Groundhog day

I hired Groundhog Day last night and highly recommend it. Bill Murray's character Phil Connors is a cynical, self serving, rude but in some ways charming weather reporter in the beginning. He goes to Punxsatawney Pennsylvania to cover Groundhog Day, where an American rodent comes out to see a shadow and determines whether winter will last another six weeks or not.

He does his report, sticks around and then gets turned back on his return trip to Baltimore by a blizzard.

What follows is straight from PD Ouspensky's StrangeTale of Ivan Osokin" and Mouravieff's writings of "being in the film".

Murray returns to the B&B and wakes up again on Groundhog Day again, and again, and again and again.

Murray's character goes through several stages of during the experience. Confusion, hedonism, despair, learning and then altruism. It is if he almost transforms from Service-To-Self to Service-To-Others during the ordeal. Director Ramis actually uses the phrase Service-To-Others in the "making of" documentary.

A "making of" documentary also reveals that Buddhists, Christians and other faiths wrote in marvelling how director Ramis had captured the essence of their faith so well!

An interesting sidenote: Murray actually studied the Gurdjieff teachings in Paris.

Maybe we already live in a "groundhog day"? Each of his Groundhog days were the same and yet different.

Every day, the sun rises and sets, the planet goes round and round, etc. In some way, "Groundhog day" could be objective reality.

Yep, there's actually a scene where Murray is talking to one of the ne'er do well locals.

Phil: What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?
Ralph: That about sums it up for me.

Yeah it's a great film, Bill Murrays charcter "Phil" comes out with some funny one liners.

I found it interesting that on the documentary, director Ramis says that in the original story Murrays character was stuck in "Groundhog day" for 10,000 years, but they had to change that because it would be too difficult for people to get their heads around.

moonwalker said:

I found it interesting that on the documentary, director Ramis says that in the original story Murrays character was stuck in "Groundhog day" for 10,000 years, but they had to change that because it would be too difficult for people to get their heads around.

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I know this is not the same, but it reminded me of what the Cassiopaeans said regarding some people that sailed (or flew) through the Bermuda Triangle and the Atlantian Pyramid that is in the vicinity activated, making them stuck in space-time for possibly millions of years. That could certainly make someone lose his mind eh? Here are some related transcripts:

From session #94-11-19:

Q: (L) So, how many separate destructions did Atlantis experience?
A: Three.
Q: (L) One was caused by the close passage of Mars?
A: Yes. And comets.
Q: (L) Was Mars and the comets loosely interactive?
A: Yes.
Q: (L) And the second was caused by what?
A: Venus.
Q: (L) And the third and final destruction was caused by what?
A: Crystals.
Q: (T) Are the crystals still active?
A: Bermuda triangle.
Q: (L) I thought that was a myth?
A: No.
Q: (L) And what does that crystal do? Is it continuously active?
A: No. Erratic.
Q: (L) Is it still active in the sense of being a conscious or sentient entity?
A: No.
Q: (L) What activates it?
A: Many factors.
Q: (L) And when it is activated, what does it do?
A: Transdimensional window is blasted open.
Q: (L) Say a person was sailing along in the Bermuda Triangle and the window was blasted open and these people passed through or were engulfed in it or whatever, in what condition would they find themselves?
A: Something akin to suspended animation.
Q: (L) Would they be conscious of their state of suspended animation or would their consciousness also be suspended?
A: Either or.
Q: (L) Do they stay in this state forever, or do they come back out, or do they come out somewhere else?
A: Open. All are possible. Same thing happened to Philadelphia experiment participants.
Q: (L) If an individual were in this interdimensional state of suspended animation, does this mean they are stuck there forever?
A: Maybe.
Q: (L) Can they not die, is that what you are saying?
A: To them they may perceive something like waiting for millions of years.
Q: (L) Is there no one or no way to rescue them from this state?
A: Why do you think those sailors were hopelessly insane?

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From session #95-03-18

Q: (L) What causes some planes, people and ships to disappear in the Bermuda Triangle? Where do they go and what happens to them?
A: Already covered this.
Q: (S) Yeah, the Atlantean pyramid.
A: Yes. EM waves caused by same.
Q: (L) Where do they go when they disappear?
A: Of course some are just crashes and sinkings, but when accompanied by unusual phenomena, it is because of irregular anomalies.
Q: (L) Where do they go? (T) They don't go anywhere, they go to the bottom. (S) Fifth density.
A: To parallel reality.
Q: (L) Is this parallel reality like being on a parallel earth?
A: No.
Q: (L) What do you mean by a parallel reality?
A: Varies according to circumstances.
Q: (L) What happened to the infamous Flight 19? (T) They went to Philadelphia.
A: They are still trying to get their bearings.
Q: (L) Ooooh! (J) Oh! My God! Oh, how horrible! They are still out there trying to get back. (T) They are in a parallel reality... (L) Where time doesn't exist...
(T) They are in a reality that holds them in frozen space/time over the ocean, am I getting this right?
A: In their thought reference, like being "lost souls."
Q: (L) Oooh, bummer! Does this mean that they are "stuck" in time? (J) You got it!
A: Bingo!
Q: (L) Is there any possibility that they could fly out of this place that they are stuck in and back into our reality?
A: Absolutely, remember, the wave is approaching, and as it gets "nearer", more and more unusual events take place, witness crop circles, for example.
Q: (L) Is there anything anyone can do to release persons stuck in these parallel realities and bring them back into the reality of origin?
A: Yes, but the technology is a closely guarded secret.
Q: (L) Do you know the secret?
A: Yes, but you do too!
Q: (L) I do too? (T) Does Thor know it? [Laughter.]
A: Mirth!
Q: (L) I know the secret too?...
A: Philadelphia Experiment.

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Notice that in the first session above they avoided the question of wherethere there is a way to bring'em back. In the second session they answered. And here's some stuff they said about the Philadelphia Experiment which may give some clues to how it relates to Bermuda Triangle:

From Session #96-06-22:
Q: (L) Proper technology. Unstable gravity waves. And once you told us to study Tesla coils.... antimatter... destabilizing the gravity waves through EM generation allows the antimatter to interact with matter which then creates a portal... is it in the antimatter universe that all this traveling back and forth is done by aliens when they abduct people?
A: Close. They transport through it, but most abductions take place in either 3rd or 4th density.
Q: (L) Is this movement through the antimatter universe, is this what people perceive in their abductions as the "wall of fire?" The coming apart. The demolecularizing?
A: No. That is TransDimensional Atomic Remolecularization.
Q: (L) Okay, if a person were passing into the antimatter universe, how would they perceive it?
A: They wouldn't.
Q: (L) Why?
A: No space; no time.
Q: (L) Antimatter universe has no space and no time... so, the antimatter universe is possibly where the poor guys of flight 19 are?
A: Yes.
Q: (L) And you can get stuck in this place?
A: Yes. And if you are in a time warp coccoon, you are hyperconscious, i.e. you perceive "zero time" as if it were literally millions of years, that is if the cycle is connected or closed, as in "Philadelphia Experiment." And, on that note, good night.

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Ok so we have the Atlantean pyramid(s) around the Bermuda Triangle, we have the Philadelphia Experiment, and we have the antimatter universe which seems to be connected to both, possibly utilized in both cases. Also possibly utilized by 4th density for stuff like travel or abduction - this antimatter universe seems to be really popular. I wonder if HAARP also utilizes the antimatter universe in some way to transfer people from 3rd to 4th density and back? Just a thought. They mentioned "hyperconscious" and their description of it reminded me of another thing they said:

From #95-09-02
A: As we have told you before, if you will be patient just a moment, the universe is merely a school. And, a school is there for all to learn. That is why everything exists. There is no other reason. Now, if only you understood the true depth of that statement, you would begin to start to see, and experience for yourself, all the levels of density that it is possible to experience, all the dimensions that it is possible to experience, all awareness. When an individual understands that statement to its greatest possible depth, that individual becomes illumined. And, certainly you have heard of that. And, for one moment, which lasts for all eternity, that individual knows absolutely everything that there is to know.

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Although we're dealing with semantics here, it does seem like what they refer to as "hyperconsciousness" is related to what they refer to as "illumination". In both cases it seems that your perception of time is greatly altered. However, they mention nothing about knowing everything there is to know when you're "hyperconscious", but it doesn't mean that there cannot be similarities, like the involvement of antimatter universe in both states.
This reminds me of "unstable gravity waves" and how they are related to antimatter:

From #96-06-15:
A: Unstable gravity waves unlock as yet unknown secrets of quantum physics to make the picture crystal clear.
Q: (L) Can we free associate about these gravity waves since no bookstores are open at this hour? Gravity seems to be a property of matter. Is that correct?
A: And....
Q: (L) And hmmmm....
A: And antimatter!

[...]

A: Gravity binds all that is physical with all that is ethereal through unstable gravity waves!!!
Q: (L) Is antimatter ethereal existence?
A: Pathway to.
Q: (L) Okay.
A: Doorway to.

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Speaking of doorways, they refer to planets, atoms, and many other things as "windows".

From Session #97-03-01:
A: What is the nature of neutron stars, super novas, "black holes," et cetera?
Q: (L) You go in a black hole, and you come out a pulsar?!
A: All are the junction of matter/antimatter... the borderline between realities as you know them... material realms/etheric realms, density level junctures, realities. One can pass through these windows with ease; remember, the stars and planets are windows too.
Q: (L) And stars and planets were described as being giant atoms. Is an atom a window?
A: Yes.
Q: (A) Is a proton a window?
A: Yes.
Q: (A) OK, so it is. And it's massive, so let me ask. Is photon a window, too?
A: Yes.

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Somehow all these things are interconnected and closely related, as they seem to be pieces of the same puzzle. And this does seem indirectly related to Groundhog day, and the fact that the C's claim that we are also in a timeloop, and Laura's research into time cycles. It seems that the importance is placed upon dynamics, not actual events. So while the details change, many dynamics, and the energy that drives them, are cyclical and therefore predictable. One thing is for sure, this antimatter universe seems to be popping up almost everywhere, both in human and non-human technologies. Whenever the alteration of time is mentioned, it seems to always connect to the anti-matter universe somehow. The C's did say we're stuck in a time loop, and I wonder if the anti-matter universe can be utilized to get unstuck, or maybe was utilized to stick us in here in the first place? Then again, the natural progression to 4th density may be the only realistic solution - but then again, maybe that's another way of utilizing the anti-matter universe, the natural way (as opposed to technological). Just some thoughts.

And I also found this movie very entertaining and thought provoking, so I highly recommend it :)

I feel like I have seen a Groundhog Day topic before.

MaskedAvatar said:

I feel like I have seen a Groundhog Day topic before.

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Heh!

It was actually mentioned in an article that I swiped from a Gurdjieff group about "The Truman Show".

Or perhaps you've been here before :)

The thing I liked most about The Truman Show was Glass's score from Powaqqatsi.

Life in a fishbowl is pleasing for the fortunate ones that get a new thrill every time the unseen god turns on the aquarium lights.

Oi! Oi! Oi!

The other evening I re-watched this movie. Here are a few impressions and thoughts I had about it. Some spoilers follow, so consider that fair warning.


Firstly, once Phil (Bill Murray) enters the cycle/time-loop, he is unable to leave it of his own conscious volition. When he is in the loop he gains invulnerability and conscious recall of all experienced events, as well as suffering no consequences from the preceding cycle.

His initial shock and bewilderment quickly give way to self-serving hedonism. He breaks the law, gorges huge varieties of food, gains the personal details of women and manipulates them into sleeping with him, steals money, punches people and shows off his "supernatural" skills at predicting the "future". He pretty much runs the whole gamut of the "A"-experience life. However, it begins to dawn on him that there are certain things he is simply unable to do, no matter how much he wishes it.

He can't make people consciously remember anything from the previous cycle. He can't escape via death. He can't stop other people from dying. And despite intense and concentrated efforts, he can't manipulate Rita into having sex with him. In this way, Love, Death and Time are shown as overriding "meta-laws" which he is subject to, despite the other abilities his expanded knowledge brings. The other (more subtly conveyed) meta-law is that of "Lessons" - Phil only escapes the loop once he has learned certain things about himself and relating to others.

Although the typical love-story element is part of the loop, that doesn't get Phil out. After his initial manipulations of Rita fail, he becomes depressed and tries to commit suicide numerous times. These sequences are when we see Phil "bankrupted" - his False Personality begins to crumble. When he discovers he can't die, he eventually opens up to her about his condition and has a day with her based on a deeper, more Real sharing of himself. But he still remains stuck. It is only once he begins to love all the others in the town unconditionally, cumulating in the "Perfected Day/Cycle", that he is released, and a NEW day finally begins.

The movie is a powerful metaphor for the evolution of the soul and personality (OSIT). Phil as a "soul" has knowledge that carries across "lifetimes"/cycles, but he doesn't escape the "Grand Cycle" until he has left his False Personality behind and become the Real "Phil". In terms of escaping from 3rd Density, the metaphor is not completely accurate because the Second Birth/Threshold as described by Mouravieff is not the final earthly part of the "Way" (OSIT), but there are a lot of interesting parallels nonetheless.

Rita's attitude towards Phil also has interesting correspondences with what has been discussed elsewhere on the forum as "Polar Opposites". Initially, Rita is repulsed by Phil's personality and attitude. Although she warms to him via his in-depth knowledge of her (which he then uses to manipulate her), something in her KNOWS that Phil is "playing" her. She also evidences vague meta-cyclical knowledge at one point with a comment about "deja vu". She is more aware than the other characters in the drama.

Her attitude towards Phil changes again when he opens up to her about his condition and proves it via various demonstrations. She starts to see him as more genuine and like-able. The biggest change is on the "Perfected Day", when she actively "buys" Phil at the bachelor auction. On this day, Phil doesn't pursue her or attempt to influence her in any way. He even turns down a coffee with her, saying that he has some "errands" to run - tasks of helping other people in town. Phil finally attracts his Polar Opposite not by doing anything to or for her, but by becoming the man she is looking for. He gives up looking for her in order to serve others, and then she finds him.

There are many other little things that make this movie a joy to watch and re-watch. The continual stepping in the "mud puddle"... jokes like: "Have you ever had deja vu? No, but I can check with the kitchen.".... Murray's deadpan portrayal of a suicidal man who can't die... the comedy is so dry in parts that it's side-splitting.

But in summation: Phil learns his lessons, gaining knowledge which leads him to True Love via Service To Others, which then enables him to escape the grip of a Time-Loop.

Sounds quite familiar, yes? ;)

Ryan, thanks for your thoughtful critique of the movie. Groundhog Day has been a favorite of mine since it came out - Bill Murray in that role was a perfect match.

I'd always enjoyed watching the movie knowing there was another message in there, and since I encountered the Cass material have still reflected on it. It might not be completely accurate compared with other understandings of 3D and gain or loss in his experience, as you say, but it does have a lot to demonstrate. Phil moves through so many stages in the course of the story, finally growing out of it only when it becomes natural for him to help others in the town he's stuck in.

Where would a place to contemplate, something like 5D, be in the movie? He still has to sleep at the end of every day, even when he forces himself to stay up until 6AM, so that doesn't let him escape the dayloop either. Whenever he's awake he remembers all the earlier days, not something we can easily do, so it's more like living with a greater awareness.

Interesting too the way his time and the larger experience of time is treated. The lessons were his, not anyone else's. When he does get it and wakes up, it's simply the next day for everyone.