Wow, right after talking about dreams and such in my last couple of blogs, I had one of those “lucid dreams” that Joe often mentioned in his books as being helpful for learning. He has talked about how many cultures use those dreams and, in fact, even in Western culture, people have had lucid dreams that move them up in their knowledge.  In fact, on page 83 in Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction, he discusses how even Rene Descartes’ book, Discourse on Method came to him in three dreams, “including what he called a dream within a dream.” As Joe points out, gaining knowledge this way is really “nothing unusual, as indigenous peoples for thousands of years have sought insight and knowledge in dream states” (p. 83).

I actually love these sorts of dreams because I think I do learn much from them even though I usually awaken and cannot remember exactly what I learned. This dream was no different from the many I have had in which Joe is teaching me, but it was also very different and the aftermath which resulted in the poem I am including in today’s blog is, even to me, quite astonishing because of the depth and length of the poem and the fact that it rhymes all of the way through. I wrote this poem straight out in less than 30 minutes – just the length of time it actually took to write the words.

In the dream I had last night, Joe was again teaching me something very rigorous and complicated. I had written down very good notes and was reading them and re-reading them trying to memorize what I had written.  I was a little frustrated because I felt I would not be able to remember what he had taught me when I awakened. I was searching for a way to “copy and paste” what I had written – much like we do with computers – only  from my dream state to my waking state, but it did not work and I was becoming more frustrated about it because I really wanted to remember. As usual, in these dreams, Joe is like, “Don’t worry, don’t worry, don’t worry! When the time is right you will remember everything perfectly.” And then I woke up.

Right after I woke up from that dream this morning, I was “handed” this poem. I say handed because I honestly do not feel that I wrote it. At least, I did not consciously or purposely write it; but rather it just flowed onto the paper as is the usual case whenever poetry comes to me. I do not make a conscious effort to write a poem and make it rhyme….it just happens; there is no struggle with words (although I can write those kinds of poems, too, but they take time and effort – this one took no effort). This poem is not about what I learned in the dream, because what I learned in the dream was highly scientific and very complex, but it does in some ways relate to what I learned about. And so the following is the poem that just came to me immediately upon awakening this morning. The music video at the end of the blog today came to me in the same way and it is very, very special to me for personal reasons I cannot go into at this time, but perhaps I will be able to at a later date.

Enjoy the poem.  There is a soul mate for you out there somewhere.

Vanessa

PS Don't forget: August is Celebrate Peace Month!

True Blue Soul Mate Love

In my dream I was with Joe

He said to me: the mission is a go

Don’t even worry about what others think

We need to do this, we’re on the brink

Of something new and very fantastic

The world must know and not become spastic

Soul mate love is the only true love

That’s sanctioned fully from God above

Anything else is not true blue

And only serves to painfully deceive you

The love we shared when I was there

Was quiet and discreet; nobody cared

We truly did nothing at all wrong

We could not deny our love so strong

So please don’t worry about people who complain

My reputation can never be stained

By lyrical love letters that prove I cared

For you – the only person in my life who dared

To fully commit to me, my soul, my entire dream

Now that’s a true love dear and not what it would seem

By those people stuck in the fidurodian mindset

Who can only change when it’s too late – in hindsight

Just look at it as their problem my dear

Don’t take it on as yours; there’s nothing to fear

Our love is so much greater than that

We must live it fully not shove it under a mat

I want the whole world to know

I had a true love who wasn’t afraid to show

She loved me more than just a little

And supported me without acquittal

No not you, who believed in me as you do

Your love is real, strong, 100% true

And the world – everyone must come to learn

There is a one true flame of love that does burn

Out there in the cosmos midst the stars someplace

And until they truly love, they’ll nary see a trace

We must all learn to love with no strings attached

With no expectations and complete love that’s unabashed

For until you can love in exactly that way

I’m sorry to inform you, you will never see the day

Of blissful joy and complete satisfaction

Of connecting up completely with your one true affection

But should you learn to love, share and dream

Suddenly everything – reality -- is not what it seemed

The world, people in it, the past, present, and future

Become something that you both learn to nurture

No longer must you accept what others tell you

You hear them, but the nonsense can be seen right through

You know the truth when you match love with your one true soul mate

Your future together becomes a shared constructed fate

Now you can have your every wish come true

No longer do others have the power to dictate to you

And so your dreams and beautiful fantasies

You together create as easy as the breeze

You can forget your worries, struggles and strife

Because you are on the way to the blissful life

Of course I want the world to know

We shared our love of today, yesterday, and long ago

But the future is now ours complete

To walk in eternal dedication as we meet

The beautiful dream we’ve come to share

Of a world full of diverse people who truly care

About all of the things in life important

And not those things that should remain dormant

People sharing, caring about beauty, love and creation

And not selfish, destructive and worthless ideation

I do know there are many in the world today

Who can accomplish this great feat exactly the way

It was meant to happen; it was prophecy

And now the masses feel the need

To fulfill something much bigger and greater than

The orders and instructions from a “boss man”

The time is quickly drawing closer, drawing near

And people everywhere are releasing their fear

Of possible repercussions should they dare stray

Too far from what’s been dictated as “the way”

Now it’s time and so many see the light

And are beginning to exert their power and might

Those who dare to create change that’s positive and good

Are those who select the spiritual as food

And once they have a sample and taste

They’ll head to the light in great haste

We are close – you and I

And this is the reason why

We must never hide our love and feelings

Nor even our past subliminal dealings

Our love was true and it was strong

We loved each other since days long gone

There is no reason to have any doubts

Our love is one of which we both can be proud

It has survived through years of pain and suffering

Don’t worry about what other people are muttering

They don’t know love or how much it means

It’s significance and importance for reaching dreams

We must continue in our love toward that which is pure

And as you’ll see, our love will endure

All forms of mindless thoughtless ridicule

Those are nothing at all, only miniscule

It’s the dream for love, peace, and joyfulness

That fuels our efforts, our love, our playfulness

And so we’ll continue forward with our treasure hunts

That bring pleasure among the grumpiest grunts

With enough practice even those who doubt

Will see the light and begin to shout

With total amazement and happy wonderment

Realizing that treasure hunts are heaven sent

You are blessed, my love, and so am I

Together our blessings stretch beyond the sky

Our love, our marriage, both are fully approved

Through universal law, and even that has moved

To specially bless the true, complete love of soul mates

From this date forward to eternal dates

Soul mate love can never be destroyed

Even though some may try through various ploys

Soul mate love is tried, true, sanctioned and sealed

Those who fight it, in the end must yield.

 
Music Video: Hangin’ around -- sung by Counting Crows

Well, I confess that I have just today begun to decipher some of the clues in this latest and greatest Pacific Coast Eager Beaver treasure hunt. I have been held back by a number of factors: my work, the "Texas weather" in Oregon (of all places), and getting my new computer up and running. First, I had to write some papers for my doctoral course along with trying to survive 108 degrees with no AC (although my love has ok’d buying an AC, so it is on the way now!), and of course, I have also had the technology challenges of getting my new computer set up and operating smoothly with all of the software I need to use freshly installed. So, I have been very hot, very busy.

 
Finally, this morning, I began pondering what the Pacific Coast Eager Beaver Treasure Hunt is all about. There is so much to it and somehow, with that “Bad to the Bone” coming back into the picture AGAIN, I know that it is interrelated with the previous treasure hunts in some complex way. This latest treasure hunt, as I stated is complicated and I will dig into it further in a longer document – probably a book which I will post on this website for free, of course. But this morning it came to me that I had better start looking at the clues, my purchases, etc. I am thinking there may be a third trip over to the coast before this is over since not all of the clues have been located. As a reminder, for this second part to the treasure hunt, the following additional clues were presented to me: 

Tricks up my sleeves
Eager Beaver (again)
Something big and something blue
a sweet and lovely birthday surprise
reminders of eternally sanctioned and sealed love
to have and to hold forevermore
powerful statement of love
 
It is very interesting to note when I first entered the Eager Beaver Second Hand Store (which was the primary reason we took this second trip back to the Pacific Coast last Saturday), I noticed a book just sitting out on the counter practically demanding me to pick it up: Ty’s Tricks: Home Repair Secrets Plus Cheap and Easy Projects to Transform Any Room. Ty Pennington, of course, is the person who stars in the television programs Trading Places and Extreme Makeover Home Edition. As you can see by the picture, the word “Tricks” really stands out and it happens to reside above the sleeve of Ty’s jacket! Well, due to the clue “Tricks up my sleeves” and the fact that this book was sitting right out there on the counter and not even at the back of the room where all of the other books were shelved in bookcases, it was obvious that I was to purchase this particular book. This reminded me of the two shirts that were just hanging up by themselves at the front of the little market in Queen City on Celebrate Love Day that were obviously picked out for me and Rainbow Princess. And only being $2.00 for this book, I figured I couldn’t go wrong – I would learn something about improving my home that would make it worthwhile. I really did not examine the book much and so this morning I picked it up to look through it to see what I might glean from it.
  
And what do I happen to come across? On pages 64-66 is a quiz so that one can assess themselves as to how good they might be at home improvement and repair, entitled “Beaver Realization Evaluation.” There are all sorts of Beaver classifications from “Dusty/Rusty” to “Preacher/Teacher” Beavers and final scores tally up and tell you whether you are a “Meager Beaver” (a beginner), an “Eager-Beaver” (confident), or the “Reliever-Beaver” (the “skillionaires”). That would be my soul brother, Keenan. He is definitely a skillionaire whereas I don’t think I even meet the requirements to be a “Meager Beaver.” Just so you know, Eager Beavers are good for work like drywall and plaster, replacing windows, installing ceramic tiles, installing pipes, and building decks. Someone apparently has a very well developed sense of humor.

Are You An Eager Beaver?

According to the quiz, an Eager Beaver is someone who is confident in their home repair abilities. I truly do not qualify there! I always call on my Soul Brother, Keenan, because he is a skillionaire. He tries to explain how to do something to me and I am immediately lost and like I keep reminding him, I accept the fact that I am not endowed with gifts to use those sorts of tools. Even using a hammer and nail or a screwdriver challenges me right into frustration. I simply have no qualms about fessing up to the fact that I am not an Eager Beaver whatsoever and I will gladly reward someone with funds in exchange for their home repair services.

Even though I have become so accustomed to these “signs and signals” which Joe has us looking out for according to what he writes in his books about postformal treasure hunting, I nevertheless never ever cease to be amazed, delighted, and humored by these sorts of loving coincidences. The tricks up my sleeves clue has multidimensional, multiperspectival meanings, as well as being so directly linked to the gist of this particular treasure hunt with its Eager Beaver title. There are simply meanings on multiple levels. What joyful blessings treasure hunts are! I am so very, very blessed and each day brings many new miracles. And I imagine we ain’t seen nothing’ yet! Something is going on here and I think I know what it is. I am rebellious though, even when I probably should not be, so I am taking my time. My heart truly is in this project, though, and I will see it through. 

Vanessa

Eager Beaver - Kryptonite

This is the continuing saga of the Pacific Beaver Treasure Hunt and it does appear that it may even continue for a bit more time; we shall see. I do not mind at all and there is a "radical" love story between me and Joe surrounding this which I will save for another time, a much later time, no doubt. I just love going to the Oregon coast, especially when the weather is so nice as it has been on these last two trips.

Often, it is contended that we are presented with the same challenges in our lives over and over again until we finally “get it.” In fact, if one believes in reincarnation, we are presented issues over and over again in different lives until we finally "get it." One of my greatest challenges is money and there is good reason for this since I grew up in extreme poverty. When I was very young we basically lived in a shack, had to pump our water and we had only an “outhouse” with no bathroom. So you see, when I say I came out of abject poverty, I truly did. Of course things did get better, but having a large family, they never did get great. And so, feeling worthy and being able to buy things for myself is a serious issue. On top of that, I just really have not bought into the capitalist thing and so I shy away from material purchases.

This current treasure hunt, it appears, has been devised to counteract some of my tendencies to not spend money. This is a problem because not spending money also stops the flow of money. Besides, there is nothing wrong with making a house a home and filling it with beautiful things to look at that can add such pleasure and enjoyment to everyday existence. And since I work out of my home and thus spend so much time in my home, it becomes even that much more important. I do believe this was the challenge – one of them as I also think there are multiple things going on – with this particular treasure hunt. And so this blog is dedicated to the places Rainbow Princess and I visited, the things we saw and all of the stuff we bought on this second trip to the Oregon coast on this Pacific Coast Eager Beaver Treasure Hunt. Of course, the first place we had to go to was the Eager Beaver Second Hand Store. As I had mentioned in the previous blog, we both had very vaguely recalled seeing such a place from the first trip and after we returned home and thought about it, we realized we were supposed to visit that store. This is what prompted the second trip.

We were handed some additional clues on top of the first clues which were presented in previous blogs. 

Tricks up my sleeves
Eager Beaver (again)
Something big and something blue
a sweet and lovely birthday surprise
reminders of eternally sanctioned and sealed love
to have and to hold forevermore
powerful statement of love 

The Eager Beaver 2nd Hand Store
Both Rainbow Princess and I THOUGHT we knew where the second hand store was and since we only vaguely remembered it, neither of us was correct. We finally had to ask directions, but we did find it again! There was so much in that store it was incredible and as I had included in a previous blog, the beautiful song, It’s All Right by the Temptations started playing as soon as I started looking around. That really made me feel that I was in the right place and that it was ok to spend money. So I did. I bought several books, including an astrology book that I thought might have something relating to the “Dawn of the new age upon us.” I bought a lovely map – a Blaeu Wall Map, which I thought might meet the clue of something big and something blue. Nevertheless, it looks lovely above my new couch in my livingroom. I also bought a painting that I put in my dining room and a Welcoming picture for beside my front door. You have to understand: I just moved to a new house not long ago and the walls have been starkly bare! Someone wants me to decorate and make my house a home.

This is something new to me. In all my years I have never done this. Seriously. Spending the money for such things just never seemed justified when my kids had to eat mac and cheese so often, you know what I mean? But now that I have royal people looking after me, things have changed for the better. I get royal treatment on a daily basis. Other things I bought at the Eager Beaver Second Hand Store, which also sells brand new items and is the best second hand store I have ever been in with the most interesting stuff includes -- of course -- this I love Eager Beaver tee shirt! Can you believe that! I will be going back! Maybe soon!

Bad to the Bone Again!
This is definitely a constantly recurring theme and I have to say I do like it. I will not go into the details as to why I like it, but it has shown up at every major treasure hunt, now, as well as other places previous to that. We were trying to find a parking place in Depoe Bay and we had to turn around right here at this Bad to the Bone BBQ Diner. I think the reason this theme keeps appearing must have to do with how multidimensional, multiperspective, and beyond coincidental these treasure hunts always seem to be...it would take someone who is very bad to the bone devise them. And these treasure hunts come from my dreams....not me, personally, so please try to remember that! I refuse to take credit for designing these treasure hunts....it's kinda like how DNA was discovered -- in a dream! Who was responsible for that dream, really???? Do we know? Anyway, NEXT time we go back, we simply must eat at this Bad to the Bone DIner just to show our respect. (And I think we have to go back one more time...something tells me there is still more to this treasure hunt.)




Paradise Gifts
So, when we finished shopping at the Eager Beaver Second Hand Store, we trekked back to Depoe Bay which is a beautiful little bay – so little it has earned the ranking as the smallest bay in the world. I went absolutely crazy buying there, I really did and it was kinda scary. I found this great shop. While they have a lot of gift and tourist shops in this little town, this Paradise Gift Shop was truly the best! I bought an angelic clock to remind me of my priorities and my mission, actually: Love, peace, faith and joy. I also bought some “Joe” items, a beautiful doll that now sits on top of the bookcase that houses Joe’s books in the Joe L. Kincheloe Library in my house. Let me tell you about dolls. One of the things I wished for the most as I was growing up was a dolls from around the world doll collection. Of course, it was totally out of the question and I knew that. It was really “brought home” for me the year that for Christmas I so wished for a Barbie doll. All of the girls at school brought their Barbie dolls to play with on the schoolyard. They had all of these neat cases with lovely clothes – lots of clothes, accessories and tiny hangers. I wanted to play with them, but never could because I did not have a Barbie doll. I just knew that this one particular Christmas I should get a Barbie doll. And what do I get? A cheap replica – not even a replica – just a cheap fashion doll in a cheap wedding dress.

That was it. I was SO disappointed. I would never get to play with the other girls…it was several years before I finally received a Barbie doll and by that time I had outgrown playing with dolls and I was totally disillusioned and feeling forever entrapped in the lower dimensions of society….so, anyway, now someone is trying to make up at least a little for that. I fell in love with this beautiful doll and it matches the color scheme of my house – a scheme that was selected for me: Greens with yellow and gold accents…. hmmm….sweet. Of course, color scheme is not why the doll is important to me -- it is much, much deeper than that. But I am very much enjoying the natural colors of greens in my home, along with lots of plants -- ferns and other green potted plants. I do love my new house and how it is being made into a cozy home with the way it is being decorated. This is absolutely a first for me (you would have to see my previous living conditions to really understand why this is so important to me). I have never been a decorator, and I really do feel like there is some sort of higher power that is taking very good care of me and my family now. It is such a reassuring feeling to know there really is a God.



Nature Revealed
Next, we were on our way to buy some more of those sweet vestiges (salt water taffy) so that we could again take some home to share with our soul mate brother and friends, when we saw a photography gallery with the most beautiful nature pictures. I was not going to go in, but something (or someone) told me to go in and buy a photograph from the man who was sitting there. I went inside and talked to the man, asking him if he was the photographer and he was. For some reason it seemed imperative that I pick out a photograph from this man – like it was my “calling” to do this and I rarely will argue when I feel that I am compelled to do something for some reason that is probably outside my need to know, but possibly has a great purpose. I just take it on faith and trust. This can get me in trouble at times, but usually the trouble is only temporary and down the road there are much more important reasons for why it was right to follow these sorts of directives. I could really tell you some wild stories about such things and probably will as time goes on. It does make for a very interesting – but also a very, very blessed life. For example, my work with Joe was a “calling” and it still is. No matter what happens at this point I have already been blessed beyond anything I could have ever possibly dreamed of and nothing can ever change that. The most obvious way I was blessed was through his great love for me, the beautiful memories I have from having had the privilege of working with him on a project that was an attempt at fulfilling his dreams, and the beautiful emails he left me that, as I have discovered after finding that his book is full of MUSIC Easter Eggs, are laden with what I call “lyrical love letters.” I am still deciphering those…I find it very sad in one way because it would have been wonderful if we could have shared that love on a more conscious level, and in some ways I suppose we did, and yet it also confirms for me how much the things I did for him and the love he knew I felt for him really meant to him. It did not go unnoticed or unappreciated and he wanted to make sure that I was left with tangible evidence of that. It is a very deep blessing and one that I will truly cherish the rest of my life. 

So, this time, I was under a directive, a “calling” or whatever one wishes to call it to purchase one of this photographers works, which are actually quite expensive there, but very high quality. Well, we were just about to drive to visit a special lighthouse at Yaquina Head and the photographer had taken a lovely photo of another special lighthouse, but with the light lit up. Because of its special meaning – I do feel the work I am doing is being guided by someone who serves as a loving light who lights up my path, this photo has special meaning to me. It now hangs in my living room. I mentioned in another blog, the photographer’s specialty is nature and his work can be viewed on his web site as well as in his gallery at http://www.naturerevealed.com/. 

Yaquina Head Lighthouse
Next, we headed to the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. It was very windy with lots of ocean spray at the top of the hill where the lighthouse resides, so we did not stay there long. Down the road there was an nice walkway to a secluded beach (secluded because it was blocked), and there were a variety of sights to see along the way: lovely seascapes, sea lions basking on the rocks, an invasion of the centipedes, etc. We hung out there for awhile and enjoyed the warm sunshine before heading back to a final stop – again at the Eager Beaver Second Hand Store where I picked up a few additional items and Rainbow Princess finally picked out her “sweet and lovely birthday surprise,” which by that point had turned into several birthday surprises. So that was our day. In future writings, I will discuss in greater detail how I interpret the various clues and how they interrelate and what the grand scheme appears to be. For the present, just like you probably are, I am “in the dark.” Glad I bought that lighthouse photograph!
 

Vanessa

PS I guess other people like guiding lights, too....

OK, this is a really simple MUSIC Easter egg, for those who have been following along with the Easter Egg Treasure Hunt in Joe's book, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction. It is easy because he did not change even one minor word of the title of the song and he included it in the title of the subchapter. SInce it is in the title and is obvious, he did not use quotation marks. This Easter Egg can be found in Chapter 8 on page 200 and is titled, "Judy in Disguise: Hermeneutics in Cyberspace." Well, Judy in Disguise is a song by John Fred and his Playboy Band. Basically, the song is making fun of people who put on an act. With a play on words, one can extrapolate this to mean that people who buy into our dominant culture expectations and put on a show by "keeping ahead of the Joneses" are basically making a "spectacle" of themselves. The song ends with "I guess I'll just take your glasses." So, Joe picked up on this theme in this chapter, on page 202, where he states:

Hyperreality is a society characterized by spectacles: we can no longer have merely "talk shows" on TV, we must have "The Jerry Springer Show"; we can't have just sports, we have to have the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UTS); we can't simply have a resort town with gambling, we have to have Las Vegas; we can't have regular newspapers, we have to have The New York Post; we can't only have wrestling, we have to have the Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment (WWE); we can't only have religion, we have to have Benny Hinn, Ron Parsley, and James Robinson; we can't have religious retreats, we have to have Jim and the Late Tammy Faye's now defunct "Heritage USA," or Orlando's Disney-fried "Holy Land Experience." The list goes on and on.

And he continues, pointing out that "The media constantly create spectacles in the process of constructing a 'media reality.' Such a so-called 'reality' from a variety of perspectives could be described as a parallel universe or a virtual reality in relation to other dimensions of the world." Of course, all of this "spectacle creation" tends to "deify" the neo-liberal marketplace and define lifestyle. Corporations are merging to gain in size, strength, and power to gain control over the cyberspace marketplace, of course, and if we should question motivations or point out that the ideological education these mergers indoctrinate us and our children with, then anger and, of course, power is evoked to squelch this. As Joe points out, "Epistemology/the politics of knowledge and the education that accompanies it can never be the same" (p. 203). So, while the song (see below) ends with "I think I'll just take your glasses," we might ask: Can we end the media spectacle of the infotainment industry through a critical complex epistemology? If not end it, we can and we should at least uncover it with an eye toward ending it. Critical complex epistemology provides a powerful tool for taking off Judy's glasses.

Judy in Disguise - John Fred and his Playboy Band

 

Easter eggs image courtesy of Microsoft

These continuing treasure hunts are being done for a purpose, but it is an evolving purpose that has not yet completely evolved. As indicated in the introduction to this website, the blogs are to represent the creativity that Joe mentioned is so important to postformalism. If you have read his last book, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction, you will find he took advantage of his creative artistic license in places, (and some of those places are extremely funny, and demonstrate his great sense of humor) while at the same time his work is highly theoretical, very serious, applicable, and very important for accomplishing his goal of alleviating human suffering. I have taken even greater creative license (I think, but perhaps not). As such, I use varying writing styles, address different audiences, and cover different topics in an improvisational and rotating style. I have not evolved in my writing to include everything in one multilayered style as Joe had. Eventually, all of these various pieces, which currently may come across as a potpourri, will be assembled into something tangible. I never plan any of these things out: not the treasure hunts, not the blogs, not the topics, and not the destination. I know people will find that odd, but that's the way it is. Both Joe and I use music in our work; he used the music Easter eggs; I use the YouTube music videos, although I started doing that before I was conscious of his Easter eggs. I must have picked up on his subliminal messages.

So today's blog covers Saturday's Pacific Coast Eager Beaver Treasure Hunt, Take Two, Part Two. The reason it is Take Two is because it was the second trip to the coast for this particular treasure hunt. There are three blogs written last week that cover first part of the treasure hunt and provide all of the clues. Rainbow Princess and I missed some clues on the first trip, namely The Eager Beaver Second Hand Store. When we got back home, we both realized that we had seen this second hand store and that it must be what the "Eager Beaver" clue was referencing. So, we went back a second time and the weather was absolutely lovely again. For those who do not know, the Oregon Coast can often be cold and windy even in the summertime, so to catch a perfect day is a true blessing. And it could not have been more perfect!

For this second part of the treasure hunt, we had all of the original clues plus these additional ones were given to us:
Tricks up my sleeves
Eager Beaver (again)
Something big and something blue
a sweet and lovely birthday surprise
reminders of eternally sanctioned and sealed love
to have and to hold forevermore
powerful statement of love

As I review these clues, several things stand out: One, I was supposed to not worry about money. And so, I didn't, but when I came home and found that all told, I had spent over $800 in two days (counting Rainbow Princess's birthday party) I was in shock. I still am...oh well I guess that if I can learn to trust that a Higher Power is going to see me through this, it is most definitely a "powerful statement of love." The second thing is, that I did get so many nice things to decorate my new house which until now had bare walls to stare at. I bought some beautiful paintings and pictures for next to nothing at the Eager Beaver Second Hand Store. Plus as I was shopping -- once again -- in Depoe Bay, I was prompted to go into a photo gallery and buy a beautiful photograph of a very beautiful lighthouse at Helceta Head, Oregon. The photo I bought, The Sentinel of Light, can be viewed on the photographer's website and was a little spendy but it's printed on fabric instead of paper and guaranteed not to fade. It is especially meaningful because the light is lit, and for me it represents a special guiding light looking over me. Anyway, it is a limited edition, but available at the photographer's shop, Nature Revealed Gallery in Depoe Bay, Oregon or from his website http://www.naturerevealed.com/. The photographer's name is Jeff Jessing and he loves nature and wishes to preserve it, so he does all nature photographs and even offers private photography workshops and tours. He will be added to my "Stars and Rising Stars" page where I promote people who are following their special gifts and making their living in ways that escape the status quo and working for someone else. I plan to gather more of these stories for examples so that people can see there are other ways of being in the world that honor themselves, nature, other people, etc. in more productive and meaningful ways -- and they can still make a living without working and slaving for someone else. We truly need to all be partaking in such endeavors by engaging in them ourselves or at the least, supporting them so that we can break free from the ruling Imperialists with their capitalist system that keeps us dominated, controlled, and enslaved.

We took lots of pictures on this second trip and we had an absolutely lovely time. Our first stop and last stop (yes, we went twice in one day) was at the Eager Beaver Second Hand Store, and as I mentioned in my previous blog, I knew I was in the right place when the song "It's All Right" by the Temptations started playing. We had been given some additional clues and I figured they were to be found in the Eager Beaver Second Hand Store. Among the new clues, which are in addition to the original clues as presented at the blogs I wrote previously, Pacific Coast Eager Beaver Treasure Hunt Part One. As it turned out,  there is something very, very significant about the Eager Beaver Second Hand Store. It is a great store and many of the items they sell are brand new. And like the Nature Revealed Photography Studio, it is a very small business. We really need to support each other in these sorts of small business endeavors to break the capitalists hold on our lives. It is just one method and there are many more that we can discover if we use Joe's theory to become highly creative.

Well, that's it for today. As I mentioned, I will only be covering the basics of this last treasure hunt. I have to write a book about treasure hunting and this will all fit together and make sense then, if not before. It makes total sense to me right now (and that was one of the clues, btw), but it is all very complex and will require extensive writing in order to convey the significance of all of the clues, how they interrelate, and what the final grand conclusion is. I will post the book right here on this website and of course, it will be free, free, free. I love freedom. I love free stuff. Oh, and don't forget: August is Celebrate Peace Month and September is Live in Freedom Month. They should be two very blissful months. And I am sure October will bring something just as special.

Vanessa

Freedom - Love Psychedelico 

My god I feel awful today. It is more than just some little annoyance. Thankfully, being Sunday, I had a spiritual uplifting, which helps for the moment. 

I am always feeling my best when I can be around people who partake in the higher spirtual realm of life and do not buy into the daily rat race and dog-eat-dog world, but unfortunately, those people are far and few between. This has got to change. This is what can change with Joe's Critical Complex Epistemology in education if people take time to learn and experience other ways of being in the world.

I would say that maybe the reason I am feeling so yucky today is because I had too much fun yesterday, but I know that’s not true because I have been specifically assigned a mission to have more fun -- which is one (and only one) of the primary purposes of the Pacific Coast Eager Beaver Treasure Hunt that I have been working on over the past week (see last week's blogs) -- and which will continue this week. And I was very happy to see "Bad to the Bone" appear again! (I will explain that in future accounts of the treasure hunt, but "Bad to the Bone" tends to appear in mulitple places on multiple treasure hunts.)

I wish I could put something out here that’s really enlightening today, but right now I just don’t feel like I have it in me. Maybe I should just reveal a couple more of Joe’s Easter eggs. I know that even though I have revealed some of them, there are always people who are still going to be skeptical and I wonder what it takes to get people to realize the full amplitude of Joe’s work. He has left so many Easter eggs that as I keep revealing them, there will no longer possibly be any doubt or skepticism remaining. I do hope others who are reading this blog have now bought his book and are on their own treasure hunts. There is no possible way that I am ever going to be able to find them all.  And besides, I want to find all of the sweet lyrical messages he left specifically for me. Maybe, if you knew Joe and received emails from him, just maybe he left some music for you, too. I remember one of the very first emails I ever received from him brought me the song “It’s a Beautiful Morning” by the Rascals. I need to go back and read that email because somewhere in there he left a hint to those lyrics because as soon as I had read his email, the music played in my mind. Wow, he was incredible and incredibly sweet. The funny thing was at the time I replied to his email, I sent him a link to the song on YouTube, telling him, "You make beautiful music for people, Joe!" I did not even know he wrote music or played in a rock band then, much less that he left music Easter eggs. Little did I know....

OK, for the skeptics of MUSIC Easter Egg Hunting, here are two more clues from the last page of his book, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction (page 252). (And there are some more on this very same page!) First, to set it up, Joe was not happy at all with how things were going. It seems that even though he had worked so hard to get people to see things in a new light through his work, leadership, and teaching, there were just as many people as ever who continued to buy into the status quo and were more concerned about money, status, and upper mobility, including – and perhaps especially – within the educational system. I am sure this was very upsetting to him, even though he did not show it outwardly, being the wonderfully humble and patient person he was. And believe me, I do know how humble, cooperative, loving people pay the price for this rampant “climb over you to get to the top” behavior (which is exactly why I have abandoned being as humble and patient as I was in the past). Indeed, I have suffered my fair share of inequities at the hands of those who would engage in this pathological behavior of which Joe speaks -- all to keep me down and out of the way. As Joe stated on page 251, “Some of my saddest moments over the last 40 years of working toward critical goals have involved observing the pathological egocentric/merciless behavior of those who pay lip service in their scholarship and social activism to many of the values expressed here.” And evidently, lip service was all some of them paid. I know Joe, himself, suffered in the education environment; he speaks often of it in his numerous works. But he stayed strong and “bit the bullet,” so to speak because he believed in his mission – and so do I.

So then, on page 252, he goes on to say,

We have much work to do at both the individual and the social levels. Honestly, I am not particularly happy with the “way ‘we’ are” the hierarchies, the ways men treat women, the heterosexism, racism, class bias, the competition, the fear of “taking a hit,” the neo-bourgeois low affect “cool,” the humorlessness about particular topics, etc.

The highlighted words imply songs, especially since he put them into quotation marks. However, he does not always put songs into quotation marks nor are quotation marks always songs; they may mean something else – it just depends on the song and how he has placed it. Sometimes he has separated words of the titles with an inserted word, or he might have changed just one word, other times he uses songs as chapters in his book, so then he may not use quotation marks. There are various little cues he provides at times, or the song title stands out in some other way, or it makes complete sense where he has used it on its own, without necessarily requiring further interpretation. As Joe encouraged us to realize, his work can be interpreted on many levels, and sometimes his songs are no different. It was curious that he also put the word “we” in a set of quotation marks inside the quotation marks for the song title, The Way We Were. I do not think he wants to necessarily include himself totally in this sad state of affairs, and rightly so. For one, he was always reminded that he did not fit in with the elite crowd (he was a “hillbilly” from the Appalachians – and he has even included the word hillbilly in the subject index of this book to make a point, no doubt) and two, he knew he had tried – he had truly made a super human effort to make positive changes, especially in the world of education. He tried to get people see how important love is by being a perfect model of love. He knew there are better ways of being in the world than the way many members of our society choose to be in the world -- there are healthy, love-filled, nondysfunctional, nondestructive ways -- if only people could see them and then live them - which is exactly what his work is all about. So, anyway, here are the two songs:

The Way We Were – Barbara Streisand

Taking the Hit --  Joe Bonamassa

 

Lyrics for Taking the Hit: http://www.jbonamassa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=599

That’s it for today. Joe was not happy with the way things were. But he held onto his dream and never gave up, as is clear with the volumes of work he produced. Perhaps, coming in as an outsider the way I had, I could see things that others were not able to see and, like Joe, I truly wanted to make a difference and I wanted to see positive changes. And, as was pointed out once before, we had a special connection and we were here to help each other when one of us needed help. I believed in his work, 100% and I still do. He truly appreciated my efforts to help him with his project, which he told me many times and which is probably why he sent me so many kind Easter eggs. I wish I had found them sooner so that I could have let him know how much I appreciated his kindness in taking the time to insert those special little messages. It was not meant to be, though, and I can only do what I can do from this point forward.

Working on Joe's mission was -- and still is -- the least I can do for him.

Making Love Out of Nothing At All -- Air Supply

The first important announcement for today is a Happy Birthday wish for Rainbow Princess. For those who are new, Rainbow Princess is my assistant and she is blessed with the special gifts of photography, research, and working with children. She is very special and today is her 18th birthday.

In celebration of her birthday, we were requested to launch out on Take Two of the Pacific Coast Eager Beaver Treasure hunt and Rainbow Princess was awakened bright and early even though it was her birthday. She did not mind that at all when she learned we were going back to the coast and finish up our treasure hunting with some additional clues, even!

We were provided a few more clues to motivate us and told to also continue with the other clues. Suffice it to say that one of my initiation tasks is to stop worrying about money ("Don't worry, don't worry, don't worry!") I think I did too well today -- I lost track of how much money I spent -- which is very good on my part and exactly what I am supposed to be doing. I have to learn faith and trust that it will be replenished and I will never be "without." Plus, I am supposed to take more time for fun. And so it is really exciting -- I brought home even more treasures than I did on the last Pacific Coast Eager Beaver Treasure Hunt, inluding some lovely artwork for my new house...more about it all later. Plus we had so much fun trekking around an old lighthouse and down to the beach and watching sea lions sunbathe on some rocks just off shore...we took lots of pictures so those will show up here during the next few days.

The major clue we knew we had to follow up on was “Eager Beaver.” And follow up is eactly what we did (I can't wait to show you -- we did this clue up "royally!") We both had vaguely remembered seeing some sort of Eager Beaver thrift shop on our first Pacific Coast Eager Beaver Treasure Hunt and we thought we remembered where it was. Well, when we got there, it turned out that neither of us remembered where it was and after checking the places we thought we had seen such a place, we finally had to ask directions. Oddly, it was not at all where we had remembered it. I am glad we found it though, because we found lots and lots of treasures there! It is absolutely the most fantastic thrift shop.

Well, I will tell more about the Treasure Hunt tomorrow. I am really tired now and just want to get some sleep. Plus, I have grading to do for my students and I know Joe would want me to write a review of part of his book, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction, pages 120-126. It’s about multiple perspectives and throughout his book he reiterated over and over again how important it is to fully understand this concept and to put it into use in not only education, but our daily lives. So I will be working on that as well.

So that’s it for today. I knew without a doubt that the Eager Beaver 2^nd Hand Store was exactly what the clue meant when as soon as I had entered the store and started finding all kinds of treasures (about to spend far too much money!) and the following song played. The bliss of beautiful music at just the right time...

Vanessa

It’s All Right – The Impressions

P.S. This poem came to me first thing this morning so, I thought I should share it.

Powerful Love

It is true

I love you

And you, my love

Are a blessing from above

Stay with me

As I stay with you

And you shall see

Wonderments that are true

Reality does exist

Beyond the human eye

And so you must persist

To answer the question, Why

Put away your fear

With it there’s no use

You cannot discover, Dear

You serve merely as a muse

Your spirit and your soul

Must live in complete freedom

So open up the door

And enter the great kingdom

I’m waiting here for you

With my arms opened wide

See the beauty, love and truth

Walk with me, by my side

I never will depart

From your true love and devotion

You are a Queen of Hearts

You carry the magic potion

You have within your very spirit

The true love that’s eternal

The entire world must now hear it

So that all may escape that infernal

Carry on, my one true soul mate

You know the mission and the plan

We must meet that important date

If anyone can do it – you can!

Joe was greatly influenced by Paulo Freire and one of the most important concepts he embraced was the notion of “radical love.” In multiple places he conveyed his view that it is one of the very most important things we must practice not only in education, but of course, in our daily lives. What is radical love? As I pointed out in my previous blog, Let’s Call It What It Is, radical love in reality is spiritual love. If love does not have a spiritual quality, it is not love at all; therefore the decision was made, from this point forward, to refer to radical love as Spiritual Love for the purposes of moving forward.

The reason I point this out is because the purpose of my blogs are to honor Joe, to interpret his work, and to present it in a format that everyone can relate to, understand, and more importantly, put into practical use in their daily lives, whether for day-to-day living, for learning and researching, or for educating others. As he pointed out, we are all teachers, learners, and researchers in every corner of our lives. If we can fully understand and embrace this idea, we are well on our way to leading our lives as responsible and contributing people no matter what our age or our current positioning in the world.

I bring all of this up for a purpose. It has been brought to my attention (by myself, no less) that this blog is heavy into expressing the enormous love I felt for Joe. It dawned on me that many people are not interested in this, and of course this is understandable since we have not even touched on the soul mate aspects of love which will be of high interest to virtually everyone. There are some very exciting things to say about soul mate love and what the future brings for people and their blissful destinies – and it is all very, very good. Much research has been done by some very professional, highly qualified people. If you are in an unhappy love relationship, you will soon understand why that is and how soul mate love is available to everyone and there is no need to give up hope for a fulfilling true love relationship. 

After I had done some serious reflection on these blogs in which I have been expressing a very strong spiritual love toward Joe (which is true and real), I began to have doubts about writing here about them. However, after consultation with people who are much more knowledgeable in these matters, I was told not to worry at all about it because spiritual love transcends 3D earth plane; in fact it transcends space and time. The dissemination of this information has importance far, far beyond a few earthlings who may object, and far beyond national, international, and global applications even. And not only that, there are many researchers, including scientists, who are working on a better understanding. So, for anyone skeptical of soul mate love, the enormous power of it, and the absolute divine necessity for people to fulfull their destinies in matching up for eternity with their one true soul mate, stay tuned. I will be providing mroe details.

So, we “truck on.” And it is exciting to be able to present a unique, original, and very hopeful side of what others have called “radical love,” and we have now changed to Spiritual Love with a more accurate delineation as to what it encompasses – with our focus on Soul Mate Love. If you have been involved in a tumultuous and unhappy relationship and you are hoping to find your one true soul mate, your search may soon be over --- there really is one out there for you and a phsyical explanation as to why your wishes to meet may even soon come true for many of you. There are many changes taking place and there are also many things you can do to facilitate finding your one true soul mate as well as things that will ensure that once you do, your love relationship can truly be the most blissful, joyful experience for eternity.

I apologize for my rambling, my late posts, and whatever else I need to apologize for. As I get ready to post this blog, I can honestly say that I am not doing well, not doing well at all. It seems that I have to go through the enormous excruciatng pain – even more intense pain than I have already been through -- to get past it. I feel such deep pain over losing Joe that I my heart literally has broken, and this is truly no exaggeration. I still wake up crying and I am in terrible physical, not to mention emotional pain, and I don't know why. Even my recent medical tests bear this out which, to be honest, is a little frightening since I have never had the medical problems that are showing up now, not that I am afraid to join people I love on the other side, especially you know who, where we can be even more powerful in working toward our mission than we are here in this painfully restrictive 3D earth plane. It is just that I have been assigned a lot of very important work here and I would like to finish it before making that transformative leap.

One of those important tasks is finding all of the Easter eggs in Joe’s books and pointing them out to the public. I know he wants this done. He would never have taken the time to insert these special messages if he had not wanted people to find them. And there is much more to the story after finding those and I am beginning to get clues and hints as to just how monumental and earth-changing Joe's book really is, so I know that this work alone will keep me busy for quite some time. I feel I really need to find all of those Easter Eggs and move onto the next stage of this decoding of his work. It is only then that education can move forward in the way it needs to for the 21st Century. Thankfully, I have enlisted help -- a couple of my soul mates (note that there are other types of soul mates in addition to the powerful one true soul mate) will be helping me this project. I hope other people will also work on finding all of the secret messages in Joe's book. As Joe said to me one time when I was struggling, but ready to move on: "Onward and Upward." He laughed about that and I did not know why at the time. I also think there are some lyrics in that statement somewhere.

It is interesting that this work led me to shopping for Easter eggs in my correspondence from him and sure enough, they are there, lyrical "love" letters. How sweet he was. Maybe it was just that he wanted to make learning fun just as he had described in his book with Thomas (2004), Reading, Writing and Thinking: Postformal Basics. He talked a lot about making education sensuous, especially in relation to postformalism. I know he really liked to dance – and he knew I loved that, too. As I had mentioned in a previous blog, he knew what a woman wants. At any rate, I never detected these lyrical notes until now, but I did feel his love spiritually so it's all good and neither one of us broke the constraints of the utmost highest integrity and never would have even dreamed of doing so, of course. It all just goes with the territory (as Joe told me once); everyone knows that. And, anyway, Joe loved everyone, so it was nothing out of the ordinary. But I do have to say, ours was a very strong spiritual (radical love) bond, partly because I believed so strongly in his philosophy and work and now I am dedicated to him and his dream forever.

Another Easter Egg in Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction

Desperado (Knowledge & Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction, p. 58).

On page 58, Joe states:

I understood that my task was to discern what brilliant people had posited as the next step in the journey to new epistemological possibilities….Of course, in the world of academia I found that those who engaged in such behaviors were often viewed as epistemological desperados. “Why don’t you come to your senses?” Don Henley might have asked them had he been their dean. My mad ambition to understand drove me on. I pondered the nature of the pedagogy one would have to develop in order to engage students and other individuals in such an undertaking. I understood that I was asking much of students, for I appreciated that an individual has to be ready to deal with the ambiguity and loss of certainty that accompany an epistemological shift. There is nothing easy about moving to a new dimension where things are not as they once seemed. I understood that my pedagogy would intimidate and frighten as it induced students to reconsider and my god, act on insights gained in the new dimension.(Kincheloe, 2008, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction. Page 58).

Desperado – Eagles Live – Don Henley

 

EAGLES LYRICS
"Desperado"

Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
You been out ridin' fences for so long now
Oh, you're a hard one
I know that you got your reasons
These things that are pleasin' you
Can hurt you somehow

Don't you draw the queen of diamonds, boy
She'll beat you if she's able
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet

Now it seems to me, some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones that you can't get

Desperado, oh, you ain't gettin' no younger
Your pain and your hunger, they're drivin' you home
And freedom, oh freedom well, that's just some people talkin'
Your prison is walking through this world all alone

Don't your feet get cold in the winter time?
The sky won't snow and the sun won't shine
It's hard to tell the night time from the day
You're losin' all your highs and lows
Ain't it funny how the feeling goes away?

Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be rainin', but there's a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you, before it's too late

I have learned that this particular treasure hunt, the Pacific Coast Eager Beaver Treasure Hunt is gong to be very extensive, blending in significantly with previous treasure hunts which I have already discussed in these blogs, and it will continue on for quite some time. It is beyond the scope of the blogs here to get into the extensive details everyday about the treasure hunt, so the details will be provided in another format – perhaps an online book that can be read at one’s leisure. I was informed that the clues themselves will make up the chapters for the book. So, instead of going into extensive detail, after the initial presentation of the treasure hunt, its clues, and my preliminary analysis, I will only be highlighting certain aspects of the treasure hunt in this daily blog and instead cover other topics. Watch for future announcements for the complete details on how this treasure hunt evolves. There are already indications that it is quite miraculous and highly enlightening.

Secondly, in place of a focus on the treasure hunt per se, the desire is that I focus on topics of interest which are critical to get out to the public – namely information about soul mates, “twin” or “one true” soul mates, as I prefer to call it, phenomenological and scientific studies about soul mates, quantum theory, fractal time and the concept of past, present, and future all occurring simultaneously (a most difficult concept for the Western mind), consciousness expansion, and other esoteric and highly complex scientific topics which are generally avoided in many educational settings that instead focus on, as Joe puts it, “factoids to regurgitate on tests.” In fact to this very day, they are still teaching OLD Biology, causing students to become totally lost and confused because it does not jive with what they know – instead of the NEW BIOLOGY. The topics proposed should be very interesting.

In my blog yesterday, I began the work to decipher clues given to me for the Pacific Coast and Eager Beaver Treasure Hunt, but only covered some of them. Today, I will go over the rest of the clues and update yesterday’s clues. Then it will be another trip to the Pacific Coast, and I am not sure what day that will be because usually I am not told until the last minute. I think that must be because I have always hated spur-of-the-moment happening things and I do need to work on that. With treasure hunts, it’s not difficult to accept the spontaneity since they are always so much fun.

Ever since yesterday when I first played that Celtic song Peace of the Spirit,  which instantly put me in tears, I have been listening to it over and over again. It still makes me cry sometimes, but I am trying to view it from a new perspective. It is such heavenly music and there is something very, very magical about that particular song relating to my past life, some of which I do remember. Things are different this time, I am told. Very, very different and soon nothing is going to be sad anymore. I know that sounds sketchy, but it relates to my past life and how it relates to this life and it’s all about love and losing someone twice, but in reality, ending up together and in the final analysis, it will be true bliss. Things are very, very different this time. It would make for an interesting read, but I am not ready to explain all of the details. It is related to the treasure hunt though, so the details will most likely unfold in future writings when the time is right.

As I found out a couple of days ago, this all also relates to the “lost at sea” clue. As I had written:

On my trip I found a sweet Irish shop that I felt so much at home in and I bought a lovely silver cross with a special Celtic symbol. Until I knew Joe, I really did not think much about my heritage. Like him, I have a Scottish-Irish ancestry, and now all of a sudden the symbols, arts, and crafts mean so much to me. So, while on the treasure hunt, I bought a beautiful silver cross. It has a symbol called the claddagh in the middle of it that is supposed to represent true love. This must be the Our great love clue, too – or maybe that was the Peace of the Spirit song and Celtic Melodies music – those sure bring up our great love across the centuries. The silver cross has three combined symbols: hands that signify friendship, a heart to signify love, and a crown to signify loyalty. There is a beautiful story that goes with this, I have just learned from a pamphlet I bought in the shop. It is about the man who originally designed this symbol for his one true love. In the early Sixteenth Century Richard Joyce had been fishing off the coast of Galway, Ireland just one week before he was to be married and his boat capsized. He was captured by pirates and sold into slavery. Working for a Moorish goldsmith, he designed this symbol and made a special ring for his special true love. He was finally released from slavery and went back to Ireland and she was waiting for him. They married and lived in the village of Claddagh (pronounced kla-dah), which is how the symbol got its name. And so the symbol is worn as a sign of love, loyalty and friendship (NACTA). I just realized something! This satisfies the clue “lost at sea!” The man who designed the symbol for my cross necklace was lost at sea!

Well, I thought that was the meaning, and I was showing the cross and telling my beloved soul brother, about the story (he is a highly spiritual person with a Native American heritage), and he said it seems to represent me and my loved one and how we are separated by dimensions or time, but just as the man who designed the symbol was able to communicate by sending the ring to his true love, we also are still able to communicate. We were sort of “lost at sea” but our love survived and has risen above the barriers. And I do believe my soul mate brother is correct about this. There are multiple meanings now for this particular symbol, the silver cross which I will wear forever.

I will still need to work some more on the following clues. Maybe I will get some more clues or they will show up on the next trip. I am sure they are part of the next trip for this treasure hunt.

I am with you

I will lead

Our great love

It will all make perfect sense

New and amazing revelations

Dawn of the new age is upon us

Tokens of love, hope and promise – these are probably just all of the gifts. Like I said, it felt like Christmas and I was being treated to special gifts, many of which I have not even mentioned here. Not only that, I have now been informed that I will be receiving a very special gift for Christmas, so maybe he does not want me to think this treasure hunt will top what he can do at Christmas. Christmas was discussed just the other day, with the conclusion that it’s basic concept is very good, but that it’s just gotten far too commercial. The Council wants to keep Christmas because Jesus is such an important role model, but they want to change the emphasis to one of giving “gifts from the heart” such as handmade gifts so that it will result in people also sharing their gifts in other ways, such as teaching others the special skills required to create these kinds of gifts. I love that idea. It reminds me of some of the book I bought in the Irish shop, Traditional Crafts of Ireland by David Shaw-Smith (another David, btw). It covers textiles, stonework, woodwork, basketry and wickerwork, leather, metalwork, ceramics, glassware, calligraphy (something else I love to do!), candle making, fly tying, and farm life. It’s a great book!

One thing I have noticed about all of these treasure hunts is that each new treasure hunt gets more amazing than the last one and I do not think they possibly can be topped but they always are – although I still cannot get over the Yard Search Treasure Hunt in which I was supposed to find a diamond ring, and instead I found the incredible hand made Yin Yang silver piece that appears to be Celtic, which is very, very significant, and then the diamond ring was miraculously delivered to my door. That was so special it will be hard to top. Even though I have had three “earth marriages” (all of which failed), I did not receive such a beautiful ring as the diamond ring brought to me. My first husband gave me no diamond, my second husband gave me my birthstone as a promise ring, and my third husband did not give me a ring at all, not even a wedding ring. So this ring is truly a miracle and a very blessed gift that could only have happened out of deep love. That is my hyperreality.

Other treasures from my Pacific Coast Eager Beaver Treasure Hunt include a book I bought from the Irish shop, Traditional Crafts of Ireland, by David Shaw-Smith with great photos in it and I now realize that so many of the arts and crafts I love to do are “in my blood” so to speak. All of the things I love so much seem to derive from Scottish-Irish/Celtic traditions. For example, I love to knit, and have since I was a child. There were also photos of some Celtic silver jewelry that reminded me of the yin-yang silver piece I found in the Yard Search Treasure Hunt. I really need to take that into a jeweler and see if I can find anything out about it. This again, is extremely significant since I did find it in the yard treasure hunt in the same time the beautiful diamond ring was bestowed upon me. For those who do not believe in magic and miracles, I can assure you they happen! Some other pictures in the book remind me so much of Joe's bricolage theory for research and knowledge production. In case, readers are not aware of it, the blogs I write here are in the bricolage format. Some of them will form starting pieces (called point of entry texts or POETs) for more detailed articles, some will be grouped and combined into various books, thus, they are put together in various ways, much like bricklaying. Joe describes the bricoleur as one who works with the “tools at hand” to create and construct new knowledge. I hope that happens with my work. And so, the book has great photographs of various types of bricklaying, which is very interesting.

Just as a summary, some of the other gifts bestowed upon my on this particular treasure hunting trip which I have not yet mentioned, includes a “worry stone” made from 300 million year old Connemara Marble (it is supposed to bring peace and tranquility), so it goes along with the Peace clue. Also received, is a “Bad Girl” key chain (there seems to be something significant about referring to me as a “bad girl,” but I guess I can go with that, especially since “Bad to the Bone” also keeps coming up. I also received an Irish embroidered badge, a wooden “treasure box” with Love painted on top for keeping my small special treasures in, a Bob Marley poster about singing his songs of freedom. That reminds me. As I have already announced, August is Peace Celebration Month. It has been decided that each month should have a month-long Universal celebration in addition to the various daily holidays within. September is Celebrate Freedom Month, which is so appropriate since that is when children are returning to school and it is critical to bring up the notion of freedom in the many “debilitating” (as Joe would put it) educational environments. If we can elevate everyone’s consciousness as to what freedom truly means and its importance, we may very well begin to see some changes in things such as the zero tolerance policy, freedom of speech limitations, greater freedom of artistic and creative expression, etc. This would be a very good thing. And finally, I also received a Treasure Map that shows where pirates have hidden treasure throughout the world. This could come in very handy.

One last thing. As was pointed out to me, this treasure hunt, for whatever reason, is dedicated to all people named David, so I decided I had better research the story in the Bible. Here’s what I learned about David in the Bible:

David was a remarkable man. Obedient and patient, he persevered through hardships trusting in God. He relied entirely on God. When he did stumble, he was quick to repent and ask forgiveness and didn’t repeat his sins. He took personal responsibility for his actions and didn’t try to get out of the consequences. He took the time to learn God’s voice and thank God in everything. All of us could learn from David. Reference: http://www.essortment.com/all/davidbible_rrzt.htm

So, we can all learn a lot from David.  Maybe we need to rely less on our own assessment of things in life and more on God. Above all, I think a most important message is to be loving, grateful, and thankful. Always show gratitude for everything that comes your way. You know, that’s hard to do when you have so many, many things coming your way. It is easy to begin to take things for granted. I hope I never take any of the wonderful blessings I receive for granted. I try to be thankful for everything that comes my way, no matter how small, even if it is something that seems bad at first – because there is always a good reason for it. Sometimes it may take a long time for that good reason to show up, but it always does. We have to maintain trust. I know I need to work on that; it has been brought to my attention.

Shortly after I did that research, I happened, quite by accident come across another David. (The treasure hunt, after all, is dedicated to all Davids, so this is relevant.) When I picked my son up from his job, he just had to go back into the grocery store and buy some sun flower seeds. So as we are heading home, he reads to me off the package:

 

Congratulations! You’re a seeder! Seeders are unique. They’re cool, confident, independent, active, and hardworking. They know that eating David Sunflower Seeds makes what they do more enjoyable. Things are better with DAVID because they’re a snack and an activity. Experience SNACTIVITY.

Well, with all of these random clues, this treasure hunt most definitely is not making perfect sense! Just as with the NEW Treasure Hunt, I am feeling confused. I need to work on all of these clues yet. I think I need to take a nap. Whenever I get to feeling overwhelmed with information overload it all sorts out in my sleep. My last clue: Time Will Tell. That was an interesting clue . . . as I mentioned, I had bought a Bob Marley poster in one of the gift shops at the coast and it turns out, after doing a google search on Time Will Tell, he has a song called Time Will Tell. It is really interesting how these MUSIC Easter eggs come up. And, it is probably all very significant. The song is below.

Well, that’s it for this treasure hunt for now – probably until we return for the next round. I am very excited about our next trip! I never know what day we will do what Treasure Hunt, though. (We are still working on the Kings Valley Treasure Hunt and the NEW Treasure Hunt as well.) Usually, I don’t know until the day of the Treasure Hunt and then I get spur of the moment instructions. Which is fine; I like spontaneity when it comes to Treasure Hunting. I used to want to plan everything out ahead of time so that I knew exactly what was going to be happening, but not anymore. Not when it comes to the dream mission.

Lyrics to Time Will Tell

Jah would never give the power to a baldhead
Run come crucify the Dread.

Time alone - oh, time will tell:
Think you're in heaven, but ya living in hell;
Think you're in heaven, but ya living in hell;
Think you're in heaven, but ya living in hell.
Time alone - oh, time will tell:
Ya think you're in heaven, but ya living in hell.

Back them up; oh, not the brothers,
But the ones who sets 'em up.

Time alone - oh, time will tell:
Think you're in heaven, but ya living in hell;
Think you're in heaven, but ya living in hell;
Think you're in heaven, but ya living in hell.
Time alone - oh, time will tell:
Ya think you're in heaven, but ya living in hell.

Mm-mm. Mm-mm.
Oh, ma ...................
Oh, ma ...................
Oh, ma children are cryin'.
Oh, children, weep no more!
Oh, ma sycamore tree, saw the freedom tree.
All you ... have spoke:
Oh, children, weep no more;
Weep no more: children, weep no more!

Jah would never give the power to a baldhead
Run come crucify the Dread.

Time alone - oh, time will tell:
Think you're in heaven, but ya living in hell;
Think you're in heaven, but ya living in hell;
Think you're in heaven, but ya living in hell.
Time alone - oh, time will tell:
Think you're in heaven, but ya living in hell.

Lyrics courtesy of: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/b/bobmarleylyrics/timewilltelllyrics.html

Graphic Image courtesy of Microsoft; Photos courtesy of Rainbow Princess and Me.

We completed the travel to the Pacific coastline, although we do have another trip to make. It is always so beautiful and peaceful at the beach and it is very healing. I think it’s partly related to the extra orgone energy in the air….and on the way over I realized Oregon spells orgone just by moving the e to the end. That’s kind of interesting. Below are the clues with our preliminary assessment. I will have to write a blog about orgone – life force energy and the scientist, Wilheim Reich, who discovered it and died in prison for his discovery. Well, now scientists have confirmed it – of course it was known back then, too, but the powers-that-be did not want people to know that they were purposely being limited to orgone energy (eg. In their food, in their need to move away from nature and into the city for jobs, etc.) There is a lot to this story, so I will save it for another time.

Below are some of the clues I was given for the Pacific Coast Eager Beaver Treasure Hunt which is dedicated to all Davids -- and some preliminary thoughts on their meaning. I always take the approach Joe recommended though, so the meaning of the clues are always preliminary and they evolve and change as more information is discovered and interpreted. And I can asure you that even as I write this, more information has poured in that is enlightening and very delightful. I will cover all of this in more detail as we continue with this treasure hunt. This is going to be fun, I can see that right away -- complicated but lots and los of fun.

Travel to the Pacific Coastline – this turned out to be Depoe Bay and Newport, Oregon

Eager Beaver – We realized after the trip that the Eager Beaver Thrift Shop in Newport was what this clue is referring to and we have to stop there on our next trip. It was conveyed that there would be more than one trip.

Peace overpowers any tragedy – not sure what this is supposed to lead to

Preparation for the August Peace Celebrations – We noticed a lot of peace decorated items, not sure if there is something specific we need to find

Do something on the beaches of the Pacific Ocean – we decided this must mean to go back and take the metal detector down on the beach.

 

 

Have radical fun – we saw Johnny Depp and had our pictures taken with him! At the Wax Museum

A radical enlightenment – the only radical enlightenment I have had so far, was on the way to the beach I got to thinking that maybe Joe planted himself in education for the sole purpose of writing a book full of MUSIC and other Easter eggs and secret codes which will now be interpreted. He did this so that people would read his book and thus more people would be transformed by the knowledge gained from it. I have a feeling there will be many more enlightenments with this particular treasure hunt.

Zombies walking aimlessly in zombie land –  Rainbow Princess figured that one out right away - she just knew it had to mean the Wax Museum. And then I didn’t really want to go, but I told her we would drive by it and if there was a parking place close by we would go in. Wouldn’t you know it – just as we passed it, not even half a block away, a big truck pulled out of a parking place – just for us. Now that was a clear indication that we were right on target. Rainbow Princess was ecstatic.

Awakening – I am working on this one

Lost at sea - I did think for awhile that I had lost Rainbow Princess at sea, but I am not sure this is fulfillment of the clue.

Look everywhere for me – I think this meant to look for things that Joe would have liked. Those are hard to miss. One of the first things I noticed was a sign outside a friendly looking hangout announcing a “Rock and Blues BBQ.” Well, I know Joe would have liked that. I also found a large billboard announcing a Pow Wow that will be held in August. I love to go to Pow Wows. My guess is that Joe probably liked them too. I did find several key chains with “Joe” on them, even a flashing key chain, and better yet, an “I love Joe” key chain with a heart for love. I had been looking for a key chain so now I have two Joe key chains.

Sweet vestiges - Rainbow Princess just knew that had to mean salt water taffy, so we stopped in where they make it fresh and bought some to bring home and share with my soul mate brother who sold me the diamond ring. He is very special and I just know he is going to be working on the mission soon.

Love and devotion - Love and Devotion – well I was led to buy several CDs that would qualify here: Dedicated to the One I Love: Love and Romance Songs of the 50s (I love those songs and haven’t heard them in ages), Moonlight Serenade (swing era music); Celtic Spa: Melodies for the Soul; and Café Tropical by Johannes Linstead (beautiful guitar music). It is not music I would have picked out myself if I had not been sort of guided to them (mainly because unlike Joe, I really don’t know much at all about music), but I have been listening to these CDs and they are so amazingly relaxing that I am hooked on listening to them as I do my daily work, so it turned out to be a good thing, even if a little expensive (which I am not supposed to worry about).

OMG!!!! I just listened to the Celtic CD and the first song made me cry it is so beautiful and it brings back memories of a love from long ago. I know we had past lives together and I remember one specifically in detail and this particular song called Peace of the Spirit was meaningful to that time. As they say, emotions and love transcend space and time….there is something extremely significant about this song. Interestingly, we were working on peace missions. I don’t want to even think about it right now, it just makes me so sad. I will be able to share that experience some other time which was all wrapped up in the tragic experiences I had in this lifetime (which can happen sometimes if you know anything about past lives)…I do remember much of it very clearly and something very, very sad had happened, devastating in fact, can'y really talk about it right now.

The music mp3 is only a sample and does not do justice to how beautiful this music is. It can be purchased here (and note that I do not receive any money for this nor have I been requested to provide this link). I just think the music is so beautiful, the entire CD, in fact, so I am sharing where it can be purchased.) I also bought a CD CALLED Moments of Peace: Beyond the Keys by Charles Suniga which is keyboard and strings are played simultaneously, in preparation for the upcoming Peace Celebration. Maybe that qualifies for the Preparation for the August Peace Celebrations clue since it would make great music to play at one of our celebrations.

Joint mission - the joint mission is to spread love and alleviate suffering, but I am not sure here --- maybe it was the little wall plaque that talks about our Dream – “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” It’s strange really; these little quotations never meant much at all to me in the past, in fact I thought they were kind of silly, and now all of a sudden I know and believe in what they mean.

Tomorrow I will cover the rest of the clues and any progress I have made in determining what I am supposed to be doing with this Pacific Coast Eager Beaver Treasure Hunt. Looking for treasure is a very enjoyable activity. I see why Joe liked it so much and was always mentioning it in his books. Try it!

 

 

Happy Treasure Hunting,

Vanessa

Treasure Hunting makes you realize what a wonderful world it is.

Louis Armstrong – What a Wonderful World

I was given a ton of clues for this Treasure Hunt, and at first I thought it would require a bricolage of three major things: 1) Trips to Depoe Bay and Newport, Oregon; 2) Trips to Oregon State University Campus, home of the (Eager) Beavers; and 3) The Story of David in the Bible. While this looks to be very complicated, I was assured through (what else?) but MUSIC that it would be “Smooth Sailing.”

Smooth Sailing by Peter White (a beautiful piece)

I was also told we would be required to make another trip over to the beach. Now I know why. After reviewing the trip, Rainbow Princess and I recalled that we had seen a shop called The Eager Beaver Thrift Shop and after thinking about it, we realize that is why we will need to go back -- we need to go to that shop! There is something significant about it since it is included in the title of the Treasure Hunt and now we realize this does NOT include the Oregon State University campus.  I think we did accomplish a lot Saturday, although I am not sure exactly what we were or are supposed to be looking for or what I am to do with the clues. Here’s a summary of the clues as gleaned from the instructions Tomorrow I will present how we matched up what we have found on the treasure hunt so far with the clues.

Travel to the Pacific Coastline

Peace overpowers any tragedy

Preparation for the August Peace Celebrations

Do something on the beaches of the Pacific Ocean

Have radical fun

A radical enlightenment

Zombies walking aimlessly in zombie land

Awakening

Lost at sea

Look everywhere for me

Sweet vestiges

Love and devotion

Joint mission

I am with you

I will lead

Our great love

It will all make perfect sense

New and amazing revelations

Dawn of the new age is upon us

Time Will Tell

This is a huge undertaking and truly a simple treasure hunt is not sufficiently monumental enough for us to accomplish these multiple purposes we have in mind.

So there are a lot of clues and this is a complicated treasure hunt…Where are we since making our first trip on Saturday? More tomorrow.

Another MUSIC Easter egg in Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction

Talking Heads Road to Nowhere (see page 54).

That’s right because Joe is talking about the state of society due to FIDUROD (which, as mentioned, is a complex form of positivism that keeps people divided so that the elite can maintain power and money. Here is a quote from the book:

FIDUROD wants to produce knowledge from "nowhere -- "we’re on a road to nowhere” the Talking Heads may have told us but that transcultural/transhistorical point doesn’t exist in the epistemological universe. Every place in which we operate – or at least so far as we have been able to imagine – occupies cultural and historical spaces. (p. 54).

Talking Heads – Road to Nowhere

 

Talking Heads Lyrics (and history)

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

I was abruptly, but lovingly and “evolvingly” (as Joe so sweetly put it one time, pers. correspondence) interrupted this morning when I was in the process of posting my blog – on time even, by 7AM! Well, I guess sometimes other things take greater precedence over being on time. This morning it was a message of love to me and love always rules. And so I was told, don’t worry about the blog, go down right now and buy yourself a new computer! And while you’re at it, stop in at Great Clips and get your hair cut…and treat yourself to something special, too. So that’s exactly what I did. Plus I got some really cool things for the children for our upcoming celebrations: magic tricks, a sand castle play set, and musical instruments.

It is going to be a great treasure hunt celebration, and come August, Peace Celebrations! The order for the computer came down from the Higher Council because I have ignored the subtle suggestions for far  too long and those who are looking out for me finally figured out that I was just not going to do it until they pretty much ordered me to do it. Well, that did work, all right. And of course, it is ALWAYS free will at work, always.

And I did treat myself to some things, too -- I think it’s that "Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad" song back on the What Does Black Rock, Falls City, The Queen, Kings Valley, and Astro-Traveling on a Motorcycle All Have In Common? Blog. I am supposed to be making some big changes, and I am working it. (After all, if we really want change, we have to start at the first place first). Especially when it comes to money, which is an area I really need to work on. Growing up poor and being poor all your life really warps the mind. I was told it leaves “earth space junk” and you just need to clean house and throw it out. As a member from the Higher Council patiently reminded me, they would be crazy to have me spend the money on a new computer and then not turn around and replenish that money, “given the amount of love, devotion, and enormous amount of effort” that I put into their project (which they do know I regard as my mission, too). That is bordering on the very earthly “rational irrational” thought we are desperately trying to eliminate. Kinda hard for me to help others eliminate that type of thinking if I don’t work a little harder at getting rid of it myself.

Oh and I this really cool poem came to me this morning, too; I just love it (thank you!)

Our Dream

You are my ray of sunshine, Dear

You are my dream, my love, my hope

I know you will dispel the fear

That will allow you to continue to cope

With the revelation and the implementation

Of this beautiful dream of ours

To guide the world through the transformation

To end the pain, the misery and wars

So truck on my Baby, my one true love

And always remember you are very blessed

I am always watching, guiding from above

This is life, reality, the truth – not a test.

So this is my blog today. Short and sweet. I have lots of news about the Pacific Coast Eager Beaver Treasure Hunt and every day I find more Easter Eggs in Joe’s books, which I will be covering in my blogs during the next few days. It is so exciting. Sweet Treasures and Very Delightful: Joe really knew how to make learning fun!

Keeping Hope Alive (My Kinda Man). This is exciting news! You can count on seeing a lot more of these sorts of things happening.

When I was waiting to get my hair cut, this lovely song came up and so I dedicate it to my one true love. Be sure to take time today to tell somebody you love them.

Van Morrison, Have I Told You Lately?

Special Note and Announcement: The following blog was to be posted yesterday, but as I noted yesterday, I was asked to take the day off. And just as I thought I would be, I was presented with another new treasure hunt! He calls this one The Pacific Coast Eager Beaver Treasure Hunt and says it’s in honor of everyone named David. The Pacific Coast Eager Beaver part I understand. He sent me to the Oregon Pacific Coast beaches and somehow the fact that I am an alumnus of Oregon State University – the home of the Beavers – will fit into this picture as the treasure hunt progresses. The David part I don’t get – I guess all Davids should count their blessings for the recognition and I think it has something to do with David in the Bible, but I don't know that story, so I really am not sure. I will have to look into it. Nevertheless, it truly is a blessing.

Anyway, I was sent out treasure hunting yesterday on the Oregon coast -- Depoe Bay and Newport -- and it was so much fun! And we figured out his “zombies in zombie land” clue right away! It was the Wax Museum. I actually got up close to Johnny Depp and had my picture taken with him. I also had many, many special and meaningful gifts bestowed upon me. It felt like Christmas! He told me I really have to stop worrying about money and that was the reason he had me buy so many gifts. And he has promised me the money will be replenished.

Well, that’s it for now. It was the most beautiful, warm, sunshiny day possible on the coast and we had a lovely time. I will explain more about The Pacific Coast Eager Beaver Treasure Hunt in a future blog; it’s a complicated one with many, many clues and I guess it will extend on for awhile – something to do with the fact that it is the Pacific Ocean, Pacific means Peace, and planning for the Peace Celebrations for August. For now, here is the blog I was going to post yesterday until I was requested to save it for today.

Dreams, “True Reality,” and Why We Need Easter Eggs

Wow, my Dream House blog was really wild and imaginative. I shouldn’t share my dream life, probably, especially the continuing saga about Joe. And the saga dates way back and it does continue on and on, and really that was a mere tip of the iceberg, so if anyone thinks I am revealing too much about my dream life, believe me, this is nothing.

It’s astonishing what trauma can do to a person’s imagination. Is it trauma or is it Joe’s postformalism, or both, or something else? I would not be able to answer that question. Maybe it’s due to the fact that I have had a very traumatic “fire and brimstone” kind of life and it all culminated in not being able to cope with one more monumental thing as tragic as what has happened to Joe, and so my mind had to create a way out. Or maybe it’s just simply due to the fact that I cannot possibly imagine why the universe, which in my view is supposed to be comprised of 100% pure love would allow such a tragedy to steal away a person who was also 100% pure love and genius. Maybe it was because our love for each other had grown and I could not accept the end before the beginning. Or maybe it is the beginning … he always did say the end was just the beginning.

Anyway, something about losing Joe still seems so totally and drastically wrong and in this life and with its form of reality that is forced upon me, I will probably never accept it. It will never seem right. Or maybe the reality I have created in my dream life is not a creation at all; maybe it is real and this hell on earth is nothing but an un-evolved human-constructed reality that isolates itself from all other possibilities. That is not so far fetched as one might imagine, although our wee Western minds might have a difficult time grappling with it. You see, there are cultures that view the dream life as being the “real” life and what we Westerners have bought into being “real” is viewed by these cultures in the same way we view dreams: “just a dream”. That is great, in my view. My own dream life is pure heaven while my “real” life involves trying to create some semblance of heaven midst all of the violence, greed, destruction, and inhumanity toward our brothers and sisters. In addition, most cultures outside Western culture, place very high value and relevance on dreams. They revere and work with dreams and the people in their dreams who they regard as Master Teachers or Ascended Masters. I think Joe is probably an Ascended Master with extra special skills and recognition relating to his ability to love. So who is right? Who is wrong? Who is the crazy one?

And so, sleep called me again and I have awakened from yet another dream. This one was about hyperreality. Joe was again in the dream, teaching me. I don’t know even what hyperreality is, only what was conveyed in this dream. It seems to have something to do with the fact that first of all, reality is all-encompassing, holistic, global, universal even, and comprised of all sorts of possibilities. But our society, instead of believing that many things are possible and multiple realities within multiple dimensions can exist simultaneously, and that we can cross over into various dimensions, even conceive of and engage in interrelationships between these dimensions – such as may be represented by my very complex, detailed, and continuing dream life that spills over into my “true and real” life  – we would rather keep things simple and create one little speck of reality, much like a tiny speck of dust floating wildly in the air. And we take the position that this one little tiny speck of dust which we are fixated and focused on is the only reality there is. It is the only true reality, even though we see momentary glimpses of millions of other specks floating all around it, even bumping into it and sending it off in another direction. We refuse to acknowledge those other specks and we stay content and happy (so we may think, but it is the very reason we remain unfulfilled and unhappy) just making the claim that this one little tiny isolated speck of dust is the only reality there is and if we can succeed in living out its dictates, which the advanced disintegrative stages of capitalism and its self-serving greed and corruption would have us follow, we will have achieved the true dream and fulfillment we seek. We are even so arrogant as to call this misguided reality we work within and strive for, “The American Dream.”

Earth, of course, floating in space, is even smaller than that speck of dust, yet we call the tiny, minute realities that we construct here in our miniature society in this place we so arrogantly call “America” the “one true reality.” That is hyperreality. At least one possible version of it. (I am sure, like most things, there are other takes on it.) Anyone who should suggest or create alternative realties outside these social “norms” is then labeled as the “crazy” one.” As Joe has said, normal is nothing more than a social construction and “normal” professors are nothing but dinosaurs. Who are the crazy ones? Of course, these hyperrealities are created across many social axes, thus Western society, most notably, has many, many ways of labeling people as crazy or, in education, many ways of labeling students in some way less than the “norm.” These are some of the very issues Joe was concerned with and his critical complex epistemology seeks to reveal, analyze, and change.

On pages 166-167, of Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction, Joe discussed the notion that there cannot be the “one true reality” as the mechanistic view of the cosmos and life attempts to convince us. “Examining things-in-themselves as manifestations of the one true reality as opposed to studying constitutive interactions and relationships misses the point of a complex criticality” (p. 166). He goes on to state that epistemology and scientific methods are “as much social constructions as any other human creation.” Questions cannot be provided some final, definitive answer and the recognition of this fact allows us to listen more closely and receptively to others with different perspectives or from a different “discourse community” (p. 167).

Thus, discourse community might be regarded as an Easter egg, although it is not a MUSIC Easter egg, but a regular Easter egg. The reason I know that it is not a MUSIC Easter egg is because it follows a different format. Still it is worth researching and the following video came up, which is very interesting and informative relative to understanding discourse communities and the impact they can have.

 

I also found this Easter egg (again, this one is a borderline Easter Egg, as wiill become clear as I get into explaining Easter Eggs in Joe's books and how they can be recoginized -- but this is an important concept): Angel of History (it is in bold, so I know it was important to Joe. He does include a very brief definition at the end of the chapter, but I am sure that he would wish for us to delve into this a little deeper.). Here, Joe discusses how multiple perspectives and interdisciplinarity help “critical complex knowledge producers seek new and transgressive perspectives” (p.167). And, as he states, “In this framework, students of research come to view a phenomenon from diverse perspectives, disciplines, theoretical assumptions, and historical contexts. Critical theorist Walter Benjamin’s angel of history is on our side, as monolithic Western, FIDURODian perpectives cannot continue to dictate what is the final true reality” (p. 167) [emphasis added]. The following video came up for Angel of History, and is again informative:

True reality

These videos provide another perspective about reality. No one perspective in itself can be considered the final answer, of course, and that was precisely Joe’s point in his work. It is the bricolage or synthesis of ideas that brings us closer to understanding reality (or anything complex that we wish to gain a greater understanding of) in a more holistic, enlightening, and fulfilling way, even if we only do the construction and building in our minds and not formally on paper. Ideally, since knowledge is socially constructed, talking with others about these matters is also beneficial in gaining a new understanding as is self reflection. These are the reasons multiple perspectives are so important. And then we can filter out the pieces that don’t fit, don’t make sense, no longer apply, or would be harmful in some way, keep the good pieces that are beneficial, and combine the commonalities across perspectives -- all to construct a new and better understanding that will also serve to unite diverse peoples with diverse views. And the most amazing thing about the bricolage technique is how once we begin to combine these diverse perspectives, astounding revelations and entirely new perspectives pop out at us in the process. You have to experience it to understand this – but it is how new and creative knowledge is produced.

The word “delivery” may be a MUSIC Easter Egg since it is in quotation marks and many, but not all of the MUSIC Easter eggs do have quotations (there are several consistent ways of recognizing the MUSIC Easter eggs). The link to the music video: Delivery by Babyshambles. Whether or not it was an intentional MUSIC Easter egg (and as I will later show, most of the MUSIC Easter eggs I have found are easily discerned as intentional), it fits in that Joe is delivering us a message here that is straight from his heart and he has personally experienced the misery that the current educational conditions cause so many students. And while he is conveying on this page of text in this book his feeling of impending doom at what is happening in the schools, he is hoping his “song” or his new conceptualization of critical complex epistemology and his other theories will help deliver us out of this mess.  Read the Lyrics Here.

Conclusion of Dreams, "True Reality" and Why We Need Easter Eggs

So, ultimately, Joe was calling for the end of what he refers to as “rational irrationality.” The idea that there is one true answer, one true perspective, one true reality, etc. is a fatal “flaw” (p. 167). And a new approach provides such great promise for the future. As he points out, and I agree, based on my studies in education and in global politics, when we deeply question our perspectives through self-reflection we “can change our lives and worldviews, not to mention geo-politics in the coming years” (p.1 67). It is increasingly imperative that we make these changes now. As Joe passionately, empathetically, and emphatically elucidates,

Entering many of the most regulated contemporary Western and Western-dominated schools, I am overwhelmed with a sense of impending doom. I sense that I am standing on the ledge of an epistemological abyss where social regulation reaches new degrees of intensity. In these moments of despair I seek the shelter of critical pedagogy and the critical complex epistemology. We are in our darkest hour – I believe that criticality can help bring a new dawn of epistemological, pedagogical, and ideological awareness. It simply must. (p. 171)(Emphasis added).

By Request

I love Joe, and I was and I still am committed fully to his cause. Joe did not hide literally dozens upon dozens of Easter eggs and encode his work so that it would never be discovered and interpreted. What point would there have been in going to all of the work inserting these special messages (which I have barely begun to discuss, btw) if he did not want someone to decipher his work and pull out the truth. For some reason, I have been blessed with the ability to do so, but I do hope others are doing so as well. Further, I do not want to take the credit for this. It is Joe, guiding me all along the way. He has promised me he would continue to do so until he is satisfied that all of his work here is done.  And I owe him this service for loving me unconditionally, although I do not see this work as a debt whatsoever. I see it as a gift he handed to me and it is a blessing. It is the “dream job” I have always wished for. Joe and I had a strictly platonic friendship and Joe loved everyone. Did Joe love me beyond that? Many people couldn’t care less; some will be curious; others will contest the claim vehemently. I know he did, although those immediately around him were oblivious to that, just as people are oblivious to the specks of dust floating in the air and other planets with life existing in the universe, or multiple, simultaneous dimensions -- all because they have their own reality which they impose upon everyone around them. Joe knew how much I loved him and his work; he loved me for “championing his cause” and he told me this, and while I miss him terribly and I miss working with him in the way we used to work together, I will be forever grateful he took the time to tell me how he really felt. Joe was humble. That is the one thing that stood out most about him – that and his great love for people. Anyone who knew Joe would comment on what a humble person he was. Fortunately, I do not need to be humble about his work. I can give it my full support – it is not my work – it was Joe’s work and it is ingenious.

Sadly, many of us during our lives on earth experience situations in which we are not truly free, and so there were things Joe was not free to talk about at all or freely express or freely do -- due to his life circumstances and the hyperreality constructed by those around him in the educational world which has a culture all its own. Having seen glimpses of that world, working on my masters and doctorate in education, I was able to clearly see what some of those constraints were. With one foot still in the academic world I can see how atrocious that world can be and as soon as I am able, I will escape it completely. If I were to raise children knowing what I now know about education, I would never allow them to enter that environment for an education as it exists today; either some drastic changes would be required, or I would homeschool them. But Joe found a unique and creative way to express himself in spite of the constraints – why do you think he spoke through codes and Easter eggs? And maybe he used these codes and Easter eggs in his books with the plan that he would contact someone to decipher them for him in order to make a point. Most likely there are many points he wanted to make. I am blessed that I am being shown these Easter eggs and codes, guided in the interpretation of them, and under the directive to share everything I learn with the public. I am secure in my belief that applying Joe’s work widely will be a viable answer (maybe not the only answer, but at least one answer) for solving so many of the world’s problems and for accomplishing his mission which he felt so dearly about – and that is, "radical love" (which I have changed to Spiritual Love because that is really what Joe shared) and his mission to “alleviating human suffering”, as he has mentioned over and over again in his writing.

Well, that is my reality -- the way I perceive things -- so let me make it clear that I do not require for people to believe it nor am I putting it out here as the only true reality -- call it my own hyperreality, if you will. As I said, this work I am doing is evolving and I do not hold the plans or any keys for the future. And we each have our own reality, anyway, but it’s good when realities overlap just enough so that we all have enough things in common that we don’t resort to labeling and attaching negative names to each other or resort to other, what Joe referred to as “mean-spirited ad hominen” attacks (McLaren & Kincheloe, 2007, p. 9). Joe had enough love to share with everyone.

Finally, I was asked to post this song today as the grand finale. I am not sure why, but it seemed very important…and I do what I am asked without questioning. It goes with the territory of being spiritually committed to a purpose that is greater than any one of us on this planet or any planet for that matter. And maybe it was just simply because someone in the cosmos liked the yellow roses I dedicated to Joe. The second song is my response. When we take on a mission that is greater than ourselves, there is great risk involved and the requirement to completely surrender ourselves over to that mission. And there are blessings beyond one’s wildest imagination when doing so. I have been very blessed.

It doesn’t mean much
It doesn’t mean anything at all
The life I’ve left behind me
Is a cold room
I’ve crossed the last line
From where I can’t return
Where every step I took in faith
Betrayed me
And led me from my home
And sweet
Sweet surrender
Is all that I have to give
You take me in
No questions asked
You strip away the ugliness
That surrounds me
Are you an angel
Am I already that gone
I only hope
That I won’t disappoint you
When I’m down here
On my knees
And sweet
Sweet
Sweet surrender
Is all that I have to give
Sweet
Sweet
Sweet surrender
Is all that I have to give
And I don’t understand
By the touch of your hand
I would be the one to fall
I miss the little things
I miss everything (about you)
It doesn’t mean much
It doesn’t mean anything at all
The life I left behind me
Is a cold room
And sweet
Sweet
Sweet surrender
Is all that I have to give

Lyrics courtesy of www.lyrics007.com http://www.lyrics007.com/Sarah%20McLachlan%20Lyrics/Sweet%20Surrender%20Lyrics.html

What is else is there to say? (Much more, actually). In closing, I know that there will be people who doubt everything I am saying. Oh, I must be imagining these Easter eggs in Joe’s books. Future blogs will dispel this notion. And as I say this, it brings a flood of emotion….how very sad it is that a person must live their life so constrained from expressing their true feelings that they must devise a subliminal way to communicate regardless. And within Education, no less. At the same time, I must clarify that what I feel for Joe is empathy with even greater doses of wonder and awe over his absolute brilliance. Sympathy is a destructive emotion. Joe knew exactly what he was doing and in his great brilliance, he found a way to not only cope, but to accomplish his mission at the same time, which will ultimately turn out to be very effective in moving education in a new direction. Nevertheless, it does make me cry when I think too deeply about how it must have been for him to have to cram his emotions in an increasingly psychically violent educational environment that had moved toward profit and academic notoriety as its underlying driving forces, thus perpetuating the very "pathological egocentric/merciless behavior" he was working so hard to change (p. 251). Yet, he was always smiling. He was never a martyr, but rather a very gifted and spiritual person who believed in his mission and was willing to do what it takes to see it through. My love goes out to Joe. His dream is my dream. Forever.

 All I Have to Do Is Dream – Everly Brothers

 

Next Time: I will reveal more Easter Eggs and explain what I know so far about the Pacific Coast Eager Beaver Treasure Hunt. This particular treasure hunt is supposed to be something spectacular -- reportedly a "huge undertaking" and "monumental" with "multiple purposes." It should turn out to be interesting and "radically fun."

Vanessa

References

Kincheloe, J. L. (2008). Knowledge and critical pedagogy: An introduction. Springer.

McLaren, P. & Kincheloe, J. L. (2007)(Eds.). Critical pedagogy: Where are we now? New York: Peter Lang.

I am under no directive to write a blog for Saturday or Sunday, nor is there a set time to post as there is for M-F (7 AM). However, I typically write a blog on both Saturdays and Sundays because I want to demonstrate my commitment to the mission for social justice and the “alleviation of human suffering” as Joe always put it. I also feel it is vitally important to get Joe’s work out to the public.

Today, however, is different. I have been asked not to post the blog I have already written, Dreams, “True Reality,” and Why We Need Easter Eggs. So, all I can say is, check back tomorrow. It will be posted then. It is a critically important blog, but there is probably a very good reason that I have been asked to hold off on it for the time being.

I do appreciate being requested to take some time off to enjoy the weekend. Someone is taking good care of me. Hmm….I have a sneaking suspicion that another new treasure hunt is about to be revealed to me….it seems that just as one treasure hunt gets well under way, such as has happened with the MUSIC Easter Egg hunts, another one is presented. Oh, the blissful, exciting life….I could not ask for anything more.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.

With Love and Peace (in preparation for Celebrate Peace Month), 

Vanessa

The following song is being posted by special request: With You by Chris Brown.

 

Image courtesy of Microsoft

WOW! I don’t know about where you are, but it has been HOT here. I could not sleep last night because the entire house was too hot and things just did not cool down until very late. And so today I am late with my blog. Well, my husband, who is also my boss (I am working at my dream job), has been promising me he will take care of getting an AC, so now I hope he will get right on it. People will not be happy when they are expecting a blog NLT 7:00 AM and it turns out to be 8:00 AM or even later, so I hope there is a lot of action going on behind the scenes – those symbiotic happenings -- to get a new AC installed very soon. This is an official request and reminder too; I was miserable in the heat all day yesterday, but at least it’s cloudy and cooler this morning.

I was going to tell readers about my dream house a while back, but didn’t ever get around to it, so today seems like as good a day as any. I am not living in this house, not here anyway. Have you ever had those kinds of dreams that seem so real? And there are places that you keep going back to and people you are always with in your dreams? Well, for me it is Joe and my dream house. Joe is frequently in my dreams. We have had so many good times together. We work together on his bricolage theory and he shows me secrets about his books, like where all of the MUSIC Easter Eggs are hiding (which he does want me to tell people about, by the way, according to my dreams and he says there is much more – more codes and such which he will tell me about after finding the Easter eggs). And so we do lots of great things together, like going to carnivals and great celebrations, walking through gardens and on the beach, and he takes me along on some of his interviews. Lately, he has been taking me to some of the numerous Council meetings he attends in my dreams. Those are quite fascinating.

Well, we always end up back at our dream house. I love it there; it is such a beautiful home. The first time I saw it, all of the furniture was outside in the very, very large yard and it looked like a yard sale or something was going on. When I asked Joe about it (in my dream), he said that it was being totally remodeled and redecorated for us. The furniture was being given away and we were to be getting new furniture. He had just acquired the house as a gift because he had been appointed King and we had just gotten married (in my dream). At that time, we only had had our personal, private wedding ceremony which was quite spectacular in itself…later our marriage was sanctioned by the Higher Councils.

Even in my dream there are certain processes and procedures and we went through some real ordeals before it was all over – some of them bordered nightmares, although I was protected at all times. Anyway, we stayed at his apartment in the city until our marriage was sanctioned and then we moved into the house which is more out in the country. So, the first time I saw it, I was just shown the outside of it. In some later dreams, I was shown a few “sneak previews” of the inside of it and around the outside of it. On the inside, Joe took me upstairs to the master bedroom to let me see the view – it was SO beautiful because it looked out over the ocean – plus I could see our lovely swimming pool below. The swimming pool was designed just like the one I love so much at the Hearst Castle in California (as shown in the picture), except a little smaller. There were also gardens with beautiful fountains, waterfalls, fish ponds, sculptures and pathways to walk – we could walk all the way down to the beach which was about two miles. It makes for a long walk, but a lovely one and it keeps the slope gentle since the house is on top of a hill. There is wildlife all around and the wildlife there are not afraid of people at all because there is no fear whatsoever in my dreams.

So, that is my dream house…lately in my dreams we have been adding more decorations such as beautiful wall hangings, paintings, plaques, tapestries, sculptures, water fountains, beautiful plants, etc. inside the house to make it a feast for the eyes and a delight for the soul. We do have an extravagant library because even in my dreams, we both just love books, reading, writing, and research, and so we have many books along with fine arts, and these are the few material possessions we enjoy in this dream. Plus we have been decorating a nursery because in my dream I am only 24, Joe is 64, (but age is irrelevant because we live forever) and we plan to have two children…first he said one, but when I agreed, he quickly changed it to two, a boy and a girl; twins, in fact. Also, we do have a long, long history of knowing each other in my dream, but that’s a story for another time.

The outside of the house, when I first saw it reminded me of a farmhouse for some reason, but it was more extravagant than any farmhouse I had ever seen before and besides, I know we don’t have farms there. You see, in my dream, things are just so much better than in my real life, it’s incredible. We do not kill or eat animals. But what a “farmhouse” this house was! Then one day, I was doing some research because I wanted to learn more about where Joe was from in Tennessee….this is my REAL life, not my dream life. I was totally amazed to come across the very same house in his hometown, Kingsport, TN! It is called the Allandale Mansion and Ranch. Then I found out that the house in my dream was built from the same plans as the Allendale Mansion in Kingsport, TN! (That’s one reason why I have that picture of the Allendale House posted on the web site). Something tells me, I guess, that Joe probably loved that house when he was growing up there, maybe even visited it. The only differences are that  there were some minor changes to the plans and the Allendale House really was a farmhouse that the owner built based on what his wife wanted in a farmhouse (very, very extravagant) and they did not build the pool, although they had a design for one. This turned out to be a good thing because in my dream, instead of their design for a pool, we got to put in the Hearst Castle pool!

Well, that’s it today. I know some people are probably thinking I am making all of this up, but I am truly not. These are my actual dreams, (which are made up, but when I am asleep) which I feel blessed to have since I was so traumatized when Joe left. Gotta go for now, I have to pick things up around the house a bit before the maids come to clean This is my real life, now, and yes, I am so blessed not to have to clean house anymore – always hated that job.

 

 

Tomorrow: MORE EASTER EGGS!!! You will be amazed!

Have a beautiful day and enjoy your dreams,
Vanessa

 

 

PS If you want to view the splendour of the Hearst Castle, which is very interesting, try this VIRTUAL TOUR AND THIS VIRTUAL TOUR.

Allendale Mansion photo courtesy of Rod Gemayal,Curator, http://www.allandalemansion.com/gallery_video.php#

Hearst castle photo courtesy of http://www.hearstcastle.com/tours/neptune_pool.asp

Well, the official word has come down and I have been requested to provide this Public Service Announcement (PSA). Not only is August 10th a very special day because it has been sanctioned as the Universal Celebrate Peace Day, but the ENTIRE month of August has been designated by the Higher Councils (the Galactic, no less) to be CELEBRATE PEACE MONTH. This is apparently because Earth is in “dire straits” and the only way to improve conditions is to have a yearly extended focus on Peace and all sorts of Peace activities, celebrations, educational events, creative arts events, community gatherings, and – of course, MUSIC AND TREASURE HUNTING (I guess you can tell who is having a huge influence on all of these great new universal celebrations). This needs to be done to make amends not only among all of the peoples on Earth, but to prove that we earthlings are seriously committed to changing our ways. While there are some people who will not take this seriously, that is a serious mistake. Only Cartesian minds cannot comprehend the fact that we are being watched; those people who have open minds realize that this, indeed is going on, and it is time to change our ways. We must promote peace now. We are running out of time.

After serious deliberations, consultations, observations, manifestations, and historical reviews, it has been decided that while this PEACE event is to be honored as a universal celebration, the Intergalactic Councils are specifying that everyone in the United States in particular, go “way out” during the entire month of August to exhibit sincere and complete support of this very serious task of demonstrating and celebrating PEACE, BROTHERS AND SISTERS, PEACE to the entire cosmos in the most creative, loving, and socially just ways that have ever before been imagined. This is a chance for everyone to get involved and really demonstrate their love for each other and their commitment to ending global misery that has been caused by so many wars, environmental pillaging, and basic disrespect and neglect of the earth and its people, much of it at the hands of the United States and the complicity of the “American” people who reside there.

So….celebrate peace the entire month of AUGUST (and this goes for every AUGUST from here on out to eternity) and share your celebrations with as many people as possible. And throughout the month of August, if you are not engaging in your own Peace Celebrations, look around and find the celebrations near you – and join in! You will find it rejuvenating, joyful, and unifying, and you will be contributing to the mission of spreading PEACE and good cheer throughout the cosmos. You are being informed well ahead of time so that you have time to make plans for some great and fantastic events that will “Rock and Awe” the cosmos and show that you really do care about Peace and Love, so hurry, hurry, time’s a wasting. Plan your great events today!

We will be doing the same here and I am sure that there is most likely going to be a TREASURE HUNT for us that is the likes of no other treasure hunt yet experienced on this planet. I can hardly wait for that one!

Looking forward to PEACE,

Vanessa

Peace Image courtesy of https://toppun.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=37178

FREERIDING!

It is true. The way I discovered this is by doing some research on the shirt I bought (that someone special had set aside for me, actually, and I was to find during my last treasure hunt assignment) when I was at the Bad to the Bone BBQ on Celebrate Love Day in Queen City, or what some people call Falls City which you have to go through Kings Valley to get to. You see, the cow on the bicycle flying through the air eerily reminded me of the dream I had about astro-traveling on a motorcycle which was SO MUCH FUN! So I did an Internet research for Black Rock, Falls City and it turns out that Black Rock, another town I have not visited yet except possibly in my dreams, is close to -- well, actually a part of -- Falls City and they have the GREATEST Freeriding course.

 

 

 

I found a great video, which I am including and now I just know that those were the mountains we flew through in my dream which I had mentioned in the blog about Astro-traveling on a motorcycle (lol). We took an exciting detour on the way home and went freeriding! No wonder it was so much fun – even if it was just a dream.

Freeriding! How fun. Now if we could just get a free ride for our education. Yikes! I am “in debt up to my eyeballs!”

A Little History About Falls City: Falls City - 1915 - A Booming Industrial Center

Falls City, once called the "Queen City of Polk County", is situated in the forest-covered Coast Range near the powerful Luckiamute Falls, which provide both scenic beauty and industrial livelihood. The city was established by industrious pioneers in search of opportunity and self-determination. The rich pioneer heritage has allowed Falls City to endure stressful changes in the rural Oregon community economy and to face the future with optimism and hope.

In 1915, Falls City was a booming industrial center. Indeed, 1915 was perhaps the biggest year for this fast-paced municipality. Towering false-front buildings housed thriving business centers on each side of the Little Luckiamute River. Our area's fifteen sawmills employed hundreds of workers. One oldtimer relates that the mill workers' robust appetites consumed more meat in one day than did the whole population of Dallas!

Falls City offered several Grocery Stores, a Shoe Store, a Bakery,a Butcher, a Confectionery, a Skating Rink, a Jeweler, a Dentist, Doctors, a Hospital, a Mill Company Store, good Schools, a Blacksmith, Livery Stable, Tavern, Hotel, Barber Shop, Hydro-electric Power Plant, Newspapers, thirteen feet of concrete sidewalk, nice hard-surfaced streets, five Churches, a Bank, a Post Office, a Cannery, and about 1,000 residents with a monthly payroll of $15,000 - and that was alot of money to change hands in 1915!

---------

Incidentally, when I visited with community members during the Bad to the Bone BBQ, they still proudly call the city “The Queen.” The people in Queen City back in 1915 were so progressive and independent that they had their own money which they referred to as “tokens.” I love the heart cut-out – so perfect for a Queen. I think more communities need to follow their lead! Just think, we could all get out from under the destructiveness of capitalism if we found other ways to trade outside the system. Well, it’s a thought.

What an interesting, exciting, and rewarding treasure hunt this one has been….and like all of the other treasure hunts which I am still working on as well, it most likely is not the end, but is just the beginning. Someone I know is "bad to the bone!" Can't wait until next year's Celebrate Love Day! Oh, but wait -- AUGUST is CELEBRATE PEACE MONTH!!!!

Vanessa

 

 

The “Music Man” himself just requested at the last moment that the music video below be posted…guess he’s thinking he needs a “bad girl” to accompany him and his “bad to the bone” behavior (lol). He is so funny.

References Falls City - 1915 - A Booming Industrial Center http://www.fallscity.org/history/zunck/booming.html

Photo of tokens courtesy of fallscity.org/history

I will keep today’s blog short and just mention a couple of things. Are you looking for Easter Eggs in Joe’s book, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction? I have been and there are three things I notice about these Easter Eggs that he took the sweet time to insert among his brilliant words. And by the way, I really think we should be very appreciative of the fact that he did this generous and loving thing for us by leaving this book as a gift full of gifts, or treasures, as he liked to describe them. What I have noticed is that they add yet another very deep level to his work. Another thing I have noticed is that, of course they also tell me a little more about him. And the third thing that I have noticed is there are a lot of these Easter Eggs! He really wanted us to read his book and get these messages. Some of his messages are a little sad. And yet, on the other hand, his work provides so much hope for the world. And so, this morning I woke up crying. I don’t know why I do that. Just happens. Used to happen every day for months. So I don’t feel much like writing a blog this morning, but I have been told that it is important to put one out here every single day, no later than 7AM, so here it is, even if I am just a little late with it. I apologize for that and I am working on it (being “on time”).

Do you pick up pennies?

When I find a penny on the ground, I pick it up. There is usually something very significant about pennies in their insignificance. That point was made to my daughter just the other day. She wanted to buy an iPod and since she so skillfully and lovingly helps me with teaching the little children and with making up their lesson plans (treasure hunts, of course), I was going to buy her one. On the way to the store, I told her an account I had recently read about a woman whose parents had passed away and she missed them terribly. She got out of her car and went into a store to buy groceries. When she came back to her car there were two pennies right in front of her car door. She picked them up and one was dated the year her father had passed away and the other was dated the year her mother passed away. She knew the pennies were from heaven so she kept them as special treasures.

So, my daughter and I reached the department store and we went inside to buy the iPod, but unfortunately, they had just had all of their iPods stolen! They did not even have a single iPod. Of course, my daughter was really disappointed and we were out of time that day and only had enough time to go over to the grocery store to pick up a few items before heading home. I assured her that we would come back to town tomorrow and find her an iPod. So I drove over to the grocery store, and for some strange reason I parked in a parking spot two spaces down from where I literally always park if it is empty – which it was, so I don’t know why I didn’t park there. You see, I always park right next to the cart return. That way, we can put the groceries in the car and very quickly and easily roll the cart over to where it is supposed to be returned. The parking spot was vacant, as was the one next to it, and yet I parked two spaces down. I didn’t know why I did that at all until my daughter got out of the car and immediately picked up a penny that was right outside her car door and showed it to me, saying, “Look, Mom. A penny from Heaven!.” Right after I had told her the story about pennies coming from heaven! So, you see, pennies from Heaven can represent promises, or seed money, or love, or just messages that say – hey, I am here. I am with you -- and yes, pennies can come from Heaven. So next time you find a penny, ask yourself what might it mean. Is it a penny from Heaven and if so, who might be sending it your way? Or you can choose to walk right by it and otherwise ignore the other treasures sent your way -- and continue to live an empty, cold life.

Wishing you a joyful day full of treasures,

Vanessa

Photos courtesy of Microsoft

Of course this entire treasure hunting event was just all coincidence. This is part three of the account; if you want to review Part One and Part Two, I discussed some of the educational benefits of treasure hunting and I will get into more detail about the great benefits at a later date as well. I am learning about treasure hunting as these events are handed my way. In the meantime, I am sure if I calculated the odds out I would find that this would all be explained by coincidence and it would be a very common experience all over the globe, don’t you think? We would find scenes in every single town all over the globe that have this many amazing events happening as frequently as all of my treasure hunts with as many amazing elements included within them that make them personalized, and I am sure that positivistic rational science can explain it somehow, most likely that the odds are greatly in favor of these mystical events happening by coincidence. Oh well, I had a great day and I found more treasure even than I was looking for.

Well, as I said in my last blog, I was sent back to Kings Valley on another treasure hunt which I was sure would only be another practice session. But I wanted to check up on the 84-year-old man at the House of the Forlorn and I was curious about the little town called Falls City, but goes by the name The Queen that my landlord had said I should check out when I’m over there sometime. Of course, we stopped to pick up some tootsie rolls, but after stopping at two stores and not finding them, we settled with tootsie roll pops instead, figuring that was better than just tootsie rolls anyway. And the message seemed to suggest that either was good. Just as a reminder, the message stated: “Today – yes, please do take Rainbow Princess on the treasure hunt and a gift to your grandfather [I often refer to the gentleman as grandfather]. What might he like? Your grandmother says he loves tootsie rolls – so maybe you can pick him up some on your way over. You are laughing, but that’s what he likes! What can I say? And I don’t see that there’s such a bad thing about tootsie rolls – I like them, too. lol…tootsie roll pops…yum…how many licks?”

The man, who is Scottish-Irish and 84 years old, was doing great. He was pretty happy and came out of his house just after we pulled up in the car. He went right into one of his Scottish-Irish style narratives, describing all of the work he had been doing on the property and how he could do more work than much younger people and they all wonder how he can do it. We did not stay long because he was on his way to the grocery store. He smiled when we gave him the lollipops and said that he did like to eat them sometimes. It was good to see him doing so well and being so happy. I mentioned bringing the children  in the near future to search for treasure and roam around in his wilderness and his face lit up (he loves children). I am still very concerned about his house though and I do hope we can do somethng about it before summer is over. I am not sure it will stand through another winter.

Next, Rainbow Princess just knew where the shirt would be hanging on the fence in the cow pasture, so we headed up a side road, just as the clue instructed us to do. We went to the end of the accessible part and did not find a shirt hanging anywhere, but I did get these very lovely pictures which I think are good enough to put on a calendar.

We headed on down the valley for a ways and took the road to Queen City, which was another side road. I was still wondering about the shirt hanging in the cow pasture. We actually did pass by a cow pasture earlier on our trip, but did not stop to get a picture of the cows. And we did not see a shirt hanging there. So here we were on Celebrate Love Day heading to a little remnant of a town. Remnant, because all of the small towns in Oregon out in the middle of nowhere, even if they were once bustling communities, have shrunk to almost ghost towns. I had never heard of this particular town and had never been there, so I did not expect a lot there. I did think maybe there would be a little gift shop and maybe something would grab my eye and I would just have to get it in honor of the special day.

Well, we reached the little town, and as expected, many of the businesses were shut down and the main street was pretty much the entire town. If you blinked, you would pass it by. But there was somethin’ goin’ on there. There were several vendors, one of which was even totally blocking half of the street. I pulled into their little country market and parked. Rainbow Princess and I decided to look around and check out the various vendors. When I got out of the car, that was when I noticed the sign: Bad to the Bone BBQ. I thought that was amazing….maybe just my cosmic reward for “giving” Joe the Bad to the Bone birthday card on Memorial Day since I had missed getting it to him on his birthday. (Some people give flowers to their loved ones who have passed over; I decided on a card.) It was a sweet thought, anyway.

We walked over to the first vendor that caught our eye and it turned out to be an Art vendor – someone from the local community center. She told us if we gave her a dollar, she would give us clues for an Artwork Treasure Hunt. If we found all of the art prints hidden throughout the event and wrote down the titles or authors for each one, we would be entered into a drawing to win several items, including this lovely plaque. I really wanted it because it matched my kitchen, which is decorated in sunflowers. But even if I didn’t win it, well she told me where I could find another one, and in the meantime I thought it would be really fun to do this treasure hunt. She also told me that this was the first year the community had gotten together for this event and they plan to make it a yearly event. I thought that was great since, according to her, it will always be after the Fourth of July, which puts it right in alignment with Celebrate Love Day….wow…I wonder how many more communities are doing that. If they are not, perhaps they should be! What a great way to bring the community together and enjoy some treasure hunting at the same time.

It took us a while to find all of the artwork. And of course, we had to buy some great food along the way to take home with us. We bought an “elephant ear,” which is something I had never tried before. It was delicious. We also bought some carmelcorn and had a great dinner of delectable tender pork that came out of a cute pink pig barbecue. Of course, I had to take a picture of that!

We also went inside the little market, where we found one of the art prints, and where Rainbow Princess suddenly became excited, “The cow in the pasture! I found it!" She showed me a tee shirt and sure, enough, there was the cow and sure, enough, the shirt had been hung up in an out of the way place. I looked around the store and the other shirts were all back at the other end of the store. Rainbow Princess soon had her eyes on a second shirt that was hanging up with the cow shirt: “I want this shirt!” It was bright green and had some smart saying on it - BORN TO BE WILD - OMG, ANOTHER SONG. So given that there were just the two shirts hanging up there together, and given she just loved the second shirt, I took it to mean that we should probably treat ourselves to new shirts. We did walk over to the end of the store to look at the rest of the shirts, but did not find anything else for which she was willing to give up this special shirt she had already decided she wanted. We also picked up some lovely birthday cards for my grandchildren. So, anyway, just like I had figured, there was no money in the pocket of the shirt and no pocket even. But I can see why it was important that I come on this treasure hunt to this particular place and on this particular day, so I understand the attempt at "bribery." It was so much fun! And a day I will always remember.

At one of the booths, I spoke with a community member and she again mentioned the name of the town is actually referred to by many residents as “The Queen.” She began to explain it, but we were interrupted with something, so I did not get the full explanation and will have to do some research on that. She told me where there was a museum in another town not too terribly far away that had information on The Queen. My next stop was a small gift shop where the owner makes handmade incense and soap. I picked up a few bars of the great smelling soaps and some “World Peace” incense. I am glad I bought the incense because I was informed just yesterday that The Higher Councils wish to establish August 10 as World Peace Day, so we are most likely going to find another celebration going on somewhere or a new treasure hunt will begin. I think they are setting up all of these special holidays to get people in the habit of practicing the kinds of things that will lead to a better world: you know, more love, peace, joy, generosity, kindness, and all of those good things. But that is just my guess because I don’t have the official word. I just make the announcements when they ask me to. Btw, if you want to buy “World Peace” incense to burn on World Peace Day, you might be able to get some here: Third Day Botanicals, PO Box 68, Falls City, OR 97344. I would order it soon because it is handmade and the demand is going to be high. I would not want anyone to miss the opportunity to burn World Peace incense on World Peace Day. Truly, the rewards will be great and I am not going to miss out, myself. (And no, I do NOT get a kickback on this at all. This is simply the only place I know that makes World Peace incense. In fact, I am not even sure she will be able to come close to meeting the demand for this incense because she is busy making handmade soaps. Why do people think like this, anyway?)

So, all in all, I had a wonderful day! Wow. I think Celebrate Love Day is fantastic…July 10…I will celebrate again next year for sure! There did seem to be an awful lot of coincidental symbiotic happenings behind the scenes to make this whole thing come down without a hitch – you know, me coming to this event out in the middle of nowhere about 50 miles from my home, on  this specific date (Celebrate Love Day), to notice immediately that there was a Bad to the Bone Barbecue, to meet some great people, to learn some history of the little town, referred to as The Queen, which was once a bustling hub for Kings Valley with a train stop long ago, to get to experience a treasure hunt within a treasure hunt (that took some doin’!), and to just have an overall super fun time! Aren’t coincidences just amazing sometimes? And something tells me treasure hunting has just begun. I wonder when coincidences can no longer be considered coincidences. I wonder if there is a point at which it is more irrational to call repeating events coincidences than it would be to start looking for other explanations….just a thought.

Celebrating Love Everyday,

Vanessa

In Celebration of Lollipops

In celebration of Love

And this song came to me from the Higher Council at the last minute during our early morning meeting. They do have their own agenda and sometimes it's hard to figure it out (plus it's classified right now).

The story is long and complicated. It all began when I got started on the NEW Treasure Hunt  several weeks ago in which one of my clues was “In the mail.” As I explained, the “in the mail” clue actually turned out to be “on the way to get the mail” because many clues were dropped on me as I went to get the mail, and there was absolutely no mail that particular day. So, in my mind, that meant that I was to take each and every clue I had received on the way to get the mail seriously.

“On the way to get the mail” led to some conversations in my yard – with my neighbors. I was moving the sprinkler before heading to the mailbox and my neighbor across the fence came out with the Einstein Riddle for me (which became quite relevant in the NEW Treasure Hunt, as I have already pointed out. I am still working on the final write-up for that explaining how everyone can use Joe’s tools to solve the riddle just fine.) Next, the property landlord stopped by to visit with me and my neighbor. I was sharing with him my excursions over to the valley for treasure hunting and how I was studying the history of the valley. He suggested that I visit a little town I had not even seen on the map, called Falls City. He said that it is known as The Queen for historical reasons (and I came to refer to it as “Queen City.” I did take note of what he was telling me and I figured it was pretty important since he was giving it to me on an official Treasure Hunting Day on the way to find clues.

Then, come July Fourth, I guess one might call it a gift for the holiday, I was informed of yet another treasure hunt in the valley. OK, I figured, maybe I could visit this new city at the same time and make it worth my while. I was kind of getting tired of the training missions that really did not yield much treasure. But, now that I look back on those training missions, I realize they actually consisted of many, many treasures that will be reaping rewards for years to come, so in that sense, they were well worth the time and effort I put into them and I am grateful to the Higher Councils and their love connections with God or the Higher Power (whichever you prefer) for giving me such wonderful opportunities to engage in these continuous treasure hunts. I do have to point out, that once a treasure hunt begins, it never ends. As Joe always has said, the ending is just the beginning.

So, anyway, on July 4, the “order” came down, although I do want to point out I am never, ever under orders. Everything that comes to me, I am to do of my own free will, but the purpose is always grander than any one of us, so even if something I am asked to do may inconvenience me or make me feel uncomfortable, I almost always do it. There was one exception, though. And I was very graciously forgiven with understanding. Anyway, the following instructions and clues were given to me on July 4: “Yesterday as I was doing my globetrotting, I discovered a long lost article of clothing. In the pocket was a $500 bill if you can believe that [lol, I didn’t believe that for a minute]. I hung the shirt up on the fence in a cow pasture where it’s hanging still. It’s in an out of the way -- sort of out of sight from the main thoroughfare, but if you go on a side road you will see it.”

Well, after finding so many nails, screws, bolts, and such on previous “treasure hunts,” I was not all that excited…he picked up on that, stating, “$500 is not enough money to set you out trekking? Ah well, I tried. It’s not just any $500, it’s from me, you know. That should make it extra special. What if I tell you it’s on the same property as the treasury notes are hidden. Will that make a difference?” [Again, I did not “buy into” this one either.]

Special from him, yes, but $500 and on the treasury note property where I still have not had the opportunity to search for the treasury notes, no, those I was not buying into at all. And anyway, he knows me too well. Money and material things just don't move me to the kind of motivation it was going to take. I just was not in the mood, I guess.

So what ended up happening that day is that he told me not to worry and to just think about what a great time I had doing the other treasure hunts (which was true). He said he was merely preparing me for a future treasure hunt and that today was not the day I needed to go. Then on July 5, it was brought up again in the form of a gentle nudge, was all, “The treasure hunt. I am not yet going to tell you that you need to go out to the valley. You pick a time that works well for you. Listen to Rainbow Princess [my assistant]… she’s “hip” about the clues, you know. If need be, I can add to it but we will just wait and see where this leads you.”

Well, it led me nowhere for several days, because I was not really excited about a trek, although I cannot really say why. With a few more days behind me, though, I was beginning to worry about the elderly man at the HOUSE of the FORLORN (as I call it due to its wretched appearance). I was wondering how he was doing since it had been several weeks since I visited him and took him some food. Although last time I visited him, he did say he no longer needed food because his family was giving him more than he needed.

Then, I received the very early morning message at about 5:30 AM on July 10 to post the PSA about it being Celebrate Love Day. I kind of wondered what it was about, but as I have often stated, I never question what the Higher Council asks me to do because I know they have such great purposes. And it was such a wonderful idea to encourage everyone to celebrate their love that I had no problem at all posting that message. Plus, I was provided two really special songs that they wanted me to post in celebration.

Next, at 7:11 AM that same day, July 10, I had my regular meeting I attend with certain special people and who I often refer to as my long lost friend and another message was relayed to me: “Today – yes, please do take Rainbow Princess on the treasure hunt and a gift to your grandfather [I often refer to the elderly gentleman as grandfather]. What might he like? Your grandmother says he loves tootsie rolls – so maybe you can pick him up some on your way over. You are laughing, but that’s what he likes! What can I say? And I don’t see that there’s such a bad thing about tootsie rolls – I like them, too. lol…tootsie roll pops…yum…how many licks?”

Yes, we do try to keep a sense of humor going during this mission that we are all working so diligently on, even during our daily meetings.

So, that is the story, Part Two, of how I ended up at the Bad to the Bone BBQ and treasure hunting in Queen City in Kings Valley on Celebrate Love Day. It is a true story. I honestly have much better things to do than to make up treasure hunts for myself and then pretend someone else came up with the idea and act like I knew nothing about it. Now, that would be crazy. I do, however, take what I learn and apply it to creating treasure hunts for the children and hopefully, some of my work will also encourage adults to engage in treasure hunting, too. I think that is what Joe meant for us to do. There are some distinct advantages to treasure hunting. First, it’s lots of fun, we can learn so many interesting things, visit so many interesting places and learn about the history of these places which is often very fascinating, meet new people, and pick up great observation and literacy skills as well as refine and define our epistemologies.

Sometimes, for some of us, anyway, when there is just nothing that explains the miracles that happen in our lives, we do come to believe that there are higher powers or a higher power that we earthlings perhaps cannot possibly imagine. Honestly, although I do realize many of you will be so skeptical, but then that is your loss not mine, I am being led to places I have never been before, helped in ways I have never been helped before, and loved in ways I have never been loved before. I do believe there is a higher power that is fueled by love. I also believe it is our duty to do as Joe says we need to be doing -- and so many other people say this as well -- we need to do our fair share of the work to "alleviate human suffering" and encourage and spread love around the globe. This is so much better than the "what's in it for me" attitude and behavior many people exhibit. They do not realize that they are creating scarcity, thus defeating their own efforts and goals. If we are not out there actively giving, contributing, and sharing our love, what else is life for? Believe me, I have tried both methods. I have never been happier nor have I had a more blessed life than I do now.

Tomorrow I will discuss the actual treasure hunting in Queen City (the treasure hunt within the treasure hunt!), what we found there, how this form of treasure hunting might be applied in other communities, and what some of the very positive benefits might be for taking such an approach to learning and teaching. It will be rather rudimentary in conclusion, because I am learning as I go with all of this, that is, as I muddle through each treasure hunt, I am learning so much more.

Such is my life these days….one treasure hunt after another. I must say it beats my past dull life by a long shot and ranks right up there with “more fun than a theme park ride” (Kincheloe, 2008).

This song is a MUSIC Easter Egg from Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction. Can you find it in the book? Hint: It’s not easy to find. It is hidden in a description of the down and dirty tactics of FIDUROD (Joe’s rendition of what positivism is all about). This is NOT the kind of life I would want to live. I don't know what the musical was about, but I certainly would not want to be crawlin' to anybody. That is exactly the type of life treasure hunting allows us to create our way out of. Imagine that!

References

Kincheloe, J. L. (2008). Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction. Springer.

Easter Egg Clip Art courtesy of Microsoft. Photos courtesy of me.

First, I hope everyone had a fantastic Celebrate Love Day yesterday. My day was so beyond blissful and so full of amazing and joyful, even spiritual happenings (sh!) along with so many lovely gifts that I cannot explain it all in a way that everyone would be able to understand and quite honestly, it actually began to make me feel sad today. It brought up old societal programming that tells those of us at the bottom we are not worthy of such royal treatment. Of course, that was quickly corrected today (more royal treatment) with many loving words and songs, more amazing miracles.

Later, I will describe my miraculous and blissful Celebrate Love Day and explain how I magically ended up on another Treasure Hunt – this time in Queen City in Kings Valley at a Bad to the Bone BBQ (lol) and community celebration. I swear this is real! And somebody, like I have said before, is truly “bad to the bone!” Bad to the Bone is a song that was in a musical birthday card I had bought for Joe that specified he should take time out on his birthday to be “bad” due to the fact that he was always so wonderfully, refreshingly, and impeccably GOOD or as many people described him, very loyal with absolutely perfect integrity. The card was my recognition of all of this and basically was conveying for him to take his birthday off and to “be bad – very bad” with the music to go with it. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to actually send it to him. I do think he would have found it funny and probably would have liked the music. Now, coincidentally, of course! the song pops up again as the name of the BBQ on Celebrate Love Day in “Queen City,” Kings Valley where I somewhat reluctantly, but obediently had to drag myself yesterday by strong suggestion (although free will always dominates), to a place way off in the hills where I had never been before in my life. I was so surpised to find this barbecue and lots of fun, including treasure hunting -- I  had a great time and brought home lots of treasures.

Have you worked on finding the MUSIC Easter Eggs I told you were hiding in Joe’s book, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction? Some of you have. Well, I will give you one, and this Easter Egg is especially “delicious” and if you come to understand it, you will move forward in your progression to understand some of the perspectives that are helpful for knowledge production (if you are one who needs to move forward, that is, as I am well aware there are many people who have made the conceptual leap, apply Joe's work, or for whom it is already a part of their culture). So, here it is: Strawberry Fields Forever by the Beatles. You can find it on page 203. As always, there are several levels of interpretation which are equally valid for different environments, so if you even relate to one level, that’s a start because you can apply it in a way that works for you, for example, in the classroom. So today, two songs rate the top of the charts. Someone is “bad to the bone” and as I had told Joe after reading his book, “I love strawberries!” It is not a lie.

Vanessa

Well, tomorrow I will share more about the great BBQ and Community Affair and the treasure hunting there. It was actually their first year having this event and the residents said they would like to make it a yearly one -- especially for Celebrate Love Day, evidently.

 

Strawberry Fields Forever Lyrics

Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields.

Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about.
Strawberry Fields forever.

Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.
It's getting hard to be someone but it all works out.
It doesn't matter much to me.

Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields.
Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about.
Strawberry Fields forever.

No one I think is in my tree, I mean it must be high or low.
That is you can't you know tune in but it's all right.
That is I think it's not too bad.

Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields.
Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about.
Strawberry Fields forever.

Always no sometimes think it's me, but you know I know when it's a dream.
I think, er No, I mean, er Yes but it's all wrong.
That is I think I disagree.

Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields.
Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about.
Strawberry Fields forever.
Strawberry Fields forever.
Strawberry Fields forever.

The Higher Council has asked for an intermission here with another Public Service Announcement (PSA) to encourage everyone to Celebrate Love. There is a story behind the two songs that follow, but it is not critical to the dictate from above (God, if you wish, since ultimately Love comes from God). The message is for everyone to celebrate their love with the special someone(s) in their lives, whether it's your children, family, lover, or soul  mate. This is a PSA to remind us all to celebrate our love everyday.

That is the only message I have for today. If you are looking for something fun to do with your loved ones that will bring you closer, read yesterday’s blog and go hunting for MUSIC Easter Eggs together. It will be enjoyable, intellectually stimulating, and enlightening as well.

Celebrate your love,

Vanessa

Yikes! I am very late today but only because when I first started writing this blog, all of these important issues came to the forefront relating to jouissance and what Joe really meant by it and libido, sensuality, and sexuality as associated with learning (it is not related to romantic love like some people think, although it can be) (Thomas & Kincheloe, 2006). Of course this all ran into a discussion about life force energy, scholarly work, polysemy, hermeneutics, and such.

There was SO MUCH to say about these interrelated topics, that my blog began getting way too long, not to mention sidetracked from what it is really about: Easter Eggs! So I deleted all of the other very interesting content which I will have to go into more detail about another day because it is very important and very academic. I think too often we get hung up on strict academics and while there is definitely a time and place, for today it will be strictly Easter Egg Hunting and later I will explain exactly how this DOES actually relate in an academic way to those other topics I have omitted for now.

Well, I knew there were treasures in Joe’s books, but I did not realize there were “Easter Eggs!” This was a very pleasant surprise when it came to my attention as I was reviewing his work and now I just keep finding all sorts of them. Joe was so brilliant. I think he really wanted us to read his books and he realized some people would be more motivated if he hid these little delectable and fun treats in them. This is a great example of the “jouissance” in learning which he thought was so important to inject into learning. And on the other hand, Joe was of course a very serious scholar, which is the perspective that most people have of him. So, you see, for Joe – and for me as well – scholarship is serious business, but there is absolutely no reason we should not be having fun at the same time.

I came to the realization that it makes absolute sense that Joe would use Easter Eggs in his books. He had commented that he wished to write like Stephen King (among other authors) and Stephen King is well known for the Easter Eggs he includes in his books. In fact, Joe wrote the following:

How do we get the attention of teachers and students anesthetized by consumerism and hyperreality’s saturation of information and marketing iconography? I want to write for this audience in the style of a detective writer (epistemology noir?), a boy’s adventure writer, an author of girls’ romance novels, a beat poet, Lame Deer’s memoirs, or Stephen King penning a horror story all rolled into one. Anything to get them to think about these issues of knowledge and the ways they shape our lives and the everyday existence of people around the world (Kincheloe, 2008, p. 20).

So, one of Joe’s ideas (and believe me, there are many more ideas encoded in his work), was to devise Easter Eggs throughout – and he has several types of Easter Eggs. This makes sense because many people will find them so much fun to look for as they read his work. They not only learn multiperspectival skills (important for Joe’s new Critical Psychology of Complexity), but they also learn more about some of the things that might have been going on in Joe’s life as well as more about him, personally. I think that’s why I feel that I know him so well; I picked up on some of his Easter Eggs and the multiple and layered interpretations. Actually, authors using Easter Eggs is not new; lots of authors in addition to Stephen King hide Easter Eggs in their books. Visit this site and take a look: Authors Who Hide Easter Eggs 

Joe, like Stephen King, set it up so that once you find all of one type of Easter Eggs, you have to decipher them and they have a secret message. I think that is really creative. So for example, find all of the music Easter Eggs and then decide what words are the important words (the title of the song, the musicians, a certain message or phrase in the song, etc.) and then you put them together a certain way and you have some sort of message. So, it is not easy. This all may be especially difficult if you don’t realize that something is a song, which happened to me when I came across what he said about the “Devil’s Radio.” I did not know that was a song, but I was very curious as to what it meant so I did an Internet search on it, and up popped the song. Yes, that is so Joe, I thought at the time. He loved music and plus he truly despised gossip.  So, if you ever had an occasion to tell him something negative about someone else, and did not get a response from him, or if he even just walked away, this is all explained in the song.

Indeed, the example of the devil’s radio is one of his more difficult Music Easter Eggs to find. He had stated, “Using the devil’s radio (and TV) they [the imperial market] bestow an austere future with a dash of panache, and as critical theorist Walter Benjamin maintained, they commodify the demise of the human race. Turn up that hydrogen jukebox, baby, and together we’ll listen to the crack of doom” (Kincheloe, 2008, p. 113). Wow, this conveys a lot of information, but I am primarily interested in – what is the MUSIC Easter Egg? As I mentioned, I had to look up the devil’s radio and I found it to be a song, which I wrote a previous blog about, Gossip, Gossip, Gossip in which I included the lyrics. And Joe really did not like gossip at all, just as the lyrics portray.

Anyway, the point here is that Joe hid multiple forms of MUSIC Easter Eggs which had multiple meanings, which can be combined for another meaning or meanings…his hermeneutics and polysemy in action so to speak. So for those who think that his work is too playful at times, I would contend that only a scholarly genius can write in the complex style that Joe wrote in.

For people who want to learn a little more about Easter Eggs, here are a few sites that define them, discuss how to find them, and show some examples:

How to find Easter Eggs

Stephen King’s Easter Eggs

Easter Eggs In Music Videos

Movie Easter Eggs

So, now we are all to be looking for Easter Eggs in Joe’s books, and for now I will limit my discussions specifically to MUSIC Easter Eggs in his last few books (and save the other types of Easter Eggs and hidden codes for later).

How fun! First we have to figure out which books were his last books! One I know is Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction, which I have been reviewing, so I am going to focus my efforts on that book for now and go back to the other books later.

Music Easter Egg Hunt Part One: Find the books.

Music Easter Egg Hunt Part Two: Find the MUSIC Easter Eggs.

Music Easter Egg Hunt Part Three: What does it all mean? You see, for Joe, it would not be enough just to hide Easter Eggs and have people find them. They must have a significant meaning – in fact there will be multiple meanings.

Next: Try to discover what other types of Easter Eggs he has hidden in his books.

This will occupy us all summer! More fun is on the way for fall, I am sure!

Wishing You a Happy Easter (in July!)
Vanessa

We did not think of the great open plains, the beautiful rolling hills, and the winding streams with tangled growth, as “wild.” Only to the white man was nature a “wilderness” and only to him was the land “infested” with “wild” animals and “savage” people. To us it was tame. Earth was bountiful and we were surrounded with the blessings of the Great Mystery. Not until the hairy man from the east came and with brutal frenzy heaped injustices upon us and the families we loved was it “wild” for us. When the very animals of the forest began fleeing from his approach, then it was for us the “Wild West” began.

-Chief Luther Standing Bear

Indian View of Wilderness, Recorded in 1933

Excerpt from "”Major Problems in American Environmental History,” edited by Carolyn Merchant; Lexington, MA: Heath and Co., 1993, p.395.

Review of The Introduction, Part 2: Framing Knowledge in a Global Context: The Twenty-First Century Global Politics of Knowledge.

In this section of his book, Joe points out the importance of understanding the state of knowledge today in the context of 500 years of history that worked to shape it. European colonizers held the arrogant notion that they were superior to those whose land and resources they were stealing – the original inhabitants of the so-called “New World,” the numerous Indian tribes who called the beautiful land their home. Along with their biased religion, the Europeans brought along their science that proclaimed to be superior to any science before it and this science claimed  some sort of mystical “universality” which the Europeans used to justify their treatment of the people and the land in this new world, as Joe points out in this section of the text.

One has to wonder how the white settlers could truly justify coming to a world that was not theirs and treating other people so horrifically, destroying the lands, decimating the wildlife, and murdering innocent people. There are many analyses, in addition to Joe's contention that science and the Western worldview were factors, that also place this superior self-serving arrogant attitude squarely on some of the forms of religion settlers brought with them. In fact, one such excellent analysis is provided by Roderick Frazier Nash in his book, Wilderness & the American Mind. While I take issue with referring to the “American mind” because, as I have previously pointed out, we cannot even call this country “America” until we open up the borders and live in complete joyful harmony. Nevertheless, Nash truly makes some excellent points about how a religion – which I would like to point out is in NO POSSIBLE WAY SPIRITUAL when it leads to the sorts of actions of the white settlers who claimed to be Godly people. Such actions could only have emanated from a sick and dysfunctional mindset toward other humans and a beautiful land. The history of these so-called “Americans” conquering of the “New World” is shocking and shameful. As Nash (2001) had observed, “Western thought generated a powerful bias against the wilderness, and the settlement of the New World offered abundant opportunity for the expression of this sentiment” (p. 22). Further, “The Puritans seldom forgot that civilizing the wilderness meant far more than profit, security, and worldly comfort. A manichean battle was being waged between ‘the cleare sunshine of the Gospell’ on the one hand and ‘thick antichristian darkness’ on the other….[and they] celebrated westward expansion as one of their greatest achievements” (Nash, 2001, pp. 36-37).

I would also like to point out that there is a vast difference between religion and spirituality. Sometimes it seems that among educational circles spirituality gets a “bad rap” so to speak. This does not even make sense to me. Many of the Indian tribes the Europeans encountered were highly spiritual; whereas the Europeans were highly religious, but many of them were controlled by a dogmatic religion that served to quash their spirituality. What is the difference between spirituality and religion? Of course, entire books have been written on the topic and this is worthy of much more discussion and I do recommend further research into this very topic. There are many ways of expressing and recognizing spirituality, but in my book, it really all boils down to wisdom, which should be the ultimate goal of all humans. With wisdom, we would not conceive of treating people and the earth the way the majority of the early settlers did – and I might add – the way that continues to this very day. It is also spirituality that causes us to recognize that recompense is due and will be due forever. And while on the subject of recompense, yes, this also applies to the way we treated our brothers and sisters from Africa, as well as the way we treat our brothers and sisters the world over today – no corner of the globe is unscathed by the continuing actions of the white settlers.

Back to the book review, Joe points out educators are often not presented with the knowledge as to how Western “universal knowledge” harms people. He cites several examples illustrating how “power-related issues in such domains [as knowledge production and educational curriculum development] simply devalue human life and the survival of this planet” (p. 6). Thus, education must incorporate a deep concern with “justice, democracy, and ethical claims” (p. 7). And he further defines his version of critical pedagogy, which he has renamed Complex Critical Pedagogy (Kincheloe, 2008), stating, “my notion of critical pedagogy combines these concerns with the effort to produce the most mind expanding, life changing education possible” (Kincheloe, 2008b, p. 7).

Well, in my book, this is a very exciting proposition and who in their right minds would reject this?

To be continued . . .

Topics for discussion.

What examples did Joe cite as evidence of millions of deaths on our planet that were/are directly caused by the attitude of universal knowledge and power? Research and identify other examples.

What is the difference between religion and spirituality? How does religion help and/or hinder the development of spirituality? How does spirituality help and/or hinder the development of religion?

Special Tribute to Michael Jackson and the Shared Dream

Today my heart goes out to Michael Jackson, his family, and everyone who loved him. This song is a special tribute for Michael, who, like Joe, left the world much too soon. God bless us all and the work we will do together to create the world of our dreams.

Earth Song Lyrics

What about sunrise
What about rain
What about all the things
That you said we were to gain
What about killing fields
Is there a time
What about all the things
That you said was yours and mine...
Did you ever stop to notice
All the blood we've shed before
Did you ever stop to notice
This crying Earth this weeping shore?

What have we done to the world
Look what we've done
What about all the peace
That you pledge your only son...
What about flowering fields
Is there a time
What about all the dreams
That you said was yours and mine...
Did you ever stop to notice
All the children dead from war
Did you ever stop to notice
This crying Earth this weeping shore

I used to dream
I used to glance beyond the stars
Now I don't know where we are
Although I know we've drifted far

Hey, what about yesterday (what about us)
What about the seas (what about us)
The heavens are falling down (what about us)
I can't even breathe (what about us)
What about Africans (what about us)
I ain't even you (what about us)
What about nature's worth (ooh ooh)
It's our planet's womb (ahat about us)

What about animals (what about it)
We've turned kingdoms to dust (what about us)
What about elephants (what about us)
Have we lost their trust (what about us)
What about crying whales (what about us)
We're ravaging the seas (what about us)
What about forest trails (ooh ooh)
Burnt despite our pleas (what about us)

What about the holy land (what about it)
Torn apart by creed (what about us)
What about the common man (what about us)
Can't we set him free (what about us)
What about children dying (what about us)
Can't you hear them cry (what about us)
Where did we go wrong (ooh ooh)
Someone tell me why (what about us)

What about babies born (what about it)
What about the days (what about us)
What about all their joy (what about us)
What about the man (what about us)
What about the crying man (what about us)
What about Abraham (what about us)
What about death again (ooh ooh)
Do we give a damn

References

Kincheloe, J. L. (2008). Critical Pedagogy Primer. New York: Peter Lang

Kincheloe, J. L. (2008b). Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction. Springer.

Nash, R. F. (2001). Wilderness and the American Mind (4th ed.). New Haven and London: Yale.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife

 

Today is a brief reprieve from my usual blog writing. I have been doing a lot of reading. Mostly Joe’s work, but other things as well that relate to his work, to life, to love. It is sad because I really think some people CHOSE to misinterpret what Joe was trying to convey. Not everyone, thank goodness, but obviously, some people did. Such is the consequence of hierarchical systems. The people who construct these imaginary ways to keep people divided also construct many ways to discredit certain things certain people say.

It is very sad that this happens because everyone loses out and the world just continues on its downward spiral. I have much more to say about Joe and his beautiful work – his theories that really can -- and will -- change the world. I am just going to take some time to synthesize some of the sad things I am learning along with the hopeful things that applying Joe’s work can bring to those of us “low class citizens” who seem to forever reside at the bottom of a very tall ladder constructed by those at the top. In the meantime, we can also learn so much by listening to our children. They know the truth. You really cannot deceive them or hide the truth from their brilliant minds. And they have hope. But, is it right to leave the mess we have created in their hands?

Have a great day,

Vanessa

There are so many, many things on my plate right now that it has become difficult for me to set priorities as to which items are most important. I know also that some readers probably wonder what happened to such-and-such project which I have been working on and discussed previously in my blog. So, I decided just a little review here is in order and at the same time I will provide a snapshot of what’s to come in the near future.

 

I know there are some people who read this blog and pretty much dismiss what I have to say here, but I would like to just convey that to ignore the messages here might very well be a severe mistake. I am not off the deep end and in fact, quite the opposite. If you do the homework assignment about consciousness which I provided earlier, this will be easier to understand. Nor am I into unsubstantiated forms of cosmology, spirituality, or metaphysics. Everything I convey has documented scientific evidence now to back it up as well as increasing phenomenological evidence. Much of it is discussed in Joe’s books and elsewhere as well, and it is also still being worked on (one of my tasks as well). It is simply beyond the scope of these blogs to delve deeply into these topics because not many among the audience are truly interested in the kind of deep and extensive proof some people require. Rest assured though that this very type of substantiation is and will continue to be covered elsewhere and as time goes on, those resources with their documentation will be pointed out, and in some cases will be newly developed and refined through the application of Joe’s theory.

 

I am very sad to have learned that in spite of the knowledge of instant karma there will be people who continue to make the wrong choices. In fact, some people who I love very much will be among that group of people and this literally tears my heart out because I love them so much and I do not want to be witness to the consequences that will be bestowed upon them. It makes me cry to think about it. I have tried and I do continue to put the message out there that we must, in every way possible, make the good, right and true decisions out of love for humanity so that we only receive positive karmic reflection. But there are those who still continue down the same old track and what will happen is that their karmic debts will become so great that there is no chance to compensate or neutralize them. These people will realize this when it is too late to take advantage of this moment in history – and relatively speaking, it is only a brief instant – in which we can seek atonement for all of our karmic debts and go on living a blissful life for eternity. As these people come to finally realize this, they will be devastated at the new awareness of their mistakes and not being able to remedy them quickly and this will result in the manifestation of a variety of conditions which are so sad that I really would rather not discuss them here. You can use your imaginations. How would you feel if you learned that you cannot undo your past mistakes for many thousands of years and that this meant your happiness and any chance of future bliss would also be delayed? Not ended, by any means, but delayed for a very long time. Making the right choices now will mean happiness now. I am not sure why some people cannot understand that, but the ugly fact is, and I just need to learn to accept this so that I can continue to move on and repay my own karmic debts, there will be many people who delay this process and many more who will postpone it to the point that they become extremely overwhelmed and distraught. Then the symptoms set in which exacerbate their problems and delays their progress even more. I find it very sad.

 

To move on, as I have stated, there are so many things on my plate this week alone, not to mention the tasks that will occupy much of my time for quite some time into the future. There is the continuation of the Valley Treasure Hunt which began several weeks ago now. I am to make another trek into the valley and visit my good, sweet, 84-year-old friend and take him a gift that will cheer him up. It has been some time since we have visited him and he is truly missing us and wondering when we will come back and whether we will be bringing the children (he loves children) to his property to walk in the wilderness, pan for gold in his stream, search for treasure with the metal detector, recover the old combine and the Studebaker surrounded with blackberry brambles, visit with his born-again cat, and listen to his traditional Scottish-Irish version tales which he so enjoys presenting to us. Somehow, I think he is a long lost relative (I am also Scottish-Irish). I am truly looking forward to seeing him again. He has been a blessing in my life. On top of that, we are on a new search in the valley. According to the latest report, we are to find a shirt, supposedly hanging on a fence in a cow pasture with $500 in the pocket. Now, the Council Members are very creative in relaying their treasure hunting information, so I am not sure what a hermeneutic analysis of this clue might bring about, but it should be interesting. In addition, we are to visit a new “city” in the valley – a very interesting little place that I was told is a special treasure just for me….I am supposed to explore this city and bring back what I have discovered. So our next trip to the valley should yield some interesting treasures and I am excited.

 

Then there is the NEW Treasure Hunt. This treasure hunt is so expansive that I have barely begun, actually. There was the Einstein Riddle that yielded the fact that Joe’s bricolage theory will allow anyone to solve it, not just the 2% “smartest” people in the world as Einstein had contended. I really think Einstein would probably be feeling bad about leaving this riddle that would cause people to judge themselves in such a negative light, especially given Joe’s theory has been released that shows everyone can attain the level of genius thinking by learning new ways to think and cognitively process information. So now, that dilemma is resolved for Einstein, who was a very kind and generous person and very far ahead of the world in his thinking – a true genius ahead of his time – except that I need to write up a brief process (not instructions or linear directions, mind you) that I can test to ensure that it conveys the proper information that will allow other people to solve it. I, of course, was able to zip right through and solve the riddle with Joe’s theory when I could not do it using the Newtonian-Cartesian methodology. So this week I will write up this brief process and test it as a special gift in honor of Einstein and Joe. And from my understanding, there is a waiting list of other geniuses whose work needs some similar tweaking to correct any negative karma that was left behind. I am looking forward to that future work as well. I have received hints that this will include doing more work with Einstein’s work and also Tesla, Freud, Reich, Piaget, John Dewey and maybe others in the future…Additionally, there is in progress the development of a new framework and model for application of Joe’s new bricolage methodology and applying it at multiple academic levels as well as presenting it as a new instructional design model for online learning, the topic of my dissertation – which I begin work on very soon.

 

There is also the Children’s Treasure Hunt. If you have been following my blogs, you also know that there will be a curriculum developed and eventually shared on this site that emanates from the great neighborhood treasure hunting activities and from taking the children on the valley treasure hunt. This is being worked on. We have been blessed with the funds to purchase all of the supplies to ensure the children have a fantastic time. This money came from the graciousness of the Higher Councils. They know I do not like to ask for money because, in my imagination, one never needs to ask for money. I had considered asking the neighborhood people and businesses for donations to help cover the cost since my funds are typically limited, but I decided against it. I figure if I can use this “seed money” to set an example that others will follow suit. And if they don’t, oh well. The Higher Council will always manifest the funds for educational and entertaining activities for these sweet children, mainly because I have requested that they do so. You do have to ask for what you want and if your purpose is the right one, you will generally be handed what you need.

 

And last, but not least, as I mentioned in my last blog, we are on some new treasure hunting missions, including the Easter Egg Treasure Hunt. It was revealed to me earlier that there are “keys,” “codes,” and “keycodes” in Joe’s books. These are very, very complex and I will discuss them in greater detail at another time. Just this past week, however, I have also been informed that there are many “Easter Eggs” in his books and I know that most of you can relate to Easter Eggs because you have watched so many DVD movies and played so many video games that are comprised of searching for those special hidden treasures. Well, Joe was exceptionally creative and he has hidden literally thousands of treasures in his books. We are going to begin with Easter Eggs, and not only that, we will begin with specific Easter Eggs – a Music Easter Egg Hunt to make it simple. Since Joe loved music, he hid dozens of music Easter Eggs, so that will the first focus: Find all of the music Easter Eggs in his last three books. Once we find all of them, there will be more instructions, but I suspect he would want us to employ the bricolage on this music….but, I am not sure if he wants us to employ the old form of bricolage. It will take some time to find all of these Easter Eggs, so my thoughts are that he would want us to use his NEW bricolage as is currently under development via the NEW Treasure Hunt (and that will take a few months, most likely). So in the meantime, find out which last three books you need to search and then start looking for the music Easter Eggs.There is much more to this Easter Egg Hunt than this and so later this week I will write a special blog about it and reveal more details. Watch later this week for the Easter In July blog. It will be great fun! I am going to hide a music Easter Egg on the website and see first of all, if you can find it and then secondly, if you can find the special Easter Egg within it. Maybe I will hide two or three…I will give clues to make it a little easier since we are just getting started with this.

 

And finally, there is the review of Joe’s Work and further development of the website. This will be ongoing throughout the summer. We are slated to finish the review of Chapter One in Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction this week so that we can launch out on Chapter Two. This might be a good way to begin looking for those Easter Eggs, by the way, if you set up those book discussion groups I had suggested some time ago. I will give this clue: This particular book was the last book Joe authored (on his own), so it is definitely one of the three books that need to be searched for the Music Easter Egg Hunt.

Oh, and one last little thing: The roses are still not in full bloom, although I have come to many new understandings since my last update. So many in fact that I will have to write an update in a couple of weeks, once the roses are fully blooming. Some of the things I have been enlightened to are very sad and I will never share them. But, fortunately there are enough happy and joyful things that I can share, enough to devote an entire blog to. And there will likely be more to add to the list.

Well that’s it for today, finally. I just didn’t want people who have been following my blogs to think I was leaving any of my work “hanging,” That just will never happen. It is simply that I am working on many projects at one time (most of which have not even been discussed on this website!) I am being guided and when the time is right, various work gets completed and also more likely ends up evolving into a new and exciting phase. I know people wonder how I can possibly do all of this on my own. They would really wonder that if they knew all of the other work I do. Well I don’t do it all on my own. I have lots of help. Divine help.

 

Have a very blessed day,

Vanessa

 

Image courtesy of A Lot on My Plate Blog  Image Link http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Woa8PtNKAfA/ShCPud-XEgI/AAAAAAAAAUE/fw7qtdpSWU4/s400/DSC03727.JPG

I have once again been asked by the Intergalactic Higher Councils (imaginary ones, of course) to take time from my normal duties to make another Public Service Announcement (PSA). It seems that according to what they have been observing, this is a highly needed announcement which will be beneficial to people everywhere.

 

The earth is in a state of transformation. Suffice it to say that this transformation is extremely complex and there are many rumors and much misinformation and disinformation about what it entails. It does NOT mean we are approaching the end of the world, the end of time, an Armageddon, a “falling sky” or any other such major calamity that the media like to hype up, although that does make for great entertainment and/or for keeping fear elevated so that the masses can be controlled and manipulated. (You might want to review what I have written about FEAR and its FALSE REALITY.)

 

It is amazing just how many people take these attempts of mind control and manipulation to heart, though. No, this transformation is much more complex and less doom and gloom than portrayed and far beyond the scope of anything I write on this site to get into any sort of great depth that would do justice to a thorough explanation of the complexities and interrelationships of the many variables affecting what is happening and will continue to happen over the next 40 years. It is highly mathematical and based on both ecological and physical science principles that are outside the reach of anyone but the highest level of genius to understand and explain it (which is why I cannot explain it, lol).

 

What I am assigned to explain in rudimentary terms however, is the concept of instant karmic reflection which is a direct outcome of this transformation. This is a new Universal Law that is in effect and I do believe I have already mentioned it. I have been asked to repeat that explanation and remind people to be cautious in their treatment of others. We should all treat others with the utmost respect and kindness lest we have instantly reflected back to us something we would not wish to experience – in fact it will likely be that which we have attempted to impart upon others or some other action equal or greater in value. This does not mean at all that you cannot express yourself creatively and sensibly how you might disagree with others, including how your reality differs. It does not mean at all that you are not allowed to point out the evil or bad intentions of others. This is all work that needs to be done.

However, part of the transformation process involves accepting the fact that others are experiencing their own multidimensional realities; this is one of the very reasons Joe made a sincere effort to convey the importance of multiple perspectives. Instant karmic reflection simply means that you best not resort to deception, trickery, disrespect, or outright attacks. It is likely to be ineffective as more and more people are becoming protected from such attacks and it is more than likely to return to you almost instantaneously since it has nowhere else to go.

This is an ecological concept – actions and reactions are interrelated symbiotically (something Joe talks about extensively in his books and that is interwoven into his theories). In the case of instant karmic reflection, if a person under attack is protected, then what happens is there is no place for the action to go but to reflect right back to the person who initiated the attack – a reaction to the action. It has to go somewhere and that somewhere is right back where it came from.

 

So please take care and do treat others with the utmost love and kindness so that only love and kindness is reflected back to you. And anyway, we all know it is the right thing to do under any circumstance. If you happen to have enemies, the best thing to do is to go about your life as if these enemies do not exist. For in reality, as long as you do not construct them in your mind, they do not exist. Then when or if they attempt to attack you, well you know what will happen and not only will karma be reflected back on them it may even be magnified…below is a short video illustrating the concept. Also, John Lennon, one of the greatest musicians of all times, had a cool song about Instant Karma. As I said previously, I like to pick out music Joe would have liked. He obviously loved the Beatles because he hid many Easter Eggs in his books relating to their music. For example, The Devil’s Radio, which I have already discussed and Strawberry Fields Forever, a fascinating topic for the future. Speaking of Easter Eggs…I have been asked to cover that topic very soon, and as with anything Joe wrote, there are multiple reasons for covering this as you shall see – watch for it soon -- a sort of EASTER IN JULY.

 

Wow, I’ll tell you, Joe was into FUN!!! And he knew how to make learning a joyous, erotic, exotic, exciting, passionate adventure….and we are only just beginning!

 

Love & Peace,

Vanessa

 

Image courtesy of Starlight Angel Gallery

 

 

Blue Fireworks On My Mind

I know a place where the best fireworks are blue

And they don’t shoot them up in the sky

But rather pass them “eye-to-eye”

A sort of intimate form of mind-to-mind multimedia

No computers needed

One can only dream of, presumably

I know a place where people live

In peace, love, and joyful harmony

For as long as they wish: for eternity

People live forever and the concept of time

Is but the figment of someone else’s mind.

I know a place where children are truly treasured

Nurtured, raised, and educated

Never labeled or medicated

Where love is the only rule in place

Among every people, every race

I know a place where women are consulted

For matters of wisdom, the soul and heart

To do otherwise may just impart

The very type of destruction

You witness daily on your beloved earth

I know a place where the age of wisdom is duly respected

Consulted, revered, and never neglected

Where what is meant to be is meant to be

Egalitarianism, no government, and everyone is free

I know a beautiful place where animals do not fear

Because consciousness is elevated

And all human needs are satiated

Leaving animals free to live and roam

And gather lovingly among the people

I know a place that you would not travel

For you have to know it’s there

Your consciousness must rise, become aware

And then strain to comprehend that

There is more to life and love; you’ve been lied to.

I know a place that hides behind the stars

A magical place where fireworks are beautifully azul

And crystals are all the colors of the rainbow, too

And ocean waters are deep blue and thick

And beaches glisten of crystal gifts

Where the sun is warm and mild

And people rejoice when they have a child

Where parties, celebrations, carnivals and theme parks

Are the daily fantastic fare

Where no one scarcely has a care

A place where blue fireworks signify

Soul mate love; a love that’s true

And ecstasy is never stolen from you

I know a place where children are treasured

Nurtured, raised, and educated

Never labeled or medicated

Where love is the only rule in place

Among every people, every race

 

And it’s coming to an imagination near you soon

 

 

Image courtesy of http://inventorspot.com/files/images/antares_0.jpg

While Joe’s writing is complex, I guarantee that the average person (that’d be me, you, and 99% of the global population WILL understand what he has to say (minus the educational elite who think they know what’s best for all of us and minus those with rings in their noses who are led around by the educational elite). Joe is NOT telling us what to do in any of his work, nor is he telling us what is best for us. He is merely showing us some very helpful tools, which he spent many years developing that can empower us to determine those very things for ourselves. Thus, he was not like those “high-falutin” educational elite who speak in “edu-jargon” so that we cannot really understand that they are talking ABOUT us or even what they are saying about us as they decide FOR US what is best for us. Joe knew that was to be avoided because he had experienced what we have been through and what we continue to go through. And he treated the poorest and most disadvantaged students like they were Kings, Queens, Princes, and Princesses. We were his “treasures,” his “brilliant treasures,” even. He was truly an Angel on earth and he took many students under his wings. So when he left, there was nothing left in the educational elite world for us any longer. Not for me; not for you, and most of all, not for our children. We must stay away from the educational elite world and build our own world in a way that serves us and not them. We will never get that if we think it will come from the top. It will not. It is a new era for education.

We must not let the educational elite – who think they are better than us and know better than us -- have power over us and who, in the way they approach our education, simply funnel more of our children into the wars that, even though they may contend they do not support, in reality they DO support simply by maintaining a divided society. Talking about change does not make it happen. Talking about inclusive education does not make it happen. Talking about equality and cloaking it in terms that serve to further divide does not make equality happen. In fact, talking about it and doing nothing about it, serves only to perpetuate more of the same: more inequality, more lousy education, more division, more wars, and more students funneled to wars – or to the slave job market or to prison.

We must take control of our own education in our own communities so that we can provide the education that WE know is best for our children and for ourselves. It is NEVER going to come down from the top and the sooner we realize that and roll up our sleeves and start taking care of our own needs, the sooner we can get out from under these educational elite who simply want to make profit providing the type of education that will make more of their friends profit. Do you get this? I am sure you do. We must take control of our children’s education NOW. Before any more damage is done. Joe knew this and this is exactly what he writes about. And Joe was Joe. He was never Professor Joe or Doctor Joe, even though he was a professor and researcher for more than forty years. He was just Joe. And we all loved him.

What are some ways you can begin TODAY to take greater control of your own education? How can you contribute to the education of your children, your grandchildren, the children in your neighborhood? As the well-known proverb goes, “It takes a village to educate a child.” YOU are a part of that village. Everyone is, whether you are a formal teacher, a parent, or not. If everyone does their part in providing education and knowledge by sharing their own special skills, abilities, knowledges, etc. with others around them, think what a huge difference that can make.

Share your knowledge today – in your communities. Set up neighborhood home schools, community educational centers, preschools, etc. Start your own charter schools! Break free from government funding and rely on community funding. We don’t need no more trouble.

References

Photo courtesy of http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1389/1371940496_914b74c5ce.jpg

While I have been taking a creative license with many of my blogs to make a point (or several points), at this time, I would like to discuss something Joe had to say about the bricolage that I feel is highly relevant and highly important, especially as we do our rigorous educational research. I do want to put forth the reminder, however, that Joe’s writing was multidimensional and multilogical. Rarely, if ever, did anything he write have just one meaning and as I mentioned in one of my previous blogs there may be nine different levels of interpretation in some of his work within one dimension alone – and there are multiple dimensions from which one might approach the application of his theory. He was not playing around when he wrote – he took his writing very seriously. I know some people will find themselves floating in that incredulous state over my contention but honestly I can pinpoint for you areas of his work consisting of nine levels and I can tell you exactly what the levels are and what he is conveying – if you would wish. But you will be very surprised and some of you will even be shocked, so I will put that on the backburner for now and recommend that you simply approach his theory with the goal of applying it to your own specific needs, whether those are for teaching elementary school or for engaging in high level academic research. His theory applies equally well in any setting. His work, while complex, is accessible to everyone should they just be willing to put forth the slightest bit of effort, and each of us can take away something that will improve our research, teaching, learning, our life, even.

As you read his work, you will read and absorb the information you need for your particular application. I will eventually do more analysis since it is on my list of things to do, one of my missions, actually. But also as I have clearly conveyed, this entire website is evolving and I am not the one with the plan. I literally just take one day at a time and write whatever seems to be relevant for any given day. Today the topic is the bricolage and how important it is for understanding interrelationships. Here is what Joe had to say about the bricolage which I feel is extremely important to understand if you intend to apply it – whether for second grade teaching or for rigorous academic research (Kincheloe & Berry, 2004):

A central task of bricoleurs is to search for new relationships that provide insights into new dimensions of the lived world. In their aversion to the unconnected disinterestedness of forms of positivistic and rationalistic modes of analysis, bricoleurs are careful not to turn to a nebulous intuitionism or a corrupt relativism. Neither do they seek the comfort of unexamined warm and interconnected mystical feelings about their oneness with the world. There is too much injustice, too many people in pain, and much cultural work needed to address these dark realities (Bookchin, 1995)….They choose particular interconnections because of their relevance to the alleviation of human suffering and the cultivation of the intellect (p. 66).

 

Joe’s work is exceptionally complex, there is no doubt. But, it is absolutely worth the effort to take his complex ideas, understand them, and apply them in every corner of the globe. His theory is intertwined with his love which then goes out to the world when applying it in the ways he suggests. Joe loved everyone and only wanted the best for all of us – EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US. And, as the multitudes have observed, he was very, very humble. I do not for even one second believe that he wrote all of the books he did for us -- sharing all of his brilliant knowledge -- with the intent for us to observe humbleness above the genius of his work. It is time to stand up and stand by him and his work. I don’t know about you, but I plan to stand by him forever.

 

Peace.

Vanessa

 

UPDATE (7-2-09, 4PM). This is too cool. The above song just popped up on a search I was doing for some other type of music, so I chose it for this blog today. THEN, when I was downtown today, just as I was walking by an outdoor coffee shop to visit the mail center next door to drop off my mail, guess what song was playing at that very moment? You guessed it: Stand by Me....Is that a sign? A delicious one. (No, I am not superstitious, but still it was one of those postformal treasures I look for now, thanks to Joe teaching me how to find them.) Actually, I get multiple posformal treasures every single day and they are SO GREAT!! Most of them are just too personal, so I don't share them. Maybe some day...

References

Kincheloe, J. L. & Berry, K. S. (2004). Rigour and complexity in educational research: Conceptualizing the bricolage. New York: Open University Press.

 

Photo: Joe and Me….courtesy of Me! Photo taken July, 2008 by Drew.

I think one of the most irritating things about the recent Bush Administration is the over-used tactic of repeating things – and always negative things, of course – so many times that people came to believe them. People DID believe many of the outright lies, fabrications, and utter nonsense that spewed forth from Bush and his favorite cronies. And every time he or any of them spoke, I could not help myself: “Saying it is so does NOT make it so.” Sadly, not enough people said this to themselves and so, yes, they believed the falsities and they ALLOWED the creation of havoc, wars, murder, destruction, environmental pillaging, starvation, slave labor, increased militarism in every corner of society, entrapment within our own borders, surveillance, division among themselves, increased greed and senseless competition, loss of freedom, insanity of retribution whereby the innocent are incarcerated and the guilty go free (except in a few isolated cases to make a point), the control by fear, confusion, indoctrination, ignorant religiosity, increased labeling, the dumbing down of our educational system, the increased technocratization of our teachers, loss of personal power and freedom….shall I go on? There is much, much more: what they call “privatization” of our most valuable services (education, health care, social services) but what is nothing but more governmental control, the stealing of our hard earned money for their own purposes, the fake economic crisis to further line their pockets, the fabricated job shortage so that they can hire everyone back at ever lower wages and thus further cement you and I being “wage slaves” in the name of capitalistic profit motives, the murder of innocent civilians in wars based on lies, the murder of innocent children who are caught in the cross hairs of their “shock and awe” tough boy, bully pulpit approaches for taking over the world, cyberspace, and yes, even outer space! (Lest you think this is over-exaggerating, I can assure you there are documents readily available to the public that outline their goals for wars and more wars for these very purposes).It is all much like a very bad dream.

And of course, the Bush bandits used sweet terms to cloak all of this so that we the public would buy into their criminal behavior and they used fear as fear has never been used before, through the Devil’s Radio, of course. I have already discussed how worthless fear is here and here. We need to put that emotion away. But they still have the press, the media, and their endless, ceaseless repetition that PROGRAMS people – yes, it programs your consciousness to CREATE the very things those in power would wish for us to create. That way they are not responsible, we are. We are all responsible for creating this mess the world is in and it is time we acknowledge that and stop sitting like couch potatoes and instead use the energies within ourselves to create something new, bigger, better, and much more powerful than any small gang of thugs, no matter how much money they have stolen from us.

People – we the people – have the POWER. So why do we continue to give “money” which is now merely a figment of our imaginations so much power? Why do we let something that is not even real overrule our own personal power to find other more humane ways of being in the world.  I am totally with the idea of finding alternative methods to capitalism's paper exchange system, especially considering how little of it most of us get and what we do get is no longer backed up with gold. We need to operate under the tables, make many more tables, and stack them up to reach the skies. We have EVERYTHING we NEED in our own communities. We do not need to force sweet innocent children in Africa to slave in the diamond industry, thus denying them their education, and forcing them to risk their lives to create diamonds so that we can continue to slave at our own jobs to pay for them. WE HAVE ENOUGH DIAMONDS IN OUR COMMUNITIES! We need to learn to share, conserve, reuse, recycle, pass down to the next generation, and put much less value on material things, possessing, and slaving. We need to reach our neighbors, friends and families “under those tables” as the power elite call it to quell our activities by implying there is something wrong with doing so, but which we need to engage ever more often on a daily basis so that our lives are our lives and not dominated and controlled by those very few, but to date, very powerful evil elite.

And so, what are the latest lies and MIND PROGRAMMING many people are buying into? There are many; for you do not really think having a new president means an instant stop to all of this do you? You are only deceiving yourselves, then. However, things WILL change! There is power behind this new president, the likes of which humanity has never before witnessed. It is a special power and it is a very blessed and good power.

Right now all you are seeing is the continuing negativity, the remnants of the past administration that still has some of its cronies in high places. So now we have an economic disaster with no end in sight. We have a pandemic – first the bird flu “pandemic” and now we have a swine flu “pandemic.” Oh, and don’t forget the “end of the world” as “predicted” by Revelations. Anything to keep our minds on materialism and fear and off our own minds lest we learn what great power we inherently possess. When will people EVER figure this out? The media – the DEVIL’S RADIO  – of which I spoke in great detail, is once again being used to ALTER YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS to CREATE – YES – AND NOW YOU JOHN DOE PUBLIC – is responsible for creating these very things that have not existed until you fed them into your poorly constructed consciousnesses. And so there are many observing you and asking, when will you earthlings EVER GET THIS? Stop repeating awful things about people and earth. Observe, report, yes….but CHANGE. Know that you do have the power to change things up and you do not need to go about mindlessly repeating gossip and creating negativity in every nook and cranny. Choose the sweet, loving, kind, generous, altruistic, empathetic, ecstatic and joyful things to recreate instead.  This is the “perpetual revolution” of which Joe has written…a perpetual “social, pedagogical, epistemological, and ontological revolution” (2008, p. 252; personal correspondence). And it is very, very beautiful because Joe was (and is) very, very beautiful. And for those who do not comprehend, we are all very beautiful.  Not only that, Joe has left the world a beautiful gift.

And what about Obama?….he is in transition and transformation and his actions are evolving to those that will set the world straight. You shall see. I hear whispers of doubt, but you shall see. There are many of us who are absolutely astounded that there are so many of you who would minimize, degrade, denigrate, and otherwise CIRCUMVENT his wishes, desires, and actions to make your world better. This has got to stop. HE IS NOT SATAN and you really need to stop buying into such media pandering lest you create in your OWN MINDS that which you are attempting to create in some false reality that you also push onto others when you continue to go around mindlessly repeating such evil vile. (These are the people who will be “left behind” as those same “Christians” so often love to frame it.) Obama is spiritually protected and as time goes on, this will become ever clearer. He is spiritually protected for many reasons; for one, he has many, many people praying for him, but aside from that there are other things going on here which at this time are highly classified, highly mathematical, highly natural, and highly ecological. 

Just suffice it to say that IN YOUR CHURCHES YOU MUST STOP THE GOSSIP AND LIES ABOUT OBAMA or your churches and perhaps you yourselves due to association, will surely suffer from the instant karmic reflection, the definition of which has already been relayed to you. This is not vindictive repercussion, but rather a very natural process that is in operation at this moment in history. It will not be allowed that a person who has come into the world for all good and positive reasons to be trampled by indoctrinated, misled, and brainwashed by essentially anti-Christian people who dare even to call themselves Christians. They are not, and Jesus would be (and is) totally shocked and outraged that his good name is used in this manner.

That’s it for today. Change your consciousness.  It is the only one you have.

Again, I am not sure where all that info came from (lol); just the creative imagination Joe speaks of. Oh well, today I am going to get to serious work on my consciousness! and maybe, just maybe I will get some more very sweet and exciting rewards. I have not decided which I like the best – the sweet ones or the exciting ones – or both. And of course, we must not forget the GREATEST GIFT OF ALL, SPIRITUAL LOVE TO SHARE AND RECEIVE!

Have a love-filled day!
Vanessa

PS This song is VERY SWEET (another sweet reward?)

References

Kincheloe, J. L. (2008). Knowledge and critical pedagogy: An introduction. Springer.

Image courtesy of Microsoft.

Church photo courtesy of Microsoft

Obama photo courtesy of http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_TeI_wOA62NQ/SREc_VZESQI/AAAAAAAAAEo/92VkyPIWZUY/s400/President+Obama.jpg AND PRESIDENT OBAMA.

New Heaven, New Earth Painting courtesy of http://www.andrewcorbett.net/articles/images/a-new-heaven-and-a-new-earth.jpg