Friday 28 October 2011

Hit or Myth?

Today the first of the predictions for the end of the Mayan Calendar comes to fruition with the arrival of 13 Ahau, the end of all the Seventh Days and the end of the ninth and final Universal Underworld, according to the system promoted by Swedish scientist Carl Johan Calleman. Calleman has never claimed that any great Earth shifts are due to occur, no pole shifts, seismic quakes or astronomical alignments, but has been focused on the transformation of consciousness that this date supposedly marks, an end to duality and the start of a Unity consciousness for this planet, the fulfillment of the evolutionary plan for all of creation.
'Beginning with the Big Bang he believes creation has continued through a series of waves, each one a factor of 20 times shorter in duration than the one preceding it. Each wave has driven the structure of the universe to a higher level. The first wave drove the creation of physical matter, the second living cells, the third multicellular life, the fourth organisms living in family groups, the fifth, saw humans in tribal groups, and the sixth in national groups. The seventh wave encompasses human awareness of the whole planet, and the eighth awareness of our place in the galactic structure. The final wave, the ninth and shortest of all, began on 8 March 2011 and will complete along with all the others on 28 October 2011, sees awareness of the whole of the cosmos achieved. Rather than the series ending with an Apocalypse he describes it as the completion of the creation process of the Universe. The way will then be open to the full realisation of conciousness at its highest level which he terms "Unity conciousness".' Wikipedia
This would be rather like the stepping up in activity of the corpus callosum tract of fibres between the two hemispheres of our brains, facilitating an increase in the communication between the rational and creative areas of our cognitive abilities. Translated into global political terms this would mark the coming together of the collectivism of the East and the individualism of the West into a more co-operative synthesis of the two. Calleman's basic answer to the question of what will happen on or after this date would be 'that the universe attains its highest quantum state and creates a new stage for life'.

 CJC - 'I see three possible alternatives that may follow after the universe has attained its highest state: The first, and most dramatic alternative, is that all waves - as well as the tzolkin cycle - come to an end. This would likely mean an abrupt end to all future energetic regulation of our lives and actions and a sort of freedom shock. Life would be lived fully moment by moment by moment and each moment would be an eternity that would not be organically linked to other moments. The second alternative, which I am currently leaning towards, is that the waves end, after having accomplished their evolutionary purposes, but the tzolkin continues to provide some energetic background variation. This would still mean living moment by moment without any waves directing our evolution, but a daily variation of tzolkin energies could prevent us from experiencing life as completely timeless. The third alternative is that not only the tzolkin, but also the nine creation waves (Underworlds) continue indefinitely and the total of peaks and valleys not limited to thirteen. This would still mean that we would no longer be subordinated to directed processes going from seed to mature fruit, but it would not mean that life would be like an eternal now. Rather, all the waves that are currently driving our evolution would continue after the attainment of unity consciousness, but really without any end.
 ~~~
Either one of them would mean the end to directed evolution and the freedom to just be. Maybe it is because they hear this call from the “future” that, despite the concurrent presence of some negative omens at the current time, I find a noticeable group of people who at this very time are coming home to themselves and are truly beginning to appreciate life exactly the way it is. Maybe after all there is a shift to unity consciousness going on and that the universe is now starting to allow us to just be whatever we are.'
 So must Carl now bow out from public view with as much dignity as he can, or will all/something of the story he has supported come to pass? Will he be just the first of those prophets who will be looking for new memes to propagate after 2011 and 2012 come to pass and if no discernible change happens? Are all these predictions a load of bollocks...? Of course the process may not be noticeable at first, merely the start of a gradual one, and everybody has a duty to bring what they really want into their own lives, not simply to rely on external forces.
 Time, if there is any more to be had of it, will tell us.

Tuesday 25 October 2011

From the Top Drawer XXVI - Vane


As promised a while ago on this post, here is a rare live set from the band Vane which takes us back almost 30 years to Bonfire Night 5th November 1981, and to that well-known rock arena, the YMCA in Chelmsford, Essex (!) Please go back to that previous Vane post for a little more info on the band, but here I'm going to borrow from keyboard player Paul Chousmer's 2000 interview with Aural Innovations for his insights.
Vane - formed in Chelmsford, Essex 1981-3. We released two singles on Island. (You can get them HERE - thanks to the uploader)


DS: I've never heard either Vane or Ring of Roses before. What was their music like?
PC: Oh it was such a long time ago... Vane was primarily psychedelic, but remember this was the early eighties so we had just come out of the punk revolution here and were fishing about with Goth and New Romantic styles. We were very much into electric sounds and effects. So imagine if you can: we were fronted by James Vain, 6'4" tall, skinny as a rake, loads of make-up, electric coloured hair (he was influenced a lot by Bowie's transformations - but dissolute as Lou Reed!), low lights, big bass, electronic noises all over the place - can you picture this? Very much a precursor to what Webcore got up to. A little less danceable, but much better looking! The band got fairly well known around the seedier underground scene in London. Great fun and fond memories.


I would add - great live set from a band who really should have been huge if there was any justice, blah blah etc. No doubt of their time (early 1980s) but a-head of it as well.
An intoxicating Bonfire Night brew of edgy psychedelia with gothic overtones, imaginative lyrics/inventive playing, heady progressiveness...

 James Vain (Vane) - Vox / Phil Pickering - Bass / Clive Roberts - Guitar / 
Colin Woolway - Drums / Paul Chousmer - Keyboards 

Ripped @320kbps in two parts from a cassette of xxx origin, sounds like a very good soundboard recording.

Part One: Soldier / Moods, Dreams / Mannequin Party / Glad Again / Wake Me / Reality Of Fiction / One Too
Part Two: (unknown) / God Likes Us / Man, You Know / + Shadow Of Wrythe (Zig Zag Club, London W11, 16th April 1982)

Get it HERE

(Thanks to the Chelmsford Wild Youth Facebook page for borrowed photos)

Thursday 13 October 2011

From the Top Drawer XXV - Uncle Ian


I know little about this band other than having seen them play once at the old Club Dog when it was held in Wood Green, North London, many moons ago and I must have been sufficiently impressed to buy this 1986 tape 'Going Ape In The Optics Factory' afterwards.
So the info here will be a cut-and-paste job...


From their MySpace page -
'Mark Francombe ex-guitarist with "Cranes" says: UNCLE IAN was my second EVER band. We started at school and were named after a hated geography teacher who we nicked-named Uncle Ian. It was basically always myself and Nick Elborough. It started as a joke, mucking about with tape recorders and old electric organs. We built odd circuits, and bits of synths, and at one stage had amassed quite an impressive array of analog oddities and modified er... things. (continued below)


After a while we started to incorporate video, often using snips and cuts from horror films, we became a kind of multimedia trash kitch thing. Although we recorded almost everything we did (badly) we never released much, mainly because we never wanted it to become too serious, cos were maybe afraid that that would kill the fun.'


(This is the only tape I have that features three sides...)
As usual ripped from an original cassette @320kbps as two side-long tracks.
Please scrutinize the tape artwork for track listings and re-assemble to taste.

Download it HERE

Click on artwork for larger version


Two tracks from the infamous Hornpipe gig in Portsmouth on November the 9th, 1984.

Monday 10 October 2011

Lead Into Gold...?

Joseph Wright of Derby: The Alchemist in Search 
of the Philosophers Stone, 1771

If you've ever spent any time wondering what the archaic art of alchemy was all about, just what was meant by terms such as the 'Philosopher's Stone' and the suggestion that practioners could turn base metal into gold whilst simultaneously hinting at an occult transformation of the Spirit and the Body, you now have the opportunity to unravel these mysteries yourself and follow in the footsteps of the old masters.

This is the claim of an anonymous writer who has put together a freely downloadable e-book which distills the essence of the Hermetic Art, quotes from the old texts and breaks open the coded language and symbolism.

It's called 'The Book Of Aquarius' and you can get it from HERE
Alchemy and the Philosophers' Stone are real. This is not a joke or a scam. This book covers the full theory and practice of alchemy and how to make the Philosophers' Stone, capable of reversing the aging process and curing all disease to the effect that one could live forever. This is an ancient secret which has never before been publicly released. Please read the book before making any judgement on it; this world is not what it seems to be. The Book of Aquarius is free and public-domain (no copyright). You may copy and distribute the book in any way.
Supposedly once one has acquired the necessary equipment (not expensive), the refinement process to procure the 'Elixir Of Life' takes possibly between 18 months and 3 years. The one ingredient (the prima materia) needed may surprise many, but once you read the old texts it becomes obvious what is being referred to. There's also a forum linked from the download page where you can share info with your fellow questers and the author himself to compare notes.

Jay Weidner writes about the possibilities here -
The Golden Age Has Begun