Sergio zenere a pedlar a prig and a dolt 2018 edition isbn 978 1 387 61850 7 1 by sergio zenere

Sergio Zenere

A PEDLAR, A PRIG AND A DOLT. CONSIDERATIONS ON THE COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS AND THE EXEMPLUM AS A RORSCHACH TEST.§*#αβ#γ With Incorporated Reading Selection ISBN 978-1-387-61850-7 2018 edition

§ * # α β

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The symbol “” denotes a quotation. The symbol '' denotes emphasis: “so to speak”. Some portions of this text may recur in other publications and/or writing by the same author. All translations from a third language into English are free translations. Notes labeled “extnote” are the present writer's, and do not originally belong in the text being quoted. The present writer is not licensed in any jurisdiction to diagnose, treat or otherwise assess anything. This writing does not constitute professional or licensed advice, but is fiction intended for mere entertainment purposes. The author disclaims any and all liabilities, direct or indirect, resulting from this writing, and how people might (mis)understand, (mis)use or (mis)quote it. This writing shall not be construed as promoting or demoting any particular party, agenda, or item whatsoever. This writing constitutes a personal notebook of literature in the relevant field, and it is made public only as food for thought on an individual basis. Items in this writing may constitute a trigger to some people: great discretion is advised. Pagination of works referred to in notes and citations might differ from commercial releases due to format conversion and related issues.

INTRODUCTION

Speaking firmly concerning your own path, what opponent here would you take as a fool? You'd simply bring quarrels on yourself if you said your opponent's a fool with an impure doctrine. Taking a stance on your decisions, & yourself as your measure, you dispute further down into the world. But one who's abandoned all decisions creates in the world quarrels no more. (Gautama Buddha, Cula-Viyuha Sutta). Just as when a person whose turban or head was on fire would put forth extra desire, effort, diligence, endeavor, undivided mindfulness, & alertness to put out the fire on his turban or head, in the same way the monk should put forth extra desire, effort, diligence, endeavor, undivided mindfulness, & alertness for the abandoning of those very same evil, unskillful qualities. (Gautama Buddha, Maranassati Sutta). I don't have to have faith. I have experience (Joseph Campbell). For the Zeitgeist of every age is like a sharp east wind which blows through everything. You can find traces of it in all that is done, thought and written, in music and painting, in the flourishing of this or that art: it leaves its mark on everything and everyone. (A.Schopenhauer). We hoped for the best, but it turned out as usual (V. Chernomyrdin, former Russian Prime Minister). I hate the great, I hate their status, their harshness, their prejudices, their pettiness, and all their vices, and I would hate them even more if I despised them less (Rousseau to Malesherbes in 1762). A winner has a thousand fathers but a loser is an orphan (variations are credited to several public figures, including Napoleon, John F. Kennedy, G. Ciano etc). The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. ( Deuteronomy 28:18). Because this is to be asserted in general of men, that they are ungrateful, fickle, false, cowardly, covetous, and as long as you 2

successed they are yours entirely; they will offer you their blood, property, life, and children, as is said above, when the need is far distant; but when it approaches they turn against you. (Machiavelli, The Prince). The first to state his case seems right, until his opponent begins to cross-examine him. (Proverbs 18:17). To be GOVERNED is to be watched, inspected, spied upon, directed, law-driven, numbered, regulated, enrolled, indoctrinated, preached at, controlled, checked, estimated, valued, censured, commanded, by creatures who have neither the right nor the wisdom nor the virtue to do so. To be GOVERNED is to be at every operation, at every transaction noted, registered, counted, taxed, stamped, measured, numbered, assessed, licensed, authorized, admonished, prevented, forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished. It is, under pretext of public utility, and in the name of the general interest, to be place under contribution, drilled, fleeced, exploited, monopolized, extorted from, squeezed, hoaxed, robbed; then, at the slightest resistance, the first word of complaint, to be repressed, fined, vilified, harassed, hunted down, abused, clubbed, disarmed, bound, choked, imprisoned, judged, condemned, shot, deported, sacrificed, sold, betrayed; and to crown all, mocked, ridiculed, derided, outraged, dishonored. That is government; that is its justice; that is its morality." (P.J. Proudhon). Is there any virtue in telling true stories as opposed to false ones? Why do news more and more often read/look like (clumsily) planned ad campaigns or third-rate reality shows? Why does emphasis invariably seem to fall on tides of emotion (both positive and negative, to praise or to blame) that play center-stage whereas truth, veracity, statistical probability and plausibility are by far not necessary ingredients and are -in all cases- superseded by 'emotional truth'?

Does this go back to the very core of the human mind, to 'neuralgic points' whose stimulation invariably guarantees a given knee-jerk reaction? Do ageold myths play any role in this? This essay will explore all the above. However, it

may not be possible to give all the answers, as theorists' opinions differ, and the last word seems to be highly individual and/or 'political' in nature.

The section 'Any good books, news or movies lately' introduces the debate wondering over why popular culture products (books, music bands, movies...) seem to follow certain patterns. Is there any relationship between the inner working of the mind's neuralgic points and the hoax as a phenomenon? The 'scientific' cases of The Piltdown Man, Nebraska Man and Archeoraptor are presented, among others.

The section 'Psychic unity of mankind' presents the theory according to which the same myths and beliefs recur the world over, with minor local variations. These myths, situations etc can trigger the 'neuralgic spots' of the human psyche, thus causing inescapable reactions.

By all accounts, myths are very pliable, though, and can be easily politicized; there may be different versions of the same myth, or large inconsistencies in the received, most ancient corpus of literature expounding it. People are thus free to embrace some and reject other variants or interpretations according to whimsical opportunism:”All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred, and schizophrenia”;”The takeover of history by memory is also the takeover of history by politics.”1.

Rieff 2016:37.

Where testimony/documents weave together a narrative that combines mundane claims with a significant proportion of extraordinary claims, and there is good reason to be sceptical about those extraordinary claims, then there is good reason to be sceptical about the mundane claims, at least until we possess good independent evidence of their truth. We might call this the contamination principle â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the thought being that the dubious character of the several extraordinary parts of a narrative ends up contaminating the more pedestrian parts, rendering them dubious too. Why does this contamination take place? Because once we know that a powerful, false-testimony-producing mechanism (or combination of mechanisms) may well have produced a significant chunk of a narrative (e.g. the miraculous parts), we can no longer be confident that the same mechanism is not responsible for what remains. (Law 2011:no page). Many ancient myths, mythical figures and their contemporary variations are mentioned: the hero's journey; the meek, persecuted, rejected and slain/crucified savior-god-hero, and so forth. The concept of â&#x20AC;&#x153;pseudo-sanctityâ&#x20AC;? is introduced; the pliable nature of myth from the dawn of time is explored.

The section introduces 'The Barnum effect' in relation to the debate at hand: the present writer ponders people's reaction to parallels drawn between ancient myths and established systems of power.

The pliable nature of the myth is discussed again, and examples are given to make the point: the same elated speeches, similes and archetypal images can be used to loathe and exalt, blame and praise just about anything and anybody. Myth can support or condemn just about anyone/anything according to the moment's (person's/era's) petty priorities.

Star Trek and Leonard Nimoy's insider's opinion about its founding 5

values are mentioned; the impact of hybridism - along with Mr. Spock's mythical predecessors- is examined. The 'if...then' apology method that is used to hide double standards or inconsistencies in the 'myth that becomes fact' is introduced: Madeleine Korbel Albright, Mussolini and Brigham Young used it, among others: narrating is never innocent. The pivotal role the concept of hybridity plays is discussed at various junctures as well.

Following the previous section's lead, the section 'Make it as you go along' focuses on the commodious, often fraudulent manufacture of situations that allow the persuader to trigger the 'neuralgic points of the human mind' to his advantage, when nothing better is at hand: truth and plausibility are just accessory element to myth.

'The sleeping/resurrected hero', 'the Messiah' are presented as recurring figures in history. Detailing various hoaxes helps to put the commodious and politically authenticated nature of myth and emotion into perspective; some cases of “pseudo-sanctity” are explored to understand the concept better. The insightful opinion of famous hoaxers clinches the debate: “people wanted to be taken in”.

'Long lived' is a section that delves into how long lived all those 'tricks', mental associations, 'image banks' and myths may be. Major myths aside, minor stories have been around for centuries if not millennia. The 'contamination' motif haunted the human psyche throughout history: a few cases are explored to see how atavistic fears unfold, which hoaxers can easily take advantage of. Which proof can 6

the present writer offer that posh mythicists -such as D.M. Murdock, Jordan Maxwell, David Icke etc- mostly rehash old Belle Epoque scholarship by literally lifting ideas and concepts from long-forgotten books of the past?

'The salesman's tragedy' section considers how salespeople, spin-doctors, hoaxers and others take notice of how the 'neuralgic points' of the human mind work: trail-blazing Edward Bernays used -in his own words- the same array of techniques to manipulate the “stupid” masses according to his employers' war- or peace-time priorities, with equally exceptional results.

The exemplum and the Roman mos2 sit at the core of argumentation: “And mos requires neither deliberation, nor judgment, but praise or blame”; a few more examples detailing the 're-branding of myth' follow. The concepts of catharsis and anagnorisis -derived from ancient Greek tragedy- are linked to the debate at hand.

Furthermore, professional wrestling's antics are employed as a useful thermometer detailing the activation of the mind's 'neuralgic points' in a 'staged tragedy' destined to the general public. The power to manipulate the 'neuralgic spots of the human psyche' is a necessary virtue for aspiring salesmen and international policy makers in the form of emotional intelligence; more hoaxes are exposed to make the point.

Slightly similar to Confucian li in China:”In sum, li is to make space for reverence in all things, treating seemingly ordinary interactions as if they were sacred ceremonies”. (Prothero 2010:46).

The section 'More of the same' discusses the quintessential discourse of judging foes according to their deeds, and friends according to their intentions. The figure of the turncoat is introduced in its various incarnations. Some mythologies are indeed pliable, as discussed further in the case of the 7800 crates of gold the leftwing Spanish government transferred to the USSR via France: theft or 'safekeeping'?

The importance of the achronotopos and of the 'second coming' of various historical and pseudo-historical figures. The myths of primeval oneness, world government, general will and congredi are discussed. The medicalization of erstwhile sins and the ensuing exchange of verdicts of mental (in)sanity as political token follow.

Various hoaxes are mentioned again: rewriting history for political purposes. The 'broken record' effect of public myths, or the achronotopos revised ensues: shall Socrates toe the party line, or shall Antigone defy it? Why does the audience's reaction look like that of the public of sport video games? To simulate a living crowd, the audience randomly cycles through a few reoccurring moves:

Finally, it should be remembered that the Surrealist montage still leaves undecided the imagistic nature of the final artistic product: the shock effect of decontextualized and recontextualized material objects does not, for the Surrealists, depend upon the construction of an image from out of the assembled fragments; rather, it arises from the tension inherent in the relationship of the mounted fragments to one another -...-.Literature submits to montage as the feuilleton [=â&#x20AC;?talk of the townâ&#x20AC;? genre]. All these products are on the point of entering the market as commodities. But they linger on the threshold. From this epoch derive the interieurs, the exhibition halls and the panoramas. They are residues of a dream world. 8

(Pensky in Ferris 2004:186,196). Benjamin was particularly interested in the potential of montage, a technique made famous by the European avant-garde of his time. For Benjamin, montage was not only a style but a philosophy of history: it entailed focusing on the discontinuities separating past and present, and emphasizing a utopian rather than progressive notion of historical transformation, as a way to preserve a reservoir of hope in otherwise damaged life (Cohen in Ferris 2004:200). 'The problem of truth' questions the plausibility of what has previously been discussed in terms of political opportunism that transcends possible brute facts: Hume's law. Rhetoric strategies possibly look all alike, yet often what is right for the goose is not right for the gander.

The strategy of Jimmy Guieu -and that of other 'mythicists' and proponents of UFO and paranormal doom- is discussed. Recurring mythical archetypes follow. The dilemma posited by the Sokal affair and ensuing scandal is discussed: quantum mysticism. The problematic relationship between science and politics is put in succinct perspective since the Victorian era.

The 'Conclusion' will summarize the debate and conclude that, as far as public reception goes, there is no difference between telling true and false 'stories':”[The public] only wanted one thing from [a given public figure]: a story. He told it so well that we forgave him almost everything. ”;“[it] helped people to believe.”;”We want -...- original content regardless of its validity. We're here for the scare, not for the plausibility”.

ANY GOOD BOOKS, NEWS OR MOVIES LATELY?

Why is it, exactly, that the two main sparring characters in the 1990 scifi movie Robot Jox are played by actors, whom many casual observers describe as -respectively- a Kurt Russell lookalike (the 'bad guy'), and a J.C Van Damme lookalike (the 'good guy')? Why does the main villain in the movie Karate Kid III (1989) wear his hair in a horsetail? Why -exactly- does he seem to imitate action movie actor Steven Seagal, then at the peak of his acting fame?

When physique superstar Steve Reeves (among the world's highest paid actors of that period) starred in a series of movies as Hercules or Sandokan, a row of now forgotten 'men with bodies' brought on-screen Goliath, Ursus, Samson, Maciste...Much later, other physique superstars (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno) did try their luck as Hercules. The entire industry spawned a slew of lookalikes such as Italian Sergio Ciani (screen name Alan Steel, a Steve Reeves duplicate): why?

Shortly after Madonna introduced her 'lusty virgin' persona, German singer Sandra introduced her variation: Maria Magdalena. Why did C.T. Chaney, the famous interpreter of The Wolf Man (1941), choose the screen name Lon Chaney (or Lon Chaney, Jr.)?

What made possible for third-rate Italian showman Edoardo Costa to fraudulently pocket in excess of euro 500.000 running a children charity? How 10

could an unknown, lone hoaxer with petty criminal records mount a scare that triggered massive public support? Why are there so many hoaxers just like that? Why do saviors, heroes and psychopaths look so similar, yet are treated so differently? Is the 'good guy' (patriot, hero...) just a hooligan with a nice excuse? History seems to suggest he is, more often than commonly thought. Why do some researchers suggest temporal lobe epilepsy might be the 'secret' of many holy men and prophets the crowd finds irresistible?

On which ground could The Piltdown Man and The Archeoraptor

-taken as epitome of an entire category rather than as unique cases- enter the realm of the most advanced science of their time? On which premise did The Cottingley

Fairies enter the realm of popular culture?

Why was Shakespeareâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Romeo and Juliet so similar to Ovid's Pyramus

and Thisbe? On the cusp between myth and history, the bloody English XV century dynastic War Of The Roses between the houses of York and Lancaster ended as a Lancaster heir married a York heiress to settle the dispute for good. Alexander the Great married -and encouraged his Graeco-Macedonian subjects to marry- into the nobility of the Persian Empire he had conquered: 'the thing' had been in the air all along.

A simple answer might be that Chaney was trying to capitalize on his father Lon's3 fame, while the decision makers behind Robot Jox and Karate Kid III 3

Lon Chaney was a silent movie star.

most likely wanted to give their public the 'Kurt Russell', 'Van Damme' or 'Steven Seagal experience' without incurring the ensuing financial and logistic hurdles that 'the real thing' might have entailed.

After all, most people already know what is coming when newspapers announce the release of a new “actioner” or “chick flick”, much as they roughly know what to expect when actor so-and-so is billed as 'the bad guy', or when a new Hercules (Maciste4, Ursus, Samson...) movie used to hit the screen and so on: that's how reliable these 'image/expectation banks' are.

It is the same logic in action behind obscure 'tribute' music bands barnstorming the outback not only playing their muse's songs, but also imitating the appearance, lisps, dress code and mannerism of the more famous star. The same can be easily politicized: 'Christian', '[insert group here] pride' and so forth bands.

Is it by Frank Herbert's sheer creativity that the serialized Dune books have as main hero 'The House of Atreides'? Or has it anything to do with The

Mycenean Saga, also called The House of Atreus? How comes Dune's main heromessiah Paul Atreides probes the secret of 'travelling without moving'? Is that Frank Herbert's creativity again, or has it anything to do with an oft-given definition of the difference between Maha- and Hinayana Buddhism 5? Or perhaps with the 4 5

Interpretations of etymology vary. Possibly one of Hercules' nicknames. Broadly put, Mahayana (great ferry boat) Buddhism allows the possibility for a social and civic life, which Hinayana (small ferry boat) challenges to the benefit of strong ascetic practice. The Mahayanists solve the paradox claiming the non-dualism of the Buddhist realization allows the faithful to both be 'here' (the other shore, nirvana, the realization of impermanence, etc ), and 'there' (samsara, the world of delusion and dualism, civil society...).

Upanishadic definition of Brahma that pre-dates Buddhism?

Why do people in Dune use cocktails of 'magic drugs', and the main storyline recounts the rebellion of desert people? Is that Herbert's imagination, or just the poorly disguised landscape of the 1960s (the Algerian war, Arabic influences6, the hippies, the oriental fad, the drug culture...)?

Asimov was far from the only one to reimagine historical events in science fiction settings. Critics have also noticed similarities with Gibbonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Decline and Fall in Frank Herbertâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dune and its many sequels. Ray Bradbury organized his stories in The Martian Chronicles as a recapitulation of the American westward movement, with Martians sometimes standing in for Native Americans. And Robert A. Heinleinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress bears similarities to the history of the American Revolutionary War.(Wolfe 2016:22). Most science-fiction writing and television- and moviemaking incarnates this conceit. For although their stories are usually set in the future, far more often than not they are actually transpositions of events taking place today that reflect the hopes and fears of the present age. (Rieff 2016:14). Why does Dune include a caste of psychic priestesses running a selective breeding program? Is that Frank Herbert's artistic vision, or just some clumsy conflation of other fads of the 'swinging sixties' (feminism, sexual revolution, the Esalen institute, psychic crazes...)? Is the visionary truly gifted, or is he offering a contemporary period drama using sci-fi costumes?

In Dune, this caste of psychic priestesses also possesses a secret code by

Someone compiled an interesting list of Arabic and Islamic themes in Dune that drives a few more nails in originality's coffin, if there ever was any. Arabic And Islamic...2004: no page.

which communication by gesture is made possible:

In Ghana -...- The bride undergoes a rite of passage. The village women teach the secrets of marriage. Some girls even learn secret codes and languages, enabling them to communicate with other married women if such is needed (Miller Nixon 2007:181).

Dune's fictional desert people also built a (secret) network of underground water basins and canals, just as real people in the barren northwestern Chinese deserts did at the Turpan oasis. In both the real world at Turpan -and in Herbert's fictional world- such canals are called Qanats 7: divine coincidence.

Also, Dune's fictional desert people carry peculiar knives called Crys, just like peculiar real-life ritual Malay and Indonesian knives -also called Kris- masters of the craft manufacture on special occasions only: quantum entanglement, indeed. Real-life Sikhs and Scottish clansmen may also carry ritual knives; tribal kinsmen from Yemen carry ritual daggers.

The supposedly gifted visionary's talent comes down to what looks more like scraps from a Discovery Channel cutting room session than anything else. How many people are likely to know in today's information age? How many were likely to know in 1965 when the purported â&#x20AC;&#x153;greatest science fiction novel of all timesâ&#x20AC;? was released? Readers shall take their guess.

It is also opportune to emphasize that as certain motifs, myths, allegories etc get lost in particular places or settings, they immediately catch on like wildfire as 7

Of Persian origin several centuries BCE.

soon as they're re-introduced. Even people who do not particularly like 'serious' documentaries are mesmerized by a salad bar of items randomly lifted from the same under the pretext of diversion and evasion, not education.

Similarly, Shakespeare rose to immortal fame, whereas Frank Herbert generated a cult picking the brains of long deceased authors, probably counting on the fact the masses would have no idea what they had been up to.

Piramus et Tisbé exists in twenty-two MSS, which fall into two distinct groups: (1) nineteen MSS, dating from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, of the early fourteenth-century Ovide Moralisé (OM), a vernacular adaptation of Ovid's Metamorphoses, and (2) three autonomous MSS from the thirteenth century. The author of the OM introduces the tale by saying that he will present the story .just as another has told it, without adding to it, changing it or leaving anything out. The very close resemblance between the OM MSS and one of the autonomous versions confirms that the OM poet simply incorporated a pre-existent Old French poem into his work when he reached Book IV of the Metamorphoses. (Eley 2001:7, emphasis added). In the fourteenth century, the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer took Ovid’s story of Pyramus and Thisbe and placed it in his Knight’s Tale. This popular story was also known to Shakespeare, who would have been well aware of the famous Chaucerian version written in Middle English. Shakespeare probably was also familiar with Ovid. The myth of Pyramus and Thisbe is repeated in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream produced in London in 1596. (Meineck8 2005-1:80). It is not surprising that 'the English bard' who died in 1616 had heard of a story that had been subject to reworking and propagation for centuries well before him. By all accounts, Ovid's story is infinitely shorter (7pp in some editions) than the French variations, and devoid of most pathetic imagery and plot contrivances 8

Theater producer and director, Clinical professor of Classics.

modern readers associate with the tale.

That's not confined to idle hacks in the pursuit of diversionary literature. Della Santina9 comments that Mahayana Perfection Of Wisdom sutra exists across several Buddhist traditions in different versions, whose length

increases

exponentially from one page upwards: 8.000 lines; 25.000 lines; 100.000 lines 10. Since the public has never enough of such narratives, opportunists are ready to oblige spinning the same old, stale imagery to unimaginable length.

Siegel11 remarks how story-lines of TV cop-courtroom shows went from a single story per episode with no particular gore or violence in the black&white TV times to a tangled web of multiple garbled stories peppered with violence, sexuality and other graphic details to keep the viewer hooked so that s-he won't switch to another channel.

A study (in Heath&Heath) compared the yield in food donations from two groups of students tracked for their past behavior: more charitable (“saints”), and less charitable (“jerks”). When a generic letter was sent asking for food donations, only 8% of saints donated, whereas when a detailed letter -with a map and so forth- was sent, 42% of the saints, and 25% of the jerks did: details hence multiply as people relish “the flow”:

At times you may experience flow [which Turner equates with 9 10 11

ME6102 no date: lecture 10. Hirakawa 1990:277. 2014:Befriending Fear, Worry, And Anxiety. R.D. Siegel is Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychology.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;liminoidâ&#x20AC;?] by fully immersing yourself in music, becoming one with nature, or losing track of time during a phone call. At other times you may experience something even more magnificent. Let me propose a related state, which I'll call superflow. This is when you are not only completely absorbed and unselfconscious but absolutely transcendent-....- exhilarated, energized, suspended in time, for an hour or maybe two hours; I don't know, because the experience rushed by in an instant. -...- I was utterly and joyfully unaware of my surroundings or worries -...- feeling happier, more creative, more amiable. [flow] bolstered my sense of belonging, vigor, and self-confidence. (Lyubomirsky 2008:189), Movies are no different. Starcrash (1978) is one of the many Star Wars sci-fi copycats. Besides Star Wars items (paranormal powers; galactic smugglers; star-ships that take ages to travel across the screen; light sabers; the rescue of a prince marooned on an uncharted planet; an an arch-villain dressed in black leather named Zarth Arn...), Starcrash includes a Barbarella (1968) angle (scantily leather clad heroine on a cosmic mission); gun-slinging sentient robots (as found in The

Black Hole, 1979); murderous troglodytes (The People That Time Forgot, 1977); neutron stars ( a hot commodity receiving increasing scientific validation in the 1970s); warring amazons; fight scenes; giant robots, and so on and so forth: an hyperreal (abridged, novelized, condensed...) story.

The Humanoid (1979) offers another Star Wars salad bar, this time with a mad, Frankenstein-style runaway scientist, a Chinese-Italian kid playing a composite, paranormal character: a Tibetan lama/ siddha12 dressed in Luke Skywalker style13. Of course, a quintessential bad guy in dark leather and helmet on 12 13

In Hindu/Jain philosophy, an accomplished spiritual practitioner imbued with paranormal powers. A white garment very similar to those Japanese Zen monks wear beneath their overgarment and monastic robe.

a cosmic domination binge is present: he strives to overthrow his brother (“big brother” in the movie, the twin/doppelgaenger motif), the meek ruler of a nonviolent civilization.

The 2014 remake of Robocop looks sinisterly like the last Batman movies, and so does the 2013 re-take (The Tiger Mask) on popular Japanese cartoon

Tiger Mask (1969-71): quantum entanglement, indeed. To capitalize on success of low-budget blockbuster Bloodsport (1988), Van Damme tried a more polished, bigger budget copycat movie that mixed the tournament motif with romanesque undertones in 1996 The Quest.

2013 music video Run Boy Run won accolades. A 3m36s sort of

Neverending Story unfolds on screen as a boy engages in a initiatory, oniric run towards an ivory city atop the clouds. Ever bigger trolls spring from the soil to run after him: some bestow upon him a horned helmet and a sword as a frigate flies by:

Run boy run! This world is not made for you Run boy run! They’re trying to catch you Run boy run! Running is a victory Run boy run! Beauty lays behind the hills Run boy run! The sun will be guiding you Run boy run! They’re dying to stop you Run boy run! This race is a prophecy Run boy run! Break out from society Tomorrow is another day And you won’t have to hide away You’ll be a man, boy!But for now it’s time to run, it’s time to run! Run boy run! This ride is a journey to Run boy run! The secret inside of you Run boy run! This race is a prophecy Run boy run! And disappear in the trees Tomorrow is another day And you won’t have to hide away You’ll be a man, boy! a mythologist couldn't have delivered a better condensed, novelized and abridged cargo of myths. 18

For all that matters, even wrestler Don Muraco can spin the gnostic yarn delivering

pseudo-philosophical

tirade

(deepities=statements

that

sound

supercharged with meaning but are intellectually hollow, faulty and/or ambiguous ) before a 1983 steel cage wrestling match against Jimmy Superfly Snuka: “a form of knowledge flowing from the heart in a mysterious, intuitive way” 14;”A symbol is talking to you and, whether the head knows it or not, the heart knows it.”15.

Because of this, the gospel author's solution was to tell us he did great things but they had no idea how to show us something so great that would sway reader opinion. I believe this is because the gospel authors couldn’t think of anything wowing enough to show so they hoped the reader would be amazed based on audience reaction. In other words, there is no good news. Just bad writing. -...-More of the same as in the canonical gospels, more parables and quite frankly, nonsense. Certainly nothing an elder or group of people would be flocking to. -...-This is just pure and simple nonsense. This is the same type of language a sham of a psychic would use to act like they know something when they don't. -...-Quite frankly, Elvis Presley fans have preserved more, memorized more, quoted more and cherished more words from that legendary singer than anyone recalled from when Jesus allegedly lived and spoke (Wojciechowski 2016:no page). Luminary of Chinese Confucianism, Mencius (IV century BCE) also thought Heaven (a deity representing positive values, order etc) dwelt within the human heart: an interface to an organized cosmos:”Let yourself wonder that your

“Esses são os três estados alterados de consciência que criam condições para a irrupção da gnose, um conhecimento que brota do coração de forma misteriosa e intuitiva. Dentro do filme gnóstico, estes três estados vão orientar os protagonistas na busca pela Verdade. São verdadeiras transformações íntimas, salvações individuais. É importante salientar que as provações que os protagonistas vão enfrentar não são decorrentes de pecados, erros ou transgressões. Ou seja, a jornada de sofrimentos e dificuldades não se constitui em castigo. É aqui que temos uma diferença fundamental entre o filme gnóstico dos outros tipos de filme: o protagonista não passa por uma expiação, mas está em busca da salvação através do conhecimento espiritual.” (Vieira Ferreira 2009:46). Campbell&Boa 1989:49.

spirit find a way And reach for the power from within ”16.

The difference between the impact of a mythic image and its secondary theological interpretation, no matter how relevant, matches the gap between getting a joke and having it explained. (Gerringer 2006:2). Anything that reads or sounds remotely like immemorial literature -such as the Vedas- may do the trick:”Mythologies are not invented: they are found” (Campbell). Muraco's tirade is fit for any hero-savior approaching his Calvary: he is just putting his belt on the line in a wrestling match everybody knows is prescripted, however.

The lyrics of 1986 song Hold On To The Vision17 take the public on a gnostic journey along with the momentarily disgraced hero who doesn't give up, refuses to accept negative criticism, fights and ultimately wins. Drout 18 explains rhetorical craft used to alter the order of discourse in order to lend credibility to the same, as if the same discourse were a biblical passage or a famous quotation people chanced not to know.

The Vedic hymn reflex

(= a form of primary speech as prayer)

mentioned above steals the day:

I'm a scholar. I read. I remember my friend Alan Watts once asked me, "Joe, what is your yoga?" And I said, "My yoga is underlining sentences." Old Will Rogers used to say, "All I know is what I read in the newspapers." Well all I know is what I read 16 17 18

Song Hold On To The Vision from the movie No Retreat No Surrender (1986). Used as soundtrack for the Karate Kid rip-off movie No Retreat No Surrender. 2006:Figures Of Speech I.

in books-with a little bit more added. (Campbell&Boa 1989:67). in epiphanies, prose fiction comes closest to the verbal intensity of lyric poetry ( most modern lyrics are in fact nothing but epiphanies); so epiphanic description is likely to be rich in figures of speech and sound (Lodge 1992:148). expressing the inexpressible is a current running throughout mystical poetry. Herein is a unique function of poetry that differs from the conventional usage of language utilized in rational discourse. A functional difference between poetry and prose is that while prose relies strictly on the meaning generated from words to express a given statement, poetry can – in a sense – lift one above the page, invoking an imaginative space, a newfound and creative semantic field. (Hyam 2009:36). In Chinese Chan Buddhism -starting with master Zonggao (1089-1163)it was said in matters of “stories” ( gongan) that:”If a sentence is understandable, it is not good for meditation; only those sentences without answers are useful.”. Creative process teacher Hermanson writes:

In my Psychology of Creativity courses, I go even further. I want my students to leave their rational minds behind and let their imaginations take over. The only way to do that is to intentionally give them something confusing. One of my favorite and most powerful exercises is to have the students speak gibberish to one another. The mind can’t comprehend what is being said, so they’re forced to step into a “third space,” an “imaginal” space, where a new language comes to them through mental images, story and metaphor. My goal is take them out of their element in whatever way that I can. When we’re confronted with something that our very smart left-brains cannot even begin to figure out—that’s when the magic happens. That’s the moment we have a space for the imaginal. (2013:no page). There are a dozen or so purported causes of psychotic thinking. Each hypothetical root cause produces its own distinctive flavor of psychosis. And like flavors, the different forms of psychosis are sometimes difficult to tease apart. There is not enough specificity 21

between the various forms of psychosis to reliably distinguish them from each other. -...-Disordered thinking is usually associated with the most severe cases of schizophrenia. Patients may mumble to themselves, giggle for no apparent reason or blurt out angrily. Disorganized psychotic thoughts resemble a collage of unrelated ideas as opposed to a linear narrative. -...-The third reason for the shortage of reported schizophrenia cases in ancient times may have been that milder forms of mental illness often went unrecognized by families because such behaviors did not result in any social disturbance or personal distress. This situation is not that old; early in my career, I met several families of psychotic patients that had additional members whose thinking was clearly disordered. The families typically framed those members’ nonsensical language as poetic, mystical or esoteric. -...-Divination practices were almost always conducted by shamans, and consequently, each ritual became imbued with supernatural trappings. In fact, it may have been the disordered thinking of the shaman that helped inject randomness into such affairs. -...-Cults are formed when three stars align: 1 — a charismatic personality endowed with 2 — mildly delusion ideas represents 3 — a marginalized segment of society. Parenthetically, a good proportion of this marginalized segment may be excluded from mainstream society precisely because they exhibit small measures of psychosis (especially idiosyncratic or disordered thinking). In large, complex societies, this triad is the fountainhead of new religions. Such a potent combination could have occasionally been present in traditional societies; however, the typical extremism so often seen in cults would have normally been tempered by skeptics in the tribe. Accordingly, anthropological accounts show that although shamans were customarily influential in group-level decisions, they were by no means the final word.(Polimeni 2012:25,27,38,145 emphasis added). McDonald19 ran “a text mining analysis of religious texts”:

No date.

•

The Book Of Mormon;

•

The Greater Holy Assembly;

•

The King James Version;

•

The Popol Vuh;

•

The Quran;

•

The Rig Veda;

•

The Tao Te Ching.

The noun category20 overlap between such antipodal sacred texts never goes below 39%. (Un)surprisingly -according to the present writer at least- overlap between the Popol Vuh21 (sacred text of the Maya from Guatemala) and -say- the Book Of Mormon and the Quran22 is 55% (average is 53%). In the verb category 23, the Popol Vuh overlaps 72% (Book Of Mormon), and 59% (Quran), with an average of 64%.

As Joseph Campbell24 put it, myth(ologie)s are lies when applied to the 'real' world, and truth when applied to the inner, spiritual, psychic world; or -as he put it elsewhere- myth(ologie)s are to be considered as poems, and not as news reports of eye-witness accounts 25:”To see life as a poem and yourself participating in a poem is what the myth does for you.”26.

Campbell's point is well taken. Many myths masquerade as purported 20 21

23 24 25 26

McDonald no date:9. The present writer supposes this sacred text is the least likely to have influenced the rise of other religious traditions. The Quran (Islam) and the Book Of Mormon (LDS) are sacred texts that arose roughly ten centuries apart in different continents. Ibid.:11. 1986. 1972. Campbell&Moyers 1991:49.

“eye-witness accounts” with all the paraphernalia, just as many murder cases have the culprit hide behind a seemingly “iron-clad alibi” complete with camera footage, eye-witnesses and other impeccable corroborations that fall apart under investigation as a deception the culprit staged to be left off the hook:“If you tell the same story five times, it’s true.” (White House spokesman Speakes in 1983).

People who relayed variants of the “hippie babysitter” urban legend (a hippie babysitter on drugs stuffs and cooks in the oven the toddler in her care) clinched:”We had a meeting at school, and this psychologist told the story. I think he said that it happened to a friend’s neighbor.”27.

According to Ehrman, some medieval copies of the Luke gospel omit the famous passage as the crucified Jesus utters:”Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (23:34). Ehrman explains medieval redactors interpreted the prayer to be directed to benefit the Jews who -being considered deicides at the time- were unworthy of such leniency, so some copies of the Gospel do not carry the much celebrated phrase because at some point it conflicted with political taboos.

Ehrman also informs how different core manuscripts of the Gospels rely a different take on Luke (2:4828): Mary rebukes Jesus after he's located discussing

Brunvand 1981:44.”These Brigham Young University versions (1972, 1977) were both, of course, said to be absolutely true. One storyteller commented, however, “If that’s true, I’m sick … but like I said, that was told from a reliable source.” (It was a relative of a friend of a friend, as usual.)” (Brunvand 1981:45). “When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."”.

with the elders in the Temple as a boy. Because of the highly sensitive topic of Mary's (presumed) “perpetual virginity” of later centuries, the words “your father and I” were changed to “Joseph and I”, or “we” because Jesus' father was supposed to be an high god, not a Jewish carpenter.

One might even have journalists riding to the rescue for a while championing the frail little creature who couldn't possibly have done such a horrible deed, which is to blamed upon marauding maniacs:

When Housman writes that "poetry is not the thing said but a way of saying it," and when he states again "that the intellect is not the fount of poetry, that it may actually hinder its production, and that it cannot even be trusted to recognize poetry when it is produced," he is no more than reaffirming and lucidly formulating the first axiom of all creative art—whether it be in poetry, music, dance, architecture, painting, or sculpture—which is, namely, that art is not, like science, a logic of references but a release from reference and rendition of immediate experience: a presentation of forms, images, or ideas in such a way that they will communicate, not primarily a thought or even a feeling, but an impact. (Campbell 1960:42). Myths come from where the heart is, and where the experience is -...-. The myth is not pointing to a fact; the myth is pointing beyond facts to something that informs the fact -...-: a myth is a metaphor that points beyond the image to a mystery (Campbell&Toms 1988:vol.6). Freud repeatedly describes the transference as -...- an “artificial illness”, and as a “new edition or reprint” of an old text. And of course, the word transference itself is merely the latinate version of metaphor (Brooks 1994:41-2). The only way to ‘remember’ in this case is for the patient to experience this past thing for the first time in the present, that is to say, in the transference. This past and future thing then becomes a matter of the here and now, and becomes experienced by the patient for the first time. . . . This is the equivalent of remembering. 25

(Winnicott in Epstein 2013:89). all shamanic practices are visionary, and it is a redefinition of the imagination. Shamanism is apparently an imaginative practice. The imagination in shamanism is considered to be limitless, and it is not considered a place of fantasy and fabrication. It is considered to be possibly a place of fantasy and fabrication if you are fantasizing and fabricating. But if you are not, the imagination is used as an unlimited visionary gateway that allows you to interact with spirits and to travel (Souther 2012: no page). the origin of the mythological symbols is not pseudo-scientific, pseudo-historical -...- they [=mythological symbols] are not the consequences of observations; they are the consequence of observations misinterpreted through projections from the human psyche (Campbell 1972-2:The Function Of Mythology.) Image does not refer to the result of sense impressions,it has no referent beyond itself, 'neither proprioceptive, external nor semantic: "images don't stand for anything".. they are the psyche itself in its imaginative visibility; as a primary datum image is irreducible'. -...-Since the soul, made of images, mediates between matter and spirit, image is the mediator, and is therefore, in itself 'im-mediate'. (Angelo 1992:157-8). Popular culture is never far behind, again. The Project Enigma29 -led by Romanian artist Mihai Cretu- took the music world by storm in the 1990s with their albums: an instant planetary success. Enigma â&#x20AC;&#x201C; soon imitated by many- is worth pausing over, as they tried to engineer products that -indeed- sounded like a Vedic hymn, yet tailored to accommodate the parameters of modern disco dance. A hit with viewers for decades, the theme song â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Wind Power, of which many variations exist- of popular travel show Globe Trekker30 is purportedly inspired by traditional Balinese renditions of the Ramayana epic.

29 30

http://www.enigmaspace.com/ Known under several names in several editions and across languages.

Drout31 explains that -according to his analysis of popular music over time- cliches and borrowed phrases abound: “the formulaic density of top 40 songs -...- approaches 85% [as it typically recurs ] -...- in oral traditional material“. Although very critical of formulaic density, Drout 32 surprisingly hails some speeches as rhetorical triumphs: Winston Churchill's discourses33.

Enigma offered a salad bar of plentiful nods (Vedic, gnostic, Jungian, New-Age, Hippie...assuming one could tell the difference) with vocalizations (=the 'scream' mytheme that obsesses the human mind 34) in unknown, purportedly mystical languages such as Latin, and tribal languages such as Mongolian:”“Profound understanding leads of course towards screaming, that is to say towards screaming again, this time with hope.””35.

The melodious, high-pitched human voice calls millions of Muslims to prayer every day the world over. Chinese Zen patriarch Ma-tsu ( VIII century CE) adopted shouting (katsu) -and beating with a stick- to trigger enlightenment, a technique later perfected in Japanese Rinzai Zen. Does U.S President Obama (grotesquely) mimic the voice tones of stereotypical Black preachers? Professor of communication Frank36 connects those voice patterns to West-African indigenous 31 32 33

35 36

2006:Subtleties. 2006:Rhetorical Train Wrecks And Triumphs. A casual reading of Churchill's discourses reveals they're literally stuffed with so-called formulaic density, platitudes and hymn-like stuff. When the socially acceptable, and politically opportune enter the scene, however, brass magically turns into gold. Screams are everywhere. Do singers not often emit a long howling, screeching or other noise (=vocalization= phatic act) to enrapture the listener? Are screams not a core component of 'slasher movies'? Winnicott, in Epstein 2013:66. 2016:The Science Of Nonverbal Communication.

traditions.

Acclaimed Italian singer/songwriter Lucio Dalla proposed in 1986

Lunedì Cinema, a song in which he only executed vocalizations without any meaning, yet that many mistook for a fabulous language: “speaking in tongues”, what a favorite commodity. In 2003, the soundtrack of sci-fi mini-series Children

Of Dune (based upon the chapter in the Dune series) included songs sung in the language of Dune's desert people. In spite of being as eerie as totally fictitious, it sounded as good as any Project Enigma gnostic song.

Sarah Brightman's 2003 song Arabian Nights also delivers a cargo of pseudo-Vedic, gnostic motifs:

Melodies unspoken Flowing from the lotus of my heart Ending where we start Promises unbroken Promising a never-ending fire Of love beyond desire Ending where we start Of course, the precious human soul loves the melodious human voice when it's trilling, whereas when it's emitting groans, whimpers, and the like, it induces sulks, pain and stupor.

Christian Pentecostal denominations offer their variation on the theme: the faithful, whom the holy ghost has (purportedly) descended upon, speak in tongues following the biblical tradition. Hindu Transcendental Meditation devotees37 also speak in tongues and indulge convulsion fits:”it's like a madhouse”

A form of “sacred sound” meditation the “Beatles guru” Maharishi Mahesh Yogi introduced in the 1950s.

comments an ex TM governor as guest of 1984 Christian documentary Gods Of The

New Age38 :

And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers. (Acts 2:4-6)39. “Now I Aggivessana, am aware that when I am teaching Dhamma to companies consisting of many hundreds, each person thinks thus about me: ‘The recluse Gotama is teaching dhamma especially for me'” (Gautama Buddha, Maha-saccaka-sutta. M.1.249, emphasis added). Those of us who were around [Hindu guru Neem Karoli Baba, 19001973] continually had the experience that he would talk to one person, and everybody in the group would feel the relevance of what he was saying to their life. It was as if he was talking to each of us even as he talked to one person (Ram Dass, Inner Tuning, 1989). And how, if Phoebus [Apollo] did not cause Plato to be born in Greece, did he [Plato] heal human minds with letters? For even as the divinely begotten Asclepius is a healer of the body, so Plato is of the immortal soul. (Diogenes Laertius, Lives Of Eminent Philosophers 3.45). This is a subtle trickster attribute. The trickster has the ability to communicate effectively across markedly different cultures. (Hansen 2001:106). If you are useful the rich will exploit you, if you go bankrupt he will desert you. Are you well off? - he will live with you, he will clean you out without a single qualm. Does he need you? - he will hoodwink 38

Christian Evangelical group Spiritual Counterfeits Projects pressed legal charges -and won in 1978-79- to rule Transcendental Meditation as religious in nature, hence barred from public school teaching. “It is a terrific passage, mysterious, moving, and powerful. It is one of the passages used by Pentecostal Christians to show that Jesus's followers will be able to speak in unknown "tongues," as happens in their own services of worship; and it is the principal passage used by groups of "Appalachian snakehandlers," who till this day take poisonous snakes in their hands in order to demonstrate their faith in the words of Jesus, that when doing so they will come to no harm. But there's one problem. Once again, this passage was not originally in the Gospel of Mark. It was added by a later scribe.” (Ehrman 2005:66).

you, smile at you and raise your hopes; he will speak politely to you and say, 'Is there anything you need?' He will make you feel small at his dinner parties and, having cleaned you out two or three times over, will end by laughing at you. Afterwards, when he sees you, he will avoid you and shake his head about you. Take care you are not hoodwinked and thus humiliated through your own stupidity. When an influential person invites you, show reluctance, and he will press his invitation all the more. Do not thrust yourself forward, in case you are pushed aside, but do not stand aloof, or you will be overlooked. Do not affect to treat him as an equal, do not trust his flow of words; since all this talking is expressly meant to test you, under cover of geniality he will be weighing you up.(Catholic Bible, Sirach 13:4-11). In antiquity as well, new magic words ( voces magicae, contextual meaning and no semantic sense40) were coined for various purposes:

[nos papiros mágicos gregos]Muitos contêm desenhos, que deveriam ser copiados na areia e no pó. Outras vezes, as mesmas fórmulas mágicas são transcritas com a intenção de formar figuras, gerando sons incompreensíveis, chamados de voces magicae 41 (Nunes de Sousa&Cazotto Terra 2008:90). The phenomenon, disengaged from cosmic references, has disengaged ourselves, by that principle, well known to magic, by which like conjures like. In fact, both the magic of art and the art of magic derive from and are addressed to experiences of this order. Hence the power of the meaningless syllables, the mumbo jumbo of magic, and the meaningless verbalizations of metaphysics, lyric poetry, and art interpretation. They function evocatively, not referentially; like the beat of a shaman’s drum, not like a formula of Einstein. -...-But according to our life, we have had, for an instant, a sense of existence: a moment of unevaluated, unimpeded, lyric life—antecedent to both thought and feeling; such as can never be communicated by means of empirically verifiable propositions, but only suggested by art. (Campbell 1991:168, emphasis added). They didn’t know what they were saying, and we don’t know what 40

Example a contemporary reader might grasp are: alkazaam (=contains the name of Allah); abracadabra (mimicks the letters of the alphabet), etc. Many (magical Greek scrolls) contain drawings to be copied onto sand or dust. At other times, the same incantations are inscribed so as to draw figures, which generates meaningless sounds, which are called voces magicae.

we’re saying, but we think we’re saying the same thing. (Grateful Dead music group member Jerry Garcia about a comparison between their pageantry and that of ancient Mystery Religions). A shaman among the Navajo or in the Congo will be saying things which sound so much like, say, Nicolas Cusanas, or Thomas Aquinas, or C.G. Jung, that one just has to realize that these ranges of experience are common to the human race. (Campbell 1976:no page). Apollo's oracle at Delphi (“the womb of the Earth”) talked in terms of

voces magicae, which priests later interpreted in poetic form; the garbled responses earnt Apollo the surname “the oblique”. Christian gnosticism also names the Luminaries42 (divine emanations in a chain of interrelated gods) as Harmozel, Oroajael, Deueithal, Eleleth: voces magicae that remind one of medieval hermetic or kabbalistic demonology or angelology.

The mind magic crowd also relishes all sorts of charms, rituals and meditations that ought to help one forthwith to attract one's ideal romantic partner, business associate, income level etc:

America invented assertiveness training. -...-This is the idea behind Americans’ optimism. With the right effort and unbending determination, there is no obstacle you can’t overcome. -...- Americans cherish the capacity to define what we desire and then score: if you know what you want in your relationship, just go for it. (Perel 2006:71-72). Juvenile Japanese (counter)culture lulls itself with English lyrics that often are just a bunch of disconnected English words that make no sense whatsoever (contextual meaning and no semantic sense): it looks so worldly, though. 42

Just like the four evangelists, these spirits minister to the Self-Originate, or Christ.

Mythologies not only feed on hymn-like stuff. One of Berlusconi's many claims in 2013 was that he would leave the country (=the hero might go away dejected in spite of being deep down the best among us all), and change name should he not win an upcoming election, and keep his many promises. Renzi, secretary of the former Communist Party and now Italian Prime Minister, follows suit in 2014: should the tax cuts, reforms and investments he promised not materialize soon, he would acknowledge to be a buffoon 43. Of course, taxes rise under Renzi, and Berlusconi remains at home in spite of losing the election. In 2016, as another popular vote approaches, Berlusconi vows to once again leave the country in case of a fiasco.

A recent study finds that when U.S. supermarkets were confronted with the challenge of a Walmart entering their home market, all suffered, but those who used a promotional pricing strategy (e.g., frequent sales) experienced significantly greater revenues and longterm viability than an everyday low price strategy(Thaler 2015:46). In 2016, stupendous Hillary Rodham Clinton loses the bid to become U.S President. As she sulks in defeat, elated lefties and Social-Communists worldwide shiver in angst fearing she might die of chagrin or the like: some â&#x20AC;&#x153;unbiasedâ&#x20AC;? press had even hastily congratulated her on her victory.

After cashing a good electoral return by promising a euro 80 monthly bonus to low-income families -alongside the usual massive subsidies and tax cuts-, in June 2014 the Renzi government puts the much awaited bonus on hold for a

ANSA, March 13, 2014.

number of previously included categories, and tackles a row of possible tax increases to fund the faltering budget: inheritance tax, gasoline tax, stamp duty tax, farmland, tobacco&liquor tax...Renzi's faux-pas has immediate electoral consequences: Renzi's party performance drops on second ballot elections.

Still ruminating upon his electoral defeat, Sarkozy in 2013 44 vows to relocate to England (=the disgraced hero goes away) for tax purposes, yet in 2014 he suggests he might seek re-election. In 2015, Sarkozy pockets electoral successes, and announces his run for President in 2017, just as all those action movie Rambo, Rocky and so forth characters renounce voluntary exile (retirement...) in order to set things straight again, and again, and again.

In 1976 Napoli Violenta (an Italian copycat movie with a Charles Bronson vigilante cop character), a righteous vigilante cop resigns in disgust, but changes his mind upon seeing a young boy crippled in a mafioso attack that had killed the boy's father:”burnin' with determination to even up the score”.

Popular physique superstar Steve Reeves (1926-2000) -among the highest-paid actors in European cinema for his roles such as Hercules in the 195060s- presented to the public in 1997 a food supplement for aspiring bodybuilders. It allegedly was an industrial rendition of a 'secret' recipe of his from the good old days, which Reeves would formerly prepare for his own personal friends exclusively. Lakhani45, too, offers a limited number of seats to a few selected people: 44 45

Mailonline, January 22, 2013. 2010:01. The “just too powerful for the average person” shtick is typical of the various “coming of age” movies.

the information he has to share is simply too powerful to offer to just about anybody who's willing to pay the hefty fee.

Jesus personally handed out food to his close disciples in the Last Supper. Christians the world over can nowadays partake of that exact mystical meal no longer reserved to Jesus' inner circle. The Eleusynian Mysteries, which Demeter had instituted in a time before time for the inner circle of her devotees, were later extended to the world at large.

Reeves assured the product would trigger impressive fat loss, energy bursts and muscle growth (=the politician's tax cuts and subsidies; the religionist's eternal salvation), “or my name isn't Steve Reeves”, he quipped:

Scarcity and exclusivity boost word of mouth by making people feel like insiders. If people get something not everyone else has, it makes them feel special, unique, high status. And because of that they’ll not only like a product or service more, but tell others about it. Why? Because telling others makes them look good. Having insider knowledge is social currency. (Berger 2013:33). We’ve known for a long time that the more expensive a wine is, the more we enjoy it. However, the particularly interesting thing is that this correlation exists only when we know the price. When the wine tasting is blind, and we don’t know the price, there is virtually no correlation between the cost of the wine and how good we think it is (experts have a positive correlation even in blind tasting, but there are very few of these real experts, and even for them the correlation is very small). (Ariely 2015:166). Always get to know something about every person you hope to persuade. In this case, it is better to receive (information)than to give. The person with the most information about the other holds In No Retreat No Surrender, Bruce Lee's spirit admonishes young Jason how martial arts shouldn't be misused.

the biggest set of cards in the game of persuasion. (Lakhani 2005:101). People Are Hard to Hate Close Up. Move In. (Brown 2017b:22). An adversary is someone whose story we haven't heard yet (Dale Carnegie Organization 2005: disc 4). Psychopaths eventually guide you into believing that the two of you are unique, very special, and destined to be together. They portray themselves as the perfect friends, employees, or business partners. This may take considerable time and effort on their part, and the grooming will be subtle. The sad truth is that the psychopathic bond is a sham; it does not exist except in your mind. You now are potentially open to psychopathic use and abuse. (Babiak&Hare 2006:280-1). Hulk Hogan relayed how the sale of vitamins associated with his image sharply declined when it was made public he (had) assumed performanceenhancing drugs. This is an excellent demonstration of how ethos -opposed to logos and pathos- may work: celebrities wouldn't put their reputation (=synonymous for

ethos) at stake suggesting a fraudulent (rigged, unworthy...) product to the meek public that places so much trust in what they say.

In reality, reputation is not in there at any point in time: a transaction (whether in terms of checks to clear, exposure, public profile, ballot-box or cashcounter returns...) takes place instead. Renzi and Berlusconi -like Hulk Hogan and Steve Reeves- act just like another celebrity marketing another espresso coffee or malt liquor brand in the form of 'great causes' the human mind finds so irresistible.

Jesuit scholar King has to acknowledge46 the immense impact of ethos 46

1994:God And The Secular World.

(=questions of credibility): a famous athlete, or a person opportunely attired shall do the trick. In Burma, it is forbidden to touch Buddhist monks' robes, while in the Italian Brianza of the past it was customary to preface gossiping about Catholic clergymen with the phrase “salvandogli l'abito” (saving [the clergyman's] robe):

Surveying megachurches in 2005, the architect and writer Wytold Rybczynski found them, like Lakewood, “resolutely secular” in design. He wrote of Willow Creek Community Church, outside Chicago, for example, that “it doesn’t look like a place of worship, but what does it look like? A performing-arts center, a community college, a corporate headquarters? . . . Inspiring it’s not. It’s the architectural equivalent of the three-piece business suit that most nondenominational pastors favor.” (Ehrenreich 2009:378). He went to a Southern California megachurch with his sister’s family. Filled with options, the church was a giant, customizable religious emporium. Coffee stands (with high-end coffee, not the cheap stuff) were open throughout the expansive church grounds. You could watch the service from inside the stadium, from just outside, or in a coffee shop/bookstore on a flat-screen TV (an option Keith’s sister called “church-lite”). The service itself started with a set by a talented and inspiring musician who sounded like Dave Matthews. The words to the music were projected on a screen, so you could sing along if you wanted (this was a choice, too). A motivational speaker followed, telling a fantastic story with a personal life message (with a reference to Paul from the Bible). After the service ended everyone had doughnuts—and more really good coffee—while the kids played on the lawn. Keith was happy, the kids were happy (there’d been video games and live music in the Sunday school building), and it was a beautiful Southern California day. In one sense, the service demanded nothing. It was really entertaining. There was a huge degree of individual choice, and no kneeling—unless you wanted to. By adapting to today’s selforiented culture, this megachurch was able to bring people back to religion. Many of those who joined would start thinking about God more, some would study the Bible in detail, some would become better and more caring citizens, some would volunteer to help the world, and some would ultimately become less narcissistic. This odd bit of alchemy—taking narcissism and trying to turn it into altruism—is at the heart of much modern religion. 36

(Twenge&Campbell 2009:152). A number of studies have found that the expertise effect is substantially stronger if the information is delivered by a surrogate. The boost in the effect is even greater if the information is delivered by someone who does not have an apparent, vested interest in the goals of the expert. -...-The researchers determined that people remembered an object better if it was paired with an expert.(Vishton 2016:148-150). Hundreds of studies have shown that predictions based on an expert's "personal experience" or "years of training" are rarely better than chance. (Tavris&Aronson 2007:30). Exotic sages enjoy a widespread popularity in the West, band congregations, mesmerize masses, hobnob with emotionally deprived celebrities, and typically amass financial fortunes: they are barely capable of expressing themselves in the host country's language, if at all. How could they effectively transmit the intricacies of samadhi, nibbana or satori if they are unable to even fluently talk about the day's press? Perhaps because ethos is all there is:â&#x20AC;?Not everyone who wears a turban is a released spiritâ&#x20AC;?47. Much as Foucault's and Badiou's lectures in their native French were wonderful, their lectures in English were barely intelligible.

How is the standard lay person going to decide, if not on the basis of commodious credibility issues, emotional truth, and fleeting political opportunism? This emotional arc leading to emotional truth is typically based upon logos, or rational account, extrapolation of the law:â&#x20AC;?Finally, the use of example and maxim to

Campbell&Toms 1988: vol. 3.

form the enthymeme in each fable completes the logical appeal of Logos.”48; ethos, or priority given to the credibility of the speaker and/or circumstances:”the fable enables the speaker to find common ground, or Ethos as Aristotle labeled it, with the audience.-...-Thus, Ethos, or moral appeal, was key to the form of fables.”49. Cialdini50 appropriates the above: “credible authority”, a mixture of knowledge and trustworthiness (which he equates with disinterestedness);”Without concern for reputation, trade can break down completely. -...-One way to think of reputation, then, is as a way to reduce the information asymmetry”51.

Finally, pathos surfaces through bandwagon and emotional appeals: an emotional identification with the narrative:”More anger or more humor led to more sharing. Adding these emotions boosted transmission by boosting the amount of arousal the story or ad evoked. Negative emotions can also drive people to talk and share.”52;”Emotions by their very definition are feelings that spring outward in response to some stimulus. To be subliminally persuasive, you must understand which emotions you are appealing to and attempting to get a reaction from.”53.

Alternatively, pathos rests upon sentimentality (or just mawkishness) as a feeling based on thoughts:”Pathos, or emotional appeal, was inherent in the fable's form, manipulating the audience to cheer for the underdog, empathize with

48 49 50 51 52 53

Bonniksen 2006:6. Bonniksen 2006:6. 1995:2a. Chen&Krakovsky 2010:82,84. Berger 2013:63. Lakhani 2008:64.

someone in pain, be outraged at injustice, and rejoice in that which was beautiful and pure.”54;”Children are limited in logical ability. Their earliest way of thinking is through feelings (felt thought). ”55.

You don't know what hard times are daddy. Hard times are when the textile workers around this country are out of work, they got 4 or 5 kids and can't pay their wages, can't buy their food. Hard times are when the auto workers are out of work and they tell 'em to go home. (Dusty Rhodes' wrestling promo, 1985). Obscenity (=life as it is=authenticity) represents non engagement, the negation of sentimentality or hokiness. This sort of jibes with what self-esteem expert Branden claims. People are to think that “they are enough” in order to make happiness possible. The downfall begins when they make the issue debatable, thus opening the flood gates of shame shamanism on the part of clergy, family members, politicians, society at large: living by other people's standards.

John Lee seems to agree: people ought not to compromise in order to have a relationship with anybody else:”“What will they think of me?” —must be put aside for bliss.”56; ”Moral denunciations and moral attacks in personal encounters do not produce desired results other, perhaps, than your emotional catharsis -...- but don't imagine that what you are doing is serving the purpose of inculcating moral behavior”57.

54 55 56 57

Bonniksen 2006:6. Bradshaw 1988:42. Campbell 1991:49. Nathaniel Branden (2005). Branden also adds that such commonplace tactics increase the likelihood that a third party -whether child, colleague etc- may transgress rather than decreasing it. If one thinks s-he's bad to the bone because you keep saying so, then s-he may as well “act the part”.

A 1961 version of a popular urban legend may help clarify what ought to happen when violating other people's standards one is supposed to abide by: shame shamanism. A couple soon to be married is babysitting a young relative when

During the course of the evening they became passionately inclined, took off their clothes, and frolicked about the house.-...He gropingly took her down the stairs in the dark. When they reached the bottom, a light came on and the girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parents, the minister, and many prominent people of the community jumped out from their hiding places and yelled, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Surprise!â&#x20AC;? They had arranged a surprise bridal shower for the couple. The boy dropped the girl from his back, ran up the stairs, grabbed his clothes, and fled from the city. It was later learned that he had joined the Navy, and never again contacted the girl. The girl lost her mind, and was committed to an asylum. (Brunvand 1981:83). As the sweet horde in fusion warmly empathizes, weeps or moans, the heart of darkness makes an obscene gesture as s-he cachinnates:

What works is being in the moment and responding spontaneously-ideally, surprising yourself.-...-That inner response is another attack trying to keep you engaged and is often an indicator that what you were about to say will work-in fact, is exactly what is needed. Remember, a good defense is not a reasonable response to the attack but a break from what is expected, something that catches the judge off guard by not playing its game. This will often mean speaking out of character for you, as your normal pattern is to be engaged. -...-The goal is -...- to free your own energy and feel the freedom. If macabre acts do that, fine! -...-So to break out of the loop means first and foremost stopping that relationship-not modifying it or changing its emotional tone but actually stopping it. Disengaging separates you from the other and, more important, from the experience of being in relationship.(Brown 1998:242,248,264). Withdrawal is an assertive behavior in the face of bully or offender type criticism. (Bradshaw 1998:211).

Y sólo podré conseguir la fe que queráis compartir (No Llores Por Mì Argentina). That's how secret service operatives and interest group informants direct many extremist groups and blacklisted parties: they look so authentic to their membership (logos-ethos-pathos). 'Racist' U.S radio host Hal Turner even had one page full of incendiary quotations on the site of minority watchdog ADL. According to what's on the ADL page in 2006, Turner -so 'White, Christian and proud'- urged fellow proud, Christian Whites to machine-gun illegal immigrants at immigration rallies; to cripple Hillary Clinton with brass-knuckles; to run “vigilante executions” of judges, mayors, congressmen, “savage negro beasts”, “filthy Israeli scum” etc 58.

In a (supposedly) leaked email to his FBI overseers, which notorious “anti-hate” watchdog Southern Poverty Law Center considers authentic, 'racist' U.S radio host Hal Turner clinched gleefully regarding his enthused votaries:”Once again, my fierce rhetoric has served to flush out a possible crazy. ”:

Hal Turner worked for the FBI from 2002 to 2007 as an "agent provocateur" and was taught by the agency "what he could say that wouldn't be crossing the line," defense attorney Michael Orozco said. "His job was basically to publish information which would cause other parties to act in a manner which would lead to their arrest," Orozco said. (The San Diego Union-Tribune, August 18, 2009). But an investigation by The Record — based on government documents, e-mails, court records and almost 20 hours of jailhouse interviews with Turner — shows that federal authorities made frequent use of Turner in its battle against domestic terrorism. -...-in particular, the difficult choices for the FBI in penetrating 58

Hal Turner...2006:no page.

controversial fringe groups with equally controversial informants. -...-FBI memos indicate that the bureau had appropriated as much as $100,000 for Turner's work as an informant. ( Records Show...2009:no page). The investigation quickly focused on Roy Bullock, a paid ADL operative and well-known figure in the gay community who had possession of an extensive ADL "enemies list" of some ten thousand individuals and 1,000 organizations. -...-Other information developed that there were Bullock and Gerard "clones" positioned in or close to police departments throughout the country. (Wilcox 1994:10). The group's founder, [ Middle-school teacher ] Jason Levin extnote, told the Associated Press that it has 65 leaders in cities around the country who are seeking to orchestrate infiltration of this week's Tea Party protests. -...-According to the group's Web site, it is seeking to infiltrate Tea Party groups in order to "propagate their pre-existing propensity for paranoia and suspicion." The site says some members have already attended meetings and rallies. "Whenever possible, we will act on behalf of the Tea Party in ways which exaggerate their least appealing qualities (misspelled protest signs, wild claims in TV interviews, etc.) to further distance them from mainstream America and damage the public's opinion of them," the site says. "We will also use information that we have gained in order to disrupt and derail their plans." ( CBS News, April 13, 2010). Strong and immediate reactions are a key characteristic of fascinating brands. Some reactions are positive, some not, but they do fascinate.(Hogshead 2010:146). In his profane quest for the Grail, Parsifal gets his first attempt wrong. A secular hermit forewarns him nobody gets a second chance at entering the Grail castle, yet Parsifal goes ahead undaunted, and ultimately succeeds:

they [= Arthurian knights ] thought it would be a disgrace to go forth in a group, so each entered the forest"-the forest of the extnote

Levin later chose resignation in lieu of termination from his job as political backlash ensued and he was investigated at work for “neglect of duty”. In his campaigns, Levin also urged to assassinate Tea Party and rightwing people. Levin resurfaced in 2014 as a “Green Party candidate” (note of this writer).

adventure-"at a point that he, himself, had chosen, where it was darkest and there was no path." (Campbell 1989: Where There Was No Path) It sounds an awful lot like what happened between Neo and the Oracle in the Matrix movies:

The Gnostic signal must penetrate the thick interference of the world, a world that is not only flawed but ruled by a conspiracy of ignorance-of noise. -...-The Logos that saves the prince is an informing light embodied in a technology of communication, and its transmission echoes the archetypal scenario of information theory: a sender, a receiver, and a message that must protect itself from the demon of noise-the "children of Babel" against which the king's letter is sealed.â&#x20AC;?. (Davis 1999:98). As Varki59&Brower60 wrote in 2013, the evolutionary quantum leap may not reside in anatomical modifications, but in the ability to deny reality in spite of overwhelming evidence:

This book began with a specific idea initiated by Danny Brower â&#x20AC;&#x201D;an attempt to explain why so many highly intelligent species have not progressed to developing an awareness of the selfawareness of others (a full ToM) despite all the obvious benefits of doing so. The suggested explanation is that this was not possible without simultaneously becoming able to deny the risk of mortality, a very rare combination. -...-As we have discussed, this ability has both positive and negative value. On the one hand, we blithely deny the reality of critical issues at the personal, familial, social, cultural, communal, national, international, and global level, at our peril -...-. On the other hand, we can acknowledge our denial and address these important issues. But we can still continue to deny reality enough to be optimistic and confident, allowing us to move forward with ideas and projects that may seem impossible to the true realist. (126). 59 60

Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Cellular&Molecular Medicine. Geneticist. A professor in the departments of Molecular and Cellular Biology.

Both Socrates and Ben-Shahar61 think that the greatest insight comes from within, whatever they happen to be talking about:

As gnosticism would have it, everything we need is already within us (Vieira Ferreira 2009:46)62. We all have a Buddha immanent in our minds. When we practice recitation to the extent that our minds are pure and free of vexations, we will meet the buddha within ourselves. (Chinese Pure Land Buddhist monastic Wuling, July 15, 2009). Again, the Katha Upanishad aims at the knowledge of Immortality and enjoyment of Immortality, but it focuses on the psychological complex of man and on the cause of death and not only on what happens after the death but the entire complexity of all that is immortal which needs to be known in order that immortality is realized. It points out that the supreme reality, which is immortal is seated in the deepest cave of the heart as the Purusha which is not larger than the thumb of a man and that one has to know from the very close the Jiva, the individual Soul, who is the eater of sweetness, and it is also the self within our being that is lord of what was and what shall be. (Varma, MAISI031: unit 2:6). The personal myths of Jungian psychology have little enough in common with the classical language of faith , and nothing whatever to do with the language of modern science. Because it offers no criteria of validity, other than the therapeutic experience of conviction, Jungian theory amounts at once to a private religion and an antiscience. For this reason, and despite its downright unreadability, Jung's theory has held out some comfort for contemporary literary humanists who, bored by the bread-making miracles of modern science, need to be reassured that man cannot live by bread alone. Jung developed a fresh rhetoric of spirituality, without the bother of churches or the imposition of consequential ethics. His therapy was a theogonic process: the gods remade to populate a charming cosmos, full of interesting people (Rieff 2006:98). Sometimes we need a story more than food in order to live. They tell us about who we are, what is possible for us, what we might call upon. 61

2005-6a:lecture 6. Cfr. the text of Hold On To The Vision:â&#x20AC;?Nobody told you, that you've face the truth alone. But you got the power to begin. Let yourself wonder that your spirit find a way And reach for the power from within â&#x20AC;?. 62

(R.N. Remen in 2005). Gnostic solutions appear everywhere in very similar fashion. Brutus, the father of the Roman Republic (VI century BCE)

accompanies the sons of Tarquin to Delphi and hears an oracle foretell that the first man to kiss his mother will inherit Rome. Brutus pretends to trip and secretly kisses the earth. -...- [After he had overthrown the King and introduced a Republic] Brutus learned that his two sons had become embroiled in a plot to restore the Tarquins. Like a true noble paterfamilias, he epitomized the new spirit of the Republic by personally condemning his own sons to death. In so doing, he severed his claim to any kind of hereditary aristocracy and became the first pure symbol of Republican Rome, where duty to the state came first above all. (Meineck 2005-1:55-6). Alexander is required to loosen the mythical Gordian knot, in order to be granted divine boons according to a prophecy (victories, glory, rule over Asia, descriptions vary). When he realizes he can't untie the knot, he severs it with his sword.

Brothers Ganesha and Muruga63 are required to circumnavigate the Earth (or the universe, descriptions vary) in order to determine who shall get married first. Muruga takes off astride his celestial peacock: heavy Ganesha is left dejected with the mouse (=the human ego) that serves as his vehicle. That is when Ganesha has the decisive insight: he circumambulates (=mimicking the sun's course) his parents Shiva and Parvati (=the universe or the Earth), thus winning the contest.

Again: in one of the many renditions, for in some Muruga and Ganesha (or Shiva, Parvati and Muruga) aren't even related.

An oracle predicts that none in Krishna's lineage might defeat the warrior Kalyavana. In battle, Krishna flees with Kalyavana in pursuit. Hiding in a cave, Krishna causes Kalyavana to be incinerated without violating the law of destiny (parabda karma) when Kalyavana abruptly wakes up sage king Muchukunda from his yogic slumber in the cave 64. Appearing outwardly as a coward in flight, Krishna “tricks” Kalyavana into causing his own demise.

Shiva loses all his attributes, including his loincloth, to Parvati in a ruthless game of dice after the sage Narada lures Shiva and Parvati into the game as they split from the androgynous form Ardhanarisvara. Thanks to Vishnu, Shiva later wins his attributes back.

Culture heroes and hero-founders such as Brutus, Alexander and Ganesha are very often liminal figures (such as Brutus=”stupid”; upstart Alexander; heavy, elephant-headed Ganesha). Even Gilgamesh, the great Mesopotamian hero, whom many take as an historical King of Uruk, was 2/3 divine according to the lore. He was the son of a goddess and of a priestly King (=old Semitic-Mesopotamian motif). Interesting is to ponder that this priestly King ( lil-la) meant -according to French assyriologist Contenau- “an imbecile”: the hero as Jungian “wounded healer”.

Culture heroes break taboos, flaunt the socially acceptable, and go as far as 'the great cause' requires to get the job done scoffing at collateral damage: 64

A boon Muchukunda had received from Indra. Whoever might forcibly wake him up from his samadhi would be incinerated.

Disruption, loss of status, transition, deception, disregard of moral boundaries, and a prominent role for the supernatural are typical aspects of cultural change, and they are also all part of the trickster constellation [=virulence]. (Hansen 2001:85). This result suggests that we humans have a weakness for altruistic cheating, even if we barely know the person who might benefit from our misbehavior. (Ariely 2012:112). “Going as far as required scoffing at the rest” can take all sorts of garbs: medieval knights go on all sorts of assignments to win a dame's favor; adults make themselves ridiculous trying to entertain or win a small child's attention; groupies, zealots and devotees clip edges, tell tall tales and cut corners to put their 'great (wo)man' or 'great idea' in good light:”As Butler put it, “If you suppress a fact because it is awkward, you will next be asked to contradict it.””65.

Defendants tell the story-line of another cable TV movie as purported autobiographical narrative detailing the indignities they suffered as they groan, gasp, have neurological or gastrointestinal syndromes in order to court leniency 65

Rieff 2016:41. This dynamic lies at the core of all credal statements: what we suppress; what we contradict; what we affirm. The proud Turkish nation “suppresses”, “affirms” and “contradicts” items regarding the Armenian genocide. A fitting -if humorous- example is the spat between Christ-mythicist scholar R.M. Price and dilettante D.M. Murdock. In 2004, Price reviewed Murdock's book thus:”I invite the reader to go to Ms. Murdock’s website -...-, where one will be regaled with the self-appointed guru’s cheesecake-poses and boasts.-...-The Christ Conspiracy is a random bag of (mainly recycled) eccentricities, some few of them worth considering, most dangerously shaky, many outright looney.”. In 2012, Price updated his memory on the D.M. Murdock circuit, for she had gathered over the years a small cult of followers who might promote Price, too:”Acharya was quite forgiving, and we have become friends. Since that time, a number of people, some of whom hold critical opinions closer to mine, have expressed astonishment, even anger, that I removed my review of her The Christ Conspiracy from my website. I withdrew from the chorus of denunciations of my new friend. Why? And have I come to recant my criticisms? -...-I find the books of Acharya S/D.M. Murdock to be researched in amazing depth, comprehensive with a scope that fairly makes my head spin, -...-I am very glad to call her a friend. I admire her work and learn from it. And if that were not so, I wouldn’t lie about it just because we are friends. I am very sorry I once vilified her, and I wish that anyone associated with me would stop vilifying her, too. Grow up. If you reject her thinking on this or that point, fine. There’s no need to get nasty about it. ”. That's a classic case of report talk versus rapport talk the Mormon/LDS Church is eager to endorse:“It may be that you will lay your scholarly reputation and the acclaim of your colleagues in the world as a sacrifice upon the altar of service.”.

from the justice system.

CEKA/NKVD, GESTAPO or Khmer Rouge thugs commit mass murder on political grounds:”This is the general outline for an answer to why pollutions are often used in renewal rites.”66; ”things that give deep passions are your sword; rules and regulations have no meaning anymore ” 67; “Permission gives absolution”68;”the death of “evildoers” reduce[s] their mortal terror” 69;”The person with poor selfesteem acts out of fear rather than confidence. -...-And in human relationships, such a person seeks, not admiration, but, more commonly, an escape from moral values, an escape from standards, a promise to be forgiven, or to be accepted without being respected, or to be admired without being understood—to be comforted and protected or else held in blind awe.”70.

After all, Hitler himself -after the failed 1923 Beer Hall Putsch during which the party security apparatus had collapsed- longed for a bodyguard ready “to march against their own brothers”71.

French anthropologist Girard declares that scapegoating (=hurting or turning the back to shivering, frail little creatures) is the natural response from one 66 67 68

69 70 71

Douglas 1966:164. Lyrics from Rocky IV (1985) soundtrack Hearts On Fire. Lakhani 2005:132. This resonates perfectly with the famous Milgram experiments of the 1960s. Medical psychologists estimated that only 3,7% participants would administer 300 volt shocks: 100% participants did so instead. Only 1,1% was supposed to administer 450 volts, but 62% did (DeRue&Sytch 2015:unit 2). Lakhani is here right: permission (in the Milgram experiments coming from a researcher in white lab coat) gives absolution indeed. Solomon et alii 2015:104. Branden 1985:80. Hitler reminisced thus in 1942. Compare with Jesus:”Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me ” ( Matthew 10:37).

who wants to show s-he's one with the mob: the Zoroastrian choice. Choice is one of the main indicators of motivation: how far is one willing to go?

that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would not otherwise have occurred. (Scottish mountaineer W.N. Murray, 1951). In a trivial example, does one choose to stay home in order to work on a school problem, or does one agree to go have coffee outside with one's love interest instead?

The Hottest Places in Hell Are Reserved for Those Who in a Period of Moral Crisis Maintain Their Neutrality (attributed to U.S President J.F. Kennedy, in turn inspired by Dante). That's really beginner's psychology even people living in mud and straw brick houses 5.000 years ago understood, even if they attributed the insight to a superhuman prophet with a flowing beard who had gotten the clue from an high god as he ascended bodily to heaven.

The endless retelling of the biblical story of Job -epitome of an entire mythical narrative genre- looks fit for an actioner on cable TV; or for any politically authenticated flumadiddle of one's choice:“His wife said to him, "Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!" “(Job 2:9).

Alternatively, Jesus can be constructed as the answer to the ancient book of Job:”For He [=god] is not a man as I am that I may answer Him, That we may go

to court together. There is no umpire between us, Who may lay his hand upon us both. ”72. If Jesus becomes the head honcho, then St. Mary can be inserted into the cast in order to “plead one's case” in front of Jesus as Yahwah recedes into the background.

Instead of a biblical Job, an actioner might have a Rambo copycat figure who never denounces, or otherwise betrays, the proud nation back home. Baptist pastor and counselor G.D. Chapman 73 suggests that people haven't all the facts to be angry at god for not averting hurtful events: “right or wrong, it is my country”, “my god”, “my family”, “my Catholic Church”, “my Buddhist teacher”, “my political party”, “my chairman Mao”. Frazzled and usually incoherent humans on one hand urge people to react with indignation, or to meekly acquiesce to wrongdoing: the Antigone shtick gets short-circuited.

He is a scandal-monger of the most dangerous type. He repeats all the rumors, criticism, he hears about our country’s part in the war. He’s very plausible… People like that… through their vanity or curiosity or treason they are helping German propagandists sow the seeds of discontent. (WWI U.S CPI propaganda poster). It may be that you will lay your scholarly reputation and the acclaim of your colleagues in the world as a sacrifice upon the altar of service. They may never understand the things of the Spirit as you have a right to do. (Mormon Apostle B.K. Packer in 1981). Several tales across several cultures rely the riddle an illustrious personage (knight, prince...) met by happenstance (on the road, in the woods...)

72 73

Job 9:32-33. 2008.

presents to a wise commoner (fisherman, herdsman, peasant girl...). The commoner is to meet the acquaintance at a designated time and place neither dressed, nor undressed; neither riding, nor on foot. The commoner solves the dilemma wearing a fish net, and riding a small goat, and s-he is thus rewarded: the peasant girl marries the prince; the fisherman becomes a nobleman in the prince's retinue: from the “chosen person” to the “chosen people”.

60 Minutes met him in Montreal, Ground Zero for the Canadian lottery scam because of the light sentences handed out for telemarketing fraud in Canada. But Foley had just been arrested and extradited to the United States, where he pleaded guilty to defrauding people in 24 states. "I was one of the best there was at conning people out of their life savings over a telephone," says Foley, who spoke on condition of anonymity. He claims he has scammed millions of dollars from his victims. "I am currently awaiting sentencing on federal charges for my crimes, and in a nine-month period, they estimate $7 million (U.S.) -- and that's in nine months." Foley says he's been conning people since 1995. "I always wasn't as good as I was now, but I would have to say, $3040-50 million, perhaps, I coaxed out of people's pockets." He did it by playing on the American dream of instant wealth, using kindness and patience to insinuate himself into the lives of elderly and lonely people. "I developed rapports with my customers. I called them my clients, who were really the victims. I spoke to them every day," says Foley. "I had to make the person on the other end of the phone feel like they were sitting in my office, but in a much smaller chair on the other side of the desk. And I was the one who controlled their destiny. I was the one who could change their lives for them. I could make them happy." (Leung 2004:no page, emphasis added). In his book Telling Lies,[ Ekman] describes the forms duping delight can take: “The lie may be viewed as an accomplishment, which feels good. The liar may feel excitement, either in anticipating the challenge or during the very moment of lying…. Afterward there may be the pleasure that comes with relief, pride in the achievement, or feelings of smug contempt toward the target.” (Feldman 2009:82). 51

Of course, the myth is incredibly hollow. Cinderella is ready to marry the first prince, whose party she attends; and the prince pledges to marry whoever puts successfully on the crystal shoe.

In a religious frame of reference, anyone (=outcast, devotee etc) gets to sit after trials and tribulations -or rituals that replace such tribulations- to the right hand of some heavenly -not simply earthly- sort of king, the spiritual counterpart of earthly authority figures, complete with flowing beards, halos (in lieu of crowns) and a pageantry of Saints, cherubim or seraphim in lieu of courtesans, dancing girls and men-at-arms.

Magic plays a part in many shame-based people's lives. Hiding behind fantasies of "someday", "if only" and "when" — a person may live out his life waiting for a miry godmother or godfather. The fantasy bond sets people up for magical transferences to other fantasy bonds. (Bradshaw 1988:86). Positive self-esteem is based on the determination to know and to act in accordance with the facts of reality as perceived and understood. But to the man or woman of pseudo-self-esteem, reality is often the enemy: reality precludes positive self-esteem, since the pretense at self-confidence and self-respect is purchased at the price of avoidance. (Branden 1985:79). This time, when the housewives added fresh eggs, oil, and real milk, they felt like they’d participated in the making and were much happier with the end product. When someone told them, “What a delicious cake you made!” they could smile and respond: “It’s an ancient family recipe.” They didn’t just accept the compliment; they believed they deserved it. The Duff cake mix story offers a simple and clear example of the power of effort and ownership and how it relates to motivation. It shows that when we work harder and spend a bit more time and effort, we feel a greater sense of ownership and thus enjoy more the fruits of our efforts. (Ariely 2016:26-27, emphasis added). 52

"I developed rapports with my customers. I called them my clients, who were really the victims. I spoke to them every day," says Foley. "I had to make the person on the other end of the phone feel like they were sitting in my office, but in a much smaller chair on the other side of the desk. And I was the one who controlled their destiny. I was the one who could change their lives for them. I could make them happy." The Sphinx asks her riddles to countless people who happen to approach Thebes. Whoever pulls the sword out of the stone shall be anointed king. The American-Indian girl of the Buffalo dance myth is ready to marry any buffalo should buffalo herds provide her tribe with meat.

Qualifiers about “the one and only prince” barely camouflage the story's shallowness:”This sort of partner glorification has actually been found to be a factor in relationship success.”74. This claptrap about two people freely choosing each other as “the one” ought to make liaisons and jealousy impossible, a vestige of patriarchy where control freaks exploit subservient women. Perel 75 comments that the threat of a possible extramarital affair keeps couples together.

Hindu lore presents similar dilemmas. Virtuous Anusuya is tested (=favorite mytheme) by the Trimurti (=Brahma, Siva and Vishnu) visiting her as wandering ascetics. She was so virtuous that she (in one of many legends) taught

satitva (wifely fidelity) to Sita.

Tradition obliges her to feed the visiting ascetics, but they request that

74 75

Feldman 2009:68. 2017:part 9.

she also do so naked, thus violating modesty vows. She successfully turns the Trimurti into babies76 through devotion to her ascetic husband, so she can serve them naked without incurring sin. As a reward, she is granted 77 the divine child (=mytheme) Dattatreya who combines the virtues of the Trimurti and lives as an

avadhuta (=ascetic in pursuit of spontaneity who disregards etiquette).

The commoner in the lore also displays stereotypical heroic -or psychopathic- traits78: being “cool under fire”; “talking one's way out of situations”; being nomadic and/or thrill-seeking, confident, exuberant, bold, deft at “managing impressions”, and at “chatting people up”. A Harvard-trained psychiatrist and Columbia-trained Buddhist scholar, Loizzo couldn't agree more about being “cool under fire”, which preserves one's neurological potential for coping with life's adversities. Moore also juxtaposes “calm, non-anxious presence” and “psychological system integrity”, in turn gage of “resilience”79.

Ekman and O'Sullivan found out that “wizards” (performing at 80% or better in judging deception) were people raised in either abusive situations, or in tense social situations, for example in a neighborhood rife with inter-ethnic strife 80. The Dale Carnegie Organization concurs81: one ought to appear to be “always in 76 77 78

79 80 81

Unlike Abrahamic gods, traditional gods are not completely immune from their actions' consequences. Different legends list different sons and different gods born to her as such. Behavioral, not clinical, statement of compatibility with current definitions of psychopathy in research. “ In contrast, traits are permanent, crystallized configurations of a psychological or neural system, enduring across different contexts, and they are irreversible.-...-clusters of traits constitute personality types (such as introverts or extroverts)” (Baron-Cohen 2011:94). No date-3:part 8. Frank 2016:Interpreting Nonverbal Communication. 2005: disc 2.

control”.

Of course, the psychopathic hero (or heroic psychopath) can hardly be told apart from an emotionally intelligent door-to-door salesman:

If you ask a psychopath if he or she has ever worried about leaving the stove on after leaving the house, you will get this blank expression I am referring to. Psychopaths have no concept of what worrying like this is like. Psychopathy and OCD [obsessivecompulsive disorder] are at opposite ends of the spectrum. (Kiehl 2014:140). Everyone is trying to enroll everyone else as a character in their story. (Faulkner 2002:21). While we would talk late into the night, one would find oneself suddenly a part of [Bill Clinton's] dream, his vision and his path (R.E Levin, who collaborated with Bill Clinton, wrote this in 1992)82. [Steve] Jobs’s “reality distortion field”: an ability to convince anyone of practically anything. -...- “He uses your first name very often. He looks directly in your eyes with that laser-like stare. He has these movie-star eyes that are very hypnotic. But what really gets you is the way he talks—there’s something about the rhythm of his speech and the incredible enthusiasm he conveys for whatever it is he’s talking about that is just infectious.” (Gallo 2010:28). When I am with you, we stay up all night, When you’re not here, I can’t get to sleep. Praise God for these two insomnias! And the difference between them. (The Two Insomnias, poem by Muslim Sufi mystic Rumi, Barks trans.).

The Dale Carnegie Organization (2005: disc 3) begs to agree. Being assertively curious means to elicit exchange with other people by conveying “dreams”, not just vague hopes: this gets people fired up and ready to participate. From M.L. King to Hitler or Churchill, “great men” have dreams they are eager to share with the “poor” (in spirit or in practice) who surround them. Bill Clinton allegedly discussed high-politics with lowly service personnel (gardeners, janitors...). Chelsea Clinton (Bill Clinton's daughter) tweeted on August 1 st, 2017:”Thank you to all the White House ushers, butlers, maids, chefs, florists, gardeners, plumbers, engineers & curators for all you do every day ”.

Contrary to what the present writer argues, professor of management Roberto83 sharply disclaims the possibility to draw the typical leader's personality profile. It is enough -the present writer argues- to take the stereotypical profile of the quintessential 'man of destiny' (any M.L. King or Gandhi one wishes), and to reverse the polarity.

What about some rabble rouser a la Tom Metzger 84, Gary Lauck85 or G.L. Rockwell86 rallying Fascist skinheads to march in favor of a segregated society? “My only conclusion, at that age, was it must be something to do with the color of their skin. Since my skin color was the same as theirs, it made the problem mine. ” 87. Can this phrase apply to White people victimized en masse by criminals of color? Isn't race just a “social construct”? What if this phrase comes from a Black activist enraged at the repression targeting civil-right activists of color in the 1960s? Does race then stops being a commodious culture-bound syndrome to become real?

A fundamentalist Christian pastor marching against the sin of homosexuality, perchance? No matter how non-violent, polite or otherwise legitimate, such protest becomes unthinkable, a taboo, with good peace of all the underlying arguments that serve only as preposterous fig leaves for petty political advocacy.

83 84 85 86 87

2011:Portrait Of A Transformation. Founder of U.S radical right-wing group White Aryan Resistance (W.A.R). Some minority watchdogs labeled him the greatest propagator of neo-Nazi materials. Founder of U.S radical right-wing American Nazi Party. He was shot in 1967. Scruggs 2017:no page.

As author Sam Vaknin puts it, psychopaths bring color to the victim's otherwise black&white life. Research psychologist Dutton quips:”But there’s evidence to suggest that psychopathy, in small doses at least, is personality with a

tan—and that it can have surprising benefits.”88.

Campbell89 discusses indigenous cults on the Pacific island of Malekula, and concludes that “ a neurosis makes an interesting person because the person is being -...- compulsively controlled by symbolic -...- insight. Objects outside have symbolic values that they do not have to a person that is not neurotic”.

Or that Ferenczi could talk about the "neurotic passion for transference," the "stimulus-hungry affects of neurotics.":" We don't have to talk only about neurotics but about the hunger and passion of everyone for a localized stimulus that takes the place of the whole world. We might better say that transference proves that everyone is neurotic, as it is a universal distortion of reality by the artificial fixation of it. -...- Neurosis represents the truth of life -...there is no line between normal and neurotic, as we all lie, and are all bound in some ways by the lies. (Becker 1973:147,177-179). Whether or not our experienced in fact corresponded to what we nowadays would call parental abuse or neglect, this thread of memories plays a key role as the worst case in our developing sense of ourselves and our world. Given the self-protective bias of our minds and brains, this worst case thread is typically thrust front and center in our mental life, where our instinct is to cling to it like our lifeline or security blanket, as if it were the one and only ticket to our survival in a hostile world. What emerges from this selfprotective spasm is what I call the traumatized sense of self or simply traumatized self, known to Buddhist psychology as the alienated personality and to modern psychotherapy as the neurotic character. Current health psychology has found this worst-case selfimage to be a central variable in stress-reactivity, through studying constructs like external locus of control, learned helplessness, and 88 89

2012:11. 1980.

low self-efficacy.(Loizzo90 2012:47-48, emphasis added). Marc Brackett, the director of the Yale Center For Emotional Intelligence, claims that “emotionally intelligent people” in the company settings he studied are people others want to have around, just as psychopaths are a jolt of excitement to have around until they reveal their true colors. As 1988 Kim Wilde's hit You Came exemplifies:”You came, and changed the way I feel. No one could love you more Because you came and turned my life around. No one could take your place ”.

While pencil-necked sweat-hogs and other drones join the rat race at 6h45AM, the hero -or psychopath- manages to “to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life”91: a statement worth of Nietzsche well before he introduced his “desire for power” (later “will to power”) in the 1880s; intensity versus convention. NLP and persuasion expert Kenrick Cleveland hails his followers on his website thus: “you guys rock- all you JEDI warriors!”. Michael Carroll talks about “bodhisattva warriors” as the “mindful leaders” his seminaries may produce.

Mass-men thus idolize the heroic psychopath -or psychopathic hero 92- as paradigm of the new humanity they yearn to join someday:

And so, as mentioned, psychopaths, on average, blink slightly less than the rest of us—an autonomic artifact that may well contribute to their 90

91 92

A Harvard-trained psychiatrist and Columbia-trained Buddhist scholar with over thirty years' experience studying the beneficial effects of meditation on healing and learning. He is is Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry in Integrative Medicine. Walden, Thoreau 1854:no page. A wild card like Breivik guns down dozens of young Socialists; a security guard guns down radical Islamists.

intense “reptilian” aura. On the other hand, however, it’s also been speculated that psychopaths’ intense gaze may reflect enhanced, predatory concentration levels: like the world’s top poker players, they are continually psychologically “frisking” their “opponents” for key emotional tells-...-.Hare suggests that it’s probably a little of both: that psychopaths, right now, are on a bit of a roll, and that the more of a roll they get on, the more normative their behavior becomes. (Dutton 2012:30,93). In myths the snake is a frequent counterpart of the hero -...-. For example, the hero has eyes like a snake (C.G. Jung). If psychopaths “are on a roll”, faceless drones they blight have also to be co-dependent (=abetters, accomplices), another form of personality disorder that contemporary society eagerly cultivates in the population at large. Co-dependency may hide under patriotic “independence or death” slogans; “better dead than red” gospels; romantic comedies and songs that preach “you are my everything”.

People scramble to excuse yet another pedophile Catholic priest, genocidal freak, 'just war', corrupt politician or lusty oriental spirituality guru in the name “of one's everything”. Knights bow in front of the only one true King; soldiers die and make others die in the name of the only true 'great cause'...

Medieval troubadours went as far as to maim themselves to attract attention from the (usually married) dame of their dreams. Legend has it that Huik'o, successor to legendary Buddhist patriarch Bodhidharma, cut off his arm to be admitted as a disciple. In the name of “one's everything” all is possible:”No wonder Rank could conclude that the love relationship of modern man is a religious problem -...-. Man reached for a "thou" when the world-view of the great religious

community overseen by God died.”93.

Medieval romance may just be the right way to explain humankind's obsession with 'best of all causes' (=”the kind of person” one is or is not):”The rejection of self is the core of toxic shame. ”94. Psychotherapist G.L. Fishkin represents shame as a “preconscious lymbic system hijack”.

Telling a child that she is wonderful for earning a good report card or terrible when she brings home a poor report card focuses on her person; telling the child that she has worked hard or that she did not work hard enough focuses on her behavior. That the child is wonderful in her parents’ eyes must be a given—whether performance is good or bad. Parents and educators who praise or criticize the person are increasing the likelihood of perfectionism in the child; focusing on the behavior, both in praise and in criticism, is more likely to lead to optimalism.(Ben-Shahar 2011:65). Lieberman95 puts social and physical pain on the same neurological level. People with higher physical pain thresholds are also more resilient when “social pain” (rejection, exclusion etc) applies: people apply physical concepts (“a broken heart”) to describe mental conditions based upon social circumstances. Conventional pain-killers also help to increase tolerance of social pain, whence -the present writer clinches- the epidemic use of recreational drugs originally intended to kill pain. People genetically predisposed to be more sensitive to physical pain are

94 95

Becker 1973:161. Campbell also insists on the religious value love absorbs in the chivalric middle ages when Catholicism entered into crisis: the problem of the “waste land”. Branden (1960/1969:lesson 7) draws a portrait of the “waste land” as self-esteem disaster (the chap who marries the girl next door he has known all his life and takes a subordinate job at his uncle's hardware store waiting to inherit the business at the uncle's death while claiming the moral high ground as a decent and humble man) but fulminates against mysticism and faith. Bradshaw 1988:158. 2011.

also more sensitive to “social pain” 96. Prinstein97 connects sensitivity to “social rewards” with the same neurological reaction to more mundane rewards such as drugs: adolescents want essentially to bond.

D.R. Kingma is a relationship author and speaker. In her examination of what an “ideal” or “typical” relationship has to look like in Western culture 98, she explains the relationship has to meet the following criteria:

•

Everlasting (one wants to love “for all time”. Can one imagine loving a different person every day for a while only? The LDS/Mormon ritual of “sealing for eternity” (spouses to each other or children to parents in a temple) is an example;

•

Domestic (in love, people dream about setting “love nests” up. In society, people congregate around best of causes in confessional States, gated communities99, congregations:”little enclaves -...- little vessels that carry the sense of specialness or superiority”100. One cannot imagine not “living up to” one's credo day on and day off);

Shouldn’t “You’re either with us or against us” have led to closer ties among the like-minded? The answer to these questions is a 96 97 98 99

100

The Science...2010. 2017c:22. 2000: audio 01. Jehovah's Witnesses are assertedly very strict as they enforce restrictions regarding which people members in good standing are allowed to associate themselves with. Moore 1993b. Moore (no date-3:part 10) claims that fundamentalism endeavors to “create a society” (e.g. AlQuaeda) in order to “act out demonic, tribal, religious leadership”. Clearly, it is a quantum leap between AlQuaeda and a nice segregated neighborhood, strict congregation or patrolled gated community.

resounding and surprising no. At the same time sorting is on the rise, so is loneliness. -...- But if I had to identify one core variable that drives and magnifies our compulsion to sort ourselves into factions while at the same time cutting ourselves off from real connection with other people, my answer would be fear. Fear of vulnerability. Fear of getting hurt. Fear of the pain of disconnection. Fear of criticism and failure. Fear of conflict. Fear of not measuring up. Fear. (Brown 2017b:33,37). •

Individual (the love of one's life is the only true one. One's chosen party or cause is the best ever. Can one individual support both the USSR and the USA equally during the Cold War? The CSA and the Union during the U.S Civil War?);

•

Daily (much as one dreams about loving one's beloved 24-7-365, so votaries cannot divorce their daily life from their 'great values'. Can one keep Jewish food taboos on alternate days only?).

Laced with a spirit of defiance and secrecy, illicit sex is bound to seem more transcendent. -...-Passion often loses its edge when it’s no longer new or forbidden.(Abrahms Spring&Spring 1996:201). Environmental change creates this rigidity -...-. When a change takes place in the external environment, we perceive it as a threat often. And threat seems to lead to this restriction of information and constriction and control in organizations: a rigid response on the part of people, groups and organizations. And typically, that rigid response entails a focus on well-learnt, dominant response pattern from the organization's past. And these well-learnt patterns of behavior may have been appropriate in the past, but they're typically not appropriate for the new environment. (Roberto 2011:Resistance And Reactions To Change). But [my future husband] adored adoring me. -...-Will you want to sit at his sickbed? Will you feel honored to take care of her when For Better becomes For Worse? If you love—yes. It’s evolution’s 62

mate insurance (Welch 2015b:50,115, emphasis added). for behind the Tyrant lies the other pole of the King's bipolar shadow system. the Weakling -...-The hidden presence of this passive pole explains the hunger for mirroring-for "Adore me!" "Worship me!" "See how important I am!" -that we feel from so many of our superiors and friends. This explains their angry outbursts and their attacks on those they see as weak. That is, those upon whom they project their own inner Weakling. (Moore&Gillette 1990:67-68). Kingma may have described what an “ideal relationship” looks like, but U.S therapist Taverner101, who specializes in relationship issues and infidelity, claims 50% of couples enter therapy to deal with (the consequences of) an affair across gender and sexual orientation lines. Taverner says that affairs “exist in a vacuum”, “make one feel alive” etc, thus clearly refuting Kingma's idealized portrait. Branden connects the urge to have extramarital affairs with professional dissatisfaction: a tryst as antidote to a job one feels trapped in. Perel adds that “we are not looking for another lover, so much as another version of ourselves -...-: it's a new self” 102; “8 in 10 Americans -...- when we buy stuff, we inhabit alternative realities -...-. When we buy stuff we pretend we are someone else”103.

Noted sex therapist Esther Perel 104 agrees: “lack of interest in the partner” and the feeling of being alive again propel extramarital affairs. Perel also adds “feminized”, “(a)shamed” men in the West (so that they can easily play across gender roles) are not particularly interesting to women. A man who wanted to win 101 102

103 104

2016. 2017:part 12. Perel also adds that affairs with former lovers from one's past are proliferating thanks to social media and the internet. Carroll 2009. 2013.

his wife back after she had an affair with a co-worker tried everything to help her recapture her “erotic self with him”, “He is full of ideas for how he can help her take more time and space for herself—to pick up all the things that used to make her feel happy. Volleyball. Yoga. Girl time. “But so far, it hasn‘t happened," he tells me.”105.

If you hate your job, you're not alone. And having in-office access to catered meals, a pingpong table or free massages may not make you any happier at work. Just 30 percent of employees are engaged and inspired at work, according to Gallup's 2013 State of the American Workplace Report (Grant 2013:no page). When it comes to generating the ultimate currency, how we perceive the work can matter more than the work itself. (Ben-Shahar 2007:106). Kingma's four quarters of an ideal love story (everlasting, domestic, individual and daily) leave one open to exploitation: “Psychopaths eventually guide you into believing that the two of you are unique, very special, and destined to be together.”.

Dating

expert

Welch

indicates

precisely

that

dream

relationship:”means being on the same team—a team that’s just-you-two.”. Lakhani106 urges marketers to create the same bhakti-style rapport between a brand and its customers: everlasting, domestic, individual and daily.

R.L. Moore107 connects the dynamic with a projection of the Hetaera archetype. Campbell108 explains that the “love” of European troubadours stands precisely in opposition to both lust and the Christian agape (brotherly love) that are 105 106 107 108

Perel 2017. 2010. No date-3:part 2. 1983.

indiscriminate, whereas the troubadour's amor is a unique interplay between two particular persons. Divorce courts easily disprove medieval gobbledygook, however. Self-esteem expert Branden argues that marriage vows ought to be updated to reflect reality: until life parts us.

Men fall for con-women109 in the belief that such people “have no agenda and just love being with them as they are” just as salvific heroes do (= shame trigger). Of course, sooner or later “the plan comes together”, the ploy is unveiled and the lovelorn dupe is revealed to have been a fool all along as confidence operators abscond.

News site The News Nigeria relates on May 9, 2015 how Jan Marshall, a 61yo Australian, depleted her savings by sending $350.000 to an online love king she believed to be a British gent who was both charming and a millionaire engineer. Like the nincompoop of mythology, Jan Marshall was urged to lend money to the elegant, educated millionaire just as people in fairy tales help kings or gods in disguise. Just as in folk lore, the future reward was the matrimonial bond.

A Nigerian scam gang collected her money instead. Domestic tax authorities now demand a further $76.000 sum from the lady. She declares about her experience that

‘Several friends tried to warn me, when you were in these things 109

Women can fall victims, too. Tabloids report of Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida (a star of the 1950-60s) who is routinely taken financial advantage of by paramours young enough to be her (grand)children.

they cut you off from your friends, encourage you to disassociate with them,’ she admitted.‘They (the scammers) tell you that no one understands what we have (emphasis added). Daddy, daddy if you could only see The one you warned me all about The one you said I could do without We're in an awful mess, and I don't mean maybe – please -...-Daddy, daddy if you could only see Just how good he's been treating me You'd give us your blessing right now 'Cause we are in love, we are in love, so please (Madonna, Papa Don't Preach, 1986). Mythological riddles embody often a national-popular version of a Grail or Oedipal quest110. An “open Sesame” narrative, perchance? Do some Buddhist traditions not rely on riddles ( koan) in order to trigger spiritual awakening? ”riddles play with boundaries, but ultimately to affirm them”111.

Adventitious details vary enormously (a Scottish fisherman; an Italian peasant girl...); the main topic may consist in one or several riddles (=the “marshmallow test” shtick”) etc:”And, of course, precision is not accuracy. ”;”Mystique: Why We’re Intrigued by Unanswered Questions -...-Surely the answers can’t be as interesting as the questions themselves. They rarely are”112.

The answer to a riddle may be replaced with some sort of kind act towards some great man incognito (=wandering gods incognito bestow trials upon mankind): that single act (for example Jason helps an old lady -or Hera in disguisecross a river) is worth immense rewards (a person in a past animal life paid homage

110 111 112

Oedipus had to answer the Sphinx's riddle; Parsifal had to ask the Grail King the right question. Maranda 1976:131. Hogshead 2010:79,81. How many movies, ads or novels feature a new sheriff in town, a new kid on the block, a “new arrival” on the scene?

to a Buddha, and he's now reborn a man to attain sainthood). Rubin 113 claims it is a doomed human propensity to heal and/or transform a flawed relationship through “love”: the Pygmalion shtick.

The “single kind act shtick” can become the “single damning act shtick”. The Christian god is implored during Mass to “speak the word only, and my soul shall be healed. ”:”This distortion results from toxic shame's grandiosity. One slipped stitch means, "I'll never learn how to sew." A turn-down for a date means "Nobody will ever want to go out with me." In this thinking distortion, you make a broad, generalized conclusion based on a single incident or piece of evidence. ”114.

The present writer has professionally met con-people whose specialty was to sell unmarketable goods115. Should a client dispute such fraudulent sale, the con-person would plead -as desperately as needed- not to dispute that particular shipment in exchange for future gratitude, favors, rebates and goodies that would vastly exceed the value of that day's loss:”sed tantum dic verbo, et sanabitur anima mea”116.

Of course, the con-person would either abscond with the payment, or keep delivering faulty merchandise in order once more to beg for mercy, for “being delivered” in perfect folkloric fashion: the perfect set-up. Readers may notice the

113 114 115

116

2014. Bradshaw 1988:196. As Nathaniel Branden might say, the self-esteem failure rests on the discrepancy between what one does; what one professes, and what one knows. “But speak the word only, and my soul shall be healed”, Christian Prayer Of Humble Access.

shell game works in every situation: dating117, politics118, business119...Should one prove to be “merciful and compassionate” (like Allah) in the present, boons would be theirs sometime in the future, or so the story goes.

Prinstein120 explains a study he conducted. Adolescents in a simulated internet interaction they believe to be authentic cast their decisive vote to “cast out” a peer, whom the “cool guys” had already voted down. Prinstein again 121 explains how social media easily lend popularity even to unsavory acts, thus blurring the boundaries between good and bad. Perceiving something as “popular” equals “releasing the brain's brakes”: this explains how so many Cambodians followed and idolized a secretive122 monstrous oddity such as Communist ultraist Pol Pot because “everybody liked him”, or “we were forced to like him”.

Because of a more or less trivial sin or transgression, one becomes damned:

"And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!' (Matthew 25:40). 117

118

119

120 121 122

For example, online Dulcinea promises eternal love in the future in exchange for monetary contributions in the present. She absconds with the money and the lovelorn is left penniless and distraught. Politician promises foreign policy adventurism, drastic tax cuts and hefty subsidies in the future in exchange for war declarations, votes of confidence etc in the present. Foreign policy adventurism ends in a fiasco (Tsipras), taxes rise and subsidies never materialize (Renzi). Investment advisers promise 20% net returns in the future in exchange for surrendering amounts of money in the present. The Ponzi scheme collapses; advisers abscond with the money and the investment is lost while courts adjudicate. 2017c:35. 2017c:59. Pol Pot was allegedly so secretive that extended family members of his realized who he was only after he was overthrown and exposed when USSR-backed Vietnam displaced the Khmer Rouge China supported. Cambodian Communists were busy massacring their compatriots following the orders of an elusive cabal of maximalists educated in France, not histrionic attention hogs such as Hitler or Stalin.

[the angel Raphael said]When you did not hesitate to get up and leave the table to go and bury a dead man, I was sent to test your faith (Catholic Bible, Tobias 12:13). Then the Licchavi Vimalakirti said to the patriarch Mahakasyapa, "Reverend Mahakasyapa, the Maras who play the devil in the innumerable universes of the ten directions are all bodhisattvas dwelling in the inconceivable liberation, who are playing the devil in order to develop living beings through their skill in liberative technique. (Buddhist Mahayana Vimalakirti Sutra, Thurman trans.). Jesus said:”And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” (Matthew 12:31). [People suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder]This amnesia surrounding emotions prevents you from remembering past experiences and from appreciating that pain is temporary and can be survived. Whatever feeling-state you are experiencing at the moment seems to last forever, and you can’t recall ever feeling differently. As a result, your last encounter with your partner may be recalled as the whole of your relationship. You forget all the good times you’ve had with your partner and may threaten to end the relationship based on one bad incident. With this black-andwhite quality of feelings, disappointment often turns to rage, which may be directed at others in fits of temper or physical attacks extnote. (Engel 2002:192, emphasis added). Whenever you get the acting out we're seeing on the world scene right now, [the Freudian] id is just in a rampage. -...- Any time you see rage, it is always a manifestation of the id (Moore 2003a). acting out—that is, translating strong emotional impulses into aggressive action. (Forward&Buck 1989:81). Also: a tricky situation may be the riddle to solve. In the Egyptian Tale

Of The Eloquent Peasant (about 2.000 BCE), a foreman tricks a traveling peasant into losing his possessions. The resilient peasant refuses to give up, then argues his

As it proves to be the case with Inanna, Yahwah - other so-called high gods- and of legendary rulers such as Napoleon, Amin etc. (note of this writer).

extnote

case in front of a nobleman: the King himself, however, reads transcripts of the peasant's arguments. In the end, having pleased authority figures, the peasant is promoted to foreman, and the foreman is fired (=trickery=role reversal):

It is thus not lack of cleanliness or health that causes abjection but what disturbs identity, system, order. What does not respect borders, positions, rules. The in-between, the ambiguous, the composite. The traitor, the liar, the criminal with a good conscience, the shameless rapist, the killer who claims he is a savior. . . . (Kristeva 1982:4). Fast cash and hefty windfalls are a long time favorite of the human mind. Most will be familiar with Michael J. Fox's rags-to-riches 'American dream' movies. Immemorial Buddhist Cullasetti Jataka sees a dejected lad who follows the hint of a noble sage he overhears proffering a prediction.

In just four months, the crestfallen youth has amassed such wealth to receive approval from the sage who initially proffered the prediction, who weds his daughter to him, and entrusts his princely estates to him as well. Michael J. Fox couldn't have done better on film, since the youth in the Buddhist tale started up by...picking up a dead rat.

The internet offers stories about this chap or that gal who begun trading disposable items, and ended up with a brand new sport car or the like: the hero's journey with his trials and ultimate boons.

The result? One hundred percent of the women demonstrated a significant jump in testosterone levels after listening to the growl of 70

Italian sports car engines. But it’s not just any car engine that turns women on. When the women listened to a comparatively weak engine, their testosterone levels plummeted below normal. Smaller engines, it seems, trigger less lust. (Hogshead 2010:73). The famous “Subway diet” story about this morbidly overweight guy who went back into shape by eating only at Subway (fast-food company) generated a revenue increase of 18% and 16% for Subway in the two-year period it was introduced in 2000123.

Since the 1990s, every product online that has anything to do with shape (diets, supplements, food, exercise, cosmetics...) includes “before and after” photos of very overweight people with a very blemished appearance turning into fit, tawny centerfold material with an awesome complexion.

For those who cannot be bothered with hero's journeys gobbling down slimming fast-food, doing push-ups, or applying creams there is photo retouching software that works like a breeze: young Japanese university graduates on a frantic job hunt hire the services of beauty salons and photo retouching specialists.

Contemporary readers may scoff at it quickly, for nobody really cares about preposterous stories relating about Bronze Age peasants, or fictional knights riding in imaginary woods. The same blueprint lives on, however, in all respectable romantic comedies -or hero movies like the various Rambo, Rocky, Karate Kid etcthe public elatedly digs. According to perfect Aristotelian prescriptions, do romantic

123

Roberto 2011:Making Change Stick.

comedies not revolve around meeting the true only one love, much as in the lore one meets -equally by happenstance- the true only one King -or god, knight...-?

Do romantic comedy's characters not get into misunderstandings at first, impose trials upon each other ( Non Son Degno Di Te, 1965; Pretty Woman, 1990...) much as folkloric Kings and peasants do? :

Am I high maintenance? Are you? Absolutely, to Mr. Wrong. But to Mr. Right, you’re a joy to be with and do for. -...- If Suzy wants anything long-term later, she needs to keep dating others now, and more than that—she needs to say so to Steve. -...-Because men’s mating minds don’t just seek fertility. They need fidelity. -...-Ancestral men who preferred hard-to-get partners were likelier to leave behind more children that were actually theirs—not a competitor’s. -...- Be Hard-to-Get: Use jealousy -...- [women] cultivate jealousy to discern the strength of their lover’s feelings and enhance his commitment (Welch 2015b:50,66,69)124. Why does a man of self-esteem desire [in a sexual/romantic relationship] a hero-worshiper? Because for man, sex is an act of conquest, and the hero-worshiper is a woman of exacting standards not to be conquered save by the man who is able to meet them -...[a woman wants] to be conquered by what? Not by brute strength, but by values, by greatness, by the intensity of her own admiration (Branden 1960/1969:lesson 9). Is that not the umpteenth time a frail little creature is pushed to the brink, only to be “rescued” (loved, married...) at the last moment, and nursed back to happiness (living happily ever after, etc)? That's the “lion and the mouse” fable shtick: a seemingly trivial favor earns eternal gratitude.

But what about the dangers of pornography of the mind and heart? 124

The Dale Carnegie Organization (2005:disc 2) begs to agree. Although only interested in business, they claim a “person of respect” must appear “very busy” so that other people may vie for the privilege of “joining the club”, as a long line in front of a popular restaurant attests.

-...- But what about the unhealthy emotional and relational expectations portrayed in so much of our media? Is there really much of a difference in the hyperbolized sexual imagery of typical pornography and the hyperbolized momentary emotional high felt in a romance film or romantic comedy that sends us looking for a “love” that doesn’t exist? -...- As a result, we’re taught to crave the moment of romantic ecstasy or to live for the wedding day. We’re raised to think these are the real stories of love and relationship, and we’re confused when they are so few and far between that we aren’t sustained. So we turn back to that which led us to believe in this fantasy all along. And we’re left with an old woman sitting alone, in her love seat, in front of the television watching her “stories.” (Nesmith 2010:no page). What is this whole “rescue and transform” claptrap if not the Pygmalion (taming of the shrew, or what have you) myth? As Vishnu in the form of Varaha (boar) rescues the Earth goddess Bhudevi from the ocean's depth, she falls in love with him. Sexual congress ensues 125 so that Varaha's son is born, much as Baal and Anat have sexual congress after the struggle:””embrace, conceive and give birth” -...-This relation is described in cattle imagery: Baal as a bull, the birthing ones as cows, the offspring a young male heifer. These images express the hopes for the power and wealth of kings.”126.

Sex Addiction therapist Alexandra Katehakis 127 suggests that fantasies of “rescue”, “prince(ss) in shining armor” stem from early (infantile, juvenile) 125

126 127

“A missing section may have contained a scene of sexual copulation between the two. Other text fragments describe Baal as he sees Anat approaching and then as he bows before her. There follows a vision of cows mating and giving birth. Baal exclaims, “Like our progenitor I shall mount you.” “Baal advanced, his penis tumescent,” while “moist was the nethermouth [vagina] of Anat.” In another fragment, the sexual congress of the two is described in this way: “Baal was aroused and grasped her by the belly [vagina]; Anat was aroused and grasped him by the penis”” (Ruether 2005:58). Donald Trump was allegedly caught on tape as declaring in 2005:”And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything….Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything”. Ugaritic myth, cit. In Ruether 2005:58. 2016.

damaging encounters with abuse and/or neglect of various kinds. In blatantly unreliable relationships at large that fail to provide the “secure base” for “affect regulation”, the “one and only” hero(ine) is sought, who shall provide such “safe haven”. Divorce/separation statistics (75% divorce rate in California according to Katehakis) put a nail in such hopes' coffin. J.B Peterson claims conscientiousness as a trait is inversely proportional to divorce.

“S-he's an ugly caterpillar, frog or what have you, but with my help (love, rescue, money...), s-he'll morph into a beautiful butterfly, prince(ss) who'll love me forever”. Basic psychology, however, predicts that while “Jane (or Joe) caterpillar/frog” may find appropriate “to put up with” a Pygmalion, no matter how much money or effort is “invested”, “Joe (or Jane) butterfly/prince(ss)” may just need to move on with their life, leaving an emotionally and/or financially bankrupt Pygmalion behind.

”when a social norm collides with a market norm, the social norm goes away for a long time. ”. It is the old divide between “report” (market norms) and “rapport mode” (social norms). A shift takes place between report mode (=depersonalized=facticity=quantitative128)

and

rapport

mode

(personalized=transcendence=qualitative129). The Pygmalion thinks in terms of a

128

129

Just to make the point: s-he stole one apple...threw three stones...burglarized five homes...raped six people...and must therefore be held accountable for that. Just to make the point: s-he might have very well stolen that apple, robbed those millions, burglarized those homes, yet look into those soulful eyes; listen to those heart-rending 'secret causes'; hear those groans; touch those salted tears... there is nothing s-he might have done that any other wouldn't do, thus isn't about time to get in one another's arms for one of those unforgettable reunion scenes? “the spontaneous act of a noble heart”.

love story (=rapport talk, social norms), whereas the protege(e) thinks in terms of a business exchange, a chore (report talk, market norms); or the other way around.

Faith is a malignancy that no system can tolerate with impunity; and the man who succumbs to it, will call on it in precisely those issues where he needs his reason most. When one turns from reason to faith, when one rejects the absolutism of reality, one undercuts the absolutism of one's consciousness - and one's mind becomes an organ one cannot trust any longer. It becomes what the mystics claim to be: a tool of distortion. -...-There is only one reality - the reality knowable to reason. And if man does not choose to perceive it, there is nothing else for him to perceive; if it is not of this world that he is conscious, then he is not conscious at all. The sole result of the mystic projection of "another" reality, is that it incapacitates man psychologically for this one. It was not by contemplating the transcendental, the ineffable, the undefinable - it was not by contemplating the non-existent - that man lifted himself from the cave and transformed the material world to make a human existence possible on earth. If it is a virtue to renounce one's mind, but a sin to use it; if it is a virtue to approximate the mental state of a schizophrenic, but a sin to be in intellectual focus; if it is a virtue to denounce this earth, but a sin to make it livable; if it is a virtue to mortify the flesh, but a sin to work and act; if it is a virtue to despise life, but a sin to sustain and enjoy it - then no self-esteem or control or efficacy are possible to man, nothing is possible to him but the guilt and terror of a wretch caught in a nightmare universe, a universe created by some metaphysical sadist who has cast man into a maze where the door marked "virtue" leads to self-destruction and the door marked "efficacy" leads to self-damnation. (Branden in Rand 1964:32ss). Myth(ologie)s may have embellished all this with all possible bells and whistles of romantic preludes and renewal through struggle claptrap. What lies at the core, however, is the basic dysfunctional “abuser and co-dependent” dynamics: “best of frenemies”. A perversion of the “archetype of sacrifice” unfolds: a Black Mass.

The quixotic lovelorn male or female goes as far as required (beg, borrow, steal...) to live happily ever after scoffing at collateral damage. The picture is that of Robert Bly's “naive male”: innocent, sensitive, dreamy, floating, impractical, “hoping for the best”, unconcerned with commonplace, mundane details. The naive male never investigates the shadow side of people he thinks to be in a “special relationship” with as there are in an ongoing “care-taking mode”: he assumes them to always be fair, authentic and decent.

A good rule to remember is that people who are threatened with big losses and have a chance to break even will be unusually willing to take risks, even if they are normally quite risk averse. Watch out! (Thaler 2015:58130). In the end, “the only true love of one's life” shows the true colors of a confidence operator who either absconds with money or presses legal charges to obtain it, leaving behind a financially and/or emotionally impoverished dupe who wanted to enter the myth:”The degree of investment, trust or belief into our environment is a predictor to the degree of [emotional] impact or injury [through betrayal] -...- the degree of belief was and is a predictor of the degree of betrayal [people] experienced”131;”the definition of a hero: someone who may be betrayed with impunity.” (Lacan, 1959-60).

130

131

Thaler talks here about conventional investments, E.G retirement funds. There is reason to extend his analogy to the loveless who takes foolish financial risks to secure a fairy tale romance with some online Dulcinea or Romeo. As The Daily Mail Australia informs on May 19, 2015, that “[Australian female]Lonely heart, 61, gave her $350,000 life savings to a man she met on dating site Plenty Of Fish - only to find out her urbane Englishman 'Eamon Donegal Dubhlainn' was a Nigerian fraudster -...-.Australians lost almost $30million in online romance fraud in the past year”. Kenley 2013. H. Kenley is a marriage&family therapist who specializes in (psychological) betrayal.

A (wo)man may beg, borrow or steal money in order to afford being a sugar daddy/mama (=co-dependent/enabler) to another person (=abuser or dependent132 ); some may even object to the label of “sugar mama/daddy” and prefer thinking of “saving” or “helping” someone.

The abuser -or dependent- in turn resents (thus reversing roles) the role of “arm candy” (narcissistic supply provider etc). Abusers and dependents see themselves as “victims” who have to “put up with” the enabler's whimsical quirks, company and demands, no matter how much effort, time, money or otherwise the enabler directed to them.

It is very common to see breadwinners who actively resent the position of those who depend on them. The breadwinner feels aggrieved s-he has to work long hours (or simply to work at all) in order to support the (ungrateful) child or spouse: the work(place) as toxic or noxious 133; that's especially poignant in “midlife” or transitional crises.

Work is seen as purgatorial -at best- expiation: dependent near and dear ones ought to experience first hand what it means to have one's will broken, and one's ego regularly trampled upon in the futile rat race that ends nowhere. As J.B

132

133

Nothing really new here. Even the U.S founding fathers debated whether only “free men” of some net worth (typically independent farmers) ought to be allowed to vote, for they spotted the thorns of dependency (for example workers indentured to a factory owner). In the first decades of the U.S Constitutional system, only about 15% (in some estimates) of citizens were allowed to vote. “Mindful leadership” expert Carroll (2009) emphasized how -on average- U.S workers are “anxious, afraid, stressed-out and angry” on the job. Carroll also stresses how rampant un-ease (depression, panic attack) is in our society, which is otherwise the most endowed in human history.

Peterson says, the overwhelming majority of people have dead-end jobs, not careers:”I never could do what I wanted once in my life” blurts out the family man to his family in a story Joseph Campbell and Nathaniel Branden repeat.

People on both ends of the fence feel shortchanged and “owned”, thus harboring angry resentment. Therapist Perel announces that care-taking and neediness deal fatal blows to (sexual) desire in relationships as familiarity makes people numb. According to a U.S National Elder Mistreatment Study (2010), financial dependence and proximity were among the leading causes of abuse.

In traditional domestic violence -or toxic families in general- also, personal and likewise financial enmeshment 134 -and the presence of dependent third parties such as children- is an important trigger:”In an enmeshed family you pay for intermittent feelings of approval and safety with your selfhood. -...-Your feelings, behaviors, and decisions are no longer your own. You are not yourself, you are an appendage of your family system.”135.

Violence can be actual or unconscious/sublimated:

Another example is the woman raised to believe that her personal worth is a function of her role as wife and mother.-...-Building within her is enormous rage that she does not allow herself to identify or confront. But more and more frequently, she finds herself having fantasies of her husband and children being killed in an automobile accident. She becomes oversolicitous of her family's 134

135

For example a homo- or heterosexual couple may co-sponsor each other's debt or credit schemes. Both incomes may be needed to meet the couple's financial obligations etc. One partner -or both- may be unwilling to forsake amenities and/or a lifestyle the couple can afford as such. Forward&Buck 1989:103.

well-being, to the point of annoying and burdening everyone. She feels rejected. Rage keeps on building. The fantasies of her family's death increasingly dominate her consciousness..-...-The collision is between the value imperative of "I must not" and the contradictory emotion of "I did, do, and will continue to wish for my family's death." The clash is between a value imperative (should, should not; must, must not) engaging her sense of personal worth and an emotion, a desire, a fantasy, that contradicts that imperative. In every instance of self-esteem anxiety, we will find a conflict in the form of "I must/should have" versus "I cannot/did not," or "I must not" versus "I do/did/will." (Branden 1985:98). The dependent “near&dear” needs to attend soccer practice, or visits to the dentist; an elderly parent needs care-taking. All that on top of the “quiet desperation” of confronting one more utility bill to foot; one more bed to make; one more distressing dun from the repo man; one more traffic ticket to pay; one more day in the cubicle at work, or one more omelette to flip 136: “choice as the ultimate de-stresser”137 doesn't apply; couple therapist Perel clinches:” and it’s the act of choosing, the freedom involved in choosing, that keeps a relationship alive. ” 138.

Claudio Mencacci, director of the mental health division of a public health agency, claims that in Italy six million workers (about 22% of the total) suffer from significant work-related stress; in one million cases, the severity of such stress

136

137

138

“The list of factors that contribute to the waning of excitement is long, and the one most commonly invoked is stress. “As soon as I sit down, I see the laundry that still needs folding, the unopened mail, the strewn toys, and it takes all sexual desire away from me.” “Between our new jobs, our old parents, and our young kids, I’m wiped out. I don’t have a very strong sex drive to begin with, but right now I don’t have any desire for it at all. Don’t take it personally. [a stay-at-home mother of two admits that] When [my husband] approaches me, it feels like one more person wanting something from me. I know that’s not his intention, but it’s how I feel. I don’t have anything left to give.-...-[while her husbands resents] that he feels as though he’s running a day care center with someone he used to date.”” (Perel 2006:88,130). Matousek 2008. People in the rat race are in some ways “cursed”. The vampire character in 1985 Fright Night says precisely that what he lacks is “a choice”. 2006:81.

reaches clinical levels139:” [people] collapsed under the crushing burden of accumulated yesterdays and fearful tomorrows”140.

Matsuri Takahashi, a 24yo Japanese graduate who overworked herself into committing suicide in 2015, summarizes the feeling well:“Every night I can’t sleep because I’m terrified of tomorrow arriving.”;“I have lost all feeling except the desire to sleep.”;“Perhaps death is a much happier option.”141.

In the 60s a group called the Vogues did a song called "Five O'Clock World." In it the singer says how bored and aggravated he is in his job every day, day in and day out. But he can stand it, he can get through it without losing his mind, because he looks forward to a different world awaiting him when the whistle blows: a five o'clock world. A finite province of meaning where he can do and say what he wants to, a mini-zone in which for a few precious hours he can find regeneration and respite. He cannot cause his two worlds to interpenetrate. He merely endures the one till he can escape into the other. (Price 1992/93:no page). Up every mornin' just to keep a job I gotta fight my way through the husslin' mob Sounds of the city poundin' in my brain While another day goes down the drain. But it's a five o'clock world when the whistle blows. No one owns a piece of my time And there's a five o'clock me inside my clothes. Thinkin' that the world looks fine, yeah Holiday, yeah... (Five O' Clock World, The Vogues, 1966). The “capstone customization project” of raising children, joining the rat race as corporate climber or starting a family, that narcissistic supply extravaganza, is alternatively experienced as a curse: drowning in samsara (“feeling emotionally flooded” for Gottman). On top of that, add whichever mental, existential or physical 139 140 141

Bonezzi 2017:no page. Dale Carnegie Organization 2005: disc 3. Cit. in The Japan Times, October 23, 2016. It is highly interesting how Takahashi -according to her motherwas a model student and a very resilient person, as Takahashi had written in her CV.

ailments that might be present.

Self-esteem luminary Branden claims self-esteem also rests on the premise that nobody is alive to fulfill somebody else's expectations. No third-party person can remedy's one's “ultimate aloneness”. “They count on love to perform a miracle” regarding their psychological “unfinished business”:”They have not learnt to transfer the source of their approval from others to self” claims Branden.

It is common for victims of childhood abuse to have unreasonably high expectations of their partners, including having the expectation that their partners will make up for what they missed in childhood. (Engel 2015:150). Choose discomfort over resentment (Brown 2017). Today, we turn to one person to provide what an entire village once did: a sense of grounding, meaning, and continuity. At the same time, we expect our committed relationships to be romantic as well as emotionally and sexually fulfilling. Is it any wonder that so many relationships crumble under the weight of it all? It’s hard to generate excitement, anticipation, and lust with the same person you look to for comfort and stability-...-.increased emotional intimacy is often accompanied by decreased sexual desire. -...-While we recognize the importance of sex, we nonetheless vacillate between extremes of excessive license and repressive tactics -...-It’s an all-or-nothing approach to sex. (Perel 2006:viii,24,89). The unfortunate truth is that most human beings, from childhood on, are the recipients of many inappropriate responses. They are the survivors of many occasions when they were transparently lied to, when their person was not respected, their dignity not acknowledged, their thoughts met with indifference, their feelings denied or condemned. And because this state of affairs is so widespread, when we meet a person of high self-esteem we are probably looking at a heroic attainment. We are probably looking at a person who knows how to honor the self, even without 81

support. Some psychologists look for the "causes" of a person's behavior exclusively in the person's history, believing that there are a number of people in our past who made us what we are today. If they see a person with good self-esteem, they want to know who "made" him or her that way. And if they see a person with poor self-esteem, they want to know who is responsible, since they assume it is not the person they are looking at. They overlook that we are not merely passive reactors but active contestants in the drama of our lives. (Branden 1985:42). ”In the courtly love tradition, the woman had to test the man by holding him off until she was sure that it was not lust that was approaching her, but love, the gentle heart.”142. As Welch points out, that's a core of beginner's evolutionary psychology coated with tons of melodrama, literary molasses and hijacked religious impulses (very apparent in Hindu bhakti):

It is no coincidence that the emergence of modern intimacy, with its emphasis on speech, arose alongside the growing economic independence of women. -...-Nonnegotiable drudgery became unacceptable. It was replaced with the expectation of a mutually satisfying emotional connection. -...-Affairs are risky, dangerous, and labile, all elements that fuel excitement. In the self-contained universe of adulterous love you are secluded from the rest of the world, and your bond is strengthened by the secrecy that surrounds it. Never exposed to broad day-light, the spell of the other is preserved. There’s no need to worry that your friends won’t like him, since nobody knows about him. Affairs unfold in the margins of our lives, and are luxuriously free of the dental appointments, taxes, and bills. Then there are barriers to overcome. To see each other, you have to make an effort, sometimes a huge one. There are hoops to jump through, schedules to juggle, locations to secure, excuses to invent. And all that unflagging zeal repeatedly affirms the lovers’ importance to each other. (Perel 2006:41,184) Hijacked feelings are all over. Catholic nuns “marry Christ”, whereas priests “marry the Church”; graphomaniac Muslim Sufis celebrate “their beloved” in 142

Campbell 1991:81.

tomes; Yahweh declares:”Return, faithless people," declares the LORD, "for I am your husband. ”143; Hindu devotees sing the love of Radha (at times portrayed as already married in perfect chivalric style) and Krishna as that of the quintessential devotees and their god...

Isn't the forest144 (meadow, river etc) of lore an allegory for the conundrum of life enmeshed in the web of time? Do contemptuous, married medieval dames not impose trials upon their suitors? “The celebration of courtly love [consisted in] how to get the lady's name into the poem without her husband recognizing it. ”145.

Do characters in the lore not live happily ever after? The peasant girl marries the prince; the fisherman becomes a nobleman in the prince's retinue; the tramp marries the millionaire; the peasant becomes the foreman; the street bum marries the daughter of a wise millionaire. Isn't it what people in romantic comedies do?

Popular culture also delivers another contemporary substitute to medieval courtly romance. Sit-coms since the 1950s see husbands -the equivalent of ancient lords of the manor- as bumbling chumps their wives and/or children ridicule and/or outsmart without them ever realizing what's going on: an infomercial's storyline. Robert Bly criticizes the above as the destruction of 143 144 145

Jeremiah 3:14. The forest can be interpreted as a liminal space between this world and the nether world. Campbell 1989:A Noble Heart.

generative paternity; the advertisement circus takes over as parents are demoted.

One might prefer hero movies like Rambo, Chariots Of Fire, Rocky or

Karate Kid: hasn't Rocky to suffer indignities before the triumph? Is lore false, and are romantic comedies -or hero movies- true? Isn't action movies' blueprint (Rambo, Bloodsport, Karate Kid, Rocky ...) much the same as that of hero movies not involving express violence such as war and/or contact sports ( Chariots Of Fire, The

Man Without A Face,Victory146, Days Of Thunder... )?

Renewal through struggle may take the form of a death tournament: in

Bloodsport, the Van Damme character has to defeat the world's most skilled and vicious martial artists. Is that not the umpteenth time a frail little creature is pushed to the brink (=the various training montages; the endless demands of brash drill sergeants; the endless nagging of family members...), only to be 'rescued' (awarded the black belt, etc) at the last moment, and nursed back to happiness (winning the tournament, defeating an opponent, delivering the virgin...)?

The Stanford Marshmallow Experiment of the 1960-70s showed that children who can delay gratification -eating one marshmallow (cookie etc) now, or two after a fixed delay of say 15 minutes- tended to have better life outcomes measured in a variety of ways (from SAT scores to BMI).

Ordinary nincompoops pass â&#x20AC;&#x153;the marshmallow testâ&#x20AC;? on a routine 146

It is true the movie is set during a fictional WWII. Nevertheless, the movie's pivot is the game of soccer, not contact sports or war as such.

basis:”Jesus responded, "The Scriptures also say, 'You must not test the LORD your God.'"”147. The Italian press routinely relays tales of this common humanity fellow who finds by happenstance on the street a bag, wallet or what have you, full of money in unprecedented amounts: 10.000, 30.000, 200.000 euros are offered. The “poor in spirit”148 (an unemployed daddy of three; an illegal immigrant...) -who might very well live in the gingerbread world of fairy tales as s-he's perfectly anonymous- passes the “marshmallow test” as he gives the entire amount back to authorities.

Optionally, the story may include the distraught owner of such recovered fortune who was ready to commit suicide -or some emotional twist to that effect- as s-he simply couldn't afford the accidental loss:”[Jesus said:]A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”149.

Psychologist J.B. Peterson connects the delay of satisfaction with the idea of (ritual) sacrifice among humans, in turn spurred by the discovery of the concept of time: action (=sacrifice) in the present insures a modification of the future150.

Humans have a tendency to engage in temporal discounting—that is, we prefer to receive rewards sooner rather than later. In fact, we 147 148 149 150

Luke 4:12. “"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ” ( Matthew 5:3). John 13:34. In an example Peterson uses, immigrant parents “make sacrifices” so that their children may have a better life and go to university in their new country.

will often choose a smaller reward sooner over a larger reward later. -...-Here’s the interesting part. When participants think about themselves in the future, [brain area] VMPFC activity drops. That is, they use the same brain systems involved in reasoning about other people. It’s as if the brain, at a very fundamental level, thinks of the future you as someone else. (Vishton 2016:50). Just like those action movie, folklore or romantic comedy characters who go through excruciating riddles, challenges, training montages etc before the final reward, modern science just reiterates what folklore had been pointing to all along.

Conmen, banksters, politicians and other 'emotionally intelligent authentic leaders' are too glad to oblige. Heroes shall deliver boons. Mountains shall soon turn to polenta; oceans to lemonade; hefty subsidies and investments shall match drastic tax cuts very soon...

In November 1994, dramatizing the thrill experienced while one eagerly waits for the cold stuff to settle, Guinness came out with one of its most successful advertisements. “Anticipation,” as the ad was called, featured a customer dancing around in excitement while a bartender poured him a pint. The ad ran for only sixty seconds. Nevertheless, those sixty seconds, and the campaign that followed—the famous “Good things come to those who wait”—had a huge impact. Guinness’s sales went through the roof and brand recognition sky-rocketed.(Sharot 2011:74, emphasis adddìed). All participants were then asked to immerse their nondominant hand in a bucket of ice water for as long as they could (up to 5 minutes). This is a standard measure of pain tolerance, and it is painful but not harmful. Participants receiving the brief hope induction kept their hand immersed for about 150 seconds, whereas those in the comparison condition kept their hand immersed for about 90 seconds. Hope did not affect reports on how painful the experience was, but it did increase the ability to tolerate it. (Peterson151 2013:95, emphasis added). 151

Professor of psychology and positive psychology luminary.

We then calculated that the amount of analgesia produced by watching fifteen minutes of a combat movie was equivalent to that produced by being injected with eight milligrams of morphine, about the same dose a person would receive in an emergency room for crushing chest pain. (Van Der Kolk152 2014:31). Dr. Price and Dr. Schwartz are currently working to demonstrate that the Quantum Zeno Effect explains these findings. The mental expectation of pain relief causes the person to repeatedly focus his or her attention on the experience of pain relief, so that the brain’s pain-relief circuits are activated, causing a decrease in the sensation of pain. People experience what they expect to experience. (Rock&Schwartz 2006:no page, emphasis added). Roberto153 points out that high-power leaders tend to succumb to “the planning fallacy”: failing to take possible worst case scenarios into account, and acting on the spur of rosy, best case illusions that lead them to behave as hypocrites because they're unable to evaluate the situation properly. School Of Business professors DeRue&Sytch154 concur: power leads to overconfidence. R.L. Moore 155 confirms: merger with the archetypal self constitutes hubris (whence compulsion and “id discharges”), which beckons retribution.

Harvard and Columbia psychology researchers found that subjects who assumed a strong, confident physical posture and then spoke with a strong voice and imposing hand gestures actually produced a biochemical reaction that made them feel and seem more confident and powerful. In contrast, those who adopted a hesitant, submissive demeanor experienced the exact opposite biochemical reaction. -...-As a leader -...-Rewrite reality to whatever degree is helpful. To get out of a pessimistic state, find a few different ways of viewing the situation positively. (Cabane 2012:62,133). People trusted Obama. Obama was promising a better future, and 152 153 154 155

B. Van Der Kolk is a professor of psychiatry and luminary of trauma research. 2011:Power. 2015:unit 1. No date-3:part 5.

so people put their faith in hope.(Sharot156 2011:48). The largest developmental impact was raising the positive beliefs of followers, instilling in them the conviction that they were better at a performance task than they thought (Avolio&Luthans 2006:51)157. At the forefront of neuroscience, Lieberman 158&Rock clarify that the perception of being in control -as opposed to the true case of having control- is sufficient to preserve cognitive functions against impinging frazzle: the boons of certainty. DeRue&Sytch159 claim that “feelings of power” reduce actual weight perception, and improve cardiac output and vascular resistance.

Rock&Lieberman

(Professor

Psychology,

Psychiatry

and

Biobehavioral Sciences) clinch that the crux is not only to “reappraise” (= to make stories up), but to believe such recently made-up stories. Neale160 claims in 2013 how:”we heal and thrive if we produce a better story about everything that has happened to us”. Whence all the credit the public gives shamanistic (Polimeni), highly dopaminergic (Previc) or just psychopathic leaders who claim/appear to be in control as they purportedly materialize from seventh-heaven to make history:

[Jesus said] Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? (Matthew 26:53).

156 157

158 159 160

Associate Professor Of Cognitive Neuroscience. According to the Dale Carnegie Organization (2005:disc 2), humility in addressing one's achievements is necessary so that people may “save face” and be reassured so that good rapport may exist. Donald Trump -of all people- agrees:”I think I am, actually humble. I think I'm much more humble than you would understand. ” during a 2016 interview. 2008. 2015:unit 1. Psychotherapist. Assistant Director, Nalanda Institute For Contemplative Science.

While the world awaits epochal change, morbidly co-dependent people are requested to comply immediately (=immediate compliance&deferred boon shtick): there is a candidate to vote; a war effort to support; a party to make excuses for; a Ponzi scheme to subscribe to right away in order for streets to be paved in gold tomorrow...or some other day.

We like to frolic in the best of all imaginary tomorrows—and why shouldn’t we? After all, we fill our photo albums with pictures of birthday parties and tropical vacations rather than car wrecks and emergency-room visits because we want to be happy when we stroll down Memory Lane, so why shouldn’t we take the same attitude toward our strolls up Imagination Avenue? Although imagining happy futures may make us feel happy, it can also have some troubling consequences. Researchers have discovered that when people find it easy to imagine an event, they overestimate the likelihood that it will actually occur. (Gilbert161 2006:21, emphasis added). In 1955, J. Kubitschek was elected President of Brazil with the slogan “50 years of progress in 5 years”. He would build the architectural wonder of Brasilia -the new capital- in the wilderness of central Brazil scoffing at logistic and financial hurdles. Politics and history become thus hyperreal:

•

Novelized (Brasilia as “the capital of hope”);

•

Condensed (50 years of progress in 5 years);

•

Abridged (a new capital in the wilderness).

Instead 161

Professor of psychology.

storming

government

buildings

demanding

regime

overthrows, or banding lynch mobs to avenge the insult added to the injury, people congratulate themselves over passing the Marshmallow Test with flying colors:”I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion'” (boxing legend Cassius Clay).

It's the well-known infantile dynamic. Young child throws a temper tantrum because s-he wants spun sugar right now. A parental figure pressures the child to delay. S-he cannot have spun sugar right away, but s-he will definitely have it when uncle comes to visit; tomorrow, or some other day:

Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. ( Luke 6:35, emphasis added). Doesn't that rather amount to punching at human mind's ghosts that -indeed- have remained the same across regimes, ages and continents as they found an outlet in multifarious myths and legends? “Any image termed archetypal is immediately valued as universal, transhistorical, basically profound, generative, highly intentional and necessary ”162.

British scholar J.E. Carpenter had expressly recognized already in 1880 on which ground similarities between Gautama Buddha and Jesus could subsist:

That a life of self-devotion thus conceived and fulfilled should remind us almost at every stage of the life which we have hitherto 162

Archetypical Psychology Lecture 2007: no page.

regarded as the highest type of self-sacrifice, is not perhaps after all so remarkable. The needs and cares, the desires and fears of men, do not change from land to land, or from age to age (Cit. in Almond 1988:69). Mythology is a validation of experience, giving it its spiritual or psychological dimension (Campbell in Mishlove 1988). Mythology is an organization of images metaphoric of potentials of experience, action, and fulfillment of the human spirit in the field of a given culture at a given time. (Campbell 1991:29). metaphor as an irruption of desire, specifically the desire to transform life by reinterpreting it, giving it a different story. . . . It expresses one’s desire to be free, and to replace the given world by an imagined world of one’s devising (Donoghue, cit. in Rieff 2016:61). Truth (statistical probability, consistency, verisimilitude...) is not a necessary ingredient when success with the public is to be measured:

One feature of mimesis, then, is that it is directed more at the coherence of the muthos (the plot) than at its particular story. Its making is immediately a universalizing "making". -...- To make up a plot is already to make the intelligible sprung from the accidental, the universal from the singular, the necessary or the probable from episodic. (Heikkinen et alii 2000: no page). We can inspect a mental image and see who is doing what and where, but not when they are doing it. In general, mental images are atemporal.(Gilbert 2006:84). Contemporary popular culture hasn't forgone the item of flaunting the socially acceptable and breaking taboos while taking advantage of windfalls:”things that give deep passions are your sword; rules and regulations have no meaning anymore ”163. The imagery has perhaps changed, yet it is enough to have a cursory

163

Lyrics from Rocky IV (1985) soundtrack Hearts On Fire.

look at the cover of national-popular 164 magazines or talk-shows replete with such tantalizing articles hinting at magical shortcuts, 'secret' steps towards instant gratification of monetary, social, sexual or emotional nature. Hyperreality -condensed, abridged, novelized- steals the day.

Does that not amount to flaunting quintessential societal norms by breaking taboos? Does the golden rule not prescribe meticulous, 'honest' hard work, 'training montages' and delayed gratification before the reward (pay increase, black belt, killer body, promotion, sexual encounter...)?

Yet -in the fairy tale magazines conjure up- the chap – the magazine's timely buyer; the spam mail's lucky recipient, or talk show's serendipitous viewerwho follows the 'secret' steps teleports ahead to the moment of reward: the killer body, the princely income, the irresistible sex appeal...No trace is left of training/bricolage montages, extenuating diets or workouts etc.

That's a travesty of religious lore once again. For example, Tibetan Buddhism and its numerous “stages” in turn divided into several “steps”.

The myth is the mirror from which the ego can see itself reflected. It's a mirror with a schedule on it, a patterned mirror, and the ego sees itself in that reflex and knows where it is on the scoreboard. 164

Some translate voelkish as racist. The NSDAP Bavarian newspaper was named Voelkisher Beobachter (nationalpopular observer). While the national-popular stratum in Germany did indeed shelter segments and groups with racist, chauvinistic or 'magic' tendencies, the entire concept cannot in fairness be reduced to racism. The present writer prefers to refer to German lower middle-class imagery. Suffice is to say that for a time the nationalistic-militaristic side orchestrated a short-lived, but for a while seemingly momentous, reaction to NSDAP in the form of Stahlhelm (Steel Helmet, the soldier's helmet), which later disbanded. Naturally, as common in Italy in 1919-21 (biennio rosso, red two-years), even left-wing parties had their own militias.

(Campbell&Boa 1989:94). It is impossible not to hear the inspirational lyrics of 1982 hit song (and

Rocky movie soundtrack) The Eye Of The Tiger:

Did my time, took my chances Went the distance Now I'm back on my feet just a man and his will to survive So many times, it happens too fast You trade your passion for glory Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past You must fight just to keep them alive All this (gnostic mysticism, screenplays of action movies...) may be just worth two cents in many people's book. Yet scholars such as Ben-Shahar 165 repackage the item as resilience, and -quoting peer-reviewed studies-, show us how resilient people triumph in spite of negative circumstances through faith, role models, forward-thinking, and an however small support network.

DeWall dubs resilient people self-control masters 166:”an experimentally induced humility mindset would thwart the depleting effects of mortality salience on self-control. -...-Self-control—the ability of the self to override one response to substitute a more adaptive alternative”167;”People will forgive you for murder a lot faster than they would forgive you for displaying your exhibitionistic needs.”168. Humility (from humus, soil) means one is “in mint condition”, just as Adam (“man”) who just emerged from adamah, soil, thanks to divine intervention.

If all those trials and tribulations see the hero-savior as “man of sorrows” 165 166 167 168

2005-6:lecture 2. 2013:Self-Control Successes And Failures. Kesebir 2014:9,26. Moore 2001:part6.

(=the “wounded healer” of Jungian thought) who ultimately triumphs due to resilience, in turn gage of some 'inner x quality' that signposts a manifest destiny (=obsession with finding patterns=ascribing patterns to intelligent agency) soon to unfold, potential teachers, offhand gurus, and other personality coaches pandering to the hopeful shall have 'what it takes', namely a list of trials and tribulations impressive enough to qualify as mentor:

First, you must experience those sorrows as your own sorrows, and then, when you have affirmed those sorrows, you come into bliss. Anyone can try it. It's to find where your pain is and by saying "yes" to it, the whole new consciousness will suddenly be experienced. You'll be "saved" as they say. (Campbell&Boa 1989:107). People are terrible at figuring out odds—and, even knowing the odds, making good decisions based upon them. (If we were good at making these kinds of decisions, we’d never play the lottery.) And we’re notoriously prone to seeing nonexistent patterns in randomness—for example, at times we believe in either the HotHand Fallacy (“I’m on a roll!”) or its opposite, the Gambler’s Fallacy (“After all these losses, I’m bound to win now!”). (Chen169&Krakovsky 2010:32). Your friend knows that a fair coin should come up heads as often as it does tails; four tails in a row means that heads is now “due.”But the coin doesn’t have a memory. It doesn’t know which side came up the last time it was flipped. Each flip is as likely to come up heads as tails, regardless of what happened in the past. (Hamilton 170 2016:23). I felt that my own suffering had not been pointless. And that I could do something to help other human beings—something that I’m uniquely qualified to do. (Ariely 2016:13). purpose is a natural antidepressant that we can develop in our own 169 170

K. Chen is College of Business Professor. Associate Professor of Marketing.

minds. A sense of purpose grows when we become dedicated to a cause or person beyond our own selves. (Goldstein 2015:80). Jack Kornfield recounts the (presumed) violence he witnessed at home as a child171. Later, Kornfield also claims he was brought up to be compassionate and understanding: his family members would always comfort him when he was distressed. The two accounts are as irreconcilable and inconsequential as the characterization of any almighty in the lore:”God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day.”(Psalm 7:11);”Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. ”(Micah 7:18).

They are the acorn that eventually blossomed into a powerful oak: the wimp became a macho 'alpha male'; the bum who used to sleep under a bridge now lives in a mansion; Rocky the lunkhead won the belt; Forrest Gump the lamebrain became a sport superstar, war hero, millionaire, and so forth.

The findings of modern science couldn't support folklore more. D.B. Feldman172 -Associate Professor Of Psychology- explains that 80% of people “grow”, thrive etc in the aftermath of serious trauma; they “find their bliss”, reconsider their lifetime priorities in a positive way etc. P.A. Levine 173, another expert on trauma, sort of agrees with Feldman. 171

172 173

He says (2005) that his father would beat his mother routinely up, throwing her downstairs etc. Also, when they'd go on a (presumably reconciliatory) car ride, his father would push on the brake so that his mother would hit the windshield hard. As this writing contends, a Tom&Jerry cartoon, and a frail little creature's (presumed) 'log from hell' read alike. 2016. 2005. Levine is less flamboyant than Feldman, but clearly says “post-traumatic growth” is a definite possibility.

Aurobindo explains that the fixation with 'endless potentialities' goes back to the Rig Veda174:

For in the idea of the Rishis a world is primarily a formation of consciousness and only secondarily a physical formation of things. A world is a loka, a way in which conscious being images itself. And it is the causal Truth, represented in the person of Surya Savitri, that is the creator of all its forms. For it is the causal Idea in the infinite being,—the idea, not abstract, but real and dynamic,—that originates the law, the energies, the formations of things and the working out of their potentialities in determined forms by determined processes. Because the causal Idea is a real force of existence, it is called Satyam, the True in being; because it is the determining truth of all activity and formation, it is called Ritam, the True in movement; because it is broad and infinite in its self-view, in its scope and in its operation, it is called Brihat, the Large or Vast. ( MAISI018 no date: unit 1:7). The key concept for rationalizing progressive utopianism was "experimentation," justified in the language of Nietzschean authenticity, Darwinian evolution, and Hegelian historicism and explained in the argot of William James's pragmatism. Scientific knowledge advanced by trial and error. Human evolution advanced by trial and error. (Goldberg 2007:63). What length wouldn't such people go to attract prospects is one's guess, but a Jewish-American therapist based in the UK probably obliterates competition literally; heroes and saviors of lore look like dilettantes in comparison:”Always already under a kind of erasure, the past becomes an evacuated space ready to be filled with wonders, ghosts, and other signs of the counterfactual and pathological”175.

174 175

XV century BCE or older. Uebel 2002:48.

The stories were confabulationsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;lies, honestly told. -...- We all conspire and confabulate, and sometimes the consequences appear to be negligible. But I would argue that theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not. I would argue that conspiring can become a destructive pattern over time, and sometimes a single confabulation can damage our sense of selfworth and our relationships. The most dangerous stories we make up are the narratives that diminish our inherent worthiness. We must reclaim the truth about our lovability, divinity, and creativity. -...-The conspiracies and confabulations that we tend to make up in the face of limited data can tear away at the heart of organizations. (Brown 2015:62,159). Self-esteem -...- is the conviction that one is competent to live and worthy of living (N. Branden in 1969). This UK-based therapist claims to have personally experienced:

1. utter and abject poverty;

2. a violent and abusive father;

3. a drug-addicted mother who'd take her to drug parties where she

4. would be routinely tortured and sexually assaulted so that she withstood

5. multiple personality disorders and suicidal tendencies,

6. three failed marriages,

7. more episodes of rape and abuse than she could count,

8. the loss of an infant son.

Paul Hegstrom -the noted Christian mental health professional- follows 97

suit: he was routinely subjected to sexual assault since the age of 3, beside a host of other indignities. With the notable exception of sexuality, a Tom&Jerry cartoon, and a frail little creature's (purported) 'log from hell' read just alike.

On one hand, people laugh; on the other, they freeze aghast, or scream in participatory rapture:

Some emotions, like anger and anxiety, are high-arousal. When weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re angry we yell at customer service representatives. When weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re anxious we check and recheck things. Positive emotions also generate arousal. Take excitement. When we feel excited we want to do something rather than sit still. The same is true for awe. When inspired by awe we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help wanting to tell people what happened. (Berger 2013:59). When your audience is in an emotional state, they are not focused on critical thinking; they are caught up in the feelings that the emotions create. (Lakhani 2008:69). Horrors and indignities are not the only crucible from which mentors may arise. Mentors may at any rate be conventional people who 'went native'. H. Souter (an anthropology graduate) tells how he lived for years in the deep Peruvian jungle before, during and after his apprenticeship to become an entheogenic master shaman under the guidance of native medicine men.

Other personality coaches have gone native among indigenous people in Mexico or Mongolia. Oriental spirituality coaches have often gone native by serving as Buddhist monks; by joining Hindu ashrams; or through apprenticeship to a master of traditional Hindu or Chinese medicine.

Gerrig gives a suspiciously similar description of another peculiar lot: hallucinating schizophrenics who -in a controlled experiment- “ can't differentiate what's happening within the environment from what's happening inside their head”176.

No doubt many 'great men' of history do fit the description perfectly: this does not exclusively apply to some oddball on the 'wrong' political side in huge disfavor with the dominant interpretive community (masters of acceptable discourse, hierophants177 etc): “hard to find are those beings who can claim to be mentally healthy for even a moment except for those [arhats] whose mental cankers are destroyed” (Gautama Buddha, Roga Sutta). Pascal ( man as “necessarily mad”) and Ferenczi (=character traits as “secret psychoses”) follow suit178.

Intellectual independence is implicit in the commitment to awareness or the will to understand. A person cannot think through the mind of another. We can learn from one another, but knowledge entails understanding, not mere repetition or imitation. We can either exercise our own mind or pass on to others the responsibility of knowledge and evaluation and accept their verdicts more or less uncritically. (Branden 1985:49). Put more succinctly, there are more sociopaths among us than people who suffer from the much-publicized disorder of anorexia, four times as many sociopaths as schizophrenics, and one hundred times as many sociopaths as people diagnosed with a known scourge such as colon cancer. (Stout 2005:8). Consider also that the prevalence of psychopathy in our society is about the same as that of schizophrenia, a devastating mental disorder (Hare 1993:2). 176 177 178

1992: lesson 7. =high priest, or “he who shows what's sacred”. Becker 1973:27.

The potential for ‘possible’ psychopathy was much higher. In the corporate group, nearly six percent of the subjects qualified as potentially or possibly psychopathic (in addition to the four percent who clearly appeared psychotic), compared to just 1.2 per cent of the population as a whole. Psychopaths can and do get ahead. Of the nine people with the highest scores for psychopathy, seven were already managers. Two were vice presidents, two were directors, two were managers or supervisors, and one had another management position. (Can You Identify...2014:no page). Heroes, founders, and saviors are 'men of sorrows', indeed. Jealous brothers sell legendary Hebrew patriarch Joseph into slavery: he manages to become the most powerful man in Egypt next to the Pharaoh. He also manages to marry Egyptian princess Aseneth, who had dared to turn down even the Pharaoh's own son: does it sound a bit like the Cinderella story, perchance, whereby the servant harsh step-sisters (=Joseph's step-brothers) humiliate rises to the rank of a princess?

Professor Ellen Langer asked students to assess the intelligence of a number of highly accomplished scientists. The first group of students was given no information on how these scientists attained their success. Participants in this group rated the intelligence of the scientists as extremely high and did not perceive the scientists’ achievements as attainable. Participants in the second group were told about the same scientists and the same achievements, but in addition they were told about the trials, errors, and setbacks the scientists experienced on the road to success. Students in this group evaluated these scientists as impressive—just like the students in the first group did. But unlike participants in the first group, students in the second group evaluated the scientists’ accomplishments as attainable. The students in the first group were only exposed to the scientists’ achievements. They saw only one part of reality—the outcome— which is what a Perfectionist sees. The students in the second group were also aware of what the scientists did along the way. They saw reality as a whole—the process and the outcome—which is what the Optimalist sees.(BenShahar 2011:57). Science is our sacral mode of knowing (Smith 2004). 100

Chinese insurrectionist leader Hong Xiuquan failed the civil service examination four times (=man of sorrows shtick), but later became the monarch of an ephemeral kingdom; sharing quirks with other 'great men', Hong was apparently obsessed with cleanliness. He had “ascended to heaven” in a dream as he lingered in a feverish coma to be appointed man of destiny by the Christian god Jehovah.

Aseneth may have countless high-ranking suitors, whereas Cinderella may be the belle of the ball competing with many dames for a prince's hand: one and the same. Just like Buddha, Padma Sambhava and others left behind footprints devotees could worship (=the mythology of the foot), so Cinderella leaves a crystal shoe behind179: one and the same, again.

Campbell180 explains that “often the hero in many of the mythologies is called the thrown-away”; “Jesus looked directly at them and asked, "Then what is the meaning of that which is written: "'The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'?” (Luke 20:17). Parsifal of Grail fame may be interpreted as “guileless fool”.

Aseneth is worth pausing over a little:

4. Now there was in that city a man, a satrap of Pharaoh; and this man was the chief of all Pharaoh's satraps and lords extnote. 5. And he was 179

Losing one shoe might as well be construed as breaking past duality. 1968a. extnote As this writing contends, almighty ones have lords and (regional) Kings (=satraps) ministering to them. It seems quite reasonable to infer how celestial hierarchies of lore have been derived from the lore of (semi)omnipotent Mesopotamian and Egyptian monarchs. Almighty father-god has lord Jesus and angels ministering to him; Apostles and Kings – such as the three wise Magi from the East- in turn minister to lord 180

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very rich, and wise, and generous, and he was Pharaoh's counsellor, and his name was Pentephres; and he was the priest of Heliopolis. 6. And Pentephres had a virgin daughter of about eighteen years of age, tall and beautiful and graceful, more beautiful than any other virgin in the land. 7. And she was quite unlike the daughters of the Egyptians, but in every respect like the daughters of the Hebrews. 8. And she was as tall as Sarah, and as beautiful as Rebecca, and as fair as Rachel; and this virgin's name was Aseneth. 9. And the fame of her beauty spread through all that land, even to its remotest corners; and all the sons of the lords and of the satraps and of the kings sought her hand in marriage, young men all of them. 10. And there was great rivalry between them because of her, and they began to fight among themselves because of Aseneth. (Cook 1984: no page). Is this description from apocryphal Hebrew scriptures ( Joseph And

Aseneth181, between I century BCE and I century CE) any different from all the superlative royal virgins of myth? Greek Helen (Leda, Europa, Semele...)? Hindu

181

Jesus. In the same way, the almighty Pharaoh has lords and Kings ministering to him through his second in command. The same shtick recurs elsewhere. Almighty Vishnu has lord Rama -or Krishna- (Vishnu's own incarnations) who minister to him. In turn, Kings and princes -such as semi-divine Arjuna (son of Indra) and his brothers- minister to/assist/engage with lord Krishna. Sun goddess Amaterasu was seen in Japanese Shintoism as the Imperial family's antecedent. The divine Emperor of Japan, then, had the semi-divine Japanese people ministering to him, much as he ministered to Shinto gods as high priest. A similar idea can be conveyed about the Emperor of China, also a divine high priest (son of heaven). “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. ” ( John 12:26);”Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” ( Matthew 19:28). In Biblical scholarship, questions arise regarding the verbiage. “Worship” to be devoted to Yahweh (later to Jesus) may both mean worship devoted to an high god, or solemn deference devoted to an earthly authority figure of supreme import: Joseph's brothers bow down before him as an Egyptian authority figure, for example. Passages in the Hebrew Bible as well commingle imagery related to the Kings of Israel (=anointed ones=messiahs) with divine imagery in perfect Mesopotamian and Egyptian fashion:”For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” ( Isaiah 9:6). A title such as “lord” could easily shift from deities such as Yahweh, Baal, Adonis and Thammuz to conventional monarchs (note of this writer). Some contend this Jewish-Hellenistic Greek text (part of the Canon of the Armenian Old Testament) was born in order to make sense of the process of religious conversion among traditional Jews facing -until the rise of Pauline Christianity that shall win the race because more accommodating- an important number, percentagewise, of both converts and friends of Judaism (=god-fearers). Among scholars, figures vary considerably. It is possible to hypothesize how Jews might have represented about 10% overall of the Roman Empire's population in the I century, with more Jews in the Empire's Eastern half then in the Western:”In fact, we have evidence that, in antiquity, Jews proselytized widely.” (Magness 2015:68). By Constantine's time -and after the Jewish wars and diaspora-, the 10% estimate shall hypothetically represent Christians, not Jews; expectedly, other sources claim Christians then represented 5% of the Empire's population. Atheist researcher Richard Carrier clinches:”we cannot prove Christianity was attractive to any more than one out of every thousand people in the first century.” (2006:no page). Joseph And Aseneth exists in several variations that may not entirely overlap.

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Savitri, Shakuntala or Sita? Aren't such superlative royal virgins myth's essential ingredient as possible mothers of future heroes; trophies for heroes squabbling over them; and/or as dynastic matriarchs?

Ave, generosa, gloriosa et intacta puella. Tu pupilla castitatis, tu materia sanctitatis,que Deo placuit.Nam hec superna infusio in te fuit,quod supernum Verbum in te carnem induit. (Hildegard Von Bingen celebrates St. Mary). In most -if not all- cases, such royal virgins are the transmogrified image of primeval goddesses (Sita as incarnation of Lakshmi, for example; Semele as granddaughter of Zeus; Europa as a sort of Hathor counterpart) mixed with inconsistent bits and pieces of something else.

Isn't this endless description of superlative qualities and possessions (and...and...and)182 another more or less dysfunctional ego-trip into the land of surfeit (=chain of fortune) that looks like brags so popular over the internet, where liars lie to themselves? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yet when I interviewed Dr. John T. Cacioppo, lead scientist for the [online dating] Harris Survey, he noted that lies are hard to sustain long enough for a marriage to occur.â&#x20AC;?183.

In other words, are mythical characters and story-lines not of the same alloy as characters online telling this story about their (presumed) income, physical prowess, attractiveness, position, connections, sex life, and so forth? â&#x20AC;&#x153; the 15 to 20

182

183

In other circumstances the endless list shall represent horrors, torments and indignities the hero was subjected to. Welch 2015b:88.

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percent of normative sexless couples “184? Forget that nonsense.

Of course they are. Just like larger-than-life characters of myth -whether historical, pseudo-historical and anything in between- such as Gautama Buddha, Alexander, Caesar, Ganesha, Hercules and so forth, they want to mirror the Renaissance man, to span the quadrants of Jungian psychology:”Archetypes are systems of readiness for action, and at the same time images and emotions. ”185.

Professor of psychology D.M. Ogilvie comments that “worst self salience” (= an image one has of one “at one's worst”, e.g unemployed, rejected etc) is almost as powerful as “mortality salience” (Terror Management Theory). Psychologist Perel also links “mortality salience” with extramarital affairs as marital monotony makes one feel trapped and hopeless.

Last, Frankfurt argues that the contemporary spread of bullshit also has a deeper source: our being skeptical and denying that we can ever know the truth of how things truly are. -...-He argues that once we decide that it makes no sense to try to be true to the facts, we simply resort to being true to ourselves. This, to me, is the birthplace of one of the great bullshit problems of our time: the “you’re either with us or against us” argument. (Brown 2017b:55). Having online identities affects how we think about ourselves, in part because we now have access to much more information about our past. (Viskontas 2017:213). The concept of a "real me" who bears little relation to anything one says or does in reality is an especially prevalent antianxiety device and often coexists with other defense values. (Branden 1985:83).

184 185

Perel 2006:74. C.G. Jung in 1927/1931.

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Inversely, “ideal self” images counter “mortality salience”. Whence the penniless bum, the wallflower, the boiler-room operator etc who project fake images (=false self) of financial, sexual and what not prowess. Politicians and conmen equally target this dynamic: with a 20% return on investment or with all those State subsidies and tax cuts, one's “ideal self” (=affluent, self-assured...) will truly be at one's fingertip. R.L. Moore explains that the induction of anxiety makes people “stupid and aggressive”186.

when our minds are preoccupied, or our mental capacity is altered by our emotional state or another physiological state (sexual arousal or hunger, for example), we’re less likely to take the moral high road. We’re more likely to succumb to discriminatory behaviors, to make superficial judgments, and to behave primitively rather than as the civilized beings that we think we are. (Viskontas 2017:131132). Moore also juxtaposes “calm, non-anxious presence” and “psychological system integrity”, in turn gage of “resilience” 187. Readers can picture the Bruce Lee character who raids the Japanese Bushido school: he challenges all the Japanese fighters to attack him at once...and wins; or James Bond, who turns tables on the 'bad guys' who have overpowered him. Unfortunately, everyday people are rather like bumbling bullshido artists than the smug, self-assured, “calm, non-anxious and resilient” Steven Seagal. Schwarzenegger or Stallone characters on TV.

Moore188 claims that people who receive collective projections act calm, non-anxious and resilient as long as they are adored. When the collective 186 187 188

No date-3:part 7. No date-3:part 8. 1989b:part 3.

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projection's beam stops, they revert to their pathetic self: Hitler rambles incoherently on in the bunker as he marshals armies that no longer exist; Mussolini tries to escape disguised as a German soldier in retreat; Renzi whimpers in narcissistic pain; Hillary Rodham Clinton's public mask melts as existential idolatry evaporates...

So, ideal, or best, selves are typically envisioned as times when social roles are functioning properly, whereas undesired, or at worst, selves are unveiled when roles collapse. -...-The results of Study 1 support the idea that thinking about being at one's worst produces effects comparable to a mortality salience induction -...-. The results of Study 2 confirm that reminders of the undesired self are comparable to intimations of mortality in that participants in both conditions reported higher levels of accessibility of death thoughts relative to control conditions. (Ogilvie et alii 2008:2-17). According to R.L. Moore189, Jesus -whose second coming devotees long(ed) for- was the king of the four quarters; he also connects Aristotle's cardinal virtues190 with the four quarters or archetypes. The present writer adds how votaries perceive any 'great man' as king of the four quarters, even if he is the usual contemptible deranged profligate.

The lore has it that Saudi billionaire Khashoggi hosted colleagues, moguls and politicians in his palatial homes. Private suites with hall of mirrors served as love nest, where 'great men' could retreat in the company of high-end prostitutes.

189 190

1993. Justice, Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence.

106

One wonders what use could the wealthy sheikh have put such very sensitive information. Readers may ponder the celebrity scandals of late 2017: from Martin Sheen to Weinstein; from Spacey to Dustin Hoffman: unrepentant profligate sexual abusers are pilloried in the media.

German Lopez, a reporter for left-leaning Vox, tweeted: “I can’t emphasize how bad this is on CNN’s part. This is basically ‘don’t post stuff we don’t like or we’ll dox you.’ Extremely unethical.” -...-WikiLeaks tweeted, "Trump was bad. CNN is worse: CNN threatens amateur satirist behind Trump video: make fun of us again and we dox you." (Fox News Politics, July 5, 2017). Is pedophilia scandal looming? -...-Hollywood is facing big financial losses as the number of sexual harassment claims continues to grow. Major studios including Warner Bros, Netflix, and Sony Pictures, have been forced to cancel projects. Following the public embarrassment that dragged down industry giants like Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, and Brett Ratner, studios have had to scuttle releases of new projects, revise contracts putting promising deals in jeopardy. (Reuters, November 9, 2017). In 2017, servile media are in ecstasy over whether Melania Trump (wife of U.S President Trump) is a new Jackie Kennedy, or whether Justin Trudeau (Canadian PM) is just awesome. International media were devoting adoring covers to Mussolini just a few decades ago after all. Does Melania copy her killer look from TV hit series House Of Cards as Italian magazine Elle suggests?

From this point of view the difference between the artist and the neurotic seems to boil down largely to a question of talent. It is like the difference between an illiterate schizophrenic and a Strindberg: one ends up on the backwards and the other becomes a culture hero-but both experience the world in similar ways and only the quality and the power of the reaction differ. (Becker 1973:185).

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In her capacity of dating consultant, Welch delivers a funny picture of real dating experiences her clients went through. Instead of millionaires on a flying carpet; of superstuds or beauty queens etc, they were:”Confronted With Their STI; Forced To Eat Vegan; Terrorized By The Apocalypse; Ranted At By A Racist; Zombiefied By Zero Personality; Shut In A Truck With The Flatulent” 191.

Moore192 (a Jungian and Adlerian specialist) also connects the four archetypes193 (magician, lover, king, warrior) with “hardware” of the human mind opposed to cultural “software”: that's Jung's quaternio, “Elle constitue le présupposé logique de tout jugement de totalité ”194.

To explain this situation, the existence of a higher level of the sangha was posited. It was called "the order of the four quarters" or the "universal order" (ciiturdisa-sarigha) and consisted of all the disciples of the Buddha. It transcended time and place and included the monks of the past, present, and future; it encompassed all geographical areas; it continued forever. Monasteries and other buildings all belonged to the order of the four quarters; it was represented by the set of precepts that governed all of the present orders. (Hirakawa 1990:64). People love to be equally proficient at playing the king, the trickster (a sort of magician), the warrior, the magician and the lover:

As we saw earlier, if you imagine that something happened, even something implausible, it is very easy indeed for that imagination to become a memory and for that memory to be every bit as vivid as 191 192 193

194

2015b:94. 1991. Four winds; four gospels; four great Bodhisattvas of Chinese Buddhism; four cardinal virtues; four “grandfather trees” associated with the four corners of the universe for the Mescalero American-Indians; four castes in traditional Hinduism... C.G. Jung in Symbolik Des Geistes (1948): “every deliberation regarding totality presupposes quaternity at its logical core”.

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something that really did happen. (Ehrman 2016:89). Such is the power of repression, that exquisitely selective process that—in determining what one remembers, what one forgets—is instrumental in constructing the unique personal world of each of us. (Yalom 2008:153). William Peter Blatty's novel (and the subsequent movies) The Exorcism was loudly trumpeted as having been based on an actual case of exorcism. Henry Ansgar Kelly, himself a Roman Catholic priest, set out to determine just how closely The Exorcist had been based on fact. He interviewed the priest who had conducted the rite, who freely confessed that all the supernatural effects had been added by rumormongers and scriptwriters. More important for our purposes is that the exorcist, himself obviously no Bultmannian skeptic, given his profession(!), admitted that "he recognized a strong myth-making tendency even in himself. If he did not record the events of each session of exorcism as soon as possible after it occured, he declared, he found the details changing in his mind, becoming more 'impressive.'" (Price 1993: no page, emphasis added). Naysayers may sneeze at the wretched, stone broke fellow who brags online. He -on the other hand- relishes the folkloric fantasy of being one of the gods or royalties of lore who wander incognito to test earthlings: will mortals dare to thumb their nose in the Almighty’s direction?

Motivational speaker M.V. Hansen claims 195 he met this unassuming “redneck” with slurred speech and apparently slow wits. Sooner than he thought, however, Hansen was meeting the CEO of MacDonald's to work out a way to sell Hansen's books thanks to the “redneck”, a former chief-of-staff of the Reagan administration.

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2010:part 2.

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Hansen could “recognize” the high-power executive behind the unassertive “redneck” facade, just as drudging fishermen “recognize” Jesus as the “real deal” behind the itinerant fakir's disguise; Hess “recognizes” Hitler as the great chief of the future German national renaissance; J.V. Fialin “recognizes” exiled Prince Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte as the future French Emperor. Who would know that wimpy Clark Kent, the unpretentious reporter, is in reality Superman, the flying man of steel who terrorizes evildoers?

Hansen gets a lucrative contract with MacDonald's; Hess is appointed deputy Fuhrer; mister J.V. Fialin becomes a count, duke, State minister, senator and ambassador under Napoleon III; the unlettered fishermen become Saints sitting at the right-hand of god's only begotten son as the great man's destiny is finally vindicated.

You don't have to be afraid to put your dream in action. Your never gonna faint you'll be the main attraction ( song Make It Shine). The fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground -...-declares the Lord GOD (Ezekiel 38:20-1). The arhat [=Buddhist Saint] Gavampati, whose name means “ruminating ox,” was foremost in receiving offerings from heavenly beings. The Buddha explained that in a past lifetime when Gavampati was a novice monk, he saw an old monk chanting a sutra. Due to his advanced age and the loss of many teeth, the old monk chanted very unclearly. The novice laughed, “When you chant a sutra, you look like an ox eating!” The old monk warned him to quickly repent. He explained, “I have attained arhatship. Because of your words, you will fall into the hells.” Terrified, the 110

novice monk immediately repented, but he still suffered the karmic retribution of being reborn as an ox for five hundred lifetimes. (Wuling, March 27, 2016). "Yes," he answered, "and here are the apples," taking them out of his pocket, and returning them to the king. "If you need more proof, you can see the wound that your men gave me when they were chasing me. But I am also the knight who helped you to your victory over your enemies." "If you can perform deeds like these then you are not a gardener's boy. Tell me, who is your father?" "My father is a powerful king, and I have as much gold as I might need." "I can see," said the king, "that I owe you thanks. Can I do anything for you?" "Yes," he answered. "You can indeed. Give me your daughter for my wife." The maiden laughed and said, "He does not care much for ceremony, but I already had seen from his golden hair that he was not a gardener's boy," and then she went and kissed him. (Brothers Grimm, Iron Hans). Even ascetic sage Gautama Buddha in the lore won military art contests (=warrior); stories exist to recall his sexual effervescence before he renounced the world (=lover). Buddha was also a prince (=king); he went around in a world full of supernatural wonders (=magician), and used skilled means, and what Mahayana schools refer to as “accommodated truths” (=trickster), to lead people towards ultimate liberation.

Characters

Ganesha,

Alexander,

Caesar,

Louis-Napoleon

Bonaparte196, Berlusconi, Shiva and so forth play the part of Renaissance man pretty well in the lore:”You should already be in persona and ready to tell your story”197; “The single best way to get the yes is to show up as the person that they expect or

196

197

He became the Emperor Napoleon III (=king); he had a string of love affairs in different countries (=lover); he led successful military campaigns, and wrote acclaimed military art manuals (=warrior); unexpected twists of fate favored him (=magician); he evaded from prison, and orchestrated a successful putsch to reinstate the Empire in France (=trickster). Lakhani 2005:165.

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desire to do business with. -...- If you want to sell more when sales are difficult, focus on showing up as the person your client expects.”198; “jokes work best in the first person”:”[ something] got buzz by breaking the pattern of what people expected”199. Boothman200 begs to agree, and advises one to dress as impeccably to close sales as if s-he were to go on TV in a close-up:

The secret, unquestionably, was context. It wasn’t about being a psychopath. It was rather about being a method psychopath. About being able to step into character when the situation demanded it. But then, when the exigency had passed, to revert to one’s normal persona. (Dutton 2012:119). 27 centuries of literature—from Homeros to James Joyce; that is, from the Homeric Ulysses to the Ulysses of Joyce—originate in the "function fabulatrice," the urge to write and read fiction, creating personae whose stories we narrate to ourselves. (Fischer 1994:16). Marilyn wanted to show that just by deciding to, she could be either glamorous Marilyn Monroe or plain Norma Jean Baker. On the subway, she was Norma Jean. But when she resurfaced onto the busy New York sidewalks, she decided to turn into Marilyn.-...- she suddenly became magnetic. An aura of magic seemed to ripple out from her, and everything stopped. Time stood still, as did the people around her, who blinked in amazement as they suddenly recognized the star standing in their midst. (Cabane 2012:6). Throughout her life [Marilyn Monroe] hated being alone and was terrified of being abandoned. In adulthood she was in and out of psychiatric clinics and attempted suicide at least three times. She finally succeeded in killing herself (Baron-Cohen 2011:58). For example, if an expert wears a suit and tie, people are more likely to follow their buying suggestions. If you want to persuade people to follow your lead, dress for the occasion. (Vishton 2016:147). 198 199 200

Lakhani 2009:42. Berger 2013:27. 2004.

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The gilded podium of politics or lore resembles another, equally hyperreal, place: Disneyland. People who impersonate Disney characters to entertain visitors must perfectly:

•

look the part;

•

talk the part;

•

act the part;

•

sign autographs according to character rules;

•

know everything about their character, and related universe;

•

ignore realities external to the fictional Disney world.

That's not different from all those cardboard cut-out “mister homeland security”; “mister immigration amnesty”; “mister stateless community” etc: an embodied, walking and talking psychological complex.

Delcorno specifies that in antiquity paradigmatic identification took place between exemplary mythic figures and the individual or action being considered, thus re-enacting a predetermined judgment meant to either condemn or justify201:”A symbol is talking to you and, whether the head knows it or not, the heart knows it.”202;”Remember that seduction is a story that someone is telling 201 202

1984:51. Campbell&Boa 1989:49.

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herself that you are supporting with your actions.”203.

It is not by chance histrionic politicians (Berlusconi, Clinton, Putin, Castro, Strauss-Kahn, Blatter...) also appear in the news as Lotharios, bricoleurs etc; of course, 'great men' prefer to see themselves as 'simply irresistible'. Sexual acting out -Moore points out 204- is a form to get in touch with one's body to counter rampant narcissism (=one is “still human”) as people project archetypal images on one. Newly elected French President Macron is married to a woman 24 years his senior: a relationship started when he was 15yo.

Branden is adamant about self-esteem being a “one on oneself” -”this sense of forward movement “ for D. Liechty- affair that has little to do with kudos from outsiders: the celebrity who enjoys millions of gorgonized, screaming and adoring fans, but who deep inside thinks s-he is a fraud, an impostor: lack of congruence signals it.

Icon of the atheist “social justice” community, divorced Richard Carrier announced to be an hardcore “polyamorous” (=having multiple sexual partners at the same time); Carrier would use attendance to atheist events to prospect for new sex partners.

A third layer of protection against the felt sense of toxic shame is acting "shameless". This is a common pattern for shame-based parents, teachers, preachers of righteousness and politicians. Acting 203 204

Lakhani 2008:172. 1989b:part 2.

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"shameless embodies several behaviors which serve to alter the feeling of shame and to interpersonally transfer one's toxic shame to another person. The transactional theorist call this passing the "hot potato". These behaviors are all strategies of defense against the pain of toxic shame. They are mood-altering and become addictive. (Bradshaw 1988:88). It is highly significant that each of [Hitler's lovers] committed suicide or tried to do so, and more than a simple coincidence. It might very possibly be that they could not stand the burden of his perversion; the whole of it was on them, it was theirs to live withnot in itself, as a simple and disgusting physical act, but in its shattering absurdity and massive incongruity with Hitler's public role. The man who is the " object of all social worship, the hope of Germany and the world, the victor over evil and filth, is the same one who will in an hour plead with you in private to "be nice" to him with the fullness of your excretions.(Becker 1973:249). concluso dal premier [Silvio Berlusconi then Prime Minister] che smaneggia un crocifisso [after Nicole Minetti's strip-tease dressed as a nun] piazzandoglielo prima tra le tette e poi tra le cosce mentre biascica una personalissima variante della benedizione canonica (“ha detto ‘Dio santo ti benedica’; poi le ha appoggiato il crocifisso sulla testa, tra le gambe e sui seni”)205. (Flores D'Arcais 2011:no page). I do believe that the emphasis on egalitarian and respectful sex—purged of any expressions of power, aggression, and transgression—is antithetical to erotic desire for men and women alike. -...-In eros, we trample on cultural restrictions; the prohibitions we so vigorously uphold in the light are often the ones we enjoy transgressing in the dark. It’s an alternative space where we can safely experience our taboos. The erotic imagination has the force to override reason, convention, and social barriers. -...- [a 205

Nicole Minetti's strip-tease in a nun's dress ends when then Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi handles a crucifix, which he uses to bless her on her heads, hips and bare breasts as he mumbles a personal benediction: “may the holy god bless you”. (free translation). Impassioned devotees are ready to offer their own breast to the (metaphorical) bayonets that threaten the “great man”. Berlusconi would have used no “real crucifix” in his blasphemous eccentricities but a “sort of” cross-like object. When XVII century Jewish messiah Sabbatai Sevi apostasized to Islam, believers claimed either that the apostasy was an hallucination, or that Sabbatai had indeed apostasized to probe the depth of sin so that devotees wouldn't have to. “My great man is not the kind of person to do anything like that”, that's why one “trusts him”. The atrocities of German concentration camps are common knowledge, but early British camps during the Boer wars in South Africa -which inspired Hitler- were “refugee camps” set up in absolute compassion. There are numbers floating around of interned Boer women and children dying en masse, but should one believe such claim when the British are the supposed culprit?

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professional into sado-masochism confessed that] What other people think doesn’t matter anymore. Dignity doesn’t matter anymore. All there is is need, animal desire. It’s freedom, which I’ve been fighting for my whole life.(Perel 2006:58-59,67). Just as Disney impersonators do, all those people are supposed to think “in character” at all times, and to be oblivious to realities outside their fictional world, such as asking about how ethical the next 'just war' might be; or where exactly should resources for huge tax breaks, investments and subsidies come from:”Virality is most valuable when the brand or product benefit is integral to the story. When it’s woven so deeply into the narrative that people can’t tell the story without mentioning it.”206.

The U.S Pullman company was for ages a synonym for comfortable travel by rail vehicle and trolley bus; so much in fact that even in Italy a bus can be called “ Pullman”.

Politician so-and-so proves irresistible to an electoral segment because his image is coterminous with homeland security, immigration amnesty, Catholic renewal and so forth:”It's hard for me to separate who I am from what I want to do and what I am doing”;”A symbol is talking to you and, whether the head knows it or not, the heart knows it.”207;”It is not a long distance between a very productive leader and a sociopath -...-: it is regulation. When the person no longer can maintain their humanity, then they are possessed by these energies -...-. The truth is you have

206 207

Berger 2013:18,101, emphasis added. Campbell&Boa 1989:49.

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to take those people down -...- or they will destroy the world”208.

The gods of ancient paganism could counterbalance one another. Mercury, Vulcan, Bacchus, Mars could behave as loons at times, but then Jupiter, Juno, Venus could intervene to set things straight. After all, Neptune had limited jurisdiction over the oceans and earthquakes. When an almighty god is posited, he has forcefully to be “all good” lest terror seize powerless creatures in the clutch of a king-size, universal bedlamite: a demented Amin, Hitler or Pol Pot ruling not just a country, but the whole cosmos.

[god said:]But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death. (Deuteronomy 18:20). Miles Neale claims that high Tibetan Buddhist masters -such as the Dalai Lama- “live the Bodhisattva ideal”. Even when involved in mundane activities such as eating, they do so “for the benefit of all sentient beings”; statues of a god also adorn the latrine of Japanese Buddhist Zen temples. Hulk Hogan lives the “Hulkamania ideal” (whatever that means)...

Italian motorbike racing legend Valentino Rossi races motorbikes professionally, and in order to unwind takes part in car and go-kart rallies: engines and speed are his thing. R.L. Moore aptly characterizes Eliade's “sacred space” as “a sewer”: in stercore invenitur (“ it is found in manure”, or “in the distressing darkness of the human psyche -...-there alone could be found those contradictions, those 208

Moore 2002:part 5.

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grotesque phantasms and scurrilous symbols”209).

Moore also informs how “archetypal energy operates like radiation -...-. It's like the ancient ideas of defilement in traditional cultures: when it gets on, it doesn't get off”210. J.B. Peterson talks in the same terms about “disgust sensitivity”. The supposed judeophobe, racist or homophobe must be removed at once 211: contagion might otherwise occur. From medical truth (malaria, HIV or TBC contagion for example) to politicized truth: the Catholic Church wanted French Huguenot camisards medically recognized as “madmen” instead of “prophets”.

The opposite might also apply. U.S Christian ultraist Westboro Baptist Church publicizes their version of a noted song:”I’m ashamed to be an American, where the fags can freely roam ”212; on the notes of America The Beautiful, they sing:”O wicked land of sodomites Your World Trade Center’s gone With crashing planes and burning flames To hell their souls have flown -...-The US flag belongs in flames It’s great for wiping crap! ”.

That's how the presence -or a relic/footprint, that is presence by proxyof a Saint – a Buddhist or Catholic one- “saves” or “benefits” the entire valley, city or State. Sainthood operates like inverted defilement: “archetypal energy operates like 209 210 211

212

C.G. Jung, Mysterium Coniunctionis, 1955-56. 2001: part 4. Just as another regime may have wanted to remove Judaeo-Masons, Judaeo-plutocrats, Judaeo-Bolsheviks and so forth. Radical U.S Christians demand the excision of homosexuals from the social body lest society be ritually polluted as a result, which shall bring about hurricanes, god's wrath etc. Their mainstream adversaries – who consider fringe 'fundies' as loons- request equally strongly the removal of one '...ist' or another, lamenting an up-andcoming bout of ritual uncleanliness: the assassination of memory, for example.

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radiation -...- when it gets on, it doesn't get off”.

It has been a longstanding Catholic tradition to be buried ad santos (in the vicinity of a holy person's tomb) and/or apud ecclesiam (close to a church) in order to facilitate the spiritual journey. In Japan also, people compete to be buried next to great Shingon Buddhist founder Kukai at Okunoin cemetery. Iraqi Yazidi kiss the bag in which parts of the “peacock standard” rest, and musical instruments clergymen use to accompany the Melek Taus (peacock angel). Yazidi also drink holy water held in proximity of the “peacock standard”: water of the baptismal “white spring” (originally in Lalish).

Just as the Pullman company embodied comfortable rail vehicle travel, so politician so-and-so “is” free trade, immigration amnesty, huge tax breaks and subsidies, a State for the stateless community:”if you want attention -...- you want to show them -...- not only that [what you offer] offers them utility value -...- you also offer them a better story”213;”So we need to build our own Trojan horses, embedding our products and ideas in stories that people want to tell.”214. Japanese PM Shinzo Abe appears at the closing ceremony of the 2016 Olympics dressed as the videogame character Super Mario.

Google had a great interface and useful search results, but an interface doesn’t make you laugh. An interface doesn’t make you cry. A demo would show how the interface worked, but that would be it. Cafaro wanted to humanize the interface. He wanted not only to show features, but to move people. Build an emotional 213 214

Faulkner 2002. Berger 2013:19.

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connection. So together with the Creative Lab team, Cafaro developed a video entitled “Parisian Love.” The clip tells a budding love story, using Google searches that evolve over time. No images of people, or even voicesextnote—just the phrases entered in the search bar and the results that emerge. -...-You cannot watch this clip without having your heartstrings tugged. It’s romantic, joyous, and inspiring all at once. I still feel tingles every time I see it, and I’ve watched it dozens of times. -...- By focusing on feelings, Google turned a normal ad into a viral hit.(Berger 2013:62, emphasis added). Conveying visionary charisma requires the ability to project complete conviction and confidence in a cause. In this way, visionary charisma is based on power. However, it is also based on warmth. Visionary charismatics aren’t necessarily warm people, but they do feel strongly, even passionately, about their vision. And to be truly charismatic, their vision must include a certain amount of nobility and altruism. One reporter described Steve Jobs as being “driven by a nearly messianic zeal.… Jobs doesn’t sell computers. He sells the promise of a better world.” Visionary charismatics often promise redemption—think Joan of Arc or Martin Luther King Jr. With visionary charisma, you’re selling people on the vision more than on yourself. (Cabane 2012:69, emphasis added). What matters is that they are motivated by a vision to change the world, to “leave a dent in the universe.” [as Steve Jobs said]. (Gallo 2010:35). Narcissists often take advantage of their teammates in their attempts to succeed at all costs. These are the “glory hogs,” “suckups,” or “backstabbers”—people who get ahead at the expense of others and jeopardize the success of the organization. (Twenge&Campbell 2009:147). NLP speaker Faulkner215 refers to this dynamic as the activation of one's Here Berger seems to be wrong. The edition of the ad the present writer watched has indeed voices speaking French in the distant background. For example, airport announcers and a female voice that says tu es très mignon [=you are very cute] to the faceless and voiceless “(re)searcher” who uses Google: he might be just about anyone else. Of course, that's the beginning of the abridged, condensed (52 seconds) and novelized (study abroad angle) “love story” (Parisian love, that is) that ends with marriage (in a Church, rite of passage angle) and the birth of a baby in outstanding mythological fashion. What turns an ad into a masterpiece is not the actual content (zero effects, no scenery, average music) but the mythological factor. Actual footage at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnsSUqgkDwU (note of this writer). 2002.

extnote

215

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values, which makes people feel fulfilled; after all, Faulkner quips, people spend more time in their own imagination than in the real world. Branden shoehorns: “an emotion is a response to values; it is an automated psychological result of a man's value judgments: an emotion involves both a mental and a physical component” 216.

A former assistant to pop-culture icons such as Andy Warhol and Ram Dass, Mark Matousek217 in 2012 melts in rapture as he evokes Obama, “all that is good”, who provides people with “elevation” (also a piece of Catholic liturgy when the holy host is raised). Politics and Bhakti (devotion) become one. One may compare it with words from 1970 Italian love song La Prima Cosa Bella (the first nice thing): la prima cosa bella che ho avuto dalla vita -...- sei tu (you have been the first nice thing for me in life).

[ a gopi confesses to her husband her reaction to meeting Krishna] And now Nath, mine ears are perpetually haunted by his voice, and all [ the land of ]Vraja is become but a mirror of his matchless beauty, - beauty so perfect, that it may not even be dreamed of by mere mortals- and my heart- Ah! There is no longer is a heart in Sharmila's breast! (Heart Of A Gopi, 1924, by “Moslem Saint” Raihana Tyabji). I just hang out with him all the time. I have an imaginary playmate, in a way. I mean: [Hindu guru Neem Karoli Baba] is dead -...- but he seems so alive to me because I have invested that form in my mind as an emotional connection to that deeper truth because to me -...- he is the wisdom that transcends time and space -...-. Can you imagine having a friend like that? (Ram Dass, Inner Tuning, 1989). There was reclining one of His disciples whom Jesus loved in the 216 217

1960/1969:lesson 2. In Matousek's own words, he came from a broken family of Jewish background. He's HIV-positive and identifies with the left: biographical inertia indeed.

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bosom of Jesus. (John 13:23). People then may think of themselves as being “in the flow”; in aesthetic arrest; “in the presence of greatness” etc:

The space between our practiced values (what we’re actually doing, thinking, and feeling) and our aspirational values (what we want to do, think, and feel) is the value gap, or what I call “the disengagement divide.” It’s where we lose our employees, our clients, our students, our teachers, our congregations, and even our own children. We can take big steps—we can even make a running jump to cross the widening value fissures that we face at home, work, and school—but at some point, when that divide broadens to a certain critical degree, we’re goners. That’s why dehumanizing cultures foster the highest levels of disengagement—they create value gaps that actual humans can’t hope to successfully navigate. (Brown 2012:116). The potency of your emotional contagion is one good measure of your level of charisma. When researching Social Intelligence, author Daniel Goleman analyzed a video of Herb Kelleher, the charismatic cofounder of Southwest Airlines, strolling through the corridors of the airline’s hub. Goleman said, “We could practically see him activate the oscillators in each person he encountered.” (Cabane 2012:96). “And esthetic arrest, the condition of the heart or spirit or whatever not being moved by desire or fear, is precisely the counter-part of the experience of the Buddha under the tree of the immovable spot. It is the immovable spot. It is a psychological stasis with respect to your relationships to the forms of the world around you. -...-It is your mental attitude that determines whether you experience the projecting or the revealing power. The world is there in both modes. It is not that the world changes, it’s your consciousness. Esthetic arrest is the result of this change of focus.”(Campbell 1991:173-4, emphasis added). Consciousness is contagious (B. Cortright, 1997). According to ancient usage, whatever seemed strikingly impressive, possessed the quality of excellence, or inspired a feeling of awe was 122

called kami [=Japanese spirit-god] (Motoori Norinaga, 1730-1801). That means for many of us, being in the presence of a particular realized soul, a subtle energy interchange takes place and a part in us opens up and our consciousness changes. This may be temporary in initial stages, later as we understand it, it becomes a permanent part in us. (Varma, MAISI032 no date unit 5:6-7).

Leave me penniless and naked in any town in America and by the end of the day I’ll have clothes, food, lodging, a way of earning an income, a following, and enough money in my pocket to start again. Why? Because I know exactly how to persuade people to do what I need them to do for both of us to achieve our goals. (Lakhani 2005:xiii). God-terms have to be exemplified in order to be taught; or, at least, vital examples must be pointed (Philip Rieff, The Impossible Culture, 1982). Do we provoke strong and immediate emotional reactions? Do we create advocates? Are we “cultural shorthand” for a specific set of actions or values? Do we incite conversation? Do we force competitors to realign around us? Do we trigger social revolutions? (Hogshead 2010:145). Whence all the enthusiasm for all the Platonic form flumadiddle that takes flesh on earth as this pedlar pushes immigration amnesty; that prig champions stateless communities; a dolt promises on TV huge subsidies and tax cuts: the imagined actualization of one's values.

Gautama Buddha said:”Whoever sees the Dhamma sees me; whoever sees me sees the Dhamma ”218; ”Jesus replied, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don't know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen 218

A possible explanation is that the teaching (a philosophical tradition perhaps) has to come from a “great man”. If there is a lesson to learn, “some great man” must have taught it “somewhere at some point”. Of course, a philosophical tradition can exist independently from any “great man”. Luddism and jacqueries took place even without a Jacques Nu-pieds or a Ned Ludd walking this earth in the flesh.

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the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you?” ( John 14:9). Politician so-and-so then says “whoever sees me sees homeland security (home rule, free trade etc)”:

whatever you or your client finds nostalgic that ties in with [your aim] -...-. I include a note with the message: “ Remember how good this candy was when you were a kid? You can still taste them and they leave you with a special feeling all these years later. That ’ s what it is like when you and your team work with Dave Lakhani.” (Lakhani 2009:86). "Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me [=Jesus] rejects him who sent me." ( Luke 10:16). Because if we are willing to work for it, and fight for it, and believe in it, then I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on Earth. This was the moment - this was the time - when we came together to remake this great nation so that it may always reflect our very best selves, and our highest ideals. Thank you, God Bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America. (Obama's Nomination Victory Speech in 2008). As Helms said, Christians reread the Septuagint as a book about Jesus, and from its pages, they composed a new book about Jesus, four of them in fact. (Origen 2017:4). Just as Jesus, Romulus, Buddha or Krishna descended from the heaven of high gods to bring salvation, so mister so-and-so truly embodies homeland security, welfare state etc. An insult directed to the 'great (wo)man' is not an insult to a mere mortal coil, but to embodied absolute values.

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During a debate219 with R.M. Price, Bart Ehrman -distinguished professor of religious studies- argues the position that Jesus existed veritably by claiming that Jesus was indeed this sort of archangel or eternal divine entity, but that the Nazarene had become a man of flesh and blood. It is unclear whether here Ehrman has his academic, atheist, religionist or agnostic hat on as he pushes this sort of

Starman or Superman narrative: outer space prodigy comes to Earth to work wonders while being indistinguishable from all of us.

R.L. Moore talks about a “sacralized”, “numinous transference” of apocalyptic vintage. Jungian major-leaguer M.L. Von Franz declares:”derrière un ...isme il y a un archétype -...- [un ...isme c'est] un élan spirituel abortif” 220. Chinese statesman Ei Xin (1833-1898) compared the Taiping Rebellion (1850-64) to a disease of the heart, a term Chiang Kai-Shek referred to the Communist menace 221:”we speak of archetypes -...-But if they are mere images whose numinosity you have never experienced, it will be as if you were talking in a dream, for you will not know what you are talking about.”222.

Moore223, however, suggests that such impulses should be dealt with within one's deep self (individuation, maturation, initiation) and not as an outward projection:”What the myths are for is to bring us into a level of consciousness that is

219 220

221 222 223

October 21, 2016. “Behind every ...ism, you get an archetype [a ...ism is] an aborted spiritual yearning”, in Latour 1970: Symboles Et Mythes. Chiang referred to the Japanese invasion as “a disease of the skin”. C.G. Jung, Man And His Symbols. 1991.

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spiritual.”224.

Jung has written some particularly brilliant and penetrating pages on transference, and he has seen that the urge is so strong and natural that he has even called it an "instinct"-a "kinship libido." This instinct he says, cannot be satisfied in any abstract way:”It wants the human connection. That is the core of the whole transference phenomenon, and it is impossible to argue it away, because relationship to the self is at once relationship to our fellow man.” -...- which is why Freud and Ferenczi could already say that transference represents psychotherapy, the "self-taught attempts on the patient's part to cure himself.” [Ferenczi in 1909] -...- In other words, the Greek sought to impress his inner self, his spirit or soul, upon the beloved youth. This spiritual friendship was designed to produce a son in whom one's soul would survive:”In boy-love, man fertilized both spiritually and otherwise the living image of his own soul, which seemed materialized in an ego as idealized and as much like his own body as was possible”[Rank in 1930](Becker 1973:157158,232 emphasis added). Failure to comply entails no disrespect towards another mentally unstable philanderer, impostor, power-crazy narcissist or third-rate gagman reciting a script someone else wrote, but disrespect towards Platonic form drivel that obsesses the human mind. Public discourse leads frazzled masses to believe that an apocalypse might forthwith ensue.

Tannen225 aptly characterizes “the argument culture” as calling people to soldier on in the name of incommensurable absolute ideals (the “war on” terror, drugs, poverty, islamofascism, homophobia...) with an attitude inflamed by military metaphors that resemble how overexcited adolescents may approach the issue:

224 225

Campbell&Moyers 1991:21. 2004b.

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politicians are often forced to stage conflicts and make extreme statements to get press coverage. This is something on which Republicans and Democrats agree (Tannen 1998:36). According to Lindstrom, who spent years studying the common traits of lasting brands, religions and brands such as Apple have another quality in common: the idea of conquering a shared enemy. -...-The antagonist gives your audience the big picture. (Gallo 2010:68-69). We have a feedback loop here. The 'great (wo)man' is 'great' because she embodies seventh-heaven rigmarole; at the same time, people choose 'the great idea' strictly because of the 'great (wo)man' as Girard would have it (the infomercial testimonial shtick).

Platonic forms shall one day -just as the “King Jesus” of U.S Christian fundamentalists – rule the world in the flesh sealing manifest destinies that have been unfolding all along: there will be security for the homeland 226; a State for the stateless community; an amnesty for illegal immigrants, etc.

Is Elvis Presley a king? Many fans call him “the king”, indeed. What about wrestler Harley Race? Wasn't he “the king”? Was Race more or less of a king of wrestling than “Macho king” Randy Savage or Tongan “King Haku”? David Bowie was hailed as “the White duke”, and John Wayne as “the duke”:

archetypal

intoxication.

Krishna -incarnation of almighty Vishnu-, Ogun and Romulus also served as a king or regent, and Gautama Buddha -who like Jesus, Romulus and 226

Moore (1989b:part 5) casts “the homeland” as a recurring and universal myth.

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Krishna had taken flesh from the realm of the high gods- was the heir to a throne227:

[The deified Romulus spoke after his ascension]“It pleased the gods, my good Proculus that we should dwell with men, for a time, and after having founded a city, which will be the most powerful and glorious in the world, return to heaven whence we came” (Plutarch, Life Of Romulus, Langhorne trans.). Soon after, Proculus, a close friend of Romulus, reported that he met Romulus 'on the road' between Rome and a nearby town -...(pretty much as happens to Cleopas in Lk. 24. 13-32-...-).Luke converts this glorious appearance tale [of Romulus] into a hidden god narrative [= Jesus appears unrecognized] -...-. In fact, Livy's account, just like Mark's, emphasizes that 'fear and bereavement' kept the people 'silent for a long time', and only later did they proclaim Romulus 'God, Son of God, King, and Father', thus matching Mark's 'they said nothing to anyone', yet obviously assuming that somehow word got out. It certainly seems as if Mark is fashioning Jesus into the new Romulus, with a new, superior message, establishing a new, superior kingdom.(Carrier 2014:56-57). On screen, skilled actors deliver riveting performances that rival with real life. Enthralled gawkers thought that Tom Cruise was a real pilot after he starred in Top Gun. Wrestler Ted DiBiase was really this millionaire who loved to perform stunt moves for reasons known only to himself.

Many viewers thought Italian acting duo Bud Spencer&Terence Hill were real life best buddies just as they appeared on screen; some had them living together in real life as relatives:”Narrative imitates life, life imitates narrative ”228. Reality often gives the lie to such pious frauds: Star Trek icons Shatner (Kirk) and 227

228

King Bimbisara had offered the future Buddha half of his kingdom, and his daughter in marriage upon interviewing the sage. Gautama Buddha, however, refused stating how he had already left his own father's kingdom behind in his spiritual quest. Bruner, in Heikkinen et alii 2000:no page.

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Nimoy (Spock) had been estranged for years when Nimoy died in 2015. Shatner didn't even attend Nimoy's funeral: so much about being “best buddies on screen”. A bitter feud has opposed for decades Takei (Sulu) and Shatner (Kirk):”I don't know that motherfucker” Shatner quipped on tape.

Many viewers also thought Kaley Cuoco (born 1985) and William Shatner (born 1931) were a real-life father and daughter couple just as in the part they played in Priceline commercials. Actors Chris Robinson (in 1985) and Peter Bergman (in 1986) delivered a legendary line while promoting Vicks products: “I am not a doctor, but I play one on TV”.

Once again, marketers have latched onto the power of authority in persuasive messaging, which is why we find the trappings of authority in ads and other marketing communications. People who give advice in ads are often dressed or look or act in such a way as to make them seem as if they have some authority. (Hamilton 2016:104). Not at all surprisingly, people indicate a greater willingness to buy the product if it is recommended by someone with relevant expertise. (Vishton 2016:147). When people with their actions “make Jesus [or any other example] suffer”229, the insult is directed not to one of the many liquidated messianic agitators possibly active in Palestine twenty centuries ago, but to seventh-heaven Platonic “embodied righteousness” or the like.

229

A form of pathetic fallacy. Instead of “the universe” or “the weather”, Jesus responds to our own inner world. Krishna (in the Gita) had already chastised those who practice extreme asceticism and renunciation because in doing so they “torment the organisation of the physical elements constituting the body and also torment Me [= Vishnu, god almighty] dwelling within the inner body; ” (in MAISI015 no date: lecture 1:4).

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In a Buddhist legend, scholar Asanga leaves meditation behind while cursing and spitting at celestial Buddha Maitreya: no sign and no spiritual accomplishment was forthcoming despite Asanga's devotion to the Buddha. An omen convinces him to resume meditation for some more years, at the end of which he finally meets Buddha Maitreya who shows him the stains Asanga's spittle had left on the Buddha's dress many years earlier.

Society expects one to behave according to social expectations and demands so that one's allegiance be manifest:”they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.”. Zoroastrians anticipate the coming of a divine prophet born of a virgin because Zoroaster himself prophesied:”May righteousness be embodied”.

Jesus said, "It is I who am the light which is above them all. It is I who am the All. From Me did the All come forth, and unto Me did the All extend. Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find Me there." ( Gospel Of Thomas no date no page n.77). [In the Gita, Krishna declares]:Of purifiers I am the wind; of the wielders of weapons I am Rama; of fishes I am the shark, and of flowing rivers I am the Ganges. -...-Of letters I am the letter A, and among compounds I am the dual word. I am also inexhaustable time, and of creators I am Brahma, whose manifold faces turn everywhere. -...-Of the descendants of Vrsni I am Vasudeva, and of the Pandavas I am Arjuna. Of the sages I am Vyasa, and among great thinkers I am Usana. (ISKCON trans.). Embodiment can take all sorts of forms: mascots, perhaps. Many may be familiar with mascots that “embody” world soccer cups. These imaginary characters take on a life of their own as they represent the world soccer cup universe: Willy (a 130

humanoid lion, England 1966); Naranjito (a humanoid orange, Spain 1982); Zakumi (a humanoid leopard, South Africa 2010); Fuleco ( a humanoid armadillo, Brazil 2014). Much as a cross may remind one of awesome Christian values, and a NSDAP flag of values of a different kind, so Fuleco or Zakumi immediately conjure image up of soccer games in Brazil or South Africa:

When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, "Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him." -...- He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, "These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt." (Exodus 32:1,4) As Boothman230 would have it, â&#x20AC;&#x153;people one likes can do no wrongâ&#x20AC;?.

We see this discrepancy most clearly in jury trials. If the defendant is in the quality worlds of the jurors for a wide variety of reasons, they may pay little attention to the evidence and acquit him. If he is not the kind of person any of the jurors would put into their quality worlds, he is likely to be found guilty even on flimsy evidence. That is why defendants try to dress well for their trials and to be respectful to the judges. As much as we think we can, we cannot view a situation objectively unless it has nothing to do with what is in our quality worlds.(Glasser 1998:70). What can one like more than all the gnostic flumadiddle about Platonic forms taking flesh? Elementary ideas and exempla tend to sell well irrespective of situational factors. Homeland first gobbledygook works irrespective of the regime at hand being a Communist, Fascist or military dictatorship; or a vanilla western massdemocracy. 230

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Christ-figures sell well before one makes choices regarding which sort of Christ is at hand: a meek fakir; a lusty rabbi planting offspring here and there; a dying and rising mystery cult godhead; an affluence monger; a shamanistic (Polimeni), highly dopaminergic (Previc), “deluded lunatic” 231 (Meggitt), or a rabid Che Guevara hooligan.

Jewish-American Buddhist teacher Ethan Nichtern claims that Gautama Buddha can alternatively be interpreted as a Communist or a Libertarian, a Che Guevara or an Ayn Rand232 character. Given the real-life squalor under the gilded portrait popular culture delivers of the various Mandela, J.F. Kennedy or Martin Luther King, no doubt Jesus or Buddha might follow suit:“a Rorschach test of ever changing sensibilities” (to paraphrase Prothero).

Mormon iconography chooses a Jesus under the appearance of a blond Scandinavian hunk of strong Caucasian features, who ideally resonated with the concerns of Belle Epoque German-speaking spiritual-nationalists: an Aryan Jesus was worshiped so that he might deliver Aryans of the twin scourge of Chandala and Jews:“When conflict occurs among believers over the legitimacy of these social forms, the conflict may include attempts to promote new visions of heaven.” 233. 231

232

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Not the first time such conjecture appears regarding holy men. “And as he thus proceeded with his defense, Festus called out loudly, [saint] Paul, you are mad! Your great learning is driving you insane! ” ( Acts 26:24). Both Plato and Nietzsche proclaim madness as “holy”. Nietzsche invokes it upon himself, whereas Plato specifies that:”the ancients testify, is madness superior to a sane mind (sophrosune) for the one is only of human, but the other of divine origin. ” (Phaedrus, Jowett trans.). Pseudonym of Jewish-Russian thinker Alisa Zinov'evna Rozenbaum, the founder of Objectivism, a philosophical school Nathaniel Branden co-founded. Branden often associated himself with Libertarian circles, and complimented the Libertarian Party, so it might be argued Objectivism is a form of Libertarianism. Lang 1995:47. For example, 1951 sci-fi movie When Worlds Collide sees people trying to escape from Earth as a planetary collision approaches. Distressed critics have bemoaned the on-screen absence of Negroids and other

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People are always ready to issue blank cheques to 'authentic leaders' who embody cherished principles. U.S billionaire and TV personality turned politician Donald Trump (whom 40% of electors support as presidential candidate according to polls in January 2016) makes this very clear as he states:”I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters ” 234. (Un)surprisingly, Trump is elected president: magi start coming from all directions to hail Saint Donald – an erstwhile 'crazy' demagogue on the fringe-, while SocialCommunists masquerading as liberals235 scatter.

After a revanchist fiasco that catapulted Greece into a financial dark age, left-wing radical Tsipras is once again voted to lead the country:”Today in Europe, Greece and the Greek people are synonymous with resistance and dignity. ” 236. Blair and Bush, jr. rode successfully out the scandal of the non-existing Iraqi weapons of mass destruction:

Though his body says, “Stop!” his spirit cries, “Never!” ( Rocky IV soundtrack song Burning Heart, 1985). For example, in the introduction we described the custom of the Dinka and Nuer tribes of the Sudan. who extract several of the permanent front teeth of their children a painful procedure, done

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colored people among the frantic groups about to leave the doomed planet aboard rocket ships. Humankind finds a new home in the heavens -quite literally-, where colored people are not admitted:” new visions of heaven.”. CNN Politics, January, 24, 2016. It is commonplace to berate how Fascists present(ed) themselves falsely as vanilla nationalists while being “something else” instead. The same applies to the Social-Communist worldwide front hiding behind the “progressive”, “labour” or “liberal” label. In Italy, Germany, France and other countries, “progressives” are often apparatchiks from (former) Communist parties. It doesn't matter much how many victims Social-Communism left behind worldwide: “killing victims twice” doesn't apply when the left is concerned as no “special law” targets them. Tsipras according to Reuters on September 21, 2015.

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with a fish hook. Anthropologists suggest that this tradition originated during an epidemic of lockjaw; missing front teeth would enable sufferers to get some nourishment. But if that were the reason, why in the world would the villagers continue this custom once the danger had passed? A practice that makes no sense at all to outsiders makes perfect sense when seen through the lens of dissonance theory.-...- For example, they might convince themselves that pulling teeth has aesthetic value-say, that sunkenchin look is really quite attractive-and they might even turn the surgical ordeal into a rite of passage into adulthood. And, indeed, that is just what happened. (Tavris&Aronson 2007:23). but the technique was also used on the highest levels, especially with reluctant persons of prominence and talent whom they wanted to recruit. These they induced to commit extra atrocities that indelibly identified them with the SS and gave them a new, criminal identity.-...-Thus, what may begin as the heroic mission of a Hitler or a Manson comes to be sustained by bullying and threats, by added fear and guilt. The followers find that they have to continue on with the megalomanic plan because it becomes their only chance of survival in a hostile world. The followers must do what the leader wants, which becomes what they themselves must want in order to survive. If the leader loses, they too perish; they cannot quit, nor does he allow them to. And so the German nation fought on until the final destruction of Berlin; the Manson family held together under persecution and his threats, to flee to the desert and await the end of the world. This gives an added dimension, too, to our understanding of why people stick with their leaders even in defeat, as the Egyptians did with Nasser. Without him they may feel just too exposed to reprisal, to total annihilation. Having been baptized in his fire they can no longer stand alone. (Becker 1973:140). But there’s also another kind of herding, one that we call selfherding. This happens when we believe something is good (or bad) on the basis of our own previous behavior. -...-This is a complex computation—so instead, you resort to the simple approach: “I went to Starbucks before, and I enjoyed myself and the coffee, so this must be a good decision for me.” So you walk in and get another small cup of coffee. In doing so, you just became the second person in line, standing behind yourself. A few days later, you again walk by Starbucks and this time, you vividly remember your past decisions and act on them again—voilà! You become the third person in line, standing behind yourself. -...-If you stopped to think 134

about this, it would not be clear whether you should be spending all this money on coffee at Starbucks instead of getting cheaper coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts or even free coffee at the office. But you don’t think about these trade-offs anymore. You’ve already made this decision many times in the past, so you now assume that this is the way you want to spend your money. You’ve herded yourself— lining up behind your initial experience at Starbucks—and now you’re part of the crowd.(Ariely 2009:34-5). Hope, whether internally generated or coming from an outside source, enables people to embrace their goals and stay committed to moving toward them. -...- As the old saying goes, all’s well that ends well; if it is not yet well, then it is not quite the end.(Sharot 2011:44). Since you (like all of us) are a self-herding kind of animal, you look to your past behaviors as a guide. -...-IN AN IDEAL world, you should be able to remember the emotional state under which you DECIDED to act like a schmuck, and you would realize that you don’t need to continue to behave that way. But the reality is that we humans have a very poor memory of our past emotional states (can you remember how you felt last Wednesday at 3:30 P.M.?), but we do remember the actions we’ve taken. And so we keep on making the same decisions (even when they are DECISIONS). In essence, once we choose to act on our emotions, we make shortterm DECISIONS that can change our long-term ones (Ariely 2010:125, emphasis added). Commoners who stand in line at the supermarket's cash counter are most likely to wind up in their futile attempts at personal mythologization (according to Becker in the attempt to evade the inevitability of death) as Naked

Gun or Police Academy237 -and not Charlton Heston238- characters.

People may be deluded into thinking they are as “cool under fire”, “resilient”, as those Steven Seagal or Schwarzenegger characters on TV. With 237 238

Grotesque parody comedy movies. Famous U.S lead actor (1923-2008) renowned for his parts as larger-than-life characters in blockbusters such as Julius Caesar (1950), The Greatest Show On Earth (1952), The Ten Commandments (1956), Ben-Hur (1959), El Cid (1961), Planet Of The Apes (1968) etc.

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wrestling star Dusty Rhodes, they want to be able to claim:”My belly is just a lil' big, my heiny's a lil' big, but brother, I am bad. And they know I am bad” 239.

Reality is, they may very likely be “self-esteem disasters” and utter frauds. As far as the Steven Seagal or Clint Eastwood characters on TV, they are pure fiction that -if at all- have more in common with a Pol Pot, Breivik or Dahmer real-life character than with the nincompoop in line at the grocery store.

The delusional system of an insane person is like a myth in which he celebrates his own greatness. There are insane persons who assert themselves to be some particular, famous, historical person -...without further ceremony quite as we are wont to do in dreams. (Abraham 1913:40). Consider middle-aged men who still present themselves to the world as high school football stars, baby boomers who remind us all that they attended Woodstock, or people who manage to work their attendance at Harvard decades ago into every conversation they have (it’s called “dropping the H-bomb,” if you are interested). Such folks are lamentable clichés, and they illustrate the downside of personrole merger, even when the role is positive.(Peterson 2013:124, emphasis added). In my research with both women and men, many participants talked about feeling ashamed of their “small, boring lives.” With very few exceptions, these participants were comparing their lives to what they saw on television or read about in magazines. -...-In our culture, the fear and shame of being ordinary is very real. In fact, many of the older women I interviewed spoke about looking back on their lives and grieving for the extraordinary things that would never come to pass. We seem to measure the value of people’s contributions (and sometimes their entire lives) by their level of public recognition. In other words, worth is measured by fame and fortune. (Brown 2007:159, emphasis added). Deep in her soul, however, she was waiting for something to happen. 239

https://genius.com/Dusty-rhodes-hard-times-promo-annotated

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-...-But each morning, when she awoke, she hoped it would arrive that day, and she would listen to every sound, spring to her feet, feel surprised that it had not come; then at sunset, always more sorrowful, she would wish the next day were already there. (Flaubert, Madame Bovary, Mauldon trans.). To confront or criticize is a form of exercising leadership or power. The exercise of power is nothing more and nothing less than an attempt to influence the course of events, human or otherwise, by one's actions in a consciously or unconsciously predetermined manner. -...- For whenever we exercise power we are attempting to influence the course of the world, of humanity, and we are thereby playing God. Most parents, teachers, leaders-most of us who exercise power-have no cognizance of this. -...-Love compels us to play God with full consciousness of the enormity of the fact that that is just what we are doing. With this consciousness the loving person assumes the responsibility of attempting to be God and not to carelessly play God, to fulfill God's will without mistake. We arrive, then, at yet another paradox: only out of the humility of love can humans dare to be God. (Peck 1978:153-155). God i s too immense t o be limited t o any c h a p t e r or b o ok or even bible. Yet t h e r e i s o n e word for o u r h u m a n e x p e r i e n ce whenever we happenâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;seemingly by accidentâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;to tap into, to p a r t i c i p a t e consciously in, that immensity. It is the e x p e r i e n ce of glory. And how we yearn for it! Blindly, usually falsely, a n d m o re often t h a n n o t destructively, we seek after glory as n o t h i n g else.(Peck 1997:284, emphasis added). All of which leads us to muse wistfully on how unheroic is the average man, even when he follows heroes. He simply loads them up with his own baggage; he follows them with reservations, with a dishonest heart. The noted psychoanalyst Paul Schilder had already observed that man goes into the hypnotic trance itself with reservations. -...-When people try for heroics from the position of willing slavishness there is nothing to admire; it is all so automatic, predictable, pathetic.(Becker 1973:136-7). It is the space of the hero and for good reason. What I call "giving ground relative to one's desire" is always accompanied in the destiny of the subject by some betrayal - you will observe it in every case and should note its importance. Either the subject betrays his own way, betrays himself, and the result is significant for him, or, more simply, he tolerates the fact that someone with whom he has more or less 137

vowed to do something betrays his hope and doesn't do for him what their pact entailed-- whatever that pact may be, fated or ill-fated, risky, shortsighted, or indeed matter of rebellion or flight, it doesn't matter. (Lacan, The Ethics Of Psychoanalysis, 1959-60).

Most people cannot be better than most people. The data depicts a mathematical flaw. Someone has to be in the bottom half of the curve; we cannot all be in the positive tail of the distribution. We can, however, all believe that we are at the high end on most positive attributes, and indeed we do. This illusion is known as the superiority illusion (or the superiority bias).(Sharot 2011:19). More specifically, Lake Wobegon thinking—that we are all a little better than average—can empower us not merely to merge onto the highway but to strive toward and achieve larger goals and ambitions. If we truly believed ourselves to be ordinary—of typical intelligence, of mundane attractiveness, of average likability—could we really retain the motivation to seek a better job, a higher grade, a loving partner? (Feldman 2009:67). Once you understand the fantasy that your audience has, and you know what experience you must deliver, you have to decide how to make the individual the hero. Everyone you persuade is looking for the emotional contentment that feeling like a hero brings. They want to feel like they did something good and powerful for themselves, their family, their company, or the world around them. They want to not only be recognized, but they must recognize that they are truly heroic for what they ’ ve done.(Lakhani 2008:138, emphasis added). Adler very early showed how [to] the schizophrenic -...-nothing seems to him to be able to overcome the inevitable horrors of life and death-except perhaps the fantastic ideational system that he fabricates for his own salvation. His feelings of magical omnipotence and immortality are a reaction to the terror of death by a person who is totally incapable of opposing this terror with his own secure powers. We might even say that the psychotic uses blatantly, openly, and in an exaggerated way the same kinds of thought-defenses that most people use wishfully (Becker 1973:218). “Jokes work best in the first person”, but often the person is the biggest joke, although people probably think -alongside deceased wrestler Dusty Rhodes

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and his resilient underdog persona- that “There were two bad people. One was John Wayne and he’s dead, brother, and the other’s right here”.

Italian singer Vasco Rossi in 1983 delivers the pop-culture hit Vita

Spericolata (reckless life) where he longs for a kind of life that is purely mythological:

•

a life “in your face”;

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when it never gets late;

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when one never sleeps;

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when one never knows, full of trouble;

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the life of a Steve McQueen movie character.

Boothman240 urges hopeful NLP votaries to “create future memories”, to imagine to be successful, whatever that may mean in each case: being allowed to fly in a private jet, or to take days off work. NLP speaker Faulkner explains that - in order to exert influence- one has to connect with the projected (= no matter whether forensically true or false) “movie”, “life story” etc of the person(s) one wishes to influence:

Ask how "things" have been going. Notice familiar patterns in the person's life. (Repeat relationships, careers, etc.) Ask about a 240

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favorite story or movie. Have the person tell it to you (their version). Pay attention to the story pattern (plot) and the story/movie's desired outcome. (2002:15).

Pitch your product to the story they tell themselves in their minds and you ’ ll never have a lack of buyers who will say yes right now. (Lakhani 2009:95). People are indulging ongoing mild -or not so mild- schizotypal crack-ups as they try -online, for example- to conform to obtuse allegories and petrified mythologies. As R.L. Moore comments241, being schizotypal means “you know about angels -...- they [=analysands] know that these entities exist”; Moore thus suggests to join a religion that makes room for such beliefs in order to “de-pathologize” them contrary to what mental health professionals -or society at large- postulate. Angels or gods “speak” routinely in religious imagery to elated devotees eager to let the public know what they just heard from such “gods” or “angels”.

Most people relate to those fossilized stories, which they may have gotten from a cable TV series for all that matters, as if those folkloric accounts were forensic reports, and not 'sentimentalized and prettified' vestiges of the psychotic crack-up someone else experienced and rationalized in a bygone age.

Noted shame researcher Brene Brown in fact jokingly interchanges “breakdown” and “spiritual awakening”:

As he [=Virgil Hinshaw, future philosophy professor] neared the house. he shed his clothes. Upon attaining the yard, he climbed up the side of the porch to the roof. With the delusion that he could 241

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fly, and with grand thoughts of making a statement that Hitler and fascism can and must be stopped. he jumped to the yard and walkway below. -...- Yet my father continued to hold irrational beliefs and to hear voices -...-. I also find it provocative that , during his 1945 hospitalization, he had the delusion that he was being housed in a concentration camp. He doubtless felt, at some level, as alone and cut off from hope as those who were warehoused, tortured, and executed overseas in those obscene settings. Did he wonder whether he would be strong enough, or lucky enough, to survive? Was he still identifying with victims of fascism? Despite their clear irrationality, psychotic symptoms can reflect real world issues and concerns. (Hinshaw 2002:35,45,194). Aseneth finally repents, and vows herself to the Hebrew god. An angel brings about celestial bees to feed her celestial honey as heartfelt conversion's token: she can then marry Joseph the dutiful Hebrew patriarch. Honey, or the Hebrew equivalent of nectar, persists as matrimonial token of good fortune. Celestial bees foretell the grandeur of XII century Ethiopian Christian Saint and King Lalibela.

The image bank of divine nectar cathected with -or as metaphorical proxy for- gnostic or theosophic qualities is as old as man:

the extraction of Somaextnote [=elixir of immortality] is mentioned as the three pressings of Savitar [=the creator]. He gives them a secured space within this insecure manifestation where they can engage themselves in pressing out Soma for the Gods. Soma is the product of Savitarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pressingextnote (Yatsenko on the Rig Veda, MAISI017: lecture 5:10). Sikhs drink holy water (nectar) which they call amrit (=elixir of immortality) when they enter the militant order Khalsa: the god of Sikh Soma at some point in Vedic literature is identified with the Moon, another symbol of death and resurrection through its phases and the periodical shedding of the shadow much as snakes shed their skin (note of this writer). extnote The allegory of the sacred blood a divine figure is caused to shed in order to grant eternal life recurs endlessly (note of this writer). extnote

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monotheism is also compared to nectar in Sikh devotional hymns:”The Word is the Guru and the Guru is in the Word; all nectars are contained in the Word ”;”In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ”242. In Zoroastrianism, a cup of nectar (ambrosia or any other term) is offered to the soul who passed the final judgment as it heads towards heaven.

Yazidi use blessed water from the baptismal243 “white spring” (originally in Lalish) in their creation mythology. Drinking such water is the equivalent of visiting the touring pole of the Melek Taus (peacock angel), the archangel of Yazidi creation and god's first creation who -like Muslim Iblis- refused to bow down to Adam because he was born from god's “clarity”.

Honey also recurs in the Hittite myth of Telepinu 244 as supposed antidote against the god's sulky retreat: he embodies fertility, and the world withers in his absence. In Ethiopia, certain Christian churches may serve regular bread and honey -or honey water- as sacrament. Traditional Greek marriages still see relatives feeding honey to the bride about to go on her...honeymoon, or the time span the lore requires (=one moon) so that the groom may be satisfied the bride – whom the lore requires to be a virgin- be carrying his child, and not someone else's.

The Hindu Vedas (XV to V century BCE) portray an archetypal creation thus: “Pour on us your honey, O Heaven and Earth, you are dripping with honey, John 1:1. Yazidi women -once sold into “sexual slavery” by hostile Iraqi Islamist militias that consider Yazidi as “devil worshipers”- come to the Lalish spring to obtain ritual purity. 244 Between the XV and XIII century BCE. 242 243

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being milked with honey, whose law is honey itself”245. Does this happen by mere happenstance, or is it the symptom of something else going on behind the human mind's curtain?

For a more adult public the present writer recommends Conan the Barbarian (possibly inspired to real-life fate of the Avar people 246) as a Cinderella story: sold into slavery after a carnage, he rises to the rank of warlord and King... Filmmaker Bernard suggests:

Just as you want your protagonist to have a worthy goal, you want him or her to have a worthy opponent. A common problem for many filmmakers is that they portray opponents as onedimensional; if their hero is good, the opponent must be bad. In fact, the most memorable opponent is often not the opposite of the hero, but a complement to him or her. (2007:26). Ben-Shahar

repeatedly

repackages

this

concept

borrowing

from

the

transcendentalists: “a beautiful enemy”.

As the 1986 soundtrack Hold On To The Vision ( movie No Retreat No

Surrender) urges to “hold on to the vision in your eyes -...- never surrender to the clouds inside your mind”, ”Silent darkness creeps into your soul and removes the light of self-control ”247: what an inspiration. Harvard teacher Ben-Shahar 248 extols the importance of the “vision”, which he correlates with long-term success.

245 246

247 248

MAISI002 no date:lecture 5:7. Once ruthless warriors that threatened the Byzantine into surrendering huge treasures to avert attacks, later became sedentarized craftsmen. Pepin's expeditions (VIII century) in search of treasury obliterated this people from the map. Lyrics from Hearts On Fire, Rocky IV (1985) soundtrack. 2005-6a:lecture 11.

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Hamilton249 correlates hearing inspirational stories about “great people” with “status calls”, that is pondering one's place in the “pecking order” at large. Such “status calls” leads to “ostentatious displays” such as “conspicuous consumption”. Prinstein250 claims that analysis of young women's personal diaries from the 1890s to the 1980s showed a marked shift: “power, influence and prestige are hot; character, kindness and community, not so much”.

That's exactly what the various Rocky, Top Gun, Ip Man, Matrix,

Bloodsport, Karate Kid etc fictional heroes are all about. The point isn't moot. Gerling251 impels NLP votaries seeking success to literally create the blockbusting movie and soundtrack of their future success inside their heads.

Windfalls can take up all sorts of garbs. For the layman, it would be hard to trace the antecedents of the nowadays popular so-called 419 scams (or Nigerian scams): a multi-millionaire worldwide web of confidence trickery and financial fraud.

The blueprint is more than (in)famous: deposed dictators/deceased bankers/murdered chieftains and their ilk leave behind in some exotic location (most likely Africa, as many of those scams are rumored to originate from Nigeria) a colossal fortune after they perish in a generally known event, revolution, transportation or natural disaster etc. In 2017, unknown “biological offspring” of 249 250 251

2016:An Evolutionary View Of Decision Making. 2017c:28. In Faulkner et alii 1993:audio 2.

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Libyan caudillo Gaddafi (executed in 2011) mass-mail summons to share millions of dollars with perfect strangers online.

Some relative/bank official etc thus offers (typically through mass-email or some device of that sort) to share it with the victim in exchange for some small contribution or service that invariably leads to the hopeful being swindled. As well, some people are allegedly reported as missing after traveling to some exotic location in order to chase after the elusive boon, and the shady chaperons.

As this writing contends, myths tend to coalesce. Instead of a deposed dictator, the fabulous boon may be offered courtesy of another category the human mind loves: FBI undercover agents252 with badges and related paraphernalia, or the Men In Black:â&#x20AC;?You have permission to make this decision because if it is the wrong one you can still have absolution. You have a guarantee.â&#x20AC;?253.

For example, Freud found that the leader allows us to express forbidden impulses and secret wishes. Redl saw that in some groups there is indeed what he perfectly calls the "infectiousness of the unconflicted person." There are leaders who seduce us because they do not have the conflicts that we have; we admire their equanimity where we feel shame and humiliation. Freud saw that the leader wipes out fear and permits everyone to feel omnipotent.-...-Why should they feel guilt or remorse? The leader takes responsibility for the destructive act, and those who destroy on his command are no longer murderers, but "holy heroes." They crave to serve in the powerful aura that he projects and to carry out the illusion that he provides them, an illusion that allows them to heroically transform 252 253

As news site KTNV published on August 17,2011. Lakhani 2005:128. Lakhani himself at times claims to have been an undercover police operative busting drug cartels. One wonders whether Lakhani -who has his image and voice all over the internet- fears retaliation from drug cartels he helped dismantle. At other times, Lakhani simply claims to have been a security guard or a mere traffic cop.

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the world. Under his hypnotic spell and with the full force of their own urges for heroic self-expansion, they need have no fear; they can kill with equanimity. (Becker 1973:135,138). It is the old story of gods, heroes and saviors in disguise visiting men to somewhat test them for some higher purpose. Angels and gods are here replaced by their equivalent in the modern day: millionaires, celebrities, secret agents with badges, deposed caudillos. Badges signal hyperreality (novelized, abridged, condensed); hyperreality prompts synchronicity (=things start happening254).

DeRue&Sytch255 point out that people respond to “signs and symbols of authority” that may or may not imply “actual authority”: crooks have often gained access to gated communities by wearing fake uniforms and/or making false claims to work on behalf of some established provider, for example gas or electricity companies.

To name just one example, on a crowded expressway, badges (insignia, regalia, sirens etc) mean preferential access to emergency lanes; a right to jump in front of the line; a right not to pay toll; the right to break speed limits...linear time gets disrupted as the badge (=grandiosity/numinosity) gets one “at once” where one intends to go.

Epstein talks about the infant's “primary narcissism”: “at once” shall the “divine child” be fed or attended to. Celebrities and other numinous harlequins get 254

255

In a way, the present writer argues that hyperreality may be synchronicity without the mystical or paranormal baggage. 2015:unit 2.

146

“at once” whatever it is they covet. Meditative psychotherapist J.B. Rubin talks about “the expectation of immediacy, I must have it now -...- collective attention deficit disorder”256.

In another experiment, a researcher conducted fake surveys in shopping malls wearing either a designer-logo sweater or a no-logo sweater. When faced with the designer label, 52 percent of people agreed to take the survey, compared with only 13 percent who saw no logo. Expensive logos also affected people’s charitable impulses. Research assistants brought in nearly twice as many donations when their shirts bore a visible designer label than they did when they wore (otherwise identical) no-label shirts. (Cabane 2012:71). Emblems can be simple or elaborate, expensive or humble, but all share some degree of unattainability. Emblems incentivize people to stay a step ahead of everyone else. -...-By developing symbols of value, groups can strengthen participation and commitment. People eagerly work to acquire and show off emblems. So it only makes sense that companies should develop emblems of value. (Hogshead 2010:101). The “This Is It!” tour (as it was called) was supposed to get [Michael] Jackson out of the deep financial fiasco he found himself in before his death. What drove the King of Pop to leave behind a mountain of debt? Like many of us, his main fault seemed to be overspending and undersaving. “Millions of dollars annually were spent on plane charters, purchases of antiques and paintings,” said Alvin Malnik, one of Jackson’s advisers. “There was no planning in terms of allocations of how much he should spend. For Michael, it was whatever he wanted at the time he wanted.”(Sharot 2011:84, emphasis added). Cialdini257 reports of an experiment U.S airline authorities had commissioned. Airline captains were asked to make an obvious, blatant error that would result in a plane crash in a simulated flight to test whether other crew

256 257

2014. 1995:2a

147

members would intervene to rectify it. 25% of flights would have crashed as crew members refused to defy authority/authoritarian figures: the badge syndrome.

Popular culture couldn't lag far behind. Website Celeb 4 A Day offered paying everyday customers:”a service that provides the everyday person with their very own Personal Paparazzi experience -...-We think it’s a little like getting a limo. Everyone can afford a limo these days, but you still get one for that special occasion - and people still look to see who’s coming out of it. ”.

It might not be like having legions of seraphim or cherubim ministering to one in the seventh heaven, but it gets close:”if you can afford the finer things in life, people pay attention to you -...-Your self-esteem, that critical bulwark against the fear of death, rises.”258.

If angels' sexual identity was a matter of contention in traditional medieval Catholic circles, the sex of visitors from outer space (Men In Black etc) is often disputed as well: Guieu talks about such outer space agents as impossible to identify clearly as either female or male.

Explorers, royalties and renegades had for centuries been on the lookout for the Eldorado, mythical colonial 'nowhere' of fabulous wealth:

In 65, Nero was for a time the willing dupe of a deranged North African knight named Caesellius Bassus, who claimed that the hidden treasure of Queen Dido of Carthage had been revealed to him in a 258

Solomon et alii 2015:85.

148

dream: a mass of gold bullion lying in a great cave under his estates. Without checking either the source or the story itself, Nero dispatched an army of treasure-seekers. After a long and frenzied search nothing was found, and Bassus killed himself. But during the weeks and months of waiting, gold fever consumed the capital, rumors flew, and the emperor was alleged to have spent vast sums recklessly, in the anticipation that his treasury would soon be replenished. (Champlin 2003:126). The discovery of Florida was brought about as Spanish conquerors in the Caribbeans heard natives tell tall tales of an overseas Eldorado called Bimini. Many Spaniards met a horrendous fate fighting to dispossess belligerent American-Indians in Florida as they searched for Bimini, which didn't even exist. Fabulous lands of plenty might meet Jauja, a real Aztec -and later Hispanic- city famous for its fabled Inca warehouses.

Since the XVI century, swindles are reported under the name of 'the Spanish prisoner's'. A Spanish prisoner dies in captivity in some place or another; he leaves behind a treasure map that the distraught owner pressed for cash is ready to sell to the hopeful in a circular rendition of the Jacob and Esau twins 259 myth (selling one's birthright for some food260).

That compounds with some historical facts, as well as with the fixation with maps. For example, some ancient maps seem more accurate than the day's 259

260

The doppelgaenger mytheme. Broadly put, the doppelgaenger is a category, person, concept or attitude from which the principal person, category, concept or attitude tries to draw legitimacy from. Quite similar to the “significant other” of Mead's personality theory, the doppelgaenger -in the present writer's understanding- is a “significant other” already catechted with deep emotional, political, moral, spiritual etc values or characteristics as war propaganda best epitomizes. The doppelgaenger may also come to mean an harbinger of entropy, disharmony, chaos. Foucault comments that “the double vampirizes the self” (1963). The term doppelgaenger possibly first appeared in 1796 in a story by J.P. Richter. Genesis 25:29ss.

149

technology allowed; others seem to chart Antarctica, unknown at the time; some claim Christopher Columbus, Magellan etc followed one such map in their trips. The hopeful stars as the new hero getting to that fabulous nowhere full of thrill and treasures thanks to this map, inscription, necklace and all the rest: all the characters in these narratives are fossilized, and belong to the exemplum genre.

The exemplum is -finally- the way to exert appropriate pressure on those 'neuralgic spots' of the human mind to trigger the desired answer; a way to seize a 'mystery' that couldn't otherwise be understood so simply; a particular case that embodies a general law in a classificatory kind of approach; the “good myths” 261 become facts again and again:”And, of course, precision is not accuracy. ”.

Still on the topic of more or less hidden treasures, in the France on the verge of financial collapse in the late XVIII century, a furphy circulated detailing the crown's immense wealth that would easily avert the impending disaster. In our day's Italy, newspapers tell of fabulous gold reserves 262, which easily support the weight of the world's third largest nominal public debt (after the USA and Japan) and ensuing crises; naturally, different equally mainstream sources quote disparate gold reserve figures in sharp disagreement with one another 263.

The gold fever is evergreen. In 2009, the illustrious nation of Italy almost solves its dire financial problems. On two separate occasions, police takes into 261 262 263

Zorzetti 1980:40. 110 billion euros, third largest after the USA and Germany, according to Petrini (2011: no page). The World's Biggest Gold Reserves, no date: no page.

150

custody foreigners (Japanese and Filipinos) allegedly trying illegally to export to Switzerland 131 billion (yes, billion) U.S dollars (government bonds) in one case, 180 billion (yes, billion) in another case. If the great nation of Italy could appropriate only a fraction of that amount, there would be no limit to social alchemy: oceans would finally turn to lemonade, and mountains to polenta. It all turns out later to be a blurry hoax.

As the next row of tax and due diligence provisions is possibly upcoming to burden even more the increasingly decrepit Italian economy, journals detail a fabulous stream of gold (146 tons in 2012, +22% compared to 2011) being exported legally to Switzerland, as to give credit by extension to a shadow amount being exported illegally from the great nation of Italy. The proof is in the pudding: one Italian had been recently arrested trying to export illegally 110kg of gold bullion 264.

8 billion euro -or 200 tons of gold- is the amount of precious metal funneled in Italy through a mushrooming network of specialized shops 265. Penjockeys for hire in the media can also emphasize mind-boggling amounts of foodstuff Italians would routinely waste, as they proclaim in the same breath the need for -yet again- more taxes because mass consumption slowly but steadily decreases due to epidemic crises, thus yielding lesser tax returns.

Now that the free press has informed them, can people look inside, and say extra taxes are not well-worth bearing in the perspective of the (social) 264 265

Chiellino 2013: no page. Teramo News, March 10, 2014.

151

sacrament of (collective) reconciliation? After all, the great nation wastes all that foodstuff, and exports all that gold...

In such cases, however, the currency at stake is central bank currency taxpayers shall provide, and not only elusive emotional currency based upon the equally sanctimonious trading of accusations and apologies floating atop a stormy sea of tears, groans, gasps, whimpers, screams and moans.

In spite of presumed social distress, and alleged economic meltdown, Italy floats atop a sea of gold that can be promptly tapped into to ignite this, that or another social alchemy scheme, if newspaper accounts are the epitome of honesty, and can be taken at face value, of course. People -as Rousseau argued- shall be 'forced to be free':

Les hommes ne se gouvernent pas ainsi par des vues abstraites; on ne les rend heureux qu'en les contraignant à l'être, et il faut leur faire éprouver le bonheur pour le leur faire aimer : voilà l'occupation et les talents du Héros ; c'est souvent la force à la main qu'il se met en état de recevoir les bénédictions des hommes qu'il contraint d'abord à porter le joug des lois pour les soumettre enfin à l'autorité de la raison. (1821:147). when some common force will be brought into existence which shall safeguard right as the first and most fundamental interest of all peoples and all governments, when coercion shall be summoned not to the service of political ambition or selfish hostility, but to the service of a common order, a common justice, and a common peace. (U.S President Wilson in 1916, emphasis added). Some claim that the people of the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores sit atop the fabulous wealth of innumerable colonial ships having sunk in their 152

waters with cargoes often involving precious metals. If only a minute percentage of the same could be recovered, Portugal's dire financial predicament would be over.

At other times, sky-high figures of (hypothetical) tax evasion are conjured up as soon to be recovered by the ever peeping and inquisitive taxman courtesy of yet another law, thus ushering in a new golden age of social alchemy and ensuing oneness. Politicians with red and swollen eyes indignantly rise against shirkers who sabotage a row of social alchemy provisions destined to turn the providence State into an earthly paradise.

In 2016, the so-called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Panama papersâ&#x20AC;? financial scandal unveils countless politicians -from the UK to Angola- stashing funds offshore instead of paying their beloved countries premium tax rates:

Iceland Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson will step down, the deputy head of his party said on Tuesday, after leaked files showed the premier's wife owned an offshore firm with big claims on Iceland's collapsed banks. -...-Earlier in the day, Gunnlaugsson asked Iceland's president to dissolve parliament in the face of a looming no-confidence vote and protests over the "Panama Papers", a leaked trove of documents revealing the financial arrangements of politicians and public figures from around the world. (Reuters, April 5, 2016). While Panama Papers is causing havoc through the political landscape across the world, Bhutan appears silent so far â&#x20AC;&#x201C; unaware of the fact that Bhutanese also have been named in the leaks. [ Tibetan Buddhist master] Dilyak Drupon Rinpoche from Bumthang is one of those from Bhutan who has been named in this sensational leaks. (Bhutan News Network, May 11, 2016). Celebrities may also be thrown to the mob in the tabloids to buttress the 153

comedy of equality that obsesses postwar regimes. The ever inquisitive and peeping taxman apparently nailed Fabio Capello (Italian celebrity soccer coach), Valentino Rossi ( Italian world-champion motorbike-racer), Gérard Depardieu (French actor), Dolce&Gabbana (Italian fashion designers) and others in what looks like a giant infomercial about the tax system's efficiency.

Most

often,

though

not

always

depending

sociopolitical

conjunctures266, celebrities quickly fade from the tabloids' radar (Depardieu receives a Russian passport and Russian residency; an high court acquits Dolce&Gabbana previously sentenced for tax evasion, for example), whereas the common man has no way out.

The fantasy of the Eldorado still haunts human minds: fast cash; diamonds as big as pumpkins hiding undiscovered under the dust behind one's outhouse; never before seen treasures -locked up in undisclosed secret government facilities- that will avert bankruptcy; investment schemes stolen from 267 the powerful and wealthy shall allow average Joe online to turn ten dollars into one thousand literally overnight. Stories in print tell about this nincompoop who bought two dollars worth of crypto-currency Bitcoin years earlier: he grew so wealthy as a result that he can now buy a Ferrari.

Why would anyone give away such miracle method instead of keeping it 266

267

Tax litigation jeopardized the financial standing of U.S comedy duo Abbott&Costello so popular in the 19401950s. Costello died in 1959, and Abbott in 1974 in complete financial dejection after his troubles with the IRS. Readers may guess it's the old shtick about trickster gods -such as Isis- stealing or appropriating “secrets” from senior deities -such as Ra-.

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for oneself? Mythology provides us with a reason: ultimate goodness...providing one complies with modest requirements: voting a certain party; joining a congregation; wiring euro 19,99 (29,99...)...

Savior-heroes, politicians and con-men behave exactly alike: all fidgety in the rapture of disinterested oneness and ultimate compassion until you sign the investment contract, vote/join the party, buy the book or enter the congregation. Then the golden age they promised turns into Pinocchio's carnival. Everybody becomes a jackass while numinous (=â&#x20AC;?the sublimeâ&#x20AC;?) punchinellos abscond aboard their limousines claiming the day of plenty is indeed coming...just a tad later.

In Italy in August 2014268, a mysterious company named Bank Of Fuel floods the country with letters making an irresistible offer. They propose to buy packages online (euro 99 upwards) that should entitle one to receive euro 140 (and upwards) in fuel thanks to a prepaid Mastercard card Bank of Fuel is to mail directly to the applicant at a later date (=immediate compliance&deferred boon shtick).

The platinum offer entitles one to euro 470 in free fuel paying only euro 299. As soon as Mastercard presses charges, critics set the internet ablaze with warnings: a new swindle is possibly in progress. Bank Of Fuel mysteriously stops enrolling applicants, and declares to be out of stock: synchronicity, indeed.

How exactly could Bank Of Fuel afford to bestow such unparalleled

268

Il Tirreno, August 28, 2014.

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boons upon applicants? The hopeful soon to be swindled cannot be bothered with such trifle. The savior-god promises eternal life; the politician prospects huge subsidies and tax cuts; Bank Of Fuel offers about 40% off the price of fuel at any gas station nationwide: one and the same.

In September 2014, two people are reportedly investigated for fraud and copyright infringement relative to the Bank Of Fuel affair. The website is suspended by judicial order: the new 'opportunity' reportedly claimed over 100 victims.

Hopeful fur ranchers introduced South American rodent nutria to Italy in the 1970s-1980s through rogue MLM networks. Oblivious to the ecological disasters the animal had wrought on waterways in other countries, legions of hopefuls strapped for cash started breeding what they thought would be a new cash cow yielding fabulous profits.

Everybody would soon be wearing top-dollar nutria furs, already popular among jet-setters; and everybody would soon relish nutria meat, already a favorite in South America, or so the (unverified) story went. Again, how exactly could that come to be was trifle the hopeful fur rancher couldn't be bothered with. The MLM people promised it after all: everybody would start raking in profits like hay very soon after an initial investment (=immediate compliance&deferred boon shtick).

When the umpteenth fast cash scheme soon collapsed, distraught hopefuls the MLM scheme had deserted after the swindle released animals into the

156

wilderness, thus starting an ecological catastrophe ongoing to this day: animal rights activists oppose the drastic eradication of the noxious mammal.

One might as well mention leprechauns who -when opportunely charmed- will surrender their pot of gold that lies at the end of the rainbow...one and the same. Immemorial lore had already appropriated the concept of a fool's gold mixed with blurry colonial exoticism in the Italian rhyme: sono diventato ricco

grazie all'oro del Giappone che da noi si chiama ottone, I have become wealthy thanks to Japanese gold, which we call brass.

Fantasies of hefty windfalls can be coupled with any other obtuse allegory or petrified mythology. When wrestler AndrĂŠ The Giant put his career on the line (1985) in a match with Big John Studd, Studd allegedly put fifteen thousand dollars in cash on the line. When Andre defeated Studd, he was awarded the bag of cash; he opened it and started throwing money at the public, just after risking his career (=his death as a wrestler). The same scene would be replayed time later (1990), as wrestler Jack The Snake distributed to the public money an unconscious Million Dollar Man had lost on the canvas.

That's what voters expect after nearly every election: drastic tax cuts, fabulous subsidies and/or investments. Even the most discredited mountebank can put up a facade, and have people believe all sorts of improbable absurdities by triggering human mind's vortexes, such as the omnipotent patriarch imagery, who can promise all he wants, and make it happen: the hero of mythology bestows 157

boons.

Roberto269 rhapsodizes about leaders with grand visions tagged -just like another product for sale- to memorable slogans:”Clarity and brevity equal belief.”270;”Incredulity is furthermore associated with impietas and contempt for the gods. -...-Belief becomes a test of loyalty and disbelief a sign of political opposition.”271. Of course, even Amin, Bokassa, Hitler, Pol Pot, Ho Chi Minh and so forth had grand visions earmarked with momentous slogans.

Nobody bothers inquiring how or where does Santa Claus get all the things we beg him in order to obtain. All people know is there is a (semi)omnipotent, immortal, all-knowing father-god figure who sits on a throne. He has a flowing beard; he can fly; his job is to make one's wishes come true by delivering gifts to good children as he frolics around with a retinue of supernatural creatures. The rest is as unimportant as the source of funding that ought to allow this politician to afford drastic tax cuts alongside huge investments and subsidies.

Is this imagery so much different from the myth of the German messiah who ought to have rescued Germans from rampant hyperinflation and economic collapse after WWI? Windfalls can take the form of restored/reworked quintessential covenants, either mostly political (Douglas MacArthur pledged to restore western mass-democracy; Fascists hoped to restore patriotic values...), or 269 270 271

2011:Phases Of Transformation. Lakhani 2008:147. Wheeler in Textual Sources 2 2010:160.

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merely quantitative in nature.

A legend says the god Pan approached Pheidippides before the crucial battle of Marathon (490 BCE): Pan wanted to be honored at Athens. Awed Pheidippides pledged to him about future worship, and Pan in exchange (=covenant=deference&demeanor shtick) terrorized (=panic fear) the invading Persians so that Athens could win the battle (=unexpected windfall): Pan was thenceforth honored in Athens.

Melanesian cargo religions posit the advent of a U.S soldier-messiah who -like the German one- ought to herald traditional values (=the routinely re-worked eternal covenant), and bring about the docking of cargoes packed with goods to delight oppressed or dispossessed Melanesians; this may easily mesh with WWII or hero motifs.

If most savior-heroes posited as grantors of their redeeming role this almighty, or that spirit, John Frum's grantor is the almighty U.S government:

This is February 15, John Frum Day, on the remote island of Tanna in the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu. On this holiest of days, devotees have descended on the village of Lamakara from all over the island to honor a ghostly American messiah, John Frum. “John promised he’ll bring planeloads and shiploads of cargo to us from America if we pray to him,” a village elder tells me as he salutes the Stars and Stripes. “Radios, TVs, trucks, boats, watches, iceboxes, medicine, Coca-Cola and many other wonderful things.” The island’s John Frum movement is a classic example of what anthropologists have called a “cargo cult”—many of which sprang up in villages in the South Pacific during World War II, when hundreds of thousands of American troops poured into the islands from the skies and seas. As 159

anthropologist Kirk Huffman, who spent 17 years in Vanuatu, explains: “You get cargo cults when the outside world, with all its material wealth, suddenly descends on remote, indigenous tribes.” The locals don’t know where the foreigners’ endless supplies come from and so suspect they were summoned by magic, sent from the spirit world. -...- I remind him that not only does he not have an outboard motor from America, but that all the devotees’ other prayers have been, so far, in vain. “John promised you much cargo more than 60 years ago, and none has come,” I point out. “So why do you keep faith with him? Why do you still believe in him?” Chief Isaac shoots me an amused look. “You Christians have been waiting 2,000 years for Jesus to return to earth,” he says, “and you haven’t given up hope.” (Raffaele 2006: no page). Belief in Christ is no more or less rational than belief in John Frum, and it is worthwhile remembering that Christianity emerged as an anti - colonial movement with strong elements of rebellion , heresy , millenarism and charismatic devotion to a phrophetic Saviour (Worsley, cit. in Bohane 2007:11). In 2006 a reporter from Smithsonian Magazine travelled to Vanuatua to speak to the cult and stay in their village. John Frum’s then leader, a man known as Chief Isaac, explained that the cult was both a spiritual and cultural movement. He said: ‘If we keep praying to John, he’ll come back with plenty of cargo. ‘John Frum came to help us get back our traditional customs, our kava drinking, our dancing, because the missionaries and colonial government were destroying our culture. ‘John is a spirit. He knows everything. He’s even more powerful than Jesus.’ Another village elder told the Smithsonian that John Frum would one day return to the island bringing ‘wonderful’ things from America. He said: ‘John promised he’ll bring planeloads and shiploads of cargo to us from America if we pray to him. ‘Radios, TVs, trucks, boats, watches, iceboxes, medicine, Coca-Cola and many other wonderful things.’ (Trask 2016:no page). Just as Melanesians -or Germans after WWI- were oppressed, subjected to shortages (the blockade of Germany during WWI lasted for eight months after the armistice in order to exert political pressure to accept the harsh peace treaties), and/or dispossessed, so is/was the toiling community.

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That's why the 'scientific' doctrine of Marxism posited the messianic advent of a belligerent vanguard that would usher in times of reversed social roles, oneness and oversupply:”absurd Marxian idea, which is simply the old testament in secularized form with also a kind of scholastic notion that there was a revealed book, namely Das Kapital”272. In Marxist lore -or what for decades was considered the pinnacle of political science and economy-, a paradise of the working class was finally located here on Earth: the Soviet Union.

Oneness -as any other such images that obsess the human mind- can be put to any use with equally good results. Italian supermarket chain COOP (cooperative companies the Communist party controlled by proxy) introduced a slogan that resulted in a marketing success: la COOP sei tu (COOP it's you).

COOP thus resurrected the old polemic against thieving middlemen that impose extortionate mark-ups on the exploited final consumer. Friendly tovarishi, not greedy bourgeois, operated jumbo corporation COOP meekly passing the best deals onto the final consumer, or so the story went: the same ideology lurked behind

272

Campbell 1968a. The present writer needs to add that Marxism is no more -and no less- absurd than all other petrified myth(ologie)s that present the same salad bar of abstruse allegories. The present writer concurs in Campbell's statement (1968c) as he identifies Marxism as the other great religion coming from Levantine sources: “In other words, [for Sorel] Marx should be read as a prophet, not as a policy wonk. That way the masses would absorb Marxism unquestioningly as a religious dogma.” (Goldberg 2007:26). Campbell goes on to identify the main themes: endorsement of the world (Hinduism); renouncing the world (Buddhism); reforming the world to bring it in line with one's pre-set assumptions (Marxism, and -the present writer addsChristianity).”but you can’t say that Communism is not religious, for the laws of a Communist society have all the qualities of a religion because Communism has become the religion. In terms of the ritual side of it, Communism has all the character of a religion, and it as the characteristics of one that is a biblical descendent. There is a good and there is a bad, and we’re fighting for the good, and there will be a day, come the Revolution, when all will be Communist and right. Part of the argument between Russia and China is about who is interpreting Marx properly, which is sheer scholasticism.” (Campbell 1991:104).

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peasant revolts in Germany in the XVI century.

The sky is the limit when the horn of oneness is tooted. Drout elatedly exalts M.L. King's speeches, which -Drout claims- “might sound like a cliche now, but when King used it -...- it didn't work as a cliche at all -...- you realize it worked very, very effectively to -...- bind people together”273:

Since black and white, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics are usually considered opposites, King’s usage in this case further develops his idea of all people. He is not just saying the word “all”; he is illustrating it. (Drout 2006:50). People say that what we're all seeking is a meaning for life. I don't think that's what we're really seeking. I think that what we're seeking is an experience of being alive extnote, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances within our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive. That's what it's all finally about, and that's what these clues help us to find within ourselves. (Campbell&Moyers 1991:12). Myth -like being itself- is without ultimate meaning. Life has no meaning. Meaning is a concept system, a category system, and the mystery lies beyond that. (Campbell no date-2). many psychopaths come across as having excellent oral communication skills. -...- They make use of the fact that for many people the content of the message is less important than the way it is delivered. A confident, aggressive delivery style—often larded with jargon, clichés, and flowery phrases—makes up for the lack of substance and sincerity in their interactions with others. (Babiak&Hare 2006:37-8). Again, it is out of either intellectual dishonesty on political grounds, or commodious bad faith that people can point fingers exclusively at Hitler rallying the 273

2006: Figures Of Speech I. Buddhism rephrases this concept as the compulsion to be happy. Baudrillard reframes the impulse as the need for hyperaesthesia (note of this writer).

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German pack as one against Jewry; Amin rallying the various African ethnicities as one against Asian-Ugandans; the Khmer Rouge, Jacobins or Bolsheviks rallying a diverse horde of resentful minorities, adolescents and have-nots as one against an equally diverse lot of presumed royalists, landlords, religionists, bourgeois, hoarders, and reactionaries.

Newberg's274 examination of neuro-theology brings to light different kinds of powerful spiritual experience in traditional religious settings; as a result of taking mind-altering substances; as a result of trauma. Most of these experiences have a recaptured oneness of bliss at their core. Oneness with (a) god for the believer; oneness with the universe or sentient beings for others.

Varma magisterially captures this dynamics:

So in the first case [ western paradigm] you are consolidating a part of your identity which gives you a sense of being separate but at the same time of being effective through that separation [through achieving mastery over the world outside]. The second movement [oriental paradigm] is a movement where you merge with something larger of which you are a part and though the word â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;surrenderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is used, actually it leads to empowerment. When you merge with something which is much larger than you then you have a higher access to energies and forces which are part of that larger self or that larger whole. (MAISI032 no date: unit 1:9) Fantasy and imagination is a product of the body. The energies that bring forth the fantasies derive from the organs of the body. The organs of the body are the source of our life, and of our intentions for life, and they conflict with each other. Among these organs, of course, is the brain. And then you must think of the various impulses that dominate our life systemâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the erotic impulse; the impulse to conquer, 274

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conquest and all that; self preservation; and then certain thoughts that have to do with ideals and things that are held up before us as aims worth living for and giving life its value and so forth. All of these different forces come into conflict within us. And the function of mythological imagery is to harmonize them, coordinate the energies of our body, so that we will live a harmonious and fruitful life in accord with our society (Campbell no date-1: no page). I think of mythology as a function of biology (Joseph Campbell in 1983). Freud the 'customs official' and Jung the crusading Knight, highlight two contrasting approaches to image. On the one hand suspicion about what the images are concealing, on the other, exploration of where the images might lead. Although both point beyond image, it is in different directions, Freud to biology and explanations, Jung to spirit and 'the Quest'. (Angelo 1992:89). The same stale cliches, obtuse allegories and miserable mythologies are at work on whichever segment of the political spectrum one might choose, with all that ensues. The wonderful human mind never stops minting three-dollar bills.

Alas, time already passed its verdict on the French monarchy and its fabulous but elusive treasures. What are those ideas, exactly, if not age-old trickster tales under official letterheads? The archetypal trickster of folklore -in fact- is famous for his bottomless appetites and resources.

People who convince themselves they are successful tricksters are mostly self-important frauds:

Here is the logic: if you are aware that you used the answer key in the previous test to artificially inflate your score, you would predict that you would correctly solve the same proportion of questions as you solved unassisted in the first test (four out of eight, or around 164

50 percent). But let’s say you started believing that you really did answer six questions correctly on your own and not because you looked at the answers. Now you might predict that in this next test, too, you would correctly solve a much larger percentage of the questions (closer to 75 percent). In truth, of course, you can solve only about half of the questions correctly, but your self-deception may puff you up, crablike, and increase your confidence in your ability. The results showed that participants experienced the latter sort of self-puffery. The predictions of how well they would perform on the second phase of the test showed that participants not only used the answer key in the first phase to exaggerate their score, but had very quickly convinced themselves that they truly earned that score. Basically, those who had a chance to check their answers in the first phase (and cheated) started believing that their exaggerated performance was a reflection of their true skill. -...-Even with a financial incentive to be accurate, they still tended to take full credit for their scores and overestimate their abilities. Despite having a strong motivation to be accurate, self-deception ruled the day. (Ariely 2012:74). Tricksters in the myth got the biggest penis of all, they managed to capture the biggest fish of all or to jump farthest than all...Greek tragedy follows with its never-ending gallery of superlatives, both good and bad: excess and largeness are what matters essentially, irrespective of moral or material scales.

Professor of management Roberto quips that the same tactics (=”power and politics”) can be indifferently used for good or bad ends 275. Newberg describes276 rituals based upon myths as a “morally neutral technology” to attain oneness within the group. In Jungian circles, archetypes are said to be directional, not teleological (=no intention), and so is the hero.

Archetypal tricksters are ubiquitous in myth(ologie)s: 275 276

2011:Power. 2012:The Brain And Religious Rituals.

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Divine deceit raises problematic theological questions. J. J. M. Roberts of Princeton Theological Seminary published an article entitled “Does God Lie?” (1988). His conclusion was: sometimes, yes. Following that lead, Nancy Bowen, a graduate student at that seminary completed a dissertation entitled “The Role of YHWH as Deceiver in True and False Prophecy (Old Testament)” (1994). She showed that Near Eastern texts from antiquity recognized the un-trustworthiness of the godsextnote in divine-human communication. The ancients realized that prophecy and divination were not always reliable. Bowen explicitly drew upon analyses of the trickster, and the abstract of her dissertation states that those ancient writings “share a view that YHWH acts as deceiver in a time of social and historical transition and that YHWH’s deception serves as a means to disrupt the present social situation in order to bring about a transformation of the social order.” (Hansen 2001:30). Now, that trickster trait turns up in deities like Yahweh. Yahweh's a trickster. He lets people build a building, and then because it gets to be three stories high and he's afraid it's going to wreck heaven, he comes down and floods the world. That's a trickster stunt. That's a ridiculous act. We think it quite normal for a deity, while if a human being behaved that way we'd send him to a lunatic asylum. The trickster represents the deity coming through as the destroyer, the disrupter of programs. Yahweh is full of this kind of thing. (Campbell&Boa 1989:89). Gilgamesh does not see civilisation as a divine enterprise. Ishtar is a destroyer of culture: she is like a water skin that soaks its carrier, a shoe that pinches its wearer, and a door that cannot keep out the wind. None of her relationships has lasted; she has ruined each one of her lovers. Mortals are better off without these destructive encounters with irresponsible gods. Gilgamesh, the civilised man, declares his independence of the divine. It is better for gods and humans to go their separate ways.(Armstrong 2005:30, emphasis added). Psychopaths are notorious for not answering the question posed them or for answering in a way that seems unresponsive to the question. (Hare 1993:139) Moses talked to God “mouth to mouth” while Jesus claimed to be the son of God—testimonies that nowadays would certainly result in extnote

Apollo, the Greek god of prophecy was hailed as “oblique” because of his garbled oracles lending themselves to multiple interpretations (note of this writer).

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psychiatric admission. (Polimeni 2012:183). If just one person believed that god spoke to Moses in the form of a burning bush, antipsychotic medication would be sought to relieve this poor soul of his florid delusion. But when the same belief is shared by millions of people, it becomes unassailable truth. (Solomon et alii 2015:97). God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? (Numbers 23:19). O daughter of Babylon -...-Happy is the one who takes your babies and smashes them against the rocks! (Psalm 137:8-9). And that night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. (2 Kings 19:35). Some characteristics of PTSD can create abusive behavior, including irritability (extreme oversensitivity to noise or minor stimuli extnote), explosive behavior, and/or trouble modulating and controlling anger. (Engel 2015:137). Subaltern countries simply restyle their predictably deferential policies as 'magisterial trade-offs': they serve the best of all causes, and the great godfatherally shall grant hefty contracts, a 'percentage of the spoils', 'cheap oil', or something to that effect.

In the Mesopotamian epic Enuma Elish (possibly XVI-XVIII century BCE ), Apsu (the father of the young gods with Tiamat), decides to kill his divine offspring because they have become too noisy: he cannot find rest at night. The young gods thus kill Apsu with a spell, but Tiamat -who had been unwilling to sacrifice her progeny up to that point- intervenes to exact revenge and must therefore be slain by chief god Marduk. Once again, psychologically disturbed people on earth place mentally unstable characters in the sky: the plight of the human condition “reads back” to them as gods (re)act. J.B Peterson contends the image of Tiamat as a finally angered mother nature surfacing to exact revenge portends contemporary “green” dystopias about an ecological catastrophe mother nature shall trigger to punish an abusive humankind. “They abused you because their emotional makeup and background made it all but inevitable. These people were ticking time bombs, just waiting to go off. You just happened to be in the vicinity when they did.” (Engel 2015:165). A physically abusive parent confided in the therapist how “As an adult, she described herself as a walking powder keg” (Forward&Buck 1989:81). (note of this writer).

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Lebanon, Yugoslavia, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Tunisia...all lands of plenty, whose reconstruction would get 'the good guys' rich -to both a spiritual and worldly extent-, as the godfather-ally is going to divide the spoils -as a new Agamemnon- among his retinue.

In March 2014277 following political turmoil in the Former Soviet Union, Obama -in very ambiguous terms- pledged U.S intervention to counter European dependency from Russian gas supplies. What some media present as the valiant godfather-ally supplying subaltern countries with more or less cheap gas is in reality just a footnote in the broader scheme of the usual jumbo economic agreement possibly to be underwritten in a more or less distant future.

Former Italian Prime Ministers Berlusconi (right-wing) and D'Alema (former Communist party), Chinese Communist leader Deng Xiaoping (in 1979), Napoleon before his desperate Italian campaign, and recruiters soliciting Japanese and Italian emigrants to sail towards XIX century Brazil, all urged their followers to “get rich quick” (fazer America in the case of Brazil). Already in 1843 Guizot, a French statesman, had uttered the same words (enrichissez-vous): magic of the mind.

“If you don't get rich now, it's you: it's not the world” 278 claims inspirational speaker Hansen, with his neurotic laughter outbursts. The Chicken

Soup For The Soul franchise he helped create sold in excess of 500 million copies 277 278

Fox Business, March 26, 2014. 2010:part 1.

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recycling deepities, glurge and inspirational stories that he claims he “received from eye-witnesses” or “got in the mail”, but which he might have simply made up: the 28th New Testament book for all one knows.

Hansen surely laughs all the way to the bank, just like the operators of a Pakistani online degree mill. If the “thing” goes off in one's face, and one gets exposed with an expensive but fake degree s-he bought online, “it's you: it's not the world”.

A British engineer based in Saudi Arabia, the BBC said, was still receiving threatening calls from Axact agents after paying nearly £500,000 for fake documents. According to the BBC investigation, there are countless other Axact victims in the UK. "There was a British psychologist who paid hundreds of thousands of pounds to Axact. The documents we have seen showed she was the single largest UK customer. We suspected she might be selling them on but it turns out she was another victim of extortion," said the reporter in the Radio 4 programme. (The Times Of India, January 17, 2018). If “we are what we eat” urges to handle food intake with care, so the mind has to be “fed” correctly. Both Sikhism and Chinese Pure Land Buddhism urge to have the only true god or Amitabha Buddha constantly in one's mind to purify it.

The dejected Italian and Japanese fleeing from the agrarian servitude of their backward countries found in Brazil the hard toil of coffee plantations, where they replaced freed African slaves, and not the Eldorado of eternal spring, where gold dust replaces sand, and diamonds replace cobbles.

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With coolie-ism, the British and other Europeans reinvented slavery in a form suited for the XIX century.

Of the [Chinese] workers who were shipped to Havana, more than 10 percent died in transit, and many more didn’t survive their contracts. The voyage to the guano mines of Peru was even deadlier, claiming the lives of 30–40 percent of the laborers. Of those who made it to the guano mines, it’s been estimated that up to two-thirds of them died in servitude. -...- On the sugar islands of the Caribbean, Chinese laborers were brought in to replace African slaves. According to an international investigative commission, laborers in Cuba were tortured, branded, and sometimes beaten to death for minor infractions. The bad press this generated ultimately forced colonial Spain to address some of the deplorable conditions. (Wilson 2017:230-231). Even earlier, Brazil had experienced a frantic gold rush in the XVIII century as huge gold deposits surfaced in the Ouro Preto (black gold) region. In his writings, French litterateur Sade echoes the fabulous wealth of Brazilian gold. So delirious was the gold rush that the Portuguese government had to apply administrative controls -such as mandatory passports- lest Portugal's entire population emigrated to Brazil.

Jesus could be restyled as Che Guevara's doppelgaenger who brooked no inequalities according to liberation theology - originally in Latin America, but also adapted as Black liberation theology or pretres ouvriers (working-class priests) in France-. After all, both Marx in 1875279 and the Acts Of The Apostles280 agree on a core maxim:”From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs ”. The line of thought went back to early XIX century and U.S abolitionism, whereby 279 280

Antecedent usage of the maxim recurs in Louis Blanc in 1851 and Morelly in 1755. and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. ( Acts 4:35).

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transcendentalist clergymen like Channing explicitly linked Jesus as rabid reformer to abolitionism, and impassioned harangues Antigone-style 281. Bible scholar R.J. Miller, however, claims scholars at The Jesus Seminar determined how Jesus was not a (failed) apocalyptic prophet, but “a wisdom teacher, someone we call a sage” 282.

The same restyling had already happened in antiquity with the Cynics, another breed of bedraggled, bearded reformers of customs: did Cynics condone (and/or practice) temple theft283? Jesus -like Buddha, Pisacane, M.L. King, Castro, Khomeini, Zoroaster, Mujica, Chavez, Darwin, Marx and so many others- is but “a Rorschach test of ever changing sensibilities” (to paraphrase Prothero).

"The search for Hitler," writes Ron Rosenbaum in Explaining Hitler, "has apprehended not one coherent, consensus image of Hitler but rather many different Hitlers, competing Hitlers, conflicting embodiments of competing visions." (Godberg 2007:40). Toni Negri, the Italian philosopher, transited from social Catholicism to an ultra-radical, militant Marxist position. Sentenced for subversion and terrorism, he was elected to Parliament with Pannella's Partito Radicale, then he fled to France under the protection of Socialist President Mitterrand, a former decorated (Francisque member n.2202) apparatchik of the Fascist Vichy government. 281

282

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As this writing contends, however, such impassioned pleas, petrified images and sentimental chicanery can swiftly lend themselves to any and all political (per)versions. It is not far fetched to imagine the various Zundel, Strugnell, McGowan, MacDonald, Richwine, Zemmour,Faurisson, Churchill etc holding the same position. In a 2011 interview with R.M. Price, Miller claims that hypothetical proto-gospel Q contained no mentions of Jesus as prophet of doom. While some -like Einhorn- see the “meek Jesus” as a retouched version of an apocalyptic prophet living decades after Jesus' supposed ministry, Miller reverses the take and posits the “sage Jesus” as “true figure” latter-day adherents turned into a sort of Che Guevara figure more in tune with turbulent future decades of war and turmoil. An extreme form of sacrilege in the ancient world that attracted the gods' wrath. Temples were used as treasuries, and stored politically supercharged donations and objects.

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Elated left-wingers argue Negri has been put through kangaroo courts in some sort of class conspiracy against workers: more Rorschach tests. Homo Novus of the right, U.S President Donald Trump was officially billed as a lefty Democrat between 2001 and 2009, and a Centrist-Reformist (1999-2001): king of the four quarters or ”chronic psychological fraud”284?

Jesus could as well be restyled as harbinger of financial affluence and prosperity (prosperity theology) renewing with a tradition of intermingling Protestantism and capitalism – as Weber famously outlined in 1904-. The Center

For Spiritual Awareness (Sacramento, USA) offers prosperity theology courses, and a surefire way to “dissolve one's debts” by pledging donations to the Center for US$ 495:

These diversionary tactics [happen when people] think about themselves dying. They react by trying to stop thinking about death and distracting themselves with mundane concerns -...“don't worry, be happy” thoughts -...- wealth means we are favored by the gods (if not that we are gods ourselves) (Solomon et alii 2015:26). In fact, I thought anybody who worked for money was a fool. I took a vow never to do anything for money. Now, that does not mean that when I do something for somebody I don’t ask for money. I want as much as I can get, but that’s the secondary part of the game. My life course is absolutely indifferent to money. As a result, a lot of money has come in by my doing what I feel I want to do from the inside. If you do that, you are doing things that attract money, because you are giving life and life responds in the way of its counterpart in hard coin. (Campbell 1991:41). Instead of finding themselves in the lap of luxury, 70 percent of 284

Branden 2000.

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people who come into sudden money are broke within a few years, according to the National Endowment for Financial Education. Many even end up cursing their windfalls. (CNBC, October 1, 2014). Prosperity theology represents a Christian re-working of so-called XIX century New Thought (Quimby and others): a primordial soup of transcendentalism, theosophy, Freemasonry, mesmerism etc that saw the mind (=attitudes etc) as the root cause of man's misfortunes and ills. Professor of psychology W.K. Campbell puts prosperity theology in the perspective of the “narcissism epidemics” he considers rampant in contemporary society.

Influential U.S pastor N.V. Peale (author of 1952 The Power Of Positive

Thinking and Presidential Medal Of Freedom recipient in 1984) was a master Freemason, and propounded auto-hypnosis (=the mesmerism connection with New Thought) under a theological veneer.

Unfortunately, many of these character education programs also teach self-esteem, and self-esteem programs usually end up teaching a form of narcissism such as “I am special.” These programs are based on the mistaken premise that children who feel good about themselves will be more likely to follow the rules and not cheat or lie. However, special people don’t need to follow the rules, and narcissistic people are more likely to cheat, not less, just as they are more likely to be aggressive. (Twenge&Campbell 2009:130). Self-esteem is a key to psychological security: -...- it helps buffer anxiety, blunts defensive reactions to thoughts of death, makes people more resilient, and fosters physical, psychological and interpersonal well-being (Solomon et alii 2015:44). If we become ill, we can cure the illness with a pure mind and we 173

will recover. The body changes according to the mind. When the mind is pure, all the organs in the body will naturally work properly—there will be no illnesses. (Wuling285, April 7, 2011). we must accept responsibility for a problem before we can solve it. We cannot solve a problem by saying "It's not my problem." We cannot solve a problem by hoping that someone else will solve it for us. I can solve a problem only when I say "This is my problem and it's up to me to solve it." But many, so many, seek to avoid the pain of their problems by saying to themselves: "This problem was caused me by other people, or by social circumstances beyond my control, and therefore it is up to other people or society to solve this problem for me. It is not really my personal problem." (Peck 1978:32-33). New Thought beliefs are easily compatible with either monism or pantheism. We find in all types of New Thought the belief that God and all “creatures” are one, whether the type of New Thought is primarily derived from philosophical reasoning or from Christian mysticism. (Price 2008:10). Hypnosis is a ritual phenomenon; it's very old -...-. Magic is nothing other than understanding the relationship between what you do in ritual and the kind of consciousness you form (Moore 1989b: part 1). Because over time mesmerism lost most of its thrust as healing method due to the rise of modern allopathic medicine, mind magic was redirected towards making one rich. Bruce Lipton propounds an evolutionary “biology of belief” where our bodily state, cellular mechanics etc is directly influenced by “epigenetic control”:”perception controls behavior”.

NLP represents a contemporary strand of such thought that dispenses with the religious angle completely. In perfect New Thought style, however, hypnosis is often a tool of choice for NLP practitioners: they dilute(d) prosperity 285

Chinese Pure Land Buddhist monastic, right-hand person to noted master Chin Kung.

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theology in favor of more generic terms such as â&#x20AC;&#x153;the pursuit of excellence and achievementâ&#x20AC;?:

Ferenczi pointed out how important it was for the hypnotist to be an imposing person, of high social rank, with a self-confident manner. When he gave his commands the patient would sometimes go under as if struck by "coup de foudre." There was nothing to do but obey, as by his imposing, authoritarian figure the hypnotist took the place of the parents. -...-We see the same technique used by revivalists as they alternatingly harangue their audiences 'with a shrieking voice and then immediately soothe them with a soft one. With a heart-rending scream of agony and ecstasy one throws himself at the revivalist's feet to be saved.(Becker 1973:130). The present writer suggests that had already happened with the Cathars, Albigensians and so forth (XII-XIV century) extending from southern France to Northern Italy and Catalonia well before Weber's Protestantism. Although Cathars (=pure ones) preached frugality and asceticism, they were also welcoming towards the region's mercantile and wealthy milieus, whereas the dominant Catholic Church still stigmatized wealth.

Occitan nobility protected the Cathars from Catholic persecution to the point the Pope launched a crusade against Southern France:

I have a funny thought about the Jewish-Christian tradition. It all has to do with sin and atonement, with debt and payment. This is merchant stuff. When St. Paul preached to the Athenians they laughed at him, but when he went to Corinth, which was a merchant community, he could establish a church-the Epistle to the Corinthians. Now, I see Judaism and Christianity as translations of the universal mythology into the vocabulary of merchants. It all has to do with sin and atonement, debt and payment, and the very word redemption has to do with redeeming pawn from a pawnbroker. St. Gregory brought this 175

up. Satan got man in his keep by deceiving him in the Garden of Eden and God, to get man out of the devil's keep, offered his son as redemption. Now, this is good basic Christianity. That's one way of reading the crucifixion. Why did Christ have to die on the cross? What's that got to do with anything? Well, one reading is that Christ is offered to the devil in redemption for the pawn that the devil had in his keep of man extnote. The other is the atonement idea that God was so angry at this sin he could not be atoned. Man wasn't capable of atoning because man wasn't of a value comparable to that of the offence and so God Himself becomes man to rescue man. These two ideas, redemption and atonement, have to do with payment, and this is a merchant's reading of the great myths . Fantastic! All you have to do is read it back. This doesn't mean the merchant reading is wrong. It says simply that it's only one way of inflecting the myth (Campbell&Boa 1989:102-3). After death and before our next birth, we are plunged into darkness. In that overwhelming confusion, we are pulled to our parents as if they were a tiny beacon of light piercing that darkness. There are four reasons that we are drawn to and born to our parents : to repay a kindness, to have kindness repaid to us, to repay a debt, or to exact repayment of a debt. (Wuling, May 3, 2010). Buddhism followed a similar path286 that -according to the present writer- shall be seen not as a form of superiority or insight on the part of any religion or sect, but as mere expediency to take root and make converts in a particular socio-political configuration. Controversial Tibetan Buddhist teacher M. Roach ran into disagreement with the Dalai Lama's entourage for his offhand and contentious teachings that see Buddhist tantra as a Buddhist door to prosperity

Campbell here probably refers to the New Testament apolutrosis typically translated as “redemption”, but literally “release by payment of ransom” (note of this writer). “The rational qualities of Buddhism matched the needs of such people. In addition, when merchants traveled to foreign countries, they had to be able to associate freely with peoples of different nationalities and social classes. The strict caste system of Hinduism made it an inappropriate religion for such merchants. (Farmers, in contrast, were strongly tied to Hinduism.) Since Buddhism did not recognize the caste system, it was especially attractive to merchants.” (Hirakawa 1990:107).

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theology.

Catharism didn't exert the historical influence Protestantism did only because the socio-political conjuncture was unfavorable: Cathars and their protectors among ruling elites were wiped out as the Kingdom of France reached southwards. Roach is famous for proclaiming to bring Tibetan Buddhism in synch with the needs and priorities of contemporary America.

Even Communist Maoism in China during the hectic years of the civil war at times temporarily co-opted the middle classes (non-ruling elites) in its fight against ruling elites, only to routinely rouse the rabble against those very middleclass collaborators. According to accounts, Maoism repeated this exploit in Tibet, first co-opting non-ruling elites against Tibetan theocracy, then sending such new elites to the dock as another class of greedy hoarders and exploitative bourgeois Communism needed to do away with. In China, with the â&#x20AC;&#x153;a hundred flowers campaignâ&#x20AC;? of 1956, Mao lured dissidents into the open with promises of democracy and freedom of speech, only to identify and fry them later (forced labor, deportation, elimination...).

The new prosperity covenant -coming to the fore in the U.S since the 1950s- shall shower with bounty those who keep faith, a positive attitude and -most important- consistently donate to such Christian ministries.

Much as the Bible offers passages that (seem to) support Jesus' role as

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another Fidel Castro figure -such as Luke 1:49ss; Mark 19:16ss; John 2:14ss;

Matthew 25:31ss; Leviticus 25:35ss etc-, so the holy book offers passages that (seem to) support prosperity theology, namely 2 Corinthians (8:9), John (14:13-14), Mark (10:30), Malachi (3:10), Deuteronomy (8:18) etc.

As of late, arguments have been made to grant Jesus would support the U.S Tea Party movement opposed to oppressive big government and taxes:

That Robinson Crusoe never was says nothing about whether capitalism can be overthrown. Similarly the mere representation of werewolves is not a political act, nor even a cultural/political act. Reading fictions about creatures that do not accord with a cultureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conception of what there is does not challenge the cognitive status quo, and, most assuredly, it does not challenge the status quo. One may describe the creatures of horror and fantasy as subverting cultural categories in the sense of not fitting them; but to regard this sense of subversion as politically significant is a species of equivocation. (Carroll 1990:178). Excess and overabundance are not confined to age-old folklore, and online confidence trickery. The more or less apparent similarities between natural landscapes and food items (for example, the Moon as possibly made of cheese) have been human psyche's long-time favorites.

Jain mythology tells of a circular return of a golden age when waters would turn to wine, soil to sugar, and magic trees would yield superlative bounties of all sorts. Fourier (1772-1837) -the eccentric and influential French Utopian Socialist- foretold of a future golden age reform shall bring about in which the oceans would turn to lemonade; Orietta Berti's Italian folkloric song Polenta E

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Baccalà (1972) wished “mountains were polenta287 and seas were gravy, what a tasty meal”. In Vietnam, a legend explains that in a time before time, heaven routinely delivered a hefty supply of rice to every doorstep: due to an oversight, people were forced to grow and harvest it instead.

Beside mountains made of polenta, and oceans of lemonade, there is the ever present sexual satiety item. How many virgins, celestial nymphs or otherwise shall be granted to each faithful undergoing the supreme sacrifice? Countless. The proof often is in the pudding, that is the fabulous number of offspring more or less legendary patriarchs, hero-founders, millionaires and their ilk sired: “You made their children as numerous as the stars in the sky ”288.

16 million people are likely to be the genetic descendents of Genghis Khan289; mythological Hindu King Sagar had 60.000 sons; to punish sages who underwent ascetic practices with no love of god, Shiva seduced their wives, thus generating 48.000 sons born without pain (=virgin/prodigious birth mytheme); Louis XIV of France had so many illegitimate children a crisis in the hierarchical system of nobility was opened. Central-African dictator Bokassa (1966-79) also sired dozens of children.

Mormon Prophet Smith, and other early Mormon leaders, married dozens of women, and sired dozens of children. The sons Hercules begot on the 50 287 288 289

Northern Italian dish consisting in a thick porridge of maize or other kind of flour. Nehemiah 9:23. Wade 2003: no page.

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virgin daughters of King Thespius were so many they colonized Sardinia under Iolaus (son of Hercules' step-brother) in mythological times. A mental patient confided in the analyst how he had “slept with 15 million women.”290.

Genesis (24:60) contains the blessings upon Rebekah that her descendents may increase:

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“to thousands upon thousands; ” (New International Version).

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“many millions! ” (New Living Translation).

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“thousands of ten thousands, ” (English Standard Version).

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“thousands of millions, ” (King James Bible).

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“tens of millions! ” (International Standard Version).

•

“thousands of myriads, ” (Young's Literal Translation).

Mormonism begs to agree:

Celestial marriage would ensure Mormon exaltation; a plurality of wives, and their many children born on earth and in heaven, would increase the familial kingdom and thus elevate the Mormon patriarch to higher and higher degrees of glory. The prophet Abraham had "received promises concerning his seed and of the fruit of his loins," promises of eternal expansion: "both in and out of this world should they continue as innumerable as the stars; or if ye were to count the sand upon the seashore ye could not number them." All those who sought a "fulness" of 290

Polimeni 2012:198.

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glory were ordered to go and "do the works of Abraham." Their many wives and children would "multiply and replenish the earth," fulfill the divine promise made "before the foundation of the world," and ensure "their exaltation in the eternal worlds." In Utah in the 1850s celestial marriage would be identified with plural marriage, only to be separated again after the Manifesto setting aside polygamy in 1890. (Brooke 1994:255). So Dashratha [King who adopted Sita in the Ramayana] married a third time, a woman named Sumitra, but even she failed to produce a child. Dashratha was filled with despair. Who would he pass on the crown to? And how would he face his ancestors, in the land of the dead, across the river Vaitarni, for they would ask him if he had left behind sons who would help them be reborn? (Pattanaik 2013:22). Research around the world confirms that reminders of death increase the desire for children in the service of symbolically transcending death.-...-The fact that some parents disown, abandon or even murder offspring who stray from their own beliefs suggests that passing on the symbols we cherish can even be more important than passing on our genes (Solomon et alii 2015:78-79). To think about this question, consider the greatest customization project of allâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;raising our own kids. -...-In short, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re heavily invested in our children in all kinds of waysâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;emotionally, financially, and with a deep sense of legacy that inherently extends beyond our life spans. (Ariely 2016:31). Popular culture couldn't be far behind. An Italian ad on air in July 2014 presents a matronly old lady. She doesn't know how many grandchildren she might exactly have...28...30...a pitch to sell cheap phone calling plans.

The entire shtick about myriads of legitimate children may not be all that mythology and lore tout it to be. In Italy in early 2018, online sales of paternity tests skyrocket: about 10% of first-born, and 20% of second children are illegitimate

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according to court trials291.

In Rome, the establishment of the Empire left Securitas (homeland security and welfare) in an autocrat's hands, so citizens were free to pursue the cura

sui (care of the self) the begetting of legitimate heirs epitomized.

Today's welfare States might present an highly inhomogeneous citizenry as a result of internal and international migrations. The ongoing cycles of societal disintegration, divorce and remarriage may give birth to what some term “vertical polygamy”292. The item of myriads of descendants still ensorcells the mugwumps of today's diverse societies.

“Thousands of myriads” of children were essential to keep a literary covenant with an imaginary Hebrew god; to march eastwards to give rise to an Atlantean “1.000 year Reich”; to fund the collapsing Ponzi pension and welfare schemes of contemporary nanny States. Whether TBC, scabies, cholera or HIVpositive children of color immigrating (illegally) en masse from abroad in our day shall make it possible; or “blond beasts” (Nietzsche, 1886) industrially bred 291 292

Del Ninno 2018:no page. MacNeill writes “Beginning in 1990 and ending in 1995, I performed a pilot study into the dimensions of vertical polygamy in the United States. Data collected were almost entirely derived from questionnaire and interview results. Subjects were chosen using random sampling techniques. Unfortunately, difficulties in collecting data meant that the sample size was insufficient to draw conclusions applicable to the United States population as a whole. However, the correlations were sufficiently strong to suggest the following -...Reproductive rates of females and males approximate those of polygamous Mormons in nineteenth-century Utah, although with lower overall numbers of offspring. • The degree of reproductive asymmetry (“skew”) is greater among twentieth-century Americans than among nineteenth-century Mormons.This is paradoxically because people have fewer children now than in the nineteenth century. Therefore, every child represents a larger percentage of the total today than in the nineteenth century. -...- These mating patterns are correlated with the disintegration of the nuclear family, the relative impoverishment of women (compared with men), and increased social pathology (especially in urban areas).” (2010:77-8).

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accordingly to eugenic practices under the NSDAP regime, it is one and the same.

The researchers found that the strippers’ tips fluctuated, depending on their menstrual cycle. While ovulating, fertile strippers earned almost 30 percent more in tips than during other times of the month. However, dancers on birth control pills saw no such boost in tips.(Hogshead 2010:33). In Acadia (French-speaking portion of the Canadian province of New Brunswick), XIX century Francophone leadership hailed “la revanche des berceaux” (the cradle's revenge), whereby high birthrates among Francophones could be a boon to foster future political goals Francophone lobbies would score against the English-speaking majority.

Enracinement dans le silence [silent settlement ]

followed the XVIII century warfare and deportation mayhem, giving thus birth to highly endogamous communities; as a mere example, some estimate that all Acadians in Prince Edward Island293 descend from around 30 families294.

Paxsons informs:”[some] states have presented women with awards for the patriotic duty of producing very large families — Mothers of the Nation— in Israel, awards to “Heroine Mothers” (10 kids) was stopped after it became clear that Arab women were winning most of the awards ”295.

Priyadarshana296 tells that “Sinhala [Sri Lankan] women fear barrenness most -...-. As a result of performing kalukumāra baliya, the victim, (barren woman)

293

294 295 296

According to Canada Census 1971 ( Action Nationale 1977:330) there were 7365 Francophones in the Prince Edward Island. Blanchard in Action Nationale 1977:292. 2006:Nationalism, Reproductive Politics and Gender. ME6210:chapter 6:5-7.

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is concerned by the society as a patient affected by [demon] kalukumāra. And on the other and kalukumāra is to be blamed here for the victim’s barrenness.”.

The obsession with the begetting of children, hence marriage, is omnipresent:” Many of the couples I see trace the demise of their erotic life back to the arrival of the ﬁrst child.” 297. In Japan, distraught parents bring to shrines dolls attired in a matrimonial scene to memorialize younger relatives who died unmarried. Earlier still, a statue celebrating ” the unmarried Phrasikleia [who] must have died very young, [whose] situation bore special comparison with that of Persephone, and the grief of her bereaved parents to that of Demeter ”298. In China at large, small dowries can be paid so that men may 'adopt' a daughter who died unmarried into the man's ancestral line, thus insuring proper respects.

But here in the parched canyons along the Yellow River known as the Loess Plateau, some parents with dead bachelor sons will go a step further. To ensure a son’s contentment in the afterlife, some grieving parents will search for a dead woman to be his bride and, once a corpse is obtained, bury the pair together as a married couple. -...-The rural folk custom, startling to Western sensibilities, is known as minghun, or afterlife marriage. -...-Traditional Chinese beliefs also hold that an unmarried life is incomplete, which is why some parents worry that an unmarried dead son may be an unhappy one. -...-Pinpointing the origins of minghun is difficult, but scholars have found allusions to the practice in different ancient texts, including the Rites of Zhou, a guidebook of appropriate Confucian behavior written around the third century B.C. (Yardley 2006:no page). Readers may contrast the forgotten pain of obscure Bronze Age

297 298

Perel 2006:125. Phrasikleia's statue is dated at around 550 BCE. Wood in Textual Sources 2010:284ss.

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Parents who placed a wedding lourrophoros on the tomb of a child who died before marriage -...- trying to make the child's cut-off life more complete and happy, affirming that the regular stages of maturity and marriage had been at least potential in his interrupted career (Vermeule 1979:55). with the megalomania of a grandstanding princeps :

On 21 January 63 Poppaea bore Nero his first child, a daughter, Claudia, -...-. Mother and daughter were both given the imperial title of Augusta,-...-. Within four months [Nero's] baby died-...-: the baby girl became the Goddess Claudia, diva Claudia, with a temple and a priest (Champlin 2003:104). Khmer warriors, Muslim crusaders or suicide bombers, all look(ed) forward to sexual surfeit. Islamic commentaries describe at great length paradise's sensual delight to be enjoyed thanks to “penises that never soften” servicing “appetizing vaginae”. Spiritual accomplishment and tabloid reports about profligate celebrities could never look more alike. Islamic celestial nymphs are even more wonderful as urinating, defecating, menstruating and having children is not part of their nature: hyperreality to a fault.

Researchers deliver a darker picture when they analyze the impact having children has on one's life:

Do our kids make us happy? Studies consistently show that if there is any correlation between having offspring and happiness, it is a negative one. -...-Using the measure of experienced happiness, [Nobel Prize winner] Kahneman and his colleagues found that the experienced happiness of mothers was negatively correlated with the amount of time they spent with their kids. The participants reported experiencing fewer moments of joy while interacting with 185

their children than while performing household chores such as cooking and grocery shopping. In fact, there were not many other activities that had less of a positive influence on experienced happiness—except for a daily commute. Commuting to and from work contributed most negatively to satisfaction with life.(Sharot 2011:55). But the warnings for prospective parents are even more stark than ‘it’s not going to make you happier’. Using data sets from Europe and America, numerous scholars have found some evidence that, on aggregate, parents often report statistically significantly lower levels of happiness -...-. Why do we have such a rosy view about parenthood? One possible explanation for this, according to Daniel Gilbert (2006), is that the belief that ‘children bring happiness’ transmits itself much more successfully from generation to generation than the belief that ‘children bring misery’. The phenomenon, which Gilbert says is a ‘super-replicator’, can be explained further by the fact that people who believe that there is no joy in parenthood – and who thus stop having them – are unlikely to be able to pass on their belief much further beyond their own generation. It is a little bit like Darwin’s theory of the survival of the fittest. Only the belief that has the best chance of transmission – even if it is a faulty one – will be passed on. -...-To imagine what it might be like to be a mother or a father to our children is not much different to imagining what it might be like to live in California. We are likely to focus more of our attention on the good things about being a parent and less so on the bad things about being a parent, perhaps because of the belief that children bring happiness. (Powdthavee 2009:no page). Are [our children] OK? How can you tell? Did I handle this well, or should we start saving up for therapy as well as college? (Perel 2006:129-130). Even Gautama Buddha ( Nanda Sutta) promises -as a teaching detour- to his half-brother Nanda:

"What do you think, Nanda, who is more beautiful, more fair to behold, and more alluring — that Sakyan girl, the loveliest in the land, or these five hundred pink-footed nymphs?"."Revered sir, compared to these five hundred pink-footed nymphs, that Sakyan girl, the loveliest in the land, is like a mutilated she-monkey that has had 186

its ears and nose chopped off. She does not count; she is not worth a fraction compared to them; there is no comparison. These five hundred nymphs are far more beautiful, more fair to behold, and more alluring."."Rejoice, Nanda, rejoice, Nanda! I guarantee that you will obtain five hundred pink-footed nymphs."."If, revered sir, the Lord guarantees that I will obtain five hundred pink-footed nymphs, I shall be content in living the holy life under the Lord." -...- Then the Venerable Nanda was humiliated, ashamed, and dismayed by his friends calling him "hireling" and "menial." Living alone, secluded, diligent, ardent, and resolute, he soon realized even here and now through his own direct knowledge that unequalled goal of the holy life for the sake of which sons of good family rightly go forth from home to the homeless state, and entering into it he abode in it. And he knew: "Finished is birth, lived is the holy life, done is what had to be done, there is no more of this state." And the Venerable Nanda became one of the arahatsextnote. Just to show what the lore is all about, senior Buddhist monastic in the Tibetan tradition G. Churinoff tells the same story with Rahula (the Buddha's son) as main character instead of Nanda. The storyline is also different in Churinoff's rendition (beautiful goddesses anticipate Rahula's rebirth in heaven, a narrative unit also present in other Buddhist stories); and so is the punchline (the goddesses grieve because if Rahula doesn't practice Buddhism, he might not be reborn in heaven to meet them).

The lore, then, represents a â&#x20AC;&#x153;pictorial representation of psychic processesâ&#x20AC;?, and not the forensic account of what happened to someone somewhere: a person and a place over which scribes are in sharp disagreement in spite of professed eye-witness reports:â&#x20AC;? Mythology is basically pictorial: it's visions; and the language is to elucidate the pictures, or to communicate a story of pictorial Arahat (=estinguished one): A person of superior spiritual accomplishment -though lower than that of a Buddha- and free from the cycle of rebirth. (note of this writer). extnote

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transformations”299;”images are psychotropic”300.

The present writer had a person relay to him the urban legend of “the decapitated motorcyclist”301 as a “real story” that had happened to such informant personally during a holiday trip in Piedmont (Italy). In spite of the present writer's incredulity, the informant kept swearing the story was what he saw with his own eyes. He multiplied details to be more convincing, just as other eye-witnesses saw the resurrected Jesus eating fish (= he's not an hallucination or a ghost) and inspected his mortal spear wound at the chest (= he really died and rose again; he didn't just “swoon” on the cross): details absent in earlier Gospel literature equally based on supposed eye-witness testimony 302. It is not difficult to imagine how “[the resurrected Jesus]appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.” 303.

For I did not suppose that things from books would help me as much as things from a living and surviving voice. (III/IV century CE Christian apologist Eusebius, Exegesis Of The Lord's Oracles , Grant trans.). Modern surveys and statistics about married couples typically show that a very significant percentage of people of either sex -and for different reasons that 299 300 301

302

303

Campbell&Toms 1988:volume 1. Moore 1989:part 7. Typically, a thin steel plate detaches from a lorry taking a bump and decapitates a motorcyclist who follows. Details vary: the decapitated body still manages to pass the lorry; the truck driver has an heart attack upon realizing what happened and dies, possibly by ramming the vehicle into passers-by. In the example told to this writer, the thin plate was made of glass, and the beheaded body managed to overtake the lorry before ending up in a ditch. Of course the contention here is: could earlier eye-witnesses possibly have “forgotten” or “omitted” such poignant details? 1 Corinthians 15:6.

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do not change the outcome- experience issues -whether physical, psychological or both- that impair or make sexual intercourse impossible.

As the Kinsey Institute cautions, “having sex” may mean different things to different people who -all- answer positively to questionnaires about frequency of sexual intercourse: 45% people the Kinsey institute interviewed saw manual-genital stimulation as “having sex”. As usual, snapshots from real life are infinitely less glamorous than the self-aggrandizing (unrealistic and fraudulent) portraits people paint of themselves as their overexcited minds punch at human psyche's ghosts.

Many deities and salvific heroes deal with one breed of cattle or another as their favorite to guard, herd, steal, tend to etc. Romulus and Remus are associated with a pecker and a she-wolf; Zeus with the goat Amaltheia that -just like it is the case with Romulus and Remus- nursed him. Cattle raiding may co-exist with -or be replaced by- the abduction, rape or conquest of women on equal footing.

Campbell304 calls this the recurring “theft motif” (fire theft, bride theft, boon theft...): he concludes how ultimate reconciliation is not present in this motif. On the contrary, adverse powers shall wage battle against the thieving hero (=unresolved psychological complexes): Prometheus is chained to a rock; Romulus and Remus are hunted down; Sabin men attack Rome and so forth:

Shamans sometimes served as spirit mediums contacting the other world. They crossed the boundary between life and death (a binary 304

1968a.

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opposition), and shamans were often seen as tricksters. Priests mediated between God and man; they were required to undergo purification rituals. Funerary rites assured that the dead moved to the next world and did not stay to haunt the living. The life-death distinction needed to be strengthened. Crossing from one status to the other (e.g., child to adult, living to dead) required rituals for purification and protection. The middle area goes by several labels: liminality, interstitiality, transitional space, betwixt and between, anti-structure. These are dangerous positions, situations, and statuses. They break down categories, classifications, and boundaries. Violation of the boundaries was taboo and brought the wrath of the gods. There was a price to be paid. Yet during some liminal periods, taboos were deliberately violated in order to obtain magical power. (Hansen 2001:21). This suggests that images are needed to give awareness of boundaries. (Angelo 1992:119). Special cattle belonged to the Sun 305; Hercules acted as migrating shepherd after stealing Geryon's cattle; cows are sacred to Krishna, etc. Cattle rustling is part of either rites of passage, and/or of the deeds of mythical herofounders in various myth(ologie)s306:

the cattle- raiding theme is known among all people who keep cattle, appearing in such versions as the struggle of Nuer and Dinka, Masai and Kikuyu, or David's raids while living among the Philistines. -...Given this enormous importance of cattle within the socio- economic order, it comes as no surprise that the Indo-Europeans were always interested in preserving the cattle they had and in procuring more. Their prayers are filled with requests for cattle” (Lincoln 1976:44,63). Usha herself is the Truth, sunrita, and the mother of Truths. These truths of the divine Dawn are called her cows, her shining herds; while the forces of the Truth that accompany them and occupy the 305

306

Ulysses' men slaughter cattle belonging to the Sun, thus attracting divine retribution ( Odyssey XII:338ss). The imagery goes back to Hindu Vedas at the dawn of civilization, and well before Homer:”This Seer-Will becomes the guardian of the illuminations of knowledge—herds of the Sun that graze in the pastures of life secure from the Sons of division and darkness, protected by the warrior force of the Will that knows.” (Yatsenko, MAISI003 no date: lecture note 2:4). Meineck 2005-1:Greek Myths And The Romans.

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Life are called her horses. Around this symbol of the cows and horses much of the Vedic symbolism turns; for these are the chief elements of the riches sought by man from the gods. The cows of the Dawn have been stolen and concealed by the demons, the lords of darkness in their nether cave of the secret subconscient. (Yatsenko, MAISI002 no date:lecture 4:2). The whole of Earth, a good cow, became impregnated with Heavenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fine semen (Sumerian Debate literature, III millennium BCE, Rubio trans.). The seated yogi among the beasts wears on his head a curious headdress with a high crown and two immense horns, which, as Heinrich Zimmer has pointed out, resembles to a striking degree one of the most prominent symbols of early Buddhist art, the sign of the so-called "Three Jewels" (symbolizing the Buddha, the doctrine, and the order of the Buddha's followers), which is in the form of a kind of trident. The Hindu god Shiva [also accompanied by the snake and the bull (nether world symbols)] carries a trident also (Campbell 1960:436). Animals 'are like images', because 'they just show themselves', and 'don't have to tell stories' (ie have biographies). This spontaneity makes them an image of beings who have achieved that direct imagining which I earlier identified as immediate perception. 'Animal' is a favourite word for several reasons, partly I think because animalsas-images seem to provide the powerful, instinctual animus energy and vitality which 'animates' the anima without dwelling on those human, masculine virtues which would be in danger of reinstating the heroic ego. 'Animal' is also the basis of animism, which Hillman identifies as the heart of that 'esse in anima' which means living in the world via the soul, and sensing the soul in the world (Angelo 1992:173). Bulls ( also lunar symbols307 of death and resurrection) equally symbolize virility, or the Sun (Apis, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;golden calfâ&#x20AC;? of Egypt, often associated with Ra). Egyptian monkey god Babi (=bull of the baboons) is associated both with the nether 307

Campbell (1989:episode And We Washed Our Weapons In The Sea) discusses the Catal Huyuk Turkish archeological site (about 7.000 BCE) and the presence of 'mother goddess' figures in various postures, even giving birth to bull-headed figures to mean rebirth in a lunar cosmology (the horns of the Moon; the Moon's cyclical rebirth, etc).

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world, and with bottomless virility and ferocity. Each deity of Afro-Caribbean

Santeria is associated with an animal to be offered in sacrifice. In Zoroastrianism, the ox-soul is the soul of the original bull from which all other animals came, and to which their essence shall return in the end.

Ancient people â&#x20AC;&#x153;danced with bullsâ&#x20AC;? at Crete in the Bronze Age (bullleaping); vestiges survive in today's Spain ( recortadores) and France (course

landaise; course camarguaise). In Portugal, bull-fighters (forcados) grapple with bulls charging against them (pega): the bull is held by the horns ( pega de cara) and subdued. At Rosais in the Portuguese Azores, tourada Ă corda takes place during festivities for Nossa Senhora Do Rosario (Our Lady Of The Rosary). Villagers spar with bulls, whose horns have been made inoffensive; bulls might be held back with a rope (corda) if they tried to exit the tourada (bullfight) precinct (=sacred space mytheme):

The bullfighter is wearing a brilliant shining garment and represents the solar power while the bull, of course, represents the moon power. In the bullfight, the point of danger which leads to the coup de grace is the act of going in over the horns of the bull, which represent the crescent moon. (Campbell&Boa 1989:84). At Potosi (Bolivia), a local corrida requires to fetch a piece of cloth nested between the bull's horns. In Southern India, kambla is the breakneck speed ride of men with buffaloes in muddy waters. Nothing is really new: people run with bulls in Hispanic countries (encierro), and even Southern France.

They follow an immemorial tradition of heroes (Hercules, Gilgamesh, 192

Cadmus, Theseus, Jason, Perseus...) wrestling with -or killing- prodigious bulls. Animal contest historiolae are also common in Harappan (Indus valley, 2600-2000 BCE) seals: a (wo)man fights with/is flanked by two tigers. Durga also fought prodigious shape-shifting demon Mahisasura, son of a buffalo woman and a king demon308.

In Hindu mythology, the cow is associated with motherly imagery: the primeval twin goddesses of the Vedas (XV-V century BCE), Dawn and Night, are compared to motherly cows full of milk;

also, the mystic fire, quintessential

creative principle, is hailed as “The bull of the thousand horns”; in Hindus valley civilization seals, horned tigers (later replaced by lions) are present.

Zoroastrianism, fire is equated – as hypostasis of Ahura Mazda- with truth and righteousness (ashta vahista); Egyptian Pharaohs were also known as being “born from the womb of dawn”309.

At Al'Ubaid (Iraq, about 3.500 BCE), the main temple complex resembles a cow's vagina; sacred cattle associated with a goddess were also present 310. Egyptian goddess Hathor's many forms included a cow's, and Pharaohs were often hailed as “mighty bull”311. In Bali, the “royal cremation” requires a pyre to be built in the form of a black bull (lembu) for a cremation at an astrologically appointed time. 308

309 310 311

Favorite mythemes adorn this legend, too. Mahishi (the buffalo woman) was abducted. Her husband tried to rescue her but was killed in the process. She threw herself on her husband's pyre while pregnant. The gods (as in the legend of Semele, Zeus and Bacchus) saved the unborn child. From the mystical pyre fire Mahiasura was born. Cross-referenced in Isaiah 14:9-15:”How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! ”. Campbell (1989:episode And We Washed Our Weapons In The Sea). For example on the limestone wedding scarab of Amenophis III (XIV century BCE).

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Even heroes, founders and saviors generally perceived as meek and asexual may reveal the usual trickster's characteristics. Fragments that hint at a potentially 'lusty', 'pesky' or 'sexy' Jesus might be what survives of this trickster's rendition of the 'great man' after liturgical sanitation:

Buddhaghosa -...- compares the Buddha’s penis to those of elephants or bulls and says that the sheath looks like the pericarp of a golden lotus. Similarly, the Flower Array Discourse states that the Buddha’s “testicles are well-hidden within a sheath, sunk deeply and fully covered, just like those of a thoroughbred elephant or a thoroughbred stallion.” Even though this is presented as the perfection of a man’s private parts, the text claims that no one—woman, man, boy, girl, elderly person, middle-aged person, or even the lustful or potentially lustful— could possibly conceive thoughts of sexual desire when viewing the Buddha’s genitalia because his past practice of celibacy has produced a body so transcendent that people cannot imagine having sexual intercourse with him (the “out of my league” syndrome). As we will see, however, in other texts women who see the Buddha are overcome with desire, while others swoon when in his presence. (Powers 2009:13). In the next story Jesus is said to be walking through his village when another child runs up to him and accidentally bumps him on the shoulder. Jesus is irritated and says to the boy, “You’ll go no farther on your way.” And the child falls down dead.-...Joseph takes Jesus back home with instructions to Mary: “Do not let him out the door; for those who anger him die.” (Ehrman 2011:264). A 'lusty' or 'sexy' Jesus is -in some apocryphal narratives- also required -just like it is the norm with all those swashbuckling founders and tormented heroes- to leave descendants behind: Rabbi Jesus, which -to R.M Price and others- is a dead giveaway as only towards the end of the I century was the title Rabbi becoming commonplace.

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Hera, Greek Zeus' wife, and image of the mother goddess, was “coweyed”, and associated with the cow; Europa, too, possibly represented a version of goddess associated with the cow. Horns took up all sorts of symbolism, both lunar and solar312. Longhorn Miao (a Chinese ethnicity) women wear wooden horns in their hair to conjure the strength of an ox up. Chinese Tang (618-907 CE) dynasty's first five Emperors were said to carry “the horns of the sun” on their forehead, which epitomized their intelligence. Horns excite human mind's vortexes. In Italy, the “gesture of the horns” with a hand constitutes an apotropaic countermeasure against bad luck, and so do little red horns one may carry as a talisman.

The horn can also constitute “a negative phallus that instead of generating, it kills”313. Everybody's familiar with the stereotypical image of the Viking wearing a horned helmet:

Down [Lascaux caves] there a large bison bull, eviscerated by a spear that has transfixed its anus and emerged through its sexual 312

313

Zeus-Ammon is not the only god the horns allude to, for example in the case of deified Alexander. The Sun god (Helios) is another candidate:”As Alexander-Helius he was represented with the corona radiata symbolizing the sun.-...- A parallel to this is furnished by Moses in Exodus XXXIV, 29, 30, 35, Hebrew having the same word for horn and ray. Michelangelo in conceiving his Moses in San Pietro in Vincoli took these horns literally according to the Vulgate of St. Jerome, and reduced them to two, with the loss of their luminosity -...-.In passing we may note that the name Two-horned, by which Alexander was known in later days, is the literal translation of -...-one of the titles of Amen-Ra -...-. The horns of Alexander therefore have had a varied symbolism. They represent him as a god, as a son of a god, as a prophet and propagandist of the Most High, as something approaching the role of a messiah, and also as the champion of Allah. They represent him as a world conqueror, who subjugated the two horns or ends of the world, the lands of the rising and of the setting sun. Also they are represented as something of which he was ashamed and which he sought to conceal, or whose traces he sought to conceal after removal; they appear as variations on angels, or as wings or as locks of hair or as ears, and in one instance the latter mark him as the son of the devil, himself a devil. ” (Anderson 1927:1001,122). The horns as symbol of irresistible royalty were borrowed both by some among Alexander's Hellenistic successors, and Roman Emperors. During Victorian/ Belle Epoque neo-pagan revivals, horned gods were also resurrected: a horned god serves as counterpart to the mother goddess in Wicca, a mid-XX century neo-pagan set of beliefs. Campbell 1989:Origins Of Man And Myth.

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organ, stands before a prostrate man. The latter (the only crudely drawn figure, and the only human figure in the cave) is rapt in a shaman-istic trance. He wears a bird mask; his phallus, erect, is pointing at the pierced bull; -...- and there is still practiced in Australia a lethal phallic rite of magic known as the "pointing bone," -...- And finally it should be noted that the curious horns of the weird wizard beast in the upper chamber of the great cave, among the wonderful animals of that happy hunting ground, are exactly the same in form as the pointing sticks worn in the manner of horns by the performers in many of the Australian ceremonies of the men's dancing ground (Campbell 1960:300-4). Parallels continue: in ancient Crete, and in our day's U.S Bible belt, people manipulate snakes: the famous Cretan figurine of a priestess; the “celebration of the snakes” (festa dei serpenti) in honor of Christian Saint Domenico di Sora at Cocullo in the Abruzzo region (Italy), a custom going back to pre-Christian and preRoman Marsi; equally, in India offers are presented to living cobras. R.L. Moore equates the dragon (=snake) imagery to the Jungian archetypal self.

Some U.S Christian Pentecostal congregations “handle snakes” as well:

they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well. (Mark 16:18)314. The snake is identified with the phallus In many cultures -...-Since the Archaic Period, beginning around 800 B.C., the snake was identified In art and literature with the male hero, a man who bad been elevated to semi-divine status after death. He was worshipped and appeased with offerings by his fellow citizens and their descendants. -...-The explosive, non verbal violence of the poor [U.S] southern rural whites, 314

“It is a terrific passage, mysterious, moving, and powerful. It is one of the passages used by Pentecostal Christians to show that Jesus's followers will be able to speak in unknown "tongues," as happens in their own services of worship; and it is the principal passage used by groups of "Appalachian snakehandlers," who till this day take poisonous snakes in their hands in order to demonstrate their faith in the words of Jesus, that when doing so they will come to no harm. But there's one problem. Once again, this passage was not originally in the Gospel of Mark. It was added by a later scribe.” (Ehrman 2005:66).

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who work at poor-paying jobs under horrible conditions and tend to be rigidly conservative and opposed to all change -...-. Many turned to an ecstatic branch of Pentecostalism -...- [founded by] George Went Hensley -...-[who in 1909] climbed a mountain in Tennessee, found a big rattlesnake, prayed for “the Power”, and picked up the snake(Rousselle 1984:477-8,482). “The Hopi Snake Dance relates to this. It’s a strange and wonderful ritual, where the dancers hold snakes in their mouths and stroke them with feathers as they dance. I saw a film about the snake worshipping, or snake using, people in the mountains of, I think it was, Georgia or Tennessee. These people have ceremonies in which they toss a tangle of rattlesnakes back and forth. The participants believe that if they are “in the Christ” they won’t be bitten. They get themselves into a psychological state that the animals somehow recognize. But in the film, the leader of this particular ceremony is bitten. He says he had a feeling that his consciousness “slipped,” as it were, so he won’t allow anybody to cure him, and he dies.”(Campbell 1991:89). Miscarriage is also understood in the science of exorcism (bhutaciditā) as a malign act of [demon] kalukumāra. Therefore, Umayaṅgana baliya is called upon here as a treatment [in Sri Lanka]. This event is highly decorated and fascinated with vigorous dance by acrobats with twisting, turning, whirling and somersaulting. The main object of this ritualistic performance here is the figure of a woman and a snake made of clay. Priyadarshana, ME6210 no date:chapter 6:8). A Zion Christian Church prophet who was filled with the Holy Spirit recently ‘challenged’ a lion to do battle in the Kruger National Park. -...-Prophet Alec Ndiwane who is based in the Pretoria Soshanguve was with fellow church members in the Kruger National Park where they were watching animals. It is believed the prophet went into a trance and started to speak in tongues. -...-Alec must have thought he was the biblical Samson as the prophet opened the car door and went charging towards the lions. -...-“I do not know what came over me’, Alec confessed, ‘I thought the Lord wanted to use me to show his power over animals. Is it not we were given dominion over all creatures of the earth’, Alec added. -...-Alec was eventually stitched up and discharged after spending the night in hospital. ( Prophet Charges...2016 no page). 1980 blockbusting movie Flash Gordon sees fictional prince Barin impose a dare on Flash Gordon: he has to slip his hand into a crack where a 197

poisonous beast rests. That's a sacred rite in the fiction, and an equally sacred rite near the Balinese temple of Tanah Lot: people test their luck slipping their hand towards a poisonous snake resting in a crevice. At Tanah Lot, ashes of corpses that underwent the â&#x20AC;&#x153;royal cremationâ&#x20AC;? are dispersed at sea (apah).

Life Magazine reported in 1940315 about a Burmese priestess at Kenzi village luring a 12 foot316 cobra from its cave in order to kiss it on the head three times (=sacred number) in a fertility ritual, which Joseph Campbell describes as a rain ritual.

Yatsenko explains thus images from Hindu Rig Veda (XV century BCE or older):

We can engage with the divine luminous forces from above, bestowing luminous gifts from heaven and earth and with the forces of the Inconscient, the coiled Python at the bottom of things -...-Invoking the divine powers and the Python from the bottom of the Inconscient was to bring them to the battlefield, within the Soul and the Nature of Man, where the divine powers crush the anti-divine resistence of all kinds (MAISI018 no date:unit 3:5-7). It doesn't really matter which variant of the same obtuse allegory one (group, sect, era, civilization...) embraces. It may be human Adam and Eve in Judaeo-Christianity; semi-human beings like Chinese Fu-Xi and Nuwa; or any other semi-divine hero-founder. Today they just replaced Adam and Eve with mitochondrial Eve and Y-chromosome Adam: mankind's (purported) forensically

315 316

March 4:12. Other printed sources refer to the cobra in the same footage as being 15 -not 12- foot long.

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determined genetic ancestors.

Today the cradle of the world is no longer mythological China, Judea -or any place ancient mythology designated as sacred- but Africa: the electronic microscope (culture dish, FMRI...) -and not a presumed sage suffering from temporal lobe epilepsy317- (purportedly) demonstrates it. Acclaimed author Karen Armstrong claims in her memoir The Spiral Staircase (2004) to suffer from temporal lobe epilepsy: her many books about religion are a planetary success:

Early in my career I also hoped that the EEG might help us to make better diagnoses, and between 1980 and 1990 I sent many of my patients to get EEGs to determine if their emotional instability was rooted in neurological abnormalities. The reports usually came back with the phrase: â&#x20AC;&#x153;nonspecific temporal lobe abnormalities.â&#x20AC;? (Van Der Kolk 2014:231). In today's French RĂŠunion island, genealogy proves to be a hobby of choice. In spite of the island's truly diverse background (Africans, Indians, EastAsians, Europeans immigrated to an once uninhabited island), families love to trace their lineage back in time to common ancestors, and to hold gatherings -just like old Chinese, Acadian or Scottish clans do- that reunite people across all the provinces of the ethnic, religious and skin color spectrum. 317

Newberg (2012:Religion And Brain Dysfunction ) challenges such argument - which he defines a gross generalization- along different lines. For example, seizures are a lifelong characteristic, and aren't limited to certain periods. People routinely suffering from seizures have problems functioning normally in everyday life and are not the leaders, captains or rabble rousers religious lore presents to us. Newberg suggests powerful religious experiences might represent a supernormal functioning of the brain. A supercharged brain might then get in tune with the spiritual realm. Newberg's objections shall be registered, but fail to explain how the supercharged brain able to tune in on the spiritual realm relays different -if not antipodal- signals. While similarities are staggering, differences are staggering as well when a powerful religious experience purportedly takes place in a Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Christian, Buddhist and so forth milieu. In other words: is the supercharged brain beaming back a supposed reality from a spiritual realm, or isn't it rather beaming back a jumble of societal factors, biochemical factors, neurological factors, cultural and political factors?

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This constellation of images may serve as backdrop for fantasies of world government; hippie images of cosmic healing; Buddhist tirades about tears of compassion raining all over while simpletons (=artificial kin members acting as one) reach for their wallet in order to contribute to this, that or another noble cause, emergency relief fund or hallowed charity.

Prigs and dolts are also always ready to hurl themselves in the defense of whichever purported frail little creature (foundling etc) might exist in a possible universe: they are 'not the kind of person' to do otherwise (=motivational vocabulary).

Vanessa Patrick and her colleagues explored this phenomenon with the task of promoting healthful eating, but related studies suggest that the results apply to other behaviors as well. Imagine you are at a dinner with someone. You’ve decided to cut down on desserts. Many people would say, “No thank you. I can’t eat desserts anymore.” It is more effective to say, “No thank you. I don’t eat desserts anymore. -...-The phrase “I can’t do X” is associated with external controls. “I don’t do X” is associated with more robust internal controls [= the “kind of person” one is or is not].” (Vishton 2016:155). Reconciliatory hugs and brotherly kisses might be the norm, except when the routine outbursts of war, mass-murder and violence erupt: tartuffery at its zenith. The frail, little, endearing, diminutive creatures are then clubbed to death, lynched, or frogmarched to the killing field and concentration camp: what a burst of hyperaesthesia (=abnormal increase in sensitivity to sensory stimuli):”And you have to understand this, that a prince, especially a new one, cannot observe all those things for which men are esteemed, being often forced, in order to maintain the 200

state, to act contrary to fidelity, friendship, humanity, and religion ”318.”;”An aesthetic experience is an intimate experience that isn’t merely in our heads, but something we can feel in our bodies- a direct, sensual encounter with something that gives us life”319.

And indeed Philip [the Arab, Emperor 244-249 CE], after he had killed [Emperor Gordian III], did not remove his portraits or throw down his statues or erase his name, but always called him divine, even among the soldiers with whom he had made his conspiracy, and worshipped him with a mixture of a serious spirit and the shrewdness of an alien. (Historia Augusta, Magie trans.). “Comme on peut jouir de la vie quand on sait!” 320 rejoices a fictional serial killer (a respectable judge in his public life) in Maupassant's 1885 Un Fou (a madman). In 1869, Baudelaire (Paris Spleen) had written:”But what is an eternity of damnation compared to an infinity of pleasure in a single second ”;”but it is common among abusive parents. They want their children to give them both relief and absolution; they batter them, then they blame their behavior on someone else.”321;”It’s as if the same factors that make people take off their hats at baseball games also make them cheat on their partners.”322.

Popular 'positive psychologist' Csikszentmihalyi admits:

The Marquis de Sade perfected the infliction of pain into a form 318 319 320

321

322

Machiavelli, The Prince (1513), Marriott trans. Hermanson 2017:32. “How can one enjoy life when one knows”. Readers may compare this fictional account with Jung's declaration in an interview: he didn't believe in god, but he knew god existed. Forward&Buck 1989:75. Readers may notice how similar this is to the typical “society” or “...ism made me do it” that felons, minorities and other antisocial defectives adopt. Feldman 2009:55.

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of pleasure, and in fact, cruelty is a universal source of enjoyment for people who have not developed more sophisticated skills. Even in societies that are called "civilized" because they try to make life enjoyable without interfering with anyone's wellbeing, people are attracted to violence. Gladiatorial combat amused the Romans, Victorians paid money to see rats being torn up by terriers, Spaniards approach the killing of bulls with reverence, and boxing is a staple of our own culture. Veterans from Vietnam or other wars sometimes speak with nostalgia about front-line action, describing it as a flow experience. (1990:69). Still another study showed Instagram pictures of dangerous and immoral behaviors that teens usually avoid. When they showed each picture with just a few likes, the brainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inhibition center was activated, suggesting that teens were turned off by each photo. But when the experimenters showed those exact same photos accompanied by many likes, the inhibition center shut down, changing how much each teen was likely to engage in these risky behaviors. This is a big concern, because it means that we may care about popularity a lot more than we should. (Prinstein 2017b:no page). Sade's fictional libertines experience hyperaesthesia indeed as they subject frail little creatures to all sorts of horrors and indignities, much as Jacobin, Bolshevik, NSDAP and Khmer Rouge brutes did in real life. Later, prigs and dolts 'couldn't possibly have know'. If proof exist they knew, then "All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!" (John 8:7).

Frenzied bedlamites -whether lone individuals or entire countries- all look alike: beautiful souls and murderous psychopaths inhabit the same bodies. At Cosenza (Italy), a 17yo male is arrested323: he strangled his mother, then hurled her body downstairs to simulate an accident. After the murder, he tattooed on his

323

La Stampa, May 13, 2015.

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body:â&#x20AC;&#x153; Not even death shall keep us apart. I love you momâ&#x20AC;? ( Nemmeno la morte ci

potrĂ separare. Ti amo mamma).

An article from a Jewish Studies handbook states:

Over the past couple of decades, and particularly since the fall of communism in 1989-1990, Europe has seen the growth of a phenomenon whereby the 'Jewish phenomenon' -anything to do with Judaism, Jews, Jewish culture -...- has been increasingly recognised as part of national history and culture and embraced by the mainstream, on both the official and the personal levels. As part of this trend, Jewish culture, or what passes for Jewish culture, or what is perceived or defined as Jewish culture - has become a visible and sometimes highly visible component of the popular public domain, including popular culture, in countries where Jews themselves now are practically invisible. In one form or another, this is a Europe-wide phenomenon, observable in countries whose people were the perpetrators as well as the victims and bystanders of the Second World War -...-. It is manifested in a wide variety of ways, from the scholarly to the superficial: numerous conferences are held each year on all aspects of Jewish history, culture, and tradition, and numerous academic study programmes, courses, or lecture series on Jewish topics have been established in many countries since the mid to late 1980s. -...- Jewish exhibitions, festivals, and workshops of all types abound. Some are organised by Jewish communities; but many are sponsored by local authorities, or sponsored jointly by Jewish bodies and non-Jewish public or private bodies. -...- Jewish cultural events that took place between May 2000 and April 2001 in four countries with small Jewish populations -- Italy, Belgium, Sweden and Poland.. Researchers counted well over 700 events -...- In addition to largescale festivals, numerous readings, lectures, seminars, talk shows, and films spotlighting Jewish issues, as well as articles and programmes on Jewish subjects are given frequent and prominent space in newspapers and magazines and on primetime TV. -...- Private volunteers and civic organisations clear up abandoned Jewish cemeteries and place plaques on empty synagogues. Local and state governments help fund the restoration of ruined or abandoned synagogues. New Jewish museums are opening their doors -often in towns where no Jews have lived for decades . -...- Jewish-theme tourism, meanwhile, has become a wellestablished niche in the vast tourist market, promoted on the private level and also strongly backed by state, city, or regional authorities. 203

-...- In the mid 1990s, sociologist Y. Michal Bodemann described the specific manifestation of this phenomenon in Germany as the emergence of a 'Judaising terrain' made up of converts to Judaism, of members of joint Jewish-German or Israeli-German associations, and of many 'professional almost-Jews' outside or even inside the apparatuses of the Jewish organisations and [Jewish communities]. -...this emergence of a 'Judaising terrain' and 'Judaising milieu' in all their widely varied, conscious and unconscious manifestations, as a .filling. of the Jewish space which encompasses the creation of a 'Virtual Jewishness', a 'Virtual Jewish World' by non-Jews - 'Virtual Jews'. -...-Some non-Jews go so far as to wear stars of David around their necks, assume Jewish-sounding names, attend synagogue, send their children to Jewish schools, establish twin cities relationships with Israeli towns, in addition to championing Jewish causes. (Gruber 2002-3:1-5). People dealing with Jewish culture are, at the very least, somehow represented by the adjective “Jewish” (M. Waligorska in 2013). Arendt came to the conclusion that philosophers were absolutely incapable of "seeing" the political as anything but a means to their end: making the world safe for philosophers. Arendt does not say this, but an argument could be made that Heidegger, like Esau, was only too willing to sell his birthright (i.e., "office" and "calling") for next to nothing in order to be incorporated into a mass movement with radical-revolutionary language, no personal responsibility, and the chance to transition from public servant to something truly heroic: a master of the master race. (Ferguson 2006:108). Today the masters of acceptable discourse who pull the wires of – and ventriloquize behind- the ongoing puppet show are so-called scientists and their microscopes or culture dishes, whose verdict is true. Rabbis, mandarins, scribes are so out of fashion with their fairy tales about prophets and deities frolicking around as they write down divine truths. What remains is the psychotic -and schizogenicobsession with oneness and its grantors: hyper-fertile -thus hyper-sexed- patriarchs.

Is the difference between scientists and scribes (rabbis, bhikkus etc)

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resting on more than mere appearance? Neuroscientist -and associate professor of radiology- A.B. Newberg opens video lectures sitting at a desk (the physician's desktop) with what look like a prescription or diagnosis notebook in front of him and...a stethoscope, or the quintessential physician's trappings.

The white-as-purity lab coat is absent, but one might ponder how similar that might look to religious specialists of various traditions coming on stage -altars, pulpits etc- attired in their religion's trappings, whichever they might be. In fact, a neuroscientist and professor of radiology taping an online lecture on neuro-theology may have little to no use for a stethoscope.

Animal slaughterhouses require the presence of a specialist in charge of verifying the absence of impurity that might threaten the horde in fusion. One has a choice: medical professionals (physicians, veterinarians...) in the increasingly agnostic West; mullahs and rabbis in more traditional Muslim or Jewish religious settings; Seventh Day Adventists also follow a vegetarian diet that allows dairy products: the legendary corn flakes (patented in 1895) were born in an attempt to save America through dietary changes.

All specialists come attired in their trappings: white lab coat, stethoscope, culture dishes etc for the medical specialist; religious regalia for the spiritual specialist. All -again- are busy detecting, and getting rid of impurity, whether ritual or bacteriological, in the name of the pack's oneness.

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Both religious and secular specialists belong to fraternal orders transcending the individual in the name of quintessential values or standards to enforce: bar associations, medical boards, religious orders...one and the same. Such orders may include specific sets of vows, pledges, prohibitions or oaths:”men tend to get caught up in the appropriateness of the panoplies they use and need.”324.

Certification regarding the status of mass processed food as compliant with Muslim or Jewish law is in most jurisdictions handled by corporate bodies that employ religious specialists. In some cases, concern is so great that high security – such as chains of seals to be applied or broken according to procedure- is paramount. Both religious specialists and new-age foodies elatedly emphasize that we are what we eat. Some speak out of metaphysical, others out of merely physical concern:”"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” (John 4:34).

As a new geiko (=geisha) -nowadays very rare- enters the profession at Kyoto, she embraces tradition by touring traditional tea houses in the geisha district she belongs to seeking informal approval: not a fraternal order, but very close. Lawyers and physicians -like clergymen- may utilize a specialized language that eludes the outsider: geikos as well are to learn a particular dialect:”whereas when in a sacred language, the [words'] pitch is as if it were heavenward” 325.

If clergymen, lawyers, physician and suchlike train in specialized, 324 325

Becker 1973:273. Campbell&Toms 1988: vol.4.

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controlled-access higher education institutions (seminaries, law/medical school...),

maikos start their training as prospective geikos in a controlled-access boarding house (okiya) under peculiar rules and authority, just like a medical school or a seminary.

Social-communist regimes pursued a classless, levelled society of equals that would over time overflow with abundance and welfare (=surfeit) due to automation, technology, and a fairer labour structure that would by itself gradually free people from alienation and toiling, thus opening up horizons of endless human enjoyment:

This was the Golden Age that, without coercion, without laws, spontaneously nurtured the good and the true.-...-they lived safely without protection. The earth herself also, freely-...- produced everything from herself. -...- without needing renewal, the fields whitened with heavy ears of corn. Sometimes rivers of milk flowed, sometimes streams of nectar, and golden honey trickled from the green holm oak (Ovid, Metamorphosis I:89-112) He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; (Deuteronomy 26:9). In that day, a person will keep alive a young cow and two goats. And because of the abundance of the milk they give, there will be curds to eat. All who remain in the land will eat curds and honey. ( Isaiah 7:2122). Earth happily bore abundance â&#x20AC;&#x201D;exuding sweet beer and honey (Sumerian Debate literature, III millennium BCE, Rubio trans.). Ovid writes about the decadent age of iron:

The land that was once common to all, as the light of the sun is, and 207

the air, was marked out, to its furthest boundaries, by wary surveyors. -...- wealth that incites men to crime -...-They lived on plunder (Metamorphosis I: 125-150). Regarding this matter of immemorial cycles spanning through eons separated by a flood or catastrophe, Campbell326 discusses numbers given in the lore according to ancient Hindu, Hebrew and Germanic sources that would allude to ongoing cycles timed according to Earth's precession of the equinox.

Couldn't Ovid's imagery come from some XVIII or XIX century pamphlet against inequalities, wealth and ownership? Even earlier, the peasant revolts in Germany in the XVI century had already made wholesale recourse to the slogans later appropriated by Social-communist agitators and intellectuals.

Besides, some contend mythologies of golden ages simply represent a 326

1971/1975. Campbell writes:”Let me take, as an illustration of the effect on mythology of this disenchanting turn of mind, the example of the Deluge. According to many of the mythologies still flourishing in the Orient, a world flood occurs inevitably at the termination of every aeon. In India the number of years of an aeon, known as a Day of Brahma, is reckoned as 4,320,000,000; after which there follows a Night of Brahma, when all lies dissolved in the cosmic sea for another 4,320,000,000 years, the sum total of years of an entire cosmic round thus being 8,640,000,000. In the Icelandic eddas it is told that in Valhall there are 540 doors and that through each of these there will go at the end of the world 800 battleready warriors to join combat with the anti-gods. But 800 times 540 is 432,000. So it seems that there is a common mythological background theme, here shared by pagan Europe with the ancient East. In fact, I note, with a glance at my watch, each hour with 60 minutes and each minute with 60 seconds, that in our present day of 24 hours there will be 86,400 seconds; and in the course of this day, night will automatically follow light, and, next morning, dawn follow darkness. There is no question of punishment or guilt implied in a mythology of cosmic days and nights of this kind. Everything is completely automatic and in the sweet nature of things. But now, to press on a few steps further: according to a learned Chaldean priest, Berossos, who rendered in the early third century B.C. an account of Babylonian mythology, there elapsed 432,000 years between the crowning of the first Sumerian king and the coining of the Deluge, and there reigned during this period ten very long-lived kings. Then we observed that in the Bible it is reckoned that between the creation of Adam and coming of Noah's Flood there elapsed 1656 years, during which there lived ten very long-lived patriarchs. And if I may trust the finding of a distinguished Jewish Assyriologist of the last century, Julius Oppert (1825-1906), the number of seven-day weeks in 1656 years is 86,400.” (no date:44). 86,400 is also the number of heart beats of an healthy person at rest per day (60 seconds in a minute, 1 beat per second, 60 minutes in 1 hour, 24 hours in a day, which Campbell got from the 1928 work Aerobics by Cooper). Ancient medical traditions -such as in China or India- consider the pulse as a thorough indicator of health. Perennial philosophy's ultimate goal might be expressed as “The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe” (Campbell 1991:104).

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bequeathal

from

primordial

hunting-gathering

societies,

whereby

the

overabundance of spontaneous natural bounty up for grabs clearly doesn't even begin to compare with the toiling associated with urban life, farming and raising livestock. Because of the ensuing epidemics and ills, Diamond referred to the introduction of agriculture as “the worst mistake in the history of the human race”327.

It doesn't make much difference whether the same old fables have in more recent times been dressed up to appeal to the industrial society in search of affluence. Much as proponents of oriental thought offer quantum physics as scientific validation, Social-Communists offer the jargon of economics and industry to validate what otherwise amounts to the evergreen fantasy of the land of plenty,

cuccagna, cocanha, cocagne...derived from ancient imagery coupled with medieval longings and obsessions.

Demerson328 elucidates the main points of this imagery of the land of plenty:

1. mirage compensatoire d'une économie rurale dominée par la famine. Tout y 327

328

Several examples are cited, such as “Another example of paleopathology at work is the study of Indian skeletons from burial mounds in the Illinois and Ohio river valleys. At Dickson Mounds, located near the confluence of the Spoon and Illinois rivers, archaeologists have excavated some 800 skeletons that paint a picture of health changes that occurred when a.hunter-gatherer culture gave way to intensive maize farming around A.D. 1150. Studies by George Armelagos and his colleagues then at the University of Massachusetts show that these early farmers paid a price for their new-found livelihood. Compared to the hunter-gatherers who preceded them, the farmers had a nearly 50 per cent increase in enamel defects indicative of malnutrition, a fourfold increase in iron-deficiency anemia (evidenced by a bone condition called porotic hyperostosis), a threefold rise in bone lesions reflecting infectious disease in general, and an increase in degenerative conditions of the spine, probably reflecting a lot of hard physical labor.” (Diamond 1987:92). 1980:75.

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est organisé en vue des délices colossales du transit alimentaire, de l'ingurgitation à l'expulsion : les monts y sont de bouillie ou de fromage mol, les chevaux pondent des oeufs, les mules fientent des figues; le seul travail des habitants est de remplir leurs bedaines «à jambes rebidaines» aux fontaines d'hipocras ou de malvoisie. 2. L'abondance alimentaire n'est pas seulement paradis de gloutons, mais victoire sur la mort : Cocagne comporte comme merveille centrale la Fontaine de Jouvence, ou un tonneau de malvoisie ressuscitative, voire un arbre à bébés; dans ce pays où ruisselle la vie, à côté de cochonnets farcis et rôtis qui trottent bien vivants avec, planté dans le dos, un couteau à découper, on rencontre des arbres féez dont les fruits sont des hommes. 3. Mais le trait le plus notable est la facilité avec laquelle chacun satisfait ses désirs sans cesse sollicités par des offres succulentes. 4. Enfin, à Cocagne, la merveille n'est pas miracle : les biens ne sont pas cadeaux d'une Providence attentive, bienfaits d'un héros évergète, ni récompense d'une bonne action ou d'une conduite habile : les victuailles sont là, font partie du cadre d'existence : le vin coule en rivières, les flans chauds tombent en pluie tri-hebdomadaire à Coquaigne, et dans la Grande Confrérie des Saouls d'ouvrer, il suffit de «parer les épaules» pour que les habits «incontinent saultent dessus». Isn't this the imagery of the future Social-communist society? Isn't this the fixations that Lenin hastened to put on indefinite hold upon the establishment of the USSR in the real world? Swashbuckling vanguards and governments shall ultimately wither away leaving the former pariahs to enjoy the immeasurable and inexhaustible bounty while indulging their every desire, as every wish of theirs is catered to right away.

The reserve of delicacies never gets exhausted, but the more people consume, the more it replenishes, just as mythology tells us. Moore 329 connects the

329

2003: part 7.

210

same dynamics to the Christian Mass, to Jesus' food miracles 330, and to the image of the Uroborus:

When the Prince of the Lonesome Island had remained six nights and days on the golden couch with the sleeping Queen of Tubber Tintye, the couch resting on wheels of gold and the wheels turning continually—the couch going round and round, never stopping night or day—on the seventh morning he said, "'It is time for me now to leave this place. So he came down and filled the three bottles with water from the flaming well. In the golden chamber was a table of gold, and on the table a leg of mutton with a loaf of bread; and if all the men of Erin were to eat for a twelvemonth from the table, the mutton and the bread would be in the same form after the eating as before. -...- The motif (derived from an infantile fantasy) of the inexhaustible dish, symbolizing the perpetual life-giving, formbuilding powers of the universal source, is a fairy-tale counterpart of the mythological image of the cornucopian banquet of the gods. (Campbell 1949:159-60, emphasis added). Their worldview revolves around the notion that the size of the pie is fixed, and therefore, another’s gain is necessarily their loss. -...-Happiness is an unlimited resource—there is no fixed pie, and one person’s gain is not another person’s loss. Through our generosity we can tap the infinite reserve of spiritual and emotional wealth. (BenShahar 2012:214-215). The imagery of post-war welfare and nanny providence States isn't much different. The bourgeois and capitalists, however, are not summarily executed or dispossessed, but -thanks to dirigisme, and relentless progressive measures of equalization, Robin Hood rhetoric, taxation and social alchemy- shall gradually join everyone else in a headache-gray affluent middle class that shall never know the miseries, endemic penuries and shortages of the Soviet or Maoist world.

The lore already chastised those unwilling to surrender everything to 330

Turning water into wine, and feeding the multitude with bread and fish.

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saviors, heroes and the like:

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. -...-that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. -...-But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife's full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles' feet. -...-But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? "While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God." And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it.… (Acts 4:32ss) Chronicles are also filled with instances of politicians, prophets, gurus, saviors and their lot riding fleets of limousines, amassing slush funds offshore, and delighting tabloids with their bohemian lifestyle. The meek masses join their hands enacting irresistible myths:”[Jesus said]do this in remembrance of me ” (1 Corinthians 11:24).

Parricidal King Ajatasattu of Buddhist lore made a visit to Gautama Buddha (Samaññaphala Sutta) with a retinue of five hundred of his women (=not his entire harem), riding five hundred elephants, not to mention other servants. Showing the arch-transgressor is so much better than all of us, and an ideal companion of Saints, King Ajatasattu became the patron of the I Buddhist council: transgressor is one who “goes past the boundary” (transgredior).

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The surfeit's extent can be rightly appraised if readers consider the war of 305 BCE between Hellenistic Seleucia, and the Mauryan Empire of India, whereby Seleucus I Nicator (358-281 BCE) reached a peace with Chandragupta. Seleucus would relinquish the control of the far eastern provinces to Chandragupta, who -in turn- would compensate him with five hundred war elephants.

500 appears a popular number in Buddhist lore: 500 arhats attended the I Council; various elders (Purana, Mahakassapa, Sariputta, Moggallana...) travelled with a retinue of 500 monks even during the Buddha's lifetime. Jesus, too, “After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. ” (1 Corinthians 15:6).

Mythical Ajatasattu and his fabulous wealth fade into insignificance when compared with Gautama Buddha's previous lives. In Silavanaga-Jataka, the Bodhisattva (=Gautama Buddha going through the endless cycle of rebirth in order to attain enlightenment) is born as an elephant. As the case warrants, not an ordinary elephant is born, but the most awesome that ever was. This elephant King Goodness has not 500, but 80.000 elephants on his service: surfeit, indeed. According to Buddhagosa, the III Buddhist council under Asoka's patronage saw 600.000 monks reunited in just one of the many meetings: more surfeit 331.

331

“The Third Council is not mentioned in the literature of the other schools. Thus, if it was held, it apparently involved only the Theravada School.” (Hirakawa 1990:109). Huge inconsistencies among sources subsist even regarding the presumed date of such council.

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It is difficult to part the lucubration of reformers and prophets from infantile fantasies, whereby improbable comic-book or cartoon characters stumble upon -raid, appropriate- giant fridges or cheesecakes, the likes of which none has ever seen, such as the biggest cheesecake that ever was for an Italian comic-book critter.

Alternatively, sensational tabloids report about celebrities, parvenus,

mafiosi, 'new Russians' and oil sheikhs buying bottles of beverages worth thousands of euros, only to shatter them on the floor; renting entire five-star hotels; or leaving princely tips in the thousands of euros, gold watches as heavy as melons to just about everybody:â&#x20AC;?when my feet were bathed in cream and the rock poured out streams of oil for me! â&#x20AC;?332.

Myths can coalesce. The 'incoming patriarch' motif can coexist with the providential windfall/Santa Claus motif. If bohemian celebrities and exotic millionaires can impersonate Lady Luck, so can supreme hierophants acting as good Samaritans, or another variation upon the 'foundling'/frail little creature mytheme: Pope Francis I sends an euro 1.000 cheque 333 to a casual underdog who had poured his heart out in a letter to the Pontiff.

American-Indian potlatch; traditional Hindu marriages; the 15-year anniversary for girls in some Hispanic cultures such as Cuba, Mexico or Colombia, and countless other tribal events -and their modern western adaptations 332 333

Job 29:6, ANSA December 23,2013.

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consumerism fosters presenting them as something of a completely higher orderare typically associated with entertaining the largest possible number of guests with the amplest possible display of means.

Traditional Mexican weddings may also include an invitation â&#x20AC;&#x153;a todo el puebloâ&#x20AC;? (to the entire village) to join the wedding reception; access to the wedding meal is also open to most people in a traditional Balinese wedding. Iraqi Yazidi welcome the Melek Taus (peacock angel) to their villages: the host has to provide a festive meal to all those who go there on pilgrimage to also meet the Qawals, sacred musicians and clergymen. If the Qawals and clergymen eat several meals at day as they escort the Melek Taus from home to home, so Ram Dass says that his Hindu guru Neem Karoli Baba (1900-1973) partook of several meals a day to honor devotees worshiping him with food offerings. Traditional Hindu marriages may include processions. In South Korea, guests can be hired to enhance appearances.

Among people in Indonesia, corpses are held at home -often for ages 334until the family can afford a lavish funeral with a funerary precinct to gather, entertain and feed as many guests as possible with the amplest display of means (=animal sacrifices). As in American-Indian potlatch, the premises built to host the funerary ceremonies shall vanish after the event. Among both traditional Chinese communities, and indigenous Mexican groups, the deceased are celebrated sharing food and a ritual meal at the graveside.

334

As it was the norm in Catal Huyuk (about 7.000 BCE), the dead were buried at home.

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Even in Communist Cuba, it is common for families to (over)spend in order to offer their 15 year-old daughters a birthday ceremony as lavish as possible according to individual circumstances. The girl dresses up as a princess; she visits picturesque places to take pictures; she tours her neighborhood with great pomp aboard a leased car; she entertains the largest possible number of guests with dances and meals.

Some argue the Cuban Communist regime not only tolerates but encourages such irresistible proclivities of the human mind in order to broadcast an image of affluence and well-being to the outside world despite obvious issues in the society at large, such as chronic shortages of essentials. The rite â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with echoes in the Catholic sacrament of Confirmation, and Hebrew Bar-Mitzvah- is probably what remains of ancient rites of passage linked to the transition through puberty to adult roles such as marriage, hunting etc.

It is difficult -other than under socio-political presumptions- to part the natives from castaway tribes sporting lots of stuff in their ears, noses or around their necks as forms of social distinction from the average westerner revving the engine of his half-paid, 250 km/h sport car up in order to attract attention while rolling at 30km/h in order to negotiate concrete speed bumps, holes in the street pavement, and to avoid speed traps and overzealous police. For a (considerable) fee, personalized license plates are available in many jurisdictions to render one truly unique.

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Someone paid $14.3 million for a license plate.-...-It features the number 1. In the oil-rich and car-obsessed culture of Dubai, license plates are a matter of personal pride. Most plates have five digits. But the lower the number, the higher the price tag. (Hogshead 2010:104-105). A few years later, when we moved to Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, we had to sell the Cambridge house. It sat on the market for a disturbingly long time. After several months, our real estate agent pointed out that most people didn’t want to live with [the way we had customized our house] -...-. Eventually, we decided to follow her advice. And as soon as we added walls and closed up some rooms, a buyer snatched it up. -..-Our taste is most likely just our taste, and very few people share it—but it was hard for us to truly appreciate and understand this.(Ariely 2016:30)335. The root cause of most real-estate con-jobs is precisely that of personalization. For an hefty, carte blanche upfront fee, a construction company promises to build one a dream house according to one's very personal quirks and wishes: one can be truly unique.

Then the construction company goes bankrupt, undisclosed legal hindrances pop up, agents abscond, and the justice systems impounds whichever construction ruins might eventually be there: one loses everything.

What we found was a correlation between the tendency to order alcoholic beverages that were different from what other people at the table had chosen and a personality trait called “need for uniqueness.” In essence, individuals more concerned with portraying their own uniqueness were more likely to select an alcoholic beverage not yet ordered at their table in an effort to demonstrate that they were in fact one of a kind. What these results show is that people are sometimes willing to sacrifice the 335

Acclaimed behavioral economist Ariely is not alone to have fallen for the customization trap. Ordinary bums counterfeit, tune or tweak their vehicles. Celebrities decorate and personalize castles or mansions in equally bizarre ways. Both categories end up selling at a huge loss when time comes.

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pleasure they get from a particular consumption experience in order to project a certain image to others. -...- The problem is that once they order, say, the food, they may be stuck with a dish they don’t like—a situation they often regret. In essence, people, particularly those with a high need for uniqueness, may sacrifice personal utility in order to gain reputational utility. (Ariely 2009:134, emphasis added). More and more companies are getting in on the customization act. You can design your own kitchen cabinetry, build your own Local Motors car, create your own shoes, and more. If you follow the common arguments in favor of this kind of tailoring, you might think that the ideal type of customization Web site is one that is clairvoyant—one that quickly figures out what your ideal shoe might be and delivers it to you with as little effort as possible on your part.(Ariely 2010:47). [Researchers] write that one of the reasons that the participants who attained their extrinsic goals experienced higher anxiety and depression is that their extrinsic drives “crowd out” a focus on good relationships. When you’re focused on making money and attending to all the things on the outside, you spend less attention on the things that really matter, such as love, relationships, and feeling at peace. (Goldstein 2015:88). All the attention he might get consists in passing glances from oblivious gawkers even more in debt than he is, in turn busy trying to showcase their own new halfpaid, gaudy gadgets: “I am the one”, as Robert Thurman would say criticizing the empire of the self that Buddhism tries to dismantle.

Of course, luxury items counterfeited in the third world -just as the name brand items often are manufactured abroad as well- flood the market, thus rendering the entire peacock display of conspicuous consumption useless. Nobel Prize winner Kahneman clinches how:”the effect of income on life satisfaction

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seems to be transient.”, “a focusing illusion”336.

And still, after all allowance has been made, it appears that the canons of pecuniary reputability do, directly or indirectly, materially affect our notions of the attributes of divinity, as well as our notions of what are the fit and adequate manner and circumstances of divine communion. (Veblen 2007:84, emphasis added). charitable giving can be a socially acceptable signal of wealth. -...-That’s consistent with the idea that people -...- use information about tiers to calibrate what they want to give, based on the status they want to signal. (Huettel 2014:132). Careless (intended as lordly) waste of resources -often driving hosts to financial insolvency- is supposed to reinforce the host's positional identity -within the broader group or settings- as well-to-do, trendy or any other term that may be used (=surfeit). Sikhs offer a meal to whomever visits their temples at the appointed time, and so do some Hindu ashrams.

It is easy enough to guess commoners are trying to enter the myth.

The “This Is It!” tour (as it was called) was supposed to get [Michael] Jackson out of the deep financial fiasco he found himself in before his death. What drove the King of Pop to leave behind a mountain of debt? Like many of us, his main fault seemed to be overspending and undersaving. “Millions of dollars annually were spent on plane charters, purchases of antiques and paintings,” said Alvin Malnik, one of Jackson’s advisers. “There was no planning in terms of allocations of how much he should spend. For Michael, it was whatever he wanted at the time he wanted.”(Sharot 2011:84, emphasis added). The mythical Prester John had in 1165 written to the Byzantine Emperor: 336

2006:1908.

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At our table, thirty thousand men, besides occasional visitors are daily entertained; and all there partake of our bounty whether it be for horses or other expenses. The table made of the most precious emeralds is supported by four amethyst pillars; by virtue of which stone, no person sitting at the table can become inebriated. Every month we are served in rotation by seven kings, sixty-two dukes, and two hundred and sixty-five counts and marquises, besides those who are sent on various missions in our interest.(Cit. in Brooks 2009:254). And it should be added that this wealth which is held sacred is valued primarily for the sake of the good repute to be got through its conspicuous consumption. -...-So that it will hold true in a general way that fashions are least stable and least becoming in those communities where the principle of a conspicuous waste of goods asserts itself most imperatively, as among ourselves. -...- The prevailing fashion is felt to be beautiful. This is due partly to the relief it affords in being different from what went before it, partly to its being reputable. -...- Hence we find that in all innovations in dress, each added or altered detail strives to avoid condemnation by showing some ostensible purpose, at the same time that the requirement of conspicuous waste prevents the purposefulness of these innovations from becoming anything more than a somewhat transparent pretense. (Veblen 2007:80,116-7). Even surfeit has its inverted doppelgaenger. If positive surfeit conjures mind-boggling figures up relative to positive items, whether it be the number or size of pianos, children, mansions, virgins, acres, gold coins one possesses, negative surfeit conjures up equally mind-boggling figures related to foul items or bad deeds such as episodes of debauchery, number of victims, and so forth. Ram Dass speaks about a group confronting him during a talk: 30 or so people in attendance looked to him like one thousand as he experienced the existential struggle of that moment.

Former U.S President Carter337 is adamant as he lumps together a number of situations under the label of â&#x20AC;&#x153;being sold into sexual slaveryâ&#x20AC;? that befalls 337

in Houry&Scully 2017:week 6: President Jimmy Carter On The Works Of The Carter Center.

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countless thousands in the U.S:

Ultimately, manipulators are discovered, hated, and in many cases prosecuted. Excellent persuaders are revered and loved because they can move the people around them and make them experience wonder as a result. (Lakhani 2005:146, emphasis added). American Zen attracts people looking for something, or somebody, to make them whole. It attracts damaged people. Of course, all people are to some extent damaged, and all religions attract some seekers looking to salve their psychic wounds.(Oppenheimer 2014:no page, emphasis added). With emotional bankruptcy come some of our most disturbing social problemsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;including drug and alcohol abuse and religious fanaticism. It is easy to see why an unhappy person might take drugs if they provide him with a temporary escape from the reality of his joyless life or why someone might turn to a charismatic preacher who offers eternal happiness. Happiness is not just a luxury, something to be pursued once all our personal and societal ills are resolved. Increasing the levels of the ultimate currency improves the quality of individual lives and can make the world a better, safer place. (Ben-Shahar 2007:60). In the Book Of Mormon, mythical pre-Hispanic civilizations in the Americas clash; millions are slaughtered:

He saw that there had been slain by the sword already nearly a two million of his people, and he began to sorrow in his heart; yea, there had been slain two millions of mighty men, and also their wives and their children. (Ether 15:2). That's as old as man: a 'great war' shapes our consciousness for all ages in circular remembrance.

In Buddhist lore, Angulimala -for example- killed 999 people all on his own; again, the number of monks and Saints Dharmaruci killed by arson is so large 221

it remains unknown; King Nimrod killed seventy thousand children in fear of the birth of the celestial baby Abraham: an amount that matches the mind-boggling number of victims contemporary dictators leave behind:”[it] is just so noteworthy that you have to mention it.”.

Asked about how many eons had elapsed, Gautama Buddha described the round of rebirth's immeasurable duration thus:

“It is possible, Brahmin,” the Blessed One said. “Imagine, Brahmin, the grains of sand between the point where the river Ganges originates and the point where it enters the great ocean: it is not easy to count these and say there are so many grains of sand, or so many hundreds of grains, or so many thousands of grains, or so many hundreds of thousands of grains. Brahmin, eons have elapsed and gone by are even more numerous than that. It is not easy to count them and say that they are so many eons, or so many hundreds of eons, or so many thousands of eons, or so many hundreds of thousands of eons. For what reason? Because, Brahmin, this samsāra is without discoverable beginning …. It is enough to be liberated from them.” (SN II,183-4) (Somaratne, ME6101 no date :Theravada Cosmology). The confrontation in Syria between the Assad regime, and 'Arab spring' forces professedly crossed all boundaries:

Syria's government is waging "a war of extermination" against its own people, the prime minister of Qatar said Tuesday, according to state media, hours after a failed four-day ceasefire during a Muslim holiday left hundreds dead. -...-What is happening in Syria is not a civil war but a genocide, a war of extermination with a license to kill by the Syrian government and the international community," he said, according to the official Qatar News Agency. ( Quatar Accuses...2012: no page). "For more than 20 years, the eastern populations have fallen victim to war and insecurity - in 2010, the victims numbered six million dead, 222

and the toll continues," the bishops from the Democratic Republic of the Congo's eastern South Kivu province declared. ( Catholic Online, June 1, 2015). On August 21, 2013, Italian News agency ANSA reports the Assad regime in Syria (assertedly) attacked rebels with poison gas resulting in a slaughter of children, with attached photographic reportage. France threatens a military intervention, and Nobel peace prize recipient Obama pledges to eventually strike: the wrath of the righteous...“gotta be a man, can't let it slide”,”burnin' with determination to even up the score”,”God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day.”338: synchronicity, indeed.

By 2017 radical Islamist ISIS takes center-stage as rogue perpetrator of nameless atrocities: could Assad become a “good guy” once again? In April 2017, another slaughter of children hits Syria, possibly with poison gas once again: the righteous media entertain several options about who the culprit might be: the Assad regime? Russian troops? Islamist rogues? All of the above combined (a joint AssadRussian attack on Islamist strongholds warehousing poison gas)?

Antecedents can be found in the New Testament and writings of the early church fathers, but the idea of the persecuted church truly developed in the fourth century and later, with the dawn of Christian historiography. The credit seems to lie with historians like Eusebius of Caesarea, Christianity’s first great church historian, and with anonymous hagiographers who preserved, edited, and invented the overwhelming majority of the martyrdom stories we have today. -...-This doesn’t mean that Eusebius invented the history of bishops in Gaul, but he has shaped it for us in a very particular way. Whatever resources were available to Eusebius, he 338

Psalm 7:11.

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has chosen to tell the history of bishops in Gaul using martyrs. -...-The reason it was so easy to forge or invent martyrdom stories in this period is that, unlike the New Testament but like the overwhelming majority of early Christian literature, stories about martyrs weren’t canonized. This meant that when they were copied, the scribes responsible had considerable freedom to alter, expand, edit, or invent traditions as they saw fit. -...-Christians expanded the stories about the devil pursuing Christians and subjecting them to brutal torture. This is because ancient audiences enjoyed hearing this kind of material in the same way that modern moviegoers enjoy horror movies.(Moss 2013:116,124,126,131, emphasis added). The [Christian] martyr stories, however, don't fit that. The writers didn't seem to know what would have happened in a Roman trial, and so it is as fictitious as an episode of Perry Mason (Price 2018b). Readers shouldn't be hard-pressed to identify a bundle of cherished motifs. Much as it was the case with Libyan caudillo Gaddafi, even Syrian caudillo Assad used to frolic around with the world's hierophants in posh settings. The same hierophants who are now denouncing him as another Hitler on scene...of course, now that they know, how could it be otherwise? By 2017, Assad is generally regarded as a sort of benign “lesser evil” of sort, which helps “good guys” battle radical Islamist ISIS that relentlessly slaughters the innocent as countless shallow graves demonstrate.

This obsession with surfeit may find legitimacy under the cover of religion, folklore or politics, but it's still typically considered a mental disturbance -more or less mild or paraphilic- in those who compulsively pursue, collect or amass certain

items

(fetishists,

voyeurs...),

paraphiliacs...) in the greatest amount possible.

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experiences

(sadists,

masochists,

When bare facts are considered, it is difficult to part the superlative hero unrestrainedly enjoying a well-stocked harem of heavenly virgins (nymphs, etc) from the bottom-feeding womanizer, rapist or purported sex addict newspapers pilloried last week.

It is confusing to part the righteous vigilante or gallant war hero, who single-handedly obliterates a mind-boggling number of foes, from the sociopathic cult leader, serial killer or mass-murderer who -incidentally- thinks to be on a mission, too; paradoxes of doubleness:

I have always been puzzled by the strong attraction that many people feel toward criminals. -...- These "liberated" souls often become folk heroes or role models for people too inhibited to act out their own fantasies of "badness . " -...-Perhaps the most bizarre example of deadly attraction is found during and after the trial of a notorious killer: the emergence of a host of courtroom groupies, pen pals, avid supporters, and love-struck fans. For these "desperado junkies, " the most powerful attraction of all is to psychopathic serial killers whose savage crimes are sex-related . -...-In such cases, notoriety is confused with fame, and even the most callous criminal is turned into a celebrity . We now have serial-killer comic books, boardgames, and trading cards, the latter once reserved for sports heroes. -...-What is clear, however, is that these devoted admirers are often victims of their own psychological hang-ups. Some participate because of a romantic need for unrequited love, others because of the notoriety, titillation, or vicarious danger they experience, and still others because they see a cause worth fighting for, such as abolition of the death penalty, a soul to be saved, or the firm belief that the crimes were an inevitable result of physical or emotional abuse in childhood . (Hare 1993:149-50). Breivik, a Norwegian freemason and right-wing maximalist on a selfproclaimed crusade to rid Europe of the Islamic threat, killed dozens of young leftists on a murdering spree:â&#x20AC;?The trickster represents the deity coming through as 225

the destroyer, the disrupter of programs. ”.

According to British The Sun339, Breivik then called the police to report:”This is Brigadier Breivik, mission accomplished”. Cho Seung-Hui, a school shooter who killed 32 people, also mailed his incoherent jeremiads worth of a Steven Seagal character to U.S NBC News before going on a killing spree that ended in suicide:”you forced me into a corner and gave me only one option: the decision was yours”. He also included pictures of himself posing with firearms as an Afro “ghetto gangsta” from an actioner.

Achieving notoriety topped their list of motives. As a murderer in Wichita, Kansas, put it in 1978, “How many times do I have to kill before I get my name in the paper or some national attention?”. (Solomon et alii 2015:81). Not surprisingly, many of the [ Belle Epoque anarchist] bombers were obsessed with their press. “Lucheni, who murdered the Empress Elizabeth, longed to get into the newspapers as a famous anarchist assassin,” says Jensen. “Czolgosz, who shot [president] McKinley, slept with a clipping describing the assassination of King Humbert tucked beneath his pillow.” (Sparrow 2015:no page). In 1987, singer George Michael – a noted homosexual 340- delivered a pungent critique of Reaganite America with Hand To Mouth. According to Terror Management Theory, “social death” (= “having nothing more to lose” socially speaking) elicits violent reactions as much as conventional threats of death might do. 339 340

30 July 2011. Moral Majority spokesmen – such as Dean Wycoff, head of the Moral Majority Santa Clara chapter- declared homosexuality a capital sin according to the Bible. Taped in 1980, Wycoff argued that “'It would be the Government that sits upon this land who would be executing the homosexuals,'' ”.

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Nathaniel Branden shoehorns: those who already jeopardized their integrity, who are with low or no self-esteem 341, are more likely to treat others with no respect as well. Branden claims self-esteem constitutes a conscience's immune system.

As I looked through the data, I saw that the line was drawn at physical safety and at what people were calling emotional safety. -...- They weren’t talking about getting their feelings hurt or being forced to listen to dissenting opinion; they were talking about dehumanizing language and behavior. -...-David Smith, the author of Less Than Human, explains that dehumanization is a response to conflicting motives. -...- Maiese defines dehumanization as “the psychological process of demonizing the enemy, making them seem less than human and hence not worthy of humane treatment.” Dehumanizing often starts with creating an enemy image. As we take sides, lose trust, and get angrier and angrier, we not only solidify an idea of our enemy, but also start to lose our ability to listen, communicate, and practice even a modicum of empathy. (Brown 2017b:44). I am sick and tired about hearing about all the radicals and the perverts and the liberals and the Communists coming out of the closet! It's time for God's people to come out of the closet, out of the churches, and save America! (U.S Christian fundamentalist preacher James Robison in 1980). Is Michael's unnamed pariah hero any different from Breivik, McVeigh or Cho Seung-Hui with the sole exception of commodious political motives? Both thought they had a possible “rendezvous with destiny”.

Bin Laden also thought he had a “rendezvous with destiny” much as W. Churchill, Cho or Breivik did.

341

According to Branden, people are to be assessed according to the congruity between what they know; what they profess, and what they do.

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Jimmy Got Nothing made himself a name With a gun that he polished for a rainy day. A smile and a quote from a vigilante movie Our boy Jimmy just blew them all away. He said it made him crazy Twenty five years living hand to mouth. “I felt as if I was walking with destiny, and that the whole of my life had been a preparation for this hour.” (W. Churchill about being appointed as UK Prime Minister in 1940). Would an identical song with a Jimmy the Aryan character ( Jimmy the Mormon; Jimmy the Pentecostal, etc) going after equally anonymous foes (sodomites, adulterers, “border hoppers” or “welfare hogs”, perchance?) invite cheers from a crowd on a guilt trip, or the process server with lawsuits in his hands while the crowd jeers, and Luke Skywalker howls in emotional agony?

Of course, as hobos, progressives and their ilk are busy chuckling as they listen to George Michael's song,

I believe in the gods of America I believe in the land of the free But no one told me That the gods believe in nothing it escapes them how Michael was another brick in the wall of hyper-affluent consumerism, whether reaganite or otherwise.

Michael laughs all the way to the bank as lefty hobos, progressives and their ilk worship another “god who believes in nothing”, or the stereotypical counter-cultural bohemian (sinner, felon, underdog, bastard, half-wit, prostitute, thrown-away...) that all religions posit as primeval vanguard:

Flattery, if it can be built into a doctrine, will always attract those 228

who succeed in finding themselves there. The successful of the seventeenth-century world of business managed to associate themselves with Calvin's idea of the elect. (Rieff 2006:149). Exclusivity is tied closely to identity. Your clients or people that you hope to persuade want to be distinguished in a certain way. They go well out of their way to be sure people know who they are and for what they stand. -...-The more exclusive you can make someone feel, the more likely they are to be persuaded. Exclusive groups are easier to persuade than generic groups. Exclusivity is one of the keys to building a cult, whether a cult of customers or of brands. Exclusivity is closely tied to identity. Reinforce the tie between people’s identities and the exclusivity and you move them much more quickly and easily to your point of view. (Lakhani 2005:106,110). Readers shall individually determine the real difference between garden variety sociopaths and the bumbling cartoon characters of action movies who have the crowd rise ecstatic to a standing ovation:”burnin' with determination to even up the score”. Referring again to the relationship between myth(ologie)s and what schizophrenic patients experience, Campbell 342 quips that the schizophrenic experience is a “hero voyage manqué [botched/failed]”; Professor of Psychology, Psychoanalysis and Spirituality, R.L. Moore begs to agree343:

mens sana in fabula sana: mental health is a coherent life story, neurosis is a faulty narrative. -...- the narrative chain, with each event connected to the next by reasoned causal links, marks the victory of reason over chaos, of society over the aberrancy of crime, and restitutes a world in which aetiological histories offer the best solution to the apparently unexplainable (Brooks 1994:49). PSYCHOSOMATIC DISEASE: THE DARKER SIDE OF CREATIVITY -...-But because these behaviors, called mental illness, are offered does not mean we have to accept them. In psychosis, our creative system offers hallucinations and delusions, 342 343

1968a. 2001:part 1.

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even physical creativity as in catatonia, and offers them so strongly it is hard for us not to accept them. If our lives are far out of effective control, it may be almost impossible for us to reject them. We need to restrain the anger. We often want help, and we can use the symptoms to avoid having to take care of ourselves or to look for and hold on to a new and necessary relationship.(Glasser 1998:179,189). addiction is a prayer gone awry (attributed to Gregory Bateson). The connection between schizotypal crack-ups and religious epiphanies is compelling. Bodily ascent (or descent) to heaven, hell, the spirit world etc can be interpreted as schizotypal fugues, prompted by either temporal lobe epilepsy, or some other psycho-physical disturbance.

Neuroscientist J.C. Wathey explains the religious experience of the “presence of god “ biologically:

Religion is partly a biological thing .There's a neonatal root of religion that science has largely overlooked. God's presence is an illusion in high-order association cortex that retains an innate model of mother. In the light of ethology and neuroscience, God is a supernormal phantom, not a supernatural spirit. Hypothesis of innate model of mother leads to testable predictions. (2017). Many people descend (katabasis) to the nether world or ascend (anabasis) to the heavens. Solomon344 links the idea of flying, of being airborne, to a significant reduction in “mortality salience” (=fear of death), whereas imagining to be on the ground leads to a significant increase in the feeling of dissociation.

Elijah ascends to heaven at his death, and so does Moses

344

2007.

230

(Assumption/Ascension Of Moses, around I century CE):

Translating that into metaphor: Heaven is the symbol of the eternal life that is within you. It’s a basic aspect of yourself for-ever. That’s the rapture. And then, temporal life asks for “knowing, loving, and serving… God,” the generating energy of the life that is within you and all things.-...-You do not have a complete adventure unless you do get back. There is a time to go into the woods and a time to come back, and you know which it is. Do you have the courage? It takes a hell of a lot of courage to return after you’ve been in the woods. -...-“For example: It is believed that Jesus, having risen from the dead, ascended physically to heaven (Luke 24:51), to be followed shortly by his mother in her sleep (Early Christian belief, confirmed as Roman Catholic dogma on November 1, 1950). It is also written that some nine centuries earlier, Elijah, riding a chariot of fire, had been carried to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11).”(Campbell 1991:53,58,98). Hamilton Souther and Paul Hegstrom tell how their religious epiphany came about after a difficult life spent struggling with unresolved conflicts and emotional baggage:

I honestly felt that I would be unable to abuse my wife if I were a pastor. I thought there would be accountability to the church leadership and so on. But there were many Sundays when I would scream and yell and slap the kids around and push, shove or hit Judy and maybe an hour later I would be in the pulpit. -...-A key turning point for me was one night when I was wrestling with God in prayer. I remember screaming at God in the middle of the night until I had no more tears and no more voice. It was then that I heard God say "Paul, you don't have a teachable spirit." I knew immediately that we had hit pay-dirt! I knew that I did not have a teachable spirit. All of my life I had been an authority to myself. No one could give me any kind of input. So, I started to pray "God teach me to be teachable." That was the beginning of the change for me. (Hegstrom 2006:no page). I recall an emergency room encounter with a patient who was beginning to believe he was Jesus. I pressed for clarification; was 231

he or was he not Jesus? There was a long pause and finally the patient replied that he wasn’t sure. I persisted with this line of questioning: “If you are truly the Messiah, why would you seek psychiatric treatment?” He glossed over the query but did point out that he had been treated successfully with medications the last time he thought he was Jesus. (Polimeni 2012:3, emphasis added). So they said to each other, "Weren't our hearts ablaze within us while [Jesus] was talking with us on the road and explaining the Scriptures to us?" (Luke 24:32). Subliminal persuasion is about getting people to change their minds, to change their beliefs, and to accept new information as not only being correct, but having the necessity to spread. (Lakhani 2008:2, emphasis added). A percentage of followers become passionately dedicated to the attraction, or even consumed by it. -...-The brand represents such a distinct point of view that it can stand alone as a symbol for defined values. -...-It almost can’t help but be noticed. It sparks spirited conversations and debate among consumers, competition, and the media. -...-Doesn’t chase or mirror trends, but rather establishes new standards and criteria for its category. [A fascinating message]Forces us to think differently about ourselves and our world. (Hogshead 2010:48-50). Souther relays how he had visited his mother in order to somewhat mend the relationship. The meeting predictably escalated into an argument fueled by unresolved issues, after which Souther claims he turned to the wall screaming to the top of his lungs to the spirits how he didn't want his life any longer. Then he cried: some time later “the spirits came for me” 345. Seventh-Day Adventist cofounder Ellen G. White lied in a coma for three weeks after a stone hit her on the head.

345

2013.

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Hegstrom later became an acclaimed Christian mental health professional who swears by the healing power of finding Jesus in one's life. Souther went on to become a maestro ayahuascero in the tradition of Peruvian shamanism after apprenticeship: he found “the spirits” instead. Ellen G. White co-founded the Seventh-Day Adventists, and served as a prophetess.

Souther and Hegstrom offer the public a possibility to make the experience for itself: seminars and retreats for Hegstrom; seminars and retreats to the Peruvian jungle to try psychedelic experiences drinking entheogenic concoctions through Souther and his tour company Blue Morpho. Seventh-Day Adventists expanded worldwide. Of course, elusive shamanistic spirits (for Souther), doomsday prophecy (White), or the Hebrew godhead (for Hegstrom) represent an individual response to the crack-up; other might have preferred Zoroaster, Poseidon, Krishna, Santeria Orishas, and so forth...

Trail-blazing Jewish-American health theorist Antonovsky (1923-1994) axes his theory of salutogenesis (=how to create/improve one's health) around manageability, meaningfulness and comprehensibility. Salutogenesis may also be referred as igniting one's life with a sense of meaning, a “dynamic feeling of confidence”. In turn, some superpose this sense of meaning and purpose with the concept of “being in the flow” (=”optimal experience”). Antonovsky -in academic jargon of course- gives a description346 that very much recalls the xeroxed heroes of

346

1987:19.

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all those Star Wars, Rocky, Matrix, Bloodsport, Karate Kid, Rambo and so forth movies.

Myths thus unfold according a pre-scripted series of high points -for example the call to adventure, the threshold guardian who flanks the doors of all temples347, the helper etc- several scholars have detailed (Olrik, Rank, Propp, Raglan, Campbell...). Roche348 aptly draws tables placing the Star Wars and Harry

Potter movie along the high points Rank (Birth Of The Hero), and Campbell (The Heroic Adventure) supplied: the shoe fits, indeed.

Christian apologist David Marshall 349 denies Richard Carrier's point that Christianity is just another form of mystery religion that fits the parameters of so many others. Should that be the case, Marshall argues, our day's Christian missionary literature would certainly qualify as mystery religion. Method versus purpose: the purpose (Christian missionary apologist versus ancient mystery cult devotees) varies, yet the method stays the same.

Marshall is entitled to his opinion, but core Masonic text Morals And

Dogma (1871, ch. XXVI) cites as example in matter of “mysteries” no other than: 347

348 349

Campbell writes:”The temple interior, the belly of the whale, and the heavenly land beyond, above, and below the confines of the world, are one and the same. That is why the approaches and entrances to temples are flanked and defended by colossal gargoyles: dragons, lions, devil-slayers with drawn swords, resentful dwarfs, winged bulls. These are the threshold guardians to ward away all incapable of encountering the higher silences within. They are preliminary embodiments of the dangerous aspect of the presence, corresponding to the mythological ogres that bound the conventional world, or to the two rows of teeth of the whale. They illustrate the fact that the devotee at the moment of entry into a temple undergoes a metamorphosis. His secular character remains without; he sheds it, as a snake its slough.” (1949:84-5). 2003:16-18. 2017.

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St. Gregory Nazianzen, Bishop of Constantinople, A. D. 379, says: "You have heard as much of the Mystery as we are allowed to speak openly in the ears of all; the rest will be communicated to you in private; and that you must retain within yourself. . .. Our Mysteries are not to be made known to strangers." St. Ambrose, Archbishop of Milan, who was born in 340, and died in 393, says in his work De Mysteriis: "All the Mystery should be kept concealed, guarded by faithful silence, lest it should be inconsiderately divulged to the ears of the Profane. . . . . It is not given to all to contemplate the depths of our Mysteries". Which is the point this writing makes. In order to resonate with the human mind, literature follows the blueprints Campbell, Olrik, Raglan, Propp and others have outlined. That's also why actioners, chick-flicks and romantic comedies look so much alike.

It just follows that heroes (perceived as) authoring their own meaning (pursuit of ultimate boons; unfolding of manifest destinies...) may indeed be experiencing “the zone”, “the flow”, “aesthetic arrest”, hyperaesthesia etc as they scoff at collateral damage quite often. School Of Business Professor Freeman 350 extols “the power of rapport. The ability to build a connection -...- to convince [people] to take seriously what you say”:

People who mimicked their partner were five times as likely to find a successful outcome. While almost no one who didn’t mimic found an acceptable agreement, people who subtly imitated their counterpart reached a deal two-thirds of the time. Mimicry facilitates social interactions because it generates rapport. Like a social glue, mimicry binds us and bonds us together. Rather than “us versus them,” when someone behaves the same way we do, we start to see ourselves as more interconnected. Closer and more interdependent. All without even realizing it.(Berger 2016:26, 350

2014:Credibility And Rapport.

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emphasis added). Despite our stresses, we tend to live within a fairly manageable window of arousal, neither unbearably overstimulated nor understimulated-except for sociopaths. People who are sociopaths report that they crave extra stimulation almost continually. (Stout 2005:186). pragmatic endorsement of the principles and practices of mindfulness—though not, necessarily, of the precise existential variety that a distinguished Oxford professor might extol—is typical of the psychopath. Their rapacious proclivity to live in the moment, to “give tomorrow the slip and take today on a joyride” -...-is well documented—and at times (therapeutic implications aside) can be stupendously beneficial. (Dutton 2012:116). Many cults and religious groups adopt 'love bombing' to seduce potential adepts, that is showering them with love and care... They develop influence by fostering ” a culture of caring -...- sometimes you've gotta fake it” 351, whether sincerely felt, or merely feigned it's not the point when measuring results. UK Labor Prime Minister (1976-79) Callaghan declared in print to the Harvard Business

Review in 1986:”A leader has to appear consistent. That doesn’t mean he has to be consistent.”.

Baptist pastor and counselor Chapman also advises in favor of “love bombing”. In order swiftly to get what one wants or needs out of others, s-he will have to discover the other person's “love language” and “speak it” 352:

351

352

Brodsky, in DeRue&Sytch 2015:unit 3. Brodsky explains he sent flowers to a lady in his professional network, who shared she was celebrating a wedding anniversary. According to Chapman, the five love languages are: quality time; physical touch; acts of service; words of affirmation; gift giving. Again, Chapman is elusive when it comes to the dilemma between “feeling it” and “faking it” when results are present. Whether one deals with a person under the influence of the Dark Triad [narcissism, machiavellianism, psychopathy], or a meek Baptist pastor who invokes the Holy Spirit upon one, is left unsaid.

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[Psychopaths] typically attempt to overwhelm their victims with flattery, feigned concern and kindness, and phony stories about financial dealings and social status. Cracks may soon begin to appear in the mask they wear, but once you are trapped in their web of deceit and control, it will be difficult to escape financially and emotionally unscathed . (Hare 1993:211). The hypocrisy, the contradiction, is a fact treated as a non-fact -...-. a fact that one denies, evades, is not a fact (Nathaniel Branden). I got engaged to a man who said he was a lawyer when actually, he was a paralegal. As the wedding date neared, it turned out he was $90,000 in debt, had no plan to pay it down, and wanted ownership of half my house. He was full of stories of people who had done him wrong and mistakes that werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t his. He wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let me meet his friendsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;whose existence I began to doubt-- and when I at last met his sister, she dropped broad hints that I would soon be supporting an impoverished man-child who got along with nobody. (Welch 353 2015b:9). The answer that emerged from my research shocked me. Show up for collective moments of joy and pain so we can actually bear witness to inextricable human connection. Women and men with the strongest true belonging practices maintain their belief in inextricable connection by engaging in moments of joy and pain with strangers. (Brown 2017b:71). just as the things people say in bull sessions are disconnected from their settled beliefs, and as bullshit is disconnected from a concern with the truth. -...-bull cannot be produced inadvertently; for it hardly seems possible to be inadvertently insincere. -...-one must recognize that a fake or a phony need not be in any respect (apart from authenticity itself) inferior to the real thing.(Frankfurt 2005:40-41,47). Tannen354 explicitly argues that acts of contrition shall look authentic 355 353 354 355

Dating expert, professor of psychology. 2004:Apologies In Private And Public Contexts. As with many other instances, the emphasis is on looking -acting, sounding- authentic, not in actually being sincere in one's self-chastising pantomimes, harangues or routines. Tannen emphasizes this as professional advice to medical practitioners trying to control damage in malpractice suits. While it is difficult to generalize across all possible cases, Tannen elucidates the ritualistic character of such interactions. The present writer adds that many religions explicitly incorporate atonement, contrition, and reconciliation rituals precisely for this reason.

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in order to work, which brings back all the pathetic and emotional claptrap routines this writing discusses at several junctures; Tannen also quips that, although we may believe we can tell when someone's lying, in actuality we can't according to research. It all may be a “Castro effect”. The “great man” may just be a “bullshitter” who cares not either way: they are “on their own side” secretly laughing at the poor saps who were unable to part performance from genuine bids for connection.

Professor of psychological and brain sciences R. Feldman concurs:

After subsequent decades of research and dozens of studies into the topic of deception, I now see that my frustration was misplaced. My failure to distinguish a Nixonian office from any other had less to do with my own inability to recognize lies and more with the fact that there is simply not much distinction to notice. The scale and impact of Nixon’s lies set him apart from probably every other president and surely most people generally. But what my research and the research of many others has shown is that lies occur regularly in every office. They occur regularly in every living room, in every bedroom; they occur regularly in conversations between strangers and conversations between friends. -...- We think that when someone tells a lie, there are red flags -...- [but reality is] how difficult it really is to tell, from someone’s behavior, if he’s lying(2009:5,21-22). For the bullshitter, however, all these bets are off: he is neither on the side of the true nor on the side of the false. (Frankfurt 2005:56). Babiak&Hare beg to agree:”It is difficult, except in the most blatant situations, to tell whether someone has purposely pushed your hot button or has inadvertently done so without any particular intent to manipulate or use you.”356.

Salespeople who can remember returning clients' names correctly attract 356

2006:273.

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higher volumes of sales357: paying them “a subtle compliment”358; Matousek359 begs to agree: such workers (salespeople etc) bring their “spirit” to work, thus creating meaning:”Just 30 percent of employees are engaged and inspired at work, according to Gallup's 2013 State of the American Workplace Report ”360.

There allegedly was a toll booth operator in San Francisco who spent all his day dancing in the booth, full of gratitude and joy, unlike his colleagues in their “vertical coffins” at work. Of course, the “eye-witnesses” to the encounter even had lunch with the jolly toll booth operator, so he could expound more deepities to them. So many people claimed to have met him in 1984 San Francisco, or perhaps it wasn't San Francisco in 1984, but next door to oneself the day before yesterday.

Anonymous people online even claimed the elusive dancing operator had been identified: city authorities had issued commendations or awards to him.

In a ceremony at the Church of Divine Mercy in Krakow last week, Jesus was declared the king of Poland. The ceremony, attended by Poland's President Andrzej Duda, marked the end of the Catholic Church's Year of Mercy. People from around the country came together and declared Christ king over their country and their hearts. (CBN News, November 24, 2016). A variant of love bombing, or making the other person feel special 357

358 359 360

Brown (2013:Selling And Being Sold) extols the virtue of (giving a convincing impression of) caring in matters of influence. Salespeople and politicians alike (for those who can tell the difference) may especially profit from remembering a given target's name, and some trivia to match. People love to remember, be remembered and to commemorate such remembrance. In ancient Rome, optimates had a nomenclator, a slave in charge of whispering to the powerful master the names of people he was supposed to greet and entertain. Nomenclator ab ammissione was in charge of the Emperor's public and private receptions. Dale Carnegie Organization 2005:disc 2. 2014: session 4. Grant 2013:no page.

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(attended, listened to...), ranks high to determine a leader's charisma -such as Bill Clinton's361-:”It’s as if he’s telling you something you already knew or felt somehow, but that you just didn’t realize you knew it or felt it. You will feel like [Bill Clinton] really does understand you, and that you really understand him.” 362;””Just as a pure cloth would take the dye evenly, there arose to the Brahmin Brahmàyu the pure and stainless eye of the Teaching [of the Buddha]”363.

Branden concurs: acknowledging other people through undivided attention provides them with a self-esteem boost. The dancing toll booth operator in the story (a mere urban legend?) not only remembers the awestruck motorists who take notice of him, but goes to lunch with them to expound gnostic bromides.

Lakhani364 agrees: giving people the impression one empathizes with them makes prospective buyers – whether of a product, cult or idea matters littlerelax, open up and volunteer more information the shrewd peddler can put to immediate use to close sales.

NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) and advertisement specialist Boothman is adamant:”Specific compliments usually come across as being more sincere than general compliments. -...-take the trouble to go into detail”365. Dating expert Welch shoehorns:

361 362 363 364 365

Ben-Shahar 2005-6a:lecture 16. Hughes 2012:no page. Hughes took part in Bill Clinton's campaigns. Brahmayu Sutta. 2010:04. 2000:108-9.

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”But we like likers. Upbeat people have a greater probability of finding themselves welcome for second, third, and later dates. And people who like *us* are particularly hard to resist; in fact, when someone thinks you like them, that is one of the topmost predictors of them liking you back” (2015b:103, emphasis added). As the MIT Media Lab studies showed, what impacts people isn’t the words or content used. Rather, they remember how it felt to be speaking with you. You might not remember the exact content of conversations you had a week ago, but you probably do remember how they felt. It’s not the words but the conversation’s emotional imprint that remains. -...- people will associate you with whatever feelings you produce in them on a consistent basis.(Cabane 2012:84,87 emphasis added). The waiter didn’t just take your order, he mimicked you. He could have just said “ok” or “coming right up!” But he didn’t. He repeated your order back to you, word-for-word, copying saying the exact thing you said. Seem trivial? Maybe. But research shows that this mimicry just increased the waiter’s tip by 70 percent.(Berger 2016:34, emphasis added). Instead, we saw that monetary bonuses resulted in the sharpest decrease in productivity, while rewarding people’s performance with a compliment increased engagement even on the days when there was no bonus. These results suggest that there is a lot more to work than merely the opportunity to earn money in exchange for labor.(Ariely 2016:39, emphasis added). NLP author Boothman366 also advises to “be a chameleon”, and to make people feel as if they had known one for a lifetime: the skeleton key to closing any sale.

Many people today identify caregiving relationships as providing experiences so real that, in contrast to more shallow pursuits, they are what make life worth living. A lovely cosmetics ad from Eckerd.com shows a happy little girl running through the grass, with lipstick in the form of a kiss on her cheek. The ad continues, "I vow to spend less time looking for ruby red lipstick and more time leaving it behind." 366

2004.

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The copy continues with this promise: "You'll find just what you need quick and easy-so you can get back to something more important ... like living." (Mark&Pearson 2001:214). But some decision researchers hypothesized that simply pointing out the opportunity costs [=which option leaves you with “more” or “less” commodity such as time, money etc] might systematically change how people make decisions.(Hamilton 2016:152). A petitioner likes attention to his words better than the fulfillment of his request (Ptahhotep, Egyptian vizier, XXV-XXIV century BCE367). A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1). [The] advice? Make any settlement offer you want, but first let the store owner blow off steam -...- then discuss the numbers (Freeman 2014:The Other Negotiator368). Studies find that the more a salesperson talks, the less she tends to close sales. The more she lets the customer talk, the more she wins the sale369 (Freeman 2014:The Art Of Skilled Listening). Unfortunately, many people we deal with in our personal and professional lives are so self-absorbed and narcissistic that they rarely see our persona because of the preoccupation they have with their own. Finding someone who pays attention to us, who appreciates or actually “sees” us, is refreshing; it validates who we are and makes us feel special. The psychopath quickly fulfills this need. (Babiak&Hare 2006:75, emphasis added). The United States is currently suffering from an epidemic of narcissism. -...- In data from 37,000 college students, narcissistic personality traits rose just as fast as obesity from the 1980s to the present, with the shift especially pronounced for women. The rise in narcissism is accelerating, with scores rising faster in the 2000s than in 367

368

369

Cit. by Goldman 2003:Wisdom Literature. Noted therapist Harville Hendrix prescribes more or less the same attitude to foster positive relationships: mirroring, validation (=the opposite of gaslighting ) and empathy. Advice a consultant gave New York tax authorities about going about to collect a notoriously unfair city tax. As the head of a big church, Baptist pastor and counselor Chapman (2008) agrees: it's better to allow an angry person to let steam off by listening to his grievances while offering validation, whether the angry person is right or not. What is an integral part and parcel of this attitude, however, is that the salesperson -politician, fundraiser etcshall endeavor to make the other 'feel special'.

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previous decades. By 2006, 1 out of 4 college students agreed with the majority of the items on a standard measure of narcissistic traits. (Twenge&Campbell 2009:9). I fear you may think I am suggesting that respect and rapport-building are just cynical games: they needn't be that at all (Freeman 2014:Knowledge Is Power)370. People typically recall only 65% of a conversation twenty minutes after it has taken place (The Dale Carnegie Organization 2005:disc 4). mutual niceness leads to higher profits even when both players are being calculating—that is, even if players are only thinking about the future of the relationship, rather than simply feeling good about where it stands. But the face-to-face experiment shows that the reciprocity effect is even stronger when the players have an existing relationship. The relationship engenders even more reciprocity and even higher profits, all without changing the rules of the game. (Chen&Krakovsky 2010:54). Researchers refer to our tendency to imitate one another as complementarity. Our behaviors tend to match the tone and content of the person with whom we are interacting. (Vishton 2016:130). High points are an universal feature. According to Buddhist

Mulasarvastivada Vinaya, Gautama Buddha instructs about the way to fill in for sacred text details monks may have forgotten:

The Blessed One said: “Upali, those who forget the name of the place, etc., must declare it was one or another of the six great cities, or somewhere where the Tathagataextnote stayed many times. If he forgets the name of the king, he must declare it was Prasenajit; if the name of the householder, that it was Anathapitpada; of the lay-sister, that it was Mugaramata (cit. in Kuan 2008:134-5). 370

Roberto (2011:Influence) reiterates the same concept. Tathagata=”thus come”. Campbell quips “We are to fill the sacred space, then, with art. And when I say “art,” I mean “divinely superfluous beauty,” not doodling and having pretty decorations in your house. The sacred space is where things are experienced as not being of any practical use. It is through the contemplation of something “thus come”—“divinely superfluous”—that the aspects of oneself that are not of immediate practical use can come forth. I think organic growth comes in that way, not in the way of going into a practical activity. ” (1991:188). (Note of this writer).

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In II century Oxyrhyncus Papyrus 1381, a devotee of divine healer Asclepius (in his Egyptian-Hellenistic incarnation as Imouthes/Imhotep) relays immemorial stories of miracles the god performed for him 371, and promises to memorialize the god's deeds thus:”I think I can be brief and clear in spreading the word of your purpose -...-.I have throughout filled in the missing and deleted the superfluous -...-. I have spoken succinctly and and told a complicated story in straightforward fashion -...- in accordance with your graciousness and not my wisdom”372.

Readers may compare that with the Gospel of Luke, also composed and/or revised during the II century:

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus (1:1-3). “A great and interesting story is about everyone or it will not last ”;”But if this story is not also our story, then it is not worth retelling ”. Linguistics professor Tannen373 relates that her studies documented how stories told in a way to emphasize one's feelings and personal experience give greater satisfaction than stories that lack that aspect:”Our brains are wired for Story, not Statistics--especially

371

372 373

Just as the Christian Gospel narratives, this papyrus presents the god Aesculapius as a personal benefactor. The writer relays purported eye-witness accounts, although Lewis points out the story in the papyrus is much older than the papyrus itself. N. Lewis translation. 2004:Conversational Style.

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vivid stories and stories of those close to us.”374. Lakhani375 claims that stories pass one's “BS detector” undetected because people are eager to believe at all costs 376. Neale claims in 2013 how:”we heal and thrive if we produce a better story about everything that has happened to us”. As Branden would have it, people are always “at war with reality”377, whence a level of self-esteem that cannot be higher than the current level of self-acceptance: saviors, clergymen, politicians and snake-oil salesmen are poised to seize the opportunity.

In 1879, Thomas Edison announced that he would publicly display the electric lightbulb by December 31, even though all his experiments had, to that point, failed. He threw his knapsack over the brick wall—the numerous challenges that he still faced—and on the last day of that year, there was light. (Ben-Shahar 2007:66). Pandit Tigunait378 of the Himalayan yogic lineage recounts the ordeal two sages underwent to trick Shiva into reciting a story that grants immortality upon hearing: Srimad Bhagavatam (Amar Katha, story of immortality). Even Shiva's wife the great goddess Parvati was yet to benefit from the boons of such recital that happened in Amarnath Cave:”wired for story”.

A felon in the dock grabs a sick bucket; a corrupt politician pledges to deliver drastic tax cuts alongside massive subsidies and investments; boat-people tell 374 375 376

377

378

Welch 2015b:20. 2010:01. For example, to believe the “happy ending” of a “trim waistline” or “grow me hair” story for oneself. The equally “happy ending” of there finally being security for the homeland...or a homeland to begin with for the stateless community. For example, one is only 1m75 tall while he strongly wishes he could be 1m85 tall at least. One did not get the love story or promotion s-he felt s-he strongly deserved. One is so full of anger and resentment that are so socially unacceptable to admit openly... 2013.

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heart-rending tall tales of a desperate flight from xeroxed genocide scenarios...

Associate Professor Of Cognitive Neuroscience, Sharot quips:”by eliciting emotion what you're able to do is change the perception of what comes after; to perceive information as the person who's giving the speech wants you to perceive it -...-The factors that affect whether you're influential can be, can you elicit emotion in the other person? Can you tell a story? ”379;”However, the more frazzled we are, the more our rational brains take a backseat to our emotions”380;”We don’t have time to calculate and weigh the costs and benefits of different courses of action for every decision; emotions are a shortcut.”381.

Neuroscientist Uri Hasson researches the basis of human communication, and experiments from his lab reveal that even across different languages, our brains show similar activity, or become "aligned," when we hear the same idea or story. This amazing neural mechanism allows us to transmit brain patterns, sharing memories and knowledge. (This Is...2016:no page). When people "go through things together," they will often be synchronized right down to primal sighs of despair or shouts of joy. (Boothman 2000:77). In fact, videos crafted to convey a message on popular Mormon Channel are typically someone's hyperreal (abridged, novelized, condensed...) life story:

cultural disconnection, to hyperreality, a culture that is transient and recyclable (it reassembles units or particles which are all the same). (Gane 1991:144).

379 380 381

In I'm Right...2017:no page. Van Der Kolk 2014:156. Chen&Krakovsky 2010:46.

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Such “units or particles which are all the same” can be pericopes, or narrative units, of the New Testament. These episodes in which Jesus acts can float freely, and can be theoretically arranged in a different order without altering the gnostic import of the same (= how “great” the “great man” actually is).

For example: did Jesus heal a blind beggar as he was leaving (Mark 10:4652; Matthew 20:29-34) or entering (Luke 18:35-43; John does not mention the episode) Jericho? People could not care less when confronted with the sublime allegory of god incarnate calling one by name in order to provide healing, thus knowing his predicament intimately:”a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road ”382;”It’s not the words but the conversation’s emotional imprint that remains.”.

Such hyperreality closely matches what popular culture portrays as neardeath experience -or entheogenic trip- scenarios: one looks back at the hyperreal tracking shot of one's lifetime:

how are certain conceptions of human experience in time or an encompassing view of history presented in a condensed way, sometimes requiring personifications, sometimes requiring an appeal to juxtapositions or to the montage principle left as a legacy by the historical avant-gardes? (Xavier in Miller&Stam 2004:361). Here we can show how the oldest tales of the Old Testament Patriarchs originated as symbols for various celestial, astronomical, and meteorological phenomena. Later they were used to symbolize linkages/alliances between various ancient peoples as they came to make military, political, or trade alliances. -...- As Hermann Gunkel 382

Mark 10:46.

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(The Legends of Genesis) demonstrates, Genesis contains many stories which depict the relations between groups, tribes, nations, etc., in the story-teller’s day, symbolizing the groups in the form of ancestors who are depicted as ethnic stereotypes (Gen. 16: ; 21:20; 25:25-27) and often bear the group name as if it were a personal name. The character stands for the group and is imagined as bequeathing his traits to his offspring as well as establishing relationships with other groups (in the form of their ancestors) that obtain still in the story-teller’s day. -...-Some of the names are plurals, indicating not individuals but a group, e.g., Ephraim [plural ending]. They may also be based on the geographical location of the group. “Ephraim” means “those who live on Mount Ephrath, while “Benjamin” means “sons of the right hand,” i.e., the south, cf. Yemen on today’s maps. But all of them become the names of Jacob’s sons. And this means the whole story of Jacob (=Israel) having twelve sons by four women attests the remote and forgotten history that four groups of tribes (Sons of Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah), all matrilineal, eventually married their fortunes together as “blood brothers” in an amphicyony, or twelve-tribe confederacy centered around a central shrine (Shiloh, Gilgal, etc.), with each tribe staffing it and seeing to the upkeep for one month out of the year. The story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar is told to posit/secure the relation, after the fact, of the Israelite tribes, descended from Isaac, the son of Abraham and Sarah, with the twelve tribes of Ishmael (Genesis 25:12-16) and the fourteen tribes of Edom/Esau (Gen. 36:1-19). These groups were in turn previous confederations. The Curse of Noah (Gen. 9:20-27) is meant to symbolize and legitimate the domination of the Canaanites by the Philistines (“Japhethites,” i.e., worshippers of the Titan Iapetus, namely the Philistines, etc.) and the Israelites (Shemites, Semites) in the story-teller’s day. The Birthright of Esau (Genesis 25:27-33) and the Deception of Isaac (Genesis 27:1-41) both seek to explain and to justify the eventual subordination of the older people, Edom, by their younger neighbor, Israel. “Esau and Jacob are brother tribes, Esau a tribe of hunters, Jacob a tribe of shepherds; Esau is the elder, but by sale or fraud he loses his birthright; that is, the older and better known tribe of Esau was compelled to give way to the later and originally weaker tribe of Jacob and has now the poorer land” (Gunkel, p. 21). Once the Edomites (Esau) eventually regained independence and prominence, the story had to be updated to reflect this, too (27:38-40). -...- Many more Genesis stories are to be understood the same way, not as pieces of historical fact about individuals named Jacob, Esau, Abraham, etc., but rather as something like political cartoons. (Price 2017c:no page, emphasis added).

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Popular culture relishes hyperreality that is as abridged, novelized and condensed as any bowdlerized history book chapter. Yahoo Movietalk relays on April 15, 2013:

‘Flashdance,’ 30 Years Later: B-Boy Recalls Girling Up for Final Scene. Breakdancer Crazy Legs, left, doubled for Jennifer Beals in 'Flashdance' .What started as an inner-city pastime became a global phenomenon when a 90-second breakdancing scene appeared in the hit 1983 film "Flashdance." ."So many people went back to the theater just to see that one scene," Richard Colón, aka Crazy Legs, told Yahoo! Movies. Colón, one of breakdancing's foremost pioneers, was just 16 years old when he and some of his Rock Steady crew appeared in one of the most memorable sequences in the film. "It's been a great experience," Colón recalled. The breakdancing in "Flashdance" wasn't just limited to Rock Steady's scene. The film's lead character also busts out a breakdance move during her iconic final dance sequence, set to Irene Cara's "What a Feeling." A not-so-well-kept secret about lead actress Jennifer Beals is that she had a lot of help when it came to the memorable moves of her feverishly dancing character, Alex Owens. Most of her dance scenes were done with the help of a body double, French actress and dancer Marine Jahan. But it was Beals's final scene wherein she got the most help. Jahan performed most of it, but certain moves required specialized expertise. Gymnast Sharon Shapiro performed the flips, and one certain breakdance move was done by a male breakdancer -- Colón himself. "Being the first person in hip-hop to dress in drag -- I had to deal with that for years," the 47-year-old joked. I think I’ve seen the movie Flashdance at least twenty times. In the 1980s, I wanted to be just like Jennifer Beals’s character, Alex. She was the tough construction worker by day and talented, ambitious dancer by night. Of course, my favorite part of the movie is the dance scene in which Alex auditions for the hoity-toity ballet school. I’m too embarrassed to tell you how many sweatshirts I ruined and how many leg warmers I bought. Of course, I wasn’t alone. Nothing took the mystique out of my secret Flashdance fantasy like showing up to meet friends for dinner and realizing that all six of us had permed hair, headbands and ripped sweatshirts. We all wanted to be Alex in Flashdance. She was perfect—ripped clothing looked sexy; welding looked exciting; 249

ballet looked cool and break dancing looked easy. But alas, the perfection was only an illusion. I was disappointed to learn that the film director used four different people to create that audition sequence -...-. All those bad perms and all that money for leg warmers . . . for what? To try and achieve some level of perfection that doesn’t exist. (Brown 2007:138, emphasis added). Hatsune Miku (the Japanese virtual singer, 2007) and Max Headroom (virtual TV host, 1985) also probed both hyperreality, and the “uncanny valley”, a term Japanese scholar Mori introduced in 1970 to denote the feeling of unease artificial humanoids trigger as they approach a seemingly -yet not absolutelyperfect replica of human features: the “shaking of a prosthetic hand” dilemma.

Popular culture just copies what ancient Mesopotamian, Egyptian and Graeco-Roman incantations and magic amulets included: a historiola, a condensed and abridged mythical tale that propelled the wish: narrative magic; or a carved image that indicated the historiola.

Gordon&Simon383 also mention:”the idea that finger-rings with mythological images may have been intended (also) to act as amulets, on the principle of the implicit historiola, the mythic narrative applied as a statement of a norm to a specific moment of adversity or calamity.”.

The Mormon Channel aptly supply hyperreal messages with historiolae. In several such messages, young Mormon women are urged to practice chastity and modesty. For example, a dress they wear ought to be modest. How modest? A

383

2010:33.

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historiola clinches the argument: modest so that Jesus would accept to be in their company. In another Mormon message, a young man leaves competitive sports behind so that -the historiola helps- the Holy Spirit might be with him as he attends seminary384. Some abstruse point of war propaganda and 1960s balderdash might suffice for those who are not spiritually inclined.

Whether Mormon lore; war propaganda, or any other item, such recondite 'gnostic punchlines' can be tagged to almost everything with equal success. Gnosticism is but the regalia of spiritual bypassing, or -as R.A. Masters put it- “avoidance in holy drag” (“defense values” for Branden 385). R.L. Moore comments that esoteric spiritual traditions are quintessential “status enhancement” and equalizing devices386.

Acknowledgment is a kind of human magic—a small human connection, a gift from one person to another that translates into a much larger, more meaningful outcome. On the positive side, these results also show that we can increase motivation simply by acknowledging the efforts of those working with us.(Ariely 2016:21). R.L. Moore387 argues that very mentally disturbed people are fond of esoteric religions as they pursue initiatory strategies, whose goal is personal healing. School of Business professors DeRue&Sytch 388 beg to agree: one can exert influence by claiming direct access or affiliation with “higher power positions or individuals”. 384 385

386 387 388

The Holy Spirit kicks in later: the young man makes the competitive team, and wins a medal. “call any value chosen to support pseudo-self-esteem a defense value. A defense value is one motivated by fear and aimed at supporting an illusion of psychological equilibrium. It is an antianxiety device.” (1985:81). 1993b. The bottom-feeder in society can -as an initiate- rise a notch or two in his self-perception. 2001:part 1. 2015:unit 1.

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Influencers can “get” Jesus (Ahura Mazda etc), daddy/mommy or the C-level officer “on your case” if you misbehave; or one may get mommy, daddy, Jesus (Buddha etc) or the C-level officer to bestow “favors” or “rewards”: one and the same.

Catholic lore instructs to pray Saint Mary so that she may “intercede with her son” Jesus to get the repentant sinner off the hook. The Tibetan Buddhist pantheon has a complex pecking order of deities who may “intercede” with higherorder beings to satisfy one's requests.

Offhand

cult

leader, corrupt

politicians, banksters, and other

entertainers as well hide their psychopathology, power-drive, murderous tendencies, abuse and debauchery behind a barrage of spiritual, gnostic or elevatesounding images:

Insofar as we want to get away from difficult personal issues and emotions-all the sticky, messy things that keep us rooted right here, we may try to use spiritual practice to do that. I have come to call this tendency to try to avoid or prematurely transcend basic human needs, feelings, and developmental tasks. "spiritual bypassing." Spiritual bypassing may be particularly tempting for individuals who are having difficulty making their way through life's basic developmental stages, especially at a time when what were once ordinary developmental landmarks-earning a livelihood through dignified work, raising a family, keeping a marriage together-have become increasingly difficult and elusive for large segments of the population. While struggling with becoming autonomous individuals, many people are introduced to spiritual teachings and practices which come from cultures that assume a person having already passed through the basic developmental stages. The result is that many people wind up trying to use spiritual practice to meet their personal needs or establish their identity, and this just doesn't work. Many of the so-called "perils of the path"-such as spiritual materialism, 252

narcissism, inflation, groupthink – result from trying to use spirituality to make up for developmental deficiencies. (Welwood 1984:64-5). In order to make psychology a complete belief system, all the therapist has to do IS to borrow words for the inner depths of the personality from traditional mystical religions: it can be called, variously, "the great void," the "inner room" of Taoism, the "realm of essence," the source of things, the "It," the "Creative Unconscious," or whatever(Becker 1973:274). Which stories can truly be about everyone, if not stories that revolve around those elementary ideas389 (Hindu marga), petrified mythologies and obtuse allegories? Ethnic ideas390 (Hindu desi) then represent the facade people can grasp, and actually hold onto. Even Freud advocated a sort of “elementary ideas” category. The co-morbid psychogenetic and phylogenetic influences coalesced under the impulse of remembrances of “psychological basics”.

A metanarrative is “. . . an over-arching story which can supposedly account for, explain, or comment upon the validity of all other stories, a universal or absolute set of truths which is supposed to transcend social, institutional, or human limitations.” (Surrency 2007:3). Aurobindo explains:

every Scripture must necessarily contain two elements, one temporary, perishable, belonging to the ideas of the period and country in which it was produced, the other eternal and imperishable and applicable in all ages and countries (in MAISI014: unit 1:5). the life of Rama and Krishna belongs to the prehistoric past which has come down only in poetry and legend and may even be 389 390

According to definition Adolf Bastian, XIX century German ethnologist, coined. According to definition Adolf Bastian, XIX century German ethnologist, coined.

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regarded as myths; but it is quite immaterial whether we regard them as myths or historical facts, because their permanent truth and value lie in their persistence as a spiritual form, presence, influence in the inner consciousness of the race and the life of the human soul. (in MAISI014: unit 4:6). from the Book Of The 24 Philosophers, an hermetic text of the twelfth century -...- god is an intelligible sphere, whose circumference is nowhere, and center everywhere -...-.This is not only an inward knowledge, it's a metaphysical realization; and I find things like that, sayings like that, all over the place when I'm reading the words that have been taken from these non-learned sages (Campbell&Toms 1988:vol.9). Our conscious experience of making a decision follows an unconscious process that is actually in control. -...-For a few key trials in this experiment, however, Pascual-Leone would deliver a jolt to the part of the motor cortex associated with the side the participant had not selected, causing the wrong hand to move. If our conscious experience of decision making is in control, this reversal should feel peculiar. But most participants had a very simple explanation of the experience: “I just changed my mind.” The results of studies by Libet, Pascual-Leone, and others suggest that it doesn’t feel unusual when our conscious mind is not in control of our actions. (Vishton391 2016:8-9). Alternatively, Sallust's (Roman historian, I century BCE) definition of myth is:”what never happened, but always is” (De Diis Et Mundo) unfolding in a time beyond time (illud tempus for Eliade). “Sacred time” may imply abstinence from work as during the Jewish Sabbath and during the month of the Artemisia festival in Ephesus: citizens complained to Roman overlords that abstinence from work should be restored in order to celebrate Artemis.

In recent decades, similar concepts have been proposed as purported new insight under the label of meme and memetics as Dawkins proposed an evolutionary 391

Associate Professor of Psychology.

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and Darwinian model of cultural heritage and processes:

Everyone living on earth will worship it, everyone whose name is not written in the Book of Life. That book belongs to the lamb [=Jesus] who was slaughtered before the creation of the world. (Revelation 13:8, emphasis added). They issue from the alternative realm, considered to be the locus of the real and the true and the significant. This realm is illud tempus, the continuum of a different, sacred time, which is repeated and reactualized by repetition of the sacred model, be it an act, bodily function, or narrative structure. Hence this alternative time is repeatable as well as intensely real. -...-For readers unfamiliar with Latin, it is worthwhile to point out that illud tempus simply means "that time." It occurs in Jerome's Vulgate where it usually indicates the heilsgeschichte in which God's actions were seen as unquestionably decisive for humanity. The alternative, in illo tempore, is simply the locative case of the same phrase, in that time. In many ways it is a narrative device comparable with "once upon a time," although indicative of far greater sacrality.(Rennie 1996:81). in illo tempore respondens Iesus dixit confiteor tibi Pater Domine caeli et terrae quia abscondisti haec a sapientibus et prudentibus et revelasti ea parvulis (Biblia Sacra Vulgata, Matthew 11:25, emphasis added392). A myth was an event which, in some sense, had happened once, but which also happened all the time. Because of our strictly chronological view of history, we have no word for such an occurrence, but mythology is an art form that points beyond history to what is timeless in human existence (Armstrong 2005:7). Nostalgia is a self-conscious, bittersweet but predominantly positive and fundamentally social emotion. -...-Nostalgia serves a selforiented function (by raising self-positivity and facilitating perceptions of a positive future), an existential function (by increasing perceptions of life as meaningful), and a sociality function (by increasing social connectedness, reinforcing socially oriented action tendencies, and promoting prosocial behavior). 392

â&#x20AC;&#x153;At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.â&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;?. In illo tempore appears 11 times in the Vulgata.

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These functions are independent of the positive affect that nostalgia may incite. Also, nostalgia-elicited sociality often mediates the selfpositivity and existential functions. In addition, nostalgia maintains psychological and physiological homeostasis along the following regulatory cycle: (i) Noxious stimuli, as general as avoidance motivation and as specific as self-threat (negative performance feedback), existential threat (meaninglessness, mortality awareness), social threat (loneliness, social exclusion), well-being threat (stress, boredom), or, perhaps surprisingly, physical coldness intensify felt nostalgia; (ii) in turn, nostalgia (measured or manipulated) alleviates the impact of threat by curtailing the influence of avoidance motivation on approach motivation, buttressing the self from threat, limiting defensive responding to meaninglessness, assuaging existential anxiety, repairing interpersonal isolation, diminishing the blow of stress, relieving boredom through meaning reestablishment, or producing the sensation of physical warmth. (Sedikides et alii 2015:189). For example, the great hero covered in sacred blood as he throws the grenade of victory might be an elementary idea. Sarvadekar comments thus on the gist of Hindu Gita:

Therefore the Lord [=Krishna] bids him [=Arjuna] once again to rise and face the army, be a warrior, slay the enemy and win the war. It is the call to the hero of humanity. (MAISI014:lecture 5:5). k. By creating new metaphors, we give visible form to the imaginative interplay of external experience and internal meaning and thus create structure in our encounters with life.(Hermanson 2017:18). The exact, historical identity of such hero, his gods and anti-gods, and his armband's color are a matter of ethnic ideas, reviled in one era, extolled to the sky in another. Theorists in recent decades have intermingled the two concepts into that of cultural schemas to avoid taking sides between the cultural (relativist) side (ethnic ideas), and the more universal side (elementary ideas).

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In other words, the elementary idea is the gist of the story, the big picture:”observations misinterpreted through projections from the human psyche ”. The ethnic idea is the detail that may vary across renditions. Jesus -as some Christian scholar may emphasize to control damage- was this charming guy with a beard who had a heavenly father, and went around consorting with outcasts, performing miracles and preaching niceties only to be torn apart in death to save us from spiritual doom. That ought to make one's heart melt in gnostic rapture.

Whether Jesus was actually crucified the day before or after Passover is an irrelevant detail (=ethnic idea) a person who's choking or sobbing upon hearing about the scourging and crucifixion won't even be able to compute: the gist (=elementary idea) steals the day.

Whether the stories are true matters less than whether one is true to those stories.

We tend to remember the “gist” of an experience pretty well, even if the details get messed up. -...-As we will see, this is an important point, because there are gist memories of Jesus recorded in the New Testament Gospels that are almost certainly accurate. At the same time, there are a lot of details— and in fact entire episodes—that are almost certainly not accurate. These are “memories” of things that didn’t actually happen. They are distorted memories. -...[however]Which is the gist and which is the detail? -...-But what is the gist? Is it that Jesus was crucified with two robbers? Is it that Jesus was crucified? Is it that Jesus died? -...-The gist of these stories is more likely to survive relatively intact over the course of time, but not always. Elements are constantly added to the stories and other elements are deleted or altered. For that reason it is extremely difficult to separate out the elements that have been added or altered to an “original testimony” (to use Vansina’s term) from the 257

gist that represents an “accurate memory” of the past. -...-Sometimes their inventiveness went to the very heart of the matter so that what later became the gist of the tradition was not in fact an accurate memory, but one that had been generated as the stories were told and retold, hundreds of times, by hundreds of people, in hundreds of situations. (Ehrman 2016:74-6,95,113, emphasis added). Overall, students were no better at recalling September 11, 2001, than they were at recalling September 10, 2001. -...-Students were much more likely to believe that the events of 9/11 occurred exactly the way they remembered them, and were unlikely to be persuaded otherwise. -...- They said they were more likely to feel as though they were reliving the experience all over again, and felt as if they were traveling back in time to September 11, 2001. They did not have the same experience when recollecting going to class or to the gym the day before. (Sharot 2011:100). First, people do not vaguely recall seeing the gist word [in a list of words researchers supply] and they do not simply guess that they saw the gist word. Rather, they vividly remember seeing it and they feel completely confident that it appeared. Second, this phenomenon happens even when people are warned about it beforehand. Knowing that a researcher is trying to trick you into falsely recalling the appearance of a gist word does not stop that false recollection from happening.(Gilbert 2006:55). What is more like to bridge across eras, continents and cultures? Byzantine details none really cares about; partisan truths momentarily a matter of political dogma; or the imagery of gastrointestinal and neurological syndromes, screams, gasps, whimpers and moans repackaged to mean “suffering makes us one”, or some other obtuse 'gnostic' punchline to that effect?

Such chicaneries shall be considered authentic by default: artificial kin members would never fail their common humanity fellows by faking groans, gasps, screams; or by telling preposterous indignity or child-abuse related stories they

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lifted from cable TV dramas:”Make them like you and make your plights familiar and similar.”393. Terror Management theorist Jamie Arndt explains that “common humanity”394 primes (=suggestions) help defuse aggressiveness “death salience” has triggered:”People Are Hard to Hate Close Up. Move In.” 395; “An adversary is someone whose story we haven't heard yet”396.

Noted spiritual teacher -and former psychology professor- Ram Dass explains how his father – an accomplished Jewish lawyer and businessmancensored him for charging too little for his records sold to the public. Ram Dass explained that even the father had charged nominal fees when he had assisted an uncle in court. Ram Dass clinched how he couldn't avoid seeing everyone else as “family”, hence the artificial kin motif:”unbearable compassion” versus the “deluded indifference” Tibetan Buddhist teacher Neale denounces.

Aren't cable TV dramas always “based upon a true story”? What do people know? Is the story as “true” as that of Jesus, the Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, the bayoneted babies, Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster, Romulus...? Canned news casts and cable TV tripe that amounts to commodified propaganda fit to resonate with politicized drivel:”Similarly to his teacher, Louis Althusser, Foucault claims that an individual is an imaginary particle of the ideological representation of society. ”397. 393 394 395 396 397

Lakhani 2005:150. “feeling connected with others in the experience of life” (Engel 2015:130). Brown 2017b:22. Dale Carnegie Organization 2005: disc 4. Heikkinen et alii 2000:no page.

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Of course, as even the most unobservant news reader might object, the opposite often applies:”the ghost at the banquet of all public commemorations is always politics”398;”to make sense of mystery, we create story” 399;”Power is a coverup for shame”.

An entire industry rests upon the commodification of gastrointestinal and neurological syndromes:

Porter wanted to know if participants exhibiting higher levels of psychopathy would be more adept at disguising the true nature of their feelings than their lower-scoring counterparts. The answer, unequivocally, was yes. -...- Psychopaths were far more convincing at feigning sadness when presented with a happy image, or happiness when looking at a sad image, than were non-psychopaths (Dutton 2012:77). The answer might be that the vast majority of people practice oblique morality and play games of pretense almost on a continuous basis for all sorts of reasons. By giving credit to whatever scene might be on at a given moment, no matter how preposterous, they reestablish their own psychological integrity, and -to an extent- whitewash their own incoherence and misery.

Calling attention upon the artificial, commodious nature of all that sentimental chicanery and emotional claptrap obviously puts one's own protestations of common humanity and sentimental authenticity into question: that is frankly unbearable. War propaganda's meticulous dissection and grand exposure

398 399

Rieff 2016:66. Matousek 2014: session 1.

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of Fascist regimes' duplicity and misdeeds soon backfired as protesters on the left quickly applied the template to the misdeeds and duplicity of their domestic regimes. Fascists may have literally “fried” you-know-who, much as the U.S army was “frying” people in Indochina with napalm, maiming them with landmines, or poisoning them with Agent Orange.

There is at least some merit in at least some theories Ben-Shahar's overview of positive psychology explores. Nevertheless, one might reasonably ponder whether this, that or another theorist or clinician did really provide a 'scientific breakthrough' through FMRI, statistical analysis etc, or whether they are not rather punching at human mind's ghosts that -indeed- have remained the same across regimes, ages and continents as they found an outlet in multifarious myths and legends.

For example, aren't positive psychology's “self-concordant goals” the same as Roman gravitas (sibi congruere, being true to one's beliefs)? In other words, is it the verdict of the FMRI or electronic microscope people are really reading, or is it just a repackaged version of the Ulysses shtick as Ringo, or whichever other resilient hero with a vision one might choose? Is it by chance the two look alike?

Popular culture never stops repackaging the item, for example in Rozalla Miller's400 1992 hit Believe In Yourself. The movie Over The Top (1987) contains a monologue, whereby the father -a bumming truck driver- explains life to the son he 400

Black singer/performer originally from Zambia: an hyperreal -although talented- co-ed doppelgaenger of Whitney Houston; she enjoyed passing popularity in the 1990s.

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has just been reunited with in the terms that life is not coming to meet anybody half way (=difficulties have to be faced for what they are). Just to drive the point across, an eponymous, fabulous song accompanies the fantastic movie. The same concept (=taking responsibility and facing difficulties as nobody's coming to rescue) is repackaged as the pinnacle of clinical research in Branden's 1995 Six Pillars Of Self-

Esteem, which Ben-Shahar extols401.

Professor of psychology DeWall advises that -in order to recharge one's mind, and to replenish one's reserves of self-control energy- one ought to engage in daily psychological and metabolic practices such as pondering one's own core beliefs and values, and having a good breakfast 402. DeRue&Sytch403 concur: the chance of an inmate be paroled skyrockets if the judge in charge just had a snack or a meal (=metabolic practice).

Professor of management Brown404 suggests “responsibility transfer” as a coping mechanism to diffuse anxiety -and to increase confidence, thus net results-: one places oneself “in the hands of” an image of choice, whether it be a divine or an earthly figure:

Thus, the Call for Arjuna is to do his appointed work in the light of Yoga, without attachment, and with sincere love and adoration for the Supreme, Arjuna is assured that he shall attain to Him [=the god Krishna]. (Savardekar, MAISI015 no date lecture 1:1). 401 402 403 404

2009: lecture 3.1. DeWall 2013:Why Is It So Hard To Do What We Should? 2015:unit 2. 2013:Characteristics Of Influential Agents.

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Spiritual people are relatively happier than nonspiritual people, have superior mental health, cope better with stressors, have more satisfying marriages, use drugs and alcohol less often, are physically healthier, and live longer lives." People who perceive the divine being as loving and responsive are happier than those who don't. (Lyubomirsky 2008:232). The single most effective technique Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve found to alleviate the discomfort of uncertainty is the responsibility transfer -...-.The responsibility transfer does not actually dispel uncertainty (the outcome remains uncertain). Instead, it makes the uncertainty less uncomfortable. (Cabane 2012:26-7). [Jesus said]"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."(Luke 22:42). That's precisely what major religions have done since time immemorial as they prescribed prayer before meals, or surrender to god: hardly something statistical analysis or the FMRI might claim to have discovered. The same oneness of the pack, homeland first slogans and rally cries recur(red) both in Communist Cuba, Bolivarian Socialist Venezuela, Brazil under military rule and Fascist Italy often verbatim. Mujica, President of Uruguay, transited from nationalist to radical left-wing tendencies as leader of guerrilla party Tupamaro.

For all that matters, Senior Scholar of Communications Kehoe 405 impels entrepreneurs to tap into their subordinates' bottomless potential for enthusiasmdriven productivity: the brand or company shall be presented as homeland 406; rally cries axed around productive oneness might prove expedient:

This salesman describes an Amway sales rally as something like a 405 406

2011: Leadership, Appreciation, and Productivity. Readers may consider how workers at jumbo Japanese companies are often required to â&#x20AC;&#x153;sing the company anthemâ&#x20AC;? at prescribed moments.

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rock concert: Waves of reciprocal chanting sweep back and forth over the hall, one side shouting, “Ain’t it Great!” and the other answering, “Ain’t it Though!” In a regional event, thousands flick their Bics, or other brand-name propane lighters (Amway does not yet manufacture one) and whirl the flames in a circle to symbolize the mystical force of the [company’s current sales] Plan. Slogans and circles are flashed on a huge video screen at the front of the amphitheater (Ehrenreich 2009:286-7). Consensus arose among Belgian parliamentarians visiting Communist North Korea407 regarding how youth indoctrination in that country -with ensuing homeland first slogans and so forth- resembled that of NSDAP Hitler Youth.

Against its root tenets, Marxism has been wed against nature to the struggle of stateless communities (Basques, Catalans, Quebec...) in spite of its materialist and historical nature that predicates the auspicious advent of empires that shall supersede small societies and their tribalism.

This tells readers more about human mind's eerie, circular proclivities than about those brigands on the right awash in the blood of the innocent, and those nice chaps on the left who stand up for equality, or whichever emotive spin one might want to put on the issue. Is this a comment in poor taste? Hardly. That's precisely the 'red thread' within French boutique documentary La Guerre Perdue

Du Vatican408. With the ambiance of a comic book, two factions wage war within the Catholic Church since the Vatican II Council: liberals and traditionalists.

Traditionalists are at best obscurantist creeps; at worst crypto-Nazis (a la 407 408

Dutilleul 2004. Benquet 2012.

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Williamson); pedophiles (too many to count); money changers; Fascist offshoots (such as Opus Dei). A diverse cohort of “red priests” and liberals on the left might be involved with liberation theology, sport Che Guevara's portrait or have joined leftwing revolutionary governments: nice chaps who stand up for the poor and the oppressed.

What about the mind-boggling universe of genocidal prison camps, famine, chronic shortages, bloody purges, political repression and so forth that some associate with Social-Communist regimes as they actually exist/ed? ”'There will be some innocent victims in this fight against Fascist agents -...- We are launching a major attack on the Enemy; let there be no resentment if we bump someone with an elbow. Better that ten innocent people should suffer than one spy get away. When you chop wood, chips fly.'”.

No impolite link is established between gauche caviar living room revolutionaries, their guerrilla heroes and the many victims of Social-Communist regimes; the topic of what lefties do with their money, influence or sexuality is left alone: best of all causes oblige. Judge some according to their deeds, and others according to their intentions:

Pronin suggests that this is because people tend to judge the extent of other people’s bias according to their behavior but judge their own biases according to their internal feelings, thoughts, and motivations.(Sharot 2011:20). When people decide how to reciprocate an action, they don’t just judge the action by its outcome; they also try to discern the other 265

person’s intentions. When you don’t know or see the other person, it’s hard to know their intentions, so you grasp at what little information you do have. (Chen&Krakovsky 2010:60). Our inclination might be to condemn a suicide bomber who comes over the border from Gaza into Jerusalem and blows up a café full of innocent teenagers, but if we applied the same logic, we would have to also condemn Nelson Mandela when he was leader of Umkhonto We Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress. He coordinated the bombing of military and government buildings, hoping that no one would get hurt but all the while recognizing that innocent people might get caught up in the blast. Equally, we would have to condemn Menachem Begin when he was leader of Irgun, a militant offshoot of the Haganah, who blew up the King David Hotel in Jerusalem on July 22, 1946, killing ninety-one people and injuring forty-six others, in an attempt to persuade the British to leave Palestine as part of the Zionist cause to create a Jewish homeland. Just as Mandela later became president of South Africa and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, so Begin later became prime minister of Israel and joint winner of the Nobel Peace Prize with Egypt’s president Anwar Sadat.(Baron-Cohen 2011:167). Professors of management Roberto409 and Brown410 wholeheartedly agree with NLP and persuasion author Lakhani:”the only real differentiator between manipulation and persuasion is intent.”411. Of course, defining “intent” beyond frivolous political advocacy can be tricky.

Obviously, a nice Dalai Lama, Ayatollah, Church President or Pope might be on call to let the masses know whether the thunderclap might mean god (dis)approves of anything in pursuit of some greater good. Pol Pot, Stalin, Hitler and so forth certainly didn't think thunderclaps meant genocidal barbarity was bad. “Texas Attorney Gen. Greg Abbott “ about the multi-billionaire financial scam 409 410 411

2011:Key Levels Of Power. 2013:The Dark Side Of Influence. Lakhani 2005:2.

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industry (lottery scams etc) “says it's very difficult to convince people that it's a scam: "Even after we provide them a detailed explanation of how it's a scam, they'll turn around and give more money to these scammers."” 412.

The management of an online dating agency that arranges romantic correspondence between Italian men and women from the former Soviet union declares in 2017 how many men respond to their extensive online section about dating and romance fraud. Such men try to convince the agency that no matter how things may look on the outside, “this time it's a different story”, “the plan shall finally come together”:”Just remember me when it turns out right “ as the song goes.

Those are hijacked religious feelings once again. Adonis, Tudi Gong, Osiris, Zoroaster etc are folkloric hallucinations of disturbed minds, but Jesus really existed because eye-witnesses attested it:”theology masquerading as historical description. ” (R.M. Price);”the thought being that the dubious character of the several extraordinary parts of a narrative ends up contaminating the more pedestrian parts, rendering them dubious too.”.

In the Trypho413, early Christian Church Father Saint Justin Martyr (100165 CE) commented as he compared the “true” story of Jesus with similar “false ones” associated with pagan gods414: “Do I not perceive that [the devil] has imitated

412 413 414

Leung 2004:no page. Ch. LXIX. St. Justin writes about Pagan lore as ”those counterfeits which he who is called the devil is said to have performed among the Greeks; just as some were wrought by the Magi in Egypt -...-[such as ] Bacchus, son of Jupiter, -...-[who] by being torn in pieces, and having died, he rose again, and ascended to heaven” (ch. LXIX).

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the prophecy?”.

Of course, such men are financially and/or emotionally victimized in the end.

Furthermore, self-deception has also been shown to offer benefits to those who are struggling with a past misfortune, as opposed to striving toward a future goal. Victims of trauma who can convince themselves that they do, in fact, retain control of their lives cope better than those who take a harder, more realist view of things. Cancer survivors who develop the notion that they can prevent the return of the disease, be it through diet or blind faith, tend to adjust better to life after their sickness. The false sense of security selfdeception creates does contribute to psychological health. -...-Participants [in a study] told significantly more lies when communicating via computer than they did face-to-face. -...-This lends further credence to the Deindividuation Hypothesis -...-.Yet even given this possibility that an untrue statement could be checked and discovered to be false, participants lied on e-mail again and again.(Feldman 2009:67,111-112). Italian left-wing politician Renzi in his ascent decorated his campaigns larded with improbable pledges with the tag-line questa è la volta buona (this time the plan will come together/the pledge will be kept):”For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. ” 415. Needless to say, Renzi failed as so many before him had:”We hoped for the best, but it turned out as usual” (V. Chernomyrdin, former Russian Prime Minister).

An exchange between mythologist Joseph Campbell and a scholarly Catholic priest exemplifies it well. 415

2 Corinthians 1:20. No matter how many harlequins promised mountains made of polenta; security for the homeland; or a new homeland to start with, and miserably failed in the process, the new kid on the block descended from seventh-heaven to fulfill the eternal covenant for real this time.

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Then he asked -- and I think it interesting that he phrased the question in this way â&#x20AC;&#x201C; "Do you believe in a personal god?" "No, Father," I said. And he replied, "Well, I suppose there is no way to prove by logic the existence of a personal god." "If there were, Father," said I, "what then would be the value of faith?" "Well, Mr. Campbell," said the priest quickly, "it's nice to have met you." And he was off. I felt I had executed a jujitsu throw. (Campbell&Moyers 1991:170). And for some, there is almost certainly an element of duping delight. This sensation may, in fact, be magnified in impostors, who succeed not just in duping a few people but in fooling more or less everyone with whom they come into contact. -...-Indeed, impostorism, according to the thinking of some who have studied it, is not so much about being another person but, rather, about not being yourself. According to this conception, the assumed role fills the gaps the impostor perceives in him- or herself, be it lack of accomplishment, insignificance in the wider world, or just generally low self-esteem. Impostorism can be considered both an embrace of a desired role and a deliverance from an unpleasant one. (Feldman 2009:84). This is why 'my guy' (with the right ax to grind) gets to make a documentary for prime-time TV, whereas 'the other guy' (with the wrong chip on the wrong shoulder) doesn't: freedom of the press, what a boon to mankind.

Going to a rabbi, medicine man, astrologer, brahmin, pastor or bhikkhu for advice regarding life's ultimate concerns may nowadays look so demode. Since 'spirituality' is such a hot commodity to pass, however, even confession rituals find their postmodern adaptation: accountability partners/groups. A venue to have one's actions measured up to a set of standards in a sort of self-help therapy:â&#x20AC;? The

confession became one of the west's most highly valued techniques for producing truth. -...-one admits to oneself, in pleasure and in pain, things it would be

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impossible to tell to anyone else, the things people write books about ”416.

Contemporary consumerism has an hyperreal replacement for all those folkloric ideas now so passe:”Our Certified Life-Cycle Celebrants promote the use of personalized ceremony to mark the moments and milestones in the lives of individuals, families, communities and organizations. Celebrancy began in Australia in the early 1970s. Presently there are more than 3.000 Celebrants worldwide ” claims online the Celebrant Foundation&Institute.

Professor of Psychology, Psychoanalysis and Spirituality, R.L. Moore also insists eldership and ritual are the necessary remedial tools against grandiosity (in Freudian parlance) going berserk, that is numinosity (in Jungian parlance). Moore also connects addiction(s) with the satisfaction of an innate need for ritual, such as the ritual of cocaine addiction.

U.S conflict resolution specialist Deidre Combs -whose clients include IBM, USDA, U.S Postal Service etc- openly includes world myths, gratitude exercises, rituals -whether based on existing traditions or just invented at the moment- and poetic allegories as proxies to help with her intercultural conflict resolution strategies:”why don't we celebrate?”.

So, if you suddenly experienced a financial windfall, you would ultimately be much happier if you spent the money on numerous pleasant, mood-boosting things occurring on a day-to-day or weekly basis-a daily lunch of expensive sushi, a weekly massage, a 416

Foucault, in Heikkinen et alii 2000:no page.

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regular delivery of fresh flowers, or Sunday-morning calls to your best friend in Europe-rather than spend it all on a single big-ticket item that you believe you would really love, like a new top-of-theline Jaguar or the remodeling of a bathroom with hand-painted tile. By now you should appreciate the fact, as Ben Franklin did, that you would swiftly adapt to the new automobile or bathtub but not to the bursts of intermittent happiness. But why do we continue to believe so strongly that it's the large and dramatic events of our lives-the earthquake, the overseas adventure, the wedding, and the divorce-that are the ones that matter? Because those are the events we anticipate, remember, chew over, and discuss with others. (Lyubomirsky 2008:260). So now it's the trendy psychologist, social worker or personality coach -and not only a movie-maker, singer or a pedlar- who tells us the hero route is the way to go, as forefathers told our ancestors 20 or 40 centuries ago with the various Shepherd-gods, Gilgamesh, Hercules, Romulus, Bacchus, Orpheus, Osiris and so forth:“pictorial representation of psychic processes”417.

Mankind easily passes from psychical processes everybody shares (=elementary ideas):”the transcendental or impersonal narrative forms that are immanent or implicit in the most deeply rooted modes of human experience” 418; to the embodiment of such “pictorial representation of psychic processes” in a given historical or pseudo-historical figure or circumstances (=ethnic idea).

In common parlance, Hitler -though not Stalin, Pol Pot, Mao or any other such figure- came to be associated with absolute evil. Localized versions also exist, such as various African dictators (Amin, Mobutu, Bokassa...). The image of Filipino dictator Marcos and his clan was usually associated with that 417 418

Jung, cit. in Angelo 1992:74. Shweder 2003:142.

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of aswang, a terrible demon of Filipino folklore. Former Peruvian President Fujimori also came to embody unrighteousness in the local psyche.

It is by now hopefully evident enough how each culture inflects collective unconscious' paradigms according to local rules. Most may be familiar with the concept of embodiment of absolute evil in a public figure. But very few -if any- outside the Philippines may have an idea who the members of the Marcos clan might be, or what an aswang exactly is.

b. Creative metaphors are like art in that they have a certain ineffable quality, similar to how a joke goes flat if it has to be spelled out. It is difficult to exactly translate a metaphor-priorities of emphasis and meaning are often lost (Hermanson 2017:9). In principle, every individual seems to have experiential access to mythological themes of all times and all cultures. On many occasions, unsophisticated subjects have described in detail complex mythological images and even entire scenes from Central or South America, Polynesia, Mesopotamia, India, Egypt, Japan, and other areas that they definitely did not know intellectually. These observations clearly support Carl Gustav Jung's concept of the collective unconscious based on emergence of often obscure and unknown mythological motifs in dreams, even those of children and uneducated persons, and in the manifest symptoms of neurotic and psychotic patients (Grof 1988:127). Shamans might have a ceremony and a psychotropic vegetable cocktail to help you commune with the godhead, to overcome the fear of death, or to reach an higher level in whichever respect one might choose: folkloric intoxication, and tribal hallucination. Doctors in white-as-purity lab coat and stethoscope may

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prescribe designer medications to overcome anxiety, re-establish sex drive, and so forth: cosmetic pharmacology.

Ben-Shahar419 also lampoons the entire business when he declares he used to receive from his mother in his youth much of the same distilled advice he later came to associate with distinguished positive psychologists. Professor of Communication Dues tracks this development:

Many organizations find that retaining an ombudsman is a costeffective way to resolve conflicts. In some organizations, an informal ombudsman, referred to as a “priest,” may emerge. This is an individual who has been with the organization for a long time and has built a reputation as being wise, trustworthy, and willing to listen to and help others. (2010:66). “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them ”420. What the positive psychologist may be hiding -or he wouldn't be all that positive to start with- is the downside:

"With the decline of organized religion, people are shifting their faith from the god of their fathers and mothers to themselves, and in the business world the phenomenon is intensified," says Ralph Whitehead, a University of Massachusetts at Amherst professor and a critic of popular culture. -...-“Corporate downsizers fire every third person and then put up inspirational posters in the halls to cover the psychic wounds.” (Davis 1994:no page, emphasis added). Mythological thinking, however, with its disgraced heroes who eventually triumph; its calls to vindicate manifest destinies; its windfalls etc is a 419 420

2009: lecture 6.3. Walden, Thoreau 1854: no page.

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double-edged sword. The NSDAP or Khmer Rouge regimes in fact thought in mythological terms as did the Jacobins and Bolsheviks.

This notwithstanding, Lyubomirsky comments that interpreting one's life path in the form of an evolutionary narrative with a beginning, a middle and an end (=Aristotelian prescriptions) proves therapeutic: autobiographical coherence.

Second, greater meaning comes from having a coherent "life scheme." Sit back and write down, or share with someone, your own life story, Who are you now, and who were you before? What future do you imagine for yourself? What are the obstacles in your path? What assumptions do you hold about the world and why things are the way they are? (Lyubomirsky 2008:236). Neuroeconomist Paul Zak has found that hearing a story—a narrative with a beginning, middle, and end—causes our brains to release cortisol and oxytocin. These chemicals trigger the uniquely human abilities to connect, empathize, and make meaning. Story is literally in our DNA. (Brown 2015:18). When I consult with companies and individuals to create rapid consumer acceptance of the ideas they want to proliferate, I start by talking to them about the legend that they want to create. -...-Your legend is based around what it is that you do better than anyone else, your specific skills, interpretations, applications, or abilities. It revolves around how you got into the position you are in now. But to get to the legend you must start in the beginning. -...-Once you have the basis for the legend there is one more component: building the narrative so that the legend can be transferred from person to person or from one to many. -...-Joseph Campbell, one of the world ’ s greatest experts on mythology, termed these kinds of stories The Hero ’ s Journey.(Lakhani 2008:50, emphasis added). It is possible to choose a fairly apolitical example so that 'best of all causes' won't get in the way.

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After winning one of the biggest shows of my career, the 1994 Musclemania, I watched the national television broadcast by myself. That doesn’t sound like much of a celebration, does it? I did the same with a videotaped version of Musclesport USA’s showing of my 1998 NPC Team Universe overall victory. You don’t see all of those things when you see my picture in one of the international bodybuilding magazines, do you? No matter how glamorous my lifestyle may seem on the outside-...- there’s a price to pay. You may not know what that price is, but trust me, the bigger the reward you receive, the bigger the price you pay! (La Cour421 no date:129). By this I mean that not only did I regard becoming the world [squash] champion the only goal worth attaining, but I also believed that only the shortest and most direct route to my goal was acceptable. The road to the top had to be a straight line— there was no time (and, I believed, no reason) for anything else. But my body, once again, thought otherwise. After two years of doing too much too soon, the injuries gradually became more serious, taking weeks rather than days to heal. Nevertheless, I stuck to my punishing regime. Eventually, at the grand old age of twenty-one, plagued by injuries and strongly advised by medical experts to slow down, I had to give up my dream of becoming the best player in the world. I was devastated, and yet part of me felt relieved: the doctors had provided me with an acceptable excuse for my failure. (Ben-Shahar 2011:12). "I experienced what we in the profession call the silent scream" of pain, drugs and loneliness, says wrestling legend "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, 49, who has been in the business more than 30 years. "You're in your hotel room. You're banged up, numb and alone. You don't want to go downstairs to the bar or restaurant. The walls are breathing. You don't want to talk. Panic sets in and you start weeping. It's something all of us go through." (Swartz 2004:no page). Based on my study of Harvard undergraduates, the average number of romantic relationships over four years is less than one. The average number of sexual partners, if you’re curious, is 0.5 per student. -...- In my survey, I found that among these brilliant Harvard students, 24 percent are unaware if they are currently involved in any romantic relationship. (Achor 2010:22). A safe bet is to say everybody pays the price -such as injuries, lifestyle

421

Skip La Cour was an accomplished bodybuilder.

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deprivations, possible drug (ab)use in bodybuilding and wrestling-, yet only a remotely limited percentage gets to the top (whatever that may mean in one's opinion), delivers the virgin, or any other example one might use:â&#x20AC;?Just remember me when it turns out right â&#x20AC;&#x153; as the song goes. There may have been some evolutionary or genetic advantage to this hero attitude when it was all about foraging for food, running after a gazelle, or from a lion; or in the Bronze Age. In the modern world things are a bit different, perhaps.

For each one who turned one dollar into ten chasing that new stockmarket tiger, countless lost everything in the recurring crashes and swindles. It turns out the very occasional (percentage-wise) awesome stock-market profit was in fact made possible by the countless who either experienced more or less significant losses, or negligible returns.

Ravina explains how the real estate bubble in Japan422 burst, for one:

In 1985, commercial real estate prices in Tokyo jumped 42 percent; the next year, the increase was 122 percent, and in 1987, another 54 percent over 1986. Such numbers were unsustainable, but they were also paralleled in other parts of the economy.-...-People who already owned property in the 1980s passively became multimillionaires, but after 1989, they returned to being ordinary citizens. Those who borrowed money to buy at the peak were financially destroyed. (2015:165-66). Hundreds of studies have shown that predictions based on an expert's "personal experience" or "years of training" are rarely better than chance. -...- Do you know anyone who has been victimized 422

While experts may pretend not to notice, or feign surprise when it periodically hits, real estate bubbles recurrently burst the world over under all regimes: for example the real estate bubble under Francoism in 1970s Spain.

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by a scam? About a fourth of the entire American adult population has been taken in by one scam or another, some silly, some serious:-...- Every year, Americans lose more than $40 billion to telemarketing frauds alone, and older people are especially susceptible to them.(Tavris&Aronson 2007:30,230). People who have been financially wiped out in their first divorce may think of themselves as those xeroxed heroes who fail all the way to ultimate success, which -unfortunately- is less often the case than commonly believed: there is about 34% (25yo & older) and 47% (25yo and younger) chance a second marriage in the U.S will also end in divorce within 10 years 423. No matter how many people are recurrently wiped out financially and/or emotionally in some good old romance, investment or lottery scam, inveiglers have their field day every day.

In the fabulous 1987 inspirational movie Over The Top, a bumming truck driver bets all his wealth on his (slim) chance to win an arm-wrestling tournament...and finally wins.

People who â&#x20AC;&#x201C; like the fictional Over The Top character- recklessly chased after hefty returns specialized newspapers prophesied about real-estate investments may -as recession periodically hits, and market value plummets- realize they have possibly jeopardized their savings in order to 'feed the societal machine' (taxes, jobs, services...).

People may have pictured themselves as another Van Damme character winning the death tournament of life: renewal through struggle. As newspapers 423

Last data this study was based upon were from 1995 ( Bramlett&Mosher no date:25).

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show, though, it all typically ends for most in a disaster a judge eventually settles at the participant's high personal cost: loss, anger and futility; as the Demon King Ravana addresses Time personified in a novelized rendition of the Ramayana:” [you are] A marketplace of sorrow, a well of lies. -...- You are a fraud”.

There are countless ways to lure people into being “another brick in the wall” with negligible returns, or bearing significant losses:

In other words, only a small percentage of Americans attend college, graduate, and use their degree in a relevant field. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics -...- “there are 115,000 janitors, 83,000 bartenders…and 80,000 truck drivers [in the United States] with bachelor’s degrees.” Not only have recent college graduates earned degrees they don’t use (after having taken out hundreds of thousands dollars in loans to pay for them) but the labor market is moving in a surprising and perhaps unanticipated direction. (Doherty 2012: no page, emphasis added). Excluding student loans owed by borrowers currently in school or in their six-month grace period, 46 percent of [U.S] student loans are not currently being repaid. Ten percent of student loans are delinquent, meaning the borrower has missed payments for thirty days or more. Another 13 percent are in deferment, which means payments have been postponed for various reasons. Another 14 percent are in forbearance, meaning the borrower has encountered economic hardship and had their payments suspended or reduced. The remaining 8 percent are in default. (Cooper 2016:no page). More than 40 percent of recent U.S. college graduates are underemployed or need more training to get on a career track, a poll released on Tuesday showed. The online survey -...- also found that many graduates, some heavily in debt because of the cost of their education, say they are in jobs that do not require a college degree. (Reaney 2013:no page). Of course, all of this is reminiscent of a ballooning housing bubble. Instead of climbing home prices, we have climbing tuition. Instead of 278

declining lending standards for home loans, we have the same for student loans. Instead of mountains of mortgage debt, we have an ever increasing amount of student debt. A cultural mandate that everyone deserves to go, should go or has a “right” to go to college has replaced a similar mandate about home ownership. (Newman 2016:no page). According to negotiation expert Gavin Kennedy, as many businesses go under because they strike bad deals as those that fail to strike enough dealsextnote -...-. Barry Nalebuff, a professor of management at Yale, [offered] rather surprising advice to young entrepreneurs: Don’t start a new business. According to Nalebuff, it’s possible to get 99 things right and 1 thing wrong in a business deal and find you are ruined. (Freeman 2014:79-80). Yet people like to feel in control; when faced with the opportunity to make frequent decisions, they often take it, overconfident of their ability to make consistently good decisions. (Chen&Krakovsky 2010:73). 60% of all mergers fail by various measures (Freeman 2014: Measuring Success And Walking Away). Studies find that about 75 percent of all jobs in the United States are filled through connection, referral, and internal promotion (Freeman 2014:155). I asked them to find out how winners of one business school competition [choosing a prospective business plan most likely to succeed], a top one, had actually done five to fifteen years later. -...about 20-25% were showing real promise -...- about 20% were threading water -...- and the rest -...- were missing in action, or dead, or never got started -...-. By the way, plans that came in second place had a failure rate of about 75%. (Freeman 2014: Healing The Troubled Deal). 61 of the 100 original firms [from the original 1917 “top 100” Forbes company list] had ceased to exist by 1987. Only 18 firms remained in the top one hundred seventy years later (Roberto 2011: Portrait Of A Transformation). A cheerful temperament and secure attachment may set the stage, but extnote

...and those businesses who realize they have to strike more deals endeavor to do so. Sooner or later the fateful bad deal comes, and they go under as well. (note of this writer).

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a happiness outlier, no less than an achievement outlier, further represents a perfect storm of enabling factors, many external to the person, as well as the absence of disabling factors. This sounds fatalistic and is certainly not the starting point for a self-help book. But remember the role played by sustained practice in the lives of achievement outliers. There are things we can do to be happier, but these probably take many years to perfect. Research suggests that happiness and life satisfaction do not increase with age. (Peterson 2013:80). It is disheartening to see those young people come in full-of-beans and, boy, do they get it. The normal situation is that, perhaps for years, you work away at your art, your life vocation, your lifefulfilling field of action, and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no money in it.(Campbell 1991:182). In the entire multi-billion-dollar industry that is aptitude testing, the correlations that are found between talent and performance are consistently very small. The SAT predicts about nine percent of the variance in freshman grades. That is, if you know a studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s SAT score, you will be about nine percent more accurate at predicting performance than if you just took a guess. (Vishton 2016:58, emphasis added). Ben-Shahar424 also takes exception at the noted Minnesota Twin Study that predicted trying to be happier is as futile as trying to be taller. Ben-Shahar rejects the notion of average, and focuses on the top, the cream of the crop who succeeds. Lyubomirsky425 takes a more reasonable approach and concludes happiness is determined by a genetic set point (50%), external circumstances (10%), and intentional activity (40%):

For people in the aggregate (a sample), we can perhaps say that 50% of the variation in their happiness is attributable to genetic differences. But we cannot say that Joeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s short-term happiness following a raise at work or the victory of his favorite sports team or 424 425

2009: lecture 3.2. 2005.

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a wonderful weekend with his family is 50% due to his genes. That makes no sense. Which 50% are we talking about—the first 50%, the second 50%, or some other 50%? This is a category mistake of the first order.(Peterson 2013:71-72). The ADL reported a 15 percent decline in anti-Semitic incidents in 1982 from the previous year, and out of 829 incidents, only 197 involved vandalism at Jewish synagogues, temples and community centers. The Wiesenthal Center, on the other hand, claimed a total of over a thousand vandalism cases, asserting, for instance, that in the last three years 57 percent of the synagogues in New York had been vandalized. These are not trivial differences. (Wilcox 1994:7). Of course, all those 'scientific studies' are easy to debunk, because to a Darfur peasant, a homeless or unemployed person under a New York, Delhi or Paris bridge “external circumstances” matter more than a cursory 10%; studies after all target elusive “averages” peculiar to specific cultures (U.S or western culture typically). Yet the public (=those likely to buy the book, tape, or entrance to the conference) loves those fancy -and scientific-looking- little diagrams.

For each dream relationship just like that movie or novel exemplify, how many experience toxic relationships, 'quiet desperation'426 (“learnt helplessness” in the scientist's jargon), litigation, divorce and break-ups?

Based on Losada’s extensive mathematical modeling, 2.9013 is the ratio of positive to negative interactions necessary to make a corporate team successful. This means that it takes about three positive comments, experiences, or expressions to fend off the languishing effects of one negative. Dip below this tipping point, now known as the Losada Line, and workplace performance quickly suffers. Rise above it—ideally, the research shows, to a ratio of 6 to 1—and teams produce their very best work. (Achor 426

Once again, the Transcendentalists (here, Thoreau in Walden) score points on Nietzsche. Here “quiet desperation” is the antithesis of Nietzsche's “eternal return”.

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2010:64). Shame, blame, disrespect, betrayal, and the withholding of affection damage the roots from which love grows. Love can only survive these injuries if they are acknowledged, healed, and rare. (Brown 2012:71). Successful couples have a ratio of five times as many positive interactions-...-.It doesn't matter if the couple is emotionally volatile, quarreling eleven times a day, or emotionally placid, quarreling once a decade; it is the ratio that matters. (Tavris&Aronson 2007:173)427. This is how conflicts can escalate. One side does something it sees as innocent, oblivious to the perceived effect on the other side. The “victim” sees the situation in a harsher light and retaliates out of proportion to the original slight. The first person sees this act of vengeance as undeserved, retaliates even more, and so it goes. The research suggests that to stop this kind of escalation, it’s not enough to give back what you took. To right a wrong you need to give more than you may even think is fair—whether it be by apologizing for hurting the other person (even when you think he or she is overreacting) or by making a more substantive concession. (Chen&Krakovsky 2010:60). Barbara Fredrickson, PhD, of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, has studied human flourishing (how well people do in life) for years. In one study, she asked individuals, married couples, and business teams to fill out a “positivity test.” According to Dr. Frederickson, the experience of flourishing, or “doing remarkably well,” has a positive-event to negative-event ratio of 3 to 1. This means that people who feel good in life have at least three positive events to every negative event, which suggests the power of a negative event on our minds. John Gottman, PhD, one of the leading researchers in the field of relationships, found an even steeper ratio. -...-To succeed, a relationship needs five positive interactions for every negative interaction. (Goldstein 428 2015:62). If you experience an equal number of positive and negative associations with a romantic partner, the most likely outcome is divorce. In fact, a full 5:1 ratio seems to be needed. -...-For people 427

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Relationship luminary Gottman also suggests a five-to-one ratio. Gottman adds this holds true for his “three types” of marriage: validating, avoidant and volatile. Psychologist.

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in Gottman’s studies whose ratios were substantially lower,the most likely outcome was divorce.(Vishton 2016:174). Psychologist John Gottman explains this emotional hijacking as the hallmark of our nervous system in overdrive. Something happens — and it could be almost anything — in your interaction with your partner that sets off your internal threat-detection system. This is your parasympathetic nervous system in action, preparing you for battle or flight. In this state, you lose some of your capacity for rational thought. Science describes this is as a decrease of activity in your pre-frontal cortex, the center of higher cognition. -...-Basically, when we react in the grip of emotional flooding, we do and say the kind of things that are likely to trigger emotional flooding in our partner. And then both people in the room are out of control. (Manes 2013:no page). After all, this disheartening reality is what propelled since time immemorial a row of neurotic429 fantasies about lands of plenty, absolute redress, unflinching fairness, children and concubines as numerous as one's treasure chests, surfeit, eternal youth, and health for all indiscriminately.

Such neurotic fantasies are routinely repackaged to suit the moment's taste. For example, personality coaches promise to increase one's romantic success exponentially. Once one has learnt the personality coach's lesson, s-he may practice joining one of the countless venues offered for that purpose: singles' bars, online and offline dating and marriage agencies, dating and interest clubs and websites...

Is positive psychology a product of the late 1990s -as Ben-Shahar contends-? What about M. Fordyce, his research in the 1970s and his eponymous

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Such statements shall be intended as behavioral, not clinical statements. The present writer is not a licensed mental health professional, therefore such statements shall be meant as implying “compatibility with” current descriptions of said clinical conditions in relevant literature.

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1981 Psychology Of Happiness video series? What about Dale Carnegie's430 books in the 1930s, which present most of the same concepts NLP presents today? Readers would be hard-pressed to find general concepts from Fordyce's book (1987ss) 431 and series that do not recur in Ben-Shahar's courses (2005-9).

Readers would equally be hard-pressed to differentiate scholar Brené Brown's “academic findings” from the musings of pop-culture figure Marshall Rosenberg ( Non Violent Communication pioneer, 1934-2015 ), Richard Carlson (1961-2006), self-esteem luminary Nathaniel Branden (1930-2014) and Byron Brown, who published his Soul Without Shame in 1998. Professor of Psychology Dweck defines the “self-esteem movement” that started in the 1990s as “a complete disaster” that “backfired”432.

Perennial philosophy is everywhere:”For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they

430

431

432

Born D.H. Carnagey (1888-1955), he legally changed his name to mimic that of unrelated captain of industry Andrew Carnegie. For example Fordyce's “14 fundamentals”:” 1. Be more active and keep busy. 2. Spend more time socializing. 3. Be productive at meaningful work. 4. Get better-organized and plan things out. 5. Stop worrying. 6. Lower your expectations and aspirations. 7. Develop positive optimistic thinking. 8. Get present-oriented. 9. WOAHP -- work on a healthy personality. 10. Develop an outgoing, social personality. 11. Be yourself. 12. Eliminate the negative feelings and problems. 13. Close relationships are #1 source of happiness. 14. VALHAP [Value Happiness]-- the "secret fundamental". ”. (2000:no page). 2015.

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can clearly see his invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.”433.

We have seen that a significant element of biblical revelation was, in fact, not directly revealed to men from heaven, but came from natural revelation through the indirect channel of human religious experience. At the same time, our consideration of the function of progressive revelation has shown us that some of this “revelation” was given taking into account “the hardness of their hearts.” We might use as an analogy the distinction between the “perfect” and the “permissive” will of God. The biblical revelation in the Old Testament (and the various stages of it) may really be said to be divine revelation, but in such a way that leaves room for supersession and change. (Price 2018:no page434). What about the self-help waves from the XIX century, among which Pelmanism?435 Pelmanism was a training system devised in the 1890s -and still on 433 434 435

Romans 1:20. Price wrote this piece when he was still a Christian apologist. A search on popular Google Scholar in October 2013 for “Pelmanism” as title returned only six results, all unrelated. An ad for Pelmanism ran on British periodical Street&Smith's Unknown in November 1939. The Pelman Institute at London offered serving members of H.M Forces the full course and guidance for half the price. The full-page ad reads like a positive psychology course synopsis. “Brings out your hidden talents”;”Are you half the man you ought to be?”;”I never thought I had it in me”;”your confidence brings success”;it sweeps away”forgetfulness, depression, indecision, moodiness, mind-wandering, unnecessary fears”;”The intention of every word in the Course is to make clear to men and women the means by which they can develop their powers to the fullest extent so that they can live more happily and be more successful.”. Brown profiles Pelmanism thus:”Pelmanism enjoyed the most extraordinary range of endorsements from the good and the great of British life -...-The claimed scale of the uptake was truly astonishing, and explains the ability of its promoters to afford weekly full-page adverts in so many newspapers. But the advertisements did not actually spell our what was being offered. -...- Despite its claims to the contrary. there was a mystery about it, deliberately cultivated in these massive and frequent advertisements. In the midst of war the churchgoing middle classes were enticed by these oblique, mysterious advertisements to see in Pelmanism a new sciencebased discovery of something that would be of special interest to those interested in spiritual matters and was endorsed by some leading religious figures. -...- In reality, Pelmanism was something very simple. It was a system for improving memory using playing cards placed face down on a table and memorising their positions, and it is still used by some educationalists today. But the way it was branded and advertised during the Great War helps us to understand how religion rested in popular culture. Pelmanism was advertised primarily through religious newspapers, and claimed mostly men as its devotees. Its advantages were the acquisition of rapid promotion, bravery and honours. By implying some linkage to religion, it was acquiring a certain status with men, appealing to them as a religious ' thing' with scientific credentials. This alerts us to the increasingly popular notion in the 1910s that religion was being understood (not disproved) by science. Religions, including Christianity, were being understood increasingly in terms of links with science, with testing, with proof and with discovery.” (2006:102-3)

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the market to this day- offering the equivalent of strength training for the mind, just like the Dune books of later decades imagined would be the case in a far-flung future436: quite a coincidence again.

The gnostic current that gives [Scientology founder and sci-fi writer] Hubbard's tech its peculiar zap. Sounding like an Extropian battle plan, Scientology claims "to increase spiritual freedom, intelligence, ability, and to produce immortality." Once the Emeter has erased all the instincts, memories, and pains that define our personalities, we are left with what Hubbard calls the "thetan," an immortal essence that he defines as the incorporeal part of us that is "aware of being aware." -...-In fact, Hubbard's cosmology reads like "The Hymn of the Pearl" as filtered through Darwin and paranoid science fiction. (Davis 1999:140). One positive psychologist writes:

I started by telling him that positive psychology draws on ideas from many esteemed sources ranging from ancient Greek philosophers, to hallowed religious traditions, to modern-day writers and thinkers. What’s more, I went on, the principles and theories are then empirically tested and validated. So while some of the ideas espoused by positive psychology may very well be common sense, it’s the science behind them that makes them unique and valuable. (Achor 2010:136). Of course, “science” today replaces the holy ghost of yore, whose impact is certain, yet that works in slightly -or not so slightly- different ways depending on who's telling the story ( much as one would talk about god's grace 437, Chi, Ain Sof,

436 437

Pelmanism's jargon about the training of the mind also suspiciously resembles that of Tibetan Buddhism. God's grace (Isaiah 40:28ss) seems to act just like mystical Chi (China), Num (Ju people of the Kalahari), Mana ( Pacific island cultures), Haché (Afro-Cuban Santeria), Prana (India), Musubi (Japan), Pneuma (Ancient Greece), Ain Sof (Hebrew Kabbalah) etc in traditional healing systems:”Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. -...-but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. ”.

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Prana, Haché, Pneuma, Num, Mana etc). Jesus said:”And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” (Matthew 12:31).

It turns out even Hindu Upanishads (several centuries BCE) agree that “denying the manifestation -...-the whole life energy falls blank -...- we become not interested in manifestation, we believe in karma [=fatalism]” 438. It ensues that sinning against, disregarding or misusing such elusive mystical 'x forces' – whether science, Mana or god's grace- results in the most serious consequences.

In 1956, Aurobindo's sidekick439 and successor announced “the descent of the supermind”. The fact that a woman purported to be the embodiment of quintessential spiritual values acts as vehicle for the descent of some divine consciousness looks increasingly like a restyling of manifold messianic doctrines about royal virgins giving birth to superhuman heroes: one and the same.

The “mind of god” (providence etc), too, has found a contemporary

doppelgaenger as its replacement: the (more or less) free and self-regulating market economy and its 'invisible hands' and inner dynamics. If the market replaces god, then all else follows. The curve towards sinfulness and moral decay shall trigger a fire-and-brimstone judgment day when god shall reward the meek and punish the

438 439

Yatsenko, MAISI011 no date: lecture 2. Mirra Alfassa, known as “the mother” in Aurobindonian circles“India's (Jewish) mother -...- How Mirra Alfassa went from being a French bohemian to an Indian goddess -...-The de facto goddess of this town is a Sephardic Jew from France. ” (Goldberg 2010: no page). In Hindu ashrams (=religious communities), the male chief philosopher was often accompanied by a female counterpart called “mother”.

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evil.

Marxists say that the curve towards the decrease of profit and so forth shall inevitably trigger the implosion of the capitalist system. A vanguard of proletarian have-nots shall then enact judgment day against a cohort of greedy bourgeois and their lackeys. One scenario is the province of the ill-educated: opium to pacify the gullible. Another is the 'scientific' forecast of the 'political economist': both look so alike only political expediency makes differences count.

Accordingly, positive psychology is not to be confused with untested self-help, footless affirmation, or secular religion—no matter how good these may make us feel. Positive psychology is neither a recycled version of the power of positive thinking nor a sequel to The Secret. -...-I urge the general public to be similarly smart about the conclusions from positive psychology studies. Sometimes they hold, and sometimes they do not. If a researcher concludes that X indeed leads to Y, all he or she means is that it does so more often than could be expected by chance. When an exception occurs, it does not mean that the researcher is a charlatan or that the exception deserves condemnation. It happens. Oh well. But the conclusion—a generalization—remains a perfectly good one, even if misunderstood.(Peterson 2013:4,16, emphasis added). In fact, positive psychologists are in sharp disagreement over very precise points, in spite of allegedly deriving them from the 'unbiasedly scientific' verdict of electronic microscopes, FMRI scans or statistical analysis. To give a trivial example, Ben-Shahar and Morin claim counting one's blessings (=gratitude exercise) daily sorts the best effects, whereas Lyubomirsky emphasizes the exercise works only if performed once a week. In perfect Bernays style, we may say that regular gratitude exercises do show positive results: filling the gaps of this wide statement is

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left to the reader.

At a conference440, Cialdini emphasized his six principles that shall invariably lead one to become markedly more influential in one's circle:

1. Reciprocation.

2. Social Proof441.

3. Commitment and consistency.

4. Liking.

5. Authority.

6. Scarcity.

Answering a question, however, Cialdini has to refer to a study, and to concede that the priority of his principles varies enormously across cultures: USA (reciprocation comes first); China (authority); Spain (liking); Germany (commitment and consistency). This possibly amounts to debunking Cialdini's own surefire method to start with, at least to the present writer, for those 'magic principles' are not magic at all. Professor of marketing Berger quips:”products or ideas that contain Social Currency and are Triggered, Emotional, Public, Practically Valuable , and wrapped into 440 441

2001. Marketing professor Berger is adamant:”Ninety-nine-point-nine percent of all decisions are shaped by others. It’s hard to find a decision or behavior that isn’t affected by other people. In fact, looking across all domains of our lives, there is only one place we don’t seem to see social influence. Ourselves.” (2016:7).

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Stories”442.

They are a simple list of ingredients a successful outcome is based upon, such as baking a great cake. Having all the raw materials in the world (the best oven, eggs, sugar, flour etc) at one's disposal along with a detailed recipe from the best cook in no way guarantees one's cakes are invariably going to be top of the line.

Buddhist monks and new-agers in fact shroud Indian thought in the jargon of quantum physics.

What the New Age New Thoughters are trying to do is to use the New Physics to provide an evidential basis for the more slippery New Thought talk of “Godstuff” and “intentionality” and “invisible substance.” (Price 2008:13). Scholars categorically promise they'll teach you how to be(come) “happier” ( Ben-Shahar) or “undoubtedly more influential” (Cialdini) in a scientific way quoting peer-reviewed studies, yet Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard has been dubbed “the happiest person in the world”.

Experienced Buddhist meditators like Ricard and jailed psychopaths 443 furthermore share a startle response rate much lower than average:

Matthieu Ricard, French translator and right-hand man for the Dalai Lama, has been the subject of intensive clinical tests at the University of Wisconsin, as a result of which he is frequently described as the happiest man in the world. It's a somewhat flattering title, he says, given the tiny percentage of the global population who have had their 442 443

2013:19. “psychopaths have a very small startle response.” (Kiehl 2014:225).

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brain patterns monitored by the same state-of-the-art technology, which involves attaching 256 sensors to the skull, and three hours' continuous MRI scanning. (Chalmers 2007: no page). Not the good life but better living is the therapeutic standard. (Rieff 2006:48). Such commandments as the “13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do”444 by popular author, speaker and psychotherapist Amy Morin look suspiciously like Buddhism reworked to go on air as a crowd-pleasing show. Agony aunts with letters after their names coach people following 'scientific principles', not shamanic gnostic bromides from the axial age...for those who can tell the difference.

If quite a few Buddhist monks have been empirically shown to be “much happier”, why does the average person need positive psychologists, and their 'science'? Perhaps because the average modern man is not one easily swayed, gullible Tibetan or Cambodian peasant, nor one emotionally hollow hippie, but a man of science? What a powerful statement to make about oneself. Another possible explanation is the slow but steady rise in effectiveness of psychotropics, which has rendered many positions in the fields of psychology, psychotherapy etc obsolete. Failed or unemployed psychologists and their ilk would then turn to new-age pursuits, and vague oriental mysticism.

444

From Morin's website (http://www.amymorinlcsw.com/mentally-strong-people/):1. They Don’t Waste Time Feeling Sorry for Themselves;2. They Don’t Give Away Their Power;3. They Don’t Shy Away from Change;4. They Don’t Waste Energy on Things They Can’t Control;5. They Don’t Worry About Pleasing Everyone;6. They Don’t Fear Taking Calculated Risks;7. They Don’t Dwell on the Past;8. They Don’t Make the Same Mistakes Over and Over;9. They Don’t Resent Other People’s Success;10. They Don’t Give Up After the First Failure;11. They Don’t Fear Alone Time;12. They Don’t Feel the World Owes Them Anything;13. They Don’t Expect Immediate Results.

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The same gist recurs in all sorts of garbs. In the XVIII/XIX century, most depictions or accounts of backward or non-mainstream/western societies -typically in a colonial context- are marked by either emotive (personalization=dispositional factors= traits) depictions of rituals, threatening or bloody display of physicality, or both, to signify how those cultures ranked much lower on the supposedly ascending ladder towards depersonalization.

Finally, in schizoid persons, the anxiety connected with the species body is so great that they can simply dissociate themselves from their bodies, even during the act of sexual intercourse. In this way they preserve the sanctity of their own inner selves against the degradations of the body. Prostitutes, too, are said to actively practice this kind of self-body dissociation to keep their personal identities intact and pure no matter how degraded they may feel physically. As one schizophrenic girl remarked, in the most offhand manner, "I think I was raped on the way here." (Becker 1973:234). Most of you must know what it means when 100 corpses are lying side by side, or 500 or 1000. To have stuck it out and at the same time - apart from exceptions caused by human weakness - to have remained decent fellows, that is what has made us hard. This is a page of glory in our history which has never been written and is never to be written ( Reichsfuehrer SS Heinrich Himmler to a SS meeting in 1943, emphasis added). Of course, today's civilized man would never resort to such icky, tacky, gratuitous brutalities, and odd superstitions: white collar lawfare; 'intelligent' incendiary bombs; ecologically friendly killing fields; sanitary gas chambers; wellordered concentration camps might do. If those accursed regimes had survived long enough, they would probably have published 'studies' to extol the virtues of such friendly, ecological, sanitary, orderly policies, much as new studies make a strong case for more speed traps, albeit comparing pocket pickers with murderers is a hasty 292

generalization indeed.

The ultimate depersonalization (=situational factors) of treatment avowedly reflects moral maturity that shuns revenge/emotivity in favor of more or less clinical, industrial disposal/retribution:

the true functional relationship today has resolved all tension. The `functional' service relationship is no longer violent, hypocritical or sado-masochistic; it is openly warm, spontaneously personalized and definitively pacified. We find it in the extraordinary, vibrant atonality of the announcers at major airports or on TV; in the atonal smile, so `sincere' and calculated (though, ultimately, it is neither of these things for it is no longer a question of sincerity or cynicism here, but of `functionalized' human relations, cleansed of all temperamental or psychological aspects, cleansed of all real, affective harmonics, and reconstituted on the basis of the calculated vibrations of the ideal relationship -- in a word, freed from any violent moral dialectic of being and appearance, and restored to the simple functionality of the system of relations). (Baudrillard 1998:163-4) People in Indian call centers are trained to imitate weird drawls from the U.S South to give a nearly perfect service to the often unsuspecting user.

Well, Buddhists possibly squabble about the exact path to liberation among Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana and other traditions, but so do scientists with the diverse, often conflicting, verdicts they squeeze out of FMRI scans, electronic microscopes and all.

Finally, much as there is a cottage industry of more or less instant salvation offering a salad bar of philosophies for immediate gratification, so there is a cottage industry run by 'scientists'. There are mouths to feed, sport cars to buy and 293

mortgages to pay everywhere: just one possible explanation among many.

Quantum entanglement and synchronicity are hot commodities indeed. In Italy in the 1980s, studies after studies proclaimed the need for medical prevention in many respects, which the nanny State would offer to all in the pursuit of the greater good. In recent years, studies after studies indict, censor and bemoan carelessness in prescribing superfluous medical exams and interventions, the false positives that invariably result, and the exercise's overall futility, just to reinforce the stern cuts in welfare services that the collapsing budget of the faltering providence State can no longer afford: quantum entanglement, indeed.

In Italy in recent times, the hydra of the nanny State's regulatory and public agencies has put the industry of electronic cigarettes under overzealous scrutiny: legal restrictions have been passed, shops have been raided and so forth. Studies have started censoring and bemoaning presumed risks associated with the former boon to mankind's health: electronic cigarettes as the alternative to carcinogenic tobacco.

News agency ANSA reports ( on 22 April, 2013) how official figures report a significant decrease in State revenue from the sale of tobacco products (-132 million in the first 2 months of 2013 as compared with 2012 ). ANSA also anticipates lawmakers are considering further clampdown against the booming business of electronic cigarettes. MSN Notizie reports (May 25, 2013) how the loss of revenue from the sale of cigarettes shall reach 700 million euros in 2013 allegedly because of 294

electronic cigarettes: regulators are frantically at work.

According to Italian news agency ANSA ( August 25, 2013) as clampdown hits the industry once again, one of Italy's biggest players in the electronic cigarettes niche instantly loses half of its turnover: the entire industry collapses. Readers shall individually appraise which 'best of all causes' may be at work in the case at hand: synchronicity, indeed.

Naturally, the fans of this, that or the other author mentioned here may make all sorts of objections and demand proof to their standard of satisfaction that shall be valid in all possible universes: the final verdict rests with the reader. Costa and various hoaxers simply made very generic claims, and the general public -including authorities, media and so forth- reacted like well-trained lab animals carried away in an orgy of melodramatic compassion. School of Business professors DeRue&Sytch beg to agree:â&#x20AC;? a lot of our behavior falls in the category of fixed action patterns -...-. we respond to that stimulus very quickly, automatically, not necessarily engaging our mind, without thinking about that response too muchâ&#x20AC;? 445.

Simply saying ravens are black invites the challenge to prove that all ravens in all circumstances and possible universes are black. One exception suffices to cripple or invalidate the entire argument; and even if that one exception happens not to be available at the moment, well it just might be the case later, so nobody could really tell. 445

2015:unit 2.

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The point isn't entirely removed from everyday life. Around the year 2.000, it was common practice among fraudulent dating agencies and I.T providers to claim that their due diligence code required an often undisclosed number of official complaints in order for them to terminate the activity of hackers and spam gangs, or impersonators, scammers and swindlers operating behind their facade without violating their civil rights. It was especially humorous as such providers claimed they still had to receive the final complaint they needed in order to terminate a certain activity that had been rumored to occur about all over the internet for weeks or maybe months at a time.

Yet it isn't just about individual sensationalized studies or pleas. The

Piltdown Man ( remains of the cranium of a supposed “missing link” between humans and apes, discovered in 1912 ), the Nebraska Man (1917-27, another presumed “missing link” among hominids), and the Archeoraptor (remains of a supposed “missing link” between dinosaurs and birds, discovered in 1999 ) are among the many gross mistakes or forgeries in paleontology or archeology, spanning several decades and different levels of technological sophistication. “Missing links” are (politically) important in order to promote evolution, and to demote creationism, whose adherents hold evolutionism to be inaccurate precisely because “links” from species to species are supposedly “missing”.

( Many ) prominent Belle Epoque446 scientists ( field experts in the 446

Opinions differ about the time span Belle Epoque may have covered. The present writer superposes it with the ballet/theater performance Excelsior in Italy; this extremely elaborate, lavish, popular extravaganza remained on stage from 1881 (in 1913 a movie would be filmed) to the beginning of WWI.

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context of the contention ) were fooled in 1912, yet equally fine scientists were fooled in 1999.

Given all the many anatomical incongruities in the Piltdown remains, which of course are glaringly obvious from the vantage of the present, it is truly astonishing that the forgery was so eagerly embraced, by much of the British establishment at least, and by some notable North American anthropologists, including Henry Fairfield Osborn. The forgery was perfectly tailored, not technically but theoretically, and in the timing of the series of discoveries too. For instance, the first discoveries announced included parts of the obviously humanlike cranium and the equally obviously apelike jaw. But there was no canine tooth, which was a subject of some considerable interest because of the unusual wear pattern it might bear. Sir Arthur Smith Woodward predicted publicly what he thought such a tooth would look like, and within a few months one was found. His prediction was vindicated to the finest detail (Lewin 1987, no page, emphasis added). The frauded skull was freely accepted as genuine by a trusting public and scientists, who, as a matter of course, trusted other scientists' findings, and who were eager to discover that the cradle of the world's civilization was Britain. (VonRosenberg 1996:2). When finds are made they are inevitably incomplete, to the degree that some posited missing links consist of nothing more than a single bone. The dangers of this were demonstrated by Nebraska man, a find in 1922 which was comprised of only a single tooth. It was originally thought to be the tooth of an ancient human, from which an entire species was constructed, complete with artist’s graphic reconstruction, but by 1927 it had been established that the tooth was actually that of a peccary, a close relative of the pig, and Nebraska man was no more. As such, Nebraska man serves as an example of the power not of fossils, but of the beliefs we attach to them, beliefs which can extract an entire species from a single tooth. Though obviously an extreme example, the case demonstrates how flimsy the relationship between theory and evidence can be in palaeoanthropology. The incompleteness of fossils is a recurring problem in the search for a missing link, and a regular source of controversy (Goulden 2009:29). Despite the lack of evidence, however, there have been various claims that psychic phenomena can be used to understand the past. One of the most prolific was Edgar Cayce, who used “self-induced hypnosis” 297

to enter a trance and thereby access psychic sources of information. This earned him the title of the “Sleeping Prophet.” Some of his sources were supposedly people who had lived before, including refugees from Atlantis -...-. He also invoked Atlanteans after the Piltdown skull was found (more about that later, too). Cayce’s sources told him that the skull was from one of a group of ancient Atlantean settlers who had reached England. By the time the Piltdown skull was definitively proven to be a fake in the 1950s, Cayce had died, so he never found out that his psychic sources were apparently in error (Johnston 2010:47). In other words, if later, second-, third-, or fourth-century orthodox Christians agreed with the views found in the book of Colossians and decided that it should be included in the Bible, then its author was an honest forger. Other authors, however, who espoused views that later Christians rejected, were dishonest forgers. And how would the authors themselves know that centuries later their views would be accepted or not? Well, obviously, they’d have no way of knowing. (Ehrman 2011:138). The Koran was assembled from a variety of prior Hagarene texts (hence the contradictions re Jesus' death) in order to provide the Moses-like Muhammad with a Torah of his own447. Archeoraptor in 1999 was examined by x-ray/scan/imaging experts in the realm of archeo/paleontology (not just one's skilled local hospital x-ray technician ). In spite of all this, the two forgeries were believed to be genuine for about 40 years (the Piltdown Man ), and months (in the case of the Archeoraptor ).

Of course, nowadays it is fashionable to pillory those Victorian hoaxers who wanted to turn England into the cradle of civilization to satisfy self-absorbed White supremacists. After all, Wirth -the intellectual and head of SS Ahnenerbe -a NSDAP division in charge of substantiating the presumed German ancestral legacyhad been caught supporting such preposterous and outlandish theories, which even 447

Attributed to Robert M. Price.

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NSDAP Minister Rosenberg shunned and blacklisted.

Today everybody knows Africa is the cradle of civilization; that poses no political dilemmas, and is in no way suggestive of 'strategies'. It's just what the electronic microscope and compass tell us, too bad for those who irrationally object:

Second, it is no wonder that the sheer irrationality of white racism generated, in return, writings that can be ‘sometimes quaint, sometimes fantastic ’extnote. Third, arguments for the blackness of the Ancient Egyptians were lent topicality by prejudiced assumptions that, by definition, black Africans could not be creators of ‘ civilization ’ either in the past or in the present day. In the United States, moreover, such arguments were taken up ‘at a time when ‘‘one drop of Negro blood’’ was enough to make even the whitest person a Negro’. None the less racial classifications of, say, nineteenth-century America cannot be transferred to ‘Neolithic Egyptians or Ethiopians’. Fourth, the body of ideas now labelled ‘Afrocentric’ has a long and complex genealogy, in which white (often Jewish, like Franz Boas and Melville J. Herskovits) and black (and ‘mulatto’) scholars have all participated. (De Moraes Farias 2003:327-8). What I am presenting to you is not a belief system, it is the way things are [the public chuckles nervously] (Ram Dass in 1978). While the above explanations might be good enough, it is not clear why it should be so in such a precise way: conclusions are always foregone.

Also, the routine is performed nearly verbatim from all provinces of the political spectrum: it is difficult to part devil advocacy from the far left from that of the far right. The same goes back to medieval -in turn an elaboration of GraecoRoman- strategies: the Aristotelian (qualitative=answering the question why) versus

xtnote

It is possible to appreciate how this author juxtaposes “sheer irrationality of white racism” to “writings that can be ‘sometimes quaint, sometimes fantastic”: quite a difference (note of this writer).

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the (neo)Platonic (quantitative=mathematical=answering the question how) worldview, or the contemporary divide between rapport talk (qualitative) and report talk (quantitative).

Psychologist Eldar Shafir showed that the way a decision task is framed can naturally lead us to weight information differently when making decisions. If you’re asked which option to reject, you tend to over-weight negative information— reasons to reject. If you’re asked to choose, you tend to over-weight positive information.(Hamilton 2016:65). Noted Dale Carnegie Organization448 advises to get what one wants or needs by stating matters of facts calmly with no reference to states of mind, mindreading etc: report talk wins over rapport talk, or “cheap talk”. If so many persuasion experts urge to forego rapport talk 449 in favor of report talk, why are newscasts and interpersonal interactions full of rapport talk hogwash? “Other people can neither make us miserable nor make us happy. All we can get from them or give to them is information. But by itself, information cannot make us do or feel anything.”450.

Rapport focuses mostly on “external locus of control” (= poverty, society, ...ism “made me do it”), whereas report focuses mostly on “internal locus of control” ( such as Glasser's Choice Theory451). Rapport strategies focus on why-questions, 448

2005:disc 1. Building rapport as a strategy, social lubricant, is fine; getting sidetracked in a “rapport talk” quagmire when discussing matters-of-fact is not. For example, the employee who consistently misses deadlines ought to be held accountable about missing deadlines and all that entails even if s-he groans, shivers and wishes to tell stories of precious children and sexual assault by a Catholic priest to get off the hook. 450 Glasser 1998:16. 451 “Choice theory explains that, for all practical purposes, we choose everything we do, including the misery we feel. Other people can neither make us miserable nor make us happy. All we can get from them or give to them is information. But by itself, information cannot make us do or feel anything. It goes into our brains, where we process it and then decide what to do.” (Glasser 1998:16). Glasser was a U.S psychiatrist. 449

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hence on mind-reading and emotional connotations, whereas report strategies focus on how-questions, denotations (=dictionary definitions) and matter-of-fact statements:

A choice theory world is a tough, responsible world; you cannot use grammar to escape responsibility for what you are doing. The common use of nouns and adjectives to describe “depression” and other “mental illnesses” prevents huge numbers of people from ever thinking that they can do something more than suffer. When you learn that you are almost always free to make better choices, the concept that you choose your misery can lead to optimism.(Glasser 1998:104). When social and market norms collide, trouble sets in. Take sex again. -...-[A man's] wallet is getting perilously thin, but worse is what’s going on in his head: he’s having trouble reconciling the social norm (court-ship) with the market norm (money for sex). On the fourth date he casually mentions how much this romance is costing him. Now he’s crossed the line. Violation! She calls him a beast and storms off. He should have known that one can’t mix social and market norms—especially in this case—without implying that the lady is a tramp. He should also have remembered the immortal words of Woody Allen: “The most expensive sex is free sex.”. -...-There are many examples to show that people will work more for a cause than for cash. A few years ago, for instance, the AARP asked some lawyers if they would offer less expensive services to needy retirees, at something like $30 an hour. The lawyers said no. Then the program manager from AARP had a brilliant idea: he asked the lawyers if they would offer free services to needy retirees. Overwhelmingly, the lawyers said yes. -...-When money was mentioned, the lawyers used market norms and found the offer lacking, relative to their market salary. When no money was mentioned they used social norms and were willing to volunteer their time. -...-Because once market norms enter our considerations, the social norms depart. -...-no one is offended by a small gift, because even small gifts keep us in the social exchange world and away from market norms. -...-They reacted to the explicitly priced gift in exactly the way they reacted to cash, and the gift no longer invoked social norms—by the mention of its cost, the gift had passed into the realm of market norms. -...-Thinking about money, then, made the participants in the “salary” group 301

more self-reliant and less willing to ask for help. But these participants were also less willing to help others. In fact, after thinking about money these participants were less willing to help an experimenter enter data, less likely to assist another participant who seemed confused, and less likely to help a “stranger” (an experimenter in disguise) who “accidentally” spilled a box of pencils.-...-when a social norm collides with a market norm, the social norm goes away for a long time. In other words, social relationships are not easy to reestablish. Once the bloom is off the rose—once a social norm is trumped by a market norm—it will rarely return.(Ariely 2009:50-54, emphasis added).

302

PSYCHIC UNITY OF MANKIND

Well before Freud's disciple Jung452 popularized the item, a German ethnologist and physician, Adolf Bastian, had already conducted extensive field research on aboriginal societies distilling the concept of collective unconscious and 'psychic unity of mankind' (around 1868). Psychic unity of mankind has nothing in common with other streams of thought positing a primeval prehistoric religion as bedrock for all the others; neither is it similar to conspiracy theory such as Hislop's, who published in 1853 an anti-Catholic book denouncing Catholicism as a continuation of Babylonian religion:

Watch Tower writers [=Jehovah’s Witnesses] do often cite various historical works, but as they do with the Bible itself, they tend to use them as a basis for prooftexts. Thus it is that they maintain a so-called biblical chronology which is demonstrably false, and they use a curiously outdated speculative 'history' such as Dr Alexander Hyslop' s The Two Babylons or Papal Worship which is still quoted in many Watch Tower publications as though it were the Gospel itself. Interestingly, the society never bothers to tell the Witness community that The Two Babylons. one of their major sources of ' true history,' is a long-standing Plymouth Brethren publication." So by Witness standards, the Watch Tower Society is borrowing a source from Babylon the Great (false religion) to study about the role of Babylon in world history, All of this leads, then, to the maintenance of what amounts to a kind of nineteenth-century, fundamentalist history which ignores the last hundred years of scholarship in the field. (Penton 1985:183). The same myths and beliefs recur in distant and unrelated cultures, with less important local variations; those very concepts were 'in the air' in the Victorian 452

As always in such cases, some even dispute any affiliation between Jung and Freud beside the fact of being “colleagues”, let alone discipleship.

303

era:

It is generally assumed that the unconscious was discovered--that it is a dependable concept upon which various hermeneutics and critical narratives may be reliably grounded. In contrast, I argue that the unconscious was a cultural invention. I support this thesis by showing the nineteenth-century roots of the unconscious in novelists such as Hawthorne, Trollope, Charlotte Bronte, and Dickens, and in the narrative based philosophy of Hegel, Darwin, Marx, and Nietzsche. During the nineteenth-century, the "unconscious" (or what theorists now retrospectively refer to as the unconscious) was a mode of emplotment used to organize meaning in a world that was increasingly losing its foundations. This establishes the groundwork for my interpretation of Freud. I reinterpret Freud's alleged discovery of the unconscious as an effort to give a formal and quasiscientific understanding to the sorts of stories and plots that had emerged during the preceding century. By linking Freud's project with the narrative-work of the nineteenth century, I also challenge the common belief that modernist novelists discovered the unconscious-either under the influence of, or simultaneously with, Freud. Modernists, I suggest, were often aware of the fictive nature of Freud's effort. (Lindberg 1999:iii-iv). In the nineteenth century, certain general themes occupied much of the German-speaking world, and none more so than the will and the unconscious. These themes may well have reached their highest development in Freud, as many have suggested, but they did not begin with him, nor even with Nietzsche. To find their origins and first clear articulations, we have to go back at least as far as the strange misanthropic philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer. In the latter we find not only an anticipation of some of Freud's most characteristic ideas but a surprisingly complete articulation of them. It is general knowledge, of course, that Schopenhauer anticipated Freud to some extent (we examine some discussions of the link below). Indeed, Freud himself acknowledged this, though with a curious ambivalence to which we will return later. (Young&Brook no date: no page). The theoretical and conceptual schemes represented in Freud’s Discontents are found to bear a remarkable similarity to Nietzsche’s Genealogy on a number of highly specific points. It is suggested that “das Es,” “Uber-ich,” and “bad conscience,” concepts central to Freud’s moral theory of mind, are at least partly derived from Nietzsche. Moreover, Freud’s phylogenetic theory of guilt is based upon premises 304

found in Nietzsche, as are specific details relating to ideas on human prehistory and the ancestral family. (Greer 2002:303). Maupassant's 1884453

story Garçon, Un Bock! portrays the fateful

encounter between two classmates after a long time. The main character -as the title implies- is an alcoholic who wastes away drinking beer in unsavory beer-halls. He's no ordinary hobo, but the scion of a noble and wealthy family. While “the repressed” comes back circularly (“Garçon, un bock!”), the anti-hero finally tells his story. His life suddenly changed as he casually saw in his childhood his father as he used violence against his mother over money the father needed in order to -so the person says- finance his exploits as a womanizer.

Next day, things were apparently back to normal, yet the child's life had been changed forever: his psyche had been destroyed 454. In 2152 words in 1884 Maupassant magisterially delivers a cargo of myths, motifs, melodrama, pathetic fallacies and psychological narrative that puts to shame -for its craft and brevity- all the politicking bunkum, oracles replete with jargon and petty advocacy scribomanic pundits would write about in the thousands of pages in decades to come.

The present writer wishes to liken certain images/situations -no matter whether one may read about in a book, press article or 'watch about it' in a movie etc- to 'neuralgic points' of the human psyche; if pressure is applied in a certain way

453 454

Freud started publishing his theories in the 1890s. “"Eh bien, mon cher, c'était fini pour moi. J'avais vu l'autre face des choses, la mauvaise ; je n'ai plus aperçu la bonne depuis ce jour-là. Que s'est-il passé dans mon esprit ? Quel phénomène étrange m'a retourne les idées ? Je l'ignore. Mais je n'ai plus eu de goût pour rien, envie de rien, d'amour pour personne, de désir quelconque, d'ambition ou d'espérance” “ says the character.

305

to certain spots of the human body (the Hindu marma455 principle), a spontaneous reaction -inherent to the very nature and structure of the human body- ensues, whether or not the subject consciously or otherwise wills it:

the symbol works as an automatic button -...- an energy-releasing and directing image (Campbell 2002:Society And Symbol). When archetypes are active, they evoke deep feelings. Sometimes those feelings have a spiritual resonance. -...- Archetypes ennoble life by highlighting its meaning. -...-Brands that are associated with each of these archetypes will feel right and comfortable to the people who express them and lend meaning to their lives in some interesting way. (Mark&Pearson 2001:20-1,32). People strive to create a “personal brand” (also called “selfbranding”), packaging themselves like a product to be sold. -...-the relentless rise of narcissism in our culture. (Twenge&Campbell 2009:9). if—through marketing efforts, personal experience, or peer pressure— we come to believe that Coke tastes great, then that belief will color our experience when drinking Coke. Drinking exactly the same formula would not taste the same if it wasn’t Coke.(Hamilton 2016:178). So many famous authors (Bastian, Olrik, Rank, Raglan...) listed such strategies' ' successful ingredients' (Olrik's epic laws; Propp's functions; Raglan's score...) that the 'secret' is well known, which hasn't hampered its potential in the least. The very idea of a generalized collective unconscious (=Bastian's elementary ideas, Hindu marga) overarching humankind, and of localized manifestations (=Bastian's ethnic ideas, Hindu desi) comes back circularly.

The present writer loves to take a lesson from Bastian's approach in 455

Traditional healing technique antecedent of acupuncture. It consists in the pressure the therapist applies to specific points of the human body to relieve specific ailments.

306

terms of a genealogy of mythology. What is the difference between a history and a genealogy? First, discontinuity – or the apparently dominant role of ethnic ideasplays a major role against all sorts of providential blueprints and immanent actualizations. Second, there is a reversal of perspective to embrace a subaltern and marginal point of view, community or reality instead of a dominant one.

Conventional politicized narratives are not essential. Cosplayers impersonate imaginary and improbable cartoon, video game or comic strip characters with an emotional investment (=the emotionally supercharged statement about oneself) that parallels that of any electioneering drone.

Alternatively, cosplayers shun the headache gray uniformity of the mainstream by embracing another tentacle of the societal hydra video games, cartoons and comic strips represent:”Hence the incidents are fantastic and "unreal": they represent psychological, not physical, triumphs”;”I think that what we're seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances within our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.”.

Again, the shaking of fists, the gasping for breath, the feeling of oneness, the heart-warming fallacies, shifting goalposts and multiple standards take center stage (=marga=elementary idea) irrespective of who or what are people supposedly at one with (=”the visceral experience of reciprocity”), shake fists at or gasp for breath about in that individual instance, particular place, defined historical period 307

(=desi=ethnic ideas):

The timeless fabula is the mythic, the (transcendent) trancendent plight that a story is about: human jealousy, authority and obedience, thwarted ambition, and those other plights that lay claim to human universality. The sjuzet then incorporates or realizes the timeless fabula not only in the form of plot but also in an unwinding net of language. Frank Kermode says that the joining of fabula and sjuzet in story is like the blending of timeless mystery and current scandal. The ancient dilemmas of envy, loyalty, jealousy are woven into the acts of Iago, Othello, Desdemona, and Everyman with a fierce particularity and localness (Bruner, in Heikkinen et alii 2000:no page). NLP and advertising specialist Boothman is adamant: â&#x20AC;&#x153;synchronizationâ&#x20AC;? (=doing the same thing) lies at the core of any human being, and -as far as Boothman is concerned- can allow one to close a sale fast456:

What, then, is truth? A mobile army of metaphors, metonyms, and anthropomorphisms-in short, a sum of human relations, which have been enhanced, transposed, and embellished poetically and rhetorically, and which after long use seem firm, canonical, and obligatory to a people: truths are illusions about which one has forgotten that this is what they are; metaphors which are worn out and without sensuous power; coins which have lost their pictures and now matter only as metal, no longer as coins (Nietzsche 1873 in Kaufmann 1954:46-7). A great and interesting story is about everyone or it will not last (John Steinbeck). When you see someone who has fallen on hard times, overwhelmed with hard times, you should conclude: 'We, too, have experienced just this sort of thing in the course of that long, long time.' (Gautama Buddha, Duggata Sutta). There is pity for the human sufferer â&#x20AC;&#x201C; who is actually a counterpart, in this context, of oneself. (Campbell no date:no page). 456

2004.

308

Confucius infused the old Chinese ethos with the Axial virtue of compassion. He promoted the ideal of ren (‘humaneness’), which required people to ‘love others’. He was the first to promulgate the Golden Rule: ‘Do not do unto others as you would not have done unto you.’ The Axial spirit demanded inner reflection and self-scrutiny, a deliberate analysis of the deeper recesses of the self. You could not behave rightly to others unless you had first examined your own needs, motivation and inclinations; proper respect for others required a process of shu (‘likening to oneself’). (Armstrong 2005:34, emphasis added). what kind of knowledge do we hope to derive from reading novels, which tell us stories we know are not “true”? -...- the novel, therefore, can offer us more or less convincing models of how and why people act as they do -...-. We continue to value novels, especially novels in the classic realist tradition, for the light throw on human motivation. (Lodge 1992:182-3). When you see someone who is happy & well-provided in life, you should conclude: 'We, too, have experienced just this sort of thing in the course of that long, long time.' (Gautama Buddha, Sukhita Sutta). Now I Aggivessana, am aware that when I am teaching Dhamma to companies consisting of many hundreds, each person thinks thus about me: ‘The recluse Gotama is teaching dhamma especially for me'” (Gautama Buddha, Maha-saccaka-sutta. M.1.249, emphasis added). Jung's idea of the "archetypes" is one of the leading theories, today, in the field of our subject. It is a development of the earlier theory of Adolf Bastian (1826-1905), who recognized, in the course of his extensive travels, the uniformity of what he termed the "elementary ideas" (Elementargedanke) of mankind. Remarking also, however, that in the various provinces of human culture these ideas are differently articulated and elaborated, he coined the term "ethnic ideas" (Völkergedanke) for the actual, local manifestations of the universal forms. Nowhere, he noted, are the "elementary ideas" to be found in a pure state, abstracted from the locally conditioned "ethnic ideas" through which they are substantialized; but rather, like the image of man himself, they are to be known only by way of the rich variety of their extremely interesting, frequently startling, yet always finally recognizable inflections in the panorama of human life. (Campbell 1960:32, emphasis added).

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We may not change our skin color, but we mimic the facial expressions, gestures, actions, and even language of the people around us-...-.Mimicry starts almost from the day we’re born. Two-day-old babies cry in response to another baby’s crying and mimic the emotional expressions of their caregivers. -...-But even though we may not realize it, we are constantly and automatically imitating the actions of those around us. Subtly moving, posturing, and acting in ways that mirror our interaction partners. And they are doing the same for us.(Berger 2016:22). It is also opportune to emphasize that as certain motifs, myths, allegories etc get lost in particular places or settings, they immediately catch on like wildfire as soon as they're re-introduced. As soon as oriental thought started to make inroads west in a more or less coherent form 457 since the XVIII century458, it put the minds of the Romantics and especially Transcendentalists on fire. Is that proof this, that or another philosophy, idea or mytheme are “right” (whatever one may mean by it)?

Isn't it rather proof of the human mind's circular proclivities that have remained the same across ages, regimes and continents?

Buddhism had existed in Western writing for a long time before Hegel examined it. Strabo, Marco Polo and Peter Bayle had discussed it; John Toland talked about "the religion of Fo" (Buddha); the travel writer Richard Hakluyt published pictures of yogis (certain kinds of practitioner), though whether they were Hindu or Buddhist is not specified. The Annual Bibliography of English literature lists about forty citations about Buddhism, Tibet and the Dalai Lama in Romantic-period poetry. Thomas Moore, for example, wrote about mantra, Buddha, and Tibetan Lamas. Hegel's direct sources for his view of Buddhism are, primarily, the work of Samuel Turner (1749—1802), an English researcher who had gained access to the court of the Dalai Lama and his associate the 457

458

Reports from Christian missionaries to faraway lands – such as the Americas or Japan- were also popular in the XVI and XVII century. Anquetil du Perron edited the first translation of a part of the Avesta (sacred texts of Zoroastrianism) in French in 1771. Around 1801, he also published selections from Hindu Upanishads.

310

Panchen Lama (the findings were published around 1800); and the sixth and seventh volumes of the encyclopedic Allgemeine Historie on Buddhism (1750) (Morton 2007:no page). 1987 movie Angel Heart mixed the hero's journey, the detective angle, and the Oedipal quest for an arch-sinner that turns out to be oneself: it was a success in spite of recycling the same old devices as countless other narratives. Truth (statistical probability, consistency, verisimilitude...) is not a necessary component of any strategy wanting to capitalize on the above, but 'what feels emotionally true' is: the quintessence of every religious experience. Emerson, Mussolini, Hitler, Gandhi, Ram Dass and so many other 'great men' made explicit fun of consistency:â&#x20AC;?My commitment is to truth not consistencyâ&#x20AC;? (Gandhi).

Both

Mormonism

and

Christian

denominations

that

denounce

Mormonism as a cult preach the ultimate power of revelation through prayer: the warm, fuzzy feeling that either one has a personal relationship with Jesus (Jesus entered one's heart, etc); or that god's true revealed covenant is Joseph Smith's.

Depending on someone's possible religious beliefs, sociopolitical climate, political leaning or affiliation, personal background and other dangling variables, some of these comparisons may be rejected at first sight, or retained in the form of just one of the possible interpretations.

Rejecting -or revering- the concept of psychic unity of mankind does not make the contention go away about images or concepts copycatted the world over across continents, ages, and levels of social and technological sophistication. For 311

example, disembodies body parts serving as quintessential fetish (eyes, phalli, hands...) abound, mother goddesses with child, dying and rising savior-heroes, glittering cities atop hills, weapons with the supernatural power to invariably hit what they are aimed at such as Karna's spear in the Mahabharata, and Hercules' bow. Alternatively, 'great men' (Confucius, a Pope, Dalai Lama, Epictetus, Jesus, Buddha, Mohamed, Lao-Tzu...) utter the same deepities:“Sounds good! Jesus must have said it!”.

unlikely

source

describes

the

quintessential

savior-hero

perfectly:”savior of the universe -...- he'll save everyone of us -...-king of the impossible -...- he's for everyone of us -...- just a man, with a man's courage -...- but he can never fail -...- the pure in heart”: the soundtrack of 1980 blockbusting Flash

Gordon.

Doane devotes extensive checklists to the comparison between Jesus and Chrisna459, and between Jesus and Gautama Buddha460. Cooper writes an entire book exploring The Horus Myth and Its Relation to Christianity 461; Massey462 lists similarities between the lore of Jesus and that of Horus463. In 1928, Brown writes:

In this study I make no effort to exhaust the endless number of later Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Christian, and African legends 459 460 461

462

463

1884:278. 1884:289. 1877 . The specification Gautama Buddha indicates the founder of Buddhism, as in some traditions there are several Saints called Buddha. 1907:906ss. As with most works that engage in such detective feats, reactions may go from uncritical endorsement to indignant accusations of the basest of crimes, of the most abject incompetence and of jaded judgment. One of this essay's contentions is about the highly politicizable nature of myths. Horus' mother Isis in fact is among the oldest representation of the mother goddess nursing her child.

312

exemplifying walking on the water. I confine myself to the material bearing directly upon my problem, most of which is of pre-Christian antiquity. (v). Christian propagandists such as Chris White go into conniptions denouncing such line of thought, then conveniently resume it with no feeling of incoherence when they are to denounce Catholic conspiracies, or the fact that -to name one- positing December 25th as Jesus' birthday is a late, commodious addition Catholics of the early centuries concocted to either absorb, or work a deal with paganism.

Catholicism -the only mainstream form of Christianity for over 5 centuries- would thus be -according to White and his ilk- just a reworking of equal parts of Biblical and pagan items -such as Sun worship- orchestrated by the likes of Constantine and early Church figures alike. It won't escape readers how the statement they restrict to Catholicism (=a hybrid hodgepodge of pagan, Hebrew and Christian beliefs) is precisely the accusation leveled against Christianity by the same authors they get into conniptions to avowedly refute.

Magical trees are everywhere. Pottery from the Samarra culture (Iraq, around 4000 BCE) shows gazelles circumambulating (=common mytheme) a sacred tree. In Zoroastrianism, plant life is equated with ameretat (long life and immortality, an hypostasis of Ahura Mazda). Pre-hispanic America notably honored the Ceiba tree; the Gwiti of Gabon honor the Iboga tree, from which psychotropic ibogaine is extracted; the Iroco tree -and relative orisha- is associated with Yoruba

313

mythology; the Kepa (sacred graveyard tree) exists in Bali; the Yggdrasil appears in Nordic mythologies; the sacred olive tree appears in Athens; the laurel tree was sacred to the Eleusinian mysteries; young Dionysus plants a fig tree at the entrance of his cave as he was stranded ashore at Vrasies as an infant; Moses approaches the burning bush; Virgil compares Aeneas to an oak tree. The Sakaki tree branch is offered during traditional Japanese Shinto ceremonies such as marriages, and branches of other trees (pine, plum, bamboo) are offered at other times. The Jewish festivity of Sukkot is linked to the Four Species of plants mentioned in the Torah (etrog, lulav, hadass, haravah), which the Midrash correlates with good deeds and Torah.

The basket in which infant Romulus and Remus floated atop a river comes to rest underneath a fig tree; the infant Dionysus rests beneath a tree, on which -just like in the Biblical story- a serpent climbs 464; Gautama Buddha is born, enlightened, and dies beneath a tree; Shiva as world teacher sits under the divine tree facing south; the Indus valley (Harappan) civilization (2600-2000 BCE) also produced seals with the fig tree as sacred item.

On the island of Kos (Greece), an ancient sycamore tree is presented as the very tree under which famed physician Hippocrates (460-375 BCE), a native of the island, taught his disciples: the present tree, however, is merely a few centuries old. Judas commits suicide in some version by hanging himself from a fig tree 465; 464

465

Hera instructed the dragon Ladon to watch over the tree of the golden apples of the Hesperides. Ladon kept watch coiled at the tree's base. Like other foes of the Jewish imaginary, such as Antiochus IV (â&#x20AC;&#x153;the abominationâ&#x20AC;?), the two Herods etc.

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Mahayana Bodhisattva Manjusri teaches in the sala tree grove. Japan's possibly biggest Shinto sanctuary at Ise is located in a lush groove. Sacred to Yoruba religion is the sacred Osogbo grove along the Osun river, where goddess Yeye Oshun resides.

one of the most persistent mythic patterns over time — that of the World Tree, with snake or dragon nesting among its roots, and a raptor — often eagle, hawk, or owl — perched in the uppermost branches. Around 2000 B.C. we have the tale of Gilgamesh at the Huluppa tree, with the Anzu bird in the branches, and the “serpent who could not be charmed” nestled in its roots; an even earlier version has the god Shamash siding with the bird as it battles the same serpent at the base of the same tree; three thousand years later the same motif is recorded in the Norse myths of the Prose Edda, where an eagle nests atop Yggsdrasil — the immense World Tree — while a dragon gnaws at its roots — and a squirrel races up and down the trunk carrying insults between the two; meanwhile, half a world away from Europe and the Near East, the sight of an eagle battling a snake atop a cactus in Mesoamerica prompts the nomadic Aztecs to settle down and found a civilization (a mythic image that graces Mexico’s flag). -...-Campbell implies that the image of birds of prey attacking serpents strikes no chords in the collective psyche prior to the Bronze Age (which is about the same time that Dragon and Slayer first appear). (Gerringer 2006:10-11). Trees and sprouts are sacred to various Hindu gods: durva grass (Ganesha); plantain (Kali); sri-phala (Parvati); kesara (Shiva); banyan and fig tree (Vishnu); neem (Durga). Among the Kalash people of the Pakistani Hindu Kush, shamans commune with the spirits inhaling juniper -also sacred to Indra- smoke that induces trances. Juniper is also used in sacred “smoke offerings” of Tibetan

“Immediately, because Herod did not give glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.” (Acts 12:23). Judas Iscariot is said in some version to die horribly as worms exit his body. In the agony of such an excruciating death, Antiochus is said (in the Book Of 2 Maccabees, 9:17) to have repented, offering to convert to Judaism. As Madden informs (1881), many personalities were considered to have died eaten by worms, such as Pheretima (Queen of Cyrene, VI century BCE); Sulla (Roman Republican statesman, 139-78 BCE ); Galerius Maximian (Roman Emperor, 305-311 CE); Maximin (Roman deputy Emperor).

315

Buddhism.

Jesus sulks on the Mount of Olives 466 (Luke 22:39) in a doubt and redemption shtick (=the hero as frail creature just like us), much as the forbidden trees of Eden find their vindication in Jesus as the “holy root” ( Romans 11:16-24)467. Jesus as well curses a fig tree (= an allegory of Jerusalemite Temple worship) for bearing no fruit off season: the tree withers ( Mark 11:12-25). Joseph Smith encounters spiritual revelation during a walk in the woods.

According to Campbell468, Jesus, the holy root, being crucified at the “place of the skull” (Golgotha), sends his blood down onto Adam's skull 469 as a token of forgiveness towards humankind in a blurred edition of another vegetation myth. From Adam's skull the cross as holy tree sprouts with Jesus on top:”It is almost like a reflex in another medium of the same thing, the same story. Instead of corn, or maize, it's a coconut.”470. A wonderful tree grows around Osiris surreptitiously trapped into a sarcophagus:”it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.” 471.

466

467

468 469 470 471

A reference to Old Testament prophecies:”Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. 4In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.”. (Zechariah 14:3-4). Examples to the contrary are present:”the body must not remain hanging from the tree overnight. You must bury the body that same day, for anyone who is hung is cursed in the sight of God. In this way, you will prevent the defilement of the land the LORD your God is giving you as your special possession. ( Deuteronomy 21:23).” 1972-2:Man&Myth Through The Ages I. According to Medieval interpretations, Campbell 1980. Campbell&Moyers 1991:87. 1 Corinthians 15:44.

316

The cross - present in Egyptian lore as well- could also be interpreted as a sort of tree. Besides, the cross also represents the axis of the world, crossings and crossroads (Hercules at the crossroad), places sacred in both the Graeco-Roman and Hindu world: the Buddha's relics were placed in temples at crossroads 472. Remains shall be placed at crossroads, both godly and ungodly. In 2005 Romania, the body of a presumed undead vampire is exhumed. His heart is removed, burnt at a crossroad in order to get ashes to dissolve in a magic potion for later use.

The Hebrew garden of Eden imagery of Adam and Eve being kept by armed angels from re-entering the garden after disobeying god recurs in Buddhism, too473. At Nara (Japan), or many other (Mahayana) Buddhist temples, two fearsome guardians (desire and fear according to Campbell 474; beginning and end of things according to Japanologists) flank the threshold to the temple, in whose interior 472

473 474

“Immediately after the Buddha's death, laymen divided his remains (sarira) into eight parts and constructed burial mounds (stupas) for them. These stupas were constructed at the intersections of major roads (DN, vol. 2, p. 142) where large groups of people could assemble, not at the monasteries where monks lived” (Hirakawa 1990:105). Campbell 1967a. Following Hindu Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (IX to VI century BCE), Campbell comments desire and fear drive creation.”I-iv-1: In the beginning, this (universe) was but the self (Viraj) of a human form. He reflected and found nothing else but himself. He first uttered, '‘ am he'’ Therefore he was called Aham (I). Hence, to this day, when a person is addressed, he first says, ‘It is I,’ and then says the other name that he may have. Because he was first and before this whole (band of aspirants) burnt all evils, therefore he is called Purusha. He who knows thus indeed burns one who wants to be (Viraj) before him.I-iv-2: He was afraid. Therefore people (still) are afraid to be alone. He thought, ‘If there is nothing else but me, what am I afraid of ?’ From that alone his fear was gone, for what was there to fear ? It is from a second entity that fear comes.I-iv-3: He was not at all happy. Therefore people (still) are not happy when alone. He desired a mate. He became as big as man and wife embracing each other. He parted this very body into two. From that came husband and wife. Therefore, said Yajnavalkya, this (body) is one-half of oneself, like one of the two halves of a split pea. Therefore this space is indeed filled by the wife. He was united with her. From that men were born. I-iv-4: She thought, ‘How can he be united with me after producing me from himself ? Well let me hide myself’. She became a cow, the other became a bull and was united with her; from that cows were born. The one became a mare, the other a stallion; the one became a she-ass, the other became a he-ass and was united with her; from that onehoofed animals were born. The one became a she-goat, the other a he-goat; the one became a ewe, the other became a ram and was united with her; from that goats and sheep were born. Thus did he project every thing that exists in pairs, down to the ants. ” (Swami Madhavananda trans.).

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Vairocana Buddha sits beneath the tree of enlightenment with a welcoming gesture. Gautama Buddha himself lived his youth in sensual indulgence within the boundaries of his father's walled palace, just as Adam and Eve in another context.

French

scholar

Cambronne

contrasts

desire

( desiderium)

with

consideration (considerare). If acting with consideration means acting in accord with the stars (con-sidero), acting under the spell of desire (de-siderium) means having lost one's stellar compass, one's north star. Cambronne also prefers the term

polarité (polarity) to duality, whence the “stellar” (pole star) reference.

A Japanese kendo (Japanese sword mastery) gymnasium was located in a Buddhist Soto temple at Hyogo (near Kobe, Japan) in the 1970s; the temple abbot presided over training sessions monks taught: “the place where one cultivates young sprouts” was the name of the gym. The obsession with agricultural or horticultural metaphors goes back to Mesopotamia and Zoroastrian imagery at the dawn of civilization.

Hale475 links gardening with precepts in Zoroastrian religion that exalted the agricultural lifestyle as opposed to an herding and nomadic one. Gardening (=cultivation) has of course metaphysical or political connotations as well. Persian Achaemenid Kings called themselves gardeners. R.L. Moore connects this imagery with increased integration of the self:”things will be gardened. It won't be chaotic [chaos <> cosmos] because the person is invested there into caring for the space; 475

2009:Tending Zoroaster's Sacred Fire In Iran.

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they're aware that they are in space”476.

Sargon, the legendary King of Akkad

(XXIV century BCE), was

assertedly raised by foster parents. He became a gardener before the goddess Ishtar granted him her love, and ensuing royal power:”The metaphor of plant cultivation is important to New Thought, for one is advised to continue to meditate upon one’s envisioned goal, feeding it with positive mental energy.” 477.

When god created him, Campbell construes Adam's position in the garden of Eden as that of a gardener 478. “Amos answered Amaziah, "I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees.”479. Cain (=bad guy) and Abel (=good guy) also epitomize the clash between cattle herders (Abel) and farmers (Cain); others suggest the “second son” hypothesis as Bible materials were gathered separately in Israel (the preferred “second son”) and Judah, where Jerusalem was located.

Mythological threshold are all over: Romulus kills his brother Remus after he jumps past a threshold Romulus had dug. An eruv is a ritual enclosure Jewish communities trace to encompass several properties into one domain for the purpose of observing the precepts of the Sabbath. According to Greek etymology, the very word temple denotes a sacralized, ritual enclosure.

476 477 478 479

No date-3: part 4. Price 2008:17. 1991:21. Amos 7:14.

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Historical figures of all sorts are often associated with trees: George Washington and the cherry tree480; Guatemalan Saint Hermano Pedro and the Esquisuchil tree he sowed, and so forth. At times, trees and famous people become one: U.S President Jackson (Old Hickory); physique superstar, actor and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger (The Oak). Buddhist lore has it that at Sravasti a tree – a sapling from the “tree of enlightenment”- was to be presented with offerings when Gautama Buddha wasn't in residence.

Southern Italy (Sannio) sees vegetation rituals (passata arborea in general). Children would be slipped through a divided sapling (=mystical vagina). The sapling would then be put together again in a bond with the boy: a “second birth” in general, or a way to cure illnesses such as hernia. The healing of the formerly split sapling ought to mirror the child's healing.

If miraculous trees are everywhere, so is related fabrication:

We know that this story [= Washington and the cherry tree] never happened, because the person who invented the tale later admitted to having done so. He was a Christian minister named Mason Locke Weems, usually known as Parson Weems. As a later biographer of Washington, Parson Weems confessed that he made up the story, even though he once had claimed that he received it from a credible eyewitness (a nice paradox: he “told a lie” in this story about not lying). Here, then, is a story that we know is nonhistorical. But we still tell it to our children. Why? Not because we are trying to teach them about the facts of colonial history, but because we think the story conveys a “truth” that we want our children to learn. (Ehrman 2011:53).

480

In the lore, Washington as a boy confessed he had chopped down his father's cherry tree.

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In Italy, it was mandated that burial grounds had their viale delle

rimembranze to commemorate soldiers fallen during WWI. Even small villages had one: a tree was typically planted to commemorate each soldier. St. Mary often appeared in proximity to trees. Madonna Della Quercia (St. Mary of the oak) is a version of Mary honored with equal fervor and originality in various parts of Italy: Roma, Viterbo, Pitigliano, Rieti, Civitavecchia, Calabria: miracles multiply everywhere.

Virgil establishes links between trees and human heroes in the Aeneid; in the Odyssey, princess Nausicaa (VI:160-169) is compared to a superb palm tree growing at Apollo's temple at Delos. Sikh devotees pledged to plant trees to commemorate Sikh victims of a period of civil unrest and inter-religious clashes in India in the early 1980s.

During a trip to the holy land in June 2014, Pope Francis I plants an olive tree -a symbol of peace- in collaboration with Israeli leader Peres, Orthodox Patriarch Bartolomew and Palestinian leader Abbas: a few weeks later the vicious cycle of Palestinian terrorist attacks against Israeli cities, and Israeli military reprisals begins anew.

Similarities may come in bulk. It is possible to see how Jain Saints Mahavira, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the great heroâ&#x20AC;?481, (VI century BCE482) and Bahubali483; Indian (later 481 482

483

Just in case doubts remained about the intertwined role savior and hero figures play. As with all these ancient figures, their lives are mostly shrouded in mystery; different scholars may situate them in more or less different time periods. Mythical prince victorious over his brother. Bahubali then gives up his kingdom and pursues a spiritual path.

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Tibetan) Buddhist Saint Atisha (X-XI century CE) had a life very similar to Gautama Buddha's: prodigious pregnancy, princely upbringing, mystical vocation, rejection of worldly ties and ministry preaching doctrines similar to Buddhism.

Buddhist Tantric master Śubhākarasiṃha (637-735) also shared many high points: princely birth; retreat after a succession struggle with siblings; miraculous and wandering ministry. Legendary Chinese Buddhist monk and translator An Shigao (148-180 CE) was also the son of a Parthian King who gave up his princely duties to espouse the spirituality of a life of religious wandering and miraculous events...

St. Francis of Assisi's (XII/XIII century CE) birth wasn't prodigious, nevertheless he went through most of the high points: birth in an affluent family, more or less dissolute youth, conversion, severing of worldly ties, religious ministry, hardships/rejection, extensive travels, sainthood. Such holy figures may represent either cultural household names, or unknown saintly men -such as San Rocco (a XIV century French Saint) in the Italian Provincia Di Novara- presiding over localized neighborhoods.

Popular culture couldn't be far behind. 1988 comedy Coming To

America, also portrays an exotic Prince (in that case, African) living a life of sheltered indulgence, which he leaves behind (=hero's journey; Gautama Buddha leaving his palace) with his attendant (= Gautama Buddha and his charioteer) to trail Son of a sage who purportedly had 100 sons. Bahubali's life may be seen as a Jain answer to the Mahabharata.

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the path of both a modest amount of gnostic insight, and a Cinderella story in AfroAmerican sauce. 1983 Italian comedy Un Povero Ricco sees an industrialist leaving comfort behind in order to treat his irrational fear of getting broke: gnostic experiences and a love story await him.

Peter Waldo (the medieval heresiarch, 1140-1218 CE) also went through many high points484. Apollonius of Tyana's (40-120 CE) life also went through the high points of the godly man ( theios aner in Greek): a prodigious pregnancy; a lofty inheritance he renounces in order to pursue a mystical vocation; celibacy; itinerant ministry; rejection and persecution by wicked Emperors such as Nero and Domitian; miracles; ascent to heaven; posthumous appearances etc.

The Oxford Classical Dictionary, IV ed., adds that an epigram from Cilicia (III century CE) hails Apollonius as â&#x20AC;&#x153;extinguishing the faults of menâ&#x20AC;? (=absolution from sins like Jesus?). Apollonius' cult attracted the patronage of the Severan Emperors (193-235 CE), just as the Jesus movement gained imperial patronage under Constantine.

Like Jesus, Apollonius is historicized as Lucius Pompeius Apollonius (from a lost inscription Cyriac of Ancona copied) who would have interacted with Roman officials, for example -according to C.P. Jones- the proconsul Lucius Mestrius Florus, who was Plutarch's patron and a governor of Asia circa 88-89 CE. Apollonius would have written Florus regarding the mysteries of Demeter 484

Wealth he forsook in pursuit of mysticism; itinerant ministry; rejection/persecution; posthumous fame...

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Karpophoros And Thesmophoros Of Ephesos485 that ought to be preserved.

There is an important aspect here. When the Oxford Classical

Dictionary, IV ed., writes how Apollonius

visited distant lands (including India), advised cities, had lifethreatening encounters with Nero and Domitian, whose death he simultaneously prophesied, and on his own death underwent heavenly assumption. It does in no way imply that the academics behind the book confirm in any way, shape or form how Apollonius -if he ever existed as the lore requires- did actually ascend to heaven, visit India or any other mention that may be made, just as it is the case with Jesus when Tacitus, Josephus etc may be concerned. Tacitus and Josephus, just as the Oxford Classical Dictionary, simply repeated “the story” as the lore has it: no “independent corroboration”.

Gautama Buddha is said to have personally interacted with secular figures of authority in his time (Kings, sages, ministers...); Jesus' life is supposedly historicized by making him stand trial before Pilate; Apollonius is said to have stood

485

“What is especially significant for our present purposes are the imperial cult-related connections associated with the priesthoods of the honorees. Along with the priest of Artemis (Bassos) is mentioned Proklos, who is called priest of the ‘new Dioskoroi’, the sons of Drusus Caesar (cf. Tacitus, Ann. 2.84). There was evidently a cult devoted to the twin sons of [Tiberius' son ] Drusus Caesar and Livilla identifying them as the sons of Zeus, perhaps alongside other members of the imperial family identified as gods. The third honoree, Servilia Secunda, is referred to as the priestess of ‘Sebaste Demeter Karpophoros’. Here we have the Demetriasts, in a manner typical of associations, honouring prominent persons who had assumed priesthoods associated with cults for the imperial family. More importantly here is the fact that the Demetriasts themselves identify their own patron deity with a member of the imperial family, Sebaste (the wife of Augustus [and mother of Tiberius, Octavian's step-son]). This suggests that cultic honours for such members of the imperial family were integrated within the traditional practices for Demeter within group-life. ” (Harland 2003:90-91). Thesmophoria were ancient fertility festivals across the Greek world in honor of Demeter and Persephone; only (married) women were supposed to participate in it.

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trial not before an obscure provincial official like Jesus did, but in front of the Emperor Domitian himself.

Apollonius also vanishes into thin air at the end before the entire imperial court, attending witnesses, and so forth, much as Jesus professedly ascends to heaven after appearing shortly not in front of an entire court, but to selected disciples only. Like Jesus, Apollonius teleports to join his disciples far away from Rome. Like it was the case with Jesus again, they mistook him for a ghost:

"Alive?" said Demetrius, "For if you are dead, we have anyhow never ceased to lament you." Hereupon Apollonius stretched out his hand and said: "Take hold of me, and if I evade you, then I am indeed a ghost come to you from the realm of Persephone, such as the gods of the underworld reveal to those who are dejected with much mourning. But if I resist your touch, then you shall persuade Damis also that I am both alive and that I have not abandoned my body." They were no longer able to disbelieve, but rose up and threw themselves on his neck and kissed him, and asked him about his defense. -...-"How then," said Demetrius, "have you accomplished so long a journey in so small a fraction of the day?" And Apollonius replied: "Imagine what you will, flying ram or wings of wax excepted, so long as you ascribe it to the intervention of a divine escort." "Well," said Demetrius, "I have always thought that your actions and words were providently cared for by some god (Philostratus, Life Of Apollonius, ch. VIII, Conybeare trans.). Fascist leader -and Waffen SS General â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Degrelle also relayed he used to swiftly disappear when an occasional devotee might recognize him, thus falling to his feet, as he was staying undercover in hostile countries after WWII: corroboratory evidence or mere literary device?

Ascents to heaven can take the form of a sort of journey, or it may be

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construed as possibly growing taller:”He hath gone up the heights of earth and heaven ” says Hindu Rig Veda (XV century BCE or older) about the god Savitar, the creator. In the Gospel Of Peter (I/II century CE), two angels escort Jesus out of the tomb as he resurrects: their height reaches up to heaven, yet Jesus' height reaches well beyond heaven.

In Buddhist Yamaka Sutta, Sariputta corrects Yamaka's wrong perception that sages attaining nirvana no longer exist after death: they're indeed transcendental. Payasi Sutta presents a similar text: monk Kumara-Kassapa convinces a prince who staunchly disbelieved in karma and the afterlife to embrace right views. Apollonius appears in a dream to a disciple who doubts (=doubting Thomas of Christianity) immortality, and convinces him that Apollonius is indeed immortal, and so will the disciple be.

Peregrinus Proteus (95-165 CE) – a Christian and later Cynic philosopher-, throws himself on a pyre to die in imitation of Hercules. In some accounts, he is rumored to have ascended to heaven, and to have appeared posthumously. Peregrinus also goes through many of the great man's high points: an inheritance he donates to his city's people; ministry, persecution etc. An evil King tries to burn Tibetan Buddhist Saint Padma Sambhava alive on a pyre. After the Saint's transfiguration, the fire becomes lake Rewalsar (India).

India's Kabir (1440-1518) is a Saint dear to Muslims and Hindus alike. When he dies, his Hindu and Muslim devotees quarrel over whether Kabir's 326

remains ought to be treated according to Hindu or Muslim customs; that's when they realize his body had mysteriously vanished leaving only flowers behind. The same story with additional twists 486 is told of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism; Baba Sri Chand (Nanak's son) also vanishes at his death: according to Udasi tradition (an ascetic group), he vanished as he entered the forest of Chamba in 1685, just like Oedipus.

Kabir is so popular that longitudinal sects exist ( Satguru Kabir Panth) who follow “Kabir's path” across religious allegiances. Kabir is thus a living god born on a water lotus from a ball of light, thus discarding popular biographies that want him to be originally born in a Muslim or Hindu milieu, or both (a Brahmin child raised by Muslim weavers for example).

Supremely accomplished Tibetan Buddhist masters may attain “the rainbow body”: their body allegedly disappears at death leaving only fingernails and hair behind. Chinese Taoist master and alchemist Wei Boyang ( Biographies Of

Immortals, IV century CE) feeds an elixir supposed to bring immortality to a dog, which dies on the spot. A faithful disciple and Wei himself also die upon ingesting the same compound. Two remaining disciples leave the mountain retreat to fetch coffins for their comrades; when they return, they find no corpses, but telltale signs that Wei had indeed become immortal. Elixir poisoning was rather commonplace in China: many Emperors and nobles who could hire prized alchemists died in pursuit 486

It was decided that both Muslims and Hindus would place garlands around Nanak's body. The group, whose garland would next day be found still fresh, would take care of the master's body. Both groups' garlands were found intact the next day.

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of immortality.

These -and other stories mentioned herein- constitute variants of the 'empty tomb' narrative device used to lend credit to the superhuman exploits of this, that or another 'great man'.

The 'empty tomb' narrative enjoys wide popularity, yet its inversion (the occupied tomb) is also popular. Various places and reliquaries have been rumored to contain the tomb/remains of the Magi who visited the infant Jesus; of Prester John; of Jesus (professedly buried at different places in the Middle East, India or even Japan); of Hercules (buried in Andalusia, Spain). The lapis niger487 (black pavingstone) in the Forum Romanum at Rome is seen as Romulus' tomb; in the IV century BCE, Romans identified a VII century BCE tomb as Aeneas' tomb.

If ancient Romans identified a VII century tomb as Aeneas' (a supposed Bronze-Age hero from a time before time), the Catholic Church identified a graveyard under St. Peter's basilica as the apostle's tomb, who assertedly was located right beneath the altar: quantum entanglement, indeed.

The opposite might also chance to apply: The Catholic Church brushes aside an alleged I century sarcophagus with an inscription of Peter's name and patronymic. Because the tomb is located in Jerusalem, thus going against Catholic tradition, the evidence shall be considered as describing some other unrelated 487

At Mecca, the Kaaba is the seat of the sacred black stone the angel Gabriel brought to Abraham as a symbol of the covenant.

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person who chanced to bear the same name and patronymic.

Even Gautama Buddha (Mahayana Mahamaya Sutra) rises from his golden coffin to preach a last sermon to his distraught mother who had descended from heaven; he then lies in his coffin, and closes the lid over himself: the tomb is both occupied and empty. In Mahayana Japanese Buddhism, the golden coffin story is told as an epitome of filial piety, as Buddha proclaims; in Mahayana Nichiren Buddhism, the episode marks the transmission of the lineage of Zen from Buddha to his elder disciple Mahakassapa488.

A woman489 claims to have been raped by an individual resurfacing in her life repeatedly: as as a family friend; as a business partner; as her church's vicar490. The discombobulated account -which the woman wanted to memorialize in writing as so many 'people of sorrows' from mythology did- also rests upon a serious car accident that -as the woman bitterly acknowledges- was not recorded and left no trace: the tomb is empty. Although legend has him buried at Snagov, Vlad Tepes' tomb contained only animal bones.

Ladislaus III (Tepes' ally against the Muslims) was a King of Poland. During a losing battle with the Turks in 1444, he disappeared: no trace of him could be found. Years later, mysterious knight Henrique Alemao appeared in Madeira to 488

489 490

Mahakassapa arrives when the Buddha has already passed away. Distraught, he circles the Buddha's golden coffin in mourning three times (=common mytheme). Then, out of compassion (deceased) Buddha stretches his feet out of the coffin for Mahakassapa to behold, which constitutes the passing of the patriarchal mantle. Christina's...no date:no page. The storyline of 1996 movie Sleepers sees the former member of a camarilla of sodomite cops resurfacing as a deeply religious person.

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marry a local noblewoman as the King of Portugal served as best man: they founded the Santa Maria Madalena Church. Compatriots finally recognized him, but Ladislaus eventually perished at sea.

The 'empty' or 'occupied tomb' narrative is terribly in demand. A mental patient confided in the analyst that:” he had a premonition about lottery tickets, “I won but lost the ticket.””491. Ordinary hobos bluster how they almost got to play professional soccer; to be an engineer at Scuderia Ferrari racing; to be a Playboy bunny; to have a seven figure sum in the bank...the mythological call to vindicate manifest destinies then aborts.

This is no moot point. Master storyteller Robert Bly 492 clinches one of his telling of the Lindworm fairy tale by claiming that he, too, had attended the wedding that ends the story; he had even been given a bottle of wine as a memento, but alas the bottle was accidentally broken on his way back, so he had none to show listeners: the tomb was originally occupied, but alas no body can be shown.

Synchronicity peters out one way or another: an uncle “accidentally” forgets to mail one's application in by the deadline: that spells the end of one's prestigious law, engineering, art or medical school career; one “unwittingly” dislocates an ankle: that's the end of one's promising future as a ballet star...

491

492

Polimeni 2012:196. It won't escape readers how similar this story is to that of Gilgamesh. The hero secures a magical plant that gives youth back: a snake eats it as he bathes, thus depriving Gilgamesh of the opportunity of being young again. 2010.

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Because memory is reconstructive, it is subject to confabulationconfusing an event that happened to someone else with one that happened to you, or coming to believe that you remember something that never happened at all. In reconstructing a memory, people draw on many sources. When you remember your fifth birthday party, you may have a direct recollection of your younger brother putting his finger in the cake and spoiling it for you, but you will also incorporate information that you got later from family stories, photographs, home videos, and birthday parties you've seen on television. You weave all these elements together into one integrated account. If someone hypnotizes you and regresses you to your fifth birthday party, you'll tell a lively story about it that will feel terribly real for you, but it will include many of those postparty details that never actually happened. After a while, you won't be able to distinguish your actual memory from subsequent information that crept in from elsewhere. That phenomenon is called "source confusion," (Tavris&Aronson 2007:73). Clearly, the question changed the volunteersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; memories of their earlier experience, which is precisely what one would expect if their brains were reweaving their experiencesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and precisely what one would not expect if their brains were retrieving their experiences.(Gilbert 2006:54). The tomb might be neither empty, nor occupied. Leon Degrelle- the accursed Belgian Fascist leader and Waffen SS General493- was born in Belgium in 1906. Technically, however, he never died. The corpse that was assertedly cremated in 1994 belonged to a Spanish citizen named J.L. Ramirez Molina494.

If Degrelle technically never died, some died more than once. In 1942, some Benito Albino Bernardi died in a psychiatric hospital at Milan where he had been detained since 1935. He was also known as Benito Albino Dalser. Bernardi -officially a telegraphist with the Italian navy- also appears missing in action at sea 493

494

Although the promotion rightfully appears in his military paper as granted by Himmler, many consider that invalid, as Hitler had stripped Himmler of his command short earlier. The name Degrelle went under.

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in 1941 during WWII. Before a name change, however, Benito Albino was known under another family name: Mussolini, the first born son of Benito Mussolini and his first wife Irene Dalser, who also died in a psychiatric hospital after bickering with powerful Benito.

What one does with the (anti)hero's body is the stuff of legend. The fact that (anti)heroes may relate to their death in uncommon ways echoes axioms of Terror Management Theory that sees the existential terror of death as human experience's pivot:”The last act in the biography of the hero is that of the death or departure. Here the whole sense of the life is epitomized. Needless to say, the hero would be no hero if death held for him any terror; the first condition is reconciliation with the grave.”495; “And how am I to face the odds Of man's bedevilment and God's? I, a stranger and afraid In a world I never made. ”496.

The body of Hong Xiuquan, Chinese insurrectionist leader, selfproclaimed brother of Jesus, and “heavenly King” of an ephemeral “Heavenly Kingdom Of Great Peace” (=prince of peace mytheme) between 1851-64, was exhumed to insure his death; he was cremated, and his ashes were scattered from a cannon to insure eternal damnation.

After being shot, being scourged by the crowd, and being hung upside down in public, specialists autopsied Mussolini's corpse publicly in order to reassure the masses he was truly dead under the pretense of some due process of law clause. 495 496

Campbell 1949:329. A.E. Housman, Last Poems, 1922.

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After a Fascist dictator, a Communist one. Romanian dictator Ceausescu was tried and executed in 1989, yet strange legends flared up regarding his presumed nature of undead. He had ordered celebrations to be held in 1976 to celebrate Vlad Tepes; Ceausescu's body also allegedly disappeared for a while after the execution.

In 2010, forensic examination of remains was chosen to confirm the body was indeed Ceausescu's. Rumors and legends also transpired regarding a host of 'great men' who would still be alive contrary to popular opinion. From Adolf Hitler to Elvis Presley; from Haile Selassie (Ethiopian Emperor and the messiah of the Rastafarian faith) to Tupac Shakur (murdered Black rapper).

The obsession with the (anti)hero's tomb (or body) is apparent, as token of the (anti)hero's (un)godly qualities. A (diagnosed) psychopathic inmate claims he raped the corpse of one of his victims 497. Chinese Imperial authorities had to be sure Hong was dead; In Jesus' case,

"Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day, otherwise His disciples may come and steal Him away and say to the people, 'He has risen from the dead,' and the last deception will be worse than the first." Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how." And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone. (Matthew 27:64-6498). 497 498

Kiehl 2014:77. No other Gospel mentions guards stationed at Jesus' tomb. Some suggest this 'updated version' of the burial occurred in order to fend off critics who alleged Jesus' body might simply have been stolen. In some version of the apocryphal V century Gospel Of Nicodemus, no less than 500 soldiers are stationed at Jesus' tomb to witness the miraculous resurrection in spite of Jewish attempts to bribe the guards into stating the body had been stolen. With this 'second edition' of the tale, the theft becomes impossible as there are guards on duty to

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The hero and his doppelgaenger the anti-hero go through similar experiences. In October 2013, Italy witnesses a squabble around the funerals and burial of E. Priebke, a German officer during WWII involved in a slaughter of civilians in a military reprisal; he was extradited from Argentina and sentenced to lifetime in prison at age 85. Priebke's wartime fatherland, Germany, apparently turned requests for burial on German soil down, and so did several Italian cities; police authorities also forbade public funerals.

As the private funeral unfolds in the night, “psychotics who identify themselves with the mythological image” rush to attend: right-wing nostalgists, and left-wing protesters alike. A rioting mob attacks the hearse carrying Priebke's coffin, which security forces499 later direct to a military airport (= similar to what happened in Jesus' and Hong's case): German sources hypothesize an unmarked grave for Priebke (=the negation of the topography motif).

The tomb of Rudolf Hess (1894-1987), deputy Fuhrer in English custody since 1941, was also removed. According to many, one of the biggest faux-pas of the Reagan administrations was Reagan's visit to a military cemetery: he paid homage to the resting place of many German WWII soldiers, including a few SS soldiers:”White House aides have acknowledged that the Bitburg visit is probably the biggest fiasco of Mr. Reagan's Presidency. ” commented a New York Times columnist on May 6, 1985.

499

prevent exactly that. Christian apologists interpret the omission of such details in the other Gospels as a mere oversight: highly improbable. ANSA, 16 October 2013.

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President of Regione Lazio Zingaretti -a lifelong left-wing activist belonging to Partito Democratico, or the former Communist party- salutes the mob that attacked Priebke's hearse as “righteous”. It appears Priebke's remains shall end up anonymously at a secret location 500: the topography motif gets inverted, just as it was the case with Hess or Hong.

Memory and corpses: what a passion. The noble nation of Italy spends about euro 10 million in specialized services by high-tech companies to recover the corpses of 700 (illegal) immigrants who perished as they crossed the sea in 2015: Prime Minister Renzi hails “il diritto alla memoria [per] ammonire l'Europa su quali siano i valori che contano davvero. ” (right to memory -...- [in order to] remind Europe about values that truly matter)501.

After a row of political fiascoes, Renzi updates his memories: enough with guilt trips; immigrants must remain -and be assisted- in their own countries because it would be a “disaster” to let everybody in 502. The quote – from an upcoming book of Renzi's- outrages leftists so much it's summarily removed from social media.

In 2015, Zingaretti -who couldn't have possibly known, of course- sinks into a corruption scandal that involves mafia and a rogue web of service 500 501 502

ANSA, 20 October 2013. La Repubblica (Palermo edition), June 30, 2016. La Repubblica, July 7, 2017. “vorrei che ci liberassimo da una sorta di senso di colpa. Noi non abbiamo il dovere morale di accogliere in Italia tutte le persone che stanno peggio. Se ciò avvenisse sarebbe un disastro etico, politico, sociale e alla fine anche economico. Noi non abbiamo il dovere morale di accoglierli, ripetiamocelo. Ma abbiamo il dovere morale di aiutarli. E di aiutarli davvero a casa loro ” posted Renzi.

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cooperatives hoovering princely appropriations up, which political minions granted. With symbolic acts, the most discredited party can easily turn into an Ozymandias as the public elatedly claps away:â&#x20AC;?I put lipstick on a pigâ&#x20AC;? 503 claimed a ghost-writer who had collaborated in crafting the public image of newly elected U.S President Trump.

The same (mis)treatment applies to vampires, zombies and various demons of folklore, for they, too, pervert the natural order, and relate to their death in unspeakable ways. Instances are also reported of mobs 'dealing with' the corpses of ordinary people who were believed to either have become undead, or were classified as potential victims of such curse.

In tombs of gold and lapis lazuli Bodies of holy men and women exude miraculous oil, odour of violet. But under heavy loads of trampled clay lie bodies of the vampires full of blood; Their shrouds are bloody and their lips are wet (W.B. Yeats, Oil And Blood, 1929). Christian Saints, too, relate to their death in ways that challenge the natural order: intact bodies, and so forth. In the apocryphal Acts Of John (II/III century CE), Jesus levitates off the ground; he never leaves footprints; he never blinks his eyes just as Hindu gods 504, Gautama Buddha at his enlightenment 505, or evil Planet X alien invaders in 2004 Japanese sci-fi movie Godzilla Final War. Kriya

503 504

505

Cit. in Mayer 2016:no page. In the Hindu Mahabharata story of Nala&Damayanti, princess Damayanti (the conventional beautiful virgin of mythology everybody chases) recognizes her beloved Nala among the gods who had all taken up Nala's appearance to win her in marriage. She noticed the gods did not blink their eyes ( animisha, unblinking), hovered slightly above ground, and were all too impeccable to be human. According to Asvaghosa's (I/II century CE) biography, Gautama did not blink (=what differentiates gods from men) for seven days as he gazed at the Bodhi tree after his enlightenment.

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Yoga master Yogananda died in the USA in 1952, and his body was reportedly intact twenty days after his death.

The Acts Of John want to settle the dispute forever: Jesus is not a defecating and copulating506 lump of decaying flesh (=no footsteps) as common people are. If human nature is most authentic when most bestial 507, Jesus is definitely “beyond the human condition”: the heavenly orderly principle ( logos)508. Celestial virgins of the Islamic paradise -in fact- do not defecate, urinate, menstruate and get pregnant: they copulate, however.

Elated votaries froth at the mouth in desecrated anger as their messiahs -from M.L. King to Berlusconi- are exposed as fraudulent in their bestial shortcomings and appetites: forget about the logos who takes flesh from the seventh-heaven as he's beyond the human condition.

So-called double funerals were/are found both in Southern Italy, Mexico, Southeast Asia and Oceania. The deceased underwent two sets of funerary rites. With one they transited to a in-between state, and with the final one -which required to process the dry or mummified remains a certain way- they crossed over to the final resting place, the capacity of benign ancestor etc.

506

507

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Whence all the controversy around the “lusty Jesus” hypothesis: Jesus might have been married as he was called “rabbi”. Alas then, is man's civilisation only a wrappage, through which the savage nature of him can still burst, infernal as ever? Nature still makes him; and has an Infernal in her as well as a Celestial. (Carlyle 1837: no page). The Hymn Of Jesus in the Acts Of John recites:”if I [=Jesus]had not been sent unto thee, as the word of the Father. Thou that sawest what I suffer sawest me as suffering, and seeing it thou didst not abide but wert wholly moved, moved to make wise. Thou hast me as a bed, rest upon me.” (M.R. James trans.).

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From the Toraja (Indonesia) to pre-Hispanic inhabitants of Baja

California Sur (Mexico), to terresante in Southern Italy, the dead were unearthed and buried twice after the optional processing of remains (collection of bones in Italy, re-dressing in Indonesia, dismemberment in Baja California).

In China, this “second burial” is dubbed “lucky burial”: a sense of closure. Contemporary Jews do not unearth their dead literally, but symbolically unveil their tombstone one year after burial. In Bali, proper burial consists of three stages: burial (prethiwi); cremation (teja) and dispersion of ashes at sea (apah).

This co-exists with the sacred nature of tombs in the Graeco-Roman world. Cicero informs that a violatio sepulchri (violation of a tomb) was a punishable offense in Rome: tombs were considered locus religiosus (sacred place) after dedication and sacrifices.

Defixiones (ritual curses) were often engraved on tombstones to invoke divine retribution against those who would violate the tomb. A slab of stone with a Greek inscription (Nazareth Inscription, beginning of the common era) from Palestine publishes Caesar's order that whoever tempered with, moved or desecrated tombs would do so under pain of death.

Some Christian apologists take this as a proof Jesus existed as the Roman government was reacting to the empty tomb narrative; whereas skeptics take it to mean how common tampering with graves, and moving corpses around might have

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been, thus casting the shadow of suspicion on what happened to Jesus' body.

Alternatively, crop circles or a pound of ashes are found in a field: that's the proof extraterrestrials have landed aboard their their anti-matter or zero-point energy powered flying saucers. An ancient manuscript mentions this chap with this terribly common name: that's the proof the son of god was born of a virgin, performed miracles, died to redeem the world from sin, then ascended bodily to heaven: the tomb is occupied.

The godly man's path can be threaded by all sorts of people. Prince Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte -the future Napoleon III- forsook his royal rank to join revolutionary groups; Carlo Pisacane relinquished his rights as Duca Di San

Giovanni in order to become “propaganda of the deed's” first theorist, and a revolutionist ultimately torn apart in death serving Italian irredentism: the noblest of all causes. Bakunin, the Anarchist thinker, whose fame surpassed for a time even Marx's, was of noble birth and ought to have pursued a career in the civil or military service.

Badiou509 connects XIX century nihilism (well before Nietzsche) to a “philosophy of terrorism”, that is a “supreme symbolic act” that ought to inaugurate meaning in a nihilistic universe that has none. As Robert Bly suggests, initiated “real men” (or women) are “capable of betrayal and natural brutality” 510; ”the definition of 509

510

Le Nihilisme 1993: episode 5. Badiou is a philosophy professor of radical Maoist persuasion. Readers may here take note of the convergence between Terror Management Theory and Badiou who does not mention “social death” directly. 1988. Of course, one man's “freedom fighter” is another man's “terrorist” or “bandit”. One man's “genocidal

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a hero: someone who may be betrayed with impunity.” (Lacan, 1959-60).

Badiou also connects nihilism to U.S riots: destruction is preferred to a state of social death monetary nihilism triggers. Chastised as he vocally supported the Khmer Rouge as a good Maoist, Badiou “regrets it” but hastens to add how little Red Guards with their societal Red Book think alike:

Au-delà, donc, du fait que je regrette d'avoir écrit ce texte, je m'intéresse à la question de savoir pourquoi je l'ai écrit. Je l'ai écrit parce que j'avais été enthousiasmé par la victoire des Khmers rouges en 1975. Je n'ai pas été le seul. Relisez les premières pages du Monde à cette époque-là. J'ai ensuite voulu garder en moi cet enthousiasme, y compris contre le réseau des informations peu à peu disponibles. En politique, le découragement est monnaie courante, et l'enthousiasme est une denrée précieuse. Quand les Khmers rouges prennent le pouvoir, c'est une éclatante victoire militaire. Pourquoi sommes-nous si enthousiastes ? Parce que c'est la victoire d'un tout petit peuple, organisé en guérilla rurale sous la direction des Khmers rouges, contre l'énorme armée américaine et ses complices locaux. Et c'est donc la validation d'un énoncé de Mao qui soutenait à l'époque l'espérance de millions de gens dans le monde (Badiou 2012:no page). In 2017, James Hodgkinson – a vocal supporter of Robin Hood taxation who served as volunteer for “Socialist” presidential candidate Sanders 511 – dies after he shoots at and injures Republican politicians at a charity event:”Hodgkinson had raged against Trump on social media and was a member of anti-Republican groups on Facebook ”512.

511

512

invasion” is another man's “pacification”, “democracy export”, “frontier rectification”. The Turkish government considers the Armenian genocide as mere “population transfer” in an era that saw great masses of refugees crisscrossing former Ottoman lands in the wake of nation-State effervescence. “How Bernie Sanders just became the rabbi of the Jewish left -....-. For most of the campaign, Sanders had seemed to avoid talking about his Jewishness. It makes some sense. The socialist senator from Vermont purports to speaks for “the 99 percent,” not the less-than-2-percent of Americans who are Jewish. “ The Times Of Israel, April 19, 2016. Reuters, June 14, 2017.

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Heroes, founders and saviors are difficult to pinpoint: the same blurred imagery takes on each garb alternatively. The worldly clones of the saviors, founders and heroes of lore in like manner try to walk the thin rope between each incarnation.

Constantine tried to steer the Hebrew heresy he had chosen as favorite; French Kings informally led the domestic Catholic hierarchy ( gallicanisme); English Kings formally established a branch of Christianity under their control as supreme hierophants (Anglicanism); the Sultan of Brunei and the Saudi King also claim an exalted religious role.

Central-African dictator Bokassa flirted with Islam, but ended his life in exile claiming to be the XIII Christian apostle; the NSDAP regime tried to establish an eccentric, neo-pagan system of worship with Hitler as supreme hierophant, and

Mein Kampf as sacred book. Marxist regimes had a revealed book (=Marx's Das Kapital), upon which regional regimes (in Moscow, Belgrade, Havana or Peking) engineered local interpretations: pure scholasticism. Marxism even had an earthly paradise everyone could visit presto: the Soviet Union, a workers' paradise.

Saviors, founders and heroes appear to share other uncanny, copycatted similarities. Zoroaster (scholarly dates differ between XVIII and VI century BCE 513),

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When approaching this kind of date, one ought to exert great caution. It is in fact possible to find different -often very divergent- dates proposed in research regarding any event or character from a past this remote. Academic, religious and political traditions and agendas may also muddle the waters further. Readers are advised to regard such dates as informed estimates only.

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Jesus, Ezekiel (Hebrew514 prophet, VI century BCE ), Nanak (founder of Sikhism, XV/XVI century CE), Mahavira, Gautama Buddha etc all received their main calling (revelation etc) at about the age of 30, and possibly in connection with water. The point isn't moot. In Jungian circles, “individuation” is reputed to start constellating [=becoming virulent] around the age of 32515.

Mythicists and enthusiasts squabble to either affirm -or deny- this connection with (flowing) water as constituting baptism. Again, terminology is important not to pave the way to futile polemics:

2.—A. declares that the Peace of 1814 gave back their independence to all the German towns of the Hanseatic League. B. gives an instance to the contrary by reciting the fact that Dantzig, which received its independence from Buonaparte, lost it by that Peace. A. saves himself thus: “I said 'all German towns,' and Dantzig was in Poland.” (Schopenhauer 2004:8). Jesus' baptism takes place in a river; Buddha sits in meditation close to a river; Ezekiel sees visions of god by the Kebar river; Nanak is spirited away for three days (=common mytheme) while bathing in a river; Mahavira's insight is reached in proximity to a river; Bodhidharma (Patriarch of Oriental Buddhism) dies on the banks of the Lo river. Oracles of Apollo at Delphi and Klaros presented sacred springs in enclosed crypts that exhaled intoxicating fumes rich in ethylene that helped presiding priests reach a communion with the godhead.

In pre-Khmer Laos (V century CE), Vat Phou -now ruins of a Buddhist 514 515

Historically, the kingdoms of Israel and Judah derived from the Hebrew tradition. Latour 1970:Symbole Du Soi Et Individuation.

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place of worship- was a temple dedicated to Shiva: a sacred spring â&#x20AC;&#x201C; still considered holy to this day- flowed through the temple complex bathing a lingam. Devotees sprinkle the holy water on their heads to this day as an auspicious gesture: baptismal suggestions?

Shiva's anaiconic representation (lingam) is generally believed to represent an erect phallus, or -by Eck 516- the world axis. Hindu gymnastics (yoga)

mallakhamba is practiced around a wooden pillar that symbolizes the human body and possibly the world axis.

Mikvah is the ritual bath required in Judaism to restore purity (during conversion ceremonies; to attain ritual purity; to purify women after menstruation etc): a pool or running water may serve for the purpose according to different instances and interpretations. At Kumano (Japan), people chosen to present sacred sake to the gods are required to bathe in a sacred spring at dawn. At the Ise Shinto sanctuary (Japan), the Izuzu river supplies water for purification.

Lake Rewalsar (India) is sacred to Hindus (Krishna, Shiva), Sikhs (Govind Singh, X and last Sikh guru) and Buddhists. An evil King tries to burn Tibetan Buddhist Saint Padma Sambhava alive on a pyre; after his transfiguration, the fire becomes lake Rewalsar. The waters of primeval chaos always play a pivotal role in religious lore.

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1994.

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Mormon founder Joseph Smith allegedly found the golden plates at Cumorah hill in New York. The Book Of Mormon describes a mythological Cumorah thus: “And it came to pass that we did march forth to the land of Cumorah, and we did pitch our tents around about the hill Cumorah; and it was in a land of many waters, rivers, and fountains ” (6.4). “in the Quran -...-Paradise is a garden of cool shade, comfortable couches, full-breasted virgins, abundant fruit, and, above all, rivers: rivers of water, of milk, of wine, and of honey.”517. In some interpretations, Eden, too, is “a well-watered place”.

Hindu Shvetashvatara Upanishad

(IV-II century BCE) advises

prospective ascetics to find a place:”where the sound of water and the beauty of the place help thought and contemplation”. Christian apologist St. Justin Martyr (100165 CE) met a man along the seashore, which led him to conversion. Zoroaster's vision near a river unfolded thus:

According to tradition Zoroaster was thirty, the time of ripe, wisdom, when revelation finally came to him . This great happening is alluded to in one of the Gathas (Y 43), and is tersely described in a Pahlavi work (Zadspram XX-XXI) . Here it is said that Zoroaster, being at a gathering met to celebrate a spring festival, went at dawn to a river to fetch water for the haoma-ceremony. He waded in to draw it from midstream; and when he returned to the bank - himself in a state of ritual purity, emerging from the pure element, water, in the freshness of a spring dawn - he had a vision. He saw on the bank a shining Being, who revealed himself as Vohu Manah 'Good Purpose' ; and this Being led Zoroaster into the presence of Ahura Mazda and five other radiant figures (Boyce 1979:19). A simple way to make yourself happier is to go outside and visit a 517

Prothero 2010:24.

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place that is rich in natural vegetation—a forest, an open field, a city park, or a desert landscape. Studies demonstrate that this visit to nature will have an effect on your brain that is on par with taking a dose of prescription antidepressants.(Vishton 2016:184).

Nullus enim fons non sacer, “all springs are sacred spots” (Maurus Servius Honoratus, IV/V century CE, comments on the Aeneid). Fontium memoria cum sanctitate adhuc exstat et colitur, “Esteem for springs still continues, and is observed with veneration”. (Frontinus, water commissioner at Rome, Acqueducts Of Rome, circa 97 CE). The imagery of water is omnipresent. Water is present at the entrance of Catholic churches, mosques, Zen and Shinto temples. Among the most ancient pieces of machinery, in Graeco-Roman Alexandria (Egypt) temple contraptions distributed holy water consecrated to one of the countless gods honored in the city against a coin the devotee had inserted. In both Buddhism and Orthodox Christianity, holy water serves as a panacea.

Water is used to bathe statues of the Buddha, and -in Thailand or India (Holi festival)- is object of a true religious festival. At Nova Milanese (Italy), asking for rain in bygone ages took the form of a procession, whereby children would sprinkle with water San Domenico's statue.

Both Afro-Brazilian religions and Latin-American Catholicism share events in which masses of water play a pivotal role, being either worshiped alongside icons, or being sprinkled on the faithful, such as in the celebration of

Santa Barbara in the Pelourinho (old town) of Salvador (Brazil): Christian Santa Barbara -patroness of firefighters-, and Iansa, goddess of Afro-Brazilian candomblé, 345

are one. In Ethiopia, Christian Timket (epiphany) celebrations end with a collective baptism: the faithful bathe in water blessed by a cross as the clergy officiates.

Popular culture couldn't be far behind. Many popular Japanese giant robots of the 1970s also retain an association with bodies of water: Grendizer (artificial waterfall); Mazinger Z (pool); Astroganga (underwater volcano); Daitarn III (1978: underwater base); Great Mazinger/ Ufo Diapolon/ Gaiking (ocean); Steel Jeeg (lake). Although secret contraptions, caves and tunnels make that possible, giant robots often seem to appear from nowhere.

Secular leaders may be associated with bodies of water as well: George Washington crosses the Potomac, and is caught praying devoutly on a small river's bank518; Caesar crosses the Rubicon; Napoleon campaigns on the Nile; Alexander reaches the Indus...

Water -in turn- is likened to Dao (Taoism); to Dharma (Buddhism); to wholeness and health (as hypostasis of Ahura Mazda in Zoroastrianism); Hindu Vedas (about XV to V century BCE) explain that:”From the Night the Waters of the Inconscient came into being.”. Jung -quite like the Veda millennia before himposits water as paradigm of the unconscious; Mahayana Buddhism's mind-only (Yogacara) school posits the imagery of a stormy sea as explanation for man's being in the world:”Now, still water is a favorite Indian image to symbolize the idea of yoga. The first aphorism of yoga”519. 518 519

Fears 2011:Heroes, History, And Myth. Campbell 1991:82.

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Various prophets (such as Moses, Mohamed and St. Peter) get water in miraculous ways (from a rock for Moses; from his fingers for Mohamed; from the stone in the prison Carcere Mamertino he was detained in at Rome for Peter520). Gautama Buddha rescues the Licchavi kingdom from drought and plague: his arrival brings rain, and his presence heals people. Rama creates the spring ( Adi Tirtha) at the origin of the sacred Pushkar lake, one of the “five sacred lakes” ( panch-sarovar) of India.

Another Saint in his quest to introduce Buddhism in Tibet, Padma Sambhava, assists the King of Tibet by miraculously providing water supplies. A story circulated about U.S. troops finding “the miracle well” -assertedly so dubbed by General Charles Krulak, marine corp - during their 1991 desert 'arrival' as an answer to prayer.

In 172 CE, Marcus Aurelius -under siege at the Empire's Danubian frontier- obtained a miracle from the god Hermes Aerios an Egyptian priest named Arnouphis had in some versions summoned. The god granted rain to the Emperor's thirsty and exhausted soldiers, and scattered the enemy army with storms and thunderbolts: a column was carved; coins minted and dedications inscribed to attest to another 'miracle' that is engraved on the Column Of Marcus Aurelius.

A Christian version of the event also exists: the Christian god rescued a legion of Christian soldiers. In a third version that mixes the two, Christians 520

The spring, which still exists today, was part of a pre-existing pagan temple.

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diffused a forged letter where Marcus Aurelius himself invited the Senate to recognize how the god of the Christians, not the gods of Rome who had deserted him, had saved him through Christian prayer.

While the identity of Gen. Krulak as genuine military man is not questioned, other dates and circumstances in his bio -according to some mythicists and enthusiasts at least- seem possibly ambiguous. It is probable contemporary audiences may be more interested in the tale being spun according to the 'patriotic' register of an actual military crusade than in the esoteric garb of mythical Saints entangled in byzantine questions of protocol with obscure Kings of pre-modern bygone ages; the basic plot remains identical, however.

A song (Goldorak Et L'Enfant, 1979) related to the merchandising of a Japanese cartoon detailed how a child going for a walk with his dog 521 “along the seashore” spots the superhero aboard his luminous giant robot who's coming home after the battle and waves to him. First, the seashore imagery, which -some Hindu might say- is the place where the five cosmic elements of nature converge.

This explanation seems preposterous, yet it is enough to ponder how often -and not only on film as a matter of scenery- have shores been set as pivotal narrative backdrops. R.L. Moore comments about people who seek peace along a water shore, or in the mountains, how they are seeking a “liminoid place of renewal”522: “the center” (mountains), or “the edge -...-where ordinary existence 521 522

Puppies and children: what a favorite imagery. 2001:part 2.

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stops” (water shores).

The present writer adds that both Orpheus and Gautama Buddha underwent a temptation incident through which opponents threw objects at them (arrows, stones and so forth), which refused to hit them when entering the mystical field of their divine being.

The legendary Egyptian Christian Saint Anthony The Great (II/III century CE) also underwent temptations that very closely resemble Gautama Buddha's. A staple of Anthony's predication was the necessity to contemplate the human body's inconsequence, much as Buddhism prescribes (contemplation of foulness).

In the Legenda Aurea, Anthony and his piglet523 (=animal ersatz524) descend to hell to save souls -just like Mahayana Buddhist deity Ksitigarbha-, then bring back fire to kindle a pyre. Both Christian Saint Anthony and Mahayana Buddhist Ksitigarbha are depicted as monks with a staff. Firefighters in Japan honor Jizo (Ksitigarbha in the Japanese incarnation) as their protector.

The same fire connection found with St. Anthony, and -of course- with Pentecost: “They [= Jesus' disciples] saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that 523

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Pig fat was used to treat illnesses associated with Saint Anthony ( fuoco di Sant'Antonio): ergotism (poisoning from a parasitic, hallucinogenic fungus that infects crops), and herpes zoster. The pig/boar connection with hell goes back to various mythologies, including the Eleusinian Mysteries. Demeter tracking her abducted daughter Persephone finds her footprints in the underworld mixed with that of pigs (associated with mother goddesses) also caught in the kidnapping (Campbell 1980). “In the case of Aesculapius, we are presented with a god depicted in art most often as a man accompanied by a serpent, but in literature he often takes the form of a sacred snake.” (Rupp 2006:25).

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separated and came to rest on each of them. â&#x20AC;? 525. Parallels are endless. If Anthony is associated with a piglet, Ksitigarbha is often associated with a dog (the Bodhisattva's mother from a previous life).

In Anthonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s honor -the purveyor of fire- bonfires are lit, despite the fact that Anthony lived in historical times, and not in a time before time like Prometheus, Maui (Polynesian culture hero), Aswang (demon of Filipino folklore), and other mythical purveyors of fire. It won't escape readers how adventitious, localized priorities (Christian devotion to a thaumaturge Saint) shape immemorial images -such as the fire or the katabasis motif- by interpolating a figure of choice into a petrified narrative: Ksitigarbha represents a Mahayana version.

The immortality of Balder526, too, was tested by throwing things at him; the central-African hero Mwindo was also thrown spears at, in turn continuously deflected. Ovid527 writes about Orpheus:

The next missile was a stone, that, thrown through the air, was itself overpowered by the harmony of voice and lyre, and fell at his feet, as though it were begging forgiveness for its mad audacity. -...- After catching these up, and ripping apart the oxen, that threatened them with their horns, the fierce women rushed back to kill the poet. As he stretched out his hands, speaking ineffectually for the first time ever, not affecting them in any way with his voice, the impious ones murdered him. But the novels are not the only narratives of the interplay of men and gods, and it is important to glance now beyond their confines at other forms which tell of this interplay and which present the stories of 525 526 527

Acts 2:3. A Germanic god. Metamorphoses XI:1-66.

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persons uniquely blessed or cursed by the gods. It is only in that larger narrative context that it makes sense to inquire about the novel as in any way a type of religious literature. The road out from the narrower confines of the novel proper leads in two directions, one to aretalogy, the other to the biography of god-like or holy men -...- The latter comprises works of more or less the same scope and weight as the novels, the former pieces of altogether shorter compass. (Beck in Schmeling 1996:137). Rosa Soder notes several features shared by the novels and the Apocryphal Acts of the second century (more on these in a moment). They are also shared with the canonical Acts: first, travel (see the apostolic journeys of Peter and Paul), second, aretalogt, or tales of miracles and oddities (the apostles do numerous miracles, some quite fanciful, like Peter's healing shadow, Paul's healing hankies, Peter striking Ananias and Sapphira dead with a word); third, depiction of fabulous and exotic peoples (see the bull-sacrificing pagans of Lycaonia, Acts 14:8-19, the superstitious natives of Malta 28:1-6, and the philosophical dilettantes of Athens in Acts 17); fourth, propaganda.(Price 2010b:45). In one of those recurring illumination moments, Balder dies because -like Siegfried, Achilles and so many others- trickster Loki makes it so that the sole thing is unwittingly thrown at him, which he has no protection against (Siegfried's shoulder, Achilles' heel, etc):

It is always some little fault, some slight yet critical symptom of human frailty, that makes impossible the open interrelationship between the worlds; so that one is tempted to believe, almost, that if the small, marring accident could be avoided, all would be well. (Campbell 1949:191). Murphy528 finds enough materials to devote an entire book to the parallels between Jesus and Harry Potter. Doniger529 suggests

528 529

2011. 2001:no page.

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The fact that the Harry Potter books are an amalgam of at least three familiar genres works for, not against, their spectacular success. (In December of 1999, the three books occupied the first three spots on the New York Times best-seller list, where they had been ensconced for 50, 25 and 11 weeks, respectively.) Myths survive for centuries, in a succession of incarnations, both because they are available and because they are intrinsically charismatic. Rowling is a wizard herself at the magic art of bricolage (LĂŠvi-Strauss's metaphor for mythmaking): new stories crafted out of recycled pieces of old stories. -...- A fight has been waged by parents (some of whom identify themselves as "born-again Christians" and are known to others as the Mullahs of the Midwest) -...- Apparently their astonishing popularity is taken as evidence of a Faustian bargain (Doniger 2001: no page). It is quite curious how Doniger thinks opportune to lash groups very critical of the series from their religious perspective as irrationally delving into conspiracy theories on discredited premises. What for? To defend the next billion another mountebank made on the 'better premises' of peddling another salad bar of petrified myths and obtuse allegories thus catering to the hollow cravings obsessing prigs and dolts? In what way, exactly, would that be more spiritually elevated (productive, etc) than the the agenda of any â&#x20AC;&#x153;Midwest mullahâ&#x20AC;??

Analyzing the Harry Potter books from a self-proclaimed Christian perspective, pastor dr. Killinger concludes the books -which other Christian leaders have publicly loathed as an abomination- fit nicely within the Christian worldview; Killinger writes:

There has been only one great plot engine for all fiction since the coming of Christ, and that is the struggle of good to overcome evil. Before Christ, in the eras of great Hellenistic and Roman literature, this was not true. There was struggle in The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid, but it was not about the conflict between good and evil; this essential ingredient in all great Western literature (and even 352

many of the lesser writings) is derived from Hebrew and Christian theology, and especially from the Gospels, with their portrayal of the battle between Christ and the forces of darkness (2002:35, emphasis added). The theme of the struggle between (broadly put) light and darkness has been a staple of mythology (or the rational account of a story originally handed down by word of mouth ) all along, as part of the 'hero's journey' motif. According to Aurobindo, participation in the mystical endeavor is described as “Our yoga is not a retreading of old walks, but a spiritual adventure”. Many lay Mormons also refer to life as an “adventure” as well. The 'journey' is the opiate that triggers a more or less deep or instantaneous trance state in the recipient. Jack Kerouac's fame entirely rests upon his literary travelogues.

The imagery of the journey gets extended to travel imagery: the famous Brazilian song Encontros E Despedidas likens life to a crowded railways station;

yana in Buddhism is the 'ferry boat' to get to 'the the other shore' of life's conundrum in the form of a river:”That day when evening came, [Jesus] said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." ”( Mark 4:35). In Zoroastrianism -and much later in Islam- the soul in its retributive journey has to cross a perilous and narrow bridge. Buddhism also refers to rafts, crossings and yonder shores. The afterlife is often referred to as aldilà, au delà (beyond there).

Change (the side effect of the journey) is in fact the magic ingredient behind all sorts of 'high school reunion', 'coming of age' and similar narratives. If the Buddhist journey's secret is the realization of non-duality (this place and the 353

yonder shore are the same530), the song Encontros E Despedidas tells much the same:”São só dois lados Da mesma viagem O trem que chega É o mesmo trem Da partida” (it's only two sides of the same journey: the incoming train is the same boarded to leave).

According to immemorial Hindu wisdom, life could be lived according to either the brahmana or sramana531 (=striving one) paradigms. The brahmana lived his life in four stages: as a student first, then as as householder, as forest ascetic, and as homeless spiritual wanderer in search of enlightenment. The sramana omitted the first three phases, and could since the beginning engage in austerities, penance and a life of wandering spiritual quest: the hero's journey is -as the Brazilian song implieseverybody's lot.

If the swashbuckling judges of Judge Dredd (1995) – in a nod to Hebrew tradition, whereby judges united judicial, political and executive functions in agreement with the patriarchal imagery-, are granted a last journey to civilize the wilderness outside the walled city, so Gautama Buddha critically ill, and approaching his death, embarks in a last journey after decades of itinerant ministry.

While it is difficult to infer reasoned knowledge of Buddhist (or oriental) thought in the lusophone audiences cheering the song, it is possible to argue how both the song and oriental thought provoke the human mind's very same weak spots. 530 531

This is the view of Mahayana Buddhism. Hinayana Buddhism, for example, rejects this conclusion. Related to the word shaman in some interpretations.

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The journey after exceptional boons that will reveal their superlative qualities once brought back to mankind may include material possessions (the golden fleece532 often meant to embody the grains; the pre-Columbian cities' gold; the golden apples of the Hesperides533...); spiritual legacies (such as the gradual recovery of the long lost teachings of Buddhist Saint Padma Sambhava; the oral Torah supposedly revealed to Moses on the mount Sinai 534), and anything inbetween: the apples of the Hesperides are not only made of gold, but stand for eternal life, wisdom, the symbol of the divine wedding between father sky Zeus and mother Earth Hera... Before disappearing on his journey astride a water buffalo, Lao-Tzu (“venerable teacher”) consigned his wisdom in the Tao-Te-Ching book.

A 2004 documentary535 showed how at the Takiwasi centre staffed with both traditional medical professionals and folk healers in Peru, some people try to overcome severe problems of substance abuse through paced healing practices that follow aboriginal methods -very similar to Hindu ones at that-.

Heavy usage of psychotropic herbal extracts is included. An entire 532

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Well before the Greeks emerged from the Bronze Age, the Hittite -between the XV and XIII century BCEmyth of Telepinu, god of fertility, required that:”An interesting feature of the conclusion of the ritual is the erection of a pole before the god, from which the fleece of a sheep is suspended ” (Hooke 1963:102) much as the golden fleece of Greek myth hangs from an apple tree. In one interpretation, King Arthur leaving for Avalon is in fact sailing towards the land of the Hesperides. The apple mytheme recurs also famously in the Bible as forbidden fruit (a literary “accident” in Jerome's Latin Bible, whereby “what is bad” can also mean “apple”); or as apple of discord at the wedding of Thetis and Peleos. “The king said to his daughter, "I will proclaim a great festival. It shall last for three days, and you shall throw a golden apple. Perhaps the unknown knight will come."” (Brothers Grimm, Iron Hans). Arrien (2002:06pt2) discusses the labor of Hercules required to fetch the apples of the Hesperides, which she identifies with “trust, love and truth”. The same divide between Hindu sruti and smriti: what is heard, and what is remembered, or oral and written form:”the mere act of repetition turns speech into song” (Viskontas 2017: Is Your Brain Objective). Bernardi 2004.

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religion (Santo Daime) -now spread around the world- has grown around the ceremonial consumption of entheogenic ayahuasca for the alleged purpose of spiritual development:”there is hardly an aboriginal culture without at least one psychoactive plant”536.

Meanwhile, in the eleventh century, Avicenna, celebrated Islamic physician and philosopher, recommended [etheogenic plant] datura – which is coincidentally congruent with the appearance of the arabesque (an intricate pattern datura users often report) as a mystical, unifying theme in Islamic art and architecture. (Gerringer 2007:7). Ayahuasca -or other entheogens- supposedly trigger the awakening of one's own mythology through quintessential symbols (snakes, mother goddesses etc) climaxing through physical and metaphysical evacuation of one's own inner fears. At least one of the patients in the Takiwasi footage admits he's aware that in his visions he sees what he wants to see:”This is why a symbol has such power and brings a quality of awe when experienced (the numen). An image can therefore become a symbol if it makes this connection to the unknown.”537.

In a 1985 documentary538, South Carolina psychiatrist Mike Lampkin relates how -in order to treat 'irrational' patients obsessed with fears of the supernatural- he pretends to be a witchdoctor. He uses harmless drugs to change the color of the patient's urine -and so forth- in order to convince them that he's a true healer, and that they are now well. 536 537 538

From Plants Of The Gods (2001). Angelo 1992:79. Clarke 1985:The Roots Of Evil.

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The old priests and medicine men understood this, not by knowledge, but by intuition. They tried to get a sick man back into an archetypal situation -...- What is the use of such foolishness? I assume that these people were by no means idiots. They knew very well what they did, they were as intelligent as we are, they had good results with these methods so they used them (C.G. Jung, Dream Analysis 1, Seminar in 1928-30). In 2005, prof. Deepak Sarma filmed an ancient Mahakali ritual in Ambalpadi (Udupi, India). Devotees worship and interact with the goddess Kali who possesses a shaman. The Temple's lineage holder acts as proxy so that the devotees' questions may find a cryptic answer from the goddess, which he interprets. “Most of [the questions revolve around] psychological fears” says Shri Ballal, the lineage holder, “the psychological fear has become the disease -...- we give [postulants] some strength trying to convince them that there is god -...-[who] will look after you -...-: it's faith”.

It isn't just a matter of sweet words used to pitch a sale fast, either. Professionals involved in such situations have to know occult sciences rather well, and have to play their role in the minutest detail, thus going along with complex folklore: it goes well beyond the conventional definition of placebo as inert substance assumed under the guise of powerful drugs. The 'magic spots' of the human mind are not just a hot commodity for hoaxers, salesmen and carpet-baggers.

In a not-so-subtle way, all great heroes -often (semi)gods and their ilkand saviors had their own katabasis (or accounts of trips to the nether world(s) ):

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Aeneas539, Baal540, Dumuzi, Dionysus, Hercules, Inanna (who shall be back in three days), Izanami, Jesus of Nazareth 541, Krishna, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, Kwan Yin Bodhisattva, Mwindo (buried alive as an infant, yet miraculously teleporting out of the pit), Nachiketa542, Odysseus, Orpheus543, Osiris, Persephone, Pythagoras (son of Apollo according to Iamblichus; alternatively a descendant), Saint Anthony The Great, St. Peter Apostle544, Theseus, Zalmoxis (a Thracian dying-and-rising god of light and sky), Zoroaster and so many others545:

a relação existente entre a katábasis e o próprio itinerário intelectual do filósofo -...-Empédocles de Agrigento -...-o léxico da katábasis é usado analogicamente para representar o nosso mundo -...-Todas as descidas, toda as katábasis culminam, num momento fundamental, num locus narrativo de importância crucial para o pensamento ocidental: no diálogo “República”, de Platão. -...-O mesmo fogo, que é testemunho ritual da revelação e da sabedoria verdadeira no antro ideo, aqui, em “República”, se torna significativamente um momento essencial da inversão: no lugar de simbolizar a iluminação da sabedoria, é reduzido a dispositivo quase cinematográfico, que permite a mise em scène de um teatro de sombras e enganos. Assim, o filósofo desmascara o teatro, a enganação, com sua anábasis da caverna, movimento 539

540 541

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The nostoi (returns, from which nostalgia=aching to return) that recounted the heroes' fate after the Trojan War, of which the most famous is the Odyssey, already featured Diomedes, Idomeneus etc who -by all accounts- shared a story almost identical to that of later Aeneid. Plot contrivances included wars on foreign soil; the foundation of cities etc. Identified with Saturn (much as the Semitic god El was) as Baal Hammon. Although it gained a foothold in popular devotion, the “harrowing of hell” is first represented as we know it in the non-canonical, V century Gospel Of Nicodemus. Upanishadic character (Katha Upanishad). He's a boy who journeys to the underworld as he wishes to learn from Yama, lord of death. Yama happens to be on a journey: Nachiketa waits for him three days (=common mytheme), Upon his arrival, Yama apologizes for his lack of hospitality, and offers to fulfill three of the boy's wishes (=common mytheme again). He opts for spiritual gifts over material possessions as he has met death already, after all. Orpheus crucified (Orpheos Bakkikos) used to be a famous worship item. Apocalypse Of Peter, II century CE. The basic variant is: the hero goes to the nether world because he has 'what it takes' ( he for example needs to fulfill a mission), and the descent and consequent ascent 'prove' he is all that people believe about him (for example he's a savior ); or the hero goes to the nether world for some less glamorous reason (such as Odysseus needing hints to find his way home), but is back ( nostos=return) to possibly show other men the 'lesson' he has learnt, thus showing he had 'what it takes' to begin with.

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contrário à katábasis do ponto de vista gnoseoloógico: a verdade está na subida, não na descida. (Cornelli 2007:no page). Many cults -whether actual or ancient- incorporate(d) a katabasis ritual based on allegorical-metaphorical546 ' death and resurrection':

Mythic narratives and rituals, in short, draw upon the same set of traditional images and patterns of action to convey their ideas, but the specific meaning of a given traditional pattern or image cannot be divorced from the way in which it is deployed within the narrative or ritual. A katabasis does not necessarily imply an initiation nor an initiation a katabasis. (Edmonds 2004:115). [Aurobindo explains]For, there are two aspects of the divine birth; one is a descent, the birth of God in humanity… The other is an ascent, the birth of man into the Godhead, man rising into the divine nature and consciousness,… (in MAISI014:lecture 4:3). Greek temples and mystery religions featured artificial caves or tunnels into which the devotee was given the impression to descend through artful stage management. There, in the mystical womb of the divine, the devotee could commune with the godhead (for example Apollo, Artemis, Demeter or Aesculapius) through a variety of practices such as incubatio (sleeping in), oracles and mystery ceremonies.

The devotee was often required to crouch or go on all fours through passageways much as it often is the case today in Japan to reach the abode where the mystical tea ceremony takes place, or as it was the case to access the Neolithic Tomb Of The Eagles in Scotland (about 3150 BCE). 546

A rhetorical device used to comprehend a mystery that would otherwise elude men.

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At Bethlehem, contemporary pilgrims entering a Church complex descend into a cave presented as the authentic place of Jesus' birth:

and Christ, a Roman subject, was born in Bethlehemâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; according to tradition, in a cave associated by the local pagans with the mythological birth of their annually sacrificed-and-resurrected deity Adonis. (Campbell 1960:299-300). Caves and spirituality go often hand in hand: the I Buddhist council took place in the Settapanni cave on Vebhara mountain (=the mountain mytheme) according to some accounts. Plato's allegory of the cave much resembles preexisting Buddhist teachings where darkness (in Vedic terms) replaces the cave:

As, good Gotama, one might set upright what had been upset, or disclose what had been covered, or show the way to one who had gone astray, or bring an oil-lamp into the darkness so that those with vision might see material shapes â&#x20AC;&#x201D; even so in many a figure is dhamma made clear by the good Gotama. I am going to the revered Gotama for refuge and to dhamma and to the Order of monks May the good Gotama accept me as a lay-follower going for refuge from today forth for as long as life lasts. (Ganakamoggallana Sutta). Wells may replace caves (=caves as chthonic places). On the island of Tinos (Greece), some pilgrims crawl for two kilometers -a form of penitence- to reach a sanctuary where a Christian Orthodox icon of the Virgin resides in order to petition her. A holy spring (=water mytheme) flows underground, whose water pilgrims collect. That's a direct filiation from Graeco-Roman antiquity: Poseidon as healer -the god of seas, earthquakes and springs- was worshiped on the island as temple remains demonstrate. In Christian times, the Virgin has also been associated with healing, with her own procession, also an icon of Greek national identity.

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As Greek Navy seamen carry the icon in a solemn process, devotees walk under the palanquin that carries the icon:

L’image de la Vierge noire est tellement prégnante et tellement associée au sentiment identitaire catalan que, même si certains se sont moqués de l’effondrement de l’un des piliers de la Catalogne lorsque l’on a su que la statue n’était probablement pas originellement noire, son mythe ne disparaîtra pas, du moins dans l’immédiat. (Impériali 2008:no page). In a curious doppelgaenger effect, the town of Besana (Italy), too, is said to have seven hills. Just like Rome again, Besana had a sacred grove where a holy spring was located. The grove was associated not with pagan gods, but with Christian San Giorgio. The miraculous spring was associated with the dead ( I morti

di San Giorgio): chthonic imagery.

Such was the purpose of the 'mystical tomb' of the German

Eksternsteine: a hollow rock in which postulants lied in meditation to trigger their awakening, mystical death, second birth etc. The 'sacred' megalithic complex near Teutoburg was (incorrectly) rumored to consist of asteroids 547 fallen in a primeval age; In Muslim lore, even the sacred stone at Mecca fell from the sky.

Orthodox Christians may crawl under the epitaphios (the Christ's death scene) in church in order to join Jesus in symbolic death and upcoming Easter resurrection. Modern day observant Jews await a reconstruction of the Jerusalem Temple, in which the famous stone rested, which patriarch Jacob used as a pillar 547

The worship of celestial bodies made tangible -such as asteroid fragments and so forth- recurs in ancient mythologies.

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when he had a vision of the celestial ladder to heaven.

Stones could fall the from sky for all sort of reasons. In medieval Italy, ritual battles consisting in an exchange of hails of stones ( sassaiole) between cities, brotherhoods, factions or boroughs was commonplace. In the southernmost region of then Imperial Korea, seokjeon (stone battles) were very popular in their painful consequences. Tinku (ritual battles) of the (pre)Incaic regions of South America also involve hails of stones: the blood of the ritual enemy to fertilize the earth. Some cultures in the past -or the present- prescribe stoning as retribution for certain categories of sin. Muslims ritually â&#x20AC;&#x153;lapidate Satanâ&#x20AC;?.

At both ends of the Eurasian land mass, sacred stones dominate. Iceland offers stones and rocks associated with elves and trolls of local folklore, whereas in Japan rocks are often sacred to Shinto, not to mention the noted Zen Buddhist rock&gravel gardens:

Other pertinent data regarding the Chintamani Stone maintains that it was brought to Earth by Sirian [=the star Sirius of Masonic and occult lore] missionaries during a remote era in order to eventually help precipitate a one-world civilization based upon mutual support, love, and equality. In order to effectuate this lofty goal, the Sirians are believed to have, throughout history, made sure that the stone remained in the possession of certain planetary rulers or organizations that have been in the position of influencing the world on a grand scale. -...-There is some indication that one part of the stone has been the sacred stone of the Kaaba, which has united millions of Moslems around the globe. In recent history it is known that a portion of the Chintamani Stone was given to the founders of the League of Nations, whose stated goals were the creation of a one-world civilization free of hate and war. (Pinkham no date: no page). 362

Just as Theseus had to pick a large stone up in order to appear before his royal father; just like Cyclops pulled large stones to seal the entrance to their caves, so in southern South Korea (Jeju) people engage in stone-lifting contests just like Scottish or Scandinavian strongmen do. In Jeju, the contest used to be a rite of passage to determine young men's ability to get married. In Japan, people present Buddhist deity Jizo Bosatsu with wishes. If they can lift the Omokaru Jizo statue, their wish shall be granted; otherwise, they may try again at another point in time.

Physique superstar, actor and politician Schwarzenegger writes:

Every year, in the spring, a stone-lifting contest is held in Munich -...the stone weighs approximately 508 German pounds -...-[and I, in 1967] broke the existing record -...-. The press picked it up and wrote that Mr. Universe was the strongest man in Germany- which may or may not have been true (Schwarzenegger&Kent Hall 1979:84-86). The NSDAP regime included the Eksternsteine in its neo-pagan, panGerman mythology based on ancestral heritage:

Wolfram says Chretien didn't understand the story[=Grail romance cycle]. "I have," says he, "as my source the poet Kyot." We don't know who that was, but he had supposedly been in Spain, where he got the story from a Moorish alchemist. So there are alchemical themes in this story. His version of the Grail is a stone vessel, which was brought down from heaven. Now what he's doing is imitating the Muslim Kaaba, the stone at Mecca that was brought down from heaven. The Grail was brought down from heaven by the neutral angels. (Campbell 1989: In Search Of The Holy Grail). (Sacred) stones -with or without associated wells, groves, petroglyphs etc- are used to keep the dead from leaving the grave (=ritual function of many 363

tombstones). Alternatively, they may keep some other chthonic or supernatural force from surfacing: Hercules buries the hydra's immortal head under a rock.

In Japan, at the Kasima Shrine, a first century CE Shinto temple, a sacred “Pivot-stone” is located. Referred to as one of “Kasima’s Seven Wonders,” the stone is described as projecting several inches above the ground, with a depression (cup mark?) on the top. According to Japanese legend, the stone holds down a “monstrous subterranean cat-fish, which is traditionally supposed to be the cause of earthquakes.” (Varner 2004:69). Sacred stones played a central role as founder Smith was shaping the new religion of Mormonism:

Nevertheless, the scribes and others who observed the translation left numerous accounts that give insight into the process. Some accounts indicate that Joseph studied the characters on the plates. Most of the accounts speak of Joseph’s use of the Urim and Thummim (either the interpreters or the seer stone), and many accounts refer to his use of a single stone. According to these accounts, Joseph placed either the interpreters or the seer stone in a hat, pressed his face into the hat to block out extraneous light, and read aloud the English words that appeared on the instrument. The process as described brings to mind a passage from the Book of Mormon that speaks of God preparing “a stone, which shall shine forth in darkness unto light.” ( Book Of Mormon...no date:no page). Pagan rituals such as incubatio were swiftly absorbed into Christian practice:

There were many other pagan traditions and practices that soon found Christian counterparts, such as incubation, the practice of sleeping in the precincts dedicated to a deity who could visit the suppliant in a dream for the purpose of physical or mental healing. This practice found soon its Christian counterparts. This was the case for the Athens Asklepieion, on which a church dedicated to Saint Andrew (patron of 364

healing) was built before the end of the fifth century. Here we have conclusive evidence of transition from pagan to Christian healing. It is likely that this has happened with other pagan healing cults as well, although precise historical evidence is still lacking (e.g., the case of Saint Marina of Theseion in Athens). Yet the Christian practice of replacing or transforming pagan traditions and practices -...- was not entirely successful in eradicating the pagan past and the challenges it posed to the Christian world that sprang from it. (Makrides 2009:1678). Come think of it, the very appearance on the earthly plane of any savior-hero is a katabasis. Aurobindo Ghose describes thus his assistant/counterpart in his community of disciples:

In her deep and great love for her children she has consented to put on herself the cloak of this obscurity, condescended to bear the attacks and torturing influences of the powers of the Darkness and the Falsehood, borne to pass through the portals of the birth that is a death, taken upon herself the pangs and sorrows and sufferings of the creation, since it seemed that thus alone could it be lifted to the Light and Joy and Truth and eternal Life. ( MAISF001 no date:Sri Aurobindo on the Mother). Alternatively, deities (angels, etc) may be wandering in disguise creating situations of poverty, danger etc to check how mortals act. It is a motif omnipresent in human culture, for example in Buddhism:

Then on the fifteenth day of each month, the Four Great Kings in person perambulate this world to see whether many folk among men pay reverence to mother etc. The texts say that if few be those among men who do these things, the Four Great Kings report the matter to the ruler of the gods of the Thirty-Three as they sit in the hall of righteousness. The gods of the Thirty-Three are displeased saying â&#x20AC;&#x153;Surely, sirs, the god-hosts will diminish and the Asura-hosts will be increased.â&#x20AC;? If the Four Great Kings report in positive terms then the gods of the Thirty-Three are pleased saying â&#x20AC;&#x153;Surely, sirs, the godhosts will be increased and the Asura-hosts will decrease . (Guang Xing, ME6208: Buddhist Attitude Towards Parents). 365

In Mahayana Buddhism, the quintessential Buddha, too, can present himself under the appearance of all kinds of people (even foul or unworthy ones), and even things, in order to impart teachings that could otherwise not be equally well received. So people ought to better behave and mind 'the all seeing eye' of the gods, which today may also take the form of omnipresent surveillance cameras, etc.

The motif can also have sexual undertones as 'bedtrick', or the sexual union between parties, of whom one completely ignores, and/or is mistaken about the partner's identity (Oedipus, Myrrha548, Dharmaruci549 etc). In the Mahabharata, Bhima disguises himself as his wife Draupadi. Bhima lies in the bed of the covetous prince Kichaka, who had tried to seduce Draupadi, and kills him as he tries to make love.

Sexual(ized) impropriety gives rise to “scream memories” as the more or less innocent culprit of sexual(ized) behavior is caught -literally- 'with the pants down' (“naked” like transgressing Adam and Eve in the garden), with an optional “mistaken identity” (or settings) angle. Roberto 550 quips:” Why does it grab people's attention? Because it's unexpected. So if there's an unexpected element -...-, that can help you grab people's attention, and get them to adopt -and stick with- a change”.

Readers may be either expected to scream in agony with the “surprised” victim, or to chuckle: 548 549 550

Greek myth. She seduced her father Cinyras unbeknownst of him. Indo-Buddhist myth. His mother seduced him unbeknownst of him. 2011:Making Change Stick.

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In a somewhat similar folk story the husband, unknown to his wife, brings the minister home for dinner after helping him with some yardwork at the church, and invites him to use the shower upstairs to clean up. The wife, all unawares, comes upstairs, hears the shower, and reaches in through the curtain to grasp the bather’s penis; she tugs it several times saying “Ding, dong, dinner bell!” Then she faints when she meets her husband emerging from the downstairs bathroom. -...- In brief, a victim of stomach gas is either left in a darkened room or blindfolded and assumes incorrectly that he or she is alone. Then the person relieves himself or herself of the gas by breaking wind. This story, like the nudity ones, has had considerable underground circulation(Brunvand 1981:83-84). Campbell describes Galahad's origins thus:

and the moral sense of this begetting of a saint [Galahad] upon a virgin [daughter of the Grail King] by a sinner [Lancelot] who supposed himself to be with someone else's wife [Arthur's wife] is not too easy to explain (1968:552). The bedtrick motif can extend to encompass demon-lover narratives: a conflation of folkloric and gothic atmospheres. An unaware human is lured into a sexual encounter or liaison with whom looks like another ordinary human. The thunder of illumination strikes as it appears the mystery lover was in fact a vampire, revenant or something of that sort ( a “vanishing hitchhiker” kind of situation): the perversion of fairy bride (or groom) narratives, or the noces inférnales of Romanticism and German Vampyrgeschichte (vampire stories).

Long before amateurish 'Gettier cases' could easily get the tortoise of academic philosophy on its back, ancient myth – not to mention Hinduism and Buddhism- had been toying with equivalent epistemological problems for thousands of years. It remains open to consideration whether Gettier cases are the gem from a 367

superior mind, whose creativity eludes the layman, or one of the countless Hindu or Buddhist similes groomed to sway easily impressed western pundits. Myths literally teem with cases of (mis)recognition and ensuing dilemmas (such as the rope mistaken for a snake in the dark, yet having been a rope all along), or endless variation on the 'vision/stare' motif.

As Herodotus comments, Apollo gave Croesus King of Lydia (VI century BCE) an oracle regarding a possible war with Persia. Croesus misinterpreted the cryptic oracle, and destroyed his own kingdom. About to die atop a sacrificial pyre the triumphant Persians had prepared, Croesus would have screamed 551 what could stand for a slogan for the sweet human psyche:”Now I Get it, arti manthano [=the oracle's meaning]”. After slaying in a duel his beloved Clorinda he had not identified, Tancredi goes mad after the crucial recognition.

The apocryphal Apocalypse Of Peter (II century CE) also delivers the same gnostic punchline:”And the men that were joined with them in the defilement of adultery were hanging by their feet, and had their heads hidden in the mire, and said: We believed not that we should come unto this place.”552.

The same 'lesson' is present in both Hinayana and Mahayana Buddhism. Ascetic Pukkusāti gets to share the cowshed with Gautama Buddha, whom he is in search of, but does not recognize him. In another Buddhist text, Gautama Buddha is 551

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In one of the many versions, of course. In another version, Croesus sets the pyre up all by himself in order to avoid slavery. What matters here is the thunder of illumination strikes as he understands his foolishness. Emphasis added. M.R. James translation, 1924.

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about to enter a forest where three of his disciples dwell ( Chulagosinga Sutta). Not recognizing him, a junior disciple prays him not to enter the forest in order to avoid disrupting the group's harmony:”When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it."”553.

Similar stories are told about a number of Tibetan Saints as well, whom people don't at first recognize. In another Buddhist tale, the ascetic Upaka scoffs at Gautama's bombastic proclamation of Buddhahood, and takes a bypath.

In the Gospel (Luke 16:26ss) a rich man tormented in hell sees the beggar he scoffed at in heaven, and pleads with Abraham to send Lazarus the beggar554 to forewarn the rich man's five brothers still alive: the request is turned down because the rich man had his chance and spoiled it, like Buddhist Upaka. In Buddhist Payasi Sutta, the same rationale is given to explain to a prince why he must believe the Buddha's message now, and how none of his either evil or righteous acquaintances ever came back to address his perplexities regarding the afterlife.

What about Jesus?

Therefore I [=Jesus] speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. "In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, 'YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT 553 554

Genesis 28:16. In John (11:38-44), the story is updated. Jesus resurrects his “beloved” ( John 11:5) Lazarus from the dead, and takes Abraham's place as supreme arbiter.

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PERCEIVE (Matthew 13:13-14). "Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people. (Ezekiel 12:2). Jesus said, "Many times have you desired to hear these words which I am saying to you, and you have no one else to hear them from. There will be days when you look for Me and will not find Me." (Gospel Of Thomas no date no place n.38). On the road to Emmaus, two disciples meet the resurrected Jesus but do not recognize him at first:”Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.”555.

The same is told of Aesculapius ( ex voto Stele II556). A woman named Sostrata was pregnant with worms. When she visited the god's sanctuary, no dream came to her. Since she hadn't been healed, she marched towards home. Then “a man of fine appearance” met her group, cut her belly open and healed her: “Asclepius revealed to her his presence”.

A man came as a supplicant to the god. He was so blind that of one of his eyes he had only the eyelids left-within them was nothing, but they were entirely empty. Some of those in the Temple laughed at his silliness to think that he could recover his sight when one of his eyes had not even a trace of the ball, but only the socket. As he slept a vision appeared to him. It seemed to him that the god prepared some drug, then , opening his eyelids, poured it into them. When day came he departed with the sight of both eyes restored. (Inscriptiones Graecae 4. 1. 121- 122: Stele 1.9, Edelstein&Edelstein trans.). Mahayana Buddhism claims the innumerable celestial Buddhas cannot 555 556

Luke 24:35. A presumed eye-witness testimony a healed patient commissioned in order to give thanks to the god.

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help, unless one has affinities with the same. Various tales recount how laymen (peasants, fishermen...) get to meet royalties (kings, princes, prophets...) more or less in disguise (for example a King disguised as a knight) but fail to recognize them:”But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands. ” (Matthew 17:12).

One Chinese story reports the origins of one duck recipe, whereby a dejected student stole a duck, and cooked it a certain way by happenstance. The Emperor chanced to pass by; he also chanced to be hungry, thus he commandeered the student's duck, ate it, and was so satisfied that he gratified the student with an appointment as Prime Minister. Of course, in the end the ascetic recognizes Buddha557; Buddha finally joins his disciples in the forest.

The wonder of recognition unfolds, royalties make themselves known, and:”Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. ” ( Luke 24:35). In a 1964 commercial, a charming little girl gets to meet Mister Clean up close and personal so he may solve her problems with dirt 558. Next, a 1963 commercial sees a hardened cleaning maid puzzling in wonder whether Mister Clean 559 -who cleaned a dirty floor in 557

558 559

There are various versions of how Pukkusāti recognized Buddha: either during the night they shared the cowshed, or later in time. Pukkusāti is at times described as already a Buddhist. In a version, Buddha preaches to him during the night, and he requests full ordination. As he's sent to fetch a robe and a bowl for the ceremony, a cow (the bovine as lunar symbol) kills him: the same bovine that killed the leper Suppabuddha (Supprabuddha). Some have argued that the fact that the Buddha may remain unrecognized explains that existence itself, the world is a source of teachings that may come from all people and situations. Footage at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGihrE8uxeA. Footage at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiwcIiO0R4g .

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seconds before her very eyes- is a mere TV character or a real person as he disappears. Just as Jesus appears with the scarlet/purple robe of royalty (or sin), so Mister Clean appears in an impeccable suit in order to alleviate common people's predicament, just like Jesus.

Folklore meets history: a misinformed peasant hails Napoleon at the

isola d'Elba560 as the King of England, which prompts the deposed French Emperor's wrath:”Recognition builds connection, and connectedness creates evangelists who spread your message.”561.

Popular culture is never far behind. In 1968 western movie Hang 'Em

High, an innocent man survives lynching: he's soon back as a vigilante sheriff to do away with the culprits who -of course- cannot recognize him. In 1996 Sleepers, the now deeply religious former member of a clique of sodomite cops -who sexually assaulted young men in prison- finds himself in the dock with a prosecutor he cannot recognize as one of the youngsters he had brutalized in the past: he's finally arrested.

Rambo, Ringo, Ulysses and Dionysus, too, aren't recognized at first, then they “even up the score” unleashing retribution upon their foes:

In other words, according to the PET scan, it looked as though the decision to punish others was related to a feeling of pleasure. 560

561

When defeated the first time, Napoleon was exiled as King of such small island in central Italy, where he'd reign for nine months and 23 days, until his flight towards France, where he recaptured power for an ephemeral 100 days before the last military disaster, and the final deportation to St.Helena. Lakhani 2008:160.

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What’s more, those who had a high level of striatum activation punished others to a greater degree. All of this suggests that punishing betrayal, even when it costs us something, has biological underpinnings. -...-It seems that at the moment we feel the desire for revenge, we don’t care whom we punish —we only want to see someone pay, regardless of whether they are the agent or the principal.( Ariely 2010:62,71, emphasis added). Julius Caesar, too, is about to unleash retribution upon his civil war foes as he boards a ship:

Wishing, therefore, to sail to Italy in person and unattended, he embarked on a small boat in disguise, saying that he had been sent by Caesar; -...- [a storm arose and] then Caesar revealed himself, as if by this act he could stop the storm, and said, “Be of good cheer: you carry Caesar.” (Dio Cassius, Roman History, 46, 1-4, Carry trans.). Following a terrible car crash in 2006, Whitney Cerak, a U.S student, is confused with co-traveler Laura VanRyn. Cerak is pronounced dead and buried, whereas the VanRyn family looks after a badly injured Laura for five weeks (yes, 5). In the end, a mistake is revealed: Cerak had been alive all along, and that's Laura VanRyn who had died: Cerak can at a later date celebrate her wedding in the same church that saw her funeral562.

Popular culture often meets myths: prevailing accounts considered execrable revisionist David Cole as being either “dead” or “missing” following heated controversies. The versatile Jewish-American, however, was alive and well as

David

Stein,

award-winning

producer

orthodox

genocide-themed

documentaries, and neo-con organizer of mainstream conservative VIP events. 562

Mailonline, May 21, 2012.

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As it was the case with Buddha, Jesus, Ulysses or the Pandava brothers, none could recognize that Cole and Stein were in fact the same person, although most of Cole's heterodox audiovisual works had been hidden in plain sight over the internet all along.

It is often hard to pull folklore and popular culture apart. In 1983 awardwinning Italian singer and songwriter Artegiani wrote the song Il Sogno Di Un

Buffone (a court jester's dream), which recounts a court jester's unrequited love for a contemptuous Queen. The dejected jester goes away in tears and poetically forecasts his rebirth “from an oak”563 in the guise of a blond-haired564, blue-eyed knight astride a flying horse wielding “a sword crafted by the sun”. He shall then return to utter his moral outrage “in the face” of a Queen who no longer recognizes him, yet she's so fascinated by his new self.

In spite of modest vocal and musical skills, Il Sogno Di Un Buffone wins a prize at famed Saint Vincent Festival. As Lakhani565 extols, the power of stories is so great that people excuse even poor storytellers as they try to make use of the story being told.

1966 song The Impossible Dream recites:”To fight for the right without question or cause To be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause ”. CEKA/NKVD, GESTAPO or Khmer Rouge couldn't have said it better. Every 563 564

565

A possible echo of folk ritual passata arborea still present in Southern Italy (Sannio). Robert Bly explains how “golden hair” stand for “the consciousness you receive from the other world; from the time before you were born: the knowledge we have of other places” (no date). 2010:03.

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pencil-necked sweat-hog is deep down a rabid little Red Guard with a societal little Red Book in hand eager to do the loyalty dance for whichever “dear leader” stands at the top at the moment. Pushing the buttons of the mind never ceases to pay dividends, really.

As with most of these atavistic fears, the 'stare' can be both benign (Horus' all-seeing eye, the deity's regard invoked in prayer or the godly guru's

darshan, non-dual seeing on the guru's part), and malign (the evil eye 566). R.L. Moore567 comments that a trait present in healers across time and space is the impulse to balance opposites (=Janusian thinking etc):”[President F.D. Roosevelt] was like a "chameleon on plaid," groused Herbert Hoover.”568.

The godly and evil stare intertwine:

A very interesting account of the netra mangalya, or ceremony of painting the eyes of images, as performed by craftsmen in Ceylon, has been published by Mr A. K. Coomaraswamy. Therein he writes that "by far the most important ceremony connected with the building and decoration of a vihara (temple), or with its renovation, was the actual netra mangalya or eye ceremonial. The ceremony had to be performed in the case of any image, whether set up in a vihara or not. Even in the case of flat paintings it was necessary. D. S. Muhandiram, when making for me a book of drawings of gods according to the Rupavaliya, left the eyes to be subsequently inserted on an auspicious occasion, with some simpler form of the ceremony described." (Thurston 1912:205-6). An important ceremony [in Sri Lanka] associated with the Buddhaimage is the ritual of painting its eyes (netra-pinkama), which is 566

567 568

That is why ancient ships often had eyes painted on. A legend recounts how the Byzantine set a barbarian horde running by exposing them to the 'evil eye' of their newly found savior. No date-3:part 4. Goldberg 2007:77.

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performed with much care on an auspicious occasion as the last item of its construction. Until this is done the image is not considered an adequate representation of the Buddha. (Kariyawasam 2013:no page). When the other perfections are completed by wisdom, They acquire their eye and fulfill their name, Just as a painting may be complete except for the eyes, But until the eyes are drawn, no wage is obtained [by the artist]. (Tsongkhapa, in ME6217 no date uniy 7:5) One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer--at three in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" -...-Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Taking him by the right handextnote, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. (Acts 3:1-8, emphasis added). Always look at the person to whom you are speaking. If you are presenting to a group, look at different individuals throughout your presentation. (Lakhani 2005:30). neuroscience has revealed that when we make eye contact with someone, it actually sends a signal to the brain that triggers empathy and rapport. Ask interested questions, schedule face-to-face meetings, and initiate conversations that aren’t always task-oriented. (Achor 2010:174). A series of advertisements that offered to pay investors an absurdly high rate of return contained this statement, “Look us in the eye before you invest.” -...-.The ad, of course, was a cynical ploy to tap into the common but mistaken belief that intense scrutiny of the eyes will reveal deceptive intent. This belief is a powerful tool for con men, as are solemn “up-front” declarations of honesty and integrity. Consider, for example, this quote from Enron’s 1998 annual report: “We do not tolerate abusive or disrespectful treatment. Ruthlessness, extnote

The tactile element won't escape readers here. The sense of touch is as important as the vision:” Tactile experience ought to act -so to speak- as model for psychical experience -...- tenderness is thus tactile to begin with” (Fontes 2006:no page) (note of this reader).

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callousness, and arrogance don’t belong here.” (Babiak&Hare 2006:232). And as a psychologist I knew full well that the link between gaze aversion and deceptiveness is a myth! -...-Most liars don’t do anything in particular when they lie. -...- In effect, we’re waiting to hear an alarm bell that doesn’t exist. And because we don’t hear it—because the liar we’re talking to doesn’t shift her eyes or mumble or blush— we fall back to our erroneous default position: she must be telling the truth. (Feldman 2009:21,23-24). Anthropologist Helen Fisher explains that when you stare with intensity at someone, it can speed up their heart rate and send a hormone called phenylethylamine, or PEA, coursing through their bloodstream. PEA is the same hormone that produces the phenomenon we call love at first sight. In one study, complete strangers were asked to count the number of times the person across from them blinked. This was just a ploy to get people to look deeply into each other’s eyes without feeling the awkwardness that usually arises. Within just a few minutes, people reported increased affection, and some even passionate feelings, for each other (Cabane 2012:101). ¿Qué más podré decir Para convenceros de mi verdad? Si aún queréis Dudar mirad mis ojos Ved como lloran de amor (No Llores Por Mì Argentina). A similar ceremony takes place in Taiwan to 'open the eyes' of images of various deities -thus making them effective in providing protection- at the hands of Taoist or Buddhist priests.

The Perseus myth recurs circularly, and the painting takes place behind some sort of curtain in Sri Lanka: “Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second room called the Most Holy Place. ” ( Hebrews 9:3). The same 'most holy place' was also present in Egyptian and Graeco-Roman temples (adyton, donot-enter place).

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After following detailed steps, and as the congregation of the faithful prays in attendance (=fusion of the horde), the Sri Lankan painter works looking at the statue through a mirror. Lastly, the painter releases impurities on an animal provided for that purpose, which mirrors exactly what the Hebrews of Biblical lore did in bygone ages:â&#x20AC;?But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat. â&#x20AC;? (Leviticus 16:10).

In Japan, nagashi hina (doll floating) sees small dolls set adrift in a body of water to discharge impurities and bad luck. The hero can also go -or be sentaway dejected before he comes back with a boon for the community. R.L. Moore connects (ritual) initiation with (extreme) humiliation. Contemporary social science confirms all this. As Lyubomirsky suggests, writing about hurtful, sad or angering facts in one's life, then sealing the item in an envelope in order to dispose of it proves therapeutic.

Netra mangalya (ceremony of painting of the eyes) in Southern India requires auspicious times and rituals to paint eyes on the image of any god. In Hindu/Buddhist philosophy, the metaphor of the mirror often stands in for the human mind: no mirror without a reflection; mirrors reflect images but are neither the thing they reflect, nor the reflection itself; reflections are not the thing they represent, and so forth.

Spitting can be both benign and malign: Jesus, Vespasian and Egyptian 378

gods cured with 'sacred spitting' (the same 'positive spitting' recurs in Dune, too), but it may also have malefic connotations:”The apotropaic significance of spitting is not totally absent”569.

Buddhist Mahayana Flower Adornment Sutra mentions an eccentric sage and healer:

He just wrote the two words "living Buddha" on his head like a billboard. He told everyone to call him by that name, and they did. He jumped off a many-storied pagoda and did not even get hurt! If anyone was sick, all he had to do was touch that person or blow a breath of air on that person, and they would get well. Or he might have the sick person drink some of his saliva or the water he had washed his feet with, and they would get well. He called this water "Prajna soup!" (Chapter 8 no date: no page, emphasis added)570. At a recent healing ceremony of the Zulu tribe in South Africa, all 70 guests washed their feet in the same bucket of water before entering a traditional indlu, a circular building with a thatched rooftop. -...-The traditional healer, sangoma, instructs people to drink this water to cleanse themselves of their worries and their evil spirits. People line up to refill empty bottles they brought from their homes so they'll have enough of the magic foot water for later use. -...-“I know what you might be thinking,” my Zulu interpreter says. “But it really works.” (Skoch 2010a:no page). And when [Jesus] had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. (John 20:22). Mixing holiness with filth is an ongoing theme. As this writing contends, humankind has an irresistible, bipolar proclivity for gamboling -often literally rolling – in bodily waste, dung, ashes and other substances alternatively denounced as violating some schizogenic cleanliness requirement or another: 569 570

Theissen in Sax 2010:60. This version is particularly tame. Other versions of the same text -as this writing contends- multiply the filthy details and disgusting feats.

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Saliva – even one’s own – is extremely defiling. If a Brahmin inadvertently touches his fingers to his lips, he should bathe or at least change his clothes. Also, saliva pollution can be transmitted through some material substances. These two beliefs have led to the practice of drinking water by pouring it into the mouth instead of putting the lips on the edge of the cup (cit. in Douglas 1966:34). Parallels continue. Garland571 explains ancient Greeks held that a pig's blood was a powerful agent of purification. The sacrifice of a pig on a Hebrew Temple altar -in a region

Hellenistic monarch Antiochus IV (175-164 BCE)

controlled- added fuel to the Jewish Maccabean revolt (168-135 BCE).

In today's Vietnam, drinking a poisonous snake's freshly drawn blood along with the serpent's still beating heart is considered both a potent tonic, and a delicacy. Catholic liturgy ripostes: congregants drink Jesus' holy blood at Mass while adoring Jesus' Sacred Heart. During the French Revolution, quirky Jacobins adored another “sacred heart”: that of assassinated Freemasonic firebrand Marat, and the relics associated with him. Chateaubriand reports a prayer was coined to address the relic:”‘Heart of Jesus, heart of Marat; O sacred heart of Jesus, O sacred heart of Marat!’ ”.

(Some) Tibetan lamas still use sacred spitting in order to heal, and so do Guatemalan priests of Maximon, or other santeria sects across Latin America572;

ayahuasceros from Peru also use sacred spitting (burping etc) as part of the ceremonies involving the consumption of entheogenic beverages to induce spiritual 571 572

No date. Going back to Pre-Hispanic traditions, the smoke of a cigarro is also part of the ceremonies: pre-Hispanic natives considered tobacco sacred.

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mind trips. Certain Tibetan Buddhist rituals also involve drinking sacraments from a human skull.

Mixing saliva and mud, Egyptian goddess Isis created a phallus for her husband Osiris, whose sex organs had been lost as his mystical body had been torn to pieces. Isis' bodily fluids (saliva and urine) are healing tonics; with his saliva, Egyptian god of wisdom and magic Thoth treated Horus' blind eye; filtered cow urine figures to this day among Ayurveda's cherished medicines. Satanists are reportedly celebrating â&#x20AC;&#x153;black massesâ&#x20AC;? that include excretions.

Excreting is the curse that threatens madness because it shows man his abject finitude, his physicalness, the likely unreality of his hopes and dreams. (Becker 1973:33). In the French Antilles, devotees of Quimbois (a local version of Voodoo) practice spells that require one to urinate at a crossroad, and/or to use salt. American-Indian Hopi myths tell that Spider Woman created man molding soil and her saliva. Another American-Indian mythical figure, Navajo Old Age, spits on her hands, and gathers moisture from her armpits to make the Twin War-Gods young again.

At Aesculapius' sanctuary, sacred dogs' saliva was used; both Pliny the Elder (I century CE) and the physician Galen (II/III century CE) record saliva's healing properties. Prithvi Narayan Shah was the first King of Nepal. The god (sage, demi-god, descriptions vary ) Gorakhnath appeared to him and impelled the King to eat the god's vomit (or the binding of Isaac's foul version), which the King refused 381

to do. Gorakhnath then proffered a curse: the royal house of Nepal would last only 10 generations.

India's Aghoras -possibly appearing in the XVI century- strive towards sanctity and liberation through the devotion to Shiva and extreme tamasic 573 rituals such as ritual consumption of human flesh, feces and urine as they often elect the charnel/cremation ground as their abode. The Nazca people of Peru (II century BCE- IX century CE) placed coprolites (=fossil human excrement) in their dead's mouths. Italian artist Pietro Manzoni (1933-63) in 1961 produced an exhibit of his own boxed feces: a perversion of the reliquary compulsion? Such tin boxes were originally sold for their price in gold; box n.83 sold in 2008 at Sotheby for UK£ 97.000574. According to Campbell575, this constitutes a return -or an extension- of the “anal phase” in Freudian terms:

In certain American Indian cultures of the Southwest, one of the initiations to the clown category—and their black and white costume motif is a good symbol of the clown— involves actually eating dog shit. The most repulsive has to be accepted as also brahman. People like that are beyond all pairs of opposites. You can go to quite an extreme in eliminating your resistance to some of the things that life proposes. (Campbell 1991:108).

573

574 575

“The first level is the tāmasic or the darkened state of inertia and utter resistance to change. Here, the law of the masses, the rules of the herd like a subconscious beast or a half-conscious man -...-In the primitive or the tāmasic stage there is not much conscious suffering to the individual, [there is a kind of lethargy, there is a kind of laziness, you don’t care much about moving forward, you don’t care much about progress, you don’t care much about anything] though he may be the cause of suffering to many others. The need for violent sensations to feel just a little alive drives some of these people towards alcoholism and violent acts and practices. [They need something; it is a kind of a drill to shake them out of it, at least temporarily.] Others simply sulk, as in depression, refusing to budge or outgrow their state. The second stage is one of fiery pleasures and equally swift swings to the blues. ” (Varma, MAISI032 no date:unit 4:5-6). NSS Magazine, November 21, 2013. 1966b.

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Among the Tiv people of Nigeria, the obtainment of supernatural power (tsav) is through periodic scares linked to the practice of cannibalism and sorcery. Shamans and healers the world over purportedly extract with their fingers, or suck out with their mouth, impurities and affected tissues from their patients' bodies.

Godly and ungodly people alike can be told apart considering which sort of food they consume, or how:”"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” (John 4:34). Japanese nobility used to eat cranes and turtles that symbolize longevity; in Japanese lore, a crane was reputed to live a millennium: the red spot on the crane's head conveyed a solar connection.

In Papua New Guinea, tribes went to war against rival clans. They had “to rehumanize via food sharing. “ in order for peace to prevail 576. In 2010 at Rome, an orgy of common humanity enmeshes Lega Nord's Umberto Bossi and Rome's mayor Alemanno. After Bossi satirizes the ancient Roman SPQR as sono porci

questi Romani (these Romans are hogs), a reconciliatory banquet is organized to serve jointly culinary delicacies from Northern and Central Italy.

The Gorehabba ritual in southern India involves throwing cow dung at one another:

Cow dung, like the dung of any other animal, is intrinsically impure and can cause defilement – in fact it will defile a god; but it is pure 576

Wiessner 2016:no page. Readers may think of “the lord's supper” or vestigial mystical meals that are part of established religious traditions. Two meals are posited as landmarks in Gautama Buddha's life, too: the meal he received under the tree as he was exhausted, and the meal of tainted food that allowed him to attain ultimate nirvana late in life.

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relative to a mortal . . . the cow’s most impure part is sufficiently pure relative even to a Brahmin priest to remove the latter’s impurities (Harper in Douglas 1966:9). Isn't that the well-trodden path of sacred spitting, whose Saints excel in the trickster's “gastronomic, flatulent, sexual, phallic, and fecal feats” ( Drukpa Kunle, Living Buddha of Gold Mountain, Symeon...)? Ram Dass explains how his Hindu guru Neem Karoli Baba was also called “latrine Baba” because he had latrines built in his town, and used foul language.

Buddhist and Hebrew lore also flirted with similar imagery:

The four supports consisted of statements by the mendicant [Buddhist monk] that he would live as a monk by begging for his food, use discarded rags for robes, practice and sleep under the trees, and use the excrement of cows and discarded medicines to cure himself of illness. (Hirakawa 1990:67). They will be so hungry and thirsty that they will eat their own dung and drink their own urine. (Isaiah 36:12). [God said] I will punish your descendants and splatter your faces with the manure from your festival sacrifices, and I will throw you on the manure pile. (Malachi 2:3). [God said] Eat the food as you would a loaf of barley bread; bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement for fuel." ( Ezekiel 4:12). A milder version of Jesus' miracles recurs in Christianity:

These ritual devices triggered a tradition of healing in Early Christianity, which is somewhat different from the one associated with Jesus. According to the letter of James 5:13–16 the elders shall come togetherextnote if a member of the congregation is sick. Then they extnote

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The horde in fusion is assertedly therapeutic. Even among some Black tribes, the entire tribe shall convene

are to pray for him (though prayer was no part of Jesus’ healings), anoint him with oil (though oil was never used in the healings of Jesus), and heal in his name (though Jesus never used his or God’s name in his healings). The prayer probably substitutes the elders for Jesus, the oil for his saliva, and his “name” for his personal presence. -...-The charisma of Jesus is reified; it becomes independent of the personal quality of the participants. The collective act of forgiving of sins demonstrates in a ritual way the basic condition of all symbolic healing: the restitution of social harmony within the community. (Theissen in Sax 2010:51-2,62). Readers may here doubt whether such occurrences constitute either fossilized rituals, residual superstitions, culture-specific aberrations or rather -as this writing suggests- human mind's deeply ingrained fixtures. The Taiwanese restaurant franchise Modern Toilet -which is already expanding to mainland China- leaves customers in no doubt regarding what awaits them inside: “shit or food?” is their puzzling motto. In 2016, the Poop Cafe Dessert Bar opens in Toronto:”“I’m trying to make poop cute,” said owner Lien Nguyen -...- “It’s funny to put food and poop together; it’s a great comparison,” she added.”577.

Miniature urinals are used to drink; miniature cessbowls are used to serve Chinese food with an appearance to match: ice cream in the shape of excrement ends a happy meal: “disgust sensitivity” to its zenith (or nadir)?

Uttering sounds as well can be both malign and benign (bene/male

dicere=say good or bad about, benediction/malediction):”The most important means of healing is the miraculous word.”578. Specific rhythms are associated with

577 578

(=the coming together/congredi/arrival motif) in order to heal a member through ritual dances, exorcisms etc. (note of this writer) Beeston 2016:no page. Theissen in Sax 2010:60.

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individual spirits in the Afro-Brazilian religion of Candomblé, very similar to AfroCaribbean Santeria; ceremonies axed around the consumption of vegetable entheogenic concoction ayahuasca include an array of songs and rattling ( ikaros) for various purposes, in turn associated with various spirits.

Hindu or Mahayana

Buddhist deities may be associated with “seed syllables” (=specific sounds).

Hindu Brahma, “perhaps its primary meaning is sound, or sacred sound -...- Brahma means the holy power of sound” 579. Varma tells about the Vedas:” In India mantra is that rhythmic expression which -when recited- produces a physical effect”580. Along the same line, charme (French) and charm (English) derive from the Latin carmen: poetry, but also ritual incantation, and magical power of sound. Mormons keep a portion of their liturgy in oral form as ceremonies to be held within the Temple's sacred boundaries only.

In Chinese Qi Gong, screams are used to tap into the reservoir of mystical energy Chi. Yatsenko quips:”Suddenly there is a wish -...- that intuition is that word of Savitar [=the creator in the Rig Veda] -...- and the word is the command -...- to express will of some kind”581.

Anthropologist Harner argues his extensive experience with traditional shamanism the world over suggests that “sonic driving” (drums, musical bows, rattles, songs and choruses) has been used -with or often without entheogens- to 579 580 581

Eck 1994: The Upanishads. MAISI031 no date: lecture 1.2. MAISI018 no date: lecture 2.1.

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trigger deep trance and ensuing mystical, shamanistic experiences. Psychiatrist – and campaigning atheist- Andy Thomson from the Dawkins Foundation also suggests that religion per se is made of “song, dance and trance”.

Both Japanese Zen Buddhism and Eastern Christianity (Armenian, Syriac) use wooden objects to produce sounds conducive to religious meditation. R.L. Moore582 connects drumming with quintessential ritual settings.

Modern disco dance probably follows the same principles, albeit for different purposes-: the power of sacred -or commercial- sound to alter brain waves in minutes. H. Souther, a maestro ayahuascero

in the tradition of Peruvian

entheogenic shamanism, also thinks highly of rendering shamanic sounds and rituals in terms of modern disco dance:

The spellbinding power of magico-religious shamanistic leadership also has a lighter side, seen in modern popular music. Rock musicians often borrow elements of shamanism to enhance their mystique, whether it’s being mysterious like Prince, or sacrificially burning one’s guitar like Jimi Hendrix. However, the most shamanistic elements of pop music are contained in its lyrics. In the 1960s, Bob Dylan was among the first pop songwriters to utilize a stream-of-consciousness lyrical style which mimics the sort of loose associations often seen in psychotic ramblings. A typical Dylan line like, “The dead will arise and burst out of your clothes. . .” is both magico-religious and quasi-psychotic. (Polimeni 2012:187). All the ideas discussed so far present a picture of pure spirit descending to the world of matter and substance via temporary, localized concentrations of its energy.-...-What is striking is the fact that these esoteric and abstruse theories have been 582

1991.

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articulated in one of the most successful popular music albums of all time, Pink Floyd’s legendary Dark Side of the Moon -...-. The true visionaries of popular music have provided contemporary interpretations of universal ideas and themes, and presented them to an audience larger than the seers of antiquity could have imagined. It is now the task of the audience to sift the grain from the chaff, to differentiate between art of true creative expression and that of shallow market oriented packaging, and to allow the inspirational power of genuine creativity to reconnect the audience to its innermost self.(Soni 2001:34-5,230). Aurobindo Ghose583 quips about Hindu Vedas:”The language of Veda itself is šruti, a rhythm not composed by the intellect but heard, a divine Word that came vibrating out of the Infinite to the inner audience of the man who had previously made himself fit for the impersonal knowledge. ”.

Yatsenko concludes:

By expression then we create and men are even said to create the gods in themselves by the mantra. Again, that which we have created in our consciousness by the Word, we can fix there by the Word to become part of ourselves and effective not only in our inner life but upon the outer physical world. (MAISI003 no date: lecture note 4:2). Tibetan Buddhism is also referred to as mantrayana: the sacred sound vehicle.

Is this that people get fed back in so many words in Dune? The sacred power of sound recurs not only in Hinduism, but in Judaism as well: specially trained religious specialists (Sofers) recite the Torah as they write a new scroll down, or the congregation listens to the Torah being read in a prescribed manner on appointed occasions; in Tibet, wealthy patrons may contract a monastery to read the

583

MAISI002 no date handbook: 10.

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entire Buddhist canon (108 volumes).

In Hindu Ayurveda, chanting hymns while preparing food according to prescriptions shall enhance the food's rejuvenating properties greatly; the same applies to Peruvian entheogenic concoctions indigenous shamans prepare. Muslim customs prescribe to invoke Allah's name over prospective food, such as animals soon to be slaughtered.

There is no limit to the ways these immemorial concepts can be repackaged:

This is, of course, the social world rather than the physical world, but words that change the social world can be amplified, through human ingenuity and effort, into changing the physical world as well. -...- so we will follow Austin in examining different categories of situations and the types of words that are used in them-...- the basis of what is now called Speech-Act Theory. The fundamental idea behind SpeechAct is just what the name implies: Speech is not just the communication of information, but also a kind of action that people perform and that therefore has social as well as communicative implications. -...-The person who uses a performative does something as well as says something. (Drout 2006:6-7). The anthropomorphism of assuming language in gods appears ineluctable: there is no religion without relationship, no relationship without significant communication, no significant communication without language, and no language without likeness. For the most rudimentary communication, humans may gesture; but even gesture depends on human likenesses such as smiling, frowning, eating, and breathing. In any case, communication requires some commonality in context, in communicative system, and in content.(Guthrie 1993:199). Sacred sound doesn't come without anxieties or its doppelgaenger:

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silence:”The Buddha is called Shakyamuni. The word muni means “the silent one,””584. Ben-Shahar emphasizes585 the importance of silence as a vehicle of teaching and insight, which immediately conjures images up of Muslim Sufi, Hindu or Buddhist sages -such as those from Desjardins' documentaries in the 1960-70swho applied the same principle.

Diffidence towards speech, an otherwise hierophantic function, is found all over religious traditions. Buddhism includes precepts against false/divisive speech. Judaeo-Christianity explains that:

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. (James 3:7-8). But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. (Luke 5:16). They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent's; the poison of vipers is on their lips. (Psalm 140:3). How much easier it would be to not offer every rising opinion, to speak only when necessary, and to keep our mouth in what is often the safest position—closed. (Wuling, June 16, 2017). The Graeco-Roman world prescribes more or less the same:

This use of saophron is notable because to be silent, or to speak only briefly, was to become an important facet of sophrosyne extnote for women (and for young persons of either sex) throughout Greek literature. -...- The concept was especially congenial to the Apolline morality with its emphasis on restraint, self-knowledge, and the acceptance of limits, imposed in some cases by the gods, in 584

Campbell 1991:86. 2009: lecture 1.1. extnote ”the Roman equivalent, Pudicitia, who was portrayed in images and portrait busts, as well as on the imperial coinage from the time of Hadrian” (North 1977:35). (note of the present writer). 585

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others by the state, and in the case of women by men. (North 1977:37-8). Often is man's best wisdom to be silent (Pindar, Greek poet, 518438 BCE). And so does Islam:”Wisdom consists in keeping silent, and those who practice it are few ”.

These myths and situation can unfold either in a sacred or a profane realm. People seeking holy people's healing touch, relic or stare may be replaced by groupies seeking the touch, relic or stare of their favorite music or movie star. An elated Chinese girl, who had been chosen to salute 'great helmsman' Mao on film, and to shake his hands, is surrounded by peers who want to shake her hand in turn.

In a series of Maoist posters from 1960 (Mao Loves Children), a distraught peasant mother cannot meet visiting chairman Mao because her child is ill. In the end she finally meets Mao, who expresses concern for the child: the child eventually recovers, and shares the “miracle” of Mao's “therapeutic touch” with people in awe.

If relics to adore are not present, they can be prepared on the spot. At Lugo (Italy) a nurse killed 'pesky' patients (possibly ten or more) with a lethal injection, then had photographs taken with the corpse 586:”Tactile experience ought to act -so to speak- as model for psychical experience”.

586

TgCom24, October 10, 2014.

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"Hurrah!" cried Coretti after the others. The king looked in his face and glanced for a moment at his three medals. Then Coretti lost his head and shouted: "The Fourth battalion of the fortyninth!" The king who had already turned to the other side, turned again towards us, and, gazing into Coretti's eyes, held his hand out of the carriage. Coretti bounded forward and shook it. The carriage moved on. The crowd broke in and separated us from each other and we lost sight of Coretti's father, but it was only for a moment. We soon found him again, panting, with his eyes wet, and he was calling his son's name and holding his hand lifted in the air. The son hastened to him, and he cried: "Here, little fellow, while my hand is still warm," and he laid his hand over his face, saying: "This is a caress from the king." (De Amicis 1918:113, emphasis added587). In Italy, (some) people of Naples bring supplications and children to the tomb of beloved comedy actor TotĂ˛ (Prince Antonio de Curtis, 1898-1967). Italian singer Domenico Modugno (international 1958 hit Volare/ Nel Blu)588 paraded in 1993 through his native town of Polignano aboard a boat just as local patron Saint Vito.

Carlos Gardel (1890-1935), the French-Argentinian tango superstar, still enjoys considerable attention and popular devotion at times bordering on paroxysm. Just as it is the case with Charlemagne, alternatively labeled French or German, French-born Gardel is also rumored to have been born in Uruguay: whether forensically or just artistically is left unsaid.

In Rosario (Argentina) Iglesia Maradoniana

is a Church devoted to

living soccer celebrity D.A. Maradona. The Church's scriptures detail how soccer 587

It has to be emphasized De Amicis' book was entirely a work of fiction. Solomon links the idea of flying (hence the title volare, to fly), of being airborne, to a significant reduction in â&#x20AC;&#x153;mortality salienceâ&#x20AC;? (=fear of death), whereas imagining to be on the ground leads to a significant increase in the feeling of dissociation. 588

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constitutes a religion, and how this religion's incarnate god is Argentinian Maradona:

Perhaps the most culturally revealing aspect of the Elvis phenomenon however, is his posthumous rise to become a semireligious figure. This deitific regard can be seen in the language followers use to describe Elvis and their feelings about him, the reverence with which they flock to Graceland, and the tales that recount his healings of illness, blindness, and sorrow through dreams and his music. The inscriptions written on the wall surrounding Graceland best sum up this quasireligious quality Elvis has achieved in American culture: “Elvis, we believe always and forever”; “Elvis, you are my God and my King”; “Elvis, every mountain I have had to climb, you carried me over on your back.”extnote (Carson Banks in Brunvand 1996:467). Look at Elvis fans; his following is stronger now than it was before he died. I visited Graceland as part of my study into benign cults and saw people openly weeping and acting in reverence of being in Elvis ’ s home. I also saw people lying on top of the grave in the yard and weeping tears of very real grief. (Lakhani 2008:165). Nickell589 draws fiery analogies between the Jesus and Elvis devotion. Elvis Presley believed he was sort of prophet endowed with a peculiar, life-changing mission on Earth; he was a fan of the paranormal, and believed to possess supernatural powers. Following his death, Elvis was rumored

to be still alive and to have been sighted often;

•

to be a thaumathurge;

Christian imagery is here swiftly applied to the sacramental cult of this rock&roll celebrity, much as pagan imagery had in a bygone age been swiftly adapted to suit the rising Christian religion and the likely figure of a Jewish preacher soon to be enshrined as god's only begotten son, just as Presley is transiting from the historical figure of a mundane celebrity to the supermundane figure of a pseudo-historical thaumaturge (note of this writer). 2012:44ss.

extnote

589

•

393

•

to possess “weeping effigies”;

•

to have been paid posthumous pilgrimage at Graceland by some 10% of the U.S public.

While many gods, saviors and their ilk (Emperors, Kings) cured with their touch, other religions might push the envelope further and claim their heroes cured with...their shadow, or simply by looking at or calling upon the sickly: Masaccio's famous painting (1425-8) depicts St. Peter's shadow healing various people, for example. Gautama Buddha's shadow is also therapeutic 590:

Buddha again told Lord Sakra [King of the gods] cautiously, "If someone could write this Dharani [=sacred invocation] and place It on the top of a tall banner, high mountain or in a tall building or even keep It in a stupa; Lord of Heaven! If there are Bhikshus or Bhiksunis, Upasakas or Upasikas, laymen or laywomen who have seen this Dharani atop the above structures; or if the shadows of these structures should fall on beings who come near to the structures, or particles of dust from the written Dharani are blown onto their bodies (Usnisa Vijaya Dharani Sutra). And [Jesus] said, "Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not experience death." (Gospel Of Thomas no date no page n.1). Healing can take superlative qualities when the patient is resurrected from death:

Asclepius (Apollo's son) resurrected people from death, and was

therefore struck by Zeus' thunderbolt for defying the natural order. Both Jesus (Jairus' daughter, Luke 8:41ss) and Apollonius591 professedly resurrected a recently 590

591

Spurred by his mother, Buddha's son Rahula asks for his inheritance. Upon entering the Buddha's shadow, however, Rahula gladly settles for monkhood in accordance with his father's wishes: he becomes a Saint. Chap.XLV in Philostratus.

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deceased maiden from a notable family: a consular family for Apollonius; the family of a â&#x20AC;&#x153;synagogue rulerâ&#x20AC;? for Jesus. In Mark's gospel, the synagogue ruler's daughter is dying (5:23), whereas in Matthew (9:18) she had just died.

Many savior-heroes defeat death, whereas others defeat forces of evil. Moses defeated the Egyptian priests in a magical contest; Elijah dispelled a drought, thus defeating the priests of Baal at mount Carmel 592; St. Peter defeated Simon Magus in a context of prodigies 593; Tibetan Buddhist Saints squared off repeatedly with Bon-Po sorcerers.

Squaring off with forces of evil may happen for peculiar reasons. The entire deluge of situations associated with chivalric/courtly literature, whereby heroes champion damsels in distress, was already present in ancient myths. Among others we could mention the deliverance of the virgin:

One is surprised that comparative mythology should have looked so indefatigably to meteorological phenomena for the explanation of such an immediate and perpetual motif as the deliverance of the virgin, which is the oldest of literary motifs and one which can never grow antiquated (Huizinga 1972:76-77). sed tantum dic verbo, et sanabitur anima mea (but speak the word only, and my soul shall be healed, Christian Prayer Of Humble Access). 592

593

1 Kings 18:19ss. The story recurs in Hindu Mahabharata as well: a huge number of evil cousins confronts five righteous cousins. Apocryphal Acts Of Peter, II century CE. Prodigies included resurrecting a dried fish and making a dog talk (Peter). The apparent morale of the story is that crowds at Rome (including Christians) are in awe at Simon Magus and his miracles, pledging to follow him under a senator's lead. As soon as Peter (the great man) enters the scene performing other prodigies, the dull crowd is already switching sides (again...), including senator Marcellus who begs Peter to forgive him. The 'method' still works to this day. A wealthy individual related to the present writer how a minister of his (new Christian) sect had worked a miracle healing a woman in a wheelchair, and making her rise and walk again some time in the 1990s.

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It seems highly probable, then, that the ambiguity of the Avestan words vantd and daenu allowed for a rationalization whereby a myth of cattle raiding became the myth of recovering abducted queens. (Lincoln 1976:53)594. In book one of his History, Herodotus tells us that Phoenician traders visited Argos in Greece and carried off the king’s daughter Io to Egypt. In return, some Greeks from Crete called in at the Phoenician port of Tyre and carried off Europa, the daughter of the king. Then the Greeks under Jason stole Medea from Colchis. When the king of Colchis demanded reparation, the Greeks replied that none was due, as they had not received due reparation for Io. Then came the abduction of Helen of Sparta by Paris of Troy and the great Trojan War, a conflict that Herodotus attributes to the origin of Persian aggression toward Greece. -...- As the Romans became more and more embroiled in the Greek world, so the myth of Aeneas grew to become important political currency. When the Romans invaded Sicily, the Greek city of Segesta immediately went over to them, claiming to be of Trojan descent and ancestors of Aeneas. The Romans seemed impressed and granted Segesta the status of a protected and free city. In 237 BCE, the Acarnanians from western Greece appealed to the Romans for help against their neighbors, citing the case that they were not named in the Greek mythic tradition of having waged war against Troy. There is also an account, which may or may not be genuine, that the Romans put pressure on the Seleucid monarch of the near-eastern territory that controlled the Troad (the area around Troy) to free the inhabitants of the area of taxation.(Meineck 20051:13,31). The “deliverance of the virgin” is not just a concept fit for forgotten Dutch scholars. A web of confidence trickery is in place to extract money and/or goods from naive (western) men online. Inveiglers (male or female, alone or in groups) are active orchestrating schemes to bilk modern day Romeos questing for romance online:”The circumstances seem changed but the cliche is in one's psyche”.

594

Lincoln here explains the common Indo-European roots of the concept of cow and woman:” as Benveniste has shown, the word means nothing more than "one who lactates, gives milk," being derived from the verb "to give milk, nourish" (Skt. V/dhai-).As such, it may be used for the female of any species” (1976:53).

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Knightly suitors are called to “rescue” distraught foreign Dulcineas 595 from their domestic hellhole made of domestic violence, (civil) warfare, gangland hazards,

sickly

relatives

with

outstanding

medical

bills,

sexual

abuse,

unemployment, wrecking typhoons or arctic winters: so widespread was the phenomenon that some western embassies and governmental websites 596 started to issue warnings to their citizens regarding ongoing romance scams.

Readers see here how the “making a difference”, “one kind act only”, Pygmalion and “deliverance of the virgin” mythemes never stop paying (literal) dividends. Quixotic suitors597 who yearned to “live happily ever after” with the “virgin” they had valiantly “delivered” shall find themselves the financially and/or emotionally impoverished dupes of a grotesque conspiracy while confidence operators abscond with their money: a clip joint scene.

Imitating fossilized mythical heroes, the lovelorn believed that wiring some money was the only prerequisite to live happily ever after with an eternally grateful soulmate they had “rescued” in time of need (=the lion and the mouse fable shtick).

The Trojan War and the Hindu epic of Rama are but another affair of heroes fighting over a woman, akin to the historical occurrences of medieval

595 596

597

While a majority of romance scams victimize men, some confidence operators target women as well. Such as https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/dating-romance or https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/emergencies/scams.html Although a significant majority of cases in the press involve male victims of (online) romance scams, a number of victims are also female.

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royalties laying siege to a heiress' castle to marry her and get possession of her domains. One of the foundational myths of the Roman Republic presented a similar scenario: the rape of Lucretia598. This explains the epidemic success of contemporary productions like Star Wars. Is Star Wars not about knights delivering or protecting a princess during a perilous journey?

Also, the 'rape' or abduction of the virgin/woman is another immemorial motif recurring the world over. Still to this day, vestigial abductions for bridal purposes may survive in Zanskar (Indian Himalaya); Southern Italy; Kirghistan; the Himba of Namibia; among the Mapuche natives of Chile; or may be part of recent history, such as in China well into the XX century, etc as a legacy of forefathers in prehistoric times exchanging women for mating purposes 599, or taking them as war 598

599

A son of ruling Roman monarch Tarquin coaxed the beautiful and virtuous wife of a member of the same family (Tarquinius Collatinus) into surrendering herself to him under threat of blackening her reputation spreading slander over her chastity to ridicule her husband. She gave in, but later made the offense public, and committed suicide, thus sparking a wave of moral outrage that led to the monarchy's overthrow. In the preceding short paragraph an entire constellation of myth is present: the dramatic, untimely death; the choice that entails suffering mytheme; the harsh judgment mytheme; the heroes squabbling over a woman mytheme; the woman as beautiful and virtuous as none ever was; the horde in fusion rising as one to avenge ultimate wrongdoing; the belle and the beast mytheme, and so forth. Readers might notice entire portions of this myth seem borrowed from the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Potiphar's wifeâ&#x20AC;?mythological constellation. This time, however, Lucretia tells the truth, unlike Phaedra who tells a lie before committing suicide: this clearly proves mythemes can be mixed and matched to serve whichever adventitious socio-political or moralizing goal might be at hand. A slightly similar story recurs in the Orthodox/Catholic version of the Book Of Daniel. Two elders try to blackmail charming Susanna into having sex with them, threatening to accuse her of adultery. She refuses their advances, but the Prophet Daniel exposes her foes so that they are put to death instead. It won't escape readers how the various Lucretia, Susanna, Sita and so forth act in a sort of inverted Potiphar story. Namely, In the original Potiphar story -and the various Phaedra-, the matron lies in order to defame an innocent victim. In the inverted tale, the matron becomes a set-up's innocent victim. The elderly pointed to two separate trees as the one tree under which they had supposedly seen Susanna committing adultery. Dan(i)el represents the Hebrew version of a quintessential Ugaritic sage who sits in judgment (Epic Of Aqhat, about 1500 BCE). The entire constellation of 'Belle and the Beast' myths the world over feature this young woman who willingly gives herself up to insure her family's/ tribe's well-being (such as in the Native American myth of the Buffalo dance). Back at the origin of civilization, the same story-line unfolds in the Epic Of The Gods of the Ugaritic civilization of Canaan (XIV-XI century BCE). Sea dragon Yamm defies the chief god Baal (=Mesopotamian Marduk is also called Baal, or Lord). Baal's consort Astarte (=Inanna=Ishtar) tries to dissuade Yamm from battle, but he demands that she gives herself to him in exchange: naked Astarte visits Yamm. A sacred prostitute tames savage Enkidu. Saint Martha tames the Tarasque, a sort of dragon that haunted Provence (France). The woman

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loot (such as in the Iliad or in the myth of the Sabin women).

Ancient Spartans seemingly practiced a sort of wedding by capture 600; in modern Russia, the groom's pals stage the bride's abduction in order to extract (symbolic) ransom:

Approximately one third of Kyrgyz women marry by means of non-consensual kidnapping, according to Russell Kleinbach, a sociology professor at Philadelphia University who has conducted extensive research into the custom of "kyz-ala kachuu," (or "grab and run") in Kyrgyzstan. (Skoch 2010:no page). In traditional Chinese weddings, it is the bride's family that theatrically tries to interfere trying to extract symbolic ransom as the groom shows up to fetch her: a custom going back to Imperial China. In traditional Mexican weddings, attendees to the wedding reception pass between the spouses as the spouses are held together (la viborita, the little viper): the marriage shall last in spite of societal pressure. A similar ritual with a rope to the same effect (=the mythological threshold mytheme) unfolds in traditional Balinese marriages.

600

who tames the dragon is taken as epitome of cardinal virtue Prudence on the tomb of Pope Clement II (died 1047). As Martha brings the tame monster to the city, inhabitants attack it: the monster (=the former bad guy who's now good) opposes no resistance, and dies. Saint Martha converts villagers to Christianity, and the inhabitants name their city Tarrascon after the redeemed monster they had unjustly slain. In the lore of Brianza (Italy), cabbage parasites could be magically kept at bay if naked virgins would visit the fields carrying brooms (=the witch connection) in a procession. Giant Thrym of Nordic mythology steals Thor's hammer, then demands the goddess Freya as consort. What he gets instead is Thor in disguise dressed up as a bride. At the nuptial banquet, Thor recovers his hammer and slaughters all the giants. A nuptial banquet turning into an occasion for vengeful slaughter recalls what happened with Ulysses and Penelope's suitors. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Spartan marriage customs were peculiar as well. Relations in fact seem to have been consensual for the most part,or as consensual as they were anywhere else, but in what appears to be a vestige of earlier customs, Spartan women were subjected to at least a sham marriage by capture, the details already worked out beforehand. And after marriage, or a first marriage, a wife ordinarily stayed in her new home while her husband continued, often for some years, to live in the barracks, sneaking in for marital relations by stealth at night, until at last, at about the age of thirty, he could join his wife at home full-time. The theory here was that making sex difficult would make it attractive, husband and wife both eager for contact and therefore all the more likely to produce vigorous children.â&#x20AC;? (Shutt 2009:33).

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The Ramayana (IV century BCE) is also admittedly therapeutic: Hanuman could easily rescue Rama's wife Sita from the demon Ravana, but she declines stating that would amount to insulting Rama; in order to work its cathartic wonder, the 'screenplay' shall unfold in its entirety. Hanuman, too, doesn't just spirit Sita away because he is devoted to Vishnu's incarnation, who shall learn the entire lesson.

Even gods -such as Zeus' Hindu counterpart Indra- shall from time to time learn cathartic lessons; Shiva and Vishnu in disguise humble Indra 601 who had become all too self-absorbed and ambitious. Vishnu â&#x20AC;&#x201C; by proxy in his numerous incarnations as Rama, Krishna etc-, too, has to undergo the therapeutic human journey as well because of either curses he accepted, or boons he granted.

Gautama Buddha, Jesus and other founders are in some milieus considered Vishnu's incarnations:

The AvatÄ r functions by not resorting to any supernatural powers. He is fully aware within Himself of His Divine Identity. However, he remains and acts exactly like a human being in ordinary circumstances. He has also to go through all that the humanity suffers from, for, unless he goes through it all, He cannot become the example of that He wants the humanity to be. (Sarvadekar, MAISI014 no date: lecture 4:4-5). The knight/hero-and-dame situations is often coupled with the labor situation: in order for the dame to love (marry, sleep with...) the hero, he has to go on one or several expeditions: Hercules' mother Alcmena would not allow her 601

Brahma-vaivarta Purana

400

husband to consummate their marriage before he avenged her brothers.

It was during such expeditions that Zeus -disguised as Alcmena's husband- fathered Hercules during a night that lasted three days because he had ordered the sun to stand still: Hercules as another King Arthur 602, perhaps? Didn't the sun stand still in biblical lore, too (such as Joshua 10:13; Habbakuk 3:11)? Perhaps one may prefer the (sort of) eclipse Krishna -in the Mahabharata- caused in order to allow Arjuna to defeat Jayadratha.

Already in the III century CE, Christian theologians -such as Origenrecognized that the prodigious eclipse at Jesus' death was problematic because no official record of eclipses existed for that period. Heretics -added Origen- would have added such detail to the Gospel to tarnish the Church's reputation with nonsense: he preferred to explain how the sun was “darkened” (by a thick cloud) instead, but merely in Jerusalem.

The helpful crone and fairy godmother is a familiar feature of European fair)' lore; in Christian saints' legends the role is commonly played by the Virgin. The Virgin by her intercession 602

According to Joseph Campbell (1989: Where There Was No Path), archaeology documents how Arthur himself was already object of devotion in the Pyrenees region during the first century CE. Elsewhere, he connects Arthur (Artute) with Artemis and bear cults. According to some etymologies, even Beowulf, the hero of the Anglo-saxon saga, is a circumlocution (=hunter of bees) denoting a bear.”The Artemis of cult bears only a partial resemblance to the Homeric goddess, an adolescent girl who delights in the hunt and is celebrated as the divine prototype of the virginal maiden, ripe for marriage -...- Old Attic stories, dating to the founding of Brauron and beyond, tell how Artemis became enraged when local inhabitants killed a sacred bear. The ensuing plague could be stopped only by a maiden sacrifice or by the institution of a ritual in which young girls “played the bear” (arkteuein)” (Larson 2007:101,108). In the Pyrenees region of Vallespir (France) people “play the bear” to this day to commemorate the primeval rescue of a young shepherdess a bear had abducted. The bear is brought back and shaven (=civilized) before he starts serving townspeople. Young folks dressed as bears chase girls in town in a rite of passage. They carry a wooden pole (=virility) and “contaminate” people with the black ointment they are smeared with: wine flows during the celebration. Children's teddy bears may be modern day's vestigial symbol of such an ancient cult.

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can win the mercy of the Father.[American-Indian] Spider Woman with her web can control the movements of the Sun. The hero who has come under the protection of the Cosmic Mother cannot be harmed. The thread of Ariadne brought Theseus safely through the adventure of the labyrinth. This is the guiding power that runs through the work of Dante in the female figures of Beatrice and the Virgin, and appears in Goethe's Faust successively as Gretchen, Helen of Troy, and the Virgin. (Campbell 1949:65, emphasis added). Isn't that a 'proof' that the deity being described is 'the real deal', and not just a figment of one's imagination? And what about the three 603 days? Hindu Sadhus (wandering monks) of different observances follow the prescription of not staying at the same place more than -once again- three days. In order to bind Isaac, Abraham's journey to mount Moriah lasts three days. In Zoroastrianism, the soul remains with the dead body for three days before embarking on its final journey. In Tibetan Buddhism, it is advised to let a dead body rest three days before cremation. XII century Ethiopian Saint and King Lalibela visits god during three days: an attempt to poison him had rendered him comatose.

In ancient Egypt, Osiris was celebrated during a week (holy week?). In the last three days devotees first mourned Osiris' death, kept vigils, then celebrated the god's resurrection on the third day. In Zoroastrianism, too, the urvan (disembodied spirit) lingers on Earth for three days before embarking on its final

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Nugent (1995:What Is Myth) starts from Dumezil's idea of the tripartite nature of Indo-european culture (axed around three poles:culture, physicality and fertility) and explains at length the importance of the number three giving several examples. It shall be emphasized how “the law of three” was already part of Olrik's epic laws (1907ss). Other totem numbers are seven, five, twelve etc. “[Steve] Jobs draws a verbal road map for his audience, a preview of coming attractions. Typically these road maps are outlined in groups of three -...-.Steve understands that the “rule of three” is one of the most powerful concepts in communication theory.” (Gallo 2010:50-51).

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journey. “the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it -...-.After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.” ( Luke 2:43-6, emphasis added).

The moon, like Christ, dies and is resurrected. The moon is three nights dark: Jesus was three nights in the grave with a stone covering the cave entrance —the dark disk over the moon. (Campbell 1991:192, emphasis added). Buddhist monks are asked three times during communal confession whether they violated a certain set of rules. “Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, Peter--this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me."” (Mark 14:30).

In the Hindu Upanishads, Yama (lord of death) grants Nachiketa three wishes604; again, Yama grants three wishes to Savitri, which is just what the proverbial genie in the bottle would do; Poseidon grants Theseus three arai (prayers or curses); three flights of stairs typically lead to Hindu temples...The number three, what a favorite.

In three days Jesus shall rebuild the destroyed temple ( John 2:19); in three days Inanna shall be back from the nether world, too; as Jonah did, Jesus shall be back in three days (Matthew 12:40; Jonah 1:17); in her drunkenness after a fit of cosmic rage, Egyptian goddess Sekhmet sleeps for three days.

604

Nachiketa had been waiting for three days (=common mytheme) outside Yama's palace as the god was away.

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Syncretistic nod abounds. The Latin root for Jupiter (Iovis...) is the same as the Hebrew Yahweh; this syncretism 605 appears explicitly in the II century BCE Jewish-Hellenistic manifesto Letter Of Aristeas.

The Adonis cult was an early import from the Levant, probably via Cyprus, but while many of the outward forms remained the same, its cultural context and significance changed. Adonis was modeled upon Tammuzextnote, the consort of Ishtar whose death was annually lamented by women, and his name is a direct borrowing of the West Semitic adon, Lord. At Phoenician Byblos there was a sanctuary of “Aphrodite and Adonis,” that is, the city goddess Astarte and a consort who corresponded to Tammuz. (Larson 2007:124). Tammuz, or Adonis, the Syrian and Jewish Adonai (in Hebrew “ Our Lord “), was another virgin-born god, who suffered for mankind, and who had the title of Saviour.-...- The Rev. Dr. Parkhurst, in his “ Hebrew Lexicon,” after referring to what we have just stated above, says : “ I find myself obliged to refer Tammuz to that class of idols which were originally designed to represent the promised Saviour, the Desire of all Nations. His other name, Adonis, is almost the very Hebrew Adoni or Lord, a well-known title of Christ.” (Doane 1882:191). There was a similar re-evaluation of the old mythical ideals in Greece. The myth of Adonis, for example, recast the story of Dumuzi and Ishtar, and transformed it into a political myth. Adonis is incapable of citizenship. A hopeless hunter, he would have failed the initiation rites that turned Greek adolescents into citizens, which often centred on hunting ordeals. In thrall to two goddesses, he never separates from the world of women. Greek citizens were united to the polis through the family, but Adonis is the child of incest, an act that perverts the family ideal, and fails to found a family of his own. His irresponsible lifestyle is closer to 605

“the God who gave them their law is the God who maintains your kingdom. They worship the same God - the Lord and Creator of the Universe, as all other men, as we ourselves, O king, though we call him by different names, such as Zeus or Dis. This name was very appropriately bestowed upon him by our first ancestors, in order to signify that He through whom all things are endowed with life and come into being, is necessarily the ruler and lord of the Universe. Set all mankind an example of magnanimity by releasing those who are held in bondage.' ” (The Letter...no date: no page). xtnote Adoni appears to have been a title of the god Thammuz/Dumuzi etc (note of this writer).

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Tyranny, a form of government which put the king above the law, and which the Athenians had discarded. Adonis’s festival, characterised by the unbridled lamentations of the women, was regarded with distaste by the male establishment. He was, in short, politically retarded, and may have helped Athenians to define themselves by personifying everything that is opposed to the sober, male ethos of the polis.(Armstrong 2005:31). The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to arouse my anger. (Jeremiah 7:18). Early Yahwism also identified Yahweh, like Baal, as a God of storm and fructifying rain and possibly identified Asherah, the consort of El, as the consort of Yahweh-El. Symbolism from the Canaanite background of the tribes of Yahweh was part of the early cult of Yahweh, including “high places” (hilltop cult sites) and trees or wooden poles symbolic of trees ( asherah, meaning the cult object, as distinct from Asherah, the name of the Goddess). By the time of the early monarchy, these asherah were probably seen as representing an aspect of Yahweh rather than a separate deity. But they continued to appear in official as well as popular Yahwism to the time of the exile in Babylonia. An inscription on a pillar in a burial cave at Khirbet el-Qom, near Hebron, dated from the eighth century bce, speaks of Yahweh and “his Asherah” -...-.Two eighth-century bce inscriptions on jars found at Kuntillet Ajrud, in the Sinai between Gaza and Aqabah, read, “I bless you by the Yahweh of Samaria and by his Asherah,” and “I bless you by the Yahweh of Teman and by his Asherah.” (Ruether 2005:74). There appear to be parallel, syncretistic incarnations of the same 'lesson', motif or cathartic experience across cultures. The story of Cupid, Psyche and Alcestis of Graeco-Roman myth are offered in mixed and inverted terms in the Hindu Savitri And Satyavan; parts of Savitri and Satyavan 606 replay in 1970 Love 606

Royal virgin Savitri (as beautiful and pure as Greek Psyche, Egyptian Aseneth of Hebrew lore etc) gets to choose her own husband as nobody dares asking for her hand. She chooses Satyavan, the ascetic, penniless son of a blind King in exile, although she knows he's bound to die within one year. He eventually dies, but Savitri – like Alcestis- can wrest his life back from the Lord of death Yama, in addition to other boons, such as the recovery of sight and crown for her father-in-law, and the promise of 100 sons for her and her father (=the surfeit item). Aurobindo explains:”Satyavan is the soul carrying the divine truth of being within itself but

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Story, and Autumn In New York (2000). “Mythology is a validation of experience, giving it its spiritual or psychological dimension”: dating expert Welch607 relays how one of her real-life acquaintances ill with terminal cancer finally found -and married- the man of her dreams before an untimely death.

As this writing contends, the international mainstream and its anglicized pidgin spawn a series of copycats in the farthest reaches of the Americanized intercontinental empire. The same story-line recurs in fact in L'Ammiratrice (The Female Admirer, 1983), an Italian movie of the subcultural genre sceneggiata

napoletana (Neapolitan drama).

Female journalist chases male celebrity singer hoping for a scoop; they fall in love instead: she finally dies in a hurricane of tears, and melodious canzoni

napoletane (a subcultural genre of Italian music similar to Portuguese fado). It is difficult to tell the real difference -in all but details- between the heroes of folklore, their 'lessons', and the main story-lines of the various Rocky, Star Wars, Harry

Callaghan, Karate Kid rip-off movies.

Is this explanation too infantile or preposterous? It is enough to ponder how Zoroastrianism posited the final victory of the god of righteousness Ahura Mazda against Ahriman, but only after excruciating struggle. Ahriman can be construed as “evil mind” (evil propensities) that are humankind's lot, and shall be

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descended into the grip of death and ignorance; Savitri is the Divine Word, daughter of the Sun, goddess of the supreme Truth who comes down and is born to save” (MAISI003 no date:lecture note 5:5). Nobody dared to ask for Savitri's hand because who -after all- can marry (=live with) divine truth? 2015b:137ss.

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overcome.

Wrestlers Papa Shango – a voodoo sorcerer figure – and The Undertaker – with a manager named Paul Bearer (=pallbearer)- equally seemed to gather power from supernatural or demonic forces (voodoo in one case, a funerary urn in the other), much as 'real American' Hulk Hogan's slogan axed around prayers, vitamins and “the old glory”608 on the side of the good.

Is this empty gnostic bunkum? Then perhaps people might like it better in the Hegelian -later Marxist- framework of thesis, antithesis and final synthesis (=Janusian thinking=reconciliation=great reunion etc). The grand day of the proletarian revolution and ensuing bounty and oneness shall indeed come after due intermissions that include repressive dictatorships and exploitative bourgeois regimes. Isn't Marxism one's cup of tea?

What about immemorial, traditional upanishadic or Hindu literature that detailed such philosophical approach -elusive universal spirits actualizing on the earthly plane according to a certain foreplanned blueprint etc- about twenty centuries before Hegel (1770-1831) had his stroke of genius?

Of course, German philosophy might not satisfy all equally. What about the New Testament, which happens to say the exact same things? ”And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God

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A way to designate the U.S flag.

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and are called according to his purpose for them. ”( Romans 8:28). Centuries before the New Testament, Sophocles' Oedipus At Colonus (V century BCE) celebrates the arch-sinner -now the hero of suffering- with these last lines:”All is ordered for the best”.

The Cathechism of the Catholic Church and Oedipus agree:”Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent. ” (Catholic Church Cathechism #1857). Oedipus pleads:”I sinned not. -...-A wretch, but innocent In the law's eye, I stand, without a stain. ” 609. Of course, who is the ultimate judge of whether “full knowledge and deliberate consent” were present if not “the generalized other”, the political and/or religious superstructure?

Like Jesus again, Oedipus - who is going into the sacred groove of the Eumenides (the former Furies) to disappear among thunderclaps - tells Theseus:”Oh, touch me not, but let me all alone Find out the sepulcher that destiny Appoints me in this land”610;”Jesus replied, "Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" ” 611. Oedipus sinks into the earth, according to Vernant: katabasis versus anabasis.

Like Jesus on the road to Emmaus, Oedipus vanishes into thin air, too: 609 610 611

Sophocles, Oedipus At Colonus, Storr trans. F. Storr translation, 1912. John 20:17.

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After brief space we looked again, and lo The man was gone, evanished from our eyes; Only the king we saw with upraised hand Shading his eyes as from some awful sight, That no man might endure to look upon. A moment later, and we saw him bend In prayer to Earth and prayer to Heaven at once. But by what doom the stranger met his end No man save Theseus knoweth. For there fell No fiery bold that reft him in that hour, Nor whirlwind from the sea, but he was taken. It was a messenger from heaven, or else Some gentle, painless cleaving of earth's base; For without wailing or disease or pain He passed away--and end most marvelous. And if to some my tale seems foolishness I am content that such could count me fool. (Sophocles, Oedipus At Colonus, F. Storr trans.). That's precisely why the hero of any action movie cannot simply go there, shoot the bad guy and bring the girl home. Rocky has to suffer indignities and defeat before victory, yet action movies are eminently fictional and do not suffer â&#x20AC;&#x201C; at least directly- the limitations of what Marxists termed modes of production, structure and superstructure.

In other words, nothing forbids the storyline to consist in the 'good guy' who just goes there, kills the 'bad guy' and brings the girl home; yet it'd make a very short movie, and it's human psyche's circular obsessions filmmakers -producers, distributors, sponsors...- cater to.

Thinking they were behind increased motivation. It made people work harder. Compared to participants that received no feedback at all, those who thought they were behind increased their effort more than threefold -...-.Compared to being ahead, being behind is more motivating. The motivating effect of being behind happens not only for the overall goal, it also happens for progress along the way.-...- [in another study] Emphasizing that the [political] candidate was behind raised 60 percent more money. Thinking their candidate was losing by a little motivated people to do something about it. (Berger 2016:106-107,111).

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Jesus has to suffer scourging and crucifixion; Romulus has to be torn apart in death before his apotheosis as Quirinus. Romulus the theios aner incarnates from the world above, overcomes death, ascends to heaven and -just like Jesus- joins a trinity (with Mars and Jupiter) revered at Rome.

The Communist resistance fighter has to be executed as a bandit – and/or bayoneted steak tartare style- before a new regime name streets after him:”images are psychotropic”612;”the soul never thinks without an image”613;”My idea is that the basic thing about myth is that it is visionary. ”614. Horst Wessel, whose image took up larger-than-life proportions of martyrdom 615 in the NSDAP imaginary, was described in a contemporary documentary simply as “a villainous youth” who lived with a prostitute as her procurer:

Before the end of the [First World] war, more than 20,000 men of military age would refuse to enter the British armed forces. Some accepted alternative labor as conscientious objectors, but —usually because they refused that option on principle or because they were denied CO status—more than 6,000 resisters spent time in prison. -...- By mid-1919 the conscientious objectors were all free. Over the years, as the war's toll sank in, they and others who had gone to jail for their beliefs began to win considerable respect from a public that had once condemned them. Fenner Brockway and several others became members of Parliament. Five years after serving his hard-labor sentence in Pentonville Prison, the journalist E. D. Morel was the Labour Party's chief spokesperson on foreign affairs in the House of Commons. Bertrand Russell -...- one of the few writers of nonfiction ever to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. A trade unionist named Arthur Creech Jones spent two and a half years in prison as a CO; 30 years later, he was in the cabinet. 612 613 614 615

Moore 1989:part 7. Aristotle, On The Soul, Smith trans. Campbell 1976:no page. He was shot at point blank by a Communist party member in 1930.

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Ramsay MacDonald, an antiwar Labour MP, had not gone to prison during the war but had been under police surveillance and was repeatedly stoned when he spoke at peace meetings. Angry patriots had even voted to expel him from his golf club. In 1924, he became prime minister. (Hochschild 2011:171,296). In Hindu rituals, clay statues of god Ganesha and goddess Durga are dissolved in water after celebratory rites on appointed occasions. In Japan, rice paper images of Jizo Bodhisattva are set afloat to dissolve in a lake during the Jizo

Nagashi Buddhist ritual for the deceased.

During their New Year, Jews celebrate Tashlich (the casting away of sins). Particular verses are recited next to a body of water, and the corners of one's clothes are shaken in a tradition that goes assertedly back to prophet Nehemiah (8:1616). Reasons given for this custom are many. During Rosh Hashanah (New Year), god is crowned king of the universe: Hebrew kings were crowned next to rivers617. Water corresponds to kindness, so people plead with god to be kind.

The gods offer themselves for sacrifice as the dissolution of their effigy marks the dilution (dissolution, purification...) of their devotees' noxious karma accumulated in the round of death&rebirth:”As C. S. Lewis wrote: “When a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the table would crack and death itself would start working backwards.” ”618;”in due time to

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“all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for Israel. ”. Whence all the antics of a series of purported Jewish messianic figures, imposters and agitators such as John the Baptist, Jesus, Theudas etc. In Varma, MAISI032 no date: lecture 2:10. Lewis is obviously referring to Jesus, but any other example may fit equally well.

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oppose to just that deed of treason its fitting deed of atonementâ&#x20AC;? 619. Migawari Jizo

Bosatsu (Substitute Jizo Bodhisattva) in the lore puts himself between the faithful and an attacker: his statue carried the spear wound.

The motif is also present in the Middle Eastern combat myths. Tiamat, Mot and Leviathan are not evil, but are simply fulfilling their cosmic role. They have to die and endure dismemberment before an ordered cosmos can emerge from chaos. Survival and civilised society depends upon the death and destruction of others and neither gods nor men can be truly creative, unless they are prepared to give themselves away. -...- The prophet we call Second Isaiah, who was active in Babylon in the middle of the sixth century, articulates a clear, unequivocal monotheism. There is no stridency; he has no doubt that Yahweh is the only god; the antagonism has gone. Yet he evokes the ancient creation myths that depict Yahweh fighting sea monsters to bring the world into being, just like any other Middle Eastern deity, equating this victory over the primal Sea with Yahwehâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parting of the Sea of Reeds at the time of the Exodus. -...-The Babylonian author of The Epic of Gilgamesh brought ancient history and mythology together, but Second Isaiah goes further. He links the primordial actions of his god with current events.(Armstrong 2005:29,38, emphasis added). That's why Hulk Hogan couldn't hyperventilate right away, drop the leg620 and get the belt, but had to suffer reversals of fortune and agonies; no public would pay to watch a three-minute wrestling match 621: the human psyche places certain demands on the surrounding world.

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Josiah Royce in 1913. He was an inspiration to M.L. King. Associate Professor Of Religion T. Smith defines a pharmacosm as the Afro-American reconfiguration of the Bible as a world where healing and harming, toxicity and tonicity, co-exist in multifarious performances. One of Hogan's finishing moves. There are instances of such matches: newcomer King Kong Bundy defeated mid-carder S.D. Jones in nine seconds at Wrestlemania I in 1985. That match was meant to groom Bundy as a sensation. Besides, the public was entitled to watch a series of matches as part of Wrestlemania. During the 1988 Summerslam, the Ultimate Warrior defeated Honky Tonk Man in 31 seconds; there again, the public could watch all Summerslam matches.

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Pilgrims to contemporary high places where this or that semi-god is rumored to appear to a few selected seers also relate anomalies in the sun's behavior or trajectory; if two deers 622 came to worship the wheel of doctrine that Gautama Buddha's enlightenment put in perpetual motion, or if the god of war's elephant bowed before him, so contemporary pilgrims relate animals' equally prodigious behavior in Medjugorje or some other place: it is difficult to assume they may be nodding at Buddha's story or otherwise.

The 'invisible' demi-gods -whose work or powers affect men's world in fantastic ways- is also alive in the Icelandic lore of the Huldufolk (secret people).

Huldufolk, too, are visible only to selected few (druids, seers...) but are often reported as both benign (saving people from imminent danger, for example) and nasty (provoking accidents, especially in excavation or public works' sites that endanger or disturb their dwelling quarters inside rock formations):

Sacred stones have long had an association with buried treasure. This is a worldwide belief that, perhaps, dates back to when rich offerings were given up to sacred rivers, lakes and forests. It also appears to be associated with legends of Faery and Trolls and other underworld spirits that were believed to reside in and around these places and guarded vast treasures. People searching for such nonexistent treasure have vandalized many of the ancient cairns in what is now the United State and elsewhere. Other megaliths, including some dolmens, were actually blown up in the 19th century by people who were certain that they could uncover such treasures. Some of these beliefs may have been founded in fact, if we consider Estonian folklore. Tvauri noted, â&#x20AC;&#x153;according to oral heritage, people had buried silverware 622

Shiva as world teacher (Shiva Dakshinamurthy, Shiva in the form facing south) also sits on a deer throne (=master of the beasts), common in Southern India. A proto-Shiva with horns and an erect phallus sits in yogic posture on a deer throne in a seal from the Indus valley (Harappan) civilization (2600-2000 BCE).

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near a cup-marked stone in Viljandi parish.â&#x20AC;? Silverware â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but not gold treasure (Varner 2004:56). Prodigies and divine interventions always accompany the hero-savior. In order to leave exile and reappear before his royal father, Theseus has to pick up a large stone, and recover the sword and sandals his father had left for him. Scholars agree that Theseus' myth was just a version of the Hercules myth scaled down to the human level.

The worship of the Bull now confined to India was once common over the entire Pagan world. This, the zodiac, at whatever period it be surveyed and among whatever nation fully demonstrates. Of the symbols which compose it Taurus or the Bull is the most conspicuous inasmuch as it is supposed to have once been the leading constellation but chiefly inasmuch as the superstitions connected with it have deeply coloured the whole stream of antient mythology. Most of the conquests of animals ascribed to heroes belong to Hercules under other names as Jason, Theseus, Cadmus, Perseus. They originate most probably in Egyptian illustrations of the zodiac or mystical paintings of the sun passing through the signs which were misunderstood or misinterpreted by the Greeks In Grecian fable. Hercules was represented as conquering the Elean bull In Persia he was pictured as Mythra Victrix grasping a bull with one hand and in the other holding a sacrificial knife. Jason the Argonaut who killed the bull with brazen hoofs and thereby obtained the golden fleece. Cadmus whom a bull conducted to the site of Thebes and Theseus who slew the Minotaur (the Grecian Apis) are only modifications of the same story which describes the Grecian Hercules as triumphing over the Elean bull. The mysteries of Apis as this sign was called in Egypt were the oldest in the world and entered into the religious dogma of most if not all of the primeval nations. The antient Persians pictured the first man with a bull's head. The Hindoos autiently and still venerate the same character. One of the Hindoo avatars pictures the bull man perishing in the flood. A bull headed human form is frequent among Javanese monuments and agrees precisely with similar figures of those of Egypt. (Malcolm 1826:245, emphasis added). Once Theseus became very popular, look-alikes sprung up all over:

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Like Phlegon of Tralles’ story of Idas, Parthenius’ tale is full of folktale motifs. The tokens in a wax tablet remind us of the sandals and sword that served as tokens to identify the young Theseus, while Penelope’s actions recall those of Medea, who attempted to kill her stepson Theseus when he turned up in Athens, or Phaedra, whose false accusations against her stepson Hippolytus caused Theseus to bring about his death. Parthenius draws no moral, but presumably any poet who used this narrative could. (Woodard 2007:247). Why do commentators usually omit consideration of the substantial parallels between Homeric and O[ld]T[estament] myth? Modern audiences may, even without realizing, project their beliefs onto how they read ancient texts. Given the long dominance of Christianity and Judaism in the West, a majority of modern Western audiences, whether consciously or unconsciously, may, on the basis of their faith, regard biblical and Homeric narratives as opposites, seeing the former as “true” or “real,” but the latter as “false,” “unreal,” or “fictional.” -...-The Near Eastern parallels also serve as a challenge to the theory that Homeric epic descends from an Indo-European prototype, or largely reflects or conforms to an Indo-European inheritance (Louden 2011:5-6). Parallels don't end there. Hercules performed twelve 623 exceptional feats (dodekathlon); Samson of Hebrew lore also performed twelve remarkable exploits; Buddhas, too, go through twelve notable deeds. According to Welsh historian Nennius (VIII century, Historia Brittonum), Arthur – in this variant as dux

bellorum, warlord- won twelve great battles against either Picts, Scots or Saxons in the chaos that followed Roman withdrawal from Britain between 383 and 410.

Both Jesus and Pythagoras are connected with “divine numbers”: 153 (=1+5+3=9, the number of the goddess) fishes in the Gospel 624, whose mathematical properties Evagrius Ponticus (IV century Christian theologian) discussed. 623

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The list of the notable deeds may vary according to the source. Arrien (2002) gives a Jungian reading of the twelve labors: an initiatic path towards integration. “So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. (John 21:11).” Set's 72 accomplices trap Osiris in the sarcophagus: 7+2=9.

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Pythagoras also supernaturally guesses the (unspecified) amount of fishes in a net, thus gaining disciples among commoners, just like Jesus did; the number 153 is also the ratio of geometrical “vesica piscis” (two partially overlapping circles).

Founder of the royal Tudor dynasty of England, Henry VII is also immortalized in a novelized biography as a new Hercules ( The Twelve Triumphs Of

Henry VII, 1497, in Latin) performing twelve labours. The Italian house of De' Medici (wealthy bankers, and future rulers of Tuscany) also claimed Hercules as Florence's mythical founder, and the house's towering antecedent.

Twelve houses are in the the wheel of the zodiac; twelve apostles surrounded Jesus; Ulysses' twelve ships, and twelve axes 625 he has to shoot an arrow through; twelve months are in a year; twelve tribes of ancient Israel exist; in Mahayana Buddhism, twelve sectors in the Wheel Of Life portray the twelve links of (inter)dependent origination...a remainder of the sexagesimal arithmetic system ancient Sumerians and Babylonians adopted: 60 minutes in an hour; 360 degrees in a circle; 24 hours in a day, and so forth.

Is Theseus King Arthur or the fictional Luke Skywalker? After all, “skywalker” ( airy one etc) is an epithet of Loki, the trickster-god of Nordic mythology.

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Rama (Vishnu's incarnation and hero of Hindu epic Ramayana) also performs notable deeds with a magical arrow in order to win Sita's hand, much as Ulysses' feats with the bow grant his position as Penelope's husband. The ax was a symbol of power in Cretan civilization. The ax as symbol also went back to megalithic civilizations, and the neolithic revolution (ax=phallus). The French Fascist regime of Vichy also adopted the double ax as emblem. De Gaulle, on the other hand, adopted the Croix De Lorraine as symbol: another variant of the “Freemasonic double x” symbol (found in the EXXON logo; or on OREO cookies, for example).

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Melanesian secret society males who raise ritual pigs to a certain standard 626 also receive the name of â&#x20AC;&#x153;he who walks on cloudsâ&#x20AC;? 627, and can act as proxies for the solar hawk.

Swords and stones cropped up all over: Galgano Guidotti da Chiusino was an Italian nobleman who -after a youth of complete libertine indulgence- first became a knight to obey a celestial vision, then for the same reason became a religious hermit. To signify his renunciation, later Saint Galgano -who died in 1181thrust his sword into a rock (where it still stands today) to turn it into a cross.

That's not new, either. Myths and mythologized history teem with figures of warriors or warrior-Kings professedly turned pious: Tibetan dharma King Song-Tsen Ganpo (VII century CE); Indian Kings Chandragupta and Asoka (IV-III century BCE); Kushan King Kanishka (II century CE); Roman Constantine (274-337 CE); Vietnamese King Tran Nhan Tong (1258-1308; he thwarted a Mongol invasion before ordaining and attaining sainthood), etc. Asoka and Kanishka are associated with Buddhism, whereas Chandragupta is associated with conversion to Jainism.

As repeatedly pointed out throughout this writing, the same story repeats itself: Roman Emperor Constantine (274-337 CE), Frankish King Clovis 628 (466-511 CE) and -among others- (Saint) King Edwin of Northumbria (586-633 CE)

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The pig's lower tusks shall be allowed to grow in a loop thrice (=common mytheme). Campbell 1972-2:Man&Myth Through The Ages I. Some contend that Christianity in the form of Arianism was already present among the Franks and that Clovis was -in fact- already an Arian Christian. Some disclaim it and affirm the Franks transited from paganism to Catholicism.

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accept Christianity after a prayer grants them victory on the battlefield, much as Alexander had proclaimed himself son of Zeus before his victory at Gaugamela (331 BCE).

Positive psychologists, religionists and personality coaches of all walks of life invariably predict that unmistakable signs shall come to those intelligent enough to follow what they say. Christian chronicles expounding to doubting Muslims the benefits of conversion through uplifting stories coexisted with medieval Muslim chronicles addressing potential Christian converts in almost the same terms.

Apples and arrows, too, cropped up all over:

Far less familiar, even among Welsh people, is a similar story found in a Welsh manuscript (Peniarth 13i), now at the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. According to this Madog, son of Gruffydd Maelor (+ i191), a Welsh chieftain who had been dispossessed of his lands in Breconshire by William de Breos, son of William de Braioze and nephew of Earl Roger of Hereford, was ordered by Matilda (Maud) de St Valery, Countess of Breconshire and wife of William de Breos to shoot an apple from the head of his youngest son (he had five), also called Madog, a feat which he successfully accomplished.-...- Researchers into the story of William Tell suggest that a mythological marksman and an impossible bailiff bearing a historical name have been joined with confused and distorted reminiscences of events of 1245-7 in which the names of many real persons have been inserted and many unauthenticated acts attributed to them (Williams 1961:317-19) After this, it is not surprising to find that no two authors who describe the deeds of William Tell agree in the details of topography and chronology. -...- The Danish account of Tell is given as follows, by Saxo Grammaticus -...- But the story appears not only in Denmark, but in England, in Norway, in Finland and Russia, and in Persia, and there is some reason for supposing that it was known in India. In Norway we have the adventures of Pansa the Splayfooted, and of 418

Hemingr, a vassal of Harold Hardrada, who invaded England in 1066. In Iceland there is the kindred legend of Egil, brother of Wayland Smith, the Norse Vulcan. In England there is the ballad of William of Cloudeslee, which supplied Scott with many details of the archery scene in "Ivanhoe." (Fiske 1872:1-6, emphasis added). But particular histories are both infinite, because of their great number, and without fixity, because the same facts are not recorded by all respecting the same person.-...-Thus, of an assumption which begins with a falsehood and is so multiform that it cannot be checked, and changes its shape at each man’s fancy, there can be no technical treatment. (Sextus Empiricus, Against the Professors 1.260–262, Bury trans.). Even today, many religions involve vestigial 'hero's journeys': Tibetans circumambulate famous temples; Muslims make of certain pilgrimages the high point of their religious life, circumambulating the Kaba to partake in god's holiness; Catholics go on foot to this or that sanctuary; Japanese Buddhists imitate master Kukai (founder of Shingon Buddhism, VIII/IX century) as they go on the Shikoku Pilgrimage visiting 88 temples over 1.200 Km 629; Sikh marriages see the groom leading the bride in a circumambulation of the sacred text Guru Granth Sahib.

A pilgrimage can be seen as the quest for a “liminoid place of renewal”630; “the center”, or “the edge -...-where ordinary existence stops”;”Lyotard defines the postmodern as “incredulity toward metanarratives.””631. Branden links the 629

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Pilgrims usually wear white robes: ancient funerary garments of those who risked their life going through the pilgrimage. At every temple, pilgrims may receive stamps and seals confirming -just as it is the case with Christian Compostela- the visit. Many also wish to be buried with their pilgrimage booklet. Moore 2001:part 2. Traditional Hindu marriages also see the groom “guiding” the bride on the wedding day. Regarding the difference between “liminal” and “liminoid”, Turner writes:”Optation pervades the liminoid phenomenon, obligation the liminal. One is all play and choice, an entertainment, the other is a matter of deep seriousness, even dread, it is demanding, compulsory -...-. For me, this indicated that in liminality is secreted the seed of the liminoid -...-In the so-called "high culture" of complex societies, the liminoid is not only removed from a rite de passage context, it is also "individualized." -...-.But for most people the liminoid is still felt to be freer than the liminal, a matter of choice not obligation.” (1974:74-75,84,86). Surrency 2007:5.

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“miraculous” effects sometimes associated with pilgrimages to self-induced hypnosis: that's why people living in the pilgrimage's high place (Lourdes, Mecca, Sarnath, Benares...) are not all disease-free632.

Proponents of the drug/protest culture liken 'acid trips' to ways to unlock the door towards inner/philosophical discoveries 633; according to prof. Clive Ruggles, the famous Nazca lines were designed to be walked along in a sacred pilgrimage:

Our land doesn't speak to us of the divine. Divine land is only over there in the Middle East. We make pilgrimages to the Holy Land, or people go there to claim it from another people and make it their own again. This is a historical misinterpretation of spiritual symbols. The Holy Land isn't in some other place. (Campbell&Boa 1989:28). Un pèlerinage est une période de prière et de réflexion qui s’inscrit hors du temps. De plus, l’image connue du chemin du pèlerinage représentant celui de la vie renvoie à un temps cyclique donc cosmique, surtout si les pèlerins reviennent à intervalles réguliers. Enfin, un pèlerinage est aussi associé à un rassemblement festif et profane et à une communion ou un partage d’émotion lors de célébrations, ce qui renforce le sentiment d’appartenance au groupe par la pratique rituelle. Ce dernier pourra facilement évoluer vers la revendication d’une identité différente. (Impériali 2008:no page). The relative comfort that assists modern pilgrims shall not obfuscate the fact that many pilgrimages used to constitute mighty endeavors putting one's life at potential risk. To this very day pilgrims routinely die circumambulating mount 632 633

Popular wisdom confirms this viewpoint: the point of a journey is the trip itself, not the destination. Seal's 1991 worldwide hit song Crazy specifically connects religious experience with acid trips: In a church by the face He talks about the people going under Only child know A man decides after seventy years That what he goes there for Is to unlock the door-...- Miracles will happen as we trip -...-In a sky full of people only some want to fly Isn't that crazy

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Kailash (52 km). At Hindu festival Maha Kumbha Mela, millions of people congregate every 12 years; hundreds of children are â&#x20AC;&#x153;lost and foundâ&#x20AC;? in the throng, and a few of them never reunite with their family again. People in backward areas of Romania still circumambulate graves with incense to seal them and insure the dead won't come back to haunt the living. At Benares (India), traditional Hindus circumambulate dead bodies ready to be set afire alongside the Ganges three times (=common mytheme).

This 'pilgrimage' item (a variation of the journey motif) shall not be trivialized, as nearly all key events in human history, whether actual, mythical or anything in-between, deal with many different people convening from all over to discuss and deliberate about quintessential matters shifting the course of later human history.

At the dawn of myth, Mesopotamian gods ( Enuma Elish, possibly XVIXVIII century BCE ) in council decide to punish humankind with a flood; at Mecone, gods and mortals decide the proper way to sacrifice to the gods; judges convene to put the god Ares on trial, bringing about modern justice; the godly Rishis reunite in the Himalayan region to create the healing system of Ayurveda at the dawn of time; Maitreya (the Buddha of the future) shall hold three assemblies to announce his doctrine.

The American Revolution, the French Revolution down to the Nuremberg trial were based on Congresses ( congredi, come together), Assemblies or 421

Conventions (convenire) that follow the mystical journey/pilgrimage blueprint and represent the restored oneness after the confusion, strife and plurality visited upon the people as result of the gods' wrath, false doctrines, the English Crown's arrogance, the collapse of French absolutism or some other 'zero hour moment' in tune with the circumstances.

The congredi myth can be easily politicized. Ben-Shahar 634 elatedly points out how, “in order to save the free world”, the 'great nation' of the USA brought together the greatest minds of all to build the atomic bomb during WWII in the name of a shared “vision”. Catholic song Tu Sei La Mia Vita recites tu da mille

strade ci raduni in unità (across a thousand paths you make a unity out of us). 1981 Victory sees interned soccer players from all over German camps convene to defeat a German soccer team during a fictional WWII; much on the same pace, 1981

Chariots Of Fire sees athletes convene from all over the world to compete in the 1924 Olympics.

A politicized salad bar of psychological complexes, political statements, training montages, providential masters, and related paraphernalia is offered. The

congredi myth can also be inverted, whereby special people (apostles, knights, sailors etc) depart from one single place to accomplish their mission of evangelization, discovery etc. Catholic song Tu Sei La Mia Vita considers this also:

per mille strade poi dove tu vorrai noi saremo il seme di Dio. (across a thousand

634

2005-6a:lecture 11.

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paths we'll then constitute god's seed according to your will).

Mythemes (=building blocks of myth) tend to coalesce: the vision, journey, congredi, topography, arch-trickster, impending doom, honest war, free world etc can coexist. It is not without irony how “saving the free world” would then be turned after WWII against the USSR, possibly the greatest contributor to Fascist defeat:” we killed the wrong pig [= Hitler]” Churchill is supposed to have told the British Parliament in 1946. Truth, consistency, verisimilitude and even statistical probability are not necessary ingredients when a story's success with the public is to be measured.

The equality many emoting social alchemists and reformers are obsessed with since time immemorial goes well beyond habeas corpus, equality before the law, or equal wages for equal units of work to chase indefinite primeval oneness. Robespierre's blueprint of the perfect regime was initially to merely overcome feudalism, to dethrone nobility, and to bring about a form of legalistic democracy. It was soon apparent, however, that the meek reformer under his philosopher's powdered wig was another maximalist obsessed with the concept of 'virtue'.

In a mayhem that recalls the later Pol Pot regime, the factions within the revolutionary party ended up sending one another to the guillotine:

Within a year and a half, 5 of the 15 [Soviet] Politburo members, 98 of the 139 Central Committee members and 1,108 of the 1,966 delegates from the Seventeenth Congress had been arrested [during Stalinist purges]. (Sebag Montefiore 2004:237). 423

Why social alchemy? Well, alchemy can be construed (as the etymology implies) as chemistry, technical knowledge of the inner workings of nature allowing the practitioner to turn one thing into another seemingly unrelated.

Medieval alchemy -a mixture of craft manuals (recipe literature) and Islamic alchemical texts in translation- went gradually underground as both political and moral problems led to Church -or secular- interdicts against the same. Alchemists thus shrouded their originally artisanal practice in gnostic concepts derived from religious -mostly biblical- imagery. In the XIX century (again), a revival interpreted such gnostic veneer literally as the alchemist's mystical voyage towards self-transformation or spiritual heights.

Yet, the greater part of the alchemist's power came from his beliefs, his inner convictions, the precise identity of his gods and anti-gods, the exact color of his armband, what he did (not) want the world to be like, which in no way resembles how modern day's chemists operate.

That is how theories spring up: Marxism, feminism, Leninism, psychoanalysis, post-colonialism and so many others, whose strong point is people know beforehand what the theorist is going to gripe or bellyache about:â&#x20AC;?through repetition of messaging and consistency of experience, they earn trust.â&#x20AC;?635.

Theories then take the minute step to become theologies (or top-down

635

Hogshead 2010:130.

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theories that explain too much): Chicano, African, Genocide, Women, GLBT and so forth studies. What in an opponent constitutes circular mono- or mythomania becomes otherwise a scientific approach yielding damning and exact results:

The Mormon cosmos would include three heavens, and the Mormon faithful would rise as gods to the highest heaven, reproducing the doctrines of universal salvation and divinization that ran through many of the movements influenced directly or indirectly by the writings of Boehme, Paracelsus, and Hermes. Mormon divinization would be achieved by the "sealing powers of Elijah" restored to the Mormon priesthood extnote, powers that, like the sacred experiments of the alchemical magus, put divine grace into human hands. And like the Quakers and Muggletonians, the Mormon leadership in Utah would labor long and hard to establish and to maintain a firm boundary between their theology and the story of occult influences deeply embedded in their early history. (Brooke 1994:29). As such, the quest to know, and through knowing to become "as gods," becomes a leitmotif of Gnosticism. (Davis 1999:99). As with all utopians, the social alchemist's mind is the sole to roam completely free in the fictional nowheres (utopia=no place) s-he conjures up:” justice for everyone -...- bliss and justice -...- we seem to love justice -...- justice means getting what we want -...- everybody should be treated fairly “ 636. Baptist pastor, counselor and best-selling author G.D. Chapman 637 sees in the “innate” sense of fairness and justice the imprint in creatures made in god's image:”Relativity is a crucial aspect of human psychology.”638;”we judge others and are judged in turn. extnote

636 637 638

The LDS Church offers the priesthood of Melchizedek (=higher priesthood). As Christianity arose, early Church apologists -such as Epiphanius (in the Panarion, IV century CE) or Augustine- polemized against socalled heretics who held Melchizedek (whom Samaritans believed to be Noah's son Shem) in greater esteem than Jesus himself as “archon of righteousness”. This is clear evidence of heated jousting between Gnostic factions. (note of this writer). Baumann 2008:Introduction. 2008. Sharot 2011:58, emphasis added.

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Our judgments are unconscious and rapid -...- It’s human cognition “639.

Lieberman640 quips that (the perception of) fairness tastes (neurologically speaking) as good as chocolate, sex and drugs. “We care about social equity” Lieberman641 shoehorns: that's built-in the brain at a very low level. This explains the mileage -which infuriates J.B. Peterson- that “social justice warriors” and other “reds” get:”In these days of difficulty, we Americans everywhere must and shall choose the path of social justice”642. The colorful lot includes liberation theology “red (Demo)Christians” that -as the Letta and Renzi cases in Italy epitomize- can be barely told apart from garden variety, Soviet-style Marxists in their rhetoric of the pariah.

The phrase social justice began as a technical term within Catholic theology—coined by Catholic moral theologian Luigi Taparelli d’Azeglio in an 1840 treatise on natural law. Taparelli was concerned that with the growing popularity of various social contract theories of the nineteenth century (Rousseau’s in particular), people might lose sight of the “the social fact” of humanity. -...-Against the backdrop of the dramatic rise in the size, scope, power, and authority of the nation-state system, Taparelli worried that the traditional language of “legal justice”—i.e., plain old justice, according to most people—might reinforce the erroneous and dangerous idea that the only society that exists is the one that people call the State, constraining the autonomy and spiritual authority of, among other things, the Church. -...-To remedy this misunderstanding, Taparelli introduced the phrase “social justice” as a way to emphasize that much of the important stuff lay outside the realm of the State. It had nothing to do with redistributing wealth (never mind fighting for gender equity). Taparelli thought of and employed 639 640 641 642

Welch 2015b:106, emphasis added. 2011. Lieberman&Rock 2008b. U.S President F.D. Roosevelt on October 2, 1932.

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social justice in a completely different way than almost everyone, Catholic and otherwise, does in contemporary society. (Goldberg 2012:83-84). College of Business professor Chen quips:

Not only do we disagree on what’s fair, but we aren’t very good at guessing what other people consider fair. Think of it this way: if we were good at guessing what others thought was fair, our offers would never get rejected. -...-Put another way, many of the fair splits in the Ultimatum Game were not the result of high-minded aspiration for fairness, but selfish, calculated moves.-...-Fairness, it seems, isn’t inborn but becomes an important social consideration once children reach a certain age. -...- The answer, according to an economic experiment, is that positive and negative reciprocity are not symmetrical: we retaliate against selfishness more than we reward generosity. What’s more, this happens even when the slights are only illusory.(Chen&Krakovsky 2010:35-36,44,59 emphasis added). In both its original and its subsequent forms, conceiving of history as something that accelerates, or even—as two of the central figures of the French Revolution, Condorcet and Robespierre, believed, for all that divided them—that can be made to accelerate, is inseparable from the idea of progress, which itself is a concept that historically only slightly predates the Enlightenment. Indeed, the historian Hugh Trevor-Roper once described the idea of progress as a seventeenth-century heresy.-...- Since the Enlightenment, the essence of the idea of progress has been that however difficult it may be to achieve in any given realm of human activity or of the human condition, it is at once inevitable and inexorable, rather than contingent and reversible, as it is in traditional societies.(Rieff 2016:28). The belief in perfectibility, despite its rosy and uplifting connotation, has a number of dark sides. One of them is the invitation to totalitarian social engineering. Dictators are apt to think: “If people are blank slates, then we damn well better control what gets written on those slates, instead of leaving it up to chance.” Some of the worst autocrats of the 20th century explicitly avowed a belief in the Blank Slate. Mao Tse-tung, for example, had a famous saying, “It is on a blank page that the most beautiful poems are written.” The Khmer Rouge had a slogan, “Only the 427

newborn baby is spotless.”(Ben-Shahar 2011:52). Lobotomized masses -going circularly through the stale motions of petrified civic rituals and ostensible allegiances- inhabit the gilded megalopolises sheltered from impurity. L.F. Pondé talks about the political superstructure in terms of the “creation of pleasure” 643 through an ever increasing array of rights bestowed upon hedonistic masses. Brown644 talks about how fundamental it is in contemporary western society to feel cool and hip. One has to think about blaxploitation in the 1970s as rights and cultural attention were copiously bestowed upon Afro-Americans.

Women delight in “magical feminism” and the dream of paleolithic “mother goddess societies” where nurturance was the norm. Congoids relish the fantasy of endless physical and sexual prowess: humankind comes out of mother Africa as well after all. Nativist parties across the political spectrum pledge to “restore” and/or to “expurgate” a given culture that includes you sitting to the right hand of some 'great man'.

They are under the spell of Freudian infantile narcissism that longs to take advantage of an ever expanding pool of resources (very common image in economics) so that nobody is -or feels- excluded or disenfranchised: “The minority groups in present-day industrial society who shout for freedom and human dignity are really clumsily asking that they be given a sense of primary heroism of which 643

644

Pondé comments how Freudian social critique imploded. An utilitarian, hedonistic model took over as society was basically incapable to face its own inner “buraco” (hole, vortex) of contradictions. 2013:session 2.

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they have been cheated historically.”645;”money alone does not cut it. -...-we're here to have not success but significance -...-which goes way beyond success -...- so you become a living avatar”646.

When you create a hero, someone who has gone first, taken an action that is perceived to be dangerous or uncertain, you expose them to the world. Heroes feel most like heroes when they are exposed as such. People who feel like they’ve taken heroic action are also much more likely to become evangelists for your product, because telling their story of success makes them feel heroic all over again.(Lakhani 2008:139, emphasis added). According to former Apple employee and Mac evangelist Guy Kawasaki, “The essence of evangelism is to passionately show people how you can make history together. Evangelism has little to do with cash flow, the bottom line, or co-marketing. It is the purest and most passionate form of sales because you are selling a dream, not a tangible object.” Sell dreams, not products. -...- Focus on selling the benefit behind the product.(Gallo 2010:24-25, emphasis added). The social alchemist's inebriated mind obsessively carves every miniature to adorn infinite temples dedicated to what s-he holds up as virtue; it serves as juror in ongoing posthumous trials of tyrants of bygone ages; it polishes every doorknob; it endlessly rewrites history books; it frantically maps new details of convoluted topographies; it compulsively monitors every speech or exchange to insure conformity; it collapses in anticipation of the day the entire world won't be able to be told apart from its morbid fantasies of social and/or spiritual uplift:

Myths are stories told to answer to some human need, so we should 645

646

Becker 1973:5. It is useful to compare this statement with Debord's concept of “le tort absolu” (absolute wrongdoing). Hansen 2010: part 1. Hansen is one of the minds behind the successful inspirational franchise Chicken Soup For The Soul.

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not feel overly surprised if they respond more faithfully to such needs than to the demands of abstract logic, of science, or even of morality. Myths are fictions, and like all fictions achieve precision in one domain at the expense of imprecision or even laxity in another. And, of course, precision is not accuracy. The question of truth remains. But myths are as prominent in modern, industrial cultures as they were in ancient cultures, and as powerful as they remain in tribal cultures. If their presence is not evident, that is partly because one's own myths are less noticeable as myths than exotic or archaic myths are. But that is not the only reason. Myths in situ are still living. And recognition of a myth as a myth, that is, as a fiction, can radically diminish its power. (Goodman 1993:107). The more vivid a mental image is, the more regions of the brain will be recruited for the processing, and the more likely a successful outcome of the action itself will be (Vishton 2016: Enhance Performance With Imagery). As a leader, you are never satisfied with the present, because in your head you can see a better future, and the friction between ‘what is’ and ‘what could be’ burns you, stirs you up, propels you forward. This is leadership. (Buckingham, cit. in Gallo 2010:33). It thus finds opposition and dissidence irksomely intolerable as unfathomable blasphemy against which it publishes countless edicts, whose every word gets commented upon in volumes:”hyper reality that exists without permitting a question to arise”647; “to the point that they cannot imagine not sharing your opinion.”.

Cambronne648 talks of apocalyptic literature in terms of an hypertrophy of vision (=abundance of details): a symbolic theology, “mental hypotyposis” (=vivid descriptions in the mind). What in an opponent amounts to logorrhea and scribomania, in turn signposting dubious mental health, here become the elation for 647 648

Gane 1991:138. No date.

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the most justified of all causes:

Just as we do not create our dreams, but they happen to us, so we do not invent the persons of myth and religion; they, too, happen to us. -...-All the traits of the soul and the encyclopaedic knowledge of the mind can be placed within an imaginal structure. An inner temple of fantasy was built, and in it stood statues of mythical figures. (Hillman, cit. in Angelo 1992:151,185) La monarchie n'est point un roi, elle est un crime; la république n'est point un sénat, elle est la vertu. Quiconque ménage le crime veut rétablir la monarchie et immoler la liberté. (Saint-Just)649. Like happy families, the myths and the worlds redeemed are all alike. (Campbell 1949:28). a specific neurological condition known as temporal lobe epilepsy produces psychological states that are similar to the religious experiences of people like Joan of Arc and St. Paul on the road to Damascus. Temporal lobe epilepsy is different from other forms of epilepsy in that temporal lobe epilepsy seizures do not involve convulsions, immobility, or loss of consciousness. Instead, a person having a temporal lobe epilepsy seizure notices a change in sensory perception, often involving changes in smells, sounds, tastes, and phantom sensations in the skin. Some people also experience cognitive changes such as déjà vu or jamais vu during a temporal lobe epileptic seizure, and a significant fraction of these people also experience a heightened sense of “religiosity,” including the sensation of an unseen, supernatural presence. -...-Geschwind described a clinical syndrome (called Geschwind syndrome) characterized by hypergraphia (the tendency to write long, detailed arguments and descriptions, often on religious subjects), hyper-religiosity, fainting spells, mutism (the inability to speak in certain social situations), and pedantism (the tendency to discourse at length on obscure subjects, especially the definitions of words and the fine points of grammar). Geschwind hypothesized that this syndrome is a manifestation of one form of mild temporal lobe epilepsy and suggested that it might explain the behavior of some hyper-religious historical figures. -...-such interpretations were just that: they were not the causes of such experiences, but rather were the cognitive means by which 649

A monarchy isn't at all about a king: it's a crime. A republic isn't at all about a senate: it's a virtue. A criminal is anybody who wants to re-establish the monarchy by sacrificing liberty.

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people who had experienced such seizures explained their sensations to themselves. In other words, the sensations came first, followed by the religious explanations. -...- They studied these correlations using brain scans and other measures of brain activity using subjects trained in Eastern and Western meditative traditions: monks, nuns, and priests. They found that such subjects had consistent patterns of brain activity that were different from those of non-religiously trained people, and that these patterns of brain activity were correlated with specific meditation and religious practices. In particular, they found that repeated simultaneous stimulation of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems (which normally produce diametrically opposed effects, one preparing for “fight or flight,” and the other for “rest and digest” activities) produced paradoxical brain activity patterns indicating simultaneous arousal and relaxation. (MacNeill 2011:47-9). Rather, human societies during the past 4,000 years have almost always been led or influenced by dominant individuals in the form of military rulers, religious leaders, explorers, and scientists. Highly dopaminergic individuals may be among the 2 percent or so of highachievement individuals described by Toffler (1970), who are seemingly well-adapted to the environments of modern societies and who are in most cases its leaders. However, even highly successful individuals may be prone to hyperdopaminergic syndromes such as hypomania (Goodwin and Jamison, 1990) and obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders such as workaholism, excessive risk-taking, and sexual addiction, and these individuals also may be part of families in which hyperdopaminergic disorders are common (Previc 2009:130). It was John Price who figured out how to reconcile the theories, suggesting that shamans and prophets could be two phenotypic versions of a schizotypal personality.(Polimeni 2012:123). Nineteenth-century author Napoleon Hill would regularly visualize nine famous men as his personal counselors, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thomas Edison, Charles Darwin, and Abraham Lincoln. -...The results are often astonishing.” Choose your own counselors according to which emotions they embody for you. Hill’s chosen self confidence counselor was Napoleon Bonaparte. To boost your charisma, choose figures who represent complete self-confidence, or warmth and caring, or calm and serenity. Or you might even find some figures who embody all the elements at once. Visualize yourself going to these figures for a “pep talk” anytime you feel you need one. Thanks to the brain’s wonderful placebo response, this will produce 432

effects even if it doesn’t feel real. (Cabane 2012:51). Bruno Bauer theorized that Mark (whoever he was) had created Jesus out of whole cloth, based on Seneca’s suggestion in one of his treatises that people should fashion for themselves what we might call an “imaginary friend,” a character we could imagine was always observing us, approving or disapproving our every action. If we contemplate doing something immoral, just imagine what our invisible companion would think about it. Such a figure would simply be a personification of one’s conscience. And, Bauer thought, Mark had created Jesus to serve this purpose for his readers. (Price 2017d: no page). What is the institute of the United Nations, exactly? A tribune and venue for all nations to discuss and bargain? Another variation on the congredi myth? A club for peaceniks or philanthropists?

A new phrase, the United Nations, slipped into the world's vocabulary. Editorial writers and military commentators used it glibly. And last week they began to wonder what, exactly, it meant— that pact by which 26 nations bound themselves fortnight ago not to make a separate peace with their Axis enemies. It would be a long time before the full story of the pact's signing came out. What was known was that by New Year's Day the wrinkles had been ironed out of the draft drawn by Assistant Secretary of State Adolf Berle and his assistant Carlton Savage. Britain's Churchill, Russia's Litvinoff and China's T. V. Soong were called into conference at the White House that evening. Maxim Litvinoff had won one big point. This limited the pledge of the signers to a promise to make war to the end only on the enemies with whom they were already at war.-...- The United Nations agreement was a brilliant gesture, but not even its loudest applauder claimed that it organized the anti-Axis world for war or peace. Easy acceptance of the words might make people forget that only the painful drudgery of international cooperation and the abnegation of selfish nationalism could unite the united nations. That was yet to come. So far the only concrete form that unity had taken was in a common determination of 26 nations to beat the Axis. But for the people of the Axis countries that fact could not be other than sobering: 26 nations—count them—26, all determined that Hitler and his tyranny shall be destroyed. (Time 1942: no page, emphasis added).

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As the Time columnist puts it, the will to beat another group of nations was all there was. Setting aside fitful hecklers -who lament unspeakable allegiances lurking under every critique while a dirge plays in the background, dolts gasp for breath, and the crowd jeers-, it is possible to see another circular mythology at work that masks concrete political ambitions and pretenses under vague references to the usual bunch of more or less obtuse emotive cliches.

With surprisingly no sense of ridicule, U.S Christian fundamentalist groups denounce the U.N as a sort of facade preparing the world for the impending demise of Christianity the advent of a second Hitler would bring about ushering in world government based upon Fascist doctrines. The fact that the U.N were the byproduct of the bizarre commingling of Soviet and Anglo-American wartime propaganda escapes them in order to dodge inopportune thorny political issues.

It is (not so) surprising that a song became popular in 1939 detailing how three political figures were marching side by side sharing the same will and faith to save and restore European civilization for the salvation of mankind...who are they? “The most powerful forces of good ever assembled -...- dedicated to truth, justice and peace for all mankind”650?

Mussolini, Hitler and Franco. Hanna&Barbera

Superfriends' headquarters is the Hall of Justice; in Buddhist Anguttara Nikaya, the assembly hall of the gods is called the Hall of Righteousness: what a coincidence.

Even boat-people immigrating illegally are bestowed “pseudo-sanctity” 650

Actually the opening presentation of the U.S cartoon The Superfriends.

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upon by comparing their all too mundane and opportunistic journey to mythic journeys (Ulysses; Aeneas; St. Thomas Apostle who allegedly founded a Christian community in India that exists to this day as Mar Thoma Margam; St. Patrick; Sao Brandao who evangelized Brazil651 in mythical times; San Gaudioso who was set sailing dinghy by a vengeful Visigothic King, thus ending up in Naples...).

Pope Francis I652 also lionizes the endless stream of (illegal) immigrants by comparing them to the Holy Family seeking refuge in Egypt. Pope Francis clearly shows how the day's politicized agenda shall be seen through the prism of one's

exempla or myths of choice that supersede -in an emotional hurricane pushing towards gregarious compliance- all frivolous states of affairs:”All these communities were remembering the past because of and in light of their present. There can be no doubt that in many instances their memories were frail or faulty”653.

The takeover of history by memory is also the takeover of history by politics. -...-Instead, we have entered a world in which the essential function of collective memory is one of legitimizing a particular worldview and political and social agenda, and delegitimizing those of one’s ideological opponents. (Rieff 2016:37, emphasis added). Greek drama already prescribed the attitudes towards the traveler:”and no one’s here to give me the reception that I expected: open doors, and smiles to welcome the returning pilgrim home.”654.

651

652 653 654

Brasil (or Hy-Brasil) was a mythical island present on ancient maps and at times identified with modern day Brazil. MSN Notizie, December 29, 2013. Ehrman 2016:137. Theseus in Euripides' Hippolytus, 880-883.

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The opposite might also apply: Catholic clergyman Librizzi, president of Trapani's (Italy) Catholic welfare agency CARITAS, is arrested: he allegedly blackmailed powerless illegal boat-people into sexual encounters as they were under CARITAS' tutelage655. OXFAM656 and MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES657 (Nobel Peace Prize recipient) are not immune from such occurrences. Readers shall come to their own conclusions.

An interesting -if stale- twist on the subject is filtering the topic at hand through the pink glasses of sexual innuendos. Shakira's famous 2006 song Hips

Don't Lie melts the hero's journey (“Refugees run the seas 'cause we own our own boats ” ) motif over a jumble of 'progressive' innuendos (“Why the CIA wanna watch us? Colombians and Haitians ”) interspersed with forthright sexual references (“She's so sexy every man's fantasy a refugee like me back with the Fugees from a 3rd world country ”;”I never really knew that she could dance like this She makes a man want to speak Spanish ”). The jumble turns into a junk yard when the extent of the interest in Hispanic culture is made clear (“Como se llama (si), bonita (si), mi casa (si, Shakira Shakira), su casa Shakira, Shakira ”). Even the reference to the 'other' as 'animal' is not that bad after all (“Oh boy, I can see your body moving Half animal, half man ”).

This panoply of left-wing motifs is hardly any different (third world refugees as willing and ready sexual animals one must not miss due to 'bad CIA's' 655 656 657

ANSA, June 24, 2014. ANSA, February 16, 2018. ANSA February 14, 2018.

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interference...) from the least refined, bandwagon far-right panoply that is usually accused of being shallow, and of indulging in various stereotypes that polite company typically shuns.

Presenting the next wave of more or less illegal immigrants as sexual bounty has -again- been applied to all and sundry. It's an old story: Hitler promised all German women would have a husband if NSDAP came to power. The common (wo)man shall also find instant sexual and/or matrimonial gratification on the part of highly undemanding, accommodating and hyper-sexed Priapi and Geishas 658 under the exogamic auspices of Belle Epoque nation-States smiling upon the hubbub as 'it feeds the societal machine '.

Girard explicitly connects all things exo- (exopraxis) with a tentative to reduce the potential for violence. “Superfluous people” on the other side of the fence hop the border, or -as Arendt discussed- congregate in Belle Epoque South Africa. In our day, dejected masses in rags blight the Mongolian countryside prospecting for gold; as they divert water courses to sift gold using harmful chemicals, desertification increases and cattle-herding nomads lose their livelihood659. “Superfluous people” on this side of the fence await with open arms an 658 659

Here the national-popular, commodified meaning is used. “Extraction methods, such as dredging, river diversion, and the use of high-pressure water cannons to dismantle hillsides, have damaged rural landscapes along rivers such as the Onggi, which supports 60,000 nomadic herders and one million head of livestock. Rivers now run dry in some areas, making it more difficult to find water for thirsty animals, according to nomadic herders. They say using the alternative water source—groundwater potentially contaminated by mercury and other mining pollution—is alarming as well. -...-Worth an estimated U.S. $660 million per year, the mining industry makes up two-thirds of Mongolia's export revenues, with most of the gold going to neighboring China, according to Mongolian government officials. -...-Adding to enforcement woes, many of the mining sites abandoned by larger companies because of local pressure or resource depletion have been taken over by small-scale miners known as "ninjas." -...-Thousands of ninja

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opportunity to escape rivalry with neighboring humans660.

“Desperate people” that side of the fence (those “wanted” or “not wanted”

back

home)

vamoose,

thus

reducing

pressure

within

their

community:”being unwanted is the worst disease a human being can experience” 661. “Desperate people” this side of the fence find matrimonial, political, sexual or entrepreneurial gratification, thus reducing pressure on their end:”Desperate times call for desperate measures, and desperate measures are often fertilized with bullshit.”662.

Desperate measures for desperate people:”Feeling socially isolated and lonely cause people to become more risk-seeking in financial decision-making” 663.

psychologists derived the prediction that social rejection is likely to activate the goal to affiliate with others. These researchers further predicted that when the affiliation subself was active, people tend to be more accommodating in their evaluations of others. (Hamilton 2016:116, emphasis added). The United States has been a magnet for low-skill immigration even as low-skill natives have worked less and less. It is difficult to

660

661 662 663

miners have flooded the Ölt valley near the Uyanga township in the central Uvurhongai province, creating a frontier settlement reminiscent of the Wild West. ” (National Georgraphic News, October 17, 2008). For example business owners who need to pay suboptimal wages in order to keep their business afloat; the homeowner who has tumbledown real estate to rent out; the lovelorn who have to venture abroad to find a mate who accepts them, however socially and/or personally suboptimal such choice may prove back home. Of course, there may be a problem in the fact that everybody chases “optimal” solutions. 50% (the typical percentage of (wo)men in a given group) cannot possibly overlap successfully with the “talented tenth” -whether one considers looks, available amenities or income-: most people will have to “settle for much less” than the top 1% of earners, or beauty starlets. Lieberman 2011. Brown 2017b:62. Hamilton 2016:Emotional Influences On Decision Making. It isn't difficult to conjure images up of social outcasts (=”wanted or not wanted home”) who bet all they have on the chance of (illegally) hopping a border; or on some fraudulent investment scheme hoping to “make it”.

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avoid the conclusion that immigrants replace natives in the workforce. (Richwine 2016:no page). A study by Bartels&Zeki (2000) shows that “love” deactivates brain areas concerned with negative social judgments and moral control: the paradise of exopraxis. Other studies ( Tallis in 2005) superpose “symptoms of love” with those of various mental illnesses:

The one excepon was love. When feeling love as a generalized emotion, people were generous to everyone, regardless of distance. The researchers argued that love has a property of seeking to broaden connections with others, while other positively valenced emotions lack this characteristic. (Hamilton 2016:55). Fly-by-night entrepreneurs shall also find an oversupply of -againhighly undemanding and accommodatiting workers to slave away at whichever midsummer boom-and-bust 'opportunity' might be there offering lower paychecks. Such undemanding people may be in desperate flight aboard dinghies, but that should not mislead one. Just like Ulysses, who also sailed aboard a raft, such (illegal) immigrants are -just like Ulysses, Theseus, Perseus, Hercules or other journeying heroes- crackerjacks. The story in the media goes that boat-people are supremely credentialed (engineers, astrophysicists, physicians...), and meekly ready to slave away for pennies as garbage men, or in grinderies. As immigrants soon discover, however, grinderies may be the only option open, if any, because their stellar credentials, if any, are worth nothing in their new land.

IPR Marketing664 publishes a research on the immigrant Muslim community in Italy in September 2017. With some differences in age gap and

664

Noto 2017:no page.

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locality, a shocking picture emerges: six out of ten immigrants admit they are not integrated within the new country, and one in three rebuffs the possibility of integration to begin with. Only 27% of Muslims claim to hold a steady job, whereas 24% are unemployed and 33% hold only temporary jobs: so much for funding Ponzi schemes so that in-bred Italians can enjoy a Socialist welfare paradise.

After being treated for HIV, TBC, scabies, cholera, malaria or any disease that may be present, the immigrant has to learn the country's language -IPR claims that less than 50% of Muslim immigrants know Italian rather well- while being extensively retrained at the host country's expenses:”personal hygiene and behavior classes”665 may be in order also666. The (not so) occasional surge in criminal activity is merely accidental while people wait for the credentialed crackerjack from abroad to start toiling honestly to fund this or that defaulting social security scheme so that in-bred citizens may live in a Socialist paradise in the lap of uninterrupted welfare.

In Italy, speedway overpasses routinely tumble down killing people. In Cuba, the jeep carting Fidel Castro's coffin breaks down during the State funeral. As Cuban anti-castrist Arenas had written in 1990:”[Castro is]A profound philosopher, he has made it clear that material things are transient, to such a degree that there are virtually no material things in Cuba ”667.

Furthermore, exogamic communities are less prone to nativist escapades 665 666

667

Giornale Di Arona, February 3, 2017:10. It is highly ironic how this jibes perfectly with the radical right's portrayal of (illegal) immigrants as associated with savagery, stench and infections. Quoted by Reuters on November 26, 2016.

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that -if staged in any way- soon collapse in farce -as the Italian Lega Nord case epitomizes- because there really are few or no natives to start with. As Lega Nord clearly showed, the old idea of recapturing bygone ages (of ethno-cultural purity; of a lost statehood that never existed...) can enjoy a success as predictable as fleeting.

The “NSDAP comeback” that distraught opponents pinned on the equally short-lived Haider experiment in Austria, soon collapsed in a farce orchestrated by astute bohemians and professional politicians (often mere informants) eager to build their personal fortune rather than some fantasy land of ethno-cultural triumph based upon role-reversal and oneness.

In Taiwan, the central government tried to solve the problem of tribal societies and their grievances in peripheral islands by encouraging immigration from mainland Taiwan: exogamy might prove an apt solution after fruitless rows of bargaining and logrolling.

The shtick is applied to all and sundry: the “magical other” 668, who will fulfill one's life just in the (ever changing) way one esteems most rewarding:”This is a logical fate for the utterly helpless person: the more you fear death and the emptier you are, the more you people your world with omnipotent father-figures,

In the movie No Retreat No Surrender, R.J and the two Black break-dancers in red represent the “magical negro” of Hollywood movies. Obama was also associated with a “magical negro” role in collective White consciousness. Cultural critic Rich comments on The New York Magazine regarding another race riot:”That chasm is nothing new. What made this particular instance poignant was the presence in the ballroom of our first AfricanAmerican president, the Magic Negro who was somehow expected to relieve a nation founded and built on slavery from the toxic burdens of centuries of history. ” (2015:no page). 668

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extra-magical helpers”669.

The world is pretty much the same, but there is one race, group or culture (alternatively: malt liquor brand, politician, fast food product...) so unlike all the rest, which abides by moral, sexual or cultural standards (alternatively the 'grandma quality' of that fast food product; this politician's honesty and good conduct) that stopped being the norm two or more generations ago: wrestler turned politician Jesse Ventura was a noted Asian women enthusiast.

Beyond the stale dog&pony show of left, center and right-wing politics a man of destiny arises: Trump and Macron are the “real deal”, the canned food that -truly indeed- is “grandma quality” with no additives ( no indentureship to PACs, pharma, defense, agro business and other forces occultes for the politician), just as it was the case when grandpa was alive (when F.D. Roosevelt or Ronald Reagan were in office):”Everyone asks...Corinthian leather? Of course, why not the best” 670.

Mythological vectors can cluster together. People on an exopratic quest may succumb to all sorts of mystique. Nobody knows the exact recipe for mythical Portuguese pastry Pasteis De Belem (since 1837671); ingredients are exactly known only to first pastry cooks inside the aptly named Oficina Do Segredo (secret workshop) in Lisbon:

Many companies, including Coca-Cola, pour a jigger of mystique 669 670 671

Becker 1973:147. Ricardo Montalban in a 1988 commercial for Chrysler New Yorker. Following a noted recipe from Catholic Mosteiro dos Jerónimos.

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into their brands. The more information these brands withhold, the more consumers want those products. (Hogshead 2010:80). Rumor had it that this protein powder OTC supplement for aspiring bodybuilders had been historically laced with performance-enhancing drugs: that's why it allegedly built so much muscle, or so the story went. Much the same applies to people. People of color, Hispanics, and people from Southern Italy cook (and eat) “weird stuff”. Asian restaurants are the stuff of legend with tales of monkey, worm, dog, bat, cat, snake and so on meat being surreptitiously served to unaware western customers.

Urban legends crop up regarding unsuspecting western potential buyers of foreign goods who died after some sort of contamination -such as snake biteoccurs as they are inspecting products imported from afar. No wonder Asian go-go

girls (colored Mandingoes672, etc) set the (sexual) imagination ablaze: if “we are what we eat”, the (bedroom) ceiling is the limit.

Mesopotamian Kings of Kings on the cusp between the Bronze and Iron age also enacted policies of massive deportations -from which the Hebrew accounts of captivity derive- in order -so claim some scholars- to replenish their domains endemic epidemics and warfare routinely ravaged:

around the second millennium B.c., the early or middle times of the second millennium B.C. Yahweh tells them to go in and let nothing be left alive when you're through with it. Then the Assyrians got 672

An enslaved Black male stud from a famous 1957 novel and 1975 movie involving a racy interracial plot in the pre-Secession U.S South. Blaxploitation at its nadir.

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the idea that when you wipe everybody out, you don't have anybody left to work for you. So, instead of wiping the people out, they transferred them to another place and brought people from that place into this place. This caused an enormous shuffling of people in the Near East so that all roots were broken. And, if this system had not been in effect when Jerusalem fell in the sixth century B.C., the Jews would have been wiped out. Instead they were moved to Babylon. (Campbell&Boa 1989:116). Humankind's beloved myth(ologie)s tell what typically happens next to a recurring migration or deportation event:

While Israel was staying in the Acacia Grove, the people began to have sexual relations with the women of Moab. The women invited them to the sacrifices for their gods, and the people ate and bowed in worship to their gods. So Israel aligned itself with Baal of Peor, and the LORD's anger burned against Israel. (Numbers 25:1-3). [God said:]You engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians, your neighbors with large genitals, and aroused my anger with your increasing promiscuity. (Ezekiel 16:26).

Giornale Di Arona673 runs a special on immigration. Official sources claim exogamic relationships are on the rise: 8,8% of all weddings/unions registered in Italy in 2012 are mixed couples including immigrants. Giornale Di Arona674 also reports on Regione Piemonte's new long-term plan: to re-settle with (illegal) immigrants from Africa deserted (alpine) boroughs.

The alternative to a flamboyant Mardi Gras of opportunity, sexual or otherwise, remains mostly unexplored. Could crime rates and health hazards possibly be on the rise? Unproven speculations, as bereft Soviet cheerleaders would

673 674

6 December 2013:2 14 August 2015:13.

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have it.

One example shall suffice: Tunisian Anis Amri (one of the man's many identities), the terrorist who took part in the attack at Berlin in December 2016 which left 12 people dead, arrived as a meek “boat person” in Italy in 2011. For his criminal acts, Amri served a four-year term in Italy, but had paperwork in progress as godly “asylum seeker” at the time of his terrorist onslaught 675:”"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”676.

Of course, as news reports have it, South Africa with its garden cities transited from a first world reality in the 1960s (for example setting the pace in matters of organ transplants) to a developing country with one of the world's highest rates of crime and societal disintegration oppressing Beirut-style cities; enthusiasts brush this off as lesser evil of societies in transition:

It gets in the way of the contemplation needed to find oneself when, you know, you are listening to the racket of drive-bys at night, it’s hard. I was reading the paper at U Penn at night, and the next day I was working on it, and I kept being interrupted by the noise of the drive-bys. We were only a few blocks from one of the war zones near the University of Pennsylvania, founded by Ben Franklin, Ivy League school… two blocks from Beirut. Not plausible but a real problem. (Roderick 1993: Marcuse And OneDimensional Man). The alternative to Beirut-style, diverse megalopolises are city like Yubari

675 676

IlSole24Ore, December 21, 2016. Matthew 7:1-2.

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in orderly Japan. Founded in 1943 as a thriving coal-mining center in full population growth, in recent decades the city sunk to the rank of a deindustrialized, depopulated (from about 100.000 to about 10.000 residents), financially bankrupt ghost town full of deserted schools and planked buildings.

A few elderly people only roam reminiscing about a bygone past of civic effervescence: more societies in transition.

The temptation for someone with a psychopathic personality to join a new, fast-paced, competitive, and highly effective “transitional” organization, especially one with few constraints or rules, is too great, and the personal rewards too significant, to be ignored. The effect of these things is that psychopaths are more attracted to work for businesses that offer fast-paced, high-risk, high-profit environments. (Babiak&Hare 2006:ix). It’s easier to be perceived as charismatic during a crisis because people facing an emergency are more readily affected by a leader’s magnetism; they become “charisma hungry.” (Cabane 2012:133). Neurosis is today a widespread problem because of the disappearance of convincing dramas of heroic apotheosis of man. The subject is summed up succinctly in Pinel's famous observation on how the Salpetriere mental hospital got cleared out at the time of the French Revolution. All the neurotics found a ready-made drama of self-transcending action and heroic identity. It was as simple as that. (Becker 1973:190). Zimbabwe, for a while the land of the rising sun for a diverse cohort of leftists, peaceniks and progressives, has slowly but surely slipped into the limelight as epitome of ethnic warfare, crime, corruption, economic meltdown and

caudillismo: more societies in transition, and lesser evils of a different sort, perhaps. Of course, if the pendulum swung in an inopportune political direction, readers 446

may guess what would happen to the doctrine of lesser evil and societies in transition.

The journey mytheme is very powerful as anticipatory of a transition. Mussolini and Mao, too, incorporated a journey element in the foundation of their regimes. Gandhi marched 390 Km in 1930 to collect salt from the sea in violation of the law English colonizers had imposed. Joseph Smith and early Mormon communities journeyed across the USA, being recurrently prosecuted, persecuted and expelled. Smith himself was lynched while in prison; alternatively, he died in a gunfight firing back at his foes: it all depends on who tells the story. M.L. King coled the â&#x20AC;&#x153;March On Washingtonâ&#x20AC;? in 1963.

Richard Pervo (Profit with Delight: The Literary Genre of the Acts of the Apostles) demonstrates crucial links between Acts and the second century Hellenistic novels. Acts shares much in common with the popular picaresque novels produced for several centuries, flourishing at the height of popularity in the second century CE (Price 2010b:44). Mohamed journeyed and fought across the Arabian desert: his first companions and converts thus constituted a privileged group within the community of the Muslim faithful; Mohamed's flight from Mecca to Medina is considered as the Muslim calendar's founding year. Lenin's journey back to Russia could also be mythologized, for example in the catchy legend of Lenin's journey taking place

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aboard a “sealed train”677: Liulevicius reports the legend as fact678.

Leon Degrelle narrates the excruciating march of non-German Waffen

SS volunteers across the Soviet Union during WWII. North-Korean children apparently march every day to celebrate the progression of deceased leader Kim IlSung as he was about to free the country during WWII.

Some wrote about Simon Bolivar's epic marches in his quest to wrest Latin-American independence from Spain:

The length of the march, the poverty of the country; their inadequate equipment; the loss of all their saddle and pack animals; intense heat and penetrating cold every twenty-four hours ; a region infested with malaria ; a season of torrential rains on the llanos and snow, ice and hail in the paramo ; a route across flooded rivers, over burning plains, into tropical jungles, and finally over a mountain pass thirteen thousand feet high. Add to these the fact that they were half starved, their only food for weeks at a time being freshly killed beef, and they were approaching an enemy that outnumbered them and one can not but marvel at their courage and admire the tenacity of purpose that upheld them. (Lemly 1923:183) Ottoman nationalist leader Enver Pasha led the Empire into WWI launching expeditionary wars against Tzarist Russia in the Caucasus. After the Empire collapsed, Enver Pasha orchestrated political cabals in various directions, then perished as he orchestrated an expeditionary war purportedly meant to unite Muslims of Turkish stock against Soviet oppression in central Asia ( Basmachi Revolt, 677

678

Apparently Lenin had demanded that the train aboard which he -and other prominent Russian revolutionaries- travelled be granted extraterritorial status. The obvious high security measures that characterized the secret operation lent credit to the legend. Trotsky mentions “the legend of the “sealed train””(2008:212). 2003:Total War.

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Turkestan). In Brazil in 1925-7, rebels against the oligarchical government joined the

coluna Prestes (Prestes679 column, also Coluna Invicta, invincible column) journeying thousands of kilometers in the Brazilian interior before reaching Bolivia.

Such cases are countless. In 1931, Australian aboriginal girls escape from compulsory schooling: they journey 1.200 miles

back home. Legendary, godly

Chinese monk Xuan Zhang (epic Journey To The West) journeys to the West in search of original Buddhist texts to educate his compatriots with; his abetters (in a sort of Robin Hood's merry men) include the superhuman Hanuman-copycat Monkey King.

Legendary Xuan Zhang is possibly based upon a real travelling monk (VII century) by the same name, much as the legendary sea expedition to the West of sterling Chinese admiral Zheng He (1371-1433) took place in real life. A temple exists in China, where Xuan Zhang's remains professedly rest alongside texts he would have brought back from India.

The 'journeying founder' motif recurs the world over, as many cultures in turn claimed to originate from mythical predecessors on the run from evil or natural disasters (Arcadia, Aztlan, Atlantis and so forth); or journeying in search of their true origin (Theseus in Attica, for example).

Jesus might have escaped crucifixion and wandered all the way to Japan,

679

L.C. Prestes, Communist leader.

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where he preached, married, and died at 106 years of age being buried at Shingo village680. A similar story is told about Jesus relocating to Kashmir, where he (once again) preached, got married, begot children thus -just like at Shingo in Japanleaving direct descendants behind: another Da Vinci Code narrative. Allegedly, ancient documents exist -or used to exist- in support of both story-lines.

Dido (=the wanderer) Queen of Carthage was both in flight from Phoenicia, and the mythical founder of Carthage; she died atop a funeral pyre -like Hercules- where she fell on a sword -like Ajax-.

The first Emperor of China (III century BCE) -another founder on a warring journey- bestowed upon himself the title of divine ancestor. In Japan,

Norito (liturgical texts of Shinto worship, from the VIII century CE) refer to the reigning Emperor as â&#x20AC;&#x153;sovereign grandchildâ&#x20AC;?.

In pre-Confucian China (divided in various States), rulers were typically seen as wielding power or authority various deities -in perfect Mesopotamian fashion- had entrusted upon them in a sort of cosmic filial relationship (=the Chinese Emperor as Son of Heaven; the Japanese Emperor as descendant of Sun goddess Amaterasu; the King of Nepal as incarnation of Vishnu; Hellenistic 680

According to news (Jesus Is Buried...1998:44-5), clues exist to support this hypothesis. An old scroll in ancient Japanese supposedly documenting the issue (The Last Will And Testament Of Jesus Christ, the same title as a host of unrelated Christian writings) was discovered in 1935: it had been in the custody of local families since time immemorial. The Japanese government allegedly spirited the scroll away to Tokyo, where it disappeared during WWII. Also, apparently the seal of the Sawaguchi family -Jesus' purported descendents- was a star of David; parents have painted crosses on newborns' foreheads for ages; words from the local dialect might come from Hebrew, and villagers around the burial site have for ages held rituals, whose wording might come from Hebrew.

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monarchs as “god made manifest”; Roman Emperors seen as incarnations of gods, typically Apollo ).

Hittite tablets from the time of Suppiluliuma I ( died 1322 BCE) talk about the sacralized universe: the kitchen attendants of the gods; farmers of the gods; cowherds and shepherds of the gods received instruction.

While divine honors bestowed upon monarchs became commonplace in Hellenistic times -following Alexander's example, as Robin Lane Fox remarks-, even earlier such notables as Pisistratus [561-527 BCE] (the people of Athens marveled at, and prostrated in front of him according to Aristotle); Dion of Syracuse [408-354 BCE] (the people “supplicated Dion as a god with prayers” according to Plutarch) and others -such as King Philip at Philippi he had founded 681- were treated as living gods (with heroic honors “similar to those fit for a god”, isotheai timai).

At Samos, Spartan admiral Lysander (died 395 BCE) was honored with a festival (Lysandreia) in his name. Mortals – such as Hellenistic Kings and Roman Emperors- were furthermore (sort of) deified as synnaoi theoi, that is they “shared a temple with the gods”682. Philip II of Macedonia at Eresos would become Zeus

Philippeios683 (Zeus under Philip's appearance).

Later, Hellenistic “conqueror of cities” and “bringer of peace” Demetrios 681 682

683

A temenos (sacred precinct) was dedicated to founder Philip II (Alexander's father). The mytheme of mortals “going to live with god(s)” is associated with this concept, and related “ascent” and “descent” paraphernalia. Other cities had a Philippeion, or Philip's celebratory precinct/monument.

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I Poliorketes (337-283 BCE) frees Athens: he is honored as a god ( soter, savior). Just like it would be the case with Jesus centuries later, Demetrios is hailed as a true god, son of true god, the light of the world who took flesh among men to “make things happen” as “lord” in the face of impotent carved idols.

Demetrios I is thus the object of a cultic compliment Athenians recited in 291-290 BCE:

He resembles the sun. O son of mighty god Poseidon and Aphrodite, hail you! Now, know that other gods are far away, have no ears, or don't exist or do not care about us. But thee, we see here present- not wood, nor stone, but real to the bone, to thee we send our prayer. So first of all make peace, o most beloved, for thou hast the power [=he is hailed as kurios, lord, kurios gar ei su](H.S. Versnel trans.). Hence, Augustus was proclaimed as the son of Apollo, and the Antonines (Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius) as the sons of Jupiter. The most pervasive and prominent title was [kurios, lord] -...- It was first applied to Augustus in 12 BCE; under Nero the title -...-was used almost as a stock formula. (Rhee 2005:161). I have come to you, my god, worshipping you as I do the Sun (Tiridates I King of Armenia to Roman Emperor Nero in 66 CE, cit. in Champlin 2003:229). in contrast the cult of Flamininus [229-174 BCE. Roman general who conquered Greece] lasted three centuries. Pompey [ 106-48 BCE. Roman general and statesman ] was called soter [=savior], euergetes [=benefactor] and ktistes [ Latin conditor, founder] in Mytilene and a month named after him, while Pompeiopolis, which he restored in Cilicia, began an era in his honour and Delos produced an association of Pompeiastai; After Caesar's victory at Pharsalus honours of every kind were showered on him throughout the East. (Fishwick 1993:47)

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His arrival in Ephesus had been celebrated; 'The people hailed him as Dionysus the Benefactor and the Bringing of Joy.' But when he confiscated property from noble families, allowed property scams and Imposed punitive taxes on cities in Magnesia, some called him 'Dionysus the cruel and the Eater of Flesh'. [Marc-]Antony [Roman statesman and general, 83-30 BCE] asserted that his sliding scale of levies was more humane than the previous system - but he still took the money. Dionysus was a dual deity, double-edged (and dangerous) like a sword - the jovial and fun-loving god of wine, but also a savage and primitive force of unrestrained barbarism. (Linley 2015:189). Meineck informs how

There’s a direct link with the myth of Hercules and Geryon and the new Greek colonies founded in the eighth and seventh centuries BCE in Italy. • Hercules trudges through the hot sun of North Africa, where the Therans established a colony at Cyrene in 630 BCE. • He stole the cattle from Geryon and drove them through Spain, where the Phocaeans had a trading colony aptly named Emporion.• As he traveled through the south of France, he would have passed the sites of the Phocaean cities of Massalia (Marseilles) and Nicaea (Nice). • Even his earlier expedition to the realm of the Amazons reflects the colonization by Miletus of the Turkish coast, the Bosphorus, the Danube, and the Black Sea coast. (2005-1:20). That is not something fit for campfire stories told in archaic ancient Greek only, though. Stallone's 1987 movie Over The Top is precisely the literal travelogue of a boy -raised by his millionaire maternal grandfather- who meets his father -a bumming truck driver- for the first time.

The 'coming of age' story ends with the boy growing up, and with the reconciliation (= great reunion etc) between the outcast father - now arm-wrestling champion- and his father-in-law (=authoritative patriarch):

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Atonement [with the father] (at-one-ment) consists in no more than the abandonment of that self-generated double monster—the dragon thought to be God (superego) and the dragon thought to be Sin (repressed id). But this requires an abandonment of the attachment to ego itself; and that is what is difficult. One must have a faith that the father is merciful, and then a reliance on that mercy. Therewith, the center of belief is transferred outside of the bedeviling god's tight scaly ring, and the dreadful ogres dissolve. (Campbell 1949:120). Another rendering is Atonement with the Father. The son has been separated from the father, meaning he has been living a life that’s inappropriate to his real heritage. The son is the temporal aspect, and the father is the eternal aspect of the same being. The father represents the natural order from which you have been removed. You are trying to find your character, which you inherit from your father. Atonement is bringing your own personal and contemporary program into accord with the life momentum out of which you have come. (Campbell 1991:56). Authoritative (often authoritarian) patriarchs -or the Jungian puer-senex dyad- are a dime a dozen in both folklore and popular culture as providential masters (Bloodsport, Karate Kid); commanding officers (A-Team); drill Sergeants (Starship Troopers; An Officer And A Gentleman ); family members (Greedy; Over

The Top); corporate overseers (Knight Rider); bosses of underground patriotic cabals (MacGyver; Remo Williams).

Even Nachiketa, the adolescent hero of Hindu Katha Upanishad, asks Yama, the lord of death, to grant the boon of being recognized as a son (=atonement) by his angry father after his father in a flare-up of rage “gives him” to the lord of death; he also asks that his father's character be changed: dysfunctional families since time immemorial.

You cannot fully understand the problem of emotional repression if 454

you don't appreciate that the average person carries within his or her being the burden of an enormous quantity of unacknowledged and undischarged pain (Nathaniel Branden). Jungian scholar R.L. Moore never stopped pining for an extensive social network providing youth with mentoring under the sign of long-lost eldership traditions. That's perhaps why “personality coaches” flood the online marketplace.

In ancient myth, Hera bestows countless trials upon Hercules. When he finally ascends to heaven, he reconciles with the celestial matriarch, and marries her (and Zeus') daughter Hebe, goddess of youth and pardon. Mahayana Buddhist luminary Shantideva (+/- VIII century CE) ascends bodily to heaven after delivering the magisterial Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra Sutra to skeptical scholarly monks at Nalanda.

The 'great reunion' shtick never ceases to pay dividends; the 'great reunion' brings about reconciliation, hence a new beginning:”then I felt as though a hand had pushed my shoulder, and I found myself in his arms. He kissed me and said:

No more quarrels between us! No, never! Never! Never! I answered.”.

Contemporary

new-age

shame

shamans

and

personality

coaches

restyle

reconciliation -an odd piece of Catholic jargon- as healing: one and the same.

Well before Christian times, Pagans also had “reconciliation rituals”. Confession/propitiation inscription were carved publicly to announce the transgression, the divine retribution, remedial action undertaken and ultimate reconciliation:”Aphias daughter of Glykon made a promise to Men Axiottenos, if 455

she would have a child. When the prayer was fulfilled, she hesitated, and he (i.e. the god) punished her and demanded that she wrote down the powers of the god ”684.

Popular culture couldn't lag far behind. The Expendables movie franchise (2010, 2012, 2014...) sees the great reunion of old glories of actioners of the 1980-90s in another action movie that promises to bring the rugged Eighties back with a vengeance against the inexorable aging process that gnaws at both viewers and celebrities. The 1970s are back with a bang as well in 2015: leading actors from the legendary 1977 movie resume their roles in the III Star Wars trilogy; rumor has it that personal trainers and dietitians had been assigned to each aging star years in advance.

Adoring moviegoers can thus savor being 8,12, 17, 20 or so year old again as they were when the nonesuch starred in his first blockbuster. Like Zoroaster, Mahavira, Jesus, Nanak, Gautama Buddha, the hero is always portrayed at around the age of 30: duration wins over linear time. R.L. Moore 685 casts linear time (a “warrior archetype” domain) as the nemesis of grandiosity/numinosity 686 (instantaneity687=grandiosity <> linear time).

So, decide to be imperfect, reconcile yourself to that, and go ahead. 684 685 686 687

Quoted by Philip Harland. 1998:part 3. Grandiosity (in Freudian parlance) going berserk constitutes numinosity (in Jungian parlance). Instantaneity means for example ubiquity: getting at once where one intends to go without possible trouble nor delay. “At once” shall one's chosen politician grant hefty subsidies and drastic tax cuts. “At once” shall “my god” deliver spiritual boons, or bodily ascent to Paradise. “At once” shall the person with a badge be granted privileged access, exemption etc...”Then, taking Ven. Nanda by the arm — as a strong man might flex his extended arm or extend his flexed arm — the Blessed One [= Gautama Buddha] disappeared from Jeta's Grove and reappeared among the devas of the heaven of the Thirty-three [Tāvati ṃsa]. ” (Buddhist Nanda Sutta).

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That’s “joyful participation in the sorrows of the world.” The idea in India is that after many incarnations you achieve perfection and don’t get reincarnated. You quit. You’re out. Hence, all Buddhas are depicted more or less alike, because they all are perfect and don’t reincarnate. As long as you’re reincarnating, you are imperfect. So, you have to be loyal to your imperfection: find out what it is, then continue on your track. By being loyal to your part of the duality, you are keeping the mystery of history informed. (Campbell 1991:93, emphasis added). voluntary affirmation of the obligatory (Otto Rank in 1932). Once again, popular culture easily appropriates the motif of circular duration. James Blunt's 2007 international hit song 1973 recites:”Your journey's been Etched on your skin -...- I will always be In a club with you In 1973 Singing "Here we go again" -...- And though time goes by I will always be In a club with you In 1973 ”. Swee'Pea (Popeye's adopted son) is always a toddler in the comic book in spite of being around since 1929.

Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, Chuck Norris, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas delight viewers with action-packed cinematic extravaganzas as

The Expendables: swashbuckling, patriarchal arch-tricksters armed to their teeth are on the move. So successful is the idea that a female version hits the screens in 2014:

Mercenaries.

That's the thing with all these clones: fantasy books and movies increasingly look alike, just as dying-and-rising savior-gods and counter-cultural hero-tricksters who scream away as they're torn apart in death to “save us”. Each

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stale edition looks to fans completely unexampled and newfangled: â&#x20AC;&#x153;are Rambo, Ringo and Ulysses the same tripe?! Are you kidding?!â&#x20AC;?.

The journeying founder/unifier hence puts order into chaos, restoring the lost oneness that was jeopardized by inept wartime governments; abominable regimes; the wrath of a god that destroyed the mighty tower; nature's wrath that caused a natural disaster etc:

The expression of illud tempus as actually having occurred already permits a persuasive, if circular, logic in which illud tempus was lost because of some fault, which has led to the current undesirable period. The reversal or redemption of that fault will then lead to the "restoration" of illud tempus. This allows for the fault and its correction to be described from both the point of view of the "fall" it has caused and the ''salvation" it could effect. (Rennie 1996:245). In fact Knight Rider (1982-6), Star Trek (1966-9), Galactica (1978-9),

Star Blazers, The A-Team (1983-7) and many other successful serials consisted in the travelogue of character(s) who got involved in all sorts of tricky situations (the 'labor' motif) to restore order.

At times -such as in the 1979 Japanese cartoon Star Blazers, one of the few to enjoy popularity in western countries in that period-, the higher good to pursue is planet Earth's ultimate safety from either nuclear pollution, or an interstellar catastrophe alien foes unleashed. The star-ship Yamato (in the original Japanese) was renamed Argo in western adaptations. One lone ship embarks on a perilous intergalactic journey upon which Earth's fate rests: Jason and the Argonauts simmer in sci-fi sauce. 458

Nods were plentiful. In spite of taking place in a meta-historical year 2199, spaceship Yamato (=the mystical embodiment of Japan 688) looked like a ship from WWII Imperial Japanese navy. The weapon once on the service of '...ism' is now reborn as savior of mankind, much as Bon-Po deities in Tibet and Nats (the spirit gods of pre-Buddhist Burmese religion) were reborn as Buddhist deities' acolytes.

Finally, how many 'tournament-style' action movies are there? The tournament is such an overpowering image that has been restyled into meritocracy. Ordinary people seek jobs, appointments and positions literally competing in a multi-level sort of tournament. Of course, the best places and appointments finally go to the usual suspects, with or without perfunctory homages paid -once again- to the 'great values' of yet another savior-hero-founder torn apart in a more or less mythological past.

The journeying busybody in pursuit of higher good(s) mirrors the main difference between the Judaeo-Christian and Graeco-Roman idea of god. The Judaeo-Christian god - whether the brash, irascible patriarch of the Old Testament, or the meek, compassionate savior of the New- is irresistibly drawn to meddle in day-to-day affairs. He subjects the Hebrews, later the Christians or the entire world, to uninterrupted surveillance, for the greater good, of course. Santa Claus keeps ongoing files to reach a verdict on each petitioning child: does s-he deserves gifts or 688

Originally a region around the ancient capital of Nara. Ruling clans in the capital region started to claim descendence not from ordinary ujigami (clan kami or gods) but from chief Sun goddess Amaterasu.

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coal? “God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.” (Ecclesiastes 12:14).

Perhaps more important, the idea that the [traditional Chinese folk] city-god ruled the local afterlife indicated to the living that they could not escape from the imperial bureaucracy even in death (Yang, I961: 158). -...- [a XVI century inscription recites:”] While it is the magistrates who rule in the world of light, it is the gods who govern in the world of shadows. There is close cooperation between the two authorities”(Lang 1995:41). China also had its own version of this meddling divinity: the family god presiding over the hearth was expected to keep an ongoing file on the family's behavior to later report through a divine bureaucracy the Jade 689 Emperor headed:”Erase their names from the Book of Life; don't let them be counted among the righteous.”690. Graeme Lang suggests the kitchen god may represent the soldiers formerly housed with local families in bygone times, who also spied on the locals.

Pencil-necked sweat-hogs tremble as 'divine' mandatory reporters keep ongoing files for a later inspection by 'heavenly judges'. The pre-written Mesopotamian tablets of destiny may be resurrected as the “investigative judgment” of Seventh-Day Adventists: an angel records every action, thought or inaction in wait for the final judgment.

It is difficult not to see eerie resemblances with the Belle Epoque model 689

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In China, and among some Pre-Hispanic civilizations, jade represented what gold represents in Western societies. In some Buddhist variants, this King of the gods -also called Sakka- received Buddhist ordination after witnessing the brilliance and purity Buddhist practitioners radiate when they reincarnate in heaven to reap their good karma. Jade -much as gold- would -according to archaeologist Colin Renfrew- represent immortality. Psalm 69:28.

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of Western mass-democracy and its Mesopotamian, Chinese, Egyptian, and later Hellenistic antecedents ruled by (semi)omnipotent, all-seeing divine Kings pulling the wires of an endless chain of inspectors going on surprise visits, and aptly named -in the Persian Empire- “eyes” or “ears” of the King.

In Japan, nobleman Mito Komon (1628-1701), a member of the Tokugawa family and deputy Shogun, loves to disguise himself as a humble peasant (pensioner...descriptions vary). As bodyguards accompany him undercover, Mitsukuni Tokugawa tours his territories, thus uncovering the misdeeds of local administrators who have run afoul of the law.

After his exceptional bodyguards rout the local mafioso's henchmen, the patriarch announces his identity. His symbol of authority is thus displayed (=the badge syndrome) so that he may sit in judgment over transgressors. A true Renaissance man, Mito Komon was also a litterateur, a patron of the arts, and a real foodie:”We evaluate someone’s authority charisma through four indicators: body language, appearance, title, and the reactions of others”691.

Egyptian goddess Hathor herself unleashes her fury as Sekhmet (the lion goddess) in her capacity of “the eye of the Sun god Ra” 692 to avenge offenses against her father Ra693, who sulks in retreat (=the retreat mytheme).

691 692 693

Cabane 2012:71. A connection again between Sekhmet as the wrathful lion goddess and the Sun (=lion=sun). The Deliverance Of Mankind From Destruction , a myth found in inscriptions in royal tombs at Thebes between the XIV and XII century BCE, but probably much older.

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Graeco-Roman gods -on the other hand, as coalescing in civilizations that emphasized self-direction and participatory regimes in “non-priestly” 694 cultures- live a life eminently of their own. Although they frequently take sides or interfere in human affairs, that isn't their circular call at all times on a universal scale. Some gods may steadily monitor natural phenomena; other minor ones may monitor affairs in the household, country or clan they preside over.

As the Book Of Job exemplifies, Yahweh is free from the consequences of his actions, whereas other gods -from Zeus to Shiva, Ra or Indra- have to grapple with the aftermath of their decisions or actions. Krishna, an avatar of almighty Vishnu, is killed as a hunter shoots him in the foot accidentally. It turns out that the hunter is the reincarnation of a man Rama, Vishnu's previous incarnation, had unjustly killed695:”Fear not thou in the least. Go, hunter, through my favor to heaven, the abode of the gods [says Krishna]”696.

When Ganesha, one of the most powerful gods of the Hindu pantheon, defeats and swallows the demon Analasura, whom even Indra can't overpower, his stomach gets on fire. He becomes very ill despite attempts to provide help: Indra uses the moon to cool down Ganesha's burning forehead. Thanks to blades of durva grass -nowadays an ayurvedic indigestion remedy- a sage provides, Ganesha is finally healed. 694

695

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Campbell 1975. Campbell contrasts this ideal with the Mesopotamian and Hindu preeminence accorded to the priestly class. Followers of Abrahamic religions typically scramble in co-dependency in order to “excuse” or “put in a good perspective” unsavory acts Yahweh (or whichever other name it goes under) commits or vouchsafes. Wilkins trans.

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The Graeco-Roman world, however, did join the clapping retinue of (semi)omnipotent monarchs. It all begun with Alexander and -after the Republican intermission in Rome- ended with Roman -then Byzantine- monarchs expressly hailed as dominus ac deus (lord and god), basileus in Greek -precisely the title of Persian monarchs-, from the dominatus697 period after the III century crisis:

Then [Jesus] said to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing." Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"… (John 20:27-28). Then a few voices began to proclaim Romulus's divinity; the cry was taken up, and at last every man present hailed him as a god and son of a god, and prayed to him to be forever gracious and to protect his children. (Livy 1.16). Ma torniamo alle parole di Plinio appena citate : esse sono interessanti anche in quanto se ne ricava l’implicazione che la differenza fra domini e princepes è anche una differenza fra governanti che meritano odio oppure sostegno e amicizia extnote (l’amicitia infatti è dominationis impatiens ; il princeps può essere certo odiato da alcuni, ma ciò avviene inique : 85, 3-4) : stavano a dimostrarlo le vicende di imperatori quali Caligola, Nerone, Domiziano, che si erano voluti far domini in luogo di principes e per questo erano stati vittima di congiure (come Cesare). (Mosconi 2007:56, emphasis added).

As some put it, the definitive transition from principatus (princeps) to dominatus (dominus) is one from the hegemony of one to absolute monarchy or despotism. Nero and Domitian were also considered domini, but the ultimate transition happened after the III century crisis. Diocletian (284-305 CE) either introduced -or regulated- customs such as the adoratio purpurae. In a rigorous pecking order, dignitaries were allowed to approach the emperor, and to kiss his purple toga after kneeling in front of him. Later -for example under Justinian-, court officials kissed the emperor's slippers. Kneeling had apparently become common occurrence in the III century. Some scholars trace the adoratio custom back to Julius Caesar and client kings who paid him respects as the Roman dictator. In 48 BCE, Caesar -who had benefited local populations with tax cuts- was hailed thus in an inscription at Ephesus:”imperator [=emperor], -...- son of Ares and Aphrodite, the appearance of god on earth, and universal savior of mankind”. In 29 BCE at Pergamom, both the goddess Roma and Augustus were honored. Nero received adoratio from Tiridates King of Armenia, for example. extnote “The implication that the difference between domini and principes is also a difference between rulers who deserve to be hated (domini), or to be wholeheartedly supported (principes)”. 697

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According to Suetonius, Domitian officially claimed the title dominus et deus (cf. John 20.28), and, according to Martial, libations were poured out to him as a god. The title “son of god (divi filius)” was notably common in inscriptions and coins. (Rhee 2005:161). Roman jurist Ulpian (170-228 CE) aptly encapsulated the shift: quod

principi placuit, legis habet vigorem (whatever the Emperor esteems good, that shall constitute a law). In 1977, Nixon (U.S President 1969-74) declared:”If the President does it, that means it's not illegal”.

Ulpian also comments that “All [free] persons throughout the Roman world were made Roman citizens by an edict of the Emperor Antoninus Caracas [

Constitutio Antoniniana, 212 CE]”. Just as the Roman Empire started to be handled as today's nation-States, oriental despotism was soon to prevail698.

[Caracalla told the Senate after he became sole Emperor]then you must lay aside your differences of opinion in thought and in attitude and lead your lives in security, looking to one emperor alone. Jupiter, as he is himself sole ruler of the gods, thus gives to one ruler sole charge of mankind (Herodian, History Of The Roman Empire, Echols trans.). The Persian “lord and god” (basileus) was transmogrified into the Greek

kurios (lord), “one who has the power to make things happen” 699 (= harbinger of synchronicity), a title reserved to Hellenistic monarchs, and later Roman Emperors since Caesar Augustus well before positive psychology balderdash:”I have the power 698

699

Experts claim Emperor Caracalla needed much extra money to pay increases he had promised the army after his turbulent accession. The extension of citizenship allowed him to levy extra taxes. Caracalla also consistently debased currency, thus putting in motion a perverse mechanism. The Edict kept class barriers sort of intact as it divided citizenry into honestiores (senatorial and equestrian nobility, veterans, local administrators), who were granted privileges under the law, and humiliores. The same thing can be told of Afro-Caribbean santeria Aché, the power to make things happen.

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to take away and to grant kingdoms. ” said Emperor Nero to Tiridates I King of Armenia. In 89 CE at Ephesus, a temple was set up to honor the sebastoi (=Latin

Augusti), the Emperors as “revered ones”.

Kurios is also connected to magos; magic, maya: “he who can”. Professor of Psychology Vishton proclaims that “influencing the world around us is a fundamental human desire, a fundamental human drive” 700. Synchronicity, whether the ascent of a Trump or an Obama, a 20% net return on investment, a C-level appointment or simply a perfectly timed parking space, caters to one's inner bovarism701:

Deep in her soul, however, [Emma Bovary] was waiting for something to happen. -...-But each morning, when she awoke, she hoped it would arrive that day, and she would listen to every sound, spring to her feet, feel surprised that it had not come; then at sunset, always more sorrowful, she would wish the next day were already there. (Flaubert, Madame Bovary, Mauldon trans.). Magic plays a part in many shame-based people's lives. Hiding behind fantasies of "someday", "if only" and "when" — a person may live out his life waiting for a miry godmother or godfather. The fantasy bond sets people up for magical transferences to other fantasy bonds. (Bradshaw 1988:86). The primary purpose of having a goal—a future purpose—is to enhance enjoyment of the present. Goals are means, not just ends. (Ben-Shahar 2007:70). You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty. (Krishna instructs Arjuna thus in the Gita, 700 701

2016:Take Control Of Your Automatic Brain. “why did life fall so short of her expectations, why did whatever she depended on turn instantly to dust beneath her hand?” (Flaubert, Madame Bovary, Mauldon trans.).

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ISKCON trans.). Four rules for life: show up. Pay attention. Tell the truth. Don't be attached to the results (Jungian anthropologist Angeles Arrien).

Kurios (one who has the power to make things happen) also indicates both the divine Christ of the New Testament, and several pre-existing pagan mystery cult god-heads:”Antonius, son of Ptolemaeus, invites you to dine with him at the table of the lord [=kurios] Serapis in the house of Claudius Serapion on the 16th at nine o’clock”702.

Christianity bought the propaganda routine hook, line and sinker: kurie

eleison (Christ have mercy, IV/V century Christian prayer still in use):”[Jesus said:]You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.” 703. A young Siddhartha Gautama was to be taken to the Temple -just like Jesus-. In Mahayana Buddhist Lalitavistara Sutra704, he exclaims to his step-mother:”I am superior to all the gods; I am the God of Gods. There is no other god like me, so how could anyone be superior? -...-And gods and humans will know that I am the God of Gods”. Donald Trump tweets on May 8, 2013:”Sorry losers and haters, but my I.Q. is one of the highest -and you all know it! Please don't feel so stupid or insecure,it's not your fault ”.

702

703 704

II century CE papyrus, Milligan trans. Oxyrincus Papyrus 110 relays a similar invitation:”Chaeremon requests your company at dinner, at the table of the Lord Serapis in the Serapeum, tomorrow the 15th at 3 o’clock.”. Readers may easily compare these with the Christian “lord's supper”. Serapis was a synchretistic god, whose cult Plutarch and Arrian attest as being in place already in the IV century BCE. The Ptolemies of Egypt endorsed the deity as a patron. John 13:13. Dharmachakra Committee trans.

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“Walking and talking complexes” are damn cocky (=self-absorbed, “inflated”, “grandiose”) because they “are” seventh-heaven rigmarole (homeland security, illegal immigration amnesty, the greatness of America...): “being grandiose” or “simply being right”? “What I am presenting to you is not a belief system, it is the way things are [the public chuckles nervously]”705.

Narcissism expert Sam Vaknin labels Jesus a “malignant narcissist”. Vaknin quotes the Gospel to prove his point, among which Jesus' stern critique of “scribes and pharisees” that -Vaknin contends- could be leveled at Jesus himself:

So practice and observe everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. -...-All their deeds are done for men to see. -...- they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; -...- and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. (Matthew 23:4-7). Simon706 claims character-disordered individuals adopt an “all or nothing” approach; either they get all they want, or they think they are at the bottom. Hitler, Renzi, Tsipras, Napoleon and Pol Pot come to mind. It has to be all or nothing when a 'great man' represents seventh-heaven flumadiddle locked in a deadly Zoroastrian combat with absolute evil:”I have to attain immortality even if the whole German nation perishes in the process” said Hitler according to attending physician Morell in a 1947 U.S Army report;”[U.S President] Wilson would later argue when president that he was the right hand of God and that to stand against

705 706

Ram Dass in 1978. 2011:004.

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him was to thwart divine will.”707.

"The MDC will never be allowed to rule this country - never ever," Mr Mugabe, 84, told a meeting of business people in Bulawayo. "Only God who appointed me will remove me, not the MDC, not the British." (The Telegraph, June 20, 2008, emphasis added). When U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon urged African leaders not to cling to power at a summit last month, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe responded by saying he would continue “until God says ‘come’”. (Reuters, February 18, 2016). For example, proud Greeks on the radical left locked in a mortal combat against the hydra of international finance demanding exactions (Tsipras); or proud Germans on the radical right sealed in a Zoroastrian fight for what's Aryan against international Jewry and its demo-plutocratic footmen (Hitler)...or so the story went.

Jungian luminary Cahen708 explains how complexes are indeed archetypes. Cahen709 also clarifies how complexes haven't to be pathological, but are part of everyday life. Much as we don't pay attention to digestion 710 when it works properly -Cahen adds-, so we disregard complexes until they start to cause trouble, whence the meaning in common parlance. Whether one adoringly listens to Jesus, Gilgamesh, Donald Trump, Adolf Hitler (=”Hitler ist Deutschland und Deutschland ist Hitler”) or Fidel Castro is immaterial.

Jungian&Buddhist psychotherapist David Richo711 hastens to clinch that 707 708 709 710

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Goldberg 2007:52. L'Oeuvre... 1955. Hommage...1955. Cahen suggests that the “unconscious” may be compared with the body's internal anatomy, whereas the “conscious” would be the body's external anatomy. 2013:part 2.

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taking one's indignation to the political level to protest against the situation in Iraq or Afghanistan does not constitute a psychological projection but the “prophetic voice” who says “the emperor has no clothes”. Richo clearly shows how politicized psychological discourse is, with commodious tokens of damnation and/or absolution being handed out on the flimsy basis of self-serving politicized narratives.

As the Christian Nicene Creed (325 CE ) tells about Jesus:”God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten and not made; of the very same nature of the Father, by Whom all things came into being, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. ”. In Buddhist Lalitavistara Sutra, Gautama Buddha is hailed as “The sovereign of the Dharma, the all-knowing lord of sages, A god of gods, revered by gods and humans alike.”712.

Swami Dayananda (Hindu Vedanta guru), Ven. Wuling (Pure Land Chinese Buddhism) and J.B. Peterson (professor of psychology who discusses neurology) caution to pay attention to what we practice, for we might just “become that”, for example noxious anger in Buddhism:”It's hard for me to separate who I am from what I want to do and what I am doing”. If anger/hatred is a quintessential sin in Buddhism, Christianity also agrees:”"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” 713.

Trump, Tsipras, Berlusconi, Obama, Chavez, Putin...they are “begotten and not made”...”of the same nature” as homeland security, immigration amnesty 712 713

Dharmachakra Committee trans. Ephesians 4:26-27.

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and all those seventh-heaven “values” people live, die -and make others die- for: an existential idolatry that comes with increased assertiveness.

Muslims hold that Mohamed's Quran was a faithful copy of the “mother of the book”, the celestial Quran that existed with Allah since the beginning of time. XVII century Jewish messiah Sabbatai Sevi was hailed as “firstborn of the lord” and “the lord your god”, just like Jesus. Just as Tsipras' and Renzi's bumptiousness ended up in farce, Sevi apostatized to Islam.

[Cicero wrote] il faut que tu vives, César, […] pour que nous vivions nous-mêmes. Aussi, nous tous qui voulons que Rome vive, nous te pressons et te supplions de prendre soin de ta vie (in Lowrie 2016:74). (you must survive, Caesar, so that we all may survive. We all wish for Rome to live on, so we beg you to take good care of your own life). Of course, Jupiter, Yahweh, Baal714, Marduk or some other irascible patriarchal god might play the part, for what they esteem good also constitutes a 714

“From then on Gideon was called Jerub-baal, which means "Let Baal defend himself," because he broke down Baal's altar. (Judges 6:32).”;”“And in that day, declares the LORD, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’” ( Hosea 2:16). 1 Chronicles (12:5) mentions the name Bealiah, which means “Yahweh is Baal” or “Baal-Yahweh”. This may suggest the Gideon story gets updated as the Hebrews come to differentiate themselves from the surrounding Canaanites. Chief god Baal, then, is pushed aside as coterminous with idolatry that displeases Yahweh. Formerly, however, both figures (chief sky-gods) might have overlapped, whence the theophoric designation of Gideon as someone on whose behalf Baal would contend. The story was thenceforth sanitized to mean proud Hebrew Gideon had defied -not identified with- the idolaters. There was much confusion as the Hebrews emerged as a separate group of Canaanites with the usual Ugaritic pantheon: patriarchal god El (even as the Biblical El Elyon, god most high) with a wife (Asherah) and a younger striver (Yahweh also known as Baal or lord) who overcomes dragons such as Tiamat or Leviathan. “Further, in Isa 14:13-14, we find a satire of the King of Babylon that may reflect the myth of the rise of Baal. In Canaanite lore. Baal is the god who ascends the clouds and sits on 'the heights of Zaphon·. Eventually he came to replace EI as high god of the Canaanite pantheon. It is intriguing, then, to find in Isaiah: "You said in your heart. 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of EI; I will sit on the mount of assembly, on the heights of Zaphon; I will ascend to the tops of the clouds, I will make myself like 'Elyon.”. Thus, if a Baal myth lies behind this text, then we would have not only another association of EI and Elyon, but a reflection of Baal's eventual surpassing of EI. so that he himself became the 'Most High' god. -...- The epithet is frequently attested in Greek culture in reference to Zeus as well. We know that the cult of 'Zeus Hypsistos' was recognized at Thebes, Iasos, Mylasa and Edessa. Further, in Lydia, some form of the Mother goddess was called 'Thea Hypsiste'. In Egypt, Hypsistes was an epithet for Isis” (Van Der Toorn et alii 1999:295).

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law:

Hierarchized, continuous, and functional surveillance may not be one of the great technical "inventions" of the eighteenth century, but its insidious extension owed its importance to the mechanisms of power that it brought with it. By means of such surveillance, disciplinary power became an "integrated" system, ' linked from the inside to the economy and to the aims of the mechanism in which it was practiced . It was also organized as a multiple, automatic, and anonymous power; for although surveillance rests on individuals, its functioning is that of a network of relations from top to bottom, but also to a certain extent from bottom to top and laterally; this network "holds" the whole together and traverses it in its entirety with effects of power that derive from one another: supervisors, perpetually supervised . The power in the hierarchized surveillance of the disciplines is not possessed as a thing, or transferred as a property; it functions like a piece of machinery . And, although it is true that its pyramidal organization gives it a "head," it is the apparatus as a whole that produces "power" and distributes individuals in this permanent and continuous field . This enables the disciplinary power to be both absolutely indiscreet, since it is everywhere and always alert, since by its very principle it leaves no zone of shade and constantly supervises the very individuals who are entrusted with the task of supervising; and absolutely "discreet, " for it functions permanently and largely in silence . (Foucault in Rabinow 1984:192). To be GOVERNED is to be watched, inspected, spied upon, directed, law-driven, numbered, regulated, enrolled, indoctrinated, preached at, controlled, checked, estimated, valued, censured, commanded, by creatures who have neither the right nor the wisdom nor the virtue to do so. To be GOVERNED is to be at every operation, at every transaction noted, registered, counted, taxed, stamped, measured, numbered, assessed, licensed, authorized, admonished, prevented, forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished. It is, under pretext of public utility, and in the name of the general interest, to be place under contribution, drilled, fleeced, exploited, monopolized, extorted from, squeezed, hoaxed, robbed; then, at the slightest resistance, the first word of complaint, to be repressed, fined, vilified, harassed, hunted down, abused, clubbed, disarmed, bound, choked, imprisoned, judged, condemned, shot, deported, sacrificed, sold, betrayed; and to crown all, mocked, ridiculed, derided, outraged, dishonored. That is government; that is its justice; that is its morality." (P.J. Proudhon).

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Busybodies are always on the move: Magnum P.I. (1980-88) drives a Ferrari; the Riptide (1984-6) team lives aboard the eponymous yacht; an itinerant Buddhist monk tours Belle Epoque U.S frontier with his Kung-Fu (1972-5) skills solving problems; felon turned 'progressive' lawyer Kazinski (1978-9) often operates out of a mobile home...In order to be there when it's most needed, Spiderman and Superman camouflage as reporters.

Busybodies can be on the move either individually, or in more or less large groups. The Acoma American-Indians in the U.S, the Dogon people from Mali and the Hebrews -among others- share as their culture's foundation a mythical, perilous journey their people undertook to reach the promised land. The Qiang people from China migrated from Henan to Sichuan to escape from warfare and deportations:

In-group paranoid delusions would contribute to dispersal, and there were also delusions of something better elsewhere— ideas of “making the desert bloom” (one of my patients), of a “land without evil” across the mountains (common in Brazilian prophets) and other descriptions of a “promised land” (e.g., Abraham). (Price, cit in Polimeni 2012:124). The NSDAP imagery also included different versions of a preposterous mythology related to a conquering march to the East. U.S General Schwarzkopf 1990 Iraqi campaign commanding officer-

claims his role-model to be Alexander

the Great. As Fears would have it 715,W. Churchill found inspiration in the Victorian novelization of Roman Republican myth. People are then supposed to melt before 715

2011:Lays Of Ancient Rome.

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the cute imagery of the 'good guys' who journey as far as required to set things straight.

Imperialism, puppet states, slaughter and carpet bombing as sacramental acts to foster higher goods:

That it has been, however, argued that as far as a president is concerned, that in war time, a president does have certain extraordinary powers which would make acts that would otherwise be unlawful, lawful if undertaken for the purpose of preserving the nation and the Constitution, which is essential for the rights we’re all talking about. (former U.S President Nixon in 1977). Journeys happened for all sorts of reasons. On a more commodious level, all colonial metropolises encouraged emigration to their overseas possessions in the glamorous, often mixed and contradictory terms, of either the establishment of the homeland's twin settlement -as some German settlements in Latin America show-; or of an unregulated Eldorado of opportunities and fast riches offering a fresh start to those both wanted and unwanted home.

Colonial cities attracted all sorts of “bohemians” 716, opportunity and anonymity seekers, etc: the city as purveyor of anonymity 717 and community (Little Italy, Petit Canada etc).

This mindset didn't end with the XVIII or XIX century, but was well present into the XX century in Italy's late and checkered colonial expansionism, 716

717

Zorbaugh uses this term to define an area of Chicago:”It was a poor area, which had attracted younger, adventurous, single people – most of whom were women ”, Massey, Allen&Pile 1999:40. an actor posing as a sick pedestrian in a big city is left alone supposedly dying on a sidewalk, and in one instance when the actor is rescued in the city, the rescuer steals his bracelet. The Human Zoo in BBC 1994

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whereby barren Libya first, and backward Abyssinia later were portrayed as lands of plenty.

The journey can be restyled as the frontier: another myth obsessing the human mind. Fears718 relates how the quintessential U.S myth was that of the frontier. The U.S census bureau declared in 1890 that “the American West” had disappeared, and the country instantly embraced imperialism:”it must be understood that imperialism was as central to Progressivism as efforts to clean up the food supply or make factories safe.”719. The NSDAP also pushed a German variant of the frontier myth: the Drang Nach Osten (thrust eastwards), or the demented attempt to dispossess Slavic people in imitation of what -according to NSDAP pseudo-historical lore- had happened to mythologized warring predecessors in a fanciful version of the Middle Ages.

Fears also explains what was so good about the U.S frontier, this never ending search for greener grass: one could fail and start over from scratch again and again. The present writer suggests it sounds suspiciously like another cherished myth: the circular sin-atonement-reconciliation shtick, or -more likely- a dissociative fugue.

This capacity for dissociation is a survival mechanism. It allows us to go forward with our lives but in a compromised condition. The shock of trauma sits outside awareness like a coiled spring. The emotions aroused—which by their very “unbearable” nature cannot be imagined—are left unexplored. The self that moves forward is 718 719

2011: Davy Crockett And The Myth Of The Frontier. Goldberg 2007:56.

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restricted by its failure to integrate the traumatic impact, by its failure to process its unbearable feelings.(Epstein 2013:47). Livingston identifies four main stages in renewal rituals, also similar to what happens in most action movies: mortification, purgation, invigoration, jubilation. Livingston could have written the screenplay of No Retreat No

Surrender, Rambo, Rocky etc.

Fears720 also rhapsodizes about honor being quintessential to the swashbuckling U.S frontiersmen; NSDAP SS also had honor as their motto, although it might prove highly hazardous to an academic to croon about that.

Dan Gilbert in 1989 crafted a Sequential Operation Model, whereby people tend to automatically attribute dispositions (=traits=personalize the situation), and only later -in a controlled way- they make room for situational corrections (=depersonalize the situation). So 'the opposite applies' refers to situational corrections (constrains, explanations...) replacing the attribution of dispositions and (personality) traits.

When we construct narratives that "make sense," however, we do so in a self-serving way. Perpetrators are motivated to reduce their moral culpability; victims are motivated to maximize their moral blamelessness. Depending on which side of the wall we are on, we systematically distort our memories and account of the event to produce the maximum consonance between what happened and how we see ourselves. By identifying these systematic distortions. the researchers showed how the two antagonists misperceive and misunderstand each other's actions. (Tavris&Aronson 2007:193).

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2011: The Alamo.

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In many instances [of urban legend “the killer in the back seat”] the pursuing driver keeps flashing his headlights between the high and low beam in order to restrain the assailant who is popping up and threatening to attack the driver. Sometimes the pursuer is a burly truck driver or other tough-looking character, and in several of the stories the supposed would-be attacker (the pursuing rescuer) is specifically said to be a black man. (Brunvand 1981:38). For example, certain minorities may rank high in crime statistics, but that shouldn't be construed as group trait, yet as merely situational reaction to exploitation, ...ism etc. Along with wrestler Ted DiBiase -and his arrogant millionaire persona-, one might say: there is nothing they have done that each of you wouldn't do in the same situation (=we are all as tainted as everybody else= everybody is a potential arsonist, homosexual, thief...): shame shamanism as a control tool.

Professor of psychology Tangney connects shame with the accumulation of pent-up rage that may erupt uncontrollably; shamed individuals may also be prone to blaming other people: she therefore criticizes U.S judicial practices that inflict humiliating sentences upon transgressors. For example, shoplifters may be required publicly to carry a placard announcing their misdeed; domestic batterers may be required to apologize through a loudspeaker at a public place.

Shame shamanism seems to jibe with age-old gnosticism:”Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” 721. Self-esteem cynosure Branden, however, disagrees sharply:”None was ever motivated to raise to glory by the

721

Proverbs 16:18.

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pronouncement that he or she is rotten -...-. You don't teach people to be moral by teaching them self-contempt as a virtue”.

Tannen722 argues that protestations of sameness (“it happens to me as well”;”I'm the same”) are bonding rituals: it is hurtful when an interlocutor doesn't echo our “trouble talk” with ritual protestations of sameness, but takes the moral high ground723. That's the conversational equivalent of such “everybody is a closeted homosexual, thief or arsonist” kind of “common humanity” claptrap:”As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one;” (Romans 3:10).

Even ferocious gangster Al Capone declared in 1927:”Ninety-nine percent of the people in Chicago drink and gamble. I've tried to serve them decent liquor and square games. But I'm not appreciated. It's no use...”.

When we are stabbed in the back, through infidelity or some other violation, the initial response is almost always that of a victim. This is appropriate, of course. After all, it’s our back that just got stabbed. Upon reflection, though, there often comes a point where we start to wonder what our role in our victimization was. -...-the idea that victims share the blame for what befalls them in cases of infidelity and such resonates with conventional thinking. -...- virtually all the men and women I’ve known who have been stung by betrayal have looked inward at some point, questioning whether they might have done something that caused the offense. The tendency toward selfblame can manifest itself in the victims of all manner of crimes, outside the realm of trust and honesty. (Feldman 2009:51-52). Tannen724 explains that exchanging apologies, no matter how ritualized 722 723

724

2006. For example, A says:” I always have an hard time finding displaced objects”, B replies:”That's your fault: you should pay more attention”. Rapport talk ↔ report talk. 1994.

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or perfunctory, is a matter of restoring balance so that none ends up in the “one down position”: “saving face”, which Branden also extols.

When we feel shame, we are most likely to protect ourselves by blaming something or someone, rationalizing our lapse, offering a disingenuous apology, or hiding out.-...-. When we apologize for something we’ve done, make amends, or change a behavior that doesn’t align with our values, guilt—not shame—is most often the driving force. We feel guilty when we hold up something we’ve done or failed to do against our values and find they don’t match up. It’s an uncomfortable feeling, but one that’s helpful. The psychological discomfort, something similar to cognitive dissonance, is what motivates meaningful change. Guilt is just as powerful as shame, but its influence is positive, while shame’s is destructive. In fact, in my research I found that shame corrodes the very part of us that believes we can change and do better. (Brown 2012:50). The culture of blame permeates our lives. We are constantly blaming and shaming ourselves and others. (Brown 2007:166). This is not just semantics. There’s a huge difference between I screwed up (guilt) and I am a screwup (shame). The former is acceptance of our imperfect humanity. The latter is basically an indictment of our very existence. (Brown 2015:125). shame can be a message that we are failing to be who we were meant to be. (Engel 2002:117). There is no strength that can overcome guilt unless it be the strength of a god; and there is no way to overcome creature anxiety unless one is a god and not a creature. (Becker 1973:261, emphasis added). The dream of (nearly) matching the ubiquity of the gods of immemorial myth grows closer, yet stays the same as every epoch offers variation upon the theme. During the Victorian era, complex networks of pneumatic dispatch tubes

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were built to support nearly instant delivery of mail, such as in London in 1853/5 725:

A six horsepower steam engine in the basement of the Central Telegraph Office created a partial vacuum in front of the carrier, and it took about half a minute to draw each one down the tube from the Stock Exchange. Even when the carriers were not fully loaded, this system was much faster than sending the messages by telegraph, which could only send about one message per minute. Once a carrier arrived at the Central Telegraph Office, the forms were unloaded and the messages telegraphed to their destinations in the usual way. (Standage 1998:95). Even this technology could prove irresistibly bewitching. At Berlin, under the financially crippled, decadent yet effervescent Weimar Republic (19191933):

Mostly patrons came to the Resi for its promiscuous atmosphere and helpful technology. On 150 tables and 50 balcony stations, numbered telephones allowed celebrants to dial up complete strangers from across the palace and converse in naughty wordplay or whisper instructions which bar to meet at. Additionally, an ingenious pneumatic system, built into the Resi handrailings, allowed guests to send small goodies to potential comrades-ofthe-evening. (Gordon 2006:76-7). From unprecedentedly fast delivery of mail to unprecedentedly fast 725

Such a system was set up to establish communication between the offices of the International and Electric telegraph companies in London, where the pneumatic network grew from about 17 miles in 1875 to 33 miles in 1885:”In 1875, the Central Telegraph Office in London, for example, housed 450 telegraph instruments on three floors, linked by sixty- eight internal pneumatic tubes. The main office in New York, at 195 Broadway, had pneumatic tubes linking its floors but also employed "check-girls" to deliver messages within its vast operating rooms.” (Standage 1998:98). Homologues surfaced in Berlin in 1863; in Paris in 1866 and later in New York, Vienna, Rio, Prague, Rome, Milan, Dublin, Naples etc.”One of the most ambitious systems was installed in New York, linking many of the post offices in Manhattan and Brooklyn. This system was large enough to handle small parcels, and on one occasion a cat was even sent from one post office to another along the tubes.-...-the Paris network was extensive enough that many local messages could be sent from sender to recipient entirely by tube and messenger, without any need for telegraphic transmission. -...-Faster than the post and cheaper than sending a telegram, this network provided a convenient way to send local messages within Paris” (Standage 1998:97,100). The U.S post office department considered a large scale adoption of the same as outlined in a 1891 report (postmaster general Wanamaker). The U.S post system mostly discontinued the pneumatic transmission system in 1918 as motor vehicles had taken over. The U.S post office department formally and completely suspended the pneumatic system in 1953.

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dispatch of troops to the battlefield. The Franco-Prussian war of 1870 triggered the collapse of the French Empire, and blazed a trail in modern warfare: Prussian advanced railway logistics, mass mobilization and improved weaponry.

The networked society, the terminal-man and his ubiquity did not begin with droll Blues Brothers characters in the Matrix movies, or with 1983 Wargames. The Belle Epoque saw the rise of théâtrophone, which French Clément Ader, an executive of recently nationalized Société Générale Des Téléphones (National phone service), pioneered.

With so much at our fingertips, a kind of gluttony pervades our mind-sets. We are attached not only to our possessions and our passions but to our smart phones, our tablets, and our devices, obsessively consuming connection while, in the words of MIT professor Sherry Turkle, “avoiding conversation.” This is another manifestation of the rush to normal that the Buddha warned against. We want to be like everybody else. We don’t want to have to feel dis-ease. We are wary even of the more subtle joys that arise unbidden when we get out of the way of ourselves.(Epstein 2013:69). Théâtrophone appeared in Paris (1881), then was groomed at the 1889 expo as the response to the crisis striking the sector. In 1884 Dom Luis, King of Portugal, arranged the transmission of the opéra Laureana to his Ajuda palace; Queen Victoria was later a subscriber to electrophone (the UK version of théâtrophone, in operation since 1895). In 1885, famed Portuguese theater San Carlo broadcast his entire season via théâtrophone to cities relatively far from Lisbon: the first immobile traveler device (as Pisano dubs it)?

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Théâtrophone served to relay broadcasts (theatrical performances, commercials...) to an unspecified number of remote users through telephones via théâtrophone networks -Paris, Nice, Budapest (1893) 726, London (1891-5), Sweden (1887), Belgium (1899)...-:

Sound devices made it possible to establish the concepts conveyance of sounds , listening post , immersion , the interaction of body and machine, the illusion of seeing the invisible through acousmatic listening, and the illusion of capturing reality by “canning” and staging it. These sound concepts have visual correspondences in devices ranging from the magic lantern to the kinematograph and, later, cinema in its analogue and digital forms. In many respects, the listener who marvels at the “magic” sounds of the Théâtrophone foretells the future “homo cinematographicus” described by Gian Piero Brunetta -...-. The Théâtrophone cleared the path, long before the kinematograph, radio, cinema, or present-day systems ranging from the iPod to satellite transmissions in movie theaters, to the ubiquity of the spectator .(Pisano in Gaudreault et alii 2012:81-2,86). The most innovative use of the telephone as a vehicle for mass communication was the Telefon Hirmondo in Budapest, Hungary, designed by a Hungarian engineer who had worked for Thomas Edison. From [1891-]1893 until radio broadcasting replaced it [around 1925], this service gave a daily schedule of programs to thousands of subscribers, who tuned in by picking up an earphone. This wired radio could also be heard in such public places as hotels, hospitals, restaurants, and dentists' waiting rooms. The daily fare offered news reports of various kinds, music, a calendar of events around Budapest, a children's concert on Thursday evenings, and even commercials tucked in here and there, a full generation before it was tried in radio broadcasting. -...-the concept failed to spread much beyond Budapest with the curious exception of a brief venture in Newark, New Jersey, which went out of business in a few months. (Fang 1997:86-7). The telephone starts appearing in literary productions such as Paston's A

Writer Of Books (1894), and Kipling's Finest Story In The World (1891). Characters

726

The Hungarian version (Telefon Hirmondo) reached around 6.000 subscribers in some estimates.

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in Dracula (1897) use a phonograph (invented 1877). By 1910, portable handsets in cars could be connected to outdoor telephone wires: the alliance between phone and motor-vehicles coalesced, or the dream of speed and quasi-ubiquity.

New technology was literally saturating the intellectual atmosphere, just as Darwinism (evolution etc) had done in earlier decades:

In this study I shall explore some of the ways in which evolutionary theory has been assimilated and resisted by novelists who, within the subtle enregisterment of narrative, have assayed its powers. With varying degrees of self awareness they have tested the extent to which it can provide a determining fiction by which to read the world. The book is concerned with Victorian novelists living, in relation to evolutionary theory, in the phase when ‘a fact is not quite a scientific fact at all’ and when ‘the remnant of the mythical’ is at its most manifest. (Beer 1983:2). In September 1914, the French army -in a difficult moment during WWI- calls up 600 Paris taxis (Taxis de la Marne) to orchestrate a propaganda operation. Taxis with soldiers aboard are dispatched to the Marne region awaiting confrontation with the advancing German army: speed and technology on the proud nation's service. When back in Paris, the government pays cab drivers according to the taximeter.

Writing in 1898, Mee rhapsodized:

There is, indeed, no element in our social life which will be unprovided for, and if, as it is said to be not unlikely in the near future--the principle of sight is applied to the telephone as well as that of sound, earth will be in truth a paradise, and distance will lose its enchantment by being abolished altogether. (no 482

page). a toast proposed by Edward Thornton, the British ambassador [in 1858], emphasized the peacemaking potential of the telegraph. "What can be more likely to effect [peace] than a constant and complete intercourse between all nations and individuals in the world?" he asked. "Steam [power] was the first olive branch offered to us by science. Then came a still more effective olive branch this wonderful electric telegraph, which enables any man who happens to be within reach of a wire to communicate instantaneously with his fellow men all over the world."-...Bored and lonely operators would also play checkers over the wires, using a numbering system to identify the squares of the board that dated back to the chess games played over the Washington- Baltimore line in the 1840s. Some telegraphers in remote outposts even preferred online contact with other telegraphers to socializing with the locals. (Standage 1998:90,132). If most associate (long) distance romance with the internet revolution, the Belle Epoque had its ersatz: newspaper matrimonial ads. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Postal fictionâ&#x20AC;? had already captured public attention. Uniforms and imagery associated with the UK postal service gradually saturated literature, and scandalized the mainstream with the disrepute of homosexual brothels:

the 1889 Cleveland Street Affair that turned post-boys into rentboys and suggested an institutional likeness between the Post Office and the brothel-...-while the Cleveland Street Scandal has been much analyzed in gay histories, its postal implications have gone unmarked. Governmental investigations into the goings on at the Cleveland Street brothel revealed that this was no isolated incident: the Post Office had been aware for some time that the young boys in their employ regularly turned tricks, and that the specific conditions of postal employment made them desirable and available. The pleasures of procuring and buying the sexual services of these doubly employed boys, in other words, was specifically bound up in their status as uniformed postal deliverers â&#x20AC;&#x201D; intermediaries between both hetero- and homosexual interlocutors. (Thomas 2012:35). 483

Love at a distance made possible through technology had already entered popular culture, as the 1880 novel Wired Love epitomized. A young female telegraph operator falls in love at a distance with an unseen stranger met through her job, with all the perplexities and contrivances one might expect:

But collectively, the world's telegraphers represented an online community encompassing thousands of people, very few of whom ever met face-to-face. And despite the apparently impersonal nature of communicating by wire, it was in fact an extremely subtle and intimate means of communication. Experienced operators could even recognize their friends merely from the style of their Morse code something that was, apparently, as recognizable as an individual human voice. Each operator on a particular telegraph line also had a two-letter signature, or "sig," with which to identify themselves on-line (Standage 1998:130). Technology proved irresistibly alluring. Ideas such â&#x20AC;&#x153;nerves as wiresâ&#x20AC;? and the nervous system as a sort of telegraphic network soon saturated popular culture. Bergson (a Nobel prize winner) compared in 1912 the brain to a telephone exchange system (as opposed to a storage system). The analogy re-occurred after the computing boom of the 1970s.

In the nineteenth century, descriptions of nerves as wires passed not just from scientists to the public but from the public to scientists. N. Katherine Hayles has proposed that a "feedback loop" connects science with literature and culture (Chaos Bound xiv). In fascinating studies, she and other scholars have illustrated how some of the principles of twentieth-century physics emerged simultaneously in contemporary fiction. (Otis 2001:4). At Berlin, under the financially crippled, decadent yet effervescent Weimar Republic (1919-1933):

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Telephone-Girls. Child prostitutes, ages 12–17, who are ordered by telephone and then delivered to clients in limousines or taxis. Usually given the names of stage or film stars, like Marlene Dietrich or Lilian Harvey, that described their prepubescent physical features. Often billed as “virgins.” Extremely expensive. Estimated numbers: 3,000 -...-Lonely Cavaliers telephoned one of six or seven agencies to purchase the services of the “child-star,” who was whisked in a waiting motor vehicle to his domicile. What would appear to be a rather singular perversion among the Berlin’s high society was in fact a favored divertissement. Theatricality, pederasty, star-fucking, and technology all meshed in ways that would have likely startled the wizened fleshpeddlers of Nineveh and Shanghai. (Gordon 2006:32,46). One of Thomas Edison's little-known ambitions was to build a device to hear the voices of the dead, according to a nearly lost chapter of the inventor's memoirs which is being republished in France this week. (AFP-Yahoo News, March 5, 2015). Furthermore, the Belle Epoque also saw a teeming market for courtship, etiquette and correspondence manuals meant to turn the spinster (female) and the slouch (male) into irresistible relationship material, just as one might find it to be the case over the internet today.

A flurry of DVDs, books, tapes and so forth nowadays advise the nincompoop about “three factors”, “seven steps”, “twelve hypnotic strategies” to become irresistible to women who -on the other hand- are instructed to “lose twenty pounds in one week” or to eradicate cellulite and varicose veins. The “lonely hearts” or “dating” business is worth euro 6,5 billion in Italy alone 727.

Of course, the lovelorn has to prioritize whether the “millionaire in a fortnight” course is worth buying first:”these pictures are not pictures of me; they 727

Quotidiano.net, January 15, 2018.

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are constructions. And they are constructions by professionals -...- and they build us: that's not meâ&#x20AC;? claims on tape professional model Cameron Russell 728 (born 1987), who worked for icons such as Vuitton and Armani.

Again, as some extolled the decline of patriarchy, social barriers and ensuing arranged marriages, the Eldorado of marriage agencies, and so forth, supposedly based upon love and free choice teemed with ads preoccupied mostly with income, property, profession and -last- appearance or moral fiber.

A new breed of social climbers and frauds soon appeared, very similar to the gold diggers, ringers and braggarts so popular in today's internet dating: so much about love versus money. Belle Epoque observers also took turns either lampooning, or pointing out the dangers of forays into a land where fraudulence was the norm.

At a later time, Italian Fascism would exploit the futuristic imaginary and threw its gauntlet to the old world of liberal demo-plutocracy through speed and technology D'Annunzio's and Balbo's aerial prowess epitomized.

In other words, the same gnostic bromides and elated, pseudophilosophical tirades and new era imagery that gets today's public on its feet by mentioning virtual reality, computers, the internet or the like had found an early

doppelgaenger in the technology the Belle Epoque had spawned: motor vehicles; telephone; (trans-oceanic)telegraph; industrial warfare: heavy-armor dreadnought

728

2013.

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warships and their steam turbine propellers; the German WWI “Paris Gun”, a cannon with a 130 km range.

Speed might be the hallmark of Victorian times. From the speed at which steel was milled, to Prince Albert's bewilderment when Queen Victoria's husband had travelled by train for the first times:”Not quite so fast next time, Mr Conductor, if you please " 729. In the 1890s -before modern cinema emerged- a series of machines (Mutoscope, Kinetoscope730) allowed individuals to see short films -flip-book style- through peepholes.

The speed at which land was plowed easily passed from 1 to 20 acres per day with the introduction of steam engines in the Victorian era, thus literally working out of business many agricultural workers and their horses. Between 1868 and 1880 the Cragside mansion of industrialist lord Armstrong in the UK was first to have its own hydro-electric system, and in-door electric amenities -such as a telephone, a lift and light bulbs-.

As a result of what a sound running of railways implied, (only) in 1845 did the British Parliament abolish local times (time differences between major UK cities) in favor of standardized time across the UK:”Avec le développement du capitalisme, le temps irréversible est unifié mondialement. ”731.

Popular culture couldn't lag far behind even in our time. The Riptide 729 730 731

Reported in British journals in 1842. In New York and London the first Kinetoscope parlours opened in 1894. Debord 1967:point 145 (As capitalism develops, linear time gets synchronized on a world scale).

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guys really are on the move: their home base is on a yacht, and they operate an helicopter and a speed boat in their adventures. In Knight Rider, futuristic robot-car KITT can easily exceed 300 MPH in speed. In Street Hawk (1985), the Knight Rider blueprint (crime-fighting underground cabal, overseeing patriarchs etc) is preserved: the wonder vehicle is an armored motorbike that also reaches 300 MPH.

Much as speed offers travelers new views every passing instant, so London and Paris literally overflowed with exotic goods from all over the world: the birth of Sartori's homo videns732. Much as Prince Albert was impressed with speed, so countless middle- and upper-class buyers marveled at the choice that the globalized Victorian economy offered through an unparalleled commercial network literally saturated with products:

Railway travel gave rise to panoramic vision. Unable to focus on immediate foregrounds, passengers were forced to look out at a broad sweep of scenery, which most felt they were “flying” by. Wolfgang Schivelbusch asserts that this experience helped prepare rail travelers for their ultimate destination: department stores, which required panoramic vision for scanning vast spaces filled with goods on display. (Kornhiser 2010:13). Moreover, we will find that a classic descriptive mode of Victorian fiction, the sweeping, panoramic survey of a scene that appears so often in Hardy, Dickens, and Eliot, is in fact derived from a mode of landscape description that developed in connection with two forms of Victorian travel: the virtual travel embodied in the experience of viewing the massive panoramic displays that were so popular in the middle of the century, and the physical experience of balloon travel, whose similarly disorienting, bird’s-eye perspective felt almost fictive. -...- The attraction of the virtual travel experience was the opportunity it 732

Sartori limits the consideration to the effects the birth of television brought about: intellectual atrophy, regression, and inability to part truth from falsehood.

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provided for disorientation and self-reflection. The places visited seem largely incidental.(Byerly 2013:13,22). By the early 1870s, the Victorian Internet had taken shape: A patchwork of telegraph networks, submarine cables, pneumatic tube systems, and messengers combined to deliver messages within hours over a vast area of the globe. New cables were being laid all over the world. Malta had been linked to Alexandria in 1868, and a direct cable was laid from France to Newfoundland in 1869. Cables reached India, Hong Kong, China, and Japan in 1870. Australia was connected in 1871, and South America in 1874.In 1844, when Morse had started building the network,there were a few dozen miles of wire and sending a message from, say, London to Bombay and back took ten weeks. But within thirty years there were over 650,000 miles of wire, 3o,ooo miles of submarine cable, and 30,000 towns and villages were on-line and messages could be telegraphed from London to Bombay and back in as little as four minutes. "Time itself is telegraphed out of existence," declared the Daily Telegraph of London, a newspaper whose very name was chosen to give the impression of rapid, up-to-date delivery of news. The world had shrunk further and faster than it ever had before. -...-By 1880, there were almost 100,000 miles of undersea telegraph cable -...- "intra- imperial telegraphy" was seen as an important means of centralizing control in London and protecting imperial traffic from prying eyes. The result was a separate British network that interconnected with the global telegraph network at key points.(Standage 1998:101-2, 103). “ We pay particular attention to not only what the president says but what the American people see, ” Dan Bartlett, the White House communications director, unashamedly told Bumiller. “ Americans are leading busy lives, and sometimes they don ’ t have the opportunity to read a story or listen to an entire broadcast, ” Bartlett added. “ But if they can have an instant understanding of what the president is talking about by seeing sixty seconds of television, you accomplish your goals as communicators. ” (Lakhani 2008:99, emphasis added). In 1838 opened at Paris the department store Le Bon Marché: from 300 square meters to 50.000 by 1877. The department store soon entered popular culture. In 1883 Zola published Au Bonheur Des Dames, a story with a shopping 489

mall as a backdrop; he had previously gathered impressions at Le Bon MarchĂŠ itself.

If manly imagery of military prowess in the age of intercontinental Empires had its steel dreadnoughts and mitrailleuses, the rising acquisitive society had its steel cathedrals as well. Le Bon MarchĂŠ department store was rebuilt with an impressive steel mega-structure under the supervision of visionary engineer Eiffel.

Thanks to pioneering industrialist I. Kobayashi, railways in Japan were the purveyor of a truly panoramic experience in the very early XX century 733. Near train terminals shopping malls, hot spring spas and suburban settlements for the white collar class appeared in the Japanese outback: speed in leisure, housing, travel and shopping all combined.

The first iron cast bridge had appeared in the UK over the river Severn between 1779-81. In the late XIX century, steel cathedrals appeared everywhere. Brazil -which was experiencing the economic boom of the rubber industry- also had its steel cathedral: the giant open markets at Belem and Recife. When New York and Boston still relied on horse-drawn trolleys, Manaus enjoyed electric streetcars. In 1871, Catedral San Marcos and Edificio De La Aduana were built in Arica (Chile, then Peru) directly by the Eiffel workshops. In Porto (Portugal), 1886 saw the opening of Dom Luis bridge in Eiffel style across the Douro river. In Barcelona, steel dominated Belle Epoque renovations.

733

Kobayashi founded a private railway line in 1907.

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In Lisbon, 1902 saw the presentation of a steel structure Eiffel style: an elevator (Elevador De Santa Justa) to this day joins Baixa (lower Lisbon) with Bairro

Do Chiado (Chiado neighborhood). In 1907 Mercado Sur (Southern Open Market) was built in Guayaquil (Ecuador): another steel cathedral in perfect Eiffel style. In 1935, Guatemala City saw the building of steel Torre Del Reformador, a 71 meter tall rough copy of the Eiffel tower to commemorate local reformer ( reformador) Barrios. Eiffel-style structures were also built in French colonies, such as Poste

Centrale in Ho Chi Minh Ville (Vietnam).

Man -just as it happened to post-human icons like Robocop or The Six

Million Dollar Man – would embrace steel as an extension of his own body: steel helmets are introduced during WWI (late 1915 onwards) to provide tentative shelter against a deluge of metal splinters, balls and fragments cannons, howitzers, and other devices, projected at supersonic speed against human flesh. After WWI, crowds of amputees would literally embrace steel as they donned prosthetic limbs of all sorts manufactured for the first time on an industrial scale.

Youth, speed and steel that found such a crucible in WWI echo in two icons of modernity: the undead and the terminal-man:

The vampire is literally an insatiable consumer driven by a hunger for perpetual youth, while the cyborg has incorporated the machineries of consumption into its juvenescent flesh. -...-The historical roots of the theoretical connection between the vampire and the cyborg can be found in Karl Marx’s Capital, where he develops his understanding of industrial automation as the objectification of human labor—a process that, as he envisions it, is 491

both prosthetic and predatory (Latham 2002:2-3). Selfridges -a chain of department stores- made its motto clear as it announced the opening of a new store at London in 1909:”all are welcome”; it might have borrowed such slogan from one of the countless savior-hero-founders. The

Belle Epoque nation-State lurked behind all the previously unimaginable proximity that department stores forced upon women of all classes.

Women rubbed elbows in the indulgence of their acquisitive whims, much as men had increasingly seen this proximity been forced upon them through military service and the acculturation brought about through the food processor of the nation-State with its imagined community rhetoric.

Ricardo Montalban (1920-2009) was for a long time a testimonial for Chrysler cars. He tantalized the audience with “Corinthian leather” upholstery Chrysler used in its vehicles in the 1970-80s. The term even entered popular culture:”Everyone asks...Corinthian leather? Of course, why not the best” 734.

Asked to reveal the secret of “Corinthian leather”, so upscale, so suave, Montalban admitted on tape ages later how “it meant nothing” 735, a marketing ploy invented at PR firm Bozell:”And recognition of a myth as a myth, that is, as a fiction, can radically diminish its power. ”.

734 735

Ricardo Montalban in a 1988 commercial for Chrysler New Yorker. Like most politicized items, the thing is just a “maguffin” (=empty object of desire), an elusive object or quality of little or no ultimate value, in whose acquisition so much effort is put. For example, leather for Chrysler cars in the 1970-80s came from New Jersey, not Greece.

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Jingoism would soon appear. Between the late XVIII century and the XIX century -roughly between the U.S independence and the Civil War- once perfectly acceptable practices such as permutation (= paying a fee to avoid being drafted into the army) and substitution (= hiring someone to be drafted in one's place into the army) not only stopped being permissible, but turned into a taboo (=draft-dogding).

Much as the nation-State food processor worked towards thorough homogenization of cultures, so in the department store it was increasingly difficult to part high-society dames wearing tailor-made haute couture garments from middle-class ladies wearing mass produced copycats bought in department stores at a fraction of the cost.

The coin had two sides, however. Kleptomania became widespread; some women -akin to their contemporary counterparts- resorted to prostitution in order to finance their acquisitive frenzy. The proximity between women of all classes ignited the suffragette movement that -in a telling example- found sanctuary and endorsement at Selfridges.

The heedless spendthrifts feeding the magic show of consumerism started to be generally characterized not as reckless wastrels buried under a heap of dishonored bills, but as honest hard-workers who make the world a better place, just like Hercules, with each promissory note they sign; or each time they refinance: the unsung heroes of that tournament movie called life:â&#x20AC;?the motive of adornment 493

-...- under the guidance of the law of expensiveness”. DiMele736 talks about the “holiday complex”, “the obsessive-compulsive insanity that kind of whips up every holiday”.

The dating industry also relays the idea that women are luxuries to be afforded.

It is impudent of men to keep women as luxuries unless they have the power to guarantee them the framework of luxury. If men ask women to give up for their sake the life of the market-place they must promise that they will bring to the harem all that is best in the market-place (West 2006:404737). I take you out tonight I'm gonna show you my world I give you everything you need Just take my hand and we'll walk away -...-You want me, pretty baby You want me, pretty woman (song Take You Out Tonight, 1985 (Pretty Woman soundtrack, 1990).

If most people in the department store's early times wished to be entitled to vote, their great-grandchildren in the 1980s and following wanted a credit card, not a voter's ID:

Dare we say that they seek to utilize and enhance said bias in the marketing of credit products? Attributing unrealistic low probability to negative life events (such as illness and job loss) and unrealistically high probability to positive life events (such as getting a raise) triggers debtors to borrow more than they would have borrowed otherwise. -...-Economists have suggested that the optimism bias was a root cause for the financial meltdown of 2008. (Sharot 2011:125, emphasis added). Credit cards, cheques, promissory notes, mortgages, and related debt 736 737

No date. From a novelized book relating a trip to Yugoslavia in 1937.

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paraphernalia are popular for a reason:

Go back 25 years, and double-digit savings rates were the norm. As recently as 1994 the savings rate was nearly five percent. But by 2006 the savings rate had fallen below zero—to negative one percent. Americans were not only not saving; they were spending more than they earned. Europeans do a lot better—they save an average of 20 percent. Japan’s rate is 25 percent. China’s is 50 percent.-...- Another answer—the other half of the problem—is the recent explosion in consumer credit. The average American family now has six credit cards (in 2005 alone, Americans received 6 billion direct-mail solicitations for credit cards). Frighteningly, the average family debt on these cards is about $9,000; and seven in 10 households borrow on credit cards to cover such basic living expenses as food, utilities, and clothing.-...-When we pay— regardless of the amount of money—we feel some psychological pain, which social scientists call the “pain of paying.” This is the unpleasantness associated with giving up our hard-earned cash, regardless of the circumstances. -...- [credit cards, promissory notes etc are offered as an alternative] And because when we sign up for these financial or insurance services we certainly don’t plan to miss an insurance payment, bounce a check, skip a credit card payment, or go over our debit card limit, we often don’t even look at the terms of the penalties, thinking they do not apply to us. But when “stuff happens,” the banks are lying in wait and we end up paying dearly. Given this modus operandi, is it any wonder that many of the people who took subprime mortgages (by definition those who were not doing well financially) defaulted on their credit card payments, walked out on their mortgages, and even declared bankruptcy? (Ariely 2009:70,139,163). In California, the rate of strategic defaults in 2008 was a stunning sixty-eight times higher than it was in 2005; in Florida, it was fortysix times higher. The strategic defaulters weren’t subprime borrowers—on the contrary, these were people with an excellent track record for making payments, people who under new economic conditions appeared to be making a calculated decision to cut their losses on a house that was worth less than they owed on it. Even if their credit scores plummeted, they figured, they’d still come out ahead. (Chen&Krakovsky 2010:89). Saviors, heroes and founders are on the move often for a reason: the Jean

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Valjean738 shtick being one example. The episode from Les MisĂŠrables where Valjean is actually forgiven by the clergyman he had robbed is also present in various folk tales, of which one Zen tale involving a Japanese hermit called Nonoko 739. After transgression -just like Hercules and Yoruba god Ogun- Valjean embarks in a journey of redemption.

Another Buddhist tale coming well before XIX century politicking hacks is that of the anger-eating monster, or a monster that grows bigger as people loathe and confront him, and smaller with every act of kind acceptance. Cherokee lore propose the tale of a struggle between two wolves for the control of man's soul. Which one is going to win? The good or bad one? The one people feed. The shtick was so popular to surface in Star Trek episodes.

Akin to Valjean, Kazinski, Starman (1986-87), the A-Team, Bulldozer etc are on the move because 'bad guys' or overzealous policemen persecute them unjustly, won't forgive them, or won't let go of transgressions they committed in the past. Nasty policemen also harass the former military men, now private eyes, in

Riptide for no real reason. In Starman, an outer space alien takes on a human identity740, and partners with his human son; they together are on the move to locate the alien's human wife. A paranoid police officer hunts them down to capture the interstellar traveler for scientific purposes. 738 739

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From Victor Hugo's Les MisĂŠrables. Nonoko meditates alone in a hut. A brute brandishing a sword breaks in demanding money. Nonoko gives him all he has. The thief also steals a precious vase. The next day the entire village complains about burglaries, but Nonoko nonchalantly comments he just gave a vase and some money to a complete stranger. Some sort of intelligent ectoplasm from outer space snatches the body of a recently deceased man.

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It is just a retelling of immemorial myths: Gilgamesh is persecuted by Inanna; Orestes is in flight from the Furies; Hera relentlessly persecutes Hercules much as Poseidon persecutes Ulysses, and fate drives Oedipus to his doom...

In other words, 'bad guys' are unwilling to shift from report mode (=depersonalized=facticity=quantitative741)

rapport

mode

(personalized=transcendence=qualitative742). Alternatively, they commit the sin of denying reconciliation the frail human mind yearns for.

As Simon confirms, manipulative people aptly use the report versus rapport talk shtick to make those who (legitimately) confront them look like “the bad guy”743 in order to insinuate self-doubt and guilt.

If unambiguously “evil” individuals (a candidate for this category might be Hitler) felt remorse for their crimes and had been punished, would we try to focus on their good qualities, with an intent to rehabilitate them? My own view is that we should do this —no matter how bad their crime. It is the only way we can establish that we are showing empathy to the perpetrator, not just repeating the crime of turning the perpetrator into an object and thus dehumanizing them. To do that renders us no better than the person we punish. (Baron-Cohen 2011:175). People are on emotional rubber legs as they are challenged: will they prove “to have been with the master” (Jesus, Sai Baba, Aurobindo, Confucius,

741

742

743

Just to make the point: s-he stole one apple...threw three stones...burglarized five homes...raped six people...and must therefore pay for that. Just to make the point: s-he might have very well stolen that apple, robbed those millions, burglarized those homes, yet look into those soulful eyes; listen to those heart-rending 'secret causes'; hear those groans; touch those salted tears... there is nothing s-he might have done that any other wouldn't do, thus isn't about time to get in one another's arms for one of those unforgettable reunion scenes? “the spontaneous act of a noble heart”. 2011:003.

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Krishna, Buddha, Zoroaster and so forth), or will they be exposed as phonies who fail to conform to societal expectations? Will one divorce the irresponsible spouse caught gambling, philandering, drinking etc again, or will one prove to be “merciful and compassionate” like Allah once more? “Internalization of a societal prohibition is the definitive act of submission”744.

Self-esteem psychologist Branden claims that he could discern no link between concrete actions and ostensible belief in god in people. In other words, Branden agrees with Machiavelli: tartuffes may proclaim themselves religious all they want, but that says nothing about their concrete conduct.

Boothman745 comments that reasons, even weak, “sort of” or expedient ones, trigger amazing rates of request compliance in bystanders:” may I jump ahead in the queue here at the counter because...”.

Similarly, cheap talk can help restore broken trust. One experiment [found out that] -...-After each noncooperative move the computer sent a text message to the other player, who thought the messages were coming from another person. -...-They found, not surprisingly, that substantive apologies were best at rebuilding cooperation. -...- Although they’re not as good as making amends, such verbal explanations for wrongdoing can, under some circumstances, be convincing enough to restore trust, even if they are technically cheap talk.(Chen&Krakovsky 2010:104). Degradation ceremony is an aspect of apologies (Tannen 2001). The word “because” triggers an unconscious reflex that makes us more likely to say yes. (Vishton 2016:139). 744 745

Simon 2011:009. 2004.

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The best reasons, however, are those gastrointestinal and neurological syndromes as they showcase the most bestial side of our common humanity ( anima ↔ animal746):”There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy ”;”The body is conscious. The point is that consciousness itself is below this level of darkness, beyond dream consciousness. In one of the Upani ṣads there is a saying: “We go into that brahman world every night, but, alas, we are asleep.” The goal of yoga is to go into that realm awake.”747;”The body is the organ of ego-less wisdom”748.

In 2000 Damasio and his colleagues published an article in the world’s foremost scientific publication, Science, which reported that reliving a strong negative emotion causes significant changes in the brain areas that receive nerve signals from the muscles, gut, and skin—areas that are crucial for regulating basic bodily functions. -...- All of these brain regions are below the limbic system, to which emotions are traditionally assigned, yet we acknowledge their involvement every time we use one of the common expressions that link strong emotions with the body: “You make me sick”; “It made my skin crawl”; “I was all choked up”; “My heart sank”; “He makes me bristle.”( Van Der Kolk 2014:80, emphasis added). Terror Management Theory establishes a clear link between animal urges (copulating, defecating...) and mortality. What looks more “mortal” than a shivering defendant in the dock as s-he uses a sick bucket in fear of judgment, and in the hope of reconciliation?

746

747 748

“A creature that breathes”, on par with the etymology of Hebrew Yahwah. YHWH seems related to the Arabic hwy, “to blow” (in Genesis, the spirit of god hovers over the great watery abyss). Campbell 1991:86. Reginald Ray, former chair of Religious Studies at Naropa University and somatic meditation teacher in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of Tantra.

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But the prize for the most dramatic imitation of death should probably go to the hognose snake. In playing dead, a hognose will roll over onto its back, excrete fecal matter and a disgusting odor, and let its tongue hang limp as drops of blood fall from its mouth. (Feldman 2009:43). Both Hindu and Latin-American traditional medicine requires literal bodily purgation: laxatives and emetics are administered to “cleanse the body”. The gnostic side is not lost:”Excreting is the curse that threatens madness because it shows man his abject finitude”. A felon in the dock who literally “excretes” represents “common humanity coming clean”: the literal meaning of catharsis.

Legends flare up regarding the presumed vices and perversions of public figures that lack political authentication, such as D'Annunzio and Hitler: they would have reveled in all sorts of sexual(ized) disgusting things. Politically authenticated people such as M.L. King, Bill Clinton or Berlusconi may on the other hand benefit from judicial and/or legal embargoes. People elatedly demand “tell-all chronicles” demanding to know about Trump's presumed escapades with porn-stars, but avert their eyes when Bill Clinton or M.L. King are concerned.

If a man of history has secured over the years a high place in the esteem of his countrymen and fellow men and has become imbedded in their affections, it has seemingly become a pleasing pastime for researchers and scholars to delve into the past of such a man, discover, if may be, some of his weaknesses, and then write a book exposing hither-to unpublished alleged factual findings, all of which tends to rob the historic character of the idealistic esteem and veneration in which he may have been held through the years. This "debunking," we are told, is in the interest of realism, that the facts should be known. If an historic character has made a great contribution to country and society, and if his name and his deeds have been used over the generations to foster high ideals of 500