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I like this. The art is very cool, well drawn and evocative of each character. The teens are all facing personal crisis and angst. The introductory sketch of each teen gives us just enough to know that they're going through it, but there's more going on than it appears to the outside world. There's a message of Faith, but the author doesn't beat you over the head with it, it's a natural part of their lives. I'm eager to see what happens in the next volumes.

I highly recommend this series, especially for teens and adults of Faith. Unlike most comics (even the ones I like), there are no inappropriate or disrespectful images or concepts. (RDJ)

FYI: I don't do spoiler reviews. You get what I think and what I like about it and if I would've liked to see more of something, I say so. But no giving away the entire story!

Credit: Astroprof's Page

Reuters: After setbacks, Russia boosts space spending

Euro News Sci-Tech: Lighter-than-air material discovered

There is a stunning review of The Switch featured in The Spelman Messenger! I'm so, so hyped! The reviews are right after an interview with none other than Oprah Winfrey. God is good.

The Switch was originally published by Mocha Memoirs Press, but I republished books I & II together as the Switch II: Clockwork.  Here's sample and the link:

The Switch II: Clockwork

(Including “The Switch I”)

by Valjeanne Jeffers

(CreateSpace Independent

Publishing)

The future, according to

author Valjeanne Jeffers,

C’84, consists of a world

filled with futuristic transportation

pods that shoot across

town on compressed air and

are self-cleaning, as well as

mechanical hover crafts that

whisk you to your door...

Spelman.edu

Purchase The Switch and my other titles at my site

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Eljay's Used Books Pittsburgh PA

The Wild Fig Lexington KY

The Nubian Bookstore Morrow GA

Cover art and design for The Switch II: Clockwork by Quinton Veal. 

            Author Jemir Johnson has been working on his crime fiction series
            for a good while. He first did 5 shots in 2007 and his upcoming
            collection is going to be even better.

            I'm proud to be a part of this series and here's the logo
            that we came up with to  introduce the movement
            of this genre to you.  

           Although shrouded in secret for now...
           it will be well worth the wait, with

          all the bells and whistles that one came muster.


           As a brief flash back, here's a link to 5 shots.

        http://www.amazon.com/5-Shots-Jemir-Johnson/dp/0615161405/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356935427&sr=1-2&keywords=5+shots

National Society of Black Physicists:
NSBP Member Stephon Alexander Wins 2013 Edward Bouchet Award
NSBP Member Hakeem Oluseyi selected to be a TED Global 2012 Fellow

Read more:
Emancipation Proclamation anniversary: Watch Night ceremony held at National Archives
National Archives: The Emancipation Proclamation

Before the formation of the word c-l-o-n-e, there was...

Afro-Futuristic Vision #31

Before the formation of the word clone by the attaching separate sounds together to form its utterance there were some beings of an unknown spirit and mankind. In a few societies, we have beings who make statements about forming man for the benefit of working the land. There are even some instances of Bio-Spheres (as they are called today) set up for experiments to test the behavioral programming. Then there is a field experiments later leading to a flushing of children who have gone astray from the dynamic souls that lay inside them. Of course, a few were saved…for later experiments…

There were many cultures which have recorded information of what is called ‘Creation Myths’, yet these ‘myths’ seem to echo in many areas of modern science today. It is very similar to how Science Fiction has become the living blueprint (because the trials are act out by actors or documented in Novels) for the growth of Actual Science.

Great Hymn (it wasn’t really called a Hymn; that was an attached meaning) of Khnum which from what is called the Pyramid and Coffin Text – From the Kemet Culture reproduced in the Ptolemic Era

Another hymn to Khnum-Ra,
God of the potter's wheel,
Who settled the land by his handiwork;
Who joins in secret,
Who builds soundly,
Who nourishes the nestlings by the breath of his mouth;
Who drenches this land with Nun,
While round sea and great ocean surround him.

He has fashioned gods and men,
He has formed flocks and herds;
He made birds as well as fishes,
He created bulls, and engendered cows.

He knotted the flow of blood to the bones,
Formed in his workshop as his handiwork,
So the breath of life is within everything,
Blood bound with semen in the bones,
To knit the bones from the start.

He makes women give birth when the womb is ready,
So as to open as he wishes;
He soothes suffering by his will,
Relieves throats, lets everyone breathe,
To give life to the young in the womb.

He made hair sprout and tresses grow,
Fastened the skin over the limbs;
He built the skull, formed the cheeks,
To furnish shape to the image.
He opened the eyes, hollowed the ears,
He made the body inhale air;
He formed the mouth for eating,
Made the gorge for swallowing.

He also formed the tongue to speak,
the jaws to open, the gullet to drink,
The throat to swallow and spit.
The spine to give support,
The testicles to move.
The arm to act with vigor,
The rear to perform its task.

The gullet to devor,
Hands and their fingers to do their work,
The head to lead.
The loins to support the phallus,
In the act of begetting.
The frontal organs to consume things,
The rear to aerate the entrails,
Likewise to sit at ease,
And sustain the entrails at night.
The made member to begat,
The womb to conceive,
And increase generations in Egypt.
The bladder to made water,
The virile member to eject,
When it swells between the thighs.
The shins to step,
The legs to tread,
Their bones doing their task,
By the will of his heart.

Sumerian Myth

The gods were dredging the rivers,
were piling up their silt
on projecting bends--
and the gods lugging the clay
began complaining  (Jacobsen, Harps 154)

Nammu, who is either the sea or the goddess of the riverbed, goes to her son Enki, who is asleep in the deep (the Apsu) and entreats him to rise from his bed and "fashion servants of the gods" (Kramer, History Begins 109).  Enki, who after all is the god of wisdom, thinks of the germinating powers of the clay and water of the abyss, and he tells Nammu to have some womb-goddesses pinch off this clay and have some "princely fashioners" thicken it, so she can mold it or give birth to it:

 Mix the heart of the clay that is over the abyss,
The good and princely fashioners will thicken the clay,
You, [Nammu] do you bring the limbs into existence;
Ninmah [earth-mother or birth goddess] will work above you,
The goddesses [of birth] .  . . will stand by you at your fashioning;
O my mother, decree its [the newborn's] fate,
Ninmah will bind upon it the image (?) of the gods,
It is man . . . .    (Kramer, History Begins 109)

Enuma Elish – Sixth Tablet – reproduced from the Sumerian Culture and Texts

When Marduk beard the word of the gods,

His heart prompted him and he devised a cunning plan.

He opened his mouth and unto Ea he spake

That which he had conceived in his heart he imparted unto him:

"My blood will I take and bone will I fashion

I will make man, that man may

I will create man who shall inhabit the earth,

That the service of the gods may be established,

and that their shrines may be built.

But I will alter the ways of the gods, and I will change their paths;

Together shall they be oppressed and unto evil shall they....

And Ea answered him and spake the word:

"... the ... of the gods I have changed

... and one...

... shall be destroyed and men will I...

... and the gods .

... and they..."

Genesis 1:26

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may ruleover the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,^[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

Genesis 2:7 "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."

So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh.

Qur’an

he god Allah created man from clay by shaping clay into human form and breathing a spirit into him: [5]
“I am going to create a human being out of clay. When I have formed him and breathed My Spirit into him, fall down in prostration to him! Then inquire of them: Is it they who are stronger in structure or other things We have created? We created them from sticky clay.” 

Between the recordings in Kemet and Sumeria, there is ample documented material to trace back areas written in the  Bible that point to the manipulation of what we call genes in this day and age. During the time period of 3300 – 1000 BCE, we find recordings of the creation of man that involve gene splicing with the elements of the planet and assortment of beings including those who were considered on our direct bloodline. Of course, these recordings are of instances that may have taken place thousands of years before they were written.

These stories gave birth to the creation stories both in the Bible and Quran.

In some cases, these experiments involved what some would suggest was cloning by the standards of today. Results from a search:

clone (n.) 

1903, in botany, from Gk. klon "a twig, spray," related to klados "sprout, young branch, offshoot of a plant," possibly from PIE root *kel- "to strike, cut" (see holt).

clone (v.) 

1959, from clone (n.). Related: Cloned; cloning. Extension to genetic duplication of human beings is from 1970.

Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such asbacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments (molecular cloning), cells (cell cloning), or organisms. The term also refers to the production of multiple copies of a product such as digital media or software.

In the United States, the human consumption of meat and other products from cloned animals was approved by the FDA on December 28, 2006, with no special labeling required. Such practice has met strong resistance in other regions, such as Europe, particularly over the labeling issue.

 The first cloned animals were created by Hans Dreisch in the late 1800's.  Dreich's original goal was not to create identical animals, but to prove that genetic material is not lost during cell division.  Dreich's experiments involved sea urchins, which he picked because they have large embryo cells, and grow independently of their mothers.  Dreich took a 2 celled embryo of a sea urchin and shook it in a beaker full of sea water until the two cells separated.  Each grew independently, and formed a separate, whole sea urchin.
In 1902, another scientist, embryologist Hans Spemman, used a hair from his infant son as a knife to separate a 2-celled embryo of a salamander, which also grow externally.  He later separated a single cell from a 16-celled embryo.  In these experiments, both the large and the small embryos developed into identical adult salamanders.  Spemman went on to propose what he called a "fantastical experiment" -- to remove the genetic material from an adult cell, and use it to grow another adult.  In this way, he theorized, he would be able to prove that no genetic material was lost as cells grew and divided.

Herbert J. Webber coined the word “clone” in 1903 and was the first to use it to describe a colony of organisms derived asexually from a single progenitor. Webber’s contribution to “a more exact expression to our thoughts” found quick acceptance among scientists.

By the 1950s, the word "clone" had picked up a slightly different meaning. "Clone" now meant to replicate some sort of living creature, while keeping the DNA the same from one generation to the next.  In these early days, the word "clone" mainly referred to cells.  In 1958, the Australian Nobel Prize-winning immunologist, Sir Frank McFarlane Burnet used this word in the title of his famous book, The Clonal Selection Theory of Acquired Immunity.

It seems that mankind decides to step into the field of creation within the laboratory as well and introducing the age of cloning…however, it was all done before. Yet man is not to concern with charging their creation with spiritual energy.

Khnum is a depicted as a ram to reflect the potency of fertility. Khnum was originally a water cosmic principle of nature thought to rule over all water, including rivers and lakes of the underworld (which may have some connection to the underworld of Sumer and Nergal & Ariskhkergal who may have a part in man's creation as well)

Khnum fashions man from clay  and some say this is a result of 'being associated with the source of the Nile, the inundation deposited enough precious black silt onto the river banks to make them fertile. The silt also formed the clay, the raw material required to make pottery.' Another way to view the association of clay and man, is the mixture of the elements from other beings that were already on earth who have the elements of clay within their system (Andalusite (Al2SiO5), Sillimanite (Al2SiO5), and Kyanite (Al2SiO5) and the Annunak(q)I or Netcheru themselves. The molding of clay can be seen as the working of the genetic material.

Khnum used a potter’s wheel to fashion man.

Potter’s Wheel –

Results of a search:

The technique of throwing pots on pottery wheels soon spread throughout the known world. Pictures of stone and wood pottery wheels have been found on Egyptian tombs dating back to 3000 B.C. The earliest pottery wheels were simple pedestals with a revolving wheel at the top that served as the worktable, and was propelled by the potter pushing the wheel around by hand as she worked. Second generation pottery wheels included a stationary working surface at the top of a pedestal, with a wheel at the base driving the working surface by kicking the wheel with the foot.

As the wheel turns, the potter uses her hands and the centrifugal force of the circling wheel to shape, extend and thin the block of clay into any manner of shapes such as plates, vases, or bowls. Once the item is finished, it is glazed, decorated, and fired in a kiln.

In some depictions you will see Het-Heru touching an Ankh to the formed man on Khnum’s Pottery Wheel. Now at first hand we will say this is nothing but analogy and abstract representation of creation. However, using a bit of Afro-Futuristic Vision we may see that the Pottery Wheel may have been an instrument to discern information in genetic material. So rather than simple molding of clay, we have molding of genes into a form of man. Khnum although there is heavy mention of a physical molding there is also a mention of fashioning their Ka (which the closest thing that can match it is Spirit). The Ka represents the Energy Duplicate of the Body and the symbol of two hand up-stretched can also be seen at the space between poles of energy (what we term as negative and positive) and the space between neurons. Or if you clapped your hands quickly and brought them apart a ‘Ka’ sound would be made. So beyond the fashioning of genetic material we have the impulse or spark that brings it to be like the ‘Gods’ (I rarely use this word…but hey I know a few people heard a trumpet or two in their head). The charging of that material is equally important.

Let’s fast forward to our current life cycle and to cloning. There are many processes of cloning nowadays but all seem to silently reflect descriptions of the creation of man from ‘Ancient’ Tablets.

CLONING – Results from a search –

The most common cloning method, known as "somatic cell nuclear transfer" or simply "nuclear transfer," requires two kinds of cell.  One is a somatic cell, which is collected from the animal that is to be cloned (known as the "genetic donor").  A somatic cell is any cell other than a sperm cell or egg cell, and contains the complete DNA, or genetic blueprint, of the animal it came from.  For cloning purposes, somatic cells are typically obtained by a routine skin biopsy performed by a veterinarian.

The other kind of cell required for cloning is an egg cell, which is collected from a female of the same species (known as the "egg donor").  In the lab, a scientist extracts and discards the nucleus of the egg cell, which is the part of the cell that contains the egg donor's genes.  The scientist then inserts the somatic cell from the genetic donor into the egg and "fuses" the two with electricity. The resulting fused egg contains the genetic donor's DNA.

The scientist stimulates the fused egg, which "activates" the egg and causes it to divide just as an egg would if it had been fertilized by a sperm cell in conventional reproduction.  The activated egg is then placed in a culture medium.  As cellular division continues over the course of several days, a blastocyst (early-stage embryo) forms.  After about a week, an embryo transfer specialist transfers the blastocyst to a recipient female (sometimes referred to as "surrogate mother") where it continues to develop.  After a full-term pregnancy, the recipient gives birth to an animal that is essentially the identical twin of the genetic donor.

Next, the DNA is separated from the solution by being spun in a centrifuge, which allows the DNA to collect in the bottom of the tube. After this cycle in the centrifuge the solution is poured off and the DNA is resuspended in a second solution that makes the DNA easy to work with in the future.

This results in a concentrated DNA sample that contains thousands of copies of each gene. For large scale projects such as sequencing the human genome, all this work is done by robots.

In the process of cloning it is important to implement the usage of a centrifuge machine. A centrifuge machine uses the forces of centrifugal force (Centrifugal force (from Latin centrum, meaning "center", and fugere, meaning "to flee") is the apparent outward force that draws a rotating body away from the center of rotation) to separate genetic material. Centrifugal and Centripetal forces play a part in the movement of celestial bodies and molecular bodies.

Now what stood out to me is that the Potter's Wheel   and the Centrifuge  are similar in operation and both seem to play a role in the fashioning of material. And both seem similar in structure. Could it be that Khnum and others from various text of older cycles used a device like the Centrifuge to fashion man? Is it possible that depiction of the actual process was not available or privy to man? And that the actual Potter's Wheel was a reflection of the actual device?

More to come…

Visit my Afro-Futuristic World at: http://www.djadjanmedjay.com

Tumblr: http://djadjanmedjay.tumblr.com/

Blog: http://authordjadja.wordpress.com

Tag, Post, Share, Like, Re-Blog….Lift the Veil!!!!

Rise in Excellence,

DjaDja N Medjay

The Nubian Principle of Nature known as Bes enters the screen as Yoda…

Afro-Futuristic Vision #30

There is not one person from the BioSphere called the Hood who did not immediately take to liking to Yoda when they seen him in Empire Strikes Back. Maybe just as much as they did to Lando, especially since the organized push for urbanites to consume an alcoholic drink named after a gun with the kick of a bucking horse was at its peak about the same time.

If children from the hood were unable to relate to Star Wars after watching the first film because of a lack of cultural identity they were surely able to after seeing Yoda. Yoda the Jedi Master that Luke Skywalker was guided to see on Yoda on Dagobah, who exiled himself to after the Jedi Purge in Star Wars 3 (which came way later although way before).

Yoda, Master Jedi, Brilliant Fighter, Loved by the Children, Simple Speech & Clear Cut Wisdom, Small in Stature & Wide of Spirit…at one with the Force. And although it is said that his image is based on the late Tsenzhab Serkong Rinpoche, I see someone else in Yoda…the cosmic principle of Nature named Bes or Bisu. Now whether George Lucas took the image of Bes and planted it on Yoda…only he knows.
Me, I am going to take you into an AfroFuturistic Journey of Possibility…which may be fixed and naturally calculated inspiration to bring forth Yoda’s expression.

Bes or Bisu the cosmic principle of Nature that more than likely originated with the Batwa or Twa people.  A people who exist in a dimension of expression which causes their height to be no taller than 5 ft. which makes it easier to move around the forest, so you see, they are not short…you are just clumsy. The inhabit Burundi, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire).  The Twa are known for their music and dance and hunting and primarily for agriculture (which to me includes farming, pottery, communion of the land through movement and a working knowledge of weather and environment).  Let me stress one thing again, their so-called diminutive size is not an act of genetic faultiness. In fact, it allows them to be closer to the rain-forest and more in tune with how to move through it. Closer to Earth.  Grounded in steps and in accord with the scale (size) of life around them.  As well as being able to dissipate their body heat more effectively…you are the clumsy one when you enter their realm…you are out of step with the force (I will come back to this). They are called religious by clumsy folks because some taller groups of people lack connection to Earth and its processes along with how to communicate with it…so anyone that communicates with it through movement and vocalization more than likely gets tossed into the religion bag.

When man began to shift away from being in–tune with the forces around him, there of course became the ‘Purge’ or ‘Displacement’ of folks who were are one with the Force…I mean Nature. And this dramatically lowered the population of those who stood close to the earth and increased the uprising of external technology…ahem clones…I mean machinery.

Here is a result on some further background of the Twa –

The word ‘Abatwa’ comes from South African’s mythology referring to small human-like creature, generally look exactly like primitive African tribes. In the ancient myth, Abatwa were born from, nature spirit, Vash`Nok’s tear that brust and fell to the earth[2]. Some believe that the word originally allude to the Twa people, also known as Batwa who live in the Great Lakes region of Africa what is now Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is more credible because Twa people also have small stature, approximately 1.5 meters or only 5 feet tall[3].

Abatwa said to be the smallest human form creatures that exist in the world, about ½ inch height, small enough to ride on ants and hide beneath the grass blade. They live together peacefully with the ants in the anthill[4]. Although the myth has never mention how they deal with the ants, I think they’ve some kind of antennae similar to ants, so they’ll be able to communicate with ants and other small animals. Ant’s society is very unity and cohesion, they help each other and obviously distribute their duties and I think Abatwa might have an influence by the ants’ social structure including women role in the society. As you knew ants are a hierarchy society that rules by an ant queen and majority of the ant’s population is also female, therefore, I’ll not be surprise if Abatwa’s first president is a woman.

Because of their appearance, some cultures may confuse Abatwa with dwarf or fairy, even though there’re similar, unlike fairy or dwarf, Abatwa doesn’t have any magic power. In fact, they are nomadic with high hunter-gatherer skill. Abatwa are natural born hunter, despite their tiny body and peaceful personality, they can slay their preys several times larger than themselves with their tiny poisoned arrows¹, which is very virulent, it can bring down small animals…

More can be found on a wonderful post at: http://farfromthebest.wordpress.com/2012/06/05/abatwa/

Now moving to Bes or Bisu.

Bes is seen as a cosmic principle (what tall folks call god…lol) of nature that protected the home and children, the expression of music, dance and pleasure. Seen in the homes of Nasuwt (rulers of Kemet/Nubia) and dynamically in the culture of the Twa, especially since Bes seems to be so closely related to them. Bes is said to be imported from Nubia to Kemet. And it is also said that the Twa and others like them, migrated from out the forests into the lands known as Nubia and Kemet and set up shop. Although Bes was cheerful with children, Bes is a fierce fighter able to do battle with Beasts and Man-Beasts (you know demons, evil spirits and beings made by the Umbrella corporation). He carried Tambourines and musical instruments…and sharp swords. He also was seen with ‘magic wands’ and amulets…hmmm. Some say that Bes and Tawret (Mother of Childbirth) were even found in AnkhEnAten’s household and AnkhEnAten was the one who unified all the cosmic principles (Netcheru) into Aten; doing away with individuality.

It is possible that the more warlike tendencies were added on as Bes passed through different cultures. Bes was even depicted with lion ears and tail, being that the Lion was the mightiest creature is some areas of Afrika and being that certain depiction was in the age of Leo. He also appeared on a coin being related to the god Pan. 

Now let’s look at a few things:

Yoda lives in a swamp close to nature after the Jedi Purge

Yoda although peaceful can whip ass when necessary and is skillful with the lightsaber

Yoda has a strong communication with the Midichlorians  (Midichlorians were intelligent microscopic life forms that lived symbiotically inside the cells of all living things. When present in sufficient numbers, they could allow their symbiont to detect the pervasive energy field known as the Force.)

Yoda guides young Jedi in the usage of the force  

Yoda protects and watches over Luke and Leia

Yoda talks in a rhythm and speech reminiscent of indigenous cultures

Yoda’s life-story is shrouded and little is known about his people

Yoda has very little facial hair and ears that stick out

Yoda’s size reflects his close proximity to Nature

Yoda trains young Luke in the Swamp/Marshes out the sight of his Father 

Bes’ origins are from the rainforest

Bes is cheerful however, is a fierce warrior that overcomes disruptive forces

Bes is very close to nature and the lifeforce of beings coming into this world through childbirth

Bes entertains Children when they come into this world

Bes protects Heru in his childhood when he hid in the marshes away from Set (as you can see below, Heru is training for his resolve in face of facets of his physical and mental selves...the reptillian brain...just like Luke above) It is interesting that Bes is right over Heru, on his back, just like Yoda was on Luke's back...

Bes uses Swords and Magic Wands (light-saber) to ward off Spirits 

Bes has ears that stick out

Bes although seen with a Beard originally was without one since most Twa have very little to no facial or body hair. That is a trait more suited for cold weather.

And there is some speculation that the Jedi is based on a group of learned men from Kemet or one man in particular by the utterance (name) Djedi.  Djed being the pillar of Asar and the spine of main. Where the Central Nervous System relays messages through the rest of the body through MidiChlorians…I mean Neural Synapses and Cell Stimulation. The Electrical Current that flows through man.

All this is to say is that there are some very strong relations between certain aspects of Bes and Yoda. I am not saying that Mr. Lucas actually took elements from Bes to create Yoda...but the relationships are very strong with this one…

Welcome to the world of Afro-Futurism and the lifting of the veil…

More to come…

Visit my Afro-Futuristic World at: http://www.djadjanmedjay.com

Tumblr: http://djadjanmedjay.tumblr.com/

Blog: http://authordjadja.wordpress.com

Tag, Post, Share, Like, Re-Blog….Lift the Veil!!!!

Rise in Excellence,

DjaDja N Medjay 

Afro-Futuristic Vison #18 – Sci-Fi is Dead…

Rise in Excellence,

‘For a Samurai to be brave he must have a bit of Black blood.’ Is a Japanese proverb that alludes to the reasoning that Samurai, of the beginnings of that warrior class were

Afro-Futuristic Vison #18 – Sci-Fi is Dead…

Rise in Excellence,

‘For a Samurai to be brave he must have a bit of Black blood.’ Is a Japanese proverb that alludes to the reasoning that Samurai, of the beginnings of that warrior class were

Here, the Edinburgh-based physicist stands in front of a portrait by artist Ken Currie

BBC News: Peter Higgs: honour for physicist who proposed particle
By Paul Rincon
Science editor, BBC News website

Ins and outs. In all four experiments, three photons run through an optical maze like this one. Credit: J. B. Spring et al., Science (2012)

Science: New Form of Quantum Computation Promises Showdown With Ordinary Computers

Darkness envelops me. An empty, weightless sensation reminiscent of forever is all that I feel. I am falling. Lost. 93,000,000 miles from the sun.

I awaken, my dreams chased away by a rippling, crimson glow: it is the morning sun, warm against my closed eyelids. I open them, blinking against the radiation bathing the room in soft tones. Next to me, a huddled form shifts beneath a thick, formless mass of linen.

She is my partner. My wife. My daughter slumbers also, in the room beyond. The day, my life floods my thoughts and the fantasies of night fall away, into oblivion.

Some time later I am tossed against the beaches of an oceanic humanity. The city is my hive, drone, my station. The state of alienation lies within an alien nation that perceives reality through media-encrusted eyes. Hyper-consumption and love of self define the time.

Just do it. Here today, gone tomorrow. No fear. Quick glimpses of life’s diversity crease my brow.

A portly gentleman reeking of whiskey brushes past, mumbling, “Buy low, sell high. Buy low, sell high. Buy low”

A woman, her voice trembling, speaks to another. “He doesn’t deserve me. And that’s why I’m cheating on him.”

The rush of sensory data is overwhelming and I am disoriented. I stumble, prevented from falling only by those around me, bearing me along in a swelling flood of discontent. Amoeba-like streamers of traffic branch off into office buildings and subway tunnels as other tendrils of the great beast regulate the flow while maintaining the unforgiving pace.

My body is on autopilot and I allow my legs to disengage from the main artery, bearing me to my own impersonal prison. I shuffle through security in a daze, drop my keys in the bowl and raise my arms for the man with the metal detector. I pass through the foyer and find myself standing before a bank of elevators – five on either side of the receiving area – each busily humming up and down the building, depositing drones by the dozen upon their respective floors.

The hall is wide and stately. The floor beneath consists of irregular marble tiles that gleam with the reflection of the ambient light.

Cologne, perfume and other odors permeate the air, a viscous soup of pheromones, sending unconscious signals of distress and delight. I intercept further snatches of conversation. There is laughter, disagreement and confrontation.

“He’s going to make the offer. If he doesn’t, we’re dead.”

“If he does, he is.”

“Did you see the game last night?”

“That bastard owes me, by god.”

“I got so drunk at the party that I don’t even remember buying the first drink.”

“Of course these are designer shoes. What did you think?”

“He must be crazy. Or lost. Staring into space and eavesdropping.”

The last stated directly before me. A wizened black man stands there – between the elevator and I – dressed all in gray. He wears gray shoes, socks, pants, shirt, a coat and bowler. He reminds me of old, black and white photographs of ancestors long passed from this plane of reality. He stares up at me with eyes like smoldering coal and I stare back at him, aware that he is aware of me. His voice is thin but captivating.

“Well? Is that all you’re going to do? Stare all day? You don’t have time for that. You must find yourself. Life doesn’t rewind!”

At a loss for words, I stumble over the few that come to mind. “Excuse me? What did you say?”

“Life doesn’t rewind! There is only one you and you are he!”

“What? What did you say? Who are you? What do you want from me?”

He ignores three of my four questions. “I’ve come to help you.”

“Help me to do what?”

“To find yourself.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not lost.”

“Are you certain?”

I pause, lured by his question. My life is what it is, what the lives of most people that I know are. Each day, hour, minute, orchestrated.

Each night passed tossing and turning, comatose or drifting in a drug-induced stupor.

I shake my head as firmly as I can. “Yes, I am certain. I know where I am and who I am. I am not lost.”

He smiles knowingly. “I see. Would you mind telling me where you are, then?”

“I’m in this city, on this block, in this building. Talking to you, when I should be going to work.” I can tell that he is not impressed with my wit.

“Not exactly. You are wrong and I am right. You are lost and I will help you to find yourself.” He promises, dusting off his jacket and chuckling in satisfaction.

I look around to find that the hall has emptied and the elevator banks stand idle. Their occupancy lights stutter seductively. I shudder as I envision myself boarding one of them and find that I cannot. At this realization, a sudden lifting of a weight barely acknowledged is effected and I feel lighter, more buoyant. For a moment, I teeter upon the edge of something but stumble and fall back into nothing.

I glance down to find the little man grinning widely.

“You see? Already you are remembering.”

“Remembering what?”

“That you are lost! What else? Come!”

With that, he turns, his heels clicking and walks away, daring me to follow. I pause momentarily, burdened by the realization of unlimited possibility. An intense deja vú magnifies the moment and I envision paths of probability branching into the unknown as my myriad choices become one. I follow him.

As we walk, his voice echoes in my ears and the sun-washed hall grows brighter in syncopation.

“This planet, adrift in space, dances in the stately process of creation alongside a cohort of 12 sisters and brothers wooing Sol, the source of life, star of your destiny. One star among many; one solar system among innumerable solar systems, one galaxy within the macro-constellation of over 125 billion galaxies, one universe within the greater Omniverse.”

The little man stops for a moment and removes his gray bowler, scratching his shining, black head. He peers up at me suspiciously as if I were a stranger, which, I remind myself, I am. Then he continues.

“Physically speaking, you are stardust, born of Sol with the breath of life infused within flesh. Your body is imprinted at conception with electromagnetic patterns that determine individual and group behavior; Sol is the beginning of the end and back again. Your flesh is one with all flesh, one with earth, water, fire and air. There is no ‘they’ or ‘it’ at the level of quarks and mesons. All is one. Dark matter is the fabric of creation, its aspects differentiated by vibration alone.

He rubs the black skin on the back of his hand with a stubby finger. At the same time, your body seeks to experience the moment with every breath. It seeks to indulge in the pleasures of the flesh and to subdue your soul, obscuring the memory of who you really are. As a result, you are torn, your intentions misled.”

At some point during his lecture, the building disappears. The shiny marble remains beneath our feet but the walls and halls vanish, to be replaced by a portentous, glowing mist. I am unconcerned by this transformation and continue to pace the strange, little man. Nothing else is important. He walks silently, his hands clasped. His aura is peaceful but my agitation is too immediate to contain.

“Who are you? Why are you helping me?”

“It is enough for you to know what I have already told you. I am here to help you find yourself; to help you remember who and what you are. Clear your mind of small matters. You must concentrate upon the journey to come.”

“But do you have a name? Surely you possess a name.”

He sighs theatrically. “Can you explain your meaningless preoccupation with definitions? With defining the indefinable, naming the unnamable? How does one of limited understanding know the wind? Or how to capture the essence and purity of a star with a syllable or two? What about the beauty of a moment or the joyful exuberance of a summer’s storm? Or how to encompass a reality as awesome as eternity’s cyclic procession? It cannot be done. Without meaning, naming alone is inadequate. “

He glowers for a moment more then relents. “If you must call me something, call me Aum. And listen to these words that I speak. Words of power.”

I nod dutifully and bend my ear to him.

“It must be emphasized that all things are connected. The web of life spans all existence, finds purchase in the most inhospitable of terrains. Life upon this planet, within this solar system, galaxy and universe is tied to life elsewhere. The Omniverse prefers holism to segregation on a grand scale. In order to truly find yourself, to finally remember who you are and what your purpose is, you must intuit the reality of these words; you must investigate for yourself. You must be decisive. There is no space allocated for meandering thoughts. Clear intentions are required.”

Accordingly, there is no hesitation on my part. “Lets begin.”

Black, star-tossed space extends above. There are mountains all around us. We straddle weighty stone powdered by the dust of ages that puffs in gentle whirls around our feet and I shift and ogle in wonder. The horizon rises impossibly high and distant, affirming my realization that we are no longer upon the Earth. This planet is larger by far, ancient and sad. Somehow, I know that she is dead. The fire that burns within, extinguished.

Cresting the craggy peaks, gargantuan machines work, chugging, humming and belching furiously. The massive, interlinked construct obscures the entire northern horizon. It is impossible to determine its function from this distance but I try anyway. There are processors, factories and what look to be dormitories, malls and city complexes, bustling with activity. Dense, noxious smog huddled jealously about the structures corrode their exteriors. High overhead, small shapes flit between the gleaming towers and I realize that they are ships. The foundations of the megalopolis are stained a sooty black and the carcasses of rusting, metal machinery languish in the shadows.

Dazzled, I turn my eyes from the spectacle to find Aum forming miniature cyclones out of dust. With subtle twirls of his fingers and silent spells, three, five, then nine rise from the ashes as others continue to form, undulating gently. I ask him again: “Where are we? Why are we here?”

Impatiently, he waves my question off. “Have you found yourself yet?”

I think for a moment then shake my head. His attention remains focused upon the twisters as they skip across the rock but he rises briskly as he answers. “Then we have not yet reached our destination. Come. Let us walk further.”
It is then that I notice that the marble path is still beneath our feet and we stroll leisurely, trailing a cohort of thirteen miniature cyclones as they forge the way ahead.

“We must speak of intentions. And purposes. Do not let me forget to speak of purposes. “

I assure him that I won’t let him forget.

“Intentions can be your worst enemy if formed upon false premises. Often they begin as subtle insinuations; placed in the path of your spirit by your ego like so many little mines, set to go off when their detonators are triggered. This is how you are sabotaged from within. The flesh is programmed for servitude but, for most blessed with physical bodies, ends up becoming the master. How is this done, you ask? “

I did not ask, but I try to appear more attentive.

“By the misdirection of intention. The ego masked as self aggregates the functions of the body. This leads inevitably to physical, emotional and spiritual sickness, then death. Lacking the power to direct or change behavior, the ego manufactures intentions that lure the body, intellect and spirit along the path of its choosing. Eventually, all must arrive at the crossroads. Do you understand?”

“I think so, I allow, “but what of the world we just visited? Surely it is an example of the triumph of the rational mind! Intelligent beings envisioned it and created it through the harnessing of technology and the forces of nature.”

“That is true . But that world is dead, its inhabitants devoid of compassion and slave to that very same technology they once controlled. As a consequence of their ignorance, nature itself turned against them. Their greed resulted in the total consumption of their planet’s biosphere. Do you see the lesson in this tragedy?”

I nod but do not respond. The marble path has twisted into the sky at some point along our journey and in the space of timelessness I recollect vague impressions of starbursts, super novas and black holes lurking, evoking sublime delight as the implications of our fateful sojourn gestate within my mind. I have no idea how much time has passed, but the distance we have traveled appears to be vast.

“Where are we now?” I ask.

“Have you found yourself yet?” He counters.

I dodge a twisting vine ambling past, intent upon its destination. The sky is suddenly adrift with vegetation: purple, green and a deep, midnight blue flora predominating. There is no soil, or ground. Only dense cloudbanks and rustling forests of kelp-like trees that whisper in the moist, hyper-oxygenated atmosphere.

“No. Where are we?” I repeat.

“We are in a nebula, ” Aum explains, “an oxygen bubble billions of miles in diameter within which entropy has blossomed. Life finds purchase in the most inhospitable of terrains.”

The marble path sweeps through the radiant sky, twisting and looping between billowing, gaseous formations, diving into the greenery and emerging on the other side to rise again into the cloudy distance. The thirteen cyclones continue to dance into the future, drawing us forward in their wake. Crystalline reptiles bloated by gaseous air-pouches float upon the currents, blown by anal eruptions of flatulent energy, trailed by crackling wisps of fire.

I laugh despite myself and am surprised to be joined by Aum.

“What are these creatures? Are they intelligent? They certainly are funny.”

“No funnier than you and your misguided intentions. Humor derives from judgments that require introspection as well as empathy. Right now, you are sorely lacking in both. I was laughing at you, not them.”

He eyes me smugly. “These beings know exactly who and what they are. They are not lost at all. Can you say the same? Do you understand that they possess the knowledge of self? Can you feel the profound peace in their lives?”

I can. They interact harmoniously, their voices rising and falling in what is clearly measured speech. I sense their connection, one to the other, as something deep and pervasive, allowing no space for individuality or deception. There are no artifacts to be seen, nor do these beings seem to indulge in self-centered pastimes. But I am not satisfied. Rather, I am disturbed and lash out.

“Why did you bring me here? What lesson am I supposed to take from this encounter? Surely you do not believe that the lifestyle of these aliens is transferable? These beings live idyllic lives, with all of their needs met by their environment. There appears to be no over-crowding, no wars or discontent of any kind. In no way does this situation approximate that of the Earth.”

Aum does not respond and I stalk the marble path in a swirl of emotions, barely acknowledging the splendor of the extra-terrestrial garden. I feel remorse, but do not act to clear my conscience. Instead, I dwell upon my outburst and realize that my attempt to emotionally manipulate the little man has resulted in the opposite of my intentions. I have moved only myself.

The stars remain silent, as does Aum. We traverse an area of sublime perfection: a vast sea of dark matter – interstellar dust and quantum-level particulates conjoined in a sea of impermeability – interspersed with looping nebulae and black holes evidenced only by light-hoarding event horizons. I gasp in wonder and tears blur my vision.

A correlation bubbles to the surface of my thoughts. As with quasars, we are all emissaries of destiny, outward bound, the Omniverse our destination. It recedes, leaving only prescient awareness in its wake. Spiral and elliptical galaxies rotate in stately harmony as proud coteries of asteroids and comets spend themselves in vain attempts to escape the orbits of their destinies. I observe it all in solemn amazement, awed by the majestic beauty of creation. Aum breaks the silence abruptly.

“There is one final destination.”

Only one, I ask.

“Yes. Only one.”

“And where is this place?”

“It is here.”

We have come to a featureless, golden plain. I look around, finding nothing of consequence. There is no vegetation. No mountains, valleys or minor perturbations disturb the flatness. The marble path cuts a straight line to the horizon, the only differentiation between form and formlessness. The cyclones have left that path and wander in a seemingly aimless fashion across the desert.

“I do not understand.” I complain.

“Your understanding is not understandable,” he mocks, “you have only to be still and remember.”

I cannot prevent a sense of panic from setting in as I realize that our sojourn is almost complete. That, if I have not found myself by its end, some unspeakable destiny will befall me; a failure of character and intentions, fit only for one tied to the flesh for yet another turn of the wheel. I look around wildly, searching for some indication of who I am. Still there is nothing. Aum’s voice is gentle and soothes my distress.

“You have forgotten to remind me to speak of purposes.”

I apologize profusely, stumbling over my words once again, as I had when we first met. I ask him for patience, for him to work with me. I ask him for more time. His denial is expansive.

“In the end, your soul shall encompass all of the time in the Omniverse, time being relative to existence upon the gross material plane. There is no place for the linear progression of consciousness in the higher levels of vibration, where your eternal soul resides. Only the mind and certain aspects of the spirit are bound within time’s confines. The now contains a seed of memory – of eternity – a chance for you to transcend the cycle. But you must decide now. This opportunity may not manifest so clearly again.”

He pauses, his midnight eyes boring into mine. “My purpose is to help you to find yourself. To show you who and what you truly are, because you have forgotten. Most of the people on your world have forgotten and as a result, the Earth is dying. The premature transmigration of a planets soul is an occasion for great sadness. Our shared purpose is the prevention of this tragedy.”

“What do you mean?”

“As above, so below. The salvation of one soul becomes a template for the salvation of all souls. Through you, they may be saved.”

I struggle to understand. How is it possible to save all by saving one? Aums discourse replays in my mind. I am stardust. Everything is connected. My ego is not my self. I am the sum of my misguided intentions. Through me, we may be saved. As I contemplate eternity peace suffuses my soul and warmth born of compassion gathers upon the shore of my thoughts.

The little, black man peers at me with extraordinary intensity. “Tell me. Do you know who I am?”

I nod hesitantly. “Of course. You are Aum. You told me your name earlier, remember?”

“Yes, I do. I am Aum, but do you know what my name means?”

“No. Names have meaning?”

“Yes. Names contain the essence of things. No-thing is the absence of things. Formlessness. Names provide structure. Form. They facilitate the differentiation into some-thing. My name, Aum, is divine. My name contains the true will to power. My name is a primeval force, vibrating to the beat of the cosmos. Through my name, creation is become. Through my name you may find God within. Through my name you can find yourself.”

A flash of understanding increases the intensity of the vibratory energy flowing through me. I mouth his name, breathing deeply. Aum.

Then again, and once more. Aum. Something changes. The vibrations grow stronger and I reexamine the plain while simultaneously superimposing the vistas of our previous destinations atop the current one.

My vision is flawless, my hearing potent. The smallest sounds rush to my ear. The cyclones now move purposefully; converging, growing larger as each contributes its energy to the whole. They become a hurricane, twisting and screaming in reckless abandon, churning the golden sand into a stormy conflagration. The space around us remains calm and Aum watches me, his eyes shining.

I look deeper and discover hidden within the simplicity of this place the complexity of the others and, in the space of an instant, the connection becomes clear. Synapses flare as the synthetic ability of my brain bypasses the feral protestations of my ego and I observe from a space beyond as words, pictures and feelings manifest. Scenes of my life predominate.

There are my wife and daughter at home.
There are children playing beneath a cloudless, azure sky.
There are men dying, fighting in wars across the Earth.
There are elders, wasting away in hostels and filthy apartments.
There are women, men and children praying at the alters of their choice.
There are flowers, mountains, deserts and forests, fighting against encroaching pestilence.
There are streams, lakes, rivers and seas poisoned by waste and misuse.
There is the air, bearing death upon the intake of every breath.

Lust, hatred, envy, greed; the entirety of the world’s torturous ecstasy lies before me as a tapestry of life, woven of the fabric called death. Isolation, one from the other, marks the lives of the soul-lost upon the third planet from Sol, called Earth.

Suddenly, I know. I remember who I am.

The realization frees me from the chains of the flesh and I burst forth, a flaming ball of life-essence, dancing upon the astral-wind. My memory has returned and eternity beckons. My cellular database awakens and I hear the ancestors singing joyfully, their voices harmonizing with the heavens. I no longer see Aum but feel him, for he is a part of me and I still hear his voice ring out from within.

Have you found yourself yet?

Yes, I answer. I have.

Remember. Life doesn’t rewind.

An elevator chimes and I start, returned from trance. The hall remains empty of traffic and I note that time has resumed its irregular march. I turn from the confines of my past, an extraordinary sensation of peace suffusing my thoughts, and exit the building without a backward glance. No longer do I fear the day and the night holds the promise of further explorations of the inner, and outer, reality. Aum is my mantra and I exit the flesh at will to find myself encapsulated within a cocoon of love and compassion, connected to the formative void by the purity of my intentions. Sol beckons, his corona caressing my spirit and I revel in the gift, and promise, of life.

Darkness envelops me. I am rising and a formless but all-encompassing sensation reminiscent of forever is all that I feel. I was lost but now I’m found, 93,000,000 miles from the sun.

A cartoon showing spikes of activity traveling among neurons.

Ars Technica: Neuristor: Memristors used to create a neuron-like behavior

L.I.A. #6 – Sandy Wrap-ups for 2K12!!!

MAY WE STRIVE TO EMBRACE LOVED ONES IN A NEW YEAR FREE FROM SANDY WRATHS!!!
http://www.myspace.com/drocksouljah/blog/546585887

AL Bey

Author of Tainted Saint: The Autobiography of D-Rock SOUL-Jah

Electricity can run between two superconductors even through electrically insulating barriers (yellow). Now researchers have found that a magnetic field (curved arrows) can switch the amount of heat that flows from a hot side (red) to a cold one (blue).

Nature: Magnetism flips heat flow

Validation of long-predicted quantum effect points the way to thermal electronics.
Edwin Cartlidge

The series will feature many characters,but the most noticeable will be.

King Solomon

King David

Abishag

Bathsheba

Adonijah

Joab

Benaiah

Abiathar

Nathan the Prophet

Zadock 

Asmodeous