A key moment in Cali film histoyr. Why? Because despite appearances, punk was also (sometimes) acid drenched. See my discussion here, including some Repo Man love: https://www.burningshore.com/p/ask-dr-d-9
Thanks! Must have missed this one when it was published: "psychedelics re-entered as an engine of irrationality, nihilism, and ontological anarchy." Interesting contrast to the current medicalization paradigm.
Excellent overview. Both the subject and vantage point of Fig. 1, compels me to seek some resonance between Hanuman and Paul Bunyan, often depicted in the same heroic pose. A synchronicity too far?
I have already gotten a couple of emails about additional synchronicities triggered by this piece. One person was at a workshop where one participants birthday was being celebrated by sending him photos and stories about his ishvara, who was of course Hanuman. Another person had just finished reading an article about Modi and Ayodhya. It just doesnt stop....I guess this makes Babe the Blue Ox the blue Shiva's bull Nandi....
I came to read this by way of spending my morning thinking about combining logical and analogical ways of thinking (and also Aristotle), posting on Twitter about that, seeing you liking another recent post on Twitter about that (Aristotle and Ian McGilchrist), and backtracking in your Substack to this post with book magic because that's generally one of my favorite subjects. I've had one significant PKD (and also, oddly, Aristotle) book magic moment regarding his unwritten book The Owl in Daylight. I thought I might describe that synchronicity in a comment here, but when I went to look the book up today to refresh my memory, the first thing I noticed was that Dick described his goal with it as, according to Wikipedia, "using an interpretation of Joachim de Fiore, where he believed that one age of humanity used the left side of the brain, another the right, and the future would combine the two leading to a greater understanding of what is real." PKD book magic strikes again!
I love it Laura! But please, don't feel that this exhausts the magic. I am curious about your original Owl in Daylight synchro. I talk a lot more about PKD and magic book encounters in this earlier edition of Burning Shore: https://www.burningshore.com/p/ask-dr-d-7
I moved next to Mount Madonna in 1996, and both my kids went to school there. I adored Buck's rendition... I read it to my son and gave it to my daughter to read. They were both involved in the Ramayana theater--which is what got me to move there in the first place. My son had some psychic events, where he "saw" the actual beings in the Ramayana. Anyway, it's nice to read your write-up, thanks. I brought back so much of my history...
So great to hear this. It did seem like a great place for kids, and now I hope to attend one of the Ramayana theater pieces. What a great way to keep the story alive. As for your son's vision, that's one thing I learned about Hanuman: that he is still alive, somewhere on the earth, cruising around until the end of days.
My son saw *all* the actors in their original form! That explains why Ramayana was so powerful in the Mount Madonna production. And yes, Hanuman is alive! The temple at Mount Madonna is so filled with Hanuman...
I love the Buck version, i always sort of thought it read like the Hobbit.
Svoboda's Aghora 3: Law of Karma has some interesting thoughts about the various burning in the Ramayana. It's been forever since I read it, but I do think that he focuses mostly on the burning of Hanuman's tail and the role Sita played in that lila. If memory serves, parts of these parables relay encoded information about vedic astrology. There may be some mythopoetic truth in this poetic myth, even if it's upsetting. Even if it burns us!
I'll be at the alembic this weekend, hopefully I'll see you in the hallways.
Thanks for that tip. I only read the first of those Svaboda books, it might be time to return! I hadnt thought about the astrological angle but it makes a lot of sense, as does the deeper symbolic import of fire. Hanuman does burn Lanka down with his tail (his tale?)...See you soon!
He has a Swiss Army Knife range of powers, including demon killing. The thing about Hindu demons though is that they arent so inkyblack evil as in Western more Manichaean currents, from Gnosticism to Lord of the Rings. Ravana is more like a mob boss, or a Davos overlord, or a Hollywood producer type.
I love a good Repo Man reference. It's the lattice of coincidence!
“Did you eat a lot of acid Miller? Back in the hippie days.”
A key moment in Cali film histoyr. Why? Because despite appearances, punk was also (sometimes) acid drenched. See my discussion here, including some Repo Man love: https://www.burningshore.com/p/ask-dr-d-9
Thanks! Must have missed this one when it was published: "psychedelics re-entered as an engine of irrationality, nihilism, and ontological anarchy." Interesting contrast to the current medicalization paradigm.
Excellent overview. Both the subject and vantage point of Fig. 1, compels me to seek some resonance between Hanuman and Paul Bunyan, often depicted in the same heroic pose. A synchronicity too far?
I have already gotten a couple of emails about additional synchronicities triggered by this piece. One person was at a workshop where one participants birthday was being celebrated by sending him photos and stories about his ishvara, who was of course Hanuman. Another person had just finished reading an article about Modi and Ayodhya. It just doesnt stop....I guess this makes Babe the Blue Ox the blue Shiva's bull Nandi....
Totally!
I came to read this by way of spending my morning thinking about combining logical and analogical ways of thinking (and also Aristotle), posting on Twitter about that, seeing you liking another recent post on Twitter about that (Aristotle and Ian McGilchrist), and backtracking in your Substack to this post with book magic because that's generally one of my favorite subjects. I've had one significant PKD (and also, oddly, Aristotle) book magic moment regarding his unwritten book The Owl in Daylight. I thought I might describe that synchronicity in a comment here, but when I went to look the book up today to refresh my memory, the first thing I noticed was that Dick described his goal with it as, according to Wikipedia, "using an interpretation of Joachim de Fiore, where he believed that one age of humanity used the left side of the brain, another the right, and the future would combine the two leading to a greater understanding of what is real." PKD book magic strikes again!
I love it Laura! But please, don't feel that this exhausts the magic. I am curious about your original Owl in Daylight synchro. I talk a lot more about PKD and magic book encounters in this earlier edition of Burning Shore: https://www.burningshore.com/p/ask-dr-d-7
I moved next to Mount Madonna in 1996, and both my kids went to school there. I adored Buck's rendition... I read it to my son and gave it to my daughter to read. They were both involved in the Ramayana theater--which is what got me to move there in the first place. My son had some psychic events, where he "saw" the actual beings in the Ramayana. Anyway, it's nice to read your write-up, thanks. I brought back so much of my history...
So great to hear this. It did seem like a great place for kids, and now I hope to attend one of the Ramayana theater pieces. What a great way to keep the story alive. As for your son's vision, that's one thing I learned about Hanuman: that he is still alive, somewhere on the earth, cruising around until the end of days.
My son saw *all* the actors in their original form! That explains why Ramayana was so powerful in the Mount Madonna production. And yes, Hanuman is alive! The temple at Mount Madonna is so filled with Hanuman...
I love it! Lucky fella. I hope it has stayed with him!
I love the Buck version, i always sort of thought it read like the Hobbit.
Svoboda's Aghora 3: Law of Karma has some interesting thoughts about the various burning in the Ramayana. It's been forever since I read it, but I do think that he focuses mostly on the burning of Hanuman's tail and the role Sita played in that lila. If memory serves, parts of these parables relay encoded information about vedic astrology. There may be some mythopoetic truth in this poetic myth, even if it's upsetting. Even if it burns us!
I'll be at the alembic this weekend, hopefully I'll see you in the hallways.
Thanks for that tip. I only read the first of those Svaboda books, it might be time to return! I hadnt thought about the astrological angle but it makes a lot of sense, as does the deeper symbolic import of fire. Hanuman does burn Lanka down with his tail (his tale?)...See you soon!
He has a Swiss Army Knife range of powers, including demon killing. The thing about Hindu demons though is that they arent so inkyblack evil as in Western more Manichaean currents, from Gnosticism to Lord of the Rings. Ravana is more like a mob boss, or a Davos overlord, or a Hollywood producer type.