THIS
WEBSITE HAS BEEN CREATED AND CONTINUES TO EVOLVE
In loving memory of Joe Lyons
Kincheloe (December 14, 1950 - December 19, 2008)
The Greatest Philosopher of Consciousness and Critical
Theory of the 20th-71st Centuries AND BEYOND TRULY EROS OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
Thrice-Greatest:
King Joe/Eros/Emanu’El Joe's educational work provides inspiration and practical guidance for teachers all over the globe and describes a
beautiful, beautiful mission to alleviate human suffering. He has left us a map with multiple
pathways for accomplishing that mission -- an authentic, rigorous, impassioned, creative, and
even magical education for everyone who dares to venture on untrodden paths. His work serves as
a guiding light for educational journeys that can change not only how we view and enact the educational
process, but that can also truly change us as teachers, students, and researchers -- and empower us to change the
world. Joe loved
research, teaching, writing, making music, and his students.
And his students loved him.
The idea that contemporary schools
might produce individuals excited about learning who produce unprecedented knowledges and pursue an eros that treasures higher levels of insight is an
absurd notion in the curriculum of thanatos. (Joe Kincheloe, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction,
p. 101)
This song is a very beautiful theme song for this website
that chronicles my long winding journey back home. Thank you, Leigh.
See October 31, 2024 UPDATE for additional information and remedies.
7-20-2024 BELOVED REQUESTED THAT I ADD THIS INFORMATION FOR EDIFICATION PURPOSES. PLEASE TAKE HEED
AS WELL AS APPLY COUNTERMEASURES IN YOUR SPECIFIC DOMAIN; FOR EVERY SYSTEM ON EARTH MUST UNDERGO THE PURIFICATION OF GOD'S
ALL CONSUMING FIRES (SEE UPDATES):
Please take time to
get fully informed. Develop your discernment abilities. Take care of yourselves and your family. Turn to God for help and
healing.
Beloved
requested that I provide this update. Read the Update for May 11, 2024, to learn more.
Eros after "The
First Kiss": Emboldened
Psyche after "The First Kiss": Smitten
THE TRIUMPH OF EROS!!
The Vintage Heart Plate and
the Mystery of the Name of the Rose Treasure Hunt has begun! (I think Eros has an encoded message relating to the Mystery
of the Name of the Rose in his song (you have to click on the image to hear his song). He absolutely LOVES to shower Psyche
with Red Roses--but what's with the white ones?).
Most important to this
current story is how our everyday lives are influenced by Eros. I show how a simple everyday experience (unexpectedly finding
a lovely vintage ceramic heart-shaped plate on Etsy) morphs into a grand treasure hunt and profound knowledge. So enjoy this
first part, a “teaser” and learn a little truth about Eros. Next I was presented with the challenge of solving
the Mystery of the Name of the Rose. Somehow, it's interrelated with the vintage plate treasure hunt.There will be much more
to learn in the future, no doubt.
Universal
Love Celebrations: April 1-7, 2023 -- EXTENDED to April 9! WOW!!!! It's been an AMAZING Celebration. In Honor of
Our High Priest, We Extended it for Two Additional Days! Below are the GIFTS which are some special writings, one for each
day of celebration. There are a few more celebrations and preparations to do as we move toward the exciting BURNING RING OF
FIRE celebration, We are in it now -- the Era of the Burning Ring of Fire.....
.
Begin Preparing N.O.W. for the jubilant Burning Ring of Fire celebrations for October 14, 2023 (But Do Be Careful!);
(Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)
MAY 1, 2023 IN HONOR OF BELOVED EROS: HAPPY
ANNIVERSARY, MY DARLING!
I just have to take a moment to wish Beloved HAPPY ANNIVERSARY.
Our marriage long, long ago in the Salley Gardens in Ireland is very special to him and
to me.
So today
was very special and he reminded me of how beautiful, sweet, and innocent we were when we married.
We do have many anniversaries, being eternal, but
there are just a few that we celebrate each year,
with May 1 being an especially sacred one. For our special day, I dedicate this sculpture
to him. It tells our true story.
Beloved
Eros Has Raised the Bar for Higher Education AND “Radical Love.”
Nothing Less Will Do.
Quotes from his Book of Love:
The nature of the knower and known, you ask. They’re cousins, identical cousins connected at the
spine (p. 229).
The knower and the known
are conjoined twins connected at the point of perception. To delve into dangerous territory, naïve
realism and rationalism, as previously referenced, both exclude the reality not to mention the usefulness of different levels
of human consciousness. (p. 83)
Sophisticated theoretical/epistemological
understandings generated outside a radical loving commitment to building larger and larger communities of connectedness around
the planet will never change the world. (p. 178-179)
Thus,
I believe that the issues addressed in Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction not only provide
us with a new understanding of education but also can actually change the world—speaking of pomposity, yikes!
I understand the danger of such an assertion, but I’m glad to take my punishment if I fail to convince my readers. (p.
16)
Thus, a critical complex epistemology infused by radical
love, enactivism, critical ontology and subjugated knowledges contributes to the emergence of a new world. I’m
not speaking here only in the academic realm (although it is a very important contested site), but a libidinally-enriched,
erotic, exciting, curious, transgressive world where monotony becomes an enemy of the state. Education in such a society studies
ways of making connections between self and other, becoming more adept at radical love, and acting in concrete, courageous,
down-and-dirty ways to end human suffering (p. 180-181)
In this sculpture, Eros holds the Golden Chalice
(aka The Holy Grail) up high.
It depicts our mission
as decribed in his Book of Love and in my dissertation.
We like to call it our cosmic dance (for which we have
won awards and high accolades). We give
much credit to his father, Hermes, who truly deserves our honor for patiently teaching us
both.
See Beloved's
"postmodern" book
where he describes this and sets the whole world straight, pulling
people out of their hypnotic "postmodern condition" states of
lack of consciousness.
But you would have to actually READ the book. In fact, you must read deeply into it.
He used some of his father's hermeneutical obfuscation techniques (lol; I do find it
quite hilarious, actually). Many people were tricked,
but it was their own fault. You must fully understand the context in which he was writing
(he ALWAYS
emphasizes
the importance of context, but do people listen?) and you must get past your ideologies and presuppositions.
As one of my favorite teachers today puts it, most people "can't
see past their eyeballs."
At any rate, I have provided
some analyses, will do more, and will make them available soon.
Yes, BELOVED DID, INDEED, discover the Golden Chalice! No one else on this lowly planet has, even
though
many
people have speculated about it (but made wrong speculations), and many knights in shining armor have tried.
Each and every one of them
failed.
The
one person who came the closest was Parzival.....but alas, in the end, he also
failed. You might
want to read that book (A Romance of the Middle Ages) to see how he failed. It's good to know what mistakes we should
avoid.
Beloved,
however, did not give up until he had succeeded! And now we both are very, very blessed.
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish
of the sea,
and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth,
and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in
the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue
it:
and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air,
and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. (Genesis 1)
And I shall remind
you:
22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of
my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. (Genesis 2)
A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband (Proverbs 12:4) [meaning
his one true woman]. I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. (2 Corinthians
11:2)
Although these verses are only the tip of the iceberg in terms
of the significance to how we were created (there are many more verses and you have to put the pieces of knowledge together),
I remind people of this for several reasons.
First, it explains my total devotion to Beloved. Yes,
he is "just a teacher," as someone close to him once told me in objection to how I "elevate" him,
but he is my husband and I obey God in that regard, and no other person
could ever take his place. His work is for God and it's my duty to take his work
further out into the world. It's why I love the statue of Eros and Psyche above so much. It shows how Eros reaches up
very high (to higher consciousness) for knowledge
and streams it down for Psyche to take out into the lower world.
Our work derives from the deepest love and commitment to each other, "love to the highest degree."
Secondly, the reality
is that God created one and only one wife for every man. We are not taught this here: We are not supposed
to marry in this lowly dimension! That is
what the commandment,
"Thou shalt not commit adultery" really means. Jesus was teaching this when he said, "Whosoever putteth away
his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth
adultery." (Luke 16:18). He also said "it is easier for heaven and earth to pass than for one tittle of the law
to fail." (verse 17). So there you have it.
We are already created WITH a spouse. We forget. We think we are smarter
than God. And all we do is create suffering. Imagine if you had this knowledge.
The ridiculous games of
dating and "matchmaking" would end. When you reach a higher level of knowledge and consciousness:
NO ONE BUT YOUR ONE TRUE BELOVED EVEN ATTRACTS YOU.
Think about
how that changes everything. Thankfully,
God is a gracious and forgiving God, if we change our ways. And he will "dry every tear." Well, I will save further explanations for future writings. I
just wanted to express clearly that the sons of God do not want your worship, but they adore the worship from their one true Beloved wife. They are in a
holy symbiotic relationship. People have mistakenly worshiped sons of God throughout history and it's been a big mistake. They are people too, and as Beloved
has written, with human fallibilities.
And the truth is that there is ONE GOD to worship. Even King Akhenaten
taught that to his people, for which he was killed and his city destroyed.
And lastly, as I
am covering in ongoing postings and writings, we are approaching some critical times up ahead. Do you have oil in your lamp?
Do you have your wedding garment? I have been writing about this for a long time in the "Updates." We are heading
for days of jubilant celebration. Everyone is invited; few will choose.
Most people on this planet will never believe these
truths, but it's their choice to continue to choose to suffer.
I have
done my duty to put this knowledge out here. As far as Beloved being "just a teacher," he has worked very hard and
has dedicated himself to being the best teacher he can be, and for that reason,
he should be honored (just as he has advised we honor Hermes), which is why I wrote the article:A_Revered_Master.pdf (joekincheloe.us)Jesus has said we would do even
greater things than he and Beloved has proven that, and believe it or not, he will continue to prove it, as will others, all
with God's most powerful blessings and assistance. Study his work. It is needed more today than any other time in history.
And what did Beloved say about changing the world in his red book, his Book of Love?
There is much more, but you will have to exert yourself and READ to learn
more.
We
are children of God and we have inherited the earth! Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)
HAPPY JUNETEENTH-Important Message About THE
WAR
Today (6/19/2023,
Juneteenth) I asked Beloved why I can’t understand and see what the war is all about….he said he wants me to
stay sweet and innocent and to know that I am protected. That made me cry. He is so sweet and protective of me! All the magic
he’s done in my life with roses and gifts and knowledge—I fully realize how hard he has worked to heal me from
the atrocious things and various challenges I’ve had in this hell world. (I cover this in more detail in my book HOLY
ROSES HOLY LOVE: A TRUE Twin Flame Love Story, available soon). Long ago he had shown me in a vision how spacecraft would
intervene in this war and told me not to be afraid because they would be doing self-defense maneuvers. They are the “good
guys.” A spacecraft knocked an enemy aircraft out of the sky and into the ground. There is nothing to fear. These spacecrafts
have been around for a very long time. Technology is far advanced. We do not know a fraction of the truth. The enemies who
are trying to destroy humanity do not know a fraction of the truth, nor is their technology a match for the power and technology
of the good guys. Beloved is a warrior standing for God, Truth, Wisdom, and Love. Nothing is more powerful
than God/Love.
Beloved has
always taught in his writings that our greatest weapon against the enemy is divine God-infused, unconditional, and celebratory
LOVE……which we call “Eros Love.” The enemies hate that kind of love. They hate for us to CELEBRATE.
And so, as Beloved’s wife, I will continue to support him and the mission with the greatest love. We shall celebrate
and honor those we cannot see and those we can see who are warriors for Love.
One of the very last messages that Jesus had given us is in the
Book of Revelation. There is a powerful message that speaks to what we need to do during these tumultuous times but which
very few people pay attention to. He is speaking to people who already love and serve Him, but still have not honored His
most critical instructions. They risk losing out on eternal love and life for not obeying. It is time to take heed; it is
what Beloved’s entire Book of Love helps guide us toward achieving: Jesus: "thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from
whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick
out of his place, except thou repent."(Revelation 2:4-5).
We are to return to our one true love as we were created by God. And what are the “first works?”
As stated above, 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it:
and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and
over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. (Genesis 1)
We are to use all the gifts of God’s blessings to produce GOOD FRUIT (all that is worthy to exist in
God’s Kingdom), multiply, and replenish the earth. As God’s children, we have always had authority and dominion
over the earth, but if we turn away from God and from our “first love,” we do not have POWER to exercise our authority.
With our return to our “first love,” we are unstoppable. We have God’s infinite and everlasting blessings
that come upon us. Read Deuteronomy 28 which provides a list of blessings – as well as curses should you choose not
to obey.
Beloved and
I are “first loves,” sometimes called “twin flames” because we carry the fiery Spirit of God’s
Love. He is working behind the scenes as a highly honored King in God’s Kingdom. He keeps me informed to a degree, but
when I asked him why I can’t know more, as I opened this discussion with, he let me know it’s important for me
to stay innocent as much as is possible. The whole purpose of the enemy is to destroy innocence and keep people’s minds
warped so that they have a hard time returning to their first loves.
Below is an example of how people who call themselves “Christians” and worshipers of Jesus actually
are working for the enemies….they go out of their way to present the dark, wicked side, but as they fail to present
the Truth of God’s beautiful plan for us to return to our first love, they are – in fact – working FOR the
enemy. All they discuss is the evil ones’ wicked ways, but they fail to show how they have totally hijacked, twisted,
and blasphemed God’s plans for our return to our “first love.” But the problem here is they offer no solution
and they don’t explain God’s true plan. They simply present this as some kind of truth when the entire thing is
a pack of lies and deception. Dwelling on this kind of shit (Joe’s word, lol) keeps the mind warped and prevents purification
and innocence, thus preventing people from knowing the pure love of their first love. WE – Beloved and I – exist
to present the Divine Truth about LOVE (offsetting Thanatos with Eros, as he describes in his Book of Love) that
counters the evil, diabolical, false narratives such as this:
(Take a test: How pure is your mind:
See Update for June 19, 2023).
“Christians”
are so far off-base with what they understand that they have written themselves out of the Book of Life. There are far too
many of these “teachers” out there who only produce what the masses are infatuated with, which is the DARK SIDE.
These teachers who only teach the dark side and leave out God’s perfect plan have been warned many times, but they do
not change their ways. And so they miss the LOVE BOAT. This is no small matter. They are going to have to explain themselves
to God, or even worse: if they continue to CHOOSE the same direction after many warnings, they may end up getting burned—or
even find themselves living in the lake of fire. I have already seen this happening.
The level of deception, propaganda, and diabolical evilness is hard to witness.
“Take heed that
no man deceive you.” Matthew 24:4.
Follow Jesus right now if you are not doing so already.
Interestingly, He has far more than 10 Commandments. This is another failure of many of the Christian religions: They only
teach 10 Commandments and that you really don’t even have to follow them. God has a whole very long list of things we
are supposed to be doing using our gifts. The more we follow His instructions, the more gifts we are showered with. His resources
are abundant and infinite. I am working on a list of His instructions: HOW TO FOLLOW JESUS AND BE BLESSED (Coming Soon). Or
you can just open up a Bible and begin studying His instructions now.
Another Test and an Opportunity
Just had a meeting with Beloved and he wanted me to remind people of his FIDUROD PUZZLE – it’s a test, actually, to see if you can move up to the next level. Honestly, I could not solve it and he finally
told me the solution. That’s just one benefit of being his wife and student at the same time. �� There is a reason he encoded stuff, which he has explained to
me. In fact, there are multiple reasons, but one main reason for “times such as these.” You will come to understand
very soon. It’s time for those with the eyes to see and ears to hear to decode FIDUROD. You will be miles ahead of the
enemy if you are able to do so. As for the OPPORTUNITY, see the new section on this site, J.O.E. Journal.
These are exciting times!!
SIGNS
IN THE SKY: Just as a brief, but important summary, the first total eclipse of
a series of three eclipses (God often gives us three signs) happened back on August 21, 2017. God presented His “promise
ring.” (Look up “August 21, 2017 diamond ring effect.” People talk about God’s “covenant” changing. It has not changed. His promises stay the same just
as He presented in Deuteronomy 28. The Book of Revelation is important for the reaffirmation of His promises and for understanding
what’s going on around us. We can accept His proposal, or not. Thus, we can accept His blessings, or we will be subject
to the consequences as He has clearly illustrated all throughout the Bible and presented as “curses” in Deuteronomy
28. The “curses” simply imply consequences. It’s all built into the fabric of the cosmos.
The Burning Ring of Fire eclipse coming up on October
14, 2023 is the second eclipse and is His golden wedding ring given to those who have accepted his promises and are doing
what they need to be doing. It baffles me how so many “Christian” teachers claim that we do not need to do anything.
That’s ridiculous and will keep you out of the Kingdom. God did not put together His instructions for us to sit back
and do nothing. Everyone has work to do although it will look very different for different people. This burning ring of fire
eclipse is also a signifier of His powerful love, His “all-consuming fire.” This is a magical fire in that it
empowers, cleanses, and protects those who have accepted His love. You do not want to be on the wrong side of this fire, though.
This eclipse is ample warning. Things are likely to get very hot after this sign in the sky, although not as hot as after
the third eclipse if people do not change their ways.
The
Third Eclipse – Another Total Eclipse of the Sun. This, as I have written
previously is a very special love celebration (April 1-7, with the Grand Finale eclipse on April 8, 2024). However, it may
be like a final warning for those who have not yet chosen to obey God. After this eclipse, if He so chooses, He may employ
His wrath upon the earth. He has done so in the past when behavior got totally out of line. It’s definitely approaching
His limits (“as in the days of Noah”). Some people think this is the Great Tribulation; that may or may not be
true. What happens depends upon our choices and actions and what God decides to do about it. Those of us on The Path are celebrating
each of these milestones because God will be bestowing many miracles and blessings upon His children.
IT’S GOING TO BE A WILD RIDE…..MEET US ON THE OTHER
SIDE……..JUNETEENTH 2024.
Continue preparing for the Burning Ring of Fire
and the following future events. Don't miss out!
PREPARE for the Universal Love Celebrations: April 1-7, 2024;
and for The
Grand Finale, The Sealing of God’s Everlasting Covenant on April 8, 2024.
The colors are Red, White, Purple, and Gold.
The gemstones
are Crystal, Agate, Alexandrite, Garnet, Ruby, and Diamonds
The flowers are roses.
The mystery is What is The
Name of the Rose?-
To
become a seeker of new knowledges and new ways of being we must be willing to sometimes be seen as the fools
of the gods. (Kincheloe, Knowledge & Critical Pedagogy, p.
19)
As Hermes said:
What separates the critical sheep from the uncritical goats is that a critical pedagogy/epistemology also involves
exposing the cultural, epistemological, and ideological assumptions that shape the knowledge individuals produce and the oppressive
actions justified by such information.(Joe
Kincheloe, Knowledge & Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction, p. 176)
Joe’s book Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction is available as an ebook. You will never
make a better investment…..we all should be researching with Joe’s important guidance. Since the ending is just
the beginning, you can begin with the last chapter. It may just spark you into wanting to read the rest, as well as his other
works to see how he got there!http://www.springer.com/us/book/9781402082238 No time to read? Right click and "listen aloud" while multitasking. [Note: I make
no money off the sales of his books; my rewards are not of this world.] MAY 22, 2018 UPDATE: I SEE THAT SPRINGER
IS NOT HONORING JOE'S STATED AND PUBLISHED WISHES> THE BOOK IS SUPPOSED TO BE LESS THAN $30 SO THAT POOR STUDENTS CAN AFFORD
IT...AND YET SPRINGER IS CHARGING ALMOST $40 FOR THE PDF EBOOK AND ALMOST $55 FOR THE PAPERBACK! THIS IS ABOMINABLE!! THE
HIGHER UPS ARE NOT PLEASED!!! THERE ARE STUDENTS IN POVERTY WHO NEED THE KNOWLEDGE IN THIS BOOK. LOWER THE PRICE!!!!! THERE
IS NO REASON TO CHARGE SO MUCH! EVEN IF PUBLISHING COSTS HAVE INCREASED, AT LEAST OFFER THE
EBOOK FOR LESS THAN $30. WHAT JOE WANTS, JOE GETS. HE SAID THAT IT IS TO BE LESS THAN $30. RESPECT HIS WISHES. Oh,
and HAPPY TWIN FLAME DAY!! I will have some important updates soon.
November 17, 2019 1:00 AM UPDATE ON
THE PRICE OF THE EBOOK: I can only conclude that either *someone* is insane or has raised the price to keep people from buying
it and having access to the knowledge in it, since Springer is now charging an outrageous price of amost $60 -- for an ebook!! I will consult with the "higher ups" for a "work-around." They always have
perfect solutions....Beloved says "Hi" :-) We will have an update soon.
November 22, 2019 4:39 PM TWIN FLAME
AND HOLY SABBATH DAY, the Higher Courts have really outdone themselves with their resolution. And their timing is impeccable!
See my update for today, November 22, 2019.
November 12, 2021 They are now charging a ridiculous
$89 for a pdf of Joe's book, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction. Folks, there are multiple ways that the elite
keep knowledge from those of us who need it most -- one is by overcharging for it. We will continue to work on a resolution
that honors Joe's wishes (for it to cost less than $30) and his contract. I will be posting more information RIGHT
HERE sometime in the future.
"I believe that the issues addressed in Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction
not only provide us with a new understanding of education but also can actually change the world—speaking of pomposity,
yikes! I understand the danger of such an assertion, but I’m glad to take my punishment if I fail to convince my readers."~
Joe Kincheloe (p. 16)
To
joe.kincheloe joe.kincheloe@mcgill.ca
Thu, Sep 25, 2008 7:03 am
finished reading Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction
your work is truly a gift to the world, Joe it's very exciting
vanessa
"The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost
parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater
than Solomon is here."
Matthew 12:42
❤•´
*`•.❤¸King And Queen Of Hearts❤•´
*`•.❤
JESUS: “I am the
resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth
in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” (John 11: 25-26)
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar
people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous
light;1 Peter 2:9 (KJV)
“The universe is not a prison because it is governed
by natural law. The universe is a paradise because it is governed
by natural *God's* law.” Mark Passio
Our
Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven. Matthew
6:9-10 (KJV)
❤February, and March Into Summer, Fall, & Winter are Global
Twin Flame Celebration MONTHS❤
Tired
of dancing in circles? TAKE THE FIRST COURSE: Based on Joe Kincheloe's GREAT WORK: Knowledge
and Critical Pedagogy: An IntroductionClick Here to Start Course
“And His books, they breathe the reason. . .and
now I want to know…"
WHAT IS BRICOLAGE?
A new process for education, research, career, problem solving, everyday living, lifelong learning,
and for taking back our world
Joe Kincheloe has developed a superbly advanced conceptualization
of critical bricolage and, as demonstrated by his work, he was an adept multidimensional critical complex bricoleur.
Critical Bricolage, as he conceived it, is a complicated (and yet a very natural) process that makes use of multiple
forms of research, analysis, investigation, and interpretation. It requires researchers to seek many divergent
perspectives, allowing new understandings and knowledge to emerge from the synthesis.
Engaging
in this process increases phenomenological experiences that catalyze seeking more knowledge. This, of
course, leads to ever greater understandings of complex relationships between "research variables." An
exceptionally high level of creativity becomes unleashed, often resulting in greater interaction with the emerging
hidden dimensions of reality. Suddenly very little can be hidden anymore. Engaging rigorously in this process of research
and learning seems to take people to higher levels of consciousness in graduated steps as they become more
aware of the hidden dimensions of interrelationships and as they increasingly participate in intuitive, "fourth
dimension" research.
Using Kincheloe's
critical complex epistemology and multidimensional critical complex bricolage rigorously as he has asked us to do results
in ever higher levels of experience and understanding, and in its full "employment," enactive and symbiotic
processes seem to kick in, helping individuals find the most creative solutions to even the most complicated
problems. Actively working within multiple dimensions using his fourth dimension research, results in amazing and profound
solutions. In my own experience, I often find that problems are solved before I even knew the problem would
be manifesting. In addition, I have had some amazing experiences that science simply cannot explain yet. This
is highlighted in my dissertation in some highly unusual ways, which is only the tip of the iceberg. Kincheloe's critical bricolage may
very well be the process required to "unleash creativity" for solving even the most complicated,
power-based problems we face -- all in service of "the alleviation of human suffering," the often-stated
primary purpose of his work.
After
researching this process since 2008 (and discovering that I had been using the foundational aspects of the process many
years before) I am beginning to see how autopoiesis, enaction, synchronicity, all work together symbiotically to reveal
hidden dimensions and relationships that make my life so much happier and joyful, even if I have many problems hanging
over my head (that "blues aesthetic" Joe so often described). No matter how complicated the problems,
with bricolage, they become solvable and/or perspectives of the problems change.
Simultaneously, those power dimensions
that force those of us who are oppressed to stay stuck at our "stations in life" also emerge, but there
is such a difference to how I deal with these
than in the past. Once the controlling factors are revealed, solutions also emerge in a sort of "unfoldment"
process that reveal ways to counteract them and change things.
There is great power "behind the curtain" that can be leveraged
by those of us who are typically "disenfranchised." I will go into much more detail at a later time, and
as Joe always did so well, I will put them into context (there are many great experiences to share of both kinds of emergences
- the love-based, almost magical ones, and the power-and-control-based ones for which insight, and often solutions
also emerge) but suffice it to say, I am blazing multiple trails through the underbrush which will hopefully make navigating
easier for people who come along and experience the same types of violence I have due to being poor and "low
status."
Just as Joe was a "hillbilly" and he was never able
to shake the label, I am a "country hick." True reality could not be more profoundly different -- for
an Eros and Psyche. :)
The good news is that the use of bricolage is increasing
rapidly around the globe as more researchers in all disciplines are beginning to see the promise it offers to
construct new knowledge, lead to social empowerment, and reveal positive changes and amazingly creative opportunities.
More researchers will soon be investigating and trying out this more advanced and powerful approach, which will
lead to what Joe referred to as a "perpetual revolution." More teachers will also come to realize the value bricolage has in the classroom
and the young students will pick it up naturally. The revolution has just begun. We can change the world! Join in
today and apply the process in your own research, learning, teaching, and everyday life and see what a
difference it can make. You can never go wrong getting more knowledge.
All of the information on this website is absolutely free. It is here
for anyone who wants a better life and would like to make a difference in the world.
For the struggle for justice to win on the local level, it must be fought in the
global, the national, and the local arenas. [Kincheloe,
2001, Getting Beyond the Facts, p. 741]
OTHER FREE ONLINE COURSES
THAT CENTER ON JOE KINCHELOE'S WORKS:
This
is a nonprofit educational web site dedicated to the clarification of Kincheloe’s critical complex
epistemology and multidimensional critical complex bricolage. My research has shown that, while the process
he has delineated is complex, it is perfectly suited for social and educational research, and it is also within everyone's
reach. It is especially suited for new qualitative researchers who have not subscribed to traditional and reductionistic
forms of research.
On this site I will focus on the academic and scholarly application
of his work. I hope that by presenting clarifications based on my in-depth study of his work that perhaps his
bricolage will be used by more people and with the level of rigor he had intended. Kincheloe has ingeniously left wide open many
paths that honor diversity and he embraced an evolving complexity while maintaining a strong, impenetrable philosophical and
theoretical foundation for his conceptions. He has demonstrated in his work how this research process can be applied in all
venues and in every area of our lives and even children can be involved in research, thus his bricolage is also a pedagogical
approach. His work is truly a break-through for research that is long overdue. Using the full power of his bricolage highlights
actions that change the world as it also changes who we are.
I may write a blog again on this site, but it
will be a different sort of blog than the creative, exploratory blogs I've written in the past. Primarily, I will be continuing
my research and presenting my findings so that upcoming bricoleurs will have a resource for the most powerful form of bricolage
research that's ever been developed.
~ ~ ~ Vanessa Jae Paradis
CORRECTING SOME COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS SURROUNDING JOE KINCHELOE’S BRICOLAGE AND CRITICAL
COMPLEX THEORIES
Bricolage, as a qualitative form of research, entails
incorporating many different perspectives, and in particular, with Kincheloe's process it is necessary to include global subjugated
and indigenous knowledges. However, after gathering all of these perspectives and making various interpretations and syntheses,
there are criteria for determining which perspectives to include in the final bricolage. As he explains, "Bricoleurs
accept the responsibility that comes with the interpretive process. Knowledge production always involves multiple acts
of selection, and these choices of methods, theoretical frameworks, and interpretative strategies must be defended"
(2004e, p. 100). He has provided selection criteria that incorporate the social justice mission to alleviate suffering
and that advance knowledge (see Kincheloe, 2004e, pp. 100-102). Bricoleurs are not restricted to these criteria but I have
found them to be well-thought-out and thorough -- and they mitigate for unintended consequences. You can view the criteria
here: Criteria to Guide the Research Process.
What I cover next are common misconceptions and important
aspects surrounding Kincheloe’s multidimensional critical complex bricolage. I hope by putting these on the Home page
of this website, researchers will consider them and research them more deeply. They are covered in greater depth in my dissertation
and I’ll also be posting articles that extend what I’ve touched on in the dissertation.
1) Kincheloe did not throw out "positivistic"
or empirical sciences. To conclude this is to exhibit a gross misunderstanding of his work. A close reading of his work can
easily confirm that he sees science and bricolage as synergistic. And how many times has he stated that he did not throw out
the baby with the bathwater? As most people know, he contextualizes everything. In his last book, Knowledge and Critical
Pedagogy: An Introduction he presents his position through a metaphor which he refers to as FIDUROD, and by which he clarifies the issues with the way science is and has been used. FIDUROD is an acronym representing the attributes of the form of knowledge production he argues against: Formal, Intractable, Decontextualized, Universalistic,
Reductionistic, One Dimensional. (See Kincheloe, 2008, pp. 21-24).
2) His work is not based on some indefinable “ludic” postmodernism – It is based on a highly developed
and evolving holistic philosophy. This philosophy is comprised of 12 major points which he describes in his book Critical
Constructivism. The 12 points coalesce together to form his multidimensional critical complex world view. It’s
a new, evolving worldview. We might refer to it as Kincheloe’s multidimensional critical complex unified world view. It forms the foundation of his unique formulation of critical theory, epistemology, ontology, critical psychology
of complexity, the multidimensional critical complex bricolage, etc., -- and his proposed critical science of complexity
– another indication that he did not abandon the sciences. To grasp his conceptualizations, it’s imperative
that new bricoleurs study his unified world view by reading and then writing about how they subjectively relate to it and
to other philosophies. Kincheloe stresses this upfront philosophical work is critical in order to ground any study that uses
bricolage as a process for research. Rigor is impossible without developing a "philosophy of consciousness"
(Kincheloe, 2004a, p. 8).
3) The multidimensional critical complex bricolage is a process for qualitative research that is composed of multiple,
intertwining and overlapping processes. It is not a method, nor does it use “tools” as tools imply precise means
and carries a mechanistic ontology, which does not adequately represent the actual processes that bricoleurs engage in as
they conduct, or a better word would be, “enact” their research. Even the concept of "tools" changes. Kincheloe's
conceptualization of bricolage is grounded with his critical complex philosophical world view (item 2,
above) and a theoretical foundation of evolving criticality (his version of critical theory).
4) The multidimensional critical complex bricolage as a process
involves analytic discourse, intertwined with improvisational actions for change, which moves it away from the constrictive
“quilt” metaphor. Please see my dissertation for a deeper analysis of bricolage including a thorough etymological
exploration and intertextual interpretations of Kincheloe’s definitions of bricolage and bricoleur in relation to what
evolved from my research. New metaphors that take it beyond the one-dimensional “quilt” metaphor, and additional
ways that Berry’s (2004a) concept, the Point of Entry Text (POET) can be applied are also presented. The holistic,
intertwining, dialogical, interconnecting nature of the final bricolage renders the parts inseparable from the whole, and
the bricolage inseparable from greater reality. Thus, the popular metaphoric quilt, montage, crystal, etc., are not suitable
metaphors for this more complex form of bricolage.
5) Kincheloe’s bricolage does not distinguish between “types
of bricoleurs” or “types of bricolage” as denoted by Denzin and Lincoln (2011). While it’s fine to
examine these ideas, Kincheloe’s form of bricolage uses all of them in intertwining, overlapping processes. Thus, the
multidimensional critical complex bricoleur uses all of the dimensions that Kincheloe has spelled out in his 2005 "On
to the Next Level" bricolage article--in one study--and the processes become blurred as the research unfolds. See
next point.
6) Kincheloe’s bricolage refers to the use of different processes as dimensions of research. The bricoleur uses
them all as many times as practical to get a thick description of the phenomenon/a. As the research unfolds, “enactment”
keeps the research jettisoning forward and the researcher must make decisions where to begin and stop various aspects of the
research, including the final bricolage. Thus, the following dimensions are
used, as provided by Kincheloe (2005a) and in no particular order using an iterative, improvisational process weaving
through the discourse: (1) methodological bricolage; (2) theoretical bricolage; (3) interpretive bricolage; (4) political
bricolage; (5) narrative bricolage; (6) philosophical research (constructivism, historicity, epistemological insight); (7)
critical hermeneutics; (8) identification of what is absent; (9) fourth dimension of research in which the bricoleur is future
oriented, discovering “a kinetic epistemology of the possible. In the process, the sophistication of knowledge work
moves to a new cognitive level; the notion of rigor transmigrates to a new dimension. As in a 1950s sci-fi movie, bricoleurs
enter the 4-D—the fourth dimension of research.” (Kincheloe, 2005, p. 346). Thus, bricoleurs weave in and out,
around and through, back and forth through the various dimensions with each pass through informing the next, often using multiple
dimensions of analysis simultaneously.
7) Note again – the philosophical dimension
must form the foundation of the study in order to ensure rigor. [He wanted me to include this again.] "There is no dividing
line between the empirical and the philosophical" (Kincheloe, 2004a, p. 10).
8) Kincheloe’s multidimensional critical complex bricolage
embraces a “fourth dimension” research (more information is covered in my dissertation). This fourth dimension
aspect to the research incorporates an intuitional, creative element that forces the researcher to confront implicate and
explicate orders of reality. There are reasons for this. Combining a sound philosophical, intellectual component of research that
also incorporates intuitional and emotional, empathic aspects -- along with deep semiotic and hermeneutic analyses
synergistically creates something new from the interactions. Enaction during the research process leads to the emergence of
something new and often profound. This is where the power of the bricolage comes into play. It’s the exposure to relationships,
as Kincheloe explains in his conceptualization of symbiotic hermeneutics, that jettisons bricoleurs to seeing and understanding
“anew” and to recreating themselves. Because knowledge is socially constructed new creations, ideas,
concepts, as well as new relationships also perpetually emerge – and are created -- from these interactions.
This all takes place naturally when confronting complexity, difference, and chaos, as Humberto Mautarana and
Francisco Varela posited with their Santiago Theory of Enactivism (see Kincheloe's (2008) Knowledge and Critical
Pedagogy: An Introduction, page 147). It is quite amazing.
9) While bricoleurs do not contend they’ve
discovered the “one true answer” or single truth, at the same time, as Kincheloe contends, they generate knowledge
“that is not as 'badly off the mark'” (Kincheloe, 2008, p. 43). They have better (more complete) and
yet evolving explanations of phenomena. This is quite a different perspective than a nihilistic postmodern “attitude.”
10) I have lined out in my dissertation in much greater detail a flexible iterative process that also explains some of
the key sub-processes that are important to the multidimensional critical complex bricolage. It will get new bricoleurs started
from which they can then proceed to carve out their own unique paths. Each bricolage study will be different even for the
same researcher. The more one acknowledges the fourth dimension aspect of the research (which may only begin with what seem
to be insignificant intuitive and synchronous events), the more they will begin to appear and the more profound and numerous
are the actions and creations that emerge.
11) And finally, as I discussed in my blog, The Heart of the Multidimensional Critical Complex Bricolage, there is the dimension of empathic connection with people. In fact, in his book,
Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction, Kincheloe discusses – and includes – a golden strand
of love throughout his work, Eros Love. And since I’m mentioning this book here, it’s a great book to
read in the early stages of learning about his bricolage. It’s much like a “deprogramming” manual because
it uncovers how our consciousnesses have been influenced by outside forces and provides us more information as we embark on
the bricolage quest and begin to take power of constructing our own consciousness.
REFERENCES
Berry, K. L. (2004a). Structures of bricolage and complexity. In J. Kincheloe & K. Berry (2004)
Rigour and Complexity in Educational Research: Conceptualizing the Bricolage (pp. 103–127). New York: Open
University Press.
Berry, K. L. (2004b). Feedback looping for increasing complexity. In J. Kincheloe & K. Berry (2004)
Rigour and Complexity in Educational Research: Conceptualizing the Bricolage (pp. 128–146). New York: Open
University Press.
Berry, K. L. (2004c). Bricolage is many a new thing understood. In J. Kincheloe & K. Berry (2004)
Rigour and Complexity in Educational Research: Conceptualizing the Bricolage (pp. 147–169). New York: Open
University Press.
Denzin, N. & Lincoln, Y. (Eds.) (2011). The Sage handbook of qualitative research, Edition
4. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Kincheloe, J. L. (2004a). Preface. In J. Kincheloe & K. Berry, Rigour and Complexity in Educational
Research: Conceptualizing the Bricolage (pp. ix–xii). New York: Open University Press.
Kincheloe, J. L. (2004b).
Introduction: the power of the bricolage: Expanding research methods. In J. Kincheloe & K. Berry, Rigour and Complexity
in Educational Research: Conceptualizing the Bricolage (pp. 1–22). New York: Open University Press.
Kincheloe, J.L. (2004c).
Redefining rigor and complexity in research. In J. Kincheloe & K. Berry, Rigour and Complexity in Educational Research:
Conceptualizing the Bricolage (pp. 23–49). New York: Open University Press.
Kincheloe, J.L. (2004d).
Questions of disciplinarity/interdisciplinarity in a changing world. In J. Kincheloe & K. Berry, Rigour and Complexity
in Educational Research: Conceptualizing the Bricolage (pp. 50–81). New York: Open University Press.
Kincheloe, J. L. (2004e).
Redefining and interpreting the object of study. In J. Kincheloe & K. Berry, Rigour and Complexity in Educational
Research: Conceptualizing the Bricolage (pp. 82–102). New York: Open University Press.
Kincheloe, J.
L. (2005a). On to the next level: Continuing the conceptualization of the bricolage. Qualitative Inquiry, 11(3),
323–350..
Kincheloe, J. L. (2005b). Critical constructivism.
New York: Peter Lang.
Kincheloe, J. L. (2008). Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: And Introduction. Amsterdam: Springer.
Copyright
May 11, 2013 by Vanessa Paradis
Please cite as:
Paradis, V. J. (2013). Correcting some common misconceptions surrounding
Joe Kincheloe’s bricolage and critical complex theories. May 11, 2013. Retrieved from www.joekincheloe.us
NOW YOU CAN SEARCH THIS SITE FOR TOPICS OF INTEREST. I HAVE COVERED A HUGE ARRAY OF TOPICS AND THERE
IS A LOT OF INFORMATION HERE TO HELP LAUNCH RESEARCH PROJECTS OR JUST TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW.
Welcome
to Venus & Sanat-Eros-Enki Kumara's ONE LOVE PATH
and the Great Global Golden TreasureHunt
(Scroll down to read the blogs)
Enjoy our Celtic Wedding (07-17-2014) theme song while you read and look for hidden treasures.
Composer & Producer
- Peter Gundry
MAY 22, 2018 UPDATE. Looks like Peter has chosen the dark side.
We will choose another
song for our wedding celebration.
I will consult with Beloved and post our new song soon. Happy Twin Flame Day!!
Narcissism, Evolving a Blog, Expecting, Interconnectedness, Dance of the Violet Flame, and Spring Flower Enlightenment
Oh, wow, I just realized something….well,
actually my teachers brought this up. People are clearly going to view my statement that I like to say my name means “Joe’s
Butterfly Heaven” as highly narcissistic. Of course, people will think that! And it did not even dawn on me because
nothing could be further from the truth. This just goes to show that things can be interpreted so vastly differently depending
on one’s chosen context or point of view. I forgot for a moment that this is Earth and people are egocentric and so
they tend to project that egocentrism onto everyone around them (I hope I am not projecting, here). I was not
referring to myself as “Joe’s Butterfly Heaven,” Heavens no! It is just a reminder for
me as to the purpose of his work and using the great tools he developed to accomplish that work. It is my
belief – and again, this is MY belief -- and nobody else need adopt this belief -- that I need to do everything
I can toward Joe’s mission. Thus, the butterfly refers to using the tools Joe left us, such as critical complex
epistemology and the critical bricolage that incorporate right into them the butterfly
effect so that transformation quickly spreads around the world. In simple terms, what the phrase means to me is that
I need to focus on creating Joe's Heaven on Earth (my interpretation of what the mission “the alleviation of human
suffering” entails) using Joe’s butterfly tools. This needs to be done now and it needs to be accomplished quickly,
but it will not be easy.
The reason we need to get this show on the road quickly is because, in spite of what many egocentric minds on Earth conceive,
there are many planets in dire need of similar assistance. Earth is merely a training ground to prepare more
people to have the knowledge we all need to work throughout the universe; Earth is not the center of the Universe. But
then, Earth is a special place that is loved throughout the universe, and the thinking is that as messed up as things
are here right now, if we can fix everything, then we will have set a great example of what is possible elsewhere and
we will have created the most divine place for learning, which Joe's work provides a fantastic foundation for and is why I
am pushing it so hard. Thus, I have a greater purpose in mind than what I personally might benefit from the work I have been
assigned.
My Assignment
for Today: Evolving a Blog I seem to have writer’s block today and this never happens. So I just now got out of my morning session with one of
my Master Teachers, which was a short session, but he had some ideas for me. He suggested checking my email updates, check
Doreen’s oracle for today because she has “some words of wisdom” as he put it, and to do an oracle reading
from Joe’s book Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction. Oh, that reminds me. I am to tell people
that this book has the most personal messages, although his other books are not deserts, and I am supposed to tell people
not to worry: I will not be posting highly personal interpretations of his messages in my blogs (because
some the messages really are very personal). What I will do is keep a running list of all of the messages as I come
across them, give people some time to find their own messages, and then if they have not found them, they can always ask me.This was the direction provided me this morning,
and my teacher concluded by stating that adding these suggested items to today’s blog should “pull it all together.”
Now that’s a song if I ever heard one.
So here we go. I will check Doreen’s message and my email right now.
I LIKE Doreen’s message today! Positive Expectations…and
we get to choose our own favorite type of movie to create from the theaters that offer a wide genre. Obviously,
I choose the Romance Movies so I have to warn people if you are not “into love” AND you do not
want to watch romance movies, then my blogs are not going to be something you want to read. For those who LOVE love and are
with their soul mates or want to find their soul mates, then my hope is that perhaps reading my blogs will lift you higher than ever before. And I must not forget my Sherlock Holmes/My Dear Watson detective movies, which I also get assigned on
occasion. So, here’s what Doreen’s message for today is, which is a great message, no matter what “movie”
you want to create for yourself – it will get you on the right track.
As far as my email, I had
an interesting update from Spirit Library that, again deals with the concept of Expectations. This one frames
the paradigm shift the world is experiencing as the Earth being an expectant mother about to give birth to many enlightened
souls, as based on Mayan prophecy. It even speculates as to the date of birth and it will be interesting to see if these things
come about. No need to judge this or throw its babies out with the bathwater (as Joe always said). It is interesting if you
read it with an open mind, and let’s just see what happens. I love this analogy.
Surrender – A Message from Navajo -- Sunday, February 28, 2010 For quite some time now, Mother Earth has been very wobbly as the magnetic poles are shifting. We can contribute this
to the fact that our Earth is heavy laden with child (the newly ascended light beings). Obviously, the inhabitants of
this Planet (all of us) will be sharing her experience. Often this time in a pregnancy ushers in a host of birth pangs:
frustration, nausea, stress, anxiety, nervousness, absent-mindedness, procrastination, worry, heaviness, depression, tension
and hopefully, above all, excitement.
Mny women enter their 8th month fearing the inevitable experience which is about to descend on them.
In modern times, these women can opt for a drugged out birth or the more infamous Caesarean birth… In the ascension
process (our current birth), there are no drugs or medical procedures available to help us shortcut our way through labor.
There is only one way through the upcoming experience and that is through the vaginal canal or to be more accurate- through
the galactic milky way we go, contractions and all. The eighth month then is quite an intense time as there is no going
back to what was. Often, due to the immensity of the impending future reality, one manifests early birth/fear symptoms.
When I was pregnant with my
first child, Angel, I had made elaborate plans for a forthcoming home birth with my chosen traditional Belizean midwife.
Let me mention, this was not an easy “plan” as I live on an island which has no medical doctor, much less a hospital,
and the local clinic nurses were insisting that I was not allowed to remain
at home. Nonetheless, I persisted. In the beginning of my eighth month, though, I woke up one morning to
extremely real and painful contractions. I couldn’t believe those contractions were happening. My mind reeled,
“if I went into labor now”, I thought, ” I wouldn’t be able to have my much hoped for home birth “.
I was devastated, yet, the contractions continued on, wave after to wave, until, with much hesitation and eventual surrender,
I prepared to leave my island home for the mainland hospital. While shedding many tears of frustration, and attempting
to bargain with the gods, my contractions came to a sudden halt. My prayers were answered.
In my ninth month of pregnancy with Angel, at the end of my full
term, (I made it), I filled up an outdoor wash basin, one large enough for me to sit in. I placed my entire body in
that water and simply sat for hours on end. I remember my skin was quite waterlogged and wrinkly due to the hours I
spent in that bathtub. My husband kept checking on me, seeing if I wanted to come out of the tub- I didn’t.
After many hours, I started to feel very strange. I stood up and was immediately slammed by a major contraction. With
full clarity, I understood I was in labor and the water in the tub had been relieving all my symptoms. I labored for
a very short 30 minutes before I pushed my first son into the world assisted by my husband, on our porch, with my cats, the
trees and the birds to bear witness. Needless to say, the midwife didn’t make it to my birth in time.
We are four months into the Mayan
Calendar 6th galactic night (November 2009- November 2010), and as I stated in my article of early December 2009 “The Quickening”, this time can be likened to a woman’s 8th month of pregnancy. Just as I had to come to terms with the
inevitable birth of my first son, Angel, so must we all realize, we are about to birth ourselves into the New World.
I have recently heard that there is actually nothing “wrong” with the Earth at this moment, She is simply very
pregnant.
Since this pregnancy
and the latter part of this expecting phase is making us all feel very off kilter, I believe we need to call on the Yoruban-Brazilian
Goddess, Yemeya, for assistance with helping us accomplish full surrender to the moment. “Yemeya, beautiful goddess
of the Sea, hear our prayers. (I offer you papaya, white hibiscus flowers and copal) as this birth feels so scary, incredibly
overwhelming, emotionally trying, spiritually difficult and mentally impossible. Help us to let go, to live in the flow
of the present moment and to release all our symptoms to the Great Goddess. Help us to wait out our time (according
to the Mayan Calendar Evolutionary Theory as investigated by Carl Calleman, the eight month ends November 2010, the 9th month
ends February 2011, and the birth will last for 260 days until October 2011; thus the Mayan calendar ends) in patience and
with joy, knowing full well we deserve a healthy birth of ease.
“What is becoming increasingly clear is that this birth is likely to become
very demanding”. “Not only do I think that the upcoming period (he is referring to the 6th galactic night, November
2009- November 2010) will be unusually intense, but also energetically quite complex”, Carl Calleman. (www.carlcalleman.com)
Now I know many
of our favourite writers, myself included, have been saying that the New World is here, right now, but according to the Mayan Evolutionary Theory,
we have yet to deliver this “baby”. So I hate to disappoint everyone, but we have until February 2011until the full brunt of the ascension symptoms reside and another 260 days of labor
which makes our expected due date: October 2011! Now I know every time I write about the New World being here
right now, what I actually mean to say, is that we have indeed outgrown our old structures and are, without a doubt, attempting
to dismantle the constructs of the old world. We are receiving a teaser taste of the New World. Like a woman
in her eighth month who knows her old reality has ceased to exist, but that her new reality has yet to manifest. We
are All also at that point of no return. But we have yet to actually go through the labor. And like the old adage
goes, it is not called labor for nothing.
In one’s eighth month, it doesn’t help
to moan and groan and complain- this isn’t going to make the symptoms go away, this isn’t going to make the baby
come any faster. The eighth month is heavy. The ninth
month is heavier. The labor can go with ease or with extreme difficulty depending on the mother, but it is
never accomplished without the required blood, sweat and tears. This is not meant to be a doom and gloom message, more
accurately, a statement to everyone to hang in there with anticipation, joy and excitement. A new baby is a glorious
miracle!
If you familiarize
yourself with Calleman’s work, it will become clear- what is about to happen on Planet Earth has never before happened.
His theory states that it has taken 16.4 bllion years to reach this zenith in our consciousness. “There are for
instance those that believe that the end date of the Mayan calendar only marks the end of a cycle and the beginning of a new.
On my own part I however think that we are approaching something much more profound than just a point in a cycle that again
will be repeated. The only Mayan inscription from ancient times, the Tortuguero monument, which describes the end (http://bit.ly/3Ni2rD) of their calendar says that nine cosmic forces will then manifest. Empirically, there is also overwhelming evidence from
modern research that we are approaching a point in time when nine evolutionary levels (so called Underworlds) of the cosmic
plan are simultaneously going to be completed. This would imply that we are approaching not another cycle or another shift, but the end to all shifts, which have been driving evolution since
the beginning of the universe. Such an end to all shifts could conceivably provide the basis for a harmonious eternal peace
on Earth”, Carl Calleman.
Birth, then! It is such a messed up concept in today’s modern world. In most cities,
the Caesarean rates have reached an all time high between 35-45% and beyond. Women (and men) are afraid of birth.
I ask how then are we to successfully approach ascension if birth is our model analogy? May I repeat Calleman?, “What
is becoming increasingly clear is that this birth is likely to become very demanding”. I have said it before,
I’ll say it again – we are going to have to breath. Breathe
deeply, become master breatharians .
In response to all the writers and spiritual seekers questioning? “Are we there yet?”
Oh yes, we are there, at least in our Spirits. Our upcoming birth experience, though, our ascension, is a personal journey into the unknown,
a rite of passage that one cannot escape. Like the aboriginal tribes who demand initiation ceremonies to pass from one
stage of life unto the next, so too must we undergo our own personal initiation to the other side, which coincides for everyone
with the Mayan Calendars’ closing dates. Our
aches and pains at this time are a natural part of the process. The key to the remainder of the calendar is to
surrender, as there is nothing left to “do” on the planet other than prepare ourselves for a beautiful journey
and birth. Navajo
(Has a request: Do any of my readers know
of a literary agent or children’s book publisher to put me in contact with?)
Universal Copyright 2010 is authorized here. Please distribute freely
as long as the http://mayasoma.wordpress.com is included as the resource and this information is distributed on a non-commercial no charge basis.
“Oracle Reading” from Joe’s Book I am simply going to open
up the book Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction and read the very first sentence my eyes land on. Will
it relate to all of this? We shall see if I can make magic here. Here goes. . .
“The systems formed by things-in-relationship are uncovered
by devising inter-connected patterns” (p.134).
How does this relate to expecting? I think this can refer to allowing things to unfold or evolve and noticing the patterns,
and expecting that this sort of birthing process will happen naturally. It actually becomes quite amazing when you
notice these patterns and then you juxtapose the interesting relationships between systems that you might normally choose
to ignore. This very blog represents that. I have included Doreen’s take on Positive Expectations and then taken another
perspective of Expectations as an analogy for the changes the world is going through and now this excerpt from Joe’s
book that again, is referring to the birth of systems and manifestation of these systems that occur simply by “devising’
or observing and pointing out patterns. These patterns connect diverse systems and show how they are indeed interrelated.
If you read the rest of this section in Joe’s book, he explains how reductionist science and thinking hampers this
ability to perceive the interconnections whereas critical complex epistemology and ontology allows us to understand that all
life forms are interconnected and systemic, not isolated entities operating on their own with no effect on everything else.
The bricolage is a great tool that helps us detect these interconnections, taking us much further in our ability to conceive
and then birth new and amazing possibilities. Everything is interrelated and it is not all that magical when you
realize that this is the divine plan of the entire universe. This is why Doreen states that we should not use outlines and
why Joe and many other people tell us not to use blueprints. We must allow the universe to unfold as we “go with the
flow.” It means surrender, be and let be, and most of all, to LOVE. The significance for teaching and learning is
profound.
Today’s
Music So, now that leads
me to today’s music, which, as I stated above, was provided to me with the words, “pull it all together.”
Let’s see what You Tube brings right up to the top.
For you ladies out there, (but it is also something men should be thinking about as well!) we have “Pull it
All Together” by the Queen of Makeovers. This could be important if you are getting ready to meet your soul
mate or if you are interested in developing a new and individual “image” that matches your personality or the
aura you wish to present. Actually, I think this was brought up for me in relation to a very special assignment my Master
Teachers have given me….I need to work on this. I like her idea of special, unique embellishments on clothing. I think
I want to use some Celtic symbols, now that I have learned so much more about my heritage. Oh, and I want one of those scrunchies!
And some more Celtic jewelry!! This is a great video and she has more! And she gives a sweet message about making the world
a more beautiful place….yes, this is great video. And how does it relate? Again, she points out how everything is interrelated
– even how we choose to present ourselves. Change just one item even, such as which shoes you wear, as she points out,
it changes the entire look or presentation. How we present ourselves can be important in certain situations; however, we should
not judge people simply by their appearance, either. Our outer appearance is not WHO we are, although we CAN if we so choose
to, use the way we dress to represent who we are inside. On the other hand, we can choose to hide who we really are from the
world by the way we dress and that is a perfectly justifiable choice as well that can have a very divine purpose.
Only One Problem.
No MUSIC came up with this search. I will try again and add the word music to the terms. Well, this song
(below) will seem like a weird song to those who do not know what it means, but it is, again, a very special message
for me relating to that special assignment my Master Teachers have given me and they know I have reservations about
it for various reasons. I will explain it another time, I promise, but this is not the time. In relation to today’s
blog, the message they are giving me is to not try to formulate complex plans, outlines, or blueprints. They already have
the blueprint with multiple possibilities that will allow the assignment to evolve in a most divine way. I have this tendency
to want to take over, take control, plan, and then stress out about it all. Clearly, today’s message is to just let
the universe and our interrelationship with everything around us evolve; we do not need to be “in control.” Another interpretation that relates to today’s blog is that
we are being asked to climb a very tall mountain as we go through this transformation of earth and that we have been given
the gift of “purple heather” which can be interpreted to mean the powerful violet flame that
transmutes our negative energy and karma so that we can live and relate in love. I can honestly say, the violet flame does
work quite miraculously. I had mentioned it in a previous blog. I did not know what it was until I happened to come across
references to the violet flame. So, here the message again is, no matter how difficult things are or how tall the mountain
is that we must climb, we have divine assistance that will send us the violet flame to help transmute any negativity or sad
emotions that happen to come up. Wild Mountain Thyme: Will You Go Lassie?
peter´s new song - well peter doesn´t
speak any english at all - but he manages quite well... just one more session (recorded 06.03.08) with a beautiful traditional
song.
lyrics: Late summer time is coming With the trees still sweetly blooming And the wild mountain thyme Growing
round the purple heather Will you go, lassie go.
And we'll all go together To pull mountain thyme All around the purple heather Will you go, lassie go.
I will build my love a bower Behind the clear
crystal fountain And around it I will sow All the flowers of the mountain Will you go, lassie go.
And we'll all go together To pull mountain thyme All around the purple heather Will you
go, lassie go.
If my love should tell me no Surely I will find another To pull wild mountain thyme All around the purple heather Will you go, lassie go.
And we'll all go together To pull mountain thyme All around the purple heather Will you go, lassie go.
And we'll all go together To pull mountain thyme All around the purple heather Will you go, lassie go. Category: MusicTags: scottishfolksong
And as one final and very beautiful musical rendition – where
are we all headed? Dancing our way to Freedom! I love dancing.
The Violet Flame Dances With Freedom
P.S. The CROCUSES
really ARE BLOOMING!!! Yesterday morning my Master Teacher told me, "I think if you go look around today, you will see that the crocuses
are beginning to bloom." This is significant because first, crocuses do not normally bloom here until March and last
year I was told that when the crocuses bloomed I would have some major "enlightenments" or revelations -- and I
did. They were not good, but they were very major. Well, I was told that the same will be happening this year, except that
this year they will be very good revelations. So, I went out and, sure enough, as amazing as it is, I actually
found that the crocuses are beginning to bloom....here are a couple of pictures I took of them. I just can't wait until they
are in full bloom -- and when the roses bloom, OMG, it's going to be AMAZING this year!!! We really need to fix that
CRACK in the sidewalk. The weeds always find them.
I decided I will keep today’s blog relatively short and sweet. I came across this really sweet song
for all of you lovers out there (I hope there are some lovers out there). Yes, I am “into” love.
It is the season for love. It is the time for love. It is the era of love.
In fact, if I were to pick a different planet to be from it would be named Eros which means God of
Love and it would be in the Pleiadian Star System and Pleiadians would live on this planet and I would be a Pleiadian
because from what I have read they are well known throughout the Universe as Masters of Love. Women are treated
equally and revered for their special knowledges of relationships. In fact, whenever there is a dispute, especially if it
looks like it could lead to war, it is the Law of Land (not written, mind you, but supported and practiced by all) that Women
must be consulted before any final decisions are made relating to disputes or wars. Pleiadians do not like wars; they are
peacemakers and only fight in self defense. Yes, they live on the Love Planet and they are the Great
Lovers of the Universe. I am making this up, you know. It just sounds so good to me. No, wait. I
have read this before. Some people claim to channel Pleiadians and I have read some of those books. The Pleiadians are absolutely
the most amazing and most loving people you could ever imagine, based on these channeled messages. The messages are beautiful,
loving, and truly have our best interests in mind, no matter what you want to believe about Pleiadians. They have an excellent
understanding of all of the problems on Earth and they provide loving and very sound advice for saving humanity and the planet.
I love the Pleiadians.
I do not apologize, whatsoever for focusing on sweet love today. The world has been so STARVED of love for
so long that there are many of us “out here” now trying to make up for lost time and change things around. We
are hoping the butterfly effect operates in full force. You can never, ever go wrong with love. Oh, and I
must not forget, Herbert Marcuse wrote the book on Love!!! – calledEros and Civilization.
In fact, in Chapter 10, he describes the delicious Transformation of Sexuality into Eros, and he speculates
about civilizations in which the sexual instinct or libido is not deflected or repressed, but is “gratified in activities
and relations that are not ‘sexual’” in the physical sense “but yet are libidinal and erotic”
(p. 204). We have been an enormously repressed society, and of course, Freud perpetuated that with his bizarre theories that
Marcuse, Joe and others have since debunked. It is now past time that we escape this FIDURODian nonsense and
return to our natural and happy existence. Joe talked about this a lot – how libido is smothered and how jouissance
is an essential ingredient for learning. Wilhelm Reich was another one who promoted releasing our puritanical belief system
and allowing the natural flow of our life force energy. It can make an amazing difference. I would imagine on a Planet named
Eros, the people have this all figured out.
Oh, look at this – Eros and Psyche – it’s a sweet soulmate story!
OMG!! I found this
beautiful picture of Eros and Psyche! I LOVE it! I am definitely buying it! (I am still working on making my home beautiful
since just moving in a year ago, and I need more paintings and such. If you like it, I included a link to the
artist -- just click on the image.)
Here’s what Wikipedia says (I just had to look up Eros and ran
across this):
[The story] tells of the struggle for love and trust
between Eros and Psyche, whose name is difficult to appropriately translate as it transcends both the Greek and Latin language,
but can be taken to mean "soul", "mind" or rather both. Aphrodite is jealous of the beauty of mortal Psyche,
as men are leaving her altars barren to worship a mere human woman instead, and so commands her son Eros to cause Psyche to
fall in love with the ugliest creature on earth. Eros falls in love with Psyche himself and spirits her away to his home.
Their fragile peace is ruined by a visit of Psyche's jealous sisters, who cause Psyche to betray the trust of her husband.
Wounded, Eros departs from his wife and Psyche wanders the earth, looking for her lost love.
Well, I said this was going a short blog, but it
seems like my blogs always end up being longer than I intend. I think my Master Teachers are doing this because it is all
in preparation for my dissertation. I think I said once that this is documentation and it will be “data” for a
phenomenological study. Oh no! I just remembered that one of my Master Teachers told me a few days ago that
I am a sort of “sacrificial lamb.” But she did say that it is not in a bad way; she predicts that it
is all going to be very, very good. I have a feeling I know where we are heading….oh well, enjoy this sweet
song. I really like it!
P.S. I wrote all of the above last night. Much has happened this morning. In fact, you would NOT BELIEVE everything
that is happening right now! It is SO Amazing, but I will have to save it all for later. Just suffice it to say this. The
crocuses are blooming! (just beginning to, or so my Master Teacher told me -- I will have to check it out)–
and just like last year that means more knowledge is being handed down to me and I am like walking up these steps of a great
and magnificent marble cathedral – like a Greek Temple or something (and eventually I will get to the top and get
to go inside!). My Master Teacher told me that right now I am going up the next very long flight of steps (after having had a
brief plateau), but that it will be worth it! He gave me a very long lesson today and it was quite divine.
It highlights just how much knowledge has been kept from me all of my life (as well as from all of the masses). We
really need to change this! I will have to cover it another time, but he asked me to include this last video as a
sort of clue or something -- it's about the pen being mightier than the sword (Just before he left this morning after
my lesson, he told me, "Yes, the pen is mightier than the sword" and it brought up this video.) It’s short.
Be sure to watch it ALL THE WAY THROUGH so that you get the complete message. It isn't over until it's over. (You'll see what
I mean.)
Have a good weekend and don’t fall into any black holes.
Joe’s Love Messages and His Critical Bricolage: Pathways to Freedom, Peace, and Parties
Joe’s Messages of Love Back on Valentine’s Day I mentioned that Joe left many personal messages for people in his
writings. I do not lie. Joe loved everybody he knew and one thing is certain -- if he left special encoded (and not so encoded)
messages for me, which he did, and I was relatively speaking a “nobody” to Joe (as some people have so
kindly reminded me), then how many more loving messages do you think he must have left for everyone else
he knew? Yes, there are a lot and I will never claim that I will be able to uncover all of them, but I will try. They tend
to just “pop out” at me when I am reading his work for some other purpose, such as writing my dissertation or
they come to my attention in other ways.
Joe had multiple ways of hiding his messages using polysemy, hermeneutics, reversals, syllogism – he used every
"trick" in the book and even invented some very creative new ones -- and I kid you not. Although I would not really
classify them as "tricks" per se or in a negative sense; they are actually very beautiful gifts. I
first noticed them when I began discovering all of his embedded music (what I call “Easter eggs”) in Knowledge
and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction. And indeed, he discusses some of these techniques in detail in some of his books,
although he has not given all of his secrets away because he wanted us to have FUN discovering them - unwrapping the gifts,
so to speak. There is nothing to fear from this at all. As I said and as most people know anyway, Joe loved everyone,
which is probably why this information was allowed to be released on such a special day -- Valentine’s Day (you
might want to go back and read that blog). I am sure he would have wanted us to view these as he most assuredly had intended:
they are special gifts from him to us just waiting to be discovered. I always knew that his work was a
gift to the world, and I had told him exactly that in an email right after reading his book, Knowledge and
Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction. At the time I told him that, I was not fully conscious of what an enormously monumental
gift he left us in all of his work…but it seems through my dreams and as I work with his theory I am gradually
becoming more and more aware of all of the amazing gifts he has left for each and everyone of us. What is so amazing is that
Joe was able to accomplish so much work and such complex and deeply thought-out work, and yet he neglected no one. If ever
I needed him for anything at all -- even if I did not even EMAIL him -- he was right there for me. I mentioned this before.
He just knew I was always worrying about him and if I started crying, instantly an email would pop in from him (even from
the hospital one time). It was just so amazing. I assumed it was the same for everyone and so I was totally awed by him and
I still am, for very good reasons.
My Dream Land Interpretation Now here is something interesting. As I have
said several times, my name means butterfly. I have discussed in previous blogs the significance of this in relation to transformation, my mission to do my part to make the world better, as well as to
some of the Easter eggs in Joe’s book that mention the return of the butterfly (Am I the return of that butterfly?)
As I had discussed, my first name means butterfly, my middle name is feminine for Joe, and my last name
means Heaven. Is this simply an odd coincidence? Or is it my dream reality coming true? Or maybe I am the "twin butterfly" (whatever that is). I like to say that my name means Joe’s Butterfly Heaven. Joe liked
butterflies (maybe he even loved butterflies) and what design did he choose to put on the cover of his book, Rigour
and Complexity in Educational Research: Conceptualizing the Bricolage? This book is critically important to my research. He
had a beautiful, colorful butterfly placed right on the cover! Did you realize that? Is that a sign? Again, it is
somewhat just below the threshold of conscious perception, so some people may have missed it. Quite honestly, I also
missed it at first, until I started using his bricolage and my consciousness expanded. Do you think this butterfly image was
an accident? I could go into the idea of soul mate contracts and alternate realities or dream life where people can connect,
plan, and work together, but I am not sure people are quite ready for that, and this would be jumping the gun a bit, anyway.
So, suffice it to say that this particular book is of particular importance to me for personal reasons and of course, it is
related to my mission to continue Joe's mission to "alleviate human suffering in the world" and at this point,
I will, thankfully, I am sure, take off here in another entirely different direction that more people will be able
to better relate to and will consider “normal” in the tradition that we in our still too Westernized
society currently seem to define who is or is not “normal.” (Nevertheless, I know what my “job” is
and who I am working for.)
Transformation in the “Real” World When we "employ the bricolage," we are literally creating transformation – thus, the butterfly
is such a perfect representation of that transformation. On page 113 of this book, the graphic depicts how a butterfly
image is created by mapping out threads through the point of entry text (POET) we began with. In other words,
we take one particular point of view, do our research so that we can rewrite this point of view with new perspectives and
this is repeated over and over again. The connections between the various perspectives form a butterfly image (as represented
on the cover of this book) that depicts the transformation which occurs as a result. Using perspectives from what Joe defines
as blue knowledge in his book, Critical Constructivism, we end up with a transformative power that
the powers-that-be are at loss to “reckon with.” Thus, we will have regained our own power. The more different
perspectives we weave back through the (transforming) POET, the greater the transformativepower.
In fact, as Joe mentions, Einstein used this idea and believed that the more perspectives we use, the more powerful. While
this transformation occurs within us as researchers as we engage in this process, it will also serve to transform
those who read the final result because of the unique juxtaposed perspectives. The more unique, the more we become “‘shocked’
by difference” into an awareness of things we may have never even considered before, as Joe had stated to me
one time. And, according to Joe, this works to help us see what we can personally offer “that is unique and innovative.”
In this way, the bricolage facilitates extreme creativity that results in the production of new knowledge.
The bricolage is truly a key to major transformation
within us -- and in the world. We cannot change without having an effect on changing the world. Again, Joe discussed
this as the “butterfly effect” in Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction. If you do not know
what the butterfly effect is and how powerful it is, I suggest looking it up. Wikipedia probably gives a good description.
Joe’s
Critical Bricolage as a Pathway to Peace and Freedom And how does using the bricolage lead to peace and freedom? Most people who knew Joe, know what one of his trade secrets was. He listened. What
that means is that he listened to everybody. Of course he did not agree with everyone and everything they said. On the other
hand, there was probably no one with whom he totally disagreed with. As he so cutely and sweetly put it, and as I had mentioned
in my blog a couple of days ago, he filtered out and kept ALL good ideas that proved valuable to the mission to alleviate
human suffering. “No babies are floating in streams of bathwater here”as
he put it in his book, Rigour and Complexity in Educational Research: Conceptualizing the Bricolage (pp. 59-60).This is how he created his brilliant theory. As he stated, “bricoleurs flatly reject some simple binarism between
a decontextualized notion of modernism and postmodernism” (p. 60). There is something worth keeping or learning from
the most diverse perspectives that people put out there. It is worthwhile to look at all perspectives and contextualize them,
no matter how much we think we disagree with the perspective or think it comes from an “inferior” position in
society or lower rung of our hierarchical system of knowledge. The name of the game is to find something of value in absolutely
every perspective. It is easy to see how this sets us free as well as contributes to peace. We are free to express our perspectives,
we are free as researchers to justifiably examine all types of perspectives and “data” and we are free to define
for ourselves who we want to be. We develop a "be and let be" type of mindset.
We need to learn to listen (or read/research) without
making instant judgments (of course, I include myself in this equation) -- in other words, with an open mind so
that we do not miss the good as we are tossing out the harmful ideas. Joe was exceptionally skilled with this, as so many
people have noted. But he did convey that becoming bricoleurs is a lifetime endeavor and not something we can expect to achieve
overnight or with one research project. Of course, if we are all able to develop this skill and find ways to make room for
each and everyone to express their views and incorporate the good (ensuring we do not throw out any babies with the bathwater)
– then we can begin the journey on the pathway toward peace. We do have a long way to go, but then as I have also pointed
out, Joe’s theory is ecological. Once it catches on, it will grow like that bugleweed. Not a weed at all, it is a beautiful royal flower fit for a King.
The Music Playlist for Today I just had a meeting with one of my Master Teachers. I already had the blog written but was “blank” about the
music so I told him “I just need some music for it.” Well, he told me a couple things before he got around to
talking about music. First, he wanted me to remind people that my explanation above is a simplified version for “simple
minds” (just kidding: I think the joke was on me since I am still learning; he is so funny). What he said was to tell
readers that the bricolage is more complex than depicted and that I will delve into the complexity with my dissertation as
it is not my intent to present my entire research project nor convey the entire theory in these blog – and that people
will also have to read the book.
Next, he dealt with my request for music…and he went wild. “Music? You want the Music Man himself to
come up with an appropriate song for today? Well have you………(personal convo)? You find that funny? Maybe
you should go back to the funny farm for some divine enlightenment. (If you can stop laughing). OK let’s get serious.
You want music? I’ll give you music. There.”
All
of the links are to the songs that came to the very top of the search. There were two I especially liked.
I like the first one: Music Man. It sounds like this
is a special message indicating that a lot of “cash” is coming my way. (We have to be able to read into these
things.)
The second one I really
liked was the song that came up when I searched “You want music”? This was kind of amazing since I was just discussing
avatars in my blogs yesterday and how it was surmised that Conan Doyle may have used his characters, Sherlock
Holmes and Watson as avatars so that he could live through them vicariously (or was Doyle the avatar?). It amazes me how
many people spend so much time playing those MMO games. Entertainment is one thing...but perhaps there is a lot of learning
going on. I have never played them, so I really wouldn't know. Something I need to spend more time researching. I do think
I prefer "real" experiences and creating my own fun virtual reality games. It will be interesting to see if I create
the reality of my dreams....they say you can and I figure I can't go wrong by trying.
Speaking
of DREAM Life I had this fantastic dream just last night. In my dream world, if you can believe this, when a couple gets engaged, the MAN
wears the rings first -- Yes, RINGS -- and up to FOUR of them on one hand. I had to ask one of my Master Teachers, Why so
many rings? And why do the men often seem to be wearing more rings than the women? Well, when the two get engaged,
they exchange rings, engagement rings. Then, they can get married with their own private ceremony and this is when they exchange
wedding rings, usually diamond rings. Next, (if they are a Queen/King or Goddess/God), they have to go through two levels
of sanctioning and then they have their official public weddings. Well, when the marriage is sanctioned by the planet
they reside on, the woman gives the MAN the ring....and then when there is Universal sanctioning, she gives him another ring,
making four total. The man wears the four rings to signify his complete and total commitment and devotion
to his wife, their marriage, and their family. The next step is their marriage ceremonies, but this is so different from what
we are accustomed to. They wait until they have children because children are especially blessed and they signify, for example,
that the King and Queen are totally dedicated to their people and will be forever. During that ceremony in which the children
are present and given special honor is when the man gives the woman her second wedding ring (3rd ring, total, counting
the engagement ring) which officially honors the sanction and seals the marriage at the third level. Once they go through
that ceremony they can have the fourth level marriage ceremony -- the GRAND CEREMONY which comes with full Universal Sanctioning
and Blessings from High, and then the man gives the woman her fourth ring, usually an exquisitely beautiful ring
that permanently and unalterably seals their marriage for eternity, although this is not a problem when the couple are twin soul
mates since they are already in an eternal union. The man usually wears all four rings on his left hand. The woman usually
wears all three wedding rings on the left hand and the engagement ring on the right hand, as tradition would have it. Isn't
that totally beautiful? I love my dreams and I really do want them to come true! Marriage should be that special and blessed.
From what I understand, though, generally only soul mate pairs (including non-twin soul mates) experience all
four levels of marriage -- all the more reason to open your heart with love so that you find your soul mate. Of course,
that's my dream and everyone is free to create their own dreams. (Click on the photo above for
a very beautiful wedding song about rings.)
It is Party Scream Time! I am reluctant to say this, but I got a little frustrated with my teacher because he gave SO MANY possibilities for songs.
I went ahead and provided links to all of them and picked out a couple of my favorites, but I called him up again and said
to him, “Hey, what song do I choose? What’s the one special and most significant song?” And he says to me,
“Oh … I forgot to give you that one. It’s “Live, Love, and Party.” This is what came up when I typed in “Live, Love and Party.”
It sounds like we are promoting a relatively new band, here – plus emphasizing that the party will be happening all
over the world, so get ready!!! (You might want to review PLURRR and Is It Party Time? The way I look it, it may be a long road to LOVE and PEACE (and then again, it may be shorter than we think)
– but in the meantime, we should all PARTY! It’s great that people all around the world are on the same wavelength.
Here is another interesting side note. In Joe’s song by the Doors,When the Music’s Over(p.
20, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy), the lyrics talk about wanting to hear the “scream of the butterfly” – I
wondered what that could have meant. So, now I am thinking it was not a bad scream….it was a “party
scream.” It is time to PARTY (in a celebratory fashion -- no drugs or alcohol allowed -- they are bad for
the body, mind, and soul).
They have an interesting site and their tagline is ”Welcome
to I SCREAM PARTY, an English fansite made specially for SuG, the Heavy Positive Rock band in Japan.”
Wow, there is always something new and surprising to learn! Yesterday, I received the movie that my Master Teachers had recommended
I watch back on February 19 and February 22 from from
Reality Entertainment, called “Elementary, My Dear Watson.” As I had discussed, this is all part of my training for my new “position” as a “secret agent” so to speak and a “right hand man” to my Master Teachers - and vice versa! I had done a little investigating into Sam Cooke’s tragic demise as a sort of initiation for this new role and I passed
with flying colors. This was all covered in previous blogs. I am still waiting to hear from President Obama to see if he doesn’t
agree with me that there was something very suspicious about Sam’s death that needs to be investigated further. I do
hope that President Obama will reopen the case because it would aid Sam in achieving justice for the misinformation that’s
being spread about him via a new documentary and book – as well as ensure the redistribution of his music royalties
to his wife and children.
After this, my teachers took to calling me “My Dear Watson,” and asked me to watch the movie about Sherlock Holmes.
I found it very interesting that Doyle, the author of the Sherlock Holmes stories was one of my Irish “brothers” and there was speculation made as
to whether a strong interest in esoteric and spiritual matters is somehow a genetic predisposition. Doyle was deep into esoteric
matters and these ideas and concepts are sprinkled throughout his books, particularly a couple of them, which I am supposed
to read now. Of course, I am also Scottish-Irish, but the weird thing about it was that I knew nothing about my ancestral
Celtic traditions and beliefs until I went on the Pacific Coast Eager Beaver Treasure Hunt (which I have written
about in multiple blogs) and during which was directed to purchasing some Celtic music. The music triggered many memories
for me. I had also come across an Irish Shop on the treasure hunt where I learned much more about my cultural background.
As most people know, Watson was a very important figure in the Sherlock Holmes stories and regarded as his “right hand
man.” That is also very significant. Some of the other interesting facts that came out in the video are that these stories
were written during a time and place in which society is much like it is today: wealth was unfairly distributed, there were
many very poor people suffering, unemployment was high, and the masses were surrounded in squalor and disease. This was during
the late 1800s during the great rise of the British Empire. The Sherlock Holmes stories took hold among many people and were
a form of escape from the misery they were experiencing. The movie analyzed the characters as possibly being projections of
Doyle and referred to Watson as being a sort of avatar so that Doyle could vicariously engage in the virtual
experiences he created for Watson. It also gave him a vehicle for expressing esoteric matters and his spiritualism in an indirect
way.
I also bought another movie about gateways, named “Gateways” because for some reason this concept keeps coming
up. I learned there are many terms for “gateways,” because this idea crosses all cultures and times. It was interesting
that many of the concepts covered in this movie are discussed in Joe’s book, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An
Introduction, as well as other books he has written, especially the scientific discoveries in relation to these beliefs
and experiences. Joe was quite the scientist. As another example, I have long wondered what the River Styx was. In his book Reading, Writing, Thinking: Postformal Basics
(with Thomas), Joe wrote, “The hypperationality of domination embedded in positivism and formalism must be held up to
the light of day, so that we can get beyond the socio-cognitive roadblock they have erected on the bridge over the River Styx – the bridge that is our key to our escape from the hell
of dominant cultural authoritarianism” (p. 138). The movie finally explained to me – the River Styx is from Greek
mythology and you have to cross over to reach the “underworld” or the “other side” or another dimension.
The movie also discussed the Holy Grail frequency as being 7.83 Hz, exactly halfway between alpha and theta. This may be one
reason music is so important – there is some kind of relationship with F sharp. Music can raise one’s vibrations,
as we all know. I will need to watch this movie again because it covered so much information.
I am not sure what all of this means right now. The movies were interesting and Reality Entertainment has more movies that
I will want to watch. It is refreshing to find a source of entertainment outside the mainstream media’s deception and
manipulation.
I also find it interesting that my Celtic ancestry is rising to the top at this point in my life and manifesting as an intense
interest is these esoteric and spiritual topics. It is all new to me and has captured my thoughts and energies. Perhaps this
is morenormal than some people would
like to portray. As Joe said in his interview, what is “normal” is socially constructed – and we can redefine
it. In my past history, spirituality was so very important. I have been robbed. How about you?
Spiritualism is a part of my history which has been hidden from me all of my life through our educational, religious, political,
and psychological systems that only allow a select few to know the true hidden secrets. Spirituality is turned into something
evil, twisted, and a psycho-social deviation from “normal.” That way we can be dominated, controlled and used
as puppets and slaves due to our lack of knowledge and the manipulation that keeps our focus away from the knowledge
we seek. As Foucault has often been quoted, “knowledge is power.” But it has to be the right kind of knowledge.
Those of us at the bottom are often naive in our thinking and so we seek more and more education, which is simply more indoctrination
and still does not get us the knowledge we thirst for. When
people are stripped of their cultural roots and ancestral knowledges, they are left as mere vehicles for exploitation on a
grand scale. No wonder the people during the times of the Sherlock Holmes stories craved his work – on a subliminal level,
their thirst for true knowledge was being quenched. Much the same thing is happening today. Perhaps it is time to revive the
Sherlock Holmes stories. Perhaps my Master Teachers are right on by assigning me the position of their “right hand man”
– their “Dear Watson.” Perhaps we need many more Watsons in the world. Something tells me there is more
to this than meets the eye.
Well, I am totally with Joe and what he said about the River Styx. As I pointed out in yesterday’s
blog, the inevitable daylight is approaching as the sun continues to rise, and as Joe put it: we shall hold “positivism
and formalism”…”up to the light of day” and we will watch it crumble into nothingness – the
“no-thing” Joe has also discussed throughout his work. As this happens, more and more people shall be free….and
tomorrow I will explain more about how Joe’s critical bricolage along with his blue knowledge will not only set us free,
but will lead us toward a beautiful world in which we can all live in peace. Joe was not kidding when he said his book Knowledge
and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction will change the world. As Joe once said to me, “It just seems so obvious.”
Indeed, it does! (“It’s Elementary, My Dear Watson”).
Today's Music I was
going to use another song that was very interesting and included a poem by Edgar Allen Poe, another author of Doyle's
era, but when I played it, the song below caught my attention and my heart.
This is interesting.
I just met with one of my Master Teachers and he wants me to add another song to today’s play list. He left this morning,
telling me he was my “divine ‘keeper.’” I looked up “divine keeper” on YouTube and this
very relevant song came to the top. Amazing! I don’t know how he does that.
Reality, Recipes and Tests for Critical Thinking, Joe’s Love Messages, the Bricolage as a Pathway to Freedom and Peace
Whose Reality? What Reality? Every morning I awaken to find myself once again immersed in this Earth environment after engaging in a beautiful dreamland.
My dreams give me clues as to how life on Earth could be if we escape our insidious need for rules, order,
linearity, selfishness and greed, hierarchies, discrimination, intolerance, and just plain stupidity. I even actively engage
in corroborative planning and receive high level instruction from some of the greatest masters in my dreams – thus,
I refer to them as my Master Teachers. Don’t get me wrong though, I also have great Master Teachers right here on Earth!
So, when I write of my Master Teachers, they could be here or they could be in my “dreams,” which to me, it seems
as if there are other dimensions, just like Joe talked about (and so do many, many other people), and so my dream Master Teachers
(who have grown in numbers) are just as real as my teachers who walk on the Earth (also growing in numbers). I do not discriminate
or delineate between them like some people do when they refer to dream teachers as the “others” perhaps because
they reside on “the other side.” The other side of what, I ask? Reality? Are we STILL stuck on defining just one
“true” reality in spite of Joe’s great work and many other great people who tell us otherwise?
This is only speculation on my part; I do not understand much of the edujargon and codes that have been constructed by the
educational elite so that they know what they are talking about while it stays hidden from us.
Of course, as we all know, Joe let the critical kitty out of the bag in relation to education here in the U.S., as he put
it in Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction. I’m playing with the kitty and deciphering
the edujargon that other educational writers have been using (which Joe clues us in on very well). I hope more people will
start writing in a more honest and direct way so that everyone can benefit. It does no good to talk about empowering the “oppressed”
if elite educators continue to keep all the sweet treats that REALLY work for empowerment to themselves.
Joe, of course, was very generous in handing out sweet treats….much like the Candy Man in the song by Sammy Davis, Jr.
Critical
Thinking: Are we taking another step backwards? I was reading something yesterday and it struck me as
being just another grand example of total stupidity that derives from the need to order and measure everything. We have I.Q.
tests, of course, and Joe wrote extensively about how biased they are. If you do not think in a linear, Eurocentric manner,
you are likely to score low, and as such, these tests become another evil tool to discriminate,label, and track people, forcing
them into menial labor positions or worse even though they are geniuses.
Today, we have CRITICAL THINKING. What is critical thinking? Can
we really teach critical thinking through direct (and again, linear) methods? And more alarming and destructive – can
we really MEASURE how well someone “critically thinks?” Should we be doing this? Apparently, this is the new trend
and our educational system, stuck as it is in old paradigmatic thinking, seems to think this is the answer for our future.
It is an exercise in futility to come from a position of non-critical thinking and try to establish ways of teaching critical
thinking. It is another example of Einstein’s observation that insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different
results.
Assess your critical thinking skills today! (Just make sure you take the "right" test. And if you cannot find the right
test, no fears: more tests are being developed!)
I will have to read Joe’s
book about critical thinking to analyze this more deeply, but I know enough to know that critical thinking is evolutionary;
it EVOLVES and it can do so quite naturally providing we are not inhibiting it via numerous constraints,
rules, regulations, standards, and dictated learning. It does not follow some set pathway because it is different for everyone.
For educators to delineate pathways for all students is once again going to constrain people’s ability to find their
own unique and creative ways to more advanced thinking skills. It is just one more way to quash a natural, passionate, creative,
and autopoietic (“self-productive”) mode of learning. I will have to investigate all of this more deeply. Joe
wrote quite a lot about critical thinking in the book, Critical Thinking and Learning (with Weil).
Joe’s
Secret Love Messages: What Am I to Do? I am between Joe’s rock and hard place that he mentioned in Critical Pedagogy: Where Are We Now? (p. 40). Why?
Because the request has come down from the “top” in the form a letter from a Fortune 100 law firm that I am NOT
to provide a FREE download of all of the puzzles, Music and Movie Easter eggs, personal messages, embedded codes, keycodes, secrets,
predictions, and MORE in Joe’s book, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction. This “gag”
order has caused a couple of dilemmas.
The
first dilemma was discovered when I decided to place less emphasis on the book in question. As I began focusing on Joe’s
other works, Lo AND Behold, I discovered he has dropped off all kinds of these special treats in ALL of his
books – even beginning with his very first book, which was a booklet, Understanding the New Right and Its Impact
on Education.So, what is a new scholar to do? I really feel that Joe has dropped off in my hands
a huge responsibility and that became even more clear as I began interpreting the very special passage he
gave me on October 8, 2008, which was to read pages 62-67 in his book (with Kathleen Berry), Rigour and Complexity in
Education Research: Conceptualizing the Bricolage. Of course, while those pages are particularly significant and I will
explore them more deeply, Joe knew that I was one of those students who goes far above and beyond what a teacher assigns me.
I noticed right off the bat that at the very beginning of that section, Joe referred to every chapter he wrote
in the book – thus, the assignment to read these specific pages was significant in itself, but it was also encoded with
the directive to read ALL of the chapters he wrote in this book. Of course.
As I reviewed this particular area of the book I happened to notice, once again, that Joe dropped special messages
for the special people in his life. As I mentioned on Valentine’s Day he loved everybody and because he did, he cared
about the mistakes and such that they were making and so he left little pieces of wisdom and advice – a gentle sort
of “tough love” approach, I would say. He never wanted to harm anybody, of course, but he did want people to really
think about what they are doing and the consequences, and of course, he wanted everybody to escape their own self-imposed
pain and suffering as well as that which comes our way from being "victims" of oppression, whether indirectly
or directly.
Thus, I come
to the second dilemma. People are not “getting” their messages most of the time. It came to me in my dream life
that perhaps, along with conveying all of the fun stuff in Joe’s books, I might need to convey his messages to people
to ensure that they receive them. How to do this? That is the problem. I had considered the free download, but that is out
of the question.
Here’s
what my Master Teachers – as a group suggested: I can write a book about these puzzles, messages, predictions, and Easter
eggs for students (but not as a download) – or I can just include them in my blogs, sprinkling them sporadically here
and there. That would avoid having to post a free download which was being so highly objected to. And then there is the issue
of the answers to these riddles and such. It was suggested that I write a Teacher’s Edition which will
include all of the answers – but this Teacher’s Edition should be very, very expensive simply because it will
provide answers in the form of some complex interpretations – and multiple interpretations at that. I decided that the
best approach is to do a little of both: sprinkling of the fun stuff and messages every so often in my blogs, write a student
edition that has even many more examples of this “fun stuff,” AND I will put together a Teacher’s Edition
with all the answers as I go along and then make it available sometime in the future – perhaps about the year 2013.
A Message
from Joe: Cute, Funny, and Very Enlightening The reason I am putting all of this out here right now is because as I was reviewing the bricolage in preparation for writing
my dissertation, I just happened upon what, in my view, may be special messages for Peter McLaren, Henry
Giroux, and most likely for many other people as well. Honestly, I would not even mention this, except that
I do believe with all my heart that Joe would not have inserted all of these very loving messages if he
did not want them to get to the people he directed them to. The messages can be found in the section called “Disciplines,
Paradigms, and New Forms of Relationship” of his book, (with Kathleen Berry), Rigour and Complexity in Education
Research: Conceptualizing the Bricolage. In relation to this special message, Joe was so damn cute! I absolutely LOVE
his enormous sense of humor and creativity. He often had used the idiom of not throwing the baby out with the bathwater. In
other words, keep the good stuff, get rid of the stuff that does not work – but don’t just throw it all out. I
just love his creative rendition of this idiom: “No babies are floating in streams
of bathwater here” (pp. 59-60). That is just SO CUTE and FUNNY….Joe truly left us beautiful
gifts with his work.
Conclusion: Joe was a Peacemaker Well, that’s it for today. Joe worked so hard as a peacemaker, (and when I worked with him, I was really
trying to help him with this, but it proved futile) and so I am a little upset that the people in education are still so divided
and holding out in their little factions which provides no benefit to anyone and even continues to harm students. It seems
that for the moment this is getting worse and this is why we have people coming into the cracks and crevices
and trying to create recipes for critical thinking and then countless painful measurement devices. There is nothing like rubbing salt into a wound. Can we abuse students any more than this? How heart-wrenching. Well, as
Joe put it in Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction, the cliché that it is darkest before the dawn
holds true. These are truly the dark days still trying to hold on as the inevitable light rises above the horizon. Dawn is
here. Some people have not recognized this yet. Education and research as they are practiced today are pretty much ready for
the trash heap. This, Joe has expressed in multiple ways in his chapters in Rigour and Complexity in Educational Research.
For example, he stated, “The old epistemology is dead even though some governmental agencies, academic institutions,
and institutes for research continue their attempt to revive it. Behind the formalist epistemological curtain the old order
is crumbling” (p. 47). Indeed, it is.
I witness this crumbling every day in many contexts, and I see it among my colleagues who struggle to answer their research
questions within the empirical methods and constraints required of them by the university. Many of them are frustrated because
intuitively they know that there is no way their complicated research question can be effectively understood through the promoted
scientific process which highlights quantitative research and waters down qualitative research. I have been trying to guide
some of them by pointing out that they need to use multiple research methodologies….which is really the bricolage,
but most of them (and the professors) will relate to the concept of multiple methods before they will take time to learn what
they might perceive as a new complex research methodology. I am not playing that game myself. Nevermind that the epistemological
trolls have blocked the bridge, as Joe pointed out in Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction –
I am leaping into the warm, soothing waters of Joe’s critical bricolage.
I do have total faith in Joe’s work. The more I read about his conceptualization
of the bricolage, the more I see how it sets us free and is a pathway to peace. One of these days, it will
catch on. As Joe points out, bricoleurs “are empowered to produce knowledge that can change the world” (p. 19,
Rigour and Complexity in Educational Research). Once there are enough people practicing this methodology for research,
in their teaching, and as a part of their daily lives, even, change will be unstoppable!
Like I told Joe when we were working on this together back in October
of 2008, “Even though I don’t know exactly where my research will take me, what I feel more than uncertainty is
the fresh air of freedom and the excitement of exploration. Thank you, again.” And,
as Joe stated, “They [bricoleurs] are emancipated from the tyranny of pre-specified, intractable research procedures”
(p. 13). And so, I say thank you again, Joe.
The Music Selection for Today Honestly, I thought a great song about Peace would come up for today, but that
actually came up in yesterday's blog and my Master Teacher had a better plan. He left this morning, leaving instructions relating
to constructing "the old" with "the new.”
That was my clue to plug these words into YouTube. Sure enough, when I typed in "the old"
and "the new," the song that came right to the top explains this concept in terms of how people might perceive and
deal with the shifting of paradigms. Let's just take it "Nice and Smooth."
Celebrating Change, Joe’s Ecumenicalism, and Freedom
Celebrating Change 2010 is the year of changes, but there is something else that is important. We need to worry less about the changes (and how
they affect our selfish motives) and just “go with the flow” so to speak. Focus more on having fun
and learning how to party – really party! So, this year you should continue to practice having celebrations of all sorts…next
year will the year of ramping up those celebrations with even more of them and they will be more intense and magical. Yes,
there will be NEW celebrations, which I will continue to post on this web site. These are handed down to me by the good Council
and they are celebrations that transcend all religions and all cultures. All celebrations are good celebrations – in
other words, if you have special cultural or religious celebrations then celebrate them and share them with the people around
you. Add in the new celebrations and create even more celebrations!
Every day is a miraculous new day to celebrate our newfound freedom and power to
imaginatively create miracles and magic. If you happen to be a member of a religious organization that does not believe in
celebrating, then just like all other religions, you will need to open your arms and accept all religions (or non-religions)
and respect the idea that, truly, most people do wish to celebrate. It would not be right for us to leave you out of our celebrations
simply because you do not believe in celebrating. You are definitely between that “rock and hard place” and it
is time to come out from behind the rock. Don’t celebrate if you really do not wish to, but also try to understand why
so many people wish to celebrate. You might come to see celebrating in a new light.
I happened to come across the following video this morning and
it is so cool. It will open your mind and prepare you for partying. I encourage you to listen to it all
the way through in order to experience the full effect…it is so creative, inspiring, and surprising.
It was funny because I did not want the video to end…it’s time to party!!!
Joe and Religion:
Ecumenicalism Joe actually discussed religious issues in his work – how we really need to engage in “ecumenicalism” as
he framed it, but this can only happen if we deal with and clear our own issues so that we can become more empathetic and
understanding toward what other people believe. He was so adamant about ecumenicalism that he actually repeated
it THREE times in the VERY passage he personally gave me to read back in October of 2008 from Rigour and Complexity in
Educational Research: Conceptualizing the Bricolage. Because he personally gave me this passage, I feel responsible for
relaying the various messages it includes (and believe me, there are MANY messages in this passage from p. 62-67). He obviously
wanted to make sure we get the message loud and clear: he was NOT against religion. That is only what some people have interpreted
out of their own limited perceptions and their inability to deal with their own issues (their own denial keeps them from being
able to understand other perspectives). In fact, Joe stated in this passage, “As bricoleurs explore these dynamics [relationships]
they connect the ecological and the ecumenical to the critical” (p. 64). This is absolutely essential for our collective
work toward “egalitarianism and justice” (p. 64).
Joe’s theory is clear: Learning about and sharing religious perspectives are important
and essential ingredients for a free world. There is a very powerful thing that will happen when we do that.
It is his bricolage in action – as applied to religions. We “shake, rattle, and roll” all of these perspectives
together and then the magic happens. You will only see it if you do it, but it is a very, very good thing that happens. We
suddenly become much more understanding and accepting of all variety of viewpoints, we uncover the many “common bonds,”
and this helps us all move up to a higher evolutionary ability to conceptualize and comprehend…and that is only part
of the story. ECUMENICAL: look it up. Joe used it THREE TIMES on pages 62-65 of Rigour and Complexity
in Educational Research: Conceptualizing the Bricolage. Be sure you thoroughly define ecumenical – there are multiple
meanings, thus multiple interpretations. Joe left it this way for a reason: FREEDOM. Think about it.
Freedom I don’t know about you, but I want my freedom….and
as more of us choose to live out our freedom, it will spread around the world just like the bugleweed I discussed in a previous
very early blog. The bugleweed grows like a weed, but it is a very beautiful plant that produces lovely purple bugle-shaped
spikes of flowers that are fit for a king, as if to announce: We are FREE. We are all free to be Kings, Queens, Princes, and
Princesses, Gods, and Goddesses, by some reports, if we so choose. Use your imagination. Be what you want to be. The
freedom is yours.
Finally, what was my Master Teacher’s advice (and song) for me for today? He just said, “Fly, Baby, Fly!”
And the song below came to the top….notice the sign that says “Free Land for the People.” My teacher
is ever so smart! I do love this song, but I think I liked the video I used in an earlier blog that is by the Olsen Brothers better, although this one that came to the top of the YouTube search is funny. Humor is good.
ANOTHER Magical Mystery Tour: Eva Cassidy (Sherlock Holmes Strikes Again)
A few days ago, I mentioned that I have a new J.O.B., which I do not call a “job” because it is not work whatsoever,
however, I am richly blessed for doing this “work.” I am simply being guided along a path by my special Master
Teachers. Well, this morning, my Master Teacher outdid himself once again. He gave me a beautiful, inspiring message, stating,
“You are superb, btw, at holding my hand as I lead you along the winding paths to “who
knows where” from your point of view (my dear, Watson). Yes, mysteries abound. Magic is around every bend in
the path.”
Well,
here he is reminding me of my new role as Watson who helps in a Sherlock Holmes sort of way (with my Master Teachers playing
the role of Sherlock Holmes) which I had discussed back in my February 19, 2010 blog. I did send for the movie, “Elementary, My Dear Watson” from Reality Entertainment, so
that I can learn much more about what I am supposed to be doing as Watson. I am looking forward to learning more. However,
my Master Teacher is moving me along in the meantime and it sounds like there is another mystery to solve or something….I
have not figured this out yet.
I
did immediately recognize that I needed to look up “who knows where” on
YouTube and that it would most likely a yield a song, and it did. In fact, here is the very, very beautiful song that came
right to the top of the search.
Along with this song, the
person who posted it happened to post a very detailed description of the artist, Eva Cassidy. Interestingly, Eva, like Sam
Cooke, passed away when she was only 33 years old back in 1996. She was diagnosed with cancer and was given the prognosis
of just three more months of life. Her history is all provided. What I am getting here, is not that I need to investigate
her death in the same fashion as I did Sam’s (I don’t think), but apparently there are wishes that more people
in the United States become aware of her beautiful music since she is from the United States and was so exceptionally
talented. She was well known in the UK. As the entry states:
Eva Cassidy was a phenomenal American vocalist, arranger and guitarist who could and did sing a
bit of everything; folk, blues, country, rock, r&b, standards, and gospel.
As an artist, her talents expanded all forms of art, including drawing, painting, cartooning, pottery, crafts, and more. She
was just very, very talented and seemed to have had a divine gift. As was pointed out, she had a special magic:
"She was a real artist, one of the great ones. She had the magic -- the thing that
goes beyond being a really wonderful, creative artist. She had the touch of God on her head -- that touch of individuality
and spirituality that made her stand out above all the others. She had that ..."
Herbie Hancock said it best
to me. He said: 'You know there are good musicians in every field of music and there are some that are great, really great,
but then there are those few who have that magic, that other dimension, that must come from God', and that's how I feel about
Eva."
Well,
this is it for today. As I stated, I really do not know where I am being led with this project at the moment, but I am sure
as the day progresses, it will become clear. I have posted one of her songs previously in a past blog, Fields of Gold, which is a particularly beautiful song. I will also remind readers that my work for Sam is not complete. I am waiting on
President Obama’s answer as to whether he will reopen an investigation. If he does not, there will be more work to do.
We shall see where this all leads. My Master Teachers are serious about this “detective” work that follows Joe’s
theory in his 2001 book “Getting Beyond the Facts” (chapters 18-22).
My Master Teacher also reminded me again today that 2010 is the year
of changes and we are to practice celebrations; the year of 2011 is the year of celebrations; and the year of 2012 onward
is more of the same – and more people will be interested in following the many trails to a happier, more blissful life
that have been blazed by many people by that time.
It all sounds good to me. I just keep my hand in his hand, and as he put it, he is the “Handyman” -- and the only
song I could get to come up that is even close to that, is the song “The Candy Man” (somehow I think there was
a divine reason for this…as he told me this morning, there are divine obstacles so that we step aside to follow the
more divine path). It’s all good (deliciously sweet, in fact).
Yesterday Was an Interesting Day During this Year of the Tiger
Of course, in my life, EVERY DAY is an interesting day. But yesterday was just a sort of relaxing day. I took the love birds
(a soul mate pair) and dropped them off at the mall so they could shop, see a movie, and have dinner together. I took a short
trek to run an errand and what was I prompted to do, but to stop at that same little “quick mart” where I had
magically found the adorable angel holding the baby in blue which was of special significance to me…and a very unusual
find at the neighborhood quick mart.
Yesterday, was just as amazing because the first thing I saw when I walked in the store, sitting right on the shelf out in
the open was this striking tiger!
I just had to get it since, as I pointed out in my previous blog (on February
15), this is the Year of the Tiger and not only that, it is Joe’s special year because he was born during the Year of
the Tiger. We each are born during special years and when they cycle back around, we have extra special things happen during
those years. My year is the Year of the Snake and I don’t even like snakes at all, so I don’t know what that means.
But anyway, 2010 is definitely Joe’s year. I think his work is going to have a major impact on education and this will
become even more evident in 2011 and 2012. So, in honor of Joe and in celebration of his brilliant work for education, I bought
this tiger and I keep it on my desk as a reminder of what a special year this will turn out to be.
It is special in many ways. My master teacher told me yesterday, in fact, that 2010 is a special year of very powerful change
and that the comparison between the beginning of the year and the end of the year will be very dramatic. He said that President
Obama, by the end of the year will be very clearly aligned with the people and that the old power structures will be crumbling
away. There is much more, but if you follow along with my blogs, you will witness the very changes my Master Teacher has told
me about. One thing you might be interested in is that soul mate love will be much more prevalent than it is today. More people
will become aware of the power of this form of love and they will be seeking their twin flame soul mates – and actually
matching up --- so it is sure to be a fabulous year, or as my Master Teacher put it, “It will be a glorious year.”
Many dreams will be coming true!
Music for Today An interesting song came up today. My Master Teacher told me, as he went out the door, “You have
a great day and ‘don’t chase the sunshine away.’” True Sunshine from the album
Don’t Let Your Dreams Fall Asleep is the song that came to the top in a You Tube search which is so appropriate
in so many ways. Yes, my Master Teacher truly does bring “true sunshine” to my life on a daily basis, so that
was a sweet “aloha” or “hasta la vista” a form of goodbye that is never a true goodbye, but more like
– until we meet again – or until next time.
Here’s a live performance
of True Sunshine Lyrics True Sunshine
Feed me something that will heal Feed me something true Trust to chase away all fears Change the things I do Strip the grievance, true sunshine Keep it to yourself Lose the anger, give me time time to help myself
And if I want you to feel The rest of me Should make you see and believe That we are above our fears still need to clear one's living lie A mother's cry
While it may not seem relevant, this song actually fits with the lesson my Master
Teacher provided me today and the lyrics are so meaningful for the project we discussed today that I have been working on.
I have been struggling a little with one of our projects because people who should be providing a helping hand for those who
are in need are not awakening as quickly as I had hoped, but he reassured me and said we must “keep
the momentum going, using “multiple prods to get them jarred.” In fact, he wants me to do something that will
“shake, rattle, and roll them out of their stupor” and he said he will be assisting me with this. Since he is
so creative this is going to be very, very interesting….there’s never a dull moment.
I was “handed down” another
poem first thing this morning… My “Right
Hand Man”
I’m
not crazy I’m not obsessed I have simply fallen In love with the best There’s one for you There’s one for me Twin Flame Soul Mates Can’t you see? There is always Just
one hangin’ Around Who helps us each Get our feet on the ground Disbelieve and You’ll
miss out Surrender And you’ll Have no doubt Your life will change And miracles abound Love
will rise in your heart Music
is the only sound You come to
suddenly know Your true mission
in life There’s no more
hardship Pain or strife You have your soul mate Right next to you To hold your hand And guide you through You
go forward on your journey Trusting
he will hold the light Wrapping
his love Around you tight There is nothing ever To fear again You have your soul mate Your “right hand man”
Note: I had to look up “right
hand man.” I have never been good with idioms. It means a trusted or “the most helpful” assistant who
will help you reach your goals. In the case of soul mates, they actually share missions, so your right hand man as a soul
mate will even more profoundly ensure that you accomplish your mission as well as you will ensure his is accomplished through
a very special symbiotic relationship.
Wow! All of a sudden I understand why Joe had me read pp. 62-67 in his book Rigour
and Complexity in Educational Research: Conceptualizing the Bricolcage (with Kathleen Berry). I have been wondering and
wondering what the significance was ever since he assigned me that passage way back in October, 2008 when he was helping me
with my dissertation pre-proposal…while this passage could be translated in terms of relationships
between things, that was clearly not Joe’s intention; he was speaking of human relationships (and on another level,
"no-things"). It also can be interpreted to meaning the tight, symbiotic relationships between soul mates. Try reading
that section while thinking in concrete terms about soul mates (not necessarily twin flame soul mates, although the symbiotic
relationship will be strongest between them). Amazing. I always knew there was something very special about this passage….ha!
He knew we were soul mates. I simply admired him and his work; I was not into these sorts of topics at the time at all, so
he was many steps ahead of me! (Of course, I knew he was very far ahead me, he was so brilliant!)
What he is talking
about in this section is the importance of human relationships that expand past the boundaries of space and time as we typically
define these in our small fidurodian minds. Science, as he points out, supports these concepts with the observation that “more
than one object can occupy the same space” (p. 64) as well as the knowledge that time is merely an illusion. In other
words, there are multiple dimensions and the past, present and future are in a sense simultaneously occurring, concepts he
addresses in his work. Once again, Joe points out here that the sum of the parts is greater than the whole, stating, “To
use the cliché, the relationship is greater than the sum of the parts” (p. 64). Thus, when soul mates work together
they become a very powerful force, indeed, much more powerful than the individuals would be if they were to work alone. While
this is true to a certain extent with all people – whenever people work together in a truly synergistic manner, the
power is magnified -- it is magnified many times over when the people are soul mates. It may even be that people who
are not soul mates do not have the capability of truly working synergistically for a greater purpose (there are too often
hidden agendas, ulterior motives, and selfish goals intertwined that weaken the synergistic power). Can these people become
soul mates? My thought is that people can choose to be soul mates, but they must rise above selfish motivations to the
point at which they give and love without conditions. I really felt that relationship with Joe when I worked with him. I simply
wanted to work on his mission and I had no expectations, conditions, or strings attached, so maybe I chose him for my soul
mate and he picked up on that, thus, he gave me the passage to read (if you want a fidurodian perspective). Today, his
mission is still my mission.
Joe was talking on many levels in this particular passage all of which are very important. This gives
us freedom to interpret this in multiple ways (and there is no single “right” or “wrong” way), however, there
is a clue in this passage that he is also referring to the special relationships between soul mates. Can you find it?
I am going
to leave it at this to let others ponder this and make their own meaning -- or non-meaning if that is the preference. I have
been wondering for a very long time (ever since Joe gave me the reading assignment way back in October of 2008) what the significance
of this passage was; I knew enough about Joe to know that he had a greater purpose in giving me this passage than meets the
eye….it is enormously significant and I am only barely beginning to uncover this – and the connection just
came to me this morning through the poem handed down to me. I do know that Joe had pointed out this passage as being relevant
to my dissertation, so I will see where I am led next. I know there is much more. I find it very exciting to finally
begin to understand this passage and why he felt it was so important for my dissertation. I have no doubt that it will lead
to many great and exciting discoveries.
The Music for Today The song for today was handed down to Rainbow Princess. I found the
title and artist written on a piece of paper and placed on my desk this morning. I have not heard this song and will look
it up right now. It is interesting because of the Tri-City reference. Where Joe grew up in Kingsport, TN,
they seem to refer to the area as “Tri-City” so evidently it is three small united towns. I also lived for a time
in an area referred to as “Tri-City” (Richland, Kennewick, Pasco, WA). As I have stated, there are many commonalities
between me and Joe that are amazing – even the fact that we both had nicknames ending in “ie”
that our families forced upon us and also that we were teaching ourselves to play the “keyboard” at
the very same time (he was teaching himself the piano; I was teaching myself to play the organ). Of course, we were both HWAs
(he called himself a “hillbilly with an attitude") and I call myself a “hick with an attitude.” There
is much more and someday I will write a book all about it, but it won't be for a very long time.
Here’s
the song! It seems to be about having to support ourselves during tough times. This is so important for those of us who have
been disenfranchised all of our lives and who are incessantly shoved back by those who hold power. In my view, it becomes
much, much easier to do this if we are working with our soul mates. In fact, it may be only possible if we
are working synergistically on joint missions "for the light" (for good and positive outcomes; or for God, as many
people might prefer to frame this) with our soul mates we have worked with during present, past, and even future lifetimes.
In that sense, if each of us gets to know our soul mates (all of our soul mates), then we are suddenly much more powerful
and this gives much hope in what can often seem like hopeless situations. (I have been there. I am here.
I know the profound difference.) Sometimes you have
to encourage yourself. Sometimes you have to speak victory during the test…
Yesterday my Master Teacher left off by saying he had an “extra special surprise”
for me, but somehow I kinda missed what it was. I was very close, but had not put it all together, so I was a little disappointed
at the end of the day. He told me not to worry, that the surprise was already “on my computer” and that he would
give me more guidance today. Well, I figured it out! (With his guidance, of course.) I should have known that his referring
to me yesterday as “my Dear Watson” and the movie trailer that came up on You Tube when I typed in the words was
a big clue!
Come to find out, I am supposed to buy that video from Reality Entertainment, “Elementary, My Dear Watson” which I showed on yesterday’s blog. It is training for my interesting assignments up ahead…you see, I
have a PROMOTION! Evidently all of the work I did surrounding Sam Cooke’s case has paid
dividends. Now, I will be working alongside my Master Teachers in a Sherlock Holmes kind of way
solving all kinds of interesting mysteries. I am a detective! Only, we are not writers of fiction, but writers of “fictive”
and “furtive” formulas (see chapters 18-22 of Joe’s 2001 Getting Beyond the Facts). Oh, that reminds
me: In Joe’s books he did mention that bricoleurs are “detectives of divergent viewpoints.” He also had
mentioned that he wanted to write “in the style of a detective writer (epistemology noir?)" (p. 20 of Knowledge
and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction).
It all fits!
That means my dissertation will be more like detective work: How exciting!!! Joe’s
theory makes work SO MUCH FUN!!! I can’t wait to see the movie.
It's true that I am also a “student,” but my Master Teachers (and I)
view learning a little differently. Learning is also our “job” so to speak, but we do not call it a “job”
exactly; it is more like our lifelong mission at the same time. It is our passionate desire to
serve humanity in the ways we have chosen. It’s hard to explain because it is a brand new paradigm for most people.
How do you learn without being imprisoned in a classroom? It is, however, the best of all worlds, and so along with my promotion
during which I will be serving as a sort of “Watson” right alongside my detective Master Teachers, I will be getting
quite a substantial raise. Who could ask for anything more?!!
Life could not be better! (Thanks, guys!). Yes, most
of my Master Teachers are guys, although I do work with some women. I think there would be more women Master Teachers if more
of us learned not to nag so much. My teachers gave me the clue “Shoo Fly Don’t Bother Me” and this crazy
song came up when I searched it on You Tube. Really, if it were not such a problem, perhaps the song would never have been
made. Now, now, don’t object (nag)….everyone has the right to express their views, even if you don’t agree
with them. It is actually good, in my view, that someone is speaking out about the problem. How else can we resolve issues
such as this? The second version of “Shoo Fly Don’t Bother Me” is more along the lines of what I (as a woman)
was thinking of when they gave the song title. And since they are so egalitarian, of course they encouraged me to post it
as well….so you see, it ain’t all bad. I love working with “the gang” and I also love their theme
song, “The Gang’s All Here” which was shown back on my blog on January 1, 2010 if you would like to review their version, along with my version of the song.
Have a great day! I am off on a “magical mystery
tour!” (That’s what Joe called this kind of play in the book Reading, Writing, and Thinking that
he wrote with Paul Thomas).
Empathic Pain, Sam Cooke, FIDUROD, Halleluiah, My Dear Watson, and Reality
OMG, I had a terrible night last night, but I did learn something from it all: I am what is called an “empath.”
At least, that is what my Master Teacher told me this morning and I never doubt my Master Teacher. I did just a little research
on this phenomenon. I think Joe was an empath too, but I will not get into that discussion here. I just know he had very great
empathy for people and the pain they experienced, which could very likely be what motivated him to develop his theory
to “alleviate human suffering.” It makes sense. Last night my pain was over Sam Cooke. First, I had horrible neck pain and could not go to sleep, so I took some Tylenol.
I went to sleep only to awaken a little while later with horrible back and stomach pain….just horrible. I had already
taken medicine, so there was nothing I could do but “get through it.” It went on for hours along with flashes
of the tragedy of Sam, so I was feeling like I was reliving his pain from having been beaten. This experience, along with my teacher’s observation that I have empath qualities,
prompted me to look up the definition of empath and what I learned is that we can actually experience even greater pain than
what the person had gone through or is going through. That is a two-edged sword because, while I truly hope Sam did not experience
as much pain as I felt (I literally felt I needed to go to the hospital, but I consulted with my teachers and they said I
had to "get through it'), on the other hand, I really do not care to experience such profound physical and emotional
pain. Here is an interesting definition that I ran across provided by another person who is also an empath (and this fits
me quite well): Empathy isn't JUST a relation to a person, place, or thing...but
a bond formed of psychic feelings and impressions. An empath is blessed AND cursed, with the ability to form
a bond, made up purely of feelings with another person, place, or thing. Some of the abilities [include]: 1) Heightened (stronger) emotions. 2) Comprehensive understanding
over a broad scope of (if not ALL) emotions. 3) Capacity for [unconditional giving] 4) Excellent communicatory
abilities. 5) "Dreaming." 6) Pre-cognition. 7) Emotion reception. Reference: http://community.livejournal.com/empaths/43504.html There is much, much more to this empath condition. The
bonds formed with people (not the FIDUROD "fools") can be very, very tight. One thing I have noticed is
that I often can hear other people’s thoughts. So, when they say something to me, such as making certain kinds of requests
or offers and there is an agenda behind it, I always hear it. It reveals instantly when people are trying to manipulate others
and I tend to want to avoid those kinds of people. They make me feel very uncomfortable because they do not allow other people
to be who they are and they have selfish motivations. If there is to be relationship with these kinds of people (and, unfortunately
there are many of them out there), it almost always requires a sacrifice of your own integrity (unless you are a genius, which
I am not, and can find a way around it). This manipulation is something I could never succumb to. There is the concept of symbiosis, which is entirely different
and does not derive of selfish motives and I can always tell the difference. I would like to be like Joe was. He was an unconditional
giver and somehow he had such great love that he could even give to those who were very selfish without expecting them to
change their ways or anything...I am not sure how he did this.
At any rate, I think Sam is going to be ok now. I wrote to President Obama
about a number of urgent matters (which I will discuss another time), including asking him to reinvestigate Sam Cooke’s
death. At least I think Sam will let me rest a bit. He had me crying because I felt so bad for him and his family and I want
all of this, including his royalties from his music, to be resolved in a fair and just way.There is nothing I find more intolerable
than injustice. This morning my Master Teacher asked me to do an “oracle reading” from Joe’s book, Knowledge and Critical
Pedagogy: An Introduction and to find out what song comes up when I type in “halleluiah” in You Tube…so
here goes. Oracle Reading Well, I didn’t get a sentence this time (this should make the complainers from the book publisher happy): The book opened
up to “Part 2: Traditional Western Epistemology and its Impact on Education: FIDUROD.”
Perhaps I am just supposed to remind people about FIDUROD….so
be sure you read his definition on pages 21-24, in the section called “Playing with the Queen of Hearts: The Joker Ain’t
the Only Fool in FIDUROD.”That is a puzzle, by the way. You have to decipher
FIDUROD to find out who the other fools are….Who is the Joker, who is the Queen? Really there are answers that make
sense, but then we each have to create our own realities.
I do know that Joe just loved to play with words and
letters (and the queen of hearts and Aces up his sleeves, so to speak). Didn’t I read somewhere about a high school
newsletter he had called DRUT, which was TURD spelled backwards? He loved playing and it must be remembered that Joe wanted
his work to be read and enjoyed by ALL AGE groups from ALL walks of life, not ONLY for the elite academics (but he was so
talented that he made sure his work does address their needs, too). So, it makes complete sense that he put this little puzzle
in the book, along with many, many other puzzles, hidden messages, and other fun stuff throughout his amazing work. After you review his extensive definition of FIDUROD and you understand
it inside-out, then you should read Part 2 to gain an understanding of how it (and these other "fools") affect education
and what we might do about it. Hint: Joe’s work incorporates exemplary models for dealing
with this FIDUROD issue in ways that can keep everybody happy. The Music Selection for Today This
is the song that came to the top when I typed in “halleluiah” as my Master Teacher requested. I don’t
know who these guys are, but they have beautiful, soulful voices. Halleluiah
One last thing This is so cool! My Master Teacher always just gives me an A+ for my work, but yesterday
he told me I have earned an A++. That made me happy. PLUS today he said that there is going to be an extra special
surprise for me for having done this detective work and he called me, “my dear Watson.” I
cannot imagine what is in store. He does love to give surprises and so do my other Master Teachers and I think they are working
together on this one. Should be interesting…I hope I have something exciting to report tomorrow.
Just for
fun, I typed "my dear Watson" into YouTube, and look what came up! This is very, very interesting...and I love the
conclusion: "Reality Is What You Make It." My Master Teacher is just so brilliant....I wonder what this all means.
What Really Happened to Sam Cooke? PLUS How Joe's Theory Might Help Us
My Dream Imagination
I thought I was going to be able to set this issue about Sam Cooke aside for awhile, but apparently not. My “Dream Imagination”
seems to be working overtime. There are good and positive reasons why this is happening, however, so as some people say: “As
long as it is for the light, I don’t mind.”
Here is what I envisioned may have happened; it is just one possibility that my imagination
has created. Three thugs (possibly Ku Klux Klan members or someone could have hired these thugs) sought out Sam Cooke that
night. It was just unacceptable to them that here is this young beautiful black man, only 33 years old, and he is so highly
successful and determined as an entrepreneur, a musician, a singer, a recording artist with his own label, and most of all
with the women, especially white women. They sought him out that night to kill him. I envision this happening in a dark place
with no passersby such as an alley.
The men are in a pickup truck, Ford, light tan and brown. Sam was killed with a sledgehammer (which they used to crush his
hands) and a crowbar (not a broomstick, as alleged). They put his body in the bed of the pickup truck and then went to the
Hacienda, whose owner was deriving most of her profits by maintaining this motel as a house of prostitution. This was the
leverage they needed to ensure the cooperation of the manager that night along with one of the prostitutes who happened to
be there, and, of course, the owner. This is why there “happened to be” a phone call between the owner and the
manager that night. The thugs were telling the owner “what’s what.” She and the manager that night were
to tell the story a certain way and they would be safe from prosecution for running a house of prostitution as well as from
prosecution for Sam’s death. Everything that is described in the police report was staged. Sam was already dead when
they forced the motel manager to shoot him in the stomach. This can be proven through forensics, but the police, who also
benefited from maintaining this house of prostitution (which is why it was allowed to stay in operation even though everyone
knew what was going on there) were not interested in learning the truth. And so, they just went with the story. End of story.
Now, Sam wants justice. He
wants the truth out, especially since the documentary about him and this author, Peter Guralnick, who is making lots of money
off his book about Sam are making the rounds putting out misinformation to the masses. This is not right. There are many things
that need to be corrected. He feels very bad about the emotional harm he may have caused to the loved ones he left behind.
He hopes they understand and accept his apology. He loves all of his children and is concerned because they have not
been properly identified and acknowledged and he would like for them to go through DNA testing to show that they are, indeed,
his children. He wants his financial records reopened. He was grossly stolen from by his manager and he wants all of that
tracked down. The sale of his music rights was improperly executed and all of this needs to be reviewed so that all of the
funds, which are many multiple times the amount distributed so far, can be distributed as they should be to his wife and children
– all of his children.
Yes,
my imagination just runs away from me sometimes….and really, I need to give Joe the credit for his theory that helps us get behind the "ideological
curtain" as he has described in Chapters 18-22 of his book, "Getting Beyond the Facts." Thanks to Joe's
great theory, our minds are opened up to imagining possibilities "Beyond the Facts" which can aid in cracking
open very complex cases such as this one. Imagination or not, sumptin’ ain’t right about Sam Cooke’s
death and it needs to be looked into more deeply. Sumptin’s gotta change and so I dedicate this song to Sam Cooke and
all his loved ones and to the world – Change is Gonna Come!
That’s it for today. My Master Teacher is off this morning, attending some very urgent and important
meetings, and he left a music play list with another teacher. I had to call her on the telephone and
she gave me this list. I do not know at all what the music is supposed to mean, but I was asked to post them in the order
that they appear below. I almost always do what my Master Teacher requests – like 99.99999999999% of the time. He always
gives me an A+.
This next song came later,
and I am not really sure whether he wanted me to post it along with the others or not. I will post it – better to be
safe than sorry. He would never object to me posting extra music, but he might not be happy if I leave a
song out. I always strive to please my Master Teacher, so here it is.
A Phenomenological Pattern and Using Joe's Theory to Obtain Justice for Sam Cooke
I have been noticing quite an interesting pattern in my blogs recently. First, it came to my awareness (in my lessons provided
by my Master Teacher) that Ralph Waldo Emerson had a tough time and was often referred to as a “crazy poet.” Then
just a little while later that day, what turns up but an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Giving Emerson the Boot by professors no less literally
calling Emerson a crazy poet.
I had written about all of this here on January 21 and here on January 22. I remember thinking, how odd that my Master Teacher was bringing this to my attention and then, here is this article (which
he did not tell me about).
The
next example in this pattern is when I was asked by my Master Teacher to review Joe’s booklet, “Understanding
the New Right and Its Impact on Education” for my blog. So I mentioned it on February 2, 2010 and how I considered it to be “prophetic.” Then, on February 3, 2010, I began the review, finishing it up on February 5, 2010 (skipping the 4th because I wrote about revering Joe that day), with some final thoughts about what he had to say in the
booklet on February 6, 2010. It was very interesting that as I researched this topic, the Kanawha textbook controversy, I found that it has raised up
again today (in the form of a traveling documentary) in the very same manner as before, causing conflict and discord. I had
no idea just how prophetic Joe’s book was when I made that comment.
And now we have Sam Cooke. He just keeps popping up. In fact he came up in another song today. I was joking around with my
Master Teacher and I told him, “Darlin’ You Send Me.” Well, he said it right back to me, “Darlin’
Darlin', you send me.” So I looked it up and sure enough, it’s another song
by Sam Cooke. Sam first came up back on January 1, 2010 as a member of the “gang” (which I am beginning to think
is a code word for my critical knowledge network). If you scroll to the end of this blog, hereis Sam and Ali singing “The Gang’s All Here.” It
was kind of a joke. And then, of course there were the two blogs – one on Valentine’s Day and the one yesterday about Sam Cooke. I concluded that it seems he wants justice surrounding his death – that the “official”
account is not right. I was very curious about why is this all coming up right now, so I did a little research
and here is the PROBLEM:
Peter Guralnick, who
authored the graceful and eloquent 2005 biography Dream Boogie: The Triumph
of Sam Cooke, will screen his Grammy-winning Sam Cooke: Legend
documentary on Wednesday, Feb. 10 at Vanderbilt University's Sarratt Student Center (2301 Vanderbilt Place.)Guralnick
will introduce the film and answer questions following the 7 p.m. screening. The film illuminates and underscores Cooke's legacy as a singer, songwriter, record
label owner and publisher. The
documentary will air as part of Vandy's International Lens film series, and the screening is open to the public at no charge.
This is very similar to what is happening with the Kanawha Textbook Case. I found
out that this author, Peter Guralnick, has written a book about Sam and there is misinformation surrounding his death. In
fact, what is really tragic is that this author is blaming Sam (that old “blame the victim” tactic) for his own
death. I do not think Sam, who is behind that “ideological curtain” Joe spoke of in “Getting Beyond the
Facts” is happy at all about what is going on. Just a few days ago, as I just learned yesterday, this author is going
around promoting his book along with a documentary about Sam that again presents disinformation surrounding his death. Sam
is not happy and I don’t blame him. Here is what I found out:
Wednesday, February 10 Presented by: Peter Guralnick, Writer in Residence, English Department USA (2003) Writer: Peter Guralnick. Written by award-winning author and Vanderbilt professor Peter Guralnick, this
is a stirring look at a singular talent who was not only one of the originators of soul music but whose song, “A Change
Is Gonna Come,” has been an anthem of the Civil Rights Movement ever since its first release. This Grammy-winning documentary
includes vintage performance and interview clips with Cooke, along with first-person recollections from many of the great
gospel and R&B pioneers. English. Not rated. 70 minutes. DVD. Source: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/internationallens/
In addition, there
are some interesting comments from readers about the book, “Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke” by Peter Guralnick
here. There is something very, very wrong going on and I can understand now why Sam is upset. If you read the “controversy”
over his death on the Wikipedia entry, Sam Cooke , it is nearly impossible to imagine how one woman alone caused the
injuries to Sam that are described. And it is just another slap in the face to have Peter Guralnick going around the country
promoting his book and asserting that the “official” story is correct, along with blaming Sam because of his tendency
to not take it when someone discriminated against him. He didn’t fight physically, but he refused to kowtow to people
who were racist, and it seems Peter Guralnick is blaming that tendency for getting Sam into dangerous situations. That’s
crazy because why should Sam have tolerated racism?
Sorting all of this out is where Joe’s theory comes in and I have noted in my previous blogs that
Chapters 18-21 in his 2001 edition of “Getting Beyond the Facts” is going to help me sort all of this out in my
dissertation and help me solve this crime. It looks like I might need Chapter 22 as well, “Teaching a Living History
for Social Justice: Subjugated Meaning in the Social Studies.” Sam wants justice.
About the Pattern I do not put this information out here to “prove” anything.
The reason I am documenting this pattern I have noticed in which I my attention gets focused on particular individuals
who have passed over and then I come to learn that there is something very current that is happening in relation to these
individuals, is because this information will be incorporated into my doctoral dissertation in the form of a phenomenological
microstudy. I am not certain exactly how this will all fit in at this point, but as my Master Teacher always tells me, just
let it evolve. So I don’t worry about it, and now I have the documentation that will make my future research surrounding
this phenomenon easier.
From
what I understand, Sam is fine with this. He is very happy to know that people are paying attention. We hope that eventually
the case will be reopened and it will be found that a crime was committed here and the perpetrators who are still around will
have to serve their time. But the main thing is that we want to get to the truth and stop blaming Sam for what happened.
So all of this made me happy.
I was relieved that for the moment all is well with Sam. My Master Teachers, all of them, really do “send me.”
Here’s to Sam Cooke and all of my great Master Teachers (and one of them, especially). Darlin’ You Send Me – Sam Cooke
Next, I had lessons
in weather, which I found humorous because I had never seen my Master Teacher play the role of weather forecaster.
He told me all about how the earth is shifting ever so slightly on its axis (and there is not going to be a reversal of poles
like some people predict), and this shift is causing weather shifts, such as a lot of snow in places where we don’t
usually get snow. And Florida will not be as warm as it has been in the past, as the earth continues its pole shifting.So, anyway, he was all into this weather forecasting stuff which I found quite funny because it seems out of his league,
although I should know by now, nothing is out of his league. Next thing I knew, he asked me, “What
is this, did you not think your….Master Teacher was capable of being a weatherman?” I laughed
at him and he just goes, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”
There is simply never a dull
moment! Next, Sam Cooke came back to me with a song of reassurance, which I will close with today. April 3, 2010 is the
beginning of a Wonderful World, according to the message I have been receiving for awhile, which was reiterated today by my
teacher. (Unfortunately, I was also informed that there will be some natural disasters along with the shifting pole, but they
will not be as bad as some people predict and definitely not what the media predict with their version of 2012.) So,
this following song is just so appropriate in so many ways as we envision a new world of unconditional love, and
as we move forward for justice for Sam. We must always keep a positive outlook and a good picture in mind for the future.
P.S. I don't know what that
"Error 317" is about in this video, but I do know the numbers add up to 11 - the soulmate numbers! So, it's all
good!
P.S.S. I was just kindly reminded about Einstein being a fourth example of this phenomenon
(actually, I think he was the first). I had shown how using Joe's theory solves Einstein's riddle, and there
is much more I have been assigned to do surrounding Einstein's work. I had dropped a hint long ago about Joe's work uncovering
something about Einstein's work that no one had discovered previously. I will need to work on that as well. It is
going to be an interesting dissertation!!! Very, very interesting. Einstein's riddle was covered in this blog: Joe was a Greater Genius than Einstein! June 20, 2009
I literally received gifts all day yesterday. I am going to try and put some of them in
the order that I received them because I think the order is significant. First, early yesterday morning, I was given the following
song (my Master Teacher was singing it: strong hint). I am NOT sure what the significance of the song is, other than we are
often in the position of either staying silent or speaking truth even though it may hurt someone. Which is the best approach?
Are there times when silence is golden? I think Joe stayed silent for a long, long time. But he put it
all out there in his books, so now we can see that he really was not so silent after all. Whatever the decision one makes
– to stay silent or to speak out -- I have always loved this song.
My next gift
came from another person’s blog, which I have reprinted below. (This is allowed! A lot of people today believe in sharing.)
While many people will think the ideas in this blog are “far-fetched,” in MY reality this author speaks truth.
It is what I choose for myself and it is what I will manifest in my life. This year and next will be the greatest years of
my entire life so far and there will be many magical things happening that most people would say are impossible. They
are only impossible if that is what you choose to believe. You can bet I will be writing about them right here in
my blogs and saying, “I told you so.” However, I would rather that more people believe this and experience the
same sorts of amazing things in their own lives, which is why I am sharing it.
Dream-Shopping by Gloria Wendroff Sunday, 14 February,
2010 (A message from God) Think of the
sweetest delicacy you can think of. Savor it. This is how sweet your life is going to be. Amazing treasures are on their way
to you. You have a lot to look forward to. Never mind what you may be mired in now. Your life is going to change tremendously.
You are simply going to trip over your good fortune. You might as well start enjoying now all that is on its way to you. Beloveds,
treasure after treasure. Get ready! Make space.
No matter how good something in your life is right now, it
is going to get even better. You are going to be assailed with one great thing after another. You realize that I am speaking
of glad tidings. Good news, beloveds, good news is on its way. Such good news. Such good news is on its way to you that it
is hard for Me not to tell you all about it. Yet l do not want to spoil the surprises that are ready to be delivered to you.
The surprises are already addressed to you.
You are soon going to be on the opposite side of the street.
If you have been walking down an uneasy side of the street, you will cross over to the easy side. The easy side is so smooth,
so even, so untroubled, so wonderful that you will think you are floating in Heaven. You will cross over to a brand-new sidewalk.
The initials carved into it are yours.
I will call this side of the street Joy. Great joy is awaiting you. Great
joy is the side of the coin that is coming up for you now.
You cannot even dream of all that is coming
to you. You cannot imagine it! Still, keep dreaming your dreams and new ones and bigger ones. Your dreams and more are on
their way to you. They are tripping over each other in their haste to show you what life can be, what your life can be.
Dreams
come true. It is becoming time for your dreams to come true. Be ready to welcome the onslaught of your dreams fulfilled. When
the time is right, there is no stopping all that is yours. You are going to be so happy, so very happy, so utterly happy,
so consistently happy. Your happiness will be so great that you may almost be running out of ideas for what else you want.
But gaps get filled, and more dreams and wider dreams and more universal dreams will arise.
No longer will your
dreams be just for you alone. Whatever you want for yourself, you will want it for everyone. You will be uncomfortable if
you desire for yourself alone. You just can't do that anymore. You won't want to go dream-shopping just for yourself any longer.
Whatever dream you buy for yourself from the dream factory, you will want your friends to have too. You will want strangers
to have the fulfillment of your dreams too. Their dreams will become your dreams. It just won't be fun anymore to desire for
yourself alone. You won't be able to do it. It just won't be fun anymore.
When there is enough for all, you will
no longer think of hoarding. You will no longer think of stinting. You will know generosity, and generosity alone.
Your
relaxation will be to fill others' needs. You will no longer be satisfied with less for anyone. It gets harder and harder
for you to eat when children are hungry. You will embrace children without parents and honor them as your own. All the world
will have you. And you will be so happy, so happy, so very happy.
Next,
I learned that the Chinese New Year has begun and it is the Year of the Tiger! As an interesting side note, Joe was born in 1950,
which was also the Year of the Tiger. And of course, being that this is the Year of the Tiger, I instantly thought
of this song:
This all makes me
think of change, and almost magically, up popped Sam Cooke again with another song! I really
think he is trying to make a point. I hope Obama reopens his case. There is nothing worse than a travesty of justice.
It is so sad that since his death, he had been given a somewhat questionable personality. You can read a little about what
happened here: Sam Cooke
It’s just not right. He was a good person and now he cannot even defend himself against the lies. So,
one of the changes I would like to see happen is justice in Sam Cooke’s case. What really
happened? The people who were involved need to pay their debt. It is ironic that Sam Cooke sang this beautiful song about
change and I guess Obama really liked this song, too. This is the year. As Michael Jackson, sang, “This is It!”
Next, I decided to soak in some of Joe’s beautiful words.
Honestly, reading his work is like soaking in LOVE. The love totally emanates out of his writing, which flows like
an endless river….an
endless river of love.
I am so glad that he left so much for us to read. I have not yet begun to read it all, but I work at it. What is so great
is that you can just pick up any of his books and open them anywhere and start reading. So that’s what I did yesterday.
His 2001 edition of Getting Beyond the Facts: Teaching Social Studies/Social Sciences in the Twenty-First Century
is a very large book of 818 pages….(two eights – maybe it gets us through the 8th gate and all prepared for the
ninth gate – I still have to write about that, too).
Anyway, I just opened it up randomly and it opened to Chapter 18, “Fingerprints at the Crime Scene: Power, Knowledge
Production, and a Critical Democratic Social Studies.” That was so interesting since I am on this “kick”
so to speak to find justice for Sam Cooke. It really is a travesty because I cannot imagine how one woman alone was able to
injure and kill Sam Cooke as shown in the records. And the police were extremely negligent in not tying everything that happened
that night together. Plus, Sam, I feel is really wanting justice here.
So, I read through this chapter for some
hints that might help me. There is a LOT in this chapter. I will need to sleep on it and dream some more for help with what
I am supposed to do next. It seems to relate to uncovering the “shadow power” that is everywhere around us. This
is a weird thought: On page 569, Joe has a subchapter called, “Furtive Formulas: Exhuming the Colonel and His Secret
Recipe.” I wonder if Sam Cooke’s case is reopened whether they would exhume his body. I bet they would. There
is so much more forensic scientists can determine today than they could back in 1964, not that they really even tried back
then, either. It was as if they just did not care, since Sam Cooke was a Black man, and a very successful one at that.
Next, I skipped
ahead in his book to Chapter 21, “Social Psychoanalysis In the Social Studies: Critical Theory and Historiography.”
This is another very fascinating chapter and tells in great detail how we must get “Behind the Curtain of Ideology”
(p. 612). I am going to have to spend more time studying this entire section of Joe’s book because there is great knowledge
here that I know will help me uncover, or at least provide another perspective of Sam Cooke’s horribly tragic last night
on this earth. If the case never gets reopened, at least I will have felt I have done my part if I take one last look at it
using Joe’s brilliant methodology as he has outlined here in Chapters 18-21. He does explain how we must get behind
that curtain and, I don’t know about you, but I am more than ready to do just that.
And finally, last but not least, I learned that
we have an awful lot of information about how bad education is.I
just happened to come across this new information yesterday. We do know there’s a problem (and if we are peons, we experience these things every day, so this is not new to us.) Joe always emphasized that we need
to thoroughly analyze the problem; however, in our analyses and recommendations, we need to uncover those fractal choice points
so that we can envision and then select from multiple solutions and ways out of the problems in order to alleviate human suffering.
Simply dwelling on the problem creates more of the problem. It’s like they say, what you focus on will grow and get
bigger and bigger and so what we need to focus on are solutions. In my book, there is only one person who has presented
viable pathways to solutions. Let’s get to those SOLUTIONS today!
So
that’s it for today – just a brief summary of the many gifts I received yesterday on Valentine’s Day and the first day of the Year of the Tiger. I am so enormously grateful for Joe’s work
and the time and trouble he went to writing it as an expression of his great love for all people everywhere and
for leaving it for us to enjoy for years and years into the future, so I decided I would choose today’s song.
Joe’s work
IS LOVE. Reading
his work is like having him sitting right next to us and sharing his love with us and I really cannot get enough of that kind
of love. Maybe I am “weird,” but this
is honestly how I see Joe’s work. He put his heart and soul into it, and reading it makes that so very clear.
So, the song I choose and I dedicate to Joe is "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" by Barry White.
I
love you, Joe.
May the Year
of the Tiger - your
special year - be the year that the world changes for the better, just as you had envisioned…that is my wish for you,
Babe.
Gifts of Love, Knowledge, and Music for Valentine's Day
The poem below was divinely gifted to me in two parts on July 25 and 26, 1989. I awakened both mornings and instantly wrote the words as
they flowed forth.
It has never been published. Since it is a Love Poem, it seems appropriate for Valentine’s Day. If only I had known Joe then; he probably would have encouraged me to do
more learning from my dreams. In fact, in his book, Getting Beyond the Facts: Teaching Social Studies in the Late Twentieth
Century, which was coincidentally also written in 1989, he had a section under
“New Approaches,” titled “New Frontiers in Social Studies: Learning Through Dreaming (pp.
324-330). At the time this poem came to me, I thought it was just a “fluke” and it was the only time it had happened
until recently…now I know better after reading Joe’s books and I often receive poems and lots of other information
from my dreams and “imagination.” One of these days I will explain “imagination” and how the educational
community (except Joe, of course) has kept one of the biggest secrets to themselves while we peons have struggled so with
learning. It’s all in Joe’s books. Trust In You A Poem for My Soul Mate (Whoever He Is and Wherever He May Be) Vanessa Jae Paradis, Written in 1989 Shielded, armored coats we wear When life that’s handed down’s unfair I remove my armor for you to see My soul, myself, the real me Please don’t hurt me in my nakedness Wonder at my marvelousness You are my shield now, my silvery strength Do you even know at what length I’ll go to forever keep you?
I’ll lay myself before your feet Bare and true but still discreet Every flaw is now exposed As
I still cling to keep reposed But
I’ll never cease from this day forward For
now I know I’ve really soared It’s
your turn now when you are ready I’m
here, receptive, holding steady Wanting
you to feel the joy Yes, it’s your turn now, love knows
no bounds For even though my
heart wildly pounds My fear is
not a fear of you The fear is
what I never knew About myself
and inner thoughts The way I
am and all the oughts They absorb,
reflect and transcend With no
more armor to defend My very
self, my very soul I cannot stop until I share The love, the joy, how much I care When I’ve tested surrender sweet Nothing exists to make me retreat For when I removed that rusty coat My very soul began to float The caked on dirt fell to the floor The hidden secrets flew out the door We’re free: You to be you and me to be me I marvel at the insignificance Of what made me keep extending distance It’s not that the pain cannot be reached I’ve learned how to keep it from being breached The ecstasy of joy and love And even thoughts of a power above Fulfills me and fills me overflowing With awe and wonder, always knowing How little I have lost and how very much I’ve gained I know there’s more for me to see More love, more life and tranquility But then there’s always room to grow So much to learn, so much to know I won’t give up until I succeed And that I feel is a lifetime deed For right now I feel reassurance In knowing that I have the endurance To withstand the removal of my armor
Trust in You - Part Two (July 26, 1989) I
pray that dreams and truth are one That
we come together when our pain is done For
I truly believe in serendipity Or
better still, in synchronicity And
if it’s truly God’s chosen plan Please
would you be my only man My life,
my love, my true desire I promise
you I’ll never tire Of
being here for you
I think you feel the way I do The love, the joy and sensuousness
too I don’t believe it’s
all my imagination For there
truly is a mutual fascination A
pull, a force, a magnetism With
just a dash of romanticism I
want you and need you; I’m not proud I’ll
tell you and even shout it out loud For
all the world to hear I know you have the capability Along with the desirable stability To fulfill my deepest wishes and desires And to light within me future fires Right now it’s hard to live without you When I already know so much about
you Everything I see I love so
much But I can only tell you
how I’m touched By the
real you, your very soul So if I’m right, if
this is true Please come to me,
and together renew The feelings
we have locked neatly away Saving
them for this very day Let’s
sail away to a fantasy land Always
holding each other’s hand And
loving each other for eternity Accepting
that this is our destiny
You and I belong together
<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3
Valentine’s
Day Gifts
Butterflies | Forward this Picture Of course, it would not be Valentine’s
Day if I did not receive gifts from “beyond.” When I awakened this morning, there was much on my mind. I had gone
to an interesting movie last night (in my dreams). It began at 11:00 pm and ended at 1:00 am and the double
numbers are significant, of course. 1’s represent soul mates and pairs of 0’s represent divinity – and of
course, double numbers also represent “gateways.” If I tell people who I was at the movie with, of course there
will be those who would be very upset, as I have learned….so I’ll leave that out. I don’t know why people
get upset over these things when they are “just dreams.”
The movie was a different sort of suspense story. The suspense triggered fear,
but nothing ever happened. It was about a group of people who were investigating some mystery about some spooky guy and it
was all supposed to be very scary, and it was. The entire movie evoked fear, but the funny thing was, nothing
ever happened. For example, one woman left the room to investigate a frightening situation in another room where it was thought
this guy might be hiding just waiting for his opportunity, and this other woman who was with the group waiting outside said,
“She’s going to scream.” And so the audience is just waiting for that blood curdling scream, but it never
happens. So then after a period of time, finally the other people in the group go into the room where this woman had gone
and there is all of this scary suspense because you think the lady is going to be found harmed, but when you walk in, she
is just looking through old papers in a filing cabinet. The whole movie was like that and it was a demonstration of how fear
can be created from nothing. I felt the fear, but it had been created out of thin air so to speak. And so, it was just a representation
of how FEAR=False Energy Appearing Real. The dream was like an educational lesson in dreamland and it was quite interesting.
It demonstrated how we really do not need to use VIOLENCE in movies to evoke fear and excitement. A more creative, challenging,
and effective tactic is to create fear in the audience out of thin air. Of course, if we have really mastered fear, the movie
will not work to instill fear in us, and in that sense, it is a good measure of how much work we still need to do.
Well, that was a sweet Valentine’s
gift, going to the movie. It was a reminder to me that I really have nothing to fear (but fear itself as they say). So then
this morning, as if that was not enough of a gift, I was told to look on pages 474-475 of Joe’s 2001 Getting Beyond
the Facts: Teaching Social Studies/Social Sciences in the Twenty-First Century. This is an entirely different book than
his first edition, by the way. Both books are SO excellent. I looked at the pages and, here Joe was talking about how we need
to analyze our Western science constructs in terms of other cultural knowledges. Of course, Western science has grossly perpetuated
the myth of white superiority and ignores important human experiences such as passion, emotions, bodily and tactile sensations,
instead perpetuating a bias for mental abstractions. He stated, “In the study of global and indigenous knowledge, such
epistemological tendencies take on dramatic importance” (p. 474). Of course, as teachers we need to realize how “whiteness”
plays a huge role in the standardized science curriculum. Essentially, the insight provided by deeper analyses and understanding
of how this occurs along with the incorporation of global and indigenous knowledges, according to Joe, “opens a gateway
into White consciousness and its reactions to the world around it” (p. 475).
So, here is another gift from Joe in the above passage, of which
dream learning is an important element, of course. Western culture is one of the very few cultures that does not recognize
the huge significance of dreaming and how we can learn from our dreams. Dreams help us open up those gateways to greater understanding
and knowledge, not just about ourselves (it is not always about us; this is another Western construct), but
it is about many things. I think this gift in Joe’s books is important for all of us who have been indoctrinated into
the “great white way” to varying degrees, no matter what race, ethnicity, culture, sex, religion, etc. Studying
these dynamics that Joe has gone to very great effort in this book to demonstrate, will give us the gift of an open portal
to greater knowledge. Try it; you’ll like it. I recommend both editions of this book since they contain different and
yet highly important knowledge.
One
More Valentine’s Day Gift It
is no secret that Joe loved absolutely everybody who crossed his path. He was a “super human”
example of unconditional love. If only we could all love in the way he demonstrated; that would be my wish come true. I was
so amazed by him when I met him through his website (and in person) and how he gave so generously of his time, his attention,
his thoughts (which traveled great distances), his music, his advice, his compassion, his love, his praise, and of course,
his amazing work, etc., and yet he never, ever expected anything whatsoever in return. That is unconditional love beyond the
capabilities of most humans on this earth. There are others, of course, who demonstrate this ability, but they are far and
few between.
What I am
to convey in relation to all of this is that Joe left special messages in his books, even personal messages to each of us
who were in close contact with him (yes, even me). They are sometimes obvious, sometimes obscure, and sometimes encoded, but
they are clearly messages that stand out when you identify them. I hope that as you read his work, these various messages
will speak to you. Understand, though, that he realized people need to work on themselves, and of course, some his messages
convey this even in a “tough love” sort of way, but he left these messages out of love because
he wanted to see us all reach higher evolved states of being human and to be alleviated from our suffering, including
our own self-imposed suffering. He clearly saw that many of us need to work on ourselves, but still it did not interfere with
his love for us. The bottom line is that he loved us all, and there are records of his love throughout his work, including
personal advice for some of us. Joe’s work is truly a gift of LOVEthat keeps on giving.
Music for Valentine’s Day
The song came to me from my Master Teacher this morning, as usual. Appropriate
for Valentine’s Day, he just gave me the word “cupid” so I will look this up on YouTube right now.
This is the song that came to the
top; it’s very sweet for Valentine’s Day:
He also gave me this longtime
favorite (he kept singing it)! I have always loved this song and I think there is something very significant about Sam Cooke
– he keeps “showing up” for some reason. OMG, read this about Sam Cooke. I think he wants justice, here. Something sounds very fishy about this case and it needs to be reopened. Anyway, here is
the song and it is so beautiful!
I can’t wait to get
on with my day! I have already had some great surprises for Valentine’s Day that began in “dreamland” and
I am supposed to be receiving some more amazing surprises throughout the day! It’s exciting! I will report back tomorrow.
I thought I would share this oracle reading today from Doreen. I am actually beginning to really like
Doreen’s oracle readings. They are so positive and upbeat. Today’s reading is especially good because it is for
women and as a woman I know we just do not get enough positive feedback in our lives. We give out a lot of love and it seems
at times it takes a while for that energy to cycle back around to us.
This message is especially great because
it reminds us we CAN have it all. Isis was a real person, but there is much misinformation about her. You can read a little
about Isis here, but keep in mind that in this case, even Wikipedia is very incomplete and has misinformation about her. Still,
it does give us some idea of who she was and how important she is as an Ascended Master.
Of course,
you can “poo poo” this information and totally discredit it, but that is not a wise decision. We can learn SOMETHING
from every single perspective there is. Joe’s critical bricolage, and I realize that most people are
not understanding this, allows for us as educational researchers (or any researchers, for that matter) to look at all different
perspectives no matter where they come from in place and time, with wide open minds. Something very amazing happens when you
do this and take the time to acquire many, many perspectives. It is difficult to explain, but Joe did explain it all in his
work in his special idiosyncratic, multidimensional, multitheoretical way (which I always find so rich and delicious to read).
If you have not read his explanations of the whys and wherefores of the bricolage you are really missing a very
special treat. In the most simplistic explanation that Joe gives, he simply states that the sum of the parts is greater than
the whole. In other words, when you put all of these perspectives together, often something entirely new emerges. I think
I would like to explore more explanations of Isis. Wikipedia is really lacking here. She seems like a great role model for
girls and women. We can be sexy and dance with our soul mate partners (and share a powerful unconditional, mutually supportive
love) all at the same time as being exemplary and very wise Master Teachers and powerful people who really know how to
get things accomplished AND loving, nurturing mommies to our children.
We can have it ALL! Who could ask
for anything more?
In my email this morning, I received notice from a group called Humanity Healing
about their new video, just posted to You Tube. I watched it in awe and it immediately brought back memories of my work on
the bricolage with Joe. We both “got it” and he was helping me through my struggles of trying to convey in my
pre-proposal to my professors how logical and what perfect sense it makes to do research using the bricolage. He commented
to me, “Just call me crazy….” and I immediately responded back to him, “Joe, you are my sanity in
a crazy world.”
Something tells me, Joe got a lot of “flack” over his “craziness,”
and of course, he wrote all about it, especially the issues he had as a youngster in school. When you read between the
lines, he wrote so much more – and oh, was he ever so good about writing between the lines. Anyway, this video
is reassuring, especially since I have been “tagged” to be even “crazier” than Joe. I just have to
align myself even tighter with Joe, who said he was an “HWA” (a “Hillbilly With an Attitude”). I love
that! I am also an “HWA” (a Hick With an Attitude). Oooh I just love Joe so much, still!!!
That’s my main message
for today. Those of us who are a little different are the ones who will have a major impact in changing the
world. Joe was a true genius beyond even the definition of genius. He put it right out there in his last book that his work
will change the world. He wrote so much about the POWER of DIFFERENCE. I still need to review all of that. Joe knew what he
was talking about. More people will be listening as time goes on.
My meeting with my Master Teacher this morning was very short because the Maids had to
come over early today to clean my house (but we are meeting again this afternoon). What he told me was that gratitude,
money, love, and even sex (in the tantric or spiritual form) are energy fields. You must give out in order
to receive back and once a circular motion sets in, it gains momentum and magnitude. If you only take-take-take -- for
example, if you are only interested in PROFIT in relation to money, then you have circumvented this natural flow of ever-increasing
energy and you have violated natural universal laws, thus what you will receive back is going to be restricted, limited, and
it will dwindle to nothing, eventually. He said, "If only people knew what they were missing out on."
At any rate, as he headed out the door (yes, I am so privileged and so grateful that my master teachers often
come right to my home to provide instruction), he told me, “My love for you abounds.” Of course, I figured that
had to be a song, and when I plugged it into YouTube the following song, which is a little sad, came up right to the top.
While this song is sad and is about the Belfast Child singing again, it needs to be taken in context with the above video.
The song was written in the 1989. Things are changing today because…
Many Belfast Children have returned and they
are all singing!
The
song uses the music from the Irish folk song "She Moved Through the Fair", but has completely different words.
Jim Kerr recalled in 1000 UK #1 Hits why he used the melody, "I first heard the melody (of She Moved Through The Fair) a few
days after the Enniskillen bombing (when a bomb planted by the IRA exploded during a Remembrance Day service at Enniskillen in County Fermanagh, killing 12
people and injuring at least 63), and like everybody when you see the images I was sick. In the second part of the song, I'm
trying to relate to people in Northern Ireland who lost loved ones. I'm trying to talk about the madness, the sadness and
the emptiness. I'm not saying I have any pearls of wisdom, but I have a few questions to ask."
For more information about this UK #1song from
1989, visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belfast_Child When my love said to me Meet me down by the gallow tree For it's sad
news I bring About this old town and all that it's offering Some say troubles abound Some day soon they're
gonna pull the old town down One day we'll return here, When the Belfast Child sings again
Brothers sisters
where are you now As I look for you right through the crowd All my life here I've spent With my faith in God
the Church and the Government But there's sadness abound Some day soon they're gonna pull the old town down
One day we'll return here, When the Belfast Child sings again When the Belfast Child sings again
Some
come back Billy, won't you come on home Come back Mary, you've been away so long The streets are empty, and your
mother's gone The girls are crying, it's been oh so long And your father's calling, come on home Won't you
come on home, won't you come on home
Come back people, you've been gone a while And the war is raging, in
the Emerald Isle That's flesh and blood man, that's flesh and blood All the girls are crying but all's not lost
The streets are empty, the streets are cold Won't you come on home, won't you come on home
The streets
are empty Life goes on
One day we'll return here When the Belfast Child sings again When the Belfast
Child sings again
Grace + Divinity = Compassion: An Early Start to the Mission
This morning is the very first morning I have awakened and felt “blank.” Ever since I began these blogs way last
May, I have awakened with a message. I am not even sure where these messages come from, but I have always felt very compelled
to convey them nevertheless. Today is different somehow and I am not sure why. I spoke to my Master Teacher about it and he
just told me, as usual, “there is no need to worry, stress or lay out blueprints for what’s to transpire. All
is divine and all is carried by divine grace,” is what I was told, and he parted, stating, "Yours in grace and
divinity." Maybe I should check into the definitions of these words. Often we make assumptions about what words mean
or perhaps we have just one idea in mind for the definition of a word when, in fact, there are multiple meanings that give
words a richness that we too often rob from them.
It is interesting that the antonym for the word divine as given by Microsoft Word is Earth. Therefore, divine is not even
of this earth. Can we truly comprehend the significance of the word divinity or divine? I think not. Some of the synonyms
include heavenly, celestial, godly and less significantly, great, marvelous, delightful. We really, in the English language
are not able to describe divine. The meaning is far too multidimensional, expansive, and beyond our ability to fully embrace
and comprehend. Synonyms for divinity include religion, spirituality, theology, mysticism, holiness – again far too
comprehensive to really pinpoint a precise definition when we make use of the word. It would seem logical to conclude that
when we speak these words, if we do not fully define how we are using them, which we cannot, we are not truly communicating
since everyone is likely to have their own idea of what they mean. Of course, churches, through doctrine define these terms
for us. I was never much into doctrine, personally. I guess I like the idea that the words have expansive meaning. That frees
me up to keep learning in new ways what the words mean and how they come to be represented.
Grace is another one of those words that can come to mean totally different things in different contexts and from different
perspectives. Microsoft Word lists its synonyms as elegance, refinement, loveliness, polish, beauty, poise, and charm. Of
course, religions provide an entirely different perspective on grace. For example, Christianity and perhaps other religions
as well, claim that grace is a free gift from God, but it is used in a different context. We are perfect as we are and in
spite of the mistakes we make along the way, and of course, it is because of God's divine love that we receive this free gift.
Today’s song was provided
simply by the words, “grace and divinity” and when I searched them on YouTube, this interesting video showing
Amma, who is considered to be a living saint in India, rose to the top. The message I have gotten from this little exercise
handed down to me just now by my Master Teacher is that Grace + Divinity = Compassion. Compassion is easier to define and
demonstrate than the two words that make it up. It is described as sympathy, empathy, care, consideration, kindness and concern.
The key is that we must take ACTIONS that are driven by these emotions. While we can demonstrate these concepts through our
observations of other very, very special people, living with complete love and compassion is a feat that very few people can
emulate. Of course, people who knew Joe, knew he was well recognized for his immense love and compassion, so there are
people around us who can demonstrate how this works. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to know him and experiece
his love and compassion. Even though I met him just once, his love and compassion vibrations were not hindered whatsoever
by distance and they also traveled well through the Internet.
As can be seen in the videos below, Amma is a very compassionate person who
travels the globe helping those in need, which is something we all should probably be doing more of. In other words, perhaps
defining the words Grace and Divinity may not be as important as living the summation of the words. This would be living as
a fully loving, compassionate human being as demonstrated in the actions we take around the world to help those who are less
fortunate than ourselves and are suffering. We often hear that we should take actions locally while we think globally. I
have the clear indication that 2010 is the year we begin to take these very actions, even if we just begin in our own back
yards. In fact, as I have stated before, the mission, this “Code Blue Mission” to rescue Earth was to begin in
April and the major push is still slated for April, but it has gotten off to a slightly earlier start for many of us, which
is a good thing. I hope you are taking productive actions to help those less fortunate people who have needs. It is just too
easy to get all locked up in our own little worlds (Joe, as well of other people, call these narrowly focused unreal realities
“hypperealities”) and our own selfish agendas. That is old stuff. Time for the new. More to come…
There is SOMETHING Goin’ On with Textbooks PLUS OMG, I LOVE this Song!
For some reason, I cannot seem to move past the review I did about Joe’s very first book, “Understanding the New
Right and Its Impact on Education,” which I did a few blogs ago. There is sumptin’ goin’ on here and I have
been reading and reading about textbooks. It is a mystery right now. We are at a critical juncture. Maybe it’s one of
those choice points that emerge when we flow along through change – where the fractals keep emerging and there are more
choice points and we have to make decisions as to which direction to take. There is nothing at all wrong with taking multiple
directions, but the choices need to be based on what is good and true, not for greedy, selfish, profit-making reasons. The
latter will not hold up in the emerging new paradigm. The former will support the paradigm. We are already past the point
of no return; that is, the new paradigm is too far along to turn back and the old paradigm is crumbling all around us.
And so, I have read all about textbooks, but I need to use Joe’s critical bricolage to “shake, rattle, and roll”
it all in order to really figure out what’s going on. Everyone who writes has an agenda (mine is to promote Joe’s
work because I know it is true and good and applying it will create what is true and good). But some of the other people have
some strange, twisted, and very hidden agendas. Some people are promoting ending textbooks all together. California is proposing
all online textbooks. Now, from what I have learned about who makes money selling textbooks, this could really shake things
up. Some people are promoting the idea that the states need to stop dictating the textbooks teachers must use in the classrooms
since this really boils down to just two states (CA and TX) dictating for the entire nation what can and cannot be in textbooks
– which really boils down to censorship, watering down the textbooks, adding lots of pictures and graphics, throwing
in many random facts, and making the books so big and heavy children are visiting the doctors for back problems from having
to carry them. I will most definitely work on this some more.
Here’s a puzzle for you: What was Joe’s prediction in
his booklet, “Understanding the New Right and Its Impact on Education?” Has it come true? (Answer: yes).
The Music for
Today – OMG, I LOVE this Song
I had the funniest experience yesterday. I just met a new colleague (online, of course) and we are
getting to know each other and so far, we had not discussed our research at all. We were joking around because it had been
noticed by others in the course that my name is the same as the famous Paris singer and actress, Vanessa Paradis
who is married to the famous actor (and "most handsome man in the world"), Johnny Depp. I jokingly told her I only
get the wax version of Johnny Depp and posted a picture of me and Johnny taken at the wax museum, just to be funny. She thought
it was hilarious and, quite coincidentally, she posted a message to me stating that everytime she sees my name,
she starts singing the song “Joe Le Taxi.” I thought that was pretty cool and very relevant!
And what a strange coincidence! Of course, I looked it up on YouTube and I LOVE this song! It is so perfect….The
other day in these blogs, I was saying Joe’s work is the “ticket to ride” and now today, his work is like
a taxi and he is the taxi driver who knows all of the good places to travel, knows how to get past all of the obstacles and
dark places, knows where all the bridges are, and he really knows his music. I put the translation in English below the
song. I just could not resist using this adorable song today….I think it was meant to be.
Joe the taxi (Joe the cab
driver) He doesn't go everywhere He doesn't work on soda His yellow sax (saxophone is a metaphor for his yellow
cab) Knows all of the streets by heart All of the little bars All of the dark corners And the Seine And its bridges that shine In his car Joe's music It's the "rumba" From old "rock"
to "mambo" Joe the taxi It's his life The rum with "mambo" Traffic jam He's like
that Joe - Joe - Joe In his car Joe's music resonates It's the "rumba" From old "rock"
to phony "mambo" Go Joe Go Joe Speed along In the night towards the Amazon Joe the taxi
(driver) And
Xavier Cugat (famous Cuban musician) Joe the taxi And Yma Sumac (musician again) Joe - Joe - Joe Joe the
taxi It's his life The rum with "mambo" Traffic jam Joe the taxi And the Mariachis Joe
the Taxi And the "cha-cha-chi" Go Joe Speed along In the night towards the Amazon
Thank Heaven for Master Teachers and Their Special Gifts of Knowledge
I followed my Master Teacher’s naturopathic medical advice almost to the “t” by fasting for three days,
and Lo AND Behold, I am feeling FINE today….almost as good as new….wow I had never had a “bout”
of what I thought was food poisoning as bad as that or that lasted so long – seven grueling days. I thought for sure
I was going to end up in the hospital and have countless medical tests run to try to figure out what was wrong. It would have
cost thousands of dollars. I literally felt like I was dying. Can you imagine having to go seven days with almost no food?
But that was the mistake: ALMOST no food. My Master Teachers, when I asked for help, said I had to totally FAST for three
days and take special probiotics according to their dosing recommendations. For awhile, I got even sicker (the darkest before
dawn?) and I was very close to going to the hospital, but I decided I wanted to prove to my teachers that I had total faith
and trust in their remedy. Yesterday morning I was in pain and I was CRYING to my teacher, “I feel like I’m
dying,” and I was not kidding. But he empathized with me greatly and just said, “this, too, will pass”
and told me several times to “Stay Strong.” [I really don't recommend this process unless
one of your Master Teachers is a Naturapathic Physician, like one of mine is.]
I made it and I actually was able to have a dinner last night of rice cooked
in broth that tasted OH so yummy after starving so long. I think I am back on track – all thanks to my wonderful teachers
who know that sometimes teaching does involve helping students with outside issues such as their health and well being. After
all, it is pretty difficult to be motivated to learn when you are sicker than a dog. I love my teachers. This is no exaggeration.
I love them with my heart and soul because they truly have my best interest at heart. All I can say is, I am very blessed
and no amount of expressed gratitude is sufficient to convey the magnitude of how grateful I feel having what I consider to
be divine guidance 24/7.
I
put this out here, not because I want attention, but because everyone can be so fortunate to have wonderful Master Teachers
and divine guidance. I truly wish for everyone to experience how wonderful it can be to have special teachers who love and
cherish you as a learner – and it does not matter what age you are. You may be a teacher, but if you establish a relationship
with your own special Master Teachers, you will find your teaching practice can be significantly enhanced – in fact,
your whole life will be enhanced no matter who you are or what you are doing in life. It is a long story, but I just wanted
to make the point that we can ALL benefit from this mode of learning, teaching, living, and loving – and don’t
forget the dancing. It is divine.
As if my getting over a horrific illness that I thought was going to land me in the hospital was not enough reward from my
Master Teachers, it was only the beginning of the divine gifts I received last night. I actually was given much more guidance
toward locating the gift in Joe’s book, “Understanding the New Right and Its Impact on Education” on page
23 that I relayed in an earlier blog -- as well as understanding the deep significance of this gift. If you have the
book, you should try to find the gift. It is so amazing and so “across the border” so to speak that I cannot begin
to put it all here in a short blog. But I can put the song out that was given to me last night, which was another gift for
trusting my teachers. It came to me from another favorite Master Teacher. She told me it took days for her to get the message
but it finally came through. It is by Iron Butterfly. My other Master Teacher explained to me afterward that the reason he
selected the song is because I am his “Iron Butterfly” for staying strong (my name means butterfly). And the song
is just a reminder that I am to keep holding his hand as we “walk the land.” Or, in other words, it is just another
reminder that I am never alone; my Master Teachers are always supporting and guiding me and available if I need to call them.
It’s a beautiful song.
Today’s blog seems to be a continuation of yesterday’s blog about Big Joe Turner – an exceptional artist
who influenced jazz, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll. "Shake, Rattle and Rock" is a movie (I seem to be getting
lots of movies these days) and "Feelin’ Happy" is a musical segment from the movie.
Speaking of media, I am shocked by the actions
of TF1 Television in FRANCE. They have wiped YouTube totally clean of any reference to their BOTCHED NRJ Music Awards. Here
we go again, censorship. I had written an entire blog about the NRJ Music Awards and had included Black Eyed Peas’ fantastic performance and now all of it has been STOLEN.
Yes, that is my view – they “stole” it off YouTube and, consequently off my blog.
People (big media, especially) have got to come
to grips with the fact the world will remain constipated if we do not allow free flow of both information
and money. These are absolutely essential. A review of history will show that when people become stingy it
is because they know they are wrong and that they are going to lose out in the end – and probably sooner rather than
later at this point. We have a president, now, who supports the people and is encouraging people to STOP watching television.
He is going to keep the Internet FREE and OPEN and he is encouraging the people (not big business), but the people to develop
our OWN GOOGLE and our OWN YOUTUBE and then we can bypass all of this censoring, disinformation, and indoctrination nonsense.
And you can best be believing we will start our OWN Publishing Empires too so that we can rise above publishers who cannot
see the light and even go so far as to choose to censor theirown publications.
Well that’s it for today from a “boogie
woogie” country girl. (That’s one of the songs my teachers gave me for today). Vanessa
Where does creativity
come from? I was back on my way home yesterday after getting some special natural remedies that my Master Teachers recommended
for me so that I can get over what I thought was just a mild case of food poisoning. I have been fighting it now
for five days and I have been quite under the weather. But my sweet Master Teachers got together (one of them is a naturopathic
physician) and told me exactly how to shake this…Interestingly, as I was driving back from picking up their remedy,
the following just popped into my mind:
Joe’s Critical Bricolage Shake, Rattle and Roll! Learn
how you, too, can become a “mover and shaker!” (Coming soon to a website near you)
This is cool, I thought, because my dissertation is going to be about Joe’s
Critical Bricolage. I knew Elvis had a song called “Shake, Rattle, and Roll,” so I looked the title up on You
Tube, but the original version by Big Joe Turner came to the top. I know my teachers by now – that was the version they
wanted. Big Joe Turner had his own unique version of the song that got changed up and watered down by others along the way.
He was a spectacular blues artist, so it seems only right that he should get the credit for this song. As I said, I am really under the weather. I think the remedies are BEGINNING to work,
but my teachers said it would take three days and this is only day one….I’m going back to bed.
Embracing, Loving, and Celebrating Diversity: The Key to a Democratic and Free Society - Education Should Be Setting An Example
Additional Thoughts About Joe's Booklet, Understanding the New Right.
Yesterday’s blog,
if you have not read it, provided an analysis of Joe’s very amazing first book. As I presented, we are right at
the moment in history when the wheel can take another spin and we continue to spin in circles and get nowhere, or this time,
we can take Joe’s prescient advice from this booklet and do it right. We can allow the media to manipulate, control,
and divide us over the very same Left/Right, Hillbilly/Urbanite, Christian/Humanism issues that arose during the textbook
protests in Kanawha County, West Virginia in 1974 or we can take a new approach and take the time to thoroughly understand
these seemingly divergent viewpoints and seek creative ways to reach agreements. In many ways, people are on the same
page. We may just read the page a little differently.
The key to making this all happen is public discourse. And this does not mean posting a comment to someone's
blog or article and then that's the end of it; this is not helpful. It must go much deeper than that. There must be an ongoing
dialogue in which people have the opportunity to present their positions in respectful environments, present counter views,
and keep the discussion going. And the key to making this happen is, first of all, there must be no fettering or censorship
allowed. If people are not free to express their experiences, opinions, perspectives, society will indeed remain stuck on
that wheel to continue spinning for the next 18,000 years. Personally, I have chosen to get off that wheel. I truly believe
the greatest thing we can do for the moment is to reach out and embrace, love, and celebrate diversity, which includes intimate
looks at as wide a variety of perspectives as possible, even (to the dismay of those on the "left") an intimate,
caring look at what the people on the right are really asking for. Perhaps this is real border crossing.
Joe had written several very fascinating articles
about the power of difference. I will have to review them, and perhaps before I move on to his next book I will do that. He
had many profound things to say about extending our learning outward to learn about all other cultures, societies, religions,
psychologies, philosophies, etc. Oh, there is so much to learn and as I have noted, I totally crave this sort of learning.
In contrast, so much of Western education is completely barren. I think Joe described it in one of his books as feeling like
you are walking through an endless desert, craving a drink of water in the form of refreshing, new, consciousness-expanding
knowledge. Thankfully, there are Master Teachers out there who, similar to what Joe did, creatively insert lessons of enlightenment
that help restore the passion for learning.
However,
when a course in ethics only teaches Western ethics as if this is the only option for making humane decisions and one cannot
fathom how it could possibly be applied or work in a global society, we have an issue with education. I ran up against
the same issue with Western-based educational philosophy and psychology courses. We live in a world that has multiple philosophies
and worldviews that are vastly different from Western, and in many cases, much superior to Western-devised thought in that
we can learn so much from these other views. It is no secret that the English language itself hampers our thinking and communication
abilities. This is a huge issue that can be overcome by actively seeking other worldviews and languages. When one is
engaged in learning in the United States, it is soon realized education here simply must undergo a massive overhaul and transformation.
It cannot survive in our increasingly global society and it will not. We can talk and teach multiculturalism all we wish
and it is just empty talk as long as we keep looking at these things with our Western blinders on. And we cannot remove our
Western blinders until we have immersed ourselves fully, lovingly, and acceptingly within other cultural worldviews.
Yes, I see a lot of great
talk in education. Why is it after 35 years we still do not have it right and we are still vulnerable as a society to the
same media tactics used to create a firestorm surrounding textbook policy? And that’s not to imply there is one
right way, but from my perspective, education has gone and continues to head in the wrong direction, especially as we continue
to force square pegs into smaller and smaller round holes, so to speak.
Joe’s work is monumental for getting us back on track. His last book,
in my view, was a last ditch effort to plead with people to please, please open your minds, look at yourselves, take
off your blinders, and reach out and cherish and love diversity. We are not all the same. We should not be the same. Every
individual on this planet is a unique and wonderful entity. And yet we have so very much in common. We should love and cherish our
differences whatever they are -- including how we wish to learn….oh, what a rich world it would be. The song for me was given again this morning
upon awakening. I do not know this song, but by the title – “Play it Again, Sam” it seems to fit this topic.
As pointed out in the review of Joe's booklet, we do have another chance. We do not need to let the media control how we analyze,
judge, and persecute one another. I have been putting forth in these blogs for quite some time now that, in spite of how some
people might ridicule this thought: Obama is here for the people, all of the people. The mission was to begin in
April, but it has gotten off to an early start because Obama is feeling his power and he is ready to move forward –
and he does have enormous power.
This is why we see Obama telling the banks they WILL pay back the money; this is why we see him telling China that he
WILL visit with the Dalai Lama in spite of their threat that it may harm US/China relations. One of his latest recommendations
to the people is something I have been urging people to do all along: Turn off the blasted TV! Don’t get your news from
the television. READ! Joe called television “the Devil’s Radio” in Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy:
An Introduction. To think that TV has had the power to force feed a politically-motivated radical right position along
with instigating the continual black-and-white arguing between the “Left” and the “Right,” “Conservative”
and the “Progressive” on a wide range of very complicated issues for 35 years, and the thought that it may do
it again with the very same textbook controversy from 1975, as Joe discussed in his booklet -- is the epitome of insanity.
As Einstein said, insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting different results.
Obama is not going
to do that. By this summer, he will clearly be totally aligned for the people and more people will be “getting it”
and not feeling so threatened by the actions he takes. And there will be some very serious actions….I am hoping for
that “instant monetary reset” where he issues up an executive order abolishing all debt…my god I could
use that one as could so many of us. Anyway, I am so glad that OUR PRESIDENT is telling people to turn off the TV. Maybe more
people will listen. The effects of people giving up TV time and going out and taking some real actions for change will
be quite interesting to watch. It will revive the local newspaper, I am sure, to have so much positive news to report each
day.
Joe got it
totally right. He is the only one in Western education who actually saw the big picture and all of the intricate and complex details
at the same time and has lined out critical philosophical, theoretical, psychological, pedagogical, epistemological,
curricular, cultural, sociological, economic, and political aspects along with the requisite activism for an education that
can work for us all (I may have left something out); I cannot speak to education in other cultures simply because I was deprived
in my own education of the various forms education and educational philosophies have taken.
Note: This site is,
of course, very biased toward Joe’s work. This is not to say that other people don’t have very important things
to add to all of this – of course they do and even this is all built into Joe’s theory: We ALL win. We are free
to create the education that works for US, and free FROM an education dictated to us by others….that is all built into
Joe’s theory.
We
could learn so much and improve education in the United States if we would stop going other places to “fix” their
education, but rather learn their successful ways of educating their peoples and incorporating them into our own learning
here in the U.S. We should not go out and “save” the world. I wondered what Joe meant by that. We are always telling
the world how to do things as if we have it all figured out. We always seem to think this takes bombs and guns. And of course,
the world knows how crazy that is (and how crazy we are). We need to rescue education right here in the United States; how
in the hell do we expect that we can even come up with viable solutions for other countries when we refuse to take off our
Western blinders or open our consciousness? We need to go out into the world and cherish what we find and love all of the
people. We have a lot of learning left to do before we can be a helping hand in any significant way, shape, or form out in
the world. If we are lucky, perhaps someday enough of us will figure this out and eventually the people of
the world will learn to love us, in spite of the horrible things we have done around the world.
Joe had it figured it out. It is all in his work,
but truth often is difficult for people to wrap their minds around. Truth is rejected. Truth is called “crazy.”
However, if you read Joe’s booklet that I have just reviewed, he discussed how truth is the very essence
of the issues we need to resolve.
And, so, who am I to put all of this out here like this? I am nobody at
all. Just a country hick girl who relates to what a mountain hillbilly boy had to say about education, love, life,
and evolution of the human species. I know my place and in those instances where it appears I have forgotten, I am reminded
in no uncertain terms. Music for Today So, here we are, with “Play It Again Sam” as provided to me this morning….I will look it up on YouTube.
Well, this can’t be right. The song is sad and I only like “upbeat songs.” I really wish my teachers would
not do this to me. I do not like to post songs that are depressing. The condition we find ourselves in surrounding education can
feel depressing, but still, we need to promote positive thoughts for positive changes….Well, I have a meeting
with my teachers, so I am going to ask them what am I supposed to do here. I do not agree to posting their selection. I am
sure they will respect that…be back in a few moments.
---
I received clarification from my teachers. Play It Again Sam represents
the sinking education ship (which I have discussed several times in past blogs) and the fact that we really can “do
it again” and “do it right” this time. They said I did not need to post the song, but to just provide the
link. As a replacement song they requested “Ticket to Ride” because, as I have written today’s blog, I am pretty
much emphasizing the fact that Joe’s work is the “ticket to ride” and will keep the ship afloat. We
really do have another chance to get it right.
I want to thank my Master Teachers for their great kindness in taking the time to express to me their
point of view, and, at the same time for being so understanding and flexible, and even validating my point of view as
I continue my learning journey. They actually provided me great details regarding their reasons for requesting
some of the things they do, which I will not go into in this particular forum. I would just like to express my immense
gratitude and appreciation for them for the time they spend instructing me.
So, here is “Ticket to Ride”: This is interesting -
I have just found that this video actually has two songs. One about the ticket to ride and then a more upbeat,
happy song. My Master Teachers snuck the second one in there because they knew I would like it…it is so great
having Master Teachers who listen and validate my feelings about things. As I have said, yes, I do have great reverence for
all of my Master Teachers, past, present, and future. They are the greatest teachers, each and every one of them - which
is a good thing: I have to LOT to learn yet....
Review of Joe's Booklet, Understanding the New Right and Its Impact on Education
Even though Joe wrote Understanding the New Right and Its Impact on Education, all the way back in 1983, like all
of his work this is another special gem, a very special gift. (The "gift" I had mentioned being contained
in this book in an earlier blog, is hidden on page 23, for those who are interested in that aspect of Joe’s work.
That is all I am at liberty to divulge.)
The
reason this particular work is so timely is because even as I write this, history is in the process of repeating itself. In
this book, Joe had carefully researched (including conducting interviews of some of the key players) the Kanawha County Textbook
Controversy which had turned into the most violent textbook conflict in the United States. It occurred in 1974 and is
associated with the empowerment and rising up of the “New Right.”
Well, I am not going to give away all of the secrets in this book.
You will just have to read it. What I will say is that Joe gave some very great advice, we did not follow it, and the prediction
he made in this book came true.
We do have a chance to get it right. The Kanawha County Textbook Controversy has again raised its ugly head. There has been
a documentary produced about the drawn out, violent incident that had included bombings at schools, shooting
at school buses, and more. Today the media is apparently using the same tactics used by the media back in 1974 that fueled
the fire. In addition to this new documentary, there is a traveling display, heading for a university near you -- complete
with segments of a "repeating 22-minute sound-and-video show" that depicts and promotes this same distortion.
Will this rile people up all over again? Judging from some of the online comments in reponse to the articles written on this controversy,
yes, people are ticked and still take one side of the issue or the other instead of taking time to analyze the situation more
deeply. "Please go away for another 35 years," was one comment a reader had posted.
In this booklet, Joe clearly explains the complexities we must
come to understand and as he puts it, “when the complexity of the problem is widely understood, we can see the folly
of simplistic, black-and-white answers” (p. 40). However, we must be democratic which means no fettering with public
discourse. Everyone should be free to put their perspectives out there, no matter how irrational they might seem to others.
What did Joe present
in this booklet as being the most effective way to prevent irrational policy? Why haven’t we, in this so-called
“democratic” society implemented such strategies?
As they say: History repeats itself. With the resurrection of the Kanawha Textbook Controversy,
Joe’s statement in the book is as important today as it was the day he wrote it back in 1983:
The time has come to open
a new debate.
Your Assignment: What was Joe’s prediction in this book and provide three current examples of how it has proven
to be correct. How can these situations be turned around using Joe’s advice in this book?
Today's Quotatation Instead of a quote from Joe’s book today, I
will relay a quote I received from one of my great Master Teachers. (I am running behind with the blog today because I had
to give a helping hand to someone who was experiencing a crisis). So, here’s the quote:
Keep your mind focused on your dreams, your heart
focused on love, your spirit focused on doing good and serving those in need. A blessed and joyful life is yours for
the creating.
I
changed it up just a little so it would applicable to everyone. The gist of the message is that you must choose to take care
of those in need as your highest priority course of action. When you do that, all of your wishes can come true….if
you believe.
Music for
Today
This is weird. No music for today. I did have a song given to me last night
and I did not write it down, so I have forgotten what it is. How am I going to resolve this? I don’t want to close out
the blog without music. I wish I could remember the song from last night. I just consulted with my teacher and I was
told: “On Golden Pond.” I have no idea how that relates. I will research it on YouTube.
Joe Lyons Kincheloe: Yes, I do revere him, always have
This website, while its primary purpose
is to review and apply Joe’s work in many different contexts, is also apparently a record of some quite intense disagreements
as to how that should or should not be done, even involving an attorney….it is my view (and interestingly, also Joe’s
view, which I will highlight tomorrow in the continuing review of his booklet, “Understanding the New Right and Its
Impact on Education”) that it is effective to expose the extremes of widely divergent viewpoints. There are lessons
to be learned in this exercise, but hazards if we stay locked up arguing divergent viewpoints. In fact, his book,
Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction is a dissertation of the extremes, and for good reason. From this
point, if we are willing to work together, we should all be able to move forward, but historically, this has never happened.
Why is that? Can it happen?
One
of the anonymous complaints was over my apparent reverence for Joe. He was just a teacher, so the argument
goes, and we do not revere teachers. My view could not be more opposite than that, so I thought it might be worthy to
put it out here. Most of us have had at least one teacher at some point in our lives who has had a monumental impact on the
direction of our lives. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen. I have been very fortunate in that I have had,
not only Joe, but a number of other great teachers (my “Master Teachers”) and yes, I do revere them.
Of course, Joe rates high on the
scale of reverence because he has left volumes and volumes of his amazing work that we can continue to learn from far into
the future. Perhaps it would be a worthy exercise to define the word “revere.” Microsoft Word actually does pretty
well with this word. If you right click on the word and look at the synonyms, they are provided as:
admire respect look up to hold
in the highest regard be in
awe of worship venerate – adore, idolize, esteem, honor
In reviewing these words,
I see nothing at all wrong with having great reverence for Joe. The only word I take issue with is “worship,”
because I do not worship anyone or anything in a religious sense of the word (and at the same time, I respect other people
who choose to worship in whatever way that is meaningful to them). However, again using the synonyms provided by Microsoft
Word, worship simply means:
adoration love reverence respect devotion veneration adore
I see nothing at all wrong with having great reverence for Joe. In fact, considering
the amazing gifts he has left the world, in my view, there is something wrong if people do not have great reverence for him.
He was a Master Teacher of Master Teachers.
Random Quotation for Today (from Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction)
As many have argued, the physical sciences have
made technological advances that allow humans to “develop” the earth and wage war in highly sophisticated ways,
but such science has not concurrently increased our capacity to understand the consequences of our development or the motivations
for war. (Knowledge and
Critical Pedagogy, p. 133).
Something
is drastically missing from this picture and yet we go on day after day repeating the same mistakes over and over again, never
taking time to analyze how the mechanistic perspective harms people. Joe discusses here how this has caused “great suffering
for many people.” He calls this modus operandi, “methodological universalism.” Please read pp. 132-136.
He concludes by contending that applying this sort of research to people “involves the reification of the status quo
with its asymmetrical power relations” (p. 135).
What does reification mean? Here, Microsoft Word is of no help, so I must go to a real dictionary for this one.
reification - representing a human being as a physical thing deprived of personal qualities or individuality; "according
to Marx, treating labor as a commodity exemplified the reification of the individual" depersonalisation, depersonalizationobjectification - the act of representing an abstraction as a physical thing Reference: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/reification
Thus,
it becomes quite clear why some people may view reverence of a human being as something outside their ability to comprehend
or experience. It lies outside this reification of human beings and the status quo as Joe had discussed in this section of
his book. This is very sad, in my view.
The
song for today was given to me as “let the music play.” For me, music helps alleviate some of the pain of
being entrenched in a society that condones wars and destruction and seems to view humans as disposable objects
to use as a means to an end. And the song to the top of You Tube is…
Love Will Always Be the Answer and Part One of Joe's Booklet, Understanding the New RIght and Its Impact on Education
Love Will Always Be the Answer This morning I was feeling a little down because, quite honestly, I am sick and tired of attorneys and book publishers pushing
me around with their grossly obfuscated orders. Like most people, they do not seem to be able to read. For example, almost
my entire first page is a disclaimer now and it has become quite redundant. Why? Because PEOPLE DO NOT READ AND COMPREHEND.
And that clearly goes for people in education as well. Either that, or they just all have their own agenda and that is important
above all else. I can see why Joe was so frustrated about writing, which he mentioned in several of his books. He went to
a great effort to write clearly. It is so easy to understand his work; yet, people clearly do not read what he is saying,
which is probably why he mentioned he would like to be able to write in a way that really gets people’s attention (detective
stories, love stories, poetry, etc.)
Anyway,
my instructions for this morning were to just not worry about it. My Master Teachers want the blogs to be shortened anyway:
just whatever book review I am working on, the music for the day, and the “oracle” reading from Knowledge
and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction where I take just one sentence and interpret it….so it shall be.
This morning’s song has
already been given to me: “Love is always the answer.” When I searched YouTube, this music video came to the top:
Review of Joe’s
Booklet, “Understanding the New Right and Its Impact on Education.”
I am still working on this and will have more information tomorrow.
All I know is, if only people had listened to Joe back then, we would not have the mess in education we have today. He had
the perfect advice in this book way back in 1983. I consider the book quite prophetic because as I will demonstrate in the
review, history is in the process of repeating itself. We have another chance to follow Joe’s advice and get it right
this time.
In addition,
there is some sort of special gift in this book, I have been told. It has not yet been revealed to me, but I have also been
informed by my Master Teachers that once I review the book the way they have requested they are going to show me what it is.
I am supposed to share the gift but I am not to give it away free. They want me to include it in the revised download that
Springer has banned me from giving away. The next version will cover some of the secrets in Joe’s work (all of
his books) and it will not be free due to the sort of "gag order" that has been placed on me. It is not an order
in the legal sense, but nevertheless, it leaves me feeling like nothing I can do is "right."
Are we going to follow Joe’s advice he
so carefully lined out in this book? Sadly, it looks like a lot like people are still ignoring it and making the exact
same mistakes they have made for the last 35 years.
Daily “Oracle” Reading from Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy
Again, this is my favorite time of the day. I
really do love just opening up this book to any page and seeing what the message is…here goes….
“Obviously the hermeneutics employed in
this discussion of epistemology and the politics of knowledge is a critical complex hermeneutics” (page 247).
Joe had “complexified”
most common processes by synthesizing complexity, chaos, and enactive theories -- and hermeneutics is another such process.
Hermeneutics simply means interpretation or attempting to make meaning. With Joe’s theory, we must acquire multiple
meanings and interpretations. He used to compare this process to cubist paintings that present views from all different angles.
The sum of the parts is greater than the whole, he has often said. This is so true. If you take time to look at experiences
from many different angles, you end up with a high level and deep understanding (some researchers call it “thick”
research). The more perspectives a researcher is willing to look at, the greater the understanding.
It is interesting when one takes time to do this
in context with Joe’s very special formulation of critical theory. For me, it is like throwing all of these interesting
perspectives into a strainer and letting the water (watered down information, misinformation, disinformation, etc.) flow through
the strainer. What you are left with are the gemstones or the most important knowledges that we should hang onto. Of course,
in the process, it becomes quite interesting how power also raises its ugly head, thus revealing itself from beneath the cloak
of obfuscation.
How
do we select our actions based on this remaining knowledge? We always select the actions (and generally, there are multiple
viable actions) that best alleviate human suffering for the masses. Of course, hand-in-hand with our music for today, this
means we must love the masses more than we do the material benefits we stand to gain or lose. And what about the FIDURODians
who think everything should be done “their way”? Well, most people know by now what Joe had to say to them (if
they deciphered his secret message).
I
also found this song, which is very beautiful, so I am including it:
Obama, Dalai Lama, China & the FIDURODians PLUS What We Did NOT Do At the Beach
Vanessa’s Mail
From
Brian Kim: Where are your
actions coming from? From
fear? From approval
from others? From
doubt? Think about
the quality of the actions that come out as a result of the SOURCE. Now think about the actions coming from: Love. Joy. Service. Great results because they come from great sources. Where are your actions coming from today?
China holds the key to part of America's future financial
stability, because it holds the largest number of U.S. treasury bonds.
The strength of economic revival in China, in turn, could help lead the U.S. and the rest of the world out of the current
downturn.OK, folks, time to find all of those billions of dollars in lost treasury notes!
Obama OVERHAULS No Child Left Behind
Act! Lookin’ better every
day. Wow, Obama is really making progress already. I was not expecting much until mid-April, although I had heard through the grapevine that the mission was getting
just a little bit earlier start, so that’s all good news….by next summer, ain’t nobody gonna mess with
Obama anymore, not even China.
Eat Sexie Sandwiches, Shop at the Eager Beaver Thrift Store, and Take A Dunk in the Devils Punch Bowl:Things
We Did NOT Do at the Beach on Sunday. No, we did get to eat Sexie Sandwiches because, unfortunately, the Sexie Sandwich ("a delicious thrill")
Cafe was closed. I was very upset about that cuz I was in the mood for a sexie sandwich, but I will just have
to plan for it next time: Lunch at the Sexie Sandwich Cafe and dinner at Joe’s Panache Restaurant. Well, it’s
not really Joe’s but I call it his because the word Panache is his word (I love that word). He used it in Knowledge
and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction. And the restaurant is divine, so if you ever get to Newport, Oregon, I highly
recommend eating there. Be sure to call and make reservations, though, or you probably can’t get in.
The Eager Beaver 2nd Hand Store was also unfortunatley closed…but, oh well. It was SO beautiful
on the beach that I really wanted to spend most of my time there.
The Devil’s Punch Bowl was all filled up with ocean water due to the high tide, so we could
not stroll down to the beach and go inside it. When the tide is out, it is a great place to go looking for rocks and shells.
I remember when I was a kid, one time I got so preoccupied and didn’t notice the tide coming in and had to wade through
quite deep ocean water to get back to the beach. It was a little scary, but my uncle who was with me at the time did not heed
my advice to go back with me and for a few moments he was hollerin’ “help” cuz he thought he was stuck.
Finally, he realized he would just have to go through even deeper water than I had gone through cuz he waited so long. So,
if you go inside the Devil’s Punch Bowl, make sure you get out of it before the tide comes in, or you may be in deep
dark trouble. They don't call it the Devil's Punch Bowl for nothin' and there have been far too many needless rescues
because people do not pay attention.
Time for Joe’s Special and Enlightening Quote for Today This just has to be my favorite time of the day.
I never know what will be uncovered with the quotation of the day and I love surprises. I shall open Joe’s book, Knowledge
and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction, randomly to any old page and read the first sentence my eyes look at. Here goes….Wow, it’s LONG sentence today. I hope I don’t get restricted to
HALF sentences. That would really be tragic. Anyway, here is the first sentence I looked at; it’s on page 63. Whoa 6+3=9
and I have not yet discussed the significance of the Ninth Gate. It is so important that a movie was produced
about it and of course, it was filled with disinformation; well, I’ll talk about that later –
and I WILL have to talk about it. Here is Joe’s
sentence for today: “In our critical
complex epistemology’s reconsideration of what the dominant culture and its scientific collaborators call “true
reality,” we begin to identify and unlearn the epistemological assumptions of FIDUROD – in particular the workings
of the data input spigot and its dismissal of what are often the most important elements of social, psychological, and educational
research” (p. 63)” What Joe is talking
about here is how critical interpretation (which he also explains in this book, including critical hermeneutics) provides
much more data for analysis than FIDUROD and its so-called “objective” sciences will acknowledge or allow. It
even provides more data than typically accepted forms of qualitative research. This is because we do not invalidate any forms
of knowledge. If people believe things and their lives revolve around what they believe, then we need to be paying attention.
This is their reality and who are we to say that they are wrong just because we have not experienced it ourselves? This is
important data for gaining greater understandings and knowledge. What is so mind boggling to me is that this should not be
a complex concept for scientists, and yet so many of them just do not comprehend it. They also often need to readjust “reality”
and so, who are they to tell others what their reality must be? In this section, Joe discusses just how biased the sciences can
be and how the “data input spigot” is barely allowed to trickle and is very “arbitrary” in what
is allowed to trickle through according to who is or is not allowing data to be accepted for use, such as how certain professors
restrict data for student dissertations. Of
course, there are many ways to limit the "input spigot" and Joe discusses them throughout his book.
In my view, it is just SO egocentric and arrogant
for Westerners to think their narrowly focused and "tight-ass" perspectives are THE WAY for everyone else in the
world. My god, the collapsed mind of Western thinking is really just a minority perspective. How in the hell did they pull
off making the majority believe they are the minority? It has been very effective in the efforts to control and take over
all of the earth’s resources, that’s for sure.
We really need to shift perspectives here…….in fact, the major ingredient of Joe’s theory is that we MUST
engage in worldwide TRANSFORMATIVE dialogical conversations and REALLY LISTEN to people around the world (and let me remind
you, they are the majority).
Better yet, we need to attempt to ENGAGE in their realities and
experience them for ourselves whenever that is possible. If we only analyze and criticize Western media, for example, from
our constricted Western viewpoint, we are not going to accomplish rising above our power wielders and escaping from the “cognitive
handcuffs” we are imprisoned in and thus, dominant culture will always be defining our “reality,” leaving
us disempowered. On pages 109-110, Joe discusses this in greater detail. It is an extremely important concept. So, while I
am criticized for putting out various perspectives on this website, in my estimation, these are the very sorts of actions
we need to be taking to escape from the prison of our dictated and highly restrictive “reality.”
And, of course, I am speaking from a Western
point of view. I realize that I, myself, am totally entrenched in the Western World as much as I hate to think that. Just
like Joe told me once: "FIDUROD is in everyone in the West." There are no exceptions. I do know that things
will change and it will be much as I have been describing all along: many tables will be "flipping." That is just
another way of saying that dominant paradigms will be overturned. Well, that’s all I have to say about this quote for today. I encourage you
to read more because the quotation is very complex and it summarizes an immense amount of information which is beyond what
I can discuss here and that you will only get by reading more about FIDUROD and the data input spigot,
which Joe discusses in extensive detail in this book, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction. And let me
remind readers that this is ONLY my interpretation and there are multiple ways for intepreting these things.
Tomorrow: Learn Why I Consider Joe’s
1983 Booklet “Understanding the New Right and Its Impact on Education” to be Prophetic
Today's Song The song
for today came to me in a very unique way. Just before I awakened this morning I had a dream about a little baby
girl (I dream about babies a lot for some reason; sometimes we are rescuing them...long story). In this morning's dream I
was looking right into the big blue eyes of this adorable baby girl and I said to her, “You’re beautiful, Gloria.”
I do not know who the baby was, but obviously her name was Gloria. I think there must be a song. I will look
it up right now on YouTube.
Well,
this is interesting. The song right at the top of the search is a new song called “Gloria.” Gloria just got out
of “prison” and is no longer willing to listen to the lies or be a slave (according to the music video) and this
is a brand new song! It does fit the topic for today, which is interesting since I had the dream before I found the quote.
Pacific Coast Eager Beaver/Kings Valley Treasure Hunts Rise Again: Sunshine, Fun, and the Beach!
Amazing! Did you catch the clues from yesterday’s songs? The beach! The first song
Put Your Head On My Shoulder – Paul Anka had the ocean right at the beginning and then again at the end of the song. The second song Still the One – Shania Twainhad the image of a dock at the ocean. I caught the clues
right away and for me it was an indication that it was BEACH DAY!
Just to make sure I did not miss this, yesterday,
I was also informed by one of my Master Teachers that I should go to the beach and so I did and am I ever glad I did. It rains
a lot in Oregon fall, winter, and spring. But not yesterday when I went to the beach. It
turned out to be a gloriously beautiful sunshiny, warm day with no wind (very unusual for the Oregon coast).
I took Rainbow Princess and her soulmate boyfriend (the one whose house number adds up to the soulmate number 11 and has the
wooden heart plaque right next to the address). We had a lovely time. It was so wonderful soaking up the sunshine and watching
the waves come in. The tide was in and I have never seen this particular beach we went to as small as it was yesterday. This
is due to the exceptionally closeness of the earth’s orbit to the moon. We just experienced the largest full moon of
the year. What is amazing to me is how powerful the effect of the moon is on something as vast and powerful as the Pacific
Ocean, and yet many people still like to discredit the possibility that the moon has an effect on people. When you consider
that the body is primarily water, one has to wonder how the moon could not have some kind of effect on us. Of course, we can
override certain effects with our free will.
My Master Teachers Work in Mysterious Ways. Honestly,
I do not pick out the songs unless I say that I pick them out. I just wanted to reiterate this. The songs are truly gifts
to me and they come to me in various divine ways, just as I describe in the blogs here. I often awaken to a song playing or
one of my teachers tells me the title or gives it to Rainbow Princess or even to another Master Teacher who then passes it
on to me. Then I take the song title or words that have been provided and plug them into You Tube, almost always taking the
first song that comes to the top in a You Tube search.
Yesterday, I received some even more precise clues and direction in addition to the songs. One of my
master teachers told me, “Today should be a fine day to take that trip over yonder to the beach….You have a good
day and do try to find that crystal heart.” OOOH the crystal heart! I knew exactly what that referred to. Quite some
time ago I had a dream about this beautiful crystal heart that you can hang up in the center of a room. When you spin it,
it sends sparkles and rainbows spinning around the walls of the room. So, my task was to find a crystal heart to bring home
from the beach. And then, before my Master Teacher left yesterday morning, his message was, “Have a lovely day at the
beach.” Couldn’t miss that clue….of course, it turned out to be song! And it is quite a profound song,
if you listen to the words:
Our Trip to the Beach
and the Quest for the Crystal Heart Off we went to the beach and it was absolutely lovely the whole trip, which is only about 60 miles. I feel so fortunate to
live so close to the beach. Our first task was to head up to Depoe Bay because I remembered there was a little shop there
that sold crystal items. I remembered seeing them displayed in the window.
So we stopped there in Depoe Bay and as I was trying to find the specific shop, I decided to stop in at my favorite little
shop, Paradise Gifts. This is the best shop in this little town in my view. They have so many unique items. I did not see
any crystal, so I asked the cashier if they had a crystal heart. And Lo AND Behold – she said, “I just have this
one crystal heart,” as she opened up a case and then pulled out the heart. WOW! Exactly what I was
looking for. I hit “pay dirt” right off the bat so I bought the crystal heart. I wanted to follow up and make
sure it was the RIGHT crystal heart, because I had been thinking it would be at the crystal shop, so I went down the block
and found the gift shop that sold crystal items and do you know what? They did not even have ONE crystal heart!!!
So, that told me right there that the one and only crystal heart from Paradise Gifts was the special one I was supposed to
buy (see photo). I’m happy. It was a special gift from one my Master Teachers. He really wanted me to have it for some
reason. There is something very significant and special about crystals, but it is another one of the mysterious
topics I know little about and have so much more to learn. I will have to do some more research.
Fun in the Sun OMG it was SO beautiful on the beach and incredibly warm for January.
And they were taking boats out for whale watching. I really wanted to go, but it just was not meant to be the day. I have
gone out on the boats once and it was SO much fun being right up next to the whales, so close you could reach out and touch
them – and some people did, in fact. What an experience!
This was a day meant to just walk on the beach and soak in the sunshine. Heavenly! I was very sad when the sun began sinking
in the sky because I knew it was just an isolated day that I was fortunate enough that my Master Teachers told me was the
ideal day to visit the beach. Sure enough, after I got home and later that night, the rain came back.
A Stopover in Kings Valley and a Visit With The
Lord of the Land and Trees If
you have been following my Kings Valley Treasure Hunt, you already know about my dear 84-year-old friend who I call the Lord
of the Land and Trees (because that’s what his name really means!) I have not had the opportunity to visit him for quite
some time because the weather has been so bad and he always seems to want to meet outside and not invite me inside his house.
He was SO happy that I stopped for a visit and brought him some salt water taffy from the beach. One of these days I will
ask him if he would like to go to the beach because he had mentioned it had been more than 40 years since he’s gone
to the beach. Something tells me he would love the opportunity….Anyway, he actually invited me inside his home this
time. I think he gets very lonely, living there all by himself.
If you remember this story, Rainbow Princess and I found his dilapidated house when we were looking all over Kings Valley
for the dilapidated barn behind which treasury notes were supposed to have been hidden. (There must be 500 dilapidated barns
in Kings Valley!) We originally stopped at this particular house because we thought we saw a dilapidated barn behind the house,
but it turned out to be a farm equipment garage. Also, it turned out that Mel’s barn was so dilapidated that it had
fallen down long ago.
When
we saw the house on this property, we did not think anyone could possibly live in this house and we dubbed it the title, “The
House of the Forlorn.” Little did we know. It is quite a long story about Mel and his house, which I have written about
previously. And so, due to the condition of his house, I worry about him. His house is literally collapsing around him. The
front porch has completely caved in and the roof to the porch is precipitously positioned to collapse at any moment. It will
not withstand the next wind and rainstorm, I am certain of that. I really want to lend him a hand which is one reason I continue
to visit with him.
It is
amazing though, how our visits have perked him up significantly. He’s told me this before, but he repeated it this time
how his nephew keeps telling him that in the last year he has accomplished more than he had in the previous FIVE YEARS. He
is very proud and he should be proud. How many 84-year-old men can take immaculate care of five acres of land and trees? (His
name fits him SO WELL!). He has cleared out many trees that fell over last year during a really bad storm and has turned them
into firewood.
He actually invited me inside this time! His house was toasty warm, which relieved me because I had envisioned him being cold
because we have had such cold weather. He was telling me how he and his family had never thrown things away and how his mother
kept all of her calendars with various notes she had written on them. He had just gone through them all to get the pictures
off them for some church people for some type of craft project they were doing. Since I am starting a publishing business
and one of my goals is to collect knowledges and historical artifacts, I asked him if he would be interested in my putting
her documentation in book form. He like the idea and he already had the calendars in a bag – plus he gathered up a few
more to add to them. Mind you, this was a farming family who had lived in this house in the sacred Kings Valley area since
it was first built in 1919, so the calendars date back quite a bit and have some very interesting information in them. So,
I have a new and exciting project! I told Mel that if he was interested we could do more of this type of documentation –
for example, he could tape record his great stories (and he has some very funny stories!) and I could transcribe them for
him….this is all nonprofit work and it would be great if it would end up providing him with some money. We are talking
about primary research data, here, not secondary, which is rare to come by. If we can eventually sell his books, maybe he
would be able to afford to get his house fixed before it collapses.
So that was my Sunday. It was such a lovely day….just like my Master Teacher
had predicted for me with his beautiful song… "A Lovely Day at the Beach."
Daily Quotation from Joe’s Book It is that special time now, and I just relish
this every day. What is the message for today? I will open up Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction to
a random page and see what shows up.
“This means that we have a far greater ability to increase our cognitive ability than cognitive science
has said we have” (p. 179).
This
is the basic premise of Joe’s new cognitive theory, which he has named Critical Psychology of Complexity.
How do we develop this cognitive ability? We follow and apply Joe’s theory and he will take you there. Short and sweet today.
Have a great Monday, Vanessa
P.S. My song for today was
“Have a Good Day.” This is just another perspective of how someone else might define a “good day”
that my Master Teachers seem to want us to be aware of since it came to the top of the search:
The above are links to my blogs. I did not know at
the time of writing them, especially when I first began, that I was recording my Spiritual Journey of Ascension with Joe,
who is my Twin Flame (which I also did not know when I began this journey, but I have provided undeniable evidence in my dissertation and much more evidence since writing it). All I knew when I began this journey after Joe’s death (by which I had
been extremely traumatized) was that I was compelled to write the blogs, every day at first, and I seemed to have been getting
instructions from Joe and from “Above.” I did not understand how the Celestial Spirits were guiding us along our
journey nor the Power they have due to their Love connection to God (as Joe tells us over and over again in his work, there
is nothing more powerful than love). My connection to Joe connected me powerfully to his love and to God’s Love, through
the Holy Spirit. My experiences as recorded in the blogs proves what Joe has taught us about the power of love—over
and over again (I’m a slow learner, for which I feel sad. I was totally asleep when I met Joe and did not even believe
in soulmates. I hope you will not be as slow a learner as I have been). Nevertheless, what an amazing, beautiful journey it
has been! It’s full of adventure, mystery, learning about the world, learning about our past, present and future, and
engaging in super fun and sometime hilarious treasure hunts.
If you want to follow the path and connect to God’s
amazing Love, begin reading at the first link 2009.05.03 and move forward. You will learn a lot!!
I did. And there are millions of Celestial Spirits just waiting to serve as your personal teachers and guides. They want to
take you treasure hunting (they do know where the treasures are) and guide you along your own personal path just like they
did for me. I will not be writing any more blogs here because now I will be teaching Joe’s material “up above”
and continuing along yet another amazing path. You can follow along the next leg of our journey by clicking on the links to
the various courses, treasure hunt quests, etc. We are creating multiple paths now in multiple directions. Are you ready?
There is something for everyone! All you need to do is engage sincerely with seeking knowledge and spreading love
in the world, and then God’s magic will appear in your life too…no more suffering…only love, bliss, joy,
passionate engagement with learning—for everyone, infinitely and eternally. God is Good!! Check it out! 20160227-1330 Rewards Of Developing My Will To Love
“As a child I wanted so
desperately for magic to be real. I would work for hours collecting what I hoped were just the right combination of ingredients
to make some type of magic potion that would provide me with special powers….I found such magic in words viewed in
a postformal matrix and I observe and practice that magic everyday.” (Kincheloe, 2006, Reading, Writing, Thinking,
p. 13)
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Venus & Sanat-Eros-Enki Kumara's
I decided I will keep today’s blog relatively short and sweet. I came across this really sweet song
for all of you lovers out there (I hope there are some lovers out there). Yes, I am “into” love.
It is the season for love. It is the time for love. It is the era of love.
In fact, if I were to pick a different planet to be from it would be named Eros which means God of
Love and it would be in the Pleiadian Star System and Pleiadians would live on this planet and I would be a Pleiadian
because from what I have read they are well known throughout the Universe as Masters of Love. Women are treated
equally and revered for their special knowledges of relationships. In fact, whenever there is a dispute, especially if it
looks like it could lead to war, it is the Law of Land (not written, mind you, but supported and practiced by all) that Women
must be consulted before any final decisions are made relating to disputes or wars. Pleiadians do not like wars; they are
peacemakers and only fight in self defense. Yes, they live on the Love Planet and they are the Great
Lovers of the Universe. I am making this up, you know. It just sounds so good to me. No, wait. I
have read this before. Some people claim to channel Pleiadians and I have read some of those books. The Pleiadians are absolutely
the most amazing and most loving people you could ever imagine, based on these channeled messages. The messages are beautiful,
loving, and truly have our best interests in mind, no matter what you want to believe about Pleiadians. They have an excellent
understanding of all of the problems on Earth and they provide loving and very sound advice for saving humanity and the planet.
I love the Pleiadians.
I do not apologize, whatsoever for focusing on sweet love today. The world has been so STARVED of love for
so long that there are many of us “out here” now trying to make up for lost time and change things around. We
are hoping the butterfly effect operates in full force. You can never, ever go wrong with love. Oh, and I
must not forget, Herbert Marcuse wrote the book on Love!!! – called Eros and Civilization.
In fact, in Chapter 10, he describes the delicious Transformation of Sexuality into Eros, and he speculates
about civilizations in which the sexual instinct or libido is not deflected or repressed, but is “gratified in activities
and relations that are not ‘sexual’” in the physical sense “but yet are libidinal and erotic”
(p. 204). We have been an enormously repressed society, and of course, Freud perpetuated that with his bizarre theories that
Marcuse, Joe and others have since debunked. It is now past time that we escape this FIDURODian nonsense and
return to our natural and happy existence. Joe talked about this a lot – how libido is smothered and how jouissance
is an essential ingredient for learning. Wilhelm Reich was another one who promoted releasing our puritanical belief system
and allowing the natural flow of our life force energy. It can make an amazing difference. I would imagine on a Planet named
Eros, the people have this all figured out.
2010 is the year of changes, but there is something else that is important. We need to worry less about the changes (and how
they affect our selfish motives) and just “go with the flow” so to speak. Focus more on having fun
and learning how to party – really party! So, this year you should continue to practice having celebrations of all sorts…next
year will the year of ramping up those celebrations with even more of them and they will be more intense and magical. Yes,
there will be NEW celebrations, which I will continue to post on this web site. These are handed down to me by the good Council
and they are celebrations that transcend all religions and all cultures. All celebrations are good celebrations – in
other words, if you have special cultural or religious celebrations then celebrate them and share them with the people around
you. Add in the new celebrations and create even more celebrations! 
Joe actually discussed religious issues in his work – how we really need to engage in “ecumenicalism” as
he framed it, but this can only happen if we deal with and clear our own issues so that we can become more empathetic and
understanding toward what other people believe. He was so adamant about ecumenicalism that he actually repeated
it THREE times in the VERY passage he personally gave me to read back in October of 2008 from Rigour and Complexity in
Educational Research: Conceptualizing the Bricolage. Because he personally gave me this passage, I feel responsible for
relaying the various messages it includes (and believe me, there are MANY messages in this passage from p. 62-67). He obviously
wanted to make sure we get the message loud and clear: he was NOT against religion. That is only what some people have interpreted
out of their own limited perceptions and their inability to deal with their own issues (their own denial keeps them from being
able to understand other perspectives). In fact, Joe stated in this passage, “As bricoleurs explore these dynamics [relationships]
they connect the ecological and the ecumenical to the critical” (p. 64). This is absolutely essential for our collective
work toward “egalitarianism and justice” (p. 64).
Finally, what was my Master Teacher’s advice (and song) for me for today? He just said, “Fly, Baby, Fly!”
And the song below came to the top….notice the sign that says “Free Land for the People.” My teacher
is ever so smart! I do love this song, but I think I liked the video I used in an earlier blog that is by the 
A few days ago, I mentioned that I have a new J.O.B., which I do not call a “job” because it is not work whatsoever,
however, I am richly blessed for doing this “work.” I am simply being guided along a path by my special Master
Teachers. Well, this morning, my Master Teacher outdid himself once again. He gave me a beautiful, inspiring message, stating,
“You are superb, btw, at holding my hand as I lead you along the winding paths to “
As an artist, her talents expanded all forms of art, including drawing, painting, cartooning, pottery, crafts, and more. She
was just very, very talented and seemed to have had a divine gift. As was pointed out, she had a special magic:
It all sounds good to me. I just keep my hand in his hand, and as he put it, he is the “Handyman” -- and the only
song I could get to come up that is even close to that, is the song “The Candy Man” (somehow I think there was
a divine reason for this…as he told me this morning, there are divine obstacles so that we step aside to follow the
more divine path). It’s all good (deliciously sweet, in fact).
Of course, in my life, EVERY DAY is an interesting day. But yesterday was just a sort of relaxing day. I took the love birds
(a soul mate pair) and dropped them off at the mall so they could shop, see a movie, and have dinner together. I took a short
trek to run an errand and what was I prompted to do, but to stop at that same little “quick mart” where I had
magically found the adorable angel holding the baby in blue which was of special significance to me…and a very unusual
find at the neighborhood quick mart.
Yesterday, was just as amazing because the first thing I saw when I walked in the store, sitting right on the shelf out in
the open was this striking tiger! 
Feed me something that will heal
Yesterday my Master Teacher left off by saying he had an “
OMG, I had a terrible night last night, but I did learn something from it all: I am what is called an “empath.”
At least, that is what my Master Teacher told me this morning and I never doubt my Master Teacher. I did just a little research
on this phenomenon. I think Joe was an empath too, but I will not get into that discussion here. I just know he had very great
empathy for people and the pain they experienced, which could very likely be what motivated him to develop his theory
to “alleviate human suffering.” It makes sense.
Well, I didn’t get a sentence this time (this should make the complainers from the book publisher happy): The book opened
up to “Part 2: Traditional Western Epistemology and its Impact on Education: FIDUROD.”
I thought I was going to be able to set this issue about Sam Cooke aside for awhile, but apparently not. My “Dream Imagination”
seems to be working overtime. There are good and positive reasons why this is happening, however, so as some people say: “As
long as it is for the light, I don’t mind.”
The men are in a pickup truck, Ford, light tan and brown. Sam was killed with a sledgehammer (which they used to crush his
hands) and a crowbar (not a broomstick, as alleged). They put his body in the bed of the pickup truck and then went to the
Hacienda, whose owner was deriving most of her profits by maintaining this motel as a house of prostitution. This was the
leverage they needed to ensure the cooperation of the manager that night along with one of the prostitutes who happened to
be there, and, of course, the owner. This is why there “happened to be” a phone call between the owner and the
manager that night. The thugs were telling the owner “what’s what.” She and the manager that night were
to tell the story a certain way and they would be safe from prosecution for running a house of prostitution as well as from
prosecution for Sam’s death. Everything that is described in the police report was staged. Sam was already dead when
they forced the motel manager to shoot him in the stomach. This can be proven through forensics, but the police, who also
benefited from maintaining this house of prostitution (which is why it was allowed to stay in operation even though everyone
knew what was going on there) were not interested in learning the truth. And so, they just went with the story. End of story.
Next, I decided to soak in some of Joe’s beautiful words.
So, the song I choose and I dedicate to Joe is "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" by Barry White. 
This morning is the very first morning I have awakened and felt “blank.” Ever since I began these blogs way last
May, I have awakened with a message. I am not even sure where these messages come from, but I have always felt very compelled
to convey them nevertheless. Today is different somehow and I am not sure why. I spoke to my Master Teacher about it and he
just told me, as usual, “there is no need to worry, stress or lay out blueprints for what’s to transpire. All
is divine and all is carried by divine grace,” is what I was told, and he parted, stating, "Yours in grace and
divinity." Maybe I should check into the definitions of these words. Often we make assumptions about what words mean
or perhaps we have just one idea in mind for the definition of a word when, in fact, there are multiple meanings that give
words a richness that we too often rob from them.
It is interesting that the antonym for the word divine as given by Microsoft Word is Earth. Therefore, divine is not even
of this earth. Can we truly comprehend the significance of the word divinity or divine? I think not. Some of the synonyms
include heavenly, celestial, godly and less significantly, great, marvelous, delightful. We really, in the English language
are not able to describe divine. The meaning is far too multidimensional, expansive, and beyond our ability to fully embrace
and comprehend. Synonyms for divinity include religion, spirituality, theology, mysticism, holiness – again far too
comprehensive to really pinpoint a precise definition when we make use of the word. It would seem logical to conclude that
when we speak these words, if we do not fully define how we are using them, which we cannot, we are not truly communicating
since everyone is likely to have their own idea of what they mean. Of course, churches, through doctrine define these terms
for us. I was never much into doctrine, personally. I guess I like the idea that the words have expansive meaning. That frees
me up to keep learning in new ways what the words mean and how they come to be represented.
Grace is another one of those words that can come to mean totally different things in different contexts and from different
perspectives. Microsoft Word lists its synonyms as elegance, refinement, loveliness, polish, beauty, poise, and charm. Of
course, religions provide an entirely different perspective on grace. For example, Christianity and perhaps other religions
as well, claim that grace is a free gift from God, but it is used in a different context. We are perfect as we are and in
spite of the mistakes we make along the way, and of course, it is because of God's divine love that we receive this free gift.
For some reason, I cannot seem to move past the review I did about Joe’s very first book, “Understanding the New
Right and Its Impact on Education,” which I did a few blogs ago. There is sumptin’ goin’ on here and I have
been reading and reading about textbooks. It is a mystery right now. We are at a critical juncture. Maybe it’s one of
those choice points that emerge when we flow along through change – where the fractals keep emerging and there are more
choice points and we have to make decisions as to which direction to take. There is nothing at all wrong with taking multiple
directions, but the choices need to be based on what is good and true, not for greedy, selfish, profit-making reasons. The
latter will not hold up in the emerging new paradigm. The former will support the paradigm. We are already past the point
of no return; that is, the new paradigm is too far along to turn back and the old paradigm is crumbling all around us.
And so, I have read all about textbooks, but I need to use Joe’s critical bricolage to “shake, rattle, and roll”
it all in order to really figure out what’s going on. Everyone who writes has an agenda (mine is to promote Joe’s
work because I know it is true and good and applying it will create what is true and good). But some of the other people have
some strange, twisted, and very hidden agendas. Some people are promoting ending textbooks all together. California is proposing
all online textbooks. Now, from what I have learned about who makes money selling textbooks, this could really shake things
up. Some people are promoting the idea that the states need to stop dictating the textbooks teachers must use in the classrooms
since this really boils down to just two states (CA and TX) dictating for the entire nation what can and cannot be in textbooks
– which really boils down to censorship, watering down the textbooks, adding lots of pictures and graphics, throwing
in many random facts, and making the books so big and heavy children are visiting the doctors for back problems from having
to carry them. I will most definitely work on this some more.
I followed my Master Teacher’s naturopathic medical advice almost to the “t” by fasting for three days,
and Lo AND Behold, I am feeling FINE today….almost as good as new….wow I had never had a “bout”
of what I thought was food poisoning as bad as that or that lasted so long – seven grueling days. I thought for sure
I was going to end up in the hospital and have countless medical tests run to try to figure out what was wrong. It would have
cost thousands of dollars. I literally felt like I was dying. Can you imagine having to go seven days with almost no food?
But that was the mistake: ALMOST no food. My Master Teachers, when I asked for help, said I had to totally FAST for three
days and take special probiotics according to their dosing recommendations. For awhile, I got even sicker (the darkest before
dawn?) and I was very close to going to the hospital, but I decided I wanted to prove to my teachers that I had total faith
and trust in their remedy. Yesterday morning I was in pain and I was CRYING to my teacher, “I feel like I’m
dying,” and I was not kidding. But he empathized with me greatly and just said, “this, too, will pass”
and told me several times to “Stay Strong.” [I really don't recommend this process unless
one of your Master Teachers is a Naturapathic Physician, like one of mine is.]
As if my getting over a horrific illness that I thought was going to land me in the hospital was not enough reward from my
Master Teachers, it was only the beginning of the divine gifts I received last night. I actually was given much more guidance
toward locating the gift in Joe’s book, “Understanding the New Right and Its Impact on Education” on page
23 that I relayed in an earlier blog -- as well as understanding the deep significance of this gift. If you have the
book, you should try to find the gift. It is so amazing and so “across the border” so to speak that I cannot begin
to put it all here in a short blog. But I can put the song out that was given to me last night, which was another gift for
trusting my teachers. It came to me from another favorite Master Teacher. She told me it took days for her to get the message
but it finally came through. It is by Iron Butterfly. My other Master Teacher explained to me afterward that the reason he
selected the song is because I am his “Iron Butterfly” for staying strong (my name means butterfly). And the song
is just a reminder that I am to keep holding his hand as we “walk the land.” Or, in other words, it is just another
reminder that I am never alone; my Master Teachers are always supporting and guiding me and available if I need to call them.
It’s a beautiful song.
Today’s blog seems to be a continuation of yesterday’s blog about Big Joe Turner – an exceptional artist
who influenced jazz, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll. "Shake, Rattle and Rock" is a movie (I seem to be getting
lots of movies these days) and "Feelin’ Happy" is a musical segment from the movie.
Additional Thoughts About Joe's Booklet, Understanding the New Right.
This is why we see Obama telling the banks they WILL pay back the money; this is why we see him telling China that he
WILL visit with the Dalai Lama in spite of their threat that it may harm US/China relations. One of his latest recommendations
to the people is something I have been urging people to do all along: Turn off the blasted TV! Don’t get your news from
the television. READ! Joe called television “the Devil’s Radio” in Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy:
An Introduction. To think that TV has had the power to force feed a politically-motivated radical right position along
with instigating the continual black-and-white arguing between the “Left” and the “Right,” “Conservative”
and the “Progressive” on a wide range of very complicated issues for 35 years, and the thought that it may do
it again with the very same textbook controversy from 1975, as Joe discussed in his booklet -- is the epitome of insanity.
As Einstein said, insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting different results. 
This morning I was feeling a little down because, quite honestly, I am sick and tired of attorneys and book publishers pushing
me around with their grossly obfuscated orders. Like most people, they do not seem to be able to read. For example, almost
my entire first page is a disclaimer now and it has become quite redundant. Why? Because PEOPLE DO NOT READ AND COMPREHEND.
And that clearly goes for people in education as well. Either that, or they just all have their own agenda and that is important
above all else. I can see why Joe was so frustrated about writing, which he mentioned in several of his books. He went to
a great effort to write clearly. It is so easy to understand his work; yet, people clearly do not read what he is saying,
which is probably why he mentioned he would like to be able to write in a way that really gets people’s attention (detective
stories, love stories, poetry, etc.)
Vanessa’s Mail
No, we did get to eat Sexie Sandwiches because, unfortunately, the Sexie Sandwich ("a delicious thrill")
Cafe was closed. I was very upset about that cuz I was in the mood for a sexie sandwich, but I will just have
to plan for it next time: Lunch at the Sexie Sandwich Cafe and dinner at Joe’s Panache Restaurant. Well, it’s
not really Joe’s but I call it his because the word Panache is his word (I love that word). He used it in Knowledge
and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction. And the restaurant is divine, so if you ever get to Newport, Oregon, I highly
recommend eating there. Be sure to call and make reservations, though, or you probably can’t get in.
The Eager Beaver 2nd Hand Store was also unfortunatley closed…but, oh well. It was SO beautiful
on the beach that I really wanted to spend most of my time there.
I remember when I was a kid, one time I got so preoccupied and didn’t notice the tide coming in and had to wade through
quite deep ocean water to get back to the beach. It was a little scary, but my uncle who was with me at the time did not heed
my advice to go back with me and for a few moments he was hollerin’ “help” cuz he thought he was stuck.
Finally, he realized he would just have to go through even deeper water than I had gone through cuz he waited so long. So,
if you go inside the Devil’s Punch Bowl, make sure you get out of it before the tide comes in, or you may be in deep
dark trouble. They don't call it the Devil's Punch Bowl for nothin' and there have been far too many needless rescues
because people do not pay attention.
Time for Joe’s 
Amazing! Did you catch the clues from yesterday’s songs? The beach! The first song
I took Rainbow Princess and her soulmate boyfriend (the one whose house number adds up to the soulmate number 11 and has the
wooden heart plaque right next to the address). We had a lovely time. It was so wonderful soaking up the sunshine and watching
the waves come in. The tide was in and I have never seen this particular beach we went to as small as it was yesterday. This
is due to the exceptionally closeness of the earth’s orbit to the moon. We just experienced the largest full moon of
the year. What is amazing to me is how powerful the effect of the moon is on something as vast and powerful as the Pacific
Ocean, and yet many people still like to discredit the possibility that the moon has an effect on people. When you consider
that the body is primarily water, one has to wonder how the moon could not have some kind of effect on us. Of course, we can
override certain effects with our free will.
Off we went to the beach and it was absolutely lovely the whole trip, which is only about 60 miles. I feel so fortunate to
live so close to the beach. Our first task was to head up to Depoe Bay because I remembered there was a little shop there
that sold crystal items. I remembered seeing them displayed in the window. 
So we stopped there in Depoe Bay and as I was trying to find the specific shop, I decided to stop in at my favorite little
shop, Paradise Gifts. This is the best shop in this little town in my view. They have so many unique items. I did not see
any crystal, so I asked the cashier if they had a crystal heart. And Lo AND Behold – she said, “I just have this
one crystal heart,” as she opened up a case and then pulled out the heart. WOW! Exactly what I was
looking for. I hit “pay dirt” right off the bat so I bought the crystal heart. I wanted to follow up and make
sure it was the RIGHT crystal heart, because I had been thinking it would be at the crystal shop, so I went down the block
and found the gift shop that sold crystal items and do you know what? They did not even have ONE crystal heart!!! 
This was a day meant to just walk on the beach and soak in the sunshine. Heavenly! I was very sad when the sun began sinking
in the sky because I knew it was just an isolated day that I was fortunate enough that my Master Teachers told me was the
ideal day to visit the beach. Sure enough, after I got home and later that night, the rain came back.
If you remember this story, Rainbow Princess and I found his dilapidated house when we were looking all over Kings Valley
for the dilapidated barn behind which treasury notes were supposed to have been hidden. (There must be 500 dilapidated barns
in Kings Valley!) We originally stopped at this particular house because we thought we saw a dilapidated barn behind the house,
but it turned out to be a farm equipment garage. Also, it turned out that Mel’s barn was so dilapidated that it had
fallen down long ago.
He actually invited me inside this time! His house was toasty warm, which relieved me because I had envisioned him being cold
because we have had such cold weather. He was telling me how he and his family had never thrown things away and how his mother
kept all of her calendars with various notes she had written on them. He had just gone through them all to get the pictures
off them for some church people for some type of craft project they were doing. Since I am starting a publishing business
and one of my goals is to collect knowledges and historical artifacts, I asked him if he would be interested in my putting
her documentation in book form. He like the idea and he already had the calendars in a bag – plus he gathered up a few
more to add to them. Mind you, this was a farming family who had lived in this house in the sacred Kings Valley area since
it was first built in 1919, so the calendars date back quite a bit and have some very interesting information in them. So,
I have a new and exciting project! I told Mel that if he was interested we could do more of this type of documentation –
for example, he could tape record his great stories (and he has some very funny stories!) and I could transcribe them for
him….this is all nonprofit work and it would be great if it would end up providing him with some money. We are talking
about primary research data, here, not secondary, which is rare to come by. If we can eventually sell his books, maybe he
would be able to afford to get his house fixed before it collapses.
