William Dudley Pelley, International Fascism & Sirius

[dada]

When the ancients first observed Sirius emerging as it were from the sun, so as to become visible to the naked eye, they usually sacrificed a Brown Dog to appease its rage, considering that this Star was the cause of the hot sultry weather usually experienced at its appearance; and they would seem to have believed its power of heat, conjoined with that of the sun, to have been so excessive, that on the morning of its first rising the Sea boiled, the Wine turned sour, Dogs grew mad, and all other creatures became languid ; causing to man, among other diseases, burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies.

–Clavis Calendaria: or, A Compendious Analysis Of the Calendar –John Henry Brady, 1813

I wonder if we might consider that the ancients were not stupid, 'primitive' fools. They well understood the difference between outer symbol and inner essence.

A star in the sky was not worshiped by the intelligent, it was a symbol. "Sirius rising from the sun so as to be visible to the naked eye" was simply a poetic analogue for an inner state. Symbol of the journey of the light within. The sacrificed brown dog, inside. The hot, sultry weather, inside. The excessive heat of light upon light, liight conjoined with light, light multiplied by light, inside. On this inner morning, which is always first, and always rising, the sea of emotions boil because the heart opens, pouring out inner tears of uncontrollable love and joy. The wine turns sour to the taste, because the taste is transformed, not the wine.

The dogs that grow mad, other creatures tame, inside. Diseases and fevers, hysteria and frenzy, symbolic. Thoughts and emotions being purified in the light.

Those who think the ancients worshiped a literal star are like lost, disoriented travelers groping in the dark. And they write entire books on this stuff. Those who do, or have worshiped a literal star in Sirius, are looking for something light years away that is inside themselves. This confusion would be funny if it wasn't so sad.

Do you believe me? Even Robert Anton Wilson missed this point. He was so smart, though. How could he be wrong, about anything?

Maybe don't take my word for it, or Bob, or John Brady, or any author of a book or a blog. Look inside and be honest with yourself.

It's like this. You can keep playing games with yourself, or you can stop. That is all. End of line.

[American Dream]

I wonder if we might consider that the ancients were not stupid, 'primitive' fools. They well understood the difference between outer symbol and inner essence.

My reading of the author is that they were steeped in Enlightenment values and wanted to get past the old superstitions. A lot has happened in the last 200 years however. I mostly cited him for the earlier claims that "the Sea boiled, the Wine turned sour, Dogs grew mad, and all other creatures became languid ; causing to man, among other diseases, burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies". Go back another couple of centuries and most of the quotes on this topic are thoroughly steeped in the mythic.

Those who think the ancients worshiped a literal star are like lost, disoriented travelers groping in the dark. And they write entire books on this stuff. Those who do, or have worshiped a literal star in Sirius, are looking for something light years away that is inside themselves. This confusion would be funny if it wasn't so sad.

Do you believe me? Even Robert Anton Wilson missed this point. He was so smart, though. How could he be wrong, about anything?

Here, I really, really agree. R.A.W. was smart but he could he be wrong, about anything. Some of it could have even been deliberate...

[American Dream]

Fear and Loathing in St. Petersburg Part III



St. Petersburg certainly seems to have attracted a curious mix of far right zealots and underworld figures in the postwar years, a group that includes Anastase Vonsiatsky, Santo Trafficante, Pierre Lafitte, Oren Potito and likely George Hunter White and even Kerry Thornley. But there was one other highly curious figure lurking in St. Petersburg around this time as well, a figure possessing legendary status within conspiracy circles:

James Shelby Downard.

For the uninitiated, Downard is the author (along with the highly controversial Michael A. Hoffman II) of the notorious "King Kill 33" essay that has so infested popular culture. Downard's life and legacy is highly controversial, with much debate circulating around his very existence. He is generally credited with discovering the modern conception of "twilight language" and the closely related "synchro-mysticism."



In point of fact, the first national exposure Downard received came via a tape recording known as 'Sirius Rising' that Fortean researcher William Grimstad dispatched to Kerry Thornley's friend Robert Anton Wilson from St. Petersburg in the mid-1970s. Wilson went on to recount this incident in his classic The Cosmic Trigger Volume I: Final Secrets of the Illuminati:

"As soon as Illuminatus was published in September 1975, people started sending me letters about weird 23's in their own lives... The most interesting of these communications came from an English flying saucer journal, Fortean News, and was forwarded by a Mr. W.N. Grimstad of St. Petersburg, Florida. The context concerns some mediumistic Contactees...

"Mr. W.N. Grimstad, who sent me that clipping about Lear-23-666-333, mentioned in an accompanying letter that Florida anti-Illuminati groups (I assume he means Birchers) are spreading the theory that Illuminatus is a diabolical attempt to confuse the anti-Illuminati forces and that Shea and I are actually high-ranking Illuminati ourselves...

"Later, Mr. Grimstad send me a tape, entitled 'Sirius Rising,' in which he and another conspiracy buff named Downard set forth the most absurd, the most incredible, the most ridiculous Illuminati theory of them all. The only trouble is that, after the weird data that we have already survey, the Grimstad-Downard theory may not sound totally unbelievable to us.

"According to 'Sirius Rising,' the Illuminati are preparing Earth, in an occult manner, for extraterrestrial contact...

"If you want to hear more of the Downard-Grimstad numerological evidence, write to W.N. Grimstad at P.O. Box 14150, St. Petersburg, Florida, and asked how much he wants for the tapes. (He sent me mine free, evidently hope and I would publicize them. See how obliging I am, Mr. Grimstad?) "

(The Cosmic Trigger Volume I, Robert Anton Wilson, pgs. 167-169)

William Grimstad (left)
and Michael A. Hoffman II (right)

http://visupview.blogspot.com/2015/03/f ... rt_28.html

[dada]

I imagine Bob must have at least given this perspective some consideration, smart cookie that he was. But did he know, and not tell? If he did, it wasn't for nefarious reasons, of that I can be certain. He'd have done it for reasons of entertainment. Nothing wrong with that, many writers consider that their most important role. Making it entertaining for the reader. But it is also entirely possible that he missed what was right there under his nose. Happens to the best of us.

I've posted this next bit somewhere around here before, but it fits so well with the post above this one, that I'm posting it here:

Howard Scott Warshaw, - Atari programmer of Yars' Revenge, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. - has a joke theory, that there will be an alien invasion at some time in the near future. In this theory, the aliens have sent a team ahead of the invasion to help condition planet Earth to welcome the aliens as friends when they get here. He has said many times in interviews that he thinks Spielberg, with his Hollywood blockbusters about benevolent and friendly aliens, is himself a part of this advance alien pr team. Here's Howard:

"I told him I thought he was part of an alien advance team that was preparing Earth to receive visitors. I figured the aliens would send an advance team to make people on this planet more receptive to aliens by creating alien-positive media and disseminating it all over the planet. Spielberg was the production end of it and the marketing dudes made sure Close Encounters and E.T. got seen in every country and in every language on the planet. He liked that so much that he told a gaming magazine about it and they called me up to get the story. I got quote of the month in the next issue."

After programming Raiders of the Lost Ark, instead of taking a vacation and getting back to conceptualizing Yar's Revenge 2, an alien-killing game, Howard was enticed into programming the E.T. game. Spielberg himself supposedly asked for Howard to work on it personally. Atari had purchased the licensing rights to E.T., and decided five weeks was enough time to produce the game, ostensibly to have it on shelves by the holiday season. Even though most games on the Atari VCS did not take less than five months to program. Howard did the best he could in the time given, though the game "did not do as well as anticipated," as anyone familiar with these things is aware of.

I would argue that the standard narrative to be found in the endless books and articles on the subject of the E.T. game cartridge, that it was a simple case of overzealous corporate enthusiasm, "let's rush any old thing out before the Christmas rush" is a bit thin, a weak argument swallowed whole cloth and parroted by dull-witted, unthinking "video game historians." Can you imagine, there are people who call themselves that, like it's something to be proud of? Don't they hear the words coming out of their own mouths? But that is another discussion for another time.

At the 5th Philly Classic Gaming Expo, Howard made an interesting point. "Atari negotiated a deal to pay Spielberg $22 million for the rights to E.T., which was most of the profits they could hope to make from the cartridge if they sold all of the 4 million that they printed in the first place. Which they didn't, as you all well know."

They ended up paying Spielberg $17 million, and he sued for the other five million. As HSW says, "It's unbelievable to me, some of the machinations that went on there."

[American Dream]

I don't have the slightest problem with floating ideas about friendly/wise "aliens"- surely that is valid. Pumping up the OTO Caliphate seems much more dubious but could be a sincere mistake. The constant pointing towards right wing conspiracy traditions- while often presented as ironic- does point to a lack of what I would call "good politics".

It's regrettable that neither R.A.W. (nor Terrence McKenna)- smart cookies that they were- didn't have more to say about ARTICHOKE/MKULTRA. It's too relevant to the psychedelic thing to miss.

[elfismiles]

Fear and Loathing in St. Petersburg Part III
<snip>

James Shelby Downard.
<snip>

<snip>
"According to 'Sirius Rising,' the Illuminati are preparing Earth, in an occult manner, for extraterrestrial contact...

"If you want to hear more of the Downard-Grimstad numerological evidence, write to W.N. Grimstad at P.O. Box 14150, St. Petersburg, Florida, and asked how much he wants for the tapes. (He sent me mine free, evidently hope and I would publicize them. See how obliging I am, Mr. Grimstad?) "

(The Cosmic Trigger Volume I, Robert Anton Wilson, pgs. 167-169)

William Grimstad (left)
and Michael A. Hoffman II (right)

http://visupview.blogspot.com/2015/03/f ... rt_28.html

I realize the issues here with Grimstad (aka "Jay Brandon") & Hoffman ... perhaps Jeff would object to me including the updated contact / sale info below ... but I recently received a copy of the updated audio material and have begun listening to it.

While I don't endorse the conclusions of Downard and Hoffman, I do find them intriguing and perhaps supported by the claims of Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince in The Stargate Conspiracy: The Truth about Extraterrestrial life and the Mysteries of Ancient Egypt and their research into the alleged historic beliefs of the Synarchist conspirators outlined therein.

Friday, March 30, 2018
Sirius Rising In the Days of Synchromysticism
<snip>


Highly recommended.

Sirius Rising: Mr. Downard and the Synchromystical Boson (© 2018) by Jim Brandon.

A new CD, with a new introduction and new eight-page booklet by Jim Brandon. Contains the original 1974-1975 recordings obtain by Brandon of several interviews with James Shelby Downard.

The titles of the 8 tracks are:
1. Mr. Downard speaks - Jim Brandon updates.
2. The matrix of symbols.
3. 'Voici le temps des assassins' (A. Rimbaud)
4. 23 Skidoo...plus 10.
5. Little Egypt is bigger than ever.
6. Memphis belle to Scarlett Woman of Revelation.
7. Amerika Alkhemika?
8. A spyshop Phoenix.
You will want to secure your copy today, from Jim Brandon personally, before this CD becomes as rare as the previous offering was soon after it appeared 42 years ago.

There are a few different ways you can obtain this CD:

Sirius Rising (2018) is available by USPS from Jim Brandon Media - Post Office Box 6653, Colorado Springs, CO 80934. The cost is $15.00, postpaid.

Checks and money orders (made out to Jim Brandon Media) accepted.

To assist this important material reach interested researchers, I am allowing Jim Brandon Media to utilize my PayPal for those who wish to use credit cards.

My PayPal address is

LColeman [@] maine.rr.com

(remove brackets)

Send $17 to cover the CD, fees, and postpaid. It will be sent to you via first class mail.

Domestic orders only; no international orders accepted at this time. Cash sent at the sender's risk. Please allow two weeks for delivery.



[Disclaimer: This review is an independent critique. I gain no personal fiscal return from the sales of Mr. Brandon's CD. ~ Loren Coleman.]

http://copycateffect.blogspot.com/2018/ ... ising.html

[elfismiles]

I don't have the slightest problem with floating ideas about friendly/wise "aliens"- surely that is valid. Pumping up the OTO Caliphate seems much more dubious but could be a sincere mistake. The constant pointing towards right wing conspiracy traditions- while often presented as ironic- does point to a lack of what I would call "good politics".

It's regrettable that neither R.A.W. (nor Terrence McKenna)- smart cookies that they were- didn't have more to say about ARTICHOKE/MKULTRA. It's too relevant to the psychedelic thing to miss.

Yeah, well they both were averse to "Paranoid Conspiracy Theories" ... except for RAW when utilizing it as fiction or when reporting on the facts of well-documented corruption and covert-ops.

Otherwise they both saw it as ridiculous because of their own personal chaotic neutral tendencies, methinks.

[American Dream]

I should clarify that I'm not claiming that Terrence or R.A.W. (or Grimstad) are "bad"- i really don't know enough to say, even if the radar is always on, scanning the skies for threats. Their relative silence could relate to an involvement with Esalen, for example, not to mention every doper's desire not to get on the shitlist.

Michael A. Hoffman II is another story entirely- I've got no use for him.

[American Dream]

A possible point of connection between Robert Anton Wilson and Michael A. Hoffman II would be through the Caliphate of the Ordo Templi Orientis, where R.A.W. was affiliated with the Berkeley Lodge and Hoffman at least roomed with Tom Lyttle in Geneva N.Y., when Lyttle was acid taster for the East Coast branch affiliated with Herman Slater's Magickal Childe/Warlock Shoppe. That seems like pretty strange company for a self-professed "anti-Masonic" conspiracy interpreter to be keeping but maybe that's just me...

[dada]

not to mention every doper's desire not to get on the shitlist.

And not just any doper's desire to stay off the shitlists, but also any writer aspiring to mainstream publication of their work.

I think it might be useful to remember that the 'Orient' in ordo templi orientis isn't the literal orient, it's an inward orientation. Anyone who is ignorant of this simple fact, or loses sight of it is, well, disoriented! haha

There are good and bad aspects to everything, though. Good and bad are inseparable, an inescapable consequence of the general principle of polarity. Alan Watts liked to paint his Crowley in a positive light, as well. Doesn't make Alan a British agent spreading the satanic gospel, or whatever people want to paint him. Alan was just an entertainer, a 'stand up philosopher.' Bob and Terrence are entertainers, too. Losing sight of this results in disorientation, as well.

Good and bad aspects to everything. Take the swastika, the cross, the crescent moon as examples. Swastika is a holy symbol, also the nazi symbol. Cross is a holy symbol, also the symbol of the inquisition. Crescent moon is the 'an if it harm none...' of the green witch, also the calm, friendly voice that asks you, 'so, what do you think about Allah?' as the raised scimitar hovers over your neck.

I don't think it means that the good is blind to the corruption. By my reasoning, both light and dark cover sight like a veil. It's a simple awareness of this general principle of polarity that avoids disorientation. Fail to accept the general principle, whether by choice or by ignorance, and you're already lost in an endless world of polarity, spiraling down and away into the distance into the golden land/darkworld.

And that's where we're having this discussion, about the merits of entertainers pointing in directions that run parallel to right wing conspiracy theories, or whether these same entertainers did enough to raise awareness about Intelligence hypnosis/psi projects.

My recent thoughts about space aliens. I have a sneaking suspicion that any space-faring alien culture, group or individual that can travel far enough from their point of origin within a time-frame that has any meaning, has to be able to see through the veil of light and darkness. Which means there are no good or bad space aliens, they've got to be transcendent. Understand me clearly here: they may be not good, no, but they can't be bad, either. It just doesn't work that way, in my opinion. Like a natural law built into the universe, you can't make physical contact with other worlds until you transcend the limitation barrier of the light and dark veil of blindness.

And of course this natural law, universal principle is itself a difficult concept to grasp. Impossible to grasp, in fact, in the golden land/darkworld of polarity. Because there's no scientific proof to be seen from within the veil of blindness.

[American Dream]

I am not about to go all Jan Irvin or anything but what if some of the leading lights of counterculture represented sophisticated psyops agenda? Just asking questions, that's all- nothing wrong with questions!

[Wombaticus Rex]

I am not about to go all Jan Irvin or anything but what if some of the leading lights of counterculture represented sophisticated psyops agenda? Just asking questions, that's all- nothing wrong with questions!

Seems like the working assumption here for some time is that most of them were, give or take dozen-page fights about our personal favorites being true Scotsmen. Jan's work raises a hell of a lot of data points to think / re-think about.

Speaking of every doper's desire to appease the secret police, didn't McKenna basically cop to taking exactly that route into the counterculture at Esalen in the 90's? Something about becoming a consultant for things better left unsaid, then being pushed into public relations. It was a very curious glimpse. In his own work he's talked a lot about smuggling drugs and getting into a fair amount of trouble for it, too.

All of it is exceptionally questionable. Just guys like Gordan Wasson, Al Hubbard, George White -- any one of those men alone defies belief! That Visup cat has unearthed a great deal on that front. I am still catching up on that site.

[Agent Orange Cooper]

Speaking of every doper's desire to appease the secret police, didn't McKenna basically cop to taking exactly that route into the counterculture at Esalen in the 90's? Something about becoming a consultant for things better left unsaid, then being pushed into public relations.

No, he told a joke that he had been recruited by the mushroom in hyperspace and moved into public relations for its hyperdimensional agenda. People laughed. Then several decades later Jan Irvin, lacking a funny bone, took it out of context and turned it into fodder for his gullible flock to eat up.

[American Dream]

Jan Irvin had some serious claims against Terrence but never quite came through with the smoking gun, as best I can recall. Tim Leary? He strikes me as a believer but a pragmatic one who would accept tons of help from the "liberal CIA". Alan Watts? Loved his wine, women and houseboat but saw the Clearlight moving all around him. Bad egg? Maybe only to some of the women closest to him. Al Hubbard? Definitely spooky but serving which masters? George White? Spooky and sociopathic. Gordon Wasson? Clearly working for the CIA and a banker but maybe also a geeky dude who found a job that fit his interests?

So I give lots of people the middle ground but- and I know this is heresy in some quarters- but I seriously do wonder if R.A.W. and Hoffman, represent a seriously sophisticated psyops agenda. Can I prove it? No, but I can wonder just the same.

I am not about to go all Jan Irvin or anything but what if some of the leading lights of counterculture represented sophisticated psyops agenda? Just asking questions, that's all- nothing wrong with questions!

Seems like the working assumption here for some time is that most of them were, give or take dozen-page fights about our personal favorites being true Scotsmen. Jan's work raises a hell of a lot of data points to think / re-think about.

Speaking of every doper's desire to appease the secret police, didn't McKenna basically cop to taking exactly that route into the counterculture at Esalen in the 90's? Something about becoming a consultant for things better left unsaid, then being pushed into public relations. It was a very curious glimpse. In his own work he's talked a lot about smuggling drugs and getting into a fair amount of trouble for it, too.

All of it is exceptionally questionable. Just guys like Gordan Wasson, Al Hubbard, George White -- any one of those men alone defies belief! That Visup cat has unearthed a great deal on that front. I am still catching up on that site.

[dada]

Strangely, for all my interest in these matters in the past, I've always had a natural aversion to McKenna, never bothered to familiarize myself with his work. I figure that was just my nine inner angels steering me away from a place I didn't need to go.

I'll answer the question with another question; And what if they did represent a sophisticated psyops agenda? Putting a big question mark on it. A big "so what?"

You know, questions, questions. Conspiracy to control your mind or conspiracy to make you happy, and is there a difference. Is it manipulative to introduce to you the subversive idea that your world view depends on your world view, which depends on your world view, Hagbardian logic.

Good questions, all good questions. To what end, though? I think it's giving any of these cats way too much credit to assume they had any idea what they were up to in the long run, whatever the short term agenda or agendas. Because where are we now? New game world. Leary's sacrament is a novelty item, whether he had something to do with that or it was in spite of him, does it even matter in the new game world.