Monday, April 06, 2009

Frigid Lies and Molten Truth

Lately we've fallen into this pattern of touching on politics on the weekend, but returning to deeper things on Monday. This follows the upside down and inside out peltanschauung of the Raccoon, but in a way it makes perfect nonsense, because transcendence can take care of itself on the weekends. It's during the week that it is more of a challenge to not get lost in ephemera, just as it's more difficult to embody the "Christmas spirit" in mid-July or the "Toots spirit" before beer o'clock.

But more generally, we want to embody our realization at all times. Being without doing isn't worth much; virtue must "radiate" from knowledge. And doing without being is pretty much worthless. (Although the former needs to be qualified, for as Will has reminded us, there is definitely a nonlocal influence that radiates from the genuine saint, even if history never records his celestial presents.)

The point is, it's relatively easy to slip through the cracks of slack on weekends, but they tend to "seal over" come Monday.

Speaking of prisons, that remands me. We all know about post-traumatic stress. But it is also possible to be "traumatized" by the good, in such a way that it "haunts" us for the rest of our lives. But this haunting is none other than the recollection of paradise, so it's not something to run away from, but toward. For example, when you first fall in love, this is a profound recollection of something that was waiting to be tapped into. To say that human beings are "haunted by love" would be an understatement.

In my case, I am very aware of being haunted by the recollection of summer vacation, which represented the release of the soul into a trackless expanse of infinite slack after nine months of bondage and servitude to the Conspiracy. Not for nothing does the Great Seal of the Raccoons depict Toots leading the children of Bensonhurst out of an old-fashioned schoolhouse.

I also remember my last day of high school. Sure, it's cool to be a cosmically liberated, thrice-cleared operating thetan in the Vertical Church of Upper Tonga. Nevertheless, I have to admit that it doesn't quite match the euphoria of graduating high school. Little did I know that I was simply going from a pent-up frying pan to a fiery outhouse, what with my forthcoming looniversity brainwashing.

Enough gnostalgia. Suffice it to say that if you look at your Raccoon calendar, you will see that today we celebrate the annual Feast of Abner, i.e., opening day of the baseball season, which represents a miraculous ingression of slack into this horizontal wasteland.

Now, the fact that we understand objects, i.e., The World, means that the world is made of "communication." It is full of messages of all kinds, just waiting to be decoded -- quantum mechanical messages, genetic messages, chemical messages, pheromonal messages, divine messages, signs from the third base coach, etc.

Thus, prior to what appears to be the most obvious ontological fact of existence, i.e., the distinction between subjects and objects, there is something even more fundamental: communication. "Comm-unication" is the prior oneness that bifurcates into subjects and objects, and without which objects could not be known and subjects could not know them.

Or, contrary to what atheists and other assorted morons are always saying, if this were a meaningless universe, no one could ever realize it.

Now, interestingly -- this is getting a bit aheart of oursophs -- but what distinguishes the Trinity from those cheaply made bargain gods is that it is irreducibly communicative. Thus, this unique metaphysic renders what is otherwise quite problematic -- an intelligible cosmos that never stops communicating with itself -- an inevitability.

The cosmos "speaks" because there are subjects; and because there is a Subject, the cosmos speaks. True, you are free to argue that the cosmos doesn't speak intelligibly, but not without sacrificing truth, freedom, and intelligibility. And since the substance of man is one part truth, one part freedom, the materialist commits ontological suicide.

Which is fine. The immorality -- the unforgivable crime -- occurs when these undead body snatchers engage in the soul murder of others, especially the innocent kits. Which is why we say without exaggeration or hyperbole that the leftist takeover of the educational system is a kind of....

Let's see, "genocide" is already taken. Let's call it "pneumacide," i.e., the murder of the spirit. This is no joke, as anyone can attest who has recovered from the assault of these elumenationists. I know for a fact that I'm still recovering, and maybe always will be. It's somewhat analogous to nearly dying from some terrible illness, and then having some permanent residuals as a result.

An image comes to mind. On the original Star Trek, they were beaming down some crew members to a particular planet. But in this case, there was a danger that they might rematerialize within solid rock, and then be unrecoverable. In so many ways, a secular brainwashing is to be beamed down into solid rock is it not? Or maybe ice.

Schuon: "Mistaking the ice that imprisons us for Reality, we do not acknowledge what it excludes and experience no desire for deliverance; we try to compel the ice to be happiness."

We must melt the ice, pulverize the rock, and regain our original fluidity. This can only occur in the Great Interiority of the subject, not by chasing phantoms in the object world, which reduces the subject to an effect rather than a cause. Freedom "enters" in this space between subject and object, because, like truth, it is prior to both.

But for the same reason, as Balthasar explains, man is the first entity that is freely capable of lying. That is, with the emergence of man, the Lie enters creation. In fact, if you remember your Genesis, the very first recorded statement of man is a lie to God: I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid myself.

The Bible often makes a critical point by virtue of the order in which something occurs, so surely the first utterance of man is fraught with existential and spiritual significance.

In this case, you could say that the Bible records the emergence of the first liberal, in that Adam immediately tries to excuse his culpability by depicting himself as the victim: hey, you scared me! It's your fault! But that doesn't fly, so next he blames the woman. In fact, there is also an oral teaching that has been handed down from generation to generation and which still lives today, in which Adam blames his malfeasance on conservative talk radio.

Now, the Lie is the beginning of man's self-imprisonment under that sheet of ice alluded to above. It reminds me of when children used to get trapped in those old refrigerators that locked from the outside, for once man gets into the Lie, it is very difficult to get out. For inside it is as dark, cold, and airless as an empty raven's soul.

Truth, like love, radiates, whereas the lie compacts and restricts. Or, looked at another way, truth is like an infinitely hard jewel, whereas the lie disperses and dissipates. The left conflates all of these categories, resulting in beautiful "radiant lies" such as socialism, or the "hardened falsehoods" of political correctness. This results in a kind of perverse mirror homage to conservatism, because the left is not about "progress," but about conserving their "permanent lies." This is also why it is such a parody of religion, since, in denying the sacred, it confers sanctity on the profane.

Because truth radiates, we have speech, or communication. If we didn't have speech, we would combust from the heat. As HvB says, in the absence of the gift of "saying truth," we would be "burned up by an inward abundance that could not be expressed outwardly. It would be like a light that had to shine in itself without being able to emit any rays." Most Raccoons are en fuego, and the only way to turn down the heat is to post about it and try to light up some other folks. Yes, we arsons of God.

But this heat ultimately radiates from that burning bush that is never consumed. This is an irreducible mystery, for the more light we radiate, the more comes in -- like a brush fire that begins to generate its own wind. True, the Spirit blows where it will, but it blows even harder in certain self-generated weather patterns. This has been my experience of immersing myself in the world of HvB, which is like a tornado that lifts my little house over the reignbelow. Call it a Funnel of Love.

It is a fact that the gradual approach of these ontological levels of the spirit's form of existence is synonymous with an interior "clearing," irradiation, and illumination of being. The spiritual substance is light in itself.... Certain accounts of this fact suggest that the levels between matter and spirit are also levels of being's intelligibility. --Theo-Logic: The Truth of the World

40 comments:

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Peltanschauung...most excellent word, Bob!

It sounds like a type of sausage but it means so much more and it incudes pelt. An instant Raccoon Pantheon Word if I ever saw one. :^)

Petey said...

The polarizing president in history, like a lie driven deep into the American soul.

julie said...

It may be the first day of the season, but you're already hitting them out of the park. And somebody musta left a whole bunch of gongs on the other side of the fence, because there's a distinct sound coming from that direction...

Petey,
well, there's change for ya. Apparently, the sinisters are still feeling pretty hopey, too. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised, since their promised udopia seems more immanent now than ever before.

NoMo said...

Yep, I googled "the great divider" and went straight to this.

Inspiring post today, Bob. Just great.

OT BTW, ever caught the HBO series "In Treatment"? There is a new season starting now. My wife and I find it generally fascinating and insightful. Gabriel Byrne is excellent as the therapist and there is some great writing. Although I assume real world therapy might be very different?

Northern Bandit said...

Here we see a superficially reasonable materialist attempting to subvert reality itself. Millions of "smart people" have been or will be seduced by these sophisticated charlatans.

Purpose-Driven Life

"Nevertheless, if we develop Darwin’s insight, we can see the emergence of purpose, as of life itself, by small degrees, not from above, but by small increments, from below. The first purpose was the organization of matter in ways complex enough to sustain and replicate itself—the establishment, in other words, of life, or in still other terms, of problems and solutions. With life emerged the first purpose, the first problem, to preserve at least the improbable complexity already reached, and to find new ways of resisting damage and loss.

As life proliferated, variety offered new hedges against loss in the face of unpredictable circumstances, and even new ways of evolving variety, like sex. Still richer purposes emerged with emotions, intelligence, and cooperation, and most recently with creativity itself, pursued naturally, and unnaturally, through human invention, in art, and pursued unnaturally, through challenging what we have inherited, in science.
"

These ideas must be countered among the chattering classes before the West itself simply inverts: Hell on earth.

julie said...

It reminds me of when children used to get trapped in those old refrigerators that locked from the outside, for once man gets into the Lie, it is very difficult to get out.

And suddenly, freedom becomes mighty scarce...

julie said...

:D
Ah, so that's how coondog got her name...

Rick said...

“It's somewhat analogous to nearly dying from some terrible illness, and then having some permanent residuals as a result.”

It reminds me of when Frodo is stabbed by the Nazgul on Weathertop. He never recovers.

robinstarfish said...

Or, contrary to what atheists and other assorted morons are always saying, if this were a meaningless universe, no one could ever realize it.

Their hunt for meaning is always just out of reach.

I hear them singing..."the answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind..."

mushroom said...

Speaking of the Feast of Abner before reading further, I note that the Royals' opener has been snowed out -- a possibly auspicious start in view of their last couple of seasons.

mushroom said...

Let's call it "pneumacide," i.e., the murder of the spirit. This is no joke, as anyone can attest who has recovered from the assault of these elumenationists.

The light shines into the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it.

Their problem is that they can pull the shades but they can't get at the Source of light.

Darkness may be the default condition in a sense, but there is no source of dark. The best they can do is shadows.

wv: surial -- surviving surreal serial killers.

Anonymous said...

parDecided to weigh in with a story-share on post-traumatic stress. . . and, "Mystery" a la, "What is intimacy?" "What is subjectivity?"

According to my son, one of the least injured (only one arm broken)friend's in that horrid car wreck in 05', was the one, who months after the incident was still "All messed up. She can't stop talking about it ... " (I didn't 'work on her, bec. she didn't stay in the hospital.)

That Spring in 05', I wrote to someone "Why do I keep thinking M. (son) will die in July?"

End of July on Sunday morn' at 6:30 AM I got a call from a hospital with the news that they have him and, "He may have some broken bones. He is conscious and that's a good thing."

He wasn't home that night and I figured he bunked at his buds' place again. As his buddy at times would bunk here.

That night, for the first time in years, I scribled nothing during the night in my bedside note pad. The only thing that stood out was my struggle to "save" a round loaf of bread from getting soggy as it got dunked in a large pot of liquid.

Well, that day when I got home from the hospital my big mug of tea was still on the counter full to the brim even though I had plenty of time to drink it, since I had to wait for his father to pick me up.

That day I brought home his soggy wet clothes. I asked one of the mom's if their kid's cloths was all wet thinking maybe the car got daused with water - but she said "no".

The doctor on duty spoke to us in private before any test results. "He took the brunt of it because of his muscular body built and probably saved their lives." Then said he was hopeful that (because) "He is a strong young guy and liver surgery may not be necessary."

The news on local TV station report called the accident "Youthfull joy riding." (I still din't have a cable then, but was told.) My kid was a back seat passanger.

Newspaper article penned by the officer on duty who was the first on the accident scene, wrote, that he "..never saw anything like it in my 25 years on duty. Limbs sticking out everywhere. Was it providence? . .
( = gist-quoting from memory)
Then described what happend...

Driver lost control on a turn. Spun 'round then slammed into a dead tree, which crash-fell on top of the vehicle.

The rescue crew told M. he had to wait to be extricated from the metal's jaws because others seemed worse. Wasn't till he cursed and said "I'm going to die bec. I can't breathe", they took him seriously.

The crew took their time to methodically do what they do best. Again, my kid told them where to cut, what to do to. They protested, but "ended up doing exactly as I told them in the end."

One and a half hour ordeal just to get the 5 youth free from the wreckage.

The male nurse in ICU said "His liver is pretty mangled." Guess, having a 17 cm. rip in the liver is "Pretty mangled" alright.

One collapsed lung. Cracked spatula bone. Severly crushed shoulder/arm. Just a few of the major injuries.
At some point they had to stick a tube into his belly to drain blood and fluid.

One day I was informed they had his blood on order should he need transfusion. That was the night I asked if I could stay by his side, but was told he was in good hands. So I just asked the nice nurse to tell him he won't need a liver transplant. That was his worry, which my motherly reasurance didn't ease his fear. (And we know that fear can kill)

It's pretty hard not to feel panic, but I had to keep calm for the sake of 'energy work'. By morning he's blood count was up.

Meantime, I was visiting one of his friends and with permission worked on removing the trauma from her soul-memory. One day I walked in. She was surrounded by Mom, and two other women. L. had a very rough night. "I didn't sleep because I couldn't breathe." Face bruised and swolen beyond recognition.
She had no memory of "screaming and screaming". I asked if I could work on her and she thanked me for coming by and to "please do it."

Within minutes she was soundly asleep. One of the women asked if I was working with energy. "She needs this more than she needs me rightnow."
Turned out she was trauma shrink.

To wrap up finally. My kid was home after 12 days. The following day went out to see friends. Still far from full recovery, and 30 pounds lighter. But strong 'enuf to wenture out.

The girl who was 'worked on' by me had no post-traumatic stress. I know bec. I saw her several times afterwards. She came over one day gift-bearing for what I did for her.

My son, several weeks after the accident during energy treatment released on a cellural level tremendous "shudder".
Meantime, I heard in subtle, the release of his initial treefalling shock-moment - his hair-raising scream.

Theofilia

julie said...

Robin, lol. Again, glad I'm not drinking anything right now... :D

Anonymous said...

wv sez "messi" - sure is! that's why I'm popping in with "oopsi!"

"Was it providence?" = that no one died in such a crash.

My statment "Just a few of the major injuries" = should read, "Those were the major injuries."

Theofilia

will said...

> . . . Truth, like love, radiates<<

And it blinds, for a time, the eye unaccustomed to Truth. Thus the Dark Night cometh. (and messeth with your mind and body)

>>the unforgivable crime -- occurs when these undead body snatchers engage in the soul murder of others, especially the innocent kits<<

Oh, but ain't that the truth. If I may quote: "It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin."

Anonymous said...

"The polarizing president in history, like a lie driven deep into the American soul."

Indeed. The lie, of course, is that there is any significant difference between Republicans and Democrats. A well acted play on the world audience.

Anonymous said...

Bob sez:
"Truth, like love, radiates..."

Sure does, when Pure soul acts in a truth-full way, she does so because what she does is true. . . Not to please anyone, or for a pat on the back, because soul is that which doesn't need a pat on the back.

My nanagrrrl, on the day of her
5th birthday celebration made her Mamma proud.
All of her classmate girlfriends were invited to the party which was at some fun party-place. Each child got a oh so purty baloon. Everyone was happy and everything, when all of a sudden (I'll call her) Carly cried out loudly wailing... Her ballon popped!

"S......., without moment's hesitation ran up to her handing her own baloon, with "Don't cry, here, you can have my baloon. I was so proud of her."

*

Word on what I think about "violence". Krishna told Arjuna to remember the Lord. . .A la - "Evil grows when the good doesn't oppose it."

Theofilia

Cory said...

Well, when they say they are going to mount a bipartisan effort to heal the divisions in the country you just know that anything up to and including civil war is in the offing. It is like Clinton proclaiming the "most ethical" administration in history and, within a handful of weeks, becoming embroiled in what was a non-stop parade of petty (and not so petty) scandals, peccadillos and crimes culminating in his impeachment.

Oh well, if you are devoted to the atheist/materialist/humanist idols you know that these things "just happen". Or are the result of secret combinations and conspiracies hatched in Crawford or at the Holiday Inn down the street from Rush Limbaugh's house.

Keep at it, Brother Robert. I keep thinking someday I will catch up but secretly hope I never do as it is really fun trying. You keep writing them and I will keep reading them.

Van Harvey said...

"The immorality -- the unforgivable crime -- occurs when these undead body snatchers engage in the soul murder of others, especially the innocent kits. Which is why we say without exaggeration or hyperbole that the leftist takeover of the educational system is a kind of....

Let's see, "genocide" is already taken. Let's call it "pneumacide," i.e., the murder of the spirit. This is no joke, as anyone can attest who has recovered from the assault of these elumenationists."

For those who see the self evident truth of this, do a scan of high school students from early 1900's, here's one at random. Look close... look for the bolts through the lips & tongues... look for the tattoos... if someone isn't able to see what has been lost from then to now, who isn't able to see the damage... anyone who thinks those are 'adornments'... are but zombies themselves.

ximeze said...

Van, how's the new job after your first day? Mayhap it b tu zoon tu tel.

Van Harvey said...

Ximeze, yeah, it was 'all smiles first day' day, I'll know better when there's something to frown about and see how it's handled. But I will say that it certainly could have been worse, definitly coulda been worse.

Keeping in mind though, that it was the Feast of Abner day... and snowing throughout the morning.

Anonymous said...

ummm. . . since ximeze asked Van a private question about his first day on the job, I will also troll-in bec. I want to ask Ben somt'.

You responded to my already burried below post-response on "scum bag."

Like, so wow Ben.
Would you, if you could, -- if no one knew you did that -- would you with gusto spit in my face?
Worse?

Theofilia

ximeze said...

Vanster, you had a global warming day?

That's right, saw a story today that Detroit got 4 inches. Brrrrr

Here it was gloriously warm & sunny: tank-top & shorts weather.

ximeze said...

Bigfurhat strikes again

robinstarfish said...

So, um Theofilia, why don't you use your own nic instead of stealing Anonymous's? Anonymous is getting very annoyed having to share, finding it extremely difficult to contain multiple points of view. Anonymous is confused enough as it is; why make it worse?

So let Anonymous remain Anonymous.

Since you have your own blog, how about posting your long stories over there, then inviting people over to read them? Just sayin'...

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Nice deflection and faux martyrdom, Theofilia.
Yes, by all means, try to lay a guilt trip on me, rather than respond to what I said about "scumbag."

You see, scumbag chose to hurt his family to fulfill his selfish sexual fantasy. Permanently, I might add.

Scumbag was more concerned about himself, or herself if you prefer, than doing what he vowed to do and what every fathers responsibility is:
protecting his children and wife.

Instead, scumbag chose to abandon them.
Yeah, truth is indeed like a sword. If you can't see the truth in what I said, I pity you.

But if you wish to avoid the truth and play the victim, by all means carry on. I promise I won't spit on you, even in my imagination.

What I said wasn't about you but about scumbag choosing his selfish desires at the expense of his family, hurting them in the process.

I reckon you feel better demonizing me instead of facing the truth. But unlike you, I'm not so thin-skinned and I can care less whether you want to spit in my face or not.
Your response merely confirms what you are about.

ximeze said...

doe, a deer, a female deer

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Ximeze-

LOL! That's both funny, and because it's true...very sad! Obama is pathetic.

Anonymous said...

Theo,

Are you going to use your blue name from now on so all your fans can hook up with you?
Pretty please?

Friend of Theofilia

Anonymous said...

Are Theo and Friend of Theo one in the same?

walt said...

From atop the Mountain, the Starfish can see for miles and miles and miles and miles ....

jp said...

Theofilia:

I have another question for you.

Why are you posting comments here?

sehoy said...

"Arsons of God" is so perfect. I won't be forgetting that soon.

We will be celebrating the feast of Abner with you all.

Anonymous said...

Ben,

I would not, could not, it would never ever have occured to me to spit on you. THAT'S THE TRUTH.

Showing courage in the face of danger is not same as fearlessnes, but it sure as heck shows the strenght of one's character.

Theofilia

Anonymous said...

Robin,

Are Theo and friend of Theo one in same?

Unless Frind of theo sez his/her name I don't know who it is?

Question tho, is it so surprising I may have a friend who thinks I'm waaay sweet:)

Theofilia

Anonymous said...

Ohya Robin!

You like snoopin' round the cybernet? What makes you think I didn't wish to keep my blogspace private!? I'm posting for my kids so one day they know what I've been up to. . .

Theofilia

Anonymous said...

jp,

Why am I posting here? hmmm why are you posting here?

Theofilia

Anonymous said...

Friend of Theofilia,

Am I going to use my blue name so my friends can drop in to my blog?

First, I wouldn't know how to make my name "blue".
Second, now that you saw my blog-thing - page -- tho I wasn't gona make it public -- 'come on down if you wish:)

Theofilia

Anonymous said...

I didn't say "drop in", I said hook up.
Your mask is beginning to fall.

Anonymous said...

Anony friend, I don't know what you mean by "so your fans can hookup".

Whatchya mean exactly? If it means clicking bunch of times to make my nic blue? Forget it! I'm the world's biggest computer illiterati there is. I won't even venture to spell check my blog-writing for fear of deleting the entire two finger write - laboured posts.

Theofilia

Theofilia

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