dailygrail--2020-04-24--EsoterAnimation: The Midnight Gospel by Duncan Trussell and Pendleton Ward (Review)

What comes out when you combine the talents of a podcasting comedian interested in the metaphysical , and the animator genius behind one of the most influential cartoon shows in the XXIst century ?
The Midnight Gospel is the newest animated series developed by Netflix .
It is the brainchild –or should I say Moonchild ?
– of Duncan Trussell , standup comic and host of The Duncan Trussell Family Hour podcast , and Pendleton Ward , award-winning creator of Cartoon Network ’ s Adventure Time .
In his podcast Duncan has had an impressive list of celebrities ranging from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ philosophers and ritual magicians to discuss all sorts of esoteric topics with him , in a light-hearted and approachable way .
In the Midnight Gospel Duncan gives voice to Clancy , a ‘ spacecaster ’ who uses his malfunctioning simulator to explore all sorts of strange worlds to search for denizens of the multiverse he can interview .
Each 20 to 25-minute-long episode consists of slightly altered snippets of audio directly taken from TDTFH recordings , and mixed together with Pendleton ’ s stunning animation which goes above and beyond the surrealistic content @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cult show , adding to his fantasy recipe explicit symbolism from the Kabbalah , Tarot cards , Western hermeticism , Enochian rituals , Vedic traditions , Tibetan Buddhism , LSD trips and VALIS knows what else .
This is ‘ adult entertainment ’ in the truest sense of the world , meaning you don ’ t really get to hear a lot of ‘ f-bombs ’ or watch a lot of sexual references –aside from Clancy ’ s vagina-shaped simulator and the occasional hermaphroditic , poli-genital avatar Clancy employs whenever he visits hedonistic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adult entertainment genre thanks to publications like Heavy Metal ( oh Druuna , I still love you ) .
Instead the kinky fetishes are replaced by deep –with a capital ‘ Dee ’ !
– discussions about the nature of reality , spiritual practices , the search for the divine in all of us , meditation techniques , ritual magic , death , reincarnation and enlightenment to name just a few .
Animation for the initiates , if you will .
The closest comparison one could make with this bold alchemical experiment is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from 2001 , which also combined the animation medium with profound philosophical discussions —Waking Life even includes the ranting of a not-so-deranged young Alex Jones .
Linklater used a rotoscoping technique which went wilder and more ‘ dream-like ’ during some specific scenes in the movie to highlight the ideas being presented to the audience .
But in Midnight Gospel every .
Single .
Frame is completely wild and chock full of colorful little details ; to the point that after watching the first two episodes — “ Taste of the King ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and “ Officers and Wolves ” ( guest stars Anne Lamott and Raghu Markus ) – I almost feared the formula wouldn ’ t work because the visuals were too distracting .
I mean it ’ s kinda hard to pay attention to a discussion about pot and opiates addiction when there ’ s a whole freaking zombie apocalypse unleashing in the background !
But then I realized that the problem was in my conditioning on how I tend to consume this kind of content : Like many fans of podcasts one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when put on my headphones and play one of my favorite shows while I perform another activity –exercising , commuting , or in my case working on an art commission .
The activity has to be mechanical enough so that I can let audio accompany me while I let my body perform the given chore , yet I ’ m still having to pay a certain amount of attention to what I ’ m doing ; this multi-tasking approach is a great way to make a menial task more entertaining , but the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % attentive to the podcast .
Like a fidgety pagan god , Midnight Gospel demands ALL of your attention , to both the content that ’ s playing on your screen as well as the information received by your ears .
You have to be here now , as Ram Dass –who makes a nice little cameo at one point– used to say .
Once I figured it out , I was able to fully enjoy the many worlds envisioned by Pembleton and Duncan .
All the episodes are amazing , but if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those would be : # 3 ) Turtles of the Eclipse ( guest star Caitlin Doughty as the Grim Reaper ) which deals about the unhealthy way in which our culture faces death .
# 2 ) Annihilation of Joy ( guest star Jason Louv as a bird psychopomp ) which deals with how we may need to live and die many lives until we finally figure out how to escape the prison of reality .
# 1 ) Mouse of Silver ( guest star Deneen Fendig , a.k.a .
Duncan ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hurtful it is to say goodbye to those we love the most –even though they never really leave us .
This episode used a recording Duncan made when his mother was dying of cancer , which I still consider it to be one of the best fucking podcasts ever made .
Once I asked my friends Darren and Graham to send some questions to Duncan when they had him on their podcast The Grimerica Show , and I felt the need to express my gratitude to him for sharing such a sweet and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which I compared to the closest thing human beings could do to equate Jesus ’ s miracle of the multiplying fish and bread .
Well , Mouse of Silver is as if the bread was made of rye , and had a bit of ergot fungus on top !
The Midnight Gospel is the kind of show which indicates that , despite society ’ s seeming downfall at the present , the paradigm is changing and WE are winning .
You can now enjoy all episodes on Netflix .

What comes out when you combine the talents of a podcasting comedian interested in the metaphysical, and the animator genius behind one of the most influential cartoon shows in the XXIst century?
The answer is… Netflix’s The Midnight Gospel.
[Mild Spoilers]
The Midnight Gospel is the newest animated series developed by Netflix. It is the brainchild –or should I say Moonchild?– of Duncan Trussell, standup comic and host of The Duncan Trussell Family Hour podcast, and Pendleton Ward, award-winning creator of Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time. In his podcast Duncan has had an impressive list of celebrities ranging from scientists, spiritual teachers, psychonauts, philosophers and ritual magicians to discuss all sorts of esoteric topics with him, in a light-hearted and approachable way. In the Midnight Gospel Duncan gives voice to Clancy, a ‘spacecaster’ who uses his malfunctioning simulator to explore all sorts of strange worlds to search for denizens of the multiverse he can interview.
Each 20 to 25-minute-long episode consists of slightly altered snippets of audio directly taken from TDTFH recordings, and mixed together with Pendleton’s stunning animation which goes above and beyond the surrealistic content that made Adventure Time such a modern cult show, adding to his fantasy recipe explicit symbolism from the Kabbalah, Tarot cards, Western hermeticism, Enochian rituals, Vedic traditions, Tibetan Buddhism, LSD trips and VALIS knows what else.
This is ‘adult entertainment’ in the truest sense of the world, meaning you don’t really get to hear a lot of ‘f-bombs’ or watch a lot of sexual references –aside from Clancy’s vagina-shaped simulator and the occasional hermaphroditic, poli-genital avatar Clancy employs whenever he visits hedonistic planets– like the ones associated to the adult entertainment genre thanks to publications like Heavy Metal (oh Druuna, I still love you). Instead the kinky fetishes are replaced by deep –with a capital ‘Dee’!– discussions about the nature of reality, spiritual practices, the search for the divine in all of us, meditation techniques, ritual magic, death, reincarnation and enlightenment to name just a few. Animation for the initiates, if you will.
The closest comparison one could make with this bold alchemical experiment is perhaps Richard Linklater’s Waking Life from 2001, which also combined the animation medium with profound philosophical discussions —Waking Life even includes the ranting of a not-so-deranged young Alex Jones. Linklater used a rotoscoping technique which went wilder and more ‘dream-like’ during some specific scenes in the movie to highlight the ideas being presented to the audience.
But in Midnight Gospel every. Single. Frame is completely wild and chock full of colorful little details; to the point that after watching the first two episodes —“Taste of the King” (guest star Dr. Drew Pinsky) and “Officers and Wolves” (guest stars Anne Lamott and Raghu Markus)– I almost feared the formula wouldn’t work because the visuals were too distracting. I mean it’s kinda hard to pay attention to a discussion about pot and opiates addiction when there’s a whole freaking zombie apocalypse unleashing in the background!
But then I realized that the problem was in my conditioning on how I tend to consume this kind of content: Like many fans of podcasts one of the things I enjoy the most is when put on my headphones and play one of my favorite shows while I perform another activity –exercising, commuting, or in my case working on an art commission. The activity has to be mechanical enough so that I can let audio accompany me while I let my body perform the given chore, yet I’m still having to pay a certain amount of attention to what I’m doing; this multi-tasking approach is a great way to make a menial task more entertaining, but the downside is I’m not 100% attentive to the podcast.
Like a fidgety pagan god, Midnight Gospel demands ALL of your attention, to both the content that’s playing on your screen as well as the information received by your ears. You have to be here now, as Ram Dass –who makes a nice little cameo at one point– used to say. Once I figured it out, I was able to fully enjoy the many worlds envisioned by Pembleton and Duncan.
All the episodes are amazing, but if I were to pick my top 3 those would be:
#3) Turtles of the Eclipse (guest star Caitlin Doughty as the Grim Reaper) which deals about the unhealthy way in which our culture faces death.
#2) Annihilation of Joy (guest star Jason Louv as a bird psychopomp) which deals with how we may need to live and die many lives until we finally figure out how to escape the prison of reality.
#1) Mouse of Silver (guest star Deneen Fendig, a.k.a. Duncan’s own mom) which deals about how hurtful it is to say goodbye to those we love the most –even though they never really leave us. This episode used a recording Duncan made when his mother was dying of cancer, which I still consider it to be one of the best fucking podcasts ever made. Once I asked my friends Darren and Graham to send some questions to Duncan when they had him on their podcast The Grimerica Show, and I felt the need to express my gratitude to him for sharing such a sweet and personal gift with the whole world, which I compared to the closest thing human beings could do to equate Jesus’s miracle of the multiplying fish and bread. Well, Mouse of Silver is as if the bread was made of rye, and had a bit of ergot fungus on top!
The Midnight Gospel is the kind of show which indicates that, despite society’s seeming downfall at the present, the paradigm is changing and WE are winning. You can now enjoy all episodes on Netflix.


News Briefs 27-04-2020

• Superintelligent , amoral , and out of control : AI is no longer playing games .
Are we prepared ?
• New ‘ theory of everything ’ unites quantum mechanics with relativity… and much more .
• Should there be a religion based on Dune ?
• Related : Magic mushrooms were the inspiration for Frank Herbert ’ s science fiction epic Dune .
• China reveals name of Mars mission , which will take place in ‘ coming months ’ .
• When bubonic plague first struck America , officials tried to cover it up .
• Five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • Was the Loch Ness Monster inspired by earthquakes ?
• Pirates once swashbuckled across the ancient Mediterranean .
• Researchers have developed a brain-computer interface that can restore both movement and a sense of touch to paralyzed limbs with 90 percent accuracy • Image of the Day : Scientists just released the most complete geological Moon map yet , and it ’ s glorious .
Huge thanks to Karim , Debra and William F. for your support of the Grail !
Quote of the Day : We live on an island of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As our island of knowledge grows , so does the shore of our ignorance .

Journalism to aspire to…
Huge thanks to Karim, Debra and William F. for your support of the Grail!
Quote of the Day:
We live on an island of knowledge surrounded by a sea of ignorance. As our island of knowledge grows, so does the shore of our ignorance.
John Wheeler


News Briefs 28-04-2020

• US Navy officially publishes the three UFO videos made famous by Tom DeLonge ’ s research group and the @ @ @ @ @ Scientists know where aliens might be , but humans will never see them .
• @ @ @ @ @ simulates itself into existence .
• Talking to the dead : how the 1918 pandemic @ @ @ @ @ • Poltergeist phenomena and the history of science .
• Are camouflaged aliens walking among @ @ @ @ @ of ancient Greek astronomy that still baffle experts .
• The story of psilocybin : @ @ @ @ @ with the unknown .
• New finding suggests laws of nature are ‘ downright weird @ @ @ @ @ the size of Manhattan will whiz by Earth on Wednesday .
Quote of the Day @ @ @ @ @ the past and future are real illusions , that they exist in the present , @ @ @ @ @ and all there is .

Me, right now…
Quote of the Day:
I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is.
Alan Watts


dailygrail--2020-04-28--Groundhog Disclosure: Pentagon Confirms Authenticity of UFO Videos… Again

Remember The Simpsons ’ “ Lisa vs Malibu Stacy ” episode from season 5 , when Lisa is trying to convince a mob of girls trying to get their little hands on the ‘ new ’ Malibu Stacy model , that it ’ s just the same old doll with a stupid , cheap hat ?
– “ She still embodies all the awful stereotypes she did before !
” yells Lisa .
– “ But she ’ s got a new hat !
” says Smithers in the back .
…And that was that .
I feel this is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happened in UFOland , after the US Department of Defense announced the ‘ official release ’ of the three UFO Navy videos ( FLIR1 , Gimbal and GoFast ) which made a splash in global consciousness since 2017 , ever since that fateful article published by the New York Times revealed the existence of the AATIP/AAWSAP program : The Department of Defense has authorized the release of three unclassified Navy videos , one taken in November 2004 and the other two in January 2015 , which have been circulating in the public domain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The U.S. Navy previously acknowledged that these videos circulating in the public domain were indeed Navy videos .
After a thorough review , the department has determined that the authorized release of these unclassified videos does not reveal any sensitive capabilities or systems , and does not impinge on any subsequent investigations of military air space incursions by unidentified aerial phenomena .
DOD is releasing the videos in order to clear up any misconceptions by the public on whether or not the footage that has been circulating was real , or whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ videos .
The aerial phenomena observed in the videos remain characterized as “ unidentified.
” It ’ s as if the whole Internet was a short-term memory dog or something .
All of the sudden we ’ re back to the “ ZOMG the government just told us UFOs are real and nobody cares !
” memes we ’ ve been enduring for .
Over .
Two .
Effing .
Years !
Never mind it ’ s the same old low-quality , grainy , short clips everybody and their grandmother have watched over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and OVER again , in every news channel or recently made UFO documentary –even though there are persistent rumors of other videos with better resolution .
Never mind the Pentagon is not giving us any new information concerning the encounters between Navy pilots and unidentified objects which occurred almost 16 years ago , or whether there have been any new sightings reported by military personnel more recently .
“ The hashtag AliensExist is trending , bro !
What more do you want ?
” boast the members of UFO Twitter , giving a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some websites who should know better , because they ’ re happy to see UFOs dominating the news cycle once again –as if THAT was so difficult to accomplish , now that celebrity Zoom reunions , Tik Tok challenges and sourdough bread recipes is all we care to talk about to distract us from the ongoing threat of the COVID-19 pandemic .
And make no mistake : the Pentagon ’ s ‘ new ’ UFO videos offered on their website are exactly the same three videos we ’ d already seen .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the investigative work of Dave Beaty , who analyzed the video codes and found a 2007 Google copyright –meaning the Pentagon simply downloaded the files from Youtube , instead of retrieving them from their own servers !
Is it because nobody bothered to save a copy back when they were originally recorded ?
“ The hat is new , Lisa !
So shut the hell up and buy the doll already , like the nice little consumer you are… ” Another thing overlooked by UFO buffs is in the wording employed by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the publishing of the videos by the New York Times –at the behest of Tom DeLonge ’ s To the Stars– as an “ unauthorised release.
” Which would imply that every time TTSA referred to the videos as “ officially released ” by the government they were… um… lying ?
( That hasn ’ t stopped Tom from bragging about the recent news , as if it was all his doing ) .
Once again the futile dispute between whether TTSA and Elizondo were officially sanctioned to release the videos to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ erupt in the Twitter trenches .
“ The Pentagon is just playing catch-up , they don ’ t know what ’ s really going on !
” they say .
So why should we care so much every time they touch the subject of UFOs , then ?
And everytime the statements made by Pentagon spokesperson Susan Gough contradicts Elizondo ’ s claims , they attack her credibility .
So in the end it comes to the issue of which insider you want to believe in , based on which one tells you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Is this it ?
?
Is this all the “ Disclosure ” we can hope for in the post-AATIP era –just endless regurgitations of the same old news and the same old cases , followed by a brief burst of excitement until people get back to playing Animal Crossing ?
Because if that ’ s the case , somebody hand me the Clorox bottle so I can escape Punxsutawney once and for all !
Meanwhile Senator Harry Reid keeps teasing us that this new move by the Pentagon “ only scratches the surface @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ Materials ’ ?
Oh my !
Does that imply actual physical samples , like the ones BAASS researchers were so desperate to inquire about in their exchanges with South American UFOlogists ?
Well , at the pace they ’ re going , I guess we might find all about it in 10 or 15 years *if* we ’ re lucky , won ’ t we ?
The only good question worth asking at the moment is , why now ?
What does the Pentagon gain from handing us a stick and telling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carcass like an indestructible piñata ?
Cui bono ?
“ They might be prepping us for a big demonstration ” clamors Jaime Maussan , happy to hop into the hype while it lasts .
“ It ’ s a classic example of “ a good day to bury a bad news ” ” speculates Nick Pope , meaning the DoD might have thought the world would be too preoccupied with the coronavirus , to care too much about things flying above the level of spit particles .
An argument that makes a bit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but not that much –couldn ’ t they simply stay quiet and wait until the public forgot all about it , like they always do ?
In the end , we ’ ll probably never elucidate the real reason behind this new Chess play , which seems not to be over given the hint that Gough is getting ready to make a new statement about AATIP coming later this week ; not that it matters much outside the tiny eco-chamber of the Fortean blogosphere , in which enthusiasts are all-too happy to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ‘ normies ’ even if we ’ re not really learning anything new about it .
The hat is new and that is all that matters .
Now , if you ’ ll excuse me , I have a tea party to prepare with my Lisa “ Liminal ” Lionheart .
Ta ta…

Remember The Simpsons’ “Lisa vs Malibu Stacy” episode from season 5, when Lisa is trying to convince a mob of girls trying to get their little hands on the ‘new’ Malibu Stacy model, that it’s just the same old doll with a stupid, cheap hat?
–“She still embodies all the awful stereotypes she did before!” yells Lisa.
–“But she’s got a new hat!” says Smithers in the back.
…And that was that.
I feel this is an adequate metaphor for what has just happened in UFOland, after the US Department of Defense announced the ‘official release’ of the three UFO Navy videos (FLIR1, Gimbal and GoFast) which made a splash in global consciousness since 2017, ever since that fateful article published by the New York Times revealed the existence of the AATIP/AAWSAP program:
The Department of Defense has authorized the release of three unclassified Navy videos, one taken in November 2004 and the other two in January 2015, which have been circulating in the public domain after unauthorized releases in 2007 and 2017. The U.S. Navy previously acknowledged that these videos circulating in the public domain were indeed Navy videos. After a thorough review, the department has determined that the authorized release of these unclassified videos does not reveal any sensitive capabilities or systems, and does not impinge on any subsequent investigations of military air space incursions by unidentified aerial phenomena. DOD is releasing the videos in order to clear up any misconceptions by the public on whether or not the footage that has been circulating was real, or whether or not there is more to the videos. The aerial phenomena observed in the videos remain characterized as “unidentified.”
It’s as if the whole Internet was a short-term memory dog or something. All of the sudden we’re back to the “ZOMG the government just told us UFOs are real and nobody cares!” memes we’ve been enduring for. Over. Two. Effing. Years! Never mind it’s the same old low-quality, grainy, short clips everybody and their grandmother have watched over, and over, and over, and OVER again, in every news channel or recently made UFO documentary –even though there are persistent rumors of other videos with better resolution. Never mind the Pentagon is not giving us any new information concerning the encounters between Navy pilots and unidentified objects which occurred almost 16 years ago, or whether there have been any new sightings reported by military personnel more recently. “The hashtag AliensExist is trending, bro! What more do you want?” boast the members of UFO Twitter, giving a pass to the click-baity hyperbole employed by some websites who should know better, because they’re happy to see UFOs dominating the news cycle once again –as if THAT was so difficult to accomplish, now that celebrity Zoom reunions, Tik Tok challenges and sourdough bread recipes is all we care to talk about to distract us from the ongoing threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.
And make no mistake: the Pentagon’s ‘new’ UFO videos offered on their website are exactly the same three videos we’d already seen. We can be sure of that thanks to the investigative work of Dave Beaty, who analyzed the video codes and found a 2007 Google copyright –meaning the Pentagon simply downloaded the files from Youtube, instead of retrieving them from their own servers! Is it because nobody bothered to save a copy back when they were originally recorded?
Credit: Dave Beaty
“The hat is new, Lisa! So shut the hell up and buy the doll already, like the nice little consumer you are…”
***Sigh***
Another thing overlooked by UFO buffs is in the wording employed by the Pentagon in their all-too-brief statement: qualifying the publishing of the videos by the New York Times –at the behest of Tom DeLonge’s To the Stars– as an “unauthorised release.” Which would imply that every time TTSA referred to the videos as “officially released” by the government they were… um… lying? (That hasn’t stopped Tom from bragging about the recent news, as if it was all his doing).
Once again the futile dispute between whether TTSA and Elizondo were officially sanctioned to release the videos to the public before he quit the DoD will erupt in the Twitter trenches. “The Pentagon is just playing catch-up, they don’t know what’s really going on!” they say. So why should we care so much every time they touch the subject of UFOs, then? And everytime the statements made by Pentagon spokesperson Susan Gough contradicts Elizondo’s claims, they attack her credibility. So in the end it comes to the issue of which insider you want to believe in, based on which one tells you exactly what YOU want to hear.
Is this it?? Is this all the “Disclosure” we can hope for in the post-AATIP era –just endless regurgitations of the same old news and the same old cases, followed by a brief burst of excitement until people get back to playing Animal Crossing? Because if that’s the case, somebody hand me the Clorox bottle so I can escape Punxsutawney once and for all!
Not “I’ve Got You, Babe” again…
Meanwhile Senator Harry Reid keeps teasing us that this new move by the Pentagon “only scratches the surface of research and materials” available:
I’m glad the Pentagon is finally releasing this footage, but it only scratches the surface of research and materials available. The U.S. needs to take a serious, scientific look at this and any potential national security implications. The American people deserve to be informed. https://t.co/1XNduvmP0u — Senator Harry Reid (@SenatorReid) April 27, 2020
‘Materials’? Oh my! Does that imply actual physical samples, like the ones BAASS researchers were so desperate to inquire about in their exchanges with South American UFOlogists? Well, at the pace they’re going, I guess we might find all about it in 10 or 15 years *if* we’re lucky, won’t we?
“It’s a new haaaaat, Lisaaaaa…”
The only good question worth asking at the moment is, why now? What does the Pentagon gain from handing us a stick and telling us to keep beating this old horse carcass like an indestructible piñata? Cui bono?
“They might be prepping us for a big demonstration” clamors Jaime Maussan, happy to hop into the hype while it lasts.
“It’s a classic example of “a good day to bury a bad news”” speculates Nick Pope, meaning the DoD might have thought the world would be too preoccupied with the coronavirus, to care too much about things flying above the level of spit particles. An argument that makes a bit more sense than Maussan’s sensationalism, but not that much –couldn’t they simply stay quiet and wait until the public forgot all about it, like they always do?
In the end, we’ll probably never elucidate the real reason behind this new Chess play, which seems not to be over given the hint that Gough is getting ready to make a new statement about AATIP coming later this week; not that it matters much outside the tiny eco-chamber of the Fortean blogosphere, in which enthusiasts are all-too happy to see their beloved UFOs being discussed by the ‘normies’ even if we’re not really learning anything new about it. The hat is new and that is all that matters.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a tea party to prepare with my Lisa “Liminal” Lionheart. Ta ta…


News Briefs 29-04-2020

Today ’ s news is all about that space , no trouble… • UFO videos “ only scratch the surface of what the Pentagon knows “ , according to former Senate Majority leader Harry Reid .
• Where is everybody else in the universe ?
• SpaceX Starship could help humans look thousands of light-years into space .
• Scientists predict the explosive behaviour of two supermassive black holes almost to the hour .
• Pseudoscience and COVID-19 : we ’ ve had enough already .
• ’ Storm Area 51 ’ ends up costing the U.S. almost $ 200,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extinct ?
• CRISPR could finally make the first truly allergy-free cat .
• How tech algorithms become infected with the biases of their creators .
Quote of the Day : The web is becoming the medium of choice for disinformation and misinformation , including official efforts to inject new “ memes ” into the culture .
Although I remain an optimist about the web as a medium for free exchanges of data and faster communication of high value , it is also a potential tool for propaganda , false rumors intentionally planted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to alter or filter social reality .

Today’s news is all about that space, no trouble…
Quote of the Day:
The web is becoming the medium of choice for disinformation and misinformation, including official efforts to inject new “memes” into the culture. Although I remain an optimist about the web as a medium for free exchanges of data and faster communication of high value, it is also a potential tool for propaganda, false rumors intentionally planted and for a range of techniques designed to alter or filter social reality.
Jacques Vallee (2010)


News Briefs 30-04-2020

• We still don ’ t know how the Coronavirus is killing us .
• Nobel laureate Tasuku Honko is forced to debunk idiotic COVID-19 conspiracy attributed to him .
• What the idea of ‘ civilizational collapse ’ says about history .
• The ancient battlefield that launched the legend of Hannibal –the elephant dude , not the suave cannibal .
• The cities of the future will be made out of fungi .
Fine with me , as long as we don ’ t have to sing that stupid song… • The US Library of Congress has made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for free .
• Using marijuana as a teen could make another drug even more intense .
• Japan to draw up UFO encounter procedures for their Self-Defense Force pilots .
• Nick Pope gives his opinion about the recently “ authenticated ” Navy UFO videos .
• SETI ’ s Seth Shostak is forced to weigh in too , and tries to find better material for his skeptical bag of tricks .
• Deep Prasad : We live in an alien playground .
• The Animated World : An interview with Patrick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ haunted house ’ for disobeying the Coronavirus lockdown .
• Red Pill of the Day : Plague mask doctors are about to become the creepy clown stalkers of 2020 .
Quote of the Day : To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation .

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dailygrail--2020-04-30--Is Trump Finally Giving a Damn About UFOs?

“ I just wonder if it ’ s real .
That ’ s a hell of a video.
” That was president Trump ’ s comment in relation to the UFO videos recently ‘ released ’ ( or rather , recently authenticated ) by the Pentagon .
As it ’ s often the case with the 45th POTUS , it ’ s hard to understand what he ’ s actually trying to say –speaking is not his particular forte , after all .
Why is he talking in singular , when there are three videos which were part of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Which of those three ( FLIR1 , Gimbal and GoFast ) is the one who impressed him so much ?
( or does he mistook the three for a single video ?
Hey , you never know with the Donald ! )
Is he wondering out loud if the videos themselves are real –maybe he doesn ’ t trust the DoD .
Again , it wouldn ’ t be the first time— or the objects depicted in the videos ?
But perhaps the most pressing question in my mind right now : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now with these old Navy videos , when one would assume that same material was part of the official briefing he had in relation with the encounters between military pilots and unknown aerial objects back in June of 2019 , when he told George Papadoupolous he “ didn ’ t particularly believe ” in UFOs ?
Did he forget about it ?
Is he changing his stance on the subject ( again , wouldn ’ t be the first time ) or wasn ’ t he shown the videos until now that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
( As was noted on my last article on the subject , one of the videos the DoD uploaded to their webpage has a 2007 Google copyright , meaning they were directly taken from Youtube ) .
And if he ’ s so impressed with those three vids , why doesn ’ t he demand to be shown better material evidence –you know , the things Senator Reid keeps alluding to in his Tweets— so he can stop wondering once and for all whether ‘ it ’ is real or not ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a student of UFOlogy , I just find it fascinating that these developments –which are in many regards like a dream come true for UFO Disclosure advocates– happen in a time when the maximum authority of the most powerful nation in the world , has also the lowest credibility rating in all of history .
Trump could literally give a press conference tomorrow at the White House , saying aliens are real and he ’ s even talking to one of them , but who outside his loyal political base would believe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on seeking an endorsement to their beliefs , from the same social institutions that are crumbling before our eyes during the greatest moment in social instability of the modern era ?

“I just wonder if it’s real. That’s a hell of a video.”
That was president Trump’s comment in relation to the UFO videos recently ‘released’ (or rather, recently authenticated) by the Pentagon. As it’s often the case with the 45th POTUS, it’s hard to understand what he’s actually trying to say –speaking is not his particular forte, after all. Why is he talking in singular, when there are three videos which were part of the Department of Defense’s official statement? Which of those three (FLIR1, Gimbal and GoFast) is the one who impressed him so much? (or does he mistook the three for a single video? Hey, you never know with the Donald!) Is he wondering out loud if the videos themselves are real –maybe he doesn’t trust the DoD. Again, it wouldn’t be the first time— or the objects depicted in the videos?
But perhaps the most pressing question in my mind right now: why is he showing such apparent amazement now with these old Navy videos, when one would assume that same material was part of the official briefing he had in relation with the encounters between military pilots and unknown aerial objects back in June of 2019, when he told George Papadoupolous he “didn’t particularly believe” in UFOs?
Did he forget about it? Is he changing his stance on the subject (again, wouldn’t be the first time) or wasn’t he shown the videos until now that they have been fully endorsed by the Pentagon? (As was noted on my last article on the subject, one of the videos the DoD uploaded to their webpage has a 2007 Google copyright, meaning they were directly taken from Youtube).
And if he’s so impressed with those three vids, why doesn’t he demand to be shown better material evidence –you know, the things Senator Reid keeps alluding to in his Tweets— so he can stop wondering once and for all whether ‘it’ is real or not?
As an outside observer of American politics and a student of UFOlogy, I just find it fascinating that these developments –which are in many regards like a dream come true for UFO Disclosure advocates– happen in a time when the maximum authority of the most powerful nation in the world, has also the lowest credibility rating in all of history. Trump could literally give a press conference tomorrow at the White House, saying aliens are real and he’s even talking to one of them, but who outside his loyal political base would believe him? Why do UFO buffs insist on seeking an endorsement to their beliefs, from the same social institutions that are crumbling before our eyes during the greatest moment in social instability of the modern era?


News Briefs 01-05-2020

“ Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can ’ t stop them from doing.
” Quote @ @ @ @ @ Everyone in my book accuses everyone else of being crazy .
Frankly , I think @ @ @ @ @ — and the question is : What does a sane man do in an insane @ @ @

“Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can’t stop them from doing.”
Quote of the Day:
“Everyone in my book accuses everyone else of being crazy. Frankly, I think the whole society is nuts — and the question is: What does a sane man do in an insane society?”
Joseph Heller


dailygrail--2020-05-04--The CIA’s Secret Documents about Soviet Black Magic Assassins

Twitter put the spotlight on 1970s psi research a couple of weeks ago when they featured a thread from researcher and journalist Emma Best regarding the CIA ’ s thoughts on Soviet research into black magic , and ‘ psychotronic ’ machines .
Best , whose research into secretive organisations via the Freedom of Information Act ( FOIA ) “ is so extensive that the FBI considers me among the “ vexsome ” FOIA users and appears to have considered investigating me over it ” ) , featured a few snippets from CIA documents recently released to them that discussed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ One snippet from a 1977 CIA report “ Soviet and East European Parapsychology ” ( which I think was actually first released a decade ago ) described Soviet experiments into ‘ black magic ’ : About 1969 the Soviets reportedly established an official group in their covert program devoted to collecting information on black magic .
This group , headed by D.G .
Mirza , was given its own secret laboratory in Moscow and was assigned the tasks of identifying , locating and evaluating the capabilities of sorcerers , witches , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is unlikely that this avenue of investigation has produced any applied paranormal systems , but the data collected may have benefited other areas of research and may have improved their techniques for training subjects to acquire or to improve paranormal abilities .
Thus , the research may still be included in the Soviet program .
While casual Twitter readers were shocked to see both the topic of Soviet ‘ black magic ’ research , and the CIA report casually mentioning ‘ paranormal abilities ’ , many Grailers are no doubt well aware that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ somewhat of a psychic ‘ arms race ’ between the two superpowers .
Jim Schnabel ’ s 1997 book Remote Viewers : The Secret History of America ’ s Psychic Spies perhaps provides a little insight into the type of things the CIA report is referring to : According to émigrés and intelligence reports , the KGB and GRU ( military intelligence ) had scoured the mystical eastern vastnesses of the Soviet Union in order to find the toughest Siberian shamans , the best-trained Tibetan priests , the most powerful Mongolian chi gong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 8 in Siberia , according to August Stern , shamans tried to use their PK powers to make people fall off streetcars , or to kill small animals .
An émigré parapsychologist named Larissa Vilenskaya claimed that at I.M .
Kogan ’ s lab she was once shown a film of a PK master listening to a foreign politician on the radio , and trying to send detrimental psi particles his way .
At IPPI [ the ‘ Institute for Problems of Information Transmission ’ ] one day , it was said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a human skull a few yards away , just by concentrating on it .
Also at IPPI , and at a laboratory in Kazakhstan , shamans took madryushka dolls , hand-carved wooden spoons , souvenir models of Sputnik – the usual beriozka store trinkets – and zapped them with evil psi energies .
The gifts now supposedly emitted debilitating rays , almost as if they had been impregnated with some kind of radioactive material ; they were given to hapless foreign visitors , who would thereafter , it was believed , suffer neuralgia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It was black magic , pure and simple , cloaked in the gray vernacular of psi particles and psi radiation and transmission and reception .
Schnabel goes on to list apocryphal stories about shamans being able to stop the hearts of small animals and sometimes humans – which gave rise to the American research that would be mocked in The Men Who Stare at Goats .
But Schnabel ’ s mention of ‘ psi particles ’ and ‘ psi radiation ’ is linked to another of the Soviet psi research snippets posted by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ significant amount of study was devoted to the development of psychotronic generators used to duplicate psychic effects ” .
As Schnabel notes in Remote Viewers : By the mid-1970s the CIA and DIA had begun to receive various reports of ‘ psychotronic generators ’ being designed and built along these lines .
There was one device that supposedly could cause strokes or heart attacks .
Another gave people a sensation of anxiety , or of a disorienting blow to the head .
Another made them aggressive , or drove them mad .
Some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Inyushin with the development of this technology .
Others cited a Czech engineer named Robert Pavlita .
An émigré named Nikolai Khokhlov , apparently a former KGB officer , claimed that his erstwhile employers had ‘ tested ’ such generators against certain selected communities in North America .
Schnabel does note , however , that many in the U.S. intelligence community “ simply regarded these stories as evidence that the Russian psi program was spiraling off into insanity ” , and that they thought the greatest threat to America might be that at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money on their psi programs .
You can support Emma Best ’ s FOIA investigations , and resulting articles ( such as this one on the NSA ’ s fear of ‘ psychic nukes ’ ) , via their Patreon page .

Twitter put the spotlight on 1970s psi research a couple of weeks ago when they featured a thread from researcher and journalist Emma Best regarding the CIA’s thoughts on Soviet research into black magic, and ‘psychotronic’ machines.
Best, whose research into secretive organisations via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) “is so extensive that the FBI considers me among the “vexsome” FOIA users and appears to have considered investigating me over it”), featured a few snippets from CIA documents recently released to them that discussed the topic of Soviet parapsychological/occult research.
One snippet from a 1977 CIA report “Soviet and East European Parapsychology” (which I think was actually first released a decade ago) described Soviet experiments into ‘black magic’:
About 1969 the Soviets reportedly established an official group in their covert program devoted to collecting information on black magic. This group, headed by D.G. Mirza, was given its own secret laboratory in Moscow and was assigned the tasks of identifying, locating and evaluating the capabilities of sorcerers, witches, and the incantations used by such individuals. It is unlikely that this avenue of investigation has produced any applied paranormal systems, but the data collected may have benefited other areas of research and may have improved their techniques for training subjects to acquire or to improve paranormal abilities. Thus, the research may still be included in the Soviet program.
While casual Twitter readers were shocked to see both the topic of Soviet ‘black magic’ research, and the CIA report casually mentioning ‘paranormal abilities’, many Grailers are no doubt well aware that during the 1970s in particular there was somewhat of a psychic ‘arms race’ between the two superpowers.
Jim Schnabel’s 1997 book Remote Viewers: The Secret History of America’s Psychic Spies perhaps provides a little insight into the type of things the CIA report is referring to:
According to émigrés and intelligence reports, the KGB and GRU (military intelligence) had scoured the mystical eastern vastnesses of the Soviet Union in order to find the toughest Siberian shamans, the best-trained Tibetan priests, the most powerful Mongolian chi gong masters. At Special Department No. 8 in Siberia, according to August Stern, shamans tried to use their PK powers to make people fall off streetcars, or to kill small animals. An émigré parapsychologist named Larissa Vilenskaya claimed that at I.M. Kogan’s lab she was once shown a film of a PK master listening to a foreign politician on the radio, and trying to send detrimental psi particles his way. At IPPI [the ‘Institute for Problems of Information Transmission’] one day, it was said, a group of Tibetans succeeded in breaking a human skull a few yards away, just by concentrating on it. Also at IPPI, and at a laboratory in Kazakhstan, shamans took madryushka dolls, hand-carved wooden spoons, souvenir models of Sputnik – the usual beriozka store trinkets – and zapped them with evil psi energies. The gifts now supposedly emitted debilitating rays, almost as if they had been impregnated with some kind of radioactive material; they were given to hapless foreign visitors, who would thereafter, it was believed, suffer neuralgia, depression, even nervous breakdowns. It was black magic, pure and simple, cloaked in the gray vernacular of psi particles and psi radiation and transmission and reception.
Schnabel goes on to list apocryphal stories about shamans being able to stop the hearts of small animals and sometimes humans – which gave rise to the American research that would be mocked in The Men Who Stare at Goats.
But Schnabel’s mention of ‘psi particles’ and ‘psi radiation’ is linked to another of the Soviet psi research snippets posted by Best, which mentions that “a significant amount of study was devoted to the development of psychotronic generators used to duplicate psychic effects”. As Schnabel notes in Remote Viewers:
By the mid-1970s the CIA and DIA had begun to receive various reports of ‘psychotronic generators’ being designed and built along these lines. There was one device that supposedly could cause strokes or heart attacks. Another gave people a sensation of anxiety, or of a disorienting blow to the head. Another made them aggressive, or drove them mad. Some reports credited a Russian scientist named Viktor Inyushin with the development of this technology. Others cited a Czech engineer named Robert Pavlita. An émigré named Nikolai Khokhlov, apparently a former KGB officer, claimed that his erstwhile employers had ‘tested’ such generators against certain selected communities in North America.
Schnabel does note, however, that many in the U.S. intelligence community “simply regarded these stories as evidence that the Russian psi program was spiraling off into insanity”, and that they thought the greatest threat to America might be that at some point the Soviets might stop wasting money on their psi programs.
You can support Emma Best’s FOIA investigations, and resulting articles (such as this one on the NSA’s fear of ‘psychic nukes’), via their Patreon page.


News Briefs 04-05-2020

May the fourth be with you… • Archaeologists have lots of dates wrong for North American indigenous history – but are using new techniques to get it right .
• The mystery of the cocaine mummies .
• NASA spacecraft Osiris Rex just descended to 75 metres above asteroid Bennu ’ s surface , and the images are epic .
• NASA awards contracts to Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk to land astronauts on the Moon .
And hopefully allow them to read eBooks while driving their Teslas across the lunar surface… • The thorniest subject at NASA right now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • Japan ’ s military pilots have never encountered UFOs , defence minister says .
• Astronomers warn that our sun is having a ‘ midlife crisis ’ .
• Scientists waited two and a half years to see whether bacteria can eat rock .
Next up , to see if they have big , good strong hands… Thanks to Rick , and to James B. for your support of the Grail !
Quote of the Day : Hour by hour resolve firmly , like a Roman and a man , to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ natural dignity , and with humanity , independence , and justice .

May the fourth be with you…
Thanks to Rick, and to James B. for your support of the Grail!
Quote of the Day:
Hour by hour resolve firmly, like a Roman and a man, to do what comes to hand with correct and natural dignity, and with humanity, independence, and justice.
Marcus Aurelius


News Briefs 05-05-2020

• Impact crater discovered in the Sahara may solve the mystery of King Tut ’ s gemstone .
• Related @ @ @ @ @ with a dagger of ‘ extraterrestrial origin ’ .
• Alien life could be growing @ @ @ @ @ realised , study suggests .
• They ’ re here !
First-ever detection of a @ @ @ @ @ Milky Way .
• Has the Rendlesham Forest UFO incident been exposed as a top @ @ @ @ @ skulls and babies were buried in Viking homes .
• Electronic skin could make robots @ @ @ @ @ • The science behind your vivid dreams during the COVID-19 pandemic .
• David Icke @ @ @ @ @ YouTube for violation of policies about misleading coronavirus information .
• 2020 is gaining momentum @ @ @ @ @ its catalogue of horrors being murder hornets .
• Video of the Day : The @ @ @ @ @ NASA created a tune using the stars in a Hubble photograph .
Quote of the @ @ @ @ @ certainties…But there are no certainties .


News Briefs 06-05-2020

• The Tunguska event may have been caused by an iron asteroid that entered the Earth ’ s atmosphere and then bounced back into space .
• Astronomers say rocky planets orbiting dead stars may be ideal for search for alien life .
• Elon Musk is going to help shoot Tom Cruise into space .
Look , if we ’ re making a list , I ’ ve got a few in the queue before Tom okay ?
• Japan Defense Ministry to draft UFO protocols in response to US footage .
• Kevin Day , radar operator on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2004 , discusses how the ‘ Nimitz UFO encounter ’ unfolded , and what effect it has had on those involved .
• The Holocaust survivors who had ‘ psychic ’ experiences , and the man who documented them .
• One billion people will live in insufferable heat within 50 years , study suggests .
• Welcome to Armageddon : Meet the city behind the biblical story • In 1847 the Choctaw people sent $ 170 to help the Irish during the potato famine .
Donors in Ireland are citing that gesture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two tribes during the Covid-19 pandemic .
• Arrows of time : tracing our evolving understanding of time through a history of observations in culture , physics , timekeeping and biology .
• Why mammals like elephants and armadillos get drunk easily .
Quote of the Day : Every step in human progress , from the first feeble stirrings in the abyss of time , has been opposed by the great majority of men .
Every valuable thing that has been added to the store of man ’ s possessions has been derided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and destroyed by them when they had power .
They have fought every new truth ever heard of , and they have killed every truth-seeker who got into their hands .

Born scientist…
Thanks Steven.
Quote of the Day:
Every step in human progress, from the first feeble stirrings in the abyss of time, has been opposed by the great majority of men. Every valuable thing that has been added to the store of man’s possessions has been derided by them when it was new, and destroyed by them when they had power. They have fought every new truth ever heard of, and they have killed every truth-seeker who got into their hands.
H.L. Mencken


News Briefs 07-05-2020

So what bizarre hobby have you cultivated during your lockdown ?
Me , I ’ m learning how to type with my toes –BTW writing this took me only three days to complete… • Bad news : The pandemic affects your poop , too .
• Researcher ‘ on the verge of making very significant coronavirus finding ’ was found shot to death .
• Particle accelerator to help read Dead Sea Scrolls that are too fragile to unroll .
Methinks a Ouija board would be cheaper .
• Newly unsealed Vatican archives lay out evidence of Pope Pius XII @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • The Trump administration is drafting plans for corporate Moon mining .
• The skeptic ’ s guide to the Pentagon ’ s UFO videos .
• A word about those UFO videos , from an astrophysicist .
• Yeah , the videos are cool , but why aren ’ t journalists asking about the radar records ?
• Is there a UFO parked on the side of a cliff in Kentucky ?
• The ‘ Queen of Consciousness ’ driving psychedelic study and advocacy .
• Fossilized remains of extinct giant sloths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of information .
• Red Pill of the Day : Black Mirror creator says the world is too bleak right now so there ’ s no point in depressing us any further with a 6th season .
Why not change it to Pink Mirror instead , bro ?
Quote of the Day : I must say I find television very educational .
The minute somebody turns it on , I go to the library and read a good book .

So what bizarre hobby have you cultivated during your lockdown? Me, I’m learning how to type with my toes –BTW writing this took me only three days to complete…
Thanks to Greg.
Quote of the Day:
I must say I find television very educational. The minute somebody turns it on, I go to the library and read a good book.
Groucho Marx


News Briefs 08-05-2020

“ I don ’ t expect you to understand anything I ’ m telling you .
But I know you @ @ @ @ @ nothing good ever ends… ” Quote of the Day : “ …If it did , @ @ @ @ @ in the world — no life at all , anywhere .
And the world is @ @ @ @ @ of wonderful life .
”

“I don’t expect you to understand anything I’m telling you. But I know you will remember this — That nothing good ever ends…”
Quote of the Day:
“…If it did, there would be no people in the world — no life at all, anywhere. And the world is full of people and full of wonderful life.”
William Saroyan


News Briefs 11-05-2020

The king is dead , long live the king .
• Guided by plant voices : Plants talk to this ecologist , and tell her how to do better science .
• The 5G conspiracy theory just took a really dark turn .
• The US military has officially published three UFO videos .
Why doesn ’ t anybody seem to care ?
• The secretive X-37B space plane ’ s microwave power beam experiment is a way bigger deal than it seems .
• Former senator majority leader and architect of Pentagon UFO program says aliens are real .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ as long as 3 billion years before it turned into the hellhole we now know .
• Dan Ackroyd discusses his family ’ s interest in the occult .
• Common herpes virus found to cause signs of Alzheimer ’ s disease in brain cells .
• The real Lord of the Flies : what happened when six boys were shipwrecked for 15 months .
• Spot the robot is reminding parkgoers in Singapore to keep their distance from one another .
If they don ’ t listen , maybe it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Day : Greed has taken the whole universe , and nobody is worried about their soul .


News Briefs 12-05-2020

• Ancient bones found in Bulgarian cave are oldest evidence of modern humans in Europe .
• A rare 200-year-old @ @ @ @ @ Tiger is being called the ‘ holy grail ’ of Tasmanian archaeology .
• Egyptologists @ @ @ @ @ Karnak temple to Cairo ’ s busy Tahrir Square .
• How magic mushrooms went @ @ @ @ @ substance .
• The mysterious order of the astral projecting witch hunters .
• Scientists @ @ @ @ @ ’ t need oxygen to breathe .
• This is what aliens would hear if @ @ @ @ @ • NASA wants to chase interstellar objects with ‘ orbital slingshot ’ .
• Is @ @ @ @ @ all ?
• Televangelist Jim Bakker ’ s prepper village is having the worst apocalypse @ @ @ @ @ be more vulnerable to the Coronavirus due to a lung enzyme .
• Video of @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t watch this .
Quote of the Day : How small the vastest @ @ @ @ @ at a distance of a few million miles .


News Briefs 13-05-2020

It ’ s a stressful time at the moment , so take the time for some calming meditation… • It @ @ @ @ @ UFOs seriously .
Seriously .
• Here are the detailed ‘ UFO ’ incident reports @ @ @ @ @ the east coast .
• Alien seekers may be salty about this new Mars study @ @ @ @ @ could be the safest place for explorers to live on Mars .
• In 1110 @ @ @ @ @ the sky .
We might finally know what caused it .
• Did giants ever @ @ @ @ @ ’ t as crazy as it sounds .
• How Plandemic lures ‘ normies ’ @ @ @ @ @ • Why people believe in a ‘ plandemic ’ .
• If history was more @ @ @ @ @ predict the future ?
• The ghost dogs of the Amazon get a bit less @ @ @ @ @ Day : When a day that you happen to know is Wednesday starts off by @ @ @ @ @ is something seriously wrong somewhere .
The Day of the Triffids

It’s a stressful time at the moment, so take the time for some calming meditation…
Quote of the Day:
When a day that you happen to know is Wednesday starts off by sounding like Sunday, there is something seriously wrong somewhere.
The Day of the Triffids


dailygrail--2020-05-14--The Amaya Synchronicities: That Feeling When the Universe Winks at You

I have recently been binge-watching the excellent Devs , the 8-episode limited FX series from Alex Garland ( Ex Machina , Annihilation ) that revolves around the mysterious ‘ Devs ’ division of the fictional tech firm , Amaya .
Those who have watched the show will know that it touches on a number of topics that we ’ ve discussed here previously , from questions regarding determinism vs free will , through the ‘ Simulation hypothesis ‘ , to weird ideas arising out of quantum physics such as ‘ quantum suicide ‘ and the Many Worlds hypothesis .
Interestingly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the show was marked by a series of synchronicities revolving around the name Amaya ( both the name of the tech firm , and the CEO ’ s daughter ) .
I say interesting , because of the way the themes explored in the show link in to an idea about synchronicities that I posted here last year .
But I ’ m getting ahead of myself .
My youngest daughter ’ s name is Maya , but I had never heard of Amaya before ( sheltered life maybe ? )
– @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was .
The next day at work , I received an email from someone by the name of…Amaya .
Strange synchronicity , or Baader-Meinhof phenomenon at work ?
That night , after watching the next episode ( the penultimate one of the series ) , during the credits I noticed out of the corner of my eye that one of the actors ’ names was actually Amaya ( okay , that one can probably be put down to Baader-Meinhof ) .
I searched it up , and came across an article that mentioned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is apparently named that in real life – Amaya Mizuno-Andre , niece of one of the lead actors in the show , Sonoya Mizuno ( Lily ) .
The universe wasn ’ t going to let things slide though , as the name of the author of the article ( which incorporated an interview with Devs creator Alex Garland ) was…Erik Amaya .
Not only that , but in the interview , he specifically mentions the name recurrence as a synchronicity ( a little like the meta-synchronicities I wrote about in the article @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Devs definitely connected in no small part because of the weird synchronicity of sharing a last name with Forest ’ s company .
“ It must be kind of weird to see that suddenly you ’ re the head of the corporation that does quantum computing , ” Garland quipped when he noted the connection .
As it happens , the name was chosen because the girl who plays its enigmatic face is also named Amaya : Amaya Mizuno-Andre .
Often Japanese in origin , the name also appears to enter the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ though opinions do differ — where it translates from Euskera into English as “ the beginning of the end ” or simply “ the end.
” “ Oh my God , that is hilarious !
” Garland said upon hearing about the Basque origin .
“ That was completely unintentional.
” It ’ s a nice bunch of synchronicities , but the reason I felt moved to write about it was that the syncs were happening in relation to a show that ( in parts at least ) discussed the possibility of simulating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ computer .
As mentioned , last year I wrote an article titled “ Beyond Time and Space : Are synchronicities evidence that our universe is made of information “ , which discussed ideas put forth by Jacques Vallee – namely , how synchronicities could be explained if we considered that the cosmos is in fact generated out of information at its most base level .
The theory of space and time is a cultural artifact made possible by the invention of graph paper .
If we had invented the digital computer before graph @ @ @ @ @ @ @ different theory of information today… What modern computer scientists have realized is that ordering by space and time is the worst possible way to store data… [ if ] we live in the associate universe of the software scientist rather than the Cartesian sequential universe of the space-time physicist , then miracles are no longer irrational events… [ instead ] , we may be traversing incidents by association .
If you believe that the universe is a universe of ‘ information ’ , then you should expect coincidences .
You should expect , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s what our brain is , it ’ s primarily an information machine and consciousness gives us the illusion of a physical world and there is an illusion of time – if this is the case , then you can expect coincidences .
It ’ s like putting a keyword into Google or Yahoo !
; you put it in and get a lot of relevant information back .
That doesn ’ t seem strange to me because that is the way that information has been organized .
Maybe the universe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is this way , then coincidences are nothing strange .
It is just an indication that this is the way that the universe functions .
So , primed with that concept already , it felt to me that the ‘ Amaya ’ synchronicities I experienced – in connection to a storyline that touches on these ideas – was like the universe winking at me .
So you can imagine how it felt then , when during the final episode – which we decided to watch immediately after I had finished my search for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our TV weirdly rebooted itself at the exact perfect moment in the climax of the story .
I can ’ t say exactly what was happening due to spoilers , but believe me that it was so beautifully timed that my wife and I thought it was an ‘ effect ’ meant to happen as part of the storyline .
I literally could not have edited it into the show any better with conscious purpose .
( For those in the know : the elevator decision ) .
So , do I take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coincidental weirdness…or is the universe letting me in on the secret that we ’ re in a simulation running within a super-powerful computer ?

I have recently been binge-watching the excellent Devs, the 8-episode limited FX series from Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Annihilation) that revolves around the mysterious ‘Devs’ division of the fictional tech firm, Amaya.
Those who have watched the show will know that it touches on a number of topics that we’ve discussed here previously, from questions regarding determinism vs free will, through the ‘Simulation hypothesis‘, to weird ideas arising out of quantum physics such as ‘quantum suicide‘ and the Many Worlds hypothesis.
Interestingly, my viewing of the final episodes of the show was marked by a series of synchronicities revolving around the name Amaya (both the name of the tech firm, and the CEO’s daughter). I say interesting, because of the way the themes explored in the show link in to an idea about synchronicities that I posted here last year. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
My youngest daughter’s name is Maya, but I had never heard of Amaya before (sheltered life maybe?) – so I was intrigued what its provenance was. The next day at work, I received an email from someone by the name of…Amaya. Strange synchronicity, or Baader-Meinhof phenomenon at work?
That night, after watching the next episode (the penultimate one of the series), during the credits I noticed out of the corner of my eye that one of the actors’ names was actually Amaya (okay, that one can probably be put down to Baader-Meinhof). I searched it up, and came across an article that mentioned that the child actor who played Amaya is apparently named that in real life – Amaya Mizuno-Andre, niece of one of the lead actors in the show, Sonoya Mizuno (Lily).
The universe wasn’t going to let things slide though, as the name of the author of the article (which incorporated an interview with Devs creator Alex Garland) was…Erik Amaya. Not only that, but in the interview, he specifically mentions the name recurrence as a synchronicity (a little like the meta-synchronicities I wrote about in the article mentioned earlier).
For this writer, Devs definitely connected in no small part because of the weird synchronicity of sharing a last name with Forest’s company. “It must be kind of weird to see that suddenly you’re the head of the corporation that does quantum computing,” Garland quipped when he noted the connection. As it happens, the name was chosen because the girl who plays its enigmatic face is also named Amaya: Amaya Mizuno-Andre. Often Japanese in origin, the name also appears to enter the Romance languages from the Basque Country — though opinions do differ — where it translates from Euskera into English as “the beginning of the end” or simply “the end.” “Oh my God, that is hilarious!” Garland said upon hearing about the Basque origin. “That was completely unintentional.”
It’s a nice bunch of synchronicities, but the reason I felt moved to write about it was that the syncs were happening in relation to a show that (in parts at least) discussed the possibility of simulating reality in detail via a super-powerful quantum computer. As mentioned, last year I wrote an article titled “Beyond Time and Space: Are synchronicities evidence that our universe is made of information“, which discussed ideas put forth by Jacques Vallee – namely, how synchronicities could be explained if we considered that the cosmos is in fact generated out of information at its most base level.
As Jacques noted:
The theory of space and time is a cultural artifact made possible by the invention of graph paper. If we had invented the digital computer before graph paper, we might have a very different theory of information today… What modern computer scientists have realized is that ordering by space and time is the worst possible way to store data…[if] we live in the associate universe of the software scientist rather than the Cartesian sequential universe of the space-time physicist, then miracles are no longer irrational events…[instead], we may be traversing incidents by association. If you believe that the universe is a universe of ‘information’, then you should expect coincidences. You should expect, since we are an information machine – that’s what our brain is, it’s primarily an information machine and consciousness gives us the illusion of a physical world and there is an illusion of time – if this is the case, then you can expect coincidences. It’s like putting a keyword into Google or Yahoo!; you put it in and get a lot of relevant information back. That doesn’t seem strange to me because that is the way that information has been organized. Maybe the universe is the same way. If it is this way, then coincidences are nothing strange. It is just an indication that this is the way that the universe functions.
So, primed with that concept already, it felt to me that the ‘Amaya’ synchronicities I experienced – in connection to a storyline that touches on these ideas – was like the universe winking at me.
So you can imagine how it felt then, when during the final episode – which we decided to watch immediately after I had finished my search for Amaya, with its little syncs – our TV weirdly rebooted itself at the exact perfect moment in the climax of the story. I can’t say exactly what was happening due to spoilers, but believe me that it was so beautifully timed that my wife and I thought it was an ‘effect’ meant to happen as part of the storyline. I literally could not have edited it into the show any better with conscious purpose. (For those in the know: the elevator decision).
So, do I take that all as a fun bunch of coincidental weirdness…or is the universe letting me in on the secret that we’re in a simulation running within a super-powerful computer?


News Briefs 14-05-2020

• Coronavirus threatens indigenous people in the Amazon as fire season nears .
• History shows that pandemics go hand in hand with conspiracy theories .
• Worse than the ‘ rona : UFO conspiracy theorists offer ‘ ascension ’ from our hell world for $ 333 .
• 2020 Summer Solstice celebrations at Stonehenge have been cancelled .
Don ’ t worry neo-druids , them rocks ain ’ t going nowhere .
• Geometry guided the construction of earliest known temple Göbekli Tepe , built 6,000 years before Stonehenge .
• Math students at Wilfred Laurier University complain after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exam .
• Frightening encounters with red-eyed winged monster in Madison Wisconsin , recalled by witness ’ s daughter almost 20 years later .
• Weird Suffolk : At the place where the earth turned red with blood , the sound of warrior ghosts can be heard piercing the mist .
• The spooky tale of the ‘ A3 ghost crash ’ and a mysterious discovery .
• Mystery as 60 peculiar cubes with inscriptions pulled from Coventry river .
• You ’ re never too old for a psychedelic experience .
Well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would go for it… • 5 bizarre things Elon Musk said during his second appearance on the Joe Rogan Podcast .
• Red Pill of the Day : California pendejo wears KKK hood as a coronavirus mask at a grocery store .
Quote of the Day : Solitude is the profoundest fact of the human condition .
Man is the only being who knows he is alone .


News Briefs 15-05-2020

“ I believe that dreams — day dreams , you know , with your eyes wide open and your brain @ @ @ @ @ to lead to the betterment of the world.
” Quote of the Day : “ @ @ @ @ @ ; we have seen so many marvels that we are ashamed to marvel more .
@

“I believe that dreams — day dreams, you know, with your eyes wide open and your brain machinery whizzing — are likely to lead to the betterment of the world.”
Quote of the Day:
“It is a callous age; we have seen so many marvels that we are ashamed to marvel more.”
L. Frank Baum


News Briefs 18-05-2020

• Rediscovering a path to the Milky Way through archaeology .
• Newly discovered worlds of microbes far beneath the ocean floor , inside old basaltic rocks , could point to a greater likelihood of life elsewhere in the universe • Former NASA director warns the next deadly virus could be alien .
• Pentagon contractors ’ report on ‘ Wuhan lab ’ origins of virus is bogus .
• A civil war has erupted in the anti-vaxx movement and it ’ s just as ridiculous as you ’ d expect .
• The Amaya synchronicities : that feeling when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Astronomers find a record-breaking star that ’ s nearly as old as the universe .
• A touch of absurdity can help to wrap your mind around reality .
Quote of the Day : When I used to look out at this world , all I could see was its edges , its boundaries , its rules and controls , its leaders and laws .
But now , I see another world .
A different world where all things are possible .
A world of hope .
Of peace .
I can ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but I know if you can free your mind , you ’ ll find a way .
Neo , in the original script for ‘ The Matrix ’

Buckle your seatbelt Dorothy…
Thanks Steven.
Quote of the Day:
When I used to look out at this world, all I could see was its edges, its boundaries, its rules and controls, its leaders and laws. But now, I see another world. A different world where all things are possible. A world of hope. Of peace. I can’t tell you how to get there, but I know if you can free your mind, you’ll find a way.
Neo, in the original script for ‘The Matrix’


News Briefs 19-05-2020

• Feds warn of attacks on telecom infrastructure related to bogus COVID-19 conspiracy theory .
• Reddit ’ s QAnon Casualties is a home for survivors of the conspiracy .
• Related : Will the New York Times ever stop reporting on UFOs ?
• Should scientists take UFOs and ghosts more seriously ?
• Taking DMT can lead to experiences similar to those reported by people who claim to have been abducted by aliens , study shows .
Surprising absolutely no-one who reads this website .
• Related : DMT entities – not everyone gets ‘ machine elves ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a parallel universe next to ours after an Antarctica experiment .
• The discovery of aliens would be terrible .
• The Tibetan lama who was really a plumber from Devon .
• In the far future , the universe will be mostly invisible .
• Video of the Day : Planetary scientist shows how slow light speed really is .
Quote of the Day : Some want your money .
Some want your mind .
Citizenship in the Internet era demands a heightened commitment to mental hygiene and skepticism .
We have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ neatly into our preconceptions is precisely the information we must be wary of .

Brain anti-virus required…
Thanks Steven.
Quote of the Day:
Some want your money. Some want your mind. Citizenship in the Internet era demands a heightened commitment to mental hygiene and skepticism. We have to learn that the information that fits neatly into our preconceptions is precisely the information we must be wary of.
David Von Drehle


dailygrail--2020-05-20--The Dying Light: Exploring the strange phenomenon of lights seen at the time of death

“ Sunrise doesn ’ t last all morning , a cloudburst doesn ’ t last all day , ” George Harrison sang on the title track to his first post-Beatles solo album , All Things Must Pass .
Although the song is naturally seen as an ode to the impermanence of human life , the lyrics also note that never-ending change means that those left grieving can look to the future with hope : “ Darkness only stays at night-time , in the morning it will fade away.
” But Harrison also intimated , through lyrics written in the first-person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ move onwards : “ None of life ’ s strings can last , so I must be on my way , and face another day ” .
Three decades after writing this song , the former Beatles guitarist went ‘ on his way ’ himself , in the literal sense , dying on the 29th of November 2001 – aged just 58 – after a battle with lung cancer .
Is it possible that Harrison – a devotee of Indian mysticism – truly did move on , in some sense , to ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the extraordinary life of George Harrison seems to have been matched with an extraordinary death , going by the events his wife Olivia witnessed as the former Beatle shed this mortal coil : The lazy response to the above testimony would be to mark down Olivia Harrison ’ s observations as hyperbole – the poetic wish-fulfilment of a grieving wife – except for the fact that she is far from alone in witnessing strange phenomena such as this at the deathbed of loved ones .
As I pointed out in my book , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Afterlife , there have in fact been numerous cases in which those caring for the dying have described seeing a bright light surrounding the dying person , exuding what they relate as “ a raw feeling of love ” .
And when I say ‘ numerous ’ , I ’ m not exaggerating : neuropsychiatrist Peter Fenwick was amazed to find in a survey of palliative carers that one in every three reported accounts of “ a radiant light that envelops the dying person , and may spread throughout the room and involve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sounds remarkably similar to the “ profound experience ” recounted by Olivia Harrison .
In a similar Dutch study , the numbers were even more staggering : more than half of all carers reported observations of this ‘ dying light ’ !
Dipping into these experiences on a case-by-case basis , the phenomenon continues to intrigue .
Peter Fenwick was told by one lady that while sitting at her dying husband ’ s bedside there was suddenly “ a most brilliant light shining from my husband ’ s chest ” .
The light @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and she began hearing “ the most beautiful music and singing voices ” , filling her with an overwhelming feeling of joy .
At this point , the nurse interrupted with news that her husband had just passed , and the light and the music instantly disappeared , leaving the woman bereft at being left behind , after being shown just the barest of glimpses ‘ behind the veil ’ .
Similarly , another woman reported that as she watched her mother pass away… In a survey of palliative care nurses in Australia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another nurse , and the patient ’ s husband saw a blue-white light leave the body of the patient and drift toward the ceiling .
“ As she died we just noticed like an energy rising from her…sort of a bluey white sort of aura , ” the nurse explained .
“ We looked at each other , and the husband was on the other side of the bed and he was looking at us… he saw it as well and he said he thinks that she went to a better place ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this experience was transformative for the nurse : “ It probably changed the way I felt about people dying and what actually happens after death ” .
In fact , the researcher responsible for the Australian study which uncovered this anecdote , Deborah Morris , was herself originally inspired to investigate strange death-bed experiences by her own experience of seeing the ‘ dying light ’ .
“ There was a young man who had died in the room with his family and I saw an aura coming off him , ” she recounts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I didn ’ t tell anybody for years .
I ’ ve never seen it again ” .
This ‘ mist ’ or ‘ vapour ’ leaving the body is another strange element that is sometimes ( though certainly not always ) reported during experiences of death-bed light ( some describe it as smoke or vapour , others say it resembles the shimmer above a hot road , while some witnesses claim even to have seen it coalesce into a human-type shape ) .
One carer told how she awoke in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of “ a flame licking the top of the wall against the ceiling ” above her dying father ’ s bed .
“ I saw a plume of smoke rising , like the vapour that rises from a snuffed-out candle , but on a bigger scale…it was being thrown off by a single blade of phosphorus light ” , the witness recounted .
“ It hung above Dad ’ s bed , about 18 inches or so long , and was indescribably beautiful…it seemed to express perfect love and peace ” .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but the phenomenon instantly vanished ; “ the room was the same as always on a November morning , cold and cheerless , with no sound of breathing from Dad ’ s bed .
His body was still warm ” .
Another carer told of the profound effect seeing such things can have on one ’ s worldview : Well-known near-death experience researcher Raymond Moody – author of the seminal 1970s book on NDEs , Life After Life – relates a case in his recent book Glimpses of Eternity in which a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” coming from a recently-deceased patient , followed by a mist that “ formed over the chest area and hovered there ” .
The doctor noticed some motion to the ‘ mist ’ , though he described it as being as subtle as “ water moving within water ” .
Another interviewee , a hospice psychologist from North Carolina , told Moody they occasionally had seen lights in the room during someone ’ s passing , and on two occasions had “ seen patients leave their body in cloud form…I would describe these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forms around the head or chest ” .
Another pioneering researcher of strange phenomena occurring at the time of death was the late Dr. Robert Crookall .
In his 1970 book , Out-of-the-Body Experiences , Crookall cites the case of Dr. R. B. Hout , a physician who encountered both anomalous mist and light in the room during the death of his aunt .
What are to make of these tales ?
Skeptics of the idea of an afterlife have generally dismissed such testimony as being hallucinations brought on by the stress of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the grieving .
But how then do we explain the many stories in which multiple witnesses in the same room saw this phenomenon occurring , such as the case mentioned above from the Australian survey of palliative carers , in which two nurses and the patient ’ s husband all saw “ a blue-white light leave the body of the patient and drift toward the ceiling ” ?
Peter Fenwick relates an instance in which a person , at the time of their brother ’ s death , witnessed “ odd tiny sparks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ body – and what ’ s more , these ‘ sparks ’ were also seen by another person in the room .
In one of Raymond Moody ’ s case files , an entire family witnessed the dying light at their mother ’ s bedside : The day my mother died , my two brothers , my sister , my sister-in-law and I were all in the room .
My mother hadn ’ t spoken a word in several hours , and she was breathing in an irregular pattern .
None of us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a long downhill course and we knew this was the end .
Suddenly , a bright light appeared in the room .
My first thought was that a reflection was shining through the window from a vehicle passing by outside .
Even as I thought that , however , I knew it wasn ’ t true , because this was not any kind of light on this earth .
I nudged my sister to see if she saw it too , and when I looked at her , her eyes were as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time I saw my brother literally gasp .
Everyone saw it together and for a little while we were frightened .
Then my mother just expired and we all kind of breathed a big sigh of relief .
In another case , a hospice worker named David told how he was “ stunned ” during the passing of a patient with pancreatic cancer when a bright light filled the room , visible to all those present including the dying woman ’ s husband .
He described it as “ the brightest light I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it seemed more like a “ plasma or the kind of light you see when you get snow-blinded ” .
If this ‘ dying light ’ is not an hallucination , what could it be ?
Is it some sort of energy emitted during the physical death of the body that takes visible form ?
Or is it some sort of ‘ psychical ’ manifestation that can only be observed with the mind in a certain state ?
Is there any relationship between this light seen at deathbeds , and the ‘ white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who have a near-death experience ?
At this point , we have a lot of questions , but very few – if any – answers .
There are possible ways forward from a scientific point of view – for example , Peter Fenwick has suggested that light sensors could be set up in hospice rooms in an attempt to record increases in the amount of light – but at the end of the day , it seems we will likely always be left to make a judgement call based only on anecdotes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
One thing is sure though : those who have experienced this ‘ dying light ’ for themselves will likely not be swayed by skeptical arguments .
For them , like Olivia Harrison , the experience is profoundly meaningful , and the weak ‘ explanations ’ of the phenomenon from those who cleave to a skeptical ( or perhaps more correctly , materialist ) philosophy would bear all the impact of a butterfly trying to move an elephant .
The Bengali poet Rabindrananth Tagore wrote that “ Death is not extinguishing the light @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because dawn has come ” .
His words seem a lot more literal once we are familiar with accounts of the dying light .
For more on the evidence for the survival of consciousness beyond death , be sure to check out Stop Worrying !
There Probably is an Afterlife .

“Sunrise doesn’t last all morning, a cloudburst doesn’t last all day,” George Harrison sang on the title track to his first post-Beatles solo album, All Things Must Pass.
Although the song is naturally seen as an ode to the impermanence of human life, the lyrics also note that never-ending change means that those left grieving can look to the future with hope: “Darkness only stays at night-time, in the morning it will fade away.” But Harrison also intimated, through lyrics written in the first-person, that those that die too might move onwards: “None of life’s strings can last, so I must be on my way, and face another day”.
Three decades after writing this song, the former Beatles guitarist went ‘on his way’ himself, in the literal sense, dying on the 29th of November 2001 – aged just 58 – after a battle with lung cancer. Is it possible that Harrison – a devotee of Indian mysticism – truly did move on, in some sense, to ‘face another day’? Intriguingly, the extraordinary life of George Harrison seems to have been matched with an extraordinary death, going by the events his wife Olivia witnessed as the former Beatle shed this mortal coil:
There was a profound experience that happened when he left his body. It was visible. Let’s just say, you wouldn’t need to light the room, if you were trying to film it. He just…lit the room.
The lazy response to the above testimony would be to mark down Olivia Harrison’s observations as hyperbole – the poetic wish-fulfilment of a grieving wife – except for the fact that she is far from alone in witnessing strange phenomena such as this at the deathbed of loved ones. As I pointed out in my book, Stop Worrying! There Probably is an Afterlife, there have in fact been numerous cases in which those caring for the dying have described seeing a bright light surrounding the dying person, exuding what they relate as “a raw feeling of love”. And when I say ‘numerous’, I’m not exaggerating: neuropsychiatrist Peter Fenwick was amazed to find in a survey of palliative carers that one in every three reported accounts of “a radiant light that envelops the dying person, and may spread throughout the room and involve the carer”, a description which sounds remarkably similar to the “profound experience” recounted by Olivia Harrison. In a similar Dutch study, the numbers were even more staggering: more than half of all carers reported observations of this ‘dying light’!
Dipping into these experiences on a case-by-case basis, the phenomenon continues to intrigue. Peter Fenwick was told by one lady that while sitting at her dying husband’s bedside there was suddenly “a most brilliant light shining from my husband’s chest”. The light began to rise toward the ceiling, and she began hearing “the most beautiful music and singing voices”, filling her with an overwhelming feeling of joy. At this point, the nurse interrupted with news that her husband had just passed, and the light and the music instantly disappeared, leaving the woman bereft at being left behind, after being shown just the barest of glimpses ‘behind the veil’.
Similarly, another woman reported that as she watched her mother pass away…
…It was then that I saw her face appeared to be glowing with a gold light. The light began to leave through the top of her head and go towards the ceiling. Looking back to my mother’s face I saw that she was no longer breathing.
In a survey of palliative care nurses in Australia, one respondent told how he, another nurse, and the patient’s husband saw a blue-white light leave the body of the patient and drift toward the ceiling. “As she died we just noticed like an energy rising from her…sort of a bluey white sort of aura,” the nurse explained. “We looked at each other, and the husband was on the other side of the bed and he was looking at us… he saw it as well and he said he thinks that she went to a better place”. As is often the case, this experience was transformative for the nurse: “It probably changed the way I felt about people dying and what actually happens after death”. In fact, the researcher responsible for the Australian study which uncovered this anecdote, Deborah Morris, was herself originally inspired to investigate strange death-bed experiences by her own experience of seeing the ‘dying light’. “There was a young man who had died in the room with his family and I saw an aura coming off him,” she recounts. “It was like a mist. I didn’t tell anybody for years. I’ve never seen it again”.
This ‘mist’ or ‘vapour’ leaving the body is another strange element that is sometimes (though certainly not always) reported during experiences of death-bed light (some describe it as smoke or vapour, others say it resembles the shimmer above a hot road, while some witnesses claim even to have seen it coalesce into a human-type shape). One carer told how she awoke in the darkness of early morning to the sight of “a flame licking the top of the wall against the ceiling” above her dying father’s bed. “I saw a plume of smoke rising, like the vapour that rises from a snuffed-out candle, but on a bigger scale…it was being thrown off by a single blade of phosphorus light”, the witness recounted. “It hung above Dad’s bed, about 18 inches or so long, and was indescribably beautiful…it seemed to express perfect love and peace”. She switched on the light to investigate further, but the phenomenon instantly vanished; “the room was the same as always on a November morning, cold and cheerless, with no sound of breathing from Dad’s bed. His body was still warm”. Another carer told of the profound effect seeing such things can have on one’s worldview:
As he died something which is very hard to describe because it was so unexpected and because I had seen nothing like it left up through his body and out of his head. It resembled distinct delicate waves/lines of smoke (smoke is not the right word but I have not got a comparison) and then disappeared. I was the only one to see it. It left me with such a sense of peace and comfort. I don’t think that we were particularly close as my sister and I had been sent off to boarding school at an early age. I do not believe in God. But as to an afterlife I now really do not know what to think.
Well-known near-death experience researcher Raymond Moody – author of the seminal 1970s book on NDEs, Life After Life – relates a case in his recent book Glimpses of Eternity in which a Georgia doctor saw a “bright glow” coming from a recently-deceased patient, followed by a mist that “formed over the chest area and hovered there”. The doctor noticed some motion to the ‘mist’, though he described it as being as subtle as “water moving within water”. Another interviewee, a hospice psychologist from North Carolina, told Moody they occasionally had seen lights in the room during someone’s passing, and on two occasions had “seen patients leave their body in cloud form…I would describe these clouds as a sort of mist that forms around the head or chest”.
Another pioneering researcher of strange phenomena occurring at the time of death was the late Dr. Robert Crookall. In his 1970 book, Out-of-the-Body Experiences, Crookall cites the case of Dr. R. B. Hout, a physician who encountered both anomalous mist and light in the room during the death of his aunt.
My attention was called…to something immediately above the physical body, suspended in the atmosphere about two feet above the bed. At first I could distinguish nothing more than a vague outline of a hazy, fog-like substance. There seemed to be only a mist held suspended, motionless. But, as I looked, very gradually there grew into my sight a denser, more solid, condensation of this inexplicable vapor. Then I was astonished to see definite outlines presenting themselves, and soon I saw this fog-like substance was a assuming a human form… The eyes were closed as though in tranquil sleep, and a luminosity seemed to radiate from the spirit body.
What are to make of these tales? Skeptics of the idea of an afterlife have generally dismissed such testimony as being hallucinations brought on by the stress of the moment, or wishful thinking by the grieving. But how then do we explain the many stories in which multiple witnesses in the same room saw this phenomenon occurring, such as the case mentioned above from the Australian survey of palliative carers, in which two nurses and the patient’s husband all saw “a blue-white light leave the body of the patient and drift toward the ceiling”? Peter Fenwick relates an instance in which a person, at the time of their brother’s death, witnessed “odd tiny sparks of bright light” emanating from the body – and what’s more, these ‘sparks’ were also seen by another person in the room. In one of Raymond Moody’s case files, an entire family witnessed the dying light at their mother’s bedside:
The day my mother died, my two brothers, my sister, my sister-in-law and I were all in the room. My mother hadn’t spoken a word in several hours, and she was breathing in an irregular pattern. None of us were really upset because mother had been on a long downhill course and we knew this was the end. Suddenly, a bright light appeared in the room. My first thought was that a reflection was shining through the window from a vehicle passing by outside. Even as I thought that, however, I knew it wasn’t true, because this was not any kind of light on this earth. I nudged my sister to see if she saw it too, and when I looked at her, her eyes were as big as saucers. At the same time I saw my brother literally gasp. Everyone saw it together and for a little while we were frightened. Then my mother just expired and we all kind of breathed a big sigh of relief.
In another case, a hospice worker named David told how he was “stunned” during the passing of a patient with pancreatic cancer when a bright light filled the room, visible to all those present including the dying woman’s husband. He described it as “the brightest light I’d ever seen”, though it seemed more like a “plasma or the kind of light you see when you get snow-blinded”.
If this ‘dying light’ is not an hallucination, what could it be? Is it some sort of energy emitted during the physical death of the body that takes visible form? Or is it some sort of ‘psychical’ manifestation that can only be observed with the mind in a certain state? Is there any relationship between this light seen at deathbeds, and the ‘white light’ so often witnessed by those who have a near-death experience? At this point, we have a lot of questions, but very few – if any – answers. There are possible ways forward from a scientific point of view – for example, Peter Fenwick has suggested that light sensors could be set up in hospice rooms in an attempt to record increases in the amount of light – but at the end of the day, it seems we will likely always be left to make a judgement call based only on anecdotes, or in some cases our own experiences. One thing is sure though: those who have experienced this ‘dying light’ for themselves will likely not be swayed by skeptical arguments. For them, like Olivia Harrison, the experience is profoundly meaningful, and the weak ‘explanations’ of the phenomenon from those who cleave to a skeptical (or perhaps more correctly, materialist) philosophy would bear all the impact of a butterfly trying to move an elephant.
The Bengali poet Rabindrananth Tagore wrote that “Death is not extinguishing the light, it is putting out the lamp because dawn has come”. His words seem a lot more literal once we are familiar with accounts of the dying light.
For more on the evidence for the survival of consciousness beyond death, be sure to check out Stop Worrying! There Probably is an Afterlife.


News Briefs 20-05-2020

• Most of the mind can ’ t tell fact from fiction .
Good luck with today ’ s news !
• Can electrical impulses in the brain explain the stuff that dreams are made on ?
• Electrons may very well be conscious .
• The odds of intelligent life in the universe .
• Colonising Mars may require humanity to tweak its DNA .
• Does anyone care about UFOs anymore ?
• NASA : Please follow these space rules we can ’ t enforce .
• NASA ’ s human spaceflight chief has resigned just days before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Dragon capsule .
• Some evangelicals fear the ‘ mark of the beast ’ from a coronavirus vaccine .
• Judge clears the way for salvagers to open up the Titanic and retrieve the Marconi radio that sent out the ship ’ s distress call .
• Dead sea scroll fragments thought to be blank turn out to have hidden text inscribed .
• What a bone arrowhead from South Africa reveals about ancient human cognition .
• Antarctic penguins poop out so much laughing gas , it has a funny effect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : The greater man does not boast of himself , but does what he must do .


News Briefs 21-05-2020

That is all .
• Polyamory in the times of the Coronavirus .
• Tangentially Speaking interviews Winston Sterzel and Matthew Tye , the first Youtubers in China , to discuss what life is really like behind the Great Firewall .
• Lifestyle influencers are using COVID-19 to spread QAnon conspiracy theories .
• A QAnon supporter just won a Republican primary for the US Senate .
• Florida removes data scientist who refused to manipulate COVID-19 numbers to support state reopening .
• Galactic cosmic rays now available for study on Earth , thanks to NASA .
• Water @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be our best bet to find life .
Or spice melange , either .
• The Failed State Update podcast interviews Adam Gorightly to talk about the intersection of government spies and UFOs .
• Radio Misterioso interviews Stephen Finley to talk about the Nation of Islam as a UFO religion .
• Chris Carter , creator of ‘ The X-Files ’ , weighs in on the Pentagon ’ s latest UFO disclosures .
• What near-death experiences reveal about the brain .
• Scientists claim they have detected evidence of a parallel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For this Native community , photography has harmed –and healed .
• Red Pill of the Day : Watch the Boston Dynamics robot herd sheep in New Zealand .
Sure it looks cute now , but wait until they move to bigger –and bipedal— cattle !
Quote of the Day : We are living in a tabloid culture , so the UFO story feels like more tabloid news when it should be front page news .


News Briefs 22-05-2020

“ There are only two ways to live your life .
One as though nothing is a miracle… ” • @ @ @ @ @ More oxytocin .
Quote of the Day : “ …The other , as though everything @ @ @

“There are only two ways to live your life. One as though nothing is a miracle…”
Quote of the Day:
“…The other, as though everything is.”
A. Einstein


News Briefs 25-05-2020

Welcome once again to Monday !
Here ’ s some energy to kickstart your week… • Earth ’ s magnetic field is mysteriously weakening , causing satellites and spacecraft to malfunction .
• Freaky ‘ active ’ object in Jupiter ’ s orbit is first of its kind seen by astronomers .
• How extraterrestrial life might evolve in alien worlds .
• Say hello to ‘ glacier mice ‘ , a herd of mysterious moving moss balls .
• The dying light : exploring the strange phenomenon of lights seen at the time of death .
• This human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and we may finally know how .
• One thousand years ago , the Chacoans thrived in a scorching-hot desert .
Their remarkably intact buildings reveal a lot about their culture – but now these structures are endangered .
• This AI can judge personality based on selfies alone .
• Blind people can ‘ see ’ letters traced directly onto their brains , suggesting a way to bypass damaged eyes and deliver ‘ sight ’ directly to the brain .
• Image ( s ) of the Day : The weirdest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bill for your support !
Quote of the Day : Who looks outside , dreams ; who looks inside , awakes .

Welcome once again to Monday! Here’s some energy to kickstart your week…
Thanks Bill for your support!
Quote of the Day:
Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.
C.G. Jung