This episode
begins and ends in the same way, the serpent finding its own tail. Like everything. Nonetheless.
Figure why not, might as well, the tours aren’t too expensive and despite
the fact that I will ask what I’m doing over and over, it was worth going. Always is.
Had a big beer beforehand because apparently that helps with symptoms of
isolation and what not; and also, it was fun doing quizzes about the Spanish
language in a foreign bar away from all the locals like a weirdo. Waiting for the tour bus to arrive. The sheep herded in; it always feels this
way, no matter what. It’s not an
altogether negative sentiment. I mean,
tours are tours. They aren’t going to
suddenly become individualised, the tour guide addressing each individual
personality as per their subjective experience in regards to the topic and
environment at hand. Dreaming on. So off we all go, me, my mates from all over
the world, on what will be the most rational astronomy tour imaginable. I suppose it is a very scientific field, I
just didn’t really think about that.
Lots of research out here. Two
things I picked up on about the whole thing, which I found funny. First, telescopes are phallic. Second, the land out here is so alien, so extra-terrestrial,
that I find it very ironic that this is the ideal place for peering out into
the universe to discover things. Two
awesomely interesting things I think.
Phallic. See, because they’re
like big male apparatuses pointing into the sky to discover things. Big dicks, man! Very masculine and very paternal. Don’t worry honey, I’ll look through this
telescope and tell you what’s going on.
And the fact that it’s such an alien land; well, this is just off tap,
because in searching for alien lands and information regarding the great
vastness of space and the sky and what it contains, we must set up in places
which more or less resemble what we’re looking at. Not exactly, I know; way too simple. But the general idea is there. Looking at Mars from Mars. Looking at the Moon from the Moon. They even call them things like the Valley of
the Moon or the Valley of Death. And
with these awesomely huge big-dick apparatuses tell us what’s out there, despite
the fact that it’s in a sense beneath our feet.
Almost literally. Probably
literally. Bunch of monkey looking
through a hole to see a graphic representation of what is deemed reality. I know I sound sour but man…there’s just something
in these sentiments. I’ve been
concentrating lately on my posture; what the madre said effected me and I understood it because I learnt something
like it in my first ayahuasca ceremony.
In fact, without my posture, I may not have made it out of that ceremony
alive. Breathing too. Epic aspects.
Anyhow, the astronomy tour. Really
interesting despite my devilish opinions.
Haha. Truly though. Run by a Canadian fellow named Les. Guys, this is Les, the most rational man
available tonight. Great sense of humour
though. He told us all what we were ‘actually’
seeing. Because apparently what we see
isn’t...well, what we see. And he also
named all the stars for us, thank god.
Though at one pointy I took a small moment to consult the stars and they
all, not one excluded, were of the opinion that this guy was a little on the
lost side. They claimed they were
exactly what they were, rather than a lot of Mesopotamian and Greco-latin
names. Les pointed this out himself,
though I don’t think he quite understood.
He also recommended downloading the iPhone applications to allow us to,
again, see what was ‘really’ up there. I
know, I have a hang up, but nonetheless. I love the astronomy stuff. It’s great and really interesting and the
names are awesome. But poor Les was
stuck in the sky! Se rj from System of a Down always
warned me: don’t ever get stuck in the
sky. I try not to. Les was stuck. But he has a lot of cool things to say. He also wrote off astronomy and all other
interpretations of the sky. He also
poked fun at indigenous interpretations.
All in good humour. He also…well,
you get the picture. Les was just that
kind of guy. Scientific, like the Herald
Sun. What first got me about Les’s spiel
was that the world was round. I know,
silly, but I still have a strong inkling based on my own experience that it is,
in a sense, quite flat. Have you ever experienced
walking upon the earth in a curve? Other
than on hills and such. I mean, for the
most part, I find myself on flat ground.
I understand that it may ‘be round’ in that sense, that formulaic sense,
that sense from the heights of an airplane window. But. I
walk on flat ground most of the time.
And the shapes in the sky, how stupid Les made them out to be. How vague.
Oh poor Les; he was unaware that what he saw in the sky, rational as it
was, was more or less astrological too!
Because it is himself that he sees in his astronomical worldview up
there. Les in the sky, no doubt. Haha.
I doubt I make sense, but Les my man, they’re not such silly
notions. He mad good jokes though and I
did enjoy the rhythm of his speech. He tried
to involve all previous worldviews in the tour, but wound up just taking the
piss out of all of them but his. Lovely enough
guy. It’s so lucky that Les knows
exactly what’s going on though! I mean,
when death touches his shoulder, he will surely be able to face it with no fear
in light of modern astronomy. A star is
a star. Fascinating, but not magic. Not magic.
So after the words we all got to look into a whole bunch of telescopes,
which was very interesting. They showed
us what was really happening! Haha.
But in all seriousness, personally, I found it quite dull. I looked through all the different phalluses,
took in their meanings; but nothing compared to the vast night sky I saw with
my own two eyes. In fact, a lot of the
visuals seemed like CGI or something.
Not in the sense that they weren’t impressive, but that I felt that what
I saw naturally was more real. He even
qualified a lot of what we saw through the telescopes as ‘just the atmosphere
distorting the image’ or something like that.
Inside I was all like Les, my man,
isn’t what we’re all seeing right here and now on the money? But I didn’t say anything of course, because
there was too much to say and not much point in saying it. One telescope showed me an awesome sparkler-like
effect, two stars next to each other which look like one with the ‘naked’ eye
(naked ain’t real?). It was a mad
display, but it felt like I was watching something from a video game. Others just showed magnified sections of
stars, which was cool. He pointed out
the research centre a few miles away and I thought long and hard about what
exactly they were doing over there. Big
projects out here. It’s clear so much f
the year that here is where a lot happens.
Oddly, Les mentioned magic mushrooms and weed a few times, in reference
to what ancient peoples must have done during the night without much else to do
(Riiiight…). I did find this interesting
though, and was on the verge of commenting to Les about these things. But alas, I held back because I often feel
that these actions would be akin to throwing water at a wall to knock it down. I wondered long and hard about whether Les
had tried these substances he used to parody ancient experience. Not sure.
Doubt it, but I do think people can take these mind-opening substances
and still remain in a very stable, concrete, narrow worldview. In fact, I’m of the opinion that that very
thing, ego-based and sure in its ways, can be magnified to endlessness with
these things. Only to suggest itself,
though not everyone gets the punch line.
So after the telescopes we had question and answer time in which I just
sat there in my newfound posture and wondered if anyone had anything
provocative to say. I also wondered
about my own ideas. I’m not sure of them;
but that’s probably what separates me and Les.
Off we went back to town where I had some wine, spoke to folk and had a
smoke; and all was well and there was no hell, no epic logical blokes. Stuck in the sky, Les. Serj tried to tell you. Keep a foot down. Keep a foot on the ground. Otherwise, when the aliens do come, you’ll be
the first they probe, anally, because that’s where all your fear lay. Much love and sorry for the tone. To the skies and beyond, lovers.
No comments:
Post a Comment