Twid's spiritual exploration thingie.

[LMNO]

understood.  Wish I could do more.  Sorry I can't.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

understood.  Wish I could do more.  Sorry I can't.

Well, it's not like I was drafted. 

Anyway, off to bed.  Goodnight.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Aw, shit.  I have no idea how hard it can be. Not to intrude,  but do you have anyone you can talk to about that?  I've seen a lot of good things come from talk therapy.

Again, not to intrude.

When my great uncle Bill was alive, I'd talk to him.  He went through the very worst of the Western European front and knew exactly what I was talking about (and then some).  The shrinks at the VA are useless; they care, but there's no connection, and the one civilian shrink I went to was visibly revolted.  And most of the vets I know either weren't combat arms or don't seem to have any problem with what went on.  The only one that does is certifiably nuts (manifested as conspiracy theory).

So while I recognize that talk therapy would probably do me some good, it's an availability thing.

Fuck, man.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

ok, I should set expectations.  He's funny for a physicist.  But he's a REALLY funny physicist.

He really is! He isn't as funny as Sapolsky, but Sapolsky's a biologist, and biologists are funny people.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

All true.  No offense taken.

I've found myself from playing drums at 20, downing a six pack per practice, and getting so wasted at shows I'd take speed to be able to play a set, to keeping it sort of dry at shows so I could perform well, to not even drinking at practice, because the guys needed a solid beat.

Drumming as a path to sobriety -- who would have thought?

OMG, you're making me nostalgic for my youth, when I would down a sixpack while I got ready to go out. At 11. And I weighed 125lbs.

Of course, I could probably get that figure back if I went dancing five nights a week.

I'll never get that alcohol tolerance back though; old bodies just don't make ADH like young ones.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Something's bugging me.

On some nights, I really, really wish I hadn't enlisted when I was a kid.  I find this happening more and more often as I get older.

[Don Coyote]

I haven't been ignoring this thread due to discomfort but rather due to academic obligations (for reasons that are about to be clear).

I've been expecting this, and, weird as it is, I've decided to be honest and give my interpretation of it.

God said, "You are God."

I interpret this to mean that the panentheist model is correct (or that I was just loudly talking to myself on a subconscious level), and that I, as an individual have a self-determined destiny to see about, and I'm not seeing about it, and God had to tell me flat out to stop worrying about me and start worrying about me. If that makes sense. I interpret it as "there is work to be done. You alone can determine what that work is." It was, however, a loud and clear voice that fell silent after is spoke.

I had similar things happen to me over the years.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

I haven't been ignoring this thread due to discomfort but rather due to academic obligations (for reasons that are about to be clear).

I've been expecting this, and, weird as it is, I've decided to be honest and give my interpretation of it.

God said, "You are God."

I interpret this to mean that the panentheist model is correct (or that I was just loudly talking to myself on a subconscious level), and that I, as an individual have a self-determined destiny to see about, and I'm not seeing about it, and God had to tell me flat out to stop worrying about me and start worrying about me. If that makes sense. I interpret it as "there is work to be done. You alone can determine what that work is." It was, however, a loud and clear voice that fell silent after is spoke.

I had similar things happen to me over the years.

That's comforting to know. I was afraid to admit it because of potential crazy sounding.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Twid, the question to be asked is, "what's your purpose here?"

I mean, are you just trying on religions like suits at Men's Wearhouse, seeing if you like their fit?  Are you searching for the One True God(s)?  Are you just having a laugh? Is it a sort of immersion anthropology?

Furthermore, do you buy into the whole deity thing to begin with?  That there is indeed a sky mommy or daddy, or there is some sort of elan vitale that exists outside of experiential reality that has conciousness and interacts with humans?  And that it/they can be appeased or communicated with through a single group of game rules apart from any other?

The answers to these will help narrow down if you're on a spiritual search or just clowning around.

I think this is worth revisiting.

Re: God. I believe in God. Definition of God is debatable, but I take that as a given. It's just how I'm wired. I figured that was a given here too, since I had long before admitted that I was Pagan. I don't know what God is. I would like to get a better idea of It. Which brings us to:

Re: What am I doing here. Aside from the the fact that I want to try on different religions to understand their perspective, it's a means of exploring my perspective. If I take God as a given, and also that I tend to think of religion in general as different paths to the same place, it makes sense to me to explore "God" from different angles. Even as a Pagan I was a soft polytheist. All gods are the same God. There are, of course, mythological conflicts there, such as how do I relate Utu with Lugh, with Apollo, with Ra, and with Amaterasu? They're all solar deities. Well, maybe they're all different culturally specific angles on the same generalization of a specific aspect of the One True God^TM. I can say for certain that the reason that when I was an Irish polytheist, my main male deity was Lugh was because I see the sun as a very apt description of what a god should be and subsets of his specific profile appealed to me. Lugh is a Jack of All Trades. Indeed, one of his epithets, Samioldonach, is Old Irish for something like "equally skilled at everything" including music. I saw Lugh primarily as a musician, an Irish Apollo. But an interesting part of his mythology is when he attempted to enter the court at Tara (if you feel like reading: ermmmm.... new post, since I'm quoting.)

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Source: http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/celtic/irish/2nd_moytura.html

Now as to the Tuatha De, this is what they were doing. After Bres, Nuada was again in sovereignty over the Tuatha De. At that time he held a mighty feast at Tara for them. Now there was a certain warrior on his way to Tara, whose name was Lug Samildanach. And there were then two doorkeepers at Tara, namely Gamal son of Figal and Camaall son of Riagall. When one of these was on duty he saw a strange company coming towards him. A young warrior fair and shapely, with a king's trappings, was in the forefront of that band. They told the doorkeeper to announce their arrival at Tara. The doorkeeper asked:"Who is there?"

"Here there is lug Lamfada (i.e. Lugh Long-Arm) son of Cian son of Diancecht and of Ethne daughter of Balor. Fosterson, he, of Tailltiu daughter of Magmor king of Spain and of Eochaid the Rough son of Duach."

The doorkeeper asked of Lug Samildanach: "What art dost thou practice?" Said he; " for no one without an art enters Tara."

"Question me," said he; I am a wright."

The doorkeeper answered:"We need thee not. We have a wright already, even Luchta son of Luachaid."

He said: " Question me, O doorkeeper! I am a smith."

The doorkeeper answered him:"We have a smith already, Colum Cualleineach of the three new processes."

He said:" Question me: I am a champion."

The doorkeeper answered: We need thee not. We have a champion already, Ogma son of Ethliu."

He said again:"Question me: I am a harper."

"We need thee not. We have a harper already, Abcan son of Bicelmos whom the Tuatha De Danann chose in the fairy mounds."

Said he:"Question me I am a hero."

The doorkeeper answered:" We need thee not. We have a hero already, even Bresal Etarlam son of Eochaid Baethlam."

Then he said:" Question me, O doorkeeper! I am a poet and I am a historian."

"We need thee not. We have already a poet and historian, even En son of Ethaman."

He said," Question me: I am a sorcerer."

"We need thee not. We have sorcerers already. Many are our wizards and our folk of might."

He said:" Question me; I am a leech."

"We need thee not. We have for a leech Diancecht."

"Question me,"said he; I am a cupbearer."

"We need thee not. We have cupbearers already, even Delt and Drucht and Daithe, Tae and Talom and Trog, Glei and Glan and Glesi."

He said: "Question me: I am a good brazier."

"We need thee not. We have a brazier already, Credne Cerd."

He said again, "Ask the king." Said he, "whether he has a single man who possesses all these arts, and if he has I will not enter Tara."

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Tuatha De [Danann] are understood to be the [by analogy, Olympians, since the Fomorians are by analogy the Titans] gods.

Tuatha De Danann: Tribe of the Goddess Danu
Fomorians: (note that this is an anglicization of Fomoire) etymology is in debate but seems to be "Undersea People"

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Re: as to whether God interacts with people, since my perspective, especially in light of my apparent revelation, that we are in fact one with God, yes, It partakes in human affairs, sometimes from a human perspective, sometimes from a non-human perspective. I guess it would be apt to say I view God as an [divine] emergent property of life. God coevolves with level of sentience available in the Universe, since God is inherently the soul of the Universe, and not the Creator of it.

[minuspace]

Re: as to whether God interacts with people, since my perspective, especially in light of my apparent revelation, that we are in fact one with God, yes, It partakes in human affairs, sometimes from a human perspective, sometimes from a non-human perspective. I guess it would be apt to say I view God as an [divine] emergent property of life. God coevolves with level of sentience available in the Universe, since God is inherently the soul of the Universe, and not the Creator of it.

I like this.  Still leaves room for the Spirit and perhaps a vagrant Prime Mover, as well.  Much more accommodating this way, thank you 

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Re: as to whether God interacts with people, since my perspective, especially in light of my apparent revelation, that we are in fact one with God, yes, It partakes in human affairs, sometimes from a human perspective, sometimes from a non-human perspective. I guess it would be apt to say I view God as an [divine] emergent property of life. God coevolves with level of sentience available in the Universe, since God is inherently the soul of the Universe, and not the Creator of it.

I like this.  Still leaves room for the Spirit and perhaps a vagrant Prime Mover, as well.  Much more accommodating this way, thank you 

You're welcome?

Twid's,
spiritual exploration thingie

[minuspace]

Re: as to whether God interacts with people, since my perspective, especially in light of my apparent revelation, that we are in fact one with God, yes, It partakes in human affairs, sometimes from a human perspective, sometimes from a non-human perspective. I guess it would be apt to say I view God as an [divine] emergent property of life. God coevolves with level of sentience available in the Universe, since God is inherently the soul of the Universe, and not the Creator of it.

I like this.  Still leaves room for the Spirit and perhaps a vagrant Prime Mover, as well.  Much more accommodating this way, thank you 

You're welcome?

Twid's,
spiritual exploration thingie

wait, youz haz vacancy too?