Hopper Inspired Writing: "Wisht Well of Janine"

I see her every now and then, sitting alone. I've never seen anyone more gone from the worldly affairs of humanity. No one knows her name, and no one pays her heed. I have taken to call her, "Janine," after a woman who looked quite similar. A woman I knew long ago. Her pale skin shined in the moon light, most like a Visum et Repertum. Perhaps, she goes by night to arouse her victims; or more so, her prey is herself. Janine lived a short, painful life. One that she would not tell or talk about, but she looked calm and quite. She was a silent tree amongst a forest of mating calls, yet as all know: Those that are silent have the most to say. But, she said but naught and kept to herself. She never spoke of her past, her turmoil. She never made a word about her life or the strife found in it; she only said to me, on the train to New York, "My name is Janine," in the most quite of voices. She spent most her her time in thought, maybe writing a prose of two. The futility of her fate was heavily apparent, weighing down every part of her being through and through until she could no longer bear the burden anymore. A few days later, I saw her disappear, and sometimes when I am at the cafe I hear her voice. But when I turn around, the person is silently sulking over a mug of coffee.
Maybe, it is Janine. Or maybe a doppelganger; or else, just another woman in the cafe. Whoever she may be, she will always be a Janine to me.

Narrative Poem for Art Pieces

"End, based upon the Painting, 'Chatterton,' by Henry Wallis"

In which I look out of this place.

I see him.

Sometimes I do not desire to be near him, though.

But what other place may I go? Each time I try to know,

as I skim,

through the pages ripped from the space.

The space in which I look out of this place.

I desire to get out, to run about.

But with him, may I forever stay,

as my mind is forlorn, my thoughts just stray.

A life lost is a change made,

I guys that is why I ran away; away from my body

Away from my mind.

For new lands in death shall I find.

Liberty and Law Essay: Fallacies in the World of Communication

Sorry, I needed a place to post this.

"Fallacies in the World of Communication"

Currently, in these political times, as a nation we are more divided than ever. With what seems to be the most ignorant business man at the helm of our law, it seems as if his draconian rule may never quite halt to a stop. The president then, is much like a demiurge: a Ialdaboath amongst the clay-born. This anxiety is magnified with the large amount of fraudulent news websites spouting out none sense involving politics, getting both the educated and the vapid stuck in a sense of spurious confusion, not unlike a rip current. So, with both a potentially unpredictable, and therefore untrustworthy man steering America along for a ride, and with all the false information coming out from the wily bastards who craft it, we all can understand the reasoning for this upheaval of stress upon US civilians.

But what are we to do in such unsure times? Technology was made for the purpose of improving our day to day lives, after all; however, when it is used to spread the fallacies of man it is easy to assume that something must be done for us to make the proper decisions and take the proper actions for our country as a whole. Especially since fake news sites do have real effects on voting patterns and law-based decision-making. It may also be hard for most, if not all, Americans to trust a single star upon the flag with things like the disruption of privacy and laws that may affect our personal lives: such as whether or not my homosexual friend can stay married to what is called in the gay community a, "Power top bear". It is necessary then for us to discover the validity of such news sites before making any decisions based upon them, because these fraudulent websites will still exist even if we pay them no attention. The government cannot, due to the constitution, prevent websites from spreading this information, as it presents no legal harm. That is, until, a man or woman makes a political decision based off of the false knowledge it spreads.

An Article of the Arcane Traditional Craft

The art of Andrew D. Chumbley (1967-2014), who was a professional writer, artist, scholar and theorist of the occult was and is an inspiration to my current, past and future theological studies. I love to see how religion affects the mind,  especially since small areas of science are actually developing explanations for spiritual experiences which is called neurotheology. It is a branch of theology and neurotheology, and the sole purpose of it is to explain and support the theory and belief that religious experiences are of a biological origin. I have written a short article on the importance of occult practices in the inducement of and control of these spiritual experiences:

"To deny religion is to deny the possible sciences and histories behind it. Science may also never find any evidence of supernatural beings because they are claimed to be immaterial; therefore, since science explains the observable, material and organized world through our artifices and through quantifiable data, it is easy to assume that even if these spirits existed science would not be able to prove or disprove the belief or existence of spiritual creatures. However, this should not act as evidence against or for science. Both would be absurd. Science and religion are two faculties of logical understanding of this realm unseparated by humanity, for it will never go so long as we are here. There is a connection between the two that can be explored via occultism; a controversial and demonized aspect of spirituality, disaproved of by both scientist and religious clergy. Deemed as heresy and witchcraft so long ago, it is unsurprising that most occultist are hidden from today's general society. Some religious scholars and practitioners dismiss occultism by claiming it isn't a reality and that the practice is a bastardization of a certain religious laws. The scientist claims that the occult isn't a reality and thus it is seen aa a bastardization of certain scientific laws; however, nuerotheologist attribute religious experiences to biological phenomenon. It is then hypocritical for both the rationalist and religious person to deny occultism as a viable religious and psychological event and therefore, the religious woman or man cannot claim that the occult is, by religious law, bad. For it facilitates the human faculties needed to experience and express religious states of mind, and the scientist can no longer dismiss the occult and witchcraft as mere superstition, due to the experiences being purely biological in nature. Religion and science is just two seperate, yet whole, ways of understanding the universe around you, even if religion is technically wrong.

There is more to this realm than mere logic and religion; and such things as the occult, psychedelics and meditation may allow us to explore this inner mysterium: the arcane contrivances of the human mind. We perceive everything with our mind based upon our perception of our reality; therefore, the world is a reflection of our perceived views of the world in which we reside. Our mind can percieve, therefore the world is our mind. The occult is a visible manifestation of the silence that speaks to us all, a direct metaphor and manipulation of the very device used to perceive the world that we, as humans, wake up to. It is also, at its secondry core, the first core being an exploration of the psychological make-up of the ipsiety of the man or woman, the manifestation of belief; the manifestation of the metaphorical religious symbology of the mind." (Written in my, "Junior Year Journal")

Some archaic rituals, who's history is too old to be traced currently is said by some who perform it to activate certain primitive functions of the brain, which exhibit themselves in the form of paranoia and very rarely psychosis. The ritual is known by men and women called, "Toadsmen," or "Toadswomen." It is a rite that can only be performed once you have been granted permission from a sign or omen, usually found in a dream. The ritual allows the Toadsman or woman to gain the Toad Bone Amulet, which claims to help you control animals, man and other forces of nature. Whatever the validity of these claims, it is believed by these practitioners that as the bone ages, it loses its power and thus you lose the power it granted you. This means that you have to repeat the ritual, and when asked about it if one should do the ritual for these powers, the person who has done it may reply, "Don't, for you won't be able to sleep at night."

Practitioners have been known to lie and cheat their way out of certain things, and such the aspects of paranoia may as well be a lie to scare away any given person from acquiring these perceived powers. These Toadsmen, as a result of the ritual, usually die young; and they die a violent death at that. Andrew D. Chumbley has written about the topic before, and the rite is so old that it was recorded by Pliny the Elder. Since he did die of an asthma attack at the age of 37, it may be easily assumed that he himself had done the ritual to gain the power of the Toadbone.

This doesn't seem like science to you, does it?

Well, that's where neurotheology comes in. Why do these practitioners experience forms of paranoia as a result of the ritual, what is the science behind the belief in the power to control humans and animals? Is it a metaphor or symbol for a concept much deeper; which, is possible because most occultists speak for the experience of all humans and thus it could be a code or allegorical representation of something beyond normal human comprehension. There are a lot of changes the brain undergoes by repeating certain actions such as prayer, meditation and even just looking at memes before you go to bed. Is it possible that occultist are somehow changing the way their brain thinks and reacts to the world through the rituals that they do? These are just some of the questions neurotheologist need to ask in order to fully comprehend the rational and logical explanations for spirituality and other various religious experiences that many people go without in their lives.

Andrew believed that witchcraft (beyond the scope of the original purpose, vis-a-vis healing ailments and diseases thought to have come from supernatural forces), and the occult was a way to manifest true belief into the world around us. Whether you take this literally, or you think it is just a bunch of bunk really depends on your view of the world and the potential for these practices to have a rational explanation, or impact on your life or not. Science and religion, like perception in general, is subjective; meaning, each and every person will believe, perceive and practice different forms of truths. For, in reality, there is no, "One Truth," to everything, just individual truth. Even if his acquaintances who are still alive today do not agree with what I am saying, I think that is fine. You have the right to disagree with me, but this is my view: There is an irrational explanation for everything so long as a rational explanation exist. Spirituality is used as an enhancement of the human organism and devoting yourself to spiritual practice with an open, unbiased mind can help to create profound changes in the mind.

I assure you, however, that neurotheology may not recognize the beautiful effects and defects of ritual practice on the mind, but even with my limited knowledge of neurology, I can tell you that daily meditation and practice has amazingly drastic effects on the mind, for good or ill depending upon how and why you practice.

The brain sees tools as an extension of yourself. So when you are writing, your brain perceives the pencil as a part of you; after all, the brain evolved to control your body, not your tools. So the brain made your tools become your body. This topic was explored in Nicholas Carr's book, "The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brain," the author explains and this in better detail. If this does not convince you, remember that the brain is plastic meaning that it changes based on our actions and behavior. So even if the occult does not have any rational explanation, it is clear to assume that over a long period of time it can, in fact, change the way one's mind works.

Window Poem

Looking in is looking out, seeking out a soul to run about.
The farmer's workshop eating through the days as I watch him toll away.
Something's off, on this day. For something, sometimes the farmer passes away.
That was yesteryear, the day of love, of work, of fear.

Not much is known about the life of Dong Yuan, but he founded the Southern Style of Landscape Painting. Like most artist of his time, he was an official. Sadly, he never left any portraits of himself or other people.



His best piece is his Xiao and Xiang Rivers, a painting on silk, and it is his most respected masterpiece. I chose this artist because I enjoyed his art style, but ultimately I only regret it to an extent because of the lack of information on him.



He is also known for developing the Shen Shou genre of Chinese art, which means, "Green and Blue."

Hellbender

Only three bodies found and one went on in their place,

Only three bodies found, the last lies in the ground a rooting corpse of these three bodies found.

Grown to maturity, a tale lost, a tale told.

Replace the found bodies, Only one life is sold.

Has the world gains peace it'll fall to peices,

No one can tell, hat happens in hell.

But at least the hellbender knows.

In the newspaper there was an article on a old dam being destroyed and before the operation of removing it three Hellbenders - a form of salamander deemed important - was found and protected. During the operation, a flood broke out and a girl ended up drowning.

Six Word Memoir

Born to die, now I'm waiting.

This memoir above sums up the fact that I was born premature. It's easy to feel as if one has no purpose in life simply by the repetitivity of it all. So at times, it feels like I'm waiting.

Books that Change Perceptions and Satanist?

Don't get me wrong, I love fiction; alas, I just do not read it as much as I should. Instead, I opt for books that are more like essays, about folklore and superstition. Maybe it's for academic reasons, maybe it is because I am what they write about. But, no matter. I find it interesting and I have been able to connect almost all superstition and folkloric beliefs and realized that they are all universal. However, I read a book by a Satanist called Fosforos. Most people told me not to, claiming that the book was cursed and other odd things. But I went ahead and did it, and it was the most profound exploration of science, philosophy and religion that I've ever read. I know that a lot of people would judge me, saying that what this man claims is most untrue and therefore should be avoided, but I see striving toward the light and goodness as a bad thing.

To strive to light and only goodness is to deny the darkness hidden within us all. It is a path of ignorance, for you are denying the truth that nothing is good and nothing is bad. I can be good. I've helped children before, but I've also gotten angry and punch someone (Although, I don't fight anymore. I just stopped one day). The most interesting part of the book was the chapter on Polyharmonia, or the belief that we are all one. He claims that evil is caused by ignorance, and that ignorance breeds fear and paranoia and then goes on to create aggression. I think, that most Christians would agree with this man no matter his religious orientation. What was different, and a common feature for people considered heretics by the Christian church is that his understanding of the Bible and its history was better refined than the priest of this time. I learned a lot, but I'm still not finished with it. Here's an excerpt from page 18, which summarizes the topic of chapter one:

1) There is one all-encompassing cosmos, the existence of which is certain, eternal, and unconditional - of this there is no doubt.

2) Because it remains and does not change, oneness must be in a constant state of balance. Oneness, without anything external to it, must be unchanging in its basic being. Consisting of and having in itself the causes of change -laws- or rather the Reason that is their essence, oneness is the background against which that Reason acts and define its action. Therefore, it cannot be changed by that action without the laws themselves changing, which in turn would be in contradiction to their own basic being. If such were the case there could be nothing perceptible.

3) However, since the harmony in this unity can act as a foundation for the laws that govern existence and manifestation,  it cannot be in contradiction with them. Therefore, in unity, as in everything that exist below it and in multiplicity - in other words, that which is inside of it in a fragmented and crystallized form, both in the spiritual and in the physical worlds - there must exist the same degree of opposite forces, polarities that together are perfectly neutral from the viewpoint of the whole.

The list itself is a lot longer than what is written, but it gives a fine example of what the book is really about. This is one of those books that I would have sitting on my desk to pick up whenever I need to fully understand a problem.