What drove me nuts

[Commander Birdsong]

Yes, I'm sure I would not have the same viewpoint of who or what caused what and that perceptions may not have been mistaken. I tend to stay more objectively grounded in my views.

Still, it occurred to me after our little discussion that it would help me, and perhaps others that have been out of Scn for a long time and no longer practice it, if beliefs were clearly stated as such.

You have a belief that you can directly cause things in a spiritual way that would not necessarily show objectively. Many Christians believe prayer does something similar. The difference is that Christians do not believe they personally caused the result on their own, but rather, contributed with their prayers by connecting to the Higher Power (God/Jesus) and attributed the higher power and the communion of saints that 'hear' the prayer as having caused the result.

It is actually quite a different concept than yours.

Still, it would be nice if those that practice Scn outside of COS can or would state their basic beliefs. And I mean beliefs - the things that can't be proven - I am not speaking of how they go about living their lives with or without administrative policies or directions. Those are not beliefs as such.

yes prayer. certainly a piece of the chemistry. when you go active as a being god is like a backboard. i sink shots off the backboard somtimes. i sink some nothing but net. and i toss up some bricks and airballs too. hey! i rack up assists and rebounds too.

getting on the court is most of the battle, getting yer hands on the ball is most of what's left

[Gottabrain]

yes prayer. certainly a piece of the chemistry. when you go active as a being god is like a backboard. i sink shots off the backboard somtimes. i sink some nothing but net. and i toss up some bricks and airballs too. hey! i rack up assists and rebounds too.

getting on the court is most of the battle, getting yer hands on the ball is most of what's left

hmmm. No. A thirst for power and desire to be gods and/or godlike has been the bane of mankind.

In Sociological studies of violent prisoners, the common denominator was a belief that they were the only authority and only answerable to themselves.

You have your views, so be it. It is unlikely you are any sort of violent criminal, so you've worked out something for yourself. I'm not really interested in discussing this particular aspect further, but if you have other beliefs that you can state clearly and simply, as I said, that would be helpful.

[Commander Birdsong]

hmmm. No. A thirst for power and desire to be gods and/or godlike has been the bane of mankind.

In Sociological studies of violent prisoners, the common denominator was a belief that they were the only authority and only answerable to themselves.

You have your views, so be it. It is unlikely you are any sort of violent criminal, so you've worked out something for yourself. I'm not really interested in discussing this particular aspect further, but if you have other beliefs that you can state clearly and simply, as I said, that would be helpful.

well...

thank you for your innocence and naivete GB but i am one severely badass muthuhfukkah and the next sonofabitch i plant won't be the first but i am spared being worse than i am because i am, as paul writes, "a prisoner of the christ" accountable to The Throne. and in fact when the young man i was early on found "the prayer for total freedom" was the only prayer in CoS i was reticent about the concept and not surprised to find it's text lacking in lyric and sounding of brass. those who actively seek higher awareness and enhanced capacity to create and cause are well advised to honor and observe the nazarene's injunction "who among you would be the most let that one be the least". he himself was a carpenter as socrates was but a bricklayer and jakob boehm a plumber. i push hack between living on the street peddling poetry

but "OT" is not something i believe.

"OT" is something i do...

[Claire Swazey]

I think a desire for enhanced spirituality is not uncommon, though maybe not something everyone has at any one given point in their lives.

The practice and emphasis of type of spirituality varies. In Catholicism, the thought is that one only attains certain graces and what a Scn'ist might call "abilities" from God. God giveth and God can taketh away.

But in the Eastern tradition- which did indeed transition over to the Scn beliefset- the idea is to go get 'em yerself. And that one can become as a god or goddess.

That isn't good. That isn't bad. It just IS. It's what one does from there that could be good or bad.

As I've mentioned a time or two before, my husband's favorite comment is quite apt here, as well: "It depends on what you're trying to accomplish".

[Mark A. Baker]

... In Sociological studies of violent prisoners, the common denominator was a belief that they were the only authority and only answerable to themselves. ...

Same is true of human societies generally.

Of all things the measure is Man ... - Protogoras

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. - Genesis 1:26


What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! in form, in moving, how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the world! the paragon of animals! And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? man delights not me; no, nor woman neither, though, by your smiling, you seem to say so. - Hamlet, II, Sc. 2, ll 244-252

The evidence for which even extends to the utter hubris of mankind's self-designated species name.


Mark A. Baker

[GoNuclear]

Great piont GoNuc !
Being made wrong in reg cycles. Yes. Yes. Yes. A major factor in my departure from Scilonica. Not the only factor, but a major one. I was made wrong so many times in reg cycles that it was like a process. The EP being me finally exploding and telling the fuckers that, "NO, I was taking the correct action as determined by MYSELF, not you"! This, of course resulting in an ethics cycle in which I told the ethics clown that "I was taking the correct action as determined by MYSELF". Which resulted in me walking out the door trailed by several staff that could not understand why I was so upset. Anyway, you guys know what I'm talking about. It took me many years to get to this point, and untold dollars. I still get fired up recalling go-arounds with reg's. Mindless assholes.

Good for you.

My worst redge cycle ... after being made to feel totally wrong ... I left and got into a car accident that cost me my car plus a few thousand dollars more. That was in late October of 1976, with the redge rubbing my face in the new 5% per month price increase policy that was to kick in within a week at that point. I was thinking that prices would come down as the tech was refined, more people came onboard, etc.... that like everything else, the economics of scale would allow for lower prices which would allow for planetary clearing ... which I believed at the time was their true intention. I was thinking that I could plunk down the bux to secure my upper bridge, and, then, if I could only come up with about 6k more I would be able to get all my lowers done, and the bridge was really looking dooable. But that was not to be. I left that redge session totally confused, attention fixated, and not on the red light that I ran.

Pete

Pete

[Commander Birdsong]

Good for you.

My worst redge cycle ... after being made to feel totally wrong ... I left and got into a car accident that cost me my car plus a few thousand dollars more. That was in late October of 1976, with the redge rubbing my face in the new 5% per month price increase policy that was to kick in within a week at that point. I was thinking that prices would come down as the tech was refined, more people came onboard, etc.... that like everything else, the economics of scale would allow for lower prices which would allow for planetary clearing ... which I believed at the time was their true intention. I was thinking that I could plunk down the bux to secure my upper bridge, and, then, if I could only come up with about 6k more I would be able to get all my lowers done, and the bridge was really looking dooable. But that was not to be. I left that redge session totally confused, attention fixated, and not on the red light that I ran.

Pete

Pete

with a free market you have prices atached to the law of supply and demand but with a monopoly the law of supply and idiot is in effect