"I am like thee, O, Night, dark and naked; I walk on the flaming path which is above my day-dreams, and whenever my foot touches earth a giant oaktree comes forth."

"Nay, thou art not like me, O, Madman, for thou still lookest backward to see how large a foot-print thou leavest on the sand."

"I am like thee, O, Night, silent and deep; and in the heart of my loneliness lies a Goddess in child-bed; and in him who is being born Heaven touches Hell."

"Nay, thou art not like me, O, Madman, for thou shudderest yet before pain, and the song of the abyss terrifies thee."

"I am like thee, O, Night, wild and terrible; for my ears are crowded with cries of conquered nations and sighs for forgotten lands."

"Nay, thou art not like me, O, Madman, for thou still takest thy little-self for a comrade, and with thy monster-self thou canst not be friend."

"I am like thee, O, Night, cruel and awful; for my bosom is lit by burning ships at sea, and my lips are wet with blood of slain warriors."

"Nay, thou art not like me, O, Madman; for the desire for a sister-spirit is yet upon thee, and thou hast not become a law unto thyself."

"I am like thee, O, Night, joyous and glad; for he who dwells in my shadow is now drunk with virgin wine, and she who follows me is sinning mirthfully."

"Nay, thou art not like me, O, Madman, for thy soul is wrapped in the veil of seven folds and thou holdest not thy heart in thine hand."

"I am like thee, O, Night, patient and passionate; for in my breast a thousand dead lovers are buried in shrouds of withered kisses."

"Yea, Madman, art thou like me? Art thou like me? And canst thou ride the tempest as a steed, and grasp the lightning as a sword?"

"Like thee, O, Night, like thee, mighty and high, and my throne is built upon heaps of fallen Gods; and before me too pass the days to kiss the hem of my garment but never to gaze at my face."

"Art thou like me, child of my darkest heart? And dost thou think my untamed thoughts and speak my vast language?"

"Yea, we are twin brothers, O, Night; for thou revealest space and I reveal my soul."

The Madman

Night and the Madman

Kahlil Gibran

Magni Alba Crotalus - The dream snake.

In my dreams, every now and again I find myself standing on top of a mountain, facing a cave. A jagged crack between two massive boulders that descends down into the bowels of the earth.  This place exists in the waking world. In reality it goes down 30 yards or so and spits you out at the base of a mountain. It's a narrow crack that you must wriggle through with care to avoid falling onto the ragged rocks that line it's floor. In the dream realm it continues deep into the heart of the mountain. Inside of this cave is a chamber inhabited by a massive rattlesnake. Albino white, crystalline and as big around as a man. Sometimes it's eyes are grey, it's color dull. At these times it is like an animal. fierce and aggressive.  In other dreams, after it sheds it's skin, it is a God. Crystalline and wise. Shining in reptilian regalia. An ancient and wise, heavy earth spirit. We chat and share stories. He imparts me with deeper dreams and antediluvian knowledge. This spirit has no name. He has existed for eons before names existed. Chthonic and wise, he calls to me now and again. Sometimes a beast, sometimes so much more.

Anyone else have similar somnambulant encounters?

MICTLANTECUHTLI, AZTEC GOD OF DEATH

Mictlantecuhtli is the primary death god in the Aztec pantheon and one of the 9 Lords of the Night.  He presides over the city of the dead, Mictlan. He is generally depicted as a bloody skeleton. Statutes of Mictlantecuhtli often show him with his arms raised before him ready to tear apart souls; or crouching down in a brooding posture. Sacrifices to him sometimes involved ritual cannibalism.

CORRESPONDENCES 

spiders

owls

bats

the direction north

the underworld

the eleventh hour

skulls bones eyes

obsidian

darkness

BEAUTIFUL MONSTERS

I love beautiful yet dangerous animals. The picture above is a violin mantis, a perfectly engineered little death machine. Look at it, its alien appearance, its sleek and highly functional form. And of course, it's formidable arms, perfectly designed for one purpose. A gorgeous animal. Mantis's in general are some of the most sublimely beautiful creatures on the planet (and certainly a personal favorite). It's easy to overlook the brutality of a mantis due to it's elegant form and interesting behavior. A tarantula, shark or cobra on the other hand  isn't quite as "pretty" and as a result they are often treated as a villain or worse. As human beings it's easy to anthropomorphize animals and assign them motives, personalities, or labels like "good" or "bad". I catch myself doing this quite often but I try to resist it. Who knows what thoughts go through the mind of a cobra or shark? What is that regal mantis pondering as it grooms itself? I'd like to know. Whatever they are thinking I'm sure it's so alien to a humans thoughts as to be unrecognizable. Such animals are beyond any emotion or label we assign them. They aren't "good" or "bad", they are not "ugly" or "pretty". They simply are.

When I encounter a predator like this I try to view it without judgement. Observe it without fear or labels and appreciate it for what it is. A fierce and wild creature. Murderous yes, but also innocent. Beyond good and evil; a truly beautiful monster. 

CARROT MAN

Today a man called into my work to place an order. This is a regular but difficult customer. He places an order then calls back several times a day to tweak it. Add items, remove items, ask questions, etc. He is in his 70’s and most likely just wants to talk to someone. I have had other jobs where elderly customers would call us just to speak with another human being. Lonely sad people. This guy is somewhat charming. He has a heavy New Jersey accent and throws terms like “foget about it!” around with reckless abandon. So he calls in on a slow work day and we discuss grains, diet and health in general. He starts telling me about his diet and that’s when things got weird. He informed me that the only thing he has eaten in the last couple of years is carrots. Just carrots. I’m interested now so I urge him to continue. He goes on tell me that his skin is bright orange and that he passed out twice from malnutrition. His feet have also swelled up to enormous proportions  twice resulting in him being hospitalized. The doctors told him to vary his diet or he could die but he didn’t listen to them. (“Doctors?  Wat do they know?  Foget about it!”) He also tells me that he has lost a lot of weight and that his “bones are stickin out every which way”. He recently decided to take the doctor’s advice and vary his diet. He eats seeds now, which is why he’s been contacting me. Carrots, sesame seeds, and millet…  I told him he should probably branch out into other territory like fruit and meat but he’s a stubborn one.  The reason I share this story is for the simple fact that somewhere in New Jersey there lives a bright orange skeleton with huge feet and a crotchety attitude, and the world is richer for it. 

CICADAS: MORPHOLOGY, BIOLOGY, ETC.

CICADIDAE MAGICICADA

Entomology and Morphology

Cicadas are a group of large flying insects of the order Hemiptera, suborder Auchenorrhyncha. This large family (Cicadidae) of invertebrates consists of over two thousand five hundred species, occupying every continent except Antarctica. Cicadas spend the majority of their lives underground as nymphs, burrowing deep into the earth and feeding off tree roots. Over a period of three to nineteen years (depending on species) the nymphs mature and emerging from their subterranean catacombs simultaneously in large swarms to molt into their winged adult forms. Humans and cicadas share a long and magical mythology. The interactions and legends our two species share stretches across recorded history, touching almost every civilization and corner of this planet. Whether being treated as little more than a valuable source of protein or being revered as messengers of the gods our two species are intimately intertwined. A fractal exchange stretching back into the depths of antediluvian time.  

Life Cycle and Behavior

The pregnant  female cicada cuts slits into small branches using her ovipositor, a sharp, knife-like structure on the end of her abdomen. In these shallow grooves she deposits her eggs, small white structures similar in shape to a grain of rice. Once the eggs hatch the newborn nymphs drop to the ground and begin the arduous task of burrowing into the ground. The nymph’s burrow is generally only a foot or so deep, however they have been know to dig as deep as three meters. Once underground the nymphs tunnel until they locate a tree root and feed off of it using a sharp proboscis. A cicada’s diet consists exclusively of tree sap, specifically the xylem. They feed mostly off deciduous trees such as oaks, maples, willows, etc. It is believed that the nymphs are able to “taste” seasonal differences in the sap while underground. Some entomologists believe that this may be how they time their group exodus from their dark tunnels when they molt into adults.

There are two main groups of cicadas, Magicicada or periodical species and Tibicen or “dog-day” varieties. The Tibicen broods are staged so that some emerge every summer. The subterranean life cycle of these species varies from two to seven years depending on species. (It is interesting from an occult perspective to note that the vast majority of cicadas, Magicicada and Tibicen, have multi-year life cycles that are prime numbers. 2,5,7,13, 17,and 19…) Upon receiving their mysterious “signal” the nymph's begin burrowing up and emerge from the ground over a period of several days or all at once in large broods. The cicadas then climb the nearest tall object or tree (frequently the same one they fell from years before) and latch onto it. Once secure, the nymphs undergo their final metamorphosis and molt into their adult forms. A line breaks open down the spine and the winged adult wiggles out of its exoskeleton in a pulsing backbend. The soft bodied adult clings to its former skin and waits. In a span of minutes its skin darkens  and begins transforming into a protective chitlin carapace and its compressed wings are unfurled as liquid is pumped into them. It may take up to 6 days for Magicicada species to completely harden and embrace their new bodies, their skin crystalizing into a regal new armor. The newborn adult then leaves its chthonic husk behind and continues its ascent into the upper reaches of the tree.

The newly hatched imago’s fly upwards and join together in large choruses consisting of thousands of singing males and clicking females. The noise generated by a large brood emerging at the same time can be deafening. The males sing a species specific song until a female approaches and responds by clicking her wings together. Upon hearing the female’s receptive click the male changes his song to a more seductive melody and approaches her to mate. Once mating has concluded the female flies away. She will land on a nearby tree or branch and cut small, V-shaped slits into the bark. Into these slits she will deposit twenty or so eggs per incision until she has carefully laid them all, usually totaling somewhere around six hundred eggs.

Within weeks of their emergence and metamorphosis all the adult cicadas are dead. Their bodies fall from the trees and litter the forest’s floor providing a feast for other animals as well as decaying and feeding the earth itself. The adult life of a cicada is exceedingly brief in comparison to the years spent as a nymph; toiling away in the dark and silent ground. Years and years of patient silence culminating in a Dionysian month of flying, fucking, singing and worshiping the sun. Then, just as quickly as they emerged, death claims them. One and all. 

Although this abrupt ending may strike you as somewhat bitter-sweet, the cicadas have lived, loved and fulfilled their genetic promise. Several weeks after their parents have passed away the eggs hidden in the branches above begin to hatch.  The tiny nymphs wriggle free of the wood and drop from their lofty nurseries to the ground below. This newborn brood of  insects then begins their incredible life cycle anew. Upon landing on the forest floor, The nymphs immediately burrow deep underground to wait in total darkness for the next thirteen or seventeen years. Waiting in the dark for that mysterious signal, waiting for their day to sing, fly and worship.

Morphology

Cicadas go through several distinct life stages on their path to adulthood. The nymphs emerge from their eggs encapsulated in a tight embryonic skin making them resemble a small fish or slug. Upon exiting the wooden hole cut by its mother the nymph promptly sheds its jacket and frees its legs. The newborn nymphs are extremely small but already possess strong digging forearms and the will to use them. The nymphs immediately fall to the ground and crawl into the first hole or crack in the ground that meets their requirements. Over the next several months the young insects will burrow deeper and deeper into the ground. They start feeding by sucking sap from small rootlets near the surface; gradually working their way down to larger tree roots as they increase in size and appetite. The nymphs go through five molts or “instars” during their time underground, usually spending several years between each stage feeding and enlarging their burrows. After each molting the nymph emerges from its old skin larger and more “tank-like”. The forelegs in particular become much more formidable at the second instar stage. These front legs are highly specialized claws which strongly resemble a pick axe and are used in the exact same fashion; hacking through the tough ground in search of more roots to feed from. 

During the nymph stage of a cicadas life they are completely subterranean. They have a powerful and compact body, no wings (In the fourth and fifth instar stage vestigial wing “pads” become apparent.) and though they do possess eyes at this stage they are noticeably smaller than in their adult forms as they have no need for them.  At no point in their life do they possess a true set of jaws, simply a long, sharp proboscis similar to their cousins the aphids. This proboscis is tucked tightly against their stomach when not in use but can fold down and extend to allow the nymph to pierce a root of its parent tree and suck the sap which flows within. Once the nymph molts into its fifth instar stage, prior to emerging from the ground, it is roughly an inch to an inch and a quarter  in length. It also more closely resembles its final adult form with large, well developed eyes, obvious wing pads, proportionately smaller front claws and the wide, fat body unique to its species.

Upon receiving its mysterious signal to emerge from the ground, the cicada nymphs make their way to the surface in huge numbers. These mass emergences can be staggered over several days or happen all at once (depending on species and other unknown factors.). Upon breaking free of the earth the cicada nymphs immediately make their way to any convenient tree or vertical surface and climb up it to molt into their final adult forms. There are numerous accounts of cicadas emerging into basements and root cellars with earthen floors. Due to the length of time it takes many cicadas to reach maturity (a decade or more) it is not uncommon for a house or other building to be constructed on top of an immature brood, only to have the nymphs swarm into the buildings and surrounding area. Once reaching a convenient and secure location the nymphs latch onto whatever vertical surface they happen to climb and begin the delicate operation of molting into their adult form. The exoskeleton of the nymph splits open down the mesothorax (upper back) and the cicada wriggles out of its old skin in an elegant backbend. Once free, it clings to its securely anchored husk and begins the process of inflating its wings by pumping fluid into the veins that adorn the flattened wings, within several minutes to an hour the wings fully unfurl and harden along with the exoskeleton of the newly born adult. Once this magical crystallization occurs the newly born adult is free to fly into the upper reaches of the forest and begin serenading it’s female brood mates in a musical endeavor to further its genetic promise. 

The adult cicada (in entomological parlance, an Imago) is a truly beautiful and unique invertebrate. The adults body is 1 to 4 inches in length, with developed eyes, wings, and unique structures for making sound.  The cicada imago varies greatly in color depending on species and geographic location. Most common varieties are green or brown  in

coloration or black with red eyes in the case of the magicada. There

are also numerous tropical varieties that come in a rainbow of bright

colors. The fully formed adults are physically similar to their nymph

stages the primary difference being that they are now capable of

flight and song.

 Most species of noise-producing insect make sound by stridulation;

the process of rubbing two structures against each other such as the

legs or wings. However, the adult male cicada makes its unique song by

using a complex structure in its abdomen known as a tymbal. the male

cicadas abdomen is mostly hollow and acts as a resonance chamber. on

both sides of the abdominal base there is a membrane internally

connected to a pair of muscles. These muscle rapidly flex and release

"popping" the membrane in and out and generating a loud sound. (think

of it as popping a drink or jam lid with your fingers very quickly.)

The cicada can modulate it's song by slowing and accelerating these

muscular contractions as well as raising or lowering its body off the

ground. Cicadas are among the loudest of all insects some varieties

can produce sounds in excess of 120 decibels, loud enough to cause

permanent hearing damage to humans. A mass brood exodus of thousands

of singing cicadas can be deafening.

THE NATURE OF THE SACRAMENT

Sound. A specific tone. (find tone)

Sight without eyes and movement without legs.

Complete disassociation/dissolution 

A place outside of time. 

Pure information displaying itself in a non-visible yet visible fashion

Permanent deja vu. 

Terms like past present and future are irreverent here yet events appear to move (somewhat) chronologically.

It's full of "living" things.

Some aren't so friendly... and yes, they can touch you.

Some feel almost like humans, children.

"It's so beautiful in here..."

"move like us" "just dance, play, do what we do."

Space peacock manatees from the 8th dimension.

"I'm pretty sure I'm dead..."

"you can't feel your heart or you breath, there is literally nothing to hold on to."

"but so fucking pretty..."

"How long was I down? There's all the time in the world in there."

"boing"

"bung"

"sprung"

"gloop-gloop"

"That tone, it's what I heard first, then it went right through me and washed me away."

"The space-angel-whale-things were nice but that orange octopus thing was really hard to handle.

 So far from human...  it just reached right inside me, feeling me out."

"Yeah, I'm definitely dead." 

"Well,... I think I'll need awhile to process all that..."