July 13, 2023

    I've been slowly making my way through a history book by Jackson Lears Animal Spirits. He described some well known authors, preachers, controversial charlatan figure, philosophers, economics writers etc. who have describes the spirits and sometimes unseen forces of nature that somehow we can capture and use for our human ends. He goes into some of the folklore of the native American tribes in which a kinship and respect is practiced with wolves, deer, buffalo, etc. The interaction between the unseen animal and other spirits and energies and human interactions include attempts to morally guide us to be better people and are utilized to attempts healing and cures for various ailments. Commercial charlatan such as Mesmer are described with the sexualization of the energy now described as electricity and other physically interactive forces that the purveyor can harness. 

     As I write I am only 100 pages into this book but am motivated to puzzle and understand the somewhat dense writing since the subject of our involvement with the spiritual and unseen forces of nature captivate our imagination and involve us in spiritual like pursuits and beliefs that are sometimes beautiful and attempt to bring us closer to nature and the beyond. On the other hand, these same human pursuits into the animal spiritual realm lead us astray and cause harm and even death to many who are believed to be evil (witches, sorcerers, blasphemers, and devil and wiccan worshipers). I have written about this subject in the past but revisit it since our human imagination strives to believe in unseen forces, spiritual forces that influence our lives, and even the ability to influence these forces for gain, good, and evil. 

    The problem in studying these phenomenon such as clairvoyance, hypnotic energy manipulations, mind control, levitation, and health cure fads is that the promise of harnessing unseen powerful spiritual energy is captivating to some so that proof of their existence no longer matters since now it become an issue of belief. The unmasking of charlatans and magicians who report special powers is ongoing with many examples from Mesmer, to falsifying fossil remains, to falsifying scientific data, to bending of metal spoons, knives and the like. Some of the magicians who are in the entertainment industry have shared their secrets on how they accomplish the seemingly impossible. Hypnotist in large audience group setting have show great popularity and have accomplished large numbers of followers to believe that they can read their minds, travel to distant locations with their minds, over hear conversations miles and even continents away, have lived past lives, etc. Stanford University had a group of researcher into parapsychology. Some of the reported adepts who were believed to have special abilities to use unseen psychic energy to influence objects (psychokinetic's) were trained by a researcher and magician who was able to have them as adepts in the studies unbeknownst to the researchers at Stanford. The reported adepts were well trained in subterfuge and achieved their goal of fooling the researchers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parapsychology_research_at_SRI  

    In order for us to have some order in our lives we need to have the ability to own and use what we own, live comfortably in our homes, drive safely on our streets, interact with each other and providers of services so a moneyed exchange can buy objects that have certain warranties and safety inspections and govern providers of services with obligations and behaviors so we get the job done safely and without hassle. To accomplish this we live in a governed society of laws, rules, requirements, and strict guidelines for proposed construction projects, manufacturing rules and regulations, and financial laws attempting to prevent fraud etc. These rules, guidelines, and laws are at times broken, not followed, or sidestepped so we have a legal system to adjudicate and determine rights and guidelines. If you're a person who is very influenced by the animal spiritual forces that you believe you can participate in these social structures of laws, guidelines, inspections, agreements, and adjudications may not mean as much to you since your life is now in the unseen world of forces not influenced by objective reality. This brings me to remember a client of a financial planner I know a Millerites. The married couple believe that they may be plucked into heaven at any time so their worldly wealth (probably considerable) needs to be left to their progeny and the financial planning need to be handled by a non believer such as this financial planner since he will not be plucked. What if you believe that you don't need to plan to conform to the societal rules, laws and regulations? Trump like reasoning come to play. A group of right wing congress elected representatives are using our rules, regulations, laws and guidelines to disparage opponents, delay needed legislation and appointments such as military commanders, disparage and attempt to threaten the FBI and the Attorney General office who are pursuing investigations and judicial moves to charge Trump and other associate's with crimes. To them the rules and regulations don't matter what matters is that they subvert the democratic processes so that they gain control over governing the country. Some of them have openly endorsed the belief that the white Caucasian Christian way of life is being threatened by democracy that attempts to ensure equality for all. This belief system and Trump like reasoning which simply stated is I'm right and you're wrong has a spiritual component to it which drives large groups to give up their rational assessments in favor of these dystopian Machiavelli group efforts.

    What's up with me. I turned eighty four July 11th. I was completely surprised when the private dinner that my wife promised me at a local restaurant turned into a surprise party of a dozen people. The surprised smile on my face and the delighted greeting from family and friends was a loving greeting.  I'm hiking with some more stamina due to some weight loss though I need to stop periodically going uphill to bring my heart beat down. Yesterday I even managed to get somewhat lost  so I eventually stopped five miles away from my car so my wife picked me up to drive me back to my car. So I have adventures. I find spirit and unseen forces when I play some pieces on the piano, walk on my hikes, view art, read literature, etc. All these activities are present because we have the societal structure to allow me to become educated, practice an interesting profession, and enjoy my life in retirement. Yet I'm well aware that my fortune is not shared with many others in the United States and elsewhere so that poverty, subsistence struggles, health concerns, lawlessness, and depression with loss of will power are an unfortunate reality for many. The pursuit of spirituality for power goals does not solve these problems. The spiritual pursuits that have moral positive goals on the other hand is worth pursuing. Religious enthusiasms can lead to oppression, control, and blinders on aspects of reality that are cruel and inhumane. Wars in the past and present are being carried out because of these religious enthusiasm in countries that support these approaches. On the other hand, I appreciate religious practices and guidelines that have enhanced our living and provided us with moral guidelines that are good for human kind and our planet. 

    Unfortunately, one can say that the choice is yours to follow the spiritual path of enlightenment and moral guidelines for better behaviors or to follow the religious path of oppression and blinders on reality. I can not agree that the choice is yours. Have you read Barbara Kingsolver blockbuster book The Poisonwood Bible?  She describes so well how a domineering overbearing minister father can oppress the family system and lead to either conformity or rebellion and ostracism. The missionary zeal of the father is portrayed with the resulting negation of the local customs and beliefs in the countries the minister has brought his family. There has been much research into how prejudice, creed exclusion, rejection of non believers and bad governance have influenced our institutions to discriminate and exclude while denying these influences. In another example, do you believe that we human activity have caused climate change and a dramatic worsening of our environment for biological life? If you're in the camp that doubts the real changes I've mentioned then your spiritual leanings may have captured irrational reasoning so you're more believing in magic and spiritual processes that make it impossible for you to have rational reasoning. To me to argue that the scientific data overwhelmingly show that our human activities is making our planet inhospitable for living is reality based and to deny this is demonstrating illogical thinking.  

    So that bold statement aside how is it that one can accept another person's or group's declarations and efforts to take away your rights and privileges and even bully you into accepting propaganda and distorted views that benefit them but not you? Here's where personality functioning come to play. Myers Briggs personality typology factors personality into 16 categories. Other methods to understand ones personality deserve our attention and maybe a separate blog. Let's imagine a bully saying they want an associate to accede to an unreasonable request. Those more introverted or worried that not acceding may lead to the associate becoming obnoxious and rejecting may not stand up and defend their prerogatives but accede to the bully rationalizing this decision as preventing conflict. In our politically fractious environment this type of response may undermine our democracy. Do you think that our Supreme Court justices should accept gifts and associated with billionaires who may have issues that the court may address? Given this bold question many may answer no this is wrong, they should abide by ethical standards against this practice. However, what if you feel some affinity for the groups in the court that endorse a conservative decision making that supports restrictions of basic rights for all people and support to rights of more conservative groups and you're asked this question? You may think the justices that accept the relationships and gifts should stop this practice but on the other hand you like their decisions. Ostrich living can be a pain in the neck!    

https://images.app.goo.gl/udj4baCr8h2GiRaaA

So I'll leave now with some writing of John Donne.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Donne

This God the Heav'n created, this the earth,

Matter informed and void: darkness profound

Covered th' abyss: but on the wat'ry calm

His brooding wings the spirit of God outspread,

And vital virtue infused, and vital warmth

Throughout the fluid mass, but downward purged

The black tartareous cold infronal dregs

Adverse to life...

(page 51 Animal Spirits Jackson Lears 2021)

Leonard