Welcome once again to another update from the occasional existence of moonshadow!
First things first, my favourite song at the moment is Knights of Cydonia by Muse
Meanwhile, today's news is that our intrepid explorer recently spent a week wandering about in the rain-drenched land of Devon. Highlights included going on a wildlife walk around a place called Berry Head with English Nature. Berry Head was the site of a large fort, which was built as part of the coastal defenses back in the days when Britain was engaging in a spot of rivalry with France. Nowadays the site is home to some really cute goats and a number of rare plants. Apparently the presence of rare plants is due to the Iberian limestone of which the site is composed. Anyway, I had so much fun that I even bought myself a pack of playing cards illustrated with pictures of wild plants (yes, I'm a sad git). While visiting nearby Brixham I was surprised by the abundance of pirate flags displayed in virtually every shop window. Of course its well known that Devon & Cornwall produced many of the nation's pirates, smugglers and wreckers (although the most famous pirate of them all, the dreaded pirate Blackbeard, a man of such terrible countenance that even Jack Sparrow would be a quaking in his boots were he to meet him, was in fact born further north in Bristol) but I suspect that the popularity Pirates of the Caribbean films may have encouraged local retailers to 'big up' the region's pirate past. I also learned about the Masonic symbols in one of the local churches; St Mary's Church (built in the 11th century and then rebuilt in the 14th century making it one of the oldest churches in Britain). Muah ha ha!!! Actually a lot of older churches do have interesting symbols carved in or on them (the green man, the sheela-na-gig, gargoyles, two-headed dudes, strange composite beasts and imps etc) but the symbols in St. Mary's are more abstract. According to the local museum they are marks made by a Master Mason, a Journeyman Mason etc (not that I have any idea what those titles mean now let alone what they would have meant in the 14th Century).
Oddly enough, I've recently found myself sticking up for the freemasons. I'm not a mason myself, but I've noticed that on YouTube people keep posting videos about "satanic, masonic, illuminist etc" conspiracies featuring 'explanations' of the 'true meanings' behind a variety of symbols (corporate logos, the eye in the pyramid on the dollar bill etc).
Often these explanations involve attributing a pagan origin to a symbol, pointing out that something that looks like it is present in some particular corporate logo and then leaping up and saying "See, see, its evidence of a satanic conspiracy!!!"
The thing that annoys me about this is that the people who say this sort of thing tend to be religious fundamentalists who just mix up paganism, satanism, freemasonry and the fact that from time to time architects, artists and designers have looked to the classical world for inspiration.
Conspiracy theory and religious fundamentalism actually have a natural affinity because conspiracy theory fits nicely with a belief in such things as the imminent fulfillment of the Revelation of John. When blended they produce a cross-fertilisation of ideas that leads to, for example, the notion that the Antichrist has returned and his satanic followers have taken over the world via their insidious masonic global conspiracy, but don't worry because Jesus is a-coming back and he's a-gonna make it all right. Hallelujah!
Just because a pyramid appears in a sculpture or in a logo, it doesn't mean that the organization sporting said logo/sculpture is an illuminati front. It could be that just like 95% of the population of the western world the corporate dudes who chose the logo happen to think that the pyramids are cool.
Ok, I wouldn't entirely rule out the idea that there have been conspiracies of sorts from time to time. I admit that the eye in the pyramid on the dollar bill does arouse my suspicions somewhat and, really, I am not anti-conspiracy theory per se. I just get a bit frustrated when the religious fundamentalist gets involved because many of the symbols that they regard as Satanic happen to be symbols that I regard as sacred. Of cause, were I to try to explain this to them, they would undoubtedly see it as evidence of my involvement in the global satanic, masonic, illuminist etc conspiracy.
For some fun check out this YouTube video which features footage from Bohemian Grove. The Bohemian Grove ceremony looks like it has neo-pagan overtones (on account of the large owl statue) but I suspect that these days the ceremony is just something that the attendees do for a giggle and that it has lost all meaning to them (makes me think of a very watered down version of Charles Dashwood's gang).
It would be easy to watch the Bohemian Grove footage and get scared about conspiracies (especially considering the guest list), but then if its really so sinister and the conspiracy is really s big, how is it that I first saw this footage on UK television? A mighty cabal masterminding a global conspiracy would surely be able to control what gets shown on the tv!!
I don't doubt that a lot of deals get made at Bohemian Grove but that same can probably be said of the average game of golf. Humans at all levels in life spend a whole lot of time networking and gossiping and backstabbing and conniving. It should hardly come as a surprise that politicians do the same.
First things first, my favourite song at the moment is Knights of Cydonia by Muse
Meanwhile, today's news is that our intrepid explorer recently spent a week wandering about in the rain-drenched land of Devon. Highlights included going on a wildlife walk around a place called Berry Head with English Nature. Berry Head was the site of a large fort, which was built as part of the coastal defenses back in the days when Britain was engaging in a spot of rivalry with France. Nowadays the site is home to some really cute goats and a number of rare plants. Apparently the presence of rare plants is due to the Iberian limestone of which the site is composed. Anyway, I had so much fun that I even bought myself a pack of playing cards illustrated with pictures of wild plants (yes, I'm a sad git). While visiting nearby Brixham I was surprised by the abundance of pirate flags displayed in virtually every shop window. Of course its well known that Devon & Cornwall produced many of the nation's pirates, smugglers and wreckers (although the most famous pirate of them all, the dreaded pirate Blackbeard, a man of such terrible countenance that even Jack Sparrow would be a quaking in his boots were he to meet him, was in fact born further north in Bristol) but I suspect that the popularity Pirates of the Caribbean films may have encouraged local retailers to 'big up' the region's pirate past. I also learned about the Masonic symbols in one of the local churches; St Mary's Church (built in the 11th century and then rebuilt in the 14th century making it one of the oldest churches in Britain). Muah ha ha!!! Actually a lot of older churches do have interesting symbols carved in or on them (the green man, the sheela-na-gig, gargoyles, two-headed dudes, strange composite beasts and imps etc) but the symbols in St. Mary's are more abstract. According to the local museum they are marks made by a Master Mason, a Journeyman Mason etc (not that I have any idea what those titles mean now let alone what they would have meant in the 14th Century).
Oddly enough, I've recently found myself sticking up for the freemasons. I'm not a mason myself, but I've noticed that on YouTube people keep posting videos about "satanic, masonic, illuminist etc" conspiracies featuring 'explanations' of the 'true meanings' behind a variety of symbols (corporate logos, the eye in the pyramid on the dollar bill etc).
Often these explanations involve attributing a pagan origin to a symbol, pointing out that something that looks like it is present in some particular corporate logo and then leaping up and saying "See, see, its evidence of a satanic conspiracy!!!"
The thing that annoys me about this is that the people who say this sort of thing tend to be religious fundamentalists who just mix up paganism, satanism, freemasonry and the fact that from time to time architects, artists and designers have looked to the classical world for inspiration.
Conspiracy theory and religious fundamentalism actually have a natural affinity because conspiracy theory fits nicely with a belief in such things as the imminent fulfillment of the Revelation of John. When blended they produce a cross-fertilisation of ideas that leads to, for example, the notion that the Antichrist has returned and his satanic followers have taken over the world via their insidious masonic global conspiracy, but don't worry because Jesus is a-coming back and he's a-gonna make it all right. Hallelujah!
Just because a pyramid appears in a sculpture or in a logo, it doesn't mean that the organization sporting said logo/sculpture is an illuminati front. It could be that just like 95% of the population of the western world the corporate dudes who chose the logo happen to think that the pyramids are cool.
Ok, I wouldn't entirely rule out the idea that there have been conspiracies of sorts from time to time. I admit that the eye in the pyramid on the dollar bill does arouse my suspicions somewhat and, really, I am not anti-conspiracy theory per se. I just get a bit frustrated when the religious fundamentalist gets involved because many of the symbols that they regard as Satanic happen to be symbols that I regard as sacred. Of cause, were I to try to explain this to them, they would undoubtedly see it as evidence of my involvement in the global satanic, masonic, illuminist etc conspiracy.
For some fun check out this YouTube video which features footage from Bohemian Grove. The Bohemian Grove ceremony looks like it has neo-pagan overtones (on account of the large owl statue) but I suspect that these days the ceremony is just something that the attendees do for a giggle and that it has lost all meaning to them (makes me think of a very watered down version of Charles Dashwood's gang).
It would be easy to watch the Bohemian Grove footage and get scared about conspiracies (especially considering the guest list), but then if its really so sinister and the conspiracy is really s big, how is it that I first saw this footage on UK television? A mighty cabal masterminding a global conspiracy would surely be able to control what gets shown on the tv!!
I don't doubt that a lot of deals get made at Bohemian Grove but that same can probably be said of the average game of golf. Humans at all levels in life spend a whole lot of time networking and gossiping and backstabbing and conniving. It should hardly come as a surprise that politicians do the same.
VIEW 22 of 22 COMMENTS
phallen:
Thank you! that will be greatly appreciated. i've wanted to see Pans Labrinth for ages
valeyard:
It helps having a dedicated local group. Otherwise its MMOLRPG for you! 