tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218842822024-03-13T11:45:46.791-05:00cool air heightsexperience | gnosis | personal, cultural, & comparative mythology | symbolism | active imagination | inner explorationUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884282.post-1148485173943227772006-05-24T10:35:00.000-05:002006-05-24T10:39:33.956-05:00Acknowledging the "Ruts" of Growing OldFor a very long time, I held nothing but contempt for robots. I hated the idea of robots "pretending" to be alive or have feelings or emotions of any of that. I didn't buy it. "They're programmed that way, that isn't how they actually feel." That was enough to end the argument for me. Robots didn't have my respect and never would. I looked forward to the day when I could push a robot down the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884282.post-1147096065844498552006-05-08T08:28:00.000-05:002006-05-08T08:47:45.943-05:00The Recognition of RecognitionMuch of my thoughts as of late have been drifting around the actual experience of recognizing or realizing something. Increasingly, it seems to me, it is one's own self recognizing that he recognizes something or realizing that he realizes something that seems to be at the heart of things. The experience of experience, really. Being in the process of something and being fully aware of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884282.post-1146840999634493282006-05-05T09:19:00.002-05:002006-05-05T09:59:46.100-05:00Children of the SunTwo quotes/lyrics that have been at the very top of my favorites since high school.This first one is from "Going to California" by Led Zeppelin. I'm not sure exactly what it is that does it for me... and part of me is 100% happy not looking into it too much. But, perhaps a bit of exploration may be appropriate.Mountains and the canyons start to tremble and shakeChildren of the Sun begin . . . Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884282.post-1146749551089120142006-05-04T08:17:00.000-05:002006-05-04T08:32:31.103-05:00Where Ideas Come FromA few years back I used to surf over to www.unamerican.com all the time. The dude running that site had a bunch of subvertive bumper stickers, t-shirts, coffee-mugs, and other such stuff for sale lampooning the fact that America's values were turning upside down. His site also had a bunch of his own personal philosophies spelled out -- something that really added a huge amount of bulk to the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884282.post-1146667588985670502006-05-03T09:09:00.000-05:002006-05-03T09:46:29.000-05:00The Woes of OrthodoxyIn case you haven't heard, there is a bit of hoopla in the news recently about "alternative" versions of the Star-Spangled Banner being created in recent days/weeks. While I cannot imagine such creations are anything new, they are undoubtedly getting paid much more attention to on account of all the "immigrant rights" stuff going on.Certain people are very worried... and they damn well better beUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884282.post-1146577669546398772006-05-02T08:33:00.000-05:002006-05-02T08:47:49.560-05:00Toward a Personal MythologyIn the last week or so, my lack of active posting on here has given me some time to reflect on where I've come and where I want to go. As eerily strange, wacky, and new this whole "blogging" thing still is, I'm trying to overlook all the strangeness and blaze on mightily into the unknown.I'm certainly not doing this "just to do it," but rather because I feel certain that I have something to Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884282.post-1146496194170336662006-05-01T10:06:00.000-05:002006-05-01T10:09:54.193-05:00changes comingAn obvious lack of posts lately. Been working on some other things and doing some digestion. The light of a new day is not far off. In the near future I'm going to be moving this blog over to my new web domain, but I don't plan to make that launch official just yet. Sometime in the next week or two. Hang in there.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884282.post-1145460981557030612006-04-19T10:18:00.000-05:002006-04-19T10:36:47.700-05:00Animals Crossing the RoadYesterday, on the way home from work, I had to hit my breaks a bit when a little groundhog/gopher/woodchuck ran out in front of me. Thankfully, I had plenty of time to react, and the little guy made it across the street with no problem. He did seem a bit chunky and out of shape... but perhaps that's just the god-given hardware.The important thing about this experience was the process of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884282.post-1145023277672817142006-04-14T08:36:00.001-05:002006-04-14T09:16:24.793-05:00Cured from the Plague of IdeasFor the last year or so, my primary creative and intellectual endeavor has revolved around my recording of what I've come to call a "personal mythology." Essentially it is a story, which I sometimes refer to it as (along with "book" or "novel"). In the end though, I feel that my primary purpose in this effort is to create my own mythological world which is created from and sustained by my own Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884282.post-1144441057465119682006-04-07T15:08:00.000-05:002006-04-07T15:17:37.483-05:00A Glimpse of What's ComingOver the past 2-3 weeks or so I've been incredibly busy learning Adobe Illustrator. The little kid inside me who loves to draw and color has been resurrected, and it is quite glorious. There are so, so, so many things I imagine myself doing with this. Coupled with web design, these first serious steps into the realm of graphics have me greatly excited. I certainly have more to say about this Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884282.post-1144332366984568462006-04-06T09:03:00.000-05:002006-04-06T09:06:07.016-05:00Coffeeshop AdventuresThroughout the past two months or so I've found myself visiting the local coffeeshop several times a week. This has not been to hang out with friends, meet people, perform social experiments, or otherwise be cool. My aim has been a creative one, for the coffeeshop serves as the perfect local spot for me to go about my creative pursuits (usually writing) in relative peace.I've probably made it Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884282.post-1144161688420348692006-04-04T08:51:00.000-05:002006-04-04T09:54:23.850-05:00Internet Explorer and the ArchonsIn my novice understanding of Gnostic mythology, the archons are the forces who act to keep us all trapped and shut away from the "transcendent source" we all inherently seek (whether or not we're consciously aware of it). The best pop-culture example of the archons would be the Agents in the Matrix -- their primary purpose is control -- keep us blind, occluded, unaware of what is really going Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884282.post-1143727718541959382006-03-30T08:45:00.000-05:002006-03-30T09:08:38.560-05:00Talking About the WeatherI noticed today, upon running into the first co-worker of mine to arrive after I opened the office, that our 3 seconds of passing conversation consisted of two things: a mutual greeting and a comment on the weather. Then we went our seperate ways in the hallway and got to work. At least in this office world of quick and passing conversations, this seems to happen a lot (the weather part).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884282.post-1143654628466411162006-03-29T12:06:00.000-05:002006-03-29T13:03:39.076-05:00Suburbia & the Hero's JourneyOver the last two weeks I've been listening to Green Day's American Idiot album relentlessly. It is quite awesome. I haven't gotten this into an album in probably over a year.If you're not aware, American Idiot is a so-called "concept album" or "rock opera" or consistent story in which each song is related to the whole. The overall setting is American suburbia. And who better to tell this Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884282.post-1143642912536490202006-03-29T09:32:00.000-05:002006-03-29T09:35:12.550-05:00big storm comingi am still alive. big changes coming soon. new this, new that, whole lotta new stuff. got no time to say more! stay tuned."We must be willing to get rid of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us." -Joseph CampbellUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884282.post-1143037939722829482006-03-22T09:15:00.000-05:002006-03-22T09:32:19.753-05:00South Park Scientology Showdown!Tonight at 10:00pm -- new South Park episode. Should be a good one.The creators of the show are set to "fire back" at their opponents in the whole Scientology showdown that is going on. I'm not much at all one for keeping up with all the gossip in the TV, entertainment and media world, but all this drama has caught my attention. And I think it is awesome.When it comes down to it, I realize Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884282.post-1142953238617447462006-03-21T09:13:00.001-05:002006-03-21T10:06:32.773-05:002020 and Beyond?One of the most interesting and thought-provoking aspects of V for Vendetta was the picture painted of the near future. If I'm not mistaken, the film takes place sometime between 2020 and 2040. Unlike most other futuristic "dystopias" (which is apparently the opposite of a "utopia"), V takes place in a future that is by no means far away and removed. Watching other the-future-has-gone-to-shit Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884282.post-1142721138291564692006-03-18T17:27:00.000-05:002006-03-18T17:32:18.303-05:00At Peace with the ProcessAmidst the earthly turbulence of change and loss we must find peace in this very moment. We can work hard throughout all of our days to bring the light out of us, but there is no guarantee our goals and dreams and wishes will ever be fulfilled.“Like all Axial teachers, Laozi was not simply concerned with the practicalities of survival, but with finding a source of transcendent peace in the midst Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884282.post-1142517779045928952006-03-16T08:53:00.000-05:002006-03-16T09:05:21.703-05:00Where Things are GoingHere we go again. Once more, I thought I'd break the silence.An interesting insight about my blog's progress -- I'm noticing that, genernally, I seem to expect my posts to be of a certain length. So far the standard seems 2-4 pages. On one hand, this is well and fine and good -- it allows me to say what I want to say, keeping my ramblings as developed as I expect them to be. Yet, at the same Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884282.post-1141940085820759102006-03-09T16:08:00.000-05:002006-03-10T09:18:27.210-05:00Bringing the World to Life, part V: Everything in its Right PlacePart I :: Part II :: Part III :: Part IVWhen I came up with the idea of this "Bringing the World to Life" series, this was the post I've had my eyes on the entire time. It took me a few entries to get around to it, but I'm finally here, and I hope that the general picture I'm painting will come into focus after the next few thousand words.It has to do with cleaning my room. Now, along with mostUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884282.post-1141828123693935872006-03-08T08:54:00.000-05:002006-03-08T09:39:52.926-05:00Bringing the World to Life, part IV: Catching Up with Yourself(Bringing the World to Life -- Part I :: Part II :: Part III :: Part IV)"Catching up with yourself" is a little phrase or concept that I've been tossing around in my head for a few years now. It has nothing to do with "alone time," sitting down to enjoy a nice martini, and having conversations with the mirror or a powerless cell phone. That might be how you "catch up" with old friends. In thisUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884282.post-1141751472383250932006-03-07T11:44:00.000-05:002006-03-07T12:11:12.400-05:00Living Like You're Gonna DieI have recently been busy in the best of ways. Meaningful work has been filling most all of my time. Putting something in the basket means you have to take something out... and for the last week or so, it has been this blog which has been neglected. And I wouldn't have it any other way.I've had a great time writing these posts so far, and hope to have a similarly great time as the road Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884282.post-1141152138159181622006-02-28T13:06:00.000-05:002006-02-28T13:48:50.050-05:00Trust in YourselfImagine a typical weekday. We wake up in the morning. We get ready for work. We drive to the "office," arrive there and do our thing, and return home. We cook dinner, handle our business, and hopefully get some quality time in before the night is over.From place to place we go, our attention shifting from task to task, concern to concern. No matter where we go, there we are... right? Isn'tUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884282.post-1141068828254991272006-02-27T13:18:00.000-05:002006-02-27T15:30:12.376-05:00Bringing the World to Life, Part III: On Becoming Fully Human(Bringing the World to Life -- Part I :: Part II :: Part III)When you look at a few of the biggest questions in all of life, at some point or another you're almost certainly going to brush up against the mysteries of where we came from and where we're going. On the cosmic level and beyond, these ultimately are unanswerable questions. When viewed a bit closer to home, however, we can start to Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21884282.post-1140801502670996262006-02-24T11:01:00.000-05:002006-02-24T13:37:04.773-05:00Bringing the World to Life, Part II: The Cyclical Nature of All Things"If a tree falls and nobody is there to hear it, does it make a sound?"As far as the approach of this blog is concerned, the answer is a resounding no. We could quibble around with terms and concepts and say that sound may exist in an objective, emperical sense whether or not people are around to "hear" it -- but I want nothing to do with this approach. It is our experience, I declare, that is Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0