Looking for the right books.

Originally posted by isimba
hey where are you from?

Honah Lee

I'm Little Jackie Paper.

reply to post by Kandinsky


I've heard the one about the plough boy, and I have also heard the one about McCartney, I have been fascinated with the very thing you are describing as well, for many years, and heard the stories along the way.

I want to know the answer to your questions very badly. I have also experienced reading or hearing things that had been my idea also, and I have had a number of conversations with others that have had that experience too.

Years ago I became interested in active daydreaming (there are lots of terms for it) and ideas like projecting one's mind in to tarot cards (a great book, by the way) and that sort of thing. What stuck though, and something that I am still obsessed with at times, is the Alchemical landscape; that place where the Alchemical symbolism and beastiary are supposed to come to life to help educate the adept. I have also been very interested in trance states since early on.

But better than all those is just reading as much as I can. Although my recall of what I have read is fairly good, more importantly, the whole mass has taken on a crystal ball like data-base aspect, in that I can now personally access the mass for specific information and 'meta-information', if you will. I usually see where a story is going, I can also tell very quickly when someone is plagiarizing the work of another, or twisting the work of another in a bad way (but then that would be my opinion). Anyway, I have found just reading to be the most useful for understanding writing.

So I guess that is sort of my way of trying to grasp what you might be getting at. Since I have felt that I am on to all this story stuff, I feel as though my whole life has been me acting out scripts from western European and American folklore. I also think that a more elegant way to go about the changes in one's life is to identify what story is happening, so a person can then assume their role more fully and help the whole production come to a good end. Or bail.

Thank so much for posting.

reply to post by Bybyots
Yeah, years ago in the early '90s I shoplifted a book called 'Power of Myth' by Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers. Big shiny pages, beautiful illustrations and the magpie in me just had to have it; quite a few more decorated the nest. Back then, I was down the path of archetypes, myths and psychology. At the time it was like I was actually doing something new and that there was a truth just out of sight.

Times have changed, I'm old (er) and far more critical in my thinking than then. It's been years since any books The thing is, those ideas of archetypes have never really left the scene. They're like the Chauvez imagery on the landscape of my own thoughts. So in paddling in the waters of ufology and the paranormal, archetypes, memes and the well-springs of creativity seem to be bubbling away somewhere. It's the human condition to mythologise life and weave ourselves into narratives...if we're clever.

At what point does all the myth-making impinge on reality? I wonder how much we can be 'masters of our destiny' if we're also 'authors of our fate?' Somebody's certainly been trying as the ufological puddle is full of errant 'mythery.' Also where JK Rowling's creative urge was expressed in print, who's to say that somebody else doesn't release theirs in tales of bigfootery and abduction by quadruple-agents working for super-secret task forces from Zeta? Anyway, it's early and I'm losing my thread so...

Everyone is saying the bible, I started reading it and put it right back down.

One series I have read, 7 books, thousands of pages, it took me three months, I had a full time job, and took care of the family to.

But I suggest reading "The Gunslinger" from Stephen King. I know people think he is sick and out there. But this is a good read. "Cell" from him is a quick read, and really makes you think about cellphones. And another quick read, "Timeline" from Micheal Criton.

By the way Welcome to ATS. We might need to make a 1-800 number for people to call, cuz this place is addicting!!!

What Carl Sagan considers "the right book" may or may not be "the right book" for you.

For instance, way back when I first read this I found it interesting... you may find it to be a load of hogwash....

reply to post by kdog1982

I would start with the bible as far as things being twisted and "hacked " to have an effect on people to the point of control.

This is the truth for sure, especially for Americans. American literature is overwhelmingly based on two sources, the King James Bible and William Shakespeare.

Hi Bybots, I really like your description of mythology and how it is integrated within our cultures and lives. I concur with your assessment whole heartedly.
Like yourself I am an avid reader and a few titles stick out in my mind as being absolutely essential to my growth.

The 7 Mysteries of Life - By Guy Murchie. en.wikipedia.org...
World Atlas of Mythology (5 vols.) - By Joseph Campbell
A people's history of the United States - By Howard Zinn
Zen Mind Beginner's Mind - Shun Ryu Suzuki
A Natural History of the Senses - By Diane Ackerman
The Presence of the Past -the Principle of Morphic Resononce - By Rupert Sheldrake (relates to book #1)

These are non-fiction titles of course, my list of fiction titles would include:
Dune - Frank Herbert
Aztec - Gary Jennings
Lord of the Rings- Tolkien
Nearly anything by C.S.Lewis or Robert Heinlein.

a reply to: Asktheanimals

Dune - Frank Herbert
Aztec - Gary Jennings
Lord of the Rings- Tolkien
Nearly anything by C.S.Lewis or Robert Heinlein.

We are obviously brothers from another mother, I grew up on Lewis, Tolkein and as much Heinlein as the used book shops could yeild up.

Have you read any Gene Wolfe?

Just throwing out some books I've enjoyed...

The 48 Laws of Power-Great if you want an insight into how our overlords keep their power or attain it and really interesting if you love history as much as I do.

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

Washington-A life, by Ron Chernow

For Spiritual principles,

The Holy Man by Susan Trott Which I also read at the same time as the Celestine Prophecy and Conversations with God...Those three books all resonated with me.

Fiction.. too many to name...I'm on a Jack Reacher kick right now..start with Killing Floor. Tad Williams Trilogy is very much like Tolkien and I enjoyed that tremendously.. it's the Dragonbone Chair trilogy, I think?

Peace and welcome.

a reply to: amazing

Hey,

Thanks for stopping by. I really enjoy Robert Greene's books, I have the set; except for the 50-cent one.

Welcome.

Welcome to ATS.