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!

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.

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!

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.

Signs and Visions

One problem that one finds in writing is the inability of some (not all, by any means) to take full responsibility for what was written and to be held accountable for what was said. Writing, when done well, does have consequences. It should and does. As long as what one says is factual, is the truth, there's never any problem. The truth is always the best defense against any criticism. It is only when one states an opinion as being factual that one deserves criticism. An opinion is just that; it's just an opinion, it's not a fact and yes, any opinion can be stated and asserted, however fanciful and far-fetched the opinion might well be, provided it is not being stated as being a fact. When I'm writing my novels, I'm writing fantasy and since I'm writing about the far-future, the novels are speculative in the vein of neo-romanticism. Fantasy isn't factual; it's made-up stuff. But when I make my predictions, I'm recording visions of the future that I've seen---they are not opinions---but they are interpretations of the future. They are revelations, something that is inherently wholly different from opinions. All predictions are revelations---one is acting in the capacity of a prophet when one states them, and not in the capacity of a critic as in the case of an opinion---it's an important difference. Visions are never wrong, but the interpretations of those visions certainly can be wrong, even mine since they could be misinterpreted. One's perceptions are never unprejudiced. What one screes is distorted by one's experiences. Visions are not clear. Although it is true America's days are numbered (like men, nations die too); mine are not as yet!

Prediction No. 15

Municipalities with unemployment rates above twenty-five percent shall be filing for Chapter 9 protection under the Bankruptcy Code. The problem such municipalities face is indebtedness on municipal bonds against which future tax receipts were pledged. Those receipts shall not be paid as most municipalities rely upon its property taxes for daily operational revenue. Property taxes are based upon assessments of value for structures. Any municipality that has experienced high unemployment has also experienced a corresponding decline in the valuations of property. In a municipality experiencing twenty-five percent unemployment, decline in its property values has been far more than fifty percent. It means a municipality can't pay non-discretionary expenses, such as the pensions and medial insurance premiums for its retirees, in addition to those interest payments due upon its debt obligations. Municipalities shall therefore begin filing for protection under the bankruptcy code, beginning with those cities and towns situated in Michigan (Detroit). Those cities and towns which had depended upon manufacturing and construction and mining as sources of income for residents shall eventually follow Detroit's example by filing for bankruptcy. For every position that is lost in manufacturing, or in construction, or in mining; there are seven positions lost in service related occupations. The US has over fifty thousand municipalities which issue obligations secured by future tax revenue from property tax receipts, totaling almost three trillion in municipal bonds. Most of the bonds are held in public pension plans for retiree benefits. When the municipalities fail so do the bonds of the municipalities and pensions holding the bonds.

Back to Work

Writing is an obligation, an honor, a duty and a calling...it's what I do. Looks like I'll have to start work on a fantasy-future-fiction series of novels. I just had a dream concerning the future (it's more of a vision really) that's pre-cognitive, and it would definitely be a far better future if it could be made to come about. So, how best to describe it? Well, the world will be entering into a new Neo-Romantic Age. I think writing a series of novels set in the future might best give birth to this better future that I've screed; rather than to simply make hundreds of predictions, which would be much easier to do. There are even some computer programs that predict the future; though, admittedly, not very well. So you can judge for yourself, if you wish, as to the accuracy and relevance of all or any of my predictions. Hopefully, if I write it well, the future fantasy series should be very entertaining. This entertainment aspect is important to my mission to effect real change; after all I'm a Druid. If it's not fun to read, who would read it then? Anything else you wish me to write about, my e-mail is at: oconnor.rothcroi.william@gmail.com What could be said and where can it be said? One should expect some real consequences from what one says, or there's no point in saying it after all. Everyone has the right to say anything, but none have a right to be heard; so what one says must entertain. But in order to entertain, it has to be said within some medium for entertainment. In my case, in a series of neo-noir fantasy novels that are set in the far future. The first book is set in the America of 2036. The title of the fantasy series is: In Dreams They Are Remembered. Because the series is fun, or it should be, and not work; I'll be writing as many works for the series as can be published on the Amazon KINDLE. Each work will cost one dollar. This I think is a fair price. Enjoy life! Do well to Be well.

Prediction No. 14

As we've stated before, some individual states, starting with the non-contiguous ones; shall be petitioning Congress for secession from the US. But what we didn't state clearly is why this shall happen. It's easy to predict the future when you do have visions. It's less easy to state why the future shall happen as it will. That's a separate ability. Anyone after all can make a prediction. Well, obviously, a state wishes secession because it's necessary for its survival as a state. States want to survive. What single event shall be the cause for such secession then? Well what would trigger the need, and it would have to be a necessity, for petitioning for secession? Health care costs! This is ironic, since normally a state thrives when its populace is healthy. When the US Congress passes its health care bill, America's Affordable Health Choices Act, as it shall do; its costs to the combined states shall exceed an additional quarter-trillion annually. The reason is: enormous expansion of medicaid (the bill mandates that any American not enrolled in another health care plan because he or she cannot afford the cost of premiums shall automatically be eligible for enrollment under Medicaid) to cover all the uninsured indigent and those who are nearly-indigent, whose numbers were greatly increased by the current credit crisis to more than forty million Americans, the same number currently receiving food-stamp assistance (many of whom suffer from chronic obesity-related diseases---again ironic, as they are receiving food-stamps). One-third of all Americans are obese, and amongst them are these uninsured indigent, and two hundred and fifty billion is spent each year on their obesity related chronic conditions. The Federal Government, mainly because of large increases in its military spending to cover its foreign wars, is broke. The USA runs trillion dollar deficits every fiscal year and can't pay for any additional costs for its medicaid programs; so it shall be passing the costs to the individual states, which will bankrupt the states. Of course, the solution is obvious---impose an excise tax of ten percent on all compensation in excess of $250,000. Since three-quarter trillion is already being spent on all health care in United States, each and every year, mainly paid by individuals and by businesses; these additional medicaid costs, to be borne by the states, is far too much to impose on the states' taxpayers (who because they are not indigent---they're taxpayers---won't benefit from expanded medicaid). They'll simply refuse to pay additional taxes. Although a rejection of additional taxation for the benefit of others shall be the nominal reason for taxpayers refusal to pay, the actual reasons for rejection will be religious, will be ethnic and cultural: many medicaid beneficiaries are of Hispanic (a quarter of Latinos in the USA are not insured now and as restrictions upon Latino emigration are lessened, the number of uninsured Latinos eligible for Medicaid enrollment increases) and/or African descent, and some practice Islam. The US Federal Government can't afford to make up for loss revenues to the states, as once the interest due to be paid on the USA's national debt equals or exceeds ten percent of any nation's GDP, interest on government debt becomes very difficult, almost impossible, to pay out to the owners of that debt---and in the US case, it's the Chinese and the Japanese sovereign wealth funds who own the federal US government's debt. It's not Americans. So, any state, if it wishes to survive as a state, hasn't any choice but to petition for secession from the union of all the states in order to remain solvent.

Why do we Write?

Every one who reads this Blog has an interest in improving their physical and psychic abilities, or else why would they be reading this Blog? Now, we do know that one sure way to do both is by engagement in creative activities, and since there are a plethora of such activities, it's actually a pretty easy task to increase abilities...just do it. For me, one of the better ways is by my writing. Aside from improving ability, why do we write (and I believe we should all write)? The reason one's writes is because one loves one's readers. Now, it seems sweet, but it's not nearly as clear cut as it sounds. One's ideal reader is the avatar of one's selfish self. For instance, just so as to illustrate this statement; the reason that one records one's visions as predictions, this Blog being itself a prophecy, is because this selfish avatar that's our ideal reader, is to be shared. And this shared aspect is the magical secret to all writing---even though one may consider oneself unique, there shall always be others who are like you psychically---always. Writing, when it's done well, shall lessen the suffering of this world...always a good and a noble deed. So, once that's accepted (and every creative person instinctively knows this truth---it's really why we're creative); and since the avatar of the writer is always collective (it's shared), this salutary aspect inherent in writing, its amelioration and reduction of world suffering, must also be shared. Suffering for the writer's readers is reduced. Suffering is lessened; always to the good. We know this. That's why this writer writes!

A Matter of Leadership

There is no such thing as a just war, although there can be necessary wars. Wars are waste, and waste can never be justified. The cause of war is a false sense of patriotism and mistaken loyalty to some leader who becomes the personification of the state. Such loyalty is unjustified, because a good leader attempts always to avoid war, and patriotism deals with a state's preservation and never with destruction of another state. The fact that any state finds itself involved in a conflict means the leaders of that state have failed in their duty to preserve the welfare of the citizenry and those foolish leaders, who've engaged the state in war, ought to be replaced with wiser ones.

Be your own Pundit

Ignorance shouts while wisdom whispers. There is no better verification of this ancient saying than listening to and reading the so-called "pundits" on economics and investing. The majority have no idea what they are talking about, but they'll be shouting their lack of knowledge loudly. It's important to know how and why markets work and to have had experience in their working before investing a single dollar on anything or in anything. If you can't read financial statements and don't know how and why financial statements are generated, you have no business being in the market. It's not for you. Accounting is the language of business, just as mathematics is the language of science. If you are unfamiliar with the language used, you can't understand what is being said or what is happening or why it's happening (the why is just as important as the how). So, the best advice that can be given is this: If you would invest (and you should if you have the disposable income), learn the language of business first: study accountancy. Then, once that is done, learn how to analyze statements. If you would be prosperous, learn to be an auditor of life.

Solutions for Stupidity

One of the problems, and it really is a problem, is the costly effort expended by governments to solve problems that have previously been solved, because some solution isn't acceptable to their political elite. A good example of this waste is in energy dispersion and transportation. Abundant energy and efficient transportation services are necessary for the existence of any civilization. Of course, there are those who state that civilization isn't necessary; but the people who've stated this have never been to those places where civilization doesn't exist, and I can assure you that unfortunately many such places still do exist today and there are many more of them every day. Natural gas is an abundant resource, and there are more than enough natural gas fields available to meet global energy needs for the next two hundred years or so (after that, fusion energy shall be readily available). Natural gas is also cheap and the distribution infrastructure for natural gas already exists and it is continually growing larger. Natural gas is easily converted into hydrogen for fuel cells, and the combination of fuel cells plus lithium-ion electric batteries has already been tested (Toyota Highlander FCHV), and it works quite well; so, that transportation problem has been solved. Thermal solar plants, those "power-towers," can be sited at natural gas conversion and distribution plants; so the energy problem has also been solved. Of course, more and greater efficiencies could be achieved, and soon shall be, from these existing technologies: Of natural gas conversion, hydrogen fuel cells, solar thermal, and of lithium-ion batteries (Nissan Leaf). Energy and transportation solutions are known; are now available and they should be implemented now!

Bankruptcy and the Military

When the only firm that's hiring happens to be the Army, the country is in big trouble. That is exactly what is happening in America today. Why? Even since the second world war, the USA has continuously invaded and interfered militarily in the domestic affairs of foreign countries in the mistaken belief that it has some exceptional providential right to do so. It does not. The US spends over a half trillion every year on its military, a sum that is more than the total combined defense spending of every other nation; every year US does this and wonders why it's bankrupt!

The Necessity for Change

Transformation, changing from one psychic state to another, is actually a physical process much like drinking and eating. It's instinctive. Just as some foods and drinks are wanted and needed as nourishment, the body has to be nourished physically by some process of change in order to transform into another psychic state. So, all transformation requires changes of some sort, and those changes are real physical ones---changing jobs, changing spouses, changing houses---as the very action of any physical change, whatever that change might be, triggers a corresponding change in one's psychic state. The need for change is genetic, and it's built into every cell of the body. We have to change to survive. Any belief system that restricts the ability to change is therefore evil, since all restriction must murder the soul. Beware then of any belief that comes in company with some matching set of commandments; such religion kills consciousness.

Druid Religion

Well now that those two books on the Druid religion and on Celtic culture were published on both MobiPocket.com and on Amazon KINDLE, I believe it should answer all of the queries that were posed. H-J Chang and Lou Reed had asked if I would put this all in writing; as it's never been explained properly before, and all that has been written about it previously was done so by those outsiders unfamiliar with Druid religion. And if you have read this blog and the books, you'll see there were many misconceptions, and that's why this blog and the books were written---to clear up those misconceptions. Hope so anyway, but if anybody still has questions, just ask! The e-mail address for HEART-HEALING Chariot Way blog is: oconnor.rothcroi.william@gmail.com

Prediction No. 13

States, which are artificial entities, survive as long as they serve their function of conserving the privileges of the elites which created them. Usually the state's elite consists of a single ethnic or cultural group which shares a common set of values, customs and beliefs. When the interests of the founding elite is no longer served by the state, or when another state more strongly serves the interests of the founding elite, the original purpose of the state has failed, and without that founding purpose, the state will also fail. If a new elite shall rise to replace the old, a new state arises with that new elite. It may well claim to be a continuance of the original state and might even use the same name; but, in reality, a new state has been formed to service the interests of a new oligarchy that has managed to replace the old. Such is the fate of all states and of all elites.

Druid Meditation Methodology

Meditation methods are used to excite the pre-frontal cortices of the brain. Druid meditational methods differ in that they focus on the process of change. If one imagines that there is a traffic light in front of one that's been changing from blue to green and back again, within a continuous pattern, one can get a good idea of how Druid meditation works. The same can be done with tones, with scents, with tastes, with touches---the idea being that there are two separate and distinct things that can change and may morph, one into another; so that this changing process creates new third things. Druid meditation teaches that the mind can create from two separate somethings, both distinct and separate, a third thing; just by using the power already innate in one's mind alone. The second step in this process of meditation is the mixture of the senses---a sound, for instance, can be changed into a hue, and so on; so that we have, as its product: a color tone. The third step in the meditation process is the creation of a new sense from nothingness: a new sense is to be created, rather than a combination of existing senses, expanding still further the entire repertoire of the senses; there's no limitation upon the process, just its daily exercise.

Prediction No. 12

Humanity happens to be a very boring species, and boring species may survive and might thrive for a while; but eventually they'll become extinct. Extinction is the fate for humanity, as it must be for all species. No species is immortal, although some might continue for a very long time. As we've pointed out, humanity is now splitting into two separate species: one, which lives a very short lifespan, but remains quite fertile, the majority of men; and one, which has a quite long lifespan, but is not as fertile, the minority of men. Now both of these groups do exist presently, but not as separate species (not yet anyway); yet the time is coming within the next twenty-five years when they shall split off from each other. What happens then? Those who are long-lived (having a life span in excess of a hundred, without any sign of either physical or psychological impairment or decrepitude) have very different attitudes and outlooks than those others, those who are short-lived. The concerns of the short-lived seem absolutely absurd and even frivolous to any who are long-lived. This is why the long-lived tend to abstain from the pursuits of those that don't live as long as they: they'll frankly find those pursuits, not only silly; but also boring.

Bare-Knuckle-Boxing: The Three Tines

The Celtic Fist in the Conn Style or in Wes tie Wall-Fighting (as it's known in New York City) is formed and made by bringing the ball of the thumb over to cover the nail of the ring finger, the finger that's next to the small finger, the pinkie finger. By pressing down upon the nail of the ring finger, the knuckles of the second joints of the middle finger, the ring finger, and of the index finger, will, all three knuckles of them, be pressed forward. This fist configuration of the three knuckles is called: three tines. This name comes from the shape of a spade that's used for the cutting of the peat-turf. And this is exactly what these three knuckles are used for: cutting and splitting---exactly then as my family's fish-head sword is so used, and it's very different from other styles of the bare-knuckle-boxing. The strikes are utilized against the opponent's body as if one were loudly rapping or knocking upon a door (that door being the torso of the opponent). By the way, the word is Wes-tie and not Westy. The reason is: one ties up an enemy by the combination of blows; clinching is a very clever methodology for locking with one's fists.

The Celtic Sword of Conn: The Fish-Head

There are many different styles of Celtic bare-knuckle-boxing. The one I know is from the Clan of Conn from Ballydavid Head. In New York City, this style is called Wes tie Wall-Fighting, and it's been modified from our old Conn Style (the main difference between our family style and the styles of other families, is that our style is a sloping system---it was developed to fight on the slopes of the hills and mountains of West Cork and Kerry against invaders) for the alleys and the air-shaft passageways of the City's tenements. It employs lots of difficult footwork, like leaps and hops and jumps. The actual techniques in the Conn style come from the usages of the sword. The swords that were used by my family are not the ones that are normally depicted as being Celtic. Those swords are fine weapons, but they are not the ones that my family used; usually those weapons are various modifications on Norse or Norman swords, which was a Viking weapon, or on various Teutonic and Germanic swords. The sword that my family used is called the fish-head or salmon-sword, and like its name, it is shaped like a fish swimming. It looks very much like the Iberian Falcata, except the hilt on the sword is not open. The hilt is entirely enclosed, so that the sword is gripped much like the lever on a lever-action Winchester rifle, four fingers on the inside with the backs of those fingers making contact, with the thumb on the outside. The reason for this particular grip is so that the sword can be shook when it makes any cut, rather than having to make a big swing with one's entire arm to achieve that same cutting action. This shaking action causes the sword to make a stabbing, as well as a cutting movement, with just a very small downward inclination of the elbow, rather than using the entire shoulder. The sword will literally leap forward, as an extension of the arm. This action is the whole basis for our style of bare-knuckle: three knuckles leap forward by a shaking of an elbow to knock on the enermy.

Prediction No. 11

The United States spends over a half-trillion each fiscal year upon its military, despite having an annual trillion dollar deficit; regardless of which political party happens to be currently in power. Because of this vast difference in what the US spends on its military (a half-trillion), compared to the discretionary funds available to be spent (nothing), the primary mission of the armed forces of United States has been drastically shifted from its original purpose of protecting the domestic US citizenry from foreign attack and encroachment to one of serving and catering to the needs and ambitions of the principal creditors of America; in effect, making its military into a foreign mercenary legionary force.

Prediction No, 10

Some of the programs that governments run to meet their citizens' health needs are already now bankrupt. For instance, in the United States, the medicare and medicaid funds have no monies because monies allotted to those funds have already been fully expended to meet the interest payments due on treasury obligations. Payments from these funds go to meet long-term chronic care needs of the elderly, disabled and the indigent. Payments are especially high for those who are in their final year of life due to some terminal illness. Because there are no longer any funds to expend, society shall attempt to shorten the final period of terminal illness of dying patients through fostering assisted suicide for the terminally ill: no patient---no payment. Gradually the impetus towards voluntary assisted suicide, which exists now, shall be shifting from a voluntary decision initiated by the patient to states mandating compulsory suicide for all those deemed terminally ill. For those who have long-term chronic debilitating diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, state pressure to terminate life through suicide will be immense as the state shall have no monies available to pay for the extended care of those who are afflicted with these conditions.

Prediction No. 9

Because of the coming vast demographic changes, migration from the south to the north, the primary language spoken in the United States will have switched from American English to Mexican Spanish within twenty-five years. Many English speakers shall have already moved northward into Canada; so that Canadian English, with all of its spelling and pronunciation differences, will be the primary language for those Americans who do continue to speak English. Since, for all intents and purposes, the Chinese government will have ownership of America and of American assets (China is America's principal creditor and America will have defaulted on its treasury obligations), Mandarin will be taught in all public schools as a necessary part of the business curriculum. Naturally, in time, all three languages shall become synthesized; with a combination of Mandarin, Spanish and English becoming the common language for commerce.

Prediction No. 8

Once any nation's yearly fiscal deficit exceeds 120% of its yearly GDP, which would result in the interest to be paid on that government's total debt obligations exceeding twenty percent of its yearly GDP, that nation technically shall go into default. This is so because the interest on the nation's total debt can no longer be paid timely to all of the known owners of the nation's debt. And if this condition continues for several fiscal years, the country itself will have to go bankrupt, declaring its insolvency to all its debt owners, because the nation could never be able to pay off the entire principal on its obligations when they shall become due, and none would be willing to purchase any more of that nation's future debt obligations. This bankruptcy situation shall be happening in the US within the next twenty-five years. But because the owners of the US debt obligations won't be citizens of the United States (they'll be the sovereign funds controlled by other nations), the owners of US debt in default will effectively own the US and shall have an unobstructed access to all of the US A's national assets. USA assets will be auctioned off to pay these foreign creditors.

Prediction No. 7

People are fearful of liberty; they do desire immortality; however, fear of liberty and desire for immortality are directly contradictory. This contradiction will cause a divide amongst humanity; between those who desire security and those who desire immortality. The reason that some people, a very few, are not afraid of freedom is that they can see the future and this ability for foresight gives to them the opportunity to shape their own destiny, although they might choose not to exercise it for some reason (this is why religions and spiritual systems relying upon the will of a creator deity are inherently evil--there is no creator deity and the will that they are following is actually that of the clerics of this non-existent deity). It is also one reason why all socialistic systems of government are inherently evil. Even though a socialist state actually can exist (unlike the creator deity), total reliance upon any state for one's survival causes a loss to the individual immune response (literally, as the individual has not had an opportunity to protect himself or herself from destructive ideas, those consensus ideas of the socialist state. Since ideas do affect the brain and can cause lessening of immune responses, this loss can affect the body's ability to withstand future invasions by harmful virions and bacteria). Those who wish to live long then will migrate to states that give an individual greater liberty. This means a mass migration from some states, the socialist ones, to those of a more libertarian government. The result then is health administrating costs in socialistic states drastically rise, because more members of these states have poor immune systems. Costs skyrocket up, as most healthy members have already left, leaving the more vulnerable members remaining; resulting in state bankruptcy. Liberty is the necessary companion to life; they form a marriage: If you would live long; seek those states which are most free.

Prediction No. 6

Mixed martial arts, a misnomer as it doesn't contain all of the numerous weapons' techniques which had originally caused the origination of martial arts (boxing and wrestling having come from the usages of spear, staff and sword), will dominate world sports in the future. Families will be encouraged and subsidized to have children specifically bred and trained, so as to have ample numbers of participants willing to compete and to die within these simple contests, which shall become more and more dangerous to the lives and limbs of the contestants. Mixed martial arts contests shall become increasingly brutal, with many deaths occurring, because of government sanctioned public legal betting upon the outcomes of the contests, with a portion of that gambling revenue accruing and going to the state.

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.