Rules, poetry and the liberation of the soul

About a week ago, I posted into The Order of Pen Facebook group a saucy poem about poetry (and life), which stirred the waters a bit. Then, I posted the poem at my personal Facebook page.

Sloan Bashinsky
Who invented the rule that poetry must rhyme, have pentameter, be cast into verse? Yes, please tell me, who , just who, invented that really silly rule? Surely it wasn't the maker of the first stone- otherwise, there'd be no stones to break all those slaving rules!

Ky
There is no rule as such

Sloan Bashinsky
Heh, not according to some replies after I posted that poem into a Facebook writing group and it cleared moderation.

Here are all the responses at The Order of Pen:

Damon

I've written a couple of thousand verses that rhyme, but I've never heard of that rule before. Indeed the whole notion of poetic licence and artistic license is so that the writer or artist can create whatever they want to...

Sloan BashinskyAuthor

Damon The Muse cannot be chained 

フィリピン 愛

Because poetry was invented before the writing system. Having measures make poems and songs easier to memorize.

Pat

If not it's just a paragraph....

Clement

Yeah, who decided that poetry had to be, well, poetry? Lol

Angie

Google it n find out

Martin

Poetry is subjective. Sure you can conform to the "proper" structures of what is acceptable by traditional standards. In my experience, it's never that complicated. Poetry is simple. Focusing on form only inhibits creativity and honesty.

Alicia

Free verse exists, so you don't have to do any of those things.

Thomas

Poetry doesn’t have to rhyme, it doesn’t even have to make sense . It only has to touch the heart of the reader. Thank goodness I’ve never liked poetry.

Martin

And, with this sensible question, how does one explain the expression, "poetry in motion"?

Kevin
Martin Marty Katz Badly
https://youtu.be/Oy_ArpznZUs
YOUTUBE.COM

Johnny Tillotson - Poetry In Motion 

Jude
So, who invented these silly languages ?...maybe we should just click our tongues, or bark like dogs or mew!
They are not rules..it's just the way a form of literary expression evolved! . . . If every one wanted their form of expression accepted as literary masterpieces, there wouldnt be such masterpieces!

It's usually the best that survive and evolve!

Omar

I turned to writing for what I saw as a lack of rules and the freedom of expression through words... and now you tell me there are actually rules .. bugga me now I'm getting that just cant win feeling... cheers. 

Alexandra

Omar ignore the rules. It's about expression.

Sloan BashinskyAuthor

Alexandra 😎 

Omar

Alexandra trust me when I tell you I do and always wlil

Nick

Worst haiku ever

Kevin

It is poetry or it is prose. You decide. There are those who would insist that poetry is structured, but it won't necessarily fall over if you move a brick. I think there're 10 syllables in every line except one of Especially When the October Wind. Thomas had more in his tool box than just rhyme and rhythm.

David
It wasn't me, I hope you see
It might be true that it was YOU
in any case it is the norm 

so start to rhyme, you must conform!

SloanBashinskyAuthor

David 😎

Eleanor

The ancient Norse Skalds defined poetry as "meter and metaphor" in the Skaldskraparmal, Prose Edda vs. 69

Montee
Poetry that does not rhyme is called prose and it's perfectly acceptable.

A perfect example of prose would be Banjo Peterson's Man from Snowy River.

Sloan BashinskyAuthor
Montee according to?

Montee

SloanBashinsky my 10th grade English Lit teacher:-) LOL

Sloan BashinskyAuthor

Montee from God’s mouth to his/her ears?

Montee

Sloan Bashinsky Ms Dawson was a good teacher. She made literature come alive to all of the students.Active

Sloan BashinskyAuthor

Montee did she suggest The Old Man and the Sea, the last novel Hemingway completed, was his unconscious grace under fire suicide note?

Montee

Sloan Bashinsky I don't remember the commentary but I can tell you this we did read that one in class. Please forgive me, that was almost 50 years ago LOL

Sloan BashinskyAuthor

Montee that notion came to me from out of the blue in summer of 1990, after I was asked to present at a writers workshop. My topic was, Writing As A Mystical Exoerience

Alexandra

Montee Crow No. Prose and non-rhyming poetry or free verse are not the same.

Kevin

Montee Was there a typo there somewhere Montee? Man from SR rhymes and has rhythm.

Lei

Poetry that rhymes is just one form of many

James

It's not a rule at all.

Sloan BashinskyAuthor

James 👍

Alexandrar

Walt Whitman pioneered free verse poetry ages ago. Poetry doesn't have to rhyme. There are no rules to poetry. Whatever sounds good to whoever is writing it.

Jerry
Speaking to your souls in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs, sing with your heart to the Lord...

And let his word dwell in you abundantly and in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, singing with Grace in your hearts to God.

Byron
In God We trust 
In diamonds we Rust. 

Without rhyme or reason

Brenda
It doesn't have to rhyme.
Mix it up
Break some rules but know which to follow

If writing in non- rhyming form, it would be nice to have a theme run through, eg you could use alliteration - find something to connect or else it will sound like you're just rambling on in your non-rhyming poem

Modain

Rhythm is in your walking steps.Rhythm is in rain and storms when they hit.Rhythm is pitiful and lamenting.I mean,no instrument plays a melody without rhythm.

Sloan BashinskyAuthor

Modain 👍

Lungile

What you’ve protested there is sheer poetry as prose, it too doesn’t rhyme. Is it poetry though?

Sloan BashinskyAuthor

Lungile sheer poetry isn’t poetry?

Sloan BashinskyAuthor
The Muse has her own ways the mind can never understand, l learned in the early 1994, in this way.
I was attending a weekly Sunday "church" service in a rented space in a dowmtown Boulder, Colorado building. The congregation, there was no minister, were trying to get along in a confusing world. The sponsors took turns leading the gathering. At the very end of one meeting, a fellow I had never seen before came up from the back and asked us to all close our eyes and ask God what we could best do to serve God? I closed my eyes, and saw a beautiful white quill writing pen. My heart heaved, tears are to my eyes. I left the meeting and rode my bicycle home.
That night, sitting in the easy chair in my bedroom, looking out the window up through the bar stark winter limbs of a large black willow tree at the moon, I was seized to pick up my writing journal and then started writing one word at a time, as if I was taking dictation. Lots of tears came over the next few weeks, as one little formless poem after another came, including the one I posted here, which is about life, living. For that's what life is, poetry, and that's what poetry is, life.

sloanbashinsky@yahoo.com

Letters from Ukraine via Israel about unearthly childbirth, an old school shaman, Biden, Trump, Putin, Zelensky, Russia, World War III and snakes

Last year, my friend Bob and people he knew helped some Jews in Ukraine move to Israel. I sometimes receive emails from one of the Jews, L, in some of which he reported dreams his grandmother (babushka) has about me.

Recently, L emailed a child birth medical bombshell, which led to my sharing Bob's dream of the night before about American voting machines and my asking L questions about his views of Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and Ukraine, which I did not think would be answered the same by American politicians, news media and social media users. L did not disappoint.

L's bombshell email:

Subject: Current Family Affairs and Additionally Messages from Etherealms of Babushka

Babushka has standardized name to english spelling of K. It makes for translation to Israeli easy much. 

How is it going? I am knee deep in babyshit. Bob found out 2/12 we now have babies- yes you read that right babies, not baby. So we no get extra help.

Reason for not write for long time is M have what is called pre-eclampsia. It was dire warning from the beings above for the doctors to watch out but they failed to do so. Three days after my last email from you, M go in hospital. She not leave until 2/02/23. 

On January 11th 2023 I welcome baby boy E into world. K had been doing more to regularize the proteins in M's urine and her blood pressure than the doctors. She keep touching M's stomach and tell, "Two lives in womb, three lives of M". Doctors really freaked out by K, say not want her around until shit hit fan. 

M have kidney failure at Christmas. Going to lose my wife, lover, and my child. Still thinking I get just baby boy ! Thinking God to punish me for leaving mother country like coward in shit filled sewers. No knowing what to do. God say nothing to me, nor his workers.

Babushka K legs are all kind of fucked up and yet she still wheel herself to see M, give her lemonade/herbal drink Babushka K make. M drink it against doctor orders but her kidneys begin to work and her blood pressure stabilize when Babushka K put her on her weird treatment. 

Finally January comes along baby LATE, M start to crown, MDs doing ultrasound to figure out why things not happen as they should, so they realize that the ultrasound was obstructed by scar tissue type material called fybroid. Another baby has been hiding whole time. Babushka K just shrug and say "No shit geniuses" - that is what old woman say. Old woman will chew tobacco leaf, and occasionally drink jigger of vodka and swear like fucking degenerate sailor. 

So the doctors split M open under heavy doses of pain medication- could not use spinal tap/block- epi- you know what ? fuck english. fuck your english language. 

So M splayed open like goddamn duck and she feeling much pain because meperidine is light weight shit. 

Bring out breach baby, tiny baby, girl baby ! I have girl ! She born badly blue and her brother  was bad pushed up against her spine and she have to stay in oxygen tent and have natal brace put in place to make sure spine not damage. We still not know 100%. She tiny baby barely 5lb- I can give metric if easier for you. 

Then come healthy 7lb 14oz baby boy. So we have our little girl who had been hiding named L B K and boy we name E B K. B means gift of God. When L first get out of oxygen tent she was put in special bassinet beside E and we is  all so tired because doctors say L should no be named because she just die on us. But finally out from oxygen tent and she put right beside E. We all fall asleep except K wake M and M wake me- lixttxle devils is holding hands ! Holy fuck shit. During 5 critical days baby L in oxygen tent, K camp out in room with M beside neonatal(did I mention fuck the english language in brown asshole) ward for those five days and she ate one meal from her mini greenhouse she keep in her apartment and then of all the things she chants for an hour in old tongue of Mansy language and then she went into a sleep or trance. I don't which. No idea. Then she went silent for 5 days, she eat nothing, she shit nothing, she piss nothing, she say nothing, she not move a muscle, except when doctor decide to move Kimo and she do one thing- she knock piss out of him, hit him so hard he piss his pants good- I mean so we can all see the soak down. K go back to quiet and baby L put on weight and she build stronger lungs over 5 days of intensive tent and intubatation. When L breathe good on her own and removed from tent a whole two floors away- Babushka K wake up. 

I knee depth in diapers and must go heat bottle, burn piss out of my wrist, but bottles in ice box to chill and feed little trophies of time I fuck Marta. I make bad joke there but I love my children and if anyone lifted finger with ill intent I know several mine shafts in old country to put such person. Pray for L, M, K, and pray for L and E most of all. They are best gifts from God and that they remain healthy is greatest blessing. 

I guess you both closing podcast. Only 5 episodes in January. Many times you have seven maybe moe. 

I send you both my affections and love- even if Bob is fucked sourpuss because I send mail late at niught though he do say congrats on babies and that he think I be a good father. 

Good bye for now. Bottles hopefully not need to much chilling.  

 

Ukrainian/Polish refugee who is now in great Israel. They let me run around with no supervision so the possibilities are endless. Make me laugh big !

I replied:

Holy cow!, L, M, K, papooses.

K is old school shaman, shamanca is lady version. I know this from her many dreams you shared with me, and what she did with native medicine and long many day trance to save and strengthen baby girl, and she knew there were 2 babies. 

We tapered off podcast, because we didn't have anything new to say, and then crypto mine in Bob's area messed up cell phones, internet and electricity.

We put up an ET podcast a few days ago, and an Idiot Watch podcsast today. We might do another podcast tomorrow night, or soon, if Bob's internet is okay. 

Bob is putting lots of my writings into internet libraries/archieves. If something happens to him, it will be for me as Kimo dreamed.

Thanks, love and best wishes in dratted English to all of you, 

Sloan

I then emailed L:

Our friend Bob typed up his election dream of last night:

Dream set at a group of interconnected warehouses. 

Said "Dominion-ES&S: Offices of Electronic Voting Machines Cooperative Division"

Techs were furiously going through several inter-connected warehouses(HUGE) of voting machines, booting them up and running tests, taking their hardware and examing the boards inside that make up the "computer" and examining each chip, resistor, connection, etc. It was a complete shakedown of the “computerized” ballot box.

Dream perspective changed: it was a board/managerial meeting with the head of technology there and also the mgmt team from Dominion and some wearing ES&S shirts and a rep from both DNC and one from RNC. 

Head tech: “We know from the 2016 election, were it not the interference from the Russians, THE DONALD would not have been elected. We also know that there were statistical anomalies in 2020 which worked in the favor of Joe Biden. We are at a complete loss however on how to roll these machines out for 2024 in the national, local, and presidential elections. We do not know how the interference is manifested- it could be firmware, it could be hardware, it could be software. We have had a number of years and four tries to fix the issue: 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022- and it is a serious problem that remains an issue in 2024. We do not know at this time how to stop outside interference or how to control the manifestation of statistical anomalies like occurred in 2020- nor if these anomalies occur in 2024 who they will benefit.”

Previous to lead tech speaking, the DNC guy looked like he was wanting to strangle the RNC rep, RNC rep looked like he wanted to break a chair over DNC head. After the tech spoke, their wraith seemed directed at the tech. Like they wanted to BBQ him. Alive. Multiple times. And do it again.

I have thought all along that Trump is a kind of Russia agent. Not the kind in spy movies, but in some way. I'd like to know what you and your friends in Israel and in Ukraine might think or have heard about Trump and Russia.

 

I read in the news about two weeks ago that Trump said, if he had been elected in 2020, the Ukraine war already would be over. I read in the news yesterday that Trump had said he and Putin were friends and he would have been able to talk Putin out of invading Ukraine.

 

I'd also like to hear your and other Ukrainian and Israeli thoughts on why Russia invaded Ukraine. I don't trust the versions I see in American news and out of mouths of American politicians, left or right.

 

Thanksky,

Sloansky

L replied:

Subject: Biden and Trump

Neither man are thought of with reverence. 

 

In Israel, Trump thought of particularly bad because of Jared Kushner. Jared Kushner does no national service. To be Israeli, you must be completing national service. Because it is a very nationalistic thing, and because many do not take it serious- so many go to IDF. Israeli Defense Force. 

I took sanction as a full blood Jew with family history through my mother, Marta's mother and father were both jewish.

 

We have to do 2-3 years service for Israeli government as we neither wished to raise a hand in violence. We are fine with it.

Kushner never did his service but he has taken advantage of holding Israeli passport. 

In Russia and Ukraine both Biden and Trump had their hands stuck deep in sticky nasty business. 

 

Biden only now gives this money to Ukraine because his son visited Ukraine and made deals with miners, oil men, and anyone involved in energy. I had professor who resign when company he work for take Biden money and man who whores and is into bad things- the story he was told was that Biden son had two hookers and a lot of very bad drugs in an apartment owned by a energy development company, one hooker od'd and Biden was able to contact man in Ukraine military police to get rid of the bodies. They tell my professor no worry, not the first time it happen. So he take job teaching physics. 

 

Ukraine president was tv star like Donald Trump except he tell jokes about jews and dark skin people(he use word for nigger many times, my father say never ever call man nigger), he talk dirty about women's bits. 

 

Many people felt we had done just as USA had done with Trump. Especially when you know about the orgies at the presidential estate and the partying. He only begin to be successful when the the United States and UK send in "contractors". 

Trump was known to kiss ass of everyone when it suited him. Ukraine and Russia both. He had the eyes of a madman who would do no good. He kept Putin like a attack dog who instead of meaty bone he buy much oil from.

Putin came to my university in Ukraine before I start and he opened new computing wing and it was off limits. Only the best in computing were even interviewed to go take a class there. Same happen at Saint Petersburg and Moscow's Institute for Sciences. Story was told that when Putin was mad at Obama, he have those computing centers do hacks on corporations in the United States and on US government websites. US blame it on North Korea. A graduate gave an interview on skewing the election for Trump in 2016. Suddenly he jump off a bridge, but to me it seem very difficult for man who was cut from cock to naval to take a jump wearing a rope. But that was the story the media tell.

 

United States in Ukraine-Russia war is begin of WW3. Mark my words. Babushka Kimo agree. Very bad to have given the missiles but then to give a billion dollars of American money ? Disaster.

 

Maybe I just crazy. You ever think my grandmamama and you and Bob are also crazy ? I think about it. Then I look at world around me. It is the world that is mad.

I wrote:

Either we are crazy, or lots of other people are.

Do you have any thoughts about why Putin invaded Ukraine last year? As opposed to the earlier invasion of Crimea and near there? 

What I keep seeing in media, it was because Ukraine was trying to get into NATO.

L wrote:

Ukraine had no place in NATO. It would be like putting a Fox into a Hen house as egg inspector chief- there are so many people who have their hands getting paid out from Russia in the Ukraine government, . But thing most people outside "Eastern Bloc" do not understand is that it has been a constant war going back decade now. Saying Crimea versus advancement into the country means little as they are based on lines drawn arbitrarily. My papa's supervisor died in 2014 during one of the Russian offensives. His name was Marcinko, he was cutting firewood and lived on the side of Kiev(keeps autocorrecting my spell of Kyiv) where it is farthest from Russia. A bullet from a 7.62x52R rifle went stray and killed him. There were skirmishes into Ukraine proper back as far as I remember as 2012. Crimea is where many of our mines are and to keep the mines so the Russians could not freeze us out and to protect US interests(Biden's were not the only ones offering protection to energy producers)- it was a convenient framing device for media "War is Over Crimea". I live there, where you stand in the world determines just how stupid you are is something papa once told me. I find that true because you ask same questions as native Israeli's. Fighting was not just in Crimea. It was around and beyond Kyiv in 2014 when Marci caught a sniper bullet. 

There was no COVID lockdown ceasefire during 2020 when mama's house caught a stray shell and she had gotten to far into bottle of vodka to think to move. 

Trying to explain why Ukraine and Russia are at their throats is like trying to understand why man kills man, why Kane killed Abel. 

Media creates idealological packaging so as to make an unnatural thing seem to have rhyme or reason- Crimea ? Bah. 

American media so ignorant it runs stories we see where children and toy drones used for aerial photography were supposed to be targeting for Ukraine soldiers, even sell that line of happy horseshit when RU's BSF Flagship Moskova is shipped. Russians learned from their friends in China the frequencies to jam. If tinkers changed frequencies, then the way to protect from such nonsense was to turn up the mghz of the radar modules. Those non-military drones are not shielded so when they would get with 2.5km, just turn up the cycles on a radar dish mounted to good size truck. Baby drones drop from sky. 

I also remember papa saying about newspaper business: people will gladly eat shit when shit is prepared pretty enough, people will think it is mousse when it is the shit of moose. Canadian man tell papa that long time ago. 

And truth ? Maybe I am no better informed than anyone else other than what I see with my own two eyes. I was 17 a mere 10 years ago. I was in university and gymnasium in Kyiv. I can tell you papa's old foreman Marci was not only person to catch stray bullet while Russian said they were protecting their ethnic countrymen. Many catch them. Catch shells. Chernobyl and Kyiv are one and the same, westerners do not understand that Zaporozhskaya Atomica is in South East Ukraine but almost as far inland as Kyiv.

I wrote:

So much for the nice theories. Putin simply wants Ukraine for his own self. I wonder if Babushka can do the reverse for him that she did for L? 

L wrote:

Babushka K sat in great thought since I receive this last email.

Finally she speaks to what her dreams say:

The angel who is God's Envoy, who holds the sword which bears God's righteous flame says:

God the Creator bestowed on man and woman the mortality to die and to create life.

The angel concludes in saying that it is in human's ability to call forth death upon another. It is in human ability to call life into the world for those whose innocence is pure. In the ability to call forth death, it is not a question of can do or will do, instead it is a question of whether it is right for a human to use the power God can channel to kill another person, to mark your own soul with such darkness. 

In my life awake I born in beginning of the Ultimate Depression not long aftert it begin. Since that time, I learn as little girl of the Czar purged by Bolshevik Lenin and Trotsky, Lenin was poisoned and purged,  Stalin purge Trotsky, Stalin- real name Isobeb Besa- common gangster come to power. What fun Stalin was to live through. I freeze off one little finger and three toes one winter so bad. The Kruschev use his military thuggery to put Stalin out of our misery and bring more misery. I am not lizard woman so no appending to the body ever grow back. After much suffering and listening to the radio for the signal that east was making atmoic war on west who was making atomic war on east all at simultaneity, USSR get Brezhnev. Politburo puppet, military puppet, those more equal than others ran USSR. Gorbachev- I spit.USSR dissolve, finally spend itself stupid broke. Grinning idiot drunkard Yeltsin come next, then we land on great fortune. Vladimir Putin and then his toads Medeved and Zubko who paved way for lifetime power with no limits to how long he must hold office, Putin again. It is entirely possible someone else tapped into the mysteries and signs of the Creator and and being in tune with all life everywhere- and they said "I will make world better by seeing off Stalin. Another may have said "Gorbachev needs to go." Each time leadership had changed, it has been the hellish reality that as a country and peoples- we got the leadership the majority of the population in turn deserve. Politics are the mirror to the dark heart of every counry, be it Israel. Netanyahu is known to be easy bribe even with my small pension I probably swindle something if I like. Netanyahu is sex fiend and he was involve in rape several years ago, let us not forget Moshe Katsev. Canadian Mayor and his methdrugs. Bill Clinton live life like he make many dirty movies, same as Trump. Italians. Iraqi Hussein sons mad men, as was father. 

Some shaman may have done as you ask me and then look where they stood and all the lives ruined. And the shaman has made a dark mark on soul to only foul the waters with more shit. 

End Babushka begin Lev:

Note: I transcribe this exactly as Babushka talk. Bob help me make it  best clear and still not lose her message. Thank you Bob.

Babushka K may be old woman with oldness sickness of brain. She may not be sick of the brain.She may be sly old fox. Or she may be chicken about to be plucked by fox. 

Everyday I wake up it is a new world and many possibilities lay ahead. I wish that for my children. 

Best to you.

I wrote:

Hi again L and K,

Home now, I read K's words again.

The question for K regarding Putin came to me from out of the blue, as I was writing the end of that email to you, L. The context for the question was you had written that the war in Ukraine begins WW III, and I had agreed. Also, Putin had killed many people of Ukraine, including your mother, and he will kill many more people in Ukraine, while you, M, your babies, K and some of your friends, because of a miracle [Bob], are in Israel and the Czech Republic, instead of hiding in Kyiv sewers during rocket attacks. 

So, my question concerned trying to head off WWIII and save the lives of many people in the world and in Ukraine. Yet, it was not my question, for it would never have occurred to me to ask it. People were executed in Nazi Germany, who tried to kill Hitler and were caught. They tried to kill him because of what he was doing to Jews and Gypsies in Germany. 

 

I think someone who really doesn't like Bob, because of his relationship with me, is helping cause his poor physical health, especially his stomach and G.I. tract. I wondered when I was driving home a little while ago, if perhaps Babushka can help Bob like she helped Lilli after she was born? 

Me that night to L:

Earlier tonight, Bob's sister drove him to local hospital with pain in his left hand, wrist and left arm. He flunked chemical stress test and they are keeping him tonight and not letting him use his cell phone.

L to me next day:

My babushka does not want your money, does not want your ear, nor do I. I reply to your messages because you send them to me instead of letting us be.

My babushka will not play God. What would the purpose of playing God and deciding Putin's mortal fate be when history has been one more morally corrupt and dishonest leader after another. So Putin is gone and in your fantasy who is the man of truth, justice and your american way to replace him who will meet your high moral standards ? The man doesn't exist except in your head. 

We do not want your death in this house where there is new life, you carry it on you like carrion bird. You have an attraction to those who will do your dark bidding.

As my babushka says, "Kill your own snakes if these ideas come to you."

We will have no further to speak of with you. I want my son and daughter to live, to not be some "sudden" death as a baby that is a product of a dark mind with a poisoned soul. 

Kill your own snakes.  

Me to L:

L, I didn’t write that babushka wants my money. 

When you first wrote to me, you urged me to come to Ukraine to deal with Putin. I told you I had no standing to deal with Putin. Nor did I have the ability. 

Using money I had given him, and his own contacts, Bob saved you all from Putin, of which I knew nothing until you told me about it. I was really proud of Bob and really glad for all of you. And still am. 

I wish for all of you happiness and good experiences.

Sloan 

sloanbashinsky@yahoo.com

If there were no God, the topic would never come up :-)

Sometimes I have opined on Facebook and elsewhere, if there were no God, then that topic would never come up.😆

The Order of Pen

Drachen 

(...where does that leave us?) "On our own."

Sandy Kaper

Then you lack faith. For it is by faith that you believe and with belief you know in your heart.

Sloan Bashinsky

Sandy Until I was in my 45th year, I believed God (by whatever name), angels, demons, ETs and other sentient beings than Earthlings existed. Then, things started happening, which increased in frequency, and then became ongoing, and I knew for a fact all of that existed. Yet there was no way I could prove it, and I would have been nuts to believe I could prove it. However, I met quite a few people who were having their own experiences, which caused them to move past belief to knowing. They also knew there was no way to prove it, but when we talked about such matters, it was like we were old friends. We felt like we were from somewhere else, living on Earth until it was time for us to leave. I still know two of them. We learned that Christians thought we were nuts or worked for the Devil. And other people just trought we were nuts 

Andrew

Sandy faith is the essence of belivening

Drachen

Andrew  That doesn't make it a good thing.

Sloan Bashinsky

Drachen

"I am not an atheist. An atheist is someone who has compelling evidence that there is no Judeo-Christian-Islamic God. I am not that wise, but neither do I consider there to be anything approaching adequate evidence for such a god. Why are you in such a hurry to make up your mind? Why not simply wait until there is compelling evidence?"

CARL SAGAN TO ROBERT POPE, OF WINDSOR, ONTARIO, OCT. 2, 1996 

 

Sloan Bashinsky

I recall what looked to me like Sagan struggles to view the creation larger than human science thinking, and I recall thinking, if he lived in my skin a little while, he would know for a fact there is far more than human science can imagine, and would he be able to accept it and write about it?

Drachen

Sloan Bashinsky. Sober up and retype that. It's illegible.

Sloan Bashinsky

Drachen I don't drink booze or use any drugs, legal or illegal. Perhaps add 's to make it "Sagan's struggles". If you want me to expand on what I meant by "if he had lived in my skin", let me know. Thanks.

Drachen

Sloan Bashinsky. I don't want you to expand on what you said. I want you to say it in such a way as to be understood.

If you were sober when you wrote that, then maybe you should repeat the 5th grade.

Sloan Bashinsky

Drachen Well how about I say it this way. I recall Sagan wrote a sci-fi book, CONTACT, which I read and liked, because it showed he didn't think human science had everything all figured out. Yet, I felt sorry for him, such a great mind, that he was stuck in trying to put everything in the cosmos into a scientific box. For some years back then, I was having ongoing experience with beings science had declined to recognize could exist, because they could not be proven scientifically or in a court of law to exist. Yet, they could not be proven to not exist, either. I saw those beings interact in my and other people's affairs, and other people also witnessed it. The skeptics, ironically, were people who believed in science and Bible people.😆 I've had the same experience ever since, and the same skeptics.😆

David

Sloan Bashinsky “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” - Carl Sagan

Sloan Bashinsky

David I agree completely with that quote, and when Sagan crossed over into the afterlife, he saw some of that incredible and I imagine, because he was so sincere in his life on Earth, he saw a lot more incredible.

David

Sloan Bashinsky Random delusional speculation.

'crossed over into the afterlife' is a long way of saying 'he died'

The quote shows that Sagan, as with any scientist worthy of the title, was well aware there is much more to be known than will ever be known or is even knowable.

No scientist thinks they know everything, that is the exclusive unrealistic realm of the religious and the other delusional know-nothing (anti-fact-based evidence) believers.

Drachen

Sloan Bashinsky. Really? How many of his books were written after he crossed into the afterlife?

Sloan Bashinsky

Drachen I've talked with scientists, and lots of other people, who deny, or even ridicule, people who believe God exists, even though the doubters have no clue whether or not God exists, nor can they prove God does not exist. But as I wrote to begin with, if they lived in my skin a little while, they would know God and a lot of other things exist, of which they had been unaware.

I imagine Contact and some of Sagan's other writings and spoken comments went straight into the Akashic Record, which is a sort of universal library. After Sagan crossed over, he (his soul) perhaps was assigned to help scientists still on Earth evolve in their thinking. If he comes back in another life on Earth, perhaps he will be a scientist again, and he goes that time even where angels had feared to tread.😆

 

Drachen

Sloan Bashinsky Perhaps I should clarify. How do you know he saw anything after he died?

Sloan Bashinsky

Drachen Fair question, which I could defer to what many people reported happened after they medically died and had experiences somewhere else, and then they woke from the dead and lived on Earth a while longer. They were not able to prove they had those experiences after they medically died, but no one could prove they didn't have those experiences.

I have not had a NDE, but I have had ongoing experiences since early 1987 with beings clearly not of Earth origin. Perhaps half a dozen of those experiences were clearly with ETs. Tens of thousands were with angels known in the Bible, who sometimes identified themselves to me, but mostly they just did what they do and I experienced it in my life and in what I saw happening in other people's lives. So convinced angels, or whatever they were, existed, I extrapolated there is something very definitely out. there that has nothing to do with Earth science perspective today. Furthermore, I was told there is far more than just living on this world, and in that sense religions are more tuned in that science. I also was told religions mostly got it all messed up and tried to own it and knowledge of it. Many times, Christians have not believed anything I told them about what I was experiencing and being told.

David

Sloan Bashinsky "Near Death Experience' is a misnomer coined by wishful thinkers, not the experience of death.

NDEs are a common pattern of many people when they are experiencing intense threat, are seriously ill, or come close to death.

Sloan Bashinsky

David Yes, in many of those cases, and I have read of people being pronounced medically dead, but they came back and reported what happened when they were claimed to be dead. I don't see how you can be sure they were wishful thinkers, unless you were in their skin when it happened.

 

David

Sloan Bashinsky Those things happen in your mind, exactly like when you dream.

Sloan Bashinsky

David you been there, done that?

Drachen

Sloan Bashinsky. Actually my mother was pronounced dead after a car accident, and was revived. But she didn't attain any kind of enlightenment.

Sloan Bashinsky

Drachen glad she came back, my question was regarding people who came back reporting NDE

And, if your mother was declared medically dead, might her coming back to life defy science, be called a miracle by Christians?

Drachen

You don't know anything after you die.

Hathor

Man doesn't "know" at all the speculatation or inference. They assume and presume but it's all just scripts, roles and bunch of extras. The only requirement after birthing into Death's Valley is to die. The search for knowledge wisdom, ascension...meaning wss folly. The build was a construct, space was filmed right on the platform set.

Sloan Bashinsky

Drachen You know that, how?

Drachen

Sloan Bashinsky. Ask any dead person. They won't be able to answer you.

Sloan Bashinsky

 Drachen People who died came to me and people I know in dreams and said stuff, but I personally never had the corpse of someone who died speak to me, nor did I hear of that happening to anyone, other than Lazarus and Jesus in the Gospels.

sloanbashinsky@yahoo.com

What good is a lion without a lioness?

A while back, I joined some groups online, which I found more interesting and even stimulating than what I was seeing on regular Facebook. 

Here's an example from yesterday. I joined the discussion at the end.

Order of Pen 

 

Manoj 

“Our generation is so busy trying to prove that women can do everything men can do, women are losing the unique qualities that set us apart. The God-given femininity & unique way our Creator designed us. Women weren't created to do everything a man can do.... Women were created to do everything a man can't do." - unknown
The lioness does not try to be the lion. She embraces her role as the lioness. She is powerful, strong, and nurturing. She does not mistake her meekness for weakness. The world needs more kind, compassionate, humble, faithful, persevering, confident, fierce, bold, pure, and tender-hearted women.

Be one of them. 

Susan

Gender is a spectrum. To be expected to perform certain tasks, a certain way isn’t conducive to balance. Partners should do anything that works best for their own situation and family. The fact that religion tries to control literally aspect of life is insane when you think about it. 

 

Ben

Susan White I agree 100%. People who struggle to understand the infinite variety of humanity like to reduce everything into just a couple of categories to help them understand whats going on. 

 

Susan
Ben completely. I feel like they’re imposing their limited view of the world on everyone and expecting them to behave according to their own limited experiences and personal expectations. It’s quite egoistic of them when you really think about it.
 
Jade
Susan no its not, you either have male attributes or female attributes and often we all have a, mix of both. Science
 
Sal
Susan your way of thinking is failing as evidenced by the state of western society.
 
Teresa
Humble and bold and fierce? Contradictions. A human is a human is a human. Each of us has strengths and weaknesses. No matter our gender, we thrive when we pair with someone who complements our own abilities. Some men like to clean and cook. Love that. Just for one example. Couples wind up sharing all the tasks, finding their own balance. Oh, and this comparison between humans and lions—female lions are not gentle. Come too close to the offspring of any species in what is perceived as a threat and you will get a fierce and maybe deadly response.
 
Zennon
Susan if religion tries to control every aspect of life, then modern progressives have created a religion matched by no other
 
Evan
Zennon and that God is unregulated uncontrolled emotional response that takes priority over critical thought and common sense

Charlie
Susan - someday, try reality.

Susan
Perhaps if more men would treat women as equal contributors instead of considering half the population second class citizens, we might not have such a big problem and a lot more women would be kind, compassionate, plus all the other adjectives you used to describe what every human who’s a human should be. Men can blame themselves for women’s rights movements. There shouldn’t have been a need for a “women’s” rights movement in the first place. The fact that there even had to be one is a testament to the poor treatment women have suffered at the hands of small, weak, power hungry men. What kind of society doesn’t value it’s life-bearers?

Sloan Bashinsky
Susan Some years go, a poem on the abused feminine fell out of me as I sat waiting for a monthly Key West Poetry Guild reading to begin.
Sloan Bashinsky

I recently posted the poem in an online spirituality group,under the title, "Bi Polar" disorder - absence of the feminine, and was blasted by several people for being disrespectful to people diagnosed with bi polar disorder. I explained to them that the post and the poem were about spiritual bi polar disorder, and they kept after me.
Finally, the moderation board posted this comment and then took down my post:

Spirituality-ModTeam

Stickied comment

The post does not meet the criteria: there is insufficient information to initiate a meaningful conversation, or the quality of the content is inadequate.

Here is the poem.

Bi Polar

the world's favorite

mood disorder

the cause of all

human ails,

including wars,

if the demons aren't counted

bi polar disorder,

the destruction of the

south pole,

the feminine,

the north pole,

he ain't been

right in the head

since she's been gone 

Sloan Bashinsky
something about lions …
Once upon a time there lived a woman named Alya. She was the medicine woman in her tribe, using herbs and poultices and spirit ways to help her people. Yet she had one flaw: she hated lions, because a lion had killed her father. Her hatred caused her to cast spells against lions, which caused her husband great concern. He often told Alya that her war with lions was going to get her into big trouble, but she was a medicine woman, she knew the ways of the spirits, and she did not listen to her husband.
One day while Alya was out gathering herbs, she spotted a lion sunning himself in tall grasses on the savannah. She hatched a scheme in her mind to sneak up on the lion and cast a spell on him, which would enable her to steal his spirit and have it for herself. As she crept closer to the lion, she began chanting softly and seeing in her mind’s eye her spell taking over the lion. However, she was so focused on what she was doing, that she did not see in her mind’s eye the lion’s mate returning from hunting. Nor did she see the lioness catch her sent, drop her kill from her mouth to the ground and circle around behind. Too late, Alya realized her peril, just as the lioness took her from behind.
Next thing Alya knows, she is in the spirit world, standing before the Lion Spirit. Trembling with terror, Alya wants to run away, but the Lion Spirit speaks to her heart, says, “There is something you do not yet know.”
Then, Alya is back on the savannah, watching a hunter from her tribe sneaking up on a nest of lion cubs, whose parents are away hunting. The hunter has a twisted spirit, and decides to kill the lion cubs just for the fun of doing it, even though killing any animal just for sport is taboo in his tribe, which worships the Lion Spirit. On returning to his village, the hunter tells no one what he has done.
When the lion and lioness return to their nest and find their dead cubs, they are enraged. They catch the hunter’s scent and track him back to the edge of the village, where the lion hides in a thicket and begins roaring and bellowing out his rage over what has happened. The hunter knows why the lion is there, doing that, but still he tells no one.
Alya’s father, the tribe’s leader, prepares to go out and face and kill the lion, because it his duty to protect his tribe from marauding lions. And so he sets out to face the lion, even as the hunter lets him go without saying what has happened to bring this about, and that a lioness is also out there with the lion.
Alya’s father quickly finds and confronts the lion, and is preparing to kill it with his spear, when he is taken from behind by the lioness. In her horror, Alya helplessly watches on, even as she now realizes that her hatred of lions was completely misplaced. She feels awful.
Then suddenly she is back on the savannah, stalking the lion whose spirit she once wanted to steal for herself. The lion looks up, stares into Alya’s eyes. She shakes all over, is terrified, but does not look away. Then something takes hold of her, she says to the lion, “I have lost my father and you have lost your cubs. I will be your cub.” The lion looks deep into Alya’s spirit, nods, says, “And I will be your father, and will always protect your front.” Then beside the lion is the lioness, who says to Alya, “And I will always protect your back." 

 

Helen

Sloan Bashinsky thank you for sharing this. We have much to learn from animals. Sadly, we have lost our way as a species. We need each other, yet we are tearing each other apart over ideology that diminishes our humanity. 

Sloan Bashinsky

Helen you’re welcome, it was the 2nd of 3 visions I lived over several days in early June 1995; about a week later, a 4-year dark night of the soul lifted. 

sloanbashinsky@yahoo.com