Unholy Alliance

Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military by Neil deGrasse Tyson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Like it or not astrophysicists and the military are in an unholy alliance. Astrophysicists are generally peace loving people who want to make scientific studies for the sake of knowledge of for liking he sake of helping humanity. Military people want the discoveries to achieve dominance in the arena of battle. No two mentality could be further apart.

Who get the funding? Why of course military spending trumps all. Science experiments get little funding. So if astrophysicists want to carry their project forward it has to be militarily viable. Certain items that get discovered by scientist end up being used by the military. Hence we see the two fields intertwined.

Take for example the telescope. It was used for stargazing at first then later on it was used during the Revolutionary War to spy out enemy troops. The telescope theme grows even further as we use satellite to monitor cosmic phenomena. The military and government now use satellite to monitor people kind of like big brother. The satellite can also be armed with missile or lasers.

The book is long and at times dry but filled with facts. It is a good document examines the history of the military science relationship. Great insight from two great scientific minds.

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Hidden History of the Human Race

Forbidden Archeology: The Hidden History of the Human Race by Michael A. Cremo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Humans may have been on this planet a lot longer then we may have realized. We tend to think that Homo Sapeins have been here at the most 30 thousand years. In reality human existence may stretch back several millions of years. How advanced those societies were is another question. It is. Supposed under this thesis that humans or Homo Sapien Sapiens may have existed alongside aide other humanoid like homo erectus, Neanderthal and cro magnoln

Archaeologist have found evidence of some semi advance human stuff going back. Millions of years to the Pleistocene era. Such items would include human bones, skiulls and handiwork’s . However when scientists bring this up they are often ridiculed by their academic colleagues . Often at the cost of their careers,

The last part of the book discusses cryptozoology . Mentioning other humanoid creatures that might still be out there but hidden. There are areas in Washington state and Canada that have not been thoroughly explored creatures like a big foot might be out there. Supposedly there have been numerous sighting.

The only on this book is the brevity of the audible. I believe this book has many pages and books of this length usually take several more hours to read through on audible. Hope we are not getting the abridged version here. That would Medan the readers are getting cheated.

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Travels to the Underworld

Underworld: Shamanism, Myth, Magick – Vol I by Chris Allaun
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

By Chris Allaun

The underworld the mere mention of it strikes an unpleasant chord in your mind. Death is a subject many of us are not only uncomfortable with but it a concept that we are downright afraid of. fear of the unknown? What happens after we die?

Different cultures have different myths and concepts of life in the here after. Our Judeo Christian thinking gives us the paradigm of heaven and hell. If you are good you go up to the sky to heaven if you are bad you get sent down below to Hell or the underworld. When we say underworld a very unpleasant picture comes to mind.

The underworld is not all doom and gloom. If one explores the mythology of many culture one might find that the underworld has some very beautiful spots. The underworld is also where there is spiritual knowledge. The seeker or shamans in the past have traveled to the Underworld for many purposes. Many times it is done so as to bring back knowledge and healing to the community. Of course with practice you too can travel into the underworld.

Chris Allaun not only includes some great techniques for your journey to the underworld. He also examines the cultural myths of the life after death. Sumerians, Norse, Celtic, Egyptian as well as Native American , mythic stuff was covered here.

Among the techniques discussed are finding your totem animal and your underworld guide. The book is very complete and thorough and perfectly sized. Good job Chris Allaun.

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Jim Morrison the Poet

No One Here Gets Out Alive by Danny Sugerman
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Tour De Force sled ride down a snow covered slope but watch out for the building down below and dont let your older brother trap you. This book is like a bible to me and I have read it at least six times. It also really got me into the Doors even more so then the music. Definitely like the full paper back version over the audible version.

Do you think Jim Morrison is really dead? When his death was reported Elektra executive Bill Simonds only saw a sealed casket and a death certificate. No body was seen and no autopsy was performed. Of course what reason would Jim have to fake his own death?

Jim lived a fast furious life often fueled by alcohol. This book documents many of the exploits to getting drunk at a party and then relieving himself in a crystal chalice or how he seduced a girl in a Hollywood apartment and pulled off her rings. Seems he loved two women rather deeply yet was a philanderer. Jim had a Wiccan wedding with Patricia and he died in Paris with Pamela.

Two legal issues were hanging over Jim’s head. One was what happened in Miami when he challenged the crowd and caused a riot. After they left they charged him with lewd behavior with prison fines and monetary fines. On board a plane he was rowdy with the stewardesses. That got him into trouble.

Jim had a roller coaster ride of a lifetime. He was flamboyant, creative, recklace and wild. The Lizard King always thought himself a poet rather than a rockstar and some times he despised that image. I am sure I will read this one again at least one more time during my life.

I am the Lizard King and I can do anything.

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Sweet Blasphemy

The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Elifa Shafak, British and Turkish writer, made waves when her first novel made mention of the Armenian Genocide. This novel is much different very reconciliatory . The novel is all about love. Love is everything. The 40 rules were composed by the wandering Sufi Dervish, Shams of Tabriz. He was also the one who converted Muslim scholar Rumi to Sufism . The novel also deal with cross cultural relations. Ella Rubinstein the protagonists is a Middle Aged Jewish woman who is unsatisfied with her marriage to her husband dentist. Her friend and confidant is a Scottish gentleman who converted to Sufism.

Feeling the need for a change, Ella decides to take on job of reading republished novels for a publishing company before the books are published . The book she is reading is called “Sweet Blasphemy” The book is a noveliztion of how Rumi and Shams of Tabriz met. Ella is trapped in a loveless marriage . She never though love was important for a marriage but rather other things like stability and responsibility. The marriage seems to work but she is not satisfied. Her husband has numerous affairs. While getting absorbed in the reading she decides to send the author and email. This soon sets off a chain reaction of correspondences.

The story “Sweet Blasphemy “ starts with Shams of Tabriz receiving a dream that he is to find a companion and teach him the 40 rules of love. The dream guides him to Damascus where he stays at a Dervish lodge in Damascus waiting for word of the companion. Within time a letter arrives and Shams of Tabriz goes to Konya to meet Rumi.

The arrival os Shams caused quite an uproar. Dervishes are looked down upon by fundamentalist Muslims as heretics. Shams causes Rumi to change how he interacts with people and who he interacts with. He will cause Rumi. To gain and lose friends. Different parts of. this novel are told. Through different sets of eyes. Some parts are told through the eyes of Shams or Rumi but also Sulaymaniyah the drunk and desert rose the prostitute.

In the end everyone gets set on a different course. The ending will leave you saddened yet hopeful. I myself want to explore Sufism more closely

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An Ancient Evil Arises

The Ceremonies by T.E.D. Klein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Back in the prehistoric times around where the New Jersey forests are today there crashed a meteor with something ominous inside. For aeons it lingered there waiting. Until one day a young boy wonders in there. There is waits perched and waiting. Something happens to boy that day. That was back in around the 1800’s.

Flash forward to modern times, Jeremy Freer is a college professor ,who wants to spend the summer with the Bretheren in the town of Gilead. Gilead is an isolated town in the middle of the New Jersey forest. The Bretheren are a religious group that are much like the Amish. Jeremy rents a room from the Porath family. Things are a little weird at first when he he lives with this family. He being a modern 20th century’s man from New York and the family being part of a religious group that tries to make due with as few modern conveniences as possible. The community has a biblical outlook which many would call quaint.

The other part of the story involves Carol. She is a New York girls who lives a very sheltered life. At one point she wanted to be a nun but she rejects that idea and ends up working in the library . While working at the library she meets a certain Mr. Rosebottom. Rosie as he likes to be called changes her life around by not only paying her but also introducing her to some of the better things in life. It is not a romantic relationship.

She also meets Jeremy as the library. The spark is instant and they hit it off. He meets her at the library and she attends one of his classes. Unfortunately he has arrangements up in Gilead. There are always visitations.

Once Jeremy is there weird things begin happening. Crop failures, infertile chickens and stillborn babies. Sar Porath, owner of the house has a mother that seems to know certain things and she does not have a good feeling about Jeremy and CRol. Jeremy’s twentieth century moral class with the old biblical world view.

Little do they know that Rosie is behind it all. Some ancient evil is about to be awakened.

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The Quest for Biddy Early

In Search of Biddy Early by Eddie Lenihan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Biddy Early was a legend back in her town of Ireland. Born to tenant farmer parents ,Biddy was raised poor and lived in poverty. She born in the middle of the 19th century passing away in 1874.
It was rather a challenge as records were not well kept back then. So the author travelled around the Irish villages where she used to live in hoping to find scraps of legend or perhaps someone old enough who remembers.

Biddy Early would be considered a folk healer or a cunning woman. In her small village if people were sick and needed medical attention they would turn to a folk healer like Biddy Early. Medical doctor’s were expensive and often were not present in small villages. Sometimes people would ask the priest for a blessing. Rumor has it that Biddy Early got her healing abilities from the fairies or the good folk. As the legend goes one of her son or one of her four husbands was a gifted fiddle player. In return for playing a tune Biddy was given the bottle.With that bottle she could see the past present and future. This bottle gave her healing abilities. Now a condition for this bottle was that she should never accept pay for her services. She could accept gifts. She had plenty of whiskey and usually people would come over to her house for a drink.

Often times Biddy Early knee somone was coming even before they arrived on her doorstep. She would know the persons name, details of their journey and what was ailing them. Biddy was known to prepare elixirs and bless bottle of water with explicit instructions on how and when it must be taken. The cure was on,h designed for the recipients and the instructions had to be followed to the tee. At times Biddy could tell the seeker that he would befall certain things on the way over. Were they warning or did they decree it.

Rumor has it that the fairies used to berate her for giving too many healing. Some even say she was a dearie herself. The priests and the superstitious would call her a witch. If she could Biddy would heal people for a small gift. She also healed animals. Animals were valuable back then. A horse spelled the difference between living in a warm home or losing your home. Biddy was called in to heal animals and to get them out of ditches.

The priests and the clergy often used speak out against her. Many a priest had to eat their words as they had to seek her help to heal or rescue the animal. Usually the price would be to leave her alone. Priests back then were very authoritarian and could be mean.

While the details surrounding her death are more clear. Word has it that her mystic bottle is at the bottom of a lake in Kilbarron. People have gone down there to find it but there are so many bottles, none have worked so far. Perhaps the bottle was only meant for her.

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