'THE THEORY OF CELESTIAL HARMONY' PART 1

'THE THEORY OF CELESTIAL HARMONY', Man, the Universe, & Cosmic Mystery,a book written & published in 1968 by the late RODNEY COLLIN, who was a follower and 'disciple' of the late P.D. Ouspensky,extends certain concepts that might be of interest to those concerned with HUMAN EXISTENCE and the notion of SCALE & LEVELS as applied to mankind, his evolution, the earth and solar system, the Universe, etc. though many of Collin's conclusions and speculations might not be understood or accepted and many of them need not....but the framework, rather ambitious and controversial in many respects, still holds interest to those who are looking deeper into things and who remain somewhat unsatisfied with the current trends of life, of which render them both helpless and hopeless.....seldom going beyond the pain and pleasure principles, the 'survival of the fittest' and similar categories that portend a complete destruction of life and mankind in some form or another.....but one that is not, as might be expected, a religious or economic/political one.... Ouspensky as well as Collin touches on subjects that can be found in THE COSMIC CANCER by David L. Sussman,though on a different SCALE and a different LEVEL, as each 'compartment','category',classification' ,'topic' and 'concept' or 'idea' will show....subjects, sets, subsets, etc. all words for much the same process of creating an order in the midst of actual, real, assumed, asserted, confusing, and dangerous existence.....for many realize that life on earth is most precarious and that from some viewpoints, not mentioned exactly here, found in 'a very bad place in the universe'!.... Collin consideres the place of the earth within the solar system, within the galaxy, and among the other galaxies as well as the other INFLUENCES found in OUTER SPACE of the rest of the UNIVERSE, as we conceive of it or perceive it....something nearly all philosophers, psychologists, scientists and religionists have attempted to both elucidate and control.....arm in arm with governments and power possessors and the like.....often leading to wars, massacres and revolutions, purgings, and invasions and colonization not to mention exploitation of peoples and resources and sometimes utter extinction of people, animals, plants and the like.....processes still ongoing it would seem and now in a 'globalized' world making such keenly felt and discussed,etc. Simply reading books on all these things is not enough and to rely on book readers, who tackling these things, whether via actual books printed and weighty in both volume and measure, or simply electronically stored and transmitted, will not lead to any great advances, revisions in thought or action, or any deeper acceptance of responsibilities or 'altruistic' behavior and the like......and for many other reasons which need to be understood or explained or studied and researched..... As both Darwin and Sussman maintain, a study of ancient, primitive man(kind) and other life forms may well hold clues and hints for another evolution beyond that of nature itself.....but like the old alchemist's broom may spell unwanted and unforeseen consequences.....as did Pandora's Box.....more on this another time.

'A NEW MODEL OF THE UNIVERSE' PART 2

'A NEW MODEL OF THE UNIVERSE',a book subtitled,'Principles of the Psychological Method in its applications to problems of science, religion, and art' by P.D. OUSPENSKY, originally published in 1931 and translated from the Russian, has often been called ' A New MUDDLE of the Universe' by some and for those presented with the difficulty of UNDERSTANDING this work and the EFFORT required both in readingit and understanding it, it seems to insure a very limited circulation of the ideas,concepts, and system it attempts to discuss and explain. Although I knew of the existence of this book from a college classmate with whom I discussed the work that I came across in the university library, THE FOURTH WAY by Ouspensky, I made no attempt to look for it, let alone read it until many years later when I acquired a copy in paperback and since then have purchased a few such copies and given one or two to friends....retaining the one I use for my own personal reasons........ Ouspenksy's earlier work, TERTIUM ORGANUM, a Key to the Enigmas of the World,published in 1922 or so,suggests a 'new way of thinking' as differing from that of ARISTOTLE(ORGANON) and BACON(NOVUM ORGANUM), both of which influenced science and thinking for centuries and also influenced some political, economic, philosophical and religious areas far more than we realize and which are still somewhat in effect today.....the influences of ARISTOTLE and BACON are still substantial while those of OUSPENSKY have yet to be understood let along accepted or practiced,save for some small groups, scattered about in various ways... TERTIUM ORGANUM was a more congenial thought-provoking work that brought Ouspensky to the attention of people in England,France, and America as well as in pre-revolution Russia despite its subject matter, much of which, had some appeal to various levels of society......but to see this requires a bit more research and study... The scientific landscape of OUSPENSKY'S time no longer exists beyond a few vestiges or salient points or extended by various theories, discoveries and experiments that have serious implications for human existence.....and, FOR PLANETARY EXISTENCE. The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries appeared to have reached some 'scientific impasses' whereby it was seen that no new discoveries would be made beyond a mere data or classification of things and a recapitulation of the theories and discoveries already made, especially in teaching such.....until some mathematicians and scientists and also some others began to question this 'status quo'.....the historical basis of this and the events all require a further discussion and amplification, but will have to wait for another time...

'A NEW MODEL OF THE UNIVERSE' PART 1

There was a time when SCIENCE in England/Britain, America, France,Germany,etc. was an activity for the rich and nobility, that is, controlled by an elite, composed of 'Lords',"Sirs' and the like and was essentially a somewhat leisurely activity, not indulged for the most part by ordinary people or those in the lower strata of society(a sort of caste system that the British found useful in India to complement their efforts to control the place and 'civilize' it while exploiting its wealth and resources and labor market,although these terms were no in vogue at that time as they are now and as they now mean). In the United States, invention, practical and theoretical, became the 'motehr of science, so that the 'backyard'and homegrown/homespun activities and efforts eventually blossomed into the present-day comporations and agencies that dominate and restrict all science(and medicine and offshoot studies)research and study and control financial flows, also funded by government with numerous taxes on the citizenry-the prime example of NASA-an arrogant bunch of sorts inspired originally former Nazi Rocket scientists and technicians,who received their inspiration from homegrown/backyard experiments by ROBERT GODDARD, whose activities today would be most illegal if he or anyone else attempted to do such..... NASA(National Aeronautics Space Agency) has created a vast arrary of acronyms and terms that have entgered the daily vocabulary and vernacular and continue to do so,influencing how people think and perhaps act. 'THE CONQUESTS OF SPACE','A NEW FRONTIER', 'THE LAST FRONTIER', and 'GIANT STEPS FOR MAN" and like expressions both inspire and repel people on earth who cannot leave the planet as yet.....save for a most elite group that has been developed in other countries like Russia and China,etc. who, despite some cooperation,are seen as 'rivals' if not enemies in 'THE RACE FOR SPACE' from which the peoples of the earth can be more easily monitored, controlled or destroyed among other 'advantages' due to such programs and policies..... Nevertheless, people often seem fully convinced that one of the goals of all space exploration and research, along whatever lines used, is to discover other life forms or 'intelligence(s)' as well as solar systems similar to ours and planets similar to earth or possible 'replacements' for such and 'colonization', at one time subjects of much science fiction writing and nowadays the subjects of all kinds of movies, television shows, and the like that condition mankind around the earth to accept such things more readily and, indeed, vast hordes of 'fans' exist in nearly all cultures....etc. All kinds of theories,descriptions, and arguments exist to either prove or disprove this contention that LIFE EXISTS ELSEWHERE IN THE UNIVERSE OUTSIDE OF PLANET EARTH....and those who hold there is such...tend to support the expenditure of human energy and resources(of the planet) in this endeavor, believing it to be not only a scientific quest but a 'humanitarian' one..... This search is somewhat similar to the Medieval Quest for the HOLY GRAIL, whose existence has become a subject of many theories and arguments and descriptions as well and created a large literature, not say novels and movies and 'documentaries' by various groups, ranging from serious scholars to popular novelists.... These 'QUESTS' often tell more about the people embarking on them than about the subject or activity concerned,whether embarking on a quest for the Holy Grail or for 'life in outer space'.........

THE COSMIC EGG

A book,entitled, THE COSMIC CANCER,by DAVID LOUIS SUSSMAN, inspired me to create this blog where I can discuss some of his ideas as presented in the book and also from those appearing on his website with the additional fact that I attended a lecture he gave recently at the FISKE FREE LIBRARY in Claremont, New Hampshire, where he graciously autographed my copy of his book. Upon reading in the local papers of his coming lecture at the library, I went on-line and went to his website and read his topics which were easily accessible on the neatly designed web pages and also made a brief comment prior to meeting him...I then printed off his topics to study, when to VIOLET'S BOOKSTORE on Tremont Square where his books were being sold and purchased my copy and then begain reading it, armed with the information he had posted on his website on the various topics and categories found in the book itself. My usual reading pattern is not to start with the front page but to go from the back and look in the indexes of subjects, authors/references/etc. all of which give me a most general idea of how a person thinks and some of the sources of the ideas as well as glancing at the table of contents and the brief bios that sometimes appear, all of which give certain impressions of the author which sometimes are quickly dispelled upon actual meeting and discussion(s). My initial and ERRONEOUS impression of the author from his book and bio info made me ready to challenge his assumptions and assertions as those coming from a possible pompous personality who was attempting to dictate and direct persons how to save humanity on this planet and from themselves.....hardly a 'cosmic' cancer but more of a 'TERRESTRIAL CANCER' if anything.....but when I arrived early and met him in person, I decided to not immediately challenge or discuss his notions and found him to be very sincere, concerned, open, and intelligent as well as 'humble'.....eager to discuss his topics as much as possible in the time alloted for such.....which was far from being sufficient.... Having been privy in the past to many discussions on evolution and 'Darwinism" along with most of the topics contained in the book he had written,but with different persons and in different places, I could clearly see areas that are needed by him to cover in any sequel he may intend.....as the references he utilizes seemed a bit limited in scope and some of the data needed to be update, as for example, his discussion of bacteria, Neanderthals and other primitive men and primates,psychoanalysis, and a number of other terms and concepts too numerous to fully detail here...to my satisfaction or perhaps that of others..... Religion, economics, and politics as well as science comprise the major concerns of the author who,essentially, subcribes to the 'overpopulation' theories, which contain a number of interesting and conflicting 'bedfellows' from Malthus, Sanger, Hitler,to modern versions derived from those sources and grafted onto what used to be called, 'Social Darwinism' along with some other considerations.....that I hope to discuss herein, if not with the author, at some future time... Historical considerations also need to be expanded a bit to support some of the contentions found there....philosophical notions are also important and he clearly recognizes this aspect that he feels is absent from most scientific endeavors and one has to agree, at least tentively, with this.... His emphasis, based on some research, on the unity of mankind rather than the differences will raise some eyebrows on those who wish to promote racial, cultural, religious, economic, and political superiority and yet, his notions will appeal also to those who,in their zeal to limit human populations, to create elites and masters and rulers and to further more 'social controls' and restrictions.....but this also needs further dicussion to clarify things in the book that he proposes should be brought to the attention of mankind and hopefully will enter their consciousness....one being responsibilies over rights.....which reads to some minds, duties and obligations and 'obedience to orders'....unfortunately, that are imposed rather than 'freely accepted'.... The age-old debate over 'FREE WILL' and 'choice' vs conditioning,regimentation, training, and determinism as well as heredity and 'education' reared its many heads,which are difficult to lop off since they keep rearing or replacing their heads in each and every discussion, demonstrating that people have not resolved such issues and arguments for themselves... The author does not believe in 'free-will' and the usual and ordinary concepts and ideas many hold about such and for this one can exhibit considerable sympathy in many ways...... The ideas the author sees as essential to his goals and aims are 'food for thought' certainly, but are for many hard to swallow and digest completely, and myself also find them somewhat this way....although many would refer to them as 'wine or beer' tastings at a high level...... The author needs to expand his notions,ideas, and concepts to include SCALES & LEVELS beyond what he has thus far presented and this means also avoiding what some have termed, 'tilting at windmills' though we now recognize that 'wind power' is more essential than previously used and thought....along with solar power...which brings me to some other points of discussion that are often ignored in various ways..... This will mean that I will attempt to dismiss his analogy of 'cancer' which is derived from a physician's look at humanity along with others,some power possessors, who consider man ' a blight on the surface of the earth' etc. A physician under the 'influence of Western Science and Medicine' which depends more on analysis and technology and a number of other things, will look for a 'cure' which means often enough destruction of life itself.....in whatever ways needed to 'treat' what is considered a 'disease' but more likely to treat only symptoms and seldom causes and to represent a 'distorted' as well as a 'limited' perspective of reality....which will, of course, involve deeper considerations of evolution than most people care to under take beyoned a superficial level and a small scale suitable to their intellectual capacities......more on this another time..