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[from the Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley]

#91

The Library / Re: Poetry/prose/creative writ...

Last post by Intrepid_traveler - January 30, 2019, 06:18:44 AM

We live together, we act on, and react to, one another; but always and in all circumstances we are by ourselves. The martyrs go hand in hand into the arena; they are crucified alone. Embraced, the lovers desperately try to fuse their insulated ecstasies into a single self-transcendence; in vain. By its very nature every embodied spirit is doomed to suffer and enjoy in solitude. Sensations, feelings, insights, fancies–all these are private and, except through symbols and at second hand, incommunicable. We can pool information about experiences, but never the experiences themselves. From family to nation, every human group is a society of island universes.

Most island universes are sufficiently like one another to permit of inferential understanding or even of mutual empathy or "feeling into." Thus, remembering our own bereavements and humiliations, we can condole with others in analogous circumstances, can put ourselves (always, of course, in a slightly Pickwickian sense) in their places. But in certain cases communication between universes is incomplete or even nonexistent. The mind is its own place, and the Places inhabited by the insane and the exceptionally gifted are so different from the places where ordinary men and women live, that there is little or no common ground of memory to serve as a basis for understanding or fellow feeling. Words are uttered, but fail to enlighten. The things and events to which the symbols refer belong to mutually exclusive realms of experience.

To see ourselves as others see us is a most salutary gift. Hardly less important is the capacity to see others as they see themselves. But what if these others belong to a different species and inhabit a radically alien universe? For example, how can the sane get to know what it actually feels like to be mad? Or, short of being born again as a visionary, a medium, or a musical genius, how can we ever visit the worlds which, to Blake, to Swedenborg, to Johann Sebastian Bach, were home? And how can a man at the extreme limits of ectomorphy and cerebrotonia ever put himself in the place of one at the limits of endomorphy and viscerotonia, or, except within certain circumscribed areas, share the feelings of one who stands at the limits of mesomorphy and somatotonia? To the unmitigated behaviorist such questions, I suppose, are meaningless. But for those who theoretically believe what in practice they know to be true–namely, that there is an inside to experience as well as an outside–the problems posed are real problems, all the more grave for being, some completely insoluble, some soluble only in exceptional circumstances and by methods not available to everyone. Thus, it seems virtually certain that I shall never know what it feels like to be Sir John Falstaff or Joe Louis. On the other hand, it had always seemed to me possible that, through hypnosis, for example, or autohypnosis, by means of systematic meditation, or else by taking the appropriate drug, I might so change my ordinary mode of consciousness as to be able to know, from the inside, what the visionary, the medium, even the mystic were talking about.
from the Doors of Perception
by Aldous Huxley

#92

The Library / Re: Poetry/prose/creative writ...

Last post by Intrepid_traveler - January 29, 2019, 09:55:39 AM

My beautiful darling sugraee from 26th street sat next to me again today. We quietly kept to ourselves, each focusing on some external distraction such as my writing or her phone.

At one point the bus missed a turn and began heading in the wrong direction, as this was occurring she leaned forward and looked at me, yet unfortunately did not say anything. The bus quickly corrected it's route, though I feel like a wasted an opportunity to interact with her, I mean, she was looking right at me, and we would have had a topic to discuss, but that's life I suppose.

None of this is her fault, it seems like she is making every reasonable effort without revealing her knowledge of the situation or overtly interacting with me, and I keep making things difficult. I understand that unless you make a real effort to get my attention in which I can't pretend to have not noticed you that it's probably really difficult, and I know that's fully my fault.

...I think I'm scared. Well, the situation is far more difficult on my part, she knows exactly what I am thinking, she can read my thoughts everyday I see her, while I have no idea what's on her mind.

Eliza says I want to be with her for all the wrong reasons, and I have really been thinking about that, and I'm still not sure. I know that I'm incredibly attracted to her, and that I want her to be happy. I know that I could be a near perfect partner if she gave me the chance.

...and I know that I would be willing to change anything about my life if it would get me a chance with her.

...I think that's what bothers Eliza, she wants the situation between myself and all of the girls to stay more or less the same, and she knows that if I enter a serious relationship that I am going to give up doing a good deal of things that I am doing while I'm single. I think she knows that a relationship would completely realign my priorities, and that all of the love and affection and attention that I give to Eliza, and Melanie, and Ayela, would all go directly to my beautiful darling sugaree from 26th street. Eliza pretends like she doesn't enjoy it, but I know she loves all of the attention that I give her, she loves all the compliments and affection, she enjoys having someone tell her that she is beautiful and special, she enjoys having someone to take her out to eat and to stores, she enjoys the snuggling, and back-rubs, and gifts, she enjoys that I will drop whatever I'm doing to make her happy, even if its simple things like brining her something to eat or just tending to whatever she may want or need. I think Eliza enjoys all of the affection and love and attention that I give her, (and to all of the other girls) and she knows that if I get with the beautiful brunette girl from 26th street that it's all going to be focused on her.

I always have to deal with the most bizarre possessiveness when it comes to the girls that I am close with. One of them called me a "unicorn" and made it pretty clear that she had no intentions of letting me get away from her. Honestly, I don't get it, I really don't think I am all that special...

I wish I was good enough for my darling sugaree from 26th street...

#93

The Library / Re: Poetry/prose/creative writ...

Last post by Intrepid_traveler - January 29, 2019, 09:19:04 AM

fascinating. Right there for all to read. Doesn't take much to understand.

Which part?

The whole thing! -
as you quoted!
here it all is, one more time.

pac man reference

"Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music." -Kristian Wilson, Nintendo, Inc, 1989

*This quote was actually generated by a comedian named Marcus Brigstocke, which makes it far less funny.

additional pac man reference:

People thinks there's one reality, but there's loads of them, all snaking off, like roots. And what we do on one path affects what happens on the other paths.
Time is a construct.
People think you can't go back and change things, but you can, that's what flashbacks are, they're invitations to go back and make different choices. When you make a decision, you think it's you doing it, but it's not. It's the spirit out there that's connected to our world that decides what we do and we just have to go along for the ride.
Mirrors let you move through time.
The government monitors people, they pay people to be your relatives and they put drugs in your food and they film you.
There's messages in every game.
Like Pac-Man. Do you know what PAC stands for? P-A-C: "program and control." He's Program and Control Man the whole things a metaphor, he thinks he's got free will but really he's trapped in a maze, in a system, all he can do is consume, he's pursued by demons that are probably just in his own head, and even if he does manage to escape by slipping out one side of the maze, what happens? He comes right back in the other side. People think it's a happy game, it's not a happy game, it's a fucking nightmare world and the worst thing is it's real and we live in it.
It's all code. If you listen closely, you can hear the numbers. There's a cosmic flowchart that dictates where you can and where you can't go.
I've given you the knowledge.
I've set you free.
Do you understand?
-Colin Ritman ; bandersnatch

I love that "Collin ritman" (Played by Will Poulter) pac-man rant. Its from a Netflix program called "black mirror : bandersnatch". Its a "choose your own adventure" styled program with many alternate pathways and outcomes.

Now, I'm really not a huge fan of the program, I mean, it's not that I dislike it, but I'm not really that into it either.

however, there is a scene that you can get to where you visit computer programmer Collin ritman's flat and are offered cannabis and LSD.

While under the influence of LSD Collin goes off on this whole rant where be is "revealing universal truths" to the protagonist of the story, and for some reason it was the only part of the program that had any sort of impact on me.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=D3qxWbQ8qek

Here, see for yourself.
(The link above is YouTube mobile, hence that little "m" in the URL before YouTube, it's the only way I can view YouTube on this device and hence is the only way the url can get copied and pasted from it. If the link does not work simply type "Black Mirror - Bandersnatch (Colin's speech about the PAC-man metaphore)" into the YouTube search bar and this video should come up. )

#94

The Library / Re: Poetry/prose/creative writ...

Last post by judih - January 28, 2019, 10:57:18 PM

fascinating. Right there for all to read. Doesn't take much to understand.

Which part?

The whole thing! -
as you quoted!
here it all is, one more time.

pac man reference

"Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music." -Kristian Wilson, Nintendo, Inc, 1989

*This quote was actually generated by a comedian named Marcus Brigstocke, which makes it far less funny.

additional pac man reference:

People thinks there's one reality, but there's loads of them, all snaking off, like roots. And what we do on one path affects what happens on the other paths.
Time is a construct.
People think you can't go back and change things, but you can, that's what flashbacks are, they're invitations to go back and make different choices. When you make a decision, you think it's you doing it, but it's not. It's the spirit out there that's connected to our world that decides what we do and we just have to go along for the ride.
Mirrors let you move through time.
The government monitors people, they pay people to be your relatives and they put drugs in your food and they film you.
There's messages in every game.
Like Pac-Man. Do you know what PAC stands for? P-A-C: "program and control." He's Program and Control Man the whole things a metaphor, he thinks he's got free will but really he's trapped in a maze, in a system, all he can do is consume, he's pursued by demons that are probably just in his own head, and even if he does manage to escape by slipping out one side of the maze, what happens? He comes right back in the other side. People think it's a happy game, it's not a happy game, it's a fucking nightmare world and the worst thing is it's real and we live in it.
It's all code. If you listen closely, you can hear the numbers. There's a cosmic flowchart that dictates where you can and where you can't go.
I've given you the knowledge.
I've set you free.
Do you understand?
-Colin Ritman ; bandersnatch

#95

The Trade Winds / mono's sale list

Last post by mono - January 28, 2019, 03:51:37 PM

hello,
I will accept; USA of foreign cash or coin(s), or Western Union for payment.  I am selling the following:


Banisteriopsis caapi
1 kilo. of wood; $50.00


Banisteriopsis mexicana
1 kilo. of wood; $100.00
100 seeds; $50.00


Banisteriopsis muricata
1 kilo. of wood; $55.00
100 seeds; $20.00


Banisteriopsis rubace
1 kilo. of wood; $100.00
100 seeds; $100.00


Cannabis sativa
10 seeds (dried); $50.00
5 hemp chocolate bars; $50.00
1 bottle of liquid extract; $100.00


Catha edulis
5 oz. of dried leaves; $50.00


Nicotiana tabacum
1 oz. of dried foliage; $15.00
1 live plant; $20.00


Pipe tobacco
6 oz. of pipe tobacco; $35.00


Psilocybe semilanceata
1 mushroom spore print; $10.00


Psychotria albus
1 live plant (3' tall); $50.00
1 oz. of dried leaves; $20.00


Psychotria carthgensis
1 live plant (3' tall); $50.00
1 oz. of dried leaves; $25.00


Psychotria viridis
1 live plant (3' tall); $75.00
1 oz. of dried leaves; $25.00


Unidentified Brugmansia spp.
1 kilo. of wood; $250.00
1 oz. of dried flowers; $20.00
1 oz. of dried leaves; $15.00


Unidentified Banisteriopsis spp.
1 kilo. of wood; $25.00
100 seeds; $20.00




PM me.   Thanks.


mono

#96

The Library / Re: Poetry/prose/creative writ...

Last post by Intrepid_traveler - January 28, 2019, 12:06:15 PM

The weather was terrible today, heavy snow and wind.

I don't know how she can look so gorgeous at 5 am in the middle of a blizzard on her Way to work, but damn! She looked incredible!

She was sitting next to me, and every so often I will glance up at the reflection in the window at us sitting side by side, she never really seems to be paying much attention to me, however, I began to write again, and then I glanced over and I could see her hand by her knee and it looked like she was making a hand motion in an effort to get my attention. ...if it was an attempt to get my attention it was way too subtle.

I love this black and white leopard or cheetah print scarf that she wears, it really brings out her eyes and goes great with the beautiful color of her hair.

...she is so perfect. I couldn't imagine a girl that could be any more perfect for me.

Eliza tells me she reads everything I write about her, and while Eliza does have some motivation to lie to me, it's seeming more and more like she is right. So, if the girl from 26th is reading my proclamations of my love for her on a near daily basis, then why doesn't she let me know? Why not get an account and reply? Why not just get my attention in person?

Its a strange situation, and will admit that there's a good deal about it that I don't understand, but I am being true when I say that I would do absolutely anything for this girl, and that I think she is the most amazing, gorgeous, and sweet girl in the universe.

My beautiful brunette girl from 26th street, my sweet darling sugaree, maybe tomorrow will be the day that we get things moving.

#97

The Library / Re: Poetry/prose/creative writ...

Last post by Intrepid_traveler - January 28, 2019, 11:49:12 AM

fascinating. Right there for all to read. Doesn't take much to understand.

Which part?

#98

The Library / Re: Poetry/prose/creative writ...

Last post by judih - January 27, 2019, 10:33:25 PM

fascinating. Right there for all to read. Doesn't take much to understand.

[pac man reference]

#99

The Library / Re: Poetry/prose/creative writ...

Last post by Intrepid_traveler - January 27, 2019, 10:13:49 AM

pac man reference

"Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music." -Kristian Wilson, Nintendo, Inc, 1989

*This quote was actually generated by a comedian named Marcus Brigstocke, which makes it far less funny.

additional pac man reference:

People thinks there's one reality, but there's loads of them, all snaking off, like roots. And what we do on one path affects what happens on the other paths.
Time is a construct.
People think you can't go back and change things, but you can, that's what flashbacks are, they're invitations to go back and make different choices. When you make a decision, you think it's you doing it, but it's not. It's the spirit out there that's connected to our world that decides what we do and we just have to go along for the ride.
Mirrors let you move through time.
The government monitors people, they pay people to be your relatives and they put drugs in your food and they film you.
There's messages in every game.
Like Pac-Man. Do you know what PAC stands for? P-A-C: "program and control." He's Program and Control Man the whole things a metaphor, he thinks he's got free will but really he's trapped in a maze, in a system, all he can do is consume, he's pursued by demons that are probably just in his own head, and even if he does manage to escape by slipping out one side of the maze, what happens? He comes right back in the other side. People think it's a happy game, it's not a happy game, it's a fucking nightmare world and the worst thing is it's real and we live in it.
It's all code. If you listen closely, you can hear the numbers. There's a cosmic flowchart that dictates where you can and where you can't go.
I've given you the knowledge.
I've set you free.
Do you understand?
-Colin Ritman ; bandersnatch

#100

The Library / Re: Poetry/prose/creative writ...

Last post by Intrepid_traveler - January 26, 2019, 11:09:52 AM

Just in case anybody was wondering, in the attached picture, the cactus depicted as the shamanatrix's strap-on trichocereus pachanoi, a mescaline containing cactus from south America with a long history of use an an entheogen and psychedelic.