"your very own thread, and the horse you rode in on.&qu

[the fire elf]

note to self: grow mushrooms

[the fire elf]

Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion, used the word Onkar to state the concept of a monotheistic God rather than the Tri-Deity concept that Aum had become mired in at the time of his presence in the world, namely that Aum had come to represent the trinity of Brahma (the Creator), Vishnu (The Sustainer) and Shiva (the Destroyer). Instead, Guru Nanak, by placing the number 1 in front of Onkar, propagated the basic principle of Sikhism - that the creative, sustaining and destructive energies are all embodied in the One Almighty, thereby directly opposing the Trinity interpretation that had become commonplace at the time.

[the fire elf]

mire
–noun 1. a tract or area of wet, swampy ground; bog; marsh.
2. ground of this kind, as wet, slimy soil of some depth or deep mud.
–verb (used with object) 3. to plunge and fix in mire; cause to stick fast in mire.
4. to involve; entangle.
5. to soil with mire; bespatter with mire.
–verb (used without object) 6. to sink in mire or mud; stick.

[Origin: 1300–50; ME < ON mȳrr bog; c. OE mēos moss]



It is through the mycelium that a fungus absorbs nutrients from its environment. It does this in a two stage process. Firstly the hyphae secrete enzymes onto the food source which breaks down polymers into monomers. These monomers are then absorbed into the mycelium by facilitated diffusion and active transport. Mycelium is also a vital component in many ecosystems in that it helps increase the efficiency of water and nutrient absorption of many plants and also is vital to the decomposition and breaking-up of plant material to form the organic part of soil and to release carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.

Sclerotia are compact or hard masses of mycelium.

Albert Hofmann was the first to recognize the importance and chemical structure of the pure compounds psilocybin and psilocin. Hoffmann was aided in this process by his willingness to ingest extracts isolated from Psilocybe.

Psilocybin has been studied as a treatment for several disorders. In the early 1960s, Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert ran the Harvard Psilocybin Project, carrying out a number of experiments concerning the use of psilocybin in the treatment of personality disorders and other uses in psychological counseling.

More recently, in the US, an FDA-approved study supported by Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) began in 2001 to study the effects of psilocybin on patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

[the fire elf]

The thoughts, impulses, or images are not simply excessive worries about real-life problems.

The person attempts to ignore or suppress such thoughts, impulses, or images, or to neutralize them with some other thought or action.

The person recognizes that the obsessional thoughts, impulses, or images are a product of his or her own mind.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amanita muscaria: chemistry, biology, toxicology,and ethnomycology

The fly agaric is a remarkable mushroom in many respects

bearing, history, chemical components and the poisoning that it provokes when consumed.

[the fire elf]

Valkyrie in G.E.R.W.A.L.K. Mode.
(Ground Effective Reinforcement of Winged Armament with Locomotive Knee-Joint)

[the fire elf]

Solar powered, electric chariot that is actually pulled by a walking/rollerblading robot! This two-legged, Terminator looking robot, was dressed as a Roman Centurian (with a George Bush head of course), and wears a sign that reads “Down on my luck, can you spare some gas?” Best of all, this vehicle moves with unbelievable speed, grace and a human-like style that will make you do a double-take!

[the fire elf]

[the fire elf]

[the fire elf]

[the fire elf]

[the fire elf]

was a rock star before there were rock stars, with a vast business enterprise trading on the voracious hunger for all things paranormal.

"Carry this man where he will," the Zombie Master directed the roc. "Return him safely with his burden to this spot."

"Uh, I'll need a jug or something---" Dor said.

The Magician produced two jugs: one for each of them. Dor climed onto the stinking back of the roc, anchored himself by grawsping the rotting stubs of two great feathers, and tied the jugs with a length of Jumper's silk left over from his last dragline.

The roc flapped its monstrous wings. The spread was so great, the tips touched the castle walls on either side of the courtyard. Grimy feathers flew wide, bits of meat sprayed off, and the bony substructure crackled alarmingly. But there was a tremendous power remaining in this creature. A roc in its prime could carry an elephant --- that was an imaginary creature the size of a small sphinx --- and Dor weighed far less than that. So even this animated corpse could perform creditably enough.

~sequal to A Spell For Chameleon, piers anthony

[the fire elf]

Eventually it became accepted that there were nine muses: Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania. Each had her own domain:


CALLIOPE

Calliope is identified with philosophy. Muse of eloquence and epic or heroic. Calliope, which means "beautiful voice".

When Persephone, goddess of the Underworld, argued with the goddess of love Aphrodite over the affections of handsome Adonis, Zeus sent wise Calliope to be the judge and arbitress. She decided that Adonis should spent part of the year with Persephone and the rest with Aphrodite.


CLIO

Clio's name means "Proclaimer" and she is so named because her songs bestow everlasting glory upon those praised by her.


ERATO

Erato is the Muse of poetry, particularly love and erotic, and mimicry. Her name means "Lovely". She is so named because she turns those who follow her into men who are desired and worthy to be loved.


EUTERPE

This Muse's name means "Delight" and she brings delight and joy to all those who hear her sing.


MELPOMENE

Melpomene is the Muse of tragedy. She is usually represented with a tragic mask, and wearing the cothurnus, which are the boots traditionally worn by tragic actors.

Her name loosely translates to "choir" and she is named because of her chanting which charms and inspires her listeners.


POLYHYMNIA
(or Polymnia)

Polyhymnia is the Greek Muse of the sublime and sacred. She is usually represented in a pensive or meditating position


TERPSICHORE

Terpsichore is the Muse of dancing and the dramatic.

Terpsichore delights her disciples with the good things.


THALIA

Thalia presided over comedy, merry and idyllic. She also favored pursuits and is represented holding a comic mask and a shepherd's staff, or a wreath of ivy. She is worshipped because the fame of those whose praises she sings flourishes and lasts for long periods of time.


URANIA

Urania is the Greek Muse of Universal love.

Her name means "Heavenly" and Urania is so named because she raises her disciples.

[the fire elf]

[the fire elf]

[the fire elf]

[the fire elf]

The scientist does not study nature because it is useful; he studies it because he delights in it, and he delights in it because it is beautiful.
If nature were not beautiful, it would not be worth knowing, and if nature were not worth knowing, life would not be worth living. Of course I do not here speak of that beauty which strikes the senses, the beauty of qualities and of appearance; not that I undervalue such beauty, far from it, but it has nothing to do with science; I mean that profounder beauty which comes from the harmonious order of the parts and which a pure intelligence can grasp.

A common classical idea of beautiful art involves the word mimesis, the imitation of nature. Also in the realm of ideas about beauty in nature is that the perfect is implied through symmetry, equal division, and other perfect mathematical forms and notions.

[the fire elf]

[the fire elf]

Being one, he becomes many;
or having become many, becomes one again

*vasitva* (a power to subdue one's own will -- self-hypnosis)

Demonstrations of any of these skills are proof of holy
perfection and perfect holiness. The Buddha, that son of
Maya, Queen Magic, is frequently referred to and depicted
as a magician, a *mayavin*

[the fire elf]

"... The magician is the greatest of all artists. Let me
illustrate. When an artest is truly great we say, 'Your
song was magic,' 'Your dance was magic,' 'Your painting
(or whatever) was magic.' This shows that magic is the
essence of all the arts. Some speak of magic aspiring
to be art, but it is really art that aspires to be magic.
Magic is the highest art, pure art, art's ultimate
accomplishment."

web source also transmitted:

"You mean you really don't know yet?" the magician
gently laughed. "You do know, yes, you do, but your
intellect is, once again, clouding your consciousness.
Within yourself you know. You know that Baba has
chosen Las Vegas [their present location] as the
spiritual center of the twenty-first century. We have
only thirteen years -- thirteen, the number you
selected first -- to prepare."

"God, I don't believe this is happening," the girl
laughed with slight discomfort. "Is this some sort
of crazy joke?"

"Everything has a purpose," the magician said, looking
deeply into her eyes. "When you first came to Las
Vegas, though you did not know it and thought it was
for other reasons, it was to take the class on Indian
philosophy and to join Baba's center. The heights,
as the Veda notes, are accessed through the depths.
All has been but preparation for this moment."

[the fire elf]

Writ 140 - Assignment #4 (draft)

November 1, 1999

Have We Forgotten the Nature and Function of Art, Again?

Suddenly it seems like a déjà vu all over again. The recent outburst of criticism from Mayor Rudolph Giuliani over Nigerian artist Chris Ofili’s bold depiction of the Holy Virgin Mary with African features, elephant dung, and pornographic clips, has sent tremors of frustration across artistic circles, as once again, art has clashed with social acceptance and politics. The Ofili controversy reminded us of the countless times in history when art has been denounced as immoral, sacrilegious, absurd, or simply distasteful. At the height of the Nazi regime six decades ago, Hitler decided to ‘educate’ the Germans which forms of art should be acceptable, and which to be set aside as ‘degenerate art’. Condemning most forms of expressionistic art by his contemporaries, including the likes of Munch, Chagall, Matisse, Picasso, Klee, and Kandinsky, Hitler juxtaposed these ‘degenerate art’ along with acceptable German art to highlight their inferiority and to ridicule them. However, much to the Nazi’s dismay, over two million people flocked to see these works. Similarly, tracing back a century ago, the works of the French Impressionists such as Monet, Degas, and Renoir were also highly criticized initially because they did not conform to the general tastes and beliefs of the time. It is hard to believe that these works, which were once hung in a gallery of rejects (as opposed to the Parisian salons), are now virtually priceless masterpieces. After decades of radical art movements and controversial artists, here comes the hyped-up ‘Ofili conflict.’ Are we not tired of this by now?

With all these political and legal debates from opposing parties throwing accusations back and forth, one fundamental aspect of art itself has been disappointingly neglected: the true essence and nature of art and artists, as well as their primary purpose and function. We need to go back to the roots of art itself, and to enlighten ourselves once again that the artistic platform is where individuals are given the opportunity to represent their beliefs, tastes, and perspectives in whichever way they find appropriate, as well as in ways no other form of communication is more powerful. Art is inevitably and inherently subjective, and its value lies in its power to provoke, shock, enhance, and to challenge our senses and emotions from their conventional states, regardless of time and place. It is the medium of communication through which an artist’s individuality of thought and emotions is translated into tangible forms for outsiders. Being an inherently undefined concept, an artist is not required to conform to any standards other than his own. With all the push for tolerance and integration, it is ironic how an artist is still attacked for his chosen mode of artistic communication. If we truly value individuality and our freedom of expression, we should take a step back, appreciate art for what it essentially represents, and preserve the true nature of art in the process.

However, all these essential considerations are left out of the calculus in the recent Ofili controversy, which Wendy Steiner remarks in her article Art in 20th Century Has Always Been Shock of the New “…[as] one of the longest-running drama of the centuryâ€Â

[Ugly Dougly]

So I jump ship in Hong Kong and I make my way over to Tibet, and I get on as a looper at a course over there in the Himalayas. A looper, you know, a caddy, a looper, a jock. So, I tell them I'm a pro jock, and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama, himself. Twelfth son of the Lama. The flowing robes, the grace, bald... striking. So, I'm on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one -- big hitter, the Lama -- long, into a ten-thousand foot crevice, right at the base of this glacier. And do you know what the Lama says? Gunga galunga...gunga -- gunga lagunga. So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consiousness." So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.

[the fire elf]

when i was growin' up;
or (where i may have been) scene:
we all emit auric charge...

[the fire elf]

do you have a blood type?

[the fire elf]

[Ugly Dougly]

Me too.

And a great blood type it is. I am so proud.

[the fire elf]

[the fire elf]

[the fire elf]

[the fire elf]

He is sometimes referred to
as The One and within
the Matrix discovers he has
extraordinary abilities
which he can use
to further the cause
of a free humanity.

It Conquered the World
is a 1956 science fiction
film about an alien
from Venus trying to take
over the world
with the help
of a disillusioned human
scientist.

embittered scientist
who has picked up
the voice of a Venusian
alien in his radio
transmitter.
The alien wants to take
over the world
with its mind
-control devices
and thus make
a new home for itself.

[the fire elf]

The character Neo
lives in the world of the Matrix,
an illusory construct
in which humans are neurally
connected to a gigantic computer system
which simulates the world

Those who live their entire lives
connected to the Matrix
are unaware that their reality
is not in fact real,
nor that there is a human
rebellion by the few 'free'
humans in the city of Zion.

There is a legend or prophecy
amongst free humans
(which some believe and others scorn)
that there is a human
who, when connected
to the Matrix, can override
its computer-created
simulated rules, and
perceive and manipulate