The Rig Veda again (10.72): A very interesting hymn, which features a beautiful contradiction, in that it states "the quarters of the sky were born from her who crouched with legs spread," and later it states they were born "from the earth." Sometimes it feels as if in our popular society we examine such texts too far in our manner of thinking. We locate contradictions to come to the conclusion that they must have missed the contradiction proving the ancients were, well idiots. Either that or some complex power negotiation was going on. Less understood is the idea that two truths can be true or can be accessed at different times or are linked together through a process long forgotten. Another possibility is that the purpose is almost purely metaphorical so that what it is absolutely "true" is unimportant. I noted earlier about the Veda's insistence on the ultimate mystery at the heart of reality. Of course, I'm not trying to prove the validity of everything that is in the Rig Veda. Only that such seeming contradictions indicate to me a playfulness with metaphor and truth that we seem to have lost. When the moon rises, it is stunning to think of what is actually occurring. Yet, it is also true to say that the goddess is rising in her white majesty if that is a trope that works. For to say that more accurately reflects what is going on inside the person and how the beauty of the moon is shifting their heart.

Links:

The alternative to fossil fuels is...sugar?

Grist examines the new environmental proposals before congress.

I've been linking to these guys a lot. But this article on the psychology of prison life is Damn Interesting.

All musicians should have a free archive of downloadable live shows like at the official Bob Dylan site.

1916 cartoon: Dreamy Dud Resolves Not to Smoke...peyote apparently. Although its slow at first, it was movin' a lot faster than Krazy Kat did.

You're the biggest rock and roll band on the planet at the height of your popularity. You are playing in front of thousands of apparently young female fans in Japan. How do you open your show? Smoke? Lighting rig magic? Media presentation? How about tuning up for about a minute? Ladies and Gentleman, the Beatles: