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WAY OF THE SEVEN STARS


Response To That Final Question:

Ignorance is the Bane of Man.
At a distance removed,
Dimly remembered, and
Still not seen distinct,
But yet somehow felt;
What we do sense
Is not reality; is not the Real Thing.
This World is hologram.
Then; for lucid sleep;
For it's just a dream
Within another dream
And we are not awake.

Seven Stars' Song of Revelation

Ignorance is a jail where no escape
Is possible but through knowledge.
Don't fear nor spurn. Dare to learn:

Assent to and accept this world as it is
Before attempting ascent to any world
Aspired to or wished for. Life's glorious!

That That Is can be known but by few.
Not space, not time, not gravity exists;
But as Extension from Field of Thought.

Be subject to neither church nor crown.

Dread naught. Disdain none: Not One!
Absent That That Is, there's Nothing.

That That Is, IS. That That's Not, IS, too.
That That's Not makes That That Is: IS.
That That Is makes That That's Not BE.

By rowing to That That Is, I become "I."
Wind + Water = Wave. As THOUGHT is
The Heart and The Nave of The Wheel.

Worlds are created from Thought alone.
That which we will do is because of that
What we are. We'll become who we are.

Charity, courtesy, civility, compassion,
Are cardinal spokes making civilization;
Chivalry forms center, hub's circle core.

IS is! Be not the slave of some other's I.
This, Creed of our Seven Stars Society;
This, The Teaching of the Seven Stars:

No man can be happy if he should choose
To be exile from his own nature and soul.
ALL IS THOUGHT ILLUMINATING BEING

Precognitive Prescient Prophetic Poetry by WILLIAM O'CONNOR

Monday, August 24, 2009

Energy and Creativity

Energy is the potential for power. It's absolutely necessary for life. All life. Energy should surge through your body. It should travel inside the body. You should feel it. I'm not talking about the esoteric aspect here. We'll discuss that later. I mean you should really feel energy as a physical force residing inside your body, living in you. If you don't, there has to be some kind of blockage or a misalignment in your body that's preventing you from feeling energy, and that ought to be fixed. There are many people in many disciplines that can help with the alignment. All disciplines work with energy in some way. Call it whatever you may wish...it's the life force. It's what makes you, you! It's important to adjust your body in the correct manner because energy is necessary for creativity. You direct it into whatever pursuit that you are interested in. And if you don't feel it, there must be something wrong. Truly. There are many ways to come to the correct body alignment, and many ways to achieve alignment (there are whole professional disciplines solely devoted to the subject and many textbooks on it); but let's look at one way that's from my parents' culture. What we are speaking of now is changing the potential for power into power that you can actually use to create. This is the esoteric part. Think of your body as composed of three parts: the inner psychic part, which is the energy shell that we spoke about contained within your physical self; that's two now: an energy part and a physical part, with your energy part being inside the physical. The third shell part, clothing the physical, is your multi-dimensional self: your real self. The energy part of you keeps the physical part alive in this dimension; but this is only one single dimension of your true self, the dimension that's the limited one of the here and of the now. True Self is acting as an envelope surrounding your physical self. It's what expands you into other dimensions. This is a feeling of being "here" and "there" simultaneously. It's as if you're always accompanying yourself (which you are). You can't be alone because your "you" is with you. The psychic act of recognition is to acknowledge yourself to yourself. Acknowledgement and acceptance generates your power: now you know you! Well, maybe you don't. Who does? By in this exercise, we are attempting expansion of the psyche, so that a self realization can occur as to what one's true nature really is: that it is multi-dimensional. There are many disciplines that are concerned with connecting you to the universe and they are all fine. Here, in this Blog, we are more concerned with The Dingle Druid Way. The Druid faith and religion has been described as being primarily an esoteric discipline and a mystical methodology for the training of the psyche. But Druid Discipline is mainly far more concerned with connecting you to yourself and in the seeking of your Self. It's non-theistic, rather than being either an atheistic or theistic, discipline. Speaking of energy and of creative connectivity in the physical as well as the metaphysical sphere, we are creative because we are sexual beings. The body and brain form a continuum and that is sexual. An asexual being is not able to create. Again, this is one of the proofs for the non-existence of a deity as normally defined: Creative entities are sexual beings; a non-sexual creative entity is nonsense, an oxymoron. Deities, if such there were, would always be sexual beings. As magically esoteric and as highly abstract as mysticism might seem to an outside observer, mysticism has its foundation rooted in sexuality: Body and Brain are One. The spiritual cannot exist without the sexual. Computers, for instance, could certainly become intelligent and they surely shall; but to make them creative, they would need to be able to mate with each other. Only the creative have a soul. And speaking of your soul; just as the body needs exercise to maintain its health, so does the spirit. Meditative exercises, such as those outlined in my books, are necessary for the health of one's spirit. The soul, in order for its Self to survive, is nourished by meditation and contemplation. To be exorcised of sham mendacity, the soul must be exercised by meditation and by contemplation; but when it comes to energy, many disciplines know what they are speaking of, but some don't. Shop around and find what works best for you. Since this is an important issue, it is best to ask your friends' advice as to what works for them; even if you, yourself, may decide on some discipline that's entirely different. Sometimes friends can give an objective opinion that's better than the subjective opinion of one's own. Remember the old Gaelic saying though: They who have many friends have none; those that have a true few, have enough. Trust in those who trust in you and respect those who have respect for you. All others, be leery of. When it comes to the shaping of your own options in life, trust in the opinions of those few who you truly respect; but the decision is always yours alone. You're sole decider for you; but friends are the reflections of you, and so, if they be true, shall tell you of that which you've kept hidden about yourself from yourself: Listen to them then!

Friday, August 21, 2009

oconnor.rothcroi.william@gmail.com

G-Mail Address is: oconnor.rothcroi.william@gmail.com if anyone wishes to contact me about anything at all that's been posted on this Blog for further amplification, or for greater explanation and explication. If there are any other topics that you might wish me to amplify on or to discuss further in this Blog, just let me know. I've covered completely all the topics that were introduced in my two books. I'm working now on a future fantasy series of novels. Just as long as all my work can be published on the Amazon Kindle, that is where I shall be solely publishing. So look for it there under my name. I have an aversion to print media for environmental and religious reasons...I just can't see killing trees. My work doesn't warrant the murder of a tree. It's not that important. Really. Hopefully it helps a few, but that few is all it's aimed at. The fantasy series: "In Dreams They Are Remembered" that I'm working on shall be taking up all of my time from now on for the remainder of my life. This series ought to keep me busy! I'll continue posting photos and videos from the Celtic Martial Arts Club for those interested (these include how to heal), and my poems too. The reason for writing this fantasy series should be obvious: Humans are story-tellers. They are myth-makers. It's what makes them human. Literally. Stories have a salutary effect if told well. Stories assuage suffering in this world. The secret for writing well is to be well oneself. To be well, one must try to perform one's allotted function. Our priestly function (I'm a Druid) encompasses three aspects: reciting, healing and teaching; so, hopefully, through the Blog, I'll be able to accomplish all three.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Salvation and Sacrifice

Some of the major near Eastern religions, the three major ones, those in particular claiming descent from Abraham, are essentially cannibalistic. These are avatar messianic religions that rely upon a doctrine of eternal return to a paradisaical source: the womb. Although life is lived in history, the history is one of strife. On death, the womb source is the tomb which is shaped like a tabernacle for the body. The earth receives the corpse into itself and then regenerates itself from the receipt of the body. Life is a period of sacrifice and of martyrdom of the Self so that the body can take residence in the eternal womb, signified by placing the scroll of the Torah in the vessel of its tabernacle. The Tabernacle eats the Torah. It's essentially an agrarian sowing outlook, as the seed of the soul has to die for the plant to grow, and the plant is to be consumed as nourishment for the tribe. The dead then are the food for the living. Agricultural communities become dense and crowded and the belief systems of such communities are a form of population control that ensures continuity of the society. Emphasis is on harmony within the community. Consequently there exists an aversion to any faith that would jeopardise the harmony. The heroes and the idols of such societies are those who are willing to sacrifice themselves on behalf of the society. The society is literally nourished by the blood of its martyrs. High birth rates tend to always encourage martyrdom; as someone in a large family could choose to sacrifice themselves on behalf of the whole family and the family will still be sustained without that member's continued presence. The same strategy applies to agrarian religion; as the belief system shall devour its adherents to nourish the religion. In reality then, all of the Abraham descent religions are zombie belief systems wherein the dead devour the living by obsolete tradition and obligation to the authority of long-dead sages and scrolls; for all these are the eaters of the living, as the past eats into the present. These aren't salutary belief systems! Since fully half of humanity subscribes to these systems of belief (Christianity, Judaism, Islam), one can wonder at what that implies for their sanity; as any belief that contradicts reality has to cause immense trauma to the psyche, as that delusion affects a believer's behavior: This leads to violence against oneself possibly and definitely against others. Buried below their outward feigned manifestations of egalitarian brotherhood and fraternity towards those others not of their limited beliefs, these fake simulacra of amity, there only exists hidden hatred and fear; not the joy of real religion. True religion deals with the sublime transcendental transformation of the entire psyche from the mundane to a greater, higher consciousness (real religion is trans formative---that's it's sole purpose---and it's purpose is a good one); unfortunately, Abraham faiths accomplish exactly the opposite. Well, one wonders then: If such faiths are so truly evil at their core, since they mandate the sacrifice of the Self to achieve salvation; why do so many adhere to them? The reason is genetics. Not only do people appear to be very different from each other; they really are different. Just as medications are prescribed for certain ethnic groups because they are effective for them, but not for others as they might be harmful; the same is true for religion. Like drugs, the different faiths work for some and not for others. Humanity is, by its nature, religious. It needs a purpose and a goal. But that purpose and goal is very different in diverse cultures. What works for one group will not work well for another. So, one tries out one way and then yet another to see what way works best for you. Because people are so very different and so diverse in their opinions and in their outlooks on life, it's important to acknowledge this difference and not to try to convert others to one's own faith and religion. What works for you may not work for them and probably won't. The reverse is true too; what works for them may not work well for you. All of life is an experiment after all. Personal choice is the most important criterion in choosing any way of life. What may possibly be moving and trans formative for someone else might well prove to be simply dull and worthless for another because their genetic profiles remain so very different.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Upper Body Arm Applications

Fighting weight is all-important in combat as it affects your speed of response to an opponent's movements; not just in footwork, but also in arm-work. No matter what your frame or your height, do not exceed 200 lbs; as if you do, your reflexes shall be much slower. In combat, one strikes fast and quick with anything one can find, including one's mind, which is the most potent striking tool of all. You have to out-wit your enemy if you want to survive. Usually, when one fights, one will use one's shoulders, one's elbows, one's forearms, and one's hands to strike with. Very rarely are your fists utilized (we are speaking now of the type of fist that's mainly used in non-western boxing---Eastern Boxing---and not the Celtic Fist which is very different indeed); except when one is striking the insides of the arms of the opponents, in order to paralyze them. Striking surfaces of the hands are the heel of the hand and the edge of a hand, plus those three second knuckles: of the forefinger, the middle finger and of the ring finger (this is the Celtic Fist). If one is using an arm to strike, the strike is delivered from the pocket of the opposite arm. This is completely different from what one sees in Eastern arts. How to find this pocket? Well, if one tries to shrug a shoulder, and then moves one's chin in the direction of that shoulder's shrug, one shall find a small cavity inside the shoulder of the arm that is being shrugged. By using this arm pocket, any strike with the opposite arm causes a diagonal swing with that arm, while one's torso turns away from the diagonal swing; in the exact opposite direction of the swing! If the swing is to the right, the torso turns left. If the swing is to the left, the torso turns right. This comes from usages of a sword. The idea is that the torso turns away from an opponent's possible strike when delivering one's own strike; thereby, protecting the torso from possible penetration by the enemy's sword. This is a very important aspect when one strikes with the limbs of the upper body, whether that strike be delivered with one's shoulder, elbow, fore-arm, or the hand. The torso must turn away from the strike. It never turns towards any strike. In addition to granting greater protection for the torso, the strike is able to penetrate further. It's given greater reach. One flings arms away! Any time your arm is thrown out towards an opponent, and your torso doesn't twist away from your opponent; you're in much greater danger of being struck by your opponent. Now, this axiom does not imply to one's vision. Keep both eyes on an enemy at all times: Don't blink. Don't close them. Fore-arm strikes are delivered against the sides of the neck and of the head, while elbow strikes are to be delivered against the base of the skull and to the opponent's throat. The heel of the hand is used against the opponent's fore-head and his heart, while the edge of the hand is used against the opponent's spine. The Celtic three-knuckle fist is used as a slashing weapon against the sides of an opponent's body; to ribs and kidneys, and also against bladder and testicles. Remember all strikes must always be fast and quick and on target.

Lower Body Leg Applications

There are a great many fine illustrations of various martial applications shown on YouTube, but unfortunately very few of them have much to do with actual close combat. This well might be because of cultural differences. In the Western martial arts, the objective is to kill the opponent without causing serious injury to oneself while doing so. One does expect to be injured in any encounter with an enemy (that's why one avoids such encounters); but when an encounter does incur, one expects some injury. Of course, a better way to avoid injury is simply shun those who would wish to cause injury; but, unfortunately, that can not always be achieved (any person is allowed to use deadly physical force if he or she believes such force to be necessary to prevent imminent serious injury to themselves). The problem of serious injury was the original purpose for writing both my works for The Celtic Martial Arts Club, as the idea was to show how injury can be alleviated and minimized when it occurs; although I did get side-tracked because of all the questions regarding the usage of psychic powers. By the way, I've only seen psychic power used once in a confrontation. That was when my father squeezed a person's heart to stop it during an encounter. This was done at a distance (no touching). I've never seen it done by anyone else, although I do understand that there are some practitioners of other arts that can throw people without touching. That I can do myself, so it isn't that rare; but squeezing the heart to death is. The problem with most of the techniques that one sees on YouTube is the footwork; it's not shown, and it's the most important aspect of fighting. You always absolutely do have to get out of the way of your opponent's attack. When you practice techniques, practice as if your arms were bound to your sides and that they are paralyzed, so that you can't lift them, and simply practice trying to twist your torso in order to avoid any attacks, so that they'll slide pass you. You must position your body at an oblique angle to any attack; so that you could close in on your opponent, while avoiding an enemy's attack. You must never back away from an opponent. Backing away is suicide as it allows the opponent to rush in on you and utilize his full body weight to put you down. What you must try to do is close in on him or her while simultaneously avoiding his attack. Fighting is all about clever footwork. When you turn, always turn on your heels. The reason for this is that it lowers and sinks the hips. This allows you to duck under a strike to your head. When your foot is flat on the ground, the weight is then distributed between the ball of the foot and the heel of the foot. When your heel is lifted, all the weight is on the ball of the foot---never place any weight on your toes. The reason for this is that when weight is placed on the toes, your head will come forward, making an easy target for your enemy. The ball of your foot and the heel of the foot are used to attack the opponent's knee and ankle joints in fighting. They, the heel and ball of the foot, are utilized as if one were slashing with a sword. When an opponent moves in on you, slash his legs with your feet. Try aiming with the ball and the heel of your foot at the joints of the knee and ankle of your opponent's leg. The shin of your leg is used to strike against the calf muscle of your opponent's leg. Your knee is used to strike against the opponent's thigh. Your shin is used against his calf while your knee is used against his thigh; remember, shin against the calf and knee against the thigh! The idea behind all this leg work is to use your legs to buckle an opponent's legs to bring him down to the ground. This is not disparage hand and arm techniques, as one uses them in combination with the legs; but to emphasize upper body techniques can't be as effective unless your legs also are busy with side-stepping and kicking enemies; simultaneously, with your fore-arm, elbow and hand strikes. The lesson here is to use your limbs simultaneously in combinations. Don't rely on kicks. Don't rely on punches. Kick with a punch. Punch with a kick...Not: one, two, three. But: one, one, one!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Existence and Being

The experience of existing, the consciousness of it, the awareness of it, the feeling of it, the belief in it, is an entirely different thing than actually existing; its experience is unrelated to the fact of existence. Its experience might occur even without existence itself. One could believe one exists, and it is the first belief we experience (I'm me), even when one doesn't exist because one has ceased to be. Yes, even if one no longer exists! We have no proof that we are, that we exist, except by doubting that we are. That which doubts must be. One could doubt both one's own existence and the fact of there being any such state as existence, and it is in this twin doubt that our existence is born. Without doubt, no truly human existence is ever possible. Let's explain: Let's say that I'm looking at a mirror and also let's say that I'm able to project myself into my own reflection, so that I'm now looking at me looking at me in the mirror image of myself. Which "me" then exists? Well, instinctively one would say that I exist; whatever is identified as I; but, which I is it that exists? What is the identity of this I? Is it the "I" looking at my reflection? Is it that "I" in the reflection looking at the "I" looking into my reflection; or is it both? Well, yes, it's both; but it's also something else that is empowering me to do both. What's that? It's the mirror. The mirror is then the ground for my "I" existence. Only it isn't a mirror as such; it's more of an organic holograph that generates existence. So let's say this mirror, that serves as a ground for existence, is actually alive and somehow is conscious. Built into existence is the potentiality for our consciousness, which consists of a recognition of three aspects of the universe: an awareness of existence; an awareness that awareness exists; and an awareness our existence is intimately related to an awareness that awareness exists. As I tried to illustrate in my two works available for purchase on the Amazon's KINDLE: HEART-HEALING The Chariot Way and The Chariot Way The Dream of Crom, the main prime difference between Western tradition and the traditions of the Near East (Levant) and the Far East (India-China) is the total absence of a need for redemption of the Self and of the annihilation of the Self. Western tradition lacks both redemption and annihilation. One never needs to be redeemed, as there is no conception of sin as such, and one never needs dissolution of the Self, as the Self is inherently good and ought to be preserved; as with the correct proper training, the Self could neither ever be absorbed nor could it ever be diminished: The Soul grows. Grow the Soul. Eastern traditions derive from a far different perception and interpretation (it's a perception that's essentially both cyclic and static; it's an agrarian crop rotation perspective) as to what constitutes the true nature of the universe. The Western tradition (it's a perception that is essentially one of growth and of evolution; it's a livestock breeder's perspective) emphasizes directed transformation: One creates one's own Self through arduous perseverance in the performance of certain actions (and by avoiding in-action), constantly and continuously. The emphasis is on endurance in adversity. Change is the Key and Self-Reliance the Lock. Which view of Nature is correct? The Eastern or the Western? Probably neither one is. The universe is something different entirely, something very strange. This makes it all the more interesting; and even more fun, especially as a question: What's the Nature of the Universe, leads to yet another, and this is: Can we ever know the nature of the universe? Why is this a question? Because we, ourselves, are a part of the universe. So, the very act of attempting to understand the universe changes us. To know the universe is to know each and every part of it. As we're a part of it, we're changing too with our greater understanding. An attempt at trying to understand the universe is causing us to evolve, along with the universe: It's co-evolution.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Neo-Romanticism

In order to survive, one has to increase income and decrease expenditures. This is a truism that applies to states as well as to persons. The national debt of the United States is already above twelve trillion; so how to find a way to do this: increasing revenues while decreasing expenses, is very difficult. If the USA can't find some way, USA can't survive. We know this, but so what? Well, what's interesting about this truism, is that economic necessity has caused a New Age to be born. What? Well, for one thing, the America that we knew shall be gone by 2030---it can't pay its bills; broken up into individual nation states by region. That's coming. For some, this will be a shock. But for most others, an equal more immediate shock has already occurred. They lost their jobs. Bad, yes, but somehow good too. How so? Well, being without work, as so many are today, gives time for reflection. Many people have realized that what they had believed in might well be and quite possibly is the very cause for their being out of work. Financial services firms' fierce greed, fully supported by the Treasury of the United States of America, achieved firms' base opportunistic monetary objectives, causing many other firms to lose financing at a most critical time, directly resulting in the massive layoffs and firings; finally showed to many Americans the true state of the power structure's hierarchy in America. It's something that had always existed since the inception of America; but it wasn't recognized as existing as such by the average American. The United States, like most countries, is run as a plutocratic oligopoly, served by elected officials in public office. Those who have lost their jobs will find that their new jobs, if they are lucky enough to find one, will pay twenty percent less than their old jobs, while bankers in executive positions continue to get their million dollar bonuses every year. People now no longer believe in states, or in nations; nor in political parties. They feel betrayed. And rightly so: They were! People now no longer believe in organized religions. People do however believe in themselves (as they ought). However, a faith in oneself is simply insufficient for most people, as they'll rightly need ("need" being the appropriate word as belief is actually a biological necessity for humanity---since it ensures survival of the species) something beyond and transcendent of themselves to adhere to and to believe in: Something that is maybe immortal. This need has ushered in a New Age. This New Age, that has been long coming, that's beginning right now in fact, is: The Age of Neo-Romanticism. This New Age isn't at all a reversion, but is instead an amalgam and recombination of several already existing trends in technology and in political and religious thought now coming to the fore. It's not anti-scientific by any means; nor is it anti-religious; nor is it anti-business. It's more of a reconciliation of apparent differences in thought and in world-views. It combines those two systems of thought, those systems of science and religion, into a single system. Neo-Romanticism could then be classified as being a grand synthesis of science and of religion---say, of a mystical science and of pragmatic religion---culminating and ending in a nostalgic return to an idealistic transcendentalism. This is a very good trend, and it's a world-wide global trend; one that's not at all limited to any particular nation, nor limited to particular cultures, or to a special ethnic group. Wondrous things are happening in the world! Despite the despondent economy, it's really a good time to be alive! So; stay alive. Keep faith in yourself. Remember: Never give up!

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Book-Based Religions

"Learned-Helplessness" habituation is the basis for the Ibrahim book-based religions. If a person feels that he or she is unable to act without a direct intervention from an outside force, because that person is un-worthy (he or she lacks righteousness), and needs direction from a script and the official interpreters of the script in order to act; that person is unable to do anything, except to follow the given script. The god in your heart is the true god; not that god in the book. Book-based gods are false gods and book-based religions are false religions. One of the many proofs for the invalidity of all "sacred" book-related religions is the poor quality of the books themselves---that they're written so badly. Their gods can't write! If there were a deity (there isn't of course), that deity, if it were to choose some poets to inscribe and relate the deity's admonitions (and why would any deity have admonitions to begin with), it would certainly pick the world's greatest poets, the very best; and not some crazed schizophrenics who had been out in the desert sun for a bit too long. Deities have no need to write books; but men certainly do; so to control the actions of other men. Now, why does this matter? Well, let's say one of your goals in life is spirituality---a worthy goal to be sure---it can't come from the study of so-called sacred texts. That's simply a waste and an actual impediment in achieving your original worthy spiritual goal. Sacred mission achievement can come only through endurance; that's by the perseverance in the sublime task of changing and transforming your own thoughts and your own actions: first by the editing and analysis of them; and then finally, by the re-writing of the sacred text of Self.

WILLIAM O'CONNOR

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