Tír na nÓg

Occupy London

2011-10-16T17:46:00.002+01:00

It all started in Spain, on the 15 May (15M) Movement that went to the streets in the mayor Spaniard cities to demonstrate against the austerity measures and the banking system that provoked the financial crisis. Marching as a form of protests is not new, but this time it didn't end in just a march, Los Indignados (The Outraged) stayed on La Puerta del Sol, one of the main squares of Madrid, and the occupy movement started. Now on the 15 October (15 O) The movement went global.

The 15M movement transformed itself to the Democracia Real Ya! (Real Democracy Now) movement, and a peaceful ocupy of Madrid and other cities begun. They created groups of discussion to try to find a Manifesto that could represent the views of all who were protesting, which were from all ages and social classes. This discussion groups are trying to not only complain but start producing proposals for a change.

It was not many day after 15 May that the movement started to spread, the first ones to adopt it were the Greeks, another country who has been severely affected by the economic crisis, or perhaps just because they remembered that that form of direct democracy and discussion groups in public spaces were how they used to run things in the Socrates' Athens. So even when not returning to the Agora, they went to Syntagma Square. I was lucky to be on Athens during the summer protests and talk to some of the people who are occupying the square, and I notice that their ideas and worries were the same as in everywhere else.

More protests around the world started to happen, march, strikes, all asking that the world of inequality, greed, and rampant capitalism that makes the rich richer and the poor poorer, and decimates the middle class; to finish.

Finally the movement surprisingly moved to the country where that gap between the richer and the poorer is worst than anywhere else in the world, the USA. And people went out to occupy the financial centre of the country, Wall Street. And so the Ocuppy Wall Street movement started.

It was unavoidable that in the era of communications, internet and the social networks for this not to become a global phenomena, specially because the flawed economic system exists globally, as it's the inequality and social problems associated with it.

I participated of the 15O Occupy London protests, and I was very happy to see people coming out to the streets to say that enough is enough. As with the aforementioned protests around the world, discussion groups were created to decide the next steps of the movement and to start to find solution, that could work locally in the UK and also could make a global change. As to yesterday there were no major violence problems with the police, who surrounded the area of the protest around Saint Paul's Cathedral, since the protesters were not allowed to occupy the London Exchange Market. A few moments were it seemed that confrontation was going to start ended being controlled, with the speakers asking the rest to sit and stay peaceful.

Personally, I found the experience very powerful, not only for it's significance on the UK, but to know that the same was happening in all the major cities of the planet. From Sydney, Tokyo following the earth spinning all the way to Vancouver the world said with one voice, we are tired, this has to change.

A fried of mine asked me some interesting questions, which I'm sure are on the mind of many people right now. What does this vague 'anti-capitalism' mean? What is the movement pro? How can anything be achieved by this when nothing is being asked for? How can a whole economic system be opposed without proposing an alternative (what?) and what is wrong with social democracy within an overarching Capitalist economy?

It's difficult to give a single answer. The movement even when global it has different priorities locally, In Australia they included the rights of the Aboriginals, in Tokyo they speak against the nuclear energy plants, in Mexico they talked about ending the corruption and the drug traffic violence. In London there were talks about the NHS and the University fees. So, there was punctual objectives and things people were asking for.

The movement is not anti-capitalism per se, is anti the current form of capitalism, against a system that makes the gap between rich and poor bigger each passing day, which has not help the poorer countries of the world to get out of their situation. Is not against corporations and banks in general, is against those corporations and banks who put profit before anything else, before social responsibility, before safety, before environmental responsibility, etc.

Now, the work and discussion groups are going to try to answer what is the alternative and propose actions, everyone is invited to go and join, everyone can think on alternatives and put them on the table for discussion and agreement, so let's be pro-positive, and let's make the change by ourselves, not waiting that things are changed by others or by a government that is not working for the interests of the majority.

This is just the beginning and is for the population of this planet to decide where to go.

Check more pictures of the 15O in London on my picassa album HERE

A guide to myself

2011-10-13T15:38:00.001+01:00

This post is about social skills. We live in a society where “People persons”are put as the successful and lead examples, however people like me who areintrovert just don’t have a place in society, I found this article about The 10 myths of introvert people resonatingso much with me that It was scary, kind of, so I’m not the only one with thisproblem? Or is it really a problem? I’m not shy, I don’t fear people, I’m evencomfortable talking, singing or acting infront of a big crowd, I’m just differentin my social interactions.

A few days ago I read that we should allhave a “guide to themselves” which would be really, really nice and avoid lotsof problems should everyone read it. SoI thought, ok I should write the 10 point of interacting with me that everyoneshould know.

1) On the internet nobody knows I’m an introvert. – I tend to write long and articulated post on social media, and frequently doing blog entries, etc. so people would assume that I like to talk a lot. And I do love to talk, but I just unable to keep small talk, it’s not that I don’t want to talk to you, is just that I don’t know how to keep small talk chat by myself, but if it’s a topic that interest me I can stay talking, literally, hours about it.

2) I’m not very used to physical contact, and usually have a clumsy reaction when people approach physically to me, even if it’s just on a friendly non-romantic way. Having say that, that doesn’t mean that I don’t like physical contact, or that I don’t enjoy it, I do, an very much, just that I wouldn’t do it unless I know you very well.

3) I would probably stay quiet on a group talking, I tend to think faster than my language skills, so find the dynamics of group chat exhausting, so I prefer to listen. However I do enjoy very much small groups or one-to-one chats. I enjoy talking to people, but I enjoy it more when it’s just One person at a time.

4) I love to listen, I really enjoy listening to other people’s thoughts, experiences, etc. so even if at first glance it seems that I’m not interested in you, I probably am.

5) Don’t expect me to understand subtle messages. It’s very hard for me to guess other people’s needs if they don’t speak them (or write them) aloud, most of the times the subtle messages will just fly over my head. I can read your body language, your voice tone, even the written tone and know that you may be upset with me, but most of the time I will have no idea why and people would just assume that I should know why, well, no, speak and be direct, I prefer people to be direct to the risk of being rude, than assume I can read minds. In the same way, I'm direct and I just mean what I say, nothing more, nothing less.

6) I’m not selfish, not on purpose, I do care about people, but sometimes I’m so immerse in my thoughts that I could loose from my sight your own needs, talk about them, see point above.

7) I can find social gatherings, like parties with lots of people exhausting, even if I’m having fun. So, if I take some minutes to retreat and just being by myself, doesn’t mean that I don’t want to interact anymore with you, I’m just charging batteries.

8) I’m passionate and hold strong opinions about things, and probably will debate them strongly (never being rude or calling people names, or anything like that), but I don’t mean to offend you personally, for me debates are intellectual exercises, as fun as you probably would find playing a soccer match or other competition sport (I say probably because I don’t find them fun, but that’s another topic). But after the debate is over, it’s over, I don’t take it personally and usually move on.

9) I’m very bad at being polite and never fully understood that kind of social rules, so, often you could find that under your point of view I’m rude. And probably I am, but not on purpose, if something I say offends you or you find it rude, tell me, I will take note and try not to make the same mistake again.

10) I’m not difficult, scary, or arrogant, even when most of the time that’s the impression I give to people, I do enjoy making new friends, I do enjoy and need sharing my thoughts and joys, and even my sad moments with people, I guess I just need patience, I have try, for 31 years to change and fix myself on this, unfortunately this just doesn’t seem to go away. So, perhaps people after reading this will avoid me like the plague, I just hope that it has the contrary effect in at least some of you.

Do we need to analyse art?

2011-09-21T16:10:00.001+01:00

Is it art something to be analysed andteach?

Some time ago, I saw this video:

It has being a long time since I sawsomething on the internet that moved me to the point that I share a couple oftears. And it’s not only that this youngman speaks with passion, it’s that what he said resonates with me deep inside.

I love art in all its forms, my favouritebeing of course music, but poetry is a close second. Both get a special shiningbrilliance when they become performing arts. Surely, you can enjoy a recordingof a song/melody and enjoy deeply the reading of a poetry book, but the strengthand power that some people have when performing makes them go to a level thatcan move you inside as no other.

But performing or not, art needs to beabout feelings, about searching beauty and pleasure, for beauty and pleasuresake. We live in world when everything is analyzed,we read reviews and critics talk about the technicalities of the piece of artitself, we ask our students to give objective and academic reviews of works. How good is the musician technique, howperfect are the lights and perspective in photography, how well written is apoem; but I find that people forget to mention what is really important, whatdoes that piece of art made you feel?

Is it art something that really belongs tothe academia? Professional artists, who spend years learning their skills onthe academia have the advantage of a better knowledge of their tools, they evenget clues on how to enhance their creative part. A composer who understands the technicalitiesof orchestration have the tools to make great compositions. So I’m not talkingabout the people who go to colleges and universities to be professionals, theydeserve all my respect, and I fully understand why that’s needed. Although Iwould add that for there are people whose talent is so great that even if theyare self taught, they can produce monumental master pieces.

And furthermore, academic art, is becoming and intellectual exercise, it's losing it's most important basis, to be the conveyor of your feelings. You go out to a concert, listen to the piece, and it doesn't move you inside, you will probably understand the author on an intellectual level, see the good practices and techniques, see why he mixed or used certain motives, and even enjoy it very much with the rational part of your brain. But In my humble opinion, that's not what art is about.

But when art becomes something of theelites, something that needs to be analyzed, or needs to be understood undercertain parameters, it loose its soul. There’s something deeply wrong with the educational system that forcestudents to submit essays about a poem or a symphony, there’s something brokenwhen the critics focus solely on the production, techniques and make theirreviews an academic exercise.

Are there really good and bad works of art,or just art that moves you and the one who doesn’t. Is the commercial popular art fulfilling itsrole as a medium of feeling-share or just a commercial goal? Is the academicand historic art too elitists? Do weneed a change on our perception of it from schools to day-to-day life?

Bisexual Revolution: Documentary Review

2011-09-12T17:02:00.002+01:00

Co-directed and written by Laure Michel and Eric Wastiaux, La bisexualité : tout un art? (titled Bisexual Revolution for the english-speaking market) is a 2010 documentary about bisexuality, its culture, its cultural manifestations, taboos, myths, realities, and perceptions. It goes through a series of interviews in Paris, Berlin, New York, San Francisco, Montreal artists, writers and psychologists, about the subject in point.

Although it all goes in an intellectual and artistic discussion format, it's not the kind of documentary that goes down to really interact with "normal" people in their lives, apart from a few street-interviews. That of course doesn't make it less valuable or boring, but a very traditional documentary approach in that way.
It covers a lot of topics and issues about bisexuality and its different cultural, artistic and social manifestations. As well as its perception from the three points of view, the heterosexual, homosexual and bisexual communities.

Bisexuality has existed in all cultures and times, and the most well known examples for us westerns, are ancient Greece and Rome. But after 2000 years of christian ban on sexualities that don't follow the hetero-normative and patriarchal hierarchy that the abrahamic monotheisms imposed as a norm in the world, sexual diversity has re-emerge in the 20th century, and it's winning its rightful place in society by the 21st century. The documentary acknoledge that fact and give us a quick overview of the history of bisexuality, and how for the very nature of it, it has being able to be "hidden" when the time of repression was on, just living underground.

We can hide if we want to, says Regina Reinhart, from the American Institute of Bisexuality, but the fact is that we are developing a pride in our sexual orientation, we are making films, we are writting books, giving interviews, we are out and proud.

But be out and proud for a bisexual is, at least today, harder than to a homosexual person, since discrimination from both, the hetero and gay communities come into place. Bisexuals are just confused, are just gays who can't accept themselves, are just going through a phase. Many of the prejudices that 20 or 30 years ago were applied to the gay and lesbian community, are now applied to the bisexual one.

And how bisexuals see themselves? Sexuality goes well beyond the sexual act, it goes into the affection, feelings and social culture associated with romantic love. That leads many people to not really know or accept they are bisexual. what if I'm totally homo or if I'm kidding myself. What if I like the active/controller role with girls and the passive submissive role with boys? is that possible? ask Titof a porn film star and director from Paris. And how about bi-affective people, those who can develop a big emotional and even romantic bond with the two genres but mainly just a sexual bond with one of them, or at least in a higher percentage, since, like another broken myth says, bisexuals are not 50/50 in their preferences. With women is more a fusion of body and soul, but with men is a sexual intensity that I can't find with women, says Narcys, a pop/indie singer from Paris.

Michel Dorais from Université Laval in Montreal, Quebec, explains how in a world based on binary trends, ie. good/bad, day/night, male/female, heterosexual/homosexual; bisexuality brakes the establishment and confuses society. Bisexuality is perceived as dangerous, as unstable, unreliable. And perhaps this perceptions more than the idea of love without a specific genre is what has boost bi-phobia on society.
But is it there a bisexual culture? as the gay and lesbian cultures? or being so in the middle has made bisexuality a grey area where there's no a definite cultural manifestation?

The documentary focus on two ways of this cultural/social manifestations. First it's the artistic and activist point of view. Singers as Narcys, have made explicit songs about bisexuality and gender identification, as You dream about it (Toi t'en rêves)

or Alex Beaupain, composer of the songs for Les Chansons d'Amour (Love Songs) a bisexual film/musical.

Books, paintings, poetry. A lot of cultural manifestations have being based on bisexual themes. But despite all this it's difficult to find a defined tribal element, as with the gay and lesbian culture. Which is sometimes a problem for some bisexual people themselves, since they grow this feeling of not belonging anywhere.

The second social and cultural manifestation is one that has being associated with bisexuality, and that to some extent is true for a sector of the bisexual community. The sexual freedom of the 21st century, bisexuals are perceived as open minded, as someone who's open to everything. Therefore promiscuity and sexual activities as sex-parties and poly amorous relationships are linked to bisexuality, and the documentary ask a valid question. Would this sexual freedom and openness, where everything is valid with anyone, as long as it's between consenting adults, will make that the society of the future will embrace bisexuality as the norm?

There's a sense of freedom in bisexuality. A freedom of not requiring to comply with any norms or stereotypes. Men and women have grow up with an educational baggage, a role in society, an idea of their meaning of existence socially culturally and sexually. Bisexuality brakes all of this into pieces, men can enjoy the freedom of not having the responsibility of being the ones to provide the orgasm to their women, but being able to experience that passive role themselves, women are free to be strong and leading the way with other women in a relationship, and this freedom stays with them should they decide to go back to a heterosexual relationship, they discover that all those roles created by society are not fixed on stone. They also have freedom from the gay culture that has its own prejudices, roles and stereotypes. But at the same time they can be sympathetic to both men and women needs, both heterosexual and homosexual communities, it's cultural manifestations, it's worries and joys, the fight for their rights and freedoms.

Perhaps, just perhaps, there's some self identified heterosexuals and homosexuals who would like to experience that freedom. Some could, some will not, but at least the awareness that the world is not just black and white would help bisexual people to live without prejudices and rejection.

Lists, lists, and more lists

2011-09-08T10:19:00.001+01:00

I was reading a post from Carlos López (in Spanish) about how futile “favourite”lists can be on literature, even if it comes from a well known author orintellectual; arguing that literature taste is like football taste, totallysubjective, and that each book touches each person in a different way. I totally agree with that idea. However it seems that more and more lists,not only on literature, but any other field you can imagine have been releasedover the internet or even books have been written about them.

Sergei Rachmaninov said that one life is not enough for all the music, but music is enough for onelife. On the age of internet, there’s so much information floating around thatit’s so difficult to keep track of the relevant stream, indeed one life is notenough, not just for music, but for the books, and all the knowledge we wouldlike to have, so there’s a necessity of focusing our time on the informationthat is relevant to us. Hence theselists are helpers on the “things to do” or “things to look at” for people.

There has being several on-going discussionson G+ about the list of recommended users to follow, sites likerecommendedusers.com have tried to make unofficial lists, after the firstgoogle attempt of an “official recommendation” wasn’t that welcome. I have been participating in several of thesediscussions, but one that made me think the most was one about Carter Gibson's post discussing the lack of sexuality on yourabout information, after this Ryan Crow expanded the debate, on a post of his own, to also political views and religion fields on G+ profiles.Do we really need them? I argued in favour of those fields to beincluded, since there’s a real need of community build around sexuality,political views and even religion (or lack of it). For mainstream people (ie. heterosexual, christian,capitalists) there’s no real problem, but to minorities this becomes more of anissue, you can see my comments on the thread for more about that,but a lot of comments of people who were against made me think.

Even in a small and emerging social networkas Google Plus, with “only” 25 million users, there’s so many people there thatit’s hard to find who to follow on it. Ideally, we would go around and startfollowing people based on their comments, and the things they share, people whowe really find interesting. Reality isthat if we don’t narrow down the numbers, based on our interests, we would nothave the time to do it, or just drift away in the flow of information without aset course. So yes, we need those lists,and people like Alireza Yavari are doing a great job in putting them all together.

However, how healthy is this?. A comment from a friend of mine on FB sayingthat she should know better than reading certain papers, is symptomatic of ourdays. We only want to read and seethings that we agree with, in a way reaffirming our thoughts and avoidconfronting our point of view. We seekfor like-minded people and content only, that could lead us to just to alienateourselves.

This interesting video talks preciselyabout that:

It’s not just ourselves consciously puttingfilters on which type of content we want to see, or what kind of people we wantto hear or read. Now even the search websites and social networks are puttingin place algorithms to filter for us the information stream, leaving us, forall practical purposes, living in a bubble of information that, yes is the onewe like, but making all the rest of it a black box to us. Learning and growing as a person is not allabout things you like or things you agree with, or things that went well inyour life, it’s actually mainly about mistakes, confrontation of ideas, thingsthat went wrong, that is what make us grow, that is what makes us learn.

There’s no use in just having informationflowing in front of us that just make us shake our heads in agreement

It is in a way like the parents of thesedays who don’t want their children to be exposed to any bacteria at all, andkeep everything crystal clean, living in almost an sterilized environment; andtherefore those kids never develop the necessary antibodies.

We need exposure to all kind of ideas, notjust the ones we like, but mainly the ones that are relevant, not only to us,but to the world we live.

So yes, it’s great to have a list of booksyou should read, a list of like-minded people you can follow, a list of yourfavourite papers and columnists. But don’tlimit yourself to only that, explore new avenues, read things that make youthink, even that make you angry. I willprobably will keep using those kind of lists, since yes, we all need to narrowdown what it seems to endless sources of information; but I would suggest, trynow and again to just find things the old fashion way, without anyone tellingyou which way is the right one, just exploring.

Does Sexuality needs scientific validation?

2011-09-04T15:58:00.001+01:00

Science as any other tool can be used for political purposes.

In that sense several studies about gender, gender identification and diversity in sexuality have been circulating in scientific papers from researches and Universities. Even when the scientific method is per se, objective, the way results or studies are presented can have a strong political agenda.

So we have lots of studies about gender differences, that to some extend have validated the idea that women and men are different in the way the think, feel and behave. This has been reflected in popular culture, to give the masses the "scientific truth" that, to put it on the words of a popular book, women are from venus and men are from mars. Problem is that the studies tend to confuse nature and nurture. Is the way men and women react to stimuli different because the way they have being educated, or is it something that they are born with? At least one study seems to think we are actually not that different, and I definitely recomend the reading of Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society and Neurosexism Create Difference.

Then it came to validate the notion that homosexuality is something people are born with, and not acquired. There was a very powerful reason behind these studies, and it is that the christian right wing insisted (and still does) that homosexuality was a deviation, a perversion that men and women choose to live against their god's teachings. So various studies were made on the subject, and also in other species, to show that homosexuality was something natural. How ever the inability of shown that there's a "gay gene" or something specific that triggers homosexuality when people are born, has being used as a weapon to say that as with gender, they studies can't give a conclusive truth about the nature vs nurture debate.

Finally just a few weeks ago, a new study was published, this time was about bisexual men, that branch of sexuality that is famous for it's partial invisibility and attacks from both heterosexual and homosexual communities that "doubt" that it really exists. So this new study tend to conclude that yes, bisexuals are real. But not much time passed for the study to start being attacked under the same premises.

Studies and counter studies can be made about gender and sexuality, all along, and change with the political tide that they surf with. But the question will be: Do we really need to validate our sexuality or our gender with scientific studies? or is it not a better long term solution to educate people on accepting that even in our differences we are all human and deserve respect, and that stereotypes are just product of ignorance?

I have no doubt that all this scientists have good intentions when they try to prove that men and women are equal, that gay, lesbians and bisexuals are not perverts, etc. And yes, their work can be used to some extent. But science is useless against prejudice, ignorance and hard religious indoctrination. And some times even counter-productive. The only thing that can really make a difference is education, in both our homes and schools.

- This post was originally written for Queer UK and appears here.

Soundtrack music

2011-09-03T15:32:00.000+01:00

This post is in response to NextManStanding post about soundtracks.

I will classify soundtrack music in three categories.

The First Category will be Soundtracks which aim to transmit a specific feeling or mood in general terms. Music born out of a theme or idea. This music has its origins in academic music.

From Vivaldi's four seasons:

to Holst's Planets:

or the famous Musorgski/Ravel "pictures at an exhibition":

they are compositions that try to express a visual idea, in form of music. If successful the composer would be able to transmit the basic emotions associated with the visual (or multi sensory input) theme they chose as inspiration.

This is one of my favourite genres of music, since I think it was the first multimedia works, and they obviously work as it even now a days. A lot of my own music falls into this category, specially when inspired on the places I have visited. Here an example.

Obviously with the advent of films, this was the chosen style that film soundtrack composer have chosen to follow, and there are great composers indeed. Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Michael Nyman, to name a few. We all have our favourites, and we all know film themes that are easy to distinguish and associate with the film itself, specially if it's a famous one. TV series and Video Games, now a days, tend to fall also on this categories, with really interesting music made for those two.

I can think of two of my favourites:

Bear McCreary's Battlestar Gallactica music:

Final Fantasy Advent Children:

The second category will be the "jingle" "intro" themes for commercials, telly series, video games, and to some extend some films. They tend to be easy listening, rapid-catch themes, case in point this two:

Or "epic and very identifiable themes" like, arguably the most famous music intro to a film, which most people would recognize.

Even when they have to be in-line with the general feeling of the visual media they are associated, they not necessarily try to express a specific image on the listener (a priori that is).

The third category, the songs that have become famous for a film, tv series, video game or even commercial. They may or may not have being composed specifically for the visual media they are associated to, they usually aren't, but after the media exposition they have come to be one and the same with the show. Eg.

My obvious favourite is category one, but there are some interesting things that I have come to love from category 3, and not that many but some specific examples in category 2

So, do you like more a category from another, why and which song/theme is your favourite?

Integration or non-desired assimilation?

2011-08-13T09:40:00.000+01:00

Last week we saw the series finale of Sirens, a channel 4 drama about the life of three paramedics. It was an interesting and funny series, but not the main reason of this article though.

There's a gay character on the series: Ashley Greenwick, played by Richard Madden, who is what some will define as "straight acting", he is out, but not making a fuss out of it Madden defines his character as a "gay man who isn't defined by his sexuality", adding that he was excited about that "because I don't remember the last time we saw that on British TV. We don't really get to see gay characters who are completely open with their sexuality, but it doesn't define who they are." Certainly he has a point in saying that we don't see much of those type of gay men on the media, nor here, nor in the US or other english speaking television or films, and I'm not only thinking on the over the top camp characters, but also the ones that even when not camp, their lives orbit around the scene and their sexuality (eg. Queer as Folk)

But is this a reflection of what is happening inside the gay culture as a whole? I think it is.

In this country almost all the legal battles are won for gay people, granted, there's still a lot of homophobia in the society, and much work to be done in terms of sexual diversity acceptance, but now the work is down to communities, schools, educate people, since we have laws now that grant protection and rights for people who are not heterosexual. Perhaps the only battle left is marriage equality, and the campaign Equal Love is fighting this on the European Court of Human Rights.

That has allowed many people, specially the young generation, to be open on their sexuality, yet living their lives without their sexuality being a central part of it or define who they are. There's no more need of being inside the ghetto and being overly flamboyant and camp to diferentiate yourself from the heterosexual men.

However, not everyone seems to be happy with this. There has being lots of critics on the marriage equality campaign, surprisingly, coming from the gay community itself. The argument: it's a way to force assimilation into the hetero-normative society, and endangers the exciting, visionary, alternative culture that the gay culture represents, being marriage and monogamy a thing for "straight" people. This same criticism is targeted to the "straight acting" gay and bisexual men and women, who are accused of act as a heterosexual, for not conforming with the stereotypes (for some) or gay alternative cultural behaviour (for others)

For some, integration to the society and making sexuality just one of many things in your life is the goal, and an alternative culture is synonym of segregation; for others it's ok being immerse on the gay culture, where everything has to be gay (a gay house, a gay garden, gay music, etc.) and integration is saw as negative assimilation.

I wonder if we are going to be seeing these divisions grow, and these two types of LGBT people in divergent roads?

I think there's still the need of diversity friendly safe havens, as forums, as some gay bars and clubs and activities, but is the majority of people inside the LGBT community wanting to move forward to integration or want to retain their status as alternative and differentiated culture?

England in chaos

2011-08-12T15:28:00.004+01:00

The riots that happened across England in the past days have dominated the media, news, blogs, forums, and people all over are taking about it, and first I thought it would be a little redundant to write a blog entry about it, but I decided to do it since I see that there's no much talking about the root causes of them, seems that both the people and the government have decided to go for simplistic explanations.

I'm not expert, nor a sociologist, but I do understand that a social unrest of this magnitude is much more complex than just "pure criminality due to bad parenting" as Mr. Cameron seems to have concluded. The right wing position seems to be very simple, it has nothing to do with poverty, it has nothing to do with social inequality, it's all just to blame to parents who didn't teach their children what's good and what's wrong and reduce them to a state of wild beasts, they are less than humans, they are just greedy animals and criminals.

We have seen thousands of people, most of them youngsters (but not all), who have lost respect, not for the government and police, which are there not to cause respect, but to serve people; they have lost respect for their communities, they don't care to loot a small shop, if they can get alcohol and fags, they don't care to set buildings in fire, they are totally alienated from the rest of the British society, but why?

The most alarming thing is not just that, since it's not unexpected to have that reaction from the right wing, the alarming thing is that a wider part of society, even if they are not firmly right wing supporters, is agreeing with that, going for the simplistic answer. It is much more easy to just blame the parents and forget about that, arrest the looters, send them to jail, charge the parents when the looter is too young for a sentence, and that's it, problem solved.

Which are the reasons then?

Well, I'm sure there are even more, but I can identify some:

1) Social inequality. The UK is the country with the worst social mobility in the developed world, and the second (after the US) of socio-economic disparity (difference between the richer and poorer)

2) Social expending and lack of opportunities. Beginning with Tattcher’s destruction of the UK Industry, and her social cuts, passing from Labour inefficiency to solve things for the bottom part of society and ending with more cuts of the current government. It's no surprise that if you take away the last little things that gave people hope, the benefits, the jobs, the possibility of higher education, the support structures, you are hitting both psychologically and economically to the marginalized part of the society, sending a message that they have no future, nor hope of getting out of their circumstances, they are worthless and nobody cares about them, so they have nothing more to lose.
3) The consumerism culture. You are the goods you have in this society, people are no longer aspiring to have a good education, but just the more money and goods they can, and now, quickly, and don’t forget to renew them ASAP. That affects all levels of society, difference is that in people who can’t really access those goods, only causes frustration. The looters are not starving, let's face it there's not that level of poverty in the first world like in the third world, but they are conditioned to the social "truth" that if you don't have the latest clothes gadgets and technology you're worthless.

4) Parenting and school system lack of discipline. It is also true, that first teachers and now even parents are afraid to control and teach discipline, and this is happening in all levels of society, is not only absent parents, is also parents dropping all the responsibility of education to schools and schools not having the means to enforce discipline. It's broken families on which their children see as the only exit the gang culture, and the only respect and sense of community found inside their gangs.

5)Racial and Police violence. In the marginalized places of society there has being constant and systematic violence, even racist institutionalized policies. This point is one of the more complex and also more sensitive.

Also, how much does it contribute that we all have seeing MPs making fraud on their expenses and not being punished, corruption on the police on the phone hacking scandal, bankers getting big bonuses even when they basically caused the global crisis. How all this people are expected to be "responsible for their acts" when we don't see any of that responsibility on the top part of our leaders and representatives?

How can they feel comfortable when they smash in their faces the wedding of two millionaires, one of them born with privileges not only of money, but socially being above the law, and say that that's the thing that should make them be proud of being British. Or saying that there's social cuts necessity and at the same time spending millions in foreign wars?

Now that the riots seem to be calmed down it's time for the aftermath.

What is next?

The government and the society in general have two options, as far as I can see.

1) Ignore the root causes and impose draconian measures, enforcing a police state, limiting privacy and comunication on social media; giving more power to the police, and not caring about "phoney human rights concerns". Taking out all benefits from the rioters, evicting rioters from their houses and jail them, and then turn the page. Sadly for what Cameron has speak in the Commons, this seems to be his course of action.

2) Understand why this hapenned, understanding is NOT justifying, let´s be clear, what this people did was wrong, it was a criminal activity and it affected inocent people on their businesses and houses. But if we fail to understand why this happened then we will see happening again in the future. If we as a society and the government as the executive power identify the causes, then we can work in trying to fix them and make something like this less unlikely to happen in the future.

Prime Suspect goes Opera

2011-06-25T13:37:00.001+01:00

When talking about opera, most people have in their minds old themed scripts or old themed music. That is, either it's an opera written hundreds of years ago, or new music put into a script that comes also from the past. And let's face it, most of the times it's like that. And even when it's always nice to revive the old classics or see a new music arrangement to some classic text, it's very refreshing to watch a performance of a new script with original music.

And what can be more contemporary than a script that goes around the classic drama of loneliness, love and lies that have surrounded opera for hundreds of years, embedded inside the on-line world that surround us today.

That is what Two Boys aimed to achieve, with a nice success, in my opinion. Nico Muhly, and librettist, Craig Lucas delivered yesterday the world premier of Muhly's first opera, at the London Coliseum, home of the British National Opera.

In what can also be described as an episode of Prime Suspect in an opera format the script goes around through the eyes and ears of Anne Strawson (Susan Bickley), the middle age woman detective investigating the case of Brian (Nicky Spence), aged 16, accused of stabbing Jake (Joseph Beesley), aged 13.

The central theme is the mind games that our digital era has made so easy to fall into. Something that even when could be thought to be exaggerated, it has a very real background, and happens everywhere in the world, through chat services, social networks, dating sites or even by SMS over the phone. I myself have witnessed this kind of mind games and know how devastating can they be, and as always reality can be harder and stronger than fiction. So the theme is real, the theme is vivid and surround us every day.

Speaking of Lucas' script, it was well managed, trying to give the feeling of the new on-line way of communicating a very informal speech that gives a sense of more realism, with even some funny moments, although a deeper exploration of the characters could have being done, it covers enough to get us immerse in the story.

Rumon Gamba conducted Muhly’s score that goes along giving a nice film-like background to the stage singers. Sometimes it overcomes the soloist singers a little bit, though.

Personally I thought that the music didn't develop as much as I had expected, although one of the great achievements of Muhly's music is when we have the the multi-layered choir in scene, with a very beautiful staging of faces illuminated by open laptops and a multimedia effect with videos projected on the background with a 3D effect of the animations made by projecting different layers; the music goes into an "electronic" feeling, without the use of a single synthesizer, mix or other electronic music device. The effect is achieved by beautiful polyphonies with aleatory and over lapping sounds and words and flashing images giving the real sense of a very modern and "electronic" multimedia staging.

The internet is the framework over which the opera is played, how ever, the emotions are the common suspects of any good drama. A dramatic contemporary staging of the alienated world we live, and the ever lasting human desire of not leaving this world without love, without people remembering our qualities, a desire not to go "unsung", as the script puts it, when we leave for good.

Overall is a good work, perhaps not remarcable as a very trascendent one, but certainly a very refreshing and innovative way of doing opera, to get it close to our reality and keep it interesting. It's worth an evening out.

Thousands march in Spain against cuts.... just one big english-speaking media reports.

2011-05-16T20:32:00.003+01:00

Just about two months after Britain went to the streets on the March for the alternative, against the coalition cuts, gathering in London around 500,000 people on the 26th of March, and the 10,000 march of disable people for the same reason who took place in May, it was the turn of Spain.

Around 20,000 Spaniards went to the streets of Madrid, plus another 50 cities around the Spanish Kingdom, including around 10,000 in Barcelona, under the initiative"Democracia real, ya!" (Real Democracy, now!) a rally against the government cuts, the bankers and politicians, asking for a "solution of the economic crisis thinking in the people, not in the banks". A movement that comes now that Spain has the highest unemployment rate of the European Union, 21.3 % of the population.

In an open letter from José Luis Sampedro Sáez, a Spanish writer, humanist, economist and member of the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language, who has being advocated for an economy that is "more human, in solidarity, and capable of develop and dignify the people", he says that:

You have understood that is not enough to be upset, it is necessary to transform that upsetting feeling into resistance and give a step forward. A Historical movement needs action, movement, protest and pacific rebellion, The call for outrage shall not be stop in being a best-seller easily digested by the system and you are showing that with this initiative. [...] The official media is not going to support you and you will find many obstacles in your way, but what is at risk is your future. The 15th of may shall be something more than an oasis in the desert, shall be the beginning of a strong fight until we achieve that, effectively, we are not "merchandise in hands of politicians and bankers any more". Let's say NO to the financial tyranny and its devastating consequences.

And people listened to the call and went to the streets, a rally that was gather basically via social media over the internet, since it was little coverage in the Spanish media about the organizing of the event.

But was really outrageous was precisely the lack of covering of the event itself. The Spanish media mentioned just little about it on the news, like if it was just a small march, and focusing on the arrests that the police performed and the number of policeman hurt during the rally. "24 arrested and 5 policeman injured in march against the system" it's the title on El Mundo. A few mentions in the international spanish-speaking media also were made.

Oddly enough, there was no mention at all in the British media about the event. We can argue that the British public has little interest in what is happening in Spain beyond the soccer matches, and it could be understandable, even when not desirable, that it didn't make to the front pages, but so far (16 of may, 8 pm) none of the mayor British media has mentioned the news at all!! It just didn't happen for the english-speaking world. The only exception was the Washington Post article about it, so far the only mass media to report the event for the international public who doesn't speak Spanish.

And that is basically the reason of my post. In a world were the English language has become the lingua franca of the world, is really sad that the protests against the neo-liberal system around the world are silent.

But the march did happened, and #spanishrevolution became a world wide trending topic on twitter, even when the media is not covering. But twitter gives just a glipse of what is happening, and we need to rely on the blogs of some Spanish participants to understand even a little of what was all about.

The march had lots of people, lots of messages, a big diversity of social profiles, groups and ideas. A big number of people outrage of a "democracy" that has become a parody of itself, a political party rule that doesn't represent the people and acts against them.

"They call it Democracy and it is not", says Juan Luis Sánchez. In a small account of the march in Madrid, were it gives account that the march was a rally without the intervention of the political parties or even the unions, it was a march of the people, specially the young ones, like "Juventud sin miedo" (Youth without fear) an organization of youngsters that went to the march armed with books like The Quixote and One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Similar accounts from Seville, Barcelona, Malaga, Oviedo, etc. are found, were people talk about the success of the marches, were complete families went out to the streets to protest. Shouting themes like "people, united, will never be defetead" and "we are not merchandise of politicians and bankers" people gathered in Plaza Cataluña in Barcelona, says Samuel Rodríguez. We are being robbed by the banks, not by the immigrants is the title of the Ovideo account by Javier Bauluz.

Madrid:

Barcelona:

Oviedo

There has being an occupation at the Puerta del Sol (spanish for "Gate of the Sun", which oddly enough is not a gate, nor has any sun monument, but one of the main squares of Madrid, probably the equivalent of Trafalgar Square in London) and people are planning to stay indefinitely there to show that the movement was more than just one day.

People around Europe are showing that they are not happy, not happy at all by the government measures that only benefit the banks and the "macro-economy" leaving the social structure of the countries vulnerable and sometimes destroyed. And more importantly, that there is an alternative, a solution that benefits the people and not the economic interests.

Royal Propaganda, Goebbels would be proud of Elizabeth Windsor

2011-05-06T15:58:00.001+01:00

Last weekend was mental, really mental. It was the ultimately Medieval bank holiday, and I really begin to doubt if humanity has really evolved in the core since the dark ages. One week after, I want to reflect upon some things on the events.

First, we had a Royal Wedding, to celebrate an archaic institution that on its structural values goes against democracy, accountability, freedom of religion, state-church separation, woman rights and gay rights. Buckingham Palace PR machine went out with all, and held one of the biggest media hypes in recent times. Then another institution that shares all those “qualities” with the monarchy, the Catholic Church, after having a very bad year on popularity, decided to held the beatification of Karol Wojtyla, aka John Paul II, without a doubt his most charismatic leader ever, but we have to question, how is getting this former Pope close to be a Saint helps with the abuse scandals, when he was not only protector, but friend of paedophiles like Marcial Maciel. And then to finish it all, the killing of Osama Bin Laden, the crusaders kill the big heretic boss, making him a martyr and the Empire celebrates on the streets.

The events themselves will require a long post analysing them and all the things around. But I want to centre in one specific theme, The propaganda machine that surrounded them, and in specific the Royal Wedding, and I’m doing it not because I think it’s the most important or with bigger repercussions, certainly on that category the Oscar goes to the Killing of Osama by Obama, but because is one I lived directly.

Joseph Goebbels said:

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”

Tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it

Well, the old Joe will be certainly proud of Elizabeth Windsor and her government.

Buckingham Palace started a massive media campaign to which, almost all media networks surrender and keep the editorial line dictated from the Royal Throne. It was simple, ALL Britain was celebrating the wedding of Mrs. Windsor's grandson, and the event was the core of what means to be British, and everyone would have their “Proud to be British” moment watching, people would through into the streets in a massive number of “traditional street parties” and the monarchy would stronger than ever. Right?, well..Wrong!

For that we were told a series of lies, big ones and that were repeated by the media over and over.

1)    The support of the monarchy is overwhelm outnumbering the very few republicans by much. Reality show that 1 in 5 Britons want to have an elected head of state.
2)    Everybody in Britain is looking forward with great excitement the wedding, when a poll, previous to the wedding suggested that around 80% of the population was not interested at all.
3)    People would be celebrating all along in Britain. Truth, the street parties application were lower than anyone expected, the majority of councils have none, even in big cities like Glasgow.
4)    All the world loves the Windors and the British monarchy and 2 billions persons would be watching the event. That was the one that won the prize really, the big big lie that Goebbels was talking about, and that was repeated all over. Media, even left wing one, like the Guardian and even media networks overseas repeated the mantra, “2 billions expected to watch the royal wedding” over and over, and as the genius of propaganda said, people eventually start to believe it.

But... Let’s analyze the numbers, shall we?

There are 1.5 billion TVs on this planet, from which

China:     400,000,000
United States:     219,000,000
Japan:     86,500,000
India:     63,000,000
Russia: 60,500,000
Brazil: 36,500,000

That is roughly 60% of the televisions on this planet

2 billion is 29% of the world’s population. Now, the country where presumably it would be the bigger audience is the UK, being the country with the biggest percentage of support for the monarchy. And even here 60% of the population didn’t watch the event. If you can’t get even half of the population watching in the UK, can you seriously expect 28.9% across the world?

I think is safe to assume that in China, Japan, Russia and Brazil the event was not a major issue, so we would not expect a big audience there. Actually excluding the Commonwealth countries and the USA I would say it was a non relevant issue at all. And a recent poll showed that the USA was not really that interested, only less than 40% was interested, and not to a big degree, so other major population viewer dropped to get the big number. Now India, most-watched TV event in India was the 2011 India vs Sri Lanka cricket world cup final, with 135 million viewers. That’s only 11.7% of the Indian population, do you expect to have a bigger number for the wedding of a person who is viewed by many Indians as the continuation of the Empire that conquer them?

Let’s just examine other figures. The 2008 Olympic games opening ceremony got One billion viewers, the Soccer World Cup 2010 got 715 million. Do you seriously expect me to believe that the wedding of William Windsor captives the double of audience worldwide than what are presumably the two events of bigger international interests in the last 5 years?

Come on!!, even if you love the Windsors, you have to accept that the number is just a big propaganda statement. But people repeated the mantra without even question it.

Now, we have the first part of Goebbels recommendation done, keep the lies big, and repeat them over and over and over. It’s time to pass to phase two:

Use the power of the State to repress dissent.

The first attempt to repress dissent was with the group Republic, a non-party political pressure group that wants to have an elected head of state. They planned to organize a Non-Royal wedding street party, to celebrate republicanism and democracy, and show you can be a patriot without having to bow before the Windsors. Well, the attempt was blocked, Camden council didn’t granted the permission over some claims of that this group had not submitted a “management plan” - which turned out to be thoroughly untrue, they demonstrate that with some emails and to the embarrassment of the council publish them and circulate them over the internet and some news sites (never in the front page of major ones of course).   Fortunately they manage to keep the party going, in a different place. So, until then, freedom of speech one, fascist tactics zero.

But things get worst, a couple of days before the wedding police start “pre-emptively” arresting people that they believe could cause disruption on the day of the wedding. were the “pre-emptive arrests” of 70 people under Section 60 of the Criminal Justice Act 1996, which grants the police ‘emergency’ stop and search powers. 99 people were “excluded” or “barred” from the City of Westminster on April 29. A small area was declared a “sterile” zone by the police, using the powers of the 2005 Serious Organised Crime and Police Act.

Buckingham palace also decree that no humour or mockery of the Royal couple was going to be made on public broadcast media. So, not even protesting with a joke was allowed.

On the day of the wedding itself, a group of gay people organized a “zombie flash mob” in Soho square, a few km away from Westminster Abbey, but still in central London, and they were told to leave or would be arrested because they may “offend royalists”.

Additionally, the police arrested others, when they entered a branch of Starbucks on Oxford Street - arresting them “on suspicion of planning a breach of the peace”, surely buying a coffee is a very dangerous terrorist act.

So basically, having a republican sentiment equals to try to persecute the innocent royal couple and unpatriotically disrupt the nation’s rejoicing?

It was a very sad display of the most radical tactics of a fascist state, in a country that is supposed to be opposed to that and be a champion of democracy and freedom.

Patrick Wolf

2011-05-05T14:46:00.001+01:00

Does anyone else loves Patrick Wolf?

I discover him actually by chance on youtube a few weeks ago, and the more I listen to his music the more fascinated I am, he mixes lots of sounds and genres I love, and the style varies a lot even in a single album, which is wicked, since usually the singers-composers tend to find their style and not move much from there, unlike the singers that sing songs from others that have like more chance to “choose” different styles. It’s like listening to Bjork mixed with Kate Bush, Mika and Depeche Mode, but with a fabulous and fresh style.

As a musician, he tries to find new sounds, and to experiment, he plays the piano, harp, accordion, harpsichord, organ, theremin, ukulele, viola and violin, which is very impressive in itself, but beyond being multi-instrument player, I think he’s not afraid of trying new things, from commercial pop to dark melancholic folk and electronic sounds, also and a thing that I always celebrate in real artists, is that he really gives part of himself to his music, for that I mean that he manage to puts his own feelings and state of mind (and soul) in the tracks and transmit it in a brilliant way to the audience. One may like or dislike some artists, but true art is about transmit feelings, if you manage to do that, then yes, you are entitled the name artists.

I have not listen to all his albums, I first followed what the internet give us about him, which it was a very nice surprise. Then, I decided to buy one of his albums, The Bachelor, which is surprisingly only £2.50 on amazon,
then I learned that this album was founded by his fans, after leaving universal music and not wanting to deal with any major record label, he went out to his fans to ask for help, and give them the chance to buy stocks of the album, managing to collect £100,000 to record the 14 track album (explaining why is so cheap, since there’s no middle man and big company asking money for it). This album, as he has described, is very dark due to him being in a very dark place, giving up on the idea of love and long term relationships.

There’s anger, but also a sense of hope, the revolution that leads to resolution, and great rock style sounds over the song “Hard Times”

The folk orientated and melancholic sounds of Damaris

The folk blues with a great stamp of despair in the Bachelor

Or the electronic sounds of Vulture

I have also listen to some tracks from the previous album, The magical position, which is a more commercial pop one, from a time when love was in the life of Wolf.

The baroque pop of the magical position, with a very nice video full of bright and happy colours, in a song that is also full of happy feelings, was the first to capture me.

And finally on a totally 80s style pop the new single of his upcoming album Lupercalia, The city.

I’m also fascinated with Patrick Wolf the character, first his extravagant androgynous looks, and his open sexuality that doesn’t constrict himself to a label. He said in an interview "In the same way I don’t know if my sixth album is going to be a death-metal record or children's pop, I don’t know whether I’m destined to live my life with a horse, a woman or a man. It makes life easier." Which is a brilliant form to put it. And in other said that "My sexuality is kind of liberal. I fall in love with men and women. I guess you would call me bisexual. I like to have sex and fall in love—I don't like giving terminology for my sexuality.”
It was, without a doubt one of the better discoveries I have made in lately, and I’m totally fascinated by this young artist.

The hypocrisy of the west

2011-03-22T12:28:00.004Z

I’m happy living here in the UK, people are friendly, the standards of living are good, the history of this country is amazing, the nature surrounding me in this green island is breath taking. But there’s one thing that gets my nerves and it’s the relationship that this country has with wars, and I’m talking about current, not past history.

I know that you can’t judge the people by its governments, but you will expect that people have some memory and try to act when their governments take the wrong decisions.

Seems that nobody learned any lessons from Afghanistan or Iraq. Nor the governments, nor the people. Now there’s a new conflict in hand. Libya.

I’m far from being sympathetic with Gadaffi, if it depended on me I would like to see all the non-democratic leaders of the world gone for good. And this one in special has a long, long record of being a brutal one with his own people, and also a supporter of terrorism, and simply put a lunatic. However, he is not new on this; he has being in power for over 40 years! But the western powers have tolerate his deeds, looking to the other side all this time.

So now what has happened that is different? Why suddenly people realize he’s a bad person? It’s very simple, they are not going to war for human rights, democracy or freedom as they like to sell their people, they are going to defend oil, gas and energy companies and investments.

And that is what it get my nerves, that people forget so quickly. The UK, USA, Italy and France have being arming this dictatorship for a long time. As recent as 2007, Tony Blair travelled to Tripoli to shake Gadaffi’s hand and sell hundreds of millions in weapons, from guns to anti-aircraft batteries and tanks. In return Gadaffi let BP enter the country and invest billions. The initial deal was £450 million one, and more and more were put in the table. Where were those politicians that now want Gadaffi out and are so concern about the Libyan people then? And the people? Why nobody wrote to their MPs to stop the arms dealing with a dictator that had a long record of abuse, torture and support of terrorism? Do you remember who armed the Taliban and Hussein? Why then nobody said a word?

Of course the UK is not the only to blame. Why France run quickly to get their planes out? Sarkozy signed with Gadaffi a 10 billion euros deal to supply nuclear energy to Libya. And he gave a very nice and posh state reception to Gadaffi just a few years ago.

The USA reassume diplomatic relations with Libya in 2004, and soon after Exxon and other US companies arrived with a smile in their faces to Tripoli, and of course more arms were sold to Gadaffi.

There’s lots of money the European countries got from Tripoli in exchange of weapons.

So now, all this billions of pounds are in danger, if the revolution succeeds and they didn’t intervene, there’s a big risk of losing lots and lots of money, so now the flag of freedom and the shout of democracy arises, and everybody claps because the winds of liberty are going to Libya. And why Libya and not Yemen, Bahrain or Saudi Arabia?

Yes, I would like to see Gadaffi gone, but I would had prefer that he was gone because the Libyans kick him out, and took control of their own destiny. Not because some oil, gas and energy deals were jeopardize.And the Arab people have shown that they don’t need to be saved by white ethical crusaders. They’re more than capable of toppling dictators and determining their own affairs. (see Egypt)

Yes, this is different from Iraq, because at least this war is not against international law, and there’s no lies about mass destruction weapons, and it’s not lead by a crazy Texan that said God tell him to go and fight. So yes, it’s not the same, but after that war the UK and USA lose all moral authority, and we would expect them to know better than keep arming dictators and then when things go bad to business cry wolf!, I mean, freedom! But let's remember another not so distance conflict, and how the bombing of ‘evil’ Yugoslavia in 1999, which destroyed much of Belgrade left at least 600 civilians dead.

And what moral authority the governments have, when they support and sold billions in weapons to that same dictatorship?. And why nobody raise their voice when a few weeks ago David Cameron was selling more and more weapons in the middle east!?! Why nobody wrote to their MPs, or protest on the streets.

Stop selling weapons to dictatorships, stop arming and supporting regimes that are oppressive, murderous, and who care nothing about human rights. Stop picking and choosing where to fight for “freedom” only when the economic interest are in danger, stop all this hypocrisy now!!! Then you will have the moral authority to give an opinion and intervene.

Edit: I signed this petition on-line to ask for a responsible selling of weapons, if you think is worth, sign it too. Remember that petitions with more than 100,000 signatures will be discussed on the parliament.

History and fiction

2010-10-26T21:21:00.000+01:00

History has being one of my passions. I find understanding different ages, different thoughts, and how the shape the way we are in the present fascinating. For some the only value of history is to prevent doing the same mistakes on the future, I reckon it goes far beyond that, it’s about getting immerse in a world that is not ours, but is not far beyond. Human passions and vices can be encountered and tasted as we look into the past.

I want to dedicate this post to three books I just finish no too long ago, which circle the history frame, from different views, all based on fictional characters who are mixed with historical ones, when this intermix of fiction and history makes your mind drift away in wonder.

The first is “The last of the wine” by Mary Renault

Mary Renault, was an English writer best known for her historical novels set in Ancient Greece. In addition to vivid fictional portrayals of Theseus, Socrates, Plato and Alexander the Great, she also wrote a non-fiction biography of Alexander. Her dedication and research on the historical basis for her novels is tasted on every page of the novel, we can get immerse in the ancient Greek society, their uses and customs, without the need to read an academic book, but with a sound root that speaks of an author who did her homework before writing of a historical period only from imagination.

Alexias son of Myron, the main character, is a noble Athenian who speaks about his life from growing up to adulthood. He lives during the time of the Peloponnesian War, in an Athens that just adopted democracy as their form of government, dropping monarchy and giving the power to the citizens, and that is confronted in different military conflicts, being the main one the one with the kingdom of Sparta. As we see Alexias grow up, we experience some of the traditions of his world. War, power, heroism, love, loyalty, philosophy, all are present. We walk with him in his first training in the art of words, with Socrates himself, as well as the physical one to compete on the Olympic games.

Alexias find love in Lysis, another young man, but older than Alexias, according to the Greek customs, and their lives become united until the end. Even when there’s no obvious mention of Lucian (125-180 AD) we can see a lot of the ideas that he gives on his speech, Amores,reflected on the way that Renault shapes this relationship, there’s even a small wink on the Sacred Band of Thebes, when Alexias find a dying Theban soldier and his lover who won’t leave him. A same-sex love on which each lover looks for honour, pride and courage to show to his lover that he’s man enough to deserve him.

Renault also make a great emphasis about the Greek view on women, even though there’s no a feminine main character, women are present in the story, from the mother and the sister figure, to the prostitute who gives Alexias lessons on love. But most importantly the way Greek society thought of women as second class humans, of course not deserving the right to be citizens, and held as ignorant of philosophy and logic, and fearing of men, and in some cases, as expressed by some characters in phrases that could be so offensive today like “We will look as fools or women if we asked that”, in doubt of their value as human beings.

Perhaps the most important and interesting part of the book are the philosophy and politic dialogues, which reflect with great accuracy the thinking of the era, and a lot of the ideas that Socrates shared with his students and friends, as Plato, who have some interventions on the story.

Even though the content is extremely interesting and even educating of the ancient Greek time, the novel has a weak point on the narrative, which fails to trap its reader and wanting to know what happens next. All that taken into account, is a recommendable reading for those who like history and the classical world.

The second book is “The Historian” by Elizabeth Kostova

This could be labelled as “When Bram Stoker’s Dracula meets Brown’s Da Vinci Code”. But I think that the result is very synergic, and it’s better than just the sum of its parts, far better written than Brown’s novel, and far more entertained than Stoker’s one.

Kostova goes back to the basics, to tell a vampire story, without the vampires being the main active characters, but passive and ever present characters, that we don’t fully see until the end, and even then, their motives and true essence is not revealed. Where this mysterious and seductive character follow us through the whole story (and in this case history) without clearly revelling himself, making us wanting to know him, and to drop ourselves in to his footsteps. This Dracula is not the lover of Coppola’s film, is not the tormenting vampire of Anne Rice’s books, is not the juvenile hero of Twilight, nor is the vicious character of true blood. This is the basic vampire, the one of whom we know nothing but we can feel everything.

In a clear tribute to Stoker’s work, the novel narrative is being told to a great extent through the medium of letters and other memoranda, and how the unnamed main character explains them and interlink them. Although nearly everybody in the novel is a researcher of some kind, the 'historian' of the title is Dracula himself, as we would learn later on. They are all at one part The Historian, and they are part of the story.

The story goes in a parallel way, in one, we walk with the girl who discovers some letters that his father kept from his tutor, Professor Rossi, on which he describe his journey in trying to find the truth about Vlad Drakulya or Vlad III of Walachia, also known as Vlad Țepeș (Vlad the Impaller).

The narrator's father, Paul, then gets involved in this mysterious journey, and his daughter learns of it in the form of Rossi’s letters, tales told by her father, and her own father letters. On the second way, we follow her own journey to follow Dracula’s steps around Eastern Europe and the Ottoman Empire. We end up going back and forth trough history, from Paul's odyssey in search of Rossi (1952) with the intercut with Rossi’s search for Dracula (1930), the peregrinations of a group of Orthodox monks (1477), and the daughter's search for her father (1972). One of the weak point of the novel is that Kostova, even though creating scenarios, atmospheres and historic backgrounds in a very clever and credible way, fails into give the different writers of the letters, different voices. Her voice as a narrator is the same voice as her father’s or than Rossi’s, and even when some good attempts on trying to differentiate characters with some things as their accents and grammar structure when they were not English speakers, the main ones remain indistinguishable from each other.

The narrative, even when slow at first, traps you in wanting to know the mysteries that it involves, even though some are blatantly obvious, there are others who makes us think and even can surprise us a little bit.

The most plausible part is that Kostova introduce us to a character that somehow is unknown, the historical Vlad, the medieval tyrant and savage warrior, and at the same time the hero of his people and one of the most furious fighters of the spreading of Islam into Europe. It also makes a credible atmosphere of the cold war period and the cultural differences between Eastern Europe and the West.

The third book is "Pharaoh" by Valerio Massimo Manfredi

This is a typical bestseller, which follows the thriller / world conspiracy way, but in a prolific and entertaining way. Manfredi is an archaeologist, but his novels are much more a imagination exercise than a real sound historical basis. The plot goes around some mystery tomb that could have a big repercusion on the history of the abrahamic monotheisms, the tomb of Moses himself, in the traditional Egyptian style, in other words, implying that one of the main patriarcs of the Judeo-Christian and Muslim world was at the end a pagan. In addition to the religious-mystery formula, Manfredi tries to spice it up with a new element, namely the West-Muslim conflict.

The reading is quick, but the characters are too topical, and the plot itself not really deep. I will only recomend it if you like nice and light readings, to pass by time. I was a little bit disapointed, since Manfredi's trilogy on Alexander is a good work, and the Last Legion is a very entertaining book.

The Delusion of the Western Society

2010-08-20T00:48:00.003+01:00

Delusion: an idiosyncratic belief or impression maintained despite being contradicted by reality or rational argument, typically as a symptom of mental disorder. - Oxford Dictionary

To call someone a delusional can cause offence, well, then I’m going to offend you all, because we are all delusional, in one way or another, in one moment of our life or another. We, humans like to avoid reality, like to deny it, we live happier in a denial state, or in an ignorance state, that is human, all too human.

One would thought that in the age of information, in the age on human history when more people (at least in the west) have access to education, to the sources of information, to knowledge than ever before; this delusional behaviour would be less than in ancient times. But that is not the case.

I’m not the one who will claim that I’m free of that sin, in many parts of my life I have being victim of my own delusions, and some of them still linger in the shadows of my subconscious mind.

Juana de Asbaje, a Mexican poet and philosopher of the XVII century, said on her beautiful poem “Let’s pretend that I’m happy” (finjamos que soy feliz)

How happy is the ignorance
Of the one who, un-eruditionally wise
Finds on which he suffers,
What he ignores, sacred!

Our delusions, most of the time, are not consciously trying to deny reality, nor necessarily malicious, or even explicitly anti-science. They are a way to shield us from the things we see as out of our control, to shield us from the pain of uncertainty and protect ourselves of whatever threats important aspects of our lives.

But I see that these delusions start to gain more and more power in public opinion, and permeate every single social stratus, and like a virus go on through the internet and the mass media, and they are showing, as the definition of the word says, symptoms of a social mental disorder. Perpetuating the idea of perpetuating a lie:

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” – Joseph Goebbels

And it’s not as difficult as it seems, nor it’s just up to the State to use its powers to maintain it, the whole society can self maintain it if the truth means to change the status quo, to move itself from our comfort zone, through an unknown or difficult territory. We lie to ourselves over and over again in our lives: I can quite tobacco anytime, I need alcohol to have fun in a night out, I need to have a partner to be happy, and a big etcetera. We lie in group, we think that the best thing that could happen is that our national team wins the world cup, that the important things to discuss are the latest celebrity gossip, or we disconnect from the real world to watch “reality” on the telly with any reality show broadcast at the moment, instead of open our eyes to the reality that is out there.

All those little delusions, makes us victims of manipulation of the media, and keep us calm and clueless of what is happening, without the will to learn.

The delusion of nationalism.

That idea that the artificial lines that man create to divide are real, that there’s “them and us”, that we have to protect our “identity” and fight the ones who are not like us. Those ideas that make people fear or even hate immigrants, who make people fight about languages instead of recognizing the beauty of each, that make people want to impose their ways to others, that make people oppose to work together. And that have caused wars, dictatorships, terrorism, etc.

The delusion of religion

And I’m not talking in the terms of Dawkins’ “God delusion”, which, in my opinion oversimplifies reality blaming faith of all the bad things in the world. No, I’m not talking about personal beliefs that are totally respectable, being in one or thousands of gods, or none at all. I’m talking in the delusion of organized religion, in the belief that certain group holds The Truth, and everyone else is wrong.

But biggest delusion is not that the hierarchy of those religions keeps or try to keep the control; the thing is that people continue denying that there’s a problem, making excuses for them and their religions, denying reality and saying that is not that serious, in the best case; supporting that bigotry in the worst. Becoming denialists of science, and facts. Evolution is a lie, they say; homosexuality is a sin and is unnatural and a mental sickness. People keep their own delusions to avoid the reality: organized religion is harmful to society. But the alternative will shake the grounds of their comfort zones, and the social structures and power interests involved. It’s unbelievable that people keep defending organized religion and became accomplices to the very things that murder faith. I want to take this little paragraph form this article to summarize it:

You murder faith same way you murder love: one bruise at a time, with small, daily cuts, with grinding contempt, with neglect. You murder faith by exposing it to bullets inscribed with Bible verses that kill Afghan and Iraqi children. You murder it by separating an elderly lesbian couple in a hospital because their union is considered "unnatural." You murder it by linking it to greed, to the "God wants you to be rich" movement which marinates in loathing for the poor and needy, in defiance of Christ's commission to care for them. You murder it by exposing it to any number of atrocities wrapped up in an inviolate nationalism that claims divine authority as its basis, with no room for dissent, and no mercy for dissenters. You murder it with self-righteous, violent militarism, with intolerance, with lack of compassion, with lack of humility and, most importantly, with lack of humanity.

The delusion of the middle class.

The middle class in the west is perhaps the social group that like to lie to themselves more than any other, our status as not as poor to suffer greatly and be concern only in how to survive another day, but not as rich as not to have economical worries, makes us more dependant of our status quo, our comfort and secure zone, that we struggle to keep day to day, working to gain little luxuries that make our life “easier”.

One of the biggest topics on which we live on denial is about our responsibility with our environment, and one of the biggest delusions is the climate change denialism. Even when there’s consensus on the international scientific community about the antropogenic global warming, the general public still doubts it.

They believe that it’s just an exaggerate point of view or even blatantly argue against it and say that is a global conspiracy of obscure powers that want to impose their ideas.

Let’s be clear, scientific consensus is not about democracy, is not decided on vote of the most popular theory just because it sounds good. Is not about faith, because scientists don’t believe that a theory is true, just because they feel inside that is right, nor is the election of the Pope, and they scream “habemus theoria” when the half plus one agree. Scientific method works differently.

One scientist or group of scientist postulate a hypotheses, and then they test it, collect evidence, analyse it and give some conclusions, but that doesn’t end up there, the theory has to be verifiable and reproducible, so other scientist independently can follow it and reach similar or the same conclusions. Nearly all hypotheses will fall by the wayside during this testing period, because only one is going to answer the question properly, without leaving all kinds of odd dangling bits that don’t quite add up. Bad theories are usually rather untidy.

But the testing period must come to an end. Gradually, the focus of investigation narrows down to those avenues that continue to make sense, that still add up, and quite often a good theory will reveal additional answers, or make powerful predictions, that add substance to the theory. So a consensus in science is different from a political one. There is no vote. Scientists just give up arguing because the sheer weight of consistent evidence is too compelling.

So, it’s not a minor thing that the scientific community agrees on something, usually means that there’s at least a reasonable truth behind it, of course being theories and not laws, there’s no 100% certainty, nor is a unchallengeable fact, but to break down a scientific consensus the contenders have to present a big and solid case. Put it simple, Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence.

So, why people keep distrusting the scientific consensus in global warming and others like evolution, the lack of effectiveness of homoeopathy, or human same-sex attraction? I think it’s very simple, because accepting reality will shake their comfort zone.

Let’s think about it, accepting that we have created a big problem in the equilibrium of our planet will require that we change our way of living, stopping big consumerism, using rationally energy sources, finding alternative energy sources, taking care on what we eat, and in the day-to-day life will mean, sacrificing our little luxuries, not using electricity as it were everlasting, walking or using public transport, washing our dishes by hand with cold water (but god forbids the middle class of the first world use cold water and use their hands! so let's lie to ourselves and say that washing machines are the solution) using heating systems as little as possible, and a big etcetera. Similar things imply to accept the other examples I gave, in personal and social level.

So, do you live in a delusion? Are you afraid of breaking that delusion down? Would you dare?

Is tolerance allowing everything without restrain?

2010-08-13T15:26:00.001+01:00

I have the right to criticize and protest. A post by my friend Zulma, and some discussions in the previous days with other friends inspire me to write this.

Apparently, in this day and age, to express a critique to a system is being intolerant. Apparently traditions are more important than protect another life form from torture, Apparently cultural relativism is more important than human rights. Apparently people don’t have the right to criticize and protest. Apparently tolerance means everything is valid, Why is that?

As an immigrant, the only way I have to express my discontent about the policies of the government and/or society of the country I live is expressing that in the form of critiques and protests, since I don’t have the legal right to vote. But, does that mean that I don’t have any right whatsoever to express my opinion and disagreement to certain political and social issues? I think not, since I work here, pay all my taxes here, contribute to the economy of the country, and even more, I will protest and disagree wherever in the world human rights are attacked, even if that country is thousands of kilometres away.

Also as an immigrant, people in my home country want to deny me the right to protest and criticize the problems back home. “You decided to leave, what do you care if you’re so far away, you just want to criticize us because you’re ashamed of your roots” and similar things have being said to me. Sorry, but what happens in my country still hurts me, and I have my family and friends living there, and also being far away allow me to see some vices of the society that are not so clear to the insider.

Someone said to me once that people have their chance to express their voice on the elections and that they should stop complaining after a government is formed, and that public protests are only a way to impose the point of view of a minority. Well, I disagree with that, the rights of the minorities, the human rights campaigns, the anti-war campaigns; are necessary beyond the elections. The majority is not always right, actually the minorities are the ones that make the social changes and have shaped the history of this planet, are the ones that have fought bravely and fiercely against the establishment.   Yes, sometimes the results have not being the best, but then when the claims are hand to hand with the universal human rights, then is when the positive transformative force of the minorities have created a better world.

The majority opinion can be (and should be) ignored when this opinion goes against the fundamental human rights. History has shown that the majorities can abuse and be responsible of big injustices and crimes, slavery, racism, xenophobia, misogyny, homophobia, etc . When they are not controlled, they first attack the minorities, then they target the ones inside the majority that have an independent and critique voice, and finally against anyone who wants to move away from the norm. Yes, being normal can be dangerous.

And then we have this new tendency, under the post-modern point of view of “everything is valid and everything is relative” there are people who want to put cultural relativism above human rights. And don’t get me wrong, yes cultural characteristics, history and social habits are needed to understand why a society behaves the way it does, and most of the time needed before making a judgement against a country or society.

However, there are certain principles that are meant to be valid to human integrity, regardless of our social, cultural, economic or any other background, they won the name of universal human rights, because they are supposed to be applicable to any human being, anywhere.

So, if people say that Indians are savages because they eat with their hands, or that Muslim women are backwards because they cover their head; yes, I will say that a understanding of their culture is necessary, and that we have to try not to judge under our western world glasses.   However when women are clitoris-mutilated, gay people sentenced to dead or prison just because of their sexual orientation, women are stoning to death for adultery, when immigrants are persecuted and hunted to death, when gay and bisexuals are denied rights in the name of religion, and many other, since sadly the list is very long, then I will not be silent, and I will not make excuses for that atrocities in the name of cultural relativism, and I think that none of us should tolerate that behaviour, nor as individuals, not as countries.

So, when does being tolerant became, do as you wish with no restrain whatsoever? And do you agree with that?    I certainly don’t.

Eurovision 2010

2010-05-20T23:09:00.001+01:00

I probably will not be able to see the final, but Ok, here my 5 favourites. (alphabetical order by country)

Let's see if any of them make it to the final ...

The Oak

2010-05-04T13:57:00.000+01:00

Live thy Life,
Young and old,
Like yon oak,
Bright in spring,
Living gold;

Summer-rich
Then; and then
Autumn-changed
Soberer-hued
Gold again.

All his leaves
Fall'n at length,
Look, he stands,
Trunk and bough
Naked strength.

by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Bisexuality, the last frontier

2010-04-27T00:08:00.000+01:00

How is it different to say, I will not date you because you're Mexican, to I will not date you because you're bisexual? Would you date an openly bisexual person?

Is it prejudice and discrimination or is it a matter of taste?

The western society has advance a lot in the last decades, new laws to ensure diversity and inclusion, even some traditionally conservative countries have issue some kind of law in that line. But society still is far behind for acceptance of the other without prejudice.

The comparison I made I think it's fair enough, your nationality is not something you choose, but something you are born; your place of birth doesn't make you handsomer, taller, skinny, or ugliest and fat; it doesn't affect your personality, since there are people of all different characteristics in a country, quiet, talkative, funny, serious, religious or atheist. It doesn't even means that you are of certain race. To generalize about a nationality is basically the same as generalize about your sexuality.

Are bisexuals that different from heterosexuals and homosexuals? are they mentally sick? are they just confused? No, is the answer of all those questions. There are a lot of common misunderstandings about bisexuality, let's review some:

Myth 1, Bisexuals are confused

No, it's people's attitudes to bisexuality that are confused. Now a days, everyone can accept without big problems that a person can be attracted to another regardless of his/her height, weight, hair colour, race, etc. So, how is it so difficult to understand that gender is just another quality.

Myth 2, Bisexuals are promiscuous
Yes, so do heterosexuals and homosexuals. Promiscuity is something about your personal values and what you decide that you want of a relationship, as their hetero/homo counterparts bisexuals are capable of being in a loyal long term relationship, or not. The sexual orientation doesn’t change anything about it.

Myth 3, Bisexual guys can’t be masculine and bisexual women can’t be feminine.
If you take a closer look around, you will find that there are more than a few heterosexual guys who are a little bit camp, and homosexual guys who can be very masculine. Role genders are diluting little by little and people are learning to be free and express the way they want. Bisexuality is not an exception, you surely would find camp and masculine bisexual guys, and feminine and butch bisexual women.

Myth 4, Bisexuals have to be equally attracted to men and women

You don't have to be equally attracted to red-heads and brunettes to be attracted to both, and preferring lettuce to liver doesn't make you a vegetarian, so why do some people insist that "true" bisexuals are exactly and equally attracted to men and women?

Myth 5, Bisexuality is a mental sickness
Several decades ago psychiatrist around the world take homosexuality and bisexuality out of the mental diseases, there’s no evidence or scientific proof of that whatsoever, that remark speaks only of ignorance.

Myth 6, Bisexuals are just homosexuals in denial
Sadly, that remark is very common in both, the heterosexual and the homosexual community, mainly due to the fact that some homosexuals use bisexuality as a façade, to help them through the coming out process. That has affected a lot people’s opinion about true bisexuality. But that is not true, bisexuals are not in denial, more than homosexuals are in denial of being heteros, or vice versa.

Myth 7, bisexuality is the “easy option”
As noted before, it isn’t, bisexuals face discrimination from both, the gay and hetero community, even when in some people’s mind there’s the idea that it can be more socially accepted being bisexual, reality and statistics show that is not the case. Take a look at some statistics as the Stonewall's Workplace Equality Index questionnaire in 2009, to see the reality.

Myth 8, Bisexuals have to date both men and women

Some of us are in happy relationships with one partner, others have multiple relationships and some swap to dating the other sex whenever their current fling ends. Some bisexuals are happily married and raising children. Some bisexuals are single, some are celibate. You do not need to have ever have had sex to be bisexual. Some bisexuals enjoy casual sex, others don’t' have sex outside committed relationships.

Myth 9, Bisexuality is just a phase

Is heterosexuality just a phase? Why people want to describe the things that they don’t understand as minor mistakes?

Myth 10, Bisexuals is just to be indecise

There's no indecision!!, Sexuality isn't black and white, the world isn’t black and white, as soon as we can get rid of that silly dualistic mindset that oversimplifies reality, the better

Now, people would still be wondering , what if my Partner Is Bisexual, What Should I Do? Should I leave him/her? Do I dare to date a bisexual?
Probably one of all of the above myths would cross your mind, is he/her going to be unfaithful, is he/her going to leave me for someone of a different gender?

Well, nothing is for certain, since each person is different, but being bisexual doesn't mean these things, bisexual people can and will be as committed and faithful as any other person with different sexual orientation, no more, no less.

So, if you fancy a boy or a girl, you like his/her character, if you are attracted physically to him/her, then why to miss the chance to find a perfect partner for you, just because some prejudices and myths.

Do you dare to give people a chance regardless of his/her race, nationality or religion? Do you dare to give people a chance if they happen to be bisexuals?

The heart asks pleasure first

2010-04-14T10:17:00.003+01:00

In the gardens of life, there are times where the sun is reflected in a spring to give a beautiful shrine with one sun above and one below. Those moments fill our senses with pleasure, pleasure that we share with our loved ones, because after all, the heart ask pleasure first.

Let me share these two suns with you:

--

The heart asks pleasure first
And then, excuse from pain-
And then, those little anodynes
That deaden suffering;

And then, to go to sleep;
And then, if it should be
The will of its Inquisitor,
The liberty to die.

- Emily Dickinson

San Patricio

2010-04-07T19:00:00.007+01:00

1846, Mexico became invaded by the USA army in the first of many unjust and thinly veiled wars of aggression that the States have held in their blood thirsty history, driven by the Manifest Destiny. Captain John Riley and a battalion of Irish soldiers abandoned the US army to join the Mexican defence. They fought until the end, when Mexico City was captured, and find their final end in the Battle of Churubusco, alongside the Mexican army , capture only after all their ammunition has been exhausted, and General Pedro Maria Anaya said the historic phrase "If we had ammunition, you will not be here" when asking to surrender their ammunition to the invading army.

Held as heroes by Mexico, St. Patrick's battalion, also known as Los San Patricios, is honoured every St. Patrick's day on the ex-convent of Churubusco, by the Mexican Banda de Gaitas del Batallón de San Patricio (St. Patrick's Uillean Pipes Band).

Some say they united the Mexican side when they realise that the US was doing the same than Britain did to Ireland before, some say it was because their shared religion, others said it was just aventure. But the fact remains that a small Irish battalion try to help Mexico to defend itself from a foreign invasion, the one who cost it half of their territory. And for that Mexico is always grateful.

The chieftains release a new album called San Patricio, on which they tell this story, and honour it with 19 tracks with collaboration of Mexican and Irish musicians. Lila Dows, Linda Ronstadt, Carlos Nuñez, Chavela Vargas, Los Tigres del Norte, Liam Neeson, Ry cooder, Moya Brennan, the Banda de Gaita del Batallón de San Patricio and the Chieftains deliver us a wonderful piece of music who mixes mexican and irish rythms, songs in spanish, english and gaeilge, mixture of feelings and cultural common ground.

I have always feel that traditional Irish Music and Mexican music, specially the called in spanish "sones" have a lot of common, I will go as far as to say that the sones are the Mexican interpretation of Celtic music. So it was not that hard to me to visualize this mixture, which was really great to hear it at last.

This is wonderful album that should not only be heard by Mexicans and Irish alike, whether with a Guinness or a Tequila, this music celebration is worth to listen for all the ones who like eclecticism in music, and like a good story telling.

"We are the San Patricios, a brave and gallant band
There'll be no white flag flying within this green command
We are the San Patricios, we have but one demand,
To see the Yankees safely home across the Rio Grande

But when in Churubusco we made our final stand
No court of justice did we have on the land of Uncle Sam
as traitors and deserters of all we will be shot or hang
far from the green green gentle shore across the Rio Grande

We've disappeared from history like footprints in the sand
But our song is in the tumble weeds and our love is in this land
But if in the desert moonlight you see a ghostly band
We are the men who died for freedom across the Rio Grande".

What's wrong with Mexico?

2010-03-17T00:08:00.001Z

There's a recurrent problem with Mexico, and it's that we don't face the truth, we don't like to expose our mistakes and feel ashamed when they are exposed, specially out of the country. Mexico is a very complex society, with too many good things, but also too many vices that come from generations ago, and are still present.

Probably I took the easy way, in going out from there and try to find a better professional opportunity in the UK, I felt very disappointed with the mexican society after the 2006 elections, not only with the politicians, that never have gain any of my trust, but how society itself reacted. Yes, the mexican government has a lot to be blame in the current state, but also the citizens and the prevailing mindset in a great percentage of the population. I basically left because a very good job opportunity was ahead, but also because I felt depressed of the current state of the country, granted, we are not in the fringe of the third world, we are a developing nation that has a future, we are even rich if compared with other latinamerican countries, not to mention african or asian ones, but things are not changing in the rate I would like for me to have the life I wanted.

So, taking into account that and other personal factors I decided to leave. But even in the distance it hurts to see the problems of my country, a country that has the potential to be a successful and rich one.

There are some problems on which the mexican society are not really to blame, as the drug traffic issue, who is a combined problem between the corruption of mexican governments and the USA society and government. We can not hope to finish with that problem when the USA keeps being the major drug consumer of the world, and when they sell all the weapons to the drug cartels, that most of the time are even better than the ones the police in Mexico has.That is a share responsibility that it seems it's out of sight for the people in the north of the border, even when there is some hope if one want to believe the Obama speeches about it.

But many other problems are indeed responsibility of the Mexican society itself, not to blame others on it, the corruption from the common people who prefer to give money to a police man than face the repercussions of braking the law, either in the form of driving in alcoholic state, going beyond the speed limit, or do not obey a traffic light, from the student who copy on their exams as if nothing was wrong with it, or the common citizen that buys pirate music and films from a clandestine industry that is related to other more serious criminal organizations. From there to the highest level of corruption in the government.

This video is one of the best portraits of Mexican reality, the problems it has, the possible solutions, the challenges it face. And I would like to share with my readers, who may be interested in that.

I would like to have a sense of hope, and think that our generation and the ones below will be able to change this, we do have some things that are changing, but still, I'm not quite optimist about all the matter, I'm rather sceptical about it. But I do want to be able to see change happening in my life time.

Do you think there's hope? Do you think things are going to change? What do, us, common people can do to help this happen?

Caprica

2010-03-12T13:47:00.001Z

These days it is rare to turn on the telly and catch up a series that is not just more of the same bollocks. I watched the complete series of Battle Star Galactica and find it quite good, refreshing and funny, with a weird end though. But after have seen that series, I’m now into Caprica, the prequel series that take place 50 years before the events on BSG.

Battle Star was good, full of adrenaline, good effects, interesting plot, and fun; but Caprica is becoming even better. In a world where is not trendy to question things, and where polarities are becoming alarmingly big, and both theists and atheists call the other idiot, if not something worst, Caprica dares to go and talk about religion, about terrorism, about Artificial Intelligence, about xenophobia, about moral issues.

The story develops in a polytheistic society, a refreshing view TBH, which of course is not perfect, but that has to face the thread of the emerging monotheism. A monotheistic cult, and terrorist group, called the Soldiers of The One, is responsible of a big terrorist attack that starts all the events that will, as we know, end on the Cylon wars.

One of the worst legacies of monotheisms on this planet has being intolerance. Not that intolerance would not exist without it, but it has rise it up and legitimize it in a very dangerous way. Before monotheisms people did not wondered if the other’s God was real, or if they had the responsibility of get rid of their ignorance and false idols to the rest of the planet, since the The One and only God is the only valid belief. Ironically, in today’s world, it seems that militant atheism is the inheritor of that, now they want to “save the believers from ignorance” and deny that any other possibility that is not an absence of gods can be valid. Caprica acknowledge this fact, and portraits the dangers of monotheism:

The man investigating the bombing looks at the dangerous philosophy he sees lurking within monotheism:
It doesn’t concern you, Sister, that kind of absolutist view of the universe? Right and wrong determined solely by a single all-knowing, all-powerful being whose judgment cannot be questioned, and in whose name the most horrendous of acts can be sanctioned without appeal?

But not everything in Caprica is about monotheism vs polytheism, there is much more, and obviously being a Sci-Fi series technology is the centre of action. A.I. is the big player here, not a novelty to listen to the premise of A.I. rebelling themselves against the humans and trying to eliminate them, we have Terminator, the Matrix, etc. It is not Asimov’s Robot series, and the paradoxes and behaviours of the perfect servant; what it makes Caprica a little bit different is that it goes into the question of what Consciousness is, what a person is, and how we can replicate/create a new consciousness:

The human brain contains roughly 300 megabytes of information. Not much when you get right down to it. The question isn’t how to store it, it’s how to access it. You can’t download a personality. There’s no way to translate the data. But the information being held in our heads is available in other databases. People leave more than footprints as they travel through life…. medical scans, DNA profiles, psych evaluations, school records, emails, recording, video, audio, cat scans genetic typing, synaptic records, security cameras, test results, shopping records, talent shows, ball games, traffic tickets, restaurant bills, phone records, music lists, movie tickets, tv shows… even prescriptions for birth control.

What is that makes us sentient beings, what is our personality, character, soul? And, can it be emulated?

And this A.I. is very special, and is precisely how we know that is not just a very smart avatar, but really a conscious being, Zoe, the Eve of the Cylons, hopes and believes. She have faith, she have hopes and she believes that there is a purpose on her existence, is not just that she’s self aware, is that she has gain consciousness and creativity. If an A.I. can reach faith, love, hopes and dreams, then is it just a machine, or is it a new kind of conscious being that we create?

There’s also other side themes, as minorities and xenophobia, on the portrait of the Tauron and Gemenon societies that basically are portraits of the third world in the series. And the moral issues of virtual reality and games.

In one phrase, I think that Caprica is Frakking amazing! I’m enjoying it very much

Have about you? Are you following Caprica? What do you think of the themes shown on the series?...

Inteligent Design and Self-aware Universe

2010-03-09T17:00:00.001Z

It’s always refreshing to read intelligent people that give you food for thought. THIS ENTRY on Divine Caesar’s blog was definitely one of those cases, and I would like to dedicate this post as a response, and to share them to all of you as well.

The topic of Intelligent design is a picky one, since is often associated, wrongly, with the fanatic creationist ideas of some Christians. Science and religion do not need to be necessarily opposites, actually both are daughters of the everlasting mother philosophy, and they can find ways of stand on common ground.

A lot of scientist have refuse to see the Universe (or should I say now the Multiverse) as a random system that is only there by chance. Even if they don’t embrace the idea of a personal God, they acknowledge that the Universe is a very complex system, actually a group of complex systems that is so fine-tuned, that has so many connexions and coincidences, that is very likely that the universe is doing something purposive.

Science has focus too much and too many times in a materialist point of view, that has loose that from sight, it seemed that there was no need of a transcendent reality, since everything could be down to matter. However, as theoretical physics go forward, and quantum physics are better understood, it seems obvious that a purely material world has too many paradoxes, and in few words, things that don’t make sense if we only consider this. On the spiritual side, some philosophies tried to get along with this materialistic view, and some pantheistic world views emerge, God is the Universe, and everything on it, but then is limited to the material world, and then again there’s no purpose on it and do not explain things that go beyond matter, as creativity, or love, not to mention the spiritual transcendence ideas that have being present in almost every culture of the world.

But quantum physics can’t be understood on a materialistic point of view, since things on a quantum level, are not things, they are just possibilities, everything is just a possibility wave, Alain Aspect made an important discovery about this and the action that two photons can have over each other instantly, without depending of time and space.

Of course before him we have Schrödinger's cat principle and we have Everett’s Multiverse based on the creation of different realities by our will. Just to mention a few.   So reality is not matter, reality is a bunch of waves of possibility, and therefore they have the potential to be transcendent, that is beyond matter.

That leads to a possible conclusion, is not the interaction of matter and energy what shapes the universe, is the consciousness what shapes it. However given the interaction between consciousness and matter, we really can make the traditional western separation of matter and spirit, we will need to see them both as part of the same.    That could mean that the Great Spirit of the Universe is contained in all the Universe but at the same time it transcends it, what is called panentheism. But to be connected will means that this Spirit will need self interaction, a self aware universe, to be able to shape itself, to shape the reality and pass from a potential one to a factual real one as we perceived it, where there’s time and space.   So probably the big bang was a time when one part of the Multiverse have self-feedback and awareness, and that the expansion, the movement, the evolution of planets and life, is just a process of self-awareness and shape, and this process needs to follow the rules of this fine-tuned machinery, called reality, on which every part, every action, every thought, every creation of the mind or the body has a purpose, a reason.

For example, one of the big mysteries of evolution is what is called the Theory of punctuated equilibrium, on which there are times where evolution jumps its usual time patter, to rapid epochs of evolution.   If we see consciousness as the primary source then we could explain or at least see a phenomena of creativity, that is shaping the reality to a different path.

This approach, which I favour, not only conciliates spirituality and science, but make them interlink into a common source.   No more the dualism that separates spirit-matter as the usual western monotheistic approach, neither the pantheistic materialistic one who limits the spirit to matter, nor the atheist materialism who denies any transcendence, but a way to understand different our world, which is also consistent with the way it works in reality.

So, do you think matter is all there is? Do you think that science and spirituality can get along? What do you think that an intelligent design that embraces reality and possibilities?

From the disbelief to the distrust

2010-03-09T14:58:00.000Z

Science do not require belief, actually science try to fight belief most of the time in favour of trusting what can be proved and demonstrated, and the things that can’t be proved or demonstrated as religion and philosophy, are just taken apart, out of the scope of science. However every day I see more and more people refusing to trust science, to some extremes that are frankly alarming.

I just read this excellent article who discusses the topic: The trouble with trusting complex science, and I recommend its reading, it talks about a lot of problems that science and the general public face in this day and age.

The first one is about the access to the information. Let’s face it, science is not easy to be understood if you don’t have a basic scientific training, in could be confusing and boring to the “lay” people, and even if all the scientific knowledge was open to everybody, just a few will understand it for real. However, the alarming thing is that people who can have a basic understanding do not read the scientific studies for two main things. First laziness, except for some science geeks like myself, people don’t want to spend hours reading papers about science if it is not their “homework”, and second, availability, most of the primary sources of information, the first hand knowledge is published solely in scientific journals, that sadly, are not for free. So spending 20 quid to read just one article that may interest you, is out of the question for many. I think that information, specially this important information should be free, why to keep the firsthand knowledge in the hands of just a few?

After this, people then rely in second, third or fourth hand sources to inform themselves, in this era of information, disinformation is equally powerful and disturbing. Some popular books and media articles use pseudoscientific vocabulary to, ironically, attack science and it’s facts.

But Why? I mean if someone would publish a book saying that in reality the planets, sun and moon orbit the earth, and that all the satellite, telescope and books about the heliocentric nature of our planetary system is just a conspiracy and that there are no facts to sustain it... what will you think about him/her? My first thought will be, why do you believe that? Why are you refusing to see the evidence? And who benefits with you and your friends questioning some accepted facts?

Well, there are a lot of examples of people doing this: there are the creationist who call evolution a “laughable theory” and think that everything happened as the Bible said. There are the climate change deniers, who refuse to take the evidence into account and shout that everything is just a conspiracy, there are the ones who believe that sugar pills and drops of water can cure people even when evidence says that they don’t; there are the ones who believe that they daily horoscope is going to give them hints of their future, even when it’s just psychological discourses so open to interpretation that anyone can relate to them, oh and by the way they don’t even acknowledge that the star map on our skies is so different from ancient Greece. And the list goes on and on, and on.

Why?

Well, I have not all the answers of course, but I have some clues of what are the ulterior motives. And we are not talking about conspiracy theories of a New World Order in a magnitude as you can see in youtube. But realistic economic and political interests that move all that along. Information means power, disinformation means much more power, if you are able to confuse people to the extent that they don’t know what is real and what is not, to the extend that everything becomes relative, then those people are easier to manage, to keep them consuming without thinking of the consequences, of saying any lie enough times so the public think is true, to gain the war against critical thought, against rational and honest scrutiny, and therefore have free road to do as they want. This is no conspiracy is a reality that has being in use for centuries, mastered by many people from the Roman Emperors, later the Roman Popes, the Kings and Queens, or the dictators and the people behind them, from Richelieu to Goebbels.

It seems that people don’t care about facts and the truth, I was amazed when I read on the article I mentioned before this: In 2008 the Washington Post summarised recent psychological research on misinformation. This shows that in some cases debunking a false story can increase the number of people who believe it. In one study, 34% of conservatives who were told about the Bush government's claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction were inclined to believe them. But among those who were shown that the government's claims were later comprehensively refuted by the Duelfer report, 64% ended up believing that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. It looks that even when evidence is thrown to their faces they refuse to accept it. And here we are not talking about the “interests” behind, they just put the trail of bread-crumbs, but is the people the one who enter freely and on their free will to their game.

Why?

Because it is easier. Let’s take the example of climate change deniers. Accepting that there’s a climate change and that man-generated pollution is affecting it to a great degree is not easy to embrace, because there’s then only two options, either you become a cynical person that cares for no-one but himself and continues consuming and wasting energy, and on a consumerist way of life, prey of fashion and false needs. Or you realize that the only way of fighting this challenge is that everyone of us, not only our governments, make a change in our lives, attitudes, habits, etc. So the easy stance is “I’m not going to change”. But since most of people don’t want to feel like insensitive selfish bitches, then, deny that there’s a problem, hence embrace those theories. Like an alcoholic who refuses to accept his problem and says that you are limiting his freedom to drink if you say to him that is wrong. Another example, the horoscopes and homeopathy. People usually can bare the thought of not having control of their lives, not knowing what is going to happen next. Let’s face it, people need certainty and stability, one way or another, they need also hope, those things give people that, even when it’s a false sense of it.

So what can we do? Is there any solution to this?, or are we going to live in an age where science is less and less trust, with a big risk of getting ahead to a new age of obscurantism, a new middle ages, but now fuelled by relativism, and disinformation.

As I said, I have no answers, but questions. I firmly believe that education is the key, real education, teaching people to be honest and critical, to think for themselves, to reach for the truth, to get their own information instead of third or fourth sources, I think is the only way, although sometimes I think is not enough.

Patience Taught by Nature

2010-02-12T11:18:00.002Z

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

'O dreary life,' we cry, ' O dreary life ! '
And still the generations of the birds
Sing through our sighing, and the flocks and herds
Serenely live while we are keeping strife
With Heaven's true purpose in us, as a knife
Against which we may struggle ! Ocean girds
Unslackened the dry land, savannah-swards
Unweary sweep, hills watch unworn, and rife
Meek leaves drop yeary from the forest-trees
To show, above, the unwasted stars that pass
In their old glory: O thou God of old,
Grant me some smaller grace than comes to these !--
But so much patience as a blade of grass
Grows by, contented through the heat and cold.

It's sad but it's true....

2010-02-08T21:17:00.000Z

I’m at less than a month to enter my 30s. For a lot of people that could mean start buying anti-ageing creams, and start saving for Botox and liposuction treatments, or any other middle age crisis symptoms that you can imagine. Not for me, I find that too superficial.

Although your 30s are not, considering the life expectancy, really the middle of your life, they are the middle of your productive life, and the end of your youth in social patterns. You’re not longer a young adult, you’re just an adult entering the race to reach the old age.

It does, however make me think about two things. First of all the goals I have in life and that it seems that I’m running out of time every day. Not long ago I was asked of what I wanted to do before dying, and end up with a list, that includes doing a PhD, publishing a couple of books, record a proper studio based music albums and make some music for a film or documentary, buy a house, adopt a child, travel around the world, and the obvious, have a proper an steady relationship.

To be successful, a lot of those things have to be made in my following decade, but it seems that I don’t have enough time! And that worries me.

It also seems that since I didn’t had a very crazy youth, I have the temptation of doing that kind of stuff now; but on the other hand, if I didn’t do it when I was more immature, why should I go for it now that I’m more aware of the consequences, and the things that give me real joy?

There’s also the society pressure, where it seems that you are doomed to became a single forever if you didn’t manage to get a proper relationship on your 20s. On words of Lily Allen, “it’s sad but it’s true how society says her life is already over”. So, living in a society which focus on looks, age and things like that, statistically my chances seem to shrink with every passing day.

So here I am, in the verge of ending my youth, and wondering what I have done with my life and asking myself what is my reason to live? They say that it's not enough to just live. You have to have something to live for. The easy answer will be to achieve the goals I stated before, but to be honest, most of the time I find myself still figuring out which is mine.

Climate change, a business opportunity?

2010-01-20T14:25:00.001Z

I got an email from a dear friend, asking my opinion about this article: Is a Stringent Climate Change Agreement a Pot of Gold?

I did find it interesting, although I think it misses a very important point.

First I would like to state that I’m in favour of entrepreneurs, either persons or companies that search for innovation, and that manage change in order to succeed. I do believe that that is a fundamental part of development, and also that we should all be able to manage change successfully, since all our life, environment, society, working conditions, and so and so forth, are in constant change. This become of utterly importance to developing countries, where taking the risk and opportunities to find successful business areas is very needed.   There’s nothing wrong in supporting and encouraging entrepreneurs’ projects and ideas.

However the author of the article loose his compass when he sees the climate change agreement only as an opportunity to make money. It is precisely that ideas, what have driven us to the need of that restrictions and emergency measures that we need to put into action now to ensure that we, as species, have a future. The idea that everything is just a business opportunity to make more money is just wrong. Granted, we need economies to grow, we want and need our personal welfare to grow in order to satisfy our needs and be comfortable, but the idea of seen everything in terms of profit is a distorted one.

A lot of that entrepreneurs’ projects have being useful, but there’s also a lot of rubbish around. Ideas and projects that only induce consumerism and fabricate needs, illusionary concepts that make us believe that we need them when it is not.   We can’t go around consuming and consuming more and more, without any idea of why or what are the consequences. We need an economy of sustainability, not a more consumerist one. Full stop.

One of the core policies of the company I work for is: “nothing is more important than safety—not sales, not production, not profits”. On a similar way I would propose that this climate change agreement is indeed an opportunity, an opportunity to change our mindset, to change the way we do business, and that the global core policies of every company and nation will be “nothing is more important than sustainability—not sales, not production, not profits.”

We just can’t continue growing and growing, and consuming the world’s resources, and getting the third world country deeper into poverty to satisfy the needs of the highly consumerist first world, and not even the increasingly consuming developing countries. The big problem is that the developing and emerging economies, as India, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, etc. are looking to the USA as a model to reach, which is totally flawed! Do we all want to consume and behave as the States?? Blimey no! That would only collapse our world. The rampant capitalism leaded by the people, companies and economists of the USA have proved that their model, even when it seems to be successful in short term, is a big failure to long term.   Why not looking for other models as many European countries, as Finland, etc. that without being so loud about their success have sustainable good living standards.   Of course they are not perfect and still that countries have a lot of work to do.

This times are indeed a big opportunity, moreover, they are a big business opportunity; but not to make money just for the sake of it, but to start a new economic model that do not extract resources and creates proverty in the third world to support the first and the developing economies, that is aware of its long term responsibility with the whole planet we are living in, and basically put sustainability as the top priority; for our own sake. Is it enough space there for entrepreneurs and business success? Yes I think it is, but only if we modify our priorities and kept behind that flawed ideas, otherwise there will be no future, not to mention no business opportunities, for our grandchildren.

Nature, the Gentlest Mother

2010-01-12T11:40:00.003Z

Emily Dickinson

Nature, the gentlest mother,
Impatient of no child,
The feeblest or the waywardest,
Her admonition mild

In forest and the hill
By traveller is heard,
Restraining rampant squirrel
Or too impetuous bird.

How fair her conversation,
A summer afternoon,--
Her household, her assembly;
And when the sun goes down

Her voice among the aisles
Incites the timid prayer
Of the minutest cricket,
The most unworthy flower.

When all the children sleep
She turns as long away
As will suffice to light her lamps;
Then, bending from the sky

With infinite affection
And infiniter care,
Her golden finger on her lip,
Wills silence everywhere.

Avatar, a good pagan film

2010-01-04T19:47:00.001Z

Avatar is one of the greatest films I have seen in the last few years. It may not have a deep argument or award winning acting, but still it's wicked!.

It's as far as I know the most expensive film ever, and in the ironies of life is one that preaches anti-violence with a war a main plot, and anti rampant capitalism, with a budget that could feed an entire country, but hollywood is not know for its congruency.

I has put computer animation to a whole different level, and the experience of seen it in an IMAX 3D cinema is just brilliant! The time passes flying and you don't feel it like a 3 hour film.

It's technically a great achivement, it almost felt like it was really filmed in Pandora and not just computer animated, it's truly a good hybrid between full live action, computer-generated characters and live enviroments, you can experience every breath of the fantastic creatures of the planet, and the movement of the plants, and the lights all around, and the sights of the planet are breath-taking.

As for the sci-fi, whilst is not hard core sci-fi, I think it made a very good work, there's no great violations of the laws of physic in it, well maybe the flying mountains, even when they could be feasible, but not very likely to happen. The space ships at the beginning are just great, they use Charles Pellegrino's concept of the Valkyrie which is sound science based.

Just a minor thing I didn't like, Pandora supposed to be a atmosphere satelite (moon) of a gas giant, who resembles Jupiter, like Titan on Saturn; and the background planet is always seen on the sky, which I think is not possible since in rotation, there has to be a point where you will not face the planet if observing from Pandora.

The plot even when can be seen as a futuristic dance with wolves or pocahontas one, is nice, since it makes direct critics to war-based states, and greedy wars (as the Iraq one) you can see it with quotes like:

"when someone is on top of something you want, you make them your enemy, then you take it from them"
"Our only security is in a preventive strike"
"We will fight terror with terror!"
"I was a warrior who dreamed he could bring peace, Sooner or later, I had to wake up."

Being against that kind of state behaviour myself, I like it very much.

The plot is centred on natural balance and the spiritual side of it, with a pantheistic or even neo-pagan flavour that give me a good taste of the movie itself. Even when Sigourney Weaver character says that "We're not talking about pagan voodoo but something that is real biologically: a global network of neurons." it really shows the concept of a web of life and a earth goddess in a fantastic way. The Na'vi had a connection beyond sentimental to the world around them, it's a real one. And many other pagan concepts as the Tree of Souls (Tree of life), the ancestor veneration, the life force that flows in everything and everyone; that we're all connected by some unseen and wonderful spirit, nature is sacred, and it's our duty as the created to care for the rest of creation. It was for me the ultimate pagan film.

Although it uses the typical concept of industrialized civilization vs primitive one, which I don't like, since I think that a balance can be achieved, it's plot really move me in some parts emotionally.

I really recommend it, I think is so far the best work of Cameron.

New Year's resolutions & Carbon Footprint

2009-12-23T03:20:00.004Z

New Year is coming fast, and we usually make some New Year resolutions that most of the time get lost in the mist of time. But what about adding a resolution to help us and help everyone else?

After the Copenhagen summit, I think it's clear that we just can't sit back and wait that our politicians take all the actions, we can't depend on them, we should be the change we want to see.

So, I want to join the initiative of the 10:10 project. It is an ambitious project to unite every sector of British society behind one simple idea: that by working together we can achieve a 10% cut in the UK’s carbon emissions in 2010. However, it's not up to one single country to do this, we all over the globe can try to contribute.

Most people are not aware of their carbon footprint, nor how to contribute to reduce the global emissions, usually we think that is something that governments and industry should address alone, and we are helpless. What a single person can do whatsoever?

Well, a lot, we can make a lot !!

First we need to put measurable targets. There's a very useful tool on-line to measure our carbon footprint with this calculator. According to this my carbon footprint of 2009 was 7.32 tonnes per year, the UK average is 9.8, but still is high.

So my 2010 resolution will be to cut down 10% of my carbon footprint.

But how can we reduce it?

Here some tips that I want to share with you

1) Our biggest carbon footprint comes from our consumption, uwe live in a very consumerist society. Ask yourself before buying something. Do I really need this? Are there better options? for example:

Food - Is my food organic, seasonal & local source? Do I eat mainly meat? Do I need to buy fast food which aside of the health generate a lot of waste (packing, etc.)
Fashion - Do I buy cloth just to be on the latest fashion or do I really need a new one? Do I really need to throw away that shoes or can I just change the sole? etc.
Packing - Do I buy products that have more packing volume than the product itself?
Furniture and electricals - Do I buy them just to have the latest technology? Does this technology consume less energy or more than the one I have? Do I use them at least 5 years or until it brake down and there's no way to fix them?
Recycling - Do you recycle and compost your waste?
Recreation - Does your recreation activities have a big carbon footprint? Can you enjoy recreation activities like walking?
Car manufacture - Do you feel the need to have a luxury and big car just for the status? Do you own more than one car even if you don't really need it? or even ask the question, do you need the car at all? Are you planning to buy a new car, why not checking the less emission cars available in Green cars. Why not trying an hybrid or even an electric one like the Citroen C1

2) Household carbon footprint - Do you use rationally your electricity, water and gas? Do you use energy-saving bulbs? Do you unplug the electricals that you are not using, taking into account that transformers consume even when the machine is off? Do you use the heating system or air conditioned all the time? Do you really need a dryer machine? Do you need to wash dishes with hot water, or can you use cold one and rubber gloves? Can you wash your clothes with cold water? Do you need to watch TV all the time or can you read or just have a time talking with your family?

Is there any green electricity company available in your area, like Ecotricity that will switch your carbon footprint for electricity consumption to zero.

3) Transport carbon footprint - We have became very lazy, we use the car for small distances that can be covered even walking. We don't use public transport or bicycle when feasible. Or we use aeroplanes where that distance can be covered by coach or train. Just think about this numbers.

coach 0.0000625 tonnes/mile
train 0.0000965 tonnes/mile
tube 0.0001333 tonnes/mile
car 0.0002953 tonnes/mile
plane 0.0003095 tonnes/mile

So, we all can take action. I encourage you in joining me in this New Year resolution, let's share our numbers, how many tonnes did you use in 2009? what's your target for 2010?

My 2009 consumption was of 7.32 tonnes per year
My 2010 target is 6.59 tonnes per year

Wish me luck!!

PS. Share this with all your friends, if you don't; nothing is going to happen, nothing at all, everything will continue as it is, just think about how you are going to face your grand children when they ask you. "Did you make your part to prevent a unsuitable world for us to live?"

Internet and the media

2009-12-09T19:39:00.002Z

Everyday I’m surprised of how much the Internet has change our lives. And how traditional media is little by little displaced by it. Just a few days ago I was able to publish my music album to sell it online, without the need of a contract with a music distributor.

Now, surfing around, I found an interesting project that four regular guys that used their youtube channels to promote a song and use their youtube fans to get it on to the UK charts. I find it utterly amazing, not because the song was particularly good, but because this in a way, is taking away the power of the big media and driving it back to the people.

I wonder how much this can grow and how much the internet can displace the traditional media and business? How effective is or can be the internet activism? In your life, is the traditional media the one with more weight and influence or is it the internet one?

Food for thought I think

2009-12-02T18:07:00.001Z

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

2012

2009-11-10T19:16:00.005Z

Every day I heard more news about the 21st of December 2012. The word is spreading over the internet so fast that I think it has became dangerous really, people are really concern about it, some even on the fringe of being panic. I'm not going to quote every single theory, you can google them easily, what worries me is that according to my perception there's a mass hysteria going on in crescendo, and we still have three years for this to grow to dangerous proportions.

In 2000 there was also a little of hysteria about the end of the world, also a lot of talking about planetary alignments, earthquakes, meteorites falling, etc. The truth is that in 2000 we face a major even for human technology, in our computer-based world, but a lot of money and effort was put to make the transition to Y2k without any significant problem, but no earthquake, solar flare or end of the world happened. The thing is that in 2000 the internet access was not as widespread as today.

Now there's also the thing about money, people are making a lot of money with this, books, videos, "survival kits", all you can think about, now even a hollywood film. Search all the 2012 dedicate websites, they end up selling you something or asking for a donation for the "project", or just want to increase their visits and get more payment from their sponsors. (I don't have any in case you wondered, my blog is sponsor free)

There's little knowledge, specially in the english speaking world about the Mexican ancestors, they know that the mayans were some people who live in Mexico (when their geography lessons are good enough, otherwise they say in southamerica) and that they made human sacrifices like Mel Gibson told them... etc.

But let's talk about the issue.

One common misconception is to say that the maya calendar ends at 21-12-2012, well it doesn't, their calendar was cyclical, that is specially notice in the short count, where cycles of 13, 20, 29 365 day happened. The long count was set up for the purpose of counting astronomic events (eclipses, transit of planets, stars, etc.) that is why is so long, because is not fixed to the earth solar cycle. So it doesn’t mean an end of times, just a beginning of a new era, as the previous ones.

The popol vuh, which collects the old Mayans myths about the creation talks about four attempts to create the human race before the gods succeeded, however the concept of different "suns" was not really developed in detail by them, just mentioned as a concept of four stages.

This was "perfectionated" or better said the myth expanded by the Mexica (Aztec) civilization, even when the Mexica adopted a lot of the Mayan and Teotihuacan lore, they were very different cultures, I like to say that you imagine them as ancient Greece vs Rome, Mayans vs Mexicas, one more focus on philosophy and science the other on war and conquest, it's a good western parallel, with the obvious differences, don't buy Mel Gibson view btw is just bollocks!. According to that we are already on the fifth sun (or even in the sixth).

The first sun was the Nahui-Ocelotl (four jaguar), a world which inhabitants were giants, and this giant creatures were destroyed four times every 52 years by jaguars until there were no more. The jaguars were a totem animal of Tezcatlipoca, a war fire god. The 52 years were the Aztec count of the New fire, a ceremony of renewal of the world.

The second sun was Nahui-Ehécatl (four wind) this sun died after 7 new fires (7 times 52 years) a great hurricane kill a lot of the living things and it was also the rising of the monkeys.

The third sun was, Nahui-Quiahuitl (four volcano or fire rain) it last for 6 new fires, when a great rain of fire that Xiuntecuhtli, god of fire and volcanoes bring to the earth, most of the inhabitants of the world died, and it was the rise of the birds and turkeys.

The fourth sun, Nahui-Atl (four water) end with a terrible flood, after 3 new fires, on this one just men were allowed to survive, and it was the rise of men.

The fifth sun, Nahui-Ollin (four movement) was created by Quetzalcóatl, a wind creation god, who also is the god of wisdom and peace, for example he in the form of kukulcan was the one who stop human sacrifice of the mayans according to their legends. He give to men life with their own blood. This sun is the expansion and grown of human civilization and it started when Teotihuacan the city of gods was founded.

All this is based on the Sun stone, a great stone disk (now at the National Museum of Anthropology and History in Mexico city) of more than 3.5 m of diameter and 25 tons. You could notice that the suns have some resemblance to archaeological and palaeontological evidence, the giants being the dinosaurs and giant mammals, the rise of the monkeys as the first apes, the rise of birds the transformation of dinosaurs into birds after the extinction, the flood and the rise of homo sapiens, and the beginning of civilization.

Now, the Aztecs prophets talk about the end of the fifth sun when Quetzalcóatl returned to them, that was when the solar, lunar and Venus calendar match, and that along another prophecies and omens make them put the end of that sun in the gregorian year of 1519. (I don't remember the name in nahuatl, sorry) So when Moctezuma II take the crown of the Mexica Empire he knew the end of the world and the return of Quetzalcóatl was imminent and there are several accounts that he wanted to stop it, so a lot of sacrifices of animals, plants and humans were done, and their priests were desperate to stop the world end. Unfortunately for them their attempts were in vain since Hernan Cortes arrive in 1519 to the coast of Yucatan, two years later the capital city of Tenochtitlan capitulated in favour of Cortes and his army (btw an army mainly of indigenous people who wanted to defeat the Aztec empire). So the general agreement is that the fifth sun ended with the arrival of the Spanish, and the children of the fifth sun give rise to the new mixed race, see also theories like the cosmic race by Vasconcelos.

Now, back to the Mayans.

The Mayans have a counting system on base 20, (from zero to 19 and back again), the Arabic system that we use is base 10, it seems that the Mayans said, wait a minute, we don't have just 10 fingers, we have 20 with our feet, their mathematical and astronomic knowledge was really great, they marked the solstices and equinoxes. solar and lunar eclipses and other astronomical events from thousands of years with a real great accuracy, one example is the pyramid of kukulcan in Yucatan (one of the winners of the new wonders of the world btw) which in every spring equinox sunrise, its shadow give the impression of a serpent going down of the ladders. Or the calculation of venus cycle in 583.935 days (actual calculations give an erratic movement that goes from 583.92 to 583.94) there are a lot of evidence on that. So, the mayan calendar was not arbitrary or just based on their system of numerology, but in the actual astronomical reality and the relationships between the sun, moon, earth, venus (they put a lot of attention to it), stars, etc.

Any way, they had two systems of counting, the civilian and religious one. The civilian was divided in two, a solar one with 365 days and a lunar one of 29 days, (actually the conversions to our decimal system gives 365.24 and 29.53 which is very much accurate). The religious one was what is called as Long count, it start the 11th of august of 3114 BC. It's not clear what that beginning represents, specially taking into account that in that time there were no Mayans, actually no civilization at all in America, so certainly not the beginning of the world, nor the beginning of THEIR world.

Perhaps if we see the other way around that will be more clear. Life did not start in the 11th of August, 3114 BC; it is however around the times when great cultural and historical events begin, the dawn of civilization. 3000 BC is an accepted date for the end of the neolitic period for many cultures, on that millennia many things happened, the first Egyptian dynasty, the foundation of Troy, the construction of New grange, the construction of Stonhenge, the early dynastic period of Mesopotamia, the expansion of the first Sumerian cities, etc. So we can take that date roughly enough as a good approximation of an important beginning in human civilization. Then, the 21st of December 2012 could be the beginning of a big change in human civilization, and maybe in 5000 years (if we don’t drive us to self-extinction due to environmental issues or wars) historians will be saying that that date roughly enough was a good approximation of an important beginning in human civilization.

There is no one single archaeological evidence, codex, or even oral myth of the mayans, nor the aztecs, that talks about the end of the world on that date.

Now this all 2012 end of the world came when there were attempts to synchronize the mayan stones and calendars with the Aztec calendar, it seems that they could synchronize the year, since both have the same structure, how ever, the day of Nahui-Ollin is the fifth of may, not 12th of December (Btw on 5th of may 1519 its said that Cortes decided to conquer the Great Tenochtitlan, however there's little evidence, but in July he arrived to Veracruz and the formal plans started). So, some theories emerge about this era ending with movement (earthquakes) on 2012. After that and adding a lot of New Age rubbish, the "prophecies of the end of the world" emerge.

So, basically we are talking about a cosmological and astronomical date of great significance, yes. Probably the beginning of a new era on conciousness, very likely, at least some of us would like to see it, but a gradual one, not a change from one day to another.

So, don't worry too much about this, and better start being worried about your life, the impact you have on your surroundings, in the enviroment, in the people around you. Do you want to see a global event that could change human history forever? Yes? really?! well, start for yourself!! Be the change you want to see.

The Truth about 2012 from NASA Lunar Science Institute on Vimeo.

My music

2009-09-12T11:59:00.002+01:00

Part of the studies about paganism and druidry are focused on trying to expand our creative side, the best way to do this is through the arts, and for me there's nothing better than music.

I have found a way to distribute my music online so that others can download it for free, and I still get paid for it, and obviously still keep all the rights to it.

So if anyone fancy it, please check out the music I will be uploading to my artist profile...

ÆLFARH

As a quick reference, I make a variety of New age/Ambient music

As a bonus, a quantity of the money I make is donated to a charity of my cause. I have chosen World Wildlife Fund (WWF). So if you fancy some free music and wanna help me get paid for doing what I love, and some charity bonus, please check my stuff out

Pagan Past, Pagan Present, are they conected?

2009-07-07T16:39:00.003+01:00

Authenticity and coherence are two words that have been around my mind in the last couple of weeks. Interesting discussions have being held on the Caer Feddwyd forum, as well as in the OBOD one.

Neo Paganism is clearly a religious movement that emerges immerse in the post modern movements. One of the main characteristics of post modern thought is that it cuts out any frame of reference to work in a relativistic way. A lot of the New age religions are happy to work this way, using an eclectic mix-it-all, everything is valid as long as “it feels ok” frame of mind.

Even when the origins of neopaganism are way back the postmodern movement, modern neopaganism has not being immune to it, actually the opposite, has welcome it with open arms.

In the particular scenario of celtic paganism there has been a branch, that emerge in the 1980’s that saw that relativistic point of view as something not worth of following, this branch is known as Celtic Reconstructionism (CR). It was the antithesis, the opposite to the romantic druidry that incorporates celtic themes, Greco-roman, hermetic, masonic, general mystic and esoteric, and oriental concepts into its cauldron to get the result. CR, however quickly found that it doesn’t have a great amount of information from which reconstruct the old religion of the Celts, since the Celts were an illiterate civilization, so, apart of a few Classic accounts as the famous Comentarii de Bello Gallico by Gaius Iulius Caesar, and other texts, very little was known. So CR look into the Irish and Welsh medieval texts as the corpus of celtic lore. The scholars since the XIX century have had the theory that those texts were a very accurate source of how the old pagans view their gods and customs, with a little of “interference” of the Christian themes put in them by the medieval Monks. Now, the actual trend in scholarship go for a new look, saying that it is impossible to separate the pagan themes on the medieval texts, and that actually is hard to tell which ones are pagan or not.

Of course every social discipline has its trends, and most of the time we see that trends emerge as antithesis of the previous one, and it’s not until some time that a synthesis can be found, in the continuous spiral of knowledge. Social sciences are not exact, and they depend a lot in suppositions and interpretations, especially when they deal with the past. There is a current scholar trend that is trying too hard to find a Christian Biblical origin for everything in Irish lore, disregarding the pagan themes, opposite to the nativist view that disregard the Christian elements.

But this trend of the academia put CR in a big trouble, the authenticity they claimed is now doubted, some CRs put so much effort in distance themselves of the romantic druids that began to see the medieval Irish and Welsh texts as their “holy books”, and of course if a holy book is debunked, the building shakes.

This could be seen as a battle win by the romantics, that will say, I told you so, it makes no sense in looking hard into the past since it’s not accessible to us, so let’s just take what inspires us and feels ok. One example is how the book The Druids by Ronald Hutton has being taken by the druid community, Ronal Hutton even when it’s a respected scholar, he also has strong links with OBOD and even run a grove, so it’s clear in reading his text that there’s an agenda behind; in his book he portraits an interesting portrait of Druids as archetypes that had being used in different places and different times by people according to its own agendas. Which of course is true, the problems is that he goes further and say that nothing can be known of ancient celtic religion and it’s philosopher-magician class, and of course that is what some romantic obodies wanted to hear.

But, a synthetic point of view is emerging in the celtic pagan and druidry circles, of which I have to say, I’m happy to share opinions. One that see the truth not in the hard CR theories nor in the Romantic Relativistic ones, but somewhere in the middle.

Megli put in the Caer Feddwyd forum an excellent phrase that illustrates very much the point: The only sound basis for religious speculation is a mixture of feeling (experience, intuition, instinct) and judgement (logic, sense, rationality, a sense of coherence.)

I do think that the truth is a mixture, a synthetic view from the opposites. The medieval texts are clearly not pagan tales with Christian dust to be removed, they are product of a syncretic culture that emerge from Ireland after the conversion, and that even today can be witnessed to some extent in the peculiar Irish Catholicism that is practiced.

So, are the medieval texts really not worth of interest to the Celtic pagans? Of course not!, they are of interest, because they have pagan ideas and characters on them, maybe the sources from which the truths we hold arise may be muddy waters indeed but does not the lotus and lily grow best in the swamp? There are several themes that could reflect a pre-christian frame work, war, battle, kingship, young against old, light against darkness, nature of magic and the elements, otherworldly images, etc. that even when not accessible in a straight forward way, can be reached with some work.
The thing is that we can’t rely only on those text, we need to look at the archaeology findings, to the classic accounts, compare them, trying to see the whole picture, we have to view those texts as a whole, and try to find the truth on that tapestry of images. How? Well, that is where the experience, intuition and instinct came into the game, and if that is not enough, then using freely our inspiration to find our way, but always being honest on what is a modern invention and fiction and when it’s not.

Of course studying those texts, reading the available material is a slow process, and could be hard work, the cost a lot of time and, yes also money since books are usually not for free; but if we are not afraid of that the result is a very satisfactory growing of intellectual and spiritual knowledge that fulfils our paths.

Alone – Edgar Allan Poe

2009-06-02T13:30:00.001+01:00

From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone;
And all I loved, I loved alone.
Then - in my childhood, in the dawn
Of a most stormy life - was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent, or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain,
From the sun that round me rolled
In its autumn tint of gold,
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by,
From the thunder and the storm,
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view.

2009-06-01T14:25:00.000+01:00

This story is not true in the sense that most people use the word. It emerges out of the mists of time, rooted deep in the heritage of Britain. It is a weave of mythologies, theologies, and histories. It is the story of two people, and a story of our peoples. It has no beginning and it has no ending.

The Apple and the Thorn is a story, who explore two iconic characters of mythical England. Vivian, the Lady of the Lake and Joseph of Arimathea. It’s a story where two faiths, two worlds coming together, full of passion and love, of inner thoughts and inner experiences, shared by its authors.

It tells the story from two different points of view, the voice of Vivian is Emma, the voice of Eosaidh (Joseph) is Walter, or you can say that it’s the other way around, they are the voice of the characters; that is something that gives an added value to the reading experience. It appeals to both Christians and Pagans alike, and there’s a beautiful love story inside, not only between the main characters, but a love to the traditions, the nature and the land.

It appeals me the most the part told by Walter on the Eosaidh character, since is a character who grow and learn a lot during the book, he learn to love the land and its spirits, to honour them, in parallel to his love for Vivian, who in contrast, didn’t develop or learn very much during the tale, it lacks of the humility and openness of the one who wants to learn, and is portrait as a person who believes has all the answers and the right path, she just don’t get another way that is no hers; however her character also gives a lot of meaningful experiences about the pagan spirituality that enriches the tale.

In general is a good reading, very easy to go through, once you started it’s difficult to put it down, and at the end gives to the reader a feeling of hope and tolerance, as well as invite to have a reflexion on these both faiths, their weakness and strengths, as with the weakness and strengths of the readers’ own path.

Native American Lore

2009-05-22T14:10:00.001+01:00

Some thoughts share by native americans that are worth to think about

Mario Benedetti

2009-05-18T11:30:00.003+01:00

One of the most extraordinary poets of our modern world has pass away. And even when he is now on the stellar journey, his work will remain for years.

He may not be very well know on the english speaking world. And even when translate a poem is so much complicated and never give the true feeling of the original work, some of you may appreciate his poetry this way:

Much more serious

All the parcels of my life has something yours
And that is in true nothing extraordinary
You know it as objectively as I do
However there is something that I would like to clarify to you
When I say all the parcels,
I don’t refer just to this that we have now,
This of waiting for you and Aleluya find you,
and damn it loosing you,
and find you again,
and I wish that was all.
I’m not meaning that out of the blue you say to me, I’m going to cry
And I, with a discreet lump in my throat, come on, cry.
And that an invisible cute rain protect us
And may be because of that the sun rises.
I neither refer only that day after day,
Our little and decisive complicities stock grow
Or that I can believe that I can transform my defeats into victories,
Or you give me the tender gift of your most recent desperation.

No.
This is much more serious.
When I say all the parcels of my live
I mean that in addition to this sweat cataclysm,
You are also rewriting my childhood,
That age in which one says adult and solemn things
And the solemn adults celebrate it,
Instead you know that that is not worth of it.

I mean you are remaking my teenager years,
That time on which I was an old man full of jealousy,
And you, instead, know how to extract that moor
My joyful germen and to water it just by looking.

I want to say that you are shaking my youth
That pitcher of clay that nobody took in their hands,
That shadow that nobody get together to their own shadow,
And you, instead know how to shake it
Until the dry leaves fall down,
And only the frame of my truth without heroic deeds stand.

I want to say that you are holding my mature days
That mixture of atonishment and experience,
That weird confine of anguish and snow,
This candle that ilumínates death,
This precipice of poor life.

As you can see this is more serious,
much mor serious,
Because with these or other words,
I want to say that you are not only
The dearest girl you are,
But also the esplendid or cautious women
That I loved or I love.

Because thanks to you I found
(and you could say it was about time, and will be right)
That love is a cute and generous bay
That lights up and darkens down
According with how life comes,
A bay where ships come and go,
Come with birds and omens,
And go with mermaids and dark clouds.
A cute and generous bya,
Where ships come and go
But you,
Please,
Don’t go

Don´t Save Yourself

Don't Save yourself,
Don´t be immobile
On the edge of the road,
Don't freeze the joy,
Don't love with reluctance,
Don't save yourself now
or ever,
Don't save yourself,
Don't fill with calm,
Don't reserve of the world
Just a calm place,
Don't let fall your lids
Heavy as trials,
Don´t speak without lips,
Don't fall asleep without sleepiness,
Don't think of you without blood,
Don't judge yourself without time.

But if in spite of everything
You cannot avoid it
And you freeze the joy,
And you love with reluctance,
And you save yourself now,
And you full with calm,
And you reserve of the world
Just a calm place,
And you let fall your lids
Heavy as trials,
And you speak without lips,
And you fall asleep without sleepiness,
And you think yourself without blood,
And you judge yourself without time,
And you are immobile
On the edge of the road,
And you save yourself,
Then
Don't stay with me.

Tactic And Strategy

My tactic is
Looking at you,
Learning how you are,
Loving you as you are,
My tactic is
Talking to you
And listening to you
To build with words
An indestructible bridge
My tactic is
Remaining in your memories
I don't know how
Nor with which pretext
But remaining with you.
My tactic is
Being frank,
And knowing that you are frank,
And not selling each other
Simulations
So that between us
There is no curtain
Nor abyss.
My strategy is,
However,
Deeper and
Easier,
My strategy is
That one of these days
I don't know how
Nor with which pretext
You finally
Need me.

Liminal

2009-04-07T17:14:00.003+01:00

I was writing an entry in my Spanish language blog, about a great fusion group called Salsa Celtica, that by the way, is highly recommended for those who like either salsa or celtic music, or both. But I’m not going to repeat the same that I posted there. However the topic of the syncretism, fusion, cross-over, and many other names came to my mind.

How can we define ourselves? Is definition by itself a way to put boundaries to our experiences or a way to state that you are part of something? Mixing over everything is good?

Well, it’s very complex to answer this questions with a single yes or no, as most of thing in life they are full of colours, and not only black or white. We need some definition, some stability in our lives. For some is the need to know who they friends are, for others, know that the person you love, loves you back and is that there’s a commitment in there. For others is religion, work, sport, etc.

But having a wider spectrum than the majority of people is really to not be defined? For example, I’m following a spiritual path that even when is mainly based on celtic spirituality, it also have something of eclectic paganism and I even incorporate the Christians roots of my childhood. That, I assure you, in not drifting in the limbo between all this, I have very clear what I believe and what I don’t, I have very clear what it’s really rooted in the past and what is a modern interpretation, however, I don’t need to totally reject the ethics and even some of the spirituality that shape me as a boy and a teenager; nor I reject that some modern interpretations of ancient lore has value; I just make a great effort to don’t loose of my sight the main tree of my grove, the one on which I’m centred, the celtic reconstructionism.

But whilst examining my life I saw that pattern repeated in several points of my life: I can write with my right and my left hand. I love music cross-overs and fusions, to explore into different rhythms, melodies, styles. My favourite time of the day are sunrises and sunsets. I fancy both women and men. I’m an engineer who loves spiritual thinking and philosophy. All that elements of my particular life make me think about the concept of liminal spaces in the celtic myths.

The liminal spaces where the most sacred ones, they were the times and places where magic was more powerful; they were entrances to the other world, and sources of wisdom. There was an important colour for them, nglas, which was between our grey, blue and green. It had, or represent at least, the three realms of which this world was made, Samhain and Beltaine were taken as liminal day between the dark and the bright side of the year. etc. There are a lot of references in literature and myths.

The question is why? what are the attributes of those places moments... are they important because they are not defined, because they are open to more possibilities? or are they defined in their own nature but not by our standards?

We live in a world where everything tends to be dualistic, you are with me or against me, you are good or evil. And by those standards, yes people like me, moments like those, places like that, are undefined. But I really thing that they are not, that what we need is a wider spectrum of definitions, a perception that life is not a simple as black and white, and then realise that the beauty, the power of the concept of liminal is that its definition is to itself and not to exterior forces. Just look around you, do you see a static and perfectly defined nature, or do you see a diversity of colours, smells, tastes, shapes and sounds.

Don't be afraid if reality is not simple and flat, that is what it makes it so beautiful, that is not.

The great Argentinean writer, Borges, in a short story, that some could classify as “Magic Realism” (what a lovely literary term, isn’t it?) defined the maximum expression of Liminal that as the Aleph "The only place on earth where all places are -- seen from every angle, each standing clear, without any confusion or blending”.

So it’s not to be undefined, is a definition beyond boundaries.

What I Have learn...

2009-01-20T16:14:00.002Z

I’m in my second week in my new work, getting back to the UK after for months, now for a long term staying. How much? I really don’t know but it’s going to be some years. Las year I begun what you could call a “life changing journey” starting with my site assignation at Tampico, Mexico; the first time I was really living by my own, away from friends, family and my home city. Then the big step, go to Britain to begin the MSc. A new country, a new culture.

During that year I was fortunate enough to travel around several countries, so I met different people, weathers architectures, etc. a lot of changes, a lot of new stuff, very difficult to assimilate in that short time.

What I have learned from that year? Well first of all, as you can witness from this blog, it was a very interesting journey from the spiritual point of view, a journey of self discovering, of discovering the ancient lore of this land, and of the nature itself; also a journey to realize that indeed there’s only one truth, but there are many many forms to reach that truth, or at least try to reach it. Many paths, many different beings apart of we humans. It was and still is, since I have a lot to learn from this land, and I mean from Britannia herself; a exciting and extraordinary experience.

On the other hand it was also a journey to know human kind. I was fortunate enough to meet people from across the globe, form Europe, Asia, Africa, America … I think I just missed to knew people from Oceania to say I know people from the five continents. That has being marvelous, so different countries, customs, histories and stories to tell. However to be exposed to that so varieties of cultures, give me the change to know human as a whole, and realize that even when the differences exist, they are minor, and that everybody is just human

On Sussex I was very lucky to know people from so different countries as Vietnam, Germany, India or Kenya. But I could learn that the things that united us were more than the ones that separate us. We all share the same fears, the same dreams, the same happiness and sadness about things. We are all one big culture that has to be called humanity.

But I also learn that we give excessive importance to try to state clearly what make us different. Yes, there are differences, but they are just superficial. That was very evident to me on this first visit to Chile, a country far away, geographically speaking from my Own; but very close in terms of culture, customs, etc. However their inhabitants try hard to make it note that they are so different from their neighbors, even when they are not.

Now, in this work, this new town, I can very easely make a list of the differences from my previous work; you know the quality of life and all that stuff. But still is a country like my own, a country populated by human beings. Some people realize that some time ago, so I’m going to quote Carl Sagan on this:

An extraterrestrial visitor examining the difference among human societies would find those differences trivial compared to the similarities. Our lives, our past and our future are tied to the sun, the moon and the stars…We humans have seen the atoms which constitute all of nature and the forces that sculpted this work…and we, who embody the local eyes and ears and thoughts and feelings of the cosmos, have begun to wonder about our origins…star stuff contemplating the stars, organized collections of ten billion billion billion atoms, contemplating the evolution of nature, tracing that long path by which it arrived at consciousness here on the planet earth…Our loyalties are to the species and the to the planet. Our obligation to survive and flourish is owed now just to ourselves but also to that cosmos ancient and vast from which we spring. We are on Species. We are start stuff harvesting starlight.

We have to look for the common good before selfish interests, but not in the nationalism point of view, but in a planetary one, we must know that we all are one society, and have one planet, and unless we try to work together and stop seeing the other as weird, different and therefore dangerous and frightening, we are going to blow off all this!

I also learn the meaning of a cosmopolitan city, and that doesn’t mean a big and populated city, it means several cultures, religions, sexual preferences, tastes, etc. living together in harmony (or trying to) by tolerance and good living.

That I think was the main learning of this year, of course there was also a big change in the emotional/sentimental point of view, but that is no topic for a public blog LOL

So here I am, in a new adventure, a lot of challenges, a lot of opportunities and of course a lot of fears, but above all that, a lot of dreams to make true.

So, as a citizen of the world, I’m beginning this new journey of life, independence, dreams. Wish me luck!

Ord Brighideach

2008-12-11T02:44:00.004Z

Today I start a commitment, one I have tought about it, and take in the form of a gaesa. This will be a new step in my journey, one I'm happy to take. Fate has drive me to this new path, and I accept it in joy. I join the Ord Brighideach, and today as part of the Mistletoe-Cill Drualus, I have take the 14th shift, that starts today at sun set.

Here my oath, speaked loudly to the winds, written loudly in this place in no place, but present every where

Bright Brighid hear my prayer
I make my oath to you this day

As I light this flame to honour you
As I light this flame inside of me
May your light be within my life
Day by day, night by night

May your fire forge my will and my strength
May your fire heal my body and my heart
May you fire inspire my soul and my mind

I will keep your fire inside my soul
I will light you fire every twenty days
I will keep your light in my life

I make this oath to comply with my gaesa
To honour my commitment, to honour my word

No fire, no sun, no moon shall burn me,
No lake, no water, nor sea shall drown me,
No arrow of fairy nor dart of fay shall wound me,

No sickness will hurt me, no despair will bit me
So under the protection of Brighid I am

So under the oath of Brighid I will be

Your flame present in the earth below us
Your flame present in the sea aroud us
Your flame present in the sky above us

Bride above me
Bride around me
Bride below me
Bride infront of me
Bride on my back

May you be blessed always

The mexican view of the Death

2008-10-26T22:24:00.003Z

Mexican culture, the child of two great cultures, the indigenous culture of the american natives and the european culture of the Spaniards. This new culture, product of a clash of worlds, of the iron sword and the obsidian mallet, the one from I came. Has a very unique form to see death.

To the inhabitant of New York, Paris, or London death is a word that is never uttered because it burns the lips. The Mexican, on the other hand, frequents it, mocks it, caresses it, sleeps with it, entertains it, it is one of his favourite playthings and his most enduring love. It is true that in his attitude there is perhaps the same fear that others also have, but at least he does not hide this fear nor does he hide death; he contemplates her face to face with impatience, with contempt, with irony: 'If they're going to kill me tomorrow, let them kill me for once and for all'.'; Octavio Paz on The Labyrinth of Solitude (1959)

Now, being near to the day of the death, and the same time the celtic new year, to different practices and rituals, that were united, ironically by the one Church that tried to eliminate them because of being pagan traditions, walk together this date.

This small video shows this, in a small wink.

Samhain Shona Duit!!

2008-10-26T21:33:00.006Z

As many of you may know for me on personal level, and for my cultural background Samhain, the Day of the Death, the Celtic New Year, is a very important day, and the Ancestor Altar is a must !

Even when a proper altar according to our costumes shall be of nine levels, for space issues I only made it of three.

1) The ground level represents the duality live-death. There are Cempaxóchitl (Tagetes erecta) petals and a live one, to symbolize this.

2) The first level represents the spiritual journey through live and death, also the walk to the Mictlan , here are various elements (I explain them later) of the spiritual path

3) The second level represents the actual place where the spirit remains, the end of the journey. Here is the offer to the ancestors themselves, and five candles to bring them light and peace in the five directions.

Also, I make the altar to honour my three levels of ancestors.

1) The three celtic realms are represented by a seagull feather (sky) a stone from Brighton's seafront (earth) and a shell (sea), and a candelabra with three candles each to iluminate each realm; there are also five oghams representing the five directions. This represent my spiritual ancestors, my celtic spirituality. All this can be encounter on the first level of the altar

2) Theres also a piramid representing the sun piramid on Teotihaucan, and a image of Coatlicue, the mother goddess, as well as the colours, the sugar and chocolate skulls, as well as the sugar grave yards and the cempaxóchitl petals, all this to honour my cultural ancestors and at the same time the ancestors of the land. This can be encounter on the three levels.

3) There are photographs of the ones who departure earlier (my grandfathers) to honour my blood-line ancestors. You may notice there are some Christian crosses around, since my ancestors where Catholic, I feel very appropiate to honour their faith in the altar, and also because Christianism is part of my own background; but even if I had nothing to do with that faith, it make sense to me to honour the faith of my grand and grand grand fathers. This can be encounter on the second level.

Finally, this altar is not ended, on the night of 31th of october until the night of november 2nd, there has to be put there food and drinks. To wellcome the ancestors who will come to the festivity. I do not put that earlier most of all to ensure the food don't get on bad state. This will be put on the ground level.

I will post pictures of the altar on 1st of november, after my ceremony.

Hope you enjoy this pictures.

Happy Samhain (samhain shona duit)

Peace Day

2008-09-04T16:53:00.001+01:00

Druids were always known as peacemakers. Now the earth became one, one day, on 21th of september to celebrate the Peace Day. One day of non-violence and cease fire.

Every one can make their own commitment visit PEACE DAY WEBSITE

Is there a soul at all?

2008-06-23T18:08:00.003+01:00

I have been having a very interesting discussion in the OBOD message board, about the existance of the soul. Every single religion of the world, despite of the differences between beliefs, accept that there is something trascendental, call it soul, spirit, phsyche. That is not just part of the material world.

Materialist claim that feelings, emotions, and consciousness are just produced by the Brain. I reject that hypothesis because three main reasons:

1) As far as I know there’s no single experiment that can recreate the feelings of one person. We can’t artificially make a person to love another, we can’t make artificially to make a person hate another, etc, etc. And I'm not talking of reduced moments of anger or joy that could be artificially made, I'm talking about the feelings itself, everyone who had love can say that is not just a moment of biochemical joy, even when that effect is reached. We have reached a moment when we are able to understand and even recreate the effects of certain feelings in our body and our brain. We know what part of the brain are stimulated when we feel something, and the biochemical processes that are created because of that feelings; that only can demonstrate the effects of them, not its causes.

2) Even when some sensations are produced just as a reaction, and we can recreate them very accurately, they are the ones that do not involve consciousness, that is, the instincts. For example, if you put boiling water and make people touch it, they all will react in the same way, that is held apart the hand by instinct. How ever, with feelings and emotions is not that simple, the same scenario could create different feelings in different persons, what in a person could make to love other in another could create only indifference or even a negative feelings. They are not just a mechanical actions with predictable effects.

3) Claim that electric impulses can create something more that electric charges and electromagnetic fields; and therefore create something as consciousness, and therefore feelings and emotions, is going to far from effects to causes. There we are saying that something ordinary under specific and not proved circumstances have a propertie that can create something as our psyche; pretty much the same as when a child say that under specific and not proved circumstances their toys can speak to them, that’s an ordinary object to develop an extraordinary property as pshyche.

Now the second argument is, well if they are not created by the brain which is the “obvious” conclusion, then, where are the proofs of them be generated outside of the brain?. To answer that I’m going to tell a little story.

Back in 1957, Hugh Everett formulate a theory that states that every single decision that we make opens the way to a parallel universe, that is there is one universe for every single scenario that is possible, by the way, it was stated pretty much as the same in Borges tale The Garden of Forking Paths, but I'm digressing... Most of the scientific community reject that theory, because of the fact that will be impossible to prove it by experimentation, for them it sounds pretty much as when some people claim that there are other worlds where "fairies or spirits" live, so it was just filed away. After more than 30 years, some physics where investigating one of the more elusive forces of our universe, gravity. We know what its effects are, but we do not know its causes; and among the properties we understand of it, we know that this is one of the more weak forces of the universe. There have been no ways of know why.
Then they turn their heads to Everett’s theory and say, well, let’s have a look, let’s assume that parallel universes exists; and then they propose a hypothesis, the generation of gravity could be done in another universe, It was said that the reason for gravitational force being weak as compared to the other forces is that it is confined mostly to higher dimensions and that we feel only the effects of it in the known dimensions, somehow the idea doesn’t seems too bizarre, if we also compare it with other theories as the superstring ones; and even when some scientist still don’t see it as a good explanations another do. So basically a theory emerged based on a hypothesis that can not be proved, and is only assumed.

So basically we are now dealing with something similar, we haven’t been able to proof that consciousness is just the product of the fluxes of electricity in our brain, we can only assume that they are, with no single proof, and just a risky assumption to equal effects to causes; on the other hand we have the other theory, that assumes that consciousness is generated outside of the brain, by something that someone may call, soul, or spirit, or just psyche. Both theories make its final assumption based on no proofs, just that, an assumption; both trying to explain some observed phenomena, that we know it’s real, that it’s consciousness itself.

As with the gravitational weakness, we are not in position to say that the theory and its hypothesis are true, or dismissed, we can only see them as possible explanations. We can for certain agree or disagree with it, with some arguments; but we cannot possible say without any reasonable doubt that "that's the way the things are", in one way or another.

The fact that some scientist have been interested in support the “soul” theory, as with this two books: The God theory and Self-Aware Universe: How Consciousness Creates the Material World , that were written by scientist; prove that is not something just illogical or irrational, albeit not demonstrable at the current development of science. Is just a posibility, and until we have a sound proof that discard that theory, we can neglect it just "because".

For some it will be not of any importance to know that their beliefs are based on something rational, for me it is, and I have spend a lot of time thinking on the subject for many years. I have reach the conclusion that the lack of evidence do not implies that something is impossible or irrational.

New project started

2008-06-08T00:06:00.002+01:00

I'm writing this post to let you know about a new project I have started, that is a website about Druidry in spanish language.

It's now published at http://www.losceltas.org

The name of the site is "La Arboleda Sagrada; An Garrán Beannaithe" (The Sacred Grove)

The site, came to my mind as a way to give information about Druidry to the spanish-speaker comunity on the internet, since there's not a lot of info on that language.

I have incorporated three basic sections

1) Tradición (Tradition) with articles about What is Druidry, the Beliefs, Ethics, Rituals and Festivals

2) Los Druidas hoy (The Druids today) with info about the activities of the contemporany druids, the orders, the ecologic campains.

3) Foro (Forum) an online forum in spanish language to discuss druidry and celtic paganism related topics, maybe a first step to begin an on-line druidry comunity on spanish language

4) Recursos (Resources) this is probably the section with higher expectations... the objective is to create an on-line library with texts and articles about Druidry and Celtic culture and history in spanish language. At the moment it has the translations of articles by some very wise people I have contact, and have granded their persmision to publish their articles; two articles of mine, based on some drafts I had put on my blog; some incantations as The Amergin song, and Amergin's invocation of Ireland, as well as Athair ar Neamh a beautiful prayer by Eithne Ni
Brahonain and the begining of a big project... the translation of ancient books, text, poems and incantations.

At the moment I have the translations of The boyage of Bran, The second battle of moytura, and the Galic wars of Caesar.

I'm now working on the translation of the following texts:

The Irish Triads, ed. Kuno Myer
Carmina Gadelica ed. Alexander Charmichael
The Cattle-Raid of Cooley (Táin Bó Cúalnge)
And the complete Irish mythology by Lady Augusta Gregory

As you can imagine these translations are going to take me months, since I have other things to do, and I'm working at the moment alone on this project, but I'll upload them little by little, as I get some parts finished. The process of the translation have been so inspiring, to find the right word to express the meaning, get me in a deeper involve of the texts themselves, meditating about them, learning about them.... it was just great!!!

Once these are translated and published, I'll follow with other texts and so on... It's an ambicious project, I know; I hope it doesn't get out of my hands. I also know that there's some danger in translating these texts, since I'm doing it from the english translation since I'm not fluent on
gaelic, nor a celtic scholar, nor a professional translator (If you know somebody who have that credentials and that also is fluent in spanish, I'll love to have him/her check the translations I'm working on) but I hope it helps the people who is really interest in celtic culture but for
several reasons (mostly about time and money) can't learn english (or gaelic) and/or access to the information that is available in printed and electronic books.

The articles published, listed here by last name alphabetic order, are as follows:

Phillip Carr-Gomm / OBOD:
The seven gifts of Druidry (los siete regalos del druidismo)
http://www.losceltas.org/sieteregalos.html
Ethic and values on Druidry (Ética y valores del druidismo)
http://www.losceltas.org/eticadruidismo.html
Eco-campaign (Campaña Ecológica)
http://www.losceltas.org/ecologia.html

Erynn Rowan Laurie:
Following a Celtic path (siguiendo un camino celta)
http://www.losceltas.org/caminocelta.html
The Truth vs the World (La verdad contra el mundo)
http://www.losceltas.org/verdad.html
An Essay on Sacrifice (Un ensayo sobre el sacrificio)
http://www.losceltas.org/sacrificio.html

Brendan Cathbad Myers:
Initiation and the Druid Secret Language (iniciación y el lenguaje
secreto de los Druidas)
http://www.losceltas.org/lenguaje.html

Kenneth Proefrock:
The Practice of medicine (la práctica de la medicina)
http://www.losceltas.org/medicina.html

Graeme K. Talboys:
The nine dimensions of the way of the Druid (las nueve dimensiones del
camino del Druida)
http://www.losceltas.org/nuevedimensiones.html

Loretta Wilson:
The Brehon Laws (Las leyes Brehon)
http://www.losceltas.org/brehon.html

Hope you like it!

Happy Bealtaine

2008-05-05T16:26:00.003+01:00

Bealtaine Shona Daoibh!!

Bealtaine (pronounced Beeyaltineh) is the Celtic festivity that indicates the begining of the summer, it's hold in the middle between the spring equinox and the summer solstice, and even in modern Irish, the name of the month that we know as May is Bealtaine.

Is resembles the lights of Bilé, the sacred tree, the world tree who get togheter with Danna, in the form of the River Danube, as partners, they give life to The Dagda and the Tuatha dé Danna.

Bile also spelled Bel is a sun god, a fertility god; patron of cattle, since Bealtaine celebrates the fertility, as the beginning of the summer, and the growing season. The word "Bealtaine" literally means "bright" or "brilliant fire," and refers to the bonfire lit by a presiding Druid in honor of Bile.

The festival is hold in the eve of may 1, as known the day for the Celts begin at the sunset. This is a time of fertility, blossoming, creativity, union.

May it light your lifes!

Hard vs Soft polytheism

2008-04-28T01:08:00.004+01:00

There have been some discussions about soft vs hard polytheism before, and as in all philosophical matters, it’s difficult to put rigid boundaries about what is one thing, what is another.

First, we shall take into account that speaking about deity (or deities) we only hope to understand a little, and that there’s plenty of interpretations of what, at the end, we can’t fully understand, prove or deny with absolute certainty anything.

Most of the ancient people that inhabited Europe were polytheist, as many others around the world (like the American inhabitants, for example) that kind of polytheism take into account personal and independent deities, with different characteristics, they may have a common genealogy, but equal status, comparable powers and even they tend to fight each other.

These entities were very local and they pick some people and tribes in their protection, and some ask for some forms of henotheism, that certain tribes only address to them, or mainly address to them. So there were cities, tribes and even nations dedicated to the veneration of one god or goddesses as their patron. We have just to remember the war of troy to see an example.

As time passes, these concepts were merging with a concept of one God (or Goddess) superior to the others, most of the times, they tend to refer to the top on the genealogy and give that attribute to the Father God or the Mother Goddess, as the king or queen of them all, with enough power to control every other god, and even attributes of creator of both, man and gods. That happened long before Christianity arises, so it was a natural evolution in pagan societies and philosophy.

The Celts were not the exception, and we can find that at different stages there was a king of Gods, or leader, that receive special veneration, as well as a Mother Goddess.

How ever, the speed on which the Mediterranean Pagans (Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, etc) merge to the idea of one God above all others, without question, was slower in the evolution of the religion of the Celts. But then, the invasions take place. First the Vikings, then the Romans, after that the Saxons, etc. and that obviously change in a certain way the cosmology of the Celtic people of the Islands, France and Spain.

But still, there are basic differences between the Mediterranean, Nordic and Celtic pantheon. One of the most significant is that the Celtic Gods are not limited to one mainly attribute, as for example, Mars God of War, Apollo God of the Sun, Athena, Goddess of the wisdom, or Aphrodite Goddess of Beauty. When first approaching the Celtic pantheon, as we have as reference the Greco-Roman pantheon learned in the schools, we tend to ask “who has the god of war for the Celts?” but there’s no answer to that, because there are various gods and goddesses associated to war, and battles, and the sun, etc.

Of course there are main attributes, and as in other religions as the Hindu and Egyptian, there were figures that merge in triads, with triple Celtic Gods and Goddesses.

Another great difference is that Celtic people view the Gods as their ancestors, they were all descendents of the mix between the Gods and the Men, the Thuatha dé Dannan and the Milesians, for example, and not created by them with only special characters know as demigods, as Heracles.

But even with the influence that invasions, commerce, etc give, one thing remains, every god has its individual and independent characteristics, personality and were separate entities. Even if the acknowledge of one above the others, one almighty and creator, their sons were creations but not parts of him/her, as we are different from our own parents.

Christianity take this concept from the beginning and early Christians had a pantheon of angels, demons and saints to address in specific occasions, all created by One God, even if that god take the form of a trinity, remains as an inseparable entity, and also separated of the other saints and angels, and of course of the demons, that were originally also angels.
Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican Churches today still keep that idea, meanwhile most of the Protestant Churches, some sects of Judaism and Islam, see this as a form of polytheism (which in my opinion it is) that has to be avoid.

But then, as time passes with the advent of the Christians and Christianity spread over Europe, there was a merging, as all we know, between the ancient gods/goddesses and the Christian Saints. But there was one figure that originates a new concept. Mary, the Virgin.

And this is a important entity, since in the form of Mary, many pagan Goddesses were put into the Catholic faith, usually the Mother Goddess, as Danna, Minerva or Coathlicue (in America) but, how the Catholic Church explain that they were all but the same, Mary, the mother of Jesus the Christ? Simply, they include a philosophical idea that it was risen by that times, no matter how many virgins there are, and their different attributes, they are all but different faces or manifestation of one, “the Mother of us all”.

When time passes, and the revival of pagan faiths, now know as neo-pagans, begin; that concept was introduced and extrapolate to the Gods also, so, the statement that “"All gods are one God, and all goddesses are one Goddess, and there is one Initiator” emerge. How ever is my understanding that the first published book that use that sentence is by the Sea Priestess by Dion Fortune, and it has been taken as a part of the teology of many pagan religions.

This concept is know as soft polytheism, where at the end all merge to just one male and one female principle, and all others but manifestation of that. Then, some neopagan faiths keep that concept and extrapolate it to One single entity, the Uncreated, The One, that has the male and female attributes merge in one.

Under this concept, even if we address to different names of gods and goddesses, we are addressing but to one (or two) entities, and just appealing to one of its (their) qualities.

My personal view is stick to the hard polytheism, but in its later form, I mean, I believe in The One, the creator, beyond and above all other gods, but independent of them, and the other gods, or powerful spirits of the universe (that’s my name for them) as independent entities, with their own area of influence, powers, characteristics, behaviour, and personality, never as faces of one single (or dual) entity.

Now, came the problems and questions. Myths talk about the relationship between this deities, and their areas of influence, as an example, Isis interact with the gods of mount Olympus, as well as Epona enter the Roman pantheon. Now we have another gods in other parts of the world, in America, in the near East and the far East, etc. How they interact? Is it okay to address to some in the area of the other?

I think, that some may have different names but are the same in different cultures, but others, shall be independent and local, how can we know the difference?

Well, these are my two pence about Hard vs Soft polytheism.

Three Realms, Directions & Winds

2008-04-27T17:30:00.006+01:00

I have cover this topic before on THIS POST, but now I return to it, since I see great importance in understanding the Celtic Cosmology to difference it from other eclectic pagans paths as Wicca, and some forms of modern Druidry.

I will not go into details of the four element concept and its relations with the quarters (directions) winds, etc. since, most of the eclectic pagan paths, follow this interpretation and there is plenty of information available, and the purpose of this blog is to cover the Celtic point of view, not the Greek one or any other.

The Celtic interpretation of the Universe was that it was formed in three basic realms, there’s also mention of them as the Three Legs of the Cauldron of the Universe.

The Cauldron called the universe is supported by the three legs of sea, sky and land. The Cauldron called the sea is supported by the three legs of water, moon and spirit. The Cauldron called the spirit is supported by the three legs called intent, plenty and emotion.

The approach is less abstract and more tangible. We can physically being in the three realms, and as a modern analogy, we can relate them to the three basic states of matter on which science has classified the physical reality. (Yes, I know that there is a fourth one, plasma, but that’s a recent discovery not known even by our fathers and just to make it clear, plasma is not fire)

I previously explain the associations of these realms and there we can find the importance of three (and odd numbers) by the Celts, whose cosmology find balance in the third part; there’s no concept of good/bad, male/female, etc, as in most of the religions, but there’s always a third one that brings balance to the opposites and “their continuous fight”. That’s why, when I address to my conception of The One, I said that I conceive it not as male or female, but neutral, as the result of the conjunction of the two concepts. Since there is not a Celtic myth of creation, as for example, with the Nordic (Viking) people, we can only imagine how they view that concept, and that is my personal interpretation based on the Celtic concept of balance.

The concept of elements, or an elemental system, near to the Greek one, is what we call the dhúile, there are from seven to eleven, elements, but most of the text speaks of nine. This elemental system is meant to be a way to understand the relation between the person and the cosmos and the other way around.

One of these elemental systems is:

Cloch (Stone)
Cré (Earth)
Uaine (Plant Life, literally green)
Uisce (water)
Gaeth (Wind)
Gealach (Moon)
Grian (Sun)
Nel (Cloud)
Spéartha (the skies or Heaven)

Here we can see that these elements can be found in the realms, but are not limited to them, we can find fire in the sky, earth and ocean; as well as water in those three, etc. We are so used to classify everything under the Greek concept, that even is thought in the school (at least I first learn it on the primary school) that we tend to believe that all cultures refer to this elemental system, but the Celtic people, as others around the world, did not limit the elements to those four.

The elements where part of the realms, they are all interwoven and connected, much like a Celtic knot.

As far as I know, there’s no an agreement among the scholars about how many and which where the dhúile, but only an agreement that the ancient Celts, refer to them as the element of which the cosmos and the person is formed.

There are various texts when we can find this references, as for example in some text of Tailesin, as this:

I was made from the ninefold elements -
From fruit trees,
From paradisiacal fruit,
From primroses and hill flowers
From the blossoms of trees and bushes,
From the roots of the earth was I made,
From the broom and the nettle,
From the water of the ninth wave.
Math enchanted me before I was made immortal,
Gwydion created me with his magic wand.
From Emrys and Euryon,
From Mabon and Modron,
From five fifties of magicians like Math was I made -
Made by the master in his highest ecstasy -
By the wisest druids was I made before the world began,
And I know the star-knowledge from the beginning of Time.

Taliesin, Chief Bard of the Britons (circa 600 CE)
as found in the Cad Goddeu

Also, in the song of Amergin that you can find HERE in a previous post

Or this Incantation of the Celtic Lorica, attributed to St. Patrick, but that reflects a Druidic and pagan way of view the cosmos. (This was shared to us by Beith, thanks!)

Atom-riug indiu
Neurt Nime
Soilse Gréne
Étrochtae Éscai
Áne Thened
Déne Lóchet
Lúaithe Gaíthe
Fudomnae Móro
Tairismige Thalman
Cobsaide Ailech

I bind myself this day
With the power of heaven
With the light of the sun
the brightness of the moon
with the splendour of Fire,
the swiftness of lightning
the speed of the wind
the depth of the sea
with the stability of the earth
with the firmness of rock

Fire and water were important for the Celtic rituals, and cosmology, as previously stated. Fire was a transformation force, as it’s seen today by even the science when we need fire (or heat) to transform the matter from one state to the other, and to put into motion a lot of thermodynamic forces. The Celts were aware of this, but not limited to the physical reality, but also in the spiritual one. Fire transform and give us the Imbas (or Awen) the inspiration we need to that transformation.

As for water, it has a strong and obvious association with Muir, the Ocean, and that’s why this realm is also associated with the Other world. Mannanán Mac Lir was the keeper of the gate to the other world, the sacred wells were passages to that world, etc. So in bringing water to a ritual, we are bringing the otherwordly associations to us.

Now, regarding the directions, they were not limited to four (NSEW) but there are indications that were at least five, or even nine.

One indication of this five-fold division is reflected in the five provinces of Ireland - Ulster, Munster, Leinster, Connacht, Míde – that correspond to NSEW and centre, being the centre the place where the high king was crowned (Tara)

Another system speaks of nine directions

Thuaidh (North)
Faoi (Under, About)
Amach (Outwards)
Ior, Siar (West)
Air, Oithear (East)
Isteach (Inwards)
Deas, Deis (South)
Thrid (Through)
Os Cionn (Above)

The Greek system of directions is interlink with the winds, and their gods (Boreas, Eurus, Notus, Zephyrus), how ever, there’s no indication that the Celtic pantheon had such things as four wind gods, and the winds, as understood by the Celts, are lack of the attributes that the Greco-Roman tradition give. Wind was only a force of the air.

The Celtic people of the Islands, interact a lot with the sea and as sailors, they refer to the different currents that surround the islands. There are some text that speaks about 12 winds, four main, four sublevels and other four sub-sub-levels, how ever, it’s important to take into account that this texts were written by Christian monks that were influenced by the Christian and therefore Neo-platonic cosmology. Here Saltair na Rann (again, thanks to Beith translation)

45] Ri roordaig ocht ngaetha (The king had ordained eight winds)
torgaib cenlocht lanaeba, (raised without loss of full beauty)
cethri primgaetha cotngaib, (four chief winds..)
cethri fogaetha feochrai. (four subwinds...)
49] Cethri fogaetha aile, (four other subwinds)
rádit auctair ergnaide, (discerning authorities count)
bidhi an-arim fírchert (the correct number)
dogaethaib dagaeth deec.(of the winds is 12 winds)
53] Ri rodelb datha nangaeth (the king arranged the colours of the winds)
rosderb frisratha slanaeb, (he fixed them to [their] streams of grace/beauty)
iarclechtaib rith roratha , (following the customs of course [of] virtues)
combrechtaib cachilldatha. (with varieties/categories of every colour)
57] Ingel, incorcarda glan, (the White, the clean/pure purple)
inglass, induaine allmar, (the blue-grey, the mighty green)
inbuidi, inderg, derb dána, (the yellow, the red, a certain gift/offering)
nisgaib fergg frisodála. (they are not wrathful in their good assembly)
61] Indub, indliath, indalad, (The Black, the grey, the piebald/variegated)
intemen, inchiar chálad, (The dark/dusky/gloomy; the hard murky)
indodar, doirchi datha, (the dun, dark colours)
nidat soirchi sogabtha. (they are not bright or easily grasped)
65] Ri rosordaig oscachmaig (The king ordained them over every plain)
na ocht fogaetha feochrai, (the eight fierce/untamed subwinds)
rodelb cenditha, dín saeth, (He formed without faults, sheltering hardship/distress
cricha nacethri primgaeth. (the boundaries of the four main winds)
69] Anair incorcra glanbda, (From the East the pure purple)
andess ingel gle, amra, (From the South, the wonderful bright white)
atuaid indub gailbech, grach, (From the North, the tempestuous ugly/rough black)
niar indodur engach. (From the west, the noisy/shrieking Dun)
73] Inderg, inbuidi 'male, (the Red, the Yellow..)
eter gil ocus corcrai, (between the White and Purple)
indúani, inglass, croda lir, (the deep Green, the Blue-grey, valorous/crimson?)
eter huidir isglegil. (between the Dun and the bright white)
77] Indliath, inchiar, grainne anguir, (The Grey, the the Murky ugly, evil-painful?)
eter huidir iscirduib, (between the murky and the gloomy black)
intemen, indalad tair, (the dusky, the variegated easterly)
eter duib ocus corcair. (between the black and the purple)
81] Coir rocoraiged acruth, (Their form had been rightly arranged)
doronad an-orddugud, (their order had been made)
fogaessaib glessib cenchlith (under intelligent contrivances (or under 'bright widsoms')
without concealment)
iarsessib, iarsuidigthib. (after (ie in manner of/ in) ranks and placements)
85] Na da gaeth dec, tolaib tress, (The twelve winds, with wills/abundance of contention)
tair ocus tiar, tuaid istess, (East and West, North and South)
rii roscuibdig cotagaib, (the King who harmonized them
roscuibrig fo secht nglassaib. (harnesses them under seven fetters)
89] Ri dosnarbair iarsessaib (The King who bends/yields them in their ranks)
imthalmain con-ilglessaib, (around the world, with many-arrangements)
cach digaeth dib imglés ngle (each wind of them around a clear purpose)
isoengles foraib huile. (and One purpose over all of them)

For pilgrim it's a long way....to know who you are

2008-04-21T01:09:00.008+01:00

I have been a Pilgrim from some years now, a pilgrim in a spiritual search, a pilgrim now, also in the physical form.

The pillars that keep my beliefs up, on one side what I was, on the other, what I am.

For many years I have been looking forward for this, to visit Ireland. For me, that country was the most Celtic one in the world, and after been there I can confirm that.

It was a lifetime experience without a doubt, I went there as a pilgrim, as a man looking for the spiritual roots of his believes.

The first thing I did, once I arrive, was to touch the Ireland ground and thank the spirits of the land to allow me, finally to go there. Now that I think about it, it had to be odd for the people around me see me kneel and praying after leaving the airport.

And the first stop was, of course, New Grange. As you probably know, this Neolithic monument is the most ancient monument in the Island, and one of the most ancient ones in the world.

With a perfect alignment to the rising sun in the winter solstice, the internal chamber lights up with the first light beams of the morning; that chamber full of secrets and forces, of lives, dead, mementos echoing in every breath. I went inside and must say it was a powerful experience, I could feel the power of the chamber, I could feel part of its history, and could imagine the feeling of being there on the winter solstice.

But that was only the beginning, the experience grow as I was driving along the Island, watching its landscapes, breathing its air, knowing its people.

Finally I get to Donegal county, on of the Gaelic speaking areas of Ireland, I could hear the language of the Celts, and seeing that people I could understand more about the Celtic Cosmo vision. One ancient Celtic Triad says: “Three things all should have on hand for a guest, expected or not: open door, un-dry cauldron, warm bed”; reflecting the importance that the Celtic ones put on being good hosts, and open in friendship to the foreign. I could see that the Irish people still believe on that, since they are friendly and open, joyful and always smiling.

As in other times, the connection with this land was deeper in a spiritual way, more than in any other, in walking through the beach, collecting some shells, I could dream awaken about that, about what I have wanted to live and already had lived.

After that beautiful experience, that was bigger and deeper due to the company of a person too much important for me, my greatest and dearest friend, that allows me to share with him this experience. Then, we return to England, to celebrate the spring equinox, the Alban Eilir, the middle of spring.

The celebration of the balance between day and night, the celebration of the balance of the forces of nature, so we went to Stonehenge, to get the first lights of the incoming sun, it was my second time in Stonehenge, but the first inside the stone circle, I have to say it’s such an experience to walk through that impressive stones, and to see the world from inside.

After that we held a small and very intense private ceremony at the Kingley Vale yew forest. The experience was very deep, like a sharing of souls in front of the ancient nature. There are few events that can’t be described with words, since words are limited, this is one of them. I feel very grateful with life for every and each experience I have been living during this journey, but this one is one of the greatest and happiest I had.

Another stop was Glastonbury, to taste a little of the experience of the mists of Avalon. As usual the Tor welcome us with a fierce wind, and the challice well with its tender and paceful gardens.
We spend a time there, meditating and we also bless some special objects to us with the waters that lead to the healing pool.

After visiting the sacred places of the Celts, we have the opportunity of go to another sacred place, this time one that is special to me, the Vatican City.

I was rise as Roman Catholic, but for many years I have been apart of the Church, but not from my believes, I could call myself a may be Christian Celtic Pagan, where the adjective "Christian" modifying the type of paganism I follow, if a label has to be applied; since Christianism and Celtic Reconstructionism, as well as Druidry, have been unify in me as a whole, as a single pillar that supports what I am now, hic et nunc.

Then even I not consider myself as part as the Catholic Church, I have a great respect for it, since it had shaped what I am now; but St. Peter’s Basilica is not only a sacred place for Catholics, but a special place for every Christian, and a sacred place for the human kind as a whole, since the spirit of the One God is venerated there, with great devotion.

Therefore, I was a pilgrim in the more special and sacred places for me, all in one month, all in one travel, all with a great company.

That doesn’t mean that my spiritual pilgrimage is over, but this important experience has given to me and I have a lot to meditate, a lot to think, feel, and integrate to my personal growing.

E-DAY

2008-02-21T15:27:00.002Z

FEBRUARY 27 & 28, 2008 STOP USING ANY UNNECESARY POWER JOIN THE E-DAY

"The small things in life can make a big difference"

Energy Saving Day (E-Day) is an editorially and financially independent and apolitical organisation which aims to make action to tackle climate change.

Their proposal is to make a 24 hrs maximum reduce power consumption in the UK,
between 6pm on Wednesday 27 February 2008 and 6pm on Thursday 28 February.

Everyone who wants to take part in E-Day is being asked to leave off household electrical items, which do not need to be on, and to leave these items off for as long as possible.

These might include lights in rooms that are not being used, televisions left on standby, mobile phone chargers left plugged in, unused printers, etc, etc.

During this experiment everyone in the country will be invited to see if they can save energy in their home, school or office, by leaving off electrical items which are not in use, and then offered direct feedback on the results of their actions on national electricity demand via the E-Day website (www.e-day.org.uk).

Climate change is a very serious reality, we can make the difference, each and every one of us count, let’s listen to the earth, let’s respect nature.

For more information, go to the E-DAY official website

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Druid Spirituality isn’t just about improving your own life — it’s about making a difference to the world too — it’s about becoming environmentally responsible. - Philip Carr-Gomm, chosen chief of OBOD

In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.- Native American maxim

Today, we all see that man can destroy the foundations of his existence, his earth, hence, that we can no longer simply do what we like or what seems useful and promising at the time with this earth of ours, with the reality entrusted to us. On the contrary, we must respect the inner laws of creation, of this earth, we must learn these laws and obey these laws if we wish to survive. Consequently, this obedience to the voice of the earth, of being, is more important for our future happiness than the voices of the moment, the desires of the moment. In short, this is a first criterion to learn: that being itself, our earth, speaks to us and we must listen if we want to survive and to decipher this message of the earth. And if we must be obedient to the voice of the earth, this is even truer for the voice of human life. Not only must we care for the earth, we must respect the other, others: both the other as an individual person, as my neighbour, and others as communities who live in the world and have to live together. – Pope Benedict XVI

'In lovely harmony the wood has put on its green mantle, and summer is on its throne, playing its string-music; the willow, whose harp hung silent when it was withered in winter, now gives forth its melody — Hush! Listen! The world is alive. - Thomas Evans

Athair ar Neamh

2008-02-05T23:54:00.000Z

Today, I was meditating and praying a lot of time. One of my favourites is this song/prayer, that address to the One God, in the beutiful language of the Emerald Island, Gaelic. In the beutiful voice of Eithne Ni Brahonain.

Athair ar Neamh, Dia linn / Father in Heaven, God Bless us

Athair ar Neamh. Dia linn
Athair ar Neamh. Dia liom
m'anam, mo chroí, mo ghlóir
moladh duit, a Dhia.

Fada an la, go sámh
Fada an oíche', gan ghruaim,
aoibhneas, áthas, grá,
moladh duit, a Dhia.

Móraim thú, ó lá go lá,
Móraim thú, ó oích' go hoích'

Athair ar Neamh. Dia linn,
Athair ar Neamh. Dia liom,
an ghealach, an ghrian, an ghaoth,
moladh duit, a Dhia.

-----
Father in Heaven, God bless us
Father in Heaven, God bless me
my soul, my heart, my glory
praise be to you, oh God.

Long is the peaceful day
Long is the night without gloom,
wonder, joy, love,
praise be to you, oh God.

I praise you from day to day
I praise you night after night

Father in Heaven, God bless us
Father in Heaven, God bless me
the moon, the sun, the wind,
praise be to you, oh God.

Happy Imbolc

2008-02-03T20:44:00.000Z

Imbolc or Oimelc is the Celtic celebration of the beginning of the spring. This date the celebration is done in honour of Brighid.

Brighid is considered a triple goddess for the Celtic Lore, patron of poets, crafts and health. On this day it’s celebrated as the Mother, the light bringer, the fertile earth.

This day has special resonance for another traditions along with the Celtic one: In Rome, today was the festival of Juno-Februa the goddess of marriage, mother of Mars. Rome was lighten with candles and a procession was made on her honour. In Mexico was the beginning of the Aztec year, that was also a big celebration with fires. The Catholic Church commemorates the Candlemas day, that remember of Jesus presentation to the temple, where he means a light to the world.

I went to the Long Man of Wilmington to commemorate the day. It was a very nice experience shared with some members of the Anderida Gorsedd.

I'm beginning to feel the spring around, some crows made a nest in the tree infront of my window, also I noticed this last weeks, that the sunset is about one hour later than before, let's wellcome the Spring.

May the coming spring be full of blessings for all.

Four elements vs Three realms

2008-01-28T02:48:00.001Z

The term “elements” has some different meaning according to the frame of reference we are talking about.

In science, when we refer to elements, we refer to the atomic chart of elements that conform the human known universe. From Hydrogen to Ununseptium, the 117 elements are for use in chemistry and physics.

As for realms, science considers to be five main living realms animalia (animals or metazoans), plantae (vegetables), fungi (superior fungus), protista (protozoan, eukaryotic alga & inferior fungus) and monera (bacteria and prokaryote alga).

These definitions are in constant change, with the new discovers that science make everyday.

I said that to avoid any confusion for the topic I’m going to talk about. As many spiritual definitions, we are not talking about science words, but metaphors.

In western tradition is very common to refer to the four elements for everything is created, or related, four main forces that conform the spirit of the things.
This concept came from pre-platonic Greeks, the elements, as you probably know are:

Γαια, gaia earth
ύδωρ, hydor, water
άήρ, aer, air
έιλή, heile, heat (fire)

They represent in Greek philosophy, science, and medicine the realms of the cosmos wherein all things exist and whereof all things consist.

Pythagoras added a fifth element, Aether αιθήρ, also called quintessence (from the Latin quinta essentia, "fifth element") representing the space above the earth, but also representing the spirit, soul and ideas. A non-matter element.

There’s a beautiful song by Cielo y Tierra, a Mexican quartet that says “Tierra mi cuerpo, agua mi sangre, aire mi aliento y fuego mi espíritu” (earth my body, water my blood, air my breath and fire my spirit).

This concept is also found in one of the most ancient pagan religions, Hinduism.

Prithvi / Bhumi — Earth
Ap / Jala — Water
Vayu / Pavan — Air / Wind
Agni / Tejas — Fire
Akasha — Aether

How ever, this concept is far of being a universal one, as an example, Chinese tradition speaks of five “earthly” elements: metal, wood, water, fire, earth.
Some has used the scientific idea of the four states of matter, to validate the greek concept (solid, liquid, gas and plasma) but is an inaccurate one, since plasma is not fire as we know fire, moreover fire (or heat) is used to change a matter from one state to another (and not all matter can be changed from state, for example, living things, I mean the Carbon based life, can’t pass to gas or plasma state, since carbon is reduced to ashes.

That leads me to the Celtic point of view about the cosmos and how is it form.

As state shortly in a post below, three was a sacred number to the celts. They see even numbers as unbalanced ones, there’s a need of something between that bring balance to that; so was with elements.

This elements were called Talam (earth) , Muir (sea) and Nem (sky). This elements are not total abstractions, we can see them surrounding us, we can feel them as we walk in our lifes. Celtic rituals don’t invoke these elements, nor dismiss them, since they’re always present in our lives. “Invoking” the elements makes no sense, since they are within us and around us.

How ever, the spiritual meaning for each is not only their physical description. It’s important to take into account that the meanings are not to be associated with the dualistic paradigm. They are not Good/Bad, Female/Male, Light/Dark elements, we can encounter these attributes within them, but not limited to. As told before, the dualistic approach of the western culture, including the mainstream monotheist religions and most of the pagan ones, is not applicable to the celtic point of view.

Talam, is the land, and the centre, where we walk, where we live, it’s the midworld. It means solidity, and stability. We can manifest it as a rock, or a tree. It’s our body.

Muir, is the ocean, the water that sorround us far or close, it’s emotionally and spirit oriented, transformative, chaotic, liminal, it’s our sensorial and intuitive being. We can manifest it as a water, from a river, from a well, from the sea. Well are often used as passages to the Underworld, were we can encounter our ancestors, It’s our blood.

Nem is the sky, it’s mind and wisdom oriented, illuminating, ecstatic, is the source of life and consciousness, a life force. Ancient Celts believe that the soul was in our heats, as part of our mind. It’s manifest in the world as the sky, and if we travel beyond we can encounter with the stars. It’s our breath.

There’s also a denomination for these in welsh celtic tradition, as Calas, Gwyar & Nwyfre

That is applicable to all human experiences, and inter-relations, I read an example that makes it clear.

Let’s take our food, the Talam are the elements of the dinner: meat, vegetables, grains, etc. Muir is the cooking process, the transformation, the flow from raw to cook. Finally, Nem is the mental dimension, how we select the ingredients, the recipes, the skills and personal seasoning of the cook. This is a easier example, but you can think in several more.
Irish has a name for the colour of the three realms, Glas, this word means green/grey/blue, colours associated with the Other World, the Tir nan nÓg. Green for the earth, grey for the sea, blue for the sky. Meaning a state where the three realms join and pure wisdom and illumination is reached.

Returning to the initial thought, about the states of matter, solid, liquid and gas could be far easy associated to the realms, and plasma could be interpret as a travel beyond the sky, when we reach the stars… an Aislingthe (let’s remember that plasma is a very new concept, not known by the Celts, or even by our fathers when they went to school)

Meditations about these realms are far and beyond the uses of this blog, but I hope to get the spirit and explanation of why a Celtic ritual and worship, shouldn’t include the four greek elements.

. . . muir mas, nem nglas, talam cé . . .

`the beautiful sea, the blue heaven, the present earth . . .'

Earth Pilgrim

2008-01-23T03:35:00.000Z

Thanks to Liz from OBOD message board, I was able to see this magnificent and inspirational video.

In this unique BBC 2 Natural World documentary Resurgence Editor Satish Kumar reflects on our connection to our natural environment. Using the traditional English landscape of Dartmoor as his natural muse he offers a very Indian perspective through the changing seasons.

It's very interesting that cultures so separated by distance as the Hindu and the Druids, had so much in common, so much that happen to be lost by our western industrializated and postmodern world.

This Indian wise man, share his point of view of the nature in the frame of the Celtic land of Dartmoor, recognising the Druid point of view about nature, and giving his own.

A stone circle by the sea

2008-01-21T23:00:00.001Z

Whilst working in the Sacred Grove meditation exercise, I manage to find another place, in addition to the image of a forest grove. This place came to my mind when I wish to relax and experience the nature as a whole. I imagine a circle of stones (actually a half circle) near by the sea, where I can feel the three realms, Earth, Sea and Sky. And I go there very often in my mind to meditate about several things, I use the forest grove, when I wish to ask somebody to come to me and talk (or simply listen)

I told you that, as an introduction for the experience I had yesterday.

I went to the Brighton Pier on the afternoon, to read. I spent some time in the pier, went for a coup of tea, and then, when it goes dark, I went to the beach.

I wish to experience of being in a place in this world, close to the one I go in my inner world. So, I stand in front of the sea, and as it was night (and cold) I have the privacy I was looking for.

I closed my eyes and start the exercise. In my mind I start a ritual, a ritual that I named as an "approchment or closeness ritual". I salute the four winds, ask for the blessings of what I consider my elder brothers, Zephyrus, Boreas, Notus & Eurus. (I like the greek names when referring to them). I salute the spirits of the place and ask for their permission. I thank our good Mother, Empress of the world; and thank our creator, my God, and ask for guidance.

I start just feeling the cold wind, listening to the waves of the sea, smelling the ocean, after a while of connecting physically with the place, some images and feelings came to my mind.

I became a tree, and the ocean waves touched my roots, a flowing energy goes through all my being in to the sky. The energy came from the earth, but at the same time from the sea and ends in the sky.

With every new ocean wave, the tree grows taller, until I felt like leaving behind the atmosphere. I continued growing with a thousand tree-arms trying to reach the stars; finally I touch one, a white and bright one. The roots and trunk remain on the beach.

Then I asked the owl that has become like a totem animal in this path, to come, I saw her flying in to the circle of stones and stand there. I said to her "I'm not afraid of you, come closer" so she did and fly in to the tree. I hear her saying "I'll be along with you in your entire path". Suddenly I was again in the beach, in human form, but it was night no more, It was the dawn, and I heard the voice again saying "Run in to the aurora, run in to the sea".

So I ran in to the sea, jump into it and became a shark, that dived into the sea deeper and deeper, then I swim to the surface and jump, became a Hawk flying to the sun, to the dawn, behind me there were a half circle of seagulls, flying along, just behind the hawk. Then I realise that I wasn't flying in to the sun, but in to the white star. I reach the star and became the star, feeling every flow of fire, every flare, every explosion on its surface, and suddenly went down in to the earth again, so quick that it hurts. Then I saw my self from above, the human body near to the sea in the night. At the same time I saw the shark diving in the black sea, and the Hawk flying in the dark night; all the images at the same time.

I saw what it looks like a spiral galaxy, but in movement, like a hurricane that it's seen from above. I was in the centre, the star, the shark; the hawk came in to me.

At that time I opened my eyes in the "real" world, and feel dizzy, I look above and there were clouds surrounding the moon, in form of a spiral, and from one part of that spiral, the clouds form a path, that went beyond the horizon. I saw a bird flying in to the city.

I realise that I have tears on my eyes, and start walking back. I felt like when you spend hours crying, tired, with some sadness, but at the same time, relief and relaxed. I walk slowly because I was like not having the strength to do it. I was still very dizzy, so I sat for a while, turn my mp3 player and the random selected melody was "The longships" by Enya; a beautiful melody, that bring the images back, but now, as I was watching a movie. After the dizzy feeling went out, I return to the city.

I was a very deep and hard experience, and I wished to share it with you. I'm not sure of all the meanings, and what exactly happened, that make me feel like this with so intense repercussion in my physical body. That to find out it's a personal quest, so I share it as it is, with no further interpretations.

Well that's it, my two cents for today

The Longships:

My sacred place

2008-01-16T17:50:00.000Z

Since the begining of times, human beings have created sacred places, for meditation and worship.

For me, to have such a place, is not as a religious matter, in the common sense, rather, I like to view it as a place where I can meditate and think about thinks, a place that reminds me of the path when I'm feeling apart.

It's a place that has personal meanings, personal and individual features and images. Inspired on the triad point of view, I create a composition with mirrors, that forms a new image with the reflection of other two. Three candels also are present on the composition.

The nine dimensions of the Way of the Druid

2007-12-24T08:30:00.000Z

Whilst reading the Book “Way of the Druid” by Graeme K. Talboys, I find myself making some reflections about this Celtic path.

Talboys speaks about nine dimensions of this philosophy, the one that old Celts follow, and it’s implications in today’s life.

The nine dimensions are as follows:

1) Tribal dimension; it encompasses the languages, history, traditions, myths, wisdom, and geography of the people that follow the Druid way, both past and present.

For this, I have to say that it was my first approach to the Celtic path was trough the music, history, traditions and myths, there is so much to learn about it, that I find myself in a never-ending journey, nevertheless, that doesn’t mean I find myself disappointed, on the contrary, knowing that there are a lot of Celtic history in the whole view, not just the archaeological point of view, encourages me to learn more and more.

2) Dimension of craft; the term is used in its broadest sense. […] physical manifestations of the metaphysical stance.

This is somehow a dimension that I’m beginning to approach, to give magic the proper place in everyday thinking, a balance to understand the world not only via the physical form that science give, but also, at the same time, in an attempt to find balance, the metaphysical stance.

3) Healing, the restoring of balance, understanding of the World and all that is in it, on both material and spiritual levels; of the ways in which the World and all who live there come to be damaged; and of the ways in which each Druid can best use their own skills to aid in their renewal.

This dimension I find it the hardest, understanding of the world, is a life time journey, and may be takes more than I life. However, I may try, in everyday living, to approach it more and more. How can I help heal the world is also a path that need to be live each day, in some small and personal efforts, but also thinking in the web in which we are all linked, a small change can make a great one. If according to the chaos theory a butterfly wing can cause a storm, every action we made, has a consequence, that could not seen obvious, but If focus in the greater good, can make a difference.

4) Metaphysical dimension, which is concerned primarily with the mysteries of and reasons for being, of life and death and rebirth, of the cycles in all our lives.

What is common call as Philosophy always has attracted me much, I find myself thinking in metaphysical topics all the time, trying to understand just a little the mysteries of life, of nature behaviour, including human one. For the cycles of our lives, I find the celtic knot as a perfect way to meditate about it. This phrase, that I love, reflects perfect the kind of meditation that this simple and complex symbol gives to me: Imagination is the key to Wisdom. Wisdom maps the way to Spirit. Spirit reveals itself through Imagination.- That's a Celtic knot

5) Dimension of seering. When the developed forces of the intuition are allowed to range across the wheel of time, nothing is irrelevant to place and the time that is now
Seer is something that has form somehow part of me, for many year, through dreams, sometime even awake ones, some events has present to me. This experience could be even a scary one, and I must say, I’m not fully prepared to understand all it’s messages, how ever, I expect, that with study, meditation and opening, some day I could be.

6) Dimension of ritual, this dimension does more than enfold the major rituals and ceremonies, exercises, prayers, meditations, teachings, and disciplines.

Personal and communitarian rituals are important to the humankind, and in a personal way, I find that they are also, but, has to be rituals with meaning, not mechanical ones. The great problem of rituals is to begin to think and do them as something mechanical, without meditating and try to understanding it’s unique meaning.

7) Dimension of natural philosophy. [..]Of the ways and workings of the world of which we are all part.

This is much related with the metaphysical dimension, but in a more physical way, it’s difficult to fully understand how the world is working, especially when we are alienated in an urban area. The world as a whole, as a interconnecting web, it’s full of mysteries, which we are but far to fully understand, however the fact that we may never apprehend the whole meaning, doesn’t mean that we shall not try, since every learning give us a light trough our lives, and also to understand how little we know, and to fully appreciate our size in the universe itself.

8) Dimension of teaching. A Constant dialogue with the world. They listen, they respond.

Although that, as I previously say, there’s too much to learn, and impossible to learn it all, there’s no point in learning without a purpose, each of us, in our own environment, has the opportunity to teach, knowing that we are not all mighty ones, nor holders of all truth, but in share, in listen and respond, in trying to give a guide if it is asked, we can teach. But must of all, we can teach with our own life example. I love to share the things I have learn, some how this is why I opened this blog, not thinking that I hold the unique and whole truth, but at least what I think is worthy to share, I do.

9) Dimension of service, the very heart of the Druid way. The goal of a Druid is not to better the self, All Druids do that as a matter of course, but as a means to an end rather than as an end in itself. To be Druid is to work to make the world a better place for all. To be Druid is to celebrate and venerate existence. To be Druid is to become an adept so that one can better serve. […] True, there are aspects of service within the social and ethical dimensions of religion, but these are tied in with the doctrinal aspects, which state that right social and ethical behaviour are not only prerequisites of right religious behaviour, but also the way to get your reward in the afterlife. For the Druid, however, services does not accrete to or derive from other aspects of the Druid way. It is not there because of doctrinal demands or to gain reward. Rather, service is the reason for the Way’s existence. Service is the Druid Way. The Druid way is service.

The University where I made my career has a motto “To be, to serve” that I make it for my own. I find service as a pillar. If we know that we are part of a whole, we cannot live with the thought of “live and let live” alienated from the others. But we cannot on the other hand impose our point of view, or force others to think as we do; so the way to interact with the world is trough service, help the others in the ways we can, and the others are not just people, but the nature itself.

There’s a lot of ways to serve, some direct, some indirect, but always thinking that we must put attention in every act, in every thought, since, as the third Newton’s law indicates, to every action there is a reaction of equal magnitude and opposite direction. But is not only in a selfish objective, some people, as Talboys says, make good in expectance of retribution, this is not the case, the retribution may or may not come, that’s something apart, we must act with the objective of a healthy environment, this environment is ourselves, our families, our friends, our work, our society, our natural environment and the whole as one. Knowing that in the pursue of that, a greater (common) good will be achieved.

Happy Solstice

2007-12-23T02:45:00.000Z

The winter solstice is one of the most important festivities of the pagan world. Not only the Celtic culture celebrate it, also the northern people, celebrate the Yule festival; Romans used to celebrate the solstice to Apollo. The Welsh Druidic tradition call this festival Alban Arthan.

It’s the return of the sun, we are now in the midwinter, and the sun goes forward to spring, the longest night in the year mark the beginning of the end of the winter.

Was so important the celebration of the Sun-God rising, the one who gives light and warm to the humankind, that Christians decided to fix Jesus birthday into the winter solstice, with the Nicea Council in the fourth century A.C. The solstice at that times, was on the 25 of December, but since the earth is moving, the day has also moved in 1600 years.

Is the time of the sun, of its rise upon darkness, we see the light in the new born that illuminates the path of the year.

We can’t just put apart the Christian influence in this time of the year, ‘cause indeed is also a time of joy, of the bringer of light. And a time of friendship, love & family.

Whichever you celebrate the Solstice or the Christmas, or both, like me, my best wishes go with you.

May the light illuminate your path
May the winter pass by, leaving the reflections of the cold nights on your heart
May the darkness give you the preparation for the warm sun
May the joy and merry be with you

Happy Winter Solstice !!

Happy Christmas !!

Avalon

2007-12-20T22:08:00.000Z

Avalon is a place of magic, a place that we can tell tales for a life time without finishing.

This place may be best known for its relation with the Arthuric legend; however, the place goes beyond Arthur, since it’s a place where a lot of forces came together, not only the pagan and christian alike, but the forces that goes trough the universe itself.

It’s say that is a passage between the Fairy land and the human one. That means that is one of the entrances to the Tir Nan Og, when the mist covers the land, time stops and you can see, or at least feel the other world.

And that indeed I do, I was there at night, with the cold air, with the mist covering Glastonbury, and a feeling that it’s hard to express, it’s just a powerful force that covers yourself. With a little thanksgiving and initiation ritual, I open a new path, from Avalon itself.

I return there at day time , and thank the winds for the experience

I also have the change of be part of the Winter Solstice (Alban Arthan) OBOD Gathering, it was very nice to share with all these wonderful people an experience for the midwinter.

I had the chance to visit the Chalice Well and stay there for a time of meditation

And of course the Abbey, another place of peace

Avalon covers with mist the land of men
With wind and cold, with force and spirit
May the Celts pilgrims kneel before it
May the Christian ones, do the same
Since this is a place of magic
This is a place of joy
A Connection with the world, the whole one
Not the divided that we perceive
A gate to the Tir Nan Og
Sing oh Avalon of your wisdom
Sing oh Avalon of your power
Let us share your light between the mists
Les us enter your realm

I am The deep sea and the oceans

2007-12-19T03:39:00.000Z

There are poems that came from the heart, there are poems that came from the soul, but there are poems that came to you in your dreams, burning your heart, burning your soul, stamping your mind. This is how the inspiration came for this.

Thanks to wyeuro, from OBOD, I could fully end this task, as a gift from the Sidhe themselves, here is, in the celtic language (and as I write it down)

‘s mé an fharraige dhomhain agus na haegéin
‘s mé aon theachtaire na spiorad agus na réaltachtaí
‘s mé mac chogar na gaoth
‘s mé solas na réaltaí, na gealaí agus na gréine
‘s mé mac na seanbhealaí, na críonnacht ársa
‘s mé an shaileach abhíonns corrthónagh leis an ngaoth ar an uisce

‘s mé duine atá ag brionglóideach, atá ag sín na réaltaí
‘s mé an ghrian te agus an t-uisce fuar
‘s mé mac an thalaimh agus na daonnacht
‘s mé an geimhreadh agus an t-earrach
‘s mé an t-aonar
‘s mé an capall agus an t-ulchabhán

cé atá ag brionglóideach ar an dli nádúrtha?
cé a bhí ag mothú an grá?
cé a bhí ag brionglóideach ormsa agus orta féin?
iarraim ag fáil thú
i gcuas codlatach
leis an bhfocal díreach,
focal na farraige dhomhain agus na haegéin.

---------

I am The deep sea and the oceans
I am one messenger of the spirits and realities
I am the son of the whispers of the wind
I am the starlight, moonlight and sunlight
I am the son of the old ways, the ancient wisdom
I am the willow that moves on the water by the wind

I am the dreamer who reaches the stars
I am the sun warm and the cold water
I am son of the earth and man
I am the winter and spring
I am the solitude
I am the horse and the owl

Who dreams on the laws of nature?
Who have felt the love?
Who dreamt about you and me?
In a sleepy hallow
I hope find to you
With the precise word
The word of the deep sea and the oceans

Reflections about my Celtic Path

2007-12-08T22:54:00.002Z

I was reading a very good article that Erynn Rowan Laurie made in 1995, about the Celtic Path. And I want to share some reflections about that, about what each of these nine points mean to me, whilst following this path.

“The first is a reverence for the deities of the Celtic Pantheon" The Celtic pantheon, is mostly divided in gods of light (the Tuatha Dé Dannan) and of dark (the Formorians) I have read and learn stories about them, and every day I find a new one.

How ever, my theological point of view is a little different. I believe in One God, that is the creator of all things, and the perfection of all. It’s not male, nor female, but as a synthesis of these concepts it reflects in it’s perfect being, the neutral, that combines the two opposites.

But I do believe that there are individual spirits of the earth and universe, some call them gods and goddesses, some angels and saints; but the thing is that they are present all over the places. Some has some “areas of influence” since I strongly believe that they are individual spirits, not as some pagans believe that all gods are one god and all goddesses one goddess. So they may have influence in the forces of nature and in what it’s call magic itself.

“Second is a reverence of the ancestors and the spirits of the land”. In that I’m fully agree with the Celtic point of view, every land has it’s own spirit, and it’s own ancestors, and we have to be respectful about them, and even ask them it’s favour when walking it’s land, making a ritual, meditating, or just, walking around. But it’s also important to reverence our own ancestors and spirits that walk along with us, watching us, taking care of us.

“Third, poetry as intrinsic to the structure of magick” Poetry and music, and arts in general is something I find as important to learn as many of my scientific knowledge. Arts are the manifestation of our souls, as well as science is the manifestation of our minds. A human can not be full if not embrace this two, and in this two the spiritual growing of it’s being.
The word, the song, it’s one of the most powerful magic that human being has, it can change the world, it can change our world, if we let them.

“Fourth, a connection with the past" I find History as one of my passions, I firmly believe that we can’t understand our present, not making our future, if we don’t know about our past, that as individuals, and as a community. In every story, tale, myth, we can find the old ways, a voice that our ancestors, the ancestors of humankind, are speaking to us, they are teaching us so we can learn about the good and bad things that in their time passed. This lore, is how, we will be talking to our grandchildren in the future, and it’s a connection that has not to be broken.

"Fifth, a sense of early Celtic cosmology" as I say in a previous post, this is a very important topic that differentiates the Celtic Path from all other pagan path, and I dare to say, from all the other religions in the world. There were not dualities (good-evil, goddess-god, ying-yang) nor cosmologies of four, the four elements, were something that Celtic lore had not. And even directions, they add a fifth one, but actually they where three; since they were pairs north & south, east & west and from the union of this two pairs, it rise a new one, the centre. This triality it’s somehow difficult to understand for a modern point of view, and It gave me a lot to think about, and still does. Also the celtic virtues "strength, truth and generosity” These three virtues are really wonderful lore to me. In strength I find the motor that our will needs to walk in our journey of life.

Strength is not only of body, is not about having great muscles, is about our spirit, our mind, and yes also our body. We have strength of spirit when we open it to love, when we make our will strong enough to fight the problems, when we make it strong enough to be tender with others.

Truth, truth is a basic pillar of our lives, we need to speak with the truth, fill our tongues of it, not to make harm, nor to boast nor to flattery. And always in the search of knowledge, we also are seeking for the Truth, even if sometimes it goes apart in our journey, we must try to find it again.

Generosity, that is a value that as society have loose a lot, we need to recover it, it’s to share, to share our knowledge, to share our feelings, to help the one who needs and wants help, if every man think about it in this world, a lot of thing will change.

"Sixth, I think that inclusiveness is important" We must learn that we are in the same boat, we are just part of the same planet. There’s a lot of time wasting in finding our differences, than in finding our common ground. I like to consider myself as a world citizen, and in that, embrace a love for all.

"Seventh, respect for women" Respect for women or people who have different sexual preference of the ones we hold it's very important, we can no longer believe that there is a gender that is better or superior that the other, nor that certain "normal" preferences are just the right ones.

"Ninth, personal responsibility" Honour and responsibility, that are the basics of the sense of self. We must honour our omens, our dreams, our words. And also take full responsibility of our actions, there’s a need to be aware that every action we make affects the others, affects everything as a whole, it can affect another human being, or any part of the nature. If we are aware of that, and think twice, we’ll see that we have responsibility for ourselves.

So this small reflections I share with you, so they’ll be shared around the world, and hopefully give some clues, some little lights to others, finding their own paths.

The Song of Amergin

2007-11-28T18:56:00.000Z

For there are many sacred songs, but one above all, the first one to be sing on the Emerald Island.

Years after the Tuatha Dé Danann establish their kingdom in Éire, a new invasion takes place. The elders talk about the Milesians, the first Gaelic people who put a foot in that island.

Amergin was his leader; he was the dreamer, the wisdom one, a Bard, a Druid, a man of the forest and knowledge.

When this new invasion take place, The Dagda invokes his powers to repel the strangers, he sunk the ships, he pray to the winds to don’t let this people in.

So, within the waves, within the ocean and the mists, Amergin sail, sail to the new lands, he departures from the coast of Hispania, where the time for his people had passed. Amergin invokes the elements and the words mark the start of the battle over sovereignty of the Land.

The magic of the Druids take its most powerful form when came in the form of a song, a song who invokes the forest, the sea, the sky. The words of wisdom, the words of power, the cutting word, the cold word.

Am gaeth i m-muir
Am tond trethan
Am fuaim mara
Am dam secht ndirend
Am séig i n-aill
Am dér gréne
Am cain lubai
Am torc ar gail
Am he i l-lind
Am loch i m-maig
Am brí a ndai
Am bri i fodb fras feochtu
Am dé delbas do chind codnu
Coiche nod gleith clochur slébe
Cia on co tagair aesa éscai
Cia du i l-laig fuiniud gréne
Cia beir buar o thig tethrach
Cia buar tethrach tibi
Cia dám, cia dé delbas faebru a ndind ailsiu
Cáinte im gai, cainte gaithe

I am the wind on the sea
I am the stormy wave
I am the sound of the ocean
I am the bull with seven horns
I am the hawk on the cliff face
I am the sun's tear
I am the beautiful flower
I am the boar on the rampage
I am the salmon in the pool
I am the lake on the plain
I am the defiant word
I am the spear charging into battle
I am the god who put fire in your head
Who made the trails through stone mountains
Who knows the age of the moon
Who knows where the setting sun rests
Who took the cattle from the house of the warcrow
Who pleases the warcrow's cattle
What bull, what god created the mountain skyline
The cutting word, the cold word

So he sung, so he prayed, so he believed, so he dreamt.

And his strength came with his knowledge, with the truth, with the heart of his people, and the Tuatha were defeated.

With truth in their hearts, with strength in their arms, and fulfillment in their tongues, they arrive, and the new era begun, the era of the man.

And from that day on, the men, the wise men will sing in that form, ‘cause all invocations has to be made starting with I am, since every man is the sacred connection with the spirits, the ancestors, and the One.

After the war was finished, the Tuatha and the Gaelic people made an agreement. Most of the Tuatha will be retreat to the Tir na nOg, the land of the eternal youth, the happy otherworld, and only the wiser, the purest, the bravest of man could access to that kingdom, from where the Thuatha will take care of their former land, Manannán Mc Lir rules. Every time that the men need their help they will be back, if they are invoked for truth. They will be worship as the first true rulers of the land, the ancestors, the spirits of the three realms.

Listen now to the song of Amergin in the voice of Lisa Gerrard