Parallel Perspectives                                                                                      

P.O. Box 1083
Forestville, CA 95436

USA

 

Email: mailto:editor@gnostics.com

 

   1st Rotation of July

   Year of OurSELF 2009

   Aeon of The Child

     - Epok of Horus -                                                                                                               

                                                                                                

DEAR BROTHERS & SISTERS,

COMRADES OF MOTHER EARTH:

 

The ancient Romans were known for their practical adaptability, and this is demonstrated in  selecting the scorching month of (our) July to hold their Neptunalia. Neptune was a derivative of the even more ancient Greek god Poseidon. The famous statue of this god (left) perfectly illustrates the Greek ideals of beauty, balance & symmetry.

 

Poseidon ruled the open seas & earthquakes. This probably reflected the knowledge the ancestors held relating to the relationship between earthquakes & tsunamis. In the earliest days at the Oracle of Delphi, both Poseidon & Apollo seemed to share a sort of theological franchise. Pilgrims would go to the Oracle either to inquire about the success of a voyage, or would be advised by the Oracle to go on one. Apollo was believed to inspire the initial message, then the suppliants would make an offering to Poseidon to insure a good trip.

  

July also includes the nature celebration of Lammas Eve,

or Lughnassadh.

 

This marks the first of three ritual harvest days culminating on

The Autumn Equinox. Pagans view Nature as being the expression of

The Goddess & The God, male-female polarities. The joining of the

polarities is called The Sacred Marriage and, of course, it is

mirrored in human sexuality (Tantra Yoga). There is a sort of

incestuous aspect in Paganism. The Goddess &

The God are brother & sister, husband & wife—

AND The God is the Son of The Goddess!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


    Perhaps the World of Deities

    is one of the Parallel Universes

    linked to ours, and patriarchal

    religion, just another male ego

    superimposition?

 

WebWeaver:

Freddie David

 
Text Box:   Jeff Farrow,
  PARALLEL PERSPECTIVES
  Suzanne Radford,
  The Gnostic Pagan Project

 

 
 

 

 

                                        

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

   

 

Our Favorite Sight
 
Text Box: POSEIDON 


 

DVD

 

   Salomé/ Lot in Sodom (1923)

Amazon Product Description
Starring the tempestuous, Russian-born Alla Nazimova, Salome adapts the controversial Oscar Wilde play with an abundance of sumptuously fantastic visuals. Loosely based on the Biblical story, this saga of King Herod and his unbridled lust for his young stepdaughter leads to the haughty Salome's demand of the head of John the Baptist in exchange for an alluring dance. Hailed as America's first art film, this striking evocation of a fantastic, surreal era of perpetual night and rampant debauchery still retains its power to shock and captivate. No less remarkable is Lot in Sodom, a sensual depiction of the Sodom and Gomorrah story filled with sinewy and semi-clad bodies, delirious bacchanales devoted to physical pleasure, and a searing, cataclysmic finale depicting the fall of a city devoted to sins of the flesh. Both films are digitally mastered from excellent 35mm elements. Salome includes a choice of an orchestral score composed and conducted by Marc-Olivier Dupin and a score composed and performed by Silent Orchestra (Carlos Garza and Rich O'Meara). Lot In Sodom has its original experimental soundtrack by Alec Wilder.

____________________________________

 

It might be sort of heretical to admit, but I never really cared that much for Oscar Wilde’s “comedy of manners” stage plays. Part of it might be that during high school I was a “techie” for a production of THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST. It was a dreadful production that toured to about seven other schools. I can recite every line from the script even today. Another factor is that Wilde’s plays primarily deal with the artificial British upper class of the late 1800’s. Not my favorite milieu. His play SALOMÉ is not my favorite either. That being said, I certainly acknowledge Wilde’s literary genius & the cruelty he was subjected to by the very society he was trying to entertain.

 

There is one quote from Lady Windermere’s Fan” that’s great. The actor describes his thoughts on the English pastime of fox hunting as “the unspeakable in pursuit of the inedible.”

 

I do enjoy Aubrey Beardsley’s illustrations of the play. They combine Art Nouveau, Symbolism & Decadence. His work in general is often sexually charged, with dark, even homicidal tones. It was the perfect illustration for a dark, decadent script that also had distinct homosexual overtones. Alla Nazimova (this was way before the Nazi Movement and the actress had no association with them) was the protogé of Natacha Rambova, second wife of silent film heart throb Rudolph Valentino.

 

They formed an interesting trio, to say the least. A lot of (Caucasian) American men felt threatened by Valentino’s sauve handsomeness & sensitive male charisma. There were allegations that the three were in some sort of open “lavendar (gay) marriage.” Valentino really suffered as a result of this Flapper Age homophobia.

 

Valentino did not participate in SALOMÉ.                       

 

Salome / Lot in SodomThe production was “the Baby” of Rambova & Nazimova.

 

Rambova focused on the overall set design & Nazimova, of course, was to play the lead. There is no doubt that both women were probably artistically ahead of their time, particularly in post-World War I America. They did have the cache of Russian ancestry that seemed to appeal to a romantic segment of the population. But the allure of doomed Tsarist beauties & poetic male lovers could not save SALOMÉ

 

 

So what was so “naughty” in the film that bristled censors from Hollywood to Maine?

 

It’s a difficult movie to write about because it really is bizarre & extraordinarily different—certainly different from any other commercial release at the time. The homosexual overtones are obvious and this in itself would set up a barrier to wide distribution of the film. The plot can easily be seen as a slap in the face to traditional Christianity—and Fundamentalist elements would go absolutely ballistic if they viewed.

 

The overall “feel” to SALOMÉ is very faithful to Beardsley’s decadent, “far-out” in interpretation. That I liked. There are European expressionist, Fritz Lang elements I liked as well. This isn’t a straight-forward (pun intended) interpretation of the Biblical story. Herod is a white-faced evil clown who appears to have a melting face. His wife, the wicked Herodias, is an overweight, alcoholic cave woman with impossibly enormous hair, wearing painted leotards. She pounces around the set rapidly alternating between rage, lechery & glee. She was pretty funny—and I liked that as well.

 

Another comic element was the depiction of the Sanhedrin, the Council of Jewish Elders. They were presented as 3 very short men (who could pass as triplets) dressed in oversized turbans & vestments straight off the vaudeville circuit. I’m not sure if the humor was intentional or not. So, go figure…

 

Now we arrive at Nazimova’s Salomé.

 

For starters, I didn’t see anything very seductive about her. It’s true that the actress was middle aged, playing a girl not yet 18 (in fact, if there really was a Biblical Salomé, she could have been even much younger.) Nazimova was known for her beauty, and while it was not unusual for actresses of the time to play much younger women, this didn’t “work” for me. Certain long shots of Nazimova did suggest a young girl with a lithe, dancer's form. But close-up shots were less flattering. The white make-up & dark eyeliner (typical to this era of filmmaking) actually appeared to add to the actress’ years.

 

For me the most disappointing scene in the SALOMÉ was the all-important Dance of the Seven Veils.  I can’t believe that an actress with Nazimova’s background would be so lame as to deliberately allow herself to look so ridiculous. My idea of the Seven Veils Dance is Rita Hayworth coquetishly letting each of the seven veils slowly fall in an extraordinarily erotic, saturated technocolor routine.

 

See also,

DOES SPIRITUALITY REALLY EXIST?

 

 

Despite the critique, SALOMÉ is a must see, particularly anyone interested in film, drama & acting.

It should especially noteworthy for people exploring the history of Gay involvement in all these subjects.

 

    

 

Review:

THE SERPENT GRAIL

 

 

By PHILIP GARDINER

&

GARY OSBORN

 

Watkins Publishing

336 Pages

Photographs & Graphics

 

UK £16.99

US $24.99

 

© 2005 Gardiner & Osborn

 

____________________________________________________

 

FROM THE PUBLISHER:  The quest for the meaning of the Holy Grail has been one of those great open questions of history. By using the most current historical and scientific research, THE SERPENT GRAIL by Philip Gardiner and Gary Osborn untangles the truth behind the origins of the Grail—a truth far removed from both received Christian beliefs and alternative interpretations made popular by Dan Brown.

 

According to Gardiner and Osborn, the origin of the grail legend has roots centuries before Parsifal, King Arthur, Christ’s passion and even the Genesis story. Their account begins in Sumer (3500BCE-2000BCE)—located at the southern tip of modern Iraq. This cult both worshipped the serpent as a deity with awesome powers and drank a mixture of its venom and blood from a ‘sacred’ ceremonial chalice. By drinking this mixture the cult’s initiates were cured of disease and, it is claimed, their lives were prolonged. In this highly readable argument with enormous implications, THE SERPENT GRAIL links all three of these enigmatic symbols to the same ancient which spread from Sumer to the West and beyond. Indeed, the authors believe that this is the source not only of the Holy Grail, but the Elixir of Life and the legend of the Philosopher’s stone.

____________________________________________________

 

 

Recently we reviewed Philip Gardiner’s GNOSIS: THE SECRETS OF KING SOLOMON’S TEMPLE.

 

In that review we chose to focus on the fact that Gardiner’s legitimate historical/mythic images of “The Shining Ones” and the “Holy Grail” were abused and misused by the German National Socialists, as well as “New Age” commercialists…like the various cults centered around the mythical St. Germaine and the so-called “Ascended Masters.” This…deliberate twisting of esoteric/occult philosophy was not a product of Philip Gardiner and it was not our intention to imply that it had anything to do with his commendable work… 

Fortunately in this current work co-authored by Gary Osborn we have no need to politically clarify anything—the authors have made their positions clear from the onset in Chapter One, The Alpha-Omega. They distance their research from vulgarized sources and do not identify with any bias, be it scientific or theosophical. Gardiner’s GNOSIS can be seen as primer logically leading up to THE SERPENT GRAIL: The Truth Behind The Holy Grail, The Philosopher’s Stone & The Elixir of Life.

 

THE SERPENT GRAIL is akin to the translation of the Bible into the vernacular. In the latter case the Bible in the West had only been copied in Latin, a language the common person could not understand. Its seventeenth century translation fueled the Protestant Revolution. THE SERPENT GRAIL makes the deepest levels of occult lore accessible to people today who possess a sincere desire to delve into their innermost Self & ancestral roots. Together Gardiner and Osborn have created their own unique individual and collective version of THE GREAT WORK.

 

Read Full Review

 

 

CD

 

     

Beneath the Veil
Zingaia

 

A Musical Delight!, October 18, 2006

This CD is a wonderful, wonderful fusion of Middle Eastern & contemporary musical themes--with an accent on the Middle Eastern. It is smooth, pulsating, seductive, pleasurable, spiritual--and you can't help but move to it. Beneath the Veil is a paean of the feminine principle, without being feminist. It is New Age without being boring. I listen to it so often it has almost become a background musical screen in my house. Even the CD cover & included material are a class production act. Michael Breene's work is great & I look forward to hearing more from this artist. Obviously I highly recommend BENEATH THE VEIL.

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A Little History

 

The original 1966 Gnostic Pagan School/Tradition ceased public work in 2007. The Tradition was non-authoritarian, but was willing to compromise to the extent of allowing a public religious structure in order to provide a legal, pacifist exemption for draft eligible men during the Vietnam War (good intention, wrong tactic) as well as to legalize the religious use of A.E.S./Awareness Enhancing Substances as part of Earth Ritual (didn’t work).

 

At the end of the War, the Tradition gradually lost members due to ebbing activism & waning interest in the neo-pagan movement—as well as a natural winnowing out of the tribe. In 1996 the remaing active members felt “a window of gnosis” existed that justified reactivating the School. The results were mixed. A more recent attempt at a political merger was unsuccessful, splitting an already fractured group. The experience confirmed our (Jeff & Suzanne’s) position that metaphysics & Marxism just don’t mix—at least not on an organizational level. Apparently some people (like us) have to learn the hard way.

 

So, our journey led to PARALLEL PERSPECTIVES—and we hope Readers will enjoy

our on-going exploration of

The Great Work

 

Once again we are reminded that,

in our Beginning is our End—

And that in our End is—just possibly—a new Beginning.


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