Neil Kramer wrote some insightful essays back in 2007 about how television targets women that's relevant for today and worth re-visiting.

He makes some astute observations that will make you stop and think.

I grew up watching television. My Dad likes to tell the story about when I was 6 months old....he got me out of the crib to watch Neil Armstrong walk on the moon. In retrospect that seems to be the only thing that was really worth watching when I think of the hundreds of hours I wasted over the years.

I knew for a long time it was bad for my brain, but I still went back for more, rationalizing how entertainment like the History channel or Discovery was somehow immune to the mind numbing effect of the more low brow stuff. It wasn't until I retreated back to the woods of rural Appalachia that I finally woke up and saw the ugly truth behind everything the television spews.

I still enjoy the occasional movie, but sadly most of what Hollywood chooses to create is unfit for my eyes and ears. This would be a good time to mention Steve Willner and his fascinating work with synchromysticism at his website Labyrinth of the Psychonaut. Mr Willner and his associates have created some compelling videos that carefully dissect some of the more sinister motives behind the imagery and symbolism that dominates both the big and little screen these days.

Jay Weidner said recently:"If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a symbol is worth a thousand pictures."

Image credit goes to trashyourtv.com for the picture of a smashed tv in the desert.

I stumbled upon Miles Hingston's blog while looking for more Jay Weidner material on Youtube today.

He seems to be on a similar frequency as the Cosmic Cookout.

What I like most about his Holoplex blog is the short videos he has uploaded on Youtube. He weaves these videos into the blog in a way that I'd like to see more often. Add to this a brand new podcast he started and you've got a website worth checking out.

Have you considered theories of our Earth being hollow as absurd and too fantastic and half baked to take serious? I did until I started learning about Dr Brooks Agnew and his upcoming expedition to find out if there is indeed an opening to the Inner Earth.

The concept of a hidden world beneath the surface can be found in many cultures and traditional folk tales.

This short video breaks down Dr Agnew's model in an easy to understand visual manner.

The expedition is scheduled for the summer of 2010, so perhaps we won't have to wait much longer to find out if this fantastic idea has any merit. If you find yourself wanting more information after this one I suggest checking out an excellent interview done by Mel Fabregas with Brooks Agnew on the Veritas show. Dr Agnew describes his hypothesis of attempting to use the combined consciousness of the crew to activate some sort of entranceway or opening once his ship arrives at the North Pole. He claims there will be a live video feed which will be streaming 24 hours during the 2 week journey, which sounds intriguing.

 

Jan Irvin and Andrew Rutajit have put together a fascinating and educational video on the Christian persecution of entheogenic plants and mushrooms.

The video can be viewed for free at Jan's website Gnostic Media.com and is meant to work as a companion piece to their book Astro-Theology and Shamanism. They skillfully use historical art to point out how some of these mushroom secrets seem to be hidden in plain view.

There are many insights that will make you stop and think. One that I'm still digesting is their hypothesis of the Holy Grail. When the Amanita muscaria reaches maturity, it begins to form a cup shape that resembles the Grail as depicted in several pieces of art. The cup will sometimes capture early morning dew, forming a red liquid that can be sipped to experience a mild mushroom experience. Irvin and Rutajit suggest how this might have been what was referred to in the Bible when Jesus instructs his disciples to drink of his blood and eat of his flesh. The blood being this mushroom drink and the flesh being the actual fruit of the Amanita muscaria.

The argument is well built and backed up with visual evidence from the destruction of the Eleusinian Mysteries at the end of the fourth century through the relentless persecution of "witches" and other shaman-like people in the Middle Ages. It's really not too far of a leap to see where todays "War on Drugs" is a continuation of these brutal policies.