I need to say something aloud that everyone may already gno. It may even give rise to a palm-face event--to articulate something so thoroughly known. Anyway, here goes:
About two weeks ago I was thinking of the celebrity tarot deck again, I stumbled when I came to The Emperor card. Who could possibly encapsulate Jupiter? At one point in time, I was sure that I would select Marlon Brando to be The God Father. See, Zeus is the father of the gods and their king, but this archetype comes into conflict with the Jovian joy that The Sync Whole is spinning.
Gunslingers deal in lead, we deal in archetypes--but I'm sure that these archetypes reflect back to us the type of species we have been. Last fall when I was reading Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, he suggested that the story of Cain and Able was actually war propaganda by the loosing side that was adopted by the winners. Think about it? Does it make any sense? Well it does if you think that about 10,000 years ago, when "our" people settled down and started farming, they cultivated not only crops but a new way of seeing and experiencing a world. This myth was most recently repeated this past year in Avatar.
The two sons of Adam were Cain, and Abel. Cain farmed. Abel was a nomadic herder. Yet, God favored Abel, and it was Cain that killed Abel. The farmer killed the meat eater? That doesn't make sense. And God looked down upon Cain, the farmer, the founder of our civilization-- going back to all the great early river-valley civilizations where our myths were born. Daniel Quinn suggests that this story was told by the Navi-like hunter gatherers to try and understand why this new group, the Farmers, were moving in and Taking their land. This is the story of civilization too. How many times have we seen the colonizing force conquering an older preexisting civilization because they want the natural resources that said people possessed--either land, minerals, water, spices, oil, etc. . .
For the longest time, I've tried to understand this. Was it capitalism? But this predates capitalism (by thousands of years). Of course Daniel Quinn offers no solutions. The outcome of Ishmael is that all our civilizations are doomed to fail because we don't live in balance with our world--we don't understand that we aren't apart from the world and are actually a part of the whole and what we do effects everything else. . .
And that is one thing that continues to surface. Modernity is finally beginning to understand the interconnectedness of all things. (This will be important later.)
So, as far as I could tell, Daniel Quinn was promoting a return to hunting and gathering, to somehow create a society like that on Pandora. It is great in a story, but really?
Of course this was the "logical" approach to this problem. The next solution that I came to actually offered hope as well as comfort. Within the works of many great thinkers, the solution of mysticism began to surface as the only true solution to the problems of modernity. (The only way to undo the sins of the fathers was through forgiveness. WTF?! No really.)
One of the authors I've been reading, Curtis White, came to this solution as well. He does something that really speaks to my Jungian leanings. He suggests that we need to see and own our portion of the sin, showing that we are all guilty. And this is my favorite line in Lost, when Ben says, "But Michael, we're the good guys." That is the thought that does you in, because you are also the darkness. And your integration is going to require you to face and own your darkness.
Curtis White states in his newest book, that the problems we face arise not from our politics or from capitalism, but from our very hearts. He calls the book, and the idea, The Barbaric Heart. It is the idea, that at our core, we have a willingness to do "whatever it takes" depending upon the situation. Thus the Chinese entrepreneur is celebrated for his high profit margins right up until it is shown that he is using toxic filler in his products and has actually killed people or pets. If maintaining "our way" of life means that we must enter a never-ending war on brown people in a desert then that is "what it takes." If feeding and providing for my family means that I have to "kill" a little nature, then by-God that is what I will do!
I think I came to understand the idea of the barbaric heart best through the movie Monsters Inc. This was a society in peril. There was an energy crisis on, and no matter what they did, they could not extract enough energy under their traditional means to keep up--thus the CEO improvised. What if we captured a child and killed it? Could we get more energy that way? What ever it takes right?
That's the barbaric heart. Whatever it takes. But James P Sullivan put a stop to the barbarism, and created a New World Order--one based on love instead of fear. incredible. He would not do whatever it takes, even at a cost of his own health, status, or admission into the society. He was willing to be exiled. It is such a loaded film. I've written about it here. (-not fully understanding with what I'm contending.)
This monster is your father.
I think this post is getting away from me.
When I come back from getting my daughter from school, let me please talk about the medium being the message. The jupiter mission. The old sacrifice. Who Jupiter was. The Chakra climb?
anyway, see you then. . .
-I'm back.
First let's talk about my understanding of Jupiter which I think of as synonymous with father. Jupiter is the authority. The law giver. The vocal authority. Thus the idea of tin-men, or cops resonating with Jupiter makes total sense. Jupiter is the idea of justice upon which civilization is built. For a long time I blamed him for our problems. I blamed my father, and my father's father, and beyond. I suppose this endeavor was my Jupiter Mission which of course was a father quest. Joseph Campbell notes in The Power of Myth that the father quest "is the adventure of finding what your career is, what your nature is, what your source is."
With that in mind, I've begun thinking lately of The Sync Whole as The Jupiter Mission. Sync has lead us to the father, and in my journey, that is seeing "the father" as he truly is, sins and all. See, Marlon Brando is perfect for The Emperor card. He is Jupiter. His son is the sun, Superman (Apollo). Yet, Marlon Brando also reflects the barbaric heart of our fathers right back at us. Marlon Brando is Kurtz in Apocalypse Now. As Don Corleone, he does what it takes to take care of his family--stealing, violence, killing. . .whatever it takes. Here is an interesting bit about the culture developed by the barbaric heart--it's built upon revenge.
The old religions and the sky gods really reflect this barbaric heart at us. God was kind of a fucker. I mean explain this:
I want to explain the sacrifice of Issac by Abraham slightly metaphorically, but in so doing touching upon the magic of the Jesus revolution. If I also mention the sacrifice of Jake Chambers, Will may nod as well. See, youth is pure, and the purity of one's heart is represented by the innocence of a youthful child. The barbaric heart requires that the father harden his heart, and sacrifice his son--his purity. To do what ever it takes, kills the innocent boy inside. (I think we finally killed MJ in this way, this past summer. But I'm feeling a whole host of 80's deaths looming at us attempting to communicate something, namely that it's time to grow up).
Films like Hook & Big show how important it is to keep the innocent boy alive in one's heart (they are your heart!). It is those who can still play, that revitalize the world. They are flexible enough to bend and dream, and imagine a new tomorrow, today.
Curtis White replaces the barbaric heart with mystical idea of thoughtfulness. That is an awareness of one's action and one's moment which brings us to now. Mindfulness. Luke Skywalker forgave his father. That was the importance of Star Wars. The only way to change the world is to end the cycle of violence and revenge. We don't need super villains begetting super heros begetting super villains begetting. . .
Now let's make this real. As a father are you willing to hit to get control of the situation? Is it ok to spank your son to teach him to respect authority? What about yelling? Is that a good idea? You know we are the monsters, right? The scary things in the movies we watch are metaphors for all the horrible things we do to our kids and to each other. We can stop though. . .
So here is the rub . . . I am Jupiter. My number is 42 42--literally. Knowing that and knowing that everything is interconnected means that my actions have effects upon the world. My failings effect everyone. I don't have to be a 214 god though. I can forgive not only others, but myself as well. It may be all my fault, but I'm new at this. I'm sorry. Give me some time and we'll have a new golden age. promise.
I think this is the ascension. Jesus is my heart, youthful and boyish, and a guide to my sky-god brain. They are the same person. Zeus, Jesus. It's all me. (It's all you too.)
So the image on the tarot deck? Guess we have to go w/ that painting my wife did of me entitled "Helper Mom". Notice I'm employing both the carrot and the stick at the same time?
There is a new king in town. And I'd like to Be one for instead of 214!
Know that as Tye would say,
The medium is the message.
Stop fighting the flow and submit. Be God.
-much love to my sync whole brothers, you are all kings and gods.
special thanks to Will and Jim for being so aware.
IN JOY!
