June 5, 2015
"Thoughts Regurgitated" ... I have no original thoughts ... nothing I can claim Intellectual Property Rights on. :-)
On the other hand ... thoughts I learn from some people seem to have better 'staying power' in my memory. The IT expression 'Cloud Computing' triggered the memory of one of those thoughts ... something I read many years ago in St Augustine's book "Confessions". This particular thought has resurfaced from the dark recesses of my memory so many times ... and here we are today thinking and writing about it again. Hmmm!
Here is St Augustine's thought:
"This power of memory is great, very great, my God. It is a vast and infinite profundity. Who has plumbed its bottom? This power is that of my mind and is a natural endowment, but I myself cannot grasp the totality of what I am. Is the mind, then, too restricted to compass itself, so that we have to ask what is that element of itself which it fails to grasp? Surely that cannot be external to itself; it must be within the mind. How than can it fail to grasp it? This question moves me to great astonishment. Amazement grips me. People are moved to wonder by mountain peaks, by vast waves of the sea, by broad waterfalls on rivers, by the all-embracing extent of the ocean, by the revolutions of the stars. But in themselves they are uninterested.”
Until today I had only heard the expression 'Cloud Computing' on television a few times ... I had no idea what the technology was all about. I still don't ... but I found the following diagram while looking for help to understand the concept of Cloud Computing.
"Thoughts Regurgitated" ... I have no original thoughts ... nothing I can claim Intellectual Property Rights on. :-)
On the other hand ... thoughts I learn from some people seem to have better 'staying power' in my memory. The IT expression 'Cloud Computing' triggered the memory of one of those thoughts ... something I read many years ago in St Augustine's book "Confessions". This particular thought has resurfaced from the dark recesses of my memory so many times ... and here we are today thinking and writing about it again. Hmmm!
Here is St Augustine's thought:
"This power of memory is great, very great, my God. It is a vast and infinite profundity. Who has plumbed its bottom? This power is that of my mind and is a natural endowment, but I myself cannot grasp the totality of what I am. Is the mind, then, too restricted to compass itself, so that we have to ask what is that element of itself which it fails to grasp? Surely that cannot be external to itself; it must be within the mind. How than can it fail to grasp it? This question moves me to great astonishment. Amazement grips me. People are moved to wonder by mountain peaks, by vast waves of the sea, by broad waterfalls on rivers, by the all-embracing extent of the ocean, by the revolutions of the stars. But in themselves they are uninterested.”
Until today I had only heard the expression 'Cloud Computing' on television a few times ... I had no idea what the technology was all about. I still don't ... but I found the following diagram while looking for help to understand the concept of Cloud Computing.
"Cloud computing types" by Sam Johnston - Created by Sam Johnston using OminGroup's OmniGraffle and Inkscape (includes Building icon.svg by Kenny sh). Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
My mind immediately connected the diagram to St Augustine's dilemma ...
Is the mind, then, too restricted to compass itself, so that we have to ask what is that element of itself which it fails to grasp? Surely that cannot be external to itself; it must be within the mind.
In the above diagram I associate the component "Private/Internal or "On Premises/Internal" with the individual human mind I associate the component labelled "The Cloud" ... Off Premises/Third Party ... with the notion of "Noosphere" ... Heaven ... God
Today, it seems to me that 'technology' may succeed where 'religion' failed. :-)
If we simply take the word 'religion' at face value ... from the common understanding that the word 'religion' means to reconnect with God ... technology seems to be driving us in that direction. How so?
I read this morning ...
"Within 15 years, humans will be implanted with nanobots that will connect their brains to the internet, allowing for vastly accelerated cognition. Ten years after that, most of our thinking “will be done online,” according to futurologist Ray Kurzweil.
“Our thinking then will be a hybrid of biological and non-biological thinking. We’ll be able to extend our limitations and think in the cloud. We’re going to put gateways to the cloud in our brains,” said Kurzweil, director of engineering at Google, during a keynote speech at the Exponential Finance conference in New York.
“We’re going to gradually merge and enhance ourselves. In my view, that’s the nature of being human – we transcend our limitations.”
Seems to me that Ray Kurzwell expects "Google" to create the manifestation of the Noosphere ... :-) When I was a teenager many young people used 'LSD' to achieve the same experience. Hmmm!
Back to St Augustine. Sixteen hundred years ago he scratched his head ... maybe even banged his head against the wall ... :-) ... trying to figure out the outer 'boundaries' of his mind. "This question moves me to great astonishment. Amazement grips me."
... and he was a 'genius' in the landscape of humanity. Sixteen hundred years have passed since St Augustine confessed his dilemma ... not a terribly long time ... yet not yesterday either. In confessing his dilemma he created a 'skeleton' ... but failed to put any 'meat on the bones'. Seems to me, the 'meat' is being put on the bones very very quickly these days ... and technology ... not theology/religion ... is leading the way. Hmmm!
June 6, 2015
Kurzwell the 'futurist, Google the corporation, Augustine the theologian and philosopher and Theillard et al the fathers of the notion of Noosphere are all OK ... :-)
Sometime last year I articulated one of my thoughts at the time. Something to the effect ... " absolutely everything is 'truth' ... the Gordian Knot is in interpretation. The aggregate of these 'truths' forms what we know about 'TRUTH' ... pitiful little! I believe "TRUTH" is revealed ... not learned. At some point the 'veil' is lifted and we see clearly. The well know English expressions seem to point in this direction. For example ... "Why didn't I think of that before?" ... "It was staring me in the face and I didn't see it" ... Why didn't I notice that before?" "How could I have missed that?"
Krishnamurti said it best ... "TRUTH is a pathless land" and apparently on his death bed ... at age 90 or so ... he also said "no one understands me". Hmmm
I owe my tiny understanding of the Chinese notion of Yin Yang for my above statements. Let me try to share the basis for my unscientific claim ... absolutely everything is 'truth'.
Most people would likely agree that the world is a better place today than in the past ... both near past and distant past ... despite all the serious challenges facing the world today. I do ... if for no other reason than the invention of the flush toilet. :-)
How did we get to this better condition?
Yang energy!
In the Chinese notion of Yin Yang ... Yang is male, aggressive, hard etc ... symbolized in nature by the sun.
Today we live in a "GLOBAL village". The only way we could get here is with the help of Yang energy ... patriarchal hierarchy ... constant struggle and aggression. The human species is a stubborn lot. :-)
The above argument seems logical enough ... yet ... it's logical extension into the future is a bit scary. Should Yang energy continue to dominate human behaviour what will happen next?
Perhaps the time has come to switch the dominate energy to Yin energy ... known as female,soft, compromising etc ... symbolized in nature as the moon.
June 7, 2015
Technology may succeed where religion failed! Hmmm!
Social media ... Facebook, Twitter, Wei Chat etc ... seems to be another example of how technology may succeed where religion failed. Wow! ... now that's a stretch eh!
Let me start with the word 'governance'.When we hear or read the word 'governance' we usually associate it with the word 'government' or 'politics'. Yet it is one of those 'scalable' words. It can apply to an individual ... "exercising control or rule over oneself" ... cultivating a virtuous and upright character etc. It applies to a family ... every culture has their own unique rules and patterns of behaviour for family members. eg the father usually being the head of the family.it can also apply to the entire world as in World Governance. Scalable from one individual to a collection of more than 7 billion people. Hmmm Reminds me of another few words uttered by St Augustine ... something to the effect "Woe to you! You torrent of human custom. Who can stand against you?"
Two of the oldest cultures in the world ... Jewish and Chinese ... still practice self and family governance that is thousands of years old. Confucius spent his adult life researching and promoting ancient Chinese 'rites' (governance) for individuals, families, villages, states etc. Most Chinese scholars say China remains predominantly a Confucian culture to this day.
Religion is another form of 'governance' where each religion attempts to establish boundaries with doctrine, dogma, rites etc The words orthodox, unorthodox, heretic, apostate, inquisition all owe their origins to this attempt to establish and control religious governance.
So what has this to do with "technology may succeed where religion failed?
I'm not sure ... at this point I'm "thinking out loud" :-)
I'm reminded of something the late Orin Reid said to me one day ... about fifteen years ago. "Bruce ... people are like a school of fish ... you never know where they will feed next"
Orin was a successful real estate developer in Guelph, building more than 1,000 homes a year at the time. His continued success was dependent on him choosing the right location and housing style for his next subdivision project.
History tells us the human species is fickle ... extremely fickle! This characteristic of our human nature is likely reason enough to have spent so much time and effort on 'governance' issues.
Back to social networks. If we had access to the statistics ... how many people in the world use social networks and how frequent is their use? I think the numbers would be staggering.
If we think of the aggregate of activities on social networks as a "school of fish" ... and we accept the axiom ... you never know where the school of fish will feed next ... must be a scary thought for those responsible for national/world governance.
An example of this fear or concern is here in China where Facebook and Twitter are censored ... although as far as I know not illegal. Hmmm!
Now let's go to a word we hear or read often enough these days ... the word "viral".
It has 2 definitions:
1. Of, relating to, or caused by a virus.
2. Of or relating to the propagation of information, ideas, or trends by means of social networks rather than conventional mass media.
I don't know about you but I got shivers when I learned the word 'viral' is a derivative of the word 'virus'. Virus is one of the those scary words associated with SARS, Bird Flu, MERS ... plague ... yikes!
I digress ... yet perhaps this new information is relevant. Earlier I mentioned the words unorthodox, heretic, apostate and inquisition. All of these words seem to deal with keeping a particular religion 'virus' free. Hmmm!
Back to 'viral' ... communication evolved from person to person ... person to many persons verbally ... person to many persons after the advent of written language ... person to many persons after the advent of mass media ... and today persons to many persons via social networks.
Governance was much easier in the past ... only a few people were able to control the 'written word'. For example ... we are told there were many many 'gospels' two thousand years ago yet only 4 or 5 were chosen for propagation. Mass media has always been controlled by the few ... and even the 'fewer' today.
Social media ... I don't know!
Who chooses what will go 'viral'? Certainly there is a lot of time and money spent on the propagation of 'propaganda'. Yet it seems to me some stuff still goes 'viral' that those responsible for governance wish it hadn't ... a virus on the loose on the internet. I'm not referring to those harmful viruses ... simply undesirable information or emotions.
What my point? I still don't know. :-)
I'm thinking about the word "cloud" ... seems I am back to where I started ... Cloud Computing.
When I hear or read the word 'cloud' my memory often drags out the term "collective unconscious" ... a notion introduced by Carl Jung.
Let me drag out some of my earlier notes on this subject :
“Carl Jung was a student and follower of Freud. He was born in a small town in Switzerland in 1875 and all his life was fascinated by folk tales, myths and religious stories. Although he had a close friendship with Freud, early in their relationship his independent and questioning mind soon caused a break.
Jung did not accept Freud’s contention that the primary motivation behind behaviour was sexual urges. Instead of Freud’s instinctual drives of sex and aggression, Jung believed that people are motivated by a more general psychological energy that pushes them to achieve psychological growth, self-realization., psychic wholeness and harmony. Also, unlike Freud, he believed that personality continues to develop throughout the lifespan.
It is for his ideas of the collective unconscious that students of literature and mythology are indebted to Jung. In studying different cultures, he was struck by the universality of many themes, patterns, stories and images. These same images, he found, frequently appeared in the dreams of his patients. From these observations, Jung developed his theory of the collective unconscious and the archetypes.
Like Freud, Jung posited the existence of a conscious and an unconscious mind. A model that psychologists frequently use here is an iceberg. The part of the iceberg that is above the surface of the water is seen as the conscious mind. Consciousness is the part of the mind we know directly. It is where we think, feel, sense and intuit. It is through conscious activity that the person becomes an individual. It’s the part of the mind that we “live in” most of the time, and contains information that is in our immediate awareness Below the level of the conscious mind, and the bulk of the ice berg, is what Freud would call the unconscious, and what Jung would call the “personal unconscious.” Here we will find thoughts, feelings, urges and other information that is difficult to bring to consciousness. Experiences that do not reach consciousness, experiences that are not congruent with who we think we are, and things that have become “repressed” would make up the material at this level. The contents of the personal unconscious are available through hypnosis, guided imagery, and especially dreams. Although not directly accessible, material in the personal unconscious has gotten there sometime during our lifetime. For example, the reason you are going to school now, why you picked a particular shirt to wear or your choice of a career may be a choice you reached consciously. But it is also possible that education, career, or clothing style has been influenced by a great deal of unconscious material: parents’ preferences, childhood experiences, even movies you have seen but about which you do not think when you make choices or decisions. Thus, the depth psychologist would say that many decisions, indeed some of the most important ones that have to do with choosing a mate or a career, are determined by unconscious factors."
Perhaps Carl Jung's theory fits the "Cloud Computing" diagram as well ... with the Private/Internal component being what Jung referred to as a 'personal unconscious' and the Public/External component being what Jung referred to as the 'Collective Unconscious'.
The collective unconscious is different. It’s like eye color. If someone were to ask you, How did you get your eye color, you would have to say that there was no choice. The collective unconscious is like this: inherited. It never came from our current environment. It is the part of the mind that is determined by heredity. So we inherit, as part of our humanity, a collective unconscious; the mind is pre-figured by evolution just as is the body. The individual is linked to the past of the whole species and the long stretch of evolution of the organism. Jung thus placed the psyche within the evolutionary process.
What’s in the collective unconscious? Psychological archetypes. This idea of psychological archetypes is among Jung’s most important contributions to Western thought. An ancient idea somewhat like Plato’s idea of Forms or patterns in the divine mind that determine the form material objects will take, the archetype is in all of us. The word archetype comes from the Greek arche meaning first, and type meaning imprint or pattern. Psychological archetypes are thus first prints, or patterns that form the basic blueprint for major dynamic counterparts of the human personality. For Jung, archetypes pre-exist in the collective unconscious of humanity. They repeat themselves eternally in the psyches of human beings and they determine how we both perceive and behave. These patterns are inborn within us. They are part of our inheritance as human beings. They reside as energy within the collective unconscious and are part the psychological life of all peoples everywhere at all times. They are inside us and they are outside us. We can meet them by going inward to our dreams or fantasies. We can meet them by going outward to our myths, legends, literature and religions. The archetype can be a pattern, such as a kind of story. Or it can be a figure, such as a kind of character.
Jung proposes that our being is influenced by the collective unconsciousness (archetypes) and we can not escape this influence."
Jung's theory is relatively recent however, the ancient Hindu notion of "Akashic Records" seems to point in the same direction..
Both point to a "cloud" of information that is not accessible to most people ... at least not directly accessible ... yet undeniably affects us ... including the decisions we make.
The notion "Collective Consciousness" has been gaining traction in the academic community in recent years.
Robert Kenny defines the notion as: “Collective consciousness is a mode of awareness that emerges at the first transpersonal stage of consciousness, when our identities expand beyond our egos. A crucial capacity that accompanies this awareness is the ability to intuitively sense and work with the interactions between our and others energy fields, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. For example, just as Gene Rodenberry imagined a future where Star Trek’s Spock could mind meld with others, more of us are now becoming aware of our capacity not only to intuit each other’s thoughts and emotions, but also to consciously think and create together without communicating through our five senses.
Ted Andrews describes parallels between a bee and the beehive … a person and humanity.
The Bee - Power of Collective Consciousness
What animal archetype could be more appropriate to describe the contradictions within the Western psyche than “Bee?” For like Mankind, Bee stands between the Divine and the Mundane, the most conscious and the least, the productive and the compulsively driven!
Ted Andrews’ research maintains that bees appear in many mythologies around the world. Hinduism considers the Bee to symbolize Vishnu, Krishna, or even Kama—the god of Love. In ancient Egypt, the Bee symbolized royality. In Greece, it was part of the symbolism of the Eleusinian Mysteries. To the Celts, Bee symbolized hidden wisdom. And to Christians, Bee symbolized Christ.
In more modern times, science was for many years confounded by the bee, perceiving it as an insect that was ‘too heavy to fly’, and yet it did. It earned the reputation of being the Rocky Balboa of the insect kingdom: able to “do the impossible.” Like Rocky, Bee became an imago for all who saw themselves as facing impossible odds and yet were determined to win.
Bees are always working, going, gathering pollen and making honey. But like Man, Bee gathers and does far more than required to feed himself. Beekeepers take away much of a hive’s honey to sell, returning very little in security to their tiny charges. But Bee just keeps working, locked in its own world of prescribed roles and duties.
From the outside, Bee is the very model of duty and industriousness—all characteristics admired in western economic thought and culture. Bees are orderly and efficient, managing their hives and work schedules so effectively that businessmen and government bureaucrats might well choose this imago as an ideal model to emulate in their own realms of responsibility. They keep their hives clean and hygienic, providing an idealized model for our homemakers, religious and social organizations: doing good, keeping busy, cleaning house, caring for the children, making money, being and doing “good”, and doing one’s duty.
These qualities of Bee remind us how our modern economic system seems totally dependent upon collective effort and creativity rather than individual effort and creativity; so complex has modern economic life become that it is impossible to think of our capital and technology-driven economy remaining viable without carefully coordinated effort by many persons who possess many specialized skills. Bee does not have much of the artist or entrepreneur in it, for such energies are driven by individualized callings and passions.
But the dark side of these qualities are rigidity, inflexibility, conformity to collective order, mindless activity, and the imposition of collective values and priorities without individual rights or responsibility. Bee thus also symbolizes the compulsiveness of Man’s unconscious programming to work and unthinkingly attend to social or work duties over personal or individual need. Much of Mankind, like sterile worker Bees, spend their lives thoughtlessly leading sterile existences. Or like soldier Bees, our professional soldiers, defending the homeland against all enemies, foreign or domestic. Individual judgment and survival are not important against the needs of the collective.
As the single bee is a part of the hive, so too is the individual’s soul a part of the Anima Mundi—the World Soul. In India, the Soul is viewed as a collective entity—like the hive; Hinduism believe that all humans have a common soul. In the West, it is much more common today to visualize one’s soul as an individual part of oneself. In pre-Christian eras when paganism and the power of the Mother Goddess was supreme in the tribes of man, the soul was also seen as an elemental power—a part of Nature. Bee’s gold color linked it to the Sun and the Solar Energies of Apollo. Even today, spiritual movements such as Theosophy still refer to the soul as the Solar Angel.
The hive is populated by several types of bees. The Queen is the only female allowed to live in the hive. Whenever any bee is fed royal jelly by caretakers and is born female, the Queen will kill them if not prevented by her caretakers. Drones are males whose only purpose is to breed new queens. Soldier bees guard the hive. And workers are sterile eunuchs whose only purpose is to gather pollen and make honey.
As Queen of the Hive, the Queen Bee is the ultimate tyrant. Like many CEO’s of large corporation, She is also captive of her Hive and can never escape her duties. She is the epitome of the Earth Mother or Great Mother archetype, being both the Source of Life for her species and Death Mother of her young, as she destroys her female young as they emerge from their birth chambers. Like the Queen, Man’s business and political leaders ruthlessly cull aggressive challengers from their staffs to ensure that they are never successfully challenged, selecting eunuch-like staff who subordinate themselves to the CEO and are loyal workers.
The shapes of bee hives have associations to burial mounds. Anyone who has visited the famous “beehive tomb” in Greece will recognize the ancient association of the hive with the burial tomb. So too, in our modern organizations, Man has entombed himself in burial tombs of steel and glass, away from the sunny fields of flowers and open skies outside, so that he can attend to his compulsive duties within the Underworlds of government and business without distraction. The hive is also associated with the womb. Sex and death speak through this imago of the eternal cycle of the wheel of incarnation from birth, to death and back again into life.
Bees also have symbolism from early Christian mythologies. In earlier times, bees were believed not to birth young themselves but instead harvested their young from flowers. Thus, bees became early symbols of virgin birth and the immaculate conception. Because of this belief, they were also associated with Jesus’ birth.
Honey, the food produced by bees, was associated in earlier times with “ambrosia”—the food of the gods. As a result, they became associated with the gift of the Muse—poetry and music—and with the gift of prophecy. Priestesses of the Delphic Oracle were called “bees.” And offerings of honey and honey cakes were made on altars to the gods and goddesses of yore. Similar mentions were made in the Christian Bible; Israel’s ‘promised land’ was the Land of Milk and Honey.
Finally, bees are associated with sexuality or lust, due to their capacity to “sting.” Here, the ancient mythic connection between sex and death is imaged, for when bees sting, they die from the wound in themselves when the stinger remains behind and is wrenched out of their bodies. In this, they join the salmon, the mantis, and the black widow spider—all of whom demonstrate the closeness of sex and death in their mating and spawning.
Bee reminds us to hold on to our individuality and not to lose ourselves in collective duties or in our social programming which ties our identities, our self-worth, and our self-respect to what others ‘at work’ think of us. Life is far more than work, but work also gives meaning to life. Like all other archetypes, Bee is paradox. Bee shows us that life is both nirvana and samsara at the same time, and the fullness of our lives is all in how we look at it. Bee is therefore also a reminder to “make honey while the sun shines”, to live life fully and in the present, for tomorrow we die.
Are you still reading? I think I'm getting there. :-)
To recap:
What's next?
The development of a "Collective Will" seems a logical extension of the above.
Now I want to go back to my thoughts in France in June 2004 ... during my last long walk ... a little more than 1,000 kilometres from Vezelay in France to Los Arcos in Spain.
More thoughts 'regurgitated'. :-)
It was during this walk that I first tripped over the thought ... "From collective unconscious to collective conscious to collective will" I remember thinking and writing somewhere along the way ... "This is a biggy ... a real biggy!"
Let me dig out the circumstances surrounding the surfacing of the above thought. I have included my notes from June 8,2004 to June 13, 2004 in order to get a better picture of my 'frame of mind' at that time. Seems I wrote a lot in those 5 days ... hope you will take the time to read my notes.
June 8, 2004 In Pommiers - Chez "Tito"
First page of my new scribbler ... bought it in Neuvy day before yesterday. Seems I can't get enough of Neuvy Saint Sepulchre ... left here in the morning ... with an agenda ... I had a plan!
I would have an easy day ... walk to Cluis ... only 9 kilometers ... stay at the Pilgrim's refuge (Vezelay) and enjoy a quiet restful afternoon ... see I am in control of my destiny and this is what I chose ... my choices! ... my plan!
So much for planning ... I arrive in Cluis ... sit in the shade at the Chapel ... Our Lady of the Holy Trinity ... just missed the annual procession ... was yesterday ... church is locked. After a short rest I finish the days' walk by heading into town ... remember that I have to get some money ... I'm down to a bit of change ... see a sign I recognize ... a bank sign ... this is good omen at the same time my 'inner voice' is saying ... just because there is a bank ... doesn't mean there is an outdoor cash machine.
Turns out my 'inner voice' was right again ... confirmed the bad news at the local bar. Oh oh! ... oh well ... counted my coins ... enough for a draft beer and a coffee in the morning ... and in my pocket I have a full package of cigarettes. Thinking the refuge won't cost anything for sleeping ... box of soup in my backpack ... small piece of bread and the rest of my 'homemade cake' ... who could ask for more! I'll be fine.
Within the next few minutes ... after finishing my beer ... I learn the refuge is not finished yet ... i.e. ... not open ... and worse yet ... no bank machine in the next village Gargiesse ... about 14 kilometers ... Yikes!!
Hung around the 'gite' in the morning ... waiting for laundry to dry ... enjoy the garden ... the calm. .... Gaultier ... Gaul... ?
So much for feeling fine ... what now? The lady at the bar suggests I go down the street and enquire at the home of the lady in charge of the Pilgrim's Refuge ... seems like a good idea. She walks me to the street and points in the direction of the home ... I think she says the large house with the 'blue' window shutters. I arrive chez Mme Ampeau and ring the doorbell ... I notice on the tag just below the bell the names Ampeau - Gauthier.
Needless to say I find this intriguing and exciting ... a day or so ago I see the name Gauthier for the first time ... in France ... the sawmill at La Chatre and here I am ringing the doorbell of a "Gauthier". I learn that Mme Ampeau's maiden name is Gauthier ... her family has lived in town for more than 100 years. She asks me if I spell Gauthier with an 'H' ... Gauthier vs Gautier. I remember seeing the name 'Gautier' in the booklet I was reading at the gite ... the synopsis of the life of George Sand ... hmmm!
Mme Ampeau is very kind and generous ... she apologized about the refuge not being ready and than launches into an alternative ... there is a Chambres d'Hotes in the village and pilgrims can stay there for 10 euros including breakfast. I sheepishly explain to Mme Ampeau that I have one more little problem ... I have no money! ... her face manifests a look of ... Oh! Oh!
What now? ... she spends a few seconds mentally searching for a solution to my money problem ... suggests perhaps one of the local business people would advance me a few euros on my credit card ... and than laments that ... today is Monday en plus! ... most local businesses are closed ... including the local bank(both of them).
She suggests the people who run the Chambres d'Hotes may have a credit card machine. She gives me directions to the Chambres d'Hotes ... a right turn than a left turn ... ? ... not very far ... a big house with red window shutters ... seems the color of the window shutters are used to identify homes in this village!
I find the Chambre d'Hotes ... nobody home ... yikes! ... what now? ... no refuge ... no money ... no bank machine here or in the next village!!
So much for my quiet relaxing day!
I meander into the church ... suppose in some way looking for an explanation for the yuky circumstances I find myself in ... a few meters inside the door of the church ... a large white statue of Ste Therese on the left side and a large white statue of Joan of Arc directly across on the right hand side of the church. I can 'feel' my inner self smiling as I gaze at these two statues ... thinking in my mind ... what do you two young ladies have planned for me today? ... what are you up to!!?
My feelings are calm and peaceful ... no panic yet!
I ponder my alternatives ... I am reluctant to go back to Mme Ampeau even though before leaving her house she told me to come back if I had any problems. A few minutes later ... seemed the only option I had was to return to Mme Ampeau ... left my backpack in the church and headed back ... less than 100 meters away.
Another very friendly greeting ... I explained that I found the Chambres d'Hotes but it was closed. Mme Ampeau seemed puzzled ... decided to escort me personally to the Chambre d'Hotes ... suppose she figured I somehow missed finding the correct entrance. She walks with me to the Chambre d'Hotes ... indicates the proper entrance and confirms with me ... yup! ... it's closed.
She inquires of a construction worker who is working on the street beside the Chambre d'Hotes ... seems he hasn't seen anyone today ... she mentions that it was open yesterday ... hmmm ... the universe conspiring against me?
We walk back to Mme Ampeau's ... seems she has worked out a solution in her mind ... she tells me I can sleep at her house ... she has choir practice in Neuvy in the evening and I can come along with her to Neuvy and solve my 'no money problem' ... there is a bank machine in Neuvy ... I had seen it in the morning and when I saw it I remembered that I had very little money in my pocket ... yet ... I walked right past the machine confident there would be another bank machine in the next village (Cluis) ... seems I still have not learned the lesson of 'being practical'.
Yet ... had I been practical ... I would have missed all that has happened as a result of my encounter with Mme Ampeau ... and for me ... a lot has happened!!
Mme Ampeau also mentioned that she planned to attend a community event at the church ... Our lady of the Holy Trinity ... the place I stopped at on the way into town. I learned they have a long standing tradition in this village ... a procession on the Feast of the Holy Trinity June 6th (D-Day Normandy) and a community gathering the next day ... where they play this ancient game ... drink a lot of wine and eat some special local pastry.
She invited me along ... arrived at her car ... parked on the street behind the house ... the button to open the doors wouldn't work ... turns out her battery is dead ... Yikes! ... what next?
At that moment her husband comes driving up the street ... Pierre ... she introduces me ... gives Pierre a brief summary of my circumstances ... tells him about her car and voila ... contingency plan ... we will go with Pierre to the community celebration and he will drive us to Neuvy.
I end up joining Pierre and 2 other gentlemen in this ancient game. It's like horseshoes and curling and lawn bowling and bowling ... hmmm Pierre gives me a coin ... dated 1876 ... he explains (I think) that at that time (1876) there were coins with the same value ... i.e. 5 lire was the same as 5 francs etc. (Foreshadow Euro?)Two sticks in the ground about 5 meters apart ... the objective was to throw the coin attempting to land as close to the stick as possible. I was Pierre's partner ... quite a handicap for him.
The name Rigaud ... I meant City ... Mme Ampeau thought I meant family name.
I was no more athletic ... adept ... at this particular game than I am at any other. On 2 or 3 occasions I hit one of the gentlemen with my coin toss ... We lost 2 games ... badly! Pierre bought me a Perrier ... we sat at the table and they chatted ... I had difficulty understanding the conversation ... difficulty! ... I understood nothing ... maybe this is what George Sand meant when she wrote the language in the villages ... 'villageois' ... each village with their own dialect ... like Italy!
Later we continued our journey into Neuvy ... Pierre directed me to the bank machine ... Mme Ampeau and 2 friends went to their choir practice. The 'cling cling cling' of the bank machine is the sweetest sound in the world when you find yourself in a foreign place with no money!
Reminds me of the experience in Venice a few years ago(another story). Learn that Pierre is the treasurer for the basilica(parish of Neuvy I presume) He has some work to do ... I go for a coffee ... patronize the local bar I avoided the day before ... same kind lady. Returned to the church (building across the street) and read a book while waiting for Pierre and Mme Ampeau.
In this book is a story about the Carmelites in France (Ste Therese is a Carmelite) ... learn that 2004 is the 400th anniversary of their arrival in France ... mentions Ste Therese of Avila and St John of the Cross ... reminded of my experience last year on the Camino ... Ruta de La Plata (Seville to Santiago) ... another story ... wow!! ... more and more 'connecting the dots' ... so much in this one place ... Neuvy St Sepulchre
Back to the townhouse ... Pierre brings me to their garden ... a few blocks away ... a small paradise ... been in Mme Ampeau's family (Gauthier) for 100 years or so. Pierre has everything in this garden ... a wide variety of fruit trees ... some of which he has 'grafted' to produce unique varieties of fruit ... every conceivable vegetable and a dozen or so sheep pasturing next door. Pierre tells me he had 12 lambs in the spring ... so much work! Pierre is retired and seems he really enjoys his garden.
Today he is working on the wall between the garden and the road ... one of those old stone walls ... part of it fell over and Pierre is fixing it. Learn that Mme Ampeau's given names are Marie Therese ... hmmm ... my inner self smiles again ... the two names that are so often in my mind and in my heart ... the Virgin Mary(Marie) and Ste Therese ... hmmm
Supper, some delightful conversation and off to bed. Learned during supper the meaning of "Laisser Verdure" ... the last words of George Sand ... I had read about this the day before and I was impressed (curious) enough to write them in my notes. (a few thousand words back)
Marie Therese brought out a book about George Sand ... spoke about her a bit(vivant) and when I saw the words "Laissez Verdure" in the book I asked Marie Therese for the meaning of "verdure" ... she pointed to the trees in the garden ... indicating 'greenery' ... now it makes sense ... think the French word for green is 'vert' ... hmmm.
Where is this George Sand encounter going? I reflect on the comments I read the day before ... apparently the French people believe these last two words spoken by George Sand are a 'mystery' ... of course I am intrigued ... and of course ... I want to solve the mystery! ... such arrogance eh! My reflections on the 'mystery' lead me to this conclusion ... 'leave it green' ... leave it full of life ... do not 'burn' it ... do not destroy it ... the 'it' being the earth ... hmmm!
Pierre's story about the 'companions' of Joan of Arc ... the 'emblems' in the church ... the 2 fish ... their family ... one in Orleans etc
Wow! ... Almost 8 pages of notes ... hmmm ... off to Gargilesse ... and hopefully some quiet time to digest all that has happened in the last day or so! Another first ... walked more than 3,000 kilometers of Chemin St Jacques ... Camino Santiago ... and this is the first time I was invited to stay in an individual’s home ... hmmm ... maybe we are related on the Gauthier side.
I'm in Gargilesse ... not sure if I will stay or walk on to the next village Cuzion ... I'll drink my coffee and decide.
Chatted for a few minutes with a couple from England ... planning to retire in this area ... there son is in the Royal Navy stationed in Portsmouth ... they took the ferry from Portsmouth to Caan ... reminds me of the time I found myself on the ferry from Caan to Portsmouth (another story ... involving Ste Therese of Lisieux).
The English lady was sharing her son's circumstances in Portsmouth ... he can’t afford to buy his first place to live ... living on the ship ... she said ... "he can't get his foot on the first step of the ladder to get started" ... reminds me of Ste Therese's spirituality ... read it in the book I bought in Lisieux several years ago ... her way of explaining 'childlike' faith ... the image of the ladder ... step ladder ... and a toddler ... the toddler's doll or favorite toy on top of the ladder ... the toddler persistently trying to get it's small leg up on the first step of the ladder.
While it is impossible ... the toddler doesn't seem to know that it is impossible and persists! Ste Therese apparently wrote that the 'way to God' is the same ... the goal is noble ... like the toddler ... at the top of the ladder is something highly desirable ... for the toddler ... the doll or the toy ... for the pilgrim ... the seeker ... all those who want to get closer to God ... at the top of the ladder is GOD.
And also like the toddler, in our mortal (human) state it is impossible to get on the first step on the ascent to God ... it is humanly impossible. Ste Therese says we are to persist ... hope ... faith ... not give up and at the appropriate time (God's time) He will stoop down and lift us up onto the first step and so on and so on.
The day I read this little story ... I was struck by the profound truth embedded in the metaphor. Amazing how these 'memories' are percolated to the top of my consciousness by the seemingly trivial experiences and encounters ... hmmm!
Decide to stay in Gargilesse ... accommodation is 5 star ... private room ... fully equipped kitchen ... even a washing machine ... tempted to use it ... the knobs and buttons etc ... too intimidating!
Enleveur S.O.S. spray painted on the pavement ... the 2 snakes courting on the bridge.
The box of soup , the large bread I bought a few days ago ... the night I spent at 'l'abrit de nuit' came in handy tonight. A fully equipped kitchen but no place in town to buy any food ... poop!
Heated the soup, broke the stale bread into pieces and voila ... my supper ... I had the last piece of my expensive homemade cake for desert!
Two pilgrims arrived around 6:00PM ... 2 ladies ... 50+ ... they just left to go to the local restaurant for supper. Realized a few hours ago that my coffee last night in Neuvy ... after I hit the bank machine ... cost me 12 euros ... ouch! ... oh well! I'll think of it as Martial's donation!
Still in George Sand country ... her secondary residence is here ... when I asked the lady at the bar about the house ... she told me she hid her 'lovers' here ... probably was trying to say she would spend some time with her lovers here ... away from the 'fish bowl' ... Nolant ?
Read a bit of St Augustine's "Confessions' tonight ... figured I am carrying the book ... might as well read some! One sentence struck me as very interesting ... "it is not the discovery but the mere search for wisdom which should be preferred even to the discoveries of treasures and to ruling over nations and to the physical delights available to me at a nod ... footnote suggests this sentence is a quotation or at least a paraphrase of Cicero
Also see page 140 ... 'will' ... sounds like Solomon now that I write out the words
Cuzion ... 1/2 litre of apple juice and 2 croissants ... a delicious breakfast
Seems the couple of pages of Augustine's book "Confessions" that I read last night have rekindled my 'itch' to ponder the mysteries of life ... 'search for wisdom'. Another paragraph that I find appealing and intriguing ...Augustine asks himself such vexing questions ... e.g. "What causes this monstrous fact? ... and Why is it so?"
The mind commands the body and is instantly obeyed ... the mind commands itself and meets resistance.
The mind commands the hand to move ... and it is so easy that one hardly distinguishes the order from its' execution. the mind is mind and hand is body. The mind orders the mind to will. The recipient of the order is itself... yet it does not perform the command.
I recall pondering this particular mystery on several occasions during the past few years ... no insight arrived ... no answers ... so here we go again ... I'll have another go at it this morning.
Shortly after leaving Gargilesse I passed a spot along the road where several cows had been recently taken out of the pasture and walked up the road ... to a different pasture. I suppose ... the evidence supporting my statement was the several piles of cow dung on the country road ... I have been in this particular situation on many occasions while walking the Camino.
This morning my mind went off on a journey. Seems to me the cows when leaving their comfort zone ... the pasture they have been grazing in for who knows how long ... immediately on leaving ... not before and not 50 meters down the road ... seems within a meter or 2 of the exit .. they poop!! ... at least seems many of them do ... judging from the number of poop piles.
This morning I ask why? Are they nervous or anxious about what lies ahead ... are they frightened? ... do they somehow know that they may be on their way to the slaughter house ... or is it simply a case of 'nervous stomach' resulting from moving from the 'known' ... their familiar pasture and grazing area ... to the 'unknown' ... that 'dark night' ... who knows? ... who cares? ... life is useless ... it's like chasing the wind
Seems my investigation is not done yet ... the above thoughts now on 'centre stage' of my mind invoke another curiosity ... are there parallels between the actions of the cows described above and the actions of the 2 legged animal species referred to as 'humans'.
My 'inner self' smiles and nods in agreement. We too are comfortable with the 'status quo' ... with the familiar ... being penned or fenced in by our culture ... our society ... our government ...
Seems we have a reluctance to venture outside of the 'familiar' and if it were forced ... physically ... emotionally ... or otherwise ... beyond the frontiers of the 'familiarity' ... we too become nervous or anxious ... intimidated by the 'unknown' ... the uncertainty ... the 'dark night' ... reminds me of St John of the Cross's book ... The Dark Night of the Soul
Of course, not all of us react the same ... just as not all of the cows pooped a few steps outside of the pasture ... some of us are the exact opposite ... we feel stifled by life in the 'familiar' bound by the borders or fence of our society. we can't wait to 'get out' ... some of us escape with drugs ... alcohol ... work etc some with 'creativity' ... artists of all kinds ... musicians ... painters ... writers etc
So ... what's the point of all this? ... I don't know! After all it was only several piles of cow dung on the road!
Maybe these thoughts are connected to the notion of 'will' described by Augustine. The expression 'will power' has tickled my mind on several occasions ... the word 'power' and all its' intended meanings side by side with the word 'will'.
The expression seems to infer ... determination ... tenacity ... staying power ... stick to it iveness ... something like the chewawa barking ferociously and biting at the pant leg of a large man. The little dog must know that it is physically inferior to the man ... yet ... with relentless 'will' the little dog continues ... and it is very often quite difficult to shake off this little pest ... without hurting him/her of course!
Is this a worthy example of 'will power' or simply a case of doggy foolishness?
So now I have two questions ... Augustine's question concerning 'will' and the question ... what fuel is used to 'power' the will?
People who seem to naturally possess tons of 'will power' tend to believe all people have access to the same degree of 'will power' ... Is this so?
The body and its' limbs seem to respond to exercise, repetitive actions, nutrition etc ... all athletic people clearly demonstrate the correlation between these things and the result ... the most obvious example being our Olympic athletes.
What about our mind? ... do the same principles hold? ... suppose the obvious answer is yes ... to a degree!
However, all the 'will power' in the world ... all the mental determination ... cannot help a paraplegic walk again?
Seems to me the notion of 'will' has some connection to the notion of 'collective unconscious' and 'herd instinct' ... e.g. the will to do what most people do ... to conform to 'life' inside the pen ... to follow the 'flock' as in my sheep philosophy ... in these circumstances the requirement of the 'will' seems too 'small' e.g. Our society conditions us to venerate heroes ... athletic ... political ... creative ... academic ... a resulting 'will' to emulate ... imitate ... or whatever seems a logical conclusion.
What about people like Christopher Columbus and Joan of Arc ... where did their seemingly supernatural 'will' and 'will power' come from? What drove Christopher Columbus to venture out into the 'unknown'? ... voluntarily ... several times ... leaving the pasture of 'familiarity' behind and plunging into a 'night of darkness'.
Seems obvious that the sea/ocean was feared by most people of the day ... Fisterre ... the end of the earth in Spain?
Learned several years ago that Christopher Columbus was scheduled to leave from a certain harbor in Spain. When the time to leave drew near ... he was unable to leave because the Spanish were evicting Jews from Spain in this particular harbor at time ... this was during the period of the inquisition. The writer of the book posed an interesting question ... Columbus's voyages would lead to colonization by several of the European nations ... and this would happen at the same time the Jews were being evicted ... would these new colonies become the new 'homeland' for the Jewish people ?
Back to Joan of Arc ... a young girl ... a young peasant girl ... who would make her way to the leadership of an army ... have an audience with the King of France ... win battles ... lose battles and accept being 'burned at the stake' rather than renounce her source of 'will' and 'will power' ... hmmm.
In the next few thousand steps I started to recite the Lord's prayer ... the Our Father. Remembered that ST Teresa of Avila told her nuns they should take one hour to recite the Lord's Prayer ... once!!
St Teresa obviously believed there is so much hidden mystery in this one prayer ... seems logical since it is the only prayer Jesus taught His disciples ... and He taught it to them after they asked him ... Lord teach us to pray.
Today I thought I would examine the prayer from the perspective "Jesus was the first human being to have a conscious recollection of where He came from ... and likely the only human being with this conscious recollection ... see earlier notes
Paraphrasing ... Jesus said to His disciples ... I come from my Father ... my Father sent Me ... so let's look at the first few words of the prayer .
Our Father
In Heaven ... what is meant by the word 'heaven'? ... that dimension of space or being that cannot be defined or described in human terms. Change this word to 'Spirit' and seems to me we have not lost anything and perhaps can gain much. e.g. we are told in genesis that we are created in God's image and likeness ... with God as 'Spirit' ... the above statement seems much more credible.
Winston Churchill ... "we are spirits wrapped in human flesh"
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Father Charlie who I met in Bracebridge helped me with this notion of 'name'. In conversation one day about the mysterious capabilities of some people in India Father Charlie stated ... they have obviously found a way to tap into a 'higher' source of energy ... we Christians have a 'name' for this 'higher source' of energy ... Jesus ... hmmm.
Also seems I have spent considerable time contemplating the notion of 'our name'. The instructor of a Dale Carnegie course stated several years ago that the sound of our name is the sweetest sound in the world to us. this statement seems to have some merit.
Our 'name' also seems to have a shelf life that is much longer than our physical life ... for some at least ... again let's look at the names Christopher Columbus and Joan of Arc ... so much is associated with and recalled simply by vocalizing the letters that construct the name. What a mystery!
Seems our name is often our legacy ... that part of us ... while not a part of our physical being ... that lives on long after we have breathed our last breath.
Thy Kingdom .... a place ... a dimension in space
Come ... future ... not now
Thy Will ... here we go again with the word 'will'. when I got here ... the thoughts of this morning seemed to crystallize ... not sure how or in what way ... perhaps later?
Be Done
On Earth as it is in Heaven
The word heaven again. Change the word earth to flesh and the word heaven to spirit and we get ... "In the flesh as it is in the spirit" ... seems to me this is the crux of all Christian teaching. The persistent and endless struggle between our two natures (vilification) ... written about by so many people for so many years and yet still persists. What role has 'will' in this struggle?
I'm now in the church in Eguzon ... decided to come here while drinking my coffee across the street ... my motivation (more on this word motivation later) was to cool off ... it is so hot today ... my T shirt is drenched ... I put on a dry one.
Asked about internet availability ... at library at 3:30 ... decide to wait around
On entering the church my eyes wander over to the left side of the church where there is a large bulletin board heavily populated with posters. The first one I gaze on is a large picture of Ste Therese with the words ... "Je voudrais parcourir la terre en announcer l'Evangile" ... the same words as in the cover of the booklet I purchased in St Pierre ... moving! The second one titled "Les Equipes du Rosaire
Venez et prions ensemble
Toi qui cherches
Toi qui doutes
Toi qui es seul
Toi qui est malade
Toi qui es bien-portant
Toi qui es jeune ou mois jeune
Toi qui pries ...
Tous
Nous avons besoin de toi
pour trouver, pour parteger
et rayonner
de la Vie de Celui
qui est toujours avec nous
le Christ
En Priant avec Marie, sa Mere
qui a cherche, qui a souffert
qui a cru, qui nous aide
Third one Annee du Rosaire ... Une ecole de priere des Equipes Un Pelerinage avec les Domtricains
My 3 lady friends are in left front alter ... Our Lady of Lourdes Ste Therese and Joan of Arc
Seems this notion of 'will' will power, collective conscience , herd instinct and voila a new term 'collective will' is a 'biggy' a real 'biggy'
I may never understand how it works but like Augustine or Cicero wrote a long long time ago ... the search for wisdom ... the search itself ... without discovery is exciting ... for me today anyway! ... today!!
Seems much of my meditation/reflection during the past 2-3 kilometers is in some way confirmed by the words in the posters ... maybe I really am crazy!!
The word motivation popped into my head several thousand paces ago ... remember the definition in a book used for a course I took on organizational behaviour ... today seems to me the course would be better served with a title ... behavioural manipulation in organizations!!
The formula for motivation ... see everything can or needs to be reduced to 'mathematical proof' to be true
Motivation = Valence X Expectation ... where valence means the preference for one outcome versus another and expectation represents the likelihood (probability)of a successful outcome ... i.e. the preferred outcome.
My motivation for coming into the church for example ... I preferred a 'cool' ... very cool location to a 'hot' one. From experience I knew that most big old churches are quite cool inside.
et voila ... my motivation was very strong and here I am ... enjoying the 'cool' and to a lesser degree ... the ???? of being in a church.
Seemed to me that the notion of motivation is somehow related to the notion of 'will' ... they seem to go hand in hand ... strong motivation ... strong will ... strong will ... the manifestation of 'will power' ... that energy that transforms into 'action'.
Seems I want to explore the term 'collective will'. Perhaps this expression has the same attributes and characteristics as those described by Carl Jung when he introduced the expression "Collective Unconscience" ... perhaps only a subset
One of the examples of 'collective will' that came to mind just before coming into the church was a sports team ... e.g. a hockey team ... ideally each member of the team embraces the 'will' of the team ... to win hockey games or maybe simply ... to make lots of money. Thus the connection ... Une Ecole de Priere ... Des Equipes
The 'will' of the team ... the team has no life ... in and of itself ... it is simply a word that is intended to portray a group of persons with a 'common goal' ... a 'collective will' ... seems the 'common goal' or collective will is determined external to the participants of the team e.g. the poster ... the Toronto Maple Leafs ... individuals who seek membership or participation on the team ... it would seem have somehow gained knowledge of the team's 'will' and are willing to subscribe ... have entered into the 'motivation' stage ... while the individual 'valence' may be some-what different for each member the collective valence or collective will is intended to be 'one'.
Can an individual 'will' exist outside of the 'collective will'? Seems not ... at least in the case of the human species ... we are social beings ... being alone is painful for most.
Perhaps those who are 'disconnected' from the 'collective will' are those who suffer from the various forms of central nervous system disorders ... depression in all its' forms. The 'disconnection' deprives the individual of the power ... the energy ... the force supplied by the 'collective will' ... the individual who finds disconnected ... finds themselves in a big black hole ... no light ... only darkness ...hmmm ... the common story of those who suffer from depression.
In this state there is also an absence of 'will power' the power ... the energy required to act ... one friend told me that in this state he could not muster the energy to reach into the back of the fridge to grab a can of coke ... what an effect this 'disconnect' can have eh!!
Voluntary disconnection ... can it exist??
Manipulation of the 'collective will' ... is this possible ... of course ... it's called politics, religion, heroism, culture, society etc
How so? 'Will' is in the mind, therefore manipulation requires some form of 'mind control' ... mental conditioning ... mental programming ...
Not such a bad thing ... we are likely able to live in a civilized ... quasi civilized anyway ... society where it is safe to pursue our own interests ... providing our individual interests do not extend beyond the boundaries defined by the 'collective will' of our society.
June 11, 2004 Benevant
Been a couple of days since I put down my pen. I have had time to put my thoughts ... those thoughts written on the previous few pages ... enough time to put them (my thoughts) through a few 'wash cycles' and if that wasn't enough ... I had some hot ... very hot sun to 'burn off' any remaining 'impurities'. The notion of 'collective will' remains with me ... with yet more conviction ... "where two or more are gathered in my name ... I will be there" ... collective will.
Now to the chronological review of the events of the last couple of days ... those I remember. I had a very difficult day ... going into Crozon ... the same day the notion of 'collective will' tickled my mind. I got lost a couple of times ... doubled back ... hot sun ... tired .... yuk!
I arrived at the Hotel des Ruins ... coffee time ... Marie Hélène and Francoise show up in the bar ... they sleep in the hotel.
Hotel was too expensive even with the 'pilgrim' discount.
Leaving the bar I head in the wrong direction again ... down the hill ... looking back I see a sign that indicates an 'Auberge' ... 100 meters ... Crozon ... now this sign is for people going in the opposite direction ... oops ... seems I am going the wrong way again ... where the ??? is the village.
Fortunately two gentlemen were fishing off the bridge and they con-firmed my 'suspicion' ... the village is in the opposite direction ... yuk! ... back up the hill ... yuk!
Arrive in the village convinced I will be spending the night under the stars ... Yup ... spent the night on the grass around the back of the church. Wandered around the village looking for a boulangerie to buy some grub ... nada except this store ... like a general store ... an old lady sitting in a chair ... seems she has a little of everything ... though seems the turnover is a bit slow ... stuff does not appear very fresh. I ask about a box of juice ... suppose the word 'boite de jus' doesn't mean a box of juice.
She picks up a can of pop ... I ask for a litre of juice ... she goes around the corner and comes up with a one litre jar of orange juice ... perfect. I check my pockets for money ... I have 1.20 Euros ... the jar of juice costs 1.50 Euros. My backpack is back behind the church ... only 100 meters or so. I try to explain to the lady that I will be back in a minute with the money ... she nods in agreement.
On my return, just as I am approaching the store I see this very old car pulling out with a little old lady driving ... I think to myself ...oh no! my orange juice! ... Yup ... store is closed. I look through the window and I see my orange juice is still sitting on the counter ...Yuk! ... it is going to be a long night with nothing to eat ... not completely true ... I have a piece of brownie that I bought in ' '
Back to my grass bed ... see a public WC (washroom) ... things are looking up! I wonder if there is running water in the WC? I decide to check it out ... if not I better hustle over to the bar ... maybe buy another coffee and have my water bottle filled. WC has running water ... and toilets too! ... Perfect. Change my mind about the coffee and do not go to the bar. In the next day or so found out from a Belgian Pilgrim that bed and breakfast was available in this bar for 23 Euros ... seems I was destined to sleep outside !
Bed roll out ... I lay down to rest ... couple of young boys show up ... out of sight but not out of 'hearing range' ... they stay for an hour or so ... I’m a little disappointed ... I want to try to get to sleep ... a bit sheepish ... I'm looking directly at a sign that reads "no camping in town except in the Municipal Park ... what if I am caught camping here on the grass?? Young boys leave ... a couple show up (man and a woman) ... oh no! ... how long will they hang around??
I decide to prepare for the night anyway ... change my clothes and stretch out under my sleeping bag. The couple leaves in 30-45 minutes ... great ... now I can get to sleep ... nope! ... I would spend the next couple of hours gazing at the stars ... reflecting on the day and my thoughts. Not particu-larly uncomfortable ... simply wide awake ... hmmm.
Eventually get to sleep ... up around 7:30 AM or so .. still tired ... go looking for my morning coffee ... hoping the bar is open ... nope! ... Yuk!. The old lady in the store shows up ... decide to ask her about what time the bar will open. She explains that she had to leave in a hurry the night before and she seems quite apologetic about my 'orange juice' ... she says the bar should open soon and she mentions that there is a place in Souter-raine that caters to pilgrims ... 'Trace de Soeurs'
I make a mental note ... must remember this ... the memory of the night on the grass is still very fresh!! I'm a bit disgruntled ... been up and around for 15-20 minutes ... still no coffee ... Yuk!
On my way back to my patch of grass I remember the Hotel Ruins ... ah! ... of course! ... a hotel ... they must be open to provide breakfast for people who stay at the hotel. I also remember the stairs ... a series of stone steps that lead directly down the hill ... avoid going the long way around ... 500+ meters ... works for me!
Yup the bar is open ... superb! Francoise and Marie Hélène show up ... they have breakfast. Coffee in my stomach ... I am ready for the road ... back to my patch of grass ... retrieve my back pack and 'hit the road.
Much better day ... do not get lost! The way is well marked today. A village kilometers down the road ... box of juice ... multi fruit ... multi vitamin ... bonus! ... and a croissant.
Chat with a farmer ... built from scratch l'homme va a la ruine
Next village ... not really desperate for another coffee ... need some water ... and some rest!!
See a bar that looks open ... walk past ... on the way back to this bar 1-2 minutes later ... I notice another bar down the street. My mind muses over the decision ... which bar?? ... such a luxury!!
I choose the one up the street ... why? ... becomes clear later today.
Coffee ... the lady seems quite friendly ... she brings me her book where she collects short scribblings from the pilgrims ... I write a short note. A few minutes later she mentions Trace de Soeurs ... hmmm ... 2nd time today ... she adds that pilgrims stay for 12 euros ... including supper ... bed and breakfast ... sounds appealing! She even provides directions ... enter through the Porte St Jean ... descendre direction 2ieme Eglise ... juste devant l'Eglise une rue qui s'appelle ???
Turns out the directions were impeccable ... not sure I would have found the place without them ... large enough village and seems this place is not well known.
As I arrive at what I think is the correct door ... the door opens ... some people were just leaving ... I ask ... oui ... le patron est ici .. rentrer ... superb!
Pretre Jean Baptist de la Croix de St Vallier ?? 2ieme Evesque de Quebec Abby de benevant ... take the $ de Abby ... give to Quebec
I didn't realize how fortunate I was until another pilgrim arrived an hour or so later. He had been trying to get in for 45 minutes or so ... he had called several times a few hours earlier ... he was bitter about his experi-ence ... lack of a friendly reception. He had met (for the first time) Francoise and Marie Hélène in town ... apparently they had also made several attempts via telephone and in frustration decided to stay at the hotel ... hmmm
I was provided with explicit instructions on how to find the place ... without asking ... and the door opened by itself the moment I arrived ... hmmm ... the 'price' of not carrying a portable telephone and making arrangements ahead of time ... hmmm
Lucien was very kind with me ... even opened a bottle of his own wine to have with supper ... we dined together ... a hodgepodge salad ... quite OK and a pizza ... very full stomach today ... the 3rd or 4th complete meal since leaving Canada ... Wow!!
After supper Lucien gives us ... me and the other pilgrim ... a tour of the garden and animal shelter and a brief history of the convent ... 250 nuns ... now 3 ... youngest is 72 years old. Stories about how the nuns served in the hot spots during the war and how some walked 40 kilometers a day to provide service to people ... young and old.
Lucien commented ... not every day a pilgrim from Canada ... bugs in my head ... from where???
June 11, 2004
Today turns out to be one of those days filled with 'mystery' ... so much to write ... still at the refuge in Benevant ... must get going ... will write a few details and fill in the rest later ... hopefully this evening.
Mgr Jean Baptiste de Saint Vallier ... Gronoble November 14, 1653 ... Father Jean de la Croix, seigneur de Chevrieres ... mother ... Marie de Sayne ... only daughter of Jacques de Sayne Chevalier, Seigneur de l'Echigny et de Chamblanc.
Luc calls for a large casserole bowl ... we are 5 pilgrims tonight ... Luc, Francoise, Marie Hélène and Hugo from Belgium(Flem) ... otherwise Dr would not likely have come over to the refuge. Decide not to participate in Dr's presentation to the other pilgrims ... he is very passionate about his work (28 years catering to pilgrims)
Met Dr's wife at prayers (rosary) in the church.
Dr showed up ... gave me an hour or so of his time ... a synopsis of his 40 years + of research ... incredible ... absolutely incredible! ... bird is at the window again ... what is the bird trying to tell me? Birds always remind me of St Francis … maybe the birds are telling be to pay attention … something important is about to happen.
The bird knocks on the window pane again and again and again ... hmmm ... this is almost too much to absorb ... I am torn between writing notes about what I just learned and going for a walk ... think I will walk and hopefully my little brain will put what happened in the last 24 hours through a couple of 'wash cycles'
St Augustine ... from St Benoit to St Augustine
New book appeared ... une des principle fonctions des Apotres avait ete de precher et d'evangeliser (Ste Therese) ... une mouvement a convertir les religieux "non moines" en chamoines obeisant a la Regle de St Augustine. Prior model was clunis (St Benoit)
Church ... St Bartholomew in Levack.
The Celts and Druids from Ireland brought Christianity to France ... they had a connection with Greece and Middle East ... Egypt prior to Romans ... man from Ireland at the airport .... Hmmm
My mind has sobered up from this morning’s excitement ... seems there is nothing like the hot sun and a long walk carrying a heavy back pack to sober the mind.
Back to some details from the last couple of days ... shortly after entering the village of Saint Priest La Feuille. I stopped to ask a lady who was working in her garden if it was possible to buy a coffee in the village. She nodded and indicated ... straight ahead. At this time her husband appeared ... said bonjour ... and invited me in for a coffee ... this has only happened on a few occasions on all of my walking and I usually decline.
Seems this morning I was in the mood to accept. Just before saying ... Oui merci ... I glanced down the street and Francoise and Marie Hélène were sitting at the door to the local church 75-100 meters away. I pointed my fellow pilgrims out to the kind gentleman who invited me for a coffee and he quickly included them in the invitation.
I waved my stick and another gentleman ... the neighbor across the road called out to them. Francoise came along and Marie Helens stayed at the church ... hmmm strange! Learned that they thought I had found the key to the church and Francoise came along to collect it. Quickly cleared up the misunderstanding and we all went into the home for a coffee. Turns out Henry is an artist ... a wonderful collection of his work on display in the living room ... later we would visit his workshop and view yet more of his work ... he paints in several mediums ... water color ... acrylic ... oil ... pastels and more ... really impressive ... and turns out it is only a hobby. We sit outside on the back patio for our coffee ... Henry brings out a package of cookies and Francoise shares a package of fresh Algerian dates ... yummy!
A few minutes later Luc shows up ... he had stopped to check out the local 'dolmen' and the neighbor across the street insisted that he join his friends in Henry's back yard. This visit gave me a feeling something important was happening ... I asked Henry for his name and address and his wife's maiden name.
The property has a panoramic view of the country side ... apparently been in Murielle's family for a long time (maiden name 'Ladame'). A couple of intriguing items during the visit ... I learn of the existence of ‘Dolmens'. Francoise tells me they are pre-Roman structures with a reputation for some form of 'energy' in their vicinity.
She advises that most people cannot go very close or at least not stay very close ... Legend?? Fact? Mirielle gives us each a data sheet on the dolmen near Saint Priest which includes a tragic local legend. The other item is the word 'Baracats' comes up in conversation and seems to really intrigue Luc. Apparently the people of the village were called 'baracats' for a long time ... how long?
Seems several opinions exist as to the meaning of the word ... Henry offers the word 'chance' or luck as a meaning. Mirielle mentions a few others and than with a shrug says they don't really know and if we (Luc) finds out he should let them know. Mirielle gives us the web address for the village. The word 'baracat' would come up again the next day in Benevant ... hmmm!
No way I was going close to the local dolmen ... I have an eerie feeling about these things? Learn from the data sheet that they date 2000-3000 years before Christ ...the time of King David and earlier ... the High Priest Malchizadec? The word 'Priest' in the name of the village? Aimie's mention of the Celt or earlier peoples who discovered how to start a fire?
On to Benevent
Luc is taking pictures of the church when I arrive. He gives me the key to the refuge and points me in the right direction. Francoise and Marie Hélène arrive a bit later and a new fellow pilgrim Hugo from Belgium (Flem) arrives ... wow! 5 pilgrims under one roof ... we decide to prepare and eat supper together. A bit later while visiting the church I learn there is a prayer group meeting at 6:00 PM for some prayers. Also learn that June is the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The front altar in the church is dedicated to the saint who had the appari-tion of Jesus. He introduced the term Sacred Heart. I joined the group of mostly old ladies for prayers, litany of the sacred Heart of Jesus and a Rosary.
Back to the refuge intenting to do some writing. Dr arrives and launches into a passionate and high volume discussion with the French Pilgrims. Hugo and I decide not to participate ... our French is not good enough! I figure Francoise or Luc will fill me in later.
Luc calls him for a casserole dish ... that's why he came over ... to deliver the casserole dish and have a look at Francoise’s foot. I mentioned to the Dr’s wife in the church that one of the pilgrims walking with me has a large infection on her feet.
On his way out Dr stops at the table where I am writing and says some-thing about Quebec and some long ... very long French name ... he seems surprised I don't know the name ... Jean Baptiste de la Croix de Sainte Vallier which in the documentation is Mgr Jean Baptiste de Saint Vallier. I learn later that his father was John of the Cross ... hmmm ... any refer-ence there to St John of the Cross in Spain?
Druids ... Baracat ... Psalm 121 Augustine ... distorted will ... collective will
June 13, 2004
I am in Les Billanges - today is Election Day. It's windy ... the door slams in my face as I enter ... I comment ... indicates I'm not invited ... kind gentleman invites me in ... coffee time.
Felt weak leaving the village ... no energy ... no will ... no will power ... felt like quitting?
Strength and positive feeling gradually returned ... feel compelled to write ... now!
Why did Luc call for a casserole bowl?
Why did Dr show up ... not his wife?
Why was I initially turned off by Dr ... his loud and aggressive voice and mannerism ... later learn this was simply a manifestation of his 'passion' for his work ... a reflection of his 'will power' to do what he does.. Hmmm
Why did I get excited when he This excitement would lead to his invita-tion started to tell me about Jean Baptiste(only now is the name really 'kicking in' ... hmmm) and how he managed to divert funds from the Abby Benevant to finance his work in Quebec.
This excitement would lead to his invitation to accompany him to his home to borrow some reading material on Jean Baptiste
In the car on the way to his home ... only 1 kilometer ... he would say the word 'baracat' ... hmmm ... of course this aroused my curiosity ... second time I hear this word in 2 days ... the intrigue and mystery attached to the first time I heard it. I launched into an enquiry about the origin and the meaning of the word 'baracat'.
Apparently Dr had also researched the history of this word ... why? ... Who knows eh! An Arab word in this part of the country? Dr with the same passion employed when speaking of Jean Baptiste explains that he has studied Islam and the Koran and the word means "Under the protec-tion of the Divine" ... in Christianity ... under the protection of God ... Yikes ... no sooner had he uttered these words and my memory instantly retrieved some events earlier today when I visited the church. The bible was open on the stand in the front altar ... as in St R ... open (Ecclesiastics ... life is useless ... like chasing the wind) my curiosity was aroused.
I went back to check out what was on the open page ... Psalm 121,122,123 and 124 ... I went to my bible to check out what these Psalms were all about ... Psalm 121 ... The protection of God ... Yikes!! ... Coincidence? ... Synchronicity?
Note in the back of the church ... Gospel of John ... the Virgin Mary will give you all truth
My excitement and intrigue is mounting ... back to the refuge ... my fellow pilgrims want to get to sleep ... I write a bit and than try to go to sleep myself ... restless night ... didn't sleep much ... gave my mattress to Francoise and Marie Hélène.
Next morning decided to scan some of the material Dr had loaned me the night before while sipping on my morning coffee ... quite interesting ... Jean Baptiste same period as Lois de Montfort (paper from 1998 in Jerusalem) St Jean de Breboeuf
Decided to photo copy a couple .of pages of his book. Intrigued that I am in this place learning about the early history of Canada ... French Canada anyway! Consider staying in the village for another day ... mixed feel-ings. Back to the refuge ... start writing ... thinking I will write a bit and than leave... try to digest what has happened ... Dr shows up ... see previous notes
What remains in my mind from all that Dr told me that morning?
The stamp of the 'goose' ... 2 instances ... one in flight ... the trademark of the builders of the church ... the goose as the 'bird' of Canada ... the goose symbolizing 'spiritual quest’?
The Druids ... Celts being in contact with the Greeks and Egyptians long before the Roman Empire. Christianity being brought to continental Europe by the Celts from Ireland ... not the Romans?
The feeling of a 'connection' between this and the man from Ireland at the airport?
The story told by the artwork in the church
congregate ... come together and go up
The church built on Druid measurements and technology ... the Golden number ...pi ... the number '6' ... now this came back connected to lots of dots ... St Augustine writes of the number '6' ... the only whole integer where the aggregate of its' divisors is the 'number' e.g. 1+2+3=6 ?
St Augustine ... in his book City of God (another story) also writes about the 6th age of man begins with the birth of Jesus ... and states this is the last ... final ... age of man because Jesus has no offspring.
Cause of the revolution ... the church exploited the peasants harshly ... a ce bon pied
The City of Man and The City of God ... in the same book ... 2 'collective wills' ... distortion of the will?
Page 14 in confessions
The rope bridge ... the chasm between the journey across and changing collective will participation.
The influence of St Augustine in the Abby Benevant ... see previous notes ... hmmm ... connection of the dots?
Back to what Dr said about the number '6' ... he talked about the form ... the 'shape' of the numeral 6 ... he said something to the effect ... if you straighten it out you have ... a seed ... I think he was referring to symbol-izing the 'germination of the spirit' in the universe.
While walking this morning my imagination latched onto this notion and came up with another notion ... if you straighten out the numeral 6 .. you get ... a 'sperm' ... the seed of man ... the serpent ... hmmm 666 ... the number of the beast ... 3 instances of 6 ... 3 is the number representing the 'divine' ... 4 represents man the square ... 3 the triangle ... Pierre's com-ments about the 'Heart of Berry' ... the intersection of the medians of a triangle ... the seventh day ... the Sabbath ... the day God rested in genesis ... WOW!! ... Pena alba ..(Another story)
The difficult ... hard ... very hard ...'dawn' Ste Teresa in Alba ... vilifica-tion ... transformation ... birth of the spirit ... no longer trapped in the flesh!
This notion of 'collective will' seems to be growing stronger and stronger ... the seed is germinating!!
Elijah ... how long will you people continue to limp along with 2 opinions ...'distorted will'(another story) ... the altars in the old testament ... dol-mens ...? brought to Europe by the Druids ???
You will know by the fruit ... suppose it is time to be humble and patient ... again ... still!!
While I remain a 'flock of one' ... all of this is still my personal fantasy ...
On to the next village ... the post cards on the wall ... Upper Egypt ... ancient structures and St Jacques Compostel
Back again ... a couple of kilometers later ... by the river ... crossed the bridge (Puente La Reina ...Jaca and other where all Caminos converge ... hmmm)
Seems today is one of those days that I have to write ... have to get it out of my head and on paper ... reminds me of Kabbala ... after you believe you have received some 'wisdom' ... you must share ... or the tap will be turned off ... and maybe if you persist in not sharing ... the pressure will build up and "kaboom" ... not "kabbala"
Wonder how many cases of mental breakdown are caused by this notion ... it has never been easy to 'share off color' thoughts and feelings ... the fear of persecution seems to be enough to keep them bottled up ... fish or cut bait ... Joan of Arc scribbling ... the dogs barking and the flock of sheep ... Christian last year.
On with revealing my thoughts ... 2500-3000 years ago mankind had conquered hunger ... agriculture and animal husbandry ... grain bins and flocks of sheep and goats. Mankind had also conquered security ... fortified communities ... weapons ...armies ... communal living ... united we stand.
So what would be next ... given that hunger and security were more or less conquered ... perhaps the clue lies in a few of the persons of this era ... Solomon ... Socrates ... Buddha ... Confucius. Solomon and Buddha's story is interesting ... both possessed considerable wealth and power and all of the physical luxuries in abundance ... available to mankind at the time ... yet both in different ways seemed to 'grasp' the incompleteness ... the unfairness ... the something is missing here notion. Both are legends in terms of their contribution to the body of knowledge known as 'wis-dom'.
Socrates gave his life for his conviction concerning the existence of one Divine Being ... one supreme 'God" . Interesting that again it seems mankind was nudged 'up the ladder' so to speak in different geographies and different cultures at or about the same time ...hmmm
Are we on the threshold of the next 'leap' in transformation (transfigura-tion another story).
Sitting on a bench in Mount Carmel ... man beside says you can catch a boat to many places ... cheap ... even Turkey ... little did I know a few years later a boat would take me to Turkish soil. Ephesus. Reminded as well about the 'locutions' I received on several occasions at mass a month or so before I left Canada ... Come to Me ... I will prepare you for battle. I will put on your girder or something like that. Right now this kind of spooks me! Back to my walk ... hope this burst of stuff in my mind settles down!
First exposure to Elijah ... the statue in the church and the cave
Back again ... couple of kilometers down the road ... the next village ... last village before stopping for the night ... about 10 kilometers to go ... strength is fading
Walked right past the bar ... stomach still full from lunch at the river ... church on the road and the door open ... decide to rest. Think this is another one of those abandoned churches with masses only once in a while ... no lamp burning on the altar ... assume no Eucharist in the tabernacle. though occurs to me ... are not the altars in our churches a remnant of the "dolmen" cult??
Two thoughts return since I last wrote ... one the flock of sheep and barking dog ... now my mind puts this image up against the notion of 'collective will ... seems logical that mass participation in the 'collective will' ... the flock of sheep is maintained as much by the 'perception of fear' as it is by our natural need to 'belong' ... poverty can not hurt you ... the fear of poverty can kill you ... stress ... perception is reality... fear of rejection ... fear of non-acceptance ... fear of poverty ... fear of loss of stature etc ... hmmm so many dogs barking every where ... all the time ...hmmm
Literally on the Camino ... yet non have more than barked yet! ... al-though some who were restricted by a fence or a chain looked pretty ferocious ... closest event was the goose on the road one day ... goose again ... seems they are fearless and protective animal ... Lionel said they are better than a guard dog ...hmmm
Second thought that came back again was my experience in Ar yesterday. Arrived at the church door and find the key in the door ... go in and have my lunch inside the church. Couple from Holland come along ... seemed surprised that I am in the church ... with a look that says it's always locked ... this couple lives in the village ... secondary residence nonethe-less , the gentleman starts taking pictures . Seems obvious that for how-ever long they have lived in this village they have never been inside this church ... hmmm reminds me of the experience 2 days ago when Fran-coise and Marie Hélène mistakenly thought I had found the key to the church in Saint Priest ...hmmm!
My imagination runs away with this small experience too ... here I have been given the key to the church ... the House of God ... the Kingdom of God ... what a fantasy! and what an ego eh!!
Mary Magdalene stooping over body of Jesus post crucifixion ... first person to see the risen Jesus
Greek like icon of Mary ... Lady of Perpetual Help
To make matters worse I am writing these notes in a church ... my 3 lady friends are here ... St Michael is here ... Sacred Heart of Jesus is here and more ... an unusual statue ... one I have never seen before ... St Peter holding up a key in his right hand and a rooster at his feet ... have seen the statue with St Peter holding the key ... never with a rooster.
Have always found the 'denial' and 'rooster' part of the story of St Peter fascinating. The man whom Jesus would entrust with the key to the Kingdom of God and all the perks that go along with it would deny knowing his Master 3 times ... always to women??? ... Seems like another example of perceived fear ... and perception is reality.
I arrive in St Leonard Noblant ... I find the church ... a lady is walking toward me ... decide to ask her about the location of the refuge ... she gives me the look ... I don't have a clue what you are talking about. Before I can say merci ... I hear a voice behind me ...its Francoise and Marie Hélène ... with the gentleman who looks after the refuge. They were just finishing their tour of the church. Once again ... impeccable timing ... what a relief! ... I am tired.
Just after I put my pen down and hoisted my backpack onto my shoulder ... walked about 50 meters up the trail ... a kind lady is standing on the side of the trail with an inviting look ... one that says ... stop and chat if you have time. She was such a gentle lady ... she offered me something to drink ... I asked to have my water bottle filled ... a few minutes earlier I had been a bit nervous about not having enough water for the remaining 6 kilometers. She told me she is from Limonge ... bought the house beside the trail as a weekend home and now lives in it permanently. She ex-plained that the house was a prison originally ... a long time ago.
My mind wouldn't let go of the rooster at the foot of the statue of St Peter ... deny 3 times before the cock crows ... kept going through my mind and than a 'cogito' moment ... the cock(rooster) crows to announce the dawn of a new day ... the dawn of the Age of Aquarius melody played in my head. So much symbolism that points to the dawn of a new era ... a new age of man ... hmmm
Learn that St Leonard is a patron saint of prisoners ... is that why the lady told me her home was formerly a prison. Reminded of a dream a friend shared with me several years ago. She found herself in this prison ... frantically trying to find her way out ... up and down stairs ... in and out of alleys ... some people told her to go this way ... she went ... dead end ... other people said no no ... go this way ... again dead end and so on and so on ... she never did get out of the prison in her dream. At the time I believe I shared my interpretation of her dream ... symbolizes people trying to find freedom ... the light ... the truth ... and being told so many different stories about what to do and how to find it ... and most often all leads to a dead end ... like the various religions.
Also reminds me of the time a few years ago when I heard at mass the gospel reading about how Jesus came to save prisoners ... now I had heard this story so many times and I had always taken the words literally ... at face value ... came to help people recover/heal from being in jail/prison. This particular day my understanding was quite different ... He came to help us all ... we are all prisoners in this valley of tears.
Picked up the feathers on the road.
Winston Churchill ... we are not humans with a spirit ... we are spirits wrapped in human flesh. Today it seems more appropriate to say we are spirits trapped in human flesh.
The same friend had another dream a few weeks later that she gave birth to a white lamb ... weird eh! ... I thought all lambs were born black ... even at the time I still considered the lamb referring to the "Lamb of God" ... Jesus. Maybe the two dreams are connected after all ... the prison and the savior/redeemer. St Leonard are you helping me to understand this?
The artwork ... a rooster sitting on top of a cross symbolizing "Christ" announcing the dawn of a new age!
St Leonard 494-559
"Mais il est surtout l'intercessor au pres de Dieu, de tous les hommes qui veulent se liberer de l'egoisme et de l'orgueil"
June 9, 2015
Today, it seems my mind wants to go back and ponder Robert Kenny's words ...
"... more of us are now becoming aware of our capacity not only to intuit each other’s thoughts and emotions, but also to consciously think and create together without communicating through our five senses."
Suddenly Kurzwell ... the Google researcher ... doesn't seem so futuristic. :-)
Kurzwell suggested it will take another 25 years before most of our thinking will be done online ... Kenny claims that already today more and more people are thinking and creating together without communicating through our five senses ... without using internet or any other form of 'sense' powered communication. Hmmm!
A notion called Collective Wisdom is another phenomenon gaining momentum for the past 15 years ... is this notion simply another rendition of 'collective will'? Reminds me of the biblical expression ... something to the effect ... "where two or more of you are gathered in my name ... I will be there" Hmmm!
I digress ... again :-)
I still haven't come up with any rational arguments for my statement ... "perhaps technology will succeed where religion failed."
These past few days my connection to the 'cloud' has lots of static ... the incoming message is difficult to decipher. hahaha
There it is ... it's all related to the word "connection". Do you recall my mentioning that the roots of the word 'religion' are ... "to reconnect to God"
Notice ... 'reconnect' ... not 'connect' ... implies there was a connection at one time ... The Garden of Eden Biblical story.
The essence of all religions is to help people reconnect with God ... "May they all be One". Yes throughout history, religion in all cultures has been terribly exploited in an attempt to gain power and control over the masses. This 'ugly' manifestation of religion does not alter its' essence.
So religions have always attempted to harness people ... to bind them within a particular dogma, doctrine and rites. Some religions have been quite successful ... garnering a following of more than a billion people. However, no religions have successfully maintained their growth or strict adhesion to their dogma. Therefore it seems rational to say religions have failed. Although I believe they are a significant and necessary activity on humanity's evolutionary journey.
Why have religions failed?
Because they spent too much effort trying to control people ... indirectly attempting to control God!
So why do I think technology may succeed?
For the same reason religions failed. Today, 'connectivity' among and between peoples of all nations is so much superior to any time in history ... it's almost unimaginable. The barriers of distance, language and social status have been eliminated.
Freedom from religious dogma, doctrine etc has virtually been achieved without individuals being 'excommunicated' ... individuals remain as active members of the human community.
OK ... but freedom, connectivity and social mobility hardly suggest a 'reconnect to God'.
Agreed ... yet it seems the conditions are ripe for some giant leap forward in our human transformation ... and just maybe ... technology is designed to help us make that leap!
Is the mind, then, too restricted to compass itself, so that we have to ask what is that element of itself which it fails to grasp? Surely that cannot be external to itself; it must be within the mind.
In the above diagram I associate the component "Private/Internal or "On Premises/Internal" with the individual human mind I associate the component labelled "The Cloud" ... Off Premises/Third Party ... with the notion of "Noosphere" ... Heaven ... God
Today, it seems to me that 'technology' may succeed where 'religion' failed. :-)
If we simply take the word 'religion' at face value ... from the common understanding that the word 'religion' means to reconnect with God ... technology seems to be driving us in that direction. How so?
I read this morning ...
"Within 15 years, humans will be implanted with nanobots that will connect their brains to the internet, allowing for vastly accelerated cognition. Ten years after that, most of our thinking “will be done online,” according to futurologist Ray Kurzweil.
“Our thinking then will be a hybrid of biological and non-biological thinking. We’ll be able to extend our limitations and think in the cloud. We’re going to put gateways to the cloud in our brains,” said Kurzweil, director of engineering at Google, during a keynote speech at the Exponential Finance conference in New York.
“We’re going to gradually merge and enhance ourselves. In my view, that’s the nature of being human – we transcend our limitations.”
Seems to me that Ray Kurzwell expects "Google" to create the manifestation of the Noosphere ... :-) When I was a teenager many young people used 'LSD' to achieve the same experience. Hmmm!
Back to St Augustine. Sixteen hundred years ago he scratched his head ... maybe even banged his head against the wall ... :-) ... trying to figure out the outer 'boundaries' of his mind. "This question moves me to great astonishment. Amazement grips me."
... and he was a 'genius' in the landscape of humanity. Sixteen hundred years have passed since St Augustine confessed his dilemma ... not a terribly long time ... yet not yesterday either. In confessing his dilemma he created a 'skeleton' ... but failed to put any 'meat on the bones'. Seems to me, the 'meat' is being put on the bones very very quickly these days ... and technology ... not theology/religion ... is leading the way. Hmmm!
June 6, 2015
Kurzwell the 'futurist, Google the corporation, Augustine the theologian and philosopher and Theillard et al the fathers of the notion of Noosphere are all OK ... :-)
Sometime last year I articulated one of my thoughts at the time. Something to the effect ... " absolutely everything is 'truth' ... the Gordian Knot is in interpretation. The aggregate of these 'truths' forms what we know about 'TRUTH' ... pitiful little! I believe "TRUTH" is revealed ... not learned. At some point the 'veil' is lifted and we see clearly. The well know English expressions seem to point in this direction. For example ... "Why didn't I think of that before?" ... "It was staring me in the face and I didn't see it" ... Why didn't I notice that before?" "How could I have missed that?"
Krishnamurti said it best ... "TRUTH is a pathless land" and apparently on his death bed ... at age 90 or so ... he also said "no one understands me". Hmmm
I owe my tiny understanding of the Chinese notion of Yin Yang for my above statements. Let me try to share the basis for my unscientific claim ... absolutely everything is 'truth'.
Most people would likely agree that the world is a better place today than in the past ... both near past and distant past ... despite all the serious challenges facing the world today. I do ... if for no other reason than the invention of the flush toilet. :-)
How did we get to this better condition?
Yang energy!
In the Chinese notion of Yin Yang ... Yang is male, aggressive, hard etc ... symbolized in nature by the sun.
Today we live in a "GLOBAL village". The only way we could get here is with the help of Yang energy ... patriarchal hierarchy ... constant struggle and aggression. The human species is a stubborn lot. :-)
The above argument seems logical enough ... yet ... it's logical extension into the future is a bit scary. Should Yang energy continue to dominate human behaviour what will happen next?
Perhaps the time has come to switch the dominate energy to Yin energy ... known as female,soft, compromising etc ... symbolized in nature as the moon.
June 7, 2015
Technology may succeed where religion failed! Hmmm!
Social media ... Facebook, Twitter, Wei Chat etc ... seems to be another example of how technology may succeed where religion failed. Wow! ... now that's a stretch eh!
Let me start with the word 'governance'.When we hear or read the word 'governance' we usually associate it with the word 'government' or 'politics'. Yet it is one of those 'scalable' words. It can apply to an individual ... "exercising control or rule over oneself" ... cultivating a virtuous and upright character etc. It applies to a family ... every culture has their own unique rules and patterns of behaviour for family members. eg the father usually being the head of the family.it can also apply to the entire world as in World Governance. Scalable from one individual to a collection of more than 7 billion people. Hmmm Reminds me of another few words uttered by St Augustine ... something to the effect "Woe to you! You torrent of human custom. Who can stand against you?"
Two of the oldest cultures in the world ... Jewish and Chinese ... still practice self and family governance that is thousands of years old. Confucius spent his adult life researching and promoting ancient Chinese 'rites' (governance) for individuals, families, villages, states etc. Most Chinese scholars say China remains predominantly a Confucian culture to this day.
Religion is another form of 'governance' where each religion attempts to establish boundaries with doctrine, dogma, rites etc The words orthodox, unorthodox, heretic, apostate, inquisition all owe their origins to this attempt to establish and control religious governance.
So what has this to do with "technology may succeed where religion failed?
I'm not sure ... at this point I'm "thinking out loud" :-)
I'm reminded of something the late Orin Reid said to me one day ... about fifteen years ago. "Bruce ... people are like a school of fish ... you never know where they will feed next"
Orin was a successful real estate developer in Guelph, building more than 1,000 homes a year at the time. His continued success was dependent on him choosing the right location and housing style for his next subdivision project.
History tells us the human species is fickle ... extremely fickle! This characteristic of our human nature is likely reason enough to have spent so much time and effort on 'governance' issues.
Back to social networks. If we had access to the statistics ... how many people in the world use social networks and how frequent is their use? I think the numbers would be staggering.
If we think of the aggregate of activities on social networks as a "school of fish" ... and we accept the axiom ... you never know where the school of fish will feed next ... must be a scary thought for those responsible for national/world governance.
An example of this fear or concern is here in China where Facebook and Twitter are censored ... although as far as I know not illegal. Hmmm!
Now let's go to a word we hear or read often enough these days ... the word "viral".
It has 2 definitions:
1. Of, relating to, or caused by a virus.
2. Of or relating to the propagation of information, ideas, or trends by means of social networks rather than conventional mass media.
I don't know about you but I got shivers when I learned the word 'viral' is a derivative of the word 'virus'. Virus is one of the those scary words associated with SARS, Bird Flu, MERS ... plague ... yikes!
I digress ... yet perhaps this new information is relevant. Earlier I mentioned the words unorthodox, heretic, apostate and inquisition. All of these words seem to deal with keeping a particular religion 'virus' free. Hmmm!
Back to 'viral' ... communication evolved from person to person ... person to many persons verbally ... person to many persons after the advent of written language ... person to many persons after the advent of mass media ... and today persons to many persons via social networks.
Governance was much easier in the past ... only a few people were able to control the 'written word'. For example ... we are told there were many many 'gospels' two thousand years ago yet only 4 or 5 were chosen for propagation. Mass media has always been controlled by the few ... and even the 'fewer' today.
Social media ... I don't know!
Who chooses what will go 'viral'? Certainly there is a lot of time and money spent on the propagation of 'propaganda'. Yet it seems to me some stuff still goes 'viral' that those responsible for governance wish it hadn't ... a virus on the loose on the internet. I'm not referring to those harmful viruses ... simply undesirable information or emotions.
What my point? I still don't know. :-)
I'm thinking about the word "cloud" ... seems I am back to where I started ... Cloud Computing.
When I hear or read the word 'cloud' my memory often drags out the term "collective unconscious" ... a notion introduced by Carl Jung.
Let me drag out some of my earlier notes on this subject :
“Carl Jung was a student and follower of Freud. He was born in a small town in Switzerland in 1875 and all his life was fascinated by folk tales, myths and religious stories. Although he had a close friendship with Freud, early in their relationship his independent and questioning mind soon caused a break.
Jung did not accept Freud’s contention that the primary motivation behind behaviour was sexual urges. Instead of Freud’s instinctual drives of sex and aggression, Jung believed that people are motivated by a more general psychological energy that pushes them to achieve psychological growth, self-realization., psychic wholeness and harmony. Also, unlike Freud, he believed that personality continues to develop throughout the lifespan.
It is for his ideas of the collective unconscious that students of literature and mythology are indebted to Jung. In studying different cultures, he was struck by the universality of many themes, patterns, stories and images. These same images, he found, frequently appeared in the dreams of his patients. From these observations, Jung developed his theory of the collective unconscious and the archetypes.
Like Freud, Jung posited the existence of a conscious and an unconscious mind. A model that psychologists frequently use here is an iceberg. The part of the iceberg that is above the surface of the water is seen as the conscious mind. Consciousness is the part of the mind we know directly. It is where we think, feel, sense and intuit. It is through conscious activity that the person becomes an individual. It’s the part of the mind that we “live in” most of the time, and contains information that is in our immediate awareness Below the level of the conscious mind, and the bulk of the ice berg, is what Freud would call the unconscious, and what Jung would call the “personal unconscious.” Here we will find thoughts, feelings, urges and other information that is difficult to bring to consciousness. Experiences that do not reach consciousness, experiences that are not congruent with who we think we are, and things that have become “repressed” would make up the material at this level. The contents of the personal unconscious are available through hypnosis, guided imagery, and especially dreams. Although not directly accessible, material in the personal unconscious has gotten there sometime during our lifetime. For example, the reason you are going to school now, why you picked a particular shirt to wear or your choice of a career may be a choice you reached consciously. But it is also possible that education, career, or clothing style has been influenced by a great deal of unconscious material: parents’ preferences, childhood experiences, even movies you have seen but about which you do not think when you make choices or decisions. Thus, the depth psychologist would say that many decisions, indeed some of the most important ones that have to do with choosing a mate or a career, are determined by unconscious factors."
Perhaps Carl Jung's theory fits the "Cloud Computing" diagram as well ... with the Private/Internal component being what Jung referred to as a 'personal unconscious' and the Public/External component being what Jung referred to as the 'Collective Unconscious'.
The collective unconscious is different. It’s like eye color. If someone were to ask you, How did you get your eye color, you would have to say that there was no choice. The collective unconscious is like this: inherited. It never came from our current environment. It is the part of the mind that is determined by heredity. So we inherit, as part of our humanity, a collective unconscious; the mind is pre-figured by evolution just as is the body. The individual is linked to the past of the whole species and the long stretch of evolution of the organism. Jung thus placed the psyche within the evolutionary process.
What’s in the collective unconscious? Psychological archetypes. This idea of psychological archetypes is among Jung’s most important contributions to Western thought. An ancient idea somewhat like Plato’s idea of Forms or patterns in the divine mind that determine the form material objects will take, the archetype is in all of us. The word archetype comes from the Greek arche meaning first, and type meaning imprint or pattern. Psychological archetypes are thus first prints, or patterns that form the basic blueprint for major dynamic counterparts of the human personality. For Jung, archetypes pre-exist in the collective unconscious of humanity. They repeat themselves eternally in the psyches of human beings and they determine how we both perceive and behave. These patterns are inborn within us. They are part of our inheritance as human beings. They reside as energy within the collective unconscious and are part the psychological life of all peoples everywhere at all times. They are inside us and they are outside us. We can meet them by going inward to our dreams or fantasies. We can meet them by going outward to our myths, legends, literature and religions. The archetype can be a pattern, such as a kind of story. Or it can be a figure, such as a kind of character.
Jung proposes that our being is influenced by the collective unconsciousness (archetypes) and we can not escape this influence."
Jung's theory is relatively recent however, the ancient Hindu notion of "Akashic Records" seems to point in the same direction..
Both point to a "cloud" of information that is not accessible to most people ... at least not directly accessible ... yet undeniably affects us ... including the decisions we make.
The notion "Collective Consciousness" has been gaining traction in the academic community in recent years.
Robert Kenny defines the notion as: “Collective consciousness is a mode of awareness that emerges at the first transpersonal stage of consciousness, when our identities expand beyond our egos. A crucial capacity that accompanies this awareness is the ability to intuitively sense and work with the interactions between our and others energy fields, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. For example, just as Gene Rodenberry imagined a future where Star Trek’s Spock could mind meld with others, more of us are now becoming aware of our capacity not only to intuit each other’s thoughts and emotions, but also to consciously think and create together without communicating through our five senses.
Ted Andrews describes parallels between a bee and the beehive … a person and humanity.
The Bee - Power of Collective Consciousness
What animal archetype could be more appropriate to describe the contradictions within the Western psyche than “Bee?” For like Mankind, Bee stands between the Divine and the Mundane, the most conscious and the least, the productive and the compulsively driven!
Ted Andrews’ research maintains that bees appear in many mythologies around the world. Hinduism considers the Bee to symbolize Vishnu, Krishna, or even Kama—the god of Love. In ancient Egypt, the Bee symbolized royality. In Greece, it was part of the symbolism of the Eleusinian Mysteries. To the Celts, Bee symbolized hidden wisdom. And to Christians, Bee symbolized Christ.
In more modern times, science was for many years confounded by the bee, perceiving it as an insect that was ‘too heavy to fly’, and yet it did. It earned the reputation of being the Rocky Balboa of the insect kingdom: able to “do the impossible.” Like Rocky, Bee became an imago for all who saw themselves as facing impossible odds and yet were determined to win.
Bees are always working, going, gathering pollen and making honey. But like Man, Bee gathers and does far more than required to feed himself. Beekeepers take away much of a hive’s honey to sell, returning very little in security to their tiny charges. But Bee just keeps working, locked in its own world of prescribed roles and duties.
From the outside, Bee is the very model of duty and industriousness—all characteristics admired in western economic thought and culture. Bees are orderly and efficient, managing their hives and work schedules so effectively that businessmen and government bureaucrats might well choose this imago as an ideal model to emulate in their own realms of responsibility. They keep their hives clean and hygienic, providing an idealized model for our homemakers, religious and social organizations: doing good, keeping busy, cleaning house, caring for the children, making money, being and doing “good”, and doing one’s duty.
These qualities of Bee remind us how our modern economic system seems totally dependent upon collective effort and creativity rather than individual effort and creativity; so complex has modern economic life become that it is impossible to think of our capital and technology-driven economy remaining viable without carefully coordinated effort by many persons who possess many specialized skills. Bee does not have much of the artist or entrepreneur in it, for such energies are driven by individualized callings and passions.
But the dark side of these qualities are rigidity, inflexibility, conformity to collective order, mindless activity, and the imposition of collective values and priorities without individual rights or responsibility. Bee thus also symbolizes the compulsiveness of Man’s unconscious programming to work and unthinkingly attend to social or work duties over personal or individual need. Much of Mankind, like sterile worker Bees, spend their lives thoughtlessly leading sterile existences. Or like soldier Bees, our professional soldiers, defending the homeland against all enemies, foreign or domestic. Individual judgment and survival are not important against the needs of the collective.
As the single bee is a part of the hive, so too is the individual’s soul a part of the Anima Mundi—the World Soul. In India, the Soul is viewed as a collective entity—like the hive; Hinduism believe that all humans have a common soul. In the West, it is much more common today to visualize one’s soul as an individual part of oneself. In pre-Christian eras when paganism and the power of the Mother Goddess was supreme in the tribes of man, the soul was also seen as an elemental power—a part of Nature. Bee’s gold color linked it to the Sun and the Solar Energies of Apollo. Even today, spiritual movements such as Theosophy still refer to the soul as the Solar Angel.
The hive is populated by several types of bees. The Queen is the only female allowed to live in the hive. Whenever any bee is fed royal jelly by caretakers and is born female, the Queen will kill them if not prevented by her caretakers. Drones are males whose only purpose is to breed new queens. Soldier bees guard the hive. And workers are sterile eunuchs whose only purpose is to gather pollen and make honey.
As Queen of the Hive, the Queen Bee is the ultimate tyrant. Like many CEO’s of large corporation, She is also captive of her Hive and can never escape her duties. She is the epitome of the Earth Mother or Great Mother archetype, being both the Source of Life for her species and Death Mother of her young, as she destroys her female young as they emerge from their birth chambers. Like the Queen, Man’s business and political leaders ruthlessly cull aggressive challengers from their staffs to ensure that they are never successfully challenged, selecting eunuch-like staff who subordinate themselves to the CEO and are loyal workers.
The shapes of bee hives have associations to burial mounds. Anyone who has visited the famous “beehive tomb” in Greece will recognize the ancient association of the hive with the burial tomb. So too, in our modern organizations, Man has entombed himself in burial tombs of steel and glass, away from the sunny fields of flowers and open skies outside, so that he can attend to his compulsive duties within the Underworlds of government and business without distraction. The hive is also associated with the womb. Sex and death speak through this imago of the eternal cycle of the wheel of incarnation from birth, to death and back again into life.
Bees also have symbolism from early Christian mythologies. In earlier times, bees were believed not to birth young themselves but instead harvested their young from flowers. Thus, bees became early symbols of virgin birth and the immaculate conception. Because of this belief, they were also associated with Jesus’ birth.
Honey, the food produced by bees, was associated in earlier times with “ambrosia”—the food of the gods. As a result, they became associated with the gift of the Muse—poetry and music—and with the gift of prophecy. Priestesses of the Delphic Oracle were called “bees.” And offerings of honey and honey cakes were made on altars to the gods and goddesses of yore. Similar mentions were made in the Christian Bible; Israel’s ‘promised land’ was the Land of Milk and Honey.
Finally, bees are associated with sexuality or lust, due to their capacity to “sting.” Here, the ancient mythic connection between sex and death is imaged, for when bees sting, they die from the wound in themselves when the stinger remains behind and is wrenched out of their bodies. In this, they join the salmon, the mantis, and the black widow spider—all of whom demonstrate the closeness of sex and death in their mating and spawning.
Bee reminds us to hold on to our individuality and not to lose ourselves in collective duties or in our social programming which ties our identities, our self-worth, and our self-respect to what others ‘at work’ think of us. Life is far more than work, but work also gives meaning to life. Like all other archetypes, Bee is paradox. Bee shows us that life is both nirvana and samsara at the same time, and the fullness of our lives is all in how we look at it. Bee is therefore also a reminder to “make honey while the sun shines”, to live life fully and in the present, for tomorrow we die.
Are you still reading? I think I'm getting there. :-)
To recap:
- we have a personal conscious and we are somehow connected to a collective consciousness ... the 'cloud'.
- we have a personal unconscious and we are somehow connected to a collective unconscious ... again the 'cloud'.
- our daily life ... thoughts, actions, decisions, and experiences are influenced by the "collectives" ... the 'cloud'
What's next?
The development of a "Collective Will" seems a logical extension of the above.
Now I want to go back to my thoughts in France in June 2004 ... during my last long walk ... a little more than 1,000 kilometres from Vezelay in France to Los Arcos in Spain.
More thoughts 'regurgitated'. :-)
It was during this walk that I first tripped over the thought ... "From collective unconscious to collective conscious to collective will" I remember thinking and writing somewhere along the way ... "This is a biggy ... a real biggy!"
Let me dig out the circumstances surrounding the surfacing of the above thought. I have included my notes from June 8,2004 to June 13, 2004 in order to get a better picture of my 'frame of mind' at that time. Seems I wrote a lot in those 5 days ... hope you will take the time to read my notes.
June 8, 2004 In Pommiers - Chez "Tito"
First page of my new scribbler ... bought it in Neuvy day before yesterday. Seems I can't get enough of Neuvy Saint Sepulchre ... left here in the morning ... with an agenda ... I had a plan!
I would have an easy day ... walk to Cluis ... only 9 kilometers ... stay at the Pilgrim's refuge (Vezelay) and enjoy a quiet restful afternoon ... see I am in control of my destiny and this is what I chose ... my choices! ... my plan!
So much for planning ... I arrive in Cluis ... sit in the shade at the Chapel ... Our Lady of the Holy Trinity ... just missed the annual procession ... was yesterday ... church is locked. After a short rest I finish the days' walk by heading into town ... remember that I have to get some money ... I'm down to a bit of change ... see a sign I recognize ... a bank sign ... this is good omen at the same time my 'inner voice' is saying ... just because there is a bank ... doesn't mean there is an outdoor cash machine.
Turns out my 'inner voice' was right again ... confirmed the bad news at the local bar. Oh oh! ... oh well ... counted my coins ... enough for a draft beer and a coffee in the morning ... and in my pocket I have a full package of cigarettes. Thinking the refuge won't cost anything for sleeping ... box of soup in my backpack ... small piece of bread and the rest of my 'homemade cake' ... who could ask for more! I'll be fine.
Within the next few minutes ... after finishing my beer ... I learn the refuge is not finished yet ... i.e. ... not open ... and worse yet ... no bank machine in the next village Gargiesse ... about 14 kilometers ... Yikes!!
Hung around the 'gite' in the morning ... waiting for laundry to dry ... enjoy the garden ... the calm. .... Gaultier ... Gaul... ?
So much for feeling fine ... what now? The lady at the bar suggests I go down the street and enquire at the home of the lady in charge of the Pilgrim's Refuge ... seems like a good idea. She walks me to the street and points in the direction of the home ... I think she says the large house with the 'blue' window shutters. I arrive chez Mme Ampeau and ring the doorbell ... I notice on the tag just below the bell the names Ampeau - Gauthier.
Needless to say I find this intriguing and exciting ... a day or so ago I see the name Gauthier for the first time ... in France ... the sawmill at La Chatre and here I am ringing the doorbell of a "Gauthier". I learn that Mme Ampeau's maiden name is Gauthier ... her family has lived in town for more than 100 years. She asks me if I spell Gauthier with an 'H' ... Gauthier vs Gautier. I remember seeing the name 'Gautier' in the booklet I was reading at the gite ... the synopsis of the life of George Sand ... hmmm!
Mme Ampeau is very kind and generous ... she apologized about the refuge not being ready and than launches into an alternative ... there is a Chambres d'Hotes in the village and pilgrims can stay there for 10 euros including breakfast. I sheepishly explain to Mme Ampeau that I have one more little problem ... I have no money! ... her face manifests a look of ... Oh! Oh!
What now? ... she spends a few seconds mentally searching for a solution to my money problem ... suggests perhaps one of the local business people would advance me a few euros on my credit card ... and than laments that ... today is Monday en plus! ... most local businesses are closed ... including the local bank(both of them).
She suggests the people who run the Chambres d'Hotes may have a credit card machine. She gives me directions to the Chambres d'Hotes ... a right turn than a left turn ... ? ... not very far ... a big house with red window shutters ... seems the color of the window shutters are used to identify homes in this village!
I find the Chambre d'Hotes ... nobody home ... yikes! ... what now? ... no refuge ... no money ... no bank machine here or in the next village!!
So much for my quiet relaxing day!
I meander into the church ... suppose in some way looking for an explanation for the yuky circumstances I find myself in ... a few meters inside the door of the church ... a large white statue of Ste Therese on the left side and a large white statue of Joan of Arc directly across on the right hand side of the church. I can 'feel' my inner self smiling as I gaze at these two statues ... thinking in my mind ... what do you two young ladies have planned for me today? ... what are you up to!!?
My feelings are calm and peaceful ... no panic yet!
I ponder my alternatives ... I am reluctant to go back to Mme Ampeau even though before leaving her house she told me to come back if I had any problems. A few minutes later ... seemed the only option I had was to return to Mme Ampeau ... left my backpack in the church and headed back ... less than 100 meters away.
Another very friendly greeting ... I explained that I found the Chambres d'Hotes but it was closed. Mme Ampeau seemed puzzled ... decided to escort me personally to the Chambre d'Hotes ... suppose she figured I somehow missed finding the correct entrance. She walks with me to the Chambre d'Hotes ... indicates the proper entrance and confirms with me ... yup! ... it's closed.
She inquires of a construction worker who is working on the street beside the Chambre d'Hotes ... seems he hasn't seen anyone today ... she mentions that it was open yesterday ... hmmm ... the universe conspiring against me?
We walk back to Mme Ampeau's ... seems she has worked out a solution in her mind ... she tells me I can sleep at her house ... she has choir practice in Neuvy in the evening and I can come along with her to Neuvy and solve my 'no money problem' ... there is a bank machine in Neuvy ... I had seen it in the morning and when I saw it I remembered that I had very little money in my pocket ... yet ... I walked right past the machine confident there would be another bank machine in the next village (Cluis) ... seems I still have not learned the lesson of 'being practical'.
Yet ... had I been practical ... I would have missed all that has happened as a result of my encounter with Mme Ampeau ... and for me ... a lot has happened!!
Mme Ampeau also mentioned that she planned to attend a community event at the church ... Our lady of the Holy Trinity ... the place I stopped at on the way into town. I learned they have a long standing tradition in this village ... a procession on the Feast of the Holy Trinity June 6th (D-Day Normandy) and a community gathering the next day ... where they play this ancient game ... drink a lot of wine and eat some special local pastry.
She invited me along ... arrived at her car ... parked on the street behind the house ... the button to open the doors wouldn't work ... turns out her battery is dead ... Yikes! ... what next?
At that moment her husband comes driving up the street ... Pierre ... she introduces me ... gives Pierre a brief summary of my circumstances ... tells him about her car and voila ... contingency plan ... we will go with Pierre to the community celebration and he will drive us to Neuvy.
I end up joining Pierre and 2 other gentlemen in this ancient game. It's like horseshoes and curling and lawn bowling and bowling ... hmmm Pierre gives me a coin ... dated 1876 ... he explains (I think) that at that time (1876) there were coins with the same value ... i.e. 5 lire was the same as 5 francs etc. (Foreshadow Euro?)Two sticks in the ground about 5 meters apart ... the objective was to throw the coin attempting to land as close to the stick as possible. I was Pierre's partner ... quite a handicap for him.
The name Rigaud ... I meant City ... Mme Ampeau thought I meant family name.
I was no more athletic ... adept ... at this particular game than I am at any other. On 2 or 3 occasions I hit one of the gentlemen with my coin toss ... We lost 2 games ... badly! Pierre bought me a Perrier ... we sat at the table and they chatted ... I had difficulty understanding the conversation ... difficulty! ... I understood nothing ... maybe this is what George Sand meant when she wrote the language in the villages ... 'villageois' ... each village with their own dialect ... like Italy!
Later we continued our journey into Neuvy ... Pierre directed me to the bank machine ... Mme Ampeau and 2 friends went to their choir practice. The 'cling cling cling' of the bank machine is the sweetest sound in the world when you find yourself in a foreign place with no money!
Reminds me of the experience in Venice a few years ago(another story). Learn that Pierre is the treasurer for the basilica(parish of Neuvy I presume) He has some work to do ... I go for a coffee ... patronize the local bar I avoided the day before ... same kind lady. Returned to the church (building across the street) and read a book while waiting for Pierre and Mme Ampeau.
In this book is a story about the Carmelites in France (Ste Therese is a Carmelite) ... learn that 2004 is the 400th anniversary of their arrival in France ... mentions Ste Therese of Avila and St John of the Cross ... reminded of my experience last year on the Camino ... Ruta de La Plata (Seville to Santiago) ... another story ... wow!! ... more and more 'connecting the dots' ... so much in this one place ... Neuvy St Sepulchre
Back to the townhouse ... Pierre brings me to their garden ... a few blocks away ... a small paradise ... been in Mme Ampeau's family (Gauthier) for 100 years or so. Pierre has everything in this garden ... a wide variety of fruit trees ... some of which he has 'grafted' to produce unique varieties of fruit ... every conceivable vegetable and a dozen or so sheep pasturing next door. Pierre tells me he had 12 lambs in the spring ... so much work! Pierre is retired and seems he really enjoys his garden.
Today he is working on the wall between the garden and the road ... one of those old stone walls ... part of it fell over and Pierre is fixing it. Learn that Mme Ampeau's given names are Marie Therese ... hmmm ... my inner self smiles again ... the two names that are so often in my mind and in my heart ... the Virgin Mary(Marie) and Ste Therese ... hmmm
Supper, some delightful conversation and off to bed. Learned during supper the meaning of "Laisser Verdure" ... the last words of George Sand ... I had read about this the day before and I was impressed (curious) enough to write them in my notes. (a few thousand words back)
Marie Therese brought out a book about George Sand ... spoke about her a bit(vivant) and when I saw the words "Laissez Verdure" in the book I asked Marie Therese for the meaning of "verdure" ... she pointed to the trees in the garden ... indicating 'greenery' ... now it makes sense ... think the French word for green is 'vert' ... hmmm.
Where is this George Sand encounter going? I reflect on the comments I read the day before ... apparently the French people believe these last two words spoken by George Sand are a 'mystery' ... of course I am intrigued ... and of course ... I want to solve the mystery! ... such arrogance eh! My reflections on the 'mystery' lead me to this conclusion ... 'leave it green' ... leave it full of life ... do not 'burn' it ... do not destroy it ... the 'it' being the earth ... hmmm!
Pierre's story about the 'companions' of Joan of Arc ... the 'emblems' in the church ... the 2 fish ... their family ... one in Orleans etc
Wow! ... Almost 8 pages of notes ... hmmm ... off to Gargilesse ... and hopefully some quiet time to digest all that has happened in the last day or so! Another first ... walked more than 3,000 kilometers of Chemin St Jacques ... Camino Santiago ... and this is the first time I was invited to stay in an individual’s home ... hmmm ... maybe we are related on the Gauthier side.
I'm in Gargilesse ... not sure if I will stay or walk on to the next village Cuzion ... I'll drink my coffee and decide.
Chatted for a few minutes with a couple from England ... planning to retire in this area ... there son is in the Royal Navy stationed in Portsmouth ... they took the ferry from Portsmouth to Caan ... reminds me of the time I found myself on the ferry from Caan to Portsmouth (another story ... involving Ste Therese of Lisieux).
The English lady was sharing her son's circumstances in Portsmouth ... he can’t afford to buy his first place to live ... living on the ship ... she said ... "he can't get his foot on the first step of the ladder to get started" ... reminds me of Ste Therese's spirituality ... read it in the book I bought in Lisieux several years ago ... her way of explaining 'childlike' faith ... the image of the ladder ... step ladder ... and a toddler ... the toddler's doll or favorite toy on top of the ladder ... the toddler persistently trying to get it's small leg up on the first step of the ladder.
While it is impossible ... the toddler doesn't seem to know that it is impossible and persists! Ste Therese apparently wrote that the 'way to God' is the same ... the goal is noble ... like the toddler ... at the top of the ladder is something highly desirable ... for the toddler ... the doll or the toy ... for the pilgrim ... the seeker ... all those who want to get closer to God ... at the top of the ladder is GOD.
And also like the toddler, in our mortal (human) state it is impossible to get on the first step on the ascent to God ... it is humanly impossible. Ste Therese says we are to persist ... hope ... faith ... not give up and at the appropriate time (God's time) He will stoop down and lift us up onto the first step and so on and so on.
The day I read this little story ... I was struck by the profound truth embedded in the metaphor. Amazing how these 'memories' are percolated to the top of my consciousness by the seemingly trivial experiences and encounters ... hmmm!
Decide to stay in Gargilesse ... accommodation is 5 star ... private room ... fully equipped kitchen ... even a washing machine ... tempted to use it ... the knobs and buttons etc ... too intimidating!
Enleveur S.O.S. spray painted on the pavement ... the 2 snakes courting on the bridge.
The box of soup , the large bread I bought a few days ago ... the night I spent at 'l'abrit de nuit' came in handy tonight. A fully equipped kitchen but no place in town to buy any food ... poop!
Heated the soup, broke the stale bread into pieces and voila ... my supper ... I had the last piece of my expensive homemade cake for desert!
Two pilgrims arrived around 6:00PM ... 2 ladies ... 50+ ... they just left to go to the local restaurant for supper. Realized a few hours ago that my coffee last night in Neuvy ... after I hit the bank machine ... cost me 12 euros ... ouch! ... oh well! I'll think of it as Martial's donation!
Still in George Sand country ... her secondary residence is here ... when I asked the lady at the bar about the house ... she told me she hid her 'lovers' here ... probably was trying to say she would spend some time with her lovers here ... away from the 'fish bowl' ... Nolant ?
Read a bit of St Augustine's "Confessions' tonight ... figured I am carrying the book ... might as well read some! One sentence struck me as very interesting ... "it is not the discovery but the mere search for wisdom which should be preferred even to the discoveries of treasures and to ruling over nations and to the physical delights available to me at a nod ... footnote suggests this sentence is a quotation or at least a paraphrase of Cicero
Also see page 140 ... 'will' ... sounds like Solomon now that I write out the words
Cuzion ... 1/2 litre of apple juice and 2 croissants ... a delicious breakfast
Seems the couple of pages of Augustine's book "Confessions" that I read last night have rekindled my 'itch' to ponder the mysteries of life ... 'search for wisdom'. Another paragraph that I find appealing and intriguing ...Augustine asks himself such vexing questions ... e.g. "What causes this monstrous fact? ... and Why is it so?"
The mind commands the body and is instantly obeyed ... the mind commands itself and meets resistance.
The mind commands the hand to move ... and it is so easy that one hardly distinguishes the order from its' execution. the mind is mind and hand is body. The mind orders the mind to will. The recipient of the order is itself... yet it does not perform the command.
I recall pondering this particular mystery on several occasions during the past few years ... no insight arrived ... no answers ... so here we go again ... I'll have another go at it this morning.
Shortly after leaving Gargilesse I passed a spot along the road where several cows had been recently taken out of the pasture and walked up the road ... to a different pasture. I suppose ... the evidence supporting my statement was the several piles of cow dung on the country road ... I have been in this particular situation on many occasions while walking the Camino.
This morning my mind went off on a journey. Seems to me the cows when leaving their comfort zone ... the pasture they have been grazing in for who knows how long ... immediately on leaving ... not before and not 50 meters down the road ... seems within a meter or 2 of the exit .. they poop!! ... at least seems many of them do ... judging from the number of poop piles.
This morning I ask why? Are they nervous or anxious about what lies ahead ... are they frightened? ... do they somehow know that they may be on their way to the slaughter house ... or is it simply a case of 'nervous stomach' resulting from moving from the 'known' ... their familiar pasture and grazing area ... to the 'unknown' ... that 'dark night' ... who knows? ... who cares? ... life is useless ... it's like chasing the wind
Seems my investigation is not done yet ... the above thoughts now on 'centre stage' of my mind invoke another curiosity ... are there parallels between the actions of the cows described above and the actions of the 2 legged animal species referred to as 'humans'.
My 'inner self' smiles and nods in agreement. We too are comfortable with the 'status quo' ... with the familiar ... being penned or fenced in by our culture ... our society ... our government ...
Seems we have a reluctance to venture outside of the 'familiar' and if it were forced ... physically ... emotionally ... or otherwise ... beyond the frontiers of the 'familiarity' ... we too become nervous or anxious ... intimidated by the 'unknown' ... the uncertainty ... the 'dark night' ... reminds me of St John of the Cross's book ... The Dark Night of the Soul
Of course, not all of us react the same ... just as not all of the cows pooped a few steps outside of the pasture ... some of us are the exact opposite ... we feel stifled by life in the 'familiar' bound by the borders or fence of our society. we can't wait to 'get out' ... some of us escape with drugs ... alcohol ... work etc some with 'creativity' ... artists of all kinds ... musicians ... painters ... writers etc
So ... what's the point of all this? ... I don't know! After all it was only several piles of cow dung on the road!
Maybe these thoughts are connected to the notion of 'will' described by Augustine. The expression 'will power' has tickled my mind on several occasions ... the word 'power' and all its' intended meanings side by side with the word 'will'.
The expression seems to infer ... determination ... tenacity ... staying power ... stick to it iveness ... something like the chewawa barking ferociously and biting at the pant leg of a large man. The little dog must know that it is physically inferior to the man ... yet ... with relentless 'will' the little dog continues ... and it is very often quite difficult to shake off this little pest ... without hurting him/her of course!
Is this a worthy example of 'will power' or simply a case of doggy foolishness?
So now I have two questions ... Augustine's question concerning 'will' and the question ... what fuel is used to 'power' the will?
People who seem to naturally possess tons of 'will power' tend to believe all people have access to the same degree of 'will power' ... Is this so?
The body and its' limbs seem to respond to exercise, repetitive actions, nutrition etc ... all athletic people clearly demonstrate the correlation between these things and the result ... the most obvious example being our Olympic athletes.
What about our mind? ... do the same principles hold? ... suppose the obvious answer is yes ... to a degree!
However, all the 'will power' in the world ... all the mental determination ... cannot help a paraplegic walk again?
Seems to me the notion of 'will' has some connection to the notion of 'collective unconscious' and 'herd instinct' ... e.g. the will to do what most people do ... to conform to 'life' inside the pen ... to follow the 'flock' as in my sheep philosophy ... in these circumstances the requirement of the 'will' seems too 'small' e.g. Our society conditions us to venerate heroes ... athletic ... political ... creative ... academic ... a resulting 'will' to emulate ... imitate ... or whatever seems a logical conclusion.
What about people like Christopher Columbus and Joan of Arc ... where did their seemingly supernatural 'will' and 'will power' come from? What drove Christopher Columbus to venture out into the 'unknown'? ... voluntarily ... several times ... leaving the pasture of 'familiarity' behind and plunging into a 'night of darkness'.
Seems obvious that the sea/ocean was feared by most people of the day ... Fisterre ... the end of the earth in Spain?
Learned several years ago that Christopher Columbus was scheduled to leave from a certain harbor in Spain. When the time to leave drew near ... he was unable to leave because the Spanish were evicting Jews from Spain in this particular harbor at time ... this was during the period of the inquisition. The writer of the book posed an interesting question ... Columbus's voyages would lead to colonization by several of the European nations ... and this would happen at the same time the Jews were being evicted ... would these new colonies become the new 'homeland' for the Jewish people ?
Back to Joan of Arc ... a young girl ... a young peasant girl ... who would make her way to the leadership of an army ... have an audience with the King of France ... win battles ... lose battles and accept being 'burned at the stake' rather than renounce her source of 'will' and 'will power' ... hmmm.
In the next few thousand steps I started to recite the Lord's prayer ... the Our Father. Remembered that ST Teresa of Avila told her nuns they should take one hour to recite the Lord's Prayer ... once!!
St Teresa obviously believed there is so much hidden mystery in this one prayer ... seems logical since it is the only prayer Jesus taught His disciples ... and He taught it to them after they asked him ... Lord teach us to pray.
Today I thought I would examine the prayer from the perspective "Jesus was the first human being to have a conscious recollection of where He came from ... and likely the only human being with this conscious recollection ... see earlier notes
Paraphrasing ... Jesus said to His disciples ... I come from my Father ... my Father sent Me ... so let's look at the first few words of the prayer .
Our Father
In Heaven ... what is meant by the word 'heaven'? ... that dimension of space or being that cannot be defined or described in human terms. Change this word to 'Spirit' and seems to me we have not lost anything and perhaps can gain much. e.g. we are told in genesis that we are created in God's image and likeness ... with God as 'Spirit' ... the above statement seems much more credible.
Winston Churchill ... "we are spirits wrapped in human flesh"
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Father Charlie who I met in Bracebridge helped me with this notion of 'name'. In conversation one day about the mysterious capabilities of some people in India Father Charlie stated ... they have obviously found a way to tap into a 'higher' source of energy ... we Christians have a 'name' for this 'higher source' of energy ... Jesus ... hmmm.
Also seems I have spent considerable time contemplating the notion of 'our name'. The instructor of a Dale Carnegie course stated several years ago that the sound of our name is the sweetest sound in the world to us. this statement seems to have some merit.
Our 'name' also seems to have a shelf life that is much longer than our physical life ... for some at least ... again let's look at the names Christopher Columbus and Joan of Arc ... so much is associated with and recalled simply by vocalizing the letters that construct the name. What a mystery!
Seems our name is often our legacy ... that part of us ... while not a part of our physical being ... that lives on long after we have breathed our last breath.
Thy Kingdom .... a place ... a dimension in space
Come ... future ... not now
Thy Will ... here we go again with the word 'will'. when I got here ... the thoughts of this morning seemed to crystallize ... not sure how or in what way ... perhaps later?
Be Done
On Earth as it is in Heaven
The word heaven again. Change the word earth to flesh and the word heaven to spirit and we get ... "In the flesh as it is in the spirit" ... seems to me this is the crux of all Christian teaching. The persistent and endless struggle between our two natures (vilification) ... written about by so many people for so many years and yet still persists. What role has 'will' in this struggle?
I'm now in the church in Eguzon ... decided to come here while drinking my coffee across the street ... my motivation (more on this word motivation later) was to cool off ... it is so hot today ... my T shirt is drenched ... I put on a dry one.
Asked about internet availability ... at library at 3:30 ... decide to wait around
On entering the church my eyes wander over to the left side of the church where there is a large bulletin board heavily populated with posters. The first one I gaze on is a large picture of Ste Therese with the words ... "Je voudrais parcourir la terre en announcer l'Evangile" ... the same words as in the cover of the booklet I purchased in St Pierre ... moving! The second one titled "Les Equipes du Rosaire
Venez et prions ensemble
Toi qui cherches
Toi qui doutes
Toi qui es seul
Toi qui est malade
Toi qui es bien-portant
Toi qui es jeune ou mois jeune
Toi qui pries ...
Tous
Nous avons besoin de toi
pour trouver, pour parteger
et rayonner
de la Vie de Celui
qui est toujours avec nous
le Christ
En Priant avec Marie, sa Mere
qui a cherche, qui a souffert
qui a cru, qui nous aide
Third one Annee du Rosaire ... Une ecole de priere des Equipes Un Pelerinage avec les Domtricains
My 3 lady friends are in left front alter ... Our Lady of Lourdes Ste Therese and Joan of Arc
Seems this notion of 'will' will power, collective conscience , herd instinct and voila a new term 'collective will' is a 'biggy' a real 'biggy'
I may never understand how it works but like Augustine or Cicero wrote a long long time ago ... the search for wisdom ... the search itself ... without discovery is exciting ... for me today anyway! ... today!!
Seems much of my meditation/reflection during the past 2-3 kilometers is in some way confirmed by the words in the posters ... maybe I really am crazy!!
The word motivation popped into my head several thousand paces ago ... remember the definition in a book used for a course I took on organizational behaviour ... today seems to me the course would be better served with a title ... behavioural manipulation in organizations!!
The formula for motivation ... see everything can or needs to be reduced to 'mathematical proof' to be true
Motivation = Valence X Expectation ... where valence means the preference for one outcome versus another and expectation represents the likelihood (probability)of a successful outcome ... i.e. the preferred outcome.
My motivation for coming into the church for example ... I preferred a 'cool' ... very cool location to a 'hot' one. From experience I knew that most big old churches are quite cool inside.
et voila ... my motivation was very strong and here I am ... enjoying the 'cool' and to a lesser degree ... the ???? of being in a church.
Seemed to me that the notion of motivation is somehow related to the notion of 'will' ... they seem to go hand in hand ... strong motivation ... strong will ... strong will ... the manifestation of 'will power' ... that energy that transforms into 'action'.
Seems I want to explore the term 'collective will'. Perhaps this expression has the same attributes and characteristics as those described by Carl Jung when he introduced the expression "Collective Unconscience" ... perhaps only a subset
One of the examples of 'collective will' that came to mind just before coming into the church was a sports team ... e.g. a hockey team ... ideally each member of the team embraces the 'will' of the team ... to win hockey games or maybe simply ... to make lots of money. Thus the connection ... Une Ecole de Priere ... Des Equipes
The 'will' of the team ... the team has no life ... in and of itself ... it is simply a word that is intended to portray a group of persons with a 'common goal' ... a 'collective will' ... seems the 'common goal' or collective will is determined external to the participants of the team e.g. the poster ... the Toronto Maple Leafs ... individuals who seek membership or participation on the team ... it would seem have somehow gained knowledge of the team's 'will' and are willing to subscribe ... have entered into the 'motivation' stage ... while the individual 'valence' may be some-what different for each member the collective valence or collective will is intended to be 'one'.
Can an individual 'will' exist outside of the 'collective will'? Seems not ... at least in the case of the human species ... we are social beings ... being alone is painful for most.
Perhaps those who are 'disconnected' from the 'collective will' are those who suffer from the various forms of central nervous system disorders ... depression in all its' forms. The 'disconnection' deprives the individual of the power ... the energy ... the force supplied by the 'collective will' ... the individual who finds disconnected ... finds themselves in a big black hole ... no light ... only darkness ...hmmm ... the common story of those who suffer from depression.
In this state there is also an absence of 'will power' the power ... the energy required to act ... one friend told me that in this state he could not muster the energy to reach into the back of the fridge to grab a can of coke ... what an effect this 'disconnect' can have eh!!
Voluntary disconnection ... can it exist??
Manipulation of the 'collective will' ... is this possible ... of course ... it's called politics, religion, heroism, culture, society etc
How so? 'Will' is in the mind, therefore manipulation requires some form of 'mind control' ... mental conditioning ... mental programming ...
Not such a bad thing ... we are likely able to live in a civilized ... quasi civilized anyway ... society where it is safe to pursue our own interests ... providing our individual interests do not extend beyond the boundaries defined by the 'collective will' of our society.
June 11, 2004 Benevant
Been a couple of days since I put down my pen. I have had time to put my thoughts ... those thoughts written on the previous few pages ... enough time to put them (my thoughts) through a few 'wash cycles' and if that wasn't enough ... I had some hot ... very hot sun to 'burn off' any remaining 'impurities'. The notion of 'collective will' remains with me ... with yet more conviction ... "where two or more are gathered in my name ... I will be there" ... collective will.
Now to the chronological review of the events of the last couple of days ... those I remember. I had a very difficult day ... going into Crozon ... the same day the notion of 'collective will' tickled my mind. I got lost a couple of times ... doubled back ... hot sun ... tired .... yuk!
I arrived at the Hotel des Ruins ... coffee time ... Marie Hélène and Francoise show up in the bar ... they sleep in the hotel.
Hotel was too expensive even with the 'pilgrim' discount.
Leaving the bar I head in the wrong direction again ... down the hill ... looking back I see a sign that indicates an 'Auberge' ... 100 meters ... Crozon ... now this sign is for people going in the opposite direction ... oops ... seems I am going the wrong way again ... where the ??? is the village.
Fortunately two gentlemen were fishing off the bridge and they con-firmed my 'suspicion' ... the village is in the opposite direction ... yuk! ... back up the hill ... yuk!
Arrive in the village convinced I will be spending the night under the stars ... Yup ... spent the night on the grass around the back of the church. Wandered around the village looking for a boulangerie to buy some grub ... nada except this store ... like a general store ... an old lady sitting in a chair ... seems she has a little of everything ... though seems the turnover is a bit slow ... stuff does not appear very fresh. I ask about a box of juice ... suppose the word 'boite de jus' doesn't mean a box of juice.
She picks up a can of pop ... I ask for a litre of juice ... she goes around the corner and comes up with a one litre jar of orange juice ... perfect. I check my pockets for money ... I have 1.20 Euros ... the jar of juice costs 1.50 Euros. My backpack is back behind the church ... only 100 meters or so. I try to explain to the lady that I will be back in a minute with the money ... she nods in agreement.
On my return, just as I am approaching the store I see this very old car pulling out with a little old lady driving ... I think to myself ...oh no! my orange juice! ... Yup ... store is closed. I look through the window and I see my orange juice is still sitting on the counter ...Yuk! ... it is going to be a long night with nothing to eat ... not completely true ... I have a piece of brownie that I bought in ' '
Back to my grass bed ... see a public WC (washroom) ... things are looking up! I wonder if there is running water in the WC? I decide to check it out ... if not I better hustle over to the bar ... maybe buy another coffee and have my water bottle filled. WC has running water ... and toilets too! ... Perfect. Change my mind about the coffee and do not go to the bar. In the next day or so found out from a Belgian Pilgrim that bed and breakfast was available in this bar for 23 Euros ... seems I was destined to sleep outside !
Bed roll out ... I lay down to rest ... couple of young boys show up ... out of sight but not out of 'hearing range' ... they stay for an hour or so ... I’m a little disappointed ... I want to try to get to sleep ... a bit sheepish ... I'm looking directly at a sign that reads "no camping in town except in the Municipal Park ... what if I am caught camping here on the grass?? Young boys leave ... a couple show up (man and a woman) ... oh no! ... how long will they hang around??
I decide to prepare for the night anyway ... change my clothes and stretch out under my sleeping bag. The couple leaves in 30-45 minutes ... great ... now I can get to sleep ... nope! ... I would spend the next couple of hours gazing at the stars ... reflecting on the day and my thoughts. Not particu-larly uncomfortable ... simply wide awake ... hmmm.
Eventually get to sleep ... up around 7:30 AM or so .. still tired ... go looking for my morning coffee ... hoping the bar is open ... nope! ... Yuk!. The old lady in the store shows up ... decide to ask her about what time the bar will open. She explains that she had to leave in a hurry the night before and she seems quite apologetic about my 'orange juice' ... she says the bar should open soon and she mentions that there is a place in Souter-raine that caters to pilgrims ... 'Trace de Soeurs'
I make a mental note ... must remember this ... the memory of the night on the grass is still very fresh!! I'm a bit disgruntled ... been up and around for 15-20 minutes ... still no coffee ... Yuk!
On my way back to my patch of grass I remember the Hotel Ruins ... ah! ... of course! ... a hotel ... they must be open to provide breakfast for people who stay at the hotel. I also remember the stairs ... a series of stone steps that lead directly down the hill ... avoid going the long way around ... 500+ meters ... works for me!
Yup the bar is open ... superb! Francoise and Marie Hélène show up ... they have breakfast. Coffee in my stomach ... I am ready for the road ... back to my patch of grass ... retrieve my back pack and 'hit the road.
Much better day ... do not get lost! The way is well marked today. A village kilometers down the road ... box of juice ... multi fruit ... multi vitamin ... bonus! ... and a croissant.
Chat with a farmer ... built from scratch l'homme va a la ruine
Next village ... not really desperate for another coffee ... need some water ... and some rest!!
See a bar that looks open ... walk past ... on the way back to this bar 1-2 minutes later ... I notice another bar down the street. My mind muses over the decision ... which bar?? ... such a luxury!!
I choose the one up the street ... why? ... becomes clear later today.
Coffee ... the lady seems quite friendly ... she brings me her book where she collects short scribblings from the pilgrims ... I write a short note. A few minutes later she mentions Trace de Soeurs ... hmmm ... 2nd time today ... she adds that pilgrims stay for 12 euros ... including supper ... bed and breakfast ... sounds appealing! She even provides directions ... enter through the Porte St Jean ... descendre direction 2ieme Eglise ... juste devant l'Eglise une rue qui s'appelle ???
Turns out the directions were impeccable ... not sure I would have found the place without them ... large enough village and seems this place is not well known.
As I arrive at what I think is the correct door ... the door opens ... some people were just leaving ... I ask ... oui ... le patron est ici .. rentrer ... superb!
Pretre Jean Baptist de la Croix de St Vallier ?? 2ieme Evesque de Quebec Abby de benevant ... take the $ de Abby ... give to Quebec
I didn't realize how fortunate I was until another pilgrim arrived an hour or so later. He had been trying to get in for 45 minutes or so ... he had called several times a few hours earlier ... he was bitter about his experi-ence ... lack of a friendly reception. He had met (for the first time) Francoise and Marie Hélène in town ... apparently they had also made several attempts via telephone and in frustration decided to stay at the hotel ... hmmm
I was provided with explicit instructions on how to find the place ... without asking ... and the door opened by itself the moment I arrived ... hmmm ... the 'price' of not carrying a portable telephone and making arrangements ahead of time ... hmmm
Lucien was very kind with me ... even opened a bottle of his own wine to have with supper ... we dined together ... a hodgepodge salad ... quite OK and a pizza ... very full stomach today ... the 3rd or 4th complete meal since leaving Canada ... Wow!!
After supper Lucien gives us ... me and the other pilgrim ... a tour of the garden and animal shelter and a brief history of the convent ... 250 nuns ... now 3 ... youngest is 72 years old. Stories about how the nuns served in the hot spots during the war and how some walked 40 kilometers a day to provide service to people ... young and old.
Lucien commented ... not every day a pilgrim from Canada ... bugs in my head ... from where???
June 11, 2004
Today turns out to be one of those days filled with 'mystery' ... so much to write ... still at the refuge in Benevant ... must get going ... will write a few details and fill in the rest later ... hopefully this evening.
Mgr Jean Baptiste de Saint Vallier ... Gronoble November 14, 1653 ... Father Jean de la Croix, seigneur de Chevrieres ... mother ... Marie de Sayne ... only daughter of Jacques de Sayne Chevalier, Seigneur de l'Echigny et de Chamblanc.
Luc calls for a large casserole bowl ... we are 5 pilgrims tonight ... Luc, Francoise, Marie Hélène and Hugo from Belgium(Flem) ... otherwise Dr would not likely have come over to the refuge. Decide not to participate in Dr's presentation to the other pilgrims ... he is very passionate about his work (28 years catering to pilgrims)
Met Dr's wife at prayers (rosary) in the church.
Dr showed up ... gave me an hour or so of his time ... a synopsis of his 40 years + of research ... incredible ... absolutely incredible! ... bird is at the window again ... what is the bird trying to tell me? Birds always remind me of St Francis … maybe the birds are telling be to pay attention … something important is about to happen.
The bird knocks on the window pane again and again and again ... hmmm ... this is almost too much to absorb ... I am torn between writing notes about what I just learned and going for a walk ... think I will walk and hopefully my little brain will put what happened in the last 24 hours through a couple of 'wash cycles'
St Augustine ... from St Benoit to St Augustine
New book appeared ... une des principle fonctions des Apotres avait ete de precher et d'evangeliser (Ste Therese) ... une mouvement a convertir les religieux "non moines" en chamoines obeisant a la Regle de St Augustine. Prior model was clunis (St Benoit)
Church ... St Bartholomew in Levack.
The Celts and Druids from Ireland brought Christianity to France ... they had a connection with Greece and Middle East ... Egypt prior to Romans ... man from Ireland at the airport .... Hmmm
My mind has sobered up from this morning’s excitement ... seems there is nothing like the hot sun and a long walk carrying a heavy back pack to sober the mind.
Back to some details from the last couple of days ... shortly after entering the village of Saint Priest La Feuille. I stopped to ask a lady who was working in her garden if it was possible to buy a coffee in the village. She nodded and indicated ... straight ahead. At this time her husband appeared ... said bonjour ... and invited me in for a coffee ... this has only happened on a few occasions on all of my walking and I usually decline.
Seems this morning I was in the mood to accept. Just before saying ... Oui merci ... I glanced down the street and Francoise and Marie Hélène were sitting at the door to the local church 75-100 meters away. I pointed my fellow pilgrims out to the kind gentleman who invited me for a coffee and he quickly included them in the invitation.
I waved my stick and another gentleman ... the neighbor across the road called out to them. Francoise came along and Marie Helens stayed at the church ... hmmm strange! Learned that they thought I had found the key to the church and Francoise came along to collect it. Quickly cleared up the misunderstanding and we all went into the home for a coffee. Turns out Henry is an artist ... a wonderful collection of his work on display in the living room ... later we would visit his workshop and view yet more of his work ... he paints in several mediums ... water color ... acrylic ... oil ... pastels and more ... really impressive ... and turns out it is only a hobby. We sit outside on the back patio for our coffee ... Henry brings out a package of cookies and Francoise shares a package of fresh Algerian dates ... yummy!
A few minutes later Luc shows up ... he had stopped to check out the local 'dolmen' and the neighbor across the street insisted that he join his friends in Henry's back yard. This visit gave me a feeling something important was happening ... I asked Henry for his name and address and his wife's maiden name.
The property has a panoramic view of the country side ... apparently been in Murielle's family for a long time (maiden name 'Ladame'). A couple of intriguing items during the visit ... I learn of the existence of ‘Dolmens'. Francoise tells me they are pre-Roman structures with a reputation for some form of 'energy' in their vicinity.
She advises that most people cannot go very close or at least not stay very close ... Legend?? Fact? Mirielle gives us each a data sheet on the dolmen near Saint Priest which includes a tragic local legend. The other item is the word 'Baracats' comes up in conversation and seems to really intrigue Luc. Apparently the people of the village were called 'baracats' for a long time ... how long?
Seems several opinions exist as to the meaning of the word ... Henry offers the word 'chance' or luck as a meaning. Mirielle mentions a few others and than with a shrug says they don't really know and if we (Luc) finds out he should let them know. Mirielle gives us the web address for the village. The word 'baracat' would come up again the next day in Benevant ... hmmm!
No way I was going close to the local dolmen ... I have an eerie feeling about these things? Learn from the data sheet that they date 2000-3000 years before Christ ...the time of King David and earlier ... the High Priest Malchizadec? The word 'Priest' in the name of the village? Aimie's mention of the Celt or earlier peoples who discovered how to start a fire?
On to Benevent
Luc is taking pictures of the church when I arrive. He gives me the key to the refuge and points me in the right direction. Francoise and Marie Hélène arrive a bit later and a new fellow pilgrim Hugo from Belgium (Flem) arrives ... wow! 5 pilgrims under one roof ... we decide to prepare and eat supper together. A bit later while visiting the church I learn there is a prayer group meeting at 6:00 PM for some prayers. Also learn that June is the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The front altar in the church is dedicated to the saint who had the appari-tion of Jesus. He introduced the term Sacred Heart. I joined the group of mostly old ladies for prayers, litany of the sacred Heart of Jesus and a Rosary.
Back to the refuge intenting to do some writing. Dr arrives and launches into a passionate and high volume discussion with the French Pilgrims. Hugo and I decide not to participate ... our French is not good enough! I figure Francoise or Luc will fill me in later.
Luc calls him for a casserole dish ... that's why he came over ... to deliver the casserole dish and have a look at Francoise’s foot. I mentioned to the Dr’s wife in the church that one of the pilgrims walking with me has a large infection on her feet.
On his way out Dr stops at the table where I am writing and says some-thing about Quebec and some long ... very long French name ... he seems surprised I don't know the name ... Jean Baptiste de la Croix de Sainte Vallier which in the documentation is Mgr Jean Baptiste de Saint Vallier. I learn later that his father was John of the Cross ... hmmm ... any refer-ence there to St John of the Cross in Spain?
Druids ... Baracat ... Psalm 121 Augustine ... distorted will ... collective will
June 13, 2004
I am in Les Billanges - today is Election Day. It's windy ... the door slams in my face as I enter ... I comment ... indicates I'm not invited ... kind gentleman invites me in ... coffee time.
Felt weak leaving the village ... no energy ... no will ... no will power ... felt like quitting?
Strength and positive feeling gradually returned ... feel compelled to write ... now!
Why did Luc call for a casserole bowl?
Why did Dr show up ... not his wife?
Why was I initially turned off by Dr ... his loud and aggressive voice and mannerism ... later learn this was simply a manifestation of his 'passion' for his work ... a reflection of his 'will power' to do what he does.. Hmmm
Why did I get excited when he This excitement would lead to his invita-tion started to tell me about Jean Baptiste(only now is the name really 'kicking in' ... hmmm) and how he managed to divert funds from the Abby Benevant to finance his work in Quebec.
This excitement would lead to his invitation to accompany him to his home to borrow some reading material on Jean Baptiste
In the car on the way to his home ... only 1 kilometer ... he would say the word 'baracat' ... hmmm ... of course this aroused my curiosity ... second time I hear this word in 2 days ... the intrigue and mystery attached to the first time I heard it. I launched into an enquiry about the origin and the meaning of the word 'baracat'.
Apparently Dr had also researched the history of this word ... why? ... Who knows eh! An Arab word in this part of the country? Dr with the same passion employed when speaking of Jean Baptiste explains that he has studied Islam and the Koran and the word means "Under the protec-tion of the Divine" ... in Christianity ... under the protection of God ... Yikes ... no sooner had he uttered these words and my memory instantly retrieved some events earlier today when I visited the church. The bible was open on the stand in the front altar ... as in St R ... open (Ecclesiastics ... life is useless ... like chasing the wind) my curiosity was aroused.
I went back to check out what was on the open page ... Psalm 121,122,123 and 124 ... I went to my bible to check out what these Psalms were all about ... Psalm 121 ... The protection of God ... Yikes!! ... Coincidence? ... Synchronicity?
Note in the back of the church ... Gospel of John ... the Virgin Mary will give you all truth
My excitement and intrigue is mounting ... back to the refuge ... my fellow pilgrims want to get to sleep ... I write a bit and than try to go to sleep myself ... restless night ... didn't sleep much ... gave my mattress to Francoise and Marie Hélène.
Next morning decided to scan some of the material Dr had loaned me the night before while sipping on my morning coffee ... quite interesting ... Jean Baptiste same period as Lois de Montfort (paper from 1998 in Jerusalem) St Jean de Breboeuf
Decided to photo copy a couple .of pages of his book. Intrigued that I am in this place learning about the early history of Canada ... French Canada anyway! Consider staying in the village for another day ... mixed feel-ings. Back to the refuge ... start writing ... thinking I will write a bit and than leave... try to digest what has happened ... Dr shows up ... see previous notes
What remains in my mind from all that Dr told me that morning?
The stamp of the 'goose' ... 2 instances ... one in flight ... the trademark of the builders of the church ... the goose as the 'bird' of Canada ... the goose symbolizing 'spiritual quest’?
The Druids ... Celts being in contact with the Greeks and Egyptians long before the Roman Empire. Christianity being brought to continental Europe by the Celts from Ireland ... not the Romans?
The feeling of a 'connection' between this and the man from Ireland at the airport?
The story told by the artwork in the church
congregate ... come together and go up
The church built on Druid measurements and technology ... the Golden number ...pi ... the number '6' ... now this came back connected to lots of dots ... St Augustine writes of the number '6' ... the only whole integer where the aggregate of its' divisors is the 'number' e.g. 1+2+3=6 ?
St Augustine ... in his book City of God (another story) also writes about the 6th age of man begins with the birth of Jesus ... and states this is the last ... final ... age of man because Jesus has no offspring.
Cause of the revolution ... the church exploited the peasants harshly ... a ce bon pied
The City of Man and The City of God ... in the same book ... 2 'collective wills' ... distortion of the will?
Page 14 in confessions
The rope bridge ... the chasm between the journey across and changing collective will participation.
The influence of St Augustine in the Abby Benevant ... see previous notes ... hmmm ... connection of the dots?
Back to what Dr said about the number '6' ... he talked about the form ... the 'shape' of the numeral 6 ... he said something to the effect ... if you straighten it out you have ... a seed ... I think he was referring to symbol-izing the 'germination of the spirit' in the universe.
While walking this morning my imagination latched onto this notion and came up with another notion ... if you straighten out the numeral 6 .. you get ... a 'sperm' ... the seed of man ... the serpent ... hmmm 666 ... the number of the beast ... 3 instances of 6 ... 3 is the number representing the 'divine' ... 4 represents man the square ... 3 the triangle ... Pierre's com-ments about the 'Heart of Berry' ... the intersection of the medians of a triangle ... the seventh day ... the Sabbath ... the day God rested in genesis ... WOW!! ... Pena alba ..(Another story)
The difficult ... hard ... very hard ...'dawn' Ste Teresa in Alba ... vilifica-tion ... transformation ... birth of the spirit ... no longer trapped in the flesh!
This notion of 'collective will' seems to be growing stronger and stronger ... the seed is germinating!!
Elijah ... how long will you people continue to limp along with 2 opinions ...'distorted will'(another story) ... the altars in the old testament ... dol-mens ...? brought to Europe by the Druids ???
You will know by the fruit ... suppose it is time to be humble and patient ... again ... still!!
While I remain a 'flock of one' ... all of this is still my personal fantasy ...
On to the next village ... the post cards on the wall ... Upper Egypt ... ancient structures and St Jacques Compostel
Back again ... a couple of kilometers later ... by the river ... crossed the bridge (Puente La Reina ...Jaca and other where all Caminos converge ... hmmm)
Seems today is one of those days that I have to write ... have to get it out of my head and on paper ... reminds me of Kabbala ... after you believe you have received some 'wisdom' ... you must share ... or the tap will be turned off ... and maybe if you persist in not sharing ... the pressure will build up and "kaboom" ... not "kabbala"
Wonder how many cases of mental breakdown are caused by this notion ... it has never been easy to 'share off color' thoughts and feelings ... the fear of persecution seems to be enough to keep them bottled up ... fish or cut bait ... Joan of Arc scribbling ... the dogs barking and the flock of sheep ... Christian last year.
On with revealing my thoughts ... 2500-3000 years ago mankind had conquered hunger ... agriculture and animal husbandry ... grain bins and flocks of sheep and goats. Mankind had also conquered security ... fortified communities ... weapons ...armies ... communal living ... united we stand.
So what would be next ... given that hunger and security were more or less conquered ... perhaps the clue lies in a few of the persons of this era ... Solomon ... Socrates ... Buddha ... Confucius. Solomon and Buddha's story is interesting ... both possessed considerable wealth and power and all of the physical luxuries in abundance ... available to mankind at the time ... yet both in different ways seemed to 'grasp' the incompleteness ... the unfairness ... the something is missing here notion. Both are legends in terms of their contribution to the body of knowledge known as 'wis-dom'.
Socrates gave his life for his conviction concerning the existence of one Divine Being ... one supreme 'God" . Interesting that again it seems mankind was nudged 'up the ladder' so to speak in different geographies and different cultures at or about the same time ...hmmm
Are we on the threshold of the next 'leap' in transformation (transfigura-tion another story).
Sitting on a bench in Mount Carmel ... man beside says you can catch a boat to many places ... cheap ... even Turkey ... little did I know a few years later a boat would take me to Turkish soil. Ephesus. Reminded as well about the 'locutions' I received on several occasions at mass a month or so before I left Canada ... Come to Me ... I will prepare you for battle. I will put on your girder or something like that. Right now this kind of spooks me! Back to my walk ... hope this burst of stuff in my mind settles down!
First exposure to Elijah ... the statue in the church and the cave
Back again ... couple of kilometers down the road ... the next village ... last village before stopping for the night ... about 10 kilometers to go ... strength is fading
Walked right past the bar ... stomach still full from lunch at the river ... church on the road and the door open ... decide to rest. Think this is another one of those abandoned churches with masses only once in a while ... no lamp burning on the altar ... assume no Eucharist in the tabernacle. though occurs to me ... are not the altars in our churches a remnant of the "dolmen" cult??
Two thoughts return since I last wrote ... one the flock of sheep and barking dog ... now my mind puts this image up against the notion of 'collective will ... seems logical that mass participation in the 'collective will' ... the flock of sheep is maintained as much by the 'perception of fear' as it is by our natural need to 'belong' ... poverty can not hurt you ... the fear of poverty can kill you ... stress ... perception is reality... fear of rejection ... fear of non-acceptance ... fear of poverty ... fear of loss of stature etc ... hmmm so many dogs barking every where ... all the time ...hmmm
Literally on the Camino ... yet non have more than barked yet! ... al-though some who were restricted by a fence or a chain looked pretty ferocious ... closest event was the goose on the road one day ... goose again ... seems they are fearless and protective animal ... Lionel said they are better than a guard dog ...hmmm
Second thought that came back again was my experience in Ar yesterday. Arrived at the church door and find the key in the door ... go in and have my lunch inside the church. Couple from Holland come along ... seemed surprised that I am in the church ... with a look that says it's always locked ... this couple lives in the village ... secondary residence nonethe-less , the gentleman starts taking pictures . Seems obvious that for how-ever long they have lived in this village they have never been inside this church ... hmmm reminds me of the experience 2 days ago when Fran-coise and Marie Hélène mistakenly thought I had found the key to the church in Saint Priest ...hmmm!
My imagination runs away with this small experience too ... here I have been given the key to the church ... the House of God ... the Kingdom of God ... what a fantasy! and what an ego eh!!
Mary Magdalene stooping over body of Jesus post crucifixion ... first person to see the risen Jesus
Greek like icon of Mary ... Lady of Perpetual Help
To make matters worse I am writing these notes in a church ... my 3 lady friends are here ... St Michael is here ... Sacred Heart of Jesus is here and more ... an unusual statue ... one I have never seen before ... St Peter holding up a key in his right hand and a rooster at his feet ... have seen the statue with St Peter holding the key ... never with a rooster.
Have always found the 'denial' and 'rooster' part of the story of St Peter fascinating. The man whom Jesus would entrust with the key to the Kingdom of God and all the perks that go along with it would deny knowing his Master 3 times ... always to women??? ... Seems like another example of perceived fear ... and perception is reality.
I arrive in St Leonard Noblant ... I find the church ... a lady is walking toward me ... decide to ask her about the location of the refuge ... she gives me the look ... I don't have a clue what you are talking about. Before I can say merci ... I hear a voice behind me ...its Francoise and Marie Hélène ... with the gentleman who looks after the refuge. They were just finishing their tour of the church. Once again ... impeccable timing ... what a relief! ... I am tired.
Just after I put my pen down and hoisted my backpack onto my shoulder ... walked about 50 meters up the trail ... a kind lady is standing on the side of the trail with an inviting look ... one that says ... stop and chat if you have time. She was such a gentle lady ... she offered me something to drink ... I asked to have my water bottle filled ... a few minutes earlier I had been a bit nervous about not having enough water for the remaining 6 kilometers. She told me she is from Limonge ... bought the house beside the trail as a weekend home and now lives in it permanently. She ex-plained that the house was a prison originally ... a long time ago.
My mind wouldn't let go of the rooster at the foot of the statue of St Peter ... deny 3 times before the cock crows ... kept going through my mind and than a 'cogito' moment ... the cock(rooster) crows to announce the dawn of a new day ... the dawn of the Age of Aquarius melody played in my head. So much symbolism that points to the dawn of a new era ... a new age of man ... hmmm
Learn that St Leonard is a patron saint of prisoners ... is that why the lady told me her home was formerly a prison. Reminded of a dream a friend shared with me several years ago. She found herself in this prison ... frantically trying to find her way out ... up and down stairs ... in and out of alleys ... some people told her to go this way ... she went ... dead end ... other people said no no ... go this way ... again dead end and so on and so on ... she never did get out of the prison in her dream. At the time I believe I shared my interpretation of her dream ... symbolizes people trying to find freedom ... the light ... the truth ... and being told so many different stories about what to do and how to find it ... and most often all leads to a dead end ... like the various religions.
Also reminds me of the time a few years ago when I heard at mass the gospel reading about how Jesus came to save prisoners ... now I had heard this story so many times and I had always taken the words literally ... at face value ... came to help people recover/heal from being in jail/prison. This particular day my understanding was quite different ... He came to help us all ... we are all prisoners in this valley of tears.
Picked up the feathers on the road.
Winston Churchill ... we are not humans with a spirit ... we are spirits wrapped in human flesh. Today it seems more appropriate to say we are spirits trapped in human flesh.
The same friend had another dream a few weeks later that she gave birth to a white lamb ... weird eh! ... I thought all lambs were born black ... even at the time I still considered the lamb referring to the "Lamb of God" ... Jesus. Maybe the two dreams are connected after all ... the prison and the savior/redeemer. St Leonard are you helping me to understand this?
The artwork ... a rooster sitting on top of a cross symbolizing "Christ" announcing the dawn of a new age!
St Leonard 494-559
"Mais il est surtout l'intercessor au pres de Dieu, de tous les hommes qui veulent se liberer de l'egoisme et de l'orgueil"
June 9, 2015
Today, it seems my mind wants to go back and ponder Robert Kenny's words ...
"... more of us are now becoming aware of our capacity not only to intuit each other’s thoughts and emotions, but also to consciously think and create together without communicating through our five senses."
Suddenly Kurzwell ... the Google researcher ... doesn't seem so futuristic. :-)
Kurzwell suggested it will take another 25 years before most of our thinking will be done online ... Kenny claims that already today more and more people are thinking and creating together without communicating through our five senses ... without using internet or any other form of 'sense' powered communication. Hmmm!
A notion called Collective Wisdom is another phenomenon gaining momentum for the past 15 years ... is this notion simply another rendition of 'collective will'? Reminds me of the biblical expression ... something to the effect ... "where two or more of you are gathered in my name ... I will be there" Hmmm!
I digress ... again :-)
I still haven't come up with any rational arguments for my statement ... "perhaps technology will succeed where religion failed."
These past few days my connection to the 'cloud' has lots of static ... the incoming message is difficult to decipher. hahaha
There it is ... it's all related to the word "connection". Do you recall my mentioning that the roots of the word 'religion' are ... "to reconnect to God"
Notice ... 'reconnect' ... not 'connect' ... implies there was a connection at one time ... The Garden of Eden Biblical story.
The essence of all religions is to help people reconnect with God ... "May they all be One". Yes throughout history, religion in all cultures has been terribly exploited in an attempt to gain power and control over the masses. This 'ugly' manifestation of religion does not alter its' essence.
So religions have always attempted to harness people ... to bind them within a particular dogma, doctrine and rites. Some religions have been quite successful ... garnering a following of more than a billion people. However, no religions have successfully maintained their growth or strict adhesion to their dogma. Therefore it seems rational to say religions have failed. Although I believe they are a significant and necessary activity on humanity's evolutionary journey.
Why have religions failed?
Because they spent too much effort trying to control people ... indirectly attempting to control God!
So why do I think technology may succeed?
For the same reason religions failed. Today, 'connectivity' among and between peoples of all nations is so much superior to any time in history ... it's almost unimaginable. The barriers of distance, language and social status have been eliminated.
Freedom from religious dogma, doctrine etc has virtually been achieved without individuals being 'excommunicated' ... individuals remain as active members of the human community.
OK ... but freedom, connectivity and social mobility hardly suggest a 'reconnect to God'.
Agreed ... yet it seems the conditions are ripe for some giant leap forward in our human transformation ... and just maybe ... technology is designed to help us make that leap!