It is no irony that I love music by the Books as much as I love books themselves.

As soon as I found myself purged of the disease of unreasonable expectations, I find myself infected with another disease, of an all too real kind.

This past Tuesday, I noticed an inflammation in my tonsils. It was quite a surprise to see the swollen glands hanging in the back of my throat, since in the past the phenomenon has always been accompanied by a severe sore throat and trouble swallowing. I consulted with a nurse at the university health center, and at her suggestion have been pumping myself full of ibuprofen (for swelling) and cough suppressant/expectorant (for cough, obviously) and ceased smoking. The combination of remedies has not so much cured as it has prevented any aggravation of my symptoms.

As I'm sure most of you are aware, it is cold and flu season. Most of my friends and acquaintances have fallen ill periodically over the past two or three weeks. This afforded me the occasion to inform them that I had not been sick in almost three years. This, friends, is what we refer to as "karma," in the popular understanding of the word; an immediate reckoning for one's behaviors in this life. Perhaps it is no coincidence that the illness is in my throat, which is the same place from which the damning words issued.

On the other hand, because I also find that alcohol aggravates my throat, I have been enjoying a very calm and restful weekend. I should be taking more advantage of my abundant free time to make some headway in my senior work research, but after making my way to the library and grocery store yesterday, I felt no desire other than to lounge unimpressively in front of my computer watching South Park episodes online until I fell asleep. Perhaps my untaxing routine is the reason why I woke up at 7:30 this morning. Still, today I have real stuff to do, and will most likely spend another Saturday sober in my apartment, so I have time. Some time, anyway.


In other news, my birthday is in a month and a half. As a gift to myself, I bought a ticket to see the Books at the Miller Theater at Columbia University. The last time I saw the Books was at Webster Hall about two years ago, and I ate an entire eighth of mushrooms and had a wonderful mind-expanding, six-sensory adventure without moving five feet the whole time. I have been waiting a long time for them to come back to New York, and I feel like the universe has been dropping me clues... because I had to watch this film for class



And at 2:58, the little boy utters a sentence which is sampled in this song at 2:25:



AND

I had to watch the film Medea for the same class, the clip from which is actually included in the first scene of this video for this Books song:




Finally, a third instance of the Books popping up in the most unexpected place occurred Thursday evening. The school was hosting its monthly Coffeehouse Cabaret which I normally do not attend, but my friend was performing. As we were waiting for it to begin, the warm up music was several tracks from Lost and Safe, including "Be Good to Them Always". I hadn't heard their music played at that volume or in such a large area since the last time I saw them perform, and it got me really pumped for the show.

Also, I want to get some mushrooms (maybe for the show, maybe not) because in my last tarot spread, I asked the cards "What next?" and I got three cards which have been recurring in my spreads, and the other two when taken together told me to seek new ideas in nature. Because I have been turning over and over the idea of finding mushrooms since I bought my mushroom ring in December, I took it as pertaining directly to it. And since my expansive journey on acid last Fall, I have found an utter lack of new ideas in the experience... it's redundancy and inorganic quality have persuaded me to pursue more natural experiences for a while. Because I've been clearing my head in anticipation for writing my senior work proposal (meaning, I haven't smoked weed since before the semester started) I think taking a trip would be a good departure for me, especially since by the time the concert rolls around, my proposal will have been submitted for exactly a month... nothing to worry about there.

I am moving forward on the path.

Two of Cups [Light and Shadow]

Harmonious union of two
in cradled exchange,
the overflowing nectar of love,
nourishing them on their lotus seat.






Two cups splash like fountains in the hands of a loving pair. The smiling couple embrace on a lotus floating on the waters, primordial emblem of sanctity and creation. Both are nude and long-haired, and somewhat androgynous. Their nakedness indicates the holy simplicity of Eden, the freedom of the body and soul unencumbered, and the potential for the mysteries of love. Each figure holds out an overflowing cup of love and friendship. Their long hair intertwines above them in a graceful curve, then falls into the vessels like water into fountains. Waves of energy ripple outward from the point where their hair intertwines above their heads. All the pleasures of unity with another are here foretold, the ability and impulse to intertwine emotionally and spiritually with another. On the cups are inscribed the symbols of Venus and Cancer.

Meaning
Love, affection, flowing good feelings. The loving unity of opposites and compliments. Romance, courtship, and dalliance.

A Subconscious Mirror Image, Myself

A few nights ago, I had a dream. To be brief, in this dream I was hanging upside down, suspended by the left foot by a rope wrapped around my ankle. I was hanging against a wall from the threshold of a door, where normally a set of stairs would be constructed. However, past this threshold there was only a 90 drop to the floor below, and me hanging there.

When I awoke I recognized that the way I was suspended was exactly that of the Hanged Man from various tarot decks. The image above is from the Light and Shadow tarot, the most frequently used by me.

Just now, I finally got around to googling some information on the symbolism and interpretation of the Hanged Man. Those of you who know me know that I do not believe in chance, and that everything that seems like a coincidence is merely an opportunity presented by the universe to see through the veil of our mundane, over-rationalized experience.

Here is some of what wikipedia had to say about the Hanged Man. It is incredibly resonant with me, especially in light of my recent series of revelations.
The Hanged Man is a card of profound but veiled significance. Its symbolism points to divinity, linking it to the Passion of Christ in Christianity, especially The Crucifixion; to the narratives of Osiris (Egyptian mythology) and Mithras (Roman mythology). In all of these archetypal stories, the destruction of self brings life to humanity; on the card, these are symbolized respectively by the person of the hanged man and the living tree from which he hangs bound. Its relationship to the other cards usually involves the sacrifice that makes sacred; personal loss for a greater good or a greater gain.

Serenely dangling upside-down, the Hanged Man has let go of worldly attachments. He has sacrificed a desire for control over his circumstances in order to gain an understanding of, and communion with, creative energies far greater than his individual self. In letting go, the hero gains a profound perspective accessible only to someone free from everyday conceptual, dualistic reality.