Val Camonica ends where the Oglio River pours into Lake Iseo. Lovere, which is right along the lake, is usually considered a part of the valley that ended up administratively on the Bergamasque side. Bossico is located on slopes of Mt. Colombina, along Lake Iseo; therefore right on the edge of the valley as well. I remember my father telling me of his grandparents telling him stories about "the big lake," which had to be Lake Iseo; although my father didn't know which lake at that time.
A few people consider the possibility that Mt. Colombina is a pyramid, such as the main "Bosnian pyramid." I don't believe that, even though I think clearly that the one in Bosnia was carved, and has portions of it's side flat with very ancient mortar, and deep carved out tunnels.
Different small pagan groups communicate through symbolism
Last week while doing a night hike through a nearby low elevation trail, I discovered some elaborately painted twigs hanging by twine on some lower branches of a smaller brush-like tree. They were hanging in rows on two different branches, and were like wind chimes. I don't know as yet their meaning, although it may just be a type of decoration. Their painted patterns were more complex than the above image (more like the image below). There is some type of coven in the area, as I have seen their signs in the past, such as stacked stones, handmade wicker hearts, and little white rocks put in patterns on the side of the trail. I have gone over in the past the concept of different small groups sharing a park or mountain, and not knowing of each other's presence.
On two different occasions I believe that I spotted them, although this was some years ago. There had been a Satanic cult known to conduct rituals on this mountain in the 1970s, but I'm certain that this is not a continuity of that... as their signs are only of positive energy. Once I saw perhaps five individuals in black robes just entering the park at twilight on higher elevation, but their hoods were down and I just thought at that time that they may have been wearing matching coats of some type. I just didn't make the connection. At another point I came upon a woman after dark on a high elevation trail. She was wearing a dark cloak with a hood, and was interacting with a wild cat.
The only reason I saw her clearly was due to the light from a ranger station in the distance. She saw me walking down the trail towards them, stood up facing me for 3-to-4 seconds, then walked off the trail. I wrote about this experience a few years ago. When I made it to the spot where she had been, I then saw her walking off into the brush; her robe which was draped wide around her ankles made her appear to be just gliding along. Of course I'm wearing a light grey sweat outfit with sneakers, and probably looked to her like someone who would not understand her spirituality, and I unintentionally made the two of them depart. I suppose it would go without saying that she didn't expect anyone to show up at that time.
Santa Cruz Mountain chain along the coast of north-central California
Why do massive mountains and relatively small mountains usually look so similar in elevation?
This is one of those questions which one occasionally ponders over, but is afraid to ask! Often mountains which are over 4,000 feet in elevation appear--when gazing at their peaks--quite similar to smaller mountains of about 1,500 feet in elevation. The larger part of the answer is very simple. A person can forget that when looking at many huge mountains, they are already viewing them from a high elevation; whereas when viewing the small mountain peaks from sea level, they both may appear at about the same elevation in our perception.
The skyline of Denver, with stunning Rocky Mountain peaks in the background
A mile is 5,280 feet, therefore Denver, Colorado was built upon a mile high plateau. Lake Tahoe is at 6,234 feet elevation. The level of elevation in which a person views something will affect how something in the distance will appear. I live at about 500 feet elevation, and it does appear like a big drop when looking outward and down at sea level. The skyline of San Francisco appears small, although it's highest buildings are at higher elevation. The buildings themselves appear small at this distance and from this elevation. However, when looking at the skyline from about 1,000 feet (up on the trail beyond where I live), the buildings appear at least twice as large! The nearby peak of San Bruno Mountain is 1,319 feet elevation, taller than the tallest building in San Francisco (the Salesforce Tower is 1,070 feet).
Mt. Kilimanjaro in tropical central Africa
Mt. Kilimanjaro's peak is 19,341 feet elevation. That is nearly four miles high! However, from the above picture, it merely appears "big," and with a simple ice-domed landscape. This is also a false perception. The surrounding landscape must be at a high elevation as well. Although the mountain appears simple in it's landscape from that angle, when a person is walking upon it, 90% of the time they can't even see the surrounding countryside. They're so immersed in it's environment of ice and snow along the rolling hills of it's high plateau, that if a person were blindfolded and flown to the area and dropped off on top, they might think they're in Alaska. It's so massive that there's no possible way to correctly perceive it's dimensions and size by the above view from that distance. Even with small mountains, there could be small groves to trees all about them, but this would not be visible from a distance. It might only look like grass and shrub. Within those groves of trees, one could get the feeling that they're in a flatland forest for certain stretches.
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QUOTE
“Your actions and your thoughts are dictating your future.”
Wes Watson is an ex-con who has become something of a self-help guru for tough guys on YouTube. He uses more four letter words than Tony Montana. He even used one at the end of the above quote which I took off. This great concept is nothing new. I first heard it from Tony Robbins years ago, and many others have their own version of it. There's a such thing as quote-overload, but this one can be almost priceless.
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QUOTE
"What we give to the poor is what we take with us when we die"
-- William Peter Blatty
Actually that quote was from the text of the novel 'The Exorcist'. I believe that it was based on a quote by Peter Maurin (1877-1949), who apparently was some type of French Cathloic socialist activist: "What we give to the poor for Christ's sake, is what we carry with us when we die." I don't believe it's all just so simple. I think there is a type of karmic merit and demerit. I once gave $25 to a donation for a little girl in NYC who had some type of muscle disease where she needed braces to walk, and was traveling to Poland for treatment. The electrical treatment was not yet licensed in the U.S. I donated this at a time when I would have had a good case in saying that I couldn't afford it. I suppose I received a karmic token for that.
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Down 'n Dirty (2000) | Full Movie | Fred Williamson | Bubba Smith | Gary Busey
Dakota Smith is an experienced policeman with a problem: his partner was shot dead, and corrupt cops are responsible. Dak's investigation leads him to widespread corruption in the department, as well as a corrupt district attorney. Smith finds an unlikely ally in timid photographer Nick Gleem. While Gleem unearths clues about the bad guys, Dak fends off attacks on his own life. While he's not in gun battles with these local villains, divorced father Dak has no shortage of lady friends to keep him happy.
Director: Fred Williamson Writer: Aubrey K. Rattan Starring: Fred Williamson, Bubba Smith, Gary Busey
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An 83 year old action film star?
This is one of my fave "good" bad movies! This movie is puuure Fred "The Hammer" Williamson ego! A friend once told me after watching it: "It had no plot!" He's made well over a hundred films mostly outside of Hollywood, so he's only a household name in B-film circles, martial art fim circles, or in Europe. A legend in some circles, sort've like Mel Novak. Also, the film is stocked with veteran actors "his age" that he takes on, such as Tony LoBianco and Gary Busey. If you're 63, you can't be taking on anyone under 40 or so!
Also, cops--even detectives--never operate like lone-wolves such as is depicted here. It was almost as if he was just paid to walk and drive around, hang out, be cool, ask some questions, and have some skirmishes with some of those aged strawman bad guys. He didn't even use a standard issued police handgun, but carried a fancy Israeli-made 44 magnum "Desert Eagle" revolver. He has played this "Dakota Smith" character numerous times over the years. All in pure ego driven films where he wastes the bad guys and literally drives off on a motorcycles with the pretty girl at the end.
He's 83 years old now, and will begin filming yet another Dakota Smith film either later this year or early next year. He actually has, at his age, eight acting roles in films that he's going to start filming soon! This man literally believes that he is a living legend right along with Muhammad Ali. In fact, he has said that Ali got his ideas from him and his antics as football player. He went on one of those paranormal programs last year and told an account of when he was in Rome, that he had powerful flashback visions while walking by the Colosseum of him in a previous life as a gladiator. When it comes to ego films, I think he's got Burt Reynolds, Clint Eastwood, and Sylvester Stallone beat. One thing that is true is that he was probably the first really famous "hard-hitting safety" in pro football.
Apparently this 44 magnum is so powerful that it can kill a 600 pound grizzly bear; presumably with a direct shot in a vital area. The above is a standard Desert Eagle, but there are different models; some rather fancy. The cost of a .50 caliber magnum is anywhere from $1,500 to $2,200, depending on the model.
The custom made one to the right with the light blue hexwave grip really caught my eye. Looking at this revolver, I wonder how and why so many home robbers even take the chance? If they broke in and say the owner had this in her hand, it's... over! It's too bad that Ted Bundy, Samuel Little, Gary Ridgway, Rodney Alcala, or Richard Ramirez didn't meet up with a 44 Magnum Desert Eagle.
John MacArthur of Grace Community church in Sun Valley California in 1973. Grace to You!
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More from John MacArthur's soapbox
In the above audio from 1973, the Pastor John MacArthur really outdoes himself; everything is "The Devil." Below are a few other examples of the not-so-tolerant long-time Evangelical preacher from southern California.
Pastor MacArthur somewhat sarcastically criticizing the "progressive" Christian Charismatic Movement, while divulging what his believes is the answer for the world. In other words, if you just omit the words "Charismatic Movement," he is just simply confessing his dream for the world.
"If the Charismatic Movement was being produced by the Holy Spirit, the glory of Christ would prevail everywhere. It would be Christ dominated, and everyone in the movement would be bowing the knee to the true Christ in belief of the true Gospel. The people would be humble. They would be joyful. They would be sacrificial. They would be confessional. They would be declaring Jesus as Lord, and themselves his slaves." -- Pastor John MacArthur, 'Testing the Spirits', 2013
We don't see ourselves as slaves to a cosmic dictator. Our deities are seen as a part of our family clan. Maybe a little bit like a parental figure in some cases.
The very worst type of religious dynamic is one where its fanatical followers live vicariously through their monotheistic god, and simply will not tolerate anyone who ignores them. Their collective-narcissistic ego is flexed through their god.
You don't have to be on a mountain in Colorado to have a wilderness experience and You can get a "Rocky Mountain high" on any mountain any where in the world.John was singing about Colorado,but This video is about the wilderness experience everywhere. :)
Special thanks to those of you who have watched,commented,liked and shared,I appreciate it.Extra special thanks to Sony Music Entertainment for the use of their material.No Copyright infringement intended.All musical content is the property of SME (Sony Music Entertainment)
************************* The Himalayas are larger, but not nearly as beautiful as the Rocky Mountains. It may sound like a strange thing to say, but spring isn't really so far away. It's been raining consistently in northern California since mid-October, so I don't have to feel guilty for wanting an early spring. Rocky Mountains John Denver
And the Colorado rocky mountain high I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky I know he'd be a poorer man if he never saw an eagle fly Rocky mountain high
Ain't this somethin'? I told my pap and mam I was coming to the mountains to trap and be a mountain man. Acted like they was gut-shot. Says, "son, make your life go here. Here's where the peoples is. Them mountains is for animals and savages." I said, "Mother Gue, the Rocky Mountains is the marrow of the world." And by God I was right.
I ain't never seen 'em, but my common sense tells me the Andes is foothills, and the Alps is for children to climb! Keep good care of your hair! These here is God's finest scupturings! And there ain't no laws for the brave ones! And there ain't no asylums for the crazy ones! And there ain't no churches, except for this right here! And there ain't no priests excepting the birds. By God, I are a mountain man, and I'll live 'til an arrow or a bullet finds me. And then I'll leave my bones on this great map of the magnificent.
The Bernina Range is a mountain range in the Alps of eastern Switzerland and northern Italy. It is considered to be part of the Rhaetian Alps within the Central Eastern Alps. It is one of the highest ranges of the Alps, covered with many glaciers. Piz Bernina (4,049 m), its highest peak, is the most easterly four thousand-metre peak in the Alps. The peak in the range which sees the most ascents is Piz Palü.
The Bernina Range is separated from the Albula Range in the north-west by the Maloja Pass and the Upper Engadin valley; from the Livigno Range in the east by the Bernina Pass; from the Bergamo Alps in the south by the Adda valley (Valtellina); and from the Bregaglia Range in the south-west by the Muretto Pass. The Bernina Range is drained by the rivers Adda, Inn and Maira (Mera in Italy).
The term Bernina Alps can also be used in an extended sense to include both the Bernina and Bregaglia ranges; this is the area coloured red on the map (right) and labelled ‘Bernina Alpen’.
The Bernina Range extends right to the edge of the Val Chiavenna, Valtellina, and the Bergamo Alps, and is part of the greater Rhaetian Alps. Included here are numerous valleys, including the Valtellina, Valchiavenna, Valle dell'Adige, the Val Camonica and the Val Isarco. -- Italian Wiki/Rhaetian Alps
When observing these mountain ranges, one can come to an understanding as to how the larger valleys--such as the Valtellina and the Val Camonica--became defacto "little nations" with their own dialects, culture, spirituality, cuisine, folklore, and collective personality... regardless of what monarchy, banking dynasty, church, supernational entity or dictator actually held onto the property deed. In the Middle Ages, these valleys would have been highly isolated.
There is a such thing as "ancestral memory" written into our DNA. Even when I'm in the Santa Cruz Mountains here in San Mateo County, looking across from one side of a valley out to the next, my spirit fires up.. I'm feel that I've returned home. The wonderful green, brown, grey, blue and white of the trees, earth, rock, sky and clouds... the warmth, the scent... timeless.
All the birds have flown up and gone; A lonely cloud floats leisurely by. We never tire of looking at each other - Only the mountain and I. -- Li Po
In the last five years or so, our Earth has been making some bizarre noises, usually from under the ground. These occurrences come in many forms, and you can find them on YouTube. The sky is the limit as far as how different people and concerns can interpret what this is or why it's happening. However, the occurrence in the above video from a city in rural British Columbia takes the cake! It sounds like a massive trumpet or horn. If I allow my imagination to go free, I almost imagine something out've Odinic mythology, and the thunder-like grumbling made Thor come to mind. Perhaps the trumpets at the Battle of Legnano. Also, the trees rustling in the wind, especially after the sounds are over, remind me of the spirit of the Almother. Something tells me that this whole phenomenon has something to do with the "electric universe." Like with so many other subjects, modern science rejects the electric universe because then they would have to say "oh, all of the things we have proven in the past, well, they're all false," which wouldn't work well for scientific/academic "careerists."
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Pagan calendar website This Pagan calendar shows Pagan, Witch, Druid and Heathen festivals, dates and events. This site is from the UK, and doesn't include southern or eastern European traditions, but there's so much overlap. Good daily rundown, with moon cycles. I think pagans should develop their own traditions and important dates to merge into this concept.
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"The Process Church" I watch a lot of YouTube videos, but usually the subjects aren't applicable here. However, if you wanted to watch something very macob but still interesting, there are quite a few videos about the Satanic "Process Church." They were involved in many bizarre happenings. This, of course, has nothing to do with "native-folk spirituality." Many Satanists say that they're actually Atheists who worship the self in some manner. There are also many who worship the Satan of the Christian Bible. I have no doubt that the Process Church is still around. Their philosophers are pretty dark, as opposed to--for example--the Temple of Set, which I believe tries to avoid a negative image for the most part. Also, many of the webpages or articles devoted to the Process Church are pretty dark in nature.
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Since I mentioned Mt. Shasta in part one, I found the main documentary. Although this generally goes beyond what this blog covers, the metaphysical power of mountains does tie in to the folk-spirit concept. Many times the works of researchers like Jordan Maxwell, Michael Tsarion, Mark Passio, Jay Wiedner, or David Wilcock do overlap.
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"Polytheists calling "Pagan" a negative term? Two recent posts by the AFA present this term negatively. One, entitled 'A Declaration from the European Council of Ethnic Religions', quoted the council's declaration: "We object to the use of the term “pagan” by extremist political groups of any kind, as it reflects negatively on our reputation." This may be partly true, but doesn't the term "religious" also give a false perception in the minds of most people? I think I would rather be called a "pagan," than to be called "religious." The other post was entitled 'The Difference Between Asatru and Modern "Paganism."' The post, which was only one paragraph, stated: Asatru has much more in common with traditional American Indian
religion, indigenous African religion, or similar ethnic beliefs than
with what passes for "paganism" in the modern industrialized West. It is
the “way of a people” - in our case, the people of Northern Europe.
It is a part of our deeper identification, our way of relating to the
Holy, an expression of the soul of our Folk. We have been cut off from
these root for too long...but every day, our sense of reconnection
grows! I think there is a need for more clarity here. For one thing, Asatru/Odinism--during the late the pre-Christian era-- was dominant in what is today Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and what had been Prussia. This wouldn't include Finland, which had a different indigenous spiritual tradition and pantheon of gods. Still, that's a large territory. However, it wasn't the only tradition of northern Europe! The reason I think this is applicable here is that this "modern paganism," is at least partly derived from traditions of Europe... including those which co-existed in what were these Odinic regions. Therefore, in those cases, how could Asatru be closer to native spiritual traditions on other continents?
I understand, the AFA is making reference to some of the eclectic, rootless, and generally jackassy behavior of some Wiccans and Pagans. However, there's sometimes a thin line between some of that behavior and what really was a tradition of very spirited ceremonies... such as parades with animal and other masks. For example, ancient Gaul (today France) was not Odinic! Certainly there was a lot of crossover, Odinic influence touched every part of Europe at some point, and it may have been the primary pre-Christian tradition of northern-central Europe. The Druids, at one point, were present in what is today the British Isles, France, and parts of Germany; as well as perhaps Scandinavia, Spain, and elsewhere. That is also a large territory. This declaration by the European Council of Ethnic Religions umbrella organization is a good thing. It addresses many of the problems of these native spiritual folk societies. Interestingly, among these societies three were from Italy: Societas Hesperiana (Greek pantheon in Italy), Movimento Tradizionale Romano (Roman pantheon), and Federazione Pagana Italiana (Celtic and Streghe traditions). It's interesting that the Roman groups used the phrase "Saturnia Tellus," which means something like "the land of Saturn"... as the peninsula was once known as "Saturnia." These aren't the only groups in Italy. Comunità Odinista (Langobard/Odinist) and Ordine Bardi, Ovati e Druidi (Gaulish/Druidic) come to mind. Comunità Odinista is a worldwide group for Odinic-Langobard descendants, and Ordine Bardi, Ovati, e Druidi is the Italian branch of a worldwide group called The Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids. It's important to remember that, although this all sounds so organized, these are very small groups.
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The "Llullaillaco Maiden" was a fifteen year old Amerindian girl who was sacrificed five-hundred years ago, and was discovered frozen inside of an inactive Argentine volcano at 22,000 feet. After being thawed out, she was put in a museum in Argentina, and she looks as though she could wake up, stand, and walk away as seen here.
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A website all about the Norse/Langobard Goddess Freya: GoddessFreya.info There is a lot of interesting information and folklore about Freya here. Some of the images are great; some too overtly sexualized. I especially like the prayers and invocations.
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Reality star lives like an ancient Celt Mick Dodge seems to be a modern-day "ancient Celt." He looks like, has the survival skills of, and lives in harmony with the land like.. a Celt.
Brescia, Italy has been noted for the quality of its metal work since the early Renaissance. Pierced, embossed and relief chiseled elements for furniture, swords, daggers, armor and later, firearms of the finest quality were produced. This stilleto is a product of a Brescian workshop of the late Renaissance. Its deeply chiseled hilt is adorned with lovely scrolling Spring tendrils with heart shaped leaves in ironic, a doubly ironic contrast to its sole function: to end life. The scalloped edge diamond section blade is made to penetrate protective clothing and the scallops may have been intended to facilitate the introduction of poison or and infectant into the wound. Blade length: 6 7/16"
Price: $2,800
I would love to own that. There are some good and very affordable replicas at BudK.
You don't need any special training or attain a certain degree to make a strong ancestral connection, as I will explain here. Recently I wrote about my failure to make a connection during the new moon a couple of weeks back. I not only failed, but felt a strong depression and sadness, although I'm not very prone to these feelings for no reason. Some people can work with new moons, but with no sun-moon interactive energy to connect to, I was totally lost. Last night it was very foggy and overcast in the northern Santa Cruz mountain chain, so again I failed to make any connection. I thought that by the supermoon merely being in the sky that it would work, but clearly the heavy fog cut the connection off.
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To the best of my knowledge, to make a a metaspiritual/ancestral connection, the following should work: 1) Folk-spirit: A genuine interest in or already being on a folk-spirit journey. It doesn't require a definite decision or commitment to any particular "path." 2) Planning: Plan on being alone and unhurried at least during the point of connection. If there are others, perhaps each person could take a turn. I don't really want to promote alcohol, but a little wine or mead may be helpful for relaxation and focus.
3) Place: It should be during a full moon, at or close to the base of a mountain, during a clear night, without too much wind, and without loud distracting noises. It really doesn't have to be a full moon, but the fuller the better. It doesn't have to be an entirely clear night, but the moon and peak should be visible most of the time. The mountain should be over one thousand feet, and the taller the better. Midnight is good, but an early evening is fine too. If you're alone, and the best spots are too dark or remote, you may choose a more well lighted spot a little further away. 4) Connection: There isn't a need for any special ritual. You can bring a stone or crystal to help you connect. You may want to walk slowly, gaze upon the bright moon, gaze upon the black peak of the mountain, feel the warmth or coldness of the environment, and try to forget about the problems and pressures of your life. Hopefully, with the sun-moon radiance upon you, you will soon feel a sense of timelessness. All places and times will feel together as one. Think about your favorite direct ancestor. Not necessarily the greatest one, but the one you may feel an energetic link with. Try to picture and imagine them during their life. Don't think that you are in one place and time. You are spirit, you are part of many places and times. The sun-moon energy (Alfather and Almother) will draw the curtain of timelessness, the mountain will be your spiritual antennae to the other dimension, and you are the catalyst. You don't need to ask for permission... you already belong! You are not alone in the abyss of the Ur, and you don't need to be afraid of it.
Even if you've never met them, even if they never lived in the land that you occupy, no matter how many generations have passed, no matter how much time has passed, even if nobody even thinks about them anymore, they're a spiritual mother or father to you. Don't be afraid to whisper a few words now and then. During this drawing of the curtain of timelessness, they know that you're connecting to them. Even if they've come back to the earth, their higher self is conscious of you. Hopefully you will feel a very positive energetic bond with them.
Just this morning on an episode of 'Ancient Aliens', I heard David Wilcock say regarding our "third eye" (pineal gland) that "we already have a built-in stargate."
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With all of the above conditions, there is a good chance of making a connection. However, you cannot "will it to happen." It will happen when it's ready to happen. If I had gone the evening before, when the conditions were clear, I may have had a different result. If it doesn't happen, don't give up. I don't believe that we're even meant to make these powerful psychic-spiritual connections very often. If you do reach that "place," then you may want to stay there for awhile because you don't know when you might get it back next. It reminds me of the movie 'Frequency' (2000) with Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel, which is a great science fiction movie with a similar type of theme. It also reminds me of the frequent line from the book and movie 'The Mothman Prophesies' when the apparent spirit being would depart back into the abyss: "I will see you in time." This whole endeavor isn't about being a slave to a higher deity, but being in fellowship with our folk-spirits. While becoming, we discover, we already are. .
