A funny red marker in a farmers field defines Byron North Dakota.
The previous post was long and wordy and I tried to be as clear as possible, but this whole thing is very complicated. I tried to write about a channeled session with Anya Briggs and it's implications. The psychic reading was recorded, and I used that MP3 to create an audio excerpt (with some extra comments) as a way to help define this curious spot on the map. Byron North Dakota seems to be a pivotal place in this conundrum.
When Anya (or, more correctly, her guides) told me to visit Byron North Dakota back in early November, during our session, the whole thing seemed exciting, but also utterly strange. In the last few months, it's importance was sort of fading away. Well, this line on the map pushed it right back into the forefront of something to pursue! More weirdness.
If you listen to the audio, the very first thing Anya says about that whole thing comes out of nowhere, she changes subjects, and asks: "Is there a BRYON Wyoming or North Dakota?"
Somehow, when I searched I found the little marker under a different spelling. Mixing up BRYON to BYRON is normal for me.
Somehow, when I searched I found the little marker under a different spelling. Mixing up BRYON to BYRON is normal for me.
Anya later replies in an email:
"Well, spelling and hearing gets messed up in the translation sometimes . . . Odds are I heard the name wrong . . . Replace the Y with the R from BRYON to BYRON and its the same spot. I was telling you 'in North Dakota', so that's probably the same place they were referring to. You know this happens in channeling, it's not an exact science! ..."
During the last few years, I've definitely experienced the feeling of being freaked out, and sometimes I wallow unnecessarily in the drama of that feeling. Presently - I'm simply perplexed and curious.
audio download / 19 minutes long
Follow up 3 minutes after posting the audio:
Okay, more weirdness, I just finished editing the audio post. Please note, the red dot on the map is BYRON, and Anya was adamant that name was BRYON. Two letters are reversed, I messed up at some point (maybe). As I type this, I'm sorta confused, it's normal for me to mix-up letters in a word. BYRON is in line with the owls and Kansas City.
And there is nothing called BRYON North Dakota. But, there is a town in Wyoming called BYRON.
An hour after posting the follow up above:
Okay, even more weirdness. A straight line (690 miles long) passes directly through BYRON ND and BYRON WY goes straight though my house in Idaho, and I mean EXACTLY!
The blue line runs right through the Shoshone River, less than 800 feet from the Main Street of BRYON Wyoming. I find it curious that the line follows the river, especially after Anya is so adamant about dousing.
This pink push pin marks my cute little cabin in rural Idaho. The blue line ends right at my home after passing (in a straight line) from both BYRON's.
My gut reaction to that razor sharp blue line was that it was somehow pointing directly at me! It sorta felt like the floor dropped out from under where I sat. This little detail is (from my perspective) extraordinarily weird.
NOTE: This satellite photo (above) was super blurry, and I cleaned it up a little bit using photoshop, just so it was easier to visualize the square shape of my cabin.
Pink Pin: My cute house in Idaho
Green Pin: Byron Wyoming
Red Pin: Byron North Dakota
Yellow Pin: Kansas City Missouri
Blue Pin: The site where the guy saw over 200 owls!
Yellow Line: 835 miles longBlue Line: 690 miles long
White Line: 995 miles long
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Extra text, added March 13th
Kansas City is a big place, so I typed in Mac's address into Google Maps, and it happened again. The Yellow marker in this map and it lines up right he lived.
This Yellow line runs from Byron ND to the owl sightings 123 miles south-east, and it bisects Mac's apartment. I am absolutely thunderstruck by the exacting accuracy of these lines.
This line is dependant on the location of the owl photos. At present, I don't know precisely where (but I'm workin' on it!).
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Text Added March 22nd 2010:
As of yesterday, this posting has more comments than any other article on this blog. And, the comments are relevant and insightful. Thanks!
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Text Added April 18th 2010:
The word Byron and Bryon get mixed up somewhere. I have my paper notes from that session (and I may scan and add them here) ant they clearly read BYRON. So, she said Bryon, and I wrote down Byron. I typed BYRON into google as a way to search out what it might mean, so it was me that made the curious switch-a-roo with the two letters. What this means, I have no idea.
Hmmm... I have also found a Bryan in North Dakota, using Google maps
ReplyDeletehttp://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=Bryan,+Griggs,+North+Dakota&sll=37.926868,-95.712891&sspn=32.183441,56.513672&ie=UTF8&cd=1&geocode=FeiZ1QId5CQi-g&split=0&hq=&hnear=Bryan,+Griggs,+North+Dakota&ll=47.553809,-98.424979&spn=0.003563,0.006899&t=h&z=17
I think the precise name of this location is still undetermined; well, while you pinpoint this place, you can use the time to practice your dowsing ;)
I'm perfectly perplexed by all of this.
ReplyDeleteAnya Briggs emailed me this morning, she said:
"Well, spelling and hearing gets messed up in the translation sometimes . . . Odds are I heard the name wrong . . . Replace the Y with the R from BRYON to BYRON and its the same spot. I was telling you 'in North Dakota', so that's probably the same place they were referring to. You know this happens in channeling, it's not an exact science! Why ya bustin' my chops, 'eh?"
Here's what I cannot ignore. Byron WYOMING and Byron ND create a perfectly STRAIGHT line that exactly bisects MY HOUSE in idaho! That is a VERY overt bit of info!
As far as what to those funny push-pins that seem to appear in farmers fields (when using google maps) mean, I am not sure. I suspect it is a county maker, or township - or something mundane like that. More reserch is needed.
That is FREAKY DEAKY that the line goes straight through your home. I think that is what the beings were talking about re: vibrational frequency. You "align" yourself further through this and dowsing is a way to understand "placement" they are saying. "Laylines on a map of the globe repeat energy patterns that draw people of a certain type towards them, it is like a magnetic flow for energy placement in others and in ourselves individually and collectively. It is not an accident that others like yourself are "gathering" at this time with information related to this and other topics of the sort: The Illuminati, the space race, others stepping forward such as yourself, "aligning" themselves in the light of knowledge: It is all connected, dear one, to the "secret" race of beings known to you and others as the "Anunnaki" and Anya shall reveal more in time. Love and light, signing off, the Galactic Federation of Light with the Arcturian Brotherhood in attendance"
ReplyDeleteWell- I guess it ain't over yet, bub! They came through strong just now. You are on quite the treasure hunt!
-Anya
Well, I wouldn't be surprised if more info is revealed to you in some other format; possibly with a sinchronicity or a dream.
ReplyDeletePutting these lines on this map has been one of the most curious events of my life. The on-line google map program is getting easier. I am treating the google maps program sort of like a carefully shuffled deck of tarot cards. I am trying NOT to over think it too much (I mean, what is that red marker called BYRON NORTH DAKOTA, really?).
ReplyDeleteI can zoom in and lay a line, one pixel wide, right over each of the key points. and there is way to drag that little line anywhere on the map, so I can lay it on the other marker (like my freeeekin' HOUSE!).
And - I just added a map image showing Mac's residence in Kansas City, less than 500 feet from a line that is 835 miles long.
One issue, I am not exactly sure where the owls were seen - all I know is that it was between two towns in Missouri. The line does a pretty good job of splitting the distance right down the middle. I'm planning to write a letter to the photographer.
HERE'S THE PART THAT IS SO STRANGE - - - putting these lines on this map, and watching as they bisect each key point - I am NOT kidding - I absolutely KNEW it would point to my house. (or - more correctly bisect it exactly). I absolutely KNEW it about the other line (up to Byron ND) too!!! And I absolutely KNEW it would be close to Mac's apartment in Kansas City.
Don't ask me what it means - but, please believe me, I am NOT exaggerating.
This whole thing has been spellbinding and rewarding. Believe me, it's still confusing, but in an exciting way, like the irresistible drama in a good mystery novel.
Thank you
Mike Clelland!
This is all very fun to watch.
ReplyDeletePlus you got an Anya channel in the comments section and everything. That's a lot of powerful energy in relation to this post. Nice.
I don't know if you take requests, but here goes :
If your into dowsing or are going to take the beings advice, make a post about it. Maybe even a video one to see it in action. Just a thought.
Lol, you never know what kinda good you're gonna find when you come here.
I tip my hat to you sir.
=)
Later.
"It is less than 500 feet from the gray line that stretches from Byron ND to the owl sightings 125 south-east. I am absolutely thunderstruck by the exacting accuracy of these lines."
ReplyDeleteI'm now curious to know if the Starbucks where Mac used to work crosses one of those lines ;)
An extra long comment...
ReplyDeleteAll this talk about straight lines reminds me of Aime Michel and his look into straight lines in the context of UFO activity.
Here is an excerpt from a report from Ann Druffel that references ‘orthoteny’ and related info:
"...When the same sightings were plotted on appropriate maps of the areas involved, adjusted to account for the slight curve of the earth over the 700 miles, the five points lay on a "straight line."
Thus Aime Michel' s technique of orthoteny was born.The word orthoteny is derived from the Greek adjective "orthoteneis" which means "stretched in a straight line."
Of course, a straight line can be drawn between any two points, but Michel, being a mathematician, was aware that a five point straight line between UFO sighting locations on the same date was far beyond coincidence.Through successive plottings of multi-sightings on other days during the French 1954 flap, Michel found many other multi-point straight lines, representinglocations of sightings in France and adjacent countries.
From these results, he developed a hypothesis that the UFOs might be using a grid work surveillance pattern during their appearances and were traveling or manifesting along straight lines because this was the most logical manner of surveillance.
Michel also found strong evidence of an additional phenomenon— at the intersection of these straight, the object sighted was invariably the class of UFO known as "cloud cigars."These huge cloud-shrouded oval forms, from which smaller glowing or metallic disks departed and to which (and into which) they returned, were always viewed, in their motionless mode, where two or more straight lines intersected at a sighting location.The most striking example of this phenomenon occurred on September 2, 1954 when nine multi-point straight lines of French UFO sightings intersected at Poncey, France (Reference 3)Michel theorized that the "cloud cigars" were aggregations of UFOs, in other words, a type of carrier-craft mechanism which provided a rallying point for small disks which performed the surveillance maneuvers along the grid work lines.As the years passed after Michel's initial study, the theory of orthoteny was argued pro and con in UFO literature (Reference 4).”
Here is a summary from her report:
1. “The sites of UFO-related events in Southern California (in cases where the unidentified object or alleged UFO entity was in close proximity to the witness(es) lie along locations on the Earth in such a manner that a straight line can be drawn to connect them.
2. The sites of multi-point intersections of these lines are locations where particularly bizarre UFO events occurred, that is, "landings" and close encounters with large, apparently physical UFO-type craft in heavily-settled residential areas and over major highways and freeways of a large city.
3. Except for one (1) due N-S line, all lines discovered were deviated, to more or less degree, from the four main compass points.
4. Close-proximity IFOs also lay on the straight lines, and at the intersection of three straight lines a particularly bizarre misidentification of a conventional object was reported.
5. The vast majority (16 out of 17) paranormal events plotted also lay on the straight lines, strengthening the hypothesis of many researchers that paranormal events are in some way associated with UFO occurrences.
She also talks about ley lines in this report.. Now I don’t really know what to make of all this… it is intriguing and part of me wants, again, to call Dr. Matrix to the rescue.
But the whole thing with Mike’s house seems doubly strange. I haven’t double checked your figures and lines but if true… who in the world is the “Arcturian Brotherhood”?? Here is a link to Ann Druffel’s report- I warn you it is long and filled with details but interesting.
Ah! so nice to see Aime Michel's work is still remembered. I've been thinking about him, and about a book I read when I was young...er, involving the supposed alignment of Mexican archeological sites a-la orthoteny. I've been thinking about using Google Maps to prove if what the book claimed is true or not.
ReplyDeleteI dug a little deeper.
ReplyDeleteByron is listed as a *township* in Cavalier County. There are 41 townships in Cavalier county, and if you google any of them, you end up with a curious marker positioned in some obscure field. There are less than 5,000 people in this agricultural county.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavalier_County,_North_Dakota
From that wikipedia page:
ReplyDelete"The site of the new county seat was chosen at this meeting and named Langdon for Robert Bruce Langdon [emphasis mine] of Minnesota, a federal railroad official who never visited the town."
Holy Lost Symbolism, Batman! You think Dan Brown is secretly following your blog, Mike? ;)
Interesting...and perturbing:
ReplyDelete"During the last few years, I've definitely experienced the feeling of being freaked out, and sometimes I wallow unnecessarily in the drama of that feeling. Presently - I'm simply perplexed and curious."
So, what do you think the lines of alignment mean to you, Mike?
Is it possible you are drawing some meaning that isn't really there, due to the coincidence or pattern of the lines drawn?
While unusual, I think you should be cautious in making any conclusion simply due to how things may appear to line up.
Investing potential meaning or significance into such a synchronous alignment reminds me of the movie "A Beautiful Mind," about the math genius John Nash, who used to see patterns and alignments of alphanumeric characters within pages of newspapers and magazines that he thought might be a secret code he felt compelled to try to decrypt. He was diagnosed, when his delusions later became obvious, as a paranoid schizophrenic.
Be careful in ruminating too much upon or investing some unknown significance into such patterns--that can lead to disassociative consequences. Don't let desire or emotional turmoil get the best of you, or overrule your judicious mind.
BTW, RPJ, James, and Anya, Aime Michel's orthoteny hypothesis, like Druffel’s ley lines and "energy grids," have all been pretty much discredited and disproved.
Show me a peer-reviewed scientific journal article for any of these hypotheses--I don't think there are any. Simply believing in such things is insufficient to base theorem in or to draw objective conclusions from.
Otherwise, it is only subjective new age baffle-gab, as the vast majority of both reported UFO and paranormal incidents do NOT occur along straight lines--while SOME may, that is mathematically and statistically to be expected. It would be more strange if they did not, on relatively rare occasions.
Even Vallee, who was a close friend of Michel's, initially thought there might be something to it, but much later I believe wrote a paper showing how the supposed relationship between UFO sightings and the straight-line theories of Michel lacked real evidence or proof.
Humans are pattern-recognition organisms, derived genetically from prehistoric adaptation to enhance our perceptual and analytical faculties, due to "survival of the fittest" needs when our operational environment was much more physically dangerous and we had fewer tools and techniques to avoid predatory encounters.
But it is important to remain primarily objective and empirical in outlook, and to be your own "devil's advocate" to periodically challenge your own beliefs or assumptions and inclinations for the sake of rationality and proper mental balance.
I advise caution, a gentle warning, of making too much of what patterns of any or all kinds may appear mysteriously significant without supporting facts or proof, as otherwise this leads to "magical thinking" as defined by psychopathology. I have seen others go over the edge in my time, and few ever really come back to ground.
Please do not take this personally, Mike--it is an expression of honest concern from one who has also seen and experienced that which is also seemingly inexplicable, and I have observed others go over the cliff into the abyss of obsession and delusion due to the false interpretations they derived from their experiences.
In seeking answers and explanations, it is critical not to confabulate or synthesize meaning or interpretation from seemingly liminal or numinous occurrences. Some things are just unknown and possibly unknowable.
Best to be "agnostic," IMHO, rather than be belief-bound by excess imagination, faith, or skepticism, as that can be paradoxically self-limiting and takes one away from the truth, whatever that may be.
Caveat emptor.
Wow - the comment from OBSERVER seemed to spark a lot of insights from me. I have been thinking how to address this EAXACT dilemma. The text above is sound, pragmatic and entirely correct - but only if you stay in the logical side of your brain.
ReplyDeleteI wrote a post a while back titled: HEART vs HEART and I attempt to wrestle with these very ideas.
_________________________________________________
- - - OBSERVER asks:
So, what do you think the lines of alignment mean to you, Mike?
- - - Mike C replies:
I have no idea, but I simply KNOW that I must follow this. I'm not sure what that means, but I cannot ignore these overt clues.
_________________________________________________
- - - OBSERVER asks:
Is it possible you are drawing some meaning that isn't really there, due to the coincidence or pattern of the lines drawn?
- - - Mike C replies:
Yes - Of course it is possible, absolutely. But my "gut" is telling me to follow this. The pragmatic side of my head is actually rebelling, it is saying everything you've said.
I am going to "pull on this thread" and see where it leads. Maybe nothing at all is there - but if I don't pull on the thread, I will never know.
_________________________________________________
- - - OBSERVER asks:
BTW, RPJ, James, and Anya, Aime Michel's orthoteny hypothesis, like Druffel’s ley lines and "energy grids," have all been pretty much discredited and disproved. . . Show me a peer-reviewed scientific journal article for any of these hypotheses--I don't think there are any. Simply believing in such things is insufficient to base theorem in or to draw objective conclusions from.
- - - Mike C replies:
I am not attempting to draw an "objective" conclusion. This is wildly "SUBJECTIVE" - THis is never gunna get reviewed in any scientific journal. Listen, I am not gunna start a new religion, but I certainly am going to follow this. Maybe all that means is I visit some of these places, and maybe nothing more will happen - I don't know. But - I would do a disservice by sitting on my hands and intellectualizing it away because there is no peer reviewed journal.
Please know - this is FUN for me. There is something really COOL that took place, and it's all tied up with owls, Anya Briggs, Mac Tonnies - and MY HOUSE! These are all things that I love dearly!
_________________________________________________
- - - OBSERVER asks:
Please do not take this personally, Mike--it is an expression of honest concern ... I have observed others go over the cliff into the abyss of obsession and delusion due to the false interpretations they derived from their experiences.
- - - Mike C replies:
The one quote I keep running thru my head is from Joseph Campbell: "To have a true adventure, you must sept off the trail and walk into the darkest part of the forest where there is NO path."
Here's an excerpt from an email from Anya Briggs. She taps into her source mid-sentence:
ReplyDelete____________________________________
There's a lot of change going on in the universe-- whoops, here's a message you need to hear from the beings: "We want to make sure you are just chosen to do what you did because you wanted to do it. No one coerced you, forced you against your will or otherwise. You chose the journey."
I don't know what this means, but that was for you.
- - - - Mike C replies:
I know EXACTLY what that means!
I think Observer's advice is well-intentioned. If he/she looks at some of the comments I've given in this blog (or elsewhere, since I always use the same nickname) it will be found that tend to be pretty skeptical most of the time.
ReplyDeleteBTW, like Mike says, I do have to point out that NONE of this stuff is taken seriously by the majority of the scientific consensus. There was a time when UFOlogy tried to abide to some sort of scientific methodology, during the 50s-60s and early 70s. I think all that came crashing down after Hynek died, and it is a shame.
Having said that, I do think that there are instances when the subjective aspect of the experience is what's most important, rather than how much 'cold' & 'reliable' data we can gather from a particular UFO sighting or close encounter.
Are Ley lines pure hogwash? maybe. I do have to point out that several researchers think there *might* be a link between geographical areas with a strong charge of geomagnetic energy, and several paranormal phenomena —e.g. Joaquim Fernandes & Fina D'armada, authors of 'Heavenly Lights'.
However, if the ortotheny phenomenon may have some aspect of truth, at this time it's almost certain that our presumptions of WHY could it occur are only that: presumptions.
Maybe UFOs travel in a straight line to conduct more thorough surveillances on us poor apes —as one of the commenters proposed, I think it was James?— or MAYBE the fact that UFOs are seen in the vicinity of geomagnetically-charged areas has nothing to do with the plans of the hypothetical UFOnauts. Maybe they use such areas for the same reason ancient mariners chose to use oceanic currents: to take advantage of them to accelerate the speed of their vessels.
In the end, who knows?
What I do think is that our friend Mike is on a journey of self-discovery. He apparently is finding interesting clues that he feels are of significant importance to his present life, and possibly his future. Since I've read his blog I've found him to be a well-grounded adult willing to be the very first to question his findings. So, as long as he maintains that level of sincerity to himself, and to others, I honestly see no reason why he shouldn't pursue these trails. They might take him to places he wouldn't have gone to otherwise.
Saludos,
Miguel Romero
PS: Incidentally, it's interesting that you mentioned one of my favorite movies, 'A Beautiful Mind' (the sociopathic nerd that gets the girl? big round of applause!!). I remember reading somewhere that once John Nash claimed to have 'received' some of his Mathematical notions from 'beings from outer space'. Then he was subjected to electroshock therapy and that was the end of that...
Maybe he was just a schizophrenic. Maybe schizophrenics are people in touch with some other realm who are incapable to cope with the flow of information. I don't know.
That's why I wrote that your warning was well-intentioned. it would be foolish to presume there's no danger in pursuing the truth. But without no danger, there's no reward either.
Well I am on the side of Red Pill Junkie- and Observer- and Mike. Dont I know that the so-called 'straight-line' mystery uncovered at one time by Aime Michel has gone thru a lot of transformations? I dont think Vallee would credit it himself as more than an attempt to approach the subject scientifically.
ReplyDeleteAre we doing 'science' in this blog? I think not. And I use that with a little s... we arent doing science with a big or little s. Observer I am sure knows that.
What are we doing? I think we are trying to get to the bottom of a mystery. Science has some keys... I dont think all the keys are in scientist's hands. Probably a good thing too!
The truth for you and me is a separate issue for the truth as far as science is concerned. Without a doubt Mike is on his version of a walkabout, his very own spirit journery and all of us are blessed to be able to share a little of it with him.
His answers from this journey may very well not satisfy us, but may satisfy him, when he reaches them, in a way we will not quite understand. Truth, scientific or not, is always purchased, its always a trade, and often it is very expensive trade, in ways that may not be obvious to us at first.
But Observer is right. Watch your step. Red Pill Junkie hits the nail on the head too. We are not doing anything 'sanctioned' by science: lets face it most of them have turned their back on Ufology, Forteana, etc.
We are pioneers I think. There is something here. And I think, along with Mike, it is a lot stranger than we expect at this time. Mike I think has it well in hand with the quote from Joseph Campbell. Step off the path. Adventure awaits. Or as Sherlock Holmes would say the game is afoot.
A while ago The Daily Grail covered the future release of a book entitled 'Authors of the Impossible'. One commenter posted a quote about the book which I think might be pertinent in our present discussion:
ReplyDelete"Authors of the Impossible shows us how to think about the paranormal as an event that involves both a subjective or mental state and an objective or physical state. The paranormal, it turns out, is as much about meaning as matter. And we—not as surface egos, but as some still mysterious force of consciousness—are its final authors [emphasis mine]. If the paranormal, though, is as much about meaning as matter, as much about the subject as the object, then science can never truly grasp it, for science must turn everything into an object and cannot treat questions of meaning. We thus need a new way of knowing, a way that can embrace both the sciences and a new art of reading ourselves writing ourselves. If we think of the world as a text to be read, we need a new way to read ourselves into being. Likewise, if we think of the world as a film to be viewed—a projection of Consciousness—we need a new way of envisioning ourselves."
The only thing I don't agree with that last paragraph is in the use of the term 'paranormal'. I'm not very fond of it. Other than that I think it rings true.
I love this kind of stuff. Thank you to anyone who has made it this far...
ReplyDeleteThree years ago, when I said "yes" to looking into this stuff, I had no idea what would unfold, and I am still perplexed.
I honestly don't know what is going on, and I have a hard time trying to point to UFOs, or inter-dimensional contact or any of the pop-culture easy answers. For me, these just don't ring true.
That said - I feel strongly saying that SOMETHING is happening. ANd it's intensely personal.
I've read a lot of books with about "contact" and "abduction" (again, I have a hard time saying that I share those experiences). In almost every book, there are a few chapters where the author will try and describe how confusing it was, and the turmoil that invades his life.
I think that is happening to me - right now - real time.
I feel like this blog is a way to try and articulate this feeling of utter confusion. If I sound like I'm desperate and needy for some kind of understanding - IT'S BECAUSE I AM! i don't want to write something a decade from now, and refer back to a chapter in my life where I was on a journey (what fun is that?) I wanna document it right now.
This blog is like a truth serum.
Mike Clelland!
Due to blogger/blogspot’s 4096 character limit for comments, I’ve had to break my rather meandering and perhaps too verbose comment into three parts, for which I apologize in advance—it’s not easy or simple for me to succinctly talk about these things in a laconic, abbreviated manner. Mea culpa, for the overflowing stream of consciousness here below...
ReplyDeletePart 1 of 3:
- - - OBSERVER asks:
So, what do you think the lines of alignment mean to you, Mike?
- - - Mike C replies:
I have no idea, but I simply KNOW that I must follow this. I'm not sure what that means, but I cannot ignore these overt clues.
_________________________________________________
- - - OBSERVER asks:
Is it possible you are drawing some meaning that isn't really there, due to the coincidence or pattern of the lines drawn?
- - - Mike C replies:
Yes - Of course it is possible, absolutely. But my "gut" is telling me to follow this. The pragmatic side of my head is actually rebelling, it is saying everything you've said.
I am going to "pull on this thread" and see where it leads. Maybe nothing at all is there - but if I don't pull on the thread, I will never know.
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“I don't believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.”
“One way or another, we all have to find what best fosters the flowering of our humanity in this contemporary life, and dedicate ourselves to that.”
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.”
---Joseph Campbell
When you say, "... I simply KNOW that I must follow this. I'm not sure what that means, but I cannot ignore these overt clues” and “my ‘gut’ is telling me to follow this. The pragmatic side of my head is actually rebelling, it is saying everything you've said. I am going to ‘pull on this thread’ and see where it leads. Maybe nothing at all is there - but if I don't pull on the thread, I will never know,”
it seems you’re experiencing some degree of conflict between your mind’s inductive/subjective side
and your deductive/objective side, and that based on what you’ve expressed, the inductive or subjective side is becoming more influential and directive than the other side. This is not necessarily wrong or harmful, but it does have that potential.
By saying “I simply KNOW that I must follow this” and that you “cannot ignore these overt clues” because “my ‘gut’ is telling me to follow this,” I have to ask, what and how really is it that you “KNOW,” and why are the “clues” so “overt” that they cannot be ignored, and what do you think is happening in your “gut”—what does that really mean? If you feel compelled, all I’m suggesting is that you ask yourself how and why that is, and what you think or expect you’ll get out of it. Perhaps you have no logical reason for these impulses as yet, and feel the need to explore or act on these feelings, but I have to wonder when after you continue to engage in that process, whether the findings or answers you may derive will be actual, real, or, in turn, simply invented out of the need to resolve these feelings somehow.
Part 2 of 3:
ReplyDeleteThat is the danger that concerns me—how one can confabulate or develop beliefs without pragmatic or factual grounding, or some external forms of objective foundation that stand on their own, and are not just a form of belief or faith that, while it may seem satisfying, or fill some psychological deficit or gap, becomes a kind of psychological or emotional device or fixation. That’s the kind of thing I was referring to by “new age” beliefs. Are we trading old cultural or religious belief structures for new ones, or alternative mythologies? Will the new ones, in the end, be more true or sound? Should or can we dispense with belief and faith without evidence or proof and concentrate more on the evolving nature of reality, as best as we can, while remaining aware that our capacity or ability to discern it will always be partial or incomplete, and can we live with that lack of full answers and ambiguity? :
Let me be clear: I’m not arguing that the subjective is to dismissed or valued less than the objective in terms of the thinking process, but that rather a balance, a give-and-take process, or alternating between the two may be a better course of evaluation and filtration than either side alone or exclusively. I don’t think we can or should choose one over the other, anyway, and remain either balanced or whole. But in the course of dealing with and thinking about the unknown or “paranormal” aspect of things, I guess I do tend to think that in the effort to parse and evaluate these matters, one should try to remain grounded in the objective and deductive more than letting subjective or inductive processes become the dominant or primary means of attempting to derive the truth of these issues, direct our actions, or to assume intuitive or emotional processes will provide practical, reliable results.
Because the truth, whatever it may be (and often that is not what we would prefer or want to be true), is or should be the goal. Of course, “truth” itself is a form of subjective evaluation or approximation, as in these matters, if the history of prior endeavors in trying to define or come to conclusions about esoteric or fortean issues is any guide, I think the best we can hope for is just some possibly better while still incomplete or only partial answer, if we’re lucky or honest about such things. One of the most difficult things to deal with in this arena is the fact that after having had certain experiences, one must realize that no final truth or understanding may be forthcoming or even possible. And that that is O.K., even if frustratingly perplexing.
Trying to strive and force the issue of attempting to come up with a definitive answer may be a mistake, in that you can lead yourself away from even an approximation or partial truth, and become fixated or self-convinced you know what is or has happened, which leads to a kind of ideology or belief system or a sort of faith that you know what the answers are, but that if they cannot be proven in some manner employing at least some assemblage of facts and testable hypothesis to create a theory that can be further explored and extended, then we have to ask what is really being accomplished? It is very difficult at times to be able to face the fact that much of what we may seek remains mired in uncertainty and ambiguity. That’s why I advocated a kind of “agnostic” approach, neither “believer” nor “pseudo-skeptic,” which, this latter term, is a form of belief itself, only of negation and disbelief. True skepticism or abeyance of assumption or belief is a good thing, even though it may be more difficult to incorporate into daily life than either belief or absolute disbelief of certain possibities, which is how “pseudo-skepticism” is defined.
Part 3 of 3:
ReplyDeleteAt some point, we have to understand, regardless of what interim exploration we may want or do engage in, subjective or objective, that we need to know what (or that there are some things) we don’t know, may not be able to know, and that we should try to come to terms with that idea, and try to accept that some things fall into the unknown or unknowable category without letting that fact worry or bedevil us. These things sometimes just are.
One thing I sometimes wonder about is how those delving deeply into the cosmological mysteries of life (who I think are a distinct, small minority of the population), and aspects of the paranormal and esoteric, such as ufos and consideration of the possibility of derivative issues, like non-human intelligence or consciousness, or the (im)/ponderable “other,” can be both useful as a way to contemplate the nature of reality beyond the consensus one, and also detrimental, if it becomes too much of a preoccupation or takes up such a degree of “mindspace” that other aspects of life, and the need to take care of oneself and deal with the practical, often mundane, tasks and chores we all have to deal with, such as a job, quality of life, social relationships, future financial sustainability, health care, retirement, etc., are or may become secondary or neglected. What’s that about?
Have our lives in this culture become so sterile, boring, or worrisome that we naturally seek the diversionary because it’s “fun” or entertaining, as a form of relief or avoidance? I guess I wonder how much this kind of exploration can become obsessive or a diversion from the practical and pragmatic needs and requirements of living in the here and now itself. It can become a type of evasion of these day-to-day chores and obligations, or diversionary focus on more exciting, ego-boosting, and entertaining matters of the mysteries of reality, but which can potentially become an intellectual, psychological, or emotional escape, black hole, or dead end if pursued to the exclusion or ignoring of other essential elements of life that are also necessary to deal with or work on.
That is what I meant, in a way, to warn against stepping into the abyss, or off a cliff. We should be very careful and thoughtful about what we believe, as beliefs become incorporated into ways of thinking and acting. We need also to ask what is the goal, or purpose of these explorations at some point in the process. When, over time, will such efforts be enough, or is there an end-point or timeframe? How will and when we know?
Of course, part of what I’m saying here is a form of talking to myself, as I too meditate on these issues at times in my own investigations and pursuit of some of the mysteries of human existence and our relationship to reality, but I just thought in view of my concerns over Mike’s pursuits, and others here who may read his blog or comment on it, that it would be appropriate to voice some of these issues for consideration by others, also.
I think the bottom line is that a kind of practical calibration and balancing act, between the subjective and objective, or maintaining some interactive structure and scheduled timespace frame of activities between the sublime, esoteric, or numinous and the reality of everyday needs and processes that have to be addressed and dealt with equally if we are to work well and fulfill our desires, obligations, and needs in both or either realm is required. Does this make sense?
Reply to OBSERVER:
ReplyDelete=================
When I say "I simply KNOW that I must follow this" I mean I feel strongly that I should keep searching. Keep looking. Keep an open mind so I don't miss anything.
The "overt clues" I mention are the meat of this blog. I've read over my written work (and I've lived everything I've written) and some of my experiences have been resoundingly weird. I take these events as "clues" that something is actually unfolding.
What that"something" may be, I have NO idea.
The act of creating this blog, and trying to be as honest as i can be - involved jumping off a cliff into the unknown. I've already jumped.
This posting is about ME (sorry for the ego-rific use of all caps). I mean, a psychic tell me about BRYON wyoming and BRYON north dakota, and two towns (with a VERY similar spelling) line up in a razor straight line RIGHT THRU MY HOUSE. RIght here, where I sit as I type this. To me, this is very weird. (as Anya writes: FREAKY-DEAKY)
I am certainly performing a balancing act between "the subjective and objective" and I'll step off to both sides depending on my mood that day.
OBSERVER ASKS: We should be very careful and thoughtful about what we believe, as beliefs become incorporated into ways of thinking and acting.
MIKE REPLIES: I am trying to be extremely carful, but at the same time, I feel I have to look at my experiences and not dismiss anything without REALLy looking hard. My beliefs and thinking change with the weather. I am trying not to be stuck in any thought process
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OBSERVER ASKS: We need also to ask what is the goal, or purpose of these explorations at some point in the process.
MIKE REPLIES: The honest answer? (and it's gunna sound lofty, and I apologize) This is a spiritual quest. It started out as something else, but that is what it has become.
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OBSERVER ASKS: When, over time, will such efforts be enough, or is there an end-point or timeframe?
MIKE REPLIES: I am so mystified by this stuff, I can't answer your question. My "gut" says, if I find one answer, a lot more questions will arise. And this may go on forever.
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OBSERVER ASKS: How will and when we know?
MIKE REPLIES: I have no idea, I'm perfectly baffled by what "know" might mean.
Lot of good stuff in this thread. I mean it.
ReplyDeleteLet me address some of the things that popped to my head when reading Observer's response:
"Should or can we dispense with belief and faith without evidence or proof and concentrate more on the evolving nature of reality, as best as we can, while remaining aware that our capacity or ability to discern it will always be partial or incomplete, and can we live with that lack of full answers and ambiguity?
Honestly' I don't know. I make myself that question every day.
"But in the course of dealing with and thinking about the unknown or “paranormal” aspect of things, I guess I do tend to think that in the effort to parse and evaluate these matters, one should try to remain grounded in the objective and deductive more than letting subjective or inductive processes become the dominant or primary means of attempting to derive the truth of these issues, direct our actions, or to assume intuitive or emotional processes will provide practical, reliable results."
I have pondered many times on whether humans are truly capable of being objective. Seeing that from the moment we open our eyes we are already receiving an skewed & limited version of reality —since the cones & rods in our retinas are only absorbing that range of the electromagnetic radiation called 'the visible spectrum' —it's really difficult to prove this. Not only that, but the fact that we are always observing the Universe from the inside, as active participants; and that current theories, no matter how abused they are by New Age mumbo jumbo, does point out that the observer has a direct effect in what it observes.
"Trying to strive and force the issue of attempting to come up with a definitive answer may be a mistake, in that you can lead yourself away from even an approximation or partial truth, and become fixated or self-convinced you know what is or has happened, which leads to a kind of ideology or belief system or a sort of faith that you know what the answers are, but that if they cannot be proven in some manner employing at least some assemblage of facts and testable hypothesis to create a theory that can be further explored and extended, then we have to ask what is really being accomplished?"
IMO, ALL human endeavors are but crude approximations. Even Science; although Science has the advantage that its methodology allows the acceptance of new material that can disprove once-held beliefs.
But, what's interesting, is that even inaccurate theories CAN yield positive results. just look at how good the ancients were at predicting solstices and equinoxes, yet they failed to know the Earth orbits the sun.
At some point, we have to understand, regardless of what interim exploration we may want or do engage in, subjective or objective, that we need to know what (or that there are some things) we don’t know, may not be able to know, and that we should try to come to terms with that idea, and try to accept that some things fall into the unknown or unknowable category without letting that fact worry or bedevil us. These things sometimes just are.
I think the goal is to have a healthy disassociation in your quests, but that are still fueled by passion. To be glad when you're proven wrong because it means you're step closer to the truth.
And retaking the original purpose of this thread, I think that there's nothing wrong with Mike trying to see if there's something to all these Byron shit, because the worst thing that could happen is NOT that he finds he was wrong; the worst thing is that he could let the question fester on his mind unanswered.
"One thing I sometimes wonder about is how those delving deeply into the cosmological mysteries of life (who I think are a distinct, small minority of the population), and aspects of the paranormal and esoteric, such as ufos and consideration of the possibility of derivative issues, like non-human intelligence or consciousness, or the im/ponderable “other,” can be both useful as a way to contemplate the nature of reality beyond the consensus one, and also detrimental, if it becomes too much of a preoccupation or takes up such a degree of “mindspace” that other aspects of life, and the need to take care of oneself and deal with the practical, often mundane, tasks and chores we all have to deal with, such as a job, quality of life, social relationships, future financial sustainability, health care, retirement, etc., are or may become secondary or neglected. What’s that about?"
ReplyDeleteJeeesh... have you been talking to my mother?? :-P
"Have our lives in this culture become so sterile, boring, or worrisome that we naturally seek the diversionary because it’s “fun” or entertaining, as a form of relief or avoidance?"
Is it really boredom, or is it perhaps a yearning, this unequivocal feeling that there's something more to life than working in an office and buying a car and making money and whathaveyou. What was first, the chicken or the egg? are we seeking these answers because we're failures, or have we lagged behind in social and economic achievement because we have always cared more about finding these answers?
I hear what you say, man. Believe me. I mean, here we are, a group of adults discussing these kind of stuff, sitting behind our screens on a FRAKING Saturday evening, instead of being in a club sipping a margarita and trying to get laid!
We are not normal. If by 'normal' that means we'd rather be reading Mike's blog than watching American Idol; and that's perfectly fine. If on the other hand reading Mike's blog would prevent us from going to work or paying our taxes, then THAT might need some re-evaluating.
"When, over time, will such efforts be enough, or is there an end-point or timeframe? How will and when we know?"
If by end-point you mean we will finally find the answer to the Universe and all that; well, we already know the answer is 42 ;)
No, we probably won't find any final solution. But I do think this journey of self-exploration yields its own rewards. I do feel that in some aspects I've become a better human being for daring to open my mind and my eyes to the things around me.
And yet, you're absolutely right: some sort of balance must be maintained. There has to be something in our lives that ground us. To me that something is my family; my parents and my sisters. My family allows me to pull away from all this, and help me keep it in perspective, lest it would swallow me whole.
Good sense of humor is also paramount. Not taking it or ourselves too seriously. And since Mike is a cartoonist, I think there's nothing to worry about him not tackling this with a few gags :)
(a comment from Mike C!)
ReplyDeleteI thought this exchange (from above) was funny!
OBSERVER wrote:
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"... if it becomes too much of a preoccupation or takes up such a degree of “mindspace” that other aspects of life, and the need to take care of oneself and deal with the practical, often mundane, tasks and chores we all have to deal with, such as a job, quality of life, social relationships, future financial sustainability, health care, retirement, etc., are or may become secondary or neglected. What’s that about?"
Red Pill Junkie Replies:
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Jeeesh... have you been talking to my mother?? :-P
This post from Nov. 9th is very relevant (at least to me) to this ongoing set of comments.
ReplyDeleteHEAD vs HEART
http://hiddenexperience.blogspot.com/2009/11/head-vs-heart.html
;)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8RKCmkOyB4
*Chuckles*
ReplyDeleteAnd with the voice of Agent smith, nonetheless! ^_^
( OvO )
ReplyDeleteWow… This thread has gone off the deep end over the weekend. Observer’s comments touched a nerve. My hat is off to you Observer for being the catalyst leading to this conversation about essentials. I don’t think Mike, when he started this blog, thought the exercise would carry him to this neck of the woods.
ReplyDeleteThis whole thing is a mystery isn’t it? All of us have found our way to this blog, for differing reasons I am sure, but still there is something in this strange subject that fascinates us. Perhaps we have had an experience or two ourselves, maybe something has happened to leave us with the knowledge the world is a lot bigger place and a lot stranger place than we have imagined, or our traditions and ordinary wisdom seem to indicate. Maybe not, maybe we are outside this circle, but still drawn to this subject for … well other reasons. Maybe this is just an intellectual exercise for some of us… but reading the comments I think for most of us here it goes beyond that. Well it does for me.
"Have our lives in this culture become so sterile, boring, or worrisome that we naturally seek the diversionary because it’s “fun” or entertaining, as a form of relief or avoidance?"
Is it really boredom, or is it perhaps a yearning, this unequivocal feeling that there's something more to life than working in an office and buying a car and making money and whathaveyou. What was first, the chicken or the egg? are we seeking these answers because we're failures, or have we lagged behind in social and economic achievement because we have always cared more about finding these answers?
I don’t disagree with any of Oberver’s comments really- well at least most of them. I do think our culture lacks substance, that there is enough ennui out there to put a moose to sleep, but I think RPJ makes the essential point about yearning, and of course any talk of aliens eventually leads us, like it or not, into spiritual territory. We are talking about boundaries, and going outside those boundaries. Without a doubt Mike is doing that.
I do find, in the back of my mind, it seems I already have decided where Mike is going to end up. Drawing parallels with others in similar quandaries, John Keel and Whitley Strieber among others, leads me to draw conclusions… He may find very personal answers, answers that will not carry any force to others outside himself. I think however if that happens he will be blessed. In actual fact I don’t expect even that. I think, as he himself has even indicated, he will find himself in a sort of spiral, and every answer will lead to more questions. It won’t be dissimilar, in some respects, to Sherlock Holmes & Moriarty… He may learn to communicate with Harvey (like Jimmy Stewart) but for most of us, not part of the inner circle, it will be a mystery still and, we may wonder whether or not he is telling the whole truth. But I suspect, like Whitley, he will have to find his own way of living with the uncertainty…
Now it is disconcerting to me to realize I have already come to the end of his ‘quest’… and in a way I think I am shortchanging not only Mike, but myself as well. But to be honest I can’t imagine what an answer, or a way out of this ‘quandary’ that is the subject matter of this blog would really look like, outside of establishing real contact with another species… I know that is in part a failure of my own imagination.
OBSERVER wrote:
ReplyDelete==============
"One thing I sometimes wonder about is how those delving deeply into the cosmological mysteries of life (who I think are a distinct, small minority of the population), and aspects of the paranormal and esoteric, such as ufos and consideration of the possibility of derivative issues, like non-human intelligence or consciousness, or the im/ponderable “other,” can be both useful as a way to contemplate the nature of reality beyond the consensus one, and also detrimental, if it becomes too much of a preoccupation or takes up such a degree of “mindspace” that other aspects of life, and the need to take care of oneself and deal with the practical, often mundane, tasks and chores we all have to deal with, such as a job, quality of life, social relationships, future financial sustainability, health care, retirement, etc., are or may become secondary or neglected. What’s that about?"
Sounds like going to grad school.
All joking aside, I disagree with you. Without commenting on Mike's journey in all its fascinating particulars, if you are spontaneously experiencing a transformative/spiritual process, then transcending the day to days of human life, at least temporarily, is often essential. If you know where to look the history of human transformative/spiritual experiences is actually fairly well researched and documented. For someone who seems to want logical and objective frameworks I could suggest John E. Nelson's "Healing the Split: Madness or Transcendence? A New Understanding of the Crisis and Treatment of the Mentally Ill": http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Split-Transcendence-Understanding-Treatment/dp/087477568X
To condense the essence of that work in my own words "the spiritual crisis, as opposed to genuine mental illness, is a natural and historically well known part of the human experience with a relatively consistent form and function. Like all processes of the human life it can go wrong. It may be destructive and need outside help to stabilize or come to fruition, but usually it takes care of itself if it can be allowed to run its course without interference."