“The world is governed by very different personages from what is imagined by those who are not behind the scenes.” (Benjamin Disraeli)
The phrase ‘behind the scenes’ has acquired a negative connotation. Our common understanding is there’s nothing virtuous about secrecy. We prefer transparency over opaqueness.
Whether we like it or not, life will become intolerable if we abolished secrecy.
Navigating life demands we have to tiptoe around so many uncomfortable things.
It’s what’s invisible that makes the visible, meaningful, tolerable, and acceptable.
Life is essentially a deal we make with others. It’s nothing but the manifestation of the unending compromises and consensuses we strike with others. It’s not the black and white, but the grey shade that colours most of our life.
Nothing will happen in international politics if people stopped talking behind our backs. Treaties, whether bilateral or multilateral, are the products of backroom discussions, which happen far away from public gaze.
When there’s a global climate change conference, people hear about the final agreement, but not about behind the scene parleys.
When there’s war, enemies conduct a lot of informal discussions, which the public do not hear about. Issues like the release of hostages or reaching a ceasefire, always are clinched secretly.
In organisations,what happens in the offical meetings is only a tip of the iceberg. A lot of things are discussed off the record to avoid conflicts or causing embarrassment to some people.
A lot of behind the scene discussions precede the making of government policies.In democracies, people lobby for favourable policies. The government will not reveal who lobbied against what.
In personal relationships, people try to broker peace between estranged couples. They try to mediate by holding informal talks with the parties.
In divorce courts, counsellors try to help couples reach a compromise, behind the court’s official scrutiny. If there’s an agreement, the court will only know the important details, not the fine points of give and take that the couple discussed off the courtroom.
We are deeply impressed by an actor’s performance in a film. Do we see the countless cuts and editions of scenes that happened off the screen?
True, a lot of corrupt deals and criminal activities happen behind the scenes. Conspiracies are hatched behind closed doors. That, however, is not a reason to condemn secrecy because a lot of good things also happen secretly. Everything that happens behind closed doors is not clandestine.
Life is not a public spectacle that we enact on a public stage. Total or radical transparency in life is a myth, an unattainable ideal. It’s neither desirable nor feasible.
What happens on the backstage makes possible what we see on the frontstage.
Retired banker living in India. Avid reader. I write to learn, inform and inspire. Believe in ethical living and sustainable development. vnmukund@gmail.com
Martin Heidegger, one of the most influential and enigmatic figures in 20th-century philosophy, continues to captivate scholars and thinkers alike with his profound insights into the nature of existence, being, and human consciousness. His philosophical works, characterized by their depth, complexity, and poetic resonance, have left an indelible mark on the landscape of modern thought. In this article, we embark on a journey to unravel the mysteries of Heidegger’s philosophy, exploring his key concepts, contributions, and controversies.
The Early Years: Heidegger’s Phenomenological Turn
Born in 1889 in the town of Messkirch, Germany, Martin Heidegger was deeply influenced by the philosophical traditions of his time, particularly the works of Edmund Husserl and Friedrich Nietzsche. After studying theology and philosophy, Heidegger underwent a transformative intellectual journey, culminating in his groundbreaking work “Being and Time” (1927). In this seminal text, Heidegger introduced the concept of phenomenology — a method of philosophical inquiry aimed at uncovering the structures of human experience and consciousness.
Being and Time: The Quest for Authenticity and Dasein
At the heart of “Being and Time” lies Heidegger’s exploration of the nature of being (Dasein) and its existential dimensions. Heidegger argues that human existence is characterized by a fundamental sense of unease or anxiety (Angst), stemming from our awareness of our own mortality and finitude. In response to this existential predicament, Heidegger calls for a radical reorientation of our lives towards authenticity — a mode of being-in-the-world characterized by self-awareness, responsibility, and engagement with the existential possibilities that shape our existence.
The Ontological Difference: Unveiling the Mystery of Being
Heidegger’s later works delve deeper into the question of being, exploring the ontological difference — the distinction between being (Sein) and beings (das Seiende). Heidegger argues that being is not a thing or substance but rather an elusive and enigmatic phenomenon that permeates all aspects of existence. By uncovering the hidden structures of being, Heidegger seeks to illuminate the underlying meaning and significance of human existence, inviting us to contemplate the mystery of being and our place within the cosmos.
Critiques and Controversies: Heidegger’s Involvement with Nazism
Despite his profound philosophical insights, Heidegger’s legacy is overshadowed by his controversial involvement with the Nazi regime during World War II. As rector of Freiburg University from 1933 to 1934, Heidegger espoused Nazi ideology and expressed support for Hitler’s regime, leading to accusations of anti-Semitism and collaboration with the fascist regime. While Heidegger’s defenders argue that his political beliefs should be viewed separately from his philosophical contributions, his critics contend that his association with Nazism raises serious questions about the moral integrity of his thought.
Legacy and Influence: Heidegger’s Enduring Impact on Philosophy
Despite the controversies surrounding his life and legacy, Martin Heidegger remains one of the most influential and widely studied philosophers of the 20th century. His works continue to inspire scholars and thinkers across disciplines, from philosophy and literature to psychology and theology. Heidegger’s emphasis on the existential dimensions of human existence, his critique of technological society, and his exploration of the nature of being have profoundly shaped the trajectory of modern thought, leaving an indelible mark on the landscape of philosophy and intellectual inquiry.
Navigating the Labyrinth of Heidegger’s Thought
Martin Heidegger’s philosophy is a labyrinth of ideas, a complex tapestry of existential insights, and ontological reflections that challenge and provoke us to confront the fundamental questions of human existence. While his legacy may be tarnished by his association with Nazism, his philosophical contributions continue to resonate with scholars and thinkers seeking to unravel the mysteries of being and the nature of consciousness. As we navigate the enigma of Heidegger’s thought, we are invited to contemplate the profound insights and controversies that define his legacy, grappling with the complexities of existence and the enduring quest for meaning and truth.
Matthew Stelzner • Mar 7, 2024 The astrology of the next three months is incredibly special. The once-in-thirteen-year Jupiter-Uranus conjunction is becoming exact and it will be activated by the Sun and Venus, forming a tight quadruple conjunction in May. An alignment this precise won’t happen again until next century. The lead up until May is filled with special Neptune alignments, with Mercury and the Sun currently conjunct Neptune, and Venus conjoining Neptune at the end of March and early April. These are magical times filled with tremendous potential everybody! Tarot and Flow 2024 (April-May 2024) My Class Tarot and Flow is about to happen for the first time since 2019, and I’m incredibly excited to ride these awesome astrology waves together, as we learn my beloved practices of tarot and astrology. What is Tarot and Flow? Tarot and Flow is an adventure in consciousness. It is an 8 week initiation (first live Zoom meeting is April 7th) into the practices of tarot, altar creation and embodied astrology. We practice shuffling cards mindfully and pulling cards intuitively. We make regular contact with the sky, allowing ourselves to be pulled towards special planetary portals, and opening to receive loving messages of guidance from the lights above. As we learn to trust the intuitive pull of the cards, and the intuitive pull of the sky, we learn to trust the intuitive pulls of our everyday life. If you are interested in learning more about the class, and you would like to receive two free videos on tarot practice and embodied astrology, please click on this link and share your email: https://mailchi.mp/tarotandflow.com/2…
Five years ago, in 2017, the New York Times broke the story on a black-budget Pentagon program tasked with investigating UFOs. Since then, a steady stream of photos and videos have been leaked by whistleblowers and politicians interested in opening the hitherto taboo subject of UFOs to the mainstream.
As recently as March of 2023, journalists Jeremy Corbell and George Knapp published photos showing “UFOs” over conflict zones including the “Baghdad Phantom” and the “Mosul Orb.” Though the evidence is intriguing, the search may be too linear. The assumption is that flying saucers are machines with physical properties.
There is another school of thought which claims that UFOs and aliens are interdimensional in nature. This theory is understandably harder to fathom due to our linear mode of thinking and three-dimensional conditioning. Yet, this would help explain some of the more perplexing questions related to the phenomenon, including why they are so hard to spot with the naked eye or by radar.
Over 100 years ago, in 1918, English writer and occultist Aleister Crowley, whilst holed up in a rented apartment on Central Park West in New York City, conducted a series of magickal experiments.
According to occult lore, those operations opened an interdimensional portal, a gateway if you will, allowing beings commonly referred to as ‘grey aliens’ entry into our world.
The Amalantrah Workings
Aleister Crowley in meditation. Sketch by Augustus John.
Aleister Crowley arrived in America shortly after the outbreak of World War 1, fleeing England on the ill-fated British ocean liner Lusitania. After several jaunts across the States, Crowley took up residence in New York and, in September 1917, shacked up with one Roddie Minor, a married woman whom Crowley describes as “big, muscular and sensual,” and in possession of a “well-developed clairvoyant faculty.”
Roddie would serve Crowley as his “scarlet woman,” and together the two embarked upon ceremonial sex magick rituals in an attempt to open a transdimensional doorway for the purpose of communion with discarnate intelligences.
Conducted from January to March 1918, the Amalantrah Workings bore fruit in a number of ways.
During the rituals, while under the heady influence of opium and hashish, Roddie would relate to Crowley a series of visions involving a king, a small boy, and a wizard who went by the name of Amalantrah. This wizard imparted to them a cryptic message: to “find the egg.”
In addition, Crowley himself claims to have made contact with an entity named Lam, from which he made a remarkable drawing. Crowley insists the artwork is a portrait drawn from real life, though a portrait of what? That is the matter in question and the subject of some dispute.
Crowley took his invocations seriously, never dismissing them as mere hallucinations, even when derived through hallucinogenic drugs. John Symonds, in The Beast 666: The Life of Aleister Crowley, writes that Crowley, “made no attempt to interpret this material in terms of unconsciousness. To him the characters and incidents of mescal visions were more real than anything reality or the ego could provide. He would not have been surprised to meet… Amalantrah strolling down 5th Avenue. The wizard would have descended onto the plane of illusion, that is all.”
Crowley’s portrait of Lam undoubtedly bears a striking resemblance to the ubiquitous ‘grey alien’ referenced in pop culture today and, to the best of our knowledge, represents the first depiction of such an entity in modern times.
The portrait went on public display for the first time at Crowley’s 1919 Dead Souls exhibit, held in Greenwich Village, New York. Later that year, the drawing was published in The Equinox III, No. I, at the front of a Crowley penned commentary on H.P. Blavatsky’s The Voice of the Silence.
Below the picture, an inscription reads: “LAM is the Tibetan word for the Way or Path, and LAMA is He who Goethe, the specific title of the Gods of Egypt, the Treader of the Path, in Buddhistic phraseology. Its numerical value is 71, the number of this book.”
In one of those serendipitous quirks of history, Crowley ended up giving the Lam portrait, in 1945, to his heir apparent and eventual British head of O.T.O. (Thelemite religion), Kenneth Grant, who would, in turn, take the football-shaped headed ‘extraterrestrial’ and run with it.
Aleister Crowley’s portrait of the entity he made contact with in 1918. Many suggest it bears remarkable similarity to the classic grey alien which made its appearance in the final decades of the 20th century.
Kenneth Grant & Typhonian O.T.O.
It didn’t take long for Grant to make some changes to Crowley’s Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.). After he founded the London-based New Isis Lodge in 1954, Grant began to tinker with Crowley’s Thelemite teachings by mixing in some H.P. Lovecraft influences and a heavy dose of extraterrestrial themes.
Grant issued a manifesto declaring the discovery of an extraterrestrial “Sirius/Set” current emanating from Nuit, a newly discovered trans-Plutonian planet (also named by Crowley in The Book of the Law). Karl Germer, American head of the O.T.O., would have none of it and promptly expelled Grant from the O.T.O.
Grant evened the score when, upon Germer’s death in 1969, declared himself Outer Head of the O.T.O. This claim was disputed by the then-current American head, one Grady McMurtry, resulting in a schism, with Grant’s order renamed Typhonian Ordo Templi Orientis.
In the Typhonian O.T.O., emphasis was placed upon “construction of a magical formula” for establishing communion and contact with “the Magical Entity known as Lam.” To this end, Grant penned The Lam Statement, with Crowley’s portrait of Lam being used as a “Yantra,” or the visual focus, wherein “entry may be effected by projecting consciousness through the eyes.” The name Lam, in turn, would be used as the “Mantra.” A magical procedure was then set forth for one to invoke Lam and “enter the egg.”
The most significant aspect of The Lam Statement, and in turn, Crowley’s Amalantrah Workings, is that contact with an extraterrestrial entity, rather than being a passive event, can be an act of will, initiated by a human. This is called, by ufologists, a Close Encounter of the 5th Kind (CE-5).
This method shares a lot in common with the practices of CSETI (Center for the Study of Extraterrestrial Intelligence). Led by Dr Steven M. Greer, this group uses a set of protocols, one being “thought,” to make contact with aliens. Curiously, this technique, called Coherent Thought Sequencing, was discovered in 1973, approximately the same time (1972) that The Lam Statement was published. All these techniques represent alleged methods by which portals are opened onto other dimensions.
ABOVE: (top row) Roddie Minor, a young Aleister Crowley, Karl Germer; (bottom row) Kenneth Grant, Grady McMurtry, Jack Parsons
Jack Parsons & the Babylon Workings
In 1946, rocket scientist Jack Parsons performed the Babylon Workings, a continuation of the Amalantrah Workings. This resulted, according to Thelemites, in yet another interdimensional portal opening or maybe even a widening of the gateway first discovered by Crowley.
In the Babylon Workings, Parsons wasn’t trying to contact Lam but rather the Whore of Babylon herself, which would help him summon a Moon Child. Apparently, someone forgot to close the door behind them.
According to Kenneth Grant, “The Babylon Workings began just prior to the wave of unexplained Ariel phenomenon now recalled as the Great Flying Saucer Flap. Parsons opened a door and something flew in.”
Kenneth Arnold points out one of the disc-like objects he saw flying over Mt. Rainier, Washington on June 24, 1947.
Certainly, 1947 saw, in UFO terms, all hell break loose, starting with the Kenneth Arnold UFO sightings over Mt. Rainier, Washington on June 24, 1947. And then, of course, later that summer, the notorious Roswell, New Mexico, alleged UFO crash and retrieval of alien bodies. Since then, there has been a steady stream of UFO sightings worldwide with no let-up in sight.
Is there evidence extant, prior to modern times, supporting the claim that aliens existed? There is indeed a plethora of evidence, and it turns out such documents indicate that Crowley is not the first person to open a portal by means of the occult, after all.
Going back to the Middle Ages, we find in Britain a peculiar gentleman by the name of John Dee, who was an astronomer, mathematician and advisor to Queen Elizabeth 1. With the help of a scryer named Edward Kelley, Dee made contact, through a system of Enochian magic, with ‘Angelic’ beings whom he described as “little men” that moved about in a “fiery cloud.”
The terms ‘UFO’ and ‘aliens’ didn’t exist back then, of course, but it sure sounds like Dee and Kelley were talking about that very thing. What is even more interesting are descriptions, made in the Apocryphal Book of Enoch, which Dee references, of alien-like beings called ‘Watchers’, and what seem to be acts of alien abduction:
And I Enoch was blessing the Lord of majesty and the King of the ages, and lo! the Watchers called me – Enoch the scribe – and said to me: “Enoch, thou scribe of righteousness, go, declare to the Watchers of the heaven who have left the high heaven, the holy eternal place, and have defiled themselves with women, and have done as the children of earth do, and have taken unto themselves wives.” (1 Enoch 12.3–8)
Writer and researcher Erich von Daniken believes that ancient stargates abound, scattered across the face of the earth from Egypt to Peru, serving at one time or another as portals for the ‘gods’ to enter into our world. His hypothesis, referred to as the ‘ancient astronaut theory’, asserts that extraterrestrial intelligences have visited earth through stargates since the dawn of time, even having a hand in creating the human species.
Betty & Barney Hill And Crowley
On the evening of September 19, 1961, Betty and Barney Hill were driving south on Route 3 through the White Mountains of New Hampshire in their 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air when Betty spotted a bright object in the sky, which she initially took to be a falling star, though it was falling upward. Noticing that the object was moving erratically, Betty and Barney pulled the car over to take a closer look, as well as to walk their dog Delsey.
The Hills continued to drive and at about one mile south of Indian Head, the flying object descended rapidly toward their vehicle, causing the Hills to stop their car in the middle of the road. The object, shaped like a flying cigar and 80–100 feet long, filled the entire field of view in their windshield. Barney jumped out of the car and, using his binoculars, claimed to have seen 8–11 humanoid figures, described as “somehow not human.”
Betty & Barney Hill with an illustration of the flying object and the aliens that abducted them in 1961.
Barney returned to the vehicle and, fearing capture, quickly drove away. Betty and Barney then experienced amnesia, or memory loss, and the next thing they knew was that they were 35 miles farther along on their journey, with two hours missing and unaccounted for.
Three years later, the Hills underwent regression hypnosis in an attempt to retrieve their lost memory. After subsequent sessions, the Hills were able to recall an experience of abduction by aliens who claimed to be from the Zeta Reticuli system. After a physical examination by the aliens, the Hills had their memories erased and were returned to their car. Thus began the era of the alien abduction scenario.
How does Aleister Crowley fit into this? Well, as you may recall, Crowley was living in New York in 1918, but before he moved there, Crowley lived in, you guessed it – New Hampshire, near a town called New Bristol, located less than an hour away from where the Hills experienced their alien abduction. In New Hampshire, Crowley had his own paranormal visitation, with a type of glowing orb. The experience affected Crowley enough for him to write and submit a letter for publication in The New York Times. The letter reads:
To the Editor of The New York Times:
I do not know whether globular lightning is a sufficiently rare phenomenon in this country to merit remark. Yesterday a globe of fire with an apparent diameter of about a foot burst on the floor of the middle room of a cottage here and within a few inches of my right foot. Curiously enough, no damage of any kind was done.
ALEISTER CROWLEY. New Bristol, N.H., July 13, 1916
During his stay in New Bristol, Crowley conducted some peculiar occult rituals. It was 1916 (the inverse of 1961), and according to Richard Cavendish in A History of Magic, Crowley promoted himself to the rank of Magus. This was done by way of a ceremony involving the baptism of a toad as Jesus of Nazareth, then crucifying the poor creature.
Writer/researcher Christopher Knowles notes, on his website, that the highway which links Crowley’s home in New Hampshire to the Hill’s abduction spot is Interstate 93. Knowles points out that the number 93 is “the holiest of holies in Thelemite gematria.” The number itself is derived, numerologically, from combining two central words in the philosophy of Thelema – which are Thelema (Will) and Agape (Love), taken from the phrases “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law” and “Love is the law, love under will.”
Furthermore, Knowles claims that the aliens which abducted the Hills deposited them in the town in which Crowley was living in 1916. Knowles writes: “35 miles down the road would have ensured that the Hills would have woken up in the very same town in which Crowley was actually living in 1916 (Hebron/Bristol)… Let me repeat that: the Hills woke up from their missing time episode in the very same town that Aleister Crowley had lived just months before his own contact experience (in the Amalantrah Working).”
Regarding Hebron, we find a reference to it in Numbers 13:22: “And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)”
In Numbers 13:33 we learn that the “children of the Anak,” or the Anunnaki, are descended from the Nephilim, sky gods who “from Heaven to Earth came.”
Quest for the Holy Grail
What were Crowley’s own thoughts on the alien agenda, and do we even know if the Great Beast gave any credence to the field of ufology? This may be hard to establish for, tellingly, Crowley passed away at the very dawn of the UFO flap, in the year 1947, the same year which ushered in the modern wave of UFO sightings. Terminology like “flying saucer” and “UFO” didn’t even exist during his time. To discern his thinking, we need to look for clues, of which he left a few.
Let us turn our attention to The Book of Thoth by Aleister Crowley, a divinatory tarot deck painted by Lady Frieda Harris according to guidelines and instructions set by Crowley himself. Take a look at the seventh Trump card – the Chariot – for there is something curious about this card.
The seventh Trump card – the Chariot – of Aleister Crowley’s The Book of Thoth, a divinatory tarot deck. Note the spinning saucer like object held by the charioteer clothed in armour.
The card depicts a Charioteer clothed in armour, sitting cross-legged inside a chariot drawn by four Cherubs – the Bull, Lion, Eagle and Man. There is a blue canopy on the Chariot which, according to Crowley, represents Binah, the feminine principle, and scarlet wheels, representing Geburah, the principal of energy. Everything is, in fact, quite standard to the symbolism found in a traditional version of this card, except for one anomaly – the Charioteer is holding in his hands what appears to be a rotating flying saucer.
What can we discern about this saucer-like image? In The Book of Thoth, Crowley gives a brief interpretation of this symbol, saying:
The central and most important feature of the card is its centre – the Holy Grail. It is of pure amethyst, of the colour of Jupiter, but its shape suggests the full moon and the Great Sea of Binah.
In the centre is radiant blood; the spiritual life is inferred; light in the darkness. These rays, moreover, revolve, emphasising the Jupiterian element. (The Book of Thoth, p. 86–87)
Crowley doesn’t speak much on the subject, and yet, what he does say is revealing. He acknowledges that this symbol is the most important feature on the card, but he refers to it as the “Holy Grail.” There is a bit of a discrepancy here, as the Holy Grail is, traditionally, a vessel that serves as a motif in the Arthurian literature and is often depicted as a cup, sometimes as a dish. It has also been (rarely) depicted as a stone, though this would be the first time it’s shown as a spinning flying saucer, if that is what we are seeing.
Crowley says his version of the card is “much influenced by the Trump portrayed by Eliphas Levi,” and indeed many of the same motifs are present in both cards, sans the saucer. If Crowley’s “Holy Grail” is not literally a cup, then he must be using the term metaphorically, to denote a goal of great significance, as in the Arthurian “Quest,” which set the Knights of the Round Table on a mission, searching for their elusive Grail.
Aleister Crowley (1875–1947)
Can this “Quest” be the search for extraterrestrial life? Consider Crowley’s description again, in a different light. The wording could just as easily be used to describe a UFO, like “light in the darkness,” “rays, moreover revolve,” and “Jupiterean element.”
If Crowley is dropping hints here that he is talking about a UFO, then the seventh Trump is the perfect place to drop it, for the term “chariot” was often used by the ancients to denote the modes of transport used by flying “gods” or aliens, as discussed in greater detail by Erich von Daniken in the book Chariots of the Gods.
In this light, Fox Mulder of the television series The X-Files could be viewed as a modern iteration of the medieval archetype of a Knight of the Round Table, searching for truth in the holy saucer. As they say, the truth is out there.
References
John Symonds (1997). The Beast 666: The Life of Aleister Crowley. Pindar Press. ISBN 978-1-899828-21-0. OCLC 60232203.
Kenneth Grant (1980). Outside the Circles of Time. Frederick Muller Ltd. ISBN-10: 0584104685
John Carter (2004). Sex and Rockets: The Occult World of Jack Parsons (new ed.). Feral House. ISBN 978-0-922915-97-2.
Richard Cavendish (1991). A History of Magic. Penguin Books. ISBN-13: 978-0140192797
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About the Author
Andrew Kim Arnett is a writer and producer. His work covers the paranormal, crime and unexplained mysteries. He has been published in Paranoia Magazine, New Dawn, Nexus, Konbini and Alien Buddha Press. Andrew Kim Arnett appears on Travel Channel’s World’s Most Unexplained (currently streaming on Discovery +) discussing the Cecil Hotel, alien abduction and much more. He lives in Brooklyn, NY and hunts ghosts with the Brooklyn Paranormal Society. Find him on Twitter @AndrewArnett
What God created is eternal, and what God made perfect shall so remain forever. Our mistakes do not destroy the love in which we were created. Though I have made mistakes, I atone for them and accept God‘s release from any continuing consequences. His mercy is built into the structure of the universe.
I feel God‘s mercy as I extend mercy to others. Today I walk a softer way, holding neither myself nor others to the cross of my condemnation.
I will not use my mind today to attack whom God loves, and that includes me. I atone for errors that I have made, I seek to make amends and to be today who I was not before. May my actions now align with God‘s love within me. I forgive myself, as I know He forgives for He never judged me, for the mistakes that I have made.
Easter is one of the holidays that celebrate the magic of new life, new possibilities, and fresh starts.So, how is the ol’ inner landscape looking these days?
A big part of welcoming a fresh start is to say goodbye to ways of being that have become stale, predictable, or uninspiring. During this presentation William will investigate the challenges and rewards of taking a fresh view – not forgetting the power of genuine resurrection.
William Fennie is Dean of The Prosperos and began his study in 1973, working with students in Santa Monica CA, Denver CO, Kailua-Kona HI, and elsewhere.
SUNDAY MEETING 3/31/2024 11:00 am Pacific/Noon Mountain/1:00 Central/2:00 Eastern
Translation is a 5-step process of “straight thinking in the abstract.” The first step is an ontological statement of being beginning with the syllogism: “Truth is that which is so. That which is not truth is not so. Therefore Truth is all there is.” The second step is the sense testimony (what the senses tell us about anything). The third step is the argument between the absolute abstract nature of truth from the first step and the relative specific truth of experience from the second step. The fourth step is filtering out the conclusions you have arrived at in the third step. The fifth step is your overall conclusion.
The claims in a Translation may seem outrageous, but they are always (or should always) be based on self-evident syllogistic reasoning. Here is one Translation from this week.
1) Truth is that which is so. That which is not truth is not so. Therefore Truth is all that is. Truth being all is therefore total, therefore whole, therefore complete. Truth being true is therefore correct, therefore right, therefore lawful, therefore perfect. I think therefore I am. Since I am and since Truth is all that is, therefore I, being, am Truth. Since I am Truth, therefore I have all the attributes of Truth, Therefore I, being, am total, whole, complete, true, correct, right, lawful, perfect. Since I am mind/consciousness and since I, being, am Truth, therefore Truth is Mind/Consciousness.
2) Trauma is an affliction of the powerless.
Word-tracking: trauma: wound, mental shock, to pierce, to penetrate penetrate: interior affliction: to strike down, to suffer adversity, to be in opposition to powerless: lacking effectiveness effective: producing a result result: to leap back, to rise again power: the ability to do, act, potent potent: the ability to be
3) Truth being Mind/Consciousness and Truth being all, therefore Truth is all-knowing, Since Truth is all knowing, Truth cannot be shocked. Truth being one, therefore is indivisible. Truth being indivisible cannot have both an inner and an outer existence. Therefore Truth is impenetrable, unafflicted. Truth being whole, complete and perfect, there is no doing or action which can add to or take away from Truth, therefore Truth is “the finished Kingdom,” no assembly required. Truth being all that is, therefore only Truth has the ability to be, therefore only truth is power.
4) Truth is all-knowing, Truth cannot be shocked. Truth is impenetrable, unafflicted. Truth is “the finished Kingdom,” no assembly required. Only truth is power.
5) Truth is unafflicted, unshockable, infinite power, no assembly required.
New Thinking Allowed with Jeffrey Mishlove • Mar 28, 2024 Terry Brock, MBA, CPAE, is a public speaker working with corporations in the area of technology. He is a recipient of the Cavett Award from the National Speakers Association, the highest honor bestowed by that organization. His website is https://terrybrock.com/speaker/ Also see https://www.starkravingentrepreneurs…. In this wide-ranging discussion Terry Brock examines both the promise and the dangers associated with technology. He also shares some exciting developments in the area of AI. The discussion also focuses on the question of consciousness. 00:00 Introduction 02:42 Open-minded skepticism 06:17 Disenchantment of the world 12:07 Potential dangers 16:17 New uses of AI 27:07 Will AI become self-aware 34:45 The purpose of a human being 38:30 Mind and brain 40:02 Dealing with the dangers 44:43 Conclusion Edited subtitles for this video are available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Swedish. New Thinking Allowed host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, is author of The Roots of Consciousness, Psi Development Systems, and The PK Man. Between 1986 and 2002 he hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is the recipient of the only doctoral diploma in “parapsychology” ever awarded by an accredited university (University of California, Berkeley, 1980). He is also the Grand Prize winner of the 2021 Bigelow Institute essay competition regarding the best evidence for survival of human consciousness after permanent bodily death. (Recorded on March 11, 2024)
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In the coming days, your hunger will be so inexhaustible that you may feel driven to devour extravagant amounts of food and drink. It’s possible you will gain ten pounds in a very short time. Who Knows? You might even enter an extreme eating contest and devour forty-six dozen oysters in ten minutes! APRIL FOOL! Although what I just said is remotely plausible, I foresee that you will sublimate your exorbitant hunger. You will realize it is spiritual in nature and can’t be gratified by eating food. As you explore your voracious longings, you will hopefully discover a half-hidden psychological need you have been suppressing. And then you will liberate that need and feed it what it craves! TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus novelist Lionel Shriver writes, “There’s a freedom in apathy, a wild, dizzying liberation on which you can almost get drunk.” In accordance with astrological omens, I recommend you experiment with Shriver’s strategy in the coming weeks. APRIL FOOL! I lied. In fact, Lionel Shriver’s comment is one of the dumbest thoughts I have ever heard. Why would anyone want the cheap, damaged liberation that comes from feeling indifferent, numb and passionless? Please do all you can to disrupt and dissolve any attraction you may have to that state, Taurus. In my opinion, you now have a sacred duty to cultivate extra helpings of enthusiasm, zeal, liveliness and ambition.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): At enormous cost and after years of study, I have finally figured out the meaning of life, at least as it applies to you Geminis. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to reveal it to you unless you send me $1,000 and a case of Veuve Clicquot champagne. I’ve got to recoup my investment, right?! APRIL FOOL! Most of what I just said was a dirty lie. It’s true that I have worked hard to uncover the meaning of life for you Geminis. But I haven’t found it yet. And even if I did, I would of course provide it to you free. Luckily, you are now in a prime position to make dramatic progress in deciphering the meaning of life for yourself.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): For a limited time only, you have permission from the cosmos to be a wildly charismatic egomaniac who brags incessantly and insists on getting your selfish needs met at all times and in all places. Please feel free to have maximum amounts of narcissistic fun, Cancerian! APRIL FOOL! I was exaggerating a bit, hoping to offer you medicinal encouragement so you will stop being so damn humble and self-effacing all the time. But the truth is, now is indeed an excellent time to assert your authority, expand your clout, and flaunt your potency and sovereignty.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Michael Scott was a character in the TV sitcom “The Office.” He was the boss of a paper company. Played by Leo actor Steve Carell, he was notoriously self-centered and obnoxious. However, there was one famous scene I will urge you to emulate. He was asked if he would rather be feared or loved. He replied, “Um, easy, both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.” Be like Michael Scott, Leo! APRIL FOOL! I was half-kidding. It’s true I’m quite excited by the likelihood that you will receive floods of love in the coming weeks. It’s also true that I think you should do everything possible to boost this likelihood. But I would rather that people be amazed and pleased at how much they love you, not afraid.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Now would be an excellent time for you to snag a Sugar Daddy or Sugar Momma or Sugar NonBinary Nurturer. The astrological omens are telling me that life is expanding its willingness and capacity to provide you with help, support, and maybe even extra cash. I dare you to dangle yourself as bait and sell your soul to the highest bidder. APRIL FOOL! I was half-kidding. While I do believe it’s prime time to ask for and receive more help, support and extra cash, I don’t believe you will have to sell your soul to get any of it. Just be yourself!
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Happy Unbirthday, Libra! It’s that time halfway between your last birthday and your next. Here are the presents I plan to give you: a boost in your receptivity to be loved and needed; a constructive relationship with obsession; more power to accomplish the half-right thing when it’s hard to do the totally right thing; the disposal of eighty-five percent of the psychic trash left over from the time between 2018 and 2023; and a provocative new invitation to transcend an outworn old taboo. APRIL FOOL! The truth is, I can’t possibly supply every one of you with these fine offerings, so please bestow them on yourself. Luckily, the cosmic currents will conspire with you to make these things happen.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Now would be an excellent time to seek liposuction, a facelift, Botox, buttocks augmentation or hair transplants. Cosmic rhythms will be on your side if you change how you look. APRIL FOOL! Everything I just said was a lie. I’ve got nothing against cosmetic surgery, but now is not the right time to alter your appearance. Here’s the correct oracle: Shed your disguises, stop hiding anything about who you really are, and show how proud you are of your idiosyncrasies.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I command you to love Jesus and Buddha! If you don’t, you will burn in Hell! APRIL FOOL! I was just kidding. I was being sensationalistic to grab your attention. Here’s my real, true oracle for you: Love everybody, including Jesus and Buddha. And I mean love them all twice as strong and wild and tender. The cosmic powers ask it of you! The health of your immortal soul depends on it! Yes, Sagittarius, for your own selfish sake, you need to pour out more adoration and care and compassion than you ever have before. I’m not exaggerating! Be a lavish Fountain of Love!
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): If you gave me permission, I would cast a spell to arouse in you a case of ergophobia, i.e., an aversion to work. I think you need to take a sweet sabbatical from doing business as usual. APRIL FOOL! I was just joking about casting a spell on you. But I do wish you would indulge in a lazy, do-nothing retreat. If you want your ambitions to thrive later, you will be wise to enjoy a brief period of delightful emptiness and relaxing dormancy. As Buddhist teacher Sylvia Boorstein recommends, “Don’t just do something! Sit there!”
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In accordance with current astrological omens, I suggest you get the book “Brain Surgery for Beginners” by Steve Parker and David West. You now have the power to learn and even master complex new skills, and this would be an excellent place to start. APRIL FOOL! I was half-kidding. I don’t really think you should take a scalpel to the gray matter of your friends and family members—or yourself, for that matter. But I am quite certain that you currently have an enhanced power to learn and even master new skills. It’s time to raise your educational ambitions to a higher octave. Find out what lessons and training you need most, then make plans to get them.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In the religious beliefs of Louisiana Voodoo, one God presides over the universe but never meddles in the details of life. There are also many spirits who are always intervening and tinkering, intimately involved in the daily rhythm. They might do nice things for people or play tricks on them—and everything in between. In alignment with current astrological omens, I urge you to convert to the Louisiana Voodoo religion and try ingenious strategies to get the spirits to do your bidding. APRIL FOOL! I don’t really think you should convert. However, I believe it would be fun and righteous for you to proceed as if spirits are everywhere—and assume that you have the power to harness them to work on your behalf.
HIV-1 virus particles under electron micrograph with H9 T-cells (in blue) – Credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
A new study has unveiled a likely future cure for HIV which uses molecular scissors to ‘cut out’ HIV DNA from infected cells.
To cut out this virus, the team used CRISPR-Cas gene editing technology—a groundbreaking method that allows for precise alterations to a patient’s genome, for which its inventors won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020.
One of the significant challenges in HIV treatment is the virus’s ability to integrate its genome into the host’s DNA, making it extremely difficult to eliminate—but the CRISPR-Cas tool provides a new means to isolate and target HIV DNA.
Because HIV can infect different types of cells and tissues in the body, each with its own unique environment and characteristics, the researchers are searching for a way to target HIV in all of these situations.
They focused on parts of the virus genome that stay the same across all known HIV strains and infected T cells. Their experiments showed outstanding antiviral performance, managing to completely inactivate HIV with a single guide RNA and cut out the viral DNA with two guide RNAs.
“We have developed an efficient combinatorial CRISPR-attack on the HIV virus in various cells and the locations where it can be hidden in reservoirs, and demonstrated that therapeutics can be specifically delivered to the cells of interest,” said Associate professor Elena Herrera Carrillo from the University of Amsterdam AMC.
“These findings represent a pivotal advancement towards designing a cure strategy.”
HIV AIDS virus (in yellow) infecting a human cell – Credit: National Cancer Institute
The team has a long way to go before their cure will be available to patients, but said, “These preliminary findings are very encouraging’.
Currently, HIV can be kept in check with anti-retroviral medication, but no one has actually been cured—although three patients receiving stem cell transplants for blood cancer were subsequently declared free of the disease when their HIV became undetectable.
“We hope to achieve the right balance between efficacy and safety of this CURE strategy,” said Dr. Carrillo. “Only then can we consider clinical trials of ‘cure’ in humans to disable the HIV reservoir.
“Our aim is to develop a robust and safe combinatorial CRISPR-Cas regimen, striving for an inclusive ‘HIV cure for all’ that can inactivate diverse HIV strains across various cellular contexts.
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