[Vision2020] Eclipses and the Veil

Fri, 16 Jan 2004 00:03:36 EST

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Visionaries:

Maybe I have it wrong.  No doubt many of you are convinced of this.

I considered after I wrote the V2020 post today mentioning veiled women that, 
during lunar or solar eclipses, which are a "veiling" of the moon or sun, 
these celestial events do inspire feelings of power, beauty and mystery.  But not 
because the objects they veil are rarely seen.  In fact, it is the opposite, 
just like at Mardi Gras or Halloween, that because the objects are commonly 
viewed, when they are veiled, they become extraordinarily mysterious.  

We are accustomed to the regular appearance of certain events, therefore when 
they disappear, the invalidation of our perceptual expectations induces a 
cognitive dissonance difficult to resolve.  This psychology could be utilized to 
design a wonderful spiritual holiday of renewal.

I propose that we mandate total nudity in public during the summer.  Then, on 
a special day designated for the worship of the sacred temple of the human 
body, and our existence as persons first and foremost, we all wear burka style 
garments, men and women alike, of all races, religions and ethnicity's, to 
facilitate experiencing the veiled secrets of humankind!  The Equinox would be a 
fitting moment of balance between the seasons after the warmth of summer for 
this celebration of the equality of the sexes, of all religions and races, and 
the unfathomable divinity of our humanity, when we could not tell who was women 
or man, black or white, our bodies covered, head to toe.  Quietude, fasting, 
yoga, and blissful meditations on wild and natural environments would be 
encouraged.  Of course, sex would contradict the vast abstract yet embodied 
meanings behind the Veil.  

This rite would assume the awesome aura of eclipses of the moon and sun.  The 
mystery and beauty of our bodies would be renewed the day after, when our 
marvelous flesh was revealed, reveling in the sensual pleasure of existence, with 
our common humanity and divinity renewed.  Everyone would be reawakened in 
childlike innocence, as though we suddenly found ourselves alive and drunk in 
the unexplainable grandeur of our existence on the first day of creation.  And 
the ban on sex the day before would leave room for the expected forbidden 
pleasures humanity craves.  How many burkas were lifted in secrecy no one would 
know.

We must push the edge of the progressive Enlightenment, that terrifying 
liberal humanist envelope ever expanding... Onward!

Ted

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<HTML>
 Visionaries:
 
 Maybe I have it wrong. &nbsp;No doubt many of you are convinced of this.
 
 I considered after I wrote the V2020 post today mentioning veiled women=20=
that, during lunar or solar eclipses, which are a "veiling" of the moon or s=
un, these celestial events do inspire feelings of power, beauty and mystery.=
 &nbsp;But not because the objects they veil are rarely seen. &nbsp;In fact,=
 it is the opposite, just like at Mardi Gras or Halloween, that because the=20=
objects are commonly viewed, when they are veiled, they become extraordinari=
ly mysterious. &nbsp;
 
 We are accustomed to the regular appearance of certain events, therefore=
 when they disappear, the invalidation of our perceptual expectations induce=
s a cognitive dissonance difficult to resolve. &nbsp;This psychology could b=
e utilized to design a wonderful spiritual holiday of renewal.
 
 I propose that we mandate total nudity in public during the summer. &nbs=
p;Then, on a special day designated for the worship of the sacred temple of=20=
the human body, and our existence as persons first and foremost, we all wear=
 burka style garments, men and women alike, of all races, religions and ethn=
icity's, to facilitate experiencing the veiled secrets of humankind! &nbsp;T=
he Equinox would be a fitting moment of balance between the seasons after th=
e warmth of summer for this celebration of the equality of the sexes, of all=
 religions and races, and the unfathomable divinity of our humanity, when we=
 could not tell who was women or man, black or white, our bodies covered, he=
ad to toe. &nbsp;Quietude, fasting, yoga, and blissful meditations on wild a=
nd natural environments would be encouraged. &nbsp;Of course, sex would cont=
radict the vast abstract yet embodied meanings behind the Veil. &nbsp;
 
 This rite would assume the awesome aura of eclipses of the moon and sun.=
 &nbsp;The mystery and beauty of our bodies would be renewed the day after,=20=
when our marvelous flesh was revealed, reveling in the sensual pleasure of e=
xistence, with our common humanity and divinity renewed. &nbsp;Everyone woul=
d be reawakened in childlike innocence, as though we suddenly found ourselve=
s alive and drunk in the unexplainable grandeur of our existence on the firs=
t day of creation. &nbsp;And the ban on sex the day before would leave room=20=
for the expected forbidden pleasures humanity craves. &nbsp;How many burkas=20=
were lifted in secrecy no one would know.
 
 We must push the edge of the progressive Enlightenment, that terrifying=20=
liberal humanist envelope ever expanding... Onward!
 
 Ted
 
 </HTML>

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