#The Mystic Trumpeting Skull

[radwolf76]

I know I'm a few days late for Halloween, but here's a video with some important implications for the Skeleton War

So, we've all seen this gif. It turns out, there's much misinformation about the origins of it. In the same vein as Kevin Perjurer's deep dive into the Disney Channel Jingle, or hbomberguy's exposé on the Roblox OOF, another intrepid YouTube researcher has done the legwork and found the real story.

[mystkamm]

Watch this on youtube. Its like, super interesting and the production level is of the charts

[off-by-one]

20 Questions

Hey beautiful peoples! I was tagged by @vidibit​ to do 20 questions! (and like others who he tagged, I’ll say he does indeed have good taste in music 🎵)

(Rules are to tag 20 people or something also but I’m a rebel dammit)

Name: Matt

Pronouns: He/Him

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius ♒ 

Height:  5′ 11″ (or ~180cm to the rest of the world)

Time:  5:57 PM

Birthday: February 4th

Nationality: US

Fave bands/groups:  alt-J, Portugal. The Man, They Might Be Giants, Grouplove, Panic! At the Disco, Spoon, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Placebo, Green Day, The Decemberists, Muse, Beirut, Monarchy, Röyksopp, Kishi Bashi, Weezer, Phantogram, ANIMA!, The Glitch Mob, Mystery Skulls, Queen, Mother Mother, Pendulum

Fave solo artists:  Imogen Heap, Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa, Regina Spektor, Tycho, Zedd, Gui Boratto, Norah Jones, Com Truise, Porter Robinson, Nils Frahm, Robyn, Kylie Minogue, Calvin Harris, Brendan Maclean, Starcadian, Pilotpriest, Bignic, Rival Consoles

When you made your blog: August 2013

Why you chose your URL: It was originally iterate-to-improve - When I changed it wanted to keep the code pun theme, and @a-little-mystical​ pointed out that it’d be a good name when I explained the joke about the 2 hardest problems in computer science being cache invalidation, naming things, and off-by-one errors.

Last show you binged: I’m continually binging Bob’s Burgers, Archer, and Parks and Rec on a loop, but the last full watch through of something was Russian Doll, I believe.

Following count: 431

Follower count: 837 (RIP deactivated mutuals, good riddance bots)

Average sleep hours: Trying to get back to the 6-7 hour range at least but it’s been a struggle

Other/side blogs: I have a NSFW side blog

Last thing you googled: “5 11 in cm”  😂

Lucky number: 7, 17, 23, 27

Currently wearing: gray henley shirt, flamingo trunks (literally the same thing i was wearing yesterday because that’s just how life is right now)

Instrument: Trumpet in middle school, messed around on a keyboard that I never learned to really play correctly later (but learned to love playing with synthesizers), and I have an accordion that i WILL eventually learn how to play, because klezmer and polka are cool

Dream trip: I recently said Iceland, which is still true, but right about now a warm sunny beach reachable only by boat sounds really nice (and I’m not historically a beach person). Or a cabin in a lush, green, mountainous woods. I dunno, just anyway new really!!

Fave food: Just gonna copy my answer from another recent one because it’s still applicable: Pizza (all sorts, but primarily Chicago “tavern-style”, square-cut thin crust with fennel sausage), Mexican food in general, and spicy noodles (usually Thai, something like Pad Kee Mao, but all sorts really)

Fave song: This always changes over time, but right now it’s Automatic (feat. Jenn Wasner) by Big Data

Top three fictional universes: I still think the bending universe of ATLA / LOK (physical and spirit realms) would be cool.  Right now I’d also say Hilda’s world (Trollberg and countryside) because it’s charming and folksy.  And then, I’d say the universe that all David Mitchell’s novels take place in, which I’m not entirely convinced is fictional

That’s all! I’m not tagging people this time either, but I’d encourage anyone who wants to do it and let me know!

[clstldrmr83]

Babble Bubbles

I am surprised at the recent influx of followers and realize I need to cross post some of my older creations that have been exclusively hosted at The Plumb Bob Keep. I only have a few large mods, but I am particularly proud of them even if it took forever and a day to finish and share them.

I’ll start with my Default Replacement Speech Icons... I play a Historical Fantasy styled game, so hopefully some of you will find these to your taste.

Many moons ago, I stumbled onto the Icons page of the UESP- Elder Scrolls Online, and I knew our Sims were longing for new topics of interest and conversation. I give you... Babble Bubbles - These are a mix of mostly ESO and other Elder Scrolls Game Icons, with some Sims Medieval, Sims 3, & a Handful of Random Clip Art thrown in to complete the topic chains.

Base Game Interests:

Animals - Horse, Bird, Fish, Rat, Bug

Crime - Stocks, Shackled Wrist, Lockpicks, Lock, Red Hand. Thieves may be "Caught Red Handed" or perhaps it's Blood.

Culture - These are straight out of TES and might not jive with everyone, but we have: Falkreath, Bruma, Morthal, Stormcloaks, Riften [edited]. But they could be: Pagans, Romans, Celts, Vikings, Britons.

Entertainment - Masquerade Mask, Maypole, Lute, Fanfare Trumpet, Stein. 

Environment - Firefly/Lightning Bug, Leaf, Log, Pig, Flower. 

Fashion - Cloak, Vest, Sash, Parasol, Fashion Comb.

Food - Wine, Cabbage/Lettuce, Pot Pie, Fish, Bread. Because there are so many different food related topics (FT & AL), I wanted this topic to reflect everyday/common foods. 

Health - Tooth, Toe/Thumb, Herbs, Guts, Skull.

Money - Jewel, Coins, Hands Giving/Receiving Coin, Coin Sack, Gold Bars.

Politics - The Royal Scepter, Silver Crown, Chalice/Grail, Broken Crown, Golden Crown. My idea behind the Broken Crown was to signify a Corrupt or Dead Monarch, great for Stories, yes? 

Paranormal -  Crystal Ball, Ghostly Face, Mystical Star, Magic Stone, Lighting Orb.

School - This topic comes in two flavors: Education or Religion, files are labeled for easy deletion of one or the other.

Scroll, Paper, Brain Silhouette, Abacus, Open Book. 

Incense Scensor, Mausoleum, Shaman's Tool, Sacred Tablet, Praying Statue.

Sci-Fi - Werewolf, Fae Woman, Elf Woman, Banshee, Orc/Ogre.

Sports - Blue Flag, Gold Star, Broken Shield, Winner's Tokens, Green Flag. Because there are so many different sports related topics (FT & AL), I wanted this topic to reflect tournaments or competitions. The 2 flags, one for either "team", the Gold Star signifying a winner, the Broken Shield depicting the looser, and the Tokens representing bets placed.

Toys - Noisemaker Drum, Wooden Horse, Blocks, Teddy Bear, Doll.

Travel - Sextant, Compass, Map, Spyglass, Lantern.

Weather - Sunny, Partly Cloudy, Wind, Rain, Snow.

Work - Inn/Tavern Keeper, Fisherman, Craftsman, Hunter/Skinner/Tanner, Farmer.

Misc. -

Pet Interests:

Basic - Leaf, Dog, Cat, Pig, Collar.

Food - Raw Meat, Cooked Fish, Sausages, Cooked Rabbit Leg, Raw Fish.

Hunger - Fish Tail [Cat], Bones [Dog].

Outside - Flower, Partly Cloudy, Tree, Log, Rock.

Playtime - Feather, Lizard, Rat, Balls, Stick.

Scary Things - Claw, Cage, Thunder, Fire, Parasite.

Sleep - Blanket, Rug, Bed, Bed 2, Pillow.

Free Time Interests:

Arts & Crafts - Paint Palate, Woven Fabric, Clay Vase, Thread Spool, Embroidery Thread & Needle.

Cuisine - Empty Pot, Soup Bowl, Spoon Of Spice, Crock, Pan For the second food related topic, I used icons leaning more toward the cooking aspect.

Film & Literature - Wax Seal, Envelope, Letter, Inkwell, Book. Since my game is pre-electricity aspects of film haven’t been included.

Fitness - Fresh Air, Citrus [Vitamin C], Soap, Radish [Veggies], Moon & Star Icon [Spirituality] I went with the idea of Health and Well Being for this topic.

Games - Fox & Geese, Dice, Chess, Horseshoe, Tafl.

Music & Dance - Lute, Dancing Lady, Instruments, Dancing Lady 2, Skyrim Lute. I’ve never been completely satisfied with this one, I might revisit in the near future.

Nature - Beat, Carrot, Grapes, Leak, Berries. This Hobby led me to think more in the direction of Farming or Gathering.

Science - Jar Of Powder, Alchemist's Stone, Potion, Ambelic, Vial.

Sports - Sword & Shield, Mace, Yellow Flag, Bow, Dagger. This is the second Sports Topic for our Sims; I went with a combat training idea here.

Tinkering - Blacksmith Tools, Carpentry Tools, Architect Tools, Farming Tools, Sculpting Tools. I went with a combo of different craft skills with this hobby.

Apartment Life Stories:

Art Story - Bohemians; Black Salt, Vine, Rune Stone, Teeth Talisman, Magic Potion

Computer Story - Techie/Wizards/Witches; Varla Stone, Golden Magic Rune, Mystical Spell Paper, Dwemer Puzzle Piece, Storm Stone. 

Fame Story - Socialites/Nobles; Fine Furnishing, Luxury Items, Medal Of Honor, Rise In Status, Money Chest.

Mechanic Story - Gearheads/Smithys. I couldn’t get away from Dwemer tech on this on; Dwemer Gears.

Sports Story - Jock/Knights. What else is Sporting in Ye Olde Times and likely to spark a story? Hunting! Tack, Bow & Quiver, Mounted Deer Head, Horse, Hunting Horn.

Freetime Book Plots:

Children’s Book: Fae Ear, Magic Lamp, Knight Statue, Bantam Guar [Dragon-ish Creature - ESO].

Cook Book: Pan, Chopped Meat, Salt Bowl, Cut Onion.

Drama Book: Pretty Mask, Hero's Helm, Bloody Dagger, Scary Mask.

Mystery Book: Candlestick, Dagger, Bloody Hand, Potion Bottle.

Romance Book: Fancy Mask, Lock Of Hair, Hourglass, Wedding Rings.

Sci-Fi Book: Magic Orb, Monster Hand, Wizard, Storm Atronach [Rock Golem].

Custom Novel Icons:

AND NOW, the moment you've all been waiting for!! As with ALL Default Replacements, there can ONLY BE ONE; if you have Rugz' Gift of Gab, please remove it before installing my Babble Bubbles Inside the Folder you will find Sub-Folders for SCHOOL & RELIGION, choose ONE, delete the other. You will also find Sub-Folders for FT BOOKS & FT BOOKS/NOVELS, choose ONE, delete the other; Drop Final Choice into your DL's Folder.

DOWNLOAD

[smutconnoisseur]

Derived From Reaping

Day 27 : Grim Reaper

Compared to the non-stop noises of the city, trumpeting one another in chaotic disarray, the sounds of nature were too quiet. It left his thoughts loud. Something about that upset him even more than the lack of motivation. Steve mounted his motorcycle and aimed for the trees, away further into the environment. Finally, he rode silently onto the roadway, his thoughts roaming. Then, the loud honk of a vehicle horn broke his thoughts. Steve flinched, looking up at the blinding headlights of an oncoming truck.

He shut his eyes as everything faded into silence.

-

"Calm down," The figure warned, walking past him and folding themselves into the tatty armchair in front of the fireplace while Steve mindlessly attempted to wrap his head around this interaction.

"Who are you?" Steve asked again.

The figure scoffed quietly, peeling the hood back and looking across at him. The glow in his skull focused on him; the splinters and crackles along his cheeks glowed faintly with the essences of captured souls, forever gone in an eternity coursing tether-less into the unique mysticism through his bones.

"Most people these days call me Death," He said, simply folding his arms. "or the Grim Reaper."

[shivanatarajablog]

Research on Shiva pt V

Pre-Chola Evidence

Earlier, I said the cosmic aspect of Shiva could have come into play subsequent to the Sanskritisation of the word Cirrambalam (from ‘Little Hall’ to ‘Hall of Consciousness’). However, this does not take into account pre-Chola evidence which points to the pre-existing nature of Shiva’s cosmic aspect.

Nataraja bronze sculptures emerge under the Pallava dynasty, between c. 600-850 CE. He was already a ‘cosmic dancer’ prior to the 13th century bronze present at Chidambaram. One must also take into consideration Saivite worship versus more archaic forms of worship. Harappan sites, (Indus Valley Civilisation) show evidence of linga like motifs. For example, a 4ft, bulbous-ended column was found in Dholavira. In the peninsula of India, a 5ft high satavahana depiction in Andhra Pradesh was found which date back to the 1st or 2nd century BC. It depicts a standing, ithyphallic male with a club, which identifies him as ascetic Shiva, (Lakulisa). The contrast between his ascetic nature and ithyphallic depiction may seem paradoxical at first (in its erotic nature), but the ithyphallic aspect may represent his asceticism and conserved procreative potentiality. This statue is also the oldest Hindu stone icon. 

Shiva Nataraja’s origins lie in the Tamil region during the Pallava dynasty (before they were overthrown by the Chola dynasty in c. 890 AD). 

The earliest stone ‘approximation’ to Nataraja is in a 7th. century Pallava cave temple Siyamangalam, where he dances the bhujangtrasita karama. However, his front left hand is not crossed, and the demon/dwarf under his foot is missing.

It is likely that the earliest icons of Nataraja worshipped in Chidambaram were wood. A verse by Appar in the 7th c. mentions Shiva’s ‘sweet golden foot raised in dance’, suggesting he worshipped his image at what was then Tillai. He writes:

He is well versed in the secret knowledge;

He holds a drum in his hand

The moon shines over his head;

And he is the Lord who removes difficulties of those who worship him.

In the Little Hall at Tillai he dances with fire

And makes noise with his tinkling anklets.

Archaeometallurgical research suggests that the movement from wood and terracotta processional images (like that of Shiva)  to metal icons were made during the Pallava period. It is c. 800 AD that the first Pallava period Nataraja bronze is dated. 

Metal Natarajas seem to evolve from wooden prototypes; a conclusion drawn from their resemblance to modern wooden Natarajas still present in South India. The compact, close set limbs may be due to the poor tensile strenght of wood. Stone Natarajas emerge even later than metal ones (perhaps due to the even poorer tensile strength of wood than metal, resulting in a difficult creative process).

The symbolism of Nataraja as a cosmic being (not just a morbid dancer in cremation grounds) may be present even in the Pallava period when the wooden icons were worshipped. The Nataraja worshipped at Chidambaram may have already been reflecting underlying philosophical concepts of cosmic cycles of creation and destruction. The Saint Manikkavachar’s writings in Tamil predate 13th c. texts and describe Shiva as the destroyer of the ego. 

He writes:

What is the meaning of your Lord,

standing as a pillar of fire,

reaching from the nether regions to the sky,

that Brahma and Vishnu may not know Him?

reaching from the nether regions to the skies,

had he not stood so,

both of them on account of their altercation between them,

would have never shed their egotism...

He who creates, protects,

and destroys the verdant world,

the Primeval One...

The incorporeal Shiva Lingus is meant to be the father of all religions and all souls. As Lord of the Death, he frees all from the fear and illusion of death, showing death as the final truth of life. The gift of the immortality of the soul can only be given by Shiva, after one has destroyed anger and lust. The linga is thus not phallic, but is rather an infinite beam of light, infinite space. It captures the infinite nature of consciousness and space, the universe. This aspect of the linga is also described in the Shiva Puranas - a collection of stories which explain different aspects of Hinduism. A post-modern interpretation of this is that the linga represents quantum fluctuation - a singular point exploding and imploding. 

In around 6th century AD, Karaikkal Ammaiyar,  Tamil saint and poetress prays to Shiva to be turned from a beautiful woman into a hag - an allegory for her desire to be released from vanity and egotism. 

By the Pre-Chola period, Nataraja has cosmic symbolism and is desrcibed as encompassing 5 elements, including ether.

Bhakti worship of the icon thus represented the longing for mystical union with the transcendental.

Shiva’s dance of bliss is unique in its tension. It is the dance of bliss after annihilating the ego. 

He has a smile of delight or contemplation which contrasts the grave quality of other dances Shiva performs such as the Natesa (in the Chatura pose). This suggests the Nataraja and the ananda tandava is not just a different dance but expresses a different philosophy. The contrast between the unconcerned expression and the meaningful pose may express the tension of eternity and time, the absolute and the phenomenal, but may also express the lightness, the joy of the dance. His face is tranquil in the ‘mask of god’s eternal essence’.  It shows the coexistence of the terrible and wonderful, of violence and peace, of creation and destruction. As such, it shows the duality of the Hindu mind and the ambivalent character of the divine; of good, evil, beautiful and ugly. 

The cult of Nataraja, and of Manikkavachaaka’s (a saint) devotional experience as blissful reflects older practices described in Tamil Sangam literature (5th century BC to 5th c. AD), such as kavadi ecstatic dances, possession (veriyatal), linked to the Velan cult, as well as Tamil folk deities with tridents. 

Even for the Saiva Siddhanta ascetic, bliss can be expereinced through dance (showing how Shiva’s paradoxes can be realised),:

He... revealed His foot which is like a tender flower,

caused me to dance

entered my inntermost part (akam)

became my Lord.

(Sidenote: I don’t know why this reminded me of the writings of St. Teresa in many ways, in particular those that inspired Bernini’s The Ecstasy of St. Teresa. The feeling of bliss, and of god somehow entering one reminded me of Shiva’s linga as a beam of light parallel to the light of god penetrating St. Teresa like a sword; and of two ‘ascetics’ if they may be so described, experiencing e plenitude of bliss.)

In a 13th. century Saiva Siddhantic text, called Kunchitangrim Bhaje by Umpati of Chidambaram, Nataraja is described as ‘being, consciousness, and bliss’ (sacchidananda). In this respect, it appears the philosophy of Nataraja approaches abstract monism, or advaita. Sankaracharya (788-820 AD), a philosopher and saint, held that the individual and the soul, or consciousness were one, that juavatman and paramatman were one.

However there are some disagreements in the emergence of Nataraja’s form. Nataraja was also not Shiva’s first dance form. Literature before the 10th century differs quite widely in its rendering of Nataraja. In some he is missing any or multiple of these elements: the circle of flame, flying sashes, the leg lifted across the body, the trampled demon and locks of hair that fan out to the circle of fire. They also include some of Shiva’s other manifestations including a fawn, a trumpet, a skull bowl, a beggar’s water jug, or his throat gleaming with a swallowed poison from when he saved the universe. 

Thus, it is difficult to place these descriptions as the Nataraja form. According to some scholars, Nataraja’s form emerges around the 10th century AD in relief form. However, these reliefs are quite uncommon, and function exegetically, thus not presenting Nataraja as a well-known deity. Furthermore, they assert that the shape of all Nataraja figures implies that the form was conceived from its origin for wax to bronze casting, due to its difficulty in rendering the suspended leg, arms and sashes. It is thus unclear whether wooden icons preceded these, though there is a consensus that stone icons came later and with limited success. 

One must ask how this symbol gained so much popularity and recognition if it was initially so unknown. While it may be due to its martial implications, its victory-dance semblances or any other number of reasons, I think it is also due to its visually compellive qualities. 

[globalworship]

Art: The Four Last Things (Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell)

Daniel Mitsui creates some thoughtful and astonishing art. Here is one of his pieces, along with his commentary on the symbolism.

+++

The four panels in the drawing represent the four last things: Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell. The panel for Death is based on illustrations from the Ars Moriendi. Death, in the form of a skeleton, is poised to strike a sickly, bedridden man with his arrow. A priest confessor hands the dying man a lit candle, while an angel and a demon wait on the bedposts to make claim on the man’s soul.

In the panel for Judgment, Christ is seated on a rainbow, surrounded by clouds. His feet rest on an orb, and He displays His wounds. A lily and a sword respectively represent the Hand of Mercy and the Hand of Justice. Angels blow trumpets calling the dead to rise from their tombs and come to judgment.

The panel for Heaven shows the Mystical Lamb standing on an altar and filling a chalice with His blood. Adoring angels sit before Him, holding musical instruments.

The panel for Hell shows Satan with three damned souls stuffed in his mouth. In a grotesque detail borrowed from an anonymous 15th century French panel painting, he is enthroned on a primitive toilet, and reprobate souls are imprisoned in the pot beneath it. Following a common medieval convention for depicting devils, he has two faces: one on his head and one on his belly.

The skull, bones and astronomical clock in the middle of the drawing are traditional reminders of the brevity of life and the inevitability of death. Memento Mori is set in Victor, a typeface that I designed myself.

+++

Dimensions: 4 1/2" × 7 1/4" Year: 2018

Order prints here (also the source of Daniel’s commentary):

http://www.danielmitsui.com/00_pages/millefleur_memento_mori.html

Follow Daniel at https://www.facebook.com/danielmitsuiartist/

[growing420news]

Critical Analysis of Ginsberg’s Poem: The Howl

First of all I would like to analyze the poem from the school of New Criticism which emphasizes the aesthetic aspect. The focus is on the tropes used in the poem. Ginsberg’s poem focuses on drugs, altered states of consciousness and counter culture. The trope, ‘angel headed hipsters (a person outside mainstream culture) burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of the night is a metaphor which fuses eastern mysticism with techno-punk and refers to the thirst for the addicted to altered states, and also reveals poet’s heart to be in rapture of a postmodern Gnosticism.

The figure of speech: ‘bared their brains under the EL and saw Mohameddian Angels staggering on the tenement roofs illuminated is a hyperbolic personification and refers to a mind clouded with surreal imagination, a tryst with the music of jazz and techno-Gnosticism. ‘Blake-light tragedy among the scholars of war who were expelled from the academics for crazy publishing of obscene odes on the window of the skull is a metaphor, where a politicized protest of the Vietnam and the sit-ins were thwarted out vehemently by the egoistic bureaucracy. ‘Who ate fire paint in hotels’ is a metaphor suggestive of sniffing drugs. ‘Purgatoried their torsos night after night’ refers to an idealism with countless adventures with heterosexuality. ‘Blind streets of shuddering cloud and lightning’ is personification. ‘Time between peyote solidities of halls, backyard cemetery dawns’ is a metaphor which reveals a mechanistic surreal hallucination, a dark obsession, a phantasmagoria. ‘Who sank all night in the submarine light of Bickfords’ is a metaphor that suggests a hallucinating mysticism got from a drug induced trip. ‘Listening to the crack doom on the hydrogen box’ is a metaphor that inclines to having a trip with rock music. ‘Baltimore gleamed in supernatural ecstasy is personification’. ‘Who disappeared in the volcanoes of Mexico leaving nothing but the shadow of dungarees and the lava of ash poetry scattered in the fireplace is a metaphor that portrays the subliminal, chthonic, cathartic experience when one goes though the dizzy haze of a drug induced trip. ‘What Sphinx of cement and aluminum bashed open their skulls and ate up their brains and imagination’ is a metaphor that shows the mechanization of the soul going through a drug induced trip of narco-neurosis. ‘Moloch whose skyscrapers stand in long streets like Jehovahs’ is a simile which portrays the cold gaze of the city on the human. The city is an inhuman spectacle, warped and distorted all down to drown feelings and passions in it. ‘Moloch whose factories dream and croak in the fog’ is personification to show a wasteland of dehumanization.

Next I would like to unravel the political consciousness inherent in the poem. The poet laments on the ‘best generation’ of New York being destroyed. The poet is an advocate of counter culture and experimenting with drugs and alcohol to excess is a norm. The poet is in both minds and showing a contradiction. Has America become a ghetto of drug trips and a mental and financial hell for its proletarians? The poet bombards the American bureaucracy for having expelled Vietnam War protesters from the university. The American bureaucracy is put in modern linguistic jargon: Trump Trumpeting. The American bureaucracy is colonially masculine and sexist. The poet is a critique of the legal machinery for having busted marijuana possessors. The pacifism of the counter culture generation is emphasized by the poet as they distributed anti-war pamphlets and organized sit-ins in the university. The poet in a metaphor describes the narcotic haze of capitalism. The poet sympathizes and becomes an advocate of egalitarianism. The poet is excited about the protests and mentions how the counter culture activists encountered screaming police cars. ‘Boys sobbing in armies’ are suggestive of military conscription reveals the wickedness of Capitalism to spread its tentacles of vicious power and to start and get involved in wars worldwide.

The poet in a metaphor compares Moloch, the Capitalist State to an incomprehensible prison. Again the poet in metaphoric language says: Moloch the pure machinery: Moloch whose fingers are ten armies. The poet voices the counter culture of protest against an inhuman government who is globally monstrous and satanically obsessed with the rights of the advocates of the Counter Culture movement. The poet again goes on with invective metaphors: ‘Moloch whose eyes are a thousand blind windows: Moloch whose skyscrapers stand in long streets like endless Jehovahs: Moloch whose factories dream and croak in the fog’. The poet becomes a prophet of dehumanized, mechanized creation of people whose lives become nihilism of despair. ‘I am with you in Rock Land where you plot the Hebrew Socialist Revolution against the Nationalist Golgotha’. The poet laments for a just society grounded on Socialistic lines. The poet becomes Utopian when he talks of an ultimate kind of mystic freedom.

To ground the work psychoanalytically would be to consider the poet as a sensitive hedonist, liberal with morals, yet a Gandhi who advocates leniency and pacifism in Politics. The poet is supportive of a drug induced consciousness and is a libertine when it comes to sex with wanton. The poet is a techno-Gnostic who becomes fascinated with the philosophies of Eastern mysticism. The poet is a hybrid of the Orient and the Occident. The poet’s hallucinations are surreal and go against the rational. The poet’s mind is in a haze, a neurotic labyrinth where time becomes a cosmic language of a vehicle flowing in streams of consciousness. Being populated in multiple worlds and multiple realities is a mythical and poetic adventure for the mind of the poet. The poet achieves a mechanized transcendence, mystical, cathartic and warped-the consciousness which echoes the beatific in a world heading for an apocalypse. The poet is an angelic archetype, a fallen angel who is ultimately an idealist and who has a Utopian vision for his society. Dream and reality in merge in beatific visions. For example: the poet sees visions of Mohemmadian angels staggering on the illuminated roof. The vision becomes like a surreal painting with a voice. Is the poet a hedonistic Bacchus when he openly preaches of experimenting with free sex and alcohol? Is the poet disturbing the democratic ethos of the society? The poet is visionary, an internalized angelic mystic whose mind alters between Christ, Buddha and Time and Plato. The poet has to be criticized for still clinging on to grand narratives of the day and failing to devise a mythology that would triumph individuality.

Source by Bose Anand

#seolinksdiv h3{ color:#000000; } #seolinksdiv ul li a{ color:#000000; }

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from 420 Growing News http://www.growing420.net/2017/08/05/critical-analysis-of-ginsbergs-poem-the-howl/

[growing420]

Critical Analysis of Ginsberg’s Poem: The Howl

First of all I would like to analyze the poem from the school of New Criticism which emphasizes the aesthetic aspect. The focus is on the tropes used in the poem. Ginsberg’s poem focuses on drugs, altered states of consciousness and counter culture. The trope, ‘angel headed hipsters (a person outside mainstream culture) burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of the night is a metaphor which fuses eastern mysticism with techno-punk and refers to the thirst for the addicted to altered states, and also reveals poet’s heart to be in rapture of a postmodern Gnosticism.

The figure of speech: ‘bared their brains under the EL and saw Mohameddian Angels staggering on the tenement roofs illuminated is a hyperbolic personification and refers to a mind clouded with surreal imagination, a tryst with the music of jazz and techno-Gnosticism. ‘Blake-light tragedy among the scholars of war who were expelled from the academics for crazy publishing of obscene odes on the window of the skull is a metaphor, where a politicized protest of the Vietnam and the sit-ins were thwarted out vehemently by the egoistic bureaucracy. ‘Who ate fire paint in hotels’ is a metaphor suggestive of sniffing drugs. ‘Purgatoried their torsos night after night’ refers to an idealism with countless adventures with heterosexuality. ‘Blind streets of shuddering cloud and lightning’ is personification. ‘Time between peyote solidities of halls, backyard cemetery dawns’ is a metaphor which reveals a mechanistic surreal hallucination, a dark obsession, a phantasmagoria. ‘Who sank all night in the submarine light of Bickfords’ is a metaphor that suggests a hallucinating mysticism got from a drug induced trip. ‘Listening to the crack doom on the hydrogen box’ is a metaphor that inclines to having a trip with rock music. ‘Baltimore gleamed in supernatural ecstasy is personification’. ‘Who disappeared in the volcanoes of Mexico leaving nothing but the shadow of dungarees and the lava of ash poetry scattered in the fireplace is a metaphor that portrays the subliminal, chthonic, cathartic experience when one goes though the dizzy haze of a drug induced trip. ‘What Sphinx of cement and aluminum bashed open their skulls and ate up their brains and imagination’ is a metaphor that shows the mechanization of the soul going through a drug induced trip of narco-neurosis. ‘Moloch whose skyscrapers stand in long streets like Jehovahs’ is a simile which portrays the cold gaze of the city on the human. The city is an inhuman spectacle, warped and distorted all down to drown feelings and passions in it. ‘Moloch whose factories dream and croak in the fog’ is personification to show a wasteland of dehumanization.

Next I would like to unravel the political consciousness inherent in the poem. The poet laments on the ‘best generation’ of New York being destroyed. The poet is an advocate of counter culture and experimenting with drugs and alcohol to excess is a norm. The poet is in both minds and showing a contradiction. Has America become a ghetto of drug trips and a mental and financial hell for its proletarians? The poet bombards the American bureaucracy for having expelled Vietnam War protesters from the university. The American bureaucracy is put in modern linguistic jargon: Trump Trumpeting. The American bureaucracy is colonially masculine and sexist. The poet is a critique of the legal machinery for having busted marijuana possessors. The pacifism of the counter culture generation is emphasized by the poet as they distributed anti-war pamphlets and organized sit-ins in the university. The poet in a metaphor describes the narcotic haze of capitalism. The poet sympathizes and becomes an advocate of egalitarianism. The poet is excited about the protests and mentions how the counter culture activists encountered screaming police cars. ‘Boys sobbing in armies’ are suggestive of military conscription reveals the wickedness of Capitalism to spread its tentacles of vicious power and to start and get involved in wars worldwide.

The poet in a metaphor compares Moloch, the Capitalist State to an incomprehensible prison. Again the poet in metaphoric language says: Moloch the pure machinery: Moloch whose fingers are ten armies. The poet voices the counter culture of protest against an inhuman government who is globally monstrous and satanically obsessed with the rights of the advocates of the Counter Culture movement. The poet again goes on with invective metaphors: ‘Moloch whose eyes are a thousand blind windows: Moloch whose skyscrapers stand in long streets like endless Jehovahs: Moloch whose factories dream and croak in the fog’. The poet becomes a prophet of dehumanized, mechanized creation of people whose lives become nihilism of despair. ‘I am with you in Rock Land where you plot the Hebrew Socialist Revolution against the Nationalist Golgotha’. The poet laments for a just society grounded on Socialistic lines. The poet becomes Utopian when he talks of an ultimate kind of mystic freedom.

To ground the work psychoanalytically would be to consider the poet as a sensitive hedonist, liberal with morals, yet a Gandhi who advocates leniency and pacifism in Politics. The poet is supportive of a drug induced consciousness and is a libertine when it comes to sex with wanton. The poet is a techno-Gnostic who becomes fascinated with the philosophies of Eastern mysticism. The poet is a hybrid of the Orient and the Occident. The poet’s hallucinations are surreal and go against the rational. The poet’s mind is in a haze, a neurotic labyrinth where time becomes a cosmic language of a vehicle flowing in streams of consciousness. Being populated in multiple worlds and multiple realities is a mythical and poetic adventure for the mind of the poet. The poet achieves a mechanized transcendence, mystical, cathartic and warped-the consciousness which echoes the beatific in a world heading for an apocalypse. The poet is an angelic archetype, a fallen angel who is ultimately an idealist and who has a Utopian vision for his society. Dream and reality in merge in beatific visions. For example: the poet sees visions of Mohemmadian angels staggering on the illuminated roof. The vision becomes like a surreal painting with a voice. Is the poet a hedonistic Bacchus when he openly preaches of experimenting with free sex and alcohol? Is the poet disturbing the democratic ethos of the society? The poet is visionary, an internalized angelic mystic whose mind alters between Christ, Buddha and Time and Plato. The poet has to be criticized for still clinging on to grand narratives of the day and failing to devise a mythology that would triumph individuality.

Source by Bose Anand

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from 420 Growing News http://www.growing420.net/2017/08/05/critical-analysis-of-ginsbergs-poem-the-howl/

[objectsofdesireresearchlog-blog1]

Use of Human Skulls and Bones in Tibet

After so many blogs on human bones significance, I decide to wrap the whole discussion and research up by the very essay that I identified in the research proposal: “Use of human skulls and bones in Tibet” by Berthold Laufer.

In this essay, Laufer explored the use of human skulls and bones in Tibet.

When he introduces the bone apron, he described it as “used by magicians in the Lama temples during the performances of mystic, sacred ceremonies accompanied by shamanistic dances, chiefly for the purpose of propitiating evil spirits and exorcising devils. The plaques are decorated with figures of Civaitic and Tantric deities, some of which are represented in dancing postures” (10)

He mentioned the burial customs too: in which the corpses are cut to pieces by the priests and devoured by eagles and vultures, preserving the skull and drink from it.

The use of bones is observed in various objects, like trumpets. By using objects made from human skulls and bones, people “cannot fail to be mindful of death” and be “imbued with this melancholy and sad remembrance”. The idea of death is to “restrain our passion and to regulate our conduct”, with special regard to the drinking practice from human skulls, it is to “prevent the people from becoming too much addicted to worldly pleasures, which are uncertain and fugitive, so that the drink develops into a spiritual antidote for passions and vices”. It reinforces the bones’ significance in reminding people of death and impermanence of life, thus try to reach enlightenment through non-attachment with life.

In fact, this essay focuses more on the use of human skulls. Since I have read quite a few on human skulls, and there is human skull cup in the Oriental Museum, I am thinking maybe I can include a very small part on it in the podcast, so as to illustrate the importance and significance of human bones in Tibetan culture.

In Tibet, human skulls can be treated as an offering to the God Amitābha with an invocation of divine blessing for the donor, or as receptacles for the liquid offered to the temple statues of the gods (14).

Similar practices existed in different parts of the world, like Tibetan, Turkish, Scythian (Iranian), Slavic, Celtic and Germanic tribes. Human skulls are often used as drinking or eating bowls and cups, for ancestral worship. Sometimes enemies’ skulls are used as well. And the skulls of saints or Buddha relics are worshipped directly, due to the perceived magical power of bones.

I quite like how Laufer extends the avenues of the issue on bones and skulls used. The similarities, or coincidences in the use and respect towards human skulls and bones in different cultures are still intriguing to me. I am pretty sure the significance of (human) bones and death in the religion (leading to Buddhist meditation and enlightenment) and culture (for hunting people in general) is to be included in my podcast!! (Hopefully this will be my last blog on the significance of bones)

[m3t4ln3rd]

Official press release:

Greek meditative dark trance/ambient/shamanic act Shibalba has signed a record deal with Agonia Records. The band is preparing to release a new studio album titled Psychostasis – Death Of Khat in April.

Shibalba‘s music is saturated with the mysticism of the East. It’s richly detailed and multidimensional, while layered with chanting and broadly defined elements of traditional ritual and shamanic music. Apart from contemporary synths and guitar drones, the band makes use of bones and skulls as percussion instruments, Tibetan Horns, Tibetan Singing Bowls, bone & horne trumpets, Darbuka’s (goblet drums) as well as ceremonial bells and gongs, to name a few.

The spirits behind the shamanic halls of Shibalba are Acherontas V.Priest, Aldra-Al-Melekh & Karl NE/Nachzehrer. The intent of their esoteric art is to “guide the subconsious of the individual to dream beyond the skin of matter & to dream in ecstasy and exult”.

Shibalba commented:

“Τhe secret society of Shibalba inaugurate the transparent alignment beyond death and the transcendence of the Higher Self. The conscious pneuma transposes the bridge among worlds to unite Now with Forever. Our physical vessel, our Khat, is only the conduit for the attainment of spiritual and intellectual enlightenment. Soul and intelligence does not reside in the estates of the everlasting. Divided we are at the death of Khat, before Psychostasis.

Nine Meditative Worlds Experienced and manifested in Sweden and Greece by the Ancient Teachings of Eastern Visions of personal Empirism using Physical Ritual Recordings and Instruments Unlocking the Portals of the Individual to new Dimensions of Experience to Dream Beyond-Above & Below!”

Shibalba is:

Acherontas V.Priest Aldra-Al-Melekh Karl NE/Nachzehrer

Shibalba ink deal with Agonia Records; new album, Psychostasis - Death Of Khat due this spring Official press release: Greek meditative dark trance/ambient/shamanic act Shibalba has signed a record deal with Agonia Records…

[radwolf76]

Next layer deep, the sources for the 3D Models used to make the GIF have been researched.

I know I'm a few days late for Halloween, but here's a video with some important implications for the Skeleton War

So, we've all seen this gif. It turns out, there's much misinformation about the origins of it. In the same vein as Kevin Perjurer's deep dive into the Disney Channel Jingle, or hbomberguy's exposé on the Roblox OOF, another intrepid YouTube researcher has done the legwork and found the real story.