Category Archives: Space Time

The Requirements of Observation: September #BlogBattle- Motionless

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A Void

They told me I had to Watch and there would be something of a Wait, which at the time seemed no great burden, after all this is my role, my speciality if you like. We who walk and work on the edges of the conventional and tangible portion of Creation have many differing roles. I met a colleague who would turn up in persons lives and navigate them through for reasons he admitted were obscure. I came across him sitting on a edge into Nowhere. He said he liked to return because ‘There was It Was Where It Started’. We chatted and we had both met the fellow who wandered from one abandoned world to another. In my presented situation it might have been profitable to have met up with again that second fellow. Unlikely though, when you multiply the age and diameters of the Universe and there are so few of us, about our various ephemeral tasks, even They are not sure why We do what We do. But We Do.

I was to journey to a vessel which was of some size even noteworthy in this Universe of countless wonders. Whereas the dimensions were exceptional by the standards of artificial constructs what had drawn particular attention was it perpetual stationary place in one of the cosmological voids, those places,   which can be measured in sometimes hundreds of millions of light years wherein Nothing is the most common state and yet this vehicle was attracting the attention of Observational Machinery, a speck of comparable quark-like status, shone in the central enormity of a Void.

When We travel, We move in a manner which acknowledges the Twenty Dimension structure and thus Distance, Time and Velocity all have different meanings to the conventional and even the more numerous innovative mechanical means. We find a place suitable to the various tydes and waves of the Universe and there we wait to be carried along by its vast and unfailing natures. At this juncture We are in effect motionless of will being carried along. We wait to arrive and thence depart or fall out, opinion is divided. The mastering of the disciplines take several centuries for want of a better measurement of a Time.  Although Time itself for Us is not the same as it may be for those who dwell in the Conventional. We are gifted or burdened with the ability to alter our perception. We can turn in our frame of existence what you might count as a thousand years into one count of Sixty in the going forwards. Then choose place far from Activity of Civilisations and reset. In effect not moving through the Time you will experience. We can therefore, in the vast Scheme of The Cosmos appear Motionless. Aging is not our concern. Although Immortality, I have been told is not ours either. At some stage, We fade apart, with barely a whisper.

Thus I arrived in No Time or Space at the deemed location  and from what  would be crudely termed ten light years out looked upon the vessel. One should always exercise caution when approaching an unknown in a singularly uncommonly visited place.

Since there appeared no particular threat I drew in closer for my observational estimation of its nature. There came up the first paradox. The vessel was remaining stationary at its location, which was singular since even in The Voids there are subtle movements of particles and the faintest waves of cosmological events thus an object stationary should be subject to those influences displaying signs of moving by either, to use vulgar simplifications pushing or pulling. In what you might call the Hundred Years I watched it did not move in any discernible direction, which suggested some machinery was holding it in place; whether by design or by the simple process of constant repetition in the absence of instructions remained to be seen. Movement to remain motionless. Not unusual in craft travelling in at least the three dimensions. However in this location the cause needed to be discerned.  I moved to investigate, intending to take what might be ten years, employing the caution and also a long enough time to gauge any movement.

As the distance narrowed naturally the craft’s dimensions appeared greater. Vast by the standards of most conventional measurements. Craft which travel the stellar distances usually are for they must account for all manner of encounters; this one, built on a familiar long and slender lines was nonetheless beyond anything of my experiences. At touching distances the ends were beyond sight, the height comparable to a mountain of more modest height. Yet, still, no sense of locomotion. To hold statis must I thought require great effort, small wonder the craft was making its presence known.

Entrance into any artificially constructed is possible: the navigating through damage of a wreck, the patient persuading of an airlock to open from the outside, the rather avoidable journeying along places through which waste is ejected or the rare but esoteric interfacing with some aspect of the vessel. Since this object of curiosity seemed to have been deliberately manufactured on an enigmatic basis  I was obliged to spend what might have been five years convincing one airlock to let me have access, a tactic which required being physically motionless while seeking out through thought and emotion the means to touch the internal dynamics of the access area; an act I might add which took three years, something a tribute to the smoothness and uniformity of the surface.  Yet entry was a success.

Inside all stillness, along corridors whose length required days of steady travel, at various junctures were rooms which could have held towns and empty were empty, some were repositories of stored equipment, in others there were the faint sounds of activity whose nature would take study. There were places judging by the furniture and absence of industry were probably assigned to rest, leisure or maybe reflection. As my internal cycle suggested what could be described a half of a year an clue as to purpose or history of the craft still eluded me. Itself not an unusual circumstances for the unanswered and likely unknowable questions within this Universe are myriad, although normally  there is a start and a point where the enquiries go so far. With this it was difficult to know just what approach to take. Whereas my orders were to wait and watch there was a sub-text of expecting me to have some sort of working notion as to the nature of this, in universal terms, very small speck being so noticeable, in pristine condition too.

I deemed my first task to garner information on the constructors of this vessel, suspecting there would be no physical evidence of remains, for Enigma seemed to be their calling. Over the next year by examination of the interior for they had left no organic evidence, it could be deduced they were bipedal, possibly slender, with two forelimbs and a neck upon which was a head, the absence of decoration suggested a level of austerity and focus upon their mission. How many were the crew was another matter of speculation, the evidence of machinery and means of internal communication indicated a relatively small crew could have managed the craft from central positions, of these I identified a likely ten. It would be another matter of conjecture as to whether the size of the craft made complete automation inoperable or they did not have a trust of machines with whatever the task might have been.

Five years I dedicated to the possibility this may have been a craft whose sole purpose was the movement of a large population from one location to another, and once this had been reached had been set on a journey unto the void. That could have been to leave no trace of where the population had arrived or maybe for some cultural reason. Both were possible, that clean absence of any life suggested they would have intended to leave no clues.

At the end of that period I became aware of a weariness settling over me. Exploration no matter how arduous and demanding would eventually give some outlines of cause and effect. I had none. A vast craft, in place which should indicate only error and abandonment or deliberate cloaking, and yet nothing indicated. Thus I finally repaired to a familiar place, one of the large room, designed in a semi curve, replete with active machinery and on one wall a panorama of one portion of the void, with the smears of far off clusters of galaxies. Seated I resorted to measuring the count of fifty to mark the passing of one thousand of the average passages of seasons and cycles around a star, anything faster and I might miss the fleeting spark of some clue. For ten thousand I sat and stared, listened, the Universe did not reveal much. After all what is ten million years against such a backdrop of Creation? The craft still operated, holding fast in the Void, leading to another question. What design could stand the demands of that passage of time, which also begged the next question. At what stage in its existence had I arrived.

Normally the interaction of the perceived passage of times with those of the actually times, if extended to this level can be dangerous, there is only so much stress between physical passages and the perceived ones We are taught to meld about us. I may have gone beyond the advisory limit. But I had become so weary, all which I could do was to sit and watch, the tasks of explorations yielding very little had pressed heavy on my senses and intellect. For here I was faced with an Absence of any motion of learning, realisation.

And here I am.

Still.

Wrapped in a previously unknown temporal dimension.

In a place which keeps all of its secrets still hidden.

A discoverer of a Motionless in form

Wondering if this had absorbed a lost, stranded crew into its statis.

And all I can do is Watch and Wait.

Which was my mission.

It Will Not Go Away: August #BlogBattle- Pareidolia

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Horsehead Nebula

In the early decades of the 22nd century, spurred by some spectacularly disastrous weather events during the mid 21st century the general fright broke of the final barrier that Climate Regeneration was a world-wide necessity, and most attention was thus directed. In consequence sciences such as those in the Cosmological area were gently eased in quiet corners, left to a few to keep things ‘ticking over’ as it were. Space exploration being mostly restricted to the Solar System, and then even to the locality of Earth, Moon, Mars region. Those who scan the far stars were few in number, an indulged but generally overlooked group.

Cardon was one. The natural fascination with starry nights had been the start and with a quiet persistence he had followed that into study. Whenever asked by friends and relatives, he being an affable soft spoken fellow would say something conversationally along the lines of  ‘Someday folk will look starwards again, and glad the information was kept fresh,’, and the listeners would smile, then swiftly turn to other topics. Cardon would smile at them, be affable, while thinking on the next quiet step in his own journey for knowledge.

There were very few astronomical observatories left, many from any earlier age converted to issues relating to the weather and of the small number still looking outwards, the majority dealt with the respectable issues of assisting in colonisation research or stellar Impact Events. There were, to his knowledge but ten in the world whose attention was on the further cosmos, funded by billionaires who shared the interest. Folk who had enough wealth to inure themselves from public opinion and official unhappiness and commentary on ‘wasted’ resources.

He sat musing over the latest tranche of computer images transmitted from the Reflecting Telescope. It was quite the challenge to decide on where to study, in this he and his colleagues were glad of the archive material from the previous century, with which you could try and fill in gaps, or review.  Currently he was revisiting that most fascinating shape The Horsehead Nebulae part of the Orion molecular cloud complex, a dusty birthplace of stars, and thus a signpost for the study of the massive forces at work to bring about such events. He had been working for some time to seek out the more detailed physical evidence. He knew the shortcomings, the comparative time scales between stellar conception to birth and a person’s life span were so vast in difference no one person could hope to witness the evolution of one sample but in detailed study they could see different subjects at different stages. He would comfort himself with the additional idea that there would be ample evidence there to study the nature of molecular cloud complexes. One of many pathways of study which had been discarded and the progress choked off.  

With this in mind he had chosen to look at magnified images the better to seek out detail in the physical. He had had to discard, though, for it seemed the magnification process had led to an excess of blurring, particularly from the centre to the right of what could be called the neck of the ‘horse’s head’. On reflection this seemed to illustrate just how much skill and even artistry had been forgotten over the past seventy years. Accepting that Finding Ways Which Don’t Work is all part of the process Cardon settled on examining smaller sized conventional images, using computer programmes to analyse what would be the components.

He chose for the first place, the lighter shades to the right of the nebulae on the basis that the variety might give a better ground for comparison and thus insight.

Maybe the train of thought started with musing on the very term ‘Horsehead Nebulae’. There could be no argument the feature did resemble a horse’s head, neck and if you looked to the greyish area to the top, a mane. Some old terms for certain cosmological features he thought a bit of a stretch, but ‘Horsehead’. So obvious. One example of the classic Pareidolia phenomenon, the mind ever inventive in translating.   And maybe because his  was opened up to looking with that perspective, when studying the right side feature, he gradually discerned an image all of its own. There a complex of colouration standing out from the predominant dark. Slender, a form which leant itself to the outline of the upper part of a body. Struck with a type of clarity, his attention and then perception grew. Half way up the neck, an outline which could be discerned as a face made all the more believable by the shaded images of wide shapes which could be two eyes, below these a mouth; three distorted into the suggestion of alarm or anguish.

He paused, struck by the plausibility of the translation. Whereas pareidolia had been an ancient circumstance, you had to be very careful in these days. Governments and societies were united in the suspicion of anyone trying to divert attention from the great scheme of repairing the environment, things could go very hard on anyone engaged in anything other than the practical. To even in a light vein casually mentioning any abnormal interpretation of anything was considered at best ‘bad taste’. And Pity help anyone found even just dabbling in the now forbidden Astrology. He would cast the idea aside and turn his attention back to the scientific and the dark constituents of the cloud. Just one more glance, only out of curiosity.

The face was clearer. He could now see either some sort of hair style or headgear, even forelimbs, out pressing against an undefinable barrier. Quite clearly he could make out the image of a trapped individual, held in the darkness. His mind raced through the implications, the rationalisation of what this image would mean. A being so vast you would measure their span in nearly a light year trapped in a prison of some three and one-half light years. The concept of the forces at work, the unfathomable potential tale of how this event had come to pass. All had come rushing in on him as if he had opened a door in his mind to a raging storm of possibilities, the equivalent of one of those tornados which now plagued vast areas with their rapid and violent arrival.

Hands in his face he sat down heavily on the floor propped against a wall, telling himself this could not be reality. You simply could not have a being so large imprisoned. And how, by other beings or trapped by some vast celestial version of a swamp? These thoughts were beyond the rational. Yet as fast as he told himself, there was the unarguable  proposition that in a Fourteen Billion year old, Ninety-Three billion light year wide Universe, something that covered but three and one-half light years was a speck. What was one light year’s size set against Ninety-Three Billion, ever expanding, and only the observable. Another wave of thoughts battered against his reasoning, the distance was one thousand, three hundred and seventy-five light years. Was that torment still going on now? And for how long?

Safe from the image reasoning enveloped him. He told himself this reaction was ridiculous. He worked upon perspectives and circumstances. He had, he said, been working too hard, with a defensive frame of mind, a constant struggle not to raise suspicions that this work did not matter when set against the battle to save the world. Somewhere in jungle of the stresses of work and maintenance of normality a toxic mix of imagination and fevered intention to believe his work had a true important purpose he had stepped over to a place where the frenetic ran loose. What he had seen was not so. Simply an incidence of Pareidolia, and the imagination.

In an attempt at composure he tided up his work and made to put it all neatly away for the morrow, when in the freshness of day, and the small but convivial company of the trio of colleagues he would seek out another approach. Importantly put away the images of the Horsehead Nebulae, file them as archival material, seek out some stellar image upon which you could not impose an artificial imagery. This done, he repaired to another room, fixed himself a herbal brew and listened to selection of soft and calming music, waiting for sleep to creep upon him. Any attempt to deliberately seek slumber he had to accept would be useless, for the memory of the image even with his efforts to return to easier circumstances, was still there, a constant unsettling replay, feeding the urge to consider the probabilities of his being a witness to vast and fearsome events.

Removed from the atmosphere of work, endeavouring to marshal music and a soothing brew into a combination to cultivate calm he opted not to deny the experience by challenging it with common sense. Here he could tell himself that surely he was not the first person in the history of Humanity’s observations of the stellar landscapes to have seen such a sight. There had been the whole discipline of Astrology, a few thousand years old and only recently discouraged, the basis of which was enriched by seeing pattens of stars, from there had started out the evolution of scientific study. Therefore other folk must have seen the same or similar image in the Horsehead. Yet no recorded commentary.  

If only there he could have broken the yoke of Restless Enquiry, settled on a brief humorous sniff of dismissal, and a resolve to take a serious reflection on his approach to the study, even a dalliance with changing career and putting his education and experience to other tracks. Yet the suddeness of the event would not be stilled. Suppose others had actually seen the same? Suppose they had managed to make that step of dismissal and continue on their way. Suppose though they had mentioned it to others? And suppose ridicule had set in, their reputations, their work ruined. Suppose to suit the purposes of rivals the casual comment had to used to suggest insanity and the proponent’s official removal? Suppose, just suppose, the information had a history of being suppressed on the ground that the claimants had made too good a case, and such words should be consigned to somewhere to be lost and then forgotten, the fate of the claimants wrapped in the fog of of distraction of other events? The latter was a chilling but equally believable scenario; for when the population became aware of this possibility, who could predict what types of disruptions could arise in that most fragile of Human concepts, Society? Aware his hand of trembling and the surface of the brew quivering under the attentions of his own personal storm, he with great effort made to steer into the more stern and essential disciplined world of the Scientific. There he chided himself for not seeking this refuge in the first place. For was it not obvious to the trained and focused mind that this was mere Human distortion of a simple manifestation of gas and dust into a recognisable pattern, all down to wayward imagination? Imagination and the urge for part of the mind to seek to impose a façade of recognisable reality. Nothing more. Nothing more.

He dozed. In the morning he joshed with his colleagues about being side-tracked in looking at far too many images because there were so many to look at. It was safe ground, they had all fallen to that temptation. Nothing more came of it. The work was not the same though, and after a respectable passage of time, he took up the offer of working on the Lunar Transportation hub timetable calculation. There was comfort in such Civic Work and it was valued. Respectable.  

Twenty million light years from the Horsehead Nebulae, essential observations continued on the site and its imagery. The reasoning remote from Human comprehension. 

Neither this, nor Humanity’s activity to save itself had any influence on the dynamics of The Universe.  

At Causeways #Blog Battle : June – Silhouette

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Meeting Place

Forewyrd : In the Blog Battle I like to create a post’s image using Cavana. Normally either half-way through or at the end of the story. On this occasion being summoned to the site by the evocative idea of silhouettes I had much fun creating the above first. Thus on the basis on ‘Never Waste A Good World Build’   the story has to fit into the image. Let the struggle to achieve this commence….

                                               ***********

Seated on the edge of a ledge. Looking straight ahead with no sign of any horizon. To do so was stability, he did not care to look in any other direction. Not on this edge, where staying put was for the best, even to scramble back might risk losing a footing and thus stumble out into The Endless. At this juncture he admitted the journey should not have been undertaken, at the onset and during the undertaking there had not been the wisdom of Hindsight; only the calling onwards, onwards. And now he was. Here? There had supposed to answers Here.

The action, a something taking place suspended in the emptiness to his right. He dared not turn his head for fear of losing A Balance, by good fortune the action was turning into an opening, starting as long and slender, through which deep blue was a backdrop to a curtain of soft shimmering light. Gradually widening into a panorama of a dark landscape from which rose the light against the backdrop of the blue interspersed with a few small bright sharp specks that could be stars. There black against it all came a figure, walking steadily towards him.

Fearfully his hands dug through the grass and into the earth on which he sat. Fixed sitting and staring ahead, unable to turn, eyes aching with the effort of looking sideways, his voice broke out a cracked trembling thing.

‘Who are you? Why come this way? I have nothing for you,’

The closer the figure came, he could see they were not looking to him, but downwards. Summoned by Curiosity which ignored Caution his eyes moved in the same general direction.

Viewing another place devoid of full daylight, in this case being a sunset of a brighter intensity than he could recall ever witnessing. In similar lineation to the walking figure sat in cross-legged repose a feminine shape, attention set upon the majestic blaze of yellow and white dominating the horizon. 

‘You seem somewhat calm in the face of the coming Dynamic,’ the walking figure said.

The seated figure looked up to them, spending a little time considering this arrival before speaking.

‘It is inevitable. At least I suppose so. What say you? Are you affected?’

The walking figure stopped, to the one of the ledge it appeared that figure could not go beyond some undefinable barrier.

‘I will not be. I have travelled,’ a hand was cast back in a gesture to the stellar background ‘Through many distances and times. Witnessed all manner of events and circumstances of which the Cosmos is capable of. Yes it is inevitable. All Life will be seared off of your world which will become a place of geological features and no more. Does that upset you?’

‘Not really. We have known for a while, and instead of making the best of the time, ensuring comprehensive records of our existence were placed in safety for Future Folk, most fell into debased hysteria and nihilistic violence. I had quite a struggle in my journey to find this place of calm isolation. Now I wait. Content that the Universe will not have cared a jot about us or our passing. Did you come here specifically to bear witness?’   

‘Now I am here I will. Though my journeying is a random thing. At the behest of what circumstances or forces I have not yet discerned. I arrive and observe, sometimes explore then on turning a corner, or waking up, the location is different. One clue available is wherever the next place may be the environment is conducive to my survival, for that interlude anyway,’

The one of the ledge had been calling out loudly for their attention. They did not notice him.  Reason dictated to him there was something to do with The Physics of it all; Time, Distance, Dimensions and the like. It was not, Reason told him firmly that he was not simply a figment of some other’s imagination. He found comfort in Reason, and just listened.

‘Have you met many people, races?’ the woman was asking, the male figure seemed to be looking down, thoughtful, though the one of the ledge found there was difficulty in being precise over the actions of a silhouette.

‘Thus far. None. I have encountered many ruins, even intact but long deserted complete cities but so far none with any clues as to who had lived there and the manner of the ending of that residence. Since whatever propels me along never allows me to stay  in one place long enough it is difficult to gain a full picture. In the ruins there are possible indications of wars, or natural events. The deserted cities are always a complete mystery to me. There again you have to consider the sheer size of just one galaxy alone. If Time was still recordable for me, and I was to spend one hour in one star system some twenty-three million years would have had to elapse covering them all and I am not sure if immortality applies to me. So my journey, to date, might have been only the barest of scratches on a surface,’   

‘Such a vastness for one soul to deal with. Do you ever get lonely?’

‘The variety of scenes and the constant movement, along with the puzzlement of the purpose does keep me occupied. Though I admit companionship to discuss the observations would be of comfort,’ he extended one hand, and then opened his palm outwards as if pressing against something ‘Would you,’ emphasis lay heavy in that word ‘Care to try and join me?’

There came a sigh and an unease in the previous tranquil posture.

‘I confess in reaching here, the struggle I referred to, involved killing many folk who tried to impede me. There is within me now a certain instinct to that violence. My company might be detrimental when you finally meet folk on other worlds. It is as well I go with the rest in this world. Thank you for the invitation though,’

‘I am sorry you feel this is the best solution. If there is any consolation in these next words I can see the coming cosmological event, the ending will be so swift you will feel no transition,’

‘Again, thank you. Do you know when?’

‘Very soon, within the next few moments,’

‘Jump to me,’ cried the observer on the ledge holding out his arms, his voice loud and echoing into the void before him, his action beyond rational and born of an urge to no longer be passive. Her head turned up in his direction, as the light commenced to engulfed her, he thought he saw a smile.

She and her world were gone. A black space with stars vast distances away remained.

The walker, still a dark shape without features set his attention upon the one on the ledge.

‘That was a kindly gesture. Have you been there long?’

The one of the ledge clutched into the soil again, lest the contact caused him to either lose his balance or try to step over into the other domain, for either he felt would risk his demise into the void.

‘I had been watching you both for a while and called out but neither of you noticed. Until now. She did see and hear me then?’ 

‘Receipt of sound and vision appear to be variable when dealing with the vastness and variety of this Universe and along with the other scale, its attendant smallness. I conjecture the event which fell upon her planet might have opened a causeway between us. There again maybe her world had been a barrier. Who can tell?’ the head inclined ‘Perhaps you should ask the person seated next to you?’

Still fearful of the ledge the sitter turned very carefully. There was someone next to him, but as with the others he could not make out the features, they waved a hand in a brief friendly acknowledgement.

‘How long have you been there?’ he asked, nearly demanded.

‘Oh, since you arrived,’

‘But I-‘ he began.

‘I leave you pair to it then,’ said the walker, a hint of humour in his voice and he walked away, leaving the sitter with a companion.  

‘I expect you are puzzled and confused,’ this latest person said ‘It is to be expected. Me, I have this ability or you might say curse to keep a record of linear time. Therefore I can say, this has been my worlds and lot for the past two thousand years and for me there are still more mysteries than questions answered. Can you recall anything?’

‘Only the urge to journey and finding myself here,’

‘That’s a common enough story. Some arrive as a result of death, others through long and intense meditation, then there are those who get here through some mechanical agency and some, just by accident of placement. I had spent some amount of my earlier existence here in trying to identify the reasons for the differing means and the attendant purposes, but when there seemed to be a possibility of reaching some conclusion it all drifted away, thus these days I devote my efforts to being of assistance to arrivees , and those here a while and burdened by confusion who are in danger of getting lost, also those journeying here,  if I can see them early enough guide them in,’

‘That’s commendable. Is there a purpose to all this though?’

‘I think these locations and those who inhabit it are simply another part of the Whole Existence. Goodness knows there is enough of it. We should make the best of whatever. You have started off most promisingly. You sat here in fear, daring not to move and yet risked your tenuous feeling of safety to help another. You should develop that. Helping others is a most rewarding effort hereabouts,’

The figure stood confident and erect, one hand down to him.

‘Come take my hand and follow me.  We shall talk a while,’

He did as asked. The fear ebbed being replaced by a positive sort curiosity. He took the solid enough hand and followed.

As they did a shadow walked through them, very much at ease.

‘Ah,’ his companion exclaimed ‘There’s the girl you offered to help. Seems you were successful. She looks very much at peace now. Quite the fetching hair style too. Intriguing the changes which take place,’ the hand squeezed his ‘Don’t try and contact her now, she is following another path,’

Those words made quite the most sense he had heard to date, and he simply went hand in hand with the other.     

There’s Nothing Simple Out There (One Christian’s Declarations Concerning Their Faith and the Subject of Evidence. Part I)

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Faith

Foreword:

I would like to thank fellow WP blogger Professor Taboo for jolting me out of my ‘I really Must Get Around To Writing That Faith-Based Post Before Lent Ends’ statis state.

In advance, if you are going to read this post you are strongly advised to study his recent posts Paul, Acts, Forgeries & Marcion* Parts I & II

Paul, Acts, Forgeries & Marcion – Part I

Paul, Acts, Forgeries & Marcion – Part II

When dealing with someone else’s position and their case is argued at length, it is my practice to Copy & Paste onto a Word Doc for reference and scale. Please note PT’s posts are 4,400+  & 3,800+ words long respectively. It is likely mine will go into some length too. Neither of us subscribe to sound-bites, emojis, GIFs or any other modern shorthand with such a weighty subject.

If you want to get involved set aside some time.

Warning:

This is not actually a rebuff to the above posts. It’s not even a word by word dispute over the evidence. Some might be disappointed I will not be addressing directly the topics raised. Expressed are words and thoughts and beliefs of mine which have been looking for an inspiration to come out in full flood. And here we are. Just read on

It is only fair to point out, the views you will encounter will be considered by some as heretical, blasphemous or as per Catholic Teaching ‘Relativism’ (which kinda puts me at odd with the current Pope. Never mind God will put me right at some stage). On the other side of the coin as some exasperated atheists said to me ‘You don’t know what you believe!’ or ‘You are just dodging the issue!’ or….To be honest I forgot the rest. They just didn’t like me being open minded Cosmically speaking.

Outline

It can be broadly stated that the first post deals with The Physical Side, for it encompasses Cosmology, History and Quantum Physics. These are all areas which contain elements of physical evidence yet are also with uncertainties and speculations. The second post will involve my views and criticisms of Theological and those Social elements which cross over.

The whole comprises An Overview, Four Perspectives and a Summary. These will break down as follows:

One Theistic Cosmological Overview (Read here)

Historical Perspectives (Read here)

Scientific Perspectives (Read here)

Theological Perspective (Next Post)

Social Perspective (Next Post)

The String Theory Summary. (Plagiarising from Quantum Physics. Tying the four perspectives all together) (Next Post)

One Theistic Cosmological Overview:

My belief is that if you are going embrace a theistic belief you will be in the area of accepting a Supreme Being and Creator. Since you are therefore saying this Supreme Being was responsible for All That Is, Was and Ever Shall Be, then you need to consider dealing with a very, very large concept and be ready to view from more than one direction and discipline. You should also have an outlook which will endeavour to encompass a great deal and be very flexible.

To begin with let us look at one simple request.

Whether you are theistic or atheistic can you take someone of the opposite view to a location in this 14 billion year old, (though there is work out there which argues 26+ years old) 90+ billion light year in observable diameter Universe and say

‘Look this is where My God is. There we are. Case proven’

OR

‘This where your God should be but isn’t’. Case proven,’

Well? Can we, either side of the argument? No of course we can’t. We have garnered a rough idea of the Universe based on a variety of investigations, but neither has incontrovertible proof to answer my request. And that is where Faith / Belief comes in. To walk the indefinable area of Human thought in which a concept is held to in the absence of solid, definite physical evidence.

Some might promptly argue that I will be dodging issues, shrugging and saying ‘I don’t know’ and just repeating ‘stuff’.

Not so.

When addressing a such a vast subject of the belief in a Supreme Deity, the necessity of brining a myriad of disciplines to the discussion is vital, lest we get out of focus. There is the likelihood on this side of Life that parts of this subject cannot as yet and may not ever be proven. Here is where Faith or Belief come in. And on all sides of the argument.

We cannot physically prove, but we can believe.

Historical Perspectives

History is a powerful teacher, also a remorseless one, laying bear uncomfortable facts which do not suit those who prefer matters neat and tidy. The latter aspect is an important facet to keep in mind because at some stage all of us will always try and bend history to suit our ideas. The more objectively minded will to seek out details to argue or question a point of view and deal with the matter analytically. Others will try and deal in bare facts to leave the rest up to the reader, but that is a near impossibility; to repeat we all tend to bring our own thoughts and agendas to the debate.

At its basic Human History works like this. A does something. B reacts to what A did. C gets involved either because of A or B. Then D turns up probably because of what A, B and C are doing. After that it is likely E. F, G, H and so forth get involved. Meanwhile you get alliances such as Ab’s or Ba’s etc, etc. With all this laid out before an observer it is only natural to initially see things through their own eyes.

Yet History is a collection of evidence, and one glorious aspect is that new or forgotten evidence is being constantly uncovered for examination. Even the absence of evidence carries a value all of its own. However, whatever be it evidence or none, that will be open to interpretation. One thing however is certain do not take a dramatisation as fact and tread wary of legends or a folklore. Nor read one historian’s account and say ‘That is all I need to know’. Remember those As, Bs, Cs, Ds and so forth? Who is telling you what A did? And Why? Keep your antenna and radar tuned.

The groundwork is laid out. I will now look at the question of the Christianity and give you my…I repeat MY opinion, and in consequence translation.

Now the original starting point for Christian Belief is contained within the Old Testament, which in turn originates from a Hebrew source and following the New Testament which contain four accounts of Jesus Christ’s Life and Ministry until his mortal death then resurrection. The New Testament also contains the subsequent accounts of the followers of Jesus’ and their writings, ending with the mystical Book of Revelation.

Before proceeding further, again it is necessary, vital in fact to bear in mind the following

The OT is a collection of works. Some are the written versions of oral accounts. Some are commentaries on a particular time with a religious take. Others are the accounts of the experiences, life and times of a prophet. Others are essentially instructions for the time and the circumstances for an orderly society of the time. It should also be borne in mind that within these were poetical approaches in an endeavour to encompass at attempt to understand a cosmic or philosophical issue; while some will be takes on histories. And the whole covers a span of centuries. The OT also differs from, arguably its forebear the Hebrew Bible.

When approaching The NT, it is essential to bear in mind the four gospels are differing approaches. There are three Synoptic Gospels, Mark, Matthew and Luke which are similar in structure and narrative but differ because of their intended audiences. Mark being the earliest, a bare account for others, Matthew intended for a Jewish readership and Luke for a more cosmopolitan readership. John stands slightly more apart as it has esoteric theme and maybe be later. There then follows those accounts of the activities of followers of the new faith and their own letters and that ‘The Book of Revelation’. (not ‘Revelations’)- whosever might believe that is a literal prophecy might well consider the following:

For the purposes of the Historical it should be borne in mind that these works have been through several translations of language before they reach whatever, for the sake of brevity English version you are looking at. Therefore, remember that each translation will have its own assumptions and evaluations as to what ‘that’ word or phrase meant. To go around with a highlighter and sticking bits of paper in selected pages for one purpose or another might be useful for a rebuttal against a view point you disagree with. To use it as a basis for persecution is to me heresy if not downright blasphemy.  The literal use of an English version is a few levels below actually studying the inherent messages.

At this stage for the purposes of Faith and Belief the citing of this piece of English or that piece of English as a basis for proving that one side or the other is right or wrong, I would assert ‘Does Not Really Matter’ They are useful in debates on who wrote What, Why, Where or When and for What Reason, and also if ‘They’ wrote it or someone else. Or was it a combined job?

In this, these debates are on the same level as to whether some personality out of History was as Good, Bad, Adept, Inept as they are traditionally painted. Whether they were actually ‘There’, ‘Here’ at such a time. And so forth.

In cannot be argued that such discussions do not add to the layers of circumstances and history is already filled with commentaries one way or another.

When however it comes to the basics of The Christian Faith, the question to ask is. Do they add or detract to the evidence of a Jesus Christ and his activities? This is the basic line for any Christian. Therefore, onto the Historical Evidence of Jesus, most likely born in Nazareth, Palestine at the early years of 1st Century AD/CE.

To summarise there is evidence of a man out of Galilee who was crucified in what I would call a political expediency between the Roman Authorities, The Court of the Client King and the religious council the Sanhedrin, the latter having the power to bring out a mob at the figurative click of the fingers. What no side wanted was another figurehead for another movement, particularly one who was not preaching armed resistance; the Romans knew how to deal with a call to arms.

In their independent works both Jewish historian Josephus and Roman historian Tacitus, make relative passing reference to Jesus. At this stage of history of the area from Europe to the Middel East the majority of surviving documentation comes from within the Roman Empire’s boundaries and thus would cover a large number of issues, events and personalities. What would happen in one small region of the edges would attract minimal attention at the time. Which is why what we can call historical evidence is so sparse.

It is enough though.

Enough for a Faith you say?

Well, let me place before you the reasoning thus far.

In One Theistic Overview I argued as no one can physically prove there is no God I am at Liberty chose to belief in God. In the Historical Perspectives I can place the Old and New Testaments are documentations which indicate there are bases for the origins of my faith and part of the foundation of that faith. I also cite there is evidence for an Historical Jesus.

Thus upon these the case for my belief is founded.

But you ask. This seems to be slender stuff. You seem to talk of  absences of solid evidence and also uncertainties as firm foundations. Are these not paradoxical, and in consequence subject to doubt? There is actually another perspective to bring back into the focus. The Scientific.

Let us continue to share the journey.

Scientific Perspectives

Warning: Not simple. This is long in itself. Convoluted. It’s The Nature of The Concept.

Second Warning. Be prepared for at least one ‘Where is he going with this interlude?’

The Cosmological Overview was an initial introduction to scope and size of the issues involved when discussing Faith and Beliefs. Rather than go straight to Science in more details it seemed neater to take on the Historical approach to establish the next part of the evidence foundation. This done, let us return to address the Scientific side of the subject.

As we know Science is a word which covers a vast number of subjects, all playing their part in the knowledge which we utilise for better or for worse in Humanity’s turbulent voyage. Rather than try and pick through each branch and in turn the associated subjects, a task which would take up at least one year’s worth of at least weekly posts, and that would be skimming the surface I intend to look at two scales.

The smallest, being the sub-atomic and the largest which takes us back to the Cosmological.

Here we encounter the counter-intuitive to our daily experiences, the parallels to the challenges Western folk of the last century have faced regarding the acceptance of a Supreme Deity. The world of Physics and the World of Theistic Belief both contain facets which do not fit into our Daily World. Challenges and reactions criss-cross. I assert there are parallels, there are commonalties.

Let me just throw a few everyday questions out there. Physics first. Religion second.

How can Light be both a particle and a wave of energy? Two aspects at once? What really is this Time-Space thing; we are attuned to Length – Width – Depth, and doesn’t Time just flow in one direction anyway? Things get ‘Old’ don’t they? And what’s this about 11 or 20 dimensions- how does that figure?

Where is this ‘God’? Why doesn’t ‘This God’ stop wars? Why are bad things happening? And to come back to The Science side- how can One Being have complete domination over one galaxy of an average of 100 million stars; that’s before we started on the billions of galaxies concept?

Those are questions which can crop up in the minds of everyday people who chance upon these subjects. There are though no easy answers. It is part of our fate to forever come up against questions whose answers do not seem to be on any horizon.

Just to illustrate what ‘we’ are up against.

(Before I start there is a body of opinion which is dismissive of Wikipedia as an information source. Whatever your views on that topic, Wikipedia it is a good source of illustrating the depth, length and width of a topic.)

Science

I typed in the phrase ‘Unsolved Problems’. The category Natural Sciences was sub divided into seven separate categories: The category  ‘Mathematics’ into four. For our collective sakes I will go no further. You should be able to gauge the scope the issue from those details alone, and that’s before we consider the subject of divergent views on how something was ‘solved’

Theism

A search under Theism suggests a vastness of topics. I narrowed it down to Christian – Systemic Theology and also Constructive Theology (which is a relatively new approach.) And the result was Ten different categories. And as with Physics I did look but will go no further. Feel free to do so, but make time.

Yes, since ‘Scientific Perspectives’ was typed out nearly Five Hundred words in and he’s still not got the nub of the matter.

Of course not. Neither subject is simple. Neither subject can be compacted into one small fold-open pamphlet. Normally anything serious on either requires ‘Papers’ as in a ‘Paper On…’ and more likely entire books and you are still skimming the true surface.

Complexity upon Complexity

Volumes, upon volumes of works on both topics. Writers argue back and forth. There are whole trends of developments, re-appraisals, new lines of thought. Admittedly I am not aware of there being a theological version of the Large Hadron Collider, so Physics does have an ‘physical’ edge there. But ‘physical’ edge in Religion? We will return to this issue after we have considered some more issues still open for debate and see how they interact in both arenas.

Creation (as in Of the Universe)

Currently The Big Bang holds sway, whether it was 14 billion years ago, or even more is up for debate. For the majority of folk, the concept of there being No Time No Space just a very compact ‘item’ and nothing else is counter-intuitive. We cannot comprehend the situation. Try and you end most likely up with a ‘Why’ or a ‘Well How…’. And yet we, in the main, accept this sort of.

Since we ‘sort of’ accept this, for some of us the notion that a Being also beyond our imagination effectively said ‘Let There Be Light’ therefore seems a reasonable opinion to hold. After all we all already into the realms of the unimaginable No Time, No Space realm, so what is wrong with believing in ‘Someone’ started it?

Yes it is a type of Creationism. In purely physical / physics terms so is the Big Bang. Creationism as ‘It All Started’

What you might call Creationism in a biblical sense itself is divided into various schools, from the basic Seven, literal Days, along the paths of ‘Seven’ being allegorical, into an area of ‘episodes’ of Creation. The whole displaying sophistication of thought keeping a pace with discoveries. In fact, as with the science of Cosmology, Creationism can be evolving. Bear in mind not so long ago it was accepted in scientific circles that there was just one galaxy, revolving to stop spinning apart into the vastness of space. Now we know more.

Therefore, since we do not know, absolutely, positively, completely everything there is to know, to hold to the belief that ‘God’ created the Universe is a valid opinion. The Hows, The Whys and The What-Exactly is the Universe; well, we are all still working on that, and most likely will be forever doing so.

In The Quantum World and its Cousin in Mystery – Theism.

Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Physics are not new discoveries, albeit it that they made their larger appearance in the Modern Physics of the 20th Century. Their applications in the modern world move allegorically hand in hand with the advance in computers, one complimenting the other, firstly bringing transistors and by now advances into devices relying on computers until we stand on the edge of Quantum AI and a wealth of possibilities.

The studies of the subject and the explorations are quite a different level. It is here we confront the realm of the subatomic particles and their properties, or their place in the construct of matter. As the search progresses questions arise which are illustrated in complex mathematical equations and references to a number of aspects which in turn have their own mathematics, (illustrated dramatically in films by rapid use of chalk and a very big board). String Theory, M-Theory, Extra Dimensions are but a few concepts which are commonly discussed but leave the ordinary person struggling to grasp their concepts. You can opt for standing back in awe and saying ‘Wow’ though.

Theism has been around for a lot longer and appears to be dogged by a pattern which Humanity follows without learning. In myriad forms it attempted to bring a social code to what would have been an otherwise chaotic situation  and has endeavoured to bring a means of comprehension to the mysteries which confound us. And yet flawed creatures that we are, we argue to the point of persecution and war over meanings and supremacy of one belief system over another. Thus, Theism like the rest of Human efforts is tarnished. Which when you consider the misuse computer systems have been put too indicates the problem lies with Humanity. But more about that when in the next post we consider Theological and Social issues. At this stage I am going to make an attempt to consider The Parallel with Quantum.

This being that the further we go into the study of Quantum the more challenges arise, which is very similar when delving into a belief system. In this case Christianity. It is simple enough to believe in a God, a Son of God, and if your beliefs go in that direction A Holy Spirit. The problems arise when you go deeper into those difficult ethical questions such as

How Active is God in our Lives, and thus How?

Why do bad things keep on happening to the innocent and the vulnerable?

If God is suffering with Us, just how does that work. What does that mean?

Where did God come from?

Just what is God’s plan or purpose?

I could go on and on…and on.

Theologians have been battling with these and the objections to their suggestions for centuries (and some of them taking time out to discuss the mysteries of the cosmos. The concept of other worlds has been up for debate for millennia, 1,500 years in Christianity ).

Therefore I contend these two Disciplines which are replete with The Counter-Intuitive mirror each other, often coming along with a ‘There must be a…because this indicates there is….’.

And thus there is no shame in saying ‘I don’t know’ though just leaving it like that and shrugging does not necessarily apply to the entire following of a belief system. WE keep on keeping on. Our religion is not moribund, which stopped somewhere a thousand years ago. Not so.

Miracles

(Possibly the Theistic Version of the Large Hadron Collider?)

In some respects, most of the previous observations and postulations could be construed as a build-up to this. A balanced reason why ‘Miracles’ as recorded in The New Testament can be viewed by ‘The Believer’ as credible acts.

By this point you will be aware that as far as I perceive, within the enormity and complexity of Existence from the smallest particle (currently The Quark?) to the massive walls which are groups of groups of galaxies (eg Great Sloan Wall) to say something ‘Cannot Happen’ is not a Definite. We, Here, Now are nowhere, anywhere close to beginning to know Everything.

In this frame of mindset I consider the following as examples:

The Immaculate Conception (Virgin Birth)- Invoking the biological process of Parthenogenesis is taking a big risk. There would be a lot of complaints and objections. Fair enough, I am just saying Sexual Reproduction is not the only means about. Really I should play it safe, cite general mythical traditions and those of the Abrahamic works. Then consider the various Christian writings on the subject and hint at the allegorical.

Not going to do that. I chose to take the literal option that a divine force caused within Mary’s ovaries conception to begin. I will also look to my brothers and sisters in Abrahamic Faith in Islam to quote from an English translation of the Quaran “So will it be! Your Lord says, ‘It is easy for Me. And so will We make him a sign for humanity and a mercy from Us.’ It is a matter ˹already˺ decreed.” (Please note in Islam, Jesus is a revered prophet). (To brothers and sister in faith as Muslims my apologies for any inadvertent errors or mis-quoting)

I do so, because I can see no specific reason why a Being beyond our own level of existence could not do this. And that is that. There may be some impossible concepts out there, but it seems the more we seek knowledge the more we find That Isn’t So.

Resurrection

Since declaring my belief in the Immaculate Conception there would be an element of inconsistency in not having the same faith in the Resurrection. And naturally taking the same pathway.

For this is where a person takes that Leap of Faith.

Crucifixion was a hideous punishment, a slow death by several means. Imagine trying to haul yourself up by stretched upper limbs just to breath. I could try to stumble through suggestions of a body going into shock and being mistaken for death. I could suggest a type of coma. I could go off on enough tangents to have medical professionals reading this howling ‘It Doesn’t Work Like That!’….’And anyway those legs were broken, legs were always deliberately broken during crucifixion,’ 

Once more. Not going to. This is where that Leap of Faith comes in. Belief. Irrespective.

Tell me, dear reader. Do you believe in Something? Irrespective of what some might call Evidence to the Contrary. Do you believe in Something  you cannot see or hold? Something which at times is hard to hold on to, and yet you keep on coming back to there or here? Just Something.

I’m not going to ask you what that might be. The only time I will have a problem with you is if your belief is used as vehicle for Hate, Oppression, Discrimination, Intolerance, Irrefutable Lies and Distortions and rest of the toxins we try to use to dignify and justify our blatant flaws as we set ourselves down the road to conflict and harm.

Summary at the end of Part I.

So here I pause.

In the next part it is my intention to move into the Ethereal realms of Theology, Nature of Beliefs, Overviews of Theisms and Social Implications. The embracing of Belief and the Condemnation of misuses and abuses in attempts to justify evil.

Thanks for reading this far.

(PS: This looks OK as  a post, but I cannot be held responsible for what WP’s various gubbinz will do to the final product)

A Place I go for Solace and Perception

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hubble-deep-field

A brief foreword. When it comes to the News in general, domestic, social, political, economic and the rest I have reached a tipping point. It is a dangerous one because I am now in the ‘It Is What It Is’ mindset. This arose not so much due to the events but the sheer volume of Humbug and Biased Commentary and Fashionable Hysteria displayed in the nations or communities not directly involved in the tragedies. A protest against the protests both pro- and anti- whoever. Not an apathy, more a bitter rejection of the narrow biased views taken by the more vocal groups. Hence my dissociation with The Left of politics- as much Humbug as the Right.

So where does one go to rest, recoup, relax and gain perceptions of The Whole? Where can one truly find strength in the ‘It Is What It Is’ response to these single view folk and their ignorance, a bit mean spirited as it is only meant to annoy them and dull my own pain of frustration at their lack of intention to bring peace and harmony to the world.

Me? I go out and beyond this world. Even further than the large enough distances of this one humble solar system, beyond the possibility of the Oort Cloud

Yea far beyond into the local vastness of our own one small galaxy

Into the realm of the Clusters and Super-Clusters of Galaxies. Formations whose size are measured in thousands upon thousands of light years. Whose stellar inhabitants can be numbered in the billions, holding mysteries and marvels we are most likely fated never to see because those distances and numbers are places are simply beyond our comprehensions.

This is where I drift, on the wings of the imagination fuelled by The What Might Be. The places of The Are but forever Beyond.  Here, where somewhere between 200 billion and maybe 700 billion galaxies are or have been, in the Observable Universe, alone.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observable_universe

What a glorious concept is this Grandness one who very being makes all our efforts but the stuff which motes of dust are made of. A State of Existence against which the most extreme egotist is simply nothing, they wouldn’t even register on one of those say 200 billion galaxies, their rantings and ravings not even a background whisper. Nothing -Trump, Putin, Musk, billionaires playing games- you are nothing in the Scheme. Nor are Those howling Hate and Conflict. Not as rich as those of us who can stand back in awe as we fumble to grasp the concept of The Universe.

And those heroes who refused to be numbed and confounded by this Enormity, who daily in the realms of Astronomy and Cosmology keep seeking out the next answer or possibility, yet knowing for each answer or possibility they will come up will birth a host of others to be met with.

These glorious places which by their very size neutralise the need to argue philosophies and faiths concerning existence. For out there all is possible. And no one can take me to a physical location and say ‘See this is where your God should be. But is not’ . No more than I can do the opposite. The Universe a place where Faith and Flexibility can flourish beyond our narrow boundaries.

Always something new and wonderous, which places us as miniscule observers of but a fraction of the Totality. But by good grace, ever curious as what is there….

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-67950749

Always, always. Something new to learn

On The Subject of Meaning Well #Blog Battle : September -Particle

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Particles

There came Third War of The Lanes, which was horrendously expensive due to the strategy of moving fleets through the Fifth Dimensional Point of Transit. So much so that there was hardly enough to buy weaponry to cause great loss of life and structural damage. Thus, fleets effectively glared at each, or tried to sneak in and land on a planet and capture it by default, although there were sometimes humiliating defeats when some regressed populations threw rocks at these valuable ships and there was not much to fight back with.

During the peace talks the very noble thought was reached that what was needed was a generally harmless and uncontroversial religion which everyone could worship in numerous ways. This was thought a splendid idea and The Unity of Temples of Respectful Worship was brough into being. This was the first decision made by the newly created Council of the Fifteen Worlds.

Rich people who were less rich than they had been even so managed to syphon off money to fund the project and by doing so lessened their taxes burdens.

Theologians were left to work out the details and many had another splendid idea of bringing physicists in on the business. Parties in both fields had speculated on certain overlaps. What could possibly go wrong?

No one of course thought to consult with Historians or Intersocietal Relations Academics of the relevant Realism Schools; they both being out of favour in the post war self- and mutual congratulatory and optimistic atmospheres prevalent.

The first act of progress was to consider the Nature of that Which Was To Be Worshipped. Under pressure from governments and sponsors and not seen to be footling around, a working title of They Who Are took root. The consensus was the sheer majesty these words evoked would do very nicely. After all who does not like a dignified, imposing enigma? Those not consulted sat in corners various and looked at each other over their favoured beverages and kept it all to themselves.

Meanwhile the next step was to pronounce the interaction between this Supreme Concept and the Physical Universe. The Physicists pointed out everything was made of particles, and this was a commonality which should be addressed. The Theologians agreed, after all what had been brought into Being must be part of ‘They Who Are’, this was a splendid idea of the fundamental relationship. Simple tracts for public consumption were already in production. Particleism was nascent.

A considered rather mature act was to accept that folk although agreeing on the principal would have different perceptions. Physicists showed Theologians their basic works on Particles and with great ease it was seen there were three basic constructs of Particles and naturally Particleism.

The supremely remote Particles Quantum. These were really, really small, they made up atoms and usually had names which ended in ‘on’, except for the stubbornly unique ‘quark’. But this didn’t matter because they were so complex, they had an air of mysticism and that was fine.

Next up came the solid and dependable Atom and Molecules which made up stuff. The Particles of Structure; this would suit folk who did not feel too at ease with all that much mysticism but liked a bit of mystery of the constructive sort.

Final in a dive into the Grand Gesture, came The Particles Macrocosmic. By now the Physicists were being rather heady at being consulted so much and this let the Theologians go wild. It was agreed that All which could be seen was therefore evidence of They Who Are. Thus, the worship of Macrocosmicon was seen to be the most popular and easier to grasp.

On hearing this announcement, the Historians and Intersocietal Relations Academics both of the relevant Realism Schools, collectively winced.

Initially all went well. The Quantum devotees deemed Medatovees of the Infinite  did develop squints as a result of meditating in the hope of Great Insight and perceive the smallest of particles. The next group up The Structureists invested in microscopes and studied chemical and atomic tables. Some proposed there  was the Ultimate Compound, in which every element could be forged together. In this would be true insight into They Who Are. These had tremendous fun experimenting. Governments allowed them uninhabited small planets and planetoids so that when disasters came these were small, containable and did not affect populated regions.

However, Macrocosmiconism was not long in causing problems.

The Grandeur School claimed you could do no better in studying They Who Are than to looked to wonderous scope of Galaxies. It had been agreed these qualified as particles on account of there being lots of them, and they formed groups. So that was that. There were thence some grumbles from theologians who claimed a person could get as much insight in mediating upon the wonder of simpler things such as small rocks. This proved a very popular idea amongst those basic societies, particularly the more aggressive ones who viewed their historical victories as divine approval. Less martially inclined neighbours and authorities in general tried to supress the more excessive worship and drafted in theologians and priests of The Grandeur School into trouble spots, the latter insisted upon certain degrees of weaponry, purely for defence. The word ‘Defence’ being quite subjective.

The result was for The Grandeurists to become rather conceited in their allotted duties and started to make moves to define just what constituted a worshipable particle. Those who had been pondering a variety of items which could constitute a Particle worthy of worship did not care for such a high handed approach. Unpleasantness arose. Over the years this caused several distressing incidents and events across all fifteen inhabited and sort of advanced worlds along with numerous disruptions on the moons, smaller difficult to live on planets, and other bodies. The majority of Humanity was not happy about this, it seemed Particleism  was making too much of itself, its higher echelons being given to self-importance far beyond being what were arguably not that important particle. Amongst sections of the population there was growing nascent air  of ‘I Didn’t Sign Up For This’ .

Meanwhile.

Historically, those appointed to ‘Councils’ and other bodies intent of formulating some sort of rule tended to have a regrettably significant number of ambitious or avaricious or simply malleable persons in their ranks which led to misery for large portions of populations who did not deserve it. This trend might have continued had it not been for a question which had been looming in the recesses of the more mature minds of Humanity:

‘Who else is out there? Where are they?  What are they up to?’

There had been no satisfactory answers. This weighed heavy on the astute.

The result was three generations of a type of middle grade administrators who were particularly astute at seeing when something was going wrong, in this case a Universal Religion. Not a state of affairs when there was the possibility of Someone or Something appearing suddenly out of Somewhere. Action was necessary. The fact that folk at lower levels were working on it might have been appreciated by Medatovees of the Infinite if they’d been allowed to know, but these administrators were wary of any Particleism involvement.

While many were making reputations and wealth out The Particle Issue, and others were hitting each other, the middle grade administrators reached out in all directions to the like-minded. In a spirit of mutual support, they rose quickly up various ladders and against the backdrop of strident disruption, squints, sudden explosions and large ornate excessive ceremonies they set their own plans into action.

Some of these being seemingly small in content such as a commentary in a journal read by more than a few on the Planet Myrathia a juncture for trade routes; the headline being ‘In The Canticle of The Particle, Wherein Lies the Significance of The Article?’. Because this was written in what might be verse there were those within The Grandeurists who took great offense at what they saw as frivolity and demanded the author be brought to book. At the time the authorities and most of the planet were preoccupied with the biannual mass transfer of goods through the junctions, and were somewhat testy through lack of sleep, worrying statistics and trying to meet the requirements of the other planets.

The local Grandeurists were told in polite and diplomatic terms to go and boil their ornate hats, preferably with their heads in them. A large number of the lesser classes who had been tiring of this theological crew not contributing to the general movement of goods were in sympathy with the authorities. And various vulgar versions of the title were turned into tavern songs.

The results were something of a turning point in the way religion was seen upon Myrathia.

Which was how those up and coming administrators had intended matters. On Myrathia Grandeurists were thus slightly discredited. This proved fertile ground for those within the administrators’ offices to go to work digging up embarrassing personal facts and elaborating some. A few years work was needed, but with the aid of newly confident Historians, enthusiastic Intersocietal Relations Academics (of the relevant Realism Schools), previously disgruntled physicists who had been left out, and theologians of various other religions who had been keeping quiet for reasons for personal safety, whereas They Who Are was still respected Particleism was being viewed as possibly ‘Hoo-hah’, The followers of the three basic branches were not ready for that. Locally as Myrathia was the only planet suitable for any sort of substantial or even modest habitation the rest of the system was soon stabilised

Somewhat interested and also relieved that this was working so well those on the Council took up variation to their own planets and stellar systems. The process was on average a half generation in the settling and some practices verged on the unpleasantly military; therefore, all went well; aside from the Pnumenoic system whose various quarrelsome communities had been the source of all the Lanes Wars and unsurprisingly clung to the Grandeurists telling all Macrocosmiconism was the true and only way.

The Council by then with great deftness in the use of massaging of truth, applications of half-truths and a judicious sprinkling of downright lies made to seem it was blaming itself for encouraging the hastiness into a new religion. By then the current Council members were able to blame the previous Council members which was tough on those still around. A pronouncement was made that The Council was to be disbanded and each system to seek its own way in the spirit of mutual understanding, but that there would be no more official religions anywhere, anyhow. There were protests and some heads may have been boiled but overall populations now aware that authority was much more local and since there were only trade ships travelling along the Fifth Dimensional Point of Transit, the local authorities were far better armed. In general, everyone assumed their systems were now independent again and didn’t have to comply with what other systems were doing or worshipping.

Unbeknown however fourteen of the systems were keeping in close covert contact with each other; just in case. The Pnumenoic system was left to its own devices, twice it tried to start a war with other systems but found all its forces could do was get there and be shot at by far superior weapons. Their Grandeurists could not help but feel they were becoming unpopular and mentioning Macrocosmiconism loudly only got them disliked.

One sort of benefit of the whole failed experiment came from those now discredited Macrocosmiconism beliefs. The Cosmologist side of the Physicists involved in the creating of the systems in their gazing at stars and star clusters had concluded; there was or to be technical had been something out there. The question now being.

Where? And how would come calling? That concentrated minds wonderfully and no one talked of wars between Humans anymore.

Religion. Another Viewpoint (With Some Assistance From Quantum Mechanics & Cosmology)

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WorldReligions-164107922-c72cce704d4d4521962046df4fa8ce3f

NB- This will also be very long, because the subject matter is not to be fitted into snappy one-liners. It will also be very short of quotes; the reason being quotes with the best will in the world (or especially, the worst will) are going to be selective to argue a case. I’m not going to fall back on that. This is simply my view, in my words…. ok, with a few links just to illustrate complexities in the science side. I leave it up to you to go seeking evidence one way or another.

This is another one I have started out (in my mind anyway)- several times. You may recall I earlier on this year felt obliged to voice a common challenge Christians face and I would venture to suggest folk of other faiths face at times:

One Christian’s Confession

Now my faith remains, yet so do those misgivings over some aspects taught to us. This post is not about those issues though. This is about the experience of being a Christian, in a Middle (Aside: Cosmically speaking there is  no ‘The Middle’ as we know it. Only your own perspective from your local focal point. The Universe does not subscribe to our limited perceptions -that’s me mixing religious and scientific by the way). The Middle I wish to discuss is the one which sees; on one side an abrupt generalised dismissal of all theistic belief and believers and on the other side those who do evil and sheer opportunistic folly under the guise of theistic belief. In this case, of course, I repeat I use the Christian perspective, it would be crass to impose upon the beliefs of the moderates and liberals of other religions.

There is a particular reason why I gave a nod to ‘Quantum Mechanics’ and that relates to a concept known as The Waves -Particle Duality, in short having two properties at once. Have fun reading this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave%E2%80%93particle_duality

This has its parallels with the majority of Christians. The majority accept the status of The vastness of everything through the scientific lens while adhering to their faith. That actually takes some doing. As one Jesuit priest astronomer said ‘Every day I study the stars I am challenged’. After all we have a Bible to go on while on the other hand we have the wealth of knowledge which goes from the wonderous massive magnificence revealed by Cosmology down to the mind-stretching infinitely small domain of Quantum. And everything in between. One Being brought all that into existence and can also claim they know everyone one of us. How is that supposed to work?….Uh????

That’s where Faith, be it leaping or just standing still, comes in. Now the majority of us have A Faith. This comes in many forms. I ask you to pause and reflect on that. Think on what you hold true to be in a view, a relationship, something which is always there in your background. An aspect which appears to be steadfast irrespective of the rest of the world around you. Think deep on that. That’s a Faith. Faith transcending what seems to be the case of the world around you. It exists despite the apparent practicalities you have come to learned. It defies the logic you have been told is so. And sometimes part of its nature might be founding wanting. You’ll find a lot of that in Quantum. There, I am back with the Quantum-thing again. Research still continues there into the contradictions and the apparently evasive. Thus any Christian honest with themselves and the relationship with their Faith has met doubts, unsatisfactory conclusions, mysteries which remain just out of reach. Those do not stop us believing. The question is not finding ‘An Excuse’ or ‘A Platitude’ to answer the difficult issues. It’s a question of going In Deep, to use Faith as a foundation to work from. If you consider Science you will find in its history that answers or solutions were and still are being constantly overturned because they do not fit the model. Let’s look at that. From A Middle. Or using cosmological metaphors to be more analogous. From Planet Me. 

The Bible – An average moderate Christian gets a bit queasy about parts of The Old Testament, particularly the opening books. These seem to support incest, genocide, suppression of women, the punishment of same-sex relationships, heroes and figureheads having multiple sexual relationships and that’s before we get to ‘A Jealous God’ who is likely to wipe you out with a snap of the fingers because of some minor misdemeanour. Such passages are leapt upon by intolerant Fundamentalists who gleefully announce their excesses of Hate, Intimidation and Violence are but carrying out the Word of God, while their atheistic opponents have the easy task to use the same as evidence that these beliefs are flawed. And the Moderates get lambasted by the Fundamentalists as not believers and going to Hell (Hoorah!) while Atheistic folk look aghast and say to any moderate ‘But how can you belief that?’

OK. If we look at the Four Gospels used in most branches of Christianity we have at the centre Jesus. Basically the Son of God sent into our world to take on Human form and ‘suffer death’ to cleanse us of all our sins, Past, Present and Future. The Four Gospels reflect four different reporters of the story. Nothing wrong with that, have you ever encountered an event in which ALL of the reports are exactly the same. Really? No you haven’t. Anyway here’s another old post of mine concerning that subject:

A Case for The Christian Easter Actually Happening

The New Testament Gospels have their own issues. Though nothing as useful to the Fundamentalists as they can take out of context from The Old Testament. However the two parts are linked and whereas there are some branches who will claim you don’t need the Old Testament because Jesus’s coming into the world did away with those books, unless you are looking to play a lazy Anti-Semitism card, that don’t work.

But here is the aspect which bears repeating over and over and over about the Old Testament. Firstly it is a collection of written accounts based on oral accounts, or in some cases religious interpretated historical events OR codes of practice based on the social circumstances of the time. Secondly the accounts are translation of one of several versions of local languages and dialects, using poetical imagery, which have been translated into Greek and then into Latin and then into English (at least once each)…so you can imagine that what was said, why and when, would likely be not perfectly translated and represented in today’s English (whatever version). In short you just don’t go looking for a bit underline it or dog ear your Bible and say ‘Ah-ha! That’s why I can be terrible to other people!’ Theologically speaking we’re also a flawed, cussed and arrogant lot, thinking we know best, which is why God has to keep telling us we’re wrong. Not that even Jesus’s supreme sacrifice on the Cross seems to have sluiced out our flaws. Thus quoting ‘bits’ to suit your intolerances- that is a load man, you are just bigoted- period! (Apologies to the late Michael Herr for plagiarism of ‘Despatches’- again) 

Change of tack again. Just to personally slip back to The Science Area, Quantum and Cosmological (Very, very, very small and very, very, very big). There I was with three puzzling issues trying to comprehend Christianity, AND Quantum AND Cosmological, when gradually they all slide into place. All three cannot be taken at what seems to be a swift-throw away face vale, all need some study, pondering, and ‘gosh are they not hard to get around?’ There appear to be contradictions, there appear to be unfathomable, no one appears to agree on one set of rules, laws or perceptions, and so on. Thus it came to me, ‘this is how it is’. Nothing is straightforward, nothing can be encapsulated in a simple few words. All needs study and reflection. All is the same. For me the melding of the perspectives of Science and Religion became a most liberating time. Giving room to deal with the challenges, like trying to comprehend 150 billion galaxies (not stars) in the observable universe or getting your head around the Quantum concept that the nature of a particle being affected by it being observed OR your Belief and Faith being tested. No need to worry about The Purpose of Life. It just is.

One aspect of the Theistic and Atheistic conflict which strikes me as having an Irony the size of one of those Galaxies, is the way some arguments on both sides get hung up on the same piece of English estimate of what was originally said. Like somebody says the World was created in Seven Days because it says so in the English, and then somebody mocks the religion because of what a fundamentalist said, as if we all believed that. The Irony being that both sides are buying into the same statement. It’s like the fundamentalist has convinced the atheist, this is something to argue about. As if the description of the Time Scale matters. Or that everyone believes it or should believe it has only one direction and value, which by the way it doesn’t.

Navigating back to the Quantum and Cosmological aspects of this post, I would suggest brief visits to sensible academic sites, where you will encounter a variety of views, suggestions and ideas (avoid the calculations that’s like reading a theological treatise on The Holy Trinity concept- your mind will spin). There is a great deal out there based on Laws, however there are always differing the interpretations and the suggestions that those laws might not have actually always been quite that way. The whole is an ongoing process. Everything is ongoing. We are children learning, or being wilfully difficult.

From my own perspective I reason that if this is the case, and since God set the whole in motion, it follows a simple reasoning, that resorting to Confirmation Bias is not the satisfactory way to seek deeper into one’s faith and beliefs. Working on the basis that God is perfect we cannot be perfect because we are not God, therefore being flawed we have to work through a great deal of difficult and challenging questions. Just like Cosmologists or Quantum Physicists are involved with. There we are again; the two concepts are intertwined. Including those times when a person can get frustrated or discouraged by the immensity of the task. To emphasise once more, Nothing Can Be Neatly Fitted* Into How You Want It no matter how good or bad you wish to portray it. The closest you will get to that is with a Human Flawed Perception of ‘Things’

And there is that troublesome word again ‘Human’.

Religion– Used by more than a few as an excuse for war, or other acts of violence, or just intolerance. And wilful ignorance of or objection to progress, even when benefitting from that progress. Also, a handy tool for the hypocrite and the opportunist. Of course, I could put up a pretty good case against any form of secular governance on the same basis. There again let’s be neat about it and condemn Politics and Religions all in one go. Isn’t that *neat-ly fitted? What we need is good honest scientific progress?

Progress– We have much to be grateful for in the research into atomic and sub-atomic particles. Look how much Quantum has revealed:

Applications of quantum mechanics – Wikipedia

Mind you that research into the atom and its constituents did lead to the splitting of the atom and observing the release of energy….and sorry folks but…. Nuclear Weapons. That is the trouble make an advance and the next thing you know some Human grouping talks about weaponising it. Weaponry doesn’t spontaneously evolve, Humans develop it. You find a Human idea and you are going find a benefit and a mis-use, also several loud and long arguments about how to approach and utilise that idea. Humans, that’s the issue folks. Not just Religion then. Might as well throw Economics into the mix.

I could go on and on with more analogies, examples, arguments, discussion and so forth. Why, gee,  I haven’t even got around to the question of The Historical Approach, nor the sometimes amusing, sometimes hysterical lengths both sides of the divide will go to support their point. Both using out of context statements, hurtful language and demonstrating Intolerance and quite a bit of Ignorance in pursuit of that good old Confirmation Bias. Don’t try and drag me or several millions others into either side of your squabble. We’re waiting to sort it out with God, as far as we are concerned, that is where The Last Word is. And there are those for the record who in addition to being professional scientists are theists too. It’s all a question of  perspective

Basically limited thinking in a Universe about 14 billions years old and possibly 90+ billions light years…..errr…big? While at the other end of the scale particles which don’t do as we might think they should. Basically, arrogance in trying to claim we know the mind of the Being that brought the Whole into existence….Apparently only in one language, to a selected few, of one race or creed….Yeah like that’s going to resonate through the Universe, which God created.

Try this:

Tolerance

Respect

Compassion

Co-operation

You can even add on a few positives if you want. How and why you believe doesn’t matter to me as long as you are trying to stick with those….Not easy. WE can agree of that. Yes?

Now it would not be such a post without a part set aside for some impassioned commentary. So, as parting words, for those who do not visit my site, will most likely not read this. For everyone else this is what I have to say to them in that unlikely event they arrive and stridently tell me I am wrong.

Do not tell me that it is the Will of God and that Jesus Christ died on the Cross so that you could persecute others because they don’t fit your ideas of gender, are the wrong colour, because they were forced into medical choices for situations you did nothing to help with, because they seek out Our Lord God along different paths. Don’t you dare. I renounce you as Christians.

And …Over to the other side. Do not tell me that to follow my Faith is somehow dangerous to society, and I am to be shunned for my beliefs, that I am wrong, because quite frankly you know nothing about me and all you are doing is profiling, just like any other narrow minded hypocrite. The other side of the coin. I renounce you too. And don’t try and tell me it is all a delusion because you cannot take me to the place in the Universe and categorically say ‘Look this is where God should be, and there is nothing,’. You may believe it, but you cannot tell me I am wrong for believing otherwise. And sorry some guys but some schools of Logic haven’t got a place in this debate. This is a Science and Faith zone. Your Latin quotes won’t cut it here.

OK, for the rest of you guys who read my posts. Read and questions and poke holes if you find them. I know you all and respect your concerns and questions.

Also I confess to a smidge of mischief, mixing Religion, Quantum Physics and Cosmology into one post. But, I’m one of those (not the first) who just could not resist it. It had to be done. They cannot be avoided.

The Day When The Stationery Was No Longer Stationary – #Blog Battle – March Miscellanarian

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Miscellany

To avoid the dangers of The Ethereal stood the ever vigilant Custodians of the Lord God’s Word. Tireless,  Evaluators of Sins and Blasphemies, Dispensers of Justice.

Officially.

Custodian Vernünftig had dispensed with this view of the entire Custodial Office. Therein could be found quotas of time-servers, bombasts, opportunists, and fanatics; each adding their own handful of grit into the workings of the Imperial Machine and the Ecclesiastes in particular, through the Sin of Wilful Stupidity. He worked with a pragmatic dictum. Get the job down sensibly you will survive and possibly succeed.

Which made him valued and sent to deal with difficult, often dangerous matters. He could not make up his mind where this current deployment fitted.

*****************************************************************************************************

A small princedom, not very strategic. One lordship within likewise, the noble puzzled more than flustered, welcomed his arrival.

The village did not exude any of the nascent or obvious threats he had grown to discern. The hill was some what abrupt as if someone had put it there to make a point, but not of sufficient dimensions to loom and brood.

‘I can make out the cave Guv’nor,’ Zwanglos said peering through her eyeglass ’Leastways whatever passes for one,’

Respectful to him, eye for detail and spirited. Her common of city speech, barely reverential to the official dictates and naturally her gender barred progress to Custodian. A loss. She would remain his assistant, A Tildelte. They were greeted by a clutch of villagers and the local Translator of The Lord God, a small man who seemed to be bearing the problem with but mild irritation.

‘Good Revered,’ he said as Vernünftig dismounted ‘Has anyone briefed you about the curious events emanating from that cave?’ he gestured with thumb over shoulder in the direction Zwanglos was still addressing with an eyeglass.

‘My Brother in Calling,’ Vernünftig  began, and the Translator nodded at the implied sarcasm ‘Was sparse in his report,’

‘Makes a change,’ Zwanglos volunteered ‘Ol’ Geschwollen usually won’t use ten when a hundred will declare his importance,’

‘To be precise,’ continued the Translator ‘He went up the hill, with Holy Book and Staff declaring loudly for the presence to be gone. There was an even louder ‘Be Gone You’, stuff was thrown out and down he came, rolling most of the way. His book and staff are still up there. White as swans he was. He’s recovering, somewhere, safe,’

Zwanglos fidgeted.

‘Can I get up the hill an’ retrieve ‘em Guv’nor?’

‘Yes Tildelte. But you cannot keep them,’

‘Spiffle,’ was the only audible word. He could guess the rest of the litany. While she was off, Vernünftig continued to converse with the Translator.

*******************************************************************************************************

‘So then. How did this all start?’ he might as well have been discussing unexpected early blooming of spring flowers, his preferred approach.

‘A traveller came through. At first we thought he was a bit lost and offered shelter. But the pest snuck out at night up the hill. The first we knew was a sudden bright light from the cave a loud cry of ‘Be Gone thief,’. By moonlight we saw him scampering off westwards never to return. It was never much of a cave more like a dent, one for shepherd to huddle in when it rained. When all that happened. Well I notified Custodian Geschwollen,’ a grimace ended the account.

‘His expertise,’ Vernünftig said, with little solemnity ‘Is more in ensuring adherence to the minutiae of religious decorum,’ he observed his Tildelte’s progress, she had the staff and the holy book ‘I fear he underestimated the problem,’

She had stopped some three quarters of the way, crouched behind a rock then directing her attention to the cave called out.

‘Wotcha! Got time for a chat?’

The illumination was bright even in daylight, the reply ‘Begone’ a boom which unsettled the escort and their mounts, Zwanglos ducked as a shower of small objects erupted from the cave.

‘Please yerself,’ she retorted and pausing to scoop up some of the missiles made an orderly retreat.

‘It’s very deep cave Guv’nor,’ she said on return and began to comb small items  out her hair.

Vernünftig, with the eyeglass studied the cave entrance, his practiced eye noting the slightest of hint of two outlines, between which was a greyness. He concluded the larger of the two outlines was the usual which the folk saw, its lighter shade indicating shallowness; therefore the deeper dark was an entrance within an entrance which had recently arisen and he did not doubt leading to some Ethereally bound location.

‘Acorns,’ said Zwanglos, offering him a handful for examination.

‘They are blue,’

‘Noteworthy that. All back to the Age of Conceits. Many experiments going on then. Some reckon as to why The Ethereal Arrived; because of footling about with cheap machines. Dunno why blue acorns though, no records about nowadays. Another thing,’ in her other hand were slender metal objects curled down at each end, since she was getting more animated Vernünftig let Zwanglos continue unabated ‘Now these. Legendary. Staples,’

‘Staples? That’s a new word on me,’

‘Definitely Age of Conceits stuff. You load them into a device. Push paper or parchment into it, thump it, and they fix all the papers together. The LifeGuard probably got one,’ she shrugged.

‘How do we know about them?’

I found out footling about in that old archive of archives, when we was investigating them heretics of Fraud’

‘Oh yes. Very tiresome,’

‘Not so bad,’

‘For you. We need to reflect and approach matters in the dawning,’

**********************************************************************************************

Before sunrise the pair made a cautious approach, Zwanglos with her prize, the staff, Vernünftig never felt the need for one, he indulged her.  At the rock Vernünftig halted and called out in a stern, calm commanding tone.

‘Sir. A word with you please,’

There was a pause before the expected demand for him to leave.

‘No Sir. I cannot do that. You are causing upset to the local folk by your sudden, albeit understandable actions. I am obliged therefore to request your discourse,’

There was a silence, Vernünftig felt whoever they were they were thinking over matters. Always a tense interlude.

Then the voice boomed ‘No’

At the first inclination he was diving to cover, counterpointed by Zwanglos standing up staff pointed at the cave entrance.

Objects of varying sizes appeared, just as she yelled ‘Nah ya dont’ and blue flared from the staff, meeting the objects which halted and fell to the ground at the cave’s entrance.

Vernünftig viewed his Tildelte with mild paternalistic censure.

‘You are not supposed to be able to do that Tildelte. Yet, while whoever is shocked scuttle up there and get as many of those objects as you can,’

‘Takin’ me staff,’ she said with heavy dignity.

By the time she was back unscathed, and laying out her booty Vernünftig had made some evaluations, he viewed the variety.

‘What are these?’

‘Treasure Guv’nor. Safety pins. Erasers. Pencils. Sharpeners for Pencils. Plugs – lucky he didn’t have a basin. All sorts of small stuffs,’

‘Thank you Tildelte,’

He strode forth calling out.

‘Sir. Please cease. We have come only to discourse. Know you that you are in another time?’

There was another silence.

Then the voice came out questioning.

‘Another time? How say you? On what assurance have I?’

‘Well come forth?’ and to Zwanglos

‘And you Tildelte put that staff away. It will make the fellow nervous,’

A smallish man came out of the gloom, he was dressed in functional clothes of greys, before his eyes rested glass framed in metal. He peered out.

‘Oh my goodness. What happened to the city?’ he looked up ‘The skies are uncommonly clear. I hear not the sounds of war. All is actually calm. I thought they had come to steal and destroy? Thieves in the night,’

Vernünftig altered his pose, a slouch, hands into pockets, ironic grin.

‘My dear sir. We have much to discuss and educate each other on. We must talk, here and now. We will not be interrupted,’

There was a muted grumbling behind him.

‘Gladsome day Guv’nor. It starting rain and we’re gonna have to sit in the open while Master Mystery has the comfort of a cave,’

‘Be stalwart Tildelte. Our service often requires our discomfiture,’

She had a feeling he was making her squat in the rain for unauthorised use of a Custodial Staff. She pulled up her hood.

‘You have the evidence of your own eyes, ears and nose,’  Vernünftig reasoned ‘Time and circumstances have taken away those surroundings you knew. Were you not aware of the passage of time? Master?’

‘Thaddeus Greylane,’ it seemed as if the fellow was unsure how he felt about the name ‘I am an archivist. Not of wonderous things but the small items which mean much to ordinary folk. It is not a profession with great reputation. Yet, when The Ethereal arrived and under the weight of its implications came the subsequent failure of innovations which had been deemed necessary, then perceptions changed. It seemed as if everyone with any motivation of preservation was trying to store items and information,’ and this point he shrugged ‘And it all came my way. Small objects, books, memory containers, poured, into my offices. There was no help either. So many people were involved in survival, machinery and fighting. The influx was such that I fear my offices sunk somewhat, in a gentle way, which I assumed to be through causes Ethereal, until eventually I was blessed only with artificial illumination. What else could I do, but carry on my work, it was either that or go quite mad,’

‘I see you point,’ Vernünftig said in all sincerity, a not uncommon outcome when in pursuit of or the maintenance of knowledge. ‘Were you aware of detailed events?’

‘I could not say for sure. All measure of days passed by. I had some idea that frightful matters were taking place and unearthly creatures were abroad, but no one or nothing threatened me. I continued and itemised some fifty -seven thousand, four hundred and thirty two major items, each with their sub-categories, averaging fifty-two and then there was the issue of classifications,’

Vernünftig conducted some mental maths.

‘Your archive must be vast,’

‘When one relies on clerical records, yes,’

The man’s whole demeanour had quite relaxed, Vernünftig thus pressed on.

‘Thus came the day when you were aware of someone?’

‘Indeed, a furtive, vulgar air intruded. I was alarmed, all my hard work being pilfered. Not being a person versed in weaponry, I threw disposable things, and tried to sound in authority,’ he peered around Vernünftig ‘I fear your assistants caused similar alarm, although this one less bombast and more protective,’

Zwanglos managed a feminine smile and brief wave.

‘She is young, enthusiastic and loyal. I fear my predecessor lacked diplomacy,’

The fellow had obviously been thinking over matter.

‘So much change, in surroundings, dress, accents. How much time has passed?’

‘The Ethereal,’ Vernünftig began as it seemed common ground ‘Was and still is a vast field for study. You may have travelled through and not passed centuries,’

‘Oh my,’

Zwanglos had squelched up.

‘Ethereal takes a bit of getting used to,’  she said ‘That said. Since you could throw lots of pins and things around I reckons you got Ethereal in you, therefore could be quick on the uptake,’

Vernünftig clapped a hand on her shoulder, she sagged.

‘Splendid idea Tildelte. You will stay here and exchange information with Master Greylane. You are ideally suited .It might take a year or so, but will be good and worthy work,’

He began to pace down the hill.

‘Where you going Guv’nor?’ she demanded.

‘I am going to find that wretch who started this, learn what he knew and what was his purpose,’

**************************************************************************************************

Greylane addressed his puzzled attention to her.

She had to admit such rummaging did sound compelling also bringing the fellow up to date. And she kept the staff.

‘Firstly. Can I come out of the rain?’ she asked, adding ‘Why blue acorns?’

 

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The Way Things Work January #BlogBattle-Dynamic

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Out There Navigate

He awoke like wading through jam. There was that rhythm of a brightly delivered  knock on his quarters door.

‘Compositor. If you please,’ and there was the high cheery voice.

After the customary reflex swear word Sylan opened one eye.

‘Yeah. On my way ’ the gruff bark was acceptable in the situation.

As the door slid open a slender face, bright yet with some concern looked up at him, at the caller’s side a large dog stood tongue out, tail wagging. Sylan scowled at both.

‘Lady Ensign Croí Eadrom,’ he said being as civil as possible.

‘This is my dog. Reluctance,’ she said in mock sincerity ‘Thus you can see I am disturbing your precious rest with great Reluctance,’

Sylan pinched the bridge of his nose. Irrespective of her superior lineage, exasperation begged he should empty the nearby jug of water over her. Thankfully her  whimsicality stilled the urge.

‘We have an issue?’ a fatalistic question. This was the problem with serving on a scout corvette, no room for two shifts of Compositors.

She grimaced remaining wide-eyed, again comic

‘A cluster of titchy Depressions. A light year out and closing. Popping in and out. C’mon,’ she said to both Compositor and dog and they followed, Sylan not sharing the carefree easy canine gait. How and from where?  In the meantime he had to consider those fist size version of black holes, darting out of the Four Dimensions seeming not to be adhering to The Speed of Light.  Corvettes could dance away from them, the larger the ship, the greater the time and space needed to steer away from them; hence corvettes, a wide gossamer, scouting ahead, seeking these, the latest unexpected  and broadcasting the warnings.

When it came to the welfare of the World Craft, five hundred myles long and an irregular width at maximum of a hundred myles, warnings had to be  multiplied to scales of years of time to react. Initially all on the shoulders of a few. He supposed that was how it worked. He only dealt in figures, not ramifications.

The Ensign as usual chattered away about how she loved the corvette, the stars, the mysteries of The Universe. She made the whole vista of danger seem, so natural, to be met and respected.

Lorgaire Thall captain of the Corvette Gealbhan was again reading It Doesn’t Work Like That. A somewhat bold treatise on The Ethereal by controversial theorist Maighdean Ardea. Nonetheless he oft referred to it for perspective. Unknown and Unexpected being the trade of The Avant Squadrons. The constant challenge of matching the Four Dimensions with depths of The Ethereal.

‘I maintain this is more evidence of White Hole possibility Captain,’ said his navigator handing him the summary ‘This clutch of Depressions did indeed just appear. Flung out as it were,’

‘The Ethereal was enough of a trial upon The World, Navigator. Out here in the Cosmos these seeming spontaneities would have us believe travel between stars   near impossible,’

‘As we journey we learn Captain,’

‘Indeed we do Navigator. At one Inspiring and Humbling,’

‘Once long ago, around and on The World we The Ard Tiarnai thought ourselves knowledgeable above all. The High King did warn us,’

‘Captain,’

Captain, Navigator and Lieutenant of the Watch all turned. Compositor Sylan, typical of his race could not match their physical elegance, yet his eyes bright and manner alert indicated the dexterity so common amongst The Fiontraíoch folk. Woe unto any of the Ard Tiarnai who thought the Fiontraíoch to be lesser folk.

‘I regret having to disturb your rest time. Master Compositor,’ Captain Thall said.

‘The Cosmos is no respecter of our comfort,’ Sylan replied ‘We should be grateful we got this far,’

‘I respect the gloom of your long-term forecasts Compositor,’

‘It would be nice to be wrong on that score, but I suppose Captain, the more persistent we are the more we reduce the possibility. How may I assist you with these Depressions?’

The Navigator laid out the chart and the information dutifully printed from the Assessor machines, and he appraised Sylan of his own estimations. Naturally Sylan listen attentively. Not his place to interrupt a Navigator.

‘May I sit Captain?’

‘Of course Master Compositor,’

Seated he surveyed the evidence, then with all due respect asked the Navigator to repeat his own estimations. The three officers accepted this; novice ensigns were ever lectured not to ever question a Compositor. Sylan set down his thick pad of paper and with an ancient pen began to write. As he did he spoke. His gruff basic accent falling away as his tones turned to a slow steady litany.

‘It bears repeating sirs, if the opportunity arises, you should visit the hub of the Engines of World Craft. Of course Compositors and our like have to witness this majesty. The many chambers, five miles underground set in catacombs so grand in dimensions that if empty a squadron of  battleships of the fleets could dock in each. Therein are the devices. The towering grey obelisks inscribed with external wiring like long forgotten runes. Their companions, the shimmering black towers, plain, implanting in an observer the feeling they are watching them with hidden eyes. All connected by intricate patterns of piping veins for miles of secret wirings, and leading far beyond to deeper places wherein lie the vast dangerous machines. Heavy and looking deceptively ponderous as they churn, or slowly spin or grind away supplying the World Craft with its atmosphere, tides, weathers, days, nights, shielding from the uncaringly hostile universe, and by magnificent ingenuity its movement at speed belying the bulk,’

Two pages were by then inscribed with figures, small neat script starting in the horizontal, then veering at occasions into vertical, and back again to level until the script became patterns within patterns.

Sylan stopped and slumped a little over his work, from one alcove on the deck appeared the Lady Ensign Croí Eadrom a raven on her shoulder up in a light steps she moved to Sylan and upon reaching him set her hands gently upon his shoulders, in response he absently patted hers. She and her bird looked to her Captain. Before she could speak, he said, with a sigh.

‘Yes I know Ensign. You come with Grave Concerns,’

At mention of  its name the bird inclined its head. The Captain treasured these irreverences of hers.

‘As you wish you may take Compositor Sylan back to his quarters where he may be allowed to resume his rest. Thank you Compositor,’

Mute and now smiling Sylan rose and once more patting the ensign’s hands left the deck. He knew he had been at work, but right now, even though recently formed, the memories were evasive, he would shepherd them in after he rested. The bird hoped onto his shoulder. Her menagerie. Ever the mystery.

On the deck the Navigator examined the figures.

‘Captain. I will need to verify by examination through my two auditors and Assessor machines, but it would seem we need swift evasion of the squadron, alert the sub-fleet on station to act as necessary and to pass this back to fleet command with a strong recommendation they report onto World Craft Naval for them to alert Council and High King that the World Craft should take prompt oblique course from current,’

‘That is indeed a heavy work load Navigator. You must attend without delay,’

Permission given The Navigator left.

‘Lieutenant of the Watch,’ Lorgaire Thall said ‘As we cannot burn up any time waiting, I will be in my quarters drafting the introduction to my final despatch, a task which will take some time. Corvette Gealbhan is now within your charge. Ensure those Depressions are observed for the slightest deviation in path or alteration in speed. Therein will be the only reasons for you to interrupt me,’

Lieutenant of the Watch gave out the necessary orders to all crew on observation duties. In addition to make sure nothing was missed he allocated extra crew to the task. All matters attended to he took his stance, gazing outwards, not action of any use of course; yet you could not help but be drawn to the immensity, a craft had to have its share of viewing ports. No amount of devices could make up for the urge to physically see.

Being alone he allowed himself the luxury of a sigh. There would be no rest for the next five, even ten watches. Any information which suggested The World Craft would have to make even the slightest change in direction would end up being a converted to a political decision. Not just propulsion or direction, but environmental adjustments would be made, even shifts in populations to compensate. How many of the thirty millions he wondered. And there would be those subsequent affects on the productions of support, the shepherding of floral and fauna.

Decisions to be taken upon the entire Dynamics which would start with the information from one speck of a craft. Although the responsibility now weighed upon all of the crew, he was glad to he out here and not back upon  the World Craft locked into the entirety of the administrations levels likely to be tasked with coping of any changes.

A door opened, there were soft skipping footfalls. 

‘Ensign Croí Eadrom’ he said, without turning ‘Is our Compositor settled?’

‘He rests,’ she said drawing alongside, no bird nor dog in sight, in a most  unconventional action she whistled soft ‘How is it possible someone can produce so many figures, so precisely, so quickly, ahead of any machines?’  

‘I am sure I do not know. In any case it is not good manners, nor productive to question the nature of any race, nor why within each race some excel at one discipline or another. There is no room for such,’

‘That’s true. Just curious,’ she quipped joining in his gazing ‘We all have our tasks,’ another soft whistle ‘Makes you think though, dun it?’ he winced at he mangling of language ‘I mean. Here we are, all in a flurry over titchy things,’

‘Depressions can carve through a planet’s surface if they strike. The damage to something as delicate as a World Craft is ghastly to imagine. Solid objects we can handle,’ he gestured to the depths, the unseen ‘Those Depressions are unstoppable. All necessary actions must be taken soon,’

‘Yer,’ she continued ignoring the requirements of acceptable speech ‘We’re not so grand are we? We have to keep on our toes,’ one hand drifted into a pocket of her jacket and she brought out a small brown and white rabbit, which she proceeded to cuddle and stroke. ‘Always keep alert I say,’

The Lieutenant had been waiting this, she always did this at some stage, but he’d caught her out, surely.

‘That’s a rabbit,’ he pointed out with solemnity. ‘I would suggest there is not even any lerts,’

‘Rabbits,’ she replied with a dignity so heavy as to be comic ‘Are always alert. Hence her name,’

‘Alert?’ he replied sensing defeat.

‘Quite so,’ she said, and with the rabbit settled on one shoulder popped upon a large pocket, the heads of two mice mouse appeared. ‘These are the Concern Sisters,’ she explained ‘I need discuss with the observation crew their morale, I will explain I have small concerns,’

He shared the rest of the crew puzzlement on how she managed to inspire cheerfulness, or level out tensions with such humour. No one of course discussed just why she was here. It was unspoken. To do so might upset the entire system; each unto their own, on this journey vast to them, but a speck to the Universe.

One slender thread in the pattern of Survival. From here on a corvette to Council of The High King on the World Craft. It was how The Dynamics worked.

And Another Thing Concerning Odd Motivations

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This is subsequent to the post

From Unexpected Places (Something Concerning Odd Motivations)

Concerning the throw away ending “And I do believe I have inadvertently created a template for a book cover.”, this comment related to the image I had created for the post:

Inspiration and Themes

Occasionally one of the Muses nudges me off to Canva https://www.canva.com/en_gb/ to see what can be created from its free images and various tools. Of late when manoeuvring multiple images, I decided to experiment with its ‘Transparency’ facility (top right of the horizontal menu bar, look out for the square made up of squares, fading left to right). This allows you to click onto an image placed on top of another, then drawing the cursor from right to left reducing the depth of the image from 100%, until you have a suitable transparent effect. This allows you create a montage, as you will see above. With some careful twiddling (excuse the technological language) you can click from image to image nuancing the depths of each. Because Canva tends to give you geometric borders to each image using Transparency allows you to diminish or accentuate the borders as you see fit. And you can spend a quite fun-filled creative interlude exploring possibilities.

So, to elaborate on the theme of the previous post I called in Canva. Because the tale in question takes elements of SF with ten dimensions involved and one of those ‘palace’ plots beloved of High Fantasy, there are bound to twists and oddities in all direction, plus some mischief. I therefore wanted a montage, chaotic yet with some geometry involved (Quantum influence). The first image was paradoxically a fantasy castle but overlaid with a galactic scene to set the theme of drifting through realities. After this some pastoral, a smidge of steampunk, over on the top left the faint outline of a pixie/fairy and diagonally opposite another piece of starscape, for contrast. Then eyes. Eyes are always good to add ‘that air’. Finally in the bottom left corner the faint hint of mischief. I have to admit I was pleased.  There may be a little bit of tinkering, only a smidge though.

The great benefit being the influence images, physical, musical or mental have on my writing. It would not be the first time the book cover influenced my final draft. On this occasion the cover nearly preceded the plot, and now firmly set in my mind, the cover draws me on. For The Cover must have a book worthy of the image. Maybe not the most secure or highly recommended of approaches to drafting a novel, and yet one which is proving worthwhile for dragging me out of a bit of a ditch.  

Inspiration. You just have to love the unpredictability of Inspiration.