What are you reading right now and how is it affecting you? (our own book club, maybe :))

[Rosemarie]

Every so often I like to ask my friends what are they reading. This kind of discussion breaks us out of our bubbles and introduces us to new ideas , and that is always a good thing.
I will go first.

I am currently reading a book by Tara Westover called Educated. Just about to finish it.
An autobiography. She had not set a foot in a classroom until she was 17 years old. When taking the ACT to attend Brigham Young University, she was unaware as to what “ the bubbles” on the test meant. She was baffled when the classroom went silent after she raised her hand to ask what the Holocust was.

Tara grew in rural Idaho along with a repressed mother, a violently abusive brother and an extremist, bipolar father who believed the end of the war was near. Totally isolated from mainstream society, her family did not believe in the medical establishment nor in public schools, convinced they were all a part of a government conspiracy. Accidents causing serious injuries to the family were seen as acts of God , not as wretchedness on her father’s part. Loyal and obedient with no exposure whatsoever to the outside world , Tara was devoted to her parents, never questioning their beliefs. That is, until one of her brothers got into college bringing home bits of knowledge from the world she was being denied.

Tara taught herself algebra, grammar and science and was accepted in BYU. Her world opened up in such a way that she felt she was committing treachery against her family. Torn between her love for them and her own sense of belonging , Tara faces the decision whether to return home or become estranged from her family.

So, what are you reading ? And willing to share ? :waving:

[Didgevillage]

I read (in the past tense) Tony Hillerman's Navajo cop series. He seemed to write one in every few years and I'd ask a friend in the US to buy and send it to me. It was before Amazon and the Internet.

His works are well written in my opinion and the plots are tight (you know what I mean). They are also educational, because Hillerman always throws in Native American cultural stuff.

I like mysteries but I don't like demonically inspired ones.
Nowadays I don't read much, because I don't know good writers, in English speaking countries or Japan.
I know a guy who boasts about the amount of books he has read, but readying crappy books isn't much better than watching crappy TV.

[onawah]

I just checked out this from my local library and haven't really got into it yet, but what I've read so far is pretty hilarious.
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51U57ErMoaL._SL500_.jpg
https://www.amazon.com/Ninety-Nine-Glimpses-Princess-Margaret-Craig/dp/0374906041
Here are some of the reviews: "“Rollicking, irresistible, un-put-downable . . . For anyone . . . who swooned to Netflix’s The Crown, this book will be manna from heaven.” ―Hamish Bowles, Vogue

“Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret is a brilliant, eccentric treat.” ―Anna Mundow, The Wall Street Journal

“I ripped through the book with the avidity of Margaret attacking her morning vodka and orange juice . . . The wisdom of the book, and the artistry, is in how Brown subtly expands his lens from Margaret’s misbehavior . . . to those who gawked at her, who huddled around her, pens poised over their diaries, hoping for the show she never denied them.” ―Parul Sehgal, The New York Times

“Brown has done something astonishing: He makes the reader care, even sympathize, with perhaps the last subject worthy of such affection . . . His book is big fun, equal measures insightful and hysterical.” ―Karen Heller, The Washington Post

A witty and profound portrait of the most talked-about English royal

She made John Lennon blush and Marlon Brando tongue-tied. She iced out Princess Diana and humiliated Elizabeth Taylor. Andy Warhol photographed her. Jack Nicholson offered her cocaine. Gore Vidal revered her. Francis Bacon heckled her. Peter Sellers was madly in love with her. For Pablo Picasso, she was the object of sexual fantasy.

Princess Margaret aroused passion and indignation in equal measures. To her friends, she was witty and regal. To her enemies, she was rude and demanding. In her 1950s heyday, she was seen as one of the most glamorous and desirable women in the world. By the time of her death in 2002, she had come to personify disappointment. One friend said he had never known an unhappier woman. The tale of Princess Margaret is Cinderella in reverse: hope dashed, happiness mislaid, life mishandled.

Such an enigmatic and divisive figure demands a reckoning that is far from the usual fare. Combining interviews, parodies, dreams, parallel lives, diaries, announcements, lists, catalogues, and essays, Craig Brown’s Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret is a kaleidoscopic experiment in biography and a witty meditation on fame and art, snobbery and deference, bohemia and high society."

[wondering]

I am reading Who Am I? Why Am I Here?, by Patricia Cota Robles. She has pretty much dedicated her life to education about humanity’s purpose in the Universe. I have followed her for several years, including seeing her in person, and really appreciate her perspective. It would have to be considered channeled work. I highly recommend her.

[ClearWater]

Mastery by Robert Greene

"Each one of us has within us the potential to be a Master. Learn the secrets of the field you have chosen, submit to a rigorous apprenticeship, absorb the hidden knowledge possessed by those with years of experience, surge past competitors to surpass them in brilliance, and explode established patterns from within. Study the behaviors of Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, Leonardo da Vinci and the nine contemporary Masters interviewed for this book."

[onawah]

I just came across one of the next books I'm going to have to read, The Overstory by Richard Powers http://www.richardpowers.net/the-overstory/?utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_Daily_040619&utm_medium=email&bxid=5bd676e424c17c1048015290&user_id=38735776&esrc&utm_term=TNY_Daily

That came to my attention because of a Facebook post from a group I belong to that is celebrating the upcoming 20th anniversary of a treesit demonstration.
A grandmother who had named herself Mary Lightheart, climbed up in a grandmother oak tree that was going to be cut down (one of many in a grove of similar trees) so that two new department stores could be erected.
She did it on an impulse one day at a demonstration of activists who were protesting the plan, but once up there, she said she wouldn't come down if the group of activists would support her, which they decided to do.
And before the authorities had time to organize their tactics, some guys had gone to the site and put a platform up in the tree, provided Mary with a tent, clothing and other necessities, and had organized volunteers to go regularly to bring supplies, etc.
Mary stayed up there for 3 harrowing weeks.
The final night one of the guys was going to replace Mary, who had had enough by that time.
The authorities had been pretty hands-off up until then, mostly because Mary was a sweetheart and an older woman and they didn't want to create too much bad press, but they were beginning to make threats that they were going to go up into the tree and force her down.
So a few guys with infra-red lights mounted on their hats (so they wouldn't be detected) and a woman all went out there in the wee hours and brought Mary down, and put the new treesitter up there, all on the sly so that the guards didn't know they were there.
But of course when the authorities realized the next day what they had done, the s--t really hit the fan and they wasted no time in forcing the new guy down and then proceeding to cut down almost the whole the grove of trees.
Here's what a summary says from an recounting of Fayetteville history here:
https://www.facebook.com/FayettevilleHistory/posts/mary-lightheart-a-53-year-old-grandmother-was-arrested-on-this-day-for-trespassi/10152393890819373/ :
"Mary Lightheart, a 53-year-old grandmother, was arrested on this day for trespassing at CMN Business Park II in northern Fayetteville. Lightheart had spent three weeks living in an oak tree at the site to protest a decision by the city planning commission to allow most of the ancient oaks at the site to be cut down for construction of a Target and a Kohl's department store. More than a dozen other Fayetteville residents were arrested for trespassing over the course of the three weeks while trying to take food or medicine to Lightheart."

This was around the time that activists were treesitting in Oregon to save the Redwoods and Sequoias.
Julia Butterfly Hill, probably the most famous of the Oregon treesitters, went to the Univ of Arkansas in Fayetteville to honor Mary and give a speech about conservation.
See:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Butterfly_Hill

This is all coming around for review now for me when we are realizing how deadly 5G is, and how big a part of the problem with it is that trees are being cut down because they interfere with the microwaves, and actually help protect us from them, as Barrie Trower emphasized in his talk here with Sir Julian Rose:
DLVIbPtNrVo

And it's especially interesting to me that this new book by Richard Powers apparently touches on the subject of trees being far more intelligent and essential to our survival than we give them credit for.

There are a couple of good threads about trees here:
https://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?84810-The-Divine-Consciousness-of-Trees-Metatron-channeled-by-James-Tyberonn&p=996632#post996632
...in which a channeler who is also a geologist, sacred tour guide and conference facilitator relays a message about certain kinds of trees including Sequoias, Redwoods and Oaks, which he asserts are actually sentient.
https://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?102117-Experiment-Trees-Talk-to-Each-Other--And-We-Can-Learn-Their-Language-

[Strat]

I'm reading a couple books at the moment; 'America, the last best hope' (surely I'll get flack for that) and 'The Cruel Sea'. From wiki:

"The Cruel Sea is a 1951 novel by Nicholas Monsarrat. It follows the lives of a group of Royal Navy sailors fighting the Battle of the Atlantic during the Second World War. It contains seven chapters, each describing a year during the war."

I usually don't read fiction books like this but wanted to mix it up. I'm liking it so far.

[angelfire]

What a great idea for a thread!

My current read is The Dolphin's Boy by Pascale Noa Bercovitch.

It's the true story of a Bedouin boy who lost his hearing after falling from a tree and who subsequently became a loner but also an accomplished swimmer (unusual for a Bedouin).

A female dolphin, who had lost her family and friends befriends him and through this remarkable relationship which brings such joy and happiness to them both, he regains his hearing and subsequently his speech.

I am learning so much about the intelligence, compassion, sensitivity and wisdom of dolphins and Bedouin culture. On my bucket list now: swimming with dolphins!

[Rosemarie]

Thank you all for sharing with us what you are reading or about to read. I love that there is something for everybody’s taste. I will check every book you mentioned since I am always open to learning new things and reading books in all gamut (?) of themes

Thank you onawah for those threads about trees I will read them later on. i do remember reading about Julia B Hill when it was happening. Small world.

[Jad]

I recently finished the Divine Garden series books by John Panella. I would highly recommend these books to everyone here. Now I’m halfway through Poker without cards by Ben Mack.

[ChristianSky]

The Meditations - An Emperor's Guide to Mastery by Marcus Aurelius (philosophy ;))

Marcus Aurelius (121-180 CE) was one of the few true philosopher-kings in history.

His father died when Marcus was three. At age fifteen, he was adopted by his aunt's husband, the future Emperor Antoninus Pius, putting him in the line of succession. At forty, he became a reluctant emperor of the Roman Empire.

Marcus was conflicted because the demands of being emperor--on top of the temptations of wealth and power--seemed incompatible with his true ambition: to be a humble student of philosophy.

Over time, though, he worked out a practical philosophy that kept him grounded amidst the stresses and excesses of palace life. That's why his philosophy is so relevant to us today, in the modern world.

How did he fare as emperor? During his twenty years of service, Marcus earned the love of the people and the loyalty of the senate. Later historians called him "the last of the five good emperors."

In spare moments, Marcus wrote the journal entries collected in The Meditations. They were not intended for publication, but to remind Marcus himself of his principles and priorities. As a result, they are intimate, direct, and extremely useful.

[Rosemarie]

CristianSky. Read Meditations in college decades ago. Looking right now for my copy, it should be somewhere since I never throw any good book Away.

This book should be required reading in school or college. The private thoughts of the worlds most powerful man at the time giving himself advice on how to make good on the responsibilities and obligations of his position. Every night he practiced a series of spiritual excercises designed to make him humble , generous , patient, emphatic , strong , to be able to deal with whatever he was facing at the moment.

Thank you for reminding me of this book.

“ the happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts “

[enigma3]

I'm juggling two books on Chartres Cathedral.

The Mysteries of Chartres Cathedral by Loius Charpentier
Chartres Sacred Geometry, Sacred Space by Gordan Strachan

The stained glass at Chartres is some of the finest ever prouduced. Writers proclaim the reds and blues of Chartres over and over. There are many outstanding windows there. The glass is approx 1 inch thick. In early gothic the reds and blues created an ethereal violet/purple with an overtone of dark red inside the cathedral. Remarkable building. Remarkable site. And a remarkable number of original windows still there.

[James]

Outside the Circles of Time - Kenneth Grant.

[frankstien]

I am having a smorgasbord.

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fd.gr-assets.com%2Fbooks%2F1310065215l%2F11975590.jpg&f=1
It is a wild and outrageous tale that goes on and on and you start shaking your head at these characters, but they never fail to amuse and confound you.

Also:
Rabbit Run by John Updike
https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.e-reading.club%2Fcover%2F71%2F71424.jpg&f=1
A young husband abandons his wife and child and goes on an odyssey to recapture some meaning in his life--too soon to tell how this one will play out.

and finally:
Function of The Orgasm by Dr. Wilhelm Reich (translated by Dr. Theodore P. Wolfe)
https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Feduardolbm.files.wordpress.com%2F2014%2F10%2Fthe-function-of-the-orgasm.jpg&f=1
Fascinating study about how our body with muscular holding patterns plays in concert with our minds and keeps us in set patterns of behavior. Many holistic therapies were derived from Reich's work, but none as powerful as his for freeing the individual to experience life more fully.

[Rosemarie]

Frankstein...... thank you for showing me a word in english I had never heard before ! English being my second language I had to go to the dictionary to find out what SMORGABORD meant !

Don Quijote requiered reading in spanish speaking schools ! Sancho Panza and Dulcinea del Toboso who can forget !
Rabbit Run was in my parents library but never read ! On my List. Just read years ago The Witches of Eastwick

[ChristianSky]

This book should be required reading in school or college.

Rosemarie, I wholeheartedly agree. What a truly masterful and inspirational book. I find myself saving many of his quotes for later use ;). Having just read, "The Five Dialogues" by Plato, this was the perfect follow up.

[conk]

Biology of Belief, Dr. Bruce Lipton. My Big Toe (Theory of Everything), Thomas Campbell. Both truly fascinating.

and...

Re-reading The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett - THE best novel ever!

[Rosemarie]

I'm juggling two books on Chartres Cathedral.

The Mysteries of Chartres Cathedral by Loius Charpentier
Chartres Sacred Geometry, Sacred Space by Gordan Strachan

The stained glass at Chartres is some of the finest ever prouduced. Writers proclaim the reds and blues of Chartres over and over. There are many outstanding windows there. The glass is approx 1 inch thick. In early gothic the reds and blues created an ethereal violet/purple with an overtone of dark red inside the cathedral. Remarkable building. Remarkable site. And a remarkable number of original windows still there.

Enigma3, thank you for reminding me about the beauty of Chartres Cathedral and its stained glass windows. I remember being 16 y old and visiting the cathedral. My parents and older brother took their time reading about it and in awe of the work.... I being a teenager just thought,,, another church , get me out of here, but being the book worm I was I bought a book about them which I still have and will read now. Better late than never. So many books, so little time as they say :Cry:

[frankstien]

Frankstein...... thank you for showing me a word in english I had never heard before ! English being my second language I had to go to the dictionary to find out what SMORGABORD meant !

Don Quixote required reading in Spanish speaking schools ! Sancho Panza and Dulcinea del Toboso who can forget !
Rabbit Run was in my parents library but never read ! On my List. Just read years ago The Witches of Eastwick

Smörgåsbord is a type of Scandinavian meal, originating in Sweden, served buffet-style with multiple hot and cold dishes of various foods on a table.

Don Quixote continues to amaze me. Interesting item I read: Miguel de Cervantes and Shakespeare died on the same day! Many regard Don Quixote as one of the single greatest literary achievements next to the Bard's famous plays and sonnets.

Here are two rather good film interpretations of Don Quixote--
The 1933 film--
https://archive.org/details/DonQuixote

and Orson Welles version--
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5do-ph6HUcE

[skyhigh]

I'm reading Jose Silva's Everyday ESP which can be downloaded for free on the net. My purpose is to help family members, others and myself in solving problems in life using techniques from the book. I am grateful for The Silva Method book given to me many years ago by a friend. Despite my skepticism, it really works and helped me solve some problems in my life using various techniques. The current book I read contains the powerful Mental Video Technique which I'm interested to use since I have not come across this method before.

[wnlight]

I recently finished reading "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway and am now reading "South Sea Tales" by Jack London. London's book is much more rough and tumble than Michener's "South Pacific". A few years ago I read Thomas Campbell's "My Big Toe", but got bogged down somewhere in the middle. Another good history book is "The Hunt For Zero Point" by Nick Cook. Nick's book will give you some new insights into what really happened during and just after WWII.

When I was a manager at a software company, I used to ask people that I interviewed for openings what are they reading. It gave me some good insights into the person's personality and sometimes introduced me to a book I had never considered reading.

[AriG]

I am currently reading ‘The Project Avalon forum’ and it is by far the biggest and most diverse tome I’ve yet to encounter ;)

Also on the go - ‘The Hidden Life of Trees’ , by Peter Wohlleben. A glimpse into the unknown world of trees’ special relationships with each other and the world around them. Highly recommend.

Also - ‘Beekeepers Problem Solver’, ‘Storey’s Guide to Goat Management’, and ‘Everything you Need to know but were Never Told’ by David Icke.

[Strat]

I recently finished reading "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway and am now reading "South Sea Tales" by Jack London.
I recently finished The Sea Wolf by London and it was great. Definitely rough around the edges but a great read.

[Corfitz]

I'm currently reading The Secret Teachings Of All Ages by Manly P Hall. Love reading his work.
just got hardcopies of The Odyssey and The Iliad, looking forward to those as well, as Manly talks so much about the ancient greeks.

[Rosemarie]

I recently finished reading "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway and am now reading "South Sea Tales" by Jack London. London's book is much more rough and tumble than Michener's "South Pacific". A few years ago I read Thomas Campbell's "My Big Toe", but got bogged down somewhere in the middle. Another good history book is "The Hunt For Zero Point" by Nick Cook. Nick's book will give you some new insights into what really happened during and just after WWII.

When I was a manager at a software company, I used to ask people that I interviewed for openings what are they reading. It gave me some good insights into the person's personality and sometimes introduced me to a book I had never considered reading.

My neighbor ! ( well, same country !). I hope I get to meet you after the rainy season stops and I feel safe driving up the mountain.
I read allllllll Hemingway books, some when I was younger and some after my son recommend a couple. I also read books by his different wives to see his frame of mind while writing some of them, the last one Autumn in Venice about him and his last “muse” gives you historical and personal background of him in that time frame of his last years. I sometimes want to learn a little bit more about an author. Michener’s books were in my mother’s library and read them all. Not Jack London or Nick Cook. Will investigate them.

Yes, I think you can tell a lot about a person from what they tell you they are reading.I read somewhere that a book is a decision and it is that decision what shows who you are. And when we choose to read a book again and again it means it has something that resonates deeply inside. And that tell a lot about a person.

I also enjoy very much visiting a new friend and discovering a small library in their house. You know, not many people do. I am also old school..... like to feel and smell a book in my hands.

[Rosemarie]

I'm currently reading The Secret Teachings Of All Ages by Manly P Hall. Love reading his work.
just got hardcopies of The Odyssey and The Iliad, looking forward to those as well, as Manly talks so much about the ancient greeks.

Corfitz, mea culpa , never heard of Manly P Hall and just googled him. The Odyssey and The Iliad also required readying in school in South America. Have my old copies still with me ! But I have not been a fan of Greek mythology .....but then I read a book called The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and fell in love. It is a retelling of the legend of Achilles and the Trojan war. She just wrote a new book called Circe, which I should be reading next , but my friends that have read it don’t like it as much as her first. But have to decide by myself.

[Ernie Nemeth]

I've read all the bpooks mentioned at one point or another.

Now I read anything.

Just finished some star wars book.
next will be reading some new Larry Niven collaborations with steve barnes. For me reading these days is just to entertain my mind for a bit - and forget this crazy world.

I loved James a Mitchener. Devoured his books many years ago. My favorite author is still Jules Verne. His best book: Mysterious Island and its sequel, 20,000 leagues under the sea.

[Corfitz]

I'm currently reading The Secret Teachings Of All Ages by Manly P Hall. Love reading his work.
just got hardcopies of The Odyssey and The Iliad, looking forward to those as well, as Manly talks so much about the ancient greeks.

Corfitz, mea culpa , never heard of Manly P Hall and just googled him. The Odyssey and The Iliad also required readying in school in South America. Have my old copies still with me ! But I have not been a fan of Greek mythology .....but then I read a book called The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and fell in love. It is a retelling of the legend of Achilles and the Trojan war. She just wrote a new book called Circe, which I should be reading next , but my friends that have read it don’t like it as much as her first. But have to decide by myself.

Damn I wish my schooltime included mandatory Greek philosophy . Sounds pretty cool to me :)

[TEOTWAIKI]

"Journeys of Souls: Case History of Life between Lives" Michael Newton

Using hypnosis (stay away if you think any investigative work using hypnosis is bunk), Michael Newton "discovers" the secrets of what happens to his patients during their interlude between lives. He describes the common corridors that souls traverse, the waiting rooms, the distribution center, the guides/teachers, the soul clusters schools...It is a fascinating book!

[Rosemarie]

"Journeys of Souls: Case History of Life between Lives" Michael Newton

Using hypnosis (stay away if you think any investigative work using hypnosis is bunk), Michael Newton "discovers" the secrets of what happens to his patients during their interlude between lives. He describes the common corridors that souls traverse, the waiting rooms, the distribution center, the guides/teachers, the soul clusters schools...It is a fascinating book!

Sounds fascinating ! I don’t know anything about hypnosis but open to anything that makes me understand the way the soul prepares to come back to earth. Thank you Teotwaiki

[TEOTWAIKI]

"Journeys of Souls: Case History of Life between Lives" Michael Newton

Using hypnosis (stay away if you think any investigative work using hypnosis is bunk), Michael Newton "discovers" the secrets of what happens to his patients during their interlude between lives. He describes the common corridors that souls traverse, the waiting rooms, the distribution center, the guides/teachers, the soul clusters schools...It is a fascinating book!

Sounds fascinating ! I don’t know anything about hypnosis but open to anything that makes me understand the way the soul prepares to come back to earth. Thank you Teotwaiki

Rosemarie,

The reason I emphasized the hypnotism aspect is that some member of the forum do not consider research results obtained by hypnosis as trustworthy; the concern being that clients under hypnosis can be easily biased by the researcher. Does Michael Newton do this? Yes. Does it negate his research? No.

[TomKat]

I'm reading Leo Zagami's Invisible Master. In an interview he said it explains the difference between demons and aliens, but so far it hasn't, seems more like he's saying they're equivalent. It's very academic, like all his books. He seems to reference sources other researchers wouldn't know about (due to his secret society ties). He did say something interesting about Crowley's OTO. He said they screw up a person's chakras, perhaps beyond repair, in order to facilitate a demonic agenda. He has experience in the OTO as well as other occult orders.

[Praxis]

I am having a smorgasbord.

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fd.gr-assets.com%2Fbooks%2F1310065215l%2F11975590.jpg&f=1
It is a wild and outrageous tale that goes on and on and you start shaking your head at these characters, but they never fail to amuse and confound you.

Also:
Rabbit Run by John Updike
https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.e-reading.club%2Fcover%2F71%2F71424.jpg&f=1
A young husband abandons his wife and child and goes on an odyssey to recapture some meaning in his life--too soon to tell how this one will play out.

and finally:
Function of The Orgasm by Dr. Wilhelm Reich (translated by Dr. Theodore P. Wolfe)
https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Feduardolbm.files.wordpress.com%2F2014%2F10%2Fthe-function-of-the-orgasm.jpg&f=1
Fascinating study about how our body with muscular holding patterns plays in concert with our minds and keeps us in set patterns of behavior. Many holistic therapies were derived from Reich's work, but none as powerful as his for freeing the individual to experience life more fully.

The function of the organism was an excellent book. I highly recommend you read his book on fascism which is in the avalon library and also if you can get your hands on it you should read his book on his experiments which lead to the discovery of orgone.


I also want to second The secret Life of Trees. AWESOME BOOK

[Wmel]

I'm reading "Original Wisdom" by Robert Wolff.

At my current understanding, my country (Malaysia) seems to be not as "interesting" as some other parts of the world regarding ancient histories and civilisation. I came across this book and another book "Healing Sounds from the Malaysian Rainforest : Temiar Music and Medicine" by Marina Roseman that writes about the Native people in the forest of Malaysia, their ways of life and practices about connecting with nature and dream songs.

I hope that I could learn more and practically use music as a healing agent. I collected an amount of data and theories here and there these years, still there are just theories at the moment...

[ichingcarpenter]

I'm excited about reading Graham Hancock new book that just came out who David Wilcock believes is a Satanist (insert joke)

America Before: The Key to Earth's Lost Civilization

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51TrXfK1FiL.jpg


Was an advanced civilization lost to history in the global cataclysm that ended the last Ice Age? Graham Hancock, the internationally bestselling author, has made it his life's work to find out--and in America Before, he draws on the latest archaeological and DNA evidence to bring his quest to a stunning conclusion.

We’ve been taught that North and South America were empty of humans until around 13,000 years ago – amongst the last great landmasses on earth to have been settled by our ancestors. But new discoveries have radically reshaped this long-established picture and we know now that the Americas were first peopled more than 130,000 years ago – many tens of thousands of years before human settlements became established elsewhere.

Hancock's research takes us on a series of journeys and encounters with the scientists responsible for the recent extraordinary breakthroughs. In the process, from the Mississippi Valley to the Amazon rainforest, he reveals that ancient "New World" cultures share a legacy of advanced scientific knowledge and sophisticated spiritual beliefs with supposedly unconnected "Old World" cultures. Have archaeologists focused for too long only on the "Old World" in their search for the origins of civilization while failing to consider the revolutionary possibility that those origins might in fact be found in the "New World"?

America Before: The Key to Earth's Lost Civilization is the culmination of everything that millions of readers have loved in Hancock's body of work over the past decades, namely a mind-dilating exploration of the mysteries of the past, amazing archaeological discoveries and profound implications for how we lead our lives today.



608 pages......... well documented....... can't wait


_mcLwP6J5Ec

[max123]

"Journeys of Souls: Case History of Life between Lives" Michael Newton

Using hypnosis (stay away if you think any investigative work using hypnosis is bunk), Michael Newton "discovers" the secrets of what happens to his patients during their interlude between lives. He describes the common corridors that souls traverse, the waiting rooms, the distribution center, the guides/teachers, the soul clusters schools...It is a fascinating book!

You can also read Michael Newton - Destiny Of souls (2000)
Dolores Cannon has many similar books - like Between Death and Life.

[Smell the Roses]

I usually have multiple books started, which I pick up depending on my mood. In the serious classics department, I just finished David Copperfield and am reading Dracula. It took me a long time to finish David Copperfield, but it was worth it. The last third picks up considerably and was worth slogging through the second third. I notice it's a common theme in novels that were originally serialized that the middle is a bit dull, while the beginning and end move along nicely.

In the edge of science department, I am reading The Holographic Universe (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/843455.World_WarI). In the history department I am reading World War I: The Rest of the Story and How It Affects You Today, 1870 to 1935 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/843455.World_WarI) by Richard Maybury. In the light read department, I'm reading a book by New Hampshire author Jessie Crockett.

[gord]

I'm in the middle of 5 books at the moment.

3 by Joseph P. Farrell:


1) Hidden Finance, Rogue Networks and Secret Sorcery:
The Fascist International, 9/11, and Penetrated Operations

2) Secrets of the Unified Field:
The Philadelphia Experiment, The Nazi Bell, and the Discarded Theory

3) Yahweh, the Two-Faced God (with Scott D. deHart):
Theology, Terrorism, and Topology

These Farrell books are paperback, not digital, and I have 23 of his books in paperback. All have been worth every penny.

4) Learning Python 5th edition by Mark Lutz

5) The Essential Guide to Irish Flute and Tin Whistle by Grey Larsen

[onawah]

Theory of Bastards by Audrey Schulman, takes place in the very near future, and is very plausible.
AI is controlling the power grid, but when it becomes infected, the grid fails.
The protagonist is a woman scientist researching the mating habits of bonobos in a facility that houses groups of various kinds of great apes.
She and her fellow researcher are left in charge of the facility when the grids fails, and they must leave, taking the apes with them, to find other survivors, food and shelter.
It's well written, humane, and very psychologically insightful into the behavior of humans and apes.
Also very well received by critics including Kircus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, NY Times, etc.

update: Forgot to mention, though worthy of mention, that Schulman, besides being the author of 4 previous novels, runs a non-profit in Cambridge, Mass. called HEET which is dedicated to the understanding of clean and efficient energy.

[frankstien]

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages01.bookmaster.com.pl%2F_imgcache%2F600x600%2F196%2F1965%2F196594-600-600-0-a-0-a435aa260e3a7af171bab8a25c9b3959-wm.jpeg&f=1
A riveting story of a young soldier during the Civil War--an amazing intense account of being in battle.

And--

Wilhelm Reich's follow-up to his The Function of The Orgasm or a part 2 - The Cancer Biopathy
https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fecx.images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F41kMbjtj-YL._SY291_BO1%2C204%2C203%2C200_QL40_.jpg&f=1
In this book Reich documents his experiments to discover how cancer begins in an organism. This work led to his creating the Orgone Accumulator (https://orgonics.com/whatisor.htm) that helped reverse the effects of cancer in patients.

[Valerie Villars]

I went to the Symphony Book Fair in New Orleans yesterday. I have been going for 50 plus years. My mother used to take us as kids and I was in heaven and still am.

I picked up so many wonderful books, some very old and mainly on New Orleans and Louisiana history, which I adore, but I also picked up one paperback.

I bought "On the Trail of the Assasins" by former District Attorney of New Orleans, Jim Garrison. I can't believe I've never read it, as it all takes place in every aspect of my childhood and beyond. A real eye opener about the machinations of rogue elements in the C_A and the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

http://https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Trail_of_the_Assassins (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Trail_of_the_Assassins)

[Denise/Dizi]

I actually have 2 book started. One from Truman Cash, and the other he wrote waiting in limbo, for lack of time to read everything.. as well as The Book of Ra again, that both myself and a friend are rereading.

I also got 5 books while at UfoMegaCon, shoved into my hands by a very nice roup of individuals, who just wanted to make sure I was educated HAHAHA
Those titles include:
The reality ad spirituality of life in this universe
The greater community, Contact with intelligent life in the universe
greater community spirituality A new revelation
Th e Great Waves of Change - Navigating the difficult times ahead
and of course The allies of humanity book one.

The boks were given to me by a group of individuals sharing the works of Marhall Vian Summers. The man who does the videos of the "Briefings of the allies of humanity" regarding contacts with et

[Praxis]

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages01.bookmaster.com.pl%2F_imgcache%2F600x600%2F196%2F1965%2F196594-600-600-0-a-0-a435aa260e3a7af171bab8a25c9b3959-wm.jpeg&f=1
A riveting story of a young soldier during the Civil War--an amazing intense account of being in battle.

And--

Wilhelm Reich's follow-up to his The Function of The Orgasm or a part 2 - The Cancer Biopathy
https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fecx.images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F41kMbjtj-YL._SY291_BO1%2C204%2C203%2C200_QL40_.jpg&f=1
In this book Reich documents his experiments to discover how cancer begins in an organism. This work led to his creating the Orgone Accumulator (https://orgonics.com/whatisor.htm) that helped reverse the effects of cancer in patients.

The Cancer Biopathy changed my world. Very interesting book

[Rosemarie]

Thank you all for continuing sharing what you are reading. There is something for everyone. The saying so many books so little time is true as ever.

I am reading Destiny of Souls by Michael Newton. Teotwaiki recommended his first book Journey of Souls and I found it fascinating. A topic I did not know anything about but it resonated with me.
Destiny is a more in depth continuation of afterlife case studies. I just began reading it.
If somebody can recommend more books on the subject i would appreciate it.

[Clarity]

The Case for a Creator, Lee Strobel.

Tells how scientific evidence now points strongly in the direction of an intelligent Creator.

[Constance]

I'm re-reading (before I go to sleep) Matthew Walker's Why we sleep (https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316). I highly recommend it to everyone. It sometimes does send me off to sleep though! :bigsmile:

[Le Chat]

As a keen walker and nature-lover, I'm reading THE WALKER'S GUIDE TO OUDOOR CLUES & SIGNS by Tristan Gooley.
An 'ultimate' guide to what the land, sun, moon, stars, trees, plants, animals, sky and clouds can reveal - when you know what to look for...

[Seabreeze]

:flower:I am reading : The 4 element program of the shamans by Peter Orzechowski.

.....which gives you a amazing insight of the connection native americans have to nature....it explains how to respect, talk and thank the elements and nature, how to clean your mind in a natural way, how to meditate and much more....

It is in german..the title is : Das Vier-Elemente Programm der Schamanen... I dont know if a version of the book in english does exist....

Peter, who wrote the book...got teached by a native shaman from the Apache tribe.....and wrote it down in this book....:flower:

A very interesting and I believe a important book..more people should read to find their connection to nature again....

[Le Chat]

Hi Whisper, Thanks for sharing your book choice, it sounds really interesting and something that I'd like to read.....IF I can find an English translation!

[avatar]

Reading "The Evolution Angel", an Emergency Physician's Lessons with Death and the Divine by Dr. Michael Abrams. He worked as emergency and trauma physician and extended himself to the dying in a silent communication as they passed. Fascinating!

[avatar]

Also reading "In Search of a Soul", 250 questions and answers by Tadataka Kimura. It is a self published book, and the printer/editors did him a disservice when they typeset it, but he is a Japanese doctor, and he answers many questions about consciousness, death, human nature, etc. Highly recommend

[Strat]

Do you folks ever listen to the radio or whatever in the background while reading? For whatever reason I can't do this and I wish I could.

[Rosemarie]

Avatar. I am going to get the first book, The Evolution Angel. The other one is not in amazon. My cart in amazon has a lot of your recommendations friends , so thank you.

Strat, I read in complete silence. No tv, radio or music. I cannot concentrate if not.

[frankstien]

I went to the Symphony Book Fair in New Orleans yesterday. I have been going for 50 plus years. My mother used to take us as kids and I was in heaven and still am.

I picked up so many wonderful books, some very old and mainly on New Orleans and Louisiana history, which I adore, but I also picked up one paperback.

I bought "On the Trail of the Assasins" by former District Attorney of New Orleans, Jim Garrison. I can't believe I've never read it, as it all takes place in every aspect of my childhood and beyond. A real eye opener about the machinations of rogue elements in the C_A and the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

http://https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Trail_of_the_Assassins (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Trail_of_the_Assassins)

Valerie,

Another book by Garrison about the JFK assassination you'd find fascinating-- Heritage of Stone Garrison writes about all sorts of interesting information uncovered while investigating Oswald and his work In New Orleans.
https://www.amazon.com/Heritage-Stone-Jim-Garrison/dp/0399103988
https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fbooks%2F1286699450i%2F2963670._UY200_.jpg&f=1

And this is another amazing read about Oswald on assignment to protect and help and Judith Vary-Baker, a whiz kid high school grad who was doing undercover experiments about cancer in New Orleans for Dr. Alton Ochnser.
https://www.amazon.com/Me-Lee-Came-Harvey-Oswald/dp/1936296373
https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.7R0TDLRz7498ed0HC41CZwHaGM%26pid%3DApi&f=1

[lightwalker]

Rereading after 10 years "Wheat Belly" by William Davis, and The Honeymoon Effect by Bruce Lipton

lightwalker

[Valerie Villars]

I went to the Symphony Book Fair in New Orleans yesterday. I have been going for 50 plus years. My mother used to take us as kids and I was in heaven and still am.

I picked up so many wonderful books, some very old and mainly on New Orleans and Louisiana history, which I adore, but I also picked up one paperback.

I bought "On the Trail of the Assasins" by former District Attorney of New Orleans, Jim Garrison. I can't believe I've never read it, as it all takes place in every aspect of my childhood and beyond. A real eye opener about the machinations of rogue elements in the C_A and the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

http://https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Trail_of_the_Assassins (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Trail_of_the_Assassins)

Valerie,

Another book by Garrison about the JFK assassination you'd find fascinating-- Heritage of Stone Garrison writes about all sorts of interesting information uncovered while investigating Oswald and his work In New Orleans.
https://www.amazon.com/Heritage-Stone-Jim-Garrison/dp/0399103988
https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fbooks%2F1286699450i%2F2963670._UY200_.jpg&f=1

And this is another amazing read about Oswald on assignment to protect and help and Judith Vary-Baker, a whiz kid high school grad who was doing undercover experiments about cancer in New Orleans for Dr. Alton Ochnser.
https://www.amazon.com/Me-Lee-Came-Harvey-Oswald/dp/1936296373
https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.7R0TDLRz7498ed0HC41CZwHaGM%26pid%3DApi&f=1

Frankenstein, funny you should mention it, but I have "Me & Lee" and have read it. My father, also being from New Orleans, is of the opinion that she is telling the truth.

I'm very interested in "Heritage of Stone". I'm going to look into it now, though as it is I have books laying on the floor in my library. I guess one more won't hurt. :sun:

[Mike]

I'm rereading a book called "Chameleo", which is a disturbing but comical account of one man's experience as a TI. it's mostly an absurdist tale, as he really kind of just stumbled into the whole thing thru a series of absurd events.

it's written by his friend, Robert Guffey, an English professor at Long Beach Junior College (at the time), who was privy to all the events as they were occurring and also experienced a few himself.

see Bill's thread here: http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?94050-CHAMELEO-SAIC-s-classified--and-operational--invisibility-program&p=1231486&highlight=chameleo#post1231486

https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1421872657l/23365123.jpg

[Valerie Villars]

That was a great book, Mike. I loved it.

frankstein, "A Heritage of Stone" is now almost 30.00 for a paperback and the hardcover about 70.00 and up. They are calling it a "collectible". I ordered the paperback, much as I wanted the hardcover (I'm kind of a book snob about quality). Grab this one while you can. It's incredibly expensive.

[Mike]

That was a great book, Mike. I loved it.

frankstein, "A Heritage of Stone" is now almost 30.00 for a paperback and the hardcover about 70.00 and up. They are calling it a "collectible". I ordered the paperback, much as I wanted the hardcover (I'm kind of a book snob about quality). Grab this one while you can. It's incredibly expensive.


hi Val:flower:, where did you order it from?

[Rosemarie]

That was a great book, Mike. I loved it.

frankstein, "A Heritage of Stone" is now almost 30.00 for a paperback and the hardcover about 70.00 and up. They are calling it a "collectible". I ordered the paperback, much as I wanted the hardcover (I'm kind of a book snob about quality). Grab this one while you can. It's incredibly expensive.


hi Val:flower:, where did you order it from?

Hello Mike. I was just looking at prices too. In Amazon.com the paperback is $45.96 and the hardcover is $73.74 In ebay a first edition costs from $525 to $143. I am very curious now !

[Robert deTree]

The works of William Dean Howells, William James (including The Varieties of Religious Experience for a second time because it is so good!), novels and short works by NK Jemisin and The Origin of Otherworldly Life by JZ Tanquir.

¤=[Post Update]=¤

I also just finished The Messengers by Mike Clelland but it was terrible - so much wishy washy speculation and make believe synchronicity. I wouldn't recommend it.

I've also been privileged to read a draft of Bright Garlick's Interview with an Extraterrestrial : Naelsa, which I am doing to provide feedback to Bright. And thus far I'm finding it to be a remarkable book - unlike anything else I've ever read. I'm very much looking forward to seeing it finished and the follow up Conversations book.

[Robert deTree]

Strat Jack London is a remarkable writer - all of his books are wonderful!

[Valerie Villars]

That was a great book, Mike. I loved it.

frankstein, "A Heritage of Stone" is now almost 30.00 for a paperback and the hardcover about 70.00 and up. They are calling it a "collectible". I ordered the paperback, much as I wanted the hardcover (I'm kind of a book snob about quality). Grab this one while you can. It's incredibly expensive.


hi Val:flower:, where did you order it from?

Hello Mike. I was just looking at prices too. In Amazon.com the paperback is $45.96 and the hardcover is $73.74 In ebay a first edition costs from $525 to $143. I am very curious now !

I ordered it from Amazon because it looked like it would soon become inaccessible due to price. I have this notion in my head that many, many books (actual books and not kindle, etc.) are vital for some point in the future. Hopefully somewhere down the road someone will pick up what I and others have collected and a seed will be planted in the future. I can't explain how I feel this is true.

[frankstien]

That was a great book, Mike. I loved it.

frankstein, "A Heritage of Stone" is now almost 30.00 for a paperback and the hardcover about 70.00 and up. They are calling it a "collectible". I ordered the paperback, much as I wanted the hardcover (I'm kind of a book snob about quality). Grab this one while you can. It's incredibly expensive.


hi Val:flower:, where did you order it from?

I advise you to just check Amazon from day to day when you are hunting for a good price on a book. One day you can't find any deals and then suddenly bam!--you find one. Grab it when you can.
https://www.amazon.com/Heritage-Stone-Jim-Garrison/dp/0399103988

[frankstien]

And let us not forget Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski) Heart of Darkness is a classic novella, strange and thought provoking (Coppola's Apocalypse Now is loosely based on it), but the one I am currently reading and finding fascinating-- Under Western Eyes
https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.gm-RDLbYownQJ0MMw0iIKAAAAA%26pid%3DApi&f=1
It was Conrad's answer to Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. The story starts in Russia before the 1918 revolution. If you have a taste for assassins, espionage, and unpredictable characters--this will be your cup of tea.
;)

[avatar]

As a keen walker and nature-lover, I'm reading THE WALKER'S GUIDE TO OUDOOR CLUES & SIGNS by Tristan Gooley.
An 'ultimate' guide to what the land, sun, moon, stars, trees, plants, animals, sky and clouds can reveal - when you know what to look for...

Read "The Hidden Life of Trees" by Peter Wohlleben.

[aoibhghaire]

PIVOT, A MEMOIR by Machaelle Wright

https://www.amazon.com/Pivot-Memoir-Machaelle-Wright/dp/092797889X

https://www.perelandra-ltd.com

I just finished an extraordinary book which I would highly recommend in our adventures in life.

A pivot occurs when a person who has been traveling on a familiar, well-defined life path makes a sudden voluntary or involuntary turn that un tethers the individual from that path and propels him or her onto a new and often unrelated path that uproots the individual from his or her previous world.

Once upon a time one encounters a person who lives their life on purpose. Most ordinary folk with societal conditioned, preconceived notions and mental models would be extremely challenged. From her young life in Maryland, unconventional 'family,' Catholic school, European 'gap' year, to Capitol Hill.

And the combined life energy that emerges from the consistent view is breath taking, inspiring, profound. The first half of the book, up through the end of Pivot One, is a classic memoir of an extraordinary yet ordinary life.
Pivot two you'll find to be an experience unlike any other. It's about life at its largest and what can happen when we recognize the unique possibilities in our own journey — our own life at its largest. Pivot two is all about having the courage and confidence to meet life on its own terms. It gives one a deeper insight into her journey in this life and the opportunity her work has provided to all of us to work with nature.

If you have been looking back and thinking about your life lived so far, Pivot will give you a fresh perspective, a way to find new meaning and understanding in your own journey. If you are looking ahead to life in front of you, Pivot will inspire you to make the most of your adventures, opportunities and choices.

[Iloveyou]

Next to my bed are three very different travel books. Two of them I‘ve read over and over again, the third one not finished yet. Jupiter‘s Travels in particular, has often taken me far, far away when I just needed it . . .

1) Ryszard Kapuściński „The shadow of the sun“

He has been voted the greatest journalist of the 20th century. In an unparalleled career, Ryszard Kapuściński transformed the humble job of reporting into a literary art, chronicling the wars, coups and bloody revolutions that shook Africa and Latin America in the 1960s and 70s.

free copy: https://epdf.pub/the-shadow-of-the-sun.html

2) Ted Simon „Jupiter‘s Travels“ and „Riding High“

Ted Simon's astonishing 4 year motorbike journey around the world (1973-1977). He set off on a Triumph and rode 63,000 miles over four years through fifty-four countries. Through breakdowns, prison, war, revolutions, disasters and a Californian commune, he travelled into the depths of fear and reached the heights of euphoria. The trip became a journey into his own soul.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6AmscXf13vk
(video blocked in my country, I hope it is available elsewhere)

3) William Least Heat-Moon „Blue Highways“

"But in those brevities just before dawn and a little after dusk—times neither day or night—the old roads return to the sky some of its color. Then, in truth, they carry a mysterious cast of blue, and it's that time when the pull of the blue highway is strongest, when the open road is a beckoning, a strangeness, a place where a man can lose himself”.

He set out with little more than the need to put home behind him and a sense of curiosity about "those little towns that get on the map-if they get on at all-only because some cartographer has a blank space to fill: Remote, Oregon; Simplicity, Virginia; New Freedom, Pennsylvania; New Hope, Tennessee; Why, Arizona; Whynot, Mississippi."

[Valerie Villars]

I have books laying all over the place, especially since I went to the Symphony book fair a few weeks ago. I like old books.

So, two of them are laying on an wrought iron chair on my front porch, one open and upside down, where I left off reading it.

For the past four days, a little tree frog sleeps under them all day, apparently rousing himself in the evening to catch flies or mosquitoes. Every day I have gone to move these books, but stopped because there he is, sleeping his little heart out. I gently put the books back down so I won't disturb him. I am convinced he is reading them through osmosis.

The two books he is reading are "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin and an historical fiction novel about the pirate, Captain Henry Morgan. I named the little guy Henry.

[Rosemarie]

Love your post Valerie. Henry found his little cave for siesta time !

I am wondering what are the reading habits of people. I have to finish one book before starting another one. Also I have learned to let go of a book if I have started it and do not like it. I used to feel so quilty and would force myself to finish it. Not anymore. Time is to precious. Cannot read with music or background noises. Almost complete silence. Maybe I have a little of ADD. Find it difficult to read on a tablet. No kindle , ipad to read. Have to feel a book in my hands

Also loveeeee libraries. Like this one.

[Valerie Villars]

Rosemarie, I am constantly pulling books out, searching for information on tangents gone on from something else I am reading. I, more often than not, am reading three or four books at a time and pick them up depending on that moment's current mood.

I, too, do not like reading online. I like real books, preferably hardcover and have a thing about old books. They seem purer and closer to source than the newer ones, probably because they were written and printed before the great propaganda machine took hold and began manipulating our perceptions. The further one goes back to the original source, the closer to the truth one is.

I have a library like the one you have pictured above and it is my second favorite room in the house. The stable is my favorite room "in the house".

[Floating]

I just finished "The Three-Body Problem" by Cixin Liu. Lots of physics. A bit about Humanity. A bit about Aliens.
https://www.amazon.com/Three-Body-Problem-Cixin-Liu/dp/0765382032/ref=sr_1_3?crid=U9AHQT7MKHCP&keywords=the+three+body+problem&qid=1561311250&s=gateway&sprefix=The+three+%2Caps%2C143&sr=8-3

"they" will be here in 400-450 years. Just how do we prepare? Read the second volume of the trilogy. Fascinating science fiction by a Chinese writer translated into English for me to read.

[Valerie Villars]

I'm reading Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay on Language as symbolism and metaphor. I wish all people spoke so plainly. I am putting it here in its' entirety as it is fairly short and very beautiful.


Complete Essay: Language
Language is a third use which Nature subserves to man. Nature is the vehicle, and threefold degree.

1. Words are signs of natural facts.

2. Particular natural facts are symbols of particular spiritual facts.

3. Nature is the symbol of spirit.

1. Words are signs of natural facts. The use of natural history is to give us aid in supernatural history: the use of the outer creation, to give us language for the beings and changes of the inward creation. Every word which is used to express a moral or intellectual fact, if traced to its root, is found to be borrowed from some material appearance. Right means straight; wrong means twisted. Spirit primarily means wind; transgression, the crossing of a line; supercilious, the raising of the eyebrow. We say the heart to express emotion, the head to denote thought; and thought and emotion are words borrowed from sensible things, and now appropriated to spiritual nature. Most of the process by which this transformation is made, is hidden from us in the remote time when language was framed; but the same tendency may be daily observed in children. Children and savages use only nouns or names of things, which they convert into verbs, and apply to analogous mental acts.

2. But this origin of all words that convey a spiritual import, — so conspicuous a fact in the history of language, — is our least debt to nature. It is not words only that are emblematic; it is things which are emblematic. Every natural fact is a symbol of some spiritual fact. Every appearance in nature corresponds to some state of the mind, and that state of the mind can only be described by presenting that natural appearance as its picture. An enraged man is a lion, a cunning man is a fox, a firm man is a rock, a learned man is a torch. A lamb is innocence; a snake is subtle spite; flowers express to us the delicate affections. Light and darkness are our familiar expression for knowledge and ignorance; and heat for love. Visible distance behind and before us, is respectively our image of memory and hope.
Who looks upon a river in a meditative hour, and is not reminded of the flux of all things? Throw a stone into the stream, and the circles that propagate themselves are the beautiful type of all influence. Man is conscious of a universal soul within or behind his individual life, wherein, as in a firmament, the natures of Justice, Truth, Love, Freedom, arise and shine. This universal soul, he calls Reason: it is not mine, or thine, or his, but we are its; we are its property and men. And the blue sky in which the private earth is buried, the sky with its eternal calm, and full of everlasting orbs, is the type of Reason. That which, intellectually considered, we call Reason, considered in relation to nature, we call Spirit. Spirit is the Creator. Spirit hath life in itself. And man in all ages and countries, embodies it in his language, as the FATHER.

It is easily seen that there is nothing lucky or capricious in these analogies, but that they are constant, and pervade nature. These are not the dreams of a few poets, here and there, but man is an analogist, and studies relations in all objects. He is placed in the centre of beings, and a ray of relation passes from every other being to him. And neither can man be understood without these objects, nor these objects without man. All the facts in natural history taken by themselves, have no value, but are barren, like a single sex. But marry it to human history, and it is full of life. Whole Floras, all Linnaeus' and Buffon's volumes, are dry catalogues of facts; but the most trivial of these facts, the habit of a plant, the organs, or work, or noise of an insect, applied to the illustration of a fact in intellectual philosophy, or, in any way associated to human nature, affects us in the most lively and agreeable manner. The seed of a plant, — to what affecting analogies in the nature of man, is that little fruit made use of, in all discourse, up to the voice of Paul, who calls the human corpse a seed, — "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body." The motion of the earth round its axis, and round the sun, makes the day, and the year. These are certain amounts of brute light and heat. But is there no intent of an analogy between man's life and the seasons? And do the seasons gain no grandeur or pathos from that analogy? The instincts of the ant are very unimportant, considered as the ant's; but the moment a ray of relation is seen to extend from it to man, and the little drudge is seen to be a monitor, a little body with a mighty heart, then all its habits, even that said to be recently observed, that it never sleeps, become sublime.

Because of this radical correspondence between visible things and human thoughts, savages, who have only what is necessary, converse in figures. As we go back in history, language becomes more picturesque, until its infancy, when it is all poetry; or all spiritual facts are represented by natural symbols. The same symbols are found to make the original elements of all languages. It has moreover been observed, that the idioms of all languages approach each other in passages of the greatest eloquence and power. And as this is the first language, so is it the last. This immediate dependence of language upon nature, this conversion of an outward phenomenon into a type of somewhat in human life, never loses its power to affect us. It is this which gives that piquancy to the conversation of a strong-natured farmer or back-woodsman, which all men relish.

A man's power to connect his thought with its proper symbol, and so to utter it, depends on the simplicity of his character, that is, upon his love of truth, and his desire to communicate it without loss. The corruption of man is followed by the corruption of language. When simplicity of character and the sovereignty of ideas is broken up by the prevalence of secondary desires, the desire of riches, of pleasure, of power, and of praise, — and duplicity and falsehood take place of simplicity and truth, the power over nature as an interpreter of the will, is in a degree lost; new imagery ceases to be created, and old words are perverted to stand for things which are not; a paper currency is employed, when there is no bullion in the vaults. In due time, the fraud is manifest, and words lose all power to stimulate the understanding or the affections. Hundreds of writers may be found in every long-civilized nation, who for a short time believe, and make others believe, that they see and utter truths, who do not of themselves clothe one thought in its natural garment, but who feed unconsciously on the language created by the primary writers of the country, those, namely, who hold primarily on nature.

But wise men pierce this rotten diction and fasten words again to visible things; so that picturesque language is at once a commanding certificate that he who employs it, is a man in alliance with truth and God. The moment our discourse rises above the ground line of familiar facts, and is inflamed with passion or exalted by thought, it clothes itself in images. A man conversing in earnest, if he watch his intellectual processes, will find that a material image, more or less luminous, arises in his mind, cotemporaneous with every thought, which furnishes the vestment of the thought. Hence, good writing and brilliant discourse are perpetual allegories. This imagery is spontaneous. It is the blending of experience with the present action of the mind. It is proper creation. It is the working of the Original Cause through the instruments he has already made.

These facts may suggest the advantage which the country-life possesses for a powerful mind, over the artificial and curtailed life of cities. We know more from nature than we can at will communicate. Its light flows into the mind evermore, and we forget its presence. The poet, the orator, bred in the woods, whose senses have been nourished by their fair and appeasing changes, year after year, without design and without heed, — shall not lose their lesson altogether, in the roar of cities or the broil of politics. Long hereafter, amidst agitation and terror in national councils, — in the hour of revolution, — these solemn images shall reappear in their morning lustre, as fit symbols and words of the thoughts which the passing events shall awaken. At the call of a noble sentiment, again the woods wave, the pines murmur, the river rolls and shines, and the cattle low upon the mountains, as he saw and heard them in his infancy. And with these forms, the spells of persuasion, the keys of power are put into his hands.

3. We are thus assisted by natural objects in the expression of particular meanings. But how great a language to convey such pepper-corn informations! Did it need such noble races of creatures, this profusion of forms, this host of orbs in heaven, to furnish man with the dictionary and grammar of his municipal speech? Whilst we use this grand cipher to expedite the affairs of our pot and kettle, we feel that we have not yet put it to its use, neither are able. We are like travellers using the cinders of a volcano to roast their eggs. Whilst we see that it always stands ready to clothe what we would say, we cannot avoid the question, whether the characters are not significant of themselves. Have mountains, and waves, and skies, no significance but what we consciously give them, when we employ them as emblems of our thoughts? The world is emblematic. Parts of speech are metaphors, because the whole of nature is a metaphor of the human mind. The laws of moral nature answer to those of matter as face to face in a glass. "The visible world and the relation of its parts, is the dial plate of the invisible." The axioms of physics translate the laws of ethics. Thus, "the whole is greater than its part;" "reaction is equal to action;" "the smallest weight may be made to lift the greatest, the difference of weight being compensated by time;" and many the like propositions, which have an ethical as well as physical sense. These propositions have a much more extensive and universal sense when applied to human life, than when confined to technical use.

In like manner, the memorable words of history, and the proverbs of nations, consist usually of a natural fact, selected as a picture or parable of a moral truth. Thus; A rolling stone gathers no moss; A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush; A cripple in the right way, will beat a racer in the wrong; Make hay while the sun shines; 'T is hard to carry a full cup even; Vinegar is the son of wine; The last ounce broke the camel's back; Long-lived trees make roots first; — and the like. In their primary sense these are trivial facts, but we repeat them for the value of their analogical import. What is true of proverbs, is true of all fables, parables, and allegories.

This relation between the mind and matter is not fancied by some poet, but stands in the will of God, and so is free to be known by all men. It appears to men, or it does not appear. When in fortunate hours we ponder this miracle, the wise man doubts, if, at all other times, he is not blind and deaf;

——— "Can these things be,
And overcome us like a summer's cloud,
Without our special wonder?"

for the universe becomes transparent, and the light of higher laws than its own, shines through it. It is the standing problem which has exercised the wonder and the study of every fine genius since the world began; from the era of the Egyptians and the Brahmins, to that of Pythagoras, of Plato, of Bacon, of Leibnitz, of Swedenborg. There sits the Sphinx at the road-side, and from age to age, as each prophet comes by, he tries his fortune at reading her riddle. There seems to be a necessity in spirit to manifest itself in material forms; and day and night, river and storm, beast and bird, acid and alkali, preexist in necessary Ideas in the mind of God, and are what they are by virtue of preceding affections, in the world of spirit. A Fact is the end or last issue of spirit. The visible creation is the terminus or the circumference of the invisible world. "Material objects," said a French philosopher, "are necessarily kinds of scoriae of the substantial thoughts of the Creator, which must always preserve an exact relation to their first origin; in other words, visible nature must have a spiritual and moral side."

This doctrine is abstruse, and though the images of "garment," "scoriae," "mirror," &c., may stimulate the fancy, we must summon the aid of subtler and more vital expositors to make it plain. "Every scripture is to be interpreted by the same spirit which gave it forth," — is the fundamental law of criticism. A life in harmony with nature, the love of truth and of virtue, will purge the eyes to understand her text. By degrees we may come to know the primitive sense of the permanent objects of nature, so that the world shall be to us an open book, and every form significant of its hidden life and final cause.

A new interest surprises us, whilst, under the view now suggested, we contemplate the fearful extent and multitude of objects; since "every object rightly seen, unlocks a new faculty of the soul." That which was unconscious truth, becomes, when interpreted and defined in an object, a part of the domain of knowledge, — a new weapon in the magazine of power.

[frankstien]

Next on my reading list--Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment

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The story of Raskolnikov, a student tormented by his own thoughts after he murders an old woman. Overwhelmed by guilt and terror, he confesses and goes to prison. Guilt is a theme that the previous book I posted by Joseph Conrad "Under Western Eyes" uses to give his salute to Dostoyevsky's famous book.

[Hym]

T.B.Pawlicki's "How To Build A Flying Saucer" 'And other proposals in Speculative Engineering'. This is a serious, fact-based fiction full of silly ideas and conjectures with such chapters as:

'Megalithic Engineering: How to build Stonehenge and the Pyramids with bronze age technology',

'Beyond Velikovsky: Einstein's relativity demonstrated, mining pure energy from empty space and the green hills of Mars'

'Time Travel: How to navigate the streams of time through hyperspace'.

etc.

I quote the final paragraph with it's singular sentence:

"When we meet the gods, we shall find that they are us."
--------------------------------
I am also searching for the short primer given to me by some of my science-ish friends, given out of compassion to me in respect for my complete lack of schooling.

Something about gravity, Maxwell's equations, Tesla, Tommy Bearden, electro-gravitics. Time and space kinda stuff.

First I gotta find a really good magnet to attract the book.

[Frankie Pancakes]

For the second time.
40960

Biography
Former newspaper editor and investigative reporter, Jim Frazier, with a BS degree in psychobiology, was attending USC's film school in Los Angeles when he met UFO contactee Brian Scott in 1976. Frazier interviewed witnesses and began to document parnaormal events on a daily basis. Five UFO/paranormal research organizations were involved with Brian documenting an orange ball of light in his house in Garden Grove, California.

Investigator J. Allen Hynek began consulting with director Steven Spielberg on CE3K after meeting Brian, and numerous parallels are in the movie. Frazier obtained literary rights, stopped all publicity and began to help Brian by meeting requests made to visit exact locations given as latitudes and longitudes. Scott had produced over 100 pages of automatic drawings and writings with detailed information on UFO craft, advanced technology and sites in South America. In the writings, Scott was asked to accept on December 22, 1976, a "sudden evolution" to a higher level of mind: to Mind Level 10. Frazier took Scott to South America and documented the transformation in detail. Scott had developed paranormal powers on his 33rd birthday, prior to the transformation. The powers and knowledge increased greatly after the transformation which is fully described in the book. The people of the USA, and the people of Peru and Bolivia were linked thru the process as Brian carried out numerous spectacular events. Over the next four years Frazier documented each step in the process with photos, tape recordings, video and film. Headlines were collected and in February of 1980, Scott and Frazier were commended at the White House by President Jimmy Carter and many documents were placed into the National Archives to mark the date of February 7, 1980 as a "turning point in the history of America and all mankind" because Brian had suceeded in passing all tests, and surviving the transformation process. The tests, like an initiation, were administered by joint interactions with tall, blond haired beings, and short, dome-headed grays. Brian was considered the "man in the middle" between the two groups and their competing agendas for the future of mankind.

Scott's involvement ended in March of 1980 after he gave two "gifts to mankind" which are to be used to "transform our culture and civilization." Scott, supposedly, is the first contactee to complete a full transformation since 110 B.C. This book is in "a class by itself," a true "documented chronology of human transformation" and perhaps truly is the "transformational drama of our age" as some experts have said. Brian's story is a perfect fit to the "classic hero" as described by Joseph Campbell and other experts in cultural anthropology.

No other person has gone thru a complete transformation, supposedly, since 110 B.C. when a common man from the Island of the Sun was transformed in the same way and became known as Tikki Viracocha, builder of an empire around Lake Titicaca. Brian's story is a parallel to the life of Viracocha and is "carved into stone" in South America. Numerous ancient statues, temples and rock carvings provide an explanation of the story and show a parallel over 2000 years ago to alien intervention with the pre-Incan empire around lake Titicaca.

No other story like this one exists in modern time. This is a "legend in the making..." Scott participated in editing and wrote a testimonian of the book before he died, "This book is NOT FICTION," he stated. Brian Scott passed away, at age 65, on January 20th, 2009.

The rest of the transformation is "up to mankind." What happens next to mankind is based on how many people can go to a higher level of mind by December 24, 2011, Scott said in his final weeks. Frazier and Scott remained friends to the end, and Frazier has recently developed advanced technology based on Brian's designs and and ncient examples given in South America about succesfull methods for "sudden evolution" to a higher level of mind.

[Rosemarie]

Next on my reading list--Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment

https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fecx.images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F41lSGOVMwdL.jpg&f=1

The story of Raskolnikov, a student tormented by his own thoughts after he murders an old woman. Overwhelmed by guilt and terror, he confesses and goes to prison. Guilt is a theme that the previous book I posted by Joseph Conrad "Under Western Eyes" uses to give his salute to Dostoyevsky's famous book.

Frankstein. Thank you, I have read 3 of Dostoyesky’s books which I really did enjoy in my college years and still have in my library. Should read them again. Crimen y Castigo as it is called in spanish. Hopefully was a good translation. Read The Brothers Karamazov and Notes from Underground.

Crime and Punishment still as relevant today as is was in 1866. All about human nature, its complexities and the philosophy of good and evil. Highly recommended.

To all the others, please keep sharing. I read everyone of your post, even if some of them take me a little while longer because english is not my native language.

[frankstien]

T.B.Pawlicki's "How To Build A Flying Saucer" 'And other proposals in Speculative Engineering'. This is a serious, fact-based fiction full of silly ideas and conjectures with such chapters as:

'Megalithic Engineering: How to build Stonehenge and the Pyramids with bronze age technology',

'Beyond Velikovsky: Einstein's relativity demonstrated, mining pure energy from empty space and the green hills of Mars'

'Time Travel: How to navigate the streams of time through hyperspace'.

etc.

I quote the final paragraph with it's singular sentence:

"When we meet the gods, we shall find that they are us."
--------------------------------
I am also searching for the short primer given to me by some of my science-ish friends, given out of compassion to me in respect for my complete lack of schooling.

Something about gravity, Maxwell's equations, Tesla, Tommy Bearden, electro-gravitics. Time and space kinda stuff.

First I gotta find a really good magnet to attract the book.

It's a wonderful book! He has a sequel that's also VERY interesting--How You Can Explore Higher Dimensions of Time and Space
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51vF1eqNEPL._SX344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
https://www.amazon.com/Explore-Higher-Dimensions-Time-Space/dp/0134440358?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-d-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=0134440358

[Hym]

I've been reading "Ruby Leaving Texas" by Dale Lotreck. It's the only book I have read that I can open at any page and get drawn in to either read what came before, or follow the road to it's current end. or go along with the author as he merges into some other colorful, even dangerous encounter.

Knowing the author means that this is all based on his life, with very little need to change a thing, except the names of those characters he travels with, so as not to encounter any lawsuits.

A well known actress, nameless now without her permission-and one with a loved reputation, picked the book up while at a friend's house. Her reaction to reading it, or even part of it (my guess) was "F***! This is my life!"

I won't ever ask her what part of her life she was referring to because I'm sure that if she were this good of an author and if she was this honest with her life, it would make a fantastic read. That's up to her. In fact I wonder what that book would become if she had Dale co-write it or help her edit it.

Looking back on those books that would make interesting movies, or creative mini-series, or colorful, seasonal series, "Ruby" would be well worth the production. Who knows if the entertainment world could take that much truth?

Wouldn't you like to have stood next to an author whose writing you enjoy and hear some of his or her day to day musings?

I have enjoyed my times listening.

-----------

There are so many different scenes in this true-to-life journal-turned-novel that before I include a little from the book I must say that "Ruby" could be written as a series of connected novels, much like a digital series and not unlike the narrative choices some popular authors choose. It is that rich.

(Note: If this next section is against any PA policy I'm cool with the moderators removing it. If not... enjoy.)

Here is a random page I opened to, at 10:14 PM, mountain standard time, Saturday, June 29, 2019:

On the page before, ending the previous chapter, is this final sentence...

"People in Texas are damn proud of their guns."

On the next open page it reads:

"I came home from work one night, early morning actually, about Three-thirty, to find Ruby out in the driveway, wearing shorts and cowboy boots and nothing else, holding the .45 in both hands, shooting determined, into the woods. The scene seemed perfectly normal to me, but I thought I'd ask anyway. Ruby said there was a pack of wild dogs, or coyotes, that came to take the puppy away. I went into the kitchen for a cold beer. No big deal. After all, a woman's gotta have a hobby."


My comments, continued:

Those of us living in these semi-rural areas recognize an author's truth to our surroundings when we have personally had some of the same experiences with coyotes, cats and hawks, careless pet "owners", too many guns to mention and way too many crazy neighbors to do anything but be heavily armed ourselves. The addition of colorful women only makes the experiences more the worth while.

[frankstien]

In keeping with all the hub-bub about Jeffrey Epstein--let us not forget a great novel by Vladimir Nabokov - Lolita
I read this last year, though the idea of the main character and his obsession with prepubescent girls was kind of silly, after awhile I got addicted to these two characters, the adult: Humbert and the child: Lolita and everyday I read more because I started to miss them! Well, that's good writing...

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[Valerie Villars]

I read that novel years ago.

Weird synchronicities regarding that novel and the movie (which I also saw). A friend of mine is a grip in the movies. In the nineties my boyfriend and I went to visit him on the set of the remake of that movie.

I now live about two miles from Zemurry Gardens where the movie was filmed.

It was also my spanish class name in high school, as given me by the teacher. I didn't choose it.

[frankstien]

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
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A riveting story of a young soldier during the Civil War--an amazing intense account of being in battle.

And--

Wilhelm Reich's follow-up to his The Function of The Orgasm or a part 2 - The Cancer Biopathy
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In this book Reich documents his experiments to discover how cancer begins in an organism. This work led to his creating the Orgone Accumulator (https://orgonics.com/whatisor.htm) that helped reverse the effects of cancer in patients.

The Cancer Biopathy changed my world. Very interesting book

Sorry it's taken so long to comment on your comment--YES, you are right it is an interesting book and would change someone's world once they saw, with the evidence provided by Dr.Reich's work, how biogenius works,what causes cancer and how to reverse it.

Years ago I worked for a large well known cancer research center. I wasn't in research, I worked a type of support job for their media presentations to universities. But what I noticed was each department was self-contained and they didn't know much what each other was up to, their primary focus was on maintaining or increasing their funding. This huge research center is no closer today to discovering a cure to cancer than when I was there years ago. They will never discover one, a real cure that is, because they do not know what Reich demonstrated in his book.

They wouldn't need all that money and huge facilities, just one medium sized laboratory, a copy of Wilhelm Reich's Function of The Orgasm, The Cancer Biopathy, and Ether,God,and Devil - Cosmic Superimposition and within a year of replicating his work they'd be well on their way to really helping people with cancer. But no, there's more money in cancer/disease management, than in preventive medicine.

[frankstien]

I just finished John Gardner's The Art of Fiction.
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If you are interested in the technique and process of what makes good writing, this book will be a treasure trove of helpful information.

Just started William Burrough's "Junky"
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Promises to be an interesting read all about Burrough's addiction to heroin and the sub-culture of addicts in post WWII America.

[aoibhghaire]

http://file:///C:/Users/eansb/Desktop/Eamonn%20bios/Mount%20Shasta%20Mission.pdf

https://www.amazon.com/Mount-Shasta-Mission-Machaelle-Wright/dp/0927978601

The Mount Shasta Mission, 2005 by Machaelle Small Wright.

For anyone who appreciates work with Nature and who is interested in our earths evolution I think that the Mt. Shasta Mission is a worthwhile, important, and valuable read. I think this book is more of a study manual; a text that one can use to get a greater sense of the depth of work involved with multi-dimensional endeavours. If you are looking to examine a co-creative, multi-level partnership/team work and working to expand your own awareness and everyday work with Nature, then this is the book to use.

An important factor was that the energies released by the Mission were transferred to a level beyond our universe. The mission thus constituted a momentous event.

The Mount Shasta Mission, its primary aim was to deactivate Piscean government/military leylines, simultaneously activating a new leyline grid supporting Aquarian structures. This mission was executed and took place between July 15-17 1985.

One result of the mission, which I can reveal was successful - that can involve us all, was that owing to the leylines transfer we can now focus on specific situations and ask for and expect to receive new solutions, i.e. we will be assisted by the current team ‘another reality off planet’ and the new leylines.

The Mount Shasta Mission is a story that starts slowly and quietly. Unbeknownst to Machaelle at that time, pieces that were seemingly unconnected but were later critical to the Mission were being put into place. This is where we see the importance of doing what we are supposed to do, even if we don't have a clue about the larger implications. And you'll know in new ways just how much we are not alone when we humans are faced with the sometimes daunting task of moving ourselves and our world forward.

This book is not for you if:

You don't like detail and prefer to read "A miracle occurs here and they all lived happily ever after."
The Big Picture scares you.
You believe thinking about government and its impact on the social structure around you is beneath you.
You like being uninformed.
You don't wish to live within your community (immediate and global) more responsibly.
You don't want to know how a multi-level project such as the Mt. Shasta Mission is pulled off.
You don't have the patience for a story that starts slowly.

[Ahimsa]

Books I'm currently reading:

The Illustrated Secret History of the World by Mark Booth

41450

Foundations of High Magick: The Magical Philosophy by Melita Denning and Osborne Phillips

41451

Traditional Chinese Medicine by Paul U. Unschuld

41452

The Buddha's Teachings on Prosperity: At Home, At Work, in the World by Bhikkhu Basnagoda Rahula

41453

I got a lot of reading on my plate. I enjoy reading books on Buddhism, Eastern medicine, Eastern philosophy, and occultism.

Any recommendations, guys?

[East Sun]

In a few days I will have David Icke's new book 'The Trigger'

I've read most of his books--they are always interesting...…..

[Ratszinger]

Studies in Consciousness "Mind Reach" by Russell Targ and Harold E. Puthoff.

[Ernie Nemeth]

Just read a Larry Niven/Steven Barnes book: The Barsoom Project. Next is The Man Who Was Thursday by Chesterton. After that will be Clancy's Threat Vector or Jonathan Kellerman's, The Web...

[Cara]

I am reading a philosophical book... a slim little book but densely packed with thought! It “popped out” at me while I was in the book shop.

https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1493953108l/35024337.jpg


The Scent of Time: A Philosophical Essay on the Art of Lingering
by Byung-Chul Han

In his philosophical reflections on the art of lingering, acclaimed cultural theorist Byung-Chul Han argues that the value we attach today to the vita activa is producing a crisis in our sense of time. Our attachment to the vita activa creates an imperative to work which degrades the human being into a labouring animal, an animal laborans. At the same time, the hyperactivity which characterizes our daily routines robs human beings of the capacity to linger and the faculty of contemplation. It therefore becomes impossible to experience time as fulfilling.

Drawing on a range of thinkers including Heidegger, Nietzsche and Arendt, Han argues that we can overcome this temporal crisis only by revitalizing the vita contemplativa and relearning the art of lingering. For what distinguishes humans from other animals is the capacity for reflection and contemplation, and when life regains this capacity, this art of lingering, it gains in time and space, in duration and vastness.
From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35024337-the-scent-of-time

[xylo]

I’m listening to the audio book version of “Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon” by David McGowan. Wow! If you’re even remotely connected to the music and “counter-culture” movement of the 60’s and 70’s, especially as a fan, activist or enthusiast, prepare to be crushed. Everything you thought was real, isn’t. Everything you thought went in one direction actually went in reverse. I’m almost done with the audio book (available on audible.com) and I’m going to purchase the printed form because I’m certain this work will eventually be banned, especially In these times. I must surely be in some form of denial just as an involuntary survival mechanism. As a young professional musician who lived and worked in and around L.A. starting in 1973, I know and worked for some of the subjects of this revealing exposé, and taking in this book connects a lot of dots for me. I was a young and enthusiastic believer and naïve participant musically, culturally and “politically” but I had no idea that everything, every single thing I thought was authentic and part of a logical evolution, was in truth 100% shrewdly calculated social engineering perpetuated by the military intelligence community. It’s devastating, and it angers me. So much darkness. I have skeptical streak which has now turned decidedly cynical. As so many say regarding the fictionalized historical narrative we were taught in school, we’ve been lied to. It’s amazing to realize and understand how effective these nefarious agendas are, and the degree of precise planning and execution the controllers are able of perpetrating, in disinformative layers of smoke and mirrors. I recommend laying hands on the printed version of this book before it’s banned. Sadly, the author, David McGowan, a tireless veteran researcher with impeccable cred’s, was murdered soon after the book was released. A tough way for us to understand he hit the nail of Truth right on head, yet a sure sign that he knew too much and taking him out was no doubt a solution to the prospect of the author going out on the promotional speaking tour that normally follows a book release.

[Jayke]

I’ve been on an astrology binge this past week. Trying to figure out some of the physical mechanisms for how astral physics and ‘the music of the spheres’ shapes life and matter on earth.

The Greater and Lesser Worlds of Robert Fludd: Macrocosm, Microcosm, and Medicine — Jocelyn Godwin (pre-order to be released in December)
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/612zTRQkdQL._SX384_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

Physics without Einstein - Harold Aspden
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Pythagorean Source Book and Library — Kenneth Guthrie
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Christian Astrology, Books 1 & 2
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Astrogeographia: Correspondences between the Stars and Earthly Locations — Robert Powell
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Planetary Influences Upon Plants: A Cosmological Botany — Ernst Kranich
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The Tree of Life: An Expose of Physical Regenesis on the Three-Fold Plane of Bodily, Chemical and Spiritual Operation — George W Carey
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51HRKcZRP4L._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

The Splendor Solis: The World's Most Famous Alchemical Manuscript — Stephen Skinner
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Personal Panchanga: The Five Sources of Light — Komilla Sutton
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The Books of Jeu and the Untitled Text in the Bruce Codex (Nag Hammadi Studies) (Nag Hammadi Studies / Nag Hammadi Studies, the Coptic Gnostic Library)

Image limit reached but this last book is probably one of the most important gnostic texts I’ve read. It’s a record of Jesus teaching the ‘The Treasury of Light’ to his disciples, which to me seems a lot like the Theurgy practices of the Greeks or Jyotish astrology in the Vedas. PDF copy available at Gnosis Study (https://gnosis.study/library/Гнозис/Исследования/ENG/The%20Books%20of%20Jeu%20and%20the%20Untitled%20Text%20in%20the%20Bruce%20Codex)

[frankstien]

Currently - Jane Austin's "Sense and Sensibility", it's enjoyable, kind of like reading an episode of Masterpiece Theater.

https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.rcdH8lrkUKm2YCpLc0VbYwHaLb%26pid%3DApi&f=1

[Chester]

The Science of Mind - Ernest Holmes
Synchronicity - Dr. Kirby Surprise
The Memoirs of Billy Shears - Thomas E. Uharriet
Recovery - Russell Brand
The CIA as Organized Crime - Douglas Valentine

Yes, hopping back and forth between them all.

[Franny]

I'm bouncing between a few, The Colossus of Maroussi by Henry Miller, read it years ago but it's such marvelous writing I decided to enjoy it again. The other is America Before - The Key to the Earth's Lost Civilization by Graham Hancock, and Lawrence Durrell's Notes on Travel, tho it's taking a back seat to to other two for now.

A Jane Austin collection waiting in the wings and a mystery or two...

[Sue (Ayt)]

Cosmic Trigger by RAW - finished I and II and just got III.
Also - People of the Lie by M. Scott Peck which someone(?) here recommended.

[Bluegreen]

The New Testament

:)

[Rosemarie]

Hola my Avalonian friends. Sorry I have been missing ! Want to share what I have been reading and please continue sharing with us what you are reading. There is always going to be something of interest to somebody else.

Longing for Darkness is Karen Blixen old friend and old majordomo Kamante ( the hero of her classic Out of Africa ) memories about their lives in Africa.

Avid Reader is Robert Gottieb autobiography. The New Yorker editor for many years and for sixty years running publishing company Simon and Schuster.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt won her a Pulitzer Price in 2014 for fiction. Had that book for years and could not read it. Decided to tacked it before the movie came out ( sept ) and it was like pulling teeth. Did not like it at all, but it seems you either love it ( my daughter )or hate it ( lots of friends and strangers )

Circe by my favorite autor Madeline Miller did no disappoint. Love it, as her first book The Song of Achilles.

The Medici Giraffe by Marina Belozerskaya is about how exotic animals have long entranced and inspired us.

The 2 books by Michael Newton The Journey of Souls and Destiny of Souls I devoured at fast as I Could

[petra]

I am currently reading ‘The Project Avalon forum’ and it is by far the biggest and most diverse tome I’ve yet to encounter ;-) ...

Thanks for the laugh AriG, that was so funny I had to pause!


I've read all the bpooks mentioned at one point or another.

Now I read anything.

Just finished some star wars book.
next will be reading some new Larry Niven collaborations with steve barnes. For me reading these days is just to entertain my mind for a bit - and forget this crazy world.

Wow Ernie! That's a lot of books!

I'm reading Star Trek Q-In Law by Peter David as opposed to your Star Wars ;-)

I used to read a LOT, but currently the only thing that appeals to me is Star Trek books about Q or Data... (I imagine this will change over time)

[aoibhghaire]

Children from the Sky by Duncan Lunan

This is the only book I have found that goes into great depths about the "Green Children" of the 12th century.
This is a book that looks at the "Green Children" at every different angle or story you can imagine. From extra-terrestrials to coming out of an underground city to being transported from another part of the planet, the moon, a ship or somewhere else in the galaxy.

A scholarly work with factual information that Lunan was able to obtain in the years 1066-1395 that took 10 years of research. The lives of all these people and their whereabouts and their personal dealings with the crown and each other.

I do agree with the author in the fact that why weren't the children more amazed by the Sun and especially the Moon. Which leads me to believe that they had seen the Moon before somewhere.

Background

In the late 12th century, two very strange children came out of an ancient earthwork at the village of Woolpit in East Anglia. They wore clothes of a color and material never seen before, spoke a language nobody recognized, and were colored green all over. Later, when they had learned 'our manner of speaking', and lost their green color, they described a homeland which was no place on Earth. The boy died within a year, but the girl grew up and married. Is this a fairy story, or were the children runaways from some primitive tribe? In the 17th century Robert Burton included them in the astronomy section of The Anatomy of Melancholy, suggesting that they came from another world. Could it be true? Duncan Lunan has located the places in the story and traced the people, who turn out to be real, though mysterious, and very highly connected. The incident at Woolpit was one of a series at linked sites, and seems to have been anticipated by the authorities of the time. In particular, Crown, the King at the time and the Vatican, both sending military forces to surround Woolpit and protect it from outsiders.. The authorities realized the significance of the green children’s presence.

Lunan traces the green girl, traces her descendants to the present day USA, and investigates strange things happening in the sky and other events relating to her 'arrival'. It suggests that in medieval times there might have been mass abductions from Earth, by extra-terrestrials, for experimental purposes, with the knowledge if not the agreement of some of the terrestrial authorities - if so, Lunan suggests, "The X-Files are set in the wrong century."

[frankstien]

Charles Bukowski's Screams From The Balcony - Selected Letters 1960-1970
If you love Buk, then this is a must have in your library. Before Bukowski became the literary legend resurrecting poetry from the dead, he spent many years struggling, this tome documents some of this period and it is mind blowing prose of the first most insane order. Want to wake up?--READ THIS.
https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fprodimage.images-bn.com%2Fpimages%2F9780876859148_p0_v2_s1200x630.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

[frankstien]

Great collections of short stories--

Peter Orner's "Esther Stories"
Short-short stories of power and imagination, creative, sensitive, and offbeat.
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.gr-assets.com%2Fbooks%2F1348912124l%2F158235.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Sherwood Anderson's "Winesburg, Ohio"
The father of the modern short story with thought provoking tales of characters in a small town.
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.veCs-LSRnQJbZrwfnj_HfAAAAA%26pid%3DApi&f=1



The Stories of Raymond Carver
Bare bone minimalist prose, still waters run deep, haunting, funny, they stay with you long after.
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[Strat]

https://img.thriftbooks.com/api/images/l/0965ee0a9ed2cd7ea38a37a0da94dda0a60d787a.jpg

I found this book at the library 2 days ago. I didn't know HBS (author of Uncle Tom's Cabin) lived in my hometown. She lived here in the 1870s. This type of book is out of my wheelhouse but I love it so far. It's very slow paced and easy to read. It's nice to hear one's hometown described in almost a poetic way. Reading this book makes me wish we could do away with electronics and return to these times.

[Perdido]

"War for the Hell of It; A Fighter Pilot's View of Vietnam" 2nd Edition

by Ed Cobleigh (Author)

Catchy title.. I think most Vietnam Pilots feel this way about the war.

Ed, "Fast Eddie," Cobleigh served two tours of duty during the Vietnam air war, logging 375 combat sorties in the F-4 Phantom fighter/bomber. In War for the Hell of It, Cobleigh shares his perspectives in a deeply personal account of a fighter pilot's life, one filled with moral ambiguity and military absurdities offset by the undeniable thrill of flying a fighter aircraft. With well-crafted prose that puts you into the Phantom's cockpit, Cobleigh vividly recounts the unexplainable loss of his wingman, the useless missions he flew, the need to trust his reflexes, eyesight, and aggressiveness, and his survival instincts in the heat of combat. He discusses the deaths of his squadron mates and the contradictions of a dirty, semi-secret war fought from beautiful, exotic Thailand. This is an unprecedented look into the state of mind of a pilot as he experiences everything from the carnage of a crash to the joy of flying through a star-studded night sky, from the illogical political agendas of Washington to his own dangerous addiction to risk. Cobleigh gives a stirring and emotional description of one man's journey into airborne hell and back, recounting the pleasures and the pain. the wins and the losses. and ultimately, the return.

From the Author

Inside the Mind of a Fighter Pilot
Fighter pilots aren't known for their literary prowess... War for The Hell of it: A Fighter Pilot's View of Vietnam, a deeply personal account of all the fun I had losing the Vietnam War,

My qualifications for such writing missions? I flew the F-104, F-4, A-4, Jaguar, and the F-16. I was an instructor at the USAF Weapons school, the USN Top Gun school, the Royal Air Force Weapons Instructor school, and I also flew with the French Air Force and the Imperial Iranian Air Force, including 375 combat missions. I try to put on the page what it's like to be a fighter pilot, not just what fighter pilots do in the air.

Simple but interesting book... Initially he discusses how the Air Force was attacking targets in bad weather, at low altitude, while running into mountains.. at night. Then Laser Bombs changed things fast.

Good over view of flying fighters for non-aviators.

[Perdido]

I am listening to more audio books.. to avoid the radio drivel as I drive.

Fighter Pilot: The Memoirs of Legendary Ace Robin Olds

Robin Olds was many things to many people. To his West Point football coach he was an All American destined for the National College Football Hall of Fame. To his P-38 and P-51 wartime squadrons in WWII he was the aggressive fighter pilot who made double ace and became their commander in nine short months. For the pioneers of the jet age, he was the wingman on the first jet demo team, a racer in the Thompson Trophy race, and the only U.S. exchange officer to command an RAF squadron. In the tabloid press he was the dashing flying hero who married the glamorous movie star. For the current crop of fighter pilots he is best known as the leader of the F-4 Wolfpack battling over North Vietnam. For cadets at the Air Force Academy he was a role model and mentor. He was all of those things and more.

Robin Olds (1922-2007) was a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot. A triple ace, he achieved a combined total of 16 victories in the Second World War and the Vietnam War. Born into an army family in Honolulu and raised in Virginia, he was educated at West Point, where he was an All American football player. He fought in Europe during World War II, and was regarded as the best wing commander in the Vietnam War. He was promoted to brigadier general after Vietnam, and also served as Commandant of Cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

The first chapter discusses advanced Pilot Training for WW II.. in the Army Air Corps.. and they Crashed 9 aircraft in one day. Obviously they canceled training for the rest of the day. The casualty losses just in training were high. Then he gets to the losses among Fighters and especially Bombers in Europe in WW II.

One gains an appreciation for the challenges and sacrifices these men made to win WW II.

[onawah]

Amazing read--"The Bone Clocks" by David Mitchell, author of "Cloud Atlas".
It's about 2 warring groups of "gifted" groups (in the sense of having extrasensory gifts such as telepathy, astral projection, etc.), one Dark, one Light, but from my perspective, it's less sci-fi or fantasy as thinly disguised reality, and it makes me wonder what Mitchell knows.
The predatory group known as the Anchorites prey on other gifted souls, essentially sucking away their soul energy in order to keep themselves young.
Like the cannibalistic, adrenochrome-harvesting Illuminati.
The Light group age normally, but they retain their memories from incarnation to incarnation, and their common goal is to eliminate the Anchorites.
But it's not the plot so much that kept me reading (it's quite long) so much as Mitchell's amazing writing style. Definitely one of my favorite contemporary authors.
Mitchell's first novel, Ghostwritten (1999) won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize (for best work of British literature written by an author under 35) and was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award. His two subsequent novels, number9dream (2001) and Cloud Atlas (2004), were both shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. In 2003, he was selected as one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists. In 2007, Mitchell was listed among Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in The World.

[onawah]

Interesting coincidence. I just noticed your post after writing my own book review in post #106, and tonight just before I wrote it, as I was reading toward the end of my current read, "The Bone Clocks", I came across a passage foretelling that the future will be a lot like the past.

Wow. Look at all these books. It’s rare to see so many, these days.”

“Books’ll be back,” Esther-in-Unalaq predicts. “Wait till the power grids start failing in the late 2030s and the datavats get erased. It’s not far away. The future looks a lot like the past.”

Holly asks, “Is that, like … an official prophecy?”

“It’s the inevitable result,” I say, “of population growth and lies about oil reserves.
The section it's in can be read online starting here: https://bookfrom.net/david-mitchell/page,54,35214-the_bone_clocks.html
The more I read and hear about the Grand Solar Minimum, the more convinced I am that the future could indeed look a lot like the past, and that might be a blessing.



I found this book at the library 2 days ago. I didn't know HBS (author of Uncle Tom's Cabin) lived in my hometown. She lived here in the 1870s. This type of book is out of my wheelhouse but I love it so far. It's very slow paced and easy to read. It's nice to hear one's hometown described in almost a poetic way. Reading this book makes me wish we could do away with electronics and return to those times.

[Iancorgi]

I wish I was reading this book: https://books.google.co.th/books/content?id=MSmEPQAACAAJ&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&imgtk=AFLRE71vHoa6ouGeDTa8etIqr8uLinC8GBImUvt9b7znosrICgV6x0fXzwv-WLXMQ1F5WTg4T2peiiXfyuWAtE1TImzAnkCk-pR6JURpbra_Rx8BrVnR4qkoFlrO1NEFvKVO2FDRsUrT

If anyone has a (free) Pdf link that would be very much appreciated. Alternatively, I'm ready to buy a cheap second hand copy. Thanks.

[Anka]

I wish I was reading this book: https://books.google.co.th/books/content?id=MSmEPQAACAAJ&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&imgtk=AFLRE71vHoa6ouGeDTa8etIqr8uLinC8GBImUvt9b7znosrICgV6x0fXzwv-WLXMQ1F5WTg4T2peiiXfyuWAtE1TImzAnkCk-pR6JURpbra_Rx8BrVnR4qkoFlrO1NEFvKVO2FDRsUrT

If anyone has a (free) Pdf link that would be very much appreciated. Alternatively, I'm ready to buy a cheap second hand copy. Thanks.

I searched for the book here but it is not here
http://https://kupdf.net/search/John%20Blofeld%20My%20Journey%20in%20Mistyc%20China/44 (https://kupdf.net/search/John%20Blofeld%20My%20Journey%20in%20Mistyc%20China/44)
I am so sorry. I will still ask about her and if I find her, I will notify you.
Love,Anka

[Valerie Villars]

Ian, here you go. There are quite a few used copies for sale on abe books. It's one of my favorite places to find old and rare books.

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&cm_sp=SearchF-_-home-_-Results&kn=&an=&tn=my+journey+in+mystic+china&isbn=

[greybeard]

Avalon posts of course, well not all of them.
The Seven Steps to Awakening.
Has Quotes from Ramana Maharshi-Nasargadat Maharaj --Sankara--Sadhu Om and others
Only suitable for serious seekers in non-duality "mode".
Chris

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Seven-Steps-Awakening-Nisargadatta-Maharaj/dp/1937995771/ref=sr_1_1?crid=ES25ZOYLCID0&keywords=the+seven+steps+to+awakening&qid=1575895359&sprefix=seven+steps+to+awakening%2Caps%2C162&sr=8-1

The Seven Steps to Awakening is the most powerful collection of quotes ever assembled on the subject of how to directly experience the true Self whose nature is Infinite-Eternal-Awareness-Love-Bliss and how to bring the impostor self, its tricks and all suffering to a final end in this lifetime. Most books on the subject of Self-realization are written by those who have only conceptual knowledge and no direct experience of the infinite Self. All seven of the sages quoted in The Seven Steps to Awakening lived in the Infinite and their knowledge came from their direct experience of the Infinite Self. The quotes in The Seven Steps to Awakening are doorways to liberation and a loving transmission from the Infinite Self to you. When the impostor self attempts to derail you from your journey to Awakening, reading the quotes in The Seven Steps to Awakening can inspire and encourage you to get back on track. Only the most essential and most powerful quotes that have no distractions or detours were selected for The Seven Steps to Awakening. The first collection of quotes describes how to tell the difference between a conceptual journey and a journey to Awakening. The second points out that the world, etc. is a dreamlike illusion. The third reveals why it is necessary to bring the impostor self to its final end. The fourth is about the importance of increasing your desire for liberation. The fifth is for the purpose of encouraging, inspiring and motivating you to actually practice all seven steps. The sixth is about turning your attention inward. The seventh describes the most rapid, direct and effective method that brings the impostor self, its tricks and all suffering to their final end so that you can remain forever in the true Self whose nature is Infinite-Awareness-Love-Bliss. The Seven Sages quoted are: 1. Nisargadatta Maharaj. 2. Ramana Maharshi. 3. Vasistha. 4. Sankara. 5. Annamalai Swami. 6. Sadhu Om. 7. Muruganar. This book is very helpful for people who are on The Direct Path. This is the second edition.

[Strat]

Forgot to update, I'm still somewhat studying Florida history. Finished the last book and I'm reading this:
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61KLee-ANsL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
It was a cruel place, even for the natives. Still, fascinating read.

[frankstien]

Just finished--Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fpagesunbound.files.wordpress.com%2F2013%2F06%2Fsun-also-rises.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Just started---Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-na.ssl-images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F417RMZ3iq5L._SY346_.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

[Ernie Nemeth]

Struggling through Swedenborg's Apocalypse Revealed.

Not what I bargained for. Must have been written before he had his revelations...it is quite a tome, that barely says anything worthwhile, being mostly an interpretation of the biblical version of the Apocalypse. Not my cuppa at all. Hoping that toward the end it will pick up, if I can suffer through the rest.

[Eva2]

Am presently reading Gopi Krishna "Living with Kundalini". The author had a rather brutal kundalini awakening in, I believe, 1937. He details his life before, during and after the expansion and shifts in consciousness. Its a very captivating, well written read and he manages to give words to the power and magnitude of his transformations for something that has no language. I'm very close to finishing this book and have found it a hard one to put down.

[Eva2]

Just as a P.S. to my previous post, I think Jurgen Ziewe's trilogy of books - "Multidimensional Man", "Vistas of Infinity" and "The Ten Minute Moment" are definitely worth reading. These are 3 wonderful books chronicling Ziewe's out of body experiences and explorations into higher states of consciousness during 40 plus years of meditation. Of all the books written on OBEs (including Robert Monroe), Ziewe's books are my favourites - they are beautifully and poetically written. Here's one of many 5 star reviews that his books have received: 'This book deals with the reality of our life after death, not spirit communication, but actual visits with all sensory perception in tact using Out-of-Body travel. Jurgen Ziewe has spent over forty years refining his OBE skills via a lifelong practice of deep meditation. The author projects his consciousness into parallel dimensions and non-physical reality systems whilst retaining full waking awareness throughout. He probes into the infinite vistas of human consciousness and brings back detailed accounts of his journeys and observations. The reports gathered followed a strict research protocol, where the author interviewed dead people and visited the higher dimensional realities, from the darkest places to the most illuminated regions of cosmic consciousness and realms which are traditionally referred to as 'Heaven'. These are lively, first-hand accounts providing a narrative which is destined to revolutionize old concepts and perspectives.'

[onawah]

"The Testaments" by Margaret Atwood, sequel to "The Handmaid's Tale" joint winner of the 2019 Man Booker Prize.
Set 15 years after the events of The Handmaid's Tale, narrated by Aunt Lydia, a character from the previous novel; Agnes, a young woman living in Gilead; and Daisy, a young woman living in Canada.
I just finished it and like most of Atwood's novels, it's like a powerful punch to the gut.
It made my nightmares about Mike Pence becoming POTUS seem even more surreal.
He is far Right, would probably do all he could to overturn Roe vs Wade, and some are reporting he and his wife are involved in human trafficking.
Which fits right into the descriptions of the despotic patriarchs of Atwood's Gilead.

[Strat]

I generally don't like reading 2 books at once but I'm doing that at the moment. I'm reading this:
https://image.isu.pub/180809064437-f6ffb641ce764d5fc487ca0aabfcbe4f/jpg/page_1_thumb_large.jpg
and this
https://images.secondsale.com/images/4c76eaa08640713911f5751bd6e7df57.jpg

[avatar]

Finished a book called "The Gift of Alzheimer's" by Maggie La Tourelle, after watching an interview with her done by Anthony Peake.
She is a psychotherapist and healer who documented her mother's descent into Alzheimer's disease. It is very uplifting, as she
and her mother connected on other levels.
Also finished a fiction book by Alethea Black, a sort of coming of age story. However, she has a fascinating theory about time and space which I am still processing. See her youtube videos - fascinating stuff. Would love to hear feedback from other PA members on their opinion of her ideas.

[thepainterdoug]

Im a bit dyslexic and so having "Seth Speaks" read to me on audio book from Audible . I listened to 5 quantum physics books in this manner as well
Great for driving.

[andyangel1205]

Just watched Hellier season 2 and finally got around to Visitors from Lanulos. Bob Lazar autobiography is next.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51vStZiNtSL._SX385_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

[Strat]

I've sidelined the previous two books I've mentioned to read this:
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51onoP8ZcVL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
I've had quite a bit of interest in the Native history of my area for some time. Folks often say Americans don't have much history (relatively speaking) but this isn't true. My area alone has history dating back over 5k years. This book was written by Renee Laudonniere in the 1500s, he was one of the first Europeans to ever set foot directly where I live. The cover picture of the book is an illustration of an event that took place about 10min from my house. It's an absolutely amazing read.

The natives in my area were actually taller and more fit than the Europeans. They lived about 20 years longer. This has been credited due to their diet (heavily seafood based, with grains as well) and very active lifestyle.

[Chester]

God, Man and War: An official Sekret Machines investigation of the UFO phenomenon

by Tom Delonge with Peter Levenda

[onawah]

Number 9 Dream by David Mitchell, one of my all time favorite novelists now.
Fantastic read, even better than Bone Clocks.
Reading him is like coming upon an oasis after a long time lost in the desert.
He makes most other novelists look so puny and unimaginative in comparison.
An Englishman who lived in Japan for 8 years, he has written a book about life in present day Japan that is better than most Japanese authors have written.
And what an ending! Don't peek--you won't want to spoil it.

[frankstien]

I am on a Russian writers of the Golden Age kick--these guys are are AMAZING!
Dostoevsky
Tolstoy
Turgenev
Gogol

Just finished--Ivan Turgenev's Father's and Sons
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fimg2.imagesbn.com%2Fp%2F2940012448019_p0_v1_s260x420.JPG&f=1&nofb=1

and just started his: A House of Gentlefolk
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-na.ssl-images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F51YGQWNCH6L._SX218_BO1%2C204%2C203%2C200_QL40_.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

[Akasha]

The Red Book by Carl Jung. Some think he was going through a form of psychosis during the period he wrote this book. Certainly wouldn't surprise me judging by its content. Absolutely out there but really powerful stuff.

[Karen (Geophyz)]

One Hundred Years of Solitude ..again!

And

The Mismeasure of Man

[Sue (Ayt)]

The Red Book by Carl Jung. Some think he was going through a form of psychosis during the period he wrote this book. Certainly would surprise me judging by its content. Absolutely out there but really powerful stuff.

Thanks for the reminder, Akasha. I have it here (along with about 20 other books in line to read) but had forgotten about it. Think that will be my very next reading choice.
Now reading Multi-Dimensional Man by Jurgen Ziewe. I think someone mentioned it here in the out-of-body thread. Interesting book - should be done with it soon. Matched many of my experiences.

[Strat]

Over the past couple months I've been dealing with brutal headaches again. As a coping strategy I decided to read about people who have had hard lives. This may sound morbid but on some level it works. I read 2 books like this:
The first one is a memoir of a guy who was brainwashed to be a soldier at the age of 10. It's awful what he and others went through. As a side note, it changed my outlook on Catholic Missions and UNICEF for the better.
https://books.google.com/books/content/images/frontcover/ywPHigvy3AsC?fife=w200-h300
The second is about a guy who was born into a North Korean slave labor camp. This place was/is horrendous and the brainwashing is fascinating. It demonstrates the difference between slaves and enslaved.
https://img.thriftbooks.com/api/images/m/f262c55840ae4199d8ddd3a7bae04afdabeaf6fb.jpg

--------------
At the moment I'm reading 2 books. 1 is about American history and gastronomy and the other I picked completely at random while walking through the library.
Here's the one on gastronomy
https://img.thriftbooks.com/api/images/m/327ebbe0f95426fc1f947974bc8ed88849ec37f9.jpg
And the book I picked at random:
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/A1nT1GxoMbL.jpg
I walk a lot, I like it. To be honesty this book isn't what I was thinking it would be. Meh, it happens. It's not bad though.

[rgray222]

This is one of the most difficult, tedious and time-consuming books I have ever read but it is possibly one the best books I have ever read. There is so much to think about that you can't read it cover to cover. I read 10 pages or 50 pages - enough to get through what Jung is trying to convey to the reader - then I need to stop and put the book down and think about it for days sometimes weeks before I pick it back up. So many words need to be looked up in the glossary to understand exactly what Jung is talking about. The vocabulary is unlike any other book I have read, jam-packed with words not often used. I never expected it to be this laborious but glad I made the effort.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91ep1+32LiL.jpg

[Strat]

How have I not read this book before? Just picked it up from the library yesterday and I'm excited. You know what's ironic? I went to check it out and couldn't find it on the shelves where it was supposed to be. I asked the librarian and it was moved to another section where they highlight classic reads. When I went where she directed me it was on a stand, face out on display as apposed to all the other books.

Honestly I'm not sure what it's all about. I've heard it's name said over and over, that it's a classic, and it has something to do with traveling down the Congo river. I'm fascinated with travel and especially Africa, so this should be right up my alley.

https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/9781947844650_p0_v1_s550x406.jpg

[Strat]

Two new books:
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51TVP829DKL._SX303_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
It's a good read so far, somewhat intensive as many AE books can be. Lots of citations.

And:
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcTv9mYPFBm4eoZTdK1lw7wx9KgY1vyrJA3_E2DJKIzO9s4klFfri9Pnp22pDwouYnEdAuIQQJy6&usqp=CAc
Never read it. I really needed an out of this world kind of fiction and this was recommended by the library so I grabbed it.

[TargeT]

I'm reading the Dune set again in preparation for the movie, great set of Scifi books. (and one of my favorite quotes is "there is no such thing as Science Fiction")

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51cKQR4dRFL._SY373_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

[Le Chat]

Sheesh
I'd no idea there were so many parts...

[James Newell]

I recently have read " The Inheritance" written by Christopher Fulton. I highly recommend it if you would like to know who killed JFK, and the cover up after it. He went to jail for years because he happened to get in his possession the watch JFK was wearing when he got shot.
Check out cmfulton.com

[edina]

I recently have read " The Inheritance" written by Christopher Fulton. I highly recommend it if you would like to know who killed JFK, and the cover up after it. He went to jail for years because he happened to get in his possession the watch JFK was wearing when he got shot.
Check out cmfulton.com

Palladin of White Hats Reports did a couple of interviews (https://youtu.be/VbTdW8ANO54) with him recently.
It's on my queue to read.

I tend to dive in and out of books depending on something that floats to the surface of my mind.

Additionally, I have three books I'm reading a bit more consistently right now,

Goliath: The 100-Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy, Matt Stoller (https://b-ok.cc/book/5268572/03f2be)
Which is related in my mind with a book I read last year, The Big Nine, by Amy Webb (https://amywebb.io/books/), and Julian Assange's When Google Met Wikileaks (https://wikileaks.org/google-is-not-what-it-seems/).

And am rereading Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/frederick-douglass), An America Slave, Written By Himself.

I'm still working on Joseph Chilton Pearce (https://ttfuture.org/academy/joseph-chilton-pearce/introduction-joseph-chilton-pearce)'s book, Strange Loops and Gestures of Creation (https://ttfuture.org/files/2/pdf/strange_introduction_mm.pdf). I've read all of his books.

I'd love to say that I have finished reading The Body Electric (http://avalonlibrary.net/ebooks/Robert%20O.%20Becker%2C%20MD%2C%20Gary%20Selden%20-%20The%20Body%20Electric.pdf), (Robert O Becker) but I haven't, I have about a chapter left.

Strange Loops, Body Electric, connect with a book I've shared here before, The Vital Question (http://avalonlibrary.net/ebooks/Nick%20Lane%20-%20The%20Vital%20Question%20-%20Why%20Is%20Life%20The%20Way%20It%20Is%3F.pdf), (about mitochondria) and a book on quantum biology (https://youtu.be/_qgSz1UmcBM), Life on the Edge (https://royalsociety.org/~/media/awards/winton/2015/life-on-the-edge-chapter-1.pdf?la=en-GB). (Both of which I read the year before I hiked the AT.)
These are all sort of prepping me for some projects I want to work on in the future. :sun:

[Strat]

And am rereading Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/frederick-douglass), An America Slave, Written By Himself.


This has been very high on my reading list for some time. How is it? I read a lot of US history and he is legendary. An intellectual and a tough S.O.B.

[onawah]

I just got David Mitchell's new novel, "Utopia Avenue", from the library and am really looking forward to reading it.
He is one of my favorite fiction writers, the author of "Cloud Atlas", "Number 9 Dream", a favorite of critics, shortlisted twice for the Booker Prize.

[edina]

And am rereading Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/frederick-douglass), An America Slave, Written By Himself.


This has been very high on my reading list for some time. How is it? I read a lot of US history and he is legendary. An intellectual and a tough S.O.B.

It's a very short book and probably could be read in couple of hours.

But he has a way of words and I find a need to stop every chapter or so, and just let them sink in a bit.

It seems to me that every paragraph, easily every page, has a phrase that is quotable.

I admire his wisdom, charisma, and tenacity. I've also downloaded his speech, Self-Made Man (http://monadnock.net/douglass/self-made-men.html), to read later.

I have a hard copy of his book, but found a pdf version here. (https://ia802800.us.archive.org/13/items/douglasfred00dougrich/douglasfred00dougrich.pdf)

[Strat]

Does anyone know where I can find an English version of this book?

DEVISES ET EMBLEMES ANCIENNES & MODERNES, TIREES DE PLUS CELEBRES AUTEURS (1699)

http://www.archive.org/details/devisesetembleme00lafeu

For those who could translate, I would consider monetary compensation via Paypal for a few individual images I'm particularly interested in. Hit me up.

[Strat]

Been a while since I posted here, but here's what I'm reading at the moment:
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQNWPGAJ9KLjQ-Snfp4yTmBoXaZyUwkpsUm3Pt0N5arVfE5MZhx
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/k3YAAOSwsHhfns5f/s-l640.jpg
Those 2 books are very short, they take about an hour to read a piece. Extremely fun read though if you're interested in Africa and want quick cursory information to point you into a better direction.

And this next one I've already read, but I am re-reading it to refresh my knowledge. It's an important book, especially for Americans.
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41DhAbSe1BL._SX329_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

[Michi]

This book offers a unique approach to explore the mind using imagination processes.
I actually was just visiting the author of this book over the past month.
As we have extended lock-down here in Germany, I have plenty of time to go read it.

[palehorse]

I am reading everything about Cob Houses for a week now and also compost toilets (not the best reading I know).. no specific books just materials from diverse authors and some interesting off-grid blogs.


...
And this next one I've already read, but I am re-reading it to refresh my knowledge. It's an important book, especially for Americans.
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41DhAbSe1BL._SX329_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

It is a great book, I did read it and I am not American, it is indeed an important knowledge :thumbsup:

[Catsquotl]

Course in medieval astrology by Robert Zoller

[Karen (Geophyz)]

A book called "Foraging Texas"

Chinese language textbook

A bunch of engineering papers......

[onawah]

I recently read the Pulitzer Prize winning novel (in 2014) "The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt
Review here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Goldfinch_(novel)
...and then watched the movie, which is quite good, though it was a difficult fit, as the novel is very long.

The most lasting impression for me is the real life painting of the captive goldfinch, which has affected me like no other painting ever has, and I never thought could.
It makes me feel unbearably sad, and I really can't look at it for more than a few seconds without grief welling up in my heart.:(
There is so much expression in its eyes!
The actual story of the painting itself is fascinating, and the way it is woven into the book is very well done.
I'm glad this exquisite little painting, whose creator was so very before his time, is getting so much attention now.
I just wish that poor little bird could fly away!

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Fabritius-vink.jpg/800px-Fabritius-vink.jpg

Nick Hornby's latest novel "Just Like You". See review :
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/sep/08/just-like-you-review-nick-hornby-tackles-race-romance-and-brexit
Hornby is one of my favorite novelists. His books always touch my heart.
I think "About a Boy" and "High Fidelity" are my favorites.

[Strat]

Haven't posted in here in a bit, here's what I'm on at the moment:
https://www.marinarts.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/www.marinarts.org/images/2018/11/event-featured-bookpassage-1541357781-300x300.jpeg
Extremely well written. Kind of horrible to read but it's very important to know this information, the way we live our lives perpetuate atrocities. This book really demonstrates that. I will find a way to live life differently.
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41jcVHip-dL._SX327_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41juZ31kr8L.jpg
Fascinating topic that I admittedly know little about. I think it's something we should all educate ourselves on. I will avoid the dumb clean eating/dirty genes joke. Thank god for the library.

[Mike]

Currently reading "Man's Search For Meaning" by Victor Frankl.

All about the Nazi concentration camps and the therapy and philosophy Frankl developed as a result of experiencing and surviving them: Logos Therapy

This should be required reading in every high school, as far as I'm concerned.

[Johan (Keyholder)]

Mike, Viktor Frankl is a very good source indeed! Also his other books are worth reading.

A little story about Logotherapy. About five years ago I was in Vienna (Austria) with a friend. I was very much into logotherapy at the time. I did and still do consider it one of the best kinds of psychotherapy. I even thought about getting a certification for a while. The main center for Logotherapy is in Vienna. So, we decided to pay a visit there.

On a weekend, we went to the house where the Viktor Frankl Institute (for Logotherapy) was (and still is), in the Prinz-Eugenstrasse in the center of Vienna. We found it, it was a nice big house, but the center was on a higher floor and just one apartment it seemed.

We knocked. No answer. Well, it wàs on a weekend of course, so nobody there. Sudeenly the door just next to where we knocked opened up. A nice old lady greeted us. It "just happened" to be Viktor Frankl's widow, in her nineties then.

She said: "I have visitors from Brasil, but if you want you can come in and I will show you where my husband and I lived. We got a tour of the house and a lot of history.

But what stayed most with me is this, what she said in the end: "I am so sorry that logotherapy doesn't get more applied in the world of psychologists. But that is because most people that are treated by a logotherapist are healed after a few sessions. So, there is not a lot of money in it for the professional field and few use it."

After having read quite a bit about logotherapy, I believe she was correct. Sadly, she died a few years ago.

[Icare]

This morning I finished reading a book I had read before and enjoyed, so I thought I'd read it again and then pass it on to someone else.
Little did I realize how much more of the content I understood this second time.

The book is by a Siberian author, a trained doctor of psychiatry, called

Olga Kharitidi: Entering the Circle.

It is an autobiographical account of her spiritual adventure in snowy Siberia. Joining an ailing friend on a spontaneous trip to the Altai Mountains in order to find help, Dr. Kharitidi is taken into apprenticeship by a native Shaman who guides her through bizarre, magical, and often terrifying experiences that open her eyes to deeper learning. A mystical place called Belowodje (which sounds like Shangri-La) is mentioned repeatedly and she ends up becoming more and more enthralled by the whole process and by that place.

I liked it the first time round but this time I just didn't want the book to end, I wanted to know how the story of her life goes on and whether or not she has actually managed to find the place.

I also liked the fact that she was able to make practical use of some of the knowledge she gathered in the Altai area. She now has a new understanding of her job of a psychiatrist and can help people more effectively.

She now knows the reasons why people are schizophrenic; there are two, as she learnt, one being that people have lost or sold their souls, the other being that people are possessed by a demonic entity.

And that second reason correlates with something I heard on a podcast recently which was about that very subject. Retired psychotherapist Jerry Marzinsky says exactly the same. He also says he wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen in in so many of his patients in prison and claims he was even able to communicate with some of those demons.
I have always known that evil exists, but I used to refuse to personalize it it any way. I now believe demons are real and they do try to interfere with people.
Now that two people who sound very credible to me say the same thing, it makes more and more sense to me.

I'm currently thinking of buying another one of Olga Kharditi's books, this one was her very first.

[Vicus]

I'm reading: The Exegesis of Philip K Dick

for starters : Philip K Dick was a science fiction writer Giant...

on his books are based many fantastic films...

Der Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, The Man in the High Castle, Screamers,

Next, A Scanner Darkly, Paycheck, Radio Free Albemuth, The Adjustment Bureau ,etc.

his 2 principal themes: what is reality? and what is to be human? ...


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_K._Dick


After a fantastic event in his life he took notices, letters which are the bulk of this book.

this book (944 pages!) is just 1/10 of his notices! sampling from his children, editor, etc.

for a taste of it:


The Ten Major Principles of the Gnostic Revelation
From Exegesis, by Philip K. Dick

The Gnostic Christians of the second century believed that only a special revelation of knowledge rather than faith could save a person. The contents of this revelation could not be received empirically or derived a priori. They considered this special gnosis so valuable that it must be kept secret. Here are the ten major principles of the gnostic revelation:

1. The creator of this world is demented.

2. The world is not as it appears, in order to hide the evil in it, a delusive veil obscuring it and the deranged deity.

3. There is another, better realm of God, and all our efforts are to be directed toward
a. returning there
b. bringing it here

4. Our actual lives stretch thousands of years back, and we can be made to remember our origin in the stars.

5. Each of us has a divine counterpart unfallen who can reach a hand down to us to awaken us. This other personality is the authentic waking self; the one we have now is asleep and minor. We are in fact asleep, and in the hands of a dangerous magician disguised as a good god, the deranged creator deity. The bleakness, the evil and pain in this world, the fact that it is a deterministic prison controlled by the demented creator causes us willingly to split with the reality principle early in life, and so to speak willingly fall asleep in delusion.

6. You can pass from the delusional prison world into the peaceful kingdom if the True Good God places you under His grace and allows you to see reality through His eyes.

7. Christ gave, rather than received, revelation; he taught his followers how to enter the kingdom while still alive, where other mystery religions only bring about amnesis: knowledge of it at the "other time" in "the other realm," not here. He causes it to come here, and is the living agency to the Sole Good God (i.e. the Logos).

8. Probably the real, secret Christian church still exists, long underground, with the living Corpus Christi as its head or ruler, the members absorbed into it. Through participation in it they probably have vast, seemingly magical powers.

9. The division into "two times" (good and evil) and "two realms" (good and evil) will abruptly end with victory for the good time here, as the presently invisible kingdom separates and becomes visible. We cannot know the date.

10. During this time period we are on the sifting bridge being judged according to which power we give allegiance to, the deranged creator demiurge of this world or the One Good God and his kingdom, whom we know through Christ.

To know these ten principles of Gnostic Christianity is to court disaster.

(now he tells us?)

[James Newell]

I can agree with many of these Gnostic tenets. I can also agree you can find out about the delusion you have been living under and become Free.

[Michel Leclerc]

I recently read the Pulitzer Prize winning novel (in 2014) "The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt
Review here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Goldfinch_(novel)
...and then watched the movie, which is quite good, though it was a difficult fit, as the novel is very long.

The most lasting impression for me is the real life painting of the captive goldfinch, which has affected me like no other painting ever has, and I never thought could.
It makes me feel unbearably sad, and I really can't look at it for more than a few seconds without grief welling up in my heart.:(
There is so much expression in its eyes!
The actual story of the painting itself is fascinating, and the way it is woven into the book is very well done.
I'm glad this exquisite little painting, whose creator was so very before his time, is getting so much attention now.
I just wish that poor little bird could fly away!

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Fabritius-vink.jpg/800px-Fabritius-vink.jpg

Nick Hornby's latest novel "Just Like You". See review :
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/sep/08/just-like-you-review-nick-hornby-tackles-race-romance-and-brexit
Hornby is one of my favorite novelists. His books always touch my heart.
I think "About a Boy" and "High Fidelity" are my favorites.

Thank you Onawah. The emotional precision of those 17-th century “Netherlandic” masters... Music (classical) brings me to tears once or twice a year, but a painting did only once, in my twenties..: I stood eye-to-eye with one of Rembrandt's self-portraits in which the already ailing man has tears in his eyes. I remember standing there, sobbing. Carel Fabritius was one of his students, as you probably know. On Wikipedia you will find an extraordinary self-portrait – what an intensely beaming presence! It is as good as Rembrandt’s best.. Reading the page, I have just discovered that he died in a freak accident, when a munitions depot exploded in Delft. Very few of his works have been preserved. At least two ;-) are extraordinary. He painted the gold-finch in 1654; he died that very same year, on the 12th of October.
This is a good reproduction of the self-portrait I referred to:

https://painting-planet.com/self-portrait-by-karel-fabricius/

[Icare]

I have just finished reading Dan Brown's "Inferno" because I quite liked the "Da Vinci Code" and thought it might be an interesting read.

It was written in 2013 and is about a virus having been created by an extremely wealthy scientist in order to control population growth.
Robert Landon, known from The "Da Vinci Code" as well, is asked by the WHO to help find the place where a scientist has hidden it in order to set it loose on the world. When he actually finds the place it turns out the virus has already been set loose and has infected the population of the whole world already. It turns out it's a DNA altering virus that makes about 1/3 of the population sterile in order to control population growth.

I found the book quite annoying in some respects as it reads like an advertisement for the WHO (an organization with great leadership and integrity (and far too much power) in this book) and Bill Gates (such a humanitarian) and even though the scientist who lets the virus lose on the world is called crazy and condemned by the hero of the story, there are numerous arguments mentioned by the highly intelligent woman he teams up with who first appears to be on his side, then later turns out to have been the mad scientist's girlfriend, which actually make the whole thing sound like an advertisement for population control. The female head of the WHO condems the mad scientist but really has no counter-arguments against the case the scientist makes.
In the end it's like what the super intelligent scientist did wasn't so bad after all.

There are quite a few plot twists in the story which make it an interesting read, there is a lot of well-researched information about Florence, Venice and other places which is also quite interesting, but the message hidden in this novel is rather ambiguous or even more pro depopulation.

To me, it sounds like Dan Brown is a spokesman for TPTB. It also sounds like he already knew what was going to happen in the not too distant future.
I wish I hadn't read it.

[Ravenlocke]

The books I’ve been drawn to read lately are:
The Power of Prayer
A Book Of Christmas Miracles 101 stories of Holiday hope and Happiness
Soul Wisdom Practical Soul treasures to transform your life
Where Miracles Happen
Where Angels Walk
They are easy, uplifting, nostalgic, consoling and hopeful.

[Nenuphar]

DIY Autoflowering Cannabis, by Jeff Lowenfels. I have read that those much more experienced in the use and growing of cannabis refer to this book jokingly (but affectionately) as the book you'd give your aunt or grandmother to read. You know, a semi-reserved person who loves to grow tomatoes but has never gone near a recreational drug in their life.

So it's perfect for me. :Angel: :unsure:

I still have little desire to use it recreationally, but as health problems rear their ugly heads, I find myself researching alternatives. Mainstream medicine and the prescriptions that come with it have not always been helpful.

[Icare]

I am currently reading and am in the process of finishing a book that was mentioned by C0rv0 here on Avalon and can be found our library:

Salvador Freixedo: Let us defend against the gods from 1985, but very topical right now

It is apparently a google translation from the original Spanish book and as such it contains quite a few errors, nevertheless it is a fascinating book.


Freixedo first explains who or what the gods are : beings on a different vibrational level to us who are much more powerful than us, who may well have inhabited the earth long before us, who can willingly change their vibrations at times in order to make contact with us and who can travel in space as is claimed in many cultures and creeds including christianity, with us being their creations.

He mentions numerous parallels in different cultures and religions that I have never seen mentioned anywhere else before but which make sense.

Having a Christian background himself he claims that the god of the old testament, Yahweh, is very much like other gods of ancient times (liken Baal etc), proving this statemenet with examples of Yahweh's demands from his people.

As I have a Christian background as well, even went to a Christian school, I found it astonishing how many stories of the Bible were left out in the religious teaching I received.
And it is not surprising at all that children don't get to hear those stories at school and adults don't bother reading those parts of the Bible.

The most telling stories Freixedo retells are about the way God's chosen people were asked to sacrifice animals to him (sometimes humans, too). Yahweh wanted his people to kill the animals in a specific way, wanted their blood spilt all around the altar, asked for the viscera to be distributed in a certain way and for the rest of the body to be burned.

Freixedo then explains why the gods wanted it that way and makes it perfectly plain that that is the way they can feed on our energy best. Apparently our fresh blood is what they enjoy best as it "very easily and naturally releases this type of energy (which is ultimately nothing more than electromagnetic waves) that so pleases the gods. To obtain similar energies from a living body, the gods have to kill it violently and then burn it, while the blood, when it flows freely, already separated from the body, releases this energy in a completely
spontaneous way." (p.86)

It is not that they specifically need us as food but they enjoy having the energies coming from this just like we enjoy coffee or tobacco, for example.

What the gods seek:
1. They look first for the waves produced by an excited humanbrain; (mostly tormented).
2. They look for the “waves of life”, that is, the energy that aliving body gives off when it dies violently.
3. They look for the waves that each and every one of the cells give off, which are still alive for a long time after the man or animal has already died.
4. They look for the spilled blood, because when it is outside the body, it very easily releases an energy that they want.

A man who is to be sacrificed to a god provides all of what they look for: terror and despair provide aspect 1
what they seek. violent death provides aspect 2
the cremation of the body provides aspect 3
and a river of blood (4) is the natural fruit of these sacred bestialities with which men have been deceived for
millennia as children ...
(cf. p. 93)

There are probably more things that they seek and achieve in their visits to our dimension, which go unnoticed by us, and which we probably would not understand even if they explained them to us

The gods' enjoyment of these particular vibrations emanating from fear, pain, cruelty, anger, also feelings of extasy and blood is the reason why throughout human history there has been mayhem and bloodshed in various forms, like war (e.g. Yahweh led his people into numerous wars and had thousands of animal and quite a few people sacrificed to him), religious persecution leading to torture, and later, in more civilized times, blood sports, athletic competitions between clubs and countries and team sports with large crowds displaying vast amounts of energy within that particular vibrational field.

The author draws a parallel between how we treat our animals and how the gods treat us which again makes total sense to me as he mentions several convincing examples. Essentially Earth is a farm with us being just a step above the animal kingdom in the food chain.

To me that is a sobering thought, but one which makes total sense when looking at the big picture.

Freixedo believes that contacts with the gods is harmful to people, part of the reason for that is that they can easily overpower and manipulate us with their vibrations.
He says they use us and are not primarily interested in our feelings, our judgements or our reactions to their way of acting with us.

"In their dealings with us, their interest is always (...) that which prevails; if something suits them and helps us, they will do it; and if something suits them and hurts us, they will do it
in the same way.
All of human history has been subtly guided by them, so that we would do what was convenient for them." (p. 139).

The human race has repeatedly seen its ascension to higher levels of consciousness frustrated due to the intervention of the gods who make sure that man does not mature
and continues to serve them. They have used tricks and false guidelines, like wars, traditions, religions and dogmata, thus strangling the human spirit for millenia (cf. p. 139).

Freixedo the mentions the pros and cons of religions, making it abundantly clear where the pros end, ultimately making it impossible for us to progress. He also mentions the fact that we developed much faster once the total power of the church over the people was broken.

Here's how he thinks we can defend ourselves against the gods:


1. We must not try to enter their terrain. And everybody who tries to “transcend” in this life enters their field. "In a certain way it is dangerous to physically approach some preachers,
“founders,” enlightened and mystics. (...) (p. 152)

2. Never give your mind to anyone. The mind must always be free and available at the service of the human being to tell him what the circumstances are at that moment and what to do.

3. Do not invoke anyone. Don't call anyone to worship him. Do not bow down to any god-person or to any god-thing to worship him or to celebrate rites for him. You could too easily end
up calling upon one of those gods. Someone who invokes is exposed to "being parasitised" (p. 157) (as is someone who allows another to hypnotize him, don't do it).
The true God of the Universe, the Supreme Intelligence, totally unknowable in its entirety by the human mind, does not go around demanding, like a jealous lover, that his creatures
constantly worship him, or show him love.
The best worship that we can actually render to God is the right use of the creatures of nature. Show respect for life.

4. Don't offer them your pain. Do not offer to suffer. Refuse pain for pain's sake and never seek it. Rebel against sacred masochism, which as a sacrament has been enthroned in the Ch
Christian Church for centuries.
God does not want human pain;the gods do want it because to some degree they benefit from it.

5. Get rid of dogmas and rites. Put aside the traditional beliefs that have to do with the afterlife and with the way of conceiving this life.

6. Detraumatize. Free the soul from all the fears and all the anguish and all the deformations that erroneous Christian beliefs (and ultimately, the gods) have instilled in us over the
centuries and throughout our lives. Our minds are sick. Just as the psyche of many people is deeply affected by some strong trauma or fright that they received in their childhood, the
psyche and the ability to think dispassionately, are deeply affected in the entire human race.

7. After having taken steps 5 and 6, institute a new order of values. Organize new priorities in life, according not to the wishes of any god, but to the needs of mankind.
The only thing that is sacred on Earth is life itself and its correct evolution.
These new dogmas will also be much more generic and, above all, more respectful of the Divine, without going into defining or analyzing it, and recognizing that our brain is totally
incapable of encompassing an Intelligence and an Energy that have been able to make all that infinity roll.
the Cosmic God, the God-Universe, has nothing to do with the idol of Christianity. The God-Energy does not have anger, nor is he impatient, much less has eternal punishments for
this wonderful speck of dust called man (all this from p. 164).


8. WE HAVE TO RADICALLY CHANGE OUR IDEA OF GOD.
Look to you! You are a true child of GOD! Not for redemptions or for salvations that no one has given you, but because of your very nature that participates in divinity and that you
have to make evolve through the good use of your intelligence and your longlife; but apart from the heart ”. (p.169)

We are slowly awakening, let's evolve rationally and without fear (cf. p. 173). We have to evolve intellectually, morally and aesthetically (p. 174).

I would recommend this to just about everybody and if you disagree with what I wrote about it here or want a deeper explanation, feel free to look this up in the book , that's why I used quotes and the exact sources, all the points the author makes are explained in detail, there is just too much in there to put it all in one post.

[onawah]

I greatly enjoyed the STARZ "Outlander" series, based on the novels by Diana Gabaldon, so much so that I decided to tackle the books, which are VERY long, so I've been reading myself to sleep with them for months now.
I'm on book 6 now, "A Breath of Snow and Ashes", and the storyline continues to engross me because the characters are so well fleshed-out, and there is so much authentic, well-researched detail.
But there is a new twist in the narrative for me now; because I have become convinced that Earth is due for a disaster of epic proportions within the next 20-25 years, a magnetic pole reversal.
So now I am imagining what it would be like to be in a similar position to some of the main characters in the story, who are time travelers, traversing from the 1960s back to the time of the colonization of America.
I don't think all technology will be lost in our near post-apocalyptic future, but since survivors may not have the means to reproduce surviving technology, eventually reverting to much earlier means of survival will probably be necessary.
I wonder if there are any novels about the survivors of the Fall of Atlantis....particularly any written by survivors writing from past life memories...
That could be very interesting, even instructive....

[Pam]

I am currently reading and am in the process of finishing a book that was mentioned by C0rv0 here on Avalon and can be found our library:

Salvador Freixedo: Let us defend against the gods from 1985, but very topical right now

It is apparently a google translation from the original Spanish book and as such it contains quite a few errors, nevertheless it is a fascinating book.


Freixedo first explains who or what the gods are : beings on a different vibrational level to us who are much more powerful than us, who may well have inhabited the earth long before us, who can willingly change their vibrations at times in order to make contact with us and who can travel in space as is claimed in many cultures and creeds including christianity, with us being their creations.

He mentions numerous parallels in different cultures and religions that I have never seen mentioned anywhere else before but which make sense.

Having a Christian background himself he claims that the god of the old testament, Yahweh, is very much like other gods of ancient times (liken Baal etc), proving this statemenet with examples of Yahweh's demands from his people.

As I have a Christian background as well, even went to a Christian school, I found it astonishing how many stories of the Bible were left out in the religious teaching I received.
And it is not surprising at all that children don't get to hear those stories at school and adults don't bother reading those parts of the Bible.

The most telling stories Freixedo retells are about the way God's chosen people were asked to sacrifice animals to him (sometimes humans, too). Yahweh wanted his people to kill the animals in a specific way, wanted their blood spilt all around the altar, asked for the viscera to be distributed in a certain way and for the rest of the body to be burned.

Freixedo then explains why the gods wanted it that way and makes it perfectly plain that that is the way they can feed on our energy best. Apparently our fresh blood is what they enjoy best as it "very easily and naturally releases this type of energy (which is ultimately nothing more than electromagnetic waves) that so pleases the gods. To obtain similar energies from a living body, the gods have to kill it violently and then burn it, while the blood, when it flows freely, already separated from the body, releases this energy in a completely
spontaneous way." (p.86)

It is not that they specifically need us as food but they enjoy having the energies coming from this just like we enjoy coffee or tobacco, for example.

What the gods seek:
1. They look first for the waves produced by an excited humanbrain; (mostly tormented).
2. They look for the “waves of life”, that is, the energy that aliving body gives off when it dies violently.
3. They look for the waves that each and every one of the cells give off, which are still alive for a long time after the man or animal has already died.
4. They look for the spilled blood, because when it is outside the body, it very easily releases an energy that they want.

A man who is to be sacrificed to a god provides all of what they look for: terror and despair provide aspect 1
what they seek. violent death provides aspect 2
the cremation of the body provides aspect 3
and a river of blood (4) is the natural fruit of these sacred bestialities with which men have been deceived for
millennia as children ...
(cf. p. 93)

There are probably more things that they seek and achieve in their visits to our dimension, which go unnoticed by us, and which we probably would not understand even if they explained them to us

The gods' enjoyment of these particular vibrations emanating from fear, pain, cruelty, anger, also feelings of extasy and blood is the reason why throughout human history there has been mayhem and bloodshed in various forms, like war (e.g. Yahweh led his people into numerous wars and had thousands of animal and quite a few people sacrificed to him), religious persecution leading to torture, and later, in more civilized times, blood sports, athletic competitions between clubs and countries and team sports with large crowds displaying vast amounts of energy within that particular vibrational field.

The author draws a parallel between how we treat our animals and how the gods treat us which again makes total sense to me as he mentions several convincing examples. Essentially Earth is a farm with us being just a step above the animal kingdom in the food chain.

To me that is a sobering thought, but one which makes total sense when looking at the big picture.

Freixedo believes that contacts with the gods is harmful to people, part of the reason for that is that they can easily overpower and manipulate us with their vibrations.
He says they use us and are not primarily interested in our feelings, our judgements or our reactions to their way of acting with us.

"In their dealings with us, their interest is always (...) that which prevails; if something suits them and helps us, they will do it; and if something suits them and hurts us, they will do it
in the same way.
All of human history has been subtly guided by them, so that we would do what was convenient for them." (p. 139).

The human race has repeatedly seen its ascension to higher levels of consciousness frustrated due to the intervention of the gods who make sure that man does not mature
and continues to serve them. They have used tricks and false guidelines, like wars, traditions, religions and dogmata, thus strangling the human spirit for millenia (cf. p. 139).

Freixedo the mentions the pros and cons of religions, making it abundantly clear where the pros end, ultimately making it impossible for us to progress. He also mentions the fact that we developed much faster once the total power of the church over the people was broken.

Here's how he thinks we can defend ourselves against the gods:


1. We must not try to enter their terrain. And everybody who tries to “transcend” in this life enters their field. "In a certain way it is dangerous to physically approach some preachers,
“founders,” enlightened and mystics. (...) (p. 152)

2. Never give your mind to anyone. The mind must always be free and available at the service of the human being to tell him what the circumstances are at that moment and what to do.

3. Do not invoke anyone. Don't call anyone to worship him. Do not bow down to any god-person or to any god-thing to worship him or to celebrate rites for him. You could too easily end
up calling upon one of those gods. Someone who invokes is exposed to "being parasitised" (p. 157) (as is someone who allows another to hypnotize him, don't do it).
The true God of the Universe, the Supreme Intelligence, totally unknowable in its entirety by the human mind, does not go around demanding, like a jealous lover, that his creatures
constantly worship him, or show him love.
The best worship that we can actually render to God is the right use of the creatures of nature. Show respect for life.

4. Don't offer them your pain. Do not offer to suffer. Refuse pain for pain's sake and never seek it. Rebel against sacred masochism, which as a sacrament has been enthroned in the Ch
Christian Church for centuries.
God does not want human pain;the gods do want it because to some degree they benefit from it.

5. Get rid of dogmas and rites. Put aside the traditional beliefs that have to do with the afterlife and with the way of conceiving this life.

6. Detraumatize. Free the soul from all the fears and all the anguish and all the deformations that erroneous Christian beliefs (and ultimately, the gods) have instilled in us over the
centuries and throughout our lives. Our minds are sick. Just as the psyche of many people is deeply affected by some strong trauma or fright that they received in their childhood, the
psyche and the ability to think dispassionately, are deeply affected in the entire human race.

7. After having taken steps 5 and 6, institute a new order of values. Organize new priorities in life, according not to the wishes of any god, but to the needs of mankind.
The only thing that is sacred on Earth is life itself and its correct evolution.
These new dogmas will also be much more generic and, above all, more respectful of the Divine, without going into defining or analyzing it, and recognizing that our brain is totally
incapable of encompassing an Intelligence and an Energy that have been able to make all that infinity roll.
the Cosmic God, the God-Universe, has nothing to do with the idol of Christianity. The God-Energy does not have anger, nor is he impatient, much less has eternal punishments for
this wonderful speck of dust called man (all this from p. 164).


8. WE HAVE TO RADICALLY CHANGE OUR IDEA OF GOD.
Look to you! You are a true child of GOD! Not for redemptions or for salvations that no one has given you, but because of your very nature that participates in divinity and that you
have to make evolve through the good use of your intelligence and your longlife; but apart from the heart ”. (p.169)

We are slowly awakening, let's evolve rationally and without fear (cf. p. 173). We have to evolve intellectually, morally and aesthetically (p. 174).

I would recommend this to just about everybody and if you disagree with what I wrote about it here or want a deeper explanation, feel free to look this up in the book , that's why I used quotes and the exact sources, all the points the author makes are explained in detail, there is just too much in there to put it all in one post.

Wow! I am blown away by your synopsis of this book. I am glad Avalon has it as I tried (because I am lazy that way) just to order it as either an ebook or printed but no luck. It boggles my mind that this information has been out and about for a long time. The reality is that one isn't ready to hear it, until they are ready. So much of this very important information (from your post alone) would have zoomed over my head even a few years ago.

Thanks for taking the time to give us the overview Icare, this makes sense on so many levels.

[Pam]

I greatly enjoyed the STARZ "Outlander" series, based on the novels by Diana Gabaldon, so much so that I decided to tackle the books, which are VERY long, so I've been reading myself to sleep with them for months now.
I'm on book 6 now, "A Breath of Snow and Ashes", and the storyline continues to engross me because the characters are so well fleshed-out, and there is so much authentic, well-researched detail.
But there is a new twist in the narrative for me now; because I have become convinced that Earth is due for a disaster of epic proportions within the next 20-25 years, a magnetic pole reversal.
So now I am imagining what it would be like to be in a similar position to some of the main characters in the story, who are time travelers, traversing from the 1960s back to the time of the colonization of America.
I don't think all technology will be lost in our near post-apocalyptic future, but since survivors may not have the means to reproduce surviving technology, eventually reverting to much earlier means of survival will probably be necessary.
I wonder if there are any novels about the survivors of the Fall of Atlantis....particularly any written by survivors writing from past life memories...
That could be very interesting, even instructive....

What an interesting thought, about survivors of Atlantis. We hear how the survivors scattered but I don't recall anyone talking about or really even speculating on how and what that looked like for them on a day to day basis.

I remember taking a deep dive into what the life of pioneer women (some of the very first) looked like and the incredible amount of work that was involved in simple survival and being a homemaker. It's a shame so much of the history we have been provided was inaccurate and rarely from the viewpoint of women or just day to day life.

I kind of resent that what passed for history in school was not only inaccurate much of the time, it was marked by events like wars, treaties ect. That just held very little interest to me. I suppose presenting that perspective was part of the programming. Now it seems to be based on who was the greatest victim..

I didn't realize Outlander was actually a series of books, looks like it might be a fun read.

[Kevin_Hall]

I've been reading Kip Thorne "The Science of Interstellar" for some time now. I feel how it expands the limits of my mind. This book makes you think wider than you used to.
I think it is necessary for every engineer, an option to think widely.

[7alon]

I'm reading: The Exegesis of Philip K Dick

for starters : Philip K Dick was a science fiction writer Giant...

on his books are based many fantastic films...

Der Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, The Man in the High Castle, Screamers,

Next, A Scanner Darkly, Paycheck, Radio Free Albemuth, The Adjustment Bureau ,etc.

his 2 principal themes: what is reality? and what is to be human? ...


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_K._Dick


After a fantastic event in his life he took notices, letters which are the bulk of this book.

this book (944 pages!) is just 1/10 of his notices! sampling from his children, editor, etc.

for a taste of it:


The Ten Major Principles of the Gnostic Revelation
From Exegesis, by Philip K. Dick

The Gnostic Christians of the second century believed that only a special revelation of knowledge rather than faith could save a person. The contents of this revelation could not be received empirically or derived a priori. They considered this special gnosis so valuable that it must be kept secret. Here are the ten major principles of the gnostic revelation:

1. The creator of this world is demented.

2. The world is not as it appears, in order to hide the evil in it, a delusive veil obscuring it and the deranged deity.

3. There is another, better realm of God, and all our efforts are to be directed toward
a. returning there
b. bringing it here

4. Our actual lives stretch thousands of years back, and we can be made to remember our origin in the stars.

5. Each of us has a divine counterpart unfallen who can reach a hand down to us to awaken us. This other personality is the authentic waking self; the one we have now is asleep and minor. We are in fact asleep, and in the hands of a dangerous magician disguised as a good god, the deranged creator deity. The bleakness, the evil and pain in this world, the fact that it is a deterministic prison controlled by the demented creator causes us willingly to split with the reality principle early in life, and so to speak willingly fall asleep in delusion.

6. You can pass from the delusional prison world into the peaceful kingdom if the True Good God places you under His grace and allows you to see reality through His eyes.

7. Christ gave, rather than received, revelation; he taught his followers how to enter the kingdom while still alive, where other mystery religions only bring about amnesis: knowledge of it at the "other time" in "the other realm," not here. He causes it to come here, and is the living agency to the Sole Good God (i.e. the Logos).

8. Probably the real, secret Christian church still exists, long underground, with the living Corpus Christi as its head or ruler, the members absorbed into it. Through participation in it they probably have vast, seemingly magical powers.

9. The division into "two times" (good and evil) and "two realms" (good and evil) will abruptly end with victory for the good time here, as the presently invisible kingdom separates and becomes visible. We cannot know the date.

10. During this time period we are on the sifting bridge being judged according to which power we give allegiance to, the deranged creator demiurge of this world or the One Good God and his kingdom, whom we know through Christ.

To know these ten principles of Gnostic Christianity is to court disaster.

(now he tells us?)

This is mostly correct. the first point is confusing to some because it is both true and untrue. The false 'God' is not even a God, but deific in power. There are also three of them forming a trinity (two male, one female). They once had kingship with others to govern this world, but fell and are now trapped here on purpose. Those that worship these beings want to release them with their full knowing intact. That would be very bad for everybody. They claim they are still the rightful rulers, but they are not, hence their imprisonment... simply manipulating those that give into the temptations of evil. I do not know whether they can't incarnate like us, or simply are choosing not to so they retain their full knowledge/consciousness.

Feel free to disagree, but this is something that can be traced by others, I'm not just talking 'my opinion'. :)

[Mashika]

Chicken Soup For the Soul series :) Lots of great single and very beautiful uplifting stories

[Pam]

I'm reading: The Exegesis of Philip K Dick

for starters : Philip K Dick was a science fiction writer Giant...

on his books are based many fantastic films...

Der Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, The Man in the High Castle, Screamers,

Next, A Scanner Darkly, Paycheck, Radio Free Albemuth, The Adjustment Bureau ,etc.

his 2 principal themes: what is reality? and what is to be human? ...


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_K._Dick


After a fantastic event in his life he took notices, letters which are the bulk of this book.

this book (944 pages!) is just 1/10 of his notices! sampling from his children, editor, etc.

for a taste of it:


The Ten Major Principles of the Gnostic Revelation
From Exegesis, by Philip K. Dick

The Gnostic Christians of the second century believed that only a special revelation of knowledge rather than faith could save a person. The contents of this revelation could not be received empirically or derived a priori. They considered this special gnosis so valuable that it must be kept secret. Here are the ten major principles of the gnostic revelation:

1. The creator of this world is demented.

2. The world is not as it appears, in order to hide the evil in it, a delusive veil obscuring it and the deranged deity.

3. There is another, better realm of God, and all our efforts are to be directed toward
a. returning there
b. bringing it here

4. Our actual lives stretch thousands of years back, and we can be made to remember our origin in the stars.

5. Each of us has a divine counterpart unfallen who can reach a hand down to us to awaken us. This other personality is the authentic waking self; the one we have now is asleep and minor. We are in fact asleep, and in the hands of a dangerous magician disguised as a good god, the deranged creator deity. The bleakness, the evil and pain in this world, the fact that it is a deterministic prison controlled by the demented creator causes us willingly to split with the reality principle early in life, and so to speak willingly fall asleep in delusion.

6. You can pass from the delusional prison world into the peaceful kingdom if the True Good God places you under His grace and allows you to see reality through His eyes.

7. Christ gave, rather than received, revelation; he taught his followers how to enter the kingdom while still alive, where other mystery religions only bring about amnesis: knowledge of it at the "other time" in "the other realm," not here. He causes it to come here, and is the living agency to the Sole Good God (i.e. the Logos).

8. Probably the real, secret Christian church still exists, long underground, with the living Corpus Christi as its head or ruler, the members absorbed into it. Through participation in it they probably have vast, seemingly magical powers.

9. The division into "two times" (good and evil) and "two realms" (good and evil) will abruptly end with victory for the good time here, as the presently invisible kingdom separates and becomes visible. We cannot know the date.

10. During this time period we are on the sifting bridge being judged according to which power we give allegiance to, the deranged creator demiurge of this world or the One Good God and his kingdom, whom we know through Christ.

To know these ten principles of Gnostic Christianity is to court disaster.

(now he tells us?)


Bumpetee bump


Thank you, Vicus... this is taking on a new level of significance to me.

[Strat]

Finished Animal Farm and I'm trying out a book that's been on the back burner for a while:


"Moonwalking With Einstein"

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/514xTQgGrQL._SL500_.jpg

I listened to an interview with the author, Joshua Foer, quite some time ago. I'm going to butcher the explanation but apparently there is some sort of annual contest to see who has the best memory. It's very competitive and just like anything else competitive you have to practice for it. I remember in the interview he was saying how he has a method that he practices for ~ 30 minutes each day. In this book Joshua gives the strategies he uses to retain information. I'm hoping the info in this book will help me to do just that. I'm always studying something so it'd be great if I had a sort of refined way to retain information efficiently.

[Ratszinger]

The Real Doctor Fauci by Rob Kennedy. I really like Bob but dang is he a difficult read!