New Year's Resolution!

Actually, I've never quite got the hang of making a Resolution for a New Year.  I mean, if it's good for that day, why not everyday?  I've noticed that the resolutions many people make to live a better life in the new year tend to be negative.  That is, something I "won't" do, or eat, or whatever.  "Habits Patterns and Thoughts That Go Bump in the Night" knows that won't work - from day one of the New Year you're fighting yourself.  "I won't eat (that) this year.!"  "Oh, yeah?" answers Self.  And the arm wrestling beings.  Attacking an old "problem" from another front is just continuing the same old unsuccessful struggle.  Now, it you want to really move away from the old problems, then a shift in perspective is necessary.  And that's easy enough to do.

Decide, this year 2012, to view your world in a different Light and treat it accordingly.  Thoughts That Go Bump in the Night's Triangle of Philosophy is a suggestion:

 

Happy 2012!

Thou Plant, Arthur

Arthur and friends.

I really can’t recall how old the plant is.  I do know that it spent at least fifteen years in my various offices until about two years ago when it came to the house, along with this pundit.  Yesterday I was moving into a new office and decided to bring the plant along (it never quite found a spot at the house.)  As soon as the plant and I entered the office two staff rushed over.

“What’s it’s name?” She asked.

Huh?  Uh, er, “Plant?”   I mumbled.  That was not the correct answer.

“George, every plant has a name.”  She looked closer at the plant.  “Arthur.  This plant’s name is Arthur.”

So, Arthur has a new place, obviously among friends.

Somehow, I suspect there’s a Gnome lurking around this new place…

Heresy!

Four hundred years ago Gregory Sams would have been hunted down and destroyed.  To gain insight into the meaning of heresy and heretical, enjoy this interview with the author of "Sun of gOd" on The Moore Show (U.K.).  The wicked proposition?  That the Sun has a consciousness.  That's not a new idea, it's perhaps the oldest idea.  There is no life without the sun, literally.  So the proposition is certainly a thought that goes bump in the night.  This is the kind of thinking and thoughtful exploration that has been under assault for nearly two thousand years.  Hardly scary and fully rational.  The clip is long, but worth the time.  So's the book.

Merry Christmas!

The Winter Solstice continues to be one of the most enduring moments for reverence and celebration.  The darkest day of the year has come and hence forth each day shall be filled with more sunshine.  I'm not aware of any civilization that did not make a big deal of the turning point of the year.

So, of course, this became the season to celebrate the birth of Jesus who became the Christ.  It's pretty well accepted that Jesus was born not in winter, but in the spring and perhaps six years earlier than our calendar suggests.  Since Pisces, the fish, was an early Christian symbol, I'd surmise that the birth occurred under that astrological sign.  This is all irrelevant, of course.  The historical Jesus Christ was one of a handful of master teachers known to us, and his instructions on how to live a more wonderful life have proven itself repeatedly.

Mischief arose when the teachings of this Master were edited, blended, codified, and otherwise rendered theological and political.  Some even doubted he existed at all.  However...

3. (63)  Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works - a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure.  He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles.  He was {the} Christ; (64) and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principle men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and then thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct to this day.

            Flavius Josephus, "The Antiquities of the Jews" 3.(63) (64)

Josephus

This brief paragraph, from a massive history, is the principle evidence of an historical Jesus.  Josephus (A.D. 37 - c. 100) was born around the time of the crucifixion and likely knew of and possible met people who knew Jesus.  A Pharisee, Josephus was a champion of the faith and worked to bridge the inherent conflicts of Roman rule and Judaism.

Through the years I've read that there was virtually no evidence of an historical Jesus who became the Christ.  The nagging little paragraph by Josephus was begrudged and considered inconsequential - if Jesus had the impact history implies, then surely an historian such as Josephus would chronicle in detail.  I think the paragraph is an astonishing summary.  I particularly like "...if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works..."  That pretty well sums it up.

The history is irrelevant.  It is the teachings that shifted much of human consciousness and continues to do so.  Jesus taught that thinking (prayer) was the road to a wonderful life.  Thinking is very personal, therefore the relationship to God that Jesus taught, had to be personal as well.  That, of course, didn't go over well with Priests or any positioned person to whom obedience and, well, worship were required.  Radical stuff, actually.

So, to celebrate the Christ Mass, is a good thing.  It is a Merry Christmas.  It is a Happy Holiday.  It is as pagan as it gets, for the celebration is ancient.  Adjacent to Christmas, in our modern calendar, is the New Year!  Really, rejoice that the great Teacher came to teach us joy, then embark on a fresh, new year that can be uncluttered with the mistakes (and erroneous thinking) of the previous year.

Why, there's even a host of robust celebratory music to accompany the season.  Joy to the World!  Happy New Year!

Hugo

From time to time Thoughts That Go Bump in the Night will comment on a movie that, well, presents thoughts that are charming, insightful, inspirational, and so on.  If you haven't already, enrich your Christmas experience with Hugo.

Director Martin Scorsese presents an absolutely charming and delicious fable centered on an orphan boy living in a Paris railway station in the 1930's.  It's a visual feast and from what I hear, one of the best 3-D movies yet (I saw the digital version which was so sharp as to present a sense of depth.) 

Asa Butterfield plays young Hugo Cabret, a natural tinkerer and fixer of broken machines.  But Hugo is now an orphan and, in Paris, orphans are shuttled to orphanages rather than litter the streets.  While dodging the authorities, he enlists Isabelle, Chloe Grace Moretz, to help solve the puzzle of an automaton - a mechanical man - Hugo believes has a message from his late father who attempted to fix the broken machine.

That's about as far as I can go without spoiling the absorbing plot.  Suffice to say that Ben Kingsley had to play his part.  The movie is magic and derives much of that magic from the early motion pictures - it's really a history of movies - and like the clocks that dominate the station, the characters who people the station move in their own stories and romances mirroring Hugo's quest.

It's a treat.  Enjoy yourself.

Nikola Tesla

I've always wondered about the extent of Tesla's work, suspecting that he was far, far more ahead of his (and our) time than we know.  This plea for the release of his seized papers has, I think, an unfairly negative slant regarding J.P. Morgan, but otherwise seems on target.  For certain, the FBI raced to Tesla's hotel suite immediately upon his death and took everything.  Where are his papers?  It's a good question.

PBS has a nice site regarding their special on Tesla.

There Is No Pie!

Photo: Cato Institute

Wit and Wag P.J.O'Rourke takes a shot at one of the most enduring thoughts that disturbs many nights for the "99%" - the zero sum game.  This belief, held by many, is that there is a fixed amount of anything.  The only way someone can add to their pile of stuff is to take some away from another.  Thus is borne the concept that the rich have stolen their treasures.  As a manipulative strategy, it works wonders  - create the Haves and the have-nots and make sure the have-nots believe that they could have more but for the Haves.

Re-distribution follows with a body, government, making the deal:  "I'll go get the goodies due you from the bad Haves, but you'll have to give me some of your freedoms in order to do it."  Historically, many folks surrender their unalienable rights for the prospect of having someone (government) insure their economic and social justice.

But that's not the way the universe operates - there is no "pie."  Wealth is created, not taken from a "fixed" stock.  The Hermetic adage "As Above, so Below; as Below, so Above" provides a format:  The Universe is expanding - there's more Universe being created.  There is, certainly from our limited perception, no end to creation.  If that's the case with the "Above" then it's the case with us. 

O'Rourke notes how his teenage daughter laments how "unfair" everything is.  The Universe is rigorously fair due to the Law of Attraction.   The physics of the universe keeps everything in perfect balance.  Many folks are not comfortable with such thinking (indeed, they are uncomfortable because of their thinking) and must have someone/something to blame for their misery.  Scapegoat, Devil, the Haves...  But I digress.  P.J. puts it nicely (audio file with commercial header and trailer).

Think for a moment of the difference between a zero-sum outlook and one that sees no "pie."  The zero-sum folks live in a world of conflict - each must compete, seize, and hold his/her piece of the pie and make damn sure nobody else snatches some of their stuff.  The "no pie" folks live in a world largely free of envy and resentment.  The pursuit of happiness is the ruling norm and some people will make that pursuit with more or less zest than others.  But, and this is the important but,  the good, happiness, "stuff" available to anyone is not reduced by someone else gaining a good, happy or stuff.

The "no pie" people are able to divert their energy and attention to what they want and desire rather than surrendering their energy and attention to the envy and resentment of what others have.   If you're not sure how the zero-sum envy thinking can interfere with daily living, visit this musing on a fellow who had a grudge against Bing Crosby.

The marvel in all of this is everyone's inherent freedom and ability to choose their thinking.   This is news for many folks.  Spread the word, it's their best road to happiness.

The Search for Bridey Murphy continues...

...but this time perhaps he's found.

This is reassurng for many people.  It is upsetting for many people.  If genuine, and it seems to be, what could be upsetting?  A Thought to go bump in the night.

Transfer Complete

Every time I get into my car it talks to me.  After a moment or two of silence, she states "Transfer complete."  Most of the time I say "Thank you," and go on my way.  Every now and then, however, I'll contemplate what happened.

What happens, of course, is the transfer of data from the cell phone in my pocket to the radio system in the car.  This happens automatically.  I don't have to do anything other than have my cell phone with me.  The car and the phone then chat.  I don't know which initiates the conversation.

 What I do know is that for a moment or two, a lot of information passes through me.   I'm sitting in the seat, minding my own business, and the phone and car are zapping the ether with high frequency signals.  I know nothing of that.  There is no sensation at all.  The presence of this activity doesn't affect me at all.  It does affect the ability of the car to receive any phone calls to me rather than the smaller phone and for me to make a call.  I like that.

Then I realize that just about every other car out there has a cell phone constantly calling it's tower and satellite.  Garmin, Magellan and Tom Tom are also communicating furiously with celestial presences by means of high frequency radio.  None of this obstructs my vision or impairs the smooth operation of the car.  And, as best I can determine, this barrage of energy doesn't bother others either.  And I can punch a button and tell the car who I'd like to call.

This is our fourth dimension - the vibrational frequency of energy.  Whether emitted from a dying star, spinning magnets powered by running water, or tiny battery and chips, we are surrounded by and live in an energy field.  Fortunately, we are able to "tune in" to only a narrow range on that band of energy, and thus aren't overwhelmed.  Thank you, brain.

On the other hand, what else is alive and active in the Universe that our protective brain censors, limits, or blocks?  Dreams come to mind.  What are emotions?  What are hunches, conscience, and the "gut feeling?"  What's being sensed in those cases?

I wonder if Garmin and allied fairies, elfs, gnomes and other historical mischief makers are allied?  We created Garmin and her kin. What about the others?  Are they in another channel, as in switch to another station?  I certainly can't sense my phone and car doing their thing, but I do know it happens. 

We can only perceive what we can perceive and everyone's perception is different.  As no two people are alike, so are perceptions.  What, then, is real?  According to whose perception?  Granted, most things in our three-dimensional experience are agreed upon, such as color, shapes, textures and motion.  Yet you probably know of someone who has keener hearing than you.  He or she is able to pick up (tune-in) to those frequencies the brain handles as "sound" on a range higher and/or lower than the range you are able to pick up.  Same for vision.  Some folks may be able to tune in to frequencies falling into the visible realm that are usually too high or low for most others.  The effects of some drugs seem to stretch the ability of the brain to interpret frequency ranges usually blocked or filtered by the brain.

It hasn't happened yet, but I won't be surprised when one day, happily driving somewhere, when I'll look at the display a second or two before it lights up "Call from..." then sounds.  I suspect you've done that through the years - look at the telephone just before it sounds.  Somehow, someway, you tuned in to a frequency heralding the one used in telephonic communications.  Kind of exciting, actually.