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 

Feast of the Transfiguration: Celebrated on August 6th

August 6th marks the day Jesus displayed his divine, luminous body to his disciples on Mount Tabor.  Go ahead and look on the web for the Church's POV of this event, here on EsotericDaily.com we are interested in the esoteric event that took place that day.

Rudolf Steiner first discussed the Transfiguration in Christianity as a Mystical Fact and then expounded upon it in his lecture courses on the four Gospels. As the biblical event is recounted in the Gospels of Matthew 17 and Mark 9, Jesus led his most trusted and advanced disciples, Peter, James and John, up a high "mountain" and was transfigured before them. Jesus appeared to them, rising up into the heavens and holding counsel with Elijah and Moses. 

On the surface I have to ask, "who picked the mushrooms?"  Matthew 17 and Mark 9 seems to be a mushroom trip.  But this was no psychedelic high, this was a divine experience, and not only did Peter, James and John see this glorious vision, they heard what transpired! According to Steiner, "They attained both clairvoyance and clairaudience."

Rudolf Steiner discusses the significance of the presence of Moses and Elijah as two different spiritual streams flowing into the world. Moses had been initiated into the secrets of Judaism as well as other traditions. He carried the secrets of initiation of the whole surrounding world in the first stream. It is a path of what comes from outside of oneself, the old law, and the Old Testament. Elijah, on the other hand, represented a second stream accessed through direct revelation. He had previously incarnated as Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, and later as John the Baptist in the New Testament (who had been executed prior to the Transfiguration). Thus, Elijah carried the stream of revelation held by Hebrew priests and prophets, which at that time was fading from humanity.

So in the Transfiguration, in the Transformation on the mountain, we have before us a streaming together of the entire spirituality of earth evolution, the essence of which flowed through the Jewish blood into the Levitical line. Thus the soul of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron stands before us; Moses stands before us; and there stands before us also He who fulfilled the Mystery of Golgotha. And the three disciples who were to be initiated, Peter, James and John, were to perceive in imaginative knowledge how these forces, these spiritual streams, flowed together. [...] The disciples Peter, James, and John were to be initiated into what these three souls had to discuss together; one soul who belonged to the people of the Old Testament, one who carried within himself much of what we know about the Moses soul, while the third, as cosmic deity, is uniting Himself with the earth. This the disciples were to see [...]

But then our understanding is better able to adapt itself to what had previously been seen. We can feel how on the mountain there were the three cosmic powers, while down below were the three who were to be initiated into these great cosmic secrets. And from all these things the feeling can arise in our souls that the Gospel, if we understand it correctly, and especially if we allow the dramatic intensification and the artistic composition which is itself an expression everywhere of cosmic facts, does truly point to the great revolution that really happened at the time of the Mystery of Golgotha.

In a lecture to the Theosophical Society in 1906 on the Gospel of John, Rudolf Steiner notes that the Transfiguration is recounted in all of the Gospels except for the Gospel of John, the most esoteric of the four. He discusses the significance of this by clarifying the spiritual significance of what takes place in the biblical scene.

Jesus goes with three disciples — Peter, James and John — up a mountain: this means into the inner sanctuary where one is initiated into higher worlds and where one also speaks in occult language. The disciples were carried up into a higher state of consciousness. They saw then that which is not transitory but eternal. Moses and Elias appear and Jesus himself with them.

What does this mean? In occult science the word Elias means the same as El — the goal, the way. Moses is the spiritual scientific word for truth. By the fact that Elias, Moses and Jesus appear you have the fundamental Christian truth: I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus himself says — this is a fundamental Christian mystical truth — “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” (John 14:6) 

A new process of direct initiation through Christ

The disciples did not understand that it was they themselves who, being closely around Him, were chosen to experience the tremendous power of the Christ principle which would enable them to penetrate directly into the spiritual world. [...] But it is evident that they are still novices, for they fall asleep immediately after being torn out of their physical and etheric bodies by the stupendous power of what was happening. Christ finds them asleep. This account was meant to indicate the third way of entering the spiritual world [...]. Anyone capable in those days of interpreting the signs of the times would have known that the Ego itself must develop, that it must now be directly inspired, that the Divine Powers must work directly into the Ego.

Christ Jesus was to initiate in a particular way those of His disciples who were specially fit for it, so that they would be able not only to see the spiritual worlds with Imaginative vision, as it were in astral pictures, but actually to hear what was taking place in those realms — this, as we know, indicates ascent into Devachan. Hence, having been transported into the higher worlds, these disciples would now be able to find in those worlds the personality known to them on the physical plane as Christ Jesus. They were to become clairvoyant in regions higher than the astral plane.

The whole power of the elements was renewed. The three disciples were "taken up the mountain" and called by their initiate names: Peter meaning earth, John representing air, James meaning water, and finally Jesus is “the one who governs the occult forces of fire.”

Think of these four together on the Mount of Transfiguration. There you have at the same time, the initiates who govern the four elements: fire, water, air and earth. What happened? It was made manifest spiritually that through the appearance of Jesus, the whole power of the elements was renewed in such a way that the life pulsing through the elements passed through a new, important phase of its development. This is the transfiguration seen occultly. If somebody goes through the transfiguration in this manner, if he has within himself the stages of water, earth and air, and even rises to the forces of fire, then he is a reawakened one, someone who has gone through the crucifixion.

In Christianity as Mystical Fact, Steiner recounts the sublime end of the Buddha’s life that parallels the Transfiguration of Jesus. While the Buddha's life ended with Transfiguration, the life of Christ Jesus continued strengthened.

[Buddha] lay down on a carpet spread for him by his favorite disciple, Ananda. His body began to shine from within. He died transfigured, a body of light, saying, “Nothing endures.” … The death of Buddha corresponds with the transfiguration of Jesus: “And it came to pass about eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistening.” At this point Buddha's earthly life ends, but the most important part of the life of Jesus begins here: Passion, Death and Resurrection. The difference between Buddha and Christ lies in what necessitated the continuation of the life of Christ Jesus beyond that of Buddha.

This peak experience is in sharp contrast to the world into which Jesus and His disciples descended. In the Gospels, Jesus' words foretell the suffering and death of the Son of Man as they immediately confront the sickness and suffering of humanity. Indeed, the transfiguration was a foreshadowing of the ascension, but the sacrifice of the Son of Man was necessary to make the path of redemption available to all. With the Transfiguration, Jesus began the most important part of his life.

Buddha's life ends with the transfiguration. The most significant part of the life of Jesus begins after the transfiguration. In the language of the initiates, Buddha reaches the point where divine light begins to shine in man. He stands before the death of the physical. He becomes the cosmic light. Jesus goes further. He does not die physically at the moment the cosmic light transfigures him. At that moment he is a Buddha. But at the same moment he enters upon a stage which finds expression in a higher degree of initiation. He suffers and dies. The physical part of him disappears. But the spiritual, the cosmic light does not vanish. His resurrection follows. He reveals himself to his community as Christ. At the moment of his transfiguration, Buddha dissolves into the hallowed life of the universal Spirit. Christ Jesus awakens this universal Spirit once more to present existence in a human form. Such an event had formerly taken place in a pictorial sense at the higher stages of initiation. Those initiated according to the Osiris myth attained to such a resurrection in their consciousness as a pictorial experience.

In the life of Jesus this "great" initiation was added to the Buddha initiation, not as a pictorial experience, but as reality. Buddha demonstrated by his life that man is the Logos and that he returns to this Logos, to the light, when his physical part dies. In Jesus the Logos itself became a person. In him the Word became flesh.

In the original calendar given in 1912-13, Verklärung Christi is noted on August 6th which in that year was verse 18. It approaches a "corner verse" warning of risks during the transition from summer to autumn. We move from the Luciferic influences of St. John's tide and summer's bounty to the battle of Michael against the forces of Ahriman during the fall into the dead of winter. We are challenged to release the lower aspects of the ego, which by itself would extinguish itself like a moth to the flame. To do this, we must expand the soul to fill our "spiritual depths" with the "World-widths" of the "Word of worlds." In verse 17, we were beckoned to resonate with cosmic forces to transform ourselves.

In verse 18, we attempt to shape the soul into a worthy sheath to form a garment for the soul. Like a caterpillar enclosing ourselves in a chrysalis, we weave light into a protective shield while we fashion our wings to rise above this material world into the realms of the Spirit. Rudolf Steiner tells us, "Earthly matter is spun in the pattern of light rays, and when you come across a chrysalis you are really seeing pure sunlight spun around this earthly matter in the pattern of the sunbeam."

Can I expand the soul,
That it may connect itself
Receiving the embryonic Words of Worlds?
I sense, I must find the power,
To worthily shape the soul,
To form
A spiritual raiment.

One might contemplate the ripe fruit of summer carrying the seed down into the earth through our actions. Transforming the gifts of summer that we have received, we prepare to become the catalysts of our own soul growth. We come to a deep understanding that our soul development must incorporate the love that was graced upon us. Can we extend ourselves to unite with the Light of the World to transform into the radiant beings we are intended to be?

Our task is to internalize and safeguard the gifts we have been given through our memories of summer's glory so we may radiate the Light of the World here on earth. In this way, we bring spiritual forces down into the dark depths of winter. We must transform, transfigure, clarify, and illuminate the ego to attain the "higher self" through the Christ. Indeed, we are called to align our ego with the very ego of the Christ, the Life that flows through the earth. Those who have adequately prepared themselves for the Divine to dwell within them, may carry the cosmic Word out into the world through their actions like Peter, John and James.

Like most Christian celebrations, the dates were not known and so the Roman Church attached the biblical events to pagan celebrations.  In this case, it has been argued that it took place during the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles, explaining why Peter was so eager to build a "tent" or "tabernacle" to house Jesus, Moses and Eljiah.

If this is true, then it would have been during September or October that the transfiguration occurred, not August 6th.

~~ Dr TV Boogie

Okay, it is August 5th, which I have written about before,  this is a rehash with some new Esoteric info.

August 5th, esoterically speaking, a pretty typical day for those of us with eyes to see.  Of course, Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her Hollywood bungalow on this day in 1962.  You've heard the stories, how she had an affair with the Kennedy brothers, and the younger brother, Bobby Kennedy, who was the Attorney General and in Los Angeles on the night she died,  was recorded asking, "Is it done?" on the night she died.  

I don't know if he killed her or not, but if you look at pictures of the scene, it's definitely staged with pills thrown over the floor.  Not something an overdose victim usually does.  They usually drink a shitload of alcohol, and then pop the pills, and drown on their own vomit.  Don't ask me how I know, I know.  

Then there is the fact that Marylin had embarrassed President Kennedy a few months earlier, on May 19, when she sang "Happy Birthday Mr. President," in her heavily cleavaged voice, which, made Jackie, the president wife, turn red. 

I'll leave it there because I gave up on conspiracies because it was stunting my spiritual growth; but, well, President Kennedy and Jacqueline posed for the following public domain photo on the same day Marilyn was found dead, which seems like a pretty good alibi if you needed.  I'm just saying. 

On another hot August 4th in 1864, Admiral David Farragut gave his command, "Damn the Torpedoes."  These words have earned him a place in history, as well as all future books of quotations.  Farragut was a southerner born gentleman from Tennessee who chose to fight for the North.  On the morning of August 4th, Farragut lead his fleet into the strong Confederate area off the Alabama coast, and immediately the enemy opened fire and all hell broke loose.  The Confederates had laced the channel with mines (then called torpedoes), and the leading Yankee warship blew up and sank with all hands.  Near panic and uncertain whether to attack or retreat, Farragut refused to turn back and screamed, "Damn the torpedoes!  Full speed ahead."  

The famous victory effectively closed the last Confederate port still in use, and made a major contribution to the North's victory.  

Another, less popular statement made by Farragut, was to a group of officers before the battle, where Farragut said,  "What matters it, General, whether you and I are killed or not?” He raised his glass to room. “We came here to die. It is our business and it must happen sooner or later. We must fight this thing out until there is no more than one man left and that man must be a Union man.”

Wow, makes me proud to have been a Navy man myself.

So how is this all esoteric?  I don't know, you tell me, but, it is August 5, and the 5th card of the Major Arcana is The Hierophant, which is the interpreter of sacred mysteries, so maybe we should ask him?  Also, the 5th Hexagram of the I Ching is "Waiting," so let's wait and see if he responds anytime soon?

And while we do that, let me close by saying that on another hot August 5th in 1921, a newspaper cartoon by Rollin Kirby becomes the first cartoon ever awarded a Pulitzer Prize. The cartoon was titled, "On the Road to Moscow,"  which is a cartoon that depicts the Grim Reaper leading a line of Soviets, suffering under the 1921 famine brought on by a drought, but exasperated by the stubborn government policies which protected the rich over the needs of the poor.  Funny, but with Vladimir Putin's senseless war against Ukraine, it's a timely cartoon for today,  a hundred years later.  

And the new stuff I promised you:

Folk Lore and Traditions

New Moon Wishes: Traditional folklore holds that making a secret wish while looking up at the first new moon of early August brings manifestation before the year ends.
Seasonal Turning: Falling close to the early August harvest celebrations, the date aligns with agrarian magic, gratitude, and early preparation for the darkening half of the year. 

 The new moon this year is August 12th.  

Now, that's esoteric. 

 ~~ 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

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 

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