Session 22 July 2012

[Carl]

Which prompted me to watch this video of a symphony orchestra that finally brought out the tears that have been welling up inside. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H82QHiUvY5E

And it's times like these where the realizations start to hit, how insignificant, yet unique we all are or can be. That if we die, at least let it be with an open emotional centre/heart so there can be acceptance and understanding of the Universe's and Earth's need to cleanse itself of the damage we, as human beings have caused it over the last 10,000 years. And instead of worrying about myself all the time, care for others and tend to their needs, which requires energy taken away from maintaining illusion and the neurotic mind and shifted toward awareness geared to the reality of the situation. Instead of anticipating the future, gain small victories against the predator, here and now. Make this my Aim, one that I know I'll falter at or forget many times, but seems to be the only worthwhile way to spend the time we have left.

I'm glad this thread had such a positive effect on you, it effected me in the same way. I often flip between anxiety/linear thinking about the future and my life, to overwhelming gratitude and and adventurousness. As you said, it's about small victories, and we fall many times, but always stand up more times :).

The bold part I agree with especially. It's like it is no longer a choice anymore.. going back into egoism could never be an option, no matter what the circumstances. So all we have left is to put all of our energy into continuing down the path we have chosen. Sounds so simple when you put it like that!

Strangely enough the hardest thing to do for me, though, is to simply have faith. When I'm stood in work for hours on end flipping burgers, it's easy to slip into closed mindedness and forget myself and why I'm here. Hopefully soon enough I will not have to use my time and energy working for a soulless employer just to survive, comets might just give us some independence! But for now, lessons lessons lessons!

 

[anothermagyar]

Thanks for the enlightening session Laura and the crew!
So much to think about!

I understand finding and appreciating beauty where you can, but it seems a little like the bread and circuses that the PTB have been using for eons.

But the point isn't, "Oh, look at this video and forget/ignore everything else - a la 'bread and circuses'". The point is, "with all we consciously look at every day, all the death, the pathology, the lies, the suffering, the disease, the hopelessness - there is still the potential for beauty and creation in this species that is really the whole reason we struggle so hard to make a difference in the first place." It's a very simple thing - just a reminder of the humanity in humanity and that, alone, can bring tears in this day and age when true humanity has become such a rare and fleeting thing.

Of course it was staged and, yes, it's an advertisement - but can you see beyond that to the joy that human beings playing music together can bring and how just that simple event can evoke powerful emotions in people trapped in a world gone mad? Having an open and active emotional center is really - really - important. In fact, you can't get any where esoterically without one. Perhaps videos like this can help stir a little positive emotion in a world where it's very hard to find impetus for such? Just a thought.

This is beautifully put in words.

Real music should have an effect on people positive emotional way.

I enjoyed also the music from you Turgon. Thnx!

Here is another, always was my favorite:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYgkGBjGL0U

Enjoy!

 

[domi]

Q: (Perceval) It wasn't exactly uncommon. (L) I guess we better not talk about it. (Andromeda) We already watched Dr. Zhivago, thank you. (L) Okay, we've got E___ here. There are issues that have come up and… E___, do you have any particular way you want to ask any questions? (E___) If I have been on the path to deteriorating, is there anything that I'm not doing now that I can do that would help the situation. And how can I make amends if there are any ways to? (L) Well, let's ask one question at a time. So what's your first question? (E___) If I have been deteriorating, what can I do...

A: Yes. Brain glitches due to genetics. Similar to Parkinsonism.

Q: (L) Similar to, but not the same?

A: Yes.

Q: (L) Um... Hmm. (Ailen) That's interesting because I was reading about it this morning. But I decided it probably didn't apply because it was talking about Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, but they were talking about problems with the cortico-something in the frontal cortex where it affects decision-making, and...

A: You have a very narrow window of opportunity to make what corrections can be made.

Q: (L) And how should he go about doing that?

A: Research and mostly following directions. You really do not perceive reality as it is nor do you have the ability to make assessments of what you do perceive.

In the context of the above, I wanted to mention proline-rich peptides (PRPs) to help put out the "fire" in the brain.
Maybe it can help with the above condition.

A good starting point is here: _http://www.blogtalkradio.com/undergroundwellness/2012/01/13/prps--the-secret-weapon-in-treating-neurological-disorders

 

[Marctavius]

I understand finding and appreciating beauty where you can, but it seems a little like the bread and circuses that the PTB have been using for eons.

But the point isn't, "Oh, look at this video and forget/ignore everything else - a la 'bread and circuses'". The point is, "with all we consciously look at every day, all the death, the pathology, the lies, the suffering, the disease, the hopelessness - there is still the potential for beauty and creation in this species that is really the whole reason we struggle so hard to make a difference in the first place." It's a very simple thing - just a reminder of the humanity in humanity and that, alone, can bring tears in this day and age when true humanity has become such a rare and fleeting thing.

Of course it was staged and, yes, it's an advertisement - but can you see beyond that to the joy that human beings playing music together can bring and how just that simple event can evoke powerful emotions in people trapped in a world gone mad? Having an open and active emotional center is really - really - important. In fact, you can't get any where esoterically without one. Perhaps videos like this can help stir a little positive emotion in a world where it's very hard to find impetus for such? Just a thought.

The fact that it was staged and an advertisement is exactly my point. I've been a musician for over 20 years so I fully understand the emotional impact that music ( and the arts in general ) have on myself and the people in the audience. All I'm saying is that there is plenty of music out there that isn't part of an ad for a bank that can be fully enjoyed without all of the manipulation and marketing that watching an ad involves.

 

[anart]

The fact that it was staged and an advertisement is exactly my point. I've been a musician for over 20 years so I fully understand the emotional impact that music ( and the arts in general ) have on myself and the people in the audience. All I'm saying is that there is plenty of music out there that isn't part of an ad for a bank that can be fully enjoyed without all of the manipulation and marketing that watching an ad involves.

Okay, so you don't 'like' it. That's fine. You need to accept that there are others who do.

 

[Gonzo]

I understand finding and appreciating beauty where you can, but it seems a little like the bread and circuses that the PTB have been using for eons.

But the point isn't, "Oh, look at this video and forget/ignore everything else - a la 'bread and circuses'". The point is, "with all we consciously look at every day, all the death, the pathology, the lies, the suffering, the disease, the hopelessness - there is still the potential for beauty and creation in this species that is really the whole reason we struggle so hard to make a difference in the first place." It's a very simple thing - just a reminder of the humanity in humanity and that, alone, can bring tears in this day and age when true humanity has become such a rare and fleeting thing.

Of course it was staged and, yes, it's an advertisement - but can you see beyond that to the joy that human beings playing music together can bring and how just that simple event can evoke powerful emotions in people trapped in a world gone mad? Having an open and active emotional center is really - really - important. In fact, you can't get any where esoterically without one. Perhaps videos like this can help stir a little positive emotion in a world where it's very hard to find impetus for such? Just a thought.

The fact that it was staged and an advertisement is exactly my point. I've been a musician for over 20 years so I fully understand the emotional impact that music ( and the arts in general ) have on myself and the people in the audience. All I'm saying is that there is plenty of music out there that isn't part of an ad for a bank that can be fully enjoyed without all of the manipulation and marketing that watching an ad involves.

Every performance from most successful musicians is a form of manipulation. As I'm sure you know, every song on every set list is selected to create an effect on the audience.

As a musician myself, many performers I had the opportunity to work with have huge egos and often don't have the same regard for their fellow man that their songs portray.

And yet, the audience takes the music no matter what the performer's intentions were, and transforms it into something personal and meaningful and, by experiencing it with others, shares in something greater than themselves, the rest of the audience and the performers.

You seem to be getting hung up on the messenger to the point that you can't receive the message, osit.

Gonzo

 

[OrangeScorpion]

It seems curious to me that, before a very important session, we are going round and round the issue of bank's announcement.

 

[loreta]

It seems curious to me that, before a very important session, we are going round and round the issue of bank's announcement.

Strange, yes indeed.

 

[Gonzo]

Just shows how much banks control us, I guess.
:)

Actually, I don't think we're talking as much about banks as we are people's perceptions, filers and behaviour.

FWIW,
Mike

 

[Laura]

Just shows how much banks control us, I guess.
:)

Actually, I don't think we're talking as much about banks as we are people's perceptions, filters and behaviour.

FWIW,
Mike

Yes, and how close those perceptions of reality might be as in an "esoteric group".

 

[Sirius]

Wow, a new session!
Many thanks.

Q: (L) […] But we didn't think it was going to get to the point of people eating other people's faces! I mean, for god's sake!

A: If you are animal by nature, or simply addicted to getting your energy from others, that is merely the ultimate expression of same.

Nicely put. That applies then for Organic Portals mainly or even exclusively? Though they used “or” not “and.”

 

[Peam]

The fact that it was staged and an advertisement is exactly my point. I've been a musician for over 20 years so I fully understand the emotional impact that music ( and the arts in general ) have on myself and the people in the audience. All I'm saying is that there is plenty of music out there that isn't part of an ad for a bank that can be fully enjoyed without all of the manipulation and marketing that watching an ad involves.

So what are you implying? That this particular piece of music can never again be enjoyed because it is now tied to a bank advert? and that goes for any other music which is part of a bank ad?

As far as I can see, a bunch of musicians came out of a building (a bank) and joined in the music to entertain the public. Of course it was staged by the bank, there's no doubt about it. But what was the intent of the musicians? Was their intent to give pleasure to the public, or to promote the bank? From my limited experience of some musicians, and I could be mistaken, they probably got more of a kick out of entertaining the people watching them play, rather than thinking about promoting the bank.

 

[Muxel]

So... should I "see beyond" every piece of media from now on? Author's intent vs audience's intent?

My worry is that of the manipulative author. Who has ways of of hypnotizing us, subconsciously implanting us, making us want their product. How does one guard himself? Or is there some level of objectivity, of incorruptibility, that makes self-censoring unnecessary? The P's said to use feeling to discern - maybe that takes care of it?

And how do I reconcile this with the C's warning to be careful what we let into our "field"?




In this case I threw the baby out with the bathwater.

Most of the time, I keep what I think is the baby and edit out the bathwater. Listening to parts of songs that I like, and avoiding the horrid parts. Or averting my eyes from any strobe effect. But is that not objective enough? Should I sit through whole songs, and know "I like this part" or "I don't like this part" and yet hear them both out? Is it "subjective" when we gravitate toward music that we "like"? (Myself, I am open to lots of music, but some I don't fancy as much as others...) Or is music too mathematical for its objectivity to be conquered by wicked composers, that we instinctively know what is "good" music and what is "bad" brain-jelly music?


A case: I had a liking for Owl City, until I discovered that he essentially took the musical and lyrical "sound" of The Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie, ran it through the bubblegum-pop wringer, and tried to pass it off as his own; and has a Christian adolescent-girl fanbase who propelled him to fame and money, and who thinks he's original when he's not. His lack of integrity is gonna color my perception of his "creative" output. With the deception in this world, how can I not get hung up on the messenger?


Using feeling to discern works for me, I think. For instance, I got a "feel" from Stephen King's books ("visceral" is a close approximation), but I read them anyway, and it made a lot of sense when the C's said "carnal influences."



Yours truly,
Confused Muxel

 

[Turgon]

So... should I "see beyond" every piece of media from now on? Author's intent vs audience's intent?

My worry is that of the manipulative author. Who has ways of of hypnotizing us, subconsciously implanting us, making us want their product. How does one guard himself? Or is there some level of objectivity, of incorruptibility, that makes self-censoring unnecessary? The P's said to use feeling to discern - maybe that takes care of it?

And how do I reconcile this with the C's warning to be careful what we let into our "field"?

We are bombarded with imagery, media and mainstream, bad jelly music on a constant basis. I think, like Laura did with the thousands of books she read, we have to separate the wheat from the chaff. Author's intent could very well mean one thing, but it's effect on an individual or groups of people could be much different - so there is a definite air of subjectivity. Maybe a more important question, is what does the artisitic or musical (however subjective) piece do and invoke in you. Two people can be exposed to the same stimuli and respond to it differently.

What's important is that the video was exposed as being a bank advertisement, however, the music used and part of that message of people together can be used by some to further their own humanity, as long as the other aspect of that message is understood as being manipulative and left at the front door, osit.

 

[kenlee]

Should I sit through whole songs, and know "I like this part" or "I don't like this part" and yet hear them both out? Is it "subjective" when we gravitate toward music that we "like"? (Myself, I am open to lots of music, but some I don't fancy as much as others...)

Well I would think that it's up to you whether you want to sit through a song or not. I think awareness is the key in order to make the experience more objective. Otherwise it's all subjective when we are not cognizant of how the music is affecting us.

For example take karaoke. You can sing to it and if you like the song then you can enjoy the sound while at the same time being cognizant of what the words are really saying (the 'programing' part of it) and also notice what emotions are being triggered as you sing it, notice body sensations and so on. That kind of thing. Maybe you'll like some tunes more then others. Other tunes you may not like. I think the subjective part of it is a mechanical chemical thing based on the associations triggered by the music. But in my view the objective part of it, the significant part, is the conscious 'self remembering' aspect of the experience (which is an effort of the will) where one is more cognizant of what's going on inside (physically, emotionally, mentally) as we sing or listen to the music. So I don't think it's really any big deal as long as it becomes a (more or less) conscious act. In other words, knowing what we are doing and why we are doing it. Then we can enjoy ourselves and at the same time observe what's going on inside and have fun doing it.