August

August, 2004

We've been doing a lot of talking lately, in our Research Forums, about alternative realities and internal Multiplicity of Self. I noticed that the movie "Don Juan Demarco" had been added to the freebies that come with the cable package I have. This delighted me, as I have been feeling drawn to revisit this movie, because it contains some tones that useful in my current studies.

In one scene, Brando (who plays a psychiatrist) is trying to inject some "reality" into Depp's character (who plays Don Juan). They are in a Psych Hospital, and the kid had been brought in because he had expressed some intention to kill himself (over a lost love). Johnny Depp is so beautiful for this role..........and if there is anyone here who hasn't seen it, I would highly recommend it. In many ways, it is a perfect movie, with a timely message!

Anyway..........in their conversations, Don Juan keeps referring to the hospital as Brando's "Villa," and he constantly expresses his gratitude for the hospitality that is being shown for him to be there.

So Brando says: "What would you say if I told you that this was a Mental Hosptial, and I am your psychiatrist?" (The shrink had previously renamed himself as "Don Octavio de Flores" in order to gain rapport with the boy, who everyone believed was delusional).

Don Juan responds: "I would say that you have a very uncreative and mundane way of defining your world." He then affirmed that yes, he did realize that ON ONE LEVEL...........this place was a mental hospital. But he also affirmed that it was much more than that.

Brando: "Why do you insist on calling me Don Octavio de Flores?"

Don Juan: "And why do you insist on calling yourself Dr. Mikkler? You ARE Don Octavio de Flores...........!"

I found this to be incredible amusing...........because the boy (like so many Star Kids today).......came to the conference table ALREADY EQUIPPED with perceptual software to SEE BEYOND THE LINES, and create whatever he wanted for himself.

Don Juan: (to the Doc) "You define your world only by what your eyes can see. There is so much more, if you choose to notice it." The young man speaks with such earnestness, and such power that the older man is forced to acquiesce.

Don Juan (continues): "If you want me to take your pills, then you also should take some with me. For you are obscessed with the mask that you wear as "Doctor" and "Healer"...........and you forget that you, also, are a great lover, such as myself. You have just lost your way. But I will help you find it!"

This initiates a lot of side business that goes on between the Doctor and his wife (played beautifully by Faye Dunaway).........and, over the course of 10 days, Don Juan is able to virtually REBUILD this chubby old man into a re-vitalized, romantic, loving husband..........who shocks the hell out of his wife. It's very charming.

And it goes on from there............to the point where, at the end of 10 days.........Don Juan asks the Doc: "Who am I?" And the Doc says: "You are Don Juan Demarco, the world's greatest lover." And then he asks the Doc: "And who are you?" With shaky tones to his voice, the old man says: "I am Don Octavio de Flores." And the game is afoot! Very neat story..........

My point in bringing this up is................Who are we, really? Are we just what we see? What we remember? What we've done in our lives? Or, is it possible that we are much, much more?

In one of the Star Kid Conversations Articles, I had a young woman share her story with me..............and then she asked the question: "Do you think I'm crazy?" The response I gave her felt like it came right from Spirit:

"From my view, a diagnosis of "insane," made by a physician, simply means: "I don't understand what is going on with you." It has more to do with society than it has to do with the person involved. Wouldn't it just be easier to say this, rather than using some diagnosis number or pigeonhole to describe what we think is going on? Physicians generally don't understand these kids, and they place the blame for that on the child's shoulders. They proclaim: "I can't figure you out, so you must be insane." (Actually, the term that is used is "behaviorally disordered.")

When we take time to grant authority and respect to each person's mental state, we open some doorways for them and many for ourselves. We begin to acknowledge that the Veil which separates our 3D world from other forms of reality is now wearing thin, granting access into states of being and feeling that are quite different from what we have come to know thus far. Those who become aware of these states are not necessarily sick. Many of them are actually quite gifted.

That kid in "The Sixth Sense" said to the Doctor who was treating him: "How can you help me if you don't believe me?" That question changed their whole relationship. In the end, the kid helped the doctor more. Carl Jung knew this.......and he was more than willing to enter the world of the patient, so that he could benefits from the gifts it offered. I'm getting rather SICK of the "real world" that people keep cramming down my throat. Like Don Juan, I find myself saying to my universe: "This is a rather uncreative and lame way to be interpreting this............." and then I go about putting on my OWN mask and cape..................and charge off to rescue all my inner "Dan-sels" in distress.

Are we talking about survival tools for the future here, or slowly slipping into unreality? I would love to hear your comments.

Daniel.

Go to MULTIPLICITY, for more ideas.

......Very Interesting Maybe this will boggle your mind, I know it did mine! The year is 1904 ..one hundred years ago. What a difference a century makes! Here are some of the U.S. statistics for 1904:

The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years.

Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.

There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads. The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California. With a mere 1.4 million residents, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.

The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents an hour. The average U.S worker made between $200 and $400 per year.

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at home.

Ninety percent of all U.S. physicians had no college education. Instead, they attended medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as "substandard."

Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Canada passed a law prohibiting poor people from entering the country for any reason.

The five leading causes of death in the U.S. were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was 30.

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented.

There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.

Two of 10 U.S. adults couldn't read or write. Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated high school.

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at corner drugstores. According to one pharmacist, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."

Eighteen percent of households in the U.S. had at least one full-time servant or domestic.

There were only about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.

.... And I forwarded this from someone else without typing it myself, and sent it to all of you in a matter of seconds! Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years ... it staggers the mind.

DJ: It's been a tiring couple of months. Lots of activations, lots of growth, but tiring! I know many of you are feeling the same. Thanks for hanging in there with us.