Comments by antigeekess | San Diego Reader

antigeekess

Ghost Story

To continue (and then I'll look at what's been posted): In this book http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Down-Moon-Witches-G… Aidan Kelly said that the Goddess is real "because human energy goes into making Her real; She exists as a 'thought form on the astral plane,' yet She can manifest physically whenever She wants to. She does not exist independently of mankind, but She is most thoroughly independent of any one person or group." But yet, "She is metaphor becuase, great though she may be, She is finite, like any other human concept, whereas reality is infinite." I like Aidan's answer a lot. Scary stuff? Not at all. Wonderful, fascinating, magical stuff that weaves together in a gorgeous web of infinite mystery that no one person can ever dissect, even with the sharpest of instruments.
— October 31, 2009 8:23 p.m.

Ghost Story

To continue: "And then my response to them is even more inflammatory: Not only do I not know, neither do you." Precisely. I've said the same thing myself. No one can know anything with absolute certainty. To claim to is the height of arrogance -- the claim of infallibility. THAT is a Godlike characteristic, not a human one. Having said that, I'll say that, based on my own experiences, there are things I know to the fullest extent that is possible by a human being. I could have misinterpreted those experiences. They 'could' have been something else. But I don't think so. I'm not an atheist. In fact, I'm precisely the opposite (and for the peanut gallery, that is most certainly 'not' a Christian, either). All anyone can do is pick a philosophical system, based on the reality presented to them by their own individual little Me-verse, and go with it. Mine would kick me in the a$$ at least a dozen times a day if I even tried to be an atheist. "You're gonna be an atheist now, huh? Well, look at THIS, SMARTASS!!!" I was an athiest when I was 8-11 years old. It's not only NOT appropriate for me now, it would be untenable. I couldn't maintain it. The reality I live will not allow it. So, I am on one level a pragmatist. I adopt the worldview that works, for ME, in terms of understanding this life, this plane, this dimension, this whatever. To be anything else is kind of silly, isn't it? Beyond that -- beyond Taoism, beyond pantheism, and even beyond mysticism, there is a level at which I remain an agnostic in the sense that I accept the notion that others are looking at an ENTIRELY different reality, handcrafted just for them. "The very notion that two completely different civilizations happened upon the very same idea and celebrated with almost the same ceremonies is enough to convince me that something is going on." Yes, there is. :) Joseph Campbell built his career in comparative religion on facts like this. Myths (one definition: the other guy's religion) from across the world inexplicably share certain figures and characteristics with each other, although the cultures in which they appear have never had contact. Anybody that STILL hasn't seen this material: http://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Campbell-Power-Myth-… should do so immediately. :) Campbell wrote a number of books, but this video series is a great place to start. Jung (an influence of his) would say that it's due to archetypes that exist in the human subconscious in general, and will find expression regardless of place, time, or culture. But, how did they get there, in the subconscious? What ARE they? Do they have some sort of independent existence?
— October 31, 2009 8:22 p.m.

Ghost Story

I was hoping someone would do a decent job with this subject. Shoulda known it would be you. First, to proof: "... Skulls were often symbolized in Aztec lore to represent birth and rebirth." I'm guessing this one is "death" and rebirth? Okay, done. :) Yes, the Church attempted to hijack pretty much ALL pagan festivals, which generally have to do with seasonal changes and fertility (see eggs, bunnies, and big ole Maypoles), and associate them with Jesus. Not only were a lot of people murdered in the name of Christianity, a lot of European churches were erected right on top of sacred pagan sites, so great was their desire to stamp out paganism. The lovely horned pagan god Cernunnos http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cernunnos ...god of the hunt and of the entire natural physical world, also got turned into a cartoon character called "Satan," conveniently paired up with God's adversary of the Bible. "Satan," you'll know if you study your Bible carefully, starts out as "A satan," which actually means "an adversary." It's only later on that he becomes a very specific character, and the word becomes a proper name. When the Church came upon pagans worshiping this peculiar-looking horned god, it was easy enough to identify him with this satan character that was ready-made in the Bible. Given that fact, it's pretty easy for the sensationalist media and Christian propagandists to claim that modern witches and pagans worship Satan. They 'can' be observed worshiping a horned god, but it's Cernunnos. Always has been. (Incidentally, he's generally depicted with antlers, not bovine horns like most images of Satan.) The fact that they focused on the horned god instead of the Goddess, who's really the primary figure, just attests to the misogyny of the whole thing. A war-minded, patriarchal religion run by males tends to focus on a perceived male threat. So, I get touchy on their behalf this time of year. Paganism is just an Earth-centered nature religion, resembling tribal ones more than anything else. Pagans have been murdered and lied about for centuries by the Church, and it's their high holiday -- a lovely seasonal festival in which the wheel of the year makes itself known by familiar annual changes, and the dead are remembered, often by a candle ceremony in modern practice. Halloween, on the other hand, is just one more silly, commercialized, sugar-laden, cavity-promoting, diabetes-inducing, cheap plastic joke.
— October 31, 2009 7:34 p.m.

Those Were The Days

"Fish (may I skip the cuddly bit) had the misfortune of being a member of a forum that was 90% ignorant, with most of the forum contributors in gangs of goody two shoes who spent all their time blowing icing sugar up each others' arses." Oh, I like you already, Sken. Unfortunately, I am unaware of any Goody Two Shoes types on this site. Speaking of Goody Two Shoes, remember this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5BV9Z42D-E He was kinda hot, wasn't he? As for the rest of them, such as your friends from the other site, we can only wish for them the best thing that could possibly happen. http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartooni… Welcome, Sken. (Hope you brought hip boots and a few flaming bags of poo to throw.) This blast from the past and cartoon interlude has been brought to you by: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/antigeekess/ :)
— October 31, 2009 6:35 p.m.

HOUSE in da house! Yeeeah, Baybeee!!! I love that bastard. What makes it extra cool is that he's really a Brit, with a supercool British accent, too. <sigh> Even more fascinating after you've had a pathology class, too. :) Isn't "push my buttons" a sexual thang? I always thought it was. (Nothing like forging ahead without an instruction manual.) Me thinky you gotta footnote problem. Don't do that to me. I'm on my second margarita, and the footnotes aren't lining up and, and... <goes to cook fried eggs>
— October 30, 2009 6:14 p.m.

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antigeekess

Ghost Story

Ghost Story

Ghost Story

Those Were The Days

Friends Are Like Jewels

And You Will Know Me By The Trail Of Dead

I Lost My Fingers Last Week and Couldn't Write

Who Killed Richard Swink?

Friends Are Like Jewels

An Almost Existential Love And Valuing

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