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Lindane lotion
Generic Name: lindane (LIN-dane)
Brand Name: Generic only. No brands available.
Only use lindane lotion if you have already tried other safer treatments and experienced severe side effects or the treatments did not work. Seizures and death have occurred following repeated or prolonged use of lindane lotion, and rarely after a single use according to the directions. Do not use lindane lotion if you have a history of seizures or certain skin conditions where the skin is irritated or broken (eg, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis) or to treat premature infants. Use lindane lotion with extreme caution to treat infants or children, if you are elderly, or if you weigh less than 110 lbs (50 kg) because you may be at greater risk of serious nervous system side effects. Follow the directions for using lindane lotion very carefully. You may experience symptoms such as continued itching after using lindane lotion, even if it has worked well. If itching continues, contact your doctor. Do not use more of lindane lotion or use lindane lotion more often than prescribed by your doctor.
Lindane lotion is used for:
Treating scabies only after safer medicines have failed or have caused side effects.
Lindane lotion is a scabicide. It works by killing the scabies mites and their eggs.
Do NOT use lindane lotion if:
- you are allergic to any ingredient in lindane lotion
- you have a history of seizures or certain skin conditions in which the skin is irritated or broken (eg, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis) or if you have crusted (Norwegian) scabies
- you are breast-feeding
- you have used lindane lotion in the last few months
- you are treating a premature infant
Contact your doctor or health care provider right away if any of these apply to you.
Before using lindane lotion:
Some medical conditions may interact with lindane lotion. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have any medical conditions, especially if any of the following apply to you:
- if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding
- if you are taking any prescription or nonprescription medicine (especially seizure medicines), herbal preparation, or dietary supplement
- if you have allergies to medicines, foods, or other substances
- if you weigh less than 110 pounds (50 kg)
- if you have a history of skin conditions (eg, psoriasis, dermatitis), crusted or broken skin, HIV or AIDS, a history of head trauma or seizures, a brain or spinal cord tumor, or severe liver disease (cirrhosis)
- if you drink alcohol in excess, are taking sedatives, or have abruptly stopped drinking alcohol or taking sedatives
Some MEDICINES MAY INTERACT with lindane lotion. Tell your health care provider if you are taking any other medicines, especially any of the following:
- Phenothiazines (eg, thioridazine), isoniazid, sedatives (eg, phenobarbital, diazepam), theophylline, or tricyclic antidepressants (eg, amitriptyline) because side effects of lindane lotion may be increased
This may not be a complete list of all interactions that may occur. Ask your health care provider if lindane lotion may interact with other medicines that you take. Check with your health care provider before you start, stop, or change the dose of any medicine.
How to use lindane lotion:
Use lindane lotion as directed by your doctor. Check the label on the medicine for exact dosing instructions.
- Lindane lotion comes with an extra patient information sheet called a Medication Guide. Read it carefully. Read it again each time you get lindane lotion refilled.
- Lindane lotion is for external use only.
- Shake well before using.
- Do not use other creams, lotions, ointments, or oils immediately before or after applying lindane. Oil-based products may increase the absorption of lindane through your skin and into your bloodstream, increasing the risk of serious side effects.
- Wait at least 1 hour after bathing or showering before using lindane lotion. Wet or warm skin can make lindane lotion go through the skin faster, increasing the risk of serious side effects.
- Apply a thin layer of lindane lotion over all of the skin from the neck down to the bottoms of your feet.
- Apply lindane lotion only once. Do not use it again without checking with your doctor.
- Thoroughly wash the medicine off in a shower or bath with warm (not hot) water after 8 to 12 hours. Never leave lindane lotion on the treated area for more than 12 hours. Leaving it on for a longer than 8 to 12 hours will not kill more scabies, but may cause serious health problems, such as a seizure (and in some cases death). Do not re-treat.
- Put lindane lotion under the fingernails after trimming the fingernails short, because scabies are likely to remain there. A toothbrush can be used to apply lindane lotion under the fingernails. The toothbrush should be wrapped in paper and thrown away immediately after using. Do not use the same toothbrush in your mouth because this could lead to poisoning.
- If applying lindane to another person, wear disposable gloves (made of nitrite, latex with neoprene, or sheer vinyl). Do not use natural latex gloves because more lindane can penetrate them. Hands should be thoroughly washed after applying lindane lotion.
- Do not cover the treated areas with bandages or other dressings that do not breathe, such as diapers with plastic lining, plastic clothes, tight clothes, or blankets.
- Discard the lindane container (and gloves if you used them) in the trash out of the reach of children and away from pets.
- If you miss a dose of lindane lotion, use it as soon as you remember. Continue to use it as directed by your doctor.
Ask your health care provider any questions you may have about how to use lindane lotion.
Important safety information:
- Lindane lotion may cause dizziness or drowsiness. Do not drive, operate machinery, or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how you react to lindane lotion. Using lindane lotion alone, with certain other medicines, or with alcohol may lessen your ability to drive or perform other potentially dangerous tasks.
- Use lindane lotion exactly as directed by your health care provider and only for scabies. Do not exceed the recommended dose or use lindane lotion for longer than prescribed without checking with your doctor.
- Avoid getting lindane lotion in your eyes, nose, or mouth. Rinse eyes with water immediately if lindane gets into them, and contact your doctor immediately if a burning sensation continues.
- Do not take lindane lotion by mouth. If you get lindane lotion in your mouth or you swallow it, call your poison control center right away and get emergency help.
- If you or a family member has a seizure while using lindane lotion, get emergency help right away.
- Do not use lindane lotion if you have open wounds, cuts, or sores that are present, unless advised to do so by your health care provider.
- Your health care provider should instruct you on how to properly use lindane lotion, especially the amount to apply, how long to leave it on the treated area, and the need to avoid re-treatment. This product can be poisonous if misused.
- If you have a sexual partner, your partner should be checked and treated for scabies so you do not contract them again. Do not share lindane lotion with your partner or anyone else.
- All recently worn clothing, underwear, pajamas, used bed sheets, pillows, stuffed animals, towels, etc. should be washed in very hot water or dry cleaned.
- Itching may continue for up to several weeks due to sensitivity to mites. This does not indicate treatment failure.
- Because scabies can be easily transferred from one person to another, all family members and close contacts should be examined.
- Lindane lotion is used to treat a current scabies infestation only. It cannot be used to prevent future infestations.
- Do not touch other people's skin while you have lindane lotion on your skin.
- Use lindane lotion with caution in the ELDERLY because they may be more sensitive to its effects.
- Caution is advised when using lindane lotion in CHILDREN because they may be more sensitive to its effects.
- PREGNANCY and BREAST-FEEDING: It is unknown if lindane lotion can cause harm to the fetus. If you become pregnant while taking lindane lotion, discuss with your doctor the benefits and risks of using lindane lotion during pregnancy. It is unknown if lindane lotion is excreted in breast milk. Do not breast-feed while taking lindane lotion.
Possible side effects of lindane lotion:
All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome:
Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur:
Burning; redness of skin; skin rash; stinging.
Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); dizziness; drowsiness; seizures; vomiting.
This is not a complete list of all side effects that may occur. If you have questions about side effects, contact your health care provider. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. To report side effects to the appropriate agency, please read the Guide to Reporting Problems to FDA.
If OVERDOSE is suspected:
Contact 1-800-222-1222 (the American Association of Poison Control Centers), your local poison control center, or emergency room immediately. Symptoms may include bloody urine; irregular heartbeat; nausea; restlessness; seizures; unsteadiness; vomiting. Lindane lotion may be harmful if swallowed.Proper storage of lindane lotion:
Store lindane lotion at room temperature, between 59 and 86 degrees F (15 and 30 degrees C), in a tightly closed container. Store away from heat, moisture, and light. Do not freeze. Keep lindane lotion out of the reach of children and away from pets.
General information:
- If you have any questions about lindane lotion, please talk with your doctor, pharmacist, or other health care provider.
- Lindane lotion is to be used only by the patient for whom it is prescribed. Do not share it with other people.
- If your symptoms do not improve or if they become worse, check with your doctor.
- Check with your pharmacist about how to dispose of unused medicine.
This information should not be used to decide whether or not to take lindane lotion or any other medicine. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to decide which medicines are right for you. This information does not endorse any medicine as safe, effective, or approved for treating any patient or health condition. This is only a brief summary of general information about lindane lotion. It does NOT include all information about the possible uses, directions, warnings, precautions, interactions, adverse effects, or risks that may apply to lindane lotion. This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. You must talk with your healthcare provider for complete information about the risks and benefits of using lindane lotion.
Disclaimer: This information should not be used to decide whether or not to take this medicine or any other medicine. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to decide which medicines are right for you. This information does not endorse any medicine as safe, effective, or approved for treating any patient or health condition. This is only a brief summary of general information about this medicine. It does NOT include all information about the possible uses, directions, warnings, precautions, interactions, adverse effects, or risks that may apply to this medicine. This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. You must talk with your healthcare provider for complete information about the risks and benefits of using this medicine.
More about lindane topical
- Side Effects
- During Pregnancy or Breastfeeding
- Dosage Information
- Drug Interactions
- Support Group
- En Español
- 1 Review – Add your own review/rating
- Drug class: topical anti-infectives


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NewsGator on Thursday released an update for its Mac RSS reader, NetNewsWire. This update brings the current beta release to version 3.1.7b7.
The update fixes a couple of items including a bug where opening the preferences window could cause NetNewsWire to ask for your FTP syncing password, even though you don't use FTP syncing. The microformats feature has been removed, which has led to better performance loading HTML.
NetNewsWire is a free download from the company's Web site.
This story, "NetNewsWire Beta Gets Updated" was originally published by Macworld.

subset: commoncrawl


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A Michigan woman who died in her home at least six years ago was found this week after her home went into foreclosure and a contractor sent by the bank discovered her, according to a story from the Detroit Free Press.
The reason it took so long to find her: She had set up automatic bill-pay. For years, her bills were paid automatically from her bank account, leaving people to assume all was well until her $54,000 bank balance finally dried up.
This is less a story about financial management than it is about how a person can go without being found for years. And we've sadly seen similar stories in recent years (Note: There was a great read in The Palm Beach Post last year called "What happened to suburban Lake Worth couple in Condo #1223?")
Still, the story of this Michigan woman is a somewhat strange reminder of the benefits and pitfalls of setting up automatic bill-pay.
Bankrate has written before that automatic bill-pay can help avoid late fees and provide peace of mind that high-priority bills are getting paid, even when you're busy or traveling.
But the decision to go to automatic bill-pay shouldn't be an automatic one. Bill-pay makes it easier for you to forget to keep a close eye on your finances and gives you less incentive to make sure you're being charged the right amount. In other words, it's easy to lose tabs on those bills and how much is leaving your account.
Often, it's better to set up automatic bill-pay using a credit card rather than a checking account so there are fewer worries about overdrawing. Doing it that way also helps with disputes over a charge or automatic payment. However, if you don't pay off that credit card at the end of the month, you're essentially paying interest on those bills. And if you get a new card, you might have to update all your automatic payments, Consumer Reports notes.
A report last month by Personetics Technologies found that two-thirds of people who use electronic payments have some sort of automatic bill-pay. However, of those people, only 35 percent automate payments of their credit card bills.
Do you use automatic bill-pay? If so, are there certain bills you don't set up to pay automatically?
Follow me on twitter: @allisonsross.


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In 1855 the U.S. Army adopted a .58-caliber rifled musket to replace the .69-caliber smoothbore. The new infantry weapon was muzzle loaded, its rifled barrel taking a hollow-based cylindroconical bullet slightly smaller than the diameter of the bore. The loading procedure required the soldier to withdraw a paper cartridge containing powder and bullet from his cartridge box, tear open one end of the cartridge with his teeth, pour the powder into the muzzle, place the bullet in the muzzle, and ram it to the breech using a metal ramrod. The soldier then placed a copper percussion cap on a hollow cone at the breech. To fire the weapon, he cocked the hammer; when he pulled the trigger, the hammer struck the cap and ignited the powder charge in the breech. Each soldier was expected to be capable of loading and firing three aimed shots per minute. Although the maximum range of a rifled musket was sometimes over 1,000 yards, actual fields of fire were often very short, with musketry relying on volume at close range rather than accuracy at long range.
The basic ammunition load for each infantry soldier was forty rounds in the cartridge box. When more action was expected, twenty additional rounds were issued to each soldier, who placed them in his uniform pockets or knapsack. In addition, 100 rounds per man were held in the brigade or division trains and another 100 rounds in the corps trains.
At the beginning of the war, a shortage of rifled muskets on both sides forced the Northern and Southern governments to issue the older smoothbore weapons and purchase weapons from European nations. As the war progressed, more soldiers were armed with rifled weapons; though late in the war some troops on both sides still carried smoothbores.
Officers generally carried both single-and multiple-shot handguns. The types of handguns used by both sides were innumerable; however, two of the most common were six-shot revolvers produced by Colt and Remington, in both .36- and .44-caliber.
The Union cavalry was initially armed with sabers and handguns but soon added breech-loading carbines. In addition to Sharps and Spencer carbines, dozens of other types of breech-loaders, from .52- to .56-caliber, were issued. Confederate cavalrymen might be armed with a wide variety of handguns, shotguns, muzzle-loading carbines, or captured Federal weapons.
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I'm from Florida and moved to the anti-Florida (Portland) at the first chance I had. I avoid having drama in my life and like to keep things mellow and happy. More than anything, I try not to take myself very seriously.
For TV: I'm currently obsessed with Homeland. Also love Breaking Bad, The Wire, Dexter, and that's all that I have time for. Please don't tell me about other good TV....I know that I should be watching Battlestar Galatica, Mad Men, Game of Thrones, Big Love, and tons of other shows, but I just don't have time.
I love The National, Frank Black, the Pixies, Mike Ness, Cat Power, and tons of other music.
I'm probably the least picky eater on the planet and like just about every type of cuisine. Mostly I like real food, but sometimes corporate food really hits the spot (I'm talking to you, Hot and Spicy Cheetos). I love cooking and sharing good food with friends.
Spending time outdoors


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I will say though that I have been extremely happy (content and happy) with my life for the past 7 years. Lots of traveling and living in different places prior to that...happy as well, just a different kind :-)
LA is home to me now.
I look and feel my age. Considering that 40 is the new 30 :-)
PS: The profile pic is a current (04/2017) self-portrait of myself. That's what I look like (admittedly during the later part of the day, not in the morning!). It is something along the lines that I wish some of you would have on here (in regards to actual visibility/non-blurry/out-of-focus/too small approach that the majority choose). I am a highly visual person but at the same time: wrinkles, mature skin, funny angles do not put me off: trying to hide them does.
I am an actor (yes, in LA) and I used to be a music producer/composer for all my life prior to taking this new exciting path.
Ok, and it's about time that I can also call myself a photographer. (you can see the current works of my instagram feed under photos)
Then in conversations: my energy, which is intense yet supportive and engaging.
Coen Brothers films.
Woody Allen films.
Robert Altman films.
John Huston films.
Some Werner Herzog, some Wes Anderson.. those last two in small doses only...
Boardwalk Empire.
30 Rock.
Parks & Recreation.
Curb Your Enthusiasm.
The Mighty Boosh.
Peep Show.
The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret.
Truman Capote. Goethe. T.C. Boyle. Manuals.
Prince. David Bowie. Phoenix. Todd Rundgren. Chad Valley. Twin Shadow. Prefab Sprout. deadmau5. Moloko. Bonobo. Apparat. Magnetic Fields. Caribou. Brian Eno. Sebastien Tellier. Sigur Rós. Daft Punk. Electric Light Orchestra. Philip Glass. Miike Snow. Boards Of Canada. Grand National. Iron & Wine. Passion Pit. The Kills. Elbow. The Kooks. Katy Perry (oops). Morrissey. The Shins. Ratatat. Blur. Arovane. High Llamas. Ulrich Schnauss. Ash. Basement Jaxx. Keane. Kings of Convenience. Grizzly Bear. Everything But The Girl. Manic Street Preachers. The Beatles, METRONOMY. Timo Raisanen. Bon Iver. Mayer Hawthorne. The Magic Numbers. Feist. Nightmares on Wax. The The. Philip Glass. The Beach Boys. The Black Keys. Röyksopp. Tegan and Sera. Kaada. The Snow. Tahiti 80. LCD Soundsystem. Coco Rosie. Depeche Mode. The Editors. Laura Mvula. The Trash Can Sinatras. Bic Runga. Cocteau Twins. The LA's. Joni Mitchell. Josh Rouse. Todd Rundgren. Super Furry Animals. Ben Folds Five. The Divine Comedy. Talk Talk. Blondie. AIR. Telefon Tel Aviv. Rufus Wainright. The Specials. Zoot Woman. Wave Machines. Craig Armstrong. Loney Dear. Nitin Sawhney. Vikter Duplaix. Jazzanova. Saint Pauli. Yelle. Mutemath. Roxy Music. Bodi Bill. The Temper Trap. Tame Impala.
Good food (italian, indian, japanese, thai)
Good weather (It feels I wasted too much time living in bad weather cities)
7) curiosity
8) money
9) downtime
10) fridge
and then I found one of my favorite quotes:
There are those who work all day. Those who dream all day. And those who spend an hour dreaming before setting to work to fulfill those dreams. Go into the third category because there's virtually no competition. ~ Steven J. Ross
I noticed though that a lot of the women on here come up with fantastic events and busy Fridays when in fact I see everyone hanging out on Okc instead. Kinda cute. :-)
Oh, and I'm good with kids and dogs (I just am, not even trying. And no, not trying to get 'cuteness' points for that either)
I look at the pictures first and then the profile.
I have absolutely no idea about bra sizes.
I don't know anything about wine either. Having said that I prefer Merlot and other reds to white wine. But then there's always also going to be a better Tequila.
I play quite a few instruments.
I can smile. I just don't in pics.
Looking for friends and play partners these days....


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Paradise Bound: Carnival Triumph Cruise Review by Skitter
Overall Member Rating
Paradise Bound
Destination: Western Caribbean
Embarkation: Miami
I had reserved first dining but my card showed late so we immediately went to the London dining room to see the maitre D'. There was one couple ahead of us and another speaking with him. The lady speaking to the maitre D' took at least 15 minutes to decide what she wanted. Those waiting in line offered bits of More advise and her husband was obviously irritated she wouldn't make up her mind. The line was quit long by the time she decided her table was perfect. Kudos to the maitre D' for his patience. Correcting our dining took about 2 minutes and we were off to check out our cabin and drop off the carry ons.
Our past guest upgrade special was a balcony upgrade to the panorama deck., cabin 1034. The cabin was nice but a bit smaller than on the Conquest. Plenty of storage and bathroom amenities. From the balcony, we saw the Carnival Valor and Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas getting ready to sail with us. After the muster drill we headed to the Lido deck for the sail away party. WOW!! Leaving Miami is an excursion of its' own. Dinner was at a round table for 8 in the center of the Paris dining room. We dined with fantastic couples from Kansas City, New York and Australia.
After a day at sea, our first port of call was Cozumel from 8 am to 10 pm. Since we took the Tulum excursion from the Conquest, we wanted to check out resorts at Playa Del Carmen this time. At the ferry dock, we were told 2 round trip jet boat tickets was $48.00 but we could go free if we agreed to take a tour of the Royal Hacienda resort. We normally don't do time share presentations but since our plan was to see resorts, we agreed. The jet boat took 25 minutes and we went by taxi to the resort. Upon arrival, we were assigned a guide who offered us soft drinks and a breakfast buffet that we declined, having just eaten aboard ship. The tour lasted about 2 hours and we even walked in the water along the beach. The Royal Hacienda is beautiful with other phases under construction. After the tour, the high pressure sales began, but my no never changed. We got 2 T shirts and nice shopping bags before being shuttled back to 5th avenue. I'd read about a great place to eat but couldn't remember the exact name or location. After walking about 30 minutes down the ave, I asked a shop keeper if he'd heard of Carnolittos or something like that. He laughed and said Carbonitos was just around the corner. Hot and thirsty, we were greeted by a Mayan waiter and immediately got great margaritas. The fire roasting pork at the entrance smelled so good, we got a couple tacos and HAD to try the salsa selection I had read about on trip advisor. The salsa was more than I had expected. It was AWESOME!! Cabonitos is just around the corner on 6th street from 5th avenue. If you're in Playa Del Carmen, you gotta try the salsa. Completing our shopping and hotel investigating, we ferried back to Cozumel. Apparently the crowds had thinned and the shopping traffic was light. We enjoyed a couple of beers on the back streets watching the locals interact with the tourists before returning to the Triumph.
Another day at sea losing in the casino, basking in the sun and sliding down the slide had us rested for another port. The last time we went to Grand Cayman, we did the Turtle Farm, Hell, Stingray City deal so this time we just wanted to walk around. Tendering in, we waited an hour before the shops opened, which was fine since we had 6 hours to burn. The Peace Memorial was a nice attraction I'd recommend. We ended up buying liquor at a shop by the Post Office. The prices were the best we found and everything was properly delivered to the ship as promised.
The next day was Jamaica mahn, the only port we booked an excursion. My healing knee wouldn't allow us to climb Dunn's River Falls so we booked the Bamboo Beach Club. Oh yea baby!! We go off the ship and were led a short stroll to the beach. There were adirondack and lounge chairs in the sun, under trees and canopies. After being shown our partially shaded spot for the day, we immediately went to the shoreside massage canopy draped in linen. Two 30 minute massages were $88 and worth every cent. Minimum massages are $22 each for 15 minutes. Having a massage on the beach with the waves lapping, kids playing, smell of jerked meat cooking coming by my nose every once in a while and the reggae music on the wind was a definite bright star of this vacation. After the massage, we went to our lounge chairs and were served mojitos and rum punch all day. Occasionally, we were served pasta, rice, sausage and jerked chicken washed down with more mojitos and rum punch. When the heat got a bit much, we swam in the Caribbean. The water had spots of seaweed, but not everywhere. With a couple of hours left we went to the Island shopping center and the Taj Mahal. The people on the street weren't near as aggressive as I'd read about on the line and were very friendly. Having been to Appleton Estates on the previous cruise, I was searching for 30 year Appleton rum. The plantation is obviously the only place to buy it. I did discover a disparity in the price of available 21 year old rum. The dude at a Taj Mahal store said he'd take $142.00 for a bottle marked $160.00. I held out and bought a bottle at the store by the pier entrance for $110.00. Back to the ship I hated to turn over my prized rum but security insisted.
Final day at sea was a bit sad knowing it was ending. The Triumph showed it's age but was obviously cared for. The spas on the bow were reserved for staff only and the front port hallway on deck 6 smelled of urine. I learned that searching out the secret doors.
We chose to leave our bags in the hall as we were given number 2 to catch our flight. After our final breakfast, we went to the lobby deck expecting the worst. The Conquest was a madhouse during disembarkation. Leaving the Triumph was sad but efficient. We were off and searching for baggage in 10 minutes. This is where I knew the vacation was over. I waited 40 minutes for my luggage to hit the carrousel and had every Carnival staff member I could find looking for it. Given number 2 to ensure I could get to Fort Lauderdale and catch my flight was a waste of time since they lost the bags. I was VERY relieved when they finally appeared. At least I carried the rum with me to get through customs. This was a great vacation and I would recommend everything we did, especially Carbonitos and the Bamboo Beach Club. Now I can't wait for the one we've already booked in November and also next year. Happy Cruising!!!!!!!!! Less
Published 06/18/08
Cabin review: 8E1034 BalconyBalcony (8E) Reviews >>
Read Cruise Critic's Carnival Triumph Review >>
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Megabus loses Downtown stop
Megabus passengers are a nuisance at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center where they board, dropping litter and asking to use the center's bathrooms, so the Sports and Exhibition Authority told the low-cost carrier to hit the road, a company official said.
"They said the convention center wasn't built to be a transit stop," said Charles Lenzner, general manager and president of Lenzner Coach Lines, who oversees Megabus' local operations.
Lenzner said SEA Executive Director Mary Conturo and other authority officials told him too many riders ask to use the Downtown center's restrooms and leave trash near the 10th Street curbside stop beneath the center, among other concerns. He noted that Megabus coaches have restrooms and said the company places a 55-gallon garbage can at its stop each day.
"They are basically using the convention center as a bus terminal, which wasn't intended for the building. It is causing some safety issues and operational problems," Conturo said.
Megabus does not pay to use the curbside stop at the convention center.
Megabus must move by June 15. The company is looking for another location, possibly at Stanwix Street and Liberty Avenue near Port Authority's Gateway Center T line station.
Lenzner doesn't think the move will hurt business. "I think because of the low cost (of fares), the public will just accept it," he said.
Megabus, which offers one-way fares for as little as $1, serves 11 cities from Pittsburgh, including New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Cleveland and Detroit. Pittsburgh is one of six hubs for Megabus, which began operating locally in 2007 and employs about 80 drivers, baggage loaders, dispatchers and mechanics.
Megabus is perhaps the most well-known of the so-called curbside operators that are experiencing strong growth nationally. The companies keep costs and fares low by relying on online booking instead of ticket agents, bus stops instead of stations and express service between major cities. A DePaul University study said curbside operators expanded service by 32 percent last year.


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Checkoff News: Live Well Event Motivates Health Professionals to Recommend Beef
DENVER - The June Live Well 2010: A Return to Real Food and Simple Pleasures event, funded by the beef checkoff, was designed to engage and mobilize top-tier health professionals and credentialed members of the nutrition media, providing them with new research and tools to incorporate beef nutrition information into their education efforts. Held at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone in Napa Valley, the event brought together scientific, culinary, beef industry and consumer experts who provided a closer look at the latest beef nutrition scientific research, and discussed aspects of food production from the pasture to the plate.
Participants included 29 credentialed food and nutrition media who collectively reach millions of beef consumers, ranging from authors to food bloggers to a Food Network host; former American Dietetic Association (ADA) national spokespeople; and high-profile health professionals from across the country.
"This event enabled attendees to engage in an open discussion about beef nutrition, preparation and cut knowledge and how beef is produced so they can recommend beef with confidence," says Daniel Smith, chair of the checkoff's Joint Nutrition and Health Committee and cow-calf producer from Stamping Ground, Ky. "It also aimed at building and enhancing the beef checkoff's relationships with leading health and nutrition professionals and credentialed media to further position the beef experts as a top-of-mind credible, reliable resources for beef nutrition research, facts, trends and insights."
Americans get the majority of their food and nutrition information from television, magazines and social media. In fact, according to the International Food Information Council's 2009 "Food & Health Survey," consumers rank the writers, editors and bloggers responsible for generating this content, along with health professionals, among the most credible information resources available to them.
Additionally, according to research conducted by Pelegrin Research Group on behalf of the beef checkoff, health and nutrition media professionals rely on sources they perceive to be scientifically sound and unbiased to keep their knowledge of food and nutrition up to date, identify new research or trends and to fact check nutrition-related news. This "signature event" provided a unique occasion for the beef checkoff to provide a comprehensive beef immersion experience showcasing the essential role beef plays in a healthy diet.
"By the end of the experience, beef was in the minds and on the forks of the attendees, and the education and engagement provided will benefit beef farmers and ranchers for years to come," concludes Smith. "In turn, these attendees will educate their readers and fans as they develop editorial pieces based on their experience beyond the event's conclusion."
For more information about nutrition events funded by your beef checkoff investment, visit www.MyBeefCheckoff.com.
Ed Frank
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If you believe the typical trend declarations for 2014 – this is going to be the year of big data, wearable devices, and ubiquitous tablets. These are the facts we have heard over the past two months presented as big insights for the coming year. There are only a few problems with these so calledContinue reading »
Category Archives: "Global Thinking"
"Started by a woman, in a time when women didn't start companies." These are the powerful first words that introduce the story behind a brand you probably forgot you have in your kitchen right now. Kikkoman is the #1 best selling soy sauce brand worldwide, in a category filled with syrupy competitors that can rarelyContinue reading »
Today I launched ePatient 2015 – 15 Surprising Trends Changing Healthcare, my newest book focused on the future of healthcare. It might seem like an odd project for me to launch – being a marketing guy. This is the unexpected story of why and how I did it (along with my co-author Fard Johnmar), andContinue reading »
Choosing not to preserve a 1000 year old Viking ship doesn't really surprise anyone in Norway. For Americans who are used to their own country putting mere 75 year old documents behind bullet proof glass, though, nothing could be more confusing than the longstanding debate about the fate of the Oseberg ship – a remarkablyContinue reading »
About four years ago I started getting a lot of unsolicited emails from women. My first book, Personality Not Included, had just come out and readers were emailing me with their own stories of how having a personality had made a difference in their own careers. While school often teaches us that we must removeContinue reading »
Summary: The story of why I decided to start the world's first true "Concierge Marketing" service for large and mid-size brands. It all started because I knew the one thing I didn't want to do. About three months ago I left my role at one of the biggest marketing agencies in the world and theContinue reading »
The books on your shelf say something about you. That's why most of us have books that we put on our shelves over the past year which we haven't quite had a chance to read yet – but still display as a declaration of what we believe. As an author, I usually make it fullyContinue reading »
What's the Trend? Design takes a leading role in the introduction of new products, ideas and campaigns to change the world. For several years, leading companies have started to see design as a competitive advantage, but in the coming year design may hold the solution to the world's biggest challenges. Partially because the solutions themselvesContinue reading »
What's the Trend? New and old friends change the travel experience by curating where to go, and offering more local authentic experiences. Your friends are the new travel agent and tour guides, as a host of new services online and offline enable any traveler to get recommendations for unique experiences from friends. Beyond recommendations, thisContinue reading »
What's the Trend? Organizations uncover that one of their greatest assets to inspire loyalty can come from taking people behind the scenes of their brand and history. Every business has someone who is the legend behind the brand – and some are lucky to have that person still working. At large companies, employees can getContinue reading »


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text: At 01:54 AM 10/26/2001 -0400, Clark C . Evans wrote: >Just to note my status. I've upgraded to the newest >kernel 2.4.13, and I'm still getting problems. >The only thing that I have that is "old" on my >linux box is glibc. So, tomorow I'll try to >upgrade it and hopefully that's where the problem is. And you still have the option of trying Mandrake 8.1 which worked for Geoff. Then you could see what packages were different in terms of versions. -Chuck


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YOUNGSTERS are bringing their school's history into life by digging deep into the past.
Pupils from Queen Mary's School at Baldersby Park, near Thirsk, have begun a year-long project which will include archaeological excavations of the site.
They are researching the history of the building and the grounds, and the histories and memories of the people who once lived and worked there.
Baldersby Park, formerly Newby Park, has a recorded history spanning about 1,000 years and was once the home of the famed 19th-century "Railway King" George Hudson.
Teacher Lucy Nuttall, said: "It is very exciting and will be of great significance both to Queen Mary's and to local community history.
"Our history department will play a key role in the research which will focus on the school building itself, which is Britain's first Palladian villa, and the parkland around it. We also have digs planned for next summer. Talking to local people is going to be a key part of the work, as they will have memories we can draw upon, and we will be creating a digital archive of artefacts, photographs and documents."


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Grady Hendrix writes fiction, also called "lies," and he writes non-fiction, which people sometimes accidentally pay him for. He is the author of Horrorstör, the only novel about a haunted Scandinavian furniture store you'll ever need. It has been translated into 14 languages and is being turned into a television show by Gail Berman (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), and Josh Schwartz (Gossip Girl). They have never met Grady, but that is their loss. His new novel is called My Best Friend's Exorcism, about demonic possession, friendship, exorcism, and the Eighties, out from Quirk Books in May, 2016.
Grady Hendrix used to be a journalist, which means that he was completely irrelevant and could be killed and turned into food at any time. He is one of the founders of the New York Asian Film Festival, but he is not responsible for the bad parts of it. He is also not Asian. For years he was a regular film critic for the New York Sun but then it went out of business. He has written for Playboy Magazine, Slate, The Village Voice, the New York Post, Film Comment, and Variety.
There is a science fiction book called Occupy Space that he is the author of, and also a fantasy book called Satan Loves You which he wrote as well. Along with his BFF from high school, Katie Crouch, he is the co-author of the YA series, The Magnolia League. He co-authored Dirt Candy: A Cookbook, the first graphic novel cookbook in America, with his wife and Ryan Dunlavey. His fiction has appeared in Strange Horizons, Pseudopod, and the anthology, The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination.
He is very, very beautiful, but if you ever meet him, please do not let this make you uncomfortable. He does not judge.
The New Yorker once ran a short profile of him, and this means that when the time comes and they are lining people up for the Space Arks he will be guaranteed a seat ahead of you.
Work on Escape Artists
- PP076 Tales of the White Street Society, read by Alasdair Stuart
- PP131 Tales of the White Street Society - The Corpse Army of Khartoum, read by Alasdair Stuart
- PP522 The Christmas Spirits - A Tale of the White Street Society, read by Alasdair Stuart


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Edward Young's Night Thoughts – A New Edition for Modern Readers
IGHT THOUGHTS by Edward Young (1683—1765) might easily be the greatest English literary work of the last 300 years. A masterpiece judged by any standard, it rivals the works of Shakespeare and Milton and exceeds those of Young's better-known contemporary, Pope. It is testimony to the infidelity of the modern age the neglect into which this great work has fallen.
Its topics? Ones of greatest moment and timeless concern: Life, Death, Eternity, heaven-sent Philosophy, and the true meaning of the Delphic maxim, Know Thyself.
Young published Night Thoughts in nine installments or Nights. The present new edition, with an introduction and notes for modern readers, supplies the first four Nights — originally conceived by Young as a complete work, and which supply the work's main lines of thought. For a limited time an advance copy of the new edition is available for free here.
The topic, the motives, and the poetic skill of Young are magnificent. The work is inspired, and one of the great jewels of English literature, not to be missed.
The Purpose of Plato's Arguments for the Immortality of the Human Soul
HROUGHOUT Plato's dialogues, and especially in the Phaedo (which describes Socrates' final conversations), the celestial philosopher presents many logical arguments and proofs for the immortality of the human soul. He also implies that we ought to be convinced that the soul is immortal. Yet, in truth, his arguments and proofs are not fully persuasive at the logical level. Sometimes the premises of his arguments are open to question, and other times the conclusion does not automatically follow from the premises.
This has puzzled many scholars, and some have gone to great lengths to reconcile Plato's assertion of confidence with the seemingly flawed arguments. The logical gaps are plain enough that surely even Plato sees them. So what's going on?
I think the answer partly lies in Plato's unique teaching method, which we might sum up in two words: dialectic and anamnesis. Dialectic is the term Plato uses for his general method for approaching philosophical and moral problems. Through the conversations between Socrates and other characters in the dialogues, Plato likes to approach problems methodically and analytically, often using specific techniques like division, collection or aggregation, contradiction, and so on. His real aim, however, is not by such methods to come up with a specific logical answer. In fact, we find that Plato's dialogues often end in a condition of what is called aporia, or perplexity, in which none of the various solutions proposed seem correct or fully satisfactory.
But that is precisely Plato's purpose. For him the real aim of dialectic is not to deduce an answer, but to focus ones attention, intentions, and Intellect on a problem. In making that strenuous mental effort, one may find that a spontaneous insight into the problem being considered arises. One catches a fleeting but definitive glimpse of some important thing, say the beauty of Moral Virtue.
This flash of insight Plato calls anamnesis. Etymologically, this means recollection or un-forgetting (an = not, amnesis = forgetting). Taken literally, it implies that the insight is not something seen for the first time, but is actually a remembering of a truth previously known. That has implications, some perhaps controversial, concerning other aspects of Plato's theories, which there is no need to consider here. It suffices to note that a hallmark formula for Plato is: perform dialectic to produce anamnesis.
With this principle in mind, Plato's seemingly less-than-perfect arguments for the soul's immortality make more sense. We wouldn't expect him to prove by deductive logic that the soul is immortal. Rather, it is more characteristic of his modus operandi to use the outward form of a logical argument as an exercise of dialectic, the real aim being to have us see the true nature of the soul. And in doing this, we may see that the soul is divine and immortal.
Again, I present this only as a proposal or conjecture. The best or perhaps only way to verify it is to study Plato's arguments, become engaged with them, and see if they may indeed elicit some experiential insight into the soul's divine nature.
As noted, this view comports with Plato's general didactic method (whereas an attempt to logically prove the soul's immortality would not). Some corroboratory evidence comes from Plotinus, in Enneads 4.7. In this treatise, Plotinus reviews arguments for the immortality of the soul. In section 4.7.1 he says:
To know the nature of a thing we must observe it in its unalloyed state, since any addition obscures the reality. Clear, then look: or, rather, let a man first purify himself and then observe: he will not doubt his immortality when he sees himself thus entered into the pure, the Intellectual. For, what he sees is an Intellectual-Principle looking on nothing of sense, nothing of this mortality, but by its own eternity having intellection of the eternal: he will see all things in this Intellectual substance, himself having become an Intellectual Kosmos and all lightsome, illuminated by the truth streaming from The Good, which radiates truth upon all that stands within that realm of the divine. (Plotinus, Enneads 4.7.10; MacKenna translation)
This comes just after Plotinus has referred to some of Plato's logical arguments for the soul's immortality. Plotinus' language is, as is often the case, a bit obscure, but it seems he is basically saying: "If you want to know without doubt that the soul is immortal, see it." (cf. "Know Thyself"), which I take to generally support the claim I'm raising.
It also seems fitting to note a comment Cicero makes in Book 1 of the Tusculan Disputations. (The latter part of this Book is in many respects a commentary on Plato's Phaedo.)
Even if Plato gave no reasons for his belief—see how much confidence I have in the man—he would break down my opposition by his authority alone; but he brings forward so many reasons as to make it perfectly obvious that he is not only fully persuaded himself, but desirous of convincing others. (Cicero, Tusculan Disputations 1.21; Peabody translation.)
In other words, even if his arguments are not fully convincing at the logical level, we sense the conviction of Plato in the skillful and earnest way that he presents the issue to us, and this itself is evidence that his beliefs in the soul's immortality are correct.
I hope in future posts to list, categorize and summarize all of Plato's arguments for the soul's immortality, and perhaps to explore some of them in detail. It might be mentioned that the four main arguments in the Phaedo for the immortality of the soul are the cyclicity argument, the recollection argument, the affinity argument, and the Form of Life argument. A good summary of these can be found here. Other major proofs Plato presents include the self-moved mover argument of Phaedrus 245c–246a, and the vitiating principle argument of Republic 10.608e–10.611a.
A few hours after writing the above, the thought occurred — in connection with a different project — to consult Marsilio Ficino's Platonic Theology. There I was surprised to learn that its full title is actually The Platonic Theology: On the Immortality of the Soul (Theologia Platonica De immortalitate animorum). He says much of value in the proem, for example:
Whatever subject he [Plato] deals with, be it ethics, dialectic, mathematics or physics, he quickly brings it round, in a spirit of utmost piety, to the contemplation and worship of God. He considers man's soul to be like a mirror in which the image of the divine countenance is readily reflected; and in his eager hunt for God, as he tracks down every footprint, he everywhere turns hither and thither to the form of the soul. For he knows that this is the most important meaning of those famous words of the oracle, "Know thyself," namely "If you wish to be able to recognize God, you must first learn to know yourself." So anyone who reads very carefully the works of Plato that I translated in their entirety into Latin some time ago will discover among many other matters two of utmost importance: the worship of God with piety and understanding, and the divinity of souls. On these depend our whole perception of the world, the way we lead our lives, and all our happiness. (Marsilio Ficino, The Platonic Theology, proem; Allen translation)
Ficino also says that "in the sphere of moral philosophy one must purify the soul until its eye becomes unclouded and it can see the divine light and worship God," and that it is a mistake to "divorce the study of philosophy from sacred religion." (Ibid.)
Divinus Plato: Is Plato a Religious Figure?
Divinus Plato: Is Plato a Religious Figure?
SHOULD we view Plato only as a philosopher, or may we also approach him as a religious figure: a prophet, sage, priest, or shaman, who is in some sense divinely inspired, and whom a superintending Providence supplied for the benefit of humanity? Historically, the view of Plato as a religious figure has been common, but in recent centuries it has been dismissed by a prevailing narrow rationalism in academic and scholarly circles. Perhaps it is time to re-open the question. We review arguments supporting the proposition that Plato is a figure with religious significance. The aim is not to settle the question here, but to pave the way for continued discussion. (Abstract)
Read full paper here: http://goo.gl/iWP8Mm (if clicking link doesn't work, try right-click, Save link as)
Update (March 2017): An updated version has now been published in the Kronos Philosophical Journal.
Porphyry on the Mystical Experiences and Initiation of Plotinus
S described in the previous post, Porphyry reports that, after Plotinus died, Amelius asked an oracle of Apollo (generally assumed to be that of Delphi) about the fate of Plotinus' soul. In section 22 of Life of Plotinus, Porphyry supplies the oracular response. It isn't fully clear whether this eulogy of Plotinus was actually composed by the oracle. Another view is that Plotinus' associates composed it, and then submitted it to the oracle for approval. In either case, it is clearly a work of some interest and importance.
In section 23 of Life of Plotinus, Porphyry goes on to supply an excellent summary of the oracle, and this is also of interest. For one thing, it is here that Porphyry mentions Plotinus' mystical experiences of Union with the Absolute. First Porphyry's remarks are supplied below, then we will make several observations concerning his remarks.
Note, incidentally, that Plotinus' discussion of mystical experiences in the Enneads (e.g., in 1.6, On Beauty) strongly influenced St. Augustine, who reports his own such experiences in the Confessions.
The translation of Stephen MacKenna (1917) is used, except that passages which quote verbatim or closely paraphrase the oracle are placed in italics. (Comments in square brackets are mine.)
Good and kindly, singularly gentle and engaging: thus the oracle presents him, and so in fact we found him. Sleeplessly alert — Apollo tells — pure of soul, ever striving towards the divine which he loved with all his being, he laboured strenuously to free himself and rise above the bitter waves of this blood-drenched life:
Ἐν δὴ τούτοις εἴρηται μὲν ὅτι ἀγανὸς γέγονε καὶ ἤπιος καὶ πρᾶός γε μάλιστα καὶ μείλιχος, ἅπερ καὶ ἡμεῖς οὕτως ἔχοντι συνῄδειμεν· εἴρηται δ᾽ ὅτι ἄγρυπνος καὶ καθαρὰν τὴν ψυχὴν ἔχων καὶ ἀεὶ σπεύδων πρὸς τὸ θεῖον, οὗ διὰ πάσης τῆς ψυχῆς ἤρα, ὅτι τε πάντ᾽ ἐποίει ἀπαλλαγῆναι, πικρὸν κῦμ᾽ ἐξυπαλύξαι τοῦ αἱμοβότου τῇδε βίου.
and this is why to Plotinus — God-like and lifting himself often, by the ways of meditation and by the methods Plato teaches in the Banquet [Symposium], to the first and all-transcendent God — that God appeared, the God who has neither shape nor form but sits enthroned above the Intellectual-Principle and all the Intellectual-Sphere.
Οὕτως δὲ μάλιστα τούτῳ τῷ δαιμονίῳ φωτὶ πολλάκις ἐνάγοντι ἑαυτὸν εἰς τὸν πρῶτον καὶ ἐπέκεινα θεὸν ταῖς ἐννοίαις καὶ κατὰ τὰς ἐν τῷ Συμποσίῳ ὑφηγημένας ὁδοὺς τῷ Πλάτωνι ἐφάνη ἐκεῖνος ὁ θεὸς ὁ μήτε μορφὴν μήτε τινὰ ἰδέαν ἔχων, ὑπὲρ δὲ νοῦν καὶ πᾶν τὸ νοητὸν ἱδρυμένος.
There was shown to Plotinus the Term [i.e., goal] ever near: for the Term, the one end, of his life was to become Uniate [i.e., united with God], to approach to the God over all: and four times, during the period I passed with him, he achieved this Term, by no mere latent fitness but by the ineffable Act.
To this God, I also declare, I Porphyry, that in my sixty-eighth year I too was once admitted and entered into Union.
Ὧι δὴ καὶ ἐγὼ Πορφύριος ἅπαξ λέγω πλησιάσαι καὶ ἑνωθῆναι ἔτος ἄγων ἑξηκοστόν τε καὶ ὄγδοον. Ἐφάνη γοῦν τῷ Πλωτίνῳ σκοπὸς ἐγγύθι ναίων. Τέλος γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ σκοπὸς ἦν τὸ ἑνωθῆναι καὶ πελάσαι τῷ ἐπὶ πᾶσι θεῷ. Ἔτυχε δὲ τετράκις που, ὅτε αὐτῷ συνήμην, τοῦ σκοποῦ τούτου ἐνεργείᾳ ἀρρήτῳ καὶ οὐ δυνάμει.
We are told that often when he was leaving the way, the Gods set him on the true path again, pouring down before him a dense shaft of light; here we are to understand that in his writing he was overlooked and guided by the divine powers.
Καὶ ὅτι λοξῶς φερόμενον πολλάκις οἱ θεοὶ κατεύθυναν θαμινὴν φαέων ἀκτῖνα πορόντες, ὡς ἐπισκέψει τῇ παρ᾽ ἐκείνων καὶ ἐπιβλέψει γραφῆναι τὰ γραφέντα, εἴρηται.
In this sleepless vision within and without, the oracle says, your eyes have beheld sights many and fair not vouchsafed to all that take the philosophic path: contemplation in man may sometimes be more than human, but compare it with the True-Knowing of the Gods and, wonderful though it be, it can never plunge into the depths their divine vision fathoms.
Ἐκ δὲ τῆς ἀγρύπνου ἔσωθέν τε καὶ ἔξωθεν θέας ἔδρακες, φησίν, ὄσσοις πολλά τε καὶ χαρίεντα, τά κεν ῥέα οὔτις ἴδοιτο ἀνθρώπων τῶν φιλοσοφίᾳ προσεχόντων. Ἡ γὰρ δὴ τῶν ἀνθρώπων θεωρία ἀνθρωπίνης μὲν ἂν γένοιτο ἀμείνων· ὡς δὲ πρὸς τὴν θείαν γνῶσιν χαρίεσσα μὲν ἂν εἴη, οὐ μὴν ὥστε τὸ βάθος ἑλεῖν ἂν δυνηθῆναι, ὥσπερ αἱροῦσιν οἱ θεοί.
Thus far the Oracle recounts what Plotinus accomplished and to what heights he attained while still in the body: emancipated from the body, we are told how he entered the celestial circle where all is friendship, tender delight, happiness, and loving union with God, where Minos and Rhadamanthus and Aeacus, the sons of God, are enthroned as judges of souls — not, however, to hold him to judgement but as welcoming him to their consort
Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὅ τι ἔτι σῶμα περικείμενος ἐνήργει καὶ τίνων ἐτύγχανε δεδήλωκε. Μετὰ δὲ τὸ λυθῆναι ἐκ τοῦ σώματος ἐλθεῖν μὲν αὐτόν φησιν εἰς τὴν δαιμονίαν ὁμήγυριν, πολιτεύεσθαι δ᾽ ἐκεῖ φιλότητα, ἵμερον, εὐφροσύνην, ἔρωτα ἐξημμένον τοῦ θεοῦ, τετάχθαι δὲ καὶ τοὺς λεγομένους δικαστὰς τῶν ψυχῶν, παῖδας τοῦ θεοῦ, Μίνω καὶ Ῥαδάμανθυν καὶ Αἰακόν, πρὸς οὓς οὐ δικασθησόμενον οἴχεσθαι, συνεσόμενον δὲ τούτοις, οἷς καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι ὅσοι ἄριστοι.
to which are bidden spirits pleasing to the Gods — Plato, Pythagoras, and all the people of the Choir of Immortal Love, there where the blessed spirits have their birth-home and live in days filled full of joyous festival and made happy by the Gods.
Σύνεισι δὲ τοιοῦτοι Πλάτων, Πυθαγόρας ὁπόσοι τε ἄλλοι χορὸν στήριξαν ἔρωτος ἀθανάτου· ἐκεῖ δὲ τὴν γένεσιν τοὺς ὀλβίστους δαίμονας ἔχειν βίον τε μετιέναι τὸν ἐν θαλείαις καὶ εὐφροσύναις καταπεπυκνωμένον καὶ τοῦτον διατελεῖν καὶ ὑπὸ θεῶν μακαριζόμενον.
1. Porphyry tells us that Plotinus had at least four experiences of union with the Absolute, or God — in Platonic terms, the Form of the Good (Republic 6.507–6.509), or in Neoplatonic terms, the One beyond Universal Intellect (Nous) and beyond Being itself. In the literature of Western mysticism, this ultimate mystical experience is considered the fullest form of the beatific vision (literally, vision of the Good) one may have in this life. (We are also told here that Porphyry himself attained this experience).
Some esoteric and theosophical authors claim that Plotinus was one of a series of initiates into the "Greater Mysteries," by which means he attained membership in the so-called Great White Brotherhood of Ascended Masters (whose other putative members include the Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed, etc.) Whether there is such a thing as an Ascended Master is a question beyond our capacity to answer here. (It would certainly go against Christian doctrine to place Jesus in this category, which would seem to imply status as a highly evolved human being, and not the Second Person of the Holy Trinity). But in any case Porphyry makes it very clear that the Greater Mysteries into which Plotinus was 'initiated' — and by which means he attained the beatific vision — are not hidden, arcane rituals the existence of which are only revealed to a select group.
Quite the contrary, Porphyry explicitly states that Plotinus reached exalted mystical states using the method presented in Plato's dialogue, the Banquet (or, the Symposium). He's clearly referring to the second speech of the prophetess, Diotima of Mantinea, which Socrates relates, called the Ladder of Love (Symposium 211–212).
This contemplative exercise begins with conscious appreciation of physical beauty in some person or thing, and proceeds by degrees to eventually contemplate Beauty Absolute, and from there the source of Beauty Absolute, which is God.
This contemplative method is not a secret, except insofar as it is hidden in plain sight — for to grasp the significance of this section of the widely read work, Symposium, does indeed require rare earnestness and dedication in a spiritual seeker.
Besides the Symposium, important touchstones for the Ladder of Love as a spiritual exercise are Enneads 1.6 (On Beauty), 5.8 (On Intelligible Beauty), and 1.3 (On Dialectic; chapters 1 and 2).
2. It perhaps reassures us to learn from Porphyry that, despite Plotinus' remarkable purity of soul, he was in fact human, and, like us, subject to trials and tribulations. We should not, therefore, suppose that Plotinus' merely sailed through life effortlessly to his goal; he experienced the waves and storms, too.
As noted in the previous post, the oracle draws parallels between Plotinus' life and the adversities which beset Odysseus on the raft before he reached the happy land of the Phaeacians (Odyssey, Book 5).
3. But we also learn how Plotinus overcame these difficulties. The oracle explains that, when Plotinus seemed in danger of taking a wrong direction, benevolent gods sent to him "shafts of dense light," by which means his course was made true again. What precisely this means — how literally or how metaphorically we take this description — is not revealed. Porphyry understands it as referring to inspired guidance Plotinus received when writing. But perhaps something more is meant: that, in times of doubt or discouragement, Plotinus was sent those sorts of experiences which we call epiphanies. We have all had such experiences, and know how beneficial they are. Sometimes they are manifest as physical light — the breaking of a sunbeam through a cloud to illumine the landscape; or an object, bathed in sunlight, suddenly taking on new meaning or significance. Then there are epiphanies that take the form of insights or moments of mental clarity, revelations or unveilings.
Such epiphanies play a triple role:
- They often have specific content — a definite new insight or revelation.
- They may serve to alter the nature of our mental state generally — for example, taking our attention away from unimportant and distracting thoughts, to remember again (anamnesis) that whole transcendent domain, that of Truth, Beauty, and Moral Goodness; and so redirecting our attention and intentions to these domains, upon which meaning and true success in life so intimately depend.
- We often experience these events as, literally, God-sends; we feel attended to and loved by God; we feel reassured, grateful, thankful, our faith renewed.
4. But if such experiences are what the oracle meant, we should note that Plotinus did not simply wait passively for them. Instead he is characterized as heroically vigilant — ever careful lest his attention, inner or outer, fall asleep. So too should we, when we feel ourselves, like Odysseus toss about and at the mercy of life's storms, strive to remain alert to those graces, epiphanies, and "beams of light" which God does send!
First draft (14 Apr 2015)
Armstrong, Arthur Hilary (tr.), Porphyry On the Life of Plotinus and the Order of His Works. In: Arthur Hilary Armstrong, Plotinus: Enneads. 7 vols. Loeb Edition. Vol. 1. Cambridge, MA, 1966. (pp. 2–90)
MacKenna, Stephen (tr.), Porphyry: On the Life of Plotinus and the Arrangement of his Work. In: Stephen MacKenna (tr.), Plotinus: The Enneads. 1st edition. London, 1917. Accessed from Internet Sacred Text Archive, April 10, 2015. <sacred-texts.com/cla/plotenn/index.htm>
Porphyry (author); Adolf Kirchoff? (ed.). Περι Του Πλωτινου Βιου Και Τησ Ταξεωσ Των Βιβλιων Αυτου. Accessed from remacle.org, April 10, 2015. <remacle.org/bloodwolf/philosophes/plotin/vieplotin.htm>
The Oracle of Delphi on Plotinus
OME time after his death, one of Plotinus' pupils, Amelius, consulted the oracle at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi concerning the fate of his master's soul. Porphyry (to whom we owe the transmission of the Enneads), recorded the oracular response in On the Life of Plotinus 22. Shown below is the prose translation of Stephen MacKenna, Thomas Taylor's poetic version, and the Greek text. A followup post relates Porphyry's analysis of the oracle and supplies some psychological observations.
Stephen MacKenna Translation
Source: Stephen MacKenna ('Porphyry's Life of Plotinus', The Enneads, vol. 1, London, 1917; Section 22 = pp. 22–23)
22. … Apollo was consulted by Amelius, who desired to learn where Plotinus' soul had gone. And Apollo, who uttered of Socrates that great praise, 'Of all men, Socrates the wisest'–you shall hear what a full and lofty oracle Apollo rendered upon Plotinus.
I raise an undying song, to the memory of a gentle friend,
a hymn of praise woven to the honey-sweet tones of my lyre
under the touch of the golden plectrum.
The Muses, too, I call to lift the voice with me
in strains of many-toned exultation,
in passion ranging over all the modes of song:
even as of old they raised the famous chant to the glory of Aeacides
in the immortal ardours of the Homeric line.
Come, then, Sacred Chorus,
let us intone with one great sound the utmost of all song,
I Phoebus, Bathychaites, singing in the midst.
Celestial! Man at first but now nearing the diviner ranks!
the bonds of human necessity are loosed for you
and, strong of heart, you beat your eager way
from out the roaring tumult of the fleshly life
to the shores of that wave-washed coast [1]
free from the thronging of the guilty,
thence to take the grateful path of the sinless soul:
where glows the splendour of God,
where Right is throned in the stainless place,
far from the wrong that mocks at law.
Oft-times as you strove to rise above
the bitter waves of this blood-drenched life,
above the sickening whirl, toiling
in the mid-most of the rushing flood
and the unimaginable turmoil,
oft-times, from the Ever-Blessed,
there was shown to you the Term still close at hand:
Oft-times, when your mind thrust out awry
and was like to be rapt down unsanctioned paths,
the Immortals themselves prevented, guiding you
on the straightgoing way to the celestial spheres,
pouring down before you a dense shaft of light
that your eyes might see from amid the mournful gloom.
Sleep never closed those eyes:
high above the heavy murk of the mist you held them;
tossed in the welter, you still had vision;
still you saw sights many and fair
not granted to all that labour in wisdom's quest.
But now that you have cast the screen aside,
quitted the tomb that held your lofty soul,
you enter at once the heavenly consort:
where fragrant breezes play,
where all is unison and winning tenderness and guileless joy,
and the place is lavish of the nectar-streams the unfailing Gods bestow,
with the blandishments of the Loves,
and delicious airs, and tranquil sky:
where Minos and Rhadamanthus dwell,
great brethren of the golden race of mighty Zeus;
where dwell the just Aeacus,
and Plato, consecrated power,
and stately Pythagoras
and all else that form the Choir of Immortal Love,
that share their parentage with the most blessed spirits,
there where the heart is ever lifted in joyous festival.
O Blessed One,
you have fought your many fights;
now, crowned with unfading life,
your days are with the Ever-Holy.
Rejoicing Muses,
let us stay our song and the subtle windings of our dance;
thus much I could but tell, to my golden lyre,
of Plotinus, the hallowed soul.
1. Armstrong (p. 66, n1) notes: "The oracle is full of Homeric tags: here we have a reminiscence of Odyssey 5, 399," and "this whole passage seems to be based on an allegorical interpretation of Odysseus's swim ashore after the wreck of his raft." Cf. Enneads 1.6.8 for Odysseus' voyages as an allegory of the soul's journey. Source: Armstrong, Arthur Hilary (tr.). Plotinus. The Enneads, in 7 vols., (Loeb Classical Library), vol. 1, Cambridge, Mass., 1966 .
Thomas Taylor translation
Source: Thomas Taylor, Select Works of Plotinus. London, 1817; repr. 1895 (G. R. S. Mead, ed.), pp. lxvi–lxvii.
To strains immortal full of heav'nly fire,
My harp I tune well strung with vocal wire ;
Dear to divinity a friend I praise,
Who claims those notes a God alone can raise.
For him a God in verse mellifluous sings,
And heats with golden rod the warbling strings.
Be present Muses, and with general voice
And all the powers of harmony rejoice ;
Let all the measures of your art be try'd
In rapt'rous sounds, as when Achilles dy'd.
When Homer's melody the band inspir'd,
And god-like furies every bosom fir'd.
And lo ! the sacred choir of Muses join,
And in one general hymn their notes combine.
I Phoebus in the midst, to whom belong
The sacred pow'rs of verse, begin the song.
Genius sublime! once bound in mortal ties,
A daemon now and more than mortals wise.
Freed from those members that with deadly weight
And stormy whirl enchain'd thy soul of late;
O'er Life's rough ocean thou hast gain'd that shore,
Where storms molest and change impairs no more;
And struggling thro' its deeps with vig'rous mind,
Pass'd the dark stream, and left base souls behind.
Plac'd where no darkness ever can obscure,
Where nothing enters sensual and impure ;
Where shines eternal God's unclouded ray,
And gilds the realms of intellectual day.
Oft merg'd in matter, by strong leaps you try'd
To bound aloft, and cast its folds aside ;
To shun the bitter stream of sanguine life,
Its whirls of sorrow, and its storm of strife.
While in the middle of its boist'rous waves
Thy soul robust, the deep's deaf tumult braves;
Oft beaming from the Gods thy piercing sight
Beheld in paths oblique a sacred light:
Whence rapt from sense with energy divine,
Before thine eyes immortal splendours shine;
Whose plenteous rays in darkness most profound,
Thy steps directed and ilium in 'd round.
Nor was the vision like the dreams of sleep,
But seen while vigilant you brave the deep;
While from your eyes you shake the gloom of night,
The glorious prospects burst upon your sight;
Prospects beheld but rarely by the wise,
Tho' men divine and fav'rites of the skies.
But now set free from the lethargic folds,
By which th' indignant soul dark matter holds;
The natal bonds deserted, now you soar,
And rank with daemon forms a man no more.
In that blest realm where love and friendship reign,
And pleasures ever dwell unmixt with pain;
Where streams ambrosial in immortal course
Irriguous flow, from deity their source.
No dark'ning clouds those happy skies assail,
And the calm aether knows no stormy gale.
Supremely blest thy lofty soul abides,
Where Minos and his brother judge presides;
Just AEacus and Plato the divine,
And fair Pythag'ras there exalted shine;
With other souls who form the general choir
Of love immortal, and of pure desire ;
And who one common station are assign'd,
With genii of the most exalted kind.
Thrice happy thou! who, life's long labours past,
With holy daemons dost reside at last;
From body loosen'd and from cares at rest,
Thy life most stable, and divine thy feast.
Now ev'ry Muse who for Plotinus sings,
Here cease with me to tune the vocal strings;
For thus my golden harp, with art divine,
Has told—Plotinus! endless bliss is thine.
Greek Text
This is from the French/Greek online edition of the Enneads at the Ancient Greek and Latin website of Philippe Remacle et al. The source is possibly Creuzer (1835) or Kirchoff (1856).Line numbers have been added and a couple of vowels changed to conform to the Loeb edition (Armstrong, 1966).
Ὁ γὰρ δὴ Ἀπόλλων ἐρομένου τοῦ Ἀμελίου,
ποῦ ἡ Πλωτίνου ψυχὴ κεχώρηκεν, ὁ τοσοῦτον
εἰπὼν περὶ Σωκράτους·
Ἀνδρῶν ἁπάντων Σωκράτης σοφώτατος,
ἐπάκουσον, ὅσα καὶ οἷα περὶ Πλωτίνου ἐθέσπισεν·
Ἄμβροτα φορμίζειν ἀναβάλλομαι ὕμνον ἀοιδῆς
ἀμφ᾽ ἀγανοῖο φίλοιο μελιχροτάτοισιν ὑφαίνων
φωναῖς εὐφήμου κιθάρης χρυσέῳ ὑπὸ πλήκτρῳ.
Κλῄζω καὶ Μούσας ξυνὴν ὄπα γηρύσασθαι
παμφώνοις ἰαχαῖσι παναρμονίαισί τ᾽ ἐρωαῖς,
οἷον ἐπ᾽ Αἰακίδῃ στῆσαι χορὸν ἐκλήιχθεν
ἀθανάτων μανίαισιν Ὁμηρείαισί τ᾽ ἀοιδαῖς.
Ἀλλ᾽ ἄγε Μουσάων ἱερὸς χορός, ἀπύσωμεν
εἰς ἓν ἐπιπνείοντες ἀοιδῆς τέρματα πάσης·
ὕμμι καὶ ἐν μέσσαισιν ἐγὼ Φοῖβος βαθυχαίτης·
δαῖμον, ἄνερ τὸ πάροιθεν, ἀτὰρ νῦν δαίμονος αἴσῃ
θειοτέρῃ πελάων, ὅτ᾽ ἐλύσαο δεσμὸν ἀνάγκης
ἀνδρομέης, ῥεθέων δὲ πολυφλοίσβοιο κυδοιμοῦ
ῥωσάμενος πραπίδεσσιν ἐς ᾐόνα νηχύτου ἀκτῆς
νήχε᾽ ἐπειγόμενος δήμου ἄπο νόσφιν ἀλιτρῶν
στηρίξαι καθαρῆς ψυχῆς εὐκαμπέα οἴμην,
ἧχι θεοῖο σέλας περιλάμπεται, ἧχι θέμιστες
ἐν καθαρῷ ἀπάτερθεν ἀλιτροσύνης ἀθεμίστου.
Καὶ τότε μὲν σκαίροντι πικρὸν κῦμ᾽ ἐξυπαλύξαι
αἱμοβότου βιότοιο καὶ ἀσηρῶν εἰλίγγων
ἐν μεσάτοισι κλύδωνος ἀνωίστου τε κυδοιμοῦ
πολλάκις ἐκ μακάρων φάνθη σκοπὸς ἐγγύθι ναίων.
Πολλάκι σεῖο νόοιο βολὰς λοξῇσιν ἀταρποῖς
ἱεμένας φορέεσθαι ἐρωῇσι σφετέρῃσιν
ὀρθοπόρους ἀνὰ κύκλα καὶ ἄμβροτον οἶμον ἄειραν
ἀθάνατοι θαμινὴν φαέων ἀκτῖνα πορόντες
ὄσσοισιν δέρκεσθαι ἀπαὶ σκοτίης λυγαίης.
Οὐδέ σε παμπήδην βλεφάρων ἔχε νήδυμος ὕπνος·
ἀλλ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἀπὸ βλεφάρων πετάσας κληῖδα βαρεῖαν
ἀχλύος ἐν δίνῃσι φορεύμενος ἔδρακες ὄσσοις
πολλά τε καὶ χαρίεντα, τά κεν ῥέα οὔτις ἴδοιτο
ἀνθρώπων, ὅσσοι σοφίης μαιήτορες ἔπλευν.
Νῦν δ᾽ ὅτε δὴ σκῆνος μὲν ἐλύσαο, σῆμα δ᾽ ἔλειψας
ψυχῆς δαιμονίης, μεθ᾽ ὁμήγυριν ἔρχεαι ἤδη
δαιμονίην ἐρατοῖσιν ἀναπνείουσαν ἀήταις,
ἔνθ᾽ ἔνι μὲν φιλότης, ἔνι δ᾽ ἵμερος ἁβρὸς ἰδέσθαι,
εὐφροσύνης πλείων καθαρῆς, πληρούμενος αἰὲν
ἀμβροσίων ὀχετῶν θεόθεν ὅθεν ἐστὶν ἐρώτων
πείσματα, καὶ γλυκερὴ πνοιὴ καὶ νήνεμος αἰθήρ,
χρυσείης γενεῆς μεγάλου Διὸς ἧχι νέμονται
Μίνως καὶ Ῥαδάμανθυς ἀδελφεοί, ἧχι δίκαιος
Αἰακός, ἧχι Πλάτων, ἱερὴ ἴς, ἧχί τε καλὸς
Πυθαγόρης ὅσσοι τε χορὸν στήριξαν ἔρωτος
ἀθανάτου, ὅσσοι γενεὴν ξυνὴν ἐλάχοντο
δαίμοσιν ὀλβίστοις, ὅθι τοι κέαρ ἐν θαλίῃσιν
αἰὲν ἐυφροσύνῃσιν τ᾽ ἰαίνεται. Ἆ μάκαρ, ὅσσους
ὀτλήσας ἀριθμούς ἀέθλων μετὰ δαίμονας ἁγνοὺς
πωλέεαι ζαμενῇσι κορυσσάμενος ζωῇσι.
Στήσωμεν μολπήν τε χοροῦ τ᾽ εὐδίνεα κύκλον
Πλωτίνου, Μοῦσαι, πολυγηθέος· αὐτὰρ ἐμεῖο
χρυσείη κιθάρη τόσσον φράσεν εὐαίωνι.
A Meditation on Psalms 1:1–2
A Meditation on Psalms 1:1–2
[1] Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
[2] But his delight is in the law of the LORD;
and in his law doth he meditate day and night. (Psalms 1:1–2)
Επου θεω
HE Bible is a key to salvation. Psalms is a key to the Bible.[1] Psalm 1, a proem, is a key to Psalms;[2] and its key verses 1 and 2.[3] Careful study and meditation on these verses therefore profits us greatly.
[1] Blessed is the man
In the Septuagint, the Greek word translated as Blessed is makarios, which means either blessed or happy; both are understood to apply here.
Also, consider that when one feels especially blessed, with this is much joy. We may therefore read here, "this man is blessed, happy, joyful, and lacks nothing." Such, then, is our goal.
After the goal is stated, we are warned of three principal obstacles. These are three categories of mental error — which, as we will see, correspond to Plato's three divisions of the human soul. (Republic 4.434d–4.445e, 9.588b–9.591e; Phaedrus 246a-e; 253c–256c)
that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Counsel of the ungodly aptly describes the principal sin to which the rational or logical division of our mind (Plato's logistikon) is vulnerable. This, our faculty of discursive reasoning, is prone to entertain innumerable schemes, plans, anxieties, and similar vain thoughts. Some such thoughts involve positive projects we imagine; some concern needless fears and anxieties; some, of guilt and remorse. All such ruminations are almost always baseless and imaginary. Attention to ones thoughts will reveal the seriousness of this problem: one can seldom go a minute, or even a few seconds, without ungodly counsel.
The word walketh is appropriate here, because once one accepts the initial impulse to follow such thoughts, they lead the mind — for minutes or even hours — on a journey; yet they lead nowhere, or certainly nowhere good.
nor standeth in the way of sinners,
The way of sinners refers to mental errors of the concupiscent nature, or what Plato called epithymia (or the epithymetikon). These are temptations to inordinate or untimely sensory pleasures, such as over- or improper indulgence in food, drink, sex, etc.
It is called standing, because such temptations characteristically assault us when we are, so to speak, mentally stationary — that is, not actively applying our minds in ways connected with our spiritual development, helping others, or attending to productive tasks. "An idle mind," it is said, "is the devil's workshop."
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
No less problematic (and, for religious people, often more so) are mental errors of our irascible and honor-seeking nature — what Plato called thumos (or our thymoeides). A principal form of such temptations is ones tendency to judge, condemn, or criticize others. Hence this is like a seat upon which one sits and presumes to pass judgment.
Again, by observing the thoughts one may easily see this strong, chronic tendency to find fault with people and things, and, in short, to think negatively.
[2] But his delight is in the law of the LORD;
We are next told that the blessed man is one who delights in the law of the LORD.
Here the law of the Lord must not be mistakenly understood as meaning written rules, commandments, prohibitions, and so on. To orient ones life to codified rules is legalism. Legalism does not bring happiness.
Law (in Hebrew, Torah) here is properly understood as the promptings of the Holy Spirit which gently guide us to do God's will.
A parallel may be drawn here with the Chinese concept of Dao, which may be understood as the Universal Law that governs all things benignly and providentially. To follow this Law is to live in accord with Nature — a principle that has only positive connotations, and is never considered onerous or 'against ones grain.'
We are to gently follow God's will instead of willfully pursuing our own schemes and plans. For this to become a habit is the journey of a lifetime and a main task of salvation.
Ones reconciliation to God's will is the message of the entire Bible. In the Old Testament, it is expressed by Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Isaac. In the New Testament, the entire life of Jesus, including his crucifixion and resurrection, epitomize the principle.
This condition is also called the Reign (or Reigning) [4] and Kingdom of God in ones heart and soul. Indeed, this reconciliation of wills is the main ethical concern of all religion.
The Greek word translated as delight is hedone, which may also mean pleasure (hence our English word, hedonism). In this state, God's Law may be experienced as a delightful pleasure.
To achieve this state of reconciliation to God's will is not only to feel blessedness and delight, but it also joins two basic elements of ones nature: the pleasure-seeking and the duty-seeking. The two become one in purpose.
A practice to recommend is to repeat these verses silently, as wit a mantra. And, so, these guides always near, one may ask in succession of each thought that occurs: Is this ungodly counsel? The way of sinners? The scoffer's seat?
The bad thoughts being rejected, those remaining are more likely to accord with God's will.
We end here, for it is better to discover for oneself the deeper meanings of Scripture. A basic interpretative approach has been outlined here; that, with what has been said elsewhere (Uebersax, 2012, 2014) is enough.
We may only mention one further promise of Psalm 1: the blessed man will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water (Psalm 1:3a). This can be understood as a restoration of the Tree of Life in Genesis 2:9.[5]
The Tree of Life also appears Revelation 22:1–2, in the very last chapter of the Bible. The whole saga of Scripture, then, concerns a journey from self-will and the fall into sin — whence the Tree of Life is lost — to its restoration, which is a restoration of our soul as a godly Garden of virtue and delight.
Thus we do not err when we say that within these few verses the Bible's entire message of salvation is epitomized. Wisdom is near for those who seek it, and for this we should be grateful.
Uebersax, John S. Psychological Allegorical Interpretation of the Bible. Paso Robles, CA, 2012.
Uebersax, John S. 'Principles of Psychological Exegesis of the Bible'.
Christian Platonism website. <catholicgnosis.wordpress.com>. September, 2014.
Uebersax, John S. 'Noetic, Sapiential, and Spiritual Exegesis.' Christian Platonism website. <catholicgnosis.wordpress.com>. November, 2013.
John Uebersax, 25 March 2015
[1] Origen, The Philocalia, 2.3 (G. Lewis, tr., 1911, p. 32); St. Basil, Homilies on the Psalms, 10.1 (A. Way, tr., 1963, Fathers of the Church 46:151–152).
[2] St. Jerome. The Homilies of Saint Jerome. Vol. 1. Homily 1 (M. Ewald, tr., 1964, Fathers of the Church 48, p. 3).
[3] St. Basil, Homilies on the Psalms, 10.3 (A. Way, tr., 1963, Fathers of the Church 46:154–155).
[4] Uebersax, John S. 'Thy Kingdom or Thy Kingship Come – What Does Basileia in the Lord's Prayer Mean?' <catholicgnosis.wordpress.com>. July, 2014.
[5] The Tree of Life is watered by four rivers (Genesis 2:10–14).
Your Greatest Psychological Enemy
Today my readings took me to St. Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians, and an interesting passage where he warns them against what he calls the great Rebel (2 Thess. 2:3) This is in a modern (Jerusalem Bible) translation. The King James Version renders the Greek expression (anthropos hamartia) as that man of sin. Usually I am wary of modern translations, but here one suspects that the international team of scholars who translated the Jerusalem Bible had good grounds for their more evocative choice of words.
In any case this reading serves as a welcome stimulus to address a topic I have too long delayed. I wish to call attention to the reality of this great Rebel as a psychological phenomenon , and as a major obstacle to human happiness.
Now as to whether Satan, in the traditional sense, exists or not does not concern me here. What is of concern is a satanic principle as it exists within the psyche of each individual. That I am convinced does exist. And it is this inner satanic principle which is, I believe, our most immediate concern, and perhaps ultimately our greatest adversary and obstacle to well-being.
What is the evidence for this? To begin with, I call attention to the psychological theories of Carl Jung. Jung's theories are not always right, and much of what he wrote is either inconsistent with — or has been interpreted (perhaps wrongly) in ways that make it inconsistent with — Christianity. However, points of incorrectness or disagreement should never make us hesitate to accept whatever else is true and useful. And there is indeed much true and useful in Jung's theories.
In this case, Jung's theories make a very strong case that the Bible, as well as the sacred writings and myths of all cultures, (1) can be interpreted psychologically, and (2) that this can be done more or less along the same lines as one interprets dreams psychologically.
One proviso or explanation must be made immediately: to say that the Bible can be interpreted psychologically in no way denies that it has other levels of meaning. Most importantly, it does not deny that the New Testament is literally true. (Whether the Old Testament is literally true is, of course, another matter.) Thus, rather than detract from the grandeur of the Bible, this view actually enhances it: it allows that God, the Supreme Author, uses all modes of meaning which literature may carry — literal and symbolic — to communicate with our souls. But having stated this, I will not further defend the premise here, having done so elsewhere. In any case, many readers will be willing to accept this key premise prima facie.
A corollary of this premise is that each figure in the Bible has some counterpart, and thus serves as a symbol for some part or process of the individual psyche. Again, many, especially those already familiar with Jungian theory, will accept this without further explanation. It is a standard element of psychological interpretation of dreams, as well as of mythology, art and literature.
However, from the preceding, fairly unimpressive propositions, logic leads us necessarily to a momentous one: this means that the figure of Satan — or the great Rebel — must also correspond to something within the individual psyche.
If true, this is a huge concern. It means that, at virtually all times, in whatever we do or think, in whatever way we seek to improve ourselves on the road of virtue, or to love others, or to contribute to a better word, something within us opposes our efforts. Moreover this energy, force, or principle of opposition is extremely strong, crafty, utterly callous and unloving, devoid of virtue, and, in every way corresponds to the figure of Satan in the Bible!
Evidence of the reality of this adversarial principle can be found in ancient philosophy. I refer, in particular, to the writings of the Jewish Middle Platonist, Philo of Alexandria (c. 25 BC–c.50 AD). Philo is most famous for his complex and amazingly astute psychological interpretations of Genesis and Exodus. However in the process of his interpreting Scripture he contributed quite a bit of philosophical and psychological theory as well. In particular, Philo sees human nature as containing two opposed energies — one salvific and salutary, which he calls soteria (so-tay-ree'-ah; the Greek work for salvation), and the other, its antithesis: a destructive force, which he calls phthorá (fthor-ah'; Liddell-Scott; Strong G5356).
Even this much is quite valuable to know. Now we have a name for this opposing principle, our great enemy: phthorá. This is a great advance over not having a name, in which case we must simply experience the effects of this force. With a term, however, we have the ability to form a definite concept, to associate that concept with other concepts, and to think rationally and productively about it.
There would appear to be at least a vague connection between this negative principle and Freud's concept of death wish, or thanatos. However, for reasons I won't go into here, I think that phthorá is something more — and more problematic for us — than the Freudian death wish.
As would be expected for something of such vital and fundamental psychological importance, this principle is represented in the world's mythologies. In Greek mythology, for example, it corresponds to the god Typhon, a many-headed serpent of inconceivable strength and virulence, who is also the god of storms (hence our word, typhoon.)
Each of us is concerned, both each day and moment to moment, with constructing a stable, integrated personality. This corresponds to the state of unity or harmony discussed in my previous article on the monomyth of fall and restoration. Phthorá is that force within us which actively seeks our fall, and, once we've fallen, prevents us from rising again to wholeness.
At a phenomenological level, this is experienced as disturbing thoughts which agitate our mind, and distract us from positive, creative, loving and productive cognition. In a very real sense, at least phenomenologically speaking, life is virtually the same as clear and whole awareness of our outer and inner experience. If we look at a meadow and our mind is tranquil, we see the beauty, the details —we are alive to it. The more our mind is agitated, the more our experience comes to approximate semi- and even un-consciousness — and, in that degree, we are only partly alive. In a state of complete mental agitation we could be said to be dead, in the sense that, if we are conscious at all of our surroundings or inner life, the mental impressions are devoid of vitality and vividness (i.e., of life)
I wish to do no more here than to expose this deadly foe by naming him (or her or it). Knowing phthorá exists alone will not stop it. But better to know your foe than to let it wreak havoc unobserved.
I would only add a few additional points:
- As already noted, this force is opposed by soterias, the principle of self-actualization, which is stronger. In Christianity, Jesus Christ corresponds to (among having other meanings and levels of reality), or perhaps is, soterias. This means that remedy for phthorá is to be found in the complex system of mythos, religion, psychology and philosophy that surrounds the figure of Jesus Christ.
- There is possibly some legitimate reason, biologically and/or psychologically, for the existence of phthorá. Perhaps goodness needs an adversary to stay in trim and so that we can grow in virtue. Nevertheless, in this case a little goes a long way: if we need the devil, keep it chained, well guarded, and hopefully with Jesus Christ standing on its head.
- Again, it is very important to recognize how this force operates within us. Otherwise (as Jung pointed out), there is a strong tendency for us to project our own satanic tendencies onto others. Our great enemy, adversary and antagonist is within. Whatever harm anyone else can do us is negligible in comparison with the ferocity and malice of this opponent.
- In keeping with everything said here, it follows that there is a serious danger our identifying with this principle, of becoming it. This, in fact, happens routinely. It occurs, for example, when we become so harshly condemning of others that we literally take the attitude of an avenging angel towards them. To take an example from today's news, political conservatives may condemn progressives, angrily denouncing them and insisting they are great sinners, etc. But in doing this, in relinquishing the reign of love and goodness in their psyche, they become literally possessed by phthorá. And, of course, the exact same can be said of progressives who condemn, rather than try to engage or reason with conservatives. But this is only an example; a hundred others could serve equally well as illustrations.


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Title: Wilkinson, Mark
URL: http://www.markfwilkinson.com/
Description: I create informal, insightful and original photography for community projects, performances, events and conferences. I also produce formal and informal group and individual portraits, as well as pursue my own documentary projects.
Date Submitted: 10/25/05
Listed / Last Time Edited: 01/28/07
Main Category: > Photographers by Names > W
Second Category (if any): Event Photography
Linkedin (if any): http://
Number of visitors we sent to this photo site: 830 time(s).


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Healthy Breakfast, Oatmeal Pancake, Protein
Strawberry Oatmeal Pancake with Protein Frosting
Strawberry Oatmeal Pancake with Protein Frosting
- 1/2 cup oats, 1 tsp baking powder, stevia, 1/2 cup egg whites, strawberries
- Protein Frosting- 1/2 scoop of protein powder ( I use sunwarrior vanilla ) 1 tbsp almond butter, little liquid ( milk or water ) and mix all together!
In a bowl, mix all the ingredients listed above, ( protein frosting in separate bowl ) spray a skillet with non-stick spray and pour mixture into skillet. Flip after about 2 minutes and then cook on other side until done! Top with protein frosting and enjoy! I also add maple syrup as well and sprinkles of granola!
- Category
- Breakfast/Brunch, Pancakes/Waffles


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Great start for all those classroom projects! Bright, fade-resistant colors. Made from 100% dyed sulphite. Heavy 76-lb. construction weight 50 sheets per package 50% recycled paper with 10% post-consumer content
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