John Anthony Miller Blogsite

Moonwalking On Mars

2009-07-21T06:10:00Z

Moonwalking on Mars

Here it is July 20, 2009. The 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11, and the first time a human being landed a man on The Moon. To me, it's a "big deal." I actually remember the date and Walter Cronkite's coverage of that incredible event. People, especially the younger generation, do not really seem to be able to grasp the total and awesome significance of the event which occured, somehow, 40 years ago. A space ship landing on The Moon, and human beings getting out of it and walking on another world. Done with slide rules, guts and primitive computers that were 60 times less powerful than the cell phone you have.

The Moon a world? Yes. A world of some sort of spiritual darkness I believe, but illuminated by the great light giver, The Sun.

A symbol of the human subconcious mind. Oops! There he goes again, symbolizing stuff. More on this darkness angle later.

Anyway, the date July 20, 1969 was etched forever in a time line where American men (and women) to my recollection as a kid of was very different than it is today. Those time-line humans were a different breed of people. Yes. To me, even hardened and Spartan-like. The value system was totally different. It was almost a moral sin to get a loan...or even run up debt on a credit card. The man was the head of the house. The woman took care of the house and kids and served the family and was there for them. Did I grow up in the "greatest first generation of the greatest generation?" - yes, I think so.

I mean, where I grew up and went to school, hoods were hoods (yes they carried swithblades, had duck-tail greasy hair, word white socks, jeans and taps on their heels. Kids seemed tough. Men were tough. Hell, everything had a toughness to it. Call it a rawness. My father was like a George Patton but occasionally acted like Ghandi. Maybe it was necessary at the time because of the "cold war" with Russians. (Yes, I was told 'the Russians are coming to get us...' and it scared the hell out of me as a kid. Nothing like ducking and covering to get away from nuclear fallout.)

Our next door neighbor was a survivor of the Pearl Harbor attack, and had most of his lungs burnt away from an exploding five inch gun shell powder explosion that occured on the USS Maryland. His name was Bill Griffin. A real hero to me. He took us fishing and we collected coins and ran Lionel train sets. He never complained, was super-humanly strong (I never could figure that one out), and always reminded me of Abraham Lincoln as we played catch in the back yard of the house he had built. Abe Lincoln with a baseball mitt. He also chewed tobacco and was deaf in one ear and the squelching of his hearing aid is something I can still hear in my memory to this day. Yes, those days bred a different kind of man. I still think a tough breed of man (and woman) still exist now, but I am not running into them as much these days. Must be an "age thing" as I approach death, eh? Everything gets fuzzier and harsher at the same time as banks and credit cards screw you over with a smile. And that word..."Perfect!" I keep on hearing from bank tellerettes and phone bimbos just bores me to stupified deathpoing.....meanwhile the "old man" dream dreams full of "dream stuff and honor" (didn't the great Scottish singer Gerry Rafferty kind of say the same thing in many of his songs---can't seem to find the guy on the net....I wonder why?). Meanwhile, the plastician young "suits" will never comprehend any of this. Thank God.

Flipping over that expensive investment grade gold eagle coin.... maybe the other side indicates a "new age approaching" - a kinder, gentler world...you know, one that mimics "1984" and the rise of the machines in "Metropolis." The machines will take over everything eventually anyway. After them, the insects will take over. Humans will be replaced by cockroaches as the dominant life form, the earth will still be here under a hotter Sun. All will be well. The question is, will cockroaches be bankers and loan sharks? (Sharks will be extinct by then, the species is already on the way out, by the way. Even if we humans intervene and try to save them, it is dismal.)

This toughness of exposure in my life carried over throughout the late 1960's into the the early 1970's with muscle cars, drugs sex, and hoods where things just were plain distorted by today's thinking. It toughened me up so much, that now I a bit soft. No, not a Liberal, just a bit soft with an attitude. Oh well, I am still here. I will write more on this stuff later.

Now, all this plays in my mind as a comparison of then and now. Men and now, actually.

The Moon. Yes. Symbol of Darkness and Mystery. The Subconscious Mind. Look up at it, and it can be romantic. That harsh mistress of the night who beckons men like a siren..."come to me...come to me!" Call me ... the ... "Peter Pan Man in The Moon." Why, that makes me think of only one person who could really moonwalk. A man kid who did not really understand himself. But he tried real hard. Flawed geniuses always make a big mark on the world. Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson on Apollo 11 Day? MJ made his big mark on the world. He will be around in our subconscious minds for decades to come, rest assured of that fact.

Wow, what a comparison! How did I get this into my brain? Easy. With Michael Jackson, I had a short time to reflect upon his death from June 25th, 2009 until Apollo 11 Celebration Day. I came to a few conclusions. Also a few parallels to my life as a kid and even now. The main thought that comes to my mind when I think of MJ was how lonely he was. Next, how misunderstood and sensitive he was. He just could not really "fit in." I still feel very sad about his death.

Many geniuses are like this. Lonely, super-talented, misunderstood and they just don't fit in with the rest of society as it demands (I call it the unwashed mob). That fits me pretty much as a person, as a kid, and now as an aging adult with the "Peter Pan Syndrome." If you saw my environment I would be a Peter Pan type at heart. Oh, while we are on the subject of MJ, people are asking what exactly was he sexually? My conclusion from just thinking and reflection was that he was an asexual person. I believe he was beyond mere sex.

You might want to go to Jane Fonda's site at www.janefonda.com where she has written the best insight into the death of psyche of Michael Jackson I have read so far. Worth the cyber-travel.

I was lucky to have briefly met Michael Jackson some years ago at a birthday party in Ventura, CA. It was brief, as I mentioned, but I was impressed by his shyness and almost etherial quality for a human being. I have a photo someone that someone took. It really is not important. The memory of the event is though. There was a brief creative connection though eye contact. Interesting fellow.

I was also fortunate to briefly speak to and meet Buzz Aldrin a few years ago at the Jules Verne Festival in Los Angeles. The second earth human to set foot on The Moon. A totally different typle of moon-walker, bred from a hardened breed of men to carry out a mission.

It's a small world. As a tie-in I am meeting with Ray Bradbury tomorow, one day after the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11. I see him often because I sell books and have known him for years. I think he must like me. He always said we should have used The Moon as a space station to get to Mars. Buzz Aldrin believes basically the same thing from what I hear...The Moon is 'played out,' and the time is now to get mankind on the planet Mars. I have also believed the same thing for years. We could have been colonizing Mars NOW.

My conclusion is this. Here we have two very different type of men. But both dreamt dreams with their eyes open. One died relatively young at 50 years. The other was born in 1930. Both were very similar in their dreams, in my opinion. Dreams transcend personalities, and types of spectral men and women.

Enter one other man who died even younger at age 40, symbolic of the 40 year Apollo 11 Anniversary Celebration, perhaps? He was John Lennon, educated dreamer and genius. He would have said, I think,....'just imagine.' Imagination is the basic denominator and priming force in the creation of all things. Before one builds something, like a flight to land a man on The Moon or Mars, one has to imagine it. Soul has no age limits, nor time limits from what I have observed. All creative stuff and good stuff comes from the soul with true love. I still have a lot of "observing and thought" to do on this one...it is pretty heavy stuff. True love is totally opposite to apathy and power. We see this opposition all around us everywhere, every day. Oh yes, being that nothing is destroyed in nature or supernature, true soul love is just transferred. It is always there in one form or another. I am betting that Michael Jackson is doing "The Mars Walk" there now. It would be quite different from the Moonwalk though.

'Assumptions harden into fact.' That quote is from the great mystic Neville. I have it right here in front of me. He wrote that by his own hand in one of my books. Neville was no slouch. He knew things that where hidden from the eyes of most people and attempted to clarify them.

I assume not much really....only those "proper" non-mythic assumptions which I know can be done if I imagine it. If it is not those thoughts which concretely create my assumptions, then it comes from my subconscious 'Peter Pan-like' innocence, which is my fault (I think). I will reluctantly work on improving that by conscious thought.

Just assume and imagine. We will go to Mars and beyond sooner than we think, if we want to.

July 4, 2009. John Anthony Miller's letter to America.

2009-07-04T20:19:00Z

July 4, 2009

Dear America,

Well, here it is. July 4, 2009. Independence Day for America. Technically, I suppose one of the most important birthdays ever in the history of mankind. To me it should be, but somehow I feel sad. I think of things like rockets and fireworks, hot dogs and families getting together to celebrate all that the United States of America is and was...and more importantly to me, which it could be. I think of people who fought in wars and lost their lives to die for this country, like my uncle Jimmy in France in World War Two. The fact that I can sit here and write what I want is an indication of the greatness of this country. Something to be thankful for.

I am sure many people reading this would wonder why I would write this. As I look around at the people in this country, I see a quiet, and sometimes not so quiet desperation. I see and am dealt hands from psychopaths and sociopaths coming out of the woodwork with their lies and general acts of inhumanity on all levels. I see people being thrown out of houses and not having enough food to eat and losing their jobs and savings. Bottom line is, I see a wounded spirit in the United States of America.

True, we seem to be able to overcome anything. We did it in World War Two and in other conflicts, socially and economically. Some would say, all this happened before. Nothing is new. I would say we have a lot more work to do. LIke my Grandma Lil told me as a kid in the 50's 'Good shall prevail.' Good comes from the soul. Good always prevails over evil.

As I observe, I see that just about everything around me has radically changed. Even more so than when I was a "rebel hippie-type" in the 60's. The socio-economic rules have changed. Technology has definitely changed. There are hundreds and even many thousands of changes that we will have to adapt to, or perish as a species. Psychos are everywhere. I think everyone senses it, but they don't know exactly what to "sense." What they do sense is that they deserve better and seem to be cherishing what they do have. You know them...the real simple things in life that we took for granted over the years. The basics.

"The Good, The Bad and The Ugly." A great Clint Eastwood starring film. I see bad things happening on a grand scale, but more importantly I see many new good things happening on a much grander scale. Does this sound optimistic? I hope so. I say this, because what I think I am seeing is a new humanity, a new spirit of "care" emerging from us as humans towards each other and towards all living forms (including earth). All this is emerging from the inner soul, as it should. That is precisely what has been missing from the past thousands of years of struggling humanity on the planet: lack of soul as a collective people.

If we live from the soul, the true inner self, and observe and become still and aware, we will all survive and will flourish, like a rose or other pretty flower coming out of the manure pile. I address this to the world as well as the USA. The USA is important amongst the rest of the world as, like The Statue of Liberty in New York (who has just had the "crown part" of the head restored and opened up to the public today) holds up a torch to light our way out of the pain of certain types of the human condition. The United States of America has been a beacon of hope for hundreds of thousands of folks for over two hundred years. This country is far from perfect, and is relatively young compared to European countries, but still I am here, writing this and trying to make it a better place before I pass on to the next existence. Let's look to that gift of each other and that great "Beyond of Beyonds" and be humbled and thankful for what we do have in spite of the flaws.

So, in summary I say "Happy Birthday America" and we can do better because we can. Let each one of us in this country live by his or her inner soul and let each person leave their legacy. Get up each day and be thankful for air and water and life and plan to live by the soul.

One other cool thing. I was born on April 13th, the same day as Thomas Jefferson (the "American Leonardo da Vinci"), who is generally recognized as the main architect of The Declaration of Independence back in 1776. I am very happy things turned out okay. If not they would have lost their heads and I would not be here writing this.

Happy Birthday America.

Love,

John

Terror Tales by Richard Senate with narration by John Anthony Miller

2009-06-06T20:20:00Z

Terror Tales
by Richard Senate
with narration by John Anthony Miller

My Body Floats by Richard Senate. Narration by John Anthony Miller.

Falcons Do Not Wear Suits (Part Two of "The Falcon Lands")

2009-05-31T07:54:00Z

Falcons Do Not Wear Suits

"The Imagination is the home of the soul."
- Carl Jung

This is a profound, yet simple quotation,
from one of the greatest minds in history,
Carl Gustaf Jung.

John Anthony Miller,
psychiatrist's son

Down The Yellow Sick Road with Mr. Falcon and Dr. Jung

As I grow older, wiser and sadder in my journey through this life, my mind now is quite attuned to the crap and illusions that most of the collective society has been sucked into. I had to work many years at becoming aware of this. I am still working at it. I will continue to work at it. Yet, weirdly enough, one does not have to work at it at all if one is removed and in a state of silence. Some call this "meditation." I call it "life." A flower is still. A rock is still. Yet both in time will be destroyed and be recycled and again be present in some other form on earth, or not on earth but; but certainly related to some kind of existence and presence in some dimension of time and space and ultimately directly hooked up to unity (The Creator).

For me it is a constant daily walk through the crap of the swamp land of life as I make the attempt to survive in a complex and now totally corrupt and paranoid, self-serving society. Then, strangely enough, after thought and reflection on all this, I realize that I am in fact "taken care of"; usually just by doing nothing, or doing something that leads to being taken care of and provided for in a most unforseen way. This "being taken care of" has occurred to me for years. Yet, I still suffer anxienty (anticipartory anxienty). Am I a hindrance to my quality of existence? Most of the times, yes. The big issue is how does one walk through a crap and illusion-filled swampland, that basically 100 percent of the time does not give a damn about you? "It" is collective and impersonal, just like America, the Great has now gotten. Affect us all? Yet better believe it does. I call it the "inverted pyramid effect." Like that funnel of crap I mentioned in the previous article I wrote about. There are healthy ways and there are destructive ways. The unhealthy ways ending up finally into the collective community, unless we kill off the way ways and find the "path to nurturing the soul". We all seek to nuture the soul...I think. I find that perhaps many people do not want to nuture the soul. Horror story. I find myself walking on both walk ways. Being consciously aware of all this interplay and deception going on is extremely important, for eventually there will be only the enlightened path into the light, a reflection of the true self, or soul. It may take years. It usually does. Again, only the individual can do this for themselves, although a mentor, if one is fortunate enough to have one, is of great help. The mentor, if he or she is competent, can speed the soul-walk process up somewhat, but only if the the "seeker" is willing to do something about it.

All things sensed physically, emotionally or spiritually will leave its impression in our minds (and therefore gets into our souls in what I believe is an indirect way---because I believe that most of the stuff in our souls is already there, but dormant) in one way or the other. This "sensed stuff" will act as "triggers" to set off the creative or destruction within each of us. Oh, how our socienty has fallen for the "negative" and soul draining triggers....embracing them as normal. Just look at the evening newscasts on television, for example. This is one of many negative triggers. Our collective society has been eclipsed by much ego-related negative "trigger junk" that is totally self-serving basically accepting everything without filtering the crap. Just look at the stuff on the television, besides the newscasts---more crap. Go out to a shopping mall--even more crap, on so on and so on. Incredible. A true wasteland. I liken this to a total solar now eclipse of the soul, the light, within us definitely is blacked out or at least, dulled out. It need not be so. It is up to us as participants of the human race! Better hurry though, before the insects take over!

The ego or human self is in an erratic false orbit around this "illusion" of life ('maya' is the psychological term for "illusion") and deception and the self is definitely moving away from the true purpose of honoring the soul, or the real and "immortal inner self" core of which each individual which is now breathing on this fragile, yet brutal, planet earth. We all need sunlight and air and enlightentent sprituality to survive.

We humans are caught up in so much illusion in the struggle for mere existence that we have thrown "the honoring of the soul" into the cesspool (of what we perceive and think) is life-usually for the pursuit of pleasure or materialism. This merry-go-round in hell has a nasty habit of repeating itself as we go merrily skipping downtown the Yellow Sick Road to seek the non-existent Wizard of Odd. That Wizard exists only in our warped "out of synch" orbital minds. To make ourselves "elevated" and replace the deflated and sick soul, we transfer our identies into false identies by various means. Oh boy! 'Make my day, punk!' I need more of the same, and so on and on! Addictions come in all kinds of subtle modes. Most of us never realize that we are addicted. Most of us hit the grave being totally unaware. 'Let the dead bury the dead,' as Jesus Christ (Yeshua Messiah said).

One must step out of the self. One must observe. One must not anticipate or be anxious over things we have no control over. Does this sound familiar to you? I struggle with this everyday.

All this brings me back to that falcon (please see part one I have written on "The Falcon Lands"). What is the meaning (at least the meaning to me) of this noble bird? For me, the bird was resonating inside me, or from the view of Carl Jung, "internalizing" the vision. The bird symbolized myself getting a "bird's eye view" over everything, overcoming that anxiety of the future events in which I have no control over. I am soaring above things, the illusions of life, looking down on them with full power, full grace and full control in removed sense. Further, the bird, like myself is a rather lonely and solitary creature, so I can identify easily with this. Like myself (an Aries) the bird is also a "warrior" and with great focus that can see a small object from a great distance---when aware.

Focus. Yes, very important. One must focus --- or be lost. I am guilty of not focusing enough in my own life, due to my curious nature. A trait of Aries. They have that habit of starting great projects and never finishing them. This pisses off a lot of people. I have to be very careful of that one.

'OK' you say. So what about this title? 'Falcons Do Not Wear Suits?' Where did you get this from?

Photo of a hawk taken by John Anthony Miller. The bird landed about two years ago (2007) in the Chinese
Elm Tree in my back yard. Notice that the bird is not wearing a suit...

Suit Story One

A couple of years ago I sold a few valuable domain names to a business near Hollywood. A big company found out I had registered them many years ago and wanted them...intially for free. I have had (and still do have) many domain names that I have registered over many years I have been involved in computers. Why? I guess I like being creative and just having them. I was using a couple of them for some websites I had up for about 10-11 years and with information on them. At that time after some negotiations and with a legal advisor, a reasonable and fair price was agreed upon by both myself and the big company (as I had invested much money and time, servers and registration in the creation of the sites over the years, and needed to get something in compensation for them...also, I had rejected offers in the past for much more money from Europe, as I wanted to keep the sites in the USA). I decided to make the decision (after they made an invitiation) to pick up the check instead of having a check mailed to me so. With this in mind, it was a Wednesday we had agreed upon. So, for me Wednesday was the date to come by the big corporation and pick up the check. But of course there was more to all this than picking up a check. I loved the product they were selling! I want to meet these people. I had rejected years ago to selling two domains to the Serbians because this was an "all-American" company! I drove south past Hollywood to meet the people and get to know them! Wow! What a cool opportunity. That was why I had posted information on the site in the first place and snabbed the cool domain names. I finally found a place to park the car on that Wednesday, but they were not in the office. The secretary said they were at lunch, and I 'just missed them.' She seemed pleasant enough and then forcefully handed me a check and said, 'This is what you came for, isn't it?'

I replied not totally true, but yes, I did come to pick up a check. She handed me some papers to sign, (which was totally strange as the property was legally theirs' several days prior when the transfers took place.) I signed them with a confused grimace. I said I would go out for lunch and come back. A few hours later I returned, and still...no one but the secretary was there. It was late in the day. I told her that I would have liked to have met the folks whom I had done business with, that I believed in their product nearly to a point of fanaticism, but told her that I would have to return for a visit a later date, but not sure when as the drive was a considerable distance. I turned to walk out the front door. There was a "dinging" sound. The back door opened and in came four people in nice expensive blue suits each with a surprised look on their faces. I turned around to greet them. with a smile. Neat as a pin they all were. I extended my hand in friendship to all of them and told them I was happy to meet them. I could tell from their eyes they were asking themselves inwardly "What the hell does he want?" Truth was that I just wanted to meet them. We chit-chatted for a few minutes. I then shook their hands again and my "warrior self " left quietly. My consciousness and the falcon saved me. Oh well, another day and ten years, another dollar...

Suit Story Two

I have another "suit story." I went into a bank recently. Actually "they" say they are the largest and most powerful bank in the US. I wanted to ask them about refinancing or modifying my loan to my house, as here in California, the value in my home had dropped considerably. I was paying on an inverted mortgage loan (I hate that word "mortgage." I sounds like "death" to me...I have to work on that one.) I was directed to a young man in a nice new blue suit. I asked him my questions, to which he had no answers and then referred me to a "specialist." The sign on his desk said he was a "specialist" in mortgages and such bothersome things. So he was not a "specialist." OK. Fine. He rises up out of his chair and said "I'm sorry about your house." My response without thinking was " I really don't care." I sounded flippant. I found this a bothersome yet curious response that just sort of popped out of my mouth. I got home and wondered why I had said this.

Instinctively I responded this way because I had no control over the situation - does any normal "non-numbered of the beast customer-person" have control over a bank or a "suit?" A year prior I had realized that trying to have control over such a situation was futile. I could not change a thing, no matter how hard I had tried. A lot of this inability to get through to "bacnk experts" what their total incompentence. The left hand did not know what the right hand was doing. What happens in 1 or 5 years is out of my control. Hell, what happens in one second is out my control potential. Take a stroke victim for example, that is a good example. For me, all that "obsessive anticipatory anxiety" used to be much more of an obsessive worry than it was that day. It still needed work. It is less now. That is good.

To get drawn into this way of "obsessive anticipatory anxiety" thinking was to suck my energy or life force from me. When this happens, I am left depressed. Not good. It was appropriate in this case to respond with "I really don't care" -but only when I accepted the reality of "what is." It was a normal warrior-like defense mechanism. Healthy.

The warrior falcon with must come out only when it has a bird's eye view to change things. This time I was saved by my subconscious -- and the internalized Jungian falcon.

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Native American Indian Views About Mr. Falcon (briefly of course)

More about the falcon, from Native America. The falcon (or hawk) is like Mercury, the Messenger of The Gods. The falcon teaches one to be observant and to look at your surroundings. Observe the OBVIOUS in everything you do. Life is constantly sending you signals (to my way of thinking they are synchronic signals). The non-illusion version of "life" is the thing here. Be observant to the subtle things around you...the things that escape most people. The Messenger Falcon is bringing you a message which can call forth the power for you to overcome any stressful situation that is currently bothering you in the moment. Are you using your talents that The Creator has given you? Are you looking at things around you and taking them in? The light, the smells, the colors? One is only as powerful as consciousness allows. This consciousness comes in through both subconscious and consciousness.

With the falcon (or bird's eye view) comes an overall view of life. This also brings in a heightened awareness and responsibility for one's actions on all levels of conduct, be it a bank suit or a president giving a command to launch missiles. Get out of yourself and look down on your life for the grand perspective. That way you can soar without hindrances. One can also soar closer to the Light and warmth of the Sun as well.

The falcon will set the imagination- the home of the soul, free.

Flying Raven. Photo taken by John Anthony Miller May 27, 2007

"The falcon is within me." - John Anthony Miller

Have YOU found your falcon?

Little Guy (RA) the black cat. John Anthony Miller's favorite cat. Photo by J. A. Miller 2009

The Falcon Lands. The John Anthony Miller Blog Resurrects Itself On May 13, 2009

2009-05-13T05:27:00Z

John Anthony Miller

THE FALCON

Part 1.

Many of you have wondered...just where the heck is this John Anthony Miller character? He is supposed to have something to write about but is quite the elusive one (or perhaps many of you have thought or said worse things).

Yes, it has been months. So just where was I? A good question. A better question would be where am I?

Well, as Karl Jung the famous psychologist/psychiatrist might well have said: 'John Anthony Miller was in the swampland of the mind, but he did show up for work.'

I am not so sure how well I have shown up though. I am still trying to show up in this ongoing struggle of life. Creative people such as me usually have this "anti" Yin-Yang type struggle. Writing this "blog" helps me to "show up for work" and find balance.

Fusing this new found information (with a little help from a friend in the "mystical town of Ojai, California") and with a newly restored Faith in The Creator there will be salvation of this soul. It appears that the collective mad minds of society have gone amuck and have super-saturated the individual in our society (and world) with fear. An analogy might be like a funnel hanging over a person, and it is being continually filled by sociopathic minds with a dark grimy glue; the poor individual having the stuff poured on top of him or her day in and day out. No one should have this grimy glue poured on them. Yet, that is what is happening all around us. We are being constantly contaminated by this "sociopathic glue stuff" which is sticky and horrible and congeals itself into a substance which makes us hard to function properly on all levels as children of the universe. Eventually many of us will stop functioning, coming to an early death from within. If we look around, we see it happening all around us on every level and in every pursuit of humanity. To escape all those fears (which I find can only be conquered by being totally conscious and seeking ever to increase that Faith in The Creator), many of us seek illusion and choose not to "face" the swamp of the mind. Eventually we all have to face the swamp of fear and illusion to grow strong and healthy, and to contribute something good to society before we pass on to the next dimension. Many of us will not or cannot, and will go to the grave in such a condition. The path is difficult and the swampland is heavy and dark. I chose, by sheer will power from my Italian-Germanic heritage I suppose, to show up for work after slogging through that "swampland of the mind" I found myself in. I mentioned this to someone and they wanted to "fly over the swampland" to "show up for work." I found the comment noble (for some reason) and amusing at the same time, but one in such a condition really has to walk through the swamp stuff to get to the other side where there is no swampland. These are just my thoughts from my present experiences. And no, it is never too late to get out of the swamp if one is in it.

"Fantasy" by John Anthony Miller.
An early period art work honoring Alice in Wonderland that I did in the late 1960's after
the work of John Tenniel.

As I get older, I am finding myself more in tune with symbols and symbolism on the unconscious and conscious levels. As an artist on this planet (please see johnanthonymiller.com) with a particular gift of having my art "speak for itself," (or rather the talent I have speak for itself) I was always involved with symbolism. I just did not know how very significant it was until later in life. The dream world merging with the conscious world is a truly fascinating reality which is full of fascinating discovery. I really never gave it much thought though, that is until I entered the swampland of the mind. My creativity output became less and less over many years. Finally the inside of my being turned to the outside of my being. Functioning nearly stopped. To become balanced and re-discover my talent I found that one has to dig deep and peel off those layers of congealed glue from the mind. So, my thoughts naturally went to Australian Aboriginal tribes and Native Americans, who place great emphasis on dreams and symbology entering into a person's life as being quite significant and having a reality all their own. All we have to do is tune in and observe. To be sure, I am still in that swampland of the mind, but the "little battered creative man" is crossing it. Another analogy might be like he is ever so slowly crawling up a dark tunnel into a light.
He will get to the top eventually.

So, what about the title of this newly resurrected "blog" and the title "The Falcon?"

In confronting negativity and the dire straits of swampland, I hung a bird feeder outside of my study about two months ago. Everyday I filled it with bird seed and watched the birds come and eat. I thought to myself that as long as there are birds chirping and eating, things will be OK. Life is still good, and there is a certain optimism that still is present in a world of hell. Even with great trouble things will be OK. The Biblical passage stating that God (Yahaveh) will take care of people as does He the birds was (and still is) a very comforting thought, especially to creative swampland people like myself (notice I use this as a collective, as I am part of the collective mass of people, as are you).

Underneath that bird feeder I have a large round clay bowl that I fill everyday with water. I found that the birds will sit on the edge of the bowl and drink water. The scrub jays hang around it and watching their antics is amusing. Once in while at night raccoons will take a bath in it. Sometimes an opossum will lumber up to it and take a drink. The clay bowl is a real community water hole which also seems to help my "father" complex in check. Oh yes, let us not forget the Bible and the "Water of Life" symbology that fits in this little psychological and spiritual eco-town quite nicely.

Three days ago I looked out of the study window. To my amazement I saw an incredibly beautiful bird perched on the edge of that thick clay water bowl. It was a peregrine falcon taking a drink. My first thought was "Wow! Look at that! What an incredible and noble creature. My kind of bird!"
My second thought was to go into the next room and grab my camera and take a picture-but it would be gone by the time I got back to take a photo. I looked out the window in a bit of awe. Never in all my life have I seen such a noble and magnificent bird, all this majesty from the wild was just a few feet away in my back yard. The bird took two drinks and then spread his wings outward, like a cross and then looked directly at me with those penetrating eyes. He folded his wings back again, took another drink of water and looked at me again. The noble bird then looked up and then flew off.

A magnificent symbol of power, elegance and spirituality. To Native Americans a creature like this has great significance for change and power. Looking down over any swampland situation is no problem. The bird will have total power and control and will observe the world in wide vision, yet be able to focus on the smallest thing.

My inner sense is that falcon will come back to drink more water-at sometime in the future when I need to see him. I felt for sure that I had known that bird from a previous time. Was the bird an angel or messenger from God? For me, yes, the bird was such a symbolic messenger to this swamp-bound brain. Reality and the dream world were one and the same for just a few minutes to validate my life experience. Time stood still for moment and reflection of self was realized. I had been praying for a symbol just that morning.

It is time to fly.

The Phantom's Mask Vol 1 No. 1 ---Resurrection!

2008-07-08T05:30:00Z

The Phantom's Mask
The Newsletter of The Phantom Bookshop
Volume 1 Issue 1 July 2008
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The Editor:
Behind this mask I look out at the strangely perverse world of bookshops and collectors to step forth with new thoughts, ideas, and bargains. These are truly the times to try men's souls but such times also mean opportunity and growth. It is time to shake off the dust and shake things up! The simple newsletter is the tool of change. Feel free to join us in the crypt and express yourself and enter the dark underground world of The Phantom. In hoc Sig no Vinces!

Special Books For Special People...One of a kind items for the collector with everything, but would like something, shall we say...a bit "exotic."

The Shocking Solution to The Lizzie Borden Case
By Richard and Debbie Senate

This book is unique because it is annotated by the authors and decorated with photographs from the famous paranormal investigators' personal collection. This is a one of kind item and one that will never be repeated by the couple. The Phantom tried to offer this treasure on the odious site feeBay, but, to no avail. So in hopes of placing this piece of rare exotica in the hands of an erudite paranormalist, he is offering it here, where it belongs. If you happen to be interested in psychic detective work or in the classical locked room mystery that took place in 1892, then, this is your book. It will be an item that will amaze friends and confound so-called experts of the famed axe murders. Think you know who did the deed, eh? Well, pilgrim, according to the Senates---Miss Lizzie did not do the hack job! I will not tell you more. This is a work that will climb in value. This is a hand annotated copy from the hand of Richard Senate, folks...a true pioneer in the field of paranormal research. The guy who had the first website on the internet. It can be had and even...personalized to you for a mere $230, plus sales tax if you live in California, less than a tank of low octane gasoline for a motorized motor home. Call me at 805-641-3844. Or write me a letter ---phantom@phantoms.com . All credit cards and even cash can be ex-cised from you. Oh, yes. Before I forget, we sell normal copies, signed by The Senates for $27 each, which includes everything, including a CD to go with the book. Cheap.

Click HERE to see or purchase the Lizzie Borden annotated book with CD. Click on the blog site under"Debbie Senate" to get her psychic impression of this book.

Click HERE to see or purchase the Lizzie Borden generic first edition, signed.

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What the...???
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle writes his last book with annotations by the Master Ghost Hunter himself!

THE EDGE OF THE UNKNOWN
By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

There are many hardbound volumes of this, Sir Arthur's last book.. This volume is unique in another way---it is fully annotated by the internationally famous ghost hunter and psychic researcher Reverend Richard L. Senate. He writes his comments on the work---where the creator of Sherlock Holmes and early psychic researcher---got some things wrong and where he got some things right. Reverend Senate details how the skills that created Holmes enabled Doyle to delve into the mysteries of psychical (as it was often then called) research. Again, this is another one of a kind item. There will never be another annotated copy. Hmmmm. Maybe I should just keep this one for MY Richard Senate collection. No, I will be generous, and offer it for sale. At least for now. The fully inscribed notes have case files and opinions you will not be able to find anywhere else. This work will be signed by Reverend Senate and also personalized to you for a mere pittance of only $186 not including California State Sales tax. Contact The Phantom...before he changes his mind...

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PRISON MURDER MYSTERY SIGNED BY ERLE STANLEY GARDNER

The Case of The Drowsy Mosquito is a paperback without the cover, one of the millions of paperback books destined for the trash heap in the 50's. Now days when a used and rare bookseller bites the dust, of which most have that I have known, hard covers with jackets thrown into the dump. One LA bookseller I have known for 20 years tried donatating them to Good Will, but they did not want them, so books he paid $20 or more for went into the dump. For, you see, books are like tenants and sort of pay rent. I just sold a book yesterday I had on my shelf for 18 years. It was a first children's' book that should have sold way back when. But I forgot to mark the price up on the collectible and some wily collector snapped it up. But, The Phantom is diversing here and getting off the subject of matter at hand.

This Erle Stanley Gardner book was salvaged to be used in the extensive prison ministry of Reverend "Hap" Gilbert, a member of Erle Stanley Gardner's "Court of Last Resort." We can into that interesting group of fellows in a later newsletter. Anyway, Erle Stanley and Reverend "Hap" were great friends. Once, upon visiting the rectory in Ventura, California, Gardner signed the coverless book (this has to be first, eh?) with his own embellished and cryptic signature. The Episcopal minister pulled it from the stacks that he was planning to give to the inmates and just kept it. The book was long in the collection of Gilbert's daughter, Jane, and is only now being offered to collectors. This Phantom might just get this myself, for my coverless paperback book collection...

This little volume has been looked at and appraised by one legendary book store as having a value well over $150. The owner is offering it to the public for a price of only $95. As is happening, Erle Stanley Gardner's signature is steadily rising in value over the years. If you don't believe, check out what the signature of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett are selling for now. Gardner is considered one of the "big three" mystery authors and knew both of these fellows in life.

Plans for a new "Perry Mason" TV show are in the works and such items tend to skyrocket once more people get to know about Gardner.

Oh yes, one more thing. Gardner hardly ever signed paperback books, especially ones without covers. Contact Phantom Bookshop if you want it, otherwise this Phantom writer is going to purchase it.

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PREDICTIONS: The Phantom Looks Into His Crystal Ball

Looking into the future, this phantom looks peers the veil and mists of time itself to see what is in store for all of us of what is left of the year 2008. Mark these down because they might be your keys to financial reward! Change is coming and coming it is, as fast as the blink of an eye.

The housing market will continue to drop in October but bounce back in the year 2009. Now is the time to invest your money. A home purchased in a bank redo will rise in value during the next two years! Keep a level head when all others are panicking and you can become as rich as The Phantom.
The War in Iraq will end. All wars end and so too will this conflict. By 2009 the War in Iraq will be over, BUT, it will not be a time of peace. Now is the time to reflect on ways to do things at home, here in the good old United States of America. The future will NOT be a good time visit overseas. Things will change for the better in time though.
A new set of small cars, electric and fuel will be on the market soon, and affordable for the average family. Invest in the new electric technology (which is nothing new, by the way, as Tesla many years ago had a grip on this, but died in poverty alone in an apartment room long ago, nearly penniless) - you could start electric recharging facilities. For a few dollars your car can be recharged. Follow the trend to make not only economical boxed but look to make the small electric cars "fun cars." Think of sports car-like vehicles that are featured at Disneyland's Autopia. Fun cars with incredible mileage capabilities will sell. Think of the power to weight ratio and you can be become rich in the new economy.
The world of politics is an ever changing world that doesn't really change things at all. It is an illusion, what the Hindus call "maya." Obama's star is fading as the luster of campaign becomes tarnished even at this early date. But, if he should get into The White House look at few real changes. This goes for McCain, Hillary or anyone else. The US Presidency is now becoming just symbolic. But, this means great opportunities for new groups and people to sway the government. This is a good time to enter politics on a local or state level.
The coming Olympic Games will be marred with all kinds of problems. Do not invest in the Games, as it be a poor investment.
The price of gasoline will drop. As the summer ends the price will fall by at least fifty cents per gallon by October. It will fall back even more as winter comes. The bubble will pop but, do not rejoice for high prices will be back as the problems of war and peace come to a head with...IRAN ! A new leader will come for that land. Invest in oil development and railroads.
The coming winter will be a wet one. Be read to leave your home to floods if you live near a river. Have a flashlight, radio, batteries, canned food and blankets ready. In the months of November, December, January and February keep a half tank of gas in your car to evacuate if ordered to do so. Being forewarned is being forearmed.

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VENTURA LITERARY FAIR: July 26, 2008

The signature event of the California Literary Society will be held at the Crowne Point Hotel on the beach at Ventura, California. The exhibit starts at 10AM and is FREE to the public. Lectures, books and exhibits will be present. The 50 exhibitors will include sellers, authors, publishers, literary groups, book clubs and non-profits. Lectures will include talks on writing and publishing your book.

One of the speakers will be that great friend of The Phantom Bookshop, Professor Richard L. Senate. All who support literacy and book should attent this event. Admission is free of charge and the hotel is just steps away from the historic pier, art galleries and bookshops.

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THE GREAT SECRET
by W. Mansfield-Gibbs

The Great Depression that hit the nation in the 1030's is hardly remembered today and when it is, its all defined by such iconic images such as "The Grapes of Wrath" or the old "The Waltons" TV show.

The REAL Depression was an awful experience that hit almost everyone in the nation and most families have many stories of that traumatic era. Many older people can tell you all about it. They still, even in the year 2008 have a "Depression Thinking Mentality" that they will go to the grave with. That is how bad it was. Will it happen again in the late 2000's and beyond. Perhaps. But it will be a quite different depression than was experienced in the early 1930's. It will still be bad. It is possible this could happen. The Phantom personally believes it will occur. You will have to either learn to live by FEAR or FAITH. The Phantom chooses FAITH....NO FEAR!

My mother's family were comfortable members of the middle class before the stock market crashed in 1929. Her grandfather had been a policeman and her dad owned a small corner market in San Diego. When times got hard and people couldn't pay their food bills, my grandad gave them food on credit. It wasn't long before he lost the store and they were reduced to poverty. One family she talked about had to kill and cook their own family dog to keep from starving! Think it could not happen here? Count your blessings, folks. Mom and her brothers and sisters were constantly trying to make a few pennies of find some food. For her, a simple single potato that could be baked and eaten was seen as a real treat.

In this way, she met an old lady from Europe who told fortunes and read cards. The woman couldn't get around much so she had my mother go to the market and buy things for her. In return she gave her a few cents. Once, she remembered picking up a package for the woman at the butcher's shop. She look into the wrapped bundle and found that it contained chicken's feet! Not drumsticks, but just the feet that could be boiled into soup stock. The old woman taught her to read cards and gae her some free readings. But, perhaps the greatest gift she gave her was how to get anything you want in life. It was called "The Great Secret."

I have found that others today are telling the "great secret" or at least their variation on this formula for success. The way my mother told the secret was that it could also have a "down side." I don't think today's tellers of "the secret" include this in their boks and lectures and DVDs. Not good for book and DVD sales. In short, the secret is this:

Pick out what you want in life---it should be something specific, not general.
Get a picture of your desire and clip it to a magazine or newspaper.
Hang it up so that you can see it everyday.
Now, imagine you already have it and you can visualize it like a memory.
Do this each day, several times a day and it will come to you!

Sounds simple, but it really works. The secret is this may take some time. It may take up to a year or more. My mother gave it a try. She always wanted a mink coat. She got a picture of it from a magazine, and pasted it into her "dream book" and looked at it each day. She imagined it was in her closet. She thought about feeling the fur with her hands and getting it in a nice box as a gift. She could never in her wildest dreams have been able to purchase something like this in the late 1930's. Nine months passed, then the dream came true!

She met a well-dressed man at a dance hall. He was a dark, dashing fellow who had a wonderful new Packard automobile. They danced together and she found he was a magnificent dancer. He was always asking about her and didn't share much about himself except that he was from the east coast. He always had lots of money to spend and they went to the best places, like the Brown Derby in Hollywood. They went to plays and films. She never told him of her dream of having a mink coat--that's part of the secret, and it must be kept a secret and not disclosed. In time she met some of her friend's associates and learned he was a gangster! The shiny automatic pistol he always kept with him should have been a clue. Once she learned this, and that he may have been involved in some really nasty things, she tried to break up with the man. Her resistance to his advances seemed to stimulate him and he even asked her to marry him! He gave her a large gift-wrapped box. She opened it. It was a mink coat! She could not accept it, but she had gotten her wish.

Was the story true? It's hard to say, but my mother was a good looking woman in yer youth and the mafia was involved in Hollywood at the time, so it is possible.

I resolved to try the great secret for myself. The selection of a target was hard because it had to be something I really wanted but that I could not afford. I selected a trip to Hawaii. The kicker was that I modified my wish that I would get this trip for free! I got a picture of Diamond Head and the beach at Waikiki and framed it my apartment. I read travel books and studied the maps of Honolulu. I imagined myself walking the streets and visiting the museums. I imagined myself at the historic Palace having a Blue Hawaii drink and feeling the trade winds. I thought about it so hard and long it was almost as if I had been there and it was a memory. I had never really left California at the time.

Not long after I started the experiment I met my future wife. I must admit I had never met a person like her before. We seemed so comfortable together; it was almost as if we had known each other for years. After we were married, her father, Karl took us all on a family trip to---you guessed it---Hawaii. We stayed at a hotel in Honolulu that had a view out the window of Diamond Head. Her father paid for everything on the trip, even the Blue Hawaii drinks and the tours. It sounds good but we had no free time of our own. Only once we managed to break away and walked along the beach to the old "Roayl Hawaiian Hotel" where I had a drink at the bar. I had gotten my wish, but it was a bitter sweet trip. The experiment proved that the great secret was true. So use this secret with care, because you may get what you wish for!

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THE PHANTOM'S WRITING CONTEST

There are lots of contests for new writers on the net. Most expect you to pay for the right to enter. The Phantom's Mask is different. All we want is your stories. Do you get anything if you win? Yes. The story will be published in newsletter for all to see. I will be evaluated by writers and you will win a 10% discount on purchases from The Phantom Bookshop. The rules will change with each month so do be aware of the changes. The stories are short, so brevity and creativity are the keys.

RULES FOR THE AUGUST PUBLICATION

The Story must be original.
This month's genre is "mystery" to honor the birthday of the great writer Erle Stanley Gardner.
The limit is 800 words.
The work should focus on the City of Ventura in some way.
The due date is July 30, 2008, at noon.
The next issue of The Phantom's Mask will be on the 7th of August, 2008.

Next month will have a different genre. Science Fiction, to honor the birth month of the great author Ray Bradbury.

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MOVIE REVIEWS WANTED

Have you been to a movie recently? Was it worth the price of admission? If you would like to comment, The Phantom's Mask has a place for you! We do not want to know if it is good or bad, but why it is good or bad. If you wish to be in our movie review contact us at
phantom@phantoms.com

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BOOK REVIEWS WANTED

If you would like to review a new book or even a classic book, The Phantom's Mask is your forum to tell what you think of the book. All book reviews will be considered.

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QUOTE TO REMEMBER: "A good book is the purest essence of a human soul." ---Thomas Carlyle, 1840.

Become a member of the Phantom's Family by signing up for THE PHANTOM'S MASK and it's sister publication GHOSTWATCH.

Crying Babies recorded at Debbie Senate seance many years ago

2008-03-16T06:16:00Z

Crying babies recorded from a Debbie Senate seance years ago.
This recording was not altered or enhanced in any way.
Hear the 3-15-08 interview with Debbie Senate.

Interview with psychic Debbie Senate by John Anthony Miller

2008-03-16T04:16:00Z

Psychic Debbie Senate interviewed by John Anthony Miller

Interview with psychic Debbie Senate by John Anthony Miller.

Debbie and Richard Senate

A candid interview by John Anthony Miller with world-renowned psychic Debbie Senate. Debbie discusses life as a psychic, when she first noticed her gift, seances, remote viewing and other interesting topics about the paranormal. Debbie Senate is the wife of famed ghost hunter and psychic researcher Richard Senate (www.richardsenate.com)

This interview was done in 2008 by John Anthony Miller.

Richard Senate Podcast on Hunting Ghosts for Fun and Profit (part 1.)

2008-03-13T05:36:00Z

Richard Senate interviewed by John Anthony Miller on Hunting Ghosts

Richard Senate Podcast on Hunting Ghosts for Fun and Profit

A most revealing podcast about ghost hunting and Richard Senate's unique views on the subject. This interview was done several years ago. Every aspiring ghost hunter can learn something by listening to this revealing interview by one of the world's pioneering researchers in the paranormal field.

This was an early interview from John Anthony Miller's HAUNTED RADIO, and is the only surviving interview done at least ten years ago (ca 1999). Part two of this interview was lost. Perhaps more will added to this interview at a later date. For now, we present this very good and useful interview about hunting ghosts with master ghost hunter Richard Senate. Thanks and have fun listening! - John Anthony Miller

John Anthony Miller
Richard Senate investigating Alcatraz