Radha

Radha Krishna: bbjee / B Balaji

Radha

In Hinduism, an incarnation of the Goddess Lakshmi and female ghopi (cowherdess and milkmaid) who left her husband to become the playmate of the Hindu god Krishna.

Their loving and playful relationship has become an integral part of the Indian popular imagination, comparable to Romeo and Juliet had Shakespeare not written a tragedy.

Radha is also interpreted on a higher, mystical level, symbolizing the soul’s loving surrender to God.

Contemporary Vaishnava religion in W. Bengal regards Radha as the ultimate female principle, the Goddess or Shakti.

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Szasz, Thomas

Anti-Psychiatry Demonstration in Washington, D.C.: Jettero Heller

Szasz, Thomas (1920 – )

Hungarian psychiatrist and author of many books, including his best known work, The Myth of Mental Illness (1960).

Almost a decade before collaborating with The Church of Scientology, Szasz argued that the science behind psychiatry provides an example of scientism.

For Szasz, the term mental illness is a socially constructed myth rather than an actual fact. He believes that the concept of mental illness is generated within, not above, other historically positioned truth claims.

Written before Henri Ellenberger’s The Discovery of the Unconscious (1970) and Michel Foucault’s poststructural analysis, Histoire de la folie à l’âge classique (1961), Szasz’s work is often on the reading list for undergraduate courses in the Humanities at liberal-democratic universities.

Critics of Szasz’s perspective point out that psychiatry like any other science is in a constant state of development. Depending on factors like the patient’s actual condition, the competency of the psychiatrist and the political climate of the country in which assessments are made, it may be used for good or ill.

Szasz continues to be prolific, however. His latest publications contain some sociological and philosophical insights but seem to represent the unrealistically polarized views of a somewhat isolated but well-meaning humanitarian (e.g Schizophrenia: The Sacred Symbol of Psychiatry, 1988; Psychiatry: The Science of Lies, 2008).

Most recognized psychiatric associations have rejected his ideas, a situation which some say resembles an orthodox Church marginalizing heresies.

The polarization of anti-psychiatry vs. psychiatry is a sad state of affairs because it probably makes otherwise intelligent figures like Szasz more uncompromising and extreme, lessening their ability to see other perspectives.

When someone is convinced they’re right and the other is entirely wrong, constructive dialogue usually disappears.

» DSM-IV-TR, Madness, Postmodernism, Unconscious

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Stoicism

... but the sun soon shines: Xerones

Stoicism

A Greek philosophical school founded by Zeno of Citium, c. 300 BCE.

The Stoics believed that mankind is superior to animals by virtue of our reason. The good life is lived in accord with nature and evil is understood as an unpleasant aspect of nature.

It was deemed appropriate to know about the existence of evil and therefore control one’s reaction to it.

For Stoics the Greek gods were seen as cosmic forces, a view resembling a modern approach to mythology.

Life after death was generally not believed in; however, the Stoics did subscribe to an eternal return, an idea mentioned in the works of Friedrich Nietzsche.

The philosopher Epictetus, the Roman statesman Seneca and Emporer Marcus Aurelius are usually regarded as Stoics.

» Heap of Sand Paradox, Hellenistic, Logos, Suicide

essential works of stoicism: CHRIS DRUMM

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Star Trek: The Original Series

Star Trek: The Tour Original Bridge: Conrad Quilty-Harper

Star Trek: The Original Series

American science fiction television program created by Gene Roddenberry that ran for three seasons from 1966-1969.

Although the starship Enterprise’s five year mission to explore new worlds was cut short by poor ratings, the ship and crew didn’t dematerialize quite that fast.

Devoted viewers clamored for more. And as the fan mail piled up, the show’s uniqueness was soon realized and a series of successful movies were produced throughout the 1970’s to 1990’s, along with several new Star Trek TV spin-offs, closely following the format of the original program.

While a few second-rate academics might still scoff at the idea, Star Trek TOS and its offshoots have taken on a mythic status. Instead of Sumerian gods carved in stone, Star Trek provides gods etched on film. And there’s arguably not all that much difference between the two.

Star Trek TOS Cutting Room Floor Clippings: The Rocketeer / Kevin Trotman

Trying to be progressive in its day, the original Star Trek pilot episode featured a female first officer. But due to poor ratings she was replaced by the male Vulcan, Mr. Spock.

The revised cast boasted a host of international characters at the command center, which for the mid-1960’s was virtually unheard of.

In the episode, “Plato’s Stepchildren” (1968) Captain Kirk and the black Lt. Uhura are forced by telekinesis to kiss, a controversial first for fiction characters on U.S. TV. And in the episode Balance of Terror (1966) Kirk scolds his navigational officer Styles for making a racial slur:

Leave any bigotry in your quarters. There’s no room for it on the bridge.

Some say that the whole Star Trek phenomenon has all the earmarks of a religion because it exhibits the following characteristics:

• A social component (Star Trek conventions are periodically held around the world)
• The Star Trek ‘creed’ (the Prime Directive)
• A general goodwill ethic
• Implied transcendental ideas

In 2009 the hit movie Star Trek, directed by J. J. Abrams, brought the popular character Spock back into the spotlight. This time he’s both an elderly (played by Leonard Nimoy) and young man (played by Zachary Quinto). The fact that Leonard Nimoy is showcased in this blockbuster film while William Shatner (who played the original Captain Kirk) isn’t is perhaps telling as to Spock’s ongoing cultural significance in the 21st century.

» Abyss, Angels, Borg, Chakotay (Commander), Chekov (Pavol), Data (Commander), Dax, Jadzia, Dreamtime, Janeway (Captain Katherine), Kardasians, Kirk (James T.), Klingons, Odo, Prime Directive, Q, Relations of Production, Roberts (Jane),Romulans, Sargon, Science Fiction, Seven of Nine, Sisko (Commander Benjamin), Siva, Spock, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek : The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Sulu, Tek War, Temporal Paradox, Third Eye, T’Pol, Trickster, Uhura (Lieutenant), Vulcan, Worf

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Fallen Angels

El Ángel Caído (Ricardo Bellver): Luis García

Fallen Angels

A fallen angel denotes something gone wrong, either with a person or, more traditionally, with a purely spiritual being who freely chooses to reject and therefore oppose God’s will.

Myths and stories about fallen angels are quite common.

In Paradise Lost John Milton (1608 – 1674) writes about legions of angels following Satan in rebellion against God. Massive wars break out. St. Michael leads the Lord’s Angels, who face ingenious contraptions built by Satan and his fallen army. But the final victory is reserved for Christ and St. Michael stands aside as Jesus defeats the evil army.

In apocalyptic Jewish literature, God exalts human beings above the angels and instructs Satan to serve mankind. Satan and his motley crew of followers refuse and are cast out of heaven, rebellious and revengeful.

Some say the powerful “Sons of Man” mentioned in the Old Testament are Fallen Angels. Others believe that aliens are really fallen angels.

In Islam the personification of evil is Shaytan. In the Koran God commands Iblis to bow down before Adam and serve mankind but through his pride Iblis refuses. God allows Iblis to tempt mankind until Judgement Day, at which time he will be cast into hell.

In Islamic thought Iblis is often seen as the master jinn, the head of demons allowed to torment humanity.

To this coolguymuslim adds:

There is no such thing as a fallen angel in Islam. No doubt, in Islam, Iblis a.k.a. Satan is a jinn and he is most evil. However at the same time, he never is nor was an angel. Angels in Islam do not have free will and they cannot disobey God. In terms of Iblis, he used to be a rightous slave of God so much so that he was elevated to the level of angels before he refused to bow down, however, he was never an angel. Jinn, on the other hand, do possess free will and there are good and evil jinn just as there are good and evil humans.

fallen angel: Bùi Linh Ngân

In Hinduism the asuras are described as benevolent spiritual beings in the Vedas but devolve in subsequent Hindu scripture to become demons.

In the fictional Star Wars movies fallen Jedi – such as Darth Vader – could be seen as a rough parallel to the idea of fallen angels, mostly because both good and “dark side” Jedi possess paranormal powers and mental abilities.

» Aurobindo (Sri)

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Star Trek: Enterprise

Star Trek: The Tour Beamed up in the Transporter: Conrad Quilty-Harper

Star Trek: Enterprise

The most recent incarnation in the Star Trek TV series, running for four seasons from 2001-2005.

The action is set in the future but before the time of Captain Kirk (of the original series).

This is the story of the very first U.S.S. Enterprise, equipped with new warp drive technology, all set to leave Earth and our solar system for deep space exploration.

The alien, technologically superior and emotionless Vulcan race has been present on Earth for a while, holding back the Earth space program because the apparently ‘overly emotional’ human race wasn’t ready for extended inter-species contact.

Captain Jonathan Archer doesn’t like how the Vulcans have been stalling humanity for years, but initial tensions between Archer and his Vulcan Science Officer, T’Pol, gradually resolve into mutual respect.

At first, the series received encouraging reviews but soon after its fan base dwindled and, despite attempts at innovation, the show became increasingly juvenile and Enterprise eventually ‘fell out of warp’ in the TV ratings.

However, Enterprise did have its bright moments amidst the steady decline, especially when dealing with the topic of time travel. And the cultural and mythic importance of the entire Star Trek franchise is hard to overlook. The Oxford English Dictionary, for instance, now includes the word Klingon.

» Abyss, Angels, Borg, Chakotay (Commander), Chekov (Pavol), Data (Commander), Dax, Jadzia, Dreamtime, Janeway (Captain Katherine), Kardasians, Kirk (James T.), Klingons, Odo, Prime Directive, Q, Relations of Production, Roberts (Jane), Roddenberry (Gene),Romulans, Sargon, Science Fiction, Seven of Nine, Sisko (Commander Benjamin), Siva, Spock, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Voyager, Sulu, Tek War, Temporal Paradox, Third Eye, T’Pol, Trickster, Uhura (Lieutenant), Vulcan, Worf

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Square Cross

puxador quadrado: Pedro Dias

Square Cross

The square cross is sometimes called the ‘primordial cross‘ because it’s found in diverse cultures and is rich in symbolism.

Generally speaking, it denotes a spatial orientation–a center with forces coming in and going out.

The square cross links ideas of the circle and the square. It’s been used as a symbol for the meeting of heaven and earth (China) and also for an alleged ‘umbilical chord’ of the cosmos.

The square cross has also been connected to the Biblical Eden (Paradise) on account of the four rivers flowing outward from it. Moreover, it symbolizes a meeting point between the living and the dead.

But this just touches on countless motifs associated with this cross.

In Christian usage, we find the square Greek Cross and a modified form in the Jerusalem Cross, an emblem of the early Christian Crusaders. The insignia of Godfrey de Bouillon, the first ruler of Jerusalem after defeating the Muslims in 1099, was the Jerusalem Cross which he wore without fail.

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Sita

Sita Sings the Blues originally uploaded by litherland

Sita (Skt: furrow).

Sita is depicted in the Hindu Veda as an agricultural deity.

In the puranic epic, the Ramayana, she is the daughter of King Janaka and Rama’s wife. Abducted by the demon Ravana to an island in the south (which some believe is Sri Lanka), Sita maintains her fidelity to Rama while he and his half brother, Lakshmana, embark on a journey to liberate her.

Once this is accomplished, Rama is crowned as King yet bends to popular opinion at home, which wrongly supposes that Sita slept with Ravana.

As a result, Rama doesn’t accept Sita since a ruler’s wife must be above suspicion.

As with most myths, there are at least two different endings to the epic. And both of these alternate endings asserting Sita’s fidelity.

In one variant Sita is banished to the forest for 15 years to raise her two children and is recalled once public opinion at home cools down.

Declaring her innocence, Sita invokes the Earth Mother as witness. The Earth Mother affirms Sita’s loyalty but swallows her whole, much to the distress of the doubting Rama.

In the other variant, Lakshmana kindles a fire (on the request of Rama) and Sita is ordered into the flames. The fire-god Agni arises from the flames and adorns Sita with a crown, proclaiming her innocence. Rama then enters the fire and he and Sita are suddenly transported to a heavenly realm where they’ll remain for 14 years, after which time they’ll return to rule the Earth.

According to a Jain version of the tale, Sita is the daughter of Ravana. Not unlike the twist of fate found in the story of Oedipus, Sita is abandoned at birth because it has been foretold that she’ll destroy her father’s kingdom.

In contemporary India, Sita is widely regarded as exemplifying the honorable wife and mother. Meanwhile, Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty is set to play Sita in her next film, Hanuman.

» Abyss, Hero, Jainism, Mahabharata, Puranas, Rama, Ramayana

On the Web:

• Modern adaptation under CC license:
  

• Sita Sings the Blues (2008): Full feature can be downloaded in high res from archive.org.

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Serpent

Serpent to Rain by roctopus

Serpent

The serpent is a symbol found in most mythological and religious traditions around the world.

Similarities in meaning exist as do important differences.

In Jewish and Christian accounts of Eden, the serpent is the “most subtle” of all creatures that tempts Eve into disobeying God’s command to not eat of the tree of knowledge. Eve then seduces Adam into eating and mankind is expelled from the Garden of Eden and cursed to forever suffer and work.

The Biblical Leviathan was a great sea serpent, “the dragon that is in the sea” (Isaiah 27:1).

In India, the kundalini (Skt: coiled like a snake) represents serpent power that is awakened by carefully opening a series of chakras (body/psyche points of power).

India also has a naga cult with widespread devotees who worship a demi-god cobra with a human face.

The snake is also regarded as a healer in some Native American traditions.

Serpent devouring a man (Detail from Aztec calendar)

In Mexican mythological art, a giant serpent is often depicted as swallowing a human being, usually head-first.

Australian aboriginal myths also talk of the serpent “swallowing up people and animals” (Mythology: An Illustrated Encyclopedia ed. Richard Cavendish, 2003, Time Warner Books, p. 211).

This might bear a symbolic relation to the Biblical notion that “God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34). That is, the inferior aspects of the human personality must be purged, symbolically devoured or sent to hell so the superior may further develop.

The logo for contemporary western medicine is a snake coiled around a pole, a symbol derived from ancient Greece, as evident in engravings of Aesculapius, c. 100 BCE, where a serpent is coiled around his staff. This symbol is often mistakenly linked to the Greek Caduceus, displayed in myth as a two serpents wound around a staff, sometimes with wings.

The psychiatrist Carl Jung was interested in the Ouroboric serpent, a symbol derived from Gnosticism in which the snake forms a circle by biting its own tail. For Jung this is a mandala, symbolizing his understanding of self wholeness.

The above examples only scratch the surface of serpent symbolism, a topic too diverse to treat adequately here. Nevertheless, J. E. Cirlot suggests that one commonality present among numerous serpent symbols is the representation of psychic energy. And Philip Gardiner argues that snake symbolism as a whole is dualistic, containing elements of salvation and destruction.

» Apollo, Kundalini, Persephone, Shakti

• Articles and Reviews about “serpent” at earthpages.org » http://epages.wordpress.com/?s=serpent

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Sirens

The Siren originally uploaded by Gail Bailleaux Kuker

Sirens

In Greek mythology, the Sirens are depicted as part-woman, part-bird creatures who lure sailors to their doom through their haunting song.

Numerous ancient writers mention them, each a bit differently.

According to Homer, Odysseus heeded Circe’s warning and avoided the Sirens’ dangerous call by plugging his crew’s ears with beeswax. And he ordered his shipmates to bind him to the ships’s mast so he, himself, wouldn’t be entranced.

In later variants of the myth, the Sirens drown themselves after failing to destroy Odysseus and his crew.

Sirens also have been depicted in Greek myth as mermaids.

The ancient Greek philosopher, Plato, depicted them in the myth of Er toward the end of the Republic as makers of the music of the spheres.

In early Christian times actual belief in the Sirens was discouraged but they were still used as symbols of evil, temptation and womanly seduction. » Odyssey (The), Hero

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