Here are some more bits of space(y) debris currently orbiting around my Whirled…Another branch of the "Not-see" Party
I owe the above pun to the great Swami Beyondananda, aka Steve Bhaerman, who hangs with the enlightened crowd but doesn’t make a big sanctimonious deal about it. I love this guy because he is a more prolific punster than I’ll ever be; I can only aspire to his level of greatness, pun-wise. (I have a feeling that if I did actually reach that level, the Rev, no huge fan of puns, would leave me for sure.) Anyway, if you follow the link above and read Swami/Steve’s article, you’ll see that it’s pretty much an indictment of the current U.S. presidential administration. I’m definitely no fan of Dubya, but I submit that there are other menacing "Not-see" factions as well – not only on the other side of the political aisle from Dubya and friends, but throughout U.S. culture and in other parts of the world.
Parts of the world such as Germany, f'rinstance, where American filmmaker David Lynch recently stood before a crowd in Berlin along with the self-styled "Raja of Germany," Emanuel Schiffgens.*
Lynch is currently touring Europe to open a series of "invincible universities" to teach the philosophy of Transcendental Meditation, or TM, with the purpose being to engender world peace. Lynch and Schiffgens are both followers of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who founded the concept of TM. Schiffgens is Lynch’s partner for establishing the Invincible U in Berlin. The plan is to recruit 1,000 students at $2,500.00 a pop, apparently to learn peacemaking TM-style, as well as yogic flying.
At one point, Schiffgens declared, "Invincible Germany! Invincible Germany! I want to hear you all say, invincible Germany!"
The audience in Berlin's Urania Theater was having none of this. "That's what Hitler wanted!" shouted one man.
Schiffgens' response? "Yes, but unfortunately he didn't succeed."
Here’s the link to a video of the Raja and the Lynch-man. Prepare to be amused and yet at the same time slightly horrified.
As you may be aware, I am not the first person to jump on this story. Jody at Guruphilac beat me to it by a couple of days, as did numerous other bloggers, and Time Magazine as well, not to mention Spiegel Online. But if you want to get right down to it, the person who beat us all to the punch regarding certain New-Wage/fascist connections is Chris Locke, creator of the Mystic Bourgeoisie blog. And I think we all owe it to ourselves to examine the historical connections Chris has taken such pains to write about. (This is not to say that everyone who embraces any kind of New-Wage/new-age idea or spiritual path is a Nazi or a fascist or a potential architect of the next Holocaust. Still, there is that history thing... not to mention the varieties of elitism among some New-Wagers, including some who seem to believe they, or their children anyway, are part of a new superior breed of human beings…)
But back to the Lynch mob. Although a bit scary, that video of Lynch and the Raja is also encouraging, because these clowns were getting heckled, laughed at, challenged, and jeered at by the German audience. Wouldn’t you love to see that happen at one of those SHAM/selfish-help/New-Wage dog-and-pony shows Stateside?
[Added on Sunday, November 18:] By the way, on one of the Maharishi's sites, Global Good News, the page on Germany has listed the "Invincible Germany" project as one of the Maharishi's successes. However, that page hasn't been updated in a while...
Bad Science, good writing
My new friend Gregory, who’s been commenting on this blog of late, sent me a link to a recent article by a British physician named Dr. Ben Goldacre, creator of the Bad Science web site. Dr. Goldacre’s article discusses what’s wrong with homeopathy. I’m not out to pick on homeopathy, particularly since several people I respect have reported good results with some homeopathic remedies. But I'm still reeling a bit from watching the video of the homeopathy "lesson" I linked to yesterday. And I thought Dr. Goldacre's article was particularly well-reasoned without being self-righteous in the way that anti-alt-med articles frequently are. The man has a captivating (and very British) style of writing that I enjoy. Furthermore, although it may be stretching things a bit, I even feel a bit of a kinship with the good doctor, as he has gotten a lot of flak from pro-alt-med factions – which somehow put me in mind of my own experiences facing The Wrath Of The Secretrons. Admittedly, however, Doc Ben's encounters have been a bit more serious than mine, and with higher stakes.
Now there are bad trials in medicine, of course, but here's the difference: in medicine there is a strong culture of critical self-appraisal. Doctors are taught to spot bad research (as I am teaching you now) and bad drugs. The British Medical Journal recently published a list of the top three most highly accessed and referenced studies from the past year, and they were on, in order: the dangers of the anti-inflammatory Vioxx; the problems with the antidepressant paroxetine; and the dangers of SSRI antidepressants in general. This is as it should be.
With alternative therapists, when you point out a problem with the evidence, people don't engage with you about it, or read and reference your work. They get into a huff. They refuse to answer calls or email queries. They wave their hands and mutter sciencey words such as "quantum" and "nano". They accuse you of being a paid plant from some big pharma conspiracy. They threaten to sue you. They shout, "What about thalidomide, science boy?", they cry, they call you names, they hold lectures at their trade fairs about how you are a dangerous doctor, they contact and harass your employer, they try to dig up dirt from your personal life, or they actually threaten you with violence (this has all happened to me, and I'm compiling a great collection of stories for a nice documentary, so do keep it coming).
For Dr. Goldacre’s full article, click here.
Dude, where’s my spam?
And, finally, I regret to tell you, Dear Ones, but for over three weeks now I haven’t received any emails at all from my favorite New-Wage spam service. I’m afraid they finally got wise to me. Maybe it has something to do with that old-nekkid-hippie potshot from a few weeks back (yes, there is a connection). But I’m still going to follow up on that story.
Oh, but I do miss my spam…
* Re Emanuel Schiffgens: Here is yet another good reason NOT to rely on Google translation. I Googled Emanuel Schiffgens and the first result that popped up was a page written in German. Despite my surname and ancestry, I do not read German. So I clicked the link to "translate this page," and here's what I got.
31 comments:
Ve vont an invincible germany, a germany off godds! My arm is pointing at ze heffens, zat is all I am doink.
I am bringing down ze higher vibes for ze benefit off ze humans, it iss not vot you sink!
This is a great example of how things can go wrong, how genuine bliss is not a replacement for common sense. Lynch is totally sincere about the bliss he has found, and is naturally grateful to those who helped show him. It is a very strange thing that those who are the best at helping plug people back into their own bliss are often highly manipulative or drivel talkers.
Good for the hecklers!
Is your child a Beige child?
People are becoming more and more aware that some children are a little more average than the average joe/joanne. In these times of spiritual and social change, more and more average people are going to be left out of anything new, exciting or special. A new group of children are manifesting on our planet right now whose DNA shows no sign of any special activation whatsoever, and have no abilities to heal or learn especially fast, or anything.
Here is a brief quiz to find whether your child is beige.
Your kid has an hour of spare time does he or she-
1) Get right down and perform sun salutations.
2) Go throw a ball around with some buddies.
3) Go down to the park and sniff glue.
You are driving along and you see an injured dog by the side of the road, you get out to help. Your child-
a) Puts his hands on the wound and closes his eyes, and breathes deeply till saying, 'it will live'
b) Looks curiously at the animal and says, 'are you gonna take it to the vet, mom?'
c) Pokes his fingers in the wound saying, 'hur hur I can make him yelp'
There is some old wood and nails and stuff lying around, your child borrows some tools and makes-
a) A small Earth ceremony temple
b) A cool tree house
c) An iron maiden
You see your child looking over the fence into the neighbours garden, you ask what he is looking at, he says-
a) The neighbours flowers are unhappy because of the spray that is used on them.
b) I'm just bored, looking around 'n' that.
c) Soon his garden will be mine!
Answers-
Mostly a) Your child may be an indigo child.
Mostly b) Looking pretty beige.
Mostly c) It's true, anyone can become president.
HoHaHe says: "Good for the hecklers!"
My sentiments exactly, HHH!
LOL -- Excellent quiz, HHH. I may have to bring this to the front page! :-)
wow... where did you get the beige child quiz... i love it... did you make it up? steal it? give the goods, buddy... it is fabulous.. and if you made it up.. it is enough to make you rich and famous... take it on out...
I agree with Gregory! There's a comic genius lurking in the blogosphere under the name hohahe. It would be a shame for it to go unattributed. I have a feeling, though, that there's more where that came from...am I right, HHH?
i saw lynch on this tour in london last month, he was with donovan, and lurking in the background some tm heavies.... sincerity, idealism, genuine intentions... lynch gave the points of a basic intro lecture, a lot of young people in the audience, which is rare these days for tm events... meditation is one of those doors that, once opened, can never really be closed...
maharishi has been prodding governments for decades, finally made his own government, a parallel administration, which is not so dumb in one way, because what we see in the world is just a reaction to fear model of governing, pretty low class, there are larger forces at work, just call it momentum, dont need a conspiracy theory.....
everything begins in mysticism, and ends in politics, said charles peguy....
I'm definitely of two minds about the flower-power culture of the 1960s and the TM movement, and I'm finishing up a somewhat garbled blog post about some of that stuff. I recognize the potential benefits of meditation but...well, I guess that quotation you shared says it all: "Everything begins in mysticism, and ends in politics."
I have this unexplainable fondness for Donovan, by the way. "Wear your love like heaven..."
And I especially liked his "Cosmic Wheels" album.
Hey, I'm rambling, and I'm not even stoned!
i think we only learn over (a long) time just how relentless and inexorable and overwhelming the process of change really is.... we are constantly saying, ah the world is like this now... (and will be forever)... but not at all so....
...and so when things change, they always do, always are changing, we can feel upset, or betrayed or hurt....
.... but everything is SUPPOSED to change, completely, and if it is one way at one time, good, but it is guaranteed that state will not last...
how this relates to self help and the tm movement and every other thing is that they are just moments, and one's participation is just a moment, it is not the answer to life, it is a baby step in a long process...
...the point of reference should never be the movement or the organization or the technique or the teacher, they are just characters that show up for a moment in a process called our life....
the longer i go i realize how i am looking in the wrong direction when i criticize teachers or events or circumstances, the criticism adds nothing to my life, and is completely beside the point... because life, in its endless flow, has already moved on anyway!!
maharishi said a lovely thing once, talking about growth... "on the path of progress, the 'same' will not be found"...
why we expect things to be different than they are seems the height of egoic self regard....
enjoy
Yeah, Gregory, but egoic self-regard is my specialty! :-)
Right now the criticism of teachers and trends seems to be adding something to my life, and I'm not quite ready to let it go. So, yes, I guess you could say I am enjoying it.
But I enjoy hearing your thoughts too.
hohahe,
Hilarious!
Connie,
Looking forward to your somewhat garbled blog post, which will probably make more sense than half the stuff out there :-)
Connie and gregory,
Regarding criticizing teachers and trends: I think this is what the collective human race should do. Analyze what we (humans) do, weigh the consequences (is it beneficial or not), report the findings, make adjustments, etc.
I don't come from the view that we're on a path to *something*. We make our own world, to a large extent. (NO!!!! I refuse to say "We create our reality." LOL!)
Thanks, Lana!
i googled "beige child"... man, is there a lot of stuff .... Does your child eat only white or beige food? Beige Child Recliner Chair with Cup Holder. This Childrens Recliner with ... Compare Beige Children's Bedding prices, read Beige Children's Bedding reviews and ... Find BURBERRY BEIGE CHILD'S SCALF 100% LAMBSWOOL NEW in th...... it is endless, they are taking over the world!
and above... i am not criticizing critics or criticism so much as pointing out that for those in the process of growth with a teacher, or a group, non-attachment to the teacher or group is the wise thing, because they come and go, an endless supply in one's life, and maturity brings that lesson, forcibly if needed...
you WILL be disappointed or disaffected at some point, so know that, accept it when it happens...
don't blame the teacher or group when it happens, (that would be like blaming the bus stop for something when you get on the bus and it pulls away) it is SUPPOSED to happen....
Ha ha ha (my new name in delightful response to hohahe!) agrees with gregory.
but then again... of course i do!
It's good to see Connie having a blast letting 'em loose on Whirled Musings! It's always great entertainment!
With regard to this last post, I picked nothing up of value past the Flying Yogis....that was it... I was off seeing myself at Stage 2 (they are only at Stage 1) flying in and out of my friend's and family's windows and zooming around their homes! All whilst they get dizzy watching me fly circles above their heads!
Just think, no more airport security, just "zoom" on over to Europe or across the country! It's a lot cheaper too! I wonder if you can fly burdened down with 5 large suitcases? I guess with enough practice.....
So now I'm off to learn the fine art of zooming (I mean Yogic flying) and I'll see you in the stratosphere! (I aim HIGH!)
Asparagus Love to All!
Amy
lana, this concept, we make our own world, perhaps as you know, is one of the great questions of all time... do we or don't we.... such concepts as fate, conditioning, luck, destiny, karma, seem to suggest that some of what happens is pre-ordained.... and one thing that proponents point out is that we don't even have control of the thoughts that enter our mind ... and opponents of that say, we can choose our responses to our thoughts...
a deep thinker i enjoy, ramana maharshi, has said that all the actions our body will go through are set in motion at the moment of conception, he understood life on that level to be totally predetermined...
who can say.... but out of what can we make our world? only out of what we already know, and that will always prove to be not enough, or result in the continuation of the status quo.... without that thought that we make our world, there is the freedom to be something that we cannot know beforehand, living in the mystery of not knowing is where all the juice is...
in my opinion, of course...
funny how blogs can be deep... what ever happened to brittney or landsay this week?
I can't help but be amused by the fringe elements in the "meaning of life" debate. On the one hand, there are folks whom I refer to as the "Tinker Bells," whose obsession is to prove that whatever *might* be, is. On the other hand are the rabid debunkers, who are hell-bent on denying that anything they can't put in a jar and measure could possibly have value. The worst, however, are those whose agenda is driven by their rage, and whose toxicity permeates everything they say, and tends to rub off on anyone they encounter.
Unfortunately, no matter how profound and valuable an idea is, the process of disseminating and discussing it causes it to evolve into a machine. The value of the idea becomes secondary to the maintenance of the movement to which it gives birth, and the essence is somehow lost (or at least, diminished) in the shuffle. We tack Vonnegut's badges proudly upon our chests, but forget what inspired us to do so.
Meditation is not a philosophy. It is not a religion. It is, quite simply, a function of living and learning. No less natural than breathing (which is itself, in some cultures, part and parcel of meditation). No more profound than any other human function. As a matter of fact, meditation can (and ultimately, should) infuse all other functions, not to their detriment, but as an enhancement to the experience of them. Cosmic interpretation not required, or even allowed.
The motivation to prove or disprove something is an outgrowth of the machine, rather than the idea. It is more about reassuring one's self than about furthering understanding. "Witnessing" is, first and foremost, a narcissistic act, no matter how profound the idea being shared.
Sure, each of us is compelled to prove the validity of our ideas and the efficacy of our value system, but that compulsion is borne of the ego that is present and powerful in every one of us who still walk around in human bodies. No matter how much we try to deny it, it's there, and actually serves a critical purpose. If we'd think of it as the supreme gift to our humanity, rather than an impediment to our spirituality, we just might get over some of the frustration we feel when faced with perceived limitations. Might even find we're less angry. :-)
The difficult task is to keep our ideas, values, and worldview separate from the effort we put into enforcing them. We work hard to share our version of truth, even as we realize that we're probably as full of it as those we try to "convert." Our "success" lies not in how effective we are at winning converts, but rather at how much real joy we experience.
Who is the true winner: the person who effectively dominates a philosophical debate, or the one who emerges from the debate with a sense of peace? The person who dons the robe and takes up the staff of wizard-dom, or the one who gets a kick out of being underestimated? The one who successfully acquires new and expensive toys on a regular basis, or the one who is satisfied with the things he/she has?
I live with a wondrous woman who considers herself a skeptic, yet who welcomes a Chang Tzu "energy" treatment when she is in pain. Who enjoys scoffing at things metaphysical, yet knows that I am happier when I remember to meditate. Who allows me my folly, even as she acknowledges her own. We'll never "convert" each other, and would probably go our separate ways if we did. It's the tension between the two extremes - the place of balance - that is the well from which we drink, and the "path" that feels most right.
Yes, Gregory, it looks like the beige children are taking over. Is this the beginning of a new age of aggressive mediocrity? :-)
I understand your point that "teachers," "gurus," and the like come and go in a person's life, and that disillusionment is part of the process of any kind of growth (spiritual or otherwise).
I think the best teachers shrug this off and continue to go about the business of sharing whatever it is they have to share. But the "other kind" of teacher, which includes many of the New-Wage hustledorks, have a different business model. Much of their livelihood depends upon repeat (paying) customers as well as a steady flow of new ones. So they keep changing their shtick and coming up with "revolutionary" new breakthroughs and discoveries. That's O.K. if you're selling computers or washing machines or TVs. But it rings hollow when you're selling spiritual truth.
That said, you still have a good point about disillusionment being a natural phase and a sign of progress.
Lana, I didn't mean to give short shrift to your last comment (it was late in the day when I published it and I didn't have any brains left :-)). I do think that criticism of teachers and trends is a worthy endeavor, despite the new kick "Complaint-Free World" kick that Mr. Fire has recently touted (based on the new book by Will Bowen).
I hope to get my new "garbled" post up today...or Part 1, anyway. it got kind of long so I ended up splitting it into two parts.
Gregory wrote:
"a deep thinker i enjoy, ramana maharshi, has said that all the actions our body will go through are set in motion at the moment of conception, he understood life on that level to be totally predetermined..."
Gregory, are you getting us warmed up for another discussion of determinism
v. free will on Steve's blog? :-) My brain hurts! But as a profoundly shallow blogger, I appreciate all attempts to add some depth to the discussions here.
Hi, Amy! Now, yogic flying sounds really cool, but alas, it is apparently just yogic *hopping*. No, that's not SHOPPING, it's hopping. That's right, the Maharishi's minions are Shiny, Hoppy People. It's really pretty funny. But hey, they're gonna change the world with their hopping and meditating.
Anyway, I'm glad you stopped in here on your way to the stratosphere. But wait... only five large suitcases?!? How did you learn to travel so light? You have GOT to share your secrets with me.
Good points about meditation, Ron (and a beautiful comment to boot, especially the part that describes me as a "wondrous woman"). :-) You're right about the tension between belief and disbelief; it makes for an interesting balance, as well as agreement on more things than might be apparent on the surface. I could no more be happy with a hardcore skeptic than I could be with a SNAG. I think we got a good thing going here. :-)
as i epoxy plastic gemstones onto plywood i find myself thinking about these conversations, and using them as a way to understand myself and the world a bit more...
the job called "critic", i think at its highest is like a really good film critic, a pauline kael, or an edmund wilson or a clement greenberg in other art forms... someone who knows the process they are writing about so well that they can open the eyes of their readers to a higher appreciation of not only the art forms and its relevance in the larger world, but unfold a hidden capacity for self-understanding in the mind of the reader... good critical writing can be better than what is being criticized ....
and this thing called the human potential movement, or self help, or new (w)age... to me it is the skin of an ancient and deep perennial philosophy, the same one that gave inspiration to the poetry of kabir, rumi, mirabhai, hafiz, that spawned countless traditions and mystery schools and lodges and teachers and thinkers and rishis and shamans and medicine men and witches and mystics... going back to well before writing, before history, in that sense...
what were they all doing? to take some recent 300 year old science metaphor called chemistry and say that they were just biochemically responding meat puppets seems the height of superstition or ignorance...
whatever is consciousness, and however one becomes, if possible, more conscious, or more aware, it seems to me incumbent upon one who comments on the consciousness movements taking place in the west today to be able to see beyond the personalities of those involved, and really get into the depths of the search, the yearning, the processes that are almost archetypical to the endeavor of becoming "more"...
(which is why i don't read salerno anymore...)
meditation, i don't know how people can live without it... paying attention to attention seems so fundamental...
ok, thanks, y'all.. i am about 12 hours out from you on the clock... who knows how far out on the philosophical dial, but thanks for all your efforts and allowing this conversation to develop
enjoy
Thank you, Gregory. These are all worthy conversations, and I think the conversations on Steve's blog are as worthy as any. If, however, SHAMblog is not adding to your life at this point, then you are right to move on.
As for this blog, you are probably not going to find much depth here either, at least not from me. WM is very much about taking potshots at the "personalities," but there is always the implication that those personalities are reflections of something deeper. I leave it to readers to do the deeper exploration -- to follow the links at the very least, to explore the people or ideas further if they wish, and to come to their own conclusions. And the conclusions they come to may very well be at odds with my opinions. I do try to balance the type of links I provide within my posts. They're not all skeptical or critical links by far, even though the context in which I provide them is very often critical or snarky.
It does look as if you and Ron are on the same page regarding the naturalness of meditation.
given that we live in a culture more concerned with the contest that the issues, or one in which celebrity trumps substance, your desire to stick with the easy task of shooting fish in a barrel could be considered commendable...
i had thought to pass the contact details of serious people researching the water thing, but given your stated commitment to snark, i will forbear..
just think, you can become the tmz.com of the consciousness movement, the dlisted.com for those who might be looking for an escape from the difficult...
thanks for your efforts, you do work hard at your writing; yes, i am hoping for something a bit more, anyway, it will be interesting to see what grows out of your work, or what your work grows into...
enjoy, gregory
Condescension duly noted, Gregory.
However, my blog is not my life. I do work very hard at my 'real' living, which has almost nothing to do with the subject matter here. In addition I am dealing with some family things right now (mostly with my mother) that are very difficult and emotionally draining.
This blog is an escape for me. And if it seems that I am taking the "easy way out," so be it. I'm sorry I can't be the kind of writer you think I should be at this point, but remember, there are plenty of blogs and books and magazines and other media that deal with consciousness on a more serious and non-snarky level.
Nevertheless I have enjoyed reading your points of view here.
Connie,
But your snarky potshots do play an important role. Your controversial approach can help people quickly see where they land on a particular issue. (People don't always know what they believe until challenged.) Emotions are powerful indicators.
If a post offends me or makes me angry, I ask myself why. If a post makes me laugh or makes feel good, I ask myself why.
If I feel motivated enough to post a comment, I ask myself why.
This is just one role I think your blog plays -- intentionally or not.
I agree with gregory that man's search for meaning and answers is archetypal. It is built into the human fabric. And we all search and deal with these mysteries in incredibly different ways. No one should be sitting on a high horse...
I'm sorry to hear about your challenges with family concerns.
Best wishes for an enjoyable, relaxing Thanksgiving!
Lana, I truly appreciate the support. And I agree with Gregory -- and you -- that this search for meaning is deeply embedded in the human experience. Thanks for seeing that it isn't the search itself that I criticize, nor the longing...just the many ways in which those archetypal hungers are exploited by ruthless -- or merely clueless -- con artists.
And thank you also for the good wishes, Lana. My mother is frail and very ill, and I'm having some trouble dealing with it.
I hope you have a fun and happy Thanksgiving too.
Years ago I read a silly "how to cheat" book that might or might not have given bogus advice. They talked about various psychological tests (polygraph, Rorschach, IQ, etc.) and what the tester is looking for and how one might skew the results one way or another. (Just out of mild curiosity--can't say I'm in the market for taking polygraphs anytime soon!)
One of the things that sort of worried me about my psychological health at the time was that, with all the Rorschach blots they showed, I was apparently supposed to be seeing male genitalia all over the place (in the answers everything's circled and it's like, "here's one HERE, here's one HERE, etc.). To be honest since I wasn't LOOKING for that, I didn't see most of them until it was pointed out.
Now, YEARS later, I admit I am a bit concerned about my psychological well being yet again, for the opposite reason. I assumed with all the responses to this post it would be mentioned, but it hasn't.
So. Ahem! In keeping with the family-friendly nature of this blog, am I the only person in the universe whose mind is so TOTALLY in the gutter that methinks the building as depicted in the Lynch picture ... um ... uh ... is evidence of some poor male person desperately COMPENSATING for something?
I mean... Geez!
Mojo
LOL, Mojo. I don't think you're the only one who had that impression. On his Nov. 15 post, Jody at Guruphiliac wrote:
"Nothing says repressed more than proposing to build large (and quite ugly) concrete monuments to your penis everywhere."
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