tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post114407611416854285..comments2024-03-28T20:04:20.286-07:00Comments on One Cʘsmos: On Seeing by the Light of DarknessGagdad Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14249005793605006679noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144126378848136232006-04-03T21:52:00.000-07:002006-04-03T21:52:00.000-07:00Larwyn- I can relate to that. LOL!It's a fond memo...Larwyn- I can relate to that. LOL!<BR/>It's a fond memory, that some folks would call crazy.<BR/><BR/>Mikalm- The sailors that had problems with isolation always formed their own groups, socializing to drown out the call of the sea, and the vastness of night.<BR/>A few did lose their sanity, I'm sad to say.<BR/>Storms at sea took on a life of their own, and storms at night could be truly monstrous.<BR/>I grew to appreciate even the storms, in a sense.<BR/>Timed just right, a step could be severely streneous, or liberatingly light. <BR/>The sea can seem hungry, and unforgiving, when you are slammed every which way, taking 30-40 degree rolls...the suspense is thick.<BR/>Yet it was exhilarating at the same moment.<BR/>I never had sense deprivation, but rather sense communion. <BR/>I only experience sense deprivation among a chaotic crowd of people. <BR/>Now thats scary. :^)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144123690569993792006-04-03T21:08:00.000-07:002006-04-03T21:08:00.000-07:00Bob: You've mentioned Terrence Mckenna and his wor...Bob: You've mentioned Terrence Mckenna and his work a couple of times.<BR/>At the risk of veering into some questionable territory, have you looked at any of the writings by Daniel Siebert and his experiences with the Diviners Sage?<BR/><BR/>JWMAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144121213531693622006-04-03T20:26:00.000-07:002006-04-03T20:26:00.000-07:00Ben USN,What a wonderfully poetic description of n...Ben USN,<BR/><BR/>What a wonderfully poetic description of night at sea! <BR/><BR/>I've heard that quite a few people on the high seas couldn't take what Bob called the "raw perceptual experience of the infinite," and actually <I>went insane</I> when alone at night on shipboard.<BR/><BR/>Which reminds me of a haunting quote by <I>alt-kultur</I> author Jim Goad. Writing about the suicide of a woman after she spent several months in complete silent darkness at the bottom of a deep cave (it was an experiment in sensory deprivation), he said something like, "Down there, she brushed against something huge, dark and infinite, and it swallowed her." Goad is in many ways a self-aggrandizing a-hole, but he *can* turn quite a phrase.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144120435433077962006-04-03T20:13:00.000-07:002006-04-03T20:13:00.000-07:00ben usn(ret) That gave me chills. I too like the ...ben usn(ret)<BR/> That gave me chills. I too like the night and have always been happiest when so involved in a project that their is no time and no weariness. It would only be ~36hrs later that I would be surprised that it was either light or dark outside.<BR/><BR/>One of the greatest blessings must be enjoying the opportunity of doing something you truly love.<BR/><BR/><B>Kahntheroad</B><BR/>As soon as I saw what posted, I emailed Robert and pleaded for mercy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144116736809981702006-04-03T19:12:00.000-07:002006-04-03T19:12:00.000-07:00Aye, Bob!It is an experience that I shall always c...Aye, Bob!<BR/>It is an experience that I shall always cherish.<BR/>A night in the wilderness is also awesome.<BR/>Be it the desert or the mountain or the valley by the river or lake. <BR/>The splendor of Creation gives us a glimpse of the Creator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144113756804467542006-04-03T18:22:00.000-07:002006-04-03T18:22:00.000-07:00That sounds truly awesome. Probably about as close...That sounds truly awesome. Probably about as close as you can get to a raw perceptual experience of the infinite. Bottomless ocean, endless night, no boundaries except the white noise of the waves, no time but the rhythm of the sea.Gagdad Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14249005793605006679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144112557899500442006-04-03T18:02:00.000-07:002006-04-03T18:02:00.000-07:00Yor post brings to mind all those graveyard shifts...Yor post brings to mind all those graveyard shifts I had in the Navy.<BR/>Even whenI retired I preferre graveyard shifts, for 2 reasons:<BR/>1. No bosses around to slow progress.<BR/>2. I've always liked being awake at night. It is less cluttered and chaotic than work during the day, and easier to think.<BR/>Thats the short answer, but it's more complicated than that. <BR/>One thing about being in the Navy, and probably all Services, is; you learn to breakthrough fatigue, day or night. <BR/>I thrived on it, actually, and you are correct, Bob, it is difficult to explain.<BR/>Now I'm rambling, but the esence of what I'm trying to say is that night time does indeed hold secrets, and it is possible to learn of them.<BR/>Especially on a ship, sailing a vast ocean, with the sound of the waves crashing against the hull, salt air, and a feeling of smallness etched in the corner of my mind, yet reassuring, with the realization that the hand of God is guiding you, and His gaze is upon you.<BR/>Feeling the spiritual battle that rages, between good and evil.<BR/>Beauty, peace and an inner joy.<BR/>The thoughts and feelings span the spectrum of the verticle...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144112285135342862006-04-03T17:58:00.000-07:002006-04-03T17:58:00.000-07:00Insolence!Insolence!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144111186157855272006-04-03T17:39:00.000-07:002006-04-03T17:39:00.000-07:00June,You're also welcome to join the discussion ov...June,<BR/><BR/>You're also welcome to join the discussion over at Cosmic Launch.<BR/><BR/>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cosmiclaunch/<BR/><BR/>And it doesn't have to be about politics. As far as I'm concerned, anyone inclined to keep coming back to this blog has something interesting to offer.<BR/><BR/>Plus, I'm running things over there - so even Petey will have to behave himself. ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144110363773751002006-04-03T17:26:00.000-07:002006-04-03T17:26:00.000-07:00Larwyn--I put your comment and June's response to ...Larwyn--<BR/><BR/>I put your comment and June's response to it at the end of yesterdays post.Gagdad Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14249005793605006679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144106157269667702006-04-03T16:15:00.000-07:002006-04-03T16:15:00.000-07:00Man, it's bad enough that Dr. Bob is sick; now we ...Man, it's bad enough that Dr. Bob is sick; now we have to go and make a mess of the comments section.<BR/><BR/>Sorry Bob :(Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144087669634003122006-04-03T11:07:00.000-07:002006-04-03T11:07:00.000-07:00More like a Cosmic Lurch...Hey, I never said anyth...More like a Cosmic Lurch...<BR/><BR/>Hey, I never said anything about launching a web design career, <I>Anonymous</I>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144086785265108632006-04-03T10:53:00.000-07:002006-04-03T10:53:00.000-07:00Talk about your cosmic launch!Talk about your cosmic launch!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144086387691077772006-04-03T10:46:00.000-07:002006-04-03T10:46:00.000-07:00Cosmic Lauch. That's what it's called. Cosmic Lau...Cosmic Lauch. That's what it's called. Cosmic Launch.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144086297318539102006-04-03T10:44:00.000-07:002006-04-03T10:44:00.000-07:00Er, the group name is actually Which, I think, is ...Er, the group name is actually <A HREF="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cosmiclaunch" REL="nofollow"/><BR/><BR/>Which, I think, is a little less cumbersome than the one in my last post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144086039201768892006-04-03T10:40:00.000-07:002006-04-03T10:40:00.000-07:00Hey all,I think we need a place to contain this bl...Hey all,<BR/><BR/>I think we need a place to contain this blaze of ideas that Bob has kindled.<BR/><BR/>A few weeks ago I set up a group on Yahoo called <A HREF="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cosmiclaunch" REL="nofollow"/>. If any one is interested in carrying on some of these discussions over there click on my name for the link. You'll have to set up a yahoo account, and I'll have to approve your membership, but all are welcome (I just want to keep out moonbats and spammers). <BR/><BR/>Although, ideally it would be great to have a less cumbersome, more traditional forum. So, I'm open to ideas.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144079280847064852006-04-03T08:48:00.000-07:002006-04-03T08:48:00.000-07:00Bob - "Night, like all things vast and cosmic, ...Bob - <BR/><BR/>"Night, like all things vast and cosmic, is heavy with contradiction. Night is both a presence and an absence, a fullness and an emptiness. Night both reveals and obscures. Night destroys image yet invites us to replace the lost image with visions of our own. Night separates us, nudges us into individual cells, while at the same time urging us to gather together. Indeed, there is no time when we sense and celebrate the presence of another than at night. Night conjures up romance as well as terror. Night is the time of our greatest thoughtfulness and sobriety yet it can also be the time of our greatest recklessness and abandon."<BR/><BR/>"Night is full of paradox - it is a romance, a terror, a simplicity, a complexity, a dream and hallucination, and a transcendent vision."<BR/><BR/>Those quotes are from somebody or another, I think his name is Lopez, on the subject of night. <BR/><BR/>Here's one from Baudelaire: "Twilight arouses madmen."<BR/><BR/>And from Rilke: “Who dares to lean his brow against nightspace as against his own window". <BR/><BR/>One thing us moderns tend to forget is that night is a lot more than the absence of day. (me)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com