Japan’s Obon Festival

What day is it? It is Obon Festival Day. Yes, every year, Buddhists in Japan celebrate the custom of the Obon (or Bon) festival as a way to honor the spirits of beloved family members who have died. This Buddhist custom has influences from Confucianism as well. And how do we practice Obon Festival Day? That's up to you. This morning I placed some rice on my alter and chanted for an hour. I chanted for the souls of my deceased relatives. The otherday I had the breakthrough that I am the head of the family for all those who have past over, for I still can pray for them on this side of the realm.

The Japanese Buddhists honor the spirits of their beloved ancestors by cleaning their graves, they also know that the ancestors will visit their home alters, so I'll burn scented candles for them tonight. I see them walking around the house now, mom is very happy to see I'm no longer a slob and my sister is happy I'm out of her way in the kitchen, complaining about her undercooked hamburgers or sugar in our ice tea.

This Japanese festival dates back to when the official calendar for Japan switched from the lunar calendar to the Gregorian calendar. Eastern Japan, including Tokyo, celebrates “Shichigatsu Bon,” which means Obon is celebrated on July 15th. The most common time to celebrate Obon is on August 15th and is called “Hachigatsu Bon.” Lastly, people living in the northern part of Japan celebrate Obon as “Kyu Bon,” where the date is based on the lunar calendar and varies each year. Japan does not recognize Obon as a public holiday. It is standard, however, for people who celebrate to get approved time off from work obligations.

The meaning of Obon comes from the Sanskrit word of “Ullambana,” which means “hanging upside down”—supposedly symbolizing great suffering. Therefore, the festival serves as a form of release for grief as well as the suffering and anguish that many believe the spirits of their ancestors are experiencing. Similar to how people in New Orleans celebrate those who have died with a funeral filled with jazz music and dancing, the Japanese who participate in the Obon Festival celebrate the return of their beloved ancestors with their own dance called Bon Odori. The origin of this dance stems from the story of how one of Buddha’s disciples, upon seeing his dead mother suffering after having fallen into the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, asked Buddha what could be done to remedy the situation. After making offerings to Buddhist monks, as Buddha told him to, the disciple’s mother was released and he danced out of pure joy and gratitude, hence the tradition of dancing was born. The type of dancing used to be strictly folk dancing that would celebrate the arrival of the spirits of the beloved ancestors. Nowadays, every region has a dance unique to them and the music varies in everything from specific songs about the spiritual meanings of Obon to local folk songs.

So honor your ancestors today, if nothing else, look up and give them a nod. They'll thank you I'm certain.

~~ Eso Terry

John Dee and Donald Trump, Neither Had Their Ears Cropped

On July 13th in 2024 Donald J Trump was shot.  He lost part of an ear, and then grew it back overnight. Why is this important?  Well, John Dee was born on July 13th in 1527, and because he worn a skull cap, historian thought he had had his ears cropped for punishment.  After more research, it was found that it wasn't Dee who had his ears cropped, but his assistant, the alchemist Edward Kelley who always wore a skullcap. So, an important fact for July 13th is that neither President Trump or John Dee had their ears cropped. Here's more on John Dee while we're on the subject. 

On July 13th 1527, the noted magician & astronomer, who studied at Cambridge, John Dee, was born.  He was a brilliant man who was accredited for being a Mathematician, Astronomer, Astrologer, Imperialist, Occult Philosopher, Diviner and so much more.  John Dee lived his life somewhere between Science and the world of Magic.

He served the court of, Queen Elizabeth I, as a consultant, and used his position to create the largest personal library in all the world.

John Dee spent his entire life studying the Occult and Magic.  While many tried to murder him for being of the devil, Queen Elizabeth I, made sure that their wishes of execution never happened.  While no one could burn him alive while the Queen lived, after her death in 1603, John Dee was instead forced to die as a pauper five years later in his home at Mortlake, after being shunned by James I, the Queen’s successor.   He at least was able to shut his eyes one final time among the many books and literary wonders he had spent his entire life collecting.

I've written about John Dee before, he was a man before his time brave enough to look beyond the empty religions of his day. 

Akhenaten Gave Us the 4th of July

Let's get down to it, the USA is a concept founded way before July 4, 1776.  Thousands of years before Columbus was aware of the existence of our Western Hemisphere, the vision of equality and justice for all was founded in ancient Egypt. 

In his book, "The Sceret Destiny of America," Manly P Hall tells us that as far back as in ancient Egyptian times, the Western Hemisphere we call America, was chosen as the sight of a World Wide Democracy headquarters. And the roots of this nation can be seen in Akhenaten, the first democratic, humanitarian, and the first internationalist. 

Akhenaten saw that the duty of the ruler is to protect for all the right to live well, to think, to dream, to hope, to aspire, and for these beliefs he cheerfully gave his life. 

Akhenaten, Pharaoh of Egypt, throned under the title Amen-Hotep IV, was the first ruler in recorded history to exemplify social consciousness in the administration of a great nation. He had been ruler only a few years before he challenged the  priesthood and proclaimed a new spiritual dispensation, and to escape his enemies he built a new capitol city one hundred and sixty miles up the Nile from Cairo.  His new faith was Atonism; and he named his city Khut-en-Aton -- the horizon of the Aton -- and dedicated the city with these words: "Ye behold the City of the Horizon of Aton, which the Aton has desired me to make as a monument to the great Majesty forever. For it was Aton, my Father, that brought me to this City of the Horizon."

As High Priest of his new religion, Amen-Hotep IVchanged his name to Akhnaton, becasue the older name included the word Amen, whose faith he had rejected. 

Charles F. Potter, in his History of Religion, says of Akhenaten that he was, "the first pacifist, the first realist, the first monotheist, the first democrat, the first humanitarian, the fist internationalist, and the first person to found a religion."

Akhenaten, seated in the garden of his palace, spent many hours watching the flight of birds and listening to the voices of little creatures.  He tells us that he found "the Aton" in all of them; and that his heart went out to them, and he gave thanks for the goodness in everything that lived. Although through the years, most have attributed "Aton" to a monolithic Man god, I believe it was more of the Universal Law Akhnton had tapped in, but as all good souls, attributed his blessing to his father and mother. 

Akhenaten was a Pharaoh who traveled alone through the countryside, meeting the peasants and slaves, and sharing the simple food of the poor. He could not accept the inequalities of birth, wealth, or physical estate as a justification for men persecuting each other or exploiting one another. He saw every living thing as devine. If I might add, he sounds like an earlier incarnation of the original Buddha, but I'll save that story for another time. 

As might be expected, the Amon-Ra priesthood didn't like this and after so took control of the Hittite nation's army to invade Akhnaton in the name of Amen, but Akhnaton wouldn't retaliate, the dreamer king saw his lands pillaged and his cities conquered, but he would not kill his enemies for they were children of the world. 

Akhenaten died in his thirty-sixth year, at the altar of the temple of the faith he created. When his mummy case was found, the following prayer to the Aton was discovered inscribed on the golden foil beneath his feet: "I breathe the sweet breath which comes forth from Thy mouth.  I behold Thy beauty every day...Give me Thy hands, holding Thy spirit, that I may receive it and may be lifted by it. Call Thou upon my name unto eternity, and it shall never fail."

So why am I writing about Akhenaten on this July 4th, 2026? Democracy.  For this is the backbone of the Republic our founders intrusted us with. So, enjoy your hotdogs, watermelon, and fireworks, but don't forget the reason for the season. Love Thy neighbor, peace, justice, and equality for all. It's as American as Apple Pie.

Why is the hotdog one of America's favorite foods?  

Besides being associated with the esoteric "Dog Days of Summer," the term dog has been used as a synonym for sausage since the 1800s, with one thought being that it came from accusations that sausage makers used dog meat, starting in at least 1845.  In the early 20th century, consumption of dog meat in Germany was common. The suspicion that sausages contained dog meat was "occasionally justified."  Enjoy your meat this summer you ferocious meat eaters.


The Reason You Will Drink Too Much Beer This Day, eat Dog Meat, and possibly blow off your index finger with a firecracker?

The Declaration of Independence.   Yes, that liberal doctrine that provided the ideological foundations for the democratic government of the United States, promoting the idea that the government exists to serve the people, who elect representatives to express their will.  A "social contract" between people and their rulers, which can be dissolved if rulers fails to promote the people's welfare for a group of white supremacist -- I added the last part.

Least you forget, please read the following section out loud today and take a deep breath, it really is okay to be liberal boys-and-girls, it is the basis for the founding of this great country:

 “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

— That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,

— That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

________________________________________________________________________________

Concordia

 In ancient times, the 4th of July was the date that Pax, the Roman goddess of peace and harmony, who was also identified with the Greek goddess Concordia, was honored with a considerable amount of feasting and revelry.

Happy 4th Everyone!

Dog Days of Summer Begin July 3, and other esoteric matters

We've all grown up hearing the words, "The Dog days of summer."  Well, they begin on July 3rd in Northern Tradition.  You see, the Pagans of old, long before they were forced to convert to a single god theory or lose their family, looked up at the sky and saw Sirius, the brightest star in the sky alongside the sun in the Northern hemisphere and knew this was no coinkidink, but a sign from the gods.

Nonetheless, here is where July 3 gets its Yin and Yang: 

In 1775, on a hot July 3, George Washington formally takes command of the Continental Army by drawing his sword; in 1957 on a July 3, Nikita Khrushchev takes control of the Soviet Union by orchestrating the ouster of his most serious opponents. 

In 1940, the legendary American comedy duo of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello debut with their radio show; in 1946 the comedy duo of Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin meet for the first time in Atlantic City.

In 1969, the founder of the rock band, The Rolling Stones, Brian Jones, dies.  The guy who played sitar on the song Paint It Black, and the recorder on Ruby Tuesday, is found dead in a swimming pool; in 1971 on this day, Jim Morrison, the lead singer of The Doors, a group whose name was a reference to breaking through the doors of perception, is found dead in a bathtub of water. 

According to the I Ching, "3" is defined as, "From difficulty there is a great development...." The Yin: "Weak people at the culmination of difficulty, in extreme danger, without any helpers...." The Yang: "If the leadership is correctly oriented, and has the assistance of wise people who are strong and clear minded, then it is possible to solve difficulties." 

As a Yin and Yang fresher: Yin and Yang is a Chinese philosophical concept that describes opposite but interconnected forces. In Chinese cosmology, the universe creates itself out of a primary chaos of material energy, organized into the cycles of yin and yang and formed into objects and lives.  In a nut shell, Yin and Yang is the Mystic Law esoteric and exoteric Buddhist obtain by chanting the words "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo."  

~~ Eso Terry 

Another July 1st, Only With a Woman of Color Running as the First Generation X politician. Hold onto your Cigar's men.

 July 1st, the beginning of the month of July, the seventh month of the current Gregorian calendar and derives its name from Julius Caesar.  

The traditional birthstone amulet of July is the ruby; and the larkspur and water lily are the month's traditional flowers.

July is shared by the astrological signs of Cancer the Crab and Leo the Lion, and is sacred to the following Pagan deities: Apt (or Apet), Athena, Sothis, Spider Woman, and Rosea. 

In Napal on July 1st people celebrate the festival of Naga Pachami, which is devoted to the snake gods called Nagas.  Sacred snake images are adorned with flower garlands and displayed on religious altars, and offerings are made at snake holes.  People line the streets for elaborate parades featuring beautifully costumed participants and live serpents. 

Roosevelt and His Rough Riders

In history, July 1st is known for, among other things, how in 1898 Theodore Roosevelt and his volunteer cavalry, the Rough Riders, won the Battle of San Juan Hill, the decisive battle in the Spanish-America War.  In his book "On This Day in History," Carl M. Cannon quotes Roosevelt's daughter when she said, "her father (Teddy Roosevelt) was someone who never attended a wedding without wishing he was the bride or a funeral without wishing he was the corpse." So history only tells the Roosevelt story; however, there is another important story we're missing: The Buffalo Soldier story.  That's right, alongside Roosevelt's fighting militia were the black army men of the 9th Calvary.  They were the first to take the hill to victory.  Of course, history doesn't show it this way, and Teddy Roosevelt never mentioned the fighting black men in his recounts of the battle.  Hmmmm, indeed, a day of snakes.  Is it any wonder that July 1st is also the day the television station NBC aired the first official TV commercial in America, creating our modern Orwellian reality of of lies, half-truths, exaggerations, and plain, outright, character assassinations of anyone speaking truth to power! 

Bob Marley "Buffalo Soldier" lyrics (Excerpted for the Esoteric)

 If you know your history
Then you would know where you're coming from
Then you wouldn't have to ask me
Who the heck do I think I am

I'm just a Buffalo Soldier in the heart of America
Stolen from Africa, brought to America
Said he was fighting on arrival, fighting for survival
Said he was a Buffalo Soldier, in the war for America

________________________________________________________________________________

And this July 1, 2026:

Democratic socialist Melat Kiros poised to become the first Gen Z woman in Congress

Kiros was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and her parents immigrated to the United States when she was an infant. According to her campaign website, Kiros was born "weeks before" her father was picked in the United States' Diversity Visa Lottery.

Yes, a First Generation American who believes in Climate Change, Medical Care For All, A livable minimum wages, plus other common-sense policies if we are ever getting out of this Oligarchy mess we're in. 

Did I mention she is a woman of color?

Stay tuned, things are changing

~~ Eso Terry

June 25th: A Time for Pagan Weddings and the 250th Anniversary of the USA's "Enlightened Despotism"

Ever wonder why May and June are the wedding months? Could be that on June 25th in the Blekinge province of Sweden, the pagan Midsummer Bride is still chosen from among the young women as she was in pre-christian times. She then selects a Bridegroom. Money is collected from the onlookers for the "happy couple." At the end of the daylong festivities, the collected money is distributed among the local charities and churches.

Hmmmm, isn't marriage a Christian union? Those damn pagans of old just keep popping back up and ruining the story!

Also, on June 25th, 1933, thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses gathered in Berlin to draft the "Declaration of Facts," a formal document attempting to appease the new Nazi regime by stating they were strictly non-political. The Gestapo immediately rejected this and began arresting them and closing their offices. 

That's scary.

And on this June 25th, 2026, President Donald J. Trump opens the Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C. The multi-week event—part of the nationwide 250th birthday celebration—features pavilions and exhibits from all 56 U.S. states and territories. Why is this exoteric? Answer: June 25th serves as a focal point in academic analysis of autocratic rule, particularly the 18th-century "enlightened despotism" era when monarchs—such as Frederick the Great of Prussia and Catherine the Great of Russia—attempted to incorporate Enlightenment principles to consolidate and expand absolute state power. 

That's right, the founder of "Enlightened Despotism," Frederick the Great, explained it as: "My principal occupation is to combat ignorance and prejudice ... to enlighten minds, cultivate morality, and to make people as happy as it suits human nature, and as the means at my disposal permit." 

Frederick wrote an essay on "Benevolent Despotism" defending this system of government in which he abolished torture, streamlined the judicial system, and established a unified code of law to ensure faster, fairer trials for citizens. Frederick practiced broad religious freedom, famously stating that "in my kingdom, everyone can go to heaven in their own way." He even allowed a Catholic cathedral and a synagogue to be built alongside Protestant churches in Berlin. He introduced state-sponsored, mandatory primary education and boosted the economy by draining swamps, diverting rivers (like the Oder) to create farmland, and popularizing crops like the potato. 

Frederick was an intellectual who patronized arts and sciences, hosting prominent Enlightenment thinkers like Voltaire at his palace. While he philosophically opposed Machiavellian rule in his early writings, he was a relentless military commander who expanded Prussia's borders through aggressive wars (like the Seven Years' War). His reforms were designed to strengthen the state and increase tax revenue for the military, rather than to grant democratic freedoms or decentralize his absolute power.

Yes, something to think about this June 25 when we begin our 250th year celebration as a... Democracy(?)

~~ Eso Terry 

June 18th, Proof Monkey Brain is real: Donald Trump

Here we are, June 18th, 2026.  The USA invaded Iran, killed thousands, and now Trump has ended it no better off than we it stated.  What's so Esoteric about this?  Last year, exactly, on June 18th I wrote the following post. Seems, Monkey Brain is real. Trump is proof. 

 

Today is June 18th, 

In today's AP News, more precisely, the "Today in History" section, they reported that on this day in 1812, the War of 1812 began. For those who don't study the esoteric affects of history as I do, here is the rundown on the War of 1812:

The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and Great Britain from 1812 to 1815, primarily over British violations of American maritime rights. The war ended in a stalemate.

Then, on this day in 1815, Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo.  

The Battle of Waterloo, fought on June 18, 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, marked Napoleon's final defeat and the end of the Napoleonic Wars.  

So what is so esoteric about this?  Well, along with the Doomsday Fish that I wrote about last week, all signs are pointing to the demise of President Donald Trump.  Today, Israel is bombing Iran, the conflict no one wants to see.  Well, no one outside a few biblical nuts who Israel vs. Iran is a sign Jesus is coming to punish the Buddhist, but I digress.  No one in their right mind wants to see these two countries at war, and up until now, all presidents have been able to navigate a peace between the two Abrahamic faiths. President Trump ask for a "unconditional surrender." which basically has given Israel the go-ahead to demolish another country.  Yes, it is a mess, and one taken lightly will cause the USA, my country, a lot of problems.  And so, the news that a war started on this day, and that another ended in defeat, should wake us all up.  We need someone willing to listen, not a monkey banging cymbals in the air for attention. 

Dr. Boogie

Esoteric Meaning to Some Nursery Rhymes, One Trump Won't LIke.

Here we go round the mulberry bush,

I'm not sure why, but I woke up this morning with the children's rhyme "Humpty Dumpty" in my head. So let's research nursery rhymes today boys and girls.


Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

All the king's horses and all the king's men

Couldn't put Humpty together again

Okay, a quick internet search will tell you that Humpty Dumpty is usually illustrated as an egg, but historians think he was actually a deadly cannon. During a British civil battle, Humpty Dumpty was seized by the opposing side. When soldiers tried to use the cannon, the loyal weapon shattered. And “all the king's horses and all the king's men, couldn't put Humpty together again.”

Okay, so I see that rhyme was on my mind this morning, I mean, I sat up all night on Blusky asking the question of how our leaders have let us down with this whole Epstein File thing. I mean, why haven't they released the files yet? We all know why, because "all the kings horses and all the kings men couldn't put Humpty together again," if they do. Fascinating how close the word Humpty is to Trump.

Let's look at some other nursery rhymes for the Esoteric meanings:

Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater

Peter, Peter, pumpkin-eater

Had a wife, and couldn't keep her.

He put her in a pumpkin shell,

And there he kept her very well.

This rhyme is pretty straightforward in its creepiness. Here’s what University of North Texas English Professor Justin Jones (from NPR) had to say about it.

“The gist of it is, that he is an overbearing man who needs to find a way to control the appetites of his wife, suggested that they were sexual appetites, by more or less keeping her his own personal prisoner,” says Jones.

Jack Be Nimble

Jack be nimble,

Jack be quick,

Jack jump over

The candlestick

According to various scholars, jumping over the candlestick originated from an ancient pagan tradition of leaping over fires.

The goal was to jump over the lit candle without snuffing it out. This was supposed to bring good fortune.

Ring Around The Rosy

Ring around the rosy

A pocketful of posies

"Ashes, Ashes"

We all fall down

This charming little rhyme is popular with young children who chant it, holding hands and walking in a circle. Most children then sit down at the song’s crescendo.

Historians agree that this rhyme has its origins in the bubonic plague. Symptoms included a red rash in the shape of a ring on the skin. Pockets and pouches were filled with sweet smelling herbs (or posies) which were carried because people believe the disease was transmitted by foul odors. “Ashes Ashes," refers to the cremation of bodies and “We all fall down” is a euphemism for the staggering death rate.

Mary Mary Quite Contrary

Mary, Mary, quite contrary

How does your garden grow?

With silver bells and cockleshells

And pretty maids all in a row.

It’s pretty much agreed upon that the “Mary” in this poem is Mary Tudor, or Bloody Mary. She tried to revert back to the Catholic church as soon as she took the throne and apparently burned religious heretics on the regular.

She also executed and tortured them by other means. Some scholars say “silver bells” stood for thumb screws and that "cockle shells" was known as a genital torture device. The pretty maids in a row stood for the people lining up to be executed by the guillotine. Most people think the “garden” was the cemetery.

Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush

Here we go round the mulberry bush,

The mulberry bush,

The mulberry bush.

Here we go round the mulberry bush

So early in the morning.

According to a prison warden, a lock-up in Wakefield, England, inspired this song. Once women were added to the population, it’s believed female inmates would sing it while they exercised with their children around a central mulberry bush in the prison yard.

That's all, ya'll, 

see you after the elections, 

this fall.

~~ Eso Terry

Cancer Again? Not With This Lifeforce!

So I'm waiting for the doctor's office to call me about getting a biopsi of this spot on my lung.  I am in the Veterans Affairs (VA) medical care, and so it's not a doctor's office I can call and say, "I'm Here Waiting!" Still, I fear not, for I remember what President Josei Todo once said: "When you go to a doctor...Medicine King is your own life, the doctor naturally cannot help but provide a cure (WLS-6, 21)."

In the letter to Ota Jomyo, Nichiren Daishonin writes, "The sutra known as the Lotus Sutra is good medicine for the various ills of body and mind (wnd-2, 747)." It is here the Daishonin teaches that the Mystic Law is the supreme "good medicine" for overcoming the sufferings caused by illness and other disturbances of body and mind (May 2020 World Tribune).

Conversely, being in a healthcare system (the VA) where the doctors, nurses, staff, etc. are worked very hard with too many patients for the system, I remember the wise guidance Ikeda Sensei once gave in his "bodhisattva Medicine King" lecture, where he states that when you chant, the protective life force functions so that even an ordinary doctor naturally provides the right cure (May 2021 LB). In this article, Sensei goes on to say, "In fact, illness is an important and integral part of our experience of being alive -- an indispensable part of our journey to becoming happy and attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime." 

In this same article, there is the story of when President Toda scolded the young Ikeda Sensei by saying, "Daisaku! You haven't got an ounce of life force! If your life force is weak, you'll be defeated." President Toda then sat Sensei in front of the Gohonzon and "chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with a force that literally seemed to batter the devil of illness into submission."

Finally, my favorite quote I read over and over, five-years ago when I defeated my first battle with cancer, is the one I'll end here with:

"When you go to a doctor, even if he is incompetent, because Medicine King is functioning in your own life, the doctor naturally cannot help but provide a cure (WLS-6, 21)."

Here is a video of when I came home after having the cancerous tumor successfully removed from an eight-hour surgery by a young surgeon who had never done this surgery before.  Yes, Medicine King was alive in my life then, and is still with my faith and chanting powerful daimoku with a lifeforce that will batter this "devil of illness into submission." My Bodhisattva mission is not over yet.  I'll be here January 2030 to celebrate the one-hundredth year of the Soka Gakkai.  This I am sure of. 

~~ Eso Terry  

Cancer, I've been here before.

So the docs found a new spot on my lungs. It is May 27th, 2026, I've been here before. I'm ready for this. Interesting, it was exactly four years ago on this day that I posted "My Cancer Cure" post on here. In that post I wrote: "We all come into this life with a mission, a reason, and when that reason is done so are we...this is why cancer doesn't matter to me, if I still have a reason to live, the cancer will wait. And as I told you before, the blue Buddha came to me in a dream and so I know I am healing and will stay alive as long as I continue my mission. I am chanting each morning that this body which can create a cancer cell, can heel a cancer cell. Therefore, I chant that the recent spots they found on my lungs are smaller than they were the day before, and that they are not cancerous. I then thank the heavenly deities for providing this. I also pray that the medicine king will bring me the knowledge, doctors, cures, etc., that I need...."

I go into how I eat raw bitter melon, broccoli, and carrots in the morning. I also go into my faith: "The faith I speak of is the Mystic Law which saved my life over a year ago by alarming me to have my lungs checked. I've told you about it before, how while chanting my chest began to hurt which caused me to go to the hospital where they found a cancer spot. It amazed the doctors that I brought it to their attention so early. I had part of my lung removed and have lived another year without cancer. Now, it looks like there are more spots which could be cancerous.  I am not sure what I have left, if it is to share with you how my faith has saved me again, or how I know by chanting I am protected and will be here as long as I am needed.  Maybe just to share my cure with you, kind reader. The faith I speak of is the Mystic Law. To obtain it all you have to do is chant: Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. Give it a try. 

AI to the rescue in Finding this 1960's Marimba beauty.

This may not be Esoteric to you, but it is to me, for I purchased an old 16mm footage of a woman playing the marimba with a Hawaiin Lei around her neck from the 60's. The cover had "Hawaiin-Jodie-Show in Las Vegas" written on it. I googled and no research came back, well, one did, but she was Ruth Underwood who played for Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Inventions, I was pretty sure it wasn't her. So I uploaded this screenprint of her from my 16mm film to google and asked AI who it was. 

And off this poor quality 16mm image, I got the following answers:

"This low-light, vintage style photo makes it difficult to definitively identify the exact performer based on facial recognition alone. However, the visual styling—a strapless gown paired with a high-neck wrapped scarf—strongly mirrors the classic mid-century lounge era of Las Vegas entertainment.

To help narrow down the identity, could you provide a bit more context? If you can share the approximate decade the photo was taken or the name of the venue (such as the Sands, Caesars Palace, or the Flamingo), I can help you cross-reference historical show archives."

Then I put "Jodie" and got this:

"The hint about a Hawaiian show completely unlocks this vintage photo. The performer you are thinking of is Jonie (often misspelled as Jodie) from the iconic Jonie and the Halekulani Boys, a highly popular Hawaiian musical act that regularly performed in Las Vegas during the mid-20th century lounge boom."

Then I put in "what was Jonie, of Jonie and the Haledulani Boys, last name:

"While Jonie was widely known strictly by her first name on marquee billings and album covers during her Las Vegas residencies, historical music and union records list her full legal name as Jonie Barcarse.

The Family Connection

The act was heavily anchored by family ties. The "Halekulani Boys" backing her featured her husband, Al "Pops" Makahinu Barcarse, a deeply respected multi-instrumentalist, steel guitarist, and singer. Following their successful decades performing across the Las Vegas Strip, the couple dedicated much of their later lives to passing down traditional Hawaiian culture, music, and language to younger generations.

If you are hunting for their music, checking vintage vinyl listings under both "Jonie and the Halekulani Boys" and "Al Barcarse" will yield the best results for their classic recordings."

I wasn't interested in knowing more, maybe you are.  

Here is the 16mm clip I posted for the records of this beautiful woman beating the marimba in her prime:

The Five Chinese Brothers

You could say that the Five Chinese Brothers is a story about the deep bond of love between brothers. You could say that the Five Chinese Brothers is a story about deception. You can say whatever, but the fact is, it touches something deep inside of us. 

I first read the story as a kid. It is actually the first book I remember reading on my own. I remember loving the thought of being in an ocean bottom without water. I didn't think about the boy dying in the water, or the men facing death sentences for having killed him. I do know it was better than any of the other books available to me as a five-year-old seeker. This is why I have digitized the school film of this book for my friends here on EsotericDaily.com.  I think this was the first book that touched my esoteric soul.  The scene where the man inhales the ocean in his lungs revealing the depth of the sea, was my inner esoteric-child crying out for something deeper than the "See Jane Run" books on the shelf with it. Maybe you are the same. Enjoy the film.

Athena Is Coming To Save Us From The Bullies of the World

In case you missed it, an "Exceptional Statue of the Greek Goddess Athena" was uncovered in Ancient Laodicea, Turkey.

That's right, archaeologists have uncovered a nearly 2-meter (6.6 feet) marble statue of the Greek goddess Athena at the ancient city of Laodicea, located in modern-day Turkey. Researchers found the statue lying face-down in rubble debris along the outer wall of the theater’s rear stage section, known as the “postskene.” The statue is carved from white marble, though its head has not yet been found.

As we know here at EsotericDaily.com, nothing is by accident or without meaning, and so I ask you these questions, "Why did a headless Athena present herself to us now?" "What does it mean."

First, Athena was one of the most revered goddesses in ancient Greece, associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft. She is traditionally depicted wearing a helmet and holding a spear, with snakes and the gorgoneion among her most recognized symbols. Unlike Ares, who personifies the bloodlust and violence of battle, Athena represents the disciplined and intellectual side of war—specifically strategy, tactical prowess, and heroic endeavor.

A quick refresher on myth, Athena was the daughter of Zeus and was known for her miraculous birth, emerging fully grown, in armor, and emitting a battle cry from Zeus’s forehead. In some accounts she was produced without a mother, and in an alternative story her mother was Metis, the goddess of counsel, whom Zeus swallowed while she was pregnant with Athena. Being the favorite child of Zeus, Athena had great power. In turn, she favored such mortal heroes as Odysseus, Heracles, and Perseus.

Now, esoterically speaking, here are the factors that present themselves to us:

1. Athena gives Perseus the power to face Medusa by instructing him not to look her directly in the eyes, but to use the reflection of his sword to attack her. Medusa, who could turn anyone into stone by looking at them, was the evil force trying to create chaos in the world. By giving Perseus the power to defeat Medusa, Athena is actually protecting the world from a selfish bully who wanted nothing but death, destruction, and chaos in the world. 

2. In another myth, Athena wanted new weapons, so she went to the blacksmith god, Hephaestus to request his services. When Hephaestus saw Athena he tried everything he could to forge a relationship with her, when she refused him, he lost control of himself and forced himself (yes, rape) on her. She fought him off, but not before he ejaculated on her leg. Athena wiped the nasty mess off herself and threw in on the ground where it turned into a snake: her snake-son Erichthonius.

3. Athens, which is named after Athena, is where western society began with the likes of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and where democracy was founded. Most myths with Athena show her as the champion of fairness, justice, and democracy -- just look at the face of the Statue of Liberty and compare it to the statues of Athena; conversely, many temples that had been dedicated to Athena were converted into churches for the Virgin Mary with the spread of Christianity, most notably, the Parthenon (the "Temple of the Virgin Athena") served as the Cathedral of Theotokos (Mother of God) for nearly a thousand years. 

Athena on the left, Mother Mary on the Right.

4. In The Eumenides, Athena shows up in the final play as the divine arbiter who ends a cycle of blood vengeance and establishes the foundations of human justice. Yes, the first courtroom scene ever written. 

Put these statements together, and we see that Athena is the goddess of human decency, fairness, and justice. Unlike the other woman in myths she doesn't need saving by a man, instead she uses her intellect to protect herself and others, and she remained a virgin. She brought order to the world with the Medusa story, then fairness and democracy to Athens, and as in the play Ajax, written by Sophocles, she intervenes to bypass useless killing by driving the bully leader, Ajax, mad.  

In conclusion, I believe Athena has popped up from the grave as a warning to the male leaders who are creating chaos instead of order. We know who they are, just look at the wars in Ukraine, Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, and the macho world leaders pounding their chest to drop more bombs, kill more people, and create more chaos.  

Enough is enough.

Athena is a hopeful message to those of us wanting immediate peace for the sake of humanity, and a warning to the war lords that bad things will start happening to them if they don't start playing nice; that is, once she finds her head. 

~~ Eso Terry