Who the Frak are YOU: The RI Membership Directory

[elfismiles]

So as I was sitting in my car yesterday on the way home from work, listening to Pandora, thinking about THIS THREAD ... what song should come on but:

The Who - Who Are You?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdLIerfXuZ4

[Dioneo]

it's a helluva lot easier to get away with shit down there. One thing I did and do appreciate about the culture is that what we sometimes glibly call woo here is taken quite seriously. If you're interested synchs and weirdness, mine the folk wisdom, it runs deep.

Alabama's economy is kept afloat by a number of foreign companies that have opened factories here for precisely that reason, Willow.

Yes, the weirdness and woo do run deep here. All roads here lead to Atlanta or New Orleans. I think the woo definitely prefers those latter roads.

[norton ash]

I'm at the northern terminus of Highway 61... just point me south and I'll get to NOLA. I have a secure and flexible job as a spinner, middleman, gatekeeper on communications. The blackberry is the homunculus in my pocket who says 'ahem' to me 24/7. I contend with alcoholism, Aspergers, and depression every day. I spend days in a dingy home office in a small Victorian two-story, and my nights and weekends on the wild shore of Lake Superior with my feral Hungarian-Canadian crime-family girlfriend. I am in retreat as far as expressing myself honestly. I got massively depressed yesterday because I watched "Kill Your Darlings' and "Seduced and Abandoned' and realized I was neither a poet or a filmmaker and the hours are getting late. I chose a cold, lonely and isolated place to live... stark and beautiful...because Cities wear me out after a few days. Too many young people in a hurry, and effectively up to no good. In the thrall of the money-sorcery.

I turned 52 last week. My Idols at 17 were Iggy Pop, Joe Strummer, Johnny Lydon, Keith Richards and Elvis Costello.Andre Dawson and Tim Raines, Ellis Valentine. Kerouac and Vonnegut and Burroughs. I lived and worked in Northern Canada, and I have facial scars and broken teeth from those long, dark and drunken-druggie nights. I do not drive, I have a phobia... I've been diagnosed borderline-Aspergers's because of my hatred of motors and machines.

I am an ethnic French-Irish Catholic Canadian, this is my tribe, but I'm agnostic-deist in outlook, and I will never discount magic because I do gamble-- and can feel the music of the cards-- and I scry and throw I Ching with some success and enlightenment.

The American Election in 2000 followed by 9/11 began a path of wisdom and misery for me. One of these days I may poke my head up and start something. But today is just another cloudy cold one.
Namaste,
Ash

[Dioneo]

Wow, my first visit to Canada was at the northern terminus of Hwy. 61. Synchronicities abound! I was a kid; I loved the fort.

[norton ash]

Cool. Guess you got a small taste of the Scottish empire up here... timely day for it, anyway. Short peasant Frenchmen carried the heavily-laden canoes, while the Frasers and MacKenzies and MacGillvarys did the banking.

Y'all have a nice day. 40F today here with a lowering sky and a NW wind. Snow fly soon, neechee.

[BrandonD]

I am an ethnic French-Irish Catholic Canadian, this is my tribe, but I'm agnostic-deist in outlook, and I will never discount magic because I do gamble-- and can feel the music of the cards-- and I scry and throw I Ching with some success and enlightenment.
Ash

I've long been interested in the i ching, and have a small amount of experience. I'd love to hear some of your thoughts on the subject. For example, there are multiple ways to cast the "reeds" - flipping coins, colored beads in a bag (my chosen method), etc. Do you find that one is more effective for you than another?

[norton ash]

I use coins. Canadian ones work because they all have the Queen on the yin-side, and animals on the yang. Aimless brute strength and animal creation, countered with the eternal female receiver-by-right. Loons, beaver and caribou are fair enough yang. The last one I threw on Sept 10 was #15, Modesty.

[worldsastage]

Long time lurker who found Jeff Well's blog via recommendation from a member of a conspirituality UFO cult I used to belonged to. Don't get me wrong, when I say conspirituality UFO cult, I mean it with some love…and strong dislike bordering on hate. The topics interest me but most of the individuals I have met IRL in that sphere ---some of whom were big name book sellers and speakers on the circuit---were grifters, con artists and abusers. Taking advantage of innocents is unforgivable to me. Fuck it. I just don’t want anything to do with such people, but I digress
I was drawn to reading Jeff’s work because the deconstruction of various conspiracies is the best that I’ve found on the web. Where else could you find the kind of informed and passionate discussions about a subject often off limits in my line of work? Skeptics rule in my discipline.

I used to read the blog and the comments. Remember those days?
About 08 I got brave and joined but haven't posted much. Boy have I read. Whether they were right or wrong, folks like Alice, C2W, Jack R, AD, 82_28 and yes, SLAD, among others blew me away each time I would log on. My list is too long to name every single one of you who have touched me with your words but the preceding names were some the first came to mind.

The topics here are similar to those discussed by the cult I belonged to. However, they are so very different in tone and approach, even with the legendary arguments that sometimes makes me uncomfortable about participating here. More importantly, the discussions here do not require acquiescence to authoritarian, cash-grabbing mind control. At one point members of the cult were disallowed from visiting Jeff’s blog. In defiance I actually came on and signed up as a member.

I have lived most of my life on the east coast of the North American continent but am not native to it. I belong to one of the many diaspora groups that have settled on this continent in modern times. I'm also a middle-aged academic who works at a mid-Atlantic institution most likely in cahoots with the various alphabet agencies. I teach and research in a discipline that would activate Hugh the Manatee's spidey senses. I grew up loving music (especially from string instruments) and art. My only true talent, however, is that of teaching science and math to disinterested young adults. Although by most American standards, my education should put me in the middle class, I can never identify with its so called values. Working class all the way, baby! As primary caregiver for a teenager and a couple of cats, statistics tutor at a local prison, friend to some and acquaintance of many, I try to keep up with the discussion here but rarely find time to post. By the time I can sit down to write something, the discussion has often moved on, someone already said what I would have said, or the infighting gets to be too much for me. Although I recognize that some conflict might be useful, I hate conflict. I've had my share of it and there is just too darn much in the world.

Cheers!

[alan ford]

[BrandonD]

Long time lurker who found Jeff Well's blog via recommendation from a member of a conspirituality UFO cult I used to belonged to. Don't get me wrong, when I say conspirituality UFO cult, I mean it with some love…and strong dislike bordering on hate. The topics interest me but most of the individuals I have met IRL in that sphere ---some of whom were big name book sellers and speakers on the circuit---were grifters, con artists and abusers. Taking advantage of innocents is unforgivable to me. Fuck it. I just don’t want anything to do with such people, but I digress
I was drawn to reading Jeff’s work because the deconstruction of various conspiracies is the best that I’ve found on the web. Where else could you find the kind of informed and passionate discussions about a subject often off limits in my line of work? Skeptics rule in my discipline.

I used to read the blog and the comments. Remember those days?
About 08 I got brave and joined but haven't posted much. Boy have I read. Whether they were right or wrong, folks like Alice, C2W, Jack R, AD, 82_28 and yes, SLAD, among others blew me away each time I would log on. My list is too long to name every single one of you who have touched me with your words but the preceding names were some the first came to mind.

The topics here are similar to those discussed by the cult I belonged to. However, they are so very different in tone and approach, even with the legendary arguments that sometimes makes me uncomfortable about participating here. More importantly, the discussions here do not require acquiescence to authoritarian, cash-grabbing mind control. At one point members of the cult were disallowed from visiting Jeff’s blog. In defiance I actually came on and signed up as a member.

I have lived most of my life on the east coast of the North American continent but am not native to it. I belong to one of the many diaspora groups that have settled on this continent in modern times. I'm also a middle-aged academic who works at a mid-Atlantic institution most likely in cahoots with the various alphabet agencies. I teach and research in a discipline that would activate Hugh the Manatee's spidey senses. I grew up loving music (especially from string instruments) and art. My only true talent, however, is that of teaching science and math to disinterested young adults. Although by most American standards, my education should put me in the middle class, I can never identify with its so called values. Working class all the way, baby! As primary caregiver for a teenager and a couple of cats, statistics tutor at a local prison, friend to some and acquaintance of many, I try to keep up with the discussion here but rarely find time to post. By the time I can sit down to write something, the discussion has often moved on, someone already said what I would have said, or the infighting gets to be too much for me. Although I recognize that some conflict might be useful, I hate conflict. I've had my share of it and there is just too darn much in the world.

Cheers!

I am curious what UFO cult you were involved with if you don't mind sharing, as I was closely involved with one as well about 15 years ago. Perhaps we've met!

I was in a group associated w Laura Knight-Jadczyk (sp?) and her allegedly channeled material from Cassiopaea, which attained a bit of notoriety back in the day.

BTW, my use of "UFO cult" is a bit tongue in cheek. I'm not branding their group as a scam, some genuinely unusual "paranormal" things occurred during that time, but as with most large groups there were questionable elements which were the motivating factor behind my departure.

[semper occultus]

....yes I think I remember when you ( partially ) uncloaked before and revealed some of your fascinating history worldsastage......I hope if you feel any sort of confidence in the cover of internet privacy / anonymity .....the value of which you so clearly demonstrate...you might feel like contributing a bit more....god knows we could do with it.......

[82_28]

Thanks for the mention, worldsastage, but it ain't me. I'm only standing on the proverbial "shoulders". For some reason this slogan from (the band) Suicidal Tendencies popped into mind.

"If you're not now, you never were"

So with that, let's listen to this awesome song by ST:



Man, I wish I had a time machine for all of us.

[worldsastage]

I am curious what UFO cult you were involved with if you don't mind sharing, as I was closely involved with one as well about 15 years ago. Perhaps we've met!

I was in a group associated w Laura Knight-Jadczyk (sp?) and her allegedly channeled material from Cassiopaea, which attained a bit of notoriety back in the day.

BTW, my use of "UFO cult" is a bit tongue in cheek. I'm not branding their group as a scam, some genuinely unusual "paranormal" things occurred during that time, but as with most large groups there were questionable elements which were the motivating factor behind my departure.

Rather not say but we could have met.
Have you ever attended a UFO conference in that southern state of weird where northerners like to retire?

I too say cult with my tongue a little bit in cheek, but it is also with a little seriousness when considered according to the psychosocial definitions AND the effects on members, particularly when they leave. I also say it with some trepidation because I think our overall social structure is cultic; that structure makes it easy to start labeling everything as a cult, something I am keen on avoiding. It is critical to understand that true cult members rarely see it as a cult until long after leaving, and only if they stop filtering everything through the lens of the leader(s). I certainly did not see my group as such when I was in. But man, do they fit every item on the cult checklist and more....

I really don't have much to say about Jadczyk's group except they have been out there on a lot of non-mainstream topics for a while now and their affiliated groups are not my cup of tea.

Once you begin to devote most of your energy and resources to any group, they can have a cultic type of influence on you without it necessarily being a cult or even dangerous. The potential for danger is always there, however, because the mixture of beliefs and devotion to any cause makes for the hell of a programmable individual in the service of that cause. So now I will modify who the frak I am and say I belonged to a dangerous cult that demanded devotion and modeled its internal operations after Scientology.

[worldsastage]

....yes I think I remember when you ( partially ) uncloaked before and revealed some of your fascinating history worldsastage......I hope if you feel any sort of confidence in the cover of internet privacy / anonymity .....the value of which you so clearly demonstrate...you might feel like contributing a bit more....god knows we could do with it.......

As you can see I really don't have confidence in any real internet privacy but I still have to try....

[worldsastage]

The music of Suicidal Tendencies is always cool. Thanks!