The occult was not just attacked by the totalitarianism of monotheism, but it was also attacked by that which it spawned, its child, if you will. The child of the occult is science, and they have been forever linked in humanity’s history, from the mystical tribal witchdoctor to the ancient philosophers of Greece, Rome, Egypt, and beyond to the Alchemist of the Middle Ages. The search for the unknown spawned a comprehensive study of the unknown, which led to the logic-based science seen in ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt. From this light, it is not hard to understand why early mathematicians and scientists, like Pythagoras, created math and science-based belief systems, like numerology and sacred geometry. Thus when science turned its back on the occult during the Age of Reason, the occult was truly dead.
The Age of Reason spawned from man’s desire to utilize his intellect and understand, and then explain, everything. Despite all the knowledge they gained, these intellectuals of the Age of Reason were no more than everyday fools. Every teenager, at one point in their life, discovers enough of the world, that they claim to know everything, or enough to no longer need any more, but as every aged adult knows, they do not, and the quest for knowledge is a LIFE-long process. As Socrates said, according to Plato, “I am wise because I know that I do not know.” Despite all of his “knowledge”, Socrates realized that there were many things he did not know; Socrates recognized the occult, the hidden. This was the case of many philosophers of the ancient world. They were scientists and occultists at the same time, which isn’t hard to believe because they are different sides of the same spectrum of light. They recognized that the occult, science, and truth formed the triangular relationship of knowledge, and that through the occult and science, they could discover the truth. With two points, it is far easier to construct a triangle, than it is with just one point. With just one point, “the odds of successfully navigating an asteroid field [approximately 3720 to 1, according to C-3PO]” are far less than the odds of finding the other two points and successfully constructing a triangle even close to the real triangle in question. Despite this, science still pressed on without the occult.
The main goal of early scientists was to understand everything they saw, such as the stars. The stars were always a big part of the occult because they were unknown to humans before the telescope allowed us a closer, more detailed look. Galileo’s telescope, one of the many inventions during the Age of Reason, killed the occult. The mythic, human hero had been killed by the singularity that is monotheism, and only the gods of the heavens had remained. When science began to uncover the solar system and subsequently, the entire universe, there was no where left for the old occult to hide. Monotheism had killed the beloved hero, and science had slaughtered the gods. There ceased to be a mystical and metaphysical nature to the universe, and we were left with just the natural realm, as defined by science, and the supernatural realm, as defined by monotheistic religion. Without the occult to balance society, to provide the third link in the triangle, the link between natural and supernatural, monotheism and science fought on in the minds of humanity.
The fight between Monotheism and Science picked up considerable steam with Darwin, creating the debate which still carries considerable weight today: Creation vs. Evolution, the Big Bang vs. God, Old Earth vs. Young Earth, etc. Without the occult as a medium, just like the Star Wars galaxy without the Jedi, the state of duality pervades and rules society. The power between these two powers shifted back and forth over the course of the past, all the while, the occult, which was seemingly dead, waited for its to chance to spring back. As Campbell daftly points out, “With the end…of the mythological age… [it] did not actually end. It retired…behind the screen of time and space”. (206) This mythological age is actually the distant past of the ancient world, where man and gods lived together, in harmony, before time itself. This is why Star Wars begins with, “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…”, for the stories of Star Wars speak of the timeless myths, the never-ending occult. This occult continues on, behind the veil of our perceptions, behind the veil of its apparent death at the hands of science and monotheism; it carries on in the hearts of man in the form of romanticism, art, music, and love itself. For love, true love, is selfish, and rightly so because it is two parts of the same Self, joining together to form bonds and break barriers, to create life itself. Thus the Age of Reason moved onto the Age of Romanticism, and then on to the Age of Realism and then Modernism, and now, Post-modernism, all the while, the occult waited, it waited for the breath of life to be thrust into it by the expanding minds, hearts, and lungs of humanity. This is not so unlike the only two remaining Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, presumed to be dead, “their fire [having] gone out of the universe”, just waiting and watching, waiting for the right time, for the open mind of an another generation, the generation of “a new hope”, of spirited rebellion, of “the return of the Jedi”.
Thus, time moved on, without the outward presence of the occult, and science moved on as well. From Newton’s apple, came gravity, a mysterious force of attraction that, much like the divine spark (the Holy Spirit) in Christianity, is never fully explained. We know that it is an energy field, based on the attraction between two objects. Einstein and others of the early 20th century told us that it distorts the fabric of space-time, much like a ball resting on a blanket that is not completely taut. These distortions create ripples, and anything within these ripples, like say, the moon and all the inhabitants on Earth, are kept inside the boundaries created by this massive object, unless an object were to reach a speed fast enough to overcome the gravitational pull, the boundary of the ripple. Science tells us that mass and spin, or centripetal force, create gravity. Science also tells us, through Einstein’s famous formula, E = mc2, that energy equals mass times the speed of light squared (the speed of light, interestingly enough, is roughly 432 squared, just keep that in mind). Since the speed of light is a constant, about 186,000 miles per second, then essentially, energy equals mass, mass is energy. So perhaps gravity isn’t defined by the mass of an object, but instead the energy of an object. This energy is probably related to electro-magnetism, and one could perhaps picture the orbit between any two objects in terms of magnets. The larger, stronger magnet attracts the smaller one, through their opposite poles or energies, but their like poles or energies repel. Thus, the smaller magnet is held in an orbit around the point where the fields of the two magnets interact. If gravity can be reduced down to energy, then perhaps everything can. Perhaps there is an all-pervasive energy field that binds us, and controlling or using that field, that energy, will yield powers and abilities that cannot be fathomed at this point in human evolution.
Now, I will admit, this is a very elementary understanding of gravity and energy, but sometimes, we must KISS that which we are looking for, or in other words, “Keep it simple, stupid”. Yes, the string theory is a complex theory that attempts to explain every deficiency within quantum mechanics, thus providing us with a fundamental theory for everything; unfortunately, that theory has not been completely formulated, yet. I will go into the string theory later in the paper, and then I will tie it back into the energy theory I just formulated above.
Technology is the offspring of science, a tool created by the minds of humanity. To reject it, like those who reject progress in favor of nature, is to reject the mind. Without one of our points, we become relegated to duality and conflict. So technology is needed, but like the mind, it must be controlled by discipline, by understanding and wisdom. Technology itself may change the way humanity views itself and the world around us. Take computers for example. They are created by man, function much like the human brain, and are ruled by binary code, a duality of one’s and zero’s, yes’s and no’s. A computer can only do what it has been programmed to do. Yes, there are those working on algorithms that could simulate artificial intelligence, but those are just algorithms. The basic design of the computer is incapable of intelligence for simple reason, duality. It is within this binary code, that computers are trapped. This is changing. Quantum mechanics have given us insight into the workings of the atom. Using the spin of the atom as a code, the atom’s spin has a triune nature, with two opposite spins (which can be viewed as a one and a zero), but it also has the key to unlocking intelligence, the third point, the ‘superposition’. This superposition is the point where the one and the zero come together and form, ten, if you will. It is the third point that creates the necessary triangle, the triangle of life, and thus when this is applied to computers (in the form of quantum computers), the computer’s speed increases exponentially. But speed is not the only purpose, for I believe that with a triangular system of understanding, computers would have the necessary capacity to learn, to have an artificial intelligence. This condition of computers also points out man’s tragic flaw. By existing in a dualistic plane, we are no more than computers, capable of only that which we are programmed to do. In reality, we are capable of more, but by rejecting the third point of our own triangle, the Soul in the Mind, Body, Soul relationship, we relegate ourselves to be nothing better than a computer, a binary existence, and the limits therein.
There are also two emerging scientific and philosophical theories that are beginning to shape how we view reality, the Holographic Universe and the String theory. The Holographic Universe theory originates, as Michael Talbot explains in “The Holographic Universe”, from an experiment conducted in 1982. In this experiment, scientists were controlling the spin of electrons through electromagnetism. They found that when they changed the spin of one electron, the spin of another electron, 10 feet away, changed on its own to match the other electron. Continuing with this experiment, the scientists found that, under the proper conditions, distance didn’t affect the time of the change at all, the change occurred SIMULTANEOUSLY. For some, this revelation was impossible, for it broke the speed barrier of light, and thus it broke Einstein’s theory of relativity, and it shattered quantum mechanics. In order to keep the world of quantum mechanics, and our sanity, one of two things must be accepted, and thus the two tenants of the Holographic Universe.
Before talking about the two options, I’d like to briefly explain holograms themselves. Holograms are 3-D photographs created with the help of a laser. First, the object that one wants to capture is engrossed in the light from one laser; a second laser beam is then bounced off the light that is reflected (the light that does not go through or past the object). The resulting intersection of the two lasers is then recorded onto film. This can be one frame for a single image, or multiple frames for a moving image, or a movie. When developed, the film looks indiscernible, a collage of light and dark lines; however, when a 3rd laser is beamed directly through the film, a 3-D image is created. Holograms also carry an interesting, the part is equal to, but smaller than the whole (or “whole in every part”), phenomenon. Thus, if one were to cut the film into two different pieces, and then illuminate with a laser again, you would have two, smaller, yet identical, images, not two halves. So, every tiny piece of the film contains the information of the whole.
The first option is that this world is a hologram, a fake, a phony. It is an illusion, much like Maya of Hinduism or the Matrix, and it is controlled by something, a world of computers, the Archons, whatever. Thus, quantum mechanics still exists, but this world is a hologram. This essentially means that the cave and the outside world are not of the same existence, but in fact, the cave is just an illusion or a hologram of the outside world. While this is a perfectly good explanation, I just don’t believe it, for the same reasons that I doubt that the Archons created this world. I believe in the second option.
The second option is that this world is real, the hologram is real, and that the connection between everyone, everything, the connection that transcends the laws of quantum mechanics is actually the Self. This is a perfect representation of Tao; we are smaller wholes of the same Self. This also fits directly with Carl Jung’s concept of the collective unconscious. We share a bond, a connection that we are ignorant to. We think similarly and feel similarly because we are the same parts to the whole. The hero myth exists in every culture and belief system because it is part of the Self, it is apart of every piece of the puzzle. One could even say that the hero myth is our destiny.
Now that we’ve discussed the Holographic Universe, let’s analyze the String theory. The String Theory, in all of its quarks is too discombobulated and unorganized (and as of right now, not even complete) to write down extensively. The basics behind this theory are simple. Everything we see is made up of particles, like the elementary electrons and protons that fill science textbooks. There are, according to theorists and mathematicians dedicated to complex models, many, many different particles, fulfilling many different roles and balancing out many complex and intense equations, equations that would probably require a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics or Theoretical Calculus. The string theory states, in its simplest form, that everything is made up of strings, perhaps the same, identical string, and that these strings (or just one string) vibrate at different frequencies, thus producing the different particles we see. Just like the guitar produces similar notes from different strings, as well as different notes from the same string, so too these strings (or singular string) create the particles of our universe, the particles that shape our reality. This view of the universe has an interesting impact. It may give us an understanding to what the number 432 really is, and why the frequency setting of 432 is referred to as the natural or universal frequency setting.
http://www.mrheadlee.com
http://www.vimeo.com/mrheadlee
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Gnosticism and Number Theory
If one goes back to my number theory, 777 is the perfect number of God, or perhaps the perfection of humanity, and 77 (666/3/3 +3) is the perfection of duality. One could also interpret this definition as being that 666 is the number of the archons, and likewise, if you divide it by 9, you get 74. They only reach a stage of perfect duality by controlling and absorbing (and thus adding) humanity. Thus the number of the Demi-urge is 74. If you consider these numbers from the base 7 number system, then 7 numbers are needed before one can go up to the next place-setting. Thus 777 could be seen as the equivalent to 1000 in the base 10 number system. I use the base 7 number system because humanity follows a 7-day week schedule, a schedule that never changes, despite the changes in days in a month, and even days in a year. This is supposedly a product of God creating the universe (or at the very least, this solar system) in six days, and then resting on the seventh. Thus 777, is perfection of mind, body, and soul. The mind is the first place-setting, and thus, the weakest. The body is the second place-setting, and thus stronger than the mind. The soul is the final place setting, and thus the strongest. Now, one may be sitting here arguing, mind over body, saying that the mind should be more powerful than the body. My answer to those arguments is that you have mistaken the mind for the soul. The mind, much like the computer, is just a tool, a tool contained within a frame; if you drop that frame off a cliff, the mind goes with it, for computers have no soul. We trump our mind over our body, and thus forget about our body. We are arrogant. We are fools. Thus, the purpose of meditation, is to quiet the mind because it (or we) believes that it is greater than the rest of the parts. By quieting the mind, one can heal the body, with the soul. I believe that the power of psychics (including telemetry, healing, telekinesis, empathy, telepathy, etc) derives not from their mind, but from their soul; it is their ignorance that makes them believe in their mind. The Archons, therefore, posses perfect physical powers. They can control the entire physical realm, and thus they are worshipped as nature gods. However, if their number is 74, then they don’t possess perfect minds, or in other words, they must rely on humanity (3) to provide perfect mental control. For, like the Elm Street villain, Freddy Krueger, if you simply stop believing in them, stop giving into fear, they have no control.
Likewise, if you develop the smallest amount of faith (or belief), just one unit of your soul, then you can become more powerful than the archons (100 is always greater than 74 or 77), and in the words of Christ, “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” (Mat 17:20) If we have the smallest unit of faith or the smallest bit of soul (for the mustard seed is a tiny seed), then nothing will be physically impossible. We will be able to lift starships out of swamps, read the minds of others, etc., and the archons will be helpless. Unfortunately, keeping with the Allegory of the Cave, the soul exists in the outside world, and we are stuck in the cave. We must perfect our bodies, our focus, our discipline, and attempt to perfect our minds. By doing such, we can overcome these Archons that plague our world, or perhaps overcome our own deficiencies. On the way through the tunnel that connects the cave to the outside world, we can completely perfect our minds. Once in the outside world, we can begin to unlock the secrets of spirituality, the secrets of our true potential. In this light, we can be like Jedi Knights, in every sense of the word. We can fulfill our hero needs, the calling and foundation of the occult.
http://www.mrheadlee.com
http://www.vimeo.com/mrheadlee
Likewise, if you develop the smallest amount of faith (or belief), just one unit of your soul, then you can become more powerful than the archons (100 is always greater than 74 or 77), and in the words of Christ, “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” (Mat 17:20) If we have the smallest unit of faith or the smallest bit of soul (for the mustard seed is a tiny seed), then nothing will be physically impossible. We will be able to lift starships out of swamps, read the minds of others, etc., and the archons will be helpless. Unfortunately, keeping with the Allegory of the Cave, the soul exists in the outside world, and we are stuck in the cave. We must perfect our bodies, our focus, our discipline, and attempt to perfect our minds. By doing such, we can overcome these Archons that plague our world, or perhaps overcome our own deficiencies. On the way through the tunnel that connects the cave to the outside world, we can completely perfect our minds. Once in the outside world, we can begin to unlock the secrets of spirituality, the secrets of our true potential. In this light, we can be like Jedi Knights, in every sense of the word. We can fulfill our hero needs, the calling and foundation of the occult.
http://www.mrheadlee.com
http://www.vimeo.com/mrheadlee
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Gnosticism
It is at this point that I must address Gnosticism before moving any further. Gnosticism comes from the Greek word, “gnosis”, which means knowledge. The term “agnostic” is a term that describes those who search for the truth through reason alone. Agnostics argue that what is beyond the powers of reason is beyond the boundaries of human intellect, and unfortunately, Agnostics have forgotten the power of the soul. Gnostics attempt to search for the divine, the unknown, the occult through knowledge, both the outer knowledge of the mind and reason, and the inner knowledge of the soul, the divine spark. Like all other religions, Gnosticism had many disjointed sects, believing a wide-range of things, but the majority, believed in Christ. Many of the Cabalists, followers of Jewish mysticism, did not recognize Christ, but neither do the mainstream Jews. The Gnostics, however, did not view Christ to be the savior of our souls, for they believe our souls to be perfect and do not believe in the concept of “original sin”. No, Christ, according to them, was the savior of our minds. They believed that God was an indescribable essence, much like the Tao or the Force, and that YHWH, the tribal god of the Jews, was the Demi-urge. This being does not have a soul, but has great powers of the mind and body. The Demi-urge fears the potential of humanity, and attempts to keep humanity ignorant, and thus incapable of evolving and moving out of the cave. Our failure is thus not “original sin”, but ignorance and apathy. This being may have other beings that it controls, but who are more powerful than humanity. In this “light”, the Demi-urge can be seen as the fire in the cave, and the workers on the walkway are the archons under the control of the fire. Thus depending on positions of the Fire, archons, and the person, the archons either seem dark and evil or bright and good. In fact, they are neither, they are just pawns.
Gnostics follow two thoughts for creation, a positive one and a negative one. In the positive view, the essence of God split itself and created the universe, and thus the spark of God was within everything. God then created beings, which some could view as angels, to keep order and balance in the newly created universe. These beings do not have a soul, but have great, great power, and became obsessed with power, and subsequently, control. The other version believes that through Self-division, God created woman, a Mother-earth goddess they call Sophia. Sophia, being one step lower than God, realizes his awesome infinitude and worships him. Sophia then tries to be like God, and out of ignorance, creates the Archons, who are led by the archon know as the Demi-Urge. The Archons have no soul, for they were created by Sophia, not God, but they are powerful, and create the universe as a realm to extend their power. Sophia, realizing her mistake, goes to God, apologizes, and then takes the spark of God, in the form of the snake in the Garden of Eden, down to humanity. The archons realizing the magnitude of this, trap Sophia in this earthly realm, banish humanity from “paradise”, and create negative stigmas for both women and the snake as a result of Sophia’s actions. In both versions, they have thus taken control of humanity through various means, monotheistic religion being one of them, and their main goal is to keep humanity from developing its potential, its soul, through ignorance. Regardless of which version you follow, God creates Christ, and sends him down to teach humanity much like the philosopher descends down into the cave to release the prisoners of the cave. Unfortunately, the message of Christ, according to the Gnostics was mutilated by the Archons into another monotheistic religion, another conflict.
I prefer to follow the path of the first creation story, for more than just optimistic, positive attitudes. The number 432, I believe, is the universal calling card of God, the fingerprint of the occult, the rhythmic pulse of the indescribable essence. If this world is an illusion, a projection created by the Archons, then this mystical number of 432 is actually their calling card, their fingerprint, and their pulse. Something within me says this cannot be so. And so, I believe that this reality, this world, this universe is real, and if any illusion exists, it exists as a shadow within the mind, a curtain that blocks us from truly interpreting what we see, hear, and feel. A curtain that some could argue creates a veil that disconnects us from the rest of the Self, from the rest of ourselves, from connecting our miniscule soul to the rest of the vast Self.
In Plato’s Cave, humanity is stuck in one of two places, in the shadows, or in the dualistic world of the fire. The duality is either created by the Demi-urge, or taken advantage of by the Demi-urge, the fire. The fire creates a powerful, but false light on the shadow wall, and its workers, its archons not only sustain the fire, but also cast shadows or illusions onto the wall. This can be seen as your nature-worship religions, belief systems that worship the seemingly random and unknown functions of nature, the shadows of the archons, the shadows of those beings who physically control this realm. When people are released, they see the fire, and they worship the fire for its light has saved them from the unknown shadows. Ironically, though, the fire has not saved them, instead, it was the one that created the shadows to begin with. The fire then mesmerizes humanity with its power, with its “glory”, and demands that the people turn their backs on the “evil” shadows, and instead, focus on the fire, worship the fire, feel the “warmth” of the fire. It is very, very intriguing to consider that YHWH, the Demi-urge according to Gnosticism, actually appears to Moses in the form of a “burning bush”. How ironic. The fire, through its use of duality and visually mesmerizing “light”, controls this world mentally.
http://www.mrheadlee.com
http://www.vimeo.com/mrheadlee
Gnostics follow two thoughts for creation, a positive one and a negative one. In the positive view, the essence of God split itself and created the universe, and thus the spark of God was within everything. God then created beings, which some could view as angels, to keep order and balance in the newly created universe. These beings do not have a soul, but have great, great power, and became obsessed with power, and subsequently, control. The other version believes that through Self-division, God created woman, a Mother-earth goddess they call Sophia. Sophia, being one step lower than God, realizes his awesome infinitude and worships him. Sophia then tries to be like God, and out of ignorance, creates the Archons, who are led by the archon know as the Demi-Urge. The Archons have no soul, for they were created by Sophia, not God, but they are powerful, and create the universe as a realm to extend their power. Sophia, realizing her mistake, goes to God, apologizes, and then takes the spark of God, in the form of the snake in the Garden of Eden, down to humanity. The archons realizing the magnitude of this, trap Sophia in this earthly realm, banish humanity from “paradise”, and create negative stigmas for both women and the snake as a result of Sophia’s actions. In both versions, they have thus taken control of humanity through various means, monotheistic religion being one of them, and their main goal is to keep humanity from developing its potential, its soul, through ignorance. Regardless of which version you follow, God creates Christ, and sends him down to teach humanity much like the philosopher descends down into the cave to release the prisoners of the cave. Unfortunately, the message of Christ, according to the Gnostics was mutilated by the Archons into another monotheistic religion, another conflict.
I prefer to follow the path of the first creation story, for more than just optimistic, positive attitudes. The number 432, I believe, is the universal calling card of God, the fingerprint of the occult, the rhythmic pulse of the indescribable essence. If this world is an illusion, a projection created by the Archons, then this mystical number of 432 is actually their calling card, their fingerprint, and their pulse. Something within me says this cannot be so. And so, I believe that this reality, this world, this universe is real, and if any illusion exists, it exists as a shadow within the mind, a curtain that blocks us from truly interpreting what we see, hear, and feel. A curtain that some could argue creates a veil that disconnects us from the rest of the Self, from the rest of ourselves, from connecting our miniscule soul to the rest of the vast Self.
In Plato’s Cave, humanity is stuck in one of two places, in the shadows, or in the dualistic world of the fire. The duality is either created by the Demi-urge, or taken advantage of by the Demi-urge, the fire. The fire creates a powerful, but false light on the shadow wall, and its workers, its archons not only sustain the fire, but also cast shadows or illusions onto the wall. This can be seen as your nature-worship religions, belief systems that worship the seemingly random and unknown functions of nature, the shadows of the archons, the shadows of those beings who physically control this realm. When people are released, they see the fire, and they worship the fire for its light has saved them from the unknown shadows. Ironically, though, the fire has not saved them, instead, it was the one that created the shadows to begin with. The fire then mesmerizes humanity with its power, with its “glory”, and demands that the people turn their backs on the “evil” shadows, and instead, focus on the fire, worship the fire, feel the “warmth” of the fire. It is very, very intriguing to consider that YHWH, the Demi-urge according to Gnosticism, actually appears to Moses in the form of a “burning bush”. How ironic. The fire, through its use of duality and visually mesmerizing “light”, controls this world mentally.
http://www.mrheadlee.com
http://www.vimeo.com/mrheadlee
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Which one is real?
Day One Assignment – “Biographies”
Jon Headlee
#1
Some call me Squirrel; others call me Jon Headlee. Nevertheless, I was born in Seattle on June 10th, 1982. My early childhood was fairly non-descript. That is to say, it was a normal one. All of that seemed to change in the early 1990s. I started listening to the wonderful sounds of grunge music, and at the same time, my parents began their downward spiral towards divorce.
In the summer of 1995, they finally made it official, and I moved with my mother to Vancouver. It was the time of my life. We were living with my Grandparents – my loaded Grandparents, and they wasted no opportunity to spoil me. Shortly after I turned 15, I was introduced to a wonderful, almost fantasy-like world. It was the world of drugs, and everything from pot to acid to shrooms to even DMT seemed readily available.
That was until my Grandparents found out about it. Naturally, they freaked, and my Grandfather, being a retired Marine, suggested military school. I’m still not sure why they shipped me more than 3,000 miles away, but at age 17, I ended up at Randolph Macon. It was harsh, but it was also only a year.
Afterwards, I came to VCU to study criminal justice, and my intention is to go on to study law. One day, I will legalize all those drugs that are so hated. One day I will validate my belief that drugs, especially hallucinogens, are not bad, but in fact, very helpful.
#2
I was born Jonathan David Headlee at the Air Force Academy Hospital on June 21st, 1986. I’ve always hated my full name, and since I was young, I’ve gone by Jon. My dad was in the Air Force, and so we moved a few times during my youth. When I was four, we moved from our gorgeous home in Colorado Springs to a dusty new suburb in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The neighborhood still wasn’t finished when we moved out 3 years later.
We ended up in Centreville, a suburb in the growing Fairfax County. It was here I discovered football when I was ten, and I loved it. I played four years of youth ball, and then another four years in high school. Despite winning the state championship, my final game ended with tears because I knew I would never play again.
I came to VCU, originally to study film and psychology. After completing a pre-Art Foundation studio class, I decided that a year of hell in “Art Boot Camp” was not worth the limited Film program at VCU. Keeping Psychology, I moved on to add Philosophy as a second major after going through a personal epiphany during my English 200 class. After taking a few Religious Studies classes, I added Religious Studies as another major. It’ll take me a full 5 years, but I hope to graduate with three degrees, a creative writing minor, and hopefully a collection of films (including a documentary I’m working on with Sera Tabb) to take to grad school.
http://www.mrheadlee.com
http://www.vimeo.com/mrheadlee
Jon Headlee
#1
Some call me Squirrel; others call me Jon Headlee. Nevertheless, I was born in Seattle on June 10th, 1982. My early childhood was fairly non-descript. That is to say, it was a normal one. All of that seemed to change in the early 1990s. I started listening to the wonderful sounds of grunge music, and at the same time, my parents began their downward spiral towards divorce.
In the summer of 1995, they finally made it official, and I moved with my mother to Vancouver. It was the time of my life. We were living with my Grandparents – my loaded Grandparents, and they wasted no opportunity to spoil me. Shortly after I turned 15, I was introduced to a wonderful, almost fantasy-like world. It was the world of drugs, and everything from pot to acid to shrooms to even DMT seemed readily available.
That was until my Grandparents found out about it. Naturally, they freaked, and my Grandfather, being a retired Marine, suggested military school. I’m still not sure why they shipped me more than 3,000 miles away, but at age 17, I ended up at Randolph Macon. It was harsh, but it was also only a year.
Afterwards, I came to VCU to study criminal justice, and my intention is to go on to study law. One day, I will legalize all those drugs that are so hated. One day I will validate my belief that drugs, especially hallucinogens, are not bad, but in fact, very helpful.
#2
I was born Jonathan David Headlee at the Air Force Academy Hospital on June 21st, 1986. I’ve always hated my full name, and since I was young, I’ve gone by Jon. My dad was in the Air Force, and so we moved a few times during my youth. When I was four, we moved from our gorgeous home in Colorado Springs to a dusty new suburb in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The neighborhood still wasn’t finished when we moved out 3 years later.
We ended up in Centreville, a suburb in the growing Fairfax County. It was here I discovered football when I was ten, and I loved it. I played four years of youth ball, and then another four years in high school. Despite winning the state championship, my final game ended with tears because I knew I would never play again.
I came to VCU, originally to study film and psychology. After completing a pre-Art Foundation studio class, I decided that a year of hell in “Art Boot Camp” was not worth the limited Film program at VCU. Keeping Psychology, I moved on to add Philosophy as a second major after going through a personal epiphany during my English 200 class. After taking a few Religious Studies classes, I added Religious Studies as another major. It’ll take me a full 5 years, but I hope to graduate with three degrees, a creative writing minor, and hopefully a collection of films (including a documentary I’m working on with Sera Tabb) to take to grad school.
http://www.mrheadlee.com
http://www.vimeo.com/mrheadlee
Friday, December 24, 2010
The Death of the Hero and the True Occult
The Hero is a concept, an archetype if you are of the Jungian belief, of perfection, of purpose, of quintessential ideas. The concept of the hero or heroism is imbedded within the minds of everyone. Ask a young child what he or she wants to be, and you’ll hear fireman, police officer, nurse, doctor, or superhero. Why? The answer is quite simple, they want to be a hero. They want to rescue someone, they want to protect someone, they want to heal someone, or they want to transcend the limitations of humanity and fight evil, for everyone. Campbell asserts that these desires stem from an unconscious awareness of a connection that transcends our conscious understanding of the world. An understanding that the hero and that “someone” are parts of the same whole, and to save that “someone” is to save a part of yourself. “It is an impulse rising below the plane of our conscious living and judging, from our knowledge of a deep truth: that I and that other are one.” (204-205) This is the simplest understanding of the Self concept found in the East. Why else should someone sacrifice themselves for another being, unless the two shared a connection beyond cultural, political, or physical ties, a connection of a metaphysical nature. This is the basis for the occult, and why the hero is the central figure in the occult. Every belief system has at least one hero, Moses of Judaism, Buddha of Buddhism, Lao Tzu of Taoism, Jesus Christ of Christianity, Lord Krishna of Hinduism, Theseus of Greece, Cuchulain of Ireland, William Wallace of Scotland, Okuninushi of Japan, Odin and Thor of the Norse (Vikings), and Quetzalcoatl of Mexico. There are of course many, many more heroes found in every culture and religion, but that is a good list.
The heroes (and some of the gods) of the Occident and Orient were usually quite similar. Their stories were so similar that some mythologists and historians wonder if they all were actually from the same original belief structure, a belief structure created by a group of people that eventually populated the Earth. Anthropologists might claim that these were the belief structures of the first cave-dwelling humans, while occultists and conspiracy theorists might claim that they are Atlantean or alien in origin, but nevertheless, there is a connection between occult beliefs and the hero myth. The myths were so common, and the gods were so similar, in fact, that the god of one group was easily recognized as the god of another group (with just different names, and perhaps slightly different powers and/or reign). Thus, there was hardly any conflict between the religions and belief structures of various occultists. Why? It is merely because they were wise enough to recognize that the various groups of people were worshipping the same deity, thing, or what have you. Like I stated earlier when I introduced the Hero Myth, the hero myth provides the cement for foundation myths to harden. Without them, foundation myths, and occult beliefs themselves, fall apart.
Monotheistic traditions of the Levantine claim their heroes, Zoroaster, Moses (and Abraham), Jesus Christ, and Mohammad, to be the only hero or in some cases, the last hero, the last of God’s prophets. Monotheistic religions are based around tribal deities, or a Supernatural God that has chosen a specific group of people spread the truth and shine a light onto this world of darkness. The creator or continuing prophet of that religion is put forth as a hero, and all other “heroes” are connected to some evil being, whether it be a demon or Satan himself. Thus, not only is the hero “killed” by monotheism, but all other manifestations of the hero are connected to a source of evil.
The death of all other heroes continues on with the attack on the gods of other beliefs. According to Robert Goldenburg, Christianity and Judaism, both religions that demand faith to one God and deny all other gods, share a hate towards other faiths, “Certain biblical authors, however, do present an attitude of vehement and unrelenting contempt and rejection toward the religions of other nations, a stance distinguished for its principled denial that foreign deities have any reality at all.” (p. 22) Campbell agrees with this notion, and the rise of Judaism, and subsequently Christianity and Islam, gradually deteriorated the mythical occult (which centered on a metaphysical aspect of nature). Also, this created a new type of occult, a “two-way occult: on the hand, the approved cult, which is worship of our own tribal deity (Semitic God)… and… the diabolic occult of the powers of the nature religions, who are…independent enemies of Yahweh, but in the Christian tradition…a devil who can only act with the permission of the one true and only God.” (212, 213) Campbell does not delve into the reasons Judaism and Christianity adopted a hate towards occult practices, other than the disparities between their “supernatural” God, and the occult’s belief in a metaphysical nature; however, he does suggest that the rise of these religions led to the decline of the mythological occult, and the rise of a new occult, the occult most commonly recognized today. This occult, or “black magic” or paganism, usually revolved around practices that were outlawed by Christianity. (213) They typically believed and worshiped “the Devil”, and/or “mother nature”, and since God is viewed as a man, and the Devil is the source of evil, the leaders of Christianity labeled it heresy. This heresy was soon transformed to every other practice, which explains the Crusades (Christianity viewed Islam as its enemy, and Allah as the Devil), and was adapted to every form of non-Christian worship.
http://www.mrheadlee.com
http://www.vimeo.com/mrheadlee
The heroes (and some of the gods) of the Occident and Orient were usually quite similar. Their stories were so similar that some mythologists and historians wonder if they all were actually from the same original belief structure, a belief structure created by a group of people that eventually populated the Earth. Anthropologists might claim that these were the belief structures of the first cave-dwelling humans, while occultists and conspiracy theorists might claim that they are Atlantean or alien in origin, but nevertheless, there is a connection between occult beliefs and the hero myth. The myths were so common, and the gods were so similar, in fact, that the god of one group was easily recognized as the god of another group (with just different names, and perhaps slightly different powers and/or reign). Thus, there was hardly any conflict between the religions and belief structures of various occultists. Why? It is merely because they were wise enough to recognize that the various groups of people were worshipping the same deity, thing, or what have you. Like I stated earlier when I introduced the Hero Myth, the hero myth provides the cement for foundation myths to harden. Without them, foundation myths, and occult beliefs themselves, fall apart.
Monotheistic traditions of the Levantine claim their heroes, Zoroaster, Moses (and Abraham), Jesus Christ, and Mohammad, to be the only hero or in some cases, the last hero, the last of God’s prophets. Monotheistic religions are based around tribal deities, or a Supernatural God that has chosen a specific group of people spread the truth and shine a light onto this world of darkness. The creator or continuing prophet of that religion is put forth as a hero, and all other “heroes” are connected to some evil being, whether it be a demon or Satan himself. Thus, not only is the hero “killed” by monotheism, but all other manifestations of the hero are connected to a source of evil.
The death of all other heroes continues on with the attack on the gods of other beliefs. According to Robert Goldenburg, Christianity and Judaism, both religions that demand faith to one God and deny all other gods, share a hate towards other faiths, “Certain biblical authors, however, do present an attitude of vehement and unrelenting contempt and rejection toward the religions of other nations, a stance distinguished for its principled denial that foreign deities have any reality at all.” (p. 22) Campbell agrees with this notion, and the rise of Judaism, and subsequently Christianity and Islam, gradually deteriorated the mythical occult (which centered on a metaphysical aspect of nature). Also, this created a new type of occult, a “two-way occult: on the hand, the approved cult, which is worship of our own tribal deity (Semitic God)… and… the diabolic occult of the powers of the nature religions, who are…independent enemies of Yahweh, but in the Christian tradition…a devil who can only act with the permission of the one true and only God.” (212, 213) Campbell does not delve into the reasons Judaism and Christianity adopted a hate towards occult practices, other than the disparities between their “supernatural” God, and the occult’s belief in a metaphysical nature; however, he does suggest that the rise of these religions led to the decline of the mythological occult, and the rise of a new occult, the occult most commonly recognized today. This occult, or “black magic” or paganism, usually revolved around practices that were outlawed by Christianity. (213) They typically believed and worshiped “the Devil”, and/or “mother nature”, and since God is viewed as a man, and the Devil is the source of evil, the leaders of Christianity labeled it heresy. This heresy was soon transformed to every other practice, which explains the Crusades (Christianity viewed Islam as its enemy, and Allah as the Devil), and was adapted to every form of non-Christian worship.
http://www.mrheadlee.com
http://www.vimeo.com/mrheadlee
Thursday, December 23, 2010
The Occult and the Rise of Christianity
It is imperative to define the occult now, for it is a solid understanding of the occult that will allow us to make the baby steps in our next great evolutionary step. The occult, in the simplest understanding, is the hidden. It is that which we do not know. It is what we fear and seek simultaneously. There are two types of people within the occult, pursuers and followers, and though these people may call the occult by various names, it is essentially all the same; it is still the unknown.
The pursuers of the occult are those who seek to uncover that which is hidden or unseen. These people use many different methods, but it usually comes down to either a pursuit of the mind or a pursuit of the soul, and sometimes both. Those who use their mind to pursue the occult tend to use logic and reasoning as their main tools, and thus many of these people are philosophers. Gnostics, those who seek gnosis or true knowledge, also pursue with their mind. Other people like, alchemists, used a combination of science and spirituality to unlock the occult. Likewise, those who pursue with the soul utilize different methods as well, many of which revolve around some sort of meditation. Meditation almost seems to be the opposite of pursuit with the mind because the goal of meditation is to quiet the mind and feel the soul. Among those who pursue with the soul are Buddhists, Taoists, Shamans, Mystics, and the Jedi of Star Wars. The emphasis is on feeling to know, rather than thinking in order to know (Jedi, interestingly enough, emphasize the Wiccan concept of, “I do not think, I know”, which is directly referenced in many places in Star Wars, but is also echoed by Yoda’s, “Do or do not, there is no try”). The last group, those who utilize both, can best be represented by the Wiccans or the Magic arts. In Magick, one attempts to use the mind to gain control of the spirit, and possibly the spirits of others, in order to search the unknown. Usually one does this through spoken word, which emphasizes the power of the Logos (sometimes referred to as Jesus), as the connection between the natural and the metaphysical, the mind and the soul. Jesus is also referred to as the body of God, and thus, by utilizing the Logos, the body becomes connected to the mind and soul, forming the necessary triangle of humanity.
The other category of occultists are the followers. These people do not seek to actively pursue the occult, to unlock the unknown. Instead, they follow the small pieces that they do know, in hope of some salvation. The Hindus seek salvation from this illusionary world of Maya, and want to become one with the godhead, Brahmin. Confucius of ancient China taught a doctrine of respect and morality that was to be followed, which many Chinese did (and many people still do). All religions with a prophecy for an apocalypse or cleansing preach a life of practice, belief, and acceptance (pursuit is sometimes frowned upon) in order to save oneself from the impending doom. While many religions and belief structures teach this basic philosophy, this is best seen in Christianity and the related religions of Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Islam.
In Christianity, we are all born sinners and are doomed to Hell at birth. Thus, we become dependent upon salvation, a savior, a hero. Instead of striving to become a hero ourselves, we are left to be saved by Christ. The best we can become are “mini-Christs”, or as the popular bracelet says, in such a polarizing manner, “What Would Jesus Do?” Thus Christianity spells the end of the hero’s quest, as we, according to Christianity, aren’t capable of journeying between “the two worlds”, and must instead rely on Christ as our hero to take us from the physical to the spiritual. Oddly, though, while we must rely on Christ to save us, we all contain the Holy Spirit which could be considered the spirit or soul of God. So we all have a spark of divinity, a piece of God, within us, and yet we are somehow still doomed to failure without Christ. This curious part of Christianity is never fully explained.
Keeping on the topic of Christianity, it is good to note the relationship between the occult and Christianity. It is quite safe to say that it hasn’t been a friendly one to say the least. In the eyes of Christianity, or at least those in power of the religion, the occult is almost every other belief system, sparing perhaps Judaism and Islam, and the occult is evil. The occult is the personification of Satan’s control over the world. Christianity makes no distinction between the peaceful and serene Taoist and the sometimes barbaric and heartless Celt. Not that the Celts were evil or primitive people, nor that Taoists are personifications of peace, but in the eyes of Christianity, they are one in the same. They are the disillusioned souls under the command of Satan.
To understand the fight between Christianity and the occult, perhaps we should look at the creation myths. At this point, it is imperative to divide the world into 3 belief centers, as according to Joseph Campbell in his 1961 essay, “The Separation of the East and West”. The first is the Oriental center. The Oriental center is comprised of India and the Far East, China and Japan. The second center is the Occidental, which is primarily Europe and Northern Africa. The final center is the Levantine, located in the Middle East. These three centers have varying accounts of the creation myth, a central belief in any belief system. In the Orient, creation occurs through sacrifice. A singular, indefinite being or existence (Self, Brahma, Tao, etc) creates the universe from itself, by first splitting into two, male and female, and thus everything within the universe is not only a part of the whole, but connected to this oneness or SELF. (online) Thus the idea of procreation can almost be seen as an internal need to recreate the original creation, to come back together, to become one again, for the purpose of creating once again. This is the best source for the Star Wars concept of the Force, which was derived from the concepts of Tao and Chi. It is the eternal and ever-present SELF.
In the Occidental areas, according to Campbell, Greece especially, there is a different concept of creation. For the Greeks, they do not worry too much about how the universe came to be (explained by a Mother or goddess Earth myth), instead, they focus on how humanity came to be. Thus, in the mythological age, or the age before time, there are three races of humans, plus the gods. A race of just men resides on the Sun, a race of just women reside on Earth, and a race of men and women reside on the Moon. Each race is essentially two humans in one body. The gods of Mt. Olympus, fearing the power of humanity, decide to split the races of humanity into two parts, male and female. Thus the nature of love is a desire to be whole, and the Greeks believed in the three kinds of love, man and woman, man and man, and woman and woman. For the Greeks, as well as the rest of the Occidental world, the gods were not supernatural. They were, in relationship to man, an older race, a big brother type, and in some instances, a group of beings determined to keep humanity from reaching its potential. (online) One could almost relate the gods of the Occidental world to the Jedi and Sith of Star Wars, as they are the bigger brothers to the rest of the universe, and depending on their commitment and personality, they either take the role of the protector (Jedi) or the power monger (Sith), like many older brothers do in brother-brother or brother-sister relationships.
The final region, the Levantine, has a different viewpoint on creation. Here, creation came not from the metaphysical, but from the Supernatural. There was no splitting of God or all-pervasive being and there was no equality between God (or gods) and man, man became God’s servant, and the split of humanity, the split of the sexes occurs not within the Oneness (like Tao or Brahma), but in man. As Campbell immediately points out, this defines the differences between the East and the West. In the West, the Occidental is eventually deemed pagan and evil, and is thus swallowed up by the Levantine religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Thus, the idea of man being somewhat equal to the metaphysical gods is replaced by the idea that man is a servant to an all-powerful supernatural God. Thus humanity’s only spiritual focus should be on worshipping and following God. In the East, the focus is on the innermost Self because creation arose from an indefinite Self or Oneness, and thus a part of this Self or Oneness is found in everyone and everything. (online)
The idea of self is the basis of meditation, to center one’s self and explore the inner depths of one’s being, as well as the connections between the self and the rest of the Self, the rest of the universe. Prayer, while similar to meditation, is not to find or consult the inner, but to find and consult the outer, the supernatural. Going back to my geometric theories, the loss of the Occidental due to the Levantine has created a state of duality within the soul. Before, there were three points in belief structures: a supernatural God, a group of metaphysical gods, and an indefinite Self or Oneness. These three points created a triangle of stability, where each point is connected to all of the other points. The idea of the Self is similar to an all-powerful God, yet also similar in terms of the metaphysical to the gods of the Occidental. Likewise, a belief that the gods were like older brothers who controlled the functions of the world and humanity, but were in themselves, still capable of human imperfection, belies the sense of connection or Self, yet at the same time, the belief and worship of gods in any stature is similar to the worship of a supernatural God. Thus, these three belief centers formed the triangular relationship of humanity. By the Levantine taking over the Occidental, the balance that is the triangle was destroyed. The relationship then shifted from a triangular balance to a linear struggle, a struggle of Duality. On one side is the West, with the concepts of reason, science, and supernatural monotheism, and on the other side is the East, with the concepts of reincarnation, “alternative medicine”, and indefinite Oneness, Self, and interconnection.
http://www.mrheadlee.com
http://www.vimeo.com/mrheadlee
The pursuers of the occult are those who seek to uncover that which is hidden or unseen. These people use many different methods, but it usually comes down to either a pursuit of the mind or a pursuit of the soul, and sometimes both. Those who use their mind to pursue the occult tend to use logic and reasoning as their main tools, and thus many of these people are philosophers. Gnostics, those who seek gnosis or true knowledge, also pursue with their mind. Other people like, alchemists, used a combination of science and spirituality to unlock the occult. Likewise, those who pursue with the soul utilize different methods as well, many of which revolve around some sort of meditation. Meditation almost seems to be the opposite of pursuit with the mind because the goal of meditation is to quiet the mind and feel the soul. Among those who pursue with the soul are Buddhists, Taoists, Shamans, Mystics, and the Jedi of Star Wars. The emphasis is on feeling to know, rather than thinking in order to know (Jedi, interestingly enough, emphasize the Wiccan concept of, “I do not think, I know”, which is directly referenced in many places in Star Wars, but is also echoed by Yoda’s, “Do or do not, there is no try”). The last group, those who utilize both, can best be represented by the Wiccans or the Magic arts. In Magick, one attempts to use the mind to gain control of the spirit, and possibly the spirits of others, in order to search the unknown. Usually one does this through spoken word, which emphasizes the power of the Logos (sometimes referred to as Jesus), as the connection between the natural and the metaphysical, the mind and the soul. Jesus is also referred to as the body of God, and thus, by utilizing the Logos, the body becomes connected to the mind and soul, forming the necessary triangle of humanity.
The other category of occultists are the followers. These people do not seek to actively pursue the occult, to unlock the unknown. Instead, they follow the small pieces that they do know, in hope of some salvation. The Hindus seek salvation from this illusionary world of Maya, and want to become one with the godhead, Brahmin. Confucius of ancient China taught a doctrine of respect and morality that was to be followed, which many Chinese did (and many people still do). All religions with a prophecy for an apocalypse or cleansing preach a life of practice, belief, and acceptance (pursuit is sometimes frowned upon) in order to save oneself from the impending doom. While many religions and belief structures teach this basic philosophy, this is best seen in Christianity and the related religions of Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Islam.
In Christianity, we are all born sinners and are doomed to Hell at birth. Thus, we become dependent upon salvation, a savior, a hero. Instead of striving to become a hero ourselves, we are left to be saved by Christ. The best we can become are “mini-Christs”, or as the popular bracelet says, in such a polarizing manner, “What Would Jesus Do?” Thus Christianity spells the end of the hero’s quest, as we, according to Christianity, aren’t capable of journeying between “the two worlds”, and must instead rely on Christ as our hero to take us from the physical to the spiritual. Oddly, though, while we must rely on Christ to save us, we all contain the Holy Spirit which could be considered the spirit or soul of God. So we all have a spark of divinity, a piece of God, within us, and yet we are somehow still doomed to failure without Christ. This curious part of Christianity is never fully explained.
Keeping on the topic of Christianity, it is good to note the relationship between the occult and Christianity. It is quite safe to say that it hasn’t been a friendly one to say the least. In the eyes of Christianity, or at least those in power of the religion, the occult is almost every other belief system, sparing perhaps Judaism and Islam, and the occult is evil. The occult is the personification of Satan’s control over the world. Christianity makes no distinction between the peaceful and serene Taoist and the sometimes barbaric and heartless Celt. Not that the Celts were evil or primitive people, nor that Taoists are personifications of peace, but in the eyes of Christianity, they are one in the same. They are the disillusioned souls under the command of Satan.
To understand the fight between Christianity and the occult, perhaps we should look at the creation myths. At this point, it is imperative to divide the world into 3 belief centers, as according to Joseph Campbell in his 1961 essay, “The Separation of the East and West”. The first is the Oriental center. The Oriental center is comprised of India and the Far East, China and Japan. The second center is the Occidental, which is primarily Europe and Northern Africa. The final center is the Levantine, located in the Middle East. These three centers have varying accounts of the creation myth, a central belief in any belief system. In the Orient, creation occurs through sacrifice. A singular, indefinite being or existence (Self, Brahma, Tao, etc) creates the universe from itself, by first splitting into two, male and female, and thus everything within the universe is not only a part of the whole, but connected to this oneness or SELF. (online) Thus the idea of procreation can almost be seen as an internal need to recreate the original creation, to come back together, to become one again, for the purpose of creating once again. This is the best source for the Star Wars concept of the Force, which was derived from the concepts of Tao and Chi. It is the eternal and ever-present SELF.
In the Occidental areas, according to Campbell, Greece especially, there is a different concept of creation. For the Greeks, they do not worry too much about how the universe came to be (explained by a Mother or goddess Earth myth), instead, they focus on how humanity came to be. Thus, in the mythological age, or the age before time, there are three races of humans, plus the gods. A race of just men resides on the Sun, a race of just women reside on Earth, and a race of men and women reside on the Moon. Each race is essentially two humans in one body. The gods of Mt. Olympus, fearing the power of humanity, decide to split the races of humanity into two parts, male and female. Thus the nature of love is a desire to be whole, and the Greeks believed in the three kinds of love, man and woman, man and man, and woman and woman. For the Greeks, as well as the rest of the Occidental world, the gods were not supernatural. They were, in relationship to man, an older race, a big brother type, and in some instances, a group of beings determined to keep humanity from reaching its potential. (online) One could almost relate the gods of the Occidental world to the Jedi and Sith of Star Wars, as they are the bigger brothers to the rest of the universe, and depending on their commitment and personality, they either take the role of the protector (Jedi) or the power monger (Sith), like many older brothers do in brother-brother or brother-sister relationships.
The final region, the Levantine, has a different viewpoint on creation. Here, creation came not from the metaphysical, but from the Supernatural. There was no splitting of God or all-pervasive being and there was no equality between God (or gods) and man, man became God’s servant, and the split of humanity, the split of the sexes occurs not within the Oneness (like Tao or Brahma), but in man. As Campbell immediately points out, this defines the differences between the East and the West. In the West, the Occidental is eventually deemed pagan and evil, and is thus swallowed up by the Levantine religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Thus, the idea of man being somewhat equal to the metaphysical gods is replaced by the idea that man is a servant to an all-powerful supernatural God. Thus humanity’s only spiritual focus should be on worshipping and following God. In the East, the focus is on the innermost Self because creation arose from an indefinite Self or Oneness, and thus a part of this Self or Oneness is found in everyone and everything. (online)
The idea of self is the basis of meditation, to center one’s self and explore the inner depths of one’s being, as well as the connections between the self and the rest of the Self, the rest of the universe. Prayer, while similar to meditation, is not to find or consult the inner, but to find and consult the outer, the supernatural. Going back to my geometric theories, the loss of the Occidental due to the Levantine has created a state of duality within the soul. Before, there were three points in belief structures: a supernatural God, a group of metaphysical gods, and an indefinite Self or Oneness. These three points created a triangle of stability, where each point is connected to all of the other points. The idea of the Self is similar to an all-powerful God, yet also similar in terms of the metaphysical to the gods of the Occidental. Likewise, a belief that the gods were like older brothers who controlled the functions of the world and humanity, but were in themselves, still capable of human imperfection, belies the sense of connection or Self, yet at the same time, the belief and worship of gods in any stature is similar to the worship of a supernatural God. Thus, these three belief centers formed the triangular relationship of humanity. By the Levantine taking over the Occidental, the balance that is the triangle was destroyed. The relationship then shifted from a triangular balance to a linear struggle, a struggle of Duality. On one side is the West, with the concepts of reason, science, and supernatural monotheism, and on the other side is the East, with the concepts of reincarnation, “alternative medicine”, and indefinite Oneness, Self, and interconnection.
http://www.mrheadlee.com
http://www.vimeo.com/mrheadlee
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
For Bierlein, the hero myths “offer an eternal mirror in which we see ourselves.” These myths are not merely tales of adventure, like American Westerns, for they also speak to a greater, metaphysical sense, “only in moments of ‘opening,’ revelation, and transcendence do we see the gods address or aid the hero.” (Living Myths, 120) Hero myths are connected to the occult because they are shining examples of what that particular mythological system represents. For Campbell, any religion can be considered part of the occult, and thus Jesus Christ is a shining example of Christianity’s belief structure. According to Campbell’s “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”, the hero and religion’s god, or the occult’s metaphysical presence in nature, are connected, “The two…are thus understood as the outside and inside of a single, self-mirrored mystery, which is identical with the mystery of the manifest world.”(40) Again, we see the word mirror. To both Campbell and Bierlein, the hero myths reflect the inner “occult” in all of us. They are stories that connect humanity to the occult, the hidden, the metaphysical, or to God himself. I believe this stems from an innate feeling that the metaphysical, the Self, the “Tao”, the FORCE, lies within all of us, and religion or the occult (and subsequently hero myths) is a way of explaining a sense or a feeling that cannot be represented by our physical senses.
Like “The Greatest Story Ever Told”, the hero myth/story of Christ, is the foundation of Christianity, so too are all the hero myths. Without a hero, without an icon, without a symbol, a belief structure cannot exist. Some attribute this to Carl Jung’s collective unconsciousness and archetypes, while others say that heroes are merely humanity’s need for perfection, and those heroes represent the quintessential of a belief system. The why, is not important, however, because no one can deny the power of hero myths. Hero myths make the unknown convincing and enthralling, while at the same time, inspiring others to follow in the path of the hero. Hero myths inspire us to better ourselves, to better humanity, and to strive for some goal or quest. Without them, there is only complacency.
http://www.mrheadlee.com
http://www.vimeo.com/mrheadlee
Like “The Greatest Story Ever Told”, the hero myth/story of Christ, is the foundation of Christianity, so too are all the hero myths. Without a hero, without an icon, without a symbol, a belief structure cannot exist. Some attribute this to Carl Jung’s collective unconsciousness and archetypes, while others say that heroes are merely humanity’s need for perfection, and those heroes represent the quintessential of a belief system. The why, is not important, however, because no one can deny the power of hero myths. Hero myths make the unknown convincing and enthralling, while at the same time, inspiring others to follow in the path of the hero. Hero myths inspire us to better ourselves, to better humanity, and to strive for some goal or quest. Without them, there is only complacency.
http://www.mrheadlee.com
http://www.vimeo.com/mrheadlee
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