You probably know the summer solstice (June 23rd this year) kicked off the long days of sunshine that characterize summer in Earth’s northern hemisphere. What you may not know, however, are several festivals such as Lughnasadh celebrate the beginning of the harvest season. Traditionally held around August 1st, it along with with Samhain, Imbolc, and Beltane.mark halfway points between a solstice and an equinox in the Gaelic calendar.
Moreover, you may not be aware that as fanciful or outmoded as these pagan celebrations seem in the twenty-first century, they signify a time when our culture and thinking were closely tied to the warming and nuturing rays of the sun. In fact, the movements and worship of the sun formed the centerpiece of many cultures in human history. The ancient Germans had their Sol, the Greeks their Helios, the Hindu their Surya–the list goes on and on. Even some early Christians paired Jesus with Sol Invictus.
Link to a Third Eye
OK. So, what does any of this have to do with a third eye? What does it matter when none of us even have one?
That’s where you’re mistaken. Many religions, ancient and modern, venerated the third eye. Usually situated in the forehead between the other two, its capabilities provided perception beyond ordinary sight. The Hindus recognized it as the seat of knowledge for detecting evil. Buddhists celebrate its ability to perceive phenomena beyond sensory limits, divine realms, and the karmic destinies of sentient beings. Taoists regard it as one of the main energy centers of the body separating it into left and right hemispheres. Even Norse mythology’s legend of Odin sacrificing his left eye celebrated the notion of special knowledge and internal divination.
Third Eye Physicality
To this point, you may have indulged my line of thought as so much religious symbolism or speculation. Humans clearly have no physcial third eye between the other two. That much is true, at least one that’s not readily apparent. However, new research by George Kafetzis and Michael J. Bok indicates that humans and other vertebrate species repurposed the third eye over millions of years. Originally a monocular instrument to detect light and dark, it became in humans what medical anatomy calls the pineal gland. Embedded in the brain, it still distinguishes light and dark to match the circadian rhythms of our bodies and release melatonin to regulate the human sleep cycle.
Third Eye’s Relationship to the Sun
Granted the Third Eye has a physical counterpart in the human body, the relationship between it and the pineal gland is purely symbolic or metaphysical, isn’t it? Many doctors and scientists wish to keep the two concepts separate, but are they? Ancient theologians considered the Third Eye represented spiritual insight, higher consciousness, and the ability to perceive beyond ordinary sight. Rene Descartes, mathemitician and key figure in the scientific revolution, felt that “the third eye was the key to the soul.”
Building upon this premise, some commentators with a metaphysical bent take a bolder approach. They suggest that the Third Eye represents “a forgotten bridge between the physical and metaphysical.” For example, the realm of sleep, activated by melatonin, provides the doorway between our sense of self, our ego, to interact with the archetypal forces of the unconscious. Much as the physical release of sexual hormones stimulates the experience of passion, so can melatonin release experiencing other realms of thought and consciousness.
Third Eye and Rick Strassman
One of these realms is the psychedelic. Professor of psychiatry, Rick Strassman, became the first American medical researcher to investigate the impact of entheologic or hallucinogenic drugs on the human psyche, most specifically dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Terming it the Spirit Molecule, his research shows that the human body produces DMT much as it does seratonin and melatonon. Unlike those chemcals, however, DMT activates brain functions that resemble those of ecstatic or religious experiences such as visions, voices, disembodied consciousness, powerful emotions, novel insights, and feelings of overwhelming significance. Moreover, his volunteer test subjects reported profound interactions with non-human beings while in a state approximating dream-like or near-death experience.
Third Eye Conundrum: What to Make of It
If Strassman’s research is valld, it appears the pineal gland or third eye does produce compounds that produce experiences which resemble moments of religious ecstasy. Whether that means they provide a connection to spiritual or other-worldly knowledge remains problematic, however. Little or no proof exists which correlates bodily-produced DMT activity to non-drug-related altered states of consciousness. In fact, other DMT test-subjects claim of seeing bugs or rodents left Strassman “feeling confused and concerned about where the spirit molecule was leading us.”
That reservation occurred over 20 years ago. In the meantime, biological researchers and neuroscientists have broadened our conceptions of consciousness, brain activity, and ecstatic experience. Most people, scientists in particular, remain unconvinced of the validity of research such as Strassman’s.
Yet, they are also less likely to dismiss his findings out of hand. Like the progression of the seasons, it appears we’ve come full circle. The ancients may not have been scientifically rigorous, but they were keen observers of events and experiences. Whether the Third Eye’x capture of sunlight provides a gateway to different forms of knowledge and reality remains open to conjecture. For that reason, research and experimentation should continue until the true nature of the sun’s interrelationship with human existence can be definitively determined.
What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the Comments sectsion below:
This throw-in is one of the finalists in my best of William Fietzer newsletter competition. My bias may be showing, but how could anyone resist showing a photo of these two tricksters?
Interestingly, the first approach came from an alleged reading group came from a library in Glasgow, Scotland. The scammer said all the right things, how much he admired my book, 
Many people, myself included, first heard the concept of plausible deniability in association with right-wing political activist, 
Although the concept may have existed throughout human history as the Wikipedia entry claims, it never received formal recognition until Charles Babbage described it in his Ninth Bridgwater Treatise. There he depicted it as a deceitful but common political process whereby committee members could maintain deniability regarding sensitive or unethical decisions. It required “a few simply honest men” on a committee who could be conveniently, and temporarily, dismissed when a “peculiarly delicate question” arose. In that way, one of those absent members could “declare truly, if necessary, that he “never was present at any meeting at which even a questionable course had been proposed.”
This abstract concept lay dormant until 1948. Then, a series of National Security Council (NSC) papers defined “covert operations” committed in behalf of the U.S. government “are so planned and executed that … if uncovered the US Government can plausibly disclaim any responsibility for them.” Later on In 1952, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA( Director 
Perhaps if the conceiver of the
That is what we have here. Originally, this blog post intended to deal with stressed individuals’ growing use of AI and Chatbots instead of human professionals for emotional and psychiatric treatment. (More on that below). However, in the process of developing that narrative, one thing became quite apparent. Despite my previous blog on the related topic of the
Yet, whatever the brilliance of Faukner’s Quentin Compson or King’s Carrie White characterizations, their fictional progenitor has to be 
The historical relevance of this literary correlation now seems more applicable. As in 17th-century Russia, the adoption of new ways of thinking and acting are seldom affable. In times of great cultural upheaval such as ours, adherence or reversion to the old ways is an inevitable expression of conscience for some. For others, it justifies the cruelty and persecution meted out to those who differ from themselves, whether culturally, ethnically, or intellectually.
These issues and more formed the basis of Culinary Institute of America food historian 
Prof. Forrest’s pre-dinner presentation provided an overview of the food items available to the average american’s palette. Sugar and salt were scare commodities at this time, so cooks emphasized the savory side through local herbs and animal fat. Sorghum, nuts, and berries formed the basis of most desserts.
Colonial Foodstuffs and the Columbian Exchange
Last Saturdaky, Journalism won the Preakness Stakes. Almost immediately, racing touts wondered whether he and Sovereignty, the Kentucky Derby winner, would have a rematch in the Belmont Stakes, the last leg of thoroughbred racing’s 
The treatament of horses in thoroughbred racing long has been subsumed under the rubric of animal welfare in this country.
Did you know the British poet 
Are there any perks associated with being a grandparent?At first glance, It seemed doubtful to this Baby Boomer. Oh sure, everybody says they welcome taking care of the grandkids in hopes of witnessing their first smiles. But as they grow up, those moments dwindle in significance compared to our expressions of relief when our babysitting obligaations are over.
Memories come in many forms and provoke a variety of emotions. As instanced above, not all of them need be sentimental or heart-warming. A recent study by researchers from the University of Buffalo and Kyoto University found that nostalgic people may be more inclined to strengthen and maintain long-term relationships than those who aren’t. The reason why: when people reminisce about the good times spent with loved ones, they appreciate them more and strive to maintain those relationships. According to study co-author Kuan Ju-Huang, this means that those positive attachments “may be more likely to last, even as our lives, interests, and responsibilities change.”
Perks of Grandparenting: Acquisition
Since the presidential inauguration, Trump 2.0 has proven as threatening and dangerous to our values and freedoms as he promised. Political pundits categorize it as a hostile takeover, government readjustment, or a coup. Whatever one calls it, the times are not a-changing for the better. Rather, they are provoking people’s flight-or-fight responses. In short, they evoke all the symptoms of W. H. Auden‘s 
Get Involved
These observations arise from the convictions of a confirmed Baby Boomer who experienced the divisiveness caused by the Viet Nam War. My rebelliousness then stemmed from my countercultural attitude toward the social mores of the political establishment. The irony is not lost on me that despite my convicitions remaining the same, I now must defend that culture’s values, constraints, and instituions. That’s how instutionally powerful conservative America has become over the past 60 years.
This tip elaborates on what appears above. Just as writers slant their stories to the values, interests, and expectations of their readerships, power panelists direct their responses toward the topic at hand with their audience in mind. Does it consist primarily of writers or academics? Or is it composed primarily of readers and fantasy fans?
For some panel members, this tip may contradict the concept of a panel discussion, i.e. a discussion among the members of a panel. Regardless of that, some of the best discussions I’ve witnessed resulted from questions or observations contributed by the audience. If a topic is provocative enough in itself, or if the panel discussion of it is sufficiently free-flowing and involving, such discussion conduces a dialog between the panel and its listeners. Not only does such involvement measure a power panelist and a panel’s success as entertainers, it liberates creative ideas panel members may never have considered.
This point may be in the convention guidelines, but it bears repeating. Power panelists respect the ideas and beliefs of all participants, panelists and audience members alike. To facilitate that respect, the moderator should lay out the ground rules before the start of discussion. Most often, that means reigning in those individuals whose enthusiasm for a particular topic overwhelms their inhibitions and consideration for others.
Like other film goers of the Boomer generation, I cut my movie-going teeth on adventure films like the Star Wars trilogy and (especially) Indiana Jones. Though they basically contain B-movie plots given A-list treatments, their over-the-top audacity and sheer enthusiasm made up for any shortcomings in probability or plot construction.
But is this “
Artificial Intelligence (AI) already affects writers and the publishing industry. However, the recent release of ChatGPT threatens authors’ livelihoods on a whole new level. In a 
itemizes the opportunities AI offers in terms of acquisitiion, production, and marketing. In his view, AI could depose Amazon, the over-charging, 800-pound gorilla in the publishing industry. While independent publishers like him might welcome the overthrow of their competition, individual entrepreneurs, writers, and artists could find themselves shoved further down down the publicity and marketing chain. McElroy’s analysis is astute, but relies heavily on his approach of book publishing being an information-dispensing industry.
As individuals, people respond to differIent stimuli differently. 
binder for my proposed work, Black Phantom. The binder remained empty for years, however, because I had no access to horses of any kind. Finally, when the chance to ride one did happen, I clung to the saddle horn for all I was worth while the horse galloped back to its stall for a fresh bucket of oats. However, the action, the adventure, the thrill of that incident stayed with me. Like Farley’s narrative of a boy’s enduring love for his horse, these qualities inspired the path I’ve chosen these many decades later.
For these individuals and the people inspired by them, “good enough” is not acceptable. Publishing information remains limited to the 
Melungeon–a particular yet ominous-sounding word which happens to rhyme with dungeon in English. Sometimes spelled malungeon or melongeon, the term has several meanings. The broadest of these, according to 
The reason for my interest in the appelation is two-fold. First, my father’s side of the family perpetuated the notion that our dark complections and brown eyes stemmed from our Cherokee heritage. Second, my research into the background of country-western singer 
In your reading, did you discover media you can trust? Do they cite their sources and check their facts? Or do such constraints seem to get in the way of a good story, convincing opinion, or solid argument?
Down the Rabbit Hole
OK. At this point, case closed. Or is it? One instance appears on the BBC News web page, the other on the web page of a “leading free market think tank.” Both sources for these links appear reliable, but consider the context in which these articles appear. The BBC is government-owned entity renowned for being “the world’s oldest newscaster” according to Wikipedia; MI or the Manhattan Institute, formerly the 
objective evaluation of the issue? My procedure: when in doubt in the 21st century, conduct a Google search. The first result of a “media bias” search turned up 
MBFC is only one of several sites devoted to information objectivity and bias-identification. Many media experts regard 
What Is the Rule of Three?
Examples
Expressions and Catchphrases: 
What It All Comes Down To
#1 
