Alan Moore and Om (Part 2)

While Watchmen is considered one of the greatest graphic novels of history, the Swamp Thing series delivers extremely powerful ideas in small doses, like the lyrics of Milwaukee-bred Damato Dali. When Moore was assigned to continue Swamp Thing, he revamped the character from a typical monster to a mind-expanding elemental with powers drawn from, and rivaled by, Earth. The comics are typically sold in volumes:

This is Moore's second volume, "Love and Death." and it explores the world through the eyes of the Swamp Thing when his human love interest, Abigail Holland, eats a tuberous root off him.

Voila! Out of body experience. Abigail and the Swamp Thing are intertwined in an infinite fabric of dissolving and expanding consciousness. The lessons in reality continue to develop all the way through the intense ending of Volume 4, and once again in Volumes 5 and 6. These are incredible works revealing the clashing of good and evil and its effect on nature's glorious, hidden interactions.

Of the transcendentalists, Alan Moore is most similar to Ralph Waldo Emerson. The most common theme is the unity of nature. This is also a large aspect of Om's Pilgrimage.

Before dissecting Om lyrics, a small disclaimer is needed. If you are not acquainted with the metaphoric imagery of Shakespeare, the lyrics may be slightly difficult to understand.

For example, in Pilgrimage, "Sushumnic Vertebrae" requires an understanding of Latin prefixes. 

"Sus-" -Under, before

"Humnic-" Of the ground (Humus)

Vertebrae- Spinal Bones.. or Roots?

Is the Earth unlike the skeletal structure if roots are its' bones? The glorious relationship illustrated by this line is a key aspect of transcendentalism.

Now, Pilgrimage requires us to revisit the third eye:

"Witness from mind and psychic sheath a guardian sun restrains the world projection."

What is the psychic sheath? According to Alex Grey, from earlier, it is this:

The chakra (meaning "Wheels of Light" in ancient Sanskrit) points in their vertical alignment determine our spiritual bearings on the planet. According to David Icke, "These 'chakras' connect through into other energetic levels of being beyond human sight."

If the "guardian sun" is our solar system's sun, then "restrains the world projection" could refer to the ancient philosophical belief that the sun determines our reality. 

According to the Secret Teachings of All the Ages by Manly Hall,

"According to Robert Fludd, the

sun has three properties--life, light, and heat. These three vivify and

vitalize the three worlds--spiritual, intellectual, and material.

Osiris represents the third, or

material, aspect of solar activity, which by its beneficent influences

vitalizes and enlivens the flora and fauna of the earth. Osiris is not the

sun, but the sun is symbolic of the vital principle of Nature, which the

ancients knew as Osiris. His symbol, therefore, was an opened eye, in

honor of the Great Eye of the universe, the sun" (143).

The human DNA is crystalline, much like the crystal transmitter-receiver found in radios and other conduits of frequencies beyond the human range of sight. The sun emits photons, which determine the crystalline structures of our bodies in turn. Reality can in effect be programmed by the sun! Let's read that line again:

"Witness from mind and psychic sheath a guardian sun restrains the world projection."

Now, listen to the song.

Navigite Magnopere!

-SubTemplum

Om and Alan Moore

Hypnotically chanting throughout their journey into the ether, Om, the heaviest bass/drum duo made of Al Cisneros and Chris Hakius, have left an impression on their listeners that is unmistakable. My previous post about the inner eye is also a major axis of Om's lyrics. They are craftily planting the seeds for a higher plane of thought - meditative focus - with both slower-paced, steady chants and musically painting ideas that begin to take root after successive listenings. These heavy metal titans have become catalysts of an emerging global idea- transcendentalism.
Transcendentalism is defined as:

"A group of new ideas in literature, religion, culture, and philosophy that emerged in New England in the early to middle 19^th century." 

Major transcendentalists include Ralph Waldo Emerson (Nature being his most popular work), Henry David Thoreau (Walden), Walt Whitman, and, to an extent, John Steinbeck. 

"The transcendentalists desired to ground their religion and philosophy in transcendental principles: principles not based on, or falsifiable by, sensuous experience, but deriving from the inner, spiritual or mental essence of the human."
When Om wants to 'open' their listeners' inner eye, they have no trouble doing so:
"And travel on toward the lighten pon day - on through a spine's gates - climbs the silken thread to cross a silvering sun. " -At Giza
The common interpretation is that the silvering sun represents the metaphorical third eye which can be accessed through the spinal cord on 'silken threads' or nerves.
Now, half the picture is complete: the visual and conceptual half. The next half is doubly important: the framework. Luckily, Alan Moore can lay a devastating brick and mortar to the foundation of harmony.
Starting with Alan Moore's more literal works, we can start with the basics:

 

V for Vendetta is the basic anti-tyranny manifesto. For starters, the caped crusader V hijacks the media to play a personal message, first exposing the lies, and next, ignites a massive resistance (see The Running Man).
The concepts promoted in V for a peaceful society are government for the citizens and not as a vehicle of power. In an intense investigation, Inspector Finch hallucinates the life of young V at a medical concentration camp as a youth, before breaking out and wreaking utter havoc. I recommend this read for anyone with a taste for mystery/noir/suspense/thriller/crusader books. The movie, directed by the Wachowski brothers, has its merits, but does not deliver the same potent dose of transcendentalism as the mind-bending graphic novel.

From Hell takes the reader into the shadowy depths of the mafia-like secret societies of 1880's England, containing a full arsenal of mystical concepts when Dr. William Gull, royal surgeon of Buckingham palace, is called to exterminate four (accidentally 5) ladies of the night, and his concept of identity begins to vanish. 

• Ancient civilizations were collectively dominant with their right hemisphere of the brain, or creative energies. Since then, a steady shift toward the left half of the brain, or literal calculating has overtaken the human mind, so that we are currently disconnected from former understandings with our planet, including ones ancient civilizations had of astrology, religion, science and art.
• The sun, formerly a female god, governed the Earth for a majority of her stead, before mankind sought to dethrone feminine energies by erecting obelisks and phallic-shaped structures, like this Hawksmoor steeple.
• Everything happens simultaneously in the fourth dimension. By a theoretical tearing of the fabric of reality, one can enter events in the future in the form of the metaphorical content of their soul. In the case of Dr. William Gull, the real jack the ripper, he appears as this to William Blake.

More to follow!

-SubTemplum

'Third Eye' In Artistic Terms

One of the most profound expressions of our times is the symbolism of unlocking the third eye. French philosopher Rene Descartes was one of the original modern thinkers to study the third eye, and called it the seat of the soul. However, recognition of an "inner eye" permeated multiple ancient cultures and thought-schools. This forgotten knowledge is becoming increasingly important to consider, as renowned director David Lynch would tell you: his website, http://www.davidlynchfoundation.org/, says the following:

"In today’s world of fear and uncertainty, every child should have one class period a day to dive within himself and experience the field of silence—bliss—the enormous reservoir of energy and intelligence that is deep within all of us. This is the way to save the coming generation.

I have been “diving within” through the Transcendental Meditation technique for over 30 years. It has changed my life, my world. I am not alone. Millions of other people of all ages, religions, and walks of life practice the technique and enjoy incredible benefits."

Lynch believes that transcendental meditation is "the only way to save the next generation." He means this in a sense that elements of the media, politics and ultimately banking are putting challenges forth that will challenge our collective identities. More about this later.

Famous painter, and Tool album cover artist, Alex Grey, portrays the third eye extensively in his paintings. This is one of my favorites - New Man, New Woman (1984):

Keep in mind that this is a 24x30 inch oil painting! The vibrational energies are traveling through the external representation of the third eye at the edge of the forehead, and ending at its actual location: the pineal gland. Other layers of the human body represented are circulatory, nervous and skeletal among others. This connection established, with such energetic explosiveness, represents the awakening of the internal soul.

Life after death? Our dreams hold the key to this answer, and all three events, life, death and dreams, are all related by the pineal gland. At the moment of birth of life, the pineal gland secretes itself into existence, and vanishes at the time of death. The song "Uprising" by the groovy, trance-inducing band Muse, says the following:

Another promise, another scene, anotherPackage not to keep us trapped in greed with all the
Green belts wrapped around our minds and endless
Red tape to keep the truth confined, so come on
...If you could
Flick a switch and open your third eye, you'd see that
We should never be afraid to die, so come on.

Consequently, starvation of third eye perception can result in total disillusion. This is the theme of the dense Brad Anderson 2004 Movie The Machinist, in which Christian Bale loses 60 pounds to play an intensely skinny man who hasn't slept in over a year! Lack of sleep = lack of connectivity to consciousness = Disillusionment. Similarly, the sonically-charged, psychedelically-bludgeoning anthem "Burnout" by doom metal titans Electric Wizard paints an equally dreary picture of third eye starvation:

I wish I could dream
Dreams turned black I'll never see
Can't you see, nothing is real
Transparent world I cannot feel
I cannot feel

Imprisoned within my brain
Dried and burnt out
Chemical stained.

Considering this song is almost 19 minutes long, the lyrics are quite short and succinct. The chemical, sodium fluoride, which is a "pale yellow gaseous element in the Halogen group [of elements]," is an ingredient counter-productive to pineal gland health. In fact, the chemical calcifies it and affects the gland more than any other part of the body! Sodium Flouride can be found 2-4 parts per billion in most densely-populated areas' drinking water.

And to finish off, a collage by the talented Door County artist/ prophet Toler:

Indulge in the glory! -SubTemplum

Christopher Nolan's Inception - Rewiring Our Reality!

After the crushing saga that was Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, expectations for writing a greater Batman film had become doubtful. Instead, Nolan's script for Inception, which took a total of almost eight years to complete, took the forefront as the next Nolan epic. Just as The Dark Knight defied the magnitude of its action movie predecessors, Inception now redefines any predecessor - delivering the ultimate twist in the collective human perception of reality.

Inception asks the question: What is a dream? In the movie, dreams are set apart from reality with the following:

1. The dreamworld is affected by the gravitational situation of the dreamer.

2. The 'spinning top' token will spin forever in a dream.

3. Dreams contain paradoxical shapes and stairways.

4. The dreamer's subconscious supplies the people, while the architect's dream supplies the realm.

After seeing Inception, your reality will never be the same. Daily sequences of events, strung together in a linear order, will become blurred and tangled by the constant questioning of reality that brought Cobb, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, and his wife Mal played by Marion Cotillard, off the brink of sanity. When the division between real life and the dreamworld enters the mainstream foreground of society, many of us will require more clues to understanding where to go next. 

What merit does the aspect of dreaming hold to the modern American culture? First of all, dreams, unlike most other human endeavors, cannot be measured in any value that the waking life holds. Today, opportunity cost is the most frequent measure of choices that any recession-hit society endures. To me, this entails equating friends, activities, love interests, and other intangible aspects to terms of time and money. What is the most favored decision when deciding what to do? That activity which yields the most value. With groups of friends in almost any area shifting their concerns to money, with today's heightened level of staggering national debt, true, shared human ideals are being swallowed whole by the concern generated by wealth. To overcome these lost ideals, especially for a post-recession/depression world, a global awareness must transpire. According to researcher David Icke, that is precisely what is now unfolding.

Albert Einstein, considered one of the most brilliant minds of history, says this:

"...'Man'... experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us."

In the dreamworld, not only is the mind disconnected from these illusory templates of thought, but the switch for universal awareness and connection is established in its stead. The spiritual connection of the dreamworld can be obtained in the waking life naturally through meditation, and chemically through Dymethyltryptamine, a component of the brain endogenously produced by the human body at birth in the pineal gland. The pineal gland is the only component of the brain that does not have a symmetrical counterpart: instead, it is centered completely in the middle.

The pineal gland, along with the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus, create what is called the "third eye." The full extent of this gland is constantly being revised to include far more information.

With transcendental movies, music, comics and lore, this blog will be a catalyst to the changes in our collective consciousness. Just as Inception took us beyond the brink of understanding ultimate love, mainstream stories to a screeching halt. There will be every reason to follow these posts, especially the transformative information around each nook and cranny! So long as I continue to draw inspiration from the mind-crushing tales of transcendentalism, there will be much feasting to be had from the trough of intuitive wisdom! Stay tuned,

-SubTemplum