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The Knock of the Spirit - Bob Carr - 06-14-2008
Synchronicity
The Knock of the Spirit - Bob Carr - 06-14-2008
Concerning wannabees:
When I came to these forums a year ago, I purposely stated that I was just a regular somebody on the road of discovery. I have never claimed to be a guru, a
master sorcerer, an Indian Chief.
Discovery, examination--the road to knowledge of the Spirit ; Power.
I have experienced the Knock of the Spirit often enough, although I never encounter a Sorcerer. About 7 years ago, the Spirit knocked with a solidity to
great to ignore, the result of a divorce, and a death.
I was caused to change direction towards a more positive place. In the beginning , I thought I would find a nice little church , a new wife, a cleaner
lifestyle. This was not to be.
I was drawn to a local Church of Religious Science, originally founded by Ernest Holmes in the 1930's. This group is the originator of the
"Secret", now so popularized by Oprah and others. I found resonance, and expanded understanding. But, in the end , it nearly drove me mad. The
reason for this was that , perhaps against the original purpose of Holmes, this group practiced what is known as 'Prosperity Theology' . The idea that
one can become aligned with God and receive riches and blessings. This hooked my desires and boosted self-importance, to the point of total frustration and
disappointment. I moved on.
Synchronicity-being that one's questions are answered almost before they are asked.
The Knock of the Spirit - Bob Carr - 06-14-2008
Y'know, I did a little joking about Elvis , but I realized that he was such a great example of the dangers of self importance.
He had it all, didn't he? So did boxer Mike Tyson. But, nobody could say NO to either of these men. As it is said, they believed their own Hype, and the
result was destruction of their lives.
The Knock of the Spirit - Bob Carr - 06-14-2008
During the past few weeks , I realized that there is a difference between Self Importance and Self Reflection.
Scientific studies have shown that eyewitness accounts are too often incorrect. People see what they want to see according to their predjudices.
I am amazed to find, as I re-examine, or reread books such as Castaneda, that what I thought was the content, wasn't at all. My Self- Reflection read its
own purpose into events or content.
So, I find a central purpose of the lessons of Juan Matus. That being, and it is called other things I suppose, that Self Reflection binds the mind , and
prevents perception of reality ; it creates its own reality. One wanders lost in a mental wasteland, and worse, an actual distorted world is created by
false perception. It is held in place by the assemblage point, as don Juan stated.
The source of this is, as Castaneda wrote, is the continual reinforcements of childhood upbringing, and , at least in my own case, action or reaction related
to such conditioning.
The Knock of the Spirit opened me up to an understanding of my life history. I had no idea of who I really had been, and once I learned the truth of it,
understanding led to a new kind of life. Not much to be done to change what had been, so, the only option becomes the way of the Warrior-
to accept my Fate, grow in impeccability, and continue life in the forward direction.
The Knock of the Spirit - Bob May - 06-14-2008
Hi Bob,
Some really good observations and ideas here Bob.
"...it nearly drove me mad. The reason for this was that , perhaps against the original purpose of Holmes, this group practiced what is known as
'Prosperity Theology' . The idea that one can become aligned with God and receive riches and blessings. This hooked my desires and boosted
self-importance, to the point of total frustration and disappointment. I moved on..."
It seems to have been the way in my experience, also. When someone with some good ideas or some knowledge of Truths comes along people seem to become followers
instead of seeing this person was looking for truth, finding it and sharing how he arrived at it. Then, they should do the same, in my opinion. Instead they
set up rules to live by and ways to speak about what is real. If you follow them you're "In", if not you're "out."
Oh, and by the way they tend to put that person on a pedestal and place him between themselves and the Spirit as a barrier instead of seeing them as a seeker
as they are.
And the "prosperity" thing with churches and organisations is way out of hand, in my opinion.
Why is it when the truth that the world is here for our benefit and that the universe is sentient and helpful do prople's mind's always take that in
the direction of monetary profits?
This despite the warnings of not seeking treasures in earth where rust destroys them, or not storing your treasures in barns for future use, the difficulty of
the rich have to make it into that awareness called the "Kingdom of Heaven",etc.
On the contrary, we are advised to "Consider the ravens who neither sow nor reap yet God provides for them."
This to me is a philosophy is itself and a way to approach our walk through this world.
I liken it to Don Juan's "hunt for power" in his early books. To everyday purposefully go through life always looking for the evidence of Spirit
peeking out and revealing itself to us. This is laying up treasure in Heaven. This has a lasting purpose and makes this otherwise dull existence exciting.
This is to go through this life without worry of where our next meal will come from, but instead going with the flow.
The Knock of the Spirit - Bob May - 06-14-2008
Hi again Bob,
"During the past few weeks , I realized that there is a difference between Self Importance and Self Reflection.
Scientific studies have shown that eyewitness accounts are too often incorrect. People see what they want to see according to their predjudices."
That is a fine line to walk, but it has to be walked, in my opinion. And an important realization for us.
To correct our self importance we must look at ourselves and observe our tendancies in great detail. To walk the path of Spirit we must be willing to honestly
see ourselves as stupid human being with an overpowering animal "human" nature.
When Don Juan and Genero appeared before their apprentices in "costumes" and the apprentices subsequently shared what they saw it turned out that
each saw a different thing. One saw a pirate, one saw some other costume, etc. When asked about this Don Juan said that he and Genero did not know what the
apprentices saw and that the only agreement between sorcerers when the Nagual was at work was that "something" had happened.
I heard a comedian last night on TV that said, jokingly that we are like snowflakes. I like that!
We are all diferent in design, and yet we all have some of the samed elements, like six sides and refract light into rainbows etc.
The things that are the same are Principles, absolutes that apply to us all.
The thing that are different are what make is individuals, each with our own reality.
The Knock of the Spirit - Bob Carr - 06-14-2008
I'm glad you remebered that 'costume' event, Bob M. It sure must have stayed with me, and was a good illustration of principle for CC. ( which he
seems to have missed)
I have been musing so much this week, and hope that this thread will give me chance to expand on topics, one of which is the difference between the effect of
the natural 'jungle' as opposed to the overlay of modern ways. Apparently, don Juan taught Carlos ways of survival action that would have been
first nature to, say, an Indian in wilderness America. Fright/ flight reflex and awareness of predators. I have played with these things , at times, such as
when I spent a day following a skunk to its lair!
Watch out you Skunks out there I know where you live!
You mentioned age in an earlier post. I am 58
And another musing, just today. I realized that my interactions with Sid, Arnway and the whole Sustained Reaction thing were leading me in the ways
of......Controlled Folly. Amazing, and as funny as Genero's earth-shaking farts!
The Knock of the Spirit - Bob Carr - 06-15-2008
To Bob May
Twice a month, I phone a long -time acquaintance in Atlanta. He has been Christian (Anglican/Presbyterian) for a long time, as well as an AA member. (He
morphed to really bad alcoholism , deadly, around 1985)
I have discussed Castaneda with him, and we have found similarities between all three teachings, particularly Self - Importance and Self -Reflection, and the
issue of Envy as related to Self-Hatred.
We agreed that dislodging these things,. which we call FI, here is incredibly difficult and complex.
Therefore, we know groups like this, pyhsical or virtual, will draw disturbed individuals.
Envy and Self-Hatred The need for Self-Knowledge Serious Stuff
Of interest: don Juan described women as being more direct in their relation to the Nagual. Molliemarie has a current post that is proof of that, not only
in content , but by her non-blaming approach.
The Knock of the Spirit - Bob Carr - 06-16-2008
This was not on my list, but it is now.
This morning I realized that what I have been experiencing here recently was a test of expectations.
That is , that I had some annoyance at the demands made upon me by others on this forum. Rightly so.
But , the paradox is that my own expectations to not have demands put upon me is also an expectation. There's a joker in the deck!
Castaneda writes that with no expectations , we have no complaints. What a challenge I have had!
Now, this does not ignore the necessity of protocols when people meet. Otherwise there is chaos. This is also a challenge to everyone so that control is given
to Spirit, not to individuals.
Here is the sublime. The true Sorcerer plays the fool. He remains in the background as others do the legwork. That is modesty, that is one of don Juan's
Tales of Power.
I almost forgot: this seems to reflect the the original question from the Thread 'We'll See'
The Knock of the Spirit - Bob Carr - 06-17-2008
I spoke with my Atlanta friend again this past weekend. When we got to the topic of Castaneda , he said he only recalled don Juan telling
Carlos that the car lights behind him were the lights of death.
As synchronicity would have it , I read Chap 3 of " A Separate Reality " the next day. I was struck by how much this tale, in form though not in
content, was so like Indian mythology, or even like casual folk tales I heard as a child. Some years ago I read a book of plains Indian tales. Among the
characters was the Coyote spirit, and I was impressed by its similarities to the Norse god, Loki ; that is, a malevolent trickster.
Here in the Carolinas, storytellers speak of the Cherokee character Judiculla, or Spear-Finger, who lived in a cave on the cliff face of what is now known as
Devil's Courthouse on the Blue Ridge Parkway. As the name implies , Judiculla would use that finger to pluck out the livers of his prey for food! It is
said he preferred human children!
Now, my point is here that, for some reason, all of this makes sense to me. As don Juan talked of non-rational reality, and used it in his sorcery, these
tales are an Indian tradition that he drew upon for his work.
And I am sure that with Judiculla and Coyote out there, the little ones will not stray, unprepared!
Another interesting synchronicity: tomorrow, Wed 6/18, Cherokee scholar, Dr. Will Moreau Goins will protray Oglala mystic Black Elk , at an event here in
Asheville. He even looks like Black Elk! Wish I could go, but my fate keeps me away. He will take questions from the audience, and if I were there , surely I
would ask about his cousin, Crazy Horse , and his Dreaming. Wonder if the man could deal with that?
The Knock of the Spirit - Bob Carr - 07-05-2008
That....Self -Reflection is about life lived from false ideas, desires and beliefs.
That...Self-Importance is placing oneself superior to other life. Like Elitism. Or maybe taking everything personally , as well. Ego contemplation.
It's too easy!
The Knock of the Spirit - Bob Carr - 07-06-2008
So much to See , so little time
I got out an older VHS of the x-files , which is called 'Tithonus'. It's about an immortal man who can see death , and then photographs it. His
adviser and nemesis.
Secondly , some of the forums are discussing , well , propaganda.
I used to think I was too smart to be taken in by advertising , until I found out about Focus Groups. Then , I learned that the ads were not aimed at me
anyway !
How about a bucket of the Colonel's chicken?
The Knock of the Spirit - greenriverknight - 07-21-2008
I dreamed of a party of wooriers' in my room tonight. All eighteen of them. Scottie Ocelot showed up in a dream, the tonal, this world. To a person he
said, "Where am I?" The person said he was in Redondia, WA. And then he said, " Where the hell am I? And then he disappeared in thin air.
Here take a hit off a pure Intent!
The Knock of the Spirit - Hawkeye Crow - 07-23-2008
Sorry , I've given up taking hits. It doesn't do anything for me anymore. I think the high was an asemblage point thing. I can't relate anymore.
I support your right to do so.
What's on "High Times " these days?
The Knock of the Spirit - Hawkeye Crow - 07-23-2008
I Love This: from, Tales of Power:
"Indians are the losers of our time. Their downfall began with the Spaniards and now under the reign of their descendants the Indians have lost
everything.....the Indians have lost their Tonal. The Tonal is very vulnerable. It cannot withstand maltreatment. The white man , from the day he set
foot on this land , has systematically destroyed not only the Indian tonal of the time , but also the personal tonal of every Indian. One can easily surmise
that for the poor average Indian the reign of the white man has been sheer hell. And yet the irony is that for another kind of Indian it has been sheer bliss.
...For the Sorcerer , the Conquest was the challenge of a lifetime. They were the only ones who were not destroyed by it but adapted to it and used it to their
ultimate advantage.
In the Indian life....there were things that were incomprehensible to the white man ; those things he did not even notice.
...the sorcerers found themselves holding onto the only thing left uncontested : the nagual....There , the white man has never ventured.
The Nagual is NOT experience or intuition or conciousness. Those terms and everything else....are only items on the island of the Tonal.
The Nagual is only Effect.
The Tonal begins at birth and ends at death ,But the Nagual never ends.
I can witness its effect , but I don't know how it works."
I , Hawkeye Crow , have witnessed very little of this effect. I don't believe , but I wait for the witness.
****. This culture is destroying everyone's Tonal. All that is left is conflict , one on one , man and woman. The collective mind is insane , filled
with the FI.
The Knock of the Spirit - Bob May - 07-23-2008
Hi Bob,
"...the sorcerers found themselves holding onto the only thing left uncontested : the nagual....There , the white man has never ventured. "
While in the flood zone in grand Rapids I was given the task of watching a section of the Downtown area. From 6PM. until 6AM. for almost 4 weeks 7 days per
week, that area was put in my charge. I took the task seriously and said to myself, "This is my island." All that was within my view was mine.
Needless to say, the only thing to keep my mind occupied in the wee hours of the morning was Not-Doing which I practiced eavey night.
After a while, I found myself in a state heightened awareness that would last for hours on end for days. A whole group of thoughts occured to me that I had
never though of in quite that way before.
I was in possession of that area in a way that the actual owners of those multi-million dollar buildings would never experience. The wole idea of land
ownership suddenly became to me the most hilarious joke that I had ever heard. Like what I believe the Native Amercans might have thought when the White man
came. Own the land? That's funny!
Then I remembered the promise given to Abraham (belief in the invisible) after he left everyone and everything he knew.
God told him that he would bring him back to the land and he would give it to him and to his seed, (all those who also believe in the invisible are the
spiritual sons of Abraham. It has nothing to do with Jews as a people.), to posses it forever. He took him to a high mountain (a high place in consciousness)
and told him that he and his spiritual children would own everything, as far as he could see.
This is a promise of second attention and even third attention.
Jesus said his kingdom was "not of this world."
All of the things that gripe you,.. and me too and a lot of others are merely the elements of "this world" and that is, in the Bible a very evil
"world system" a very specific term both in meaning and numerically.
The joke is that those who think they are in control are unaware that THIS WORLD "is not where it's at."
The conquistadors only got gold. Ponce De Leon never found the fountain of youth.
The real treasure is behind a veil they did not and do not know exists.
The Knock of the Spirit - Hawkeye Crow - 07-25-2008
I can see that the experience of working in the flood zone can be an opportunity to view a different consciousness.
As to the issue of this world , I do like what Juan Matus said about it being unfathomable and too short. Of course , that has nothing to do with those who
would greedily hoard riches.
On the third hand ("The Mote in God's Eye"-Gerry Pournel) , isn't it always the poor who live in flood zones? Aside from gated communities
on the beach front , which have private recovery insurance.
I found this in "Tales of Power" , likely the most political item in Castaneda......
A country bumpkin who became President--sound familiar?-- He was illiterate , so he used his wiles to outsmart everybody. He flashed a sheet of paper with
writing whenever he gave a speech. Thus , his efficiency and other qualities were undeniable to all the country bumpkins. One day a literate stranger came
along and noticed that the hero was reading his sheet upside-down. Do you think the hero was caught? Not a chance He faced everyone calmly and said, "
Upside down? Why should the position of the sheet matter if you know how to read? " And the bumpkins agreed with him.
Bob , I relate to your Christian ideals . But, it seems to me that what humanity faces is something else, needing another slant on things . Sorcery is that
slant. Castaneda said the FI invades through the feet. The Oglala Sioux seem to infer that the Grandmother Spirit can come the same way. I think I can feel
it, and then all world religions just become more cult propaganda , to me anyway. Jesus did say that the foolish things of the world will be made primary.
What is more foolish than sorcery? What is more foolish to todays Tonal than to reclaim our equality with the four-legged and the winged families? Oh no ,
you can't say that! Human Beings are First. How dare you put a dog as a peer to a human baby ?!?. I dare without self-importance. All life is the
creation of the unknown and mortals have no right to judge. But , a hunter has an obligation to give thanks!!
Dig it! No astrology , no vegetarianism. No superstition , just recognition of the unknown and the unknowable, and gratefulness for life.
An addendum: I grew up in the city in Ohio. I have been to NYC . Great stuff , you know. The museums , the art , the architechture, the MUSIC and the ARTS!
And there's a bit of that where I live , now , but finance precludes a lot of that for me. What I do have is ground under my feet , and to tell the truth
, some of the most refreshing well water I've ever known. I think I would KILL for this water! All over the world that is exactly what is happening. How
grateful I have to be. Let them keep their palaces. I will keep my water!
The Knock of the Spirit - Bob May - 07-25-2008
Hi Bob,
"Bob , I relate to your Christian ideals . But, it seems to me that what humanity faces is something else, needing another slant on things . Sorcery is
that slant."
I think over the years that I have been on this forum I have demonstrated a different slant to Christianity than what is usually called by that name.
If you read the New Testament it states that Jesus' followers were first called Christians in a city called Antioch. Read in context it very well could
have been a term of derision.
Followers of the Way, I think is what they called themselves.
I don't recall Jesus saying anything against thanking animals or Spirit for the food they provide. If that is your preference I respect that completely.
I am a sorcerer by Juan Matus' definition. That is because I stopped the World. I experienced something beyond what is available to most individuals. This
happened because I followed the methods of Juan Matus. Later I became a follower of the way or Christian whichever you like.
This happened because I believed that God became man in order to help mankind.
I began studying the "Mysteries" of this Way and found that many of the methods and suggestions found within Castanedas teachings were also in the
teachings of Jesus. I have shared many of these on this forum.
Later I found out that a student of the Bible can be "Under the Law" or "Under Grace." Those who are under the Law see only rules and
regulations contained in Scripture. Those who are "Under Grace" see only freedom.
Those who are under Grace can understand those under the Law because they have been there.
Those who are under the Law cannot understand those who are under Grace because they have not.
I am a Christian and I am a sorcerer. (It is not a question of "ideals" but belief and experience.)
If I said that on a "Christian" forum or in a "Christian" church, the only thing that would save me from being stoned or hung would be the
laws of the land.
This is a game of words. A language barrier. Not your fault or mine.
You know what I believe as do most on this list. Many people who call themselves Christian are my best friends. Others, my worst enemies.
Jesus had the same problem with the language being twisted:
37
I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.
38
I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
39
They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the
works of Abraham.
40
But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
41
Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
42
Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself,
but he sent me.
43
Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
44
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in
the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Here Jesus starts out saying they are of the seed of Abraham, Then he says they are not, then he says their father is Satan the Father of Lies.
The physical children are the Jews or Israel "after the flesh" or "the circumcision".
The spiritual children are the seed of Abraham "after the Spirit" or Those who are "circumcised in the heart."
If you are not circumcised "in the heart" you have no idea what he is speaking about. It does not compute.
This is a change in awareness that cannot be explained, only experienced. It is very similar to stopping the world.
Don't lump everyone who calls themselves "Christian" into the same catagory. How can they follow Jesus when they don't know what he was
teaching? How can they call themselves "Christian" when they have not removed the veil from their hearts or their eyes?
How can you lump together under one heading the judges of the inquisition with those who gladly became food for lions rather than renounce their faith in
Christ.
"I can see that the experience of working in the flood zone can be an opportunity to view a different consciousness."
Mainly because of sleep deprivation and long hours alone in the dark, early hours of the morning. Very effective tools that Don Juan used on Carlos many times.
The Knock of the Spirit - Hawkeye Crow - 07-26-2008
I find that speaking or interacting directly with plants and animals is more useful than saying grace at the supper table. Equality of beings is reinforced
as well.
Matt 18:23-35 This may be known as the 'ungrateful servant.' It was a suprising tale , when I first came across it , and raised my suspicions because
I had never heard it preached. So many excuses. I found the same thing in Chap 1 of "Tales of Power" , referred to as the humbleness of a
warrior. Castaneda's tale is so much more direct , and outlines masters , beggars and real equality , where scripture still supports the divine right of
Kings ( the so-called Godly ones , I suppose), and the duties of slaves and servants. Warriors are neither.
When I studied the Bible , I had a real ability to read between the lines. I still say that Genesis is missing a first verse. ie: In the beginning , God.
Must be the Nagual that does that to me.
It still amazes me how the Indians , or most tribes , before the white man , maintained a good relationship with the creator. Maybe even better than the
whites. They had no scriptures , no temples. They had the earth , sky and the four directions. Juan Matus uses these as well. I have a vision , or can
visualize , not a 'dream' exactly, but a very strong feeling of what it was like to live in those days , with a direct relationship to creation as it
was made by that we call a god. And , a detailed understand of all things , predators and friends alike , and all of them , plants , bears and such , seen as
families of beings. Within this paradigm , illnesses were rare. Certainly we would have heard of plagues like those that swept Europe in the middle ages. It
took the Euros to bring that . And in battle, the whites were always confounded by the health , strength and determinations of the Indians. How much has
been lost! How much more is being lost now , and how people of so-called faith are responsible for all of it. Indeed , the FI is false belief , false
ideas. Better not to believe anything nor try to explain anything. Just go with what works , with what the body knows to do. That is , so to speak , to get
oneself out of the way and let the Nagaul speak. There is no control , there is no petitioning , there is only making oneself available to mystery.
Oh yes , bob , as far a the floods , you are right about lack of sleep , as well as Juan's methods. The sight of the water alone should give one a new
perspective. Floods in the mountains where I live will go anywhere ; everything changes.
The Knock of the Spirit - Bob May - 07-26-2008
Hi Bob,
"When I studied the Bible , I had a real ability to read between the lines. I still say that Genesis is missing a first verse. ie: In the beginning , God.
Must be the Nagual that does that to me."
I am in complete agreement. I arrived at the same conclusion. That is because Genesis begins at "the begining",...The world of "Creation"
is the second World in qabalisic terms. Emanation, Creation, Formation and Making.
In Qabala the Ain Soph Aur or limitless light is beyond the Tree and cannot be concieved by man let alone described.
So, the "Dead End" where both Science and Religion and even thought are stopped would be the Beginning of both Time and Space.
Beyond that is The Unknowable. It is just a postulate that they name in order to say it is there. Even the highest Sephirah on the Tree is beyond us because if
we do become "One With" it we would unmanifest. "Enoch walked with God and was NOT for God took him."
It still amazes me how the Indians , or most tribes , before the white man , maintained a good relationship with the creator. Maybe even better than the
whites. They had no scriptures , no temples. They had the earth , sky and the four directions. Juan Matus uses these as well. I have a vision , or can
visualize , not a 'dream' exactly, but a very strong feeling of what it was like to live in those days , with a direct relationship to creation as it
was made by that we call a god.
That is why I study the words and teachings of Jesus, not Christians. "I and the Father are One", is about the best relationship you can find.
And "..consider the ravens who neither sow nor reap yet God provides for them". Shows a deep understanding of nature's connection with the
Creator and advice on how to connect ourselves to the Creator.
Also at another level of understanding Christ wrote the Scriptures and Wrought this Creation, and was from the beginning as the Logos or that part or function
of the Godhead that is responsible for All manifestation. As such, is responsible for these lines in the Book of Job, chapter 12.
7
But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:
8
Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
9
Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?
In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.
This is pure Native American philosophy. Because most Most Bible students do not believe the Bible does not make the book wrong. Only poor students and
blind teachers of that book/books.
Ro 1:20
"For the INVISIBLE THINGS of him from the creation of the
world are clearly seen, being understood by the THINGS that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so
that they are without excuse:"
The Knock of the Spirit - Hawkeye Crow - 07-27-2008
A new commandment , # 13 perhaps? From writer and unrepentant Junkie and Homosexual , William Burroughs: thou shalt not blow pot smoke in the face of thy
CAT!
The Knock of the Spirit - Hawkeye Crow - 08-16-2008
Don Juan spoke of the Spanish Conquest a few times , and of how it forced Sorcerers to adapt. How like that was the Nazi
conquest? I have one story that applies to this , by camp survivor Viktor E. Frankl , "Man's Search For Meaning". Are there accounts of AP
changes , or were they discounted as maddness, because of the circumstances? From what I have heard over the years , it is possible that Adolf Hitler sought
the powers of sorcery. Somewhere , in a sorcerers' story perhaps, he is reaping the effects of his cause.
Buchenwald Liberator Dies at 83
Published: 8/16/08, 4:00 PM EDT
By Wayne Drash CNN.com senior producer
(CNN) - James Hoyt delivered mail in rural Iowa for more than 30 years. Yet Hoyt had long kept a secret from most of those who knew him best:
He was one of the four U.S. soldiers to first see Germany's Buchenwald concentration camp.
Hoyt died Monday at his home in Oxford, Iowa, a town of about 700 people where he had lived his entire life. He was 83.
His funeral was Thursday at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Oxford, with about 100 people in attendance. The Rev. Edmond Dunn officiated
and recalled time he spent with Hoyt and his wife.
"I used to go over to have lunch with Doris and Jim, and I would sit across from Jim at the kitchen table and think, 'Before me is a
true American hero,' " he said.
Hoyt had rarely spoken about that day in 1945, but he recently opened up to a journalist.
"There were thousands of bodies piled high. I saw hearts that had been taken from live people in medical experiments," Hoyt told
author Stephen Bloom in a soon-to-be-published book called "The Oxford Project."
"They said a wife of one of the SS officers -- they called her the **** of Buchenwald -- saw a tattoo she liked on the arm of a
prisoner, and had the skin made into a lampshade. I saw that."
Pete Geren, the secretary of the U.S. Army, said the sacrifice Hoyt made for his country so many years ago should never be
forgotten.
"It's important that we don't allow ourselves to lose him," Geren told CNN by phone. "It's the memory of heroes
like James Hoyt and the memories of what they've done that we must ensure that we keep alive and share with the current generation and future
generations.
"Mr. Hoyt, as a young man, saw unspeakable horrors when he was one of the soldiers to discover the Buchenwald concentration camp, and
those are experiences as a country and a world we can never forget.
"You think back on a young man 19 years old and to have the experience that he had," Geren said, his voice dissolving before ever
finishing his thought.
The discovery of Buchenwald, on April 11, 1945, began the liberation of more than 21,000 prisoners from one of the largest Nazi concentration
camps of World War II.
The official U.S. military account of the liberation called the camp "a symbol of the chill-blooded cruelty of the German Nazi
state," where thousands of political prisoners were starved and "others were burned, beaten, hung and shot to death."
"There is reason to believe that the prompt arrival of the 6th Armored Division ... on the scene saved many hundreds and perhaps
thousands of lives," it said.
As a private first class in the U.S. Army, Hoyt was just 19 when he and his three comrades -- Capt. Frederic Keffer, Tech. Sgt. Herbert
Gottschalk and Sgt. Harry Ward -- found Buchenwald in a well-hidden wooded area of eastern Germany.
Hoyt was driving their M8 armored vehicle.
According to military records, Keffer was the officer in command of the six-wheeled armored vehicle that day. The soldiers were part of the
Army's 6th Armored Division near the camp when about 15 SS troopers were captured. It was mid-afternoon.
"At the same time, a group of Russians just escaped from the concentration camp, burst out of the woods attempting to attack the SS men.
The Russians were restrained and interrogated," Maj. Gen. R.W. Grow, the American commander of the 6th Armored Division, wrote in a 1975 letter about the
Buchenwald liberation.
Keffer was ordered to take his three comrades and two of the Russian prisoners "as guides to investigate, report and rejoin as rapidly
as possible."
"I took this side journey of about 3 km away from our main force because we kept encountering SS guards and prison inmates, and the
latter told us of the large camp to the south," Keffer wrote in a letter around the 30th anniversary of the liberation.
"We had been told by our intelligence that we might overrun a large prison camp, but we -- or at least I -- had no idea of either the
gigantic size of the camp or of the full extent of the incredible brutality."
Keffer and Gottschalk, who spoke German, entered the camp through a hole in an electric barbed wire fence. Hoyt and Ward initially stayed at
the vehicle.
"We were tumultuously greeted by what I was told were 21,000 men, and what an incredible greeting that was," Keffer wrote. "I
was picked up by arms and legs, thrown into the air, caught, thrown again, caught, thrown, etc., until I had to stop it. I was getting dizzy.
"How the men found such a surge of strength in their emaciated condition was one of those bodily wonders in which the spirit sometimes
overcomes all weaknesses of the flesh. My, but it was a great day!"
Keffer said the prisoners, through an underground system, had already taken control of the camp. The four soldiers notified division command
to get medical help and food to the prisoners as soon as possible.
The 6th Armored Division newspaper "Armored Attacker" ran a headline on May 5, 1945: "Four 9th AIB Doughs Find
Buchenwald." The article described the discovery as "the worst concentration camp yet to be uncovered by west wall troops."
Hoyt, a Bronze Star recipient and veteran of the Battle of the Bulge, was the last of the four original liberators to die.
Born May 16, 1925, to a railroad worker and a schoolteacher, James Francis Hoyt Sr. returned to his Iowa hometown after the war and largely
kept quiet about the atrocities he saw. He and Doris married in 1949 and had six children. "She's the love of my life," he said.
He met Bloom, a journalism professor at the University of Iowa, in recent years and began telling him his story.
Even 63 years after the liberation, Hoyt suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and attended a weekly group therapy session at a
Veterans Affairs facility.
"Seeing these things, it changes you. I was a kid," he said. "Des Moines had been the furthest I'd ever been from home. I
still have horrific dreams. Usually someone needs help and I can't help them. I'm in a situation where I'm trapped and I can't get
out."
Hoyt was invited to attend the 50th anniversary of the liberation, but he declined. "I didn't want to bring back those
memories."
"Thinking back, I would have pushed to be a psychologist -- if for no other reason than to understand myself better."
The military documents detailing Hoyt's involvement in the Buchenwald liberation were discovered in a box in an archive at the The Center
for Military History this week after a CNN query.
It was fitting for the humble Iowan. Hoyt listed his greatest achievement not as a Buchenwald liberator, but as spelling bee champ of Johnson
County in 1939, when he was in eighth grade. "I still remember the word I spelled correctly: 'archive,' " he said.
The story of James Hoyt -- mail carrier, spelling bee champ and American hero -- has now been archived for history. Sacrifices like his were
something his commander once said future generations should never forget.
"Memories of evil get erased, for life must go on, and new generations cannot be locked in the past. But they would do well to remember
the past," Keffer wrote.
At Hoyt's graveside Thursday, a 12-veteran color guard gave him a traditional 21-gun salute. Hoyt's casket was draped with the
American flag, and that flag was folded, as is tradition, 12 times.
Retired Gen. Robert Sentman gave the flag to Doris Hoyt. Sentman had earlier told mourners about the Buchenwald liberation.
"When the prisoners saw Jim, they picked him up and threw him in the air, that's how happy they were after seeing such horrors.
Prisoners had been hung from hooks to die. He saw a lampshade made from a prisoner's tattoo. Jim carried those horrors with him forever. He never got what
he had seen out of his mind. If you ever wondered about Jim, think about what he saw."
"When you were discharged, no one really gave a hoot about you. It was difficult for a compassionate person like Jim to forget what he
saw. He was a hero."
Copyright 2008 Cable News Network. All Rights Reserved.
The Knock of the Spirit - Hawkeye Crow - 08-23-2008
You're the kind of person you meet at certain dismal dull affairs
Standing out in a crowd , talking much too loud, running up and down the stairs
It seems to me that you have seen too much in too few years
And though you try you just can't hide , your eyes are etched with tears
You better stop , and look around Here it comes
Your 19th nervous breakdown
Oh , who's to blame . This world's gone insane. Nothin' I do don't seem to work , It only seems to make matters worse, For me
When you were a child you were treated kind, but never brought up right
You were always spoiled with a thousand toys , and still you cried all night
Your mother who neglected you owes a million dollars tax
And tour father's still perfecting ways of making sealing wax
You better stop , look around
You were still in school when you had that fool who really messed your mind
And after that you turned your back on treating people kind
On our first trip I tried so hard to rearrange your mind
But after while I realized you were disarranging mine
Here comes your 19th nervous breakdown
Jagger/Richards
The Knock of the Spirit - Hawkeye Crow - 08-24-2008
From a book on Logotherapy , by Psychiatrist and Auschwitz survivor, Viktor E. Frankel.
"...in the same way that fear brings to pass what one is afraid of , likewise a forced intention makes impossible what one forcibly wishes....pleasure is,
and must remain , a side-effect or by-product , and is destroyed and spoiled to the degree to which it is made a goal in itself."
CASE: "A young physician consulted me because of his fear of perspiring...this anticipatory anxiety was enough to cause excessive sweating. I advised
the patient...to resolve deliberately to show people how much he could sweat. "
The result of this practice was that he was able to free himself permanently , within one week , of his problem.(my paraphrase)
"...this procedure consists of a reversal of the patient's attitude...by a paradoxical wish. (ie: not-doing) Such a procedure, however , must make
use of the specifically human capacity for self-detachment inherent in a sense of humor."
The Knock of the Spirit - Hawkeye Crow - 08-24-2008
Where don Juan evoked Death as an entity to aid in reordering the Tonal , and as a guide on the Warriors Path , the Nazis , and the Spanish conquest no doubt,
seemed to use Death as if it were a captured ally , for the purposes of their 'sorcery'.
Could this type of confrontation with a Petty Tyrant be the source of the New Seers methods? Frankl's book describes many mental effects upon the camp
prisoners that were so similar to , though not in intensity, the methods used upon Castaneda, with similar results in refining his purpose and acts. These
prisoners lived with death 24-7 for years , and death could come at any time for no reason at all.
An interesting side-effect that Frankl noted was Apathy ie: if one is to die anyway, why care. He cited 'having a purpose (right out of don Juan!) '
as the overriding attitude among the survivors of the camps. It puzzles me that people who do not face such threatening circumstances become Apathetic as a
way of life.