Prediction No. 5

Long term unemployment, people out of work five months or more, shall continue to rise in the United States; although it will level off in those other industrial nations whose primary language happens to be English. This rise in long term unemployment means that those with employable skills shall be seeking employment in countries other than the United States. The population of the United States shall continue to rise, particularly amongst those residents of America who are unable to converse in standard English and who are also unemployable. So, there shall be both a net migration leaving the United States of those employable and English speaking, and also a net immigration into the United States of those who're unemployable and are non-English speaking. In twenty-five years, a majority of those persons actually living in America shall be unemployed non-English speakers.

Prediction No.4

In a quarter century, most of the smarter people will have moved out from United States and up into Canada. This shall cause a drastic diminution in the mean score for intellectual ability in the United States (the average American will be dumber) and shall further accelerate the USA's economic decline, while simultaneously raising the status of Canada amongst the nations of the world. Because of its shale-nat-gas reserves, Canada will be the major exporter of natural gas in the world; not the middle eastern countries, as they are now. Natural gas is easily converted to hydrogen gas for further conversion for usage in transportation fuel cells, and Canada will be the main source for most natural gas. Alaska will have become an independent country in 25 years.

Prediction No. 3

In twenty-five years, most energy distribution will be accomplished through hybrid technology. There never was any energy shortage problem, but there was an energy distribution problem. The specific technology that will be employed is "thermal solar nat gas." Dynegy (DYN) and FPL Group (FPL) shall be the main wholesalers of this hybrid energy source in what will remain of the former America (states shall begin petitioning Congress to separate themselves off from the late United States). Both DYN and FPL are very good buys for all those interested in investing.

Prediction No. 2

In twenty-five years, a very small percentage of humanity (one percent of one percent) will have attained the age of 115 and above, and still be vigorous physically with all their mental faculties still intact. This will be due to tremendous advances in immunology. They will be acquiring the organs of others and shall be able to do so because of their affluence. In effect, they'll be in charge. They will be able to run for political office despite their advanced ages. The only advantage of age is experience, which gives one the ability to recognize recurring patterns; but because mental faculties decline so rapidly with age, experience is never any guarantee for wisdom. Now it can be.

Prediction No. 1

The world will look entirely different in twenty-five years. There will be many more wars over religion and over ethnicity. The United States will lose those states that are not continguous and a few that are. Canada will emerge as a dominant nation. United States will become increasingly poorer and far less influential. States will be petitioning for separation from the USA. Poverty shall be the norm there.

Official GMail Account Address for this BLOG

Now that The Chariot Way The Dream of Crom has finally been published on KINDLE, as an Q&A addendum to HEART-HEALING The Chariot Way, I believe I've finally answered all of the questions that were asked. Now is the time to allow others to also give their comments and their criticisms to either the topics raised in those two books or to all the topics raised in this BLOG itself. If you might wish to comment directly on the BLOG, let me know and I'll add your account so you can do so. I don't mind criticism. In fact, I kind of like conflict and controversy very much, as should be pretty obvious if you've read either of the two books (hopefully both), or have read the BLOG itself, which is also available on KINDLE and on Apple's iPhone. I could also add as many more topics as people might wish. HEART-HEALING The Chariot Way blog's GMail account address is as follows: oconnor.rothcroi.william@gmail.com So, please write to me there. I'll keep that email address just for this BLOG. Be well to do well. Thanks. Bill O'Connor

Rights and Responsibilities

One of the more common questions one gets, when people find out what one's religion really is, is an obvious one regarding ethics: what are the rights and responsibilities men have to each other, how well to treat one another; in short, how best to get along in an increasingly diverse, complex society. So, let's be clear here: no one has the right to be ignorant. I don't. You don't. Yes, many are indeed ignorant, and we are all of us ignorant about many things; but none have any rights to ignorance. No one has an inalienable right to be dumb. Liberty does not encompass stupidity. If someone expresses an ignorant opinion or vehemently adheres to an ignorant belief (usually it's the same person), that opinion and that belief shouldn't be respected. Ever! Because the person expressing the belief is human and therefore quite vulnerable; one ought to be civil and polite to the person, but most certainly that person's opinion and belief don't deserve this same courtesy. People should always be tolerated, yes, even the dumb ones, but stupidity is stupidity after all; so their dumb expressions need never be; and frankly, they ought not to be. The golden rule of treating others as we would wish to be treated ourselves is indeed a good one, but it applies only to persons; and not to those persons' opinions. Be discrete, yes, but do disagree. No one need ever have to put up with nonsense, nor should ever be forced to be polite whenever within its presence. Silence fosters the spread of stupidity. Speak up!

Beware the Zombies!

Beware the Zombies! Hopefully, all these posts (and there's a hundred of them) have helped someone somewhere at sometime. None of these posts are there for you to agree with them. They are all there to make you think about certain topics. You should be forming your own opinions and arriving at your own solutions. These posts are intended as spurs to thought. Remember: Without your own, independently wrought, thought-out opinions; you'll be just another zombie...so don't be one. Make your own.

The Duty of the Druid

Humanity, which is now but a single species, is splitting into two. This split is both profound and psychic and shall result in much future conflict. Roughly speaking, it will result in two separate sub-species of humanity: the creative and those who can't be creative. Creativity employs a strong psychic element. One has to be able to step outside of space and time. One can do this easily because space and time are constructs. They are illusions. Men made them up. But most people are unable to recognize the fact of the illusion since they've trapped themselves inside it. We who can step outside do have a duty to the others who have an latent ability to step outside. To the rest of humanity, to that vast remainder of humanity, we have no such obligation. The Druid future shall stay with the creative. All those others have their own clerics to assist and to protect them. They lack even the knowledge of our existence. Druids should remain the clerics and counselors for the creative. That's our duty; we serve genius and we serve ourselves alone.

The Future and Our Place in IT

As has often been pointed out, most people manage to waste their lives. Since their life is really all they can truly own, life's lost for them. They have stole it from themselves. Far better to spend one's life doing something one loves; as, at least in this way, even if one remains permanently impoverished, one can be happy and have a real chance to do something that's well worthwhile. So, what do we Druids do in today's world, where the clan system is no longer a factor in deciding one's position in life? One can no longer be counselor for the clan. Well, one can. But one has to create the clan one counsels, which means one has to identify those people with whom one shares common interests and then be of some service in some way to this elite group. Well, how to do this then? What common interests do we share with others? Well, there is one: Through our creativity obviously. Creative people shall always identify with other creative people. We Druids, by definition, are creative people. We'll identify with other creative people (whether they'll be fellow Druids or not). This then shall be our new mission: To serve as counselors for the creative for they now constitute our clan.

Dismissing false Experts

One of the problems one has in life is dealing with people who know nothing whatsoever about the subject they are most aggressive in discussing; in particular, those people who supposedly occupy positions of authority and have academic credentials in their fields of alleged expertise. The others one can safely ignore, but "experts" usually have to be responded to in some polite manner. People who have true knowledge have wide knowledge. This is because they are all naturally curious, and also have an ability to associate many diverse ideas and facts into a coherent structure. As we say, in martial arts terminology: they have "strong foundation" (in the arts, the saying is that a boxer's legs go first, meaning that they are no longer able to step, slip and slide, side to side, quickly in the ring); so, for any scholar, the same truth shall apply---knowledge is based, literally, on deep, strong roots that have multiple sources of nourishment. The trick then in dealing with these false, faux scholars is to divert them onto another detour to see if their knowledge is broadly based: talk to a carpenter about plumbing and a writer about mathematics, or a physicist about biology. If they lack knowledge in another field somewhat related to their own field; they shall then lack a deep knowledge in their own field. It's an easy and non-threatening way to deal with "experts." One then can safely dismiss their false opinion.

Bare-Knuckle-Boxing

One of the questions asked in the recent survey taken of readers is: Why do you people spend so much time studying martial arts? Well, the short answer is: It's fun. The long answer is that we each feel we are morally obligated to protect our own persons and those persons whom we're responsible for, emotionally; and, also, martial training is necessary for character development. Which martial system one studies is dependent upon one's age, gender, physique and skill level; as just as not every religion is right for everyone else (and for some, no religion is right), martial systems are all designed as they are, in order to meet expressed needs of very specific groups. One has to find what is the right one for oneself. But there is an even broader question and that is: What impels us to study any martial art? Self-survival is the straightforward answer. We believe that the inclination to violence is a genetic trait. Note that the word is "inclination" and it means the inclination could be controlled within some beneficial environment. However, in the United States, for instance; a million and a half children, at an early adolescent age, have one or more parents currently incarcerated and are now being brought up by close relatives, usually a grandmother. These children have exhibited very violent and destructive behaviors. The fact that a parent is in prison for violent behavior is an indicator that the parent's children will exhibit similar traits. These adolescents have already left the public school systems prior to the end of the ninth grade, usually by their fourteenth birthdays. By any standard, these are unemployable persons who won't be able to learn a trade or a skill. So, their only means of earning a living is by illegitimate methods; mainly by aggravated assaults upon others. It is because of these persons we should feel a moral obligation to study and to learn martial art systems: We want to survive.

Companions on the Road

Reality has many paths. It doesn't run in a straight line from event to event in a linear sequence. It detours and it turns back onto itself. Some detours run to dead ends. It might seem that the path is heading in the right direction; but it turns out to end abruptly, without warning. The problem isn't so much in avoiding taking detours; everyone takes some during life, but to be able to recognize that one is upon a detour and not the true path early...before the path has run out. One sure way to know one is on a dead-end detour is by noticing who else is on that same path. If people taking the path are people one dislikes and doesn't admire, the path is a dead-ended detour. Companions upon any pathway are sure giveaways as to whether the path is one that is heading in the right direction. If people on any path are ones not deserving of respect; get off the path immediately; turn around; take another way. Choice of companions is the same as the choice for a path; the better take the better paths and the worse take the worse. Take the best.

Energy and Existence

Energy is a big topic. There's a misunderstanding that energy has something to do with strength and it doesn't. This is not to put down strength. It's just that energy is different. Energy comes out of Nothingness, an absolute Void. How to describe this then? Existence is energy: just to be. So when we talk of energy, we are speaking about being; an ability to be in existence. This is an ability, but not a right. No thing has the right to existence but every thing has an ability to exist. What makes a thing, a thing; is this ability, this potential, for existence. Now, one would say: is there not some neutrality; a thing exists simply because it exists? Yes, that's true. A thing does exist because it exists; but it exists because it is contained within a potential for its existence. If it lacked the potential for existence, it wouldn't exist. What gives it this potential? Energy. We can describe energy then as a potential for existence and the ability to continue with its potential so that it doesn't disappear from existence. So, energy has two parts: a potential for existence, and an ability to continue in existence. There's a third part: an ability to cause its own potential. It's this third part that we shall be discussing in future posts: how does one create this potential?

Morphology and State Survivability

Luckily the survival of the state has nothing whatsoever to do with the survival of the person; or else, we would all be in big trouble. The United States has twenty-five years left to exist. What one sees in the state of California now (issuance of IOU warrants as the state lacks currency to pay its debts) will be happening to US nation in a quarter century. It means failure of America. Many commentators have spoken on this; mainly to the point that once the fiscal deficit exceeds the GDP of any state, the interest payments on the debt of the state cannot be satisfied, even if all the income in the state were to be taxed at an exorbitant hundred percent rate. This is true because taxes are always a burden upon commerce so when one's in a global economy, successful companies simply move all of their operations over to any nation that has a lower tax burden. It is certainly a good reason for failure. However, although it's certainly accurate; this is not at all the real reason for America's coming failure. The reason is far more obvious, though most wish to hide it. The real reason is this: in USA, the worse people have the most offspring, and it's as simple as that. Look around you. Instead of the tall, the thin, the strong, having offspring; who now is having children? Yes, it's the short, the squat, the fat; and their children resemble their parents. These children are the next US generation and their offspring will be predominant in America in the next quarter century. The USA won't be able to survive because of its citizens.

Hollyhocks and Holiness

In the Levant, on the Eastern Mediterranean, it was a tradition amongst the Neanderthals (those who were called ''others" by Atlantic Celts) to bury the most prominent people with hollyhocks and ochre, with flowers and with the same color as those flowers. Few realize today that when they'll attend funerals, they are actually observing a Neanderthal ritual, far older than humanity. But only the prominent were so buried. One of the more pernicious myths that humanity has are the false concepts of equality and democracy. By nature, men are naturally aristocratic, continuing in a very long hominid tradition. Better men have always been treated in better ways, even in and by their burials. The problem is: what constitutes the better? Hominid tradition (humans are only a couple of hundred thousand years old after all) is that; what constitutes the better is holiness. That's it. The idea that men are equal is absurd. They are not. They never have been. They never shall be. The idea that men are created is absurd. They are not. They are born of their mothers who were impregnated by their fathers, even if it's a test tube that's their womb. Now men do create their character, and it's how men are honored and it's how men ought to be honored; that is, by their character alone: such is real equality and democracy.

Zombie Nation

One of the problems that one constantly encounters is false knowledge and the claimants to false knowledge. Knowing is very important just in itself. If one doesn't know, it's very easy to be fooled and one then is forever at the mercy of fools. That's never a good place to be. Many people lack knowledge of anything that is outside of the small expertise they might have in the field in which they are making their immediate living. Some even lack that. A lot lack that. Some people have wide knowledge in many fields. If one isn't curious, one is a zombie. Beware of zombies. America is a zombie nation. Almost any problem can be solved if one has sufficient knowledge of all the facts, but many facts that are necessary to the solution are not the obvious ones. They usually aren't. That's why it is so necessary to have a very wide range of expertise and knowledge. All knowledge, no matter how arcane, is going to be useful; as some fact, that's seemingly irrelevant, can be brought in from far afield in order to solve some problem. That's what facts are for: to solve problems. Don't be a zombie. Learn.

State Survivability vs. Personal Survival

One of the questions that everyone must face eventually is whether or not personal survivability is dependent upon a state's survivability. It's not. If one looks at any old map of the world, one can see the nations of the world have changed dramatically over the last century, yet people who inhabited and were citizens of those long-gone, vanished nations have survived and thrived. It's in any state's interest to convince the habitants of the state that their survival depends upon the state surviving. We know that it doesn't nor shall it ever. All states are controlled by plutocratic oligarchies and those oligarchies wish to keep their affluence and position (which maintains their affluence). This is understandable. But if one is not a member of the state's oligarchy (and most can't be, that is why it's an oligarchy); the fate of any state has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the fate of an individual: they're completely separate and not dependent upon the other.

The Origin of Sin

The two main psychic diseases are schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder and both are immune response diseases triggered by the hormonal environmental changes taking place in adolescence. Both diseases are chemical ones caused by genetic triggers responding to the person's internal environment. Both of the diseases are directly related and both fall on the same spectrum of cognitive malfunction. All the founders of religions suffered from these diseases to some extant, and in the case of the Abrahamic religions; they suffered profoundly. These psychic diseases cause an inability to differentiate between the external and the internal. External events that are not even remotely connected with the perceiver of the events, are attributable to actions either taken or not taken, by the perceiver of the events. This then is the origin of the concept of sin: false attribution between internal and external caused by a genetic chemical imbalance that results in the profound psychic malfunction of perception...sin doesn't exist but bad people do. The actions of any person, whether they be good or bad, stem from the person's character and every person is solely responsible for creating their own character.

Predictions and Markets

Investing deals with prediction and some people are far better predictors than are others. They are able to see patterns and trends before others do. These people are very valuable to any culture; and in fact, they are the most valuable people in the culture, as the culture depends upon them for its survival. The problem is that they are very rarely listened to at the time that they make the prediction. Why is that? Because predictions are opinions and everyone values his or her opinion above the opinions of all others and if an opinion is contradictory to a belief, especially if that belief is so ingrained that it has never been challenged before, the prediction, no matter how perceptive, will be ridiculed. In practical matters, it is fairly easy, for instance, to predict trends in stocks and securities in financial markets; but because the predictions won't be listened to, it's best to keep the prediction to oneself and to act upon it immediately by oneself; rather than in trying to make the prediction public where it would not be listened to anyway.

Evolution and Devolution

Evolution isn't moral in the sense that it's negative or positive. Human evolution does reflect cultural values as the more attractive mates are those which more closely align themselves with a culture's ideal, but the culture itself may be one another culture deems immoral. However, all cultures idealize intelligence, psychic abilities and longevity. The reason that they do is because these three are absolutely necessary for the survival of the culture, any culture. Some cultures might prize one aspect more than the others, but all three are prized. In contrast to this is devolution, where other values might be prized...values regarding reproductive abilities and aggressiveness. Sexually aggressive and physically aggressive persons do have a distinct selective advantage in some societies because their rate of reproduction is much higher; they'll have more offspring. So these are two tendencies that travel in opposite directions---one where aggressiveness is more prized and one where intelligence is more prized. And, of course, one could be both aggressive and intelligent, and that's a third direction evolution could take and now does.

Sacred Texts and Interpretation

One of the problems with the Abrahamic faiths is who has been given the right of interpretation of the sacred texts of those religions. Most religious systems have such texts (the Old Belief doesn't). Usually, the interpretation of texts is left to clerics, those who have accreditation by their faith's educational system in interpreting the faith's texts. The texts themselves were defined as being sacred because they are considered divinely inspired and dictated by divine emmissaries, angels and prophets and deities. When one reads the texts, they seem nonsensical and contradictory; and that's because they actually are. However, if the texts are read instead in an allegorical manner and are interpreted as allegories, some parts of the texts do make some sense. We know there are no such entities as gods or angels; but there were men who wrote the texts and men who are interpreting them, and sometimes those men actually know what they're speaking of; not often, true, but sometimes. Interpretation is reflective of the person who does the interpretation. A good person interprets wisely in a life affirming manner, and a bad person shall interpret the texts as mandating violence and conflict. Texts themselves can't change, as they are fixed; but interpretations could change radically, depending upon who is interpreting.

Science and Religion

Science is about obtaining a more accurate description of reality, while religion is about actually living in reality; so the two can't contradict each other. Science isn't a religion, as description is not existence. One should help the other. A religious person would make for a better scientist and the more science one knows, the more religious one should be. Any religion that rejects the findings of science is simply a bad religion and any scientist that rejects religion is a bad scientist. Of course, the findings of science can be wrong---anything that can't be subjected to empirical review is not science; it's simply opinion, and a scientist's opinion is only that: an opinion and not anything more. Religions can be judged by their veracity: a religion that mandates and demands unquestioned obedience from its adherents is obviously false, as it means the religion is afraid of the truth, and being afraid of the truth means only one thing: that it, itself, has to be untruthful.

Physical Immortality

Psychic immortality is proven by our experience: we've all met ghosts whether we wanted to or not and most of them have proven to be our other selves; but what about physical immortality?
Well, it's possible; but not probable. IPS are induced pluripotent stem cells taken from the skin of a patient, treated with genes and proteins to reprogram them into other kinds of cells (this makes them pluripotent), and injected back into the patient. At most, humans live to 115, but any at that age are both decrepit and incoherent---both. It is possible, with IPS treatments, for people to regenerate dying organs and tissues, as this has already been done successfully. The problem is the expense. IPS injections are prohibitively expensive and only for the very rich. However, the cost of the injections will decrease. For instance, in New York State, $600 million is being spent by New York State Stem Cell Foundation mainly through SUNY for IPS research. What this research means is that, eventually, immortality may be possible, if not probable; but longevity will be for the rich at the beginning and not for everyone. As IPS research grows, and its advantage is that injections are not rejected by the patient's immune system, availability of IPS will grow and people will be living much longer lives and perhaps, even lives of immortality.

Diplomacy and Reality

One of the problems with a country like North Korea is that it has been engaged in a civil war with South Korea for fifty years (an armistace was signed in 1953), and technically both these nations are still at war. South Korea is clearly capable of defeating North Korea anytime that it so wants and to end the war. But it does not wish to do so; because, by so doing, it would end a potential threat to Japan and South Korea regards Japan as an enemy because of its occupation. Much as the problems in the Middle East should stay solely amongst the nations in the Middle East, problems on the Korean Peninsula are problems for the nations situated on that peninsula.

Real Religion

Religions are created by men for men. The purpose of religion is mainly a conservative one: to preserve the professed values of a particular culture through the mechanism of both a belief and practice system. Sometimes those values are actually worth preserving: compassion, charity and civility, for instance. The world certainly needs more of those three. But some values don't deserve preservation, like submission and subservience to authority. Real religion, as opposed to the fake faux kind, deals with transcendent transformation, going from one state of existence to a far better state, through the daily practicing of an intense spiritual discipline. The disciplines differ in different religions, but this same goal is desired to be attained: transformation. If the religion is a real religion, one ought not to be at all that same dull dumb person as one was before one entered upon practice of the religion's spiritual discipline. One changes. If there's no change, seek out another discipline, as the test of religion's virtue is in its ability to transform adherents.

Origin of Religion

Religions originate through the actions of inspired schizophrenics. Some person, always acting as an outsider to his or her tribe because of some difference, physical and psychological, conceives himself or herself as a transmitter of some transcending truth and tries to convey that truth to the tribe. Because the tribe knows the person and that the person is peculiar, the tribe rejects the person and his or her truth. In most cases, because the person is truly insane, that's the end of the story. However, some persons, because they are so charismatic, are able to convince some other tribe, not as familiar with the strange peculiarity of the person, to buy into his or her truth. All religions start this same way with one inspired person. The question then is: what makes for inspiration? The answer is: that person's peculiarity. Not being accepted by the tribe causes the person to seek for approbation from within their own psyche, rather than from approval by the tribe (which wasn't forthcoming anyway).

Myths and Origins: The Red and the White

In my latest work, I included a short poem: The Dream of Crom, which is a Druid cosmology. I thought it might be of interest for all those who may be unfamiliar with our traditions. I'm now working on a rather long poem: The Red and the White, which describes the origins of man from the Druid perspective. Of course, this is only our mythology and it's not at all intended as a scientific treatise; any more, for instance, than the cosmology is, but I think it is instructive of a certain way of thinking. It's how we've long perceived how origins came about, and it includes a famous love story from my family's history. Luckily, I'm a good poet; so its verse isn't as insipid as most contemporary poetry. All Druids think and dream in poetry. It's just how we're made.

Psychic Power and the Trap of Time

If we look at time, not as a sequence of events, but as separate distinct moments, all of which are existing simultaneously, like pixels in a picture on a smart-phone that could be rotated this way and that with swipes of a finger; we can approximate how time is maneuvered and manipulated. The mind is that finger. The thing is this: the mind can be moved. The mind is not imprisoned within the skull, but centered in it. The mind can extend outside the skull. There are methods of meditation to allow for this extension to take place. Every culture has such methods, and has developed formal training disciplines to accomplish extension of the mind outside the head. Just as you can access blogs on a web, provided you know their respective addresses, these isolated moments in time can be accessed if you can locate their respective locations. Even further, just as you can rotate the picture on the smart-phone, all those isolated moments in time can also be rotated, changed and modified from their separated locations. They can be moved, just as your mind can be moved. This does not mean they can be deleted. They cannot be extinguished, but they could be edited so each moment is placed into a different sequence. They can be positioned differently so that the sequence of events is no longer linear. They'll become part of a hologram.

Pragmatic Idealism

It's common to preface any observation of strange behavior or hearing of a statement of belief with a brief comment: whatever works, works, and I usually do so myself to avoid controversy. One does so for several reasons, the chief of which is this: Never argue with ignorance. The fact is that many people, when discussing some topic that doesn't directly affect how they make their living, hold completely inane opinions about almost everything. But if one were to attempt to try to correct their arguments with facts, they will be offended and would become even more adamant in their absurd opinions---one has accomplished absolutely nothing by arguing. So, don't. Consider their complete statements and arguments in silence and nod your head and give some non-committal reply to their arguments. After all, it just might be that one's own facts and assumptions were incorrect. And it never is worth the losing of a friend over some little foolish disagreement. When dealing with strangers, it's quite different. Although all have the absolute right to express opinions in public; none have an absolute right to be heard, nor do they possess a right in any fashion to a response to what they say. So those fools then can simply be ignored.

Thinking with the Third Eye

One thing that all Druids have is a lot of ideas, answers and solutions; not all of which make much sense but we do have a lot. It sort of sets us apart from others (that and our psychic ability---we actually see, feel, smell, taste and hear the lines of energy in the universe). So, how do we do it? Easy! It has to deal with triple vision. The eyes are binocular and are designed to focus at some point in the distance, probably a tree limb, from which we swung when we were hominids. The way to get lots of ideas (the quality of any idea is dependent upon the character of its creator), is to focus the sight of the two eyes in such a way that vision is no longer binocular---one eye looks at the inside of the head while the other looks at the outside of the head, and to vary which eye is doing the inward focus and which does the outward focus. This process of looking inwards, and of also looking outwards, simultaneously, is what makes the "third eye" in the center of a forehead. From a purely neurological perspective, what the brain does is shift from alpha wave production which accompanies binocular focused vision to a gamma wave production, of out-of-focus vision. It's an old trick known to every meditative man. Once gamma wave production begins, that will accompany an inner vision, ideas flow very easily. Whether ideas are good ones depends on who has them. This has to deal with character. Character comes from heredity: Have good parents!

Value Addded Tax (VAT)

One proposed solution to America's fiscal deficit problems (they're many---there may be failure of imagination---but never of answers) is imposition of thirty-percent value added consumption tax (VAT), with a repeal of all other federal taxes---income, employment and estate. How VAT works (most countries already have VAT taxes) is: a flat excise tax is imposed at each stage of production, rather than at the final retail distribution, as is done with sales tax. Because VAT is consumption tax, rather than an income tax, it keeps inflation low and discourages credit debt accumulation. Some items, such as housing, medical care, education and groceries, are normally excluded from VAT taxation. It's also a simple tax to administer and to audit, because of its flat rates of taxation. VAT taxation encourages greater efficiencies in production of goods and from a conservative viewpoint, VAT is a far better tax structure, provided the income tax structure and employment tax structure are repealed: the worse things any state may wish to penalize within its economy are the production of income and greater employment, which the imposition of both income and employment taxes certainly does. If a state must tax, a VAT is the better way to go.

Relativity and Creativity

Creativity is misunderstood because the creative rarely speak about it as they are far too busy actually doing than conversing. The non-creative often speak about persistence and fortitude, but that has nothing whatsoever to do with creativity itself; rather these both have to do with success. The successful have persistence and fortitude; the creative have inspiration. Now, how does this inspiration come about---by an ability to see relationships in dichotomies. The merely talented expect reality to be logical and reasonable. It never is and it can never be so. Reality is reality. There are no laws, either natural or otherwise. They're descriptions only and the more accurate of these descriptions can be termed as science, because they're far more probable and possible; but there shall always be exceptions even to the most accurate of descriptions. Science is not science because it is true. What makes science something that can be relied upon in most instances is that it has descriptive consistency. The creative are able to perceive relationships in differences. Something contradicts something else. Rather than discarding one alternative for the other, a creative person accepts a contradiction and finds within contradiction: relationship.

Talent and Creativity

Almost everyone has talents (some don't because of brain damage and that some is increasing because of methamphetamine), but very few are actually creative. Most talented people are good critics but bad creators. Why this is so is because of evolutionary function. Criticism is the necessary adjunct to conservatism and conservatism is absolutely necessary for the continuance and preservation of culture. Creators don't build museums, but critics do so; because critics are concerned with preservation of past. No creative person is concerned with preserving anything; because creators, by their natures, rebel and they rebel against everything, particularly the past (including their personal pasts---that's why they constantly reinvent their own pasts). Critical and creative functions are both necessary, but they'll never congregate together. The creative despise critics, although they recognize their cultural function in society. Opportunities for the creative are thwarted often by critics and creative people know this, and this is why they'll try their best to avoid the critics. Judgments of others and ourselves only deters the production of new work. If one wishes to be creative, don't criticise; and in particular, don't criticize yourself. Find what you love to do and do it. Find your happiness in your own work and your own effort.

Martial and Mental Training

Martial Training has always been an integral part of mental training and encouraging psychic abilities. Although few have true psychic ability (most claimants to ability are either delusional and schizophrenic or simply outright frauds), everyone has a mind and it can be trained. Public educational systems are designed to benefit the state by inculcating its citizenship values, and so have very little to do with actually training the child's mind. This is why the affluent will pay for their children to go to private institutions and not to public ones. All private schools place a great deal of attention upon physical education as an an elite is superior to others not just because they may have social skills and intellectual skills others might not possess but because physically they are superior. The affluent live longer and are healthier than the poor. This is no accident. In all countries, the elites received martial training from a very early age in boxing, wrestling and the usage of the sword. Boxing, wrestling and sword-play require immense mental skills, as well as immense physical skill. Unfortunately, the common view of martial training has been corrupted from viewing films and mixed-martial-arts events. All of these have very little to do with actual martial training. There's no such thing as submission or tapping-out in real combat; there's just death and maiming. Martial training deals with the preservation of the warrior's life in combat.

Origins and Mythologies

Belief systems, faiths and religions, originate in the minds of men. They are not handed down by gods or angels. This does not make the belief systems less valid. Just because men are creators is no proof that creation originated with a Creator. One thing is sure though and that is the kind of deities created by men is a deep reflection upon the character of the men creating them. Men make gods and not the other way around but the gods that men make are true subtle mirrors of those men who made them. Jealous gods are made by jealous men and fearful gods are made by fearful men. God is made in image of Man and Man can be measured by the worth of this image.

Energy and Power

Energy and Power are synonymous in Druid terminology, and are not separate as in many other systems of mysticism. There are no there or here, no masculine and feminine, no white and black, no before-life and no after-life. There is only the IS, which could possibly be best defined as the state of existence, of being; although it's far better described as a potential for transience, of becoming, of evolving. To add a little clarity, we could then say that the state of existence is actually a state of change. If a thing cannot change, that thing is dead and that includes us. We change so that we might continue to be in existence. Once we can't change, that's it: we are no longer in existence. We are dead.

The Secular and the Sacred

Becoming involved in any conflict between Allah and Jehovah is not a wise policy. There is much pressure being exerted for the western democracies to get involved in the domestic politics of Middle Eastern countries, in particular the conflict between Iran and Israel. Both nations have evolved from their secular origins into semi-theocratic states because the more orthodox portions of their populations have reproduced at much higher rates than the more liberal portions and have greater say in the politics of their respective countries. The religious systems of both states stem from a single common source in Zoroastrianism, which pits humanity as being in eternal enmity between those forces aligned with the light and the dark. This is nonsense of course, but it worked for thousands of years to bring unity to tribes within their respective cultures and it eventually evolved into Islam and Judaism. What one has in Middle East culture are class conflicts, that are essentially secular in nature, under the guise of sacred wars. A ridiculous situation to be sure, but it's one that involves the whole world because of its dependence on petrol sources. Best to simply stay out and avoid such conflicts, as there can never be a winner in a war over religion. Particularly important, is for the United States and Great Britain not to allow their armed forces to be used as mercenaries to serve the interests of nations in the Middle East; as they have already done in Iraq and Afghanistan, to the economic ruin of western democracies.

National Socialism

When any government owns major manufacturing and financial services industries, through its control of companies' common stock, national socialism is introduced into the economy. Whether or not socialism works depends upon the abilities of those in charge. If those in charge were the very same ones who previously failed at regulating and in ensuring accounting accuracy in those industries, it should not be beyond our predictive abilities to assume any failed regulator would also have to be a failed manager. It is unlikely that any company run by any government could prosper or would even survive. Simply because of known government ownership, the shares of stock in controlled companies would have to drop in value, as the public will no longer have any incentive to invest in the government controlled entities. In short, national socialism can't work.

Selling the USA

The United States has had to issue three and a quarter trillion in additional treasury obligations in the current fiscal year and will be issuing the same amount of new debt in the next fiscal year. Naturally, that debt pays interest, or no one would be buying it. Russia, Brazil and China have notified the Treasury that they are now diversifying, which is a polite way of stating they don't wish to purchase many more debt obligations of the United States. US domestic purchasers, the citizens of the United States, are unable to purchase debt as they are leveraged out. Americans already owe more than one third of what they can make: the ratio of personal debt to personal disposable income for an average American is one-hundred-and-thirty-three percent of income. The average American is broke; so he or she shall not be purchasing any US government bonds. A government has two ways to secure the income necessary to continue its day-to-day duties: it can sell its debt and it can collect taxes. Of course, in order to collect tax, there must exist some income from which collection can come and there isn't. If the main buyers of government debt decide not to buy any more (Russia, Brazil and China); that source of income is also lost. There is always a third way to secure income of course: Sale of public assets, like land and rights that can be readily disposed. This appears to be the only viable option remaining to the government.

Carbon Taxation and Rationing

Carbon taxation and lessening emissions through cap and trade rationing cannot work to reduce pollution, because taxation and rationing decrease economic activity, and a decrease in economic activity actually increases pollution---it has an adverse affect. The poorer the society, the more polluted it shall be. Although there is much talk of climate change (climates always change...it is why they're called climates), climate change is but a single symptom of an underlying problem of pollution: pollution of air, soil and water. Pollution has to be prohibited to be reduced and harsh penalties imposed upon polluters. If some global carbon tax were implemented and imposed; for each year the tax were to be in effect, global economic consumption would be reduced a percent.
There never was an energy shortage. There never will be an energy shortage. And in a hundred years, laser-fusion shall become practical and economically efficient. The real problem is one of distribution---the smart grid problem, and there's many entities working to solve the problem. If governments desire to reduce pollution and they do, the efficient economic way to do so is to fund those projects that employ the best and quickest methods, and to fine and to jail polluters.

Extremist Activity

There seems to be great concern today about a possible return of extremist activity by persons who commit unprovoked violence upon others solely due to their ethnic origins. Obviously there is nothing new about such activity. Ethnic cleansing is an ancient hominid activity which has long preceded the advent of human evolution. Chimpanzees practice it. But why does it exist? The short answer is: sex. By preventing other males from having access to females within a group's territory, the group ensures its survival as a group. War is good example of this group survival. So too is gang activity. In war, an army is the gang...better trained, better armed; but it's still a gang. When societies speak of extremist activities, they are usually referring to members of one group attacking other members of the same group; say Americans of one ethnic origin attacking other Americans of a different ethnic origin: a tribe within a tribe attacking another tribe within that same tribe. Since tribes were originally formed as extensions of families, family cohesion is broken when one member of a tribe attacks another member of the same tribe. So why do these events occur; if such events cause a lack of cohesion within the group? Extremist acts occur as a result of peer group pressure to conform to the sub-group's standards of worth. Cohesion, all by itself, causes extremism because humanity is programmed to be loyal only to an extended family of individuals: two hundred or less, that can be recognized (the original tribal clan family). When the group becomes larger than this recognizable two hundred, sub-groups shall form and loyalty is then shifted to a sub-group and away from the greater group, of which a sub-group forms just a small part. What happens in extremist cases; is this sub-group doesn't actually exist. It is an idealized sub-group, a fantasy, a phantom. The extremist strives to become a loyal member of a psychic sub-group that can't actually exist: the martyrs, the rebels, the true believers. And to secure membership in a non-existent sub-group, an extremist must prove worthiness: He kills.

No Escape for USA

Some people have asked for comments on the financial crisis. Well, I've audited and worked for most of the banks involved; so here goes: Simply put, the government doesn't know what it's doing. Neither do the banks, of course. Not that I know what I'm doing either: but no one is dependent upon me---luckily for them. Let's take a small example: the US Treasury set up the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) because banks were undercapitalized and illiquid. The idea behind TARP was for Treasury to acquire bank's bad assets: loans; hence the name TARP. Of course, it didn't do that; instead the Treasury purchased bank preferred stock, convertible to common with warrants to purchase more bank common stock. As soon as Treasury placed some restrictions on executive compensation, the more solvent banks (J.P. Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and others) decided to repay immediately monies received from Treasury, plus interest. The government, being the government, announced success---TARP succeeded! The other less solvent banks will convert the government's preferred stock to bank common stock, making the government the largest shareholder. Of course, if they couldn't repay the TARP funds taken, it would mean that any non-repayer was practically insolvent so their common stock is worthless. But let's look at the institutions who do repay because their executives want their bonuses. The reason that government got involved is clear; if government didn't get involved, and as USA is a credit economy lead by financial institutions, government must fall along with all its banks. The reason government got involved was and is: its own self-survival. Reasonable enough. But the early repayment of funds actually worsens the situation. Everyone now knows which banks are truly insolvent: those that could not repay the TARP funds. Those that did, did so; so that they wouldn't be subject to compensation restriction: multi-million dollar bonus will live on. Nothing has changed. Systemic failures shall still occur because all those bad assets have not gone away.

Democracy and Theocracy

All democracies are theocracies, although they'll fail to admit it. Let's take, as an example, one state from each supposedly adverse national system and then compare them: Iran and USA.
Iran has many political parties and all those political parties are Islamic and it has elections. The USA has only two political parties that have any clout at a national level and it has elections too, and any candidates for national election are expected to be excellent fund raisers, or else they will not be nominated by their respective parties; presidential elections in US cost over a billion.
Power in both countries resides in the hands of plutocratic oligopolies as it does in all countries. The big difference between Iran and USA is that one country, Iran, requires a specific religious affiliation (to Islam in its case and specifically Islam's Shia version) and the other country, USA, in its Constitution, specifically prohibits a religious affiliation or lack of affiliation as requirement for public office. Big difference one would say. But, not so. What is required for holding public office in the USA is a swearing by an allegiance to and defence of, its USA's Constitution. In Iran, a same swearing of an allegiance to and a defence of, is required; but in it's case it's to Ar Qur'an.
Differences in interpretations of both documents, Constitution and Koran, are decided by black- robed panels, judges and clerics, and judgments can be appealed to higher levels of black-robed. So where is the difference? After all, in Iran, you don't have to spend your billion to be elected! The difference is this: The Constitution can be amended and The Koran can't. USA can change.

The Quest for the True Self

The difficulty in determining one's real identity (in the sense of giving birth to one's True Self) is that identity is tied to one's relative position in time and, as we know, time is an illusion. At first, then, it seems impossible to ascertain what one truly is; since our image of ourselves has to be an illusion if it can only be ascertained through yet another illusion (in this case, our relative position in time). So, let's ponder our problem: we're trying to determine our real identity, what we truly are. We cannot determine real identity, because it can only be ascertained relative to a position in time; in present time, NOW; but time is an illusion, so we're unable to position our self. Step back and away from the problem. What are we trying to do? Find our True Self. And why are we trying to do that? Because the self we think we know seems somehow false to us. We don't think who we're now is who we really are. Why? Because we think our self to be somehow better than this self that we now know. We believe our True Self lost, as it has become hidden from us. But what if identity itself is an illusion? Identity deals with distinction from other identities. We are different, yes. But what is it we think we differ from? From others. People. Things. Ideas. Ideas? Yes, ideas: Beliefs. Concepts. But what if Self itself is an Idea? That's our true identity.

Digital Future

One of the problems any writer or any artist faces is in what format should his or her creations be composed? One feels compelled to create and actually feels physically sick when not creating (I do anyway), so what format is best for creation? Since creation is communication with other persons sharing similar interests, one needs to find the common medium where one's work could best be shared. Clearly, today, that medium is digital. People like myself are drawn to digital media and it's why my work is in electronic format; as, after all, I'm writing for people like me.

State Survivability

Depending upon the size of its annual GDP, states cannot survive once their annual fiscal deficits exceed its GDP.  The reason for this, is that the interest payable upon its treasury obligations becomes so high its tax revenues can no longer sustain interest payments that are due, and because the revenues are less, taxes are raised to pay for interest payments, and those taxes serve to further reduce the GDP of the state---those that are so taxed moved to states with lower tax rates, and since these are the persons and entities contributing to the state's GDP, state GDP falls upon the loss of their contribution.  So, at the same time that more state revenue is needed to pay for interest on debt, three simultaneous events all happen:  interest rates on the state's debt rise because the state's credit rating has to fall; state's GDP decreases because those entities producing state GDP have moved on to other states; state fisc decreases because the entities contributing revenues via taxes are no longer doing so.  In short the state becomes bankrupt and so must liquidate its state powers to those other states which were fiscally more prudent and farsighted. 

Belief Systems and Evolution

Does humanity have any future?  Shall it survive?  Well, yes, but not in its present form.  What shall cause it to change?  Belief systems shall.  How?
We know that any isolated human breeding group separated from others for a sufficient period of time (a few hundred years) must undergo profound change within the human accelerated region (HAR) of the human genome's DNA.  The HAR is responsible for most of the rapid evolutionary changes in humanity.  So, given this scenario of a necessary prolonged isolation; is it then possible for human evolution to continue?  We already know where and why evolution happens: an isolated breeding community and the HAR of the human genome.  But given the extremely rapid technological advances in communication and in transportation, is it possible to have isolated communities in today's world?  We know we need isolation for HAR changes to happen.  The answer is: yes, because isolation occurs in humanity for psychic as well as physical reasons.  For instance, some religions prohibit sexual relations outside of their faiths.  They prohibit inter-marriage (and inter-breeding) with anyone outside their faith or religious sect.  The also encourage early marriage among members of their faith communities, and some faiths even encourage multiple marriages.  Given sufficient isolation, adherents of these belief systems undergo genetic changes.  Some have already done so.  So, some people of some beliefs are indeed different from others not of their belief; not just because of difference in the customs of the belief, but because they are truly genetically different:  Real purpose behind religious belief is enhancement of evolutionary change!  

Future of Humanity

Contrary to the popular notion humanity is becoming similar, interchangeable ethnically and culturally; just the opposite has happened.  People are more different than they have ever been before and they are growing even more different.  People are not the same; not that they ever were.  So no single system can possibly work for everyone.  There could never be a universal anything.  All humanity could never subscribe to the same faith or to the same belief.  What does this imply?   It implies: conflict is the natural state of Man.

Dangerous Belief Systems

Dangerous belief systems treat their adherents like merchandise in order to sell and to market the belief system to others.  Their adherents are praised for not questioning the "mysteries" of the belief system and for their loyalty in following the practices and the customs of the belief system.  Beneficial belief systems encourage questioning of all the tenets and practices of the system.  Since all belief systems have to be man-made, there can't be any tenets that can't be questioned; nor could there be customs that cannot ever be changed.  Good systems change and evolve.  Bad systems are static and stuporic.  If the tenets of a belief system seem stupid and non-scientific, they truly are dumb. 

Belief Systems and their Dangers

Belief systems were invented to preserve vanished cultures and unless the belief system is capable of change and evolving, so it can become reflective of contemporary culture, the belief system itself will eventually vanish.  Some belief systems are inherently extremely dangerous as they refuse to recognize their human origins.  There is nothing wrong with having been invented---all art is.  There is something terribly wrong with denying that a system of belief was invented and in stating the system of belief may have had a non-human origin.  That frankly is insane and insanity is dangerous.  That's my belief. 

Memory

Any type of training requires a good memory, whether or not that training might be physical or psychic.  The best way to train the memory is simpy to memorize poetry.  Of course, always pick poetry to memorize that appeals.  Since so many aren't familiar with contemporary poetry, I decided to try to peruse poetry written by various living poets to ascertain whether any of it was worth the trouble of memorizing.  There is some very good poetry being written, but unfortunately nothing truly outstanding that could be termed "great."  All the really good poets today are also song-writers.  So, to fill the gap temporarily, I'll just include some of my own poems on this blog.  I'm primarily a poet and am probably as good a poet as any: Judge for yourself.

Mental Training with Castles

Martial arts training is clearly the very best methodology for physical longevity, as it's intention is the development of power. What about mental training? Well, any strategic board game shall help develop the mind. The best one that I know of is the game of "Castles" that I played as a child. It's kind of like chess and go only it's a lot more sophisticated in that it's three dimensional. I tried to find the game on the Internet, but there doesn't seem to be any reference to it as it's so obscure. Anyway, you'll find a brief description of the game, with simplified rules for children, in a book: Heart-Healing The Chariot Way on Kindle and on MobiPocket for download. The adult version of this game is yet far more complicated, but its children's version is complex enough for most people. Like all games, it is intended to train its players in the values of its culture: Celtic, in the game of Castles to be sure; but more than that---Druid. Castles is a very high level game.

Martial Arts Clubs

Bare-Knuckle-Boxing is one among many, many martial arts.  There are over a thousand systems of martial art in the world, and possibly a lot more.  They all have one thing in common and that's the development of power.  Because of YouTube, all these various systems of martial art are available for perusal.  If you live near any large metropolis, there are hundreds of martial arts clubs.  Before joining any club, one should remember that any martial art is a part of a larger culture and the martial art was invented (martial arts like religions are invented---that doesn't mean they aren't useful or not true) so to preserve the culture's membership by its elite group of warriors.  It then behooves one to examine the entire culture in order to determine whether or not one wishes to join any particular martial arts club, as each club shall expect its members to have a deep respect for that culture from which its martial art sprang.  So, if something about some culture does not appeal to you; look for another club.   

Bare-Knuckle-Boxing

My original intent was to post the entire content of the 16 GB bare-knuckle-boxing videos onto YouTube, but some of the material in the videos might not be all that appropriate for the public. Some of the club members thought it would be better to post the content to the Blog, and I also agree. That way it's all in one place. However, just like YouTube, there is a time limitation of ten minutes, which means that I would have to chop the segments up to post them. So, for those who might be interested, we'll put the whole thing onto a DVD or on an SD card. That way you have it all. I'll still post those ten minute segments of video up onto the Blog, but it'll be a while until it's all edited. Hopefully, everyone will get there copy. It's been fun working with you all. Thanks everyone.

Immortaliy

The purpose of the major religious systems is the achievement of immortality, either by the total absorption of the self into a pure being or by the cessation of the striving for being. Naturally the cessation of striving for being results in the total absorption of the self into pure being. The goal is the same whether it be unification or absorption; one becomes the greater whole, rather than a separate distinct part, separated from the whole: one enters into the womb of existence again.

Psychic Survivability of the Spirit

Three Eastern methods of psychic survivability are well known: the Abrahamic, wherein the Spirit lives on after the body containing the Spirit dies and the Spirit is judged for any actions performed by the body; and based upon that judgment---the Spirit survives in altered states. The Buddhist, which was derived from Hinduism, whereby the Spirit is born again in repeated cycles after each death of the body into states higher or lower depending upon its actions in its prior state, and is eventually cleansed through the cycles of rebirth to be absorbed and released from all cycles of rebirth. The Taoist, whereby the Spirit lives as long as the body containing the Spirit survives, and the action during life is maintenance of the body's existence as long as might be possible in order to preserve the existence of the body's Spirit. Of course, all these scenarios have endless variations, as there are literally hundreds of sects and offshoots for these methods. The Old European belief tradition, the western tradition, is different in the sense that the Spirit exists to engage in a Quest and the purpose of that Quest is to give birth to the Spirit; so that the individual engaging in the Quest is looked upon as not being born as yet physically and spiritually until the goal of the Quest has been achieved. The Quest obviously is to achieve transformation.

Reliance upon Intuition

Since no one could possibly have a monopoly on truth, as no one can possibly obtain the sufficient knowledge and experience to be able to adequately differentiate facts from falsehoods in every field; it's then left up to one's core instincts to intuit what one feels about any statements made by others. If it feels right, it usually is right. If it feels wrong, it usually is wrong. Intuition is the stick blind reason taps before.

Blame and Responsibility

Societies will blame their ordinary members for the problems of the society. Obviously, this is complete nonsense, as any society's ordinary members have neither the power to either change or to direct the operations of the society. The powers and prerogatives rest with the elite of the society and those elite jealously guide their privileges. So let's take an obvious current example. America has problems and those problems are of a financial nature. Americans are stigmatized as being both foolish and extravagant; since their improvident actions have directly resulted in the present credit crisis, causing both massive unemployment and bankruptcy. That's the story that's been told, and it's absolute nonsense. What happened was this: financial institutions, the banks, the brokerages and insurance companies set up off-balance sheet investment investment vehicles in order to avoid capitalization requirements and to evade state domestic taxation. The financial institution personnel creating the investment vehicles amounted to, at most; just a few hundred individuals, less than a thousand. The vehicles were all situated in tax-haven countries. They're called qualifying special purpose entities and they're utilized to sell-off packages of bank bad loans. The vehicles amounted to over thirty trillion dollars, which is double the GDP of the USA, and they're worthless. The truth is: American public was blamed for the foolishness of few.

Solutions and Politics

Many of the most pressing problems have obvious solutions, but they'll lack political feasibility. For instance, in the United States, sixty percent of all personal bankruptcies are caused because patients are unable to pay for medical services contracted for, even though they have insurance. The reason for medical services' high costs is restricted supply of physicians to provide services. The smaller the number of physicians and other such medical specialists, the more limited those numbers are, the higher are charges for their services. If the charges exceed deductibles on the insurance policies of patients, those charges cause some patients to seek bankruptcy protection. The obvious solution would be simply to increase the number of physicians available to provide services so that the increased competition for patients would decrease amounts charged for the medical services rendered. But that would require government to found and to certify federal medical schools, in which the students paid no tuition; whose graduates (similar to graduates of federal military academies) would be mandated to provide services to the public at little cost, in public clinics, for a specific period of time, upon receipt of their federal medical degree licenses. But politics prevents such implementation. It would disturb the existing oligopoly in medicine.

Solutions and their Implementation

Solutions to problems are easy to propose, but much harder to get implemented. Everyone has solutions, but most of their proposed solutions could never be implemented. For instance, in the USA, there's severe problems in collecting sufficient revenues to keep government operational. Tax collections are no where near adequate. That problem could be solved by the imposition of a thirty percent VAT tax and by abolishing the existing income tax, employment tax, excise tax and estate tax structure---simply do away with it, and replace it with a thirty percent VAT tax. VAT tax has the advantage of easy audits (without audit no tax at all would be collected), as the VAT rate is flat and applied at each level of production; so a VAT forces production to decrease levels of complexity to be more efficient while controlling inflation, as VAT is a consumption tax. Seems a perfect solution until one realizes that America was founded upon obese consumption.

Perception is the Problem

No problem can possibly be solved if it's not recognized as being a problem. Articulation through correct stating of problems is difficult, especially if those problems are personal. It's easy to see problems others might have, but almost impossible to see one's own. Even friends with the best intentions might identify your problems, but not the sources or the solutions for those problems. The source of problems is false perception. Human perception is false because it is so limited. So, what's the solution? To make perception not limited. How to do this? It sure isn't easy!

Verification of the Future

If what our senses detect is not what truly is; then how can we possibly ever know what truly is? Well, there are methodologies already in existence to verify our perceptions---science and mathematics, in particular. But these verification methods are limited, as they only deal with what was and what we are really interested in is what shall be. We can verify the past, but we cannot verify the future and it's the future that we're interested in. We think we know the past. But do we?

Bare-Knuckle Boxing

Originally I was going to post the bare-knuckle boxing videos to YouTube, but at looking at some of the content; it might be a bit too brutal and inappropriate for public exposure; so I'll just be posting the videos to this blog so that their content will be confined to those who already have expressed an interest in the entire culture, and not in just its warrior aspect.

Thanks to All

Just wanted to take this small opportunity to thank those who have shown some interest in my books and postings. Hope it's been helpful. Just experiment and find what works best for you. No one has a monopoly on knowledge, including me. Bill

Cultures and Conformity

Distinct and separate are the ways of all cultures, but they all have common properties in that all wish to prosper and thrive. This is all to the good, except when that prosperity is conditioned on the poverty of some other culture. And of course, this is exactly how cultures work because they are in competition with each other for survival. Given all this; should one adhere to any culture's values and standards? Obviously not, unless the culture's values and standards also agree with one's own. Mostly, they don't; especially if one has very high standards. Any culture's standards stem from the mean of its membership and not from the best. One is always in conflict with the culture one happens to be in---whatever that culture might happen to be: Conformity is suicide.

Investments and the Future

Druids, since there are so few of us, are constantly getting inquiries about investments. So, well, here goes: stay away from broad index-related investing or any sectored indexed investments. Sure, the technology sector will always do well in the long run; but to invest in any mutual funds or hedge funds, where someone else is deciding what to invest in, is foolish. They know less than I do and I know very little. Invest in specific stocks whose companies have global marketing. So we know that technology has to grow in the long run. Which technology firms have marketing in the entire world's market? Which technology firms are highly liquid, with cash-on-hand: so that they can weather a deep recession and come out of it in viable condition to continue operations? There are only six: Cisco Systems (CSCO); Hewlett-Packard (HPQ); Intel (INTC); IBM (IBM); Microsoft (MSFT); United Technologies (UTX) and all are part of Dow Jones Industrial Average.

The Nature of NOW

Life is so complex not because events follow upon each other in a linked chain sequence; so that when one event happens, another must follow upon it...cause and effect. No. Life is so complex because a cause and a seeming effect of a cause doesn't happen: what happens is what happens and happening has no cause outside of itself. It is not directed. It happens. The fact that things happen is not related to another thing that has happened. Realization of this lack of relationship between past and present is what allows us to live in the NOW, which is outside of an appearance of any time. It is transcendent of time. NOW isn't eternal because to be eternal requires time. NOW just IS. This is reason for our saying: the thing most lovely is the music of what happens.

Loyalty and Survivability

One of the real problems in deciding which to be loyal to is that the object of our loyalty may not survive. It might not even survive our loyalty. For instance, America, the USA, does not look like its very long for this world. Evenually, it won't be able to pay interest on its own Treasury obligations and shall have to default on those obligations. How soon? Well within the lifetime of most of those subscribing to this blog. Defaulting on debt obligations does not necessarily mean demise of a nation if those obligations are with its own citizenry. But in USA's case, they are not. It's a bit foolish to give loyalty to a state that can't outlast oneself especially since the sole reason for the state's demise was its own designed intenion to terminate; states can commit suicide too. When a state issues excessive debt that it knows can't ever be satisfied, it desires its own death.

Be Pulled. Don't Push!

Continuing with close combat strategy from bare-knuckle boxing: there's a saying " Long against Long & Short against Short" What this means is that, depending upon the opponent's attack, the response ought to be appropriate. This is why we practice the eight leaps in class---H-J Chang, because she has a tall light frame, performs them must better than I can so it is probably best to imitate her than myself, as I'm a bit too clumsy and heavy. The eight leaps deal with avoidance of an enemy and an enemy's weapon and they're essential to a study of classical bare-knuckle. There is also a psychic element to all of this, and I'll discuss that here. The body radiates energy and the body absorbs radiated energy. We've spoke about "gill-breathing" light in a prior post. This is all part of that. There is an analogy used about rope-bridge walking; that in order not to topple one must be pulled and not pushed. What it means is that if you concentrate on trying to overcome your fear and forcibly push your limbs to move forward to cross, you shall be bound to fail and to fall in the chasm. But if you were instead to let your mind go, and just allow the other end of that bridge to pull you towards it, you shall succeed in your crossing. This applies to life.

Combat Strategy

Unless you're a Druid, you are not going to be able to harm or to heal someone at a distance---so in this post, I'm assuming you are not...my apologies to the few that are. Close quarters combat requires actually touching someone to inflict an injury; whether done with a projectile, a weapon, or with one's limbs. In Celtic systems, almost all strikes are delivered with forearms and with shins, usually simultaneously, by a high strike to the head accompanied by a low strike to the knee...the high strike with a forearm and the low strike with the shin. Fists and feet are used to strike, but usually against soft tissue at various pressure points to paralyze the opponent. For instance, there are several pressure points right above the elbow that when struck will cause the opponent to lose control of his arm. These same pressure points also exist right above the knee and when struck will cause lost of feeling in the entire leg limb so that the opponent will collapse. In both cases, elbow and knee, these pressure points are in the center of the joint, the right side of the joint and at left side of the joint. Pressure points are found by experimenting, by pressing your thumb in, at various locations. When found, they'll produce a shock and a limb goes numb.

The World We Live In

Every day new books are published, new scores are composed, new films are released and new wines are decanted...and all are well worth reading, hearing, viewing and tasting. We live now in an age of genius. So don't despair. Ignore the ignorant and shun the craven. Honor only the courageous. Be one of them.

The Fruits of Experience

Knowledge must be earned and the price of it is experience. There is no substitute for having done the thing rather than merely heard that it was done. Too many are merely auditors of life, not practitioners themselves. Learn to play the instrument and not just hear it played.

Religions and Philosophies

Religions and philosophies are all invented. They are never revealed to us by higher entities; unless one considers one's own brain to be a higher entity (in some people, it actually is). This doesn't mean that; because the tale of their origins is spurious, the religion and philosophy has nothing to teach us. There is always something that can be earned about human nature from the comparative study of religion and philosophy, and human nature is all we really can learn.

Loyalty and Survival

Nations sacrifice their citizens to ensure national survival. That's always been the way of things. Beware patriotism as it can get you killed and shall. The question then is what is it one should be loyal to? The answer is obvious: To one's self; one's family; one's friends, and never ever to any abstractions---always to people. Remember: abstractions can't reciprocate, while people can and will, and we all need help at times. I've seen far too many talented people lose their minds and their lives over abstractions: rags and flags. States come and go; humanity remains.

Conditioning

All societies condition their memberships in subtle ways so as to elicit a desired response when the society is perceived to face danger of extinction. This conditioning applies all the way from the society's newest immigrants on up to the society's highest leaders. It's how all societies survive. Only the very rarest of individuals can hope to resist this cultural conditioning, due to its opaque design and its clever oblique subtlety. The wisest can and do, for they are well aware of its perverse cause---all societies shall eventually sacrifice their own citizens in order to survive.

The Fifth Flower of Fire

The fifth pressure point is the cavity (a slight depression) that's located right opposite the navel in the lumbar vertebrae at the small of the back. Because we are all so different, this particular pressure point might be different in different people. Some of us are long-waisted; and some are short-waisted. Regardless of this, the fifth pressure point is directly in line with the navel; only it's located on the other side of the body. It's located on the spinal chord. We breathe through this pressure point. This breath is not that of the lungs, which is our physical breath; this breath is a psychic breath---we are breathing in light. This is the many-colored light that is referred to in all of the ancient stories and poems. This kind of breathing is called gill-breathing and it is well know to all Celtic warriors. It is also used to imbue psychic power in the training of our priests: the Druids. Regardless of whose training it's directed to, this is the center of the breath.

The Five Fires

In Celtic martial systems, emphasis is placed upon five pressure points of the body. These five pressure points consist of four cavities, inside the shoulder joints and the hip joints, and one at the lumbar vertebrae directly opposite the navel. What these cavities do, at shoulders and hips, is to unlock the joints further down the body---the elbows and the knees. It is easy to judge the validity of any martial system by simply watching the adherents of the system. Many renowned practitioners of the martial arts have never actually used any martial technique in close-quarter combat situations, and therefore lack the necessary practical experience of fighting for their own lives and for the lives of others. One of the worse mistakes a practitioner could make is locking the joints of the elbows and knees, as they shall immediately be broken. No joint should ever be locked. Period. Aside from their martial aspects, the energy cannot flow in the body when any joint is locked. It's like a string of lights; by locking a higher joint, energy can't flow to the joints below that joint. So, the cavities at the shoulder and hip joints have to opened (in Celtic martial terminology, their fires must be ignited, must be lit) in order for power to descend throughout the limbs of the body, all four of the limbs. These cavities are like dimples at each of the joints.

The Power of Nothing

The nothingness that makes something makes it out from its own nothingness. Let's see how to explain this as it's very important in the generation of one's own energy. Let's go back to a prior analogy: Two mirrors facing each other, with nothing in between them. Nothing. The mirrors are reflecting nothing, except what? Well, the facing mirror. Yes. But what happens when you face a mirror? Reversal, right? But when the two mirrors face, these reversals are repeated. Depending upon the reflective quality of the mirrors, the reversals could be repeated infinitely; reversals on top of reversals, forever. A mirror of nothing makes a perfect mirror; no distortions to interrupt the pattern of reversals. They go on forever. The cells of the body are imperfect, and they can't go on forever; but they do have the power to change and to be replicated. This replication is necessary for energy generations, and they are generations. Literally, they are generations of energy. Energy is being given power to evolve, so it can constantly be born again.

Energy

That that's not makes That that is, IS. Nothing makes something is the key to all energy generation. What this means is that both body and brain have to be "clear" to make energy. If the body is tight with fear; if the brain is tense with worry, it's impossible to store, to develop and to transmit psychic energy. Relax. Calm down. Dimple the shoulder joints so that the shoulders sag. Sink the hips so the inguinal creases are pronounced. The small of the back is stretched and is rounded, so that the lumbar vertebrae are lengthened and loosened. That's done by extending both hands forward, palms up; with the fingers spread, without forcing them apart. To get some idea of the correct posture, look at the photos of the Golden Eagle Set in the back of the book: The Chariot Way: The Dream of Crom.

Celtic Martial Arts

Energy is power. Power expressed is energy expressed. How energy is expressed determies its affects. Affects can be anything. It's the energy that creates the affect. Without the energy, nothing could be done. Without the power, we can't do anything. So the primary portion of any training; martial, psychic, creative, intellectual, has to be developing energy. All cultures have methodologies for generating energy. What we'll try to do in the following posts is to give some simple methods to develop power. I'll try to be as specific as I can. If you'll reference my book, HEART-HEALING The Chariot Way, you'll get the reasoning behind power development. The following posts will be devoted particularly to the practical "how" for the creation of energy.

Survival

If one looks at any daily publication from seventy years ago, and looks at that same publication today; the comparison shall be startling: Its grammar, punctuation and sentence structure will be greatly simplified and a previous broad range of vocabulary scope has now been substantially narrowed and lessened. Publications depend upon their advertisers to stay in business, and the advertisers pay ad rates based upon the demography and quantity of readers who are expected to be possible purchasers. The reason the level of intellectual content of a publication has fallen so drastically is precisely because the intellectual level of intended readership of the publication has fallen drastically. Content mirrors the mean of its readership. The average reader is not as smart. That's why so many publications devote so much space to celebrity gossip. To enjoy an independent life requires thought; living vicariously through lives of others requires its absence.

Nature of Evil

If we examine evil as being an aberration; something that is not normal within humanity, we may well miss its evolutionary advantage. Although we are all capable of stupid acts, some of which might have tragic consequences; very few of us are actually capable of performing malicious evil acts, say of purposely and deliberately harming others, for pleasure. The evil lack empathy for others. They have moral autism. In most traditional societies, those who're perceived to be evil are driven out. They are ostracized. Contemporary societies, because they are so large, help to conceal those that are evil. In societies that lack a universally accepted code of conduct, such as in the United States, the evil can flourish and thrive, even attaining election to high public office.

Play to Survive

All those whom I worked with are dead and I am the sole survivor of my action team. Why? Some of them were smarter and stronger than me, but they failed to make it. Some were killed; but most died of a natural cause, mainly from congestive heart failure. Why am I now the only one left? The reason, I believe, is that I am able to get outside of myself in order to view myself dispassionately. What this does is to free the Self from out the prison of one's own body. I'm not speaking of the body in the physical sense, but in its psychic sense. The mind is encased within a shell and this shell holds the mind inside of itself. The mind is trapped by the limitations of its own identity, It has to be able to somehow transcend that identity, if it's going to survive. If it cannot; then the Self dies when its shell dies, since it isn't able to free itself from the prison of its identity. To survive, Self has to be given a new identity and a new passport to life. It has to be able to liberate itself from itself. How may it do so...by participating in the play of a bigger game.

Reality and Illusion: Three Vehicles

If we know through our senses, then it shall pay to sharpen our senses. If we know through our minds, then it shall pay to sharpen our minds. If we know through our bodies, then it shall pay to sharpen our bodies. Since we know that we know through all three (senses, minds, bodies), it should pay to sharpen all three. Whichever vehicle we have for knowing, that vehicle must be exercised, trained and developed. We all have three vehicles for knowing (three chariots). We know that each vehicle must be used daily; or else the vehicle will fall into disuse and won't work.

Ethics and Society

If we think of what we do as something we have a responsibility for; it must mean that we can either somehow alter what we do, or choose not to do it. But if we have no choice in what we do, then we lack any responsibility for what it is we've done. All too often, however, society gives us no choice in what we do and it wants us to take full responsibility for our choice-less action. The choice-less action has a false ethical content inculcated by the society: Society wishes for us to perform an action; we perform the action; society judges performance. Society employs subtle enslaving of its members whenever calling acceptance of conscription conditioning: patriotism.

Contingency

If we are truly contingent upon anything, it is the belief in our own existence. How is it that we know we exist? Because we can doubt the fact of our existence. If there is a doubt, there must be a doubter capable of doubt. So good, so far. Here now is the subtle part. Let us say that we doubt our own existence. Let us go even further to say that we disbelieve in our existence. Is this a disbelief in us, or is it a disbelief in existence itself? Perhaps it is both: a disbelief in our own existence and in the possibility of any existence itself. Well, obviously, we believe we exist. But let's take the exercise a step further. Does belief in our own existence create a contingency? Well, maybe. Now what would that contingency be? Perhaps it is a dimension of potentiality; a dimension in which the possibility of existence can occur...something that is capable of containing us, as existing. Now that dimension could be called a multi-verse, a container of universes, each of which is capable of sustaining existence; or we could go even further, and call it consciousness.

Necessity

Is anything necessary? Does every effect have some real cause, or is the effect actually before the cause? When we perform any action, do we always foresee that there must be a result from that action, some perceived foreseen result? If we do, if we do believe that every action must have some result; isn't that foreseen result the actual cause of the performance of the action? And, more often than not, is the foreseen result the reason an action is not performed? If something is never done, how could it possibly be ever necessary? Does an action have a cause and an effect, if it cannot be foreseen? Isn't our own very existence such an action, without a cause or an effect, since we choose to continue it even though we believe it must end? What happens if we believe it doesn't end...does it still have a cause and effect? Could life exist for us if we choose not to believe in the necessity of the continuance of existence? What happens then if we become free from the belief in necessity?