Recommend Books/Book Discussions

• Go here to read bad moods 'boost memory and judgment.'

Lyall Watson guides us into a dimension where the natural and supernatural co-exist by first explaining the ever changing theories of biology and physics. As he shares the hardships, joys and extraordinary culture of the Indonesian Islanders, he reveals a compelling alternative to our "Western way of cause and effect, where ecology means little, where we cannot accept anything out of the ordinary, where we hide away those with gifts of unkown things rather than listen to them." At once a scientific exploration and an imaginative adventure, Dr. Watson's astonishing and life transforming journey becomes our own, challenging many of our fixed beliefs about the real world. His speculative soundings in these strange waters are impressive, intriguing and unforgettable.
http://www.bookfinder.com/author/lyall-watson/

The Dark Side of the Bright Side: Our Maniacal Optimism Is Ruining the World

Anis Shivani
In These Times
Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:37 CST

In her new book Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America (Metropolitan/Holt, October 2009), Barbara Ehrenreich traces the origins of contemporary optimism from nineteenth-century healers to twentieth-century pushers of consumerism. She explores how that culture of optimism prevents us from holding to account both corporate heads and elected officials.
http://www.sott.net/articles/show/197735-The-Dark-Side-of-the-Bright-Side-Our-Maniacal-Optimism-Is-Ruining-the-World

The difficulty of assigning the term "occultist" to an individual such as Hall is perhaps best illustrated by his own remarks about the relationship between black magic, or the "occult" in the popular sense, and the power of "positive thinking" that seems to form much of the basis of the American Civil Religion: "Though the demonism of the Middle Ages seems to have disappeared, there is abundant evidence that in many forms of modern thought - especially the so called 'prosperity psychology', 'will-power building' metaphysics, and systems of 'high-pressure' salesmanship - black magic has merely passed through a metamorphosis, and although its name has been changed its nature remains the same." (p. 318)

Haudenosaunnee

but causation is of prime importance when dealing with what causes us to think and think about what.

• 
  
  Joseph Chilton Pearce: Heart Math and the Magical Child

"Disturbing?!" That's putting it mildly!

• "There has been a disturbing breakdown of the natural instinct to nurture the young in this world."
  

Any parent bringing a child into this world without reading this book
should be shackled in chains, brought out into the town square and
have mud thrown at them.

• A fascinating author, Joseph Chilton Pearce. I have one of his books tgII, not that one though heard of it. Definitely a requirment for the four legged ones

• Children have never worked so hard and learnt so little
  
  For all the time and money put in, the education system is fundamentally flawed, says Charles Moore.
  
  Exams in the summer are well known for high stress, but mid-December is the time of the school year when everyone is at their most tired. What John Donne called “the year’s midnight” coincides with the end of the longest term. Look at the strained, anxious faces of mothers on the school run. Look at the pale, exhausted children who totter out of school into the mid-afternoon darkness. Look at the teachers, writing reports, filling in forms, snuffling with incipient colds and trying to smile through the Nativity play (where “diversity” policy still permits it). http://tinyurl.com/ya4w3mq
  

• "All the children are insane." -- Jim Morrison

• Save the Humans:
  http://www.transalchemy.com/

Mainstream hasn't a fucking clue what's coming at them.

Here is some good adjunct reading related to Peter Lavenda's trilogy
Sinister Forces: A Grimoire of American Political Witchcraft:

• 
  The CIA Doctors: Human Rights Violations by
  American Psychiatrists
  http://tinyurl.com/ycvze6x

hat, upon the 14th of February, 1870, there fell, at Genoa, Italy, according to Director Boccardo, of the Technical Institute of Genoa, and Prof. Castellani, a yellow substance. But the microscope revealed numerous globules of cobalt blue, also corpuscles of a pearly color that resembled starch. See Nature, 2-166.(7)

Comptes Rendus, 56-972:

M. Bouis says of a substance, reddish varying to yellowish, that fell enormously and successively, or upon April 30, May 1 and May 2, in France and Spain, that it carbonized and spread the odor of charred animal matter -- that it was not pollen -- that in alcohol it left a residue of resinous matter.

Nevertheless, the Monthly Weather Review, May, 1877, reports a golden-yellow fall, of Feb. 27, 1877, at Peckloh, Germany, in which four kinds of organisms, not pollen, were the coloring matter. There were minute things shaped like arrows, coffee beans, horns, and disks.

In the American Journal of Science, 1-42-196, we are told of a yellow substance that fell by the bucketful upon a vessel, one "windless" night in June, in Pictou Harbour, Nova Scotia. The writer analyzed the substance, and it was found to "give off nitrogen and ammonia and an animal odor.

A yellow powder that fell at Gerace, Calabria, March 14, 1813. Some of this substance was collected by Sig. Simennini, Professor of Chemistry, at Naples. It had an earthy, insipid taste, and is described as "unctuous." When heated this matter turned brown, then black, then red. According to the Annals of Philosophy, 11-466, one of the components was a greenish-yellow substance, which, when dried, was found to be resinous

Such a rain as that which fell in Ireland, May 14, 1849, described in the Annals of Scientific Discovery, 1850, and the Annual Register, 1849.(12) It fell upon a district of 400 square miles, and was the color of ink, and of a fetid odor and very disagreeable taste.

The rain at Castlecommon, Ireland, April 30, 1887 -- "thick black rain." (Amer. Met. Jour., 4-193.)(13)

A black rain fell in Ireland, Oct. 8 and 9, 1907. (Symons' Met. Mag., 43-2).(14) It left a "most peculiar and disagreeable smell in the air."

The orthodox explanation of this rain occurs in Nature, March 2, 1908 -- cloud of soot that had come from South Wales, crossing the Irish Channel and all of Ireland.(15)

So the black rain of Ireland, of March, 1898: ascribed in Symons' Met. Mag., 33-40, to clouds of soot from the manufacturing towns of North England and South Scotland.(16)

hat between October, 1863, and January, 1866, four more black rains fell at Slains, Scotland.

The writer of this supplementary account tells us, with a better, or more unscrupulous, orthodoxy than Mr. Rust's, that of the eight black rains, five coincided with eruptions of Vesuvius and three with eruptions of Etna.

The fate of all explanation is to close one door only to have another fly wide open. I should say that my own notions upon this subject will be considered irrational, but at least my gregariousness is satisfied in associating here with the preposterous -- or this writer, and those who think in his rut, have to say that they can think of four discharges from one far-distant volcano, passing over a great part of Europe, precipitating nowhere else, discharging precisely over one small northern parish --

But also of three other discharges, from another far-distant vol- [32/33] cano, showing the same precise preference, if not marksmanship, for one small parish in Scotland.

Nor would orthodoxy be any better off in thinking of exploding meteorites and their debris: preciseness and recurrence would be just as difficult to explain.

My own notion is of an island near an oceanic trade-route: it might receive debris from passing vessels seven times in four years.

I think, myself, that in 1903, we passed through the remains of a powdered world -- left over from an ancient inter-planetary dispute, brooding in space like a red resentment ever since

My own impositivist acceptances are:

That some red rains are colored by sands from the Sahara desert;

Some by sands from other terrestrial sources;

Some by sands from other worlds, or from their deserts -- also from aerial regions too indefinite or amorphous to be thought of as "worlds" or planets --

That no supposititious whirlwind can account for the hundreds of millions of tons of matter that fell upon Australia, Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean and Europe in 1902 and 1903 -- that a whirlwind that could do that would not be supposititious.

But now we shall cast off some of our wessicality by accepting that there have been falls of red substance other than sand.

We regard every science as an expression of the attempt to be real. But to be real is to localize the universal -- or to make some one thing as wide as all things -- successful accomplishment of which I cannot conceive of. The prime resistance to this endeavor is the refusal of the rest of the universe to be damned, excluded, disregarded, to receive Christian Science treatment, by something else so attempting. Although all phenomena are striving for the Absolute -- or have surrendered to and have incorporated themselves in higher attempts, simply to be phenomenal, or to have seeming in Intermediateness is to express relations.

Black rain in Switzerland, Jan. 20, 1911. Switzerland is so remote, and so ill at ease is the conventional explanation here, that Nature, 85-451, says of this rain that in certain conditions of weather, snow may take on an appearance of blackness that is quite deceptive.(1

We began with rains that we accepted ourselves were, most likely, [39/40] only of sand. In my own still immature hereticalness -- and by heresy, or progress, I mean, very largely, a return, though with many modifications, to the superstitions of the past, I think I feel considerable aloofness to the idea of rains of blood. Just at present, it is my conservative, or timid purpose, to express only that there have been red rains that very strongly suggest blood or finely divided animal matter --

Debris from inter-planetary disasters.

Aerial battles.

Food-supplies from cargoes of super-vessels, wrecked in inter-planetary traffic.

There was a red rain in the Mediterranean region, March 6, 1888. Twelve days later, it fell again. Whatever this substance may have been, when burned, the odor of animal matter from it was strong and persistent. (L'Astronomie, 1888-205)

Fort attempts, almost tongue in cheek, to construct a cosmology which could explain these phenomena. He proposes that the Earth's gravity only extends about 20 miles out, and that there are vast 'lands in the sky' passing above us, normally unseen. Some of these lands trap objects,--the 'super-Sargasso,'--some are shaped like giant spindles or wheels, and others are huge sentient beings.

If there is life in the universe, how come we aren't visited by aliens? This is called the Fermi Paradox, proposed by Enrico Fermi in the 1950s. Fort gives a preemptive solution on page 163, where he states, famously, 'I think we're property.' Fort's solution is that earth was warred over in the distant past, and now is under the control of 'something'--"all other warned off." The reason that we never meet our 'owners' is that they have no interest in talking with their 'livestock.'

You can oppose an absurdity only with some other absurdity. But Science is established preposterousness. We divide all intellection: the obviously preposterousness and the established.

But Krakatoa: that's the 'explanation that the scientists gave. I don't know what whopper the medicine men told.

We see, from the start, the very strong inclination of science to deny, as much as it can, external relations of this earth.

This book is an assemblage of data of external relations of this earth. We take the position that our data have been damned, upon no consideration for individual merits or demerits, but in conformity with a general attempt to hold out for isolation of this earth. This is attempted positiveness. We take the position that science can no more succeed than, in a similar endeavor, could the Chinese, or than could the United States. So then, with only pseudo-consideration of the phenomena of 1883, or as an expression of positivism in its aspect of isolation, or unrelatedness, scientists have perpetrated such an enormity as suspension of volcanic dust seven years in the air—disregarding the lapse of several years—rather than to admit the arrival of dust from somewhere beyond this earth. Not that scientists themselves have ever achieved positiveness, in its aspect of unitedness, among themselves—because Nordenskiold, before 1883, wrote a great deal upon his theory of cosmic dust, and Prof. Cleveland Abbe contended against the Krakatoan explanation—but that this is the orthodoxy of the main body of scientists.

My own chief reason for indignation here:

p. 18

That this preposterous explanation interferes with some of my own enormities.

It would cost me too much explaining, if I should have to admit that this earth's atmosphere has such sustaining power.

Later, we shall have data of things that have gone up in the air and that have stayed up—somewhere—weeks—months—but not by the sustaining power of this earth's atmosphere. For instance, the turtle of Vicksburg. It seems to me that it would be ridiculous to think of a good-sized turtle hanging, for three or four months, upheld only by the air, over the town of Vicksburg. When it comes to the horse and the barn—I think that they'll be classics some day, but I can never accept that a horse and a barn could float several months in this earth's atmosphere.

The Science of Spirituality contains 18 highly informative chapters and over 60 diagrams and tables.

Brief chapter outlines are given below:
1. Deconstruction
Science and religion don’t appear to have much in common, but they do share one important similarity – their beliefs are restricted to their own respective points of view. The first section of this chapter attempts to liberate scientific thinking and expand its boundaries. The second section deals with religion and attempts to systematically undo thousands of years of misunderstanding, misinterpretation, corruption, fiction and dogma. It reveals some mind-blowing truths about the Bible that may alter your entire perception of Christianity.
2. Common Ground
The second chapter highlights a host of similarities between science and religion. The first section briefly and simply explains several recent scientific discoveries then describes how they have been know to religion for thousands of years. The second section summarises the work of a handful of respected medical practitioners who are investigating the multi-dimensional nature of human beings.
3. The Multi-dimensional Universe
This chapter identifies a previously unknown aspect of energy-matter that explains some of the "unexplainable" aspects of modern physics such as gravity, faster than light communication, and why subatomic particles behave differently when they are being observed. It discusses fractal cosmology, the akashic record, and describes what dark matter and dark energy really are. It provides several maps of the multi-dimensional universe that are compatible with eastern cosmology, the Kabbalistic tree of life and Robert Monroe’s out-of-body investigations.
4. Creation
The chapter begins by explaining how and why the universe came into existence. It reveals the truth behind the symbolic Genesis story – including the creation the human race and mankind’s subsequent "fall" to Earth. It concludes by highlighting the surprisingly similar accounts of creation in Kabbalah, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam.
5. The Mechanics of Creation
This chapter builds on the previous one by describing the manifestation of the universe from a more technical perspective. It explains the origin, structure and composition of matter, and describes a "theory of everything" that appears to unite the seemingly incompatible String Theory and Standard Model.
6. The Multi-dimensional Human
We tend to identify ourselves with our physical bodies because our waking consciousness is limited to the physical world, but there is evidence to suggest that other worlds or dimensions exist just beyond the range of our normal perception. In order to operate in a multi-dimensional universe we require a multi-dimensional body, or more accurately a series of ever-more subtle bodies. This chapter describes the multi-dimensional nature of human beings and the evolution of life on Earth.
7. Consciousness Defined
Clinical evidence shows that brain function and consciousness are correlated, but there is no evidence to suggest that the human brain is actually the source of our consciousness. This chapter explains the true source of consciousness and goes on to define and describe twenty different facets of conscious, most of which are unknown to psychologists.
8. Levels of Consciousness
The meaning of life is the development of consciousness. This chapter introduces a scale of consciousness which is used to describe the five key stages of human development – each of which has different lessons for us to learn. The chapter concludes with a comprehensive explanation of the science of enlightenment.
9. Space and Time
The first part of the chapter describes the characteristics of hyper-dimensional space and the shape of the universe. The second part explains the space-time continuum and why our perception of time varies with our state of consciousness.
10. The Planes of Existence
This chapter thoroughly describes the planes of existence that relate to humans; including the environment, the inhabitants, and what life is like there. It reveals the objective truth behind the religious concepts of "heaven" and "hell", and concludes with an overview of the seven rays.
11. Man's Five Bodies
Our physical, etheric (energy), emotional (astral), mental (intellectual) and causal (soul) bodies are described in detail, including the effect they have on our behaviour and general wellbeing. The chapter finishes with an explanation of what lies beyond enlightenment – when we graduate from the human kingdom into the "kingdom of god".
12. Sleep and Dreams
With no knowledge of the subtle bodies, conventional science knows almost nothing about the nature of sleep and dreams. This chapter uses esoteric knowledge to comprehensively describe the reasons for and mechanisms behind sleep, dreams, sleepwalking, sleep paralysis and out-of body activity.
13. Reincarnation
Whether you believe in it or not, life after "death" is an absolute certainty because life cannot be extinguished; it only changes form. We can’t remember our previous lives because our subtle bodies dissolve in sequence after physical death and the pathways to their memories are lost to us. New subtle bodies are formed for the next incarnation but they have no connection with our previous lives. The chapter describes the full cycle of reincarnation and what people can expect at each stage.
14. Paranormal Phenomena
This fascinating chapter explains the mechanisms behind a whole host of paranormal phenomena, including: out-of-body experiences, near-death experiences, remote viewing, hypnosis, past-life regression, healing, magic, ghosts, extraterrestrials, UFOs, crop circles, clairvoyance, telepathy, precognition and other psychic abilities.
15. Good and Evil
This chapter discusses the opposition of good and evil and how they are both essential for human development. It describes the hierarchies of advanced beings that assist the development of human consciousness and reveals the surprising truth about Satan, Lucifer, 666 and 2012. It explains how cosmic energy cycles alter the balance of power between the forces of light and darkness, and the corresponding effect this has on the rise and fall of human civilisation – including the "great flood" in 9564BC.
16. The Laws of Life
Laws govern absolutely everything in the universe, and without them nothing could exist. This chapter describes seven laws that are particularly important to human development: the laws of freedom, unity, development, self, destiny, karma and the much hyped law of attraction.
17. Personal Development
The only way to find lasting happiness and give our lives meaning is to work at developing our consciousness, and this chapter describes a number of ways to achieve this. Our consciousness is one thing that we take with us from life to life, so any work we do now will benefit us for all eternity.
18. Meditation
Meditation is not the passive, empty, trance-like state that most people imagine; it is an active method of developing higher levels of consciousness and illuminating the mind with insight and understanding. This chapter discusses the uses and benefits of meditation. It then explains how to meditate and concludes with a number of useful exercises.

Other Recommended Reading
If your thirst for esoteric knowledge is not quenched by The Science of Spirituality there are a few other books I can suggest. I particularly recommend the works of Henry T Laurency, which are a mine of interesting information. The books are available free online in .pdf format at www.laurency.com. Only two of the books are currently in print, which can be ordered from the same website. Unfortunately, they are not currently available from Amazon or other bookstores.
I also recommend a series of five books by Arthur Powell - The Etheric Double, The Astral Body, The Mental Body, The Causal Body and The Solar System. They are an easy-to-read comprehensive summary of the main theosophical teachings, and they perfectly complement Lee Bladon's and Henry Laurency's work.
Happy reading!