Harvest moon Japanese Style, without the help of AI

My cancer saga continues. As soon as I had ended my last post and pushed "Publish," I got the call to schedule my biopsy procedure; of which, I know little today, but will be sure to give you the poop on when it arrives -- yes, I've been in Texas too long.

So today I consulted with AI, I asked AI, "Can they remove another lung lobe after I've already had one removed?" And AI said they could, so, maybe it's that again. Who knows? I wouldn't even attempt to ask AI about other cancer treatments, because I know there are way too many.

The funny thing about cancer, is it was one of two things I worried about as a youth after seeing my grandmother die of lung cancer. The other was nuclear war. And I'll be goddamned -- to quote from my grandfathers favorite curse lexicon -- if both aren't a threat to me at this moment -- sorry conservative brothers and sisters, but you've unleashed a Donald Trump Frankenstein monster we can only watch now as he grunts his way through the village.

Cancer is not my focus today, my focus today is on tonight's August New Moon, which begins at 12:36pm here in Dallas. And this is not any-old new moon, this is the August New Moon, more precisely, what we Japanese -- wait, I'm not Japanese, I'm Nichiren Buddhist, same thing -- call the Otsukimi or Harvest New Moon.

Japan is rich with legends surrounding the moon. The most famous of these is the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (竹取物語), one of Japan’s oldest folktales. In this story, a radiant princess named Kaguya-Hime is discovered in a bamboo stalk and eventually returns to her home on the moon. This tale speaks to the mysterious allure of the moon and has inspired countless adaptations in literature, art, and film.

The harvest moon in most cultures is an important moon, and many festivals such as the Japanese Otsukimi. (or Tsukimi), will be happening tonight. In some areas there will be Pagans dancing, calling forth the moons energy to dance in unison, others will be casting spells -- most benevalent, I hope. Me, I'll show gratitude for the harvest I have, such as my three regular viewers, where would I be without you.  Also, I'll chant for the happiness and protection of everyone under the moonlight, for years to come. And finally, I'll hedge my bets on this cancer, why not. 

Pagan Moon Fun

Seriously, and most importantly, in Nichiren Buddhism, the moon is a frequent metaphor for truth, enlightenment, and the reflection of the Buddha's compassionate life in the human heart.  This will be my main focus tonight.  See you there. Let's dance. 

~~ Eso Terry 

Nazca Lines Seen From Sky

I hate to be the bearer of bad news. I try to be upbeat, positive, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, but, well:

Plane carrying European tourists crashes in Peru, killing 13 people on Nazca
What does it all mean?
First, a quick refresher on the Nazca lines (according to https://www.britannica.com/place/Nazca-Lines):

"Nazca Lines, groups of geoglyphs, large line drawings that appear, from a distance, to be etched into Earth’s surface on the arid Pampa Colorada (“Coloured Plain” or “Red Plain”), northwest of the city of Nazca in southern Peru. They extend over an area of nearly 190 square miles (500 square km).

Most of the Nazca Lines were constructed more than 2,000 years ago by the people of the Nazca culture (c. 200 bce–600 ce), though some clearly predate the Nazca and are considered to be the work of the earlier Paracas culture. While the images dated to the Paracas are often humanlike and bear some resemblance to still earlier petroglyphs in the region, the subjects of the Nazca-made lines are generally plants and animals—such as a monkey (some 360 feet [110 metres] long), a killer whale (210 feet [65 metres]), a bird resembling a condor (443 feet [135 metres]), a hummingbird (165 feet [50 metres]), a pelican (935 feet [285 metres]), a spider (150 feet [46 metres]), and various flowers, trees, and other plants—as well as geometric shapes, including triangles, trapezoids, and spirals. Although the figures have been said to be virtually indecipherable from ground level, some claim that one cannot understand their meaning without walking what are now believed by some to be the sacred paths.

Since their discovery in the 1920s, the lines have been variously interpreted, but their significance remains largely shrouded in mystery. The American historian Paul Kosok observed the lines from an airplane in 1941 and hypothesized that they were drawn for astronomical purposes. María Reiche, a German translator who spent years studying the site and lobbying for its preservation, concluded that it was a huge astronomical calendar and that some of its animal sketches were modeled after groupings of stars in the night sky. In 1967, however, the American astrophysicist Gerald Hawkins found no correlation between changes in the celestial bodies and the design of the Nazca Lines."

And of course, there is the Ancient Aliens theories that the lines were a signal to the UFO's that came at the beginning of our civilizations. I won't go to deep into that here, but I believe the Aliens are from the future, but can manifest in the past through time travel. This explains why we don't see them now, they haven't arrived yet! -- my meds work, trust me.

Now, the importance of the tourist plane crash is just another of my omens that shit is about to hit the fan. This goes with my stock market crash prediction, Donald Trump's Omen, and of course my premonition that one of the big three leaders, Trump, Putin, Xi, will soon die., not to forget that a 2000 year old stature of Athena has been dug up, and that Homer's Odyssey is the top movie playing this summer, can there be any doubt something is happening with the gods -- or future Aliens -- telling us to stop what we're doing and pay attention to the climate change, poverty, depleted resources (to name a few)?

Now, don't be alarmed, this is all a part of the divine plan, so roll with it. I mean, to not do so is just outright delusional.

What is significant about the Nazca plane crash is signifiant because of a few things:

1. Thirteen people died, "Thirteen" means a few things, first, in the Major Arcana of the Tarot, the 13th card is Death. Contrary to popular fear, when upright this card signifies transformation, endings, and rebirth rather than literal death.

Then, the teachings of Jesus are framed around the formula 1 + 12 (Christ plus the apostles), producing thirteen. According to Pythagorean philosophy, one added to twelve creates an unlimited number, symbolising transcendence beyond completion. Through this principle, miracles—such as the multiplication of loaves and fishes—are said to occur.

Thirteen represents an all-or-nothing law of destiny:Death through failure and degeneration
Rebirth through regeneration and transformation

It is also the sacred number of the Great Goddess, reflected in the thirteen lunar cycles of the year.

2. As stated above, the Nazca Lines at the very least, are a message to the heavens, or possibly an answer, and I'll say a warning to us today that we need to obey the heavens or else.

3. The plane went down on August 2nd, 2026. Numerologically speaking, that's 8-2-2026 that's 20 = 2. "Two" is the coming together of feminine forces. Which I've have written about before with the Age of Aquarius. And what we are witnessing now in the world with all this Nationalism is the last grasp of the Masculine forces that have been ruling the world since the time of Jesus, or beginning of the Age of Pisces. This is the positive force that will happen after the negative troubles we will soon experience.

Finally, in the blogesphere, people are writing about how bad the aircraft was, some say they flew it and the warning lights kept flashing. Whatever the case may be, those flashing lights aren't only on that plane. They are all around us.

~~ Eso Terry

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

Emily Dickinson's Karma Connection With T.W. Higginson.

 

 This is a 70's 16mm film I've had for years and want to share It is the letters Emily wrote T.W. Higginson, and his thoughts on the matter. As a Buddhist, I see how they are connected. Their relationship was never physical - this lifetime - they only met briefly twice, but were bounded by karma. We all have these relationships, contacts, that we know once were more and will be again, but not this lifetime.

~~ Eso Terry

Pythagors in 30 Seconds.

 

Pythagoras was born around 570 BC on the Greek island of Samos.

Pythagoras made influential contributions to philosophy and religious teachings in the late 6th century BC. 

Many mathematical and scientific discoveries were attributed to him, as well as discoveries in the field of music, astronomy, and medicine, but Pythagoras is best known for the Pythagorean Theorem which bears his name.

The Pythagorean Theorem simple stated is... well, math so we're going to skip it.  

Pythagoras and his disciples were the conceives of the "Golden Ratio" which is 1.618, the perfect analogy of the universe.  More math, so we won't go into this either.

Pythagoras started a liberal school where the students weren't allowed to talk for a year or look into a mirror beside a candle.  He taught them reincarnation, and the power of numbers.

Pythagoras and his disciples were the first to use the concept of "cosmos" and point out that the earth rotates around the sun. 

Pythagoras was a vegetarian.

And most importantly for us, Pythagoras was a number freak and taught us that numbers are everywhere and in everything....

Watch the film for the complete run down.  It's only 3 minutes.  And as we know, Pythagoras thought the three was the "perfect number!"

Who Is Maitreya? Short Film

Awareness,

A film on The Dharma

“We are truly alive, to the degree that we are truly aware.”

A Japanese Haiku:

“No one spoke. Neither the host, the guest, nor the white chrysanthemum.”

This documentary answers: “Who is Matireya?”

~~ Eso Terry 

Black Moon Talk

I've talked about a Blue Moon, Fake Moon, Eclipse Moon, and heck, even being Mooned by a Gargoyle, but I've yet to talk about the Black Moon, and so here goes it. 

According to the folks at Living With The Moon, a Black Moon is a rather rare occasion (about every 2.5 years) and refers to the 2nd New Moon in one calendar month. 

So that's really all there is on the surface, but esoterically, wow!  A Black Moon is seen as a real turning point, either globally or in your private life. The key word here is "change."  And like the Winds of Change Bob Dylan sang about in the early 60's, a Black Moon means change or new directions when it hits. 

Of course, the Christian predict the return of Christ every chance they get, which is silly, since they've been doing this since the beginning of their faith, which really has to be a downer, and regarding the Black Moon it is no different, for example, for the Black Moon on Friday, September 30th, 2016, the Christian blog "Express" wrote: 

Warning BLACK MOON tonight: Astrological event to herald 'End of Days' and second coming

That writer went on to state: 

TONIGHT'S Black Moon could bring with it worldwide destruction and the second coming of Jesus Christ, Christians and conspiracy theorists have claimed.

Of course, again Jesus doesn't show, but that's okay for most of us.  

According to NASA the Black Moon is... wait, they don't define it because it is not a big deal; furthermore, the term "Black Moon" only goes back to 2016, because, well, it is only a month with two new moons in it.  Not an astronomical event. 

Historically, the theme of events from the recent "Black Moons" or  second new moon in a calendar month between 2010 and 2020 are:

*July 7th, 2011 - Moscow bans the book L. Ron Hubbard Scientology book. 

*January 30th, 2014 - French Socialist Party defeated in major upset. 

*October 30th, 2016 -  FBI announces it will be reviewing Liberal President Hillary Clinton's email, a month before the presidential election; which gives Donald Trump the presidential election a month later. 

*August 30th, 2019 -  DOJ report finding the FBI violated policy investigating Donald Trump in 2016. Pro-democracy protesters arrested in Hong Kong. 

 *August 22nd, 2025 - To Be Determined, but whatever it is, "Dark Moons" seems to be favor President Donald Trump. 

Finally, for the Pagan in us all, here is the Pagan definition according to 

Spiritually, the Black Moon is a powerful time for shadow work, release, and deep transformation as it combines and amplifies the energy of the New Moon and the Dark Moon. Whether you see it as the ultimate lunar reset or a chance to plant long-term intentions, the Black Moon’s energy invites you to go inward, shed what no longer serves you, and trust in the unseen process of growth.

The Message of the Gargoyles

Since the Covid-19 virus I’ve been home a lot, as we all have.  I thought I would use this time to catch up on work, but instead I sit here glued to the TV watching news reports of rising deaths, falling stock prices, and a presidential lies.  My only break from this constant stream of bad news is looking out my living-room window at the old building across the street. The building was built by a wealthy businessman in the early 20th century who believed putting gargoyles on the ledges would bring him good luck.  The logic didn't work because the building opened in 1929 a week before the  Great Depression.  The faces of the gargoyles are rumored to be the faces the owner made as he jumped to his death from the building after losing everything he had in the stock crash.  I was told this story when I first leased my room and it didn't mean much to me then, but now, faced with my own Great Depression to deal with a hundred years later I had to know more about this creepy, yet reassuring creature staring back at me from outside my window. 

Most of the stories I found on the history of gargoyles pointed to a town in France outside of Paris called Rouen.  The story tells of a dragon that lived in the Sene river and terrorized the town by eating people along the river banks and burning ships trying to pass.  The dragon's name... you guessed it...  Gargouille.

The legend goes that around the year 600 AD a Christian monk named Romanus came to town and defeated the dragon and delivered the dead beast to the town's people who immediately  decided to burn it.  The body of the dragon went up in flames quickly, but the head and neck wouldn't burn.  Taking this as a sign from God, the towns people mounded the head and neck of the dragon on a village wall as a reminder of God’s great power.  This practice soon spread from town to town and the neck and head of Gargouille became the model of today's gargoyle.

The word Gargoyle comes from the French word Gargouille and so it should be no surprise that the oldest gargoyles standing today are found in France.  These gargoyles are on Cathedrals and are a part of what is called Scripture in Stone.  According to most scholars, these gargoyles were placed on religious structures to preach the gospels to the illiterate and warring classes by putting the fear of hell in them.  Others believe the gargoyles are demons of lost souls placed there to scare away greater demons.  Regardless of the reason, all the great cathedrals of France have them. 

The two greatest of these cathedrals are Notre Dame and Chartres.  The gargoyles of Notre Dame are rumored to take flight after dark and watch over the cafes of Paris.  The gargoyles of Chartres are said to watch over the countryside to scare away oncoming threats. 

As I have already mentioned, the word Gargoyle is from the Old French word Gargouille which means throat.  If you look at most of the old Gargoyles you'll see they have long necks with a head at the end in the form of a long spout.  The English words gurgle and gargle share the same French root as the word gargoyle.  This really makes sense because in architecture any drainpipe leaning off the side of a building is called a gargoyle.  Conversely,  if a stone carving does not carry water but does have a horrible face or image on it architects call it a grotesques.

Ostara (1901) by Johannes Gehrts. Spring feasts were held to honour the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre/Ostara.

Although gargoyles and grotesques placed on cathedrals are believed to be of Christian origin, a closer look does tell another story.  A closer look tells the story of how a winter's solstice celebration became the birth of a savoir; and, how a Spring feast once held to honor the goddess Eostre became the resurrection Easter Sunday meal.  Stonemasons who had passed from being an apprentice to a journeyman knew this and so worked out their own ideas in their carvings.  They were, in a sense, independent artist and so were free to do pretty much as they liked.  So why then did they choose to place so many pagan images on the religious buildings of their day?  Could it be they still held onto the old beliefs in secret.  After much research, I for one believe the carvings were a message for those with eyes to see.  A prime example of this are the many gargoyles of The Green Man, also known as The Jack in the Green, who was the pagan god of tree worship and can be found in the many grotesques wearing crowns of leaves and branches.

Another common image from paganism that is found on many cathedrals is the multi-face grotesques that represents Diana the virgin goddess and protector of childbirth.  Historically, Diana made up a triad with two other Roman deities: Egeria the water nymph, and Virbius, the woodland god.  These three-faces of the gods to the cults were once worshiped as the Christian holy trinity, that is, until the Pope realized their true meaning and so had the practice banned.   Still, the Pope left the pagan symbols on the cathedrals as to not upset the will of the people; seems, even the Pope had a thing for our pagan past. 

So, along with diverting rainwater and scaring off evil spirits, gargoyles seemed to me to be a way for the artist who placed them there to tell the story of the old religion; the old Pagan religion before the Christian church came along and gave the town's people the choice to convert to the new Man God, or, well... die.  Knowing this, it's easy to see that these gargoyles are pagan messengers reminding us of the truth that all the Money God could not defeat.   The natural religion in all of us that didn't need a priest for forgiveness.  The natural religion in all of us that isn't a Man God, but both a man and woman god.  The god of the trees, the wind, the earth; Gaia: the god in each of us.   

Looking at the gargoyle outside my window now made sense.  It wasn't a talisman of luck, scarer of demons, or messenger for god.  No, it was more; the messenger of truth.  A truth to not concern myself with the lies and craziness of the world today for they have always been there and always will be.  The truth, as our ancestors knew, wasn't in their powerful lies, large cathedrals, or love of money.  No,  truth was in the whistling wind and swaying trees.  The real god, the god inside of us, the earth god, Gaia.  And she is speaking to us now.  And the gargoyles, like the trees and the wind, are part of her message.  

I no longer needed to watch the news to know what was happening with the Covid-19 virus.  I had all the news I needed outside my window.  Everything is as it should be.  The message of the gargoyles. 

~~ Dr. TV Boogie

Gargoyle Mouthwash

 

Let's talk gargoyles boys and girls, yes, those strange faces in stone telling us to behave or we'll get a massive growth on our heads.

 

In the apartment I lived in as a kid, there was an old building across the street with gargoyles on the top floor, and I would sit for hours looking up at the strange beings looking back at me, some were crying, others laughing, and if I shook my head fast enough, they moved. Of course, then I was giving ADHD medicine and stopped staring out the window so much. 

 

Later I learned that the building across the street was built by a wealthy businessman in the early 20th century who believed putting gargoyles on the ledges would bring him good luck.  The logic didn't work because the building opened in 1929 a week before the  Great Depression, and he subsequently jumped from the building.  

 

The faces of the gargoyles are rumored to be the faces the owner made as he jumped to his death from the building after losing everything he had in the stock crash.  You hear stories like these all the time, and probably the reason you never see gargoyles on buildings anymore.

The history of gargoyles starts in a town in France outside of Paris called Rouen.  The story tells of a dragon that lived in the Sene river and terrorized the town by eating people along the river banks and burning ships trying to pass.  The dragon's name... you guessed it...  Gargouille.

The legend goes that around the year 600 AD a Christian monk named Romanus came to town and defeated the dragon and delivered the dead beast to the town's people who immediately  decided to burn it.  The body of the dragon went up in flames quickly, but the head and neck wouldn't burn.  Taking this as a sign from God, the towns people mounded the head and neck of the dragon on a village wall as a reminder of God’s great power.  This practice soon spread from town to town and the neck and head of Gargouille became the model of today's gargoyle.

The word Gargoyle comes from the French word Gargouille and so it should be no surprise that the oldest gargoyles standing today are found in France.  These gargoyles are on Cathedrals and are a part of what is called Scripture in Stone.  According to most scholars, these gargoyles were placed on religious structures to preach the gospels to the illiterate and warring classes by putting the fear of hell in them.  Others believe the gargoyles are demons of lost souls placed there to scare away greater demons.  Regardless of the reason, all the great cathedrals of France have them. 

The two greatest of these cathedrals are Notre Dame and Chartres.  The gargoyles of Notre Dame are rumored to take flight after dark and watch over the cafes of Paris.  The gargoyles of Chartres are said to watch over the countryside to scare away oncoming threats. 

As I have already mentioned, the word Gargoyle is from the Old French word Gargouille which means throat.  If you look at most of the old Gargoyles you'll see they have long necks with a head at the end in the form of a long spout.  The English words gurgle and gargle share the same French root as the word gargoyle.  This really makes sense because in architecture any drainpipe leaning off the side of a building is called a gargoyle.  Conversely,  if a stone carving does not carry water but does have a horrible face or image on it architects call it a grotesques.

Ostara (1901) by Johannes Gehrts. Spring feasts were held to honour the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre/Ostara.

Although gargoyles and grotesques placed on cathedrals are believed to be of Christian origin, a closer look does tell another story.  A closer look tells the story of how a winter's solstice celebration became the birth of a savoir; and, how a Spring feast once held to honor the goddess Eostre became the resurrection Easter Sunday meal.  Stonemasons who had passed from being an apprentice to a journeyman knew this and so worked out their own ideas in their carvings.  They were, in a sense, independent artist and so were free to do pretty much as they liked.  So why then did they choose to place so many pagan images on the religious buildings of their day?  Could it be they still held onto the old beliefs in secret? After much research, I for one believe the carvings were a message for those with eyes to see.  A prime example of this are the many gargoyles of The Green Man, also known as The Jack in the Green, who was the pagan god of tree worship and can be found in the many grotesques wearing crowns of leaves and branches.

Another common image from paganism that is found on many cathedrals is the multi-face grotesques that represents Diana the virgin goddess and protector of childbirth.  Historically, Diana made up a triad with two other Roman deities: Egeria the water nymph, and Virbius, the woodland god.  These three-faces of the gods to the cults were once worshiped as the Christian holy trinity, that is, until the Pope realized their true meaning and so had the practice banned. Still, the Pope left the pagan symbols on the cathedrals as to not upset the will of the people; seems, even the Pope had a thing for our pagan past. 

So, along with diverting rainwater and scaring off evil spirits, gargoyles seemed to be a way for the artist who placed them there to tell the story of the old religion; the old Pagan religion before the Christian church came along and gave the town's people the choice to convert to the new God, or, well... die.  Knowing this, it's easy to see that these gargoyles are pagan messengers reminding us of the truth that religion can not be ordered by a king, but must be grown from within or else, well, it's gargoyle mouthwash.


~~ Dr. TV Boogie

August 24 the Biggest Sick Day in the USA!

In a study by Flamingo, a firm which helps companies manage employee absences and medical leaves, August 24th is the day most American workers call in sick. And why would this be?  Hmmmm?...

Historically, Hawaii became an official state this day in 1959 and subsequently, Daniel K. Inouye was the first Japanese-American congressman to the U.S. House of Representatives, and Hiram L. Font of Hawaii became the first Chinese-American U.S. senator to the U.S. Senate.  Now, there’s a good reason for a sick day on August 24th from a long night of celebrating.  

On this day in 79 CE, Mount Versuvius erupted in Italy leaving us the Pompeii ruins of people frozen in time trying to escape death.  This reminder of how quickly life can end is another good reason to skip work for a day of leisure at the company’s expense. 

 The craziest August 24th fact of all is a personal one for me, you see, on August 24th in 1930, it was announced that the recently discovered Planet X, the 9th planet in our solar system which had been named Pluto after the Roman god of the underworld, was not a massive Jupiter size planet as promised, but in all actuality, a “dwarf planet.” Which was okay, because it remained the ruling planet of those born under the Scorpio horoscope.  That is, until August of 2016 when the International Astronomical Union- Bastards, (IAU-B), took Pluto off the list of planets in our solar system and life for Scorpio’s like me, got more confusing than ever. Fortunately, however, I am a Buddhist and understand that change is a part of life to be celebrated, and so, on August 24th in 2019 I received a gohonzon for my Buddhist altar — is it any wonder that I called in sick today to write on my blog?    

Finally, August 24 is also the Festival of Luna, the goddess of the Moon.  In her temple, Luna Noctiluca (Moon that shines by night), the cover was removed from the Mundas Cereris, the labyrinthine passage to the underworld, to allow the spirits of the dead to roam free.  

Another good reason to skip work if you ask me. 

So, brothers and sisters, if you are reading this from your “sick day” by the pool, you’re not alone, even if you think you are.  

~~ Eso Terry

Angels, We All Have Them So Act Like It

No matter what you are or what you do, 

there is an Angel right for you. 

No matter who you hate, or who you love

we all share angels up above,

so act like it! 

damn it!

~~ Eso Terry

I love to talk Angels.  For, they are everywhere. Mine spoke to me once when I was 24 years of age.  I was in a car accident and just before my 1963 VW bug was smashed by a hot rod tank, I felt arms around me and a voice that spoke into my left ear: "It's going to be alright."

I imagine the next time I hear that voice I'll meet her, for she has remained silently in the background since. 

So, let's talk Angels. 

Peace on earth and goodwill to all...  yes, easier said than done, that is, until you add in the one ingredient that could accomplish such a thing?   Angels. 

Why Angels?  you ask!  Well, they are the one common spiritual thing in us all.   That's right, from Jews, to Muslims, to Pagans, to Buddhist, to Erudite Scholars, we all recognize the angels.  

 
The Jews  seem to have the oldest writings on angels written around three-thousand years ago with the three angels that visited Abraham in in Genesis 18: 1-5.  Who were these masked crusaders?  I'm not sure, but it is funny that Abraham is the father of not only the Jewish faith, but the Christian and Muslim faiths.  Hmmmm, can you say Hedge-Your-Bets boys-and-girls?  But I digress, this is a loving, Esoteric Daily post for world peace. 

In the New Testament there are two angels named, Gabriel, who announces to Mary that she will bear a son who will be the promised Messiah (Luke 1: 26 - 38), and Michael, who fights against the Devil (Jude 9; Revelation 12:7).  Both angels had already been named in the Jewish book. 

Then there are the Islamist who's Quran is said to have been transmitted by Gabriel (Jibril) in chapter 2 verse 97.  Yes, the same angel who announced to Mary that she would bear the Messiah,  met up with Mohammad in the desert to give him the Quran.

 

And let's not forget the Buddhist, for my favorite Buddhist Reformist Monk, Nichiren Daishonin, writes of "Heavenly Messengers who have been with one since birth...."   

Although, less obvious, there are angels in Zoroastrianism/Hinduism symbol with its spread wings, and of course with the New Age/Paganism, we see angels in mind, body, and spirit of us all. 


Plato believed that between human beings and the gods were intermediate beings called 'daimons' who could inspire human thoughts and actions. 

So you see, angels are as common all spiritual life, no matter the belief system.  So, let's stop fighting and listen to them.  As I say whenever possible, "We are all in this together, so act like it!"

Come on: all angels are naked!  Gosh, get your mind out of the gutter.

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July 29th is the first day of the runic half-month of Thorn.  Nothern traditon honors the god known to the Anglo-Saxons as Thunor and to the Norse as Thor. 

Nazis Sucks and The Origins of a May Marriage.

 

Rockwell with pipe.

From today's offering of the "Where Are They Now" collection, I present to you that laughable group formally known as the American Nazis Party led by George Lincoln Rockwell, who gave us such loving lies as, "The Holocaust Denial Movement," you remember that golden-oldie, it went something like this:  the Jews invented the story of the Holocaust to legitimize Israel and extract reparations from Germany, and that they perpetuate the myth by their control of the media and Hollywood."  This monster of hate is also credited with developing the word "White Power" in the sixties, as well as melding Nazism with a Christian Identity -- although he once said he could never worship a Jewish savior.

Deny This Ass-whole!!!

Unfortunately, if a lot of these right-wing nuts on the radio today could say the things Rockwell did without losing their sponsors, they would.  It is undoubtedly buried underneath their definition of the word "Liberal" in their daily mumbling.  And those of you who listen to that hate to blame another race or group of people for your problems in the world, are following that same evil that gave us the America Nazi Party of the 1960's.

So where are they today?

Rockwell Getting His Rocks off in Public.

They are now a religious church called "The New Order."   That's right, after the American Nazis Party was condemned by everyone, they became the National Socialist White People's Party and replaced "Sieg Heil" with "White Power."  Oddly enough, the NSWPP entered a number of candidates in elections in the 1970's and 80's and usually attracted about 5 percent of the vote.  In a Milwaukee school board race, it managed to garner one in every five voters.  In 1983 they changed the name to "The New Order" and their faith statement is "Living the Faith of Adolf Hitler."

That's it for today, I really need to go take a shower.
(Facts used in this posting from the book Hate, George Lincoln Rockwell and the American Nazi Party by William H. Schmaltz)

Thank You For Reading!  Meow!!!

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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 church myth!

Don Maclaren is dead, No, he's on the outside looking in.

On this day, June 22, in 1275, Nichiren Daishonin, the Japanese reformist monk who taught us that we are all Buddhas -- like it or not -- and that by chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo (pronounced Nam Me Yo Ho Ren Gay Key Oh) we've taken the first and most important step in actualizing our Buddha Nature in this lifetime.  So if you never have, please say Nam Myoho Renge Kyo out loud right now and see how your day unfolds; to really test it, chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo in the morning and night for one week, and see.  To really, really, test it make a wish before chanting the words and see what happens.  I've just given you the best advise you will ever receive in this lifetime. 

Getting back to my post, on June 22 in the year 1275, Nichiren Daishonin wrote "When a tree has been transplanted, though fierce winds may blow, it will not topple if it has a firm stake to hold it up.  But even a tree that has grown up in place may fall over if its roots are weak.  Even a feeble person will not stumble if those supporting him are strong, but a person of considerable strength, when alone, may fall down on an uneven path...therefore, the best way to attain Buddhahood is to encounter a good friend."

My Friend, Don

I chose to pontificate on this post to represent the Esoteric Depth of this day because I found out last Sunday that my best and oldest friend has died.  Yes, Don Maclaren is no longer with us.  I met Don in South Korea when we were both 19 and in the Navy on the USS Coral Sea.  Our ship had pulled into Busan for a few days.  I had gone out and drank with the guys and spent all my money and was headed back to the ship, broke, when I saw Don leaving the ship with a map in his hand.  

"Hey, Eso," he said. 

"Hey Don," I answered.  "Where are you off to?"

"I'm going to look at a Buddhist temple that is close to here."

"They have those here?" I asked.

"Yeah, come with me."

"Okay, can I borrow twenty bucks?..."

I spent the afternoon with Don discussing the history of Korea, the lyrics of the rock band The Doors, and of course, the books of Kurt Vonnegut.  Little did I know at that time that Don would be my friend for the next 43 years.  Funny, looking back I  now see that "43" was the number of our ship we were living on at the time: the USS Coral Sea, CV43. 

Don lived with me in Dallas after we got out of the Navy, but said it was too conservative and so moved to San Francisco.  He lived there to get his degree but then left because it was too liberal.  He moved to Japan where he made a life for 15 years before moving to New York where he lived for 5, and finally, the last 13 years in China.  I visited him in all the places but China.  China was suppose to be this year.  

In all my visits we talked about life, our past, our future, and of course, Kurt Vonnegut. 

He showed me the fashion district in Tokyo, the subway train shortcuts in Manhattan, and once boasted at a bar that the waitress just offered him a blowjob.  It was the happiest I would ever see him.  I was jealous, until she showed up with a drink in her mouth called, Blow Job.

Don respected my religion.  In Japan he took me to a Buddhist temple and showed me how to capture the incense smoke to heal my stiff shoulder.

Our relationship for the last several years has been long Skype conversations. 

I took them for granted.  

He died running in a park.  

Just dropped dead as they say.  

I have lost friends before, but losing a best, old friend like Don equals the loss I experienced when I lost my younger sister, and mother.  I see now some friends are family, and of course, some family are nothing more than friends.

I'll see Don again, this I know for certain in my Buddha heart.  He was my educator in this life. The stake that propped up my transplanted tree life on this Earth.  He taught me not to break the spine of a book, a habit I had when I read paperbacks.  I would selfishly crack the spine of a borrowed book so the pages wouldn't jump, then return the book as if nothing had happened.  

"Please don't break the spine of my books anymore, you ruined my 'Cats Cradle' paperback," he once said.

"Oh, I thought they were made to be cracked. Where is it at?  I'll buy you a new one." 

"That's okay," he said, "by the way, don't end your sentences with at."

Finally, Nichiren ask in his writing: "How far can our own wisdom take us?  If we have even enough wisdom to distinguish hot from cold, we should seek out a good friend."

Thank you Don, my best friend this life.  I can't believe you left before me. I did not expect that at all. 

~~ June 22, Eso Terry.