The Odyssey - Manual of Secret Teachings?

[Laura]

Re: The Odyssey - question for all!

Have not read the book but watch the movie "The Odyssey" that came out in 1997, don't know if its the same story in the book.

It's not likely that you would be able to tease out hyperdimensional principles from the movie. Best start reading the thread from the beginning, get the text, and read that too.

 

[Galaxia2002]

Re: The Odyssey - question for all!

Hi! an interesting interchange about this topic took place in the thread of the June 11 2011 session. I add the direct links in order to not cut the discussion here

http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,23860.msg278952.html#msg278952

http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,23860.msg279415.html#msg279415

 

[The_Seeker]

Re: The Odyssey - question for all!

I have read it as well, more than once. :)

 

[Toda22]

Re: The Odyssey - question for all!

Sorry if I mix frogs and cattle's – maybe this is totally nonsense. In that case sorry for wasting your time :(

Sirens in a green field, their beautiful but deadly voice... cereals and all things that came with agriculture – civilisation – (destruction?).

sound of the plants - part 1
_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJjMcd4f ... re=related
sound of the plants - part 2
_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og0KoeZzpGM

Cleve Baxter - Plants can sense human intentions
_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ntv4ZMvU ... 7F&index=0
Cleve Backster - Bio-communication
_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBwevn1V ... 7F&index=3
Cleve Backster - Primary Perception
_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7V6D33H ... re=related

Please take a look on first couple results on Google for Backster effect... lack of interest, ignoring or something else?

I bet that with appropriate fine tuned instruments we could "listen" even to stones (1D).

Because of our lack on perception we cant hear plants.
By gathering berries we don't kill plants.

We are disturbing the greater balance by disturbing balance in the Pool with plant-souls and this will reflect on us...?

Just some thoughts.

 

[Risen]

Re: The Odyssey - question for all!

...Don't know how the deputy steward fits into this, but maybe I'll figure it out as I continue reading. As many here have said, it seems likely that The Odyssey, with it's characters and all, is depicting the inner struggles of man - the battle that is fought in and through his mind.

That is the impression I got when I read the book of Revelation in the Bible, that it was about personal struggle.
This thread is very interesting. I'm sorry I came in very late. I have not read the Odyssey but I read the entire Bible through when I was 12. Possibly because of* having virtually no religious instruction before reading it * and because I did not discuss it with anyone who already had an interpretation, I was able to see it for what it was and came to many of the conclusions stated in this thread.
I will start reading the Odyssey tonight. Sorry if this post is somewhat out of place. I am only on page 12 of this 25 page topic.

*I actually had to hide in my room and read it.

 

[Risen]

Re: The Odyssey - question for all!

I still see it as an allegory for cleansing ourselves of the many 'i's,' to defeat the shallowness of our Suitors cloying for attention in order to distract and mislead so we can finally return Home triumphant with our rational, just, sane, interconnected and compassionate selves restored. :)

:D well said! It is how I see every sacred scripture, like a map to home.

 

[dantem]

Re: The Odyssey - question for all!

I'm reading 'The Vegetarian Myth' as suggested, and it is indeed impressive when L. Keith goes on describing how the animal and plant systems are interconnected, living one over the other in perfect symbiosis. That leaves out only humans that from a certain point on went really off the tangent, subverting and destroying a perfect balance of living forces.

She mentions a book from Stephen Harrod Buhner, "The Lost Language of Plants". Must be an interesting read, even if we're really at finding the 'Lost Language of Humans' here

 

[reborn]

Re: The Odyssey - question for all!



Aloha, All!

After I posted in the thread here:

http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,23860.450.html

...Laura made this suggestion:

I would like to encourage both Reborn and Galaxia2002 to read The Odyssey thread... I think you may be surprised.

So I have been diligently working my way through this thread, and am finally ready to contribute.

First, I want to address the identity of Athena, which is where I started in that other thread. In my first post there, I was seeing a possible connection between Athena and a 7D feminine creativity that I had seen mention of in a Cs transcript. After posting that, I had a nagging sense that, as I wrote in a draft at the time which I was not brave enough to post:

"Something occurs to me that would negate the idea of Athena being a 7D power, but I'll present the idea, fwiw:

I wonder if the Greek gods actually represented 4D beings, both STO and STS. They have human bodies but are also capable of powers beyond the 3D human realm and they are only seen in 3D for brief periods of time, which would fit in with the idea that 4D beings have varying physicality."


And so, based on what I have read in this thread, I think I understand Laura's implication, but was not all that surprised :D

Now I have another thought to contribute:

Could it be that these "gods" are/were 4D beings *learning* how to be STO (and perhaps appearing to be STS when they "fail" a "test" or something while trying to learn to be STO)?...The divine council could just be like a big classroom or lecture hall, with all the "gods" being students...Perhaps the 3D world from their perspective is some kind of visual aid or experiment...

And (okay I'll be brave this time ;)) could they represent those who go through a wave-related transformation from 3D to 4D and are in the process of developing their STO capability, i.e. "STO candidates", perhaps even this group here in "the future"?

Hmmm...well I'm not sure this makes sense; just some ideas that came to me. I also have other ideas to post in this thread when I have another opportunity, but I just wanted to put this out there to keep the momentum going.


fwiw :/
Renee

 

[Laura]

Re: The Odyssey - question for all!


I had a thought awhile ago. I was editing the revision of Wave 8 and realized that I really do write in circles. Anybody who has problems with Homer should stay away from my work! Anyway, thinking about the ring structure reminded me of something the Cs once said:

14 July 1996

Q: (L) Then let's start with some basic things. First of
all, I have had some contact with a physicist who is
interested in the material. And, because of this, I was
motivated to pick up a book I had read many years ago
about the German occupation of Poland, and there were some
very strange things said in this book, and some funny
synchronous numbers... It just seemed to be a prototype of
the present reality in global terms. My question is: is
there some synchronous implication between this contact,
the reading of this book when I was 11 years old, and the
material we have received through this source?
A: Open.
Q: (L) You have said that the Holocaust was basically a
'practice run' for the ultimate space invasion. Is this
invasion supposed to take place as an actual 'aliens
invading the planet' scenario, or...
A: Too many thought patterns at once. Step by step, please.
Q: (L) Let's boil it down. Was Hitler's agenda a practice
run for a future scenario?
A: Close. Was a "testing" of the will.
Q: (L) Whose will was being tested?
A: Yours.
Q: (L) Me specifically, or the planet?
A: Latter.
Q: (L) In terms of this scenario, is there some lesson that
we can learn about what may or may not occur through this
book I have mentioned?
A: Maybe, but suggest you learn to blend mosaic
consciousness.
Q: (L) What is mosaic consciousness?
A: Thinking in internally spherical terms, rather than using
linear "point blank" approach. The whole picture is seen
by seeing the whole scene.
Q: (L) Well, I guess that is why I guess I get into so many
thought patterns...
A: Picture yourself as being at the center of a mosaic.
{...}

Recalling that remark made me wonder, what, exactly, is at the exact center of the ring structure of The Odyssey? What does it mean. The center is described in the text we have been referencing, but I don't have my copy handy. Can somebody take a look and give an outline?

 

[SethianSeth]

Re: The Odyssey - question for all!

I don't know if this reflects what anyone else has come across, (or if this is what you were asking, exactly, Laura) but I was reading through searching for the exact center and something definitely seems to be centered around "A Gathering of Shades" in Book XI: Lines 260-386. I had noted it down last time I read through, as well. It keeps getting me.

This reads like "mosaic consciousness," from what I can tell. I am nowhere near well enough versed in the different mythological figures Odysseus cycles through here, but his storytelling technique feels much different here than at other times when he is narrating a section (albiet out of order) of linear happenings. He seems to be taking in these relationships that happen outside of time, are constantly cycling through, and he can shift his vision to focus on one as he tells the story. Perhaps like he is experiencing manifestations of 6thDensity? It also seems significant that he speaks almost exclusively of women. I also think that it is interesting that it is after this section of storytelling that Odysseus is essentially revealed to be "at the center of the story" and recognized with respect by the Phaiakians.

Just some thoughts to start on.

 

[Hesper]

Re: The Odyssey - question for all!

Can somebody take a look and give an outline?

Sure can:

From Page 28 of Louden's book "The Odyssey: Structure, Narration, and Meaning"

A1: Ithakan Sequence, book 1 through book 4
B1:Skherian Sequence, end of book 5.282 through book 8
C1: Aian Sequence: Book 9 through book 11.332
Intermezzo: 11.333-82
C2: Aian Sequence: book 11.383 through book 12
B2: Skherian Sequence, book 13.1 through 187a
A2: Ithakan Sequence, book 13.187b through book 24.

So the Intermezzo is smack dab in the middle. And it interrupts Odysseus' story of his journey into the underworld. I believe the transition into the Intermezzo is right here, following Odysseus' descriptions of the various heroes and heroines he saw in Hades:

"I also saw Maera and Clymene and hateful Eriphyle, who sold her own husband for gold. But it would take me all night if I were to name every single one of the wives and daughters of heroes whom I saw, and it is time for me to go to bed, either on board ship with my crew, or here. As for my escort, heaven and yourselves will see to it."

Here he ended, and the guests sat all of them enthralled and speechless throughout the covered cloister. Then Arete said to them:

"What do you think of this man, O Phaecians? Is he not tall and good looking, and is he not Clever? True, he is my own guest, but all of you share in the distinction. Do not he a hurry to send him away, nor niggardly in the presents you make to one who is in such great need, for heaven has blessed all of you with great abundance."

Then spoke the aged hero Echeneus who was one of the oldest men among them, "My friends," said he, "what our august queen has just said to us is both reasonable and to the purpose, therefore be persuaded by it; but the decision whether in word or deed rests ultimately with King Alcinous."

"The thing shall be done," exclaimed Alcinous, "as surely as I still live and reign over the Phaeacians. Our guest is indeed very anxious to get home, still we must persuade him to remain with us until to-morrow, by which time I shall be able to get together the whole sum that I mean to give him. As regards- his escort it will be a matter for you all, and mine above all others as the chief person among you."

And Ulysses answered, "King Alcinous, if you were to bid me to stay here for a whole twelve months, and then speed me on my way, loaded with your noble gifts, I should obey you gladly and it would redound greatly to my advantage, for I should return fuller-handed to my own people, and should thus be more respected and beloved by all who see me when I get back to Ithaca."

"Ulysses," replied Alcinous, "not one of us who sees you has any idea that you are a charlatan or a swindler. I know there are many people going about who tell such plausible stories that it is very hard to see through them, but there is a style about your language which assures me of your good disposition. Moreover you have told the story of your own misfortunes, and those of the Argives, as though you were a practised bard; but tell me, and tell me true, whether you saw any of the mighty heroes who went to Troy at the same time with yourself, and perished there. The evenings are still at their longest, and it is not yet bed time- go on, therefore, with your divine story, for I could stay here listening till to-morrow morning, so long as you will continue to tell us of your adventures."

"Alcinous," answered Ulysses, "there is a time for making speeches, and a time for going to bed; nevertheless, since you so desire, I will not refrain from telling you the still sadder tale of those of my comrades who did not fall fighting with the Trojans, but perished on their return, through the treachery of a wicked woman.

So, because of this story, Arete, who was formerly suspicious of Odysseus, now decides he's a pretty good guy, and wishes he will proceed with his tales. So we have the wooing of another powerful female, and a passing further into both Odysseus' accounts and the progression of his journey home. Also, according to Louden:

In the Intermezzo, as he would coax his guest into saying more about the descent into Hades, Alkinoos notes, "Here is a night that is very long, it is endless." In response to Odysseus' request for his own story, Eumaios observes, as prelude, "these nights are endless,". The two passages are the only instances in all of Homer and Hesiod where [these Greek modifications are made].

I can't type out the actual Greek on the computer so I hope those who can read it can get a copy of the book.

Here's something I found at

_http://digitalcommons.colby.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3365&context=cq&sei-redir=1#search=%22intermezzo%20odyssey%22

The intermezzo will be seen to conform to Parry's model of interruption within the Odyssey at the
same time as it interrupts the Odyssey in the manner studied by Fenik. In the
fourth section, I argue that interruption within the Odyssey, dispelling
enchantment and provoking critical reflection, serves an important reflexive
function. Such internal interruption calls attention to the poet's use of the
interruption technique, which in its turn temporarily dispels the aura of
enchantment created by the Odyssey itself and invites the external audience
of the poem to adopt a rational approach to what they hear. In explaining the
use of interruption as a narrative technique employed to overcome the spell
of poetry and provoke analysis,

Now right here I don't think he's talking specifically about the Intermezzo we're dealing with, but what he says does make sense to me. So the break there is to give us a chance to snap out of a dissociative state and to think critically about the story Odysseus has been telling, which is interrupted right at the point that he's recapping his visit with all the Greek heroes and heroines, which serves to make the poem much more conscious, and also puts it at the center of a "mosaic" of Greek thought/stories.

A: Thinking in internally spherical terms, rather than using
linear "point blank" approach. The whole picture is seen
by seeing the whole scene.
Q: (L) Well, I guess that is why I guess I get into so many
thought patterns...
A: Picture yourself as being at the center of a mosaic.
{...}

Perhaps the characters he meets there are themselves clues to something bigger? That may make sense considering that the intended audience would have been well versed in these stories. That also may be "missing the mark" but it's what crosses my mind. I myself am not well read on Greek mythology.

Odysseus also has complete control over the situation in Hades, by holding his sword over the blood offerings which the ghosts seem to need in order to become "reasonable beings". Could this have anything to do with conserving one's energy around OPs? Might be a stretch there. But as Louden puts it, Odysseus' crew descends to Hades for reasons that parallel the deaths of the suitors. Both groups feasted extravagantly in the house of a powerful female figure, that of Penelope and Kirke, though the crew were given permission, and were allowed to descend to Hades and return to the living (though not for long). As Kirke says: "Wretches, who, while alive, have descended to the house of Hades, twice-dead, when the rest of humanity dies once". There are also the parallel prophecies concerning the suitors and the crew from Teiresias in the Underworld and Theoklymenos in Ithaka, which connects this sequence to the finale.

Also, the Intermezzo itself is full of hospitality and of trust, specifically the trust Odysseus' hosts show by complimenting his stories and not assuming him to be a "swindler". There may be further lessons there, as in the necessity of internalizing one's experiences in the "underworld" in a way that renders them useful and comprehensible to others in a group. This could also combat the influence of monolithic mythic images which tend to impress their own sort of consciousness onto us, hypnotizing us and keeping us from understanding our own experiences. That's all I can think of right now, but I hope this is along the lines of what you're looking for.

 

[Approaching Infinity]

Re: The Odyssey - question for all!

Recalling that remark made me wonder, what, exactly, is at the exact center of the ring structure of The Odyssey? What does it mean. The center is described in the text we have been referencing, but I don't have my copy handy. Can somebody take a look and give an outline?

Found this other translation and highlighted the parts that stood out to me.

Odysseus paused. All Phaeacians sat in silence,
saying not a word, spellbound in the shadowy hall.
The first to speak was white-armed Arete, who said:

"Phaeacians, how does this man seem to you
for beauty, stature, and within himself,
a fair, well-balanced mind? He is my guest,
though each of you shares in this honour, too.
So don't be quick to send him on his way,
and don't hold back your gifts to one in need. 430 [340]
Thanks to favours from the gods, you have
many fine possessions stored away at home."

Then old warrior Echeneus addressed them all—
one of the Phaeacian elders there among them:

"Friends, what our wise queen has just said to us,
as we'd expect, is not wide of the mark.
You must attend to her. But the last word
and the decision rest with Alcinous."

Once Echeneus finished, Alcinous spoke out:

"The queen indeed will have the final word, 440
as surely as I live and am the king
of the Phaeacians, men who love the oar.
But though our guest is longing to return, [350]
let him try to stay until tomorrow.
By then I'll have completed all our gifts.
His leaving here is everyone's concern,
especially mine, since I control this land."

Resourceful Odysseus then replied to him and said:

"Lord Alcinous, of all men most renowned,
if you asked me to stay for one whole year, 450
to organize my escort and give splendid gifts,
then I would still agree. It's far better
to get back to one's own dear native land
with more wealth in hand. I'll win more respect, [360]
more love from anyone who looks at me,
whenever I return to Ithaca."

Alcinous then answered him and said:

"Odysseus,
when we look at you, we do not perceive
that you're in any way a lying fraud,
like many men the black earth nourishes 460
and scatters everywhere, who make up lies
from things no man has seen. You speak so well,
and you have such a noble heart inside.
You've told your story with a minstrel's skill, [370]
the painful agonies of all the Argives
and your own, as well. Come then, tell me this—
and speak the truth—did you see any comrades,
those godlike men who went with you to Troy
and met their fate there? This night before us
will be lengthy, astonishingly so. 470
It's not yet time to sleep here in the halls,
so tell me of these marvelous events.
I could stay here until bright Dawn arrives,
if you'd agree to tell me in this room
the tale of your misfortunes."

There's also this little bit from Louden:

Though Odysseus has parents, and grew up in the world of mortals, the Odyssey first presents him as an adult male in paradise, much as with Adam, and Enkidu. By first depicting Odysseus in such an environment, Book 5 in a sense “creates” Odysseus within the Odyssey. In the Odyssey’s opening divine council Athena calls Ogygia the “navel (omphalos) of the sea” (Od. 1.50). Though commentators usually argue omphalos here has some figurative meaning (e.g., Chantraine [1990] regards it as meaning “center”), it is cognate with Latin umbilicus and English “navel,” and, if taken more literally, reinforces a paradise and creation modality.

 

[Palinurus]

Re: The Odyssey - question for all!

That is the impression I got when I read the book of Revelation in the Bible, that it was about personal struggle.

I think you are right about that, at least according to a book I have read by James M. Pryse: The Apocalypse Unsealed. See amazon here: _http://www.amazon.com/Apocalypse-Unsealed-James-M-Pryse/dp/0787306800 (ridiculous prices) or available as a download for free (ed. 1910) over here: _http://knowledgefiles.com/categories/symbolism/the-apocalypse-unsealed/
From the publishers blurb:

The purpose of this book is to show that the Apocalypse is a manual of spiritual development and not, as conventionally interpreted, a cryptic history or prophecy. In the following pages the reader will find the complete solution of the Apocalyptic enigma, with ample proof of the correctness of that solution. As the subject dealt with in the work is, however, familiar to only a comparatively few special students of the sacred science, which to the many has ever been a sealed book, the exposition here given is put in the form of an elementary treatise. If it were written for the few, it would have been expanded to great bulk; but as it is intended for the many, the author has kept within the limits of a small volume, avoiding everything mystical, scholastic and controversial, using plain, concise language, and employing technical terms only when they are required by the nature of the subject.

The same author also wrote a commentary on the gospel of John: The Magical Message According to IÔANNÊS (St. John the Divine) which I haven't read yet.
Sorry to go slightly off topic here...

 

[John G]

Re: The Odyssey - question for all!

A1: Ithakan Sequence, book 1 through book 4
B1:Skherian Sequence, end of book 5.282 through book 8
C1: Aian Sequence: Book 9 through book 11.332
Intermezzo: 11.333-82
C2: Aian Sequence: book 11.383 through book 12
B2: Skherian Sequence, book 13.1 through 187a
A2: Ithakan Sequence, book 13.187b through book 24.

So the Intermezzo is smack dab in the middle. And it interrupts Odysseus' story of his journey into the underworld.

Yeah we 3D STS-ites are kind of stuck in the underworld needing to get back to a suitor-less Ithaka (higher centers/densities). Funny I currently live in the inferno of Tucson, AZ and used to live about an hour from Ithaca, NY (where my parents still are).

http://humanities.psydeshow.org/pedagogy-docs/odyssey-structure.htm

 

[Palinurus]

Re: The Odyssey - question for all!

I was just combing through my bookmarks collection for unrelated reasons and happened to refind a link to all things concerning Athena. Since I lost overview of all and everything in this thread I'm not sure whether it has already been mentioned. A search didn't reveal anything, but sorry for possible doublets.

Anyway, here it is: _http://www.goddess-athena.org/index.htm Plenty of stuff in every direction. Have a look...