Just For Fun...

Humanists seek Army designation | JournalNow.com

Humanists seek Army designation | JournalNow.com:

Soldiers who don't believe in God can go to war with "atheist" stamped on their dog tags, but humanists and others with various secular beliefs are still officially invisible in the Army.

Maj. Ray Bradley is currently to be the first humanist recognized as a "distinctive faith group leader" by the Army. In the meantime, he can't be designated as a humanist on his official records or dog tags, although he can be classified as an atheist.

The distinction may not seem like a large one to those unfamiliar with humanism, but Bradley, based at Fort Bragg, says it's the equivalent of being told that "Christian" is an acceptable designation, but not "Catholic."

"Humanism is a philosophy that guides a person," Bradley said. "It's more than just a stamp of what you're not."

Humanism's core beliefs range from the assertion that knowledge of the world is derived from observation and rational analysis to the conviction that working to help others also promotes individual happiness.

Philip Coppens: The Lies of Fatima

The following from Philip Coppens:The Lies of Fatima;The apparition of the Virgin Mary at Fatima in origin had nothing to do with prophecies or, indeed, the Virgin Mary. But through a series of manipulations, the Church created one of the most elaborate lies, which formed the backdrop of major political events.

The story of the BVM at Fatima contains numerous fascinating elements. One aspect of the story is the following concerning Lucia, who kept the "secrets" and lived the rest of her life in a convent. But this, Coppens suggests (and the facts support) wasn't due entirely to Lucia's devotion as a Catholic.

...shortly after the Fatima apparitions, she was forced into a convent (she was not a devout Catholic when the visions happened; her father was actually an atheist), sent to a nunnery where she could not communicate with anyone because language barriers, and was later placed in solitary confinement, to make sure she didn’t speak to anyone; access to Lucia required the consent of the highest Vatican circles and it was rarely granted. What Lucia desired, was therefore totally at the Pope’s discretion.

It's been suggested before, and Coppens discusses this in his article, that the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul ll in 1981 had something to do with the Fatima secrets. So much so that "the bullet was later set in the crown of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima."

But was the secret a true prediction of an assassination attempt, or manipulated revelations by the Vatican -- manipulated to the extent of holding prisoner a woman for just about her entire life? Coppens shows us how the latter seems to be the case.

Note: be sure to read Lon Strickler's piece about Philip's article at his blog Phantom and Monsters!

Mystic Politics: Google Removes Content After Complaints By Hindus, Muslims and Christians

Don't know what the content was, but apparently it didn't offend Jews, Buddhists, Wiccans, etc. Wonder what Google would have done in that case?Mystic Politics: Google Removes Content After Complaints By Hindus, Muslims and Christians

Philip Coppens: The Atheist Religion

One of my favorite thinkers in the area of aliens and philosophies, Philip Coppens, who writes about the religion of atheism, and why, despite the denial of atheists, theirs is a belief system. I'm not a Christian or subscribe to any particular religion -- don't believe in Jesus, for example -- but to say that I'm an atheist is wrong. Very wrong. I've been active in a Buddhist tradition lately, attending functions, etc. and am always about the solitary witchy thing but I'm not religious and I don't believe in a mono-theistic entity, unless you consider universal consciousness, manifested as everything, including us, as "God." And I'll throw in spirits and angels, why not. I've had direct experiences with those to know their reality. The atheists, like Bill Mahr and Ricky Gervais, who Coppens discusses, have the same kind of tunnel vision as religious nuts. While they often make pertinent points about various religions they can't step beyond the obvious: ridiculous rules and interpretations, harmful, violent and fatal behaviors to see that it isn't all about the stupidity and greed of humans. On the case

Dirk Vander Ploeg: Buddhists See UFO Intervention in 2012 | UFO Digest provides video proof of ufos, alien abduction and the paranormal.

UFO Digest publisher Dirk Vander Ploeg on Buddhist prophecy for 2012:Buddhists See UFO Intervention in 2012 | UFO Digest provides video proof of ufos, alien abduction and the paranormal.

Mae Brussell -- The Vatican Part I Nov. 1978

The first of many, explore Youtube for much more. . .

Deviant Moon Tarot: Ace of Wands as Madonna Figure

I've long admired artist Patrick Valenza's Deviant Moon tarot and finally bought myself a deck, which arrived yesterday. After exploring the deck, I find that I love it even more than I thought I would.(I even found myself having a dream last night in which I was wondering through various DVM type landscapes.)  I feel connected. No other deck has given me that intuitive connection, other than animal oracles. I've always found that I go back to versions of the "Waite" deck, much to my own dismay in many ways. Other decks I like a lot, like the Marseilles decks, have been fine as well, but just not...my soul mate of decks.

Ace of Wands, Deviant Moon Tarot, by Patrick Valenza

One card in the Deviant Moon deck that is particularly beautiful is the Ace of Wands. Which is a definite Madonna image. Here is the card on the official DVM site. More discussion on the Aeclectic Tarot forum. And here's an interesting site where two cards are pulled to answer a daily question: one card is from one deck, the other, the Deviant Moon. Creative idea; using cards from different decks in the same reading.

The Vatican and Freemasons | YUFOLOGY

Tina Sena shares her observation on something a conspiracy tinged TV program missed: The Vatican and Freemasons . I agree with Tina, coincidence, I think not. And why ignore such an obvious element? My own theory is that these kinds of shows are purely for the ratings and entertainment value, not informative on any deep level. Under the guise of "Oooooooooooo, conspiracy! How edgy!" they're really just fodder. And there are a lot of nerds out there who sniff at any actual belief of these things; they're interested, they're even scientific -- or play scientists on TV -- but you're never going to see the good stuff. As a Monster Quest producer said to me once, after I suggested she look into the black ops-psy-ops/military-industrial-corporate mind control/engineering etc. history surrounding Mothman in Pt. Pleasant (though I didn't put it such tin foil hat terms), with a nervous laugh: "I don't want the government or anything to come after me." Oops, I think I just went off on a rant here. Anyway, Tina Sena. Read her blog.

Santa Muerte (Saint Death)

One of my favorite blogs, Mystic Politics, has a brief item about "Santa Muerte" the Saint of Death.

"While tens of thousands of Mexicans have lost their lives in the ongoing drug war, millions more have become devoted to death. Saint Death (Santa Muerte) is a skeletal folk saint whose cult has proliferated on both sides of the border over the past decade. The Grim Reapress (she's a female figure) has rapidly become one of the most popular and powerful saints on both the Mexican and American religious landscapes. Although condemned as satanic by both Catholic and Protestant churches, she appeals to millions of Mexicans and Latin American immigrants in the U.S. on the basis of her reputedly awesome supernatural powers. ~ sources: Huffington Post

Santa Muerte, or The Grim Reapress, is a folk image/entity/icon. As such,like many folk images, she is outlawed by authorities and institutions. Since Saint Death is a protectress of the criminal and the murderous, her images, as well as conspicuous homages to her, are quashed:

The current administration of Felipe Calderon has even declared her religious enemy number one of the Mexican state. In March 2009, the Mexican Army bulldozed dozens of her roadside shrines in the border cities of Tijuana, Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros. But providing protection to narcos is just one of Saint Death's multiple roles. She is also a supernatural healer, love doctor, money-maker, lawyer and angel of death. ~ source: R. Andrew Chestnut,Huffington Post.

'La Catrina' by Rodolfo Cartas

The duality is interesting too: adopted by the criminals, the outsiders, but also by another type of outsider: those needing help in every day matters concerning money, illness, love, the law...and, death, which gets us all. It's interesting the saint is a female. R. Andrew Chestnut, author of the Huffington Post article that Mystic Politics links to, addresses this:

No introduction to Saint Death would be complete without consideration of one of her most unique characteristics -- her gender identity. While folk saints abound in the Americas, and other supernatural skeletons work miracles in Guatemala and Argentina, Santa Muerte stands alone as the sole female saint of death from Chile to Canada. Her asexual skeletal form contains no hint of femaleness. Rather it is her attire and, to a lesser extent, her hair that define the saint as female. Devotees and manufacturers of mass produced images of the Bony Lady usually dress her as a nun, the Virgin, a bride or queen.

(I wonder about Catrina, the famous Day of the Dead skeletal figure -- is she as common/popular? It's not quite the same meaning, from my limited understanding; Day of the Dead, while maybe morbid to some of us gringos, isn't a negative celebration, and it doesn't share the same context as Saint Death. While both are female images, both are of the people, and both are vilified by authorities, they aren't the same.)

Another post I found: Pagan Spirits: Santa Muerte -Saint Death with comparisons to other female dieties of death, including, to my surprise, the Virgin of Guadalupe, who one doesn't usually think of in this context:

The Virgin of Guadalupe’s indigenous antecedent is Tonatzin, the Moon Goddess, a milder aspect of Coaticue. Coaticue was the Lady of the Serpent Skirt, the creator-goddess who gave birth to all the deities and to earthly life as well. At death, she swallowed living things back into her body. She was also goddess of the moon and stars. She wore a necklace of skulls (like India’s Kali) and, as her name implies, a skirt of serpents. She is sometimes depicted as wearing a skirt made from the penises of her sacrificial victims.

Fortean Times: Madonna Mania

From Fortean Times on-line:Madonna Mania

TED HARRISON looks back at the strange summer of 1985, when statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary all over Ireland started to move – at least according to the thousands-strong crowds who flocked to see these modern miracles. But what was going on? Optical illusions? Mass hysteria? A religious revival for hard times? Or something very strange indeed?

The summer of 1985 was a strange time to be in Ireland, as rumours of miracles and extraordinary events swept the country.

It was the summer when I went to Ireland and saw for myself a solid, inanimate statue of the Virgin Mary appear to sway from side to side.

The moving statue epidemic started in February that year. By September, almost 50 separate claims of moving statues and other strange phenomena had been reported at religious sites across the country. It was the year of Madonna Mania! [see FT45:6–7, 30–34]

Bill Maher Takes Heat Over Tim Tebow Tweet | ThePostGame

I like Maher, though he irritates me sometimes: his views on women, sex and appearances are shallow and I'm not a fanatical atheist like he is. But overall, he's okay in my book, even if he did refer to Marilyn Monroe as a "pie wagon." He's in trouble again, this time for his tweet on the prayerful Tim Tebow. One Fox pundit even called Maher "disgusting vile trash." Wow. There are lots of "vile disgusting trash" out there: child molesters, animal abusers, serial killers, war mongers, etc. but a comedian making fun of religion? Yep, goes right at the top of the list.

So what did Maher say anyway? He tweeted:

"Wow, Jesus just [screwed] #TimTebow bad! And on Xmas Eve! Somewhere ... Satan is tebowing, saying to Hitler "Hey, Buffalo’s killing them,"

I also like the way Maher's "beliefs" are lumped in together:

Maher, a proud atheist who supports legalizing pot, same-sex marriage and is a board member for PETA,

As if being an atheist isn't bad enough (and to many in this nation, it is, remember the recent poll that put atheist's on the same level as rapists?) supporting one's right to smoke herbs of your choice is added to the list, along with "same sex marriage" (oh you heathen, Bill Maher!) and then, lastly, "board member for PETA." As if animal rights and welfare is also suspicious.

Bill Maher Takes Heat Over Tim Tebow Tweet | ThePostGame

Alien Nativity

 Aliens and a  Shamanic Santa, created by a Portland, Oregon artist:

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Jeff Belanger: Santa is a Legend Not a Lie

I love this article by Jeff Belanger: Santa is a Legend Not a Lie

I don’t care if you’re Christian or not. I’m a paranormal guy. I believe in possession. In Judaism there’s the concept of the “Dybbuk,” which is a type of spirit possession. This possession can be a bad thing: like if you’re inclined to drink too much or do drugs, a spirit that did that in life may cling to you and push you over the edge; or it can be a good thing: you’re trying to get healthy and exercise and a spirit who did that in life may be drawn to you to help. We get possessed by good ideas, gut instincts, and inspiration all of the time. We also get inspired by great legends… like Santa Claus.

Santa’s legend and story has spread throughout the world. Each Christmas we get inspired… nay, possessed by this good spirit. I’m thrilled my daughter is eagerly awaiting St. Nick visiting our house. I want her to know the magic this figure holds.

By carrying on these traditions which were based on a real man, I become a part of the legend. I write myself into the story. I write my daughter into the story in the hopes that one day she too will become possessed by the spirit of Christmas. That she will be reminded to behave because someone is out there watching, that she will feel the urge to give to charities a little more, that she will know there’s still magic in the world.

This same perspective can be used for UFOs, Marian apparitions, etc. which is what I try to convey, but Belanger did it more articulately...