Delano

Pioneer I couldn't help thinking this sounds like a Harvard Business School case study. You have a product that is dangerous. Who is our target audience. What media channels influence them. What's are marketing plan. How about a strategic product placement. Veil it so it's not obvious.

Sounds good or we can out it all down to dollars instead of an insidious plan.

I don't think "White" people gave a plan to exterminate black people. What would be the benefit to them. I think it's more likely multi billionaires would just leave earth and colonize another planet. Which isn't easy either. Just more likely. What did Richard Pryor say, there are no black people in Star Wars.

Cynique interesting I was struck by the fact that explosions in action movies are male orgasms. I forgot who said it,I think it was a woman, "Violence is the new sex"

As an aside typing "violence is the new sex, turned up four pages of mostly the same links. A net can save you from falling. A web is meant to capture prey.

I read a book that said that God created us to learn. Kind of like having kids, they teach you about you.

I think you definitely matter and you want to have an effect. People are listening for a reason, you have a corner for a reason

Chaos is an interesting word. It could be that the universe isn't predictable but it isn't random.

Cynique - I often wonder why people can't see themselves, myself included. On second thought it makes sense. You are the only person to not to see your face. The world needs to make sense and be right. If you are not good it's best to be delusional until your breakthrough.

Troy - The reason I mentioned overeating was a reaction to your statement. We can tell motivation by actions, that is a behaviorist position. The only difference is behaviorists don't pay attention to motive on behavior.

Cynique - Before I read your post I thought Troy was using an alias in his forums. Each forum had its on alias. Cynique people watch you like they watch tv.

Thank you

Cynique - What I find interesting is the strength of believe in Religion and the attempt to reframe life according to the precepts of a religious avatar/guide/guru. Whom to me appears as Super Man. While in the rest of your life you are trying to make sense understand or deal with what happens. I was going to say Buddhism is a philosophy but so are the other ways of organizing your life.

Cynique - I'll respond to your post over the next few hours.

Fairh had to be blind otherwise it is fact. And religion rest or require you to accept stories that are divergent from day - to - day reality. I also believe people need a philosophy/schema/probability function model of "reality"

The reason is that most people like the world to be rational. The mind requires order and if none exist it will create it. Most of what we call the world exists only in the mind. At most points in your life your memories are longer than the instance of now. So your current thoughts are a function of your memory. However memory is very plastic. Your mind can barely distinguish between a memory and an occurrence. You could argue that the body knows the difference. Although I don't think it's a convincing argument

Troy - Below is a link. There are some mathematicians who believe numbers were created by the human mind. You assumption about the reality of numbers is not a position, held by all mathematicians. In fact you may find the philosophy of mathematics an interesting topic.

Embodied mind theories

Embodied mind theories hold that mathematical thought is a natural outgrowth of the human cognitive apparatus which finds itself in our physical universe. For example, the abstract concept of number springs from the experience of counting discrete objects. It is held that mathematics is not universal and does not exist in any real sense, other than in human brains. Humans construct, but do not discover, mathematics.

With this view, the physical universe can thus be seen as the ultimate foundation of mathematics: it guided the evolution of the brain and later determined which questions this brain would find worthy of investigation. However, the human mind has no special claim on reality or approaches to it built out of math. If such constructs as Euler's identity are true then they are true as a map of the human mind and cognition.

Embodied mind theorists thus explain the effectiveness of mathematics—mathematics was constructed by the brain in order to be effective in this universe.

The most accessible, famous, and infamous treatment of this perspective is Where Mathematics Comes From, by George Lakoff and Rafael E. Núñez. In addition, mathematician Keith Devlin has investigated similar concepts with his book The Math Instinct. For more on the philosophical ideas that inspired this perspective, see cognitive science of mathematics.

Cynique you are an original. Happy Belated Birthday.

I am fascinated that beliefs override knowledge. Perhaps it is not possible to be truly objective. There are no external objects and and the world exists in the minds. Which is way something is painfully obvious to you, but I can't grasp the concept.

Troy you sound like a behaviorists. So people that overeat are just hungry.

I don't think it is possible to know what motivates an individual. People are pretty complex.

Troy - you are probably right, but then everyone is right.

I read one analysis that wad interesting. It basically said that America was going through a rebirth. And that it was at the crossroads

Yes I can post a chart, but mundane isn't my branch. I have been looking for analysis but haven't seen any thing interesting.

Interesting question, since the hour is in dispute.I have a book country horoscopes, it had a fee pages and different charts. I'll take a look at it after work. I'll also post a link by a mundane astrologer and his commentary.

I think the future is both mutable and we already know it. All of it just not consciously.

Troy - I am not certain why you would say belief and understanding it mutually exclusive.

I used the Halliean program. Interpretation is the hard bit. Forecasting us even harder. If you could predict the future would you say it us impossible. Your experience or ability may not be the extent of the world.

Forecasting is more difficult because there are lots if future charts to choose. In addition there are different techniques.

One approach is using transits. You look at the aspects of where the planets are currently and compare it to the radix chart. The problem id that there are many transits that don't get activated. And it isn't easy to determine actual from potential.

I am spending a bit more time forecasting. In a year or two I'll let you know how it went.

There's a study of psychic powers where they have a flashing light connected to an atoms movement. So that it randomly moves One of the subjects was able to predict the direction. The researchers were not certain whether the subject was predicting the future or influencing the future.

Pioneer - I have found that people disbelieve in astrology because they have not studied it. I would say that it is hard to understand something if you initially do not believe in it.

The Merriam Webster definition: The art or practice of using omens or magical powers to foretell the future; unusual insight or intuitive perception.

Astrology by definition and my experience is magic.

Witches, wizards, pagans use magic in spell casting. Search planetary hours or spell casting even candle magic at its base uses astrology.

I have specified that I am not discussing stage tricks.

Any field will have incompetent people.

You can utilize most things if you have faith that they work or believe someone's opinion who is more knowledgeable.

Cynique - Yes and more. It also includes high and low magic.

Waterstar - welcome. What stared me on this is there is a division amongst astrologers. You have those who are using astrology in psychological counselling and those who are predicted the futurespell making. The counselors want to turn into a respectable income generating profession. While the other camp who are magicians, embrace the magical side.

There are two branches of astrology Hoary and Electional. Hoary involves answering a question based in when the client sits down. Electional is determining the best time to commence. Both of these are a form of magic. I currently do a form of hoary. Except I us a future chart unconsciously chosen by the querent. It generally is fairly accurate. Which makes me ask the following question. Does that mean that the querent knows how to pick the chart that answers there question. This raises so issues. First the person doesn't consciously now astrology. Yet the know where to go into the cosmic filing cabinet to pull out the answer. The can pull the file because they put it in there before the were born.

Any act of divination is communing with the divine. However disbelief creates resistance.