The Nature of Knowledge

By Edwin E. Ott

All knowledge is illusion! By this statement I am not meaning put down knowledge nor promote magic, but I do believe it is important to acknowledge the limitations of our knowledge base. If we do not remember our fundamental premises, we may astound ourselves with pronouncements which do nothing more than restate these premises. Let me explain what I mean by knowledge being illusion and how I arrive at this conclusion.

I accept as axiomatic the existence of “reality,” that is, the essence of the universe, reality, exists independently of the existence of sentient observers. I believe this is the common operating axiom of most people, and as such, may seem to be trivial. However, this is not the only viable premise of the nature of the universe.

Probably the first operating premise we learn is that what is perceived is “real.” Seeing is believing. This axiom has a long history in human thought. For example, the “Doubting Thomas” story in the Bible is an application of this premise. Although the advent of modern technology has “shown” us that many perceptions may not be “real,” this premise still has a strong hold in modern society. For example, a corollary to this premise is touted more and more frequently today –it’s not what you do that counts, but what people think you do. This “perception is all important” philosophy may be well suited to sales, but I hope the mechanics servicing the next airliner I ride do not subscribe to this premise. “Virtual reality” can help us understand information, but “virtual maintenance” would be a disaster.

In most of science, the perception premise has been replaced or severely modified. Most scientists seek to describe reality by using perceived observations to develop generalized concepts. Initially, our perceptions were limited to our natural senses: sight, hearing, and touch. Today we have many more means of perception, such as CAT scans, MRI, radio telescopes, voter polls, etc. With the growth of our conceptual knowledge, we developed the premise of the existence of “truth” and “reality” which can be known by sifting and analyzing “observations” (perceived information).

In physics, the premise of reality existing independently of sentient observers, is known as “classical” theory. Most of the perceived knowledge near the end of the 19th Century and the beginning of the 20th Century was closely related to our natural senses. According to science historians, physicists were so pleased with themselves at this time they declared there was nothing more to learn. Of course, today we know this was arrogant boasting. (Presuming that mass media worked then much like it does now, I would surmise that much of this boasting was media hype. I seriously doubt that many scientists at that time would be so limited in their horizons to believe that all the basic laws of the universe were known.)

Satan Claus is Coming to Town

http://www.iamshaman.com/amanita/resurrection.htm

The painting entitled “Resurrection of Santa Claus” (above left) is the result of an exploration into the mysterious relationship between Santa and the Amanita muscaria, or fly agaric mushroom. Through the course of making this painting, I discovered that much of the popular iconography surrounding Santa Claus can be linked to the fly agaric. His immortality, omniscience, powers of magical flight and prosperity can all be attributed to this particular mushroom and its entheogenic powers. (1) Unquestioned holiday symbols such as flying reindeer, chimney sliding, Christmas trees and magical elves at the north pole all begin to make sense in the context of Santa’s relationship to the fly agaric.

As I am primarily a painter, this is to be taken as a loose presentation of some of my research and insight into a deep and murky subject. The fact that Santa is related to a psychedelic mushroom came to me spontaneously during a state of heightened awareness. And, after much research, I have found growing support for this hidden secret of Christmas. I see Santa Claus primarily as a symbol, an archetype. Ultimately he represents masculine spiritual power, like Buddha or Christ, yet we may need to look deep beneath the surface to see his potency. His current form is twisted and grotesque, a caricature of his potential self. I believe he got this way due to the abuse of masculine power over thousands of years. Santa Claus represents magic which, in western society, has been controlled, abused, ridiculed, outlawed, repressed and finally forgotten. Santa is often times mocked, diminished and misunderstood as he is portrayed as a slave to commerce, infantile, dysfunctional, a joke. On the other hand, as he is preached to our children, he is wise, benevolent and magically powerful.

How are we to make sense of this conundrum? The only answer, I submit, is through facing the bizarre fact that Santa Claus and Christmas have a hidden secret: namely the powerful entheogenic mushroom, Amanita muscaria. Though perhaps challenging and difficult to accept, a close examination of this strange relationship offers deep insight into the nature of the human soul. This long forgotten key to the hidden meaning of Christmas helps to explain the very nature of the classic religious experience. And as we probe deeper into this mystery, it may even shed light on the widespread religious and political oppression that still dominates much of the world.

Britain hunting lovelorn beaver

LONDON (AFP) – There’s a gnawing problem in the countryside — a giant beaver on the loose, wreaking havoc in southwest England.

And his owner reckons there’s only one thing that can lure the lovelorn rodent back into captivity: the scent of female beaver.

Hero Dog Helps Wounded Dog

Hero Dog Tries To Help Wounded Dog – Funny bloopers are a click away

Giant Squirrel!!