“Dick is one of the ten best American writers of the twentieth century, which is saying a lot. Dick was a kind of Kafka steeped in LSD and rage.”—Roberto Bolaño
From Philip K. Dick, the Hugo Award–winning author of The Man in the High Castle and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?—the basis for the film Blade Runner—comes The Transmigration of Timothy Archer, the conclusion of the VALIS trilogy, bringing the author’s search for the identity and nature of God to a close.
The novel follows Bishop Timothy Archer as he travels to Israel, ostensibly to examine ancient scrolls bearing the words of Christ. But more importantly, this leads him to examine the decisions he made during his life and how they may have contributed to the suicides of his mistress and son.
This introspective book is one of Dick’s most philosophical and literary, delving into the mysteries of religion and of faith itself. As one of Dick’s final works, it also provides unique insight into the mind of a genius, whose work was still in the process of maturing at the time of his death.
This is the final week I will be reading the full cycle of three books. You can read it with me if you'd like.
You can purchase the complete cycle through this website, and it will help to promote PeaceLove dot Me's mission.
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The Election At The End Of Time
The first Republican debates for the 2024 election will be in about six months, which means the field will be shaping up in the next few months. Trump has already declared, along with zombies like Nikki Haley and John Bolton. Tim Scott is supposed to join the zombies shortly, along with Mike Pompeo. There is rumor that former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson is contemplating a run. Team zombie will be well represented on the debate stage next fall.
The big name everyone is waiting on is Ron DeSantis. He is doing all of the things that a presidential candidate does when he is seriously thinking about a run. He has gone on tour to important states to give speeches. He has a book out about himself and what he claims to believe. This being the social media age, he has a team for that and a collection of paid influencers. That last bit is unspoken but it is becoming common for so-called influencers to sell their services.
Re: They're Freaking Out Big Time: Schumer Is Calling On FOX To Stop Tucker Carlson From Releasing Another Report On The January 6th Tapes Tonight
Most of this stuff has been exposed BEFORE. We knew within a year—2 years that:
1. The Capitol Police let everyone INTO the Capitol including the "Shaman" and escorted them around.
2. That NO police officers were killed, or probably even assaulted, during the J6 event.
3. Brian Sicknick died allegedly of a stroke the day afterwards. Maybe it was real, maybe it was the vax, maybe he was murdered......I don't know. Other officers apparently had unusual deaths after the J6 event as well, IIRC.
BTW, his family is now in hysterics over this and they are attacking Tucker so I wonder if they got settlement money based on the lie that he was murdered.
4. Ashli Babbit and at least 1 other woman, whose name I can never remember, were murdered by the police.
5. There were Feds involved in directing the event and trying to encourage or create violence. Ray Epps, who was never charged, appears to be one of these.
And that's the short list, I can probably think of more given time but ALL OF THIS WAS KNOWN and video available BEFORE Tucker got the video and made his reports. So WHY are they changing the narrative and highlighting this NOW.
— Anonymous Coward
User ID: 82120709
Of course, the unpaid influencers and clout chasers are jumping into the act, siding with Trump against DeSantis or DeSantis against Trump. It speaks to the ridiculousness of the zombie wing of the party that their influencers are all retirees down at the Villages who still have National Review subscriptions. Putting that aside, you have the usual on-line suspects doing their thing to get attention for themselves while ostensibly getting attention for their preferred candidate.
It has been an article of faith that winning the social media war is the same as winning the fight in the real world. There is no evidence to support this, other than post hoc claims about the role of influencers. Douglas Mackey is facing ten years in prison based on the claim that his mocking of Hillary Clinton caused her voters to think they could vote for her by text message. There is no evidence to support this, but people now think social media is a form of magic.
Putting that aside, the evidence suggests that the virtual world of Twitter is disconnected from the world of reality. How often has someone mentioned to you in real life something they saw trending on Twitter? The fact is, unless you are really into Twitter, Twitter does not matter. Facebook groups and local on-line groups matter somewhat, but people join these groups because they already agree with the general theme of the group, so it is about confirmation bias.
We are already getting a taste of this with Trump-DeSantis. There is a large on-line vote that is still angry about Trump not being their God-Emperor. Ann Coulter is their queen and various influencers are vying to become the king of this group. Then you have the tribe that always goes for the latest thing, so they have their claims in favor of new and hip DeSantis over the old and tired Trump. Of course, the finks of conservatism are pretending to like DeSantis.
So far none of this matters. All of the polling shows Trump has a huge lead over the field in the key demographics. He comes with the built in advantage of answering the two essential questions every candidate must first answer. “This is who I am and this is why you should vote for me.” The rest of the field has to answer both of those questions, which is not easy in a crowded media world. DeSantis has the shortest road, but he is still an unknown to most of the voters.
This is where another question will be answered. The Republican leadership has been sure that Trump is done for a while now. They threw the midterms as proof that Trump no longer has influence over voters. It is a good example of how they get high off their own narratives. They are playing nice with DeSantis thinking he can be the final nail in the Trump coffin. Trump voters will be tempted to accept the compromise of DeSantis in order to get support from the party elite.
This probably would have worked in 2016. If the party had rallied to Ted Cruz early in the process, he most likely would have won. This time it may be the opposite where any support from party leaders is toxic. We are already seeing populist paranoia about DeSantis on key issues like foreign policy. DeSantis and the field may be faced with an additional hurdle. That is, they will have to prove to voters that they are not going to fink on them like every other Republican has done for generations.
Put another way, this may be the crackup of the Republican Party. A sizable chunk of their vote no longer trusts the party. The party leaders and donors no longer trust the voters, especially the Trump wing. If the gap is large enough, it means no candidate can stand across it and get the trust of both sides. Any effort to do so creates doubts on both sides of the divide. A couple generations of finking on their voters may finally have cracked this coalition of the desperate.
Of course, the shadow over all of this is the sense of futility. As more people come to terms with the electoral map, the less enthusiasm there is for the process of finding an electoral solution to our problems. With key states having been fortified for democracy, it is just about impossible for a Republican to win now. This is why the political class is not vexed with the Democrats running a vegetable. They put John Fetterman in the Senate, so they can re-elect Joe Biden.
As America transitions into a one-party authoritarian state, this election will have the feel of a final chapter. The old folks will get to reminisce about how these things used to matter and lament the passing of an age. The rest will find a way to fight the inevitable frustration over the lack of anyway to do something about it. Many, of course, will pretend that it is all on the level. They will blame the voters for electing a political class that is corrupt and feckless.
This will be an election at the end of time. Not the end of all time, but the end of this phase of the American experience. The current political and cultural arrangements are not working and that is becoming increasingly clear to people. This election promises to be ridiculous enough to drive home that point. It will also become increasingly clear that the older generation is just hoping to run out the clock. The rest will soon be left to contemplate what comes next.
Continue reading at The Z Blog...https://thezman.com/wordpress/?p=29430
Philip K. DICK often wrote stories in which characters find themselves in a world where reality is subjective, such as in Eye in the Sky (1957), The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch (1964), and UBIK (1969). In the 1970s, his work began to include religious elements more frequently, with the thematically connected trilogy of Valis (1981), The Divine Invasion (1982), and The Transformation of Timothy Archer (1982). The first of these is an acronym for Vast Active Living Intelligence System, which is essentially a representation of God.
The first of the three volumes, the opening one, is a complex, often difficult to comprehend, and intensely personal novel in which Dick expresses his own personal quest for meaning. It introduces a female infant, implying that Earth is being observed from space by an alien intelligence. This same theme is continued in the remaining two books, where the search for knowledge and fulfillment is the main focus. The Divine Invasion brings together Christianity and Islam to form a new religion, as well as an inhuman creature, who may be a messenger from God, coming back to Earth. The Second Coming is then delayed when an aircraft accident happens, as the characters are dealing with their own personal redemption. The third title follows a lawyer who becomes a religious leader, only having marginal fantasy elements. A story called "Chains of Air, Web of Aether" (1980) is also included within the novel.
After Philip K. Dick's death, an alternate version of Valis was released posthumously under the title Radio Free Albemuth (1985). This work is set in a dystopian America controlled by a satellite constructed by extraterrestrial forces. The metaphysical foundations of the books are explored in his nonfiction work, Exegesis. These three novels indicated a shift in the type of literature the author was writing, with many readers finding the new direction more stimulating but less enjoyable.
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Pushback: The Folly Of Ukraine
It was only a matter of time before our so-called foreign policy turned into a serious problem with someone who can punch back.
For decades the United States has arrogated to itself the capacity to tell other nations who they should have as leaders. Who must run said nation, and who may not. The alliances that are to be coddled, and those that are forbidden. This is preposterous, of course, in that national sovereignty is precisely that, yet we have for decades believed we have the "righteous authority" to issue such diktat.
The CIA has toppled some 50 governments over time. Some more-or-less openly, some on the down low. Iran is an infamous one that ultimately blew up in our face. Deciding that the Iranian government was unacceptable because it expropriated the property of a British company, not even a US concern, we interfered, toppled the government and installed the Shah. This ultimately led to the Iranian revolution and the seizure of hostages at our Embassy, never mind a whole bunch of other terrorism.
We are very anti-narcotic and anti-serious drug—except, of course, when the use of the money generated suits us. Then its "oh well" or "oh, that's sad", even if the people that die from said drugs are in the United States, and they often are. Oliver North and the cocaine trade that was at the center of Iran-Contra anyone?
The United States was the initiator of events that led to the war in Ukraine. We were fully behind the overthrow of the government there back at the time of Maidan less than a decade ago. Said government was incorrigible, but that's none of our business, right up until it apparently is and someone gets a wild hair in their backside about where someone's using the money—or really, really likes the idea of being able to launder some as a US interest. Anything that gets in the way of that is, of course, unacceptable.
But for Maidan there would be no war in Ukraine. But for our continued attempts to do what we did with Turkey and missiles right near Russia there would have been no Cuban missile incident either. Yes, that was a crisis, but it was our making -- not the USSR's. Would you sit back and let some foreign nation put nuclear missiles in Mexico within a few minutes flight time of LA?
Didn't think so.
Fundamentally the Ukraine problem lies there. Ukraine has always been an ungovernable cesspool; there are roughly four ethnic groups, all of whom hate each other, and one of them is essentially Russian. The land itself is a trade crossroads that has served as such for over a thousand years, so that this occurred is not really a surprise. The USSR delegated nearly all operating authority to the territory for this reason; Moscow simply didn't have the desire to try to tame that which was always trying to bite from one direction or another, as they understood the only real way to make that happen would be to kill 3/4 of the population there or enslave all of them.
Crimea was purchased by Catherine the Great as it was a gateway for a strategic, warm-water 12 month port. Without it Russia was at risk of a pincer on said port at any time, and this was unacceptable. Therefore rather than take it, she bought it. This is historical fact and no amount of revisionism will ever change it, any more than you can un-do the fact that the United States purchased Alaska; even though it is non-contiguous with the rest of our land, it serves as a buffer between North America and the Russo/Asian landmass. It's ours; we bought it through legitimate consensual negotiation, just as Russia bought Crimea through the same process.
The Turkish mess with NATO (since when are they in the North Atlantic?) and that part of the Cuban mess ought to be obvious, but that's in the rearview mirror and we managed to avoid blowing each other up, even though we provoked it -- and were in the wrong.
Well, now we have a problem. You see, over the last three decades or so we've offshored huge parts of our supply chain to China. We did it out of idiocy, but that's in the rear view mirror too. Its done and while we could reverse course we can't do it tomorrow, and whether we like it or not it takes five to ten years to build a fab and get it online for chips and such, never mind other areas of manufacturing.
China doesn't like our point of view when it comes to the Russia/Ukraine dust-up. In fact they're thinking that if we can send weapons, ammunition and such to Ukraine, they can send them to Russia. Oh, by the way, they share a border so its quite-convenient and unlike our shipments, which can be blown up the minute they go into Ukraine, that's a much-more dicey proposition for Chinese shipments into Russia.
This is a problem and one we have no good answer to. Our government has threatened, including our Treasury Secretary (Yellen) that there will be "serious consequences" for China if they do this. Oh really? What consequences would those be? Are you going to shoot or sanction? Good luck with either; shooting leads to WWIII and sanctioning is an empty threat when you need the supply pipeline to operate or you can't make, well...... just about anything.
Continue reading at Market Ticker...https://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=248197
Chapter 4:
In chapter four, the protagonist, Horselover Fat, continues to reflect on his experiences with the divine and his attempts to make sense of them. He discusses the idea of "synchronicity," or meaningful coincidences, and how it relates to his own experiences. He also begins to explore the concept of Gnosticism and its relevance to his experiences.
Chapter 5:
In chapter five, Horselover Fat discusses his discovery of the mysterious "pink beam" that he believes to be a manifestation of the divine. He describes how this beam seems to follow him wherever he goes, and how it has led him to various revelations about the nature of reality and consciousness.
Chapter 6:
In chapter six, Horselover Fat recounts a dream he had in which he met with the prophet Elijah. He discusses the significance of this dream and how it relates to his ongoing exploration of the divine and the nature of reality.
Chapter 7:
In chapter seven, Horselover Fat continues to delve into the world of Gnosticism and its teachings. He discusses the idea of the "Demiurge," a false god or lower deity that creates and controls the material world, and how it relates to his own experiences with the divine.
Chapter 8:
In chapter eight, Horselover Fat reflects on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, particularly his role as a messenger from the divine. He explores the idea that Jesus was a Gnostic teacher, and that his message was meant to convey the true nature of reality and consciousness to his followers.
Overall, these chapters of VALIS continue to explore the themes of religion, spirituality, and consciousness that are central to the novel. They delve deeper into the protagonist's personal experiences and beliefs, and introduce new concepts and ideas that contribute to the overall narrative.
BEYOND WEIRD: Senator John Fetterman Wife and Kids Fled Country After His Hospitalization
At first, I thought this story was fake. Then I thought it was likely just a misinterpretation of events. However, I was curious enough to just go look for myself, because there are quite a few people noticing it now. Indeed, the initial reports were not wrong.
The background story of how Senator John Fetterman’s wife reacted to the news of her husband’s hospitalization for clinical depression is just weird.
Apparently, Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman’s family did not go to Washington DC with him. {h/t Gateway Pundit} Considering Mr. Fetterman was recovering from a stroke, the worst possible scenario would be stress and unfamiliar surroundings. The resulting hospitalization for clinical depression then takes on new context.
I take the approach never to judge personal life, because you just don’t ever know what is going on deeply inside the lives of others. However, things are really odd about the way Gisele Fetterman responded to the news of her husband’s hospitalization. She grabbed the passports, packed up the kids and headed to Canada. Huh?
Even more weird, Mrs. Fetterman outlines her reaction on her own social media accounts [SOURCE].
Because always “having passports ready just in case you need to run away” when your husband is hospitalized, is something everyone can just relate to… or something.
This is odd. Like, “hey mom, CNN just said dad’s in the hospital… can we go ziplining” level odd.
I’m trying to be gracious and sensitive with this story… but, considering this is a U.S. Senator who ultimately has impact on the way votes take place that influence the lives of every single American… I mean, against that backdrop… What the heck?
[ed. note: The moral of this story is that there is a hell of a lot more to this story than we have known.]
Continue reading at The Last Refuge (formerly, Conservative Treehouse)...https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2023/02/25/beyond-weird-senator-john-fetterman-wife-and-kids-fled-country-after-his-hospitalization/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=beyond-weird-senator-john-fetterman-wife-and-kids-fled-country-after-his-hospitalization
Jl 2:12-18
Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;
Rend your hearts, not your garments,
and return to the LORD, your God.
For gracious and merciful is he,
slow to anger, rich in kindness,
and relenting in punishment.
Perhaps he will again relent
and leave behind him a blessing,
Offerings and libations
for the LORD, your God.
Blow the trumpet in Zion!
proclaim a fast,
call an assembly;
Gather the people,
notify the congregation;
Assemble the elders,
gather the children
and the infants at the breast;
Let the bridegroom quit his room
and the bride her chamber.
Between the porch and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep,
And say, “Spare, O LORD, your people,
and make not your heritage a reproach,
with the nations ruling over them!
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”
[ C O N T I N U E S.... ]
Acts 6:8-15
8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen. 10 But they were unable to cope with his wisdom and the Spirit by whom he was speaking. 11 Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, and they came up to him and dragged him away, and brought him before the Council. 13 They put forward false witnesses who said, “This man does not stop speaking against this holy place and the Law; 14 for we have heard him say that this Nazarene, Jesus, will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses handed down to us.” 15 And all who were sitting in the Council stared at him, and they saw his face, which was like the face of an angel.
[ ... C O N T I N U E D ]
Many people associate the season of Lent with Catholicism, but that no longer holds true. Many other churches and people are choosing to observe the forty days (not including Sundays) before Easter. Lent is a time of penance, of choosing to look closely at our lives and invite the Holy Spirit in to help us clean house.
Often we will choose to give up something, a sacrifice we offer to the Lord, but also something we use as a way to remind us to be more holy, more dependent on God. We fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and we abstain from meat on Fridays as well, although many Catholics do not understand that we still have an obligation to fast on Fridays or substitute another penitential practice year round. We are called to give alms during Lent.
These practices are meant to help us prepare to meet Jesus on Easter Sunday, having walked these six weeks with him toward Calvary, fasting as he fasted in the desert, carrying our cross as he carried his, doing the will of the Father as Jesus taught us so well.
Like Mary, we hope to find ourselves at the foot of the cross on Good Friday, still with our Savior, looking with a more hopeful and receptive heart toward the Resurrection.
If you are not a member of a church, or your particular church does not have any Ash Wednesday service, you are welcome to participate at any Catholic Church. You do not have to be Catholic to attend the service or receive the ashes. I’m sure that is true of other denominations as well.
Continue reading at The Conservative Treehouse...https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2023/02/22/remember-you-are-dust-and-to-dust-you-shall-return-3/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=remember-you-are-dust-and-to-dust-you-shall-return-3
40 Days in the Desert
We fell behind, so I am going to be reading The Transmigration of Timothy Archer this week and put off the book that was slated for this week, Holotropic Breathwork by Stanislav Groff, for a future time. We fell behind in our reading schedule due to low energy this weekend. I'm sorry, I will pick it up going forward.
Cycle of Philip K. Dick
