Tag: Central American writers

By the Road’s End

~ Koyote the Blind ~ Leave a comment

Emptiness pouring itself into emptiness. Light merging with light. Darkness hiding behind darkness.

Nothing is, nothing will be, and no thing ever was.

All witnessing is just the intersection of these gentle soft strings; it’s just the interplay of word over vibration creating the illusion of continuity, creating the sensation of tapestry and feel.

In the intersection of light and dark, there by the Road’s End, the weaver weaves. The hands create tales and sights untold: untruthful, meaningless, fathomless, groundless.

There by the Road’s End, where the ways intersect, you can almost hear the weird sound of the ticking and tapping of the Kindly Ladies weaving your life, ending your life.

All that begins one day comes to an end, there by the Road’s End.

Through the Cobwebs of Illusion

~ Koyote the Blind ~ 2 Comments

Illumination is not some unreachable and mysterious
attainment.

Eliminate the distractions.
Know
it is possible;
for it is already in you.

The process of connecting
with your truth begins with
removing the shadow of forgetfulness
that you were assailed with
when you took an organic incarnation.

In this uncovering
there is truth.

When the vast dark consciousness
is clear and clean
the truth shines
like the reflection of the moon
in water.

Truth is beyond any notion
of lineage,
of tradition,
beyond any history.

If you don’t have it,
no one can give it to you.

It is not in learning.
It is in the removal of the dross
that obscures.

Anything that can be given to you
belongs in the arena of mentation and ideas:
equally false and only partially true.

And the truth,
which is above that,
you have.

The only thing you can attain
is
yourself.

It’s just that ‘yourself’ is
a lot more
than you suspect.

(From a lecture by The Telling by Koyote the Blind. Poetically curated by Season Cole)

No, the Slight Disruption of your Privilege is no Police State.

~ Koyote the Blind ~ 1 Comment

If you have been complaining of the suffering you are enduring because of the lockdown, AND comparing seeing people in masks with a police state and Nazi Germany, this message is for you.

I understand you are suffering because you can’t go to the beach, you can’t get your latte and sit down on your computer, you can’t get your massage, your facial, and go to your yoga class. I understand seeing people in gloves and masks scare you because life is not business a usual. I get it. You are going through a disruption of your routine and you complain. Your friends commiserate and tell you they are with you.

Well, I’ve lived in a police state, under martial law, repression and civil war. I respect the feelings of everyone here for not being able to go to the beach and engage in your favorite form of relaxation. I do. But think again before you compare your plight to nazi Germany, or any other true police state. To be asked to wear a mask and stay semi away for a couple of months (without consequences if you don’t comply) is not the same as running from bullets, being tortured, and seeing your loved one taken in the trunck of a car to be tortured, raped, and dismembered for reading a forbidden book, for attending a rally, or for listening to the wrong guitar player.

I get this is new for you, and that you believe what right wing conspiracy liars are saying (I know you’ll say this is not so and you do your own research and everyone else is sheep and asleep—I know you believe that—but these ideas all were crafted and promoted by right wing white supremacist groups; check it out). Either way, even if you are right about what is happening and this virus that have killed so many is a hoax, you are way far from the suffering of a police state. I know, the suffering of the entitled hurts just as much in their limited experience, but consider the possibility that this is simply you suffering a slight alteration of an otherwise good existence, and don’t compare it to other experiences you haven’t had, not in front of those of us who have.

While we are here clarifying terms, this lockdown is no martial law, and White entitled supremacists in the South having a rally protesting a right they were never deprived of is no brave act of patriotism. Their ignorant disregard for the safety of the vulnerable does not make them freedom fighters.

“But this is not a conspiracy theory, it’s really happening. Our rights will be taken away and we are seeing the beginning of a dystopia,” you say. It’s okay you believe that. I’m just asking you to look again at your actual situation and, if you like, complain and others can commiserate if they want to, but don’t claim your situation is the same as the oppressed minorities in Nazi Germany, or those under a police state. Yes, it can get like that. But you still have no idea how bad it actually has already been for the rest of the world while you enjoy the results of the pillaging and oppression we all have endured for your entitled, myopic, and uncaring life.

Listen to the Scientists, not the Politicians

~ Koyote the Blind ~ Leave a comment

When you have all those voices all around playing their narratives over and over, how can we discern truth? Or, if truth is not easily discernible, what is the best strategy to navigate these troubled waters?

First, let’s understand that we find ourself in the middle of a war of ideas, submerged in propaganda from all sides. In addition, we are dealing with situations that are unknown. In this chaotic ocean of opposing views and dark unknowns, we hear all things from “hoard all available toilet paper” and “civilization is about to end” to “nothing is happening, it’s all a hoax.” We hear some saying “it’s less dangerous than the flu, so I’ll just ride it out.” While others plead, “it’s okay for you to not worry, because you are young and strong, but please do not put those of us who are not as healthy at risk.”

Let us, like Socrates, humble our thinking center and accept that we do not know everything about what is going on.

Whether believing that there is a conspiracy somewhere, or that all media manipulates for political or financial reasons, we can see that we won’t know what is going on simply by looking at media.

So, “I only know that I don’t know.” (Plato)

What to do in this situation?

Listen to the scientist, not the politicians.

At the very least, take the precautions scientists are telling to take: wash your hands, avoid large crowds, stay home if you are sick, inform yourself on the symptoms, use a mask if you are sick, and be prepared for a scenario where you have to be at home for two weeks. Outside of that, avoid the panic and remember that whether we know it or not, we are all connected in this eco-village called Planet Earth.

Why Calls for Unity Don’t Work for Democrats.

~ Koyote the Blind ~ Leave a comment

A big difference between the parties is that most Republicans are happy with their party, and winning is what matters. The Democratic Party is not as homogeneous. There’s a strong contingency that is very unhappy with their party. So, while the Republican hears “let go of your favorite candidate so we can get what we want as a group”, the progressive branch of the Democratic Party hearts “let go of the changes you want so we can elect the guy we want.”

To the center, it sounds like the message is the same, but to the left, it sounds wrong. Party unity can’t be achieved until the vision is shared. The republicans achieved this by going hard to the right. The Democratic leadership think they can keep their base and gain undecided moderates by staying around the center.

As a result, the left keeps feeling left out. The moment that best shows this difference is when during the last convention Sarah Silverman told “Bernie or bust” people they were ridiculous. No one bothered with that call for unity in the Republican side. “Lying Ted”, “small hands”, and all kinds of attacks and low blows are allowed, because in the end they rally around anyone who wins the popularity vote precisely because their agenda is homogeneous.

Democrats don’t have a unified vision, and so they demand the candidate is someone they can love. Unification is not possible. If they want that, they have to make sure all voices are heard. Most likely, a third party will necessarily emerge with a true left wing vision.

Whence Do These Rights Come?

~ Koyote the Blind ~ 1 Comment

From a “social contract” perspective, the source of rights is often seen as relying on the ability to enforce them. This does not necessarily mean that they have to be enforced by violent force, all the time. There are other means of coercion, depending on the situation at hand (e.g., perception control, belief manipulation, persuasion, economic threat or incentive, etc.). Nonetheless, when all the surface factors collapse, force is posited as the deciding factor under this view.

However, there is also the Kantian perspective to be considered. From a “there is no god but man” perspective, the source of a right could be a logical necessity of sorts. For example, the idea that “Thou hast no right but to do thy will,” as in Liber Oz, could be seen as implying that the right to do your will logically emanates from the pure will itself. Especially if we consider the idea that the pure will is identical with one’s true nature.

Now, continuing with a Kantian perspective, and Crowley’s discussion of this topic in the magical theorems presented in Magic in Theory and Practice, to assert one’s right to do one’s will is logically and intrinsically connected to accepting everyone else’s right to do their will. In this sense, the source of rights is the acceptance of the Law in its innermost sense. To assert my own right is to accept the rights of others, and vice versa (per Liber Nu). Of course, it could be argued that “there is no god but man” equates the “god” with one’s true nature. Viewed this way, the inner god is the source of Thelemic rights, but at the same time it can be said that there is no external source for them.

Susurra a mi Oído.

~ Koyote the Blind ~ Leave a comment

Cada palabra surge del silencio, y de cada frase emerge un suspiro, un aroma, un pedacito de conciencia.

Así cada memoria surge del olvido, y de cada conjunto de vivencias encadenadas en la serpentina ondulación de vida y experiencia, de ensueño e historia, emerge un yo como emerge el aroma de la flor, el esplendor de la luz, y el amor del sentir.

Bésame pues cataclismo. Roza con tus ojos el oculto centro. Toca con tus dedos de seda las notas que surgen de mi voz. Mírame, y déjame conocerte en los brillos y destellos que despierta tu mirar. Escucha el clamor que brota; manantial de rezo y poesía del olvido.

Susurra en mi oído abierto al misterio y recibe de mí todo lo que puedo ser, disolviendo cada memoria y transformando en silencio cada uno de mis actos de amor, de rabia, de angustia, y de orgásmica visión.

–Koyote