Advertisement
Once upon a time, Daniel Pinchbeck's own forum, breakingopenthehead.com, was rich with content and meaty discussions. With Daniel's prolonged absence (abandonment?) it has now gone to shit, riddled with spam, and what little member activity there has no real substance.
RIP.
It could be resurrected and turned into a great forum again, but will it be?
RIP.
It could be resurrected and turned into a great forum again, but will it be?
posted by:
|
Portland
|
Advertisement
Advertisement
-
Re: Daniel Pinchbeck's forum -- a sad loss
Tue, August 22, 2006 - 11:56 AMI don't know what's up, but I'm doing my part to help make 2012.tribe.net the best game in town!
-
Re: Daniel Pinchbeck's forum -- a sad loss
Tue, August 22, 2006 - 1:44 PMit realy is too bad. it was for a while a great site.
the only reason to go there anymore is to find the links for porn or viagra.
too bad someone else couldnt take on the moderator role there and clean it up again.
I think in its wake, this is the best place going for similiar discussions. Havent seen DP here much latley. -
-
Re: Daniel Pinchbeck's forum -- a sad loss
Tue, August 22, 2006 - 8:13 PMI think he got tired of fighting off the shark attacks. -
-
Re: Daniel Pinchbeck's forum -- a sad loss
Wed, August 23, 2006 - 10:35 AMThe best way to avoid shark attacks is not to bleed or thrash around when swimming in the waters they inhabit.
-
sh-sh-sh-shark attack
Wed, August 23, 2006 - 11:04 AM
-
-
-
Re: Daniel Pinchbeck's forum -- a sad loss
Thu, August 24, 2006 - 11:26 PMGiven what's cooking with the attention he's getting in Rolling Stone (see his blog at people.tribe.net/d8382e1b-...bae7f9949f ), I suspect the BOtH forum will be superceded by a 2102/Quetzalcoatl/Evolver one sometime soon. On the other hand, Daniel seems to have withdrawn completely from active engagement in debates about what he's written. -
-
Re: Daniel Pinchbeck's forum -- a sad loss
Sun, September 10, 2006 - 6:31 PMWonder if the BOtH forum is a lost cause... hardly any good members or good discussion left, and it will be harder to get the good members to come back the more time passes.
-
-
Re: Daniel Pinchbeck's forum -- a sad loss
Sun, September 10, 2006 - 6:54 PMi've been traveling like crazy this summer and otherwise extremely busy, some interests had to suffer. I should appoint a moderator to the BOTH board.
i am not concerned with sharks, but I am aware I have limited time and psychic energy and am trying to use those precious resources carefully.
In any event, thanks for caring.
-
-
Re: Daniel Pinchbeck's forum -- a sad loss
Mon, September 11, 2006 - 7:07 AM“…i've been traveling like crazy this summer and otherwise extremely busy, some interests had to suffer.”
A sad excuse for letting down all of those who took the time to write and be a part of the BOTH web site. It is also a tragic memorial to the two suicides who were a part of the writing on BOTH.
If you, Daniel, are too busy to do the right things, then you might want to recalculate your priorities.
I would say that fame and notoriety has not served you very well. -
-
Re: Daniel Pinchbeck's forum -- a sad loss
Mon, September 11, 2006 - 8:23 AMListen to all you whiny little judgemental wankers - GET A LIFE! -
-
Re: Daniel Pinchbeck's forum -- a sad loss
Mon, September 11, 2006 - 8:32 AMSorry that last dude pissed me off - what colossal nerve to make judgements and scoldings!! -
-
Re: Daniel Pinchbeck's forum -- a sad loss
Mon, September 11, 2006 - 8:44 AMI agree, Nansee. It's absurd to suggest people have an obligation to post to a forum with a certain frequency.
-
Re: Daniel Pinchbeck's forum -- a sad loss
Mon, September 11, 2006 - 10:15 AM“Sorry that last dude pissed me off - what colossal nerve to make judgements and scoldings!!”
A nicely worded rendition of a mirror; too bad the reflection is always reversed.
-
-
-
-
-
Unsu...
my glass is half full
Mon, September 11, 2006 - 12:04 PMOnce upon a time, people were kind to one another...or at least had some class and didn't take cheap shots at others for not meeting their limited expectations.
We talk about changing the world, but we still treat people so carelessly. Daniel is one of US. He's got his ass hanging out in the wind, so let's show him some fucking respect.
PS Daniel, your website needs you.
xoxo -
-
Re: my glass is half full
Mon, September 11, 2006 - 2:19 PMIs there really anywhere safe in this tribe anymore?
We have really followed a model of maintaining status quo of the world around and outside of us here.
Maybe its all the tension of the uncertainty that is heading our way. I would think (thus my problem too) us, being folks that are at least aware of a shift, well, this should grant us the ability and wisdom to bless and hold space for each other.
Really, no wonder the devine feminine heart energy is still hiding out.
too much brain driven dick swinging, still going on.
Isnt there enough tension,wars and hate out in the world to have to drag it into a realm of potential higher conciousness?
Doesnt anyone in here have hope for a new oppertunity to change the way we are?
in my deviations in learning, being and acting the way you want to see change is the most effective message for implementation. There must be a litle more compassionate way to disagree with others without alienating each other.
it is still possible right??
Peace and healing to us all
Daniel,
My constructive critisim for the site is this. I think in the abscence of a caretaker, the discussion room might better off gone. It has become another cesspool for internet filth and robot spams. It would be a shame for someone new to 2012 to see that as a first experience/ impression. Although this place might scare em away too lately.
-
Re: my glass is half full
Mon, September 11, 2006 - 3:13 PM"Once upon a time, people were kind to one another...or at least had some class and didn't take cheap shots at others for not meeting their limited expectations."
Agreed. What amazes me is someone else taking Daniel to task, and what exactly are they doing to bring about an improved vision of this world?
Daniel's been on the road non-stop for a while now, and if anyone thinks travelling is not exhausting or time-consuming, you should get out more. The best prospect would, of course, be to find a moderator who has the time and inclination to handle the task of dealing with the forums. Do I prefer Daniel be sitting online, babysitting virtual brats, or out in the world disseminating his ideas and making contact with people? I think the answer is obvious.
The man can't do it all himself. Step up to the plate yourself, or quit whining. -
-
Re: my glass is half full
Mon, September 11, 2006 - 5:45 PMIt is quite obvious that many of you with critical comments about the demise of the BOTH web site have little appreciation for what was accomplished.
Daniel began the site around August of ’02 and now has 1993 registered users. Before BOTH ever reached such high numbers of users it was one of the best web sites for discussion concerning psychedelics mainly because of the early users that made the site function without daniel’s help. As the numbers grew the possibility for what finally has happened was most likely inevitable.
What Daniel has let slip away is a piece of history that could have been preserved as a closed record of a historical time when a diverse and interesting people gathered after publication of Breaking Open the Head. The book never was reviewed by NYT Sunday book review or was a feature article in the Rolling Stone; its readers found the book without such marketing.
At 62 I can say from experience and some first hand experience that Daniel is not even close to being compared to Terrance McKenna or Tim Leary. If Daniel is to be promoted as the next ‘Leary’ or ‘McKenna’, we are in more trouble than we realize.
To those who seem to be so harsh to my comments or the topic you have no idea what has been so carelessly disregarded.
-
-
Re: my glass is half full
Mon, September 11, 2006 - 8:46 PMThose of us who "do* remember, know what transpired there. For old times' sake, I just went and checked out some of my own first posts there (starting with one in the thread "From the 'Temple" to the white house" under "Globalization & the Occult" on November 14, 2002).
Here's what two of them read on November 15, 2002 (talk about synchronicity):
From the "other dimensions" thread in "Science and Shamanism":
"Steiner, with whom you are enamored, may have allowed his enthusiasm for a synthesis of science and religion to override his better judgement and critical thinking with regard to issues such as Atlantis and Lemuria. Blavatsky, also, took Donnelly's extreme conclusions to even greater extremes. As for Edgar Cayce's readings on Atlantis, I think they can all be as easily dismissed as Miss Cleo, the Psychic Friends Network, and John Edward--with whom the great Harry Houdini would have had a field day.
If you are not to fall into the same traps, I strongly urge you to read Rodney Castleden's book Atlantis Destroyed(1998) before you formulate any serious conclusions about this lost continent. The myth of the 'lost civilization' of the Ice Age has become to the New Age Left what the story of a six-day Biblical Creation has become to the Religious Right. I believe that both are equally incompatible with the available evidence, and adherents of the mythical Atlantis story wind up looking as silly as Creationists."
This one was followed by:
"If you are serious about applying informed, critical thinking to esoteric traditions, PLEASE visit, bookmark, and read the articles at the following website: From Esoteric Tradition to Pseudo-Science Today [sadly, that link is now dead]. The racist, anti-Semitic, and white supremacist content of formative Theosophical documents, especially the writings of Helena Blavatsky, are truly disturbing and cannot be underestimated. It was this type of thinking that fed the Third Reich and brought about the Holocaust. We MUST say 'Never again!'"
It's sobering (and somewhat embarassing) to realize that here it is almost four years later and I'm still fighting the same battles. At least I'm consistent! (If perhaps a bit tiresome...)
BOTH Member #113 (Posts: 88)
breakingopenthehead.com
By the way, sidecross, I have to correct you on one issue: BOTH actually *was* reviewed by the NYT Sunday book review. That's exactly how I learned about it, shortly after I'd given a lecture on entheogen use by ancient people of Peru. I picked it up because of the reference to shamanism, but it was the reference to Burning Man that made me want to read the book (I went to my first burn in 2002). -
-
Re: my glass is half full
Tue, September 12, 2006 - 7:02 AMThank you John for the correction on the NYT book review of BOTH; I obviously missed it.
-
half full or half empty?
Tue, September 12, 2006 - 8:02 AM< It's sobering (and somewhat embarassing) to realize that here it is almost four years later and I'm still fighting the same battles. >
sounds like you/we are trapped in a vicious cycle.
the question is how do you/we evolve out of it?
it seems like the same old tactics are not very effective.
time for a new approach perhaps? -
-
Re: half full or half empty?
Tue, September 12, 2006 - 9:41 AMIt is typically American to think that in one’s life time things will change to fit our configuration for the future’s ‘good’.
We have been who we are for over a 100,000 years, and as McKenna paraphrased, we have been under the illusion that ‘we’ have 90% of everything figured out and the best minds are do with the remaining 10% in the near future.
-
-
Re: half full or half empty?
Tue, September 12, 2006 - 10:13 AM"It is typically American to think that in one’s life time things will change to fit our configuration for the future’s ‘good’.
A good statement to validate the evolution of the human ego. Almost as sensless in assuming that we have the power to uncreate or destroy the planet.
However,
Should we not attempt to implement some positive models or concious thought process in the "hopes" of a positive future?
Also, iam curious about the comment on Daniel being compared or promoted as Terrence or Timothy. Those of us deeply attached or connected to Terrences work would automatically find this to be ludicrous( if they were to say he was the next.. , not that i dont find dp's work worthy of pursuit) These men forever altered my perspectives. I still find his nasely voice penetrating my dreams and visions. The elves of dreamworld sound like him, to me when i travel beyond. To the folks who are eternally changed because of their work i say, true.
However if the mere comparison to them brings a young searcher to the work of these great pioneers, would that be so bad?
just wondering -
-
Re: half full or half empty?
Tue, September 12, 2006 - 10:17 AMweird synchro
i was typing when rebecca posted
ooohhhh -
-
This is the maximum depth. Additional responses will not be threaded.
Re: half full or half empty?
Tue, September 12, 2006 - 10:20 AMDaniel put up a web site with a link to buy his book, and for that Daniel does deserve credit.
What made the site work had not a thing to do with Daniel; it had to do with those who found it and took their time and energy to write.
-
-
Re: half full or half empty?
Tue, September 12, 2006 - 10:28 AM“However if the mere comparison to them brings a young searcher to the work of these great pioneers, would that be so bad?
just wondering.”
Would you like to have George W. Bush comparred to George Washington because they shared a first name; would all those named George be comparred Washington?
There are many ways to learn of McKenna; having Daniel comparred to McKenna makes as much sense as comparring Washington to Bush. -
-
Re: half full or half empty?
Tue, September 12, 2006 - 10:37 AMI am not agreeing to or condoning the comparison,
There may be many ways to mckenna and certainly, dp's work might be one of those avenues.
So if someone watches a film of lets say a human rights violation, and is inspired to become an activist for human rights, is the work invalidated by the path that lead to the work?
I would think that DPs work shares a little bit more than a first name.
If you are comparing George Bush to Daniel Pinchbeck, than I would be truly intrested in hearing more of this. -
-
Re: half full or half empty?
Tue, September 12, 2006 - 10:52 AMI have no intention to argue further a comparison of Daniel to McKenna.
We can each for ourselves agree or disagree on this issue. -
-
Re: half full or half empty?
Tue, September 12, 2006 - 11:02 AMthats fine, agree to disagree.
However i felt that you made valid points in your second posting about the loss of Daniels BOTH site. Certainly not a perspective i would have presented from my understandings. I feel that perhaps you have a perspective on Daniels work that might be insightful as it is different than most folks here. I am not trying to initiate an argument, i am really intrested in your point of view.
If not this than
how bout my question on a "hope" model for the future. -
-
Re: half full or half empty?
Tue, September 12, 2006 - 12:18 PM“If not this than how bout my question on a "hope" model for the future.”
As H.G. Wells has said, “The future is a race between catastrophe and education”. Or, to cut to the chase, the theme of Breaking Open the Head may be our last chance to save ourselves from ourselves.
-
-
Re: half full or half empty?
Tue, September 12, 2006 - 3:48 PMyes,
Well's resonates well in regard to the answer.
His Short story, " The country of the blind" rings well for me too, for the rest www.litrix.com/cblind/cblin001.htm
" a story about how Society, in a blind sense of cultural self-rightousness, will persecute, and maim if necessary, anyone else who they find is different from themselves and, by their judgement does not conform to their norms. The root of bigotry, and all the destructive ...isms behind a world of strife."
Orson wells concept of "Doublethink" in 1984 fits here as well
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doublethink
I gather our hope is limited -
-
Re: half full or half empty?
Tue, September 12, 2006 - 6:14 PM“I gather our hope is limited”
We, as a species, are 100,000 years old; we have survived ice ages, and yet we have not ever ‘dropped the ball’.
Solutions to many of our problems are ones that need only a recalculation of values, and the will to do ‘the right thing’.
If our hope is limited, it is only because we believe it to be so.
What we lack is the will to understand our relationship to the rest of the planet and its inhabitants.
For these very reasons I remain hopeful. -
-
Re: half full or half empty?
Tue, September 12, 2006 - 6:53 PM
'What we lack is the will to understand our relationship to the rest of the planet and its inhabitants. For these very reasons I remain hopeful."
Ahhhh ooo hhm,
Very eloquantly put! Much more the words of a wise searcher.
mother gaia blesses you for such insight.
Timely too for a general addressment to us inhabitents here in tribe 2012.
Not to mention lucky for me,
i was writing my yee goo gaa lee
-
half hopeful
Tue, September 12, 2006 - 9:27 PMahh yes, me too compadre.
me too still.
yet, what is 'the right thing'?
that is a matter of fierce debate, no?
here and elsewhere and everywhere.
freedom of the individual or equality for the collective?
care for the environment or use of the environment?
entheogenic enlightenment or rational entitlement?
rigidly raw or carefully cooked?
whose to say what is 'right'?
what is 'light'? what is 'good'?
or even if what's right, light & good is right?
a killer koan is the answer i surmise.
i await with a drill in my hand.
-
-
the tribe of the blind
Tue, September 12, 2006 - 9:30 PM" a story about how Society, in a blind sense of cultural self-rightousness, will persecute, and maim if necessary, anyone else who they find is different from themselves and, by their judgement does not conform to their norms. The root of bigotry, and all the destructive ...isms behind a world of strife."
veddy interesting chef.
maybe i'm guilty of an type I error here,
but doesn't this seem suspiciously familiar to everyone?
both on the individual and collective level?
(not the maim part of course, but under different circumstances, who knows where the gut would take us in the heat of the moment?)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Re: half full or half empty?
Tue, September 12, 2006 - 11:43 AM"However if the mere comparison to them brings a young searcher to the work of these great pioneers, would that be so bad?"
If my opinion counts for anything, I don't think there's any comparison between Daniel Pinchbeck and Terence McKenna. Terence's gift was, for me, a gift of oratory. He also understood the value of critical thinking, respected academia, and appreciated the differences between scientific knowledge and belief.
For young seekers who are just discovering him, skip reading anything he wrote and go directly to his recorded spoken word presentations. You can find good MP3s to downlaod from the web:
deoxy.org/mckenna.htm
www.elftrance.com/mckenna.htm
I thought Timothy Leary was onto some extremely important research (such as his work on "set and setting") early on (as an academic at Harvard), but I agree with Daniel that he wandered off the path. (The fact that Learly apparently ratted on some people who trusted him was not so cool, either.) -
-
This is the maximum depth. Additional responses will not be threaded.
Re: half full or half empty?
Tue, September 12, 2006 - 12:23 PMI agree with John that McKenna is at his best when he is talking off the cuff; the many mp3’s available for free are enough to keep McKenna’s name in good standing and fend off any comparisons to others.
-
-
-
-
Re: half full or half empty?
Tue, September 12, 2006 - 10:04 AMIf Daniel was capable of seeding and generating an energetic field of experience that is now being considered as worthy of "preserving in time," it seems to me that he deserves to retain the respect for that accomplishment. Isn't there another way to express loss of a particular experience or time in one's life that has more to do with gratefulness and less to do with disdain towards key players who saw fit to move on to other areas in order to spread the ideas further?
Potentially, the fact that the BOTH forum went awry sent it's participants elsewhere (like say, to the Year 2012 Tribe?) to continue the discussions, bringing the concepts to others who would otherwise not have been exposed to such topics had they remained contained in their original forum.
So perhaps Daniel really has very little control over what will happen to the ideas that he gives form to out of the emerging collective unconscious. What if he just isn't in charge of it all but just doing his part to "break open up your head?"
just a passing thought...:+)
-
-
-
Re: my glass is half full
Tue, September 12, 2006 - 4:22 PMDaniel is not even close to being compared to Terrance McKenna or Tim Leary. If Daniel is to be promoted as the next ‘Leary’ or ‘McKenna’, we are in more trouble than we realize. >>
I think the comparison is silly. Just because all have been involved in psychedelic research doesn't mean that we have to rank them in value. I don't see Daniel as trying to take either of their places. I think many people are stuck in the old paradigm of needing a leader. This is straight out of that Rolling Stone article and typical of journalistic-style cliches. Someone who shares certain qualities with someone who came before has to be immediate touted as "the next" so and so or "not as good" as so and so. Why even make such comparisons? -
-
Re: my glass is half full
Tue, September 12, 2006 - 7:20 PM<<
I think the comparison is silly. Just because all have been involved in psychedelic research doesn't mean that we have to rank them in value. I don't see Daniel as trying to take either of their places. I think many people are stuck in the old paradigm of needing a leader. This is straight out of that Rolling Stone article and typical of journalistic-style cliches. Someone who shares certain qualities with someone who came before has to be immediate touted as "the next" so and so or "not as good" as so and so. Why even make such comparisons?
>>
Good words, Larry. -
-
Re: my glass is half full
Tue, September 12, 2006 - 8:31 PMI agree with both Larry & gayle that the Rolling Stone article does display the concept of lineage and who is next to carry on with the ‘banner’.
However you may look upon it, there is still room for the idea of comparison and room for critical judgment even if it be subjective.
I would hope that comparisons are not to be dismissed as just being ‘silly’. Would it be ‘silly’ to compare George W. Bush to FDR, or would the fact that they are both elected Presidents negate comparison?
I think the real dilemma is not a comparison, but the critical analysis of a comparison.
-
-
Re: my glass is half full
Tue, September 12, 2006 - 9:58 PMAnother concept that was presented in the Rolling Stone article was the notion of a new "psychedelic elite". Does such an elite exist other than in the mind of the journalist? I can understand the psychedelic part, but what makes it elite? People who have figured out how to turn their entheogenic experiences into high profile careers? Or is it something more exclusive?
My own concept of an *old* "psychedelic elite" is one that would have included the Ken Kesey and everyone who took went on that crazy bus ride with Neal Cassady at the wheel back in 1964, together with Leary's crowd at Millbrook. Bear, Jerry García, Mountain Girl, and the Grateful Dead family would have to be in the mix, too. I get a big laugh when I think how any of them would have reacted to idea of the media labeling them a "psychedelic elite".
Was Hunter S. Thompson ever a member of a "psychedelic elite"? Just imagine Bill Burroughs intoning the words "psychedelic elite" and you'll have a sense of my own reaction to that phrase. -
-
Re: my glass is half full
Wed, September 13, 2006 - 12:35 AMthe notion of a "psychedelic elite" was the reporter's concoction, and another disaster.
However I am coming around to the notion of a "guru", because I found this nice post about the literal meaning of the term:
"The word Guru originates from the Sanskrit root ‘Gru’ which literally means heavy – as in weighty, holding of considerable weight. A more popular explanation is rooted in one of the Upanishads (Hindu scriptures):
The syllable gu means shadows
The syllable ru, he who disperses them,
Because of the power to disperse darkness
the guru is thus named."
Disperser of shadows - I admit I kind of like that as a job description.
I spent this evening running around the Internet and trying to undo some of the damage done by the Rolling Stone piece - for instance it states I believe the world will end on December 21, 2012, when I do not think or say anything of the sort. It is amazing the damage that can be done by the mass media. When will people get wise to how they are being duped?
sidecross, do you want to moderate the board? if so, let me know. I hope to find someone to take it on by the end of this week. -
-
This is the maximum depth. Additional responses will not be threaded.
Re: my glass is half full
Wed, September 13, 2006 - 12:46 AMas for comparing me to leary or mckenna, i agree with larry that it is pointless. It would probably be more interesting to define how i am different in my approach and style. I come from a literary culture, rather than an academic or scientific background. I do not advocate mass use of psychedelics like Leary. I am not as technologically inspired as McKenna.
Most of my energy right now is going into starting EVO (Evolver), a membership company to support ecologically sustainable consumerism - this seems like it could be a very grounded way of applying visionary insights and ideas to the current situation. It is nothing like trying to foment a psychedelic revolution, as it is essentially a capitalist entreprise. I am not stuck on the subject of psychedelics or 2012 - I have done my best to integrate these subjects in a way that now allows me to move forward into other areas. In a way, I see writing a book as a form of exorcism - you have to plunge fully through your obsessions in order to come out the other side. I do, anyway! -
-
Re: my glass is half full
Wed, September 13, 2006 - 7:00 AM“yet, what is 'the right thing'?”
There, you have written your koan!
“Another concept that was presented in the Rolling Stone article was the notion of a new ‘psychedelic elite’".
Another example of the mass media having not a clue about psychedelics.
“sidecross, do you want to moderate the board? if so, let me know. I hope to find someone to take it on by the end of this week.”
I would not want to moderate. If you can not find a moderator, it might be best to archive the site. You can give a brief history of the highlights and its disintegration, and then have it has a closed web site.
-
-
This is the maximum depth. Additional responses will not be threaded.
Saving the BOTH forum
Wed, September 13, 2006 - 7:21 AM<<
sidecross, do you want to moderate the board? if so, let me know. I hope to find someone to take it on by the end of this week. >>
Daniel, you should be asking on the BOTH board itself, not here. Check out the topic "The BOTH board exodus" in "Transformations" section. There are people volunteering to moderate. (CD would be good. IM is too flaky and has his own agendas.)
There are still a few diehard people left, even though the forum is drowning in spam (take a look at Science and Shamanism, the worst hit).
Especially with new moderators, there needs to be a section created for discussing the site itself and its management. -
-
Re: Saving the BOTH forum
Wed, September 13, 2006 - 7:49 AMI agree with gayle; daniel should be addressing the idea of a moderator on the BOTH web site.
There are still many people who want BOTH to continue and many I think who would want to moderate and have the technical abilities to easily solve the current dilemma.
-
-
Re: Saving the BOTH forum
Wed, September 13, 2006 - 8:20 AMIt doesn't take any special technical abilities beyond basic point and click. Once an admin makes someone a mod, the mod has access to the necessary software features.
Just checked the BOTH forum. The most recent post advertises a site called "girls-drinking-horse-cum." Daniel should be concerned that his name is on a board where well over 90% of the activity is spam like that.
-
-
Re: Saving the BOTH forum
Wed, September 13, 2006 - 9:11 AMI take it that a proposal has been presented to Daniel regarding a moderator and the idea of resuscitating the site...what was his response? -
-
Re: Saving the BOTH forum
Wed, September 13, 2006 - 9:15 AMah never mind, found the answer:
Daniel: "sidecross, do you want to moderate the board? if so, let me know. I hope to find someone to take it on by the end of this week"
-
-
Re: Saving the BOTH forum
Wed, September 13, 2006 - 10:41 AM“It doesn't take any special technical abilities beyond basic point and click. Once an admin makes someone a mod, the mod has access to the necessary software features.”
I am sure you are correct, but I still use a modem and a large part of the internet is out of my reach. I have more than enough to read using a modem and just reading books.
My computer skill and knowledge is too rudimentary to be of much use. -
-
Re: Saving the BOTH forum
Wed, September 13, 2006 - 12:14 PMi vote for gayle to mod BOTH!!!! she's an excellent moderator as i have witnessed over the years, and even if you don't want the job Sasha, you've still been excellent at maintaining rationale and balanced decisions (just thougt i'd mention it). i wish i had more time to tend to the boards... memories... :) -
-
Re: Saving the BOTH forum
Wed, September 13, 2006 - 1:09 PMThanks, anistara! But I have my hands full with the Ayahuasca forums (www.forums.ayahuasca.com ) and theoretically I am supposed to be a mod at another forum as well (entheology) but I hardly have time to attend to that one. But thanks for the compliments, and miss you on the boards!
Anyway, sidecross, since I do moderate other boards, I know it is simple and straightforward. Different boards have different software, but it is generally pretty self-explanatory. Click "delete" to delete, etc. Really not much more complicated than participating on a board as a member.
ATTN DANIEL -- A potential team is already assembling at BOTH ready to moderate and try to rejuvenate that forum. Humming, Caprinardo, sidecross, willoweyes, and new member lovemanifest seem interested. It is being discussed in "The BOTH Board Exodus" thread in the Transformations section.
Also, advise that you create a new section for the mod team to discuss problems, board management, etc. And if you really aren't going to be around, you should give at least one of the new mods admin powers. (Admins have the power to appoint mods, create new sections, etc.) -
-
Re: Saving the BOTH forum
Wed, September 13, 2006 - 1:30 PMcan somebody post a link for BOTH plz -
-
Re: Saving the BOTH forum
Wed, September 13, 2006 - 1:32 PMnevermind, I get it both is breaking open the head
-
Re: Saving the BOTH forum
Fri, September 15, 2006 - 10:12 AMToday BOTH began with 25 spam posts. I have a question for Daniel.
Do you ever finish what you begin daniel, or do you just walk out and let the trash and sewage over flow?
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
This is the maximum depth. Additional responses will not be threaded.
Re: my glass is half full
Wed, September 13, 2006 - 9:41 PM"When will people get wise to how they are being duped?"
No comment, Daniel.
Just don't go calling yourself the Messiah. You've already got some stiff competition:
cbs4.com/topstories/lo...254163721.html
-
-
The "old psychedelic elite"
Wed, September 13, 2006 - 9:24 AMThe old "psychedelic elite" was people like Aldous Huxley, Alan Watts, Huston Smith, Joseph Campbell, Stanislav Grof, and others who would have preferred to keep psychedelics discreet within a select intelligencia. -
-
This is the maximum depth. Additional responses will not be threaded.
Re: The "old psychedelic elite"
Wed, September 13, 2006 - 10:28 AMI would place Albert Hofmann on that 'list' too! (wink)
-
This is the maximum depth. Additional responses will not be threaded.
Re: The "old psychedelic elite"
Wed, September 13, 2006 - 4:45 PMThe old "psychedelic elite" was people like Aldous Huxley, Alan Watts, Huston Smith, Joseph Campbell, Stanislav Grof, and others who would have preferred to keep psychedelics discreet within a select intelligencia. >>
That makes me think...the word "elite" has a mostly negative connotation in many circles, but is it always a completely bad thing? Especially with a powerful, potentially dangerous tool such as psychedelics, a certain kind of discretion might be a good thing. I think Timothy Leary's attitude, encouraging everyone to take massive doses, created quite a bit of chaos in the bad sense (as well as some in the good sense of course). I don't think it's a path for everyone and I'm not even sure it's the best path for anyone. I'm talking now of psychedelics as the primary basis for a spiritual path. -
-
Re: The "old psychedelic elite"
Wed, September 13, 2006 - 6:04 PMLarry brings up an interesting point on what ‘elite’ may mean to different people.
Timothy Leary will always be someone who left (or was pushed from) the Ivory Tower to let the everyday people have a chance to shape their life according to his research on psychedelics. At a time when the average age of a Vietnam Vet death was 19; who was a more danger to the young people of America?
Leary was not a perfect person; he had his share of a troubled life.
I will always be grateful to Richard Albert, Timothy Leary, and the others who made their research available to those not voted into the ‘elite club’.
-
-
Re: The "old psychedelic elite"
Wed, September 13, 2006 - 7:20 PMthere's the whole shadow side to this whole subject, the exclusivity of this club, the narrowness of an ironically expanded subject, the slight unintended separateness peeking 'neath the surface...
the particular prickiness of some
yet, with respect, I for one...lurk
-
Re: The "old psychedelic elite"
Wed, September 13, 2006 - 8:04 PMAt a time when the average age of a Vietnam Vet death was 19; who was a more danger to the young people of America? >>
There's no comparing Leary to the military...I wasn't making him into a villain. He was a brilliant idealist who got a bit carried away with the LSD gospel (IMO). The psychedelic revolution of the 60s opened up a lot of minds, but it also did some harm to those who couldn't handle it. For a more conservative, yet still valid perspective on this era, read Joan Didion's Slouching Towards Bethlehem. Leary was also an elitist of sorts. However many times he tripped and told others to, he remained in his own ivory tower. Unlike many kids on the street who used lots of drugs, he didn't have to worry about being broke and homeless in a society that doesn't support such endeavors. I don't think he was evil or callous in this regard, just typical of many intellectuals who don't always consider the practical problems with their theories. -
-
Re: The "old psychedelic elite"
Wed, September 13, 2006 - 8:27 PM“Leary was also an elitist of sorts. However many times he tripped and told others to, he remained in his own ivory tower. Unlike many kids on the street who used lots of drugs, he didn't have to worry about being broke and homeless in a society that doesn't support such endeavors. I don't think he was evil or callous in this regard, just typical of many intellectuals who don't always consider the practical problems with their theories.”
Leary had a difficult time with the law and U.S. government; I would think he lived a life where being broke and homeless was a problem he faced and solved by his wits.
If indeed he lived in his own ivory tower, it is an ivory tower of his own creation. Being fired from Harvard certainly did not make his ivory tower fancy. (wink)
-
-
-
Re: The "old psychedelic elite"
Wed, September 13, 2006 - 8:42 PMLeary started out by giving his laboratory grade mescaline to artists, writers, and intellectuals and then, with Ram Dass, formed a very intense and somewhat "elite" community at Millbrook. I think it was probably Kesey and his acid tests that were undertaken as a clear effort to *prevent* the formation of an elite. From what I've read about the encounter between Leary and Kesey at Millbrook in 1964, it seems clear that the two camps had very different notions about how the community should evolve. It's important to remember that Kesey embarked upon his journey as a filmmaker and that his initial plan was to produce a "reality show" that would be seen by thousands of people.
I like to think that Burning Man, somewhat of a lineal descendant of Further, is also working to counter the creation of an "elite". Personally, I think that's a very good thing. Anyone who wants can be "on the bus". -
-
Re: The "old psychedelic elite"
Wed, September 13, 2006 - 9:11 PMBy the way, for original Prankster memorabilia, gifts, and knick-knacks, nothing beats this site:
www.key-z.com -
-
Re: The "old psychedelic elite"
Wed, September 13, 2006 - 10:57 PMCool! i saw Kesey in about 1990 when he was at Powell's bookstore in Portland for a booksigning. Further was there, alive and resurrected. I got "on the bus". The jingling of the jester's hat continues.... -
-
Re: The "old psychedelic elite"
Wed, September 13, 2006 - 11:03 PMalright, humming is going to take on the job of moderator/admin, with deputies. Hopefully we will get things cleaned up in the next few weeks, and run the riff raff out of town.
-
-
-
Re: The "old psychedelic elite"
Thu, September 14, 2006 - 10:23 AM“…From what I've read about the encounter between Leary and Kesey at Millbrook in 1964, it seems clear that the two camps had very different notions about how the community should evolve.”
There were many views on the use of psychedelics. The book Acid Dreams: The CIA, LSD, and the Sixties Rebellion by Martin A Lee & Bruce Shlain gives an excellent view of the ‘menue’.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Re: my glass is half full
Tue, September 19, 2006 - 10:55 PMwhy don't you offer to download and edit or print a hardcopy if your that concerned about it...
instead of berating someone who has other priorities?
Love
Light
Bow -
-
Re: my glass is half full
Wed, September 20, 2006 - 6:57 AM“why don't you offer to download and edit or print a hardcopy if your that concerned about it...
instead of berating someone who has other priorities?
Love
Light
Bow”
Might I ask to who this ‘Love Light Bow’ is directed?
-
-
-
-
-
Unsu...
We all come out shining
Wed, September 13, 2006 - 2:15 PMThis thread began as a lament, and now has become an instrument of positive change.
Kudos gayle!
-
-
Re: We all come out shining
Thu, September 14, 2006 - 8:29 AMHello everyone. This is Humming from the BOTH board, for those of you who might know me from there.
I was upset when I first noticed the ad bot making lewd posts to buy porn or drugs on Daniel's board. To me, the board is a sacred space where I come to learn and to engage, and it is sad to see it sullied by the ugly face of online capitalism. Certainly this is not Daniel's fault, or the fault of the people on the board. Actually, if you think about it, it's really a sign that the board is thriving--BOTH has bec ome so popular that it caught the attention of a spammer who thinks we will click to his links to buy pharmaceutical drugs!
In terms of the discussions to be had... I've been on the board for close to two years now. It seems that some people have been less involved than they once were. I would like to think that this is because they got what they came for: "enlightenment" or some kind of spiritual understanding and satisfaction.
Of course, there will always be more questions, and there will always be more seekers. So I am sure that as long as the site is up, people will visit and there will be discussion.
I am honored to be appointed as head moderator. I am sure that we will need more people than just me. I am thinking that 2-4 other people would be ideal. If anyone is interested, you can message me here on Tribe, or on the BOTH board as "Humming".
Also, here is my post on the BOTH board about this situation:
"Well, it seems to me like there are two issues here:
1. The Ad Bot. I posted about this in an earlier topic in the Science and Shamanism section a while back. Someone has found the forum and has infected it with a program (called a bot) that randomly creates a member who then posts links to drugs and porn. How can this be dealt with? Does anyone know how to remove a bot or block it from posting?
2. The material/our interest. If BOTH seems to be in a slump, what this really means is that all of us are too bored or too busy to come up with anything interesting to say, right? Well, all that we need to do to fix that is spark up some new threads of conversation. I suggest that we all go back into the depths of our past posts and all bring back the ones that we felt didn't get enough attention, weren't resolved, or just things that you would like to discuss. We could establish a thread where everyone posts the links to the topics that they want to discuss, or something like that.
I agree with sidecross that this board is the best on the internet. Not only because of Daniel and his ideas of course, but also because of the community that has been drawn here and the ideas and discussions that have collected as the result of all of us beautiful intelligent weirdos trying to piece together this puzzle that some call "reality".
The psychedelic community is thriving. I feel we could spend pages and pages just talking about the cultural implications of Burning Man alone.... If we are passionate about our lives and our experiences and we want to share with other people, how is that communicated to the board?" -
-
Re: We all come out shining
Thu, September 14, 2006 - 9:30 AMI was never on BOTH but if it's anything like here there will be plenty to talk about. Plenty of judging and criticising and arguing. I haven't been on tribe long and don't like what I'm seeing. I'm considering getting off and just relating to people in the flesh. It seems that people are a lot nastier when behind a computer. So much for a "conscious" group of people. -
-
Re: We all come out shining
Thu, September 14, 2006 - 10:02 AMCertainly I prefer not to precipitate into judgement and criticism. Still we mustn't assume that this warrants summary judgement and criticism....as this would be ironic, yes? That seems to be the nature of the dilemna of our world....people coming into conflict because they reflect back the same disharmonies that they percieve relative to their understanding. They/we complain about a disharmony as we reinforce that disharmony by throwing fuel upon it all the while imagining we are the bearers of quenching waters. It's grounds for reassessing how we approach the emotions in a conflict without becoming inflamed ourselves. This is valuable work if you look for and find where the real psychic fire-suppression technology can come into play (heart and creativity). Fires that burn can be transformed into fires that illuminate and heal...which is the alchemy that does occur here often enough to keep returning to contemplate the dynamic action. -
-
Re: We all come out shining
Thu, September 14, 2006 - 10:17 AMI've just taken a lot of hammering and criticism in another tribe this morning and yesterday. It's not at all what I expected here. I also found what was said about Daniel much further up this thread was very nasty and uncalled for. I haven't even been following his work. It's not personal, it's just that I'm tired of seeing ppl hurting each other. I don't know anyway to comment without coming across as judgmental myself and I'm not denying that I am. -
-
Re: We all come out shining
Thu, September 14, 2006 - 11:00 AMI'm with you. There are some real abusers out there who make sport out of being hurtful. There's quite a mix in tribe and you have to keep your wits about you. if you need a safe space where people are extremely respectful of one another there is always: www.zaadz.com
I should spend more time over there, but I guess I'm addicted to the drama of dealing with the polarities since tribe is more of a microcosm of the "real" world.
-
-
-
-
Unsu...
Re: We all come out shining
Thu, September 14, 2006 - 10:03 AMHumming-I'd be happy to direct some focus to the BOTH board and try to liven things up a bit! I don't have time right now to be a mod, but I'd be a very willing participant!
-
Re: We all come out shining
Thu, September 14, 2006 - 10:55 AMI am a long time forum member over at BOTH, though I stopped participating some time ago (as in 2 years ago) and then couldn't recall my old username and whatnot when I came back on, so I had to recently re-register (I'm now on BOTH as K.J).
I was rather dismayed when I saw the state of the board after my long hiatus. I'm REALLY happy to read that things might finally start shaping up over there, and I'd love to be a part of it if I could be of service somehow. PM me either here or over at BOTH and let me know what I can do. -
-
Re: We all come out shining
Thu, September 14, 2006 - 12:32 PMSweet...
Bless us all!
-
-
-
-
Re: Daniel Pinchbeck's forum -- a sad loss
Fri, September 15, 2006 - 1:52 PMDaniel and I just traded a few emails, and we're on it. First cleanup of spam, then some spambot IP/email banning, and then a possible upgrade to the software to prevent future issues (this will probably cost a little $). Preserving the current look & feel is very important, too. -
-
Re: Daniel Pinchbeck's forum -- a joyous renaissance
Tue, September 19, 2006 - 8:01 AMGreat to hear people stepping up to the plate! -
-
Unsu...
Daniel Pinchbeck's forum, a springboard for new ways of thinking, doing, and being!
Tue, September 19, 2006 - 8:24 AMI am happy to donate time and attention to the esteemed BOTH site. It will take a little while to get everything ship-shape, but if we can save the world, this is pretty small potatoes.
Check in now and then to see the changes, and please offer your constructive (operative word) criticism.
xoxo,
b
-
-
Re: Daniel Pinchbeck's forum, a springboard for new ways of thinking, doing, and being!
Tue, September 19, 2006 - 3:49 PMThank you to those who took the time to resurrect the new BOTH forums.
The new software is new to the eye and some new methods of navigation are not difficult to become acquainted too.
Again my gratitude to the time spent to preserve a web site that has been important to me since 2002. -
-
Re: Daniel Pinchbeck's forum, a springboard for new ways of thinking, doing, and being!
Tue, September 19, 2006 - 7:09 PMOnce again I agree with John.
The resurrection of BOTH is sure sign that regardless of what will happen in December of 2012, we or at least some will continue our struggle hour by hour, day by day, month by month, and year by year.
Those who have used their time to ‘recycle’ and not discard to the trash a web site is a sure sign that whatever the future brings, we will still cultivate and grow our future.
-
-
Re: Daniel Pinchbeck's forum, a springboard for new ways of thinking, doing, and being!
Tue, September 19, 2006 - 8:56 PMgreat job by forteanajones and humming to put things back in order.
i just posted this on my blogs at amazon, myspace, and tribe - perhaps we will draw a bunch of new participants:
I am very pleased to announce that the discussion forum at breakingopenthehead.com has been given a revamp. The discussion board had become infected by automated spam from "bots" exploiting holes in the security system. A longtime participant in the forum has done the difficult work of despamming it and relaunching it on a more secure platform.
The forum has been going since 2002, and is one of the better places on the Internet to engage in deep discussions about shamanism, prophecy, crop circles, occult practices, the ecological crisis, and our current social order. It is the cross-pollination of subjects that most people do not usually see as connected that has made the board such a unique and lively place. The community has led to many friendships, and witnessed a few tragedies (Dan Carpenter, author of A Psychonaut's Guide to the Invisible Landscape, on his DXM experiences, took his life before the recent publication of his book).
I have learned a huge amount from participating in this forum, and look forward to returning to it now that it is no longer full of ads for Viagra and various desperate scams. -
-
Re: Daniel Pinchbeck's forum, a springboard for new ways of thinking, doing, and being!
Wed, September 20, 2006 - 9:29 AMThank god, man! I joined there recently.. Awesome forum, save the spam bombardment. Good to know that it's safe to go back.
Lu
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Re: Daniel Pinchbeck's forum -- a sad loss
Tue, September 19, 2006 - 6:24 PMThanks, guys!!! You've done us all a wonderful service. Here's the message I just got in my inbox:
Hello,
The Breaking Open the Head message board has moved!
The message board has undergone an upgrade and as a result, a slight facelift. We have endeavored to keep as much the same as possible.
New URL:
www.breakingopenthehead.com/forum
If you experience any issues, please post your questions or comments in one of the technical forums on the board.
Sincerely,
The administrative team
-
Unsu...
Re: Daniel Pinchbeck's forum -- a sad loss
Sat, September 23, 2006 - 12:19 AM"It could be resurrected and turned into a great forum again, but will it be? "
Summer's over. And the spam has all been gobbled up by tribbles.
-
-
Re: Daniel Pinchbeck's forum -- a sad loss or a victory for the human spirit.
Tue, October 3, 2006 - 12:05 PMbye bye DP -
-
Re: Daniel Pinchbeck's forum -- a sad loss or a victory for the human spirit.
Tue, October 3, 2006 - 12:18 PMSidecross,
If you dont want to be moderator you should allow me to...
I would vow to rid the 'scam artist' from the site...
Im still wondering did he ever explain any of his jargon or are we still the fanatical bunch of lemmings. -
-
Re: Daniel Pinchbeck's forum -- a sad loss or a victory for the human spirit.
Tue, October 3, 2006 - 12:20 PMps. DP love the quote about 'ridding riff raff'
Is that the advertising or the intelligent minds that revolt again your preaching? BOTH i assume
-
-
-
Unsu...
Re: Daniel Pinchbeck's forum -- a sad loss
Thu, October 5, 2006 - 2:06 PMI have an irrisistable urge to post in BOtH. Over a hundred entries in a couple of weeks.
I feel a real kinship with D, and I also feel some real soul within the forum. There are
many facets swirling about there, and within all of that something solid and wonderful
forming. Slowly. It's just beginning.
And not a bit sad.
Evolver will be next. I just know it!
-
-
Re: Daniel Pinchbeck's forum -- a sad loss
Fri, October 6, 2006 - 2:20 AMi can attest to how much Daniel has been traveling, just in the short time from when we first met in June here in L.A.
my god people...if you had any idea...
and you know what? if you ever met him in person, you would actually know that he means what he says, and is an intellectual, but not stuck up, so take it from an anonymous person who knows people...and lay off the dude....he's busy.....
-
-
