a new Bluetooth speaker or couple Keurig coffee makers,” said Pew pollster Dana Felder, who noted that an overwhelming 90% of Americans stated that they would eagerly surrender their First Amendment rights without a second thought for a chance to rummage the bin of discounted DVDs and Blu-rays at the front of the store. “Sixty-five percent of the survey respondents stated that they would choose to live in an autocracy as long as they received free shipping, and another 55% of Americans responded that they would gladly abandon democracy for as little as a 15% off coupon from Bed, Bath, & Beyond. The remaining 28% of Americans who said they would not swap democracy stated they would only do so for a gift certificate to a nice local bakery.” At press time, Felder confirmed that the results were the highest they’d been since 1996 when 80% of Americans stated that they would live under an Islamic theocracy in exchange for a $50 gift card to Radio Shack.

Pisces Full Moon

The Pisces Full Moon occurs in the last 3° of the sign — giving events an eleventh-hour quality and placing attention on the upcoming moment of fruition, though that will not be the end of the story. Astrology always deals with cycles — a point strongly made by Dane Rudhyar in his work on the Sabian Symbols (An Astrological Mandala, Random House, 1973). In Rudhyar’s system, 28°14′ Pisces translates as the Sabian symbol for Pisces 29: “Light breaking into many colors as it passes through a prism.”

“Unity will always break again into multiplicity,” Rudhyar says. There is no absolute unity as such, only possibly “the relationship between the One and the Many.” The spectral splay of light evokes an almost orgasmic nature of experience, where, as the light passes through the prism, the organic unity fragments into a display of blinding brilliance. We may lose sight of the whole, or simply realize that it has always been something of an illusion. All we can deal with now is fragments, and hope that, somehow, they’ll eventually come together to create something meaningful — even if momentarily! These ideas conjure up the Buddhist practice of composing a mandala using multiple colors of sand, which will eventually disperse into the winds, its beautiful form in no way permanent.

This Full Moon also stirs up a line from T. S. Eliot’s poem, “The Wasteland”: “These fragments I have shored against my ruins.” Under COVID-19’s devastation, the world we all thought we knew now seems to be quite another universe, as old ways and structures that we may have taken for granted morph into vastly different ways of being. Yet, as painful and difficult as such changes may sometimes be, remember that light always circulates and encourages new growth, even if it has no permanent structure that we can grasp in an absolute state. Our sense of security may be rocked, but we can press on, even if we are only dealing in fragments without a fully known form. In time they will cohere into more concrete, collective structures, and what was once solid may not go to waste, if it also binds elsewhere to make other shapes. Anyone who has lost someone special may find comfort in this thought because it suggests that their loved one’s essence continues to exist.

The Moon’s proximity to Neptune underscores the fragile nature of any fragmented situation. We are still both “one” and part of the “many” — separate, yet not alone. If we dare to consider that each of us has a certain fragility, then we can invoke and apply another great Pisces quality: compassion. With luck, this becomes a pooled effort, with one person’s kindness yielding kindness in return — a positively contagious process, for a change!

Mars in Libra opposing the Moon (albeit in an out-of-sign opposition) could be seen as a potential spanner in the works, given that Mars does not sit easily in Libra, opposite Aries, its traditional sign of rulership. Mars does, nonetheless, have a reputation for getting things done quickly and — in Libra — could indicate that many hands really do make light work! That is, so long as people agree on the method — or, at least, agree to disagree if they have individual styles. Rudhyar’s interpretation of 29° Pisces emphasizes differentiation, which makes this a good time for embracing diversity at very many levels. Each one of us is, of course, a little different, and yet we all have something different to contribute.

This article is from the Mountain Astrologer, written by Diana Collis.

(via support@craighamiltonglobal.com)

Red Hair Rick

(Hauntings In The North Woods)

Gwyllm Llwydd September 19, 2021

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This is one from the Stacks… I am working on a couple of others at this point, but this story of my friend Rick from all those years ago still haunts me. I have a couple of further comments at the tail end of this one…

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Red Haired Rick

I have told this story many times over the years. After I left Big Sur, and ended up in deep Northern California, I eventually came out of the hills and re-engaged with “normal” life, going back to school, finding work, a girl friend, etc.

During the winter of 68 early 69′ I met Rick who was just up from San Francisco, trying to settle into the local area. (Lots of people were moving out of the cities at that point.) He was tall thin, very red hair and had an enormous appetite for life. Eventually, he needed a place to live, and he settled into our commune. He would do odd jobs in the local community, and many people liked him, he became quite popular locally.

One of the rules in our commune was that there was no drugs allowed. I know, sounds odd for a commune then, but there were a slew of different types of setups going on. Rick honored this, and kept his drug intake discreet, and away from the commune. He still enjoyed the party life, and would disappear for a few days at a time, sometimes locally, sometimes popping back to The Haight in San Francisco to catch up with friends.

We became friends over the months, and as the winter wore away and spring emerged we took on adventures together locally and up in the hills. He was quick with his humour, and he had a nice depth to him once you got past his moods.

One Saturday night on the full moon Rick went off to town to attend a party. He said he’d be in about midnight. We lived about 3 miles from the town, up a lonely road by a disused quarry and railway. Catching a ride in, he would have about a 4 mile walk back that night if he didn’t have a ride as the party was up into the hills on the other side of town. I was working on art that night, hanging out by the radio at the table by the front door. There was so little entertainment locally that I was trying to catch an AM radio station from the bay area so I could listen to some recent music. Being remote, we were out of touch with the mainstream, in this and other ways. I finally tuned into the station as it faded in and out, and started with my art.

The hours raced by. I looked up at the clock, and it was past midnight. I put my nose back to my work and kept going. I had discovered the joys of pointillism recently, and was completely entranced with the idea of using the technique to do a larger picture. As I worked away, I heard the dogs barking like crazy, almost howling then a noise on the porch, and with that the door popped open and Rick came in, looking a bit rough around the edges. I said hello, as he stumbled past shaking his head and mumbling… I thought nothing of it as he went upstairs to his room. As I continued to work, I kept on hearing noises. I finally turned the radio down, and I heard what seemed like a conversation going on upstairs. Knowing that Rick was on his own, I went up to investigate.

I bounded up the steps, across the common area and knocked on his door. I could hear a conversation going on, and it seemed as if someone was in there with him. Neither party responded to my knock, so I knocked again. No answer, just a silence. I opened up the door and looked in to see Rick writhing in a fetal position on the bed illuminated by candle . Stepping in it seemed if the room was deep in shadows, and as I walked forward I realized that there was a form in the darkness leaning over Rick as he twisted back and forth on the bed. As I drew closer, the form coalesced into the shape of a tall man, composed of swirling grey smoke and grey flame. I stepped back, it stepped forward. My mind was full of a screaming and a wailing and whatever it was swelled in size as it came towards me.

I stumbled out the door, slamming it as I ran down to the main room raving about what I had just seen upstairs leaning over Rick. A couple of the older members of the commune were versed in magick, and one of them moved to the foot of the stairs, and started to repeat a chant that went something like this: ” If you are of the light, come forward, if you are not be gone back into the darkness from whence you came.” She kept repeating this until there was a howl from upstairs that seemed to trail out into the moonlight outside. The dogs were going crazy, barking and howling, carrying on like a coyote was on the property. We rushed up to check on Rick, and we found him covered in sweat and passed out on top of his bed. We covered him up, and took turns sitting with him until the dawn came.

The next day we had a house meeting after Rick finally awoke. He looked pale and wrung out, twitching a bit as he rolled a cigarette and drank a cup of coffee.

“So, what happened last night” someone asked him. Rick sat there, puffed on his cigarette and then told us what had transpired that night.

“It was a great party, and I was drinking wine with friends, and as the evening wore on, someone offered me a hit of Acid, and not really thinking I took it”. He paused, drank some coffee, and then carried on.

” It was around 11:45 and I realized the time, and by that point the Acid was coming on pretty strong, and I realized I had perhaps done a bit much of everything and decided to walk home. A couple of friends tried to get me to stay, but I thought it might be best to be back at the commune to ride it out”.

” So, I started walking, the moon was out, it was beautiful out and I almost sailed along through town. Along the way, I realized a young guy had joined me, and that we were having a conversation… He seemed nice enough, and we were talking about things and I didn’t question his sudden appearance or the strangeness until he asked me a question.” Rick sat back, and re-lit his cigarette. His color was really off at this point and his hands were quaking as he held the match up to the cigarette. “He asked me, he asked me, ‘could I borrow your body, I have things I need to do. I have unfinished business to take care of’”, when I heard that I realized we weren’t actually talking, but that the conversation was still happening in my head, and he was serious. At that point I realized I wanted away from whoever, or whatever he was. I walked quicker, and he kept up with me, badgering and pleading. He was more and more insistent until he was demanding that I give my body up to his use.

We all sat back as Rick composed himself. There was still a spring chill in the air, and it seemed to have deepened with the telling of his tale. He pressed on with the telling of it.

“I don’t remember getting to the driveway, or even coming inside let alone getting up to my room. I just remember him practically beating on me, and then it ceased, and I woke up this morning.”

We filled him in on what we saw on our parts, and about the phenomena that we thought had occurred. “He may of died suddenly, and in life having great will power decided that he could will you to his wishes and finish up whatever he felt he needed to do….” Another of us popped up with, “Well maybe he wasn’t human what so ever, look at the description of what it looked like.” This went on for several minutes, and then we went about the day.

As the sunlight waned, the dogs took to howling and barking again. Something seemed to be there, but no one could pick up on it. My favourite pastime of going out side and watching the night stars didn’t seem like such a hot idea.. After a few days the dogs calmed a bit, but just after midnight they would go off like clockwork. This continued for a couple of weeks until the new moon came, and then they ceased.

It occurred to me that what ever had followed Rick home had been driven out past the property by the incantations, but was still lingering, waiting to get back in.

Rick recovered, but from what he said he would never mix his drugs again. He left shortly after, back to the city. He seemed a bit wary and cautious even. We kept in touch, he came back for awhile and we renewed our friendship, and then he moved on again. Later on he headed to Alaska and a new life.

I have often sat and wondered about what it was that had attached itself to Rick that night. The vision of a being filled with swirling flame and smoke, rising up and towards me has haunted me over the years. I don’t know who or what I saw. I only know that it was of ill intent, and that if it couldn’t have Rick, well I may have done instead.

I figured out some of it over time. What ever it was, it was waiting at the juncture point for someone whose natural defenses were down, and Rick fit that nicely. Loping along, high as a kite in various directions, he probably came across as an easy target. He proved resilient enough, until he got himself to a place of safety. It was ruled by some of the cycles of this place, fading with the new moon. I pray that it didn’t find someone else to ride, as what was the unfinished business? There have been tales in cultures throughout the world of creatures such as these. Until then, I had taken it all in as just stories. After this I was less given to dismissing the old tales. What I saw was frightening, and something not to be played with. So if you are walking on your own, give a thought to what you can draw to you. Sometimes, you may just want to keep on walking.

___________

Coda:

So, a ghost story. Not everyone believes or have experienced such events. Duly noted.

I wrote this down long, long ago. What I didn’t include was that I ran into Rick’s girlfriend a few years later. He had gone off the deep end, leaving her and departing for the bush in Alaska. I don’t know what happened to him or her, I lost touch in the swirl of the times.

A note on where I was then. By Spring Equinox in 1968 I no longer smoked, drank, took any drugs. I was pretty straight arrow as the saying goes. I was dedicated to the spiritual life as it was interpreted then. (this all changed later of course) The commune was drug free in that we were not that far out of town, and many communes/houses were being busted. It was at that point, simple survival. On the main the local populace was okay with the incursion of new people, but many weren’t, including the local police, sheriff etc. There was violence against the new comers, and times were tense as they were anyway. Things got much more heated as 1969 proceeded. I may touch on that later, of course.

I went to my old photo box looking for pictures of that time; no joy. Hopefully the pictures will be turned up, they document the period nicely. Along the way I acquired a Bolex 16mm, and I know those films are gone…

Again, thank you for reading. Comments are welcome, and please subscribe.

Bright Blessings,

Gwyllm

September 15, 2021 Vanessa Able (thedewdrop.org)

“It is enough for me to contemplate the mystery of conscious life perpetuating itself through all eternity, to reflect upon the marvelous structure of the universe which we can dimly perceive, and to try humbly to comprehend even an infinitesimal part of the intelligence manifested in nature.”

– Albert EinsteinTweet

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Though he was always critical of formal religion, Albert Einstein wrote extensively about the power of connecting with the mystery of conscious life, and how this sense of awe had driven him throughout his life and career. In this short but dense essay, one of the most astute minds of the last century lays out his living philosophy, his outlook on the world and the set of ideals that he held in his personal, spiritual and political life.

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Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to divine a purpose.

From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: that man is here for the sake of other men—above all for those upon whose smile and well being our own happiness depends, and also for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. Many times a day I realize how much my own outer and inner life is built upon the labors of my fellow-men, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received. My peace of mind is often troubled by the depressing sense that I have borrowed too heavily from the work of other men.

I do not believe we can have any freedom at all in the philosophical sense, for we act not only under external compulsion but also by inner necessity. Schopenhauer’s saying—”A man can surely do what he wills to do, but he cannot determine what he wills”—impressed itself upon me in youth and has always consoled me when I have witnessed or suffered life’s hardships. This conviction is a perpetual breeder of tolerance, for it does not allow us to take ourselves or others too seriously; it makes rather for a sense of humor.

To ponder interminably over the reason for one’s own existence or the meaning of life in general seems to me, from an objective point of view, to be sheer folly. And yet everyone holds certain ideals by which he guides his aspiration and his judgment. The ideals which have always shone before me and filled me with the joy of living are goodness, beauty, and truth. To make a goal of comfort or happiness has never appealed to me; a system of ethics built on this basis would be sufficient only for a herd of cattle.

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed. “

Without the sense of collaborating with like-minded beings in the pursuit of the ever unattainable in art and scientific research, my life would have been empty. Ever since childhood I have scorned the commonplace limits so often set upon human ambition. Possessions, outward success, publicity, luxury—to me these have always been contemptible. I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for everyone, best both for the body and the mind.

My passionate interest in social justice and social responsibility has always stood in curious contrast to a marked lack of desire for direct association with men and women. I am a horse for single harness, not cut out for tandem or team work. I have never belonged wholeheartedly to country or state, to my circle of friends, or even to my own family. These ties have always been accompanied by a vague aloofness, and the wish to withdraw into myself increases with the years.

Such isolation is sometimes bitter, but I do not regret being cut off from the understanding and sympathy of other men. I lose something by it, to be sure, but I am compensated for it in being rendered independent of the customs, opinions, and prejudices of others, and am not tempted to rest my peace of mind upon such shifting foundations.

My political ideal is democracy. Everyone should be respected as an individual, but no one idolized. It is an irony of fate that I should have been showered with so much uncalled-for and unmerited admiration and esteem. Perhaps this adulation springs from the unfulfilled wish of the multitude to comprehend the few ideas which I, with my weak powers, have advanced.

“To know that what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their most primitive forms—this knowledge, this feeling, is at the center of true religiousness.“

Full well do I know that in order to attain any definite goal it is imperative that one person should do the
thinking and commanding and carry most of the responsibility. But those who are led should not be driven, and they should be allowed to choose their leader. It seems to me that the distinctions separating the social classes are false; in the last analysis they rest on force. I am convinced that degeneracy follows every autocratic system of violence, for violence inevitably attracts moral inferiors.

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The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed. This insight into the mystery of life, coupled though it be with fear, has also given rise to religion. To know that what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their most primitive forms—this knowledge, this feeling, is at the center of true religiousness. In this sense, and in this sense only, I belong in the ranks of devoutly religious men.

I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own—a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotism. It is enough for me to contemplate the mystery of conscious life perpetuating itself through all eternity, to reflect upon the marvelous structure of the universe which we can dimly perceive, and to try humbly to comprehend even an infinitesimal part of the intelligence manifested in nature.

Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
From: Living Philosophies

The Knight of Disks

With the Knight of Disks we see a man who is deeply committed to practical matters in life – work, career, home and family are his major spheres of influence. He is diligent, hard-working and pays great attention to detail.

His progress in life is a steady, sure development of ongoing projects, which he works through with great industriousness and perseverance. Not for him, risky schemes, nor extravagant business deals. He moves with caution and circumspection, consolidating each step forward before taking the next one.

Some would consider him dull and boring – others would call him prudent and reliable.

The card often comes up to represent a quiet man, whose approach to life is measured and calm. However it’s as well not to be taken in by the sturdy exterior. Disks males have a capacity for deep and boundless passion – they just don’t shout too loudly about it. Whilst life with him may not be a roller-coaster ride, you will surely know what to expect, and what you can count on.

He makes an excellent business partner, particularly for the high-flyer, because he introduces forethought and pre-planning. He’s a faithful and dependable partner, and a committed father.

(via angelpaths.com and Alan Blackman)