Cassiopaea Forum Reading Workshops - Public

(CRW Am-EU) What temporary schedule is best for you?

  • Sunday 17:00-19:00 UTC (18:00-20:00 French time)

    Votes: 29 65.9%

  • Saturdays 17:00-19:00 UTC (18:00-20:00 French time)

    Votes: 15 34.1%
  • Total voters
    44
987baz said:
Hey guys, just confirming that we are back this Saturday the 4th? @Arwenn are we doing the first chapter of the secret history? Thanks in advance looking forward to seeing you all again ☺️☺️
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Yes we are! Hope you all had a wonderful break over the festive season and wishing everyone a very Happy New Year!

We will read the Foreword and Introduction to The Secret History of the World by Laura for our next workshop which will be at 7 pm Sydney AEDST time (GMT+11) this coming Saturday.

See you all then!
 
I just realised that I forgot about daylight savings 🙄 and have booked in to play golf with mum this arv, thinking that we start at 5pm my time I figured I would have time to get back, but then realised it starts at 4pm my time, so apologies, I will be rather late ..l will join when I get back if you’re all still going … haha sorry I have holiday brain atm
 
Arwenn said:
Hi everyone and welcome back!
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Following up on today's super-interesting discussion, there's also this about Pine Gap:

Wikipedia said:
In the novel, The Secret History of Twin Peaks by Mark Frost, President Richard Nixon claims that Pine Gap is actually the site of an underground facility constructed by extraterrestrials.
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Mark Frost is the co-creator of the original Twin Peaks series alongside David Lynch.
 
Hi everyone,

Here are the links for the recent Aus-Asia-Am group discussion on The Secret History of the World and How to Get Out Alive by Laura Knight-Jadczyk.

Here's the video of the last meeting
The audio
And the folder
And the slide show

We will read Chapter 1 up to (& not including) the sub-heading A knight on a Quest on pg 57 for our next workshop on Saturday at 7 pm Sydney AEDST time (GMT+11).

See you all then!

___________________________________________________________________________________________
Below are the links to what we discussed:

Top secret US base in the middle of Australia called Pine Gap
Some images of Pine Gap:
1736034982524.png 1736035544642.png 1736035649571.png

Hexagon shaped & also top secret Naval Communication Station Harold Holt in Western Australia
An aerial shot of the Harold Holt Naval Communications station in remote WA. (Google Maps)
1736034881276.png
 
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Hey y'alls,

The Am-EU group finishes the chapters 6 and 7 of William B. Irvine's A Guide to the Good Life on December 15th. Turgon has collated the Video and Audio for this meeting.

I've attached the mind map below in both PNG & PDF form. For readability, I've also printed the mind map in bulleted form here:

Chapter 6: Fatalism - Letting Go of the Past...and the Present
  • Fatalism can be split into two parts: fatalism with respect to the future, and fatalism as it relates to the past. If the former is adopted, their is a tendency for these people to believe they have no power to effect future events. On the contrary, the latter has this same tendency but towards the past. Less energy is then used ruminating on how the past could be changed.
    • (Turgon): Life happens and you got to roll with the punches.
    • (Mari): In the Daily Stoic--embrace what nature has in store for us. We can work today and make changes that can heal the past.
    • (bluefyre): Maybe instead we can change our perspective of the past.
    • (Bluefyre): Her healing journey from abuse took many years to overcome. If time is a construct, the past is here right now too. We can heal our traumas in the now.
    • (anartist): Parts of the past live in us. We heal that, then we can heal the past.
    • (Mari): Talking to ourselves in the past, it perhaps sends a message to the past to give ourselves a boost.
    • (RedFox): Maybe we can reword what the stoics were saying in this passage: you shouldn't imagine changing the past in normal habitual human style, but there are changes that we can make in that context that can change the present.
    • (Redrock12): Addictions hide a lot of underlying stuff. We need to remove the addictions first before we can face these issues.
      • (Bluefyre): The physical body feels so burdened at times. We work to make it lighter.
    • (RedFox): We have these worries of the past and future, but we've gone through these things many thousands of times in our incarnations.
    • (Breo): The wave reminds us that the next level of density is so much different compared to 3D life. Raising the frequency helps us view what happens to us at a soul-level. Seeing things from an energy perspective. Fatalism in the stoic perspective has a sort of heavy feel to it.
    • (Mari): According to other stoic work, stoicism in part learn to love fate and all what brings.
    • (Redrock12): In Stoic fatalism, they realize that we cannot change the past--but it's not to say that we can't learn from it and course correct in the present and future.
  • The author also mentions a third aspect of fatalism--fatalism with respect to the present. One can't bring about change in the moment, as the moment one tries to do something, it slips into the next moment. In this way, it helps teach us to be satisfied with life as it is, and to be happy with what we got. We can't change the present, infinitesimal moment, but at least it's not something worse (which it can be!).
  • Despite specific fatalistic attitudes, Stoics don't live complacent lives--they aim to become better people, pursue social and civic duty, and to be "attentive to all the advantages that adorn life" (i.e. forming friendships, getting married, etc.). They don't seek to gain worldly success, but they often gain it anyway.
    • (RedFox): Sometimes I imagine what my future self would say to myself.
    • (Breo): In Gnosis by Mouravieff, it states that the neutralizing force is love. To balance overly negative and positive thinking, perhaps it is love that balances it?
    • (seato): Some years ago during a mental crisis, suddenly I heard distinct words that "you are loved".
    • (Mari): Love thy God, and love thy neighbor from the Bible--imagine if all were able to live by that way.
    • (Turgon): Shares FOTCM calendar November quote: "Be therefore, not remiss to weigh well all you do and every word you say; not in anxiety, but rather by cultivating a habit of will to do good; always and everywhere to radiate kindness of heart, for in the Kingdom these are not of small account, but go to make robes bright and bodies radiant". ~ Rev. G. Vale Owen

Chapter 7: Self-Denial--On Dealing with the Dark Side of Pleasure
  • Stoics inflict some degree of discomfort on themselves (i.e. wearing less warm clothes in cold weather, eating less, etc.) in order to increase their enjoyment of life. It's a voluntary discomfort not in a masochistic sense as it aims to make it easier for us to head off whatever misfortunes happens to us.
    • This also increases confidence, as enduring minor discomforts can help us withstand major discomforts as well. Another benefit is it helps to cultivate gratitude for whatever comfort comes our way (i.e. experiencing hunger via fasting, then enjoying a meal when it's time to break the fast).
    • (Mari): Self-denial in the Stoic sense is sort of like conscious suffering.
    • (Mari): These self-inflicted "punishments" add a degree of voluntary discomfort in a stoic's life in order to cultivate a gratitude for life.
  • (Bluefyre): Gurdjieff says not to do what "it" wants. I.e. the predatory mind.
  • (Breo): Working with the machine (Gurdjieff). Perhaps this is their approach to it in order to not be too automatic.
  • (RedFox): Some people made a self-enclosed biome with trees and plants. After a while, the trees fell over because there was no wind to strengthen the trees.
    • (Redrock): In forest fires, they don't let them burn when they should have burned. Letting the undergrowth grow makes forest fires burn hotter, destroying more trees. Letting the undergrowth burn when its density is lower can remediate a lot of this destruction.
  • In addition to voluntary discomfort, Stoics practice periodically forgoing opportunities that lead to pleasure, as it has a dark side. The more pleasure a person captures, "the more masters he will have to serve".
    • Even for simpler pleasures, one may periodically forgo wine in order to hone his/her self-control. We can use this to have self-control for more inviting, and oftentimes self-destructive pleasures. To "resist the murmurs of the flesh" ~ Marcus Aurelius
    • This is not to say to forgo all pleasures, like friendship, family life, wealth, meals, etc. One must be ever vigilant when partaking in pleasures as there is a fine line between enjoying the moment, or clinging to it.
  • Willpower is like muscle power. It can be worked on to be stronger. Practicing self-denial with a degree of analysis and vigilance as it relates to pleasure can make it easier to not lapse into stronger, and potentially destructive pleasures.
  • (Turgon): In the Daily Stoic, there is a quote that says to give up what you are addicted or your courage will vanish. It takes courage to be able to let go.
    • (RedFox): Likewise, the more we exercise self-control, the more courage we can attain.

General Notes
  • Talks on the drones and UFO stuff.
    • (?): Drones in Argentina coming from the ocean.
      • (Mari): In some university they were experimenting with amphibious drones.
    • (Anya112003): Saw one of the drones in one of the towns in PA. It seemed diamond-shaped with white lights. There were reports in the surrounding neighborhoods of more drone sightings.
  • (Mari): It looks like many parent companies are now Chinese nowadays.
  • (Breo): Heard from a car mechanic that Chinese cars are way more prevalent now. The electronic parts of some companies are not good and are constantly falling apart.
  • (Mari): There are many instances where people have become used to their current pleasures, and in effect become not happy with life.
  • (RedFox): The psychological effect of kids and marshmallows. In kids, aged 2-3, they put a bowl of marshmallows in front of them. If they don't eat it before the tester comes back, they will get more marshmallows. It measures impulse control, which has cascading effects on the person's life and the success they have in life.

For Next Meeting - January 5th, 2025

I hope everyone had an awesome Caesarmas and holidays! For our first meeting in the new year of 2025, we'll are look to possibly cover the following two chapters:
  • Chapter 8 - Meditation: Watching Ourselves Practice Stoicism
  • Chapter 9 - Duty: On Loving Mankind

See y'alls in a tomorrow!
 

Attachments

Arwenn said:
Top secret US base in the middle of Australia called Pine Gap

Hexagon shaped & also top secret Naval Communication Station Harold Holt in Western Australia
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Also, an interesting point of symbolism: both of these bases may be associated with a 'fall of a king' in Australian politics. Former Prime Minister Harold Holt opened the WA base in September 1967 and disappeared while swimming off the coast of Victoria less than three months later, in December. Then, Pine Gap may have directly contributed to the dismissal of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam in 1975, via the CIA and MI6.
 
Turgon said:
Hey everyone, this was the book I mentioned on the workshop today. The Tao Te Ching.
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Here's one quote that stood out from today's discussion. Within it, you find what the Stoics refer to as their ideal, namely the Sage. It's a right-hemisphere perspective of one's self and the world, imo.

3. WITHOUT SEEKING ACCLAIM

By retaining his humility, the talented person who is also wise, reduces rivalry.
The person who possesses many things, but does not boast of his possessions, reduces temptation, and reduces stealing.
Those who are jealous of the skills or things possessed by others, most easily themselves become possessed by envy.
Satisfied with his possessions, the sage eliminates the need to steal; at one with the Tao, he remains free of envy, and has no need of titles. By being supple, he retains his energy.
He minimizes his desires, and does not train himself in guile, nor subtle words of praise.
By not contriving, he retains the harmony of his inner world, and so remains at peace within himself.
It is for reasons such as these, that an administration which is concerned with the welfare of those it serves, does not encourage status and titles to be sought, nor encourage rivalry.
Ensuring a sufficiency for all, helps in reducing discontent.
Administrators who are wise do not seek honours for themselves, nor act with guile towards the ones they serve.
 
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