In Colin Wilison’s classic The Mind Parasites scientists discover that alien parasites have infiltrated the minds of humans, creating self-doubt, depression, anxiety, and robbing humans of their powerful, innate creative abilities. The search to understand and destroy these aliens is a dangerous one, driving insane almost all who attempt it. I don’t know why this book is out of print. It’s a classic. The spookiest thing is that the symptoms described for alien occupation of one’s mind are emotions that we all have, and are the thoughts and ideas that keep us from stepping into our own power. What if there are alien beings taking up residence in our unconscious? Trippy, great science fiction book. Used copies are hard to find. Here’s a review that goes more into the Heidegger philosophy behind the book. And here is a transcript of an interview with Colin Wilson. Here’s more info from Amazon.com and how to get used copies…
A year ago
A year ago this month, my housemate and dear friend for many years, Elisabeth Targ, MD, was diagnosed with brain cancer, a condition which rapidly progressed until it overtook her last summer.
It was Easter weekend when the results came back from the MRI of the golf ball sized tumor on the right hemisphere of her brain.
A year ago today she was recovering from her surgery to remove the tumor, was walking without pain, doing yoga every morning, beaming as much love as she could to all who came to visit. She was asking forgiveness of everyone, including me, whom she felt she had slighted or wronged.
The enormity of what she was facing weighed down on all of those of us around her. Spring was here, the daffodils, tulips, and roses in the garden were all blooming. ET came into my room after a shower, and laid down naked on a towel, telling me about her future plans with her husband-to-be, our other housemate, Mark.
I listened with as much love as I could, trying not to let my fear of the future jinx her chances for a miraculous recovery and the possibility of the fulfillment of her dreams. She laughed about her nudity, telling me she didn’t care anymore and hoped I didn’t mind.
It’s the small moments I remember.
How you know if your spiritual practice is working
The Vatican (Feb 2003) released a tome condemning everything remotely connected with “New Age”.
Apparently some group of researchers in Rome has been studying the Age of Aquarius for several years and has chosen this time, when Catholics world-wide have had their faith in the church rocked by widespread sexual abuse scandals, to denounce all progressive thought.
Included in the list of baddies are yoga, acupuncture, transpersonal psychology, holistic healing, meditation, EST, Esalen, the Findhorn gardens, and Jung, all determined to be fundamentally anti-Christian. Absurd really. Galileo all over again.
A woman once asked a Tibetan Lama, how do I know if my spiritual practice is working? He replied, “it is working if you are becoming a softer, more gentle, more compassionate human being. If not, it’s not working.”
This is the essence of living a Christian life. Practices that help develop this outcome are what should be encouraged, not condemned by Catholic leadership.