Sunday, August 24, 2008

We are the Machine / The Machine Is Us

So I found a really interesting video some time ago, and I occasionally revisit it because its extremely fascinating. It goes into how the Web, or specifically the "Web 2.0" is changing humanity. The amount of information, all that we put of our lives on the Internet. All of this is revolutionizing our society, indeed our very civilization. The Internet already has an enormous influence on our societies, and in time we will find that those who are currently in control will be very eager to limit the free flow of information. It is revolutionizing how we think about government, society, culture, art, boundaries. It is changing the landscape of human interaction, of human evolution.

You can watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE

Quantum Vibrations

"Hear the songs of creation,
From which life comes to fruition.
The quantum melodies which calm the mind,
Where answers you seek you will find
The ancient words of yore
Which vibrate forever more
In that prison where the spirit dwells
And where the waves of chaos swells
Wisdom which the atoms hold
The inner mind which shatters the mold
The divine song shall resound
Once the inner self has been found."

Been awhile since I've posted any poetry, came up with this while doing laundry and reading. Hope you enjoy.

Synergy

So my last blog post was not the intent I originally had for it, but as it has been posted it must have been done for a reason. However, what I originally wanted to write about was something of a more esoteric nature, since I wanted to devote more of my time writing to exploring the subjects of reality and cosmos.

I may not have posted before in here with regards to my interest in Theosophy. In the future I may post more indepth as to what Theosophy actually is, but suffice to say it is a philosophical and spiritual tradition first developed to length by HP Blavatsky. It focuses on truth rather than dogma, and has been probably one of the closest things to what I and Aldous Huxley describes as the perennial philosophy. A quote, taken from wikipedia and quoted by Huxley describes the perennial philosophy as thus:

"The Perennial Philosophy is expressed most succinctly in the Sanskrit formula, tat tvam asi ('That thou art'); the Atman, or immanent eternal Self, is one with Brahman, the Absolute Principle of all existence; and the last end of every human being, is to discover the fact for himself, to find out who he really is."
-Aldous Huxley

Theosophy, or "Divine Wisdom" makes the attempt at discovering the underlying and fundamental truths of the cosmos. Now, it being primarily a spiritual tradition it does focus on scientific truths as well. As far as I understand it, Theosophists go as far as to say they have no problem if science one day disproves some of the currently accepted ideas within the tradition.

I called this post "Synergy" because we are at a time in the course of human civilization where we must start focusing on the synergistic relation between science and spirituality. We are slowly beginning to discover that the universe is far more complex then we were originally led to believe scientifically. Quantum physics has gone to great lengths to demonstrate that. I take an example from an article on Theosophy and Quantum physics.

Consider that an atom is comprised of mainly empty space. We have the nucleus, consisting of the protons and neutrons and then around the nucleus shell are the arrangements of electrons. The spatial relation between the nucleus and the electrons, however, is pretty large. That is, it is mostly empty space. However, the electrostatic interactions between the electrons and protons are what holds the atom together, and this electrostatic attraction is what holds atoms together to form molecules and ultimately the matter that our universe is comprised of.

The article makes a very interesting claim though, and that is regard to the fact that reality does seem in fact to be Maya, or illusion. Most of it is empty space, but electrical energy holds it all together. This is not even getting into the subatomic molecules that comprise the three fundamental particles. And not even close to touching the ideas behind string theory which postulates that particles are the result of the minute vibrations of small strings. To think, science may eventually discover that reality is nothing but vibrations, what an Occult idea!

I'm going to close for now, with intent to revisit the topic as I pour through the article and analyze it a bit more. But, I want to make my point. As someone who is both very spiritual and very scientific I've often had to reconcile ideas which may be unscientific or unspiritual. The truth, is however, that once we get down to the very fundamental ideas we see these two realms are not entirely different. I do not feel threatened that science will somehow discredit my spiritual beliefs, because I do think there are still areas that one or the other can never touch. I know of my consciousness, I know that I am, and that idea, that concept, is something science can never disprove. What underlies this consciousness may be something that science can eventually probe, but it will always remain a spiritual topic. On the opposite side, the spiritual can not offer practical answers to every problem the way science can.

Slowly, however, we're seeing the distinction disappear and hopefully someday we can have a true perennial philosophy.

Source:
http://home.iprimus.com.au/btheos/articles/GH-Quantum.htm

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Why I haven't been writing

So I've been pondering over the reasons why I haven't been writing as much recently. Albeit it I was never much of a writer, maybe coming up with something once in a great while, but I've noticed a bit of reluctance to do even that. Especially when it pertains to this blog. In the process of examining what motivations (or lack thereof) that I've had in writing here, I came across what I perceive as several causes.

  1. Time - Time is always a factor, and unfortunately I do not allocate the time I should for writing. Between work and my personal life, I find that what little time I do have I squander away on meaningful and worthwhile but ultimately unproductive things. I need to learn, if I am to take my writing seriously, to give more time to it and use the free time I do have wisely.
  2. Description - For the longest time the description of Astral Mindscapes didn't accurately portray what I hoped to accomplish with the blog. While it may be a cosmetic error, it still is a poor representation of the site. It should have been updated both for the readers of the blog as well as myself. Perhaps, on a subconscious level, the description was turning me off to writing on here. Maybe it was due to a lack of content for that topic, or just not something I was motivated to write about all the time. Nevertheless, while I still hope to cover what my old description said I realize that Astral Mindscapes is something much more, at least on a personal level. I updated the description in hopes that it might trigger a newfound sense of desire and interest in this site.
  3. Motivation - Motivation, mentioned a couple of times but really plays a serious role. What are the reasons I want to write here? Ever since my Adsense account was revoked for whatever reason I've lost motivation to write here. Now, I am not sure how many readers I have and I was far from making that much money, if any at all, but it was still a reason for me to write. Not the only reason, mind you, but a reason nonetheless. By taking that away I lost a little motivation to write here. However, I realized that I should write because I enjoy it not because its a means to make money. Communicating with the world is something I desire to do, not something I need to do. Therefore, it is my hope that this realization also gives me more reason and desire to post here more often.
Those are some of the reasons I believe are responsible for my lack of writing here. Hopefully by realizing these causes and addressing them I will begin to write more often, and feel more confident in my writing. Fear is another reason, one that I won't cover in any depth in the list above, but one that I think any writer must deal with and overcome. Fear may even be the cause of writer's block at time, I know it has been the cause for me on occasion. Just another obstacle that must be overcome.

With that in mind I bid you all farewell and good night.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Avakian's 'God Doesn't Exist'

 

I listened to Bob Avakian's talk entitled 'God Doesn't Exist' today, and found it quite an interesting and refreshing perspective on the role of religion within today's capitalistic society. The talks are located at Avakian's site and you can listen to them in MP3 format here: http://www.bobavakian.net/more.html#god

He raised a few interesting points, focusing primarily on the Judeo-Christian traditions. Of course, as you can tell from my other writings, I consider myself a very spiritual person but not following any particular religion or dogma. However, I do find myself very critical of existing religious institutions and do agree with many of the points that Avakian pointed out regarding Christianity in particular.

  We find ourselves in a society dominated by Christian fascists who perverse the 'Word of God' in order to institute their own personal agenda. This perversion of the teachings of Christ enables the oppressive society that Avakian describes in his talk to take control. One of the major problems I have encountered and Avakian spends a good deal delving into deals with the way Christians pick and choose the parts of the Bible that suit their own ideology. The amount of contradiction found in the Bible regarding the philosophy it teaches is astounding, and it is something that I find many Christians avoid and many religious leaders refuse to talk about.

   What I find myself struggling with is the reconciliation with spirituality in general and the ideas that Avakian puts out regarding religion and spirituality. As an Atheist, he believes God does not exist. I have no problem with that, at times I do find myself leaning towards an agnostic stand point regarding the existence of any sort of Creator. While still not an atheistic belief, I can see where he is coming from and I recognize the need for a logical and rational society in order to enable the oppressed to rise up and take control of society and their lives. It is also essential for the continual development of mankind to constantly be seeking to improve themselves and the accumulation of knowledge.

     However the point is, and I do believe Avakian supports this view, is not to outlaw religion, but rather the shifting the focus of power from the religious institutions to the people. The separation of Church and State was an important step in the right direction, but it wasn't enforced as it should have been and the religious right were able to gain in power. Hence, we find ourselves in the situation we face today where the Christian fundamentalists have a strong hold on the political system, and fundamentalists within other religions such as Islamic fundamentalists voice their beliefs and often in a violent manner.

     I'll conclude with an interesting reference that Avakian pointed out involving the crucifixion of Sparticus after the up-rising of the slaves. The image of the crucifixion of Sparticus isn't as important as the crucifixion as Christ. Of course Christ is viewed as the son of God, and hence a bit more attention is paid to it, but another reason is because of the suppression of the working class by the elite. An image of a revolutionary would be detrimental to the security of power possessed by the ruling class, and therefore the image isn't made into the powerful symbol that Christ on the crucifix has become. It is these sort of symbols and images, and the differences between them, that shape the viewpoints of so many people and yet when examined closely make so much sense to explain the current situation.

     I look forward to reading more of Avakian's work as well as listening to more of his speeches. While I have yet to commit myself to the ideals he supports, since I consider myself more of an anarchist then a socialist, I do believe that his work merits serious attention. This is especially true in the sociopolitical and economical climate we live in today. It is essential that the oppressed and underprivileged be educated and learn to take the responsibility of their lives into their own hands. Since if we continue to allow the elite, whether political or religious, to step all over us then true liberty and freedom will forever be abstract concepts that we're never make into reality.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Serbian Rioters attack US Embassy in Belgrade

CNN’s front page right now shows breaking news regarding the situation in Kosovo and Serbia. Since Kosovo’s declaration of independence this past Sunday, Serbians have taken to the streets to protest the international recognition the newly independent state has received. There seems to be a divide in the consensus of whether the declaration should be recognized. Whilst the United States, Britain, and many European countries have recognized Kosovo’s newly found independence Russia and China have protested the move citing it as justification for others to follow in Kosovo’s footsteps.

Rioters have taken to the streets in Belgrade to protest both the declaration by Kosovo as well as the support it has been receiving from the United States. Today, rioters attacked the US Embassy in Serbia by starting files and committing other acts of destruction. It seems Serbia intends on fighting back, reluctant to give up its hold over Kosovo and has responded by withdrawing its ambassador from the United States.

I vaguely recall the Kosovo War back in the 90’s, but between still being young at the time and not as interested in politics either it is difficult to remember a lot of the details. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see how the situation plays out. On one hand, I respect the cultural significance of Kosovo to the Serbians, and can understand their sentiments and anger towards losing something that must be considered quite precious to them. At the same time, the government in Kosovo seems to have unilateral support for declaration of Kosovo as its own nation. As violence flares in Belgrade and along the Kosovo-Serbia border, it seems more and more unlikely that this will end soon nor in a peaceful manner. I’m sure that many of the Kosovo Albanians still harbor ill feelings towards the Serbs from the 1999 conflict, but hopefully the two nations as well as support from the UN and the international community can resolve this with minimal violence.

I’ve collected a number of links to various news sites that have been covering the story. Much more information can be found there.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/02/21/vo.serbia.protests.turn.violent.ap

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/02/21/kosovo.independence/index.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/21/AR2008022100481.html?hpid=moreheadlines

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSL2087155420080221

http://www.javno.com/en/world/clanak.php?id=125712

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/19/2166402.htm?section=justin

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

The Self-Centered Christian God

Recently I've been developing an increased interest in Gnostic teachings as well as Jewish Mysticism (Kabbalah). In the process of increasing my exposure to the topic I stumbled upon an idea that I recall from the early days of my interest on the subject. While I did not pursue it with as intense passion as I find myself now, I did retain some basic understanding of it. In Gnostic teachings we are taught that the Being we call God in Christian theology is in fact evil. Now, I must admit my understanding of Gnostic teachings is still somewhat limited. So, I'm going to start off by offering my comments and thoughts on the subject. In due time as I begin to understand more about the teachings I might come back here and re-evaluate what I've said and make edits, or continue on in another post.
Now, it is questionable whether or not this God, or Demiurge, is evil in the traditional sense. I say this because we can approach it from several perspectives. On one hand, we must recognize the separation between the unknowable 'God', that Creative Force which emanates throughout our reality and is both the cause and effect of Creation. This is the pure potential energy that represents the a priori force responsible for 'reality'. It is entirely separate from our material world and exists beyond the comprehension of the vocabulary and language of our Beingness. It is not the case that we do not know 'God', but it is impossible for us to even begin to contemplate 'God'. The notion of this creative force exists beyond any sort of duality, beyond any means of comprehension. From the perspective of the Demiurge, the creator of the materialistic universe, this 'God' is also unknowable. The Force behind creation, this 'Unknowable' energy is without ego or identity. It is oblivious to and aware of itself at the both time, formulating the underlying Pulse of the universe.
That represents the ultimate nature of ourselves. The energy unleashed by this Creator permeates throughout our universe. It proceeds from its state of coalesced potential to divide into the many forms of energy as we understand it both metaphysically and scientifically. From an esoteric perspective, it represents the five elements of Wind, Fire, Earth, Water and Spirit. From a scientific perspective it is the many different frequencies of energy found on the electromagnetic spectrum. Different vocabularies and groups of language are utilized to ultimately describe the same phenomenon. The materialistic universe, is therefore, an expression of the reactions between these various forms of energy. However, it was motivated by the Demiurge, a being with significantly higher understanding of the underlying clockwork of the universe but still insufficient enough understanding to realize its own place. From this Demiurge emerges the physical universe as we see it, and from the hands of this false creator comes forth physical life. This is not Life as given to us by the Creative Force, but the imprisonment of the Divine energy inherent in each of us and bounded to the physical plane.
And thus we have a god that demands our obedience and worship, giving to us the impression that It is responsible for the entirety of reality. And while this may be misperceived as evil, and as taught in Gnostic teachings (or at least my brief exposure to it), it is not the result of some sadistic personality but rather from the property of It's own ignorance. Just as we, as humans, are subject to fallacies and failures, so is this Demiurge who is responsible for our souls. It truly believes that it is the ultimate form of energy and the apex of creation, where in fact it is far removed from that source.

I will leave you to contemplate this, as I shall continue to contemplate more as well. In due time I hope to elaborate on the topic of the Demiurge and convey greater understanding and detail, as well as clear up any misconceptions I may have introduced. I remind you that this post is more a product of my stream of consciousness and involves those words which manifest themselves first more then a product of anything else.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Anonymous Raid on Scientology

My initial impression is that the February 10th raid on Scientology by the online group known as Anonymous was quite successful. Unfortunately I was unable to attend the NYC protest as I had originally hoped to, but watching the videos of the protest is quite amusing. Now, I place enormous value on freedom of religion and religious expression. I believe each person is entitled to worship and believe as they so desire. Had Scientology provided their teachings free of charge, open up their 'wisdom' to the masses without stripping them bear of all the money they have, and had Scientology not go to such draconian measures of assaulting those who disagree with their believes I might have a much different opinion on the group. However, their legal stances and their policy of 'fair game' is perfect indication of the evils that the group perpetuates. The theft of life, money, and happiness from its members is one a most horrendous crime, crippling the psyche of those who are unfortunate to fall for the false hopes and promises that Scientology makes.

Maybe in a different world Scientology could be viewed as something profound and wonderful. Maybe in a different world the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard, despite the crackpot he was, could have had a very different impact on those who seek them out. But this isn't a different world, and in this world Scientology has committed theft. Theft of life, theft of possessions, theft of happiness, and most importantly, the theft of mind. These people have lost one of the most fundamental freedoms that any of us have, the freedom to make up our own minds.

For your viewing pleasure I've added a couple links to YouTube videos of the protest in NYC. I'm sure there are plenty other amusing videos out there.

NYC Scientology raid 2/10/2008 (Part 1)

NYC Scientology raid 2/10/2008 (Part 2)

NYC Church of Scientology Protest 02/10/08

New York Scientology Raid Feb 10 2008 Part 1 of 2

New York Scientology Raid Feb 10 2008 Part 2 of 2

Info about the Anonymous campaign and Project Chanology

China’s Military Plans

The AirForceTimes posted an interesting article on possible plans of military engagement that China may use in a conflict with the US. The article details a scenario in which the US and China find themselves in a military conflict. The scenario likely involves a dispute over democratic Taiwan who is backed by the US.

The strategy posed by China, which has become public knowledge, outlines a sudden yet crippling attack on the American military, targetting in particular the Air force. By disabling US satellites, scrambling radar, and destroying American air bases in the Pacific the strategy hopes to back the US in a corner which they would have no other choice but avoid a full-scale war. The focal point of the strategy is a premptive strike that leaves the enemy dazed. Chinese military officials realize that a head-on assault against the US is a futile effort, hence the need for an early strike.

The article covers the strategy more in-depth, which seems to have a strong focus on crippling the enemy electronically. This outlines what seems to be a rising concern, one that I hope to write more about on Astral Mindscapes. WIth the rising advent of militaristic hacking and the higher focus on eletronic warfare it seems that the battlefield is changing shape once again. We already find ourselves in a situation where the conventional rules of war don’t work like they used to. The War on Terror has taught us (or at least some of us) a valuable lesson, that we must learn to recognize and adapt to new threats and modify our tactics accordingly or risk defeat.

Source: AirForce Times

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Freedom and Liberation

Freedom is a seed which must be nurtured in order for it to blossom into the tree of liberty and liberation. Just as the farmer toils over the land so too must we toil and sacrifice over the seeds of freedom that our founding fathers planted 232 years ago. The environment in which we live in today demands our utmost attention, our respect, and our unnerving dedication to bringing about a better society.

But it is not only politics that threaten us, but ideology as well. It is essential that we protect our most fundamental liberty, one that transcends any government or religion. It is the right to cognitive freedom, our right to make up our own mind and choose our own beliefs. Through coercion, brainwashing, propaganda, and the instilling of fear we risk losing that fundamental right. We do not need to bow down before any person or group. Each of us has the spirit of the Divine within us and that gives us the right and duty to choose our own lives.

With that in mind, the events of the past few weeks in general have opened my eyes tremendously. I feel a newly found vigor for writing here, and I'd like to see Astral Mindscapes turn into a forum for open-minded discussion. I will continue posting about anything that catches my eye, but I do feel that I'll tend to be more vocal about my beliefs. I personally feel that we're constantly learning, evolving if you will, and the person who I was a year ago, or even a week ago, is not the same person that I'm today. Beliefs are not meant to be rigid structures that must resist the sands of time, but rather a flowing river, constantly shaping the land with its fluidity and flexibility. While this may lead to contradictions or confusion at times, it is who I am.

Good night.