TERMS STARTING WITH
sphere ::: 1. The sky considered as a vaulted roof; firmament. 2. The place or environment within which a person or thing exists; a field of activity or operation; orbit, province, realm, domain. 3. A celestial abode. 4. A field of something specified. 5. The orbit of a celestial body, such as that of a planet. Also fig. **spheres.**
sphered ::: formed like a sphere.
sphered ::: imp. & p. p. --> of Sphere
sphere, hidden and veiled, in which the mysteries
sphere ::: n. --> A body or space contained under a single surface, which in every part is equally distant from a point within called its center.
Hence, any globe or globular body, especially a celestial one, as the sun, a planet, or the earth.
The apparent surface of the heavens, which is assumed to be spherical and everywhere equally distant, in which the heavenly bodies appear to have their places, and on which the various astronomical circles, as of right ascension and declination, the equator, ecliptic,
sphere of [the planet] Mars.” For additional facts
sphere: The locus of points in 3-dimensions which is of a particular specified distance from a specified point.
Sphere: A particular element of reality that can be codified and manipulated with magic.
Sphere Conventionally, the geometrical representative of the manifested one All, combining unity, comprehensiveness, simplicity, and symmetry; whereas the ever-unknown frontierless womb of boundless space is conventionally represented by the zero. All the sections of a sphere are circles; its surface is an infinite plane, having neither boundaries nor parts and therefore measurable perhaps solely by the rules of geometry. A balance of centrifugal and centripetal forces produces the sphere, as in a soap bubble. Its center and its surface represent opposite poles, between which radiate expansive and contractive energies. The earth is virtually a sphere. The heavens, the limits of our vision, form the surface of an ideal sphere, whose center is everywhere, and whose periphery is nowhere.
Sphere ::: Refers to both the planets as well as the Sephiroth. This also refers to the geometric shape of the same name: one of primordial and profound beauty and function within the Universe.
Spheres: Divisions of the non-material world, in the spatial as well as in the spiritual sense. (See also music of the spheres.)
Spheres [Galgallim]
Spheres, the: Capitalized, refers to the nine elements of reality (or areas of understanding that deal with those elements) through which mages work their Arts. Generally considered to comprise Correspondence, Entropy, Forces, Life, Matter, Mind, Prime, Spirit, and Time, although they are often known by other names within the Technocracy. (See Art, Tenth Sphere.)
TERMS ANYWHERE
1. A distinctive and pervasive quality or character; air; atmosphere. 2. A subtle emanation from and enveloping living persons and things, viewed by mystics as consisting of the essence of the individual.
A certain amount of sclf-defence is necessary, so that the consciousness may not be puIJed down or out constantly info the ordinary atmosphere or the physical strained by being forced into activities that have become foreign to you.
aerial ::: a. --> Of or pertaining to the air, or atmosphere; inhabiting or frequenting the air; produced by or found in the air; performed in the air; as, aerial regions or currents.
Consisting of air; resembling, or partaking of the nature of air. Hence: Unsubstantial; unreal.
Rising aloft in air; high; lofty; as, aerial spires.
Growing, forming, or existing in the air, as opposed to growing or existing in earth or water, or underground; as, aerial
aerosphere ::: n. --> The atmosphere.
aerography ::: n. --> A description of the air or atmosphere; aerology.
aerology ::: n. --> That department of physics which treats of the atmosphere.
aeroscopy ::: n. --> The observation of the state and variations of the atmosphere.
air ::: n. --> The fluid which we breathe, and which surrounds the earth; the atmosphere. It is invisible, inodorous, insipid, transparent, compressible, elastic, and ponderable.
Symbolically: Something unsubstantial, light, or volatile.
A particular state of the atmosphere, as respects heat, cold, moisture, etc., or as affecting the sensations; as, a smoky air, a damp air, the morning air, etc.
Any aeriform body; a gas; as, oxygen was formerly called vital
albatross ::: n. --> A web-footed bird, of the genus Diomedea, of which there are several species. They are the largest of sea birds, capable of long-continued flight, and are often seen at great distances from the land. They are found chiefly in the southern hemisphere.
almucantar ::: n. --> A small circle of the sphere parallel to the horizon; a circle or parallel of altitude. Two stars which have the same almucantar have the same altitude. See Almacantar.
Amal: “The ‘inner prophet’ is the psychic being who corresponds in the lower hemisphere of the cosmos to the higher hemisphere’s ananda planes.”
ambience ::: 1. The mood, character, quality, tone, atmosphere, etc., particularly of an environment or milieu. 2. That which surrounds or encompasses.
ambit ::: a sphere of operation or influence; range, scope.
A mental formation stamped by the thoughts and feelings of a departed human being on the atmosphere of a place or locality, wandering about there or repeating itself, till that formation either exhausts itself or is dissolved by one means or another. This is the explanation of such phenomena as the haunted house in which the scenes attending or surrounding or preceding a murder are repeated over and over again and many other similar phenomena.
analemma ::: n. --> An orthographic projection of the sphere on the plane of the meridian, the eye being supposed at an infinite distance, and in the east or west point of the horizon.
An instrument of wood or brass, on which this projection of the sphere is made, having a movable horizon or cursor; -- formerly much used in solving some common astronomical problems.
A scale of the sun&
ana (vijnana; vijnanam; vijnan) ::: "the large embracing consciousness . . . which takes into itself all truth and idea and object of knowledge and sees them at once in their essence, totality and parts or aspects", the "comprehensive consciousness" which is one of the four functions of active consciousness (see ajñanam), a mode of awareness that is "the original, spontaneous, true and complete view" of existence and "of which mind has only a shadow in the highest operations of the comprehensive intellect"; the faculty or plane of consciousness above buddhi or intellect, also called ideality, gnosis or supermind (although these are distinguished in the last period of the Record of Yoga as explained under the individual terms), whose instruments of knowledge and power form the vijñana catus.t.aya; the vijñana catus.t.aya itself; the psychological principle or degree of consciousness that is the basis of maharloka, the "World of the Vastness" that links the worlds of the transcendent existence, consciousness and bliss of saccidananda to the lower triloka of mind, life and matter, being itself usually considered the lowest plane of the parardha or higher hemisphere of existence. Vijñana is "the knowledge of the One and the Many, by which the Many are seen in the terms of the One, in the infinite unifying Truth, Right, Vast [satyam r.taṁ br.hat] of the divine existence". vij ñana ana ananda
antariksha. ::: sky; firmament; atmosphere
antichthon ::: n. --> A hypothetical earth counter to ours, or on the opposite side of the sun.
Inhabitants of opposite hemispheres.
anticyclone ::: n. --> A movement of the atmosphere opposite in character, as regards direction of the wind and distribution of barometric pressure, to that of a cyclone.
aparardha ::: "the lower half of world-existence", the hemisphere of aparardha the triloka (three worlds) of manas, pran.a and anna1 or mind, life and matter; these three principles "are in themselves powers of the superior principles" (of the higher hemisphere, parardha), "but wherever they manifest in a separation from their spiritual sources, they undergo as a result a phenomenal lapse into a divided in place of the true undivided existence . . . oblivious of all that is behind it and of the underlying unity, a state therefore of cosmic and individual Ignorance" (avidya).
aparardha ::: the lower half (of world existence) ; the lower hemisphere.
arcturus ::: a giant star in the constellation Boötes. It is the brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere and the fourth brightest star in the sky, with an apparent magnitude of 0.00; sometimes referring to the Great Bear itself.
arena ::: n. --> The area in the central part of an amphitheater, in which the gladiators fought and other shows were exhibited; -- so called because it was covered with sand.
Any place of public contest or exertion; any sphere of action; as, the arenaof debate; the arena of life.
"Sand" or "gravel" in the kidneys.
argon ::: n. --> A substance regarded as an element, contained in the atmosphere and remarkable for its chemical inertness.
argo ::: n. --> The name of the ship which carried Jason and his fifty-four companions to Colchis, in quest of the Golden Fleece.
A large constellation in the southern hemisphere, called also Argo Navis. In modern astronomy it is replaced by its three divisions, Carina, Puppis, and Vela.
A secret Delight is the base of existence, its sustaining atmosphere and almost its substance. Delight is the raison d’ˆetre of sensation, or, we may say, sensation is an attempt to translate the secret delight of existence into the terms of physical consciousness. But in that consciousness.
Ref: CWSA Vol. 15, Page: 260-61
astrolabe ::: n. --> An instrument for observing or showing the positions of the stars. It is now disused.
A stereographic projection of the sphere on the plane of a great circle, as the equator, or a meridian; a planisphere.
atmosphere ::: 1. A surrounding or pervading mood, environment, or influence. 2. The air.
atmosphere ::: n. --> The whole mass of aeriform fluid surrounding the earth; -- applied also to the gaseous envelope of any celestial orb, or other body; as, the atmosphere of Mars.
Any gaseous envelope or medium.
A supposed medium around various bodies; as, electrical atmosphere, a medium formerly supposed to surround electrical bodies.
The pressure or weight of the air at the sea level, on a unit of surface, or about 14.7 Ibs. to the sq. inch.
atmospherical ::: a. --> Of or pertaining to the atmosphere; of the nature of, or resembling, the atmosphere; as, atmospheric air; the atmospheric envelope of the earth.
Existing in the atmosphere.
Caused, or operated on, by the atmosphere; as, an atmospheric effect; an atmospheric engine.
Dependent on the atmosphere.
atmospherically ::: adv. --> In relation to the atmosphere.
atmospherology ::: n. --> The science or a treatise on the atmosphere.
Aufklärung: In general, this German word and its English equivalent Enlightenment denote the self-emancipation of man from mere authority, prejudice, convention and tradition, with an insistence on freer thinking about problems uncritically referred to these other agencies. According to Kant's famous definition "Enlightenment is the liberation of man from his self-caused state of minority, which is the incapacity of using one's understanding without the direction of another. This state of minority is caused when its source lies not in the lack of understanding, but in the lack of determination and courage to use it without the assistance of another" (Was ist Aufklärung? 1784). In its historical perspective, the Aufklärung refers to the cultural atmosphere and contrlbutions of the 18th century, especially in Germany, France and England [which affected also American thought with B. Franklin, T. Paine and the leaders of the Revolution]. It crystallized tendencies emphasized by the Renaissance, and quickened by modern scepticism and empiricism, and by the great scientific discoveries of the 17th century. This movement, which was represented by men of varying tendencies, gave an impetus to general learning, a more popular philosophy, empirical science, scriptural criticism, social and political thought. More especially, the word Aufklärung is applied to the German contributions to 18th century culture. In philosophy, its principal representatives are G. E. Lessing (1729-81) who believed in free speech and in a methodical criticism of religion, without being a free-thinker; H. S. Reimarus (1694-1768) who expounded a naturalistic philosophy and denied the supernatural origin of Christianity; Moses Mendelssohn (1729-86) who endeavoured to mitigate prejudices and developed a popular common-sense philosophy; Chr. Wolff (1679-1754), J. A. Eberhard (1739-1809) who followed the Leibnizian rationalism and criticized unsuccessfully Kant and Fichte; and J. G. Herder (1744-1803) who was best as an interpreter of others, but whose intuitional suggestions have borne fruit in the organic correlation of the sciences, and in questions of language in relation to human nature and to national character. The works of Kant and Goethe mark the culmination of the German Enlightenment. Cf. J. G. Hibben, Philosophy of the Enlightenment, 1910. --T.G. Augustinianism: The thought of St. Augustine of Hippo, and of his followers. Born in 354 at Tagaste in N. Africa, A. studied rhetoric in Carthage, taught that subject there and in Rome and Milan. Attracted successively to Manicheanism, Scepticism, and Neo-Platontsm, A. eventually found intellectual and moral peace with his conversion to Christianity in his thirty-fourth year. Returning to Africa, he established numerous monasteries, became a priest in 391, Bishop of Hippo in 395. Augustine wrote much: On Free Choice, Confessions, Literal Commentary on Genesis, On the Trinity, and City of God, are his most noted works. He died in 430. St. Augustine's characteristic method, an inward empiricism which has little in common with later variants, starts from things without, proceeds within to the self, and moves upwards to God. These three poles of the Augustinian dialectic are polarized by his doctrine of moderate illuminism. An ontological illumination is required to explain the metaphysical structure of things. The truth of judgment demands a noetic illumination. A moral illumination is necessary in the order of willing; and so, too, an lllumination of art in the aesthetic order. Other illuminations which transcend the natural order do not come within the scope of philosophy; they provide the wisdoms of theology and mysticism. Every being is illuminated ontologically by number, form, unity and its derivatives, and order. A thing is what it is, in so far as it is more or less flooded by the light of these ontological constituents. Sensation is necessary in order to know material substances. There is certainly an action of the external object on the body and a corresponding passion of the body, but, as the soul is superior to the body and can suffer nothing from its inferior, sensation must be an action, not a passion, of the soul. Sensation takes place only when the observing soul, dynamically on guard throughout the body, is vitally attentive to the changes suffered by the body. However, an adequate basis for the knowledge of intellectual truth is not found in sensation alone. In order to know, for example, that a body is multiple, the idea of unity must be present already, otherwise its multiplicity could not be recognized. If numbers are not drawn in by the bodily senses which perceive only the contingent and passing, is the mind the source of the unchanging and necessary truth of numbers? The mind of man is also contingent and mutable, and cannot give what it does not possess. As ideas are not innate, nor remembered from a previous existence of the soul, they can be accounted for only by an immutable source higher than the soul. In so far as man is endowed with an intellect, he is a being naturally illuminated by God, Who may be compared to an intelligible sun. The human intellect does not create the laws of thought; it finds them and submits to them. The immediate intuition of these normative rules does not carry any content, thus any trace of ontologism is avoided. Things have forms because they have numbers, and they have being in so far as they possess form. The sufficient explanation of all formable, and hence changeable, things is an immutable and eternal form which is unrestricted in time and space. The forms or ideas of all things actually existing in the world are in the things themselves (as rationes seminales) and in the Divine Mind (as rationes aeternae). Nothing could exist without unity, for to be is no other than to be one. There is a unity proper to each level of being, a unity of the material individual and species, of the soul, and of that union of souls in the love of the same good, which union constitutes the city. Order, also, is ontologically imbibed by all beings. To tend to being is to tend to order; order secures being, disorder leads to non-being. Order is the distribution which allots things equal and unequal each to its own place and integrates an ensemble of parts in accordance with an end. Hence, peace is defined as the tranquillity of order. Just as things have their being from their forms, the order of parts, and their numerical relations, so too their beauty is not something superadded, but the shining out of all their intelligible co-ingredients. S. Aurelii Augustini, Opera Omnia, Migne, PL 32-47; (a critical edition of some works will be found in the Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum, Vienna). Gilson, E., Introd. a l'etude de s. Augustin, (Paris, 1931) contains very good bibliography up to 1927, pp. 309-331. Pope, H., St. Augustine of Hippo, (London, 1937). Chapman, E., St. Augustine's Philos. of Beauty, (N. Y., 1939). Figgis, J. N., The Political Aspects of St. Augustine's "City of God", (London, 1921). --E.C. Authenticity: In a general sense, genuineness, truth according to its title. It involves sometimes a direct and personal characteristic (Whitehead speaks of "authentic feelings"). This word also refers to problems of fundamental criticism involving title, tradition, authorship and evidence. These problems are vital in theology, and basic in scholarship with regard to the interpretation of texts and doctrines. --T.G. Authoritarianism: That theory of knowledge which maintains that the truth of any proposition is determined by the fact of its having been asserted by a certain esteemed individual or group of individuals. Cf. H. Newman, Grammar of Assent; C. S. Peirce, "Fixation of Belief," in Chance, Love and Logic, ed. M. R. Cohen. --A.C.B. Autistic thinking: Absorption in fanciful or wishful thinking without proper control by objective or factual material; day dreaming; undisciplined imagination. --A.C.B. Automaton Theory: Theory that a living organism may be considered a mere machine. See Automatism. Automatism: (Gr. automatos, self-moving) (a) In metaphysics: Theory that animal and human organisms are automata, that is to say, are machines governed by the laws of physics and mechanics. Automatism, as propounded by Descartes, considered the lower animals to be pure automata (Letter to Henry More, 1649) and man a machine controlled by a rational soul (Treatise on Man). Pure automatism for man as well as animals is advocated by La Mettrie (Man, a Machine, 1748). During the Nineteenth century, automatism, combined with epiphenomenalism, was advanced by Hodgson, Huxley and Clifford. (Cf. W. James, The Principles of Psychology, Vol. I, ch. V.) Behaviorism, of the extreme sort, is the most recent version of automatism (See Behaviorism). (b) In psychology: Psychological automatism is the performance of apparently purposeful actions, like automatic writing without the superintendence of the conscious mind. L. C. Rosenfield, From Beast Machine to Man Machine, N. Y., 1941. --L.W. Automatism, Conscious: The automatism of Hodgson, Huxley, and Clifford which considers man a machine to which mind or consciousness is superadded; the mind of man is, however, causally ineffectual. See Automatism; Epiphenomenalism. --L.W. Autonomy: (Gr. autonomia, independence) Freedom consisting in self-determination and independence of all external constraint. See Freedom. Kant defines autonomy of the will as subjection of the will to its own law, the categorical imperative, in contrast to heteronomy, its subjection to a law or end outside the rational will. (Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals, § 2.) --L.W. Autonomy of ethics: A doctrine, usually propounded by intuitionists, that ethics is not a part of, and cannot be derived from, either metaphysics or any of the natural or social sciences. See Intuitionism, Metaphysical ethics, Naturalistic ethics. --W.K.F. Autonomy of the will: (in Kant's ethics) The freedom of the rational will to legislate to itself, which constitutes the basis for the autonomy of the moral law. --P.A.S. Autonymy: In the terminology introduced by Carnap, a word (phrase, symbol, expression) is autonymous if it is used as a name for itself --for the geometric shape, sound, etc. which it exemplifies, or for the word as a historical and grammatical unit. Autonymy is thus the same as the Scholastic suppositio matertalis (q. v.), although the viewpoint is different. --A.C. Autotelic: (from Gr. autos, self, and telos, end) Said of any absorbing activity engaged in for its own sake (cf. German Selbstzweck), such as higher mathematics, chess, etc. In aesthetics, applied to creative art and play which lack any conscious reference to the accomplishment of something useful. In the view of some, it may constitute something beneficent in itself of which the person following his art impulse (q.v.) or playing is unaware, thus approaching a heterotelic (q.v.) conception. --K.F.L. Avenarius, Richard: (1843-1896) German philosopher who expressed his thought in an elaborate and novel terminology in the hope of constructing a symbolic language for philosophy, like that of mathematics --the consequence of his Spinoza studies. As the most influential apostle of pure experience, the posltivistic motive reaches in him an extreme position. Insisting on the biologic and economic function of thought, he thought the true method of science is to cure speculative excesses by a return to pure experience devoid of all assumptions. Philosophy is the scientific effort to exclude from knowledge all ideas not included in the given. Its task is to expel all extraneous elements in the given. His uncritical use of the category of the given and the nominalistic view that logical relations are created rather than discovered by thought, leads him to banish not only animism but also all of the categories, substance, causality, etc., as inventions of the mind. Explaining the evolution and devolution of the problematization and deproblematization of numerous ideas, and aiming to give the natural history of problems, Avenarius sought to show physiologically, psychologically and historically under what conditions they emerge, are challenged and are solved. He hypothesized a System C, a bodily and central nervous system upon which consciousness depends. R-values are the stimuli received from the world of objects. E-values are the statements of experience. The brain changes that continually oscillate about an ideal point of balance are termed Vitalerhaltungsmaximum. The E-values are differentiated into elements, to which the sense-perceptions or the content of experience belong, and characters, to which belongs everything which psychology describes as feelings and attitudes. Avenarius describes in symbolic form a series of states from balance to balance, termed vital series, all describing a series of changes in System C. Inequalities in the vital balance give rise to vital differences. According to his theory there are two vital series. It assumes a series of brain changes because parallel series of conscious states can be observed. The independent vital series are physical, and the dependent vital series are psychological. The two together are practically covariants. In the case of a process as a dependent vital series three stages can be noted: first, the appearance of the problem, expressed as strain, restlessness, desire, fear, doubt, pain, repentance, delusion; the second, the continued effort and struggle to solve the problem; and finally, the appearance of the solution, characterized by abating anxiety, a feeling of triumph and enjoyment. Corresponding to these three stages of the dependent series are three stages of the independent series: the appearance of the vital difference and a departure from balance in the System C, the continuance with an approximate vital difference, and lastly, the reduction of the vital difference to zero, the return to stability. By making room for dependent and independent experiences, he showed that physics regards experience as independent of the experiencing indlvidual, and psychology views experience as dependent upon the individual. He greatly influenced Mach and James (q.v.). See Avenarius, Empirio-criticism, Experience, pure. Main works: Kritik der reinen Erfahrung; Der menschliche Weltbegriff. --H.H. Averroes: (Mohammed ibn Roshd) Known to the Scholastics as The Commentator, and mentioned as the author of il gran commento by Dante (Inf. IV. 68) he was born 1126 at Cordova (Spain), studied theology, law, medicine, mathematics, and philosophy, became after having been judge in Sevilla and Cordova, physician to the khalifah Jaqub Jusuf, and charged with writing a commentary on the works of Aristotle. Al-mansur, Jusuf's successor, deprived him of his place because of accusations of unorthodoxy. He died 1198 in Morocco. Averroes is not so much an original philosopher as the author of a minute commentary on the whole works of Aristotle. His procedure was imitated later by Aquinas. In his interpretation of Aristotelian metaphysics Averroes teaches the coeternity of a universe created ex nihilo. This doctrine formed together with the notion of a numerical unity of the active intellect became one of the controversial points in the discussions between the followers of Albert-Thomas and the Latin Averroists. Averroes assumed that man possesses only a disposition for receiving the intellect coming from without; he identifies this disposition with the possible intellect which thus is not truly intellectual by nature. The notion of one intellect common to all men does away with the doctrine of personal immortality. Another doctrine which probably was emphasized more by the Latin Averroists (and by the adversaries among Averroes' contemporaries) is the famous statement about "two-fold truth", viz. that a proposition may be theologically true and philosophically false and vice versa. Averroes taught that religion expresses the (higher) philosophical truth by means of religious imagery; the "two-truth notion" came apparently into the Latin text through a misinterpretation on the part of the translators. The works of Averroes were one of the main sources of medieval Aristotelianlsm, before and even after the original texts had been translated. The interpretation the Latin Averroists found in their texts of the "Commentator" spread in spite of opposition and condemnation. See Averroism, Latin. Averroes, Opera, Venetiis, 1553. M. Horten, Die Metaphysik des Averroes, 1912. P. Mandonnet, Siger de Brabant et l'Averroisme Latin, 2d ed., Louvain, 1911. --R.A. Averroism, Latin: The commentaries on Aristotle written by Averroes (Ibn Roshd) in the 12th century became known to the Western scholars in translations by Michael Scottus, Hermannus Alemannus, and others at the beginning of the 13th century. Many works of Aristotle were also known first by such translations from Arabian texts, though there existed translations from the Greek originals at the same time (Grabmann). The Averroistic interpretation of Aristotle was held to be the true one by many; but already Albert the Great pointed out several notions which he felt to be incompatible with the principles of Christian philosophy, although he relied for the rest on the "Commentator" and apparently hardly used any other text. Aquinas, basing his studies mostly on a translation from the Greek texts, procured for him by William of Moerbecke, criticized the Averroistic interpretation in many points. But the teachings of the Commentator became the foundation for a whole school of philosophers, represented first by the Faculty of Arts at Paris. The most prominent of these scholars was Siger of Brabant. The philosophy of these men was condemned on March 7th, 1277 by Stephen Tempier, Bishop of Paris, after a first condemnation of Aristotelianism in 1210 had gradually come to be neglected. The 219 theses condemned in 1277, however, contain also some of Aquinas which later were generally recognized an orthodox. The Averroistic propositions which aroused the criticism of the ecclesiastic authorities and which had been opposed with great energy by Albert and Thomas refer mostly to the following points: The co-eternity of the created word; the numerical identity of the intellect in all men, the so-called two-fold-truth theory stating that a proposition may be philosophically true although theologically false. Regarding the first point Thomas argued that there is no philosophical proof, either for the co-eternity or against it; creation is an article of faith. The unity of intellect was rejected as incompatible with the true notion of person and with personal immortality. It is doubtful whether Averroes himself held the two-truths theory; it was, however, taught by the Latin Averroists who, notwithstanding the opposition of the Church and the Thomistic philosophers, gained a great influence and soon dominated many universities, especially in Italy. Thomas and his followers were convinced that they interpreted Aristotle correctly and that the Averroists were wrong; one has, however, to admit that certain passages in Aristotle allow for the Averroistic interpretation, especially in regard to the theory of intellect. Lit.: P. Mandonnet, Siger de Brabant et l'Averroisme Latin au XIIIe Siecle, 2d. ed. Louvain, 1911; M. Grabmann, Forschungen über die lateinischen Aristotelesübersetzungen des XIII. Jahrhunderts, Münster 1916 (Beitr. z. Gesch. Phil. d. MA. Vol. 17, H. 5-6). --R.A. Avesta: See Zendavesta. Avicehron: (or Avencebrol, Salomon ibn Gabirol) The first Jewish philosopher in Spain, born in Malaga 1020, died about 1070, poet, philosopher, and moralist. His main work, Fons vitae, became influential and was much quoted by the Scholastics. It has been preserved only in the Latin translation by Gundissalinus. His doctrine of a spiritual substance individualizing also the pure spirits or separate forms was opposed by Aquinas already in his first treatise De ente, but found favor with the medieval Augustinians also later in the 13th century. He also teaches the necessity of a mediator between God and the created world; such a mediator he finds in the Divine Will proceeding from God and creating, conserving, and moving the world. His cosmogony shows a definitely Neo-Platonic shade and assumes a series of emanations. Cl. Baeumker, Avencebrolis Fons vitae. Beitr. z. Gesch. d. Philos. d. MA. 1892-1895, Vol. I. Joh. Wittman, Die Stellung des hl. Thomas von Aquino zu Avencebrol, ibid. 1900. Vol. III. --R.A. Avicenna: (Abu Ali al Hosain ibn Abdallah ibn Sina) Born 980 in the country of Bocchara, began to write in young years, left more than 100 works, taught in Ispahan, was physician to several Persian princes, and died at Hamadan in 1037. His fame as physician survived his influence as philosopher in the Occident. His medical works were printed still in the 17th century. His philosophy is contained in 18 vols. of a comprehensive encyclopedia, following the tradition of Al Kindi and Al Farabi. Logic, Physics, Mathematics and Metaphysics form the parts of this work. His philosophy is Aristotelian with noticeable Neo-Platonic influences. His doctrine of the universal existing ante res in God, in rebus as the universal nature of the particulars, and post res in the human mind by way of abstraction became a fundamental thesis of medieval Aristotelianism. He sharply distinguished between the logical and the ontological universal, denying to the latter the true nature of form in the composite. The principle of individuation is matter, eternally existent. Latin translations attributed to Avicenna the notion that existence is an accident to essence (see e.g. Guilelmus Parisiensis, De Universo). The process adopted by Avicenna was one of paraphrasis of the Aristotelian texts with many original thoughts interspersed. His works were translated into Latin by Dominicus Gundissalinus (Gondisalvi) with the assistance of Avendeath ibn Daud. This translation started, when it became more generally known, the "revival of Aristotle" at the end of the 12th and the beginning of the 13th century. Albert the Great and Aquinas professed, notwithstanding their critical attitude, a great admiration for Avicenna whom the Arabs used to call the "third Aristotle". But in the Orient, Avicenna's influence declined soon, overcome by the opposition of the orthodox theologians. Avicenna, Opera, Venetiis, 1495; l508; 1546. M. Horten, Das Buch der Genesung der Seele, eine philosophische Enzyklopaedie Avicenna's; XIII. Teil: Die Metaphysik. Halle a. S. 1907-1909. R. de Vaux, Notes et textes sur l'Avicennisme Latin, Bibl. Thomiste XX, Paris, 1934. --R.A. Avidya: (Skr.) Nescience; ignorance; the state of mind unaware of true reality; an equivalent of maya (q.v.); also a condition of pure awareness prior to the universal process of evolution through gradual differentiation into the elements and factors of knowledge. --K.F.L. Avyakta: (Skr.) "Unmanifest", descriptive of or standing for brahman (q.v.) in one of its or "his" aspects, symbolizing the superabundance of the creative principle, or designating the condition of the universe not yet become phenomenal (aja, unborn). --K.F.L. Awareness: Consciousness considered in its aspect of act; an act of attentive awareness such as the sensing of a color patch or the feeling of pain is distinguished from the content attended to, the sensed color patch, the felt pain. The psychologlcal theory of intentional act was advanced by F. Brentano (Psychologie vom empirischen Standpunkte) and received its epistemological development by Meinong, Husserl, Moore, Laird and Broad. See Intentionalism. --L.W. Axiological: (Ger. axiologisch) In Husserl: Of or pertaining to value or theory of value (the latter term understood as including disvalue and value-indifference). --D.C. Axiological ethics: Any ethics which makes the theory of obligation entirely dependent on the theory of value, by making the determination of the rightness of an action wholly dependent on a consideration of the value or goodness of something, e.g. the action itself, its motive, or its consequences, actual or probable. Opposed to deontological ethics. See also teleological ethics. --W.K.F. Axiologic Realism: In metaphysics, theory that value as well as logic, qualities as well as relations, have their being and exist external to the mind and independently of it. Applicable to the philosophy of many though not all realists in the history of philosophy, from Plato to G. E. Moore, A. N. Whitehead, and N, Hartmann. --J.K.F. Axiology: (Gr. axios, of like value, worthy, and logos, account, reason, theory). Modern term for theory of value (the desired, preferred, good), investigation of its nature, criteria, and metaphysical status. Had its rise in Plato's theory of Forms or Ideas (Idea of the Good); was developed in Aristotle's Organon, Ethics, Poetics, and Metaphysics (Book Lambda). Stoics and Epicureans investigated the summum bonum. Christian philosophy (St. Thomas) built on Aristotle's identification of highest value with final cause in God as "a living being, eternal, most good." In modern thought, apart from scholasticism and the system of Spinoza (Ethica, 1677), in which values are metaphysically grounded, the various values were investigated in separate sciences, until Kant's Critiques, in which the relations of knowledge to moral, aesthetic, and religious values were examined. In Hegel's idealism, morality, art, religion, and philosophy were made the capstone of his dialectic. R. H. Lotze "sought in that which should be the ground of that which is" (Metaphysik, 1879). Nineteenth century evolutionary theory, anthropology, sociology, psychology, and economics subjected value experience to empirical analysis, and stress was again laid on the diversity and relativity of value phenomena rather than on their unity and metaphysical nature. F. Nietzsche's Also Sprach Zarathustra (1883-1885) and Zur Genealogie der Moral (1887) aroused new interest in the nature of value. F. Brentano, Vom Ursprung sittlicher Erkenntnis (1889), identified value with love. In the twentieth century the term axiology was apparently first applied by Paul Lapie (Logique de la volonte, 1902) and E. von Hartmann (Grundriss der Axiologie, 1908). Stimulated by Ehrenfels (System der Werttheorie, 1897), Meinong (Psychologisch-ethische Untersuchungen zur Werttheorie, 1894-1899), and Simmel (Philosophie des Geldes, 1900). W. M. Urban wrote the first systematic treatment of axiology in English (Valuation, 1909), phenomenological in method under J. M. Baldwin's influence. Meanwhile H. Münsterberg wrote a neo-Fichtean system of values (The Eternal Values, 1909). Among important recent contributions are: B. Bosanquet, The Principle of Individuality and Value (1912), a free reinterpretation of Hegelianism; W. R. Sorley, Moral Values and the Idea of God (1918, 1921), defending a metaphysical theism; S. Alexander, Space, Time, and Deity (1920), realistic and naturalistic; N. Hartmann, Ethik (1926), detailed analysis of types and laws of value; R. B. Perry's magnum opus, General Theory of Value (1926), "its meaning and basic principles construed in terms of interest"; and J. Laird, The Idea of Value (1929), noteworthy for historical exposition. A naturalistic theory has been developed by J. Dewey (Theory of Valuation, 1939), for which "not only is science itself a value . . . but it is the supreme means of the valid determination of all valuations." A. J. Ayer, Language, Truth and Logic (1936) expounds the view of logical positivism that value is "nonsense." J. Hessen, Wertphilosophie (1937), provides an account of recent German axiology from a neo-scholastic standpoint. The problems of axiology fall into four main groups, namely, those concerning (1) the nature of value, (2) the types of value, (3) the criterion of value, and (4) the metaphysical status of value. (1) The nature of value experience. Is valuation fulfillment of desire (voluntarism: Spinoza, Ehrenfels), pleasure (hedonism: Epicurus, Bentham, Meinong), interest (Perry), preference (Martineau), pure rational will (formalism: Stoics, Kant, Royce), apprehension of tertiary qualities (Santayana), synoptic experience of the unity of personality (personalism: T. H. Green, Bowne), any experience that contributes to enhanced life (evolutionism: Nietzsche), or "the relation of things as means to the end or consequence actually reached" (pragmatism, instrumentalism: Dewey). (2) The types of value. Most axiologists distinguish between intrinsic (consummatory) values (ends), prized for their own sake, and instrumental (contributory) values (means), which are causes (whether as economic goods or as natural events) of intrinsic values. Most intrinsic values are also instrumental to further value experience; some instrumental values are neutral or even disvaluable intrinsically. Commonly recognized as intrinsic values are the (morally) good, the true, the beautiful, and the holy. Values of play, of work, of association, and of bodily well-being are also acknowledged. Some (with Montague) question whether the true is properly to be regarded as a value, since some truth is disvaluable, some neutral; but love of truth, regardless of consequences, seems to establish the value of truth. There is disagreement about whether the holy (religious value) is a unique type (Schleiermacher, Otto), or an attitude toward other values (Kant, Höffding), or a combination of the two (Hocking). There is also disagreement about whether the variety of values is irreducible (pluralism) or whether all values are rationally related in a hierarchy or system (Plato, Hegel, Sorley), in which values interpenetrate or coalesce into a total experience. (3) The criterion of value. The standard for testing values is influenced by both psychological and logical theory. Hedonists find the standard in the quantity of pleasure derived by the individual (Aristippus) or society (Bentham). Intuitionists appeal to an ultimate insight into preference (Martineau, Brentano). Some idealists recognize an objective system of rational norms or ideals as criterion (Plato, Windelband), while others lay more stress on rational wholeness and coherence (Hegel, Bosanquet, Paton) or inclusiveness (T. H. Green). Naturalists find biological survival or adjustment (Dewey) to be the standard. Despite differences, there is much in common in the results of the application of these criteria. (4) The metaphysical status of value. What is the relation of values to the facts investigated by natural science (Koehler), of Sein to Sollen (Lotze, Rickert), of human experience of value to reality independent of man (Hegel, Pringle-Pattlson, Spaulding)? There are three main answers: subjectivism (value is entirely dependent on and relative to human experience of it: so most hedonists, naturalists, positivists); logical objectivism (values are logical essences or subsistences, independent of their being known, yet with no existential status or action in reality); metaphysical objectivism (values --or norms or ideals --are integral, objective, and active constituents of the metaphysically real: so theists, absolutists, and certain realists and naturalists like S. Alexander and Wieman). --E.S.B. Axiom: See Mathematics. Axiomatic method: That method of constructing a deductive system consisting of deducing by specified rules all statements of the system save a given few from those given few, which are regarded as axioms or postulates of the system. See Mathematics. --C.A.B. Ayam atma brahma: (Skr.) "This self is brahman", famous quotation from Brhadaranyaka Upanishad 2.5.19, one of many alluding to the central theme of the Upanishads, i.e., the identity of the human and divine or cosmic. --K.F.L.
aura ::: “Yet all the time the universal forces are pouring into him without his knowing it. He is aware only of thoughts, feelings, etc., that rise to the surface and these he takes for his own. Really they come from outside in mind waves, vital waves, waves of feeling and sensation, etc., which take particular form in him and rise to the surface after they have got inside. But they do not get into his body at once. He carries about with him an environmental consciousness (called by the Theosophists the Aura) into which they first enter. If you can become conscious of this environmental self of yours, then you can catch the thought, passion, suggestion or force of illness and prevent it from entering into you. If things in you are thrown out, they often do not go altogether but take refuge in this environmental atmosphere and from there they try to get in again. Or they go to a distance outside but linger on the outskirts or even perhaps far off, waiting till they get an opportunity to attempt entrance.” Letters on Yoga
auriga ::: n. --> The Charioteer, or Wagoner, a constellation in the northern hemisphere, situated between Perseus and Gemini. It contains the bright star Capella.
autonomy ::: n. --> The power or right of self-government; self-government, or political independence, of a city or a state.
The sovereignty of reason in the sphere of morals; or man&
autumn ::: the season of the year between summer and winter, lasting from the autumnal equinox to the winter solstice and from September to December in the Northern Hemisphere; fall.
avyakta parardha ::: concealed higher hemisphere.
ball ::: n. --> Any round or roundish body or mass; a sphere or globe; as, a ball of twine; a ball of snow.
A spherical body of any substance or size used to play with, as by throwing, knocking, kicking, etc.
A general name for games in which a ball is thrown, kicked, or knocked. See Baseball, and Football.
Any solid spherical, cylindrical, or conical projectile of lead or iron, to be discharged from a firearm; as, a cannon ball; a
balloon ::: n. --> A bag made of silk or other light material, and filled with hydrogen gas or heated air, so as to rise and float in the atmosphere; especially, one with a car attached for aerial navigation.
A ball or globe on the top of a pillar, church, etc., as at St. Paul&
baric ::: a. --> Of or pertaining to barium; as, baric oxide.
Of or pertaining to weight, esp. to the weight or pressure of the atmosphere as measured by the barometer.
barometer ::: n. --> An instrument for determining the weight or pressure of the atmosphere, and hence for judging of the probable changes of weather, or for ascertaining the height of any ascent.
baroscope ::: n. --> Any instrument showing the changes in the weight of the atmosphere; also, less appropriately, any instrument that indicates -or foreshadows changes of the weather, as a deep vial of liquid holding in suspension some substance which rises and falls with atmospheric changes.
bell ::: n. --> A hollow metallic vessel, usually shaped somewhat like a cup with a flaring mouth, containing a clapper or tongue, and giving forth a ringing sound on being struck.
A hollow perforated sphere of metal containing a loose ball which causes it to sound when moved.
Anything in the form of a bell, as the cup or corol of a flower.
That part of the capital of a column included between the
beyond ::: prep. --> On the further side of; in the same direction as, and further on or away than.
At a place or time not yet reached; before.
Past, out of the reach or sphere of; further than; greater than; as, the patient was beyond medical aid; beyond one&
bhuvah &
blastosphere ::: n. --> The hollow globe or sphere formed by the arrangement of the blastomeres on the periphery of an impregnated ovum.
blastocoele ::: n. --> The cavity of the blastosphere, or segmentation cavity.
blog "web" (From "web log") Any kind of diary published on the {web}, usually written by an individual (a "blogger") but also by corporate bodies. Blogging is regarded by some as an important social phenomenon as it contributes to the easy exchange of ideas among a large and growing international community ("the blogosphere"). A blog is just a special kind of {website}. The {home page} usually shows the most recent article and links to earlier articles, the owner's profile and web logs written by the owner's friends. There is usually a facility for readers to add comments to the bottom of articles. Blogs usually provide an {RSS feed} of current articles, allowing readers to subscribe by adding the feed to their favourite RSS reader. Many sites, e.g. {(http://blogger.com/)}, let you create a blog for free. Many blogs consist almost entirely of links to other web logs, some publish original content, a few are worth reading. (2013-08-15)
B. Lotze, Rudolph Hermann: (1817-1881) Empiricist in science, teleological idealist in philosophy, theist in religion, poet and artist at heart, Lotze conceded three spheres; Necessary truths, facts, and values. Mechanism holds sway in the field of natural science; it does not generate meaning but is subordinated to value and reason which evolved a specific plan for the world. Lotze's psycho-physically oriented medical psychology is an applied metaphysics in which the concept soul stands for the unity of experience. Science attempts the demonstration of a coherence in nature; being is that which is in relationship; "thing" is not a conglomeration of qualities but a unity achieved through law; mutual effect or influence is as little explicable as being: It is the monistic Absolute working upon itself. The ultimate, absolute substance, God, is the good and is personal, personality being the highest value, and the most valuable is also the most real. Lotze disclaimed the ability to know all answers: they rest with God. Unity of law, matter, force, and all aspects of being produce beauty, while aesthetic experience consists in Einfühlung. Main works: Metaphysik, 1841; Logik, 1842; Medezinische Psychologie, 1842; Gesch. der Aesthetik im Deutschland, 1868; Mikrokosmos, 3 vols., 1856-64 (Eng. tr. 1885); Logik 1874; Metaphysik, 1879 (Eng. tr. 1884). --K. F. L. Love: (in Max Scheler) Giving one's self to a "total being" (Gesamtwesen); it therefore discloses the essence of that being; for this reason love is, for Scheler, an aspect of phenomonelogical knowledge. -- P. A.
Brain: According to Aristotle, it is a cooling organ of the body. Early in the history of philosophy, it was regarded as closely connected with consciousness and with activities of the soul. Descartes contended that mind-body relations are centered in the pineal gland located between the two hemispheres of the brain. Cabanis, a sensualistic materialist, believed that the brain produces consciousness in a manner similar to that in which the liver produces the bile. Many have sought to identify it with the seat of the soul. Today consciousness is recognized to be a much more complex phenomenon controlled by the entire nervous system, rather than by any part of the brain, and influenced by the bodily metabolism in general. -- R.B.W.
sphere ::: 1. The sky considered as a vaulted roof; firmament. 2. The place or environment within which a person or thing exists; a field of activity or operation; orbit, province, realm, domain. 3. A celestial abode. 4. A field of something specified. 5. The orbit of a celestial body, such as that of a planet. Also fig. **spheres.**
sphered ::: formed like a sphere.
sphered ::: imp. & p. p. --> of Sphere
sphere ::: n. --> A body or space contained under a single surface, which in every part is equally distant from a point within called its center.
Hence, any globe or globular body, especially a celestial one, as the sun, a planet, or the earth.
The apparent surface of the heavens, which is assumed to be spherical and everywhere equally distant, in which the heavenly bodies appear to have their places, and on which the various astronomical circles, as of right ascension and declination, the equator, ecliptic,
buoyancy ::: n. --> The property of floating on the surface of a liquid, or in a fluid, as in the atmosphere; specific lightness, which is inversely as the weight compared with that of an equal volume of water.
The upward pressure exerted upon a floating body by a fluid, which is equal to the weight of the body; hence, also, the weight of a floating body, as measured by the volume of fluid displaced.
Cheerfulness; vivacity; liveliness; sprightliness; -- the
But they do not get into his body at once. He carries about with him an cn\ironmenlal consciousness (called by the Thco- sophists the Aura) into which they' first enter. If you can become conscious of this environmental self of you, then you can catch the thought, passion, suggestion, or force of illness and prevent it from entering into you. If things tn you arc thrown out, they often do not go altogether but take refuge in this environmental atmosphere and from there they try to gel in again or they go to a distance outside but linger on the outskirts or csen perhaps far off, waiting till they get an opportunity to attempt entrance.
calefactory ::: a. --> Making hot; producing or communicating heat. ::: n. --> An apartment in a monastery, warmed and used as a sitting room.
A hollow sphere of metal, filled with hot water, or a chafing dish, placed on the altar in cold weather for the priest to
callosum ::: n. --> The great band commissural fibers which unites the two cerebral hemispheres. See corpus callosum, under Carpus.
cassiopeia ::: n. --> A constellation of the northern hemisphere, situated between Cepheus and Perseus; -- so called in honor of the wife of Cepheus, a fabulous king of Ethiopia.
Cerebral Hemispheres ::: The two halves of the brain (right and left)
China. The traditional basic concepts of Chinese metaphysics are ideal. Heaven (T'ien), the spiritual and moral power of cosmic and social order, that distributes to each thing and person its alloted sphere of action, is theistically and personalistically conceived in the Shu Ching (Book of History) and the Shih Ching (Book of Poetry). It was probably also interpreted thus by Confucius and Mencius, assuredly so by Motze. Later it became identified with Fate or impersonal, immaterial cosmic power. Shang Ti (Lord on High) has remained through Chinese history a theistic concept. Tao, as cosmic principle, is an impersonal, immaterial World Ground. Mahayana Buddhism introduced into China an idealistic influence. Pure metaphysical idealism was taught by the Buddhist monk Hsuan Ch'uang. Important Buddhist and Taoist influences appear in Sung Confucianism (Ju Chia). a distinctly idealistic movement. Chou Tun I taught that matter, life and mind emerge from Wu Chi (Pure Being). Shao Yung espoused an essential objective idealism: the world is the content of an Universal Consciousness. The Brothers Ch'eng Hsao and Ch'eng I, together with Chu Hsi, distinguished two primordial principles, an active, moral, aesthetic, and rational Law (Li), and a passive ether stuff (Ch'i). Their emphasis upon Li is idealistic. Lu Chiu Yuan (Lu Hsiang Shan), their opponent, is interpreted both as a subjective idealist and as a realist with a stiong idealistic emphasis. Similarly interpreted is Wang Yang Ming of the Ming Dynasty, who stressed the splritual and moral principle (Li) behind nature and man.
chromatosphere ::: n. --> A chromosphere.
chromosphere ::: n. --> An atmosphere of rare matter, composed principally of incandescent hydrogen gas, surrounding the sun and enveloping the photosphere. Portions of the chromosphere are here and there thrown up into enormous tongues of flame.
chromospheric ::: a. --> Of or pertaining to the chromosphere.
circle ::: n. --> A plane figure, bounded by a single curve line called its circumference, every part of which is equally distant from a point within it, called the center.
The line that bounds such a figure; a circumference; a ring.
An instrument of observation, the graduated limb of which consists of an entire circle.
A round body; a sphere; an orb.
circumference ::: n. --> The line that goes round or encompasses a circular figure; a periphery.
A circle; anything circular.
The external surface of a sphere, or of any orbicular body. ::: v. t.
cittakasa. These may be transcriptions there or impresses of physical things, persons, scenes, happenings, whatever is, was or will be or may be in the ph^ical universe. These images are very variously seen and under all kinds of conditions ; in samadhi or in the waking stale, and in the latter with the bodily eyes closed or open, projected on or into a physical object or medium or seen as if materialised in the physical atmosphere or only in a psychical ether revealing itself through this grosser physical atmosphere ; seen through the physical eyes themselves as a secondary instrument and as if under the conditions of the physical vision or by the psychical vision alone and indepen- dently of the relations of our ordinary sight to space. The real agent is always the psychical sight and the power indicates that the consciousness is more or less awake, intermittently or nor- mally and more or less perfectly, in the psj’chical body. It is possible to see In this way the transcriptions or impressions of things at any distance beyond the range of the physical vision or the images of the past or the future.
claustrum ::: n. --> A thin lamina of gray matter in each cerebral hemisphere of the brain of man.
climate ::: v. i. --> One of thirty regions or zones, parallel to the equator, into which the surface of the earth from the equator to the pole was divided, according to the successive increase of the length of the midsummer day.
The condition of a place in relation to various phenomena of the atmosphere, as temperature, moisture, etc., especially as they affect animal or vegetable life.
To dwell.
climes ::: 1. Poetic: Regions or their climates; atmospheres. 2. The prevailing attitudes, standards or conditions of a group, period, or place.
cloud ::: n. --> A collection of visible vapor, or watery particles, suspended in the upper atmosphere.
A mass or volume of smoke, or flying dust, resembling vapor.
A dark vein or spot on a lighter material, as in marble; hence, a blemish or defect; as, a cloud upon one&
coccosphere ::: n. --> A small, rounded, marine organism, capable of braking up into coccoliths.
command ::: v. t. --> To order with authority; to lay injunction upon; to direct; to bid; to charge.
To exercise direct authority over; to have control of; to have at one&
compass ::: n. --> A passing round; circuit; circuitous course.
An inclosing limit; boundary; circumference; as, within the compass of an encircling wall.
An inclosed space; an area; extent.
Extent; reach; sweep; capacity; sphere; as, the compass of his eye; the compass of imagination.
Moderate bounds, limits of truth; moderation; due limits; -- used with within.
conjunction ::: 1. The state of being joined. 2. Astronomy: The position of two celestial bodies on the celestial sphere when they have the same celestial longitude, especially a configuration in which a planet or the Moon lies on a straight line from Earth to or through the Sun.
constructive solid geometry "graphics" (CSG) A method used in {solid modeling} to describe the geometry of complex three-dimensional scenes by applying {set operations} (union, difference, intersection) to {primitive} shapes (cuboids, cylinders, prisms, pyramids, spheres and cones). See also {CSG-tree}. {CSG in JavaScript (http://evanw.github.io/csg.js/)}. (2014-09-22)
contract ::: n. --> To draw together or nearer; to reduce to a less compass; to shorten, narrow, or lessen; as, to contract one&
cosmic mind ::: Sri Aurobindo: "Nevertheless, the fact of this intervention from above, the fact that behind all our original thinking or authentic perception of things there is a veiled, a half-veiled or a swift unveiled intuitive element is enough to establish a connection between mind and what is above it; it opens a passage of communication and of entry into the superior spirit-ranges. There is also the reaching out of mind to exceed the personal ego limitation, to see things in a certain impersonality and universality. Impersonality is the first character of cosmic self; universality, non-limitation by the single or limiting point of view, is the character of cosmic perception and knowledge: this tendency is therefore a widening, however rudimentary, of these restricted mind areas towards cosmicity, towards a quality which is the very character of the higher mental planes, — towards that superconscient cosmic Mind which, we have suggested, must in the nature of things be the original mind-action of which ours is only a derivative and inferior process.” *The Life Divine
"If we accept the Vedic image of the Sun of Truth, . . . we may compare the action of the Higher Mind to a composed and steady sunshine, the energy of the Illumined Mind beyond it to an outpouring of massive lightnings of flaming sun-stuff. Still beyond can be met a yet greater power of the Truth-Force, an intimate and exact Truth-vision, Truth-thought, Truth-sense, Truth-feeling, Truth-action, to which we can give in a special sense the name of Intuition; . . . At the source of this Intuition we discover a superconscient cosmic Mind in direct contact with the supramental Truth-Consciousness, an original intensity determinant of all movements below it and all mental energies, — not Mind as we know it, but an Overmind that covers as with the wide wings of some creative Oversoul this whole lower hemisphere of Knowledge-Ignorance, links it with that greater Truth-Consciousness while yet at the same time with its brilliant golden Lid it veils the face of the greater Truth from our sight, intervening with its flood of infinite possibilities as at once an obstacle and a passage in our seeking of the spiritual law of our existence, its highest aim, its secret Reality.” The Life Divine
"There is one cosmic Mind, one cosmic Life, one cosmic Body. All the attempt of man to arrive at universal sympathy, universal love and the understanding and knowledge of the inner soul of other existences is an attempt to beat thin, breach and eventually break down by the power of the enlarging mind and heart the walls of the ego and arrive nearer to a cosmic oneness.” *The Synthesis of Yoga
"[The results of the opening to the cosmic Mind:] One is aware of the cosmic Mind and the mental forces that move there and how they work on one"s mind and that of others and one is able to deal with one"s own mind with a greater knowledge and effective power. There are many other results, but this is the fundamental one.” Letters on Yoga
"The cosmic consciousness has many levels — the cosmic physical, the cosmic vital, the cosmic Mind, and above the higher planes of cosmic Mind there is the Intuition and above that the overmind and still above that the supermind where the Transcendental begins. In order to live in the Intuition plane (not merely to receive intuitions), one has to live in the cosmic consciousness because there the cosmic and individual run into each other as it were, and the mental separation between them is already broken down, so nobody can reach there who is still in the separative ego.” Letters on Yoga*
cosmosphere ::: n. --> An apparatus for showing the position of the earth, at any given time, with respect to the fixed stars. It consist of a hollow glass globe, on which are depicted the stars and constellations, and within which is a terrestrial globe.
crater ::: n. --> The basinlike opening or mouth of a volcano, through which the chief eruption comes; similarly, the mouth of a geyser, about which a cone of silica is often built up.
The pit left by the explosion of a mine.
A constellation of the southen hemisphere; -- called also the Cup.
dasymeter ::: n. --> An instrument for testing the density of gases, consisting of a thin glass globe, which is weighed in the gas or gases, and then in an atmosphere of known density.
delight ::: “… the divine Ananda, the principle of Bliss [is that] from which, in the Vedic conception, the existence of Man, this mental being, is drawn. A secret Delight is the base of existence, its sustaining atmosphere and almost its substance. This Ananda is spoken of in the Taittiriya Upanishad as the ethereal atmosphere of bliss without which nothing could remain in being. In the Aitareya Upanishad Soma, as the lunar deity, is born from the sense-mind in the universal Purusha and, when man is produced, expresses himself again as sense-mentality in the human being. For delight is the raison d’être of sensation, or, we may say, sensation is an attempt to translate the secret delight of existence into the terms of physical consciousness.” The Secret of the Veda
deliquescent ::: a. --> Dissolving; liquefying by contact with the air; capable of attracting moisture from the atmosphere and becoming liquid; as, deliquescent salts.
Branching so that the stem is lost in branches, as in most deciduous trees.
department ::: v. i. --> Act of departing; departure.
A part, portion, or subdivision.
A distinct course of life, action, study, or the like; appointed sphere or walk; province.
Subdivision of business or official duty; especially, one of the principal divisions of executive government; as, the treasury department; the war department; also, in a university, one of the divisions of instruction; as, the medical department; the
dew ::: n. --> Moisture from the atmosphere condensed by cool bodies upon their surfaces, particularly at night.
Figuratively, anything which falls lightly and in a refreshing manner.
An emblem of morning, or fresh vigor. ::: v. t.
dew-point ::: n. --> The temperature at which dew begins to form. It varies with the humidity and temperature of the atmosphere.
diameter ::: a straight line segment passing through the center of a figure, especially of a circle or sphere, and terminating at the periphery.
diameter ::: n. --> Any right line passing through the center of a figure or body, as a circle, conic section, sphere, cube, etc., and terminated by the opposite boundaries; a straight line which bisects a system of parallel chords drawn in a curve.
A diametral plane.
The length of a straight line through the center of an object from side to side; width; thickness; as, the diameter of a tree or rock.
DISCUSSIONS. ::: They usually bring on the sadhaka a stress of the opposing atmosphere and cannot be helpful to his pro- gress. Reserve is the best attitude.
disorb ::: v. t. --> To throw out of the proper orbit; to unsphere.
Divine providence is admitted by all Jewish philosophers, but its extent is a matter of dispute. The conservative thinkers, though admitting the stability of the natural order and even seeing in that order a medium of God's providence, allow greater latitude to the interference of God in the regulation of human events, or even in disturbing the natural order on occasion. In other words, they admit a frequency of miracles. The more liberal, though they do not deny the occurrence of miracles, attempt to limit it, and often rationalize the numerous miraculous events related in the Bible and bring them within the sphere of the rational order. Typical and representative is Maimonides' view of Providence. He limits its extent in the sublunar world to the human genus only on account of its possession of mind. As a result he posits a graded Providence, namely, that the one who is more intellectually perfect receives more attention or special Providence. This theory is also espoused, with certain modifications, by Ibn Daud and Gersonides. Divine providence does by no means impair human freedom, for it is rarely direct, but is exerted through a number of mediate causes, and human choice is one of the causes.
domain ::: 1. A sphere of activity, concern, or function; a field. 2. A region characterized by a specific feature, type of growth or wildlife, etc. domains.
dragon ::: n. --> A fabulous animal, generally represented as a monstrous winged serpent or lizard, with a crested head and enormous claws, and regarded as very powerful and ferocious.
A fierce, violent person, esp. a woman.
A constellation of the northern hemisphere figured as a dragon; Draco.
A luminous exhalation from marshy grounds, seeming to move through the air as a winged serpent.
drum ::: n. --> An instrument of percussion, consisting either of a hollow cylinder, over each end of which is stretched a piece of skin or vellum, to be beaten with a stick; or of a metallic hemisphere (kettledrum) with a single piece of skin to be so beaten; the common instrument for marking time in martial music; one of the pair of tympani in an orchestra, or cavalry band.
Anything resembling a drum in form
A sheet iron radiator, often in the shape of a drum, for
dumb-bell ::: n. --> A weight, consisting of two spheres or spheroids, connected by a short bar for a handle; used (often in pairs) for gymnastic exercise.
earthquake ::: n. --> A shaking, trembling, or concussion of the earth, due to subterranean causes, often accompanied by a rumbling noise. The wave of shock sometimes traverses half a hemisphere, destroying cities and many thousand lives; -- called also earthdin, earthquave, and earthshock. ::: a.
eccentric ::: a. --> Deviating or departing from the center, or from the line of a circle; as, an eccentric or elliptical orbit; pertaining to deviation from the center or from true circular motion.
Not having the same center; -- said of circles, ellipses, spheres, etc., which, though coinciding, either in whole or in part, as to area or volume, have not the same center; -- opposed to concentric.
Pertaining to an eccentric; as, the eccentric rod in a
ecliptic ::: a. --> A great circle of the celestial sphere, making an angle with the equinoctial of about 23¡ 28&
element ::: 1. A component or constituent of a whole. 2. One of the substances, usually earth, water, air, and fire, formerly regarded as constituting the material universe. 3. A natural habitat, sphere of activity, environment, etc. elements.
ellipticity ::: n. --> Deviation of an ellipse or a spheroid from the form of a circle or a sphere; especially, in reference to the figure of the earth, the difference between the equatorial and polar semidiameters, divided by the equatorial; thus, the ellipticity of the earth is /.
ensphere ::: v. t. --> To place in a sphere; to envelop.
To form into a sphere.
ensphering ::: enclosing in, or as in, a sphere; encircling.
Environmental consciousness ::: Each man has his own personal consciousness entrenched in his body and gets into touch with his surroundings only through his body and senses and the mind using the senses. Yet all the time the universal forces are pouring into him without his knowing it. He is aware only of thoughts, feelings, etc., that rise to the surface and these he takes for his own. Really they come from in mind waves, vital waves, waves of feeling and sensation, etc., which take particular form in him and rise to the surface after they have got inside. But they do not get into his body at once. He carries about with him an environmental consciousness (called by the Theosophists the Aura) into which they first enter. If you can become conscious of this environmental self of yours, then you can catch the thought, passion, suggestion or force of illness and prevent it from entering into you. If things in you are thrown out, they often do not go altogether but
refuge in this environmental atmosphere and from there they try to get in again.
Ref: SABCL Vol. 22-23-24, Page: 313-4
Environmental consciousness ::: The extension of ourselves into the general or universal Nature ; surrounding atmosphere which we carry about with us and by which we communicate with the universal forces.
equator ::: n. --> The imaginary great circle on the earth&
ether ::: 1. The regions of space beyond the earth"s atmosphere; the heavens. 2. The element believed in ancient and medieval civilizations to fill all space above the sphere of the moon and to compose the stars and planets. 3. A hypothetical medium formerly believed to permeate all space, and through which light and other electromagnetic radiation were thought to move. ether"s.
ethereal ::: 1. Of the celestial spheres; heavenly. 2. Characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; as impalpable or intangible as air. 3. Characterized by unusual lightness and delicacy 4. Of heaven or the spirit. ethereal-tressed.
ethereal ::: a. --> Pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere; celestial; as, ethereal space; ethereal regions.
Consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy, as form, manner, thought, etc.
Pertaining to, derived from, or resembling, ether; as, ethereal salts.
Existence: (Ger. Dasein, Existenz) In Husserl's writings the terms Dasein and Existenz are not given different senses nor restricted to the sphere of personal being, except with explicit reference to other writers who use them so. In Husserl's usage, "existence" means being (q.v.) of any kind or, more restrictedly, individual being. -- D.C.
expand ::: v. t. --> To lay open by extending; to open wide; to spread out; to diffuse; as, a flower expands its leaves.
To cause the particles or parts of to spread themselves or stand apart, thus increasing bulk without addition of substance; to make to occupy more space; to dilate; to distend; to extend every way; to enlarge; -- opposed to contract; as, to expand the chest; heat expands all bodies; to expand the sphere of benevolence.
To state in enlarged form; to develop; as, to expand an
extend ::: v. t. --> To stretch out; to prolong in space; to carry forward or continue in length; as, to extend a line in surveying; to extend a cord across the street.
To enlarge, as a surface or volume; to expand; to spread; to amplify; as, to extend metal plates by hammering or rolling them.
To enlarge; to widen; to carry out further; as, to extend the capacities, the sphere of usefulness, or commerce; to extend
extensive ::: a. --> Having wide extent; of much superficial extent; expanded; large; broad; wide; comprehensive; as, an extensive farm; an extensive lake; an extensive sphere of operations; extensive benevolence; extensive greatness.
Capable of being extended.
exterior ::: a. --> External; outward; pertaining to that which is external; -- opposed to interior; as, the exterior part of a sphere.
External; on the outside; without the limits of; extrinsic; as, an object exterior to a man, opposed to what is within, or in his mind.
Relating to foreign nations; foreign; as, the exterior relations of a state or kingdom.
faculae ::: n. pl. --> Groups of small shining spots on the surface of the sun which are brighter than the other parts of the photosphere. They are generally seen in the neighborhood of the dark spots, and are supposed to be elevated portions of the photosphere.
field ::: 1. A wide unbroken expanse, as of ice. 2. An area or sphere of activity. 3. A broad, level, open expanse of land; a stretch of open land, esp. one used for pasture or tillage; a plain. 4. The surface on which something is portrayed or enacted. An area of human activity or interest. 5. A piece of ground devoted to sports or contests; playing field. 6. A region of space characterized by a physical property, such as gravitational or electromagnetic force or fluid pressure. fields, field-paths, star-field, time-field, play-fields, race-fields.
firmament ::: v. & a. --> Fixed foundation; established basis.
The region of the air; the sky or heavens.
The orb of the fixed stars; the most rmote of the celestial spheres.
First Heaven: The outermost sphere in the Aristotelian cosmology, the sphere of the fixed stars. -- G.R.M.
flatland ::: 1. When the interior quadrants (the Left-Hand path) are reduced to the exterior quadrants (the Right-Hand path). For example, scientific materialism. The dissociation of the value spheres Art, Morals, and Science, followed by the colonization of Art and Morals by Science. The “bad news” of Modernity. See gross reductionism and subtle reductionism. 2. Using any one level as the only level in existence.
foggy ::: superl. --> Filled or abounding with fog, or watery exhalations; misty; as, a foggy atmosphere; a foggy morning.
Beclouded; dull; obscure; as, foggy ideas.
fog ::: n. --> A second growth of grass; aftergrass.
Dead or decaying grass remaining on land through the winter; -- called also foggage.
Watery vapor condensed in the lower part of the atmosphere and disturbing its transparency. It differs from cloud only in being near the ground, and from mist in not approaching so nearly to fine rain. See Cloud.
A state of mental confusion.
FOOD. ::: The importance of sativic food from the spiritual point of view has been exaggerated. Spiritually, the effect of food depends more on the occult stmosphere and influences that come with it than on anything in the food itself. ■
freethinker ::: n. --> One who speculates or forms opinions independently of the authority of others; esp., in the sphere or religion, one who forms opinions independently of the authority of revelation or of the church; an unbeliever; -- a term assumed by deists and skeptics in the eighteenth century.
gastrula ::: n. --> An embryonic form having its origin in the invagination or pushing in of the wall of the planula or blastula (the blastosphere) on one side, thus giving rise to a double-walled sac, with one opening or mouth (the blastopore) which leads into the cavity (the archenteron) lined by the inner wall (the hypoblast). See Illust. under Invagination. In a more general sense, an ideal stage in embryonic development. See Gastraea.
globe ::: n. --> A round or spherical body, solid or hollow; a body whose surface is in every part equidistant from the center; a ball; a sphere.
Anything which is nearly spherical or globular in shape; as, the globe of the eye; the globe of a lamp.
The earth; the terraqueous ball; -- usually preceded by the definite article.
A round model of the world; a spherical representation of the earth or heavens; as, a terrestrial or celestial globe; -- called
globular ::: a. --> Globe-shaped; having the form of a ball or sphere; spherical, or nearly so; as, globular atoms.
Gnosis: (Gr. knowledge) Originally a generic term for knowledge, in the first and second centuries A.D. it came to mean an esoteric knowledge of higher religious and philosophic truths to be acquired by an elite group of intellectually developed believers. Philo Judaeus (30 B.C. to 50 A.D.) is a fore-runner of Jewish Gnosticism; the allegorical interpretation of the Old Testament, use of Greek philosophical concepts, particularly the Logos doctrine, in Biblical exegesis, and a semi-mystical number theory characterize his form of gnosis. Christian gnostics (Cerinthus, Menander, Saturninus, Valentine, Basilides, Ptolemaeus, and possibly Marcion) maintained that only those men who cultivated their spiritual powers were truly immortal, and they adopted the complicated teaching of a sphere of psychic intermediaries (aeons) between God and earthly things. There was also a pagan gnosis begun before Christ as a reformation of Greek and Roman religion. Philosophically, the only thing common to all types of gnosis is the effort to transcend rational, logical thought processes by means of intuition.
hairy ball "topology" A result in {topology} stating that a continuous {vector field} on a sphere is always zero somewhere. The name comes from the fact that you can't flatten all the hair on a hairy ball, like a tennis ball, there will always be a tuft somewhere (where the tangential projection of the hair is zero). An immediate corollary to this theorem is that for any {continuous map} f of the sphere into itself there is a point x such that f(x)=x or f(x) is the {antipode} of x. Another corollary is that at any moment somewhere on the Earth there is no wind. (2002-01-07)
halo ::: n. --> A luminous circle, usually prismatically colored, round the sun or moon, and supposed to be caused by the refraction of light through crystals of ice in the atmosphere. Connected with halos there are often white bands, crosses, or arches, resulting from the same atmospheric conditions.
A circle of light; especially, the bright ring represented in painting as surrounding the heads of saints and other holy persons; a glory; a nimbus.
haze ::: 1. An aggregation in the atmosphere of very fine, widely dispersed, solid or liquid particles, or both, giving the air an opalescent appearance that subdues colours. 2. Reduced visibility in the air as a result of condensed water vapour, dust, etc., in the atmosphere. 3. Vagueness of obscurity, as of the mind or perception; confused or vague thoughts, feelings, etc.
helium ::: n. --> A gaseous element found in the atmospheres of the sun and earth and in some rare minerals.
hemisphere ::: 1. Half of the terrestrial globe or celestial sphere. 2. The area within which something occurs or dominates; sphere; realm. hemispheres.
hemisphere ::: n. --> A half sphere; one half of a sphere or globe, when divided by a plane passing through its center.
Half of the terrestrial globe, or a projection of the same in a map or picture.
The people who inhabit a hemisphere.
hemispherical ::: a. --> Containing, or pertaining to, a hemisphere; as, a hemispheric figure or form; a hemispherical body.
hemispheroidal ::: a. --> Resembling, or approximating to, a hemisphere in form.
hercules ::: n. --> A hero, fabled to have been the son of Jupiter and Alcmena, and celebrated for great strength, esp. for the accomplishment of his twelve great tasks or "labors."
A constellation in the northern hemisphere, near Lyra.
high-pressure ::: a. --> Having or involving a pressure greatly exceeding that of the atmosphere; -- said of steam, air, water, etc., and of steam, air, or hydraulic engines, water wheels, etc.
Fig.: Urgent; intense; as, a high-pressure business or social life.
hollow ::: a. --> Having an empty space or cavity, natural or artificial, within a solid substance; not solid; excavated in the interior; as, a hollow tree; a hollow sphere.
Depressed; concave; gaunt; sunken.
Reverberated from a cavity, or resembling such a sound; deep; muffled; as, a hollow roar.
Not sincere or faithful; false; deceitful; not sound; as, a hollow heart; a hollow friend.
horoscope ::: n. --> The representation made of the aspect of the heavens at the moment of a person&
horse-chestnut ::: n. --> The large nutlike seed of a species of Aesculus (Ae. Hippocastanum), formerly ground, and fed to horses, whence the name.
The tree itself, which was brought from Constantinople in the beginning of the sixteenth century, and is now common in the temperate zones of both hemispheres. The native American species are called buckeyes.
hospitalism ::: n. --> A vitiated condition of the body, due to long confinement in a hospital, or the morbid condition of the atmosphere of a hospital.
humid ::: a. --> Containing sensible moisture; damp; moist; as, a humidair or atmosphere; somewhat wet or watery; as, humid earth; consisting of water or vapor.
humidity ::: n. --> Moisture; dampness; a moderate degree of wetness, which is perceptible to the eye or touch; -- used especially of the atmosphere, or of anything which has absorbed moisture from the atmosphere, as clothing.
hyaline ::: a. --> Glassy; resembling glass; consisting of glass; transparent, like crystal. ::: n. --> A poetic term for the sea or the atmosphere.
The pellucid substance, present in cells in process of development, from which, according to some embryologists, the cell
hydrometeor ::: n. --> A meteor or atmospheric phenomenon dependent upon the vapor of water; -- in the pl., a general term for the whole aqueous phenomena of the atmosphere, as rain, snow, hail, etc.
hydrometeorology ::: n. --> That branch of meteorology which relates to, or treats of, water in the atmosphere, or its phenomena, as rain, clouds, snow, hail, storms, etc.
hydrus ::: n. --> A constellation of the southern hemisphere, near the south pole.
hygrograph ::: n. --> An instrument for recording automatically the variations of the humidity of the atmosphere.
hygrometer ::: n. --> An instrument for measuring the degree of moisture of the atmosphere.
hygrometry ::: n. --> That branch of physics which relates to the determination of the humidity of bodies, particularly of the atmosphere, with the theory and use of the instruments constructed for this purpose.
hygroscope ::: n. --> An instrument which shows whether there is more or less moisture in the atmosphere, without indicating its amount.
hygroscopic ::: a. --> Of or pertaining to, or indicated by, the hygroscope; not readily manifest to the senses, but capable of detection by the hygroscope; as, glass is often covered with a film of hygroscopic moisture.
Having the property of readily inbibing moisture from the atmosphere, or of the becoming coated with a thin film of moisture, as glass, etc.
hyperborean ::: a. --> Of or pertaining to the region beyond the North wind, or to its inhabitants.
Northern; belonging to, or inhabiting, a region in very far north; most northern; hence, very cold; fright, as, a hyperborean coast or atmosphere. ::: n.
hyperorganic ::: a. --> Higher than, or beyond the sphere of, the organic.
(I) An actual contact with the soul of a human being in its subtle body and transcribed to our mind by the appearance of an image or the hearing of a voice. (2) A mental formation stamped by the thoughts and fccBngs of a departed human being on the atmosphere of a pbee or locality, wandering about there or repeating itself, till that formation either exhausts itself or is dissolved by one means or another- This is the explanation of such phenomena as the haunted house in which the scenes attend- ing or surrounding or preceding a murder are repeated over and over again and many other similar phenomena. (3) A being
IBM 2741 "printer" A slow, letter-quality printing device and {terminal} based on the {IBM Selectric} {typewriter}. The print head was a little sphere resembling a golf ball, bearing reversed embossed images of 88 different characters arranged on four parallels of latitude; one could change the font by changing the golf ball. The device communicated at 134.5 bits per second, {half duplex}. When the computer transmitted, it physically locked the keyboard. This was the technology that enabled {APL} to use a non-{EBCDIC}, non-{ASCII}, and in fact completely non-standard {character set}. This put it 10 years ahead of its time - where it stayed, firmly rooted, for the next 20, until {character displays} gave way to programmable {bit-mapped} devices with the flexibility to support other character sets. (2006-08-04)
If wc Jive only in the outward physical consciousness, we do not usually know that we are going to be ill until the symptoms of the malady declare themselves in the body. But if we develop the inward physical consciousness, we become aware of a subtle environmental physical atmosphere and can feel the forces of illness coming towards us through it, feel them even at a distance, and, if we have learnt how to do it, we can stop them by the will or otherwise. We sense too around us a vital physical or nervous envelope which radiates from the body and protects it, and we can feel the adverse forces trying to break through it and can interfere, stop them or reinforce the nervous envelope.
“If we accept the Vedic image of the Sun of Truth, . . . we may compare the action of the Higher Mind to a composed and steady sunshine, the energy of the Illumined Mind beyond it to an outpouring of massive lightnings of flaming sun-stuff. Still beyond can be met a yet greater power of the Truth-Force, an intimate and exact Truth-vision, Truth-thought, Truth-sense, Truth-feeling, Truth-action, to which we can give in a special sense the name of Intuition; . . . At the source of this Intuition we discover a superconscient cosmic Mind in direct contact with the supramental Truth-Consciousness, an original intensity determinant of all movements below it and all mental energies,—not Mind as we know it, but an Overmind that covers as with the wide wings of some creative Oversoul this whole lower hemisphere of Knowledge-Ignorance, links it with that greater Truth-Consciousness while yet at the same time with its brilliant golden Lid it veils the face of the greater Truth from our sight, intervening with its flood of infinite possibilities as at once an obstacle and a passage in our seeking of the spiritual law of our existence, its highest aim, its secret Reality.” The Life Divine
Inactivity is an atmosphere in which sex easily rises.
insphered ::: imp. & p. p. --> of Insphere
insphere ::: v. t. --> To place in, or as in, an orb a sphere. Cf. Ensphere.
inglobate ::: a. --> In the form of a globe or sphere; -- applied to nebulous matter collected into a sphere by the force of gravitation.
In harmony with Kant's major concern in his other Critiques, -- namely the establishment of lawfulness in each respective sphere (of scientific knowledge, of moral action, and of artistic and religious hopefulness) -- Kant's primary aim in ethics is the unification or synthesis of the field of action. Since, however, action is ever changing and since eternally new and creative possibilities of action are constantly coming into view, Kant saw that lawfulness in the ethical sphere could not be of either a static or predetermined nature.
insphering ::: p. pr. & vb. n. --> of Insphere
intension ::: n. --> A straining, stretching, or bending; the state of being strained; as, the intension of a musical string.
Increase of power or energy of any quality or thing; intenseness; fervency.
The collective attributes, qualities, or marks that make up a complex general notion; the comprehension, content, or connotation; -- opposed to extension, extent, or sphere.
In the field of the philosophy of religion, Platonism becomes obscure. There is little doubt that Plato paid only lip-service to the anthropomorphic polytheism of Athenian religion. Many of the attributes of the Idea of the Good are those of an eternal God. The Republic (Book II) pictures the Supreme Being as perfect, unchangeable and the author of truth. Similar rationalizations are found throughout the Laws. Another current of religious thought is to be found m the Timaeus, Politicus and Sophist. The story of the making of the universe and man by the Demiurgus is mythic and yet it is in many points a logical development of his theory of Ideas. The World-Maker does not create things from nothing, he fashions the world out of a pre-existing chaos of matter by introducing patterns taken from the sphere of Forms. This process of formation is also explained, in the Timaeus (54 ff), in terms of various mathematical figures. In an early period of the universe, God (Chronos) exercised a sort of Providential care over things in this world (Politicus, 269-275), but eventually man was left to his own devices. The tale of Er, at the end of the Republic, describes a judgment of souls after death, their separation into the good and the bad, and the assignment of various rewards and punishments. H. Stephanus et J. Serranus (ed.), Platonis Opera (Paris, 1578), has provided the standard pagination, now used in referring to the text of Plato, it is not a critical edition. J. Burnet (ed.), Platonis Opera, 5 vol. (Oxford, 1899-1907). Platon, Oeuvres completes, texte et trad., Collect. G. Bude (Paris, 1920 ff.). The Dialogues of Plato, transl. B. Jowett, 3rd ed. (Oxford, 1920). W. Pater, Plato and Platonism (London, 1909). A. E. Taylor, Plato, the Man and his Work (N. Y., 1927). P. Shorey, What Plato Said (Chicago, 1933). A. Dies, Autour de Platon, 2 vol. (Paris, 1927). U. von Wilamowitz-Moellendorf, Platon, 2 vol. (Berlin, 1919). John Burnet, Platonism (Berkeley, 1928). Paul Elmer More, Platonism (Oxford, 1931). Constantm Ritter, Essence of Plato's Philosophy (London, 1933). Leon Robin, Platon (Paris, 1935). Paul Shorey, Platonism, Ancient and Modern (Berkeley, 1938). A. E. Taylor, Platontsm and Its Influence (London, 1924). F. J. E. Woodbridge, The Son of Apollo (Boston, 1929). C. Bigg, The Christian Platomsts of Alexandria (Oxford, 1913). T. Whittaker, The Neo-Platonists (Cambridge, 1918, 2nd ed ). John H. Muirhead, The Platonic Tradition in Angle-Saxon Philosophy (New York, 1931). F. J. Powicke, The Cambridge Platonists (Boston, 1927). -- V.J.B.
Jhumur: “The Book of bliss is really the ultimate Satchitananda, the everlasting day when one has moved out of all contact with the unconscious and lives no longer in between sunlight and darkness but wholly in the light, wholly in the Divine. There was once a question that somebody asked Mother when She used to take our classes. She (the person) said that in our world there is a change from lesser to greater if one tries to progress. It is a constant change. When one enters the higher plane, the upper hemisphere as you call it, will there be no change, will it always be the same? Mother said,”No, it is not that. One perfection can then be manifested later in another kind of perfection.” There is a variety of different laws of perfection, hence the myriad volumes of the Book of Bliss. Delight has so many modes of expression, perfection or delight, they are all the same and there is not just one way of manifesting the Divine. There are infinite modes of expression of that delight.”
karmadeha (karmadeha; karma deha) ::: karma-body; a kind of subtle vital-physical atmosphere surrounding the body and containing saṁskaras due to one"s past karma.
king ::: 1. A male sovereign. 2. One that is supreme or preeminent in a particular group, category, or sphere. 3. Fig. One who or that which is preeminent in a particular category or group or field. king"s, kings, Kings, king-children, king-sages.
kingdom ::: 1. A territory, state, people, or community ruled or reigned over by a king or queen. 2. Fig. The eternal spiritual sovereignty of God; the realm of this sovereignty. 3. A realm or sphere in which one thing is dominant or supreme. 4. Anything conceived as constituting a realm or sphere of independent action or control. 5. A realm or province of nature, especially one of the three broad divisions of natural objects: the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms. 6. Rarely, in reference to the realm and rule of evil forces. kingdom"s, kingdoms.
kingdom ::: n. --> The rank, quality, state, or attributes of a king; royal authority; sovereign power; rule; dominion; monarchy.
The territory or country subject to a king or queen; the dominion of a monarch; the sphere in which one is king or has control.
An extensive scientific division distinguished by leading or ruling characteristics; a principal division; a department; as, the mineral kingdom.
lemming ::: n. --> Any one of several species of small arctic rodents of the genera Myodes and Cuniculus, resembling the meadow mice in form. They are found in both hemispheres.
leucosphere ::: n. --> The inner corona.
level ::: n. --> A line or surface to which, at every point, a vertical or plumb line is perpendicular; a line or surface which is everywhere parallel to the surface of still water; -- this is the true level, and is a curve or surface in which all points are equally distant from the center of the earth, or rather would be so if the earth were an exact sphere.
A horizontal line or plane; that is, a straight line or a plane which is tangent to a true level at a given point and hence
lift ::: n. --> The sky; the atmosphere; the firmament.
Act of lifting; also, that which is lifted.
The space or distance through which anything is lifted; as, a long lift.
Help; assistance, as by lifting; as, to give one a lift in a wagon.
That by means of which a person or thing lifts or is lifted
A hoisting machine; an elevator; a dumb waiter.
lightning ::: n. --> A discharge of atmospheric electricity, accompanied by a vivid flash of light, commonly from one cloud to another, sometimes from a cloud to the earth. The sound produced by the electricity in passing rapidly through the atmosphere constitutes thunder.
The act of making bright, or the state of being made bright; enlightenment; brightening, as of the mental powers. ::: vb. n. html{color:
looming ::: p. pr. & vb. n. --> of Loom ::: n. --> The indistinct and magnified appearance of objects seen in particular states of the atmosphere. See Mirage.
magnate ::: --> A person of rank; a noble or grandee; a person of influence or distinction in any sphere.
One of the nobility, or certain high officers of state belonging to the noble estate in the national representation of Hungary, and formerly of Poland.
maharloka ::: the world (loka) of vastness (mahas); the plane whose basis is vijñana or supermind, which links saccidananda in the higher hemisphere of existence (parardha) with the mental, vital and physical principles in the lower hemisphere (aparardha) and makes it possible "to realise the one Existence, Consciousness, Delight in the mould of the mind, life and body".
Man alive, your proposed emendations are an admirable exposition of the art of bringing a line down the steps till my poor "slow miraculous” above-mind line meant to give or begin the concrete portrayal of an act of some hidden Godhead finally becomes a mere metaphor thrown out from its more facile mint by a brilliantly imaginative poetic intelligence. First of all, you shift my "dimly” out of the way and transfer it to something to which it does not inwardly belongs make it an epithet of the gesture or an adverb qualifying its epithet instead of something that qualifies the atmosphere in which the act of the Godhead takes place. That is a preliminary havoc which destroys what is very important to the action, its atmosphere. I never intended the gesture to be dim, it is a luminous gesture, but forcing its way through the black quietude it comes dimly. Then again the bald phrase "a gesture came” without anything to psychicise it becomes simply something that "happened”, "came” being a poetic equivalent for "happened”, instead of the expression of the slow coming of the gesture. The words "slow” and "dimly” assure this sense of motion and this concreteness to the word"s sense here. Remove one or both whether entirely or elsewhere and you ruin the vision and change altogether its character. That is at least what happens wholly in your penultimate version and as for the last its "came” gets another meaning and one feels that somebody very slowly decided to let out the gesture from himself and it was quite a miracle that it came out at all! "Dimly miraculous” means what precisely or what "miraculously dim” — it was miraculous that it managed to be so dim or there was something vaguely miraculous about it after all? No doubt they try to mean something else — but these interpretations come in their way and trip them over. The only thing that can stand is the first version which is no doubt fine poetry, but the trouble is that it does not give the effect I wanted to give, the effect which is necessary for the dawn"s inner significance. Moreover, what becomes of the slow lingering rhythm of my line which is absolutely indispensable? Letters on Savitri
Man alive, your proposed emendations are an admirable exposition of the art of bringing a line down the steps till my poor”slow miraculous” above-mind line meant to give or begin the concrete portrayal of an act of some hidden Godhead finally becomes a mere metaphor thrown out from its more facile mint by a brilliantly imaginative poetic intelligence. First of all, you shift my”dimly” out of the way and transfer it to something to which it does not inwardly belongs make it an epithet of the gesture or an adverb qualifying its epithet instead of something that qualifies the atmosphere in which the act of the Godhead takes place. That is a preliminary havoc which destroys what is very important to the action, its atmosphere. I never intended the gesture to be dim, it is a luminous gesture, but forcing its way through the black quietude it comes dimly. Then again the bald phrase”a gesture came” without anything to psychicise it becomes simply something that”happened”,”came” being a poetic equivalent for”happened”, instead of the expression of the slow coming of the gesture. The words”slow” and”dimly” assure this sense of motion and this concreteness to the word’s sense here. Remove one or both whether entirely or elsewhere and you ruin the vision and change altogether its character. That is at least what happens wholly in your penultimate version and as for the last its”came” gets another meaning and one feels that somebody very slowly decided to let out the gesture from himself and it was quite a miracle that it came out at all!”Dimly miraculous” means what precisely or what”miraculously dim”—it was miraculous that it managed to be so dim or there was something vaguely miraculous about it after all? No doubt they try to mean something else—but these interpretations come in their way and trip them over. The only thing that can stand is the first version which is no doubt fine poetry, but the trouble is that it does not give the effect I wanted to give, the effect which is necessary for the dawn’s inner significance. Moreover, what becomes of the slow lingering rhythm of my line which is absolutely indispensable? Letters on Savitri
manas ::: mind, the psychological principle or degree of consciousness that is the basis of the mental world (manoloka or svar), the highest plane of the triloka and the summit of the aparardha or lower hemisphere of existence; in its essence, "a consciousness which measures, limits, cuts out forms of things from the indivisible whole and contains them as if each were a separate integer"; the sensational mind, "the original sense [indriya] which perceives all objects and reacts upon them", capable not only of "a translation into sense of so much of the outer impacts as it receives through the nervous system and the physical organs", but also of "a subtle sight, hearing, power of contact of its own which is not dependent on the physical organs"; the principle that governs the realm of svarga, the lower plane of svar; (on page 1281) the name of a particular svarga.
mantra ::: a mystic formula, "a word of power born out of the secret depths of our being where it has been brooded upon by a deeper consciousness than the mental", which can not only "reveal knowledge and faculties we did not before possess", but in some cases "produce vibrations in the mental and vital atmosphere which result in effects . . . on the physical plane".
Mantra ::: In fact, speech is creative. It creates forms of emotion, mental images and impulses of action. The ancient Vedic theory and practice extended this creative action of speech by the use of the Mantra. The theory of the Mantra is that it is a word of power born out of the secret depths of our being where it has been brooded upon by a deeper consciousness than the mental, framed in the heart and not originally constructed by the intellect, held in the mind, again concentrated on by the waking mental consciousness and then thrown out silently or vocally —the silent word is perhaps held to be more potent than the spoken—precisely for the work of creation. The Mantra can not only create new subjective states in ourselves, alter our psychical being, reveal knowledge and faculties we did not before possess, can not only produce similar results in other minds than that of the user, but can produce vibrations in the mental and vital atmosphere which result in effects, in actions and even in the production of material forms on the physical plane.
Ref: CWSA Vol. 18, Page: 30
map ::: n. --> A representation of the surface of the earth, or of some portion of it, showing the relative position of the parts represented; -- usually on a flat surface. Also, such a representation of the celestial sphere, or of some part of it.
Anything which represents graphically a succession of events, states, or acts; as, an historical map. ::: v. t.
maruts. :::belonging to the warrior caste, they are restless, warlike young men feared by everyone; the Brahmanda Purana explains that the seven groups of seven Maruts dwell respectively in seven spheres known as the earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, the planets, the Seven Seers &
meteor ::: n. --> Any phenomenon or appearance in the atmosphere, as clouds, rain, hail, snow, etc.
Specif.: A transient luminous body or appearance seen in the atmosphere, or in a more elevated region.
meteoroid ::: n. --> A small body moving through space, or revolving about the sun, which on entering the earth&
meteorological ::: a. --> Of or pertaining to the atmosphere and its phenomena, or to meteorology.
meteorology ::: n. --> The science which treats of the atmosphere and its phenomena, particularly of its variations of heat and moisture, of its winds, storms, etc.
meteoroscope ::: n. --> An astrolabe; a planisphere.
An instrument for measuring the position, length, and direction, of the apparent path of a shooting star.
miasma ::: pollution in the atmosphere, esp. noxious vapours from decomposing organic matter.
mist ::: 1. A cloudlike aggregation of minute globules of water suspended in the atmosphere at or near the earth"s surface reducing the visibility to a lesser degree than fog. 2. Something that dims, obscures or blurs. mists.
mist ::: n. --> Visible watery vapor suspended in the atmosphere, at or near the surface of the earth; fog.
Coarse, watery vapor, floating or falling in visible particles, approaching the form of rain; as, Scotch mist.
Hence, anything which dims or darkens, and obscures or intercepts vision. ::: v. t.
misty ::: superl. --> Accompained with mist; characterized by the presence of mist; obscured by, or overspread with, mist; as, misty weather; misty mountains; a misty atmosphere.
Obscured as if by mist; dim; obscure; clouded; as, misty sight.
moist ::: a. --> Moderately wet; damp; humid; not dry; as, a moist atmosphere or air.
Fresh, or new. ::: v. t. --> To moisten.
monospherical ::: a. --> Consisting of one sphere only.
morula ::: n. --> The sphere or globular mass of cells (blastomeres), formed by the clevage of the ovum or egg in the first stages of its development; -- called also mulberry mass, segmentation sphere, and blastosphere. See Segmentation.
mundane ::: a. --> Of or pertaining to the world; worldly; earthly; terrestrial; as, the mundane sphere.
music of the spheres.
n. 1. Emotional or spiritual exaltation. 2. An elevating effect, result, or influence in the sphere of morality, emotion, physical condition, etc. v. 3. To lift up; raise; elevate. 4. To elevate in rank, honour, estate, or estimation. 5. To exalt emotionally or spiritually. uplifts, uplifting.
nadir ::: n. --> That point of the heavens, or lower hemisphere, directly opposite the zenith; the inferior pole of the horizon; the point of the celestial sphere directly under the place where we stand.
The lowest point; the time of greatest depression.
neogaean ::: a. --> Of or pertaining to the New World, or Western Hemisphere.
nitrogen ::: n. --> A colorless nonmetallic element, tasteless and odorless, comprising four fifths of the atmosphere by volume. It is chemically very inert in the free state, and as such is incapable of supporting life (hence the name azote still used by French chemists); but it forms many important compounds, as ammonia, nitric acid, the cyanides, etc, and is a constituent of all organized living tissues, animal or vegetable. Symbol N. Atomic weight 14. It was formerly regarded as a permanent noncondensible gas, but was liquefied in 1877 by Cailletet of
Noesis: (Gr. Noesis) In Husserl: 1. That current in the stream of consciousness which is intrinsically intentional in that it points to an object as beyond itself. The noesis animates the intrinsically non -intentional hyletic current in the stream. (See Hyle). 2. A particular instance of the ego cogito. Note: In Husserl's usage, noesis and noema are very rarely restricted to the sphere of "thinking" or "intellect" (however defined) but are rather extended to all kinds of consciousness. -- D.C.
Nolini: “Griffin-Golden Hawk + Winged Lion—The piercing eye of soaring aspiration + Upsurging energy of the pure vital—Remember Vishnu’s Garuda + Durga’s lion—With these twin powers you cross safely the borderland between the lower and the upper hemisphere—the twilight world (Night and Day)—Griffin is the guardian God of this passage—dvarapalaka. Mother India—Nolini’s reply to a question from Huta.
noncondensing ::: a. --> Not condensing; discharging the steam from the cylinder at a pressure nearly equal to or above that of the atmosphere and not into a condenser.
nosocomial ::: a. --> Of or pertaining to a hospital; as, nosocomial atmosphere.
occident ::: n. --> The part of the horizon where the sun last appears in the evening; that part of the earth towards the sunset; the west; -- opposed to orient. Specifically, in former times, Europe as opposed to Asia; now, also, the Western hemisphere.
olfaction ::: n. --> The sense by which the impressions made on the olfactory organs by the odorous particles in the atmosphere are perceived.
On the whole, there can be distinguished two currents in the entire stream of Jewish philosophy which flowed for about five hundred years, the Oriental and the Occidental. The first was limited to the lands of the East, such as Babylonia and the neighboring countries, and the leading representatives of which were Saadia (q.v.) among the Rabbanites and Aaron ben Elijah (q.v.) among the Karaites. The second developed primarily in Spain and the Provence, and among its leading thinkers were Bahya (q.v.), Gabirol (q.v.), Maimonides (q.v.), Gersonides (q.v.) and Crescas (q.v.). Since Jewish philosophy, during a large part of its existence, was developed within the Arabic world, it consequently reflects the influence of the various systems of thought dominant within that sphere.
oogonium ::: n. --> A special cell in certain cryptogamous plants containing oospheres, as in the rockweeds (Fucus), and the orders Vaucherieae and Peronosporeae.
oophyte ::: n. --> Any plant of a proposed class or grand division (collectively termed oophytes or Oophyta), which have their sexual reproduction accomplished by motile antherozoids acting on oospheres, either while included in their oogonia or after exclusion.
oospore ::: n. --> A special kind of spore resulting from the fertilization of an oosphere by antherozoids.
A fertilized oosphere in the ovule of a flowering plant.
ophiuchus ::: n. --> A constellation in the Northern Hemisphere, delineated as a man holding a serpent in his hands; -- called also Serpentarius.
orb ::: 1. A sphere or spherical object. 2. An eye or eyeball. poet. and rhet. 3. A sphere or celestial body, such as the sun or the moon. 4. Something of circular form; a circle or an orbit. 5. *Fig. A range of endeavor or activity; a province. *orbs, moon-orb.
orbicle ::: n. --> A small orb, or sphere.
orb ::: n. --> A blank window or panel.
A spherical body; a globe; especially, one of the celestial spheres; a sun, planet, or star.
One of the azure transparent spheres conceived by the ancients to be inclosed one within another, and to carry the heavenly bodies in their revolutions.
A circle; esp., a circle, or nearly circular orbit, described by the revolution of a heavenly body; an orbit.
outstrips ::: surpasses in a sphere of activity, competition, etc. outstripped.
ovate-rotundate ::: a. --> Having a form intermediate between that of an egg and a sphere; roundly ovate.
oxygen ::: n. --> A colorless, tasteless, odorless, gaseous element occurring in the free state in the atmosphere, of which it forms about 23 per cent by weight and about 21 per cent by volume, being slightly heavier than nitrogen. Symbol O. Atomic weight 15.96.
Chlorine used in bleaching.
ozonometer ::: n. --> An instrument for ascertaining the amount of ozone in the atmosphere, or in any gaseous mixture.
paleogaean ::: a. --> Of or pertaining to the Eastern hemisphere.
paragrele ::: n. --> A lightning conductor erected, as in a vineyard, for drawing off the electricity in the atmosphere in order to prevent hailstorms.
paramo ::: n. --> A high, bleak plateau or district, with stunted trees, and cold, damp atmosphere, as in the Andes, in South America.
Parardha and Aparardha [Higher and Lower Halves] ::: A separation, acute in practice though unreal in essence, divides the total being of man, the microcosm, as it divides also the world-being, the macrocosm. Both have a higher and a lower hemisphere, the parardha and aparardha of the ancient wisdom. The higher hemisphere is the perfect and eternal reign of the Spirit; for there it manifestswithout cessation or diminution its infinities, deploys the unconcealed glories of its illimitable existence, its illimitable consciousness and knowledge, its illimitable force and power, its illimitable beatitude. The lower hemisphere belongs equally to the Spirit; but here it is veiled, closely, thickly, by its inferior self-expression of limiting mind, confined life and dividing body.
Ref: CWSA Vol. 23-24, Page: 465
parardha ::: "the upper half of world-existence", consisting of the parardha worlds of saccidananda linked by vijñana to the aparardha or lower . hemisphere of mind, life and matter, "an upper hemisphere of manifestation based on the Spirit"s eternal self-knowledge" (vidya). para par a sakti
parardha ::: the upper half (of world existence); the higher hemisphere. ::: parardhe [locative], in the higher being. [Katha 1.3.1]
pavo ::: n. --> A genus of birds, including the peacocks.
The Peacock, a constellation of the southern hemisphere.
perseus ::: n. --> A Grecian legendary hero, son of Jupiter and Danae, who slew the Gorgon Medusa.
A consellation of the northern hemisphere, near Taurus and Cassiopea. It contains a star cluster visible to the naked eye as a nebula.
photosphere ::: n. --> A sphere of light; esp., the luminous envelope of the sun.
photospheric ::: a. --> Of or pertaining to the photosphere.
physiography ::: n. --> The science which treats of the earth&
picea ::: n. --> A genus of coniferous trees of the northen hemisphere, including the Norway spruce and the American black and white spruces. These trees have pendent cones, which do not readily fall to pieces, in this and other respects differing from the firs.
pinus ::: n. --> A large genus of evergreen coniferous trees, mostly found in the northern hemisphere. The genus formerly included the firs, spruces, larches, and hemlocks, but is now limited to those trees which have the primary leaves of the branchlets reduced to mere scales, and the secondary ones (pine needles) acicular, and usually in fascicles of two to seven. See Pine.
planisphere ::: n. --> The representation of the circles of the sphere upon a plane; especially, a representation of the celestial sphere upon a plane with adjustable circles, or other appendages, for showing the position of the heavens, the time of rising and setting of stars, etc., for any given date or hour.
planispheric ::: a. --> Of or pertaining to a planisphere.
Plato's theory of knowledge can hardly be discussed apart from his theory of reality. Through sense perception man comes to know the changeable world of bodies. This is the realm of opinion (doxa), such cognition may be more or less clear but it never rises to the level of true knowledge, for its objects are impermanent and do not provide a stable foundation for science. It is through intellectual, or rational, cognition that man discovers another world, that of immutable essences, intelligible realities, Forms or Ideas. This is the level of scientific knowledge (episteme); it is reached in mathematics and especially in philosophy (Repub. VI, 510). The world of intelligible Ideas contains the ultimate realities from which the world of sensible things has been patterned. Plato experienced much difficulty in regard to the sort of existence to be attributed to his Ideas. Obviously it is not the crude existence of physical things, nor can it be merely the mental existence of logical constructs. Interpretations have varied from the theory of the Christian Fathers (which was certainly not that of Plato himself) viz , that the Ideas are exemplary Causes in God's Mind, to the suggestion of Aristotle (Metaphysics, I) that they are realized, in a sense, in the world of individual things, but are apprehended only by the intellect The Ideas appear, however, particularly in the dialogues of the middle period, to be objective essences, independent of human minds, providing not only the foundation for the truth of human knowledge but afso the ontological bases for the shadowy things of the sense world. Within the world of Forms, there is a certain hierarchy. At the top, the most noble of all, is the Idea of the Good (Repub. VII), it dominates the other Ideas and they participate in it. Beauty, symmetry and truth are high-ranking Ideas; at times they are placed almost on a par with the Good (Philebus 65; also Sympos. and Phaedrus passim). There are, below, these, other Ideas, such as those of the major virtues (wisdom, temperance, courage, justice and piety) and mathematical terms and relations, such as equality, likeness, unlikeness and proportion. Each type or class of being is represented by its perfect Form in the sphere of Ideas, there is an ideal Form of man, dog, willow tree, of every kind of natural object and even of artificial things like beds (Repub. 596). The relationship of the "many" objects, belonging to a certain class of things in the sense world, to the "One", i.e. the single Idea which is their archetype, is another great source of difficulty to Plato. Three solutions, which are not mutually exclusive, are suggested in the dialogues (1) that the many participate imperfectly in the perfect nature of their Idea, (2) that the many are made in imitation of the One, and (3) that the many are composed of a mixture of the Limit (Idea) with the Unlimited (matter).
Plotinism is a theocentric form of thought. As reality becomes more intelligible, it becomes more spiritual and Divine. The Ideas in the sphere of Nous are Divine and in later Neo-Platonism become gods; hence the system is polytheistic.
Plotinism offers a well-developed theory of sensation. The objects of sensation are of a lower order of being than the perceiving organism. The inferior cannot act upon the superior. Hence sensation is an activity of the sensory agent upon its objects. Sensation provides a direct, realistic perception of material things, but, since they are ever-changing, such knowledge is not valuable. In internal seme perception, the imagimtion also functions actively, memory is attributed to the imaginative power and it serves not only in the recall of sensory images but also in the retention of the verbal formulae in which intellectual concepts are expressed. The human soul can look either upward or downward; up to the sphere of purer spirit, or down to the evil regions of matter. Rational knowledge is a cognition of intelligible realities, or Ideas in the realm of Mind which is often referred to as Divine. The climax of knowledge consists in an intuitive and mystical union with the One; this is experienced by few.
Plotinism: The philosophic and religious thought of Plotinus (205-270). His writings were published by Porphyry in six books of nine sections, Enneads, each. All reality consists of a series of emanations, from the One, the eternal source of all being. The first, necessary emanation is that of Nous (mind or intelligence), the second that of Psyche (soul). At the periphery of the universe is found matter. Man belongs partly in the realm of spirit and partly in the sphere of matter.
polar ::: a. --> Of or pertaining to one of the poles of the earth, or of a sphere; situated near, or proceeding from, one of the poles; as, polar regions; polar seas; polar winds.
Of or pertaining to the magnetic pole, or to the point to which the magnetic needle is directed.
Pertaining to, reckoned from, or having a common radiating point; as, polar coordinates.
pons ::: n. --> A bridge; -- applied to several parts which connect others, but especially to the pons Varolii, a prominent band of nervous tissue situated on the ventral side of the medulla oblongata and connected at each side with the hemispheres of the cerebellum; the mesocephalon. See Brain.
primum mobile ::: --> In the Ptolemaic system, the outermost of the revolving concentric spheres constituting the universe, the motion of which was supposed to carry with it all the inclosed spheres with their planets in a daily revolution from east to west. See Crystalline heavens, under Crystalline.
progress ::: “A spiritual atmosphere is more important than outer conditions; if one can get that and also create one’s own spiritual air to breathe in and live in it, that is the true condition of progress.” Letters on Yoga
province ::: sphere or field of activity.
pseudosphere ::: n. --> The surface of constant negative curvature generated by the revolution of a tractrix. This surface corresponds in non-Euclidian space to the sphere in ordinary space. An important property of the surface is that any figure drawn upon it can be displaced in any way without tearing it or altering in size any of its elements.
psychrometer ::: n. --> An instrument for measuring the tension of the aqueous vapor in the atmosphere, being essentially a wet and dry bulb hygrometer.
purview ::: n. --> The body of a statute, or that part which begins with " Be it enacted, " as distinguished from the preamble.
The limit or scope of a statute; the whole extent of its intention or provisions.
Limit or sphere of authority; scope; extent.
quadrants ::: As in the four quadrants, which represent four basic dimensions of all individual holons: the interior and exterior of the individual and collective. These are designated as the Upper Left (interior-individual), Upper Right (exterior-individual), Lower Left (interiorcollective), and Lower Right (exterior-collective). The quadrants correspond with “I,” “We,” “It,” and “Its,” which are often summarized as the Big Three: “I,” “We,” and “It/s.” The Big Three are correlated with, although not identical to, the value spheres of Art, Morals, and Science, and with Plato’s value judgments of the Good, the True, and the Beautiful. The 8 zones refer to the inside and outside of the four quadrants.
quadric ::: a. --> Of or pertaining to the second degree. ::: n. --> A quantic of the second degree. See Quantic.
A surface whose equation in three variables is of the second degree. Spheres, spheroids, ellipsoids, paraboloids, hyperboloids, also cones and cylinders with circular bases, are
radius ::: n. --> A right line drawn or extending from the center of a circle to the periphery; the semidiameter of a circle or sphere.
The preaxial bone of the forearm, or brachium, corresponding to the tibia of the hind limb. See Illust. of Artiodactyla.
A ray, or outer floret, of the capitulum of such plants as the sunflower and the daisy. See Ray, 2.
The barbs of a perfect feather.
rainbow ::: n. --> A bow or arch exhibiting, in concentric bands, the several colors of the spectrum, and formed in the part of the hemisphere opposite to the sun by the refraction and reflection of the sun&
rapt ::: 1. Deeply engrossed or absorbed. 2. Entranced; transported with emotion; enraptured; ecstatic. 3. Indicating, proceeding from, characterized by, a state of rapture. 4. Carried off spiritually to another place, sphere of existence, etc. self-rapt.
reach ::: n. 1. Range of effective action, power, or capacity, area, sphere, scope. 2. The range of influence, power, jurisdiction, etc. reaches. v. 3. To stretch out or put forth (a body part); extend. 4. To arrive at or get to (a place, person, etc.) in the course of movement or action. 5. To arrive at; attain. 6. To make contact or communication with (someone). 7. To extend in influence or operation. reaches, reached, reaching.
realm ::: 1. A kingdom. 2. The region, sphere, or domain within which anything occurs, prevails, or dominates. 3. The special province or field of someone or something. **realms.
Reason is a clarified, ordered and organised Ignorance. It is a half-enlightened Ignorance seeking for truth, but a truth which it insists on founding upon the data and postulates of the Ignorance. Reason is not in possession of the Truth, it is a seeker. It is [unable to] discover the Truth or embody it; it leaves Truth covered but rendered into mental representations, a verbal and ideative scheme, an abstract algebra of concepts, a theory of the Ignorance. Sense-evidence is its starting point and it never really gets away from that insecure beginning. Its concepts start from sense-data and though like a kite it can fly high into an air of abstractions, it is held to the earth of sense by a string of great strength; if that string is broken it drifts lazily [in] the clouds and always it falls back by natural gravitation to its original earth basis—only so can it receive strength to go farther. Its field is the air and sky of the finite, it cannot ascend into the stratosphere of the spiritual vision, still less can it move at ease in the Infinite.
Ref: CWSA Vol. 12, Page: 256
refraction ::: n. --> The act of refracting, or the state of being refracted.
The change in the direction of ray of light, heat, or the like, when it enters obliquely a medium of a different density from that through which it has previously moved.
The change in the direction of a ray of light, and, consequently, in the apparent position of a heavenly body from which it emanates, arising from its passage through the earth&
region ::: fig. A realm or sphere of activity or interest; a specified place. regions.
region ::: n. --> One of the grand districts or quarters into which any space or surface, as of the earth or the heavens, is conceived of as divided; hence, in general, a portion of space or territory of indefinite extent; country; province; district; tract.
Tract, part, or space, lying about and including anything; neighborhood; vicinity; sphere.
The upper air; the sky; the heavens.
The inhabitants of a district.
reign ::: n. 1. Dominating power or influence. 2. Exercise of sovereign power, as by a monarch. 3. Poet. Dominance or widespread influence in a specific sphere. v. 4. To exercise sovereign power. 5. To be predominant or prevalent. reigns, reigned.
reign ::: n. --> Royal authority; supreme power; sovereignty; rule; dominion.
The territory or sphere which is reigned over; kingdom; empire; realm; dominion.
The time during which a king, queen, or emperor possesses the supreme authority; as, it happened in the reign of Elizabeth.
To possess or exercise sovereign power or authority; to exercise government, as a king or emperor;; to hold supreme power; to rule.
reindeer ::: n. --> Any ruminant of the genus Rangifer, of the Deer family, found in the colder parts of both the Eastern and Western hemispheres, and having long irregularly branched antlers, with the brow tines palmate.
rhabdosphere ::: n. --> A minute sphere composed of rhabdoliths.
rondure ::: a circle or sphere.
royalty ::: n. --> The state of being royal; the condition or quality of a royal person; kingship; kingly office; sovereignty.
The person of a king or sovereign; majesty; as, in the presence of royalty.
An emblem of royalty; -- usually in the plural, meaning regalia.
Kingliness; spirit of regal authority.
Domain; province; sphere.
rūpa ::: form; image; a non-material (sūks.ma) form, any of "those rupa sensible forms of which only the subtle grasp of the inner consciousness can become aware", which may be of either of two principal kinds, "mere image" (pratimūrti) or "actual form" (mūrti); the sūks.ma vis.aya of subtle form; (short for rūpadr.s.t.i) the faculty of seeing subtle images. Such images "are very variously seen and under all kinds of conditions; in samadhi [especially svapnasamadhi] or in the waking state [jagrat], and in the latter with the bodily eyes closed [antardarsi] or open [bahirdarsi], projected on or into a physical object or medium [sadhara] or seen as if materialised in the physical atmosphere or only in a psychical ether revealing itself through this grosser physical atmosphere [akasarūpa]".
samadhi ::: samadhi in the waking state, "when in the waking consciousness, we are able to concentrate and become aware of things ... beyond our [normal] consciousness". This has two forms, antardarsi(inward-looking) and bahirdarsi (outward-looking), in which images are seen "with the bodily eyes closed or open, projected on or into a physical object or medium or seen as if materialised in the physical atmosphere or only in a psychical ether revealing itself through this grosser physical atmosphere; seen through the physical eyes themselves as a secondary instrument and as if under the conditions of the physical vision or by the psychical vision alone and independently of the relations of our ordinary sight to space". jjagrat agrat suksmavisaya
santalaceous ::: a. --> Of or pertaining to a natural order of plants (Santalaceae), of which the genus Santalum is the type, and which includes the buffalo nut and a few other North American plants, and many peculiar plants of the southern hemisphere.
scoundreldom ::: n. --> The domain or sphere of scoundrels; scoundrels, collectively; the state, ideas, or practices of scoundrels.
semidiameter ::: n. --> Half of a diameter; a right line, or the length of a right line, drawn from the center of a circle, a sphere, or other curved figure, to its circumference or periphery; a radius.
semidome ::: n. --> A roof or ceiling covering a semicircular room or recess, or one of nearly that shape, as the apse of a church, a niche, or the like. It is approximately the quarter of a hollow sphere.
semiorbicular ::: a. --> Having the shape of a half orb or sphere.
semispherical ::: a. --> Having the figure of a half sphere.
shadow ::: n. 1. A dark figure or image cast on the ground or some surface by a body intercepting light. 2. Shade or comparative darkness, as in an area. 3. Darkness that is caused by the interception of light. 4. A phantom; a ghost. 5. An obscure indication; a symbol, type; a prefiguration, foreshadowing. 6. A hint or faint, indistinct image or idea; intimation. 7. A mere semblance. 8. A mirrored image or reflection. 9. Shelter; protection. 10. A dominant or pervasive threat, influence, or atmosphere, esp. one causing gloom, fear, doubt, or the like. Shadow, shadow"s, shadows. v. 11. To represent faintly, prophetically; to indicate obscurely or in slight outline; to symbolize, typify, prefigure. (Often followed by forth.) shadowed. (Sri Aurobindo also employs the word as an adj.) shadowlike, shadow-hung, shadow-self, shadow-soul, shadow-Sphinx.
shadow ::: n. 1. A dark figure or image cast on the ground or some surface by a body intercepting light. 2. Shade or comparative darkness, as in an area. 3. Darkness that is caused by the interception of light. 4. A phantom; a ghost. 5. An obscure indication; a symbol, type; a prefiguration, foreshadowing. 6. A hint or faint, indistinct image or idea; intimation. 7. A mere semblance. 8. A mirrored image or reflection. 9. Shelter; protection. 10. A dominant or pervasive threat, influence, or atmosphere, esp. one causing gloom, fear, doubt, or the like. Shadow, shadow’s, shadows. v. 11. To represent faintly, prophetically; to indicate obscurely or in slight outline; to symbolize, typify, prefigure. (Often followed by forth.) shadowed. (Sri Aurobindo also employs the word as an adj.) shadowlike, shadow-hung, shadow-self, shadow-soul, shadow-Sphinx.
sheep ::: n. sing. & pl. --> Any one of several species of ruminants of the genus Ovis, native of the higher mountains of both hemispheres, but most numerous in Asia.
A weak, bashful, silly fellow.
Fig.: The people of God, as being under the government and protection of Christ, the great Shepherd.
shrievalty ::: n. --> The office, or sphere of jurisdiction, of a sheriff; sheriffalty.
side ::: n. --> The margin, edge, verge, or border of a surface; especially (when the thing spoken of is somewhat oblong in shape), one of the longer edges as distinguished from the shorter edges, called ends; a bounding line of a geometrical figure; as, the side of a field, of a square or triangle, of a river, of a road, etc.
Any outer portion of a thing considered apart from, and yet in relation to, the rest; as, the upper side of a sphere; also, any part or position viewed as opposite to or contrasted with another; as,
siphon ::: n. --> A device, consisting of a pipe or tube bent so as to form two branches or legs of unequal length, by which a liquid can be transferred to a lower level, as from one vessel to another, over an intermediate elevation, by the action of the pressure of the atmosphere in forcing the liquid up the shorter branch of the pipe immersed in it, while the continued excess of weight of the liquid in the longer branch (when once filled) causes a continuous flow. The flow takes place only when the discharging extremity of the pipe ia lower than the higher
Śiva (Shiva) ::: "the auspicious", a name of the god who is at once "the Siva Master of the force that acts in the worlds and the Yogin who enjoys the supreme liberty and peace"; especially the contemplative aspect of this deity, in contrast to his "terrible" aspect which is called Rudra2 and sometimes regarded as a distinct god; the divine personality representing absolute Existence (sat) with infinite Force (tapas) inherent in it, whose immobility is translated in the lower hemisphere of existence (aparardha) by inertia, figured in the image of Śiva"s body lying under the feet of the dancing Kali; (also called Mahesvara and identified with Mahavira) the aspect of the fourfold isvara whose sakti is Mahesvari; a name of the Lord and supreme Being (isvara, purus.ottama). siva siv a K Kali
sleet-drift ::: a drift of snow which has been partially thawed by falling through an atmosphere of a temperature a little above freezing-point, usually accompanied by rain or snow.
smoky ::: superl. --> Emitting smoke, esp. in large quantities or in an offensive manner; fumid; as, smoky fires.
Having the appearance or nature of smoke; as, a smoky fog.
Filled with smoke, or with a vapor resembling smoke; thick; as, a smoky atmosphere.
Subject to be filled with smoke from chimneys or fireplace; as, a smoky house.
solstitial ::: a. --> Of or pertaining to a solstice.
Happening at a solstice; esp. (with reference to the northern hemisphere), happening at the summer solstice, or midsummer.
speer ::: n. --> A sphere. ::: v. t. --> To ask.
spere ::: v. i. --> To search; to pry; to ask; to inquire. ::: n. --> A sphere.
spermatogemma ::: n. --> Same as Spermosphere.
spermatogonium ::: n. --> A primitive seminal cell, occuring in masses in the seminal tubules. It divides into a mass (spermosphere) of small cells (spermoblast), which in turn give rise to spermatozoids.
spermosphere ::: n. --> A mass or ball of cells formed by the repeated division of a male germinal cell (spermospore), each constituent cell (spermoblast) of which is converted into a spermatozoid; a spermatogemma.
Sphaeriker: (German) A term used by Fredrich Froebel to designate those, including himself and Pestalozzi, who believe in or realize in practice the totality or wholeness of man in whom all polarities, such as mind and emotion, spirit and soul, are unified, the sphere with centre being the symbol of this attitude. -- K.F.L.
spheral ::: a. --> Of or pertaining to a sphere or the spheres.
Rounded like a sphere; sphere-shaped; hence, symmetrical; complete; perfect.
spheric ::: a. --> Having the form of a sphere; like a sphere; globular; orbicular; as, a spherical body.
Of or pertaining to a sphere.
Of or pertaining to the heavenly orbs, or to the sphere or spheres in which, according to ancient astronomy and astrology, they were set.
sphericle ::: n. --> A small sphere.
spherics ::: n. --> The doctrine of the sphere; the science of the properties and relations of the circles, figures, and other magnitudes of a sphere, produced by planes intersecting it; spherical geometry and trigonometry.
sphering ::: p. pr. & vb. n. --> of Sphere
spheroconic ::: n. --> A nonplane curve formed by the intersection of the surface of an oblique cone with the surface of a sphere whose center is at the vertex of the cone.
spheroid ::: n. --> A body or figure approaching to a sphere, but not perfectly spherical; esp., a solid generated by the revolution of an ellipse about one of its axes.
spherule ::: n. --> A little sphere or spherical body; as, quicksilver, when poured upon a plane, divides itself into a great number of minute spherules.
sphery ::: a. --> Round; spherical; starlike.
Of or pertaining to the spheres.
Spiritualism (3) is used in religious terminology to emphasize the direct influence of the Holy Spirit in the sphere of religion and especially to indicate the teaching of St. John's Gospel that God is Spirit and that worship is direct correspondence of Spirit with spirit.
Sri Aurobindo: "A spiritual atmosphere is more important than outer conditions; if one can get that and also create one"s own spiritual air to breathe in and live in it, that is the true condition of progress.” *Letters on Yoga
*Sri Aurobindo: "In the ancient Indian system there is only one triune supernal, Sachidananda. Or if you speak of the upper hemisphere as the supernal, there are three, Sat plane, Chit plane and Ananda plane. The Supermind could be added as a fourth, as it draws upon the other three and belongs to the supper hemisphere.” Letters on Yoga and On Himself*
*Sri Aurobindo: ". . . the divine Ananda, the principle of Bliss [is that] from which, in the Vedic conception, the existence of Man, this mental being, is drawn. A secret Delight is the base of existence, its sustaining atmosphere and almost its substance. This Ananda is spoken of in the Taittiriya Upanishad as the ethereal atmosphere of bliss without which nothing could remain in being. In the Aitareya Upanishad Soma, as the lunar deity, is born from the sense-mind in the universal Purusha and, when man is produced, expresses himself again as sense-mentality in the human being. For delight is the raison d"être of sensation, or, we may say, sensation is an attempt to translate the secret delight of existence into the terms of physical consciousness.” The Secret of the Veda
Sri Aurobindo: "Yet all the time the universal forces are pouring into him without his knowing it. He is aware only of thoughts, feelings, etc., that rise to the surface and these he takes for his own. Really they come from outside in mind waves, vital waves, waves of feeling and sensation, etc., which take particular form in him and rise to the surface after they have got inside. But they do not get into his body at once. He carries about with him an environmental consciousness (called by the Theosophists the Aura) into which they first enter. If you can become conscious of this environmental self of yours, then you can catch the thought, passion, suggestion or force of illness and prevent it from entering into you. If things in you are thrown out, they often do not go altogether but take refuge in this environmental atmosphere and from there they try to get in again. Or they go to a distance outside but linger on the outskirts or even perhaps far off, waiting till they get an opportunity to attempt entrance.” *Letters on Yoga
still ::: adv. --> Motionless; at rest; quiet; as, to stand still; to lie or sit still.
Uttering no sound; silent; as, the audience is still; the animals are still.
Not disturbed by noise or agitation; quiet; calm; as, a still evening; a still atmosphere.
Comparatively quiet or silent; soft; gentle; low.
Constant; continual.
storm ::: n. --> A violent disturbance of the atmosphere, attended by wind, rain, snow, hail, or thunder and lightning; hence, often, a heavy fall of rain, snow, or hail, whether accompanied with wind or not.
A violent agitation of human society; a civil, political, or domestic commotion; sedition, insurrection, or war; violent outbreak; clamor; tumult.
A heavy shower or fall, any adverse outburst of tumultuous force; violence.
stratosphere ::: 1. The region of the Earth"s atmosphere extending from the tropopause to about 50 km (31 mi) above the Earth"s surface. The stratosphere is characterized by the presence of ozone gas (in the ozone layer) and by temperatures which rise slightly with altitude, due to the absorption of ultraviolet radiation. 2. An extremely high or the highest point or degree on a ranked scale.
supernal ::: “In the ancient Indian system there is only one triune supernal, Sachidananda. Or if you speak of the upper hemisphere as the supernal, there are three, Sat plane, Chit plane and Ananda plane. The Supermind could be added as a fourth, as it draws upon the other three and belongs to the supper hemisphere.” Letters on Yoga and On Himself
Supramental Transformation ::: The supramental transformation can only come when the lid between the lower and higher hemispheres or halves of existence is removed and the supermind instead of the overmind becomes the governing power of the existence; but of that nothing can be spoken now.
Ref: SABCL Vol. 22-23-24, Page: 1093
The action of the animal sex-energy in Nature is a device for a particular purpose in the economy of the matcriaJ creation in the Ignorance. But the vital excitement that accompanies it makes the most favourable opportuni^ and vibration in the atmosphere for the inrush of those vital forces and beings whose ' whole business is to prevent the descent of the suprarnentaJ Light.
The differences begin when the questions of the mode of creation and mediators between God and the world are dealt with. In these matters there are to be noted three variations. Saadia rejected entirely the theory of the emanation of separate intelligences, and teaches God's creation from nothing of all beings in the sublunar and upper worlds. He posits that God created first a substratum or the first air which was composed of the hyle and form and out of this element all beings were created, not only the four elements, the components of bodies in the lower world, but also the angels, stars, and the spheres. Bahya's conception is similar to that of Saadia. The Aristotelians, Ibn Daud, Maimonides, and Gersonides accepted the theory of the separate intelligences which was current in Arabic philosophy. This theory teaches that out of the First Cause there emanated an intelligence, and out of this intelligence another one up to nine, corresponding to the number of spheres. Each of these intelligences acts as the object of the mind of a sphere and is the cause of its movement. The tenth intelligence is the universal intellect, an emanation of all intelligences which has in its care the sublunar world. This theory is a combination of Aristotelian and neo-PIatonic teachings; Ibn Daud posits, however, in addition to the intelligences also the existence of angels, created spiritual beings, while Maimonides seems to identify the angels with the intelligences, and also says that natural forces are also called angels in the Bible. As for creation, Ibn Daud asserts that God created the hyle or primal matter and endowed it with general form from which the specific forms later developed. Maimonides seems to believe that God first created a substance consisting of primal matter and primal form, and that He determined by His will that parts of it should form the matter of the spheres which is imperishable, while other parts should form the matter of the four elements. These views, however, are subject to various interpretations by historians. Gabirol and Gersonides posit the eternal existence of the hyle and limit creation to endowing it with form and organization -- a view close to the Platonic.
The divine Ananda, the principle of Bliss, from which, in the Vedic conception, the existence of Man, this mental being, is drawn. A secret Delight is the base of existence, its sustaining atmosphere and almost its substance. This Ananda is spoken of in the Taittiriya Upanishad as the ethereal atmosphere of bliss without which nothing could remain in being.
Ref: CWSA Vol. 15, Page: 260
…the divine Ananda, the principle of Bliss, from which, in the Vedic conception, the existence of Man, this mental being, is drawn. A secret Delight is the base of existence, its sustaining atmosphere and almost its substance. This Ananda is spoken of in the Taittiriya Upanishad as the ethereal atmosphere of bliss without which nothing could remain in being.
Ref: CWSA Vol. 15, Page: 260
There is a vital plane (self-existent) above the material uni- verse which we see ; there is a mental plane (self-existent) above the vital and material. These three together, — mental, vital, physical — arc called the triple universe of the lower hemisphere.
The relation of God to the world includes, as we have seen, a number of problems. The general conception of the world with almost all Jewish philosophers is mainly Aristotelian. All, not excluding Saadia, who was to a considerable degree under the influence of the Mutazilites, all except Aristotle's theory of matter and form, i.e., that all bodies are composed of two elements, the substratum or the hyle and the particular form with which it is endewed. They all speak of primal matter which was the first creation, and all accept his view of the four elements, i.e., fire, air, water, and earth which are the components of all things in the lower world. They also accept his cosmogony, namely, the division of the universe of the upper world of the spheres and the lower or sublunar world, and also posit the influence of the spheres upon the course of events in this world. On the other hand, all oppose his view of the eternity of the world and champion creation de novo with slight variations.
The theory of the Mantra is that it is a word of power bom out of the secret depths of our being where it has been brooded upon by a deeper consciousness than the mental, framed In the heart and not constructed by the intellect, held in the mind, again concentrated on by the waking mental consciousness and then thrown out silently or vocally — the silent word is perhaps held to be more potent than the spoken — precisely for the work of creation. The Mantra can not only Create new subjective states in ourselves, alter our p^chical being, reveal knowledge and faculties we did not before possess, can not only produce similar results in other minds than that of the user, but can pro- duce vibrations in the mental and vital atmosphere which result in effects, in actions and even in the production of material forms on the physical place. ’
"The theory of the Mantra is that it is a word of power born out of the secret depths of our being where it has been brooded upon by a deeper consciousness than the mental, framed in the heart and not constructed by the intellect, held in the mind, again concentrated on by the waking mental consciousness and then thrown out silently or vocally — the silent word is perhaps held to be more potent than the spoken — precisely for the work of creation. The Mantra can not only create new subjective states in ourselves, alter our psychical being, reveal knowledge and faculties we did not before possess, can not only produce similar results in other minds than that of the user, but can produce vibrations in the mental and vital atmosphere which result in effects, in actions and even in the production of material forms on the physical plane.” The Upanishads
“The theory of the Mantra is that it is a word of power born out of the secret depths of our being where it has been brooded upon by a deeper consciousness than the mental, framed in the heart and not constructed by the intellect, held in the mind, again concentrated on by the waking mental consciousness and then thrown out silently or vocally—the silent word is perhaps held to be more potent than the spoken—precisely for the work of creation. The Mantra can not only create new subjective states in ourselves, alter our psychical being, reveal knowledge and faculties we did not before possess, can not only produce similar results in other minds than that of the user, but can produce vibrations in the mental and vital atmosphere which result in effects, in actions and even in the production of material forms on the physical plane.” The Upanishads
“The theory of the Mantra is that it is a word of power born out of the secret depths of our being where it has been brooded upon by a deeper consciousness than the mental, framed in the heart and not constructed by the intellect, held in the mind, again concentrated on by the waking mental consciousness and then thrown out silently or vocally—the silent word is perhaps held to be more potent than the spoken—precisely for the work of creation. The Mantra can not only create new subjective states in ourselves, alter our psychical being, reveal knowledge and faculties we did not before possess, can not only produce similar results in other minds than that of the user, but can produce vibrations in the mentaland vital atmosphere which result ineffects, in actions and even in theproduction of material forms on the physical plane.” The Upanishads
The vital beings (possessing men) take a delight In struggle and suffering and disorder; it is their natural atmosphere. They want besides to get the taste of the physical world without being under the obligation of taking on birth and developing the psychic being and evolving towards the Divine. They wish to remain what they are and yet amuse themselves svith the physical world and physical body,
. thivi (Prithivi) ::: the earth-goddess, a manifestation of Aditi in the lower hemisphere of existence (aparardha).
. ti (apara prakriti) ::: the lower (mental-vital-physical)Nature which is derived from the higher Nature or para prakr.ti; prakr.ti in the lower hemisphere of existence (aparardha), also called traigun.yamayi prakr.ti because its process is limited to the action of the three modes of the traigun.ya or trigun.a.
. ti (para prakriti) ::: the higher (spiritual and supramental)Nature, the "supreme nature of the Divine which is the real source of cosmic existence and its fundamental creative force and effective energy and of which the other lower and ignorant Nature [apara prakr.ti] is only a derivation and a dark shadow"; prakr.ti in the parardha or higher hemisphere of existence. para purus purusa
tone ::: 1. Sound with reference to quality, pitch, or volume. 2. The characteristic quality or timbre of a particular instrument or voice. 3. (US and Canadian) Another word for note. 4. A color variation with more variations than a shade—having to do with the value (brightness) of a hue (position in the spectrum) or its chroma (saturation or purity).5. A general quality, effect, or atmosphere. tones, many-toned, hundred-toned, sweet-toned.
toucan ::: n. --> Any one of numerous species of fruit-eating birds of tropical America belonging to Ramphastos, Pteroglossus, and allied genera of the family Ramphastidae. They have a very large, but light and thin, beak, often nearly as long as the body itself. Most of the species are brilliantly colored with red, yellow, white, and black in striking contrast.
A modern constellation of the southern hemisphere.
trailokya ::: the three worlds (physical, vital and mental) of the aparardha or lower hemisphere of existence; same as triloka.
tranquil ::: a. --> Quiet; calm; undisturbed; peaceful; not agitated; as, the atmosphere is tranquil; the condition of the country is tranquil.
trepidation ::: n. --> An involuntary trembling, sometimes an effect of paralysis, but usually caused by terror or fear; quaking; quivering.
Hence, a state of terror or alarm; fear; confusion; fright; as, the men were in great trepidation.
A libration of the starry sphere in the Ptolemaic system; a motion ascribed to the firmament, to account for certain small changes in the position of the ecliptic and of the stars.
triloka (triloka; trilok) ::: the three lokas or worlds (physical, vital and mental, called bhū, bhuvar and svar) of the aparardha or lower hemisphere of existence. Each plane has its own triloka, in which the principles of the other two planes are subordinated to its own principle; in their totality they are described as "thrice seven", because each contains in itself not only the principles of all three worlds of the lower hemisphere, but the four principles of the higher hemisphere (parardha).
trochosphere ::: n. --> A young larval form of many annelids, mollusks, and bryozoans, in which a circle of cilia is developed around the anterior end.
tropic ::: a. --> Of, pertaining to, or designating, an acid obtained from atropine and certain other alkaloids, as a white crystalline substance slightly soluble in water.
Of or pertaining to the tropics; tropical. ::: n. --> One of the two small circles of the celestial sphere,
twilight ::: n. 1. The diffused light from the sky during the early evening or early morning when the sun is below the horizon and its light is refracted by the earth"s atmosphere. 2. A state of uncertainty, vagueness or gloom. twilight"s. adj. 3. Lighted by or as if by twilight.
twilight ::: n. --> The light perceived before the rising, and after the setting, of the sun, or when the sun is less than 18¡ below the horizon, occasioned by the illumination of the earth&
ūks.ma indriya (sukshma indriya) ::: a subtle sense-organ (indriya),"existing in the subtle body (sūks.ma deha), and the means of subtle vision and experience (sūks.ma dr.s.t.i)"; any of "the inner and deeper senses which see what are hidden from the physical organs", including "a subtle sense of vision, hearing, touch, smell and taste" which "can present to the consciousness visual, auditory, tactual and other images and vibrations of things beyond the restricted range of the physical senses or belonging to other planes or spheres of existence".
unsphere ::: v. t. --> To remove, as a planet, from its sphere or orb.
undersphere ::: n. --> A sphere which is smaller than, and in its movements subject to, another; a satellite.
An inferior sphere, or field of action.
Upanishad, Upanisad: (Skr.) One of a large number of treatises, more than 100. Thirteen of the oldest ones (Chandogya, Brhadaranyaka, Aitareya, Taittiriya, Katha, Isa, Mundaka, Kausitaki, Kena, Prasna, Svetasvatara, Mandukya, Maitri) have the distinction of being the first philosophic compositions, antedating for the most part the beginnings of Greek philosophy, others have been composed comparatively recently. The mode of imparting knowledge with the pupil sitting opposite (upa-ni-sad) the teacher amid an atmosphere of reverence and secrecy, gave these onginally mnemonic treatises their name. They are remarkable for ontological, metaphysical, and ethical problems, investigations into the nature of man's soul or self (see atman), God, death, immortality, and a symbolic interpretation of ritualistic materials and observances. Early examples of universal suffrage, tendencies to break down caste, philosophic dialogues and congresses, celebrated similes, succession of philosophic teachers, among other things, may be studied in the more archaic, classical Upanishads. See ayam atema brahma, aham brahma asmi, tat tvam asi, net neti. -- K.F.L.
upas ::: n. --> A tree (Antiaris toxicaria) of the Breadfruit family, common in the forests of Java and the neighboring islands. Its secretions are poisonous, and it has been fabulously reported that the atmosphere about it is deleterious. Called also bohun upas.
A virulent poison used in Java and the adjacent islands for poisoning arrows. One kind, upas antiar, is, derived from upas tree (Antiaris toxicaria). Upas tieute is prepared from a climbing plant (Strychnos Tieute).
vacuum ::: n. --> A space entirely devoid of matter (called also, by way of distinction, absolute vacuum); hence, in a more general sense, a space, as the interior of a closed vessel, which has been exhausted to a high or the highest degree by an air pump or other artificial means; as, water boils at a reduced temperature in a vacuum.
The condition of rarefaction, or reduction of pressure below that of the atmosphere, in a vessel, as the condenser of a steam engine, which is nearly exhausted of air or steam, etc.; as, a vacuum
vallecula ::: n. --> A groove; a fossa; as, the vallecula, or fossa, which separates the hemispheres of the cerebellum.
One of the grooves, or hollows, between the ribs of the fruit of umbelliferous plants. html{color:
vapor ::: n. --> Any substance in the gaseous, or aeriform, state, the condition of which is ordinarily that of a liquid or solid.
In a loose and popular sense, any visible diffused substance floating in the atmosphere and impairing its transparency, as smoke, fog, etc.
Wind; flatulence.
Something unsubstantial, fleeting, or transitory; unreal fancy; vain imagination; idle talk; boasting.
vineyards ::: plantations in which grape-vines are cultivated, esp. those used for making wine. Fig. spheres of activity, esp. on a high spiritual plane.
vishaya. ::: sense object; object of perception or enjoyment; subject matter; content; areas; range; field-object domain; sphere; realm, scope; matters of enjoyment or experience; doubt
volatile ::: a. --> Passing through the air on wings, or by the buoyant force of the atmosphere; flying; having the power to fly.
Capable of wasting away, or of easily passing into the aeriform state; subject to evaporation.
Fig.: Light-hearted; easily affected by circumstances; airy; lively; hence, changeable; fickle; as, a volatile temper. ::: n.
weatherglass ::: n. --> An instrument to indicate the state of the atmosphere, especially changes of atmospheric pressure, and hence changes of weather, as a barometer or baroscope.
weather ::: n. --> The state of the air or atmosphere with respect to heat or cold, wetness or dryness, calm or storm, clearness or cloudiness, or any other meteorological phenomena; meteorological condition of the atmosphere; as, warm weather; cold weather; wet weather; dry weather, etc.
Vicissitude of season; meteorological change; alternation of the state of the air.
Storm; tempest.
—we may compare the action of the Higher Mind to a composed and steady sunshine, the energy of the Illumined Mind beyond it to an outpouring of massive lightnings of flaming sun-stuff. Still beyond can be met a yet greater power of the Truth-Force, an intimate and exact Truth-vision, Truth-thought, Truth-sense, Truth-feeling, Truth-action, to which we can give in a special sense the name of Intuition; for though we have applied that word for want of a better to any supra-intellectual direct way of knowing, yet what we actually know as intuition is only one special movement of self-existent knowledge. This new range is its origin; it imparts to our intuitions something of its own distinct character and is very clearly an intermediary of a greater Truth-Light with which our mind cannot directly communicate. At the source of this Intuition we discover a superconscient cosmic Mind in direct contact with the supramental Truth-Consciousness, an original intensity determinant of all movements below it and all mental energies,—not Mind as we know it, but an Overmind that covers as with the wide wings of some creative Oversoul this whole lower hemisphere of Knowledge-Ignorance, links it with that greater Truth-Consciousness while yet at the same time with its brilliant golden Lid it veils the face of the greater Truth from our sight, intervening with its flood of infinite possibilities as at once an obstacle and a passage in our seeking of the spiritual law of our existence, its highest aim, its secret Reality. This then is the occult link we were looking for; this is the Power that at once connects and divides the supreme Knowledge and the cosmic Ignorance….
westness ::: n. --> The quality or state of being wet; moisture; humidity; as, the wetness of land; the wetness of a cloth.
A watery or moist state of the atmosphere; a state of being rainy, foggy, or misty; as, the wetness of weather or the season.
west ::: n. --> The point in the heavens where the sun is seen to set at the equinox; or, the corresponding point on the earth; that one of the four cardinal points of the compass which is in a direction at right angles to that of north and south, and on the left hand of a person facing north; the point directly opposite to east.
A country, or region of country, which, with regard to some other country or region, is situated in the direction toward the west.
The Westen hemisphere, or the New World so called, it having
With these principles of matter and form, and the parallel distinction between potential and actual existence, Aristotle claims to have solved the difficulties that earlier thinkers had found in the fact of change. The changes in nature are to be interpreted not as the passage from non-being to being, which would make them unintelligible, but as the process by which what is merely potential being passes over, through form, into actual being, or entelechy. The philosophy of nature which results from these basic concepts views nature as a dynamic realm in which change is real, spontaneous, continuous, and in the main directed. Matter, though indeed capable of form, possesses a residual inertia which on occasion produces accidental effects; so that alongside the teological causation of the forms Aristotle recognizes what he calls "necessity" in nature; but the products of the latter, since they are aberrations from form, cannot be made the object of scientific knowledge. Furthermore, the system of nature as developed by Aristotle is a graded series of existences, in which the simpler beings, though in themselves formed matter, function also as matter for higher forms. At the base of the series is prime matter, which as wholly unformed is mere potentiality, not actual being. The simplest formed matter is the so-called primary bodies -- earth, water, air and fire. From these as matter arise by the intervention of successively more complex forms the composite inorganic bodies, organic tissues, and the world of organisms, characterized by varying degrees of complexity in structure and function. In this realization of form in matter Aristotle distinguishes three sorts of change: qualitative change, or alteration; quantitative change, or growth and diminution; and change, of place, or locomotion, the last being primary, since it is presupposed in all the others. But Aristotle is far from suggesting a mechanical explanation of change, for not even locomotion can be explained by impact alone. The motion of the primary bodies is due to the fact that each has its natural place to which it moves when not opposed; earth to the center, then water, air, and fire to successive spheres about the center. The ceaseless motion of these primary bodies results from their ceaseless transformation into one another through the interaction of the forms of hot and cold, wet and dry. Thus qualitative differences of form underlie even the most elemental changes in the world of nature.
world ::: 1. Everything that exists; the universe; the macrocosm. 2. The earth with its inhabitants. 3. Any sphere, realm, or domain, with all pertaining to it. 4. Any period, state, or sphere of existence. world"s, worlds, wonder-world, wonder-worlds, world-adventure, world-adventure"s, world-being"s, World-Bliss, world-cloak, world-conjecture"s, world-creating, world-creators, world-delight, World-Delight, world-destiny, world-destroying, world-disillusion"s, world-dream, world-drowse, world-egos, world-energies, world-energy, World-Energy, world-force, world-experience, world-fact, world-failure"s, world-fate, World-Force, world-forces, World-free, World-Geometer"s, world-heart, world-idea, world-ignorance, World-Ignorance, World-maker"s, world-indifference, world-interpreting, world-kindergarten, world-knowledge, world-law, world-laws, world-libido"s, world-making"s, World-Matter"s, World-naked, world-need, world-ocean"s, world-outline, world-pain, world-passion, World-personality, world-pile, world-plan, world-power, World-Power, World-Power"s, World-Puissance, world-rapture, world-redeemer"s, world-rhyme, world-rhythms, world-scene, world-scheme, world-sea, World-Self, world-shape, world-shapes, world-space, world-stuff, world-symbol, World-symbols, World-task, world-time, World-Time‘s, world-tree, world-ways, world-whim, dream-world, heaven-world, mid-world.
zenith ::: n. --> That point in the visible celestial hemisphere which is vertical to the spectator; the point of the heavens directly overhead; -- opposed to nadir.
hence, figuratively, the point of culmination; the greatest height; the height of success or prosperity.
zone ::: n. --> A girdle; a cincture.
One of the five great divisions of the earth, with respect to latitude and temperature.
The portion of the surface of a sphere included between two parallel planes; the portion of a surface of revolution included between two planes perpendicular to the axis.
A band or stripe extending around a body.
A band or area of growth encircling anything; as, a zone of
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9 Sri Aurobindo
3 Sri Ramakrishna
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1 Ken Wilber
1 Jean Gebser
1 Hermes
1 Friedrich Nietzsche
1 Boethius
1 Basil the Great
1 The Mother
1 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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9 Nathaniel Hawthorne
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6 William Shakespeare
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6 Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
6 Mahatma Gandhi
6 Henry Ward Beecher
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5 Winston Churchill
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1:It is in the transparency of faith and knowledge, and not with their aid, that the sphere of Being becomes perceptible in its entire diaphaneity. ~ Jean Gebser, #KEYS
2:After enlightenment one has no more to return to this world. He has neither to come to this earth nor to go to any other sphere. ~ Sri Ramakrishna, #KEYS
3:What is a change of consciousness?
A change of consciousness is equivalent to a new birth, a birth into a higher sphere of existence.
~ The Mother, Words Of The Mother III,#KEYS
4:It is well known... that beside the extent of the heavens, the circumference of the earth has the size of a point; that is to say, compared with the magnitude of the celestial sphere, it may be thought as having no extent at all. ~ Boethius, Consolation of Philosophy II.7, #KEYS
5:None of the heavenly gods quits his sphere to come upon the earth, while man mounts up to heaven and measures it. He knows what is on high and what is below. He knows all correctly and, what is more, has no need to leave the earth in order to exalt himself. ~ Hermes, the Eternal Wisdom #KEYS
6:And so now, today, one cannot think of the greats-Kant, Hegel, Spinoza, Marx, Fichte, Freud, Nietzsche, Einstein, Schopenhauer, Leibniz, Schelling-the whole Germanic sphere-without thinking, at some point, of Auschwitz and Treblinka, Sobibor and Dachau, Bergen-Belsen and Chelmno. My God, they have names, as if they were human. ~ Ken Wilber, One Taste, #KEYS
7:Every man has in him something divine, something his own, a chance of strength and perfection in however small a sphere, which God offers him to take or refuse. The task is to find it, develop it, use it. The chief aim of education should be to help the growing soul to draw out that in itself which is best and make it perfect for a noble use. ~ Sri Aurobindo, Early Cultural Writings, #KEYS
8:Being is the notion implicit only: its special forms have the predicate 'is'; when they are distinguished they are each of them an 'other': and the shape which dialectic takes in them, i.e. their further specialisation, is passing over into another. This further determination, or specialisation, is at once a forth-putting and in that way a disengaging of the notion implicit in being; and at the same time the withdrawing of being inwards, its sinking deeper into itself. Thus the explication of the notion in the sphere of being does two things: it brings out the totality of being, and it abolishes the immediacy of being, or the form of being as such. ~ Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, #KEYS
9:The agony of breaking through personal limitations is the agony of spiritual growth. Art, literature, myth and cult, philosophy, and ascetic disciplines are instruments to help the individual past his limiting horizons into spheres of ever-expanding realization. As he crosses threshold after threshold, conquering dragon after dragon, the stature of the divinity that he summons to his highest wish increases, until it subsumes the cosmos. Finally, the mind breaks the bounding sphere of the cosmos to a realization transcending all experiences of form-all symbolizations, all divinities: a realization of the ineluctable void. ~ Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, The Ultimate Boon, #KEYS
10:In Malkus, the lowest of the Sephiros, the sphere of the physical world of matter, wherein incarnate the exiled Neschamos from the Divine Palace, there abides the Shechinah, the spiritual Presence of Ain Soph as a heritage to mankind and an ever-present reminder of spiritual verities. That is why there is written " Keser is in Malkus, and Malkus is in Keser, though after another manner The Zohar would imply that the real Shechinah, the real Divine Presence, is allocated to Binah whence it never descends, but that the Shechinah in Malkus is an eidolon or Daughter of the Great Supernal Mother. Isaac Myer suggests that : " It is considered by Qabalists as the executive energy or power of Binah, the Holy Spirit or the Upper Mother." ~ Israel Regardie, A Garden of Pomegrantes, #KEYS
11:The messengers of the Incommunicable,
The architects of immortality.
Into the fallen human sphere they came,
Faces that wore the Immortal's glory still,
Voices that communed still with the thoughts of God,
Bodies made beautiful by the spirit's light,
Carrying the magic word, the mystic fire,
Carrying the Dionysian cup of joy,
Approaching eyes of a diviner man,
Lips chanting an unknown anthem of the soul,
Feet echoing in the corridors of Time.
High priests of wisdom, sweetness, might and bliss,
Discoverers of beauty's sunlit ways
And swimmers of Love's laughing fiery floods
And dancers within rapture's golden doors,
Their tread one day shall change the suffering earth
And justify the light on Nature's face. ~ Sri Aurobindo, Savitri, 3:4,#KEYS
12:Savitri is neither fantasy nor yet mere philosophical thought, but vision and revelation of the actual structure of the inner Cosmos and of the pilgrim of life within its sphere — the Stairway of the Worlds reveals itself to our gaze — worlds of Light above, worlds of Darkness beneath, and we see also ever-encircling life ('kindled in measure and quenched in measure') ascending that stair under the calm unwinking gaze of the Cosmic Gods who shine forth now as of old. Poetry is indeed the full manifestation of the Logos and, when as here, it is no mere iridescence dependent on some special standpoint, but the wondrous structure of the mighty Cosmos, the 'Adored One', that is revealed, then in truth does it manifest its full, its highest grandeur.
It is an omen of the utmost significance and hope that in these years of darkness and despair such a poem as Savitri should have appeared. ~ Krishnaprem,#KEYS
13:And just as in the past each civilization was the vehicle of its own mythology, developing in character as its myth became progressively interpreted, analyzed, and elucidated by its leading minds, so in this modern world~where the application of science to the fields of practical life has now dissolved all cultural horizons, so that no separate civilization can ever develop again~each individual is the center of a mythology of his own, of which his own intelligible character is the Incarnate God, so to say, whom his empirically questing consciousness is to find. The aphorism of Delphi, 'Know thyself,' is the motto. And not Rome, not Mecca, not Jerusalem, Sinai, or Benares, but each and every 'thou' on earth is the center of this world, in the sense of that formula quoted from the twelfth-century Book of the Twenty-four Philosophers, of God as 'an intelligible sphere, whose center is everywhere.' ~ Joseph Campbell, The Masks of God, Vol. IV: Creative Mythology, #KEYS
14:4. Crossing the First Threshold:With the personifications of his destiny to guide and aid him, the hero goes forward in his adventure until he comes to the 'threshold guardian' at the entrance to the zone of magnified power. Such custodians bound the world in four directions-also up and down-standing for the limits of the hero's present sphere, or life horizon. Beyond them is darkness, the unknown and danger; just as beyond the parental watch is danger to the infant and beyond the protection of his society danger to the members of the tribe. The usual person is more than content, he is even proud, to remain within the indicated bounds, and popular belief gives him every reason to fear so much as the first step into the unexplored. The adventure is always and everywhere a passage beyond the veil of the known into the unknown; the powers that watch at the boundary are dangerous; to deal with them is risky; yet for anyone with competence and courage the danger fades. ~ Joseph Campbell, #KEYS
15:On the back part of the step, toward the right, I saw a small iridescent sphere of almost unbearable brilliance. At first I thought it was revolving; then I realised that this movement was an illusion created by the dizzying world it bounded. The Aleph's diameter was probably little more than an inch, but all space was there, actual and undiminished. Each thing (a mirror's face, let us say) was infinite things, since I distinctly saw it from every angle of the universe. I saw the teeming sea; I saw daybreak and nightfall; I saw the multitudes of America; I saw a silvery cobweb in the center of a black pyramid; I saw a splintered labyrinth (it was London); I saw, close up, unending eyes watching themselves in me as in a mirror; I saw all the mirrors on earth and none of them reflected me; I saw in a backyard of Soler Street the same tiles that thirty years before I'd seen in the entrance of a house in Fray Bentos; I saw bunches of grapes, snow, tobacco, lodes of metal, steam; I saw convex equatorial deserts and each one of their grains of sand... ~ Jorge Luis Borges, The Aleph, #KEYS
16:`No. Stay, doesn't matter.' He settled the black terry sweatband across his forehead, careful not to disturb the flat Sendai dermatrodes [1]. He stared at the deck on his lap, not really seeing it, seeing instead the shop window on Ninsei, the chromed shuriken burning with reflected neon. He glanced up; on the wall, just above the Sony, he'd hung her gift, tacking it there with a yellow-headed drawing pin through the hole at its center.
He closed his eyes.
Found the ridged face of the power stud.
And in the bloodlit dark behind his eyes, silver phosphenes boiling in from the edge of space, hypnagogic images jerking past like film compiled from random frames.
Symbols, figures, faces, a blurred, fragmented mandala of visual information.
Please, he prayed, now --
A gray disk, the color of Chiba sky.
Now --
Disk beginning to rotate, faster, becoming a sphere of paler gray. Expanding --And flowed, flowered for him, fluid neon origami trick, the unfolding of his distanceless home, his country, transparent 3D chessboard extending to infinity. Inner eye opening to the stepped scarlet pyramid of the Eastern Seaboard Fission Authority burning beyond the green cubes of Mitsubishi Bank of America, and high and very far away he saw the spiral arms of military systems, forever beyond his reach. ~ William Gibson, Neuromancer,#KEYS
17:5. Belly of the Whale:The idea that the passage of the magical threshold is a transit into a sphere of rebirth is symbolized in the worldwide womb image of the belly of the whale. The hero, instead of conquering or conciliating the power of the threshold, is swallowed into the unknown and would appear to have died. This popular motif gives emphasis to the lesson that the passage of the threshold is a form of self-annihilation. Instead of passing outward, beyond the confines of the visible world, the hero goes inward, to be born again. The disappearance corresponds to the passing of a worshipper into a temple-where he is to be quickened by the recollection of who and what he is, namely dust and ashes unless immortal. 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. The devotee at the moment of entry into a temple undergoes a metamorphosis. Once inside he may be said to have died to time and returned to the World Womb, the World Navel, the Earthly Paradise. Allegorically, then, the passage into a temple and the hero-dive through the jaws of the whale are identical adventures, both denoting in picture language, the life-centering, life-renewing act. ~ Joseph Campbell, #KEYS
18:In terms of energy - there are three characteristic ways in which the energy manifests - Dang, Rolpa, and rTsal (gDang, rol pa, and rTsal). Dang is the energy in which 'internal' and 'external' are not divided from that which manifests. It is symbolised by the crystal sphere which becomes the colour of whatever it is placed upon. Rolpa is the energy which manifests internally as vision. It is symbolised by the mirror. The image of the reflection always appears as if it is inside the mirror. rTsal is externally manifested energy which radiates. It is symbolised by the refractive capacity of the faceted crystal. For a realised being, this energy is inseparable in its manifestation from the dimension of manifest reality. Dang, Rolpa, and rTsal are not divided.
Dang, Rolpa and rTsal are not divided and neither are the ku-sum (sKu gSum - the trikaya) the three spheres of being. Cho-ku (chos sKu - Dharmakaya), the sphere of unconditioned potentiality, is the creative space from which the essence of the elements arises as long-ku (longs sKu - Sambhogakaya) the sphere of intangible appearances - light and rays, non material forms only perceivable by those with visionary clarity. Trülku (sPrul sKu - Nirmanakaya), the sphere of realised manifestation, is the level of matter in apparently solid material forms. The primordial base manifests these three distinct yet indivisible modes. ~ Sam Van Schaik, Approaching the Great Perfection: Simultaneous and Gradual Methods of Dzogchen Practice in the Longchen Nyingtig,#KEYS
19:Thus the eternal paradox and eternal truth of a divine life in an animal body, an immortal aspiration or reality inhabiting a mortal tenement, a single and universal consciousness representing itself in limited minds and divided egos, a transcendent, indefinable, timeless and spaceless Being who alone renders time and space and cosmos possible, and in all these the higher truth realisable by the lower term, justify themselves to the deliberate reason as well as to the persistent instinct or intuition of mankind. Attempts are sometimes made to have done finally with questionings which have so often been declared insoluble by logical thought and to persuade men to limit their mental activities to the practical and immediate problems of their material existence in the universe; but such evasions are never permanent in their effect. Mankind returns from them with a more vehement impulse of inquiry or a more violent hunger for an immediate solution. By that hunger mysticism profits and new religions arise to replace the old that have been destroyed or stripped of significance by a scepticism which itself could not satisfy because, although its business was inquiry, it was unwilling sufficiently to inquire. The attempt to deny or stifle a truth because it is yet obscure in its outward workings and too often represented by obscurantist superstition or a crude faith, is itself a kind of obscurantism. The will to escape from a cosmic necessity because it is arduous, difficult to justify by immediate tangible results, slow in regulating its operations, must turn out eventually to have been no acceptance of the truth of Nature but a revolt against the secret, mightier will of the great Mother. It is better and more rational to accept what she will not allow us as a race to reject and lift it from the sphere of blind instinct, obscure intuition and random aspiration into the light of reason and an instructed and consciously self-guiding will. And if there is any higher light of illumined intuition or self-revealing truth which is now in man either obstructed and inoperative or works with intermittent glancings as if from behind a veil or with occasional displays as of the northern lights in our material skies, then there also we need not fear to aspire. For it is likely that such is the next higher state of consciousness of which Mind is only a form and veil, and through the splendours of that light may lie the path of our progressive self-enlargement into whatever highest state is humanity's ultimate resting-place. ~ Sri Aurobindo, The Life Divine, The Human Aspiration, #KEYS
20:Has creation a definite aim? Is there something like a final end to which it is moving?
The Mother: No, the universe is a movement that is eternally unrolling itself. There is nothing which you can fix upon as the end and one aim. But for the sake of action we have to section the movement, which is itself unending, and to say that this or that is the goal, for in action we need something upon which we can fix our aim. In a picture you need a definite scheme of composition and colour; you have to set a limit, to put the whole thing within a fixed framework; but the limit is illusory, the frame is a mere convention. There is a constant continuation of the picture that stretches beyond any particular frame, and each continuation can be drawn in the same conditions in an unending series of frames. Our aim is this or that, we say, but we know that it is only the beginning of another aim beyond it, and that in its turn leads to yet another; the series develop always and never stop.
What is the proper function of the intellect? Is it a help or a hindrance to Sadhana?
Whether the intellect is a help or a hindrance depends upon the person and upon the way in which it is used. There is a true movement of the intellect and there is a wrong movement; one helps, the other hinders. The intellect that believes too much in its own importance and wants satisfaction for its own sake, is an obstacle to the higher realisation.
But this is true not in any special sense or for the intellect alone, but generally and of other faculties as well. For example, people do not regard an all-engrossing satisfaction of the vital desires or the animal appetites as a virtue; the moral sense is accepted as a mentor to tell one the bounds that one may not transgress. It is only in his intellectual activities that man thinks he can do without any such mentor or censor!
Any part of the being that keeps to its proper place and plays its appointed role is helpful; but directly it steps beyond its sphere, it becomes twisted and perverted and therefore false. A power has the right movement when it is set into activity for the divine's purpose; it has the wrong movement when it is set into activity for its own satisfaction.
The intellect, in its true nature, is an instrument of expression and action. It is something like an intermediary between the true knowledge, whose seat is in the higher regions above the mind, and realisation here below. The intellect or, generally speaking, the mind gives the form; the vital puts in the dynamism and life-power; the material comes in last and embodies. ~ The Mother, Questions And Answers 1929-1931, 28th April 1931 and 5th May 1929,#KEYS
21:STAGE TWO: THE CHONYID
The Chonyid is the period of the appearance of the peaceful and wrathful deities-that is to say, the subtle realm, the Sambhogakaya. When the Clear Light of the causal realm is resisted and contracted against, then that Reality is transformed into the primordial seed forms of the peaceful deities (ishtadevas of the subtle sphere), and these in turn, if resisted and denied, are transformed into the wrathful deities.
The peaceful deities appear first: through seven successive substages, there appear various forms of the tathagatas, dakinis, and vidyadharas, all accompanied by the most dazzlingly brilliant colors and aweinspiring suprahuman sounds. One after another, the divine visions, lights, and subtle luminous sounds cascade through awareness. They are presented, given, to the individual openly, freely, fully, and completely: visions of God in almost painful intensity and brilliance.
How the individual handles these divine visions and sounds (nada) is of the utmost significance, because each divine scenario is accompanied by a much less intense vision, by a region of relative dullness and blunted illuminations. These concomitant dull and blunted visions represent the first glimmerings of the world of samsara, of the six realms of egoic grasping, of the dim world of duality and fragmentation and primitive forms of low-level unity.
According to the Thotrol. most individuals simply recoil in the face of these divine illuminations- they contract into less intense and more manageable forms of experience. Fleeing divine illumination, they glide towards the fragmented-and thus less intense-realm of duality and multiplicity. But it's not just that they recoil against divinity-it is that they are attracted to the lower realms, drawn to them, and find satisfaction in them. The Thotrol says they are actually "attracted to the impure lights." As we have put it, these lower realms are substitute gratifications. The individual thinks that they are just what he wants, these lower realms of denseness. But just because these realms are indeed dimmer and less intense, they eventually prove to be worlds without bliss, without illumination, shot through with pain and suffering. How ironic: as a substitute for God, individuals create and latch onto Hell, known as samsara, maya, dismay. In Christian theology it is said that the flames of Hell are God's love (Agape) denied.
Thus the message is repeated over and over again in the Chonyid stage: abide in the lights of the Five Wisdoms and subtle tathagatas, look not at the duller lights of samsara. of the six realms, of safe illusions and egoic dullness. As but one example:
Thereupon, because of the power of bad karma, the glorious blue light of the Wisdom of the Dharmadhatu will produce in thee fear and terror, and thou wilt wish to flee from it. Thou wilt begat a fondness for the dull white light of the devas [one of the lower realms].
At this stage, thou must not be awed by the divine blue light which will appear shining, dazzling, and glorious; and be not startled by it. That is the light of the Tathagata called the Light of the Wisdom of the Dharmadhatu.
Be not fond of the dull white light of the devas. Be not attached to it; be not weak. If thou be attached to it, thou wilt wander into the abodes of the devas and be drawn into the whirl of the Six Lokas.
The point is this: ''If thou are frightened by the pure radiances of Wisdom and attracted by the impure lights of the Six Lokas [lower realms], then thou wilt assume a body in any of the Six Lokas and suffer samsaric miseries; and thou wilt never be emancipated from the Ocean of Samsara, wherein thou wilt be whirled round and round and made to taste the sufferings thereof."
But here is what is happening: in effect, we are seeing the primal and original form of the Atman project in its negative and contracting aspects. In this second stage (the Chonyid), there is already some sort of boundary in awareness, there is already some sort of subject-object duality superimposed upon the original Wholeness and Oneness of the Chikhai Dharmakaya. So now there is boundary-and wherever there is boundary, there is the Atman project. ~ Ken Wilber, The Atman Project, 129,#KEYS
22:Chapter LXXXII: Epistola Penultima: The Two Ways to Reality
Cara Soror,
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
How very sensible of you, though I admit somewhat exacting!
You write-Will you tell me exactly why I should devote so much of my valuable time to subjects like Magick and Yoga.
That is all very well. But you ask me to put it in syllogistic form. I have no doubt this can be done, though the task seems somewhat complicated. I think I will leave it to you to construct your series of syllogisms yourself from the arguments of this letter.
In your main question the operative word is "valuable. Why, I ask, in my turn, should you consider your time valuable? It certainly is not valuable unless the universe has a meaning, and what is more, unless you know what that meaning is-at least roughly-it is millions to one that you will find yourself barking up the wrong tree.
First of all let us consider this question of the meaning of the universe. It is its own evidence to design, and that design intelligent design. There is no question of any moral significance-"one man's meat is another man's poison" and so on. But there can be no possible doubt about the existence of some kind of intelligence, and that kind is far superior to anything of which we know as human.
How then are we to explore, and finally to interpret this intelligence?
It seems to me that there are two ways and only two. Imagine for a moment that you are an orphan in charge of a guardian, inconceivably learned from your point of view.
Suppose therefore that you are puzzled by some problem suitable to your childish nature, your obvious and most simple way is to approach your guardian and ask him to enlighten you. It is clearly part of his function as guardian to do his best to help you. Very good, that is the first method, and close parallel with what we understand by the word Magick.
We are bothered by some difficulty about one of the elements-say Fire-it is therefore natural to evoke a Salamander to instruct you on the difficult point. But you must remember that your Holy Guardian Angel is not only far more fully instructed than yourself on every point that you can conceive, but you may go so far as to say that it is definitely his work, or part of his work; remembering always that he inhabits a sphere or plane which is entirely different from anything of which you are normally aware.
To attain to the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel is consequently without doubt by far the simplest way by which you can yourself approach that higher order of being.
That, then, is a clearly intelligible method of procedure. We call it Magick.
It is of course possible to strengthen the link between him and yourself so that in course of time you became capable of moving and, generally speaking, operating on that plane which is his natural habitat.
There is however one other way, and one only, as far as I can see, of reaching this state.
It is at least theoretically possible to exalt the whole of your own consciousness until it becomes as free to move on that exalted plane as it is for him. You should note, by the way, that in this case the postulation of another being is not necessary. There is no way of refuting the solipsism if you feel like that. Personally I cannot accede to its axiom. The evidence for an external universe appears to me perfectly adequate.
Still there is no extra charge for thinking on those lines if you so wish.
I have paid a great deal of attention in the course of my life to the method of exalting the human consciousness in this way; and it is really quite legitimate to identify my teaching with that of the Yogis.
I must however point out that in the course of my instruction I have given continual warnings as to the dangers of this line of research. For one thing there is no means of checking your results in the ordinary scientific sense. It is always perfectly easy to find a subjective explanation of any phenomenon; and when one considers that the greatest of all the dangers in any line of research arise from egocentric vanity, I do not think I have exceeded my duty in anything that I have said to deter students from undertaking so dangerous a course as Yoga.
It is, of course, much safer if you are in a position to pursue in the Indian Jungles, provided that your health will stand the climate and also, I must say, unless you have a really sound teacher on whom you can safely rely. But then, if we once introduce a teacher, why not go to the Fountain-head and press towards the Knowledge and conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel?
In any case your Indian teacher will ultimately direct you to seek guidance from that source, so it seems to me that you have gone to a great deal of extra trouble and incurred a great deal of unnecessary danger by not leaving yourself in the first place in the hands of the Holy Guardian Angel.
In any case there are the two methods which stand as alternatives. I do not know of any third one which can be of any use whatever. Logically, since you have asked me to be logical, there is certainly no third way; there is the external way of Magick, and the internal way of Yoga: there you have your alternatives, and there they cease.
Love is the law, love under will.
Fraternally,
666 ~ Aleister Crowley, Magick Without Tears,#KEYS
23:The Supreme Discovery
IF WE want to progress integrally, we must build within our conscious being a strong and pure mental synthesis which can serve us as a protection against temptations from outside, as a landmark to prevent us from going astray, as a beacon to light our way across the moving ocean of life.
Each individual should build up this mental synthesis according to his own tendencies and affinities and aspirations. But if we want it to be truly living and luminous, it must be centred on the idea that is the intellectual representation symbolising That which is at the centre of our being, That which is our life and our light.
This idea, expressed in sublime words, has been taught in various forms by all the great Instructors in all lands and all ages.
The Self of each one and the great universal Self are one. Since all that is exists from all eternity in its essence and principle, why make a distinction between the being and its origin, between ourselves and what we place at the beginning?
The ancient traditions rightly said:
"Our origin and ourselves, our God and ourselves are one."
And this oneness should not be understood merely as a more or less close and intimate relationship of union, but as a true identity.
Thus, when a man who seeks the Divine attempts to reascend by degrees towards the inaccessible, he forgets that all his knowledge and all his intuition cannot take him one step forward in this infinite; neither does he know that what he wants to attain, what he believes to be so far from him, is within him.
For how could he know anything of the origin until he becomes conscious of this origin in himself?
It is by understanding himself, by learning to know himself, that he can make the supreme discovery and cry out in wonder like the patriarch in the Bible, "The house of God is here and I knew it not."
That is why we must express that sublime thought, creatrix of the material worlds, and make known to all the word that fills the heavens and the earth, "I am in all things and all beings."When all shall know this, the promised day of great transfigurations will be at hand. When in each atom of Matter men shall recognise the indwelling thought of God, when in each living creature they shall perceive some hint of a gesture of God, when each man can see God in his brother, then dawn will break, dispelling the darkness, the falsehood, the ignorance, the error and suffering that weigh upon all Nature. For, "all Nature suffers and laments as she awaits the revelation of the Sons of God."
This indeed is the central thought epitomising all others, the thought which should be ever present to our remembrance as the sun that illumines all life.
That is why I remind you of it today. For if we follow our path bearing this thought in our hearts like the rarest jewel, the most precious treasure, if we allow it to do its work of illumination and transfiguration within us, we shall know that it lives in the centre of all beings and all things, and in it we shall feel the marvellous oneness of the universe.
Then we shall understand the vanity and childishness of our meagre satisfactions, our foolish quarrels, our petty passions, our blind indignations. We shall see the dissolution of our little faults, the crumbling of the last entrenchments of our limited personality and our obtuse egoism. We shall feel ourselves being swept along by this sublime current of true spirituality which will deliver us from our narrow limits and bounds.
The individual Self and the universal Self are one; in every world, in every being, in every thing, in every atom is the Divine Presence, and man's mission is to manifest it.
In order to do that, he must become conscious of this Divine Presence within him. Some individuals must undergo a real apprenticeship in order to achieve this: their egoistic being is too all-absorbing, too rigid, too conservative, and their struggles against it are long and painful. Others, on the contrary, who are more impersonal, more plastic, more spiritualised, come easily into contact with the inexhaustible divine source of their being.But let us not forget that they too should devote themselves daily, constantly, to a methodical effort of adaptation and transformation, so that nothing within them may ever again obscure the radiance of that pure light.
But how greatly the standpoint changes once we attain this deeper consciousness! How understanding widens, how compassion grows!
On this a sage has said:
"I would like each one of us to come to the point where he perceives the inner God who dwells even in the vilest of human beings; instead of condemning him we would say, 'Arise, O resplendent Being, thou who art ever pure, who knowest neither birth nor death; arise, Almighty One, and manifest thy nature.'"
Let us live by this beautiful utterance and we shall see everything around us transformed as if by miracle.
This is the attitude of true, conscious and discerning love, the love which knows how to see behind appearances, understand in spite of words, and which, amid all obstacles, is in constant communion with the depths.
What value have our impulses and our desires, our anguish and our violence, our sufferings and our struggles, all these inner vicissitudes unduly dramatised by our unruly imagination - what value do they have before this great, this sublime and divine love bending over us from the innermost depths of our being, bearing with our weaknesses, rectifying our errors, healing our wounds, bathing our whole being with its regenerating streams?
For the inner Godhead never imposes herself, she neither demands nor threatens; she offers and gives herself, conceals and forgets herself in the heart of all beings and things; she never accuses, she neither judges nor curses nor condemns, but works unceasingly to perfect without constraint, to mend without reproach, to encourage without impatience, to enrich each one with all the wealth he can receive; she is the mother whose love bears fruit and nourishes, guards and protects, counsels and consoles; because she understands everything, she can endure everything, excuse and pardon everything, hope and prepare for everything; bearing everything within herself, she owns nothing that does not belong to all, and because she reigns over all, she is the servant of all; that is why all, great and small, who want to be kings with her and gods in her, become, like her, not despots but servitors among their brethren.
How beautiful is this humble role of servant, the role of all who have been revealers and heralds of the God who is within all, of the Divine Love that animates all things....
And until we can follow their example and become true servants even as they, let us allow ourselves to be penetrated and transformed by this Divine Love; let us offer Him, without reserve, this marvellous instrument, our physical organism. He shall make it yield its utmost on every plane of activity.
To achieve this total self-consecration, all means are good, all methods have their value. The one thing needful is to persevere in our will to attain this goal. For then everything we study, every action we perform, every human being we meet, all come to bring us an indication, a help, a light to guide us on the path.
Before I close, I shall add a few pages for those who have already made apparently fruitless efforts, for those who have encountered the pitfalls on the way and seen the measure of their weakness, for those who are in danger of losing their self-confidence and courage. These pages, intended to rekindle hope in the hearts of those who suffer, were written by a spiritual worker at a time when ordeals of every kind were sweeping down on him like purifying flames.
You who are weary, downcast and bruised, you who fall, who think perhaps that you are defeated, hear the voice of a friend. He knows your sorrows, he has shared them, he has suffered like you from the ills of the earth; like you he has crossed many deserts under the burden of the day, he has known thirst and hunger, solitude and abandonment, and the cruellest of all wants, the destitution of the heart. Alas! he has known too the hours of doubt, the errors, the faults, the failings, every weakness.
But he tells you: Courage! Hearken to the lesson that the rising sun brings to the earth with its first rays each morning. It is a lesson of hope, a message of solace.
You who weep, who suffer and tremble, who dare not expect an end to your ills, an issue to your pangs, behold: there is no night without dawn and the day is about to break when darkness is thickest; there is no mist that the sun does not dispel, no cloud that it does not gild, no tear that it will not dry one day, no storm that is not followed by its shining triumphant bow; there is no snow that it does not melt, nor winter that it does not change into radiant spring.
And for you too, there is no affliction which does not bring its measure of glory, no distress which cannot be transformed into joy, nor defeat into victory, nor downfall into higher ascension, nor solitude into radiating centre of life, nor discord into harmony - sometimes it is a misunderstanding between two minds that compels two hearts to open to mutual communion; lastly, there is no infinite weakness that cannot be changed into strength. And it is even in supreme weakness that almightiness chooses to reveal itself!
Listen, my little child, you who today feel so broken, so fallen perhaps, who have nothing left, nothing to cover your misery and foster your pride: never before have you been so great! How close to the summits is he who awakens in the depths, for the deeper the abyss, the more the heights reveal themselves!
Do you not know this, that the most sublime forces of the vasts seek to array themselves in the most opaque veils of Matter? Oh, the sublime nuptials of sovereign love with the obscurest plasticities, of the shadow's yearning with the most royal light!
If ordeal or fault has cast you down, if you have sunk into the nether depths of suffering, do not grieve - for there indeed the divine love and the supreme blessing can reach you! Because you have passed through the crucible of purifying sorrows, the glorious ascents are yours.
You are in the wilderness: then listen to the voices of the silence. The clamour of flattering words and outer applause has gladdened your ears, but the voices of the silence will gladden your soul and awaken within you the echo of the depths, the chant of divine harmonies!
You are walking in the depths of night: then gather the priceless treasures of the night. In bright sunshine, the ways of intelligence are lit, but in the white luminosities of the night lie the hidden paths of perfection, the secret of spiritual riches.
You are being stripped of everything: that is the way towards plenitude. When you have nothing left, everything will be given to you. Because for those who are sincere and true, from the worst always comes the best.
Every grain that is sown in the earth produces a thousand. Every wing-beat of sorrow can be a soaring towards glory.
And when the adversary pursues man relentlessly, everything he does to destroy him only makes him greater.
Hear the story of the worlds, look: the great enemy seems to triumph. He casts the beings of light into the night, and the night is filled with stars. He rages against the cosmic working, he assails the integrity of the empire of the sphere, shatters its harmony, divides and subdivides it, scatters its dust to the four winds of infinity, and lo! the dust is changed into a golden seed, fertilising the infinite and peopling it with worlds which now gravitate around their eternal centre in the larger orbit of space - so that even division creates a richer and deeper unity, and by multiplying the surfaces of the material universe, enlarges the empire that it set out to destroy.
Beautiful indeed was the song of the primordial sphere cradled in the bosom of immensity, but how much more beautiful and triumphant is the symphony of the constellations, the music of the spheres, the immense choir that fills the heavens with an eternal hymn of victory!
Hear again: no state was ever more precarious than that of man when he was separated on earth from his divine origin. Above him stretched the hostile borders of the usurper, and at his horizon's gates watched jailers armed with flaming swords. Then, since he could climb no more to the source of life, the source arose within him; since he could no more receive the light from above, the light shone forth at the very centre of his being; since he could commune no more with the transcendent love, that love offered itself in a holocaust and chose each terrestrial being, each human self as its dwelling-place and sanctuary.
That is how, in this despised and desolate but fruitful and blessed Matter, each atom contains a divine thought, each being carries within him the Divine Inhabitant. And if no being in all the universe is as frail as man, neither is any as divine as he!
In truth, in truth, in humiliation lies the cradle of glory! 28 April 1912 ~ The Mother, Words Of Long Ago, The Supreme Discovery,#KEYS
*** WISDOM TROVE ***
1:In a narrow sphere great men are blunderers. ~ napoleon-bonaparte, @wisdomtrove 2:Two stars keep not their motion in one sphere. ~ william-shakespeare, @wisdomtrove 3:We sail within a vast sphere, ever drifting in uncertainty, driven from end to end. ~ blaise-pascal, @wisdomtrove 4:Repentance may begin instantly, but reformation often requires a sphere of years. ~ henry-ward-beecher, @wisdomtrove 5:There is a direct correlation between am increased sphere of comfort and getting what you want. ~ tim-ferris, @wisdomtrove 6:Nature is an infinite sphere of which the center is everywhere and the circumference nowhere. ~ blaise-pascal, @wisdomtrove 7:The heart of true womanhood knows where its own sphere is, and never seeks to stray beyond it! ~ nathaniel-hawthorne, @wisdomtrove 8:We crave support in vanity, as we do in religion, and never forgive contradictions in that sphere. ~ george-santayana, @wisdomtrove 9:The person must give himself an external sphere of freedom in order to have being as Idea. ~ georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel, @wisdomtrove 10:The nobleness of silence. The highest melody dwells only in silence,& 11:The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives. ~ albert-einstein, @wisdomtrove 12:Men honor what lies within the sphere of their knowledge, but do not realize how dependent they are on what lies beyond it. ~ zhuangzi, @wisdomtrove 13:Let the intellect alone, it has its usefulness in its proper sphere, but let it not interfere with the flowing of the life-stream. ~ d-t-suzuki, @wisdomtrove 14:God is an intelligible sphere—a sphere known to mind, not to the senses—whose center is everywhere and whose circumference nowhere. ~ joseph-campbell, @wisdomtrove 15:Mysticism, poor mysticism! When it is oversimplified and underestimated, it comes down from its original sphere and stands beside religion. ~ sri-chinmoy, @wisdomtrove 16:The sphere that is deepest, most unexplored, and most unfathomable, the wonder and glory of God's thought and hand, is our own soul! ~ henry-ward-beecher, @wisdomtrove 17:Golf: An ineffectual attempt to direct an uncontrollable sphere into an inaccessible hole with instruments ill-adapted to the purpose. ~ winston-churchill, @wisdomtrove 18:The laws of Congress are restricted to a certain sphere, and when they depart from this sphere, they are no longer supreme or binding. ~ alexander-hamilton, @wisdomtrove 19:You cannot speak of ocean to a well-frog, the creature of a narrower sphere. You cannot speak of ice to a summer insect, the creature of a season. ~ zhuangzi, @wisdomtrove 20:One concept corrupts and confuses the others. I am not speaking of the Evil whose limited sphere is ethics; I am speaking of the infinite. ~ jorge-luis-borges, @wisdomtrove 21:Every person is responsible for all the good within the scope of his abilities, and for no more, and none can tell whose sphere is the largest. ~ robert-h-schuller, @wisdomtrove 22:When deep space exploration ramps up, it'll be the corporations that name everything, the IBM Stellar Sphere, the Microsoft Galaxy, Planet Starbucks. ~ chuck-palahniuk, @wisdomtrove 23:In the moral sphere, every act of justice or charity involves putting ourselves in the other person's place and thus transcending our own competitive particularity. ~ c-s-lewis, @wisdomtrove 24:Our capacities, our instincts for this our present sphere are but half developed. Let us be completely natural; before we trouble ourselves with the supernatural. ~ margaret-fuller, @wisdomtrove 25:Self-denial does not belong to religion as characteristic of it; it belongs to human life; the lower nature must always be denied when you are trying to rise to a higher sphere. ~ henry-ward-beecher, @wisdomtrove 26:One doesn't actually meditate on the navel. The chakra is located about two or three inches below the navel, at that point there is an energy access sphere in the middle of the body. ~ frederick-lenz, @wisdomtrove 27:The wisdom of the ignorant somewhat resembles the instinct of animals; it is diffused in but a very narrow sphere, but within the circle it acts with vigor, uniformity, and success. ~ oliver-goldsmith, @wisdomtrove 28:Power comes from the navel center. If you meditate for an hour or so a day and you focus on that sphere, you will release a tremendous power that will enter your body. We call it the chi. ~ frederick-lenz, @wisdomtrove 29:I will be a man among men; and no longer a dreamer among shadows. Henceforth be mine a life of action and reality! I will work in my own sphere, nor wish it other than it is. This alone is health and happiness. ~ henry-wadsworth-longfellow, @wisdomtrove 30:Not all practitioners can jump to that highest level. They have to climb, step by step from the physical sphere to reach the spiritual sphere. If it is treated as exercise it is not the fault of yoga but of the practitioners. ~ b-k-s-iyengar, @wisdomtrove 31:I thank heaven I have often had it in my power to give help and relief, and this is still my greatest pleasure. If I could choose my sphere of action now, it would be that of the most simple and direct efforts of this kind. ~ reinhold-niebuhr, @wisdomtrove 32:All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom. ~ albert-einstein, @wisdomtrove 33:Every man owes a part of his time and money to the business or industry in which he is engaged. No man has the moral right to withhold his support from an organization that is striving to improve conditions within his sphere. ~ theodore-roosevelt, @wisdomtrove 34:Role models who push us to exceed our limits, physical training that removes our spare tires, and risks that expand our sphere of comfortable action are all examples of eustress‚Äîstress that is healthful and the stimulus for growth. ~ tim-ferris, @wisdomtrove 35:In the sphere of natural investigation, as in poetry and painting, the delineation of that which appeals most strongly to the imagination, derives its collective interest from the vivid truthfulness with which the individual features are portrayed. ~ david-hume, @wisdomtrove 36:Beauty is not the divine in a cloak of physical reality; no, it is physical reality in a cloak that is divine. The artist does not bring the divine on to the earth by letting it flow into the world; he raises the world into the sphere of the divine. ~ rudolf-steiner, @wisdomtrove 37:The battle of life is already half won by the young man who is brought in contact with high officials; and the great aim of every boy should be to do something beyond the sphere of his duties- something which attracts the attention of those over him. ~ andrew-carnegie, @wisdomtrove 38:The soul in its nature loves God and longs to be at one with Him in the noble love of a daughter for a noble father; but coming to human birth and lured by the courtships of this sphere, she takes up with another love, a mortal, leaves her father and falls. ~ plotinus, @wisdomtrove 39:The sphere of sense, the Soul in its slumber; for all of the Soul that is in body is asleep and the true getting-up is not bodily but from the body: in any movement that takes the body with it there is no more than passage from sleep to sleep, from bed to bed. ~ plotinus, @wisdomtrove 40:It contributes greatly towards a man's moral and intellectual health, to be brought into habits of companionship with individuals unlike himself, who care little for his pursuits, and whose sphere and abilities he must go out of himself to appreciate. ~ nathaniel-hawthorne, @wisdomtrove 41:God has not made this world to be a nest for us, and if we try to make it such for ourselves, he plants thorns in it, so that we may be compelled to mount and find our soul's true home somewhere else, in a higher and nobler sphere than this poor world can give. ~ charles-spurgeon, @wisdomtrove 42:A given circle cannot be so true that a truer one cannot be found; and the movement of a sphere at one moment is never precisely equal to its movement at another, nor does it ever describe two circles similar and equal, even if from appearances the opposite may seem true. ~ nicholas-of-cusa, @wisdomtrove 43:No one step back, that is the idea... . Fight it out, whatever comes. Let the stars move from the sphere! Let the whole world stand against us!... . What of it? Thus fight! You gain nothing by becoming cowards... . Taking a step backward, you do not avoid any misfortune. ~ swami-vivekananda, @wisdomtrove 44:We sail within a vast sphere, ever drifting in uncertainty, driven from end to end. When we think to attach ourselves to any pointand to fasten to it, it wavers and leaves us; and if we follow it, it eludes our grasp, slips past us, and vanishes for ever. Nothing stays for us. ~ blaise-pascal, @wisdomtrove 45:Every living thing is a combination of soul and body-kind: the celestial sphere, therefore, if it is to be everlasting as an individual entity must be so in virtue either of both these constituents or of one of them, by the combination of soul and body or by soul only or by body only. ~ plotinus, @wisdomtrove 46:Every man builds his world in his own image; he has the power to choose, but no power to escape the necessity of choice. If he abdicates his power, he abdicates the status of man, and the grinding chaos of the irrational is what he achieves as his sphere of existence‚ by his own choice. ~ ayn-rand, @wisdomtrove 47:I can promise you none of these things. No sphere of usefulness; you are not needed there at all. No scope of your talents; only forgiveness for having perverted them. No atmosphere of inquiry, for I will bring you to the land not of questions but of answers, and you shall see the face of God. (pg 40) ~ c-s-lewis, @wisdomtrove 48:the senses alone are not implicitly to be depended on. We must correct their evidence by reason, and by considerations, derived from the nature of the medium, the distance of the object, and the disposition of the organ, in order to render them, within their sphere, the proper criteria of truth and falsehood. ~ david-hume, @wisdomtrove 49:We are opposed around the world by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy that relies primarily on covert means for expanding its sphere of influence on infiltration instead of invasion, on subversion instead of elections, on intimidation instead of free choice, on guerrillas by night instead of armies by day ~ john-f-kennedy, @wisdomtrove 50:We are opposed around the world by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy that relies primarily on covert means for expanding its sphere of influence — on infiltration instead of invasion, on subversion instead of elections, on intimidation instead of free choice, on guerrillas by night instead of armies by day ~ john-f-kennedy, @wisdomtrove 51:A majority vote is not an epistemological validation of an idea. Voting is merely a proper political device& 52:Let man then contemplate the whole of nature in her full and grand majesty... No idea approaches it. We may enlarge our conceptions beyond all imaginable space; we only produce atoms in comparison with the reality of things. It is an infinite sphere, the center of which is everywhere, the circumference nowhere. ~ blaise-pascal, @wisdomtrove 53:The whole sphere of air that surrounds us, Alma, is alive with invisible attractions ‚ electric, magnetic, fiery and thoughtful. There is a universal sympathy all around us.¶ When we cease all argument and debate ‚ both internal and external ‚ our true questions can be heard and answered. ¶That is the gathering of magic. ~ elizabeth-gilbert, @wisdomtrove 54:There is an unbroken chain of opposition to the introduction of economic freedom and to the capitalist autonomy of the economic sphere... In every case the opposition could only be overcome - peacefully or by force - because of the promise of capitalism to establish equality... That this promise was an illusion we all know. ~ peter-drucker, @wisdomtrove 55:God is Infinite and His Shadow is also infinite. The Shadow of God is the Infinite Space that accommodates the infinite Gross Sphere which, with its occurrences of millions of universes, within and without the ranges of men's knowledge, is the Creation that issued from the Point of Finiteness in the infinite Existence that is God. ~ meher-baba, @wisdomtrove 56:Everyone has in him something divine, something his own, a chance of perfection and strength in however small a sphere which God offers him to take or refuse. The task is to find it, develop it & use it. The chief aim of education should be to help the growing soul to draw out that in itself which is best and make it perfect for a noble use. ~ sri-aurobindo, @wisdomtrove 57:Men should soon make up their minds to be forgotten, and look about them, or within them, for some higher motive in what they do than the approbation of men, which is fame, namely, their duty; that they should be constantly and quietly at work, each in his sphere, regardless of effects, and leaving their fame to take care of itself. ~ henry-wadsworth-longfellow, @wisdomtrove 58:If spiritual science is to do the same for spirit that natural science has done for nature, it must investigate quite differently from the latter. It must find ways and means of penetrating into the sphere of the spiritual, a domain which cannot be perceived with outer physical senses nor apprehended with the intellect which is bound to the brain. ~ rudolf-steiner, @wisdomtrove 59:So when people ask me if I believe God created the universe, I tell them that the question itself makes no sense. Time didn't exist before the Big Bang, so there is no time for God to make the universe in. It's like asking for directions to the edge of the earth; the earth is a sphere, it doesn't have an edge, so looking for it is a futile exercise. ~ stephen-hawking, @wisdomtrove 60:It takes a long time-many incarnations of right action, good company, help of the guru, self-awakening, wisdom, and meditation-for man to regain his soul consciousness of immortality. To reach this state of Self-realization, each man must practice meditation to transfer his consciousness from the limited body to the unlimited sphere of joy felt in meditation. ~ paramahansa-yogananda, @wisdomtrove 61:Oh, ye infidel philosophers, teach me how to find joy in sorrow, strength in weakness, and light in darkest days; how to bear buffeting and scorn; how to welcome death, and to pass through it into the sphere of life, and this not for me only, but for the whole world that groans and travails in pain; and till you can do this, speak not to me of a better revelation than the Bible. ~ henry-ward-beecher, @wisdomtrove 62:To enlarge the sphere of social happiness is worthy of the benevolent design of a Masonic institution; and it is most fervently to be wished, that the conduct of every member of the fraternity, as well as those publications, that discover the principles which actuate them, may tend to convince mankind that the grand object of Masonry is to promote the happiness of the human race. ~ george-washington, @wisdomtrove 63:All around us lies what we neither understand nor use. Our capacities, our instincts for this our present sphere are but half developed. Let us confine ourselves to that till the lesson be learned; let us be completely natural; before we trouble ourselves with the supernatural. I never see any of these things but I long to get away and lie under a green tree and let the wind blow on me. There is marvel and charm enough in that for me. ~ margaret-fuller, @wisdomtrove 64:One can imagine a time when men who still inhabit organic bodies are regarded with pity by those who have passed on to an infinitely richer mode of existence, capable of throwing their consciousness or sphere of attention instantaneously to any point on land, sea, or sky where there is a suitable sensing organ. In adolescence we leave childhood behind; one day there may be a second and more portentous adolescence, when we bid farewell to the flesh. ~ arthur-c-carke, @wisdomtrove 65:In the political, the social, the economic, even the cultural sphere, the revolutions of our time have been revolutions "against" rather than revolutions "for"... On the whole throughout this period the man& 66:the public sphere is as consistently based on the law of equality as the private sphere is based on the law of universal difference and differentiation. Equality, in contrast to all that is involved in mere existence, is not given us, but is the result of human organization insofar as it is guided by the principle of justice. We are not born equal; we become equal as members of a group on the strength of our decision to guarantee ourselves mutually equal rights. ~ hannah-arendt, @wisdomtrove 67:We come no nearer the infinitude of the creative power of God, if we enclose the space of its revelation within a sphere described with the radius of the Milky Way, than if we were to limit it to a ball an inch in diameter. All that is finite, whatever has limits and a definite relation to unity, is equally far removed from the infinite... Eternity is not sufficient to embrace the manifestations of the Supreme Being, if it is not combined with the infinitude of space. ~ immanuel-kant, @wisdomtrove 68:Oh! captive, bound, and double-ironed," cried the phantom, "not to know, that ages of incessant labour, by immortal creatures, for this earth must pass into eternity before the good of which it is susceptible is all developed. Not to know that any Christian spirit working kindly in its little sphere, whatever it may be, will find its mortal life too short for its vast means of usefulness. Not to know that no space of regret can make amends for one life's opportunity misused! ~ charles-dickens, @wisdomtrove 69:The bourgeois thinkers of the eighteenth century thus turned Aristotle's formula on its head: satisfactions which the Greek philosopher had identified with leisure were now transposed to the sphere of work, while tasks lacking in any financial reward were drained of all significance and left to the haphazard attentions of decadent dilettantes. It now seemed as impossible that one could be happy and unproductive as it had once seemed unlikely that one could work and be human. ~ alain-de-botton, @wisdomtrove 70:Here is an example of Confucius sayings: "It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop." In a few words, Confucius teaches us about patience, perseverance, discipline, and hard work. But if you probe further, you will see more layers. Confucius' philosophies have significantly influenced spiritual and social thought. His views bear insight and depth of wisdom. You can apply his teachings in every sphere of life. Confucius' profound teachings are based on humanism. ~ confucius, @wisdomtrove 71:It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I cannot take seriously. I also cannot imagine some will or goal outside the human sphere. … Science has been charged with undermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man’s ethical behaviour should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death. ~ albert-einstein, @wisdomtrove 72:A mind that is accustomed to repeatedly dissolving in its source or essence becomes progressively saturated with its inherent peace. When such a mind rises again from the ocean of awareness, its activity makes that peace available to humanity. Such a mind may also be inspired by knowledge that is not simply a continuation of the past but comes directly form its unconditioned essence. This inspiration brings creativity and new possibilities into whatever sphere of knowledge or activity in which that mind operates. ~ rupert-spira, @wisdomtrove 73:When people ask me if a god created the universe, I tell them that the question itself makes no sense. Time didn’t exist before the big bang, so there is no time for god to make the universe in. It’s like asking directions to the edge of the earth; The Earth is a sphere; it doesn’t have an edge; so looking for it is a futile exercise. We are each free to believe what we want, and it’s my view that the simplest explanation is; there is no god. No one created our universe,and no one directs our fate. This leads me to a profound realization; There is probably no heaven, and no afterlife either. We have this one life to appreciate the grand design of the universe, and for that I am extremely grateful. ~ stephen-hawking, @wisdomtrove *** NEWFULLDB 2.4M ***
1:Sphere of privacy, people. ~ J A Huss, #NFDB
2:Leave women to find their sphere. ~ Lucy Stone, #NFDB
3:Listen; this world is the lunatic's sphere , ~ Hafez, #NFDB
4:The world is sphere, has no East or West. ~ Ai Weiwei, #NFDB
5:Who says “orb” instead of “ball” or “sphere? ~ Jay Asher, #NFDB
6:In a narrow sphere great men are blunderers. ~ Napoleon Bonaparte, #NFDB
7:Rest is the fitting of self to its sphere. ~ John Sullivan Dwight, #NFDB
8:What is mind but motion in the intellectual sphere? ~ Oscar Wilde, #NFDB
9:On how the motion of a planet defines its sphere: ~ Johannes Kepler, #NFDB
10:An artist's sphere of influence is the world. ~ Carl Maria von Weber, #NFDB
11:The end state of all this would be a Dyson sphere: ~ Neal Stephenson, #NFDB
12:Two stars keep not their motion in one sphere. ~ William Shakespeare, #NFDB
13:the highest form of musicality in the sphere of thought. ~ Richard Rhodes, #NFDB
14:Every character actor, in their own little sphere, is the lead. ~ Dabbs Greer, #NFDB
15:See nature in terms of the cone, the cylinder, and the sphere. ~ Paul Cezanne, #NFDB
16:The cube and the sphere are the sole working tools of creation ~ Walter Russell, #NFDB
17:Infinity making its way into our battered little sphere of finity. ~ Rebecca Lee, #NFDB
18:That great America on the other side of the sphere, Australia. ~ Herman Melville, #NFDB
19:On the Universal Tendency to Debasement in the Sphere of Love’, ~ Alain de Botton, #NFDB
20:Philosophy limits the disputable sphere of natural science. ~ Ludwig Wittgenstein, #NFDB
21:Is there evil but on earth? Or pain in every peopled sphere? ~ Alfred Lord Tennyson, #NFDB
22:We have a solution for war. It is to expand the sphere of liberty. ~ Rudolph Rummel, #NFDB
23:Create your own universe and bring everything into your own sphere ~ Morihei Ueshiba, #NFDB
24:The power of man has grown in every sphere, except over himself. ~ Winston Churchill, #NFDB
25:Distance in a straight line has no mystery. The mystery is in the sphere. ~ Thomas Mann, #NFDB
26:God has given us only a limited sphere of action and a limited vision. ~ Mahatma Gandhi, #NFDB
27:As for the sphere of thought, it is horror. Yes, it is horror itself. ~ Georges Bataille, #NFDB
28:No coward soul is mine, No trembler in the world's storm-troubled sphere. ~ Emily Bronte, #NFDB
29:In the psychical sphere there are no facts, but only interpretations of them. ~ Otto Rank, #NFDB
30:To know each other we must reach beyond the sphere of our sense perceptions. ~ Nikola Tesla, #NFDB
31:Everything in nature takes its form from the sphere, the cone and the cylinder. ~ Paul Cezanne, #NFDB
32:No mountain is of any appreciable height to break the curve of the sphere. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, #NFDB
33:But this is where it gets weird. The mole planet would be a giant sphere of meat. ~ Randall Munroe, #NFDB
34:he cleanest expression is that which finds no sphere worthy of itself and makes one ~ Walt Whitman, #NFDB
35:We sail within a vast sphere, ever drifting in uncertainty, driven from end to end. ~ Blaise Pascal, #NFDB
36:is to the original as the sphere of opinion is to the sphere of knowledge? Most undoubtedly. ~ Plato, #NFDB
37:The independence of the economic sphere was a tenet of faith with Liberalism ~ Francis Parker Yockey, #NFDB
38:Let man's soul be a sphere, and then, in this, The intelligence that moves, devotion is. ~ John Donne, #NFDB
39:The cleanest expression is that which finds no sphere worthy of itself, and makes one. ~ Walt Whitman, #NFDB
40:To bring order into this jangled sphere man must find its centre" Marshall McLuhan ~ Douglas Coupland, #NFDB
41:Each human being exists inside of a subjective sphere created by his own experience. ~ Angela Ackerman, #NFDB
42:Repentance may begin instantly, but reformation often requires a sphere of years. ~ Henry Ward Beecher, #NFDB
43:The way upward from inertia to illumination passes through the sphere of action. ~ Swami Prabhavananda, #NFDB
44:There is not an inch of any sphere of life over which Jesus Christ does not say, 'Mine.' ~ Abraham Kuyper, #NFDB
45:A woman’s sphere of influence is a unique sphere, one that cannot be duplicated by men. ~ M Russell Ballard, #NFDB
46:God is a sphere whose center Is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere. It is not ~ Eric Butterworth, #NFDB
47:Nature is an infinite sphere whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere. ~ Blaise Pascal, #NFDB
48:Sings. Hope in every sphere of life is a privilege that attaches to action. No action, no hope. ~ Peter Levi, #NFDB
49:Nature is an infinite sphere of which the center is everywhere and the circumference nowhere. ~ Blaise Pascal, #NFDB
50:There is a direct correlation between am increased sphere of comfort and getting what you want. ~ Tim Ferriss, #NFDB
51:and a smaller, sad, little-dead-poet sphere with acne scars spins around us lighting the night... ~ N D Wilson, #NFDB
52:Darwinism removed the whole idea of God as the creator from the sphere of rational discussion. ~ Julian Huxley, #NFDB
53:But onward also rolls the outer sphere—the boundless present, which contains the bounded past. ~ Eleanor Catton, #NFDB
54:I deal with other people's information. I don't vomit my own personal life into the public sphere. ~ Peter Watts, #NFDB
55:I suppose there's no way of putting the mushroom cloud back into that nice, shiny uranium sphere. ~ Isaac Asimov, #NFDB
56:The Sherman Act is similar in the economics sphere to the Bill of Rights in the personal sphere. ~ Harold H Greene, #NFDB
57:Osiris, the Egyptian god of the underworld (the material sphere) [...] ~ Manly P Hall, How to Understand Your Bible, #NFDB
58:I have learned to see that whatever comes about is nothing to me if it lies beyond the sphere of choice. ~ Epictetus, #NFDB
59:The heart of true womanhood knows where its own sphere is, and never seeks to stray beyond it! ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne, #NFDB
60:Very quickly, without really looking back or trying, I was just suddenly lifted into another sphere. ~ Diane Cilento, #NFDB
61:Why would that cause him to pack up his bolt, chord, and sphere, and hurry to Ecba, of all places? ~ Neal Stephenson, #NFDB
62:I would handle the deep intellectual matters, like vibrators; she would handle the social sphere. ~ Jeffrey Eugenides, #NFDB
63:so a sphere with a radius of X kilometers has the same volume as a cube that’s X miles on each side. ~ Randall Munroe, #NFDB
64:We crave support in vanity, as we do in religion, and never forgive contradictions in that sphere. ~ George Santayana, #NFDB
65:The guy belonged to the team of those toads who hated anyone who outranked him in any sphere of life. ~ Sahara Sanders, #NFDB
66:Too much has already been said and written about women's sphere. Leave women, then, to find their sphere. ~ Lucy Stone, #NFDB
67:Without a global revolution in the sphere of human consciousness a more humane society will not emerge. ~ Vaclav Havel, #NFDB
68:Morality pertains only to the sphere of man's free will - only to those actions which are open to his choice. ~ Ayn Rand, #NFDB
69:Mozart is the highest, the culminating point that beauty has attained in the sphere of music. ~ Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, #NFDB
70:When one sees that everything exists as an illusion, one can live in a higher sphere than ordinary man. ~ Gautama Buddha, #NFDB
71:Thought dissolves the material universe by carrying the mind up into a sphere where all is plastic. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, #NFDB
72:The person must give himself an external sphere of freedom in order to have being as Idea. ~ Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, #NFDB
73:If ever a fusion of two human beings into one has been accomplished on this sphere it was surely their union. ~ Kate Chopin, #NFDB
74:If there is a sphere where ‘angels’ dwell, is it a matter of semantics, whether we choose to call it Heaven? ~ Laini Taylor, #NFDB
75:In the sphere of material things giving means being rich. Not he who has much is rich, but he who gives much. ~ Erich Fromm, #NFDB
76:Remember: There is a direct correlation between an increased sphere of comfort and getting what you want. ~ Timothy Ferriss, #NFDB
77:Most poetry in the modern age has retreated to the private sphere, turning its back on the political realm. ~ Terry Eagleton, #NFDB
78:The Internet has established a public sphere and developed a pressure which the government can no longer ignore. ~ Ai Weiwei, #NFDB
79:As the sphere of understanding grows ever larger, necessarily the surface area of ignorance gets ever bigger ~ Dennis McKenna, #NFDB
80:Xerography is electricity invading the world of typography, and it means a total revolution in this old sphere. ~ John Brooks, #NFDB
81:In Cuba we had the most ferocious form of capitalism for 60 years. It dominated every sphere of life. ~ Alejandro Castro Espin, #NFDB
82:A sphere of reflection, of conscious invention, of the union felt by souls. ~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, The Phenomenon of Man, #NFDB
83:Distance in a straight line has no mystery. The mystery is in the sphere. —Thomas Mann, Joseph and His Brothers ~ Kim Edwards, #NFDB
84:The ideological battleground of “public order” is an often-neglected, yet crucial sphere for all leftist struggles. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
85:The nobleness of silence. The highest melody dwells only in silence,--the sphere melody, the melody of health. ~ Thomas Carlyle, #NFDB
86:Being on the spiritual path means you want to be a success in an existential sphere, not just on a social level. ~ Jaggi Vasudev, #NFDB
87:They saw women in the public sphere as whores, thieves, she-men with the audacity to carry guns and wear pants. ~ Marilyn French, #NFDB
88:Discretion is nothing other than the sense of justice with respect to the sphere of the intimate contents of life. ~ Georg Simmel, #NFDB
89:Hard to find anything lovelier than a tree. They grow at right angles to a tangent of the nominal sphere of the Earth. ~ Bill Nye, #NFDB
90:IN April 1882 my father died; and I was at once whirled out of my land of dreams into a very different sphere. ~ Edward Carpenter, #NFDB
91:Triumphant capitalism has unleashed a powerful drive toward inequality, not improvement, in the social sphere. ~ Herbert Schiller, #NFDB
92:WE APPROXIMATE THE BIRD'S BODY BY A SPHERE OF RADIUS 5CM, said Sib, I had no idea aerodynamics was so entertaining ~ Helen DeWitt, #NFDB
93:For education to happen, people must encounter worthwhile things outside their sphere of interest and brainpower. ~ Mark Bauerlein, #NFDB
94:He was inside that realm of mind, the private universe, the infinite sphere of himself where he went to work magic. ~ Laini Taylor, #NFDB
95:Men honor what lies within the sphere of knowledge, but do not realize how dependent they are on what lies beyond it. ~ Chuang Tzu, #NFDB
96:The Library is a sphere whose exact centre is any one of its hexagons and whose circumference is inaccessible. ~ Jorge Luis Borges, #NFDB
97:It is in the social sphere, in the realm of politics and economics, that the Will to Order becomes really dangerous. ~ Aldous Huxley, #NFDB
98:Who, then, is the invincible human being? One who can be disconcerted by nothing that lies outside the sphere of choice. ~ Epictetus, #NFDB
99:The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives. ~ Albert Einstein, #NFDB
100:Avoid letting anyone in your sphere of influence flail or panic. Stay calm, help others to stay calm, and work together ~ Scott Berkun, #NFDB
101:Men honor what lies within the sphere of their knowledge, but do not realize how dependent they are on what lies beyond it. ~ Zhuangzi, #NFDB
102:Delicacy of taste has the same effect as delicacy of passion; it enlarges the sphere both of our happiness and our misery. ~ David Hume, #NFDB
103:It is a dangerous thing to see anything in the sphere of a vain blusterer, before the vain blusterer sees it himself. ~ Charles Dickens, #NFDB
104:She is so conjunctive to my life and soul, that, as the star moves not but in his sphere, I could not but by her. ~ William Shakespeare, #NFDB
105:Ghana and Nigeria resented each other and competed for supremacy in every sphere—politics, academia, sports, you name it. ~ Chinua Achebe, #NFDB
106:I long for the day my sisters will rise, and occupy the sphere to which they are called by their high nature and destiny. ~ Lucretia Mott, #NFDB
107:She’s so conjunctive to my life and soul That, as the star moves not but in his sphere, I could not but by her. The ~ William Shakespeare, #NFDB
108:But why must choices always lie along a linear spectrum with two poles instead of say among a sphere of possibilities ~ David Mazzucchelli, #NFDB
109:Conscience means the abolition of mere subjectivity when man’s intimate sphere is touched by the truth that comes from God. ~ Benedict XVI, #NFDB
110:Fascism is definitely and absolutely opposed to the doctrines of liberalism, both in the political and economic sphere. ~ Benito Mussolini, #NFDB
111:To explore the whole sphere of the modern soul, to have sat in every nook- my ambition, my torture, and my happiness ~ Friedrich Nietzsche, #NFDB
112:Here we have 40 million Russian citizens involved in the sphere of agriculture one way or another. This is very important. ~ Vladimir Putin, #NFDB
113:Everything that enlarges the sphere of human powers, that shows man he can do what he thought he could not do, is valuable. ~ Samuel Johnson, #NFDB
114:There is no chance and anarchy in the universe. All is system and gradation. Every god is there sitting in his sphere. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, #NFDB
115:Do what you do only for God's sake, start for God's sake, work for God's sake, and act within the sphere of God's good approval. ~ Said Nursi, #NFDB
116:choice in any sphere is a peril, the basic division of peoples is of those who believe in choice and those who mistrust it. ~ Nayantara Sahgal, #NFDB
117:The legislative department is everywhere extending the sphere of its activity and drawing all power into its impetuous vortex. ~ James Madison, #NFDB
118:Let the intellect alone, it has its usefulness in its proper sphere, but let it not interfere with the flowing of the life-stream. ~ D T Suzuki, #NFDB
119:O sun, to tell thee how I hate thy beams That bring to my remembrance from what state I fell, how glorious once above thy sphere. ~ John Milton, #NFDB
120:Religion has moved out of the private space. (...) The moment it moves into the public sphere it becomes everybody's business. ~ Salman Rushdie, #NFDB
121:Television has lifted the manufacture of banality out of the sphere of handicraft and placed it in that of a major industry. ~ Nathalie Sarraute, #NFDB
122:The widening of woman's sphere is to improve her lot. Let us do it, and if the world scoff, let it scoff if it sneer, let it sneer. ~ Lucy Stone, #NFDB
123:Government sponsors untold waste, criminality and inequality in every sphere of life it touches, giving little or nothing in return. ~ Doug Casey, #NFDB
124:We have wide-ranging joint projects in the nuclear energy sphere, logistics, machine building and trade as a whole [with China]. ~ Vladimir Putin, #NFDB
125:O sun, to tell thee how I hate thy beams
That bring to my remembrance from what state I fell, how glorious once above thy sphere. ~ John Milton,#NFDB
126:There is no sphere of immanence, no realm in which my consciousness is fully at home and secure against all risk of error. ~ Maurice Merleau Ponty, #NFDB
127:Unconsciously, I fell in love with the small round sphere, with its amusing and capricious rebounds which sometimes play with me. ~ Fabien Barthez, #NFDB
128:In short, I am amenable to criticism, but only within the sphere of what I am trying to do; I will not pretend to do otherwise. ~ Flannery O Connor, #NFDB
129:When everyone else follows the same logic, the public sphere is covered with signs of loyalty, and resistance becomes unthinkable. ~ Timothy Snyder, #NFDB
130:He notes the depressing haste with which the successful, in the sexual sphere as in all others, segment themselves from the failures. ~ Irvine Welsh, #NFDB
131:Human minds are not equipped to face the realities of nonmaterial existence on this sphere. It is too much for any mortal to bear for ~ Terry Brooks, #NFDB
132:When I see a head from a great distance, it ceases to be a sphere and becomes an extreme confusion falling down into the abyss. ~ Alberto Giacometti, #NFDB
133:God is an intelligible sphere-a sphere known to mind, not to the senses-whose center is everywhere and whose circumference nowhere. ~ Joseph Campbell, #NFDB
134:The desire of the moth for the star, Of the night for the morrow, The devotion to something afar From the sphere of our sorrow. ~ Percy Bysshe Shelley, #NFDB
135:The music of the Gypsies belongs in the sphere of improvisation rather than in any other, without which it would have no power to exist. ~ Franz Liszt, #NFDB
136:The opening of a public debate about male homosexuality in Britain in 1952 was the conflict of the small back room, in another sphere. ~ Andrew Hodges, #NFDB
137:I really think that discrimination and racism is a horrible thing. And I don't want any form of it in our government, in our public sphere. ~ Rand Paul, #NFDB
138:Meditation means to know life beyond the sphere of the physical; to know and experience life not just at the surface but at the source. ~ Jaggi Vasudev, #NFDB
139:No civilization is complete which does not include the dumb and defenseless of God's creatures within the sphere of charity and mercy. ~ Queen Victoria, #NFDB
140:Do what you do only for God's sake, start for God's sake, work for God's sake, and act within the sphere of God's good approval. ~ Bedi zzaman Said Nurs, #NFDB
141:I am the Prince of Wales; and think not, Percy, To share with me in glory any more: Two stars keep not their motion in one sphere. ~ William Shakespeare, #NFDB
142:For one to control one's thoughts and feelings means one can actually control one's atmosphere and all who walk into its sphere of influence. ~ Malcolm X, #NFDB
143:Mysticism, poor mysticism! When it is oversimplified and underestimated, it comes down from its original sphere and stands beside religion. ~ Sri Chinmoy, #NFDB
144:The sphere that is deepest, most unexplored, and most unfathomable, the wonder and glory of God's thought and hand, is our own soul! ~ Henry Ward Beecher, #NFDB
145:People of uncommon abilities generally fall into eccentricities when their sphere of life is not adequate to their abilities. ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, #NFDB
146:Working within our sphere of control, we are naturally free, independent, and strong. Beyond that sphere, we are weak, limited, and dependent. ~ Epictetus, #NFDB
147:Governments throughout the English-speaking sphere are creating and then ratcheting the torque on "hate-speech" laws with frightening eagerness. ~ Jim Goad, #NFDB
148:The laws of Congress are restricted to a certain sphere, and when they depart from this sphere, they are no longer supreme or binding. ~ Alexander Hamilton, #NFDB
149:On a personal level, Leo was provoking and unpredictable, but in his professional sphere he was calm and controlled through every manic moment ~ Lucy Parker, #NFDB
150:IT’S ALL CLEAR
ISIS INVADES YOUR SPHERE
YET NO ONE IMAGINES YOUR FEAR
BUT DON'T WORRY
TAUSSI MELEK IS HERE
RESTORING LIVES NEAR ~ Widad Akreyi,#NFDB
151:I write for a certain sphere of readers in the United States who on average watch seven and a half hours of multichannel television per day. ~ Jerzy Kosinski, #NFDB
152:Feel not as though it is a sphere we live on. Rather, an infinite plane which has the illusion of leading yourself back to the point of origin. ~ Reggie Watts, #NFDB
153:I am the Prince of Wales; and think not, Percy,
To share with me in glory any more:
Two stars keep not their motion in one sphere; ~ William Shakespeare,#NFDB
154:One concept corrupts and confuses the others. I am not speaking of the Evil whose limited sphere is ethics; I am speaking of the infinite. ~ Jorge Luis Borges, #NFDB
155:Evolution is not controversial in the field of science. It's controversial in the public sphere because public education is highly politicized. ~ Eugenie Scott, #NFDB
156:'Do not ask what brings Dante to man but what brings man to Dante-to personally enter his sphere, though it is forever severe and unforgiving.' ~ Matthew Pearl, #NFDB
157:In a world of tangled want, individual longings are often co-opted by more powerful interests. Satisfied desire in one sphere means loss in another. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
158:In every sphere of social interaction, that hermeneutic leap—that ability to put yourself in the mind frame of the other—is a virtue and a blessing. ~ Ted Gioia, #NFDB
159:It is in the transparency of faith and knowledge, and not with their aid, that the sphere of Being becomes perceptible in its entire diaphaneity. ~ Jean Gebser, #NFDB
160:Human minds are not equipped to face the realities of nonmaterial existence on this sphere. It is too much for any mortal to bear for long.” Again ~ Terry Brooks, #NFDB
161:In marrying your nephew, I should not consider myself as quitting that sphere. He is a gentleman; I am a gentleman's daughter; so far we are equal. ~ Jane Austen, #NFDB
162:In the sphere of thought, absurdity and perversity remain the masters of the world, and their dominion is suspended only for brief periods. ~ Arthur Schopenhauer, #NFDB
163:“It is in the transparency of faith and knowledge, and not with their aid, that the sphere of Being becomes perceptible in its entire diaphaneity.” ~ Jean Gebser, #NFDB
164:In the sphere of thought, absurdity and perversity remain the masters of this world, and their dominion is suspended only for brief periods. ~ Arthur Schopenhauer, #NFDB
165:Great revolutions are the work rather of principles than of bayonets, and are achieved first in the moral, and afterwards in the material sphere. ~ Giuseppe Mazzini, #NFDB
166:Therefore the demiurge made the world in the shape of a sphere, giving it that figure which of all is the most perfect and the most equal to itself. ~ Erich Neumann, #NFDB
167:I'm just attracted to human behavior and how people sometimes never would interact with one another or be in each other's sphere of awareness. ~ Da Vine Joy Randolph, #NFDB
168:What could she do? Nothing. Nor did she want to. There was a choice in not making a choice. She released the sphere, let it hover there in the air. ~ Jeff VanderMeer, #NFDB
169:He had curled himself up into a minature sphere in the farthest corner of the box, a fuzzy softball that would have fit eaisly into the palm of my hand. ~ Gwen Cooper, #NFDB
170:I shall now recall to mind that the motion of the heavenly bodies is circular, since the motion appropriate to a sphere is rotation in a circle. ~ Nicolaus Copernicus, #NFDB
171:Life at its fullest is this sensitive, detonating sphere, and it can be carried only in the hands of the unhurried and reverential — a bubble held in awe. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
172:I may be strong-minded, but no one can say I'm out of my sphere now, for woman's special mission is supposed to be drying tears and bearing burdens ~ Louisa May Alcott, #NFDB
173:It is the omnipresent affirmation of the choices that have already been made in the sphere of production and in the consumption implied by that production. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
174:Thus content with an inner sphere which they inhabit together, it is not immediately that the outward world can obtrude itself upon their notice. ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne, #NFDB
175:What is important is the moment of opening a life and feeling it touch--with an electric hiss and cry--this speckled mineral sphere, our present world. ~ Annie Dillard, #NFDB
176:When deep space exploration ramps up, it'll be the corporations that name everything, the IBM Stellar Sphere, the Microsoft Galaxy, Planet Starbucks. ~ Chuck Palahniuk, #NFDB
177:At every step of our Christian development and in every sphere of our Christian discipleship, pride is the greatest enemy and humility our greatest friend. ~ John Stott, #NFDB
178:... Any Christian spirit working kindly in its little sphere, whatever it may be, will find its mortal life too short for its vast means of usefulness! ~ Charles Dickens, #NFDB
179:England is no longer controlled by Britons, we are under the invisible Jewish dictatorship, a dictatorship that can be felt in every sphere of life ~ Nesta Helen Webster, #NFDB
180:The media need superheroes in science just as in every sphere of life, but there is really a continuous range of abilities with no clear dividing line. ~ Stephen Hawking, #NFDB
181:Even the most powerful human being has a limited sphere of strength. Draw him outside of that sphere and into your own, and his strength will dissipate. ~ Morihei Ueshiba, #NFDB
182:It [the scarlet letter] had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and enclosing her in a sphere by herself. ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne, #NFDB
183:The right way to requite evil, according to Jesus, is not to resist it. This saying of Christ removes the Church from the sphere of politics and law. ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer, #NFDB
184:It is easier to give directions than advice, and more agreeable to have the right to act, even in a limited sphere, than the privilege to talk at large. ~ Winston Churchill, #NFDB
185:Listen ~ this world is the lunatic’s sphere, Don’t always agree it’s real. Even with my feet upon it and the postman knowing my door ~ My address is somewhere else. ~ Hafiz, #NFDB
186:I certainly believe in limited government but protecting children against injury abuse is certainly inside my sphere of things that the government should do. ~ Mitch Daniels, #NFDB
187:I've worn black today, because I've heard so often that it's supposed to be slimming. But instead I am this sphere of darkness submarining through the halls. ~ David Levithan, #NFDB
188:Our errors and our controversies, in the sphere of morality, arise sometimes from looking on men as though they could be altogether bad, or altogether good. ~ Luc de Clapiers, #NFDB
189:There are many animal-welfare groups that sometimes seem to forget that human beings are animals too, that we need to include them in our sphere of compassion. ~ Jane Goodall, #NFDB
190:Conversion does not make us perfect, but it does catapult us into a total experience of discipleship that affects - and infects - every sphere of our living. ~ Richard J Foster, #NFDB
191:Everything in nature is formed upon the sphere, the cone and the cylinder. One must learn to paint these simple figures and then one can do all that he may wish. ~ Paul Cezanne, #NFDB
192:In the moral sphere, every act of justice or charity involves putting ourselves in the other person's place and thus transcending our own competitive particularity. ~ C S Lewis, #NFDB
193:The convex surface of any segment of a sphere is, to the entire surface of the sphere itself, as the versed sine of the segment to the diameter of the sphere. ~ Edgar Allan Poe, #NFDB
194:Common sense is BETTER for one sphere of life, science for another, philosophic criticism for a third; but whether either be TRUER absolutely, Heaven only knows. ~ William James, #NFDB
195:I am the owner of the sphere, Of the seven stars and the solar year, of Caesar's hand, and Plato's brain, Of Lord Christ's heart, and Shakespeare's strain. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, #NFDB
196:In trying to please other people, we find ourselves misdirected toward what lies outside our sphere of influence. In doing so, we lose our hold on our lifes purpose. ~ Epictetus, #NFDB
197:The facts of life do not penetrate to the sphere in which our beliefs are cherished; they did not engender those beliefs, and they are powerless to destroy them. ~ Marcel Proust, #NFDB
198:The Ratignolles understood each other perfectly. If ever the fusion of two human beings into one has been accomplished on this sphere it was surely in their union. ~ Kate Chopin, #NFDB
199:GPG's encoded distance from the Sun in reference to the Vernal Equinox equals to one thousand multiples of the number of square arcminutes in a complete sphere. ~ Ibrahim Ibrahim, #NFDB
200:The human spirit body and its mind begins to dissolve when your soul enters the Seventh Sphere, and begins the New Birth Process into The Divine Soul.19 Love ~ Padma Aon Prakasha, #NFDB
201:Treat nature by the cylinder, the sphere, the cone, everything in proper perspective so that each side of an object or a plane is directed towards a central point. ~ Paul Cezanne, #NFDB
202:Visualize a sphere, a dome of red energy surrounding you. Feel that you are consciously directing energy from the center of your body, in the area of your naval. ~ Frederick Lenz, #NFDB
203:we should be wary of elevating the vocation of homemaking above all others by insinuating that for women, God’s presence is somehow restricted to that sphere. ~ Rachel Held Evans, #NFDB
204:We've got to figure out a way that we give a private sphere for our public leaders. We're not gonna get the best people in public life if we don't do that. ~ Doris Kearns Goodwin, #NFDB
205:Government has a legitimate sphere of operation. The problem arises when that sphere continually expands, encompassing areas where government lacks legitimacy. ~ William A Dembski, #NFDB
206:What we must do is bring nonhuman animals within our sphere of moral concern and cease to treat their lives as expendable for whatever trivial purposes we may have. ~ Peter Singer, #NFDB
207:An attempt at visualizing the Fourth Dimension: Take a point, stretch it into a line, curl it into a circle, twist it into a sphere, and punch through the sphere. ~ Albert Einstein, #NFDB
208:Every man has a certain sphere of discretion which he has a right to expect shall not be infringed by his neighbours. This right flows from the very nature of man. ~ William Godwin, #NFDB
209:Our capacities, our instincts for this our present sphere are but half developed. Let us be completely natural; before we trouble ourselves with the supernatural. ~ Margaret Fuller, #NFDB
210:What is a change of consciousness?
A change of consciousness is equivalent to a new birth, a birth into a higher sphere of existence.
~ The Mother, Words Of The Mother III,#NFDB
211:But now I've got a young son and his interest is in science and now when I talk to him, I see that in the science sphere of our lives there is new, there is progress. ~ Janet Suzman, #NFDB
212:We have seen enough criminality on the part of government. It is hypocritical to make this allegation against me. They have narrowed the public sphere of influence. ~ Edward Snowden, #NFDB
213:As you get older, you realize just figuring out how to be nice to the people in your personal sphere is almost more challenging than trying to change the bigger culture. ~ Mike White, #NFDB
214:Imagine how they would have mocked you if you proclaimed, 'Not only is the world a sphere, but there is an invisible, mystical force that holds everything to its surface'! ~ Dan Brown, #NFDB
215:We often say that the earth is a sphere, but to be precise, the term sphere refers only to the surface. The correct mathematical term for the solid earth is a ball. ~ Leonard Susskind, #NFDB
216:I must be sincere towards what I am. ... Experimenting is the only thing that fills me with enthusiasm. ... It is the only sphere where I feel really honest and sincere. ~ Orson Welles, #NFDB
217:Righteousness alone can exalt them [America] as a nation. Reader! Whoever thou art, remember this, and in thy sphere practice virtue thyself and encourage it in others. ~ Patrick Henry, #NFDB
218:So man, who here seems principal alone, Perhaps acts second to some sphere unknown Touches some wheel, or verges to some goal; 'Tis but a part we see, and not a whole. ~ Alexander Pope, #NFDB
219:I am the owner of the sphere,
Of the seven stars and the solar year,
of Caesar's hand, and Plato's brain,
Of Lord Christ's heart, and Shakespeare's strain. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson,#NFDB
220:To furnish the means of acquiring knowledge is the greatest benefit that can be conferred upon mankind. It prolongs life itself, and enlarges the sphere of existence. ~ John Quincy Adams, #NFDB
221:You can turn the sphere for a cutting point, but if you're really just existing in the 180, cutting is much easier. If you're existing in a 360 space, it gets more complex. ~ Rose Troche, #NFDB
222:In science, as in art, and, as I believe, in every other sphere of human activity, there may be wisdom in a multitude of counsellors, but it is only in one or two of them. ~ Thomas Huxley, #NFDB
223:religion addresses a genuine sphere of understanding and human necessity, then it should be susceptible to progress; its doctrines should become more useful, rather than less. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
224:The facts of life do not penetrate to the sphere in which our beliefs are cherished; as it was not they that engendered those beliefs, so they are powerless to destroy them. ~ Marcel Proust, #NFDB
225:There's a tradition in British intellectual life of mocking any non-political force that gets involved in politics, especially within the sphere of the arts and the theatre. ~ Harold Pinter, #NFDB
226:A sphere is made up of not one, but an infinite number of circles; women have diverse gifts, and to say that women's sphere is the family circle is a mathematical absurdity. ~ Maria Mitchell, #NFDB
227:... it is a welcome symptom in an age which is commonly denounced as materialistic, that it makes heroes of men whose goals lie wholly in the intellectual and moral sphere. ~ Albert Einstein, #NFDB
228:Yes, I missed his dick and all our play, but it was the loss of his stare, the warmth of his attention, and the emotional safety of his sphere of influence made me feel unmoored. ~ C D Reiss, #NFDB
229:does not matter how large or small your sphere of activity is, what counts finally is the commitment that you bring to the job that has been ordained for you in this life. ~ A P J Abdul Kalam, #NFDB
230:We should use this public sphere and redefine - beyond China's borders - what a government is allowed to do, where its powers end and where the realm of a citizen's privacy begins. ~ Ai Weiwei, #NFDB
231:Human beings had ever been captivated by the great burning sphere in the heavens, he said, 'for not only does it give us warmth, but also light. The foremost craving of our souls. ~ Kate Morton, #NFDB
232:For many years I have been tormented by the certainty that the most extraordinary discoveries await us in the sphere of time . We know less about time than about anything else ~ Andrei Tarkovsky, #NFDB
233:it does not matter how large or small your sphere of activity is, what counts finally is the commitment that you bring to the job that has been ordained for you in this life. ~ A P J Abdul Kalam, #NFDB
234:together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us [5]joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One). ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
235:We, it seems, have entered newly In the sphere of dreams enchanted. Do thy bidding, guide us truly, That our feet be forwards planted In the vast, the desert spaces! ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, #NFDB
236:Who [...] is the invincible human being?’ Epictetus once asked, before answering the question himself: ‘One who can be disconcerted by nothing that lies outside the sphere of choice. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
237:I am quite incapable of understanding how any work of art can be criticized from a moral standpoint. The sphere of art and the sphere of ethics are absolutely distinct and separate. ~ Oscar Wilde, #NFDB
238:One must not politicize science. But the converse is not necessarily true. There's no reason why scientists can not go into the public sphere. In fact, I would argue they should. ~ Rush D Holt Jr, #NFDB
239:Bling" is not an indication of riches. It is a product of value-based spending, to enrich the pockets of those outside of ones sphere of influence...the haves' bleeding the have-nots'. ~ T F Hodge, #NFDB
240:Opponents confront us continually, but actually there is no opponent there. Enter deeply into an attack and neutralize it as you draw that misdirected force into your own sphere. ~ Morihei Ueshiba, #NFDB
241:As long as you visualize this sphere of red energy surrounding you, negative thoughts, hostilities, anger, and aggressive feelings of other persons and situations cannot enter you. ~ Frederick Lenz, #NFDB
242:For the first time ever we sympathized with the President because we saw how wildly our sphere of influence was misrepresented by those in no position to know what was going on. ~ Jeffrey Eugenides, #NFDB
243:In pride, in reas'ning pride, our error lies; All quit their sphere and rush into the skies. Pride still is aiming at the bless'd abodes, Men would be angels, angels would be gods. ~ Alexander Pope, #NFDB
244:It was but yesterday I thought myself a fragment quivering without rhythm in the sphere of life. Now I know that I am the sphere, and all life in rhythmic fragments moves within me. ~ Khalil Gibran, #NFDB
245:“Listen: this world is the lunatic's sphere,Don't always agree it's real,Even with my feet upon itAnd the postman knowing my doorMy address is somewhere else.” ~ Hafiz#JoyPublicity #JoyPublications, #NFDB
246:The almost complete exclusion of religion in all its forms from the political sphere had left Nationalism the most powerful moulding instrument of mankind in temporal affairs. ~ Winston S Churchill, #NFDB
247:Black women who define ourselves and our goals beyond the sphere of a sexual relationship can bring to any endeavor the realized focus of completed and therefore empowered individuals. ~ Audre Lorde, #NFDB
248:Is another universe bigger or smaller than the idea of God? Does it matter? If there is a sphere where 'angels' dwell, is it a matter of semantics whether we choose to call it Heaven? ~ Laini Taylor, #NFDB
249:Self-denial does not belong to religion as characteristic of it; it belongs to human life; the lower nature must always be denied when you are trying to rise to a higher sphere. ~ Henry Ward Beecher, #NFDB
250:I should almost therefore put forward the proposal that the third hypothsis (angle sum of a triangle less than two right angles) holds on the surface of an imaginary sphere. ~ Johann Heinrich Lambert, #NFDB
251:One doesn't actually meditate on the navel. The chakra is located about two or three inches below the navel, at that point there is an energy access sphere in the middle of the body. ~ Frederick Lenz, #NFDB
252:that it does not matter how large or small your sphere of activity is, what counts finally is the commitment that you bring to the job that has been ordained for you in this life. ~ A P J Abdul Kalam, #NFDB
253:Time was not flat and linear but layered and interconnected, a circle that retraced its path again and again, generation after generation, shearing the same space if not the same sphere. ~ Amy Harmon, #NFDB
254:What is called poetic insight is the gift of discerning, in this sphere of strangely-mingled elements, the beauty and the majesty which are compelled to assume a garb so sordid. ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne, #NFDB
255:There is no sphere of human thought in which it is easier to show superficial cleverness and the appearance of superior wisdom than in discussing questions of currency and exchange ~ Winston Churchill, #NFDB
256:The wisdom of the ignorant somewhat resembles the instinct of animals; it is diffused in but a very narrow sphere, but within the circle it acts with vigor, uniformity, and success. ~ Oliver Goldsmith, #NFDB
257:What is justice? Two forces collide. Each may have the right in his own sphere. And here's where an Emperor commands orderly solutions. Those collisions he cannot prevent -- he solves. ~ Frank Herbert, #NFDB
258:Consisting of a rounded head floating above a much larger sphere, it was dull white with striking orange markings. Designated BB-8, the droid was, at the moment, very, very concerned. ~ Alan Dean Foster, #NFDB
259:The Scriptures in their own sphere are like God in the universe – all-sufficient. All the light and power the mind of man can need in spiritual things is revealed in Scripture. ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon, #NFDB
260:As long as the decent people refuse to believe that morality must manifest itself in every sphere of human activity, including the political, they will not meet the challenge of Marxism. ~ Fulton J Sheen, #NFDB
261:As a politician who cherishes religious conviction in his personal sphere, but regards politics as a domain belonging outside religion, I believe that this view is seriously flawed. ~ Recep Tayyip Erdogan, #NFDB
262:Power comes from the navel center. If you meditate for an hour or so a day and you focus on that sphere, you will release a tremendous power that will enter your body. We call it the chi. ~ Frederick Lenz, #NFDB
263:The child is a realist in every domain of thought, and it is therefore natural that in the moral sphere he should lay more stress on the external, tangible element than on the hidden motive. ~ Jean Piaget, #NFDB
264:The professional is acutely aware of the intangibles that go into inspiration. Out of respect for them, she lets them work. She grants them their sphere while she concentrates on hers. ~ Steven Pressfield, #NFDB
265:Either this is madness or it is Hell.” “It is neither,” calmly replied the voice of the Sphere, “it is Knowledge; it is Three Dimensions: open your eye once again and try to look steadily. ~ Edwin A Abbott, #NFDB
266:And then they were staring again. And it happened again, just as it had in the theater yesterday. Time slowed, atoms and particles separating and recombining in a secret sphere around them. ~ Suanne Laqueur, #NFDB
267:Its no coincidence that the word holiday suggests a holy day, or that the longest book in the Torah concerns the Sabbath. If you wish to advance in any sphere, the best way is to take a retreat. ~ Pico Iyer, #NFDB
268:Poverty can’t rob me of those memories. I have lived in an ideal world that was not deceitful, a world which seems to me, when I recall it, beyond the human sphere, bathed in diviner light. ~ George Gissing, #NFDB
269:During half a century of literary work, I have endeavoured to introduce the philosophy of evolution into the sphere of literature, and to inspire my readers to think in evolutionary terms. ~ Johannes V Jensen, #NFDB
270:One of the strangest things about life is that it will chug on, blind and oblivious, even as your private world - your little carved-out sphere - is twisting and morphing, even breaking apart. ~ Lauren Oliver, #NFDB
271:One of the strangest things about life is that it will chug on, blind and oblivious, even as your private world – your little carved-out sphere – is twisting and morphing, even breaking apart. ~ Lauren Oliver, #NFDB
272:I liked rock music, I kind of moved into that sphere, somehow thinking that somewhere along the line I'd be able to put the two together. And I suppose I very nearly did with the Ziggy character. ~ David Bowie, #NFDB
273:In politics, as in every other sphere of life, there are two important principles for a man of any sense: don't cherish too many illusions, and never stop believing that every little bit helps. ~ Italo Calvino, #NFDB
274:Beings with un-redeemed earthly karma are not permitted after astral death to go to the high causal sphere of cosmic ideas , but must shuttle to and fro from the physical and astral worlds. ~ Sri Yukteswar Giri, #NFDB
275:Major theme of the book ["Hotels of North America"], from my point of view: what is persona, what is self, in the digital sphere, and/or what is the effect of it on self in a prolonged interaction. ~ Rick Moody, #NFDB
276:We need to get environmentalism out of the sphere of religion. We need to stop the mythic fantasies, and we need to stop the doomsday predictions. We need to start doing hard science instead. ~ Michael Crichton, #NFDB
277:Every living being is an engine geared to the wheelwork of the universe. Though seemingly affected only by its immediate surrounding, the sphere of external influence extends to infinite distance. ~ Nikola Tesla, #NFDB
278:The choice to be public depends on the ability to maintain a private sphere of life. We are free only when it is we ourselves who draw the line between when we are seen and when we are not seen. ~ Timothy Snyder, #NFDB
279:The things that could be derived from the sexual sphere - happiness, endless fun and the end of capitalism - were grossly overestimated. The symbolic overglorification was downright unbearable. ~ Volkmar Sigusch, #NFDB
280:To define the limits of the Kenosis, and to adjust it to the immutability of the Godhead and the intertrinitarian process, lies beyond the sphere of exegesis and belongs to speculative dogmatics. ~ Philip Schaff, #NFDB
281:Extend the sphere and you take in a greater variety of parties and interests; you make it less probable that a majority of the whole will have common motive to invade the rights of other citizens. ~ James Madison, #NFDB
282:Great problems that face the world today in both the private and the public sphere cannot be solved by women – or by men – alone. They can only be surmounted by men and women side by side. ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh, #NFDB
283:Is that how you're going to take me? Scare me into voluntarily coming aboard, then steal my Ice Cube?" "It's always cubes with you," noted Foaly, somewhat randomly. "What's wrong with a nice sphere? ~ Eoin Colfer, #NFDB
284:His life was a constant war with insensate objects that fell apart, or attacked him, or refused to function, or viciously got themselves lost as soon as they entered the sphere of his existence. ~ Vladimir Nabokov, #NFDB
285:Homosexuals in Russia live in peace, work, are promoted, receive national awards for their achievements in science, art or any other sphere, medals are awarded to them, I have awarded them myself. ~ Vladimir Putin, #NFDB
286:Now, we occupy a lowly position, both in space and rank in comparison with the heavenly sphere, and the Almighty is Most High not in space, but with respect to absolute existence, greatness and power. ~ Maimonides, #NFDB
287:The mole planet would be a giant sphere of meat. It would have a lot of latent energy (there are enough calories in the mole planet to support the Earth’s current population for 30 billion years). ~ Randall Munroe, #NFDB
288:In my new book, 'Birth,' my goal is to share the path I have traveled in the spiritual sphere and in the business and philanthropic sphere in order to reveal the essential connection between the two. ~ Shari Arison, #NFDB
289:Like a constantly rolling sphere, the Cycle of Life did not necessarily follow a straight line; it could curve into a better, brighter Path or a darker, bleaker Path, based on the force of choices made. ~ Aja James, #NFDB
290:The choice to be in public depends on the ability to maintain a private sphere of life. We are free only when it is we ourselves who draw the line between when we are seen and when we are not seen. ~ Timothy Snyder, #NFDB
291:Nobody has any right to find life uninteresting or unrewarding who sees within the sphere of his own activity a wrong he can help to remedy, or within himself an evil he can hope to overcome. ~ Charles William Eliot, #NFDB
292:No one is obliged to take a position on the urgent issues of the day, but there are times when our impoverished public sphere could do with some occasional assertions of literary and moral authority. ~ Pankaj Mishra, #NFDB
293:Wherefore also finding the whole visible sphere not at rest, but moving in an irregular and disorderly fashion, out of disorder he brought order, considering that this was in every way better than the other. ~ Plato, #NFDB
294:But one sound always rose above the clamor of busy life and, no matter how much of a tintinnabulation, was never confused and, fora moment lifted everything into an ordered sphere: that of the bells. ~ Johan Huizinga, #NFDB
295:Now, occultism is not like mystic faculty, and it very seldom works in harmony either with business aptitude in the things of ordinary life or with a knowledge of the canons of evidence in its own sphere. ~ A E Waite, #NFDB
296:Democracy is a difficult art of government, demanding of its citizens high ratios of courage and literacy, and at the moment we lack both the necessary habits of mind and a sphere of common reference. ~ Lewis H Lapham, #NFDB
297:Overhead the sky was dull and cloudless, a bland impassive blue, more the interior ceiling of some deep irrevocable psychosis than the storm-filled celestial sphere he had known during the previous days. ~ J G Ballard, #NFDB
298:People need to be made conscious of a very simple reality: we have no choice but to share this planet, this small blue sphere floating in the vast reaches of space, with all of our fellow 'passengers.' ~ Daisaku Ikeda, #NFDB
299:Upon closer observation, it becomes apparent that every strong upsurge of power in the public sphere, be it of a political or a religious nature, infects a large part of humankind with stupidity. ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer, #NFDB
300:War is the province of chance. In no sphere of human activity is such a margin to be left for this intruder. It increases the uncertainty of every circumstance, and deranges the course of events. ~ Carl von Clausewitz, #NFDB
301:In a word a contented Christian, being sweetly captivated under the authority of the Word, desires to be wholly at God's disposal and is willing to live in that sphere and climate where God has set him. ~ Thomas Watson, #NFDB
302:O mighty-armed Kṛṣṇa, does not such a man, who is bewildered from the path of transcendence, fall away from both spiritual and material success and perish like a riven cloud, with no position in any sphere? ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
303:There's so many different styles and facets of the 360-degree musical sphere to listen to. From tribal to classical music, it's all there. If the bottom was to sag out of that, for God's sake, help us all. ~ Jimmy Page, #NFDB
304:As long ago as 340 B.C. the Greek philosopher Aristotle, in his book On the Heavens, was able to put forward two good arguments for believing that the earth was a round sphere rather than a flat plate. ~ Stephen Hawking, #NFDB
305:Every corporeal substance, so far forth as it is corporeal, has a natural fitness for resting in every place where it may be situated by itself beyond the sphere of influence of a body cognate with it. ~ Johannes Kepler, #NFDB
306:Is that how you're going to take me? Scare me into voluntarily coming aboard, then steal my Ice Cube?"
"It's always cubes with you," noted Foaly, somewhat randomly. "What's wrong with a nice sphere? ~ Eoin Colfer,#NFDB
307:From this arid sphere every discourse and every poem sets forth; and every journey
through forests, battles, treasures, banquets, bedchambers, brings us back here, to the center
of an empty horizon. ~ Italo Calvino,#NFDB
308:In every sphere of human activity there are sources of inspiration whose perfection, far from discouraging us, in fact whets our enthusiasm by holding out an admirable vision of that to which we aspire. ~ Matthieu Ricard, #NFDB
309:Whatever sphere we may be in, there is a profound joy in the realization that we are helping to form the structure of the new world. This is creative courage, however minor or fortuitous our creations may be. ~ Rollo May, #NFDB
310:But let us not forget that human love and compassion are equally deeply rooted in our primate heritage, and in this sphere too our sensibilities are of a higher order of magnitude than those of chimpanzees. ~ Jane Goodall, #NFDB
311:There’s not on one hand a prepolitical, unreflected, “spontaneous” sphere of existence and on the other a political, rational, organized sphere. Those with shitty relationships can only have a shitty politics. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
312:A peace lover is someone who enjoys the absence of conflict, but a peacemaker is someone who is proactively engaged in works of reconciliation in every sphere of life, from the personal to the global. That ~ Ian Morgan Cron, #NFDB
313:Partiality, in the sense that objectors commonly use the word, is impossible in the sphere of grace. It can exist only in the sphere of justice, where the persons concerned have certain claims and rights. ~ Loraine Boettner, #NFDB
314:just like the moon, life surely has a side that is perpetually turned away from us and which is not its opposite but adds to its perfection and completeness, to the truly intact and full sphere of being. ~ Rainer Maria Rilke, #NFDB
315:Public officials are all right if they stay in their proper sphere and perform their proper functions but when they get greedy for wider scope and more power and money they lose their value and become parasites. ~ Henry Ford, #NFDB
316:Consciousness of myself, combined with complete ignorance of everything that does not fall within my sphere of thinking, is the most telling proof of my substantiality outside God, of my original existence ~ Moses Mendelssohn, #NFDB
317:His thoughts were hemmed in. One can only draw curved lines on the terrestrial sphere which, as they extend, forever meet with themselves. At such intersections we always encounter what we have already seen. ~ Raymond Queneau, #NFDB
318:If today there is a proper American "sphere of influence" it is this fragile sphere called earth upon which all men live and share a common fate--a sphere where our influence must be for peace and justice. ~ Hubert H Humphrey, #NFDB
319:In order to communicate the gospel in the West, we face a unique challenge: We need to learn how to liberate it from the private sphere and present it in its glorious fullness as the truth about all reality. ~ Nancy R Pearcey, #NFDB
320:In should be the duty of every soldier to reflect on the experiences of the past, in the endeavor to discover improvements, in his particular sphere of action, which are practicable in the immediate future. ~ B H Liddell Hart, #NFDB
321:most events are unutterable, consummating themselves in a sphere where word has never trod, and more unutterable than them all are works of art, whose life endures by the side of our own that passes away. ~ Rainer Maria Rilke, #NFDB
322:But he was afraid to speak. He could see that speaking would be like dashing some very fragile bond to pieces, like kicking a dandelion gone to seed; the wispy, tenuous sphere of its body would scatter in the wind. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
323:Outwardly one's life may suffer every kind of limitation, from bodily paralysis to miserable surroundings, but inwardly it is free in meditation to reach out to a sphere of light, beauty, truth, love, and power. ~ Paul Brunton, #NFDB
324:In every age of human history and in every phase of daily life demons have played a tremendous and very important role. In no realm is their activity more significant than in the sphere of human government…[Most ~ Mark Hitchcock, #NFDB
325:The crystal sphere of thought is as concentrical as the geological structure of the globe. As our soils and rocks lie in strata, concentric strata, so do all men's thinkings run laterally, never vertically. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, #NFDB
326:Now the relation which, in the sphere of nature, being and semblance or sensation bear to one another in this antithesis, is the same as that which in ethics exists between good and pleasure or feeling. ~ Friedrich Schleiermacher, #NFDB
327:Real greatness has nothing to do with a man’s sphere. It does not lie in the magnitude of his outward agency, in the extent of the effects which he produces. The greatest men may do comparatively little. ~ William Ellery Channing, #NFDB
328:In the sphere of religion, as in other spheres, the things about which men are agreed are apt to be the things that are least worth holding; the really important things are the things about which men will fight. ~ J Gresham Machen, #NFDB
329:The things... which are proper to the understanding no other man is used to impede, for neither fire, nor iron, nor tyrant, nor abuse, touches it in any way. When it has been made a sphere, it continues a sphere. ~ Marcus Aurelius, #NFDB
330:When he talks about the world, then, he is referring to his world, to the small, circumscribed sphere of his own life, and not to the world-at-large, which is too large and too broken for him to have any effect on it. ~ Paul Auster, #NFDB
331:Just as the philanthropist is the nuisance of the ethical sphere, so the nuisance of the intellectual sphere is the man who is so occupied in trying to educate others, that he has never had any time to educate himself. ~ Oscar Wilde, #NFDB
332:In the sphere of religion, as in other spheres, the things about which men are agreed are apt to be the things that are least worth holding; the really important things are the things about which men will fight. ~ John Gresham Machen, #NFDB
333:Strictly speaking, it might not be a dream. It was reality, but a reality imbued with all the qualities of a dream. A different sphere of reality, where - at a special time and place - imagination had been set free. ~ Haruki Murakami, #NFDB
334:The market is sovereign and in the magic economy of the small entrepreneur there is no authoritarian center... in the political sphere... the equilibrium of powers prevails, and hence there is no chance of despotism. ~ C Wright Mills, #NFDB
335:Well, another female child is born into the world! Last Sunday afternoon, Harriot Eaton Stanton - oh! the little heretic thus to desecrate that holy holiday - opened her soft blue eyes on this mundane sphere. ~ Elizabeth Cady Stanton, #NFDB
336:When faced with the illogical, one must expand the sphere of logic to include rules of logic for that which is not logic. This is the only possibility in a world that works according to the rules of rationality. ~ Judith Merkle Riley, #NFDB
337:Religion may indeed inspire acts of great kindness and courage. But it also trains people to believe things for which there is no evidence. This makes religion's intrusion into the political sphere all the more troubling. ~ Ron Reagan, #NFDB
338:Actually, there are countless ways to live upon this tremorous sphere in mirth and good health, and probably only one way - the industrial, urbanized, herding way - to live here stupidly, and man has hit upon that one way. ~ Tom Robbins, #NFDB
339:there are countless ways to live upon this tremendous sphere in mirth and good health, and probably only one way - the industrialized, urbanized, herding way - to live here stupidly, and man has hit upon that one wrong way ~ Tom Robbins, #NFDB
340:And now having a child has been taken out of the sphere of biological determinism and placed instead in the domain of intentional action. Another option to consider and decide upon. And ... not to choose is to choose. ~ Rebecca Goldstein, #NFDB
341:Beauty belongs to the sphere of the simple, the ordinary, whilst ugliness is something extraordinary, and there is no question but that every ardent imagination prefers in lubricity, the extraordinary to the commonplace ~ Marquis de Sade, #NFDB
342:I do not intend to give you any homework - no difficult math questions, or anything like that, and conjugating English verbs is outside my sphere of interest. However, from time to time I'll give you a short assignment. ~ Jostein Gaarder, #NFDB
343:The sphere of consciousness shrinks in action; no one who acts can lay claim to the universal, for to act is to cling to the properties of being at the expense of being itself, to a form of reality to reality’s detriment. ~ Emil M Cioran, #NFDB
344:Human reason, in one sphere of its cognition, is called upon to consider questions, which it cannot decline, as they are presented by its own nature, but which it cannot answer, as they transcend every faculty of the mind. ~ Immanuel Kant, #NFDB
345:How solemnly pervading the calm air!
A sound of silence on the startled ear
Which dreamy poets name "the music of the sphere."
Ours is a world of words: Quiet we call
"Silence"—which is the merest word of all. ~ Edgar Allan Poe,#NFDB
346:I will be a man among men; and no longer a dreamer among shadows. Henceforth be mine a life of action and reality! I will work in my own sphere, nor wish it other than it is. This alone is health and happiness. ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, #NFDB
347:there are few things whether in the outward world, or, to a certain depth, in the invisible sphere of thought—few things hidden from the man who devotes himself earnestly and unreservedly to the solution of a mystery. ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne, #NFDB
348:What the philosophers once knew as life has become the sphere of private existence and now of mere consumption, dragged along as an appendage of the process of material production, without autonomy or substance of its own. ~ Theodor Adorno, #NFDB
349:Luckily, the world is a sphere. I was always traveling toward you. I just took the long way around.”
“For a map-maker, you’re shockingly bad with directions.”
“Then you’d best stay close. So I don’t lose the way. ~ Tessa Dare,#NFDB
350:There is no such thing as a sphere for sex. Every man has a different sphere, in which he may or may not shine, and it is the same with every woman, and the same woman may have a different sphere at different times. ~ Elizabeth Cady Stanton, #NFDB
351:Ararat is the Polar Mountain, the Olympus of the Greeks, the Meru of the Hindus. It represents the first firmament or the heavens which are above the earth, that is, the sphere of the fixed stars. ~ Manly P Hall, How to Understand Your Bible, #NFDB
352:Not all practitioners can jump to that highest level. They have to climb, step by step from the physical sphere to reach the spiritual sphere. If it is treated as exercise it is not the fault of yoga but of the practitioners. ~ B K S Iyengar, #NFDB
353:The ideas of people in general are not raised higher than the roofs of the houses. All their interests extend over the earth's surface in a layer of that thickness. The meeting-house steeple reaches out of their sphere. ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne, #NFDB
354:[There is a] strong correlation between market freedom and lower government corruption -- not terribly surprising, since the effect of increasing regulatory power is to shift 'cheating' from the private to the public sphere. ~ Julian Sanchez, #NFDB
355:I claim that every woman in this century and in our culture sphere who has ventured into male-dominated institutions - 'literature' and 'aesthetics' are such institutions - must have experienced the desire for self-destruction. ~ Christa Wolf, #NFDB
356:I thank heaven I have often had it in my power to give help and relief, and this is still my greatest pleasure. If I could choose my sphere of action now, it would be that of the most simple and direct efforts of this kind. ~ Reinhold Niebuhr, #NFDB
357:Resistance obstructs movement only from a lower sphere to a higher. It kicks in when we seek to pursue a calling in the arts, launch an innovative enterprise, or evolve to a high station morally, ethically, or spiritually. ~ Steven Pressfield, #NFDB
358:Teaching man his relatively small sphere in the creation, it also encourages him by its lessons of the unity of Nature and shows him that his power of comprehension allies him with the great intelligence over-reaching all. ~ Annie Jump Cannon, #NFDB
359:All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom. ~ Albert Einstein, #NFDB
360:Most events are inexpressible, and take place in a sphere that no word has ever entered. Most inexpressible of all are works of art, existences full of secrets whose life continues alongside ours, while ours is transitory. ~ Rainer Maria Rilke, #NFDB
361:Time isn’t a line or a circle or any 2-D object, Aisling had written. It’s more like you’re standing inside of a sphere of constantly flowing energy. When you find that center, you can reach out and touch any part of your life. ~ Erica Cameron, #NFDB
362:a woman, nothing existed but the domestic sphere and those tiny flowers etched on the pages of my art book. For a woman to aspire to be a lawyer—well, possibly, the world would end. But an acorn grew into an oak tree, didn’t it? ~ Sue Monk Kidd, #NFDB
363:There are few things, - whether in the outward world, or to a certain depth, in the invisible sphere of thought, - few things hidden from the man who devotes himself earnestly and unreservedly to the solution of a mystery. ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne, #NFDB
364:When you return to this mundane sphere from your visionary world, you would seem to leave a Neapolitan spring for a Lapland winter—to quit paradise for earth—heaven for hell! Taste the hashish, guest of mine—taste the hashish. ~ Alexandre Dumas, #NFDB
365:Woman is the highest, holiest, most precious gift to man. Her mission and throne is the family, and if anything is withheld that would make her more efficient, useful, or happy in that sphere, she is wronged, and has not her rights. ~ John Todd, #NFDB
366:Role models who push us to exceed our limits, physical training that removes our spare tires, and risks that expand our sphere of comfortable action are all examples of eustress—stress that is healthful and the stimulus for growth. ~ Tim Ferriss, #NFDB
367:Those sages of the ancient world, unbound by dogma of any kind, thought as we do in terms of physics, or rather, physiology, as applied to the whole universe: they envisaged the end of man and the dying out of this sphere. ~ Marguerite Yourcenar, #NFDB
368:Every man owes a part of his time and money to the business or industry in which he is engaged. No man has the moral right to withhold his support from an organization that is striving to improve conditions within his sphere. ~ Theodore Roosevelt, #NFDB
369:Freedom is won by relegating religion to a purely private sphere remote from the body politic. In fact, the establishment of a free society is predicated on the idea that religion must be surgically removed from culture. ~ William Anthony Donohue, #NFDB
370:Let me be clear: I support the Civil Rights Act because I overwhelmingly agree with the intent of the legislation, which was to stop discrimination in the public sphere and halt the abhorrent practice of segregation and Jim Crow laws. ~ Rand Paul, #NFDB
371:Our relations with Iran have witnessed grave crises because of the policies of successive regimes in Iran which have considered Iraq and the Arab homeland, particularly the Arab Gulf area, as a sphere for domination and influence. ~ Saddam Hussein, #NFDB
372:The idea that the passage of the magical threshold is a transit into a sphere of rebirth is symbolized in the worldwide womb image of the belly of the whale. The hero...is swallowed into the unknown and would appear to have died. ~ Joseph Campbell, #NFDB
373:Whatever such rites entailed, the madness of Dionysus was widely accepted as a religious practice. Indeed, it was one of the few ways women were able to obtain a measure of freedom in an otherwise limited public sphere. Was ~ Elizabeth Blackwell, #NFDB
374:despite their seemingly greater sphere of use, we still can’t use them to have any thoughts whatsoever beyond the domain of experience, because their only role is to fix the logical forms of judgments that we make about given intuitions ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
375:When society is rightly organized, the wife and mother will have time, wish and will to grow intellectually, and will know that the limits of her sphere, the extent of her duties, are prescribed only by the measure of her ability. ~ Susan B Anthony, #NFDB
376:As for our own age, Habermas speaks of “a refeudalization of the public sphere,” what with the fusion of news and advertising, the corporate ownership of media, the return of government secrecy, the intrusion of celebrity into politics, ~ Lewis Hyde, #NFDB
377:Hilary Clinton's great sin was that she left the nicely wallpapered domestic sphere with a slam of the door, took up public life on her own, leaving big feminist footprints all over the place, and without so much as an apology. ~ Patricia J Williams, #NFDB
378:It was like flying upside-down over a planet made of metal; and of all the sights the galaxy held which were the result of conscious effort, it was one bested for what the Culture would call gawp value only by a big Ring, or a Sphere. ~ Iain M Banks, #NFDB
379:Real faith means holding ourselves open to the unconditional mystery which we encounter in every sphere of our life and which cannot be comprised in any formula. Real faith means the ability to endure life in the face of this mystery. ~ Martin Buber, #NFDB
380:Role models who push us to exceed our limits, physical training that removes our spare tires, and risks that expand our sphere of comfortable action are all examples of eustress—stress that is healthful and the stimulus for growth. ~ Timothy Ferriss, #NFDB
381:The sphere is the elementary division of inside and outside. If there were to be a symbol for the “thingness” of anything, I would guess we’d agree on the sphere, or, on the page, the circle. ~ Tyler Volk, Metapatterns - Across Space, Time, and Mind, #NFDB
382:To look at long term trends in our economy, in our society, in the international sphere and using my best judgment, shape policies that will serve the American people, keep them safe, keep our economy growing, put people back to work. ~ Barack Obama, #NFDB
383:We are here to assist our Father in His work and His glory, 'to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man' (Moses 1:39). Your obligation is as serious in your sphere of responsibility as is my obligation in my sphere. ~ Gordon B Hinckley, #NFDB
384:Where shall we get religion? Beneath the open sky, the sphere of crystal silence surcharged with deity.. The midnight earth sends incense up, sweet with the breath of prayer -- Go out beneath the naked night and get religion there. ~ Sam Walter Foss, #NFDB
385:Within your sphere of responsibility you have as serious an obligation as do I within my sphere of responsibility. Each of us should be determined to build the kingdom of God on the earth and to further the work of righteousness. ~ Gordon B Hinckley, #NFDB
386:I have always regarded global development as a struggle between the forces of good and evil. Not to be simplified as a struggle between Jesus and Satan, since I do not consider that the process is restricted to our own sphere of culture. ~ Alva Myrdal, #NFDB
387:I'm very aware that after you've played Cleopatra, there's not a lot that can top that in this sphere, so it means that I want to almost change the sphere I work in rather completely because I will always be comparing it to Cleopatra. ~ Harriet Walter, #NFDB
388:I am a living member of the great family of all souls; and I cannot improve or suffer myself, without diffusing good or evil around me through an ever-enlarging sphere. I belong to this family. I am bound to it by vital bonds. ~ William Ellery Channing, #NFDB
389:If lying and fabrication are psychologically harmful even in ordinary relations with other men (a sphere where a certain amount of falsification is not uncommon) all falsity is disastrous in any relation with the ground of our own being ~ Thomas Merton, #NFDB
390:In war, theory is all right so far as general principles are concerned; but in reducing general principles to practice there will always be danger. Theory and practice are the axis about which the sphere of accomplishment revolves. ~ Napol on Bonaparte, #NFDB
391:My hand is entirely the implement of a distant sphere. It is not my head that functions but something else, something higher, something somewhere remote. I must have great friends there, dark as well as bright. They are all very kind to me. ~ Paul Klee, #NFDB
392:Religious freedom certainly means the right to worship God, individually and in community, as our consciences dictate. But religious liberty, by its nature, transcends places of worship and the private sphere of individuals and families. ~ Pope Francis, #NFDB
393:Anthropology has been compared to a great region, marked out indeed as within the sphere of influence of science, but unsettled and for the most part unsubdued. Like all such hinterland sciences, it is a happy hunting-ground for adventurers. ~ H G Wells, #NFDB
394:Here, where we reach the sphere of mathematics, we are among processes which seem to some the most inhuman of all human activities and the most remote from poetry. Yet it is here that the artist has the fullest scope of his imagination. ~ Havelock Ellis, #NFDB
395:Everything becomes a story and ends up drifting about in the same sphere, and then it's hard to differentiate between what really happened and what is pure invention. Everything becomes a narrative and sounds fictitious even if it's true. ~ Javier Mar as, #NFDB
396:I have examined all religions, as well as my narrow sphere, my straightened means, and my busy life, would allow; and the result is that the Bible is the best Book in the world. It contains more philosophy than all the libraries I have seen. ~ John Adams, #NFDB
397:There is no sphere in which a human being can be supposed to act where one mode of reasoning will not, in every given instance, be more reasonable than any other mode. That mode the being is bound by every principle of justice to pursue. ~ William Godwin, #NFDB
398:Every serious scientific worker is painfully conscious of this involuntary relegation to an ever-narrowing sphere of knowledge, which threatens to deprive the investigator of his broad horizon and degrades him to the level of a mechanic. ~ Albert Einstein, #NFDB
399:Though we still come first in the sphere of gas export, national production has diminished due to the increasing volumes of hydrogenation for the electric power industry and therefore there is a lower need for gas at thermal power plants. ~ Vladimir Putin, #NFDB
400:While everyone exercises influence, the size and strength of our influence depends upon our effort. No one leads well without paying the price of discipline. As we push ourselves to grow and to learn, we enlarge our sphere of influence. ~ John C Maxwell, #NFDB
401:Separated from the sphere of divine worship, of the cult of the divine, and from the power it radiates, leisure is as impossible as the celebration of a feast. Cut off from the worship of the divine, leisure becomes laziness and work inhuman. ~ Josef Pieper, #NFDB
402:Whenever distress or displeasure arises in your mind, remind yourself, “This is only my interpretation, not reality itself.” Then ask whether it falls within or outside your sphere of power. And, if it is beyond your power to control, let it go. ~ Epictetus, #NFDB
403:About the fearful sphere which we inhabit, whose centre may be calculated and whose circumference is physically established, there spin metaphors whose centre is everywhere and whose circumference shows itself only through holes in the dark. ~ Michael Ayrton, #NFDB
404:Anger is the lowest emotion. It clouds the intellect and can make you do foolish things. You become blind to reason and react only with your body, without thinking. This leads to failure in every sphere. Uproot this evil from your system. ~ Anand Neelakantan, #NFDB
405:From the body of the unborn essence arises the sphere of light, and from that sphere of light arises wisdom. From the wisdom arises the seed syllable and from the seed syllable arises the complete Mandala, the deity and the retinue. ~ Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, #NFDB
406:He places the sign in his window so that he can withdraw into daily life without trouble from the authorities. When everyone else follows the same logic, the public sphere is covered with signs of loyalty, and resistance becomes unthinkable. ~ Timothy Snyder, #NFDB
407:Monopoly money; it’s not legal tender in that sphere where we have to do our work. In fact, the more energy we spend stoking up on support from colleagues and loved ones, the weaker we become and the less capable of handling our business. ~ Steven Pressfield, #NFDB
408:Nobody knows whether our personalities pass on to another existence or sphere, but if we can evolve an instrument so delicate to be manipulated by our personality as it survives in the next life such an instrument ought to record something. ~ Thomas A Edison, #NFDB
409:As soon as one point alone is removed from the sphere of dogmatic certainty, the discussion will not simply result in a new and better formulation which will have greater consistency but may easily lead to endless debates and general confusion. ~ Adolf Hitler, #NFDB
410:Baley tried to picture a world as a sphere being lit and unlit as it turned. He found it hard to do and felt scornful of the so-superior Spacers who let such an essential thing as time be dictated to them by the vagaries of planetary movements. ~ Isaac Asimov, #NFDB
411:The GOP of old has grown stale and moss-covered. I don't think we need to name any names, do we? Our party is encumbered by an inconsistent approach to freedom. The new GOP will need to embrace liberty in both the economic and the personal sphere. ~ Rand Paul, #NFDB
412:All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man’s life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom. ALBERT EINSTEIN ~ Brendon Burchard, #NFDB
413:adaptive stretch. When a new circumstance comes along or a demand for a different sphere of application arrives, it is easier to reach for the old technology—the old base principle—and adapt it by “stretching” it to cover the new circumstances. ~ W Brian Arthur, #NFDB
414:In the sphere of natural investigation, as in poetry and painting, the delineation of that which appeals most strongly to the imagination, derives its collective interest from the vivid truthfulness with which the individual features are portrayed. ~ David Hume, #NFDB
415:India deliberately aggravated Sri Lanka's ethnic crisis. It destabilized Sri Lanka [by training and arming Tamil militants, including the Tigers] so that it could play a dominant role in bringing Sri Lanka within its sphere of influence. ~ Velupillai Prabhakaran, #NFDB
416:The church is ever in peril-and never more so than now-of the disaster which must follow when she allows men of distinction in the sphere of human attainments, who are unregenerate or unspiritual, to dictate as to what her beliefs shall be. ~ Lewis Sperry Chafer, #NFDB
417:There is not a place to which the Christian can withdraw from the world, whether it be outwardly or in the sphere of the inner life. Any attempt to escape from the world must sooner or later be paid for with a sinful surrender to the world. ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer, #NFDB
418:I don't believe love is real love if it remains cloistered within the confines of an intimate relationship; it should transcend the private sphere. As an artist that means training an eye on the suffering in the world, then acting on behalf of others. ~ C E Morgan, #NFDB
419:If globalization is a sphere, where each point is equidistant from the centre, then it isn't good because it annuls each of us. But if globalization joins us as a polyhedron where we're all together but conserves the dignity of each ... that's good. ~ Pope Francis, #NFDB
420:Some drink to forget, I drink to remember. I drink in order to understand what I mean and to discover what I know. Under its benign influence all the stories and dramas which properly belong to the sphere of art are announced by me in conversation. ~ Peter Ackroyd, #NFDB
421:This may sound like a wild speculation, yet, judging from analogy, there may perhaps be within the planetary sphere an Entity Whose consciousness is as far removed from that of man as the consciousness of man is from that of the atom of chemistry. ~ Alice A Bailey, #NFDB
422:A good education is that which prepares us for our future sphere of action and makes us contented with that situation in life in which God, in his infinite mercy, has seen fit to place us, to be perfectly resigned to our lot in life, whatever it may be. ~ Ann Plato, #NFDB
423:Despite their rising international acclaim, Sachal Studios remains virtually unknown in Pakistan. The ensemble is faced with a daunting task: to reclaim and reinvigorate an art that has lost its space in Pakistan's narrowing cultural sphere. ~ Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, #NFDB
424:For me, it was like this: pronounced antipathy to conversing about matters of practical life, the future, dates, politics. You are fixated on the intellectual sphere as a man possessed may be fixated on the sexual: under its spell, sucked into it. ~ Walter Benjamin, #NFDB
425:History tells us that America does best when the private sector is energetic and entrepreneurial and the government is attentive and engaged. Who among us, really, would, looking back, wish to edit out either sphere at the entire expense of the other? ~ Jon Meacham, #NFDB
426:Beauty is not the divine in a cloak of physical reality; no, it is physical reality in a cloak that is divine. The artist does not bring the divine on to the earth by letting it flow into the world; he raises the world into the sphere of the divine. ~ Rudolf Steiner, #NFDB
427:None of the heavenly gods quits his sphere to come upon the earth, while man mounts up to heaven and measures it. He knows what is on high and what is below. He knows all correctly and, what is more, has no need to leave the earth in order to exalt himself. ~ Hermes, #NFDB
428:The hyperreal is the abolition of the real not by violent destruction, but by its assumption, elevation to the strength of the model. Anticipation, deterrence, preventive transfiguration, etc.: the model acts as a sphere of absorption of the real. ~ Jean Baudrillard, #NFDB
429:We are only as good as our information, and if we lose our sense of objective truth, we lose everything. We must protect and persevere our healthy public sphere - the civic space in which we vigorously debate and negotiate, agree and disagree - or else. ~ Jeff Flake, #NFDB
430:For a woman, the typical danger emanating from the unconscious comes from above, from the "spiritual" sphere personified by the animus, whereas for a man it comes from the chthonic realm of the "world and woman," i.e., the anima projected on to the world. ~ Carl Jung, #NFDB
431:If we are conscious of our own worth, our own intrinsic value as a unique human being, we will not allow suppression, repression or oppression to continue, in any shape or form. We can do this in small everyday ways within our own sphere of ‘influence’. ~ Susan Scott, #NFDB
432:If we have come to think that the nursery and the kitchen are the natural sphere of a woman, we have done so exactly as English children come to think that a cage is the natural sphere of a parrot: because they have never seen one anywhere else. ~ George Bernard Shaw, #NFDB
433:the spectacle represents the dominant model of life. It is the omnipresent affirmation of the choices that have already been made in the sphere of production and in the consumption implied by that production. In both form and content the spectacle serves ~ Guy Debord, #NFDB
434:I see Hermes, unsuspected, dying, well-beloved, saying to the people, "Do not weep for me, This is not my true country, I have lived banished from my true country - I now go back there, I return to the celestial sphere where every one goes in his turn." ~ Walt Whitman, #NFDB
435:The battle of life is already half won by the young man who is brought in contact with high officials; and the great aim of every boy should be to do something beyond the sphere of his duties- something which attracts the attention of those over him. ~ Andrew Carnegie, #NFDB
436:The soul in its nature loves God and longs to be at one with Him in the noble love of a daughter for a noble father; but coming to human birth and lured by the courtships of this sphere, she takes up with another love, a mortal, leaves her father and falls. ~ Plotinus, #NFDB
437:It has always been thought perfectly womanly to be a scrub- woman in the Legislature and to take care of the spittoons; that is entirely within the charmed circle of woman's sphere; but for women to occupy any of those official seats would be degrading. ~ Susan B Anthony, #NFDB
438:On the one hand, the falsest judgments, whether based on isolated facts or only on appearances, always embrace some truths whose sphere, whether large or small, affords room for a certain number of inferences, beyond which we fall into absurdity. ~ Pierre Joseph Proudhon, #NFDB
439:The sphere of sense, the Soul in its slumber; for all of the Soul that is in body is asleep and the true getting-up is not bodily but from the body: in any movement that takes the body with it there is no more than passage from sleep to sleep, from bed to bed. ~ Plotinus, #NFDB
440:When someone we love dies suddenly and tragically, it’s like seeing the curvature of the earth. You always knew it was round, a contained sphere floating in space. But when you see the bend in the horizon line, it changes your perspective on everything else. ~ Lisa Unger, #NFDB
441:Eating disorders are a kind of penance and a kind of fortification and a kind of disguise. It is a paradox of womanhood that women have been so long associated with the private sphere, the home and the family, while our bodies are considered public property. ~ Alice Bolin, #NFDB
442:Epictetus says we must discover the missing art of assent and pay special attention to the sphere of our impulses—that they are subject to reservation, to the common good, and that they are in proportion to actual worth.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 11.37 ~ Ryan Holiday, #NFDB
443:It contributes greatly towards a man's moral and intellectual health, to be brought into habits of companionship with individuals unlike himself, who care little for his pursuits, and whose sphere and abilities he must go out of himself to appreciate. ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne, #NFDB
444:They stayed for rapt moments in the crystal sphere of this soul, as if in a realm of invisible radiation, listening to unearthly music, and then returned to their daily lives with hearts cleansed and strengthened, as if descending from a high mountain peak. ~ Hermann Hesse, #NFDB
445:We took off our clothes, and we were basically in a sphere of love and light and warmth, and the rest of the world disappeared. It was better than I ever could have dreamed, it was that thing I had been looking for, that love mixed with the rapture of sex. ~ Anthony Kiedis, #NFDB
446:You know, it's not a given that there is an 'online' and 'offline' world out there. When you use the telephone, you don't say that I'm entering some 'telephono-sphere.' You don't say that, and there is no obvious need to say that when you are using a modem. ~ Evgeny Morozov, #NFDB
447:Empedocles noticed that if you cover the neck before you immerse it, a clepsydra does not fill. He reasoned that something invisible must be preventing the water from entering the sphere through the holes—he had discovered the material substance we call air. ~ Stephen Hawking, #NFDB
448:Indeed, distraction is major source of contemporary guilt (and therefore law). As someone who works in the online sphere, I’d be lying if I didn’t say it’s a daily struggle. As we “generate content”, day after day, are we perpetuating the distractability we decry? ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
449:A missional theology...appl ies to the whole of life of every believer. Every disciple is to be an agent of the kingdom of God, and every disciple is to carry the mission of God into every sphere of life. We are all missionaries sent into a non-Christian culture. ~ Alan Hirsch, #NFDB
450:Study and, in general, the pursuit of truth and beauty is the sphere in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives." "Study and, in general, the pursuit of truth and beauty is the sphere in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives. ~ Albert Einstein, #NFDB
451:The federal government hated it when people tried to move outside its sphere of control, no matter the reason. It was incapable of leaving people alone, even if they weren't causing trouble or doing anything more than keeping themselves to themselves. ~ Christopher G Nuttall, #NFDB
452:God has not made this world to be a nest for us, and if we try to make it such for ourselves, he plants thorns in it, so that we may be compelled to mount and find our soul’s true home somewhere else, in a higher and nobler sphere than this poor world can give. ~ Charles Spurgeon, #NFDB
453:Having been the discoverer of many splendid things, he is said to have asked his friends and relations that, after his death, they should place on his tomb a cylinder enclosing a sphere, writing on it the proportion of the containing solid to that which is contained. ~ Archimedes, #NFDB
454:The typical citizen drops down to a lower level of mental performance as soon as he enters the political field. He argues and analyzes in a way which he would readily recognize as infantile within the sphere of his real interests. He becomes primitive again. ~ Joseph A Schumpeter, #NFDB
455:But in the military sphere, just as in science, economics, art, or culture, change is not evenly distributed across space and time. Sometimes innovations cluster together to produce a major change in the way people live—or, in the case of the military, the way they die. ~ Max Boot, #NFDB
456:Despite our differences, we are all in this together. No act of kindness or compassion goes unnoticed. To change the world, take compassionate action within your immediate sphere of influence. To change yourself, start by being still and making time just to listen. ~ Edmund Bourne, #NFDB
457:First to those universal principles I have spoken of: these you must keep at command, and without them neither sleep nor rise, drink nor eat nor deal with men: the principle that no one can control another's will, and that the will alone is the sphere of good and evil. ~ Epictetus, #NFDB
458:Ideal Love, stepped down to the level of the practical, day-to-day life, must mean the service of each to all within his or her sphere, a delicate consideration of others, a control that gives rise to peace, and cessation from every thought of cruelty and lust. ~ Nilakanta Sri Ram, #NFDB
459:When people communicate freely, when labour force, goods, services and funds move freely as well, when there are no state dividing lines and when we have common legal regulation, for example, in the social sphere - all that is good enough, people should feel free. ~ Vladimir Putin, #NFDB
460:If we who follow Christ, with all the facts before us and knowing what we are about, deliberately choose the kingdom of God as our sphere of interest, I see no reason why anyone should object. If we lose by it, the loss is our own; if we gain, we rob no one by so doing. ~ A W Tozer, #NFDB
461:Religious feeling is thus an absolute addition to the subject's range of life. It gives him a new sphere of power. When the outward battle is lost, and the outward world disowns him, it redeems and vivifies an interiour world which otherwise would be an empty waste. ~ William James, #NFDB
462:[T]he opinion which gives to the judges the right to decide what laws are constitutional and what not, not only for themselves, in their, own sphere of action, but for the Legislature and Executive also in their spheres, would make the Judiciary a despotic branch. ~ Thomas Jefferson, #NFDB
463:In pride, in reasoning pride, our error lies;
All quit their sphere and rush into the skies.
Pride still is aiming at the blest abodes,
Men would be angels, angels would be gods.
Aspiring to be gods, if angels fell,
Aspiring to be angels, men rebel. ~ Alexander Pope,#NFDB
464:Relations between India and America should not be seen within the limits of just Delhi and Washington. It's a much larger sphere. The good thing is that the mood of both Delhi and Washington is in harmony with this understanding. Both sides have played a role in this. ~ Narendra Modi, #NFDB
465:The universe is a hollow sphere floating in the middle of a sea of fire. There are numerous tiny holes in the surface of the sphere, as well as a large one. The light from the sea of flames shines through these holes. The tiny ones are stars, and the large one is the sun. ~ Liu Cixin, #NFDB
466:In the terms in which you set it, the problem is unanswerable; but in the Kingdom of Heaven, those terms do not apply. You have asked the question in a form that is much too limited; the 'solution' must be brought in from outside your sphere of reference altogether. ~ Dorothy L Sayers, #NFDB
467:She was a stray after all. A stray not only in its plantation meaning-orphaned, with no one to look after her-but in every other sphere as well. Somewhere, years ago, she had stepped off the path of life and could no longer find her way back to the family of people. ~ Colson Whitehead, #NFDB
468:Sociopaths are attracted to politics because the see it as a sphere in which you can be ruthless and step all over people. That fact that some politicians can tell such awful lies is another example of sociopathy. Sociopaths lie—they see nothing wrong with it. ~ Alexander McCall Smith, #NFDB
469:To build the most basic yeast cell, for example, you would have to miniaturize about the same number of components as are found in a Boeing 777 jetliner and fit them into a sphere just five microns across; then somehow you would have to persuade that sphere to reproduce. ~ Bill Bryson, #NFDB
470:Like its wartime prototype, the post-war propaganda drive was an immense success, as it persuaded not just businessmen but journalists and politicians that “the manufacture of consent,” in Walter Lippmann’s famous phrase, was a necessity throughout the public sphere. ~ Edward L Bernays, #NFDB
471:Draw a circle around the center of a human being. Within this circle lies all physical power. Outside of this circle, even the strongest human being loses his power. If you can pin your partner outside of his sphere of strength, you can control him with just one finger ~ Morihei Ueshiba, #NFDB
472:For far more marvelous is the truth than any artists of the past imagined it. Why do the poets of the present not speak of it? What men are poets who can speak of Jupiter if he were a man, but if he is an immense spinning sphere of methane and ammonia must be silent? ~ Richard P Feynman, #NFDB
473:[...] because there comes a point where greed and madness can no longer be told apart. This dividing line is very thin, just like a belt of film surrounding the earth's sphere. It's a delicate blue, and this transition from the blue to the black is very gradual and lovely. ~ Jonathan Coe, #NFDB
474:Draw a circle around the center of a human being. Within this circle lies all physical power. Outside of this circle, even the strongest human being loses his power. If you can pin your partner outside of his sphere of strength, you can control him with just one finger. ~ Morihei Ueshiba, #NFDB
475:No one step back, that is the idea.... Fight it out, whatever comes. Let the stars move from the sphere! Let the whole world stand against us!.... What of it? Thus fight! You gain nothing by becoming cowards.... Taking a step backward, you do not avoid any misfortune. ~ Swami Vivekananda, #NFDB
476:A person is defined solely by the extent of his influence over other people, by the sphere of his interrelationships; and morality is an utterly meaningless term unless defined as the good one does to others, the fulfilling of one’s function in the sociopolitical whole. ~ Ursula K Le Guin, #NFDB
477:Economic development is something much wider and deeper than economics, let alone econometrics. Its roots lie outside the economic sphere, in education, organisation, discipline and, beyond that, in political independence and a national consciousness of self-reliance. ~ Ernst F Schumacher, #NFDB
478:In the temporal sphere, the temptation to evil inherent in every power is certainly unceasing. Only in God is the conflict between power and good ultimately resolved. But the desire to escape this conflict by rejecting every earthly power would lead to the worst inhumanity. ~ Carl Schmitt, #NFDB
479:Never mind," Leo said. "I'm pretty sure pi is, uh, 3.1415 blah blah blah. The number goes on forever, but the sphere has only five rings, so that should be enough, if I'm right."
"And if you're not?" Frank asked.
"Well, then, Leo fall down, go boom. Let's find out! ~ Rick Riordan,#NFDB
480:The possibility of interpretation lies in the identity of the observer with the observed. Each material thing has its celestial side; has its translation, through humanity, into the spiritual and necessary sphere, where it plays a part as indestructible as any other. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, #NFDB
481:Madison and other supporters of the Consitution--the Federalists as they called themselves--hoped that an expanded national sphere of operation would prevent the clashing interests of the society from combining to create tyrannical majorities in the new national government. ~ Gordon S Wood, #NFDB
482:The First Sphere is more about surviving than living, more about living your conditioning than living your authenticity. You live for the outside; defined by job, status, social agreements, and you follow what is expected by family and partner living in these patterns. ~ Padma Aon Prakasha, #NFDB
483:A given circle cannot be so true that a truer one cannot be found; and the movement of a sphere at one moment is never precisely equal to its movement at another, nor does it ever describe two circles similar and equal, even if from appearances the opposite may seem true. ~ Nicholas of Cusa, #NFDB
484:If the upper realm is, as Plato suggested, the sphere of perfect love, truth, justice, and beauty, then the artist seeks to call down the magic of this world and to create, by dint of labor and luck, the closest-to-sublime simulacra of those qualities that he or she can. ~ Steven Pressfield, #NFDB
485:I'm always sort of looking for projects that I can sort of put out into the world, into the public sphere, and to somehow cause an effect. I want to be able to create projects that sort of are going to make people think and think in this sort of magical, sort of fantastical way. ~ Nick Cave, #NFDB
486:Power exhibits itself under two distinct forms,--strength and force,--each possessing peculiar qualities, and each perfect in its own sphere. Strength is typified by the oak, the rock, the mountain. Force embodies itself in the cataract, the tempest, and the thunder-bolt. ~ James A Garfield, #NFDB
487:To fill the full measure and purpose of our mortal probation, we must have patience. This mortal existence is the Lord's sifting sphere, the time when we are subject to trials, testing, and tribulations. Future rewards will be based on our patient endurance of all things. ~ Bruce R McConkie, #NFDB
488:Unfortunately I’m not on the same wavelength as Maria yet in the literary sphere. She writes me such good, natural letters, but she reads…Rilke, Bergengruen, Binding, Wiechert; I regard the last three as being below our level and the first as being decidedly unhealthy. ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer, #NFDB
489:All the versions of this story, which besieged me for years inside the walls of oblivion that I put up, took me by storm today. They’re other people’s versions, they’re mine, and together they’re a sphere: I see the whole, and I can no longer ignore it or leave it unfinished. ~ Sof a Segovia, #NFDB
490:We will step up support for the non-commodity export sector, working more closely with potential buyers of Russian goods. We do have something to offer in the IT sphere, the nuclear power industry, aircraft manufacturing, the aerospace industry and a number of other sectors ~ Dmitry Medvedev, #NFDB
491:I can give not what men call love;
But wilt thou accept not
The worship the heart lifts above
And the heavens reject not:
The desire of the moth for the star,
Of the night for the morrow,
The devotion to something afar
From the sphere of our sorrow? ~ Percy Bysshe Shelley,#NFDB
492:Jacob Grimm notes that “someone who wants to say something and then forgets what he intended to say, should go over the threshold then return, it will come back to him.”61 Might this not be a plunge back into the protective sphere where one enjoys the aid of the invisibles? ~ Claude Lecouteux, #NFDB
493:Perhaps the most terrible (or wonderful) thing that can happen to an imaginative youth, aside from the curse (or blessing) of imagination itself, is to be exposed without preparation to the life outside his or her own sphere—the sudden revelation that there is a there out there. ~ Tom Robbins, #NFDB
494:There is no Truth outside man's own sphere that is relevant to him/her, hence, man possesses no means for recognizing that which his/her perception cannot extend to. That is why The Lord does not inflict judgement upon a nation without having His Messengers sent to it first. ~ Ibrahim Ibrahim, #NFDB
495:This incessant creation of restrictive laws and regulations,surrounding the pettiest actions of existence with the most complicated formalities, inevitably has for its result the confining within narrower and narrower limits of the sphere in which the citizen may move freely. ~ Gustave Le Bon, #NFDB
496:We sail within a vast sphere, ever drifting in uncertainty, driven from end to end. When we think to attach ourselves to any pointand to fasten to it, it wavers and leaves us; and if we follow it, it eludes our grasp, slips past us, and vanishes for ever. Nothing stays for us. ~ Blaise Pascal, #NFDB
497:And this fear that US models are replacing everything else now spills over from the sphere of culture into our two remaining categories: for this process is clearly, at one level, the result of economic domination - of local cultural industries closed down by American rivals. ~ Fredric Jameson, #NFDB
498:Perhaps the most terrible (or wonderful) thing that can happen to an imaginative youth, aside from the curse (or blessing) of imagination itself, is to be exposed without preparation to the life outside his or her own sphere- the sudden revelation that there is a there out there. ~ Tom Robbins, #NFDB
499:There are kinds of unity other than those of the explicit and systematic unity that Poole is attacking. There are kinds of movement - in music or athletics, for example - that present themselves as having a certain unity about them. In some sphere we might talk about 'style'. ~ George Pattison, #NFDB
500:A glad zest and hopefulness might be inspired even in the most jaded and ennui-cursed, were there in our homes such simple, truthful natures as that of my heroine, and it is in the sphere of quiet homes—not elsewhere—I believe that a woman can best rule and save the world. ~ T Coraghessan Boyle, #NFDB
501:All he had to do was not look down. And yet he always looked down. Every time. The more he told himself not to look down, the more he looked. It was a key example of life running frustratingly out of his control. Even Buddy seemed to be outside Buddy’s sphere of influence. ~ Catherine Ryan Hyde, #NFDB
502:An artist must only judge of what he understands, his field is just as limited as that of any other specialist... That in his sphere there are no questions, but only answers, can only be maintained by those who have never written and have had no experience of thinking in images. ~ Anton Chekhov, #NFDB
503:Perhaps the most terrible (or wonderful) thing that can happen to an imaginative youth, aside from the curse (or blessing) of imagination itself, is to be exposed without preparation to the life outside his or her own sphere - the sudden revelation that there is a there out there. ~ Tom Robbins, #NFDB
504:Political democracy cannot flourish under all economic conditions. Democracy requires an economic system which supports the political ideals of liberty and equality for all. Men cannot exercise freedom in the political sphere when they are deprived of it in the economic sphere. ~ Mortimer Adler, #NFDB
505:The sphere of the attractive virtue which is in the moon extends as far as the earth, and entices up the waters; but as the moon flies rapidly across the zenith, and the waters cannot follow so quickly, a flow of the ocean is occasioned in the torrid zone towards the westward. ~ Johannes Kepler, #NFDB
506:We have created crime, just as the propertarians did. We force a man outside the sphere of our approval, and then condemn him for it. We’ve made laws, laws of conventional behavior, built walls all around ourselves, and we can’t see them, because they’re part of our thinking. ~ Ursula K Le Guin, #NFDB
507:The genuine rationalist does not think that he or anyone else is in possession of the truth; nor does he think that mere criticism as such helps us achieve new ideas. But he does think that, in the sphere of ideas, only critical discussion can help us sort the wheat from the chaff. ~ Karl Popper, #NFDB
508:Every man builds his world in his own image; he has the power to choose, but no power to escape the necessity of choice. If he abdicates his power, he abdicates the status of man, and the grinding chaos of the irrational is what he achieves as his sphere of existence—by his own choice. ~ Ayn Rand, #NFDB
509:If we understand Adam to be man, the incarnating ego, the one father of all the bodies that are manifested by an entity during its life cycle, we will realize that by the fall is described the descent of this egoic vortex into the sphere of generation. ~ Manly P Hall, How to Understand Your Bible, #NFDB
510:The State is also subject to the law of Malthus. It is continually living beyond its means, it increases in proportion to its means, and draws its support solely from the substance of the people. Woe to the people who are incapable of limiting the sphere of action of the State. ~ Fr d ric Bastiat, #NFDB
511:PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE HELP ME TO PASS THIS TEST! I’M REALLY SORRY ABOUT SNOOZING IN CHURCH LAST SUNDAY AND IT WON’T HAPPEN AGAIN. ALSO, CAN YOU TELL ME IF THE FORMULA FOR THE VOLUME OF A CYLINDER IS πr2h OR πhr2? AND, WHEN YOU CALCULATE A SPHERE, DO YOU MULTIPLY THE . . . ? ~ Rachel Ren e Russell, #NFDB
512:We can walk our road together if our goals are all the same. We can run alone and free if we pursue a different aim. Let the truth of Love be lighted. Let the love of truth shine clear. Sensibility armed with sense and liberty with the Heart and Mind united in a single perfect sphere. ~ Neil Peart, #NFDB
513:This was life! Ah, how he loved it! Civilization held nothing like this in its narrow and circumscribed sphere, hemmed in by restrictions and conventionalities. Even clothes were a hindrance and a nuisance. At last he was free. He had not realized what a prisoner he had been. ~ Edgar Rice Burroughs, #NFDB
514:By extending the idea of natural law to the economic sphere - an inevitable but fundamental error - they (18th century philosophes) both secularized the economy and converted it into a domain external to man: a system of inflexible laws whose constraints permitted no modification. ~ Jean Paul Sartre, #NFDB
515:If two stones were placed... near each other, and beyond the sphere of influence of a third cognate body, these stones, like two magnetic needles, would come together in the intermediate point, each approaching the other by a space proportional to the comparative mass of the other. ~ Johannes Kepler, #NFDB
516:There is this absurd assumption that the revitalisation of the public sphere is always a good thing. I think people tend to confuse 'civic' and 'civil,' and they believe that everything that is done by citizens is necessarily a good thing because you build a network, an association. ~ Evgeny Morozov, #NFDB
517:The true foundation of theology is to ascertain the character of God. It is by the aid of Statistics that law in the social sphere can be ascertained and codified, and certain aspects of the character of God thereby revealed. The study of statistics is thus a religious service. ~ Florence Nightingale, #NFDB
518:He coined the term noösphere to denote the sphere of mind, as opposed to, or rather superposed on, the biosphere or sphere of life, and acting as a transforming agency promoting hominisation (or as I would put it, progressive psychosocial evolution). ~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, The Phenomenon of Man, #NFDB
519:He might have been encased in a thick glass bubble, so separate did he feel from his three dining companions. It was a sensation with which he was only too familiar, that of walking in a giant sphere of worry, enclosed by it, watching his own terrors roll by, obscuring the outside world. ~ J K Rowling, #NFDB
520:Here in Rome, “men live for something else beside money and systems, the voice of noble sentiment is understood.” She had found in Italy “a sphere much more natural to me than what the old puritans or the modern bankers have made” in America, the now stagnant and degraded “new” world. ~ Megan Marshall, #NFDB
521:I prefer poems that occupy an imaginative sphere. When I lived in Cincinnati, I was occasionally referred to as an "Ohio Poet;" this made me uneasy, not only because I think of myself as a generally American poet but also because I like to think I write out of the country of my own mind. ~ Cate Marvin, #NFDB
522:Noble and wise men once believed in the music of the spheres: noble and wise men still continue to believe in the "moral significance of existence." But one day even this sphere-music will no longer be audible to them! They will wake up and take note that their ears were dreaming. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche, #NFDB
523:Striving for balance forces a leader to invest time and energy in aspects of leadership where he will never succeed. It is not realistic to strive for balance within the sphere of our personal leadership abilities.
…discover your zone and stay there. Then delegate everything else. ~ Andy Stanley,#NFDB
524:The answer to growing complexity in the social sphere is renewed efforts at participation by each one of us, or else a progressive decline of inert and unquestioning masses submitting to government by an elite which will have little regard for the ultimate interest of the common man. ~ Gordon W Allport, #NFDB
525:Man was entering under false pretenses the sphere of incredible facilities, acquired too cheaply, below cost price, almost for nothing, and the disproportion between outlay and gain, the obvious fraud on nature, the excessive payment for a trick of genius, had to be offset by self-parody. ~ Bruno Schulz, #NFDB
526:This we must say, that everything is economics and economic interest as mere satisfaction of physical needs had, have and always will have a subordinate role in a normal human, that beyond this sphere must be differentiated from an order of higher values, political , spiritual and heroic. ~ Julius Evola, #NFDB
527:As for myself, however, today is the day, and I dare not wait for some slow cultural drift finally to pave the way that I might easily float into some nebulous social salvation. I cannot depend on 'them' 'out there' to order into coherency this small sphere of my only present now. ~ Joseph Chilton Pearce, #NFDB
528:Keep this thought at the ready at daybreak, and through the day and night—there is only one path to happiness, and that is in giving up all outside of your sphere of choice, regarding nothing else as your possession, surrendering all else to God and Fortune.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 4.4.39 ~ Ryan Holiday, #NFDB
529:The two great points of difference between a democracy and a republic are: first, the delegation of the government, in the latter,to a small number of citizens elected by the rest; secondly, the greater number of citizens and greater sphere of country over which the latter may be extended. ~ James Madison, #NFDB
530:To me, science is an expression of the human spirit, which reaches every sphere of human culture. It gives an aim and meaning to existence as well as a knowledge, understanding, love, and admiration for the world. It gives a deeper meaning to morality and another dimension to esthetics. ~ Isidor Isaac Rabi, #NFDB
531:Apologies, Mrs. Touchett intimated, were of no more use to her than bubbles, and she herself never dealt in such articles. One either did the thing or one didn't, and what one "would" have done belonged to the sphere of the irrelevant, like the idea of a future life or of the origin of things. ~ Henry James, #NFDB
532:In order to become whole we must try, in a long process, to discover our own personal truth, a truth that may cause pain before giving us a new sphere of freedom. If we choose instead to content ourselves with intellectual “wisdom,” we will remain in the sphere of illusion and self-deception. ~ Alice Miller, #NFDB
533:This is not only a matter of relations between Russia and the United States. In my view, any restrictions in the economic sphere that are dictated by considerations of political expediency are extremely harmful for the world economy as a whole. This destroys unity and the rules of the game. ~ Vladimir Putin, #NFDB
534:This is the constitutional limitation of man's knowledge and interests, the fact that he cannot know more than a tiny part of the whole of society and that therefore all that can enter into his motives are the immediate effects which his actions will have in the sphere he knows. ~ Friedrich August von Hayek, #NFDB
535:A conflict arises when a religious community insists on the absolute truthfulness of all statements recorded in the Bible. This means an intervention on the part of religion into the sphere of science; this is where the struggle of the Church against doctrines of Galileo and Darwin belongs. ~ Albert Einstein, #NFDB
536:No living creature, not even man, has achieved, in the centre of his sphere, what the bee has achieved in her own: and were some one from another world to descend and ask of the earth the most perfect creation of the logic of life, we should needs have to offer the humble comb of honey. ~ Maurice Maeterlinck, #NFDB
537:Oil production, energy production are growing, though the latter has gone down by about 1 percent here, I believe... By the way, we occupy the first place in the world in gas export, accounting for 20 percent of the world market. We are also first in the sphere of liquid hydrocarbons export. ~ Vladimir Putin, #NFDB
538:Thus, every thing seems to authorise the conjecture, that the human species is a production peculiar to our sphere, in the position in which it is found: that when this position may happen to change, the human species will, of consequence, either be changed or will be obliged to disappear; ~ Paul Henri Thiry, #NFDB
539:I say people who feel they must have a faith or religion in order to face life are showing a kind of cowardice, which in any other sphere would be considered contemptible. But when it is in the religious sphere it is thought admirable, and I cannot admire cowardice whatever sphere it is in. ~ Bertrand Russell, #NFDB
540:By listening to his language of his locality the poet begins to learn his craft. It is his function to lift, by use of imagination and the language he hears, the material conditions and appearances of his environment to the sphere of the intelligence where they will have new currency. ~ William Carlos Williams, #NFDB
541:Every gesture, every word, and even the silence of those with whom she came in contact, implied, and often expressed, that she was banished, and as much alone as if she inhabited another sphere, or communicated with the common nature by other organs and senses than the rest of human kind. ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne, #NFDB
542:lmost everything looked more beautiful from a distance, the earth becoming more perfect as one ascended and came closer to seeing the world from God's eyes, man's hovels and palaces disappearing, the peaks and valleys of geography fading to become strokes of a paintbrush on a divine sphere. ~ Viet Thanh Nguyen, #NFDB
543:A majority vote is not an epistemological validation of an idea. Voting is merely a proper political device--within a strictly, constitutionall y delimited sphere of action--for choosing the practical means of implementing a society’s basic principles. But those principles are not determined by vote. ~ Ayn Rand, #NFDB
544:A Paradox, the doughnut hole. Empty space, once, but now they've learned to market even that. A minus quantity; nothing, rendered edible. I wondered if they might be used-metaphorically, of course-to demonstrate the existence of God. Does naming a sphere of nothingness transmute it into being? ~ Margaret Atwood, #NFDB
545:The parts are relied upon to use their own analyses and choices as to how to respond, in essence, giving Gaia a network of trillions upon trillions of neural networks all working in their own sphere to help maintain Gaian homeodynamis. and all utilizing their own inherent genius to do so ~ Stephen Harrod Buhner, #NFDB
546:Could the best and kindest of us who depart from the earth have an opportunity of revisiting it, I suppose he or she (assuming that any Vanity Fair feelings subsist in the sphere whither we are bound) would have a pang of mortification at finding how soon our survivors were consoled. ~ William Makepeace Thackeray, #NFDB
547:I can promise you none of these things. No sphere of usefulness; you are not needed there at all. No scope of your talents; only forgiveness for having perverted them. No atmosphere of inquiry, for I will bring you to the land not of questions but of answers, and you shall see the face of God. (pg 40) ~ C S Lewis, #NFDB
548:Not the center, not the Radch itself.” When most people spoke of the Radch they meant all of Radchaai territory, but in truth the Radch was a single location, a Dyson sphere, enclosed, self-contained. Nothing ritually impure was allowed within, no one uncivilized or nonhuman could enter its confines. ~ Ann Leckie, #NFDB
549:There are no private lives. This a most important aspect of modern life. One of the biggest transformations we have seen in our society is the diminution of the sphere of the private. We must reasonably now all regard the fact that there are no secrets and nothing is private. Everything is public. ~ Philip K Dick, #NFDB
550:The two great points of difference between a democracy and a republic are: first, the delegation of the government, in the latter, to a small number of citizens elected by the rest; secondly, the greater number of citizens, and greater sphere of country, over which the latter may be extended. ~ Alexander Hamilton, #NFDB
551:Why, Yrael?” it said, as the last of the dark gave way to silver, and the shining sphere of metal sank slowly to the ground. “Why?”
“Life,” said Yrael, who was more Mogget than it ever knew. “Fish and fowl, warm sun and shady trees, the field mice in the wheat, under the cool light of the moon. ~ Garth Nix,#NFDB
552:I count him a great man who inhabits a higher sphere of thought, into which other men rise with labor and difficulty; he has but to open his eyes to see things in a true light, and in large relations; whilst they must make painful corrections, and keep a vigilant eye on many sources of error. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, #NFDB
553:Never forget that the purpose for which a man lives is the improvement of the man himself, so that he may go out of this world having, in his great sphere or his small one, done some little good for his fellow creatures and labored a little to diminish the sin and sorrow that are in the world. ~ William E Gladstone, #NFDB
554:Politics? Boring? Politics is history on the wing! What other sphere of human activity calls forth all that is most noble in men's souls, and all that is most base? Or has such excitement? Or more vividly exposes our strengths and weaknesses? Boring? You might as well say that life itself is boring! ~ Robert Harris, #NFDB
555:Things are not all so comprehensible and utterable as people would mostly have us believe; most events are unutterable, consummating themselves in a sphere where word has never trod, and more unutterable than them all are works of art, whose life endures by the side of our own that passes away. ~ Rainer Maria Rilke, #NFDB
556:Any support we get from persons of flesh and blood is like Monopoly money; it’s not legal tender in that sphere where we have to do our work. In fact, the more energy we spend stoking up on support from colleagues and loved ones, the weaker we become and the less capable of handling our business. ~ Steven Pressfield, #NFDB
557:I am persuaded that this method [for calculating the volume of a sphere] will be of no little service to mathematics. For I foresee that once it is understood and established, it will be used to discover other theorems which have not yet occurred to me, by other mathematicians, now living or yet unborn. ~ Archimedes, #NFDB
558:If the famed slippery slope argument ends with the government monitoring everyone’s communication for hints of extremism, then we’re already at the bottom of the hill. There’s no liberty to be gained by dancing the public-sphere polka with white nationalists, whether they’re wearing loafers or jackboots. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
559:The Earth is cylindrical, three times as wide as it is deep, and only the upper part is inhabited. But this Earth is isolated in space, and the sky is a complete sphere in the center of which is located, unsupported, our cylinder, the Earth, situated at an equal distance from all the points of the sky. ~ Anaximander, #NFDB
560:Close both eyes see with the other one. Then we are no longer saddled by the burden of our persistent judgments our ceaseless withholding our constant exclusion. Our sphere has widened and we find ourselves quite unexpectedly in a new expansive location in a place of endless acceptance and infinite love. ~ Greg Boyle, #NFDB
561:Islam and Judaism in seventh-century Arabia operated within “the same sphere of religious discourse,” in that both shared the same religious characters, stories, and anecdotes, both discussed the same fundamental questions from similar perspectives, and both had nearly identical moral and ethical values. ~ Reza Aslan, #NFDB
562:Modesty and taste are questions of latitude and education; the more people know,--the more their ideas are expanded by travel, experience, and observation,--the less easily they are shocked. The narrowness and bigotry of women are the result of their circumscribed sphere of thought and action. ~ Elizabeth Cady Stanton, #NFDB
563:Vladimir Putin knows exactly what he wants from the relationship with USA. In return for good relations, he wants lifting of sanctions, ratification, approval of his wars in Ukraine and Syria, and his dream of dreams, an acknowledgment of his sphere of influence in Ukraine and the former Soviet Union. ~ Michael McFaul, #NFDB
564:In the post-Fordist transition, the relation between work-time and value is jeopardized, as immaterial production and cognitive work are difficult to properly gauge. But the random effect is not limited to the sphere of the economy, as it spreads both to the sphere of social relations and to that of ethics. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
565:My father ain't in Europe; my father's in a better place than Europe." Winterbourne imagined for a moment that this was the manner in which the child had been taught to intimate that Mr. Miller had been removed to the sphere of celestial reward. But Randolph immediately added, "My father's in Schenectady. ~ Henry James, #NFDB
566:Virtue is something you have to get good at, like playing the trombone or tolerating bores at parties. Being a virtuous human being takes practice; and those who are brilliant at being human (what Christians call the saints) are the virtuosi of the moral sphere - the Pavarottis and Maradonas of virtue. ~ Terry Eagleton, #NFDB
567:Almost everything looked more beautiful from a distance, the earth becoming ever more perfect as one ascended and came closer to seeing the world from God’s eyes, man’s hovels and palaces disappearing, the peaks and valleys of geography fading to become strokes of a paintbrush on a divine sphere. But ~ Viet Thanh Nguyen, #NFDB
568:Does not man lack the force at the very point where he needs it most? And when he soars upward in joy, or sinks down in suffering, is not checked in both, is he not returned again to the dull, cold sphere of awareness, just when he was longing to lose himself in the fullness of the infinite. ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, #NFDB
569:In the mythic tradition, the Mountain is the bond between Earth and Sky. Its solitary summit reaches the sphere of eternity, and its base spreads out in manifold foothills into the world of mortals. It is the way by which man can raise himself to the divine and by which the divine can reveal itself to man. ~ Rene Daumal, #NFDB
570:The genuine mind of man, thirsting for its native home, society, contemns the gewgaws that separate him from it. Titles are like circles drawn by the magician's wand, to contract the sphere of man's felicity. He lives immured within the Bastille of a word, and surveys at a distance the envied life of man. ~ Thomas Paine, #NFDB
571:There is an absence of democratic accountability and control in every sphere of government and the state. To address this debilitating legacy requires determined action and a deep commitment to transforming our society from a crisis ridden present into something all South Africans can be truly proud of. ~ Nelson Mandela, #NFDB
572:The "whole good" cannot be had, it would seem, without mustering all the strength of our inner life. Even in the sphere of external possessions there are goods which inherently demand, if they are to be truly ours, far more of us than mere acquisition. "'My garden,' the rich man said; his gardener smiled. ~ Josef Pieper, #NFDB
573:True,” said the Sphere; “it appears to you a Plane, because you are not accustomed to light and shade and perspective; just as in Flatland a Hexagon would appear a Straight Line to one who has not the Art of Sight Recognition. But in reality it is a Solid, as you shall learn by the sense of Feeling.” He ~ Edwin A Abbott, #NFDB
574:When you said you had a prompting, what happened exactly?” asked Andy. “Oh, I received a sphere message.” “ I’m familiar with those. Was it purple and did it start with a trumpet blast?” laughed Andy. “As a matter of fact, it did,” responded Anta Emm. “How did you know?” “Lucky guess,” replied Andy, smiling. ~ L R W Lee, #NFDB
575:Half of eight is four or three or a zero depending on who asks the question, isn't it? Mathematically, it has to be four, but if you are in some art class then you could cut the figure of eight side-ways or vertically and respectively make up a three or a sphere. It's the same with expanding possibilities. ~ Vish Dhamija, #NFDB
576:You're alive!" Percy said to the others. "The giants said you were captured. What happened?" Leo shrugged. "Oh, just another brilliant plan by Leo Valdez. You'd be amazed what you can do with an Archimedes sphere, a girl who can sense stuff underground, and a weasel." "I was the weasel," Frank said glumly. ~ Rick Riordan, #NFDB
577:Lenin refused to recognise moral norms established by slave-owners for their slaves and never observed by the slave-owners themselves; he called upon the Proletariat to extend the class struggle into the moral sphere too. Who fawns before the precepts established by the enemy will never vanquish that enemy! ~ Leon Trotsky, #NFDB
578:Part of it is eight years of a black president, and white America still lost their [minds] about that. Part of it is a Republican politics of vicious, vicious partisan [stuff] that has completely poisoned what we would call the political rhetorical sphere. All of these things come together in a perfect storm. ~ Junot Diaz, #NFDB
579:There are such moments in life: one unexpectedly discovers that perfection exists, that it, too, is a tiny sphere traveling in time, empty, transparent, luminous, and which sometimes (rarely) comes in our direction and encircles us for a few brief moments before traveling on to other parts and other people. ~ Jos Saramago, #NFDB
580:the senses alone are not implicitly to be depended on. We must correct their evidence by reason, and by considerations, derived from the nature of the medium, the distance of the object, and the disposition of the organ, in order to render them, within their sphere, the proper criteria of truth and falsehood. ~ David Hume, #NFDB
581:A writer will write with or without a movement; but at the same time, for Chicano, lesbian, gay and feminist writers-anybody writing against the grain of Anglo misogynist culture-political movements are what have allowed our writing to surface from the secret places in our notebooks into the public sphere. ~ Cherrie Moraga, #NFDB
582:entrepreneurship is by no means limited to the economic sphere although the term originated there. It pertains to all activities of human beings other than those one might term “existential” rather than “social.” And we now know that there is little difference between entrepreneurship whatever the sphere. ~ Peter F Drucker, #NFDB
583:The ultimate authority, wherever the derivative may be found, resides in the people alone, and that it will not depend merely on the comparative ambition or address of the different governments, whether either, or which of them, will be able to enlarge its sphere of jurisdiction at the expense of the other. ~ James Madison, #NFDB
584:Do not stare into the eyes of your opponent: he may mesmerize you. Do not fix your gaze on his sword: he may intimidate you. Do not focus on your opponent at all: he may absorb your energy. The essence of training is to bring your opponent completely into your sphere. Then you can stand just where you like ~ Morihei Ueshiba, #NFDB
585:For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere. —EPHESIANS 6:12 ~ Joyce Meyer, #NFDB
586:In rhetoric there are the unconditionally right and the unconditionally guilty; there is total victory and the annihilation of the opponent. In dialogue, annihilation of the opponent also annihilates the very dialogic sphere in which discourse lives... This sphere is very fragile and is easily destroyed... ~ Mikhail Bakhtin, #NFDB
587:Intellect is not sexed;... strength of mind is not sexed; and ... our views about the duties of men and the duties of women, the sphere of man and the sphere of woman, are mere arbitrary opinions, differing in different ages and countries, and dependent solely on the will and judgment of erring mortals. ~ Sarah Moore Grimke, #NFDB
588:When I started eBay, it was a hobby, an experiment to see if people could use the Internet to be empowered through access to an efficient market. I actually wasn't thinking about it in terms of a social impact. It was really about helping people connect around a sphere of interest so they could do business. ~ Pierre Omidyar, #NFDB
589:A writer will write with or without a movement; but at the same time, for Chicano, lesbian, gay and feminist writers-anybody writing against the grain of Anglo misogynist culture-political movements are what have allowed our writing to surface from the secret places in our notebooks into the public sphere. ~ Cherr e L Moraga, #NFDB
590:If the sphere of paradox-religion is abolished, or explained away in aesthetics, an Apostle becomes neither more nor less than a genius, and then--good night, Christianity! Esprit and the Spirit, revelation and originality, a call from God and genius, all end by meaning more or less the same thing. ~ S ren Kierkegaard, #NFDB
591:Indeed the three policy pillars of the neoliberal age-privatization of the public sphere, deregulation of the corporate sector, and the lowering of income and corporate taxes, paid for with cuts to public spending-are each incompatible with many of the actions we must take to bring our emissions to safe levels. ~ Naomi Klein, #NFDB
592:The Celestial Sphere which the Great Pyramid of Giza projects through its height is bigger in size than the volume of the King's Chamber by a multiple (of this same volume of the KC) which equals to the area covered by 360th of the height multiplied with the diagonal. As above, so below on the Giza Plateau! ~ Ibrahim Ibrahim, #NFDB
593:Time turns from a straight line into a sphere and it's not until later that you can hold it in your hand and look at all the different sides, and you think, Oh, now I remember --- this happened, then this happened, then... It's only after the fact that you can pull back into a straight line that makes sense ~ Karin Slaughter, #NFDB
594:... I had the elated, otherworldly feeling I sometimes get entering the sphere of another's life, when for a moment changing my banal habits and living like that seems entirely possible, a feeling that always dissolves by the next morning, when I wake up to the familiar, unmovable shapes of my own life. ~ Nicole Krauss, #NFDB
595:... so long as woman sat with bandaged eyes and manacled hands, fast bound in the clamps of ignorance and inaction, the world of thought moved in its orbit like the revolutions of the moon; with one face (the man's face) always out, so that the spectator could not distinguish whether it was disc or sphere. ~ Anna Julia Cooper, #NFDB
596:Things are both getting better and getting worse. The madness is accelerating but an acceleration of the new consciousness is also coming in. However, this latter development is less apparent when you listen to the media. The media still mostly reflects what is happening in the sphere of the old consciousness. ~ Eckhart Tolle, #NFDB
597:This doctrine, that of the ghost in the machine, strictly separates the mind or soul from the body. And by doing so it takes the soul outside the sphere of mechanical or scientific explanation. It splits the world of the mind from the world of science. It is often supposed to protect our cherished free will. ~ Simon Blackburn, #NFDB
598:We are opposed around the world by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy that relies primarily on covert means for expanding its sphere of influence — on infiltration instead of invasion, on subversion instead of elections, on intimidation instead of free choice, on guerrillas by night instead of armies by day ~ John F Kennedy, #NFDB
599:Let man then contemplate the whole of nature in her full and grand majesty... No idea approaches it. We may enlarge our conceptions beyond all imaginable space; we only produce atoms in comparison with the reality of things. It is an infinite sphere, the center of which is everywhere, the circumference nowhere. ~ Blaise Pascal, #NFDB
600:My father ain't in Europe; my father's in a better place than Europe."
Winterbourne imagined for a moment that this was the manner in which the child had been taught to intimate that Mr. Miller had been removed to the sphere of celestial reward. But Randolph immediately added, "My father's in Schenectady. ~ Henry James,#NFDB
601:I find that God by any name can be reduced to this sense of the eternal Presence. It defines being, and I see it as a sphere of intense light that marks the point of my origin. It is the permanent part of me, of which I am very aware, and the point to which I will return at the conclusion of this life. ~ Elizabeth Clare Prophet, #NFDB
602:I have been told that one of the reasons the astronomers of the world cooperate is the fact that there is no one nation from which the entire sphere of the sky can be seen. Perhaps there is in that fact a parable for national statesmen, whose political horizons are all too often limited by national horizons. ~ Adlai Stevenson I, #NFDB
603:Maybe I'll have a tumour like his someday. At first it will be a small but growing sphere that will branch out, growing larger in my stomach like a fetus. I will probably feel it when it starts to take motion, moving inward with the fury of a sleepwalking child, traveling through my intestines blindly - ~ Gabriel Garc a M rquez, #NFDB
604:Let us tread upon this path to this supreme Godhead practically and step by step, beginning from the lowest sphere, to arrive at the true realization of God in ourselves. Let us praise the happy man who will reach this still in his earthly existence. Us banish fear of the pains, for all of us will reach this goal. ~ Franz Bardon, #NFDB
605:The simplest forms in the universe are the sphere and the circle. I represent them by disks and then I vary them... spheres of different sizes, densities, colours and volumes, floating in space, traversing clouds, sprays of water, currents of air, viscosities and odours - of the greatest variety and disparity. ~ Alexander Calder, #NFDB
606:For once a person accepted the idea that the Infinite Father of the entire universe actually desired commerce with individual men, literally no sphere of mortal endeavor was untouched. Each and every thought and action had to be examined in light of an expressed partnership with an infinite and eternal patron. ~ Stephen R Lawhead, #NFDB
607:In the new science of the twenty-first century, not physical force but spiritual force will lead the way. Mental and spiritual gifts will be more in demand than gifts of a physical nature. Extrasensory perception will take precedence over sensory perception. And in this sphere woman will again predominate. ~ Elizabeth Gould Davis, #NFDB
608:It is noteworthy and remarkable to see how man, besides his life in the concrete, always lives a second life in the abstract…(where) in the sphere of calm deliberation, what previously possessed him completely and moved him intensely appears to him cold, colorless, and distant: he is a mere spectator and observer. ~ Irvin D Yalom, #NFDB
609:Man has traditionally ruled the social sphere; feminism tells him to move over and share his power. But woman rules the sexual and emotional sphere, and there she has no rival. Victim ideology, a caricature of social history, blocks women from recognition of their dominance in the deepest, most important realm. ? ~ Camille Paglia, #NFDB
610:Social media changed Chinese mindset. More and more Chinese intend to embrace freedom of speech and human rights as their birthright, not some imported American privilege. But also, it gave the Chinese a national public sphere for people to, it's like a training of their citizenship, preparing for future democracy. ~ Michael Anti, #NFDB
611:To regard such a positive mental science [psychology] as rising above the sphere of history, and establishing the permanent and unchanging laws of human nature, is therefore possible only to a person who mistakes the transient conditions of a certain historical age for the permanent conditions of human life. ~ Robin G Collingwood, #NFDB
612:Do you suppose that I should have lived as long as I have if I had moved in the sphere of public life, and conducting myself in that sphere like an honorable man, had always upheld the cause of right, and conscientiously set this end above all other things? Not by a very long way, gentlemen; neither would any other man. ~ Socrates, #NFDB
613:Plato's objection to the older art--that it is the imitation of a phantom and hence belongs to a sphere even lower than the empirical world--could certainly not be directed against the new art; and so we find Plato endeavoring to transcend reality and to represent the idea which underlies this pseudo-reality. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche, #NFDB
614:For there is nothing important except people. A person is defined solely by the extent of his influence over other people, by the sphere of his interrelationships; and morality is an utterly meaningless term unless defined as the good one does to others, the fulfilling of one’s function in the sociopolitical whole. ~ Ursula K Le Guin, #NFDB
615:The heaven is spherical in shape, and moves as a sphere; the earth too is sensibly spherical in shape, when taken as a whole; in position it lies in the middle of the heavens very much like its center; in size and distance it has the ratio of a point to the sphere of the fixed stars; and it has no motion from place to place. ~ Ptolemy, #NFDB
616:Ultimately, the current argument is "not having net neutrality will hurt innovation," and you can make that argument, but I would rather make the public good argument, which is not just about innovation or nurturing new companies that will add to the nation's GDP, it's actually about creating a democratic public sphere. ~ Astra Taylor, #NFDB
617:Christ is Lord of all. This truth implies that he is lord of language, lord of grammar, lord of history, and lord or interpretive principles. We cannot just take things over unchanged from the world around us. We should be thinking through and living through the implications of Christ's lordship in every sphere of life. ~ Vern Poythress, #NFDB
618:There are no private lives. This a most important aspect of modern life. That one of the biggest transformations we have seen in human life in our society is the diminution of the sphere of the private. That we must reasonably now all regard the fact that there are no secrets and nothing is private. Everything is public. ~ Philip K Dick, #NFDB
619:You're alive!" Percy said to the others. "The giants said you were captured. What happened?"
Leo shrugged. "Oh, just another brilliant plan by Leo Valdez. You'd be amazed what you can do with an Archimedes sphere, a girl who can sense stuff underground, and a weasel."
"I was the weasel," Frank said glumly. ~ Rick Riordan,#NFDB
620:The whole sphere of air that surrounds us, Alma, is alive with invisible attractions — electric, magnetic, fiery and thoughtful. There is a universal sympathy all around us… When we cease all argument and debate — both internal and external — our true questions can be heard and answered…That is the gathering of magic. ~ Elizabeth Gilbert, #NFDB
621:Would all, who cherish such wild wishes, but look around them, they would oftenest find their sphere of duty, of prosperity, and happiness, within those precincts, and in that station where Providence itself has cast their lot. Happy they who read the riddle without a weary world-search, or a lifetime spent in vain! ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne, #NFDB
622:I realize that it's like spices in the kitchen. I need that turmeric. I'm sorry, but cinnamon isn't going to substitute . I feel that I can teach my listener about a new word they can use too. "Well, what words are part of my own community, even if I'm monolingual, that I'm not allowing myself to use in a public sphere?" ~ Sandra Cisneros, #NFDB
623:Marcus Garvey, Elijah Muhammed, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Stokely Carmichael, Amiri Baraka and other black male leaders have righteously supported patriarchy. They have all argued that it is absolutely necessary for black men to relegate black women to a subordinate position both in the political sphere and in home life. ~ bell hooks, #NFDB
624:One of the strangest things about life is that it will chug on, blind and oblivious, even as your private world-your little carved-out sphere-is twisting and morphing, even breaking apart. One day you have parents; the next day you're an orphan. One day you have a place and a path. The next day you're lost in a wilderness. ~ Lauren Oliver, #NFDB
625:And so now, today, one cannot think of the greats—Kant, Hegel, Spinoza, Marx, Fichte, Freud, Nietzsche, Einstein, Schopenhauer, Leibniz, Schelling—the whole Germanic sphere—without thinking, at some point, of Auschwitz and Treblinka, Sobibor and Dachau, Bergen-Belsen and Chelmno. My God, they have names, as if they were human. ~ Ken Wilber, #NFDB
626:Can you remember how you felt when you were communicating through your artwork? Not just the sense of completion, but the sense of rightness- the sense that you had brought to life something that could live beyond your sphere of being, that held in it far more potential than you ever realized you were imbuing in the work? ~ Charles de Lint, #NFDB
627:The Great Pyramid was the theological machine known as the 'primeval mound' sealing off the womb/chamber (i.e. Grand Gallery) against the deceased king's access. It is hence the barque carrying Osiris' throne which is expected to be placed on top of the pyramid instead of a globe/sphere as several other researchers claim. ~ Ibrahim Ibrahim, #NFDB
628:The odd agglomeration of Warshaws, the product of a long and determined program of overseas adoptions, with its combination of Jews and Koreans, intellectuals, space cadets, and sharpies, no two of them related by blood, seemed to offer me the best chance yet to wire my wandering meteor to the armillary sphere of a family. ~ Michael Chabon, #NFDB
629:There is an unbroken chain of opposition to the introduction of economic freedom and to the capitalist autonomy of the economic sphere... In every case the opposition could only be overcome - peacefully or by force - because of the promise of capitalism to establish equality... That this promise was an illusion we all know. ~ Peter Drucker, #NFDB
630:When the Founders thought of democracy, they saw democracy in the political sphere - a sphere strictly limited by the Constitution's well-defined and enumerated powers given the federal government. Substituting democratic decision making for what should be private decision making is nothing less than tyranny dressed up. ~ Walter E Williams, #NFDB
631:The study of the self will one day prove the master-key to open all philosophical doors, all scientific conundrums, all life’s locked problems. Self is the ultimate—it is the first thing we know as babes; it will be the last thing we shall know as sages. The greatest certainty in knowledge comes only in the sphere of self. We ~ Paul Brunton, #NFDB
632:Wherever the State touches the personal life of the infant, the child, the youth, or the aged, helpless, defective in mind, body or moral nature, there the State enters "woman's peculiar sphere," her sphere of motherly succor and training, her sphere of sympathetic and self-sacrificing ministration to individual lives. ~ Anna Garlin Spencer, #NFDB
633:We come from a country that has made a fetish if not a virtue out of proving it can live without art: high, low, old, new, fat, lean, and particularly the rarely visible nocturnal art of poetry.
We must do something with our time on this small aleatory sphere for motives other than money. Power is not an acceptable surrogate. ~ C D Wright,#NFDB
634:It is in Rousseau's writing above all that history begins to turn from upper-class honour to middle-class humanitarianism. Pity, sympathy and compassion lie at the centre of his moral vision. Values associated with the feminine begin to infiltrate social existence as a whole, rather than being confined to the domestic sphere. ~ Terry Eagleton, #NFDB
635:God is Infinite and His Shadow is also infinite. The Shadow of God is the Infinite Space that accommodates the infinite Gross Sphere which, with its occurrences of millions of universes, within and without the ranges of men's knowledge, is the Creation that issued from the Point of Finiteness in the infinite Existence that is God. ~ Meher Baba, #NFDB
636:THE DAUGHTER: You named the earth—is that the ponderous world
And dark, that from the moon must take its light?
THE VOICE: It is the heaviest and densest sphere.
Of all that travel through the space.
THE DAUGHTER: And is it never brightened by the sun?
THE VOICE: Of course, the sun does reach it—now and then— ~ August Strindberg,#NFDB
637:The nineties as a pop cultural sphere was a really fertile time for feminism that was grounded and located in popular culture. I'm talking about before the Spice Girls - Sassy Magazine, riot grrrl, the Beastie Boys, Nirvana. You had this alternative culture that was very much speaking up on behalf of women and in favor of women. ~ Andi Zeisler, #NFDB
638:Spockian parents feel it’s their responsibility to make their child into the most all-around perfect adult possible, and although what this leads to may look like “permissiveness,” it’s actually more totalitarian, for the child no longer has a private sphere. His entire being has been taken over by parental aspirations.
. ~ Philip Slater,#NFDB
639:The bomb goes off in Australia, and a 360-degree sphere of ionosphere (which is up there not too far above your heads, not too many miles) flashes. In other words, the flash in Australia, the ionosphere flashes. People get a secondary kickback from the ionosphere just as though they were standing next to the bomb, don't you see? ~ L Ron Hubbard, #NFDB
640:Most people think of a balanced life in terms of how much time is given to the various sectors of a life. While time is one measure of involvement, I think the critical variable is passion. How energized, fascinated and absorbed are you in each sphere in which you are engaged? They are rarely, and usually only briefly, equal. ~ Judith M Bardwick, #NFDB
641:Surely with as good reason as had Archimedes to have the cylinder, cone and sphere engraved on his tombstone might our distinguished countrymen leave testamentary directions for the cubic eikosiheptagram to be engraved on theirs. Spirit of the Universe! wither are we drifting, and when, where, and how is all this to end? ~ James Joseph Sylvester, #NFDB
642:There came a moment in this journey when I freely realized that the lives most of lead are small. Important, but small. Our radius reaches family, clients, friends for whom we do selfless and amazing feats. But our sphere of influence is local.... So our illnesses/deaths are small, too. Not unimportant. Just local in nature... - 209 ~ Robin Romm, #NFDB
643:Wonderboy flashed in the sun. It caught the sphere it was biggest. A noise like a twenty-one gun salute cracked the sky. There was a straining, ripping sound and a few drops of rain spattered to the ground somebody then shouted it was raining cats and dogs. By the time of Roy got in from second he was wading in water ankle deep. ~ Bernard Malamud, #NFDB
644:We ought to consider the interests of animals because they have interests and it is unjustifiable to exclude them from the sphere of moral concern; to make this consideration depend on beneficial consequences for human beings is to accept the implication that the interests of animals do not warrant consideration for their own sakes. ~ Peter Singer, #NFDB
645:Every word of etatistic thought is contradicted by the doctrines of sociology and economics; this is why etatists endeavour to prove that these sciences do not exist. In their opinion, social affairs are shaped by the State. To the law, all things are possible; and there is no sphere in which State intervention is not omnipotent. ~ Ludwig von Mises, #NFDB
646:Growth in awareness has always been painful [...] But it does lead to greater independence and, eventually, cooperation in action. For the enormous problems that face the world today, in both the private and public sphere, cannot be solved by women - and men - alone. They can only be surmounted by men and women side by side. ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh, #NFDB
647:In order to understand the intensity of ritual forms, one must rid oneself of the idea that all happiness derives from nature, and all pleasure from the satisfaction of a desire. On the contrary, games, the sphere of play, reveal a passion for rules, a giddiness born of rules, and a force that comes from ceremony, and not desire. ~ Jean Baudrillard, #NFDB
648:In popular culture love is always the stuff of fantasy. Maybe this is why men have done most of the theorizing about love. Fantasy has primarily been their domain, both in the sphere of cultural production and in everyday life. Male fantasy is seen as something that can create reality, whereas female fantasy is regarded as pure escape. ~ bell hooks, #NFDB
649:It is only through literature that one can put oneself in someone else’s shoes and understand the other’s different and contradictory sides and refrain from becoming too ruthless. Outside the sphere of literature only one aspect of individuals is revealed. But if you understand their different dimensions you cannot easily murder them. ~ Azar Nafisi, #NFDB
650:I think there's no question that Michael Jackson was the foremost entertainer of his generation; perhaps of all time, arguably, taking the skills of a Sammy Davis, Jr., bringing together the street dance of African American urban culture, joining them to the politics of dance, of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly on that sphere alone. ~ Michael Eric Dyson, #NFDB
651:We certainly get a more complete and well-rounded picture of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries — at court and in the church — if we bear in mind that music still had much of the character of a craft, and that especially in the court sphere it was marked by a very sharp social inequality between the art producer and the patron. ~ Norbert Elias, #NFDB
652:Nothing changed. The headstones stood quietly in the stillness of the dawn. Puddles on the ground reflected the brightening sky like countless mirrors, giving the illusion that the Earth was a mirrored sphere with the ground and the world just a thin layer on top. The rain’s erosion had exposed small pieces of the sphere’s smooth surface. ~ Liu Cixin, #NFDB
653:And so now, today, one cannot think of the greats-Kant, Hegel, Spinoza, Marx, Fichte, Freud, Nietzsche, Einstein, Schopenhauer, Leibniz, Schelling-the whole Germanic sphere-without thinking, at some point, of Auschwitz and Treblinka, Sobibor and Dachau, Bergen-Belsen and Chelmno. My God, they have names, as if they were human. ~ Ken Wilber, One Taste, #NFDB
654:It is only through literature that one can put oneself in someone else’s shoes and understand the other’s different and contradictory sides and refrain from becoming too ruthless. Outside the sphere of literature only one aspect of individuals is revealed. But if you understand their different dimensions you cannot easily murder them. . . ~ Azar Nafisi, #NFDB
655:The State is competent to assign duties and draw the line between good and evil only in its immediate sphere. Beyond the limits of things necessary for its well-being, it can only give indirect help to fight the battle of life by promoting the influences which prevail against temptation--religion, education, and the distribution of wealth. ~ Lord Acton, #NFDB
656:Admiral,” said Gladstone, “is it absolutely necessary to destroy the singularity sphere as soon as the Ousters have penetrated our cordon sanitaire? Couldn’t we wait another few minutes to judge their intentions?” “No, CEO,” answered the Admiral promptly. “The farcaster link must be destroyed as soon as they are within quick assault range. ~ Dan Simmons, #NFDB
657:Each other, perhaps. Not each other’s words, but each other’s thoughts. Each other’s spirit. If you ask me what I believe, I shall tell you this: the whole sphere of air that surrounds us, Alma, is alive with invisible attractions—electric, magnetic, fiery and thoughtful. There is a universal sympathy all around us. There is a hidden ~ Elizabeth Gilbert, #NFDB
658:Justice?... Justice is a delusion you will not find on this or any other sphere.
And wisdom? Wisdom is no part of dreams, lithe walker, though dreams are a part of the sum of each life's experiences, which is the only wisdom that matters.
But revelation? That is the province of dream. It can be yours, but only if your heart is strong ~ Neil Gaiman,#NFDB
659:I dived for it, caught it three inches above the cement, and found myself face-to-face with the salamander. Ruby-red eyes regarded me with mild curiosity, black lips parted, and a long, spiderweb-thin filament of a tongue slithered from the salamander’s mouth and kissed the sphere’s glass in the reflection of my nose. Hi, I love you, too. ~ Ilona Andrews, #NFDB
660:He who takes the oath today to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States only assumes the solemn obligation which every patriotic citizen . . . should share with him. . . . Your every voter, as surely as your Chief Magistrate, under the same high sanction, though in a different sphere, exercises a public trust. ~ Grover Cleveland, #NFDB
661:Men are rewarded for learning the practice of violence in virtually any sphere of activity by money, admiration, recognition, respect, and the genuflection of others honoring their sacred and proven masculinity. In male culture, police are heroic and so are outlaws; males who enforce standards are heroic and so are those who violate them. ~ Andrea Dworkin, #NFDB
662:That’s progress,” McIlveen said.
“What we think of as progress,” she countered. “To the Yautja, we’re barely crawling. Sometimes I think we’re like deer and they’re the lions, coming into the Sphere from time to time to just play.” She blew onto her coffee, watching the small ripples and the drifting steam. “The things they’ve seen. ~ Tim Lebbon,#NFDB
663:There is no place for [the Bantu] in the European community above the level of certain forms of labour ... What is the use of teaching the Bantu child mathematics when it cannot use it in practice? That is quite absurd. Education must train people in accordance with their opportunities in life, according to the sphere in which they live. ~ Hendrik Verwoerd, #NFDB
664:Everyone has in him something divine, something his own, a chance of perfection and strength in however small a sphere which God offers him to take or refuse. The task is to find it, develop it & use it. The chief aim of education should be to help the growing soul to draw out that in itself which is best and make it perfect for a noble use. ~ Sri Aurobindo, #NFDB
665:I thought about the future, the oceans and continents he would cross, far away from everyone who knew and loved him. Far outside the sphere of his mothers prayers. Among the women of the future, there was one who would know his secrets and bear his children, and witness the changes the years worked on him. And it wouldnt be me. -Liberty Jones ~ Lisa Kleypas, #NFDB
666:On the rights of women, he found Löwenhielm and Bielfeld agreed with him that “it is in vain to labor . . . against the prescriptions of Nature. Political subserviency and domestic influence must be the lot of women, and those who have departed the most from their natural sphere are not those who have shown the sex in their most amiable light. ~ Fred Kaplan, #NFDB
667:The lessons of the First Amendment are as urgent in the modern world as the 18th Century when it was written. One timeless lesson is that if citizens are subjected to state-sponsored religious exercises, the State disavows its own duty to guard and respect that sphere of inviolable conscience and belief which is the mark of a free people. ~ Anthony Kennedy, #NFDB
668:Close both eyes; see with the other one. Then, we are no longer saddled by the burden of our persistent judgments, our ceaseless withholding, our constant exclusion. Our sphere has widened, and we find ourselves, quite unexpectedly, in a new, expansive location, in a place of endless acceptance and infinite love. We’ve wandered into God’s own ~ Gregory Boyle, #NFDB
669:Any content that functions through its emotional dynamisms, such as the paralyzing grip of inertia or an invasion by instinct, belongs to the sphere of the mother, to nature. But all contents capable of conscious realization, a value, an idea, a moral canon, or some other spiritual force, are related to the father-, never to the mother-system. ~ Erich Neumann, #NFDB
670:Expansion would break up society “into a greater variety of interests and pursuits of passions, which check each other.” The amalgamation of power would be prevented, making it unnecessary to take government action, either to regulate concentrated wealth or to repress movements organized in opposition to concentrated wealth. “Extend the sphere, ~ Greg Grandin, #NFDB
671:For [Jane Austen and the readers of Pride and Prejudice], as for Mr. Darcy, [Elizabeth Bennett's] solitary walks express the independence that literally takes the heroine out of the social sphere of the houses and their inhabitants, into a larger, lonelier world where she is free to think: walking articulates both physical and mental freedom. ~ Rebecca Solnit, #NFDB
672:I did not imagine that pregnant women were 'naturally' any more sensitive or exalted than people in any other condition; only it seemed as if - perhaps because we are in such a twilight state, a melting down and reconstituting of the self - there was more opportunity to hear strains from what must be the other side, the moral music of the sphere. ~ Naomi Wolf, #NFDB
673:In the history of mankind there are recorded two great Inversions. The first, set forth by the Nazarene to the effect that love is a greater power and more real than vengeance. The second proclaimed the earth to be a sphere revolving in its course around the sun. These affirmations were made in the face of all evidence sacred to the contrary. ~ Louis Sullivan, #NFDB
674:The PI multiples of the natural Logarithm Constant deviates from the Electric Constant figure by an amount which equals to one tenth of PI. When a circle is shaped using that equation, its area delivers a solid angle equals to the King's Chamber volume with a radius of 100 multiples of GPG's Height of a sphere's solid angle (i.e., 41252.96). ~ Ibrahim Ibrahim, #NFDB
675:To be useful in God’s hand, a man must be properly adjusted with respect to all three: his position, his life and his warfare. He falls short of God’s requirements if he underestimates the importance of any one of them, for each is a sphere in which God would express “the glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved” (1:6). ~ Watchman Nee, #NFDB
676:The generality of men are so bound within the sphere of their circumstances that they have not even the courage to get out of them through their ideas, and if we see a few whom, in a way, speculation over great things makes incapable of mean ones, we find still more with whom the practice of small things takes away the feeling for great ones. ~ Luc de Clapiers, #NFDB
677:We say justly that the weak person is flat, for, like all flat substances, he does not stand in the direction of his strength, that is, on his edge, but affords a convenient surface to put upon. He slides all the way through life.... But the brave man is a perfect sphere, which cannot fall on its flat side and is equally strong every way. ~ Henry David Thoreau, #NFDB
678:You know we're in a planet surrounded by certain kinds of frequencies and noise. The earth's magnetic sphere makes weird sounds. The sun you know the heart of our solar system makes noise. Even interstellar phenomena like black holes. You know people have studied them and a black hole can emit sound in like the range of 20,000 octaves below B flat. ~ DJ Spooky, #NFDB
679:Do those words matter? Of course they do, because they underpin an idiom that acts to remove the authority, the force, even the humour from what women have to say. It is an idiom that effectively repositions women back into the domestic sphere (people ‘whinge’ over things like the washing up); it trivialises their words, or it ‘re-privatises’ them. ~ Mary Beard, #NFDB
680:Men should soon make up their minds to be forgotten, and look about them, or within them, for some higher motive in what they do than the approbation of men, which is fame, namely, their duty; that they should be constantly and quietly at work, each in his sphere, regardless of effects, and leaving their fame to take care of itself. ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, #NFDB
681:1186
We Can But Follow To The Sun
920
We can but follow to the Sun—
As oft as He go down
He leave Ourselves a Sphere behind—
'Tis mostly—following—
We go no further with the Dust
Than to the Earthen Door—
And then the Panels are reversed—
And we behold—no more.
~ Emily Dickinson,#NFDB
682:Marx would have laughed long and hard at those who seem surprised, or upset, by the “democratic deficit”. What was the great objective behind 19th-century liberalism? It was, as Marx never tired of pointing out, to separate the economic sphere from the political sphere and to confine politics to the latter while leaving the economic sphere to capital. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
683:The truth has no need to be uttered to be made apparent, and ... one may perhaps gather it with more certainty, without waiting for words and without even taking any account of them, from countless outward signs, even from certain invisible phenomena, analogous in the sphere of human character to what atmospheric changes are in the physical world. ~ Marcel Proust, #NFDB
684:Doesn't matter if you're fourteen or if you're eight, there's an incredible vernacular that I do believe has become more and more plausible to talk this way in the public sphere, I think because we live in such a coarse and pornographic era. Years of this has produced a certain amount of misogyny that is just a given of life in America at this point. ~ David Simon, #NFDB
685:I thought about the future, the oceans and continents he would cross, far away from everyone who knew and loved him. Far outside the sphere of his mothers prayers. Among the women of the future, there was one who would know his secrets and bear his children, and witness the changes the years worked on him. And it wouldnt be me.
-Liberty Jones ~ Lisa Kleypas,#NFDB
686:What does it mean then to live with one another? It can be unhappy, it can be wretched, it can be ambivalent, it can even be full of antagonism, but all of that can play out in the political sphere without recourse to expulsion or genocide. And that is our obligation, to stay in the sphere with whatever murderous rage we have, without acting on it. ~ Judith Butler, #NFDB
687:Consciousness precedes Being, and not the other way around, as Marxists claim. For this reason, the salvation of this human world lies nowhere else than in the human heart, in the human power to reflect, in human modesty, and in human responsibility. Without a global revolution in the sphere of human consciousness, nothing will change for the better. ~ V clav Havel, #NFDB
688:Movies become living organisms that graduate from a filmmaker's sphere of influence and pretty much look back and tell you how they need to be said goodbye to. A movie often turns around and looks at you and says, "Here is who I am, and that's maybe now how you see me, but that's who I've become." And you've got to be open enough to go with that. ~ Steven Spielberg, #NFDB
689:Taoism as the "art of being in the world," for it deals with the present—ourselves. It is in us that God meets with Nature, and yesterday parts from to-morrow. The Present is the moving Infinity, the legitimate sphere of the Relative. Relativity seeks Adjustment; Adjustment is Art. The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings. ~ Kakuz Okakura, #NFDB
690:For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us—a sphere which especially includes you” (2 Cor. 10:12–13). ~ Brian Houston, #NFDB
691:Images, whether on paper or in the mind, are not important for themselves. Merely links. Take a parallel from an infinitely higher sphere. Tomorrow morning a priest will give me a little round, thin, cold, tasteless wafer. Is it a disadvantage—is it not in some ways an advantage—that it can’t pretend the least resemblance to that with which it unites me? ~ C S Lewis, #NFDB
692:When I was ten years old, all I gave my sweetheart was a pair of projections that turned the group of rotations in four dimensions into principal bundles over the three-sphere. Ancient constructions, though I did rediscover them for myself.’ ‘How were they received?’ ‘She liked them so much, she extended them to larger spaces and gave me back the result. ~ Greg Egan, #NFDB
693:Even if the civil magistrate is so gifted as to prophesy in the church, yet in the sphere of his civil duties he is forbidden to call down fire from heaven, that is, to procure or inflict any corporal punishment upon offenders in religious doctrine or practice, remembering Christ's admonition that He came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them. ~ Roger Williams, #NFDB
694:He has usurped the prerogative of Jehovah himself, claiming it as his right to assign for her a sphere of action, when that belongs to her conscience and to her God. He has endeavored in every way that he could to destroy her confidence in her own powers, to lessen her self-respect, and to make her willing to lead a dependent and abject life. ~ Elizabeth Cady Stanton, #NFDB
695:So when people ask me if I believe God created the universe, I tell them that the question itself makes no sense. Time didn't exist before the Big Bang, so there is no time for God to make the universe in. It's like asking for directions to the edge of the earth; the earth is a sphere, it doesn't have an edge, so looking for it is a futile exercise. ~ Stephen Hawking, #NFDB
696:The corporate State considers that private enterprise in the sphere of production is the most effective and useful instrument in the interest of the nation. In view of the fact that private organisation of production is a function of national concern, the organiser of the enterprise is responsible to the State for the direction given to production. ~ Benito Mussolini, #NFDB
697:We continually forget that the sphere of morals is the sphere of action, that speculation in regard to morality is but observation and must remain in the sphere of intellectual comment, that a situation does not really become moral until we are confronted with the question of what shall be done in a concrete case, and are obliged to act upon our theory. ~ Jane Addams, #NFDB
698:Pluto, the lord of the underworld, represents the body intelligence of man; and the rape of Persephone is symbolic of the divine nature assaulted and defiled by the animal soul and dragged downward into the somber darkness of Hades, which is here used as a synonym for the material, or objective, sphere of consciousness. ~ Manly P Hall, The Secret Teachings of all Ages, #NFDB
699:A converted wife who despaired of her husband was always very kind to him, for she said, "I fear that this is the only world in which he will be happy, and therefore I have made up my mind to make him as happy as I can in it." Christians must seek their delights in a higher sphere than the insipid frivolities or sinful enjoyments of the world. ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon, #NFDB
700:And then, just when you thought you made it or that you belong here, the return movement begins. Perhaps people close to you begin to die, people who were a part of your world. Then your physical form weakens; your sphere of influence shrinks. Instead of becoming more, you now become less, and the ego reacts to this with increasing anxiety or depression. ~ Eckhart Tolle, #NFDB
701:Huge vistas of possibility space are yet to be discovered right here on Earth. The civilizations and cultures have only recently bumped into one another around the whole sphere. The arrows can test synergies between humans and computers, humans and nature, and humans together in kinds of groups scarcely imagined. ~ Tyler Volk, Metapatterns - Across Space, Time, and Mind, #NFDB
702:The capacity for the accomplishment of religious virtuosos the "intellectual sacrifice" is the decisive characteristic of the positively religious man. That this is so is shown by the fact that in spite of (or rather in consequence) of theology (which unveils it) the tension between the value-spheres of "science" and the sphere of "the holy" is unbridgeable. ~ Max Weber, #NFDB
703:This world has many rings, like Saturn, and we live now on the outmost of them all. None can say deliberately that he inhabits thesame sphere, or is contemporary, with the flower which his hands have plucked, and though his feet may seem to crush it, inconceivable spaces and ages separate them, and perchance there is no danger that he will hurt it. ~ Henry David Thoreau, #NFDB
704:Although the semicircle of the Moon is placed above the circle of the Sun and would appear to be superior, nevertheless we know that the Sun is ruler and King. We see that the Moon in her shape and her proximity rivals the Sun with her grandeur, which is apparent to ordinary men, yet the face, or a semi-sphere of the Moon, always reflects the light of the Sun. ~ John Dee, #NFDB
705:Working quickly was the trick of it. When Samuel Pepys underwent a lithotomy—the removal of a kidney stone—in 1658, the surgeon took just fifty seconds to get in and find and extract a stone about the size of a tennis ball. (That is, a seventeenth-century tennis ball, which was rather smaller than a modern one, but still a sphere of considerable dimension.) ~ Bill Bryson, #NFDB
706:You must convince your readers that your characters are flesh and blood rather than words on dead skin, that their loves and hatreds and passions are as deep and present as the readers' own. Your task is to delight, to pleasure, to lift your reader to another sphere of being and then strand him there, floating above the earth and panting for more lines. ~ Bruce Holsinger, #NFDB
707:A man should not go where he cannot carry his whole sphere or society with him,Mnot bodily, the whole circle of his friends, but atmospherically. He should preserve in a new company the same attitude of mind and reality of relation, which his daily associates draw him to, else he is shorn of his best beams, and will be an orphan in the merriest club. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, #NFDB
708:In short, the enlightenment privatized marriage, taking it out of the public sphere, and redefined its purpose as individual gratification, not any 'broader good' such as reflecting God's nature, producing character, or raising children. Slowly but surely, this newer understanding of the meaning of marriage has displaced the older ones in Western culture. ~ Timothy Keller, #NFDB
709:Is it that in some brighter sphere
We part from friends we meet with here?
Or do we see the Future pass
Over the Presents dusky glass?
Or what is that that makes us seem
To patch up fragments of a dream,
Part of which comes true, and part
Beats and trembles in the heart?
~ Percy Bysshe Shelley, Fragment - Is It That In Some Brighter Sphere
,#NFDB
710:If you observe a content which then disappears for a short time into the unconscious, it is not altered when it comes up again, but if you forget something for a long time, it does not return in the same form; it autonomously evolves or regresses in the other sphere, and therefore one can speak of unconscious as being a sphere, or entity in itself. ~ Marie Louise von Franz, #NFDB
711:Is it better to work out consciously and critically one's own conception of the world and thus, in connection with the labours of one's own brain, choose one's sphere of activity, take an active part in the creation of the history of the world, be one's own guide, refusing to accept passively and supinely from outside the moulding of one' own personality? ~ Antonio Gramsci, #NFDB
712:Ask yourself this question; ask God; ask your guides: What are the lessons of love, and what are the truths I have to face about myself, so I can make the transition from the Sphere I am in right now, to the next Sphere? Any spirit who has made this transition will be able to tell you, and you will grow fast if you work through those particular lessons. ~ Padma Aon Prakasha, #NFDB
713:In short, the Enlightenment privatized marriage, taking it out of the public sphere, and redefined its purpose as individual gratification, not any 'broader good' such as reflecting God's nature, producing character, or raising children. Slowly but surely, this newer understanding of the meaning of marriage has displaced the older ones in Western culture. ~ Timothy J Keller, #NFDB
714:Men are microcosms, or little worlds—each man has
his distinct sphere, wherein he dwells.
We are so many worlds and no one world of man exactly overlaps another. You cannot completely know your fellow
man. All that you know concerning your fellows—and there is much which we can know—leaves a great deal as un-known to us as the fixed stars. ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon,#NFDB
715:The blurring of the line between policy and strategy] encouraged soldiers to make the preposterous claim that policy should be subservient to their conduct of operations, and (especially in democratic countries) it drew the statesman on to overstep the definite border of his sphere and interfere with his military employees in the actual use of their tools. ~ B H Liddell Hart, #NFDB
716:favourites.-There is, of course, here and there on this terrestrial sphere a kind of sequel to love, in which that envious longing of two persons for one another has yielded to a new desire and covetousness, to a common, higher thirst for a superior ideal standing above them : but who knows this love? Who has experienced it? Its right name is friendship. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche, #NFDB
717:From the point of view of a mayfly, human beings are stolid, boring, almost entirely immovable, offering hardly a hint that they ever do anything. From the point of view of a star, a human being is a tiny flash, one of billions of brief lives flickering tenuously on the surface of a strangely cold, anomalously solid, exotically remote sphere of silicate and iron. ~ Carl Sagan, #NFDB
718:I looked up then, out the far window, and there, just within sight, the sun was going down across the river. It was dull red, no longer shining over the land, its ray brought home to roost, contained within its sphere. The sky was streaked with lavendar, a pulsing pale blue, purple and smudged pink and orange melding into one another all the way to the horizon. ~ Jane Hamilton, #NFDB
719:advances since 1970 have tended to be channeled into a narrow sphere of human activity having to do with entertainment, communications, and the collection and processing of information. For the rest of what humans care about—food, clothing, shelter, transportation, health, and working conditions both inside and outside the home—progress slowed down after 1970, ~ Robert J Gordon, #NFDB
720:Everyone who wishes to enter the Second Sphere will be well advised to try to put aside all unnecessary affairs and business of this world. For those who hope to reach the principal Mansion, of At-One-ment with God, this is so important that unless you begin in this way you will never be able to get there. Beware of cares, which have nothing to do with you. ~ Padma Aon Prakasha, #NFDB
721:Let us be, then, warriors of the heart, and enlist in our inner cause the virtues we have acquired through blood and sweat in the sphere of conflict—courage, patience, selflessness, loyalty, fidelity, self-command, respect for elders, love of our comrades (and of the enemy), perseverance, cheerfulness in adversity and a sense of humor, however terse or dark. ~ Steven Pressfield, #NFDB
722:Play: It is an an activity which proceeds within certain limits of time and space, in a visible order, according to rules freely accepted, and outside the sphere of necessity or material utility. The play-mood is one of rapture and enthusiasm, and is sacred or festive in accordance with the occasion. A feeling of exaltation and tension accompanies the action. ~ Johan Huizinga, #NFDB
723:Bolshevik socialism (anticapitalism) attracted and gave meaning to the shock-troop activists, supplied the vocabulary and worldview of millions in the party and beyond, and achieved a monopoly over the public sphere, but this same politically empowering ideology afforded no traction over the international situation or the faltering quasi-market domestic economy. ~ Stephen Kotkin, #NFDB
724:In America, music was the first sphere of social interaction in which racial barriers were challenged and overturned. And the challenge went both ways: by the mid-1920s, white bands were playing for all-black audiences at Lincoln Theater and elsewhere. These intermediate steps between segregation and integration represented, for all their problems, progress of sorts. ~ Ted Gioia, #NFDB
725:Vladimir Putin is a Russian czar. He's kind of a mix of Peter the Great and Stalin. He's got both in his veins. And he looks out first and foremost for the national security interests of Russia. He accepts that, in Eastern Europe, that is a Russian backyard, that is a Russian sphere of influence. Ukraine lives most uncomfortably and unhappily in a Russian backyard. ~ Marvin Kalb, #NFDB
726:In Rio, my mother also taught English and Spanish. And Portuguese to foreigners. She said it was a Wild-Card Profession and she said it like she meant it. Anywhere in the world, there would always be people wanting to learn English and/or Spanish. And Portuguese – Portuguese would increase its sphere of influence after Brazil showed the world what it was made of. ~ Adriana Lisboa, #NFDB
727:The most serious problems lie in the financial sphere, where the economy's debt overhead has grown more rapidly than the 'real' economy's ability to carry this debt. [...] The essence of the global financial bubble is that savings are diverted to inflate the stock market, bond market and real estate prices rather than to build new factories and employ more labor. ~ Michael Hudson, #NFDB
728:But since the end of the 1970s, at the beginning of the revolution in Iran under Khomenei, we have experienced a politicization of Islam. From the beginning, it had a primary adversary: the emancipation of women. With more men now coming to us from this cultural sphere, and some additionally brutalized by civil wars, this is a problem. We cannot simply ignore it. ~ Alice Schwarzer, #NFDB
729:One of the great joys of mathematics is the incontrovertible feeling that you've understood something the right way, all the way down to the bottom; it's a feeling I haven't experienced in any other sphere of mental life. And when you know how to do something the right way, it's hard-for some stubborn people, impossible-to make yourself explain it the wrong way. ~ Jordan Ellenberg, #NFDB
730:The law is the organization of the natural right of lawful defense; it is the substitution of collective for individual forces, for the purpose of acting in the sphere in which they have a right to act, of doing what they have a right to do, to secure persons, liberties, and properties, and to maintain each in its right, so as to cause justice to reign over all. ~ Fr d ric Bastiat, #NFDB
731:Lighthouse In The Night
The sky a black sphere,
the sea a black disk.
The lighthouse opens
its solar fan on the coast.
Spinning endlessly at night,
whom is it searching for
when the mortal heart
looks for me in the chest?
Look at the black rock
where it is nailed down.
A crow digs endlessly
but no longer bleeds.
~ Alfonsina Storni,#NFDB
732:Of many points one line; of many lines one shape; of many shapes one solid body; of many senses and thoughts one person; of three persons, Himself. As in the circle to the sphere, so are the ancient worlds that needed no redemption to that world wherein He was born and died. As is a point to a line, so is that world to the far-off fruits of its redeeming. Blessed be He! ~ C S Lewis, #NFDB
733:Evolution is gaining the psychic zones of the world... life, being and ascent of consciousness, could not continue to advance indefinitely along its line without transforming itself in depth. The being who is the object of his own reflection, in consequence, of that very doubling back upon himself becomes in a flash able to raise himself to a new sphere. ~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #NFDB
734:It takes a long time-many incarnations of right action, good company, help of the guru, self-awakening, wisdom, and meditation-for man to regain his soul consciousness of immortality. To reach this state of Self-realization, each man must practice meditation to transfer his consciousness from the limited body to the unlimited sphere of joy felt in meditation. ~ Paramahansa Yogananda, #NFDB
735:Once a week, in order to deal with the demands of living with another person, and to continue to improve my skills in this sphere, I spend an evening in therapy. This is a small joke: my “therapist” is Dave, and I provide reciprocal services to him. Dave is also married, and considering that I am supposedly wired differently, our challenges are surprisingly similar. ~ Graeme Simsion, #NFDB
736:Every man has in him something divine, something his own, a chance of strength and perfection in however small a sphere, which God offers him to take or refuse. The task is to find it, develop it, use it. The chief aim of education should be to help the growing soul to draw out that in itself which is best and make it perfect for a noble use. ~ Sri Aurobindo, Early Cultural Writings, #NFDB
737:Although objectively greater demands are placed on this authority, it operates less as a public opinion giving a rational foundation to the exercise of political and social authority, the more it is generated for the purpose of an abstract vote that amounts to no more than an act of acclamation within a public sphere temporarily manufactured for show or manipulation. ~ Jurgen Habermas, #NFDB
738:Our senses enable us to perceive only a minute portion of the outside world. Our hearing extends to a small distance. Our sight is impeded by intervening bodies and shadows. To know each other we must reach beyond the sphere of our sense perceptions. We must transmit our intelligence, travel, transport the materials and transfer the energies necessary for our existence. ~ Nikola Tesla, #NFDB
739:Sphere Music - Some sounds seem to reverberate along the plain, and then settle to earth again like dust; such are Noise, Discord, Jargon. But such only as spring heavenward, and I may catch from steeples and hilltops in their upward course, which are the more refined parts of the former, are the true sphere music - pure, unmixed music - in which no wail mingles. ~ Henry David Thoreau, #NFDB
740:And at the bottom of each of those eyes I lived, or rather another me lived, one of the images of me, and it encountered the image of her, the most faithful image of her, in that beyound which opens, past the semiliquid sphere of the irises, in the darkness of the pupils, the mirrored hall of retinas, in our true element which extends without shores, without boundaries. ~ Italo Calvino, #NFDB
741:[P]rescientific people... could never guess the nature of physical reality beyond the tiny sphere attainable by unaided common sense. Nothing else ever worked, no exercise from myth, revelation, art, trance, or any other conceivable means; and notwithstanding the emotional satisfaction it gives, mysticism, the strongest prescientific probe in the unknown, has yielded zero. ~ E O Wilson, #NFDB
742:In all willing it is absolutely a question of commanding and obeying, on the basis, as already said, of a social structure composed of many “souls,” on which account a philosopher should claim the right to include willing-as-such within the sphere of morals—regarded as the doctrine of the relations of supremacy under which the phenomenon of “life” manifests itself. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche, #NFDB
743:Nur once heard it said that a woman's sphere is actually less constrained than a man's. Because whilst he may travel outside in the physical world, her internal world is limitless, set only by the boundaries of her imagination. This life within the mind is a skill that men do not always take the time to learn . . . unless, perhaps, they are of a particularly spiritual bent. ~ Lucy Foley, #NFDB
744:He saw a small, secondary explosion in the mushroom column. A yellow sphere flared in orange and then smoke swamped it. It had to be chemical, but what— Ah, he thought. All the iron in the buildings and soil has been thrown up in fine particles. Hot, too. It met the oxygen. “A rust bomb,” he whispered. Weird, but probably right. And nobody had thought of it before. Karl ~ Gregory Benford, #NFDB
745:And at the bottom of each of those eyes I lived, or rather another me lived, one of the images of me, and it encountered the image of her, the most faithful image of her, in that beyond which opens, past the semiliquid sphere of the irises, in the darkness of the pupils, the mirrored hall of the retinas, in our true element which extends without shores, without boundaries. ~ Italo Calvino, #NFDB
746:It is equally clear that a government must govern, must prescribe and enforce laws within its sphere or cease to be a government. Moreover, the individual must be independent and free within his own sphere or cease to be an individual. The fundamental question was then, is now, and always will be through what adjustments, by what actions, these principles may be applied. ~ Calvin Coolidge, #NFDB
747:Love, compassion and concern for others are real sources of happiness. If you have these in abundance, you will not be disturbed even by the most uncomfortable circumstances. If you nurse hatred, however, you will not be happy even in the lap of luxury. Thus, if we really want happiness, we must widen the sphere of love. This is both religious thinking and basic common sense. ~ Dalai Lama, #NFDB
748:The sphere ... which is located beyond our physical world is called the earth zone. It is also known as the zone girdling the earth. This zone has varying degrees of density, the so-called sub-planes, into which human beings enter after they leave their physical bodies. This is the astral world that individuals enter into with their astral bodies after their physical death. ~ Franz Bardon, #NFDB
749:Individuals possessing moderate-sized brains easily find their proper sphere, and enjoy in it scope for all their energy. In ordinary circumstances they distinguish themselves, but they sink when difficulties accumulate around them. Persons with large brains, on the other hand, do not readily attain their appropriate place; common occurrences do not rouse or call them forth. ~ George Combe, #NFDB
750:It is far easier, though not very easy, to develop and preserve a spiritual outlook on life than it is to make our everyday actions harmonize with that spiritual outlook. For though we may renounce the world for ourselves, refuse the attempt to get anything out of it, we have to accept it as the sphere in which we are to co-operate with the Spirit, and try to do the Will. ~ Evelyn Underhill, #NFDB
751:When, therefore, I had long considered this uncertainty of traditional mathematics, it began to weary me that no more definite explanation of the movement of the world-machine established in our behalf by the best and most systematic builder of all, existed among the philosophers who had studied so exactly in other respects the minutest details in regard to the sphere. ~ Nicolaus Copernicus, #NFDB
752:He wanted, in short, a work of art both for what it was in itself and for what it allowed him to bestow on it; he wanted to go along with it and on it, as if supported by a friend or carried by a vehicle, into a sphere where sublimated sensations would arouse within him an unexpected commotion, the causes of which he would strive to patiently and even vainly to analyse. ~ Joris Karl Huysmans, #NFDB
753:I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within it, nowhere does she enjoy a higher station. And if anyone asks me what I think the chief cause of the extraordinary prosperity and growing power of this nation, I should answer that it is due to the superiority of their women. ~ Alexis de Tocqueville, #NFDB
754:What I long for with a deep ache inside me is sacred music. I long for the Fauré Requiem, for the Haydn “Mass in Time of War,” for some pure celestial music that could lift me above myself, into that sphere where great art lives, beyond what man can be in himself, the intimation of the sacred—what cannot be dirtied or smudged by wickedness or by anger, which no threat can touch. ~ May Sarton, #NFDB
755:People think once you get famous and rich you move out of the public sphere and you have nothing left to write about. I've heard that - Bruce Springsteen was this real street boy, now he's got this big house. How does that compute? If you don't look at the material side of someone's life, if you look at more the emotional side, there's always a wealth of stuff to write about. ~ Paul McCartney, #NFDB
756:Some ancients speculated that the stars were small holes in a black sphere through which distant light shone through. The Italian astronomer Giordano Bruno suggested that they were instead objects like our Sun, just much farther away, perhaps with their own planets and civilizations—this didn’t go down too well with the Catholic Church, which had him burned at the stake in 1600. ~ Max Tegmark, #NFDB
757:Democracy extends the sphere of personal independence; socialism confines it. Democracy values each man at his highest; socialism makes of each man an agent, an instrument, a number. Democracy and socialism have but one thing in common—equality. But note well the difference. Democracy aims at equality in liberty. Socialism desires equality in constraint and in servitude. ~ Alexis de Tocqueville, #NFDB
758:Held captive beneath the translucent skin, the seven colours of the rainbow flickered with some secret fire of their own all over the surface of each precious sphere. Chéri recognized the pearl with a dimple, the slightly egg-shaped pearl, and the biggest pearl of the string, distinguishable by its unique pink. ‘These pearls, these at least, are unchanged! They and I remain unchanged. ~ Colette, #NFDB
759:Democracy extends the sphere of individual freedom, socialism restricts it. Democracy attaches all possible value to each man; socialism makes each man a mere agent, a mere number. Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word: equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude. ~ Alexis de Tocqueville, #NFDB
760:Religion is still parasitic in the interstices of our knowledge which have not yet been filled. Like bed-bugs in the cracks of walls and furniture, miracles lurk in the lacunae of science. The scientist plasters up these cracks in our knowledge; the more militant Rationalist swats the bugs in the open. Both have their proper sphere and they should realize that they are allies. ~ John B S Haldane, #NFDB
761:The bourgeois public sphere may be conceived above all as the sphere of private people come together as a public; they soon claimed the public sphere regulated from above against the public authorities themselves, to engage them in a debate over the general rules governing relations in the basically privatized but publicly relevant sphere of commodity exchange and social labor. ~ Jurgen Habermas, #NFDB
762:I felt the full breadth and depth of the ocean around the sphere of the Earth, back billions of years to the beginning of life, across all the passing lives and deaths, the endless waves of swimming joy and quiet losses of exquisite creatures with fins and fronds, tentacles and wings, colourful and transparent, tiny and huge, coming and going. There is nothing the ocean has not seen ~ Sally Andrew, #NFDB
763:Whatever God has made your position, or your work, abide in that, unless you are quite sure that he calls you to something else. Let your first care be to glorify God to the utmost of your power where you are. Fill your present sphere to His praise, and if He needs you in another He will show it you. This evening lay aside vexatious ambition, and embrace peaceful content. ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon, #NFDB
764:One word is too often profaned For me to profane it, One feeling too falsely disdain'd For thee to disdain it. One hope too like dispair For prudence to smother, I can give not what men call love: But wilt thou accept not The worship the heart lifts above And heaven rejects not: The desire of the moth for the star, The devotion of something afar From the sphere of our sorrow? ~ Percy Bysshe Shelley, #NFDB
765:There is hardly any other sphere in which prejudice and superstition of the most horrific kind have been retained so long as in that of women, and just as it must have been an inexpressable relief for humanity when it shook off the burden of religious prejudice and superstition, I think it will be truly glorious when women become real people and have the whole world open before them. ~ Isak Dinesen, #NFDB
766:There is hardly any other sphere in which prejudice and superstition of the most horrific kind have been retained so long as in that of women, and just as it must have been an inexpressable relief for humanity when it shook off the burden of religious prejudice and superstition, I think it will be truly glorious when women become real people and have the whole world open before them. ~ Karen Blixen, #NFDB
767:The state has been living on a revenue which was being produced in the private sphere for private purposes and had to be deflected from these purposes by political force. The theory that construes taxes on the analogy of club dues or of the purchase of the services of, say, a doctor only proves how far removed this part of the social sciences is from scientific habits of mind. ~ Joseph A Schumpeter, #NFDB
768:Oh, ye infidel philosophers, teach me how to find joy in sorrow, strength in weakness, and light in darkest days; how to bear buffeting and scorn; how to welcome death, and to pass through it into the sphere of life, and this not for me only, but for the whole world that groans and travails in pain; and till you can do this, speak not to me of a better revelation than the Bible. ~ Henry Ward Beecher, #NFDB
769:To enlarge the sphere of social happiness is worthy of the benevolent design of a Masonic institution; and it is most fervently to be wished, that the conduct of every member of the fraternity, as well as those publications, that discover the principles which actuate them, may tend to convince mankind that the grand object of Masonry is to promote the happiness of the human race. ~ George Washington, #NFDB
770:And he came to understand how those almost mystical bonds of trust and affection, if nurtured correctly, might lift a crew above the ordinary sphere, transport it to a place where nine boys somehow became one thing—a thing that could not quite be defined, a thing that was so in tune with the water and the earth and the sky above that, as they rowed, effort was replaced by ecstasy. ~ Daniel James Brown, #NFDB
771:Africanus Major carries Africanus Minor up to a height whence he looks down on Carthage ‘from an exalted place, bright and shining, filled with stars’ (xi). They are in fact in the highest celestial sphere, the stellatum. This is the prototype of many ascents to Heaven in later literature: those of Dante, of Chaucer (in the Hous of Fame), of Troilus’ ghost, of the Lover in the King’s Quair. ~ C S Lewis, #NFDB
772:Once again, my colleague Stephen Hawking has upset the apple cart. The event horizon surrounding a black hole was once though to be an imaginary sphere. But recent theories indicate that it may actually be physical, maybe even a sphere of fire. But I don't trust any of these calculations until we have a full-blown string theory calculation, since Einstein's theory by itself is incomplete. ~ Michio Kaku, #NFDB
773:An error in the doctrine of God will have inevitable consequences in the sphere of action, of moral behaviour, of the polity of the Church, and of basic culture and social organization. A change in the doctrine of the Trinity in either of these directions cannot help but have political consequences.
Farrell, commenting on Nazianzen's connection between Trinity and Holy Monarchy ~ Joseph P Farrell,#NFDB
774:That is an incredible period I think when you have a near-death experience. You are really understanding that there is a greater self than the physical body, and the cosmic anatomy as I call it is suspended and physical, is almost attached to it but not quite, and you're living in that in-between sphere of apparent reality around you and then the real reality of the infiniteness of it all. ~ Maya Tiwari, #NFDB
775:If the highly paid, publicly scrutinized employees of a business that had existed since the 1860s could be misunderstood by their market, who couldn’t be? If the market for baseball players was inefficient, what market couldn’t be? If a fresh analytical approach had led to the discovery of new knowledge in baseball, was there any sphere of human activity in which it might not do the same? ~ Michael Lewis, #NFDB
776:My external sensations are no less private to myself than are my thoughts or my feelings. In either case my experience falls within my own circle, a circle closed on the outside; and, with all its elements alike, every sphere is opaque to the others which surround it. . . . In brief, regarded as an existence which appears in a soul, the whole world for each is peculiar and private to that soul. ~ T S Eliot, #NFDB
777:Rather than be content with the circle of love within the Godhead, God reached out to create so that others could enter this sphere of intimacy and be warmed by divine love . . . Creation was God's plan for friendship. We were not brought into existence simply so that we could worship God. Nor were we created simply for service. Human beings exist because of God's desire for companionship. ~ David G Benner, #NFDB
778:Sunflowers and seashells and logarithmic spirals (said Kerewin); sweep of galaxies and the singing curve of the universe (said Kerewin); the oscilating wave thrumming in the nothingness of every atom’s heart (said Kerewin); did you think I could build a square house? So the round shell house holds them all in its spiralling embrace. Noise and riot, peace and quiet, all is music in this sphere. ~ Keri Hulme, #NFDB
779:[Vladimir] Putin's Russia is only indirectly concerned with the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan as a means of maintaining its sphere of influence. I doubt that Russia will meddle. Moreover, I'm quite sure that Ilham Aliyev won't decide to carry out any serious action - it's not in his interest. He's learned his lesson very well - threaten to take action but never act on such words. ~ Garry Kasparov, #NFDB
780:Leadership for the Christian always has a spiritual dimension. The duty of leading people carries with it certain spiritual obligations. That is as true for the Christian president of a secular company as it is for the stay-at-home mom whose sphere of leadership might extend no further than her own children. All Christians in every kind of leadership are called to be spiritual leaders. ~ John F MacArthur Jr, #NFDB
781:Rather than be content with the circle of love within the Godhead, God reached out to create so that others could enter this sphere of intimacy and be warmed by divine love . . . Creation was God's plan for friendship. We were not brought into existence simply so that we could worship God. Nor were we created simply for service. Human beings exist because of God's desire for companionship. ~ David G Benner, #NFDB
782:This church does not belong to its President. Its head is the Lord Jesus Christ, whose name each of us has taken upon ourselves. We are all in this great endeavor together. We are here to assist our Father in His work and His glory. Your obligation is as serious in your sphere of responsibility as is my obligation in my sphere. No calling in this church is small or of little consequence. ~ Gordon B Hinckley, #NFDB
783:Whoever has not arrived at the clear insight that there might be greatness entirely outside his own sphere for which he has no understanding, whoever does not have at least a dim inkling in which area of the human spirit this greatness might be situated: he is within his own sphere either without genius, or he has not educated himself up to the point of the classical attitude. ~ Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel, #NFDB
784:Freedom is choosing for yourself what problems you want to place within your sphere of attachment to solve. You alone are the arbiter of what deserves space in your life, or what is worth facing stress over. If you must have problems, make them problems worth having. Choose your attachments wisely. Figure out for yourself what is worth fighting and dying for – a principle bigger than yourself. ~ Gregory V Diehl, #NFDB
785:God does not have to come and tell me what I must do for Him; He brings me into a relationship with Himself where I hear His call and understand what He wants me to do, and I do it out of sheer love to Him... When people say they have had a call to foreign service, or to any particular sphere of work, they mean that their relationship to God has enabled them to realize what they can do for God. ~ Oswald J Smith, #NFDB
786:I'm stupid," Leo mumbled. "Pi would expand outward, because it's infinite." He reversed the order of the numbers, starting in the center and working toward the edge. When he aligned the last ring, something inside the sphere clicked. The door swung open. Leo beamed at his friends. "That, good people, is how we do things in Leo World. Come on in!" "I hate Leo World," Frank muttered. Hazel laughed. ~ Rick Riordan, #NFDB
787:Most people dislike vanity in others, whatever share they have of it themselves; but I give it fair quarter wherever I meet with it, being persuaded that it is often productive of good to the possessor, and to others that are within his sphere of action; and therefore, in many cases, it would not be altogether absurd if a man were to thank God for his vanity among the other comforts of life. ~ Benjamin Franklin, #NFDB
788:Most people dislike vanity in others, whatever share they have of it themselves; but I give it fair quarter, wherever I meet with it, being persuaded that it is often productive of good to the possessor, and to others who are within his sphere of action: and therefore, in many cases, it would not be altogether absurd if a man were to thank God for his vanity among the other comforts of life. ~ Benjamin Franklin, #NFDB
789:Conversation should be like juggling; up go the balls and the plates, up and over, in and out, good solid objects that glitter in the footlights and fall with a bang if you miss them. But when dear Sebastian speaks it is like a little sphere of soapsud drifting off the end of an old clay pipe, anywhere, full of rainbow light for a second and then - phut! vanished, with nothing left at all, nothing. ~ Evelyn Waugh, #NFDB
790:It contributes greatly towards a man's moral and intellectual health, to be brought into habits of companionship with individuals unlike himself, who care little for his pursuits, and whose sphere and habilities he must go out of himself to appreciate. The accidents in my life have often afforded me this advantage, but never with more fulness and variety than during my continuance in office. ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne, #NFDB
791:Nothing is stupider than the common complaint that poetry lacks "human interest," unless it concerns itself with human emotions, actions, problems and viewpoints. Anything conceivable by the imagination, any speculation ((conception)) ((emergence)) of what may be beyond, above and beneath the mundane sphere, can ((or may,)) possess "human interest," by enlarging the horizons of that interest. ~ Clark Ashton Smith, #NFDB
792:This church does not belong to its President. Its head is the Lord Jesus Christ, whose name each of us has taken upon ourselves. We are all in this great endeavor together. We are here to assist our Father in His work and His glory. . . . Your obligation is as serious in your sphere of responsibility as is my obligation in my sphere. No calling in this church is small or of little consequence. ~ Gordon B Hinckley, #NFDB
793:We naturally assume that our mental structures are universal. But I suppose an outside biologist looking at us would see something very different. He would see that, like other organisms, we have a narrow sphere within which we are very good, but that sphere is very limited. And that, in fact, the very achievements we can have within that sphere are related to lack of achievements in other spheres. ~ Noam Chomsky, #NFDB
794:Whatever sphere of the human mind you may select for your special study, whether it be language, or religion, or mythology, or philosophy, whether it be laws or customs, primitive art or primitive science, everywhere, you have to go to India, whether you like it or not, because some of the most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India, and in India only. ~ Max Muller, #NFDB
795:When Galileo divided experienced reality into two spheres, a subjective sphere, which he chose to exclude from science, and an objective sphere, freed theoretically from man's visible presence, but known through rigorous mathematical analysis, he was dismissing as unsubstantial and unreal the cultural accretions of meaning that had made mathematics-itself a purely subjective distillation-possible. ~ Lewis Mumford, #NFDB
796:Backlock, a poet blind from his birth, could describe visual objects with accuracy; Professor Sanderson, who was also blind, gave excellent lectures on color, and taught others the theory of ideas which they had and he had not. In the social sphere these gifted ones are mostly women; they can watch a world which they never saw, and estimate forces of which they have only heard. We call it intuition. ~ Thomas Hardy, #NFDB
797:Of all created things the source is one, Simple, single as love; remember The cell and seed of life, the sphere That is, of child, white bird, and small blue dragon-fly Green fern, and the gold four-petalled tormentilla The ultimate memory. Each latent cell puts out a future, Unfolds its differing complexity As a tree puts forth leaves, and spins a fate Fern-traced, bird feathered, or fish-scaled. ~ Kathleen Raine, #NFDB
798:As Darwin pointed out in The Origin of Species (opening pages of chapter three), the 'struggle for existence' can often be described just as well as a mutual dependence. And harmless coexistence as parts of the same eco-sphere is also a very common relation. . . . Among social creatures, positive gregariousness, a liking for each other's company, is the steady, unnoticed background for the conflicts. ~ Mary Midgley, #NFDB
799:the statement “All uranium-235 spheres are less than a mile in diameter” could be thought of as a law of nature because, according to what we know about nuclear physics, once a sphere of uranium-235 grew to a diameter greater than about six inches, it would demolish itself in a nuclear explosion. Hence we can be sure that such spheres do not exist. (Nor would it be a good idea to try to make one!) ~ Stephen Hawking, #NFDB
800:Whatever sphere of the human mind you may select for your special study, whether it be language, or religion, or mythology, or philosophy, whether it be laws or customs, primitive art or primitive science, everywhere, you have to go to India, whether you like it or not, because some of the most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India, and in India only. ~ F Max M ller, #NFDB
801:As important as politics are to me, the life and the spirit of people's emotions are much more important. People live real lives where they love and grieve and feel pain and joy and that is a whole separate sphere. All that political stuff, I believe in it strongly, but not as strongly as I believe that at some point you or someone is going to need a song to sit with and comfort them in a hard time. ~ John Darnielle, #NFDB
802:Ego-accentuation leads from the uroboric to the hermaphroditic, and so to the narcissistic stage, which is autoerotic at first and represents a primitive form of centroversion. The next stage is that of phallic-chthonic masculinity, dominated by the body sphere, and this in turn is succeeded by a masculinity in which the activity of consciousness has become the specific activity of an autonomous ego. ~ Erich Neumann, #NFDB
803:Everyone has issues they are passionate about, they care about. Step up, do something that you know absolutely you can achieve. We each have a sphere of influence. It may be just our family and a few close friends, or it might be the reach into government. Exercise what you can do, not what you can't do. Recognize there are millions of others doing the same. Act on things you know to be right and true. ~ Nick Begich, #NFDB
804:Suddenly, from behind the rim of the moon, in long, slow-motion moments of immense majesty, there emerges a sparkling blue and white jewel, a light, delicate, sky-blue sphere laced with slowly swirling veils of white, rising gradually like a small pearl in a thick sea of black mystery. It takes more than a moment to fully realize this is Earth ... home. My view of our planet was a glimpse of divinity. ~ Edgar Mitchell, #NFDB
805:Biblioll College. Sir,—I have read your letter with interest; and, judging from your description of yourself as a working-man, I venture to think that you will have a much better chance of success in life by remaining in your own sphere and sticking to your trade than by adopting any other course. That, therefore, is what I advise you to do. Yours faithfully, T. Tetuphenay. To Mr. J. Fawley, Stone-mason. ~ Thomas Hardy, #NFDB
806:The type of religion which rejoices in the pious sound of traditional phrases, regardless of their meanings, or shrinks from "controversial" matters, will never stand amid the shocks of life. In the sphere of religion, as in other spheres, the things about which men are agreed are apt to be the things that are least worth holding; the really important things are the things about which men will fight. ~ J Gresham Machen, #NFDB
807:She’s there every day,' the writer says. 'Every time I’m about to sit down at my desk I feel the need to look at her. Who knows what she’s reading? I know it isn’t a book of mine, and instinctively I suffer at the thought, I feel the jealousy of my books, which would like to be read the way she reads. I never tire of watching her: she seems to live in a sphere suspended in another time and another space. ~ Italo Calvino, #NFDB
808:Once an egg has been fertilized and managed to attach itself to the wall of the uterus and gastrulates (produces the three layers), the next key stage is the development of the “blastocyst,” the sack or sphere of just one hundred fifty cells that is produced by the first few divisions of the single cell that is the fertilized ovum. These cells will divide and divide to become a porpoise, a possum, or a person. ~ Bill Nye, #NFDB
809:Still, the belief in God was essentially a question of faith. Even for those, like Jeremy, who believed in the big bang theory, it said nothing about the creation of the sphere in the first place. Atheists would say the sphere was always there, those with faith might say that God created it, and there was no way ever to prove which group was right. That’s why, Jeremy figured, it was called faith. Still, ~ Nicholas Sparks, #NFDB
810:A bride, before a "Good-night" could be said, Should vanish from her clothes into her bed, As souls from bodies steal, and are not spied. But now she's laid; what though she be? Yet there are more delays, for where is he? He comes and passeth through sphere after sphere; First her sheets, then her arms, then anywhere. Let not this day, then, but this night be thine; Thy day was but the eve to this, O Valentine. ~ John Donne, #NFDB
811:Power is a poison well known for thousands of years. If only no one were ever to acquire material power over others! But to the human being who has faith in some force that holds dominion over all of us, and who is therefore conscious of his own limitations, power is not necessarily fatal. For those, however, who are unaware of any higher sphere, it is a deadly poison. For them there is no antidote. ~ Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, #NFDB
812:Like buried treasures, the outposts of the universe have beckoned to the adventurous from immemorial times. Princes and potentates, political or industrial, equally with men of science, have felt the lure of the uncharted seas of space, and through their provision of instrumental means the sphere of exploration has made new discoveries and brought back permanent additions to our knowledge of the heavens. ~ George Ellery Hale, #NFDB
813:Since the social victim has been oppressed by society, he comes to feel that his individual life will be improved more by changes in society than by his own initiative. Without realizing it, he makes society rather than himself the agent of change. The power he finds in his victimization may lead him to collective action against society, but it also encourages passivity within the sphere of his personal life. ~ Shelby Steele, #NFDB
814:Never before has the seductive market way of life held such sway in nearly every sphere of American life. This marketing way of life promotes addictions to stimulation and obsessions with comfort and convenience ... centered primarily around bodily pleasures and status rankings. ... The common denominator is a rugged and ragged individualism and rapacious hedonism in quest of a perennial "high" in body and mind. ~ Cornel West, #NFDB
815:A stack of five off-the-shelf terabyte hard drives fits comfortably within a sphere of radius 50 centimeters, whose surface is covered by about 1070 Planck cells. The surface’s storage capacity is thus about 1070 bits, which is about a billion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion terabytes, and so enormously exceeds anything you can buy. No one in Silicon Valley cares much about these theoretical constraints. ~ Brian Greene, #NFDB
816:Finally, you're right about one point, your entire way of thinking is predicted by what you're immersed in so you know you won't make a bad decision. You can make a bad decision but it's still in the good sphere normally if you work well. You're prepared to face a crew who wants to know everything and poses a hundred questions a minute, because you know you have good reflexes and can respond very quickly. ~ Michel Hazanavicius, #NFDB
817:It appears to me that it [sin] is simply an attempt to penetrate into another and higher sphere in a forbidden manner. You can understand why it is so rare. There are few, indeed, who wish to penetrate into other spheres, higher or lower, in ways allowed or forbidden. Men, in the mass, are amply content with life as they find it. Therefore there are few saints, and sinners (in the proper sense) are fewer still. ~ Arthur Machen, #NFDB
818:Whenever I become discouraged (which is on alternate Tuesdays, between three and four) I lift my spirits by remembering: The artists are on our side! I mean those poets and painters, singers and musicians, novelists and playwrights who speak to the world in a way that is impervious to assault because they wage the battle for justice in a sphere which is unreachable by the dullness of ordinary political discourse. ~ Howard Zinn, #NFDB
819:Everything that is, must appear, and nothing can appear without a shape of its own; hence there is in fact no thing that does not in some way transcend its functional use, and its transcendence, its beauty or ugliness, is identical with appearing publicly and being seen. By the same token, namely, in its sheer worldly existence, every thing also transcends the sphere of pure instrumentality once it is completed. ~ Hannah Arendt, #NFDB
820:Indeed, the illusion that anyone can escape from the marks of his vocation is an aspect of romanticism common to every profession; those occupied with the world of action claiming their true interests to lie in the pleasure of imagination or reflection, while persons principally concerned with reflective or imaginative pursuits are for ever asserting their inalienable right to participation in an active sphere. ~ Anthony Powell, #NFDB
821:Those who judge must take all aspects of an individual's personality into account. It is only through literature that one can put oneself in someone else's shoes and understand the other's different and contradictory sides and refrain from becoming too ruthless. Outside the sphere of literature only one aspect of individuals is revealed. But if you understand their different dimensions you cannot easily murder them… ~ Azar Nafisi, #NFDB
822:Yet the widespread planetary theories, advanced by Ptolemy and most other astronomers, although consistent with the numerical data, seemed likewise to present no small difficulty. For these theories were not adequate unless they also conceived certain equalizing circles, which made the planet appear to move at all times with uniform velocity neither on its deferent sphere nor about its own epicycle's center. ~ Nicolaus Copernicus, #NFDB
823:A thrumming of piano-strings beyond the gardens and through the elms. At length the melody steals into my being. I know not when it began to occupy me. By some fortunate coincidence of thought or circumstance I am attuned to the universe, I am fitted to hear, my being moves in a sphere of melody, my fancy and imagination are excited to an inconceivable degree. This is no longer the dull earth on which I stood. ~ Henry David Thoreau, #NFDB
824:Ethics occupies a central place in philosophy because it is concerned with sin, with the origin of good and evil and with moral valuations. And since these problems have a universal significance, the sphere of ethics is wider than is generally supposed. It deals with meaning and value and its province is the world in which the distinction between good and evil is drawn, evaluations are made and meaning is sought. ~ Nikolai Berdyaev, #NFDB
825:Whether this will prove a blessing or a curse, will depend upon the use our people will make of the blessings which a gracious God hath bestowed on us. If they are wise, they will be great and happy. If they are of a contrary character, they will be miserable. Righteousness alone can exalt them as a nation. Reader! Whoever thou art, remember this: and in thy sphere practice virtue thyself, an encourage it in others. ~ Patrick Henry, #NFDB
826:If the whole earth is infinitely small in comparison with the sphere of the stars, what is man compared with all these created beings? How, then, could any one of us imagine that these things exist for his sake and benefit, and that they are his tools! This is a result of an examination of the corporeal beings: how much more so will be the result of an examination of the Intelligences! ~ Maimonides, Guide for the Perplexed (c. 1190), #NFDB
827:It does
not matter; there’s many a heavenly body in the lot crowding upon us of
a night that mankind had never heard of, it being outside the sphere
of its activities and of no earthly importance to anybody but to the
astronomers who are paid to talk learnedly about its composition,
weight, path--the irregularities of its conduct, the aberrations of its
light--a sort of scientific scandal-mongering. ~ Joseph Conrad,#NFDB
828:I certainly don't mean to suggest that all investigative journalism prior to 9/11 in the US was praiseworthy. But there were more examples to which one could point, and there were at last some activist photographers who understood that getting information into the public sphere in spite of military censorship was a right and obligation within democracy. That strain in war journalism did nearly vanish during that time. ~ Judith Butler, #NFDB
829:It seems perfectly clear that Economy, if it is to be a science at all, must be a mathematical science. There exists much prejudice against attempts to introduce the methods and language of mathematics into any branch of the moral sciences. Most persons appear to hold that the physical sciences form the proper sphere of mathematical method, and that the moral sciences demand some other method-I know not what. ~ William Stanley Jevons, #NFDB
830:We've got oligarchs. There are certain people that benefit in the Russian sphere if you will. The oligarchs who basically feed Putin, they've got to be hurt without hurting the people. The people are hurting bad enough in Russia, and they're very skeptical of what's going on and all of the corruption goes on in Russia. Russia is not our ally. Russia is not our friend. And to treat Putin as an ally and a friend is wrong. ~ Joe Manchin, #NFDB
831:It is well known that Russia has many interesting and promising developments in the military-technical sphere. We are ready to deliver the needed equipment and ready for joint cooperation in arms production with Brazilian specialists. This is an area that is very closely linked to high technology in general. In this respect, we hope to develop closer cooperation between the scientific communities in our two countries. ~ Vladimir Putin, #NFDB
832:Never in all their history have men been able truly to conceive of the world as one: a single sphere, a globe, having the qualities of a globe, a round earth in which all the directions eventually meet, in which there is no center because every point, or none, is center - an equal earth which all men occupy as equals. The airman's earth, if free men make it, will be truly round: a globe in practice, not in theory. ~ Archibald MacLeish, #NFDB
833:The conception that government should be guided by majority opinion makes sense only if that opinion is independent of government. The ideal of democracy rests on the belief that the view which will direct government emerges from an independent and spontaneous process. It requires, therefore, the existence of a large sphere independent of majority control in which the opinions of the individuals are formed. ~ Friedrich August von Hayek, #NFDB
834:It may not be improper, however, to remark two consequences, evidently flowing from an extension of the federal power to every subject falling within the idea of the "general welfare." One consequence must be, to enlarge the sphere of discretion allotted to the executive magistrate... The other consequence would be, that of an excessive augmentation of the offices, honors, and emoluments, depending on the executive will. ~ James Madison, #NFDB
835:One word is too often profaned
For me to profane it,
One feeling too falsely disdain'd
For thee to disdain it.
One hope too like dispair
For prudence to smother,
I can give not what men call love:
But wilt thou accept not
The worship the heart lifts above
And heaven rejects not:
The desire of the moth for the star,
The devotion of something afar
From the sphere of our sorrow? ~ Percy Bysshe Shelley,#NFDB
836:The third (sphere in which the world of relation arises): Life with spiritual beings.
Here the relations is wrapped in a cloud but reveals itself, it lacks but creates language. We hear no You and yet addressed; we answer - creating, thinking, acting: with our being we speak the basic word, unable to say You with our mouth.
Bt how can we incorporate into the world of the basic word that lies outside language? ~ Martin Buber,#NFDB
837:Vitality springs from diversity -- which makes for real progress so long as there is mutual toleration, based on the recognition that worse may come from an attempt to suppress differences than from acceptance of them. For this reason, the kind of peace that makes progress possible is best assured by the mutual checks created by a balance of forces-alike in the sphere of internal politics and of international relations. ~ B H Liddell Hart, #NFDB
838:If something comes along that you don't like, there are a few sort of four-letter words that you can use to push it out of the sphere of discussion. If you were in a bar downtown, they might have different words, but if you're an educated person what you use are complicated words like "conspiracy theory" or "Marxist." It's a way of pushing unpleasant questions off the agenda so that we can continue in our own happy ideology. ~ Noam Chomsky, #NFDB
839:In communist society, where nobody has one exclusive sphere of activity but each can become accomplished in any branch he wishes, society regulates the general production and thus makes it possible for me to do one thing today and another tomorrow, to hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, rear cattle in the evening, criticize after dinner, just as I have a mind, without ever becoming hunter, fisherman, shepherd or critic. ~ Karl Marx, #NFDB
840:It is our firm belief that we shall one day learn the plan of the entire multiverse and travel at will from Sphere to Sphere, from realm to realm, from world to world, travel through the great clouds of shifting, multicoloured stars, the tumbling planets in all their millions, through galaxies that swarm like gnats in a summer garden, and rivers of light–glory beyond glory–pathways of moonbeams between the roaming stars. ~ Michael Moorcock, #NFDB
841:Strangely enough, without names they were still things. He could see them and think about them in terms of shapes, or numbers. Formula of description. Various combinations of conic sections and the six surfaces of revolution symmetrical around an axis, the plane, the sphere, the cylinder, the catenoid, the unduloid, and the nodoid; shapes without the names, but the shapes alone were like names. Spatializing language. ~ Kim Stanley Robinson, #NFDB
842:But since those Romans were in an earthly city, and had before them, as the end of all the offices undertaken in its behalf, its safety, and a kingdom, not in heaven, but in earth—not in the sphere of eternal life, but in the sphere of demise and succession, where the dead are succeeded by the dying—what else but glory should they love, by which they wished even after death to live in the mouths of their admirers? ~ Saint Augustine of Hippo, #NFDB
843:I've never done a video where I feel like the images have anything to do with my song, except in the most vague way possible, because I feel like the song is its own complete thing. But ideally, a song is a complete sphere like the Earth, where if you were an alien with a huge, huge finger, you could stick your finger into the middle of the ocean and make an impression on it. It’s not an impregnable sphere, but it is a sphere. ~ Will Oldham, #NFDB
844:It is the principal paradox of this period that the only sphere of our economic system in which government intervention is urgently necessary is also the only point at which action of the State is now effectively inhibited. It is in the region of wages and prices that we really require the continual economic leadership of government, but in our prevailing trade structure any such suggestion has come to be regarded as impious. ~ Oswald Mosley, #NFDB
845:Most noble evergreen with your roots in the sun: you shine in the cloudless sky of a sphere no earthly eminence can grasp, enfolded in the clasp of ministries divine. You blush like the dawn, you burn like a flame of the sun. [1826.jpg] -- from Symphonia: A Critical Edition of the Symphonia armonie celstium revelationum, by Hildegard of Bingen / Translated by Barbara Newman
~ Saint Hildegard von Bingen, O nobilissima viriditas
,#NFDB
846:This is how the universe came into being: There was no heaven, no earth, no universe—just empty space. In this vast emptiness, a single point suddenly manifested itself. From that point, steam, smoke, and mist spiraled forth in a luminous sphere and the sacred sound SU was born. As SU expanded circularly up and down, left and right, nature and breath began, clear and uncontaminated. Breath developed life, and sound appeared ~ Morihei Ueshiba, #NFDB
847:I'm stupid," Leo mumbled. "Pi would expand outward, because it's infinite."
He reversed the order of the numbers, starting in the center and working toward the edge. When he aligned the last ring, something inside the sphere clicked. The door swung open.
Leo beamed at his friends. "That, good people, is how we do things in Leo World. Come on in!"
"I hate Leo World," Frank muttered.
Hazel laughed. ~ Rick Riordan,#NFDB
848:It is the teaching of the Bible and of sound Political ethics that the education of children belongs to the sphere of the family and is the duty of the parents. The theory that the children of the Commonwealth are the charge of the Commonwealth is a pagan one, derived from heathen Sparta and Platoís heathen republic, and connected by regular, logical sequence with legalized prostitution and the dissolution of the conjugal tie. ~ Robert Dabney, #NFDB
849:Alliances are crucial to success in the political sphere. However, if we are to approach other organizations to propose alliances for the public good, we must be prepared to assert a far more important role for the library. We must clearly define what we do and establish and assert the relationship of libraries to basic democratic freedoms, to the fundamental humanistic principles that are central to our very way of life. . . . ~ Arthur Curley, #NFDB
850:There is no difference whether a person stand at the centre of the earth or at the highest point of the ninth sphere... he is no further away from God in the one case, or nearer to Him in the other; those only approach Him who obtain a knowledge of Him; while those who remain ignorant of Him recede from Him. ...I shall further elucidate... what constitutes the difference in our perception of God. ~ Maimonides, Guide for the Perplexed (c. 1190), #NFDB
851:In spite of this love, sex, and equality with Steven, I didn't want to let go of Amy. More than that, I sensed that the good stuff I has now having with Steven had something to do with what she had brought out in me. Or more, to the point, my confidence and self-knowledge about what I wanted had something to do with having a woman in my romantic sphere. it wasn't long before I broke up with Steven and fell in love with Amy. ~ Jennifer Baumgardner, #NFDB
852:A bride, before a "Good-night" could be said,
Should vanish from her clothes into her bed,
As souls from bodies steal, and are not spied.
But now she's laid; what though she be?
Yet there are more delays, for where is he?
He comes and passeth through sphere after sphere;
First her sheets, then her arms, then anywhere.
Let not this day, then, but this night be thine;
Thy day was but the eve to this, O Valentine. ~ John Donne,#NFDB
853:Even a cursory perusal reveals a very great range of reference. There is hardly a single human action that has not been called—in one way or another—an act of love. Nor is the range confined to the human sphere. If you proceed far enough in your reading, you will find that love has been attributed to almost everything in the universe; that is, everything that exists has been said by someone either to love or to be loved—or both. ~ Mortimer J Adler, #NFDB
854:As you walk the path of awakening, you begin to see how everything in our universe is interdependent and interconnected, with no exceptions. Your consciousness and your circle of insight start and continue to expand. Just like the slightest movement of the tiny spider entered into my sphere of consciousness, you start to realize how even the tiniest of action performed even millions of miles away has an impact on you, and vice-versa. This ~ Om Swami, #NFDB
855:For us there is only one season, the season of sorrow. The very sun and moon seem taken from us. Outside, the day may be blue and gold, but the light that creeps down through the thickly-muffled glass of the small iron-barred window beneath which one sits is grey and niggard. It is always twilight in one's cell, as it is always twilight in one's heart. And in the sphere of thought, no less than in the sphere of time, motion is no more. ~ Oscar Wilde, #NFDB
856:Magic is a set of techniques and approaches which can be used to extend the limits of Achievable Reality. Our sense of Achievable Reality is the limitations which we believe bind us into a narrow range of actions and successes - what we believe to be possible for us at any one time. In this context, the purpose of magic is to simultaneously explore those boundaries and attempt to push them back - to widen the 'sphere' of possible action. ~ Phil Hine, #NFDB
857:The chances of a small country on Assyria’s periphery in the eighth and seventh centuries BCE not hosting a single shrine to an Assyrian god are about the same as the chances of a small modern country in America’s sphere of influence having no McDonald’s and no Starbucks. 96 (And the chances of no Israelites resenting those shrines are roughly the chances of no one resenting the cultural intrusion of a globally hegemonic America.) On ~ Robert Wright, #NFDB
858:Meetings were an important means of Communist control. They left people no free time, and eliminated the private sphere. The pettiness which dominated them was justified on the grounds that prying into personal details was a way of ensuring thorough soul-cleansing. In fact, pettiness was a fundamental characteristic of a revolution in which intrusiveness and ignorance were celebrated, and envy was incorporated into the system of control. ~ Jung Chang, #NFDB
859:The activities and effects of the Fire and Air elements in the astral sphere call forth the astral-electric fluid, and the activities and effects of the Water and Earth elements call forth the astral-magnetic fluid. The spirit-beings use these fluids to create the effects or rather the causes in our physical world. The Akasha Principle of the astral sphere maintains the harmonious equilibrium of the elements in the entire astral sphere. ~ Franz Bardon, #NFDB
860:All around us lies what we neither understand nor use. Our capacities, our instincts for this our present sphere are but half developed. Let us confine ourselves to that till the lesson be learned; let us be completely natural; before we trouble ourselves with the supernatural. I never see any of these things but I long to get away and lie under a green tree and let the wind blow on me. There is marvel and charm enough in that for me. ~ Margaret Fuller, #NFDB
861:There is a broad distinction between religion and theology. The one is a natural, human experience common to all well-organized minds. The other is a system of speculations about the unseen and the unknowable, which the human mind has no power to grasp or explain, and these speculations vary with every sect, age, and type of civilization. No one knows any more of what lies beyond our sphere of action than thou and I, and we know nothing. ~ Lucretia Mott, #NFDB
862:Similar (of course, far from identical) irritations in similar conditions call out similar reflexes; the more powerful the irritation, the sooner it overcomes personal peculiarities. To a tickle, people react differently, but to a red-hot iron, alike. As a steam-hammer converts a sphere and a cube alike into sheet metal, so under the blow of too great and inexorable events resistances are smashed and the boundaries of "individuality" lost. ~ Leon Trotsky, #NFDB
863:Earth as we know it came into being through its four great components: land, water, air, and life, all interacting in the light and energy of the sun. Although there was a sequence in the formation of the land sphere, the atmosphere, the water sphere, and the life sphere, these have so interacted with one another in the shaping of the Earth that we must somehow think of these as all present to one another and interacting from the beginning. ~ Thomas Berry, #NFDB
864:one of the strangest things about life is that it will chug on, blind and oblivious, even as your private world-your little carved-out sphere-is twisting and morphing, even breaking apart. One day you have parents; the next you're an orphan. One day you have a place and a path. The next day you're lost in a wilderness. And still the sun rises and clouds mass and drift and people shop for groceries and toilets flush and blinds go up and down. ~ Lauren Oliver, #NFDB
865:When you watch the way some of the commentators talk about this, it makes it seem as if people are crossing the border every second. How much money have we spent on the border? Why? And who's really exploiting whom?" And then he gets quiet. But I think just airing these out and having a face-to-face conversation about it helps both of us internalize what the conversation is really about. I don't think we have that in the public sphere. ~ Jose Antonio Vargas, #NFDB
866:I feel like if you know any women who's an essayist or a writer or a public speaker or just a public person, and they have any presence at all in any kind of social media, or any place where men can voice at them, you have to be pretty amazed at the level of special provocation and sort of violent speech and misogyny that comes at them. Any woman that's really in the public sphere has experienced this. It's kind of shocking how universal it is. ~ David Simon, #NFDB
867:From the rocket we can see the huge sphere of the planet in one or another phase of the Moon. We can see how the sphere rotates, and how within a few hours it shows all its sides successively ... and we shall observe various points on the surface of the Earth for several minutes and from different sides very closely. This picture is so majestic, attractive and infinitely varied that I wish with all my soul that you and I could see it. ~ Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, #NFDB
868:It was then that she realized that it was the odor of the incense that had intrigued her all along, only now the smells filled in the fantasies that heretofore had been mere outlines, smeary contours scrawled in ghost chalk. Perhaps the most terrible (or wonderful) thing that can happen to an imaginative youth, aside from the curse (or blessing) of imagination itself, is to be exposed without preparation to the life outside his or her own sphere—the ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
869:The ancients had little doubt about the true shape of the earth: "It's [the world's] shape has the rounded appearance of a perfect sphere. This is shown first of all by the name of 'orb' which is bestowed upon it by the general consent of mankind. ...Our eyesight also confirms this belief, because the firmament presents the aspect of a concave hemisphere equidistant in every direction, which would be impossible in the case of any other figure." ~ Pliny the Elder, #NFDB
870:In the political, the social, the economic, even the cultural sphere, the revolutions of our time have been revolutions "against" rather than revolutions "for"... On the whole throughout this period the man--or party--that stood for doing the positive has usually cut a pathetic figure; well meaning but ineffectual, civilized but unrealistic, he was suspect alike to [by both] the ultras of destruction and the ultras of preservation and restoration. ~ Peter Drucker, #NFDB
871:Long before any richness of culture had been achieved, nature had provided man with its own master model of inexhaustible creativity, whereby randomness gave way to organization, and organization gradually embodied purpose and significance. This creativity is its own reason for existence and its own reward. To widen the sphere of significant creativity and prolong its period of development is man's only answer to his consciousness of his own death. ~ Lewis Mumford, #NFDB
872:She, whose life had blown up, emptying her of history and leaving in its place only that dark dream of majesty, that illusion so powerful that it demanded to enter the sphere of what-was-real - she, rootless Bilquis, who now longed for stability, for no-more-explosions, had discerned in Raza a boulder-like quality on which she would build her life. He was a man rooted solidly in an indeflectible sense of himself, and that made him seem invincible. ~ Salman Rushdie, #NFDB
873:During the rule of the Shah, arrogance, aggression, territorial expansion at the expense of the Arabs and attempts to harm Iraq's national sovereignty and the rights of the Arab nation were a constant pattern. Iraq and the Arab nation were regarded as a sphere of influence for the expansionist plans of Iranian interests. That policy has been followed throughout history by the State of Persia against its neighbours to the west, and as we have shown. ~ Saddam Hussein, #NFDB
874:One can imagine a time when men who still inhabit organic bodies are regarded with pity by those who have passed on to an infinitely richer mode of existence, capable of throwing their consciousness or sphere of attention instantaneously to any point on land, sea, or sky where there is a suitable sensing organ. In adolescence we leave childhood behind; one day there may be a second and more portentous adolescence, when we bid farewell to the flesh. ~ Arthur C Clarke, #NFDB
875:Conscience, Christ, and the gift of faith make evil men uneasy in their sin. They feel that if they could drive Christ from the earth, they would be free from "moral inhibitions." They forget that it is their own nature and conscience which makes them feel that way. Being unable to drive God from the heavens, they would drive his ambassadors from the earth. In a lesser sphere, that is why many men sneer at virtue--because it makes vice uncomfortable. ~ Fulton J Sheen, #NFDB
876:This paradox is resolved when we recognize that advances since 1970 have tended to be channeled into a narrow sphere of human activity having to do with entertainment, communications, and the collection and processing of information. For the rest of what humans care about—food, clothing, shelter, transportation, health, and working conditions both inside and outside the home—progress slowed down after 1970, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Our ~ Robert J Gordon, #NFDB
877:We can hardly say that the Pharisees had an accurate ‘knowledge’ of man when they pointed to the sins (the real sins) of publicans and sinners. This judgment, which separated knowledge of man from self-knowledge, was as nothing in God’s eyes. The Jew did not have a better understanding because he was able to judge the heathen. In the sphere of abstract morality this could possibly be said, but this is not Biblical morality - O man, who judgest others! ~ G C Berkouwer, #NFDB
878:From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Atlantic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind the line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe... All these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all are subject in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and, in many cases, increasing measure of control from Moscow. ~ Winston Churchill, #NFDB
879:Institutionalization is not, however, an irreversible process, despite the fact that institutions, once formed, have a tendency to persist.49 For a variety of historical reasons, the scope of institutionalized actions may diminish; deinstitutionalization may take place in certain areas of social life.50 For example, the private sphere that has emerged in modern industrial society is considerably deinstitutionalized as compared to the public sphere.51 A ~ Peter L Berger, #NFDB
880:The whole functioning of the mediaeval University was profoundly agonistic and ludic. The everlasting disputations which took the place of our learned discussions in periodicals, etc., the solemn ceremonial which is still such a marked feature of University life, the grouping of scholars into nationes, the divisions and subdivisions, the schisms, the unbridgeable gulfs—all these are phenomena belonging to the sphere of competition and play-rules. Erasmus ~ Johan Huizinga, #NFDB
881:The environment in Canada is much more conducive to doing critical work, though Canada has its own set of problems, but nothing like those emerging in the United States. Unlike Penn State which was a huge recipient of Pentagon funds, and was hostile to any criticism of its connection to the military and intelligence services, McMaster is a very open university that takes its commitment to a quality education and function as a democratic sphere very seriously. ~ Henry Giroux, #NFDB
882:There is no patriarchy or matriarchy in the garden; the two supervise each other. Adam is given no arbitrary power; Eve is to heed him only insofar as he obeys their Father--and who decides that? She must keep check on him as much as he does on her. It is, if you will, a system of checks and balances in which each party is as distinct and independent in its sphere as are the departments of government under the Constitution--and just as dependent on each other. ~ Hugh Nibley, #NFDB
883:Some god or Weltgeist has been making a movie out of us for the past six thousand years, and now we have turned a corner on the movie set of reality and have discovered the boards propping up the two-dimensional monuments of human history. The movement of humanism has reached its limit, and now at that limit it is breaking apart into the opposites of mechanism and mysticism and moving along the circumference of a vast new sphere of posthuman thought. ~ William Irwin Thompson, #NFDB
884:The average individual does not realize that life, consciousness, and intelligence are separate and apart from physical substance, merely functioning through chemical bodies during the temporary span which we call life in the chemical world. One of the great occult laws is that to function in any sphere or plane of substance in nature you must have a body sensitive to and capable of adjustment with that plane of substance. ~ Manly P Hall, Magic: A Treatise on Esoteric Ethics, #NFDB
885:The facts of life do not penetrate to the sphere in which our beliefs are cherished; they did not engender those beliefs, and they are powerless to destroy them; they can inflict on them continual blows of contradiction and disproof without weakening them; and an avalanche of miseries and maladies succeeding one another without interruption in the bosom of a family will not make it lose faith in either the clemency of its God or the capacity of its physician. ~ Marcel Proust, #NFDB
886:Well?” He thought about it now. “I think a woman’s sphere can be taxing, and perhaps for you, as you indicate, boring. I would hate to think of you being bored! I— I am rather afraid I would bore you. I am not a wealthy or an educated man.” “But you are a brave one. You fought, and I suppose you will again.” Catherine stared intently into his eyes. “Captain Schuyler, if you would let me be me, you would never bore me. I truly do want to ride, dance, laugh, and ~ Rita Mae Brown, #NFDB
887:Specialness as a primary mode of death transcendence takes a number of other maladaptive forms. The drive for power is not uncommonly motivated by this dynamic. One's own fear and sense of limitation is avoided by enlarging oneself and one's sphere of control. There is some evidence, for example, that those who enter the death-related professions (soldiers, doctors, priests, and morticians) may in part be motivated by a need to obtain control over death anxiety. ~ Irvin D Yalom, #NFDB
888:the public sphere is as consistently based on the law of equality as the private sphere is based on the law of universal difference and differentiation. Equality, in contrast to all that is involved in mere existence, is not given us, but is the result of human organization insofar as it is guided by the principle of justice. We are not born equal; we become equal as members of a group on the strength of our decision to guarantee ourselves mutually equal rights. ~ Hannah Arendt, #NFDB
889:Spheres are indeed fertile theoretical tools that help us gain insight into all manner of astrophysical problems. But one should not be a sphere-zealot. I am reminded of the half-serious joke about how to increase milk production on a farm: An expert in animal husbandry might say, "Consider the role of the cow's diet..." An engineer might say, "Consider the design of the milking machines..." But it's the astrophysicist who says, "Consider a spherical cow... ~ Neil deGrasse Tyson, #NFDB
890:Wonderboy flashed in the sun. It caught the sphere where it was biggest. A noise like a twenty-one gun salute cracked the sky. There was a straining, ripping sound and a few drops of rain spattered to the ground. The ball screamed toward the pitcher and seemed suddenly to dive down at his feet. He grabbed it to throw to first and realized to his horror that he held only the cover. The rest of it, unraveling cotton thread as it rode, was headed into the outfield. ~ Bernard Malamud, #NFDB
891:And he came to understand how those almost mystical bonds of trust and affection, if nurtured correctly, might lift a crew above the ordinary sphere, transport it to a place where nine boys somehow became one thing - a thing that could not quite be defined, a thing that was so in tune with the water and the earth and the sky above that, as they rowed, effort was replaced by ecstasy. It was a rare thing, a sacred thing, a thing devoutly to be hoped for.
p 48 ~ Daniel James Brown,#NFDB
892:Is it possible, then, to free ourselves altogether from illusions? History demonstrates that they sneak in everywhere, that every life is full of them—perhaps because the truth often seems unbearable to us. And yet the truth is so essential that its loss exacts a heavy toll, in the form of grave illness. In order to become whole we must try, in a long process, to discover our own personal truth, a truth that may cause pain before giving us a new sphere of freedom. If ~ Alice Miller, #NFDB
893:To me the mountain mass lies nobly mute,
The whences and the whys I don't dispute.
When Nature by and in herself was founded,
In purity the earthen sphere she rounded.
In summit and in gorge did pleasure seek,
And threaded cliff to cliff and peak to peak;
Then did she fashion sloping hills at peace
And gently down into the vale release.
All greens and grows, and to her gay abundance
Your swirling lunacies are sheer redundance. ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe,#NFDB
894:In the first place, there is no point whatever in being able to spell anything. Shakespeare and Milton could not spell; Marie Corelli and Alfred Austen could. Spelling is thought desirable partly for snobbish reasons, as an easy way of distinguishing the “educated” from the “uneducated”; partly, like correct clothes, as a part of herd domination; partly because the devotee of natural law feels pain in the spectacle of any sphere in which individual liberty remains. ~ Bertrand Russell, #NFDB
895:We come no nearer the infinitude of the creative power of God, if we enclose the space of its revelation within a sphere described with the radius of the Milky Way, than if we were to limit it to a ball an inch in diameter. All that is finite, whatever has limits and a definite relation to unity, is equally far removed from the infinite... Eternity is not sufficient to embrace the manifestations of the Supreme Being, if it is not combined with the infinitude of space. ~ Immanuel Kant, #NFDB
896:By what seemed then and still seems a chance, the suggestion of a moment’s idle thought followed up upon familiar lines and paths that I had tracked a hundred times already, the great truth burst upon me, and I saw, mapped out in lines of light, a whole world, a sphere unknown; continents and islands, and great oceans in which no ship has sailed (to my belief) since a Man first lifted up his eyes and beheld the sun, and the stars of heaven, and the quiet earth beneath. ~ Arthur Machen, #NFDB
897:Among the popular errors of modern times, an opinion prevails that miracles are events which transpire contrary to the laws of nature, that they are effects without a cause. If such is the fact, then, there never has been a miracle, and there never will be one. The laws of nature are the laws of truth. Truth is unchangeable, and independent in its own sphere. A law of nature never has been broken. And it is an absolute impossibility that such law ever should be broken. ~ Parley P Pratt, #NFDB
898:For some in my audience, a tale is like a riddle, to be solved at the end. To them I sail the best tales leave some riddles unanswered and some mysteries hidden. Get used to it. For others the tale is a way of living vicariously, enjoying the adventures of others without having to go one step beyond their sphere of comfort. To them I say, what's stopping you from getting on a ship and sailing halfway around the world? Tales are meant to be an inspiration, not a substitute. ~ Karen Lord, #NFDB
899:It had come from one of two corgis who were even now slamming their preposterous bodies into each other not far away, trying to roll each other over, which runs contrary to the laws of mechanics even in the case of corgis that are lean and trim, which these were not.
This struggle, which appeared to be only one skirmish in a conflict of epochal standing, had driven all lesser considerations, such as guarding the gate, from the combatants' sphere of attention... ~ Neal Stephenson,#NFDB
900:The difference between neoliberalism and fascism or Nazism or other forms of totalitarianism is that it takes questions of ideology seriously. It takes the educational sphere seriously, and it tells people there's no alternative; that market freedom is really freedom in general; that a rabid kind of individualism is all that matters; that as Ayn Rand used to say, "self interest is the ultimate virtue" - and people believe this stuff. Because they have no other discourse. ~ Henry Giroux, #NFDB
901:The usage of the words "public" and "public sphere" betrays a multiplicity of concurrent meanings. Their origins go back to various historical phases and, when applied synchronically to the conditions of a bourgeois society that is industrially advanced and constituted as a social-welfare state, they fuse into a clouded amalgam. Yet the very conditions that make the inherited language seem inappropriate appear to require these words, however confused their employment. ~ Jurgen Habermas, #NFDB
902:Above all, disagreement is needed to stimulate the imagination. One may not need imagination to find the one right solution to a problem. But then this is of value only in mathematics. In all matters of true uncertainty such as the executive deals with—whether his sphere be political, economic, social, or military—one needs creative solutions which create a new situation. And this means that one needs imagination—a new and different way of perceiving and understanding. ~ Peter F Drucker, #NFDB
903:Of course life has no point. If it had, man would not be free, he'd become a slave to that point and his life would be governed by completely new criteria: the criteria of slavery. Like an animal, the point of whose life is that life itself, the continuation of the species.
An animal carries out its slavish activities because it can feel the point of its life instinctively. Therefore its sphere is restricted. Man, on the other hand, claims to aspire to the absolute. ~ Andrei Tarkovsky,#NFDB
904:We believe that the body hath its rights — to move in a reasonable ambit — to raise, to lower its limbs — but across the face of this earth, there are every day those who suffer unforgivable torments, strapped or chained, confined in boxes or in the holds of ships. May the Lord remind me of this always as I walk free upon paths, and may I thus always give thanks unto Him for the strange, small gifts of gesture, of simple tasks done with requisite care and sphere of action. ~ M T Anderson, #NFDB
905:Off course, life has no point. If it had, man would not be free. He'd become a slave to that point and his life would be governed by completely new criteria: the criteria of slavery. Like an animal, the point of whose life is that life itself, the continuation of the species.
An animal carries out his slavish activities because it can feel the point of its life instinctively. Therefore its sphere is restricted. Man, on the other hand claims to aspire to the absolute. ~ Andrei Tarkovsky,#NFDB
906:That, chang'd thro' all and yet in all the same, Great in the Earth as in th' Ætherial frame, Warms in the Sun, refreshes in the Breeze, Glows in the Stars, and blossoms in the Trees... Breathes in our soul, informs our mortal part... Submit - in this, or any other Sphere, Secure to be as blest as thou canst bear. All Nature is but Art, unknown to thee; All Chance, Direction which thou canst not see; All Discord, Harmony not understood... All partial Evil, universal Good. ~ Alexander Pope, #NFDB
907:The privatisation of the symbolic sphere is a strictly relative affair, not least if one thinks of the various Victorian contentions over science and religion, the culture industry, the state regulation of sexuality and the like. Today, one of the most glaring refutations of the case that religion has vanished from public life is known as the United States. Late modernity (or postmodernity, if one prefers) takes some of these symbolic practices back into public ownership. ~ Terry Eagleton, #NFDB
908:As women's leadership qualities come to play a more dominant role in the public sphere, their particular aptitudes for long-term negotiating, analytic listening, and creating an ambiance in which people work with zest and spirit will help reconcile the split between the ideals of being efficient and being humane. This integration of female values is already producing a more collaborative kind of leadership, and changing the very ideal of what strong leadership actually is. ~ Sally Helgesen, #NFDB
909:The facts of life do not penetrate to the sphere in which our beliefs are cherished; as it was not they that endangered those beliefs, so they are powerless to destroy them; they can aim at them continual blows of contradiction and disproof without weakening them; and an avalanche of miseries and maladies coming, one after another, without interruption into the bosom of a family, will not make it lose faith in either the clemency of its God or the capacity of its physician. ~ Marcel Proust, #NFDB
910:Somehow Malaysia must find a way to create racially neutral space in the public sphere. This is not an easy task as most of the country’s social and political institutions are tied to racial identity. Because of the connection between race and religion, it would be virtually impossible to see religion as a vehicle. The educational system has proved to be an imperfect tool of national identity. For many, it remains a communalized institution that has powerful political symbolism. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
911:Oh! captive, bound, and double-ironed," cried the phantom, "not to know, that ages of incessant labour, by immortal creatures, for this earth must pass into eternity before the good of which it is susceptible is all developed. Not to know that any Christian spirit working kindly in its little sphere, whatever it may be, will find its mortal life too short for its vast means of usefulness. Not to know that no space of regret can make amends for one life's opportunity misused! ~ Charles Dickens, #NFDB
912:Our turn,” Joan whispers.
She sparks to life a small sphere of light, maybe the size of a globe, right above the audience’s heads. And then she breathes life into it, slowly expanding it, like she’s blowing up the world’s most brilliant, glimmering balloon.
I whisper beside her, “Incredible.” Because despite how dangerous magic can be—how it’s been used to hide murders, cover up robberies, send people spiraling into the throes of addiction—there’s just no denying that it is. ~ Lee Kelly,#NFDB
913:The bourgeois thinkers of the eighteenth century thus turned Aristotle's formula on its head: satisfactions which the Greek philosopher had identified with leisure were now transposed to the sphere of work, while tasks lacking in any financial reward were drained of all significance and left to the haphazard attentions of decadent dilettantes. It now seemed as impossible that one could be happy and unproductive as it had once seemed unlikely that one could work and be human. ~ Alain de Botton, #NFDB
914:When finally the sky grew ink-black, the trees were visible only as their swaying branches blotted out the stars that crossed in blazing showers, as sometimes they do. The language of the stars, seldom read and heeded less, told beautifully and in silence of all the victories that had ever been won and all the defeats ever suffered. In uncountable lines of light across the widest sphere, the stars spoke of everything notable even down to a leaf blowing rhythmically in the wind. ~ Mark Helprin, #NFDB
915:The eyes are witnesses that the heavens revolve in the space of twenty- four hours. But certain men, either from the love of novelty, or to make a display of ingenuity, have concluded that the earth moves; and they maintain that neither the eighth sphere nor the sun revolves....Now, it is a want of honesty and decency to assert such notions publicly, and the example is pernicious. It is the part of a good mind to accept the truth as revealed by God and to acquiesce in it. ~ Philipp Melanchthon, #NFDB
916:Ethical religion affirms the continuity of progress toward moral perfection. It affirms that the spiritual development of the human race cannot be prematurely cut off, either gradually or suddenly; that every stone of offence against which we stumble is a stepping-stone to some greater good; that, at the end of days, if we choose to put it so, or, rather, in some sphere beyond the world of space and time, all the rays of progress will be summed and centred in a transcendent focus. ~ Felix Adler, #NFDB
917:Here is an example of Confucius sayings: "It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop." In a few words, Confucius teaches us about patience, perseverance, discipline, and hard work. But if you probe further, you will see more layers. Confucius' philosophies have significantly influenced spiritual and social thought. His views bear insight and depth of wisdom. You can apply his teachings in every sphere of life. Confucius' profound teachings are based on humanism. ~ Confucius, #NFDB
918:Mr Norrell, it is not the duty of the court – any court – to exalt one person’s opinions above others! Not in magic nor in any other sphere of life. If other magicians think differently from you, then you must battle it out with them. You must prove the superiority of your opinions, as I do in politics. You must argue and publish and practise your magic and you must learn to live as I do – in the face of constant criticism, opposition and censure. That, sir, is the English way. ~ Susanna Clarke, #NFDB
919:civic life. It is the habit of solving problems together, in the public sphere, through the tools of government and in the trenches of civil society. It is solving problems in ways that give the people you are helping a say in the solutions, that offer that say in equal measure to every citizen, that allow some kind of access to your deliberations or at least provide a meaningful feedback mechanism to tell you it isn’t working. It is not reimagining the world at conferences. ~ Anand Giridharadas, #NFDB
920:While within the sphere of real life, which not only has its rights, but itself imposes great obligations—within this sphere, if we wish to be humane, to be Christians finally, it is our duty and obligation to foster only those convictions that are justified by reason and experience, that have passed through the crucible of analysis, in a word, to act sensibly and not senselessly as in dreams or delirium, so as not to bring harm to a man, so as not to torment and ruin a man. ~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky, #NFDB
921:Today religion appeals almost solely to the needs of the private sphere—needs for personal meaning, social bonding, family sup-port, emotional nurturing, practical living, and so on. In this climate, almost inevitably, churches come to speak the language of psychological needs, focusing primarily on the therapeutic functions of religion. Whereas religion used to be connected to group identity and a sense of belonging, it is now almost solely a search for an authentic inner life. ~ Nancy R Pearcey, #NFDB
922:In the sphere of human relations, faith is an indispensable quality of any significant friendship or love. "Having faith" in another person means to be certain of the reliability and unchangeability of his fundamental attitudes, of the core of his personality, of his love. By this I do not mean that a person may not change his opinions, but that his basic motivations remain the same; that, for instance, his respect for life and human dignity is part of himself, not subject to change. ~ Erich Fromm, #NFDB
923:In the sphere of human relations, faith is an indispensable quality of any significant friendship or love. “Having faith” in another person means to be certain of the reliability and unchangeability of his fundamental attitudes, of the core of his personality, of his love. By this I do not mean that a person may not change his opinions, but that his basic motivations remain the same; that, for instance, his respect for life and human dignity is part of himself, not subject to change. ~ Erich Fromm, #NFDB
924:The guide invited the crowd to imagine that they were looking across a desert at a mountain range on a day that was twinkling bright and clear. They could look at a peak or a bird or a cloud, at a stone right in front of them, or even down into a canyon behind them. But among them was this poor Earthling, and his head was encased in a steel sphere which he could never take off. There was only one eyehole through which he could look, and welded to that eyehole were six feet of pipe. ~ Kurt Vonnegut, #NFDB
925:The call is to leave a certain social situation, move into your own loneliness and find the jewel, the center that’s impossible to find when you’re socially engaged. You are thrown off-center, and when you feel off-center, it’s time to go. This is the departure when the hero feels something has been lost and goes to find it. You are to cross the threshold into new life. It’s a dangerous adventure, because you are moving out of the sphere of the knowledge of you and your community. ~ Joseph Campbell, #NFDB
926:Who had they been, all these mothers and sisters and wives? What were they now? Moons, blank and faceless, gleaming with borrowed light, each spinning loyally around a bigger sphere.
‘Invisible,’ said Faith under her breath. Women and girls were so often unseen, forgotten, afterthoughts. Faith herself had used it to good effect, hiding in plain sight and living a double life. But she had been blinded by exactly the same invisibility-of-the-mind, and was only just realizing it. ~ Frances Hardinge,#NFDB
927:If we understand the mechanisms and motives of the group mind, it is now possible to control and regiment the masses according to our will without their knowing it In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind. ~ Edward Bernays, #NFDB
928:I would want to keep that in a little glass sphere, perhaps in the corner of my living room, lit up. But, I think that's an extremely expensive rig. The costumes were crazy expensive, beyond anything they could afford to give you, to take away. They're going to be in a museum of some kind, on display until they get the go for Tron: Legacy 2. It would have been awesome to keep, though. I don't think there was anything that they could afford to let go. I probably would have been arrested. ~ James Frain, #NFDB
929:A sphere (and not just the idealized shape, but as symbol for any entity) cuts existence into two parts: inside and outside, thing and the rest of the universe. The two—entity & environment—relate, determine, create, and influence each other in a radically linked dance by which any thing is joined to its surrounding sea: ship & ocean, particle & crystal, galaxy & cosmos, genome & cell, organism & ecosystem, computer & network, person & society. ~ Tyler Volk, Metapatterns - Across Space, Time, and Mind, #NFDB
930:Society is the true sphere of human virtue. In social, active life, difficulties will perpetually be met with; restraints of many kinds will be necessary; and studying to behave right in respect of these is a discipline of the human heart, useful to others, and improving to itself. Suffering is no duty, but where it is necessary to avoid guilt, or to do good; nor pleasure a crime, but where it strengthens the influence of bad inclinations, or lessens the generous activity of virtue. ~ Elizabeth Carter, #NFDB
931:women's entry into the public sphere can be seen not merely as the result of contemporary economic pressures, the high rate of divorce, or the success of the feminist movement, but rather as a profound evolutionary response to a pervasive cultural crisis. Feminine principles are entering the public realm because we can no longer afford to restrict them to the private domestic sphere, nor allow a public culture obsessed with Warrior values to control human destiny if we are to survive. ~ Sally Helgesen, #NFDB
932:Everything goes, everything comes back; eternally rolls the wheel of being. Everything dies, everything blossoms again; eternally runs the year of being. Everything breaks, everything is joined anew; eternally the same House of Being is built. Everything parts, everything greets every other thing again; eternally the ring of being remains faithful to itself. In every Now, being begins; round every Here rolls the sphere There. The center is everywhere. Bent is the path of eternity. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche, #NFDB
933:She brought close together numerous cell units and, by grouping them into a self-sustaining sphere of co-operation, elaborated a larger unit. It was not a mere agglomeration. The grouping had its caste system in the division of functions and yet an intimate unity of kinship. The creative life summoned a larger army of cells under her command and imparted into them, let us say, a communal spirit that fought with all its might whenever its integrity was menaced. ~ Rabindranath Tagore, The Religion of Man, #NFDB
934:Our submission to general principles is necessary because we cannot be guided in our practical action by full knowledge and evaluation of the consequences. So long as men are not omniscient, the only way in which freedom can be given to the individual is by such general rules to delimit the sphere in which the decision is his. There can be no freedom if the government is not limited to particular kinds of action but can use its powers in any ways which serve particular ends. ~ Friedrich August von Hayek, #NFDB
935:A bride, before a ‘Good-night’ could be said, Should vanish from her clothes into her bed, As souls from bodies steal, and are not spied. But now she’s laid; what though she be? Yet there are more delays, for where is he? He comes and passeth through sphere after sphere; First her sheets, then her arms, then anywhere. Let not this day, then, but this night be thine; Thy day was but the eve to this, O Valentine. JOHN DONNE: An Epithalamion on the Lady Elizabeth and Count Palatine. ~ Dorothy L Sayers, #NFDB
936:Riches
If I can leave behind me here and there
A friend or two to say when I am gone
That I had helped to make their pathways fair,
Had brought them smiles when they were bowed with care,
The riches of this world I'll carry on.
If only three or four shall pause to say,
When I have passed beyond this earthly sphere,
That I brought gladness to them on a day
When bitterness was their's, I'll take away
More riches than a billionaire leaves here.
~ Edgar Albert Guest,#NFDB
937:The point of mathematics is that in it we have always got rid of the particular instance, and even of any particular sorts of entities. So that for example, no mathematical truths apply merely to fish, or merely to stones, or merely to colours. So long as you are dealing with pure mathematics, you are in the realm of complete and absolute abstraction. . . . Mathematics is thought moving in the sphere of complete abstraction from any particular instance of what it is talking about. ~ Alfred North Whitehead, #NFDB
938:Compared to a star, we are like mayflies, fleeting ephemeral creatures who live out their whole lives in the course of a single day. From the point of view of a mayfly, human beings are stolid, boring, almost entirely immovable, offering hardly a hint that they ever do anything. From the point of view of a star, a human being is a tiny flash, one of billions of brief lives flickering tenuously on the surface of a strangely cold, anomalously solid, exotically remote sphere of silicate and iron. ~ Carl Sagan, #NFDB
939:The being who is the object of its own reflection, in consequence of that very doubling back upon itself, becomes in a flash able to raise itself into a new sphere. In reality, another world is born. Abstraction, logic, reasoned choice and inventions, mathematics, art, calculation of space and time, anxieties and dreams of love—all these activities of inner life are nothing else than the effervescence of the newly-formed centre as it explodes onto itself. ~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, The Phenomenon of Man, #NFDB
940:All men are equal and free: society by nature, and destination, is therefore autonomous and ungovernable. If the sphere of activity of each citizen is determined by the natural division of work and by the choice he makes of a profession, if the social functions are combined in such a way as to produce a harmonious effect, order results from the free activity of all men; there is no government. Whoever puts a hand on me to govern me is an usurper and a tyrant; I declare him my enemy. ~ Pierre Joseph Proudhon, #NFDB
941:I had never expected medicine to be such a lawless, uncertain world. I wondered if the compulsive naming of parts, diseases, and chemical reactions— frenulum, otitis, glycolysis— was a mechanism invented by doctors to defend themselves against a largely unknowable sphere of knowledge. The profusion of facts obscured a deeper and more significant problem: the reconciliation between knowledge (certain, fixed, perfect, concrete) and clinical wisdom (uncertain, fluid, imperfect, abstract). ~ Siddhartha Mukherjee, #NFDB
942:Eris unscrewed the right earring and held it out on her palm. It was so beautiful; a glass sphere glowing with whorls of color, like the eye of a coming storm. A beautiful, rare, expensive present from her dad to her mom. Suddenly the earring and everything it stood for struck Eris as unbearably false. She pulled back her arm and hurled the earring against the wall with all the strength she had. It exploded into a million pieces, which scattered over the floor like shards of glittering tears. ~ Katharine McGee, #NFDB
943:. . . for until that God who rules all the region of the sky . . . has freed you from the fetters of your body, you cannot gain admission here. Men were created with the understanding that they were to look after that sphere called Earth, which you see in the middle of the temple. Minds have been given to them out of the eternal fires you call fixed stars and planets, those spherical solids which, quickened with divine minds, journey through their circuits and orbits with amazing speed. ~ Marcus Tullius Cicero, #NFDB
944:However gross a man may be, the minute he expresses a strong and genuine affection, some inner secretion alters his features, animates his gestures, and colors his voice. The stupidest man will often, under the stress of passion, achieve heights of eloquence, in thought if not in language, and seem to move in some luminous sphere. Goriot's voice and gesture had at this moment the power of communication that characterizes the great actor. Are not our finer feelings the poems of the human will? ~ Honor de Balzac, #NFDB
945:However gross a man may be, the minute he expresses a strong and genuine affection, some inner secretion alters his features, animates his gestures, and colors his voice. The stupidest man will often, under the stress of passion, achieve heights of eloquence, in thought if not in language, and seem to move in some luminous sphere. Goriot's voice and gesture had at this moment the power of communication that characterizes the great actor. Are not our finer feelings the poems of the human will? ~ Honore de Balzac, #NFDB
946:In India and the West, religions are often aggressively competitive, but in China it is often said that a person can be a Confucian by day and a Daoist at night. Not even Legalism was discarded. The Chinese needed its insights as their empire expanded, so much so that orthodox Confucians often accused their rulers of being “Confucians in appearance but Legalists in practice.”16 It is generally acknowledged that each faith has its proper sphere—an Axial attitude that is sorely needed in our own time. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
947:Conservatives came to office to reduce the size of government and enlarge the sphere of free and private initiative. But lately we have increased government in order to stay in office. And, soon, if we don't remember why we were elected we will have lost our office along with our principles, and leave a mountain of debt that our children's grandchildren will suffer from long after we have departed this earth. Because, my friends, hypocrisy is the most obvious of sins, and the people will punish it. ~ John McCain, #NFDB
948:She led him past the engine room, which looked like a very dangerous, mechanized jungle gym, with pipes and pistons and tubes jutting from a central bronze sphere. Cables resembling giant metal noodles snaked across the floor and ran up the walls. “How does that thing even work?” Percy asked. “No idea,” Annabeth said. “And I’m the only one besides Leo who can operate it.” “That’s reassuring.” “It should be fine. It’s only threatened to blow up once.” “You’re kidding, I hope.” She smiled. “Come on. ~ Rick Riordan, #NFDB
949:The Theatre of the Absurd has renounced arguing about the absurdity of the human condition; it merely presents it in being - that is, in terms of concrete stage images. This is the difference between the approach of the philosopher and that of the poet; the difference, to take an example from another sphere, between the idea of God in the works of Thomas Aquinas or Spinoza and the intuition of God in those of St. John of the Cross or Meister Eckhart - the difference between theory and experience. ~ Martin Esslin, #NFDB
950:Abolitionists seized on the weapons available to them—petitions, lectures, and the newly invented steam press, which made possible the mass production of pamphlets, newspapers, and broadsides—to challenge the conspiracy of silence that increasingly barred discussion of slavery from the national public sphere.43 The movement appealed simultaneously to the hearts and minds of Americans, excoriating slaveowners and exposing the brutal reality of slavery—whippings, separation of families, and so on—while ~ Eric Foner, #NFDB
951:The sense of the world must lie outside the world. In the world everything is as it is, and everything happens as it does happen: in it no value exists—and if it did exist, it would have no value. If there is any value that does have value, it must lie outside the whole sphere of what happens and is the case. For all that happens and is the case is accidental. What makes it non-accidental cannot lie within the world, since if it did it would itself be accidental. It must lie outside the world. ~ Ludwig Wittgenstein, #NFDB
952:On A Girdle
That which her slender waist confin'd,
Shall now my joyful temples bind;
No monarch but would give his crown,
His arms might do what this has done.
It was my heaven's extremest sphere,
The pale which held that lovely deer,
My joy, my grief, my hope, my love,
Did all within this circle move.
A narrow compass, and yet there
Dwelt all that's good, and all that's fair;
Give me but what this ribbon bound,
Take all the rest the sun goes round.
~ Edmund Waller,#NFDB
953:It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I cannot take seriously. I also cannot imagine some will or goal outside the human sphere... Science has been charged with undermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death. ~ Albert Einstein, #NFDB
954:And, in fact, if these crimes appeal less to the senses, they appeal more to the mind; and the mind, in the last analysis, is the profoundest part of us. For the novelist, therefore, there is a new type of tragedy to be derived from these crimes, more intellectual than physical in character, which do not really seem to be crimes to the superficial judgement of old materialistic societies because they do not involve bloodshed, and murder is committed only in the sphere of feelings and manners. ~ Jules Barbey d Aurevilly, #NFDB
955:It is only in times of social dissolution, as in the last age of the small Semitic states, when men and their gods were alike powerless before the advance of the Assyrians, that magical superstitions based on mere terror, or rites designed to conciliate alien gods, invade the sphere of tribal or national religion. In better times the religion of the tribe or state has nothing in common with the private and foreign superstitions or magical rites that savage terror may dictate to the individual. ~ William Robertson Smith, #NFDB
956:Early orthodoxy set itself the task to confuse the epistles of Paul. Paul could not be ignored nor entirely destroyed; his sphere of influence had been too wide. The easiest solution was to corrupt his writings, thus destroying his subtler meanings. The result of this questionable strategy is obvious to the impartial reader. Paul is made to contradict himself; statements obviously inconsistent with his vision stand side by side with the most lofty and transcendental thoughts. ~ Manly P Hall, How to Understand Your Bible, #NFDB
957:May I repeat what I told you here: treat nature by means of the cylinder, the sphere, the cone, everything brought into proper perspective so that each side of an object or a plane is directed towards a central point. Lines parallel to the horizon give breadth... lines perpendicular to this horizon give depth. But nature for us men is more depth than surface, whence the need to introduce into our light vibrations, represented by the reds and yellows, a sufficient amount of blueness to give the feel of air. ~ Paul Cezanne, #NFDB
958:Consider a cask filled with a highly compressed gas. If we open one of its taps the gas will escape through it in a continuous flow, the elasticity of the gas pushing its particles into space will continuously push the cask itself. The result will a continuous change in the motion of the cask. Given a sufficient number of taps (say, six), we would be able to regulate the outflow of the gas as we liked and the cask (or sphere) would describe any curved line in accordance with any law of velocities. ~ Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, #NFDB
959:They're not a question of additional benefits. I mean, they touch every aspect of life. Your partner is sick. Social Security. I mean, it's pervasive. It's not as though, well, there's this little Federal sphere and it's only a tax question. It's as Justice Kennedy said, 1100 statutes, and it affects every area of life. And so he was really diminishing what the State has said is marriage. You're saying, no, State said two kinds of marriage; the full marriage, and then this sort of skim milk marriage. ~ Ruth Bader Ginsburg, #NFDB
960:But it wasn't the right season to lift off. Not yet. I sat in my apartment and looked out over the city, and I just didn't feel any passion to write about the place. I didn't give a damn about local politics; I wasn't moved by the issues. I missed home. And I was frustrated by people who actually thought the world was a centre and that centre was here. ‘The world's a sphere, everyone,’ I wanted to say. ‘The centre of a sphere doesn't lie on its surface. Look up the word 'superficial', when you have a chance. ~ Mohsin Hamid, #NFDB
961:Philosophy is a necessary activity because we, all of us, take a great number of things for granted, and many of these assumptions are of a philosophical character; we act on them in private life, in politics, in our work, and in every other sphere of our lives -- but while some of these assumptions are no doubt true, it is likely, that more are false and some are harmful. So the critical examination of our presuppositions -- which is a philosophical activity -- is morally as well as intellectually important. ~ Karl Popper, #NFDB
962:The will to power can manifest itself only against obstacles ; it therefore goes in search of what resists it--this is the primitive tendency of the protoplasm when it extends its pseudopodia and feels about it. The act of appropriation and assimilation is, above all, the result of a desire to overpower, a process of forming, of additional building and rebuilding, until at last the subjected creature has become completely a part of the superior creature's sphere of power, and has increased the latter. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche, #NFDB
963:The will to power can manifest itself only against obstacles ; it therefore goes in search of what resists it — this is the primitive tendency of the protoplasm when it extends its pseudopodia and feels about it. The act of appropriation and assimilation is, above all, the result of a desire to overpower, a process of forming, of additional building and rebuilding, until at last the subjected creature has become completely a part of the superior creature's sphere of power, and has increased the latter. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche, #NFDB
964:Question: what weighs five quadrillion tons but you cannot see hide nor hair nor hint of it? Answers: Guilt, responsibility, fatherhood, sorrow, love, history—but here I mean that most crucial of freighted invisibilities, air, the atmosphere, our atmosphere, the incredible blanket we breathe, without which our sphere is only another among zillions of lifeless rocks let loose in the endless void. Five quadrillion tons! The parade of zeroes like a circus train behind the engine of the five: 5,000,000,000,000,000 … ~ Brian Doyle, #NFDB
965:The sound of bells could be heard far off, mixing with the singing of the faithful. “Do you hear that?” the abbot asked. “People singing and praying, and they are happy. They don’t need automatons or music boxes, and they don’t want to hear that the earth is a sphere revolving around the sun in an endless universe. All they want is to eat, drink, love, and believe.” He sighed and stood up. “But perhaps we’re living in a new era; as people struggle increasingly for knowledge, they move farther and farther from God. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
966:And we daily in our experiments electrise bodies plus or minus, as we think proper. [These terms we may use till your Philosophers give us better.] To electrise plus or minus, no more needs to be known than this, that the parts of the Tube or Sphere, that are rubb'd, do, in the Instant of Friction, attract the Electrical Fire, and therefore take it from the Thin rubbing; the same parts immediately, as the Friction upon them ceases, are disposed to give the fire they have received, to any Body that has less. ~ Benjamin Franklin, #NFDB
967:In my own worst seasons I've come back from the colorless world of despair by forcing myself to look hard, for a long time, at a single glorious thing: a flame of red geranium outside my bedroom window. And then another: my daughter in a yellow dress. And another: the perfect outline of a full, dark sphere behind the crescent moon. Until I learned to be in love with my life again. Like a stroke victim retraining new parts of the brain to grasp lost skills, I have taught myself joy, over and over again(15). ~ Barbara Kingsolver, #NFDB
968:He was split, one part of him never left this mental chamber that pictured itself as a sphere full of light fading into dark, because there was no way out. But motion in this world depended on rest in the world outside. A man is in bed, wanting to sleep. A rat is behind the wall at his head, wanting to move. The man hears the rat fidget and cannot sleep, the rat hears the man fidget and dares not move. They are both unhappy, one fidgeting and the other waiting, or both happy, the rat moving and the man sleeping. ~ Samuel Beckett, #NFDB
969:In mysticism that love of truth which we saw as the beginning of all philosophy leaves the merely intellectual sphere, and takes on the assured aspect of a personal passion. Where the philosopher guesses and argues, the mystic lives and looks; and speaks, consequently, the disconcerting language of first-hand experience, not the neat dialectic of the schools. Hence whilst the Absolute of the metaphysicians remains a diagram —impersonal and unattainable—the Absolute of the mystics is lovable, attainable, alive. ~ Evelyn Underhill, #NFDB
970:Imaginal does not mean imaginary — fictitious or subjective. It is a realm that objectively exists (one might think of it as an enveloping matrix of meaning around our own space-time dimension), and it is from this realm that our human sense of identity and direction ultimately derive. … However one names it, the point to keep uppermost in mind is that it designates a sphere that is not less real but more real than our so-called objective reality and whose generative energy can change the course of events in the world. ~ Sera Beak, #NFDB
971:As far as France is concerned, we are ready to envisage everything that can be done under UNSCR 1441. [...] But I repeat that every possibility offered by the present resolution must be explored, that there are a lot of them and they still leave us with a lot of leeway when it comes to ways of achieving the objective of eliminating any weapons of mass destruction which may exist in Iraq. I'd like nevertheless to note that, as things stand at the moment, I have, to my knowledge, no indisputable proof in this sphere. ~ Jacques Chirac, #NFDB
972:But then, Cap'n Crunch in a flake form would be suicidal madness; it would last about as long, when immersed in milk, as snowflakes sifting down into a deep fryer. No, the cereal engineers at General Mills had to find a shape that would minimize surface area, and, as some sort of compromise between the sphere that is dictated by Euclidean geometry and whatever sunken treasure related shapes that the cereal aestheticians were probably clamoring for, they came up with this hard-to-pin-down striated pillow formation. ~ Neal Stephenson, #NFDB
973:She led him past the engine room, which looked like a very dangerous, mechanized jungle gym, with pipes and pistons and tubes jutting from a central bronze sphere. Cables resembling giant metal noodles snaked across the floor and ran up the walls.
“How does that thing even work?” Percy asked.
“No idea,” Annabeth said. “And I’m the only one besides Leo who can operate it.”
“That’s reassuring.”
“It should be fine. It’s only threatened to blow up once.”
“You’re kidding, I hope.”
She smiled. “Come on. ~ Rick Riordan,#NFDB
974:A Christian boy or girl can learn mathematics, for example, from a teacher who is not a Christian; and truth is truth however learned. But while truth is truth however learned, the bearing of truth, the meaning of truth, the purpose of truth, even in the sphere of mathematics, seem entirely different to the Christian from that which they seem to the non-Christian; and that is why a truly Christian education is possible only when Christian conviction underlies not a part but all, of the curriculum of the school. ~ John Gresham Machen, #NFDB
975:But then, Cap'n Crunch in a flake form would be suicidal madness; it would last about as long, when immersed in milk, as snowflakes sifting down into a deep fryer. No, the cereal engineers at General Mills had to find a shape that would minimize surface area, and, as some sort of compromise between the sphere that is dictated by Euclidean geometry and whatever sunken treasure related shapes that the cereal aestheticians were probably clamoring for, they came up with this hard -to-pin-down striated pillow formation. ~ Neal Stephenson, #NFDB
976:It is a truth (and it would be a very sad one but for the higher hopes which it suggests) that no great mistake, whether acted or endured, in our mortal sphere, is ever really set right. Time, the continual vicissitude of circumstances, and the invariable inopportunity of death, render it impossible. If, after long lapse of years, the right seems to be in our power, we find no niche to set it in. The better remedy is for the sufferer to pass on, and leave what he once thought his irreparable ruin far behind him. ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne, #NFDB
977:a mind that is accustomed to repeatedly dissolving in its source or essence becomes progressively saturated with its inherent peace. When such a mind rises again from the ocean of awareness, its activity makes that peace available to humanity.
Such a mind may also be inspired by knowledge that is not simply a continuation of the past but comes directly form its unconditioned essence. This inspiration brings creativity and new possibilities into whatever sphere of knowledge or activity in which that mind operates. ~ Rupert Spira,#NFDB
978:Institutionalized desublimation thus appears to be an aspect of the "conquest of transcendence" achieved by the one-dimensional society. Just as this society tends to reduce, and even absorb opposition (the qualitative difference!) in the realm of politics and higher culture, so it does in the instinctual sphere. The result is the atrophy of the mental organs for grasping the contradictions and the alternatives and, in the one remaining dimension of technological rationality, the Happy Consciousness comes to prevail. ~ Herbert Marcuse, #NFDB
979:There are more locations than girl and boy, man and woman. Decamping from one does not have to mean climbing into another. There’s plenty of space in between, or beyond the bounds, or all along and across the plane or sphere or whatever of gender, and it is entirely okay to say, “I do not like being a girl, and so I shall be a boy.” But it must also be okay to say, “I do not like being a girl, so I shall set about changing what it means to be a girl,” and, yes, okay to say, “I do not like being a girl, and so I shan’t. ~ S Bear Bergman, #NFDB
980:To refuse any bond of union between man and civil society, on the one hand, and God the Creator and consequently the supreme Law-giver, on the other, is plainly repugnant to the nature, not only of man, but of all created things; for, of necessity, all effects must in some proper way be connected with their cause; and it belongs to the perfection of every nature to contain itself within that sphere and grade which the order of nature has assigned to it, namely, that the lower should be subject and obedient to the higher. ~ Pope Leo XIII, #NFDB
981:The man, who shuts himself up from all men, however high spiritually he may be, will not be free in Malakut, in the higher sphere. He will have a wall around him, keeping away the jinns and even the angels of the angelic heavens; and so his journey will be exclusive. It is therefore that Sufism does not only teach concentration and meditation, which help one to make one-sided progress, but the love of God which is expansion; the opening of the heart of all beings, which is the way of Christ and the sign of the cross. ~ Hazrat Inayat Khan, #NFDB
982:The greatest gift of education, Korya, is the years of shelter provided when learning. Do not think to reduce that learning to facts and the utterances of presumed sages. Much of what one learns in that time is in the sphere of concord, the ways of society, the proprieties of behaviour and thought. Haut would tell you that this is another hard-won achievement of civilization: the time and safe environment in which to learn how to live. When this is destroyed, undermined or discounted, then that civilization is in trouble. ~ Steven Erikson, #NFDB
983:To-day the whole Christian world prostrates itself in adoration around the crib of Bethlehem and rehearses in accents of love a history which precedes all time and will endure throughout eternity. As if by an instinct of our higher, spiritual nature, there well up from the depths of our hearts, emotions which challenge the power of human expression. We seem to be lifted out of the sphere of natural endeavor to put on a new life and to stretch forward in desire to a blessedness which, though not palpable, is eminently real. ~ James Gibbons, #NFDB
984:And, thinking of this judgment I would no longer be able to change, I suddenly felt a kind of relief, as if peace could come to me only after the moment when there would be nothing to add and nothing to remove in that arbitrary ledger of misunderstandings, and the galaxies which were gradually reduced to the last tail of the last luminous ray, winding from the sphere of darkness, seemed to bring with them the only possible truth about myself, and I couldn’t wait until all of them, one after the other, had followed this path. ~ Italo Calvino, #NFDB
985:From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia, all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all are subject in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and, in many cases, increasing measure of control from Moscow. ~ Winston S Churchill, #NFDB
986:We thus begin to see that the institutionalized practice of citations and references in the sphere of learning is not a trivial matter. While many a general reader-that is, the lay reader located outside the domain of science and scholarship-may regard the lowly footnote or the remote endnote or the bibliographic parenthesis as a dispensable nuisance, it can be argued that these are in truth central to the incentive system and an underlying sense of distributive justice that do much to energize the advancement of knowledge. ~ Robert K Merton, #NFDB
987:But science can only be created by those who are thoroughly imbued with the aspiration toward truth and understanding. This source of feeling, however, springs from the sphere of religion. To this there also belongs the faith in the possibility that the regulations valid for the world of existence are rational, that is, comprehensible to reason. I cannot conceive of a genuine scientist without that profound faith. The situation may be expressed by an image: science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind. ~ Albert Einstein, #NFDB
988:In the most ancient writings, Noah's Ark is not called a boat. Its name signifies some peculiar form of enclosure, a superior place to which men could go for refuge. The idea of a boat floating on the water was a poetic figure developed by later theologists. It is merely a symbol of the spiritual world which survives the disintegration of the physical universe. Briefly then, the Ark of Noah, with its three decks, represents the three parts of the divine sphere. The Ark is a miniature of the universe. ~ Manly P Hall, How to Understand Your Bible, #NFDB
989:I can say that the happiest period of my life has been since I emerged from the shadows and superstitions of the old theologies, relieved from all gloomy apprehensions of the future, satisfied that as my labors and capacities were limited to this sphere of action, I was responsible for nothing beyond my horizon, as I could neither understand nor change the condition of the unknown world. Giving ourselves, then, no trouble about the future, let us make the most of the present, and fill up our lives with earnest work here. ~ Elizabeth Cady Stanton, #NFDB
990:this mutation in the experience of communication is producing a pathology in the sphere of empathy (an autistic trend) and in the sphere of sensibility (desensitization to the presence of the other). And this mutation of the psychic and linguistic interaction may also be at the root of the contemporary precariousness of life. Precariousness is not only the condition of labour in the age of global deterritorialization, but it is also the fragmentation of the social body, the fracturing of self-perception and of the perception of time. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
991:Unlike the rationalism of the French Revolution, true liberalism has no quarrel with religion, and I can only deplore the militant and essentially illiberal antireligionism which animated so much of nineteenth-century Continental liberalism. ... What distinguishes the liberal from the conservative here is that, however profound his own spiritual beliefs, he will never regard himself as entitled to impose them on others and that for him the spiritual and the temporal are different sphere which ought not to be confused. ~ Friedrich August von Hayek, #NFDB
992:I am nothing but oxygen and hydrogen, a luminous sphere of plasma held together by helium and gravity, And like a balloon I float on earth, waiting to be released back into the sky, where I will explode into a thousand pieces. I shall leave behind my body, just like air abandons the skin of a shattered balloon, and the magnetic dust that carries my heart and spirit will lift us back to congregate and shine with the stars. Home again, in the fluorescent kingdom of the constellations, I will once again be called by my soul’s true name. ~ Suzy Kassem, #NFDB
993:...the social conscience completely dominates the individual conscience, instead of striking a balance with it. We don't cooperate--we obey.
We fear being outcast, being called lazy, dysfunctional, egoizing. We fear ur neighbor's opinion more than we respect our own freedom of choice.
...
We force a man outside the sphere of our approval, and then condemn him for it. We've made laws, laws of conventional behavior, built walls all around ourselves, and we can't see them, because they're part of our thinking. ~ Ursula K Le Guin,#NFDB
994:Plutarch taught me high thoughts; he elevated me above the wretched sphere of my own reflections, to admire and love the heroes of past ages. Many things I read surpassed my understanding and experience. I had a very confused knowledge of kingdoms, wide extents of country, mighty rivers, and boundless seas. This book developed new and mightier scenes of action. I read of men concerned in public affairs, governing or massacring their species. I felt the greatest ardour for virtue rise within me, and abhorrence for vice. ~ Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, #NFDB
995:From Man or Angel the great Architect Did wisely to conceal, and not divulge, His secrets, to be scanned by them who ought Rather admire. Or, if they list to try Conjecture, he his fabric of the Heavens Hath left to their disputes - perhaps to move His laughter at their quaint opinions wide Hereafter, when they come to model Heaven And calculate the stars: how they will wield The mighty frame: how build, unbuild, contrive To save appearances; how gird the Sphere With Centric and Eccentric scribbled o'er, Cycle and Epicycle, Orb in Orb. ~ John Milton, #NFDB
996:of oppressive state power. Gramsci’s theory of hegemony as a form of cultural pedagogy is also invaluable as an element of critical educational thought. By emphasizing the pedagogical force of culture, Gramsci expands the sphere of the political by pointing to those diverse spaces and spheres in which cultural practices are deployed, lived, and mobilized in the service of knowledge, power and authority. For Gramsci, learning and politics were inextricably related and took place not merely in schools but in a vast array of public sites. ~ Henry A Giroux, #NFDB
997:It [the free market] is an organizational way of doing things, featuring openness, which enables millions of people to cooperate and compete without demanding a preliminary clearance of pedigree, nationality, color, race, religion, or wealth. It demands only that each person abide by voluntary principles, that is, by fair play. The free market means willing exchange; it is impersonal justice in the economic sphere and excludes coercion, plunder, theft, protectionism, and other anti-free market ways by which goods and services change hands. ~ Leonard Read, #NFDB
998:Popular culture is one of the sites where this struggle for and against a culture of the powerful is engaged: it is the stake to be won or lost in that struggle. It is the arena of consent and resistance. It is partly where hegemony arises, and where it is secured. It is not a sphere where socialism, a socialist culture -- already fully formed -- might be simply "expressed". But it is one of the places where socialism might be constituted. That is why "popular culture" matters. Otherwise, to tell you the truth, I don't give a damn about it. ~ Stuart Hall, #NFDB
999:A moral system based on continuous rather than categorical thinking gives us a biological and evolutionary foundation for the expansion of the moral sphere to include nonhuman animals, based on objective criteria of genetic relatedness, cognitive abilities, emotional capacities, moral development, and especially the capacity to feel pain and suffer. This is, in fact, what it means to be a sentient being, and for this reason I worded the first principle of this science-based moral system as the survival and flourishing of sentient beings. ~ Michael Shermer, #NFDB
1000:Emerson once said, “It is a maxim worthy of all acceptation that a man may have that allowance he takes. Take the place and attitude which belong to you, and all men acquiesce. The world must be just. It leaves to every man, with profound unconcern, to set his own rate. Hero or driveller, it meddles not in the matter. It will certainly accept your own measure of your doing and being, whether you sneak about and deny your own name, or whether you see your work produced to the concave sphere of the heavens, one with the revolution of the stars. ~ Les Giblin, #NFDB
1001:The highest reach of science is, one may say, an inventive power, a faculty of divination, akin to the highest power exercised in poetry; therefore, a nation whose spirit is characterised by energy may well be eminent in science; and we have Newton. Shakspeare [sic] and Newton: in the intellectual sphere there can be no higher names. And what that energy, which is the life of genius, above everything demands and insists upon, is freedom; entire independence of all authority, prescription and routine, the fullest room to expand as it will. ~ Matthew Arnold, #NFDB
1002:It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I cannot take seriously. I feel also not able to imagine some will or goal outside the human sphere. My views are near those of Spinoza: admiration for the beauty of and belief in the logical simplicity of the order which we can grasp humbly and only imperfectly. I believe that we have to content ourselves with our imperfect knowledge and understanding and treat values and moral obligations as a purely human problem-the most important of all human problems. ~ Albert Einstein, #NFDB
1003:The Reciprocal Gravitational Constant acts mathematically on the solid angle of an empty sphere with an amount which equals to the distance traveled by light in four seconds. The significance of these four seconds lies in their reciprocity within an hour where 900 hours (i.e. 4/3600=1/900 and 900/24 = 37.5 days) are a spill of 7.5 days over the ancient Egyptian month (i.e. 30 days = 43200 minutes = 2592000 seconds). That residue is a mathematical revelation of light's journey around Earth in one second, and equals to one fourth of a month! ~ Ibrahim Ibrahim, #NFDB
1004:It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers” (Isa. 40:22). Some have tried to say that the Hebrew word for “circle” could mean sphere, but it does not. The Hebrew word used here (ḥûg) could however refer to a vaulted dome that covers the visible circular horizon, which would be more accurate to say, “above the vault of the earth.”[91] If Isaiah had wanted to say the earth was a sphere he would have used another word that he used in a previous chapter (22:18) for a ball (kaddur), but he did not.[92] ~ Brian Godawa, #NFDB
1005:Expansion would break up society “into a greater variety of interests and pursuits of passions, which check each other.” The amalgamation of power would be prevented, making it unnecessary to take government action, either to regulate concentrated wealth or to repress movements organized in opposition to concentrated wealth. “Extend the sphere,” Madison wrote, “and you take in a greater variety of parties and interests,” and you make it difficult for either a mob majority or a tyrannical minority to unite “to invade the rights of other citizens. ~ Greg Grandin, #NFDB
1006:For here was the hole in Alma’s theory: she could not, for the life of her, understand the evolutionary advantages of altruism and self-sacrifice. If the natural world was indeed the sphere of amoral and constant struggle for survival that it appeared to be, and if outcompeting one’s rivals was the key to dominance, adaptation, and endurance—then what was one supposed to make, for instance, of someone like her sister Prudence? Whenever Alma mentioned her sister’s name, with respect to her theory of competitive alteration, her uncle groaned. ~ Elizabeth Gilbert, #NFDB
1007:Nevertheless, let no one boast. Just as every man, though he be the greatest genius, has very definite limitations in some one sphere of knowledge, and thus attests his common origin with the essentially perverse and stupid mass of mankind, so also has every man something in his nature which is positively evil. Even the best, nay the noblest, character will sometimes surprise us by isolated traits of depravity; as though it were to acknowledge his kinship with the human race, in which villainy--nay, cruelty--is to be found in that degree. ~ Arthur Schopenhauer, #NFDB
1008:She was so warm, her drenched clothes had almost dried. Her eyes were rolled back in her head. She started muttering, and I could’ve sworn she said, “Dung balls. Time to roll the dung balls.”
It might’ve been funny—except for the fact that she was dying.
“That’s Khepri talking,” Setne explained. “He’s the divine dung beetle, rolling the sun across the sky.”
I didn’t want to process that—the idea that the girl I liked had been possessed by a dung beetle and was now having dreams about pushing a giant sphere of flaming poo across the sky. ~ Rick Riordan,#NFDB
1009:Each succeeding Sphere holds new, vaster love and truth within it. Each succeeding Sphere is larger and larger, both in spaciousness and in love than the previous one, and each Sphere has different sub-levels within it, different planes of Love and Truth, that we move through. As we move through each Sphere, we receive more Divine Love, more blessings, more direct knowing of Truths, more gifts to share and serve others with, to directly and experientially help them increase in love and truth, and more of the virtues of human and Divine Love. ~ Padma Aon Prakasha, #NFDB
1010:The idea of the freedom of the human will has found enthusiastic supporters and stubborn opponents in plenty. There are those who, in their moral fervor, label anyone a man of limited intelligence who can deny so patent a fact as freedom. Opposed to them are others who regard it as the acme of unscientific thinking for anyone to believe that the uniformity of natural law is broken in the sphere of human action and thinking. One and the same thing is thus proclaimed, now as the most precious possession of humanity, now as its most fatal illusion. ~ Rudolf Steiner, #NFDB
1011:I am constantly reminding myself that the goal of protest is progress, not simply more protest. Protest, though not the solution, is a precursor to the solution. It creates space that would otherwise not exist, and forces conversations and topics that have been long ignored into the public sphere. It illuminates what our country would rather forget. Protest remains necessary in a country with such ingrained systemic inequity and in which the traditional mechanisms of power have not often benefited marginalized communities without direct pressure. ~ DeRay Mckesson, #NFDB
1012:It would have been more to the point, more honest and more Christian, in past decades not to support those who intentionally destroyed healthy life than to rebel against those who have no other wish than to avoid disease. Moreover, a policy of laissez faire in this sphere is not only cruelty to the individual guiltless victims but also to the nation as a whole... If the Churches were to declare themselves ready to take over the treatment and care of those suffering from hereditary diseases, we should be quite ready to refrain from sterilizing them. ~ Adolf Hitler, #NFDB
1013:Each individual composes the music of his own life. If he injures another, he brings disharmony. When his sphere is disturbed, he is disturbed himself, and there is a discord in the melody of his life. If he can quicken the feeling of another to joy or to gratitude, by that much he adds to his own life; he becomes himself by that much more alive. Whether conscious of it or not, his thought is affected for the better by the joy or gratitude of another, and his power and vitality increase thereby, and the music of his life grows more in harmony. ~ Hazrat Inayat Khan, #NFDB
1014:If animals are no longer quite outside the moral sphere, they are still in a special section near the outer rim. Their interests are allowed to count only when they do not clash with human interests. If there is a clash - even a clash between a lifetime of suffering for a nonhuman animal and the gastronomic preference of a human being - the interests of the nonhuman are disregarded. The moral attitudes of the past are too deeply embedded in our thought and our practices to be upset by a mere change in our knowledge of ourselves and of other animals. ~ Peter Singer, #NFDB
1015:Using freshman level calculus you can show that the one and only shape that has the smallest surface area for an enclosed volume is a perfect sphere. In fact, billions of dollars could be saved annually on packaging materials if all shipping boxes and all packages of food in the supermarket were spheres. For example, the contents of a super-jumbo box of Cheerios would fit easily into a spherical carton with a four-and-half inch radius. But practical matters prevail - nobody wants to chase packaged food down the aisle after it rolls off the shelves. ~ Neil deGrasse Tyson, #NFDB
1016:As the station wagon pulled back onto the highway, the sun was slowly sinking below the horizon like a leaky boat. Well, except for that fact that boats are not generally round, orange and on fire. Hmm. Come to think of it, in no way whatsoever did the sun, in this instance, resemble a leaky boat. My apologies. That was a dreadful attempt at simile. Please allow me to try again.
As the station wagon pulled back onto the highway, the sun was slowly sinking below the horizon like a self-luminous, gaseous sphere comprised mainly of of hydrogen and helium. ~ Cuthbert Soup,#NFDB
1017:If you are forced to confront your fears on a daily basis, they disintegrate, like illusions when viewed up close. Maybe being always protected made me more fearful, and I would later dip cautiously into the outside world, never allowing myself to be submerged completely, and always jerking back into the familiarity of my own life when my senses were overwhelmed. For years I would stand with a foot in each sphere, drawn to the exotic universe that lay on the other side of the portal, wrenched back by the warnings that sounded like alarm bells in my mind. ~ Deborah Feldman, #NFDB
1018:Here lies a she sun, and a he moon there; She gives the best light to his sphere; Or each is both, and all, and so They unto one another nothing owe; And yet they do, but are So just and rich in that coin which they pay, That neither would, nor needs forbear, nor stay; Neither desires to be spared nor to spare. They quickly pay their debt, and then Take no acquittances, but pay again; They pay, they give, they lend, and so let fall No such occasion to be liberal. More truth, more courage in these two do shine, Than all thy turtles have and sparrows, Valentine. ~ John Donne, #NFDB
1019:There are two processes which we adopt consciously or unconsciously when we try to prophesy. We can seek a period in the past whose conditions resemble as closely as possible those of our day, and presume that the sequel to that period will, save for some minor alterations, be similar. Secondly, we can survey the general course of development in our immediate past, and endeavor to prolong it into the near future. The first is the method the historian; the second that of the scientist. Only the second is open to us now, and this only in a partial sphere. ~ Winston Churchill, #NFDB
1020:The Tear
IT WAS a tale of passion that we read—
Of two who loved, not happily, but well!
And evermore her gentle breast did swell
Like a twin-billow,—for her feelings fed
Upon its rhythmic grief—and brimming shed
Such dews of pity as can only fall
From natures full of sweetness, when the pall
Of tragedy o’ershadows them with dread.
Then, as I looked, in her raised eye there stood
A gem more excellent that ever shined
Within my spirit’s transcendental sphere,
And so embalmed its love with an immortal tear.
~ Charles Harpur,#NFDB
1021:Topology is that branch of mathematics which is interested in the forms of things aside from their size and shape, Two things are said to be topologically equivalent if one can be deformed smoothly into the other without sticking, cutting, or puncturing it in any way. Thus an egg is equivalent to a sphere. The first application of topology to an analogous problem-the interaction of atoms rather than elementary particles-was made in the mid-nineteenth century by Lord Kelvin. It has many striking parallels with the aims and attractions of modern string theory. ~ John D Barrow, #NFDB
1022:Epictetus explained what becoming a Cynic would entail: “You must utterly put away the will to get, and must will to avoid only what lies within the sphere of your will: you must harbour no anger, wrath, envy, pity: a fair maid, a fair name, favourites, or sweet cakes, must mean nothing to you.” A Cynic, he explained, “must have the spirit of patience in such measure as to seem to the multitude as unfeeling as a stone. Reviling or blows or insults are nothing to him.”2 Few people, one imagines, had the courage and endurance to live the life of a Cynic. The ~ William B Irvine, #NFDB
1023:Isn’t there in fact an extremely strict correspondence, even to the very details, between the content of any one sphere of consciousness and any other, so far as the external world is concerned? Well, well; and who is going to be the one to establish this correspondence? What does establish it is language, including everything in the way of expression, gesture, taking hold of another person, pointing with one’s finger and so forth, though none of this breaks through that inexorable, absolute division between spheres of consciousness. ~ Erwin Schrödinger, My View of the World, #NFDB
1024:It dispelled, on the spot—something, to the elder woman’s ear, in the sad, sweet sound of it—any ghost of any need of explaining. The sense was constant for her that their relation might have been afloat, like some island of the south, in a great warm sea that represented, for every conceivable chance, a margin, an outer sphere, of general emotion; and the effect of the occurrence of anything in particular was to make the sea submerge the island, the margin flood the text. The great wave now for a moment swept over. ‘I’ll go anywhere else in the world you like. ~ Henry James, #NFDB
1025:Most Americans who made it past the fourth grade have a pretty good idea who Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King, Jr., were. Not many Americans have even heard of Alice Paul, Howard W. Smith, and Martha Griffiths. But they played almost as big a role in the history of women’s rights as Marshall and King played in the history of civil rights for African-Americans. They gave women the handle to the door to economic opportunity, and nearly all the gains women have made in that sphere since the nineteen-sixties were made because of what they did. ~ Louis Menand, #NFDB
1026:There is no independence of law against National Socialism. Say to yourselves at every decision which you make: "How would the Führer decide in my place?" In every decision ask yourselves: "Is this decision compatible with the National Socialist conscience of the German people?" Then you will have a firm iron foundation which, allied with the unity of the National Socialist People's State and with your recognition of the eternal nature of the will of Adolf Hitler, will endow your own sphere of decision with the authority of the Third Reich, and this for all time. ~ Hans Frank, #NFDB
1027:The two revolutions, I mean the annual revolutions of the declination and of the centre of the Earth, are not completely equal; that is the return of the declination to its original value is slightly ahead of the period of the centre. Hence it necessarily follows that the equinoxes and solstices seem to anticipate their timing, not because the sphere of the fixed stars moves to the east, but rather the equatorial circle moves to the west, being at an angle to the plane of the ecliptic in proportion to the declination of the axis of the terrestrial globe. ~ Nicolaus Copernicus, #NFDB
1028:It appears to me that it [sin] is simply an attempt to penetrate into another and higher sphere in a forbidden manner. You can understand why it is so rare. They are few, indeed, who wish to penetrate into higher spheres, higher or lower, in ways allowed or forbidden. Men, in the mass, are amply content with life as they find it. Therefore there are few saints, and sinners (in the proper sense) are fewer still, and men of genius, who partake sometimes of each character, are rare also. Yes, on the whole , it is, perhaps, harder to be a great sinner than a great saint. ~ Arthur Machen, #NFDB
1029:Our problem is that the climate crisis hatched in our laps at a moment in history when political and social conditions were uniquely hostile to a problem of this nature and magnitude-that moment being the tail end of the go-go '80s, the blastoff point for the crusade to spread deregulated capitalism around the world. Climate change is a collective problem demanding collective action the likes of which humanity has never actually accomplished. Yet it entered mainstream consciousness in the midst of an ideological war being waged on the very idea of the collective sphere. ~ Naomi Klein, #NFDB
1030:But with thousands honking simultaneously it is a wildly different noise, like the tribal roar you hear in stadiums, yet even greater than that, beyond animalistic, more like an enormous avalanche or the howl of the earth itself, the high-pitched hum of the sphere, if you could actually hear it, hurtling through space at sixty-six thousand miles an hour. Brandon tilted back and joined in, honking along with the flock until it split into long loose Vs and the bedlam faded to an industrial squeal, then to an ambient wail as the skeins turned to threads before fading to blue. ~ Jim Lynch, #NFDB
1031:Certitude leads to violence. This is a proposition that has an easy application and a difficult one. The easy application is to ideoologues, dogmatists, and bullies--people who think that their rigtness justifies them in imposing on anyone who does not happen to suscribe to their particular ideology, dogma or notion of turf. If the conviction of rightness is powerful enough, resistance to it will be met, sooner or later by force. There are people like this in every sphere of life, and it is natural to feel that the world would be a better place without them! ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr, #NFDB
1032:Many faculty retreated into academic specializations and an arcane language that made them irrelevant to the task of defending the university as a public good, except for in some cases a very small audience. This has become more and more clear in the last few years as academics have become so insular, often unwilling or unable to defend the university as a public good, in spite of the widespread attacks on academic freedom, the role of the university as a democratic public sphere, and the increasing reduction of knowledge to a saleable commodity, and students to customers. ~ Henry Giroux, #NFDB
1033:Over hill, over dale,
Thorough bush, thorough brier,
Over park, over pale,
Thorough flood, thorough fire,
I do wander everywhere,
Swifter than the moon's sphere;
And I serve the fairy queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green.
The cowslips tall her pensioners be:
In their gold coats spots you see;
Those be rubies, fairy favours,
In those freckles live their savours:
I must go seek some dewdrops here
And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear.
Farewell, thou lob of spirits; I'll be gone:
Our queen and all our elves come here anon. ~ William Shakespeare,#NFDB
1034:In the wars against Revolutionary and Napoleonic France, as in so many later conflicts, British women seem to have been no more markedly pacifist than men. Instead, and exactly like so many of their male countrymen, some women found ways of combining support for the national interest with a measure of self-promotion. By assisting the war effort, women demonstrated that their concerns were by no means confined to the domestic sphere. Under cover of a patriotism that was often genuine and profound, they carved out for themselves a real if precarious place in the public sphere. ~ Linda Colley, #NFDB
1035:I can give not what men call love
but wilt thou accept not
the worship the heart lifts above
and the heavens reject not-
the desire of the moth for the star
Of the night for the morrow
the devotion of something afar
from the sphere of our sorrow?
ലോകര് പേര് പറയുന്ന പ്രേമമെന്നത് നിന/ ക്കേകുവാന് ഞാനെന്നിരിക്കിലും ഭദ്രേ!/സ്വീകരിക്കുകയില്ലേയെന് ഹൃദ്യോത്സര്പ്പണം / സ്വര്ഗ്ഗവും നിരാകരിക്കാത്തതാമാരാധനം/ പാറ്റക്ക് വിന്താരയോടുള്ളതാമഭിലാഷം/ രാത്രിക്ക് പിറ്റെന്നാളോടുള്ളതാമത്യാസക്തി/ ഹാ വിദൂരതയിലോന്നിനു വേണ്ടി ശോക / ഭൂവില് നിന്നുയരുന്ന ഭക്തിനിര്ഭരമോഹം ~ S K Pottekkatt,#NFDB
1036:To the extent that we hyper-separate ourselves from nature and reduce it conceptually in order to justify domination, we not only lose the ability to empathise and to see the non-human sphere in ethical terms, but also get a false sense of our own character and location that includes an illusory sense of autonomy. The failure to see the non-human domain in the richer terms appropriate to ethics licences supposedly ‘purely instrumental’ relationships that distort our perceptions and enframings, impoverish our relations and make us insensitive to dependencies and interconnections ~ Val Plumwood, #NFDB
1037:Why do we pray in the plural, 'Give us' [i.e. Lord's Prayer]? Why is it not said, give me?
. . .
It reproves narrow-spirited men who move within their own sphere only; who look only at themselves, and mind not the case of others; who leave others out of their prayers; if they have daily bread, they care not though others starve; if they are clothed, they care not though others go naked. Christ taught us to pray for others, to say, 'Give us;' but selfish persons are shut up within themselves, as the snail in the shell, and never speak a word in prayer for others. ~ Thomas Watson,#NFDB
1038:Even at such a tender age, I knew that life is lived in leftovers, account ledgers, and timetables rather than in the Platonic sphere of perfect theory. I couldn't float sylphlike around Love Hall in the flowing robes of indeterminacy for the rest of my life, however much I wished there to be no change. I had to accept my responsibilities and, at least in the eyes of the world and at least for the time being, nail my colors to a mast. Unless I wished to appear a strange wonder for the rest of time, caked in circus makeup covering the truth inches beneath, the mast would be male. ~ Wesley Stace, #NFDB
1039:Now it must be noticed that the natural loves make this blasphemous claim not when they are in their worst, but when they are in their best, natural condition; when they are what our grandfathers called ‘pure’ or ‘noble’. This is especially obvious in the erotic sphere. A faithful and genuinely self-sacrificing passion will speak to us with what seems the voice of God. Merely animal or frivolous lust will not. It will corrupt its addict in a dozen ways, but not in that way; a man may act upon such feelings but he cannot revere them any more than a man who scratches reveres the itch. ~ C S Lewis, #NFDB
1040:Today we will tackle the rudiments of getting people to buy the thing you’re selling. This is the heart of all activity of any kind in the human sphere. Along with the opposable thumb, this capacity—to sell others something they perhaps did not even know they wanted—is what separates Homo sapiens from its ancestors. Cows do not sell each other hay when they are hungry. Monkeys do not sell each other bananas. Only human beings can create the perception in other human beings that, even though they have showered, they still smell bad and need an underarm deodorant to set things right. ~ Stanley Bing, #NFDB
1041:Dear God, I prayed, all unafraid (as we're inclined to do), I do not need a handsome man but let him be like You; I do not need one big and strong nor yet so very tall, nor need he be some genius, or wealthy, Lord, at all; but let his head be high, dear God, and let his eye be clear, his shoulders straight, whate'er his state, whate'er his earthly sphere; and let his face have character, a ruggedness if soul, and let his whole life show, dear God, a singleness of goal; then when he comes (as he will come) with quiet eyes aglow, I'll understand that he's the man I prayed for long ago. ~ Ruth Graham, #NFDB
1042:Turn your face toward the sacred Mosque (Koran 2:144,149,150) Commentary: The word "sacred" means that a heart which has not disengaged itself from the sphere of the soul and the sphere of created beings is forbidden to penetrate into this place. . . . "Wherever you are, turn your face" [toward the sacred Mosque] means, "Wherever you are, in the accomplishment of works of worship or in the ordinary acts of life, contemplate Him - in what you eat, in what you drink, in him or her whom you marry, always knowing that He is at once the Contemplator and the Contemplated. . . ." ~ Abdelkader El Djezairi, #NFDB
1043:Fable
The mountain and the squirrel
Had a quarrel,
And the former called the latter, "little prig ":
Bun replied,
"You are doubtless very big;
But all sorts of things and weather
Must be taken in together
To make up a year,
And a sphere.
And I think it no disgrace
To occupy my place.
If I'm not so large as you,
You are not so small as I,
And not half so spry.
I'll not deny you make
A very pretty squirrel track;
Talents differ; all is well and wisely put;
If I cannot carry forests on my back,
Neither can you crack a nut. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson,#NFDB
1044:For women to be supplying the soldiery with banners, flannel shirts and other material comforts was, superficially, all of a piece with their ministrations to their menfolk at home. Such contributions to the war effort were socially acceptable because they could be seen as an extension into the military sphere of the traditional female virtues of charity, nurture and needlework. Yet in reality what the women were doing represented the thin end of a far more radical wedge. Consciously or not, these female patriots were staking out a civic role for themselves. And many of them relished it. ~ Linda Colley, #NFDB
1045:What the essential difference between man and woman is, that they should be thus attracted to one another, no one has satisfactorily answered. Perhaps we must acknowledge the justness of the distinction which assigns to man the sphere of wisdom, and to woman that of love, though neither belongs exclusively to either. Man is continually saying to woman, Why will you not be more wise? Woman is continually saying to man, Why will you not be more loving? It is not in their wills to be wise or to be loving; but, unless each is both wise and loving, there can be neither wisdom nor love. ~ Henry David Thoreau, #NFDB
1046:Each Sphere makes us more humble than the previous one, ‘for he that humbles himself is exalted in love, and he that exalts himself is humbled.’ Greatness is humility. Within each Sphere are ups and downs, we receive some Divine Love and blessing, and then pain or a deep lesson arises for us to feel and process. We are ascending and descending continually within the sub-levels of each Sphere. It is like a ladder that we move up and down on. God rests at the summit of this ladder, desiring us to reach into His substance and Great Soul. And then the ladder continues on, in a new way … ~ Padma Aon Prakasha, #NFDB
1047:"There is one basis of science," says Descartes, "one test and rule of truth, namely, that whatever is clearly and distinctly conceived is true." A profound psychological mistake. It is true only of formal logic, wherein the mind never quits the sphere of its first assumptions to pass out into the sphere of real existences; no sooner does the mind pass from the internal order to the external order, than the necessity of verifying the strict correspondence between the two becomes absolute. The Ideal Test must be supplemented by the Real Test, to suit the new conditions of the problem. ~ George Henry Lewes, #NFDB
1048:By the turn of the twentieth century, every state in the South had laws on the books that disenfranchised blacks and discriminated against them in virtually ever sphere of life, lending sanction to a racial ostracism that extended to schools, churches, housing, jobs, restrooms, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, orphanages, prisons, funeral homes, morgues, and cemeteries. Politicians competed with each other by proposing and passing every more stringent, oppressive, and downright ridiculous legislation (such as laws specifically prohibiting blacks and whites from playing chess together.) ~ Michelle Alexander, #NFDB
1049:Dor broke off. "We're slaughtering them! That wasn't my intent! It's time to set off the forget spell!" "We would be trapped by it too," Jumper reminded him. "Speak to it." "Speak to it? Oh." Dor held out the glassy ball. "Spell, how are you detonated?" "I detonate when a voice commands me to," the ball replied. "Any voice?" "That's what I said." Dor had his answer. He set the sphere in a niche in the cliff. "Count to one thousand, then order yourself to detonate," he told it. "Say, that's clever!" the spell said. "One, two, three-four-five-" "Slowly!" Dor said sharply. "One number per second. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
1050:…I have fallen in love with a painting. Though that phrase doesn’t seem to suffice, not really—rather’s it that I have been drawn into the orbit of a painting, have allowed myself to be pulled into its sphere by casual attraction deepening to something more compelling. I have felt the energy and life of the painting’s will; I have been held there, instructed. And the overall effect, the result of looking and looking into it’s brimming surface as long as I could look, is love, by which I mean a sense of tenderness toward experience, of being held within an intimacy with the things of the world. ~ Mark Doty, #NFDB
1051:She found a small picture made entirely of feathers and was trying to decide whether it depicted a monkey climbing up the back of a man—or possibly a person climbing a flight of stairs or perhaps a cow next to a tree, when she saw a chess piece, sitting by itself on a small pedestal.
It was the white queen, carved from ivory. She stood with a regal frown, her body shadowed by the enormous crown that bloomed on her head. The crown was a hollow sphere, exquisitely carved with open work, and when Jemma peered inside she saw inside another sphere, also open, and inside that, yet another. ~ Eloisa James,#NFDB
1052:When we say that the Arabs are the aggressors and we defend ourselves — this is only half the truth. As regards our security and life we defend ourselves and our moral and physical position is not bad. We can face the gangs... and were we allowed to mobilize all our forces we would have no doubts about the outcome... But the fighting is only one aspect of the conflict which is in its essence a political one. And politically we are the aggressors and they defend themselves. Militarily, it is we who are on the defensive who have the upper hand but in the political sphere they are superior. ~ David Ben Gurion, #NFDB
1053:You have gone too far,” said Amar.
Nritti grinned. “You have not even begun to witness the destruction I can wreak.”
“We won’t give you that chance,” I said.
Amar moved to my side. He didn’t crouch behind or run in front. He stood by my side as an equal. He laced his fingers in mine, his expression handsomely severe.
“What should we do, jaani?”
“Restore the light,” I said.
Amar grinned. He wrung his hands like he was balancing an invisible sphere, his face drawn in focus. In the space between his fingers, a small pinprick of light began to whirl faster and faster. ~ Roshani Chokshi,#NFDB
1054:I.
One word is too often profaned
For me to profane it,
One feeling too falsely disdained
For thee to disdain it;
One hope is too like despair
For prudence to smother,
And pity from thee more dear
Than that from another.
II.
I can give not what men call love,
But wilt thou accept not
The worship the heart lifts above
And the Heavens reject not,--
The desire of the moth for the star,
Of the night for the morrow,
The devotion to something afar
From the sphere of our sorrow?
~ Percy Bysshe Shelley, To-- One word is too often profaned
,#NFDB
1055:Science fiction does not attempt to predict. It extrapolates. It just says, "What if?" not what will be? Because you can never predict what will happen, particularly in politics and economics. You can to some extent predict in the technological sphere - flying, space travel, but even there we missed badly on some things, like computers. No one imagined the incredible impact of computers, even though robot brains of various kinds but the idea that one day every house would have a computer in every room and that one day we'd have computers built into our clothing, nobody ever thought of that. ~ Arthur C Clarke, #NFDB
1056:Why Aren't We Screaming Drunks?
by Hafiz (Daniel Ladinsky)
(1945? - ) Timeline
Original Language
English
Muslim / Sufi
Contemporary
The sun once glimpsed God's true nature
And has never been the same.
Thus that radiant sphere
Constantly pours its energy
Upon this earth
As does He from behind
The veil.
With a wonderful God like that
Why isn't everyone a screaming drunk?
Hafiz's guess is this:
Any thought that you are better or less
Than another man
Quickly
Breaks the wine
Glass. ~ Daniel Ladinsky,#NFDB
1057:First Corinthians 6:9, 10 provides a list of people who will “not inherit the kingdom.” The kingdom is the spiritual sphere of salvation where God rules as king over all who belong to Him by faith. All believers are in that spiritual kingdom, yet are waiting to enter into the full inheritance of it in the age to come. While believers can and do commit these sins, they do not characterize them as an unbroken life pattern. When they do, it demonstrates that the person is not in God’s kingdom. True believers who do sin, repent of that sin and seek to gain the victory over it (Rom. 7:14–25). ~ John F MacArthur Jr, #NFDB
1058:Health education emphasizing risks is a form of pedagogy, which, like other forms, serves to legitimize ideologies and social practices. Risk discourse in the public health sphere allows the state, as the owner of knowledge, to exert power of the bodies of its citizens. Risk discourse, therefore, especially when it emphasizes lifestyle risks, serves as an effective Foucauldian agent of surveillance and control that is difficult to challenge because of its manifest benevolent goal of maintaining standards of health. In doing so, it draws attention away from the structural causes of ill-health. ~ Deborah Lupton, #NFDB
1059:Set the standard as high as you will; live to it as near as you can; and if you fail, try yourself, judge yourself, condemn yourself, if you choose. Teach and persuade your neighbor if you can; consider and compare his conduct if you please; speak your mind if you desire; but if he fails to reach your standard or his own, try him not, judge him not, condemn him not. He lies beyond your sphere; you cannot know the temptation nor the inward battle nor the weight of the circumstances upon him. You do not know how long he fought before he failed. Therefore you cannot be just. Let him alone. ~ Voltairine de Cleyre, #NFDB
1060:Here lies a she sun, and a he moon there;
She gives the best light to his sphere;
Or each is both, and all, and so
They unto one another nothing owe;
And yet they do, but are
So just and rich in that coin which they pay,
That neither would, nor needs forbear, nor stay;
Neither desires to be spared nor to spare.
They quickly pay their debt, and then
Take no acquittances, but pay again;
They pay, they give, they lend, and so let fall
No such occasion to be liberal.
More truth, more courage in these two do shine,
Than all thy turtles have and sparrows, Valentine. ~ John Donne,#NFDB
1061:God,” said Benedict Fludd, “your God, that is, strides in and out of my life with no warning. One day he seems impossible—laughable, laughable—and the next, he is imperious.” He stopped. He said “It is like the phases of the moon, maybe. Or the seasons of the sphere we live on, rolling in and out of the light, skeleton trees one day, and then snow, and afterwards the bright green veil and after that the full heat and shining. Only it is neither regular nor predictable. And there are—others—who stride in, when he takes himself off. Who seem persuasive. Like Hindoo demons who are gods in their own terms. ~ A S Byatt, #NFDB
1062:Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) was keenly aware of the presence of God as a motive force in every human action and event. But for Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) God infused the moral sphere as well, and the felt weight of moral responsibility imposed by God's constant presence was too great to allow Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) to ignore the special burden of freedom imposed by the very fact that man is a moral agent. Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) was no more a fatalist than Ibn Tufayl, for Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) was no less a participant of that extraordinary transference of purpose that marks the life of the ecstatic radical monotheist. ~ Lenn Evan Goodman, #NFDB
1063:We see Nature combining molecules and cells in the living body to construct separate individuals, and the same Nature, stubbornly pursuing the same course but on a higher level, combining individuals in social organisms to obtain a higher order of psychic results. The processes of chemistry and biology are continued without a break in the social sphere. This accounts for the tendency, which has been insufficiently noted, of every living phylum (insect and vertebrate) to group itself towards its latter end in socialized communities. ~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, A Great Event Foreshadowed - The Planetization of Mankind, #NFDB
1064:Their information for visitors makes no pretence that the gospels are accurate accounts of Christ’s life and teaching. Cambridge Anglicans stress that unknown hands wrote them long after Christ’s death. They offer worshippers a celebration of tradition, symbolic truths and parables, not literal truths. Everywhere liberal Christians, Jews and Muslims follow the same example. They worship in a narrow religious sphere, which is cautious and a touch vapid, and do not try to force the rest of society to accept their views. For them there is a secular world informed by science, and there is their world of faith. ~ Nick Cohen, #NFDB
1065:The net result is a deadlocked public sphere, with the actual exercise of power being relegated to the interlocking complex of corporations and institutions of governance that has come to be known as the “deep state.” From the point of view of corporations and other establishment entities, a deadlocked public is, of course, the best possible outcome, which, no doubt, is why they frequently strive to produce it: the funding of climate change “denial” in the United States and elsewhere, by corporations like Exxon—which have long known about the consequences of carbon emissions—is a perfect example of this. ~ Amitav Ghosh, #NFDB
1066:And yet however much M. Vinteuil may have known of his daughter’s conduct it did not follow that his adoration of her grew any less. The facts of life do not penetrate to the sphere in which our beliefs are cherished; as it was not they that engendered those beliefs, so they are powerless to destroy them; they can aim at them continual blows of contradiction and disproof without weakening them; and an avalanche of miseries and maladies coming, one after another, without interruption into the bosom of a family, will not make it lose faith in either the clemency of its God or the capacity of its physician. ~ Marcel Proust, #NFDB
1067:Every Navy warship assigned to the Sol protection fleet flashed in towards Earth, knitting together in a defensive formation that extended out beyond lunar orbit. Weapons platforms that had spent decades stealthed in high orbit emerged to join the incredible array of firepower lining up on the Swarm. All over the planet, force fields powered up, shielding the remaining cities. Anyone outside an urban area was immediately teleported in to safety. The T-sphere itself was integrated into the defence organization, ready to ward off energy assaults against the planet by rearranging spacetime in a sharp curve. ~ Peter F Hamilton, #NFDB
1068:[T]he principal part in the human body, namely, the heart, is in constant motion, and is the source of every motion noticed in the body; it rules over the other members, and communicates to them through its own pulsations the force required for their functions. The outermost sphere by its motion rules in a similar way over all other parts of the universe, and supplies all things with their special properties. Every motion in the universe has thus its origin in the motion of that sphere; and the soul of every animated being derives its origin from the soul of that same sphere. ~ Maimonides, Guide for the Perplexed (c. 1190), #NFDB
1069:The rise of the beauty myth was just one of several emerging social fictions that masqueraded as natural components of the feminine sphere, the better to enclose those women inside it. Other such fictions arose contemporaneously: a version of childhood that required continual maternal supervision; a concept of female biology that required middle-class women to act out the roles of hysterics and hypochondriacs; a conviction that respectable women were sexually anesthetic; and a definition of women’s work that occupied them with repetitive, time-consuming, and painstaking tasks such as needlepoint and lacemaking. ~ Naomi Wolf, #NFDB
1070:All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom. It is no mere chance that our older universities developed from clerical schools. Both churches and universities — insofar as they live up to their true function — serve the ennoblement of the individual. They seek to fulfill this great task by spreading moral and cultural understanding, renouncing the use of brute force. ~ Albert Einstein, "Moral Decay" (1937); published in Out of My Later Years (1950), #NFDB
1071:America is a large country and its people have so far not shown much interest in great international problems, among which the problem of disarmament occupies first place today. This must be changed, if only in America's own interest. The last war has shown that there are no longer any barriers between the continents and that the destinies of all countries are closely interwoven. The people of this country must realize that they have a great responsibility in the sphere of international politics. The part of passive spectator is unworthy of this country and is bound in the end to lead to disaster all round. ~ Albert Einstein, #NFDB
1072:America is a large country and its people have so far not shown much interest in great international problems, among which the problem of disarmament occupies first place today. This must be changed, if only in America’s own interest. The last war has shown that there are no longer any barriers between the continents and that the destinies of all countries are closely interwoven. The people of this country must realize that they have a great responsibility in the sphere of international politics. The part of passive spectator is unworthy of this country and is bound in the end to lead to disaster all round. ~ Albert Einstein, #NFDB
1073:The cult of individual personalities is always, in my view, unjustified… It strikes me as unfair, and even in bad taste, to select a few for boundless admiration, attributing superhuman powers of mind and character to them. This has been my fate, and the contrast between the popular estimate of my achievements and the reality is simply grotesque. This extraordinary state of affairs would be unbearable but for one great consoling thought: it is a welcome symptom in an age, which is commonly denounced as materialistic, that it makes heroes of men whose ambitions lie wholly in the intellectual and moral sphere. ~ Walter Isaacson, #NFDB
1074:how we appeared to those on the outside—the sense that no one could really understand what it meant to live in this way—but I had believed that there was room for portrayals that showed the varieties of experience within Orthodoxy. I had wanted to reckon with the ways people lived not only within the sanctioned positions of the law but inside all the human possibilities between. I had wanted to write about the small transgressions and religious compromises people make and yet remain inside—that wily inner sphere that surely existed here as it did everywhere. But apparently, here there was no doubting, no desiring ~ Tova Mirvis, #NFDB
1075:Without a global revolution in the sphere of human consciousness, nothing will change for the better in the sphere of our being as humans, and the catastrophe toward which this world is headed — be it ecological, social, demographic or a general breakdown of civilization — will be unavoidable. If we are no longer threatened by world war or by the danger that the absurd mountains of accumulated nuclear weapons might blow up the world, this does not mean that we have definitely won. We are still incapable of understanding that the only genuine backbone of all our actions, if they are to be moral, is responsibility. ~ V clav Havel, #NFDB
1076:Things were changing; I was changing. All swelling limbs and sweating brain, suddenly I had more body than I knew what to do with. Arms and legs became the prey of low desktops and narrow corridors, were ambushed by sharp corners. Mr Baxter ignored my plight. Bodies were inimical to mathematics, or so we were led to believe. Bad hair, acrid breath, lumpy skin, all vanished for an hour every Tuesday and Thursday. Young minds in the buff soared into the sphere of pure reason. Pages turned to parallelograms; cities, circumferences; recipes, ratios. Shorn of our bearings, we groped our way around in this rarefied air. ~ Daniel Tammet, #NFDB
1077:Sweet Silence After Bells
Sweet silence after bells!
deep in the enamour'd ear
soft incantation dwells.
Filling the rapt still sphere
a liquid crystal swims,
precarious yet clear.
Those metal quiring hymns
shaped ether so succinct:
a while, or it dislimns,
the silence, wanly prinkt
with forms of lingering notes,
inhabits, close. distinct;
and night, the angel, floats
on wings of blessing spread
o'er all the gather'd cotes
where meditation, wed
with love, in gold-lit cells,
absorbs the heaven that shed
sweet silence after bells.
~ Christopher John Brennan,#NFDB
1078:The way we envision the stars is by imagining they're attached to a giant invisible sphere surrounding the earth. It is a total fiction, really - just a construction we came up with to help us get our heads around the complexity of it all ... The ecliptic, put simply is the plane of the earth's orbit around the sun. But since we all live here on earth, we observe the sun to be moving along this plane instead. Why? Because what would be the point of looking at things from the perspective of the sun? That's no use to anyone ... Ergo, it's an imaginary circle, as it's only a part of our human construction of the cosmos. ~ Benjamin Wood, #NFDB
1079:A phenomenon noticeable throughout history regardless of place or period is the pursuit by governments of policies contrary to their own interests. Mankind, it seems, makes a poorer performance of government than of almost any other human activity. In this sphere, wisdom, which may be defined as the exercise of judgment acting on experience, common sense and available information, is less operative and more frustrated than it should be. Why do holders of high office so often act contrary to the way reason points and enlightened self-interest suggests? Why does intelligent mental process seem so often not to function? ~ Barbara W Tuchman, #NFDB
1080:If you think about it, everyone is behind someone and in front of someone. The nature of the sphere, right? No one gets left at the end or is forced to take the lead, and in this way you might say the shape of the earth is democratic. There are hesitations, of course. There are lines going in ways that you wouldn’t imagine. People are passed up or passed over. The tempo is irregular and messy. If you thought about the entirety of it, the legs, the back and forth, it’s a fiasco, an anarchy of steps. It’s impossible. And there’s no way to tidy it or make it in any way manageable, not in one’s imagination or anywhere else. ~ Deb Olin Unferth, #NFDB
1081:They were a remarkable company, each one of them a unique person, yet characterized to some extent by his particular national type. And all were distinctively “scientists” of the period. Formerly this would have implied a rather uncritical leaning towards materialism, and an affectation of cynicism; but by now it was fashionable to profess an equally uncritical belief that all natural phenomena were manifestations of the cosmic mind. In both periods, when a man passed beyond the sphere of his own serious scientific work he chose his beliefs irresponsibly, according to his taste, much as he chose his recreation or his food. ~ Olaf Stapledon, #NFDB
1082:At the present time it is widely accepted among lawyers that law is higher than morality—law is something which is shaped and developed, whereas morality is something inchoate and amorphous. This is not the case. The opposite is true: morality is higher than law! Law is our human attempt to embody in rules a part of that moral sphere which is above us. We try to understand this morality, bring it down to earth, and present it in the form of law. Sometimes we are more successful, sometimes less. Sometimes we have a mere caricature of morality, but morality is always higher than law. This view must never be abandoned. ~ Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, #NFDB
1083:. Cease then, nor ORDER Imperfection name:
Our proper bliss depends on what we blame.
Know thy own point: This kind, this due degree
Of blindness, weakness, Heav'n bestows on thee.
Submit -- In this, or any other sphere,
Secure to be as blest as thou canst bear:
Safe in the hand of one disposing Pow'r,
Or in the natal, or the mortal hour.
All Nature is but Art, unknown to thee;
All Chance, Direction, which thou canst not see;
All Discord, Harmony, not understood;
All partial Evil, universal Good:
And, spite of Pride, in erring Reason's spite,
One truth is clear, "Whatever IS, is RIGHT. ~ Alexander Pope,#NFDB
1084:The agony of breaking through personal limitations is the agony of spiritual growth. Art, literature, myth and cult, philosophy, and ascetic disciplines are instruments to help the individual past his limiting horizons into spheres of ever-expanding realization. As he crosses threshold after threshold, conquering dragon after dragon, the stature of the divinity that he summons to his highest wish increases, until it subsumes the cosmos. Finally, the mind breaks the bounding sphere of the cosmos to a realization transcending all experiences of form - all symbolizations, all divinities: a realization of the ineluctable void. ~ Joseph Campbell, #NFDB
1085:Freedom to order our own conduct in the sphere where material circumstances force a choice upon us, and responsibility for the arrangement of our own life according to our own conscience, is the air in which alone moral sense grows and in which moral values are daily recreated in the free decision of the individual. Responsibility, not to a superior, but to one's own conscience, the awareness of a duty not exacted by compulsion, the necessity to decide which of the things one values are to be sacrificed to others, and to bear the consequences of one's own decision, are the very essence of any morals which deserve the name. ~ Friedrich A Hayek, #NFDB
1086:Lines
PLACED OVER A CHIMNEY-PIECE
Surly Winter, come not here;
Bluster in thy proper sphere:
Howl along the naked plain,
There exert thy joyless reign;
Triumph o'er the withered flower,
The leafless shrub, the ruined bower;
But our cottage come not near;—
Other springs inhabit here,
Other sunshine decks our board,
Than the niggard skies afford.
Gloomy Winter, hence! away!
Love and Fancy scorn thy sway;
Love and Joy, and friendly Mirth,
Shall bless this roof, these walls, this hearth;
The rigour of the year controul,
And thaw the winter in the soul.
~ Anna Laetitia Barbauld,#NFDB
1087:The sheets of soil and air do seem to be actual membranes of the largest living system, the biosphere. These two sheets do not merely exist alongside the biosphere; they were created by and are now intrinsic parts of the biosphere. Layer upon layer we have extended our selves with cultural shelters: clothing, buildings, cities, and nations. Now we can identify with Earth’s outermost membrane as shelter, too. Connecting all our invented squares is one great and sustaining sphere of air. As Liu Ling might remark today, I take the whole Earth as my body. Why then are my skins being defiled? ~ Tyler Volk, Metapatterns - Across Space, Time, and Mind, #NFDB
1088:Isaac stopped her at the bottom of the stairs with a crooked smile. “I would wish you sweet dreams, but how could they be memorable at all if I won’t be in them?”
Her mood lightened and she punched him in the arm. “I’ll have you know that I was capable of conjuring up perfectly good dreams all on my own before I met you.”
“Perhaps,” he admitted. His smile went from playful to absolutely devastating in a heartbeat. He leaned in until he filled up her entire vision, her whole sphere of consciousness, and made her stomach flip over and over until she was dizzy with him. “But remember that only I can make those dreams a reality. ~ Chloe Jacobs,#NFDB
1089:PUCK
How now, spirit! whither wander you?
FAIRY
Over hill, over dale,
Through bush, through brier,
Over park, over pale,
Through flood, through fire,
I do wander everywhere,
Swifter than the moon's sphere;
And I serve the fairy queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green.
The cowslips tall her pensioners be:
In their gold coats spots you see;
Those be rubies, fairy favours,
In those freckles live their savours:
I must go seek some dewdrops here
And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear.
Farewell, thou lob of spirits; I'll be gone:
Our queen and all our elves come here anon. ~ William Shakespeare,#NFDB
1090:The lesson Holmes took from the war can be put in a sentence. It is that certitude leads to violence. This is a proposition that has an easy application and a difficult one. The easy application is to ideologues, dogmatists, and bullies—people who think that their rightness justifies them in imposing on anyone who does not happen to subscribe to their particular ideology, dogma, or notion of turf. If the conviction of rightness is powerful enough, resistance to it will be met, sooner or later, by force. There are people like this in every sphere of life, and it is natural to feel that the world would be a better place without them. ~ Louis Menand, #NFDB
1091:The claim to a national culture in the past does not only rehabilitate that nation and serve as a justification for the hope of a future national culture. In the sphere of psycho-affective equilibrium it is responsible for an important change in the native. Perhaps we haven't sufficiently demonstrated that colonialism is not satisfied merely with holding a people in its grip and emptying the native's brain of all form and content. By a kind of perverted logic, it turns to the past of the oppressed people, and distorts, disfigures, and destroys it. This work of devaluing pre-colonial history takes on a dialectical significance today. ~ Frantz Fanon, #NFDB
1092:Heroes are men who admit to being difficult to live with, who demand extremely high standards in every aspect of their lives, who are natural, effortless leaders, strong men, men with prestige and intelligence, whose faults are likely to be manifestations of strength and power. He is the master of his life; he is in control. Whether his sphere of influence is the boardroom or the mountains, the sea or the stage, the hero dominates it with his personality, his intelligence, and his quick, hard-honed grasp of every situation. A hero can seem arrogant and short-tempered, ruthless, tough, even cruel -- he can be quite unlovable at first. ~ Robyn Donald, #NFDB
1093:But an adherence to ideology, to any ideology, can give us the grand illusion of freedom when in fact we are being manipulated and used by those whom the theory serves. The struggle for freedom has to be a struggle toward integrity defined in every possible sphere of reality—sexual integrity, economic integrity, psychological integrity, integrity of expression, integrity of faith and loyalty and heart. Anything that shortcuts us away from viewing integrity as an essential goal or anything that diverts our attention from integrity as a revolutionary value serves only to reinforce the authoritarian values of the world in which we live. ~ Robert Jensen, #NFDB
1094:Why, however, would there be three disciplines to study the present but only one to study the past? Because the dominant liberal ideology of the nineteenth century insisted that modernity was defined by the differentiation of three social spheres: the market, the state, and the civil society. The three spheres operated, it was asserted, according to different logics, and it was good to keep them separated from each other—in social life and therefore in intellectual life. They needed to be studied in different ways, appropriate to each sphere—the market by economists, the state by political scientists, and the civil society by sociologists. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
1095:In Western culture, white womanhood is held up as the epitome of beauty and desire. Part of the machine of size discrimination is stripping white women of that status as punishment for fatness. There is a way in which body positive movements both reject the notion of the body as object while reclaiming it as beautiful by dismantling the definition. Black women’s bodies have always been objects in the social sphere, but are never exalted as beautiful. The fat Black woman’s body has been rendered as an object of service, whether for food, advice, care-taking, or other areas, but it has never been something to aspire to, not a thing of beauty. ~ Jes Baker, #NFDB
1096:Leo was a force of nature. He lived life big and loud in all respects…which meant that when he got riled up, everyone was sucked into the vortex along with him. His temper was legendary, but then again, so were his passions. He was charming and charismatic, brilliant and quick. He loved to argue, loved to box and work out, loved to laugh, loved to…love. And from the day they’d met, he’d swept her up into his whirlwind sphere, and she felt like she hadn’t been allowed a second to breathe since. Not that she’d minded, not while it had all still been safe and contained. She’d delighted in his passions…all of them. But everything was different now. ~ J K Coi, #NFDB
1097:Pervert is a verb, and we do it all the time. To pervert is to degrade, to cut down to size - and we do it to people in our minds. We devalue them. We reduce them to the limit of our appetites, of our sense of what might prove useful to us, of our sense of what strikes us as appropriate. ...we often only file them away - these living and breathing human beings - into separate files of crazy-making issues - talk. When we think of a person primarily as a problem ... we're reducing them to the tiny sphere of our stunted attention span. This is how perversion works. Perversion is a failure of the imagination, a failure to pay adequate attention. ~ David Dark, #NFDB
1098:A Reminiscence
YES, thou art gone ! and never more
Thy sunny smile shall gladden me ;
But I may pass the old church door,
And pace the floor that covers thee.
May stand upon the cold, damp stone,
And think that, frozen, lies below
The lightest heart that I have known,
The kindest I shall ever know.
Yet, though I cannot see thee more,
'Tis still a comfort to have seen ;
And though thy transient life is o'er,
'Tis sweet to think that thou hast been ;
To think a soul so near divine,
Within a form so angel fair,
United to a heart like thine,
Has gladdened once our humble sphere.
~ Anne Brontë,#NFDB
1099:There will thus remain a certain sphere which will be outside physics. To take a simple instance: physics might, ideally, be able to predict that at such a time my eye would receive a stimulus of a certain sort; it might be able to trace the physical properties of the resulting events in the eye and the brain, one of which is, in fact, a visual percept; but it could not itself give us the knowledge that one of them is a visual percept. It is obvious that a man who can see knows things which a blind man cannot know; but a blind man can know the whole of physics. Thus the knowledge which other men have and he has not is not part of physics. ~ Bertrand Russell, #NFDB
1100:Do you know the reason why poetry and philosophy are nothing but dead-letter nowadays? It is because they have severed themselves from life. In Greece, ideas went hand-in-hand with life; so that the artist's life was already a poetic realisation, the philosopher's life a putting into action of his philosophy; in this way, as both philosophy and poetry took part in life, instead of remaining unacquainted with each other, philosophy provided food for poetry, and poetry gave expression to philosophy - and the result was admirably persuasive. Nowadays beauty no longer acts; action no longer desires to be beautiful; and wisdom works in a sphere apart. ~ Andr Gide, #NFDB
1101:Men are apt to grow, in the apostolical phrase, too ‘worldly’: the propensity of our nature, or rather the operation of our state, is to plunge us, the lower orders of the community, in the concerns of the day, and their masters, in the cares of wealth and gain. It is good for us, sometimes to be ‘in the mount.’ Those things are to be cherished, which tend to elevate us above our ordinary sphere, and to abstract us from our common and every-day concerns. The affectionate recollection and admiration of the dead will act gently upon our spirits, and fill us with a composed seriousness, favourable to the best and most honourable contemplations. ~ William Godwin, #NFDB
1102:Practically all government attempts to redistribute wealth and income tend to smother productive incentives and lead toward general impoverishment. It is the proper sphere of government to create and enforce a framework of law that prohibits force and fraud. But it must refrain from specific economic interventions. Government's main economic function is to encourage and preserve a free market. When Alexander the Great visited the philosopher Diogenes and asked whether he could do anything for him, Diogenes is said to have replied: "Yes, stand a little less between me and the sun." It is what every citizen is entitled to ask of his government. ~ Henry Hazlitt, #NFDB
1103:A Wall Flower
I lounge in the doorway and languish in vain
While Tom, Dick and Harry are dancing with Jane
My spirit rises to the music's beat;
There is a leaden fiend lurks in my feet!
To move unto your motion, Love, were sweet.
Somewhere, I think, some other where, not here,
In other ages, on another sphere,
I danced with you, and you with me, my dear.
In perfect motion did our bodies sway,
To perfect music that was heard alway;
Woe's me, that am so dull of foot to-day!
To move unto your motion, Love, were sweet;
My spirit rises to the music's beat-But, ah, the leaden demon in my feet!
~ Amy Levy,#NFDB
1104:It was a single poppy seed...she rolled it between her fingers and raised her eyes past the straining sails, to the star-filled vault above. On any other night she would have scanned the sky for the planet she had always thought to be the arbiter of her fate - but tonight her eyes dropped instead to the tiny sphere she was holding between her thumb and forefinger. She looked at the seed as if she had never seen one before, and suddenly she knew that it was not the planet above that governed her life: it was this minuscule orb - at once bountiful and all-devouring, merciful and destructive, sustaining and vengeful. This was her Shani, her Saturn. ~ Amitav Ghosh, #NFDB
1105:Religion sees in civil liberty a noble exercise of the faculties of man; in the political world, a field offered by the Creator to the efforts of intelligence. Free and powerful in its sphere, satisfied with the place reserved for it, religion knows that its dominion is that much better established because it rules only by its own strength and dominates hearts without other support.
Liberty sees in religion the companion of its struggles and triumphs, the cradle of its early years, the divine source of its rights. Liberty considers religion as the safeguard of mores, mores as the guarantee of laws and the pledge of its own duration. ~ Alexis de Tocqueville,#NFDB
1106:Epictetus actually says all the enmity between people is down to a single judgement of this kind, they ‘put themselves and what belongs to themselves in the category of things which lie outside the sphere of volition’ (Discourses, 2.22). We see dogs playfully fawning on each other and might say that they ‘love’ one another as ‘friends’ but if we throw a piece of meat between them then a fight breaks out and they are quickly pitted against each other. Throw some land or money between father and son, he says, and we will see how fragile the bond is between them, as long as external things are confused with our ultimate good (Discourses, 3.24). ~ Donald J Robertson, #NFDB
1107:Humans weren’t always human in this third sense, as far as we can tell. In the beginning, Homo sapiens seems not to have created art, played music, invented new tools, worked out the motions of the planets, or worshiped gods in the celestial sphere. These capacities accumulated slowly, over tens of thousands of years. Sometimes a new trait—a new kind of art, a new kind of construction—arose, only to fade out. But over the long run, as the other human species disappeared, these attributes built up in us, until perhaps fifty thousand years ago something resembling modern humankind—“behaviorally modern” humans, in the jargon—was loose in the world. ~ Charles C Mann, #NFDB
1108:Out of the night forth flamed a star -mine own!
Now seventy light-years nearer as I urge
Constant my heart through the abyss unknown,
Its glory my sole guide while space surge
About me. Seventy light-years! As I near
That gate of light that men call death, its cold
Pale gleam begins to pulse, a throbbing sphere,
Systole and diastole of eager gold,
New life immortal, warmth of passion bleed
Till night's black velvet burn to crimson. Hark!
It is thy voice, Thy word, the secret seed
Of rapture that admonishes the dark.
Swift! By necessity most righteous drawn,
Hermes, authentic augur of the dawn!
~ Aleister Crowley, Logos
,#NFDB
1109:Yes Thou Art Gone
Yes, thou art gone! and never more
Thy sunny smile shall gladden me;
But I may pass the old church door,
And pace the floor that covers thee,
May stand upon the cold, damp stone,
And think that, frozen, lies below
The lightest heart that I have known,
The kindest I shall ever know.
Yet, though I cannot see thee more,
'Tis still a comfort to have seen;
And though thy transient life is o'er,
'Tis sweet to think that thou hast been;
To think a soul so near divine,
Within a form, so angel fair,
United to a heart like thine,
Has gladdened once our humble sphere.
Acton
~ Anne Brontë,#NFDB
1110:Language can never adequately render the cosmic symbolism of music, because music stands in symbolic relation to the primordial contradiction and primordial pain in the heart of the primal unity, and therefore symbolizes a sphere which is beyond and prior to all phenomena. Rather, all phenomena, compared with it, are merely symbols: hence language, as the organ and symbol of phenomena, can never by any means disclose the innermost heart of music; language, in its attempt to imitate it, can only be in superficial contact with music; while all the eloquence of lyric poetry cannot bring the deepest significance of the latter one step nearer to us. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche, #NFDB
1111:The mountain and the squirrel
Had a quarrel;
And the former called the latter "Little Prig."
Bun replied,
"You are doubtless very big;
But all sorts of things and weather
Must be taken in together
To make up a year
And a sphere.
And I think it's no disgrace
To occupy my place.
If I'm not so large as you,
You are not so small as I,
And not half so spry.
I'll not deny you make
A very pretty squirrel track;
Talents differ: all is well and wisely put;
If I cannot carry forests on my back,
Neither can you crack a nut."
by owner. provided at no charge for educational purposes
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, Fable
,#NFDB
1112:The reason why the powerful man is grateful is this: his benefactor, through the benefit he confers, has mistaken and intruded into the sphere of the powerful man, now the latter, in return, penetrates into the sphere of the benefactor by the act of gratitude.
It is a milder form of revenge. Without the satisfaction of gratitude the powerful man would have shown himself powerless and would have been reckoned as such ever after. Therefore every society of the good, which originally meant; the powerful, places gratitude amongst the first duties. Swift propounded the maxim that men were grateful in the same proportion as they were revengeful. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche,#NFDB
1113:Kristin's Dream In November
I went thru the turnstyle to the party
In the risqué penthouse that was not
A penthouse, I followed people but maybe
They weren't people, it was ethical
To follow them over the edges of the balloons
Until we found some tapsons to eat, heartily
We indulged & found the right move in relation
To the movements of the lion's mouth, the mouth
Which counted all who entered & left waywardly
Haphazardly the immigrant sphere where
Frozen petals fell behind the red curtain
So slowly they woke me like a knock on door #7
Behind which I'm dreaming
& trying to tango remorselessly
~ Bernadette Mayer,#NFDB
1114:The reach of vibrations is according to the fineness of the plane of their starting-point. To speak more plainly, the word uttered by the lips can only reach the ears of the hearer; but the thought proceeding from the mind reaches far, shooting from mind to mind. The vibrations of mind are much stronger than those of words. The earnest feelings of one heart can pierce the heart of another; they speak in the silence, spreading out into the sphere, so that the very atmosphere of a person's presence proclaims his thoughts and emotions. The vibrations of the soul are the most powerful and far-reaching, they run like an electric current from soul to soul. ~ Hazrat Inayat Khan, #NFDB
1115:Secularism drew a radical distinction between public and private life, in which religion, in any traditional sense, was relegated to the private sphere with no hold over public life. There are many charms in secularism, in particular the freedom to believe what you will in private. But secularism also poses a public problem. There are those whose beliefs are so different from others’ beliefs that finding common ground in the public space is impossible. And then there are those for whom the very distinction between private and public is either meaningless or unacceptable. The complex contrivances of secularism have their charm, but not everyone is charmed. ~ George Friedman, #NFDB
1116:O night, O sweetest time, though black of hue,
with peace you force all the restless work to end;
those who exalt you see and understand,
and he is sound of mind who honours you.
You cut the thread of tired thoughts, for so
you offer calm in your moist shade; you send
to this low sphere the dreams where we ascend
up to the highest, where I long to go.
Shadow of death that brings to quiet close
all miseries that plague the heart and soul,
for those in pain the last and best of cures;
you heal the flesh of its infirmities,
dry and our tears and shut away our toil,
and free the good from wrath and fretting cares. ~ Michelangelo Buonarroti,#NFDB
1117:Logos
Out of the night forth flamed a star -mine own!
Now seventy light-years nearer as I urge
Constant my heart through the abyss unknown,
Its glory my sole guide while space surge
About me. Seventy light-yaers! As I near
That gate of light that men call death, its cold
Pale gleam begins to pulse, a throbbing sphere,
Systole and diastole of eager gold,
New life immortal, wartmth of passion bleed
Till night's black velvet burn to crimson. Hark!
It is thy voice, Thy word, the secret seed
Of rapture that admonishes the dark.
Swift! By necessity most righteous drawn,
Hermes, authentic augur of the dawn!
~ Aleister Crowley,#NFDB
1118:He saw with his mind’s eye that ‘the banal fact of the earth’s roundness’—the sphericity of man’s environment—was bound to cause this intensification of psychosocial activity. In an unlimited environment, man’s thought and his resultant psychosocial activity would simply diffuse outwards: it would extend over a greater area, but would remain thinly spread. But when it is confined to spreading out over the surface of a sphere, idea will encounter idea, and the result will be an organised web of thought, a noetic system operating under high tension, a piece of evolutionary machinery capable of generating high psychosocial energy. ~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, The Phenomenon of Man, #NFDB
1119:To —
In vision I roamed the flashing Firmament,
So fierce in blazon that the Night waxed wan,
As though with awe at orbs of such ostént;
And as I thought my spirit ranged on and on
In footless traverse through ghast heights of sky,
To the last chambers of the monstrous Dome,
Where stars the brightest here are lost to the eye:
Then, any spot on our own Earth seemed Home!
And the sick grief that you were far away
Grew pleasant thankfulness that you were near,
Who might have been, set on some foreign Sphere,
Less than a Want to me, as day by day
I lived unware, uncaring all that lay
Locked in that Universe taciturn and drear. ~ Thomas Hardy,#NFDB
1120:Dream"
If dreaming really were a kind of truce
(as people claim), a sheer repose of mind,
why then if you should waken up abruptly,
do you feel that something has been stolen from you?
Why should it be so sad, the early morning?
It robs us of an inconceivable gift,
so intimate it is only knowable
in a trance which the nightwatch gilds with dreams,
dreams that might very well be reflections,
fragments from the treasure-house of darkness,
from the timeless sphere that does not have a name,
and that the day distorts in its mirrors.
Who will you be tonight in your dreamfall
into the dark, on the other side of the wall? ~ Jorge Luis Borges,#NFDB
1121:O, were I loved as I desire to be!
What is there in the great sphere of the earth,
Or range of evil between death and birth,
That I should fear, - if I were loved by thee!
All the inner, all the outer world of pain,
Clear love would pierce and cleave, if thou wert mine;
As I have heard that somewhere in the main
Fresh-water springs come up through bitter brine.
‘I were joy, not fear, clasped hand in hand with thee,
To wait for death - mute - careless of all ills,
Apart upon a mountain, though the surge
Of some new deluge from a thousand hills
Flung leagues of roaring foam into the gorge
Below us, as far on as eye could see. ~ Alfred Tennyson,#NFDB
1122:And, lastly (I may as well confess it, since my denial of it will be believed by nobody), perhaps I shall a good deal gratify my own vanity. Indeed, I scarce ever heard or saw the introductory words, "Without vanity I may say," etc., but some vain thing immediately followed. Most people dislike vanity in others, whatever share they have of it themselves; but I give it fair quarter wherever I meet with it, being persuaded that it is often productive of good to the possessor, and to others that are within his sphere of action; and therefore, in many cases, it would not be altogether absurd if a man were to thank God for is vanity among the other comforts of life. ~ Benjamin Franklin, #NFDB
1123:Being is the notion implicit only: its special forms have the predicate 'is'; when they are distinguished they are each of them an 'other': and the shape which dialectic takes in them, i.e. their further specialisation, is passing over into another. This further determination, or specialisation, is at once a forth-putting and in that way a disengaging of the notion implicit in being; and at the same time the withdrawing of being inwards, its sinking deeper into itself. Thus the explication of the notion in the sphere of being does two things: it brings out the totality of being, and it abolishes the immediacy of being, or the form of being as such. ~ Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, #NFDB
1124:One of the strangest things about life is that it will chug on, blind and oblivious, even as your private world - your little carved-out sphere - is twisting and morphing, even breaking apart. One day you have parents; the next day you're an orphan. One day you have a place and a path. The next day you're lost in the wilderness.
And still the sun rises and clouds mass and drift and people shop for groceries and toilets flush and blinds go up and down. That's when you realize that most of it - life, the relentless mechanism of existing - isn't about you. It doesn't include you at all. It will thrust onward even after you've jumped the edge. Even after you're dead. ~ Lauren Oliver,#NFDB
1125:The Moon
Queen of the silver bow, by thy pale beam
Alone and pensive I delight to stray,
And watch thy shadow trembling in the stream,
Or mark the floating clouds that cross thy way.
And while I gaze, thy mild and placid light
Sheds a soft calm upon my troubled breast;
And oft I think, fair planet of the night,
That in thy orb the wretched may have rest;
The sufferers of the earth perhaps may go,
Released by death, to thy benignant sphere;
And the sad children of despair and woe,
Forget in thee, their cup of sorrow here.
Oh, that I soon may reach thy world serene,
Poor wearied pilgrim in this toiling scene.
~ Charlotte Smith,#NFDB
1126:And, lastly (I may as well confess it, since my denial of it will be believed by nobody), perhaps I shall a good deal gratify my own vanity. Indeed, I scarce ever heard or saw the introductory words, "Without vanity I may say," &c., but some vain thing immediately followed. Most people dislike vanity in others, whatever share they have of it themselves; but I give it fair quarter wherever I meet with it, being persuaded that it is often productive of good to the possessor, and to others that are within his sphere of action; and therefore, in many cases, it would not be altogether absurd if a man were to thank God for his vanity among the other comforts of life. ~ Benjamin Franklin, #NFDB
1127:The winter sunset, flaming beyond spires
And chimneys half-detached from this dull sphere,
Opens great gates to some forgotten year
Of elder splendours and divine desires.
Expectant wonders burn in those rich fires,
Adventure-fraught, and not untinged with fear;
A row of sphinxes where the way leads clear
Toward walls and turrets quivering to far lyres.
It is the land where beauty's meaning flowers,
Where every unplaced memory has a source,
Where the great river Time begins its course
Down the vast void in starlit streams of hours.
Dreams bring us close - but ancient lore repeats
That human tread has never soiled these streets. ~ H P Lovecraft,#NFDB
1128:The whole ideological assembly line that Richard Fink and Charles Koch had envisioned decades earlier, including the entire conservative media sphere, was enlisted in the fight. Fox Television and conservative talk radio hosts gave saturation coverage to the issue, portraying climate scientists as swindlers pushing a radical, partisan, and anti-American agenda. Allied think tanks pumped out books and position papers, whose authors testified in Congress and appeared on a whirlwind tour of talk shows. “Climate denial got disseminated deliberately and rapidly from think tank tomes to the daily media fare of about thirty to forty percent of the U.S. populace,” Skocpol estimates. ~ Jane Mayer, #NFDB
1129:Lines
The lightning struck him and left a scar.
The wind stopped blowing and the wheat stood up.
Self-tensed self, who is this I that says I ?
I had a scar in the shape of lightning
That split in half when I opened my mouth.
The sun just a circle of heat in the sky
Throwing absence in the shape of clouds
Down on the field. Another life placed
In the middle of the life I called my own.
A lesser god commanded the front: return.
A little god knocked about in the germ.
The third person put me outside my own sphere.
A small god chanting lightning in the synapse.
Wind blows the wheat down. He calls it prayer. ~ Dan Beachy Quick,#NFDB
1130:But suddenly Jonas had noticed, following the path of the apple through the air with his eyes, that the piece of fruit had—well, this was the part that he couldn’t adequately understand—the apple had changed. Just for an instant. It had changed in mid-air, he remembered. Then it was in his hand, and he looked at it carefully, but it was the same apple. Unchanged. The same size and shape: a perfect sphere. The same nondescript shade, about the same shade as his own tunic. There was absolutely nothing remarkable about that apple. He had tossed it back and forth between his hands a few times, then thrown it again to Asher. And again—in the air, for an instant only—it had changed. ~ Lois Lowry, #NFDB
1131:Sonnet Xiv
IT may be for the world of weeds and tares
And dearth in Nature of sweet Beauty's rose
That oft as Fortune from ten thousand shows
One from the train of Love's true courtiers
Straightway on him who gazes, unawares,
Deep wonder seizes and swift trembling grows,
Reft by that sight of purpose and repose,
Hardly its weight his fainting breast upbears.
Then on the soul from some ancestral place
Floods back remembrance of its heavenly birth,
When, in the light of that serener sphere,
It saw ideal beauty face to face
That through the forms of this our meaner Earth
Shines with a beam less steadfast and less clear.
~ Alan Seeger,#NFDB
1132:The First Sphere is about the matrix we have created and is based on fear. We swallow our truth for the sake of peace. We deny our soul for the sake of comfort and approval. We keep control of others and ourselves. We stay in the comfort zone. We can be victims of everything and anybody, taking no responsibility for ourselves or the planet. We are often caught in attachments (material/personal), dependency (others, the system, addictions both to substances and behaviors), judgments (ourselves and others), comparisons, expectations and self-importance (feeling inferior). The First Sphere is about the masks we put on in order to belong, fit in and feel safe in the matrix. ~ Padma Aon Prakasha, #NFDB
1133:Eugenia Todd
Have any of you, passers-by,
Had an old tooth that was an unceasing discomfort?
Or a pain in the side that never quite left you?
Or a malignant growth that grew with time?
So that even in profoundest slumber
There was shadowy consciousness or the phantom of thought
Of the tooth, the side, the growth?
Even so thwarted love, or defeated ambition,
Or a blunder in life which mixed your life
Hopelessly to the end,
Will like a tooth, or a pain in the side,
Float through your dreams in the final sleep
Till perfect freedom from the earth-sphere
Comes to you as one who wakes
Healed and glad in the morning!
~ Edgar Lee Masters,#NFDB
1134:The agony of breaking through personal limitations is the agony of spiritual growth. Art, literature, myth and cult, philosophy, and ascetic disciplines are instruments to help the individual past his limiting horizons into spheres of ever-expanding realization. As he crosses threshold after threshold, conquering dragon after dragon, the stature of the divinity that he summons to his highest wish increases, until it subsumes the cosmos. Finally, the mind breaks the bounding sphere of the cosmos to a realization transcending all experiences of form-all symbolizations, all divinities: a realization of the ineluctable void. ~ Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, The Ultimate Boon, #NFDB
1135:PINOCCHIO’s sexual politics follow this fascist lead: women quite literally inhabit a “separate sphere.” Procreation is transformed into an act of male creativity, which women merely ratify with their mysterious ability to “give life.” Women are also repositories of “morality,” encouraging virtues like honesty (although even this becomes a test of masculine self-control: Pinocchio, denying his naughtiness, is betrayed by a growing, ever more erect and unconcealable nose; learning virtue and getting this unruly organ under control are the same task.) The ideal society of PINOCCHIO, as of the Nazis, is a disciplined, all male, warrior culture nurtured by idealized feminine domestics. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
1136:Sonnet - Iii
Oh, holy sabbath morn! thrice blessed day
Of solemn rest, true peace, and earnest prayer.
How many hearts that never knelt to pray
Are glad to breathe thy soul-sustaining air.
I sit within the quiet woods, and hear
The village church-bell's soft inviting sound,
And to the confines of the loftiest sphere
Imagination wings its airy round;
A myriad spirits have assembled there,
Whose prayers on earth a sweet acceptance found.
I go to worship in Thy House, O God!
With her, thy young creation bright and fair;
Help us to do Thy will, and not despair,
Though both our hearts should bend beneath Thy chastening rod.
~ Charles Sangster,#NFDB
1137:The parliament no longer is an 'assembly of wise men chosen as individual personalities by privileged strata, who sought to convince each other through arguments in public discussion on the assumption that the subsequent decision reached by the majority would be what was true and right for the national welfare.' Instead it has become the 'public rostrum on which, before the entire nation (which through radio an television participates in a specific fashion in this sphere of publicity), the government and the parties carrying it present and justify to the nation their political program, while the opposition attacks this program with the same opennes and develops its alternatives. ~ J rgen Habermas, #NFDB
1138:At times, interpreters of the tradition completely missed the moral point of the Qur’anic message and generated determinations that locked the Qur’an into a short-sighted and inadequate sphere of meaning. But I think Wadud also makes a significant point here. As Muslims, we adhere to the religious conviction that the morality of the Qur’an will always exceed the morality of its interpreters. In other words, I do not believe that human beings can claim to have understood the message of the Qur’an perfectly and completely. Falling short of the Qur’an’s moral message is inevitable, but is also an impetus to engage in a never-ending dynamic of moral exploration and interpretation. ~ Khaled Abou El Fadl, #NFDB
1139:For instance, supposing that the planet earth were not a sphere but a gigantic coffee table,
how much difference in everyday life would that make? Granted, this is a pretty
farfetched example; you can't rearrange facts of life so freely. Still, picturing the planet
earth, for convenience sake, as a gigantic coffee table does in fact help clear away the
clutter—those practically pointless contingencies such as gravity and the international
dateline and the equator, those nagging details that arise from the spherical view. I mean,
for a guy leading a perfectly ordinary existence, how many times in the course of a
lifetime would the equator be a significant factor? ~ Haruki Murakami,#NFDB
1140:The whole cosmos is a materialized thought of the Creator. This heavy, earthly clod, floating in space, is a dream of God. He made all things out of His consciousness, even as man in his dream consciousness reproduces and vivifies a creation with its creatures. “‘God first created the earth as an idea. Then He quickened it; energy atoms came into being. He coordinated the atoms into this solid sphere. All its molecules are held together by the will of God. When He withdraws His will, the earth again will disintegrate into energy. Energy will dissolve into consciousness; the earth-idea will disappear from objectivity. “‘The substance of a dream is held in materialization by the ~ Paramahansa Yogananda, #NFDB
1141:Sonnet Iv. To The Moon
QUEEN of the silver bow!--by thy pale beam,
Alone and pensive, I delight to stray,
And watch thy shadow trembling in the stream,
Or mark the floating clouds that cross thy way.
And while I gaze, thy mild and placid light
Sheds a soft calm upon my troubled breast;
And oft I think--fair planet of the night,
That in thy orb, the wretched may have rest:
The sufferers of the earth perhaps may go,
Released by death--to thy benignant sphere,
And the sad children of despair and woe
Forget in thee, their cup of sorrow here.
Oh! that I soon may reach thy world serene,
Poor wearied pilgrim--in this toiling scene!
~ Charlotte Smith,#NFDB
1142:In the age of industrial labour, the mind was put to work as a repetitive automatism, the neurological director of muscular effort. While industrial work was essentially repetition of physical acts, mental work is continuously changing its object and its procedures. Thus, the subsumption of the mind in the process of capitalist valorization leads to a true mutation. The conscious and sensitive organism is subjected to a growing competitive pressure, to an acceleration of stimuli, to a constant exertion of his/her attention. As a consequence, the mental environment, the info-sphere in which the mind is formed and enters into relations with other minds, becomes a psychopathogenic environment. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
1143:The Grass So Little Has To Do
The Grass so little has to do –
A Sphere of simple Green –
With only Butterflies to brood
And Bees to entertain –
And stir all day to pretty Tunes
The Breezes fetch along –
And hold the Sunshine in its lap
And bow to everything –
And thread the Dews, all night, like Pearls –
And make itself so fine
A Duchess were too common
For such a noticing –
And even when it dies – to pass
In Odors so divine –
Like Lowly spices, lain to sleep –
Or Spikenards, perishing –
And then, in Sovereign Barns to dwell –
And dream the Days away,
The Grass so little has to do
I wish I were a Hay –
~ Emily Dickinson,#NFDB
1144:We are not capable of foreseeing the creative possibilities that this kind of deconstruction—the deconstruction of the old sacrificial system—produces. I think that we must examine our history and try to see whether, beneath what has already occurred, there are not additional layers of phenomena waiting to be revealed; whether some aspects of life that used to be constrained by the old sacrificial system are not going to flourish, other domains of knowledge, other ways of living. Everything that the Passion undid in the cultural sphere might well be an opening, an extraordinary source of enrichment. I am certain it is. One must also keep in mind what Jesus called the “signs of the times.”4 ~ Ren Girard, #NFDB
1145:Religion perceives that civil liberty affords a noble exercise to the faculties of man and that the political world is a field prepared by the Creator for the efforts of the mind. Free and powerful in its own sphere, satisfied with the place reserved for it, religion never more surely establishes its empire than when it reigns in the hearts of men unsupported by aught beside its native strength.
Liberty regards religion as its companion in all its battles and its triumphs, as the cradle of its infancy and the divine source of its claims. It considers religion as the safeguard of morality, and morality as the best security of law and the surest pledge of the duration of freedom. ~ Alexis de Tocqueville,#NFDB
1146:Everywhere I traveled I saw this death space in action, and I felt what it means to be held. At Ruriden columbarium in Japan, I was held by a sphere of Buddhas glowing soft blue and purple. At the cemetery in Mexico, I was held by a single wrought-iron fence in the light of tens of thousands of flickering amber candles. At the open-air pyre in Colorado, I was held within the elegant bamboo walls, which kept mourners safe as the flames shot high. There was magic to each of these places. There was grief, unimaginable grief. But in that grief there was no shame. These were places to meet despair face to face and say, 'I see you waiting there. And I feel you, strongly. But you do not demean me. ~ Caitlin Doughty, #NFDB
1147:Fat shaming is real, constant, and rather pointed. There are a shocking number of people who believe they can simply torment fat people into weight loss and disciplining their bodies or disappearing their bodies from the public sphere. They believe they are medical experts, listing a litany of health problems associated with fatness as personal affronts. These tormentors bind themselves in righteousness when they point out the obvious—that our bodies are unruly, defiant, fat. It’s a strange civic-minded cruelty. When people try to shame me for being fat, I feel rage. I get stubborn. I want to make myself fatter to spite the shamers, even though the only person I would really be spiting is myself. ~ Roxane Gay, #NFDB
1148:In 1955, a little more than four years after leaving a TV studio in Hollywood, signals bearing the first sound and images of the I Love Lucy show passed Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to our sun. A half-century later, a scene with Lucy disguised as a clown sneaking into Ricky’s Tropicana Night Club was 50-plus light-years, or about 300 trillion miles, away. Since the Milky Way is 100,000 light-years across and 1,000 light-years thick, and our solar system is near the middle of the galactic plane, this means in about AD 2450 the expanding sphere of radio waves bearing Lucy, Ricky, and their neighbors the Mertzes will emerge from the top and bottom of our galaxy and enter intergalactic space. ~ Alan Weisman, #NFDB
1149:If religion addresses a genuine sphere of understanding and human necessity, then it should be susceptible to progress; its doctrines should become more useful, rather than less. Progress in religion, as in other fields, would have to be a matter of present inquiry, not the mere reiteration of past doctrine. Whatever is true now should be discoverable now, and describable in terms that are not an outright affront to the rest of what we know about the world. By this measure, the entire project of religion seems perfectly backward. It cannot survive the changes that have come over us - culturally, technologically, and even ethically. otherwise, there are few reasons to believe that we will survive it. ~ Sam Harris, #NFDB
1150:Sonnet Xli. To Tranquility
IN this tumultuous sphere, for thee unfit,
How seldom art thou found--Tranquillity!
Unless 'tis when with mild and downcast eye
By the low cradles thou delight'st to sit
Of sleeping infants--watching the soft breath,
And bidding the sweet slumberers easy lie;
Or sometimes hanging o'er the bed of death,
Where the poor languid sufferer--hopes to die.
Oh, beauteous sister of the halcyon peace!
I sure shall find thee in that heavenly scene
Where care and anguish shall their power resign;
Where hope alike, and vain regret shall cease,
And memory--lost in happiness serene,
Repeat no more--that misery has been mine!
~ Charlotte Smith,#NFDB
1151:Astronomers suspect that the Oort Cloud could extend as far as three light-years from our solar system. That is more than halfway to the nearest stars, the Centauri triple star system, which is slightly more than four light-years from Earth. If we assume that the Centauri star system is also surrounded by a sphere of comets, then there might be a continuous trail of comets connecting it to Earth. It may be possible to establish a series of refueling stations, outposts, and relay locations on a grand interstellar highway. Instead of leaping to the next star in one jump, we might cultivate the more modest goal of "comet hopping" to the Centauri system. This thoroughfare could become a cosmic Route 66. ~ Michio Kaku, #NFDB
1152:What we call isolation in the political sphere, is called loneliness in the sphere of social intercourse.Isolation and loneliness are not the same"...."While isolation concerns only the political realm of life, loneliness concerns life as a whole. Totalitarian government, like all tyrannies, certainly could not exist without destroying the public realm of life, that is, without destroying, by isolating men, their political capacities.But totalitarian domination as a form of government is not content with this isolation and destroys private life as well. it bases its self on loneliness, on the experience of not belonging to the world at all, which is the most radical and desperate experiences of man ~ Hannah Arendt, #NFDB
1153:Religion regards civil liberty as a noble exercise of man’s faculties, the world of politics being a sphere intended by the Creator for the free play of intelligence. Religion, being free and powerful within its own sphere and content with the position reserved for it, realized that its sway is all the better established because it relies only on its own powers and rules men’s hearts without external support.
Freedom sees religion as the companion of its struggles and triumphs, the cradle of its infancy, and the divine source of its rights. Religion is considered as the guardian of mores, and mores are regarded as the guarantee of the laws and pledge for the maintenance of freedom itself. ~ Alexis de Tocqueville,#NFDB
1154:When people ask me if a god created the universe, I tell them that the question itself makes no sense. Time didn’t exist before the big bang, so there is no time for god to make the universe in. It’s like asking directions to the edge of the earth; The Earth is a sphere; it doesn’t have an edge; so looking for it is a futile exercise. We are each free to believe what we want, and it’s my view that the simplest explanation is; there is no god. No one created our universe,and no one directs our fate. This leads me to a profound realization; There is probably no heaven, and no afterlife either. We have this one life to appreciate the grand design of the universe, and for that I am extremely grateful. ~ Stephen Hawking, #NFDB
1155:But as in the sphere of man's experimental knowledge one who sincerely inquires how he is to live cannot be satisfied with the reply--"Study in endless space the mutations, infinite in time and in complexity, of innumerable atoms, and then you will understand your life"--so also a sincere man cannot be satisfied with the reply: "Study the whole life of humanity of which we cannot know either the beginning or the end, of which we do not even know a small part, and then you will understand your own life." And like the experimental semi-sciences, so these other semi-sciences are the more filled with obscurities, inexactitudes, stupidities, and contradictions, the further they diverge from the real problems. ~ Leo Tolstoy, #NFDB
1156:Sonnet Xxv. By The Same.
Just before his Death.
WHY should I wish to hold in this low sphere
'A frail and feverish being?' wherefore try
Poorly from day to day to linger here,
Against the powerful hand of Destiny?
By those who know the force of hopeless care
On the worn heart--I sure shall be forgiven,
If to elude dark guilt, and dire despair,
I go uncall'd--to mercy and to heaven!
O thou! to save whose peace I now depart,
Will thy soft mind thy poor lost friend deplore,
When worms shall feed on this devoted heart,
Where even thy image shall be found no more?
Yet may thy pity mingle not with pain,
For then thy hapless lover--dies in vain!
~ Charlotte Smith,#NFDB
1157:THE economic consequences of fluctuations in the objective exchange-value of money have such important bearings on the life of the community and of the individual that as soon as the State had abandoned the attempt to exploit for fiscal ends its authority in monetary matters, and as soon as the large-scale development of the modern economic community had enabled the State to exert a decisive influence on the kind of money chosen by the market, it was an obvious step to think of attaining certain socio-political aims by influencing these consequences in a systematic manner. Modern currency policy is something essentially new; it differs fundamentally from earlier State activity in the monetary sphere. ~ Ludwig von Mises, #NFDB
1158:Human development at every point rests upon the ability to sustain tensions and control their release. At the lowest level this involves the control of the bladder and the bowels; and above that, the deliberate canalization of bodily appetites and genital urges into socially acceptable channels. What I am suggesting here, finally, is that the strict discipline of ritual, and the severe moral schooling of the taboo, were essential to man's self-control and in turn to his cultural creativity in every sphere. Only those who obey the rules are capable of playing the game; and up to a point, the strictness of the rules and the difficulty of winning without upsetting them increases the enjoyability of playing. ~ Lewis Mumford, #NFDB
1159:Father Brown was made of two men. There was a man of action, who was as modest as a primrose and as punctual as a clock; who went his small round of duties and never dreamed of altering it. There was also a man of reflection, who was much simpler but much stronger, who could not easily be stopped; whose thought was always (in the only intelligent sense of the words) free thought. He could not help, even unconsciously, asking himself all the questions that there were to be asked, and answering as many of them as he could; all that went on like his breathing or circulation. But he never consciously carried his actions outside the sphere of his own duty; and in this case the two attitudes were aptly tested. ~ G K Chesterton, #NFDB
1160:In The Train, And At Versailles
In a dull swiftness we are carried by
With bodies left at sway and shaking knees.
The wind has ceased, or is a feeble breeze
Warm in the sun. The leaves are not yet dry
From yesterday's dense rain. All, low and high,
A strong green country; but, among its trees,
Ruddy and thin with Autumn. After these
There is the city still before the sky.
Versailles is reached. Pass we the galleries
And seek the gardens. A great silence here,
Through the long planted alleys, to the long
Distance of water. More than tune or song,
Silence shall grow to awe within thine eyes,
Till thy thought swim with the blue turning sphere.
~ Dante Gabriel Rossetti,#NFDB
1161:Sonnet Xxvi: Mid-Rapture
Thou lovely and beloved, thou my love;
Whose kiss seems still the first; whose summoning eyes,
Even now, as for our love-world's new sunrise,
Shed very dawn; whose voice, attuned above
All modulation of the deep-bowered dove,
Is like a hand laid softly on the soul;
Whose hand is like a sweet voice to control
Those worn tired brows it hath the keeping of:—
What word can answer to thy word,—what gaze
To thine, which now absorbs within its sphere
My worshipping face, till I am mirrored there
Light-circled in a heaven of deep-drawn rays?
What clasp, what kiss mine inmost heart can prove,
O lovely and beloved, O my love?
~ Dante Gabriel Rossetti,#NFDB
1162:Oh, Holy Sabbath Morn! Thrice Blessed Day
Oh, holy sabbath morn! thrice blessed day
Of solemn rest, true peace, and earnest prayer.
How many hearts that never knelt to pray
Are glad to breathe thy soul-sustaining air.
I sit within the quiet woods, and hear
The village church-bell's soft inviting sound,
And to the confines of the loftiest sphere
Imagination wings its airy round;
A myriad spirits have assembled there,
Whose prayers on earth a sweet acceptance found.
I go to worship in Thy House, O God!
With her, thy young creation bright and fair;
Help us to do Thy will, and not despair,
Though both our hearts should bend beneath Thy chastening rod.
~ Charles Sangster,#NFDB
1163:The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of.…In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons…who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires that control the public mind.4 ~ Eldon Taylor, #NFDB
1164:Unhappily, law is by no means confined to its own department. Nor is it merely in some indifferent and debatable views that it has left its proper sphere. It has done more than this. It has acted in direct opposition to its proper end; it has destroyed its own object; it has been employed in annihilating that justice which it ought to have established, in effacing amongst Rights, that limit which was its true mission to respect; it has placed the collective force in the service of those who wish to traffic, without risk, and without scruple, in the persons, the liberty, and the property of others; it has converted plunder into a right, that it may protect it, and lawful defense into a crime, that it may punish it. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
1165:it is God’s desire that a clear map of the Divine Love Path becomes freely available to help guide souls through some of the beauties and pitfalls, the graces and the fears, the incredible Love, wonders and mystical pains that happen as we move closer and closer to God. God loves us all perfectly and gives us what we need to grow perfectly also. I became aware of the pitfalls of the Sphere I was moving into as I started to write this book, and without knowing this, I could have been stuck there for a long time. I trust that others who read this will not become tempted or too lazy to stay in relative happiness, but keep progressing into ultimate happiness. Faith is ever growing until we are At-One with God. ~ Padma Aon Prakasha, #NFDB
1166:The lot of love is chosen. I learnt that much
Struggling for an image on the track
Of the whirling Zodiac.
Scarce did he my body touch,
Scarce sank he from the west
Or found a subtetranean rest
On the maternal midnight of my breast
Before I had marked him on his northern way,
And seemed to stand although in bed I lay.
I struggled with the horror of daybreak,
I chose it for my lot! If questioned on
My utmost pleasure with a man
By some new-married bride, I take
That stillness for a theme
Where his heart my heart did seem
And both adrift on the miraculous stream
Where wrote a learned astrologer
The Zodiac is changed into a sphere.
~ William Butler Yeats, The Chosen
,#NFDB
1167:Sonnet Lxii: The Soul's Sphere
Some prisoned moon in steep cloud-fastnesses,—
Throned queen and thralled; some dying sun whose pyre
Blazed with momentous memorable fire;—
Who hath not yearned and fed his heart with these?
Who, sleepless, hath not anguished to appease
Tragical shadow's realm of sound and sight
Conjectured in the lamentable night? . . .
Lo! the soul's sphere of infinite images!
What sense shall count them? Whether it forecast
The rose-winged hours that flutter in the van
Of Love's unquestioning unrevealèd span,—
Visions of golden futures: or that last
Wild pageant of the accumulated past
That clangs and flashes for a drowning man.
~ Dante Gabriel Rossetti,#NFDB
1168:So, we have an element newly prominent in American religious and political life, a new form of entitlement, a self-declared elect. What some have seen as a resurgence of Christianity, or at least a bold defense of American cultural tradition—even as another great awakening!—has brought a harshness, a bitterness, a crudeness, and a high-handedness into the public sphere that are only to be compared to the politics, or the collapse of politics, in the period before the Civil War. Its self-righteousness fuels the damnedest things—I use the word advisedly—notably the acquisition of homicidal weapons. I wonder what these supposed biblicists find in the Gospels or the Epistles that could begin to excuse any of it. ~ Marilynne Robinson, #NFDB
1169:I'm going to go out on a limb here. I've thought a lot about this one, as a feminist, and as an author. How should traditional roles be portrayed? In fantasy literature there is a school of thought that holds that women must be treated precisely like men. Only the traditional male sphere of power and means of wielding power count. If a woman is shown in a traditionally female role, then she must be being shown as inferior.
After a lot of thought, and some real-life stabs at those traditional roles, I've come to firmly disagree with this idea. For an author to show that only traditional male power and place matter is to discount and belittle the hard and complex lives of our peers and our ancestresses. ~ Sarah Zettel,#NFDB
1170:And the Buddha pointed out that his confusion was justified, for 'the dharma is profound, difficult to see, difficult to understand, peaceful, excellent, beyond the sphere of logic, subtle, and to be understood by the wise'. The reason for this is that it is not readily comprehended by one who holds a different view and has different learnings and inclinations, different involvements and instruction. It is clear from this statement that the conception of nibbāna in beyond logical reasoning, not because it is an Ultimate Reality transcending logic, but because logic or reason, being the 'slave of passions', makes it difficult for one who has a passion for an alien tradition to understand the conception of nibbāna. ~ David J Kalupahana, #NFDB
1171:1 Praise be to Allah, the Lorda of the worlds,b 1a. The Arabic word Rabb conveys not only the idea of fostering, bringing-up, or nourishing but also that of regulating, completing and accomplishing (T-LL), i.e., of the evolution of things from the crudest state to that of the highest perfection. According to R, Rabb signifies the fostering of a thing in such a manner as to make it attain one condition after another until it reaches its goal of completion. Hence Rabb is the Author of all existence, Who has not only given to the whole creation its means of nourishment but has also beforehand ordained for each a sphere of capacity and within that sphere provided the means by which it continues to attain gradually to its goal of ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
1172:O, Were I Loved As I Desire To Be!
O, were I loved as I desire to be!
What is there in the great sphere of the earth,
Or range of evil between death and birth,
That I should fear, - if I were loved by thee!
All the inner, all the outer world of pain,
Clear love would pierce and cleave, if thou wert mine;
As I have heard that somewhere in the main
Fresh-water springs come up through bitter brine.
'I were joy, not fear, clasped hand in hand with thee,
To wait for death - mute - careless of all ills,
Apart upon a mountain, though the surge
Of some new deluge from a thousand hills
Flung leagues of roaring foam into the gorge
Below us, as far on as eye could see.
~ Alfred Lord Tennyson,#NFDB
1173:The others went upstairs, a slow unwilling procession. If this had been an old house, with creaking wood, and dark shadows, and heavily panelled walls, there might have been an eerie feeling. But this house was the essence of modernity. There were no dark corners - no possible sliding panels - it was flooded with electric light - everything was new and bright and shining. There was nothing hidden in this house, nothing concealed. It had no atmosphere about it. Somehow, that was the most frightening thing of all. They exchanged good-nights on the upper landing. Each of them went into his or her own room, and each of them automatically, almost without conscious thought, locked the door.... ~ Agatha Christie, #NFDB
1174:Princeton University recently did a study revealing what those of us paying attention already know all too well: The United States is, in scientifically proven fact, not a democracy. They concluded that the U.S. is controlled by economic elites.” This is a prominent idea that is becoming popular. The structural reason that voting is redundant is that through the funding of political parties, lobbying, and cronyism, corporations are able to ensure that their interests are prioritized above the needs of the electorate and that ideas that contravene their agenda don’t even make it into the sphere of public debate. Whoever you vote for, you’ll be voting for a party that represents a big-business agenda, not the will of the people. ~ Russell Brand, #NFDB
1175:Yes, the past is a foreign country," I said, "but some of us are full-fledged citizens, others occasional tourists, and some floating itinerants, itching to get out yet always aching to return."
"There's a life that takes place in ordinary time," I said, "and another that bursts in but just as suddenly fizzles out. And then there's the life we may never reach but that could so easily be ours if only we knew how to find it. It doesn't necessarily happen on our planet, but is just as real as the one we live by—call it our 'star life.' Nietzsche wrote that estranged friends may become declared enemies but in some mysterious way continue to remain friends, though on a totally different sphere. He called these 'star friendships. ~ Andr Aciman,#NFDB
1176:Like other founding fathers, Hamilton inhabited two diametrically opposed worlds. There was the Olympian sphere of constitutional debate and dignified discourse—the way many prefer to remember these stately figures—and the gutter world of personal sniping, furtive machinations, and tabloid-style press attacks. The contentious culture of these early years was both the apex and the nadir of American political expression. Such a contradictory environment was probably an inescapable part of the transition from the lofty idealism of Revolution to the gritty realities of quotidian politics. The heroes of 1776 and 1787 were bound to seem smaller and more hypocritical as they jockeyed for personal power and advantage in the new government. ~ Ron Chernow, #NFDB
1177:The trouble is, we have up-close access to women who excel in each individual sphere. With social media and its carefully selected messaging, we see career women killing it, craft moms slaying it, chef moms nailing it, Christian leaders working it. We register their beautiful yards, homemade green chile enchiladas, themed birthday parties, eight-week Bible study series, chore charts, ab routines, “10 Tips for a Happy Marriage,” career best practices, volunteer work, and Family Fun Night ideas. We make note of their achievements, cataloging their successes and observing their talents. Then we combine the best of everything we see, every woman we admire in every genre, and conclude: I should be all of that. It is certifiably insane. ~ Jen Hatmaker, #NFDB
1178:Love affairs in a modern sense occurred in classical times only outside of official society. The shepherds whose happiness and woe in love is sung by Theocritos and Moschus, such as Daphnis and Chloë of Longos, all these were slaves who had no share in the state and in the daily sphere of the free citizen. Outside of slave circles we find love affairs only as products of disintegration of the sinking old world. Their objects are women who also are standing outside of official society, hetaerae that are either foreigners or liberated slaves: in Athens since the beginning of its decline, in Rome at the time of the emperors. If love affairs really occurred between free male and female citizens, it was only in the form of adultery. ~ Friedrich Engels, #NFDB
1179:In the entr’acte Levin and Pestsov fell into an argument upon the merits and defects of music of the Wagner school. Levin maintained that the mistake of Wagner and all his followers lay in their trying to take music into the sphere of another art, just as poetry goes wrong when it tries to paint a face as the art of painting ought to do, and as an instance of this mistake he cited the sculptor who carved in marble certain poetic phantasms flitting round the figure of the poet on the pedestal. "These phantoms were so far from being phantoms that they were positively clinging on the ladder," said Levin. [...] Pestsov maintained that art is one, and that it can attain its highest manifestations only by conjunction with all kinds of art. ~ Leo Tolstoy, #NFDB
1180:For as soon as the distribution of labour comes into being, each man has a particular, exclusive sphere of activity, which is forced upon him and from which he cannot escape. He is a hunter, a fisherman, a herdsman, or a critical critic, and must remain so if he does not want to lose his means of livelihood; while in communist society, where nobody has one exclusive sphere of activity but each can become accomplished in any branch he wishes, society regulates the general production and thus makes it possible for me to do one thing today and another tomorrow, to hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, rear cattle in the evening, criticise after dinner, just as I have a mind, without ever becoming hunter, fisherman, herdsman or critic. ~ Karl Marx, #NFDB
1181:The Sweets Of Evening
The sweets of evening charm the mind,
Sick of the sultry day;
The body then no more confin'd,
But exercise with freedom join'd,
When Phoebus sheathes his ray.
While all-serene the summer moon
Sends glances thro' the trees,
And Philomel begins her tune,.
And Asteria too shall help her soon
With voice of skillful ease.
A nosegay, every thing that grows,
And music, every sound
To lull the sun to his repose;
The skies are colour'd like the rose
With lively streaks around.
Of all the changes rung by time
None half so sweet appear,
As those when thoughts themselves sublime,
And with superior natures chime
In fancy's highest sphere.
~ Christopher Smart,#NFDB
1182:Because of the size of this body, I must concentrate much harder than I usually do. Even the small things -- my foot on the gas pedal, the amount of space I have to leave around me in the halls -- require major adjustment.
And there are the looks I get -- such undisguised disgust. Not just from other students. From teachers. From strangers. The judgment flows freely. It's possible that they're reacting to the thing that Finn has allowed himself to become. But there's also something more primal, something more defensive in their disgust. I am what they fear becoming.
I've worn black today, because I've heard so often that it's supposed to be slimming. But instead I am this sphere of darkness submarining through the halls. ~ David Levithan,#NFDB
1183:Weeping
While Celia's Tears make sorrow bright,
Proud Grief sits swelling in her eyes;
The Sun, next those the fairest light,
Thus from the Ocean first did rise:
And thus thro' Mists we see the Sun,
Which else we durst not gaze upon.
These silver drops, like morning dew,
Foretell the fervour of the day:
So from one Cloud soft show'rs we view,
And blasting lightnings burst away.
The Stars that fall from Celia's eye
Declare our Doom in drawing nigh.
The Baby in that sunny Sphere
So like a Phaeton appears,
That Heav'n, the threaten'd World to spare,
Thought fit to drown him in her tears;
Else might th' ambitious Nymph aspire,
To set, like him, Heav'n too on fire.
~ Alexander Pope,#NFDB
1184:Such an act [testifying for an accused prison guard of the Shah's regime] can only be accomplished by someone who is engrossed in literature, has learned that every individual has different dimensions to his personality.... Those who judge must take all aspects of an individual's personality into account. It is only through literature that one can put oneself in someone else's shoes and understand the other's different and contradictory sides and refrain from becoming too ruthless. Outside the sphere of literature only one aspect of individuals is revealed. But if you understand their different dimensions you cannot easily murder them.... If we have learned this one lesson from Dr. A our society would have been in a much better shape today. ~ Azar Nafisi, #NFDB
1185:The private realm of the household was the sphere where the necessities of life, of individual survival as well as of continuity of the species, were taken care of and guaranteed. One of the characteristics of privacy, prior to the discovery of the intimate, was that man existed in this sphere not as a truly human being but only as a specimen of the animal species man-kind. This, precisely, was the ultimate reason for the tremendous contempt held for it by antiquity. The emergence of society has changed the estimate of this whole sphere but has hardly transformed its nature. The monolithic character of every type of society, its conformism which allows for only one interest and one opinion, is ultimately rooted in the one-ness of man-kind. ~ Hannah Arendt, #NFDB
1186:Sorrows Of The Moon
Tonight the moon dreams in a deeper languidness,
And, like a beauty on her cushions, lies at rest;
While drifting off to sleep, a tentative caress
Seeks, with a gentle hand, the contour of her breast;
As on a crest above her silken avalanche,
Dying, she yields herself to an unending swoon,
And sees a pallid vision everywhere she’d glance,
In the azure sky where blossoms have been strewn.
When sometime, in her weariness, upon her sphere
She might permit herself to sheda furtive tear,
A poet of great piety, a foe of sleep,
Catches in the hollow of his hand that tear,
An opal fragment, iridescent as a star;
Within his heart, far from the sun, it’s buried deep.
~ Charles Baudelaire,#NFDB
1187:You determine your assumptions in this way: Form a mental image, a picture of the state desired, of the person you want to be. Concentrate your attention upon the feeling that you are already that person. First, visualize the picture in your consciousness. Then feel yourself to be in that state as though it actually formed your surrounding world. By your imagination that which was a mere mental image is changed into a seemingly solid reality. The great secret is a controlled imagination and a well-sustained attention firmly and repeatedly focused on the object to be accomplished. It cannot be emphasized too much that, by creating an ideal within your mental sphere, by assuming that you are already that ideal, you identify yourself with it and ~ Neville Goddard, #NFDB
1188:/Farsi Cupbearer, it is morning, fill my cup with wine. Make haste, the heavenly sphere knows no delay. Before this transient world is ruined and destroyed, ruin me with a beaker of rose-tinted wine. The sun of the wine dawns in the east of the goblet. Pursue life's pleasure, abandon dreams, and the day when the wheel makes pitchers of my clay, take care to fill my skull with wine! We are not men for piety, penance and preaching but rather give us a sermon in praise of a cup of clear wine. Wine-worship is a noble task, O Hafiz; rise and advance firmly to your noble task. [1482.jpg] -- from Music of a Distant Drum: Classical Arabic, Persian, Turkish & Hebrew Poems, Translated by Bernard Lewis
~ Hafiz, Cupbearer, it is morning, fill my cup with wine
,#NFDB
1189:All the time God ever spent on you was wasted, an' your mother's had the same luck. I s'pose God's used to having creatures 'at He's made go wrong, but I pity your mother. Goodness knows a woman suffers an' works enough over her children, an' then to fetch a boy to man's estate an' have him, of his own free will an' accord, be a liar! Young man, truth is the cornerstone o' the temple o' character. Nobody can put up a good buildin' without a solid foundation; an' you can't do solid character buildin' with a lie at the base. Man 'at's a liar ain't fit for anything! Can't trust him in no sphere or relation o' life; or in any way, shape, or manner. You passed out your word like a man, an' like a man I took it an' went off trustin' you, an' you failed me. ~ Gene Stratton Porter, #NFDB
1190:Kennedy went on to say, “For we are opposed around the world by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy that relies primarily on covert means for expanding its sphere of influence—on infiltration instead of invasion, on subversion instead of elections, on intimidation instead of free choice, on guerrillas by night instead of armies by day. It is a system which has conscripted vast human and material resources into the building of a tightly knit, highly efficient machine that combines military, diplomatic, intelligence, economic, scientific and political operations. Its preparations are concealed, not published. Its mistakes are buried, not headlined. Its dissenters are silenced, not praised. No expenditure is questioned, no rumor is printed, no secret is revealed. ~ Jim Marrs, #NFDB
1191:O thou bright Sun! beneath the dark blue line
Of western distance that sublime descendest,
And, gleaming lovelier as thy beams decline,
Thy million hues to every vapour lendest,
And, over cobweb lawn and grove and stream
Sheddest the liquid magic of thy light,
Till calm Earth, with the parting splendour bright,
Shows like the vision of a beauteous dream;
What gazer now with astronomic eye
Could coldly count the spots within thy sphere?
Such were thy lover, Harriet, could he fly
The thoughts of all that makes his passion dear,
And, turning senseless from thy warm caress,--
Pick flaws in our close-woven happiness.
Published by Dowden, 'Life of Shelley', 1887. Composed July 31, 1813.
~ Percy Bysshe Shelley, Evening. To Harriet
,#NFDB
1192:We both are a pejorative—liberals. Spartak, I believe an active and powerful government is the only counterbalance against rapacious business interests, unprincipled individuals and groups often all too willing to deceive, poison, and ruin in the name of their own liberty. Without us, the powerful face no limits, no scrutiny, pay no price and never face justice. My life’s work is to return integrity and influence to the public sphere. I wear barronial scorn with pride.” He shook his head. “Of course most people think I’m a fool.”
U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Washington
Speaking to his niece and then Spartak Jones in a restaurant named after author Ayn Rand, San Francisco, in the year 2115
The Chronicles of Spartak—Rising Son, a novel ~ Steven A Coulter,#NFDB
1193:If, as is only too possible, we are to perish, let us see to it that we do not perish without having existed. The powerful forces that we have to fight are preparing to crush us; and it is true that they can prevent us from existing fully, that is to say from stamping the world with the seal of our will. But there is one sphere in which they are powerless. They cannot stop us from working towards a clear comprehension of the object of our efforts, so that, if we cannot accomplish that which we will, we may at least have willed it, and not just have blindly wished for it; and, on the other hand, our weakness may indeed prevent us from winning, but not from comprehending the force by which we are crushed. Nothing in the world can prevent us from thinking clearly. ~ Simone Weil, #NFDB
1194:By Blake's model, as I understand it, it's as though the Fifth Symphony existed already in that higher sphere, before Beethoven sat down and played dah-dah-dah-DUM. The catch was this: The work existed only as potential — without a body, so to speak. It wasn't music yet. You couldn't play it. You couldn't hear it. It needed someone. It needed a corporeal being, a human, an artist (or more precisely a genius, in the Latin sense of "soul" or "animating spirit") to bring it into being on this material plane. So the Muse whispered in Beethoven's ear. Maybe she hummed a few bars into a million other ears. But no one else heard her. Only Beethoven got it. He brought it forth. He made the Fifth Symphony a "creation of time," which "eternity" could be "in love with. ~ Steven Pressfield, #NFDB
1195:In Malkus, the lowest of the Sephiros, the sphere of the physical world of matter, wherein incarnate the exiled Neschamos from the Divine Palace, there abides the Shechinah, the spiritual Presence of Ain Soph as a heritage to mankind and an ever-present reminder of spiritual verities. That is why there is written “ Keser is in Malkus, and Malkus is in Keser, though after another manner The Zohar would imply that the real Shechinah, the real Divine Presence, is allocated to Binah whence it never descends, but that the Shechinah in Malkus is an eidolon or Daughter of the Great Supernal Mother. Isaac Myer suggests that : “ It is considered by Qabalists as the executive energy or power of Binah, the Holy Spirit or the Upper Mother.” ~ Israel Regardie, A Garden of Pomegrantes, #NFDB
1196:What Is Liberty? Actually, what is the political struggle that we witness? It is the instinctive struggle of all people toward liberty. And what is this liberty, whose very name makes the heart beat faster and shakes the world? Is it not the union of all liberties -- liberty of conscience, of education, of association, of the press, of travel, of labor, of trade? In short, is not liberty the freedom of every person to make full use of his faculties, so long as he does not harm other persons while doing so? Is not liberty the destruction of all despotism -- including, of course, legal despotism? Finally, is not liberty the restricting of the law only to its rational sphere of organizing the right of the individual to lawful self- defense; of punishing injustice? ~ Fr d ric Bastiat, #NFDB
1197:One of the fundamental themes of the Qur'an is man's flight from reality. Given the basic premise that God is, and that His being both transcends and encompasses all existence, then unbelief is precisely such a flight. Men and women throughout the centuries have tried at every opportunity to evade total Reality and to take refuge in little corners of private darkness. Even at the simplest everyday level there is constant avoidance of the thought of death; there is evasion of our inward solitariness, which no amount of conviviality can entirely overcome, and there is a refusal to acknowledge our limitations and our sins. Not only is it the innate tendency of fallen man to 'forget' God, but there comes about a luxuriant growth of forgetfulness in every sphere. ~ Charles Le Gai Eaton, #NFDB
1198:All the world’s major religions have their own form of the Golden Rule that teaches kindness to others as the essence of their message. They all recognize animals as sentient and vulnerable to us, and include them within the moral sphere of our behavior. There are also strong voices in all the traditions emphasizing that our kindness to other beings should be based on compassion. This is more than merely being open to the suffering of others; it also explicitly includes the urge to act to relieve their suffering. We are thus responsible not just to refrain from harming animals and humans, but also to do what we can to stop others from harming them, and to create conditions that educate, inspire, and help others to live in ways that show kindness and respect for all life. ~ Will Tuttle, #NFDB
1199:Percy Bysshe Shelley
'Twixt those twin worlds,—the world of Sleep, which gave
No dream to warn,—the tidal world of Death,
Which the earth's sea, as the earth, replenisheth,—
Shelley, Song's orient sun, to breast the wave,
Rose from this couch that morn. Ah! did he brave
Only the sea?—or did man's deed of hell
Engulph his bark 'mid mists impenetrable? . . .
No eye discerned, nor any power might save.
When that mist cleared, O Shelley! what dread veil
Was rent for thee, to whom far-darkling Truth
Reigned sovereign guide through thy brief ageless youth?
Was the Truth thy Truth, Shelley?—Hush! All-Hail!
Past doubt, thou gav'st it; and in Truth's bright sphere
Art first of praisers, being most praisèd here.
~ Dante Gabriel Rossetti,#NFDB
1200:The self does not exist “from its own side,” [...] as an object that can be isolated and defined. The more you search for it, whether through meditation, philosophical inquiry, psychological analysis, or dissection of the brain, you will not, in the end, discover any “thing” that corresponds to it. Nonetheless, this is not to deny that a self exists. It exists, but not in the way we instinctively feel it to exist. An empty self is a changing, evolving, functional, and moral self. In fact—and this is the twist—if the self were not empty in this way, it would be unable to do anything. For such a hypothetical self would be utterly disassociated from everything in the living world, existing in a purely metaphysical sphere, incapable of either acting or being acted upon. ~ Stephen Batchelor, #NFDB
1201:The messengers of the Incommunicable,
The architects of immortality.
Into the fallen human sphere they came,
Faces that wore the Immortal's glory still,
Voices that communed still with the thoughts of God,
Bodies made beautiful by the spirit's light,
Carrying the magic word, the mystic fire,
Carrying the Dionysian cup of joy,
Approaching eyes of a diviner man,
Lips chanting an unknown anthem of the soul,
Feet echoing in the corridors of Time.
High priests of wisdom, sweetness, might and bliss,
Discoverers of beauty's sunlit ways
And swimmers of Love's laughing fiery floods
And dancers within rapture's golden doors,
Their tread one day shall change the suffering earth
And justify the light on Nature's face. ~ Sri Aurobindo, Savitri, 3:4,#NFDB
1202:who dignify their paltry employments, and sometimes even their passions, with pompous titles, representing them to mankind as gigantic achievements performed for their welfare and glory. But the man who humbly acknowledges the vanity of all this, who observes with what pleasure the thriving citizen converts his little garden into a paradise, and how patiently even the poor man pursues his weary way under his burden, and how all wish equally to behold the light of the sun a little longer — yes, such a man is at peace, and creates his own world within himself; and he is also happy, because he is a man. And then, however limited his sphere, he still preserves in his bosom the sweet feeling of liberty, and knows that he can quit his prison whenever he likes. May ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, #NFDB
1203:Immediate reality is conditional upon individual consciousness. Thus the individual real existence of man also lies first and foremost in his consciousness. But this is as such necessarily ideational, and thus conditioned by the intellect and by the sphere and substance of the intellect's activity. The degree of clarity of consciousness, and consequently of thought, can therefore be regarded as the degree of reality of existence. But this degree of thought, or of clear consciousness of ones own existence and that of others, varies very greatly within the human race itself according to the measure of natural intellectual power, the extent to which this is developed, and the amount of leisure available for reflection.
- On Psychology ~ Arthur Schopenhauer,#NFDB
1204:The evolving intellect of primitive man brought with a gradual extroversion. From an inward contemplation of spiritual principles man came to recognize an external life. Slowly the inner sense were dimmed and the perceptive powers correspondingly strengthened. The result is man's present state in which he has little if any inward life, and is entirely overconscious of the significance of outward circumstances. The inner life is the Paradisiacal or Edenic state. The outer life is the relapsed or fallen state. The resurrection promised by the Messianic dispensation is the restoring of the inner life, the conquest of the external or sensory sphere. All this is clearly shown in the teaching of Buddha, and is an essential part of the dicta of Plato. ~ Manly P Hall, How to Understand Your Bible, #NFDB
1205:All people are, at heart, egocentric. We exist at the center of our own little universes. We believe that we are living out our lives as best we can, and that we have our own sphere of influence which exists of both friends and enemies. They in turn have their own friends and enemies with whom they interact. That is a given. But we, each of us, tend to put ourselves ahead of others because we believe that we are significant. We must attend to our own needs, desires, wants, and aspirations, because each of us is our own greatest priority. No one else cares for us as much as we do, no one else can exist in our skin. We think we're important. It is where our sense of self-worth comes up, where our egos reside, where "we" are. And we believe that each of our lives means something. ~ Peter David, #NFDB
1206:Pacifists are reluctant to remember this, but early on the ancient Greeks invented democracy as a continuation of war by other means. The assembly practice on the scale of the citystate came directly from the assembly of warriors. Equality of speech stemmed from equality in the face of death. Athenian democracy was a hoplitic democracy. One was a citizen because one was a soldier—hence the exclusion of women and slaves. In a culture as violently agonistic as classical Greek culture, debate itself was understood as a moment of warlike confrontation, between citizens this time, in the sphere of speech, with the arms of persuasion.Moreover, “agon” signifies “assembly” as much as “competition. ” The complete Greek citizen was one who was victorious both with arms and with discourse. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
1207:...if we define Megaphone as the composite of hundreds of voices we hear each day that come to us from people we don't know, via high-tech sources, it's clear that a significant and ascendant component of that voice has become bottom-dwelling, shrill, incurious, ranting, and agenda-driven. It strives to antagonize us, make us feel anxious, ineffective, and alone; convince us that the world is full of enemies and of people stupider and less agreeable than ourselves; is dedicated to the idea that, outside the sphere of our immediate experience, the world works in a different, more hostile, less knowable manner. This braindead tendency is viral and manifests intermittently; while it is the blood in the veins of some of your media figures, it flickers on and off in others. ~ George Saunders, #NFDB
1208:To move from First Sphere to Second Sphere, one has to welcome, ask for, pray for and embrace fear consistently. One has to dive into any and all fears and deeper pains you have. Then more Divine Love can enter, once the emotion is felt and released fully. Moving through the First Sphere takes the longest time and is painful ‘work’ as you have the most resistance, pride, unwillingness, judgment and blame. It takes discipline, commitment, a guide, self love, good health and vigilance. However, it is so worth it as you begin to feel Divine Love, and each time you do, It spurs you on, deepening your humility and trust. ‘When you find your path, have sufficient courage to make mistakes. Disappointment, defeat and despair are the tools God uses to show us the way.’ Paulo Coelho ~ Padma Aon Prakasha, #NFDB
1209:The Founders knew this history well. They understood that people were always going to form factions and that there will always be elites. The trick was to prevent any faction, including a majority of the people, from commandeering the state for its own ambitions. “The only remedy” to the problem of majoritarian factions taking over the government and bending it to its will, James Madison wrote, “is to enlarge the sphere, and thereby divide the community into so great a number of interests and parties, that, in the first place, a majority will not be likely, at the same moment, to have a common interest separate from that of the whole, or of the minority; and in the second place, that in case they should have such an interest, they may not be so apt to unite in the pursuit of it. ~ Jonah Goldberg, #NFDB
1210:The father's house, of course, is the divine world; the same father's house in which there are many mansions. The father himself represents God, and the two brothers two great waves of life. Of these, the prodigal son is humanity; and the righteous son who does not go forth represents the waves of life that never enter into a physical condition - that is, never go down to Egypt, which in the Bible always represents a material and corrupted sphere. The son who sent forth, descending into a material state, made numerous errors and misused the spiritual powers (wealth) which his father had given him. All the faculties and propensities of man are essentially divine, but material human beings have prostituted these powers and corrupted the spiritual virtues in the cause of material accumulation and power, #NFDB
1211:The law is the organization of the natural right of lawful defence; it is the substitution of collective for individual forces, for the purpose of acting in the sphere in which they have a right to act, of doing what they have a right to do, to secure persons, liberties, and properties, and to maintain each in its right, so as to cause justice to reign over all. And if a people established upon this basis were to exist, it seems to me that order would prevail among them in their acts as well as in their ideas. It seems to me that such a people would have the most simple, the most economical, the least oppressive, the least to be felt, the least responsible, the most just, and, consequently, the most solid Government which could be imagined, whatever its political form might be. For, ~ Fr d ric Bastiat, #NFDB
1212:If we are to abandon Newtonian mechanics in the physical sphere we must also do so in the psychological and moral. In the same measure that the atoms are not billiard balls struck into motion by others, our actions are not entities forced into operation by distinct motives and drives. Actions appear to be forced by other things to the degree that the agent identifies himself with a single part of the situation in which the actions occur, such as the will as distinct from the passions, or the mind as distinct from the body. But if he identifies himself with his passions and with his body, he will not seem to be moved by them. If he can go further and see that he is not simply his body but the whole of his body-environment relationship, he will not even feel forced to act by the environment. ~ Alan W Watts, #NFDB
1213:Cristofer did not write because he feared forgetting something. He never forgot anything, even when he reached old age. For Cristofer, the written word seemed to regulate the world. Stop its fluctuations. Prevent notions from eroding. This is why Cristofer's sphere of interest was so broad. According to the writer's thinking, that sphere should correspond to the world's breadth.
Cristofer usually left his writings in the places where he had made them: on the bench, on the stove, on the woodpile. He did not pick them up when the fell to the floor: he vaguely anticipated their discovery, much later, in a cultural stratum. Cristofer understood that the written word would always remain that way. No matter what happened later, once it had been written, the word had already occurred. ~ Evgenij Vodolazkin,#NFDB
1214:The proprietor, the robber, the hero, the sovereign—for all these titles are synonymous—imposes his will as law, and suffers neither contradiction nor control; that is, he pretends to be the legislative and the executive power at once ... [and so] property engenders despotism ... That is so clearly the essence of property that, to be convinced of it, one need but remember what it is, and observe what happens around him. Property is the right to use and abuse ... if goods are property, why should not the proprietors be kings, and despotic kings—kings in proportion to their facultes bonitaires? And if each proprietor is sovereign lord within the sphere of his property, absolute king throughout his own domain, how could a government of proprietors be any thing but chaos and confusion? ~ Pierre Joseph Proudhon, #NFDB
1215:There was, always, before the shelling, for the slenderest moment before the earth began shaking, a faraway whispering, as of air hurtling at high speed through a thin tube, a whooshing, which turned, indiscernibly, into a whistling. This whistling lasted for a while, and then, no matter where you stood, there was a tremulous vibration, the trembling of the earth underfoot, followed by a blast of hot air against the skin, and then finally the deafening explosion. It was a loud, unbearably loud explosion, followed immediately by others, so loud that as soon as the first one came the rest could no longer be heard. They could be registered only as the pervasive absence of sound, as a series of voids or vacuums in the sound sphere so great that not even the sound of thinking could be heard. ~ Anuk Arudpragasam, #NFDB
1216:He dreams he is happy; that his corporeal nature has changed; or at least that he has flown off upon a purple cloud of another sphere peopled by beings of the same kind as himself. Alas! May his illusion last till dawn’s awakening! He dreams the flowers dance round him in a ring like immense demented garlands, and impregnate him with their balmy perfumes while he sings a hymn of love, locked in the arms of a magically beautiful human being. But it is merely twilight mist he embraces, and when he wakes their arms will no longer be entwined. Awaken not, hermaphrodite. Do not wake yet, I beg you. Why will you not believe me? Sleep … sleep forever. May your breast heave while pursuing the chimerical hope of happiness — that I allow you; but do not open your eyes. Ah! do not open your eyes. ~ Comte de Lautr amont, #NFDB
1217:I wish you to understand that there is one man, and only one, for each woman, and one woman only for each man. When those two meet they fly together and are one through all the endless chain of existence. Until they meet all unions are mere accidents which have no meaning. Sooner or later each couple becomes complete. It may not be here. It may be in the next sphere where the sexes meet as they do on earth. Or it may be further delayed. But every man and every woman has his or her affinity, and will find it. Of earthly marriages perhaps one in five is permanent. The others are accidental. Real marriage is of the soul and spirit. Sex actions are a mere external symbol which mean nothing and are foolish, or even pernicious, when the thing which they should symbolize is wanting. Am I clear? ~ Arthur Conan Doyle, #NFDB
1218:Humans live in political society with all traits of their being, from the physical to the spiritual and religious traits. We have only presented examples from the Mediterranean and Western European culture areas, but the thesis is universal and also applies to the political forms in the East. The political community is always integrated in the overall context of man's experience of the world and God, irrespective of whether the political sphere occupies a subordinate level in the divine order of the hierarchy of being or whether it is deified itself. The language of politics is always interspersed with the ecstasies of religiosity and, thus, becomes a symbol in the concise sense by letting experiences concerned with the contents of the world be permeated with transcendental-divine experiences. ~ Eric Voegelin, #NFDB
1219:The United States is the most powerful among the technically advanced countries in the world today. Its influence on the shaping of international relations is absolutely incalculable. But America is a large country and its people have so far not shown much interest in great international problems, among which the problem of disarmament occupies first place today. This must be changed, if only in America's own interest. The last war has shown that there are no longer any barriers between the continents and that the destinies of all countries are closely interwoven. The people of this country must realize that they have a great responsibility in the sphere of international politics. The part of passive spectator is unworthy of this country and is bound in the end to lead to disaster all round. ~ Albert Einstein, #NFDB
1220:Before he died in 2013, the great sociologist Robert Bellah said that his view of everything he’d studied across his life was tilted on its axis by this late recognition: when mammals began to bring forth offspring from the center of their bodies, spiritual life became possible. With apes and far more with humans, the period of necessary parental care—care in order for the offspring to survive—became longer and longer. The long helplessness of the child generated a sphere of softening, experimentation, and creativity in self-understanding and shared life. This is the biological groundwork for the axial move—stepping out of fear and into care beyond one’s self. The religions apprehended this long ago and wove it into language; compassion in both Hebrew and Arabic derives from the word for womb. ~ Krista Tippett, #NFDB
1221:Given how carefully choreographed Mr Putin’s public appearances are, the question itself touched a nerve in Kazakhstan. The country’s single greatest uncertainty is what will happen after Mr Nazarbayev, who has ruled since the break-up of the Soviet Union, stands aside or dies. Mr Putin praised the Kazakh president’s intelligence before asserting that “the Kazakhs never had statehood” before 1991. He was convinced that Kazakhstan would remain in the EEU, he added, because its people recognised that it was “good for them to remain in the sphere of the so-called greater Russian world, which is a part of global civilisation”. The comment was taken as part threat, part insult in Kazakhstan which, like Ukraine, has regions with a majority ethnic Russian population, fuelling fears it might share Kiev’s fate. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
1222:Hildebrand, too, challenged the ideals of scientific naturalism by an appeal to the psychology of perception: if we attempt to analyze our mental images to discover their primary constituents, we will find them composed of sense data derived from vision and from memories of touch and movement. A sphere, for instance, appears to the eye as a flat disk; it is touch which informs us of the properties of space and form. Any attempt on the part of the artist to eliminate this knowledge is futile, for without it he would not perceive the world at all. His task is, on the contrary, to compensate for the absence of movement in his work by clarifying his image and thus conveying not only visual sensations but also those memories of touch which enable us to reconstitute the three-dimensional form in our minds. ~ E H Gombrich, #NFDB
1223:I myself have dreamed up a structure intermediate between Dyson spheres and planets. Build a ring 93 million miles in radius - one Earth orbit - around the sun. If we have the mass of Jupiter to work with, and if we make it a thousand miles wide, we get a thickness of about a thousand feet for the base.
And it has advantages. The Ringworld will be much sturdier than a Dyson sphere. We can spin it on its axis for gravity. A rotation speed of 770 m/s will give us a gravity of one Earth normal. We wouldn't even need to roof it over. Place walls one thousand miles high at each edge, facing the sun. Very little air will leak over the edges.
Lord knows the thing is roomy enough. With three million times the surface area of the Earth, it will be some time before anyone complains of the crowding. ~ Larry Niven,#NFDB
1224:The great flaw of all these administrative techniques is that, in the name of equality and democracy, they function as a vast "antipolitics machine", sweeping vast realms of legitimate public debate out of the public sphere and into the arms of technical, administrative committees. They stand in the way of potentially bracing and instructive debates about social policy, the meaning of intelligence, the selection of elites, the value of equity and diversity, and the purpose of economic growth and development. They are, in short, the means by which technical and administrative elites attempt to convince a skeptical public--while excluding the public from debate--that they play no favorites, take no obscure discretionary action, and have no biases but are merely taking transparent technical calculations. ~ James C Scott, #NFDB
1225:Objectively (i.e., in theory) there is utterly no conflict between morality and politics. But subjectively (in the self-seeking inclinations of men, which, because they are not based on maxims of reason, must not be called the [sphere of] practice [Praxis]) this conflict will always remain, as well it should; for it serves as the whetstone of virtue, whose true courage (according to the principle, “tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito”)35 in the present case consists not so much in resolutely standing up to the evils and sacrifices that must be taken on; rather, it consists in detecting, squarely facing, and conquering the deceit of the evil principle in ourselves, which is the more dangerously devious and treacherous because it excuses all our transgressions with an appeal to human nature’s frailty. ~ Immanuel Kant, #NFDB
1226:Tinkling sounds came from outside, of hammering and chiselling, as labourers worked like bees, and seven- or eight-storeyed buildings rose in the place of ancestral mansions that had been razed cruelly to the ground, climbing up like ladders through screens of dust. An old mansion opposite the veranda had been repainted white, to its last banister and pillar, so that it looked like a set of new teeth. ... In another sphere altogether, birds took off from a tree or parapet, or the roof of some rich Marwari’s house, startling and speckling the neutral sky. Not a moment was still or like another moment. In a window in a servants’ outhouse attached to a mansion – both the master’s house and the servants’ lost in a bond now anachronistic and buried – a light shone even at this time of the day, beacon of winter. ~ Amit Chaudhuri, #NFDB
1227:The nuggets themselves are pillow-shaped and vaguely striated to echo piratical treasure chests. Now, with a flake-type of cereal, Randy’s strategy would never work. But then, Cap’n Crunch in a flake form would be suicidal madness; it would last about as long, when immersed in milk, as snowflakes sifting down into a deep fryer. No, the cereal engineers at General Mills had to find a shape that would minimize surface area, and, as some sort of compromise between the sphere that is dictated by Euclidean geometry and whatever sunken-treasure-related shapes that the cereal-aestheticians were probably clamoring for, they came up with this hard-to-pin-down striated pillow formation. The important thing, for Randy’s purposes, is that the individual pieces of Cap’n Crunch are, to a very rough approximation, shaped ~ Neal Stephenson, #NFDB
1228:Colleges have now become privileged finishing schools for girls. Except rather than teaching manners, they teach women that men are the enemy and men are treated as such on campus, unless they go along with the program that keeps them cowed or striking a PC pose. Many men have just decided that they don’t belong in college and are going on strike, consciously or unconsciously. How will this affect their wages and lifestyles in the coming decades? If nothing changes and more and more men drop out of college or never attend, how will this change society? Will men continue to become the other, and be further relegated to second-class status where women and society are afraid of them and they are hesitant to participate fully in the public sphere? Is this already happening? The next chapter explores these questions. ~ Helen Smith, #NFDB
1229:Oppression as a causal explanation is deficient and inadequate in almost every respect, since, among other things, it simply does not fit the data curve. “These oppression theories,” says Chafetz, “are based on vaguely defined concepts often ill suited to operationalization, such as ‘patriarchy,’ ‘female subordination,’ and ‘sexism.’ The use of such emotion-laden but unclear terms, combined typically with a heavily normative approach to the topic of sex inequality, results in a maximum of rhetoric but a minimum of clear insight.” No, this polarization of the sexes—with males dominating the public/productive sphere and females dominating the private/reproductive, to the detriment of both—has virtually nothing to do with male oppression and female sheepdom/subjugation. It has everything to do with life in the biosphere. ~ Ken Wilber, #NFDB
1230:... apart from its function as communication, human language also often functions as a defense. The spoken word conceals the expressive language of the biological core. In many cases, the function of speech has deteriorated to such a degree that the words express nothing whatever and merely represent a continuous, hollow activity on the part of the musculature of the neck and the organs of speech. On the basis of repeated experiences, it is my opinion that in many psychoanalyses which have gone on for years the treatment has become stuck in this pathological use of language. This clinical experience can, indeed has to be applied to the social sphere. Endless numbers of speeches, publications, political debates do not have the function of getting at the root of important questions of life but of drowning them in verbiage. ~ Wilhelm Reich, #NFDB
1231:Like Picasso and Braque, Mondrian explored the influential ideas of Paul Cézanne, who greatly influenced the analytic Cubists with his idea that all natural forms can be reduced to three figural primitives: the cube, the cone, and the sphere (Loran 2006; Kandel 2014). Mondrian recognized the plastic elements in analytic Cubism, and he began to echo the Cubists’ use of geometric shapes and interlocking planes. He reduced a specific object, such as a tree, to a few lines and then connected those lines to the surrounding space (fig. 6.4), thus entangling the branches of the tree with its surroundings. Yet whereas Cubist works played with simple shapes in a complex arena of shattered space, Mondrian’s art became more reductionist. He distilled figures to their most elemental forms, eliminating altogether the sense of perspective. ~ Eric R Kandel, #NFDB
1232:Through quantum effects, cells create a coherent field of information throughout the body. This “biofield” supplements the ordinary flow of information with the multidimensional quasi-instant information needed to ensure the coordinated functioning of the whole organism. The quantum effects of the biofield are not confined to the physical bounds of the organism: they extend into the environment. Through its biofield, the living organism interacts with all the fields that surround it. Thanks to this interaction the organism is in constant communication with its environment. Because this communication involves quantum effects, the organism is in communication with more than its immediate environment: it is in communication with other organisms whether near or far. In the final count it is connected with the entire sphere of life. ~ Ervin Laszlo, #NFDB
1233:Forgiveness flounders because I exclude the enemy from the community of
humans even as I exclude myself from the community of sinners. But no one
can be in the presence of the God of the crucified Messiah for long without
overcoming this double exclusion — without transposing the enemy from the
sphere of the monstrous… into the sphere of shared humanity and herself from
the sphere of proud innocence into the sphere of common sinfulness. When
one knows [as the cross demonstrates] that the torturer will not eternally
triumph over the victim, one is free to rediscover that person’s humanity and
imitate God’s love for him. And when one knows [as the cross demonstrates]
that God’s love is greater than all sin, one is free to see oneself in the light of
God’s justice and so rediscover one’s own sinfulness. ~ Miroslav Volf,#NFDB
1234:Infrared satellite imagery, optical telescopes, and the Hubbell space telescope bring vastness within our visual sphere. Electron microscopes let us wander the remote universe of our own cells. But at the middle scale, that of the unaided eye, our senses seem to be strangely dulled. With sophisticated technology, we strive to see what is beyond us, but are often blind to the myriad sparkling facets that lie so close at hand. We thing we're seeing when we've only scratched the surface. Our acuity at this middle scale seems diminished, not by any failing of the eyes, but by the willingness of the mind. Has the power of our devices led us to distrust our unaided eyes? Or have we become dismissive of what takes no technology but only time and patience to perceive? Attentiveness alone can rival the most powerful magnifying lens. ~ Robin Wall Kimmerer, #NFDB
1235:Quickly, I slid into the rifts between stars. I imagined the space as a sphere bedizened with little astral ornaments, and soon those heavy celestial bodies became small as candies held in one’s palms. The thread easily looped them together.
I grinned, turning to Amar. Between us was a sphere thick with stars and around us twined soft shadows like cats weaving between ankles.
“Magnificent,” he said.
His gaze was full of awe, but I saw something else in his eyes. Longing. Then, he reached into the sphere, drawing out the string with the three stars. He twisted them between his hands, fashioning a constellation no larger than a sparrow. Amar stepped forward, sliding the stars above my ear. It cast a glow that turned his face silvery and beautiful.
“There, my queen,” he said. “A constellation to wear in your hair. ~ Roshani Chokshi,#NFDB
1236:The blackness took all but this: a face.
The face was as alien to me as the faceless serpentine tentacles of my last host body would be to this new body. I’d seen this kind of face in the images I had been given to prepare for this world. It was hard to tell them apart, to see the tiny variations in color and shape that were the only markers of the individual. So much the same, all of them. Noses centered in the middle of the sphere, eyes above and mouths below, ears around the sides. A collection of senses, all but touch, concentrated in one place. Skin over bones, hair growing on the crown and in strange furry lines above the eyes. Some had more fur lower down on the jaw; those were always males. The colors ranged through the brown scale from pale cream to a deep almost-black. Aside from that, how to know one from the other? ~ Stephenie Meyer,#NFDB
1237:The pastry kitchen is colder than I had imagined but smells delicious, as sweet and crisp as the bite of an apple. The walls are covered in white tiles, and almost everything is made of stainless steel. There are quite a few Chinese chefs in the kitchen, busy at work. They don't look rushed at all, carefully executing their tasks. One chef is releasing praline balls from their molds and then dipping them in a bowl of melted chocolate. It looks like a silken soup, and my mouth waters. He drops each ball in with a large fork and slowly stirs it around. When it comes up again, it has the satin sheen of the warm chocolate. He rolls it, the fork providing a cradle against a marble bench top until it is cool. The fork leaves no crease or mark on the finished product, a perfect sphere. There is such slow art to it; I feel hypnotized. ~ Hannah Tunnicliffe, #NFDB
1238:If you can cut yourself—your mind—free of what other
people do and say, of what you’ve said or done, of the things
that you’re afraid will happen, the impositions of the body
that contains you and the breath within, and what the whirling
chaos sweeps in from outside, so that the mind is freed from
fate, brought to clarity, and lives life on its own recognizance
—doing what’s right, accepting what happens, and speaking
the truth—
If you can cut free of impressions that cling to the mind,
free of the future and the past—can make yourself, as
Empedocles says, “a sphere rejoicing in its perfect
stillness,” and concentrate on living what can be lived
(which means the present) . . . then you can spend the time
you have left in tranquillity. And in kindness. And at peace
with the spirit within you. ~ Marcus Aurelius,#NFDB
1239:it’s a long lane that has no turning,” “the weariest day draws to an end,” etc., seemed false and vain sayings, so long and so weary was the pressure of the terrible times. Deeper and deeper still sank the poor. It showed how much lingering suffering it takes to kill men, that so few (in comparison) died during those times. But remember! we only miss those who do men’s work in their humble sphere; the aged, the feeble, the children, when they die, are hardly noted by the world; and yet to many hearts, their deaths make a blank which long years will never fill up. Remember, too, that though it may take much suffering to kill the able-bodied and effective members of society, it does NOT take much to reduce them to worn, listless, diseased creatures, who thenceforward crawl through life with moody hearts and pain-stricken bodies. The ~ Elizabeth Gaskell, #NFDB
1240:She twisted her hair as if the question made her uncomfortable. “Seeing the past is simple magic. Seeing the present or the future—that is not.” “Yeah, well,” Leo said. “Watch and learn, Sunshine. I just connect these last two wires, and—” The bronze plate sparked. Smoke billowed from the sphere. A flash of fire raced up Leo’s sleeve. He pulled off his shirt, threw it down, and stomped on it. He could tell Calypso was trying not to laugh, but she was shaking with the effort. “Not a word,” Leo warned. She glanced at his bare chest, which was sweaty, bony, and streaked with old scars from weapon-making accidents. “Nothing worth commenting on,” she assured him. “If you want that device to work, perhaps you should try a musical invocation.” “Right,” he said. “Whenever an engine malfunctions, I like to tap-dance around it. Works every time. ~ Rick Riordan, #NFDB
1241:In the Biblical story, man dwelt in a Paradisiacal sphere before his fall into the mystery of generation. This Paradisiacal sphere is called a garden, and has been variously located by religious enthusiasts upon almost every part of the earth's surface. Eden is not, however, on the earth's surface, but above it, or, more correctly, in a higher etheric element which encloses the earth in a globe of translucent energy. The four rivers are the four streams of ether or energy which sustain the four kingdoms of the physical world - mineral, vegetable, animal, and human. Man physically is nourished by the vital ethers of nature. Man physically is nourished by the vital ethers of nature. These ethers now work through him, but in pre-Adamic times he possessed no physical body and these ethers formed an etheric body. ~ Manly P Hall, How to Understand Your Bible, #NFDB
1242:Suppose ‘Heaven’ and ‘Hell’ are just other universes.”
“Just other universes,” Eliza repeated, smiling. “And the Big Bang was just an explosion.”
Dr. Chaudhary chuckled. “Is another universe bigger or smaller than the idea of God? Does it matter? If there is a sphere where ‘angels’ dwell, is it a matter of semantics, whether we choose to call it Heaven?”
“No,” Eliza replied, swiftly and firmly, a bit to her own surprise. “It isn’t a matter of semantics. It’s a matter of motive.”
“I beg your pardon?” Dr. Chaudhary gave her a quizzical look. Something in Eliza’s tone had hardened.
“What do they want?” she asked. “I think that’s the bigger question. They came from somewhere.” There is another universe. “And if that somewhere has nothing to do with ‘God’ ”—It doesn’t.—“then they’re acting on their own behalf. And that’s scary. ~ Laini Taylor,#NFDB
1243:As every blossom fades
and all youth sinks into old age,
so every life’s design, each flower of wisdom,
attains its prime and cannot last forever.
The heart must submit itself courageously
to life’s call without a hint of grief,
A magic dwells in each beginning,
protecting us, telling us how to live.
High purposed we shall traverse realm on realm,
cleaving to none as to a home,
the world of spirit wishes not to fetter us
but raise us higher, step by step.
Scarce in some safe accustomed sphere of life
have we establish a house, then we grow lax;
only he who is ready to journey forth
can throw old habits off.
Maybe death’s hour too will send us out new-born
towards undreamed-lands,
maybe life’s call to us will never find an end
Courage my heart, take leave and fare thee well. ~ Hermann Hesse,#NFDB
1244:But the secrets of such a book are not perpetual. Once they are known, they become relegated to a lesser sphere, which is that of the knower. Having lost the prestige they once enjoyed, these former secrets now function as tools in the excavation of still deeper ones which, in turn, will suffer the same corrosive fate. And this is the fate of all the secrets of the universe. Eventually the seeker of a recondite knowledge may conclude—either through insight or sheer exhaustion—that this ruthless process is never-ending, that the mortification of one mystery after another has no terminus beyond that of the seeker's own extinction. And how many still remain susceptible to the search? How many pursue it to the end of their days with undying hope of some ultimate revelation? Better not to think in precise terms just how few the faithful are. ~ Thomas Ligotti, #NFDB
1245:But the soul which arrives at this stage of realization consciously has a different experience. The difference is like that of one person having been pulled, with his back turned to the source, and another person having journeyed towards the goal, enjoying at every step each experience it has met with, and rejoicing at every moment of this journey in approaching nearer to the goal. What does this soul, conscious of its progress towards the goal, realize? It realizes with every veil it has thrown off a greater power, and increased inspiration, until it arrives at a stage, after having passed through the sphere of the jinns and the heaven of the angels, when it realizes that error which it had known, and yet not known fully; the error it made in identifying itself with its reflection, with its shadow falling on these different planes. ~ Hazrat Inayat Khan, #NFDB
1246:Tomorrow at seven o'clock a strange phenomenon will occur: the earth is going to sit on the moon. This has also been written about by the noted English chemist Wellington. I confess, I felt troubled at heart when I pictured to myself the extraordinary delicacy and fragility of the moon. For the moon is usually made in Hamburg, and made quite poorly. I'm surprised England doesn't pay attention to this. It's made by a lame cooper, and one can see that the fool understands nothing about the moon. He used tarred rope and a quantity of cheap olive oil, and that's why there's a terrible stench all over the earth, so that you have to hold your nose. And that's why the moon itself is such a delicate sphere that people can't live on it, and now only noses live there. And for the same reason, we can't see our own noses, for they're all in the moon. ~ Nikolai Gogol, #NFDB
1247:Every day leaflets fall from the sky, Japanese planes whirring overhead and letting loose propaganda, all over the colony, telling the Chinese and the Indians not to fight, to join with the Japanese in a “Greater Far Eastern Co-Prosperity Sphere.” They’ve been collecting them as they fall on the ground, stacking them in piles, and Trudy wakes up on Christmas Day and declares a project, to make wallpaper out of them. In their dressing gowns, they put on Christmas carols, make hot toddies, and—in a fit of wild, Yuletide indulgence—use all the flour for pancakes, and paste the leaflets on the living room wall—a grimly ironic decoration. One has a drawing of a Chinese woman sitting on the lap of a fat Englishman, and says the English have been raping your women for years, stop it now, or something to that effect, in Chinese, or so Trudy says. ~ Janice Y K Lee, #NFDB
1248:The key to the riddle lies in the metaphysics of the Persians, which in turn was derived from the most ancient religious Mysteries of both the Near East and the Far East. It is explained that good and evil, so-called, are but the aspects of qualities of One Principle. For example, creation brings into manifestation the innumerable hosts of lives which lie sleeping in the Infinite. In this respect creation is release, or expression, and therefore good. But creation also infers certain limits and boundaries being placed upon space. Thus the very world which is man's sphere of opportunity is also his living tomb, and in a sense therefore evil or adverse to the luminous inner self that must dwell so long in the fetters of matter. Every action therefore of the creating power is described as bringing into manifestation not only a good but and evil spirit or angel, #NFDB
1249:It is a fact that if an impulse from one or the other sphere comes up and is not lived out, then it goes back down and tends to develop anti-human qualities. What should have been a human impulse becomes a tiger-like impulse.
For instance, a man has a feeling impulse to say something positive to someone and he blocks it off through some inhibition. He might then dream that he had a spontaneous feeling impulse on the level of a child and his conscious purpose had smashed it. The human is still there, but as a hurt child. Should he do that habitually for five years, he would no longer dream of a child who had been hurt but of a zoo full of raging wild animals in a cage.
An impulse which is driven back loads up with energy and becomes inhuman. This fact, according to Dr. Jung, demonstrates the independent existence of unconscious. ~ Marie Louise von Franz,#NFDB
1250:Burlington, Vermont, is an example of a certain kind of small city that David Brooks calls “Latte Towns,” enclaves of affluent and well-educated people, sometimes in scenic locales such as Santa Fe or Aspen and sometimes in university towns such as Ann Arbor, Berkeley, or Chapel Hill. Of Burlington, Brooks writes: Burlington boasts a phenomenally busy public square. There are kite festivals and yoga festivals and eating festivals. There are arts councils, school-to-work collaboratives, environmental groups, preservation groups, community-supported agriculture, antidevelopment groups, and ad hoc activist groups.… And this public square is one of the features that draw people to Latte Towns. People in these places apparently would rather spend less time in the private sphere of their home and their one-acre yard and more time in the common areas. ~ Charles Murray, #NFDB
1251:All Being within this order, by the laws of its own nature is impelled to find its proper station round its Primal Cause. Thus every nature moves across the tide of the great sea of being to its own port, each with its given instinct as its guide. This instinct draws the fire about the Moon. It is the mover in the mortal heart. It draws the earth together and makes it one. Not only the brute creatures, but all those possessed of intellect and love, this instinct drives to their mark as a bow shoots forth its arrows. The Providence that makes all things hunger here satisfies forever with its light the heaven within which whirls the fastest sphere. [2327.jpg] -- from The Divine Comedy: The Inferno, the Purgatorio, and the Paradiso,
/ Translated by John Ciardi
~ Dante Alighieri, All Being within this order, by the laws (from The Paradiso, Canto I)
,#NFDB
1252:his head was encased in a steel sphere which he could never take off. There was only one eyehole through which he could look, and welded to that eyehole were six feet of pipe. This was only the beginning of Billy’s miseries in the metaphor. He was also strapped to a steel lattice which was bolted to a flatcar on rails, and there was no way he could turn his head or touch the pipe. The far end of the pipe rested on a bi-pod which was also bolted to the flatcar. All Billy could see was the little dot at the end of the pipe. He didn’t know he was on a flatcar, didn’t even know there was anything peculiar about his situation. The flatcar sometimes crept, sometimes went extremely fast, often stopped—went uphill, downhill, around curves, along straightaways. Whatever poor Billy saw through the pipe, he had no choice but to say to himself, “That’s life. ~ Kurt Vonnegut, #NFDB
1253:Wishing
Do you wish the world were better?
Let me tell you what to do:
Set a watch for your actions,
Keep them always straight and true;
Rid tour mind of selfish motives;
Let your thoughts be clean and high.
You can make a little Eden
Of the sphere you occupy.
Do you wish the world were wiser?
Well, suppose you made a start,
By accumulating wisdom
In the scrapbook of your heart:
Do not waste one page on folly;
Live to learn, and learn to live.
If you want to give men knowledge
You must get it, ere you give.
Do you wish the world were happy?
Then remember day by day
Just to scatter seeds of kindness
As you pass along the way;
For the pleasures of the many
May ofttimes traced to one,
As the hand that plants an acorn
Shelters armies from the sun.
~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox,#NFDB
1254:For we are opposed around the world by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy that relies primarily on covert means for expanding its sphere of influence -- on infiltration instead of invasion, on subversion instead of elections, on intimidation instead of free choice, on guerrillas by night instead of armies by day. It is a system which has conscripted vast human and material resources into the building of a tightly knit, highly efficient machine that combines military, diplomatic, intelligence, economic, scientific and political operations. Its preparations are concealed, not published. Its mistakes are buried, not headlined. Its dissenters are silenced, not praised. No expenditure is questioned, no rumor is printed, no secret is revealed. It conducts the Cold War, in short, with a war-time discipline no democracy would ever hope or wish to match. ~ John F Kennedy, #NFDB
1255:In an alleged democracy, the image of the public sphere with its appeal to dialogue and shared responsibility has given way to the spectacle of unbridled intolerance, ignorance, seething private fears, unchecked anger, along with the decoupling of reason from freedom. … What this decline in civility, the emergence of mob behavior …suggests is that we have become one of the most illiterate nations on the planet. I don't mean illiterate in the sense of not being able to read … The new illiteracy is about more than learning how to read the book or the word; it is about learning how not to read the world. … As a result of this widespread illiteracy that has come to dominate American culture we have moved from a culture of questioning to a culture of shouting, and in doing so have restaged politics and power in both unproductive and anti-democratic ways. ~ Henry A Giroux, #NFDB
1256:To Lucy, Countess Of Bedford, With John Donne's
Satires
Lucy, you brightness of our sphere, who are
Life of the Muses' day, their morning star!
If works, not th' author's, their own grace should look,
Whose poems would not wish to be your book?
But these, desir'd by you, the maker's ends
Crown with their own. Rare poems ask rare friends.
Yet satires, since the most of mankind be
Their unavoided subject, fewest see;
For none e'er took that pleasure in sin's sense
But, when they heard it tax'd, took more offence.
They, then, that living where the matter is bred,
Dare for these poems, yet, both ask and read
And like them too, must needfully, though few,
Be of the best; and 'mongst those best are you,
Lucy, you brightness of our sphere, who are
The Muses' evening, as their morning star.
~ Ben Jonson,#NFDB
1257:(The new model of rule, which revoked whatever legitimate claim women had to governance, was the assembly—composed only of men, since it derived its legitimacy from a hypothetical contract among equals. Women, defined as neither fully rational nor free, could not be a party to this contract.) They were a family—a family that had gone wrong, in which the influence of a woman had become predominant. Part of the scandal of their misdeeds was that a woman played so visible a role in them. It became another household drama of the old regime, featuring a powerful woman—that is, a woman exercising inappropriate power—who, having ventured out of the sphere appropriate to women (children, domestic duties, some talented dabbling in the arts), had become power-hungry, depraved, and through her sexual wiles had enslaved a weak male and corrupted a righteous one. * ~ Susan Sontag, #NFDB
1258:Mountains cry out to be climbed. Dirt says to us, “Dig.” The ocean’s fathomless waters invite us to go on a deep-sea treasure hunt. The heavens declare not only the glory of God; they also declare that we were made to test their bounds and marvel at their beauty.
This is true for every sphere of creation and of human culture: God made all of us, male and female, to explore the world he created, to know it, care for it, and have dominion over it for his glory and others’ benefit. God’s original creation was good yet latent with potential. It was pristine yet incomplete. Missing were the work, curiosity, and energy of humans, the only part of the creation bearing the image of God. Human ambition wasn’t something that crept in after the Fall. It was—is—an aspect of bearing the image of God, of filling his world with beauty and industry and delight. ~ Katelyn Beaty,#NFDB
1259:I get the sense that many in the contemporary biblical womanhood movement feel that the tasks associated with homemaking have been so marginalized in our culture that it’s up to them to restore the sacredness of keeping the home. This is a noble goal indeed, and one around which all people of faith can rally. But in our efforts to celebrate and affirm God’s presence in the home, we should be wary of elevating the vocation of homemaking above all others by insinuating that for women, God’s presence is somehow restricted to that sphere. If God is the God of all pots and pans, then He is also the God of all shovels and computers and paints and assembly lines and executive offices and classrooms. Peace and joy belong not to the woman who finds the right vocation, but to the woman who finds God in any vocation, who looks for the divine around every corner. ~ Rachel Held Evans, #NFDB
1260:any society, no matter how tolerant, draws limits somewhere.10 In much of the Western world at the moment, however, there is very little culture-wide consensus on right and wrong, good and evil, holiness and sin, while tolerance has been elevated to the highest spot in the moral echelon. It’s not that we have self-consciously taken that step; rather, for reasons I’ve tried to outline elsewhere, tolerance has become more important than truth, morality, or any widely held value system. Tolerance becomes the supreme good, the supreme god in the culture’s pantheon, in a sphere of existence that often argues by merest clichés11 and that has very few other widely agreed desiderata. The complicating irony is that those who hold tenaciously to the supreme virtue of this new tolerance are by and large extremely intolerant of those who do not agree with them. ~ Christopher W Morgan, #NFDB
1261:After an hour my senses begin to vibrate in a definite rhythm, I tune into the great stillness, I tune in. I gaze at the crescent moon sitting like a white shell in the sky, and I have a feeling of love for it, I feel I’m blushing. It’s the moon, I say softly and passionately, it’s the moon! And my heart beats toward it with a gentle throbbing. It lasts for several minutes. It blows a little, a strange wind is coming, an unusual blast of air. What is it? I look around and see no one. The wind calls me and my soul bows in answer to the call,37 I feel myself lifted out of my sphere, pressed to an invisible breast, my eyes are moist with tears, I tremble—God is somewhere near looking at me. This lasts for another few minutes. I turn my head, the strange blast of air is gone, and I see something like the back of a spirit wandering soundlessly through the forest. . . . ~ Knut Hamsun, #NFDB
1262:[French Revolution rejected] the sacred foundation both of history and of the state. History was no longer measured on the basis of an idea of God that had preceded it and given it shape. The state came to be understood in purely secular terms, based on rationalism and the will of citizens.
The secular state arose for the first time, abandoning and excluding any divine guarantee or legitimation of the political element as a mythological vision of the world and declaring that God is a private question that does not belong to the public sphere or to the democratic formation of the public will. Public life was now considered the realm of reason alone, which had no place for a seemingly unknowable God. From this perspective, religion and faith in God belonged to the realm of sentiment, not of reason. God and His will therefore ceased to be relevant to public life. ~ Benedict XVI,#NFDB
1263:Lines
ON THE CELEBRATED PICTURE BY LEONARDO DA VINCI, CALLED THE VIRGIN OF
THE ROCKS
While young John runs to greet
The greater Infant's feet,
The Mother standing by, with trembling passion
Of devout admiration,
Beholds the engaging mystic play, and pretty adoration;
Nor knows as yet the full event
Of those so low beginnings,
From whence we date our winnings,
But wonders at the intent
Of those new rites, and what that strange child-worship meant.
But at her side
An angel doth abide,
With such a perfect joy
As no dim doubts alloy,
An intuition,
A glory, an amenity,
Passing the dark condition
Of blind humanity,
As if he surely knew
All the blest wonders should ensue,
Or he had lately left the upper sphere,
And had read all the sovran schemes and divine riddles there.
~ Charles Lamb,#NFDB
1264:The Samaritans and the Jews were enemies, two tribes caught in an ancient argument about birthright and ethnicity who lived in segregated neighborhoods. By Jesus’s time they were forbidden to have contact with each other, and violent squabbles sometimes erupted. The lawyer, who was a Jew, surely knew of both the informal customs and formal laws separating the two groups. Samaritans and Jews were not good neighbors. Yet Jesus turns the ancient Jewish command to love your neighbor into a story about these hostile groups. The man in the ditch, who is Jewish, is bypassed by those close to him by tribal ties (most likely the priest and the Levite were afraid the thieves were still about in the area and that they might be the next victim) and is eventually rescued by a Samaritan. Thus Jesus enlarges the sphere of neighborhood to include those we deem objectionable. ~ Diana Butler Bass, #NFDB
1265:golf, oddly, gave Updike a spiritual thrill; from the very beginning, he was acutely sensitive to what he called “the eerie religious latency” of the game; when he wrote about it, he invariably invoked the supernatural. “Intercession” set the pattern, ending with a curse and turning on a seeming miracle. On his second time around, long after his progress across the course has become “a jumbled rout,” Paul yearns for divine intervention: All he wanted was that his drive be perfect; it was very little to ask. If miracles, in this age of faint faith, could enter anywhere, it would be here, where the causal fabric was thinnest, in the quick collisions and abrupt deflections of a game. Paul drove high but crookedly over the treetops. It dismayed him to realize that the angle of a metal surface striking a rubber sphere counted for more with God than the keenest human hope. ~ Adam Begley, #NFDB
1266:Representative democracy, as in, say, the United States or Great Britain, would be criticized by an anarchist of this school on two grounds. First of all because there is a monopoly of power centralized in the State, and secondly and critically—because representative democracy is limited to the political sphere and in no serious way encroaches on the economic sphere. Anarchists of this tradition have always held that democratic control of one's productive life is at the core of any serious human liberation, or, for that matter, of any significant democratic practice. That is, as long as individuals are compelled to rent themselves on the market to those who are willing to hire them, as long as their role in production is simply that of ancillary tools, then there are striking elements of coercion and oppression that make talk of democracy very limited, if even meaningful. ~ Noam Chomsky, #NFDB
1267:word noosphere, which refers to the world of human thought. It is the end product of a hierarchy of earthly spheres. At the bottom of these is the geosphere, the physical inanimate world of rock, ocean and mineral. From the geosphere arises the biosphere, the world of all living things. The biosphere moves and evolves faster than the geosphere, and can also change it. The noosphere, in turn, arises from the biosphere. This sphere is the realm of thought, and contains all our myth, history, science, law, religion and culture. It is more fluid and changeable than the biosphere, and it can also affect it. For example, men and women in the UK are on average 4.3 inches taller than they were a hundred years ago, due to changes in our understanding of health and nutrition. This understanding resides in the noosphere, so the noosphere in this example has physically altered the biosphere. ~ John Higgs, #NFDB
1268:It seemed that Abraham had offered to murder his son to test a phantom. It seemed that Sol had brought his dying daughter through hundreds of light-years and innumerable hardships in response to nothing. But now, as the Sphinx loomed above him and the first hint of sunrise paled Hyperion’s sky, Sol realized that he had responded to a force more basic and persuasive than the Shrike’s terror or pain’s dominion. If he was right—and he did not know but felt—then love was as hardwired into the structure of the universe as gravity and matter/antimatter. There was room for some sort of God not in the web between the walls, nor in the singularity cracks in the pavement, nor somewhere out before and beyond the sphere of things … but in the very warp and woof of things. Evolving as the universe evolved. Learning as the learning-able parts of the universe learned. Loving as humankind loved. ~ Dan Simmons, #NFDB
1269:Universities face a constant struggle to maintain their integrity, and their fundamental social role in a healthy society, in the face of external pressures. The problems are heightened with the expansion of private power in every domain, in the course of the state-corporate social engineering projects of the past several decades. . . . To defend their integrity and proper commitments is an honorable and difficult task in itself, but our sights should be set higher than that. Particularly in the societies that are more privileged, many choices are available, including fundamental institutional change, if that is the right way to proceed, and surely including scholarship that contributes to, and draws from, the never-ending popular struggles for freedom and justice. 5 Higher education is under attack not because it is failing, but because it is a potentially democratic public sphere. ~ Noam Chomsky, #NFDB
1270:, Yiddish God pursues me everywhere, Enmeshes me in glances, And blinds my sightless back like flaming sun. God, like a forest dense, pursues me. My lips are ever tender, mute, so amazed, So like a child lost in an ancient sacred grove. God pursues me like a silent shudder. I wish for tranquility and rest -- He urges; come! And see -- how visions walk like the homeless on the streets. My thoughts walk about like a vagrant mystery -- Walks through the world's long corridor. At times I see God's featureless face hovering over me. God pursues me in the streetcars and cafes Every shining apple is my crystal sphere to see How mysteries are born and vision came to be. - from "Human, God's Ineffable Name," by Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, freely rendered by Rabbi Zalman M. Schacter-Shalomi. Available from the Reb Zalman Legacy Project
~ Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, God Pursues Me Everywhere
,#NFDB
1271:Savitri is neither fantasy nor yet mere philosophical thought, but vision and revelation of the actual structure of the inner Cosmos and of the pilgrim of life within its sphere — the Stairway of the Worlds reveals itself to our gaze — worlds of Light above, worlds of Darkness beneath, and we see also ever-encircling life (‘kindled in measure and quenched in measure’) ascending that stair under the calm unwinking gaze of the Cosmic Gods who shine forth now as of old. Poetry is indeed the full manifestation of the Logos and, when as here, it is no mere iridescence dependent on some special standpoint, but the wondrous structure of the mighty Cosmos, the ‘Adored One’, that is revealed, then in truth does it manifest its full, its highest grandeur.
It is an omen of the utmost significance and hope that in these years of darkness and despair such a poem as Savitri should have appeared. ~ Krishnaprem,#NFDB
1272:image and the concept, but merely endures them as accompaniments. The poems of the lyrist can express nothing that did not already lie hidden in that vast universality and absoluteness in the music that compelled him to figurative speech. Language can never adequately render the cosmic symbolism of music, because music stands in symbolic relation to the primordial contradiction and primordial pain in the heart of the primal unity, and therefore symbolizes a sphere which is beyond and prior to all phenomena. Rather, all phenomena, compared with it, are merely symbols: hence language, as the organ and symbol of phenomena, can never by any means disclose the innermost heart of music; language, in its attempt to imitate it, can only be in superficial contact with music; while all the eloquence of lyric poetry cannot bring the deepest significance of the latter one step nearer to us. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche, #NFDB
1273:The grass whispered under his body. He put his arm down, feeling the sheath of fuzz on it, and, far away, below, his toes creaking in his shoes. The wind sighed over his shelled ears. The world slipped bright over the glassy round of his eyeballs like images sparked in a crystal sphere. Flowers were sun and fiery spots of sky strewn through the woodland. Birds flickered like skipped stones across the vast inverted pond of heaven. His breath raked over his teeth, going in ice, coming out fire. Insects shocked the air with electric clearness. Ten thousand individual hairs grew a millionth of an inch on his head. He heard the twin hearts beating in each ear, the third heart beating in his throat, the two hearts throbbing his wrists, the real heart pounding his chest. The million pores on his body opened.
I'm really alive! he thought. I never knew it before, or if I did I don't remember! ~ Ray Bradbury,#NFDB
1274:And then they were staring again. And it happened again, just as it had in the theater yesterday. Time slowed, atoms and particles separating and recombining into a secret sphere around them.
'I like you,' he said.
Her hand out on the table again, between them, and he put his on it. 'I like you,' she said, almost soundless.
They stared on through another timeless moment, after which she went back to her book, and he bent his head over his work again. They held hands on the table, held feet beneath. Erik had never been so relaxed with a girl, never known such comfort with another human being. He had no desire to leave this space, and yet within it, he was free. He could sit with her and feel what he was feeling, with no need to explain it, dismiss it or joke it away. Every time he looked up at her and thought, I love this, she looked up too, and her eyes seemed to nod at him. ~ Suanne Laqueur,#NFDB
1275:In the majority of cases, the religions of antiquity agree that the material visible sun was a reflector rather than a source of power. The sun was sometimes represented as a shield carried on the arm of the Sun God, as for example, Frey, the Scandinavian Solar Deity. This sun reflected the light of the invisible spiritual sun, which was the true source of life, light, and truth. The physical nature of the universe is receptive; it is a realm of effects. The invisible causes of these effects belong to the spiritual world. Hence, the spiritual world is the sphere of causation; the material world is the sphere of effects; while the intellectual--or soul--world is the sphere of mediation. Thus Christ, the personified higher intellect and soul nature, is called "the Mediator" who, by virtue of His position and power, says: "No man cometh to the Father, but by me." ~ Manly P Hall, The Secret Teachings of all Ages, #NFDB
1276:Your three components: body, breath, mind. Two are yours in trust; to the third alone you have clear title. If you can cut yourself—your mind—free of what other people do and say, of what you’ve said or done, of the things that you’re afraid will happen, the impositions of the body that contains you and the breath within, and what the whirling chaos sweeps in from outside, so that the mind is freed from fate, brought to clarity, and lives life on its own recognizance—doing what’s right, accepting what happens, and speaking the truth— If you can cut free of impressions that cling to the mind, free of the future and the past—can make yourself, as Empedocles says, “a sphere rejoicing in its perfect stillness,” and concentrate on living what can be lived (which means the present) . . . then you can spend the time you have left in tranquillity. And in kindness. And at peace with the spirit within you. ~ Marcus Aurelius, #NFDB
1277:Here we may see Stupidity defined as a positive refusal to become Wise for a number of what seem inadequate reasons. Yet millions of human beings utterly refuse to enlighten themselves in any spiritual way whatever for many personal motives. Very frequently the chief cause is sheer inertia, or what used to be called in good old-fashioned terms “downright laziness.” Unwillingness to exert efforts except in pursuit of immediate and obvious profits. True Wisdom has its Sphere next to the top of the Tree, and relatively few people care to climb so high in search of clearer consciousness. Most would rather stay in what seems like the safety of stupidity with the rest of the crowd. At the altitude of the Wisdom-Sphere, human inhabitants are noticeably scarce compared with lower levels. The sharp clarified atmosphere so commonly proves too uncomfortable for those who prefer darker and damper conditions elsewhere. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
1278:Take care, dear reader, that you do not forsake the path of duty by leaving your occupation, and take care you do not dishonor your profession while in it. Think little of yourselves—but do not think too little of your callings. Every lawful trade may be sanctified by the gospel to noblest ends. Turn to the Bible, and you will find the most menial forms of labor connected either with most daring deeds of faith, or with people whose lives have been illustrious for holiness. Therefore do not be discontented with your calling. Whatever God has made your position, or your work—abide in that, unless you are quite sure that he calls you to something else. Let your first care be to glorify God to the utmost of your power where you are. Fill your present sphere to His praise, and if He needs you in another—He will show it to you. This evening lay aside vexatious ambition—and embrace peaceful content. ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon, #NFDB
1279:Therefore, since I could count on no continuity of sapient will to carry me through, indeed since all that was certain was that I must suffer repeated loss of same in order to maintain my body's vitality, my only course was to accomplish with what I hoped was the greater puissance of conscious craft what I had already once barely managed to achieve by accident of fate.
Which was to use these periods of conscious lucidity to engrave a mantric tropism upon the presentient levels of my mind with perpetual chanting repetition and diligent meditation, so that even when reason and conscious will had once more fled, my Bloomenkind self would, during periods of enforced floral nirvana, be programmed to follow the yellow, to follow the sun that sooner or later must rise during a cycle of such meditations into its percept sphere.
"Follow the sun, follow the yellow, follow the Yellow Brick Road ... ~ Norman Spinrad,#NFDB
1280:I am nothing but oxygen and hydrogen,
A luminous sphere of plasma
Held together by helium and gravity,
And like a balloon I float on earth,
Waiting to be released back into the sky,
Waiting to go back in the reverse
Direction from which I came,
Traveling through a warm tunnel of light,
And out into a cold, dark abyss
Where I will explode into a thousand pieces.
I shall leave behind my body,
Just like air abandons the skin of a shattered balloon,
And the magnetic dust that carries my
Heart and spirit will lift us back
To congregate and shine
With the stars.
Home again,
In the fluorescent
Kingdom of the constellations,
I will once again be called by
My soul’s true name.
And my heart,
It will flicker again,
With every memory from its many
Lifetimes,
And with every wish
Made by a child.
SONG OF THE STAR by Suzy Kassem ~ Suzy Kassem,#NFDB
1281:Something moving toward us in the darkness. Huge, shambling, hairy, moist, it came toward us. We couldn’t even see it, but there was the ponderous impression of bulk, heaving itself toward us. Great weight was coming at us, out of the darkness, and it was more a sense of pressure, of air forcing itself into a limited space, expanding the invisible walls of a sphere. Benny began to whimper. Nimdok’s lower lip trembled and he bit it hard, trying to stop it. Ellen slid across the metal floor to Gorrister and huddled into him. There was the smell of matted, wet fur in the cavern. There was the smell of charred wood. There was the smell of dusty velvet. There was the smell of rotting orchids. There was the smell of sour milk. There was the smell of sulphur, of rancid butter, of oil slick, of grease, of chalk dust, of human scalps. AM was keying us. He was tickling us. There was the smell of — I heard myself shriek, ~ Harlan Ellison, #NFDB
1282:Just as Nietzsche appealed to the Nazis as a way to formulate a right-wing anti-moralism, it is precisely the transgressive sensibility that is used to excuse and rationalize the utter dehumanization of women and ethnic minorities in the alt-right online sphere now. The culture of transgression they have produced liberates their conscience from having to take seriously the potential human cost of breaking the taboo against racial politics that has held since WWII. The Sadean transgressive element of the 60s, condemned by conservatives for decades as the very heart of the destruction of civilization, the degenerate and the nihilistic, is not being challenged by the emergence of this new online right. Instead, the emergence of this new online right is the full coming to fruition of the transgressive anti-moral style, its final detachment from any egalitarian philosophy of the left or Christian morality of the right. ~ Angela Nagle, #NFDB
1283:When we reached our hall, Nee offered to share hot chocolate with me. Shaking my head, I pleaded tiredness--true enough--and retreated to my rooms.
And discovered something lying on the little table in the parlor where letters and invitations were supposed to be put.
Moving slowly across the room, I looked down at an exquisite porcelain sphere. It was dark blue, with silver stars all over it, and so cunningly painted that when I looked closer it gave the illusion of depth--as if I stared deeply into the sky.
Lifting it with reverent care, I opened it and saw, sitting on a white silk nest, a lovely sapphire ring. Trying it on my fingers, I found to my delight it fit my longest one.
Why couldn’t Bran give me this in person? There were times when I found my brother incomprehensible, but I knew he thought the same of me.
Puzzled, but content, I fell asleep with my ringed hand cradled against my cheek. ~ Sherwood Smith,#NFDB
1284:It is the question that is also asked by modern political theory: Can politics accept truth as a structural category? Or must truth, as something unattainable, be relegated to the subjective sphere, its place taken by an attempt to build peace and justice using whatever instruments are available to power? By relying on truth, does not politics, in view of the impossibility of attaining consensus on truth, make itself a tool of particular traditions that in reality are merely forms of holding on to power?
And yet, on the other hand, what happens when truth counts for nothing? What kind of justice is then possible? Must there not be common criteria that guarantee real justice for all—criteria that are independent of the arbitrariness of changing opinions and powerful lobbies? Is it not true that the great dictatorships were fed by the power of the ideological lie and that only truth was capable of bringing freedom? ~ Benedict XVI,#NFDB
1285:The levelling of the European man is the great process which cannot be obstructed; it should even be accelerated. The necessity of cleaving gulfs, distance, order of rank, is therefore imperative —not the necessity of retarding this process. This homogenizing species requires justification as soon as it is attained: its justification is that it lies in serving a higher and sovereign race which stands upon the former and can raise itself this task only by doing this. Not merely a race of masters whose sole task is to rule, but a race with its own sphere of life, with an overflow of energy for beauty, bravery, culture, and manners, even for the most abstract thought; a yea-saying race that may grant itself every great luxury —strong enough to have no need of the tyranny of the virtue-imperative, rich enough to have no need of economy or pedantry; beyond good and evil; a hothouse for rare and exceptional plants. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche, #NFDB
1286:The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. ...We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized. Vast numbers of human beings must cooperate in this manner if they are to live together as a smoothly functioning society. ...In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons...who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind. ~ Edward L Bernays, #NFDB
1287:I am nothing but oxygen and hydrogen,
A luminous sphere of plasma
Held together by helium and gravity,
And like a balloon I float on earth,
Waiting to be released back into the sky,
Waiting to go back in the reverse
Direction from which I came,
Traveling through a warm tunnel of light,
And out into a cold, dark abyss
Where I will explode into a thousand pieces.
I shall leave behind my body,
Just like air abandons the skin of a shattered balloon,
And the magnetic dust that carries my
Heart and spirit will lift us back
To congregate and shine
With the stars.
Home again,
In the fluorescent
Kingdom of the constellations,
I will once again be called by
My soul’s true name.
And my heart,
It will flicker again,
With every memory from its many
Lifetimes,
And with every wish
Made by a child.
SONG OF THE STAR by Suzy Kassem
Copyright 1993 ~ Suzy Kassem,#NFDB
1288:In many respects, Barack Obama’s neo-socialism is neoconservatism’s mirror image. Openly committed to ending the Reagan era, Obama is a firm believer in the power of government to extend its scope and grasp far deeper into society. In much the same way that neoconservatives accepted a realistic and limited role for the government, Obama tolerates a limited and realistic role for the market: its wealth is necessary for the continuation and expansion of the welfare state and social justice. While neoconservatism erred on the side of trusting the nongovernmental sphere—mediating institutions like markets, civil society, and the family—neosocialism gives the benefit of the doubt to government. Whereas neoconservatism was inherently skeptical of the ability of social planners to repeal the law of unintended consequences, Obama’s ideal is to leave social policy in their hands and to bemoan the interference of the merely political. ~ Jonah Goldberg, #NFDB
1289:What all Greek philosophers, no matter how opposed to polis life, took for granted is that freedom is exclusively located in the political realm, that necessity is primarily a prepolitical phenomenon, characteristic of the private household organization, and that force and violence are justified in this sphere because they are the only means to master necessity—for instance, by ruling over slaves—and to become free. Because all human beings are subject to necessity, they are entitled to violence toward others; violence is the prepolitical act of liberating oneself from the necessity of life for the freedom of world. This freedom is the essential condition of what the Greeks called felicity, eudaimonia, which was an objective status depending first of all upon wealth and health. To be poor or to be in ill health meant to be subject to physical necessity, and to be a slave meant to be subject, in addition, to man-made violence. ~ Hannah Arendt, #NFDB
1290:The projection of Disbelief among humanity is biological, it is marked by the emergence of Socialists (nationalists and/or Patriots - the latter fancy themselves with the name: Capitalists) who -so in life as in burial- shrine themselves onto and into the Earth; with the Rich among them favoring the gemstones layers thereof. However, and contrary to this entombed mosaic of cadavers, is Belief dislodging to its carriers from Earth's beds - therefore, it is spiritual (i.e., cordial - meaning: 'of the heart') and not biological. The tombs of the Pantheists on the other hand are hallucinatory dreams of spatial transcending, yet bolted in their own domain of consciousness while being numb outside that constrained sphere of infection; it is after all their biological senses that charm them, not their active hearts (contrary to passive mode when it is not linked with the mind and, hence, acts as a mere radiator of a biological system). ~ Ibrahim Ibrahim, #NFDB
1291:What Althusser does… is to rethink the concept of ideology in terms of Lacan’s ‘imaginary’. For the relation of an individual subject to society as a whole in Althusser’s theory is rather like the relation of the small child to his or her mirror-image in Lacan’s. In both cases, the human subject is supplied with a satisfyingly unified image of selfhood by identifying with an object which reflects this image back to it in a closed, narcissistic circle. In both cases, too, this image involves a misrecognition, since it idealizes the subject’s real situation. The child is not actually as integrated as its image in the mirror suggests; I am not actually the coherent, autonomous, self generating subject I know myself to be in the ideological sphere, but the ‘decentred’ function of several social determinants. Duly enthralled by the image of myself I receive, I subject myself to it; and it is through this ‘subjection’ that I become a subject. ~ Terry Eagleton, #NFDB
1292:Let man then contemplate the whole of nature in her full and grand majesty, and turn his vision from the low objects which surround him. Let him gaze on that brilliant light, set like an eternal lamp to illumine the universe; let the earth appear to him a point in comparison with the vast circle described by the sun; and let him wonder at the fact that this vast circle is itself but a very fine point in comparison with that described by the stars in their revolution round the firmament. But if our view be arrested there, let our imagination pass beyond; it will sooner exhaust the power of conception than nature that of supplying material for conception. The whole visible world is only an imperceptible atom in the ample bosom of nature. It is an infinite sphere, the center of which is everywhere, the circumference nowhere. In short it is the greatest sensible mark of the almighty power of God, that imagination loses itself in that thought. ~ Blaise Pascal, #NFDB
1293:The most important sphere of giving, however, is not that of material things, but lies in the specifically human realm. What does one person give to another? He gives of himself, of the most precious he has, he gives of his life. This does not necessarily mean that he sacrifices his life for the other—but that he gives him of that which is alive in him; he gives him of his joy, of his interest, of his understanding, of his knowledge, of his humor, of his sadness—of all expressions and manifestations of that which is alive in him. In thus giving of his life, he enriches the other person, he enhances the other’s sense of aliveness by enhancing his own sense of aliveness. He does not give in order to receive; giving is in itself exquisite joy. But in giving he cannot help bringing something to life in the other person, and this which is brought to life reflects back to him; in truly giving, he cannot help receiving that which is given back to him. ~ Erich Fromm, #NFDB
1294:And the humans were brutish and ungovernable. They had killed one another so frequently that murder had been an accepted part of life. The various tortures they’d devised over the few millennia they’d lasted had been too much for me; I hadn’t been able to bear even the dry official overviews. Wars had raged over the face of nearly every continent. Sanctioned murder, ordered and viciously effective. Those who lived in peaceful nations had looked the other way as members of their own species starved on their doorstep. There was no equality to the distribution of the planet’s bounteous resources. Most vile yet, their offspring—the next generation, which my kind nearly worshipped for their promise—had all too often been victims of heinous crimes. And not just at the hands of strangers, but at the hands of the caretakers they were entrusted to. Even the huge sphere of the planet had been put into jeopardy through their careless and greedy mistakes. ~ Stephenie Meyer, #NFDB
1295:SONG OF THE STAR
I am nothing but oxygen and hydrogen,
A luminous sphere of plasma
Held together by helium and gravity,
And like a balloon I float on earth,
Waiting to be released back into the sky,
Waiting to go back in the reverse
Direction from which I came,
Traveling through a warm tunnel of light,
And out into a cold, dark abyss
Where I will explode into a thousand pieces.
I shall leave behind my body,
Just like air abandons the skin of a shattered balloon,
And the magnetic dust that carries my
Heart and spirit will lift us back
To congregate and shine
With the stars.
Home again,
In the fluorescent
Kingdom of the constellations,
I will once again be called by
My soul’s true name.
And my heart,
It will flicker again,
With every memory from its many
Lifetimes,
And with every wish
Made by a child.
SONG OF THE STAR by Suzy Kassem
Copyright 1993 ~ Suzy Kassem,#NFDB
1296:The sad truth is that, within the public sphere, within the collective consciousness of the general populace, most of the history of Indians in North America has been forgotten, and what we are left with is a series of historical artifacts and, more importantly, a series of entertainments. As a series of artifacts, Native history is somewhat akin to a fossil hunt in which we find a skull in Almo, Idaho, a thigh bone on the Montana plains, a tooth near the site of Powhatan’s village in Virginia, and then, assuming that all the parts are from the same animal, we guess at the size and shape of the beast. As a series of entertainments, Native history is an imaginative cobbling together of fears and loathings, romances and reverences, facts and fantasies into a cycle of creative performances, in Technicolor and 3-D, with accompanying soft drinks, candy, and popcorn.
In the end, who really needs the whole of Native history when we can watch the movie? ~ Thomas King,#NFDB
1297:Social networking technology allows us to spend our time engaged in a hypercompetitive struggle for attention, for victories in the currency of “likes.” People are given more occasions to be self-promoters, to embrace the characteristics of celebrity, to manage their own image, to Snapchat out their selfies in ways that they hope will impress and please the world. This technology creates a culture in which people turn into little brand managers, using Facebook, Twitter, text messages, and Instagram to create a falsely upbeat, slightly overexuberant, external self that can be famous first in a small sphere and then, with luck, in a large one. The manager of this self measures success by the flow of responses it gets. The social media maven spends his or her time creating a self-caricature, a much happier and more photogenic version of real life. People subtly start comparing themselves to other people’s highlight reels, and of course they feel inferior. ~ David Brooks, #NFDB
1298:The only human in evidence was a white-haired Constable whose belly had created a visible divergence between his two rows of brass buttons. He was bent over using a trowel to extract a steaming turd from the emerald grass. Circumstances suggested that it had come from one of two corgis who were even now slamming their preposterous bodies into each other not far away, trying to roll each other over, which runs contrary to the laws of mechanics even in the case of corgis that are lean and trim, which these were not. This struggle, which appeared to be only one skirmish in a conflict of epochal standing, had driven all lesser considerations, such as guarding the gate, from the combatants' sphere of attention, and so it was the Constable who first noticed Nell and Harv. “Away with you!” he hollered cheerfully enough, waving his redolent trowel down the hill. “We've no work for such as you today! And the free matter compilers are all down by the waterfront. ~ Neal Stephenson, #NFDB
1299:As neoliberalism wages war on public goods and the very idea of a public, including citizenship beyond membership, it dramatically thins public life without killing politics. Struggles remain over power, hegemonic values, resources, and future trajectories. This persistence of politics amid the destruction of public life and especially educated public life, combined with the marketization of the political sphere, is part of what makes contemporary politics peculiarly unappealing and toxic— full of ranting and posturing, emptied of intellectual seriousness, pandering to an uneducated and manipulable electorate and a celebrity-and-scandal-hungry corporate media. Neoliberalism generates a condition of politics absent democratic institutions that would support a democratic public and all that such a public represents at its best: informed passion, respectful deliberation, aspirational sovereignty, sharp containment of powers that would overrule or undermine it. ~ Wendy Brown, #NFDB
1300:Perhaps it is no wonder that the women were first at the Cradle and last at the Cross. They had never known a man like this Man - there never has been such another. A prophet and teacher who never nagged at them, never flattered or coaxed or patronised; who never made arch jokes about them, never treated them either as "The women, God help us!" or "The ladies, God bless them!"; who rebuked without querulousness and praised without condescension; who took their questions and arguments seriously; who never mapped out their sphere for them, never urged them to be feminine or jeered at them for being female; who had no axe to grind and no uneasy male dignity to defend; who took them as he found them and was completely unself-conscious. There is no act, no sermon, no parable in the whole Gospel that borrows its pungency from female perversity; nobody could possibly guess from the words and deeds of Jesus that there was anything "funny" about woman's nature. ~ Dorothy L Sayers, #NFDB
1301:When all was right around me, when I was content with everything, and satisfied with the sphere I was to occupy, I filled it with my affections, while my expansive soul, extending itself to other objects, was perpetually attracted by a thousand different inclinations, and by amiable attachments, which continually employed my heart: in these situations I forgot myself in some measure, thinking principally on what was foreign to me, and experiencing in the continual agitation of my feelings, all the vicissitude of earthly things. This exquisite sensibility lest me neither inward peace, nor outward repose; happy in appearance only, I had not a single sentiment that could have borne the proof of reflection, or with which I could truly have been content. Never was I perfectly satisfied either with others or myself; the tumult of the world made me giddy, solitude wearied me, I perpetually wished for a change of situation, and met with happiness in none. ~ Jean Jacques Rousseau, #NFDB
1302:That a feeling is bestowed on us by Nature, does not necessarily legitimate all its promptings. The feeling of justice might be a peculiar instinct, and might yet require, like our other instincts, to be controlled and enlightened by a higher reason. If we have intellectual instincts, leading us to judge in a particular way, as well as animal instincts that prompt us to act in a particular way, there is no necessity that the former should be more infallible in their sphere than the latter in theirs: it may as well happen that wrong judgments are occasionally suggested by those, as wrong actions by these. But though it is one thing to believe that we have natural feelings of justice, and another to acknowledge them as an ultimate criterion of conduct, these two opinions are very closely connected in point of fact. Mankind are always predisposed to believe that any subjective feeling, not otherwise accounted for, is a revelation of some objective reality. ~ John Stuart Mill, #NFDB
1303:The United States was born through war, reunited by war, and saved from destruction by war. No future generation, however comfortable and affluent, can escape that terrible knowledge. Our freedom is not entirely our own; in some sense it is mortgaged from those who paid the ultimate price for its continuance. My own life of security, freedom, opportunity, and relative affluence certainly has been made possible because a grandfather fought and was gassed in the Argonne; an uncle in the Marines died trying to stop Japanese imperialism on Okinawa; a cousin in the Army lost his life at twenty-two trying to stop Hitler in France; and my father in the Army Air Force flew forty times over Japan hoping to end the idea of the expansive Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere. I have spent some time these past decades trying to learn where, how, and why they and their generations fought as they did—and what our own obligations are to acknowledge their sacrifices. ~ Victor Davis Hanson, #NFDB
1304:institutions that shape our communities is the key to ending exploitation. That’s the socialist vision: abolishing private ownership of the things we all need and use—factories, banks, offices, natural resources, utilities, communication and transportation infrastructure—and replacing it with social ownership, thereby undercutting the power of elites to hoard wealth and power. And that’s also the ethical appeal of socialism: a world where people don’t try to control others for personal gain, but instead cooperate so that everyone can flourish. As for personal property, you can keep your Kenny Loggins records. In fact, in a society free from the destructive economic busts endemic to capitalism, with more employment security, and necessities removed from the sphere of the market, your record collection would be free from the danger zone because you wouldn’t have to pawn it for rent money. That’s socialism in a nutshell: less John Lennon, more Kenny Loggins. ▪ ~ Bhaskar Sunkara, #NFDB
1305:Perhaps it is no wonder that the women were first at the Cradle and last at the Cross. They had never known a man like this Man—there never has been another. A prophet and teacher who never nagged at them, never flattered or coaxed or patronized; who never made arch jokes about them, never treated them as “The women, God help us!” or “The ladies, God bless them!”; who rebuked without querulousness and praised without condescension; who took their questions and arguments seriously; who never mapped out their sphere for them, never urged them to be feminine or jeered at them for being female; who had no axe to grind and no uneasy male dignity to defend; who took them as he found them and was completely unselfconscious. There is no act, no sermon, no parable in the whole Gospel that borrows its pungency from female perversity; nobody could guess from the words and deeds of Jesus that there was anything “funny” about woman’s nature. Dorothy Sayers, Are Women Human ~ Sarah Bessey, #NFDB
1306:Extend the sphere," Madison wrote, and, "you take in a greater variety of parties and interests," and you make it difficult for either a mob majority or a tyrannical minority to unite "to invade the rights of other citizens."
Whatever one's take on any of the debates of the day (especially the debate over slavery), and whatever one's philosophical understanding of the relationship of republicanism to land, commerce, finance, and labor, most agreed on practicalities. Also wanted to remove Spain from the Mississippi; also wanted the capacities to pacify hostile native Americans and put down rebellions of poor people; and all wanted Great Britain to get out of the way of their commerce.
All wanted "room enough," as Thomas Jefferson would put it in his 1800 inaugural address, to be protected from Europe's "exterminating havoc."
Expansion became the answer to every question, the solution to all problems, especially those two caused by expansion. ~ Greg Grandin,#NFDB
1307:Moreover, do the experiments which are supposed to prove the constant character of the speed oflight really get beyond the earthly sphere, and do they not imply both space and time as usually imagined by us? Thus '300,000 km per second' is stated to be the speed of light, and it is held that here is a value which, if it be not necessarily everywhere expressed in this manner, does nonetheless remain constant throughout the physical universe. The astronomer who counts, by referring to the lines of the spectrum, the light-years separating us from the nebula of Andromeda, supposes without more ado that the universe is every-where 'woven' in the same manner. Now, what would happen if the constant character of the speed of light ever came to be doubted and there is every likelihood that it will be sooner or later so that the only fixed pivot of Einstein's theory would fall down? The whole modern conception of the universe would immediately dissolve like a mirage. ~ Titus Burckhardt, #NFDB
1308:The views into which I have been led, as to the effects flowing from the mortality of man to human affairs, and the feelings and sentiments it becomes us to cherish respecting the Illustrious Dead, I apprehend to be reasonable and true. Inestimable benefit will in my opinion flow, from the habit of seeing with the intellectual eye things not visible to the eye of the sense, and our attaining the craft and mystery, by which we may, spiritually, each in his several sphere, ‘Compel the earth and ocean to give up / Their dead alive.’ For just so much time as any one shall spend in reading and meditating on the suggestions of these pages, provided it be done in a serious frame, the project is a reality, and as if it were executed: and I hope most persons who shall be induced to examine these hints, will derive from them a solemnity and composure of spirit, which so far as it operates at all, will be favourable to elevation of mind, to generous action, and to virtue. ~ William Godwin, #NFDB
1309:The mind is a glass floor.
The mind is the spirit’s tear.
The mind is our prior and subsequent ghost.
The mind is the Bullion Express and the blood on the tracks.
The mind is a stone door.
The silver on the backs of mirrors.
The wave that defines the coast.
It’s what the drunk grave robbers couldn’t stuff in their sacks.
The mind is the sum of all and more.
The spasm between one and zero in the Calendar of Black-Hole Years.
The contract between the lash and the whipping post.
A quilt of dreams stitched with facts.
A meaningless argument among whores.
Rain that keeps falling when the sky clears.
A masquerade party, guest and host.
A candlelit landscape of puddled wax.
The mind is what thought is for.
The parking lot at the Mall of Fears.
The fire-pit for the piggy roast.
What the soul surrendered and won’t take back.
The mind is neither either nor or.
The real center of an empty sphere. ~ Jim Dodge,#NFDB
1310:Let us now turn for a moment to the word karman which has been cited above. The meanings of the verbal root kar, present also in the Latin creare and the Greek κραίνω [kraino], are to make, do, and effect. And significantly, just as the Latin facere is originally sacra facere, literally “make sacred,” and as the Greek πoιέω = ἱερoπoιέω [poieo = hieropoieo], so karman is originally and very often not merely “work” or “making,” but synonymous with yajna, “sacrifice” and also with vrata, “sacred operation,” “obedience,” “sphere of activity,” “function,” and especially as in the Bhagavad Gita, with dharma, “justice” or “natural law.” In other words, the idea is deeply rooted in our humanity that there is no real distinction of work from holy works, and no necessary opposition of profane to sacred activities. And it is precisely this idea that finds such vivid expression in the well-known Indian philosophy of action, the “Way of Works” (karmamarga) of the Bhagavad Gita. ~ Ananda K Coomaraswamy, #NFDB
1311:4. Crossing the First Threshold:With the personifications of his destiny to guide and aid him, the hero goes forward in his adventure until he comes to the 'threshold guardian' at the entrance to the zone of magnified power. Such custodians bound the world in four directions-also up and down-standing for the limits of the hero's present sphere, or life horizon. Beyond them is darkness, the unknown and danger; just as beyond the parental watch is danger to the infant and beyond the protection of his society danger to the members of the tribe. The usual person is more than content, he is even proud, to remain within the indicated bounds, and popular belief gives him every reason to fear so much as the first step into the unexplored. The adventure is always and everywhere a passage beyond the veil of the known into the unknown; the powers that watch at the boundary are dangerous; to deal with them is risky; yet for anyone with competence and courage the danger fades. ~ Joseph Campbell, #NFDB
1312:There are two sides to every coin. If you want to experience real emotion, you get the gamut. If you experience a level 8 emotion in one area, you get access to all emotions at level 8. And if you seek out a negative experience at level 8, you master it. Fear doesn’t blindside you because you went after it. Pain doesn’t overwhelm you because you went into it willingly, step by step. If you wanted to back off, you could have. Whatever level of discomfort you reach, you reach deliberately. You’ve met the negative head-on, on your own terms. You own it, and you’ll own it forever. And your world gets bigger. Your spectrum of experiences broadens in all directions — positive and negative. We don’t grow in a line. We grow in a sphere. If you master X, you get access to Y. That’s how it works. We seek out edges so that we can reconnect with who we really are. We are not averages and statistics. We are not the upper, middle, or lower class. We are not citizens, or constituents, or ~ Johnny B Truant, #NFDB
1313:WHO AM I?
I have seven heavenly panels
Leading up to a pointed sphere
I’m multidimensional like a crystal
And my center is never clear.
I’m an inventor and pioneer.
A mentor to my peers.
But I'm not as sound as my shell reveals,
Because I’m tormented by my fears -
That may appear to be grounded
But my insides are filled with tears.
And the sadness is well-founded,
From years and years
Of traumatic experiences
Compounded
In the most demented
Atmospheres.
I talk but feel like nobody hears.
Has reason disappeared?
And, God, are you near?
This is Giza’s 7th light force
And I'm asking you to interfere.
I can no longer walk amongst the blind and dead
With open eyes and ears.
I’m trying to maintain my sanity
And to straighten up my veneer
As I roll amongst the growing calamities
Flowing on Earth’s severely trashed
Frontier.
Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun (2010) ~ Suzy Kassem,#NFDB
1314:Perhaps it is no wonder that the women were first at the Cradle and last at the Cross. They had never known a man like this Man—there never has been another. A prophet and teacher who never nagged at them, never flattered or coaxed or patronized; who never made arch jokes about them, never treated them as “The women, God help us!” or “The ladies, God bless them!”; who rebuked without querulousness and praised without condescension; who took their questions and arguments seriously; who never mapped out their sphere for them, never urged them to be feminine or jeered at them for being female; who had no axe to grind and no uneasy male dignity to defend; who took them as he found them and was completely unselfconscious. There is no act, no sermon, no parable in the whole Gospel that borrows its pungency from female perversity; nobody could guess from the words and deeds of Jesus that there was anything “funny” about woman’s nature. Dorothy Day, Catholic social activist and journalist ~ Sarah Bessey, #NFDB
1315:Song Of The Aviator
You may thrill with the speed of your thoroughbred steed,
You may laugh with delight as you ride the ocean,
You may rush afar in your touring car,
Leaping, sweeping, by things that are creepingBut you never will know the joy of motion
Till you rise up over the earth some day,
And soar like an eagle, away-away.
High and higher above each spire,
Till lost to sight is the tallest steeple,
With the winds you chase in a valiant race,
Looping, swooping, where mountains are grouping,
Hailing them comrades, in place of people.
Oh! vast is the rapture the birdman knows,
As into the ether he mounts and goes.
He is over the sphere of human fear;
He has come into touch with things supernal.
At each man's gate death stands await;
And dying, flying, were better than lying
In sick-beds, crying for life eternal,
Better to fly half-way to God
Than to burrow too long like a worm in the sod.
~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox,#NFDB
1316:After Abraham was weaned, while still an infant, his mind began to reflect. By day and by night he was thinking and wondering: "How is it possible that this [celestial] sphere should continuously be guiding the world and have no one to guide it and cause it to turn round; for it cannot be that it turns round of itself?"...His mind was busily working and reflecting until he had attained the way of truth, apprehended the correct line of thought, and knew that there is one God, that He guides the celestial sphere and created everything, and that among all that exist, there is no god besides Him....He then began to proclaim to the whole world with great power and to instruct the people that the entire universe had but one Creator and that Him it was right to worship....When the people flocked to him and questioned him regarding his assertions, he would instruct each one according to his capacity till he had brought him to the way of truth, and thus thousands and tens of thousands joined him. ~ Maim nides, #NFDB
1317:Another aspect of behavior directly impacted by the removal of religious principles was morality. Recall that both George Washington and Fisher Ames had warned that neither national morality in general nor student morality in particular could be maintained apart from religious principles. Statistics now verify the accuracy of their warnings. For example, following the 1962-1963 court-ordered removal of religious principles from students, teenage pregnancies immediately soared over 700 percent,52 with the United States recording the highest teen pregnancy rates in the industrialized world.53 Similarly, sexual activity among fifteen year-olds skyrocketed,54 and sexually transmitted diseases among students ascended to previously unrecorded levels.55 In fact, virtually every moral measurement kept by federal cabinet-level agencies reflects the same statistical pattern: the removal of religious principles from the public sphere was accompanied by a corresponding decline in public morality.56 ~ David Barton, #NFDB
1318:Time: 0529:45. The firing circuit closed; the X-unit discharged; the detonators at thirty-two detonation points simultaneously fired; they ignited the outer lens shells of Composition B; the detonation waves separately bulged, encountered inclusions of Baratol, slowed, curved, turned inside out, merged to a common inward-driving sphere; the spherical detonation wave crossed into the second shell of solid fast Composition B and accelerated; hit the wall of dense uranium tamper and became a shock wave and squeezed, liquefying, moving through; hit the nickel plating of the plutonium core and squeezed, the small sphere shrinking, collapsing into itself, becoming an eyeball; the shock wave reaching the tiny initiator at the center and swirling through its designed irregularities to mix its beryllium and polonium; polonium alphas kicking neutrons free from scant atoms of beryllium: one, two, seven, nine, hardly more neutrons drilling into the surrounding plutonium to start the chain reaction. ~ Richard Rhodes, #NFDB
1319:Annihilating nihilism is a peculiar phenomenon – the product of financial capitalism. In the sphere of financial capitalism, destroying concrete wealth is the easiest way to accumulate abstract value. The credit default swap (CDS) is the best example of this transformation of life, resources and language into nihil. The CDS is a contract in which the buyer of the CDS makes a series of payments to the seller and, in exchange, receives a pay-off if an instrument – typically a bond or loan – goes into default (fails to pay). Less commonly, the credit event that triggers the pay-off can be the restructuring or bankruptcy of a company, or even simply the downgrading of its credit rating. If the financial game is based on the premise that the value of money invested will increase as things are annihilated (if factories are dismantled, jobs are destroyed, people die, cities crumble, and so on), this type of financial profiteering is essentially constructed upon a bet on the degradation of the world. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
1320:The role played by time at the beginning of the universe is, I believe, the final key to removing the need for a Grand Designer, and revealing how the universe created itself. … Time itself must come to a stop. You can’t get to a time before the big bang, because there was no time before the big bang. We have finally found something that does not have a cause because there was no time for a cause to exist in. For me this means there is no possibility of a creator because there is no time for a creator to have existed. Since time itself began at the moment of the Big Bang, it was an event that could not have been caused or created by anyone or anything. … So when people ask me if a god created the universe, I tell them the question itself makes no sense. Time didn’t exist before the Big Bang, so there is no time for God to make the universe in. It’s like asking for directions to the edge of the Earth. The Earth is a sphere. It does not have an edge, so looking for it is a futile exercise. ~ Stephen Hawking, #NFDB
1321:Just like Black Bottom,” Passalos agreed. “Black Bottom?” Leo resisted the urge to jump at the dwarfs’ feet again. He was sure Passalos was going to ruin the Archimedes sphere any second now. “Yes, you know.” Akmon grinned. “Hercules. We called him Black Bottom because he used to go around without clothes. He got so tan that his backside, well—” “At least he had a sense of humor!” Passalos said. “He was going to kill us when we stole from him, but he let us go because he liked our jokes. Not like you two. Grumpy, grumpy!” “Hey, I’ve got a sense of humor,” Leo snarled. “Give me back our stuff, and I’ll tell you a joke with a good punch line.” “Nice try!” Akmon pulled a ratchet wrench from the tool belt and spun it like a noisemaker. “Oh, very nice! I’m definitely keeping this! Thanks, Blue Bottom!” Blue Bottom? Leo glanced down. His pants had slipped around his ankles again, revealing his blue undershorts. “That’s it!” he shouted. “My stuff. Now. Or I’ll show you how funny a flaming dwarf is. ~ Rick Riordan, #NFDB
1322:What would have happened if Einstein had advanced something equally new in the sphere of religion or politics? English people would have found elements of Prussianism in his theory; anti-Semites would have regarded it as a Zionist plot; nationalists in all countries would have found it tainted with lily-livered pacifism, and proclaimed it a mere dodge for escaping military service. All the old-fashioned professors would have approached Scotland Yard to get the importation of his writings prohibited. Teachers favourable to him would have been dismissed. He, meantime, would have captured the Government of some backward country, where it would have become illegal to teach anything except his doctrine, which would have grown into a mysterious dogma not understood by anybody. Ultimately the truth or falsehood of his doctrine would be decided on the battlefield, without the collection of any fresh evidence for or against it. This method is the logical outcome of William James’s will to believe. ~ Bertrand Russell, #NFDB
1323:The Sometime Sportsman Greets the Spring
by John Updike
When winter's glaze is lifted from the greens,
And cups are freshly cut, and birdies sing,
Triumphantly the stifled golfer preens
In cleats and slacks once more, and checks his swing.
This year, he vows, his head will steady be,
His weight-shift smooth, his grip and stance ideal;
And so they are, until upon the tee
Befall the old contortions of the real.
So, too, the tennis-player, torpid from
Hibernal months of television sports,
Perfects his serve and feels his knees become
Sheer muscle in their unaccustomed shorts.
Right arm relaxed, the left controls the toss,
Which shall be high, so that the racket face
Shall at a certain angle sweep across
The floated sphere with gutty strings—an ace!
The mind's eye sees it all until upon
The courts of life the faulty way we played
In other summers rolls back with the sun.
Hope springs eternally, but spring hopes fade. ~ John Updike,#NFDB
1324:Gradually and mistily it became apparent that the Most Ancient One was holding something—some object clutched in the outflung folds of his robe as if for the sight, or what answered for sight, of the cloaked Companions. It was a large sphere or apparent sphere of some obscurely iridescent metal, and as the Guide put it forward a low, pervasive half-impression of sound began to rise and fall in intervals which seemed to be rhythmic even though they followed no rhythm of earth. There was a suggestion of chanting—or what human imagination might interpret as chanting. Presently the quasi-sphere began to grow luminous, and as it gleamed up into a cold, pulsating light of unassignable colour Carter saw that its flickerings conformed to the alien rhythm of the chant. Then all the mitred, sceptre-bearing Shapes on the pedestals commenced a slight, curious swaying in the same inexplicable rhythm, while nimbuses of unclassifiable light—resembling that of the quasi-sphere—played round their shrouded heads ~ H P Lovecraft, #NFDB
1325:He closed his eyes.
Found the ridged face of the power stud.
And in the bloodlit dark behind his eyes, silver phosphenes boiled in from the edge of space, hypnagogic images jerking past like a film compiled of random frames. Symbols, figures, faces, a blurred, fragmented mandala of visual information.
Please, he prayed, now-
A gray disk, the color of Chiba sky.
Now-
Disk beginning to rotate, faster, becoming a sphere of paler gray. Expanding-
And flowed, flowered for him, fluid neon origami trick, the unfolding of distanceless home, his country, transparent 3D chessboard extending to infinity. Inner eye opening to the stepped scarlet pyramid of the Eastern Seaboard Fission Authority burning beyond the green cubes of Mitsubishi Bank of America, and high and very far away he saw the spiral arms of the military systems, forever beyond his reach.
And somewhere he was laughing, in a white-painted loft, distant fingers caressing the deck, tears of release streaking his face. ~ William Gibson,#NFDB
1326:A person who is brilliantly talented and successful at work but irrational and irresponsible in his or her private life may want to believe that the sole criterion of virtue is productive performance and that no other sphere of action has moral or self-esteem significance. Such a person may hide behind work in order to evade feelings of shame and guilt stemming from other areas of life (or from painful childhood experiences), so that productive work becomes not so much a healthy passion as an avoidance strategy, a refuge from realities one feels frightened to face. In addition, if a person makes the error of identifying self with his work (rather than with the internal virtues that make the work possible), if self-esteem is tied primarily to accomplishments, success, income, or being a good family provider, the danger is that economic circumstances beyond the individual’s control may lead to the failure of the business or the loss of a job, flinging him into depression or acute demoralization. ~ Nathaniel Branden, #NFDB
1327:That road to a remedy of Nigeria’s political problems will not come easily. The key, as I see it, lies in the manner in which the leadership of the country is selected. When I refer to leadership I am really talking about leaders at every level of government and sphere of society, from the local government council and governors right up to the presidency. What I am calling for is for Nigeria to develop a version of campaign election and campaign finance reform, so that the country can transform its political system from the grassroots level right through to the national party structures at the federal level. Nigerians will have to find a way to do away with the present system of godfatherism—an archaic, corrupt practice in which individuals with lots of money and time to spare (many of them half-baked, poorly educated thugs) sponsor their chosen candidates and push them right through to the desired political position, bribing, threatening, and, on occasion, murdering any opposition in the process. ~ Chinua Achebe, #NFDB
1328:Chapter III: Transformation of the Hero
1. Primordial hero and the human
We have come two stages: 1) from the immediate emanations of the Uncreated Creating to the fluid yet timeless personages of the mythological age; 2) from these Created CReating Ones to the sphere of human history. The emanations have condensed, consciousness is constricted. Where formerly causal bodies were visible, now only their secondary effects come to focus in the little hard-fact pupil of the human eye. The cosmogonic cycle is now to be carried forward, therefore, not by the gods, who became invisible now, but through heros, more or less human in character, through whom the world destiny is realized. This is the line where creation myths begin to give place to legend-as in the book of Genesis, following expulsion from Eden. Metaphysics yields to prehistory, which s dim and vague at first, but becomes precise in detail slowly. The heros become less fabulous, legend opens into the common dayliight of recorded time. ~ Joseph Campbell,#NFDB
1329:As a writer you slant all evidence in favor of the conclusions you want to produce and you rarely tilt in favor of the truth. ...This is what a writer does: his life is a maelstrom of lying. Embellishment is his focal point. This is what we do to please others. This is what we do in order to flee ourselves. A writer's physical life is basically one of stasis, and to combat this constraint, an opposite world and another self have to be constructed daily. ...the half world of a writer's life encourages pain and drama, and defeat is good for art: if it was day we made it night, if it was love we made it hate, serenity becomes chaos, kindness became viciousness, God became the devil, a daugher became a whore. I had been inordinately rewarded for participating in this process, and lying often leaked from my writing life--an enclosed sphere of consciousness, a place suspended outside of time, where the untruths flowed onto the whiteness of a blank screen--into the part of me that was tactile and alive. ~ Bret Easton Ellis, #NFDB
1330:It was Plato who gave the word cosmos its meaning as world. His Timaeus provided the first description of reality as forming an ordered whole, being both good and beautiful. The cosmos, according to Plato, was created by a divine craftsman who strove to render his work as similar as possible to the perfect model.12 The Good, the supreme principle, exercises power over physical reality and influences the conduct of the human person who, through the Good, turns his or her soul into a coherent whole (ethics) and gives the public sphere the unity it would otherwise be without. The Timaeus describes cosmology required by a particular anthropology. The plan for human life is an imitation of the cosmos. The wise person knows the cosmos and sees in it the mirror of his or her own wisdom. The individual soul was to imitate the regularity of the movements of the soul of the world. Nature has drawn us upright that we might be inspired by what is “cosmic.” In Plato’s world we stand upright to contemplate the stars. ~ Ilia Delio, #NFDB
1331:Well?” pressed Amar. “Are we going or not?”
We? I looked him over. The garland of red carnations hung limply around his neck. He held out his hand like a casual invitation, indifferent to the tumult outside the chambers. How could I trust him? What if he sold me to the enemies? He had no reason to protect me…unless I meant something to him.
Something else guided my hands. Images flashing sideways--a different hand, a samite curtain. I was convinced that we owned this single moment, this sphere of breath, this heartbeat shared like a secret. I don’t know what possessed me, but I took the white garland and threw it around his neck.
I stared at my hands, not quite believing what they’d done:
With one throw, I had married him. Amar lifted the garland of white flowers and grinned. “I hoped you’d choose me.”
The right corner of his lips curled faster than the left. It was such a small movement, but I couldn’t look away from it. His smile was disjointed, like he was out of practice. ~ Roshani Chokshi,#NFDB
1332:Now walking out onto the upper deck to find Minerva sailing steadily eastward on calm seas, Daniel is appalled that anyone ever doubted these matters. The horizon is a perfect line. The sun a red circle tracing a neat path through the sky and proceeding through an orderly series of color changes: red, yellow, white. Thus nature.
Minerva, the human world, is a family of curves. There are no straight lines here. The decks are slightly arched, to shed water and supply greater strength. The masts flexed, impelled by the thrust of the sails, but restrained by webs of rigging, curved grids like Isaac’s sundial lines. Of course, wherever wind collects in a sail or water skims around the hull, it follows rules that Bernoulli has set down using the calculus, Leibniz’s version. Minerva is a congregation of Leibniz curves, navigating according to Bernoulli rules, across a vast mostly water-covered sphere whose size, precise shape, trajectory through the heavens and destiny were all laid down by Newton. ~ Neal Stephenson,#NFDB
1333:Brought up, as Mahomet was, in the house of the guardian of the Caaba, the ceremonies and devotions connected with the sacred edifice may have given an early bias to his mind, and inclined it to those speculations in matters of religion by which it eventually became engrossed. Though his Moslem biographers would fain persuade us his high destiny was clearly foretold in his childhood by signs and prodigies, yet his education appears to have been as much neglected as that of ordinary Arab children ; for we find that he was not taught either to read or write. He was a thoughtful child, however ; quick to observe, prone to meditate on all that he observed, and possessed of an imagination fertile, daring, and expansive. The yearly influx of pilgrims from distant parts made Mecca a receptacle for all kinds of floating knowledge, which he appears to have imbibed with eagerness and retained in a tenacious memory ; and as he increased in years, a more extended sphere of observation was gradually opened to him. ~ Washington Irving, #NFDB
1334:It was civilization itself which inflicted this wound upon modern man. Once the increase of empirical knowledge, and more exact modes of thought, made sharper divisions between the sciences inevitable, and once the increasingly complex machinery of State necessitated a more rigorous separation of ranks and occupations, then the inner unity of human nature was severed too, and a disastrous conflict set its harmonious powers at variance. The intuitive and the speculative understanding now withdrew in hostility to take up positions in their respective fields, whose frontiers they now began to guard with jealous mistrust; and with this confining of our activity to a particular sphere we have given ourselves a master within, who not infrequently ends by suppressing the rest of our potentialities. While in one a riotous imagination ravages the hard-won fruits of the intellect, in another the spirit of abstraction stifles the fire at which the heart should have warmed itself and the imagination been kindled. ~ Friedrich Schiller, #NFDB
1335:The general exhaustion of the cerebral functions has been pointed out by many authors. " Hystericals," said M. Fere, " are in a permanent state of psychical fatigue, which is shown by a weakening of sensibility, of motion, of the will." ' " The fundamental factor of hysteria," says M. Oppenheim, *' is irritable feebleness, an abnormal excitability accompanied with exhaustion. These characteristics are especially established in the sphere of the affective phenomena." ' M. Jolly, taking up again M. Oppenheim's conception, speaks also of an extreme nervous feebleness, which allows the exaggeration of the affective phenomena, but he adds that this formula lacks precision and does not sum up particular facts.' We think, as does this author, that it is necessary to define this cerebral weakness with more precision and explain what is meant by it. As the essential functions of the brain are psychological functions, we must show, by the analysis of the moral phenomena, wherein this psychological insufficiency consists. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
1336:Why wouldst thou that God should in power, in act and in effect (which in him are identical) be determined as the limit of the convexity of a sphere, rather than that he should be as we may say the undetermined limit of the boundless? The limit I say, without limit, that I may differentiate the one infinity from the other. For He is the whole, comprehensive [26] and complete totality of the infinite, but the universe is the explicit though not the all-comprehensive totality (if indeed we may in any wise use the term totality where there is neither part nor boundary). Therefore the nature of the one doth comprehend boundaries; that of the other is bounded. And this is not the distinction between infinite and finite. The distinction is rather that the one is infinite, while the other doth limit according to the nature of the totality and of the whole being thereof. So that although it is entirely infinite, the infinity thereof is not completely comprehensive, for this would be repugnant to dimensional infinity. ~ Giordano Bruno, #NFDB
1337:Z ipes’s concerns overlap with those of feminists such as Marcia Lieberman, Karen Rowe, Sandra Gilbert, Susan Gubar, and, to a lesser extent, Ruth B. Bottigheimer, who diagnose fairy tales as symptoms of their cultures’ misogynistic traditions.11 For feminists, the fairy tales favored by a given society reflect its gender biases. Accordingly, Amer- icans’ Disney-abetted passion for “Cinderella,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Snow White,” and “Beauty and the Beast” testifies to our culture’s expediently sexist projection of women as passively compliant, self- sacrificing, beauty-obsessed creatures devoid of agency.12 The inclu- sion of Russian fairy tales in Western feminists’ sphere of reference would necessitate a modification of their critique, for, Russian society’s notorious ageless sexism notwithstanding, some of Russia’s favorite tales (“The Feather of Finist the Bright Falcon,” “The Maiden Tsar,” and “The Frog Princess”) reverse the gender roles in the hackneyed paradigm that feminists deem generically quintessential. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
1338:The description given earlier of the relationship between integrating a 2-form over the surface of a sphere and integrating its derivative over the solid sphere can be thought of as a generalization of the fundamental theorem of calculus, and can itself be generalized considerably: Stokes’s theorem is the assertion that for any oriented manifold S and form ω, where ∂ S is the oriented boundary of S (which we will not define here). Indeed one can view this theorem as a definition of the derivative operation ω → dω; thus, differentiation is the adjoint of the boundary operation. (For instance, the identity (11) is dual to the geometric observation that the boundary ∂s of an oriented manifold itself has no boundary: ∂(∂S) = ∅.) As a particular case of Stokes’s theorem, we see that ∫s dω = 0 whenever S is a closed manifold, i.e., one with no boundary. This observation lets one extend the notions of closed and exact forms to general differential forms, which (together with (11)) allows one to fully set up de Rham cohomology. ~ Timothy Gowers, #NFDB
1339:We do not get to vote on who owns what, or on relations in factory and so on, for all this is deemed beyond the sphere of the political, and it is illusory to expect that one can actually change things by "extending" democracy to ple's control. Radical changes in this domain should be made outside the sphere of legal "rights", etcetera: no matter how radical our anti-capitalism, unless this is understood, the solution sought will involve applying democratic mechanisms (which, of course, can have a positive role to play)- mechanisms, one should never forget, which are themselves part of the apparatus of the "bourgeois" state that guarantees the undisturbed functioning of capitalist reproduction. In this precise sense, Badiou hit the mark with his apparently wired claim that "Today, the enemy is not called Empire or Capital. It's called Democracy." it is the "democratic illusion" the acceptance of democratic procedures as the sole framework for any possible change, that blocks any radical transformation of capitalist relations. ~ Slavoj i ek, #NFDB
1340:A physicist, an engineer and a psychologist are called in as consultants to a dairy farm whose production has been below par. Each is given time to inspect the details of the operation before making a report.
The first to be called is the engineer, who states: "The size of the stalls for the cattle should be decreased. Efficiency could be improved if the cows were more closely packed, with a net allotment of 275 cubic feet per cow. Also, the diameter of the milking tubes should be increased by 4 percent to allow for a greater average flow rate during the milking periods."
The next to report is the psychologist, who proposes:
"The inside of the barn should be painted green. This is a more mellow color than brown and should help induce greater milk flow. Also, more trees should be planted in the fields to add diversity to the scenery for the cattle during grazing, to reduce boredom."
Finally, the physicist is called upon. He asks for a blackboard and then draws a circle. He begins: "Assume the cow is a sphere.... ~ Lawrence M Krauss,#NFDB
1341:It means, first, that everything that appears in public can be seen and heard by everybody and has the widest possible publicity. For us, appearance—something that is being seen and heard by others as well as by ourselves—constitutes reality. Compared with the reality which comes from being seen and heard, even the greatest forces of intimate life—the passions of the heart, the thoughts of the mind, the delights of the senses—lead an uncertain, shadowy kind of existence unless and until they are transformed, deprivatized and deindividualized, as it were, into a shape to fit them for public appearance.41 The most current of such transformations occurs in storytelling and generally in artistic transposition of individual experiences. But we do not need the form of the artist to witness this transfiguration. Each time we talk about things that can be experienced only in privacy or intimacy, we bring them out into a sphere where they will assume a kind of reality which, their intensity notwithstanding, they never could have had before. ~ Hannah Arendt, #NFDB
1342:The distinctive trait of the household sphere was that in it men lived together because they were driven by their wants and needs. The driving force was life itself—the penates, the household gods, were, according to Plutarch, “the gods who make us live and nourish our body”19—which, for its individual maintenance and its survival as the life of the species needs the company of others. That individual maintenance should be the task of the man and species survival the task of the woman was obvious, and both of these natural functions, the labor of man to provide nourishment and the labor of the woman in giving birth, were subject to the same urgency of life. Natural community in the household therefore was born of necessity, and necessity ruled over all activities performed in it. The realm of the polis, on the contrary, was the sphere of freedom, and if there was a relationship between these two spheres, it was a matter of course that the mastering of the necessities of life in the household was the condition for freedom of the polis. ~ Hannah Arendt, #NFDB
1343:If then the power of speech is as great as any that can be named,—if the origin of language is by many philosophers considered nothing short of divine—if by means of words the secrets of the heart are brought to light, pain of soul is relieved, hidden grief is carried off, sympathy conveyed, experience recorded, and wisdom perpetuated,—if by great authors the many are drawn up into unity, national character is fixed, a people speaks, the past and the future, the East and the West are brought into communication with each other,—if such men are, in a word, the spokesmen and the prophets of the human family—it will not answer to make light of Literature or to neglect its study: rather we may be sure that, in proportion as we master it in whatever language, and imbibe its spirit, we shall ourselves become in our own measure the ministers of like benefits to others—be they many or few, be they in the obscurer or the more distinguished walks of life—who are united to us by social ties, and are within the sphere of our personal influence. ~ John Henry Newman, #NFDB
1344:Faced with an ecological crisis whose roots lie in this disengagement, in the separation of human agency and social responsibility from the sphere of our direct involvement with the non-human environment, it surely behoves us to reverse this order of priority. I began with the point that while both humans and animals have histories of their mutual relations, only humans narrate such histories. But to construct a narrative, one must already dwell in the world and, in the dwelling, enter into relationships with its constituents, both human and non-human. I am suggesting that we rewrite the history of human-animal relations, taking this condition of active engagement, of being-in-the-world, as our starting point. We might speak of it as a history of human concern with animals, insofar as this notion conveys a caring, attentive regard, a 'being with'. And I am suggesting that those of us who are 'with' animals in their day-to-day lives, most notably hunters and herdsmen, can offer us some of the best possible indications of how we might proceed. ~ Tim Ingold, #NFDB
1345:If then the power of speech is as great as any that can be named,—if the origin of language is by many philosophers considered nothing short of divine—if by means of words the secrets of the heart are brought to light, pain of soul is relieved, hidden grief is carried off, sympathy conveyed, experience recorded, and wisdom perpetuated,—if by great authors the many are drawn up into unity, national character is fixed, a people speaks, the past and the future, the East and the West are brought into communication with each other,—if such men are, in a word, the spokesmen and the prophets of the human family—it will not answer to make light of Literature or to neglect its study: rather we may be sure that, in proportion as we master it in whatever language, and imbibe its spirit, we shall ourselves become in our own measure the ministers of like benefits to others—be they many or few, be they in the obscurer or the more distinguished walks of life—who are united to us by social ties, and are within the sphere of our personal influence. ~ Saint John Henry Newman, #NFDB
1346:Because in [Lenin's] eyes the workers
were only workers and not also customers, he believed they were already slaves under capitalism, and that one did not change their status
when nationalizing all plants and shops.
Socialism substitutes the sovereignty of a dictator, or committee of dictators, for the sovereignty of the consumers. Along with the economic sovereignty of the citizens disappears also their political sovereignty. To the unique production plan that annuls any planning on the part of the consumers corresponds in the constitutional sphere the one party principle that deprives the citizens of any opportunity to plan the course of public affairs. Freedom is indivisible. He who has not the faculty to choose among various brands of canned food or soap, is also deprived of the power to
choose between various political parties and programs and to elect the officeholders. He is no longer a man; he becomes a pawn in the hands of the supreme social engineer. Even his freedom to rear progeny will be taken
away by eugenics. ~ Ludwig von Mises,#NFDB
1347:The American Revolution and its aftermath coincided with two great transformations in the late eighteenth century. In the political sphere, there had been a repudiation of royal rule, fired by a new respect for individual freedom, majority rule, and limited government. If Hamilton made distinguished contributions in this sphere, so did Franklin, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison. In contrast, when it came to the parallel economic upheavals of the period—the industrial revolution, the expansion of global trade, the growth of banks and stock exchanges—Hamilton was an American prophet without peer. No other founding father straddled both of these revolutions—only Franklin even came close—and therein lay Hamilton’s novelty and greatness. He was the clear-eyed apostle of America's economic future, setting forth a vision that many found enthralling, others unsettling, but that would ultimately prevail. He stood squarely on the modern side of a historical divide that seemed to separate him from other founders. Small wonder he aroused such fear and confusion. ~ Ron Chernow, #NFDB
1348:At times it can feel like you are being nailed to the cross of Divine laws and truths, which dissolves all your own personal truths as surely as night follows day. This happens externally through the judgments, fears and persecutions of others unwilling to allow your soul to follow God out of fear of what it means for them and their attachments. Internally this occurs as you burn in your resistance to following divine laws, feeling the flame burning you up through your total feeling of any and all emotions, refusing projection onto anyone, or anything. This is your road and the fulfilling of your desire to meet God fully. As Christ said, ‘If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.’33 The Passion is not a linear journey: we can experience some of the symptoms of each death at differing times, but to establish oneself in a new Sphere of love is another thing. It is a soulful journey, not for hard-core Buddhists or Yogis, although it can be. It is a journey of the Beloved, of the Lover of God. ~ Padma Aon Prakasha, #NFDB
1349:For Christians to influence the world with the truth of God's Word requires the recovery of the great Reformation doctrine of vocation. Christians are called to God's service not only in church professions but also in every secular calling. The task of restoring truth to the culture depends largely on our laypeople.
To bring back truth, on a practical level, the church must encourage Christians to be not merely consumers of culture but makers of culture. The church needs to cultivate Christian artists, musicians, novelists, filmmakers, journalists, attorneys, teachers, scientists, business executives, and the like, teaching its laypeople the sense in which every secular vocation-including, above all, the callings of husband, wife, and parent--is a sphere of Christian ministry, a way of serving God and neighbor that is grounded in God's truth. Christian laypeople must be encouraged to be leaders in their fields, rather than eager-to-please followers, working from the assumptions of their biblical worldview, not the vapid clichés of pop culture. ~ J Gresham Machen,#NFDB
1350:Last Lines
NO coward soul is mine,
No trembler in the world's storm-troubled sphere:
I see Heaven's glories shine,
And faith shines equal, arming me from fear.
O God within my breast,
Almighty, ever-present Deity!
Life--that in me has rest,
As I--undying Life--have power in Thee!
Vain are the thousand creeds
That move men's hearts: unutterably vain;
Worthless as wither'd weeds,
Or idlest froth amid the boundless main,
To waken doubt in one
Holding so fast by Thine infinity;
So surely anchor'd on
The steadfast rock of immortality.
With wide-embracing love
Thy Spirit animates eternal years,
Pervades and broods above,
Changes, sustains, dissolves, creates, and rears.
Though earth and man were gone,
And suns and universes cease to be,
And Thou were left alone,
Every existence would exist in Thee.
There is not room for Death,
Nor atom that his might could render void:
Thou--Thou art Being and Breath,
And what Thou art may never be destroyed.
~ Emily Jane Brontë,#NFDB
1351:For example, the central idea in Einstein's theory of general relativity is that gravity is not some mysterious, attractive force that acts across space but rather a manifestation of the geometry of the inextricably linked space and time. Let me explain, using a simple example, how a geometrical property of space could be perceived as an attractive force, such as gravity. Imagine two people who start to travel precisely northward from two different point on Earth's equator. This means that at their starting points, these people travel along parallel lines (two longitudes), which, according to the plane geometry we learn in school, should never meet. Clearly, however, these two people will meet at the North Pole. if these people did not know that they were really traveling on the curved surface of a sphere, they would conclude that they must have experienced some attractive force, since they arrived at the same point in spite of starting their motions along parallel lines. Therefore, the geometrical curvature of space can manifest itself as an attractive force. ~ Mario Livio, #NFDB
1352:By A Child's Bed
She breathèd deep,
And stepped from out life's stream
Upon the shore of sleep;
And parted from the earthly noise,
Leaving her world of toys,
To dwell a little in a dell of dream.
Then brooding on the love I hold so free,
My fond possessions come to be
Clouded with grief;
These fairy kisses,
This archness innocent,
Sting me with sorrow and disturbed content:
I think of what my portion might have been;
A dearth of blisses,
A famine of delights,
If I had never had what now I value most;
Till all I have seems something I have lost;
A desert underneath the garden shows,
And in a mound of cinders roots the rose.
Here then I linger by the little bed,
Till all my spirit's sphere,
Grows one half brightness and the other dead,
One half all joy, the other vague alarms;
And, holding each the other half in fee,
Floats like the growing moon
That bears implicitly
Her lessening pearl of shadow
Clasped in the crescent silver of her arms.
~ Duncan Campbell Scott,#NFDB
1353:the philosopher John W. Carroll compared the statement “All gold spheres are less than a mile in diameter” to a statement like “All uranium-235 spheres are less than a mile in diameter.” Our observations of the world tell us that there are no gold spheres larger than a mile wide, and we can be pretty confident there never will be. Still, we have no reason to believe that there couldn’t be one, and so the statement is not considered a law. On the other hand, the statement “All uranium-235 spheres are less than a mile in diameter” could be thought of as a law of nature because, according to what we know about nuclear physics, once a sphere of uranium-235 grew to a diameter greater than about six inches, it would demolish itself in a nuclear explosion. Hence we can be sure that such spheres do not exist. (Nor would it be a good idea to try to make one!) This distinction matters because it illustrates that not all generalizations we observe can be thought of as laws of nature, and that most laws of nature exist as part of a larger, interconnected system of laws. ~ Stephen Hawking, #NFDB
1354:and there is dishonest men plenty to guide them to the devil, scoundrels that reckons to be the ‘people’s friends,’ and that knows nought about the people, and is as insincere as Lucifer. I’ve lived aboon forty year in the world, and I believe that ‘the people’ will never have any true friends but theirseln and them two or three good folk i’ different stations that is friends to all the world. Human natur’, taking it i’ th’ lump, is nought but selfishness. It is but excessive few, it is but just an exception here and there, now and then, sich as ye two young uns and me, that, being in a different sphere, can understand t’ one t’ other, and be friends wi’out slavishness o’ one hand or pride o’ t’ other. Them that reckons to be friends to a lower class than their own fro’ political motives is never to be trusted; they always try to make their inferiors tools. For my own part, I will neither be patronized nor misled for no man’s pleasure. I’ve had overtures made to me lately that I saw were treacherous, and I flung ’em back i’ the faces o’ them that offered ‘em. ~ Charlotte Bront, #NFDB
1355:Civil and voting rights for blacks didn’t come from the White House or from masses demonstrating in front of the White House. They came after the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955–56, the Freedom Rides in 1961, the Children’s Crusade in Birmingham in 1963, the Mississippi Freedom Summer and Freedom Schools in 1964, and the Selma-to-Montgomery march in 1965. In other words, they came only after hundreds of thousands of black Americans and their white supporters had accepted the challenge and risks of ourselves making or becoming the changes we want to see in the world. Women’s leadership in the public sphere didn’t come from the White House or from CEOs. It came only after millions of women came together in small consciousness-raising groups to share stories of our “second sex” lives. Today’s good news is that Americans in all walks of life have begun to create another America from the ground up in many unforeseen ways. In our bones we sense that this is no ordinary time. It is a time of deep change, not just of social structure and economy but also of ourselves. ~ Grace Lee Boggs, #NFDB
1356:On the back part of the step, toward the right, I saw a small iridescent sphere of almost unbearable brilliance. At first I thought it was revolving; then I realised that this movement was an illusion created by the dizzying world it bounded. The Aleph's diameter was probably little more than an inch, but all space was there, actual and undiminished. Each thing (a mirror's face, let us say) was infinite things, since I distinctly saw it from every angle of the universe. I saw the teeming sea; I saw daybreak and nightfall; I saw the multitudes of America; I saw a silvery cobweb in the center of a black pyramid; I saw a splintered labyrinth (it was London); I saw, close up, unending eyes watching themselves in me as in a mirror; I saw all the mirrors on earth and none of them reflected me; I saw in a backyard of Soler Street the same tiles that thirty years before I'd seen in the entrance of a house in Fray Bentos; I saw bunches of grapes, snow, tobacco, lodes of metal, steam; I saw convex equatorial deserts and each one of their grains of sand... ~ Jorge Luis Borges, The Aleph, #NFDB
1357:Salo had a skin with the texture and color of the skin of an Earthling tangerine. Salo had three light deer-like legs. His feet were of an extraordinarily interesting design, each being an inflatable sphere. By inflating these spheres to the size of German batballs, Salo could walk on water. By reducing them to the size of golf balls, Salo could bound over hard surfaces at high speeds. When he deflated the spheres entirely, his feet became suction cups. Salo could walk up walls. Salo had no arms. Salo had three eyes, and his eyes could perceive not only the so-called visible spectrum, but infrared and ultraviolet and X-rays as well. Salo was punctual—that is, he lived one moment at a time—and he liked to tell Rumfoord that he would rather see the wonderful colors at the far ends of the spectrum than either the past or the future. This was something of a weasel, since Salo had seen, living a moment at a time, far more of the past and far more of the Universe than Rumfoord had. He remembered more of what he had seen, too. Salo’s head was round and hung on gimbals. ~ Kurt Vonnegut, #NFDB
1358:No Coward Soul Is Mine
No coward soul is mine,
No trembler in the world,s storm-troubled sphere:
I see Heaven's glories shine,
And Faith shines equal arming me from Fear.
O God within my breast.
Almighty ever-present Deity!
Life , that in me has rest,
As I Undying Life, have power in thee!
Vain are the thousand creeds
That move men's hearts, unutterably vain;
Worthless as withered weeds,
Or idlest froth amid the boundless main,
To waken doubt in one
Holding so fast by Thy infinity;
So surely anchored on
The steadfast rock of Immortality.
With wide-embracing love
Thy Spirit animates eternal years,
Pervades and broods above,
Changes, sustains, dissolves, creates, and rears.
Though Earth and moon were gone,
And suns and universes ceased to be,
And Thou wert left alone,
Every Existence would exist in thee.
There is not room for Death,
Nor atom that his might could render void:
Since thou art Being and Breath,
And what thou art may never be destroyed.
~ Emily Jane Brontë,#NFDB
1359:Epilogue
Carol, every violet has
Heaven for a looking-glass!
Every little valley lies
Under many-clouded skies;
Every little cottage stands
Girt about with boundless lands.
Every little glimmering pond
Claims the mighty shores beyond—
Shores no seamen ever hailed,
Seas no ship has ever sailed.
All the shores when day is done
Fade into the setting sun,
So the story tries to teach
More than can be told in speech.
Beauty is a fading flower,
Truth is but a wizard's tower,
Where a solemn death-bell tolls,
And a forest round it rolls.
We have come by curious ways
To the light that holds the days;
We have sought in haunts of fear
For that all-enfolding sphere:
And lo! it was not far, but near.
We have found, O foolish-fond,
The shore that has no shore beyond.
Deep in every heart it lies
With its untranscended skies;
For what heaven should bend above
Hearts that own the heaven of love?
Carol, Carol, we have come
Back to heaven, back to home.
35
~ Alfred Noyes,#NFDB
1360:Jake did a quick run-through of women in his mind, not of the ones he had known or dealt with in the past few months of years so much as all of them: their concern with the surface of things, with objects and appearances, with their surroundings and how they looked and sounded in them, with seeming to be better and to be right while getting everything wrong, their automatic assumption of the role of injured party in any clash of wills, their certainty that a view is the more credible and useful for the fact that they hold it, their use of misunderstanding and misrepresentation as weapons of debate, their selective sensitivity to tones of voice, their unawareness of the difference in themselves between sincerity and insincerity, their interest in importance (together with noticeable inability to discriminate in that sphere), their fondness for general conversation and directionless discussion, their pre-emption of the major share of feeling, their exaggerated estimate of their own plausibility, their never listening and lots of other things like that, all according to him. ~ Kingsley Amis, #NFDB
1361:To Cinna
Cinna, the great Venusian told
In songs that will not die
How in Augustan days of old
Your love did glorify
His life and all his being seemed
Thrilled by that rare incense
Till, grudging him the dreams he dreamed,
The gods did call you hence.
Cinna, I've looked into your eyes,
And held your hands in mine,
And seen your cheeks in sweet surprise
Blush red as Massic wine;
Now let the songs in Cinna's praise
Be chanted once again,
For, oh! alone I walk the ways
We walked together then!
Perhaps upon some star to-night,
So far away in space
I cannot see that beacon light
Nor feel its soothing grace-Perhaps from that far-distant sphere
Her quickened vision seeks
For this poor heart of mine that here
To its lost Cinna speaks.
Then search this heart, beloved eyes,
And find it still as true
As when in all my boyhood skies
My guiding stars were you!
Cinna, you know the mystery
That is denied to men-Mine is the lot to feel that we
Shall elsewhere love again!
~ Eugene Field,#NFDB
1362:Three causes especially have excited the discontent of mankind; and, by impelling us to seek for remedies for the irremediable, have bewildered us in a maze of madness and error. These are death, toil, and ignorance of the future—the doom of man upon this sphere, and for which he shews his antipathy by his love of life, his longing for abundance, and his craving curiosity to pierce the secrets of the days to come. The first has led many to imagine that they might find means to avoid death, or, failing in this, that they might, nevertheless, so prolong existence as to reckon it by centuries instead of units. From this sprang the search, so long continued and still pursued, for the elixir vitæ, or water of life, which has led thousands to pretend to it and millions to believe in it. From the second sprang the absurd search for the philosopher's stone, which was to create plenty by changing all metals into gold; and from the third, the false sciences of astrology, divination, and their divisions of necromancy, chiromancy, augury, with all their train of signs, portents, and omens. ~ Charles Mackay, #NFDB
1363:I believe that every fact in nature is a revelation of God, is there such as it is because God is such as he is; and I suspect that all its facts impress us so that we learn God unconsciously. True, we cannot think of any one fact thus, except as we find the soul of it—its fact of God; but from the moment when first we come into contact with the world, it is to us a revelation of God, his things seen, by which we come to know the things unseen. How should we imagine what we may of God, without the firmament over our heads, a visible sphere, yet a formless infinitude! What idea could we have of God without the sky? The truth of the sky is what it makes us feel of the God that sent it out to our eyes. If you say the sky could not but be so and such, I grant it—with God at the root of it. There is nothing for us to conceive in its stead—therefore indeed it must be so. In its discovered laws, light seems to me to be such because God is such. Its so-called laws are the waving of his garments, waving so because he is thinking and loving and walking inside them."
-George MacDonald ~ George MacDonald,#NFDB
1364:The Azalea
There, where the sun shines first
Against our room,
She train'd the gold Azalea, whose perfume
She, Spring-like, from her breathing grace dispersed.
Last night the delicate crests of saffron bloom,
For this their dainty likeness watch'd and nurst,
Were just at point to burst.
At dawn I dream'd, O God, that she was dead,
And groan'd aloud upon my wretched bed,
And waked, ah, God, and did not waken her,
But lay, with eyes still closed,
Perfectly bless'd in the delicious sphere
By which I knew so well that she was near,
My heart to speechless thankfulness composed.
Till 'gan to stir
A dizzy somewhat in my troubled head-It was the azalea's breath, and she was dead!
The warm night had the lingering buds disclosed,
And I had fall'n asleep with to my breast
A chance-found letter press'd
In which she said,
'So, till to-morrow eve, my Own, adieu!
Parting's well-paid with soon again to meet,
Soon in your arms to feel so small and sweet,
Sweet to myself that am so sweet to you!'
~ Coventry Patmore,#NFDB
1365:We no longer live in a mass-media world with a few centralized choke points with just a few editors in charge, operated by commercial entities and governments. There is a new, radically different mode of information and attention flow: the chaotic world of the digitally networked public sphere (or spheres) where ordinary citizens or activists can generate ideas, document and spread news of events, and respond to mass media. This new sphere, too, has choke points and centralization, but different ones than the past. The networked public sphere has emerged so forcefully and so rapidly that it is easy to forget how new it is. Facebook was started in 2004 and Twitter in 2006. The first iPhone, ushering in the era of the smart, networked phone, was introduced in 2007. The wide extent of digital connectivity might blind us to the power of this transformation. It should not. These dynamics are significant social mechanisms, especially for social movements, since they change the operation of a key resource: attention… Attention is oxygen for movements. Without it, they cannot catch fire. ~ Zeynep Tufekci, #NFDB
1366:Was never form and never face
So sweet to SEYD as only grace
Which did not slumber like a stone,
But hovered gleaming and was gone.
Beauty chased he everywhere,
In flame, in storm, in clouds of air.
He smote the lake to feed his eye
With the beryl beam of the broken wave;
He flung in pebbles well to hear
The moment's music which they gave.
Oft pealed for him a lofty tone
From nodding pole and belting zone.
He heard a voice none else could hear
From centred and from errant sphere.
The quaking earth did quake in rhyme,
Seas ebbed and flowed in epic chime.
In dens of passion, and pits of woe,
He saw strong Eros struggling through,
To sun the dark and solve the curse,
And beam to the bounds of the universe.
While thus to love he gave his days
In loyal worship, scorning praise,
How spread their lures for him in vain
Thieving Ambition and paltering Gain!
He thought it happier to be dead,
To die for Beauty, than live for bread.
by owner. provided at no charge for educational purposes
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, Beauty
,#NFDB
1367:Well, this. That we’re ashamed to say we’ve refused a posting. That the social conscience completely dominates the individual conscience, instead of striking a balance with it. We don’t cooperate — we obey. We fear being outcast, being called lazy, dysfunctional, egoizing. We fear our neighbor’s opinion more than we respect our own freedom of choice. You don’t believe me, Tak, but try, just try stepping over the line, just in imagination, and see how you feel. You realize then what Tirin is, and why he’s a wreck, a lost soul. He is a criminal! We have created crime, just as the propertarians did. We force a man outside the sphere of our approval, and then condemn him for it. We’ve made laws, laws of conventional behavior, built walls all around ourselves, and we can’t see them, because they’re part of our thinking. Tir never did that I knew him since we were ten years old. He never did it, he never could build walls. He was a natural rebel. He was a natural Odonian — a real one! He was a free man, and the rest of us, his brothers, drove him insane in punishment for his first free act. ~ Ursula K Le Guin, #NFDB
1368:If you look back in the 1930s, Leon Trotsky said that fascism was the inability of the socialist parties to come forth with an alternative,” Hudson said. “If the socialist parties and media don’t come forth with an alternative to this neofeudalism, you’re going to have a rollback to feudalism. But instead of the military taking over the land, as occurred with the Norman Conquest, you take over the land financially. Finance has become the new mode of warfare. “You can achieve the takeover of land and the takeover of companies by corporate raids,” he said. “The Wall Street vocabulary is one of conquest and wiping out. You’re having a replay in the financial sphere of what feudalism was in the military sphere.” The debauched ethics of all casino magnates, including Trump, define the dark, petulant heart of America. Our schools and libraries lack funding, our infrastructure is a wreck, drug addiction and suicide are an epidemic, and we flee toward the promise of magic, unchecked hedonism, and perpetual stimulation. There is a pathological need in America to escape the dreary and the depressing. ~ Chris Hedges, #NFDB
1369:Bernays’s business partner, Paul Mazur, said, “We must shift America from a needs to a desires culture.… People must be trained to desire, to want new things, even before the old have been entirely consumed. We must shape a new mentality. Man’s desires must overshadow his needs.” As Bernays later wrote, in 1928, the conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government that is the true ruling power of this country. We are governed, our minds molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized.… In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons … who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind. ~ Al Gore, #NFDB
1370:Music's Empire
First was the world as one great cymbal made,
Where jarring winds to infant Nature played.
All music was a solitary sound,
To hollow rocks and murm'ring fountains bound.
Jubal first made the wilder notes agree;
And Jubal tuned music's Jubilee;
He call'd the echoes from their sullen cell,
And built the organ's city where they dwell.
Each sought a consort in that lovely place,
And virgin trebles wed the manly bass.
From whence the progeny of numbers new
Into harmonious colonies withdrew.
Some to the lute, some to the viol went,
And others chose the cornet eloquent,
These practicing the wind, and those the wire,
To sing men's triumphs, or in Heaven's choir.
Then music, the mosaic of the air,
Did of all these a solemn noise prepare;
With which she gain'd the empire of the ear,
Including all between the earth and sphere.
Victorious sounds! yet here your homage do
Unto a gentler conqueror than you;
Who though he flies the music of his praise,
Would with you Heaven's Hallelujahs raise.
~ Andrew Marvell,#NFDB
1371:It is, however, admitted that the intelligence organisations of these ‘free countries’ do give wide coverage to the activities of their citizen in almost all sphere of activities. Their systems keep track of the citizen from the Cradle to the Grave. No other country, except, perhaps the former Soviet Union, has documented their citizen in such exhaustive and comprehensive manner. India has not been able to keep track of its own citizen. The faulty system allows unhindered entry of alien nationals from the neighbouring countries. Periodically some Indian politicians wake up and raise slogans for comprehensive documentation of the citizens of the country. Vote-bank beggars in the right, left and centre of the political spectrum oppose them, because they depend a lot on illegal migrant voters from the neighbouring countries. They also shed crocodile tears in the name of ‘secularism’- an apartheid mechanism devised by the Indian democracy. Once in a while the intelligence and police agencies are whipped up to trace out the illegal settlers. They even violate the rights of the natural citizens. ~ Maloy Krishna Dhar, #NFDB
1372:Part of Wordsworth’s complaint was directed towards the smoke, congestion, poverty and ugliness of cities, but clean-air bills and slum clearance would not, by themselves, have eradiated his critique. For it was the effect of cities on our souls, rather than on our health, that concerned him.
The poet accused the cities of fostering a family of life-destroying emotions: anxiety about our position in the social hierarchy, envy at the success of others, pride and desire to shine in the eyes of strangers. City dwellers had no perspective, he alleged, they were in thrall of what was spoken of in the street or at the dinner table. However well provided for, they had a relentless desire to new things, which they did not genuinely lack and on which happiness did not depend. And in this crowded, anxious sphere, it seemed harder that it did on an isolated homestead to begin sincere relationships with others. ‘One thought baffled my understanding,’ wrote Wordsworth of his residence in London: ‘How men lived even next-door neighbors, as we say, yet still strangers, and knowing not each other’s names. ~ Alain de Botton,#NFDB
1373:Try repeating “man is an animal" a few times, just to notice how unconvincing it sounds. There seems to be no way to get this idea into our heads, except by long rumination over the facts of evolution or perhaps by exposure to a primitive tribe or by being raised on a farm. Primitives sometimes see little difference between themselves and the animals around them. Karl von den Steinen was told by a Xingu that the only difference between them and the monkey was that they monkeys lacked the bow and arrow. And Jules Henry observed on the Kningang that dogs are not considered pets, like some of the other animals, but are on a level of emotional equality, like a relative. But in our own Western culture we have, for the most part, set a great distance between ourselves and the rest of nature, and language helps us to do this. Thus we say that a sheep “drops" its lamb, but a woman “gives birth"—it’s much more noble. Yet we have the right to make such distinctions because we assign the meaning to the world by naming names of things; we inhabit a different sphere and we capitalize naturally on the privilege. ~ Ernest Becker, #NFDB
1374:It was no wonder that they thus questioned one another’s actual and bodily existence, and even doubted of their own. So strangely did they meet in the dim wood, that it was like the first encounter, in the world beyond the grave, of the two spirits who had been intimately connected in their former life, but now stood coldly shuddering, in mutual dread, as not yet familiar with their state, more wonted to the companionship of disembodied beings. Each a ghost, and awe-stricken at the other ghost! They were awe-stricken likewise at themselves; because the crisis flung back to them their consciousness, and revealed to each heart its history and experience, as life never does, except at such breathless epochs. The soul beheld its features in the mirror of the passing moment. It was with fear, and tremulously, and, as it were, by a slow, reluctant necessity, that Arthur Dimmesdale put forth his hand, chill as death, and touched the chill hand of Hester Prynne. The grasp, cold as it was, took away what was the dreariest in the interview. They now felt themselves, at last, inhabitants of the same sphere. ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne, #NFDB
1375:National Socialism has tackled the Jewish problem by action and not by words. It has risen in opposition to the Jewish determination to dominate the world; it has attacked them everywhere and in every sphere of activity; it has flung them out of the positions they have usurped; it has pursued them in every direction, determined to purge the German world of the Jewish poison. For us, this has been an essential process of disinfection, which we have prosecuted to its ultimate limit and without which we should ourselves have been asphyxiated and destroyed.
...Quick to realize the danger, the Jews decided to stake their all in the life and death struggle which they launched against us. National Socialism had to be destroyed, whatever the cost and even if the whole world were destroyed in the process. Never before had there been a war so typically and at the same time so exclusively Jewish.
I have at least compelled them to discard their masks. And even if our endeavors should end in failure, it will only be a temporary failure. For I have opened the eyes of the whole world to the Jewish peril. ~ Adolf Hitler,#NFDB
1376:The intellectual, i n my sense of the word , is neither a pacifier nor a consensus-builder,but someone whose whole being is staked on a critical sense , a sense of being unwilling to accept easy formulas,or ready-made cliches, or the smooth, ever-so accommodating confirmations of what the powerful or conventional have to say, and what they do. Not just passively unwillingly, but actively willing to say so in public. This is not always a matter of being a critic of government policy, but rather of thinking of the intellectual vocation as maintaining a state of constant alertness, of a perpetual willingness not to let half-truths or received ideas steer one along. That this involves a steady realism, an almost athletic rational energy, and a complicated struggle to balance the problems of one's own selfhood against the demands of publishing and speaking out in the public sphere is what makes it an everlasting effort, constitutively unfinished and necessarily imperfect. Yet its invigorations and complexities, for me at least, make one the richer for it, even though it doesn't make one particularly popular. ~ Edward W Said, #NFDB
1377:To start with, we know that in every part, in all directions and on either side, above and below and throughout all space,------1480 there is no limit, as I have explained,------[1050] and facts themselves announce it on their own— the nature of deep space is very clear. Since infinite space lies empty on all sides and seeds in countless numbers fly around through the deep universe in various ways, driven by eternal motion, we must not, in any way, now think it probable that only this one sphere of earth and sky have been created, that beyond us here------1490 all those many particles of matter do nothing at all, especially since earth was made by nature. Seeds of things themselves, jostling freely here and there in various ways and forced to random, confused collisions,------[1060] produced nothing—then finally those ones suddenly united which could become, every time, the beginnings of great things, land, sea, sky, the race of living beings. And so, to repeat myself, you must grant------1500 that there are other aggregates of matter similar to this in other places, which aether clutches in its keen embrace. ~ Lucretius, #NFDB
1378:The key stone of Westem civilization is the sphere of spontaneous action it secures to the individual. There have always been attempts to curb the individuais initiative, but the power of the persecutors and inquisitors has not been absolute. It could not prevent the rise of Greek philosophy and its Roman offshoot or the development of modem science and philosophy. Driven by their inborn genius, pioneers have accomplished their work in spite of ali hostility and opposition. The innovator did not have to wait for invitation or order from anybody. He could step forward of his own accord and defy traditional teachings. In the orbit of ideas the West has by and large always enjoyed the blessings of freedom.
Then came the emancipation of the individual in the field of business, an achievement of that new branch of philosophy, economics. A free hand was given to the enterprising man who knew how to enrich his fellows by improving the methods of production. A horn of plenty was poured upon the common men by the capitalistic business principie of mass production for the satisfaction of the needs of the masses. ~ Ludwig von Mises,#NFDB
1379:The resulting financial overhead consists of claims on the economy’s actual means of production. Yet most people think of these bonds, bank loans and stocks and creditor claims as wealth, not its antithesis on the debit side of the balance sheet. This inside-out doublethink is a precondition for the bubble economy to be applauded by the mass media, keeping its corrosive momentum expanding. From the corporate sphere and real estate to personal budgets, the distinguishing feature over the past half-century has been the rise in debt/equity and debt/income ratios. Just as debt leveraging has hiked corporate break-even costs of doing business, so the cost of living has been increased as homes and office buildings have been bid up on mortgage credit. “Creating wealth” in a debt-financed way makes economies high-cost, exacerbated by the tax shift onto labor and consumers instead of capital gains and “free lunch” rent. These financial and fiscal policies have enabled financial managers to siphon off the industrial profits that were expected to fund capital formation to increase productivity and living standards. The ~ Michael Hudson, #NFDB
1380:You said to imagine a great big sphere, and inside is all of time and space. All of it. And outside are these intelligent entities, and all they are is curious; all they want to do is experience.”
“Go on,” Alice said. Her eyes are so bright.…
“One might say: ‘I want the experience of being a seventeen-year-old girl in the fourteenth century who was burned at the stake.’ Or ‘I’d like the experience of being a four-month aborted fetus in 1994.’ And they just dive in and do it.” I looked at Alice. She was waiting for something. I thought about what I just said, and then I remembered: “They have to create what happens. Write a script.” She still waited, so I said, “Not only the experience itself; the house, the city, the country, the whole world where it happens. All of it.”
“Which makes that entity responsible for all of it,” she reminded me.
“So that’s who the ‘little man watching’ really is—that, that thing—”
“Not a thing,” she said, interrupting for the very first time. “It’s you. You’re living a script that you wrote. Which is why free will and predestination are the same thing. ~ Theodore Sturgeon,#NFDB
1381:Mr. Colbert, the famous minister of Louis XIV, was a man of probity, of great industry and knowledge of detail, of great experience and acuteness in the examination of public accounts, and of abilities, in short, every way fitted for introducing method and good order into the collection and expenditure of the public revenue. That minister had unfortunately embraced all the prejudices of the mercantile system, in its nature and essence a system of restraint and regulation, and such as could scarce fail to be agreeable to a laborious and plodding man of business, who had been accustomed to regulate the different departments of public offices, and to establish the necessary checks and controls for confining each to its proper sphere. The industry and commerce of a great country he endeavoured to regulate upon the same model as the departments of a public office; and instead of allowing every man to pursue his own interest in his own way, upon the liberal plan of equality, liberty, and justice, he bestowed upon certain branches of industry extraordinary privileges, while he laid others under as extraordinary restraints. ~ Adam Smith, #NFDB
1382:In ninth-century Mesopotamia, Muslim exclusivist al-Jahiz denounced the Christians not just for their worldly success, but for their immersion in Arabic culture, even to the point of taking familiar Arabic names: “They are called Hasan and Husain and Abbas and Fadl and Ali, and they take all these as surnames; and there is nothing left but that they should be called Muhammad and be surnamed Abu 'l-Qasim!”15 Such wholesale absorption allowed wealthy and successful minorities to parade their success without any obvious sign of their religious taint, any hint of inferiority, and such overassimilation in all matters except the religious provoked Muslim regimes to enforce the symbolic badges of the Umaric code. But such cultural boundaries did not limit the spread of Arabic, and an Arabic-speaking world had already made a massive leap toward the possible adoption of Islam. As Peter Brown remarks, “[U]ltimately, it was the victory of Arabic which opened the doors to Islamization.”16 The older languages of the subject peoples fell increasingly into disuse, sometimes because Muslim regimes limited their use in the public sphere. ~ Philip Jenkins, #NFDB
1383:16. Worry Worries
One of my oldest buddies from Everest and the SAS, Mick Crosthwaite, once gave me this sound advice: ‘Don’t worry about anything that’s outside your sphere of influence.’
Or in other words: if you can’t change it, don’t fret it.
Think about it. What do you worry most about? Is it inside or outside your sphere of influence? You see, most of us fret and panic about stuff we have no control over - things we can’t change.
Mick’s advice made me realize that if I can’t change it, I just won’t worry about it. Instead, spend the time and mental energy effecting positive change where you can, not where you can’t.
It is sound advice, but it isn’t how most people live.
Mark Twain famously said that he had spent most of his life worrying about things that never happened. I think people probably do this a lot. It is partly why so few get to where they dream of. They dare not…just in case.
Fears and worries - about things that are long passed, or that may never materialize in our future - all weigh us down and slow us up.
So where you can, drop the worries. ~ Bear Grylls,#NFDB
1384:What can turn us from this deserted future, back into the sphere of our being, the great dance that joins us to our home, to each other and to other creatures, to the dead and unborn? I think it is love. I am perforce aware how baldly and embarrassingly that word now lies on the page—for we have learned at once to overuse it, abuse it, and hold it in suspicion. But I do not mean any kind of abstract love (adolescent, romantic, or "religious"), which is probably a contradiction in terms, but particular love for particular things, places, creatures, and people, requiring stands, acts, showing its successes and failures in practical or tangible effects. And it implies a responsibility just as particular, not grim or merely dutiful, but rising out of generosity. I think that this sort of love defines the effective range of human intelligence, the range within its works can be dependably beneficent. Only the action that is moved by love for the good at hand has the hope of being responsible and generous. Desire for the future produces words that cannot be stood by. But love makes language exact, because one loves only what one knows. ~ Wendell Berry, #NFDB
1385:"Turn my back on the world..." the historian repeated softly and slowly, his head moving to face the mage. "Turn my back on the world!" Emotion rarely marred the surface of Astinus's cold voice, but now anger struck the placid calm of his soul like a rock hurled into still water.
"I? Turn my back on the world?" Astinus's voice rolled around the library as the thunder had rolled previously. "I am the world, as you well know, old friend! Countless times I have been born! Countless deaths I have died! Every tear shed - mine have flowed! Every drop of blood spilled - mine has drained! Every agony, every joy ever felt has been mine to share!
"I sit with my hand on the Sphere of Time, the sphere you made for me, old friend, and I travel the length and breadth of this world chronicling its history. I have committed the blackest deeds! I have made the noblest sacrifices. I am human, elf, and ogre. I am male and female. I have borne children. I have murdered children. I saw you as you were. I see you as you are. If I seem cold and unfeeling, it is because that is how I survive without losing my sanity! My passion goes into my words. ~ Margaret Weis,#NFDB
1386:THIRD DEFINITIVE ARTICLE OF PERPETUAL PEACE
III. The rights of men, as citizens of the world, shall be limited to the conditions of universal hospitality.
We are speaking here, as in the previous articles, not of philanthropy, but of right; and in this sphere hospitality signifies the claim of a stranger entering foreign territory
to be treated by its owner without hostility. The latter may send him away again if this can be done without causing his death; but, so long as he conducts himself peaceably, he must not be treated as an enemy. It is not a right to be treated as a guest to which the stranger can lay claim-a special friendly compact on his behalf would be required to make him for a given time an actual inmate-but he has a right of visitation. This right to present themselves to society belongs to all mankind in virtue of our common right of possession of the surface of the earth on which, as it is a globe, we cannot be infinitely scattered, and must in the end reconcile ourselves to existence side by side: at the same time, originally no one individual had more right than another to live in any one particular spot. ~ Immanuel Kant,#NFDB
1387:in 1851, an aged black woman, who had been born a slave in New York, tall, thin, wearing a gray dress and white turban, listened to some male ministers who had been dominating the discussion. This was Sojourner Truth. She rose to her feet and joined the indignation of her race to the indignation of her sex: That man over there says that woman needs to be helped into carriages and lifted over ditches. . . . Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles or gives me any best place. And a’nt I a woman? Look at my arm! I have ploughed, and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And a’nt I a woman? I would work as much and eat as much as a man, when I could get it, and bear the lash as well. And a’nt I a woman? I have borne thirteen children and seen em most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard me! And a’nt I a woman? Thus were women beginning to resist, in the 1830s and 1840s and 1850s, the attempt to keep them in their “woman’s sphere.” They were taking part in all sorts of movements, for prisoners, for the insane, for black slaves, and also for all women. ~ Howard Zinn, #NFDB
1388:Could I from this valley drear,
Where the mist hangs heavily,
Soar to some more blissful sphere,
Ah! how happy should I be!
Distant hills enchant my sight,
Ever young and ever fair;
To those hills I'd take my flight
Had I wings to scale the air.
Harmonies mine ear assail,
Tunes that breathe a heavenly calm;
And the gently-sighing gale
Greets me with its fragrant balm.
Peeping through the shady bowers,
Golden fruits their charms display.
And those sweetly-blooming flowers
Ne'er become cold winter's prey.
In you endless sunshine bright,
Oh! what bliss 'twould be to dwell!
How the breeze on yonder height
Must the heart with rapture swell!
Yet the stream that hems my path
Checks me with its angry frown,
While its waves, in rising wrath,
Weigh my weary spirit down.
Seea bark is drawing near,
But, alas, the pilot fails!
Enter boldlywherefore fear?
Inspiration fills its sails,
Faith and courage make thine own,
Gods ne'er lend a helping-hand;
'Tis by magic power alone
Thou canst reach the magic land!
~ Friedrich Schiller, Longing
,#NFDB
1389:This divide is characterized by the demonization and privatization of public services, including schools, the military, prisons, and even policing; by the growing use of prison as our primary resolution for social contradictions; by the degradation and even debasement of the public sphere and all those who would seek to democratically occupy it; by an almost complete abandonment of the welfare state; by a nearly religious reverence for marketized solutions to public problems; by the growth of a consumer culture that repeatedly emphasizes the satisfaction of the self over the needs of the community; by the corruption of democracy by money and by monied interests, what Henry Giroux refers to as “totalitarianism with elections”;88 by the mockery of a judicial process already tipped in favor of the powerful; by the militarization of the police; by the acceptance of massive global inequality; by the erasure of those unconnected to the Internet-driven modern economy; by the loss of faith in the very notion of community; and by the shrinking presence of the radical voices, values, and vision necessary to resist this dark neoliberal moment.89 ~ Marc Lamont Hill, #NFDB
1390:A Spirit Present
IF, coming from that unknown sphere
Where I believe thou art,-The world unseen which girds our world
So close, yet so apart,-Thy soul's soft call unto my soul
Electrical could reach,
And mortal and immortal blend
In one familiar speech,-What wouldst thou say to me? wouldst ask
What, since did me befall?
Or close this chasm of cruel years
Between us--knowing all?
Wouldst love me--thy pure eyes seeing that
God only saw beside?
O, love me! 'T was so hard to live,
So easy to have died.
If, while this dizzy whirl of life
A moment pausing stayed,
I face to face with thee could stand,
I would not be afraid:
Not though from heaven to heaven thy feet
In glad ascent have trod,
While mine took through earth's miry ways
Their solitary road.
We could not lose each other. World
On world piled ever higher
Would part like banked clouds, lightning-cleft
By our two souls' desire.
Life ne'er divided us; death tried,
But could not; Love's voice fine
Called luring through the dark--then ceased,
And I am wholly thine.
~ Dinah Maria Mulock Craik,#NFDB
1391:We read a good novel not in order to know more people, but in order to know fewer. Instead of the humming swarm of human beings, relatives, customers, servants, postmen, afternoon callers, tradesmen, strangers who tell us the time, strangers who remark on the weather, beggars, waiters, and telegraph-boys--instead of this bewildering human swarm which passes us every day, fiction asks us to follow one figure (say the postman) consistently through his ecstasies and agonies. That is what makes one impatient with that type of pessimistic rebel who is always complaining of the narrowness of his life and demanding a larger sphere. Life is too large for us as it is: we have all too many things to attend to. All true romance is an attempt to simplify it, to cut it down to plainer and more pictorial proportions. What dullness there is in our life arises mostly from its rapidity; people pass us too quickly to show us their interesting side. By the end of the week we have talked to a hundred bores; whereas, if we had stuck to one of them, we might have found ourselves talking to a new friend, or a humorist, or a murderer, or a man who had seen a ghost. ~ G K Chesterton, #NFDB
1392:Air and Angels
Twice or thrice had I loved thee,
Before I knew thy face or name;
So in a voice, so in a shapeless flame,
Angels affect us oft, and worshipped be;
Still when, to where thou wert, I came,
Some lovely glorious nothing I did see.
But since my soul, whose child love is,
Takes limbs of flesh, and else could nothing do,
More subtle than the parent is,
Love must not be, but take a body too;
And therefore what thou wert, and who,
I bid love ask, and now
That it assume thy body I allow,
And fix itself to thy lip, eye, and brow.
Whilst thus to ballast love I thought,
And so more steadily to have gone,
With wares which would sink admiration,
I saw I had love's pinnace overfraught
Every thy hair for love to work upon
Is much too much, some fitter must be sought;
For, nor in nothing, nor in things
Extreme and scatt'ring bright, can love inhere.
Then as an angel, face and wings
Of air, not pure as it, yet pure doth wear,
So thy love may be my love's sphere.
Just such disparity
As is 'twixt air and angel's purity,
'Twixt women's love and men's will ever be. ~ John Donne,#NFDB
1393:it is not only our values that matter, but the military might that backs them up. Truly, in international affairs, behind all questions of morality lie questions of power. Humanitarian intervention in the Balkans in the 1990s was possible only because the Serbian regime was not a great power armed with nuclear weapons, unlike the Russian regime, which at the same time was committing atrocities of a similar scale in Chechnya where the West did nothing; nor did the West do much against the ethnic cleansing in the Caucasus because there, too, was a Russian sphere of influence. In the Western Pacific in the coming decades, morality may mean giving up some of our most cherished ideals for the sake of stability. How else are we to make at least some room for a quasi-authoritarian China as its military expands? (And barring a social-economic collapse internally, China’s military will keep on expanding.) For it is the balance of power itself, even more than the democratic values of the West, that is often the best preserver of freedom. That also will be a lesson of the South China Sea in the twenty-first century—one more that humanists do not want to hear. ~ Robert D Kaplan, #NFDB
1394:Sojourns In The Parallel World
We live our lives of human passions,
cruelties, dreams, concepts,
crimes and the exercise of virtue
in and beside a world devoid
of our preoccupations, free
from apprehension--though affected,
certainly, by our actions. A world
parallel to our own though overlapping.
We call it "Nature"; only reluctantly
admitting ourselves to be "Nature" too.
Whenever we lose track of our own obsessions,
our self-concerns, because we drift for a minute,
an hour even, of pure (almost pure)
response to that insouciant life:
cloud, bird, fox, the flow of light, the dancing
pilgrimage of water, vast stillness
of spellbound ephemerae on a lit windowpane,
animal voices, mineral hum, wind
conversing with rain, ocean with rock, stuttering
of fire to coal--then something tethered
in us, hobbled like a donkey on its patch
of gnawed grass and thistles, breaks free.
No one discovers
just where we've been, when we're caught up again
into our own sphere (where we must
return, indeed, to evolve our destinies)
--but we have changed, a little.
~ Denise Levertov,#NFDB
1395:Statements such as ‘There are systems, there are memories, there are cultures, there is artificial intelligence’76 depend on the statement ‘There is information.’ Also the statement ‘There are genes’ can only be understood as a product of the new situation—it indicates the leap of the principle of information into the sphere of nature. On the basis of these gains in concepts that are capable of seizing hold of reality, the interest in traditional figures of theory such as the subject-object relation fades. The constellation of ego and world has lost its sheen, to say nothing of the polarity of individual and society that has become completely lusterless. What is crucial is that with the idea of really existing memories and self-organizing systems the metaphysical distinction between nature and culture becomes untenable, because both sides of the difference only present regional states of information and its processing. One must brace oneself for the fact that understanding this insight will be especially difficult for intellectuals who have made their living on positioning culture against nature, and now suddenly find themselves in a reactive situation. ~ Peter Sloterdijk, #NFDB
1396:I have received the favor of your letter of August 17th, and with it the volume you were so kind as to send me on the Literature of Negroes. Be assured that no person living wishes more sincerely than I do, to see a complete refutation of the doubts I have myself entertained and expressed on the grade of understanding allotted to them by nature, and to find that in this respect they are on a par with ourselves. My doubts were the result of personal observation on the limited sphere of my own State, where the opportunities for the development of their genius were not favorable, and those of exercising it still less so. I expressed them therefore with great hesitation; but whatever be their degree of talent it is no measure of their rights. Because Sir Isaac Newton was superior to others in understanding, he was not therefore lord of the person or property of others. On this subject they are gaining daily in the opinions of nations, and hopeful advances are making towards their reestablishment on an equal footing with the other colors of the human family. ~ Thomas Jefferson, #NFDB
1397:People want answers to the big questions, like why we are here. They don’t expect the answers to be easy, so they are prepared to struggle a bit. When people ask me if a God created the universe, I tell them that the question itself makes no sense. Time didn’t exist before the Big Bang so there is no time for God to make the universe in. It’s like asking for directions to the edge of the Earth—the Earth is a sphere that doesn’t have an edge, so looking for it is a futile exercise.
Do I have faith? We are each free to believe what we want, and it’s my view that the simplest explanation is that there is no God. No one created the universe and no one directs our fate. This leads me to a profound realisation: there is probably no heaven and afterlife either. I think belief in an afterlife is just wishful thinking. There is no reliable evidence for it, and it flies in the face of everything we know in science. I think that when we die we return to dust. But there’s a sense in which we live on, in our influence, and in our genes that we pass on to our children. We have this one life to appreciate the grand design of the universe, and for that I am extremely grateful. ~ Stephen Hawking,#NFDB
1398:The guide invited the crowd to imagine that they were looking across a desert at a mountain range on a day that was twinkling bright and clear. They could look at a peak or a bird or cloud, at a stone right in front of them, or even down into a canyon behind them. But among them was this poor Earthling, and his head was encased in a steel sphere which he could never take off. There was only one eyehole through which he could look, and welded to that eyehole were six feet of pipe.
"This was only the beginning of Billy's miseries in the metaphor. He was also strapped to a steel lattice which was bolted to a flatcar on rails, and there was no way he could turn his head or touch the pipe. The far end of the pipe rested on a bi-pod which was also bolted to the flatcar. All Billy could see was the little dot at the end of the pipe. He didn't know he was on a flatcar, didn't even know there was anything peculiar about his situation.
"The flatcar sometimes crept, sometimes went extremely fast, often stopped--went uphill, downhill, around curves, along straightaways. Whatever poor Billy saw through the pipe, he had no choice but to say to himself, 'That's life. ~ Kurt Vonnegut,#NFDB
1399:Miss Hathaway,” the countess said to Amelia in a tone of friendly concern, “the earl says Ramsay House has been unoccupied for so long, it must be a shambles.”
Mildly startled by the woman’s directness, Amelia shook her head firmly. “Oh no, ‘shambles’ is too strong a word. All the place wants is a good thorough cleaning, and a few small repairs, and…” She paused uncomfortably.
Lady Westcliff’s gaze was frank and sympathetic. “That bad, is it?”
Amelia hitched her shoulders in a slight shrug. “There’s a great deal of work to be done at Ramsay House,” she admitted. “But I’m not afraid of work.”
“If you need assistance or advice, Westcliff has infinite resources at his disposal. He can tell you where to find—”
“You are very kind, my lady,” Amelia said hastily, “but there is no need for your involvement in our domestic affairs.” The last thing she wanted was for the Hathaways to appear to be a family of cheapjacks and beggars.
“You may not be able to avoid our involvement,” Lady Westcliff said with a grin. “You’re in Westcliff’s sphere now, which means you’ll get advice whether or not you asked for it. And the worst part is, he’s almost always right. ~ Lisa Kleypas,#NFDB
1400:Abel joined hands with Rylie, drawing her into the pack as the energy of the moon swept over them. The huge, silvery sphere hung over the ridges of the mountains, turning the trees into blue shadows and making the waterfall sparkle. “Ready?” Abel asked. Rylie tilted her face toward the moon, drinking in its rays, spreading her energy through the pack. “Yes,” she whispered. She allowed all of her wolves to change at once, drawing their pain away so that they could shift effortlessly into their second skins. Fur blossomed like flowers facing the sun. They were a dozen different shades of gray and brown and gold—huge, beautiful beasts that Rylie could never see as monsters. Rylie and Abel changed last. He was black, and she was gold. Together, they were the sun and the night, yin and yang. She was afraid to face her mother, afraid to see Jessica’s reaction. But she wasn’t going to try to hide from her mom anymore. Rylie turned to her proudly—Alpha of the pack. Jessica’s hands covered her mouth, eyes filled with tears. “You’re beautiful,” she said. Rylie’s heart swelled. Abel rammed his face into hers, as if to say, I told you so. The pack ran into the night, and Rylie was home. ~ S M Reine, #NFDB
1401:History seemed to repeat itself. Just as the white elite had successfully driven a wedge between poor whites and blacks following Bacon's Rebellion by creating the institution of black slavery, another racial caste system was emerging nearly two centuries later, in part due to efforts by white elites to decimate a multiracial alliance of poor people. By the turn of the twentieth century, every state in the South had laws on the books that disenfranchised blacks and discriminated against them in virtually every sphere of life, lending sanction to a racial ostracism that extended to schools, churches, housing, jobs, restrooms, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, orphanages, prisons, funeral homes, morgues, and cemeteries. Politicians competed with each
other by proposing and passing ever more stringent, oppressive, and downright ridiculous legislation (such as laws specifically prohibiting blacks and whites from playing chess together). The public symbols and constant reminders of black subjugation were supported by whites across the political spectrum, though the plight of poor whites remained largely unchanged. For them, the racial bribe was primarily psychological. ~ Michelle Alexander,#NFDB
1402:Time's Defeat
Time has made conquest of so many things
That once were mine. Swift-footed, eager youth
That ran to meet the years; bold brigand health,
That broke all laws of reason unafraid,
And laughed at talk of punishment. Close ties
Of blood and friendship, and that joy of life,
Which reads its music in the major key
And will not listen to a minor strainThese things and many more are spoils of time.
Yet as a conqueror who only storms
The outposts of a town, and finds the fort
Too strong to be assailed, so time retreats
And knows his impotence. He cannot take
My three great jewels from the crown of life;
Love, sympathy, and faith; and year on year
He sees them grow in lustre and in worth,
And glowers by me, plucking at his beard,
And dragging as he goes, a useless scythe.
Once in the dark he plotted with his friend
Grim death, to steal my treasures. Death replied:
'They are immortal, and beyond thy reach:
I could but set them in another sphere,
To shine with greater lustre.'
Time and Death
Passed on together, knowing their defeat;
And I am singing by the road of life.
~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox,#NFDB
1403:The process of de-materialization of value is part of the general process of abstraction that is the general trend of capitalism. Marx’s theory of value is based on the concept of abstract labour: labour time is the source and the measure of value. This implies that, from the point of view of valorization, the concrete usefulness of the working activity is irrelevant. What counts is the abstract work–time, not the concrete contents of productive activity. In the sphere of the market, things are not considered according to their usefulness, but only in terms of their exchangeability. Similarly, in the sphere of language, words are exchanged and valued according to their performativity, that is, their pragmatic efficiency. It is not truth, but effectiveness, against which we measure value in the sphere of communication. Pragmatics, as opposed to hermeneutics, is the methodology of social communication, particularly in the age of pervasive media: when information flows are pervading every space of the public discourse and imagination, simulation takes the central place in the emanation of the shared hallucination we call the ‘world’. Signs are exchanged with signs, not with real things. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
1404:Everything is argued over in this world. Apart from only one thing that is not argued over. Nobody argues about democracy. Democracy is there as if it was some sort of saint in the altar from whom miracles are no longer expected. But it’s there as a reference. A reference. Democracy. And no-one attends to the matter that the democracy in which we live is a democracy taken captive, conditioned, amputated. Because the power..the power of the citizen, the power of each one of us, is limited, in the political sphere, I repeat, in the political sphere, to remove a government that we do not like and replace it with another one that perhaps we might like in the future. Nothing else. But the big decisions are taken in a different sphere, and we all know which one that is. The big international financial organisations, the IMFs, the World Trade Organisations, the World Banks, the OECDs. All..not one of these entities is democratic. And so, how can we keep talking about democracy, if those who effectively govern the world are not chosen democratically by the people? Who chooses the representatives of each country in those organisations? Your respective peoples? No. Where then is the democracy? ~ Jos Saramago, #NFDB
1405:Even in the act of fleeing modern ideologies, however, literary theory reveals its often unconscious complicity with them, betraying its elitism, sexism or individualism in the very ‘aesthetic’ or ‘unpolitical’ language it finds natural to use of the literary text. It assumes, in the main, that at the centre of the world is the contemplative individual self, bowed over its book, striving to gain touch with experience, truth, reality, history or tradition. Other things matter too, of course — this individual is in personal relationship with others, and we are always much more than readers — but it is notable how often such individual consciousness, set in its small circle of relationships, ends up as the touchstone of all else. The further we move from the rich inwardness of the personal life, of which literature is the supreme exemplar, the more drab, mechanical and impersonal existence becomes. It is a view equivalent in the literary sphere to what has been called possessive individualism in the social realm, much as the former attitude may shudder at the latter: it reflects the values of a political system which subordinates the sociality of human life to solitary individual enterprise. ~ Terry Eagleton, #NFDB
1406:T.A.H.
YES, he was that, or that, as you prefer,—
Did so and so, though, faith, it was n’t all;
Lived like a fool, or a philosopher,
And had whatever’s needful to a fall.
As rough inflections on a planet merge
In the true bend of the gigantic sphere,
Nor mar the perfect circle of its verge,
So in the survey of his worth the small
Asperities of spirit disappear,
Lost in the grander curves of character.
He lately was hit hard; none knew but I
The strength and terror of that ghastly stroke,—
Not even herself. He uttered not a cry,
But set his teeth and made a revelry;
Drank like a devil,—staining sometimes red
The goblet ’s edge; diced with his conscience; spread,
Like Sisyphus, a feast for Death, and spoke
His welcome in a tongue so long forgot
That even his ancient guest remembered not
What race had cursed him in it. Thus my friend,
Still conjugating with each failing sense
The verb “to die” in every mood and tense,
Pursued his awful humor to the end.
When, like a stormy dawn, the crimson broke
From his white lips, he smiled and mutely bled,
And, having meanly lived, is grandly dead.
~ Ambrose Bierce,#NFDB
1407:Directly overhead the Milky Way was as distinct as a highway across the sky. The constellations shown brilliantly, except the north, where they were blurred by the white sheets of the Aurora. Now shimmering like translucent curtains drawn over the windows of heaven, the northern lights suddenly streaked across a million miles of space to burst in silent explosions. Fountains of light, pale greens, reds, and yellows, showered the stars and geysered up to the center of the sky, where they pooled to form a multicolored sphere, a kind of mock sun that gave light but no heat, pulsing, flaring, and casting beams in all directions, horizon to horizon. Below, the wolves howled with midnight madness and the two young men stood in speechless awe. Even after the spectacle ended, the Aurora fading again to faint shimmer, they stood as silent and transfixed as the first human beings ever to behold the wonder of creation. Starkmann felt the diminishment that is not self-depreciation but humility; for what was he and what was Bonnie George? Flickers of consciousness imprisoned in lumps of dust; above them a sky ablaze with the Aurora, around them a wilderness where wolves sang savage arias to a frozen moon. ~ Philip Caputo, #NFDB
1408:[T]he mind wearies easily when it strives to grapple with the Infinite, and to trace the footsteps of the Almighty as he strides from sphere to sphere, or deduce his purpose from his works. Such things are not for us to know. Knowledge is to the strong, and we are weak. Too much wisdom would perchance blind our imperfect sight, and too much strength would make us drunk, and overweight our feeble reason till it fell, and we were drowned in the depths of our own vanity. For what is the first result of man's increased knowledge interpreted from Nature's book by the persistent effort of his purblind observation? Is it not but too often to make him question the existence of his Maker, or indeed of any intelligent purpose beyond his own? The truth is veiled, because we could no more look upon her glory than we can upon the sun. It would destroy us. Full knowledge is not for man as man is here, for his capacities, which he is apt to think so great, are indeed but small. The vessel is soon filled, and, were one thousandth part of the unutterable and silent wisdom that directs the rolling of those shining spheres, and the force which makes them roll, pressed into it, it would be shattered into fragments. ~ H Rider Haggard, #NFDB
1409:William H. Herndon
There by the window in the old house
Perched on the bluff, overlooking miles of valley,
My days of labor closed, sitting out life's decline,
Day by day did I look in my memory,
As one who gazes in an enchantress' crystal globe,
And I saw the figures of the past,
As if in a pageant glassed by a shining dream,
Move through the incredible sphere of time.
And I saw a man arise from the soil like a fabled giant
And throw himself over a deathless destiny,
Master of great armies, head of the republic,
Bringing together into a dithyramb of recreative song
The epic hopes of a people;
At the same time Vulcan of sovereign fires,
Where imperishable shields and swords were beaten out
From spirits tempered in heaven.
Look in the crystal! See how he hastens on
To the place where his path comes up to the path
Of a child of Plutarch and Shakespeare.
O Lincoln, actor indeed, playing well your part,
And Booth, who strode in a mimic play within the play,
Often and often I saw you,
As the cawing crows winged their way to the wood
Over my house-top at solemn sunsets,
There by my window,
Alone.
~ Edgar Lee Masters,#NFDB
1410:Lord, where shall I find You? Your place is lofty and secret. And where shall I not find You? The whole earth is full of Your glory! You are found in man's innermost heart, yet You fixed earth's boundaries. You are a strong tower for those who are near, and the trust of those who are far. You are enthroned on the cherubim, yet You dwell in the heights of heaven. You are praised by Your hosts, but even their praise is not worthy of You. The sphere of heaven cannot contain You; how much less the chambers of the Temple! Even when You rise above Your hosts on a throne, high and exalted, You are nearer to them than their own bodies and souls. Their mouths attest that they have no Maker except You. Who shall not fear You? All bear the yoke of Your kingdom. And who shall not call to You? It is You who give them their food. I have sought to come near You, I have called to You with all my heart; and when I went out towards You, I found You coming towards me. I look upon Your wondrous power and awe. Who can say that he has not seen You? The heavens and their legions proclaim Your dread -- without a sound. [1835.jpg] -- from The Penguin Book of Hebrew Verse, Edited by T. Carmi
~ Judah Halevi, Lord, Where Shall I Find You?
,#NFDB
1411:The state does not take a merely temporal regulatory role and leave salvation in the hands of the church; rather, the modern state seeks to replace the church by itself becoming a soteriological institution.16 It is in this sense, then, that the modern state is a parody of the church: “The body of the state is a simulacrum, a false copy, of the Body of Christ” (RONT, 182). As a result, while political rhetoric may suggest that the state is confined to a “public” sphere or that the reign of the secular is circumscribed, in fact the modern state demands complete allegiance, and the reign of the secular does not tolerate territories of resistance.17 The state is happy to absorb all kinds of private pursuits under the umbrella of civil society, but it cannot tolerate a religious community that claims to be the only authentic polis and proclaims a king who is a rival to both Caesar and Leviathan. In such a case, this community’s allegiance to its king ultimately trumps its allegiance to the state or empire, and its understanding of the nature of human persons does not fit the normative picture of liberalism. This the state cannot tolerate. It is in this sense that “every worship service is a challenge to Caesar. ~ James K A Smith, #NFDB
1412:The Greek word metron means our place of influence or sphere of authority. We can always tell the size of our metron by the faith or confidence we have in our ability to complete a mission or accomplish a task. When we find ourselves feeling overwhelmed by circumstances or situations, it can be a sign that we have traveled outside our metron, exposing the low places of our walls. I have watched many people try to take on someone else’s metron, only to find themselves drowning in the storm-tossed seas of self-doubt and discouragement. But when we remain inside our own metron, we have faith for our calling that manifests as confidence in our God-given ability to fulfill our mission. Whether we are cleaning toilets or leading a country, we should never lose sight of the fact that whenever we are doing something for God, we are doing a great work that makes our life worth living. This sense of significance is a powerful weapon of warfare against the hordes of hell. Significance is an invisible force field that protects our confidence in God. It is a shield of faith for our souls. When we forget that what we are doing with our lives matters to God, we leave the gates of our hearts unguarded, accessible to enemy influence. ~ Kris Vallotton, #NFDB
1413:The Trysting Path
Dear little darkened way where we have climbed
How often and again,
Down to the still, star-shadowed haunt where chimed
Uncounted hours of peace beyond all pain!–
There have we lain
And to the leafy whispers of the wood-world rhymed
The music of our hearts' refrain:
Guard thy rare solitude, and may no sullen feet
The wedded paces of thy path profane!
And you–so dear that all things else are dear
That enter your desire–
All that you value, all that I revere
Transformed in our discourse (as in God's fire
The starry choir
With life renewed evolves fresh fitness for a higher sphere,)
With quick interpretings inspire,
Deep inner knowledge, and the need, confessed and sweet,
Of that Sun-power which holds the worlds entire.
Set in blue darkness, once, through wreathing boughs,
We saw the Lord's own star,
And breast to breast there sanctified our vows
Before that throne where all the glories are.
Not very far
From the bright Kingdom standing then, with radiant brows,
And love's long kiss that nought can mar,
You sealed our faith, and so, while lives unnumbered fleet,
As one, we seek th' Eternal Avatar.
~ Albert Smythe,#NFDB
1414:we assert that when a rock is in the ground it is, after a fashion, in its center, even though it is not in its deepest center, for it is within the sphere of its center, activity, and movement; yet we do not assert that it has reached its deepest center, which is the middle of the earth. Thus the rock always possesses the power, strength, and inclination to go deeper and reach the ultimate and deepest center; and this it would do if the hindrance were removed. When once it arrives and no longer has any power or inclination toward further movement, we declare that it is in its deepest center. 12. The soul's center is God. When it has reached God with all the capacity of its being and the strength of its operation and inclination, it will have attained its final and deepest center in God, it will know, love, and enjoy God with all its might. When it has not reached this point (as happens in this mortal life, in which the soul cannot reach God with all its strength, even though in its center - which is God through grace and his self-communication to it), it still has movement and strength for advancing further and is not satisfied. Although it is in its center, it is not yet in its deepest center, for it can go deeper in God. ~ Juan de la Cruz, #NFDB
1415:Sharia law uses the sacred texts of Islam as the basis for moral behavior, the way Jews are supposed to use the Talmud and Christians the Bible—and, in Muslim countries, it uses the Quran explicitly as the basis for legal codes. Just before we elected our forty-fourth non-Muslim president in a row, people on the right began fantasizing that American Muslims were scheming to supplant U.S. jurisprudence with Islamic jurisprudence. The definitive text is a 2010 book called Shariah: The Threat to America. Its nineteen authors included respectable hard-right conservatives and national security wonks. We’re “infiltrated and deeply influenced,” the book says, “by an enemy within that is openly determined to replace the U.S. Constitution with shariah.” The movement took off, and in short order the specter of sharia became a right-wing catchphrase encompassing suspicion of almost any Islamic involvement in the U.S. civic sphere. The word gave Islamophobia a patina of legitimacy. It was a specific fantasy—not I hate Muslims or I hate Arabs but rather I don’t want to live under Taliban law, and therefore it could pass as not racist but anti-tyranny. It was also a shiny new exotic term, a word nobody in America but a few intellectuals knew. ~ Kurt Andersen, #NFDB
1416:Oh, of course, there is another meaning, another interesting interpretation of the word 'father,' which insists that my father, though a monster, though a villain to his children, is still my father simply because he begot me. But this meaning is, so to speak, a mystical one, which I do not understand with my reason, but can only accept by faith, or, more precisely, on faith, like many other things that I do not understand, but that religion nonetheless tells me to believe. But in that case let it remain outside the sphere of real life. While within the sphere of real life, which not only has its rights, but itself imposes great obligations--within this sphere, if we wish to be humane, to be Christians finally, it is our duty and obligation to foster only those convictions that are justified by reason and experience, that have passed through the crucible of analysis, in a word, to act sensibly and not senselessly as in dreams or delirium, so as not to bring harm to a man, so as not to torment and ruin a man. Then, then it will be a real Christian deed, not only a mystical one, but a sensible and truly philanthropic deed...let us decide the question as reason and the love of man dictate, and not as dictated by mystical notions. ~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky, #NFDB
1417:The Land Of The Gone-Away Souls
Oh! that is a beautiful land, I wis,
The land of the Gone-away Souls.
Yes, a lovelier region by far than this
(Though this is a world most fair).
The goodliest goal of all good goals,
Else why do our friends stay there?
I walk in a world that is sweet with friends,
And earth I have ever held dear;
Yes, love with duty and beauty blends
To render the earth-place bright.
But faster and faster, year on year,
My comrades hurry from sight.
They hurry away to the Over-There,
And few of them say farewell;
Yes, they go away with a secret air
As if on a secret quest.
And they come not back to earth to tell
Why that land seems the best.
Messages come from the mystic sphere,
But few know the code of that land,
Yes, many the message but few who hear,
In the din of the world below,
Or hearing the message, can understand
Those truths which we long to know.
But it must be the goal of all good goals,
And I think of it more and more.
Yes, think of that land of the Gone-Away Souls
And its growing hosts of friends
Who will hail my bark when it touches shore
Where the last brief journey ends.
617
~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox,#NFDB
1418:The very word "secrecy" is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings...Our way of life is under attack. Those who make themselves our enemy are advancing around the globe...no war ever posed a greater threat to our security. If you are awaiting a finding of "clear and present danger," then I can only say that the danger has never been more clear and its presence has never been more imminent...For we are opposed around the world by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy that relies primarily on covert means for expanding its sphere of influence–on infiltration instead of invasion, on subversion instead of elections, on intimidation instead of free choice, on guerrillas by night instead of armies by day. It is a system which has conscripted vast human and material resources into the building of a tightly knit, highly efficient machine that combines military, diplomatic, intelligence, economic, scientific and political operations. Its preparations are concealed, not published. Its mistakes are buried, not headlined. Its dissenters are silenced, not praised. No expenditure is questioned, no rumor is printed, no secret is revealed. ~ John F Kennedy, #NFDB
1419:Many in China already believe that U.S. policy is, in fact, to weaken China from within and to constrain Beijing’s options abroad. Xi’s China has deep reservations about the long-term strategic intentions of the United States towards their country. Beijing does not believe the United States will happily surrender its current dominant position in the regional and global order and therefore concludes that Washington is actively pursuing a policy of containment to deny China international policy space. Chinese hardliners also conclude that this policy of containment abroad is matched by a parallel U.S. policy of undermining the legitimacy of the CCP at home. This deeply realist conclusion in Beijing about U.S. policy is matched by Washington’s conclusions about China’s operational strategy in the region and the world. The United States concludes that China is actively pursuing a policy based on Xi’s statement that the people of Asia should manage Asian security. Washington also concludes that this, by definition, is designed to exclude the United States and that the objective of Chinese operational strategy is to push the United States out of the security architecture of the region, to be replaced with a Chinese sphere of influence across East Asia. ~ Anonymous, #NFDB
1420:The realm of freedom actually begins only where labour which is determined by necessity and mundane considerations ceases; thus in the very nature of things it lies beyond the sphere of actual material production. Just as the savage must wrestle with Nature to satisfy his wants, to maintain and reproduce life, so must civilised man, and he must do so in all social formations and under all possible modes of production. With his development this realm of physical necessity expands as a result of his wants; but, at the same time, the forces of production which satisfy these wants also increase. Freedom in this field can only consist in socialised man, the associated producers, rationally regulating their interchange with Nature, bringing it under their common control, instead of being ruled by it as by the blind forces of Nature; and achieving this with the least expenditure of energy and under conditions most favourable to, and worthy of, their human nature. But it nonetheless still remains a realm of necessity. Beyond it begins that development of human energy which is an end in itself, the true realm of freedom, which, however, can blossom forth only with this realm of necessity as its basis. The shortening of the working-day is its basic prerequisite. ~ Karl Marx, #NFDB
1421:THE TECHNOSPHERE DOESN’T particularly care whether you live or die, or whether you are happy or miserable. Its goal is to control you and to make you serve its purposes, which are to grow, to control everything and to dominate the biosphere. How it achieves this control is a matter of what is most efficient. If you are one of its faithful servants, then the best way to make you do your job well is to incentivize you—to give you high status, ample pay and lots of perks. But if you are a lowly menial grunt in its service who, unfortunately, cannot yet be replaced by a shiny new robot, then low pay and low status suffice, and destroying your autonomy and self-reliance while fostering your dependency is the key to making you perform. If you are a technologically useless person but harmless—an artist, a philosopher, writer, poet, free thinker—then the technosphere simply can’t see you, because what you do is not measurable in units the technosphere can understand. But if your thinking turns out to be dangerous or harmful to the techno-sphere—because you are someone who tries to break the chains of dependency and to find ways to live outside of the technosphere, or to undermine it in some other way—then it will consider you as nothing less than a terrorist! ~ Dmitry Orlov, #NFDB
1422:Arcady
Where is the road to Arcady,
Where is the path that leads to peace,
Where shall I find the bliss to be,
Where shall the weary wanderings cease?
These are the questions that come to me,
Where is the road to Arcady?
Is there a mystic time and place
To which some day shall the traveler fare,
Where there is never a frowning face
And never a burden hard to bear,
Where we as children shall romp and race?
Is there a mystic time and place?
For Arcady is an earthly sphere
Where only the gentlest breezes blow,
A port of rest for the weary here,
Where the velvet grass and the clover grow.
I question it oft, is it far or near?
For Arcady is an earthly sphere.
And the answer comes: it is very near,
It's there at the end of a little street,
Where your children's voices are ringing clear
And you catch the patter of little feet.
Where is the spot that is never drear?
And the answer comes: it is very near.
For each man buildeth his Arcady,
And each man fashions his Port of Rest;
And never shall earth spot brighter be
Than the little home that with peace is blessed.
So seek it not o'er the land and sea,
For each man buildeth his Arcady.
~ Edgar Albert Guest,#NFDB
1423:Zero and infinity are eternally locked in a struggle to engulf all the numbers. Like a Manichaean nightmare, the two sit on opposite poles of the number sphere, sucking numbers in like tiny black holes. Take any number on the plane. For the sake of argument, we'll choose i/2. Square it. Cube it. Raise it to the fourth power. The fifth. The sixth. The seventh. Keep multiplying. It slowly spirals toward zero like water down a drain. What happens to 2i? The exact opposite. Square it. Cube it. Raise it to the fourth power. It spirals outward. But on the number sphere, the two curves are duplicates of each other; they are mirror images. All numbers in the complex plane suffer this fate. They are drawn inexorably toward 0 or toward infinity. The only numbers that escape are the ones that are equally distant from the two rivals-the numbers on the equator, like 1, -1, and i. These numbers, pulled by the tug of both zero and infinity, spiral around on the equator forever and ever, never able to escape the grasp of either. (You can see this on your calculator. Enter a number- any number. Square it. Square it again. Do it again and again; the number will quickly zoom toward infinity or toward zero, except if you entered 1 or -1 to begin with. There is no escape.) ~ Charles Seife, #NFDB
1424:Amo amas amat amamus amatis amant amavi amavisti amavit amavimus amavistis amaverunt amavero amaveris amaverit… Everything was love. Everything will be love. Everything has been love. Everything would be love. Everything would have been love. Ah, that was it, the truth at last. Everything would have been love. The huge eye, which had become an immense sphere, was gently breathing, only it was not an eye nor a sphere but a great wonderful animal covered in little waving legs like hairs, waving oh so gently as if they were under water. All shall be well and all shall be well said the ocean. So the place of reconciliation existed after all, not like a little knot hole in a cupboard but flowing everywhere and being everything. I had only to will it and it would be, for spirit is omnipotent only I never knew it, like being able to walk on the air. I could forgive. I could be forgiven. I could forgive. Perhaps that was the whole of it after all. Perhaps being forgiven was just forgiving only no one had ever told me. There was nothing else needful. Just to forgive. Forgiving equals being forgiven, the secret of the universe, do not whatever you do forget it. The past was folded up and in the twinkling of an eye everything had been changed and made beautiful and good. ~ Iris Murdoch, #NFDB
1425:I arrive now at the ineffable core of my story. And here begins my despair as a writer. All language is a set of symbols whose use among its speakers assumes a shared past. How, then, can I translate into words the limitless Aleph, which my floundering mind can scarcely encompass? Mystics, faced with the same problem, fall back on symbols: to signify the godhead, one Persian speaks of a bird that somehow is all birds; Alanus de Insulis, of a sphere whose center is everywhere and circumference is nowhere; Ezekiel, of a four-faced angel who at one and the same time moves east and west, north and south. (Not in vain do I recall these inconceivable analogies; they bear some relation to the Aleph.) Perhaps the gods might grant me a similar metaphor, but then this account would become contaminated by literature, by fiction. Really, what I want to do is impossible, for any listing of an endless series is doomed to be infinitesimal. In that single gigantic instant I saw millions of acts both delightful and awful; not one of them occupied the same point in space, without overlapping or transparency. What my eyes beheld was simultaneous, but what I shall now write down will be successive, because language is successive. Nonetheless, I'll try to recollect what I can. ~ Jorge Luis Borges, #NFDB
1426:The veil of forgetfulness that divides eternity in two has its own powerful justifications. Philip Barlow, a modern religious scholar, has written eloquently of the surprising value of the veil: My impression is that, informed and animated by a thoughtful faith in a wider horizon, the veil quite properly funnels the bulk of our attention to the here and now: on the time, people, problems, and opportunities of this day, this moment. Despite glimpses of eternal purposes that come as gifts and hopes, my life unfolds in tremendous, all-but-complete ignorance of our mysterious universe. There is no proving God to others. Ultimate reality is not something we know; it is something in which we put our trust. . . . The veil is not a curse or cause for existential lament. It is necessary to our stage of progression as beings. While we search, listen, and pray for comfort and direction beyond our sphere, the veil—the necessary epistemic distance from this “beyond”—affords us freedom for independent action not possible if we could literally and readily see God smiling or frowning at each move. And freedom independently to discern and choose between good and evil (morality) and good and bad (quality) is at the core of our purpose, as the powerful mythos of Genesis suggests. The ~ Terryl L Givens, #NFDB
1427:Congratulations, now you know the single reason why the world is the way it is. You see the problem right away—everything we do requires cooperation in groups larger than a hundred and fifty. Governments. Corporations. Society as a whole. And we are physically incapable of handling it. So every moment of the day we urgently try to separate everyone on earth into two groups—those inside the sphere of sympathy and those outside. Black versus white, liberal versus conservative, Muslim versus Christian, Lakers fan versus Celtics fan. With us, or against us. Infected versus clean. “We simplify tens of millions of individuals down into simplistic stereotypes, so that they hold the space of only one individual in our limited available memory slots. And here is the key—those who lie outside the circle are not human. We lack the capacity to recognize them as such. This is why you feel worse about your girlfriend cutting her finger than you do about an earthquake in Afghanistan that kills a hundred thousand people. This is what makes genocide possible. This is what makes it possible for a CEO to sign off on a policy that will poison a river in Malaysia and create ten thousand deformed infants. Because of this limitation in the mental hardware, those Malaysians may as well be ants. ~ David Wong, #NFDB
1428:Can such a man, you ask, be a leader of the masses? Surprisingly, the answer is yes. The masses — by which I mean not the proletariat, but the anonymous collective body into which all of us, high and low, amalgamate at certain moments — react most strongly to someone who least resembles them. Normality coupled with talent may make a politician popular. But to provoke extremes of love and hate, to be worshipped like a god or loathed like the devil, is given only to a truly exceptional person who is poles apart from the masses, be it far above or far below them. If my experience of Germany has taught me anything, it is this: Rathenau and Hitler are the two men who excited the imagination of the German masses to the utmost; the one by his ineffable culture, the other by his ineffable vileness. Both, and this is decisive, came from inaccessible regions, from some sort of “beyond.” The one from a sphere of sublime spirituality where the cultures of three millennia and two continents hold a symposium; the other from a jungle far below the depths plumbed by the basest penny dreadfuls, from an underworld where demons rise from a brewed-up stench of petty-bourgeois back rooms, doss-houses, barrack latrines, and the hangman’s yard. From their different “beyonds” they both drew ~ Sebastian Haffner, #NFDB
1429:A June Night
Ten o'clock: the broken moon
Hangs not yet a half hour high,
Yellow as a shield of brass,
In the dewy air of June,
Poised between the vaulted sky
And the ocean's liquid glass.
Earth lies in the shadow still;
Low black bushes, trees, and lawn
Night's ambrosial dews absorb;
Through the foliage creeps a thrill,
Whispering of yon spectral dawn
And the hidden climbing orb.
Higher, higher, gathering light,
Veiling with a golden gauze
All the trembling atmosphere,
See, the rayless disk grows white!
Hark, the glittering billows pause!
Faint, far sounds possess the ear.
Elves on such a night as this
Spin their rings upon the grass;
On the beach the water-fay
Greets her lover with a kiss;
Through the air swift spirits pass,
Laugh, caress, and float away.
Shut thy lids and thou shalt see
Angel faces wreathed with light,
Mystic forms long vanished hence.
Ah, too fine, too rare, they be
For the grosser mortal sight,
And they foil our waking sense.
Yet we feel them floating near,
Know that we are not alone,
Though our open eyes behold
Nothing save the moon's bright sphere,
In the vacant heavens shown,
And the ocean's path of gold.
~ Emma Lazarus,#NFDB
1430:are much more beautiful in body than women. It is only a man whose intellect is clouded by his sexual impulse that could give the name of the fair sex to that undersized, narrow-shouldered, broad-hipped, and short-legged race; for the whole beauty of the sex is bound up with this impulse. Instead of calling them beautiful there would be more warrant for describing women as the unesthetic sex. Neither for music, nor for poetry, nor for the fine arts, have they really and truly any sense of susceptibility; it is a mere mockery if they make a pretense of it in order to assist their endeavor to please... They are incapable of taking a purely objective interest in anything... The most distinguished intellects among the whole sex have never managed to produce a single achievement in the fine arts that is really genuine and original; or given to the world any work of permanent value in any sphere.[711] This veneration of women is a product of Christianity and of German sentimentality; and it is in turn a cause of that Romantic movement which exalts feeling, instinct and will above the intellect.[712] The Asiatics know better, and frankly recognize the inferiority of woman. "When the laws gave women equal rights with men, they ought also to have endowed them with masculine intellects. ~ Will Durant, #NFDB
1431:Upon closer observation, it becomes apparent that every strong upsurge of power in the public sphere, be it of a political or a religious nature, infects a large part of humankind with stupidity. It would even seem that this is virtually a sociological-psychological law. The power of the one needs the stupidity of the other. The process at work here is not that particular human capacities, for instance, the intellect, suddenly atrophy or fail. Instead, it seems that under the overwhelming impact of rising power, humans are deprived of their inner independence and, more or less consciously, give up establishing an autonomous position toward the emerging circumstances. The fact that the stupid person is often stubborn must not blind us to the fact that he is not independent. In conversation with him, one virtually feels that one is dealing not at all with him as a person, but with slogans, catchwords, and the like that have taken possession of him. He is under a spell, blinded, misused, and abused in his very being. Having thus become a mindless tool, the stupid person will also be capable of any evil and at the same time incapable of seeing that it is evil. This is where the danger of diabolical misuse lurks, for it is this that can once and for all destroy human beings. ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer, #NFDB
1432:The reason for this is that the universe bends, in a way we can’t adequately imagine, in conformance with Einstein’s theory of relativity (which we will get to in due course). For the moment it is enough to know that we are not adrift in some large, ever-expanding bubble. Rather, space curves, in a way that allows it to be boundless but finite. Space cannot even properly be said to be expanding because, as the physicist and Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg notes, “solar systems and galaxies are not expanding, and space itself is not expanding.” Rather, the galaxies are rushing apart. It is all something of a challenge to intuition. Or as the biologist J. B. S. Haldane once famously observed: “The universe is not only queerer than we suppose; it is queerer than we can suppose.” The analogy that is usually given for explaining the curvature of space is to try to imagine someone from a universe of flat surfaces, who had never seen a sphere, being brought to Earth. No matter how far he roamed across the planet’s surface, he would never find an edge. He might eventually return to the spot where he had started, and would of course be utterly confounded to explain how that had happened. Well, we are in the same position in space as our puzzled flatlander, only we are flummoxed by a higher dimension. ~ Bill Bryson, #NFDB
1433:The sphere to end all spheres—the largest and most perfect of them all—is the entire observable universe. In every direction we look, galaxies recede from us at speeds proportional to their distance. As we saw in the first few chapters, this is the famous signature of an expanding universe, discovered by Edwin Hubble in 1929. When you combine Einstein’s relativity and the velocity of light and the expanding universe and the spatial dilution of mass and energy as a consequence of that expansion, there is a distance in every direction from us where the recession velocity for a galaxy equals the speed of light. At this distance and beyond, light from all luminous objects loses all its energy before reaching us. The universe beyond this spherical “edge” is thus rendered invisible and, as far as we know, unknowable.
There’s a variation of the ever-popular multiverse idea in which the multiple universes that comprise it are not separate universes entirely, but isolated, non-interacting pockets of space within one continuous fabric of space-time—like multiple ships at sea, far enough away from one another so that their circular horizons do not intersect. As far as any one ship is concerned (without further data), it’s the only ship on the ocean, yet they all share the same body of water. ~ Neil deGrasse Tyson,#NFDB
1434:suddenly Arthur had a fairly clear idea of what infinity looked like. It wasn’t infinity in fact. Infinity itself looks flat and uninteresting. Looking up into the night sky is looking into infinity— distance is incomprehensible and therefore meaningless. The chamber into which the aircar emerged was anything but infinite, it was just very very very big, so big that it gave the impression of infinity far better than infinity itself. Arthur’s senses bobbed and spun as, traveling at the immense speed he knew the aircar attained, they climbed slowly through the open air, leaving the gateway through which they had passed an invisible pinprick in the shimmering wall behind them. The wall. The wall defied the imagination—seduced it and defeated it. The wall was so paralyzingly vast and sheer that its top, bottom and sides passed away beyond the reach of sight. The mere shock of vertigo could kill a man. The wall appeared perfectly flat. It would take the finest laser-measuring equipment to detect that as it climbed, apparently to infinity, as it dropped dizzily away, as it planed out to either side, it also curved. It met itself again thirteen light seconds away. In other words the wall formed the inside of a hollow sphere, a sphere over three million miles across and flooded with unimaginable light. ~ Douglas Adams, #NFDB
1435:The term ‘democracy’ can have two kinds of meaning. It can refer to ways of making effective claims for a more just and egalitarian common world. Or it can refer to a mode of governing populations that employs popular consent as a means of limiting claims for greater equality and justice by dividing up the common world. Such limits are formed by acknowledging certain areas as matters of public concern subject to popular decision while establishing other fields to be administered under alternative methods of control. For example, governmental practice can demarcate a private sphere governed by rules of property, a natural world governed by laws of nature, or markets governed by principles of economics. Democratic struggles become a battle over the distribution of issues, attempting to establish as matters of public concern questions that others claim as private (such as the level of wages paid by employers), as belonging to nature (such as the exhaustion of natural resources or the composition of gases in the atmosphere), or as ruled by laws of the market (such as financial speculation). In the mid-twentieth century, this ‘logic of distribution’ began to designate a large new field of government whose rules set limits to alternative political claims: the field that became known as ‘the economy’. ~ Timothy Mitchell, #NFDB
1436:BUSY old fool, unruly Sun,
Why dost thou thus,
Through windows, and through curtains, call on us?
Must to thy motions lovers' seasons run?
Saucy pedantic wretch, go chide
Late school-boys and sour prentices,
Go tell court-huntsmen that the king will ride,
Call country ants to harvest offices ;
Love, all alike, no season knows nor clime,
Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time.
Thy beams so reverend, and strong
Why shouldst thou think ?
I could eclipse and cloud them with a wink,
But that I would not lose her sight so long.
If her eyes have not blinded thine,
Look, and to-morrow late tell me,
Whether both th' Indias of spice and mine
Be where thou left'st them, or lie here with me.
Ask for those kings whom thou saw'st yesterday,
And thou shalt hear, "All here in one bed lay."
She's all states, and all princes I ;
Nothing else is ;
Princes do but play us ; compared to this,
All honour's mimic, all wealth alchemy.
Thou, Sun, art half as happy as we,
In that the world's contracted thus ;
Thine age asks ease, and since thy duties be
To warm the world, that's done in warming us.
Shine here to us, and thou art everywhere ;
This bed thy center is, these walls thy sphere. ~ John Donne,#NFDB
1437:To experience the ocean of essence, resembling the sphere of unchanging space: free of center and perimeter, pervading the expanse. Enlightened mind transcends cognitions! Rootless and baseless are appearance and void, in the self-arisen rikpa of every perception. Vivid is the sense of noncessation: luminous, the absence of object perception. Within the voidness free of class distinction all appearances dissolve, for their ground is lost; The rikpa of liberation is spread evenly. Subject and object are both void, for their roots are lost. The essence of self-arisen wisdom and all duality are cleansed like the sky; subjects and objects arise as free from bounds, as naked dharmakaya! This is the Great Perfection, free of cognition! The self-arisen ground primordially pure, the ultraversed path supremely swift, the unsought fruit spontaneously savored, such is the Great Perfection, in the radiant dharmakaya. This primordial sphere of pervasive essence is the Great Perfection of samsara and nirvana; this song of transcending -- beyond cause and effect, beyond all endeaver, was sung by Longchen Rabjam Zangpo. [1585.jpg] -- from Songs of Spiritual Experience: Tibetan Buddhist Poems of Insight & Awakening, Translated by Thupten Jinpa / Translated by Jas Elsner
~ Longchen Rabjampa, An Adamantine Song on the Ever-Present
,#NFDB
1438:1042
To The Humble
If all the flowers were roses,
If never daisies grew,
If no old-fashioned posies
Drank in the morning dew,
Then man might have some reason
To whimper and complain,
And speak these words of treason,
That all our toil is vain.
If all the stars were Saturns
That twinkle in the night,
Of equal size and patterns,
And equally as bright,
Then men in humble places,
With humble work to do,
With frowns upon their faces
Might trudge their journey through.
But humble stars and posies
Still do their best, although
They're planets not, nor roses,
To cheer the world below.
And those old-fashioned daisies
Delight the soul of man;
They're here, and this their praise is:
They work the Master's plan.
Though humble be your labor,
And modest be your sphere,
Come, envy not your neighbor
Whose light shines brighter here.
Does God forget the daisies
Because the roses bloom?
Shall you not win His praises
By toiling at your loom?
Have you, the toiler humble,
Just reason to complain,
To shirk your task and grumble
1043
And think that it is vain
Because you see a brother
With greater work to do?
No fame of his can smother
The merit that's in you.
~ Edgar Albert Guest,#NFDB
1439:[The eighteenth century] was the century, as we are frequently told, of women - the intellectual life of women in salons, women wielding unseen influence, women as members of academies, theatrical productions whose success depended on the power of actresses to charm; in the economic sphere, financiers amassing great fortunes in order to marry their daughters into the aristocracy, and women ruling over whole peoples and empires: Maria Theresa, Catherine the Great, Queen Elisabeth Farnese of Spain, as well as the likes of Mme du Pompadour and Mme du Barry. It was as if some residual matriarchy - the oldest culture of the Mediterranean - was struggling to emerge from the blood and the collective unconscious; as if the time would one day return when, in every tribe, it was the women who possessed wealth and power and the men who 'married out', moving into the wife's extended family, where they became gentle, pampered, more or less superfluous drones. [...] In the century of women, it was inevitable that these erotic legends should attach themselves to the outstanding female figures of the time [...] and all this applied even more strongly in France. It was there that women reached the greatest positions of power, and there that this erotic momentum was at its strongest, by virtue of the traditions and nature of the French people. ~ Antal Szerb, #NFDB
1440:All the various time travel devices used by Verne and Bert were stored in the repository, Poe explained, including the ones that had never quite worked as they were meant to. There was one that resembled a blue police box from London—“Stolen by a doctor with delusions of grandeur,” said Poe—one that was simply a large, transparent sphere—“Created by a scientist with green skin and too much ego,” said Verne—and one that was rather ordinary by comparison.
“This one looks like an automobile,” John said admiringly, “with wings.”
“The doors open that way for a reason,” Verne explained, “we just never figured out what it was. The inventor of this particular model tried integrating his designs into a car, an airplane, and even a steam engine train. He was running a crackpot laboratory in the Arizona desert, and he never realized that it was not his inventions themselves, but his proximity to some sort of temporal fluctuation in the local topography, that allowed them to work.”
“What happened to him?” asked Jack.
“He’d get the machines up to one hundred and six miles per hour,” said Bert, “and then he’d run out of fuel and promptly get arrested by whatever constabulary had been chasing him. The sad part was that Jules figured out if he’d just gone two miles an hour faster, he’d likely have been successful in his attempt. ~ James A Owen,#NFDB
1441:It’s the chemicals in our brains, they say. I got the wrong chemicals, Ma. Or rather, I don’t get enough of one or the other. They have a pill for it. They have an industry. They make millions. Did you know people get rich off of sadness? I want to meet the millionaire of American sadness. I want to look him in the eye, shake his hand, and say, “it’s been an honor to serve my country.”
The thing is, I don’t want my sadness to be othered from me just as I don’t want my happiness to be othered. They’re both mine. I made them, dammit. What if the elation I feel is not another “bipolar episode” but something I fought hard for? Maybe I jump up and down and kiss you too hard on the neck when I learn, upon coming home, that it’s pizza night because sometimes pizza night is more than enough, is my most faithful and feeble beacon. What if I’m running outside because the moon tonight is children’s-book huge and ridiculous over the pines, the sight of it a strange sphere of medicine?
It’s like when all you’ve been seeing before you is a cliff and then this bright bridge appears out of nowhere, and you run fast across it knowing, sooner or later, there’ll be another cliff on the other side. What if my sadness is actually my most brutal teacher? And the lesson is always this: you don’t have to be like the buffaloes.
You can stop. ~ Ocean Vuong,#NFDB
1442:Just a few years ago the left-cyberutopians claimed that ‘the disgust had become a network’ and that establishment old media could no longer control politics, that the new public sphere was going to be based on leaderless user-generated social media. This network has indeed arrived, but it has helped to take the right, not the left, to power. Those on the left who fetishized the spontaneous leaderless Internet-centric network, declaring all other forms of doing politics old hat, failed to realize that the leaderless form actually told us little about the philosophical, moral or conceptual content of the movements involved. Into the vacuum of ‘leaderlessness’ almost anything could appear. No matter how networked, ‘transgressive’, social media savvy or non-hierarchical a movement may be, it is the content of its ideas that matter just as much as at any point in history, as Evgeny Morozov cautioned at the time. The online environment has undoubtedly allowed fringe ideas and movements to grow rapidly in influence and while these were left leaning it was tempting for politically sympathetic commentators to see it as a shiny new seductive shortcut to transcending our ‘end of history’. What we’ve since witnessed instead is that this leaderless formation can express just about any ideology even, strange as it may seem, that of the far right. ~ Angela Nagle, #NFDB
1443:Brock
One voice, one people, one in heart
And soul and feeling and desire.
Re-light the smouldering martial fire
And sound the mute trumpet! Strike the lyre!
The hero dead cannot expire:
The dead still play their part.
Raise high the monumental stone!
A nation's fealty is theirs,
And we are the rejoicing heirs,
The honoured sons of sires whose cares
We take upon us unawares
As freely as our own.
We boast not of the victory,
But render homage, deep and just,
To his–to their–immortal dust,
Who proved so worthy of their trust;
No lofty pile nor sculptured bust
Can herald their degree.
No tongue can blazon forth their fame–
The cheers that stir the sacred hill
Are but mere promptings of the will
That conquered them, that conquers still;
And generations yet shall thrill
At Brock's remembered name.
Some souls are the Hesperides
Heaven sends to guard the golden age,
Illumining the historic page
With record of their pilgrimage.
True martyr, hero, poet, sage,–
And he was one of these.
Each in his lofty sphere, sublime,
Sits crowned above the common throng:
Wrestling with some pythonic wrong
In prayer, in thunders, thought or song,
16
Briareus-limbed, they sweep along,
The Typhons of the time.
~ Charles Sangster,#NFDB
1444:Fate is a woman, I said to them. In fact, she is three women. Young, like us, so that they will have the courage to be cruel, having no weight of memory to teach temperance. Young, but so old, older than any stone. Their hair is silver, but full and long. Their eyes are black. But when they are at their work they become dogs, wolves, for they are hounds of death, and also hounds of joy. They take the strands of life in their jaws, and sometimes they are careful with their jagged teeth, and sometimes they are not. They gallop around a great monolith, the stone that pierces our Sphere where the meridians meet, that turns the Earth and pins it in place in the world. It is called the Spindle of Necessity, and all round it the wolves of fate run, and run, and run, and the patterns of their winding are the patterns of the world. Nothing can occur without them, but they take no sides.
I could also say that there is such a stone, such a place, but the dogs who are women died long ago, and left the strands to fall, and we have been helpless ever since. That in a wolfless world we must find our own way. That is more comforting to me. I want my own way, I want to falter; I want to fail, and I want to be redeemed. All these things I want to spool out from the spindle that is me, not the spindle of the world. But I have heard both tales. ~ Catherynne M Valente,#NFDB
1445:Know then thyself, presume not God to scan,
The proper study of mankind is Man.
Placed on this isthmus of a middle state,
A being darkly wise and rudely great:
With too much knowledge for the Sceptic side,
With too much weakness for the Stoic's pride,
He hangs between, in doubt to act or rest;
In doubt to deem himself a God or Beast;
In doubt his mind or body to prefer;
Born but to die, and reas'ning but to err;
Alike in ignorance, his reason such,
Whether he thinks too little or too much;
Chaos of thought and passion, all confused;
Still by himself abused or disabused;
Created half to rise, and half to fall;
Great lord of all things, yet a prey to all;
Sole judge of truth, in endless error hurl'd;
The glory, jest, and riddle of the world!
Go, wondrous creature! mount where science guides,
Go, measure earth, weigh air, and state the tides;
Instruct the planets in what orbs to run,
Correct old time, and regulate the sun;
Go, soar with Plato to th’ empyreal sphere,
To the first good, first perfect, and first fair;
Or tread the mazy round his followers trod,
And quitting sense call imitating God;
As Eastern priests in giddy circles run,
And turn their heads to imitate the sun.
Go, teach Eternal Wisdom how to rule—
Then drop into thyself, and be a fool! ~ Alexander Pope,#NFDB
1446:Time's Hymn Of Hate
Oh, boastful, wicked land, that once was beautiful and great,
How bitter and how black must be your self-invited fate,
While Time goes down the centuries and sings his hymn of hate!
Time's voice is just. His words ring true. For as the past recedes,
The clear-eyed Future slowly writes the story of its deeds;
And as Time toward the Infinite his ceaseless flight is winging
He shall go singing
The hymn of hate, of men and gods, for all your deeds of lust,
For all your acts of cruelty and hell-concocted schemes
(More hideous than the darkest plot of which a devil dreams)
Which sprang from your Medusa head before it touched the dust.
Beneath the strangling hand of Fate
That strident voice of yours
Shall hush to silence, soon or late
That Justice that endures
Will mobilise its mighty ranks and free the human race,
Then shall all Space,
Yea, all the chains of sphere on sphere,
With that loud hymn be ringing,
Which Time goes singing
His far flight winging
And all the cherubims of God that dwell in regions o'er us
Shall swell the chorus.
Oh, boastful, wicked land, that once was beautiful and great,
How desolate and dark must be your self-invited fate,
While Time goes down the centuries and sings his hymn of hate!
~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox,#NFDB
1447:John Farmer sat at his door one September evening, after a hard day's work, his mind still running on his labor more or less. Having bathed, he sat down to re-create his intellectual man. It was a rather cool evening, and some of his neighbors were apprehending a frost. He had not attended to the train of his thoughts long when he heard some one playing on a flute, and that sound harmonized with his mood. Still he thought of his work; but the burden of his thought was, that though this kept running in his head, and he found himself planning and contriving it against his will, yet it concerned him very little. It was no more than the scurf of his skin, which was constantly shuffled off. But the notes of the flute came home to his ears out of a different sphere from that he worked in, and suggested work for certain faculties which slumbered in him. They gently did away with the street, and the village, and the state in which he lived. A voice said to him--Why do you stay here and live this mean moiling life, when a glorious existence is possible for you? Those same stars twinkle over other fields than these.--But how to come out of this condition and actually migrate thither? All that he could think of was to practise some new austerity, to let his mind descend into his body and redeem it, and treat himself with ever increasing respect. ~ Henry David Thoreau, #NFDB
1448:I.
Fairest of the Destinies,
Disarray thy dazzling eyes:
Keener far thy lightnings are
Than the winged [bolts] thou bearest,
And the smile thou wearest
Wraps thee as a star
Is wrapped in light.
II.
Could Arethuse to her forsaken urn
From Alpheus and the bitter Doris run,
Or could the morning shafts of purest light
Again into the quivers of the Sun
Be gatheredcould one thought from its wild flight
Return into the temple of the brain
Without a change, without a stain,--
Could aught that is, ever again
Be what it once has ceased to be,
Greece might again be free!
III.
A star has fallen upon the earth
Mid the benighted nations,
A quenchless atom of immortal light,
A living spark of Night,
A cresset shaken from the constellations.
Swifter than the thunder fell
To the heart of Earth, the well
Where its pulses flow and beat,
And unextinct in that cold source
Burns, and on ... course
Guides the sphere which is its prison,
Like an angelic spirit pent
In a form of mortal birth,
Till, as a spirit half-arisen
Shatters its charnel, it has rent,
In the rapture of its mirth,
The thin and painted garment of the Earth,
Ruining its chaosa fierce breath
Consuming all its forms of living death.
~ Percy Bysshe Shelley, Fragments Written For Hellas
,#NFDB
1449:In the beginning of the year 1665 I found the Method of approximating series & the Rule for reducing any dignity of any Binomial into such a series. The same year in May I found the method of Tangents of Gregory & Slusius, & in November had the direct method of fluxions & the next year in January had the Theory of Colours & in May following I had entrance into ye inverse method of fluxions. And the same year I began to think of gravity extending to ye orb of the Moon & (having found out how to estimate the force with wch [a] globe revolving within a sphere presses the surface of the sphere) from Kepler's rule of the periodic times of the Planets being in sesquialterate proportion of their distances from the center of their Orbs, I deduced that the forces wch keep the Planets in their Orbs must [be] reciprocally as the squares of their distances from the centers about wch they revolve: & thereby compared the force requisite to keep the Moon in her Orb with the force of gravity at the surface of the earth, & found them answer pretty nearly. All this was in the two plague years of 1665-1666. For in those days I was in the prime of my age for invention & minded Mathematicks & Philosophy more then than at any time since. ~ Isaac Newton, #NFDB
1450:Be a constant student of life; See the Divine in Nature and Nature in the Divine; Not say a word and be clearly heard; Lead without force and teach without pride; Take the most mundane things and surroundings, sense their inner magick and be able to open that window for others; Stare into the dark infinity of the night sky and feel it as an awesome source; Love the beauty of paradox and always be able to see the cosmic humor in the darkest times; Be a shapeshifter to blend in or be invisible if needed… and make those around feel safe, and heard; Maintain his calm center and clear mind when all about him is chaos; Open his inner eyes and really see; Say “I don’t know…” and realize that is great wisdom, that is okay; Have compassion for all beings, and know when to be a healer and when to be a witness; Know that the secrets of magick are bestowed upon the open-hearted; Speak to the Gods and know he is heard; Cast a sphere of protection and light; Make up his own mind, walk his own path and never follow another blindly; Know the courage and power of nonviolence and the swift strength of a keen mind; Conjure a tale or myth that the moment requires to be understood; Know the plants and creatures of the wild enough to call them friends and allies; See the God and Goddess within all and everyone; Have a spirit that glows in the dark. —Katlyn Breene ~ Oberon Zell Ravenheart, #NFDB
1451:`No. Stay, doesn't matter.' He settled the black terry sweatband across his forehead, careful not to disturb the flat Sendai dermatrodes [1]. He stared at the deck on his lap, not really seeing it, seeing instead the shop window on Ninsei, the chromed shuriken burning with reflected neon. He glanced up; on the wall, just above the Sony, he'd hung her gift, tacking it there with a yellow-headed drawing pin through the hole at its center.
He closed his eyes.
Found the ridged face of the power stud.
And in the bloodlit dark behind his eyes, silver phosphenes boiling in from the edge of space, hypnagogic images jerking past like film compiled from random frames.
Symbols, figures, faces, a blurred, fragmented mandala of visual information.
Please, he prayed, now --
A gray disk, the color of Chiba sky.
Now --
Disk beginning to rotate, faster, becoming a sphere of paler gray. Expanding --And flowed, flowered for him, fluid neon origami trick, the unfolding of his distanceless home, his country, transparent 3D chessboard extending to infinity. Inner eye opening to the stepped scarlet pyramid of the Eastern Seaboard Fission Authority burning beyond the green cubes of Mitsubishi Bank of America, and high and very far away he saw the spiral arms of military systems, forever beyond his reach. ~ William Gibson, Neuromancer,#NFDB
1452:There is no remedy against this reversal of the natural order. Man cannot escape from his own achievement. He cannot but adopt the conditions of his own life. No longer in a merely physical universe, man lives in a symbolic universe. Language, myth, art, and religion are parts of this universe. They are the varied threads which weave the symbolic net, the tangled web of human experience. All human progress in thought and experience refines and strengthens this net. No longer can man confront reality immediately; he cannot see it, as it were, face to face. Physical reality seems to recede in proportion as man's symbolic activity advances. Instead of dealing with the things themselves man is in a sense constantly conversing with himself.
He has so enveloped himself in linguistic forms, in artistic images, in mythical symbols or religious rites that he cannot see or know anything except by the interposition of this artificial medium. His situation is the same in the theoretical as in the practical sphere. Even here man does not live in a world of hard facts, or according to his immediate needs and desires. He lives rather in the midst of imaginary emotions, in hopes and fears, in illusions and disillusions, in his fantasies and dreams. 'What disturbs and alarms man,' said Epictetus, 'are not the things, but his opinions and fantasies about the things. ~ Ernst Cassirer,#NFDB
1453:Cry Out in Your Weakness
A dragon was pulling a bear into its terrible mouth.
A courageous man went and rescued the bear.
There are such helpers in the world, who rush to save
anyone who cries out. Like Mercy itself,
they run toward the screaming.
And they can’t be bought off.
If you were to ask one of those, “Why did you come
so quickly?” He or she would say, “Because I heard
your helplessness.”
Where lowland is,
that’s where water goes. All medicine wants
is pain to cure.
And don’t just ask for one mercy.
Let them flood in. Let the sky open under your feet.
Take the cotton out of your ears, the cotton
of consolations, so you can hear the sphere-music. . . .
Give your weakness
to One Who Helps.
Crying out loud and weeping are great resources.
A nursing mother, all she does
is wait to hear her child.
Just a little beginning-whimper,
and she’s there.
God created the child, that is, your wanting,
so that it might cry out, so that milk might come.
Cry out! Don’t be stolid and silent
with your pain. Lament! And let the milk
of Loving flow into you.
The hard rain and wind
are ways the cloud has
to take care of us.
Be patient.
Respond to every call
that excites your spirit.
Ignore those that make you fearful
and sad, that degrade you
back toward disease and death. ~ Rumi,#NFDB
1454:The Junior High School Band Concert
When our semi-conductor
Raised his baton, we sat there
Gaping at Marche Militaire,
Our mouth-opening number.
It seemed faintly familiar
(We'd rehearsed it all that winter),
But we attacked in such a blur,
No army anywhere
On its stomach or all fours
Could have squeezed through our crossfire.
I played cornet, seventh chair,
Out of seven, my embouchure
A glorified Bronx cheer
Through that three-keyed keyhole stopper
And neighborhood window-slammer
Where mildew fought for air
At every exhausted corner,
My fingering still unsure
After scaling it for a year
Except on the spit-valve lever.
Each straight-faced mother and father
Retested his moral fiber
Against our traps and slurs
And the inadvertent whickers
Paradiddled by our snares,
And when the brass bulled forth
A blare fit to horn over
Jericho two bars sooner
Than Joshua's harsh measures,
They still had the nerve to stare.
By the last lost chord, our director
Looked older and soberer.
No doubt, in his mind's ear
Some band somewhere
In some music of some Sphere
Was striking a note as pure
30
As the wishes of Franz Schubert,
But meanwhile here we were:
A lesson in everything minor,
Decomposing our first composer.
~ David Wagoner,#NFDB
1455:At the banquet were present the Khān’s jugglers, the chief of whom was ordered to shew some of his wonders. He then took a wooden sphere, in which there were holes, and in these long straps, and threw it up into the air till it went out of sight, as I myself witnessed, while the strap remained in his hand. He then commanded one of his disciples to take hold of, and to ascend by, this strap, which he did until he also went out of sight. His master then called him three times, but no answer came: he then took a knife in his hand, apparently in anger, which he applied to the strap. This also ascended till it went quite out of sight: he then threw the hand of the boy upon the ground, then his foot; then his other hand, then his other foot; then his body, then his head. He then came down, panting for breath, and his clothes stained with blood. The man then kissed the ground before the General, who addressed him in Chinese, and gave him some other order. The juggler then took the limbs of the boy and applied them one to another: he then stamped upon them, and it stood up complete and erect. I was astonished, and was seized in consequence by a palpitation at the heart: but they gave me some drink, and I recovered. The judge of the Mohammedans was sitting by my side, who swore, that there was neither ascent, descent, nor cutting away of limbs, but the whole was mere juggling. ~ Ibn Battuta, #NFDB
1456:Oh, Beauty, passing beauty
Oh, Beauty, passing beauty! sweetest Sweet!
How canst thou let me waste my youth in sighs?
I only ask to sit beside thy feet.
Thou knowest I dare not look into thine eyes,
Might I but kiss thy hand! I dare not fold
My arms about thee scarcely dare to speak.
And nothing seems to me so wild and bold,
As with one kiss to touch thy blessed cheek.
Methinks if I should kiss thee, no control
Within the thrilling brain could keep afloat
The subtle spirit. Even while I spoke,
The bare word KISS hath made my inner soul
To tremble like a lutestring, ere the note
Hath melted in the silence that it broke.
But were I loved, as I desire to be,
What is there in the great sphere of the earth,
And range of evil between death and birth,
That I should fear if I were loved by thee?
All the inner, all the outer world of pain
Clear Love would pierce and cleave, if thou wert mine,
As I have heard that, somewhere in the main,
Fresh water-springs come up through bitter brine.
'Twere joy, not fear, clasped hand in hand with thee,
To wait for death mute careless of all ills,
Apart upon a mountain, though the surge
Of some new deluge from a thousand hills
Flung leagues of roaring foam into the gorge
Below us, as far on as eye could see. ~ Alfred Tennyson,#NFDB
1457:Fundamental to a radical and lesbian feminist politics is the understanding that 'the personal is political'. This phrase has two interrelated meanings. It means that the political power structures of the 'public' world are reflected in the private world. Thus, for women in particular, the 'private' world of heterosexuality is not a realm of personal security, a haven from a heartless world, but an intimate realm in which their work is extracted and their bodies, sexuality and emotions are constrained and exploited for the benefits of individual men and the male supremacist political system. The very concept of 'privacy' as Catharine MacKinnon so cogently expresses it, 'has shielded the place of battery, marital rape, and women's exploited labor'. But the phrase has a complementary meaning, which is that the 'public' world of male power, the world of corporations, militaries and parliaments is founded upon this private subordination. The edifice of masculine power relations, from aggressive nuclear posturing to take-over bids, is constructed on the basis of its distinctiveness from the 'feminine' sphere and based upon the world of women which nurtures and services that male power. Transformation of the public world of masculine aggression, therefore, requires transformation of the relations that take place in 'private'. Public equality cannot derive from private slavery. ~ Sheila Jeffreys, #NFDB
1458:In these red labyrinths of London
I find that I have chosen
the strangest of all callings,
save that, in its way, any calling is strange.
Like the alchemist
who sought the philosopher's stone
in quicksilver,
I shall make everyday words
the gambler's marked cards, the common coin
give off the magic that was their
when Thor was both the god and the din,
the thunderclap and the prayer.
In today's dialect
I shall say, in my fashion, eternal things:
I shall try to be worthy
of the great echo of Byron.
This dust that I am will be invulnerable.
If a woman shares my love
my verse will touch the tenth sphere of the concentric heavens;
if a woman turns my love aside
I will make of my sadness a music,
a full river to resound through time.
I shall live by forgetting myself.
I shall be the face I glimpse and forget,
I shall be Judas who takes on
the divine mission of being a betrayer,
I shall be Caliban in his bog,
I shall be a mercenary who dies
without fear and without faith,
I shall be Polycrates, who looks in awe
upon the seal returned by fate.
I will be the friend who hates me.
The persian will give me the nightingale, and Rome the sword.
Masks, agonies, resurrections
will weave and unweave my life,
and in time I shall be Robert Browning.
~ Jorge Luis Borges, Browning Decides To Be A Poet
,#NFDB
1459:City Visions
As the blind Milton's memory of light,
The deaf Beethoven's phantasy of tone,
Wroght joys for them surpassing all things known
In our restricted sphere of sound and sight,-So while the glaring streets of brick and stone
Vix with heat, noise, and dust from morn till night,
I will give rein to Fancy, taking flight
From dismal now and here, and dwell alone
With new-enfranchised senses. All day long,
Think ye 't is I, who sit 'twixt darkened walls,
While ye chase beauty over land and sea?
Uplift on wings of some rare poet's song
Where the wide billow laughs and leaps and falls,
I soar cloud-high, free as the winds are free.
II
Who grasps the substance? who 'mid shadows strays?
He who within some dark-bright wood reclines,
'Twixt sleep and waking, where the needled pines
Have cushioned al his couch with soft brown sprays?
He notes not how the living water shines,
Trembling along the cliff, a flickering haze,
Brimming a wine-bright pool, nor lifts his gaze
To read the ancient wonders and the signs.
Does he possess the actual, or do I,
Who paint on air more than his sense receives,
The glittering pine-tufts with closed eyes behold,
Breathe the strong resinous perfume, see the sky
Quiver like azure flame between the leaves,
And open unseen gates with key of gold?
~ Emma Lazarus,#NFDB
1460:I have often wondered if the majority of mankind ever pause to reflect upon the occasionally titanic significance of dreams, and of the obscure world to which they belong. Whilst the greater number of our nocturnal visions are perhaps no more than faint and fantastic reflections of our waking experiences—Freud to the contrary with his puerile symbolism—there are still a certain remainder whose immundane and ethereal character permit of no ordinary interpretation, and whose vaguely exciting and disquieting effect suggests possible minute glimpses into a sphere of mental existence no less important than physical life, yet separated from that life by an all but impassable barrier. From my experience I cannot doubt but that man, when lost to terrestrial consciousness, is indeed sojourning in another and uncorporeal life of far different nature from the life we know, and of which only the slightest and most indistinct memories linger after waking. From those blurred and fragmentary memories we may infer much, yet prove little. We may guess that in dreams life, matter, and vitality, as the earth knows such things, are not necessarily constant; and that time and space do not exist as our waking selves comprehend them. Sometimes I believe that this less material life is our truer life, and that our vain presence on the terraqueous globe is itself the secondary or merely virtual phenomenon. ~ H P Lovecraft, #NFDB
1461:Flesh And The Spirit, The
In secret place where once I stood
Close by the Banks of Lacrim flood,
I heard two sisters reason on
Things that are past and things to come.
One Flesh was call'd, who had her eye
On worldly wealth and vanity;
The other Spirit, who did rear
Her thoughts unto a higher sphere.
"Sister," quoth Flesh, "what liv'st thou on
Nothing but Meditation?
Doth Contemplation feed thee so
Regardlessly to let earth go?
Can Speculation satisfy
Notion without Reality?
Dost dream of things beyond the Moon
And dost thou hope to dwell there soon?
Hast treasures there laid up in store
That all in th' world thou count'st but poor?
Art fancy-sick or turn'd a Sot
To catch at shadows which are not?
Come, come. I'll show unto thy sense,
Industry hath its recompence.
What canst desire, but thou maist see
True substance in variety?
Dost honour like? Acquire the same,
As some to their immortal fame;
And trophies to thy name erect
Which wearing time shall ne'er deject.
For riches dost thou long full sore?
Behold enough of precious store.
Earth hath more silver, pearls, and gold
Than eyes can see or hands can hold.
Affects thou pleasure? Take thy fill.
Earth hath enough of what you will.
Then let not go what thou maist find
For things unknown only in mind."
~ Anne Bradstreet,#NFDB
1462:The Father and his Troubadour sat down Upon the outer rim of space. "And here, My Singer," said Earthmaker, "is the crown Of all my endless skies-the green, brown sphere Of all my hopes." He reached and took the round New planet down, and held it to his ear.
"They're crying, Troubadour," he said. "They cry So hopelessly." He gave the little ball Unto his Son, who also held it by His ear. "Year after weary year they all Keep crying. They seem born to weep then die. Our new man taught them crying in the Fall.
"It is a peaceless globe. Some are sincere In desperate desire to see her freed Of her absurdity. But war is here. Men die in conflict, bathed in blood and greed."
Then with his nail he scraped the atmosphere And both of them beheld the planet bleed.
Earthmaker set earth spinning on its way And said, "Give me your vast infinity My son; I'll wrap it in a bit of clay. Then enter Terra microscopically To love the little souls who weep away Their lives." "I will," I said, "set Terra free."
And then I fell asleep and all awareness fled. I felt my very being shrinking down. My vastness ebbed away. In dwindling dread, All size decayed. The universe around Drew back. I woke upon a tiny bed Of straw in one of Terra's smaller towns.
And now the great reduction has begun: Earthmaker and his Troubadour are one. And here's the new redeeming melody--The only song that can set Terra free.
The ~ Calvin Miller,#NFDB
1463:This is arguably the besetting mistake of all naturalist thinking, as it happens, in practically every sphere. In this context, the assumption at work is that if one could only reduce one’s picture of the original physical conditions of reality to the barest imaginable elements—say, the “quantum foam” and a handful of laws like the law of gravity, which all looks rather nothing-ish (relatively speaking)—then one will have succeeded in getting as near to nothing as makes no difference. In fact, one will be starting no nearer to nonbeing than if one were to begin with an infinitely realized multiverse: the difference from non-being remains infinite in either case. All quantum states are states within an existing quantum system, and all the laws governing that system merely describe its regularities and constraints. Any quantum fluctuation therein that produces, say, a universe is a new state within that system, but not a sudden emergence of reality from nonbeing. Cosmology simply cannot become ontology. The only intellectually consistent course for the metaphysical naturalist is to say that physical reality “just is” and then to leave off there, accepting that this “just is” remains a truth entirely in excess of all physical properties and causes: the single ineradicable “super-natural” fact within which all natural facts are forever contained, but about which we ought not to let ourselves think too much. ~ David Bentley Hart, #NFDB
1464:In 1994 another bombshell was dropped. Edward Witten of Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study and Paul Townsend of Cambridge University speculated that all five string theories were in fact the same theory-but only if we add an eleventh dimension. From the vantage point of the eleventh dimension, all five different theories collapsed into one! The theory was unique after all, but only if we ascended to the mountaintop of the eleventh dimension.
In the eleventh dimension a new mathematical object can exist, called the membrane (e.g., like the surface of a sphere). Here was the amazing observation: if one dropped from eleven dimensions down to ten dimensions, all five string theories would emerge, starting from a single membrane. Hence all five string theories were just different ways of moving a membrane down from eleven to ten dimensions.
(To visualize this, imagine a beach ball with a rubber band stretched around the equator. Imagine taking a pair of scissors and cutting the beach ball twice, once above and once below the rubber band, thereby lopping off the top and bottom of the beach ball. All that is left is the rubber band, a string. In the same way, if we curl up the eleventh dimension, all that is left of a membrane is its equator, which is the string. In fact, mathematically there are five ways in which this slicing can occur, leaving us with five different string theories in ten dimensions.) ~ Michio Kaku,#NFDB
1465:Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt. He therefore is the truest friend to the liberty of his country who tries most to promote its virtue, and who, so far as his power and influence extend, will not suffer a man to be chosen into any office of power and trust who is not a wise and virtuous man. We must not conclude merely upon a man's haranguing upon liberty, and using the charming sound, that he is fit to be trusted with the liberties of his country. It is not unfrequent to hear men declaim loudly upon liberty, who, if we may judge by the whole tenor of their actions, mean nothing else by it but their own liberty, — to oppress without control or the restraint of laws all who are poorer or weaker than themselves. It is not, I say, unfrequent to see such instances, though at the same time I esteem it a justice due to my country to say that it is not without shining examples of the contrary kind; — examples of men of a distinguished attachment to this same liberty I have been describing; whom no hopes could draw, no terrors could drive, from steadily pursuing, in their sphere, the true interests of their country; whose fidelity has been tried in the nicest and tenderest manner, and has been ever firm and unshaken.
The sum of all is, if we would most truly enjoy this gift of Heaven, let us become a virtuous people. ~ Samuel Adams,#NFDB
1466:5. Belly of the Whale:The idea that the passage of the magical threshold is a transit into a sphere of rebirth is symbolized in the worldwide womb image of the belly of the whale. The hero, instead of conquering or conciliating the power of the threshold, is swallowed into the unknown and would appear to have died. This popular motif gives emphasis to the lesson that the passage of the threshold is a form of self-annihilation. Instead of passing outward, beyond the confines of the visible world, the hero goes inward, to be born again. The disappearance corresponds to the passing of a worshipper into a temple-where he is to be quickened by the recollection of who and what he is, namely dust and ashes unless immortal. 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. The devotee at the moment of entry into a temple undergoes a metamorphosis. Once inside he may be said to have died to time and returned to the World Womb, the World Navel, the Earthly Paradise. Allegorically, then, the passage into a temple and the hero-dive through the jaws of the whale are identical adventures, both denoting in picture language, the life-centering, life-renewing act. ~ Joseph Campbell, #NFDB
1467:Where, Lord, will I find you: your place is high and obscured. And where won't I find you: your glory fills the world. You dwell deep within -- you've fixed the ends of creation. You stand, a tower for the near, refuge to those far off. You've lain above the Ark, here, yet live in the highest heavens. Exalted among your hosts, although beyond their hymns -- no heavenly sphere could ever contain you, let alone a chamber within. In being home above them on an exalted throne, you are closer to them than their breath and skin. Their mouths bear witness for them that you alone gave them form. Your kingdom's burden in theirs; who wouldn't fear you? And who could fail to search for you -- who sends down food when it is due? I sought your nearness. With all my heart I called you. And in my going out to meet you, I found you coming toward me, as in the wonders of your might and holy works I saw you. Who would say he hasn't seen your glory as the heavens' hordes declare their awe of you without a sound being heard? But could the Lord, in truth, dwell in men on earth? How would men you made from the dust and clay fathom your presence there, enthroned upon their praise? The creatures hovering over the world praise your wonders -- your throne borne high above their heads, as you beat all forever. [2610.jpg] -- from The Poetry of Kabbalah: Mystical Verse from the Jewish Tradition, Edited by Peter Cole
~ Solomon ibn Gabirol, Where Will I Find You
,#NFDB
1468:The Old Pole Star
BEFORE the clepsydra had bound the days
Man tethered Change to his fixed star, and said:
'The elder races, that long since are dead,
Marched by that light; it swerves not from its base
Though all the worlds about it wax and fade.'
When Egypt saw it, fast in reeling spheres,
Her Pyramids shaft-centred on its ray
She reared and said: 'Long as this star holds sway
In uninvaded ether, shall the years
Revere my monuments - ' and went her way.
The Pyramids abide; but through the shaft
That held the polar pivot, eye to eye,
Look now - blank nothingness! As though Change laughed
At man's presumption and his puny craft,
The star has slipped its leash and roams the sky.
Yet could the immemorial piles be swung
A skyey hair's breadth from their rooted base,
Back to the central anchorage of space,
Ah, then again, as when the race was young,
Should they behold the beacon of the race!
Of old men said: 'The Truth is there: we rear
Our faith full-centred on it. It was known
Thus of the elders who foreran us here,
Mapped out its circuit in the shifting sphere,
And found it, 'mid mutation, fixed alone.'
Change laughs again, again the sky is cold,
And down that fissure now no star-beam glides.
Yet they whose sweep of vision grows not old
Still at the central point of space behold
78
Another pole-star: for the Truth abides.
~ Edith Wharton,#NFDB
1469:Whether it is called a public forum or a public sphere or a marketplace of ideas, the reality of open and free public discussion and debate was considered central to the operation of our democracy in America’s earliest decades. Our first self-expression as a nation—“We the People”—made it clear where the ultimate source of authority lay. It was universally understood that the ultimate check and balance for American government was its accountability to the people. And the public forum was the place where the people held the government accountable. That is why it was so important that the marketplace of ideas operated independent from and beyond the authority of government. The three most important characteristics of this marketplace of ideas were the following: It was open to every individual, with no barriers to entry save the necessity of literacy. This access, it is crucial to add, applied not only to the receipt of information but also to the ability to contribute information directly into the flow of ideas that was available to all. The fate of ideas contributed by individuals depended, for the most part, on an emergent meritocracy of ideas. Those judged by the market to be good rose to the top, regardless of the wealth or class of the individual responsible for them. The accepted rules of discourse presumed that the participants were all governed by an unspoken duty to search for general agreement. That is what a “conversation of democracy” is all about. ~ Al Gore, #NFDB
1470:They taught that men have two souls, of separate and quite different natures: the one perishable--the Astral Soul, or the inner, fluidic body--the other incorruptible and immortal--the Augoeides, or portion of the Divine Spirit; that the mortal or Astral Soul perishes at each gradual change at the threshold of every new sphere, becoming with every transmigration more purified. The astral man, intangible and invisible as he might be to our mortal, earthly senses, is still constituted of matter, though sublimated. Aristotle, notwithstanding that for political reasons of his own he maintained a prudent silence as to certain esoteric matters, expressed very clearly his opinion on the subject. It was his belief that human souls are emanations of God, that are finally re-absorbed into Divinity. Zeno, the founder of the Stoics, taught that there are "two eternal qualities throughout nature: the one active, or male; the other passive, or female: that the former is pure, subtile ether, or Divine Spirit; the other entirely inert in itself till united with the active principle. That the Divine Spirit acting upon matter produced fire, water, earth, and air; and that it is the sole efficient principle by which all nature is moved. The Stoics, like the Hindu sages, believed in the final absorption. St. Justin believed in the emanation of these souls from Divinity, and Tatian, the Assyrian, his disciple, declared that "man was as immortal as God himself." * ~ Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, #NFDB
1471:The socialists are sometimes wont to reproach liberalism with a lack of
consistency, It is, they maintain, illogical to restrict the activity of the state in the economic sphere exclusively to the protection of property. It is difficult to see why, if the state is not to remain completely neutral, its intervention has to be limited to protecting the rights of property owners.
This reproach would be justified only if the opposition of liberalism to all governmental activity in the economic sphere going beyond the protection of property stemmed from an aversion in principle against any activity on the part of the state. But that is by no means the case. The reason why liberalism opposes a further extension of the sphere of governmental activity is precisely that this would, in effect, abolish private ownership of the means of production. And in private property the liberal sees the principle most suitable for the organization of man's life in society.
38
The Foundations of Liberal Policy
Liberalism is therefore far from disputing the necessity of a machinery of state, a system of law, and a government. It is a grave misunderstanding to associate it in any way with the idea of anarchism. For the liberal, the state is an absolute necessity, since the most important tasks are incumbent upon it: the protection not only of private property, but also of peace, for in the absence of the latter the full benefits of private property cannot be reaped. ~ Ludwig von Mises,#NFDB
1472:Love Of Fame, The Universal Passion (Excerpt)
Man's rich with little, were his judgment true;
Nature is frugal, and her wants are few;
Those few wants answer'd, bring sincere delights;
But fools create themselves new appetites:
Fancy and pride seek things at vast expense,
Which relish not to reason, nor to sense.
When surfeit, or unthankfulness, destroys,
In nature's narrow sphere, our solid joys,
In fancy's airy land of noise and show,
Where nought but dreams, no real pleasures grow;
Like cats in air-pumps, to subsist we strive
On joys too thin to keep the soul alive.
Lemira's sick; make haste; the doctor call:
He comes; but where's his patient? At the ball.
The doctor stares; her woman curt'sies low,
And cries, "My lady, sir, is always so:
Diversions put her maladies to flight;
True, she can't stand, but she can dance all night:
I've known my lady (for she loves a tune)
For fevers take an opera in June:
And, though perhaps you'll think the practice bold,
A midnight park is sovereign for a cold:
With colics, breakfasts of green fruit agree;
With indigestions, supper just at three."
A strange alternative, replied Sir Hans,
Must women have a doctor, or a dance?
Though sick to death, abroad they safely roam,
But droop and die, in perfect health, at home:
For want--but not of health, are ladies ill;
And tickets cure beyond the doctor's bill.
~ Edward Young,#NFDB
1473:Parted Presence
LOVE, I speak to your heart,
Your heart that is always here.
Oh draw me deep to its sphere,
Though you and I are apart,
And yield, by the spirit's art,
Each distant gift that is dear.
O love, my love, you are here!
Your eyes are afar to-day,
Yet, love, look now in mine eyes.
Two hearts sent forth may despise
All dead things by the way.
All between is decay,
Dead hours and this hour that dies.
O love, look deep in mine eyes!
Your hands to-day are not here,
Yet lay them, love, in my hands.
The hourglass sheds its sands
All day for the dead hours' bier;
But now, as two hearts draw near,
This hour like a flower expands.
O love, your hands in my hands!
Your voice is not on the air,
Yet, love, I can hear your voice:
It bids my heart to rejoice
As knowing your heart is there,—
A music sweet to declare
The truth of your steadfast choice.
O love, how sweet is your voice!
To-day your lips are afar,
Yet draw my lips to them, love.
Around, beneath, and above,
Is frost to bind and to bar;
But where I am and you are,
Desire and the fire thereof.
O kiss me, kiss me, my love!
Your heart is never away,
But ever with mine, for ever,
For ever without endeavour,
To-morrow, love, as to-day;
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Two blent hearts never astray,
Two souls no power may sever,
Together, O my love, for ever!
~ Dante Gabriel Rossetti,#NFDB
1474:What a revolution! In less than a century the persecuted church had become a persecuting church. Its enemies, the “heretics” (those who “selected” from the totality of the Catholic faith), were now also the enemies of the empire and were punished accordingly. For the first time now Christians killed other Christians because of differences in their views of the faith. This is what happened in Trier in 385: despite many objections, the ascetic and enthusiastic Spanish lay preacher Priscillian was executed for heresy together with six companions. People soon became quite accustomed to this idea. Above all the Jews came under pressure. The proud Roman Hellenistic state church hardly remembered its own Jewish roots anymore. A specifically Christian ecclesiastical anti-Judaism developed out of the pagan state anti-Judaism that already existed. There were many reasons for this: the breaking off of conversations between the church and the synagogue and mutual isolation; the church’s exclusive claim to the Hebrew Bible; the crucifixion of Jesus, which was now generally attributed to the Jews; the dispersion of Israel, which was seen as God’s just curse on a damned people who were alleged to have broken the covenant with God . . . Almost exactly a century after Constantine’s death, by special state-church laws under Theodosius II, Judaism was removed from the sacral sphere, to which one had access only through the sacraments (that is, through baptism). The first repressive measures ~ Hans K ng, #NFDB
1475:I marveled at an Ocean without shore,
and at a Shore that did not have an ocean;
And at a Morning Light without darkness,
and at a Night that was without daybreak;
And then a Sphere with no locality
known to either fool or learned scholar;
And at an azure Dome raised over the earth,
circulating 'round its center - Compulsion;
And at a rich Earth without o'er-arching vault
and no specific location, the Secret concealed...
I courted a Secret which existence did not alter;
for it was asked of me: 'Has Thought enchanted you? '
- To which I replied: 'I have no power over that;
I counsel you: Be patient with it while you live.
But, truly, if Thought becomes established
in my mind, the embers kindle into flame,
And everything is given up to fire
the like of which was never seen before!'
And it was said to me: 'He does not pluck a flower
who calls himself with courtesy 'Freeborn'.'
'He who woos the belle femme in her boudoir, love-beguiled,
will never deem the bridal-price too high!'
I gave her the dower and was given her in marriage
throughout the night until the break of Dawn -
But other than Myself I did not find. - Rather,
that One whom I married - may his affair be known:
For added to the Sun's measure of light
are the radiant New Moon and shining Stars;
Like Time, dispraised - though the Prophet (Blessings on him!)
had once declared of your Lord that He is Time.
~ Ibn Arabi, An Ocean Without Shore
,#NFDB
1476:You must make everything that is yours saleable, i.e., useful. If I ask the political economist: Do I obey economic laws if I extract money by offering my body for sale, by surrendering it to another's lust? (The factory workers in France call the prostitution of their wives and daughters the nth working hour, which is literally correct.) — Or am I not acting in keeping with political economy if I sell my friend to the Moroccans? (And the direct sale of men in the form of a trade in conscripts, etc., takes place in all civilized countries.) — Then the political economist replies to me: You do not transgress my laws; but see what Cousin Ethics and Cousin Religion have to say about it. My political economic ethics and religion have nothing to reproach you with, but — But whom am I now to believe, political economy or ethics? — The ethics of political economy is acquisition, work, thrift, sobriety — but political economy promises to satisfy my needs. — The political economy of ethics is the opulence of a good conscience, of virtue, etc.; but how can I live virtuously if I do not live? And how can I have a good conscience if I do not know anything? It stems from the very nature of estrangement that each sphere applies to me a different and opposite yardstick — ethics one and political economy another; for each is a specific estrangement of man and focuses attention on a particular field of estranged essential activity, and each stands in an estranged relation to the other. ~ Karl Marx, #NFDB
1477:In terms of energy - there are three characteristic ways in which the energy manifests - Dang, Rolpa, and rTsal (gDang, rol pa, and rTsal). Dang is the energy in which 'internal' and 'external' are not divided from that which manifests. It is symbolised by the crystal sphere which becomes the colour of whatever it is placed upon. Rolpa is the energy which manifests internally as vision. It is symbolised by the mirror. The image of the reflection always appears as if it is inside the mirror. rTsal is externally manifested energy which radiates. It is symbolised by the refractive capacity of the faceted crystal. For a realised being, this energy is inseparable in its manifestation from the dimension of manifest reality. Dang, Rolpa, and rTsal are not divided.
Dang, Rolpa and rTsal are not divided and neither are the ku-sum (sKu gSum - the trikaya) the three spheres of being. Cho-ku (chos sKu - Dharmakaya), the sphere of unconditioned potentiality, is the creative space from which the essence of the elements arises as long-ku (longs sKu - Sambhogakaya) the sphere of intangible appearances - light and rays, non material forms only perceivable by those with visionary clarity. Trülku (sPrul sKu - Nirmanakaya), the sphere of realised manifestation, is the level of matter in apparently solid material forms. The primordial base manifests these three distinct yet indivisible modes. ~ Sam Van Schaik, Approaching the Great Perfection: Simultaneous and Gradual Methods of Dzogchen Practice in the Longchen Nyingtig,#NFDB
1478:Prologue To Faulkener
A TRAGEDY BY WILLIAM GODWIN, 1807.
An author who has given you all delight
Furnished the tale our stage presents to-night.
Some of our earliest tears he taught to steal
Down our young cheeks, and forced us first to feel.
To solitary shores whole years confined,
Who has not read how pensive Crusoe pined?
Who, now grown old, that did not once admire
His goat, his parrot, his uncouth attire,
The stick, due-notched, that told each tedious day
That in the lonely island wore away?
Who has not shuddered, where he stands aghast
At sight of human footsteps in the waste?
Or joyed not, when his trembling hands unbind
Thee, Friday, gentlest of the savage kind?
The genius who conceived that magic tale
Was skilled by native pathos to prevail.
His stories, though rough-drawn and framed in haste,
Had that which pleased our homely grandsires' taste.
His was a various pen, that freely roved
Into all subjects, was in most approved.
Whate'er the theme, his ready Muse obeyedLove, courtship, politics, religion, tradeGifted alike to shine in every sphere,
Novelist, historian, poet, pamphleteer.
In some blest interval of party-strife,
He drew a striking sketch from private life,
Whose moving scenes of intricate distress
We try to-night in a dramatic dress:
A real story of domestic woe,
That asks no aid from music, verse, or show,
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But trusts to truth, to Nature, and Defoe.
~ Charles Lamb,#NFDB
1479:As in the political sphere, the child is taught that he is free, a democrat, with a free will and a free mind, lives in a free country, makes his own decisions. At the same time he is a prisoner of the assumptions and dogmas of his time, which he does not question, because he has never been told they exist. By the time a young person has reached the age when he has to choose (we still take it for granted that a choice is inevitable) between the arts and the sciences, he often chooses the arts because he feels that here is humanity, freedom, choice. He does not know that he is already moulded by a system: he does not know that the choice itself is the result of a false dichotomy rooted in the heart of our culture. Those who do sense this, and who don't wish to subject themselves to further moulding, tend to leave, in a half-unconscious, instinctive attempt to find work where they won't be divided against themselves. With all our institutions, from the police force to academia, from medicine to politics, we give little attention to the people who leave—that process of elimination that goes on all the time and which excludes, very early, those likely to be original and reforming, leaving those attracted to a thing because that is what they are already like. A young policeman leaves the Force saying he doesn't like what he has to do. A young teacher leaves teaching, here idealism snubbed. This social mechanism goes almost unnoticed—yet it is as powerful as any in keeping our institutions rigid and oppressive. ~ Doris Lessing, #NFDB
1480:With the seizing of the means of production by society, production of commodities is done away with, and, simultaneously, the mastery of the product over the producer. Anarchy in social production is replaced by systematic, definite organization. The struggle for individual existence disappears. Then, for the first time, man, in a certain sense, is finally marked off from the rest of the animal kingdom, and emerges from mere animal conditions of existence into really human ones. The whole sphere of the conditions of life which environ man, and which have hitherto ruled man, now comes under the dominion and control of man, who for the first time becomes the real, conscious lord of nature, because he has now become master of his own social organization. The laws of his own social action, hitherto standing face-to-face with man as laws of Nature foreign to, and dominating him, will then be used with full understanding, and so mastered by him. Man's own social organization, hitherto confronting him as a necessity imposed by Nature and history, now becomes the result of his own free action. The extraneous objective forces that have, hitherto, governed history,pass under the control of man himself. Only from that time will man himself, more and more consciously, make his own history — only from that time will the social causes set in movement by him have, in the main and in a constantly growing measure, the results intended by him. It is the ascent of man from the kingdom of necessity to the kingdom of freedom. ~ Friedrich Engels, #NFDB
1481:Most of us didn’t feel too enthusiastic about making a collapsar jump, either. We’d been assured that we wouldn’t even feel it happen, just free fall all the way. I wasn’t convinced. As a physics student, I’d had the usual courses in general relativity and theories of gravitation. We only had a little direct data at that time — Stargate was discovered when I was in grade school — but the mathematical model seemed clear enough. The collapsar Stargate was a perfect sphere about three kilometers in radius. It was suspended forever in a state of gravitational collapse that should have meant its surface was dropping toward its center at nearly the speed of light. Relativity propped it up, at least gave it the illusion of being there … the way all reality becomes illusory and observer-oriented when you study general relativity. Or Buddhism. Or get drafted. At any rate, there would be a theoretical point in space-time when one end of our ship was just above the surface of the collapsar, and the other end was a kilometer away (in our frame of reference). In any sane universe, this would set up tidal stresses and tear the ship apart, and we would be just another million kilograms of degenerate matter on the theoretical surface, rushing headlong to nowhere for the rest of eternity or dropping to the center in the next trillionth of a second. You pays your money and you takes your frame of reference. But they were right. We blasted away from Stargate 1, made a few course corrections and then just dropped, for about an hour. ~ Joe Haldeman, #NFDB
1482:The Dead Poet
Never again shall he with wizard sleight
Ensare on threshold of his soul the bright
Unearthly splendors that would oft alight,
And in the magic web of melody
Display them flashing as when they were free.
Never again shall he be inflamed by Spring
Soar to the gods to hear Apollo sing
Songs ah! so sweet and with so tense a lyre
They seemed as nectar flowing through white fire.
Never again shall he fold truths in rhyme
And thrust them clinging 'neath the wings of Time,
Shape a fine fancy with unfaltering taste,
Fondling the colors that the sounds embraced;
Or with eyes dim from dreaming watch the slow
Ascending sun's plume on a fervid glow,
And pinions palely spreading far away;
Or hear at night, when on his couch he lay,
The moaning of the moonlit toiling sea
With burden of o'erwhelming memory,
Seeming to carry in an undertone
Rumors of dauntless heroes he had known,
Who bearded even gods to glut desire
And fought beneath the thunder of their ire.
Lured by the glamor of translunar dreams
He chased through mist the ever-fleeting gleams.
Aloof from wealth's red bubbled vanities,
Contented to be thought not worldly wise
Since he, when flamed the mantle of the seer,
In mood majestic trod the magian sphere
Where nature's veil at his authentic glance
Fell quivering from her fire-bright countenance,
And heard, like an abysmal heaving sea,
The movement of the Eternal Harmony.
~ Arthur Bayldon,#NFDB
1483:History is a narrative enterprise, and the telling of stories that are true, that affirm and explain our existence, is the fundamental task of the historian. But truth is delicate, and it has many enemies. Perhaps that is why, although we academics are supposedly in the business of pursuing the truth, the word “truth” is rarely uttered without hedges, adornments, and qualifications.
Every time we tell a story about a great atrocity, like the Holocaust or Pingfang, the forces of denial are always ready to pounce, to erase, to silence, to forget. History has always been difficult because of the delicacy of the truth, and denialists have always been able to resort to labeling the truth as fiction.
One has to be careful, whenever one tells a story about a great injustice. We are a species that loves narrative, but we have also been taught not to trust an individual speaker.
Yes, it is true that no nation, and no historian, can tell a story that completely encompasses every aspect of the truth. But it is not true that just because all narratives are constructed, that they are equally far from the truth. The Earth is neither a perfect sphere nor a flat disk, but the model of the sphere is much closer to the truth. Similarly, there are some narratives that are closer to the truth than others, and we must always try to tell a story that comes as close to the truth as is humanly possible.
The fact that we can never have complete, perfect knowledge does not absolve us of the moral duty to judge and to take a stand against evil. ~ Ken Liu,#NFDB
1484:Will you pour out tea, Miss Brent?' The elder woman replied: 'No, you do it, dear. That tea-pot is so heavy. And I have lost two skeins of my grey knitting-wool. So annoying.' Vera moved to the tea-table. There was a cheerful rattle and clink of china. Normality returned. Tea! Blessed ordinary everyday afternoon tea! Philip Lombard made a cheery remark. Blore responded. Dr. Armstrong told a humorous story. Mr. Justice Wargrave, who ordinarily hated tea, sipped approvingly.
Into this relaxed atmosphere came Rogers. And Rogers was upset. He said nervously and at random: 'Excuse me, sir, but does any one know what's become of the bathroom curtain?'
Lombard's head went up with a jerk. 'The bathroom curtain? What the devil do you mean, Rogers?'
'It's gone, sir, clean vanished. I was going round drawing all the curtains and the one in the lav - bathroom wasn't there any longer.'
Mr. Justice Wargrave asked: 'Was it there this morning?'
'Oh, yes, sir.'
Blore said: 'What kind of a curtain was it?'
'Scarlet oilsilk, sir. It went with the scarlet tiles.'
Lombard said: 'And it's gone?'
'Gone, Sir.'
They stared at each other.
Blore said heavily: 'Well - after all-what of it? It's mad - but so's everything else. Anyway, it doesn't matter. You can't kill anybody with an oilsilk curtain. Forget about it.'
Rogers said: 'Yes, sir, thank you, sir.' He went out, shutting the door. ~ Agatha Christie,#NFDB
1485:Forgotten Boyhood
He wears a long and solemn face
And drives the children from his place;
He doesn't like to hear them shout
Or race and run and romp about,
And if they chance to climb his tree,
He is as ugly as can be.
If in his yard they drive a ball,
Which near his pretty flowers should fall,
He hides the leather sphere away,
Thus hoping to prevent their play.
The youngsters worry him a lot,
This sorry man who has forgot
That once upon a time, he too
The self-same mischief used to do.
The boyhood he has left behind
Has strangely vanished from his mind,
And he is old and gray and cross
For having suffered such a loss.
He thinks he never had the joy
That is the birthright of a boy.
He has forgotten how he ran,
Or to a dog's tail tied a can,
Broke window panes, and loved to swipe
Some neighbor's apples, red and ripe—
He thinks that always, day or night,
His conduct was exactly right.
In boys to-day he cannot see
The youngster that he used to be,
Forgotten is that by-gone day,
When he was mischievous as they.
Poor man! I'm sorry for your lot.
The best of life you have forgot.
Could you remember what you were,
Unharnessed and untouched by spur,
These youngsters that you drive away
Would be your comrades here to-day.
278
Among them you could gayly walk
And share their laughter and their talk;
You could be young and blithe as they,
Could you recall your yesterday.
~ Edgar Albert Guest,#NFDB
1486:About 4.6 billion years ago, a great swirl of gas and dust some 24 billion kilometres across accumulated in space where we are now and began to aggregate. Virtually all of it – 99.9 per cent of the mass of the solar system21 – went to make the Sun. Out of the floating material that was left over, two microscopic grains floated close enough together to be joined by electrostatic forces. This was the moment of conception for our planet. All over the inchoate solar system, the same was happening. Colliding dust grains formed larger and larger clumps. Eventually the clumps grew large enough to be called planetesimals. As these endlessly bumped and collided, they fractured or split or recombined in endless random permutations, but in every encounter there was a winner, and some of the winners grew big enough to dominate the orbit around which they travelled. It all happened remarkably quickly. To grow from a tiny cluster of grains to a baby planet some hundreds of kilometres across is thought to have taken only a few tens of thousands of years. In just 200 million years, possibly less22, the Earth was essentially formed, though still molten and subject to constant bombardment from all the debris that remained floating about. At this point, about 4.4 billion years ago, an object the size of Mars crashed into the Earth, blowing out enough material to form a companion sphere, the Moon. Within weeks, it is thought, the flung material had reassembled itself into a single clump, and within a year it had formed into the spherical rock that companions us yet. ~ Bill Bryson, #NFDB
1487:What is this mysterious masculine force which spurs you onwards, whence comes this will, this heroic initiative which seems to precede the start of the great journey? This is what prevents you turning back on the path. If you were to do so, if you failed to travel the path to its end, you would be guilty, because the practices of your initiation have mobilised enormous forces which destroy men and drive them insane if they are not aimed in the right direction. The signs will help you open a way for yourself in the virgin forest where no roads exist.
'Even the Gods are your enemies; because their impersonal lives are at risk in this war. You will have to overcome the Archetypes, dethrone them, reincorporating their tremendous numinous energies within yourself. Do you remember the Greek legend? Man was a circular androgynous. He began to roll up Mount Olympus. The Gods were frightened, fearing defeat, and so they resorted to artifice: they divided the man-sphere in half. The result was that he was so busy trying to find his other half that he had no time to make war with them. But, luckily, the Gods made a mistake. Because one day we will bring them back to life as well, giving them a face.
'When the water runs downhill, it gives rise to Samsara and human generations, to the circular movement of the involuted earth; when it runs uphill, the opposite direction, it provokes the mutation of the Gods themselves, the divinisation of the hero; it creates a free, eternal race, without Gods, without a king. This is the Road of the Warrior. ~ Miguel Serrano,#NFDB
1488:We find the same situation in the economy. On the one hand, the battered remnants of production and the real economy; on the other, the circulation of gigantic amounts of virtual capital. But the two are so disconnected that the misfortunes which beset that capital – stock market crashes and other financial debacles – do not bring about the collapse of real economies any more. It is the same in the political sphere: scandals, corruption and the general decline in standards have no decisive effects in a split society, where responsibility (the possibility that the two parties may respond to each other) is no longer part of the game.
This paradoxical situation is in a sense beneficial: it protects civil society (what remains of it) from the vicissitudes of the political sphere, just as it protects the economy (what remains of it) from the random fluctuations of the Stock Exchange and international finance. The immunity of the one creates a reciprocal immunity in the other – a mirror indifference. Better: real society is losing interest in the political class, while nonetheless availing itself of the spectacle. At last, then, the media have some use, and the ‘society of the spectacle’ assumes its full meaning in this fierce irony: the masses availing themselves of the spectacle of the dysfunctionings of representation through the random twists in the story of the political class’s corruption. All that remains now to the politicians is the obligation to sacrifice themselves to provide the requisite spectacle for the entertainment of the people. ~ Jean Baudrillard,#NFDB
1489:As the sun and each atom of ether is a sphere complete in itself, and yet at the same time only a part of a whole too immense for man to comprehend, so each individual has within himself his own aims and yet has them to serve a general purpose incomprehensible to man.
A bee settling on a flower has stung a child. And the child is afraid of bees and declares that bees exist to sting people. A poet admires the bee sucking from the chalice of a flower and says it exists to suck the fragrance of flowers. A beekeeper, seeing the bee collect pollen from flowers and carry it to the hive, says that it exists to gather honey. Another beekeeper who has studied the life of the hive more closely says that the bee gathers pollen dust to feed the young bees and rear a queen, and that it exists to perpetuate its race. A botanist notices that the bee flying with the pollen of a male flower to a pistil fertilizes the latter, and sees in this the purpose of the bee's existence. Another, observing the migration of plants, notices that the bee helps in this work, and may say that in this lies the purpose of the bee. But the ultimate purpose of the bee is not exhausted by the first, the second, or any of the processes the human mind can discern. The higher the human intellect rises in the discovery of these purposes, the more obvious it becomes, that the ultimate purpose is beyond our comprehension.
All that is accessible to man is the relation of the life of the bee to other manifestations of life. And so it is with the purpose of historic characters and nations. ~ Leo Tolstoy,#NFDB
1490:The man glared at the sphere, then a gleam entered his eye. “All right, you hunk of junk, come get me.”
He sounded elated, like he was having fun.
A man who had fun fighting an assassin bot?
He led the bot backward, step by step.
It followed him, and he laughed, one of the finest sounds Nella had ever heard. A woman could fall in love with that laugh.
But any moment now, he’d fall over Nella’s hiding place, and the bot would get them both, which meant death for her.
She held her breath.
At the last minute, the man stepped through a narrow doorway into an empty warehouse. The bot skittered into the shadowed opening, then it stopped, confused. The man ducked out and slapped his hand against the wall. A huge metal door slammed down, carrying the startled bot with it. The heavy slab of metal smashed the bot into the floor. Plastic and metal and gold bits flew every which way, clattering against the rusting walls. Then with hiss and a pop, the pieces disintegrated.
The man laughed again. “There. See how you like it.”
But the bot was programmed to kill, no matter what. At the last moment, it released one of its darts, lightning fast, straight at Nella, programmed to seek and find her DNA signature. Nella felt the sting in her bare leg.
The poison acted swiftly, and her vision blurred.
Through a fog, she saw the big man standing over her, concern in the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. He pulled out the dart and stood holding it in one large hand.
She heard him say, “Shit, are you all . . . ?” and then, there was nothing. ~ Allyson James,#NFDB
1491:My generation was born into a world where those with a heart as well as a brain couldn’t find any support. The destructive work of previous generations left us a world that offered no security in the religious sphere, no guidance in the moral sphere, and no peace in the political sphere. We were born into the midst of metaphysical anguish, moral anxiety and political disquietude. Inebriated with objective formulas, with the mere methods of reason and science, the generations that preceded us did away with the foundations of the Christian faith, since their biblical criticism – progressing from textual to mythological criticism – reduced the gospels and the earlier scriptures of the Jews to a doubtful heap of myths, legends and mere literature, while their scientific criticism gradually revealed the mistakes and ingenuous notions of the gospels’ primitive ‘science’. At the same time, the spirit of free inquiry brought all metaphysical problems out into the open, and with them all the religious problems that had to do with metaphysics. Drunk with a hazy notion they called ‘positivism’, these generations criticized all morality and scrutinized all rules of life, and all that remained from the clash of doctrines was the certainty of none of them and the grief over there being no certainty. A society so undisciplined in its cultural foundations could obviously not help but be a victim, politically, of its own chaos, and so we woke up to a world eager for social innovations, a world that gleefully pursued a freedom it didn’t grasp and a progress it had never defined. ~ Fernando Pessoa, #NFDB
1492:It is quite possible for abstruse theoretical formulations to be concocted in near-total isolation from the broad movements in the social structure, and in such cases competition between rival experts may occur in a sort of societal vacuum. For instance, two coteries of eremitical dervishes may go on disputing about the ultimate nature of the universe in the midst of the desert, with nobody on the outside being in the least interested in the dispute. As soon, however, as one or the other of these viewpoints gets a hearing in the surrounding society, it will be largely extratheoretical interests that will decide the outcome of the rivalry. Different social groups will have different affinities with the competing theories and will, subsequently, become “carriers” of the latter.95 Thus dervish theory A may appeal to the upper stratum and dervish theory B to the middle stratum of the society in question, for reasons far removed from the passions that animated the original inventors of these theories. The competing coteries of experts will then come to attach themselves to the “carrier” groups, and their subsequent fate will depend on the outcome of whatever conflict led these groups to adopt the respective theories. Rival definitions of reality are thus decided upon in the sphere of rival social interests whose rivalry is in turn “translated” into theoretical terms. Whether the rival experts and their respective supporters are “sincere” in their subjective relationship to the theories in question is of only secondary interest for a sociological understanding of these processes. When ~ Peter L Berger, #NFDB
1493:I believe you write the book you want to read. As a reader what I craved was some recognition, however refracted, of the tumult of lived experience, of the pain and absurdity of trying to reach other human beings with some modicum of honesty and openness. And so without quite realizing what I was doing, over the course of the next few years, I wrote a series of stories that eventually became my first book, each of which dramatized in one way or another this struggle: how to find intimacy in a culture that has hollowed out the very language we use to describe it. How to capture the experience of grief when our terms for it have been overrun by the commercialization of confession. The enemy wasn’t New Criticism. It was cliché.
I was trying to write prose whose rhythm created an atmosphere, a music, that allowed the nuances of human isolation, the desire to overcome it, and what it felt like to fail or sometimes briefly succeed in defying that isolation rise into the consciousness of a reader. What I believed then, and still do, is that in a violent, distracted, media-saturated world the most needed artistic resource is no longer a critique of the possibility of meaning—mass culture itself has become that critique. What is needed, rather, is the production of meaning that resists distraction. Consumer capitalism thrives by simultaneously creating human loneliness and commodifying a thousand cures for it. One form of resistance to it is the experience in art and life of a human intimacy achieved through sustained attention to what lies beyond and outside the sphere of the market. ~ Adam Haslett,#NFDB
1494:Song Of A Brigadier
I wear a splendid uniform;
I ride a splendid nag;
I talk both loud and valiantly
Of Honor and the Flag;
But let the South be easy still,
Her soldiers need not fear.
Ne'er shot nor blow shall lay them low
While I'm a Brigadier.
I canter gaily through the streets,
Attended by my staff,
Unheeding vulgar little boys
Who hoot and stare and chaff;
And such a staff! all foreign names,
Quite wonderful to hear,
Plain Yankee boys aren't good enough
For such a Brigadier.
I've Baron This and Duke of That,
And Prince of 'Tother, too,
The people ask me, 'What on earth
I have for them to do?'
'Tis plain to all but vulgar minds,
I want a kindred sphere;
There's nought like title, blood and style,
To aid a Brigadier!
No bloody wounds or hurts for me
Perhaps I am a sham;
But Politics and Influence
Have placed me where I am;
I give my dinners, draw my pay,
Drink brandy, wine or beer,
And mean to have a jolly time
While I'm a Brigadier.
Investigations pass me by,
Committees raise no row,
No one expects that I will fight --
264
And faith, I don't know how!
I'm not for use, but ornament,
So each day I appear,
In buttons, braid, in gold arrayed -A fancy Brigadier.
There are plenty in the field
Who really like to fight -Give me money and good clothes,
And I'll be harmless quite,
Yet there is something on my mind,
That I can't quite make clear,
How can the Government afford
My style of Brigadier!
~ Anonymous Americas,#NFDB
1495:Try as we will to take the “cure” of ineffectuality; to meditate on the Taoist fathers’ doctrine of submission, of withdrawal, of a sovereign absence; to follow, like them, the course of consciousness once it ceases to be at grips with the world and weds the form of things as water does, their favorite element—we shall never succeed. They scorn both our curiosity and our thirst for suffering; in which they differ from the mystics, and especially from the medieval ones, so apt to recommend the virtues of the hair shirt, the scourge, insomnia, inanition, and lament.
“A life of intensity is contrary to the Tao,” teaches Lao Tse, a normal man if ever there was one. But the Christian virus torments us: heirs of the flagellants, it is by refining our excruciations that we become conscious of ourselves. Is religion declining? We perpetuate its extravagances, as we perpetuate the macerations and the cell-shrieks of old, our will to suffer equaling that of the monasteries in their heyday. If the Church no longer enjoys a monopoly on hell, it has nonetheless riveted us to a chain of sighs, to the cult of the ordeal, of blasted joys and jubilant despair.
The mind, as well as the body, pays for “a life of intensity.” Masters in the art of thinking against oneself, Nietzsche, Baudelaire, and Dostoevsky have taught us to side with our dangers, to broaden the sphere of our diseases, to acquire existence by division from our being. And what for the great Chinaman was a symbol of failure, a proof of imperfection, constitutes for us the sole mode of possessing, of making contact with ourselves. ~ Emil M Cioran,#NFDB
1496:Water Not A Real Poem Just A Project I Had To Do
Water better known as H2O
or two hydrogen atoms combined
with oxygen we also call it aqua or
in spanish agua it has so much surface
tension that it froms a sphere because
it likes itself and wants nothing to do
with anybody eles and would you
believe it likes to fight with air we call
that vapor pressure like bloods and crips
i dont get they fight and never end the war
one side wins and than the other wins
thats how come we have water vapor
and a boiling point talking about condensation
and evaporation the water cycle is in your imagination
solvation of nacl happens when that oxygen gets close
to that sodium and and hydrogen makes out with cl
clorine yes thats what it is i hope you enjoyed my project because
thats how water gets down awwwwwwww yeah! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
gotta love that rap it was really really phat remix yall
everybody clap your hands over some water watch it ripple
if you create enough force it will begin to trickle down
the side of a glass into a pot throw on some heat and
watch it start to form some bubbles and in a short
while it will have disappeared now thats magic made easy
lol i mean learning made easy facts and fun mixed together
thats the way we tell the weather the rain the snow the sleet the hail has more
to do with freezing points and boiling points make no since byt still it does i
confused myself lost in the water drowing somewhat from the knowledge trying
to make a rap and see whats going on
~ david bailey,#NFDB
1497:The religious scholar and Muslim Brotherhood ideologist Sayyid Qutb articulated perhaps the most learned and influential version of this view. In 1964, while imprisoned on charges of participating in a plot to assassinate Egyptian President Nasser, Qutb wrote Milestones, a declaration of war against the existing world order that became a foundational text of modern Islamism. In Qutb’s view, Islam was a universal system offering the only true form of freedom: freedom from governance by other men, man-made doctrines, or “low associations based on race and color, language and country, regional and national interests” (that is, all other modern forms of governance and loyalty and some of the building blocks of Westphalian order). Islam’s modern mission, in Qutb’s view, was to overthrow them all and replace them with what he took to be a literal, eventually global implementation of the Quran. The culmination of this process would be “the achievement of the freedom of man on earth—of all mankind throughout the earth.” This would complete the process begun by the initial wave of Islamic expansion in the seventh and eighth centuries, “which is then to be carried throughout the earth to the whole of mankind, as the object of this religion is all humanity and its sphere of action is the whole earth.” Like all utopian projects, this one would require extreme measures to implement. These Qutb assigned to an ideologically pure vanguard, who would reject the governments and societies prevailing in the region—all of which Qutb branded “unIslamic and illegal”—and seize the initiative in bringing about the new order. ~ Henry Kissinger, #NFDB
1498:Night-time, regarded as a separate sphere of creation, is a universe in itself. The material nature of man, upon which philosophers tell us that a column of air forty-five miles in height continually presses, is wearied out at night, sinks into lassitude, lies down, and finds repose. The eyes of the flesh are closed; but in that drooping head, less inactive than is supposed, other eyes are opened. The unknown reveals itself. The shadowy existences of the invisible world become more akin to man; whether it be that there is a real communication, or whether things far off in the unfathomable abyss are mysteriously brought nearer, it seems as if the impalpable creatures inhabiting space come then to contemplate our natures, curious to comprehend the denizens of the earth. Some phantom creation ascends or descends to walk beside us in the dim twilight: some existence altogether different from our own, composed partly of human consciousness, partly of something else, quits his fellows and returns again, after presenting himself for a moment to our inward sight; and the sleeper, not wholly slumbering, nor yet entirely conscious, beholds around him strange manifestations of life—pale spectres, terrible or smiling, dismal phantoms, uncouth masks, unknown faces, hydra-headed monsters, undefined shapes, reflections of moonlight where there is no moon, vague fragments of monstrous forms. All these things which come and go in the troubled atmosphere of sleep, and to which men give the name of dreams, are, in truth, only realities invisible to those who walk about the daylight world. The dream-world is the Aquarium of Night. ~ Victor Hugo, #NFDB
1499:The Exile's Song
Th' immoderate Loves in their career,
Nor glory nor esteem attends,
But when the Cyprian Queen descends
Benignant from her starry sphere,
No Goddess can more justly claim
From man the grateful prayer.
Thy wrath, O Venus, still forbear,
Nor at my tender bosom aim
That venom'd arrow, ever won t' inspire,
Wing'd from thy golden bow, the pangs of keen desire.
II
May I in modesty delight,
Best present which the Gods can give,
Nor torn by jarring passions live
A prey to wrath and canker'd spite,
Still envious of a rival's charms,
Nor rouse the endless strife
While on my soul another Wife,
Impresses vehement alarms:
On us, dread Queen, thy mildest influence shed,
Thou who discern'st each crime that stains the nuptial bed.
II
My native land, and dearest home!
May I ne'er know an exil'd state,
Nor be it ever my sad fate,
While from thy well-known bourn I roam,
My hopeless anguish to bemoan.
Rather let death, let death
Take at that hour my forfeit breath,
For surely never was there known
On earth a curse so great, as to exceed
From his lov'd country torn, the wretched exile's need.
III
These eyes attest thy piteous tale,
Which not from fame alone we know;
But, O thou royal Dame, thy woe
No generous city doth bewail,
Nor one among thy former friends.
Abhorr'd by Heaven and Earth,
24
Perish the wretch devoid of worth,
Engross'd by mean and selfish ends,
Whose heart expands not, those he lov'd, to aid;
Never may I lament attachments thus repaid.
~ Euripides,#NFDB
1500:It is not easy for students to realize that to ask, as they often do, whether God exists and is merciful, just, good, or wrathful, is simply to project anthropomorphic concepts into a sphere to which they do not pertain. As the Upaniṣads declare: 'There, words do not reach.' Such queries fall short of the question. And yet—as the student must also understand—although that mystery is regarded in the Orient as transcendent of all thought and naming, it is also to be recognized as the reality of one’s own being and mystery. That which is transcendent is also immanent. And the ultimate function of Oriental myths, philosophies, and social forms, therefore, is to guide the individual to an actual experience of his identity with that; tat tvam asi ('Thou art that') is the ultimate word in this connection.
By contrast, in the Western sphere—in terms of the orthodox traditions, at any rate, in which our students have been raised—God is a person, the person who has created this world. God and his creation are not of the same substance. Ontologically, they are separate and apart. We, therefore, do not find in the religions of the West, as we do in those of the East, mythologies and cult disciplines devoted to the yielding of an experience of one’s identity with divinity. That, in fact, is heresy. Our myths and religions are concerned, rather, with establishing and maintaining an experience of relationship—and this is quite a different affair. Hence it is, that though the same mythological images can appear in a Western context and an Eastern, it will always be with a totally different sense. This point I regard as fundamental. ~ Joseph Campbell,#NFDB
179 Poetry
147 Integral Yoga
95 Occultism
66 Christianity
64 Fiction
50 Psychology
48 Philosophy
19 Science
15 Philsophy
12 Hinduism
9 Theosophy
9 Integral Theory
6 Yoga
6 Mythology
4 Sufism
3 Mysticism
3 Cybernetics
2 Education
1 Thelema
1 Buddhism
1 Baha i Faith
1 Alchemy
100 Sri Aurobindo
81 Nolini Kanta Gupta
52 Carl Jung
36 Percy Bysshe Shelley
33 Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
32 H P Lovecraft
31 The Mother
28 Plotinus
23 Aleister Crowley
19 John Keats
19 Franz Bardon
17 Walt Whitman
15 Satprem
15 Ralph Waldo Emerson
13 William Wordsworth
13 Robert Browning
11 Vyasa
11 Rudolf Steiner
11 Friedrich Schiller
9 Jorge Luis Borges
8 James George Frazer
6 Plato
6 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
6 Alice Bailey
5 Saint Augustine of Hippo
5 Edgar Allan Poe
4 Swami Vivekananda
4 Friedrich Nietzsche
4 Aldous Huxley
3 William Butler Yeats
3 Sri Ramakrishna
3 Ovid
3 Norbert Wiener
3 Joseph Campbell
3 Jordan Peterson
3 Jalaluddin Rumi
3 Henry David Thoreau
3 Al-Ghazali
3 A B Purani
2 Solomon ibn Gabirol
2 R Buckminster Fuller
2 Paul Richard
2 Nachmanides
2 Lucretius
2 Ken Wilber
2 Hafiz
2 George Van Vrekhem
2 Dante Alighieri
36 Shelley - Poems
32 Lovecraft - Poems
27 Savitri
21 Mysterium Coniunctionis
19 Keats - Poems
19 Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03
16 Whitman - Poems
15 Emerson - Poems
15 Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 01
14 Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 07
13 Wordsworth - Poems
13 The Synthesis Of Yoga
13 The Practice of Psycho therapy
13 The Future of Man
13 Browning - Poems
12 Liber ABA
11 Vishnu Purana
11 The Practice of Magical Evocation
11 The Life Divine
11 Schiller - Poems
10 The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious
10 Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 05
10 Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 02
9 The Phenomenon of Man
9 Plotinus - Complete Works Vol 01
8 The Human Cycle
8 The Golden Bough
8 Plotinus - Complete Works Vol 02
8 Magick Without Tears
8 Initiation Into Hermetics
8 Aion
7 Knowledge of the Higher Worlds
6 The Secret Doctrine
6 Record of Yoga
6 Plotinus - Complete Works Vol 03
6 Let Me Explain
6 Faust
6 A Treatise on Cosmic Fire
6 A Garden of Pomegranates - An Outline of the Qabalah
5 Plotinus - Complete Works Vol 04
5 Labyrinths
5 Hymn of the Universe
5 City of God
4 The Perennial Philosophy
4 Questions And Answers 1957-1958
4 Poe - Poems
4 Essays In Philosophy And Yoga
4 Crowley - Poems
4 Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 06
4 Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 04
4 Collected Poems
3 Yeats - Poems
3 Walden
3 Twilight of the Idols
3 Theosophy
3 The Hero with a Thousand Faces
3 The Alchemy of Happiness
3 Questions And Answers 1953
3 Questions And Answers 1950-1951
3 Metamorphoses
3 Maps of Meaning
3 Evening Talks With Sri Aurobindo
3 Cybernetics
3 Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 08
3 Agenda Vol 02
2 Words Of Long Ago
2 Vedic and Philological Studies
2 The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna
2 The Divine Comedy
2 Synergetics - Explorations in the Geometry of Thinking
2 Sex Ecology Spirituality
2 Sefer Yetzirah The Book of Creation In Theory and Practice
2 Questions And Answers 1929-1931
2 Preparing for the Miraculous
2 Of The Nature Of Things
2 Letters On Yoga IV
2 Letters On Yoga I
2 Isha Upanishad
2 Essays On The Gita
2 Bhakti-Yoga
2 Agenda Vol 11
2 Agenda Vol 10
2 Agenda Vol 08
2 Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2E
00.03 - Upanishadic Symbolism, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 02, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
TheChhandyogya12 gives a whole typal scheme of this universal reality and explains how to realise it and what are the results of the experience. The Universal Brahman means the cosmic movement, the cyclic march of things and events taken in its global aspect. The typical movement that symbolises and epitomises the phenomenon, embodies the truth, is that of the sun. The movement consists of five stages which are called the fivefold sma Sma means the equal Brahman that is ever present in all, the Upanishad itself says deriving the word from sama It is Sma also because it is a rhythmic movement, a cadencea music of the spheres. And a rhythmic movement, in virtue of its being a wave, consists of these five stages: (i) the start, (ii) the rise, (iii) the peak, (iv) the decline and (v) the fall. Now the sun follows this curve and marks out the familiar divisions of the day: dawn, forenoon, noon, afternoon and sunset. Sometimes two other stages are added, one at each end, one of preparation and another of final lapse the twilights with regard to the sun and then ,we have seven instead of five smas Like the Sun, the Fire that is to say, the sacrificial Firecan also be seen in its fivefold cyclic movement: (i) the lighting, (ii) the smoke, (iii) the flame, (iv) smouldering and finally (v) extinction the fuel as it is rubbed to produce the fire and the ashes may be added as the two supernumerary stages. Or again, we may take the cycle of five seasons or of the five worlds or of the deities that control these worlds. The living wealth of this earth is also symbolised in a quintetgoat and sheep and cattle and horse and finally man. Coming to the microcosm, we have in man the cycle of his five senses, basis of all knowledge and activity. For the macrocosm, to I bring out its vast extra-human complexity, the Upanishad refers to a quintet, each term of which is again a trinity: (i) the threefold Veda, the Divine Word that is the origin of creation, (ii) the three worlds or fieldsearth, air-belt or atmo sphere and space, (iii) the three principles or deities ruling respectively these worldsFire, Air and Sun, (iv) their expressions, emanations or embodimentsstars and birds and light-rays, and finally, (v) the original inhabitants of these worldsto earth belong the reptiles, to the mid-region the Gandharvas and to heaven the ancient Fathers.
Now, this is the All, the Universal. One has to realise it and possess in one's consciousness. And that can be done only in one way: one has to identify oneself with it, be one with it, become it. Thus by losing one's individuality one lives the life universal; the small lean separate life is enlarged and moulded in the rhythm of the Rich and the Vast. It is thus that man shares in the consciousness and energy that inspire and move and sustain the cosmos. The Upanishad most emphatically enjoins that one must not decry this cosmic godhead or deny any of its elements, not even such as are a taboo to the puritan mind. It is in and through an unimpaired global consciousness that one attains the All-Life and lives uninterruptedly and perennially: Sarvamanveti jyok jvati.
000 - Humans in Universe, #Synergetics - Explorations in the Geometry of Thinking, #R Buckminster Fuller, #Science
in all circumferential directions to become a finite system: a closed sphere. The
monarchs and merchants realized that, within that closed system, whoever
--
closed-system sphere, it apparently became scientifically manifest that there is a
fundamental inadequacy of life support on our planet. Until then all opinions on
0.00 - INTRODUCTION, #The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, #Sri Ramakrishna, #Hinduism
Hindu society during the eighteenth century had been passing through a period of decadence. It was the twilight of the Mussalman rule. There were anarchy and confusion in all spheres. Superstitious practices dominated the religious life of the people. Rites and rituals passed for the essence of spirituality. Greedy priests became the custodians of heaven. True philosophy was supplanted by dogmatic opinions. The pundits took delight in vain polemics.
In 1757 English traders laid the foundation of British rule in India. Gradually the Government was systematized and lawlessness suppressed. The Hindus were much impressed by the military power and political acumen of the new rulers. In the wake of the merchants came the English educators, and social reformers, and Christian missionaries — all bearing a culture completely alien to the Hindu mind. In different parts of the country educational institutions were set up and Christian churches established. Hindu young men were offered the heady wine of the Western culture of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and they drank it to the very dregs.
--
Born in an orthodox brahmin family, Sri Ramakrishna knew the formalities of worship, its rites and rituals. The innumerable gods and goddesses of the Hindu religion are the human aspects of the indescribable and incomprehensible Spirit, as conceived by the finite human mind. They understand and appreciate human love and emotion, help men to realize their secular and spiritual ideals, and ultimately enable men to attain liberation from the miseries of phenomenal life. The Source of light, intelligence, wisdom, and strength is the One alone from whom comes the fulfilment of desire. Yet, as long as a man is bound by his human limitations, he cannot but worship God through human forms. He must use human symbols. Therefore Hinduism asks the devotees to look on God as the ideal father, the ideal mother, the ideal husband, the ideal son, or the ideal friend. But the name ultimately leads to the Nameless, the form to the Formless, the word to the Silence, the emotion to the serene realization of Peace in Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute. The gods gradually merge in the one God. But until that realization is achieved, the devotee cannot dissociate human factors from his worship. Therefore the Deity is bathed and clothed and decked with ornaments. He is fed and put to sleep. He is propitiated with hymns, songs, and prayers. And there are appropriate rites connected with all these functions. For instance, to secure for himself external purity, the priest bathes himself in holy water and puts on a holy cloth. He purifies the mind and the sense-organs by appropriate meditations. He fortifies the place of worship against evil forces by drawing around it circles of fire and water. He awakens the different spiritual centres of the body and invokes the Supreme Spirit in his heart. Then he transfers the Supreme Spirit to the image before him and worships the image, regarding it no longer as clay or stone, but as the embodiment of Spirit, throbbing with Life and Consciousness. After the worship the Supreme Spirit is recalled from the image to Its true sanctuary, the heart of the priest. The real devotee knows the absurdity of worshipping the Transcendental Reality with material articles — clothing That which pervades the whole universe and the beyond, putting on a pedestal That which cannot be limited by space, feeding That which is disembodied and incorporeal, singing before That whose glory the music of the spheres tries vainly to proclaim. But through these rites the devotee aspires to go ultimately beyond rites and rituals, forms and names, words and praise, and to realize God as the All-pervading Consciousness.
Hindu priests are thoroughly acquainted with the rites of worship, but few of them are aware of their underlying significance. They move their hands and limbs mechanically, in obedience to the letter of the scriptures, and repeat the holy mantras like parrots. But from the very beginning the inner meaning of these rites was revealed to Sri Ramakrishna. As he sat facing the image, a strange transformation came over his mind. While going through the prescribed ceremonies, he would actually find himself encircled by a wall of fire protecting him and the place of worship from unspiritual vibrations, or he would feel the rising of the mystic Kundalini through the different centres of the body. The glow on his face, his deep absorption, and the intense atmo sphere of the temple impressed everyone who saw him worship the Deity.
0.00 - The Book of Lies Text, #The Book of Lies, #Aleister Crowley, #Philosophy
Each world contained a thousand million spheres.
Each sphere contained a thousand million planes.
Each plane contained a thousand million stars.
--
that substance is composed of many spheres.
The account given of Creation is the same as that
--
spheres upon the two and twenty million planes he
had his desire.
0.01f - FOREWARD, #The Phenomenon of Man, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
articulating and spacing out, within a sphere of indefinite radius,
the orbits of the objects which press round us ;
0.01 - Life and Yoga, #The Synthesis Of Yoga, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
HERE are two necessities of Nature's workings which seem always to intervene in the greater forms of human activity, whether these belong to our ordinary fields of movement or seek those exceptional spheres and fulfilments which appear to us high and divine. Every such form tends towards a harmonised complexity and totality which again breaks apart into various channels of special effort and tendency, only to unite once more in a larger and more puissant synthesis. Secondly, development into forms is an imperative rule of effective manifestation; yet all truth and practice too strictly formulated becomes old and loses much, if not all, of its virtue; it must be constantly renovated by fresh streams of the spirit revivifying the dead or dying vehicle and changing it, if it is to acquire a new life. To be perpetually reborn is the condition of a material immortality. We are in an age, full of the throes of travail, when all forms of thought and activity that have in themselves any strong power of utility or any secret virtue of persistence are being subjected to a supreme test and given their opportunity of rebirth. The world today presents the aspect of a huge cauldron of Medea in which all things are being cast, shredded into pieces, experimented on, combined and recombined either to perish and provide the scattered material of new forms or to emerge rejuvenated and changed for a fresh term of existence. Indian Yoga, in its essence a special action or formulation of certain great powers of Nature, itself specialised, divided and variously formulated, is potentially one of these dynamic elements of the future life of humanity. The child of immemorial ages, preserved by its vitality and truth into our modern times, it is now emerging from the secret schools and ascetic retreats in which it had taken refuge and is seeking its place in the future sum of living human powers and utilities. But it has first to rediscover itself, bring to the surface
The Conditions of the Synthesis
0.03 - The Threefold Life, #The Synthesis Of Yoga, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
In each of these forms Nature acts both individually and collectively; for the Eternal affirms Himself equally in the single form and in the group-existence, whether family, clan and nation or groupings dependent on less physical principles or the supreme group of all, our collective humanity. Man also may seek his own individual good from any or all of these spheres of activity, or identify himself in them with the collectivity and live for it, or, rising to a truer perception of this complex universe, harmonise the individual realisation with the collective aim. For as it is the right relation of the soul with the Supreme, while it is in the universe, neither to assert egoistically its separate being nor to blot itself out in the Indefinable, but to realise its unity with the Divine and the world and unite them in the individual, so the right relation of the individual with the collectivity is neither to pursue egoistically his own material or mental progress or spiritual salvation without regard to his fellows, nor for the sake of the community to suppress or maim his proper development, but to sum up in himself all its best and completest possibilities and pour them out by thought, action and all other means on his surroundings so that the whole race may approach nearer to the attainment of its supreme personalities.
It follows that the object of the material life must be to fulfil, above all things, the vital aim of Nature. The whole aim of the material man is to live, to pass from birth to death with as much comfort or enjoyment as may be on the way, but anyhow to live.
--
When the gulf between actual life and the temperament of the thinker is too great, we see as the result a sort of withdrawing of the Mind from life in order to act with a greater freedom in its own sphere. The poet living among his brilliant visions, the artist absorbed in his art, the philosopher thinking out the problems of the intellect in his solitary chamber, the scientist, the scholar caring only for their studies and their experiments, were often in former days, are even now not unoften the Sannyasins of the intellect. To the work they have done for humanity, all its past bears record.
But such seclusion is justified only by some special activity.
0.04 - The Systems of Yoga, #The Synthesis Of Yoga, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
But the weakness of the system lies in its excessive reliance on abnormal states of trance. This limitation leads first to a certain aloofness from the physical life which is our foundation and the sphere into which we have to bring our mental and spiritual gains. Especially is the spiritual life, in this system, too much associated with the state of Samadhi. Our object is to make the spiritual life and its experiences fully active and fully utilisable in the waking state and even in the normal use of the functions.
But in Rajayoga it tends to withdraw into a subliminal plane at the back of our normal experiences instead of descending and possessing our whole existence.
01.01 - The New Humanity, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 01, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
Although we may not know it, the New Man the divine race of humanity is already among us. It may be in our next neighbour, in our nearest brother, even in myself. Only a thin veil covers it. It marches just behind the line. It waits for an occasion to throw off the veil and place itself in the forefront. We are living in strenuous times in which age-long institutions are going down and new-forces rearing their heads, old habits are being cast off and new impulsions acquired. In every sphere of life, we see the urgent demand for a recasting, a fresh valuation of things. From the base to the summit, from the economic and political life to the artistic and spiritual, humanity is being shaken to bring out a new expression and articulation. There is the hidden surge of a Power, the secret stress of a Spirit that can no longer suffer to remain in the shade and behind the mask, but wills to come out in the broad daylight and be recognised in its plenary virtues.
That Power, that Spirit has been growing and gathering its strength during all the millenniums that humanity has lived through. On the momentous day when man appeared on earth, the Higher Man also took his birth. Since the hour the Spirit refused to be imprisoned in its animal sheath and came out as man, it approached by that very uplift a greater freedom and a vaster movement. It was the crest of that underground wave which peered over the surface from age to age, from clime to clime through the experiences of poets and prophets and sages the Head of the Sacrificial Horse galloping towards the Dawn.
01.02 - Natures Own Yoga, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
In the Supermind things exist in their perfect spiritual reality; each is consciously the divine reality in its transcendent essence, its cosmic extension, its, spiritual individuality; the diversity of a manifested existence is there, but the mutually exclusive separativeness has not yet arisen. The ego, the knot of separativity, appears at a later and lower stage of involution; what is here is indivisible nexus of individualising centres of the one eternal truth of being. Where Supermind and Overmind meet, one can see the multiple godheads, each distinct in his own truth and beauty and power and yet all together forming the one supreme consciousness infinitely composite and inalienably integral. But stepping back into Supermind one sees something moreOneness gathering into itself all diversity, not destroying it, but annulling and forbidding the separative consciousness that is the beginning of Ignorance. The first shadow of the Illusory Consciousness, the initial possibility of the movement of Ignorance comes in when the supramental light enters the penumbra of the mental sphere. The movement of Supermind is the movement of light without obscurity, straight, unwavering, unswerving, absolute. The Force here contains and holds in their oneness of Reality the manifold but not separated lines of essential and unalloyed truth: its march is the inevitable progression of each one assured truth entering into and upholding every other and therefore its creation, play or action admits of no trial or stumble or groping or deviation; for each truth rests on all others and on that which harmonises them all and does not act as a Power diverging from and even competing with other Powers of being. In the Overmind commences the play of divergent possibilities the simple, direct, united and absolute certainties of the supramental consciousness retire, as it were, a step behind and begin to work themselves out through the interaction first of separately individualised and then of contrary and contradictory forces. In the Overmind there is a conscious underlying Unity but yet each Power, Truth, Aspect of that Unity is encouraged to work out its possibilities as if it were sufficient to itself and the others are used by it for its own enhancement until in the denser and darker reaches below Overmind this turns out a thing of blind conflict and battle and, as it would appear, of chance survival. Creation or manifestation originally means the concretisation or devolution of the powers of Conscious Being into a play of united diversity; but on the line which ends in Matter it enters into more and more obscure forms and forces and finally the virtual eclipse of the supreme light of the Divine Consciousness. Creation as it descends' towards the Ignorance becomes an involution of the Spirit through Mind and Life into Matter; evolution is a movement backward, a return journey from Matter towards the Spirit: it is the unravelling, the gradual disclosure and deliverance of the Spirit, the ascension and revelation of the involved consciousness through a series of awakeningsMatter awakening into Life, Life awakening into Mind and Mind now seeking to awaken into something beyond the Mind, into a power of conscious Spirit.
The apparent or actual result of the movement of Nescienceof Involutionhas been an increasing negation of the Spirit, but its hidden purpose is ultimately to embody the Spirit in Matter, to express here below in cosmic Time-Space the splendours of the timeless Reality. The material body came into existence bringing with it inevitably, as it seemed, mortality; it appeared even to be fashioned out of mortality, in order that in this very frame and field of mortality, Immortality, the eternal Spirit Consciousness which is the secret truth and reality in Time itself as well as behind it, might be established and that the Divine might be possessed, or rather, possess itself not in one unvarying mode of the static consciousness, as it does even now behind the cosmic play, but in the play itself and in the multiple mode of the terrestrial existence.
01.02 - The Issue, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
Her playmate in the sempiternal spheres
Descended from its unattainable realms
01.03 - The Yoga of the King - The Yoga of the Souls Release, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
His was a spirit that stooped from larger spheres
Into our province of ephemeral sight,
01.04 - The Poetry in the Making, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 02, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
Such a stage in human evolution, the advent of Homo Faber, has been a necessity; it has to serve a purpose and it has done admirably its work. Only we have to put it in its proper place. The salvation of an extremely self-conscious age lies in an exceeding and not in a further enhancement or an exclusive concentration of the self-consciousness, nor, of course, in a falling back into the original unconsciousness. It is this shift in the poise of consciousness that has been presaged and prepared by the conscious, the scientific artists of today. Their task is to forge an instrument for a type of poetic or artistic creation completely new, unfamiliar, almost revolutionary which the older mould would find it impossible to render adequately. The yearning of the human consciousness was not to rest satisfied with the familiar and the ordinary, the pressure was for the discovery of other strands, secret stores of truth and reality and beauty. The first discovery was that of the great Unconscious, the dark and mysterious and all-powerful subconscient. Many of our poets and artists have been influenced by this power, some even sought to enter into that region and become its denizens. But artistic inspiration is an emanation of Light; whatever may be the field of its play, it can have its origin only in the higher spheres, if it is to be truly beautiful and not merely curious and scientific.
That is what is wanted at present in the artistic world the true inspiration, the breath from higher altitudes. And here comes the role of the mystic, the Yogi. The sense of evolution, the march of human consciousness demands and prophesies that the future poet has to be a mysticin him will be fulfilled the travail of man's conscious working. The self-conscious craftsman, the tireless experimenter with his adventurous analytic mind has sharpened his instrument, made it supple and elastic, tempered, refined and enriched it; that is comparable to what we call the aspiration or call from below. Now the Grace must descend and fulfil. And when one rises into this higher consciousness beyond the brain and mind, when one lives there habitually, one knows the why and the how of things, one becomes a perfectly conscious operator and still retains all spontaneity and freshness and wonder and magic that are usually associated with inconscience and irreflection. As there is a spontaneity of instinct, there is likewise also a spontaneity of vision: a child is spontaneous in its movements, even so a seer. Not only so, the higher spontaneity is more spontaneous, for the higher consciousness means not only awareness but the free and untrammelled activity and expression of the truth and reality it is.
01.04 - The Secret Knowledge, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
Remote in sovereign spheres that never meet
Or fronting like far poles of Night and Day.
01.05 - The Yoga of the King - The Yoga of the Spirits Freedom and Greatness, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
On the unseen links that join the parted spheres.
Thence to the initiate who observes her laws
01.07 - Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 02, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
In his inquiry into truth and certitude Pascal takes his stand upon what he calls the geometrical method, the only valid method, according to him, in the sphere of reason. The characteristic of this method is that it takes for granted certain fundamental principles and realitiescalled axioms and postulates or definitionsand proceeds to other truths that are infallibly and inevitably deduced from them, that are inherent and implied in them. There is no use or necessity in trying to demonstrate these fundamentals also; that will only land us into confusion and muddle. They have to be simply accepted, they do not require demonstration, it is they that demonstrate others. Such, for instance, are space, time, number, the reality of which it is foolishness and pedantry to I seek to prove. There is then an order of truths that do not i require to be proved. We are referring only to the order of I physical truths. But there is another order, Pascal says, equally I valid and veritable, the order of the Spirit. Here we have another set of fundamentals that have to be accepted and taken for granted, matrix of other truths and realities. It can also be called the order of the Heart. Reason posits physical fundamentals; it does not know of the fundamentals of the Heart which are beyond its reach; such are God, Soul, Immortality which are evident only to Faith.
But Faith and Reason, according to Pascal, are not contraries nor irreconcilables. Because the things of faith are beyond reason, it is not that they are irrational. Here is what Pascal says about the function and limitation of reason:
01.09 - The Parting of the Way, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 01, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
The inflatus of something vast and transcendent, something which escapes all our familiar schemes of cognisance and yet is insistent with a translucent reality of its own, we do feel sometimes within us invading and enveloping our individuality, lifting up our sense of self and transmuting our personality into a reality which can hardly be called merely human. All this life of ego-bound rationality then melts away and opens out the passage for a life of vision and power. Thus it is the poet has felt when he says, "there is this incalculable element in human life influencing us from the mystery which envelops our being, and when reason is satisfied, there is something deeper than Reason which makes us still uncertain of truth. Above the human reason there is a transcendental sphere to which the spirit of men sometimes rises, and the will may be forged there at a lordly smithy and made the unbreakable pivot."(A.E.)
This passage from the self-conscient to the super-conscient does not imply merely a shifting of the focus of consciousness. The transmutation of consciousness involves a purer illumination, a surer power and a wider compass; it involves also a fundamental change in the very mode of being and living. It gives quite a different life-intuition and a different life-power. The change in the motif brings about a new form altogether, a re-casting and re-shaping and re-energising of the external materials as well. As the lift from mere consciousness to self-consciousness meant all the difference between an animal and a man, so the lift again from self-consciousness to super-consciousness will mean the difference of a whole world between man and the divine creature that is to be.
01.12 - Goethe, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 02, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
The angels weave the symphony that is creation. They represent the various notes and rhythmsin their higher and purer degrees that make up the grand harmony of the spheres. It is magnificent, this music that moves the cosmos, and wonderful the glory of God manifest therein. But is it absolutely perfect? Is there nowhere any flaw in it? There is a doubting voice that enters a dissenting note. That is Satan, the Antagonist, the Evil One. Man is the weakest link in the chain of the apparently all-perfect harmony. And Satan boldly proposes to snap it if God only let him do so. He can prove to God that the true nature of his creation is not cosmos but chaos not a harmony in peace and light, but a confusion, a Walpurgis Night. God acquiesces in the play of this apparent breach and proves in the end that it is part of a wider scheme, a vaster harmony. Evil is rounded off by Grace.
The total eradication of Evil from the world and human nature and the remoulding of a terrestrial life in the substance and pattern of the Highest Good that is beyond all dualities is a conception which it was not for Goe the to envisage. In the order of reality or existence, first there is the consciousness of division, of trenchant separation in which Good is equated with not-evil and evil with not-good. This is the outlook of individualised consciousness. Next, as the consciousness grows and envelops the whole existence, good and evil are both embraced and are found to form a secret and magic harmony. That is the universal or cosmic consciousness. And Goethe's genius seems to be an outflowering of something of this status of consciousness. But there is still a higher status, the status of transcendence in which evil is not simply embraced but dissolved and even transmuted into a supreme reality of which it is an aberration, a reflection or projection, a lower formulation. That is the mystery of a spiritual realisation to which Goe the aspired perhaps, but had not the necessary initiation to enter into.
0 1957-01-18, #Agenda Vol 01, #unset, #Zen
You told me one day that I could be useful to you. Then, by chance, I came across this passage from Sri Aurobindo the other day: Everyone has in him something divine, something his own, a chance of perfection and strength in however small a sphere which God offers him to take or refuse.
Could you tell me, as a favor, what this particular thing is in me which may be useful to you and serve you? If I could only know what my real work is in this world All the conflicting impulses in me stem from my being like an unemployed force, like a being whose place has not yet been determined.
0 1961-02-18, #Agenda Vol 02, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
So well see how long this is going to last. I understand why people have never tried to change it: stir up that quagmire? No! It takes a lot (laughing), a lot of courage! Oh, its so easy to escape, so easy to say, None of that concerns me. I belong to higher spheres, it doesnt concern me.
Anyway, its obvious that nobody has succeeded, so far not a single person and I understand! I understand. When you find yourself face to face with it, you wonder, How could anything possibly withstand this!
0 1961-07-28, #Agenda Vol 02, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
All at once, as I gaze above me, I glimpse something roseate; I draw nearer and discern what appears to be a shrub, as large as a tree, held fast to a blue reef. The denizens of the waters glide to and fro, myriad and diverse. Now I find myself standing upon fine, shining sand. I gaze about me in wonder. There are mountains and valleys, fantastic forests, strange flowers that could as well be animals, and fish that might be flowersno separation, no gap is there between stationary beings and mobile. Colors everywhere, brilliant and shimmering, or subdued, but always harmonious and refined. I walk upon the golden sands and contemplate all this beauty bathed in a soft, pale blue radiance, tiny, luminous spheres of red, green and gold circulating through it.
How marvelous are the depths of the sea! Everywhere the presence of the One in whom all harmonies reside is felt!
0 1961-08-02, #Agenda Vol 02, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
A re-creation would mean that a new contingent of the Inconscient and Subconscient would come in from other spheres, or from the Supremewell, this isnt the case. We consider the Inconscient to be an accident: if it happened, it happened; but its not part of an infinite and eternal creation.
Then are our vibrations of consciousness effective for changing these general vibrations?
0 1963-06-12, #Agenda Vol 04, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
It is a law of progress: whether the progress of the worlds, of the spheres, or individual progress, its the same thing, though on different scales. I have a feeling that we are in one of those periods.
One must be very careful to keep ones balance.
0 1964-03-25, #Agenda Vol 05, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
Thats exactly what cannot be said! When you have the vision and consciousness of the Truth-Order, of that which is DIRECT, the direct expression of the Truth, you immediately feel something inexpressible, because all words belong to the other sphere; all images, all comparisons, all expressions belong to the other sphere.
I had precisely that great difficulty (it was on February 29): all the time while I was living in that consciousness of the DIRECT manifestation of the Truth, I tried to formulate what I was feeling, what I was seeingit was impossible. There were no words. And immediately, merely formulating things made me instantly fall back into the other consciousness.
0 1966-12-07, #Agenda Vol 07, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
Basically, when we have reached the end (the end which is the beginning of something else), the end of this work of transformation, when it really is the transformation and we are settled in it, maybe well remember and derive a special pleasure from remembering having gone through this? In the higher spheres it has always been said that those who have the courage to come for the preparation will have, when its done, superior assets and of a more intimate and deeper quality than those who will have quietly waited for others to do the work for them.
It may be so.
0 1967-02-25, #Agenda Vol 08, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
Its becoming very, very precise, very clear, very visible in the developed human mind. For the functioning of the body, for example, the difference between the action and perception of the consciousness, and the action and perception of the mind. And in our world as its still organized, the mind is more (oh, it is a very interesting impression) much more concreteconcrete in the sense of what we are in the habit (the bad habit) of calling real and fixed. Its not translucent, not fluid; its not plastic, not fluid: its mental, concrete. And then, the mind needs acquired knowledge and all the contacts with the outside. Lets take a disorder in the bodys functioning (which may come for all kinds of reasons that are very interesting to observe, but anyhow, we cant speak of everything at the same time), the disorder is there and is expressed through a sense of discomfort; the way the consciousness behaves and acts and the way the mind behaves and acts are entirely, absolutely different (we cant say opposite, but absolutely different). Then there is the weakness (I am talking about the sensation of the body itself), the weakness arising from old habit. Its not a lack of faith, the body knows in an almost absolute way that there is only one salvation, one saviour: THE Consciousness. But there is a weakness that causes a sort of slackening, a letting go to habit, and thats where an intensity of faith is needed but an energy in the faithin order not to yield. This goes on in a very small sphere, you understand, its a question not even of minutesof seconds. And if there is a letting go, it means illness; while the other way (of the consciousness) means, little by little, little by little, the unreality of the disorder.
But it means an intensity of faith which, compared to the present state of mankind, may be regarded as miraculous.
0 1967-12-06, #Agenda Vol 08, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
When you realize those two attitudes simultaneously, the contagion is abolished: the mental contagion (the one Sri Aurobindo refers to here, the one you get when you admire something), the mental contagion, the vital contagion, and EVEN THE PHYSICAL CONTAGIONwhen the cells realize that, you stop catching illnesses. Because formerly (for a long time), whenever something occurred in the sphere of influence of the action, there used to be a repercussion (in Mother). For a very long time, it was dangerous. Then it became reduced to a sense of unease which would become conscious, and conscious of the why the why and the how. It was reduced to a state of unease, but it was still tiresome. And now its a kind of I cant say knowledge, because its not mental, but an awareness (theres no word for it in French), a perception and nothing more, it doesnt have any action (that is, any repercussion in Mothers body). So then, the whole problem lies there:
There are those who found this, the vertical ascent to the heights, and who isolated themselves from the world (they werent able to do that completely because they didnt have the knowledge, but they tried). Thats not the solution. Then there are those who want to help, the generous ones who are like this (gesture of horizontal expansion), and who catch everything, even the mental illnesses of all the people around them. The truth is the two together: this, the passive, receptive state (vertical gesture), and that, the active state of action and radiating influence (horizontal gesture). And the body has become wholly conscious of the dual movement and is working to realize it in detail.
0 1969-05-10, #Agenda Vol 10, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
The body knows a lot, a lot of things about what happens (I think, in fact, about all that happens within its sphere of activity), but its forbidden to say them. And those things are put in such a way that they cant be said, because the way theyre put, they wouldnt make any sense for others. Dont speak, dont speak.
But the quantity of formations in the earth atmo sphere that we might call defeatist, its tre-men-dous! You wonder how everything isnt smashed, its so Everybody is all the time, all the time shaping catastrophesexpecting the worst, seeing the worst, observing nothing but the worst. Their reactions Oh, you know, its down to the smallest things: the body observes everything. So when the reaction is in harmony, everything is fine; when there is that reaction I now call defeatist, if someone takes an object, he drops it. It happens all the time. Theres absolutely no reason whatsoever why it should happen: its the presence of the defeatist consciousness. Someone takes an object, and drops it; he wanted to do one thing, and he is made to do another.. And if (the body having been aware of it), if it makes the mistake of telling the person the thing AS IT IS, the person is completely upset! It happened again two days agoa very simple thing, you know, that is, just as it is, and the person is completely upset!
0 1969-08-20, #Agenda Vol 10, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
Hes had that sensation. He said, They will do it as they usually do; they generally give you a promotion somewhere: they might, for instance, nominate me bishop of [such and such a country]. Then he would be driven out of the Vatican. But when something of that kind happens, you are put under the Holy Office, which means you cannot talk to anyone and are obliged to answer with yes or no. If this situation comes, asks PL., what shall I do? Should I fight it out to assert my place at the Vatican, because they must give me the reasons for my exclusion (he can openly challenge their intentions), or should I accept, get caught tip in the meshes of a post such as that of bishop [of such and such a country], with, at the same time, a rather widespread sphere of actionshould I accept that? Or what should I do in that case? His sensation is that he is going to be excluded from the Vatican this year.
Officially, is it the Pope who does it, or the cardinals?
0 1970-01-17, #Agenda Vol 11, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
Shell The idea was a sphere. Why a shell?
A shell, anyhow a round, spherical shape.
0 1970-12-02, #Agenda Vol 11, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
A beauty that belongs to happier spheres.
II.II.107
02.01 - Our Ideal, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
Even of this descent of the Divine Consciousness, however, there are varying degrees, in accordance with the nature of the work it has got to do. In the inferior ranges of evolutionary Nature the lower hemi sphere, as it is called, of Mind, Life and MatterDescent is partial and indirect and relative, the aim being a more or less reconditioning of Matter, not its thorough transformation: this becomes possible when Nature has risen to Mind and has prepared herself to take the further, the crucial leap into the higher hemi sphere, the sphere of dynamic spiritual truth.
Nature's attempt at the transcendence of Mind opens the door for a more and more direct and integral descent of the Divine Consciousness, and in its highest degrees the degrees of the Supermind the Descent means a reversal of the normal values, a swift and total transfiguration of earthly life into the mould of supernal spiritual realities. An absolute degree of the Descent, an irruption of the Divine Consciousness in its supreme purity and fullness becomes inevitable in the end: for that alone can bring about the fulfilment that Nature ultimately has in view. Matter will yield completely, and life power too, only to the direct touch and embrace of the Divine's own self.
02.01 - The World-Stair, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
Recalling the lost spheres from which they fell.
Unsatisfied forces in her bosom move;
02.01 - The World War, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 01, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
Not that spiritual men have not served and worked for the welfare of the world; but their work could not be wholly effective, it was mixed, maimed, temporary in effect. This could not be otherwise, for their activity proceeded from inferior and feebler sources of inspiration and consciousness other than those that are purely spiritual. Firstly, little more was possible for them than to exercise an indirect influence; their spiritual realisation could bring into the life of the world only a reminiscence, an echo, just a touch and a ray from another world. Or, secondly, when they did take part in worldly affairs, their activity could not rise much beyond the worldly standard; it remained enclosed within the sphere of the moral and the conventional, took such forms as, for example, charity and service and philanthropy. Nothing higher than ideas and ideals confined to the moral, that is to say, the mental plane, could be brought into play in the world and its practical lifeeven the moral and mental idea itself has often been mistaken for true spirituality. Thus the very ideal of governing or moulding our worldly preoccupations according to a truly spiritual or a supramental or transcendental consciousness was a rare phenomenon and even where the ideal was found, it is doubtful whether the right means and methods were discovered. Yet the sole secret of changing man's destiny and transmuting the world lies in the discovery and application of a supreme spiritual Conscious-Power.
Humanists once affirmed that nothing that concerned man was alien to them, all came within their domain. The spiritual man too can make the affirmation with the same or even a greater emphasis. Indeed the spiritual consciousness in the highest degree and greatest compass must needs govern and fashion man in his entire being, in all his members and functions. The ideal, as we have said, has seldom been accepted; generally it has been considered as a chimera and an impossibility. That is why, we repeat, even to this day the world has its cup of misery full to the brimaniryam asukham.
02.02 - Lines of the Descent of Consciousness, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
The next stage of devolution is the Mind proper. There or perhaps even before, on the lower reaches of the Overmind, the gods have become all quite separate, self-centred, each bounded in his own particular sphere and horizon. The overmind gods the true godsare creators in a world of balanced or harmoniously held difference; they are powers that fashion each a special fulfilment, enhancing one another at the same time (parasparam bhvayantah). Between the Overmind and the Mind there is a class of lesser godsthey have been called formateurs; they do not create in the strict sense of the term, they give form to what the anterior gods have created and projected. These form-makers that consolidate the encasement, fix definitely the image, have most probably been envisaged in the Indian dhynamrtis. But in the Mind the gods become still more fixed and rigid, stereotyped; the mental gods inspire exclusive systems, extreme and abstract generalisations, theories and principles and formulae that, even when they seek to force and englobe all in their cast-iron mould, can hardly understand or tolerate each other.
Mind is the birth-place of absolute division and exclusivismit is the own home of egoism. Egoism is that ignorant modea twist or knot of consciousness which cuts up the universal unity into disparate and antagonistic units: it creates isolated, mutually exclusive whorls in the harmonious rhythm and vast commonalty of the one consciousness or conscious existence. The Sankhya speaks of the principle of ego coming or appearing after the principle of vastness (mahat). The Vast is the region above the Mind, where the unitary consciousness is still intact; with the appearance of the Mind has also appeared an intolerant self-engrossed individualism that culminates, as its extreme and violent expression, in the asuraAsura, the mentalised vital being.
--
We were speaking of the descent into the Vital, the domain of dynamism, desire and hunger. The Vital is also the field of some strong creative Powers who follow, or are in secret contact with the line of unitary consciousness, who are open to influences from a deeper or higher or subtler consciousness. Along with the demons there is also a line of daimona, guardian angels, in the hierarchy of vital beings. Much of what is known as aesthetic or artistic creation derives its spirit from this sphere. Many of the gods of beauty and delight are denizens of this heaven. Gandharvas and Kinnaras are here, Dionysus and even Apollo perhaps (at least in their mythological aspectin their occult reality they properly belong to the Overmind which is the own home of the gods), many of the angels, seraphs and cherubs dwell here. In fact, the mythological heaven for the most part can be located in this region.
All this is comprised within what we term the Higher or the Middle Vital. In the lower vital, we have said, consciousness has become still more circumscribed, dark, ignorantly obstinate, disparately disintegrated. It is the seed-bed of lust and cruelty, of all that is small and petty and low and mean, all that is dirt and filth. It is here that we place the picas, djinns, ghouls and ghosts, and vampires, beings who possess the possessed.
--
Thus naturally there appear gradations of the human personality; as the consciousness in the human being rises higher and higher, the psychic centre organises a higher and higher a richer, wider, deeper personality. The first great conversion, the first turning of the human personality to a new mode of life and living, that is to say, living even externally according to the inner truth and reality, the first attempt at a conscious harmonisation of the psychic consciousness with its surface agents and vehicles is what is known as spiritual initiation. This may happen and it does happen even when man lives in his normal mental consciousness. But there is the possibility of growth and evolution and transformation of personality in higher and a higher spiritual degree through the upper reaches of the higher Mind, the varying degrees of the Overmind and finally the Supermind. These are the spheres, the fields, even the continents of the personality, but the stuff, the substance of the personality, the inner nucleus of consciousness-force is formed, first, by the flaming aspiration, the upward drive within the developing and increasing psychic being itself, and secondly, by the descent, to a greater and greater degree, of the original Being from which it emanated. The final coalescence of the fully and integrally developed psychic being with the supreme splendour of its very source, the Jivatman, occurs in the Supermind. When this happens the supramental personality becomes incarnate in the physical body: Matter in the material plane is transformed into a radiant substance made of pure consciousness, the human personality becomes a living form of the Divine. Thus the wheel comes full circle: creation returns to the point from which it started but with an added significance, a new fulfilment.
The mystery of rebirth in the evolution of the human personality is nothing but the mystery of the developing psyche. At first this psyche or soul is truly a being: no bigger than the thumb it is the hardly audible still small voice. The experiences of lifesweet or bitter, happy or unhappy, good or bad, howsoever they may appear to the outward eye and perceptionall the dialectics of a terrestrial existence contri bute to the growth and development of the psychic consciousness. Each span of life means a special degree or mode of growth necessitated by the inner demand and drive of the divine Individual seated within the heart. The whole end in view of this secret soul is to move always towards and be united again with its Oversoul, its original and high archetype in the Divine Consciousness: the entire course of its earthly evolution is chalked out and patterned by the exact need of its growth. Whatever happens in each particular life, all the currents of all the lives converge and coalesce, and serve the psychic consciousness to swell in volume and intensity and be one with the Divine Consciousness. Or, in a different imagery, one can say that the multifarious experiences of various lives are as fuel to the Inner Firethis Psychic Agni which is just a spark or a thin tongue at the outset of the human evolutionary course; but with the addition of fuel from life to life this Fire flames up, indeed, becomes ultimately a conflagration that bums and purifies the entire outer vehicle and transforms it into radiant mattera fit receptacle, incarnation of the supernal Light. The mounting Fire (the consciousness-energy secreted in the earth-bound heart of Matter) finally flares up, discloses itself in its full amplitude and calls and attracts into it the incandescent supramental Solar sphere which is the type and pattern it has to embody and express. This is the marriage of Heaven and Earth, of which the mystics all over the earth in all ages spoke and sangto which the Vedic Rishi refers when he declares:
Dyaur me pit mt pthiv iyam,1
02.02 - Rishi Dirghatama, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 02, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
This is again a sphinx puzzle indeed. But what is the meaning? The universe, the creation has its fundamental truth in a Trinity: Agni (the Fire-god) upon earth, Vayu (the Wind-god) in the middle regions and in heaven the Sun. In other words, breaking up the symbolism we may say that the creation is a triple reality, three principles constitute its nature. Matter, Life and Consciousness or status, motion and Light. This triplicity however does not exhaust the whole of the mystery. For the ultimate mystery is imbedded within the heart of the third brother, for our rishis saw there the Universal Divine Being and his seven sons. In our familiar language we may say it is the Supreme Being, God himself (Purushottama) and his seven lines of self-manifestation. We have often heard of the seven worlds or levels of being and consciousness, the seven chords of the Divine Music. In more familiar terms we say that body and life and mind form the lower half of the cosmic reality and its upper half consists of Sat-Chit-Ananda (or Satya- Tap as-Jana). And the link, the nodus that joins the two spheres is the fourth principle (Turya), the Supermind, Vijnana. Such is the vision of Rishi Dirghatama, its fundamental truth in a nutshell. To know this mystery is the whole knowledge and knowing this, one need know nothing else.
A word is perhaps necessary to complete the sense of the commentary. Agni has been called old and ancient (Palita), but why? Agni is the first among the gods. He has come down upon earth, entered into matter with the very creation of the material existence. He is the secret energy hidden in the atom which is attracting, invoking all the other gods to manifest themselves. It is he who drives the material consciousness in its evolutionary re-course upward towards the radiant fullness in the solar Supra-Consciousness at the summit. He is however not only energy, he is also delight (vma). For he is the Soma, the nectarous flow, occult in the Earth's body. For Earth is the storehouse of the sap of Life, the source of the delightful growths of Life here below.
02.02 - The Kingdom of Subtle Matter, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
Persuading heaven to inhabit that wonder sphere.
The future's marvels wander in its gulfs;
--
A beauty that belongs to happier spheres.
This is the destiny bequea thed to her,
--
As yet earth's imperfection is our sphere,
Our nature's glass shows not our real self;
02.03 - An Aspect of Emergent Evolution, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
This, however, is an aspect of the problem with which we are not immediately concerned. There is one question with which we have omitted to deal but which is nearer to us and touches present actualities. We spoke of the emergence of the Deity and of the Supreme Deityafter Mind. The question is, how long after? I do not refer to the duration of time needed, but to the steps or the stages that have to be passed. For between Mind and Deity, certainly between Mind and the Supreme Deity (Purushottama, as we would say), there may presumably still lie a course of graded emergence. In fact, Sri Aurobindo speaks of the Overmind and the Supermind, as farther steps of the evolutionary progress coming after Mind. He says that Mind closes the interior hemi sphere of man's nature and consciousness; with Overmind man enters into the higher sphere of the Spirit. In this view, the religious feeling or perception or conduct would be but an intermediary stage between Mind and Overmind. They are not really emergent properties, but reflections, faint echoes and promises of what is to come, mixed up with attributes of the present mentality. The Overmind brings in a true emergence.
Still Overmindwhose characteristic is a cosmic consciousness and a transcendence of all ego-senseis not the firm basis on which a new terrestrial organisation can stand and endure. It is still a basis of unstable equilibrium. For it is not the supernal light and, although it transcends all ignorance, yet does not possess that absolute synthetic unity, that transcendent power of consciousness which is at once the cosmic and the individual. That is the domain of the Supermind.
02.03 - The Glory and the Fall of Life, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
And gleaming spheres of strange felicity
Floated through distance like a symbol world.
02.03 - The Shakespearean Word, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 02, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
In the world of poetry Dante is a veritable avatar . His language is a supreme magic. The word-unit in him is a quantum of highly concentrated perceptive energy, Tapas. In Kalidasa the quantum is that of the energy of the light in sensuous beauty. And Homer's voice is a quantum of the luminous music of the spheres.
The word-unit, the language quantum in Sri Aurobindo's poetry is a packet of consciousness-force, a concentrated power of Light (instinct with a secret Delight)listen:
02.05 - Federated Humanity, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 01, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
The original unit of the human aggregate is the family; it is like the original cell which lies at the back of the entire system that is called the human body or, for that matter, any organic body. A living and stable nucleus is needed round which a crystallisation and growth can occur. The family furnished such a nucleus in the early epochs of humanity. But with the growth of human life there came a time when, for a better and more efficient organization in collective life, larger units were needed. The original unit had to be enlarged in order to meet the demands of a wider and more complex growth. Also it is to be noted that the living body is not merely a conglomeration of cells, all more or less equal and autonomous something like a democratic or an anarchic organization; but it consists of a grouping of such cells in spheres or regions or systems according to differing functions. And as we rise in the scale of evolution the grouping becomes more and more complex, well-defined and hierarchical. Human collectivity also shows a similar development in organization. The original, the primitive unit the familywas first taken up into a larger unit, the clan; the clan, in its turn, gave place to the tribe and finally the tribe merged into the nation. A similar widening of the unit can also be noticed in man's habitat, in his geographical environment. The primitive man was confined to the village; the village gradually grew into the township and the city state. Then came the regional unit and last of all we arrived at the country.
Until the last great war it seemed that the nation (and country) was the largest living unit that human collectivity could admit without the risk of a break-up. Now it was at this momentous epoch that the first concept or shape of a larger federationtypified in the League of Nationsstirred into life and began to demand its lebensraum. It could not however come to fruition and stability, because the age of isolated nationhood had not yet passed and the principle of selfdetermination yet needed its absolute justification.
02.05 - The Godheads of the Little Life, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
An opening looked up to spheres above
And coloured shadows limned on mortal ground
02.06 - The Kingdoms and Godheads of the Greater Life, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
For all who cross into that brilliant sphere:
These are the kinsmen of our earthly race;
02.08 - The World of Falsehood, the Mother of Evil and the Sons of Darkness, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
All once self-luminous in the spirit's sphere
Turned now into their own dark contraries:
02.10 - The Kingdoms and Godheads of the Little Mind, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
Inviting to their high and exquisite sphere,
To their secure and fine extremities
--
Faithful to her limited sphere she toiled, but knew
Its highest, widest seeing was a half-search,
02.11 - The Kingdoms and Godheads of the Greater Mind, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
Awake in a luminous sphere unbound by Thought,
Exposed to omniscient immensities,
--
These promptings come not from an alien sphere:
Ourselves are citizens of that mother State,
--
It still remembers its exalted sphere
And the high city of its splendid birth.
--
Voice of the Eternal in the temporal spheres,
Prophet of the seeings of the Absolute,
02.12 - The Heavens of the Ideal, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
Onward he passed to a diviner sphere:
There, joined in a common greatness, light and bliss,
02.13 - On Social Reconstruction, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 01, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
As already stated, the remedy is to be sought in the salvage of the individual. The present trend of social forces is towards movements in the mass. That was necessary perhaps; for larger, wider, indeed world-wide unities have to be found and established for the unification of the whole of humanity. But in the drive towards that-goal Nature seems to have overlooked for the moment the case of the individual, and naturally, man has been blind and one-sided in his attempts to reform and rebuild society and the world. This neglected thread has to be taken up again and put back into the web of social life. The value of the individual, the worth and speciality of each person has to be found and recognised; indeed it is round that centre that society can best be reformed and remade. And this can only be done by a spiritual outlook. For, the true individual is founded in the spirit, the spiritual consciousness; so long as man is limited to his body, life and mind, and his functions are solely determined by his earthly nature, so long he must needs be taken as a mere element in the mass, the cosmic mass. The true individual or person emerges only when something of man's spiritual being finds expression in these lower elements of his nature. And when man totally transcends his inferior sphere of existence and rises into his divine status where things are marshalled and organised through each individual truth-centre, then only there is the chance of a perfect social system descending upon earthly life.
Perhaps this is a far cry from the level of our normal humanity. But things have to be regarded and moulded from the highest heights; otherwise there will be no real solution, there can be only a temporary make-believe and a final frustration.
02.14 - Panacea of Isms, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 01, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
And yet internationalism is not the one thing needful either. If it means the obliteration of all national values, of all cultural diversity, it will not certainly conduce to the greater enrichment and perfection of humanity. Taken by itself and in its absolute sense, it cannot be a practical success. The fact is being proved every moment these days. Internationalism in the economic sphere, however, seems to have a greater probability and utility than in the merely political sphere. Economics is forcing peoples and nations to live together and move together: it has become the soldering agent in modern times of all the elements the groups and types of the human family that were so long separate from each other, unknown to each other or clashing with each other. But that is good so far as it goes. Powerful as economic forces are, they are not the only deciding or directing agents in human affairs. That is the great flaw in the "International", the Marxian type of internationalism which has been made familiar to us. Man is not a political animal, in spite of Aristotle, nor is he an economic animal, in spite of Marx and Engels. Mere economics, even when working for a greater unity of mankind, tends to work more for uniformity: it reduces man to the position of a machine and a physical or material machine at that. By an irony of fate the human value for which the international proletariate raised its banner of revolt is precisely what suffers in the end. The Beveridge Plan, so much talked of nowadays, made such an appeal, no doubt because of the economic advantages it ensures, but also, by far and large, because it views man as a human being in and against the machine to which he belongs, because it is psychologically a scheme to salvage the manhood of man, so far as is possible, out of a rigidly mechanistic industrial organization.
Humanism
02.15 - The Kingdoms of the Greater Knowledge, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
Out of the sphere of Mind he had arisen,
He had left the reign of Nature's hues and shades;
--
He linked creation to the Eternal's sphere.
His finite parts approached their absolutes,
03.02 - Yogic Initiation and Aptitude, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
Virtues are not indications of the fire of the inner soul, nor are vices irremediable obstacles to its growth. The inner soul, we have said, feeds upon allit is indeed fire, the omnivorous, sarvabhuk,virtues and vices and everything else and gather strength from everywhere. The mystery of miracles, of a sudden change or reversal or revolution in consciousness and way of life lies in the omnipotency of the psychic being. The psychic being has the power of making the apparently impossible, for this reason that it is a portion of the almighty Divine, it is the supreme Conscious-Power crystallised and canalised in a centre for the sake of manifestation. It is a particle from the Being, a spark of the Consciousness, a ripple from the Delight cast into the fastnesses of Matter and the, material body. Now, it is the irresistible urge of this particle, this spark, this ripple to grow and expand, to become in the end the Vast the Ocean and the Sun and the sphere of Infinityto become that not merely in an essential status but in a dynamic and apparent becoming also. The little soul, originally no bigger than a thumb, goes forward through one life after another enlarging and intensifying itself till it recovers and establishes its parent reality in this material body here below, till it unveils what is latent within itself, what is its own, what is itself,its integral self-fulfilment, the Divine integrality.
Here in his inner being, as part and parcel of the Divine, man is absolutely free, has infinite capacity and unbounded aptitude; for here he is master, not slave of Nature, and it is slavery to Nature, that limits and baulks and stultifies man. So does the Upanishad declare in a magnificent and supreme utterance:
03.03 - Modernism - An Oriental Interpretation, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 01, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
Not quite so, certainly. The consciousness (rather, the self-consciousness) that man has gained in place of the unconsciousness or semi-consciousness, characteristic of the general mass in the past, and the growing sense of individuality and personal worth, which is an expression of that consciousness, are his assets, the hall-mark of his present-day nature and outlook and activity. The consciousness may not have always been used wisely, but still it is a light that has illumined him, brought him an awareness of himself and of things, that is new and in a special way close and intimate and revealing. The light is perhaps not of the kind that comes direct from high altitudesit is, as it were, a transverse ray cutting aslant; nonetheless, through its grace a self-revelation and a self-valuation have been possible in spheres hitherto unsurveyed and lost in darkness, and on a scale equally unprecedented. Life has found a self-light. It is indeed as yet a glare, lurid and uncertain, but it has the capacity to develop into, and call in, the white and tranquil effulgence of the Soul-light and the Supreme Light of which it is the image and precursor.
Another similar cycle can be traced farther back in the past. The classicism of Grco-Latin culture dominated by mind and reasonalthough it was a kind of higher mind and intuitive reasonwas supplanted by the heart movement that Christ and the Christian cult initiated.
03.04 - The Body Human, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
The perfection of the anatomical and morphological structure in man consists precisely in its wonderful elasticity the 'infinite faculty' or multiple functioning referred to by Shakespeare. This is the very characteristic character of man both with regard to his physical and psychological make-up. The other species are, everyone of them, more or less, a specialised formation; we have there a closed system, a fixed and definite physical mould and pattern of life. A cat or a crow of a million years ago, like 'the immemorial elm' was not very different from its descendant of today; not so with man. I mean, the human frame, in its general build, might have remained the: same from the beginning of time, but the uses to which it has been put, the works that have been demanded of it are multifarious, indeed of infinite variety. Although it is sometimes stated that the human body too has undergone a change (and is still undergoing) from what was once heavy and muscular, tall and stalwart, with a thicker skeletal system, towards something lighter and more delicate. Also an animal, like the plant, because of its rigidity of pattern, remains unchanged, keeping to its own geographical habitat. Change of climate meant for the animal a considerable change, a sea-change, a change of species, practically. But man can easilymuch more easily than an animal or a plantacclimatise himself to all sorts of variable climates. There seems to be a greater resilience in his physical system, even as a physical object. Perhaps it contains a greater variety of component elements and centres of energy which support its versatile action. The human frame, one may say, is like the solar spectrum that contains all the colour vibrations and all the lines characteristic of the different elements. The solar sphere is the high symbol for man.
The story runs (Aitareya Upanishad) that once the gods wished to come down and inhabit an earthly frame. Several animal forms (the cow, the horse) were presented to them one after another, but they were not satisfied, none was considered adequate for their habitation. At last the human frame (with its conscious personality) was offered to them and immediately they declared that that was indeed the perfect form they neededsuktam bateti and they entered into it.
03.04 - The Vision and the Boon, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
Into the fallen human sphere they came,
Faces that wore the Immortal's glory still,
03.04 - Towardsa New Ideology, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 02, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
For fanaticism may be defined as duty running away with itself; but duty proper, the genuine form of it is something self-poised, its natural and inherent tendency being rather to give than to demand, it is less easily provoked to aggression and battle. Even so, it may be claimed on behalf of Right that the right hand of Right is not likely to do harm, for itis then another name for liberty, it means the freedom to live one's life unhampered without infringing on an equal facility for others to do the same. But the whole difficulty comes in precisely with regard to the frontier of each other's sphere of rights. It is easy to declare the principle, but to carry it out in life and action is a different matter. The line of demarcation between one's own rights and the rights of another is always indeterminate and indefinable. In establishing and maintaining one's rights there is always the possibility, even the certainty of "frontier incidents", of encroaching upon other's rights. Liberty, alone and by itself, is not a safe guidetherefore so much stress is being laid nowadays upon discipline and obedience in modern ideologies.
But perhaps the real truth of the matter here is that all these termsliberty or right or even dutyare mental conceptions. They are indeed ideals, that is to say, made of the stuff of ideas and do not always coincide with the deeper realities of life and hence are not able to produce the perfect and durable harmony among warring members whether in the individual or in the collective life.
--
We have to rise above rajas and sattwa to enter a domain where one meets the source of inevitable harmony, where the units without losing their true self and nature and returning to the undifferentiated primordial mass, fulfil themselves and are yet held together in a rich and faultless symphony. This is Dharma, that which holds together. Dharma means the law of one's soul. And when each soul follows its own law and line of life, there cannot be any conflict; for the essence and substance of the soul is made of unity and harmony. The souls move like the planetary bodies, each in its own orbit, and, because they do not collide or clash, all together creating the silent music of the spheres.
This then is the basis upon which the new society and humanity have to be built up, if we want to have a life on earth really worth living. Individuals have to find out their real being and nature and embody that in life. Individuals will associate and combine and form groups in response to the urge and impetus of a group harmony that seeks expression and embodiment.
03.11 - The Language Problem and India, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 02, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
English and French are the two languages that hold and express today the culture of humanity at its best and at its largest. They are the two international languages recognised as such and indispensable for all international dealings: and although to be internationally minded one would do better to possess both, still as it stands at present, they appeal to two different groups, each in its own way and each has its hemi sphere where it is prevalent, almost as a second mother tongue. Geographically, America and the British Commonwealth (including India) belong to the English sphere, while the European continent, South America and a good half of Canada are more at home in French. In Asia, the eastern part took more to English, while the western part (Turkey, Syria, even Persia and Afghanistan) seem to lean more towards French.
Almost till the end of the last century French was the language of culture all over Europe. It was taught there as part of liberal education in all the countries and a sojourn in France was considered necessary to complete the course. Those who were interested in human culture and wished to specialise inbelles lettres had to cultivate more or less an intimate acquaintance with the Gallic Minerva. English has since risen to eminence, due to the far-flung political and commercial net that the nation has spread; it has become almost an indispensable instrument for communication between races that are non-English and far from England. Once upon a time it was said of a European that he had two countries, his own and France; today it can be said with equal or even more truth that a citizen of the modern world has two mother tongues, his own and English.
03.13 - Dynamic Fatalism, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
In a higher sense, from a transcendental standpoint, however, this too is only an appearance. In reality man neither helps nor hinders Prakriti. For in that sphere the two are not separate entities. What is viewed as the helping hand of man is really Nature helping herself: man is the conscious movement of Nature. In that transcendent status the past and the future are rolled together in the eternal present and all exist there as an accomplished fact: there is nothing there to be worked out and achieved. But lower down there is a play of forces, of conflicting possibilities and the resultant is a balance of these divergent lines. When one identifies oneself with the higher static consciousness one finds nothing to be done, all is realised the eternal play of the eternal child in the eternal garden.2 But when one lives in the Kurukshetra of forces, one cannot throwaway one's Gandiva and say, I will not fight.
Sri Aurobindo: The Mother
04.01 - The Birth and Childhood of the Flame, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
His voice was a call to the Transcendent's sphere
Whose secret touch upon our mortal lives
04.01 - The Divine Man, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
But there is a still closer mystery, the mystery of mysteries. There has not been merely a general descent, the descent of a world-force on a higher plane into another world-force on a lower plane; but that there is the descent of the individual, the personal Godhead into and as an earthly human being. The Divine born as a man and leading the life of a man among us and as one of us, the secret of Divine Incarnation is the supreme secret. That is the mechanism adopted by the Divine to cure and transmute human illshimself becoming a man, taking upon himself the burden of the evil that vitiates and withers life and working it out in and through himself. Something of this truth has been caught in the Christian view of Incarnation. God sent upon earth his only begotten son to take upon himself the sins of man, suffer vicariously for him, pay the ransom and thus liberate him, so that he may reach salvation, procure his seat by the side of the Father in Heaven. Man corrupted as he is by an original sin cannot hope by his own merit to achieve salvation. He can only admit his sin and repent and wait for the Grace to save him. The Indian view of Incarnation laid more stress upon the positive aspect of the matter, viz, the role of the Incarnation as the inaugurator and establisher of a new order in lifedharmasasthpanrthya. The Avatar brings down and embodies a higher principle of human organisation, a greater consciousness which he infuses into the existing pattern, individual or collective, which has -served its purpose, has become otiose and time-barred and needs to be remodelled, has been at the most preparatory to something else. The Avatar means a new revelation and the uplift of the human consciousness into a higher mode of being. The physical form he takes signifies the physical pressure that is exerted for the corroboration and fixation of the inner illumination that he brings upon earth and in the human frame. The Indian tradition has focussed its attention upon the Goodreyasand did not consider it essential to dwell upon the Evil. For one who finds and sees the Good always and everywhere, the Evil does not exist. Sri Aurobindo lays equal emphasis on both the aspects. Naturally, however, he does not believe in an original evil, incurable upon earth and in earthly life. In conformity with the ancient Indian teaching he declares the original divinity of man: it is because man is potentially and essentially divine that he can become actually and wholly divine. The Bible speaks indeed of man becoming perfect even as the Father in Heaven is perfect: but that is due exclusively to the Grace showered upon man, not because of any inherent perfection in him. But in according full divinity to man, Sri Aurobindo does not minimise the part of the undivine in him. This does not mean any kind of Manicheism: for Evil, according to Sri Aurobindo, is not coeval or coterminous with the Divine, it is a later or derivative formation under given conditions, although within the range and sphere of the infinite Divine. Evil exists as a stern reality; even though it may be temporary and does not touch the essential reality, it is not an illusion nor can it be ignored, brushed aside or bypassed as something superficial or momentary and of no importance. It has its value, its function and implication. It is real, but it is not irremediable. It is contrary to the Divine but not contradictory. For even the Evil in its inmost substance carries or is the reality which it opposes or denies outwardly. Did not the very first of the apostles of Christ deny his master at the crucial moment? As we have said, evil is a formation necessitated by certain circumstances, the circumstances changed, the whole disposition as at present constituted changes automatically and fundamentally.
The Divine then descends into the earth-frame, not merely as an immanent and hidden essencesarvabhtntratm but as an individual person embodying that essencemnu tanumritam. Man too, however earthly and impure he maybe, is essentially the Divine himself, carries in him the spark of the supreme consciousness that he is in his true and highest reality. That is how in him is bridged the gulf that apparently exists between the mortal and the immortal, the Infinite and the Finite, the Eternal and the Momentary, and the Divine too can come into him and become, so to say, his lower self.
04.01 - The March of Civilisation, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 01, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
The Romantic Revival was a veritable source movement: it was, one can say, a kind of watershed from where various streams of new creation and fresh adventure flowed down in all directions. Its echoes and repurcussions are met with even today and continue. The next stage that followed naturally and inevitably was man's preoccupation with his sense being, his external, his physical and material personality. It is the age of Naturalism, Realism, Pragmatism, Scientism: it proclaims the birth of the economic man. From the heart and emotions we drop down into the field of the nervous and sensuous existence, from the vital sphere into the sphere of the body. And that is where we are today. It means that we have been made more than ever self-conscious on this plane and of this personality of ours. We have been given and are being given greater knowledge of its mechanism; we are intensively (and extensively too) getting familiar with all the drawbacks and lacunae that are there so that we can remedy them and discover new latent forces too, and re-create and possess a truly "brave new world".
That is how the spirit of progress and evolution has worked and advanced in the European world. And one can take it as the pattern of human growth generally; but in the scheme described above we have left out one particular phase and purposely. I refer to the great event of Christ and Christianity. For without that European civilisation loses more than half of its import and value. After the Roman Decline began the ebbtide, the trough, the dark shadow of the deepening abyss of the Middle Ages. But even as the Night fell and darkness closed around, a new light glimmered, a star was born. A hope and a help shone "in a naughty world". It was a ray of consciousness that came from a secret cave, from a domain hidden behind and deep within in the human being. Christ brought a leaven into the normal manifest mode of consciousness, an otherworldly mode into the worldly life. He established a living and dynamic contact with the soul, the inner person in man, the person that is behind but still rules the external personality made of mind and life and body consciousness. The Christ revelation was also characteristic in the sense that it came as a large, almost a mass movementthis approach of the soul personality to earthly life. The movement faded or got adulterated, deformed like all human things; but something remained as a permanent possession of man's heritage.
04.02 - Human Progress, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
We can thus note, broadly speaking, three stages in the human cycle of Nature's evolution. The first was the period of emergence of self-consciousness and the trials and experiments it went through to establish and confirm itself. The ancient civilisations represented this character of the human spirit. The subject freeing itself more and more from its environmental tegument, still living and moving within it and dynamically reacting upon itthis was the character we speak of. Next came the period when the free and dynamic subject feeling itself no more tied down to its natural objective sphere sought lines of development and adventure on its own account. This was the age of speculation and of scholasticism in philosophy and intellectual inquiry and of alchemy in natural sciencea period roughly equated with the Middle Ages. The Scientific Age coming last seeks to re-establish a junction and co-ordination between the free and dynamic self-consciousness and the mode and pattern of its objective field, involving a greater enrichment on one side the subjective consciousness and on the other, the objective environment, a corresponding change and effective reorganisation.
The present age which ushers a fourth stagesignificantly called turiya or the transcendent, in Indian terminologyis pregnant with a fateful crisis. The stage of self-consciousness to which scientific development has arrived seems to land in a cul-de-sac, a blind alley: Science also is faced, almost helplessly, with the antinomies of reason that Kant discovered long ago in the domain of speculative philosophy. The way out, for a further growth and development and evolution, lies in a supersession of the self-consciousness, an elevation into a super-consciousnessas already envisaged by Yogis and Mystics everywherewhich will give a new potential and harmony to the human consciousness.
04.02 - The Growth of the Flame, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
Invested with a rhythm of higher spheres
The word was used as a hieratic means
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And dreamed of a transcendent action's sphere.
Aware of the universal Self in all
04.03 - Consciousness as Energy, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
Consciousness has a fourfold potential. The first is the normal consciousness, which is predominantly mental; it is the sphere comprising movements of which man is usually and habitually aware. It is what the Upanishad names Jgrat or jgaritasthna and characterises as bahipraja: it is the waking state and has cognition only of external things. In other words, the consciousness here is wholly objectivised, externalisedextrovert: it is also a strongly individualised formation, the consciousness is hedged in, isolated and contoured by a protective ring, as it were, of a characteristically separative personality; it is a surface formation, a web made out of day-to-day sensations and thoughts, perceptions and memories, impressions and associations. It is a system of outward actions and reactions against or in the midst of one's actual environment. The second potential is that of the Inner Consciousness: its characteristic is that the consciousness here is no longer trenchantly separative and individual, narrowly and rigidly egoistic. It feels and sees itself as part of or one with the world consciousness. It looks upon its individuality as only a wave of the universal movement. It is also sometimes called the subliminal consciousness; for it plays below or behind the normal surface range of consciousness. It is made up of the residuary powers of the normal consciousness, the abiding vibrations and stresses that settle down and remain in the background and are not immediately required or utilised for life purposes: also it contacts directly energies and movements that well out of the universal life. The phenomena of clairvoyance and clairaudience, the knowledge of the past and the future and of other worlds and persons and beings, certain more dynamic movements such as distant influence and guidance and controlling without any external means, well known in all yogic disciplines, are various manifestations of the power of this Inner Consciousness. But there is not only an outward and an inner consciousness; there is also a deeper or nether consciousness. This is the great field that has been and is being explored by modern psychologists. It is called the subconscious, sometimes also the unconscious: but really it should be named the inconscient, for it is not altogether devoid of consciousness, but is conscious in its own way the consciousness is involved or lost within itself or lies buried. It comprises those movements and impulsions, inclinations and dispositions that have no rational basis, on the contrary, have an irrational basis; they are not acquired or developed by the individual in his normal course of life experience, they are ingrained, lie imbedded in man's nature and are native to his original biological and physical make-up. As the human embryo recapitulates in the womb the whole history of man's animal evolution, even so the normal man, even the most civilised and apparently the farthest from his ancient moorings and sources, enshrines in his cells, in a miraculously living manner, the memory of vast geological epochs, the great struggles and convulsions through which earth and its inhabitants have passed, the basic urges of the crude life force, its hopes, fears, desires, hungers that constitute the rudimental and aboriginal consciousness, the atavism that links the man of today not only to his primitive ancestry but even to the plant worldeven perhaps to the mineral worldout of which his body cells have issued and evolved. Legends and fairy tales, mythologies and fables are a rationalised pattern and picture of the vibrations and urges that moved the original consciousness. It was a collectivea racial and an aboriginal consciousness. The same lies chromosomic, one can almost say, in the constitution of the individual man of today. This region of the unconscious (or the inconscient) is a veritable field of force: it lies at the root of all surface dynamisms. The surface consciousness, jgrat, is a very small portion of the whole, it is only the tip of the pyramid or an iceberg, the major portion lies submerged beyond our normal view. In reflex movements, in sudden unthinking outbursts, in dreams and day-dreams, this undercurrent is silhouetted and made visible and recognisable. Even otherwise, they exercise a profound influence upon all our conscious movements. This underground consciousness is the repository of the most dark and unenlightened elements that grew and flourished in the slime of man's original habitat. They are small, ugly, violent, anti-social, chaotic forces, their names are cruelty, lust, hunger, blind selfishness. Nowhere else than in this domain can the great Upanishadic truth find its fullest applicationHunger that is Death.
But this is the seamy side of Nature, there is also a sunny side. If there is a nadir, there must be a corresponding zenith. In the Vedic image, if man is born of the Dark Mother, he is also a child of the White Mother (ka and vet). Or again, if Earth is our mother, the Heaven is our fatherdyaur me pit mat pthiv iyam. In other words, consciousness extends not in depth alone, but in height alsoit is vertically extended, infinite both ways. As there is a sub-consciousness or unconsciousness, so also there is at the other end super-consciousness.
04.03 - The Eternal East and West, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 01, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
The East does not consider the individual in his social behaviour in terms of freedom and liberty but of service and obligation, not in terms of rights but of duties. The Indian term for right and duty is the sameadhikar. The word originally and usually meant duty, one's sphere of work or service, capacity: the meaning of "right" was secondary and only latterly, probably as a result of the impact from the West, has gained predominance. The West measures human progress by the amount of rights gained for the individual or for the group. It does not seem to have any other standard: submission, obedience, any diminution of the sense of separate individuality meant slavery and loss of human value and dignity. It was the Greek perhaps, with Socrates as the great pioneer, who first declared the supremacy of the individual reason (although he himself obeyed in all things his guardian angel, the Daemon). In India, generally in the East, the value of the individual is estimated in another way. So long as he is in the society, the individual is bound by its demands: he has to serve it according to his best capacity. That is the dharma the Law that one has to observe conscientiously. But if he chooses, he can break the bonds forthwith, come out, come out of the society altogether and be free absolutely that is the only meaning of freedom. In the West the individual is taught to remain in the world and with the society, maintain his individuality and independence and gradually enlarge them in and through the natural fetters and bondages that a collective life and efficient organisation demands and inevitably imposes. The East, on the contrary, asks the individual never to protest and assert his individuality, which is in their view only another name for Ignorant egoism, but to know his position in the social scheme and fulfil the duties and obligations of that position. But the individual has the freedom not to enter into the social frame at all. If he chooses freedom as his ideal, it is the supreme freedom that he must choose, out of the chain of a terrestrial life. He can become the spiritual "outlaw", the sanysi, the word means one who has abandoned everything totally and absolutely.
The contrast points to a synthesis parallel to or an extension of the one we spoke of earlier. The first thing to note is that the individual is the source of all progress; the individual has the right, as it is also his duty to maintain himself and fulfil himself, grow to his largest and highest dimensions! Secondly, the individual has to take cognisance of the others, the whole humanity, in fact, even for the sake of his own progress. The individual is not an isolated entity, a freak product in Nature, but is integrated into it, a part and parcel of its texture and composition. Indeed the individual has a double role to perform, first to increase himself and secondly to increase others. Using the terms which the Sartrian view of existence has put into vogue, we can say, the individual en soi (in himself) is the individual in commonalty with others, living and moving in and through every other person; and then there is the individual pour soi (for himself), that is to say, existing for himself, apart and away from others, in his own inner absolute autonomy. The individual is individualised, i.e. raises and lifts himself and then becomes the spearhead breaking through the level where Nature stands fixed, leading others to follow and raise themselves. The individual is the power of organised self-consciousness; the growth of the individual means the growth of this power of organised consciousness. And growth means ascension or evolution from level to level. The individual starts from the organic cell, that is the lower end, it progresses through various gradations of the vital and mental worlds till he reaches the culmination of its growth in the Spirit as tman. But this vertical growth must be reflected in a horizontal growth too. There is a solidarity among the individuals forming the collective humanity so that the progress of one means the progress of others in the same direction, at least a chance and possibility opened for an advance. On the other hand, it may be noted that unless the collectivity rises to a certain level the individual too cannot go very far from it. A higher lift in the individual presupposes a corresponding or some minimum lift in others. There cannot or should not be too great a rift between the individual and the collective.
04.09 - Values Higher and Lower, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 01, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
We, of course, are not of the opinion that all possible revelations in the spiritual sphere have been made and done with even in India or that there cannot be fresh valuations of the old revelations or their applications in a new way. We believe in the words of the ancient Rishis who declared that dawns come endlessly in succession, today's dawn follows the path trod by the ancient ones and is the first of the eternal series to come in the future. Each dawn brings in a new and fresh revelation, a hope and vision looking into the future although linked in with the experiences of the infinite past.
That is why, while we give our support to this new effort of Europe, we agree and even insist that the hoary spiritual tradition of India has still something to teach us moderns, some light to give us in our present predicament. For, although, the ideal is generally admitted in many places, the way to it is not clear. Since Nietzsche spoke of the surpassing of man, many are taken up with the ideal, but the means to effect it remains yet to be discovered: it is still under discussion, at least. As a matter of fact, the goal itself is none too clear and definite: sometimes we think of a saintly transformation of human nature, sometimes the growing power of Intuition, very vaguely and variously defined, replacing or supplementing intellect and thus adding a new asset to man's life and consciousness.
04.22 - To the Heights-XXII, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 02, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
The mother-harmony of immemorial spheres,
Thy rhythm divine that graces and moulds my life.
04.46 - To the Heights-XLVI, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 02, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
brought down into our lower sphere
and glowing and blushing with new-born love in a human frame.
05.01 - The Destined Meeting-Place, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
A sacrificant of the bliss and pain of the spheres,
Love in the wilderness met Savitri.
05.02 - Satyavan, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
Her sphered immense imaginations learned,
Taught by sublimities of stream and wood
--
That make known things a hint of unseen spheres,
And saw in him the genius of the spot,
--
Love is a glory from eternity's spheres.
Abased, disfigured, mocked by baser mights
05.03 - Satyavan and Savitri, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
A cry of spheres comes with thee and a song
Of flaming gods. I draw a wealthier breath
--
Wilt thou not make this mortal bliss thy sphere?
Descend, O happiness, with thy moon-gold feet
05.04 - The Immortal Person, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 01, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
The individualisation of the mind, its organisation as a special formation, as a vehicle of the true light, the light of the Psychic consciousness is comparatively easy for a man. Mind is the first member of the lower sphere that is taken up and dealt with by the soul; for it is the highest and the most characteristic element in man and less dense and less subject to the darkness inherent in human nature. The mental individual persists the longest after the dissolution of the body, it survives and may survive very long the disruption of the vital being. This vital being is next in the rung to be taken up, organised and individualised by and around the psychic being. The organisation of the vital being in view of a particular object or aim in ordinary life is common enough: the purpose is limited, the scope restricted. Great men of action have done it and one has to do it more or less to be successful in life. This, however, may be called organisation; it is not individualisation in the true sense, much less personalisation. A limb is individualised, personalised only when it is an instrument and formation of the soul consciousness, the psychic being. And the vital is not easily amenable to such a role. For, it is the dynamic element, the effective power of life and it has acquired a strong nature and a definite function in its earthly relations. Naturally, there is a secret drive and an occult inspiration behind over-riding or guiding all immediate and apparent forces and happenings: in and through these the shape of things to come is being built up. In the meanwhile, however, actually the vital is an executive agent of the lower consciousness: it is an anonymous force of universal nature canalised into a temporary figure that is the normal individual man. The individualisation of the vital being would mean an immortal formulation of an immortal soul as energy consciousness with a specific role for the Divine to play. It maintains its identity, its personality independent of the vicissitudes of the physical body: it continues to function as a divine being, a godhead, to work for mankind and the world. The popular legend has imaged this phenomenon in the mystic figure of an immortal Aswatthama and Vibhishana still wandering in earth's atmo sphere.
Finally, it is the turn of the body to become individualised, personalised, that is to say, when it takes up the disposition and configurationof the psychic person and individual. The first stage is that of a subtle body individualised, a radiant form of etherealised elements consisting of the concentrated light particles of the divine consciousness of the Psyche. This too is an immortalisation of the personal identity which can be achieved and is achieved by the gnostic man who is to come, who will wholly psychicise and divinise his personality. The second stage is the reorganisation and individualisation of the material sheath itself. The very cells of the body are impregnated with the radiant substance of the supreme spiritual consciousness; they live the life of the spiritual individual, the personal divine embodied in the individual. When the whole process is gone through and the work clone, the individual body, physically too, shares in and attains the immortality of the soul. The body is firm enough to maintain its physical identity and yet plastic enough to change in the manner and to the degree demanded of it at any time.
05.05 - In Quest of Reality, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 01, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
One remarkable thing in the material world that has always attracted and captivated man's attention, since almost the very dawn of his consciousness, is the existence of a pattern, of an artistic layout in the composition and movement of material things. When the Vedic Rishi sings out: "These countless stars that appear glistening night after night, where do they vanish during the day?" he is awed by the inviolable rhythm of the Universe, which other sages in other climes sang as the music of the spheres. The presence of Design in Nature has been in the eyes of Believers an incontrovertible proof of the existence of a Designer. What we want to say is not that a watch (if we regard the universe as a watch) presupposes the existence of a watch-maker: we say the pattern itself is the expression of an idea, it involves a conception not imposed or projected from outside but inherent in itself. The Greek view of the artist's mode of operation is very illuminating in this connection. The artist, according to this view, when he carves out a statue for example, does not impose upon the stone a figure that he has only in his mind, but that the stone itself contains the figure, the artist has the vision to see it, his chisel follows the lines he sees imbedded in the stone. It is why we say that the geometry in the structure of a crystal or an atom or an astronomical system, the balance and harmony, the symmetry and polarity that govern the composition of objects and their relations, the blend of colour schemes, the marshalling of lines and the building of volumes, in a word, the artistic make-up, perfect in detail and in the ensemble that characterise all nature's body and limbs and finally the mathematical laws that embrace and picture as it were Nature's movements, all point to the existence of a truth, a reality whose characteristic marks are or are very much like those of consciousness and Idea-Force. We fight shy of the wordconsciousness for it brings in a whole association of anthropomorphism and pathetic fallacy. But in our anxiety to avoid a ditch let us not fall over a precipice. If it is blindness to see nothing but the spirit, it is not vision to see nothing but Matter.
A hypothesis, however revolutionary or unorthodox it may seem for the moment, has to be tested by its effective application, in its successful working out. All scientific discoveries in the beginning appear as inconveniences that upset the known and accepted order. Copernicus, Newton, Galileo, Kepler, Maxwell or Einstein in our day enunciated principles that were not obvious sense-given axioms. These are at the outset more or less postulates that have to be judged by their applicability.
05.06 - Physics or philosophy, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 01, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
That seems to be the burden, the underlying preoccupation of modern physical science: it has been forced to grope towards some kind of mystic perception; at least, it has been put into a frame of mind, due to the crumbling of the very fundamentals of the past structure, which is less obstructive to other sources and spheres and ways of knowledge. Certainly, we must admit that we have moved very far from Laplace when we hear today a hard-boiled rationalist like De Broglie declare:
The idealisations more or less schematic that our mind builds up are capable of representing certain facets of things, but they have inherent limitations and cannot contain within their frames all the richness of the reality. 4
05.07 - Man and Superman, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
Now, one may ask, what would be the relation between the two humanities the human and the divine? And what would be the effect of the appearance of the new race upon the older stock? Here again we can take up the animal analogy. How has the advent of man affected the animal kingdom? It has affected to a certain extent, even to a considerable extent, one may venture to say. First of all, man has parked around him a fairly large group of animals, domesticated them, as it is termed, employing them in his service, using them for his purposes. Furthermore, he has gone out into the woods, the forests and mountains, ice-bound regions and deep seas, and there extended his sphere of influence, hunting and capturing animals that were so long free and unmolested, bringing about a change in the conditions of life even among wild animals. We do not say that the superman will deal with man in the same way (although something of the kind may be found in the Nietzschean ideology). For man was a creature of Ignorance, and his behaviour and influence were naturally of the ignorant kind. The superman, however, being delivered of ignorance and living in perfect knowledge, has a different nature and outlook. He is one with the universe, with all its creatures; united with the Divine, he finds and realises his own self in each and every creature and thing: his character and conduct are the automatic expression of this sense of perfect identity. So he can do nothing that may seek to enslave or do real injury to mankind. On the contrary, his love and his knowledge, being one with the cosmic existence, will inevitably work for the progress and welfare of man too; indeed, his will be the perfect aid that even ordinary humanity can ask for and receive.
In spite of all the achievements he has had in the past, and in spite of the cul-de-sac or the blind alley into which he seems now to be stagnating, there is yet possibility enough for man to progress further, that is to say, even as a human being without taking the more audacious jump into supermanhood. The present miseries of human society, the maldistribution of the necessities of life, the ravages of illness and disease, the prevalence of ignorance, are not and need not after all be a permanent and irrevocable feature of human organisation. They can be remedied to a large extent, and society made more decent to live in, even though it may not be transfigured into the City of God. Man, without foregoing his present human nature, can yet be a more humane and humanistic creature, that is to say, more truly human and less animal and demoniac that he is trying to be. To this end the advent and the presence of the divine race will surely contri bute in a large measure. The influence which the individuals of such a race will exert by the force of their luminous consciousness and the impact of their purified living, the sympathy and knowledge and comprehension which their very presence carries, will materially alter the nature and composition of the normal man and his society. There will emerge a sort of higher humanityan intermediary between the present more or less animal, degraded humanity and the divine humanity of the future. The two humanities may very well live amicably together and be of help and service to each other.
05.11 - The Place of Reason, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 01, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
In Sri Aurobindo, Reason and Intuition possess a dual relation of mutual negation and mutual affirmation, of exclusiveness and inclusiveness, as indeed is the relation of Brahman and the World. One negates the other in the sphere of ignorance but in knowledge one affirms the other. That is to say, Reason or mental logic, so long as it is dominated by the senses, by the external impressions from things and by its analytic or exclusively separative method of procedure, is a denial of Intuition and a bar to spiritual experience. But Reason can be purified, relieved of its dross, illumined (sam-buddha)sublimated and uplifted then it comes to its own, becomes what it really is and should bea frame to give body to what is beyond and unembodied, a mirror in conceptual terms to what is supra-conceptual. It loses its hard rigidity and becomes supple, loses its obscurity, density and becomes transparent: it attains a new rhythm and gait and capacity. Many of the Upanishadic mantras, a good part of the Gita, do that. And Sri Aurobindo's own exposition is a miracle in that style. "Reason was a helper, Reason is the bar"and, we can add, Reason will again be an aid. The world, as it is, is anything but Divine; and yet it is nothing but the Divine essentially and fundamentally; it can and will attain the divine figure apparently and externally too. Even so with regard to man's mind and reason and all his other limbs.
Calcutta Review, January 1949.
05.12 - The Soul and its Journey, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
When a man dies, his soul or psychic being, after a time goes to the psychic world and takes rest there till the hour comes to take birth again in another body upon earth. There are then these two periods in the life after death. First, the passage and next the rest. The passage means the gradual shedding of all the other sheaths or envelopes that surround the psychic being and form its earthly frame. With the physical body has to go also the subtle body, then the vital and finally the mental too. The reason why one does not remember the past lives is this that one leaves behind the instrument of memory the brain mindwith one's death. One does not carryover with the psychic being the other parts that constitute the terrestrial life. They are dispersed and dissolved in their respective cosmic spheres. The subtle body gives up its elements to the subtle physical plane, the vital elements are taken up into the vital world and the mental elements go into the mental world,unless the psychic being is highly developed and has organised around itself as its instrument of self-expression any of these elements. In that case, as much of the terrestrial partsnamely, of the subtle body and life and mindas have come into direct contact with the psychic and have allowed themselves to be moved and moulded by its consciousness, will alone persist and share in the immortality of the soul. Normally, the elements of the human vehicle form a loose and unorganised aggregate massed round the psychic centre. When the centre withdraws, they too fall off automatically and are scattered into the universal storehouse of Nature. Only when they have been organised and when they have attained a definite form and character expressing something of the psychic nature, can they maintain their identity, for this identity is part and parcel of the psychic identity.
I have said that the memory of past lives is effaced because of the effacement of the instrument. But there is a higher memory which is the attribute of the psychic consciousness. The psychic being is made of light and knowledge: it knows, rather it sees and can survey the whole curve of its past growth and development. Of course, it may not see or remembervery often it does notall the physical details of things and happenings of an earthly life, the hundred incidents, accidents and contingencies that are not directly linked to its consciousness. But all things that have had its touch and have contri buted to its growth and development and have in their turn received its influenceobjects, persons, happenings or movementsfind themselves harboured in the psychic memory. And thus the only sure way of remembering the past, remembering, that is to say, what is worth remembering, is to go into the psychic being, possess the psychic consciousness. There one has the whole panorama of the soul's odyssey revealed. Any other way leads only to imagination, conjecture and delusion.
05.31 - Divine Intervention, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 01, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
But we have arrived today at a stage when this old-world view has perforce to be discarded. We can no longer take Laplace seriously: for scientists themselves have established as a fact in physical Nature the indeterminacy of her movements, the impossibility of foretelling a laLaplace, not because of any deficiency in the human instrument but because of the very nature of things. Science is of course at a loss to explain the why or even the how of this indeterminacy. We say, however, that it is nothing but the intrusion of another, a different kind of force in the field of the forces actually at play. That force comes from a higher, a subtler level. Things and forces move in their ordinary round, according to the normal laws, bound ,within their present frame: but always there drops in from elsewhere an unknown element, a force or energy or impulse of another quality, which causes a shift of emphasis in the actual, brings about a change unaccountable and unforeseen. This is what is called miracle: the imposition of a higher law, a generic law governing subtler forms and forces upon an inferior and grosser sphere. And the higher or subtler the plane from which the new force descends the plane can be anything between the one nearest to the material, the subtle physical or ethereal, and the one nearest to the other extreme, the spiritual the greater will be the change in nature, quality and extent in the lower order. Such miracles, interventions, providential happenings are not rare. They are always occurring, only they do not attract attention. For it is these phenomena that are the real causes of all progresscosmic as well as individual. Evolution is based upon this truth of Nature.
Man is not bound to the present pattern or complex of his nature and character: he is not irrevocably fixed to the framea Procrustean bedgiven by the parallelogram of actual forces in or around him. Always he can call down forces or forces can descend into him from otherwhere and bring about a change, even a revolution in the mode and make-up of his character and nature and life. What we call "opening" in our. Sadhana refers to this factor in our consciousness. It means the possibility of the descent of a higher force in our normal nature. Nature is not such a solid stream-lined structure as not to admit of any interstices in it. We know of the comparatively vast spaces that separate atom from atom, the immense emptiness across which even the ultimate nuclear particles have to act upon each other. These are the loop-holes in the great net and it is precisely through them that other forces percolate.
06.01 - The End of a Civilisation, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
Perhaps it was necessary that it should be so. A pralaya, a Deluge has to be there to end an epoch and begin a new one. Indeed the civilisation that man has built up over the millenniums, that has reached its culmination in modern scientism, whatever gifts it might have brought to him, however great and powerful and beautiful it might have been at its best in its own sphere, still it had and was a limitation, acted as a deterrent to a further leap and progress of the consciousness. It is the humanistic cycle that has reigned, from ancient Greece down to modern America. Is it not time that another consciousness should intervene, other gods make their appearance?
And yet if the civilisation really goes, it will not be a small thing, even when measured on the cosmic scale. A civilisation is to be judged and valued not at its nadir, but at its zenith, in its total effect and not by a temporary phase in its course. Civilisation really means preparation of the instrument: the human instrument that is to express the Divine. The purpose of creation, we have often said, is the establishment of the highest spiritual consciousness in the embodied life on earth. The embodied life means man's body and life and mind; individually and socially these constitute the instrument through which the higher light is to manifest itself. The instrument has to be prepared, made ready for the purpose; Actually it is obscure, ignorant, narrow, weak; at the outset and for a long time it expresses only or mainly the inferior animal nature. Civilisation is an attempt to raise this inferior nature, to refine, enlarge and heighten it, to cultivate and increase its potentialities and capacities. The present civilisation, we have said, is a growth of thousands of years-at least five thousand years according to the most modest archaeological computation. In this period man has developed his brain, his rational intelligence, has unravelled some of the great mysteries of nature; he has controlled and organised life to an extent that has opened new possibilities of growth and achievement; even with respect to the body he has learnt to treat it with greater skill and endowed it with finer and more potent efficiencies. There have been aberrations and misuses, no doubt; but the essence of things achieved still remains and is always an invaluable asset: that must not be allowed to go.
--
Now the same principle can be extended to the wider collective development. Civilisation has reached a status today when the next higher status can be and must be at-tempted. Man has risen to a considerable height in the mental sphere; the time and occasion are now here to step beyond into the supramental, the dynamically spiritual. Dangers are ahead, even around and close: all the forces of the infra-human, the submerged urges of animal atavism are pushing and pulling man down to a regression, to a reversion to type. The choice is indeed crucial. If the civilisation is to perish, it means mankind has to start over again its life course, begin, that is to say, at the baby stage, once more to go through the slow process of centuries to acquire the mastery that has been attained in the physical, the vital and the mental domains. Already there have been such lost periods in man's evolution now submerged in his consciousness and their gains are being with difficulty recovered. But a landslide at this critical hour will be a colossal catastrophehumanly speaking, something almost irremediable.
For here is the sense of the crisis. The mantra given for the new age is that man shall be transcended and in the process, man, as he is, shall go. Man shall go, but something of the vehicle that the present cycle has prepared will remain. For, that precisely has been the function of the passing civilisation, especially in its later stages, viz, to build up a terrestrial temple for the Lord. The aberration and deformation, rampant today, mean only an excess of stress upon this aspect, upon the external presentation which was ignored or not sufficiently considered in the earlier and higher curves of the present civilisation. The spiritual values have gone down, because the material values came to be regarded as valueless and this upset the economy or balance in Nature. It is true that we have gone far, too far in our revanche. And the problem that faces us today is this: whether mankind will be able to change sufficiently and grow into the higher being that shall inhabit the earth as its crown in the coming cycle or, being unable, will go totally, disappear altogether or be relegated to the backwater of earthly life, somewhat like the aboriginal tribes of today.
06.01 - The Word of Fate, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
Then let the speech benign of griefless spheres
Confirm this bli the conjunction of two stars
06.03 - Types of Meditation, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
The first is to think on one subject in a continuous logical order. When, for example, you have to find the solution of a problem, you go step by step from one operation to another in a chain till you finally arrive at the conclusion. The thought is withdrawn from all other objects and is canalised along a single line. This is a kind of meditation, although it may not be usually known by that name. It marks a progress in the make-up of the human consciousness. For normally the mind moves at random, thoughts run about on many subjects, various, contrary and contradictory, from moment to moment. There is neither direction, consistency nor organisation: it is a confused mass of incomplete, inchoate thoughts. The control and organisation of this mass, to start with, in a limited sphere and in a definite direction, the rejection of the unnecessary and the irrelevant and the marshalling and ordering of the required elements form the first exercise towards mental growth. All high intelligence, all effective wielding of thought power needs this discipline. Under the present circumstances of the world the school-life gives the best opportunity for this development. This is a meditation that should be obligatory and universal.
The next type we may call concentration, instead of meditation. Here we do not pursue a thought-line, but fix the thought upon one object unmoved. It means a further process of withdrawing the consciousness from its habitual outgoing and dispersive movement. The thought is held at a point and attention is focussed upon it: it is continuous and unbroken attention, for example, upon an idea, a phrase (mantra) or an image. One can concentrate also upon a physical point, say, fixing the gaze upon the tip of one's nose, or on a luminous point outside etc. In this discipline the whole mind is gathered together and focussed: or, everything else is shut out leaving only one thing upon which all the light of the consciousness is directed. It is a standstill consciousness, like a flame erect and immobile in a windless place.
06.05 - The Story of Creation, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
In the graded descent, in the hierarchy of planes and levels, there appeared forces and beings also proper to each domain. The earliest, the first among them are the Asuras, rather the original Asuras the first quaternary (some memory of them seemed to linger in the Greek legend of Chronos and his brood). For they embody the powers of division, of Inconscience: they are the Affirmations of the Negation. Against the Asuras there came and ranged-at the first line of division, on the one side of the descent of the Light the first godheads, the major powers and personalities of the Divine Consciousness. The battle of the gods and Titans for the possession of the earth has been going on ever since. The end will come one day: it will mean the dissolution of the forces of Negation, at least within the earthly sphere, and the establishment there of the reign of ,Light.
***
06.08 - The Individual and the Collective, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
An integral sadhana cannot be confined to the individual alone; an element of collectivity must enter into it. An individual is not an isolated being in any way. There are, of course, schools of Yoga and philosophy that seek to isolate the individual, consider him as an entity hemmed in by his own consciousness; indeed they view the individuals as all distinct and separate, each a closed circle or sphere, they may barely touch each other but never interpenetrate or inter-communicate. Each stands as a solitary island, all together forming the vast archipelago of the universe. This is a position; no doubt, that can be acquired by a kind of discipline of the consciousness, though not to a great perfection; but it is not a natural or necessary poise. Normally, individuals do merge into each other and form one weft of give and take. A desire, an impulse, even a thought that rises in you, goes out of you, overflows you and spreads around even to the extreme limit of the earth, like a Hertzian wave. Again, any movement in any person anywhere in the world would come to you, penetrate you, raise a similar vibration in you, even though you may not so recognise it but consider it as something exclusively personal to you. You send out vibrations into the world and the world sends out vibrations into you. Individual life is the meeting-ground of these outgoing and incoming forces. It is precisely to avoid this circle or cycle of world-vibrations that the older Yogis used to leave the world, away from society, retire to mountain-tops, into the virgin forest where they hoped to find themselves alone and aloof, to be single with the Single Self. This is a way out, but it is not the only or the best solution. It is not the best solution, for although apparent-ly one is alone on the hill-top, in the desert crypt, or the forest womb, one always carries with oneself a whole world within, the normal nature with all its instincts and impulses, reactions, memories and hopes: you cut away the outside, run away from it, but what about the outside that is within you? The taste for a tasty thing does not drop with the removal of the object. Secondly, such an individual solution, even if it were possible, would still be a purely personal matter and, in the ultimate analysis, egoistic. It is why the Buddha refused to enter definitely into Nirvana and withdrew from the brink to work among men. Indeed, the real solution is else-where. It is not to withdraw or go away but to find within the orbit here a centre, a focus of consciousness which is not controlled by the outside forces but can control them, which is not coloured by them but can lend them its own luminosity. That is the soul or the psychic centre.
And this centre is not an isolated entity in its nature: it is, as it were, a universal centre, that is to say, it links itself indissolubly in a secret sense of identity with all other centres. For this self is only one of the selves through which the One Self has multiplied itself for a varied self-objectification. The light that shines here, the fire that burns here and the delight that flows here illumine, purify and revitalise not only the individual in which it dwells, but move abroad and extend into the other individuals with which it lives in spiritual identity.
06.35 - Second Sight, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
We will now better understand the process of contact in sense perception. The purely material contact, physical vibration touching the physical nerves of the particular organ is an instance of the physical physical perception: the dog smelling or the elephant hearing at extraordinary distances. We have heard of men who, by putting their ear upon the ground, are able to catch sounds coming from a great distance and practically inaudible to others standing by. But there is another class where the material vibration is not at issue, it is the vital vibration in the physical touching the vital physical of the receiver. The elephant finding the water or sensing the hollow road is an instance in point. The mental physical, the last of the three is a kind of intuition in the physical, that is what is usually called instinct. A cat, for example, put in a sack and banished miles away from its home, will find its way back; a dog will go round the world almost and find and recognise its master even many years after (the first to recognise Ulysses was his dog). In man too the vital physical, more especially the mental physical not unoften finds room for play, although his physical physical i.e. purely material sensibility is extremely limited. This limitation of the physical sensibility in general, to whatever sphere it may belong, is due to the intellectual or rational bias that has developed in him. In the more unsophisticated races or types the sensibility is still maintained. Man can, however, cultivate, consciously develop these faculties: it then becomes what is called a system of Yoga. A familiar example of the mental physical action as cultivated in man is offered by the water diviner or dowser, as he is called. But, as I have said, the normal effect of human rationality is to inhibit the spontaneous action of the senses as it is natural with the animal.
It is interesting to note that animals in the wild state maintain intact their instinctive capacity, their second sight, but begin to lose it when they live with men, come under the influence of human mind and reason, become domesticated. A cow habituated to free grazing in the fields will never touch the poisonous grass, will always avoid it and take only the harm-less and healthy variety; but kept within the stable, accustomed to a closed life, it loses its natural instinct, gets confused, does not know how to distinguish the right from the wrong food, being always given ready-made things by the master.
07.03 - The Entry into the Inner Countries, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
But some murmured, passers-by from kindred spheres:
Each by his credo judged the thought she spoke.
07.03 - This Expanding Universe, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
The universe is a manifestation, that is to say, the unfolding of infinite possibilities. The unfolding has not stopped, it is continuing and will continue, throwing out or bringing into physical expression all that lies behind and latent. The universe may be considered as a sphere or a globe, a totality or assemblage containing everything that exists here and is being manifested. Beyond and outside, as it were, this circle of creation lies the transcendent, the Supreme Divine, in his own status. The transcendent means the unmanifest. It does not mean, however, the void; for it contains all that is to be manifested, each and everything in its potentiality, its essence, in a seed form. All is there as a latent possibility, a fundamental truth of beingall is there not simply as a general idea, but in every detail, though as it were on a microscopic scale, something like the chromosomes in life plasm. The transcendent is beyond time and space. Manifestation or creation begins with the formulation of time and space, the frame in which what lay latent is gradually brought out and displayed. The transcendent is consciousness absorbed in itself, identified with itself; manifestation is consciousness waking and looking at itself as its object (La prise de conscience objective de soi).
Now, one can be seated or fixed exclusively in the status of the unmanifest; to such a one the infinite and eternal is an ever-present reality, there is nothing like past or future, every-thing is. One knows and is in the presence of a fixed actuality; whatever happened, whatever will happenas it seems to us all are there realised on the same plane and at the same moment (although the terms plane and moment do not quite apply there). It is the world or status of the absolutely determined. Free choice or indeterminacy, the unexpected and the unforeseen have no place here.
On the contrary, the sphere of manifestation is precisely the field of the sudden and the incalculable, that is to say, of free will. Things appear here that were not before, forces come into play that were not expected or even imagined. They all move along lines that shift and change continually. This is the status of becomingsambhuti, as designated by the Upanishad and described by the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, in the words, panta reei, everything flows on. Here, often a certain disposition that seems quite stable or predictable is upset all of a sudden by the irruption of a new and novel factor from somewhere else.
But in between the two, on the borderland, as it were, there is a poise of consciousness which combines both in an integral perception, it is a single movement of both being and becoming. It is the Supermind. It is the point where what is or exists in the unmanifest just becomes in the manifest, the pure truth or reality above at standstill stirs and begins to come out or disengage itself through a play of possibles. It is like a cinema film that is rolled up and kept in a spool till it is put on the projector and rolled out gradually upon the screen of life and in life-size' presentation.
07.04 - The Triple Soul-Forces, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
And draw the harmony of higher spheres
Into the rhythm of earth's rude troubled days.
07.04 - The World Serpent, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 03, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
The universe is often conceived as a serpent coiling round and eating itself, the head turning about and swallowing the tail. The image is that of a sphere or globe enclosing the whole existence and that of something without end or beginning, infinite. It also gives the idea of a perpetual leng thening out, that is, constant creation, but at the same time of a turn back: the unrolling of the universe is not in a straight line, but circular.
The universe is however a complex entity. It is not made of only one plane, but consists of many planes superimposed upon each other. Thus at the bottom as the basis is the physicalmatter and at the top as the acme is the most subtle, the Spiritual: in between there; are gradations whose number varies according to the mode of the outlook.
--
One can recall here the curious conclusion reached by some modern scientists in regard to the spherical character of the universe that the universe being an endless bounded plane it is quite likely that a particular star you see in front of you may not at all be situated direct against you, but that it might be sending out rays that have come round the whole sphere and taken you, as it were, from behind!
***
08.11 - The Work Here, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 04, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
There are people who write wanting to join our University 1 and they ask what kind of diploma or degree we prepare for, the career we open out. To them I say: go elsewhere, please, if you want that; there are many other places, much better than ours, even in India, in that respect. We do not have their equipment or magnificence. You will get there the kind of success you look for. We do not compete with them. We move in a different sphere, on a different level.
But this does not mean that I ask you to feel superior to others. The true consciousness is incapable of feeling superior. It is only the small consciousness that seeks to show superiority. Even a child is more developed than such a being; for it is spontaneous in its movements. Rise above all smallness. Do not be interested in any other thing than your relation with the Divine, what you wish to do for Him. That is the only thing interesting.
09.02 - The Journey in Eternal Night and the Voice of the Darkness, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
Go, mortal, to thy small permitted sphere!
Hasten swift-footed, lest to slay thy life
100.00 - Synergy, #Synergetics - Explorations in the Geometry of Thinking, #R Buckminster Fuller, #Science
either one by itself. There is nothing that a single massive sphere will or can ever
do by itself that says it will both exert and yield attractively with a neighboring
massive sphere and that it yields progressively: every time the distance between
the two is halved, the attraction will be fourfolded. This unpredicted, only mutual
10.02 - The Gospel of Death and Vanity of the Ideal, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
A breath is felt from the eternal spheres.
Allowed by Heaven and wonderful to man
10.03 - The Debate of Love and Death, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
A tongue of glory from a brighter sphere:
It deepens in his musings and his Art,
1.00a - DIVISION A - THE INTERNAL FIRES OF THE SHEATHS., #A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, #Alice Bailey, #Occultism
There exists in the Sun, in the planet, in man, and in the atom, a central point of heat, or ((if I might use so limiting and inappropriate a term) a central cavern of fire, or nucleus of heat, and this central nucleus reaches the bounds of its sphere of influence, its ring-pass-not by means of a threefold channel. [xvii]17
a. The Sun. Within the sun, right at its very heart, is a sea of fire or heat, but not a sea of flame. Herein may lie a distinction that perhaps will convey no meaning to some. It is the centre of the sphere, and the point of fiercest internal burning, but has little relation to the flames or burning gases (whatever terms you care [59] to use) that are generally understood to exist whenever the sun is considered. It is the point of fiercest incandescence, and the objective sphere of fire is but the manifestation of that internal combustion. This central heat radiates its warmth to all parts of the system by means of a triple channel, or through its "Rays of Approach" which in their totality express to us the idea of "the heat of the sun."
1. The akasha, itself vitalised matter, or substance animated by latent heat.
--
b. The Planet. Deep in the heart of the planetsuch a planet as the Earth, for instanceare the internal fires that occupy the central sphere, or the caverns whichfilled with incandescent burningmake life upon the globe possible at all. The internal fires of the moon are practically burnt out, and, therefore, she does not shine save through reflection, having no inner fire to blend and merge with light external. These inner fires of the earth can be seen functioning, as in the sun, through three main channels:
1. Productive substance, or the matter of the planet vitalised by heat. This heat and matter together act as the mother of all that germinates, and as the protector of all that dwells therein and thereon. This corresponds to the akasha, the active vitalised matter of the solar system, that nourishes all as does a mother.
1.00b - DIVISION B - THE PERSONALITY RAY AND FIRE BY FRICTION, #A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, #Alice Bailey, #Occultism
In looking at the matter from the standpoint of fire the idea may be grasped a little through the realisation that the latent fire of matter in the atom is brought into brilliance and usefulness by the action of the personality Ray which merges with this fire and stands in the same position to the permanent atom in the microcosm as FOHAT does on the cosmic plane. The fire is there hidden within the sphere (whether the sphere systemic or the sphere atomic) and the personality Ray in the one case, and Fohat in the other, acts as the force which brings latency into activity and potentiality into demonstrated power. This correspondence should be thought out with care and judgment. Just as Fohat has to do with active manifestation or objectivity, so the personality Ray has to do with the third, or activity aspect in the microcosm. The work of the third aspect logoic was the arranging of the matter of the system so that eventually it could be built into form through the power of the second aspect. Thus the correspondence works out. By life upon the physical plane (that life wherein the physical permanent atom has its full demonstration) the matter is arranged and separated that must eventually be built into the Temple of Solomon, the egoic body, through the agency of the egoic life, the second [73] aspect. In the quarry of the personal life are the stones prepared for the great Temple. In existence upon the physical plane and in the objective personal life is that experience gained which demonstrates as faculty in the Ego. What is here suggested would richly repay our closest attention, and open up before us reaches of ideas, which should eventuate in a wiser comprehension, a sounder judgment, and a greater encouragement to action.
III. THE PERSONALITY RAY AND KARMA
--
The karma of form is likewise a vast subject, too [76] involved for average comprehension but a factor of real importance which should not be overlooked in connection with the evolution of a world, a synthesis of worlds, or of a system when viewed from higher levels. Everything is, in its totality, the result of action taken by cosmic Essences and Entities in earlier solar systems, which is working out through the individual atoms, and through those congeries of atoms which we call forms. The effect of the personality Ray upon the internal fires is therefore, in effect, the result of the influence of the planetary Logos of whatever ray is implicated, as He works out that portion of Karma which falls to His share in any one cycle, greater or lesser. He thus brings about and eventually transmutes, the effects of causes which He set in motion earlier in relation to His six Brothers, the other planetary Logoi. We get an illustrative parallel in the effect which one individual will have upon another in worldly contact, in moulding and influencing, in stimulating or retarding. We have to remember that all fundamental influence and effects are felt on the astral plane and work thence through the etheric to the dense physical thereby bringing matter under its sphere of influence, yet not itself originating on the physical plane.
[77]
1.00b - Introduction, #The Perennial Philosophy, #Aldous Huxley, #Philosophy
In reality, magic is a sacred science, it is, in the very true sense the sum of all knowledge because it teaches how to know and utilize the sovereign rules. There is no difference between magic and mystic or any other conception of the name. Wherever au thentic initiatio n is at stake, one has to proceed on the same basis, according to the same rules, irrespective of the name given by this or that creed. Considering the universal polarity rules of good and evil, active and passive, light and shadow, each science can serve good as well as bad purposes. Let us take the example of a knife, an object that virtually ought to be used for cutting bread only, which, however, can become a dangerous weapon in the hands of a murderer. All depends on the character of the individual. This principle goes just as well for all the spheres of the occult sciences. In my book I have chosen the term of magician for all of my disciples, it being a symbol of the deepest initiation and the highest wisdom.
Many of the readers will know, of course, that the word tarot does not mean a game of cards, serving mantical purposes, but a symbolic book of initiation which contains the greatest secrets in a symbolic form. The first tablet of this book introduces the magician representing him as the master of the elements and offering the key to the first Arcanum, the secret of the ineffable name of Tetragrammaton*, the quabbalistic
--
Above the hermaphrodite there is a globe as a sign of the earth sphere, above which the magician is illustrated with the four elements.
Above the male, there are the active elements, that of the fire in red and the air element in blue colour. Above the female there are the passive elements, the water element in green and the element of the earth in yellow colour.
1.00c - DIVISION C - THE ETHERIC BODY AND PRANA, #A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, #Alice Bailey, #Occultism
In the Planet. In the planet there will be found a similar organ or receiver within its etheric body, the locality of which is not for exoteric publication and cannot therefore be revealed. It is connected with the location of the two poles, north and south, and is the centre around which the globe rotates, and is the source of the legend of a sacred fertile land within the sphere of polar influences. The mythic land of exceeding fertility, of abundant [84] luxuriance, and of phenomenal growth, vegetable, animal and human would naturally lie where prana is received. It is the esoteric Garden of Eden, the land of physical perfection. Surface radiation demonstrates, after distribution, as planetary prana.
In Man. The organ of reception is the spleen through its etheric counterpart. After distribution over the entire body via the etheric network it demonstrates in surface radiation as the health aura.
--
The atomic sphere.
Receptive centre.................................
--
Here we touch upon a hidden mystery, of which the solution lies revealed for those who seek, in the fact that human beings and certain groups of devas are no longer found upon the Moon. Man has not ceased to exist upon the Moon because it is dead and cannot therefore support his life, but the Moon is dead because man and these deva groups have been removed from off its surface and from its sphere of influence. [xli]41 Man and the devas act on every planet as intermediaries, or as transmitting agencies. Where they are not found, then certain great activities become impossible, and disintegration sets in. The reason for this removal lies in the cosmic Law of Cause and Effect, or cosmic karma, and in the composite, yet individual, history of that one of the Heavenly Men Whose body, the Moon or any other dead planet at any time happened to be.
3. The prana of forms.
--
These three centres are in the form that all centres take, of saucer-like depressions, resembling somewhat the appearance of small whirlpools, and which draw within their sphere of influence the currents that come their way.
The centres should be pictured as whirling vortices with a closely woven threefold channel passing from each centre to the other, and forming an almost separate circulatory system. This finds its point of departure for [100] the entire system at the further side of the spleen to that at which the prana entered. The vital fluid circulates through and between these three centres three times, before it finally passes out from them to the periphery of its little system. This final circulation carries the prana, via the fine interlacing channels, to every part of the body, which becomes entirely impregnated by these emanations, if it might be so expressed. These emanations find their way finally out of the etheric system by means of surface radiation. The pranic essence escapes from the circumference of its temporary ring-pass-not as emanative human prana, which is the same prana as earlier received, plus the peculiar quality that any single individual may convey to it during its transitory circulation. The essence escapes, plus individual quality.
--
The Planet receives prana from the solar centre, and redistributes it via the three receiving centres to all parts of its sphere of influence. This solar prana becomes colored by the planetary quality and is absorbed by all evolutions found within the planetary ring-pass-not. Its mission might be described as the vitalisation of the vehicle which is the physical material expression of one or other of the seven Heavenly Men.
[102]
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k. It is to be observed that just as in man the dense physical body in its three gradesdense, liquid and gaseousis not recognised as a principle, so in the cosmic sense the physical (dense) astral (liquid) and mental (gaseous) levels are likewise regarded as non-existing, and the solar system has its location on the fourth ether. The seven sacred planets are composed of matter of this fourth ether, and the seven Heavenly Men, whose bodies they are, function normally on the fourth plane of the system, the buddhic or the fourth cosmic ether. When man has attained the consciousness of the buddhic plane, he has raised his consciousness to that of the Heavenly Man in whose body he is a cell. This is achieved at the fourth Initiation, the liberating initiation. At the fifth Initiation he ascends with the Heavenly Man on to the fifth plane (from the human standpoint), the atmic, and at the sixth he has dominated the second cosmic ether and has monadic consciousness and continuity of function. At the seventh Initiation he dominates the entire sphere of matter contained in the lowest cosmic plane, escapes from all etheric contact, and functions on the cosmic astral plane.
The past solar system saw the surmounting of the three lowest cosmic physical planes viewed from the matter standpoint and the co-ordination of the dense threefold physical form in which all life is found, dense matter, liquid matter, gaseous matter. A correspondence may be seen here in the work achieved in the first three rootraces. [lviii]56, [lix]57
1.00c - INTRODUCTION, #Patanjali Yoga Sutras, #Swami Vivekananda, #Hinduism
worked out in one sphere is being worked out in millions of
spheres. What you see with the planets, the same will it be
1.00e - DIVISION E - MOTION ON THE PHYSICAL AND ASTRAL PLANES, #A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, #Alice Bailey, #Occultism
These forms are the sumtotal of all spheres or atoms within the solar system, or within the solar ring-pass-not, and in their seven major differentiations they are the [144] spheres of the seven Spirits, or the seven planetary Logoi.
All lesser spheres ranging downward from these major spheres, include all grades of manifestation down to the elemental essence on the arc of involution. [lxvi]64 We need to remember that on the Path of Involution, the action of Brahma is primarily felt, seeking the line of least resistance. On the Path of Evolution the work of the second Logos is felt, beginning at a point in time and space which hides the mystery of the second chain, but finding its point of accelerated vibration or the unification of the two modes of manifestationrotary-spiral-cyclicin the middle part of what we call the third chain. This is after all the blending of the activity of Brahma with the onward progress of Vishnu. We have the correspondence to this in the sumtotal of the effects brought about in the second and third root races.
The activity of the second Logos is carried on under the cosmic Law of Attraction. The Law of Economy has for one of its branches a subsidiary Law of marked development called the Law of Repulsion. The cosmic Laws of Attraction and Economy are therefore the raison d'tre (viewed from one angle) of the eternal repulsion that goes on as Spirit seeks ever to liberate itself from form. The matter aspect always follows the line of least resistance, and repulses all tendency to group formation, while Spirit, governed by the Law of Attraction, seeks ever to separate itself from matter by the method of attracting an ever more adequate type of matter in the process of distinguishing the real from the unreal, and passing from one illusion to another until the resources of matter are fully utilised.
--
c. His mode of action is cyclic and spiral, the revolution of the wheel of existence in ordered cycles for a specific purpose, and the progression of these spheres of matter around a fixed centre, within the solar periphery.
These three concepts are governed by the Law of Attraction, or the law governing the interplay or the action and reaction.
--
c. Between everything in the matter of all forms, the spheres of matter themselves and the aggregate of those spheres that are embodied in the forms of still others.
The First Logos. The first Logos is the Ray of Cosmic Will. His mode of action is a literal driving forward of the solar ring-pass-not through space, and until the end of this mahamanvantara or day of Brahma (the logoic [146] cycle) we shall not be able to conceive of the first aspect of will or power as it really is. We know it now as the will to exist, manifesting through the matter of the forms (the Primordial Ray and the Divine Ray), and we know it as that which in some occult manner links the system up with its cosmic centre. In a manner inconceivable to us the first Logos brings in the influence of other constellations. When this first aspect is better understood (in the next mahamanvantara) the work of the seven Rishis of the Great Bear, [lxvii]65 and the supreme influence of Sirius will be comprehended; in this present manifestation of the Son, or of the Vishnu aspect, we are concerned more closely with the Pleiades and their influence via the Sun, and, in relation to our planet, via Venus.
--
The difficulty lies in the inability of the finite mind to grasp the significance of this threefold manifestation, but by thoughtful brooding over the Personality and its relation to the Ego, who is the love aspect and who nevertheless in relation to manifestation in the three worlds is the will aspect likewise, will come some faint light upon the same problems raised to Deity, or expanded from microcosmic to macrocosmic spheres.
The Mahadeva aspect or the first Logos (who embodies cosmic will) is controlled by the Law of Synthesis, the cosmic law governing the tendency to unification; only in this case, it is not the unification of matter and Spirit, but the unification of the seven into the three, and into the one. These three figures primarily stand for Spirit, [148] for quality, for principle, and not so primarily for matter, although matter, being inspired by spirit, conforms. The Law of Synthesis has a direct connection with One Who is still higher than our Logos, and is the law of control exercised by Him upon the Logos of our system. This is a spiritual relationship that tends to abstraction or to that synthesis of the spiritual elements that will result in their conscious return (the whole point lying in that word "conscious") to their cosmic point of synthesis, or of unification with their source. Their source is the ONE ABOUT WHOM NAUGHT MAY BE SAID, as we have earlier seen.
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The third Logos is fire in matter. He burns by friction, and gains speed and added vibration by the rotation of the spheres, their interplay thus producing friction with each other.
The second Logos is solar fire. He is the fire of matter and the electric fire of Spirit blended, producing, in time and space, that fire which we call solar. He is the quality of the flame, or the essential flame, produced by this merging. A correspondence to this may be seen in the radiatory fire of matter, and in the emanation, for instance, from the central sun, from a planet, or from a human being,which latter emanation we call magnetism. A man's emanation, or characteristic vibration, is the result of the blending of Spirit and matter, and the relative adequacy of the matter, or the form, to the life within. The objective solar system, or the sun in manifestation, is the result of the blending of Spirit (electric fire) with matter (fire by friction), and the emanations of the Son, in time and space, are dependent upon the adequacy of the matter, and of the form to the life within.
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As we have been told, and as is generally recognised, the effect of heat in matter is to produce that activity which we call rotary, or the revolution of the spheres. Some of the ancient books, and among them a few that are not yet accessible in the occident, have taught that the entire vault of heaven is a vast sphere, revolving slowly like a stupendous wheel, and carrying with it, in its revolution, the entire number of constellations and of universes contained within it. This is a statement unverifiable by the finite mind of man at his present stage, and with his present scientific accessories, but (like all occult statements) it contains within it the seed of thought, the germ of truths, and the clue to the mystery of the universe. Suffice it here to say, that the rotation of the spheres within the solar periphery is a recognized occult fact, and indications are available to prove that science itself likewise formulates the hypothesis that the solar ring-pass-not similarly rotates in its appointed place among the constellations. But at this juncture we will not deal with this angle of the subject, but will study the rotary action of the spheres of the system, and of its contentall the lesser spheres of every degreeremembering ever to keep the distinction clearly in mind that we are dealing now simply with the inherent characteristic of matter itself, and not with matter in co-operation with [152] its opposite, Spirit, which co-operation brings about spiral-cyclic movement.
II. THE EFFECTS OF ROTARY MOTION
Every sphere in the body macrocosmic rotates. This rotation produces certain effects, which effects might be enumerated as follows:
1. Separation is produced by rotary movement. By means of this action, all the spheres became differentiated, and form, as we know, the following atomic units:
a. The solar system, recognised as a cosmic atom, all the so-called atoms within its periphery being regarded as molecular.
b. The seven planes, regarded as seven vast spheres, rotating latitudinally within the solar periphery.
c. The seven rays, regarded as the seven veiling forms of the Spirits, themselves spheroidal bands of colour, rotating longitudinally, and forming (in connection with the seven planes) a vast interlacing network. These two sets of spheres (planes and rays) form the totality of the solar system, and produce its form spheroidal.
Let us withdraw our thought at this juncture from the informing Consciousnesses of these three types of spheres, and concentrate our attention upon the realisation that each plane is a vast sphere of matter, actuated by latent heat and progressing or rotating in one particular direction. Each ray of light, no matter of what colour, is likewise a sphere of matter of the utmost tenuity, rotating in a direction opposite to that of the planes. These rays produce by their mutual interaction a radiatory effect upon each other. Thus by the approximation of the latent heat in matter, and the interplay of that heat upon other spheres that totality is produced which we call "fire by friction."
[153]
In connection with these two types of spheres we might, by way of illustration and for the sake of clarity, say that:
a. The planes rotate from east to west.
--
The seven spheres of any one plane, which we call subplanes, equally correspond to the system; each has its seven revolving wheels or planes that rotate through their own innate ability, due to latent heat the heat of the matter of which they are formed.
The spheres or atoms of any form whatsoever, from the form logoic, which we have somewhat dealt with, down to the ultimate physical atom and the molecular matter that goes to the construction of the physical body, show similar correspondences and analogies.
All these spheres conform to certain rules, fulfil certain conditions and are characterised by the same fundamental qualifications. Later we will consider these conditions, [154] but must now continue with the effect of rotary action.
2. Momentum, resulting therefore in repulsion, was produced by the rotary movement. We have referred to the Law of Repulsion as one of the subsidiary branches of the great Law of Economy, which governs matter. Repulsion is brought about by rotary action, and is the basis of that separation which prevents the contact of any atom with any other atom, which keeps the planets at fixed points in space and separated stably from each other; which keeps them at a certain distance from their systemic centre, and which likewise keeps the planes and subplanes from losing their material identity. Here we can see the beginning of that age-long duel between Spirit and matter, which is characteristic of manifestation, one aspect working under the Law of Attraction, and the other governed by the Law of Repulsion. From aeon to aeon the conflict goes on, with matter becoming less potent. Gradually (so gradually as to seem negated when viewed from the physical plane) the attractive power of Spirit is weakening the resistance of matter till, at the close of the greater solar cycles, destruction (as it is called) will ensue, and the Law of Repulsion be overcome by the Law of Attraction. It is a destruction of form and not of matter itself, for matter is indestructible. This can be seen even now in the microcosmic life, and is the cause of the disintegration of form, which holds itself as a separated unit by the very method of repulsing all other forms. It can be seen working out gradually and inappreciably in connection with the Moon, which no longer is repulsive to the earth, and is giving of her very substance to this planet. H. P. B. hints at this in The Secret Doctrine, and I have here suggested the law under which this is so. [lxxii]70, [lxxiii]71
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4. Absorption, through that expression which is seen in all whirling spheres of atomic matter at whichever surface in the sphere corresponds to the point called in a planet the North Pole. Some idea of the intention that I seek to convey may be grasped by a study of the atom as portrayed in Babbitt's "Principles of Light and Colour," and later in Mrs. Besant's "Occult Chemistry." This depression is produced by radiations which proceed counter to the rotations of the sphere and pass down from the north southwards to a midway point. From there they tend to increase the latent heat, to produce added momentum and to give specific quality according to the source from which the radiation comes. This absorption of extra-spheroidal emanation is the secret of the dependence of one sphere upon another, and has its correspondence in the cycling of a ray through any plane sphere. Every atom, though termed spheroidal, is more accurately a sphere slightly depressed at one location, [156] that location being the place through which flows the force which animates the matter of the sphere. This is true of all spheres, from the solar down to the atom of matter that we call the cell in the body physical. Through the depression in the physical atom flows the vitalising force from without. Every atom is both positive and negative; it is receptive or negative where the inflowing force is concerned, and positive or radiatory where its own emanations are concerned, and in connection with its effect upon its environment.
This can be predicated likewise of the entire ring-pass-not of the solar system in relation to its cosmic environment. Force flows into the solar system from three directions via three channels:
--
Certain broad statements have been laid down here concerning the rotation of matter, and the results produced [157] in diverse spheres by that rotation. What is predicated of any one sphere or atom can be predicated of all, if it is in any way an occult statement of fact and we should be able to work out these four effects:
1. Separation, or the repulsive effect,
--
Every rotating sphere of matter is characterised by the three qualities, of inertia, mobility and rhythm.
1. Inertia. This characterises every atom at the dawn of manifestation, at the beginning of a solar cycle or mahamanvantara (or one hundred years of Brahma), at the commencement of a chain, of a globe, or of any spheroidal form whatsoever without exception. This statement, therefore, includes the totality of manifesting forms within the solar system.
--
Every rotating sphere of matter can be pictured by using the same general cosmic symbols as are used for the portrayal of evolution.
1. The circle. This stands for the ring-pass-not of undifferentiated matter. It stands for a solar system or the body logoic, viewed etherically; it stands for a planet or the body of a Heavenly Man viewed etherically; it stands for a human body, viewed likewise, etherically and it stands for them all at the prime or earliest epoch of manifestation. It stands finally for a single cell within the human vehicle, and for the atom of the chemist or physicist.
2. The circle with the point in the centre. This signifies the production of heat in the heart of matter; the point of fire, the moment of the first rotary activity, the first straining of the atom, motivated by latent heat, into the sphere of influence of another atom. This produced the first radiation, the first pull of attraction, and the [160] consequent setting up of a repulsion and therefore producing
3. The circle divided into two. This marks the active rotation and the beginning of the mobility of the atom of matter, and produces the subsequent extension of the influence of the positive point within the atom of matter till its sphere of influence extends from the centre to the periphery. At the point where it touches the periphery it contacts the influence of the atoms in its environment; radiation is set up and the point of depression makes its appearance, marking the inflow and outflow of force or heat.
We are here only showing the application of cosmic symbols to matter, and are not dealing with manifestation from any other angle than that of the purely material. For instance, we are applying the symbol of the point within the circle to the sphere of matter, and the point of latent heat. We are not handling at this point matter as informed by an entity who is to matter, when so informing, a point of conscious life.
We are dealing only with matter and latent heat, with the result produced by rotary movement of radiatory heat and the consequent interplay of bodies atomic. We are therefore dealing with the point we set out to consider while studying our fifth division, motion in the sheaths.
--
The centres are formed entirely of streams of force, pouring down from the Ego, who transmits it from the Monad. In this we have the secret of the gradual vibratory quickening of the centres as the Ego first comes into control, or activity, and later (after initiation) the Monad, thus bringing about changes and increased vitality within these spheres of fire or of pure life force.
The centres, therefore, when functioning properly, form the "body of fire" which eventually is all that is left, first to man in the three worlds, and later to the Monad. This body of fire is "the body incorruptible" [lxxiv]72 or indestructible, spoken of by St. Paul, and is the product of evolution, of the perfect blending of the three fires, which ultimately destroy the form. When the form is [167] destroyed there is left this intangible spiritual body of fire, one pure flame, distinguished by seven brilliant centres of intenser burning. This electric fire is the result of the bringing together of the two poles and demonstrates at the moment of complete at-one-ment, the occult truth of the words "Our God is a consuming Fire." [lxxv]73
--
Just as the Monad is the sumtotal of all the three aspects, and of the seven principles of man, so is the head centre a replica of this, and has within its sphere of influence seven other centres with itself for synthesis. These seven centres are likewise divided into the three major and the four minor centres, with their union and consummation seen in the gorgeous centre surmounting and enveloping them all. There are also three physical centres, called
[169]
--
5. The swastika. At this stage the centre becomes fourth-dimensional; the inner rotating cross begins to turn upon its axis, and to drive the flaming periphery to all sides so that the centre is better described as a sphere of fire than as a wheel. It marks the stage of the Path in its two divisions, for the process of producing the effect described covers the whole period of the Path. At the close, the centres are seen as globes of radiant fire with the spokes of the wheel (or the evolution of the cross from the point in the centre) merging and blending into a "fire that burneth up the whole."
A brief sentence has its place here owing to its relation to this subject. Another sentence is also added here, which, if meditated upon, will prove of real value and will have a definite effect upon one of the centres, which centre it is for the student himself to find out.
--
"The fire within the lesser fire findeth its progress much impelled when the circle of the moving and the unmoving, of the lesser wheel within the greater wheel that moveth not in Time, findeth a twofold outlet; it then shineth with the glory of the twofold One and of His sixfold brother. Fohat rusheth through space. He searcheth for his complement. [173] The breath of the unmoving one, and the fire of the One Who seeth the whole from the beginning rush to meet each other, and the unmoving becomes the sphere of activity."
We take up our second point in the consideration of the centres:
--
2. It sweeps into its sphere of influence matter that is keyed to its own vibration, and builds it into its vibratory content. This is but a reflection of the action of the Logos in sweeping into differentiation the matter of the solar system. Kundalini is likewise the fire or force of matter, and therefore the life of the third Logos.
f. Kundalini has two effects upon the etheric web, as it is called.
1.00f - DIVISION F - THE LAW OF ECONOMY, #A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, #Alice Bailey, #Occultism
3. The Law of Repulsion, governs that relationship between atoms, which results in their non-attachment and in their complete freedom from each other; it also keeps them rotating at fixed points from the globe or sphere of opposite polarity.
4. The Law of Friction, governs the heat aspect of any atom, the radiation of an atom, and the effect of that radiation on any other atom.
1.00 - INTRODUCTORY REMARKS, #A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, #Alice Bailey, #Occultism
Purely mental thought forms, animated by self-engendered fire, or by the fifth principle, and therefore part of the sphere, or system of control, of the Monad.
These form an esoteric quaternary which with the fifth factor, the divine spark of intelligent will, make the five of monadic manifestationmanifestation in this case connotating a purely subjective manifestation which is neither altogether spiritual nor altogether material.
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1. Interior fire at the centre of the sphere, those inner furnaces which produce warmth. This is latent fire.
2. Radiatory fire. This type of fire might be expressed in terms of physical plane electricity, of light rays, and of etheric energy. This is active fire.
1.00 - PRELUDE AT THE THEATRE, #Faust, #Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, #Poetry
Thus, in our booth's contracted sphere,
The circle of Creation will appear,
1.01 - A NOTE ON PROGRESS, #The Future of Man, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
is situated within the sphere of consciousness (and collective con-
sciousness).
--
come into the full possession of his sphere of action, his strength,
his maturity and his unity, will at last have become an adult being;
1.01 - BOOK THE FIRST, #Metamorphoses, #Ovid, #Poetry
While frowning Auster seeks the Southern sphere;
And rots, with endless rain, th' unwholsom year.
1.01 - Economy, #Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience, #Henry David Thoreau, #Philosophy
And when thou seest the new enlightened sphere,
Study to know but what those worthies were.
1.01 - How is Knowledge Of The Higher Worlds Attained?, #Knowledge of the Higher Worlds, #Rudolf Steiner, #Theosophy
his enclosed spiritual sphere and steps forth before the world, he must immediately take a third law into account. It is this: Adapt each one of your actions, and frame each one of your words in such a way that you infringe upon no one's free-will.
The recognition that all true teachers of the spiritual life are permeated through and through with this principle will convince all who follow the practical rules proffered to them that they need sacrifice none of their independence.
1.01 - Maitreya inquires of his teacher (Parashara), #Vishnu Purana, #Vyasa, #Hinduism
[1]: An address of this kind, to one or other Hindu divinity, usually introduces Sanscrit compositions, especially those considered sacred. The first term of this mantra or brief prayer, Om or Omkāra, is well known as a combination of letters invested by Hindu mysticism with peculiar sanctity. In the Vedas it is said to comprehend all the gods; and in the Purāṇas it is directed to be prefixed to all such formulæ as that of the text. Thus in the Uttara Khaṇḍa of the Pādma Purāṇa: 'The syllable Om, the mysterious name, or Brahma, is the leader of all prayers: let it therefore, O lovely-faced, (Śiva addresses Durgā,) be employed in the beginning of all prayers:' According to the same authority, one of the mystical imports of the term is the collective enunciation of Viṣṇu expressed by A, of Srī his bride intimated by U, and of their joint worshipper designated by M. A whole chapter of the Vāyu Purāṇa is devoted to this term. A text of the Vedas is there cited: 'Om, the monosyllable Brahma;' the latter meaning either the Supreme Being or the Vedas collectively, of which this monosyllable is the type. It is also said to typify the three spheres of the world, the three holy fires, the three steps of Viṣṇu, &c.-Frequent meditation upon it, and repetition of it, ensure release from worldly existence. See also Manu, II. 76. Vāsudeva, a name of Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa, is, according to its grammatical etymology, a patronymic derivative implying son of Vasudeva. The Vaiṣṇava Purāṇas, however, devise other explanations: see the next chapter, and again, b. VI. c. 5.
[2]: In this stanza occurs a series of the appellations of Viṣṇu: 1. Puṇḍarīkākṣa, having eyes like a lotus, or heart-pervading; or Puṇḍarīka is explained supreme glory, and Akṣa imperishable: the first is the most usual etymon. 2. Vīswabhāvana, the creator of the universe, or the cause of the existence of all things. 3. Hṛṣīkeśa, lord of the senses. 4. Mahā puruṣa, great or supreme spirit; puruṣa meaning that which abides or is quiescent in body (puri sété), 5. Pūrvaja, produced or appearing before creation; the Orphic πρωτογόνος. In the fifth book, c. 18, Viṣṇu is described by five appellations, which are considered analogous to these; or, 1. Bhūtātmā, one with created things, or Puṇḍarīkākṣa; 2. Pradhānātmā, one with crude nature, or Viśvabhāvana; 3. Indriyātmā, one with the senses, or Hṛṣikeśa; 4. Paramātmā, supreme spirit, or Mahāpuruṣa; and Ātmā, soul; living soul, animating nature and existing before it, or Pūrvaja.
1.01 - Newtonian and Bergsonian Time, #Cybernetics, or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine, #Norbert Wiener, #Cybernetics
music of the spheres is a palindrome, and the book of astron-
omy reads the same backward as forward. There is no difference
--
liquid sphere, these hills could follow the moon around the
earth with no great dispersal of energy, and consequently would
--
as do the celestial spheres; and if friction and the dissipation of
energy play a role in it, they are effects to be overcome, so that
1.01 - NIGHT, #Faust, #Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, #Poetry
Long from my sphere thy food exacted,
And now
1.01 - On knowledge of the soul, and how knowledge of the soul is the key to the knowledge of God., #The Alchemy of Happiness, #Al-Ghazali, #Sufism
If you desire, inquirer for the way, with thankfulness for these mercies, to obtain eternal happiness in the future mansions, the heart must enthrone itself like a sovereign in its capital, the body, must stand at the door of service and direct its prayers to the gate of eternal truth, seeking [20] for the beauty of the divinity. It must take reason for its vizier, desire for its standard bearer, anger to be the superintendent of the city, and taking the senses of reason as its spies, it must make each one of them responsible in its sphere. The perceptive faculties which are foremost in the brain, it must make to be chiefs of the spies, that they may convey to the spies notices of what occurs in the world. The faculty of memory, which is next in order in the brain, it must use as a receptacle in which it may treasure up whatever is noticed by the spies, and, as occasion requires, may inform reason, the vizier. The vizier, in accordance with the information received, will administer the kingdom. When he sees any one of the soldiers revolting and following his own passions, he will represent it to the sovereign, that he may be controlled and conquered. He must not, however, be destroyed, for each one of us has received, from his original country, a definite commission, and in that case this service must remain unfulfilled. But, alas! if the heart should swerve from its sovereignty, and not make use of reason as its vizier, and should be reduced by the standard bearer, desire, and the superintendent, anger, all the forces would then follow in the train of desire and anger, the kingdom would fall into disorder, and everlasting ruin would be the result....
If you inquire, O student! how it is known that the heart of man has been created in accordance with the qualities of angels, seeing that the most of the qualities and attributes of angels are foreign to it, I reply, you know that there is not, in truth, any creature on the face of the earth more noble than man, and that it belongs to the dignity and perfection of every creature, to work out perseveringly that service for which it was created. The ass, for instance, was created to bear burdens. If he carries his load well, without stumbling or falling, or if he does not throw off his load, his qualities are in perfection, and his service is accepted. The horse was designed also for war [21] and military expeditions, and has strength to carry burdens. If he performs his duty well, in time of war, in running, fleeing and going to meet the enemy, his service is accepted, and he will be treated with attention in his accoutrements, grooming and feeding. But if he performs his service imperfectly, a pack saddle will be put on his back, as on the ass, from day to day he will be employed as a beast of burden, and he will be carelessly and deficiently provided with food, and poorly taken care of.
1.01 - Principles of Practical Psycho therapy, #The Practice of Psycho therapy, #Carl Jung, #Psychology
moving in the sphere of genuine neurosis one cannot dispense with the
views of either Freud or Adler.
1.01 - Seeing, #Let Me Explain, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
disarticulating and spacing out, within a sphere of indefinite
radius, the orbits of the objects which press round us;
1.01 - The Human Aspiration, #The Life Divine, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
3:For all problems of existence are essentially problems of harmony. They arise from the perception of an unsolved discord and the instinct of an undiscovered agreement or unity. To rest content with an unsolved discord is possible for the practical and more animal part of man, but impossible for his fully awakened mind, and usually even his practical parts only escape from the general necessity either by shutting out the problem or by accepting a rough, utilitarian and unillumined compromise. For essentially, all Nature seeks a harmony, life and matter in their own sphere as much as mind in the arrangement of its perceptions. The greater the apparent disorder of the materials offered or the apparent disparateness, even to irreconcilable opposition, of the elements that have to be utilised, the stronger is the spur, and it drives towards a more subtle and puissant order than can normally be the result of a less difficult endeavour. The accordance of active Life with a material of form in which the condition of activity itself seems to be inertia, is one problem of opposites that Nature has solved and seeks always to solve better with greater complexities; for its perfect solution would be the material immortality of a fully organised mind-supporting animal body. The accordance of conscious mind and conscious will with a form and a life in themselves not overtly self-conscious and capable at best of a mechanical or subconscious will is another problem of opposites in which she has produced astonishing results and aims always at higher marvels; for there her ultimate miracle would be an animal consciousness no longer seeking but possessed of Truth and Light, with the practical omnipotence which would result from the possession of a direct and perfected knowledge. Not only, then, is the upward impulse of man towards the accordance of yet higher opposites rational in itself, but it is the only logical completion of a rule and an effort that seem to be a fundamental method of Nature and the very sense of her universal strivings.
4:We speak of the evolution of Life in Matter, the evolution of Mind in Matter; but evolution is a word which merely states the phenomenon without explaining it. For there seems to be no reason why Life should evolve out of material elements or Mind out of living form, unless we accept the Vedantic solution that Life is already involved in Matter and Mind in Life because in essence Matter is a form of veiled Life, Life a form of veiled Consciousness. And then there seems to be little objection to a farther step in the series and the admission that mental consciousness may itself be only a form and a veil of higher states which are beyond Mind. In that case, the unconquerable impulse of man towards God, Light, Bliss, Freedom, Immortality presents itself in its right place in the chain as simply the imperative impulse by which Nature is seeking to evolve beyond Mind, and appears to be as natural, true and just as the impulse towards Life which she has planted in certain forms of Matter or the impulse towards Mind which she has planted in certain forms of Life. As there, so here, the impulse exists more or less obscurely in her different vessels with an ever-ascending series in the power of its will-to-be; as there, so here, it is gradually evolving and bound fully to evolve the necessary organs and faculties. As the impulse towards Mind ranges from the more sensitive reactions of Life in the metal and the plant up to its full organisation in man, so in man himself there is the same ascending series, the preparation, if nothing more, of a higher and divine life. The animal is a living laboratory in which Nature has, it is said, worked out man. Man himself may well be a thinking and living laboratory in whom and with whose conscious co-operation she wills to work out the superman, the god. Or shall we not say, rather, to manifest God? For if evolution is the progressive manifestation by Nature of that which slept or worked in her, involved, it is also the overt realisation of that which she secretly is. We cannot, then, bid her pause at a given stage of her evolution, nor have we the right to condemn with the religionist as perverse and presumptuous or with the rationalist as a disease or hallucination any intention she may evince or effort she may make to go beyond. If it be true that Spirit is involved in Matter and apparent Nature is secret God, then the manifestation of the divine in himself and the realisation of God within and without are the highest and most legitimate aim possible to man upon earth.
5:Thus the eternal paradox and eternal truth of a divine life in an animal body, an immortal aspiration or reality inhabiting a mortal tenement, a single and universal consciousness representing itself in limited minds and divided egos, a transcendent, indefinable, timeless and spaceless Being who alone renders time and space and cosmos possible, and in all these the higher truth realisable by the lower term, justify themselves to the deliberate reason as well as to the persistent instinct or intuition of mankind. Attempts are sometimes made to have done finally with questionings which have so often been declared insoluble by logical thought and to persuade men to limit their mental activities to the practical and immediate problems of their material existence in the universe; but such evasions are never permanent in their effect. Mankind returns from them with a more vehement impulse of inquiry or a more violent hunger for an immediate solution. By that hunger mysticism profits and new religions arise to replace the old that have been destroyed or stripped of significance by a scepticism which itself could not satisfy because, although its business was inquiry, it was unwilling sufficiently to inquire. The attempt to deny or stifle a truth because it is yet obscure in its outward workings and too often represented by obscurantist superstition or a crude faith, is itself a kind of obscurantism. The will to escape from a cosmic necessity because it is arduous, difficult to justify by immediate tangible results, slow in regulating its operations, must turn out eventually to have been no acceptance of the truth of Nature but a revolt against the secret, mightier will of the great Mother It is better and more rational to accept what she will not allow us as a race to reject and lift it from the sphere of blind instinct, obscure intuition and random aspiration into the light of reason and an instructed and consciously self-guiding will. And if there is any higher light of illumined intuition or self-revealing truth which is now in man either obstructed and inoperative or works with intermittent glancings as if from behind a veil or with occasional displays as of the northern lights in our material skies, then there also we need not fear to aspire. For it is likely that such is the next higher state of consciousness of which Mind is only a form and veil, and through the splendours of that light may lie the path of our progressive self-enlargement into whatever highest state is humanity's ultimate resting-place.
1.01 - The Lord of hosts, #Sefer Yetzirah The Book of Creation In Theory and Practice, #Anonymous, #Various
The appearance of the ten spheres out of nothing is like a flash of lightning, being without an end, His word is in them, when they go and return; they run by His order like a whirlwind and humble themselves before His throne.
SECTION 6
--
Concerning the number ten of the spheres of existence out of nothing keep thy tongue from speaking and thy mind from pondering on it, and if thy mouth urges thee to speak, and thy heart to think about it, return! as it reads: "And the living creatures ran and returned," (Ezekiel 1,14.) and upon this 12 was the covenant made.
SECTION 8.
--
These are the ten spheres of existence out of nothing. From the spirit of the living God emanated air, from the air, water, from the water, fire or ether, from the ether, the height and the depth, the East and West, the North and South.
1.01 - THE STUFF OF THE UNIVERSE, #The Phenomenon of Man, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
We mean the sphere above the centres and enveloping them.
Throughout these pages, in each new phase of anthropo-
--
immensity represents the sphere of action common to all atoms.
The volume of each of them is the volume of the universe. The
1.01 - Who is Tara, #How to Free Your Mind - Tara the Liberator, #Thubten Chodron, #unset
Tara is an emanation of bliss and emptiness. Within the sphere of emptiness the absence of inherent existenceblissful wisdom realizing emptiness appears in the form of Tara. By appearing in this physical form of Tara,
the wisdom of bliss and emptiness of all Buddhas inspires us to cultivate constructive attitudes and actions. By understanding the symbolic meaning of
1.02 - BEFORE THE CITY-GATE, #Faust, #Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, #Poetry
Which through the holy spheres of Nature groped and wandered,
And honestly, in his own fashion, pondered
1.02 - Groups and Statistical Mechanics, #Cybernetics, or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine, #Norbert Wiener, #Cybernetics
is that of concentric spheres, then the volume between two con-
centric spheres close together, when normalized by taking as one
the total volume of the region between the two spheres, will give
in the limit a measure of area on the surface of a sphere.70
Chapter II
1.02 - MAPS OF MEANING - THREE LEVELS OF ANALYSIS, #Maps of Meaning, #Jordan Peterson, #Psychology
manifests itself in the subjective sphere, with the fantasies of the ideal future constructed by the pre-motor
unit (acting in turn as the higher-order mediator the king, so to speak of all the specialized subsystems
--
productive and familiar. He is able to bind the unknown; to limit its sphere of action, and to bring it
under control. He raises the winds, and the storm to aid him, using the forces of nature against nature itself.
--
geometric forms, or as a sphere, without beginning or end, symmetrical across all axes. Plato, in the
Timaeus, described the primary source as the round, there at the beginning.278 In the Orient, the world and
--
more apprehended outcomes of a given behavioral procedure. In the purely intrapsychic sphere, such
conflict often emerges when attainment of what is desired presently necessarily interferes with attainment
--
motivational demands in the private sphere, nonetheless remains destined for conflict with the other, in the
course of the inevitable transformations of personal experience. This means that the person who has come
--
the interpersonal sphere (arise as a result of an interpersonal war of implicit gods). Such clashes may be
resolved in a variety of manners. One partner may, through judicious application of physical or
--
complexly in the social sphere. A motivated pattern of action (even the motivated state itself) may come
under the inhibitory control of fear, because its behavioral expression within the social community results
1.02 - On the Knowledge of God., #The Alchemy of Happiness, #Al-Ghazali, #Sufism
Know, that God exists exempt from and independent of the notions that enter the mind, and the forms that are produced in the imagination, that he is not subjected to reasoning, and time and place cannot be ascribed to him. Still his exercise of power and the manifestation of his glory are not independent of place. But in the same manner, this independence and freedom is possible in your soul. The spirit, for example, which we call heart is exempt from the entrance of fancies and imaginations, and also from size and divisibility. Nor has it form or color, for if it had, it could be seen by the eye, and would enter into the sphere of fancy and imagination, and its beauty or ugliness, its greatness or littleness would be known. If any one ask you about your soul, you may answer, "It exists by the will of God: it has neither quantity or physical quality; it is exempt from being known." Beloved, since you are incapable of knowing the spirit which is in your body, how should it be possible for you to know God, who created spirits, bodies and all things, who is himself foreign to all of them, and who is not of their class and kind ? It is one of the most important things, yea, a most necessary duty, to treat of God as holy, independent and free.
How many things there are in your body in reference to which you do not know their reality and essence, such as [46] desire, love, misery and pleasure. Their existence is admitted, but their quantity and quality cannot be measured. If you desire to learn the absolute truth about them, you cherish a vain longing; and it is the same, if you desire to know the absolute nature of voice, nutrition or hearing. As that which is perceived by the eye has no relation to voice, and as that which is perceived by the ear has no relation to form, and as that which is perceived by the sense of smelling has no relation to taste, so that the one can be known by means of the other, in the same manner that which is perceived through the medium of the mind or of divine power, cannot be perceived by the senses. Again, as the spirit exists and controls the body, and yet we know not the mode and essence of it, so God is present in all things, and controls and governs all things, but his form, essence and quality are exempt from being known. Exemption and freedom may be illustrated in still another manner. In the same way that the spirit pervades all the limbs and the body, and the body is entirely subject to its control, and that the spirit is indivisible, while the body is divisible, so also in relation to God, all that exists, springs from him, all creatures exist by his word, and in all possible things his operations are seen, yet still he is not related to place, nor does he reason about anything, and he is free from relation or affinity to any quality of bodies or to quantity.
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In the same manner as there is falsity, in the way in which the material world is regarded by the natural man and the astrologer, there is also a diversity of views among those who survey the spiritual world. There are some who, just as they are upon the point of entering upon the vision of the spiritual world, seeing that they discover nothing, descend back to their old sphere. There is also a difference of view between those who do succeed in reaching the spiritual or invisible world by meditation, for some have an immense amount of light veiled from them. Every [51] one in the sphere to which he attains, is still veiled with a veil. The light of some is as of a twinkling star. Others see as by the light of the moon. Others are illuminated as if by the world-effulgent sun. To some the invisible world is even perfectly revealed, as we read in the holy word of God: "And thus we caused Abraham to see the heaven and the earth."1 And hence it is that the prophet says, "There are before God seventy veils of light; if he should unveil them, the light of his countenance would burn everything that came into his presence." 2
Still the miserable naturalist, who ascribes effects to the influences of nature, speaks correctly. For, if natural causes had no operation, the art of medicine would have been useless, and the holy law would not have allowed to have recourse to medical treatment. The mistake which the naturalist makes, is that he contracts his sphere of vision, and is like the lame ass, that left his load at the first stopping place. He does not know that nature also is subjected to the hand of the power of God, and is a kind of humble servant, such as a shoe is to the ass. The astrologer also says, that the sun is a star, which causes heat and light upon the earth. If there had been no sun, the distinction between day and night would not have existed, and vegetables and grain could not have been produced. The moon also is a star, and if there bad been no moon, how many things connected with the requirements of the Law of the Koran, would have been impracticable, such as fasting, alms and pilgrimage, since there would have been no distinction of weeks, months and years. The colors and perfumes of herbs and fruits exist also from its influence. The sun is warm and dry; the moon is cold and moist. Saturn [52] is cold and dry, Venus is warm and moist. And the school of astrologers is to be credited in these representations; but when they ascribe all events to influences proceeding from the heavenly bodies, they are liars. They do not perceive that they all alike are subject to the almighty power of God as God says in his word: "And the sun, moon and stars are subject to his command." 1 There is also an influence exercised by the stars, which resembles the control, exercised by the nerve that comes from the brain over the finger in writing; while the force of nature is like the control exerted upon the pen by the finger....
When the health of a person undergoes a change, and he becomes the prey of melancholy and suspicion, and the pleasures of the world become distasteful, so that from disgust with it, he withdraws from all society, his physician says, "this person is diseased with melancholy; he must take an infusion of dodder, of thyme and bark of endive as a medicine." The naturalist says: "As this person's malady is of a dry nature, it arises from a predominance of dryness, which has settled on the brain. The occasion of his having a dry temperament is the season of winter. Until spring comes, and dry weather predominates, there is no possibility of a cure." The astrologer says, "this person being under the influence of melancholy, which arises from a hurtful conjunction between Mars and Jupiter, there will be no favorable change in his health until the conjunction of Jupiter with Venus shall have reached the Trine." Now know, beloved, that the language of all these persons is correct, for they all speak and believe according to the degree and reach of their reason and understanding. However, the real and essential cause of the malady may be stated thus. When fortune is favorable to any person, and the Deity desires to guide him into the [53] possession of it, he deputes two powerful ministers to that effect, Jupiter and Mars. These in turn, control the light footed ministers, the elements, and command dryness, for example, to fasten its bridle to the neck of the person, and cause dryness to attack his head and brain. He is thus made to become weary of the world by means of the scourge of melancholy and suspicion, and so with the bridle of the will may be impelled towards the Deity. These circumstances can never be understood in this sense, either by medicine, or by nature, or by the stars. One may, however, learn to understand them by knowledge and the prophetic power combined. For they embrace the whole kingdom of the universe with its deputies and servants, and possess the knowledge of the end for which everything was created: they know to whose command all things are subjected, to what men are invited and what they are forbidden to do.
--
To the first class belong those who do not believe in God. They had desired to find him out in his essence and attributes, by speculations and fancies, by comparisons and illustrations. And because they have not succeeded in understanding him, they have referred his acts and his government to the stars and to nature. They have fancied that the soul of man and of other animals, and this wonderful world with its marvellous arrangements came of themselves, and that they are eternal; or that they are effects from natural causes, and that there is no creator beyond the sphere of the world. This class of people resembles the man who seeing a writing, fancies that it was written of itself, and infers that it was not written by a penman or by a super-natural power : or else that it is eternal and that no one knows whence it comes. It is impossible to recover from [58] the path of delusion, persons whose ignorance, error and stupidity have reached such a degree as this.
The second class of errorists are those who deny a day of resurrection and assembly. They allege that man and other animals are like vegetables, and do not enter into another body when they die. They say, that a resurrection, in which spirits and bodies shall be reassembled in one place, is impossible, and that there will be neither discipline or punishment, recompense or reward. The errors of this sect arise from their inability to understand of themselves their own souls. They imagine that the spirit is an animal spirit only, and that the heart, which is in reality the spirit of man, is the place for the knowledge of God, and that no evil can happen to it_ except that it will be separated from the body. They call this separation, death. This sect is unconcerned about this spirit, and in proof of this we shall discourse, if it please God, in the fourth chapter.
1.02 - Prayer of Parashara to Vishnu, #Vishnu Purana, #Vyasa, #Hinduism
ga, and Bhāgavata; and traces p. 17 of it are found amongst the ancient cosmogonists; for Anaximander supposed, that when the world was made, a certain sphere or flame of fire, separated from matter (the Infinite), encompassed the air, which invested the earth as the bark does a tree:' Κατὰ τὴν γένεσιν τοῦδε τοῦ κόσμο
ἀποκριθῆναι, καί τινα ἑκ τούτο
1.02 - The Child as growing being and the childs experience of encountering the teacher., #The Essentials of Education, #unset, #Zen
Now, people have a lot to say about proofs with no clear idea of what that means. I cant present a detailed lecture on the methods of proof in the various spheres of life and knowledge; but Id like to clarify the matter by way of the following analogy.
What do people mean when they say that something requires proof ? The whole trend of human evolution since the fourteenth century has been to validate judgments through visual observation, that is to say, through sense perception. It was a very different matter before the current era, or before the fourteenth century. But we fail to realize today that our ancestors had a very different view of the world. In a certain sense we are arrogant when we consider the development that has occurred in recent centuries. We look condescendingly at what people did during the Middle Ages, for example, considering them childish and primitive. But its an age about which we really know nothing and call the Dark Ages. Try to imagine how our successors will speak of usif theyre as arrogant in their thinking as we are! If they turn out to be as conceited, well seem just as childish to them as medieval people appear to us.
--
Its essential not to understand these things merely theoretically, which is the habitual way of thinking today. This is the kind of fact that we need to understand from the perspective of the child by bringing all of our resources to bear, and only then from the standpoint of the educator. If we understand whats happening from the perspective of a child, we find that the soul-being of the childwith everything brought from pre-earthly life, from the realm of soul and spiritis entirely devoted to the physical activities of those who are in the immediate environment. This relationship can be described only as a religious one. Its a religious relationship that descends into the sphere of nature and moves into the outer world. Its important, however, to understand whats meant by such term.
Ordinarily, one speaks of religious relationships today in the sense of a consciously developed adult religion. Relevant to this is the fact that, in religious life, the spirit and soul elements of the adult rise into the spiritual element in the universe and surrender to it. The religious relationship is a self-surrendering to the uni- verse, a prayer for divine grace in the surrender of the self. In the adult, its completely immersed in a spiritual element. The soul and spirit are yielded to the surroundings.
1.02 - The Concept of the Collective Unconscious, #The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, #Carl Jung, #Psychology
mythological and religious sphere in man, the aetiological
significance of the archetype appears less fantastic. In numerous
1.02 - The Philosophy of Ishvara, #Bhakti-Yoga, #Swami Vivekananda, #Hinduism
In explaining the next Sutra, Ramanuja says, "If you say it is not so, because there are direct texts in the Vedas in evidence to the contrary, these texts refer to the glory of the liberated in the spheres of the subordinate deities." This also is an easy solution of the difficulty. Although the system of Ramanuja admits the unity of the total, within that totality of existence there are, according to him, eternal differences. Therefore, for all practical purposes, this system also being dualistic, it was easy for Ramanuja to keep the distinction between the personal soul and the Personal God very clear.
We shall now try to understand what the great representative of the Advaita School has to say on the point. We shall see how the Advaita system maintains all the hopes and aspirations of the dualist intact, and at the same time propounds its own solution of the problem in consonance with the high destiny of divine humanity. Those who aspire to retain their individual mind even after liberation and to remain distinct will have ample opportunity of realising their aspirations and enjoying the blessing of the qualified Brahman. These are they who have been spoken of in the Bhgavata Purna thus: "O king, such are the, glorious qualities of the Lord that the sages whose only pleasure is in the Self, and from whom all fetters have fallen off, even they love the Omnipresent with the love that is for love's sake." These are they who are spoken of by the Snkhyas as getting merged in nature in this cycle, so that, after attaining perfection, they may come out in the next as lords of world-systems. But none of these ever becomes equal to God (Ishvara). Those who attain to that state where there is neither creation, nor created, nor creator, where there is neither knower, nor knowable, nor knowledge, where there is neither I, nor thou, nor he, where there is neither subject, nor object, nor relation, "there, who is seen by whom?" such persons have gone beyond everything to "where words cannot go nor mind", gone to that which the Shrutis declare as "Not this, not this"; but for those who cannot, or will not reach this state, there will inevitably remain the triune vision of the one undifferentiated Brahman as nature, soul, and the interpenetrating sustainer of both Ishvara. So, when Prahlda forgot himself, he found neither the universe nor its cause; all was to him one Infinite, undifferentiated by name and form; but as soon as he remembered that he was Prahlada, there was the universe before him and with it the Lord of the universe "the Repository of an infinite number of blessed qualities". So it was with the blessed Gopis. So long as they had lost sense of their own personal identity and individuality, they were all Krishnas, and when they began again to think of Him as the One to be worshipped, then they were Gopis again, and immediately Bhakti, then, can be directed towards Brahman, only in His personal aspect.
1.02 - THE QUATERNIO AND THE MEDIATING ROLE OF MERCURIUS, #Mysterium Coniunctionis, #Carl Jung, #Psychology
[5] The arrangement of the opposites in a quaternity is shown in an interesting illustration in Stolcenbergs Viridarium chymicum (Fig. XLII), which can also be found in the Philosophia reformata of Mylius (1622, p. 117). The goddesses represent the four seasons of the sun in the circle of the Zodiac (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) and at the same time the four degrees of heating,22 as well as the four elements combined around the circular table.23 The synthesis of the elements is effected by means of the circular movement in time (circulatio, rota) of the sun through the houses of the Zodiac. As I have shown elsewhere,24 the aim of the circulatio is the production (or rather, reproduction) of the Original Man, who was a sphere. Perhaps I may mention in this connection a remarkable quotation from Ostanes in Abul-Qasim, describing the intermediate position between two pairs of opposites constituting a quaternio:
Ostanes said, Save me, O my God, for I stand between two exalted brilliancies known for their wickedness, and between two dim lights; each of them has reached me and I know not how to save myself from them. And it was said to me, Go up to Agathodaimon the Great and ask aid of him, and know that there is in thee somewhat of his nature, which will never be corrupted. . . . And when I ascended into the air he said to me, Take the child of the bird which is mixed with redness and spread for the gold its bed which comes forth from the glass, and place it in its vessel whence it has no power to come out except when thou desirest, and leave it until its moistness has departed.25
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Accordingly Mercurius, in the crude form of the prima materia, is in very truth the Original Man disseminated through the physical world, and in his sublimated form he is that reconstituted totality.62 Altogether, he is very like the redeemer of the Basilidians, who mounts upward through the planetary spheres, conquering them or robbing them of their power. The remark that he contains the powers of Sol reminds us of the above-mentioned passage in Abul-Qasim, where Hermes says that he unites the sun and the planets and causes them to be within him as a crown. This may be the origin of the designation of the lapis as the crown of victory.63 The power of Above and Below refers to that ancient authority the Tabula smaragdina, which is of Alexandrian origin.64 Besides this, our text contains allusions to the Song of Songs: through the streets and houses of the planets recalls Song of Songs 3 : 2: I will . . . go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth.65 The white and red of Mercurius refers to 5 : 10: My beloved is white and ruddy. He is likened to the matrimonium or coniunctio; that is to say he is this marriage on account of his androgynous form.
1.02 - The Refusal of the Call, #The Hero with a Thousand Faces, #Joseph Campbell, #Mythology
The literature of psychoanalysis abounds in examples of such desperate fixations. What they represent is an impotence to put off the infantile ego, with its sphere of emotional relationships and ideals. One is bound in by the walls of childhood; the father and mother stand as threshold guardians, and the timorous soul, fearful of some punishment, fails to make the passage through the door and come to birth in the world without.
Dr. Jung has reported a dream that resembles very closely the image of the myth of Daphne. The dreamer is the same young man who found himself (supra, p. 55) in the land of the sheep the land, that is to say, of unindependence. A voice within him says, "I must first get away from the father"; then a few nights later: "a snake draws a circle about the dreamer, and he stands like a tree, grown fast to the earth." This is an image of the magic circle drawn about the personality by the dragon power of the fixating parent. Brynhild, in the same way, was protected in her virginity, arrested in her daughter state for years, by the circle of the fire of all-father Wotan. She slept in timelessness until the coming of Siegfried.
1.02 - The Stages of Initiation, #Knowledge of the Higher Worlds, #Rudolf Steiner, #Theosophy
between the candidate and the initiate in the spheres of higher knowledge. For whatever form the intercourse between an initiate and another person may take in ordinary life, the higher knowledge in its immediate form can only be imparted by the initiate in the above-mentioned sign-language.
Thanks to this language the student also learns certain rules of conduct and certain duties of which he formerly knew nothing. Having learned these he is able to perform actions endowed with a significance and a meaning such as the actions of one not initiated can never possess. He acts out of the higher worlds. Instructions concerning such action can only be read and understood in the writing in question.
1.02 - The Three European Worlds, #The Ever-Present Origin, #Jean Gebser, #Integral
This brings us back to our thesis about the antithetical nature of perspective; it locates the observer as well as the observed. Panofsky too underscores this dualistic, antithetical character: "The history of perspective [may be] considered equally as a triumph of the Sense of reality with its detachment and objectivation, and as a triumph of human striving for power with its negation of distances, just as it can be Seen as a process of establishing and systematization of the external world and an expansion of the ego sphere." Let us for now postpone a discussion of his critical term "power expansion," although he has here noted an essential aspect of perspectival man, and turn back to Leonardo da Vinci on whom Drer (as Heinrich Wlfflin points out) indirectly based his understanding.
With Leonardo the perspectival means and techniques attain their perfection. His Trattatodella Pittura (a collection of his writings assembled by others after his death based on a mid-sixteenth-century compilation known as the Codex Vaticanus Urbinas 1270) is the first truly scientific and not merely theoretical description of all possible types of perspective. It is the first detailed discussion of light as the visible reality of our eyes and not, as was previously believed, as a symbol of the divine spirit. This emergent illumination dispels any remaining obscurities surrounding perspective, and reveals Leonardo as the courageous discoverer of aerial and color, as opposed to linear, perspective. Whereas linear perspective created the perspectival illusion on a plane surface by the projections of technical drafting, aerial and color perspective achieve their comprehension and rendering of space by techniques of gradation of color and hue, by the use of shadow, and by the chromatic treatment of the horizon.
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The European of today, either as an individual or as a member of the collective, can perceive only his own sector. This is true of all spheres, the religious as well as the political, the social as well as the scientific. The rise of Protestantism fragmented religion; the ascendancy of national states divided the Christian Occident into separate individual states; the rise of political parties divided the people (or the former Christian community) into political interest groups. In the sciences, this process of segmentation led to the contemporary state of narrow specialization and the "great achievements" of the man with tunnel vision. And there is no "going back"; the ties to the past, the re-ligio, are almost non-existent, having been severed, as it were, by the cutting edge of the visual pyramid. As for a simple onward progression and continuity (which has almost taken an the character of a flight), they lead only to further sectors of particularization and, ultimately, to atomization. After that, what remains, like what was left in the crater of Hiroshima, is only an amorphous dust; and it is probable that at least one part of humanity will follow this path, at least in "spirit," i.e., psychologically.
In summary, then, the following picture emerges: there is on the one hand anxiety about time and one's powerlessness against it, and on the other, a "delight" resulting from the conquest of space and the attendant expansion of power; there is also the isolation of the individual or group or cultural sphere as well as the collectivization of the same individuals in interest groups. This tension between anxiety and delight, isolation and collectivization is the ultimate result of an epoch which has outlived itself. Nevertheless, this epoch could serve as a guarantee that we reach a new "target," if we could utilize it much as the arrow uses an overtaut bow string. Yet like the arrow, our epoch must detach itself from the extremes that make possible the tension behind its flight toward the target. Like the arrow on the string, our epoch must find the point where the target is already latently present: the equilibrium between anxiety and delight, isolation and collectivization. Only then can it liberate itself from deficient unperspectivity and perspectivity, and achieve what we shall call, also because of its liberating character, theaperspectival world.
3. The Aperspectival World
1.02 - The Ultimate Path is Without Difficulty, #The Blue Cliff Records, #Yuanwu Keqin, #Zen
a master's ching is like (i.e. what does he 'see,' what is his sphere
or state of realization), and what the person in that 'realm' is like.
1.02 - THE WITHIN OF THINGS, #The Phenomenon of Man, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
' spheres ' or ' levels ' of different kinds in the unity of nature,
each of them distinguished by the dominance of certain factors
which are imperceptible or negligible in a neighbouring sphere
or on an adjacent level. On the middle scale of our organisms
--
have said above about the diversity of ' spheres of experience '
superposed in the interior of the world. It will appear more
--
development that from sphere to sphere should be capable of
explaining, first of all the invisibility, then the appearance, and
1.02 - Twenty-two Letters, #Sefer Yetzirah The Book of Creation In Theory and Practice, #Anonymous, #Various
He fixed the twenty-two letters, stamina, on the sphere like a wall with two hundred and thirty-one gates, 18 and turned the spheres forward and backward. For an illustration may serve the three letters, . There is nothing better than joy, and nothing worse than sorrow or plague is. 19
SECTION 5.
1.03 - APPRENTICESHIP AND ENCULTURATION - ADOPTION OF A SHARED MAP, #Maps of Meaning, #Jordan Peterson, #Psychology
is a way of being, a general strategy for redemption in the natural and cultural spheres, shaped by the
social exchange of affect-laden information, mastered to the point of unconscious automaticity. Moral
1.03 - Concerning the Archetypes, with Special Reference to the Anima Concept, #The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, #Carl Jung, #Psychology
nature shows itself not merely in the personal sphere, or in the
instinctual or social, but in phenomena of world-wide distri-
--
middle life, therefore, the connection with the archetypal sphere
of experience should if possible be re-established. 32
1.03 - Preparing for the Miraculous, #Preparing for the Miraculous, #George Van Vrekhem, #Integral Yoga
wise to be outside the sphere of interest of serious science.
If we look carefully at these workings of Nature, Sri
1.03 - Some Aspects of Modern Psycho therapy, #The Practice of Psycho therapy, #Carl Jung, #Psychology
medical sphere (with occasional, somewhat inappropriate excursions into
other spheres), even he was forced to discuss fundamental principles that
go far beyond purely medical considerations. The most cursory
--
for his childhood longings, but, going beyond himself into the sphere of the
collective psyche, he will enter first into the treasure-house of collective
1.03 - Some Practical Aspects, #Knowledge of the Higher Worlds, #Rudolf Steiner, #Theosophy
Special attention must be paid in esoteric training to the education of the life of desires. This does not mean that we are to become free of desire, for if we are to attain something we must also desire it, and desire will always tend to fulfillment if backed by a particular force. This force is derived from a right knowledge. Do not desire at all until you know what is right in any one sphere. That is one of the golden rules for the student. The wise man first ascertains the laws of the world, and then his desires become powers which realize themselves. The following example brings this out clearly. There are certainly many people who would like to learn from their own observation something about their life before birth. Such a desire is altogether useless and leads to no result so long as the person in question has not acquired a knowledge of the laws that govern the nature of the eternal, a knowledge of these laws in their subtlest and most intimate character, through the study of spiritual science. But if, having really acquired this knowledge,
p. 104
1.03 - Sympathetic Magic, #The Golden Bough, #James George Frazer, #Occultism
propitiated lies outside the sphere of magic, and within that of
religion. Where such a conception is found, as here, in conjunction
1.03 - The Coming of the Subjective Age, #The Human Cycle, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
The individualistic age is, then, a radical attempt of mankind to discover the truth and law both of the individual being and of the world to which the individual belongs. It may begin, as it began in Europe, with the endeavour to get back, more especially in the sphere of religion, to the original truth which convention has overlaid, defaced or distorted; but from that first step it must proceed to others and in the end to a general questioning of the foundations of thought and practice in all the spheres of human life and action. A revolutionary reconstruction of religion, philosophy, science, art and society is the last inevitable outcome. It proceeds at first by the light of the individual mind and reason, by its demand on life and its experience of life; but it must go from the individual to the universal. For the effort of the individual soon shows him that he cannot securely discover the truth and law of his own being without discovering some universal law and truth to which he can relate it. Of the universe he is a part; in all but his deepest spirit he is its subject, a small cell in that tremendous organic mass: his substance is drawn from its substance and by the law of its life the law of his life is determined and governed. From a new view and knowledge of the world must proceed his new view and knowledge of him self, of his power and capacity and limitations, of his claim on existence and the high road and the distant or immediate goal of his individual and social destiny.
In Europe and in modern times this has taken the form of a clear and potent physical Science: it has proceeded by the discovery of the laws of the physical universe and the economic and sociological conditions of human life as determined by the physical being of man, his environment, his evolutionary history, his physical and vital, his individual and collective need. But after a time it must become apparent that the knowledge of the physical world is not the whole of knowledge; it must appear that man is a mental as well as a physical and vital being and even much more essentially mental than physical or vital. Even though his psychology is strongly affected and limited by his physical being and environment, it is not at its roots determined by them, but constantly reacts, subtly determines their action, effects even their new-shaping by the force of his psychological demand on life. His economic state and social institutions are themselves governed by his psychological demand on the possibilities, circumstances, tendencies created by the relation between the mind and soul of humanity and its life and body. Therefore to find the truth of things and the law of his being in relation to that truth he must go deeper and fathom the subjective secret of himself and things as well as their objective forms and surroundings.
1.03 - THE GRAND OPTION, #The Future of Man, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
amounts to saying that, in every sphere, faith or the lack of faith
means no more and is no more controllable than a tendency of the
--
exalts them. In every practical sphere true union (that is to say, synthesis)
does not confound; it differentiates. This is what it is essential for us to
--
physics, biology and ethics, even our religion, into this new sphere,
and this we are in process of doing. We can no more return to that
--
ologies and systems, to a different and higher sphere, a new spiri-
tual dimension.
1.03 - The Phenomenon of Man, #Let Me Explain, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
raise himself into a new sphere. In reality, another world is
born. Abstraction, logic, reasoned choice and inventions,
1.03 - The Sephiros, #A Garden of Pomegranates - An Outline of the Qabalah, #Israel Regardie, #Occultism
Intelligence " ; its planet is Uranus - although tradi- tionally the sphere of the Zodiac is allocated thereto.
Its colour is grey ; its perfume the orchitic Musk, plant the Amaranth, which is the flower of immortality ; and the
--
Ruby representing the male energy of the creative Star, and the Turquoise suggesting Mazlos, the sphere of the
Zodiac.
--
Splendour, the sphere of 9 Mercury. Consequently we find all its symbols definitely mercurial in quality. In
order to give some idea of the implication of this
--
In this latter capacity, the Egyptian jackal-headed Anubis is similar, since he was the patron of the dead, and is depicted as leading the soul into the judgment of Osiris in Amennti. It will help the student not a little if he remembers that the sphere of Hod represents on a very much lower plane similar qualities to those obtaining in
Chokmah.
--
Roman Temples represented the moon. The general conception of Yesod is of change with stability. Some writers have referred to the Astral Light which is the sphere of Yesod as the Anima Mundi, the Soul of the World. The psycho-analyst Jung has a very similar concept which he terms the Collective Unconscious which, as I see it, differs in no wise from the Qabalistic idea.
Its plants are the Mandrake and Damiana, both of whose aphrodisiac qualities are well known. Its perfume is Jas- mine, also a sexual excitant ; its colour Purple ; its Sepher
--
In Malkus, the lowest of the Sephiros, the sphere of the physical world of matter, wherein incarnate the exiled
Neschamos from the Divine Palace, there abides the
1.04 - GOD IN THE WORLD, #The Perennial Philosophy, #Aldous Huxley, #Philosophy
When we come to these higher spheres, even the eyes of Li-lou are incapable of discriminating the right colour.
How can Shih-kuang recognize the mysterious tune? Shih-kuang was the son of Ching-kuang of Chin in the province of Chiang under the Chou dynasty. His other name was Tzu-yeh. He could thoroughly distinguish the five sounds and the six notes; he could even hear the ants fighting on the other side of a hill. When Chin and Chu were at war, Shih-kuang could tell, just by softly fingering the strings of his lute, that the engagement would surely be unfavourable for Chu. In spite of his extraordinary sensitiveness Seccho declares that he is unable to recognize the mysterious tune. After all, one who is not at all deaf is really deaf. The most exquisite note in the higher spheres is beyond the hearing of Shih-kuang. Says Seccho, I am not going to be a Li-lou, nor a Shih-kuang; for
What life can compare with this? Sitting quietly by the window,
--
The Greeks believed that hubris was always followed by nemesis, that if you went too far you would get a knock on the head to remind you that the gods will not tolerate insolence on the part of mortal men. In the sphere of human relations, the modern mind understands the doctrine of hubris and regards it as mainly true. We wish pride to have a fall, and we see that very often it does fall.
To have too much power over ones fellows, to be too rich, too violent, too ambitiousall this invites punishment, and in the long run, we notice, punishment of one sort or another duly comes. But the Greeks did not stop there. Because they regarded Nature as in some way divine, they felt that it had to be respected and they were convinced that a hubristic lack of respect for Nature would be punished by avenging nemesis. In The Persians, Aeschylus gives the reasons the ultimate, metaphysical reasons for the barbarians defeat. Xerxes was punished for two offencesoverweening imperialism directed against the Athenians, and overweening imperialism directed against Nature. He tried to enslave his fellow men, and he tried to enslave the sea, by building a bridge across the Hellespont.
1.04 - Narayana appearance, in the beginning of the Kalpa, as the Varaha (boar), #Vishnu Purana, #Vyasa, #Hinduism
Nārāyaṇa's appearance, in the beginning of the Kalpa, as the Varṣa or boar: Prithivī (Earth) addresses him: he raises the world from beneath the waters: hymned by Sanandana and the Yogis. The earth floats on the ocean: divided into seven zones. The lower spheres of the universe restored. Creation renewed.
Maitreya said:-
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At the close of the past (or Pādma) Kalpa, the divine Brahmā, endowed with the quality of goodness, awoke from his night of sleep, and beheld the universe void. He, the supreme Nārāyaṇa, the incomprehensible, the sovereign of all creatures, invested with the form of Brahmā, the god without beginning, the creator of all things; of whom, with respect to his name Nārāyaṇa, the god who has the form of Brahmā, the imperishable origin of the world, this verse is repeated, "The waters are called Nārā, because they were the offspring of Nara (the supreme spirit); and as in them his first (Ayana) progress (in the character of Brahmā) took place, he is thence named Nārāyaṇa (he whose place of moving was the waters)[2]." He, the lord, concluding that within the waters lay the earth, and being desirous to raise it up, created another form for that purpose; and as in preceding Kalpas he had assumed the shape of a fish or a tortoise, so in this he took the figure of a boar. Having adopted a form composed of the sacrifices of the Vedas[3], for the preservation of the whole earth, the eternal, supreme, and universal soul, the great progenitor of created beings, eulogized by Sanaka and the other saints who dwell in the sphere of holy men (Janaloka); he, the supporter of spiritual and material being, plunged into the ocean. The goddess Earth, beholding him thus descending to the subterrene regions, bowed in devout adoration, and thus glorified the god:-
Prīthivī (Earth).-Hail to thee, who art all creatures; to thee, the holder of the mace and shell: elevate me now from this place, as thou hast upraised me in days of old. From thee have I proceeded; of thee do I consist; as do the skies, and all other existing things. Hail to thee, spirit of the supreme spirit; to thee, soul of soul; to thee, who art discrete and indiscrete matter; who art one with the elements and with time. Thou art the creator of all things, their preserver, and their destroyer, in the forms, oh lord, of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Rudra, at the seasons of creation, duration, and dissolution. When thou hast devoured all things, thou reposest on the ocean that sweeps over the world, meditated upon, oh Govinda, by the wise. No one knoweth thy true nature, and the gods adore thee only in the forms it bath pleased thee to assume. They who are desirous of final liberation, worship thee as the supreme Brahmā; and who that adores not Vāsudeva, shall obtain emancipation? Whatever may be apprehended by the mind, whatever may be perceived by the senses, whatever may he discerned by the intellect, all is but a form of thee. I am of thee, upheld by thee; thou art my creator, and to thee I fly for refuge: hence, in this universe, Mādhavī (the bride of Mādhava or Viṣṇu) is my designation. Triumph to the essence of all wisdom, to the unchangeable, the imperishable: triumph to the eternal; to the indiscrete, to the essence of discrete things: to him who is both cause and effect; who is the universe; the sinless lord of sacrifice[4]; triumph. Thou art sacrifice; thou art the oblation; thou art the mystic Omkāra; thou art the sacrificial fires; thou art the Vedas, and their dependent sciences; thou art, Hari, the object of all worship[5]. The sun, the stars, the planets, the whole world; all that is formless, or that has form; all that is visible, or invisible; all, Puruṣottama, that I have said, or left unsaid; all this, Supreme, thou art. Hail to thee, again and again! hail! all hail!
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The auspicious supporter of the world, being thus hymned by the earth, emitted a low murmuring sound, like the chanting of the Sāma veda; and the mighty boar, whose eyes were like the lotus, and whose body, vast as the Nīla mountain, was of the dark colour of the lotus leaves[6], uplifted upon his ample tusks the earth from the lowest regions. As he reared up his head, the waters shed from his brow purified the great sages, Sanandana and others, residing in the sphere of the saints. Through the indentations made by his hoofs, the waters rushed into the lower worlds with a thundering noise. Before his breath, the pious denizens of Janaloka were scattered, and the Munis sought for shelter amongst the bristles upon the scriptural body of the boar, trembling as he rose up, supporting the earth, and dripping with moisture. Then the great sages, Sanandana and the rest, residing continually in the sphere of saints, were inspired with delight, and bowing lowly they praised the stern-eyed upholder of the earth.
The Yogis.-Triumph, lord of lords supreme; Keśava, sovereign of the earth, the wielder of the mace, the shell, the discus, and the sword: cause of production, destruction, and existence. THOU ART, oh god: there is no other supreme condition, but thou. Thou, lord, art the person of sacrifice: for thy feet are the Vedas; thy tusks are the stake to which the victim is bound; in thy teeth are the offerings; thy mouth is the altar; thy tongue is the fire; and the hairs of thy body are the sacrificial grass. Thine eyes, oh omnipotent, are day and night; thy head is the seat of all, the place of Brahma; thy mane is all the hymns of the Vedas; thy nostrils are all oblations: oh thou, whose snout is the ladle of oblation; whose deep voice is the chanting of the Sāma veda; whose body is the hall of sacrifice; whose joints are the different ceremonies; and whose ears have the properties of both voluntary and obligatory rites[7]: do thou, who art eternal, who art in size a mountain, be propitious. We acknowledge thee, who hast traversed the world, oh universal form, to be the beginning, the continuance, and the destruction of all things: thou art the supreme god. Have pity on us, oh lord of conscious and unconscious beings. The orb of the earth is seen seated on the tip of thy tusks, as if thou hadst been sporting amidst a lake where the lotus floats, and hadst borne away the leaves covered with soil. The space between heaven and earth is occupied by thy body, oh thou of unequalled glory, resplendent with the power of pervading the universe, oh lord, for the benefit of all. Thou art the aim of all: there is none other than thee, sovereign of the world: this is thy might, by which all things, fixed or movable, are pervaded. This form, which is now beheld, is thy form, as one essentially with wisdom. Those who have not practised devotion, conceive erroneously of the nature of the world. The ignorant, who do not perceive that this universe is of the nature of wisdom, and judge of it as an object of perception only, are lost in the ocean of spiritual ignorance. But they who know true wisdom, and whose minds are pure, behold this whole world as one with divine knowledge, as one with thee, oh god. Be favourable, oh universal spirit: raise up this earth, for the habitation of created beings. Inscrutable deity, whose eyes are like lotuses, give us felicity. Oh lord, thou art endowed with the quality of goodness: raise up, Govinda, this earth, for the general good. Grant us happiness, oh lotus-eyed. May this, thy activity in creation, be beneficial to the earth. Salutation to thee. Grant us happiness, oh lotus-eyed. arāśara said:-
The supreme being thus eulogized, upholding the earth, raised it quickly, and placed it on the summit of the ocean, where it floats like a mighty vessel, and from its expansive surface does not sink beneath the waters. Then, having levelled the earth, the great eternal deity divided it into portions, by mountains: he who never wills in vain, created, by his irresistible power, those mountains again upon the earth which had been consumed at the destruction of the world. Having then divided the earth into seven great portions or continents, as it was before, he constructed in like manner the four (lower) spheres, earth, sky, heaven, and the sphere of the sages (Maharloka). Thus Hari, the four-faced god, invested with the quality of activity, and taking the form of Brahmā, accomplished the creation: but he (Brahmā) is only the instrumental cause of things to be created; the things that are capable of being created arise from nature as a common material cause: with exception of one instrumental cause alone, there is no need of any other cause, for (imperceptible) substance becomes perceptible substance according to the powers with which it is originally imbued[8].
This page consists solely of footnotes
1.04 - On Knowledge of the Future World., #The Alchemy of Happiness, #Al-Ghazali, #Sufism
The view which man obtains of things in the visible world is through matter, as in the contemplation of a prospect on land. But in the fourth stage, which is that of the reason, man's view is entirely through the medium of pure spirit, as when a man looks into water. But the view he takes, and the intercourse he enjoys in the world of speculation, is as if he was looking at an object from a ship. There is, besides, in the sphere of reason a still higher degree of sight and vision, which is enjoyed by the [98] prophets, the saints, and the most devout, which may be compared to a prospect in the clearest weather. Hence, when some one observed to the apostle of God, that Jesus (upon whom be peace !) walked upon the waters, he replied, that "if his faith had been greater, he would have walked in the air."
The view that can be taken by the heart of man, embraces all things that lie in the world of perception and understanding. Its sphere of action and exercise is the whole world. The ascent of man from the rank of beasts to that of angels, is an ascent where he is always exposed to danger and to destruction. He may, with the guidance of the divine guide, mount up to the highest heaven, or may descend through the deceits of Satan to the lowest hell. And the prophet has warned us of this danger in these words: "We have proposed to the heavens, to the earth and to the mountains to accept the deposit of the faith: they trembled to receive it. Man accepted the charge, but he became stupid and a wanderer in darkness."1
Know, farther, that inanimate objects are the lowest in rank in the quantity and degree of happiness they obtain, and it is a happiness which knows no change. The place of beasts is in the lowest abyss and there is no path by which they can ascend out of it. The mansion of the angels is in the highest heavens where they ever continue in the same condition, there is neither abasement or ascent from their place. And God also says in his eternal word, "And what have we except for each one a certain and appointed habitation."2 The position of man is between the rank of angels, and that of animals, because he partakes of the qualities of both. No other rank except man accepted the deposit of the true faith, and indeed no [99] other had the qualities and capacities necessary for the acceptance of it. In accepting the deposit man became bound at the same time to accept the dangers and penalties connected with it.
1.04 - Reality Omnipresent, #The Life Divine, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
13:If we thus accept a positive basis for our harmony - and on what other can harmony be founded? - the various conceptual formulations of the Unknowable, each of them representing a truth beyond conception, must be understood as far as possible in their relation to each other and in their effect upon life, not separately, not exclusively, not so affirmed as to destroy or unduly diminish all other affirmations. The real Monism, the true Adwaita, is that which admits all things as the one Brahman and does not seek to bisect Its existence into two incompatible entities, an eternal Truth and an eternal Falsehood, Brahman and not-Brahman, Self and not-Self, a real Self and an unreal, yet perpetual Maya. If it be true that the Self alone exists, it must be also true that all is the Self. And if this Self, God or Brahman is no helpless state, no bounded power, no limited personality, but the self-conscient All, there must be some good and inherent reason in it for the manifestation, to discover which we must proceed on the hypothesis of some potency, some wisdom, some truth of being in all that is manifested. The discord and apparent evil of the world must in their sphere be admitted, but not accepted as our conquerors. The deepest instinct of humanity seeks always and seeks wisely wisdom as the last word of the universal manifestation, not an eternal mockery and illusion, - a secret and finally triumphant good, not an all-creative and invincible evil, - an ultimate victory and fulfilment, not the disappointed recoil of the soul from its great adventure.
14:For we cannot suppose that the sole Entity is compelled by something outside or other than Itself, since no such thing exists. Nor can we suppose that It submits unwillingly to something partial within Itself which is hostile to its whole Being, denied by It and yet too strong for It; for this would be only to erect in other language the same contradiction of an All and something other than the All. Even if we say that the universe exists merely because the Self in its absolute impartiality tolerates all things alike, viewing with indifference all actualities and all possibilities, yet is there something that wills the manifestation and supports it, and this cannot be something other than the All. Brahman is indivisible in all things and whatever is willed in the world has been ultimately willed by the Brahman. It is only our relative consciousness, alarmed or baffled by the phenomena of evil, ignorance and pain in the cosmos, that seeks to deliver the Brahman from responsibility for Itself and its workings by erecting some opposite principle, Maya or Mara, conscious Devil or self-existent principle of evil. There is one Lord and Self and the many are only His representations and becomings.
1.04 - SOME REFLECTIONS ON PROGRESS, #The Future of Man, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
and moral center of a World composed of spheres turning stati-
cally upon themselves. But in terms of our modern neoanthro-
1.04 - The Aims of Psycho therapy, #The Practice of Psycho therapy, #Carl Jung, #Psychology
Both possibilities come within the sphere of the rational, and I daresay
I would have no difficulty in making such initial dreams seem plausible.
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personal and rational sphere of life and yet has found no meaning and no
satisfaction there, it is enormously important to be able to enter a sphere of
irrational experience. In this way, too, the habitual and the commonplace
1.04 - The Conditions of Esoteric Training, #Knowledge of the Higher Worlds, #Rudolf Steiner, #Theosophy
in the world of the spirit, become subtle and delicate in comparison with the processes of the ordinary intellect and of life in the physical world. The more the sphere of our activity widens out before us, the more delicate are the processes in which we are engaged. It is for this reason that men arrive at such different opinions and points of view regarding the higher regions. But there is one and only one opinion regarding higher truths and this one opinion is within reach of all who, through work and devotion, have so risen that they can really behold truth and contemplate it. Opinions differing from the one true opinion can only be arrived at when people, insufficiently prepared, judge in accordance with their pet theories, their habitual ways of thought, and so forth. Just as there is only one correct opinion concerning a mathematical problem, so also is this true with regard to the higher worlds. But before such an opinion can be reached, due preparation must first be undergone. If this were only considered, the conditions attached to esoteric training would be surprising to none. It is indeed true that truth and the higher life abide in every soul, and that each can and must find them
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1.04 - The Discovery of the Nation-Soul, #The Human Cycle, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
The great determining force has been the example and the aggression of Germany; the example, because no other nation has so self-consciously, so methodically, so intelligently, and from the external point of view so successfully sought to find, to dynamise, to live itself and make the most of its own power of being; its aggression, because the very nature and declared watchwords of the attack have tended to arouse a defensive self-consciousness in the assailed and forced them to perceive what was the source of this tremendous strength and to perceive too that they themselves must seek consciously an answering strength in the same deeper sources. Germany was for the time the most remarkable present instance of a nation preparing for the subjective stage because it had, in the first place, a certain kind of visionunfortunately intellectual rather than illuminated and the courage to follow itunfortunately again a vital and intellectual rather than a spiritual hardihood,and, secondly, being master of its destinies, was able to order its own life so as to express its self-vision. We must not be misled by appearances into thinking that the strength of Germany was created by Bismarck or directed by the Kaiser Wilhelm II. Rather the appearance of Bismarck was in many respects a misfortune for the growing nation because his rude and powerful hand precipitated its subjectivity into form and action at too early a stage; a longer period of incubation might have produced results less disastrous to itself, if less violently stimulative to humanity. The real source of this great subjective force which has been so much disfigured in its objective action, was not in Germanys statesmen and soldiers for the most part poor enough types of men but came from her great philosophers, Kant, Hegel, Fichte, Nietzsche, from her great thinker and poet Goethe, from her great musicians, Beethoven and Wagner, and from all in the German soul and temperament which they represented. A nation whose master achievement has lain almost entirely in the two spheres of philosophy and music, is clearly predestined to lead in the turn to subjectivism and to produce a profound result for good or evil on the beginnings of a subjective age.
This was one side of the predestination of Germany; the other is to be found in her scholars, educationists, scientists, organisers. It was the industry, the conscientious diligence, the fidelity to ideas, the honest and painstaking spirit of work for which the nation has been long famous. A people may be highly gifted in the subjective capacities, and yet if it neglects to cultivate this lower side of our complex nature, it will fail to build that bridge between the idea and imagination and the world of facts, between the vision and the force, which makes realisation possible; its higher powers may become a joy and inspiration to the world, but it will never take possession of its own world until it has learned the humbler lesson. In Germany the bridge was there, though it ran mostly through a dark tunnel with a gulf underneath; for there was no pure transmission from the subjective mind of the thinkers and singers to the objective mind of the scholars and organisers. The misapplication by Treitschke of the teaching of Nietzsche to national and international uses which would have profoundly disgusted the philosopher himself, is an example of this obscure transmission. But still a transmission there was. For more than a half-century Germany turned a deep eye of subjective introspection on herself and things and ideas in search of the truth of her own being and of the world, and for another half-century a patient eye of scientific research on the objective means for organising what she had or thought she had gained. And something was done, something indeed powerful and enormous, but also in certain directions, not in all, misshapen and disconcerting. Unfortunately, those directions were precisely the very central lines on which to go wrong is to miss the goal.
1.04 - The Gods of the Veda, #Vedic and Philological Studies, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
It was this aspect of impure mahas, vijnanam working not in its own home, swe dame but in the house of a stranger, as a servant of an inferior faculty, reason as we call it, which led the Rishi Mahachamasya to include mahas among the vyahritis. But vijnana itself is an integral part of the supreme movement, it is divine thought in divine being,therefore not a vyahriti. The Veda uses to express this pure Truth &ideal knowledge another word, equivalent in meaning to mahat,the word brihat and couples with it two other significant expressions, satyam & ritam. This trinity of satyam ritam brihatSacchidananda objectivisedis the Mahan Atma. Satyam is Truth, the principle of infinite & divine Being, Sat objectivised to Knowledge as the Truth of things self-manifested; Ritam is Law, the motion of things thought out, the principle of divine self-aware energy, Chit-shakti objectivised to knowledge as the Truth of things selfarranged; Brihat is full content & fullness, satisfaction, Nature, the principle of divine Bliss objectivised to knowledge as the Truth of things contented with its own manifestation in law of being & law of action. For, as the Vedanta tells us, there is no lasting satisfaction in the little, in the unillumined or half-illumined things of mind & sense, satisfaction there is only in the large, the self-true & self-existent. Nalpe sukham asti bhumaiva sukham. Bhuma, brihat, mahat, that is God. It is Ananda therefore that insists on largeness & constitutes the mahat or brihat. Ananda is the soul of Nature, its essentiality, creative power & peace. The harmony of creative power & peace, pravritti & nivritti, jana & shama, is the divine state which we feelas Wordsworth felt itwhen we go back to the brihat, the wide & infinite which, containing & contented with its works, says of it Sukritam, What I have made, is good. Whoever enters this kingdom of Mahat, this Maho Arnas or great sea of ideal knowledge, comes into possession of his true being, true knowledge, true bliss. He attains the ideal powers of drishti, sruti, smritisees truth face to face, hears her unerring voice or knows her by immediate recognising memoryjust as we say of a friend This is he and need no reasoning of observation, comparison, induction or deduction to tell us who he is or to explain our knowledge to ourselvesthough we may, already knowing the truth, use a self-evident reasoning masterfully in order to convince others. The characteristic of ideal knowledge is first that it is direct in its approach, secondly, that it is self-evident in its revelation, swayamprakasha, thirdly, that it is unerring fact of being, sat, satyam in its substance. Moreover, it is always perfectly satisfied & divinely pleasurable; it is atmarati & atmastha, confines itself to itself & does not reach out beyond itself to grasp at error or grope within itself to stumble over ignorance. It is, too, perfectly effective whether for knowledge, speech or action, satyakarma, satyapratijna, satyavadi. The man who rising beyond the state of the manu, manishi or thinker which men are now, becomes the kavi or direct seer, containing what he sees,he who draws the manomaya purusha up into the vijnanamaya,is in all things true. Truth is his characteristic, his law of being, the stamp that God has put upon him. But even for the manishi ideal Truth has its bounties. For from thence come the intuitions of the poet, the thinker, the artist, scientist, man of action, merchant, craftsman, labourer each in his sphere, the seed of the great thoughts, discoveries, faiths that help the world and save our human works & destinies from decay & dissolution. But in utilising these messages from our higher selves for the world, in giving them a form or a practical tendency, we use our intellects, feelings or imaginations and alter to their moulds or colour with their pigments the Truth. That alloy seems to be needed to make this gold from the mines above run current among men. This then is Maho Arnas.The psychological conceptions of our remote forefa thers concerning it have so long been alien to our thought & experience that they may be a little difficult to follow & more difficult to accept mentally. But we must understand & grasp them in their fullness if we have any desire to know the meaning of the Veda. For they are the very centre & keystone of Vedic psychology. Maho Arnas, the Great Ocean, is the stream of our being which at once divides & connects the human in us from the divine, & to cross over from the human to the divine, from this small & divided finite to that one, great & infinite, from this death to that immortality, leaving Diti for Aditi, alpam for bhuma, martyam for amritam is the great preoccupation & final aim of Veda & Vedanta.
We can now understand the intention of the Rishi in his last verse and the greatness of the climax to which he has been leading us. Saraswati is able to give impulsion to Truth and awaken to right thinking because she has access to the Maho Arnas, the great ocean. On that level of consciousness, we are usually it must be remembered asleep, sushupta. The chetana or waking consciousness has no access; it lies behind our active consciousness, is, as we might say, superconscious, for us, asleep. Saraswati brings it forward into active consciousness by means of the ketu or perceptive intelligence, that essential movement of mind which accepts & realises whatever is presented to it. To focus this ketu, this essential perception on the higher truth by drawing it away from the haphazard disorder of sensory data is the great aim of Yogic meditation. Saraswati by fixing essential perception on the satyam ritam brihat above makes ideal knowledge active and is able to inform it with all those plentiful movements of mind which she, dhiyavasu, vajebhir vajinivati, has prepared for the service of the Master of the sacrifice. She is able to govern all the movements of understanding without exception in their thousand diverse movements & give them the single impression of truth and right thinkingvisva dhiyo vi rajati. A governed & ordered activity of soul and mind, led by the Truth-illuminated intellect, is the aim of the sacrifice which Madhuchchhanda son of Viswamitra is offering to the Gods.
1.04 - The Paths, #A Garden of Pomegranates - An Outline of the Qabalah, #Israel Regardie, #Occultism
Chesed (the sphere of 2f) to Netsach, which latter is the sphere of 2 Venus, the Path of Caph partakes both of the magnanimous and generous expansive character of 2J. and the love nature of $ . It repeats on a considerably lower plane the attri butions of Jupiter, Zeus, Brahma, and Indra, already commented upon. Pluto is also attri buted, since he is the blind giver of wealth, symbolical of the infinite and abundant prodigality of Nature. In the Northern Sagas we
THE PATHS 81
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This Path leads from Yesod to Tipharas, the sphere of 0 the Sun. The Angel of the Tarot, would typify the Holy
Guardian Angel to whom man aspires. The keynote of the astrological sign, the arrow pointing heavenwards, is
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Its Yetsiratic title is " The Natural Intelligence ". Its astrological attri bution is Mars, and therefore this Path repeats to a large extent the attri butions of the sphere of
Geburah, although on a less spiritual plane. Horus, the hawk-headed Lord of Strength, Mentu, the God of War of the Egyptians ; Ares and Mars of the Greeks and Romans, and all other warrior gods, are the deity attri butions.
1.04 - The Praise, #Tara - The Feminine Divine, #unset, #Zen
DESIRE: sphere of desire. Buddhist cosmology divides
the possibilities of existence into three spheres or
domains, that is, the sphere of desire (hells, hungry
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categories of gods), the sphere of form (other
categories of gods in more subtle levels), the sphere of
formless (other categories of gods in even more subtle
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THE SKY: comprises form and formless spheres.
Desire and sky refer to the particular universe in
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universes evolves, each comprising a desire sphere, a
form sphere, and formless sphere (therefore there are
many solar systems). Tara's activity occurs in the ten
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- devas: gods of the three spheres (desire, form, and
formless)
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HOSTS OF GODS: gods of the desire sphere gathered
in six classes whose dwellings rise in tiers above
1.04 - The Self, #Aion, #Carl Jung, #Psychology
ings. As for the self, it is completely outside the personal sphere,
and appears, if at all, only as a religious mythologem, and its
1.04 - THE STUDY (The Compact), #Faust, #Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, #Poetry
Or, in the spheres we dream of yonder,
A High and Low our souls await.
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We'll try a wider sphere.
What place of martyrdom is here!
1.05 - Adam Kadmon, #A Garden of Pomegranates - An Outline of the Qabalah, #Israel Regardie, #Occultism
The principle of Guph, the physical body, is attri buted to Malkus, the Kingdom, the sphere of the four elements, and is too well known to demand comment or description.
I need only add that the predominate influence of the soul over the body, the body as being interpenetrated and over- flown in all its parts by the Real Man, and dependent upon it for the source of its life, are the implications of the
1.05 - Christ, A Symbol of the Self, #Aion, #Carl Jung, #Psychology
the sphere of Christian psychology and symbolism. A factor that
no one has reckoned with, however, is the fatality inherent in
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way up to the topmost heaven, shows that his sphere interpene-
trates with the divine sphere of the Trinity, whose light in turn
filters down as far as the lowest heaven. This paints a picture of
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11 9 It is in the sphere of the dark, heavy body that we must look
for the a/xo PLa, the "formlessness" wherein the third sonship lies
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question of any intrusion into the sphere of metaphysics, i.e., of
faith. The images of God and Christ which man's religious
1.05 - Problems of Modern Psycho therapy, #The Practice of Psycho therapy, #Carl Jung, #Psychology
of consciousness, an indefinitely extended sphere of non-consciousness.
Hence the personalities of doctor and patient are often infinitely more
1.05 - Some Results of Initiation, #Knowledge of the Higher Worlds, #Rudolf Steiner, #Theosophy
Were the student to obtain an insight into these spiritual worlds without sufficient preparation regarding their nature, he would find himself confronted by the picture of his own soul as though by an enigma. There his own desires and passions confront him in animal or, more rarely, in human forms. It is true that animal forms of this world are never quite similar to those of the physical world, yet they possess a remote resemblance: inexpert observers often take them to be identical. Now, upon entering this world, an entirely new method of judgment must be acquired; for apart from the fact that things actually pertaining to inner nature appear as outer world, they also bear the character of mirrored reflections of what they really are. When, for instance, a number is perceived, it must be read in reverse, as a picture in a mirror: 265 would mean here in reality, 562. A sphere is perceived as
p. 180
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It is absolutely necessary that the student should experience this spiritual aspect of his own inner self before progressing to higher spheres; for his own self constitutes that psycho-spiritual element of which he is the best judge. If he has thoroughly realized the nature of his own personality in the physical world, and if the image of his personality first appears to him in a higher world, he is then able to compare the one with the other. He can refer the higher to something already known to him, so that his point of departure is on firm ground. Whereas, no matter how many other spiritual beings appeared to him, he would find himself unable to discover their nature and qualities, and would soon feel the ground giving way beneath him. Thus is cannot be too often repeated that the only safe entrance into the higher worlds is at the end of a
p. 182
1.05 - The Ascent of the Sacrifice - The Psychic Being, #The Synthesis Of Yoga, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
Altruism, philanthropy, humanitarianism, service are flowers of the mental consciousness and are at best the mind's cold and pale imitation of the spiritual flame of universal Divine Love. Not truly liberative from ego-sense, they widen it at most and give it higher and larger satisfaction; impotent in practice to change mall's vital life and nature, they only modify and palliate its action and daub over its unchanged egoistic essence. Or if they are intensely followed with an entire sincerity of the will, it is by an exaggerated amplification of one side of our nature; in that exaggeration there can be no clue for the full and perfect divine evolution of the many sides of our individualised being towards the universal and transcendent Eternal. Nor can the religio-ethical ideal be a sufficient guide, -- for this is a compromise or compact of mutual concessions for mutual support between a religious urge which seeks to get a closer hold on earth by taking into itself the higher turns of ordinary human nature and an ethical urge which hopes to elevate itself out of its own mental hardness and dryness by some touch of a religious fervour. In making this compact religion lowers itself to the mental level and inherits the inherent imperfections of mind and its inability to convert and transform life. The mind is the sphere of the dualities and, just as it is impossible for it to achieve any absolute Truth but only truths relative or mixed with error, so it is impossible for it to achieve any absolute good; for moral good exists as a counterpart and corrective to evil and has evil always for its shadow, complement, almost its reason for existence. But the spiritual consciousness belongs to a higher than the mental plane and there the dualities cease; for there falsehood confronted with the truth by which it profited through a usurping falsification of it and evil faced by the good of which it was a perversion or a lurid substitute, are obliged to perish for want of sustenance and to cease. The integral Yoga, refusing to rely upon the fragile stuff of mental and moral ideals, puts its whole emphasis in this field on three central dynamic processes -- the development of the true soul or psychic being to take the place of the false soul of desire, the sublimation of human into divine love, the elevation of consciousness from its mental to its spiritual and supramental plane by whose power alone both the soul and the life-force can be utterly delivered from the veils and prevarications of the Ignorance.
It is the very nature of the soul or the psychic being to turn towards the Divine Truth as the sunflower to the sun; it accepts and clings to all that is divine or progressing towards divinity and draws back from all that is a perversion or a denial of it, from all that is false and undivine. Yet the soul is at first but a spark and then a little flame of godhead burning in the midst of a great darkness; for the most part it is veiled in its inner sanctum and to reveal itself it has to call on the mind, the life-force and the physical consciousness and persuade them, as best they can, to express it; ordinarily, it succeeds at most in suffusing their outwardness with its inner light and modifying with its purifying fineness their dark obscurities or their coarser mixture. Even when there is a formed psychic being, able to express itself with some directness in life, it is still in all but a few a smaller portion of the being -- "no bigger in the mass of the body than the thumb of a man" was the image used by the ancient seers -- and it is not always able to prevail against the obscurity and ignorant smallness of the physical consciousness, the mistaken surenesses of the mind or the arrogance and vehemence of the vital nature. This soul is obliged to accept the human mental, emotive, sensational life as it is, its relations, its activities, its cherished forms and figures; it has to labour to disengage and increase the divine element in all this relative truth mixed with continual falsifying error, this love turned to the uses of the animal body or the satisfaction of the vital ego, this life of an average manhood shot with rare and pale glimpses of Godhead and the darker luridities of the demon and the brute. Unerring in the essence of its will, it is obliged often under the pressure of its instruments to submit to mistakes of action, wrong placement of feeling, wrong choice of person, errors in the exact form of its will, in the circumstances of its expression of the infallible inner ideal. Yet is there a divination within it which makes it a surer guide than the reason or than even the highest desire, and through apparent errors and stumblings its voice can still lead better than the precise intellect and the considering mental judgment. This voice of the soul is not what we call conscience -- for that is only a mental and often conventional erring substitute; it is a deeper and more seldom heard call; yet to follow it when heard is wisest : even, it is better to wander at the call of one's soul than to go apparently straight with the reason and the outward moral mentor. But It is only when the life turns towards the Divine that the soul can truly come forward and impose its power on the outer members; for, itself a spark of the Divine, to grow in flame towards the Divine is its true life and its very reason of existence.
1.05 - The Belly of the Whale, #The Hero with a Thousand Faces, #Joseph Campbell, #Mythology
into a sphere of rebirth is symbolized in the worldwide womb
image of the belly of the whale. The hero, instead of conquering
1.05 - THE HOSTILE BROTHERS - ARCHETYPES OF RESPONSE TO THE UNKNOWN, #Maps of Meaning, #Jordan Peterson, #Psychology
creative transformation from the individual and social spheres. The individual who denies his individual
identification with the heroic will come to identify with and serve the tyrannical force of the past will also
--
kindles ones interest, and leads one away from the parental sphere out into the world. To deny those
interests is to deny God, to fall from heaven and land squarely in hell, where ones passions burn
--
The dream scene shifted. The object, a sphere of about eight inches in diameter, was now contained
and exhibited in a small glass display case, like that found in a museum. The case itself was in a small
--
pipe. Then it reformed itself into a sphere, and shot out through one wall of the case, and the room,
leaving two perfectly round, smooth, holes one in the case, and the other in the wall. It left with no
--
towards the man (as if the room was constructed of the intersection of six spheres). All surfaces of the
cube remained at the same distance from the man, regardless of his pattern of movement. If he walked
--
adversary of the planetary spheres. He rends the circle of the spheres and leans down to earth and water
(i.e., is about to project himself into the elements). His shadow falls upon the earth, but his image is
1.05 - THE NEW SPIRIT, #The Future of Man, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
fruitful conjunction between the two spheres of rational experi-
ence and of faith. In a Universe of "Conical" structure Christ has
1.05 - The Principle of Earth, #Initiation Into Hermetics, #Franz Bardon, #Occultism
Details concerning the specific influences of the elements in the various spheres and kingdoms, such as the kingdoms of nature, of animals and of human beings will be found in the following chapters. The main point is that the reader gets a general impression about the workshop and the effect of the elemental principles in the entire Universe.
1.06 - Agni and the Truth, #The Secret Of The Veda, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
Here r.tam br.hat and svam damam seem to express the goal of the sacrifice and this is perfectly in consonance with the imagery of the Veda which frequently describes the sacrifice as travelling towards the gods and man himself as a traveller moving towards the truth, the light or the felicity. It is evident, therefore, that the Truth, the Vast and Agni's own home are identical. Agni and other gods are frequently spoken of as being born in the truth, dwelling in the wide or vast. The sense, then, will be in our passage that Agni the divine will and power in man increases in the truth-consciousness, its proper sphere, where false limitations are broken down, urav anibadhe, in the wide and the limitless.
Thus in these four verses of the opening hymn of the Veda we get the first indications of the principal ideas of the Vedic
1.06 - Being Human and the Copernican Principle, #Preparing for the Miraculous, #George Van Vrekhem, #Integral Yoga
into two separate spheres: the sphere of the materially per
ceptible and the sphere of the non-material, at best treated
agnostically but more often with supercilious disdain. Sci
1.06 - LIFE AND THE PLANETS, #The Future of Man, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
them alone, that the mysterious ascent of the world into the sphere
of high complexity has a chance to take place. However inconsid-
1.06 - On Induction, #The Problems of Philosophy, #Bertrand Russell, #Philosophy
It must be known to us that the existence of some one sort of thing, A, is a sign of the existence of some other sort of thing, B, either at the same time as A or at some earlier or later time, as, for example, thunder is a sign of the earlier existence of lightning. If this were not known to us, we could never extend our knowledge beyond the sphere of our private experience; and this sphere, as we have seen, is exceedingly limited. The question we have now to consider is whether such an extension is possible, and if so, how it is effected.
Let us take as an illustration a matter about which none of us, in fact, feel the slightest doubt. We are all convinced that the sun will rise to-morrow. Why? Is this belief a mere blind outcome of past experience, or can it be justified as a reasonable belief? It is not easy to find a test by which to judge whether a belief of this kind is reasonable or not, but we can at least ascertain what sort of general beliefs would suffice, if true, to justify the judgement that the sun will rise to-morrow, and the many other similar judgements upon which our actions are based.
1.06 - Origin of the four castes, #Vishnu Purana, #Vyasa, #Hinduism
Formerly, oh best of Brahmans, when the truth-meditating Brahmā was desirous of creating the world, there sprang from his mouth beings especially endowed with the quality of goodness; others from his breast, pervaded by the quality of foulness; others from his thighs, in whom foulness and darkness prevailed; and others from his feet, in whom the quality of darkness predominated. These were, in succession, beings of the several castes, Brahmans, Kṣetriyas, Vaisyas, and Śūdras, produced from the mouth, the breast, the thighs, and the feet of Brahmā[2]. These he created for the performance of sacrifices, the four castes being the fit instruments of their celebration. By sacrifices, oh thou who knowest the truth, the gods are nourished; and by the rain which they bestow, mankind are supported[3]: and thus sacrifices, the source of happiness, are performed by pious men, attached to their duties, attentive to prescribed obligations, and walking in the paths of virtue. Men acquire (by them) heavenly fruition, or final felicity: they go, after death, to whatever sphere they aspire to, as the consequence of their human nature. The beings who were created by Brahmā, of these four castes, were at first endowed with righteousness and perfect faith; they abode wherever they pleased, unchecked by any impediment; their hearts were free from guile; they were pure, made free from soil, by observance of sacred institutes. In their sanctified minds Hari dwelt; and they were filled with perfect wisdom, by which they contemplated the glory of Viṣṇu[4]. After a while (after the Tretā age had continued for some period), that portion of Hari which has been described as one with Kāla (time) infused into created beings sin, as yet feeble though formidable, or passion and the like: the impediment of soul's liberation, the seed of iniquity, sprung from darkness and desire. The innate perfectness of human nature was then no more evolved: the eight kinds of perfection, Rasollāsā and the rest, were impaired[5]; and these being enfeebled, and sin gaining strength, mortals were afflicted with pain, arising from susceptibility to contrasts, as heat and cold, and the like. They therefore constructed places of refuge, protected by trees, by mountains, or by water; surrounded them by a ditch or a wall, and formed villages and cities; and in them erected appropriate dwellings, as defences against the sun and the cold[6]. Having thus provided security against the weather, men next began to employ themselves in manual labour, as a means of livelihood, (and cultivated) the seventeen kinds of useful grain-rice, barley, wheat, millet, sesamum, panic, and various sorts of lentils, beans, and pease[7]. These are the kinds cultivated for domestic use: but there are fourteen kinds which may be offered in sacrifice; they are, rice, barley, Māṣa, wheat, millet, and sesamum; Priya
gu is the seventh, and kulattha, pulse, the eighth: the others are, Syāmāka, a sort of panic; Nīvāra, uñcultivated rice; Jarttila, wild sesamum; Gavedukā (coix); Markata, wild panic; and (a plant called) the seed or barley of the Bambu (Venu-yava). These, cultivated or wild, are the fourteen grains that were produced for purposes of offering in sacrifice; and sacrifice (the cause of rain) is their origin also: they again, with sacrifice, are the great cause of the perpetuation of the human race, as those understand who can discriminate cause and effect. Thence sacrifices were offered daily; the performance of which, oh best of Munis, is of essential service to mankind, and expiates the offences of those by whom they are observed. Those, however, in whose hearts the dross of sin derived from Time (Kāla) was still more developed, assented not to sacrifices, but reviled both them and all that resulted from them, the gods, and the followers of the Vedas. Those abusers of the Vedas, of evil disposition and conduct, and seceders from the path of enjoined duties, were plunged in wickedness[8]. The means of subsistence having been provided for the beings he had created, Brahmā prescribed laws suited to their station and faculties, the duties of the several castes and orders[9], and the regions of those of the different castes who were observant of their duties. The heaven of the Pitris is the region of devout Brahmans. The sphere of Indra, of Kṣetriyas who fly not from the field. The region of the winds is assigned to the Vaisyas who are diligent in their occupations and submissive. Śūdras are elevated to the sphere of the Gandharvas. Those Brahmans who lead religious lives go to the world of the eighty-eight thousand saints: and that of the seven Ṛṣis is the seat of pious anchorets and hermits. The world of ancestors is that of respectable householders: and the region of Brahmā is the asylum of religious mendicants[10]. The imperishable region of the Yogis is the highest seat of Viṣṇu, where they perpetually meditate upon the supreme being, with minds intent on him alone: the sphere where they reside, the gods themselves cannot behold. The sun, the moon, the planets, shall repeatedly be, and cease to be; but those who internally repeat the mystic adoration of the divinity, shall never know decay. For those who neglect their duties, who revile the Vedas, and obstruct religious rites, the places assigned after death are the terrific regions of darkness, of deep gloom, of fear, and of great terror; the fearful hell of sharp swords, the hell of scourges and of a waveless sea[11].
Footnotes and references:
--
[10]: These worlds, some of which will be more particularly described in a different section, are the seven Lokas or spheres above the earth: 1. Prājāpatya or Pitri loka: 2. Indra loka or Swerga: 3. Marut loka or Diva loka, heaven: 4. Gandharva loka, the region of celestial spirits; also called Maharloka: 5. Janaloka, or the sphere of saints; some copies read eighteen thousand; others, as in the text, which is also the reading of the Padma Purāṇa: 6. Tapaloka, the world of the seven sages: and 7. Brahma loka or Satya loka, the world of infinite wisdom and truth. The eighth, or high world of Viṣṇu, is a sectarial addition, which in the Bhāgavata is called Vaikuntha, and in the Brahma Vaivartta, Goloka; both apparently, and most certainly the last, modern inventions.
[11]: The divisions of Naraka, or hell, here named, are again more particularly enumerated, b. II. c. 6.
1.06 - THE FOUR GREAT ERRORS, #Twilight of the Idols, #Friedrich Nietzsche, #Philosophy
from the sphere of causes. Not only do we try to find a certain kind
of explanation as the cause, but those kinds of explanations are
1.06 - The Literal Qabalah, #A Garden of Pomegranates - An Outline of the Qabalah, #Israel Regardie, #Occultism
Five is the sphere of Geburah or Mars. The reader will recall that this Sephirah repeats on a lower plane the force- element attri buted to Binah.
This can be proved in another manner, by analysing each letter of the word separately, q F is 3 Mars, with its implicit connotation of Strength and Brute Energy, y O is Priapus, the Greek God of sexual fecundity and fruit- fulness. n H is V Aries, in which <$ Mars is exalted. Its
1.06 - The Objective and Subjective Views of Life, #The Human Cycle, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
The principle of individualism is the liberty of the human being regarded as a separate existence to develop himself and fulfil his life, satisfy his mental tendencies, emotional and vital needs and physical being according to his own desire governed by his reason; it admits no other limit to this right and this liberty except the obligation to respect the same individual liberty and right in others. The balance of this liberty and this obligation is the principle which the individualistic age adopted in its remodelling of society; it adopted in effect a harmony of compromises between rights and duties, liberty and law, permissions and restraints as the scheme both of the personal life and the life of the society. Equally, in the life of nations the individualistic age made liberty the ideal and strove though with less success than in its own proper sphere to affirm a mutual respect for each others freedom as the proper conduct of nations to one another. In this idea of life, as with the individual, so with the nation, each has the inherent right to manage its own affairs freely or, if it wills, to mismanage them freely and not to be interfered with in its rights and liberties so long as it does not interfere with the rights and liberties of other nations. As a matter of fact, the egoism of individual and nation does not wish to abide within these bounds; therefore the social law of the nation has been called in to enforce the violated principle as between man and man and it has been sought to develop international law in the same way and with the same object. The influence of these ideas is still powerful. In the recent European struggle the liberty of nations was set forth as the ideal for which the war was being waged,in defiance of the patent fact that it had come about by nothing better than a clash of interests. The development of international law into an effective force which will restrain the egoism of nations as the social law restrains the egoism of individuals, is the solution which still attracts and seems the most practicable to most when they seek to deal with the difficulties of the future.1
The growth of modern Science has meanwhile created new ideas and tendencies, on one side an exaggerated individualism or rather vitalistic egoism, on the other the quite opposite ideal of collectivism. Science investigating life discovered that the root nature of all living is a struggle to take the best advantage of the environment for self-preservation, self-fulfilment, self-aggrandisement. Human thought seizing in its usual arbitrary and trenchant fashion upon this aspect of modern knowledge has founded on it theories of a novel kind which erect into a gospel the right for each to live his own life not merely by utilising others, but even at the expense of others. The first object of life in this view is for the individual to survive as long as he may, to become strong, efficient, powerful, to dominate his environment and his fellows and to raise himself on this strenuous and egoistic line to his full stature of capacity and reap his full measure of enjoyment. Philosophies like Nietzsches, certain forms of Anarchism,not the idealistic Anarchism of the thinker which is rather the old individualism of the ideal reason carried to its logical conclusion,certain forms too of Imperialism have been largely influenced and streng thened by this type of ideas, though not actually created by them.
1.06 - The Sign of the Fishes, #Aion, #Carl Jung, #Psychology
in with the beginning of the sphere of the "antichristian" fish in
Pisces. In consequence, one might feel tempted to regard the
--
Mary: If the ordainers of the nativity find Heimarmene and the sphere turned
to the left in accordance with their first circulation, then their words will be
--
the sphere turned to the right, then they will not say anything true, because
I have changed their influences and their squares and their triangles and their
--
Deluge!- C.G.J. ] and shall find their true sphere where life abounds and death
is not: where, for ever surrounded with the living water and drinking from its
1.06 - The Three Mothers or the First Elements, #unset, #Arthur C Clarke, #Fiction
To confirm this there are faithful witnesses; the world, year and man, the twelve, the Equipoise, the heptade, which God regulates like the Dragon, 40 (Tali) sphere and the heart.
.
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Dragon (Tali) is in the world like a king upon his throne, the sphere is in the year like a king in the empire, and the heart is in the human body like a king 42 in war.
.
1.06 - Wealth and Government, #Words Of The Mother III, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
A change of consciousness is equivalent to a new birth, a birth into a higher sphere of existence.
How can a change of consciousness change the life upon earth?
1.06 - WITCHES KITCHEN, #Faust, #Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, #Poetry
Within a narrow sphere to flourish;
With unmixed food thy body nourish;
1.07 - Akasa or the Ethereal Principle, #Initiation Into Hermetics, #Franz Bardon, #Occultism
Several times while describing the elements I have said that they proceed from the ethereal principle. Accordingly, the ethereal principle is the ultimate, the supreme, the most powerful thing, something inconceivable, the ultimate cause of all things existing and created. To put it in a nutshell, it is the causal sphere. Therefore akasa is spaceless and timeless. It is the non-created, the incomprehensible, the indefinable.
The various religions have given it the name of God. It is the fifth power, the original power. Everything has been created by it and is kept in balance by it. It is the origin and the purity of all thoughts and intentions, it is the causal world wherein the whole creation in subsisting on, beginning from the highest spheres down to the lowest ones.
It is the quintessence of the alchemists; it is all in all.
1.07 - BOOK THE SEVENTH, #Metamorphoses, #Ovid, #Poetry
To list'ning spheres their joint applause they raise,
And thus resound their matchless Theseus' praise.
1.07 - Medicine and Psycho therapy, #The Practice of Psycho therapy, #Carl Jung, #Psychology
say, its contents were thought to come exclusively from the sphere of ego-
consciousness and to have become unconscious only secondarily, through
--
pathological symptoms. In order to get closer to the sphere of the psyche,
the ideas derived from the sphere of medicine are not enough. But, to the
extent that psycho therapy, considered as part of the healing art, should
1.07 - Production of the mind-born sons of Brahma, #Vishnu Purana, #Vyasa, #Hinduism
Madhusūdana, whose essence is incomprehensible, in the forms of these (patriarchs and Manus), is the author of the uninterrupted vicissitudes of creation, preservation, and destruction. The dissolution of all things is of four kinds; Naimittika, 'occasional;' Prākritika, 'elemental;' Atyantika, 'absolute;' Nitya, 'perpetual[15]: The first, also termed the Brāhma dissolution, occurs when the sovereign of the world reclines in sleep. In the second, the mundane egg resolves into the primary element, from whence it was derived. Absolute non-existence of the world is the absorption of the sage, through knowledge, into supreme spirit. Perpetual destruction is the constant disappearance, day and night, of all that are born. The productions of Prakriti form the creation that is termed the elemental (Prākrita). That which ensues after a (minor) dissolution is called ephemeral creation: and the daily generation of living things is termed, by those who are versed in the Purāṇas, constant creation. In this manner the mighty Viṣṇu, whose essence is the elements, abides in all bodies, and brings about production, existence, and dissolution. The faculties of Viṣṇu to create, to preserve, and to destroy, operate successively, Maitreya, in all corporeal beings and at all seasons; and he who frees himself from the influence of these three faculties, which are essentially composed of the three qualities (goodness, foulness, and darkness), goes to the supreme sphere, from whence he never again returns. ootnotes and references:
[1]: It is not clear which of the previous narratives is here referred to, but it seems most probable that the account in p. 35, 36. is intended.
--
ga P. and Vāyu P. describe the origin of Virāj and Śatarūpā from Brahmā; and they intimate the union of Śatarūpā with Puruṣa or Virāj, the male portion of Brahmā, in the first instance; and in the second, with Manu, who is termed Vairāja, or the son of Virāj. The Brāhma P., the words of which are repeated in the Hari Vaṃśa, introduces a new element of perplexity in a new name, that of Āpava. According to the commentator, this is a name of the Prajāpati Vaśiṣṭha. As, however, he performs the office of Brahmā, he should be regarded as that divinity: but this is not exactly the case, although it has been so rendered by the French translator. Āpava becomes twofold, and in the capacity of his male half begets offspring by the female. Again, it is said Viṣṇu created p. 53 Virāj, and Virāj created the male, which is Vairāja or Manu; who was thus the second interval (Antaram), or stage, in creation. That is, according to the commentator, the first stage was the creation of Āpava, or Vaśiṣṭha, or Virāj, by Viṣṇu, through the agency of Hiranyagarbha or Brahmā; and the next was that of the creation of Manu by Virāj. Śatarūpā appears as first the bride of Āpava, and then as the wife of Manu. This account therefore, although obscurely expressed, appears to be essentially the same with that of Manu; and we have Brahmā, Virāj, Manu, instead of Brahmā and Manu. It seems probable that this difference, and the part assigned to Virāj, has originated in some measure from confounding Brahmā with the male half of his individuality, and considering as two beings that which was but one. If the Puruṣa or Virāj be distinct from Brahmā, what becomes of Brahmā? The entire whole and its two halves cannot coexist; although some of the Paurāṇics and the author of Manu seem to have imagined its possibility, by making Virāj the son of Brahmā. The perplexity, however, is still more ascribable to the personification of that which was only an allegory. The division of Brahmā into two halves designates, as is very evident from the passage in the Vedas given by Mr. Colebrooke, (As. R. VIII. 425,) the distinction of corporeal substance into two sexes; Virāj being all male animals, Śatarūpā all female animals. So the commentator on the Hari Vaṃśa explains the former to denote the horse, the bull, &c.; and the latter, the mare, the cow, and the like. In the Bhāgavata the term Virāj implies, Body, collectively, as the commentator observes; 'As the sun illuminates his own inner sphere, as well as the exterior regions, so soul, shining in body (Virāja), irradiates all without and within.' All therefore that the birth of Virāj was intended to express, was the creation of living body, of creatures of both sexes: and as in consequence man was produced, he might be said to be the son of Virāj, or bodily existence. Again, Śatarūpā, the bride of Brahmā, or of Virāj, or of Manu, is nothing more than beings of varied or manifold forms, from Sata, 'a hundred,' and 'form;' explained by the annotator on the Hari Vaṃśa by Anantarūpā, 'of infinite,' and Vividharūpā, 'of diversified shape;' being, as he states, the same as Māyā, 'illusion,' or the power of multiform metamorphosis. The Matsya P. has a little allegory of its own, on the subject of Brahmā's intercourse with Śatarūpā; for it explains the former to mean the Vedas, and the latter the Savitrī, or holy prayer, which is their chief text; and in their cohabitation there is therefore no evil.
[6]: The Brāhma P. has a different order, and makes Vīra the son of the first pair, who has Uttānapāda, &c. by Kāmyā. The commentator on the Hari Vaṃśa quotes the Vāyu for a confirmation of this account; but the passage there is, 'Śatarūpā bore to the male Vairāja (Manu) two Vīras,' i. e. heroes or heroic sons, p. 54 Uttānpāda and Priyavrata. It looks as if the compiler of the Brāhma P. had made some very unaccountable blunder, and invented upon it a new couple, Vīra and Kāmyā: no such person as the former occurs in any other Purāṇa, nor does Kāmyā, as his wife.
1.07 - The Continuity of Consciousness, #Knowledge of the Higher Worlds, #Rudolf Steiner, #Theosophy
himself, from seed to fruit. The effort required for concentration and meditation must therefore be carefully and accurately maintained, for it contains the laws governing the germination and fruition of the higher human soul-being. The latter must appear at its birth as a harmonious, well-proportioned organism. Through an error in following the instructions, no such normal being will come to existence in the spiritual spheres, but a miscarriage incapable of life.
That this higher soul-being should be born during deep sleep will be easily grasped, for if that delicate organism lacking all power of resistance chanced to appear during physical every-day life it could not prevail against the harsh and powerful processes of this life. Its activity would be of no account against that of the body. During sleep, however, when the body rests in as far as its activity is dependent on sense perception, the activity of the higher soul, at first so delicate and inconspicuous, can come into evidence. Here again the student must bear in mind that these experiences during sleep may not be regarded as fully valid knowledge, so long as he is not in a position to carry over his awakened higher soul
1.07 - The Fourth Circle The Avaricious and the Prodigal. Plutus. Fortune and her Wheel. The Fifth Circle The Irascible and the Sullen. Styx., #The Divine Comedy, #Dante Alighieri, #Christianity
She turns her sphere, and blissful she rejoices.
Let us descend now unto greater woe;
1.07 - THE GREAT EVENT FORESHADOWED - THE PLANETIZATION OF MANKIND, #The Future of Man, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
"moral or artificial" sphere of human institutions and the "physi-
cal" sphere of organized Nature. Indeed, it is only very recently,
and as yet timidly, that sociology has ventured to set up the first
--
cial sphere. This accounts for the tendency which has been insuf-
ficiently noted, of every living phylum (insect and vertebrate) to
1.07 - The Literal Qabalah (continued), #A Garden of Pomegranates - An Outline of the Qabalah, #Israel Regardie, #Occultism
The correspondences of each unit may be indefinitely extended, since each Sephirah and each subsidiary Path may be visualized as containing a Tree of Life within its own sphere, and may thus be divided for the purpose of more precise and close analysis into ten subdivisions. The
Tree itself may also be placed in each of, what are called,
--
This division is contemplated in two distinct manners. In th e first method, Keser - the sphere of the Primum Mobile - occupies the first plane alone. It is the Archetype and
Creator of all the other Sephiros. Chokmah and Binah are considered as the Creative World, the region of Ideation and Cosmic Energization, from which evolves the World of
--
Kronos or Time was attri buted. Thus Binah links up with the Kantian category of Time. Thp sphere of the Zodiac is a correspondence of Chokmah, and is, in a certain respect, a concretion of the idea of Space. We have, therefore, the whole Universe as the lower seven Sephiros, projected and existing in Time and Space, or Chokmah and Binah, which are the functions of the integrating faculty of the Ego or
Keser. The student will find it no difficult matter to corre- late the remaining Kantian categories, or forms of the activity of the thinking ego, to the Sephirothal Tree.
--
Netsach and Yesod. Netsach is the sphere of Venus, and the whole implication of this Sephirah was stated as that of love of a sexual nature, representing the generative forces of Nature ; therefore magnetism and desire are the implica- tions in general. Yesod is the Foundation to which the
Astral Plane is attri buted, and the astral substance is by definition magnetic, subtile, and electric in its nature.
1.07 - The Magic Wand, #The Practice of Magical Evocation, #Franz Bardon, #Occultism
Above all, the magic wand is the symbol of the will, the power and the strength by which the magician maintains his influence on the sphere for which he has made and charged it. A magician will not have just one wand for his practice, but he will make several wands depending on what he intends to do or attain.
The actual purpose of a magic wand is to help the magician project his will into any sphere or plane. He may have a wand 1. to influence any being, no matter if human or animal, 2. to cure people from diseases and to do away with bad, unfavourable influences, 3. to evoke high intelligences and to invoke demons and spirits. To say that the magic wand symbolizes the absolute power of the magician is truly justified. The person having fully comprehended the mystery of the magic wand in its magnitude will never do his operations of ritual magic without this implement. It would lead too far, if I tried to state here all the possibilities of the magic wand. For the intelligent student these hints will suffice and will serve as guiding principles. His knowledge will be enlarged by ample meditation.
The magic wand is a condenser, no matter what material it is 41 made of or in which way it is manufactured. Charged with the will of the magician, it expresses a certain power. It may be a simple one (the usual type of wand) or a complicated one. All the wands carved out of wood are regarded as simple wands. But only a special kind of wood, suiting the purpose, may be used. Thus, hazelnut or willow are to be used for a wishing-wand. The wishing-wand is a modification of the magic wand. Though a wand made of ash-wood may be used as a magic wand for all magical operations the magician, when carrying out operations of ritual magic, will only charge it for the purpose of curing people.
--
After some time load the wand again in the same manner, and every time you repeat the cerem.ony you must increase the intensity of your imagination. Never forget that your whole spiritual will is embodied in the wand. It is important that you limit the time and if possible, also the space of the power concentrated in the wand; that is, concentrate your willpower into the wand with the idea that as long as it will exist it will represent all your will, all your power, and remain effective. A wand charged in this way will remain effective till you die, or should it be your special wish, even beyond your physical death, that is, it will remain a 47 magic wand. It may even last for centuries, and its influence may even increase with time, providing you have charged it with the wish that its power should grow from one day to the next. The effectiveness of the wand will first work on the mental sphere, then, after some time and repeated charging, on the astral sphere, and finally even on the physical world. The time required until a wand, first effective on the mental world, becomes effective in the physical world depends on the magician's maturity, training and power of imagination, and also on what he is striving for. The magician who is well acquainted with quabbalah will know that to bring about a realization from the mental sphere into the physical world, usually about 462 repetitions are necessary; by then the influence from the mental sphere takes shape, that is becomes condensed in the physical world. This, however, does not mean that the magician may not be able to bring about the same kind of success earlier than this. As already pointed out, the magic wand's power of realisation depends on the intention and purpose for which it has been made and charged. One could query whether the rod needs to be charged at all, since the magician's will should suffice. The magician, however, will not always be in a position to expand his mental exertion in the manner necessary for the transfer of one's will. There will be situations which will exhaust even the best magician, who then would be incapable of concentrating to his fullest power of expansion.
However, a skillfully charged magic wand will also have its effect at moments when the magician is not using his will-power, but is just concentrating his thoughts on the realization of his wish, using his magic wand for this purpose. There is, of course, in this case a slight danger that a blasphemous person may get hold of the magic wand in order to realize his own desires, which, if it happened, would go on the cost of the magician and his rodvoltage. Therefore a magician will always do well not to tell any person, not even his best friend, for which purpose, in which respect, and in which manner he has charged his magic wand.
--
The charge of a magic wand with an electric, magnetic, or electromagnetic fluid is always the same, with the only exception that the transfer of the magician's consciousness may be omitted. If only one wand is to be charged, the procedure is a little more complicated. For the wand to be charged with one fluid only, be it electric or magnetic, that fluid has to be drawn from the 50 universe with the help of the imagination und must be impelled into the rod, to which end the magician has to concentrate on the wish that whenever he desires something, the fluid inside the rod will realize at once what he wishes, even though it be directed to the furthest possible sphere or the Akasha-principle. If you terminate the accumulation so that the fluid accumulated in the rod will intensify itself automatically from the universe, that it will, in other words, work by itself bioelectrically and biomagnetically, the rod will grow into an enormously strong battery. The magician is recommended to accumulate in his own body, prior to every use, the revelant fluid in order to be strong enough for the work with the accumulated fluid of the wand. If he is not willing to do this, he should at least insulate himself before he starts work by putting on a pair of pure silk-gloves, preferably manufactured by himself. Not before he has thus insulated himself should he take the wand into his hands. Since the magician usually works with both fluids, he should take the wand charged with the electrical fluid into his right hand, and the wand charged with the magnetic fluid into his left. It is always better to charge two rods; one with the electric the other with the magnetic fluid, especially if simple twigs or wooden wands, which are not impregnated with a fluid condenser, are used. This is not absolutely necessary, but it will make work easier. The magician who has a wand filled with a fluid condenser, without the wand being parted in the middle, will find it more advantagious to have the wand filled with only one fluid, as this also will make the work easier for him. If the rod is to be charged electromagnetically, that is if both fluids should be prevalent in the wand, the magician must use a rod which has no hole in its middle. Either end of the rod has to be pierced instead, and each half of it has to be provided with a fluid condenser. The magician must, however, put a mark on either end to remind him where the electrical and where the magnetic fluid is. To give the magician a better view, the half provided for the electrical fluid is usually painted red, the half provided for the magnetic fluid is usually painted blue. The rod must then be charged in such a manner that the largest intensity of the fluids rest at the ends of the rod and that the middle, insulated with silk, remains neutral. Charging of either half has to be carried out separately, that means that you may draw from the universe first the electric fluid, accumulating it in the one end of the rod until that end is sufficiently loaded, and immediately after that the magnetic fluid, or vice versa. The magician should never try to accumulate the electric fluid several times and then the magnetic fluid several times; for the equilibrium of the fluids inside the wand must be maintained. The magician must therefore accumulate the electrical fluid on one day and the magnetic fluid the next day. When charging the wand again, he has to go about in the other way.
The magician will charge a rod with the electrical or the magnetic, or both fluids, if he wants to make his influence work by the help of these fluids on objects nearby or far away, regardless of their being subject to the Akasha or existent in either the mental, astral or physical world. Special variations of operations, for instance such as volting or treating sick people, or bearing of certain imaginations, will not be dealt with here, for the person having carefully studied up to this point will now be able to work out for himself his individual working methods.
--
1. The magician, by help of imagination charges his rod - no matter, whether it be simple or provided with a fluid condenser - with desire that when using it, the elements will have to obey him, regardless of which sphere they may belong to. If the wand has been sufficiently charged with the magician's power over the elements, then the results wanted will be brought about by the beings of the elements. The magician will do well to expand his power to all elements, fire, air, water and earth, so that he will not be forced to restrict his operations to a single element. When evoking, the magician should call to his magic circle the heads of the elements, one after the other, and have them swear to the magic wand that they will give him their absolute obedience at all times. After that the magician may, if he likes, engrave on his 52 wand the relevant symbols or seals of each individual head of the elements. This, however, is by no means absolutely necessary, for the wand in the hands of the magician represents the magician's absolute will and his power over each being of the elements. The shape of the seals of each head of the elements will become visible to the magician in his magic mirror or by direct transfer with the mental body in the realm of the elements. On top of that, the magician might well, on account of his personal experience and development, construct a symbol of the relevant element and have the head of any element swear to it that he will always be the obedient servant not only of the symbol which the magician has engraved in the wand, but of the whole wand.
2. The other way to charge the wand with elements is as follows: The magician draws the element which he wants to use for his work directly from the universe, that is, its particular Iphere, by force of the imagination, and dynamically accumulates it in the wand. When working with this kind of loaded wand, the results wanted are not caused by the beings of the elements, but directly by the magician himself. The advantage of this way of charging a wand is that it will give the magician a strong feeling of latisfaction, because he is the immediate cause of the magical effect. It is necessary, however, that a separate rod be manufactured for each of the elements and the wands must be stored apart from each other. To prevent the magician from mixing them up, he must be sure that he can easily differentiate between them by their outside appearance. Each wand may, for this purpose, have the colour of the relevant element. At the beginning the results will only occur on the mental plane, but prolonged use and repeated charging will make it work also on the astral plane, and eventually also on the physical world. This kind of wand will enable its owner to influence all manners of spirits, men, animals, even inanimate nature, by the element, similar to the influence of the electromagnetic fluid. Good magicians are able to cause, by the force of such a wand, marvelous natural phenomena, for in Itance, change of weather, acceleration of the growth of plants, and many other things of that nature.
1.07 - The Prophecies of Nostradamus, #Aion, #Carl Jung, #Psychology
of the upper orb, i.e., the eighth sphere, and from these and other
premises the change of sects will be known. . . . Whence it may
--
eighth sphere shall be in the 444th year after the position of the augmentations,
which according to the astronomical tables are assigned to the end of the year
--
year of Christ 1414 to the standstill of the eighth sphere there will be 253
complete years.)
1.08a - The Ladder, #A Garden of Pomegranates - An Outline of the Qabalah, #Israel Regardie, #Occultism
" Those who are acquainted with the spiritual processes followed by the old mystics will know that these processes are delineated ... in the ceremonies of the great initia- tions, and though notwithstanding they offer . . . only the substitutes of things that are incommunicable on the dramatic side of the mystery . . . there is a condition induced in the candidate by which, if he is otherwise pre- pared, he may enter the sphere of a real experience."
From another viewpoint, the magician resolves to put himself into harmony with the cosmos, which he deifies.
--
As a Practicus (situate in Hod, the sphere of , its god being Mercury) he is expected to complete his intellectual training. Philosophy and Metaphysics are the means to accomplish this task, and in particular, the Holy Qabalah, which he is expected to master before being able to go for- ward. He must discover for himself the properties of a number never previously examined by him, and in answer to intellectual questions he must display no less mastery of his subject than if he were entered in the final examina- tion for a Doctor of Science or Philosophy.
Elere, too, he is expected to make his magical Cup which is to represent Neschamah, his Understanding and In- tuition ; and engage in, and obtain mastery over, the magical rites of Evocation. The results of the Evocation ihould be unmistakably perceptible to the physical eye.
--
As a Philosophus he enters the sphere of Venus, here to learn to control properly his emotional nature, to com- plete his moral training, and to develop his devotion. He is to choose a certain idea or a god, and devote himself
156
--
To become an Adeptus Major (in the sphere of Geburah -
Power) the Adept busies himself with the investigation of every branch and formula of practical Magick, and acquires what are known as the Siddhis or magical powers.
--
To attain to the next Grade of Magister Templi (Binah - the sphere of Saturn, which is Time, the great Reaper and
Death), he must decide upon the second and major critical operation of his career - the crossing of the Abyss, and the destruction of his separate ego. The necessity for this arises from a realization that he cannot remain an Adept for ever, being hurled on by the irresistible momentum of his own inner nature. The essential attainment consists in the absolute annihilation of the bonds of the Buach limiting and repressing Yechidah. This is the paradox of the Path.
1.08 - Information, Language, and Society, #Cybernetics, or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine, #Norbert Wiener, #Cybernetics
hierarchies of organizations on the political sphere. The Levi-
athan of Hobbes, the Man-State made up of lesser men, is an
1.08 - Introduction to Patanjalis Yoga Aphorisms, #Raja-Yoga, #Swami Vivkenanda, #unset
On other and practical grounds we see that the theory of eternal progression is untenable, for destruction is the goal of everything earthly. All our struggles and hopes and fears and joys, what will they lead to? We shall all end in death. Nothing is so certain as this. Where, then, is this motion in a straight line this infinite progression? It is only going out to a distance, and coming back to the centre from which it started. See how, from nebulae, the sun, moon, and stars are produced; then they dissolve and go back to nebulae. The same is being done everywhere. The plant takes material from the earth, dissolves, and gives it back. Every form in this world is taken out of surrounding atoms and goes back to these atoms. It cannot be that the same law acts differently in different places. Law is uniform. Nothing is more certain than that. If this is the law of nature, it also applies to thought. Thought will dissolve and go back to its origin. Whether we will it or not, we shall have to return to our origin which is called God or Absolute. We all came from God, and we are all bound to go back to God. Call that by any name you like, God, Absolute, or Nature, the fact remains the same. "From whom all this universe comes out, in whom all that is born lives, and to whom all returns." This is one fact that is certain. Nature works on the same plan; what is being worked out in one sphere is repeated in millions of spheres. What you see with the planets, the same will it be with this earth, with men, and with all. The huge wave is a mighty compound of small waves, it may be of millions; the life of the whole world is a compound of millions of little lives, and the death of the whole world is the compound of the deaths of these millions of little beings.
Now the question arises: Is going back to God the higher state, or not? The philosophers of the Yoga school emphatically answer that it is. They say that man's present state is a degeneration. There is not one religion on the face of the earth which says that man is an improvement. The idea is that his beginning is perfect and pure, that he degenerates until he cannot degenerate further, and that there must come a time when he shoots upward again to complete the circle. The circle must be described. However low he may go, he must ultimately take the upward bend and go back to the original source, which is God. Man comes from God in the beginning, in the middle he becomes man, and in the end he goes back to God. This is the method of putting it in the dualistic form. The monistic form is that man is God, and goes back to Him again. If our present state is the higher one, then why is there so much horror and misery, and why is there an end to it? If this is the higher state, why does it end? That which corrupts and degenerates cannot be the highest state. Why should it be so diabolical, so unsatisfying? It is only excusable, inasmuch as through it we are taking a higher groove; we have to pass through it in order to become regenerate again. Put a seed into the ground and it disintegrates, dissolves after a time, and out of that dissolution comes the splendid tree. Every soul must disintegrate to become God. So it follows that the sooner we get out of this state we call "man" the better for us. Is it by committing suicide that we get out of this state? Not at all. That will be making it worse. Torturing ourselves, or condemning the world, is not the way to get out. We have to pass through the Slough of Despond, and the sooner we are through, the better. It must always be remembered that man-state is not the highest state.
1.08 - RELIGION AND TEMPERAMENT, #The Perennial Philosophy, #Aldous Huxley, #Philosophy
In a word, the traditional Jesus is thought of as a man of predominantly ectomorphic physique and therefore, by implication, of predominantly cerebrotonic temperament. The central core of primitive Christian doctrine confirms the essential correctness of the iconographic tradition. The religion of the Gospels is what we should expect from a cerebrotonicnot, of course, from any cerebrotonic, but from one who had used the psycho-physical peculiarities of his own nature to transcend nature, who had followed his particular dharma to its spiritual goal. The insistence that the Kingdom of Heaven is within; the ignoring of ritual; the slightly contemptuous attitude towards legalism, towards the ceremonial routines of organized religion, towards hallowed days and places; the general other-worldliness; the emphasis laid upon restraint, not merely of overt action, but even of desire and unexpressed intention; the indifference to the splendours of material civilization and the love of poverty as one of the greatest of goods; the doctrine that non-attachment must be carried even into the sphere of family relationships and that even devotion to the highest goals of merely human ideals, even the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, may be idolatrous distractions from the love of Godall these are characteristically cerebrotonic ideas, such as would never have occurred spontaneously to the extraverted power lover or the equally extraverted viscerotonic.
Primitive Buddhism is no less predominantly cerebrotonic than primitive Christianity, and so is Vedanta, the metaphysical discipline which lies at the heart of Hinduism. Confucianism, on the contrary, is a mainly viscerotonic systemfamilial, ceremonious and thoroughly this-worldly. And in Mohammedanism we find a system which incorporates strongly somatotonic elements. Hence Islams black record of holy wars and persecutionsa record comparable to that of later Christianity, after that religion had so far compromised with unregenerate somatotonia as to call its ecclesiastical organization the Church Militant.
1.08 - The Depths of the Divine, #Sex Ecology Spirituality, #Ken Wilber, #Philosophy
To the senses and the unrenewed understanding, belongs a sort of instinctive belief in the absolute existence of nature. In their view man and nature are indissolubly joined. Things are ultimates, and they never look beyond their sphere [Piaget's egocentric "realism"]. . . . His mind is imbruted, and he is a selfish savage. . . .
The presence of intuition14 mars this faith [in nature]. The first effort of thought tends to relax this despotism of the senses which binds us to nature as if we were a part of it, and shows us nature aloof, and, as it were, afloat. Until this higher agency intervened [intuition], the animal eye sees, with wonderful accuracy, sharp outlines and colored surfaces. When the eye of intuition opens, to outline and surface are at once added grace and expression. These proceed from imagination and affection, and abate somewhat of the angular distinctions of objects. If the intuition be stimulated to more earnest vision, outlines of surfaces become transparent, and are no longer seen; causes and spirits are seen through them. The best moments of life are these delicious awakenings of the higher powers, and the reverential withdrawing of nature before its God.15
1.08 - The Historical Significance of the Fish, #Aion, #Carl Jung, #Psychology
quite impossible in the Christian sphere. Boll 10 says of the
description of the "lamb" in Revelation 5 : 6ff.: "This remark-
1.08 - The Magic Sword, Dagger and Trident, #The Practice of Magical Evocation, #Franz Bardon, #Occultism
Of course, the wire has to be drawn with the wish in the magician's mind, that it will form a circle and that no being or any unfavourable influence will be able to get inside the bed and that every influence, no matter from which being it may come, will be conducted into the earth. In such a magically sheltered bed provided with a magic lightning-conductor the magician will sleep undisturbed, and he may rest assured that no influence, no matter from which sphere it may come, will never have any effect upon him, or will ever be able to surprise and overwhelm him. If the magician has no sword or dagger handy at the moment, or if he has to use it for other purposes, a new knife which, in this case, must not be used for any other purposes, will fulfill the same function. This magic lightning conductor will also protect the magician against influences of black magic, especially during the hours of sleep. A well-trained, fully developed magician may be able to do without this implement, for he may draw a magic circle around his bed by force of imagination, mentally or astrally, thereby using his wand, sword or dagger. This will also give him full protection against any unwanted influences.
The way in which a magic sword is manufactured depends on the magician's individuality. Several books instruct the magician to use a sword which has formerly been used for cutting off a man's head. This is obviously suggested to raise, in the heart of the magician, a certain feeling of awe, or a certain stress as soon as he takes hold of the sword. Usually those magicians who make use of such a sword are those who need such superficialities to get into the right state of mind. From the hermetic point of view such or similar pre-conditions are not necessary, providing that all other faculties necessarily exist. A sword made of the best kind of steel (refined steel) will fully serve its purpose. If the magician cannot produce such a sword himself he may have it made by a smith or another metal expert. The length of the sword may vary between two or three feet depending on the magician's height.
--
The magician may, by practising mental wandering, transfer the spiritual form of the sword into the mental plane and visit the planetary spheres taking his magic sword as well as his magic wand with him. There, according to his wish, he can make use of his magic power with the help of his magic implements. That every being will have to obey him in these spheres is clearly evident by what has been said before. The magician is able, during his magical operations and evocations, to transfer his mental sword with his mental hand into the relevant sphere by force of imagination, and there he can make the being carry out his wishes. Such a force, however, can only be exerted without danger by a magician who has a clean heart and a noble soul. If a sorcerer tried to do the like he would only make the being hate him and would soon become a victim of them and their influence.
The history of occult science has given many examples of the tragic fate and even more tragic end of such sorcerers. It would exeed the extension of this book to talk about certain events in detail.
1.08 - The Splitting of the Human Personality during Spiritual Training, #Knowledge of the Higher Worlds, #Rudolf Steiner, #Theosophy
these especially important experiences, for instance, the meeting with Guardian of the Threshold, will be described in the following chapters. Yet we must realize that the hostile powers are none the less present, even though we know nothing of them. It is true that in this case their relation to man is ordained by higher power, and that this relation alters when the human being consciously enters this world hitherto concealed from him. But at the same time his own existence is enhanced and the circle of his life enriched by a great and new field of experience. A real danger can only arise if the student, through impatience or arrogance, assumes too early a certain independence with regard to the experiences of the higher worlds; if he cannot wait to gain really sufficient insight into the supersensible laws. In these spheres, modesty and humility are far less empty words than in ordinary life. If the student possesses these qualities in the very best sense he may be certain that his ascent into the higher life will be achieved without danger to all that is commonly called health and life. Above all things, no disharmony must ensue between the higher experiences and the events and demands of every-day life. Man's task must be entirely
p. 220
1.08 - The Supreme Discovery, #Words Of Long Ago, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
Hear the story of the worlds, look: the great enemy seems to triumph. He casts the beings of light into the night, and the night is filled with stars. He rages against the cosmic working, he assails the integrity of the empire of the sphere, shatters its harmony, divides and subdivides it, scatters its dust to the four winds of infinity, and lo! the dust is changed into a golden seed, fertilising the infinite and peopling it with worlds which now gravitate around their eternal centre in the larger orbit of spaceso that even division creates a richer and deeper unity, and by multiplying the surfaces of the material universe, enlarges the empire that it set out to destroy.
Beautiful indeed was the song of the primordial sphere cradled in the bosom of immensity, but how much more beautiful and triumphant is the symphony of the constellations, the music of the spheres, the immense choir that fills the heavens with an eternal hymn of victory!
Hear again: no state was ever more precarious than that of man when he was separated on earth from his divine origin. Above him stretched the hostile borders of the usurper, and at his horizons gates watched jailers armed with flaming swords. Then, since he could climb no more to the source of life, the source arose within him; since he could no more receive the light from above, the light shone forth at the very centre of his being; since he could commune no more with the transcendent love, that love offered itself in a holocaust and chose each terrestrial being, each human self as its dwelling-place and sanctuary.
1.08 - The Synthesis of Movement, #unset, #Arthur C Clarke, #Fiction
After the creation by Desire, its transformation or new creation by Love; after the progressive formation of all energies in a state of disorder, the formation of spheres of harmony in which all these energies by organising themselves may give birth to conscient life.
And may it not be a core of love which in the atom as in the material worlds forms a centre for the condensation, the polarisation of the forces and movements of desire?
1.09 - Fundamental Questions of Psycho therapy, #The Practice of Psycho therapy, #Carl Jung, #Psychology
in the sphere of general psychology, which had long been entrusted to the
philosophical faculty. Apart from a few technical terms and methodical
--
part of them) belong to the personal sphere; for the rest they are derived
from the stream of tradition and from environmental influences, and only a
--
unconsciousness (of himself as a subject); while the introvert, in realizinghis personality, commits the grossest mistakes in the social sphere and
blunders about in the most absurd way. These two very typical attitudes
1.09 - Man - About the Body, #Initiation Into Hermetics, #Franz Bardon, #Occultism
I shall therefore describe this occult anatomy of the human body with respect to the electrical and magnetical fluid, that is to say, in the positive and in the negative sphere of action.
These arguments will turn to magnetopaths great advantage because he will treat the sick part of the body wither with the electrical or the magnetical fluid, according to the centre of the disease. But this knowledge will bring great profit to everybody else too.
1.09 - Of the signs by which it will be known that the spiritual person is walking along the way of this night and purgation of sense., #Dark Night of the Soul, #Saint John of the Cross, #Christianity
8. The third sign whereby this purgation of sense may be recognized is that the soul can no longer meditate or reflect in the imaginative sphere of sense as it was wont, however much it may of itself endeavour to do so. For God now begins to communicate Himself to it, no longer through sense, as He did aforetime, by means of reflections which joined and sundered its knowledge, but by pure spirit, into which consecutive reflections enter not; but He communicates Himself to it by an act of simple contemplation, to which neither the exterior nor the interior senses of the lower part of the soul can attain. From this time forward, therefore, imagination and fancy can find no support in any meditation, and can gain no foothold by means thereof.
9. With regard to this third sign, it is to be understood that this embarrassment and dissatisfaction of the faculties proceed not from indisposition, for, when this is the case, and the indisposition, which never lasts for long,70 comes to an end, the soul is able once again, by taking some trouble about the matter, to do what it did before, and the faculties find their wonted support. But in the purgation of the desire this is not so: when once the soul begins to enter therein, its inability to reflect with the faculties grows ever greater. For, although it is true that at first, and with some persons, the process is not as continuous as this, so that occasionally they fail to abandon their pleasures and reflections of sense (for perchance by reason of their weakness it was not fitting to wean them from these immediately), yet this inability grows within them more and more and brings the workings of sense to an end, if indeed they are to make progress, for those who walk not in the way of contemplation act very differently. For this night of aridities is not usually continuous in their senses. At times they have these aridities; at others they have them not. At times they cannot meditate; at others they can. For God sets them in this night only to prove them and to humble them, and to reform their desires, so that they go not nurturing in themselves a sinful gluttony in spiritual things. He sets them not there in order to lead them in the way of the spirit, which is this contemplation; for not all those who walk of set purpose in the way of the spirit are brought by God to contemplation, nor even the half of themwhy, He best knows.
1.09 - Talks, #Twelve Years With Sri Aurobindo, #Nirodbaran, #Integral Yoga
Lastly, those who have read Talks with Sri Aurobindo and his Correspondence with me cannot but notice a striking difference between the two in their tone and manner. Though both of them have an air of intimacy and informality, still the correspondence is certainly more free. There he has let himself go, to quote his phrase, whereas in the talks there is a sense of restraint. Is it because of a different set of circumstances and a different milieu? I believe there is something more. Even if I had met him all alone, I don't think he would have been as free in his speech as with his pen. For, his shy and reserved nature would have put some curb on total abandon. Of course, the correspondence was restricted to one person with his own particular interests; the talks covered a larger and more diverse sphere, and there they have an advantage of their own.
***
11.01 - The Eternal Day The Souls Choice and the Supreme Consummation, #Savitri, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
Above her rhythming godheads whirled the spheres,
Rapt mobile fixities here blindly sought
--
To inaccessible spheres in spiral flight.
There Time dwelt with eternity as one;
--
A power went forth that shook the founded spheres
And loosed the stakes that hold the tents of form.
--
Thou shalt know me in the rolling of the spheres
And cross me in the atoms of the whirl.
--
Discover the ancient music of the spheres
In the revealing accents of thy voice
1.1.03 - Brahman, #Letters On Yoga I, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
In the sphere of the Spirit are only the eternal truths - all is eternally itself there, there is no development, nothing unrealised or striving to be fulfilled. There are no such things as possibilities therefore.
In life on the other hand all is a play of possibilities - nothing is realised, all is seeking to be realised - or if not yet seeking, then waiting behind the veil for that. Nothing is realised in its highest form, in its truth or completeness, but all is possible. All these possibilities are derived from the truths above - e.g., the possibility of knowledge, the possibility of love, the possibility of joy etc.
11.07 - The Labours of the Gods: The five Purifications, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 04, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
Beyond is the fifth element, Vyom, the sphere overhead the Vast and the Infinite. That, of course, is the original source and status of the human being, where he gathers up all the elements in one indivisible perfect consciousness. That is the root of the Divine Tree of Existence which, as the Vedas say dwells up there, spreading downward all its branches, namely the other elements of the being.
Such then are the five operations of the divine alchemy with regard to the purification of the human vessel, somewhat in the manner of the ancients while treating the base metal; they are (I) burning, (2) washing, (3) brightening up or warming up or enlivening, (4) articulating i.e. giving an expression or a form of beauty and truth, and (5) setting the whole within or in reference to the frame of the Infinite and the Impersonal.
1.10 - THE FORMATION OF THE NOOSPHERE, #The Future of Man, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
3 From noos, mind: the terrestrial sphere of thinking substance.
152 THE FUTURE OF MAN
--
sciousness, acquiring autonomy as they emerge into the sphere of
reflection, tend to escape from their own phylum, which granulates
--
talk in the sphere of economics of the existence and development
156 THE FUTURE OF MAN
--
nating. This is what I shall seek to demonstrate in the three spheres
of culture, machinery and research, by successively "dissecting"
--
THE FORMATION OF THE NOO sphere 161
first, elemental psychic potentialities, so today the Noo sphere, dis-
--
paving the way for a revolution in the sphere of research. And
there are other forms of technical equipment, such as the elec-
--
though it were a vault above our heads, a sphere of mutually rein-
forced consciousness, the seat, support and instrument of supervi-
--
and by grace of this new inward sphere, the attribute of planetized
Life, that an event seems possible which has hitherto been inca-
--
of sight and reason necessarily also penetrate to the sphere of feel-
ing? The idea may seem fantastic when one looks at our present
--
THE FORMATION OF THE NOO sphere 177
You may reply to me that this is all very well, but is there not
1.10 - The Magical Garment, #The Practice of Magical Evocation, #Franz Bardon, #Occultism
The colour of the robe corresponds to the work, idea and purpose the magician wishes to carry out. He may choose one of the three universal colours: white, violet or black. Violet is equivalent to the Akasha-colour and may be used for nearly all magical operations. White is chosen for the robe only, when dealing with high and good beings. Black is the appropriate colour for negative powers and beings. The magician is able to carry out almost all ritual operations with these colours. If he can afford the expense, he can have three robes made, one of each colour. A wealthy magician may choose, for his robes, colours analogous to the individual spheres of the planets he works with. Thus he will take for:
- dark-violet beings of Saturn beings of Jupiter
1.11 - Higher Laws, #Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience, #Henry David Thoreau, #Philosophy
John Farmer sat at his door one September evening, after a hard days work, his mind still running on his labor more or less. Having bathed, he sat down to re-create his intellectual man. It was a rather cool evening, and some of his neighbors were apprehending a frost. He had not attended to the train of his thoughts long when he heard some one playing on a flute, and that sound harmonized with his mood. Still he thought of his work; but the burden of his thought was, that though this kept running in his head, and he found himself planning and contriving it against his will, yet it concerned him very little. It was no more than the scurf of his skin, which was constantly shuffled off. But the notes of the flute came home to his ears out of a different sphere from that he worked in, and suggested work for certain faculties which slumbered in him. They gently did away with the street, and the village, and the state in which he lived. A voice said to him,Why do you stay here and live this mean moiling life, when a glorious existence is possible for you? Those same stars twinkle over other fields than these.But how to come out of this condition and actually migrate thither? All that he could think of was to practise some new austerity, to let his mind descend into his body and redeem it, and treat himself with ever increasing respect.
1.12 - BOOK THE TWELFTH, #Metamorphoses, #Ovid, #Poetry
Down from her sphere to draw the lab'ring moon.
Exadius cry'd, Unpunish'd shall not go
1.12 - Brute Neighbors, #Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience, #Henry David Thoreau, #Philosophy
Walden is deeper than that. How surprised must the fishes be to see this ungainly visitor from another sphere speeding his way amid their schools! Yet he appeared to know his course as surely under water as on the surface, and swam much faster there. Once or twice I saw a ripple where he approached the surface, just put his head out to reconnoitre, and instantly dived again. I found that it was as well for me to rest on my oars and wait his reappearing as to endeavor to calculate where he would rise; for again and again, when I was straining my eyes over the surface one way, I would suddenly be startled by his unearthly laugh behind me. But why, after displaying so much cunning, did he invariably betray himself the moment he came up by that loud laugh? Did not his white breast enough betray him? He was indeed a silly loon, I thought. I could commonly hear the splash of the water when he came up, and so also detected him. But after an hour he seemed as fresh as ever, dived as willingly and swam yet farther than at first. It was surprising to see how serenely he sailed off with unruffled breast when he came to the surface, doing all the work with his webbed feet beneath. His usual note was this demoniac laughter, yet somewhat like that of a water-fowl; but occasionally, when he had balked me most successfully and come up a long way off, he uttered a long-drawn unearthly howl, probably more like that of a wolf than any bird; as when a beast puts his muzzle to the ground and deliberately howls. This was his looning,perhaps the wildest sound that is ever heard here, making the woods ring far and wide. I concluded that he laughed in derision of my efforts, confident of his own resources. Though the sky was by this time overcast, the pond was so smooth that I could see where he broke the surface when I did not hear him. His white breast, the stillness of the air, and the smoothness of the water were all against him. At length, having come up fifty rods off, he uttered one of those prolonged howls, as if calling on the god of loons to aid him, and immediately there came a wind from the east and rippled the surface, and filled the whole air with misty rain, and I was impressed as if it were the prayer of the loon answered, and his god was angry with me; and so I left him disappearing far away on the tumultuous surface.
For hours, in fall days, I watched the ducks cunningly tack and veer and hold the middle of the pond, far from the sportsman; tricks which they will have less need to practise in Louisiana bayous. When compelled to rise they would sometimes circle round and round and over the pond at a considerable height, from which they could easily see to other ponds and the river, like black motes in the sky; and, when I thought they had gone off thither long since, they would settle down by a slanting flight of a quarter of a mile on to a distant part which was left free; but what beside safety they got by sailing in the middle of
1.12 - Dhruva commences a course of religious austerities, #Vishnu Purana, #Vyasa, #Hinduism
All their delusive stratagems being thus foiled, the gods were more perplexed than ever. Alarmed at their discomfiture, and afflicted by the devotions of the boy, they assembled and repaired for succour to Hari, the origin of the world, who is without beginning or end; and thus addressed him: "God of gods, sovereign of the world, god supreme, and infinite spirit, distressed by the austerities of Dhruva, we have come to thee for protection. As the moon increases in his orb day by day, so this youth advances incessantly towards superhuman power by his devotions. Terrified by the ascetic practices of the son of Uttānapāda, we have come to thee for succour. Do thou allay the fervour of his meditations. We know not to what station he aspires: to the throne of Indra, the regency of the solar or lunar sphere, or to the sovereignty of riches or of the deep. Have compassion on us, lord; remove this affliction from Our breasts; divert the son of Uttānapāda from persevering in his penance." Viṣṇu replied to the gods; "The lad desireth neither the rank of Indra, nor the solar orb, nor the sovereignty of wealth or of the ocean: all that he solicits, I will grant. Return therefore, deities, to your mansions as ye list, and be no more alarmed: I will put an end to the penance of the boy, whose mind is immersed in deep contemplation."
The gods, being thus pacified by the supreme, saluted him respectfully and retired, and, preceded by Indra, returned to their habitations: but Hari, who is all things, assuming a shape with four arms, proceeded to Dhruva, being pleased with his identity of nature, and thus addressed him: "Son of Uttānapāda, be prosperous. Contented with thy devotions, I, the giver of boons, am present. Demand what boon thou desirest. In that thou hast wholly disregarded external objects, and fixed thy thoughts on me, I am well pleased with thee. Ask, therefore, a suitable reward." The boy, hearing these words of the god of gods, opened his eyes, and beholding that Hari whom he had before seen in his meditations actually in his presence, bearing in his hands the shell, the discus, the mace, the bow, and scimetar, and crowned with a diadem, the bowed his head down to earth; the hair stood erect on his brow, and his heart was depressed with awe. He reflected how best he should offer thanks to the god of gods; what he could say in his adoration; what words were capable of expressing his praise: and being overwhelmed with perplexity, he had recourse for consolation to the deity. "If," he exclaimed, "the lord is contented with my devotions, let this be my reward, that I may know how to praise him as I wish. How can I, a child, pronounce his praises, whose abode is unknown to Brahmā and to others learned in the Vedas? My heart is overflowing with devotion to thee: oh lord, grant me the faculty worthily to lay mine adorations at thy feet."
--
[8]: The station or sphere is that of the north pole, or of the polar star. In the former case, the star is considered to be Sunīti, the mother of Dhruva. The legend, although as it is related in our text it differs in its circumstances from the story told by Ovid of Callisto and her son Areas, whom Jove
[9]: The Vaimānika devas, the deities who travel in Vimānas, 'heavenly cars,' or rather 'moving spheres.'
[10]: The text says merely ###; the commentator says, 'perhaps formerly so called;' ###. We have already remarked that some Purāṇas so denominate her.
1.12 - Further Magical Aids, #The Practice of Magical Evocation, #Franz Bardon, #Occultism
The magician must deal the same way with any further aids which he may want to use for his ritual purposes as he has with the magical implements already described. There is still quite a number of them, and it would lead us too far if I were to deal with each of them in this book, as magical aids depend on the purpose and aim for which they are made. Thus, for instance, the magician needs a special pen, ink, engraving pencil for writing and engraving, needles for embroidering, embroidery-wool and embroidery-silk, parchment paper, colours, sacrificial blood for certain operations, the so-called holy oil, with which he anoints his implements and himself on certain parts of his body. Salt, incense or other means for incensing; a whip which he uses in much the same way as his magic sword, attri buting to it the same symbolism. Apart from that he needs a chain as the symbol of the relationship of the macrocosm with the microcosm with all its spheres. At the same time the chain is the symbol of the magician's admittance to the great brotherhood of magicians and to the hierarchy of all beings of the macrocosm and microcosm.
The chain may be worn round the neck like a piece of jewellery and indicates that the magician is a member of the association of all true and genuine magicians.
--
This is done by rhythmic ringing. The rhythm and the number of chimes depends on the number-rhythms of the sphere with which the magician wants to have communication. This oriental method is scarcely used by true magicians. In the east, especially in Tibet, this kind of evocation by bell-ringing, cymbal-beating etc., is often practised.
I have already mentioned that all these implements must be new and never used for any other purpose except the one to which they are dedicated. Each implement must be put away safely after use. If it is no longer needed or if the magician does not intend to use it any more, the implement has to be destroyed or rendered innocuous. If one would use a magical implement for any other purposes, it would become desecrated and magically ineffectual.
1.12 - Love The Creator, #unset, #Arthur C Clarke, #Fiction
And before it was in the pain, it was already a divine force of coherence and of organisation in the Matter in which life was germinating; it was the soul in unconscious forms before it became the soul in sensible forms; and it was loves power of attraction that, before it existed in the heart of mankind, was in the heart of the worlds, before it took the shape of tenderness, brotherhood and compassion, was affinity in atoms and force of gravitation in the spheres. Without it how could any unity have been born in the infinite divisibility of substances? Whilst desire dispersed through space the ashes of its fires, was it not love that in that comic dust relighted the fires of life?
But in order that it might fertilise the germs of death, was it not inevitable that love should bury itself alive therein? Before anything could be, love had to make a holocaust of itself. Together with desire there was in the beginning sacrifice; and desire contained in its germ all the sorrows of the world, sacrifice all the joys of infinity.
1.12 - The Astral Plane, #Initiation Into Hermetics, #Franz Bardon, #Occultism
They are not real beings, but only forms thriving on the passions of the animal world, on the lowest step of the astral level. Their instinct of self-preservation carries them into the sphere of those men whose passions are responsive to them. They will try, directly or indirectly, to raise and kindle the passions slumbering in man. If these forms are succeeding in seducing men to give in to their suitable passion, they are feeding and thriving on the emanation of this passion produced in man. Man laden with many passions will attract a host of such larvae in the lowest sphere of his astral plane. A great fight takes place and, in the problem of magic, this fact plays an important role. More about it is to be founding the chapter dealing with introspection.
There are also other elementaries and larvae, which can be produced in the artificial magic way. As to further details, see the practical part of this book.
1.12 - The Divine Work, #The Synthesis Of Yoga, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
may dwell in any sphere of life and in any kind of action and
fulfil there his existence in the Divine. According as he is moved
by the Spirit, he may remain in the sphere assigned to him by
birth and circumstances or break that framework and go forth
--
to a work which will not only alter the forms and sphere of its
own external life but, leaving nothing around it unchanged or
1.12 - The Office and Limitations of the Reason, #The Human Cycle, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
But the action of the intelligence is not only turned downward and outward upon our subjective and external life to understand it and determine the law and order of its present movement and its future potentialities. It has also an upward and inward eye and a more luminous functioning by which it accepts divinations from the hidden eternities. It is opened in this power of vision to a Truth above it from which it derives, however imperfectly and as from behind a veil, an indirect knowledge of the universal principles of our existence and its possibilities; it receives and turns what it can seize of them into intellectual forms and these provide us with large governing ideas by which our efforts can be shaped and around which they can be concentrated or massed; it defines the ideals which we seek to accomplish. It provides us with the great ideas that are forces (ides forces), ideas which in their own strength impose themselves upon our life and compel it into their moulds. Only the forms we give these ideas are intellectual; they themselves descend from a plane of truth of being where knowledge and force are one, the idea and the power of self-fulfilment in the idea are inseparable. Unfortunately, when translated into the forms of our intelligence which acts only by a separating and combining analysis and synthesis and into the effort of our life which advances by a sort of experimental and empirical seeking, these powers become disparate and conflicting ideals which we have all the difficulty in the world to bring into any kind of satisfactory harmony. Such are the primary principles of liberty and order, good, beauty and truth, the ideal of power and the ideal of love, individualism and collectivism, self-denial and self-fulfilment and a hundred others. In each sphere of human life, in each part of our being and our action the intellect presents us with the opposition of a number of such master ideas and such conflicting principles. It finds each to be a truth to which something essential in our being responds,in our higher nature a law, in our lower nature an instinct. It seeks to fulfil each in turn, builds a system of action round it and goes from one to the other and back again to what it has left. Or it tries to combine them but is contented with none of the combinations it has made because none brings about their perfect reconciliation or their satisfied oneness. That indeed belongs to a larger and higher consciousness, not yet attained by mankind, where these opposites are ever harmonised and even unified because in their origin they are eternally one. But still every enlarged attempt of the intelligence thus dealing with our inner and outer life increases the width and wealth of our nature, opens it to larger possibilities of self-knowledge and self-realisation and brings us nearer to our awakening into that greater consciousness.
The individual and social progress of man has been thus a double movement of self-illumination and self-harmonising with the intelligence and the intelligent will as the intermediaries between his soul and its works. He has had to bring out numberless possibilities of self-understanding, self-mastery, self-formation out of his first crude life of instincts and impulses; he has been constantly impelled to convert that lower animal or half-animal existence with its imperfect self-conscience into the stuff of intelligent being, instincts into ideas, impulses into ordered movements of an intelligent will. But as he has to proceed out of ignorance into knowledge by a slow labour of self-recognition and mastery of his surroundings and his material and as his intelligence is incapable of seizing comprehensively the whole of himself in knowledge, unable to work out comprehensively the mass of his possibilities in action, he has had to proceed piecemeal, by partial experiments, by creation of different types, by a constant swinging backward and forward between the various possibilities before him and the different elements he has to harmonise.
1.13 - A Dream, #On Education, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
There should be somewhere on earth a place which no nation could claim as its own, where all human beings of goodwill who have a sincere aspiration could live freely as citizens of the world and obey one single authority, that of the supreme truth; a place of peace, concord and harmony where all the fighting instincts of man would be used exclusively to conquer the causes of his sufferings and miseries, to surmount his weaknesses and ignorance, to triumph over his limitations and incapacities; a place where the needs of the spirit and the concern for progress would take precedence over the satisfaction of desires and passions, the search for pleasure and material enjoyment. In this place, children would be able to grow and develop integrally without losing contact with their souls; education would be given not for passing examinations or obtaining certificates and posts but to enrich existing faculties and bring forth new ones. In this place, titles and positions would be replaced by opportunities to serve and organise; the bodily needs of each one would be equally provided for, and intellectual, moral and spiritual superiority would be expressed in the general organisation not by an increase in the pleasures and powers of life but by increased duties and responsibilities. Beauty in all its artistic forms, painting, sculpture, music, literature, would be equally accessible to all; the ability to share in the joy it brings would be limited only by the capacities of each one and not by social or financial position. For in this ideal place money would no longer be the sovereign lord; individual worth would have a far greater importance than that of material wealth and social standing. There, work would not be a way to earn ones living but a way to express oneself and to develop ones capacities and possibilities while being of service to the community as a whole, which, for its own part, would provide for each individuals subsistence and sphere of action. In short, it would be a place where human relationships, which are normally based almost exclusively on competition and strife, would be replaced by relationships of emulation in doing well, of collaboration and real brotherhood.
The earth is certainly not ready to realise such an ideal, for mankind does not yet possess sufficient knowledge to understand and adopt it nor the conscious force that is indispensable in order to execute it; that is why I call it a dream.
1.13 - Posterity of Dhruva, #Vishnu Purana, #Vyasa, #Hinduism
On hearing this, Prithu took up his divine bow Ajagava, and his celestial arrows, and in great wrath marched forth to assail the Earth. Earth, assuming the figure of a cow, fled hastily from him, and traversed, through fear of the king, the regions of Brahmā and the heavenly spheres; but wherever went the supporter of living things, there she beheld Vaiṇya with uplifted weapons: at last, trembling with terror, and anxious to escape his arrows, the Earth addressed Prithu, the hero of resistless prowess. "Know you not, king of men," said the Earth, "the sin of killing a female, that you thus perseveringly seek to slay me." The prince replied; "When the happiness of many is secured by. the destruction of one malignant being, the death of that being is an act of virtue." "But," said the Earth, "if, in order to promote the welfare of your subjects, you put an end to me, whence, best of monarchs, will thy people derive their support." "Disobedient to my rule," rejoined Prithu, "if I destroy thee, I will support my people by the efficacy of my own devotions." Then the Earth, overcome with apprehension, and trembling in every limb, respectfully saluted the king, and thus spake: "All undertakings are successful, if suitable means of effecting them are employed.
I will impart to you means of success, which you can make use of if you please. All vegetable products are old, and destroyed by me; but at your command I will restore them, as developed from my milk. Do you therefore, for the benefit of mankind, most virtuous of princes, give me that calf, by which I may be able to secrete milk. Make also all places level, so that I may cause my milk, the seed of all vegetation, to flow every where around."
--
[1]: The descent of Puru from Dhruva is similarly traced in the Matsya Purāṇa, but with some variety of nomenclature: thus the wife of Dhruva is named Dhanyā; and the eldest son of the Manu, Taru. The Vāyu introduces another generation, making the eldest son of Sliṣṭi, or as there termed Puṣṭi, father of Udāradhī; and the latter the father of Ripu, the father of Cakṣuṣa, the father of the Manu. The Bhāgavata has an almost entirely different set of names, having converted the family of Dhruva into personifications of divisions of time and of day and night. The account there given is, Dhruva had, by his wife Bhramī (revolving), the daughter of Śiśumāra (the sphere), Kalpa and Vatsara. The latter married Suvīthi, and had six sons, Puṣpārṇa, Tigmaketu, Iṣa, Urjja, Vasu, Jaya. The first married Prabhā and Doṣā, and had by the former, Prātah (dawn), Madhyadina (noon), and Sāya (evening); and by the latter, Pradoṣa, Niśītha, and Vyuṣṭa, or the beginning, middle, and end of night. The last has, by Puṣkariṇī, Cakṣush, married p. 99 to Ākūti, and the father of Cākṣuṣa Manu. He has twelve sons, Puru, Kritsna, Rita, Dyumna, Satyavat, Dhrita, Vrata, Agniṣṭoma, Atirātra, Pradyumna, Sivi, and Ulmuka. The last is the father of six sons, named as in our text, except the last, who is called Gaya. The eldest, Anga, is the father of Veṇa, the father of Prithu. These additions are evidently the creatures of the author's imagination. The Brāhma Purāṇa and Hari Vaṃśa have the same genealogy as the Viṣṇu, reading, as do the Matsya and Vāyu, Puṣkarini or Vīraṇī, the daughter of Vīraṇā, instead of Varuṇa. They, as well as copies of the text, present several other varieties of nomenclature. The Padma P. (Bhūmi Khaṇḍa) says Anga was of the family of Atri, in allusion perhaps to the circumstance mentioned in the Brāhma P. of Uttānapāda's adoption by that Ṛṣi.
[2]: With the Dīrghasatra, 'long sacrifice;' a ceremony lasting a thousand years.
1.13 - Reason and Religion, #The Human Cycle, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
The deepest heart, the inmost essence of religion, apart from its outward machinery of creed, cult, ceremony and symbol, is the search for God and the finding of God. Its aspiration is to discover the Infinite, the Absolute, the One, the Divine, who is all these things and yet no abstraction but a Being. Its work is a sincere living out of the true and intimate relations between man and God, relations of unity, relations of difference, relations of an illuminated knowledge, an ecstatic love and delight, an absolute surrender and service, a casting of every part of our existence out of its normal status into an uprush of man towards the Divine and a descent of the Divine into man. All this has nothing to do with the realm of reason or its normal activities; its aim, its sphere, its process is suprarational. The knowledge of God is not to be gained by weighing the feeble arguments of reason for or against his existence: it is to be gained only by a self-transcending and absolute consecration, aspiration and experience. Nor does that experience proceed by anything like rational scientific experiment or rational philosophic thinking. Even in those parts of religious discipline which seem most to resemble scientific experiment, the method is a verification of things which exceed the reason and its timid scope. Even in those parts of religious knowledge which seem most to resemble intellectual operations, the illuminating faculties are not imagination, logic and rational judgment, but revelations, inspirations, intuitions, intuitive discernments that leap down to us from a plane of suprarational light. The love of God is an infinite and absolute feeling which does not admit of any rational limitation and does not use a language of rational worship and adoration; the delight in God is that peace and bliss which passes all understanding. The surrender to God is the surrender of the whole being to a suprarational light, will, power and love and his service takes no account of the compromises with life which the practical reason of man uses as the best part of its method in the ordinary conduct of mundane existence. Wherever religion really finds itself, wherever it opens itself to its own spirit,there is plenty of that sort of religious practice which is halting, imperfect, half-sincere, only half-sure of itself and in which reason can get in a word,its way is absolute and its fruits are ineffable.
Reason has indeed a part to play in relation to this highest field of our religious being and experience, but that part is quite secondary and subordinate. It cannot lay down the law for the religious life, it cannot determine in its own right the system of divine knowledge; it cannot school and lesson the divine love and delight; it cannot set bounds to spiritual experience or lay its yoke upon the action of the spiritual man. Its sole legitimate sphere is to explain as best it can, in its own language and to the rational and intellectual parts of man, the truths, the experiences, the laws of our suprarational and spiritual existence. That has been the work of spiritual philosophy in the East andmuch more crudely and imperfectly doneof theology in the West, a work of great importance at moments like the present when the intellect of mankind after a long wandering is again turning towards the search for the Divine. Here there must inevitably enter a part of those operations proper to the intellect, logical reasoning, inferences from the data given by rational experience, analogies drawn from our knowledge of the apparent facts of existence, appeals even to the physical truths of science, all the apparatus of the intelligent mind in its ordinary workings. But this is the weakest part of spiritual philosophy. It convinces the rational mind only where the intellect is already predisposed to belief, and even if it convinces, it cannot give the true knowledge. Reason is safest when it is content to take the profound truths and experiences of the spiritual being and the spiritual life, just as they are given to it, and throw them into such form, order and language as will make them the most intelligible or the least unintelligible to the reasoning mind. Even then it is not quite safe, for it is apt to harden the order into an intellectual system and to present the form as if it were the essence. And, at best, it has to use a language which is not the very tongue of the suprarational truth but its inadequate translation and, since it is not the ordinary tongue either of the rational intelligence, it is open to non-understanding or misunderstanding by the ordinary reason of mankind. It is well-known to the experience of the spiritual seeker that even the highest philosophising cannot give a true inner knowledge, is not the spiritual light, does not open the gates of experience. All it can do is to address the consciousness of man through his intellect and, when it has done, to say, I have tried to give you the truth in a form and system which will make it intelligible and possible to you; if you are intellectually convinced or attracted, you can now seek the real knowledge, but you must seek it by other means which are beyond my province.
But there is another level of the religious life in which reason might seem justified in interfering more independently and entitled to assume a superior role. For as there is the suprarational life in which religious aspiration finds entirely what it seeks, so too there is also the infrarational life of the instincts, impulses, sensations, crude emotions, vital activities from which all human aspiration takes its beginning. These too feel the touch of the religious sense in man, share its needs and experience, desire its satisfactions. Religion includes this satisfaction also in its scope, and in what is usually called religion it seems even to be the greater part, sometimes to an external view almost the whole; for the supreme purity of spiritual experience does not appear or is glimpsed only through this mixed and turbid current. Much impurity, ignorance, superstition, many doubtful elements must form as the result of this contact and union of our highest tendencies with our lower ignorant nature. Here it would seem that reason has its legitimate part; here surely it can intervene to enlighten, purify, rationalise the play of the instincts and impulses. It would seem that a religious reformation, a movement to substitute a pure and rational religion for one that is largely infrarational and impure, would be a distinct advance in the religious development of humanity. To a certain extent this may be, but, owing to the peculiar nature of the religious being, its entire urge towards the suprarational, not without serious qualifications, nor can the rational mind do anything here that is of a high positive value.
1.13 - THE HUMAN REBOUND OF EVOLUTION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES, #The Future of Man, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
zone (or sphere) and those of a sort of higher individuality endowed with
something in the nature of a superconsciousness.
1.13 - The Pentacle, Lamen or Seal, #The Practice of Magical Evocation, #Franz Bardon, #Occultism
A seal, contrary to the pentacle, is the graphic representation of a being, power or sphere which is expressed by its symbolism.
The existing types of seals are:
1. The traditional seals which have either been found by clairvoyance or have been reproduced by spirit beings during astral visits to the various spheres. Beings will only react to this kind of seal if the magician knows how to transfer himself into their sphere of power. Due to a constant increase of the magician's reservoir of power, caused by frequent use of one and the same seal, he will also increase his influence and be able to make it work on the being in question.
The copying and reproduction of seals, however, has been the source of many errors, and the seals have often been corrupted.
--
3. The magician may also produce seals entirely according to his own ideas, without following any analogous relations. He must, however, have such seals approved by the being concerned. The being's approval of such a seal or sign can be established as follows: the magician wanders with his spirit into the being's own sphere and has the being swear mentally to his seal, its shape, or representation, that it will always react to it.
A lamen is very similar to a universal symbol, but is not a symbol of the microcosm and macrocosm: it represents symbolically the intellectual and psychic authority, the attitude and the maturity of the magician. The lamen is usually sewn to the magician's garment, somewhere on his chest, or it is specially engraved into a suitable piece of metal, or drawn on a piece of parchment
--
Pentacles, lamens, seals or talismans to be used for ritual purposes may be made of suitable metals analogous to the beings' sphere, to the elements, planets or signs of the zodiac and the seals or signs engraved on them, or they may be engraved on small wax-plates which the magician has made by himself from pure bee's-wax and afterwards charged. Pentacles, seals and talismans may also be made of parchment and the symbols then painted or drawn on them with the corresponding colours in drawing ink.
The old grimoires suggest the use of virgin parchment, i. e. the paper made from the skin of a prematurely born calf. The genuine magician will not need such parchment. A piece of common parchment which, by means of his imagination, he has deoded, i. e. freed from all bad influences, will do him the same kind of service. He may also use, for his seal or pentacle, a piece of blotting paper impregnated with a fluid condenser, but, in this case, he cannot draw the symbol with liquid colours; he must use a soft coloured pencil, otherwise the colours will blot when drawing the seals or signs.
1.13 - Under the Auspices of the Gods, #Sri Aurobindo or the Adventure of Consciousness, #Satprem, #Integral Yoga
descends from plane to plane in order to express itself in life, the more fragmented it becomes; beginning in division, it inevitably ends in a superdivision. From the Buddha to the "vehicles," and from Christ to all the Christian sects, the process is visible. This applies not only to the spiritual or religious spheres but to all spheres of life, since the very function of the overmind is to bring into play one possibility and one only: It gives to each [possibility] its full separate development and satisfaction. . . . sheer unsparing logicality. It can give to beauty its most splendid passion of luminous form and the consciousness that 214
On Yoga II, Tome 2, 263
1.14 - The Book of Magic Formulae, #The Practice of Magical Evocation, #Franz Bardon, #Occultism
2. The being, power, sphere etc. to be evoked
3. The place selected for the magical operation
--
20. Placing of the magician's whole personality into the relevant mental sphere with all his implements
21. Giving orders to the being or power of that sphere in regard to its evocation and imaginative forming of shape in which the being or power is to appear in the magic triangle or magic m Irror
22. Returning with consciousness to the operating room
23. Wanting or ordering a spirit to communicate a message or do a certain job in whatever sphere necessary
24. Conscious dismissing of the being, at the end of operations, to the sphere from which it has been evoked and the finishing of the operation by saying a prayer of thanks
25. Storing up of all magical implements, including the magic circle etc.
--
If he is acquainted with the knowledge of quabbalah, he may use the names of the relevant deities whenever he is placing his consciousness into a certain sphere. This is however just another of his aids, a support to his memory, and the true magician will be able to do without it. The first operation will presumably always be a little uncertain, but time will teach the magician everything he needs in this respect and he will, sooner or later, become a perfect master in this field of magic. Hard work will bring its reward.
1.14 - The Mental Plane, #Initiation Into Hermetics, #Franz Bardon, #Occultism
As the body ahs its earthly plane, and the astral body or the soul owns the astral plane, the spirit too has its own plane, the so-called mental plane or mental sphere. This is the mental sphere with all its virtues.
Both these spheres, the material as well as the astral one have been born from the akasa or original principle of the respective sphere, through the four elements, and also the mental sphe re is built upon the same foundation, and therefore likewise a product of the akasa principle of the spirit. Similar to the spirit, developing in a fourpole magnet by corresponding work and showing an electromagnetic fluid analogous to the astral body, on account of the effect of the elements, as a secondary phenomenon of the polarity on the outside, the mental body develops in the mental or spiritual sphere. Just in the same way as the astral body, through the electromagnetic fluid of the astral world, fo rms an astral matrix, the so-called astral od, the electromagnetic fluid of the mental world forms a mental matrix linking the mental body to the astral body. This mental matrix or the mental od, the so-called mental substance, is the subtlest form of akasa which controls and preserves the spiritual activity in the astral body.
At the same time, this mental substance is electromagnetic and is regarded as leaser of the ideas to the consciousness of the spirit, from where it is put into activity through the astral and the roughly material body. So this mental matrix or the mental od, with its double-pole fluid, is the subtlest substance we can imagine in the human body.
Simultaneously, the mental sphere is the sphere of thoughts which have their origin in the world of ideas, consequently in the spiritual akasa. Each thought is preceded by a basic idea which, according to its property, accepts a definite form, and arrives to the consciousness of the ego through the etheric principle, consequently the mental matrix, as expression of the thought in the shape of a plastic picture. Therefore Man himself is not the founder of the thoughts, but the origin of each thought is to be sought in the supreme akasa sphere or the mental plane. Mans spirit, as it were, is the receiver, the antenna of thoughts from the world of ideas, according to the situation in which Man happens to be. The world of ideas being all in all, each new idea, new invention -- in short, all Man believes to have created by himself -- has been brought out of this world of ideas. This production of new ideas depends on the maturity and attitude of the spirit. Each thought involves an absolutely pure element, especially if the thought implies abstract ideas. If the thought is based on several combinations of the ideal world, different elements are effective in their form as well as in their mutual emanation. Only abstract ideas have pure elements and pure polar emanations, as they descend directly from the causal world of an idea.
From this cognition we may draw the conclusion that there are pure electric, pure magnetic, indifferent and neutral ideas from the standpoint of their effect. According to the idea, each thought in the mental sphere has its own form, colour and vibration.
Through the tetra-polar magnet of the spirit, the thought arrives at the consciousness, from where it is forwarded to realization. Each thing created in the material world consequently has its cause in the ideal world through the thought and the spiritual consciousness, and is reflected therein. If the point in question is not exactly an abstract idea, several forms of ideas can be expressed. Such thoughts are electric or magnetic or electromagnetic, according to the elementary property of the idea.
The material plane is bound to time and space. The astral plane, sphere of the perishable or mutable spirit, is bound to space, the mental plane being timeless and spaceless. The very same thing happens with all the mental properties. The reception of a thought in the mental body, through the link of the astral and mental matrix bound to space and time in the total form, needs a certain amount of time to become fully conscious of this thought. According to the mental maturity, the train of thoughts is different in each individual. The more advanced, the more cultured man is, the faster thoughts will develop in mind.
Likewise as the astral plane is inhabited, so too is the mental plane. Besides the ideal forms, there are principally the deceased ones whose astral bodies have been dissolved by the elements in the course of their ripening, and allotted, according to the degree of perfection, to regions corresponding to their mental sphere.
Besides the mental sphere is the sphere of the so-called elementals, beings created consciously or unconsciously by man as a result of repeated and intense thinking. An elemental being is not yet so condensed to form or to assume any astral shape for itself. Its influence is therefore limited to the mental sphere. The difference between an ideal form and an elemental lies in the fact that the ideal form is based on one or several ideas. On the other hand, the elemental is equipped with a certain quantity of consciousness and therefore with the instinct of preservation, but otherwise it does not much distinguish from other mental living beings, and it can even take the same shape as the ideal form. The adept often resorts to these elemental beings. The problem of how to create such an elemental, how to preserve it and how to utilize it for certain purposes, will be approached in the practical section of this book.
There would still be quite a lot to be said about the particular, specific properties of some beings. But all that we have pointed out previously should be sufficient to stimulate the work and contri bute to a succinct enlightenment about the mental plane.
1.14 - The Structure and Dynamics of the Self, #Aion, #Carl Jung, #Psychology
cillian the soul, on descending through the spheres into birth, was caught by the
powers of evil, and at the behest of the victor ("victoris principis") was cast into
--
heavenly sphere" (ibid, p. 499). Trevisanus calls the vessel the rotundum cubile,
"round bridal bed" ("Liber de alchemia," Theatr. chem., I, p. 790).
--
As the picture shows, the four spheres are filled with fire.
The author comments with the following verses:
--
From this we learn that the lowest sphere corresponds to
Vulcan, the earthly (?) fire; the second to Mercurius, the vegeta-
--
original dependence on a pneumatic sphere, to which he clung
like a child to its mother, was threatened by the kingdom of
--
however, we are moving not in the sphere of modern scientific
thinking, but in that of the classical and medieval view of the
1.14 - The Suprarational Beauty, #The Human Cycle, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
Religion is the seeking after the spiritual, the suprarational and therefore in this sphere the intellectual reason may well be an insufficient help and find itself, not only at the end but from the beginning, out of its province and condemned to tread either diffidently or else with a stumbling presumptuousness in the realm of a power and a light higher than its own. But in the other spheres of human consciousness and human activity it may be thought that it has the right to the sovereign place, since these move on the lower plane of the rational and the finite or belong to that border-land where the rational and the infrarational meet and the impulses and the instincts of man stand in need above all of the light and the control of the reason. In its own sphere of finite knowledge, science, philosophy, the useful arts, its right, one would think, must be indisputable. But this does not turn out in the end to be true. Its province may be larger, its powers more ample, its action more justly self-confident, but in the end everywhere it finds itself standing between the two other powers of our being and fulfilling in greater or less degree the same function of an intermediary. On one side it is an enlightenernot always the chief enlightener and the corrector of our life-impulses and first mental seekings, on the other it is only one minister of the veiled Spirit and a preparer of the paths for the coming of its rule.
This is especially evident in the two realms which in the ordinary scale of our powers stand nearest to the reason and on either side of it, the aesthetic and the ethical being, the search for Beauty and the search for Good. Mans seeking after beauty reaches its most intense and satisfying expression in the great creative arts, poetry, painting, sculpture, architecture, but in its full extension there is no activity of his nature or his life from which it need or ought to be excluded,provided we understand beauty both in its widest and its truest sense. A complete and universal appreciation of beauty and the making entirely beautiful our whole life and being must surely be a necessary character of the perfect individual and the perfect society. But in its origin this seeking for beauty is not rational; it springs from the roots of our life, it is an instinct and an impulse, an instinct of aesthetic satisfaction and an impulse of aesthetic creation and enjoyment. Starting from the infrarational parts of our being, this instinct and impulse begin with much imperfection and impurity and with great crudities both in creation and in appreciation. It is here that the reason comes in to distinguish, to enlighten, to correct, to point out the deficiencies and the crudities, to lay down laws of aesthetics and to purify our appreciation and our creation by improved taste and right knowledge. While we are thus striving to learn and correct ourselves, it may seem to be the true law-giver both for the artist and the admirer and, though not the creator of our aesthetic instinct and impulse, yet the creator in us of an aesthetic conscience and its vigilant judge and guide. That which was an obscure and erratic activity, it makes self-conscious and rationally discriminative in its work and enjoyment.
But again this is true only in restricted bounds or, if anywhere entirely true, then only on a middle plane of our aesthetic seeking and activity. Where the greatest and most powerful creation of beauty is accomplished and its appreciation and enjoyment rise to the highest pitch, the rational is always surpassed and left behind. The creation of beauty in poetry and art does not fall within the sovereignty or even within the sphere of the reason. The intellect is not the poet, the artist, the creator within us; creation comes by a suprarational influx of light and power which must work always, if it is to do its best, by vision and inspiration. It may use the intellect for certain of its operations, but in proportion as it subjects itself to the intellect, it loses in power and force of vision and diminishes the splendour and truth of the beauty it creates. The intellect may take hold of the influx, moderate and repress the divine enthusiasm of creation and force it to obey the prudence of its dictates, but in doing so it brings down the work to its own inferior level, and the lowering is in proportion to the intellectual interference. For by itself the intelligence can only achieve talent, though it may be a high and even, if sufficiently helped from above, a surpassing talent. Genius, the true creator, is always suprarational in its nature and its instrumentation even when it seems to be doing the work of the reason; it is most itself, most exalted in its work, most sustained in the power, depth, height and beauty of its achievement when it is least touched by, least mixed with any control of the mere intellectuality and least often drops from its heights of vision and inspiration into reliance upon the always mechanical process of intellectual construction. Art-creation which accepts the canons of the reason and works within the limits laid down by it, may be great, beautiful and powerful; for genius can preserve its power even when it labours in shackles and refuses to put forth all its resources: but when it proceeds by means of the intellect, it constructs, but does not create. It may construct well and with a good and faultless workmanship, but its success is formal and not of the spirit, a success of technique and not the embodiment of the imperishable truth of beauty seized in its inner reality, its divine delight, its appeal to a supreme source of ecstasy, Ananda.
There have been periods of artistic creation, ages of reason, in which the rational and intellectual tendency has prevailed in poetry and art; there have even been nations which in their great formative periods of art and literature have set up reason and a meticulous taste as the sovereign powers of their aesthetic activity. At their best these periods have achieved work of a certain greatness, but predominantly of an intellectual greatness and perfection of technique rather than achievements of a supreme inspired and revealing beauty; indeed their very aim has been not the discovery of the deeper truth of beauty, but truth of ideas and truth of reason, a critical rather than a true creative aim. Their leading object has been an intellectual criticism of life and nature elevated by a consummate poetical rhythm and diction rather than a revelation of God and man and life and nature in inspired forms of artistic beauty. But great art is not satisfied with representing the intellectual truth of things, which is always their superficial or exterior truth; it seeks for a deeper and original truth which escapes the eye of the mere sense or the mere reason, the soul in them, the unseen reality which is not that of their form and process but of their spirit. This it seizes and expresses by form and idea, but a significant form, which is not merely a faithful and just or a harmonious reproduction of outward Nature, and a revelatory idea, not the idea which is merely correct, elegantly right or fully satisfying to the reason and taste. Always the truth it seeks is first and foremost the truth of beauty,not, again, the formal beauty alone or the beauty of proportion and right process which is what the sense and the reason seek, but the soul of beauty which is hidden from the ordinary eye and the ordinary mind and revealed in its fullness only to the unsealed vision of the poet and artist in man who can seize the secret significances of the universal poet and artist, the divine creator who dwells as their soul and spirit in the forms he has created.
1.14 - TURMOIL OR GENESIS?, #The Future of Man, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
the sphere of intelligence, foresight and freedom of action. Be-
cause it did so (and although in a sense, I must repeat, this ray was
--
within the enclosed sphere of its sensibilities and knowledge repre-
senting an independent, absolute summit of the Universe.
--
the sphere of the "imaginary," this fourth and final theorem will
4 Necessitated, it would seem, by the requirement of irreversibility developed
1.15 - Conclusion, #Aion, #Carl Jung, #Psychology
this reason they lose their validity outside the human sphere.
That is to say a hypostasis of good and evil as metaphysical en-
1.15 - Index, #Aion, #Carl Jung, #Psychology
second Eve, 206; as sphere, 136;
"twittering," 209; world-, see
--
devil lacking in, 86; divine sphere
of, 57; dogma of, 177; Jesus' soul
1.15 - In the Domain of the Spirit Beings, #The Practice of Magical Evocation, #Franz Bardon, #Occultism
Before describing a true magical operation and evocation I must make the reader acquainted with the spheres of the beings. A genuine magician is not allowed to do anything unless he knows fully what he is doing and unless he has a clear picture of what he intends to achieve. As the magician will have learned from the preceding chapter on the book of formulae, it is extremely important to know the correct handling and analogies of the magical implements, for without this thorough knowledge their analogies and symbolism it would be impossible to get any positive results. Further, the magician would not be able to find the genuine attitude for his meditations and to rise his spirit into the right sphere of consciousness. His magical implements would become an illusion and he would be lowered to the level of a common sorcerer. He could neither make his magical authority work on the beings, nor could he influence them in any way. The genuine magician does everything consciously; he has laid down each procedure systematically in his book of formulae before his operations, and his mind, his consciousness, is connected with his implements, their faculties, loadings etc. He must be just as well informed about the spheres of the being with which he wants to work. He must be able to pass a clear judgement on the existence and doings of these beings. His own experience will help him a great deal in this respect, for he will have visited, with his mental body, various spheres as suggested in "Initiation into Hermetics".
The following discussions are therefore a short summary of the magician's experiences on his visits to the said spheres.
Only the confirmed materialist, who, with his physical senses, does not perceive anything else but the material world and who only believes in what he sees, hears and feels, will doubt that there are other spheres beside this material world. The genuine magician will not give any judgement upon a materialist and will not try to dissuade him from his views. The materialist is in the state of maturity, in this physical world, which corresponds to his personal development. The magician will therefore make no effort to teach a materialist better, for the latter will always end by saying that he has never seen a spirit and therefore only believes in the things he has been able to perceive with his physical faculties, that is to see, hear or feel. The materialist does not deny the matter, he agrees that the material and power in which he lives must exist, but to believe that there exist other, more subtle spheres of material or power goes beyond his horizon. Therefore the magician never tries to influence the belief of another human being, for the non-initiate will always have his individual opinion of higher facts, and will always judge from his own point of view.
Just the same as our physical world exists in three different states: solid, fluid and gaseous, so exist, following the laws of analogy, certain states of aggregation in a more subtle form, which are not accessible to our normal senses, but which are, however, connected with our physical world. These states of aggregation are called, from the hermetic point of view, planes and spheres. In these more subtle spheres the same things happen as in our physical world, and there, too, the Law of the Hermes diagram is valid: that which is above is as that which is below.
The same powers are in action there, just the same as on our planet. Here as well as there the same kind of influences work.
Therefore, in every sphere we have the same play of elements, the electric and magnetic fluid, which is maintained and controlled by Divine Providence according to the Akasha-principle. The person relying only on what he perceives with his five physical senses has only one sphere open to perception: the sphere corresponding to his physical senses, and he is not able to procede beyond it. Everything else must remain inconceivable, incredible and supersensual to him. The genuine magician, who has refined and developed his senses by mental and psychic training, will only consider this physical world as the starting point of his personal development and will never deny the existence of higher spheres because he is able to convince himself of their existence.
That these spheres are more subtle and more compact states of aggregation has long become obvious to the true magician by his own personal experience. The magician will always be able to visit with his mental body the sphere corresponding to the state of development of his mental body's senses, and to be active in it.
He must always bear this in mind when practising the magic of evocation. Naturally, these more subtle spheres are not subject to our ideas of space and time but go into one another in our terms, so that for instance, in a space which, in our imagination, is always somehow bordered and furnished with limits, many different spheres may be present.
Depending on the grade of subtlety or density, there are innumerable spheres and intermediate spheres. To name them all here would be impossible. I will only mention those which are of importance for the practice of magic. Their graded density is called hierarchy. Before a magician plans to work on these spheres he must have a conception of their hierarchy, and must be well acquainted with the sphere in which he intends to work, first theoretically and later, of course, also practically. But, above all, he must have a thorough comm and over the physical sphere before he proceeds to the more subtle one next to it. Each of these spheres of hierarchy have their particular influence on our physical world according to the laws of analogy. With regard to the planetary spheres astrologers have discovered a somehow workable synthesis, but unfortunately the astrologers of today uses this chiefly only for mantic purposes, and it is hardly known that astrology actually only gives a partial explanation of the influences of these spheres, of planets and zodiacal signs. The astrological part of the higher spheres will not be dealt with here, for it does not come within the scope of this book. The true magician, however, will find a much closer relation between the individual spheres, if he deals with astrology, and will notice that astrology shows the true influences of the relevant spheres on our physical world, in their causes and effects.
The grading of the spheres according to their grade of density and their qualities is called, in Quabbalah, the quabbalistic Tree of Life. The analogies and their practical application from the quabbalistic point of view will be dealt with by me in detail in my forthcoming book: "The Key to the True Quabbalah". This book is to rouse the readers interests in the spheres of the quabbalistic Tree of Life as far as they may serve magic purposes, that is as far as their beings are concerned. The spheres in their correct order are:
1. The physical world as the starting point for the work of the magician, in which every human being, no matter whether initiated into hermetics or not, lives and moves with his senses, his spirit, his soul and his body.
2. The next higher sphere existing above the physical world is the earth zone, the zone girdling the earth. This zone has various grades of density, so-called sub-zones into which man proceeds after having put off his earthly shape. This is the so-called astral world; in its lower grades of density dwell the average persons in their astral bodies after their physical death, in its higher spheres are also initiates, depending on their state of maturity. The more mature, more developed, more ethical a magician is, the more subtle is the zone layer in which he comes after his death. His place in the astral world will depend on how far he advanced during his life in this physical world. There is no heaven or hell in the astral world; these are merely the outcome of silly religious opinions and the object of the teachings of some religions which, due to their ignorance, separate life in the astral world into life in heaven or hell. If one regards the lower, rougher spheres of the astral world as being the hell, the brighter, higher spheres as the heaven, part of these religious beliefs could be true. The magician who knows how to interpret such symbols and ideas will find his own explanation for the expressions "hell", "heaven" and
"purgatory" .
It would go too far to tell the reader all about life in the astral world. Many books could be written on this subject. I will, nevertheless, give a few hints of interest to the magician. The magician will have experienced during his mental and astral wanderings, when his mental and astral body was split off, that in the astral sphere the ideas of time and space do not exist for him, so that in one single moment he is able to travel any distance and on his way there are no material hindrances which he would not be able to penetrate with his mental and astral body. Every human being will have the same experience after his physical death. The initiate, however, has the advantage of getting acquainted with this fact during his lifetime, and that already in this material world he is liberated of one sorrow: the fear of death. He knows well in which astral sphere he will live after his death, and for him the putting away of his physical body is only a transition from the physical world into a more subtle one, similar to changing his place of re~idence.
The magician will experience yet another thing here on earth: all interests that are normal with an average, that is an undeveloped, non-initiated person in this physical world, will cease in the astral plane. Therefore it is not at all surprising that a genuine magician, who is equally familiar with the conditions here and there, that is in the physical and the astral world, loses his interests in this physical world, as far as he does not regard it as the means for his personal development. He will already learn here on earth that fame, honour, riches and all other earthly advantages cannot be taken from here to the astral world and are therefore useless. A true magician will therefore never cry for mortal things. His interest will constantly be directed to using the time which he has at his disposal in this physical sphere to the best of his abilities for his personal development.
It is therefore quite clear that all bonds like love, fidelity etc. which might keep a human being in this physical world come to nothing there. People who have loved each other here, but have not kept the same pace in their psychic and mental development cannot, after dying, live in the same sphere and they will no longer feel the same affection for each other as they have done here. If, for instance, a man and a woman are equally developed they can move in the same sphere of the astral world after their death and will be connected by an inner band of sympathy to each other, but, in spite of this, they will not experience the same kind of love as they did in the physical world. In the astral world there exists nothing like the instinct for self-preservation, the instinct for carnal, sexual love and sexual lust. In the higher spheres a different feeling of affection than on earth connects two equally developed beings by a subtle band of vibration. In our physical world the sympathy or attraction of two beings is usually caused by external stimulation and maintained by the same factors.
Naturally, this is not so in the astral world. The idea of beauty in the astral world, too, is quite different from the idea of beauty in this physical world. Since a deceased person is no longer subject to time and space when entering the astral sphere and thus in that world loses the means to measure its degree of perfection, it longs to return to the earth. The human being not only longs to return because he must equalize, by force of the Law of Karma of cause and effect, the errors he made during his lifetime but he also longs to come back to have another chance of development in the physical world and to gather further experiences, in his spirit, for the higher spheres of the astral world.
Every human being, after having died, will realise yet another fact in the astral world: having only a low degree of development, he will not be able to communicate with beings who, during their lifetime, have reached a higher degree of development, because these beings will stay in a higher, more subtle sphere of the astral world, and he himself will not be able to travel to their sphere of light. Even if he were able to move to those higher spheres he would not be able to stand the elevated vibration there and would drop back, that is he would soon find himself transferred to that astral sphere in which he belongs on account of his degree of development. A person with a high degree of perfection, however, is able to place himself into a lower sphere by accomodating the vibration of that sphere in his spirit.
If, therefore, a spirit with a low degree of development wants to get into contact with a spirit of a higher degree of development, the former must ask the latter, by force of imagination, to come to his sphere. Whether the higher developed being will fulfill the wish of the lower being, always depends on the purpose for which the lower being calls the higher one. This clearly shows that a lower being is not capable of moving to the higher spheres of the astral world. The contrary, however, is quite possible. A magician with a good degree of development is able to place himself iilto any sphere, for he is capable of accomodating and creating every kind of vibration and any form of every sphere he wants to get into touch with. Many a reader will here remember the words of the Bible and perceive its meaning:
"And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not".
--
In summing up: in the physical world the physical and the astral bodies are kept together by food and breath and all the three parts - body, soul and spirit - are streng thened from the higher spheres by more subtle material elements during the sleep.
In the astral world, on the other hand, the astral body is enlivened by the impressions it gets by material vibrations in the astral sphere. If a human being is returning from the astral world into the physical world, then the band between the astral and the mental bodies rends so that the being dies there to be reborn in our physical world. The act of dying there is similar to physical death; the astral body is no longer fed by the mental body with impressions from the astral world.
The process of decay of an astral body takes much longer than that of a physical body, and an astral body may go on to exist for many years, according to our chronology, without being maintained by the respective spirit. Other beings, usually demons, like to take possession of such corpses in order to play tricks with them. During numerous spiritistic sessions the astral bodies of dead people have appeared which were abandoned by the spirits of those dead people a long time ago and have since been controlled and used by a demon. Only a well trained clairvoyant who is able to distinguish an astral body from a mental body by the help of his well developed mental senses can discover the truth. Such demons like to fool people, play tricks on them and make all kinds of mischief. All imps and spooks, phantoms, hobgoblins, and the like, proceed in the same manner.
--
Each spirit which wants to declare itself in one way or another must pass through the astral world, regardless from which sphere it comes, even if it should live in the highest spheres. For the zone lirdling the earth is the first zone beyond the physical world. In quabbalah, this zone is also called Malkuth; that means Kingdom.
I shall have more to say about this in "The Key to the True Quabbalah" .
In the astral world of the zone girdling the earth the same powers exist and are at work as in the physical world; they are, however, more subtle. Also there dominates the element of the fire with its salamanders or spirits of fire, the element of water with its water-spirits and undines, the element of the air with its fairies and sylphs or spirits of the air, and the element of the earth with its gnomes or spirits of the earth. All the beings in the astral sphere of the earth-zone move about in their respective elements just as the fish in the waters of the earth moves about correspondingly in its element. Each element has positive and negative beings so that we may talk of good as well as of evil salamanders.
The same is true of the beings of the other elements. In reality, however, there exists neither good nor evil, for Divine Providence created nothing bad or inharmonious, it is only a human comprehension to assume this. From the hermetic point of view the one kind of beings have good the other bad influences, thus have its good and bad effects respectively. These beings are, in the astral world, the tools for the things that happen in our physical world. They are the cause of all effects in the astral body of each being, no matter whether initiate or non-initiate.
The actions and doings of the element of air and the element of fire in the astral sphere cause the astral-electric fluid; the actions and doings of the water-element and the element of the earth cause the astral-magnetic fluid. The beings use the fluids in order to create the effects, or, better said, the causes in our physical world. The Akasha-principle of the astral sphere keeps all the elements of the astral sphere in harmonious equilibrium. If a being of the astral sphere wants to influence our physical world, no matter whether it be a spirit of the elements or a human being, it must be capable of condensing both fluids, the electric as well as the magnetic, in such a manner that they are realized in the physical world. A well-trained magician who has a good comm and of the elements and fluids is able to carry out this act of condensing quite by himself, by the help of the imagination.
When taking no active part in the work himself, he may have the condensation carried out by a medium from whom in this case, the spirits will extract, like vampires, the electric and magnetic fluid necessary to bring about the desired effect.
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The Akasha-principle of the astral sphere determines also the re-incarnation into the physical world of a human being living in the astral world. The astral material of light, usually called astral light, is the most divine emanation in the astral world. To initiates who see the divine principle of the astral world this lightprinciple appears as bright as the light of the burning sun or as the sun itself, provided they were in the physical world able to behold Divine Providence in the Light without having their deity transformed into a particular shape. The individual religion of a person has its due place in the astral world insomuch as he has attributed a certain shape and name to his deity according to his religious views in the physical world. Atheists feel no necessity for a God even in the astral world and are therefore not able to form an idea of the deity there. Nevertheless, they long for something higher, much like a thirsty man longs for water. People who have believed in several religions or deities during their existance on earth will find chaotic conditions. They will have a difficult time there, if they are not able to make up their minds to follow a certain form. However, during their course of development in the astral world their conception of God will be clarified so that finally they will believe in the deity which was really best for them. This conception of God then usually determines the place of their re-incarnation.
A magician having explored during his lifetime, the astral sphere of the zone girdling the earth will know from his own experience, how the powers and beings of the astral sphere operate and what they do, but he may also learn it from those beings with which he is working magically.
Just the same as the not yet fully developed magician in the physical world uses a spiritual guide for his training and likes to be taught by him, either by passive communication or automatic writing etc., a not yet perfect human being too will find his guides in the astral world. These guides will teach him from time to time and assist him whenever necessary. Highly developed spiritual beings of the zone girdling the earth condense themselves in their appropriate astral sphere and thus become the guides of individuals, or of groups of individuals, and initiate the astral beings of lower perfection into the higher laws. Such guides must never be compelled to do their work in the astral world; they are commissioned by Divine Providence to offer assistance to any astral being, depending on its maturity and state of perfection. In the astral world, the guide, one may also call him genius loci, not only teaches his protege the laws, but assists him in his whole development. It sometimes happens that an astral man wants to do something at his own accord, but is warned at the critical moment by his guide or genius not to do anything arbitrarily. The genius will intervene especially in those cases where an astral human being with a low degree of development is about to do something contrary to the laws of Divine Providence. The guide informs his protege about the laws of the physical world and prepares him for his rebirth. This clearly shows how necessary it is that the magical development of a human being during his time in the physical world leads him towards perfection in order to be prepared for life in a higher sphere.
All blows of fate that are apt to purify a man's spirit in the physical world and that will help him to get the kind of experience necessary for his spiritual development are already prepared and determined by Divine Providence in the astral world for each individual according to his maturity and degree of development. The human being knows before his embodiment about the matter of teaching in the physical world and not only agrees to it, but even longs to get through it. At the moment of his rebirth he loses his knowledge about everything that Divine
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Beings incarnate themselves from the astral world into the physical sphere of our planet, bordered by time and space, in order to work on their development, since the material laws of this plane put far more hindrances in front of every individual than is the case in the astral sphere. The impediments of the physical world streng then the spirit and enable it to grow more rapidly in its development than it would be possible in the astral world. Therefore the human beings of the astral world are urged to achieve re-incarnation in this world as soon as possible, and are ready to accept even the toughest conditions in order to be able to continue their spiritual development.
Every man can reach perfection, for the evolution of the whole of mankind leads towards it. The spiritual guide designated to each individual by Divine Providence for his initiation into the astral world leads and controls the spiritual development of his protege and in many cases carries on with his commission after his protege has re-incarnated in the physical world. The magician should therefore try at the very beginning of his development to get into contact with his genius. How this is achieved has already been told in "Initiation into Hermetics". It sometimes happens that people who have already reached a high degree of perfection here on earth are able to continue their spiritual development in the astral world up to perfection, but these are selected by Divine
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This has been a rough sketch of the most important aspects of the astral sphere of the so-called earth-zone or zone girdling the earth, which is the zone next to our physical world. The earthzone is, according to human thinking, not the most condensed form of sphere in spite of its being placed above us, since in it there exist the most various intensities of light, or vibration, in accordance with the degree of maturity of each individual human being. This earth-zone is by no means bordered in any way; it stretches out over the cosmos, not only over the ball of the earth.
The laws ruling this zone have nothing to do with the idea of space, however, as they go for the whole microcosm and macrocosm and their analogous connection. This is the reason why man can only reach his perfection, his ultimate magical maturity, and his genuine connection with the deity, in this zone girdling the earth. This clearly shows that, from the point of view of magic, the earth-zone is the lowest sphere, but at the same time also the sphere with the highest emanation of the Divine Princi86 p Ie. I shall show further that there exist further spheres belonging to this hierarchy which the magician is able to contact, but he is able to live in the earth-zone also as a being of perfection, as the true image of God. In this zone girdling the earth the whole creation from the highest perfection of the deity down to the lowest and roughest form is manifested. A human being may get into contact with all kinds of spheres which lie above the earth-zone, but he cannot become their constant inhabitant, because the earth-zone is the reflecting mirror of the whole creation. It is the manifested world of all degrees of condensation. The old Quabbalists knew this truth and therefore called the earth-zone
"Malkuth", which does not mean earth ball, but Kingdom, by which expression creation from its highest to its lowest manifestation is meant. According to the Tree of Life of the
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The analogies and the hierarchy of each zone are dealt with in the next chapter. Each sphere lying above the zone girdling the earth, between the Moon and Saturn, has a threefold effect: firstly on the mental, secondly on the astral and thirdly on the physical world. Depending on the question in which sphere of the earthzone a certain effect should be caused, the creation of the cause for such an effect must be considered in that zone. Since the zones mentioned above have certain individual influences on our earthzone the magician operating with beings of such zones must have a clear picture of the analogy of the laws of each zone regarding his own microcosm and the microcosm of any other human being. Each analogy of the zones to the micro- and macrocosm must be quite clear to him and he must know how to create the cause corresponding to the analogies with the help of the beings. In the magician's conception each zone will not be a limited plane beyond the earth-zone, but all zones run into one another in the microcosm as well as in the macrocosm. The zones bear astrological names, but do not have directly to do with the constructions of the stars of the universe, although there exists some relation between the stars and their constellations, enabling the astrologers to draw their conclusions for mantic purposes or to find out unfavourable influences. I have already given some hints about the synthesis of astrology.
Each zone is inhabited in just the same way as the earth-zone already known to us. The beings of the zones have their special commissions and are subject to the laws of their zone, as far as causes and effects are concerned. In our opinion there exist millions of beings in each zone. It is impossible to grade these beings categorically. Each of these beings has reached a certain degree in its spiritual development, a certain degree of maturity, and a commission has been transferred upon it according to this degree.
A person without any magical development and without the necessary maturity is not able to proceed beyond this material world in order to get into contact with astral beings, not to mention getting into contact with the beings of superior spheres.
There are only a few people in our physical world, who, with their spirit, are able to penetrate the borders of human existence and to proceed to other zones. People who are able to do this consciously are called initiates from the point of view of hermetics.
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As said above, only a few people will spiritually traverse the common sphere of the zone girdling the earth to visit the sphere next to it. These people are the leading heads in magic; they are the initiators and teachers with the holy commission and duty to help the individuals below them on their spiritual way. The same is true, by universal laws, within the seven zones lying beyond the earth-zone. There also exist few selected individuals among millions of others living in those zones who, in their development, have reached the necessary degree of perfection to be the leading rulers or initiates there. Also the heads of the other zones have their rank, dignity and title, just as the initiates in the zone girdling the earth are honoured by the post of dignity corresponding to their degree of maturity and their knowledge and take the rank of barons, earls, knights, dukes, etc.
The magician will realize that these names for ranks and titles symbolise the degree of maturity of a being and certainly will not regard them as earthly ranks. Therefore, only the leaders, the initiates of the individual zones, are able to influence, with their causes and effects, our spheres, no matter whether mental, astral or physical. The way in which each individual being may in89 fluence our world will be dealt with analogously step by step in a further chapter on the hierarchy of the beings. Just the same as, in our opinion, there exist in the earth-zone positive and negative, that is good and evil beings, so is the situation the same in all other zones. The good or positive powers and beings are generally called angels or archangels, the negative ones demons or archdemons. The same kind of hierarchy is to be found with the negative beings: there are common demons, barons, counts, etc.
The average person will have a conception of these beings corresponding to his power of understanding. In his imagination angels and archangels will have wings, demons and archdemons will have horns. But the person well acquainted with the symbolism will be able to interpret this conception according to true hermetics. A magician knows that an angel has no wings in the literal sense of the word and will see the analogy in these wings: the wings are an analogy to the birds who move about freely in the air above us. The wings are the symbol of what is superior to us, the symbol of agility, liberty, freedom and at the same time the principle of floating above us in the air, the element which is lightest and penetrates everything. The negative beings or demons are usually symbolized by animals with horns and tails, or by creatures that are half human and half animal. Their symbolism, on the contrary, stands for the opposite of what is good: the inferior, incomplete, defective, etc. The question of whether these beings, positive or negative, in their own spheres actually have the shapes attri buted to them by men, and meet each other in these shapes, may be left undecided to the non-initiate. The magician who is capable of visiting these zones by mental and astral travelling and who is able to influence himself with the vibration of these zones so that for the time of his stay he is like an inhabitant of the respective sphere, will have found out that this is not so. Without losing his individuality, he will find quite different .shapes there, which cannot be expressed by words. He will not find personified beings and their leaders there, but powers and vibrations that are analogous to the names and qualities. If he tried to concretise, from his individual point of view, one of these powers, or give it a shape according to his power of understanding, that power would appear in to him in a shape equivalent to his power of symbolic comprehension, no matter whether positive power, alias angel, or negative power, alias demon. A magician working with beings will make the beings perform the causes in that zone in which he exercises his influence. The work of a quabbalist is different. The latter places himself, with his spirit, into the zone in which a certain cause and effect is intended. Though he, too, masters the laws of the zone, he does not need the interposition of the beings for his purposes, but does everything by himself with the help of the quabbalistic word. There will be more about in my next work "The Key to the True Quabbalah".
The principles of the quabbalist's work are quite different. The magician, however, in his present state of development, cannot, for the time being, do otherwise than go on making use of beings up to the point where he has reached a higher degree of development. Each quabbalist must first have become a magician, in order to be able to work differently and more advantageous by later.
If a magician calls a being whose shape he does not know into the earth-zone or into our physical world from another zone, then such a being, provided it wants to take on a visible shape at all, must take on the shape appropriate to its qualities in order to get into contact with the magician. A common demon, however, is not able to do this, for a demon lacking the necessary maturity is not capable of condensing itself from out of its sphere into the earth-zone or our physical world. Therefore most books on magic conjurations do not even mention simple demons, but talk only of demons with a certain rank and title. But even these are never dealt with in detail.
In this connection, one may raise the question of whether a being living in another zone would be able to call an initiate, a person of spiritual rank, into its zone. Such a question has to be denied from the hermetic point of view, for a human being, and especially an initiate, is a God-like creature symbolising in miniature, the macrocosm and representing the complete authority in the microcosm and macrocosm. A magician can therefore never be forced to do anything by any being, whatever degree of perfection it might have, with only one exception: Divine Providence. All heads, no matter of what rank or from which zone they come, and no matter whether good or evil, are only partial aspects of the macrocosm, of God. Without permission of Divine
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If a being of another zone wishes to enter the earth-zone or our physical world because Divine Providence has ordered it to do so or because it is its personal desire, no matter whether in a mental, astral or physical way, then such a being or head, irrelevant of its rank, must take on the shape appropriate to the qualities of the sphere from which it comes. An angel, for instance, who has love as its main quality, will appear as a perfect beauty; a being whose qualities are severity and strictness will have to appear in the shape appropriate to these qualities. It is exactly the same with beings of negative qualities: depending on the negative qualities they represent, they will have to take on, when appearing in the earthzone or on our physical earth, the shapes which symbolize these qualities. The appearing shapes of these beings, no matter whether good or evil or from whatever zone they come, will enable the magician who is well acquainted with symbolism to tell their qualities. The qualities of a being, its appearance and symbolic representation, is fully appropriate to its name, and according to the Law of Analogy, so that even a being of the highest rank is not able to give itself a name unsuitable to its qualities.
The magician, especially if acquainted with quabbalah, is capable of thoroughly checking the analogies according to the law of analogy and of determining whether the assertion of a being is true or not. No being, not even the worst and most deceitful type, will ever dare to tell the genuine magician a name which it does not really possess, and it will never dare to appear in a shape other than the one corresponding to its qualities. The genuine magician, however, is naturally free to order the being who has appeared in its true shape to change its shape into one desired by him. He will always be obeyed by the being concerned, for the genuine magician, as repeatedly stated before, is a perfect authority, is a God-man.
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Hermetics", or directly by word-power (cosmic language) and leads it through the world of causes of the relevant zone into the world of causes of the earth-zone, condensed by imagination, and from here, depending on the kind of effect it should cause, into the mental, astral or physical sphere. This is the actual procedure in respect of the beings capable of making their influence work from their zone into our sphere. A spirit being, however, is not able to do anything on its own accord or by its own will to influence our sphere. Only the strict order of a magician given with his absolute authority enables a being to influence our sphere effectively from its zone; by doing so the being cannot be made responsible for anything; every responsibility lies with the magician. To make it yet clearer: the work done by a being is the same kind of work which a servant does for his master.
Of course, a true magician will never dare ask a being, especially a negative being, to do things causing negative effects, for although he has become the master of life and death, the master of the laws, Divine Providence still controls him, and he would have to atone immensely for evil deeds which he could not account for.
One might now ask why a magician uses an elemental, elementary, astral or physical being mentally, astrally or physically, for his operations in our world or sphere, or in another sphere, and why he does not prefer to work with the power he has himself acquired and so to cause the desired magical effect. He is, in fact, able to cause certain effects when operating in the mental sphere by elementals or volts, that is by electromagnetic fluids, and he is also able to generate a certain physical power by various operations with elementaries and to bring about in this way some physical effect. The difference in the procedure lies in the fact that the powers, beings, elementals, elementaries etc. generated by him cannot operate independently, since they possess no intellect; the beings of any other zone, however, are, because they are intelligent creatures, able to carry out jobs for which a certain degree of intelligence is necessary. In those cases where a magician can do without any such being in obtaining his goal, he will naturally desist from employing a being from another zone to fulfill his purposes. He will, above all, evoke beings in case 1. he wants do demonstrate his authority over the beings and 2. in order to get full information on the zones from which the beings come.
Every experienced magician who leaves the physical world either with his mental or with his astral body to visit the various spheres of the earth-zone, or even to visit other zones, will realize that the beings of all zones, irrespective of their qualities and faculties, speak a universal language, called "metaphoricallanguage", i. e. the language of imagination. This is the reason why all beings can make themselves understood by another. Any average person may moreover experience this the moment he leaves his physical body, for he is then able to converse with any person amongst the dead, no matter to which nation he may have belonged before. If a magician whishes to say something in a sphere lying outside our physical world, that is if he wants to form ideas there, he will also do that by way of mouth, but no sounds will come out of his mouth; in place of sound vibrations pictures manifest themselves which then can be perceived by any being.
If, however, a spirit being is embodied in our physical world, that is if it has left its zone to get adequately condensed in order to be visible and audible, then this metaphorical language is at once translated into the language the magician knows. This means that should a magician call, by condensation, from the earth-zone into the physical world, a person who before his death was of Chinese, Indian or any other nationality, he will find that such a spirit has a perfect comm and of the language the magician himself speaks. A religious person will remember that the apostles and disciples of Christ who, after the death of the
1.15 - The Suprarational Good, #The Human Cycle, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
But in other spheres of life, in the spheres of what by an irony of our ignorance we call especially practical life,although, if the Divine be our true object of search and realisation, our normal conduct in them and our current idea of them is the very opposite of practical,we are less ready to recognise the universal truth. We take a long time to admit it even partially in theory, we are seldom ready at all to follow it in practice. And we find this difficulty because there especially, in all our practical life, we are content to be the slaves of an outward Necessity and think ourselves always excused when we admit as the law of our thought, will and action the yoke of immediate and temporary utilities. Yet even there we must arrive eventually at the highest truth. We shall find out in the end that our daily life and our social existence are not things apart, are not another field of existence with another law than the inner and ideal. On the contrary, we shall never find out their true meaning or resolve their harsh and often agonising problems until we learn to see in them a means towards the discovery and the individual and collective expression of our highest and, because our highest, therefore our truest and fullest self, our largest most imperative principle and power of existence. All life is only a lavish and manifold opportunity given us to discover, realise, express the Divine.
It is in our ethical being that this truest truth of practical life, its real and highest practicality becomes most readily apparent. It is true that the rational man has tried to reduce the ethical life like all the rest to a matter of reason, to determine its nature, its law, its practical action by some principle of reason, by some law of reason. He has never really succeeded and he never can really succeed; his appearances of success are mere pretences of the intellect building elegant and empty constructions with words and ideas, mere conventions of logic and vamped-up syntheses, in sum, pretentious failures which break down at the first strenuous touch of reality. Such was that extraordinary system of utilitarian ethics discovered in the nineteenth century the great century of science and reason and utilityby one of its most positive and systematic minds and now deservedly discredited. Happily, we need now only smile at its shallow pretentious errors, its substitution of a practical, outward and occasional test for the inner, subjective and absolute motive of ethics, its reduction of ethical action to an impossibly scientific and quite impracticable jugglery of moral mathematics, attractive enough to the reasoning and logical mind, quite false and alien to the whole instinct and intuition of the ethical being. Equally false and impracticable are other attempts of the reason to account for and regulate its principle and phenomena,the hedonistic theory which refers all virtue to the pleasure and satisfaction of the mind in good or the sociological which supposes ethics to be no more than a system of formulas of conduct generated from the social sense and a ruled direction of the social impulses and would regulate its action by that insufficient standard. The ethical being escapes from all these formulas: it is a law to itself and finds its principle in its own eternal nature which is not in its essential character a growth of evolving mind, even though it may seem to be that in its earthly history, but a light from the ideal, a reflection in man of the Divine.
1.15 - The Transformed Being, #On the Way to Supermanhood, #Satprem, #Integral Yoga
What will that supramental body be like, that life divine on earth? Here again, miracles will turn out to be the simple nature of the world and the new life to follow a divine logic, the logic of the divine truth of matter. What will be is already here, crude, coarse, scarcely aware of itself, limited by our own limited vision, for truly the world is a vision being unveiled. That stupendous, innumerable, inexhaustible Energy, that Consciousness-Force, that immense Harmony we are cut from barricaded as we are in an egoistic little body, confined in a little quiver of desire and pain will flow through us unimpeded, because our self will have become the world's self, our mind the transmitter of the great rhythm, our heart the diffuser of the great throbbing of oneness, our law the one sunlit Law that moves the worlds, and our body the symbol of the great earthly body. There will be no more false note in us, no more personal screen, no more distorting glass, no more egoistic will, but the one Will that moves the worlds and the one note that makes the spheres sing. The Harmony will then be able to flow at all the levels of our body, directly, mightily, purely. The little centers of consciousness,54 the chakras of the various plexuses, will have become powerful condensers of the cosmic Energy, its projectors onto matter. They will nourish our own body directly the way today food nourishes us indirectly and heavily. They will each receive the exact vibration corresponding to their function, the light frequency corresponding to their action: the rays of the instant will-thought that executes, the flashes of the truth-vision that puts things into place and opens up and frees the truth of each being, each object, each circumstance, the sun of the heart that heals, the flood of Life-Force that sweeps away obstacles, the great ray of the original Force that fashions matter by the truth of matter. All the nerves, tissues, cells that we have demechanized, purified, freed from their congestion of unconsciousness will become free channels for the supramental Force and will flood our body with the lights of the Spirit, with the Joy of the Spirit, with the immortal nectar until the day this golden Influx is sufficiently concentrated and individualized to replace the heavy functioning of the organs and shows through all the pores of the old skin, permeating and transmuting the gross body, or reabsorbing it into its solar blaze, as the powerful gravitation of atoms reabsorbs the particles and frees their body of radiant energy.
We know nothing, nothing at all of the ultimate movement! But it will take place, as unavoidably as the laburnum pod bursts open to release its golden cascade. The mortal body will have finished its work, which was to generate an immortal body on earth by its own cry and to reveal the Spirit forever contained in its dark cells.
1.15 - The world overrun with trees; they are destroyed by the Pracetasas, #Vishnu Purana, #Vyasa, #Hinduism
kā, the wife of Viprachitti. Hiraṇyakaśipu was the father of four mighty sons, Anuhlāda, Hlāda, the wise Prahlāda, and the heroic Sanhlāda, the augmentor of the Daitya race[28]. Amongst these, the illustrious Prahlāda, looking on all things with indifference, devoted his whole faith to Janārddana. The flames that were lighted by the king of the Daityas consumed not him, in whose heart Vāsudeva was cerished; and all the earth trembled when, bound with bonds, he moved amidst the waters of the ocean. His firm body, fortified by a mind engrossed by Achyuta, was unwounded by the weapons hurled on him by order of the Daitya monarch; and the serpents sent to destroy him breathed their venomous flames upon him in vain. Overwhelmed with rocks, he yet remained unhurt; for he never forgot Viṣṇu, and the recollection of the deity was his armour of proof. Hurled from on high by the king of the Daityas, residing in Swerga, earth received him unharmed. The wind sent into his body to wither him up was itself annihilated by him, in whom Madhusūdana was present. The fierce elephants of the spheres broke their tusks, and vailed their pride, against the firm breast which the lord of the Daityas had ordered them to assault. The ministrant priests of the monarch were baffled in all their rites for the destruction of one so steadily attached to Govinda: and the thousand delusions of the fraudulent Samvara, counteracted by the discus of Kṛṣṇa, were practised without success. The deadly poison administered by his father's officers he partook of unhesitatingly, and without its working any visible change; for he looked upon the world with mind undisturbed, and, full of benignity, regarded all things with equal affection, and as identical with himself. He was righteous; an inexhaustible mine of purity and truth; and an unfailing model for all pious men.
Footnotes and references:
1.16 - Advantages and Disadvantages of Evocational Magic, #The Practice of Magical Evocation, #Franz Bardon, #Occultism
Most people who get hold of a book on evocational magic are misled, by various methods, to put at once into practice the recommended procedure without having reached the necessary degree of magic development. They think that the few incomplete preparations recommended in the instructions will suffice. The motives that lead to this kind of precipitate operation usually have various causes. With one person it might be mere curiosity, which makes him wonder whether other spheres really do exist. Another person might be desirous of seeing spirits, beings and demons, and yet another person might hope to put himself into certain advantages by magical operations. A fourth person perhaps wants to evoke beings to acquire from them certain powers and faculties, to become famous and honoured, etc.
Some people possibly intend to get certain information from certain beings or to do harm to persons they do not like. Innumerable motives which lead the inconsiderate to practise magical evocation could be mentioned here. This chapter has been written especially for these people for they should take to their hearts these warning: Ignorance by no means prevents people from danger and misfortune as a result of magical operations should they be carried out without sufficient training and personal development.
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If a necromancer or sorcerer has a relatively high power of imagination and is able partially to raise up his consciousness, it may happen that, by using magic though barbarous names, he succeeds in having one of his evocations translated into the language of the being and the being he is evoking hears his voice. The next question to arise is whether the being reacts to the evocation and intends to do what the sorcerer wants him to do. For the being at once realizes whether the sorcerer is mature enough and developed enough to be able to exercise coercion or whether it can go easily in opposition. If a positive, good being is involved, it will pity the sorcerer. If the sorcerer has evoked an indifferent and less active being and if the sorcerer's desire, if it were realised, would not harm him, it might, now and then, give a token of sympathy and do what the sorcerer wants done. But if the sorcerer desires anything that might harm him or any other person without being able to take the full responsibility for this, then the being will not react to the sorcerer's evocation. All means of coercion mentioned in various books for the sorcerer's use in order to have the beings to work for him are ineffectual and but mere phrases with only a slight or no effect at all on astral beings. Negative beings, on the other hand, prefer to react to negative and evil intentions and try to help the sorcerer in their realization. But a head of demons also knows quite well that he need not do what the sorcerer wants, if the sorcerer desires something which would debit him too much karmically or which he could not take responsibility for from the karmic point of view. In such a case not even a demon would dare to fulfill the sorcerer's wish, for this being, even though it be a negative one, depends on Divine Providence. It cannot, on its own accord, create vibrations which would cause a chaotic tate in the harmony of a sphere. Therefore it is necessary to point out again and again that a certain degree of magical development and perfection is absolutely necessary for the evocation of the beings of any sphere and in order to be able to place one's consciousness into the relevant sphere or zone and to translate one's thoughts into the metaphorical language or cosmic language so that a being understands them.
With these points in mind the magician will realize the true value of the book of charms which he has started for his personal use, and that the book actually is a language book of the cosmic language in which he will enter all the procedures of his art of magical evocation translated into symbolic picture-language. A necromancer or sorcerer working according to the worst rituals and carrying out the most barbarous invocations and evocations is by no means able to practise invocations in a systematic order, that is, to start a conversation with the being concerned, not to mention the authority he should be able to represent, for he is lacking the necessary magical maturity and perfection. A necromancer might, at the most, put himself into an ecstatic state during his operations, which is not more than a cry into the zone in question, even if his citations are most terrifying and appear to him very promising.
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Should a sorcerer or necromancer succeed in actually calling the head of a certain sphere into the physical world by the ecstatic elevation of his spirit, such a head, if it is a negative one, will always try to get under his influence not only the soul but also the spirit of the sorcerer in order to make him fully dependent.
The sorcerer usually realizes during his second or third operation that he is no longer able to get himself into the same state of ecstasy which previously helped him to have a certain influence on the concerned sphere. This is reason enough for a feeling of uneasiness within him, which usually causes him literarily to seize hold of the being appearing to him in order to have his desires realized. The head now appearing to the sorcerer would not at all react to him if he were not sure that the sorcerer's soul and spirit were mature enough for him, and that therefore it pays to try to get both. The head sees the many karmic developments which the sorcerer may have undergone already and during which he has reached a certain degree of intelligence and maturity, and he is therefore certain that the sorcerer will render him good service after his death. The being knows about all this already in its own sphere, while watching the sorcerer carrying out his operations. If it seems advantageous enough, a head, usually a negative one, will appear to the sorcerer, and will try to get the sorcerer for itself at any cost. Depending on the character of the sorcerer, the being will apply the most variable methods, knowing well the most vulnerable points where it can hit the sorcerer. If, for instance, the sorcerer is anyhow fearful, the being will try to frighten him in order to make him obey. If, however, the sorcerer is somehow aware of his spiritual and psychic faculties, the being will try to win him with all kinds of promises, for instance with the promise that it will do anything, etc. But at the same time it will point out that such a thing is not possible without a mutual agreement and will point out the advantages of such a contract. It is then up to the sorcerer to resist the temptations of the being and to oppose it. A fight within the sorcerer's own conscience will start and will develop into a terrible one, for the conscience of a man is the most subtle form of the Divine Providence. If, however, the sorcerer is not willing to listen to the divine warnings, that is to follow his conscience, but supresses it in spite of its repeated appearance, then he becomes a victim of the being by making an agreement or a contract with it.
This theme will certainly interest everybody. Therefore I will examine it more closely from the hermetic angle. Why does a spirit being want to get possession of the soul and spirit of a sorcerer? There are several reasons for this. Firstly, no being, least of all a negative one, will ever do anything for the sorcerer without the hope of getting a relevant reward. The sorcerer is forced by contract to leave the earth-zone after he has cast away his physical body. He is indeed taken away by the devil, as legends state, and must travel to the sphere of that being with which he has made the contract in order to serve there as its servant.
The head, with whom the contract has been made, usually employs a deceased sorcerer as a messenger to the astral, mental or physical sphere of the earth-zone where he has to carry out commissions for his master, corresponding to the negative sphere of that being. Such a head likes to get into connection with a sorcerer because the latter has been created as the image of God and therefore has four poles and consequently many more possibilities than the being itself. In most cases the head's servant, in this case a human being, is made into a spiritus familiaris or factotum and put at the disposal of other similar sorcerers. In the function of a spiritus familiaris the sorcerer then is given all the power the head itself possesses, since from that moment he is deputizing for the being. The transfer of power upon the sorcerer is effected either by an Ankhur from the head or the principal of demons or by influencing him with zone power so that he can either bring about the ordered effects by himself and secure the results wanted, or he is supplied with other servants to help him carry out his commissions. But whether such servants are true inhabitants of the zone and, as such, mere subordinates of their masters, or whether they really are victims as described above, is difficult to determine, for such beings are not allowed to tell anybody anything about themselves. It is also possible that unwanted phases in the memory or consciousness of such spirits have been deleted, either by a magic spell or other practices. And so the sorcerer, in spite of the qualities he has on account of his four-pole nature, becomes dependent on the head's sphere, that is on his master's sphere, and that prevents him from freeing himself of the ties with his head and from living his own life. He becomes a will-less instrument of the head and must do everything the latter wants.
After having sealed the contract or pact the sorcerer cannot do any work for weeks or months. During this time he is taught by his head various practices and is initiated into the use of his powers. The sealing of such a pact is actually not much different from what is stated in the grimoires or magic books. There is, however, a little difference hardly known to anybody: the pact itself is not compiled by the spirit being, but is, in fact, drawn up and written by the sorcerer himself, like the book of charms. The text of the pact is written down in ordinary ink. Special ink, however, may be used for this purpose, depending on the rituals applied, but this is not so important. The contract clearly states what services have to be rendered by the being which wishes it will fulfill, which possibilities are given the sorcerer with this pact, including other conditions which must be fulfilled by the being on behalf of the sorcerer. On another page of the contract the duties are laid down which, on the one hand, the sorcerer must carry out for the being and which, on the other hand, the being orders itself to carry out. It further states in which manner the head can be called and whether it has to appear visibly or invisibly; how servants, put at the sorcerer's disposal, have to be treated, etc. The most important point is the period for which the contract is valid and that after the expiration date of the contract the sorcerer is obliged to travel to the sphere of the demon. Also the way in which the sorcerer will die in the physical world and how he will move over into the sphere of the head is fixed by contract. All points and conditioned are agreed to by both parties, and the being usually signs the contract by its own seal, using the sorcerer's hand as a medium, and the mutual agreement is countersigned. It is also quite possible that the being asks for, or insists on, the sorcerer's signing the contract with his own blood.
But contracts have been made, and are still being made, without such a condition. Usually the contract is written in duplicate; one copy remains in the sorcerer's hands, the other is for the being. It is stated in the books that the being takes both copies, but this is done rarely and only happens with a certain category of beings.
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In this, or in a similar manner, with which there may be little differences which are not essential at all, pacts are sealed, especially pacts with negative beings. Such a pact can neither be broken by the sorcerer nor by the being and must be adhered to unconditionally. It often happens that the victim does not even know that he has made such a horrible contract and comes to the respective sphere without knowing that he has to payoff the duties the being has rendered him on earth. If, however, bad conscience starts working on the mind of a sorcerer before the contract expires, and if, in consequence, the sorcerer tries to free himself by any means, then the being will try anything to harm the sorcerer and to destroy him. Many witchcraft trials of the past are the unmistakeable proof of this and sorcerers who felt sorry for their sealing of such contracts and who therefore tried out all means and ways to free themselves have had to atone heavily for their breach of contract at the instigation of the beings concerned.
Many sorcerers of ancient times were not able to evade the funeral pyre only because the idea and divine spark won inside them and made them prefer death instead of remaining in contact with a demon till the expiration of the contract. But sorcerers who strictly adhered to the points of the contract and fulfilled every duty till the period expired always remained under the protection of the dark powers and no power in the world could ever harm them. Those who did not adhere to the contract and regretted their mistake were severely persecuted by the beings, for the latter always found means and ways to harm their former proteges.
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The reader may now ask whether such a sorcerer is condemned to be the servant of a being or head forever. Answering such a question presents no difficulty to a magician who is equally acquainted with all spheres. As soon as the sorcerer has re-paid the head in full measure for its duties on earth - this can take, in our chronology, many hundreds of years, since time and space are absent in the spheres - the sorcerer's conscience will start working on him more and more and his four-pole nature feels himself little by little free from the bondage. When the sorcerer has paid back every penny of his debt, he can again do what he likes. But if, at that point, he still stifles his conscience, unwilling to follow it, he will remain in the sphere of his head and will, eventually, lose his four-polarity and identify himself with the plane in which he lives by taking on the vibration of that plane forever. By this way he will condemn himself. The sorcerer then ceases to be a human being, the image of God, and becomes a being of that sphere, that is, he sinks down to a demon. This certainly is the most regrettable state a human being can get into and may be called damnation from the religious point of view, or as true sin against the Holy Ghost.
This would be the complete procedure for the sealing of a contract between a sorcerer and a being of another zone. Should the sorcerer follow the voice of his conscience he will be able to leave the zone of the head and find a new home in the earth-zone.
Here he can again live as a four-pole being and renew his spiritual development. If, in this case, it is necessary for him to return into our physical world, this rebirth will be granted him without any difficulties for in the physical world it is far easier to become purified and to work on one's magical development like other beings. A reincarnated sorcerer is then able to acquire, in our world, great magic power, since he has experience in working with negative powers. Such re-born sorcerers are the born magicians, for they possess inborn magical faculties and do not need to accumulate much knowledge or to undergo a special training in magic. It cannot be denied, however that it could again happen that such a person is overcome by the temptation to misuse these powers and that the same head of spirits may approach him anew, possibly under a different mask, to regain his previous victim with the same intention of taking him again to his sphere after his physical death. Such a sorcerer, however, has a much freer will on this earth and can therefore resist such temptations much better.
His conscience, too, works much better and will warn him more forcefully than does the conscience of a human being with no such personal career. Thus it seldom happens that a sorcerer falls in a second time. Usually he is so purified by his experience that he walks along the true path of magic and is less inclined to take up contacts with demons or negative spirits.
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The relatives and onlookers form the opinion that the dying person after having been in agony has come to life again as if by miracle and finally recovered from the disease. This is how the relatives and those persons, who are not able to observe by clairvoyance the leaving of the astral body from the physical body, look on the event. Since the being possesses a miraculous degree of adaptibility and maintains all faculties and powers of the astral world and since it knows everything, it continues playing the role of the person who actually died, but it will try to disappear from the surroundings of the relatives of the deceased person and to get into contact with the sorcerer without attracting attention. The being keeps all its abilities of its former sphere in the new body and puts itself at the disposal of the sorcerer. With the exception of a true magician nobody will ever find out the true facts and nobody will find anything suspicious in two friends or a boy friend and girl friend meeting each other, and the people around the two will never find out about the true relations of the two.
The services which the being may render the sorcerer during his physical existence are exactly the same as if the sorcerer had got into contact with another being of that sphere. If the sorcerer wants to have his influence work on the astral or mental world via this being, then the latter puts itself into a state of trance und so can fulfill the sorcerer's wishes.
The question of carnal contact is usually discussed at the moment of the first citation or meeting with the sorcerer and the sorcerer is well informed about the whole procedure. That the sorcerer must never say a word to anybody about the matter is only too clear, for otherwise he would have to pay with his life for his communicativeness.
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The magician is able to call any being from the astral world without any danger, without becoming dependent on it and without becoming a victim of necromancy. A necromancer is a person with a low degree of spiritual and magical development, whose main object is to get into contact with astral beings of the earth-zone, preferably with dead people. The necromancer will in most cases try to make use of a being from the astral sphere, that is he will either require of such a being certain magical duties in the physical, astral or mental plane or merely try to satisfy his curiosity. For this purpose the necromancer will choose a human being after his physical death who during his life on earth busied himself with any of the secret sciences and who possibly has reached a certain degree of perfection in this. If such a person happens to be a true magician who has followed the true path of initiation and has learned all its laws here on earth, having thus acquired a certain degree of perfection, who noble-minded strove for positive aims and controlled the negative powers, he will, if he thinks it beneficial, appear to the necromancer and point out to him the advantages or disadvantages of his projects and intentions. A true magician will, however, never keep up a constant connection with a necromancer, nor will he try to influence the necromancer in such a manner that he becomes dependent on him. He will always be prepared to warn the necromancer and will give him permission to call him in case of emergency. Furthermore, he will give good advice to the necromancer and initiate him into the laws of the astral sphere, but he will never be prepared to serve the necromancer, or to do whatever he wants, or to fulfill his material desires. Only bad magicians with little experience and an affection for negative powers or mere sorcery will try to maintain a contact with a necromancer or assist him in realizing his desires and to satisfying his curiosity. If the necromancer gets into the sphere and under the control of such a being, he will acquire the same kind of vibration as that being has in the earth-zone and thus becomes a fellow-sufferer. The astral being will then prevent the necromancer from making any progress in his spiritual and magical development and will see that he is never enlightened or blessed with personal advance. The being will then be full of malicious pleasure because it has succeeded in being troublesome to a human being on earth. It remembers the days of its own life on earth, its difficulties and troubles there, the temptations it could not resist, the powers it misused and the lack of chances for its true initiation, and it will also try to hinder the necromancer in his development. The danger that arises for the necromancer in such a case need not be analysed. I will, however, mention the fact that the necromancer may easily be vampirised by such a being and that the being will try to realize in the astral world its own egocentric plans by help of the vampirised powers of the necromancer.
Therefore every scholar is warned not to take up any such contacts and not to make himself dependent on any being. The manner in which a necromancer calls a being from the astral plane rests on two methods. One method is spiritistic: the being is asked to reveal itself by help of mediums; that is by mediumistic writing or by mediums put into a state of trance. This method requires great perseverance until the being is able to take up a direct contact and to appear to the necromancer. The other method is that of evocation: the necromancer takes up contact with the being by help of a picture of the spirit's previous incarnation or by enlivening such a picture until finally the being steps out of it like an elementary, taking on its previous shape. A necromancer does not usually succeed at once, but if he goes on with his work persistently he might, depending on his maturity, development, willpower and imagination, force the being to appear to him visibly.
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There also exist methods and instructions for the making of contracts with genii of any zone, who, due to such a contract, may advise and assist the magician in any respect. Of course a genuine magician will, during the course of his development, try to get into touch with good beings, since this is no doubt necessary, but he must not make himself dependent on any single being, no matter whether angel or superior intelligence. By becoming dependent on a good being a magician would take up, like a sorcerer, the vibration of the sphere from which the good being has come and, by and by, would influence himself so strongly with this vibration that finally he would take on the complete nature of that being. Such a being, however, will of course not be interested in a written contract.
There are also methods for the conclusion of the same kind of written contract or pact between a magician and a superior positive intelligence. This contract concluding, the magician can be sure that the being will protect him in any respect; that it will help him, warn him and do every kind of good service for him; but after the death of the magician the being will automatically draw him to its own sphere. In that zone the magician will not have to serve the guardian angel by force, but freely. Since such a magician is in constant connection with good beings he will become part of that plane and will lose any interest in climbing any higher or in travelling to another zone. He will be content with his life and his evolutionary rise is temporarily interrupted.
If a magician is sent by Divine Providence to the earth-zone or into our physical world to fulfill a certain task as a human being, he starts longing for a sphere set above him. Should a magician, after having been allied to a genius in a certain zone, be incarnated in our physical world, then such a former alliance becomes obvious by the magician's special ability either in the field of hermetic science or in any other cultural field such as art, literature etc. This shows that the procedure is the same, no matter whether it is a positive or negative one, and a genuine magician will never be hindered in his development by any pact with a genius or an angel, but will advance in his development unimpeded. By an equal affection for all beings the magician will always remain conscious of his desire to become a perfect human being, created as the true image of God, and true divinity will be reflected in him. He is not influenced by any sphere, therefore he can reach true perfection, providing that no one element is prevailing within him and that he has been able to develop within himself the absolute equilibrium of all forces and powers and to maintain the standard of this development in future.
The higher spheres are the place where it is decided whether a magician is willing to reach the highest perfection possible or likes to become a saint. A magician desirous of the highest degree of perfection may become the greatest and highest lord of creation, for he fully symbolises the true and complete image of God in all his aspects. A saint, however, remains under one aspect only and reaches perfection therein. He becomes a part of that aspect, and finally, when he has reached perfection in this aspect, he loses his individuality. The highest degree of perfection that man is ever able to reach is that of becoming a true sovereign, a true magician, thus actually representing a true and complete image of God, whereby he never loses or is forced to give up his individuality.
By the knowledge of the hierarchy of the beings, of their zones, their causes and effects, the true magician is able to rule over any being of creation, no matter whether good or evil, as this is actually his true commission. Ruling over the spirit beings does not necessarily mean ruling by force, for the beings, good or evil, will always be prepared to serve the magician, to complete his will and to fulfill any of his desires without asking for anything in return.
The heads of zones also like to serve a magician, and if the magician desires it they will even put at his disposal the beings serving them, and will provide him with the necessary ankhur without ever daring to ask the magician to conclude a contract with the relevant zone. The genuine magician is free to put under his will as many serving genii as he likes, from any sphere he likes; they will all have to serve him as their highest master, or their sovereign. The genuine magician with a noble character will make no difference between a positive or a negative being, for Divine Providence has not created anything unclean. He is quite aware of the fact that demons are as necessary as angels, for without these contradictions a differentiating hierarchy would not be possible. His respect for a being, whether positive or negative, will depend on the being's rank. He himself will take the golden path of the middle way, the path of true perfection.
1.16 - Dianus and Diana, #The Golden Bough, #James George Frazer, #Occultism
temporal spheres has not yet widened too far, they are supreme in
civil as well as religious matters: in a word, they are kings as
1.16 - Inquiries of Maitreya respecting the history of Prahlada, #Vishnu Purana, #Vyasa, #Hinduism
Venerable Muni, you have described to me the races of human beings, and the eternal Viṣṇu, the cause of this world; but who was this mighty Prahlāda, of whom you have last spoken; whom fire could not burn; who died not, when pierced by weapons; at whose presence in the waters earth trembled, shaken by his movements, even though in bonds; and who, overwhelmed with rocks, remained unhurt. I am desirous to hear an account of the unequalled might of that sage worshipper of Viṣṇu, to whose marvellous history you have alluded. Why was he assailed by the weapons of the sons of Diti? why was so righteous a person thrown into the sea? wherefore was he overwhelmed with rocks? why bitten by venomous snakes? why hurled from the mountain crest? why cast into the flames? why was he made a mark for the tusks of the elephants of the spheres? wherefore was the blast of death directed against him by the enemies of the gods? why did the priests of the Daityas practise ceremonies for his destruction? why were the thousand illusions of Samvara exercised upon him? and for what purpose was deadly poison administered to him by the servants of the king, but which was innocuous as food to his sagacious son? All this I am anxious to hear: the history of the magnanimous Prahlāda; a legend of great marvels. Not that it is a wonder that he should have been uninjured by the Daityas; for who can injure the man that fixes his whole heart on Viṣṇu? but it is strange that such inveterate hatred should have been shewn, by his own kin, to one so virtuous, so unweariedly occupied in worshipping Viṣṇu. You can explain to me for what reason the sons of Diti offered violence to one so pious, so illustrious, so attached to Viṣṇu, so free from guile. Generous enemies wage no war with such as he was, full of sanctity and every excellence; how should his own father thus behave towards him? Tell me therefore, most illustrious Muni, the whole story in detail: I wish to hear the entire narrative of the sovereign of the Daitya race.
1.16 - THE ESSENCE OF THE DEMOCRATIC IDEA, #The Future of Man, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
methods of Democracy. Since this is a sphere in which I have no
competence I shall confine myself to the three following remarks,
1.17 - DOES MANKIND MOVE BIOLOGICALLY UPON ITSELF?, #The Future of Man, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
is that we must face the fact that in no sphere, whether politico-
economic or social, artistic or mystical, can anything stable or en-
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IN EVERY sphere, physical no less than intellectual and moral,
and whether it be a question of flowing water, a traveler on a jour-
1.17 - God, #Initiation Into Hermetics, #Franz Bardon, #Occultism
Love and eternal life are attributed to the watery principle, and omnipresence, immortality and consequently eternity belong to the earth principle. These four aspects together represent the supreme Godhead. Let us tread upon this path to this supreme Godhead practically and step by step, beginning from the lowest sphere, to arrive at the true realization of God in ourselves. Let us praise the happy man who will reach this still in his earthly existence. Us banish fear of the pains, for all of us will reach this goal.
1.17 - Religion as the Law of Life, #The Human Cycle, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
But here comes in an ambiguity which brings in a deeper source of divergence. For by spirituality religion seems often to mean something remote from earthly life, different from it, hostile to it. It seems to condemn the pursuit of earthly aims as a trend opposed to the turn to a spiritual life and the hopes of man on earth as an illusion or a vanity incompatible with the hope of man in heaven. The spirit then becomes something aloof which man can only reach by throwing away the life of his lower members. Either he must abandon this nether life after a certain point, when it has served its purpose, or must persistently discourage, mortify and kill it. If that be the true sense of religion, then obviously religion has no positive message for human society in the proper field of social effort, hope and aspiration or for the individual in any of the lower members of his being. For each principle of our nature seeks naturally for perfection in its own sphere and, if it is to obey a higher power, it must be because that power gives it a greater perfection and a fuller satisfaction even in its own field. But if perfectibility is denied to it and therefore the aspiration to perfection taken away by the spiritual urge, then it must either lose faith in itself and the power to pursue the natural expansion of its energies and activities or it must reject the call of the spirit in order to follow its own bend and law, dharma. This quarrel between earth and heaven, between the spirit and its members becomes still more sterilising if spirituality takes the form of a religion of sorrow and suffering and austere mortification and the gospel of the vanity of things; in its exaggeration it leads to such nightmares of the soul as that terrible gloom and hopelessness of the Middle Ages in their worst moment when the one hope of mankind seemed to be in the approaching and expected end of the world, an inevitable and desirable Pralaya. But even in less pronounced and intolerant forms of this pessimistic attitude with regard to the world, it becomes a force for the discouragement of life and cannot, therefore, be a true law and guide for life. All pessimism is to that extent a denial of the Spirit, of its fullness and power, an impatience with the ways of God in the world, an insufficient faith in the divine Wisdom and Will that created the world and for ever guide it. It admits a wrong notion about that supreme Wisdom and Power and therefore cannot itself be the supreme wisdom and power of the spirit to which the world can look for guidance and for the uplifting of its whole life towards the Divine.
The Western recoil from religion, that minimising of its claim and insistence by which Europe progressed from the mediaeval religious attitude through the Renascence and the Reformation to the modern rationalistic attitude, that making of the ordinary earthly life our one preoccupation, that labour to fulfil ourselves by the law of the lower members, divorced from all spiritual seeking, was an opposite error, the contrary ignorant extreme, the blind swing of the pendulum from a wrong affirmation to a wrong negation. It is an error because perfection cannot be found in such a limitation and restriction; for it denies the complete law of human existence, its deepest urge, its most secret impulse. Only by the light and power of the highest can the lower be perfectly guided, uplifted and accomplished. The lower life of man is in form undivine, though in it there is the secret of the divine, and it can only be divinised by finding the higher law and the spiritual illumination. On the other hand, the impatience which condemns or despairs of life or discourages its growth because it is at present undivine and is not in harmony with the spiritual life, is an equal ignorance, andha tama. The world-shunning monk, the mere ascetic may indeed well find by this turn his own individual and peculiar salvation, the spiritual recompense of his renunciation and Tapasya, as the materialist may find by his own exclusive method the appropriate rewards of his energy and concentrated seeking; but neither can be the true guide of mankind and its law-giver. The monastic attitude implies a fear, an aversion, a distrust of life and its aspirations, and one cannot wisely guide that with which one is entirely out of sympathy, that which one wishes to minimise and discourage. The sheer ascetic spirit, if it directed life and human society, could only prepare it to be a means for denying itself and getting away from its own motives. An ascetic guidance might tolerate the lower activities, but only with a view to persuade them in the end to minimise and finally cease from their own action. But a spirituality which draws back from life to envelop it without being dominated by it does not labour under this disability. The spiritual man who can guide human life towards its perfection is typified in the ancient Indian idea of the Rishi, one who has lived fully the life of man and found the word of the supra-intellectual, supramental, spiritual truth. He has risen above these lower limitations and can view all things from above, but also he is in sympathy with their effort and can view them from within; he has the complete inner knowledge and the higher surpassing knowledge. Therefore he can guide the world humanly as God guides it divinely, because like the Divine he is in the life of the world and yet above it.
1.17 - The Divine Birth and Divine Works, #Essays On The Gita, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
Hinduism which rejected Buddha, his sangha and his dharma, bears the ineffaceable imprint of the social and ethical influence of Buddhism and its effect on the ideas and the life of the race, while in modern Europe, Christian only in name, humanitarianism is the translation into the ethical and social sphere and the aspiration to liberty, equality and fraternity the translation into the social and political sphere of the spiritual truths of
Christianity, the latter especially being effected by men who aggressively rejected the Christian religion and spiritual discipline and by an age which in its intellectual effort of emancipation tried to get rid of Christianity as a creed. On the other hand the life of Rama and Krishna belongs to the prehistoric past which has come down only in poetry and legend and may even be 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. Avatarhood is a fact of divine life and consciousness which may realise itself in an outward action, but must persist, when that action is over and has done its work, in a spiritual influence; or may realise itself in a spiritual influence and teaching, but must then have its permanent effect, even when the new religion or discipline is exhausted, in the thought, temperament and outward life of mankind.
1.17 - The Spiritus Familiaris or Serving Spirits, #The Practice of Magical Evocation, #Franz Bardon, #Occultism
According to these books serving spirits are put at the magician's personal disposal by high beings, especially by the principals of demQns with the idea that the magician need not bother personally with the principals of demons, that is their masters, on each occasion and for every trivial matter. The books further state that such serving spirits usually are delivered to the magician, or, as is more likely, to the sorcerer by that head or principal of demons with whom he has concluded a contract. By means of an ankhur the serving spirit is provided by its head with the same kind of force, power and faculties etc. that the head possesses. The magician does not care by whom the effect he wants is caused; whether it is by the head himself or by any of the spirits serving him. One thing, however, is important: the Karmic responsibility always lies with the magician, or with the sorcerer. As already mentioned in the chapter dealing with the various kinds of con114 tracts, the magician must, after the contract has expired in the physical world, follow the principal of demons into his sphere and there pay back in full measure for the work done by it. This repayment, of course, is not a material repayment, but a spiritual one.
From the hermetic point of view, the serving spirit must not be taken for the so-called family spirits of the primitive peoples of antiquity. These family spirits were, in most cases, the deceased of a tribe, its ancestors and pre-ancestors, heroes etc. with whom a type of necromancy was practised similar to a more primitive kind of fetish-worsphip by keeping up a permanent contact with these deceased. This kind of necromancy may be compared with the spiritism of our own days. Since every initiate knows about the practices, cult operation etc. necessary for getting into contact with an ancestor, with a family spirit, I will desist from writing again about this matter. Not only had each family their family or house ghost; there were also numerous tribes having their own genius, as is known from history. The true magician is able to tell the difference, from the hermetic standpoint, between an actual spiritus familiaris and a family or ancestral spirit.
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One might oppose that Divine Providence, in its aspects of love and charity, could, in some cases, make an exception. However, the genuine magician knows that causes are always followed up by the relevant effects, otherwise the Law of Karma, the law of retaliation, the rule of law of the whole universe, would be untrue, that is illusory. That this is not so, but that, on the contrary, everything takes place due to the most genuine laws with a most admirable precision need not be stressed here. Divine love and charity with all their other aspects such as benevolence etc. work up to the point where man realizes that he himself is the cause of the sorrows that have overcome him, and this knowledge enables him to carry his burden more easily. From the correct universal point of view Providence, in its aspects of love, benevolence etc., cannot further intervene. Every experienced magician, knowing the universal laws, finds this in order. Every genuine magician should therefore take heed not to conclude a contract which would entirely halt his personal magical development and evolution. A true initiate will not even be tempted to conclude contacts with high and good heads, no matter how great the advantages might be. To bind oneself to spirit beings and their spheres means losing the freedom of one's own thoughts and doings.
Why then, one might ask, is it necessary to deal with the magic of evocation; is it not better to work for one's personal development and to leave the beings where they are? The answer to this
- question is that the genuine magician may, if he likes, get into contact with any beings, positive ones or negative ones, and that he should even regard it as his duty to practise the true magic of evocation, but he must never be tempted to bind himself to any being. He can use his connections to enlarge his knowledge about the various spheres, to learn about the laws of such spheR:S, sphere or the other, but he knows quite well that he does not owe them anything, for anything that a being might be doing for him he can do out of his own powers as the result of his systematic magical development. The magician may employ beings firstly to help his fellow men, not himself, and secondly to use the valuable time saved for his own development. This is the right attitude to take and it cannot be compared with the attitude of a sorcerer, as one can easily see. The magician need not practise the magic of evocation all the time, but he must be able to carry out successfully such practices whenever it should be necessary.
Exact knowledge of the true magic of evocation will increase his wisdom, will increase his power over beings of the universe, and, in this manner, streng then his magic authority. A true magician must therefore be perfect in every respect. During his magical evocations he will pay attention to the exact hierarchy of the beings and will:
1.18 - Asceticism, #Initiation Into Hermetics, #Franz Bardon, #Occultism
Before bringing the theoretical part to an end which has illustrated the principles, I advise everybody that this part should not only be read, but must become the mental possession of the concerned person by means of intense reflection and meditation. He who is going to be a magician will recognize that life is dependent on the work of the elements in the various planes and spheres. It is to be seen in great and in small things, in the microcosm as well as in the macrocosm, temporarily and eternally, everywhere there are powers in action. Starting from this point of cognition, you will find that there is no death at all, in the true sense of the word, but everything goes on living, transmuting and becoming perfect according to primitive laws. Therefore a magician is not afraid of death, for he believes the physical death to be only a transition to a subtler sphere, the astral plane, and from there to the spiritual level, and so on. Consequently he will not believe in heaven nor in hell. The priests of the various religions stick to these fancies solely to keep their kids to the point. Their moralizing serves only to provoke fear of the hell or the purgatory and to promise heaven to morally good people. Average people, as far as they are religiously inclined, are favorably influenced by such a point of view for, from fear of hell, they will try to be good.
But as for the magician, he sees the purpose of the moral laws in ennobling the mind and the soul, for it is in an ennobled soul only that the universal powers can do their work, especially if body, mind and soul have been equally trained and developed.
1.18 - Evocation, #The Practice of Magical Evocation, #Franz Bardon, #Occultism
If the magician takes into his hands a book on evocation, or if he has, in his library, several books dealing with this subject, he will find a certain connection between all the instructions, and if he takes them all together he will be informed how to call a being and which formulae have to be used for that purpose etc. In none of the books, however, will he find the actual pre-conditions for a successful evocation. Therefore it is not at all surprising that nearly all attempts go wrong. From the hermetic point of view any contact with a spirit being of a certain sphere may be regarded as a sort of evocation, irrespective of the fact whether spiritistic methods, methods of necromancy or any other methods are applied for establishing such a contact. The question of whether the desired being actually appears on account of the various methods applied remains unanswered, for only the person who tries them could give a true statement about it. If sometimes such an attempt made according to the methods laid down in those books leads to a success, it is still undecided, whether the results have come out because of the method, for other practices could also have played a decisive part. For instance, in the case of spiritistic evocations, success can be brought about by some quite different factors, even if a great amount of evidences is available indicating that the success is the result of the method of evocation suggested. The subconsciousness of the oral medium may be the cause for the spiritistic success, if it is a success at all. Furthermore, the subconscious creation of phantoms, elementals, elementaries, which the operator's increased attention and power of imagination might have created during the evocation, can in such a case, not be attributed to the being but to the operator's own individuality.
This fact is hardly ever acknowledged by the person concerned.
I shall give - from the hermetic point of view - a full description of everything absolutely necessary for a successful evocation, i. e. the actual magical connection with beings of any sphere. Above all, the magician or the person intending to busy himself with magical evocation should know that without the development of one's astral senses, especially those of clairvoyance and clairaudience, a successful evocation cannot be thought of. It would be the same as if a blind man wanted to follow an unknown street without a guide. Clairvoyance and clairaudience is the first condition for consciously getting into contact with a being by the help of active magic. If the magician does not care for this condition, or if a person dares to try an evocation without having his astral senses trained accordingly, he can be sure that he will, like all other operators, be disappointed and have no success at all. At the same time he is in danger of being degraded to a necromancer or sorcerer if, during an exalted state, he should have any partial success of whatever sort, regardless of the fact that his plans and intentions rest on good motives.
The magician must, under all conditions, be able to make use of his astral senses during his operation, because then he is able to control exactly the whole procedure and is not in danger of being deceived or of working without success. A magician whose astral senses are well developed knows at once whether the being involved is merely a creation of imagination or whether it is the being he wanted to appear from a certain sphere. An evocation, from the hermetic point of view, is therefore the conscious getting into contact with a certain being, not effected by passive intercourse - as described in "Initiation into Hermetics" in the chapter dealing with the conscious passive connection with beings - the magician being used as a medium, but outside of his body.
The being or power of any sphere which is to be evoked outside the body of the magician, may either be called into the magic triangle, or the magic mirror, or onto a material impregnated with a fluid condenser to be condensed there. At the beginning the magician will not be able to do without the magic implements. Later, as soon as he has enough experience and as soon as he has a certain sphere under his complete control, i. e. as soon as the beings of that sphere are fully under his power, pay him obedience and loyalty and, by that, acknowledge his magical authority, he can do without magical aids. The experienced magician then is in the position to call any being of the sphere he has under his power and to work with it, without using magical aids.
He can call a being to any place at any time, how and when he wishes to do so, without the aid of the circle or triangle and without any special preparations. A beginner, on the other hand, must necessarily use magic aids, for they are a support for his consciousness and are therefore necessary for a successful evocation.
If the magician has complete control over a sphere without having to use any magical weapons, he advances to the next higher sphere and again makes use of his magical aids until he also controls that sphere completely. The magician must always bear three principles in mind when he wants to bring about a successful evocation:
1. If he intends to call a spirit being of a certain sphere into his sphere, no matter whether he calls it into the triangle, the mirror, or into a fluid condenser, he must bear in mind that the being is only able to move about in an atmo sphere appropriate to its own sphere. He therefore must artifically create the spheric atmo sphere by accumulating the light, the material of the sphere, either into the triangle, or preferably into the whole room in which he is working. If working with a magic mirror it has to be impregnated or condensed respectively with the according light material of the sphere. When operating in the open air, the impregnation must be kept within such limits that the beings or powers that are to manifest themselves have sufficient room to move about. The accumulated or impregnated light must have a colour which is in accordance with the colour-law of the individual planet. I have already given the reader and student a detailed information on this question of impregnating or accumulating light in space in "Initiation into Hermetics" in the chapter dealing with space-impregnation. If, for instance, a being of the Moon- sphere is evoked outside oneself, the light, or rather the material to be accumulated, must be of a silvery white colour; in the case of a being of Mercury the light-material must be opalescent; beings from Venus must have a green, beings from the Sun a golden yellow, from Mars a red, from Jupiter a blue, from Saturn a violet light, etc.
If, for instance, the magician calls a being of the earth-element, he must get the element of the earth into the magic triangle or the magic mirror by the help of his imagination. If he wants to call to him a being from the Moon, he must create the vibration of the Moon sphere. No being is able to dwell in a sphere not appropriate to it. If, in case of citation, this principle is not adhered to, a being might be forced to come to our physical sphere, but it would, in such a case, have to create, by itself, the necessary spheric vibration. The magician would, in this case, lose his control over the being, and his authority, too, would suffer from such a failure, for the being would consider the magician as not perfect and would therefore not pay him respect and would refuse to obey him. Strictly adhering to and acting according to this principle is most important when evocations are carried out, and this must never be forgotten by a true magician.
2. The magician must be able to place himself, with his consciousness, during the evocation, into the sphere of the being cited, so that the being will behold him. This transplanting of one's spirit is done under the laws of the Akasha-principle, i. e. by the magician's putting himself into a state of trance in which he does not know any time or space, and it is in this state that he cites, according to his will, and due to his authority etc. the being concerned. Without these faculties the magician is not able to make a being appear.
3. The magician must call forth, by means of his magical authority, the being's awe and obedience, for otherwise no being - no matter whether positive or negative - would respect him.
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A being first appears to a magician in the same manner as it is accustomed to move about in its own native zone. If the magician is not pleased with the way in which the being appears, he may, by means of his magical authority, cause the being to appear in the shape he approves of. There are no restrictions in this respect, and it is up to the magician to decide which shape the being evoked should , by help of his imagination, take on. The sex, too, is in this case of no consequence. The magician will, however, do well not to insist, for instance, in a being's appearing in a male shape, if in its relevant sphere it has been a female creature, although the being would have to do even this, should the magician insist upon it. Therefore, beginners in magic operations are recommended to let a being appear in the shape familiar to its own zone.
The magician converses with a being in his own familiar language. Since he is, in any case, in an elevated state, in the state of trance, his language automatically changes into the spiritual language, into the so-called metaphorical language and is so understood by the being. The being, too, who normally uses its own language, will converse in this spiritual language, which again will be translated automatically into the language with which the magician is familiar. Due to this fact the magician will at first have the feeling that the answers by the being come from his own subconscious much in the same manner as a person's inner voice is heard. By and by the magician will get used to this and will finally realise that the being is actually speaking outside him, and after repeated work in this field it will appear to him to be the same as if he were talking to one of his fellow-men.
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A genuine magician will not experience any unwanted accompanying phenomena, and his evocations will run as smoothly as if he were carrying out any other physical, astral or spiritual actions. In the beginning a magician will do well not to ask a being too many questions, but to address it with only a few concrete questions. They should refer to the sphere from which the being has come. No questions should be asked that would infringe upon the dignity of the being. At a later date a being, an intelligence, a head or the servants set at the magician's disposal, may be asked to play an active part; they need not be used for the conveyance of knowledge only. The beings, in general, like to serve a genuine magician and help him in an unselfish manner as much as lies in their power. A magician certainly will never be so silly as to ask a spirit being to bring him treasures or to do for him heavy physical work, since the effect of the being's display of power in our physical world depends on the fuel (i. e. the material used for its materialisation) that the magician puts at its disposal.
At first the beings will only be able to do mental work. Later, when the magician has enough experience, they will do astral and after some time also physical work for him, though the magician is recommended not to burden a spirit being with physical jobs, for it would have to carry out such duties in exactly the same manner as the magician with his acquired magic faculties. The beings make use of the same powers that are used by the magician for his personal operations. This means that to do physical work they need the fluids of elements, i. e. the electrical or magnetic fluid, and take into account the Akasha-principle, just as the magician himself. The beings usually draw the matter or substance and the power out of the atmo sphere of the magician. Therefore a magician should always bear in mind that every evocation is done at his own cost. This is reason enough for the magician not to carry out an evocation for the mere satisfaction of other people's curiosity, and he will, as already mentioned, practise an evocation first of all to help his fellow-men, or to increase his power over beings and elements and so acquire more personal experience.
For the actual evocation of beings no spells or similar nonsense is necessary. Since, during the whole time of the evocation, the magician is in an elevated state, in a true relationship with God, he places himself with his consciousness into the sphere of the chosen being and, after having called out its name, asks the being to appear to him. The being hears the magician, at once reacts to his call, and quite willingly comes near him. A true magician will never be obliged to threaten a being or do anything of that sort in order to make the being obedient to his will. This may only happen with stubborn demons to whom the magician demonstrates the power of his relationship to God. In the case of a true relationship to God, hardly any being, no matter what rank it may have, will ever dare to place itself in opposition to the divinity, for the divinity is the power by which the being was created, and therefore it must be respected.
Since, for the magician, the saying is true that the stars influence, but do not force, it is left to the magician to fix the time for the evocation according to astrological rules, provided that he has a fundamental knowledge of astrology and is therefore able to fix the favourable planetary moments in respect of the relevant beings.
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After the end of the evocation it is the magician's duty to send the spirit being back to its sphere, i. e. to discharge it. He accompanies it with his consciousness and, in doing so, he has an inner feeling of satisfaction and certainty that the being will return to the sphere from which it has been called and from which it has come. All the implements used for the evocation are returned by the magician to their depository and all accumulated powers are again discharged by his will and imagination. And this is the end of the evocation.
1.18 - FAITH, #The Perennial Philosophy, #Aldous Huxley, #Philosophy
Faith in the first three senses of the word plays a very important part, not only in the activities of everyday life, but even in those of pure and applied science. Credo ut intelligam and also, we should add, ut agaim and ut vivam. Faith is a pre-condition of all systematic knowing, all purposive doing and all decent living. Societies are held together, not primarily by the fear of the many for the coercive power of the few, but by a widespread faith in the other fellows decency. Such a faith tends to create its own object, while the widespread mutual mistrust, due, for example, to war or domestic dissension, creates the object of mistrust. Passing now from the moral to the intellectual sphere, we find faith lying at the root of all organized thinking. Science and technology could not exist unless we had faith in the reliability of the universeunless, in Clerk Maxwells words, we implicitly believed that the book of Nature is really a book and not a magazine, a coherent work of art and not a hodge-podge of mutually irrelevant snippets. To this general faith in the reasonableness and trustworthiness of the world the searcher after truth must add two kinds of special faithfaith in the authority of qualified experts, sufficient to permit him to take their word for statements which he personally has not verified; and faith in his own working hypotheses, sufficient to induce him to test his provisional beliefs by means of appropriate action. This action may confirm the belief which inspired it. Alternatively it may bring proof that the original working hypothesis was ill founded, in which case it will have to be modified until it becomes conformable to the facts and so passes from the realm of faith to that of knowledge.
The fourth kind of faith is the thing which is commonly called religious faith. The usage is justifiable, not because the other kinds of faith are not fundamental in religion just as they are in secular affairs, but because this willed assent to propositions which are known to be unverifiable occurs in religion, and only in religion, as a characteristic addition to faith as trust, faith in authority and faith in unverified but verifiable propositions. This is the kind of faith which, according to Christian theologians, justifies and saves. In its extreme and most uncompromising form, such a doctrine can be very dangerous. Here, for example, is a passage from one of Luthers letters. Esto peccator, et pecca fortiter; sed fortius crede et gaude in Christo, qui victor est peccati, mortis et mundi. Peccandum est quam diu sic sumus; vita haec non est habitatio justitiae. ("Be a sinner and sin strongly; but yet more strongly believe and rejoice in Christ, who is the conqueror of sin, death and the world. So long as we are as we are, there must be sinning; this life is not the dwelling place of righteousness.") To the danger that faith in the doctrine of justification by faith may serve as an excuse for and even an invitation to sin must be added another danger, namely, that the faith which is supposed to save may be faith in propositions not merely unverifiable, but repugnant to reason and the moral sense, and entirely at variance with the findings of those who have fulfilled the conditions of spiritual insight into the Nature of Things. This is the acme of faith, says Luther in his De Servo Arbitrio, to believe that God who saves so few and condemns so many, is merciful; that He is just who, at his own pleasure, has made us necessarily doomed to damnation, so that He seems to delight in the torture of the wretched and to be more deserving of hate than of love. If by any effort of reason I could conceive how God, who shows so much anger and harshness, could be merciful and just, there would be no need of faith. Revelation (which, when it is genuine, is simply the record of the immediate experience of those who are pure enough in heart and poor enough in spirit to be able to see God) says nothing at all of these hideous doctrines, to which the will forces the quite naturally and rightly reluctant intellect to give assent. Such notions are the product, not of the insight of saints, but of the busy phantasy of jurists, who were so far from having transcended selfness and the prejudices of education that they had the folly and presumption to interpret the universe in terms of the Jewish and Roman law with which they happened to be familiar. Woe unto you lawyers, said Christ. The denunciation was prophetic and for all time.
1.18 - THE HEART OF THE PROBLEM, #The Future of Man, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
Church) to penetrate and move freely in active spheres of thought
and free research, I should have been very forcibly struck by things
1.19 - Dialogue between Prahlada and his father, #Vishnu Purana, #Vyasa, #Hinduism
On hearing this, Hiraṇyakaśipu started up from his throne in a fury, and spurned his son on the breast with his foot. Burning with rage, he wrung his hands, and exclaimed, "Ho Viprachitti! ho Rāhu! ho Bali[2]! bind him with strong bands[3], and cast him into the ocean, or all the regions, the Daityas and Dānavas, will become converts to the doctrines of this silly wretch. Repeatedly prohibited by us, he still persists in the praise of our enemies. Death is the just retribution of the disobedient." The Daityas accordingly bound the prince with strong bands, as their lord had commanded, and threw him into the sea. As he floated on the waters, the ocean was convulsed throughout its whole extent, and rose in mighty undulations, threatening to submerge the earth. This when Hiraṇyakaśipu observed, he commanded the Daityas to hurl rocks into the sea, and pile them closely on one another, burying beneath their iñcumbent mass him whom fire would not burn, nor weapons pierce, nor serpents bite; whom the pestilential gale could not blast, nor poison nor magic spirits nor incantations destroy; who fell from the loftiest heights unhurt; who foiled the elephants of the spheres: a son of depraved heart, whose life was a perpetual curse. "Here," he cried, "since he cannot die, here let him live for thousands of years at the bottom of the ocean, overwhelmed by mountains. Accordingly the Daityas and Dānavas hurled upon Prahlāda, whilst in the great ocean, ponderous rocks, and piled them over him for many thousand miles: but he, still with mind undisturbed, thus offered daily praise to Viṣṇu, lying at the bottom of the sea, under the mountain heap. "Glory to thee, god of the lotus eye: glory to thee, most excellent of spiritual things: glory to thee, soul of all worlds: glory to thee, wielder of the sharp discus: glory to the best of Brahmans; to the friend of Brahmans and of kine; to Kṛṣṇa, the preserver of the world: to Govinda be glory. To him who, as Brahmā, creates the universe; who in its existence is its preserver; be praise. To thee, who at the end of the Kalpa takest the form of Rudra; to thee, who art triform; be adoration. Thou, Achyuta, art the gods, Yakṣas, demons, saints, serpents, choristers and dancers of heaven, goblins, evil spirits, men, animals, birds, insects, reptiles, plants, and stones, earth, water, fire, sky, wind, sound, touch, taste, colour, flavour, mind, intellect, soul, time, and the qualities of nature: thou art all these, and the chief object of them all. Thou art knowledge and ignorance, truth and falsehood, poison and ambrosia. Thou art the performance and discontinuance of acts[4]: thou art the acts which the Vedas enjoin: thou art the enjoyer of the fruit of all acts, and the means by which they are accomplished. Thou, Viṣṇu, who art the soul of all, art the fruit of all acts of piety. Thy universal diffusion, indicating might and goodness, is in me, in others, in all creatures, in all worlds. Holy ascetics meditate on thee: pious priests sacrifice to thee. Thou alone, identical with the gods and the fathers of mankind, receivest burnt-offerings and oblations[5]. The universe is thy intellectual form[6]; whence proceeded thy subtile form, this world: thence art thou all subtile elements and elementary beings, and the subtile principle, that is called soul, within them. Hence the supreme soul of all objects, distinguished as subtile or gross, which is imperceptible, and which cannot be conceived, is even a form of thee. Glory be to thee, Puruṣottama; and glory to that imperishable form which, soul of all, is another manifestation[7] of thy might, the asylum of all qualities, existing in all creatures. I salute her, the supreme goddess, who is beyond the senses; whom the mind, the tongue, cannot define; who is to be distinguished alone by the wisdom of the truly wise. Om! salutation to Vāsudeva: to him who is the eternal lord; he from whom nothing is distinct; he who is distinct from all. Glory be to the great spirit again and again: to him who is without name or shape; who sole is to be known by adoration; whom, in the forms manifested in his descents upon earth, the dwellers in heaven adore; for they behold not his inscrutable nature. I glorify the supreme deity Viṣṇu, the universal witness, who seated internally, beholds the good and ill of all. Glory to that Viṣṇu from whom this world is not distinct. May he, ever to be meditated upon as the beginning of the universe, have compassion upon me: may he, the supporter of all, in whom every thing is warped and woven[8], undecaying, imperishable, have compassion upon me. Glory, again and again, to that being to whom all returns, from whom all proceeds; who is all, and in whom all things are: to him whom I also am; for he is every where; and through whom all things are from me. I am all things: all things are in me, who am everlasting. I am undecayable, ever enduring, the receptacle of the spirit of the supreme. Brahma is my name; the supreme soul, that is before all things, that is after the end of all. ootnotes and references:
[1]: These are the four Upāyas, 'means of success,' specified in the Amera-koṣa.
1.19 - GOD IS NOT MOCKED, #The Perennial Philosophy, #Aldous Huxley, #Philosophy
Meanwhile, on the credit side of the balance sheet, we find such items as the following: an immense increase in technical and governmental efficiency and an immense increase in scientific knowledgeeach of them a result of the general shift of Western mans attention from the eternal to the temporal order, first within the sphere of Christianity and then, inevitably, outside it.
next chapter: 1.20 - TANTUM RELIGIO POTUIT SUADERE MALORUM
1.19 - The Practice of Magical Evocation, #The Practice of Magical Evocation, #Franz Bardon, #Occultism
Venus-intelligence called HAGIEL. The magician will, of course, proceed in the same manner in respect of any other spirit being or intelligence; however, he will always have to take into consideration the laws of analogy effective in each individual sphere in respect of the accumulation of coloured light.
Before the magician begins the actual evocation he must know in advance exactly, apart from having worked out a precise plan, from which plane or sphere he intends to call a being, or intelligence, and what he indends to ask from it. In part two of this book, dealing with the hierarchy of beings, the magician will find a number of good, (i. e. positive) beings of various individual spheres, a large selection, enabling him to choose the being, according to his wish, which will help him to realize his plans. It must be understood, however, that this book by no means gives the reader complete information on all beings and intelligences, for there are thousands of them in each plane and sphere. But the intelligences mentioned will be, in general, sufficient for practical work.
Let us assume that the magician has decided to evoke the
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Finally you put round your head your magus-band or put on the magic headgear with a feeling of true relationship to God, and that not you as a magician, but that God is actually carrying through the whole operation. You must unite yourself with the divine principle inside you in such a way that you have the feeling that you are the deity itself. Having done all this, you are able to go a further step in your operation. You light the magic lamp, which, in our case, must fill the room with a lightgreen light. Set the magic lamp in a place round which you will be able to draw the magic circle or hang it up in the centre of the room. This does not mean that the lamp must be exactly in the centre of the room though it would have the advantage that the whole room gets an equal light. Your next task will be the setting up and impregnation of the magic mirror, if you like, of two magic mirrors. In this example instructions are given for the use of two mirrors. One mirror is to bring about the materialization of Hagiel in the physical world, the other is to keep off unwanted influences. Being conscious of the fact that not you, but the deity is carrying out the procedure, you create, by the help of the imagination, a great sea of light in a wonderful emerald colour, which, also by imagination, you accumulate from the whole universe into the mirror in a manner that the whole surface of the mirror is taken up by this colour. The power of illumination of the condensed green light must be so strong as to illuminate completely the room in which you work. At that moment you must have the imaginative impression that this accumulated light is actually a power matrix, a fluid, which can almost be seen by the physical eye. In any case you must have the permanent impression that you are moving about in the room in an oscillation of green light. This is the way to prepare, magically, the room for the being to be evoked, and in a room like this there will be no more obstacles for the being and it will feel the atmo sphere of its own sphere. Already at the moment you accumulate the light you concentrate on the idea that the purpose of this accumulation is to condense the evoked spirit being in a manner that you can see it with your physical eyes and hear it with your physical ears. The stronger your imagination, belief, will and conviction, the better condensed and truer Hagiel will appear to you. When impregnating the room, do not forget to include that you wish the accumulated planetary light-power to remain in the mirror and in the room until you dissolve it again by force of your imagination.
Similar examples are given in "Initiation into Hermetics" in the chapter dealing with room-impregnation and here you find the evidence that all the exercises and magic operations of that first work have their special purpose. You will also see that when carrying out further magical operations you will not be able to do without any of these practices. If you have not actively gone through the exercises of the first book you are unable to get into conscious contact with any spirit being outside you, or of materialising such a being.
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* With regard to the various spheres the blotting paper must have the following shapes: for the sphere of Saturn a triangle of Jupiter a quadrangle of Mars a pentagon of the Sun a hexagon of Venus a heptagon of Mercury an octagon of the Moon a nonagon
As far as the earth.zone or any other zones are concerned the round shape of the seal is to be maintained. seal is now ready and you can start preparing the circle and the triangle. If you have a circle sewn into a piece of cloth or painted on a piece of paper you put it on the floor beside the triangle and once more run over its lines with the magic wand or with your right hand, or with one finger of your right hand, meditating on the idea that they represent the eternity, the microcosm and macrocosm, that they are symbolizing the whole universe in its great and in its small aspect. The circle, in the middle of which you must stand when calling the intelligence, is for you the small and the great world. Your meditative attitude must be so strong that no other idea can exist in your mind at that moment.
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The manifestation of Hagiel would not succeed: not as far as her appearance and, naturally, also not as far as her influencing power is concerned. If these preparations are finished, too, you put the triangle in front of the circle and place the seal prepared in the middle of the triangle. Some magicians intensify the threedimensional effect of the being to be evoked by placing into each corner of the triangle a small spirit lamp and by lighting it. The fuel he uses must be an extract of spirit and camomile, i. e. a fluid condenser in which the magician has already accumulated, by the help of imagination, the three-dimensional world. When the spirit lamps, which are provided with small wicks, are burning, much like the spirit lamps of laboratories, the power of imagination concentrated in the fuel slowly expands in the room as the fuel slowly evaporates. By this, the materialization of the evoked being is supported. However, the setting up of spirit lamps is not absolutely necessary, but it is a good aid, especially for beginners, for a beginner in evocational practice needs many more supports than a magician with experience in this kind of work. Beginners may place such lamps, in regular intervals, not only in the triangle but also along the line inside the circle. The number of lamps to be placed inside the circle depends on the analogous number of the relevant planet. In our case an intelligence is involved which belongs to the sphere of Venus to which the number seven appertains. For your information the relevant numbers are given below which belong to the planets: if necessary, use for the Earth-zone
10 lamps for zone of the Moon
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The censer now comes into the picture. The magician either places it between the circle and the triangle or directly into the triangle. The censer is either filled with burning charcoal, or has a wick and over this a little copper plate fixed. This plate is heated by the flame. The powder in the censer must in all cases correspond to the being's sphere and is to be placed on the plate. Since, in our case, we are dealing with an intelligence from Venus, ground Cinnamon-bark will suffice as incense. Only a small quantity should be used so that the room just faintly smells of cinnamon. cinnamon-tincture can also be used, and a few drops of this substance must then be poured on the copper-plate. You will get this liquid substance from any chemist, though, you may also prepare it yourself, if you wish. Just mix normal cinnamon with two thirds of spirit of wine and let it stand and draw for eight days. After this period filter it and the cinnamon tincture is ready for use. If, during magical operations, you do not intend to work with a censer, put a few drops of cinnamon tincture on a piece of blotting paper. In either case the smell of cinnamon will create a temple-atmo sphere agreeable to the intelligence of Hagiel, and this atmo sphere will also help with the materialization of the intelligence in our physical world. The censering of the room, however, is not at all so important as some books would have it.
It is just another aid.
Surplus censering of the room usually has the disadvantage of making the magician to cough, which is neither desirable nor agreeable. Pernicious poisoning drugs and mixtures of narcotic substances will never be used by a true magician. If the magician is dealing with a being not belonging to any of the seven planetary spheres and is not sure about the exact analogy in respect of the incense he may use a universal fluid condenser when he censes his room. This rule is mainly applicable for beings coming from the earth-zone. The fluid condenser has to be appropriately impregnated, i. e. the accumulation of the light fuel has to be carried out at the same time as the magician is concentrating on the wish for success.
Below you will find a list of the incenses to be applied for the various spheres. It must, however, be pointed out that incense can only serve as an aid for the materialization at the beginning. It is by no means absolutely necessary.
1. Zone Girdling the Earth: Sage powder and elder-pith, in equal parts;
--
For all other spheres a substance in form of a universal mixture will suffice: church incense, myrrh, storax, benzoe and aloe
(pulverized and in equal quantities).
--
Since we are dealing, in the assumed case, with Hagiel, that is, with a positive planetary intelligence, you may fasten your magic sword to your magic belt, on the left side of your body. If you have among your magical implements a dagger, you also put this implement under your belt, for a good being - no matter from which sphere it may come - will hardly ever require the use of a sword or a dagger. If, however, you were dealing with a demonic being, you would have to hold the dagger or sword in your right hand as the symbol of victory; your magic wand would, in such a case, have to be in your left. By putting the sword to your belt you express the idea that the being concerned will not have to be forced by any means to do your will. With regard to stubborn beings the magician will not be able to do without the sword or dagger. Negative beings are ordered by the magician, with the help of the flaming sword as the symbol of victory, to render him absolute obedience and to do whatever he wants. There exists not one demonic being which the magician would not be able to make obedient to his will. All he needs to do is to hold the point of his sword in the direction of the place where he wants the being to appear and the negative being will immediately do what the magician orders it to do. Since every being has a drive of selfpreservation, all demons are afraid of the magic sword or dagger, for in true relationship with God a magic sword or dagger would, to speak symbolically, tear a demon to pieces.
Take your magic wand into your right hand, step into the centre of the circle and concentrate on the idea that you are the centre, that you are God, the sovereign of all spheres and that you are with your all-consciousness at the same moment in the Venus sphere. As a divine principle you call in your mind the intelligence Hagiel as if you would call its name, in your mind, throughout the whole sphere of the Venus. You must be convinced that your calling the name is heard everywhere in the Venus sphere and that Hagiel, acknowledging you as her God, also hears you. Remain in this state of stress for a few moments, for your spirit will then conceive that Hagiel is answering you in your mind. Since you are in the Venus- sphere with your allconsciousness you will first register Hagiel's voice as if it were coming from the inmost depth of your own spirit. As soon as you hear the voice of Hagiel and as soon as you are sure that you see the spirit being, you return to your soul, keeping up your consciousness of being God himself, and you will find yourself reunited with your soul within your physical body. Now call for
Hagiel again, this time actually whispering, and repeat the name a few times in the same manner. You will at once realize that
Hagiel is already in your astral atmo sphere, that she is already present in your room. If your operations have been successfully carried on up to this moment where Hagiel has come to your place of working, above the seal, then call in an undertone, or even aloud, that Hagiel should appear to you physically. At the moment of transition from the astral to the physical world never forget to convince yourself of the three forms of existence of your personality, so that you feel yourself allied to the astral body as a spirit and that you are with both these bodies at the same time in your physical body. This act of self-control is to help the being to follow the course of your thoughts and to betake itself from its own sphere into the sphere which you have prepared for it in your room. This means that the being appears in its mental and astral shape and that, depending on your power to materialize, it also assumes a physically condensed body.
You can now see and hear Hagiel in your magic triangle, or, if you have appropriately prepared your magic mirror for the appearance of this intelligence, Hagiel will appear in the mirror in accordance with her symbolic lay-out of the qualities of the
--
If you have reached an agreement with Hagiel on everything and if Hagiel has promised to fulfil your wishes, you can be sure that she will really keep her promise. All that now remains for you to do is to send this intelligence off again. You offer your thanks quite individually, for instance, by expressing your pleasure in the fact that Hagiel wholly acknowledges you as a genuine magician and is obedient to you, and then you ask the intelligence to return to her own sphere. With your allconsciousness you place yourself into the Venus sphere and concentrate by means of the imagination that Hagiel is returning from the partial sphere of your room to her domicil. After having done this meditative step you return as a magician from your allconsciousness to your normal consciousness, thereby bringing the evocation to an end. Staying in the room in which you have carried out the evocation you will find yourself, for a while after
Hagiel's departure, in a state of happiness, a feeling of bliss will pervade you, and, as if dominated by true happiness, you will find yourself in a state of exaltation. If you please, you may remain in the room within the magic circle for some time and reconstruct the whole experience with Hagiel once more in your mind so that you will remember well every part of it when you completely finish your evocation. By help of imagination you dissolve the accumulated light into the universe, take the sign out of the triangle and put it away in safe keeping. You can leave the circle without any danger, put out the lamps, etc. All magical instruments and aids are returned to their repository. If Hagiel has informed you of any special knowledge which you should not put down in writing, but merely keep well in your head, the knowledge being intended for you alone, then you must comply with such a wish. Otherwise you enter the procedure of the whole evocation into your diary to enable you to keep a good control over your workings and to have a reference book for them. You can follow the same procedure as with Hagiel in respect of any other being from any other sphere. By and by you will also become a perfect master in this respect and your personal experience will grow immensely.
The description of the practice of a magical evocation is herewith completed.
1.200-1.224 Talks, #Talks, #Sri Ramana Maharshi, #Hinduism
In the sphere of speech Pranava (the mystic sound AUM) represents the transcendental (nirguna) and the Panchakshari (the five-syllabled mantra) represents the immanent aspect (saguna).
Again Sri Bhagavan recounts the anecdote of Parvati testing Rama.
12.02 - The Stress of the Spirit, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 04, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
And yet, at bottom, it is not such an absolute determinism, this cosmos, however apparently it may prove itself to be so. It is found, actually, that behind and in and through this ineluctable fatalism there are aberrations, freaks that do not adhere to the common pattern. In the overall macrocosmic view the reign of the fixed law is perhaps absolute but in the microcosm of infinitesimals fissures appear, discrepancies show themselves. All strict calculations turn out in the end to be mere approximations, only they tend to become more and more approximate. It is like the asymptote or the race between the hare and the tortoise in the famous storya mathematical puzzlewhere the hare starting behind can never catch up with the tortoise however fast he may run. With the discovery of new factors (sometimes only a new way of calculation) the gap is sought to be reduced, but the approximation remains. For example, the bending of a ray of light from a star passing by the solar sphere is a subject for interesting calculation: between the figure as given by the Einstein equation and the actual measurement there is a difference, although slight, yet a difference. Such differences are usually explained by some kind of intervention and if that intervention does not fully explain it, another intervention is brought in, and still the hiatus continues. This is just an example. The ultimate particles of matter, points of electric charge (or no-charge), points of tension are incalculables; their position or velocity is an indeterminate, not because of the infinitesimal size of the quantum, their very nature is so; they are erratic in their own essence. And one can justifiably ascribe a kind of free will to these ultimate, almost immaterial material particles, although when they are in bundles or groups they behave quite reasonably and are very obedient to the law, but singly each possesses or is capable of possessing a free independent movement. There is a basis here of the spirit of independence that shows itself more clearly in the biological units, and of course, very overtly and patently in the human mental consciousness.
There seems to be an entity lying at the other end away from Matter, it is the Spirit, the individual Conscious Being. If Matter is Bondage, Law, Determinism, Spirit is Freedom, Liberty, Self-choice. That is the well-known dualityPurusha and Prakriti, that divide existence between themselves. Purusha is the conscient Being, and Prakriti the inconscient becoming. These dual realities are however not irrevocably distinct and separate incommensurables. They are not unbridgeable units foreign to each other. The conscient being infuses itself into the inconscient becoming and initiates a conscious movement in the unconscious field. Thus where there was the absolute determinism of matter, sparks from the free consciousness intervene and modify the settled balance. That is the inner sense of the aberrations that one observes in the play even of physical laws. It is just the beginning of the stress of consciousness in unconscious matter. That stress increases in the march of time, in the process of evolution; and the natural freedom of the subject impinges on the rigid law of the object making it more and more pliable and plastic, more and more malleable and even reversible. In man a balance is struck between freedom and bondage although apparently bondage overweighs freedom. In the higher evolved status of being man arrives and can arrive at yet greater degrees of freedom and in the end eliminate altogether the element of bondage and transmute it into the self-expressed rhythm of the higher consciousness. The supreme Divine Consciousness or Being is that where Nature's determinism is dissolved in the self-law of the All Spirit, the Divine Will becoming the law of the being.
12.05 - The World Tragedy, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 04, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
It is to be noted that death does not mean literally or exclusively the physical event, disintegration and disappearance of the body: it is rather the symbol of the corrosive consciousness of the ordinary ignorant life. There is the ignorant consciousness making up the lower half circle of the integral life and there is the luminous consciousness making up the higher half circle. In between there is, as I have said, a border range which partakes of the nature of both. In psychological terms, the lower is the predominantly vital and physical ranges with a modicum of the mental shading into the higher mental. Up till here it is more or less the region of ignorance. Then comes the higher mind with its aspiring will: this is the purificatory agent the purgatory the crucible where forces are generated to stir and change and renovate the inferior sphere of our life. Indeed it is the region of the j-cakra in Tantric terminology: in modern terms you may call it the control-room, or in most modern lunar vocabulary, the command-module. It is from here that the first changes towards a higher and purer functioning are initiated in our lower limbs, the body, the vital and even the lower mental. Beyond is the overhead and overmental and still higher ranges. The luminous consciousness, the touch of immortality begins with the overhead and the overmental. As we enter the overhead, we shake off the shadow of death upon us and our mortal nature. The Upanishad speaks of two kinds of knowledge that have to be known, two forms of consciousness that have to be acquired in order to become the full integral Divine being. First you have to know, to become aware of the existence of ignorance, the primal or primitive nature and through that awareness or knowledge probe into its character and movement and destiny. Ignorance, pure ignorance leads towards disintegration and death, but to be aware of the ignorance is already a step towards enlightening the ignorance and redeeming it into knowledge. By this knowledge of the ignorance you release it from the grip of death; when you have the full consciousness of the ignorance you transcend the region of death, and free from death, free from ignorance you have the knowledge of knowledge and with the knowledge of knowledge, that is to say, with the full revelation of it you are one with Truth that is Immortality. The delight of immortality is love; love's own status and home is Paradise.
The Paradise, the svargyam lokam of the Upanishads is not necessarily utterly afar and aloof, sundered from this world. The kingdom of heaven instead of being wholly within and absolutely beyond can be and has to be brought out and down upon and into earth, established here below in the fullness of its own glory. That is the material epiphany, the transformation of the physical nature, the ultimate and inevitable destiny of earth and mankind.
1.20 - Death, Desire and Incapacity, #The Life Divine, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
13:If the individualised force were the energy of a mind free from ignorance, no such limitation, no such necessity of desire would intervene. For a mind not separated from supermind, a mind of divine knowledge would know the intention, scope and inevitable result of its every act and would not crave or struggle but put forth an assured force self-limited to the immediate object in view. It would, even in stretching beyond the present, even in undertaking movements not intended to succeed immediately, yet not be subject to desire or limitation. For the failures also of the Divine are acts of its omniscient omnipotence which knows the right time and circumstance for the incipience, the vicissitudes, the immediate and the final results of all its cosmic undertakings. The mind of knowledge, being in unison with the divine Supermind, would participate in this science and this all-determining power. But, as we have seen, individualised life-force here is an energy of individualising and ignorant Mind, Mind that has fallen from the knowledge of its own Supermind. Therefore incapacity is necessary to its relations in Life and inevitable in the nature of things; for the practical omnipotence of an ignorant force even in a limited sphere is unthinkable, since in that sphere such a force would set itself against the working of the divine and omniscient omnipotence and unfix the fixed purpose of things, - an impossible cosmic situation. The struggle of limited forces increasing their capacity by that struggle under the driving impetus of instinctive or conscious desire is therefore the first law of Life. As with desire, so with this strife; it must rise into a mutually helpful trial of strength, a conscious wrestling of brother forces in which the victor and vanquished or rather that which influences by action from above and that which influences by retort of action from below must equally gain and increase. And this again has eventually to become the happy shock of divine interchange, the strenuous clasp of Love replacing the convulsive clasp of strife. Still, strife is the necessary and salutary beginning. Death, Desire and Strife are the trinity of divided living, the triple mask of the divine Life-principle in its first essay of cosmic self-affirmation.
1.20 - HOW MAY WE CONCEIVE AND HOPE THAT HUMAN UNANIMIZATION WILL BE REALIZED ON EARTH?, #The Future of Man, #Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, #Christianity
the natural sphere of our interhuman affinities except the emer-
gence of a powerful field of internal attraction, in which we shall
1.21 - Tabooed Things, #The Golden Bough, #James George Frazer, #Occultism
strongly felt in the sphere of religion, is sufficient by itself to
account for the superstitious aversion to iron entertained by kings
1.21 - WALPURGIS-NIGHT, #Faust, #Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, #Poetry
In the sphere of dreams enchanted.
Do thy bidding, guide us truly,
1.22 - Dominion over different provinces of creation assigned to different beings, #Vishnu Purana, #Vyasa, #Hinduism
WHEN Prithu was installed in the government of the earth, the great father of the spheres established sovereignties in other parts of the creation. Soma was appointed monarch of the stars and planets, of Brahmans and of plants, of sacrifices and of penance. Vaisravaṇa was made king over kings; and Varuṇa, over the waters. Viṣṇu was the chief of the Ādityas; Pāvaka, of the Vasus; Dakṣa, of the patriarchs; Vāsava, of the winds. To Prahlāda was assigned dominion over the Daityas and Dānavas; and Yama, the king of justice, was appointed the monarch of the Manes (Pitris). Airāvata was made the king of elephants; Garuḍa, of birds; Indra, of the gods. Uccaiśravas was the chief of horses; Vṛṣabha, of kine. Śeṣa became the snake-king; the lion, the monarch of the beasts; and the sovereign of the trees was the holy fig-tree[1]. Having thus fixed the limits of each authority, the great progenitor Brahmā stationed rulers for the protection of the different quarters of the world: he made Sudhanwan, the son of the patriarch Viraja, the regent of the east; Sa
khapāda, the son of the patriarch Kardama, of the south; the immortal Ketumat, the son of Rajas, regent of the west; and Hiraṇyaroman, the son of the patriarch Parjanya, regent of the north[2]. By these the whole earth, with its seven continents and its cities, is to the present day vigilantly protected, according to their several limits.
1.2.2 - The Place of Study in Sadhana, #Letters On Yoga IV, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
It [the study of logic] is a theoretical training; you learn by it some rules of logical thinking. But the application depends on your own intelligence. In any sphere of knowledge or action a man may be a good theorist but a poor executant. A very good military theorist and critic if put in comm and of an army might very well lose all his battles, not being able to suit the theories rightly to the occasion. So a theoretical logician may bungle the problems of thought by want of insight, of quickness of mind or of plasticity in the use of his capacities. Besides, logic is not the whole of thinking; observation, intuition, sympathy, many-sidedness are more important.
***
1.28 - Supermind, Mind and the Overmind Maya, #The Life Divine, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
2:Still there is one aspect of this problem which must be immediately considered; it is the gulf created between Mind as we know it and the supramental Truth-Consciousness of which we have found Mind in its origin to be a subordinate process. For this gulf is considerable and, if there are no gradations between the two levels of consciousness, a transition from one to the other, either in the descending involution of Spirit into Matter or the corresponding evolution in Matter of the concealed grades leading back to the Spirit, seems in the highest degree improbable, if not impossible. For Mind as we know it is a power of the Ignorance seeking for Truth, groping with difficulty to find it, reaching only mental constructions and representations of it in word and idea, in mind formations, sense formations, - as if bright or shadowy photographs or films of a distant Reality were all that it could achieve. Supermind, on the contrary, is in actual and natural possession of the Truth and its formations are forms of the Reality, not constructions, representations or indicative figures. No doubt, the evolving Mind in us is hampered by its encasement in the obscurity of this life and body, and the original Mind principle in the involutionary descent is a thing of greater power to which we have not fully reached, able to act with freedom in its own sphere or province, to build more revelatory constructions, more minutely inspired formations, more subtle and significant embodiments in which the light of Truth is present and palpable. But still that too is not likely to be essentially different in its characteristic action, for it too is a movement into the Ignorance, not a still unseparated portion of the Truth-Consciousness. There must be somewhere in the descending and ascending scale of Being an intermediate power and plane of consciousness, perhaps something more than that, something with an original creative force, through which the involutionary transition from Mind in the Knowledge to Mind in the Ignorance was effected and through which again the evolutionary reverse transition becomes intelligible and possible. For the involutionary transition this intervention is a logical imperative, for the evolutionary it is a practical necessity. For in the evolution there are indeed radical transitions, from indeterminate Energy to organised Matter, from inanimate Matter to Life, from a subconscious or submental to a perceptive and feeling and acting Life, from primitive animal mentality to conceptive reasoning Mind observing and governing Life and observing itself also, able to act as an independent entity and even to seek consciously for self-transcendence; but these leaps, even when considerable, are to some extent prepared by slow gradations which make them conceivable and feasible. There can be no such immense hiatus as seems to exist between supramental Truth-Consciousness and the Mind in the Ignorance.
3:But if such intervening gradations exist, it is clear that they must be superconscient to human mind which does not seem to have in its normal state any entry into these higher grades of being. Man is limited in his consciousness by mind and even by a given range or scale of mind: what is below his mind, submental or mental but nether to his scale, readily seems to him subconscious or not distinguishable from complete inconscience; what is above it is to him superconscious and he is almost inclined to regard it as void of awareness, a sort of luminous Inconscience. Just as he is limited to a certain scale of sounds or of colours and what is above or below that scale is to him inaudible and invisible or at least indistinguishable, so is it with his scale of mental consciousness, confined at either extremity by an incapacity which marks his upper and his nether limit. He has no sufficient means of communication even with the animal who is his mental congener, though not his equal, and he is even capable of denying mind or real consciousness to it because its modes are other and narrower than those with which in himself and his kind he is familiar; he can observe submental being from outside but cannot at all communicate with it or enter intimately into its nature. Equally the superconscious is to him a closed book which may well be filled only with empty pages. At first sight, then, it would appear as if he had no means of contact with these higher gradations of consciousness: if so, they cannot act as links or bridges and his evolution must cease with his accomplished mental range and cannot exceed it; Nature in drawing these limits has written finis to his upward endeavour.
1.28 - The Killing of the Tree-Spirit, #The Golden Bough, #James George Frazer, #Occultism
the savage, with his narrow sphere of observation and his
short-lived tradition, lacks the very elements of that experience
13.01 - A Centurys Salutation to Sri Aurobindo The Greatness of the Great, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 05, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
In other words, the yogi, the Divine, the Impersonal man in Sri Aurobindo was the real person always there from the very birth. Thus we see him starting life exactly with the thing where every one ends. In his inner being he had not to pass through the gradations that lead an ordinary person gradually towards the widening ranges of consciousness and existence. In all the stations of his life, in every sphere and status Sri Aurobindo was doing his duties, that is, his workkartavyam karmaselflessly, which means with no sense of self, or perhaps we should say, with supreme Selfhoodness; for such is the character, the very nature of the born yogi, the Godman. The duties done for and within a frame of life tend always to overflow, as it were, the boundaries and do not always strictly follow the norm of the limited frame. For example, even while in the family life, in the midst of relatives and close friends he was never moved by mere attachment or worldly ties, he was impelled to do what he had to in the circumstances, unattached, free, under another command. Again, when he chose the larger field of national life, here too, he was not limited to that frame, his patriotism was not chauvinism or a return to the parochialism of the past; his patriotism was broad-based upon the sense of human solidarity and even the broad-based humanity was not broad enough for the consciousness in him; for humanity does not mean mere humanitarianism, charity, benevolence, or service to mankind. True humanity can be or is to be reached by pushing it still farther into the Divinity where men are not merely brothers or even portions of the Divine but one with Him, the self-same being and personality.
Thus, Sri Aurobindo was an ideal worker, the perfect workman doing the work appropriate to the field of work according to its norm, faultless in execution. As a family man, as a citizen, as a patriot, he carried out his appointed function not in any personal sense with the feeling or consciousness of any individual personality but a large impersonal personality free from ego-sense which is the hallmark of a luminous cosmic consciousness, based upon a still higher and transcendent standing.
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This is the force which Sri Aurobindo has disclosed and put at the disposal of mankind. This is the force he has set free that is creating a new world,reorganising and remoulding, through a great travail indeed, our ancient sphere that will cradle the earth of the golden age.
II
13.07 - The Inter-Zone, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 05, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
Death is carrying away Satyavan, the luminous soul of Satyavan. The Great Shadow is leading the way, Satyavan following and Savitri clinging to his steps. Death saw Savitri pursuing, he turned and tried to dissuade her from the pursuit. Savitri refused to turn back. Death warned her, it was already a wrong and anomalous act that she has done to have crossed over to his sphere in her earthly personal being. It is time now to go back. Savitri answered that she would go back only with Satyavan in his earthly body. Death became impatient and answered: "You ask for the impossible. You want to go back to earth for earthly happiness. You can have that in plenty without Satyavan. Satyavan has passed beyond and there is no return for him." But Savitri was firm in her resolution:
"I claim back Satyavan as he was, my happiness is with him alone."
13.08 - The Return, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 05, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
Satyavan lay on the green sward, over him and around green branches spread their peaceful felicity. His head reposed upon the lap of Savitri exactly as he lay at the last fateful hour confronting the mighty shadow as if there were no gap or hiatus in between, the great intervening experience was just a momentary vision and not the ageless Calvary that it seemed to be in the other sphere. But now
The waking gladness of her members felt
1.31 - Adonis in Cyprus, #The Golden Bough, #James George Frazer, #Occultism
have escaped from some higher sphere, they are outpourings of
eternal harmony, the voice of angels, the Magnificat of saints. It
1.32 - How can a Yogi ever be Worried?, #Magick Without Tears, #Aleister Crowley, #Philosophy
The other way may be called the Taoist aspect. First, however, let me explain the point of view of the Master of the Temple, as it is so similar. You should remember from your reading what happens in this Grade. The new Master is "cast out" into the sphere appropriate to the nature of his own particular Great Work. And it is proper for him to act in true accordance with the nature of the man as he was when he passed through that sphere (or Grade) on his upward journey. Thus, if he be cast out into 3 = 8, it is no part of his work to aim at the virtues of a 4 = 7; all that has been done long before. It is no business of his to be bothering his head about anything at all but his Work; so he must react to events as they occur in the way natural to him without trying to "improve himself." (This, of course, applies not only to worry, but to all his funny little ways.)
The Taoist position differs little, but it is independent of all considerations of the man's attainment; it is an universal rule based on a particular theory of things in general. Thus, "benevolence and righteousness" are not "virtues;" they are only symptoms of the world-disease, in that they should be needed. The same applies to all conditions, and to all modes of seeking to modify them. There is only one proper reaction to event; that is, to adjust oneself with perfect elasticity to whatever happens.
1.34 - Fourth Division of the Ninth Circle, the Judecca Traitors to their Lords and Benefactors. Lucifer, Judas Iscariot, Brutus, and Cassius. The Chasm of Lethe. The Ascent., #The Divine Comedy, #Dante Alighieri, #Christianity
Thou hast thy feet upon the little sphere
Which makes the other face of the Judecca.
1.3.5.04 - The Evolution of Consciousness, #Essays Divine And Human, #Sri Aurobindo, #Integral Yoga
When Nature, the Divine Power, had formed a body erect and empowered to think, to devise, to inquire into itself and things and work consciously both on things and self, she had what she wanted for her secret aim; relegating all else to the sphere of secondary movements, she turned toward that long-hidden aim her main highest forces. For all till then was a long strenuously slow preparation; but throughout it the development of consciousness in which the appearance of man was the crucial
The Evolution of Consciousness
1.38 - Woman - Her Magical Formula, #Magick Without Tears, #Aleister Crowley, #Philosophy
In the sphere I am everywhere the centre, as she, the circumference, is nowhere found.
Yet she shall be known & I never. [1-4]
14.04 - More of Yajnavalkya, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 05, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
In the spiritual sphere also Sri Aurobindo gives us the same ideal and outlook. In the early days spiritual realisation was sought for personal salvation, a complete renunciation of the world, absolute freedom from this transient unhappy world anityam asukham lokam imam. The individual person leaves his individual existence upon earth and retires and merges into the Infinite Brahman. But here in Sri Aurobindo's Revelation we are taught that the individual realisation and spiritual attainment is not to dissolve oneself into the nameless formless Beyond but to maintain it, preserve it in a pure divine form, for the sake of the sorrowful ignorant world. The knowledge, the power, the delight that the individual gains-not as something merely individual but as the result of one's identity with the universal are at the service of earth and humanity so that these may be transformed and share in the same realisation. One becomes spiritually free and complete and enters into all so that all may be transformed into a new divine reality.
Sri Aurobindo, Bande Mataram, Sri Aurobindo' Birth Centenary Library, Vol. 1, p. 516.
14.07 - A Review of Our Ashram Life, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 05, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
The work that Mother could do then and was doing, she has herself described and explained to us. It was the creation of a worlda region at leastof the higher consciousness in which everyone who participated had his own place, everyone with his soul-being sufficiently in front; and this being she could connect or link up with a being of the higher spherea counterpart, an over-soul as it were for each soul. It was a kind of descenta subtle incarnation of Gods which the Mother's Grace occasioned or brought about into the elevated and sublimated human level.
The ground had already been prepared, we may note, by the descent of the 24th November 1926the descent of the Overmind or Krishna-consciousness into Sri Aurobindo's body-consciousness and thence generally into the earth-atmo sphere and becoming its natural and permanent possession.
--
This creation of a luminous world in a higher sphere of the mind which Mother attempted could not be fully achieved; for the foundations were not properly laid, the basic ground was not prepared. Any higher structure of the mind and overmind must be built upon man's vital being and physical life. The new creation left out of account these realities of basement, so one had to come down, forgetting for the moment the higher realisation, into these darker regions and make a thorough cleaning of them. The regions of the vital consciousness and physical consciousness are, as we all know, full of human failings and dangerous complications. One had to leave the heavens and come down to these lower levels and tackle the problems that beset them, the crucial problems whose solution alone could lay a strong foundation for the final consummation, the supreme transformation. One had to face the stark realities there and master them before one could think of a heavenly ascent. So we all became once more ordinary human beings with human weaknesses and a modicum of aspiration perhaps. This was then the task given to all to battle through and conquer here below. The scene changed completely. A mid-summer night's dream turned almost into a sombre Hamlet-tragedy.
The first sign of this Return, this resumption of life as it is, was the re-assertion of the individual, the freedom of the personal unit. Because of the increased number of people and because of the incursion of children, the earlier frame could no longer hold good. The willing surrender of individuality is a lesson that has to be acquired and achieved: it is not just God's gift, for the many. The many have to grow, grow by degrees, through toil and trouble, and slowly led into the mysteries of the higher realisation of surrender and self-giving. And towards that consummation independence, freedom, is the first step. But once the climb down begins, it does not admit of an arrest, it becomes slide down, a continuous descent until you reach the very rock-bottom of the vale of tears. The Roman poet spoke of the easy descent down the cliffs to the river.2
--
The lower sphere of the vital and the physical is a mass of ignorant nature (prakriti)all moving together helplessly, mechanically, bound together indissolubly to one inexorable fate, and it stands on the rock of utter unconsciousness the Inconscientwhich is the very basis and stuff of that sphere. Consciousness, the conscient Being has to come down or emerge and penetrate there, break the hard block of inert matter, striking and scattering and throwing up as it were, its myriad disparate bits, turning them into particles of Light and Consciousness. These free sparks, the first-born of consciousness at the outset become erratic, errant conscious units, free but fighting against each other, each exclusive in its unitary consciousness: but that was the way towards a purer, higher, wider, integrating consciousness. As the consciousness works and moves forward, the dross, the grit is blown away and it works towards a clearer light and a harmonic weaving of all component units.
Weare thus in a transition period, it is an interregnum, it is beset with great difficulties but they are also great opportunities. The calvary is not merely a passage of pain and suffering, it is a purgatory, that is to say a period or a zone, a process where the being and consciousness is cleaning itself, throwing off its own scales, shuffling its old skin and in course of time it will come out in a rejuvenated body and in a harmonious setting. The Paradise lost will one day be thus regained. Paradise Lost thus will have one day inevitably as its sequel and consummation Paradise Regained.
1.45 - The Corn-Mother and the Corn-Maiden in Northern Europe, #The Golden Bough, #James George Frazer, #Occultism
for good or evil in many other spheres of nature and life. Again,
they bear individual or proper names, such as Demeter, Persephone,
1.46 - The Corn-Mother in Many Lands, #The Golden Bough, #James George Frazer, #Occultism
spirit on its elevation to a higher sphere. In such cases the
problem for mythology is, having got two distinct personifications
1.47 - Reincarnation, #Magick Without Tears, #Aleister Crowley, #Philosophy
As to (2) it seems to me fairly obvious. The doctrine of Karma is plain common sense; and although a terrestrial set of causes might conceivably have their effects in other spheres of action, as of course they do, it seems less trouble for them to remain in their original ambit. As I pointed out long ago, the Law of Karma is the Law of Inertia.
Nor is it necessary to assert that it always works out in this way; "sometimes" is quite good enough. Besides, to say "sometimes" explains (or rather, avoids) most of the evident objections to the theory. I grant you cheerfully that Reincarnation is a comparatively rare occurrence; and it throws upon the objector the onus of proving an A or an E proposition.[90]
1.49 - Thelemic Morality, #Magick Without Tears, #Aleister Crowley, #Philosophy
Then as to his "Means:" as he cannot possibly know for certain whether they are suitable or not, he can only rely on his inherited instincts, his learning, his traditions, and his experience. Of these all but the first lie wholly in the intellectual sphere, the Ruach, and can accordingly be knocked into any desired shape at will, by dint of a little manipulation: and if Thelema has freed him morally, as it should have done, from all the nonsense of Plato, Manu, Draco, Solon, Paul (with his harpy brood), John Stuart Mill and Kant, he can make his decision with purely objective judgment. (Where would mathematics be if certain solutions were a priori inadmissible?) But then, what about that plaguy first weapon in his armoury? It must be these instincts, simply because we have eliminated all the other possibilities.
What are they?
15.06 - Words, Words, Words..., #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 05, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
Now in a general way children all over the world are a privileged class. They possess what old age, even mature age does not possess or has lost. I mention two essential qualities pre-eminently belonging to the green age or to the "salad days": Happinessa child is ever happyin spite of its occasional weepings and wailingsand happiness means a radiant smile. To the old people I have often said, "Always smile. Mother has taught us how to smile in all circumstances." Well, that is the natural gift of the young A smile makes your life's journey smooth. In no other way can you remove so successfully the obstacles that beset you. And also that is the lever to lift up your consciousness it has a mysterious power that automatically relieves you of much of the burden of life, lightens you and leads you into a higher sphere. For smile is a divine quality. Next to Happiness, the natural virtue of a child-consciousness is Freedom. It does not find any barrier anywhere, it can do anything.
These two characteristic virtues of childhood themselves spring from another fundamental quality of young naturesimplicity, a spontaneous outflow of energy without any thinking of before or afternone of mind's complexities and hesitations.
In this sphere too, we have here for the play of these natural youthful qualities opportunities and advantages that are not easily available elsewhere. The atmo sphere of freedom that we enjoy is incomparableMo ther herself told us once.
As you grow, you must carry with you these fundamental qualities and you will remain ever young.
1.54 - On Meanness, #Magick Without Tears, #Aleister Crowley, #Philosophy
Now, then expand your thought; from he consideration of money (which we chose merely for convenience of discussion) apply these principles to the spheres of all the other planets. You will very soon heighten the enjoyment of life beyond all measure and belief!
Love is the law, love under will.
1.69 - Farewell to Nemi, #The Golden Bough, #James George Frazer, #Occultism
the sphere of order and correspondingly restricted the sphere of
apparent disorder in the world, till now we are ready to anticipate
1.70 - Morality 1, #Magick Without Tears, #Aleister Crowley, #Philosophy
Concentrate on "...thou hast no right but to do thy will." The point is that any possible act is to be performed if it is a necessary factor in that Equation of your Will. Any act that is not such a factor, however harmless, noble, virtuous or what not, is at the best a waste of energy. But there are no artificial barriers on any type of act in general. The standard of conduct has one single touchstone. There may be there will be every kind of difficulty in determining whether, by this standard, any given act is "right" or "wrong": but there should be no confusion. No act is righteous in itself, but only in reference to the True Will of the person who proposes to perform it. This is the Doctrine of Relativity applied to the moral sphere.
I think that, if you have understood this, the whole theory is now within your grasp; hold it fast, and lay about you!
17.10 - A Hymn, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 05, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
She brings into our path of vision the Essence however difficult to perceive, she brings into the sphere of speech even that which is too remote for words; she draws from the dry being the flow of the sap of life: she sustains the smallest of the small to the end of the ages. A Force indefinable, of marvellous plenitude, she is fostered and impelledas though herself possessing no autonomy of her ownby the ever-victorious golden glance gleaming from the divine lotus-eyes of our Lord.
We bow, we bow to the resplendent Light of the Master, the Light that has assumed the supreme form of a woman, the Light that liberates the imprisoned power of humanity from the bonds of weakness and ignorance and fashions it for the New Age.
18.03 - Tagore, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 05, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
Prepares itself in a mystery sphere
Through songs ringing out the secret heart's silent voices.
18.05 - Ashram Poets, #Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol 05, #Nolini Kanta Gupta, #Integral Yoga
the music of the spheres I sing,
O gift of Mother mine.
1.82 - Epistola Penultima - The Two Ways to Reality, #Magick Without Tears, #Aleister Crowley, #Philosophy
It seems to me that there are two ways and only two. Imagine for a moment that you are an orphan in charge of a guardian, inconceivably learned from your point of view. Suppose therefore that you are puzzled by some problem suitable to your childish nature, your obvious and most simple way is to approach your guardian and ask him to enlighten you. It is clearly part of his function as guardian to do his best to help you. Very good, that is the first method, and close parallel with what we understand by the word Magick. We are bothered by some difficulty about one of the elements say Fire it is therefore natural to evoke a Salamander to instruct you on the difficult point. But you must remember that your Holy Guardian Angel is not only far more fully instructed than yourself on every point that you can conceive, but you may go so far as to say that it is definitely his work, or part of his work; remembering always that he inhabits a sphere or plane which is entirely different from anything of which you are normally aware.
To attain to the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel is consequently without doubt by far the simplest way by which you can yourself approach that higher order of being.
1.83 - Epistola Ultima, #Magick Without Tears, #Aleister Crowley, #Philosophy
DIARY OF A DRUG FIEND, The A true story of drug addicts who were cured of their affliction by a strict rgime and the constant guidance of a Master. Reprint by Samuel Weiser available. An earlier reprint with annotations derived from those in Crowley's personal copy was printed by sphere Books in the 1970s but is now hard to find.
EQUINOX, The
1929-05-05 - Intellect, true and wrong movement - Attacks from adverse forces - Faith, integral and absolute - Death, not a necessity - Descent of Divine Consciousness - Inner progress - Memory of former lives, #Questions And Answers 1929-1931, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
Any part of the being that keeps to its proper place and plays its appointed role is helpful; but directly it steps beyond its sphere, it becomes twisted and perverted and therefore false. A power has the right movement when it is set into activity for the divines purpose; it has the wrong movement when it is set into activity for its own satisfaction.
The intellect, in its true nature, is an instrument of expression and action. It is something like an intermediary between the true knowledge, whose seat is in the higher regions above the mind, and realisation here below. The intellect or, generally speaking, the mind gives the form; the vital puts in the dynamism and life-power; the material comes in last and embodies.
1929-08-04 - Surrender and sacrifice - Personality and surrender - Desire and passion - Spirituality and morality, #Questions And Answers 1929-1931, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
If you have understood this, you will be ready to understand the difference, the great difference between spirituality and morality, two things that are constantly confused with each other. The spiritual life, the life of Yoga, has for its object to grow into the divine consciousness and for its result to purify, intensify, glorify and perfect what is in you. It makes you a power for manifesting of the Divine; it raises the character of each personality to its full value and brings it to its maximum expression; for this is part of the Divine plan. Morality proceeds by a mental construction and, with a few ideas of what is good and what is not, sets up an ideal type into which all must force themselves. This moral ideal differs in its constituents and its ensemble at different times and different places. And yet it proclaims itself as a unique type, a categoric absolute; it admits of none other outside itself; it does not even admit a variation within itself. All are to be moulded according to its single ideal pattern, everybody is to be made uniformly and faultlessly the same. It is because morality is of this rigid unreal nature that it is in its principle and its working the contrary of the spiritual life. The spiritual life reveals the one essence in all, but reveals too its infinite diversity; it works for diversity in oneness and for perfection in that diversity. Morality lifts up one artificial standard contrary to the variety of life and the freedom of the spirit. Creating something mental, fixed and limited, it asks all to conform to it. All must labour to acquire the same qualities and the same ideal nature. Morality is not divine or of the Divine; it is of man and human. Morality takes for its basic element a fixed division into the good and the bad; but this is an arbitrary notion. It takes things that are relative and tries to impose them as absolutes; for this good and this bad differ in differing climates and times, epochs and countries. The moral notion goes so far as to say that there are good desires and bad desires and calls on you to accept the one and reject the other. But the spiritual life demands that you should reject desire altogether. Its law is that you must cast aside all movements that draw you away from the Divine. You must reject them, not because they are bad in themselves,for they may be good for another man or in another sphere,but because they belong to the impulses or forces that, being unillumined and ignorant, stand in the way of your approach to the Divine. All desires, whether good or bad, come within this description; for desire itself arises from an unillumined vital being and its ignorance. On the other hand you must accept all movements that bring you into contact with the Divine. But you accept them, not because they are good in themselves, but because they bring you to the Divine. Accept then all that takes you to the Divine. Reject all that takes you away from it, but do not say that this is good and that is bad or try to impose your outlook on others; for, what you term bad may be the very thing that is good for your neighbour who is not trying to realise the Divine Life.
Let us take an illustration of the difference between the moral and the spiritual view of things. The ordinary social notions distinguish between two classes of men,the generous, the avaricious. The avaricious man is despised and blamed, while the generous man is considered unselfish and useful to society and praised for his virtue. But to the spiritual vision, they both stand on the same level; the generosity of the one, the avarice of the other are deformations of a higher truth, a greater divine power. There is a power, a divine movement that spreads, diffuses, throws out freely forces and things and whatever else it possesses on all the levels of nature from the most material to the most spiritual plane. Behind the generous man and his generosity is a soul-type that expresses this movement; he is a power for diffusion, for wide distribution. There is another power, another divine movement that collects and amasses; it gathers and accumulates forces and things and all possible possessions, whether of the lower or of the higher planes. The man you tax with avarice was meant to be an instrument of this movement. Both are important, both needed in the entire plan; the movement that stores up and concentrates is no less needed than the movement that spreads and diffuses. Both, if truly surrendered to the Divine, will be utilised as instruments for its divine work to the same degree and with an equal value. But when they are not surrendered both are alike moved by impulses of ignorance. One is pushed to throw away, the other is pulled towards keeping back; but both are driven by forces obscure to their own consciousness, and between the two there is little to choose. One could say to the much-praised generous man, from the higher point of vision of Yoga, All your impulses of generosity are nothing in the values of the spirit, for they come from ego and ignorant desire. And, on the other hand, among those who are accused of avarice, you can see sometimes a man amassing and hoarding, full of a quiet and concentrated determination in the work assigned to him by his nature, who, once awakened, would make a very good instrument of the Divine. But ordinarily the avaricious man acts from ego and desire like his opposite; it is the other end of the same ignorance. Both will have to purify themselves and change before they can make contact with the something higher that is behind them and express it in the way to which they are called by their nature.
1951-02-24 - Psychic being and entity - dimensions - in the atom - Death - exteriorisation - unconsciousness - Past lives - progress upon earth - choice of birth - Consecration to divine Work - psychic memories - Individualisation - progress, #Questions And Answers 1950-1951, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
Yes, in that sphere they are beginning to work miracles!
When you reach a certain state of consciousness, you remember [passing over to the other side]. It is not so difficult to touch this state partially for a short time; in deep meditation, in a dream or a vision one may have the feeling or the impression that he has lived this life before, had this realisation, known these truths. But this is not a full realisation; to come to that, one must have attained to a permanent consciousness within us which is everlasting and holds together all our existences in past or present or future time.
1951-03-17 - The universe- eternally new, same - Pralaya Traditions - Light and thought - new consciousness, forces - The expanding universe - inexpressible experiences - Ashram surcharged with Light - new force - vibrating atmospheres, #Questions And Answers 1950-1951, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
Each element of this universe is eternal because the universe is the Eternal. Now, in the Eternal it is difficult to speak of a beginning. Evidently It has always been and It will always be. Only, take for example (this is an image, remember, do not make me say things I do not say), take a sphere which is full of infinitesimal things in an incalculable number. If you change the relation of all these elements, well, the number is so great, the possibilities of relations so many that you may easily speak of an infinite, although from a philosophical point of view it is not an infinite; yet from a descriptive point of view one may say that it is infinite. Each element is eternal. All the combinations are infinite, but the same combination never repeats itself twice. Thus the universe is eternally new and yet it is eternally the same.
According to tradition it is said.
1951-04-17 - Unity, diversity - Protective envelope - desires - consciousness, true defence - Perfection of physical - cinema - Choice, constant and conscious - law of ones being - the One, the Multiplicity - Civilization- preparing an instrument, #Questions And Answers 1950-1951, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
You mean whether the protective envelope of which I spoke from a physical point of view can serve also from a moral, a psychological point of view? It is not the same envelope, it is another domain. A man may have this subtle-physical envelope quite intact and it may work marvellously to protect him from all illnesses and accidents, and yet at the same time he may be full of desires, because desires belong to another sphere. Desire is not a physical thing, desire is something vital, and this envelope is more material than the vital: it cannot prevent the vital from entering into contact with the vital world and receiving from there all its impulsions. Naturally he who has mastered himself, who has found his psychic being, who lives constantly in the consciousness of this psychic being, who has established a perfect relation or at least a constant relation with the inner divine Presence is enveloped in an atmo sphere of knowledge, light, beauty, purity, which is the best of all protections against desires, but all the same it is possible for desire to intrude if one is not always on ones guard, because we say that it comes from outside. One may have overcome a desire within oneself, and yet it may come from outside as a contagion; but through this envelope of light, knowledge and purity, the desire loses its force and instead of coming like a movement which evokes a blind and immediate response, one perceives what is happening, becomes aware of the force which wants to enter and one can quietlywhen it is not wantedmake an inner movement and reject the incoming desire. This is the only true defence: a wakeful consciousness, pure and alert, so to say, which does not sleep, does not let things enter without being aware of them. The worst thing is that people are quite unconscious and that it is only after the contagion has entered that they notice it, and it is a little late to reactis not impossible, but it is more difficultwhile if one sees it coming, if in the surrounding atmo sphere it comes making a kind of little black mark, one can chase it off as one would something disagreeable. But the protective envelope on the material plane has no effect in this instance.
This is indeed something very interesting. I have seen that material things are arranged in such a way at present that one could reach a high degree of perfection of the physical instrument in any field whatever, no matter what may be the degree of inner or psychic development. This was what I thought yesterday evening about the talkies. It is evidently a great progress in the cinematographic art and it cant be called in itself bad or good. It was that I had always seen only talkies of idiotic, vulgar, crude stories, indeed all the stupidities generally shown in cinemas, and this perfection of the instrument had made the crudity yet more crude, the stupidity yet more stupid, and this kind of impression of degradation yet more strong. But yesterday, when we saw that documentary with the beautiful birds singing. Those who made this film have taken great pains, one cant imagine how much of effort and work it entails to film birds in their nests without disturbing them, then to record the sound accurately enough to be able to amplify it and make it perceptible to all. It is a very big work they have done there. And it is the same perfecting of the same instrument which permitted the production of the lovely thing we saw yesterday evening and that ignoble thing we saw sometime ago. This makes us reflect deeply on material things.
1953-06-10, #Questions And Answers 1953, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
You have said here, in reference to the mind: Any part of the being that keeps to its proper place and plays its appointed role is helpful; but directly it steps beyond its sphere, it becomes twisted and perverted and therefore false. A power has the right movement when it is set into activity for the Divine purpose; it has the wrong movement when it is set into activity for its own satisfaction.
Questions and Answers 1929-1931 (5 May 1929)
When a part of the being steps beyond its sphere, why does it get deformed and perverted?
I use the word sphere in the sense of the place and the role one has to play. Each part of the being has its place in the whole and a definite role to play. If instead of playing that role, it wishes to play another, naturally it loses the qualities necessary for it to play its true role, and it cannot take up any others because they are foreign to it. So necessarily it gets deformed and perverted. For example, we say here that the true role of the mind is a formative role in relation to action. An idea enters the mind, the mind seizes it and gives it a form to realise it, changes it into a motive of action and sends it out towards the material field. The mind organises the idea so that it may be realised in action. This is its true role, and so long as it does that and does it with care, it fulfils its role, it abides in its place and is quite useful. But if the mind imagines that it knows, that it has no need of receiving knowledge and ideas from another part of the beinga higher partif it imagines that it knows and, by the association of inner movements, believes it has found some knowledge, which can never be but a reflection of something else, and if it wants to impose this knowledge upon the physical life, then it leaves its role and becomes a tyrantthis happens quite often to it, it is then completely perverted and instead of helping the sadhana, it brings it down. You can easily make this observation. Naturally, one must be able to follow the true working, the activities within oneself.
It is the same thing with the vital. The vital is meant to put in the drive, the realising force, the enthusiasm, the energy necessary for the idea formed by the mind to be transmitted to the body and realised in action. Well, so long as the vital limits itself to this activity, that is, sets all its energy, enthusiasm, strength to work in order to collaborate with the idea, it is very good. But if instead of that, all of a sudden, it is seized by a desire and this happens to it quite often and it uses all its qualities to realise, not the higher idea which wanted to manifest, but its own desire, then it steps beyond its zone of action, it gets perverted, it deforms everything and succeeds in creating catastrophes.
1953-09-23, #Questions And Answers 1953, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
That indeed is a serious question! You know the image sometimes given to the universe: a serpent biting its tail? And it is taken as the symbol of the infinite, of the universe. Well, it is a fact. In the creation there is a progressive, a greater and greater materialisation. But we could take another image (I am taking an approximate image): the universe is a circle or rather a sphere (but for the convenience of explanation, let us take a circle). There is a progressive descent from the most subtle to the most material. But the most material happens to touch the point of origin of the most subtle. Then, if you understand the image, instead of going all the way round to change matter, it is much more easy to do the thing directly, for the two extremities meet the extremely subtle and the extremely material touch, since it is a sphere. Hence, instead of doing all that (Mother draws a circle), it is much better to do this (Mother touches the extreme material end of the circle). In fact, psychologically it is that. The rest will follow quite naturally. If that is done (Mother touches the same extreme material end), all the rest will get settled as a matter of course. And it is not even like this! It is precisely for the convenience of work that all has been concentrated or concretised at one point so that instead of having to spread oneself out in the infinite to change things, one can work just on the point that serves as the symbol of the whole universe. And from the occult standpoint, earth (which is nothing from the astronomical standpoint; in the immensity of the astronomical skies, earth is a thing absolutely without interest and without importance), but from the occult and spiritual point of view, earth is the concentrated symbol of the universe. For it is much more easy to work on one point than in a diluted vastness. All those who do the work know this. Well, for the convenience and necessity of work, the whole universe has been concentrated and condensed symbolically in a grain of sand which is called Earth. And therefore it is the symbol of everything; all that is to be changed, all that is to be transformed, all that is to be converted is there. This means that if one concentrates on this work and does it there, all the rest will follow automatically, otherwise there will be no endand no hope.
But that is also why this point appears as particularly bad! Because everything is concentrated. And that can be particularly good also. For always there are the two, the two opposites are together. And always the best borders on the worst, or the worst borders on the best (it depends on the side you look from). But it is because of the worst that you can find the best and it is because of the best that you can transform the worst the two act and react upon each other. That was published in the Bulletin: the Evil Persona.2 It is always said that there is a dark double of all the stars and a luminous double of all the planets. In the occult way, it is said that there is a luminous earth. All that is the experience of the luminous earth. Sri Aurobindo has described the experience.
1953-11-04, #Questions And Answers 1953, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
The sphere is touched only by a part of the curve, the rest is evolved inside. It cannot be made. This one is opaque. But it was there was at the centre of the sphere an intersection of all the spirals.
What you have done there makes it flat, the way it is done. It is flat. As I saw it, the edge was touched by a section of the curve. Each curve has one part of the edge as section. And the colours were seen distinctly and one could see right through. I think you could do this geometrically. The whole surface is taken up by one section of the curve of the spiral.
Pavitra: Are these spirals on the surface of the sphere or inside?
No, the spirals are inside.
--
They are intersecting. Their direction is such that the whole sphere is formed by sections of each spiral.
Is the whole of the inside of the sphere filled with spirals?
The whole inside was naturally full of spirals, But as there was no substance (there were only spirals), one could see through. They were not so joined up as to make an opaque mass. And one could follow: the colours were brilliant, they were luminous. One could follow the line inside. And so it should be inferred that they were countless.
1955-05-25 - Religion and reason - true role and field - an obstacle to or minister of the Spirit - developing and meaning - Learning how to live, the elite - Reason controls and organises life - Nature is infrarational, #Questions And Answers 1955, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
Mother, here Sri Aurobindo says: In its own sphere of finite knowledge, science, philosophy, the useful arts, its right, one would think, must be indisputable. But this does not turn out in the end to be true
Then what should be the function of reason in the study of science, philosophy and the useful arts?
1956-08-29 - To live spontaneously - Mental formations Absolute sincerity - Balance is indispensable, the middle path - When in difficulty, widen the consciousness - Easiest way of forgetting oneself, #Questions And Answers 1956, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
And if one comes down to the sphere of action, it is still more difficult; for normally, if one wants to act with some kind of logic, one usually has to think out beforeh and what one wants to do and plan it before doing it, otherwise one may be tossed about by all sorts of desires and impulses which would be very far from the inspiration spoken about in Wu Wei; it would simply be movements of the lower nature driving you to act. Therefore, unless one has reached the state of wisdom and detachment of the Chinese sage mentioned in this story, it is better not to be spontaneous in ones daily actions, for one would risk being the plaything of all the most disorderly impulses and influences.
But once one enters the yoga and wants to do yoga, it is very necessary not to be the toy of ones own mental formations. If one wants to rely on ones experiences, one must take great care not to construct within oneself the notion of the experiences one wants to have, the idea one has about them, the form one expects or hopes to see. For, the mental formation, as I already have told you very often, is a real formation, a real creation, and with your idea you create forms which are to a certain extent independent of you and return to you as though from outside and give you the impression of being experiences. But these experiences which are either willed or sought after or expected are not spontaneous experiences and risk being illusionsat times even dangerous illusions.
1957-09-18 - Occultism and supramental life, #Questions And Answers 1957-1958, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
Because I thought that all knowledge of the invisible world entered the sphere of occultism.
Yes.
1957-12-04 - The method of The Life Divine - Problem of emergence of a new species, #Questions And Answers 1957-1958, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
In fact, you should do a little preparatory work and note down the new idea in each new paragraph, adding it to the preceding ideas so that at the end of the chapter you have the complete picture; for if you ask me a question now about what I have just read, this question may require an answer that is sometimes almost contradictory to what we have seen in the previous paragraph. That comes from his way of going about the proof. It is as though Sri Aurobindo were putting himself at the centre of a kind of sphere, at the centre of a wheel the spokes of which end in a circumference. And he always goes back to his starting-point and goes all the way out to the surface, and so on, which gives the impression that he repeats the same thing several times, but it is simply the exposition of the thought so that one can follow it. One must have a very clear memory for ideas to really understand what he says.
I am emphasising this because, unless you proceed systematically, you wont derive much benefit from this reading; it will appear to you like a maze where it is very difficult to find ones way. All the ideas are joined at the centre, and at the circumference they go in altogether different directions.
1958-05-21 - Mental honesty, #Questions And Answers 1957-1958, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
It is probable that perfect sincerity can only come when one rises above this sphere of falsehood that is life as we know it on earth, mental life, even the higher mental life.
When one springs up into the higher sphere, into the world of Truth, one will be able to see things as they truly are, and seeing them as they are, one will be able to live them in their truth. Then all falsehoods will naturally crumble. And since the favourable explanations will no longer have any purpose, they will disappear, for there will be nothing left to explain.
Things will be self-evident, Truth will shine through all forms, the possibility of error will disappear.
1958-07-23 - How to develop intuition - Concentration, #Questions And Answers 1957-1958, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
And from the spiritual point of view it is still more important. There is no spiritual obstacle which can resist a penetrating power of concentration. For instance, the discovery of the psychic being, union with the inner Divine, opening to the higher spheres, all can be obtained by an intense and obstinate power of concentration but one must learn how to do it.
There is nothing in the human or even in the superhuman field, to which the power of concentration is not the key.
1958 09 12, #On Thoughts And Aphorisms, #The Mother, #Integral Yoga
If we compare the essential truth to a sphere of immaculate, dazzling white light, we can say that in the mental medium, in the mental atmo sphere, this integral white light is transformed into thousands and thousands of shades, each of which has its own distinct colour, because they are all separated from one another. The medium distorts the white light and makes it appear as innumerable different colours: red, green, yellow, blue, etc., which are sometimes very discordant. And the mind seizes, not a little fragment of the white light of the white sphere, but a larger or smaller number of little lights of various colours, with which it cannot even reconstitute the white light. Therefore it cannot reach the truth. It does not possess fragments of truth, but a truth that is broken up. It is a state of decomposition.
The truth is a whole and everything is necessary. The distorted medium through which you see, the mental atmo sphere, is unsuited for the manifestation or the expression or even the perception of all the elementsand one can say that the better part is lost. So it can no longer be called the truth, but rather something which in essence is true, and yet no longer so at all in the mental atmo sphere it is an ignorance.
1.A - ANTHROPOLOGY, THE SOUL, #Philosophy of Mind, #unset, #Zen
We must, however, distinguish and keep apart from the progress here to be studied what we call education and instruction. The sphere of education is the individuals only: and its aim is to bring the universal mind to exist in them. But in the philosophic theory of mind, mind is studied as selfinstruction and self-education in very essence; and its acts and utterances are stages in the process which brings it forward to itself, links it in unity with itself, and so makes it actual mind.
SUB-SECTION A. ANTHROPOLOGY, THE SOUL
--
388 Spirit (Mind) came into being as the truth of Nature. But not merely is it, as such a result, to be held the true and real first of what went before: this becoming or transition bears in the sphere of the notion the special meaning of 'free judgement'. Mind, thus come into being, means therefore that
Nature in its own self realizes its untruth and sets itself aside: it means that Mind presupposes itself no longer as the universality which in corporal individuality is always self-externalized, but as a universality which in its concretion and totality is one and simple. At such a stage it is not yet mind, but soul.
--
401 What the sentient soul finds within it is, on one hand, the naturally immediate, as 'ideally' in it and made its own. On the other hand and conversely, what originally belongs to the central individuality (which as further deepened and enlarged is the conscious ego and free mind) gets the features of the natural corporeity, and is so felt. In this way we have two spheres of feeling. One, where what at first is a corporeal affection (e.g. of the eye or of any bodily part whatever) is made feeling
(sensation) by being driven inward, memorized in the soul's self-centred part. Another, where affections originating in the mind and belonging to it, are in order to be felt, and to be as if found, invested with corporeity. Thus the mode or affection gets a place in the subject: it is felt in the soul.
1.ac - A Birthday, #Crowley - Poems, #Aleister Crowley, #Philosophy
Since my full moon first broke from angel spheres!
A year of infinite love unwearying ---
1.ac - Happy Dust, #Crowley - Poems, #Aleister Crowley, #Philosophy
Vast is the sphere, but it turns on itself like the pettiest
star.
1.ac - Logos, #Crowley - Poems, #Aleister Crowley, #Philosophy
Pale gleam begins to pulse, a throbbing sphere,
Systole and diastole of eager gold,
1.ac - The Garden of Janus, #Crowley - Poems, #Aleister Crowley, #Philosophy
Within him on the ordered sphere
Of nature that he hideth; and in stead
1.bts - The Souls Flight, #unset, #Arthur C Clarke, #Fiction
English version by H. R. James Original Language Latin Wings are mine; above the pole Far aloft I soar. Clothed with these, my nimble soul Scorns earth's hated shore, Cleaves the skies upon the wind, Sees the clouds left far behind. Soon the glowing point she nears, Where the heavens rotate, Follows through the starry spheres Phbus' course, or straight Takes for comrade 'mid the stars Saturn cold or glittering Mars; Thus each circling orb explores Through Night's stole that peers; Then, when all are numbered, soars Far beyond the spheres, Mounting heaven's supremest height To the very Fount of light. There the Sovereign of the world His calm sway maintains; As the globe is onward whirled Guides the chariot reins, And in splendour glittering Reigns the universal King. Hither if thy wandering feet Find at last a way, Here thy long-lost home thou'lt greet: 'Dear lost land,' thou'lt say, 'Though from thee I've wandered wide, Hence I came, here will abide.' Yet if ever thou art fain Visitant to be Of earth's gloomy night again, Surely thou wilt see Tyrants whom the nations fear Dwell in hapless exile here. <
--- Overview of noun sphere
The noun sphere has 7 senses (first 4 from tagged texts)
1. (5) sphere, domain, area, orbit, field, arena ::: (a particular environment or walk of life; "his social sphere is limited"; "it was a closed area of employment"; "he's out of my orbit")
2. (5) sphere ::: (any spherically shaped artifact)
3. (2) sphere, sphere of influence ::: (the geographical area in which one nation is very influential)
4. (2) sector, sphere ::: (a particular aspect of life or activity; "he was helpless in an important sector of his life")
5. sphere ::: (a solid figure bounded by a spherical surface (including the space it encloses))
6. sphere ::: (a three-dimensional closed surface such that every point on the surface is equidistant from the center)
7. celestial sphere, sphere, empyrean, firmament, heavens, vault of heaven, welkin ::: (the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected)
--- Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun sphere
7 senses of sphere
Sense 1
sphere, domain, area, orbit, field, arena
=> environment
=> situation, state of affairs
=> state
=> attribute
=> abstraction, abstract entity
=> entity
Sense 2
sphere
=> artifact, artefact
=> whole, unit
=> object, physical object
=> physical entity
=> entity
Sense 3
sphere, sphere of influence
=> geographical area, geographic area, geographical region, geographic region
=> region
=> location
=> object, physical object
=> physical entity
=> entity
Sense 4
sector, sphere
=> aspect, facet
=> feature, characteristic
=> property, attribute, dimension
=> concept, conception, construct
=> idea, thought
=> content, cognitive content, mental object
=> cognition, knowledge, noesis
=> psychological feature
=> abstraction, abstract entity
=> entity
Sense 5
sphere
=> round shape
=> shape, form
=> attribute
=> abstraction, abstract entity
=> entity
Sense 6
sphere
=> round shape
=> shape, form
=> attribute
=> abstraction, abstract entity
=> entity
Sense 7
celestial sphere, sphere, empyrean, firmament, heavens, vault of heaven, welkin
=> surface
=> boundary, bound, bounds
=> extremity
=> region, part
=> location
=> object, physical object
=> physical entity
=> entity
--- Hyponyms of noun sphere
4 of 7 senses of sphere
Sense 1
sphere, domain, area, orbit, field, arena
=> distaff
=> front
=> kingdom, land, realm
=> lap
=> political arena, political sphere
=> preserve
=> province, responsibility
Sense 2
sphere
=> globe
Sense 4
sector, sphere
=> department
Sense 5
sphere
=> conglomeration, conglobation
=> ball, globe, orb
=> drop, bead, pearl
--- Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun sphere
7 senses of sphere
Sense 1
sphere, domain, area, orbit, field, arena
=> environment
Sense 2
sphere
=> artifact, artefact
Sense 3
sphere, sphere of influence
=> geographical area, geographic area, geographical region, geographic region
Sense 4
sector, sphere
=> aspect, facet
Sense 5
sphere
=> round shape
Sense 6
sphere
=> round shape
Sense 7
celestial sphere, sphere, empyrean, firmament, heavens, vault of heaven, welkin
=> surface
--- Coordinate Terms (sisters) of noun sphere
7 senses of sphere
Sense 1
sphere, domain, area, orbit, field, arena
-> environment
=> context, circumstance, setting
=> ecology
=> setting, background, scope
=> home
=> milieu, surroundings
=> sphere, domain, area, orbit, field, arena
=> street
Sense 2
sphere
-> artifact, artefact
=> article
=> facility
=> Americana
=> anachronism
=> antiquity
=> block
=> button
=> commodity, trade good, good
=> cone
=> covering
=> creation
=> decker
=> decoration, ornament, ornamentation
=> electroplate
=> excavation
=> extra, duplicate
=> fabric, cloth, material, textile
=> facility, installation
=> fixture
=> float
=> insert, inset
=> instrumentality, instrumentation
=> layer, bed
=> lemon, stinker
=> line
=> marker
=> mystification
=> opening
=> padding, cushioning
=> plaything, toy
=> ready-made
=> restoration
=> sheet, flat solid
=> sphere
=> square
=> squeaker
=> strip, slip
=> structure, construction
=> surface
=> thing
=> track
=> way
=> weight
=> building material
=> paving, pavement, paving material
Sense 3
sphere, sphere of influence
-> geographical area, geographic area, geographical region, geographic region
=> territory, soil
HAS INSTANCE=> Andalusia, Andalucia
HAS INSTANCE=> Appalachia
HAS INSTANCE=> Adelie Land, Terre Adelie, Adelie Coast
=> colony, dependency
HAS INSTANCE=> Bad Lands, Badlands
HAS INSTANCE=> Barbary
HAS INSTANCE=> Bithynia
HAS INSTANCE=> Nubia
=> semidesert
=> narco-state
=> place, property
=> river basin, basin, watershed, drainage basin, catchment area, catchment basin, drainage area
HAS INSTANCE=> Caucasia, Caucasus
HAS INSTANCE=> Transcaucasia
=> environs, purlieu
HAS INSTANCE=> Coats Land
=> zone, geographical zone
HAS INSTANCE=> East, eastern United States
HAS INSTANCE=> Southeast, southeastern United States
HAS INSTANCE=> Southwest, southwestern United States
HAS INSTANCE=> Northeast, northeastern United States
HAS INSTANCE=> Northwest, northwestern United States
HAS INSTANCE=> Midwest, middle west, midwestern United States
HAS INSTANCE=> Pacific Northwest
HAS INSTANCE=> Enderby Land
=> environment, environs, surroundings, surround
HAS INSTANCE=> Finger Lakes
=> dust bowl
=> hemisphere
=> hot spot, hotspot
HAS INSTANCE=> Maghreb, Mahgrib
HAS INSTANCE=> Big Bend
=> panhandle
HAS INSTANCE=> Queen Maud Land
=> country, rural area
=> sphere, sphere of influence
=> field
=> settlement
=> tract, piece of land, piece of ground, parcel of land, parcel
=> urban area, populated area
HAS INSTANCE=> Victoria Land
HAS INSTANCE=> Wilkes Land
HAS INSTANCE=> West, western United States
=> wilderness, wild
=> killing field
HAS INSTANCE=> East Africa
HAS INSTANCE=> Cappadocia
HAS INSTANCE=> Galatia
HAS INSTANCE=> Phrygia
HAS INSTANCE=> Pontus
HAS INSTANCE=> Illyria
HAS INSTANCE=> Caribbean
HAS INSTANCE=> Bengal
HAS INSTANCE=> Patagonia
HAS INSTANCE=> pampas
HAS INSTANCE=> Southeast Asia
HAS INSTANCE=> Manchuria
HAS INSTANCE=> Turkistan, Turkestan
HAS INSTANCE=> French Indochina
HAS INSTANCE=> Mesoamerica
HAS INSTANCE=> Czechoslovakia
HAS INSTANCE=> Moravia
HAS INSTANCE=> Bohemia
=> northern Europe
HAS INSTANCE=> Scandinavia
HAS INSTANCE=> Saxony, Sachsen, Saxe
HAS INSTANCE=> Rhineland, Rheinland
HAS INSTANCE=> Brandenburg
HAS INSTANCE=> Prussia, Preussen
HAS INSTANCE=> Ruhr, Ruhr Valley
HAS INSTANCE=> Thuringia
HAS INSTANCE=> Karelia
HAS INSTANCE=> Epirus
HAS INSTANCE=> Laconia
HAS INSTANCE=> Lycia
HAS INSTANCE=> Lydia
HAS INSTANCE=> Thessalia, Thessaly
HAS INSTANCE=> Arcadia
HAS INSTANCE=> Middle East, Mideast, Near East
HAS INSTANCE=> Fertile Crescent
HAS INSTANCE=> West Bank
HAS INSTANCE=> Galilee
HAS INSTANCE=> Gaza Strip, Gaza
HAS INSTANCE=> Golan Heights, Golan
HAS INSTANCE=> Palestine, Canaan, Holy Land, Promised Land
HAS INSTANCE=> Judah, Juda
HAS INSTANCE=> Judea, Judaea
HAS INSTANCE=> Philistia
HAS INSTANCE=> Byzantine Empire, Byzantium, Eastern Roman Empire
HAS INSTANCE=> Western Roman Empire, Western Empire
HAS INSTANCE=> Serbia, Srbija
HAS INSTANCE=> Montenegro, Crna Gora
HAS INSTANCE=> Dalmatia
HAS INSTANCE=> Labrador
HAS INSTANCE=> Maritime Provinces, Maritimes, Canadian Maritime Provinces
HAS INSTANCE=> Klondike
HAS INSTANCE=> Austria-Hungary
HAS INSTANCE=> British Empire
HAS INSTANCE=> Cumbria
HAS INSTANCE=> New Forest
HAS INSTANCE=> East Anglia
HAS INSTANCE=> Lancashire
HAS INSTANCE=> Yorkshire
HAS INSTANCE=> Northumbria
HAS INSTANCE=> West Country
HAS INSTANCE=> Wessex
HAS INSTANCE=> Ulster
HAS INSTANCE=> Caledonia
HAS INSTANCE=> Hindustan
HAS INSTANCE=> Sikkim
HAS INSTANCE=> Kanara, Canara
HAS INSTANCE=> Punjab
HAS INSTANCE=> Gujarat, Gujerat
HAS INSTANCE=> Maharashtra
HAS INSTANCE=> Gulf States
HAS INSTANCE=> Elam, Susiana
HAS INSTANCE=> Levant
HAS INSTANCE=> Macedon, Macedonia, Makedonija
HAS INSTANCE=> Thrace
HAS INSTANCE=> Mesopotamia
HAS INSTANCE=> Babylonia, Chaldaea, Chaldea
HAS INSTANCE=> Chaldea, Chaldaea
HAS INSTANCE=> Sumer
HAS INSTANCE=> Assyria
HAS INSTANCE=> Phoenicia, Phenicia
HAS INSTANCE=> Gaul, Gallia
HAS INSTANCE=> Riviera
=> French region
HAS INSTANCE=> Midi
HAS INSTANCE=> Normandie, Normandy
HAS INSTANCE=> Orleanais
HAS INSTANCE=> Lyonnais
HAS INSTANCE=> Savoy
HAS INSTANCE=> Guiana
HAS INSTANCE=> Friesland
HAS INSTANCE=> Frisia
HAS INSTANCE=> Thule, ultima Thule
HAS INSTANCE=> Lappland, Lapland
HAS INSTANCE=> Tartary, Tatary
HAS INSTANCE=> Mongolia
HAS INSTANCE=> Western Sahara, Spanish Sahara
HAS INSTANCE=> Kashmir, Cashmere, Jammu and Kashmir
HAS INSTANCE=> Parthia
HAS INSTANCE=> Nejd, Najd
HAS INSTANCE=> Hejaz, Hedjaz, Hijaz
HAS INSTANCE=> Chechnya, Chechenia, Chechen Republic
HAS INSTANCE=> Siberia
HAS INSTANCE=> European Russia
=> Baltic State, Baltic Republic
HAS INSTANCE=> Livonia
HAS INSTANCE=> Colchis
HAS INSTANCE=> Donets Basin, Donbass, Donbas
HAS INSTANCE=> Iberia
HAS INSTANCE=> Latin America
HAS INSTANCE=> Galicia
HAS INSTANCE=> Leon
HAS INSTANCE=> Sudan, Soudan
HAS INSTANCE=> Tanganyika
HAS INSTANCE=> Kurdistan
HAS INSTANCE=> Iraqi Kurdistan
HAS INSTANCE=> Ionia
HAS INSTANCE=> East Coast
HAS INSTANCE=> West Coast
=> Colony
HAS INSTANCE=> New England
HAS INSTANCE=> Mid-Atlantic states
HAS INSTANCE=> Gulf States
HAS INSTANCE=> Confederacy, Confederate States, Confederate States of America, South, Dixie, Dixieland
HAS INSTANCE=> South
HAS INSTANCE=> Deep South
HAS INSTANCE=> Sunbelt
HAS INSTANCE=> Tidewater, Tidewater region
HAS INSTANCE=> Piedmont
HAS INSTANCE=> North
HAS INSTANCE=> Carolina, Carolinas
HAS INSTANCE=> Dakota
HAS INSTANCE=> Bluegrass, Bluegrass Country, Bluegrass Region
HAS INSTANCE=> Low Countries
HAS INSTANCE=> Lusitania
HAS INSTANCE=> Silesia, Slask, Slezsko, Schlesien
HAS INSTANCE=> Big Sur
HAS INSTANCE=> Silicon Valley
HAS INSTANCE=> Sub-Saharan Africa, Black Africa
HAS INSTANCE=> Scythia
HAS INSTANCE=> North Africa
HAS INSTANCE=> West Africa
=> Dar al-Islam, House of Islam
=> Dar al-harb, House of War
Sense 4
sector, sphere
-> aspect, facet
=> side
=> sector, sphere
=> surface
Sense 5
sphere
-> round shape
=> bulb
=> cone, conoid, cone shape
=> disk, disc, saucer
=> coil, whorl, roll, curl, curlicue, ringlet, gyre, scroll
=> whirl, swirl, vortex, convolution
=> spheroid, ellipsoid of revolution
=> sphere
=> sphere
=> cylinder
=> torus, toroid
=> rim
Sense 6
sphere
-> round shape
=> bulb
=> cone, conoid, cone shape
=> disk, disc, saucer
=> coil, whorl, roll, curl, curlicue, ringlet, gyre, scroll
=> whirl, swirl, vortex, convolution
=> spheroid, ellipsoid of revolution
=> sphere
=> sphere
=> cylinder
=> torus, toroid
=> rim
Sense 7
celestial sphere, sphere, empyrean, firmament, heavens, vault of heaven, welkin
-> surface
=> interface
=> hard palate
=> palate, roof of the mouth
=> side, face
=> celestial sphere, sphere, empyrean, firmament, heavens, vault of heaven, welkin
=> end
=> inside, interior
=> outside, exterior
=> substrate, substratum
=> wave front, wavefront
=> photosphere
--- Grep of noun sphere
armillary sphere
asthenosphere
atmosphere
bathysphere
biosphere
blastosphere
celestial sphere
cerebellar hemisphere
cerebral hemisphere
chromosphere
eastern hemisphere
exosphere
geosphere
heliosphere
hemisphere
hydrosphere
ionosphere
left hemisphere
lithosphere
magnetosphere
mesosphere
northern hemisphere
oosphere
ozonosphere
photosphere
political sphere
right hemisphere
southern hemisphere
sphere
sphere of influence
standard atmosphere
stratosphere
thelonious sphere monk
thermosphere
troposphere
western hemisphere
Wikipedia - 100th meridian west -- Dividing line in the Northern Hemisphere between the humid eastern regions and the semi-arid western regions
Wikipedia - 2019 MO -- Near-Earth asteroid discovered by ATLAS-MLO that impacted Earth's atmosphere on 22 June 2019
Wikipedia - 3-sphere
Wikipedia - 6-sphere coordinates -- 3D coordinate system used in mathematics
Wikipedia - 9 spheres of heaven
Wikipedia - Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere -- Flight simulation game
Wikipedia - Adamastor Ocean -- A Precambrian "proto-Atlantic" ocean in the Southern Hemisphere
Wikipedia - Advanced Inertial Reference Sphere
Wikipedia - Aeronomy -- Meteorological science of the upper region of the Earth's or other planetary atmospheres
Wikipedia - Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve -- Indian Biosphere Reserve
Wikipedia - Airglow -- Faint emission of light by a planetary atmosphere
Wikipedia - Air pollution -- Harmful substances in the atmosphere
Wikipedia - Airspace -- Portion of the atmosphere controlled by a country above its territory, or any three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere
Wikipedia - Almucantar -- Circle on the celestial sphere parallel to the horizon
Wikipedia - Amazon Spheres
Wikipedia - Andromeda (constellation) -- Constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Anglosphere
Wikipedia - Antarctic Circumpolar Wave -- A coupled ocean/atmosphere wave that circles the Southern Ocean eastward in approximately eight years
Wikipedia - Anthroposphere -- The part of the environment that is made or modified by humans for use in human activities and human habitat
Wikipedia - Ara (constellation) -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Arasbaran -- Mountainous area in Iran, biosphere reserve
Wikipedia - Armillary sphere -- Model of objects in the sky consisting of a framework of rings
Wikipedia - Artisphere -- Defunct arts center in Arlington, Virginia
Wikipedia - Astral plane -- Concept of a world of celestial spheres
Wikipedia - ATEX directive -- EU ATEX Directive on workplaces with an explosive atmosphere
Wikipedia - Atmosphere (Joy Division song) -- Song by Joy Division
Wikipedia - Atmosphere (music group) -- American hip hop group
Wikipedia - Atmosphere of Earth -- Gas layer surrounding Earth: Mostly nitrogen, uniquely high in oxygen, with trace amounts of other molecules
Wikipedia - Atmosphere of Jupiter -- Layer of gases surrounding the planet Jupiter
Wikipedia - Atmosphere of Mars -- Overview about the atmosphere of Mars
Wikipedia - Atmosphere of Mercury -- Composition and properties of the atmosphere of the innermost planet of the Solar System
Wikipedia - Atmosphere of the Moon -- Very scant presence of gases surrounding the Moon
Wikipedia - Atmosphere of Venus
Wikipedia - Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor -- ISS-based upper-atmospheric lightning observation project
Wikipedia - Atmosphere -- Layer of gases surrounding an astronomical body held by gravity
Wikipedia - Atmospheric chemistry -- The branch of atmospheric science in which the chemistry of the atmosphere is studied
Wikipedia - Atmospheric electricity -- Electricity in planetary atmospheres
Wikipedia - Atmospheric entry -- Passage of an object through the gases of an atmosphere from outer space
Wikipedia - Atmospheric instability -- Condition where the Earth's atmosphere is generally considered to be unstable
Wikipedia - Atmospheric physics -- The application of physics to the study of the atmosphere
Wikipedia - Atmospheric pressure -- Static pressure exerted by the weight of the atmosphere
Wikipedia - Atmospheric science -- Study of the atmosphere, its processes, and its interactions with other systems
Wikipedia - Atmospheric super-rotation -- State where a planet's atmosphere rotates faster than the planet itself
Wikipedia - Auriga (constellation) -- Constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Australia -- Country in the Southern Hemisphere
Wikipedia - Azure Sphere
Wikipedia - Bang's theorem on tetrahedra -- On angles formed when a sphere is inscribed within a tetrahedron
Wikipedia - Barratt-Priddy theorem -- Connects the homology of the symmetric groups with mapping spaces of spheres
Wikipedia - Bathysphere -- Unpowered spherical deep-sea observation submersible lowered on a cable
Wikipedia - Bernal sphere -- Long-term space habitat, proposed in 1929 by J. D. Bernal, consisting of a large hollow spherical shell filled with air
Wikipedia - Beverly Clock -- Long-running atmosphere-powered clock
Wikipedia - Bio-energy with carbon capture and storage -- Removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by growing plants, and then putting it permanently underground
Wikipedia - Biogeology -- The study of the interactions between the Earth's biosphere and the lithosphere
Wikipedia - Biological pump -- The ocean's biologically driven sequestration of carbon from the atmosphere to the ocean interior and seafloor
Wikipedia - Biosphere 2 -- Artificial closed ecological system
Wikipedia - Biosphere Corporation -- Ukrainian manufacturer
Wikipedia - Biosphere (musician) -- Norwegian electronic musician
Wikipedia - Biosphere reserves of Poland
Wikipedia - Biosphere reserves of the Philippines
Wikipedia - Biosphere reserve
Wikipedia - Biosphere -- The global sum of all ecosystems on Earth
Wikipedia - Bloch sphere -- Geometrical representation of the pure state space of a two-level quantum mechanical system
Wikipedia - Blogosphere
Wikipedia - Boletus edulis -- Edible species of fungus in the family Boletaceae, widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere
Wikipedia - Bomb pulse -- Sudden increase of carbon-14 in the Earth's atmosphere due to nuclear bomb tests
Wikipedia - Bootes -- Constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - BOSU -- Rubber half-sphere used for fitness training
Wikipedia - Bow shock -- Boundary between a magnetosphere and an ambient magnetized medium
Wikipedia - Broca's area -- Speech production region in the dominant hemisphere of the hominid brain
Wikipedia - Bruce Nuclear Generating Station -- Nuclear power station in Ontario, Canada. Largest nuclear power station in the Western Hemisphere.
Wikipedia - Caelum -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Camelopardalis -- Constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Canada goose -- Species of goose native to Northern Hemisphere
Wikipedia - Canes Venatici -- Constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Canis Major -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Cantino planisphere -- Earliest surviving map showing Portuguese geographic discoveries in the east and west
Wikipedia - Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve -- Protected area in the Western Cape province of South Africa
Wikipedia - Capricornus -- Zodiac constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Carbon cycle -- Biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, pedosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere
Wikipedia - Carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere
Wikipedia - Carbon retirement -- Release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
Wikipedia - Carbon star -- Star whose atmosphere contains more carbon than oxygen
Wikipedia - Carina (constellation) -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Carved stone balls -- Petrospheres from late Neolithic Scotland
Wikipedia - Cassiopeia (constellation) -- Constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Celestial body's atmosphere
Wikipedia - Celestial pole -- Two imaginary points in the sky where the Earth's axis of rotation, indefinitely extended, intersects the imaginary rotating sphere of stars called the celestial sphere
Wikipedia - Celestial spheres -- Term in ancient times for the heavens
Wikipedia - Cells in the stratosphere
Wikipedia - Cenosphere -- Hollow sphere made largely of silica and alumina and filled with gas
Wikipedia - Centaurus -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Center of curvature -- It is a center of sphere from which mirror had taken
Wikipedia - Cepheus (constellation) -- Constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Cerebellar hemisphere -- Each of the two halves of the cerebellum in the brain
Wikipedia - Cerebellar vermis -- Structure connecting the two cerebellar hemispheres
Wikipedia - Cerebral hemispheres
Wikipedia - Cerebral hemisphere -- Each of the two halves of the cerebrum in the brain
Wikipedia - Challenger Deep -- Deepest known point in the Earth's seabed hydrosphere
Wikipedia - Chamaeleon -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - China's Cultural Heritage Day -- Day is to create a good atmosphere of cultural heritage
Wikipedia - Chinese characters -- Logographic writing system used in the Sinosphere region
Wikipedia - Chinese cultural sphere
Wikipedia - Chinese philosophy -- Philosophy in the Chinese cultural sphere
Wikipedia - Chromosphere -- A layer in the Sun's atmosphere above the photosphere
Wikipedia - Circinus -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Circle of a sphere -- Mathematical expression of circle like slices of sphere
Wikipedia - Cloud Nine (tensegrity sphere)
Wikipedia - Cloud -- Visible mass of liquid droplets or frozen crystals suspended in the atmosphere
Wikipedia - Coma Berenices -- Constellation in the northern hemisphere
Wikipedia - Constellation -- Group of visible stars forming a pattern on the celestial sphere
Wikipedia - Conway sphere -- Concept in knot theory
Wikipedia - Cooling tower -- Device which rejects waste to the atmosphere through the cooling of a water stream
Wikipedia - Corona Australis -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Corona Borealis -- Constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Corpus callosum -- White matter tract connecting the two cerebral hemispheres
Wikipedia - Cortinarius violaceus -- Species of fungus in the family Cortinariaceae native to the Northern Hemisphere
Wikipedia - Corvus (constellation) -- Constellation in the Southern Celestial Hemisphere
Wikipedia - Crustal recycling -- Tectonic process by which surface material from the lithosphere is recycled into the mantle by subduction erosion or delamination
Wikipedia - Crux -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Cryosphere -- Those portions of Earth's surface where water is in solid form
Wikipedia - CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere -- A unit of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation of Australia
Wikipedia - Cuchillas del Toa -- Biosphere reserve in Cuba
Wikipedia - Cultural hemisphere
Wikipedia - Cygnus (constellation) -- Constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Davy lamp -- Safety lamp for use in flammable atmospheres
Wikipedia - Deep biosphere -- Life in the deep subsurface of the Earth
Wikipedia - Delamination (geology) -- Process occurring when lower continental crust and mantle lithosphere break away from the upper continental crust
Wikipedia - Delphinus -- Constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Dentate nucleus -- Nucleus in the centre of each cerebellar hemisphere
Wikipedia - Dodecahedral conjecture -- Theorem on the minimal volume of cells in the Voronoi decomposition of packed spheres
Wikipedia - Dome -- An architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere; there are many types
Wikipedia - Dorodango -- A Japanese art form in which earth and water are molded to create a delicate shiny sphere
Wikipedia - Draco (constellation) -- Constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Dublin Bay Biosphere Reserve -- Biosphere reserve in Ireland, designated 1981 (former North Bull Island)
Wikipedia - Dynamics of the celestial spheres
Wikipedia - Dyson spheres in popular culture -- Dyson spheres depicted in popular culture
Wikipedia - Dyson Sphere
Wikipedia - Dyson sphere -- Hypothetical megastructure originally described by Freeman Dyson
Wikipedia - Earth's atmosphere
Wikipedia - Earth's spheres
Wikipedia - Earth system science -- The scientific study of the Earth's spheres and their natural integrated systems
Wikipedia - East Asian cultural sphere
Wikipedia - Eastern Hemisphere
Wikipedia - Eastern hemisphere
Wikipedia - Ecliptic -- Apparent path of the Sun on the celestial sphere
Wikipedia - Ecosphere (planetary) -- A planetary closed ecological system
Wikipedia - El Cielo Biosphere Reserve -- Natural reserve in Mexico
Wikipedia - Ellipsoid -- Quadric surface that looks like a deformed sphere
Wikipedia - Environmental soil science -- The study of the interaction of humans with the pedosphere
Wikipedia - Equivalent spherical diameter -- The diameter of a sphere of the same volume as an irregularly-shaped subject
Wikipedia - Equuleus -- Constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Ergosphere
Wikipedia - Eridanus (constellation) -- Constellation in the southern hemisphere
Wikipedia - Exosphere -- The outermost layer of an atmosphere
Wikipedia - Exposing Microorganisms in the Stratosphere -- NASA research program to study the ability of microorganismas to survive in a Mars-like environment
Wikipedia - Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources -- Federal executive body performing control and supervision functions in the sphere of nature management
Wikipedia - Fixed-point ocean observatory -- An autonomous system of automatic sensors and samplers that continuously gathers data from deep sea, water column and lower atmosphere, and transmits the data to shore in real or near real-time
Wikipedia - Flattening -- Measure of compression between circle to ellipse or sphere to an ellipsoid of revolution
Wikipedia - Flight -- Process by which an object moves, through an atmosphere or beyond it
Wikipedia - Fornax -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - F region -- Layer in ionosphere
Wikipedia - Galaxy: Earth Sphere -- Fountain and sculpture by Joe Davis
Wikipedia - Gauss's lemma (Riemannian geometry) -- A sufficiently small sphere is perpendicular to geodesics passing through its center
Wikipedia - Gemini (constellation) -- Zodiac constellation in the northern hemisphere
Wikipedia - General circulation model -- A type of climate model that uses the Navier-Stokes equations on a rotating sphere with thermodynamic terms for various energy sources
Wikipedia - Geocorona -- Luminous part of the outermost region of the Earth's atmosphere
Wikipedia - Geodesic polyhedron -- Polyhedron made from triangles that approximates a sphere
Wikipedia - Geological history of oxygen -- Timeline of the development of free oxygen in the Earth's seas and atmosphere
Wikipedia - Geophysical fluid dynamics -- The fluid dynamics of naturally occurring flows, such as lava flows, oceans, and planetary atmospheres, on Earth and other planets
Wikipedia - Geosphere -- A collective name for the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, the cryosphere, and the atmosphere
Wikipedia - Gouritz Cluster Biosphere Reserve -- Protected area in the southern part of South Africa
Wikipedia - Great circle -- Intersection of the sphere and a plane which passes through the center point of the sphere
Wikipedia - Great Red Spot -- A persistent storm in the atmosphere of Jupiter
Wikipedia - Greenhouse gas -- Gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range
Wikipedia - Grevilleoideae -- Subfamily of plants in the family Proteaceae, mainly from the Southern Hemisphere
Wikipedia - Grus (constellation) -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Habitable Exoplanet Imaging Mission -- A proposed space observatory to characterize exoplanets' atmospheres
Wikipedia - Hairy ball theorem -- Theorem which states that there is no nonvanishing continuous tangent vector field on even-dimensional n-spheres
Wikipedia - Hallin's spheres -- Theory of media objectivity
Wikipedia - Hand with Reflecting Sphere -- Lithograph by Dutch artist M. C. Escher
Wikipedia - Heliosphere -- region of space dominated by the Sun
Wikipedia - Hemispherectomy
Wikipedia - Hemisphere of the Earth
Wikipedia - Hemispheres (Lily Afshar album) -- album by Lily Afshar
Wikipedia - Hemispheres (Rush album) -- album by Canadian rock band Rush
Wikipedia - Hermite constant -- Constant relating to close packing of spheres
Wikipedia - High-altitude balloon -- Balloon released into the stratosphere, most commonly weather balloons
Wikipedia - Hill sphere -- The region in which an astronomical body dominates the attraction of satellites
Wikipedia - Hilton's theorem -- On the loop space of a wedge of spheres
Wikipedia - Hopf fibration -- Fiber bundle of the 3-sphere over the 2-sphere, with 1-spheres as fibers
Wikipedia - Hopf theorem -- Topological degree is the only homotopy invariant of continuous maps to spheres
Wikipedia - Horologium (constellation) -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Horton Sphere -- Spherical tank
Wikipedia - Hough function -- The eigenfunctions of Laplace's tidal equations which govern fluid motion on a rotating sphere
Wikipedia - Hsiang-Lawson's conjecture -- Theorem that the Clifford torus is the only minimally embedded torus in the 3-sphere
Wikipedia - Hurulu Forest Reserve -- Biosphere reserve in Sri Lanka
Wikipedia - Hyder flare -- A slow, large-scale brightening that occurs in the solar chromosphere
Wikipedia - Hydrogen-deficient star -- Star that has little or no hydrogen in its atmosphere
Wikipedia - Hydrometeorology -- A branch of meteorology and hydrology that studies the transfer of water and energy between the land surface and the lower atmosphere
Wikipedia - Hydrosphere
Wikipedia - Hydrus -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Hypersphere -- N-sphere embedded in an (n + 1)-dimensional Euclidean space
Wikipedia - IBM WebSphere MQ
Wikipedia - IBM WebSphere
Wikipedia - Indosphere
Wikipedia - Infosphere
Wikipedia - International Standard Atmosphere -- Atmospheric model
Wikipedia - Ionosphere -- Ionized part of Earth's upper atmosphere
Wikipedia - Island of Principe Biosphere Reserve -- Biosphere reserve in Sao Tome and Principe
Wikipedia - J-homomorphism -- From a homotopy group of a special orthogonal group to a homotopy group of spheres
Wikipedia - Joint Global Ocean Flux Study -- An international research programme on the fluxes of carbon between the atmosphere and ocean, and within the ocean interior
Wikipedia - Jormua Ophiolite -- A remnant of ancient oceanic lithosphere near Jormua, Finland
Wikipedia - Kalahari Craton -- old and stable part of the continental lithosphere, that occupies large portions of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe
Wikipedia - Kelvin wave -- A wave in the ocean or atmosphere that balances Coriolis force against a topographic boundary such as a coastline
Wikipedia - Kennelly-Heaviside layer -- Layer of the Earth's ionosphere
Wikipedia - Kepler conjecture -- Mathematical theorem about sphere packing
Wikipedia - Klerksdorp sphere -- Small mineral objects, often spherical to disc-shaped, found in pyrophyllite deposits near Ottosdal, South Africa
Wikipedia - Kruger to Canyons Biosphere -- Protected area in the northeastern part of South Africa
Wikipedia - Lactifluus volemus -- Species of edible fungus in the family Russulaceae widely distributed in the northern hemisphere
Wikipedia - Laimosphere
Wikipedia - Lake Tana Biosphere Reserve -- Protected area in Amhara Region, Ethiopia
Wikipedia - La NiM-CM-1a -- A coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon that is the counterpart of El NiM-CM-1o
Wikipedia - Last Glacial Period -- The most recent glacial period with major glaciations of the northern hemisphere (115 000 - 12 000 years ago)
Wikipedia - Lateral ventricles -- Two largest ventricles in each cerebral hemisphere
Wikipedia - Left hemisphere
Wikipedia - Leo Minor -- Constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Lepus (constellation) -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Libra (constellation) -- Zodiac constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Linguasphere Observatory -- Transnational linguistic research network
Wikipedia - List of endemic plants in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve -- Wikipedia list article
Wikipedia - List of Northern Hemisphere tropical cyclone seasons -- Wikipedia list article
Wikipedia - List of satellites which have provided data on Earth's magnetosphere -- Wikipedia list article
Wikipedia - List of Southern Hemisphere tornadoes and tornado outbreaks -- Wikipedia list article
Wikipedia - List of Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone seasons -- Wikipedia list article
Wikipedia - List of tectonic plate interactions -- Definitions and examples of the interactions between the relatively mobile sections of the lithosphere
Wikipedia - List of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in China
Wikipedia - Lists of deities by cultural sphere -- Wikipedia list article
Wikipedia - Lists of uniform tilings on the sphere, plane, and hyperbolic plane -- Wikipedia list article
Wikipedia - Lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary -- A level representing a mechanical difference between layers in EarthM-bM-^@M-^Ys inner structure
Wikipedia - Lithosphere -- The rigid, outermost shell of a terrestrial-type planet or natural satellite that is defined by its rigid mechanical properties
Wikipedia - Lost in the Stratosphere -- 1934 film by Melville W. Brown
Wikipedia - Lupus (constellation) -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Lynx (constellation) -- Constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Lyra -- Constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Madden-Julian oscillation -- Largest element of the intraseasonal variability in the tropical atmosphere
Wikipedia - Magaliesberg Biosphere Reserve -- Protected area in South Africa
Wikipedia - Magdeburg hemispheres -- Pair of copper hemispheres designed to demonstrate the power of atmospheric pressure
Wikipedia - Magnetosphere of Jupiter -- Magnetosphere of the planet Jupiter
Wikipedia - Magnetosphere -- Region around an astronomical object in which its magnetic field affects charged particles
Wikipedia - Man and the Biosphere Programme -- UNESCO conservation programme
Wikipedia - Manosphere -- Loose collection of predominantly web-based misogynist movements
Wikipedia - Map projection -- Systematic representation of the surface of a sphere or ellipsoid onto a plane
Wikipedia - Marakele National Park -- A National Park that is part of the Waterberg Biosphere in Limpopo Province, South Africa
Wikipedia - March equinox -- The equinox on the Earth when the Sun appears to leave the southern hemisphere and cross the celestial equator
Wikipedia - Mark Nelson (scientist) -- American ecologist and original crew member of Biosphere 2
Wikipedia - Mars jar -- Container simulating the atmosphere of Mars
Wikipedia - May Day -- An ancient Northern Hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday
Wikipedia - Mensa (constellation) -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Mesosphere -- The layer of the atmosphere directly above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere
Wikipedia - Meteorology -- Interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere focusing on weather forecasting
Wikipedia - Meteor shower -- Celestial event caused by streams of meteoroids entering Earth's atmosphere
Wikipedia - Methane emissions -- Sources of methane gas in earth's atmosphere
Wikipedia - Microscopium -- Minor constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Mid-Autumn Festival -- East Asian (Sinosphere) harvest festival
Wikipedia - MIT General Circulation Model -- A numerical computer method that solves the equations of motion for the ocean or atmosphere using the finite volume method
Wikipedia - Mongol Daguur Biosphere Reserve -- Nature reserve in Mongolia
Wikipedia - Montreal Biosphere -- Environment museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Wikipedia - Mood (literature) -- |Atmosphere of a narrative
Wikipedia - Mormon blogosphere
Wikipedia - MSG Sphere at The Venetian -- Entertainment venue in Nevada
Wikipedia - MSG Sphere London -- Music and entertainment venue in London, England
Wikipedia - Mura-Drava-Danube -- Biosphere reserve in Croatia and Hungary
Wikipedia - Musca -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Music of the Spheres (Doctor Who) -- 2008 Doctor Who BBC Proms special
Wikipedia - Natalya Gomez -- Canadian cryosphere researcher
Wikipedia - Newton's cradle -- Device that demonstrates conservation of momentum and energy via a series of swinging spheres
Wikipedia - Noosphere -- Realm of human thought
Wikipedia - Norma (constellation) -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Northern fur seal -- The largest fur seal in the northern hemisphere
Wikipedia - Northern hemisphere
Wikipedia - Northern Hemisphere -- Half of Earth that is north of the equator
Wikipedia - North Magnetic Pole -- Wandering point on the Northern Hemisphere
Wikipedia - N-sphere -- Generalization of the ordinary sphere to arbitrary dimension
Wikipedia - Numerical weather prediction -- Weather prediction using mathematical models of the atmosphere and oceans
Wikipedia - Obduction -- The overthrusting of oceanic lithosphere onto continental lithosphere at a convergent plate boundary
Wikipedia - Oceanic carbon cycle -- Processes that exchange carbon between various pools within the ocean and the atmosphere, Earth interior, and the seafloor.
Wikipedia - OceanoScientific -- A programme to study climate change at the ocean-atmosphere interface
Wikipedia - Ocean -- A body of water that composes much of a planet's hydrosphere
Wikipedia - Old Sow whirlpool -- The largest tidal whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere, located off the southwestern shore of Deer Island, New Brunswick, Canada
Wikipedia - Omnisphere -- 2018 album by album by Medeski, Martin & Wood
Wikipedia - On the Revolution of the Heavenly Spheres
Wikipedia - On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres
Wikipedia - On the Sphere and Cylinder
Wikipedia - Open water (diving) -- Unrestricted water, generally with direct vertical access to the surface of the water in contact with the Earth's atmosphere
Wikipedia - Orbitz (drink) -- Noncarbonated fruit-flavored clear drink with edible spheres in suspension
Wikipedia - Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres
Wikipedia - Origins Space Telescope -- A proposed UV space observatory to characterize exoplanets' atmospheres
Wikipedia - Oxygen cycle -- The biogeochemical cycle of oxygen within its four main reservoirs: the atmosphere, the biosphere, the hydrosphere, and the lithosphere
Wikipedia - Ozone layer -- Region of Earth's stratosphere that absorbs most of the Sun's ultraviolet radiation
Wikipedia - Pacific decadal oscillation -- robust, recurring pattern of ocean-atmosphere climate variability centered over the mid-latitude Pacific basin
Wikipedia - Parachute -- Device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere
Wikipedia - Particulates -- Microscopic solid or liquid matter suspended in the Earth's atmosphere
Wikipedia - Passive margin -- The transition between oceanic and continental lithosphere that is not an active plate margin
Wikipedia - Pedosphere -- The outermost layer of the Earth that is composed of soil and subject to soil formation processes
Wikipedia - Pegasus (constellation) -- Constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Perseus (constellation) -- Constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Photon sphere
Wikipedia - Photosphere -- A star's outer shell from which light is radiated
Wikipedia - Phycosphere -- A microscale mucus region that is rich in organic matter surrounding a phytoplankton cel
Wikipedia - Pictor -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Pilbara Craton -- An old and stable part of the continental lithosphere located in Pilbara, Western Australia
Wikipedia - Piscis Austrinus -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Planetary surface -- Where the solid (or liquid) material of the outer crust on certain types of astronomical objects contacts the atmosphere or outer space
Wikipedia - Planisphere (poetry collection) -- Book by John Ashbery
Wikipedia - Planisphere
Wikipedia - Poles of cerebral hemispheres
Wikipedia - Primum Mobile -- Outermost moving sphere in the geocentric model of the universe
Wikipedia - Privatization -- Transferring something from the public sphere to the private
Wikipedia - Prospheres -- Genus of beetles
Wikipedia - Public sphere -- Area in social life
Wikipedia - Puppis -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Pyrolysis -- Thermal decomposition of materials at elevated temperatures in an inert atmosphere
Wikipedia - Pyxis -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Rare biosphere -- Rare species of bacteria
Wikipedia - Red-throated loon -- A migratory aquatic bird found in the northern hemisphere
Wikipedia - Reducing atmosphere
Wikipedia - Regional Agreement for the Medium Frequency Broadcasting Service in Region 2 -- International treaty that defines standards for AM radio stations in the western hemisphere
Wikipedia - Rhizosphere
Wikipedia - Ridge push -- A proposed driving force for tectonic plate motion as the result of the lithosphere sliding down the raised asthenosphere below mid-ocean ridges
Wikipedia - Riemann sphere -- Model of the extended complex plane plus a point at infinity
Wikipedia - Right hemisphere brain damage
Wikipedia - Right hemisphere
Wikipedia - Roaring Forties -- Strong westerly winds found in the Southern Hemisphere
Wikipedia - Rossby wave -- A type of inertial wave in the atmospheres and oceans of planets, largely owing their properties to rotation of the planet
Wikipedia - Roztochia Biosphere Reserve -- Nature reserve in Lviv Oblast, Ukraine
Wikipedia - Russula emetica -- Species of fungus in the family Russulaceae with a wide distribution in the Northern Hemisphere
Wikipedia - Sagittarius (constellation) -- Zodiac constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Sagitta -- Constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Science On a Sphere -- A spherical projection system created by NOAA which presents high-resolution video on a suspended globe
Wikipedia - Scorpius -- Zodiac constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Scutum (constellation) -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Sea lamprey -- Parasitic lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) native to the Northern Hemisphere
Wikipedia - Sea surface microlayer -- The boundary layer where all exchange occurs between the atmosphere and the ocean
Wikipedia - Secondary atmosphere
Wikipedia - Secret Sphere -- Italian symphonic power metal band
Wikipedia - Semiosphere
Wikipedia - Separate spheres
Wikipedia - Shadow biosphere -- A hypothetical microbial biosphere of Earth that would use radically different biochemical and molecular processes from that of currently known life
Wikipedia - Sinosphere
Wikipedia - Smale conjecture -- Theorem that the diffeomorphism group of the 3-sphere has the homotopy-type of O(4)
Wikipedia - SMIF (interface) -- Box carrying semiconductor wafers in its own internal atmosphere
Wikipedia - Soil plant atmosphere continuum
Wikipedia - Solar phenomena -- Natural phenomena occurring within the magnetically heated outer atmospheres in the Sun
Wikipedia - Sonisphere Festival -- Annual English touring music festival
Wikipedia - Southern Hemisphere
Wikipedia - Southern hemisphere
Wikipedia - Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission
Wikipedia - Space manufacturing -- Production of manufactured goods in an environment outside a planetary atmosphere
Wikipedia - Spaceplane -- Spacecraft capable of aerodynamic flight in atmosphere
Wikipedia - Spaceship Earth (Epcot) -- Geodesic sphere, attraction, and main icon of Epcot in Walt Disney World
Wikipedia - Sphere (1998 film) -- 1998 American science fiction psychological thriller film by Barry Levinson
Wikipedia - Sphere eversion -- Topological operation of turning a sphere inside-out without creasing
Wikipedia - Sphereland -- Book by Dionijs Burger
Wikipedia - Sphere (novel) -- 1987 science fiction/psychological thriller novel by Michael Crichton
Wikipedia - Sphere of influence
Wikipedia - Sphere packing
Wikipedia - Sphere-packing
Wikipedia - Sphere (Polish band) -- Death metal group
Wikipedia - Spheres of exchange
Wikipedia - Spheres of influence
Wikipedia - Spheres of Justice -- 1983 book by Michael Walzer
Wikipedia - Sphere sovereignty
Wikipedia - Spheres: Songs of Spacetime -- Virtual reality experience
Wikipedia - Sphere (Website)
Wikipedia - Sphere -- geometrical object that is the surface of a ball
Wikipedia - Sphere Within Sphere -- Sculpture by Arnaldo Pomodoro, of which several versions exist
Wikipedia - Sphere-world
Wikipedia - Spherical cap -- Section of a sphere
Wikipedia - Spherical geometry -- Geometry of a sphere
Wikipedia - Spring (hydrosphere)
Wikipedia - Spring (hydrosphere) -- Spring (hydrosphere)
Wikipedia - Square pyramidal number -- Number representing the number of stacked spheres in a square pyramid
Wikipedia - Standard atmosphere (unit) -- Unit of pressure defined as 101325 Pa
Wikipedia - Stellar atmosphere -- Outer region of the volume of a star
Wikipedia - Stereographic projection -- Particular mapping that projects a sphere onto a plane
Wikipedia - Strasburg Rail Road -- Oldest continuously operating railroad in the western hemisphere, in Pennsylvania, United States
Wikipedia - Stratopause -- The upper boundary of the stratosphere
Wikipedia - Stratosphere Giant -- The 4th tallest known living tree.
Wikipedia - Stratosphere -- Layer of the atmosphere above the troposphere
Wikipedia - S-type star -- A cool giant with approximately equal quantities of carbon and oxygen in its atmosphere
Wikipedia - Sublunary sphere
Wikipedia - Surgisphere -- Healthcare analytics company based in United States
Wikipedia - Sverdrup Gold Medal -- Award by the American Meteorological Society for contributions regarding interactions between the oceans and the atmosphere
Wikipedia - Syntactic foam -- Composite material filled with low-density spheres
Wikipedia - Tanzania Craton -- An old and stable part of the continental lithosphere in central Tanzania
Wikipedia - Technosphere (disambiguation)
Wikipedia - Tectonic plate -- Continuous section of the lithosphere of the Earth which is moving relative to adjacent plates
Wikipedia - Teixeira planisphere -- 1573 world map by Domingos Teixeira
Wikipedia - Telescopium -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Theorem of the three geodesics -- Every Riemannian manifold with the topology of a sphere has at least 3 closed geodesics
Wikipedia - Theory of tides -- science of interpretation and prediction of deformations of astronomical bodies and their atmospheres and oceans under the gravitational loading of other astronomical bodies
Wikipedia - The Radiation Belt and Magnetosphere -- Book by Wilmot N. Hess
Wikipedia - Thermal -- Column of rising air in the lower altitudes of Earth's atmosphere
Wikipedia - Thermopause -- The upper boundary of the thermosphere
Wikipedia - Thermosphere -- Layer of the Earth's atmosphere above the mesosphere and below the exosphere
Wikipedia - The Rogue's March -- Derisive piece of music used by Anglosphere militaries
Wikipedia - The Sphere College Project -- Adult school
Wikipedia - The Sphere (newspaper) -- British newspaper (1900-1964)
Wikipedia - The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere
Wikipedia - Time Sphere
Wikipedia - Toronto Conference on the Changing Atmosphere -- 1988 world climate change conference held in Toronto, Canada
Wikipedia - Triangulum Australe -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Triangulum -- Constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Tropical Atmosphere Ocean project -- Major international effort that instrumented the tropical Pacific Ocean with deep ocean moorings
Wikipedia - Tropopause -- The boundary of the atmosphere between the troposphere and stratosphere
Wikipedia - Troposphere -- The lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere
Wikipedia - Tucana -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Turbopause -- The altitude in the Earth's atmosphere below which turbulent mixing dominates
Wikipedia - Twilight -- Illumination of atmosphere when the Sun is not directly visible because it is below horizon
Wikipedia - Typhoon -- Type of tropical cyclone that develops in the Northern Hemisphere
Wikipedia - Undular bore -- Wave disturbance in the Earth's atmosphere which can be seen through unique cloud formations
Wikipedia - Uniformization theorem -- A simply connected Riemann surface is equivalent to an open disk, complex plane, or sphere
Wikipedia - Unisphere -- Steel sculpture in Queens, New York
Wikipedia - Unit sphere
Wikipedia - Ursa Major -- Constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Ursa Minor -- Constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere, containing the northern celestial pole
Wikipedia - Vela (constellation) -- Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere
Wikipedia - Venus Atmospheric Maneuverable Platform -- Proposed robotic semi-buoyant flying wing aircraft to study Venus's atmosphere
Wikipedia - VMware VMFS -- VMware, Inc.'s clustered file system used by the company's server virtualization suite, vSphere
Wikipedia - VMware vSphere
Wikipedia - Waterberg Biosphere -- Biosphere reserve in South Africa
Wikipedia - Weathering -- Breaking down of rocks, soils and minerals as well as artificial materials through contact with the Earth's atmosphere, water, and biota
Wikipedia - Weather -- Short-term state of the atmosphere
Wikipedia - WebSphere Business Events
Wikipedia - WebSphere
Wikipedia - Wernicke's area -- Speech comprehension region in the dominant hemisphere of the hominid brain
Wikipedia - Western Hemisphere
Wikipedia - Western hemisphere
Wikipedia - Word of the year -- Most important word or expression in the public sphere during a specific year
Wikipedia - World Network of Biosphere Reserves in Latin America and the Caribbean -- Wikimedia list article
Wikipedia - Zenith -- Imaginary point directly above a particular location, on the imaginary celestial sphere
Wikipedia - Zoll surface -- Surface homeomorphic to a sphere
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http://malankazlev.com/kheper/evolution/geosphere.htm -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/evolution/noosphere.htm -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/gaia/biosphere/arthropods/insecta/Formicidae.htm -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/gaia/biosphere/biosphere.htm -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/gaia/biosphere/ecology/ecology.htm -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/gaia/biosphere/eukaryotes.htm -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/gaia/biosphere/evolution/creationism.htm -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/gaia/biosphere/evolution/Darwinism.htm -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/gaia/biosphere/formative.html -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/gaia/biosphere/index.html -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/gaia/biosphere/palaeontology.htm -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/gaia/biosphere/prokaryotes/prokaryotes.htm -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/gaia/biosphere/vertebrates/Mammalia.htm -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/gaia/geosphere/geosphere.htm -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/gaia/noosphere/index.html -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/gaia/noosphere/information/the_Net.htm -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/gaia/noosphere/noosphere.htm -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/gaia/noosphere/spatial_archetypes.html -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/gaia/noosphere/technology/technology.htm -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/gaia/technosphere/index.htm -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/gaia/theosphere/avatars/index.html -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/gaia/theosphere/theosphere.htm -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/topics/Gaia/biosphere.htm -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/topics/Gaia/biosphere.html -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/topics/Gaia/biosphere/index.html -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/topics/Gaia/geosphere.html -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/topics/gaia/noosphere/noosphere.htm -- 0
Kheper - spheres -- 35
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/topics/noosphere/index.html -- 0
Kheper - moral_spheres -- 50
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/topics/technosphere/index.htm -- 0
http://malankazlev.com/kheper/topics/technosphere/index.html -- 0
auromere - developing-ones-own-spiritual-atmosphere-gita-317
Integral World - Noosphere Evolution and Value Metabolism
Integral World - Seven Spheres, Chapter 3: Spheres Upon Spheres..., Frank Visser
Integral World - Seven Spheres, Chapter 4: Three Models of Immortality, Frank Visser
Integral World - Seven Spheres, Chapter 5: Reincarnation and the Spheres, Frank Visser
Integral World - Seven Spheres, Chapter 2: Views of Human Nature, Frank Visser
Integral World - Seven Spheres, Table of Contents, Frank Visser
selforum - thinking about noosphere
https://thoughtsandvisions-searle88.blogspot.com/2012/10/walter-kilner-and-human-atmosphere.html
dedroidify.blogspot - time-technosphere
dedroidify.blogspot - 28-years-in-synchrosphere-of-reality
dedroidify.blogspot - subliminal-synchro-sphere-666-solstice
https://esotericotherworlds.blogspot.com/2013/10/what-is-harmony-of-spheres.html
wiki.auroville - Bad_atmosphere
wiki.auroville - Earth-atmosphere
wiki.auroville - Mental_atmosphere_of_earth
wiki.auroville - Mental_atmosphere_of_the_earth
wiki.auroville - Sri_Aurobindo's_atmosphere
Dharmapedia - Indosphere
Psychology Wiki - Biosphere
Psychology Wiki - Cerebral_hemisphere
Psychology Wiki - Earth's_atmosphere
Psychology Wiki - Noosphere
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Analysis/DysonSphere
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/PathfinderOutsidersOuterSphere
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/SongsOfTheSpheres
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/TheMusicOfTheSpheres
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/Sphere
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/TheCharmedSphere
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https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BlueSphere
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DysonSphere
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HemisphereBias
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SphereEyes
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SphereOfDestruction
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SphereOfPower
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/UncannyAtmosphere
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Manga/LegendOfHeavenlySphereShurato
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Music/ApolloAtmospheresAndSoundtracks
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Music/Atmosphere
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Music/Biosphere
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Music/Hemispheres
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Roleplay/Edensphere
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/AceCombat3Electrosphere
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/AlphaSphere
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/Dragonsphere
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Videogame/Dragonsphere
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/DysonSphereProgram
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/OdinSphere
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/ToneSphere
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Tropers/Dysphere
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/File:4dSphere02t.gif
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/File:Earth_Eastern_Hemisphere.jpg
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/File:Magnetosphere_rendition.jpg
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/File:PIA01667-Io%27s_Pele_Hemisphere_After_Pillan_Changes.jpg
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/File:Top_of_Atmosphere.jpg
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/File:Troposphere_CIMG1853.JPG
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Special:GlobalUsage/Earth_Eastern_Hemisphere.jpg
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/User:BrokenSphere
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Zombies_of_the_Stratosphere
ExoSquad (1993 - 1995) - 150 years into the future, mankind has mastered genetic engineering and populated the planets of Mars & Venus by changing their atmospheres to allow for human habitation.
Big Love (2006 - 2011) - Big Love is an American television drama series that aired on HBO between March 2006 and March 2011. The series charts the family's life in and out of the public sphere in their Salt Lake City suburb, as well as their associations with a fundamentalist compound in the area.
Hikari no Densetsu (1986 - Current) - lit. Legend of Light,the manga series was adapted into a nineteen episode anime series on MBS (Mainichi Broadcasting System) by Tatsunoko Productions studio and directed by Tomomi Mochizuki. is primarily a love story that it is set in the late 80s junior high school atmosphere. The plot revolves aro...
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans (2015 - 2017) - It was roughly 300 years after the conclusion of a great conflict known as the Calamity War, the Earth Sphere has lost its previous governing structure, and a new system of government has created a new world. Far away, seeds of a new conflict are starting to form in the Mars Sphere. When private sec...
Avatar(2009) - In 2148, the depletion of Earth's natural resources has caused the human race to expand outwards to explore a far away moon called Pandora. Because of its poisonous atmosphere, the humans use avatars known as Na'vi who live in harmony with nature. A former marine and paraplegic replaces his deceased...
Phantasm II(1988) - The Tall Man and his strange little Killer Sphere return for a second round in this sequel to the 1979 cult favorite. Mike Pearson (James LeGros) is still plagued by memories of the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm), an evil mortician who has risen from the grave and bleeds embalming fluid and tried to kil...
Zombi 3(1988) - A terrorist's body is burned by mistake by the US Military which is infected with a virus. The virus spreads into the atmosphere and causes the dead to come back to life. A trio of soldiers and a group of tourist ban together to fight off the infected population and the military on the small isolate...
The Game(1997) - Director David Fincher followed the success of his dark and atmospheric crime thriller Seven (1995) with another exercise in stylish film noir, this time lifting the pallid atmosphere a notch to indulge in a fast-paced trip through the cinematic funhouse. Michael Douglas plays Nicholas Van Orton, a...
Where the Day Takes You(1992) - Marc Rocco's gritty drama Where the Day Takes You stars Dermot Mulroney as King, a street-smart hustler who acts as a father figure to a motley collection of young runaways. Among the people in his sphere are the young self-destructive drug addict Greg (Sean Astin), self-hating gay prostitute Little...
Horror Of The Blood Monsters(1970) - In the near future with a intergalactic vampire plague threatening earth, an expedition is sent to a distant galaxy in hopes of discovering the plague^s source. Landing on a mysterious planet they discover that Spectrum radiation has turned the atmosphere into a one-color tint. Exploring further, t...
Rainbow Brite: Beginning of Rainbowland(1984) - A little girl named Wisp comes to a desolate dark land to save it. She is on a mission to find the "sphere of light
The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra(2004) - Scientist Dr. Paul Armstrong and his wife are looking for a meteorite in the woods that contains a rare material known as atmosphereum. They are not the only ones, two aliens Kro-Bar and Lattis also need the material to get back to them and their escaped pet mutant back to their home planet, ,Anothe...
First Man Into Space(1959) - The first pilot to leave Earth's atmosphere lands, then vanishes; but something with a craving for blood prowls the countryside...
Bombshell (2019) ::: 6.8/10 -- R | 1h 49min | Biography, Drama | 20 December 2019 (USA) -- A group of women take on Fox News head Roger Ailes and the toxic atmosphere he presided over at the network. Director: Jay Roach Writer: Charles Randolph
In Her Shoes (2005) ::: 6.4/10 -- PG-13 | 2h 10min | Comedy, Drama, Romance | 7 October 2005 (USA) -- Strait-laced Rose breaks off relations with her party girl sister, Maggie, over an indiscretion involving Rose's boyfriend. The chilly atmosphere is broken with the arrival of Ella, the grandmother neither sister knew existed. Director: Curtis Hanson Writers:
Inner Worlds, Outer Worlds (2012) ::: 8.5/10 -- Not Rated | 2h 2min | Documentary, History | 19 December 2012 (USA) -- There is one vibratory field that connects all things. It has been called Akasha, Logos, the primordial OM, the music of the spheres, the Higgs field, dark energy, and a thousand other names throughout history. Director: Daniel Schmidt Writer:
Log Horizon ::: TV-PG | 25min | Animation, Action, Adventure | TV Series (2013- ) Episode Guide 62 episodes Log Horizon Poster -- Elder Tale is an online fantasy RPG that has become popular worldwide. But when its twelfth expansion package, "Novasphere Pioneers" is installed, thirty thousand players in Japan are ... S Creator:
Spheres ::: 7.4/10 -- Spheres Poster -- through the cosmos, its origins and its songs. Director: Eliza McNitt Writer: Eliza McNitt Stars: Millie Bobby Brown, Jessica Chastain, Patti Smith
The Cup (1999) ::: 7.0/10 -- Phorpa (original title) -- The Cup Poster -- While the soccer World Cup is being played in France, two young Tibetan refugees arrive at a monastery/boarding school in exile in India. Its atmosphere of serene contemplation is somewhat ... S Director: Khyentse Norbu Writer:
Under the Dome ::: TV-14 | 43min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi | TV Series (20132015) -- An invisible and mysterious force field descends upon a small actual town of Chester's Mill, Maine, USA, trapping residents inside, cut off from the rest of civilization. The trapped townspeople must discover the secrets and purpose of the "dome" or "sphere" and its origins, while coming to learn more than they ever knew about each other and animals too.
Under the Dome ::: TV-14 | 43min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi | TV Series (2013-2015) Episode Guide 39 episodes Under the Dome Poster -- An invisible and mysterious force field descends upon a small actual town of Chester's Mill, Maine, USA, trapping residents inside, cut off from the rest of civilization. The trapped townspeople must discover the secrets and purpose of the "dome" or "sphere" and its origins, while coming to learn more than they ever knew about each other and animals too.
https://odinsphere.fandom.com
https://abide-in-the-wind.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere_of_Volume
https://acecombat.fandom.com/wiki/Ace_Combat_3:_Electrosphere
https://adventuretime.fandom.com/wiki/It_Came_from_the_Nightosphere
https://aliens.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere_Builder
https://aliens.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere_Doomer
https://allods.fandom.com/wiki/Quest:Resistance_Sphere
https://allthetropes.fandom.com/wiki/Ace_Combat_3_Electrosphere
https://allthetropes.fandom.com/wiki/Adminisphere
https://allthetropes.fandom.com/wiki/Dyson_Sphere
https://allthetropes.fandom.com/wiki/Uncanny_Atmosphere
https://alternativesaga.fandom.com/wiki/Battle_of_the_Sphere
https://android.fandom.com/wiki/Samsung_Stratosphere
https://animanga.fandom.com/wiki/Legend_of_Heavenly_Sphere_Shurato
https://animanga.fandom.com/wiki/Spheres
https://bayonetta.fandom.com/wiki/First_Sphere_Angels
https://bayonetta.fandom.com/wiki/Second_Sphere_Angels
https://bayonetta.fandom.com/wiki/Third_Sphere
https://boboiboy.fandom.com/wiki/Power_Spheres
https://civilization.fandom.com/wiki/Biospheres_(CivBE)
https://civilization.fandom.com/wiki/Drone_Sphere_(CivBE)
https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere_of_the_Gods
https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Time_Sphere
https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/T-Spheres
https://dnd4.fandom.com/wiki/Flaming_sphere
https://dnd4.fandom.com/wiki/Lightning_Sphere
https://dnd4.fandom.com/wiki/Mirror_sphere
https://dnd4.fandom.com/wiki/Otiluke%27s_resilient_sphere
https://dnd4.fandom.com/wiki/Otiluke's_resilient_sphere
https://dnd4.fandom.com/wiki/Shock_sphere
https://dnd4.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere_of_Shadows
https://dragonball.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere_of_Destruction
https://dreamfiction.fandom.com/wiki/EKSoft_Sphere_System
https://dreamfiction.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_major_Anglosphere_countries
https://dreamfiction.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Theorysonic_Sphere_Box_games_released_in_North_America
https://dreamfiction.fandom.com/wiki/Robofly_II:_Spheres
https://dreamfiction.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere1
https://dreamfiction.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere_Television_Networks
https://dreamfiction.fandom.com/wiki/Theorysonic_Sphere_Box
https://earth.fandom.com/wiki/Earth's_atmosphere
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Attunement_Sphere
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Centurion_Sphere_(Morrowind)
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Conjure_Dwarven_Sphere
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Cutting_Sphere
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Dwarven_Sphere
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Dwarven_Sphere_Centurion_Arrow
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Dwarven_Sphere_Guardian
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Dwarven_Sphere_Master
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Dwarven_Sphere_(Online)
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Dwarven_Sphere_(Skyrim)
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Guardian_Sphere
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Mnemonic_Planisphere
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Smashed_Dwarven_Sphere
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere_Assembly
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Steadfast_Dwarven_Sphere
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Tempered_Sphere_(Dragonborn)
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Warped_Dwarven_Sphere
https://eq2.fandom.com/wiki/Enhance:_Guardian_Sphere
https://eq2.fandom.com/wiki/The_Sphere_of_Containment
https://fanfiction.fandom.com/wiki/Operation_Stratosphere
https://fantasticworlds.fandom.com/wiki/Vogsphere
https://ffxiclopedia.fandom.com/wiki/Cursed_Sphere
https://fireemblem.fandom.com/wiki/Darksphere
https://fireemblem.fandom.com/wiki/Geosphere
https://fireemblem.fandom.com/wiki/Idolasphere
https://fireemblem.fandom.com/wiki/Lifesphere
https://fireemblem.fandom.com/wiki/Lightsphere
https://fireemblem.fandom.com/wiki/Starsphere
https://fireemblem.fandom.com/wiki/Starsphere_Shards
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/All_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Animal_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Armillary_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Astral_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Atmosphere_cloak
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Chaos_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Charm_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Combat_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Creation_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Crystal_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Divination_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Elemental_air_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Elemental_earth_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Elemental_fire_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Elemental_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Elemental_water_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Facet_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Flaming_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Guardian_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Healing_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Invisibility_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Law_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Necromantic_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Numbers_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Otiluke's_freezing_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Otiluke's_resilient_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Planar_Sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Plant_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Prismatic_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Protection_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Scintillating_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere_of_annihilation
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere_of_chaos
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere_of_ultimate_destruction
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere_of_wonder
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Stasis_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Stone_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Storm_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Summoning_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Sun_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/The_Dream_Spheres
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Thought_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Time_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Travelers_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Vitriolic_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Wand_of_acidic_spheres
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Wards_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/War_of_the_Spheres
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/War_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Watery_sphere
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Weather_sphere
https://geomag.fandom.com/wiki/Spiral_spheres
https://geomag.fandom.com/wiki/Spiral_spheres?t=20130907085748
https://gknowledge.fandom.com/wiki/Earth's_atmosphere
https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/Earth_Sphere_Federation
https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/Earth_Sphere_Federation_Army
https://inazuma-eleven.fandom.com/wiki/Crimson_Sphere
https://jurassicpark.fandom.com/wiki/Gyrosphere
https://kakumeikivalvrave.fandom.com/wiki/Dyson_Sphere
https://kakumeikivalvrave.fandom.com/wiki/JIOR_Dyson_Sphere
https://kuroshitsuji.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere_Music_Hall
https://logos.fandom.com/wiki/Atmosphere_Visual_Effects
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/12th_Sphere
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/12th_sphere
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Artificial_biosphere
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Atmosphere
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Atmosphere_conditioning_pump
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Atmosphere_recycler
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Atmosphere_(unit)
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Biosphere
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Biosphere_designer
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Borg_Queen%27s_sphere_personnel
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Borg_Queen's_sphere_drone_004
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Borg_Queen's_sphere_drone_006
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Borg_Queen's_sphere_drone_007
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Borg_Queen's_sphere_drones_000
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Borg_Queen's_sphere_drones_001
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Borg_Queen's_sphere_Klingon_005
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Borg_Queen's_sphere_personnel
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Borg_Queen's_sphere_recovered_drone_001
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Borg_Queen's_sphere_recovered_drone_002
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Borg_Queen's_sphere_recovered_drones_000
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Borg_Queen's_sphere_Romulan_001
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Borg_sphere
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Chromosphere
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Delphic_Expanse_sphere
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Delphic_Expanse_spheres
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Dyson_sphere
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Exosphere
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Hemisphere
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Ionosphere
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Korok's_sphere_personnel
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Magnetosphere
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Mesosphere
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Nyrian_biosphere_vessel
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Photosphere
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Saltah'na_energy_sphere
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere_1
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere_2
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere_41
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere_634
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere_878
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere-Builder
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere-Builder_presage_1
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere-Builder_primary_1
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere-Builder_saboteur_1
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere-Builder_test_subject_1
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere-Builder_transport_pod
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere-Builder_woman_1
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere_(lifeform)
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Sphere_of_influence
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Stratosphere
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Terrasphere
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Terrasphere_8
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Terrasphere_8_admirals_001
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Terrasphere_8_Bajoran_001
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Terrasphere_8_bartender_001
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Terrasphere_8_Bolian_001
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Terrasphere_8_cadets_001
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Terrasphere_8_Ferengi_001
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Terrasphere_8_Ferengi_002
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Terrasphere_8_officers_001
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Another -- -- P.A. Works -- 12 eps -- Light novel -- Mystery Horror Supernatural Thriller School -- Another Another -- In 1972, a popular student in Yomiyama North Middle School's class 3-3 named Misaki passed away during the school year. Since then, the town of Yomiyama has been shrouded by a fearful atmosphere, from the dark secrets hidden deep within. -- -- Twenty-six years later, 15-year-old Kouichi Sakakibara transfers into class 3-3 of Yomiyama North and soon after discovers that a strange, gloomy mood seems to hang over all the students. He also finds himself drawn to the mysterious, eyepatch-wearing student Mei Misaki; however, the rest of the class and the teachers seem to treat her like she doesn't exist. Paying no heed to warnings from everyone including Mei herself, Kouichi begins to get closer not only to her, but also to the truth behind the gruesome phenomenon plaguing class 3-3 of Yomiyama North. -- -- Another follows Kouichi, Mei, and their classmates as they are pulled into the enigma surrounding a series of inevitable, tragic events—but unraveling the horror of Yomiyama may just cost them the ultimate price. -- -- -- Licensor: -- Sentai Filmworks -- TV - Jan 10, 2012 -- 1,275,253 7.53
Ao no Exorcist Movie -- -- A-1 Pictures -- 1 ep -- Manga -- Action Demons Fantasy Shounen Supernatural -- Ao no Exorcist Movie Ao no Exorcist Movie -- The atmosphere in True Cross Academy is lively and boisterous in the days leading up to the grand festival held once every 11 years. During this time, Okumura Rin is entrusted with the responsibility of suppressing the berserk Phantom Train. In the midst of his mission, he meets a devil whose appearance is that of a young boy. -- -- (Source: Official Site) -- -- Licensor: -- Aniplex of America -- Movie - Dec 28, 2012 -- 221,053 7.62
Ao no Exorcist Movie -- -- A-1 Pictures -- 1 ep -- Manga -- Action Demons Fantasy Shounen Supernatural -- Ao no Exorcist Movie Ao no Exorcist Movie -- The atmosphere in True Cross Academy is lively and boisterous in the days leading up to the grand festival held once every 11 years. During this time, Okumura Rin is entrusted with the responsibility of suppressing the berserk Phantom Train. In the midst of his mission, he meets a devil whose appearance is that of a young boy. -- -- (Source: Official Site) -- Movie - Dec 28, 2012 -- 221,053 7.62
Asatte no Houkou. -- -- J.C.Staff -- 12 eps -- Manga -- Supernatural Drama -- Asatte no Houkou. Asatte no Houkou. -- About to enter junior high school, Karada Iokawa is a cheerful and reliable girl, who hates being treated as a child more than anything. After her parents' deaths, her older brother, Hiro, comes back from studying abroad to take care of her. His ex-girlfriend Shouko Nogami, a composed yet sometimes childish and stubborn young woman, follows him to Japan in order to find out why he left her. Between the two girls, the atmosphere is tense, which eventually leads to Shouko calling Karada childish. -- -- Later, Karada stands before a shrine praying to grow up. Little does she know that the shrine wishing stone would grant her wish. As Karada grows older, at the same time, Shouko, who happens to be nearby, finds herself a child once again. With their ages now reversed, Shouko and Karada must come to terms with one another and ultimately themselves. -- -- -- Licensor: -- Sentai Filmworks -- TV - Oct 6, 2006 -- 22,076 7.06
Asatte no Houkou. -- -- J.C.Staff -- 12 eps -- Manga -- Supernatural Drama -- Asatte no Houkou. Asatte no Houkou. -- About to enter junior high school, Karada Iokawa is a cheerful and reliable girl, who hates being treated as a child more than anything. After her parents' deaths, her older brother, Hiro, comes back from studying abroad to take care of her. His ex-girlfriend Shouko Nogami, a composed yet sometimes childish and stubborn young woman, follows him to Japan in order to find out why he left her. Between the two girls, the atmosphere is tense, which eventually leads to Shouko calling Karada childish. -- -- Later, Karada stands before a shrine praying to grow up. Little does she know that the shrine wishing stone would grant her wish. As Karada grows older, at the same time, Shouko, who happens to be nearby, finds herself a child once again. With their ages now reversed, Shouko and Karada must come to terms with one another and ultimately themselves. -- -- TV - Oct 6, 2006 -- 22,076 7.06
Clannad: Mou Hitotsu no Sekai, Tomoyo-hen -- -- Kyoto Animation -- 1 ep -- Visual novel -- Drama Romance School Slice of Life -- Clannad: Mou Hitotsu no Sekai, Tomoyo-hen Clannad: Mou Hitotsu no Sekai, Tomoyo-hen -- Clannad: Mou Hitotsu no Sekai, Tomoyo-hen is set in an alternate reality where Tomoya Okazaki dates his junior, Tomoyo Sakagami. -- -- Tomoyo has been elected to be the school's next Student Council President. This is great news as she can now work toward her goal of preventing the school's cherry blossom trees from being axed. Although Tomoya is ecstatic for her, given his reputation as a delinquent in school, his relationship with Tomoyo is making them the subject of gossip around the campus, which can potentially compromise her standing as Student Council President. The school community's disapproval of their relationship becomes more apparent when the Student Council's Vice-President and even the school's administration warn Tomoya to distance himself from Tomoyo. -- -- With the bad atmosphere widening the rift between Tomoya and Tomoyo, will Tomoya succumb to societal pressure and do as they say, or will their love for each other rise above it all? -- -- -- Licensor: -- Sentai Filmworks -- Special - Jul 16, 2008 -- 262,192 7.98
Date A Live Movie: Mayuri Judgment -- -- Production IMS -- 1 ep -- Light novel -- Harem Romance Sci-Fi -- Date A Live Movie: Mayuri Judgment Date A Live Movie: Mayuri Judgment -- War(Date), resumes. -- The peaceful days of Itsuka Shidou returned without having to save the Spirits from the relentless battle days. But, the peaceful days were interrupted by the emergence of a mysterious sphere emitting spiritual wave――as well as a mysterious girl who showed herself at the same time. What is her purpose of keeping an eye on Shidou……? The mission that had been entrusted to Shidou under the tense situation was, -- -- “Date all of the Spirits, and make them fall in love?!” -- -- ――With the fate of humanity at stake, the war(date) resumes! -- -- (Source: Date A Live Wiki) -- Movie - Aug 22, 2015 -- 148,796 7.35
Fumetsu no Anata e -- -- Brain's Base -- 20 eps -- Manga -- Adventure Supernatural Drama Shounen -- Fumetsu no Anata e Fumetsu no Anata e -- It, a mysterious immortal being, is sent to the Earth with no emotions nor identity. However, It is able to take the shape of those around that have a strong impetus. -- -- At first, It is a sphere. Then, It imitates the form of a rock. As the temperature drops and snow falls atop the moss, It inherits the moss. When an injured, lone wolf comes limping by and lays down to die, It takes on the form of the animal. Finally, It gains consciousness and begins to traverse the empty tundra until It meets a boy. -- -- The boy lives alone in a ghost town, which the adults abandoned long ago in search of the paradise said to exist far beyond the endless sea of white tundra. However, their efforts were for naught, and now the boy is in a critical state. -- -- Acquiring the form of the boy, It sets off on a never-ending journey, in search of new experiences, places, and people. -- -- 217,744 8.74
Futari wa Precure: Splash☆Star -- -- Toei Animation -- 49 eps -- Original -- Action Comedy Magic Fantasy Shoujo -- Futari wa Precure: Splash☆Star Futari wa Precure: Splash☆Star -- During the summer festival five years ago, two girls met at a mysterious tree and saw two glowing spheres. Now, these two girls--Saki Hyuuga, ace pitcher on the school softball team; and Mai Mishou, who prefers sketching over stargazing--are chosen by the spirits of flowers (Flappy) and birds (Choppy) to restore the Seven Fountains and save their worlds from Dark Autumn. Together, they are the NEW Pretty Cure. -- -- (Source: ANN) -- TV - Feb 5, 2006 -- 10,195 7.14
Gantz 2nd Stage -- -- Gonzo -- 13 eps -- Manga -- Action Sci-Fi Horror Psychological Supernatural Drama Ecchi -- Gantz 2nd Stage Gantz 2nd Stage -- Kurono Kei and his ex-elementary school classmate, Kato Masaru have survived the first two ordeals that the unknown black sphere Gantz has sent them through. Exploding body parts, struggling to stay alive till the last seconds and seeing your fellow comrades fall in a pile of blood and gore are norm to them now. They are aware now that Gantz can call them up along with any new deeds, at any time for another confrontation with aliens. -- -- Will Kato's experiences in the Gantz world give him the same courage in the real world? With fellow veteran Gantzer Kei Kishimoto currently staying at Kurono's home as his "adopted pet", can Kurono stave off his growing lust for her mammaries? -- -- What the heck is Gantz? -- -- (Source: anime-source.com) -- -- Licensor: -- ADV Films, Funimation -- TV - Aug 26, 2004 -- 138,168 7.08
Gantz 2nd Stage -- -- Gonzo -- 13 eps -- Manga -- Action Sci-Fi Horror Psychological Supernatural Drama Ecchi -- Gantz 2nd Stage Gantz 2nd Stage -- Kurono Kei and his ex-elementary school classmate, Kato Masaru have survived the first two ordeals that the unknown black sphere Gantz has sent them through. Exploding body parts, struggling to stay alive till the last seconds and seeing your fellow comrades fall in a pile of blood and gore are norm to them now. They are aware now that Gantz can call them up along with any new deeds, at any time for another confrontation with aliens. -- -- Will Kato's experiences in the Gantz world give him the same courage in the real world? With fellow veteran Gantzer Kei Kishimoto currently staying at Kurono's home as his "adopted pet", can Kurono stave off his growing lust for her mammaries? -- -- What the heck is Gantz? -- -- (Source: anime-source.com) -- TV - Aug 26, 2004 -- 138,168 7.08
Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu: Waga Yuku wa Hoshi no Taikai -- -- Artland, Madhouse -- 1 ep -- Novel -- Action Military Sci-Fi Space -- Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu: Waga Yuku wa Hoshi no Taikai Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu: Waga Yuku wa Hoshi no Taikai -- Four months before Count von Lohengramm of the Galactic Empire faced Yang Wen-li of the Free Planets Alliance at the Battle of Astarte, he was still just Reinhard von Müsel. The youngest admiral in the Empire's history, Reinhard was disdained and dismissed by his peers as the brother of the Kaiser's concubine. -- -- Upon arriving at Iserlohn Fortress with his expeditionary fleet, Reinhard immediately receives an order from the ambitious and cunning Fleet Admiral Gregor von Mückenberger: to intercept an Alliance fleet in a neighboring starzone. Despite recognizing this as a veiled attempt to get him killed in combat, Reinhard nevertheless orders his tired and weary men to engage the enemy in the atmosphere of the gas giant Legnica. But unbeknownst to him, this will mark the first of his many historic encounters with the Hero of El Facil. -- -- -- Licensor: -- Sentai Filmworks -- Movie - Feb 6, 1988 -- 30,991 7.94
Healin' Good♡Precure -- -- Toei Animation -- 45 eps -- Original -- Action Magic Fantasy Shoujo -- Healin' Good♡Precure Healin' Good♡Precure -- Sickly but optimistic middle school student Nodoka Hanadera has just moved to Sukoyaka City, a place famous for its healthy atmosphere. She immediately befriends two of her classmates: the gentle but athletic Chiyu Sawaizumi, whose family runs a hot spring inn, and the bubbly and fashionable daughter of a vet, Hinata Hiramitsu. -- -- Soon after arriving, Nodoka finds an ill puppy in a forest, surrounded by three magical talking animals: Rabbirin, Penguitan, and Nyatoran. They tell her that the puppy, Princess Latte, can only be cured by defeating a nearby monster known as a "Mega Byogen" and purifying the land it has corrupted. Despite being powerless, Nodoka refuses to give up and let Latte suffer. -- -- Moved by her determination, Rabbirin forms a pact with Nodoka, allowing her to transform into a hero known as a Precure. Assuming the persona of "Cure Grace," the energized Nodoka fights off the Byogen and heals the earth, curing Latte. -- -- As the Byogen and their leaders continue their attacks, Penguitan and Nyatoran also find their partners in Chiyu and Hinata, giving them the powers of "Cure Fontaine" and "Cure Sparkle" respectively. Now, it's up to the three Precure and their animal friends to stop the Byogen and protect the earth from their infections! -- -- 6,876 6.75
High School DxD Hero -- -- Passione -- 12 eps -- Light novel -- Action Harem Comedy Demons Romance Ecchi School -- High School DxD Hero High School DxD Hero -- After rescuing his master, Rias Gremory, from the Dimensional Gap, Red Dragon Emperor and aspiring Harem King Issei Hyoudou can finally return to his high school activities alongside fellow members of the Occult Research Club: Yuuto Kiba, Asia Argento, Xenovia Quarta, and Irina Shidou. The group soon embarks on a school trip to Kyoto. -- -- While peacefully visiting a temple thanks to Rias' spell, an attacking group of local youkai breaks the calm atmosphere. Once the altercation ends, the club learns that the mythical nine-tailed fox that protected the city was abducted and that someone has framed them for the act. Issei and his friends will now have to fight to protect the city and save their school trip from a planned disaster! -- -- In the meantime, Rias, who had to stay in Tokyo with Akeno Himejima and Koneko Toujou, grows increasingly restless to have left the perverted Issei alone with the other girls of the Occult Research Club. Beyond this vague anxiety, what is the exact nature of the feelings Rias has been struggling with for the past few months? -- -- 329,243 7.26
High School DxD Hero -- -- Passione -- 12 eps -- Light novel -- Action Harem Comedy Demons Romance Ecchi School -- High School DxD Hero High School DxD Hero -- After rescuing his master, Rias Gremory, from the Dimensional Gap, Red Dragon Emperor and aspiring Harem King Issei Hyoudou can finally return to his high school activities alongside fellow members of the Occult Research Club: Yuuto Kiba, Asia Argento, Xenovia Quarta, and Irina Shidou. The group soon embarks on a school trip to Kyoto. -- -- While peacefully visiting a temple thanks to Rias' spell, an attacking group of local youkai breaks the calm atmosphere. Once the altercation ends, the club learns that the mythical nine-tailed fox that protected the city was abducted and that someone has framed them for the act. Issei and his friends will now have to fight to protect the city and save their school trip from a planned disaster! -- -- In the meantime, Rias, who had to stay in Tokyo with Akeno Himejima and Koneko Toujou, grows increasingly restless to have left the perverted Issei alone with the other girls of the Occult Research Club. Beyond this vague anxiety, what is the exact nature of the feelings Rias has been struggling with for the past few months? -- -- -- Licensor: -- Funimation -- 329,243 7.26
Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen 3rd Season -- -- - -- ? eps -- Manga -- Comedy Psychological Romance School Seinen -- Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen 3rd Season Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen 3rd Season -- Third season of Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen. -- TV - ??? ??, ???? -- 138,754 N/AGantz 2nd Stage -- -- Gonzo -- 13 eps -- Manga -- Action Sci-Fi Horror Psychological Supernatural Drama Ecchi -- Gantz 2nd Stage Gantz 2nd Stage -- Kurono Kei and his ex-elementary school classmate, Kato Masaru have survived the first two ordeals that the unknown black sphere Gantz has sent them through. Exploding body parts, struggling to stay alive till the last seconds and seeing your fellow comrades fall in a pile of blood and gore are norm to them now. They are aware now that Gantz can call them up along with any new deeds, at any time for another confrontation with aliens. -- -- Will Kato's experiences in the Gantz world give him the same courage in the real world? With fellow veteran Gantzer Kei Kishimoto currently staying at Kurono's home as his "adopted pet", can Kurono stave off his growing lust for her mammaries? -- -- What the heck is Gantz? -- -- (Source: anime-source.com) -- -- Licensor: -- ADV Films, Funimation -- TV - Aug 26, 2004 -- 138,168 7.08
Kanata no Astra -- -- Lerche -- 12 eps -- Manga -- Sci-Fi Adventure Space Shounen -- Kanata no Astra Kanata no Astra -- In the year 2063, space travel is feasible and commercially available. As the cheerful Aries Spring arrives at the spaceport to attend a camp on the distant planet McPa, her purse is suddenly snatched by a reckless thief. Luckily, the athletic Kanata Hoshijima is able to retrieve it for her, and Aries soon discovers that he is among the group of teenagers who will be travelling with her on the excursion as team B-5. -- -- Upon arriving at their campsite, the group's trip takes a turn for the worse when a strange sphere of black light sucks them into the vast reaches of outer space. Stranded with seemingly no hope, they find an abandoned ship nearby that provides them with the means to return home. However, they soon discover that they are not as close to their campsite as they initially thought, but are in fact thousands of light-years away from home. -- -- With this realization, the nine members must cautiously manage their resources, maintain their strength, and unite as one to conquer the darkness of space together. While the reason behind their trip's sudden obstruction remains unknown, they nevertheless embark on the treacherous voyage back home aboard their new ship, the Astra. -- -- 208,590 8.14
Kanata no Astra -- -- Lerche -- 12 eps -- Manga -- Sci-Fi Adventure Space Shounen -- Kanata no Astra Kanata no Astra -- In the year 2063, space travel is feasible and commercially available. As the cheerful Aries Spring arrives at the spaceport to attend a camp on the distant planet McPa, her purse is suddenly snatched by a reckless thief. Luckily, the athletic Kanata Hoshijima is able to retrieve it for her, and Aries soon discovers that he is among the group of teenagers who will be travelling with her on the excursion as team B-5. -- -- Upon arriving at their campsite, the group's trip takes a turn for the worse when a strange sphere of black light sucks them into the vast reaches of outer space. Stranded with seemingly no hope, they find an abandoned ship nearby that provides them with the means to return home. However, they soon discover that they are not as close to their campsite as they initially thought, but are in fact thousands of light-years away from home. -- -- With this realization, the nine members must cautiously manage their resources, maintain their strength, and unite as one to conquer the darkness of space together. While the reason behind their trip's sudden obstruction remains unknown, they nevertheless embark on the treacherous voyage back home aboard their new ship, the Astra. -- -- -- Licensor: -- Funimation -- 208,590 8.14
Kidou Keisatsu Patlabor -- -- Studio Deen -- 7 eps -- Original -- Comedy Mecha Police Sci-Fi -- Kidou Keisatsu Patlabor Kidou Keisatsu Patlabor -- As the human race evolves, so does its technology. Engineers have successfully created robots dubbed "Labors" for mass distribution, utilized by society for a number of everyday tasks. However, there are criminals who manage to get their hands on these Labors, using them for their own nefarious means. -- -- To combat this new form of delinquency, police around the world begin using "Patrol Labors" or "Patlabors" to put a stop to Labor-related crimes. Rookie police officer Noa Izumi is drafted into a special Patlabor unit, getting her own mechanical suit to fight crime. Naming this machine Alphonse, Izumi works tirelessly alongside her peers to keep civilization safe from those who would use this advanced technology to harm others. -- -- As Izumi becomes further ingrained within her unit, she must also learn how to navigate both her social and professional spheres with grace and wit. She befriends the aloof Asuma Shinohara, fellow pilot Isao Oota, and the other members of her brigade as she helps them to combat conspiratorial plots, workplace revolts, and supernatural beings. -- -- -- Licensor: -- Central Park Media, Maiden Japan -- OVA - Apr 25, 1988 -- 25,666 7.29
Kikumana -- -- Studio Rikka -- 1 ep -- Original -- Dementia Psychological -- Kikumana Kikumana -- This work "Kikumana" is an animation of a girl called Kikumana who acts like in a stage performance, the role defeated by such an ill circumstance though she tries to find herself. The primal aim is to get the audience feeling a strange atmosphere spread from this work. The image has a pictorial atmosphere and a documentary touch at the same time. Unrealistic phenomena take place there. -- -- (Source: AniDB) -- ONA - Jul 14, 2001 -- 7,416 5.77
Mahouka Koukou no Yuutousei -- -- Connect -- ? eps -- Manga -- Sci-Fi Magic Fantasy -- Mahouka Koukou no Yuutousei Mahouka Koukou no Yuutousei -- A century has passed since magic—true magic, the stuff of legends—has returned to the world. It is spring, the season of new beginnings, and a new class of students is about to begin their studies at the First National Magic University Affiliated High School, nickname: First High. -- -- A manga spin-off of the immensely popular light novel series Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei (The Irregular at Magic High School), Mahouka Koukou no Yuutousei (The Honor Student at Magic High School) follows the events of the original series as seen through the eyes of Miyuki Shiba, Tatsuya's sister. The life of an honor student comes with a lot of expectations...and unexpected hidden feelings?! -- -- (Source: Yen Press, edited) -- TV - Jul ??, 2021 -- 34,380 N/A -- -- Yoake Mae yori Ruriiro na: Crescent Love -- -- Daume -- 12 eps -- Visual novel -- Comedy Romance School Sci-Fi -- Yoake Mae yori Ruriiro na: Crescent Love Yoake Mae yori Ruriiro na: Crescent Love -- The moon and the earth are linked by a single contact point, "Mitsuru ga Sakichau Ouren Rakuniushi" where Tatsuya lives under the supervision of the Sphere Kingdom (Moon Kingdom)'s Princess Feena Fam Earthlight who is coming to stay at his home. -- -- (Source: ANN) -- -- Licensor: -- Sentai Filmworks -- 34,063 7.13
Mahou Shoujo Madoka� -- Magica Movie 3: Hangyaku no Monogatari -- -- Shaft -- 1 ep -- Original -- Mystery Psychological Drama Magic Thriller -- Mahou Shoujo Madoka� -- Magica Movie 3: Hangyaku no Monogatari Mahou Shoujo Madoka� -- Magica Movie 3: Hangyaku no Monogatari -- The young girls of Mitakihara happily live their lives, occasionally fighting off evil, but otherwise going about their peaceful, everyday routines. However, Homura Akemi feels that something is wrong with this unusually pleasant atmosphere—though the others remain oblivious, she can't help but suspect that there is more to what is going on than meets the eye: someone who should not exist is currently present to join in on their activities. -- -- Mahou Shoujo Madoka� -- Magica Movie 3: Hangyaku no Monogatari follows Homura in her struggle to uncover the painful truth behind the mysterious circumstances, as she selfishly and desperately fights for the sake of her undying love in this despair-ridden conclusion to the story of five magical girls. -- -- -- Licensor: -- Aniplex of America -- Movie - Oct 26, 2013 -- 295,580 8.45
Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai! -- -- Lerche -- 12 eps -- Visual novel -- Harem Comedy Super Power Romance Ecchi Martial Arts School -- Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai! Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai! -- The samurai are a very important part of Japan's history, and to be related to them in any way is probably one of the most inspiring things that a young high school student could hope for. -- -- Kawakami City is well-known for having many samurai ancestors among its citizens, and is generally surrounded by an atmosphere of fighting spirit, loyalty, and dedication to work. In Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!, the students of Kawakami Academy use this knowledge on a daily basis, whether they are studying for exams, competing in sports competitions, or making sure that they take very good care of their traditions. Yamato Naoe is one such student, and his six closest friends (three boys and three girls) make up the perfect team for friendship, rivalry, and motivation. However, even samurai have weaknesses. -- -- Although the balance and long friendship of their group has been undisturbed for a long time, when two new girls enter the group, things start to get a lot more interesting. Not only must they maintain what they think is the samurai tradition, but they must now also do it with a lot of "distractions." -- -- Licensor: -- Sentai Filmworks -- 238,653 6.75
Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Second Season -- -- Sunrise -- 25 eps -- Original -- Action Drama Mecha Military Sci-Fi Space -- Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Second Season Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Second Season -- In the year 2311 AD, a world that once saw itself full of inter-continental conflict now stands unified, led by the Earth Sphere Federation (ESF). The ESF established a preventative military task force known as the A-Laws, tasking them with shutting down violent terrorist organizations. As they gain more and more legal authority, the A-Laws begin to twist the law to fit their own agenda, ruling the citizens of Earth with a heavy hand. -- -- In response to the fascistic behavior of the A-Laws, the anti-terrorist group Celestial Being reappears. Led by state-of-the-art mobile suits known as Gundam, the pilots of Celestial Being wage a new war with the A-Laws, aiming to stop their tyrannical abuse of power. -- -- Setsuna F. Seiei, pilot of the Gundam Exia, helps to lead the charge along with his fellow Gundam Meisters Lockon Stratos, Allelujah Haptism, and Tieria Erde. But in the process, Setsuna stumbles upon a conspiratorial plot spearheaded by a new faction, the Innovators, and must contend with his own old wounds and ghosts of the past in order to save a world that despises him. -- -- -- Licensor: -- Bandai Entertainment -- TV - Oct 5, 2008 -- 129,108 8.10
Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Second Season -- -- Sunrise -- 25 eps -- Original -- Action Drama Mecha Military Sci-Fi Space -- Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Second Season Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Second Season -- In the year 2311 AD, a world that once saw itself full of inter-continental conflict now stands unified, led by the Earth Sphere Federation (ESF). The ESF established a preventative military task force known as the A-Laws, tasking them with shutting down violent terrorist organizations. As they gain more and more legal authority, the A-Laws begin to twist the law to fit their own agenda, ruling the citizens of Earth with a heavy hand. -- -- In response to the fascistic behavior of the A-Laws, the anti-terrorist group Celestial Being reappears. Led by state-of-the-art mobile suits known as Gundam, the pilots of Celestial Being wage a new war with the A-Laws, aiming to stop their tyrannical abuse of power. -- -- Setsuna F. Seiei, pilot of the Gundam Exia, helps to lead the charge along with his fellow Gundam Meisters Lockon Stratos, Allelujah Haptism, and Tieria Erde. But in the process, Setsuna stumbles upon a conspiratorial plot spearheaded by a new faction, the Innovators, and must contend with his own old wounds and ghosts of the past in order to save a world that despises him. -- -- TV - Oct 5, 2008 -- 129,108 8.10
Mobile Suit Gundam 00 The Movie: A Wakening of the Trailblazer -- -- Sunrise -- 1 ep -- Original -- Action Mecha Sci-Fi Space -- Mobile Suit Gundam 00 The Movie: A Wakening of the Trailblazer Mobile Suit Gundam 00 The Movie: A Wakening of the Trailblazer -- In the year 2314 AD, the world is at peace. Thanks to the sacrifices of Celestial Being and its mobile suit pilots, the people of Earth experience a time of prosperity and unity, enjoying tranquil lives once thought impossible. Celestial Being, an organization once painted as villains by the Earth Sphere Federation, now exists in public perception as a group of heroes, celebrated in film and culture. -- -- When an extraterrestrial threat arrives on Earth, threatening the newly acquired calm stasis, Celestial Being springs back into action. Led by ace pilot Setsuna F. Seiei, the Gundam Meisters of the group battle the hostile alien forces, teaming up with old rivals to protect the human race from certain doom. -- -- -- Licensor: -- Bandai Entertainment -- Movie - Sep 18, 2010 -- 53,047 7.31
Mobile Suit Gundam F91 -- -- Sunrise -- 1 ep -- - -- Drama Mecha Military Sci-Fi Space -- Mobile Suit Gundam F91 Mobile Suit Gundam F91 -- In the year 123 of the Universal Century, skirmishes between the Federation government and the rebel group Crossbones Vanguard echo across Earth's space colonies. One of these small battles breaks in the hometown of young Seabook Arno, forcing him and his friends to flee and ensnaring them in the political turmoil that is quickly evolving into an all-out war. -- -- Seabook meets Cecily Fairchild, granddaughter of the aristocrat Meitzer Ronah, who seeks to create a new political power called "Cosmo Babylonia." Using the Crossbone Vanguard as its muscle, the Ronah family schemes to restore aristocratic rule and establish an economic system that will benefit the nobility, thus devastating the quality of life for the common people of the Earth Sphere. -- -- Seabook is tasked with piloting the Gundam F91, a mobile suit created by his mother, and must choose between protecting the status Federation's status quo or cooperating with Cecily to find a better way of life for all. -- -- -- Licensor: -- Bandai Entertainment, Nozomi Entertainment -- Movie - Mar 16, 1991 -- 23,747 6.67
Mobile Suit Gundam F91 -- -- Sunrise -- 1 ep -- - -- Drama Mecha Military Sci-Fi Space -- Mobile Suit Gundam F91 Mobile Suit Gundam F91 -- In the year 123 of the Universal Century, skirmishes between the Federation government and the rebel group Crossbones Vanguard echo across Earth's space colonies. One of these small battles breaks in the hometown of young Seabook Arno, forcing him and his friends to flee and ensnaring them in the political turmoil that is quickly evolving into an all-out war. -- -- Seabook meets Cecily Fairchild, granddaughter of the aristocrat Meitzer Ronah, who seeks to create a new political power called "Cosmo Babylonia." Using the Crossbone Vanguard as its muscle, the Ronah family schemes to restore aristocratic rule and establish an economic system that will benefit the nobility, thus devastating the quality of life for the common people of the Earth Sphere. -- -- Seabook is tasked with piloting the Gundam F91, a mobile suit created by his mother, and must choose between protecting the status Federation's status quo or cooperating with Cecily to find a better way of life for all. -- -- Movie - Mar 16, 1991 -- 23,747 6.67
Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash -- -- Sunrise -- 1 ep -- Novel -- Action Military Sci-Fi Space Drama Mecha -- Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash -- —Do you know the Nejen? -- If you know it, then I'll take you there— -- -- The year is U.C. 0105. Twelve years have passed since the end of the second Neo Zeon War (Char's Rebellion). Even after "the Axis Shock," which seemed to indicate the future of humanity and the Universal Century, the world is still in a chaotic situation where intermittent military conflicts continue to break out. The Earth Federation government is more corrupt than ever, and its leadership has not only accelerated Earth's pollution, but also implemented an inhuman "Man Hunting" policy in which civilians are forcibly exiled to outer space. -- -- The anti-Federation government organization "Mafty," led by someone called "Mafty Navue Erin," has taken a stand against the corruption of the Earth Sphere. Mafty carries out fierce acts of terrorism, assassinating high officials of the Federation government one after another, but it gains a certain level of support from the populace who are growing more opposed to the Federation government. -- -- The person who calls himself "Mafty" and leads this organization is Hathaway Noa, the son of Bright Noa, an officer of the Earth Federation Forces who once participated in the One Year War. Hathaway himself joined the forces trying to stop Char’s Rebellion. With firsthand knowledge of the ideals and ideologies of Amuro Ray and Char Aznable, he has become a warrior following in their footsteps, and plans to clear a path forward through armed resistance. His destiny, however, is drastically altered as he encounters the Federation Forces officer Kenneth Sleg and a mysterious young beauty named Gigi Andalucia. -- -- (Source: Gundam.info) -- Movie - May 7, 2021 -- 6,999 N/A -- -- MD Geist II: Death Force -- -- Zero-G Room -- 1 ep -- Original -- Action Military Sci-Fi Mecha -- MD Geist II: Death Force MD Geist II: Death Force -- After unleashing the Death Force machines all over the planet Jerra, Geist has kept himself busy by dismantling them one by one. But now he faces a formidable opponent in the form of Krauser, another M.D.S. (Most Dangerous Soldier) who has aligned himself as the only savior of mankind. -- -- (Source: ANN) -- -- Licensor: -- Central Park Media -- OVA - Mar 1, 1996 -- 6,817 5.03
Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash -- -- Sunrise -- 1 ep -- Novel -- Action Military Sci-Fi Space Drama Mecha -- Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash -- —Do you know the Nejen? -- If you know it, then I'll take you there— -- -- The year is U.C. 0105. Twelve years have passed since the end of the second Neo Zeon War (Char's Rebellion). Even after "the Axis Shock," which seemed to indicate the future of humanity and the Universal Century, the world is still in a chaotic situation where intermittent military conflicts continue to break out. The Earth Federation government is more corrupt than ever, and its leadership has not only accelerated Earth's pollution, but also implemented an inhuman "Man Hunting" policy in which civilians are forcibly exiled to outer space. -- -- The anti-Federation government organization "Mafty," led by someone called "Mafty Navue Erin," has taken a stand against the corruption of the Earth Sphere. Mafty carries out fierce acts of terrorism, assassinating high officials of the Federation government one after another, but it gains a certain level of support from the populace who are growing more opposed to the Federation government. -- -- The person who calls himself "Mafty" and leads this organization is Hathaway Noa, the son of Bright Noa, an officer of the Earth Federation Forces who once participated in the One Year War. Hathaway himself joined the forces trying to stop Char’s Rebellion. With firsthand knowledge of the ideals and ideologies of Amuro Ray and Char Aznable, he has become a warrior following in their footsteps, and plans to clear a path forward through armed resistance. His destiny, however, is drastically altered as he encounters the Federation Forces officer Kenneth Sleg and a mysterious young beauty named Gigi Andalucia. -- -- (Source: Gundam.info) -- Movie - May 7, 2021 -- 6,999 N/A -- -- Vandread: Taidou-hen -- -- Gonzo -- 1 ep -- Original -- Action Adventure Comedy Ecchi Mecha Sci-Fi Space -- Vandread: Taidou-hen Vandread: Taidou-hen -- Vandread The First Stage (season one) was immediately followed up by this TV special. This TV special, also known as Vandread Taidouhen Stage (The Movement Stage) was a recap of the first 13 episodes with additional footage. So, Vandread Taidouhen is not really a bridge between Vandread The First Stage and Vandread The Second Stage (season two). It was made to bring new viewers up to date as to what happened during the first season -- -- (Source: AniDB) -- -- Licensor: -- Funimation -- OVA - Jan 21, 2001 -- 6,833 6.79
Mobile Suit Gundam NT -- -- Sunrise -- 1 ep -- Novel -- Action Drama Mecha Military Sci-Fi Space -- Mobile Suit Gundam NT Mobile Suit Gundam NT -- U.C. 0097, one year after the opening of "Laplace's Box." -- Despite the revelation of the Universal Century Charter that acknowledges the existence and rights of Newtypes, the framework of the world has not been greatly altered. -- -- The conflict later dubbed the "Laplace Incident" is thought to have ended with the downfall of the Neo Zeon remnants known as the Sleeves. In its final battle, two full psycho-frame mobile suits displayed power beyond human understanding. The white unicorn and the black lion were sealed away to remove this danger from people's consciousness, and they should now be completely forgotten. -- -- However, the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 03, which disappeared two years earlier, is now about to show itself in the Earth Sphere once more. A golden phoenix... named Phenex. -- -- (Source: Gundam.info) -- -- Licensor: -- NYAV Post -- Movie - Nov 30, 2018 -- 11,948 6.63
Mobile Suit Gundam: Twilight Axis -- -- Sunrise -- 6 eps -- Novel -- Action Military Sci-Fi Space Mecha -- Mobile Suit Gundam: Twilight Axis Mobile Suit Gundam: Twilight Axis -- Universal Century 0096. Several months have passed since the incident surrounding Laplace's box also known as the Universal Century Charter. The Earth Federation Forces dispatches a group of investigators to the severed Axis which is drifting outside the Earth Sphere. Two civilians participate as members of the research group: Arlette Almage and Danton Hyleg. Both have pasts with government service to the Principality of Zeon and Neo Zeon as an engineer and test pilot. Having infiltrated Axis, the investigators come under attack inside a base where no one should be. Arlette and Dalton are confronted with an incident they never imagined. -- -- (Source: Zeonic Scanlations) -- ONA - Jun 23, 2017 -- 8,867 4.92
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing -- -- Sunrise -- 49 eps -- Original -- Action Military Sci-Fi Space Drama Mecha -- Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Mobile Suit Gundam Wing -- The United Earth Sphere Alliance is a powerful military organization that has ruled over Earth and space colonies with an iron fist for several decades. When the colonies proclaimed their opposition to this, their leader was assassinated. Now, in the year After Colony 195, bitter colonial rebels have launched "Operation Meteor," sending five powerful mobile suits to Earth for vengeance. Built out of virtually indestructible material called Gundanium Alloy, these "Gundams" begin an assault against the Alliance and its sub organization OZ. -- -- One Gundam, whose pilot has taken the name of the slain colony leader Heero Yuy, is forced to make a crash landing into the ocean after an atmospheric battle against OZ's ace pilot Zechs Marquise. Upon coming ashore, he is found by Relena Peacecraft, daughter of a peace-seeking politician, who witnesses Heero's descent to Earth. Although neither of them realize it yet, this encounter will have a profound impact on both their lives, as well as those on Earth and in space colonies. -- -- -- Licensor: -- Bandai Entertainment -- 135,013 7.72
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz Movie -- -- Sunrise -- 1 ep -- Original -- Action Space Mecha Military Drama Sci-Fi -- Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz Movie Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz Movie -- At the climax of the Eve Wars, on December 24 of the year AC 195, the armies of the World Nation and White Fang met in a ferocious battle. World Nation leader Treize Khushrenada was slain, White Fang leader Zechs Merquise disappeared, and Earth was saved from destruction by the intervention of the five Gundam pilots. Having witnessed the consequences of war and hatred, the people of Earth and the space colonies put aside their differences and together founded a new world government. Under this newly-formed Earth Sphere Unified Nation, a year has passed in peace. The government and the populace have disarmed themselves, and almost every remaining mobile suit has been destroyed. Deciding to follow suit, Gundam pilots Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton, and Quatre Raberba Winner place their mighty mobile suits inside an asteroid and send them on a one-way voyage into the sun. But even as they bid their Gundams farewell, a new conflict is drawing near. -- -- (Source: AniDB) -- -- Licensor: -- Bandai Entertainment -- Movie - Aug 1, 1998 -- 50,948 7.81
Pokemon Movie 05: Mizu no Miyako no Mamorigami Latias to Latios -- -- OLM -- 1 ep -- Game -- Adventure Comedy Drama Fantasy Kids -- Pokemon Movie 05: Mizu no Miyako no Mamorigami Latias to Latios Pokemon Movie 05: Mizu no Miyako no Mamorigami Latias to Latios -- As they continue their journey through the Johto region, Satoshi and his friends visit Altomare, an island city that hosts an annual racing event called the Pokémon Water Race. While Takeshi and Kasumi are enjoying themselves, strange things seem to be happening to Satoshi—he somehow loses the water race, sees some women attack a girl with their Pokémon, and despite them saving her, the girl later denies ever seeing Satoshi and Pikachu before! -- -- Fortunately for Satoshi, his confusion clears up as he learns that the girl he and Pikachu saved earlier was actually a Pokémon named Latias, who likes to disguise herself as her human friend, Kanon. Latias and another Pokémon, Latios, are known as the Eon Pokémon, as they inhabit and guard Altomare along with a mystical blue sphere called the Soul Dew. An ancient legend of Altomare is highly connected to the Eon Pokémon and the Soul Dew, and is well known among the locals—as well as among Latias' earlier assailants, the thief sisters Zanner and Lyon. As the thieves attempt to capture both the Eon Pokémon and the Soul Dew, Satoshi is forced to act in order to stop them from bringing disaster to Altomare. -- -- -- Licensor: -- 4Kids Entertainment, Miramax Films -- Movie - Jul 13, 2002 -- 92,884 7.17
Pokemon Movie 05: Mizu no Miyako no Mamorigami Latias to Latios -- -- OLM -- 1 ep -- Game -- Adventure Comedy Drama Fantasy Kids -- Pokemon Movie 05: Mizu no Miyako no Mamorigami Latias to Latios Pokemon Movie 05: Mizu no Miyako no Mamorigami Latias to Latios -- As they continue their journey through the Johto region, Satoshi and his friends visit Altomare, an island city that hosts an annual racing event called the Pokémon Water Race. While Takeshi and Kasumi are enjoying themselves, strange things seem to be happening to Satoshi—he somehow loses the water race, sees some women attack a girl with their Pokémon, and despite them saving her, the girl later denies ever seeing Satoshi and Pikachu before! -- -- Fortunately for Satoshi, his confusion clears up as he learns that the girl he and Pikachu saved earlier was actually a Pokémon named Latias, who likes to disguise herself as her human friend, Kanon. Latias and another Pokémon, Latios, are known as the Eon Pokémon, as they inhabit and guard Altomare along with a mystical blue sphere called the Soul Dew. An ancient legend of Altomare is highly connected to the Eon Pokémon and the Soul Dew, and is well known among the locals—as well as among Latias' earlier assailants, the thief sisters Zanner and Lyon. As the thieves attempt to capture both the Eon Pokémon and the Soul Dew, Satoshi is forced to act in order to stop them from bringing disaster to Altomare. -- -- Movie - Jul 13, 2002 -- 92,884 7.17
Pokemon Movie 07: Rekkuu no Houmonsha Deoxys -- -- OLM -- 1 ep -- Game -- Action Sci-Fi Adventure Comedy Kids Fantasy -- Pokemon Movie 07: Rekkuu no Houmonsha Deoxys Pokemon Movie 07: Rekkuu no Houmonsha Deoxys -- Satoshi and his friends travel to LaRousse, where they meet a boy named Tooi who is afraid of Pokemon due to an incident that happened four years earlier. Meanwhile, Deoxys, a Pokemon from space, has reappeared, putting a barrier around the city and kidnapping people. Rayquaza, a Pokemon that lives in the atmosphere, comes to fight it. -- -- (Source: ANN) -- -- Licensor: -- 4Kids Entertainment, Miramax Films -- Movie - Jul 17, 2004 -- 88,926 6.97
Pokemon Movie 07: Rekkuu no Houmonsha Deoxys -- -- OLM -- 1 ep -- Game -- Action Sci-Fi Adventure Comedy Kids Fantasy -- Pokemon Movie 07: Rekkuu no Houmonsha Deoxys Pokemon Movie 07: Rekkuu no Houmonsha Deoxys -- Satoshi and his friends travel to LaRousse, where they meet a boy named Tooi who is afraid of Pokemon due to an incident that happened four years earlier. Meanwhile, Deoxys, a Pokemon from space, has reappeared, putting a barrier around the city and kidnapping people. Rayquaza, a Pokemon that lives in the atmosphere, comes to fight it. -- -- (Source: ANN) -- Movie - Jul 17, 2004 -- 88,926 6.97
Puzzle & Dragon -- -- Studio Pierrot -- ? eps -- Game -- Game Kids -- Puzzle & Dragon Puzzle & Dragon -- The story is set in modern day Japan following the growth of the protagonist Taiga Akashi, an elementary school kid who wants to be a professional gamer someday. -- -- (Source: Crunchyroll) -- 987 N/A -- -- Möbius Dust -- -- - -- ? eps -- Game -- Action Game Kids -- Möbius Dust Möbius Dust -- On February 29, 2000, the Möbius meteorites fell on Earth. These meteorites brought a new form of matter known as Möbius Dust to Earth. The dust permeated Earth's atmosphere, leading to a miracle. The day the meteorites fell, nicknamed "2.29," accelerated the economic disparity in Japan.
Sei Juushi Bismarck -- -- Studio Pierrot -- 51 eps -- Original -- Action Sci-Fi Adventure Space Mecha -- Sei Juushi Bismarck Sei Juushi Bismarck -- In the distant future, humanity has explored beyond Earth and colonized both the inner and outer planets of the Solar System. In order to protect the colonies and maintain law and order in the solar system, the Earth Federation Government (EFG) was created. Soon, many settlers started to resent the EFG's and its sphere of influence, straining the relationship between the central government and the colonies. -- -- While a strained peace was being forged between Earth and the colonies, a race of non-human creatures known as Deathcula invaded the System. Without provocation, they attacked the colonies and killed many of the colonists. The EFG quickly realized that the Deathcula were technologically superior and their forces were hopelessly matched. In order to have a chance at survival, Dr. Charles Louvre developed a transformable starship known as the Bismarck. -- -- Knowing that an advanced team of specialists were required to operate the Bismarck, four individuals came together and were charged with keeping the outer colonies safe from further Deathcula attacks. -- -- (Source: Wikipedia) -- TV - Oct 7, 1984 -- 4,537 7.22
Senyuu. -- -- LIDENFILMS, Ordet -- 13 eps -- Web manga -- Action Comedy Parody Fantasy Shounen -- Senyuu. Senyuu. -- Once upon a time, the demon lord Rchimedes spread terror throughout the world, until he was eventually sealed away by the legendary hero Creasion. Since then, a thousand years have passed peacefully. However, a mysterious hole has opened up between the demon and human spheres, and countless demons have surged into the human realm once more. Coming to the conclusion that Rchimedes would soon return to wreak havoc, a human king summons the possible descendants of the legendary hero—all 75 of them. Unfortunately, after so long, it was too difficult to pinpoint his true descendants. -- -- Among the lionhearted prospects is the amateur adventurer Alba Frühling. His skills may not be top-notch, but he is accompanied by the talented soldier Ross, who helps the young hero whenever he is in a pinch...or at least, he is supposed to. Though undoubtedly a skilled warrior, Ross is actually both sarcastic and sadistic, and hence revels in Alba's suffering. -- -- Senyuu. is a comedic adventure following the unlikely duo as they struggle in their endeavor to defeat the demon lord, meeting various eccentrics along the way. -- -- TV - Jan 9, 2013 -- 103,076 7.34
Shingeki no Bahamut: Virgin Soul -- -- MAPPA -- 24 eps -- Card game -- Action Adventure Demons Supernatural Magic Fantasy -- Shingeki no Bahamut: Virgin Soul Shingeki no Bahamut: Virgin Soul -- A decade ago, humans, gods, and demons joined forces to stand against the threat of the colossal dragon, Bahamut. -- -- Now, in the present, humans living in the capital city of Anatae have been enjoying lavish and prosperous lives. Their progress is largely due to the administration of the newly appointed king, Charioce XVII, who has stolen a power from the gods and allowed for the abuse and slavery of the demon race in the capital. As humans continue to immorally exploit demons, a sense of hostility against humans begins to build up within demon communities, threatening a revolt. Meanwhile, an atmosphere of uneasiness is spreading among the gods, as they scramble to regain their lost power. -- -- Amidst it all, Nina Drango, a cheerful young bounty hunter, has arrived at the Royal Capital with hopes of settling down and earning a living. However, her peaceful life in the capital is quickly thrown into chaos when she crosses paths with the ominous Rag Demon who is determined to seek revenge against humans, and Kaisar Lidfard, a noble knight battling an internal moral conflict. -- -- Shingeki no Bahamut: Virgin Soul continues the tale of the social and moral conflict between humans, gods, and demons, and their struggle for survival and dominance. -- -- 194,817 7.46
Sword Art Online Movie: Ordinal Scale -- -- A-1 Pictures -- 1 ep -- Original -- Action Game Adventure Romance Fantasy -- Sword Art Online Movie: Ordinal Scale Sword Art Online Movie: Ordinal Scale -- In 2026, four years after the infamous Sword Art Online incident, a revolutionary new form of technology has emerged: the Augma, a device that utilizes an Augmented Reality system. Unlike the Virtual Reality of the NerveGear and the Amusphere, it is perfectly safe and allows players to use it while they are conscious, creating an instant hit on the market. The most popular application for the Augma is the game Ordinal Scale, which immerses players in a fantasy role-playing game with player rankings and rewards. -- -- Following the new craze, Kirito's friends dive into the game, and despite his reservations about the system, Kirito eventually joins them. While at first it appears to be just fun and games, they soon find out that the game is not all that it seems... -- -- -- Licensor: -- Aniplex of America -- Movie - Feb 18, 2017 -- 540,159 7.61
Tenkuu Senki Shurato -- -- Tatsunoko Production -- 38 eps -- Original -- Action Magic Fantasy Shounen -- Tenkuu Senki Shurato Tenkuu Senki Shurato -- A 16-year-old boy named Shurato and his friend Gai happen to be drawn into a gigantic ball of light while competing in the final match of a martial arts tournament. When they regain their senses, they find themselves transferred to a mystic heavenly sphere with a divine atmosphere. It's soon discovered that Shurato used to be the governing king of this world and that he has only been brought to his original state. Shurato is shocked as Gai suddenly turns hostile. After this unfortunate incident, a spectacular yet fantastic drama develops involving the two. -- -- (Source: ANN) -- 8,884 7.22
Tokyo Ghoul:re -- -- Pierrot Plus, Studio Pierrot -- 12 eps -- Manga -- Action Psychological Supernatural Mystery Drama Horror Seinen -- Tokyo Ghoul:re Tokyo Ghoul:re -- Two years have passed since the CCG's raid on Anteiku. Although the atmosphere in Tokyo has changed drastically due to the increased influence of the CCG, ghouls continue to pose a problem as they have begun taking caution, especially the terrorist organization Aogiri Tree, who acknowledge the CCG's growing threat to their existence. -- -- The creation of a special team, known as the Quinx Squad, may provide the CCG with the push they need to exterminate Tokyo's unwanted residents. As humans who have undergone surgery in order to make use of the special abilities of ghouls, they participate in operations to eradicate the dangerous creatures. The leader of this group, Haise Sasaki, is a half-ghoul, half-human who has been trained by famed special class investigator, Kishou Arima. However, there's more to this young man than meets the eye, as unknown memories claw at his mind, slowly reminding him of the person he used to be. -- -- -- Licensor: -- Funimation -- 764,007 6.47
Urusei Yatsura Movie 1: Only You -- -- Studio Pierrot -- 1 ep -- Manga -- Action Adventure Comedy Romance Drama Sci-Fi -- Urusei Yatsura Movie 1: Only You Urusei Yatsura Movie 1: Only You -- Lum doesn't need much assistance going ballistic when everyone in Tomobiki gets an invitation to Ataru's wedding -- and she's not listed as the bride! It seems that some 11 years ago, Ataru played "Shadow Tag" with a young girl named Elle and won. Unfortunately, Elle was yet another Alien Princess; and on her planet, if a boy steps on a girl's shadow, they have to marry. -- When Elle's emissary comes to make arrangements, Lum redefines the term "the atmosphere was electric," but to no avail: a force-field now protects Ataru from her high voltage love-zaps. Lum's friend Benten suggests a pre-emptive wedding, and they proceed to abduct Ataru and all of the wedding guests, and the stage is set for the shotgun wedding of all time! -- -- (Source: AniDB) -- -- Licensor: -- AnimEigo, Discotek Media -- Movie - Feb 13, 1983 -- 7,693 7.07
Yosuga no Sora: In Solitude, Where We Are Least Alone. -- -- feel. -- 12 eps -- Visual novel -- Drama Ecchi Harem Romance -- Yosuga no Sora: In Solitude, Where We Are Least Alone. Yosuga no Sora: In Solitude, Where We Are Least Alone. -- Haruka and Sora Kasugano are coming home, to a place filled with memories. -- -- Having lost their parents in a tragic car accident, the twins resolve to return to the countryside and start life anew at their grandfather's house, the haunt a constant reminder of moments from their past. Greeting them are childhood friends Nao Yorihime and Akira Amatsume, and newcomer Kazuha Migiwa. It is a warm welcome, symbolic of the days that should come. -- -- Their peace is merely ephemeral, however, as suppressed emotions, born from vows both newfound and forgotten, start exerting their influence on the twins' new lives. And deep down, a dark secret, only known to them, begins to unshackle. -- -- Based on the visual novel by Sphere, Yosuga no Sora not only explores the power of lost memories and true love when the bonds of many become intertwined, but also raises the questions of morality and social acceptance. -- -- -- Licensor: -- Media Blasters -- 373,767 6.22
Youkai Ningen Bem (2006) -- -- Studio Comet -- 26 eps -- - -- Horror Demons Supernatural -- Youkai Ningen Bem (2006) Youkai Ningen Bem (2006) -- The plot of the series revolves around three youkai, Bem, Bera and Barro, who arrive at a large coastal city and come across an evil atmosphere, which was brought about by immoral behavior by humans and mischief caused by monsters and youkai. They therefore decide to stay in the city, fighting against other monsters and yōkai which attack humans, making a few friends in the way. Even though the three youkai are often abused by other human beings due to their appearance, they still strive in protecting the human populace of the city from other monsters, one day hoping to become human beings in return for their good actions. -- TV - Jan 4, 2006 -- 2,455 5.85
Yuu☆Yuu☆Hakusho: Meikai Shitou-hen - Honoo no Kizuna -- -- Studio Pierrot -- 1 ep -- Manga -- Action Adventure Comedy Demons Supernatural Martial Arts Shounen -- Yuu☆Yuu☆Hakusho: Meikai Shitou-hen - Honoo no Kizuna Yuu☆Yuu☆Hakusho: Meikai Shitou-hen - Honoo no Kizuna -- Millennia ago, a war was fought between the Netherworld and the Spirit World. Ultimately, the Netherworld was destroyed and Lord Yakumo, the King of the Netherworld, was banished to the depths of space. Now, five defenders from the Spirit World must team-up against Yakumo's Demon-Gods for possession of five, mystical sites. But Lord Yakumo is dangerously close to reclaiming the Power Sphere—the source of the Netherworld's energy—and once it is again in his possession, our world will become the new Netherworld. -- -- (Source: AniDB) -- -- Licensor: -- Central Park Media -- Movie - Apr 9, 1994 -- 22,871 7.20
Yuu☆Yuu☆Hakusho: Meikai Shitou-hen - Honoo no Kizuna -- -- Studio Pierrot -- 1 ep -- Manga -- Action Adventure Comedy Demons Supernatural Martial Arts Shounen -- Yuu☆Yuu☆Hakusho: Meikai Shitou-hen - Honoo no Kizuna Yuu☆Yuu☆Hakusho: Meikai Shitou-hen - Honoo no Kizuna -- Millennia ago, a war was fought between the Netherworld and the Spirit World. Ultimately, the Netherworld was destroyed and Lord Yakumo, the King of the Netherworld, was banished to the depths of space. Now, five defenders from the Spirit World must team-up against Yakumo's Demon-Gods for possession of five, mystical sites. But Lord Yakumo is dangerously close to reclaiming the Power Sphere—the source of the Netherworld's energy—and once it is again in his possession, our world will become the new Netherworld. -- -- (Source: AniDB) -- Movie - Apr 9, 1994 -- 22,871 7.20
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2010 Northern Hemisphere heat waves
3-sphere
6-sphere coordinates
Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere
Adams hemisphere-in-a-square projection
Adobe Atmosphere
Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere
Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve
Alakol Biosphere Reserve
Alexander horned sphere
AlloSphere
AlphaSphere (instrument)
Al Reem Biosphere Reserve
Alto Golfo de California Biosphere Reserve
Amazon Spheres
And Atoll (biosphere reserve)
Anglosphere
Another Atmosphere Preview
Anthroposphere
Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks
Apollonian sphere packing
Araucarias Biosphere Reserve
Armillary sphere
A Sphere in the Heart of Silence
Asthenosphere
Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve
Atmosphere
Atmosphere-breathing electric propulsion
Atmosphere (disambiguation)
Atmosphere discography
Atmosphere (journal)
Atmosphere (Joy Division song)
Atmosphere (music group)
Atmosphere of Earth
Atmosphere of Jupiter
Atmosphere of Mars
Atmosphere of Mercury
Atmosphere of Pluto
Atmosphere of the Moon
Atmosphere of Titan
Atmosphere of Triton
Atmosphere of Uranus
Atmosphere of Venus
Atmosphere (Polish band)
Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor
Atmospheres (TV series)
Australian Woman's Sphere
Bamingui-Bangoran National Park and Biosphere Reserve
Bathysphere
BattleSphere
Berger's sphere
Bernal sphere
Betz mystery sphere
Biosphere
Biosphere 2
Biosphere (album)
Biosphere model
Biosphere (musician)
BioSphere Plastic
Biosphere Reserve of acuan
Biosphere reserves in Singapore
Biosphere reserves of Albania
Biosphere reserves of China
Biosphere reserves of Guatemala
Biosphere reserves of India
Biosphere reserves of Poland
Biosphere reserves of Ukraine
Black Sea Biosphere Reserve
Bloch sphere
Blogosphere
Bonner sphere
Book:Hemispheres of Earth
Bosaws Biosphere Reserve
Bounding sphere
Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs
Canadian political blogosphere
Cantino planisphere
Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve
Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere
Carbon dioxide accumulation in Earth's atmosphere
Carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere
Carpathian Biosphere Reserve
CDO Foodsphere
Celestial sphere
Celestial spheres
Celestial Sphere Woodrow Wilson Memorial
Cenosphere
Cerebellar hemisphere
Cerebral hemisphere
Cerebral Hemispheres (album)
Cessna Citation Hemisphere
Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve
Chaosphere
Chromosphere
Circle of a sphere
Circumscribed sphere
Close-packing of equal spheres
Cloud Nine (tensegrity sphere)
Cold Desert (biosphere reserve)
Concentric spheres
Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate
Controlled atmosphere
Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere
Coordination sphere
Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service
Cosmosphere
Cryosphere
CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere
Dana Biosphere Reserve
Dandelin spheres
Deep biosphere
Desert Biosphere Reserve
Dihang-Dibang Biosphere Reserve
Double Fourier sphere method
Draft:SPHERES (film series)
Drilosphere
Dr. Neil Trivett Global Atmosphere Watch Observatory
Dublin Bay Biosphere Reserve
Dyfi Biosphere
Dynamic Ionosphere CubeSat Experiment
Dynasphere
Dyson sphere
Dyson spheres in popular culture
Earthionosphere waveguide
East Asian cultural sphere
Eastern Hemisphere
Ecosphere
Ecosphere (aquarium)
Effective elastic thickness of the lithosphere
El Cielo Biosphere Reserve
El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve
El Vizcano Biosphere Reserve
Engineering Research Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere
Ergosphere
Estradasphere
Ethisphere Institute
Ewald's sphere
Exosphere
Exotic sphere
Exposing Microorganisms in the Stratosphere
Extended Play for the Eastern Hemisphere
Extraterrestrial atmosphere
Four in One (Sphere album)
Fraser Biosphere Reserve
Fundy Biosphere Reserve
Gamesphere
Geno Biosphere Reserve
Geosphere
Giddy Stratospheres
Glass microsphere
Global Atmosphere Watch
Golden Gate Biosphere Reserve
Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere
Grey atmosphere
Guyou hemisphere-in-a-square projection
HamSphere
Hand with Reflecting Sphere
Hanma Biosphere Reserve
Hardcore UFOs: Revelations, Epiphanies and Fast Food in the Western Hemisphere
Hard spheres
Hatesphere
Heliosphere
Heliosphere (science fiction convention)
Hemisphere
Hemispherectomy
Hemisphere Dancer
Hemisphere GNSS
Hemisphere Project
Hemispheres of Earth
Hemispheres (Rush album)
Hemispheres (TV program)
Hill sphere
Hindi blogosphere
Hoberman sphere
Homesteading the Noosphere
Homology sphere
Homotopy groups of spheres
Horosphere
H-Sphere
HydroGeoSphere
Hydrosphere
Hypersphere
IBM InfoSphere DataStage
IBM WebSphere
IBM WebSphere Adapters
IBM WebSphere Application Server
IBM WebSphere Application Server Community Edition
IBM Websphere Business Events
IBM WebSphere DataPower SOA Appliances
IBM Websphere Edge Components
IBM WebSphere ESB
IBM WebSphere Portlet Factory
IBM WebSphere Process Server
Incinerate (Sphere Lazza album)
Indian blogosphere
Indosphere
Inner sphere
Inner sphere electron transfer
Inscribed sphere
Integrating sphere
Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of the Mediterranean
International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set
International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme
International Standard Atmosphere
Inversion in a sphere
Ionosphere
Ipassa Makokou Biosphere Reserve
It Came from the Nightosphere
IVardensphere
Jabal Al Rihane Biosphere Reserve
J-blogosphere
Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean
Jornada Biosphere Reserve
Kamchia (biosphere reserve)
Klerksdorp sphere
Komodo Biosphere Reserve
Kristianstads Vattenrike Biosphere Reserve
Land and water hemispheres
Lapland Biosphere Reserve
Largest empty sphere
Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato
Lnrt sphere
Lie sphere geometry
Lightning sphere
Linesphere intersection
Linguasphere Observatory
List of biosphere reserves in Vietnam
List of biosphere reserves of Indonesia
List of East Asian leaders in the Japanese sphere of influence (19311945)
List of Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato characters
List of Southern Hemisphere tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
Lithosphere
Lithosphereasthenosphere boundary
Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve
Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere EP's
Magdeburg hemispheres
Magnetosphere
Magnetosphere chronology
Magnetosphere of Jupiter
Magnetosphere of Saturn
Man and the Biosphere Programme
Manicouagan Uapishka Biosphere Reserve
Manosphere
Maya Biosphere Reserve
McClintic Sphere
Mesosphere
Mesosphere, Inc.
Metallic Spheres
Micro-atmosphere method
Microsphere (software company)
Microwave Ionosphere Nonlinear Interaction Experiment
Middle Elbe Biosphere Reserve
Midsphere
Millennium Alliance for Humanity and the Biosphere
MindSphere
Modified atmosphere
Modulation sphere
Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve
Mongol Daguur Biosphere Reserve
Montreal Biosphere
Mormon blogosphere
MSG Sphere at The Venetian
Music of the Spheres (disambiguation)
Music of the Spheres (Doctor Who)
Music of the Spheres (Ian Brown album)
Music of the Spheres (Langgaard)
Music of the Spheres (Mike Oldfield album)
Mycorrhizosphere
Neurosphere
Noosphere
North Devon's Biosphere Reserve
Northern celestial hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere
North Vidzeme Biosphere Reserve
N-sphere
Observatory for Heteroscale Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling
Odin Sphere
Ohrid-Prespa Transboundary Biosphere Reserve
Omnisphere
Oncosphere
One-Million-Liter Test Sphere
On the Sphere and Cylinder
Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres
Outer sphere electron transfer
Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve
Palatinate Forest-North Vosges Biosphere Reserve
Pandoran biosphere
Petrosphere
Photon sphere
Photosphere
Phyllosphere
Piln Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Communal Lands
Planisphere
Planisphere (poetry collection)
Plasmasphere
Plastisphere
Poincar sphere
Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere
Portal:Tropical cyclones/Selected picture/Four Southern Hemisphere Tropical Cyclones (2003)
Primosphere Limited Partnership
Private sphere
Pseudosphere
Public sphere
Public sphere pedagogy
Reducing atmosphere
Remixes of the Spheres
Return to the Nightosphere / Daddy's Little Monster
Rhizosphere
Rhn Biosphere Reserve
Riemann sphere
Ro Pltano Biosphere Reserve
Round Valley Ensphere
Roztochia Biosphere Reserve
Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve
Science On a Sphere
Secret Sphere
Separate spheres
Shadow biosphere
Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve
Sierra de Manantln Biosphere Reserve
Simplicial sphere
Sinan Dadohae Biosphere Reserve
Singular isothermal sphere profile
Solar Mesosphere Explorer
Sonisphere Festival
Southeast Rgen Biosphere Reserve
Southern celestial hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere Association of Fresh Fruit Exporters
Southern Hemisphere Ornithological Congress
Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds (SHPG)
Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission
Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor
Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate
Sphere
Sphere 1
Sphere (1998 film)
Sphere3
Sphere and Tatler Foursomes Tournament
Sphere bundle
Spherecylinder intersection
Sphere (disambiguation)
Sphere eversion
Sphere (Japanese band)
Sphereland
Sphere Lazza
Sphere mapping
Sphere (novel)
Sphere of influence
Sphere of influence (astrodynamics)
Sphere of influence (black hole)
Sphere (organization)
Sphere Origins
Sphere packing
Sphere packing in a cylinder
Sphere (Polish band)
SPHERES
Spheres 2
Spheres (Delerium album)
Spheres (instrumental)
Spheres of Chaos
Spheres of exchange
Sphere spectrum
Spheres: Songs of Spacetime
Spheres (TV series)
Sphere theorem
Sphere (website)
Sphere Within Sphere
Standard atmosphere
Standard atmosphere (unit)
Stena Sphere
Stone spheres of Costa Rica
Stormy Atmosphere
Stratosphere
Stratosphere (disambiguation)
Stratosphere Girl
Stratosphere Sound
Strmgren sphere
Sublunary sphere
Subsidence (atmosphere)
Sunsphere
Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study
Surgisphere
Tales of Three Hemispheres
Talk:IBM Websphere MQ
Tamil blogosphere
Technosphere
TechnoSphere (virtual environment)
Tehuacn-Cuicatln Biosphere Reserve
Teixeira planisphere
Tetrisphere
Thelonious Sphere Monk: Dreaming of the Masters Series Vol. 2
The Radiation Belt and Magnetosphere
The Serpent & the Sphere
The Sphere
The Sphere College Project
The Sphere (newspaper)
The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere
Thousands of Tiny Luminous Spheres
To All My Friends, Blood Makes the Blade Holy: The Atmosphere EP's
Tonl Sap Biosphere Reserve
Tropical Atmosphere Ocean project
Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere program
Troposphere
Troposphere (rocket family)
Trylon and Perisphere
Unacknowledged Legislation: Writers in the Public Sphere
Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere
Unisphere
Unit sphere
Upper Atmosphere Research Panel
Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite
U.S. Standard Atmosphere
VAMOS Ocean-Cloud-Atmosphere-Land Study
Vector fields on spheres
Vibrasphere
VirtuSphere
VMware vSphere
Walk-on-spheres method
Waterberg Biosphere
Western Hemisphere
Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation
Western Hemisphere Region (World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts)
Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network
Western Hemisphere Warm Pool
World Network of Biosphere Reserves
World Network of Biosphere Reserves in Africa
World Network of Biosphere Reserves in Asia and the Pacific
World Network of Biosphere Reserves in Europe and North America
World Network of Biosphere Reserves in Latin America and the Caribbean
YIG sphere
Zombies of the Stratosphere
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