I requested my song this morning and instantly Tip Toe through the Tulips by Tiny Tim came to the forefront. Somehow it is highly related to all of the educational research I am heavily engaged in and how slow education is to change. Joe was so far ahead of the discipline in terms of where education needs to be, it is incredible. There are others out there, of course, but no one has presented it as completely and creatively as Joe has. I think tip toeing through the tulips refers to carefully seeking the knowledge that will move us forward and even more carefully presenting it in ways that will raise consciousness but not defensiveness of those who are not quite ready to change as drastically as we all need to.

This is short today. I do need to attend to my beautiful and brilliant students and then it’s back to work on the research and writing for my comp exam –still “comping at the bit.”

Tip Toe through the Tulips – Tiny Tim

Tiny proved that you can be your own person, that you can look the way you want, act the way you feel, and listen to the type of music that makes you feel good. It doesn't matter what people think, just be yourself! harrypotterphan9

In Loving Memory of Tiny Tim

Image courtesy of Microsoft

This web site is about Joe, his work, application of his work, my interpretation of his work, and my personal experiences as I learn to apply his philosophy in my everyday life and in my educational work – in my own idiosyncratic manner. I just wanted to clear that up, in case you get tired of reading about Joe’s work or about my experiences relating to his work. If that is the case, please do not read these blogs. I will nearly always relate what I write about in my blogs to Joe’s work or my experiences with him when I knew him and even my hyper-personal transformational experiences that occur as a result of applying his work in my life. Joe had a powerful way of communicating volumes in the succinct correspondence he sent my direction, especially when viewed in relation to the music titles and lyrics he dropped in his correspondence to me. He communicated on a very deep level and, as a consequence, we connected on many levels outside the superficial level. Spiritually, I still feel that very deep connection with him.

Why am I writing this blog and devoting my life to Joe’s work? His powerful educational work moved me from the first moment I began reading it and I know that it can do just as he said it would: change the world. I relate to his work so strongly and I appreciate so much how hard he worked to make positive changes in our educational system. He never gave up trying to make a difference and in so many ways he did make a huge difference. This cannot end with his leaving this dimension. We must continue to put his work out in front of the public eye so that it can be applied in ways that not only make a difference – but in ways that make a huge transformational difference that touches all four corners of the globe. I am totally committed to doing whatever I can with the few years I have left on this planet to work toward this mission. My dissertation, which I will begin work on in a few short months will be but the beginning of this venture. Perhaps I will be able to cover the importance of music in my dissertation. There has been so much research done about the value of music to the educational, learning, and creative process and we are seeing the enormously detrimental effects to learning as a consequence of eliminating it from the curriculum, along with the other arts. I hope that my dissertation will at least cover this to some extent. I am using Joe’s bricolage methodology, so I would like to cover several extremely important aspects of education that we must bring back. (Bring back my Bonnie to me, lol).

Joe did not want the music to end, which he alluded to when he wrote: 

Hell, “when the music is over, please turn out the lights.” There’s no reason to go on without that pounding aesthetic to push us on down the road. For some reason I always loved the title of the old soap, “Search for Tomorrow.” That’s what Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction and its epistemological road trip are about – acting on the belief that the future will be different, more just, less violent, more respectful of the panoply of inspired knowledges that people from diverse cultures have produced” (p. 20). 

Indeed, this last book he wrote seems to be a very powerful statement for keeping music in the forefront of our lives, considering all of the MUSIC Easter eggs he hid. (There are several Easter eggs in the above quote – can you find them?) By identifying the Easter eggs he has hidden and decoding them, we are enlightened to the impact music can have on us – on our learning, on creating knowledge, and in our relationships. If you have not done so, you might want to download the free manual I wrote that describes just a few of his MUSIC Easter eggs and how they add another dimension of interpretation and understanding to his philosophy and theory.

This is a true gift! He is showing how we might apply music to improve our lives and even eliminate suffering (I have heard that Ave Maria, the song in last Tuesday’s blog is healing). He has shown us multiple ways we can bring music back into every aspect of our lives. I will warn you, the gift is expansive. Now that I have been doing this for awhile, my whole life is wrapped up in music. How does the music come to me? It comes to me in a variety of ways – I just “hear” a song title or lyrics or the music starts playing in my mind (I am sure everyone has experienced this, but it happens to me frequently now, after reading Joe’s book and finding all of the music in it.) I also hear songs that have special meanings when I am out shopping or running errands. For example, the other day the song, In the Arms of an Angel was playing at the mall where I was window shopping and yesterday I went to the bank…commented to my daughter, “I’m goin’ to the bank” and instantly I heard “Goin’ to the Chapel and We’re gonna get Married.” There is significance to that song, but it is for another place and time.

Some special quotations: 

Music is a higher revelation than philosophy. Ludwig van Beethoven 

If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music. Albert Einstein. 

Music can name the unnamable and communicate the unknowable. Leonard Bernstein 

Love is like a violin. The music may stop now and then, but the strings remain forever. June Masters Bacher. 

Without music, life is like a journey through a desert. Pat Conroy 

If you learn music, you’ll learn most all there is to know. Edgar Cayce 

Music is well said to be the speech of Angels. Thomas Carlye
(source: www.bellaonline.com)                              

Music can change the world. Ludwig van Beethoven 

Below is the special song I received this morning. Can you imagine what the world would be like if we constantly sent each other messages of love through music? And these messages can be sent telepathically – a special skill most of us have learned NOT to recognize or develop. We need the Internet far less than we realize, although the Internet has been great for reminding us of what we can do with our consciousnesses if we so choose to develop and use our inherent abilities (Joe does discuss this in his last book, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction, but you have to be able to read that level – as I have often stated, this particular book has been written at many levels, thus it has many levels of interpretation).

With more music in our world – all kinds of music -- it would be close to heaven, in my view. In fact, with more music in my life, it truly IS divine and my life has changed in some very profound ways since knowing Joe. He has given me many very special and divine gifts – music is but one.

Enjoy the music you hear today, listen to the message, and send a song to the one you love,
Vanessa 

You’re My Everything – Santa Esmeralda

  

The next song is another one that came up for me today and I think is particularly beautiful.

In the Misty Moonlight – Dean Martin 


Keyboard courtesy of Microsoft. Photos by Vanessa (artist of painting tba).

The chapel is located in Kings Valley. I actually attended the church with my grandparents when I was a very young child. A song we used to sing often was The Little Brown Church in the Wildwood (click on the picture to hear the music)...Yes, like Joe, I was a country "hillbilly" LOL....and people wonder why I relate to him so deeply????

Wow, today is day one of 28 days to write my comp papers (three questions, three papers). I am so excited! I have already done a ton of research and I feel divinely guided to just the right information. I keep finding things that are so profound. For example, it is no secret that Joe loved music. He had hidden possibly hundreds of music Easter eggs in his books, plus he discussed music frequently, and, of course, he was a gifted musician. Now, it seems that the gift of hearing music has clearly been given to me, maybe from reading his books and finding so many Easter eggs -- this gift of music all really started on my birthday (see my October 23 blog). Everything is music!!  

A couple of days ago, when I went online to grade my students’ papers, and none of the students had turned in anything – the song “Where have all the flowers gone?” popped into my mind immediately. Later that day, my son was in the kitchen and said he wanted some birthday cake. There was only one piece left, so he stated, “Save the last piece for me.” Immediately, the song, “Save the Last Dance for Me" popped into my head. Later, I was thinking about the DROID still running around in our neighborhood, and the song Bad Boys Bad Boys Whatcha Gonna Do When They Come for You? came to me….this is so cool! LET ME INTERJECT HERE THAT WMJ SEEMS TO THINK THEY OWN BOB MARLEY AMONG OTHER ARTISTS; WOULD BOB MARLEY APPROVE OF THIS IF HE HAD A CHANCE TO VOICE HIS OPINION? "This video contains an audio track that has not been authorized by WMG. The audio has been disabled." WMJ NEEDS TO GET WITH THE PROGRAM. IT IS A FREE WORLD NOW and MUSIC IS LIFE. WHAT JERKS AND GREEDY CAPITALISTS THEY ARE. Because of their STUPIDITY, we are left with this VERSION. Very sad, indeed. I want BOB MARLEY BACK!

Life is music! I know this gift of music had to come to me from Joe! I have never had this happen before. It is really divine; not crazy at all like some people may wish to think. I love it! Every day is full of music now. I truly view it as a special gift that I have been blessed with from knowing Joe and reading his work. I guess it was just My Destiny.

And so last night, I was doing my initial research for my comp questions, and I came to an interesting article which I will no doubt cite in my paper – and what happens to be at the very beginning of the paper? 

THIS  PROFOUND quote from Albert Einstein:

If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.

That is profound, given that Einstein was a genius and so was Joe -- and given Joe wrote about Einstein in almost every book he wrote. Seems they had a lot in common, including seeing life in terms of music. And now I have the gift! I hope it never leaves me.

And so what song was handed down to me this morning? After my dream work on my comp questions and awakening with the desire to write a paper the likes of which no professor has ever seen, a paper that will be one little step toward change in education, a profound statement was provided by way of music – thus, the following song, which I came across in a roundabout but serendipitous way. It, again, relates to one of my favorite quotes from Joe’s book, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction: “Girl, There’s a Better Life for Me and You: The Move to a Critical Complex Epistemology” (p. 57). This is actually a subtitle in the chapter “From Reductionism to Critical Knowledge.” I had two other relevant songs provided this morning prior to uncovering the You & Me song – The New Song We Sing and You’re Not Alone.

You & Me – Dave Matthews Band

Photo courtesy of Microsoft

I received my comprehensive exam questions today. Four weeks to try to cram 20 books' worth of knowledge into three papers of about 17 pages each....a challenge....I need help!

The only words that came to me as way of reassurance were two songs.

Baby Love – the Supremes

 

And then this one:

Baby I need Your Loving – Four Tops

"Onward and Upward." (As Joe would say).

The song that awakened me this morning, was reassuring, though:

Song Here I am – Air Supply

As usual, with our criminal justice system (justice for criminals, get it?), the real criminals get to go free and the innocents suffer. I am trying to put this entire incident behind me and just chalk it up as being the same o same o. I have seen it over and over again. There are people on death row who committed no crime whatsoever – some have even been released – finally after many, many years of doing court battle. If you have no money, don’t worry: the road to prison is paved in gold for you, even if you have done nothing wrong. But those who commit real crimes, especially crimes that harm people in ways that steal their souls or instill immense fear, you can just consider those DROIDS your built-in neighborhood control by fear criminal justice trolls. You see, while these DROIDS run freely in your neighborhood, the innocents don’t venture outside much. Instead, they stay locked up tight (imprisoned) in their own homes, and what’s left to do, but sit in front of the boob tube and get further indoctrinated? What a great way to reduce the cost of patrolling neighborhoods. As you see, from watching television, things could be much worse than you even imagined or have personally experienced, even though that was totally atrocious. And so you add security systems and guard dogs for extra protection. Thus, you have the bad DROIDS out there free doing the controlling and trolling of your once friendly neighborhoods to make sure the good people stay locked up.

Anyway, I awakened this morning feeling a little distressed that Detective Looney seems not to have changed his tunes yet to follow through with arresting the DROID, since I have heard nothing more from him. And so, of course, the neighborhood DROID is still running free, and most likely will continue to run free in our neighborhood for eternity – or at least until his Karmic Rewards kick in and who knows when that will be. All of this was so distressing that when I finally did go to sleep last night, I awakened to the lyrics, “oops there goes another…oops there goes another…” …I kept hearing the lyrics, but I could not remember for the life of me how the rest of the song went. So I typed into YouTube: “Oops there goes another one” and the following song came right to the top….oh, now I remember….oops there goes another rubber tree plant. It’s in this song. Yep, oops there goes another free DROID. So far, at least.

I used to love my neighborhood and my work. Injustice is a powerful de-motivator.

Oops there goes another [rubber tree plant] robbery - Craig Mack

To be fair, ALL HOPE is NOT LOST....I also received the following songs from my beloved spiritual advisor. This great music does provide me some consolation, comfort, and healing.

Happy Birthday - Beatles



Piece of My Heart - Janis Joplin

 

Ava Maria - Schubert - Pavarotti

Sorry this is so late. I am not feeling well. I hope it’s not the Swine Flu.

Well, this is different. This morning the song I was awakened with was YMCA by the Village People. I am not sure of the significance. I think it relates to the Academy I have been assigned to develop as a part of my mission – The Joe Lyons Kincheloe Academy (JLKA). A school basically should consider and encompass the global environment of its learners; that is, it should assist with meeting their physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs, and of course it should also honor all people of our earth village. Somehow this song represents this to me. It is also very upbeat, spiritually uplifting and it discusses these aspects in an everyday life sort of way. It is so much fun roller skating or dancing to this song… I wrote a blog about roller skating – I wanna roller skate; he’s got the key. I do think the words to the song should be changed….for example, “Young man….” leaves out the majority of the population. Maybe YMCA should be changed to JLKA….something to think about. I will receive further guidance for this, but evidently it was desired that mention be made that Joe really did want an academy that would be built around his ideas for education.

Did Joe want an academy? Did he make plans for the possibility of such an Academy? Of course he did! As time goes on, I will bring out all of the evidence, and it is massive. As just a beginning of that effort, the planting of a seed, so to speak, that will continue to grow and sprout, blossom and bloom, I will point out that a rather complete description is embedded in the book I have been citing recently in these blogs.

We often hear or ask the question, “What is the purpose of schooling?” We do need to get back to that basic question before we can design schools that will serve humanity and not the military-industrial-complex (or MIC, as many people call it) or the imperialist leaders.  I have already shown that Joe's book Toward a Critical Politics of Teacher Thinking: Mapping the Postmodern, is not a map of postmodernism at all; it is a multidimensional presentation of Joe’s take on how we can improve our thinking skills and he explains how we can use a few of what sometimes may be regarded as postmodern tools for the purpose of lifting ourselves up toward higher levels of critical and creative thinking -- or consciousness expansion.

Who would have thought that in this book which is purportedly a map of the postmodern, is, in fact, a presentation of the foundation of Joe’s idea of the very purpose of schooling so that one might build the first Joe Lyons Kincheloe Academy?  And it is even endorsed by Henry Giroux and the late Paulo Friere as editors of the book, two other leaders in the world of critical theory.

One might call what Joe has provided here, a framework. I like to look at it as a POET (point of entry text) from which we can further develop his ideas through his critical bricolage research methodology, incorporating his other ideas along with our own ideas to fit our particular communities and environments. As with all of Joe’s work, he never lays out an exact and precise formulation because he respects the fact that we can all think for ourselves and find our own idiosyncratic paths. In this case, each Joe Lyons Kincheloe Academy would be built on a particular foundation, but they would have their own final appearance and outcomes that will best meet the needs of the community in which they have been developed. For my particular community, I love the idea of a very rich, colorful, and royal, but not formal environment. I am still constructing in my mind what that would look like. I happen to love castles.

“Outcomes” of the Joe Lyons Kincheloe Academy, of course, present us with another very divine story, the ending of which is much different than one would expect. I will cover those and what Joe had in mind for them another day….

I would indicate what page in the book this framework is on, but I believe this book is so insightful and powerful that I am hoping people will read it, and when they do, perchance they will come across what I am referring to. There are many more special treasures hidden in this particular book that are yet to be revealed, and perhaps, if you read it, you will be the first to identify them. For those who do not wish to take the time, as I have indicated, I will be writing up flexible plans for starting such an academy, and now it appears that I may actually be writing a book about it, and at that time, I will include this information, including the page number.

Here is the song that was brought to my attention first thing this morning. I do think some of the lyrics could be improved, perhaps to match what Joe had outlined in his rendition of the purpose of schooling. I am sure my Master Teacher will continue to lead the way for me….he always does.

Have a great Monday,
Vanessa

YMCA –The Village People

Castle photo courtesy of http://www.castlesinireland.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/belleek-castle-mayo-main.jpg

As I have mentioned in these blogs, I awaken almost every morning with a different song playing in my mind….call me crazy if you wish, but I personally think it makes a great alarm clock…I gave up on the alarm clock I bought because it is so deficient that it’s unreliable, so this musical awakening is actually quite divine and assures me of a song for my blog each morning.

Well, this morning I had the privilege of sleeping in since it is FUNday but the song was delivered, nevertheless, just in a different way. The first thing I did as I was drinking my morning tea was open up Joe’s book, Toward a Critical Politics of Teacher Thinking: Mapping the Postmodern, and there on page 162 was my morning song! Joe was describing how, when he was an adolescent listening to his music in his bedroom with the base booming rather loudly, his elderly uncle walked into his room and asked him,“What is that?” And Joe answered, “Get Off My Cloud.” LOL.

That was funny and it is the song for today’s blog, straight from Joe… Seriously, you will have to read the book so that you can get Joe’s explanation of how this relates to the implicate order of things and how we each define our implicate order in unique and perhaps ideosyncratic ways.

Following this monumentally provided music for today you will find two Public Service Outreach Announcements. As I outlined two weeks ago, Sundays are dedicated to these PSOAs. Today, there are two issues of equal importance. Truth be told, there are many more issues, but I do have to limit them and I will be covering more issues, of course, as time goes on. Take time to enjoy this special music from Joe as you read the PSOAs.

Get Off My Cloud – Rolling Stones

 

Hmmm….Joe only needed three licks; I wonder why the Rollingstones needed 40 (p. 15 of Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction).

Public Service Outreach Announcement (PSOA) #2
Save the Appalachian Mountains: Stop Massey Energy from Blasting Coal River Mountain

This is an urgent call to action. As I have conveyed on this website on the Joe’s Appalachian Mountains page, my activism efforts toward saving the Appalachian Mountains is in honor of Joe and his heritage and all of the Appalachian people. Please see that page on my website for more information about the issue and Massey Energy, perhaps the most destructive of all of the companies that engage in the insane method of blowing up mountains to reach the coal. These mountains are destroyed forever. Please take action today to protect what’s left of this beautiful natural and ecologically rich environment.

Dear Vanessa,

Just last night, we confirmed reports that Massey Energy has begun blasting on Coal River Mountain in southern West Virginia. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection has stated that the mining operation on the mountain is "actively moving coal." Workers were seen throughout this past week moving heavy equipment up to the mining zones, and blasting and plumes of smoke were seen and heard near the Brushy Fork coal slurry impoundment on Friday.The Brushy Fork impoundment is an enormous retention pond holding 8.2 billion gallons of toxic coal slurry waste. If the impoundment were to fail due to the blasting, hundreds of lives will be lost and thousands more will be in jeopardy from an enormous slurry flood.

A 2006 study confirmed that Coal River Mountain -- which has the highest peaks ever slated for mining in the state -- is an ideal location for developing utility-scale wind power. Local residents have rallied around this proposal as a symbol of hope, a promise of a new and cleaner energy future, but that hope may be destroyed unless quick and decisive action is taken right now.

Please call President Obama today at 202-456-1414 and implore him to use his agencies and influence with West Virginia politicians to stop the destruction of Coal River Mountain immediately.

Visit our Coal River Mountain action page for more details and talking points. We will also post status updates as we receive them.Thanks for all you do for the mountains-and especially Coal River Mountain.

Matt Wasson
iLoveMountains.org

You are receiving this message because you expressed an interest in ending mountaintop removal coal mining to one of the partner organizations of www.iLoveMountains.org. To modify your subscription preferences, click here.


Public Service Outreach Announcement (PSOA) #3
Suey! Suey! Would Our Government Deceive Us About the Swine Flu?

With this week’s announcement by Obama of a “Swine Flu Emergency,” the issue of Public Health is again in the forefront. As always, Dr. Mercola, who stays on top of this and related issues, presents the scientific evidence and speculation as to what is really behind the government’s actions better than I can, so I am providing a link here for the details: CBS Reveals that Swine Flu Cases Seriously Overestimated.

PLEASE GET INFORMED!!! Don’t respond to the PIG CALL unless you are ARMED with KNOWLEDGE. Also, refer to my previous blog about this issue for more information.

Have a lovely FUNday!
Vanessa

P.S. When I was looking for Joe's song for this blog, I also came across this song, which I find quite befitting, so I will close today with one last song.

She’s a Rainbow – Rolling Stones

Well, it’s the day after my birthday. A lot of songs were sent my way on my birthday – it seems that I am a magnet for music now. And oddly, every song was either given to me by someone (sent by email, over the telephone, in a birthday card, or was something I read in Joe's work) or was a song I heard when I was out and about shopping. Since I have received so many songs, I will save all of them, except one, for another day.
 
The Angel and baby in the photo were sort of handed down to me in a rather unusual way. I had made a stop at a little quick-mart to pick up one item and the store owners had a shelf of collectibles and other miscellaneous items on which I found this adorable little baby boy in blue held in the arms of an angel. I could not resist it for reasons that some of my previous blogs might explain. It is significant.

I think after yesterday’s sentimental blog about how much I miss the scholarly conversations with Joe, some of the amazing coincidences I experienced when knowing him (which I have scarcely touched on and probably will never discuss totally), along with his work that teaches us how we must learn to transcend, I will just present one song today that was sent to me and that represents what Joe’s teachings have meant to me…a sort of essence of his work and his ideas, in a way. I guess he has left me feeling the need to dance, I mean really dance, no – I mean REALLY dance. Dancing, like consciousness expansion, is evolutionary. Or maybe revolutionary would be a better word. Joe, his work, and all of the MUSIC Easter eggs in his books make me want to sing out. It seems that Joe has almost cast a spell on me. I am looking for that “better life” he promised when he wrote, “Girl, There’s A Better Life for Me and You."

Dedicated to Joe's Mission,
Vanessa

If you want to sing out – Cat Stevens

OK, I put ALL of the songs that came my way on my birthday into the blog....

If we could all look after each other, really care, really feel compassion for others and stop worrying about what’s in it for us, personally, it would be a wish come true for me. Honestly, and this is total honesty here, I NEVER met anyone like Joe. He knew compassion and unconditional love and how to give out of a complete and unconditional generosity. He loved what he did, he did what he loved and he did so much to help others see their dreams come true. I honestly do not believe Joe did the things for himself at all, not even in the altruistic sense, for if you truly analyze altruistic behavior, it is also selfish. People who are altruistic too often expect to derive good feelings about themselves or pats on the back from the outside world, so in that sense, it is not truly unconditional giving.

Joe had transcended altruism, even, and truly served others, and he was especially kind and empathetic toward struggling students who had the cards stacked against them. He helped them get established in the educational community by arranging and providing publishing opportunities. He told me in an email that it took him 12 years to work out a deal with one of the publishers to produce a book series with books that are affordable so that more people would be able to buy them. For, what good is it to write your first book if the publisher wishes to charge $150 for it? Not many people can afford to pick up very many $150 books, especially by newly published authors. So he patiently negotiated FOR 12 YEARS so that new scholars could have a fair opportunity to write and sell their books. He finally got the publisher to agree that after selling $150 library editions for six months that they would also offer $30 paperback versions. That is incredible. How many of us would not have given up on that publisher long before 12 years had passed? Joe was incredible. And I miss him so much.

I miss our great conversations. Last year on my birthday, I could swear he must have known it was my birthday because every time I posted on his website, which happened to be several times that day, he was right there, almost immediately it seemed, with his kind words of praise or answers to questions I had about his bricolage research methodology as I was preparing my pre-proposal for my dissertation. Of course, I had never told him what day was my birthday. Joe just knew things. Like the time I was trying to put together an article for his journal and I was going in multiple directions trying to decide which topic to write about, thinking that since there were so many topics, I should just write a book about online education to cover everything – and in popped an email from Joe at that very moment. Incredibly, he asked me to write a book about online critical pedagogy for his series. I was amazed.

He could read my mind. Well, I have not had the opportunity to write that book, but I will in time, and it will be even better than it would have been then, because I have learned so much more about Joe’s work and as I had told him at the time, even though I would cite many authors, my book would be biased toward his work. Of course, it will be dedicated to him as will my dissertation.

Another time, in the evening, I was very worried about Joe. I always worried about Joe; and yes, I knew very well it was not my responsibility to worry about him according to our social constructions. I tried to push it to the back of my mind, thinking I was imagining things, but at times fears for his wellbeing came to the forefront and I was unable to push my worry aside. I don’t know why; I guess it was just premonition. Nevertheless, I had sent him several emails during the months I had worked with him, just checking up on his health – not too often because I was very conscious of how busy he was and never wanted to bother him unnecessarily or be a pain to him. However, a couple of times after I heard about his cancer treatment he had undergone a few months back, I did ask him if everything checked out ok. One day I was feeling particulary distressed, not really knowing exactly why, but I did not bother him. Yet, he emailed me from the hospital, telling me not to worry, that he had just had a minor follow-up treatment for his cancer. He knew I cared and he wanted me to know he was fine, that everything checked out fine. One night, however, I again became distressed. I was overwhelmed and was feeling like I had to learn all of his work, but I was running out of time. I am not even sure why I felt this great responsibility, but I did.  I was sitting in front of my computer with several of Joe’s books and articles opened up and skewed across my desk as I was trying to absorb his complex work all at one time, when this huge wave of overwhelm along with fear hit me. I didn't feel that I was going to be able to accomplish the huge task of understanding Joe's work and yet it seemed so imperative that I do so quickly, and so I began crying. At that very instant, in popped an email from Joe, telling me he was doing great that he was home by himself. He sounded so happy and I assumed he was researching and writing as he so loved to do.

How did he know that I needed to hear from him at those precise moments? How did he know exactly the reassurance I needed to hear? Call it coincidence if you wish; I don’t. There are many more special and serendipitous connections, and of course, even MUSIC Easter eggs he had sent me, but I will save them for another time.  Some of these things I will never talk about even though there is almost nothing I won't talk about. Perhaps other people would not have placed much significance to these sorts of experiences, but for me they were very, very special when they happened and even more special now that Joe is no longer here.

Most people – myself included – are so painfully far away from that total blissful condition in which we all contribute, share, and love in a completely symbiotic manner in the peaceful world Joe envisioned for us. It would be a world in which the serendipity I just described would be a norm, not an occasional “coincidence” and everyone would be looking after everyone, automatically knowing what they needed. We would have no need for money and all of the division, destruction, animosity, competition, and greed that comes with capitalism in this world. There would be no need for mass indoctrination to maintain power and control, for we would all be doing what we loved, and reciprocally loving and caring for each other. We are far away from achieving such a world. As long as we are so far from our true destination and as long as I am on this planet, I will write in ways that honor Joe and what I interpret that he really wanted to convey and what he really wanted his work to accomplish, no matter how shocking my interpretation may be to some people or how much people wish to label me just because I choose to view things through multiple lenses for the incredible insight doing so provides. Joe had said it was time to put these issues that he has revealed in his book on the table and it is time to discuss them in public. I am just so sad that Joe is not here to discuss them the way he had envisioned.

Too many people are hiding their true experiential realities in the closet. Why? Fear. Greed. Egocentrism. They don't want to be labeled "crazy" and at the same time they don't want to share their secrets -- or they want to be revered as someone special as if we are not all capable of higher spritual levels of being. As I have described in previous blogs, fear is not real at all. FEAR is “false energy appearing real” as my spiritual counselor has told me many times and I am finally believing it most of the time. I do have relapses on occasion, but I have experienced how very amazing it is when one rises above fear and it releases a potential and power from within that is never experienced when in shackles. And we could all learn so much if we were all sharing our experiences. So, it matters not to me what people think about me when they are not able to relate to the esoteric, mind-bending portraits I paint in these blogs. Whether they like what I write or not, their consciousness must expand if they read them and this is a positive thing.

The more consciousnesses expand, the more united we all can be and the closer we can get to truly understanding and loving each other. Joe discussed in his book, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction, how we can conceive of our consciousness as a liquid consciousness that merges and melds together with other consciousnesses as they expand, for just as the universe is expanding, our consciousnesses are also expanding.  I really felt that with Joe – as if our consciousnesses had a special connection. Oddly, it is often difficult for me to ascertain what are my thoughts and beliefs about education and how we should be “doing education” as separate from Joe’s because from the moment I first read a couple of articles he had written, I found myself in total alignment with exactly what he was conveying with his concepts of post-formal thinking, the bricolage, and the “power of difference.” That is not to say that I even begin to understand all of his complex work. However, no other author or theorist, and I have read many works, has ever impacted me so immediately and profoundly with their take on education and research. As I point out on this site, Joe’s works, taken together, present absolutely the most complete and the most powerful educational theory ever. And while it may not be for everyone at this particular moment and place in history, nevertheless, people have got to come to realize, as Joe put it, the “critical kitty” is out of the bag and sitting on our laps now.

We all need to rise above, if we are willing and able, – and as Joe put it, “transcend” – all of the things that hold us back in fear which we THINK are so important, but which, in the context of infinite universes or “pluriverses” and infinity are so inconsequential. The only thing that matters to me is to that people feel the LOVE and KNOWLEDGE that Joe so freely shared. He wanted all people everywhere -- in the entire world -- to experience what he had come to experience, in their own unique ways, of course. We can begin to do just that by reading his work and applying it in every domain, from preschool to graduate school, from teacher education, on the job, and to everyday life. Everyone is fully capable of experiencing the true ecstasy – that Prometheus form of ecstasy -- through learning, researching, and sharing knowledge – that is what it will take to change the world. LOVE and KNOWLEDGE -- Joe’s Brand.

Vanessa

The following song was playing for me yesterday when I went into the bank. Is it a good sign? A signal? An indication of something to manifest?  No matter what it means or does not mean, I have always loved this beautiful song about love by Barry White.

Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe – Barry White

  


This morning the song “I will always love you” came to mind, but I am not sure why. For some reason it immediately made me think of the song “Islands in the Stream” -- something in relation to obfuscation. There is a story about the word obfuscation between me and Joe, but sadly, my blogs in which we discussed obfuscation have been obliterated from cyberspace --- but fortunately, they have been recorded permanently in the Akashic Records….so you know what that means. They still live on even if they are not on what used to be Joe’s website.

One thing that came to mind in relation to obfuscation is how we, in our pea-brained Newtonian-Cartesian minds, seem to expect to be able to have total control over even our daily lives. In doing so we hide the fact that things can be much more complex and outside of our control. It is amazing to me how many linear steps we can devise to accomplish even a simple task and make it into a long-drawn out, linear, detailed process under the false belief that this will allow us to control our lives. I really saw this when I was taking some of my instructional design courses and a designer showed us in his textbook how many steps it REALLY takes to make a peanutbutter and jelly sandwich. If Johnny can't read, then he ain't gonna be able to make THAT sandwich. And when the task gets really complex, we nearly drive ourselves crazy trying to keep a complex, chaotic process streamlined in order to follow a distinct linear pathway of tasks. I wonder what creative impulses we are leaving behind with this extreme approach, not to mention what we might be accomplishing if we abandon the horrifically time-consuming planning and detailing out Gantt Charts and other Project Management Charts that will seldom if ever remotely be followed. I was reminded of projects involving construction or maintenance in which the change orders become so voluminous as to take multiple filing cabinets to store all of the paperwork. (Even in this technological age, we print out more volumes of paper than ever before).

Anyway, I was directed to Joe’s book Toward a Critical Politics of Knowledge of Teacher Thinking: Mapping the Postmodern (edited by Henry Giroux and Paulo Freire)….now isn’t that funny? Joe did not believe in “blue prints” or “road maps” per se but here he is “mapping the Postmodern.” Of course, with Joe’s maps there are going to be multiple pathways and it is up to each of us as capable, thinking human beings how we wil traverse those pathways; that’s just a given. Actually, it appears in this book that he has redefined postmodernism and renamed it “critical postmodernism.” In fact, it almost seems as if he has “flipped the tables” on the very definition of postmodernism. I am proud him. I don’t know how many quite vicious attacks I have seen on postmodernism – even what Joe calls ad hominen attacks all over something that seems inadequately defined or perhaps highly obfuscated.  Who can really define postmodernism, anyway? But of course, Joe in his brilliance and exceptional patience carefully delineated what HE means when he speaks of his version – “critical postmodernism”.

I have not read the entire book, so I may be "jumping the gun" but I think Joe had the right idea here, brilliant thinker that he was. Joe ALWAYS had the right ideas. Let’s just make postmodernism mean what we want it to mean since nobody really seems to know what it means anyway and since it seems to have become highly tainted by imperialist motivations to dominate and control people. Let’s use the tools it provides that will work to accomplish our tasks to uncover those imperialist motivations (that’s Joe – a bricoleur). We never throw out the baby with the bathwater, and we always want to use what might be beneficial to our purpose. And here, the purpose is criticality and using whatever tools are at hand to reach a higher level of critical thinking and an egalitarian approach to education. Thus, we now have “critical postmodernism,” quite a different concept than most people attribute to postmodernism, if they attribute anything at all to the obfuscated concept. One thing about it, Joe really brought it out from hiding in this book.  There are also some really interesting puzzles in this particular book of Joe’s and something profound about it. There is something very puzzling about the title of one the chapters, but I have not yet deciphered the puzzle. When I do figure it out, I will eventually present the solution somewhere, or maybe someone else will discover it and write about it.

What Joe talks about in this particular chapter is basically how Cartesian-Newtonian linear thinking and the focus on one single reality – the explicate order of things -- obfuscates the fact that what we are really dealing with in life is an implicate order – that is, the universe is a conglomeration of complex, simultaneously occurring enfoldments of multiple realities. Thus, everything is so interrelated that we can literally drive ourselves crazy trying to define just one reality or trying to accomplish precisely a complicated list of linearly ordered tasks that can have confounding variables encroaching throughout the duration of the project. The beauty of this view of the implicate order is that it allows us to be who we are and to do what we do. Whatever is, is, so to speak. It prevents us from being hard on ourselves if we make a list of things to do and we did not succeed in completing all of them.

Even the events in one single day become very complex. When you factor in the multitudes of internal and external variables it actually becomes somewhat of a miracle if one does accomplish everything set forth on the task list. Lists are ok, but we should be living, thinking human beings and continuously adjusting our priorities as circumstances around us change. We should not have go throuh a bunch of hoops to do so. By the same token, we must allow others to be free to do the same. Thus, we escape the idea of lording over someone or expecting someone to complete something according to OUR time frame or exactly the way we would have done it. Time is just a construction that has no real meaning, anyway. The universe and everything and everyone in it evolves just as they are supposed to. And forget about rewarding yourself or anyone else for completing tasks. Behaviorism based on positivistic sciences is doomed to fail in our complex world and it does not value the human as an intelligent, thinking, decision-making entity. Using these approaches -- the strictly linear model for complex tasks and behaviorism to reward the completion of the tasks is a recipe for the cognitive illness Joe discusses in his works. And it obfuscates the fact that life evolves through explicate order, not linearly through an implicate order.

So the word obfuscate comes up frequently. Joe told me he loves to find an excuse to use the word, so the particular music video for today is particularly significant….

Have a great day -- and don’t stress over your “to do” list.
Vanessa

P.S. The only thing that’s special today that I can think of is that it’s the day before my birthday. I feel EXCITEMENT because I know there will be some very divine surprises tomorrow and I have no clue what they are….although I would love to write a blog titled: Arrested on My Birthday!!! NOT ME, the DROID that’s been Running Rampant in My Neighborhood. But I will be happy no matter what cuz I have already received the very best birthday present ever in the world, in fact it is FOR the whole world….it’s absolutely astounding and it relates to the future Joe Lyons Kincheloe Academy…I will explain it all later, but I am SO EXCITED!!! Still, I KNOW my birthday will not bypass me without SOMETHING else very profound. I can’t wait!

Oh yeah, here’s the “obfuscate” music video. HINT:You have to watch more than listen on this one, especially right at the beginning.

Islands in the Stream – Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers

 

Image Credits: Postmodernism: http://livingjourney.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/postmodern-1-thumb.jpg
Obfuscation Image: http://rumperstickers-rs.com/034obfuscateT.gif

Well, I have still heard NOTHING from good ol’ Detective Looney (and I do believe he is a good person who wants justice). But you know what that means: There is still a CRAZY running around our neighborhood andnot handcuffed and then locked up as he should be in order to prevent him for causing harm to more victims. In fact, there are crazies running around in every neighborhood in this country since that is exactly what the DROIDs and their LEGAL SYSTEM propagate. Why do you think it’s called a LEGAL system? This is very twisted, but it’s to support FIDURODian illegal and immoral behaviors, essentially rendering them legal. Rarely does the legal system as operated by a DROID mentality achieve justice for innocent victims of crimes. I strongly recommend reading Joe’s book, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction for a thorough explanation of how the DROID mentality operates. If you understand them better, you will stand a chance of beating them in their sick games.

And so now we have this mass accumulation of collective consciousnesses that are begging for justice. There will be no peace until we can achieve justice. Forget the call for “forgiveness” because that is merely another FIDURODian tactic to make the innocent ones feel guilty so that they do not pursue the justice that needs to be in place here. What will happen? We have all of these criminals free and they are all going around wreaking havoc. Those at the top running the show are criminals. They are DROIDS and they have no consciousness.

I can predict exactly what will happen. There will be no police state that the DROIDS are trying to establish. Nope. No police state at all. There will be vigilante justice and a revolution. Why? Well it’s all preordained. Collective consciousness will rise up in ecstasy and it will not be your typical ecstasy at all, but rather it will be one of the most powerful forms of ecstasy one could ever imagine. It will be a “volcanic or Dionysian ecstasy” (Grof,1985, p. 311). As Grof (1985) goes on to explain, “It is characterized by extreme physical and emotional tension, a strong element of aggression and destructiveness oriented both inward and outward, powerful driving energies of a sexual nature, and erratic hyperactivity or rhythmic orgastic movements. From the experiential point of view, volcanic ecstasy is characterized by a unique mixture of extreme physical and/or emotional pain with wild sensual rapture. As the intensity of this peculiar amalgam of agony and ecstasy increases in intensity, various experiential polarities fuse and cannot be differentiated from each other. The experience of freezing cold appears to be indistinguishable from caustic heat, murderous hatred from passionate love, perverted sexuality from craving for transcendence, the agony of dying from the ecstasy of new birth, the apocalyptic horrors of destruction from the excitement of creation, and vital anxiety from mystical rapture” (p. 311).

Grof goes on to describe this ecstasy in great detail, which is really quite fascinating and perhaps the DROIDS need to take heed, although due to their arrogance they would most likely not believe what’s coming “up the pike” (Oh, wow, that’s one of the treasure hunts!).

I will put Grof’s very descriptive scenario in simple terms that everyone can understand and perhaps the DROIDS will pay attention: There is going to a massive uprising the likes of which the world has never seen, A REVOLUTION. There will be total chaos for everyone but those who have transmuted their ecstasy into a more productive form of ecstasy – that which Grof has termed an “illuminative or Promethean ecstasy” (p. 313). (Now, do not confuse this with the group, the Illuminati. How the Illuminati operate is to pretend to be in a state of Dionysian ecstasy, but the truth is they are DROIDS and they are in no state of ecstasy at all. They are not capable of ecstasy, but they are capable of carrying out some very nasty acts).

The more productive form of ecstasy is a positive and productive ecstasy that manifests if you escape the Dionysian brand of ecstasy. As Grof (1985) puts it, “It is typically preceded by a period of determined emotional and intellectual struggle, agonizing longing and yearning, and desperate search for answers that seem to be hopelessly out of reach. Promethean ecstasy strikes like a divine lightning that destroys all the limitations and obstructions and provides entirely unexpected solutions. The individual is flooded by light of supernatural beauty and experiences a state of divine epiphany. He or she has a deep sense of emotional, intellectual, and spiritual liberation and gains access to breathtaking realms of cosmic inspiration and insight. This type of experience is clearly responsible for great achievements in the history of humanity in the areas of science, art, religion, and philosophy” [emphasis added] (p. 313).

Now, it does not take a rocket scientist to know what type of ecstasy we should all be striving for right? Well, the DROIDS even have figured out to prevent us from striving for the Promethean ecstasy simply by labeling it a psychological disorder – schizophrenia. That’s enough to keep people frightened away….thus, if they buy into the lie, their only resort is to let their agony build up until it explodes into the volcanic form of ecstasy – the Dionysian ecstasy. This is going to cause chaos, crisis, destruction, and a HUGE REVOLUTION. I just do not see how it can be any other way. Those of us who are experiencing the beautiful ecstasy that would empower us to imagine and enact solutions to the misery in the world will be quite occupied trying to babysit those for whom there is a remote hope that they can transcend to experience illumination. Sadly there will not be enough of us and to our distress, there will be many people who cannot transcend.

Grof suggested a great solution, but it will take time and a major shift in perception and beliefs. What he suggests, basically is that we need to change the rules (isn’t that what I have been saying in these blogs all along?). According to Grof, “It is therefore absurd to diagnose psychosis on the basis of the content of the individual’s experience. In the future, the definition of what is pathological and what is healing or evolutionary may have to emphasize the attitude toward the experience, the style of dealing with it, and the abilitiy to integrate it into everyday life” (p. 315). As it currently stands, as Grof points out, “In spite of the revolutionary developments in modern psychology represented by the contributions of Jung, Assagioli, and Maslow, all these experiences are still sutomatically considered sypltomatic of psychosis by traditional psychiatry” (p. 315).

Now, isn’t that illuminating?

Revolution, folks…..more vigilantism. It’s coming and really cannot be stopped given the above framework. Let me get clear, however. I am not promoting revolution or vigilantism whatsoever. I am merely predicting it based on the facts as lined out by Grof as well as many others. I would much prefer to see people quickly transcend (hmmm…Joe talked about that in his interview – he wanted to associate only with people who could “transcend”). The DROIDS can call it CRAZY if they wish, but if more people would ignore those DROIDS in the peanut gallery and concentrate on transcending the insanity that has been created around us which will obviously continue to be perpetuated, we will possess greater collective power in the form of a beautifully enlightening and creatively productive Promethean ecstasy. It would be SO DELICIOUS.

Once again (and as ALWAYS) Joe was RIGHT ON when he said, “Girl, there’s a better life for me and you” (2008, p. 57). That better life can be created with his “Critical Complex Epistemology.” What a fantastic and blissful “theme park ride!” 
                                                                                                                                                 By the way, critical complex epistemology is one of the most important golden keys if you are following the NEW Quest for the Golden Keys Treasure Hunt!  See page 233 in Joe’s book.

Peace,
Vanessa

References

Grof, Stanislav (1985). Beyond the Brain: Birth, Death and Transcendence in Psychotherapy. NY: State University of New York.

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

I Shot the Sherriff – Eric Clapton

 

 

Image Credits: Prometheus - http://www.liechtensteinmuseum.at/en/pages/showImage.asp?src=/assets/images/51DF1.jpg&width=330&page=1415
All other images courtesy of Microsoft

OK, yesterday, I said I was postponing this blog and I am afraid I can no longer delay the inevitable. It must be posted, even if I offend someone. My thought is, the only people I would offend are DROIDS (which I don’t care about, anyway). The reason only the DROIDS would be offended is because if there are any cops out there who are NOT DROIDS, they already know that, so why would they be offended? So, here is the blog.

I’ll tell you right now – right up front -- why I am stupid. I just cannot believe I am originally from this decrepit planet at all. Or as Joe put it to me once when he was discussing something with me that we both understood perfectly but earthlings just seem to have an impossible time understanding, “Obviously, I’m from a different planet.” I operate from a different paradigm that comes from a place where LOVE RULES, not hatred, deception, selfishness, greed, linear and Cartesian thinking, and all of the FIDUROD B.S. which Joe has defined so well in his book so that we who are uninformed and vulnerable might learn how the DROIDS operate. Joe was RIGHT ON, FOLKS! Now, if I can totally comprehend what Joe was saying about FIDURODians – if I can just allow it to sink in, I may be able to function more intelligently in this sick, deranged world, given I cannot seem to find a way to escape and hide out from all of the sick DROIDS.

I have decided that, if I could have a choice, I am from a planet in the star system, Pleiades. Why? I am from the Pleiades because the people there – who happen to look just like you and me – humanoid in appearance, operate solely and SOULY from a foundation of PURE LOVE.  I am still young and I came here on Earth for a mission, but because I am young, I fall into the traps the DROIDs set for me, every time! I am here to learn to flip the tables on the DROIDS, including cops who play their sick tactics and tricks ON THE VICTIMS. This is just so sick. They want to play their tricks on the VICTIMS because if the victims FALL FOR THEIR TRICKS, then the CRIMINALS GO FREE. Isn’t that twisted? But it’s true. I have seen it happen over and over again.

Well, I have lots and lots of Pleiadian friends and family who I love very much and who love me, and we are all tired of the sick games earthling DROIDS play. Pleiadian people can cross dimensions and they are right here working with me in the background to flip the tables. In fact, I am ALWAYS in the arms of an ANGEL. The DROIDS are going to be made to look just like they are: sick, twisted, deceitful entities. THIS TIME the criminal will go to prison, but it is not because of the cops, although the cops are going to take the credit, no doubt, even though what they have been doing from the beginning and will do to the end is totally screwing up the case. They have already proven their DROIDNESS to me in the way that they have treated me and I know they will be of little real help.

For example, the sheriff came to my house to pay me a little visit. Of course, I fell for his line about wanting to see how we are doing after being victims of a despicable crime. I stupidly invited him into my house and asked him to sit down and we had what I thought was a friendly conversation. But, after he left I realized: I have been duped again by a DROID, and that cop, who is supposed to be on my side was fishing for information that might be used against me and weaken the case. He cleverly came late at night when I was tired and into my own home where I am comfortable and my “guard” would be down….he sat there and even SAID that was what he was doing in certain words as I reflect back on the conversation, probably to see just how stupid I am. As soon as he had fished for whatever it was he wanted, he was gone. What a DROID!  And we all now know what Joe had to say to DROIDS – at least if you ever were able to decipher his clues. Funny thing was I even gave Joe’s hidden DROID message to the cop, told him what it meant….I wonder if he got the fact that it was meant for him. Now who’s stupid?

That did it for me. It was the last straw. I have officially called on all of my Pleiadian friends and family to come in full force to make sure the CREEP CRIMINAL in this case does at least five years in prison for his dastardly deed. I have called on my beloved Pleiadian family to inject some enlightenment into the brains of the cop DROIDS and to inject some more stupidity into the brain of the criminal DROID so that this can all come down like it is supposed to – THIS TIME. As I told the cop, I have seen too many of these cases be screwed up and the criminals have been allowed to walk away free to continue to harm innocent people. NOT THIS TIME.

Pleiadians, ALL Pleiadians for the Light are hereby called down to help. THIS TIME the criminal shall serve prison time. And when this criminal is taken care of we will move to the next criminal. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED.  (That’s another thing I should warn you about when it comes to Pleiadians: We must and we do achieve JUSTICE.)

Well, people reading this can say all of this is crazy, that I am crazy, but is my hyperreality any crazier than the hyperreality most people allow the media (TV and the Devils Radio) to dictate to them through their daily doses of what's really important like how they should live, how they should act, what they should eat, what they should wear, who their friends should be, who they should idolize and emulate, what they should buy, how they need to pump up their sex life with drugs, and an endless assortment of other ways their reality has been defined FOR them? Joe talks about this a lot in his book, Toward a Critical Politics of Teacher Thinking. Who is the craziest – me CHOOSING my own imaginary hyperreality or those people who allow the media with their close ties to the evil and destructive capitalistic political war machine to dictate to them what their imaginary hyperreality should consist of?

Sincerely and yours TRULY,
Vanessa 

Voices for Justice - Arleen

 

Though you hear their voices
On the Other Side
Waiting for some justice
Opening your eyes
Can you feel it now?
Scrambling across their wall
Waiting for their song
To free their hearts and soul
Don’t blame, don’t blame me
For not accepting
Don’t chase, don’t chase me
For not understanding
The truth
New hope is here
NEW HOPE IS NOW 

Image Credits: Microsoft
Pleiades Star System
^{http://themes4vista.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/pleiades_star_cluster.jpg}

Well, I was going to write a blog today about how all cops are droids (or at least almost all), but I have decided to wait and post that one later.

(Note that we have some important information about a swine flu “epidemic” discussed in my blogs between cop stories.)

The reason I have decided to wait on posting this particular blog about DROIDS is because some other things have come up that are more important – like what a great support system I have on the side. It is just so wonderful. I wonder sometimes if this was what Joe had in mind with his idea about Critical Knowledge Networks – you get to exchange great knowledge and share radical love.

And there are so many other rewards. For example, as I was resting this afternoon contemplating what it is I am supposed to write in my next book for and about Joe, this great song, a love message, was sent to me.
 

Groovy Kind of Love - Mindbenders

A Special Message from Brian Kim

There's nothing refreshing like a PIERCING bright sign to help get you out of the pitch black dark of indecision. A clear cut, in your face, cut through all the clutter sign that signals the next move on your part. A move you've been mulling over for some time.  And in hindsight, you're pretty much always glad you acted on that sign.  

Where the sign came from?  The answers will range from your subconscious to a higher power depending on the individual. But for whatever reason, the power of the sign lies in its ability to help you make a CLEAR decision on which path to take and to infuse you with the confidence to follow through on it. http://www.briankim.net/vipnewsletter.php

As I noted last Sunday, from this point forward, I will be presenting timely issues of public importance in the form of Public Service Outreach Announcements (PSOAs) each Sunday. One reason I am presenting these is that I realize most people are influenced by the media, which never provide complete or unbiased information. We simply must go beyond what the mass media presents us and do additional research! I do not expect people to passively accept what I present in these PSOAs. I encourage you to go beyond and do your own research so that you have enough information to make INFORMED DECISIONS about the issues I present in these PSOAs. Incidently, yes, this is activism on my part -- and Joe fully supported activism, contending that education and activism must work hand in hand....

The Swine Flu Pandemic?

Because the media is highlighting deaths from swine flu and because the pressure is mounting to get swine flu shots, I figured this is a good time for a REALITY CHECK. No one has more knowledge and perspective on this issue than Dr. Mercola, in my view. He has been studying the issues with flu shots and the autism-mercury (thimerosal) connection for years. Therefore, today’s PSOA is a link to his timely article that was included in his most recent newsletter. He has provided ample evidence for the ineffectiveness of flu shots, the risk to mothers and infants due to the high mercury content of the shots, and who really stands to benefit by doling out all of these shots (the pharmaceutical companies and doctors).
 

Each of us has to make the decision that’s right for us and our families. But we cannot make the best decision when the facts are hidden from us by the media and all we hear are scare tactics that serve to indoctrinate us into believing lies and partial truths. Fill in the gaps of your knowledge with more information. Dr. Mercola has done the research for us. He has provided us a starting point to do our own research to confirm or disconfirm what he has put out here. It is up to us to do our work rather than stay lazy and blindly accept what the corporate-politically controlled media has to tell us. You do not even need to get off your butts. Do some online research. Dr. Mercola has kept up with the scientific evidence of the autism-mercury in the shots connection. And Alzheimer’s anyone? Is Alzheimer’s really a new disease or is it a new form of Mad Hatter’s disease? If you do decide to get the swine flu shot, at least insist on the thimerosal-free single dose shot.

Please read the article linked below which Dr. Mercola provided in his most recent newsletter. There are links to numerous scientific studies which are clearly being ignored when these immunizations are being pushed at us. Please get fully informed.

 
Washington Health Department Suspends Mercury Restrictions for Swine Flu Vaccine http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/10/17/Washington-Health-Department-Suspends-Mercury-Restrictions-for-Swine-Flu-Vaccine.aspx

Swine Flu Song



Photo Credit: Unknown

I don't know why I awakened this morning to the lyrics, "Every breath you take, every move you make, I'll be watching you"...someone is watching me, but it's not a bad thing. It must have something to do with how I was feeling after that late night visit last night from the officer who had filed the crime report on Monday. Generally, we think of the police being the ones watching us, but this time the someone watching me really has my best interests in mind and it's out of love and from the divine side of things that he is watching. I think the song came from my angel or my one true blue soulmate because it is not a scary or bad thing at all to be watched by someone who might be able to intervene at just the right moment to give a helping hand. It is very reassuring, actually, and makes me hope beyond hope that the DROID on the loose can be captured. I hope Detective Looney is up to this.

Unfortunately, I will not know anything until at least Monday and I am praying the Detective Looney does not downgrade his plans to sock it to the DROID who wreaked havoc on the lives of several caring and loving individuals. If all Detective Looney does is just TALK to the DROID, then one can expect that the DROID will be laughing before Detective Looney even gets out of his house. I am truly hoping the divine intervention will help. I have already seen far too many of these cases be totally blown, allowing DROIDS to walk around free with a "dash of panache" as Joe put it in his book. SICK.

Speaking of Panache -- I loved Joe's rendition of that. AND it just so happened that when I was on the Pacific Coast Eager Beaver Treasure Hunts in the past, I found a cool restaurant named Panache!!! And so I was just waiting for the instructions to go have a fine dinner there -- and sure enough, I received that message on my last Treasure Hunt there on Monday. Rainbow Princess and I had a fabulous four-course dinner all accompanied by appropriate MUSIC with additional messages! It was heavenly!!! The food was heavenly!!! If you ever get to Newport, Oregon, do not pass up eating at the Panache! You will be so happy you did not miss it. I was.

And check out the side of the building! It even has one of Joe's favorite symbols! The Fleur-de-lis!! Why was it a favorite symbol? Because it is very ancient and it holds so much historical significance, representing those things Joe was most passionate about: purity, light, knowledge and life. It also came to be associated with royalty in later years.

That's it for today. I just wanted to share the other side of Panache -- the side for US who have love in our hearts and do not have to feign panache. Those DROIDS have no clue, really, what panache is and we must not let them destroy a beautiful word and a beautiful thing. PANACHE -- it is Joe's word and I love it!!! Someone watching me wants me to know and engage in the good side of Panache! Plus they are watching detective Looney, too, and lending him a hand with this case so that we can lock the DROID up!



And so that is why, when I awakened this morning hearing the lyrics, "I'll be watching you," I feel that it is a very good thing. It means people on the divine side of Universal Law are watching, waiting, and taking action where it will be most effective to move this case forward. They do want to see that the DROID gets his JUST PUNISHMENT - his KARMIC CONSEQUENCES -- THIS TIME.

That is very reassuring.




Every Breath You Take - Sting

 

PHOTO CREDITS: All photos by Vanessa

I hate to say this, but I really do have a very difficult time trusting cops. Let's just say that I have had many bad experiences at the hands of cops....nothing that gave me a record or anything like that....quite to the contrary. I have been abused and mistreated by cops in spite of my innocence of any wrong doing and I have witnessed the criminals go free....and therein lies my issues. You can figure some cops make mistakes, but when the odds are beat, then you begin to question the true purpose of cops. Are they in there to help the DROIDS? Quite honestly, it too often appears that way, thus it is difficult to trust that they are going to help victims in their time of need.

As I have been explaining in the past few blogs, Detective Looney and I are trying to catch a very nasty DROID. There is another officer involved who filed the report. Well, today I have been very sad, full of doubts, and unhappy because so far, for whatever reason, and it may just be because he is busy or the time is not right in the divine scheme of things, but it was beginning to appear that he has dropped the ball. It does not take much evidence at all for me to come to that conclusion simply because I have seen it happen many times in the past, not just with me personally, but across the board with many victims of crimes. It seems to be standard protocol. So, by evening, I was feeling really upset.

Who drops by for visit, quite late at night, actually, but none other than the officer who filed the report for the initial crime. I broke down and told him how I was feeling about things - DROIDS, the crime that was committed, how it was being handled, etc. Was this a mistake? Did I once again fall for the tricks and put more eggs in the basket for the DROID? Who can be trusted? Can cops be trusted? Well, the officer was very nice, but then DROIDS are very nice when they have an agenda they want to fulfill. And I was very tired, not at my best emotionally -- perfect for getting information out of me that might be more helpful for the DROID than for me. I did get a chance to tell him about Joe's secret message to the DROIDS in his book -- you know, the one hidden in FIDUROD -- and he thought it was very funny, so that may be a good sign, who knows? Was I "taken" once again? Time will tell. Will we bag this DROID or will he go free to comimt his dastardly deeds on still more innocent victims?

It is just so amazing how well-programmed the DROIDS are to act like real humans; they can trick the best of us -- check out this video to see what I mean. All I know is, Joe had better tricks up his sleeves and one of these days I will be the one who gets to reveal them. -- Vanessa

REAL ANDROID

IMAGE CREDITS: Microsoft

I have never done well speaking with “officers of the law”. I am always made to feel as if I am guilty of something even though the entire conversation is supposed to revolve around the criminal and what they did and said and what I recollect to the best of my knowledge. It seems that I come away from these situations feeling that I am somehow deficient – something Joe has defined is a product of FIDURODian mindsets. What a stark contrast that is from feeling like the Dancing Queen of yesterday’s blog, the joyful way my interactions with Joe had always left me feeling. It makes such a huge difference to interact with someone who has risen above the FIDURODian way of thinking. If only we could let the world know overnight how much better we can all feel if we can release the shackles of FIDUROD and are set free to love and care for each other in honest, productive ways. I miss Joe. Why can’t there be more people in the world like him?

This is TOTALLY weird. Joe had said he wanted to write detective stories and here I am, flat dab in the middle of a real life detective story. In fact, what Joe said about writing is posted right on the front page of this web site. What he said was:

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, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction, p. 20).

Somehow, I have to get through this meeting with Detective Looney today and this time I cannot let him see me be “too emotional,” nor can I be “too non-emotional.” Hmm….I wonder what is the acceptable in between way to be….yes, I am forced to play some kind of role. I cannot feel how I feel and if I do feel it, I cannot reveal it too much or too little. How do I know what is “acceptable” to Detective Looney so that he does not abandon this case? We cannot allow this DROID to run free to harm any more innocent children!

I do know this much: Instant karmic reflection is in effect and there are many Angels helping right now to see that justice is achieved. This DROID will not get away with his crime THIS TIME. Who knows how many other victims there have been. Perhaps once this hits the newspapers, they will come out of hiding and he will be socked with multiple charges. That would be justice. According to the information I am receiving, this DROID WILL BE ARRESTED. I know that the DROIDS have free will, we do not. It is no one’s responsibility for the evil that the DROIDS enact on humans, except their own. My mission, which I am working toward and which begins with the April 3, 2010 kick-off involves working toward the restoration of free will to us all so that we can experience true freedom. This way, real choices can be made out of love instead of evil. Choices made with evil intentions, as I have repeatedly stated in these blogs, will suffer very stringent karmic repayments. The particular DROID Detective Looney and I are after will have HELL to pay, especially when he goes to prison and the other inmates learn of his crime.

I received two songs today. It seems that it appears that my love has wavered slightly because I am very distracted and upset by this horrible, horrible crime I am trying to help Detective Looney solve. But the truth is, I will always keep on loving, no matter what, so no worries there…I am thankful that my love is desired, and I am very, very grateful for my special Angels, God, and their protection that surrounds me on a daily basis.

Have a good day,
Vanessa

Keep On Loving Me, Baby – Colin James

 

Keep  On Loving Me – The Whispers

Other than a shocking and devastating end to my day yesterday that kept me up until the wee hours of the morning I had had such a wonderful day before all of the negativity came down. I was called to do more treasure hunting and the Kings Valley Treasure Hunt merged with the Pacific Coast Eager Beaver Treasure Hunt this time which made it doubly fun.

First, Rainbow Princess and I went to Kings Valley since it’s the closest and we stopped at the Gardner’s Family Farm Vegetable stand on the way through. We bought a couple of pumpkins to get ready for Halloween and some interesting gourds that Mrs. Gardner says are called “winged and warted gourds,” because, sure enough, they have wings and warts! Mrs. Gardner was a little distressed, and I cannot blame her because there is no guarantee that the small farmer is going to be able to stay in business even one more year. It seems that there are many things coming down in a planned effort by the banks and large corporate farms to put the very last of the small farmers totally out of business pronto. If this happens, we will have nothing left but GM foods laden with pesticides for our daily fare. This is a huge dilemma, considering there more than a billion people in the world starving. I will discuss this in greater detail in a future blog.

Gentle Lord of the Land and Trees

We were able to stop and visit the Gentle Lord of the Land and Forest in Kings Valley, or Mel, the elderly 84-year-old gentleman who lives in the tattered and forlorn house, as I have written about before. What surprises we found there! Mel was not in his house, so I wandered up the drive toward the forest, and there he was working. It was a huge surprise when I saw that the 1957 Studebaker and the old combine, which Mel says is from the 40’s, were completely unpackaged from the blackberry brambles! I took pictures – this is so cool! Now I have before and after pictures! And Mel is so proud because he did it all himself! And he should be! He is in better shape than most people decades younger than he is. He can climb mountains!

He had another funny story to tell me, too, about being in shape. It was about one of his brothers. This particular brother just loved to go bow hunting, but he suffered a heart attack or something and his doctor said no, that he was not to do anything strenuous at all. This went on for quite some time and finally the doctor gave him a bill of good health and said it would be alright to go bow hunting. So, he was all excited and ready to go, picked up his bow and tried to pull back on it, finding that he had absolutely no strength in his arm to do so! No bow hunting for him. Mel laughed and laughed when he told me this story, as he always does when he tells me funny stories on my visit to him.

I asked Mel a little about him, which I had wanted to do for some time. His birthday is February 13 (right between President’s Day and Valentine’s Day, as he proudly told me). He is mostly German (I thought Scottish-Irish), with English and perhaps some other ethnicities. Mel’s cat has decided she really likes me and was climbing up my leg looking at me with her big green eyes. I was trying to get a picture and the cat started walking toward Mel. And sweet Mel! I have really wanted to ask him if I could take a picture of him for memories and what did he do? He picked the cat up, held him close to his face and posed for me to take a picture of the two of them! I did not even have to ask. That was a true gift. I am not putting his photo in the blog in order to maintain his privacy, but I may do a watercolor painting from the photo as an art project…we shall see. Good Mel, the Gentle Lord of the Land and the Trees. I also asked him if he ever goes to the beach and he said the last time he went was 60 years ago! It is only about 40 or 50 miles from his house!

The Long Lost Treasury Notes

There is still the open clue about the lost treasury notes in Kings Valley. They are supposed to be buried behind a barn. I keep hoping that it was Mel’s dad who had hid the notes, but when I asked Mel about them, he did not know of his dad having had such things as treasury notes. But I know Mel. He will think about this until next time, just like he thought about how much work his property needed and he actually took care of it all himself (except his house; I don’t think he does home maintenance). Something will come from the treasury notes yet. Of course, it’s hard to tell where Mel’s barn once stood, much less which is the back of the barn, but Mel knows exactly where it stood. It would be a dream come true if Mel remembered that his dad did have some treasury notes and we find them. Maybe it would be enough money to fix his house! But sometimes the clues I get about things are not so simple to decipher….it could be that the treasury notes symbolize something else and we will need to figure that out. Next time I see Mel, perhaps he will have it all figured out. We shall see what happens from this point on, what manifests.

Queen of Hearts: The Dancing Queen

I was instructed that there was a special gift for me at a particular little gift shop that I had seen on a previous trip to the Pacific Coast, but I had not ventured inside it last time. Well, I found multiple gifts there, including some lovely prints of watercolors that I can decorate my walls with (I am still in the decorating mode after having moved into my new home last February) and I found some other trinkets and such which I will share another time. But the big gift was a beautiful chair -- fit for a QUEEN -- that is from the 1800’s which I captured for a great deal. It is a lovely chair for the library in my house, which I call the Joe Lyons Kincheloe Library where I have all of his books and books he would love like science, history, psychology, sociology, education, etc., and where I only had one chair. This is lovely now…I still do need to get some draperies for the library. The chair is truly fit for a dancing queen.

I had received another song the last time I spoke with my spiritual advisor, Dancing Queen by Abba, and, once again, she had no idea how relevant this song was to me. It’s funny that earlier in the day I had just been reading Joe’s book, Toward a Critical Politics of Teacher Thinking (1993) about how he related learning to dancing (another book ahead of the times and very applicable today).

Not many people knew how much Joe loved to dance. He believed that it is the educator’s duty to introduce “a student to modes of being and acting in the world that are new to his or her experience.” And like Madeleine Grumet, he felt that “it is the relation, the dance between the student’s experience and knowledge that separates education from training or indoctrination.” Further, as he explained, relationships between the physical and social worlds form dynamic interactions and a “web of interconnected parts. The nature of their interconnections shapes the form the larger web takes. The educational implications of such a realization are revolutionary” (Kincheloe, 1993, p. 152). In fact, Joe viewed life itself as a “’dance’ of a living process – that is, life as synchronicity” (p. 171).

So, Joe just loved the dance. As I look back at the dialogue that took place on his web site, I realize why I loved engaging in the conversation so much: I loved dancing with Joe. It was the most profound learning experience I had ever encountered in my entire life. I am so sorry that the blogs I wrote have been deleted. I pray that they can be restored because they are historical records and the educational conversations I had with Joe were truly Joe dancing his best dance ever with one of his students who was as passionate about research and learning as he was. His replies to my questions were always short, succinct, -- condensed brilliance -- and like all of his writing, they were absolutely profound. He was my Master Teacher, my role model, my hope and faith that there are still a few good people in the world. He really did make me feel like a dancing queen. He also knew how to dance in the strawberry fields....but that's a story for another time.

Dancing Queen – Abba

PHOTO CREDITS: Dancing couple by Microsoft. All other photos by Vanessa.

I’m sorry this is late, but I am very, very upset today. Once again, it has been proven to me that the very people you think you can trust are not trustworthy.  Of course, some people say that about me, too, as we each do have our own realities. But I am talking extreme, in this case, not minor things that are just a matter of viewing things from different perspectives. I am talking about DROIDS, those people with no consciousness that Joe despised. I am talking about those people who seem to “do good” and in the end, they have only been doing good in order to serve themselves. Joe did not have anything good to say about these DROIDS of the world. In fact, he despised them so much that he left multiple messages for them, permanently embedded in the text of his last book. I revealed one of the messages; there are many more. I will reveal more in the future.

What is a DROID?

A DROID cannot possibly be a real human, yet they pass for humans. You cannot tell them apart until you become a victim and then you realize what a lack of consciousness these entities possess. Confrontations with them can get very bad, nasty and diabolical and it is very hard to win against them. Here is some more information about DROIDS:

<robotics> (From "android") The robots of the Star Wars
universe.  While androids look somewhat human-like, Star Wars'
droids are typically fashioned in the likeness of their
creators or in a utilitarian design that stresses function
over appearance.  Droids are equipped with artificial
intelligence, though some are naturally created smarter than
others depending on the function they are designed to serve.
"Droid" is a Lucasfilm Ltd. trademark.
starwars.com (http://starwars.com/databank/droid/).

Notice that DROIDS are so diabolical that they have come to POSSESS the very word DROID. Thus, perhaps I am not supposed to even be using the word because it is a trademark. Oh well, such is life. I hardly think that Lucasfilm is the sole entity that came up with the word droid…and anyway, I am using DROID as in FIDUROD -- no wonder Joe hid the word DROID inside it. People think they can own it. Well, then, Joe OWNS the word FIDUROD and the hidden message inside it to the DROIDS!!!

And then there is the JARGON definition of droid:

droid - Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003) :
droid n.
[from android, SF terminology for a humanoid robot of essentially
biological (as opposed to mechanical/electronic) construction] A
person (esp. a low-level bureaucrat or service-business employee)
exhibiting most of the following characteristics: (a) naive trust in
the wisdom of the parent organization or `the system'; (b) a
blind-faith propensity to believe obvious nonsense emitted by
authority figures (or computers!); (c) a rule-governed mentality, one
unwilling or unable to look beyond the `letter of the law' in
exceptional situations; (d) a paralyzing fear of official reprimand
or
worse if Procedures are not followed No Matter What; and (e) no
interest in doing anything above or beyond the call of a very
narrowly-interpreted duty, or in particular in fixing that which is
broken; an "It's not my job, man" attitude.

Typical droid positions include supermarket checkout assistant and
bank clerk; the syndrome is also endemic in low-level government
employees. The implication is that the rules and official procedures
constitute software that the droid is executing; problems arise when
the software has not been properly debugged. The term droid mentality
is also used to describe the mindset behind this behavior.

Note: This information came from the Online Dictionary]

Well, THIS TIME I am going to WIN!!! (Yes, I have lost in the past.)This time, immediate karmic reflection is in operation and I am going to put the DROID in prison; You will see. When I asked WHY did this happen the only information that I was given is that we all are supposed to have FREE WILL, but in reality, it is only the DROIDS who have free will which they use in very evil ways. Someday we will all get our free will back. That’s one of the tasks of the special mission project I’m working on.

I cannot go into a lot of detail about the situation, but it means a long battle that will probably last at least six months or a year and it is not a pretty battle. This DROID who I thought was a trusted friend has turned out to be quite an insane, sick, deranged individual who commits harm on very sweet, innocent people. I have had to enlist professional help which has led to a deep and what will turn out to be an embroiled conflict. I hope justice can be achieved.

As Joe often said, “life is stranger than fiction.” It truly is. So much of it really does seem like a fairy tale, dream, virtual reality game, or at its worst, a horrible nightmare. I do not lie when I say, literally, the person who has been assigned to help me deal with this insane DROID, is none other than Mr. Looney. He has chosen as his career to deal with the lunatics of the world; to lock them up….life is so weird sometimes. God, I wish I had someone to help me with this horrible situation other than Detective Looney. I can hope his name is a diversion….you know, set up to make it look like he might not be capable of doing his job, but in reality his qualifications are beyond exemplary…you know, like it’s a trick – to fool those evil DROIDS. I hope that’s the case and we bag another DROID. Stick him in the canner where he can cook for a few years and think about his crime.

Oh wait! I DO have someone to help me – all of those people on the sidelines who are watching me play this game. All of those people who love me and throw me hints and tips and manifest the very things I need right when I need them. I will keep the faith. Detective Looney will be getting some good help.

Have a better day than mine has been,
Vanessa

And the beat goes on…Orbit
 

Images courtesy of Microsoft.

In the spirit of “tantalization,” I was asked to disclose at this time that the FREE download, “How to find the MUSIC Easter Eggs in Joe Kincheloe’s Book, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy” is just that – tantalization. It is but a very small sample of the “sweet treats” that Joe has left sprinkled throughout his work. Don’t you love it? And I should add that I have been requested to provide an expansion of this work and to offer a much more in depth “dissertation” of the hidden dimensions that will hopefully reveal viable “impossible possibilities” (I think that expression came from Peter McLaren, according to what I have read in Joe’s work) for the deeper messages with which we might improve our lives -- in stark contrast, of course, to the Hermes trickster tradition of deception which so many of those educational robotic people (such as some of those who write our textbooks) love to use to slyly maintain the status quo for their win, our loss. The tables have been turned.

And there will be a special musical accompaniment, dedicated to Joe, of course, if all goes according to plan. I am not sure exactly of the timeline since I am also going to be taking my comp exam and beginning my dissertation for my PhD, but it is all relative, so I do not anticipate it being too terribly long. I am very good at multitasking. Of course, I will charge something for the book and all of the money will go toward developing the first Joe Lyons Kincheloe Academy since no one so far seems to be willing to contribute to such a monumental purpose, other than myself, at least. It is going to take a LOT of money to build an academy that is suitable for a King. I do want it to be quite royal and extravagant, because that is what Joe really liked (most people did not know that about him) and that is what he would wish to provide for the deprived and impoverished learners this school is being developed for. A royal environment sets the proper tone to teach princes and princesses who have been shackled by poverty. 

I do hope that many people download the FREE booklet (at the top of the Home Page) and enjoy the special Treasure Hunt, searching for the Easter eggs Joe left in his book. I believe that it was a totally brilliant move on his part and we are recipients of a very special gift. I don’t know about you, but I totally believe in Joe and his work and I am thankful that he put such great effort and enormous amounts of time into writing this special book about knowledge. It is truly a gift of love that will, without a doubt, change the world. Check back for the expanded edition of my book about more Easter eggs and other Surprises in Joe’s book…it will undoubtedly uncover a few of the Aces Joe had up his sleeves.

Oh my, that reminds me of the Pacific Coast Eager Beaver Treasure Hunt in which one of the clues was “tricks up my sleeves.” That’s funny.
 
OMG. I have no idea what I’m up to! When I inquired, the only answer I got was another song! Too funny. Guess I just have to keep goin' with the flow...trust in the process....believe in my dreams and favorite fairy tales and let things evolve.

Have a great Monday,
Vanessa

Five foot two, Eyes of Blue – Slagharen Dixieland Band

  

Image courtesy of Microsoft

Public Service Outreach Announcements (PSOAs) are multimedia presentations that cover a diverse range of critical issues and that will be conveyed from a variety of perspectives and positions. They are developed for possible use as curricular material by teachers as well as for individual use to consider and research topics of personal relevance in greater depth. They are being constructed using a simplified bricolage technique, so while they may seem random and rambling, with time, they will evolve into a conherent whole and then be assembled together in a logical order with further analyses and elaboration -- similar to what will be happening with these blogs as well. In fact, the FREE manual for finding the MUSIC Easter eggs was assembled in just such a manner.

So while it may seem that I am rambling in these blogs (I can hear the Devils' Radio: "that Vanessa is crazy"), time will show that there are multiple threads of coherency running through them that will be assembled in concert with employment of Joe's critical bricolage that takes the information imparted to higher cognitive levels of understanding for the various threads. At the current time, I do not have definitive plans as to which of those threads I will be compiling next. This entire project, as presented in the introduction, is an unplanned, evolving endeavor, as Joe's theory calls for. 

The purpose of these “announcements” (PSOAs) is not to promote any one certain view on issues (even though they may be presented from a particular perspective), nor are they meant to instill fear or anxiety, even though at times they may be written from quite a radical perspective with the intent to getting people to think more deeply about the issues that are brought forth. It is hoped that people will be provoked into not only asking more questions and into a heightened curiosity, but also pushed toward seeking answers to those questions and to taking real action based on what they learn, personal and/or interpersonal action where they become compelled to do so out of their own passion. There are multiple takes and many complexities on any topic one might wish to consider and it is only by “mashing” these various perspectives and considerations together that knowledge will emerge in its multiple forms – versus our just taking in someone else’s rendition of what constitutes knowledge and assuming that the information we have been presented is the complete, unbiased picture. As Joe pointed out often in his work, all knowledge is biased. Thus, we all need to be free to construct our own knowledge in ways that make sense to us at any given moment and place in life. We should be free to view knowledge as tentative which allows us to update, expand, and to change our viewpoints as we continue to learn and assimilate more information and I would hope we can be respectful of where others are in their understandings. In this vein, I hope these PSOAs are used as a platform, or as Joe framed it with his critical bricolage theory, a point of entry text (POET) for launching into deeper and highly relevant research.

One effective approach to learning more about the topics that might be useful is to write out your reaction to the PSOAs and use that as a POET. How does this information affect you personally? You loved ones? Your students? What do you need more information about? What oppositional views are provoked when you compare your view with the information presented in the PSOA? Where can you find more reliable information than what has been presented? What makes it more reliable? When you research the Internet or other sources ask who is presenting the information and what purpose might they have above and beyond just being a supplier of facts. Who authored the material? Who or what organizations are they associated with? When time permits, it is beneficial to explore the spider web of links between the information presented, who presented it, who they are linked to and who those links are linked to and what information is being conveyed. What is missing from their presentation? Who is missing? This will reveal that there are some very interesting things going on behind the scenes that shed a bright illumination on the “knowledge” that is being disseminated. There are often hidden agendas. (I have told you my agenda: to promote Joe's work and fulfill his mission.)

As Joe pointed out many times, in spite of what so many science texts wish to present with their focus on the scientific process as an exacting, all-informing, godgiven process, all information is biased. It is simply too tied up with history, society, culture, language, and most importantly at this time in history, politics, to be any other way; thus, as Joe has made clear, knowledge – and, indeed, our very consciousnesses – are socially constructed. Who are you allowing to construct your consciousness? How are you constructing the consciousnesses of your students? If we can really wrap our minds around these concepts then we will have made great progress in our abilities to decode and decipher the meanings – often multiple meanings -- behind the “knowledge” that is presented to us and how it is being presented. We can beat those "Hermes Tricksters" at their own games.

I hope that K12 teachers will find PSOAs useful as launching points for classroom discourse about some very important issues that concern each and every one of us in our everyday lives -- topics that we never or seldom discuss in the school curriculum. Thus, the PSOAs will be written in multiple formats in order to reach a variety of audiences. I would like to see more teachers encourage their students to research the Internet freely – not according to some predetermined pathway that has already been outlined for them. Students should be free to research where their thoughts lead them, and not always be forced to follow the knowledge producer’s thoughts, whether that be the teacher or someone else who has presented them with a map to click links for information (it is no wonder learners are so bored with this sort of learning and would rather go check out their social networking sites). Give students the tools they need to stay safe and for sifting through the propaganda and commercialization of information so that they can seek information that is relevant to them personally and reach their own conclusions – in this way, they will be constructing new knowledge that is meaningful to them, knowledge that connects to them in some profound ways, and when they are given the opportunity to share what they have learned, they also connect in powerful ways with others. Knowledge production then becomes -- as it should -- enacted through a collaborative social process which unleashes the potential for amazing creativity. In my view, this is what true learning is all about. Of course, I am barely scratching the surface here. Joe had so much to say about the complexities of critical knowledge production in his books and I recommend reading any of his books for his absolutely brilliant presentation of these complex critical ideas.

We cannot wait any longer to address humanity's need for deeper understandings of the rapidly changing complex world around us. Promoting knowledge production among students will quench their thirst for learning. As is framed in the song below, they are tired of learning what Joe called “factoids” (how many inches in a mile?) and being told that they are not going to amount to anything (in other words, they know they are being tracked into directions that others have determined they should go, thus their options are restricted by how they perform in high school as if that has any bearing on their passions, interests and abilities considering the "psychologically debilitating," (as Joe has framed it) environment in which they are force fed meaningless information). 

Students are singing loudly, “Tell me something I don’t know.” I hope the concept of PSOAs will help launch people into learning more about things they know and care about as well as things they don’t know (I certainly do not claim that I know it all about anything, which is why PSOAs are only launching points for deeper research) and perhaps they will write their own original form of PSOAs based on topics they are interested in and feel passionate about. People need the freedom to learn, but few of us have been afforded that opportunity for a variety of reasons ranging from the inaccessibility and inapplicability of education to the current focus on the mundane memorization of decontextualized facts -- which is apparently all that the droids of education are able to recognize as knowledge. It is important for the future that we learn something new – something we don’t already know -- and that we construct new knowledge. I hope PSOAs and some of my other work can guide people toward this endeavor or serve to motivate them to discovering their own personal pathways for researching and learning what is relevant to them.

Next Sunday, I will present the first PSOA.

Have a great Sunday – I call it FUNday because I can take time to do whatever I feel most passionate about doing.

Vanessa

Tell me something I don’t know

 

Photo Credits: "I'm Dreaming" courtesy of "Tell Me Something I don't Know" music video.
Remaining photos courtesy of Microsoft.

How seriously do you take your job? Be honest, here. How seriously do you really take it? All of the craziness, backstabbing, kissing the boss’s you-know-what, the dysfunction, the hard work, etc. Now, try to imagine just for a moment, a different sort of reality. What if we all live on other planets and we just sort of astro travel here, jump into our earthling vehicles (bodies), and proceed about our daily life – and this is nothing more than a day job, or perhaps some sort of virtual reality educational experience in which we are to gain knowledge? Think about this seriously for just a moment. If you need to, review the concept of earth being nothing more than virtual reality, which I wrote about in an earlier blog.

So then, when the day is over, we leave our day job (or night job, if you work at night) and we all go back to our planetary homes (great effort has been expended to make sure that we do not believe there is life close to us on other planets so that the game is more real to us) where life is great (for most of us) and we live out our dreams come true, have many loving family members and friends and life is blissful. Or maybe we don’t go to other planets at all – maybe we are already ON those other planets and we are each inside a room or chamber playing this crazy-making game. In that case, we just need to find the door to escape. I mean, really, is this FUN? Sure, parts of it can be, but it is really hard to enjoy it when there is all of this suffering going on all around us and even inflicted upon us due to the way certain people are playing this game.

Personally, I love the concept that this is just my day job. While it does not change the fact that I am on a specific mission (as part of the game or my job), at the same time, it helps me take things such as what people think about me or how much money I make or how many things I possess, and all of that materialism that so many of us are focused on – much less seriously. It is not real! It is all virtual – much like playing those video games that so many people get wrapped up in. REAL life is at night (earth "time") when I get to go home and be with my family again.

And how about this idea? The time we spend on earth toiling and stressing and agonizing at our day job is the equivalent of only 2 hours of our REAL LIFE. How does that grab you? In other words, we are so indoctrinated with this time thing (which is not real, but is only a construct we have devised) that we believe wholeheartedly that we are slaving away for hours and hours, but in reality, we are only here for two hours a day (which explains why we never get nearly as much done as we think we ought to). And not only that, the amount of time total that we spend playing this crazy virtual reality game is minute in the scheme of things – that is, eternity, which is what we truly have for our existence.

It gets REALLY exciting when you realize there are lots of people on the sidelines who love you, watching you play the game and who already know how to play so they are constantly dropping you tips, advice, and “miracles” to help you be more successful at your “job,” and they help you by manifesting things (virtually, of course) and ultimately, they help you win this game, at least if you are on the good side. All you need to do is become more receptive, open your mind, and see and hear the things these people tell you or leave around for you to see and “get” as far as how to use them in the game. They want you to win! These tips and hints might be the smallest and most minute thing, but if you notice them then you have a huge advantage. I have heard there are even hidden doorways that if you can find them, along with the keys, then you have gotten to the highest level and have won the game. Really, you are just in a little room by yourself playing this virtual game of the light against the dark forces, trying to work up to higher levels – just like a computer game…this world and all of its materialism is total illusion. But, it’s only for 2 hours a day and then you go home.

Nothing is as “real” as it seems. In fact, physicists will tell you everything is energy – everything -- and "objects" are always in multiple locations simultaneously and do not exist in a particular place until we perceive that they are there (this get very complex; Joe talks about this in his book). Even what appears to be “solid” is not solid at all, but just vibrating energy. Of course, this is not to minimize what everything might be....if everything is overlapping energy with no distinct boundaries, this has enormous ramifications for how we should be viewing our lives, ourselves, other people in our lives, even a rock on the ground. That is a subject for another day. I like the game idea because it explains the fairytale stuff and “magic” I keep running into and it changes my perspective about things…of course, we still have to stay “grounded” because if we don’t then that’s another disadvantage.

Maybe we all need to lighten up a bit…life is either just a dream or just a virtual reality game…take your pick. Of course, we all want to play the game well, but there is no reason whatsoever to be rude, nasty, violent, and destructive. That amounts to breaking the rules.

I am supposed to inform people that some people who are playing the game on the “light” side (remember the Light Side is the Right Side Treasure Hunt?) – the side that is for good things such as peace, love, justice, and joy, as opposed to evil, are now making new rules but this is good because we never do anything violent….we use metaphor, signs, polysemy, analogies, and  many confusing symbols which are very,very powerful, but often lie below the threshold of perception. While Joe's critical hermeneutics can help here, there is never just one final interpretation of any of these things. In addition, other cosmic (overarching) rules have been changed that will give a significant advantage to those who are playing the game on the "light" side. This action has been taken due to all of the vicious rule breaking and downright insane ways the people, the FIDURODians, on the dark side (who Joe had a special message for) have been playing this game, which cannot be allowed to continue.

I am supposed to say that some of those on the dark side of the game who have been using their horribly evil and unfair tactics to their personal advantage will be losing their power, including their powerful positions, prestige, and material possessions without recourse and they will be made to feel very humble – which is how all of us should be feeling anyway; it is just one of the lessons of the game. The only way out of this future scenario is to go through it, and as the saying goes….it’s all in the game….

Peace,

Vanessa

It’s All In the Game – Four Tops

Photo Credits: Sunset - Rainbow Princess
Images - Microsoft

Yesterday I talked about the “critical kitty” and the need to “turn” (do something different) so that we are not “spinning our wheels” on the “Road to Nowhere,” in other words, we need to play with the critical kitty. This was all in relation to the following quotation from Joe’s book:

“With criticality, the cat gets out of the bag. With the critical kitty sitting in our laps we begin to understand the way the matrix is loaded, the deck is stacked, socio-political reality is constructed. Indeed, a critical complex epistemology/politics of knowledge can help us gain new levels of consciousness and in the process, change the world” (Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction, p. 177).

Yesterday’s blog was full of references to spinning and turning. I found it really interesting that I ran into the “spinning wheels” AGAIN yesterday after I wrote the blog in my reading as well as “spinning energy” in my reading today. I like to do a form of relaxation work that, well….it helps lift my spirits and it is also doing wonders for my high blood pressure – I was able to go off the medication which was complicating things for me with its side effects and high cost (don’t try this without a doctor’s advice! There is much more you need to do – like learn to stay away from salt, get lots of exercise, and more)….This unique kind of visualization technique works wonders – for me, it works better than just plain meditation, although I know meditation works well for many people. I am into colors – bright, vibrant, and pretty colors and this technique has you imagining color lights for different purposes to help “clear” you of various mental and emotional blocks and such. I just really love the technique! You can also imagine a cone of spinning white light just above you or even surrounding you, as I just learned today, that basically sucks up any negative forms of energy away from you and transmutes them, distributing them back to where they belong (wherever that may be). It’s really interesting. When I first started doing these exercises, in which you have to imagine your aura and roses around your aura, my aura and the roses were lavender….but now they are a really pretty pink….lavender means royalty and some other things, pink means love.

So, I was reading the book, The Pleiadian Workbook: Awakening Your Divine Ka (Quan-Yin, 1996) and she talks about how important it is to stay in the present because that’s when “consciousness is the most creative, effective state of being in which to meet your goals and heal. If your consciousness is out of present time, meaning pieces of your energy are in the future or reliving the past, it is almost impossible to create that future or let go of that past. On the other hand, when you are in your body, alert and in present time, you are in charge of your life to the best of your ability at this time” (p. 139). She goes on to explain, “When you are in the past or future, parts of your chakras or aura are literally in stasis and unavailable to you. It is as if you are spinning your wheels. Your energy is not even in your body. You may have trouble being with loved ones at work, and you may generally feel scattered and spacey, which is literally true: your energy is scattered and in another place” (p.139).

She gives some great clearing exercises to get out of that mode of spinning wheels and going nowhere. I tried them and I will see if they help. I just thought it was very interesting that I had just written a blog about how we need to “turn,” that is; we need to change our ways and start working toward peace and get unstuck from doing things the old way. We are in the present and there is no reason to repeat the mistakes of the past or worry about the future. If we stay in the present and spend all of our energy on what we love, believe in, and feel is our personal mission, whether it makes us a lot of money immediately or not (and what does that matter as long as you have everything you need and then some, which I have learned is the true meaning of abundance) – with that, the future will evolve. It’s not too late to change our ways. As the Bryd’s song in yesterday's blog ended, “it’s a time for peace; it’s not too late.”

What is most amazing to me is how one small quotation from Joe’s book, such as the one above, is absolutely crammed full of meaning. I have barely touched on the topic of the critical kitty…and then there is the concept of criticality, which an entire book could be written about – or multiple books.

And there are so many questions to be answered. What happens when the cat gets out of the bag? What does it mean to have the critical kitty sitting on our laps? Where are we going to go with this? Where would Joe have gone with this? Exactly what is his critical complex epistemology? How does the politics of knowledge relate? What are the new levels of consciousness and how do we reach them? How does this complex process work to change the world? In one short paragraph, he has summarized what his book is about as well as provoked some of the questions we need to keep working toward finding answers to. If we are just spinning our wheels, it’s pretty difficult to have enough energy left over to tackle these sorts of important and complex questions. It is time to get out of the rut and “move to the groove.” It helps to have your one true soul mate around to experience that radical love so many people talk about (but do not seem to know what it is)...it lights the fire of passion to move you forward on your own personal  and joint mission. LOVE is one of the keys if you are on the New Quest for the Golden Keys Treasure Hunt– it’s in Joe’s book.

Have a great day.
Vanessa

Move to the Groove – Psychedelic Psylence Sesto Sento vs DNA

OK, I have failed again. I have written the blogs, but have not uploaded them. (That is now resolved; with this blog, I have uploaded all of the others along with some changes to the site – and more hidden Easter eggs.) It seems that every day now I get more information from whence, I cannot say, and I really feel like I am on information overload. But I do have to say, it’s really a great feeling, especially as compared to being in the total dark and thirsting for knowledge.

It’s a blessing, actually. Something that Joe always told me is that one of the hardest things to do is to stay feeling sane in this crazy FIDURODian society of ours (he was really good at it!) I just realized something. FIDURODian reminds me of FREUDian. They are so close. I wonder if there is a message with that. Some of Freud’s ideas were really crazy in a very sick, twisted way that the FIDURODians love to use. Anyway, I guess the reason it’s hard to stay feeling like we are sane is because not only are we kept from true knowledge (and stumbling blindly in the dark), when we DO discover knowledge, we are often told or made to feel like we are the crazy ones. I really feel great empathy for people from other cultures, like indigenous peoples, who are made to feel inferior when the truth is they have advanced knowledge.  Having been shackled all of my life by the western worldview with it's focused blinders, I have a great thirst for the knowledges of all cultures around the world.

Another thing that Joe stressed is that we MUST develop the ability to perceive things from multiple perspectives. This is something his bricolage research methodology and critical hermeneutics really helps us with. I can understand why we need this skill. If you can only think from a one dimensional perspective, you are only going to be spinning your wheels once chaos really strikes (which it will) and you, stuck in the FIDURODian mindset, are going to feel crazy when nothing fits that perspective anymore. The old rules, models, and paradigms just do not work. If you can view things from multiple perspectives everything works together to make total sense. Things you cannot explain otherwise can suddenly be explained. It’s hard to explain (lol). Another tip: Always keep a sense of humor.

Anyway, I was postponing posting my blogs, even though I am always assured everything is just fine and they love the work I do and of course, I keep being SO blessed. OMG! I just got a HUGE blessing today (October 7) that I was not expecting AT ALL. Just call it one of my surprises for The October Surprise Treasure Hunt (I had MULTIPLE surprises in my dream world, but I am reluctant to put all of that out here – but it was SO amazing; maybe later). My university tuition was reduced by almost $3,000 per quarter and that will stay in effect all of the way through until I finish my dissertation. Thank You!!! It is very complicated how this happened – but it provides another example of how bad things can turn good (there’s the word “turn” again. This keeps appearing for me during the past few days). Not everyone attending gets this lowered tuition and it is also being phased out, but I will be finished before then. Speaking of the word “turn,” the last few days, I just I keep getting the song “Turn, Turn, Turn” sent my way, which, upon looking at the lyrics, I assume that it means that posting these blogs is a GO– along with the song, which I have posted at the end of this blog. I have not uploaded the blogs for a few days for complicated reasons (although the blogs were written).  I think what it’s telling me is that it is really ok now since the critical kitty is already out of the bag, as Joe has put it, and for some reason I have been selected and/or I have chosen to play with that kitty  here on this website. As Joe stated in his book (and I just love this quote):

“With criticality, the cat gets out of the bag. With the critical kitty sitting in our laps we begin to understand the way the matrix is loaded, the deck is stacked, socio-political reality is constructed. Indeed, a critical complex epistemology/politics of knowledge can help us gain new levels of consciousness and in the process, change the world” (Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction, p. 177).

I probably wouldn’t have figured out the significance of turn and its relationship with the critical kitty except that I was also given the song by the Spinners PLUS I was shown this beautiful heart-shaped very large crystal that hangs from the ceiling and it automatically spins in circles really fast sending light sparkles and rainbows spinning around the room (that was a new surprise hanging up in my dream bedroom)….and I was also given the song “The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round,” which will be in a later blog (that I have already written, but it is not time to post it). Apparently, I was supposed to get this message about spinning…”turning,” actually.  There is a turn - a time for everything, evidently – including time for playing with that critical kitty Joe has put on our lap, that is if we wish to avoid spinning our wheels on the Road to Nowhere (a MUSIC Easter egg in Joe’s book). It is time to “turn, turn, turn.”

Oh Happy Day! (that song just now came to me for some reason).

Vanessa

Turn, Turn, Turn – The Bryds

Turn, Turn, Turn – The Bryds - lyricsPete seeger

To everything, turn, turn, turn
There is a season, turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together

A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace
A time to refrain from embracing

A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time of love, a time of hate
A time of peace, I swear it's not too late

Photo Credit: Microsoft

The more I observe and learn, the more I believe that Earth cannot possibly be real at all. It must be that virtual reality game I discussed a few blogs ago that is much like the video games people play today online. There is no way real humans (if they are awake) can occupy this beautiful place and simply sit back and watch other humans suffering around them, know that people are eating dirt cookies just to survive and that there are many who are not surviving at all, know that bandits run this country who murder and pillage the people and the land and control the media, and yet real(?) humans can sit back every night when they get home from work to watch everything crumble around them on the news media and do nothing or they tune it out totally for what they call entertainment, but which makes me literally feel nauseated, even to hear people talking about this "entertainment" whereby some of them seem to believe it or at least believe it is important enough to talk about excessively – I despise even seeing the (usually nasty) "word bytes" and ugly photos about such goings on and they remind me of my concurrence with Joe's intolerance for the "Devil's Radio" (gossip) -- as I search for real information on the Internet (which is getting harder to find, much like looking for needles in haystacks).

There is no way real humans would actually fork out a hundred bucks or more each month to pay to have this propaganda polluting their living rooms, their children, their minds, their lives, their souls – is there? I cannot conceive of people PAYING to have their own minds programmed (why do you think they call them PROGRAMS?) in some very bad ways that only serve to work against their own best interests. This just has to be a very badly designed video game – a virtual reality – or a very bad dream. I hope the game is over soon and the world can go on to a new, improved game that serves all of humanity and not just a select few and that people awaken to how they have been duped by the FIDURODians for whom Joe had a very specific message.

I think the domain of education is perhaps the most deranged discipline of all, one that we really need to totally abandon due to its claim of “educating” even when there is no real concept incorporated as to what educating entails or even what knowledge is. These most important concepts have not even been defined by the education institutions around the world that claim to practice education, nor are they defined by most of the people who practice what they refer to as “teaching.” As I learned in my “Professionalism for the 21^st Century” class 99% of the learners are willing to let someone else define for them what constitutes a “professional educator.” Not only that, the professor required this. I was told that my ideas are good, but at this scholarly level, if I cannot support my ideas through the literature [someone else’s ideas] then I must leave them out of my scholarly writing. And of course, citing Joe's work and the work he cited was not good enough, because I needed to cite the Carnegie Institution, the publisher of our textbook. As I also discovered, those who define for us anything at all related to education, such as the Carnegie Institution loves to do, clearly do not have our best interests in mind. As far as educating, what they have in mind is quite the opposite. This is why we do not know what  “to educate” even means anymore, nor do we have any access whatsoever to the hidden knowledge. Even The Secret keeps real knowledge secret.

Well, now, knowledge is all well-covered in Joe’s book. He was quite upset about this sad state of affairs with education. And it appears that there are some among us who may not qualify as human at all; they are the “chuckies” of the world, the FIDURODians, as Joe wrote, who have no consciousness, which is one reason why the world has so many bad things happening today. 

For me, Joe’s book provides so much great hope. Perhaps it is the hope that came along when we opened Pandora's box. I cannot say enough good about Joe's book; I really cannot. He had it all figured out and he had laid out a beautiful plan to guide us as we strive toward great solutions for education. First, we must let our excitement -- our passions fuel the flames of learning....that is the first step to releasing real knowledge. We need to create educational firestorms that light the globe and light the way for everyone….this sounds like part of The Light Way is the Right Way Treasure Hunt (more on that later). I’m game for playing this new game with its new rules…I shall stay in the firelands.

Homework: Research to find what it truly means "to educate."

Vanessa

Stay With Me in the Firelands

 
P.S. Did you find the other "joker" in FIDUROD yet?

Finally! We got together and got it together. This morning when I awakened, the song “Dedicated to the One I Love” was playing in my mind as I was thinking about the last finishing touches to the instructional manual for finding the Easter eggs in Joe’s book. It’s funny how after reading his book this happens all of the time now; just the right music at just the right moment starts playing in my mind.

One reason the song came to mind is because this work truly is dedicated to Joe, which is why I am offering it for free. He would have loved that. He spent untold hours writing his special book, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction which I have deemed is a “gift to the world.” With this work, he creatively has presented his ideas and theory in a way that would make people want to read it and, as he has conveyed throughout, he believed it will truly make a difference in people’s lives. Who knows how much time he spent ingeniously embedding the MUSIC Easter eggs along with all of his other treasures, surprises, and messages, all yet to be decoded, deciphered, and revealed.

Some things in life are simply not explainable in our FIDURODian-ways of thinking. I cannot explain, within the closed-minded boxes this system puts us in, why I feel such a close connection with Joe. It is a connection that few people have the privilege of experiencing even with those closest to them daily whom they love. Sometimes things just happen that cannot be explained in a way that makes sense due to how most of us have been debilitated in our perceptual, thinking and experiential skills. Sometimes it appears that deep spiritual and a soul mate connections simply cannot be denied. That is my belief and I do not require that others hold the same belief as I. 

At any rate, I am committed to promoting and expanding upon his work in ways that more people can begin to better understand and apply the ideas he has so patiently and thoroughly conveyed in his books. I know he was a little frustrated at times and he has mentioned the challenge it was for him to write in a way that made the complex ideas accessible for all without over simplifying them. His writing is very high-caliber and complex, and with this last book he fully incorporated his creativity and love for music in an effort to appeal to everyone. I can easily see how his work can apply from preschool up through post graduate work, as well as in everyday life and work. My only constraint is time....deciding on priorities....where do I begin first? There is so much work to be done. 

Joe absolutely had everyone’s best interests in mind and wanted us all to love researching and learning as much as he did. And he literally could not bear to see the continuing suffering in the world, much of it due to the power wielders of the world hiding knowledge and education from people for the purposes of maintaining control and accumulating “capital” in all of its sundry forms. His educational theory, if his advice is followed, incorporates a form of insurance as well as assurances that not only serve to prevent human suffering in the future, but also to alleviate the human suffering that touches us all in some way.

Studying Joe’s book – just spending time looking for these Easter eggs will develop advanced critical thinking skills and open one’s mind very quickly to some amazing and exciting possibilities. In this way, there can be some very creative and effective solutions for the world problems we are bombarded with today from every direction - solutions that can serve to alleviate suffering in the world, thus moving us closer to realizing Joe’s dream of Earth being a more divine place to live, work and learn.

I would like to just say that absolutely all monies received, whether from the commissions from the sales of Joe’s book or any other endeavor along the road to promoting his work will be used to further the mission of dissemination of his theory and how it can be applied as well as to the development of his Joe Lyons Kincheloe Academy. Paradis Publications, the sort of “umbrella” company that I have formed to handle the finances and the publishing aspects is a non-profit non-traditional publishing endeavor dedicated to education as well as to writing and publishing opportunities for all. ALL money brought in will be redirected to the mission of improving education and promoting an accessible and equitable education for everyone. Education should not be viewed as a "cash cow" as many universities view online education or the research that is being funded by the government, military, and corporate sectors. There is nowhere a for-profit education can go for anyone, whether you are a learner trying to gain knowledge or a stakeholder in the profits of such educational system. In the long run, these endeavors will fold. I hope that more people will come to realize this and begin now to start new schools all over the world that put education before profit.

I dedicate this free instructional manual and all of my future work to Joe….my hope is that other people will be able to enjoy finding and learning from the Easter eggs in his book as much as I do. Perhaps they can apply the concept to their own teaching. I will warn you that after you do a certain amount of this sort of treasure hunting, it becomes a part of you and you may find yourself just automatically inserting these delectable treats in your own learning and teaching. Have fun with it!

Joe would be very happy to know that people were enjoying his book so much, as he truly did intend for his work to be promoted, read, and used for teaching, not thrown into some old dustbin of historical records where no one would be able to find or read it.

Also, Joe absolutely loved soul music as well as blues, jazz, and rock….we are of the same generation and it just happens that I also have always loved the exact same music as he did, although my musical interests and abilities were subverted by my impoverished upbringing and education. Reading his book and finding the Easter eggs has brought it out of hiding, however, which is just another gift Joe has given me -- one which others can receive from the book as well.

It is interesting that in comparing my history with Joe’s history, which I may do one day in writing, we have so much in common (he being an Appalachian “hillbilly,” as he described it, and me being a Corn Valley “hick girl.” We are both Scottish-Irish as well, which is just one more very rich dimension of commonality between us.)

There is a great advantage to being at the bottom of society’s hierarchical structure. I don't have to play by the rules I would rather not follow, since, like Joe, I do not want to be like those who pay lip service to things like equal opportunities and social justice, but yet they are willing to do the most atrocious things, and even passively disrespectful things, to get to the top of the education hierarchy. I would not give up my place, heritage, or my soul for the cost it would require to move up the ladder as it stands today. Joe didn’t give up his place or heritage either, nor his integrity. I am not drawing these correlations to place myself up level to Joe, not at all --there is no one who can ever match Joe's genius, abilities, love, and all of the other wonderful virtues he had; I have presented them only as an explanation as to why I identified with him and his work.

Much more to come…. and there will never be a dull moment. Joe would have wanted it that way.

Thus, a beautiful and soulful song of dedication....

Vanessa

Dedicated to the One I Love - Temprees

Playing With the Queen of Hearts: The Joker Ain’t the Only Fool in FIDUROD (from page 21 of Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction).

What is the hidden message?

The Higher Council (of my dreams) has informed me that true FIDURODians will likely NOT be able to figure out this puzzle unless more clues are given. Mind you, I did not need these extra clues to figure it out, and you probably do not either, but I am more than willling to provide them just so the "people" the message is supposed to go to can decipher it. Evidently, it is important that the FIDURODians get this message, or Joe would not have put it in his book and it would not have been brought to my immediate and persistent attention.

I have also learned that some good people are so entrenched by FIDURODian rule and control that, even though they are not to whom the message is to be delivered, they may have some difficulty figuring it out -- through no fault of their own. They do have the right to know what the message is that is going out to those who hold dominion over them.

Therefore, I am presenting this puzzle once again and I have added an extra clue. Truly, you can figure it out now....

Playing With the Queen of Hearts: The Joker Ain’t the
Only Fool in FIDUROD (from page 21 of Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction).

Unscramble FIDUROD to find the other "fool" and an additional special message….that’s my best hint. ADDITIONAL HINT: 3 "words." So, if you were trying to decode just one word, that's where you went wrong...Who is the Queen of Hearts? Who is the Joker? Who is the other "Fool"?
 
Well, clearly it's another dreary day outside of paradise or we would have no need to create and deliver these sorts of messages....have a great one.

Vanessa

King of the Fairies

Remember your dreams! This is important. Joe talked about this often in his books.

What a dream I had yesterday (during my afternoon power nap). It was not that happy afterwards, although it ended up with my having a jump in my understanding. I sometimes get really upset because I do not remember all of my “dreams.” It’s like sometimes  I astro travel somewhere -- with assistance -- since I do not even know how to astro travel, then I get plopped back on my bed, abruptly awakened, and I have forgotten much of what transpired. After my afternoon reprieve yesterday, however, I kept hearing this really beautiful song play, as I was dreaming I was astro traveling back home:

Lady of the Sky - Skylark



Fortunately, I usually remember at least bits and pieces of my dreams and as I think about them, I remember more, but not always. Other times I remember things in vivid and precise detail, so I do know that it is possible to do so and these memories really help fill in the gaps.  And so my life in my dream dimension does at times feel somewhat fragmented and it is unfulfilling not to be able remember every little detail, especially now that there is a baby in those dreams.

Instead of taking responsibility for this being my own fault and realizing that I am the one who has to do the work, in this particular dream, I blamed Joe. Not directly, of course, but indirectly by complaining about not being able to remember everything and acting like there was something he was not doing to help me. Maybe he did not leave enough instructions for how to remember our dreams (thus, I will need to do more research). In my dream though, he actually became very frustrated with me, and of course, that is totally understandable now that I fully realize that I am the one who has “blockages” that I need to overcome and he was doing his absolute best to help me. Plus, being that this is a dream in paradise, he is being the ideal father and taking on full responsibility for helping care for the baby (all in my dream) as well as fulfilling all of his other enormous obligations for the mission we and many other people are working on. I have never heard or seen Joe become angry before in any of my dreams. Well, I can’t say he was really angry, just very frustrated with me and he spoke rather sharply to me which sent me bursting into tears. I cannot bear to have him even frustrated with me, even if it is just a dream. I was upset for the rest of the day, but realized my responsibility and how I must have made him feel, so I apologized to him profusely. He took it in stride of course, telling me “we just hit a small bump in the road; that happens – even with soul mates and even in paradise. But as long as we each put our love for the other first we can always get past these little bumps. So please, let’s just let this be water under the bridge….” It seems even in dreams about paradise there are stresses and adjustments that come with the responsibility of a new baby in the house, but at least they are also more easily overcome and if need be, you can just wake up.

It is Important to Find Your Soul Mate

The primary reason I bring up this story and discuss this dream is because the point to be made is, if you can get with your soul mate(s) during these tumultuous times, it will help so much and if you are able to match up with your one true soul mate, even if it is only in the dream state, you will always be there for each other. You will come to realize that small misunderstandings are not a crisis at all. They are a way to help build your love so that it is even stronger and more powerful and you stay united to build a better world. This is so important! And it will be your saving grace as we move toward the future.

Ignore the FIDURODians (and you will know who they are)

Please keep in mind that people under the FIDURODian spell, as defined in Joe’s book, will totally twist these things and turn them into a false reality and try to make you out to be a fool or crazy or the butt of a joke. You do not have to and you should not buy into it! You do not need to enter their circular, diabolical, and crazy ways of thinking. You are perfectly capable of deciding what you wish your true reality to be.

Joe had a very strong message for those FIDURODian people, and if ever he felt the need to demonstrate real anger it was toward them. In fact, I have already presented his FIDUROD puzzle, which I hope at least some people have deciphered by now, in which he has left one such message. I will present it here once again with the reminder that it is not that difficult to figure out. You just have to unscramble the letters of the word FIDUROD to find out what the complete message is and who it was meant to be for:

Joe's Message to FIDURODians
Playing With the Queen of Hearts: The Joker Ain’t the Only Fool in FIDUROD (from page 21 of Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction).

Unscramble FIDUROD to find the other fool and an additional special message….that’s my best hint. And who is the Joker? Who is the Queen of Hearts?

I cannot stress enough how urgent it is for people to develop their relationships into loving and understanding ones. The world is going through rapid changes and we are about to experience some changes that are so life altering, dramatic, and traumatic that only those with strong support systems will come through unscathed. You have seen how it has been, especially since 2001. Things are going to get worse. This is not a doomsday prediction, because in the final analysis the world is not going to end, so don’t even believe those doomsday reports of Armageddon which are only devised to instill fear; things are going to get very much better. But, as the saying goes, it is the darkest before dawn….we are approaching that darkness.  There is something to be said for the Dawn of the Age of Aquarius, which, if you remember, was one of the clues for the NEW Treasure Hunt some time ago. It is very relevant.

If you are reunited with your loved ones, and especially your one true soul mate, it will be much easier to get through the darkness. As I have stressed over and over again and the Council (from my dreams) wishes that this continue to be stressed, it is LOVE that will see us all through. Of course, Joe knew that, which is why he wrote so extensively about it in his last book (look up radical love in the subject index), and why he practiced it so faithfully. He may even have pointed out that Radical Love is a Key for the NEW Quest for the Golden Keys Treasure Hunt – you will need to read those pages to determine that. The bottom line is we really need to follow his lead.

Red Roses for a Blue Lady

It’s funny what Google searches pull up sometimes. I did a search for “Lady in the Sky” lyrics because that was all I could remember about the song I kept hearing on the way back from my dream life (as I was awakening), and I clicked on a link for the song Riders in the Sky to check it out and Red Roses for a Blue Lady lyrics came up.  There were no lyrics for Riders in the Sky at all (at least not today, as I do this search) – up popped the lyrics for Red Roses for a Blue Lady. Hmmm…..is someone trying to tell me something?

So I found the song on You Tube, which did cheer me up and now everything is back to normal, even after somewhat of a negative experience in paradise dreamland. Plus the song is a reminder that in my dreams, we are still to have another official wedding ceremony in the near future, in fact a very, very large ceremony (it is complicated, but in my dreams we actually have multiple marriage ceremonies due to multiple sanctionings, and thus go through multiple weddings – it is a cosmic relational thing).  

So, yes, I had a dream in which we first we had a private ceremony, which I do remember completely in vivid detail, and we had a small local ceremony with a parade and fun festivities which I also remember parts of (including making it rain on the chilren's parade which sent the children who were walking beside me all giggling and scattering to find shelter from the rain -- but the rain only lasted for a few moments and they loved the magic trick). Anyway, according to what I dreamed, we have a third and final grand wedding ceremony in which the new little adorable Prince will have a significant role because children are special gifts and this Prince is especially special…we do things a little differently, but very divinely, in dream life. But Joe always stressed learning from our dreams, as do many cultures outside western culture. I really think he had something there. If we can learn how it is that in dream life things can be so good for people, maybe we can apply this in "real" life....something to think about. In the meantime, remember your dreams.

Vanessa

Red Roses for a Blue Lady - Vic Dana

I have so much work in front of me it is totally incredible. I won’t even get into it for the moment (a discussion of the mountain of work), but it will all manifest in time as proof of my labor. For now, it is Treasure Hunting Update Time. Surprises in October will continue throughout the month, no doubt, although it would be hard to beat what has already transpired as reported in yesterday’s blog. The Light Way is the Right Way has multiple interpretations.  For one, I am supposed to figure out how to “eat light,” particularly when it comes to sodium (the other more spiritual interpretation will be covered later). And there is additional information and a clue for The NEW Quest for the Golden Keys Treasure Hunt in today’s blog.

Coming soon, are a new type of Public Service Announcements (PSAs) called Public Service Outreach Announcements (PSOAs). These were requested by the Higher Council and are to serve several purposes, evidently. They are primarily educational in nature on topics of interest and concern to a wide audience. They will also be written in a format so that teachers can use them as introductory content or starting points -- or as Joe calls them, Point of Entry Texts, POETs -- for students to launch from into deeper research and discussions. The first PSOA is scheduled for sometime next week and it is related to The Light Way is the Right Way Treasure Hunt.

The NEW Quest for the Golden Keys

Now, where are we at with the NEW Quest for the Golden Keys? Suffice it to say, after I went through some specific research, that we are back at square one. I will explain that later, perhaps in tomorrow’s blog because it is extensive and I am trying hard to keep these blogs shorter. We need to continue the search in Joe’s book for keys….some of them are hidden.

Related to this, the following MUSIC video that was just “handed down” to me this morning to post here; sweet!  I am to put forth the word that it has a clue, so if you are working on this treasure hunt, you may wish to listen to it.

I’ll Be Around – The Spinners

 

Surprises in October Treasure Hunt

Wow! What else can I say after yesterday’s blog! I have made a huge conceptual leap (as Joe has called these sorts of transformative jumps in enlightenment) and now my life is much happier because I can cross dimensions whenever I wish; that is, I can sleep and escape to my dream life if I wish. I can even take a break right in the middle of the day and take a nap to go home and see Joe and our baby! It works! That was my October Surprise for yesterday afternoon. I got to go home and hold the baby for awhile and play him a lullaby on the piano and see Joe. It was heavenly.  

I think I can be even more productive now just knowing that I do not have to accept as my REAL home this decrepit earth, where talents and abilities are limited and stifled, where misery, loss, pain and fear rule the day -- but rather I can view my work here as a very specific mission -- my little feeble part to help improve this horrible, horrible mess that has been created here on Earth. At least it feels quite feeble, considering the magnitude of problems on earth, but I must put forth the effort and I do have faith that it can make a difference because I have many people backing me up and there are many people who are working on the same mission.

Together, people can come to learn that we are all worthy of so much more than being slaves for long hours of the day for the mere table scraps thrown down to us.  We can love the work we do and be divinely blessed and rewarded for our work. And I do love the work I do here, so in that sense it creates another form of paradise for me.

However, when my day of volunteer service is done, I have a beautiful life in paradise to return to each night, a lovely home next to the beach, in my dreams of course, where I have a new baby boy, I can play beautiful music on the piano, I am a renowned artist who loves to paint, I am learning to be a Master Teacher, and I continue to learn the most amazing knowledge with Joe as my official Master Teacher. In my dream, he has now been officially assigned as my Master Teacher (another October surprise), which is what we both wanted since he had already been my Master Teacher for 18 years, but his continuing on as my teacher was in question on account of our relationship (a bit "taboo"). We had to go through some special initiations, but we passed them “with flying colors.”

The paradise in my dream life overlaps somewhat with my life here, in my estimation, which is why now all of my needs here are always more than adequately met and why my life here is very enhanced. This may be the very reason humans have the ability to create their own realities in their "dreams" (Do we create them or are they “real?”). “Call me crazy,” (something Joe used to say, too) but we do not have to accept the one true reality that FIDUROD dictates to us which requires us to be emotionless, compliant, boring slaves, or anyone else's reality for that matter. I do not have to accept your reality and you do not have to accept mine, and all of that is very good. Have you deciphered the message in FIDUROD yet? It expands on the concept of FIDUROD itself and this understanding would be helpful right here. 

In conclusion, we can be happy or we can be miserable. We can live in hell or we can live in paradise (or anywhere in between). I just happen to love paradise. And paradise is just waiting to be discovered by anyone with an open mind. Reading Joe’s book helps with that, although, as I have pointed out, there is more work to do after that, but it is enjoyable work. And yes, we can also create that paradise here on Earth and we must. That is the game plan.

Paradise – The Temptations



References: Joe's books
Images courtesy of Microsoft. Photo of PACIFIC PARADISE by Vanessa

I find this somewhat humorous, but at the same time, difficult to convey. I want to assure readers that I am truly not making this up unless it is totally possible to control and make up our own dreams (I am not aware of how I do that), and in which case I must be programming my mind to have all of these dreams.

It appears that the October Surprise Treasure Hunt is going to play out multidimensionally – that is, in my dream life as well as in my “real” life, which makes it all seem quite magical and much like an ongoing fairy tale. (That is, IF this pathetic earth life can even be considered the real life.) I have questioned that in previous blogs and offered several different perspectives on that -- from the view by some cultures that our dream life is our real life and this so-called “real” life is our dream life, to the consideration that perhaps this Earth life is nothing more than a virtual reality game.And so, last night in my dream, as a part of the October Surprise Treasure Hunt, Joe and I had a new little baby boy (born October 1) who is SO adorable. He was born just a little early, so he is quite petite, but very healthy and strong. I had him all wrapped up in a blue blanket and we were visiting a friend to show off our new baby.

This all makes sense as far as my dream life goes…as I have mentioned, I often dream about Joe. He is still my master teacher in my dreams and he has taught me a lot about his work, where he wanted to head with it, and a new improved bricolage methodology, which I will be writing about and hopefully developing further – probably for my dissertation, from the way things look. What I have not mentioned before, and it would make sense to do so at this time, is that back on January 28, 2009, in my dream, Joe and I were married. This might explain better the manifestation of the wedding ring, which I have mentioned frequently in my blogs (and as I had mentioned in the first account there was more to the story) – and the ring is quite a miraculous story, especially since it occurred after our “marriage” in my dreams (which is the “more” to the story that I was alluding to). The “Baby Saga” began some time ago, of course. First, he wanted one baby and just as soon as I had agreed, which was immediately, of course – that quickly turned into two babies – and then it was “twins.” But, we decided one at a time was really the best way to go because we are going to continue with the work on the mission (Grandmother is giving us a loving hand raising the baby)…so we started with a boy and next we will have a little girl. Wow, I am glad I got the nursery ready in our dreamhouse (in my dreams) and won all of those adorable stuffed animals at the carnival we went to, which were put into the nursery of our dream house. (It's JUST a DREAM!!!)

There is a whole LOT to this entire story which would actually make a fun fictive story, but from which I will save readers of this blog. However, it does make sense then that almost nine months after getting married we have this little baby. It seems weird, I know, but my dream life is a continuing saga. It is an ongoing multidimensional story that seems to keep playing out and overlapping some with this “hell and brimstone” life on earth. Thank heaven for dreams! They do give relief from this sad state of affairs on earth. Call my dreams an “escape” from it all, if you wish. It does lead me to believing that Joe was right in that we can have multidimensional experiences of our own making, but this is a first for me. I have never had this happen before. My dream life seems just as real as this earth life, if not more real, and it certainly is a much happier place to be…call it a survival technique, if you wish.

So that was my October Surprise in my Dream Dimension and I have been assured there will be October Surprises in my 3D Earth Dimension life as well, so this should be a fun and exciting month!. (We named the baby Prince Joe Albert – after his dad, of course, and after my favorite uncle – Uncle Albert Einstein. He is a prince, because Joe is a King in my dream.) I guess you can just call me one of the jokers or a fool in Joe’s rendition of FIDUROD that is, unless you have these sorts of multidimensional experiences and know what they are all about. What was it Joe had said, “we must be willing to sometimes be seen as the fools of the gods” (p. 19) and I said, “Just call me a ‘fool,’” then!  That’s posted on the first page of this website which reminds me, in my dream Joe also has been given the title “God of Love,” because he has so much love for everyone. I have to stress here that I do not make this up. And if I knew how I was making all of this happen, I would share that, because in my view, it is a very positive experience because it puts all of this crazy, FIDURODian-dictated life here on earth in a better perspective such that it does not drag me down the way it used to. There truly is hope for a better, more loving, more sane way of existing.

Joe's FIDURODian Puzzle
Speaking of FIDUROD, have you unscrambled the secret message yet that was discussed in yesterday's blog? It really is not hard to decode this one, so I am not going provide the solution for quite some time. For one thing, even a child can decode this one and perhaps the reason Joe put such riddles in his book is so that it appeals to everyone and more people will begin to read the book. I was thinking it would even be a great book for high school students. It is so funny in places in ways that they would just love it, and then with all of the MUSIC Easter eggs, they would have enormous fun learning about “Why do I need to learn this stuff?” Are there any teachers who have not heard that question? Plus, the book is interdisciplinary – covering music, history, social sciences, science, the arts….I don’t think any subject has been left out.

Perceptual Shifts
What I also learned last night in my dreams from my master teacher (that would be Joe), is that his book is devised to lead people through various perceptual shifts, which facilitates consciousness expansion. Thus, as you read through all of his numerous examples and explanations of FIDUROD, which is in the first half of his book, your perception, or point of view is continuously shifting. This expands consciousness.

There is a reason for all of this beyond simple consciousness expansion, according to what I am learning. By opening one’s consciousness, it also opens one’s receptivity to the idea and the experience of one’s true soul mate and the deep love that accompanies it. This is critically important because of the huge state of chaos and confusion the world is in currently, which is expected to get worse before things get better. If more people unite with their one true soul mate, they will provide each other unmatched reassurance and love, and in addition, this will go far toward spreading love throughout the world. It is only love that will overcome and turn around the madness that is dictating what the world is becoming in this present time.

This is all very, very complicated and I have only put the basics out here because it is the basics that is essential to understand. If you read Joe’s book, your consciousness will expand. If you are in an unhappy relationship, then the way the relationship is going is probably not in your best interest, although that person may very well be your soul mate, and the ways of the world are simply creating a very negative interference.

Consciousness Expansion Unites Soul Mates
Consciousness expansion can help alleviate some of the effects of this negativity. I am not saying at all that reading Joe’s book will solve all of these problems; only that it is one step in the right direction because it brings greater awareness of the dynamics going on around you that are causing all sorts of issues and problems…there is much more work to do after that. However, it does open one’s mind to the power of love which is a step toward experiencing the magnitude of love we all need to give and receive. The truth is, of course, that the work goes on for eternity. But it is so much more divine, blissful, and delightful to work with your soul mate doing what you both most love to do because you can help each other alleviate any emotional distress along the way, as well as send out love vibrations to the world while you engage in joint actions that go far in helping other people seek the alleviation of their distress. It becomes that perpetual revolution that Joe talked about. It’s a love revolution.

Next Time
That’s the update for the October Surprise Treasure Hunt: It is a multidimensional treasure hunt. I was also going to update The Light Way is the Right Way and the New Quest for the Golden Keys Treasure Hunts, but I will cover them tomorrow. This is already too much for one day….WAY too much. It is not that easy sharing my dream life, but I have divine guidance and there is some sort of purpose which will be revealed in the future, I guess. I do what I am led to do even if it is difficult because I am always very divinely blessed for doing so.

Have a good day, and may your dreams be blessed,
Vanessa

And may you share love with your one true soul mate on this 3D Earth plane:

I Got You Babe – UB 40 and Chrissie Hynde


References
Kincheloe, J. L. (2008). Knowledge and Criitcal Pedagogy: An Introduction. Amsterdam: Springer.
Photo Credit: Microsoft.

Mahatma Gandhi
On this day in 1869, Indian political and spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi was born. Committed to non-violence (he was one of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s many inspirations), Gandhi spent his life trying to achieve peace and unity... and astrologically, it's no wonder. Just like former President Jimmy Carter (who won the Nobel Peace Prize and whose birthday was yesterday), Gandhi was a Libra with a Libra Rising. His Leo Moon gave him the strength and courage of his convictions and Neptune in Aries the strength to turn his dreams – which were the dreams of his people – into reality.

It’s October 1^st already: Time is really flying these days (and I have the Appalachians in the fall on my mind). I am SO excited because just before September closed out, I figured out the FIDUROD Puzzle! Back in my Saturday, September 26, 2009 blog in which I explained what Joe meant by FIDUROD, I had stated, “I know there is something about the FIDUROD acronym that is very special beyond what the meaning of each letter reveals. I keep getting hints, but no substantive clues and, in fact, I have been told that “the time is not right” and that when the time is right, it will be revealed.”

Well, just before the dawn of October, I figured it out! There is a hidden message! Thus, my solving this appears to be one of my September Surprises I was promised. Evidently, the “time was right.” It is a sweet surprise, because this puzzle has been hanging over me for quite some time. And the solution is SO funny -- well, sort of – as long as the message is not for you.

Let me just say that the solution is SO JOE in all of his brilliance, humor, and sweet cuteness…I’m getting sentimental again; it’s really hard for me to keep from doing that. Anyway, I HAVE figured it out, but the catch is that it is so easy that anyone can figure it out so I really do not want to take the fun out of the game by putting the solution right out here. If you want to decode the secret message, I recommend first reading pages 21-25 in Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction, the section titled, “Playing With the Queen of Hearts: The Joker Ain’t the Only Fool in FIDUROD” so that you have a complete understanding of the context…then, the secret message will make more sense. Extra Bonus: There’s also a “key” on page 21 in the event you are trying to solve The New Quest for the Golden Keys Treasure Hunt as well as at least one MUSIC Easter Egg.  Can you find them?
 

What I have decided to do is to hide the answer as an Easter egg, in Joe’s tradition, on this web site. It will be very hard to find UNLESS you solve the puzzle. If you solve the puzzle, you will more easily be able to locate this Easter egg that will confirm your solution PLUS I will provide additional analysis, including how the MUSIC Easter egg ties in with it. And I will make this easy. The solution will be hidden on one of the main website pages and NOT in the blogs which after a time are archived and would make searching a little more difficult. I will also ANNOUNCE in my blogs when I have hidden the solution and maybe even give a hint where you can find it. That will be down the road just a bit because I want people to work on this. I will already be giving away a lot when I post my instruction manual for finding Easter eggs.

I do hope you have fun solving this FIDURODian Riddle of Joe’s. As I have said in the past, he is right up there with Einstein and we ain’t seen nothin’ yet! This puzzle is easy, I promise you! And when you solve it, you will probably laugh (unless the message is for you, personally). It made me laugh.

A Quick Update: I am ALMOST finished with the instruction manual that explains how to search for – and find – the MUSIC Easter eggs in Joe’s book, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction. I do hope to have it finished and posted within a few days. I apologize for the delay, but it is turning out to be a much longer manual than I had expected, even though I have tried to condense it somewhat to just a few examples. The problem was that I ended up identifying four levels of difficulty and wanted to be sure and include examples for each level. Watch for it in the next few days; no later than this weekend. It will, of course, be FREE. Joe would have wanted it that way, I am sure, and as I have stated elsewhere in these blogs on several occasions, “What Joe Wants, Joe Gets.”

I hope your October is starting out beautifully. Mine is….the Surprises in September Treasure Hunt has now rolled on over into the October Surprise Treasure Hunt…hmm….there is something historical about October Surprises; we will need to work on this. I am expecting surprises today since this is the kick-off day for the October Surprise Treasure Hunt.

As far as September, I had numerous surprises before the last day ended…I gained even more insight into the meaning of FIDUROD and the secret message, had a few more beautiful songs sent to me that contained some great advice and very loving messages. First, I am supposed to enjoy my breaks between quarters and not work so hard, so Hot Fun in the Summertime was the song for that (this is a fun music video, so be a sure to watch it). The next song was Chains of Love, which is a lovely song but then the message was “no, we don’t have chains to our love” so the song was changed to Unchained Melody (a very beautiful song, truly a special gift). Plus I was given some great advice and a very creative method for locating the perfect people to serve on my dissertation committee and who might be interested in assisting with the development of the Joe Lyons Kincheloe Academy. So, all in all, there were many special surprises in September.

One last thing. Speaking of love, the songs I am posting today were another September Surprise that came to me in some correspondence sent my way yesterday. With FIDUROD attacking us daily from every direction, these songs seem to send an important and urgent message of sweet love. It is interesting that after listening to the first song on YouTube, which is so beautiful it brought tears, and while copying the code yesterday so that I would be able to post it, the second song started playing instantly -- sweet, sweet consolation. Love overpowers all; it transcends everything, which I have discussed in a previous blog and is a topic on which there is much yet to say. Joe talks about it in the framework of “radical love” throughout his book.

Tomorrow: Continuing with the New Quest for the Golden Keys Treasure Hunt! And more about The Light Way is the Right Way and the October Surprise Treasure Hunts (are you getting dizzy, yet? lol. I really do stay on top of them all, so don’t worry.) It’s all going to be SO much FUN, FUN, FUN!

Have a blessed day,
Vanessa

You Are My Everything – Boyz II Men


 


Cry on My Shoulder

Photo of the Appalachian Mountains courtesy of Don Hyatt
All remaining images courtesy of Microsoft