Tag: Robert Anton Wilson

Reading page 132, of ‘stranger than we can imagine’ by John Higgs, posted to me by Bogus Magus (Toby Philpott), only 10 minutes ago, i had a visitation experience. Probably the closest i have come yet. Let me try to explain.

Page 132, begins with‘…was more than just a story of nuts-and-bolts physical space travel. As the slogan of the 1990s television series ‘The X-Files’ put it, ‘i want to believe. Jung was not interested in the question of whether UFOs were ‘real’ or not. He wanted to know what their sudden appearance said about the late twentieth century…’ and he goes on ‘Whether a witness reported meeting fairies, angels, demons or gods depended on which of those labels their culture found most plausible.’—John Higgs, Pg. 132. Chapter 7: Science Fiction. Stranger Than We Can Imagine. 2015. 

Quotes from wikipedia:

• They are symbols of courage, strength and happiness in Japan, but seen as sinister in European folklore.

• About 3012 species of dragonfly were known in 2010; these are classified into 348 genera in 11 families.

• An adult dragonfly eye has nearly 24,000 ommatidia.

• Fossils of very large dragonfly ancestors in the Protodonata are found from 325 million years ago

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• Defending a breeding territory is fairly common among male dragonflies, especially among species that congregate around ponds in large numbers.

• Most of a dragonfly’s life is spent as a nymph, beneath the water’s surface. The nymph extends its labium (a toothed mouthpart) to catch animals such as mosquito larvae, tadpoles and small fish.^[39] They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus.

• They have four different styles of flight:^[46] A number of flying modes are used that include counter-stroking, with forewings beating 180 degrees out of phase with the hindwings, is used for hovering and slow flight.

• In high-speed territorial battles between male Australian emperors Hemianax papuensis, the fighting dragonflies adjust their flight paths to appear stationary to their rivals, minimizing the chance of being detected as they approach.

• Dragonflies can fly at 100 body-lengths per second, and 3 lengths per second backwards

• They are almost exclusively carnivorous, eating a wide variety of insects ranging from small midges and mosquitoes to butterflies, moths, damselflies and smaller dragonflies.

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• With the destruction of rainforest habitats, many of these species are in danger of becoming extinct before they have even been named.

• For some Native American tribes, dragonflies represent swiftness and activity; for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. They are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblonecklaces.

• Douglas, a British motorcycle manufacturer based in Bristol, named its innovatively designed postwar 350cc flat twin model the Dragonfly.

• As a seasonal symbol in Japan, the dragonfly is associated with autumn.^[79] More generally, dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air.

• The poet Matsuo Bashō (1644-1694) wrote haiku such as “Crimson pepper pod / add two pairs of wings, and look / darting dragonfly”, relating the autumn season to the dragonfly.^[88] Hori Bakusui (1718-1783) similarly wrote “Dyed he is with the / Colour of autumnal days, / O red dragonfly.^”

• The poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson described a dragonfly splitting its old skin and emerging shining metallic blue like “sapphire mail” in his 1842 poem “The Two Voices”, with the lines “An inner impulse rent the veil / Of his old husk: from head to tail / Came out clear plates of sapphire mail.”

• ‘Dragonflies, or damselflies, were connected to Freya the Norse goddess of love, fertility and warfare. Freya was famous for her beauty and her knowledge as a magician. It was she who taught Odin the shamanic practices known as seidr which were still practiced during Christian times. The paired bodies of mating dragonflies form the shape of a heart, perhaps being the source for that modern symbol of love. In ancient lore, the dragonfly represents transformation, adaptation and insight.’–http://www.crystalinks.com/dragonfly.html