#Immutable Universal Laws

[ryanranney]

The Future of Things to Be

Races have risen and fallen before us Lessor once than us Then greater they were than we Knowledge has risen and fallen before us Lessor once than us Then greater also before us Life has risen and fallen before us Lessor once than us Then greater also before our time Power has risen and fallen before us Lessor once than us Then greater also than we can imagine even now Planets have risen and…

[anghraine]

ngl one of my favorite shippy moments from "The Enemy Within" is not the 5-klaxon alarm very obviously happening to Spock in the shirtless Kirk scene (though I love that), but a much subtler moment later in the episode.

By that later point, Spock knows that Kirk has been split in two, and the weak and vacillating but intelligent, fearless, principled "good Kirk" (the same one whose bare chest fried several of Spock's brain circuits :P) needs Spock's guidance to pass himself off as the actual Kirk while they're searching for evil (but dynamic and proactive) Kirk. Good!Kirk keeps making leadership mistakes that a fully integrated Kirk wouldn't, and Spock gives him this little lecture on how to behave like real Kirk:

You're the captain of this ship. You haven't the right to be vulnerable in the eyes of the crew. You can't afford the luxury of being anything less than perfect.

I mean, there's definitely part of me laughing at this in a "no pressure tho" sense, but also, I feel like it's pretty wild that Spock perceives normal Kirk's leadership as so utterly perfect and invulnerable and talks about it as just an objective fact, okay. This perception of him returns in "Court Martial," of course (in which he compares Kirk's perfect reliability to gravity in a court of law), but it's just like... okay!!!! Kirk's perfection is a matter of logic, sure.

[captainjonnitkessler]

QAnon's barbarous "do your own research" vs our glorious "read the theory"

[arbiter-of-hell]

What like, you didnt get a hit in or smth?

A few.

And yet.

[mermaidenmystic]

"The language of myth is still, as ever, the secret speech of the inarticulate human soul; and if one has learned to listen to this speech with the heart, then it is not surprising that Aeschylos and Plato and Heraclitus are eternal voices and not merely relics of a bygone and primitive era. Perhaps it is now more than ever important to hear these poetic visions of the orderly nature of the universe, because we have grown so dangerously far from them. The mythic perception of the universe governed by immutable moral as well as physical law is alive and well in the unconscious…" ~Liz Greene, "The Astrology of Fate"

Dancing Nymphs ~ 1920's ~ Blendon Reed Campbell (American painter, 1872-1969)

[melshifting]

― Shifting through history ˚⋆

I am going to share with you (some) examples we can find regarding the existence of shifting throughout the ages, simply to show that it has always been a concept that has always existed.

― #01:         The Theory of Ideas - Plato:   The world we live in is only an imperfect copy of another more perfect and eternal world: the world of Ideas or Forms; everything we see and touch is only an imperfect version of its perfect Idea or Form, which exists on another plane. Our world is changeable and deceptive, while the world of Ideas is immutable and true - In both cases (this and shifting), there is an idea that our everyday perception is not the only way to understand what is ‘real’.

― #02:         Dualism - Descartes:   Best known for his method of doubt, where he questioned everything he couldn't be absolutely certain of — one of his biggest contributions was mind-body dualism, which argued that the mind (thinking, non-physical) and the body (material, physical) are separate substances. He believed that while the body operated like a machine following physical laws, the mind was something different—immaterial and not bound by space or time.

― #03:         Buddhism - Anicca & Anatta:    These 2 principles explain that: 1) everything is constantly changing, including the self, time, and the material world. There is no static "reality"—what we perceive is always shifting. And 2) the self is an illusion—a construct created by memories and thoughts.

― #04:         Modal Realism - David K Lewis:   American philosopher from the last half of the 20th century; his theory explains how all logically possible worlds are as real as our world (the real or actual world).  Every decision, every event, every possibility exists somewhere in a parallel reality. These worlds are not just hypothetical or imaginary; they exist in the same way our universe does, just in separate dimensions.

― #05:         Time traveler Party - Stephen Hawking:   He experimented to test whether time traveling (aka, shifting) to the past was possible. He hosted this 'traveler's party' on June 28, 2009 — but he only sent out the invitations after the event had already happened. The idea was that if time travel were real, someone from the future would see the invitation and travel back in time to attend.

― #06:         Syntergic Theory - Jacobo Grinberg:    If you've been in the shifting community for some time now, you already know him: a neuroscientist and psychologist known for researching on consciousness, the brain, and mystical experiences. His theory suggested that the brain doesn’t just perceive reality, but actively constructs it by interacting with a universal holographic energy field (which contained all information, and mystical experiences like telepathy could be explained by tuning into different parts of it). Mysteriously, he disappeared in 1994, after his theory gained popularity.

― I have presented shifting through philosophers, religions, scientists, and intellectuals' viewpoints, you still believe that shifting is impossible...?

[sageshouldknowbetter]

In Defense of Mark S

Post S2E4, Helly is going to be mad at Mark. I can’t see a way around it. He not only didn’t know someone else was “behind the wheel” of her body, he continued romantic pursuing of that person… thinking it was her.

But though Helly has valid reasons to be angry, a) victim blaming isn’t okay and b) I can totally see why Mark didn’t realize something was amiss!

First: impossibility and sheer absurdity. To Mark S, it would be unthinkable for an outie to ever enter the severed floor. That’s a violation of his universal laws, immutable as gravity.

Water is wet. Coffee cups fall down when you knock them off the table. And outies do NOT come down to the severed floor, because the chips are spatially triggered.

And sure, he knows about the OTC and that it’s theoretically possible — but why would any outie want to, and why would Lumon ever LET them? If he ever thought, “Oh, Helly’s acting strange,” Mark’s mind would go through a million different logical steps before landing on something outlandish as that.

Maybe she’s sad she was alone when she woke up during the OTC. Maybe she’s just having a bad week. Maybe she’s acting differently around him because of their first kiss. The idea that she’s being possessed by another being? Never would have occurred to him!

Remember how his outie plays into this as well. Irving B has the subconscious of some kind of anti-Lumon revolutionary with the paranoia that only comes from a military background. (“She’s a mole!”) Of course he clocked her.

But Mark? Mark Scout a) doesn’t know the entire family of his CEO, and b) has the subconscious of a history professor grieving his wife. While Irving’s outie’s knowledge bled through to him in the subconscious of his dream, I wouldn’t be surprised if Mark’s subconscious was actively TRYING to suppress any suspicious thoughts.

Of course it’s Helly. It NEEDS to be Helly. Because Mark’s brain is tired of grieving. His subconscious will shut down any accusations that she’s acting differently and cling to the idea because she CAN’T be gone, right? It’s not happening again… right?

And then we circle back to the first kiss. Mark S is in love — head over heels — with Helly R. He’s trying to find Gemma, sure, but that’s for his outie’s happiness, not his own.

If you’ve had one, do you remember your first crush? Remember the butterflies in your stomach and how much you were laser-focused on your own behavior? “What should I say?” “How do I look?” “Am I being weird? Why is she looking at me like that?” Mark S doesn’t notice Helly R is off because he’s too busy worrying about how he comes across to her. And because he has no idea she’s Helena, he has every reason to believe that’s how she’s thinking about him, too! He thinks they’re both dorks in love trying to figure things out. Irving doesn’t have this disadvantage — he’s on the outside and can see everything play out.

All I’m saying is I get it. I hope Helly at least kind of gets it too. What I’m wondering is, will Mark even tell Helly about his assault? Will he hide it out of some misguided belief that it would make her even more angry? Will she yell at him, not knowing that he’s a victim of someone wearing her own face? Much to think about.

[hyorijie]

No Smile | Alastor x Reader

Tags jealousy, established friendship, a not-so-platonic platonic relationship, Alastor loses patience, gaslighting, disbelief, Alastor being him.

Summary You simply watch as Alastor stops smiling.

N: Happy New Year, very, very, very, late, work has really consumed me. But I really hope the whole community can continue to prosper this year. I still have orders pending and of course I will fulfill them, orders are gladly open. Goodbye ♡

Alastor never stops smiling. His mouth always curves in a fixed and sinister smile, a perpetual gesture that seems sculpted in marble. That expression, as constant as the dawn and as haunting as the darkest night, has become an immutable law of your universe. Alastor's smile does not change, does not waver, does not break.

Until now.

It was a flicker, a brief instant, just long enough for your heart to violently flip in your chest. His smile-that eternal symbol of his twisted joy-crumbled. His lips relaxed, revealing something more disturbing than any macabre smile: vulnerability.

The motive was clear in the way his gaze drifted to you, watching you lean toward another, a hearty laugh escaping your lips. The conversation was innocent, devoid of any intent beyond politeness; yet in those red eyes a corrosive fire was lit. Jealousy coiled around Alastor like invisible snakes, squeezing until it left invisible marks on his soul.

But the real trap was your own disbelief. Seeing him without his smile, you felt the ground beneath your feet vanish. You closed your eyes for a second, searching your mind for a logical explanation, an argument that would dismiss the scene as a passing illusion.

And when you opened them, he had already regained his facade. The smile had returned, sharpened and entrenched with a renewed intensity, as if daring you to doubt what you had witnessed.

But nothing could hide the truth that pulsed in his eyes.

Those red orbs, normally dancing with cruel amusement, were now dark abysses, where fury and unease vied for control. Tension radiated from him like the heat of a fire hidden under the skin, about to consume and consume everything around him.

You realize, with a shudder, that his smile is not the strength it appears to be, but a mask to hide the storm boiling inside him. If that mask were to fall completely, not even hell itself would be refuge enough to escape what Alastor could unleash.

The world stopped.

It wasn't an illusion, it wasn't your imagination playing tricks on you. You saw it with your own eyes. For the first time in what seemed like an unbreakable law of the universe, Alastor's smile faded.

His mouth, always curved in that mocking, unchanging gesture, relaxed. His face, normally sculpted into a grimace of sinister mirth, was stripped of its usual mask. And in its place... a void. An abyss of pure, dangerous emotion.

The air felt thicker, heavy on your lungs, as if hell itself was holding its breath.

You closed your eyes for a second, convinced you were hallucinating. But when you opened them again, there he was, standing in front of you, his grin wide and sharp as a freshly sharpened razor.

As if nothing had happened.

No. No. No. No.

— Wait... No. — You blinked, your mind struggling to process what you had just witnessed. — You, you just... what was that?

Alastor cocked his head to one side, eyes sparkling with a playful glint.

— What was what, my dear? — He replied.

— Your smile. — Your own voice sounded strange in your ears, a murmur laden with disbelief. — It... was... gone.

Alastor's laughter erupted like dry thunder.

— Oh, my dear, are you insinuating that my lovely, charming smile is gone? — He snorted exaggeratedly as He folded one of him hands towards him in a quick gesture — What a naughty imagination of yours!

No. It couldn't be. You hadn't imagined it.

— I'm not crazy, Alastor. — You stared at him, looking for some trace of the crack you had seen in his facade. But there he was, with the same expression as always, mocking, amused, as if the whole conversation were a private joke.

— Of course you're not! Although, if you were, would you really know? — His laughter was light, melodious, but there was something... something in his eyes that didn't fit. A tension, a barely perceptible shadow behind the mask.

— Don't play games with me. — you frowned, and crossing your arms. — I saw it. Even if it was only for a second, I saw it.

Alastor sighed dramatically and put a hand to his chest.

— Oh, what a tragedy! My own friend doubting me, my poor heart is broken! — He blurted, as static flew swiftly through the air.

— Alastor. — You retorted.

His grin widened, fangs peeking out in a sharp glint.

— Yes! — He replied sweetly and effusively.

— Just...tell me. — You demanded quickly.

— Tell you what?

— That I didn't imagine it.

The demon bowed his head slightly, watching you with an almost feline curiosity. Then, with a light step, he approached, bowing just enough to be at your level.

His voice descended to a whisper, almost intimate, but the edge in his tone was impossible to ignore.

— If it were true... if I really lost my smile.... — Him eyes glowed, red as embers under the shadows. — Then what do you think would happen?

The air froze in your lungs.And, for some reason, you knew that was a question you never wanted to answer.

Oh, Fuck.

_________________________________________

[elumish]

I know everyone has different views on both worldbuilding and characterization, and especially on the idea of consistency in both, but I wanted to share my feelings on both of them (which are kind of the same! people and places are sort of the same thing sometimes).

Consistency, to me, is about three things: rules, guidelines, and lies.

Rules are things that (whether they've been told explicitly or not) are immutable. They are the law of the land, and you don't break them. You don't actually need to tell the reader what they are, but you should know what they are. They can be simple or they can be extremely complex, but they are things that you stick with. Unless stated otherwise, readers will generally assume that the rules of the real world apply to your story.

For the world, that might be "water is H2O" or "mountains will not stand up and turn into giant creatures and walk away" or "vampires and werewolves can cross-breed but only if they have sex during a new moon" or whatever. For a character, that might be "this character will not kill under any circumstances, no matter what" or "this character won't every tell their parents about that one time they committed arson." It's easier to do never rules for characters than always rules, but you can do both.

Guidelines are things that generally happen but aren't a requirement. This is where people tend to get caught up in character/worldbuilding consistency. Most character traits are going to be guidelines, not rules, because most people do have exceptions or things that change their mind or just character growth. Most things in the world don't work exactly the same way 100% of the time. But there generally needs to be an implicit or explicit explanation for the guideline not being followed, or it just feels like the author screwed up.

For the world, these might be "water isn't flammable--except in those cases where it is" or "vampires and children can't have kids, except in those super rare cases where they can" or "that one time, a mountain stood up and walked five feet and sat back down, but other than that it's never happened so we're pretty sure it'll never happen again". For a character, that might be "this character's instinct is to run away from things that scare them, but this one time they will overcome that instinct to protect someone else" or "this character is generally happy-go-lucky but right now they are deeply sad because something tragic has happened".

Lies are where it gets fun. Lies are things that you have presented as rules that are actually not. Somtimes this is because a character is literally lying to the reader or to other characters, sometimes it's because characters don't have full information, and sometimes it's because some other factor has changed.

For the world, this might be "only people from the royal family can bond with dragons because they have been genetically modified to bond with dragons--oh, actually, that was a lie perpetrated by the government to keep people from trying to bond with dragons" or "there is no eighth continent on Earth--actually there is, it was just hidden from view by magic". For a charcter, this might be "this character would never under any circumstances kill someone--except they just did."

The thing about lies is that they need to have a good in-universe reason behind them, and they can't conflict with other rules you have. I always go back to Stephenie Meyer when I think about this. Early in the series, she set up two rules that she told the reader explicitly: 1) all of vampires' fluids are venom and 2) vampires have 25 chromosome pairs, werewolves have 24 chromosome pairs, and humans have 23 chromosome pairs. The lie that vampires can't have children with humans runs into the issue that it's in direct conflict with those two rules above--but those two rules are never rescinded. So it doesn't feel like a lie so much as it feels like an inconsistency. It feels like she messed something up.

When you're thinking about internal consistency, consider:

Is something a rule, a guideline, or a lie?

If a guideline isn't being followed, is it clear why (e.g., is it an exception? character growth?)

Why was the lie a lie?

Does the lie conflict with other rules in the world?

What does the lie or the exception to the guideline accomplish?

[planetarytransformation]

it's important to me that you be able to articulate a key point to the people around you who may be sympathetic to this ruling, which is that the movement to eradicate transgender people has recently moved from the rhetoric of "ungodliness" to the far more effective appeal to "biological truth," and that this is wrong not just because it's bad science ("biological") but because it's bad epistemology ("truth").

we can harp on their misunderstandings about hormones and chromosomes, we can point to the 2024 IOC study about comparative athletic ability, but fundamentally what these people are saying is that there are self-evident, immutable, and socially important differences between people that sort them permanently into two different sex-classes with opposing sets of interests.

they assert that it is plainly obvious that transgender women have male bodies and the male sex, that it is therefore transparently dishonest to assert otherwise, and that those who do deserve no credence under the law.

this is not true not only because it contradicts the lived experience of actual transgender women, but more importantly because there is no such thing as a self-evident fact. all knowledge is produced by historical processes, and all "common-sense" knowledge reflects the interests of power.

it used to be common sense that nonwhite people had inferior intelligence, for instance. but that knowledge wasn't self-evident! it was produced by the history of racism and colonialism, and upheld by courts and politicians and landlords who sought to punish those who would critique that knowledge.

in the same way, the "common-sense" notion of the "biological man" has a clear, traceable path to near-universal credibility. we can see how that notion has worked throughout history to empower some and disempower others, and how it does so now.

we can also see that there are massive machines within the worlds of politics, medicine, religion, etc. designed to make the notion of biological sex appear natural and universal. but if this idea really was self-evident and true, it wouldn't need a state apparatus to enforce it, would it?

this is all to say that knowledge is always, always power, and that any attempt to frame a fact as "natural," to disguise power's role in producing knowledge, should be looked on with great skepticism.

that is the victory that rowling and her cronies have won today, and that is why i must conscript you into my war on knowledge – not just for me, but for everyone in the future whose subaltern status will be justified by those who call it "biological reality."

thanks for reading.

[sevenhundred721]

I don't read Shen Yuan's fascination with Bingge as attraction. The joy in pretty much every SY relationship dynamic (for me at least lol) is that he read PIDW as was intended and insists that's not the case. He was projecting onto Bingge. He read PIDW as the power fantasy it is meant to be, but because he is gay and doesn't realize it, the sexual conquest power fantasy actively annoys him whenever it is used as more than an aside to bolster Bingge's image. SY is invested in the image of heterosexuality and the implications of sexual conquest, sure. But there's a pretty big gap between the allure of traditional masculinity and the fulfillment one actually gets from embodying it. A gap that is apparent in both Bingge's dissatisfaction despite being the pinnacle of masculinity and in SY being dissatisfied with what is ultimately a standard male power fantasy that he reads as somebody who sees himself in the protagonist. Transmigrating as SQQ is crucial for his development because it allows him to deconstruct his view of Binghe, and by extension, of traditional masculinity. I'd argue that the biggest reason SQQ acts so fucking dense is because traditionally masculine ideals are an immutable law of the universe to him. Which is a worldview that is not easy to break out of. It took him over a decade and he still won't even admit he's gay. He's just married to a man and has gay sex frequently.

[kineticpenguin]

It frustrates me every time someone from the "Stop Having Fun" generation of Internet "comedy" starts whining about the Depressing Reality of Space Travel.

Ohhhh nooooo I can't watch Star Trek anymore because some nerds told me that we'll never have it oh noooooooo

Why the fuck do you care? If FTL travel was possible and we solved all the theoretical problems with it, it would only ever come around long, long after you and everyone you know has died.

I cannot imagine being so unimaginative that I need scientists to cuddle and shush me, and whisper sweet nothings about how Star Trek will happen someday.

Arguing against this always summons a bunch of wannabe Neil Degrasse Tysons who go on about the universe being governed by immutable laws, which is nonsense. The universe isn't governed by shit. We use laws to describe our observations of how we're pretty sure it works. They're just some shit we made up! We have not, by any means, figured it all out.

WHY DON'T YOU KNOCK IT OFF WITH THEM NEGATIVE WAVES? Why don't you dig how beautiful these stories are? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?

[fipindustries]

Thinking about your Harry Potter post from earlier, and something I find interesting when comparing Rowling's work to Lovecraft's is how they come across as opposite sides of the same bigoted coin. Like, reading Harry Potter, you get the sense Rowling unquestionably believes what she was taught growing up was a universal law akin to gravity. The greater Wizarding world and the status of wizards as top dogs overseeing races who really are lesser isn't just 'good', it is fact.

Now compare that to Lovecraft's work. Not only is the status quo, the idea that man (or Lovecraft's narrow idea of 'man') is the top dog destined the be the noble guardian of the lesser races, bought into question, the idea that this status quo is just a frail illusion is the crux of many of his stories! Many stories involve the white male protagonist going mad simply for realizing just how much bigger the world is than his narrow worldview. The fact his alien races have agency also helps

Well yes, rowling wrote childrens books witch clearly delineated ontollogical good and evil, with forces of good that are almost predestined to triumph over evil. A world where love can save lives, where truth and justice prevail and where evil is selfdefeating.

Lovecraft wrote horror stories that were downright nihilistic, where nothing is sacred and where there is no law that says the world has to be on net good or just.

And this ever so slightly step closer to an honest understanding of the world relative to rowling set him in a position where he could take his bigoted views of the world and at the very least question how sacred and immutable and undexatigable they are. He can atleast admit that the universe itself does not seem to care about white races or brown races, about christian values or about western civilization. That there is no god or law of the universe that will make sure these things triumph. And that is already a great concession to make. To admit that ones own values are ultimatly meaningless and tiny and absurd when confronted with the terrible incomprensibility of the cosmos. Of course because he still cares about race and about western civilization he considers all this an almost unbearable tragedy

But even that is a level of introspection i feel rowling was never capable of

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Seen yesterday on an overpass on the New Jersey Turnpike

* * * * *

Your weekly reminder: It’s a coup.

February 8, 2025

Robert B. Hubbell

It’s a coup. The sooner that congressional Democrats and the legacy media acknowledge that fact, the better we will be able to calibrate our response and mount an effective defense. Democrats in Congress are beginning to get the message, largely because they are being flooded with outraged calls from their constituents. See The New Republic, “Disgusted” Democratic Voters Are Blowing Up Congress’s Phones.

To everyone reading this: Keep it up! In fact, redouble your efforts. There is no such thing as contacting your congressional representatives too much!

As noted yesterday, Democrats are starting to fight back in every venue possible. On Friday, Democrats and citizens who value the rule of law continued to make gains in the courts—even though it is not clear that court orders are being honored by Trump and Musk.

Indeed, the facts suggest that DOJ lawyers are not being candid or forthcoming with federal judges—a practice also known as “lying.” Sooner or later, federal judges will figure out that they are being misled by officers of the court and then there will be hell to pay. But we are getting ahead of ourselves . . . .

On Friday, there was more (mostly) good news on the litigation front. Indeed, the DOJ seems to be strategically retreating so it can get its lies, er, I mean its “story” straight. Let’s take a look at the good news and then examine the evidence of backsliding by the administration.

Before looking at the news, let’s take a quick refresher on the Constitution and the immutable laws of the universe.

A refresher course on the Constitution and the Laws of the Universe

Congress makes the laws (“all legislative Powers . . . shall be vested in a Congress.”)

The president must “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.”

All appropriations must be authorized by Congress (No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law)

The president must “execute”—i.e., carry out—the appropriations made by Congress.

The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 prohibits the president from refusing to spend the money appropriated by Congress.

With the above firmly in mind, it is clear that Musk and Trump's “cutting” spending in various agencies violates Articles I and II of the Constitution, the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, and the founding principle of separation of powers.

The “cuts” that Musk and Trump are imposing through computer hacking relate to funds that Congress has already appropriated—and which must be “duly executed” by the president. If Musk and Trump want to effectuate future cuts to budgets, they must convince Congress to pass an appropriations bill that makes such cuts.

Congressional Republicans have sat on their hands as Musk and Trump have overridden Congress's Article I powers based on the vague excuse of “fraud,” which has never been specifically identified. Even if fraud exists, the remedy is not to override Congress’s role in the Constitution—it is to report the fraud to the DOJ for criminal prosecution and to Congress for remedial legislation.

Musk and Trump's unlawful actions go far beyond unauthorized “cuts” accomplished by computer hacking; they extend to the extinguishment of entire agencies and departments created and funded by Congress under the authority of Article I of the Constitution.

So, the “cuts” and “closures” are not merely “controversial,” or “disputed,” or “illegal.” They overthrow the constitutional order and separation of powers by claiming that the president exercises the authority granted to Congress in Article I of the Constitution.

That is a coup. There is no other word for it.

Trump, having seized Congress’s authority under Article I of the Constitution, the open question is whether Trump will also claim the authority of the courts under Article III of the Constitution by asserting the right to decide which court orders, if any, he will obey.

Although the above sounds ominous, I remain confident and optimistic about the eventual outcome of this constitutional test. Why? because of the fourth branch of the government: the people.

Trump and Musk will get away with their unconstitutional coup up to the point that a critical mass of the people take notice, rise up, and put a stop to the assault on the Constitution. Based on the posts in the Comment section to yesterday’s newsletter, achieving that critical mass may be closer than Trump and Musk believe.

And then there are the Second and Third Laws of the Universe: The “Law of You Broke It, You Own It,” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences.” [Yesterday, I referred to the First Law of the Universe: “It is easier to break things than to fix them.”]

Taken together, the laws of the universe lead to the inevitable outcome in which something bad and unexpected happens, at which point Trump and Musk get 100% of the blame, regardless of whether they had anything to do with the event.

We are already beginning to see that dynamic as MAGA supporters are complaining that the price of eggs continues to increase (because of avian flu that is decimating stocks of egg-laying chickens). See this (satiric) commentary in Real Clear Politics, Egg Prices Are Totally Donald Trump's Fault!

It is also in the nature of things that everything in the universe regresses to the mean. Extreme events are rare and anomalous. They happen but then recede into the center regions of the Bell Curve, where we live most of our lives.

I do not suggest adopting a “This too shall pass” attitude. But we should recognize that as we fight to defend the Constitution, the immutable laws of the universe, the rules of probability, and the limits of human tolerance are on our side. We have every reason to be confident that we will prevail over the anti-democratic coup that is unfolding before our eyes. Let’s act like it! Act boldly and without fear!

Developments on Friday

The winning streak of coup opponents continued on Friday, with one exception. In the most significant victory, a federal judge prevented the administration from placing 2,200 USAID workers on paid leave. See press release from Democracy Forward, Breaking: Federal Judge Pauses Parts of USAID Shutdown in Response to Lawsuit.

Democracy Forward partnered with the Public Citizen Litigation Group to represent two groups of federal union employees seeking to prevent the illegal shuttering of USAID.

In the complaint, the core of the plaintiffs’ claim is set forth simply and elegantly:

Not a single one of defendants’ actions to dismantle USAID were taken pursuant to congressional authorization. And pursuant to federal statute, Congress is the only entity that may lawfully dismantle the agency.

The complaint also alleges:

The President of the United States has only those powers conferred on him by the Constitution and federal statutes

The President does not have the power under the Constitution unilaterally to amend statutes.

President Trump’s actions to dissolve USAID exceed presidential authority and usurp legislative authority conferred upon Congress by the Constitution, in violation of the separation of powers.

The logic made plain in the USAID complaint applies to virtually every unlawful action taken by the DOGE vandals to date.

In a second victory, a federal judge barred the FBI and DOJ from disseminating the names of the FBI agents who worked on the January 6 investigations. The judge entered an order on a stipulated consent order—i.e., a voluntary agreement between the plaintiff FBI agents (current and former) and the DOJ. The Consent Order is here: FBI Agents Association v DOJ | ORDER | 2025-02-07.

The consent order remains in effect until the hearing on a motion for preliminary inunction, or on two days’ notice, whichever is sooner.

But, in an action by employees of the Department of Labor, a federal judge denied the employees’ request for an order protecting their private information from DOGE hackers. See The Hill, Judge won’t block DOGE from accessing Labor Department systems.

The order denying the AFL/CIO’s motion for temporary restraining order is here: AFL / CIO v. Dept of Labor | Order.

The judge denied the request for a temporary restraining order on the ground that the plaintiffs have not yet suffered injury and, therefore, do not have standing to bring the suit at this time. The judge nonetheless scheduled a hearing on a preliminary injunction. In short, the case isn’t over.

However, even as employee unions are obtaining injunctive relief in court, it appears that Musk and Trump are continuing their march to the sea unabated. In a press availability on Friday, Trump said that he has effectively given DOGE free rein in making cuts—which, as noted above, violates Articles I and II of the Constitution and the Impoundment Control Act of 1974. See The Guardian, Trump hints Musk ‘Doge’ team has free rein with Pentagon next in line for cuts.

At the press conference, Trump said,

Pressed on whether there was anything he has told Musk he cannot touch, Trump offered only a vague reply. “Well, we haven’t discussed that much,” he confessed. “I’ll tell them to go here, go there. He does it. He’s got a very capable group of people. Very, very, very, very capable. “They know what they’re doing. They’ll ask questions, and they’ll see immediately as somebody gets tongue-tied that they’re either crooked or don’t know what they’re doing. We have very smart people going.”

No reporter asked Trump about the constitutionality or legality of Musk’s actions, asking instead whether anything is “off limits.” In response to that question, Trump said that the Department of Defense and the Department of Education are next:

I’ve instructed him to go check out education, to check out the Pentagon, which is the military. And you know, sadly, you’ll find some things that are pretty bad.

Finally, although a court order restrains Musk and DOGE from obtaining access to the Treasury payments system, Musk has managed to appoint a friend and fellow Silicon Valley venture capitalist to take charge of it. See The New Republic, Elon Musk to Install DOGE Crony Amid Treasury Department Takeover.

There is no indication—yet—that Musk has violated the order prohibiting DOGE from having anything more than “read-only” access to the Treasury payment system. Still, two sources (Talking Points Memo and Wired) suggest that DOGE agents have moved beyond read-only access.

Shutting down USAID is simply unconstitutional. For all intents and purposes, USAID has ceased work and been defunded. How that happened is not clear, but the onus is on Trump to “take care that the laws are faithfully executed.” Instead, plaintiffs and legal advocacy groups are forced to play “twenty questions” and “hide the ball” with DOJ lawyers feigning ignorance of the facts.

Concluding Thoughts

I will be on Substack Livestream on Saturday morning, February 8, at 9:00 am PST / 12:00 noon EST. I will send an email 30 minutes in advance. Just log onto the Substack app at the appointed time, and you will see a notice that I am live streaming.

There is a perverse dynamic at work. As Trump and Musk engage in ever more awful actions, they will hasten the moment of our victory. We shouldn’t wish for awful things to happen, but we should recognize that the cruelty and depravity of their actions are sowing the seeds of their failure while strengthening the opposition that will crush their hateful agenda.

Stay strong! Talk to you tomorrow!

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

[talonabraxas]

“By unswerving devotion to Me, a man crosses over three Gunas – I am the Abode of Brahman, Eternal and Immutable, of everlasting Dharma and Absolute Bliss .” — Chinmayananda Saraswati The Three Gunas - Sattva, Rajas & Tamas Art - Talon Abraxas Vedic Deities

The Vedas present a vast pantheon of deities (devatas) on many different levels, often said to be innumerable or infinite in number. For a specific number the Gods are said to be 3339 in total. This number is clearly a play on the number three. One of the main early efforts to classify the Vedic Gods (as in the Brihad Devata of Shaunaka) was to reduce them to the three prime deities for the three worlds.

Agni or Fire on Earth (Prithivi) Vayu or Wind in the Atmosphere (Antariksha) Surya or the Sun in Heaven (Dyaus)

The Rigveda is organized in this way with the hymns to Agni generally coming first in most of its ten books, then the hymns to Vayu and Indra, and finally the hymns to the Sun.

These three deities meanwhile are three aspects of the One God or the Purusha, the supreme consciousness principle and higher Self that is pure light. The term Deva for deity itself means ‘a shining one’ or form of light. It is related to the term Dyaus, meaning heaven and so refers to the heavenly or celestial lights. Vedic deities represent the main forms of light (Jyoti) in the universe.

Relative to this principle of light, we can equate the three main Vedic deities of Agni with heat, Vayu with electrical force, and Surya with pure light. These forms of light, however, do not only represent the corresponding forces of nature. They also represent the inner light or the forms of consciousness. They are the three aspects of the Purusha or Cosmic Person. Each has its psychological significance, with Agni or fire as speech (Vak), Vayu or wind as breath (Prana) and Surya or the Sun as the perceptive aspect of the mind (Buddhi).

Vedic deities and the Vedic Yoga follow the threefold law of manifestation in the universe. Naturally the question arises as to what extent this correlates with the three guna theory of classical Samkhya and Yoga.

The Three Gunas

Any student of classical Yoga is well aware of the importance of the three gunas in yogic thought and practice. Few, however, are aware of their Vedic background and the deeper understanding that a Vedic perspective brings to them.

In the philosophy of Yoga, derived from the Samkhya system, all matter in the universe is reducible to one primary substance called Prakriti. Prakriti literally means the original power of action. It does not refer to substance in the physical sense but to the potential from which all forms of matter, energy and mind can arise. Prakriti is the original state of pure potential out of which all things become possible. Prakriti is the latent state of substance, like the seed that holds the potential for a great tree. It is the prima materia of the world of which matter, energy and mind are manifestations. Prakriti, we could say, is the causal or original form of all substances, from which their subtle and gross forms arise. It is extremely subtle, ethereal and transcendent, forming the basis for space that is its first material form.

Prakriti itself is said to be a composite of three prime qualities as sattva, rajas and tamas.

Sattva is the power of harmony, balance, light and intelligence – the higher or spiritual potential. Rajas is the power of energy, action, change and movement – the intermediate or life potential. Tamas is the power of darkness, inertia form and materiality – the lower or material potential.

Perhaps the simplest way to understand the gunas for the modern mind is as matter (tamas), energy (rajas) and light (sattva), the main factors of our physical universe.

The three gunas reflect the three worlds of Vedic thought.

Earth is the realm of tamas or darkness, physical matter.

The Atmosphere, also called rajas in Vedic thought, is the realm of action and change symbolized by the storm with its process of lightning, thunder and rain, but it indicates energy or subtle matter on all levels.

Heaven is the realm of harmony and light, sattva. It indicates light as a universal principle which is the causal or original form behind the gross and subtle elements or forms of matter and energy.

The entire universe consists of light that moves in the form of energy and gets densified in the form of matter. The three great lights of Agni, Vayu and Surya energize these three worlds as the spirit within them.

The first is Agni or Fire on the Earth. Fire is hidden in our bodies, in plants, in the rocks, and in the very core of the Earth itself.

The second is Vayu or Lightning in the Atmosphere. The power of the wind, which creates lightning, circulates through the atmosphere.

The third is Surya or the Sun in Heaven. The Sun represents the cosmic light of the stars that pervades the great space beyond this world.

These three lights are interrelated. We could say that lightning is the fire in the Atmosphere and the Sun is the fire in Heaven. Or fire is the Sun on Earth and lightning represents the solar force in the atmosphere. Or lightning on Earth creates fire and in Heaven it energizes the Sun.

These three lights also reflect the three gunas.

Agni is the tamasic form of light, the fire that is hidden in darkness.

Vayu is the rajasic form of light, light in its active and energetic mode as lightning or electrical force.

Surya is the sattvic form of light, light as pure illumination (prakasha).

The movement from tamas to sattva is a movement from Earth to Heaven. It occurs through bringing the light out of the Earth (Agni) and raising it to Heaven (Surya). This requires crossing the Atmosphere through using its forces (Vayu).

The Threefold Purusha

In the Vedic view these three forms of light (Jyoti) are the three forms of the Purusha or the higher Self that is also defined in terms of light. In the Vedic view light is consciousness, not simply a material force. These three lights are also the three aspects of our being. These visible lights are manifestations of the invisible divine light of consciousness that illumines all things, including visible light and darkness. The three gunas and three worlds exist within us, as do their light forms as our powers of our own awareness.

Agni – Earth - tamas - body - speech (vak) Vayu – Atmosphere - rajas - breath (prana) Surya – Heaven - sattva - mind (manas)

In this sense sattva as light is also mind, rajas as energy is also the vital force and tamas as matter is also our bodily expression the foremost of which is speech.

Sattva – light – mind Rajas – energy – prana Tamas – matter – body

These three aspects of the Purusha or consciousness principle reflect the three aspects of Prakriti or the material principle. In the Vedic view, therefore, the science of the three gunas connects not only with Prakriti but also with the Purusha. The gunas are not simply the powers of Prakriti; they reflect the nature and presence of the Purusha as well. The Purusha is threefold in its human manifestation as speech (body), breath and mind, just as Prakriti or the world is threefold as earth, atmosphere and heaven or as matter, energy and light.

Agni is light or the Purusha in the realm of matter or the earth. Vayu is light or the Purusha in the realm of energy of the atmosphere. Surya is light or the Purusha in the realm of light or heaven. In the Vedic view, the Purusha or consciousness principle is not limited to embodied creatures but pervades these great forces of nature as well.

Understanding these light forms of the gunas helps us use the science of the gunas not only to understand Prakriti but also to understand the Purusha. The Vedic Yoga works with these three light forms or three forms of the Purusha in order to master and transform the three forms or aspects of Prakriti.

Agni – physical body and internal organs - speech – mantra yoga – tamas – matter – five gross elements Vayu – vital body and motor organs – breath – prana yoga – rajas – energy – five pranas Surya – mental body and sense organs – mind – Dhyana yoga – sattva – light – five subtle elements

Agni as the power of speech is the means of purifying and controlling both the physical body and physical matter and mastering the guna or quality of tamas. Through it we can control our internal organs and the gross elements. The Yoga of speech involves chanting, singing, internal repetition of mantras and meditation on mantras. Through it we gain control of the subconscious mind.

Vayu as the power of the breath is the means of purifying and controlling the vital body and the realm of energy and mastering the guna of rajas. Through it we can control our motor organs and the five pranas (five motor actions). The Yoga of the breath involves pranayama. Through it we gain control of our emotions.

Surya as the power of thought is the means of purifying and controlling the mental body and the realm of light and mastering the guna of sattva. Through it we can control our sense organs and the subtle elements. The Yoga of the mind is meditation. Through it we can control of the rational mind and direct it towards knowledge of the higher Self.

This information should provide the reader a sense of the vastness of the Vedic Yoga and how much later traditions relied upon its insights, even when using an apparently different language.

[blorbologist]

Architects of our Demise | Chapter 20

[ Age of Arcanum AU | Perc'ahlia | M | Updates every 2 weeks]

[ Vax is the Warden of Ravens, Vex is his Champion, Percival is the creator of aeormatons, and FCG is ~vibing~ ]

[Chapter 20: He's soooooo in love you guys! And there's a lot to do before the eve of the Calamity - I mean Apogee Solstice <3 ]

--

They’re soaked in water debating the merits of becoming frost. Vex almost crashed them into a crystal column. Percival almost barfed in her hair.

He’s practically dancing on their walk back to Scanlan’s hole in the wall. It feels like he’s still airborn, except without the wind brutalizing his face.

“What has gotten into you?” Vex’s eyes gleam in delight as Percy swoops and spins and skips. It’s gratifying that he’s putting on a better show than all the bold illusions around them. That he’s holding her attention in this city of too-much.

“Oh, a simple change of perspective.”

(That is, truly, all it is. It changes nothing, except it changes everything. The discovery of another law of the universe - as immutable as gravity, thermodynamics or arcane equilibrium. His world makes more sense, even if nothing about its workings will change.)

(She has a goal. As a result, so does he.)

His teeth clatter. It’s invigorating. “Vex! Someone else is handling the busywork of preventing catastrophe. You want your brother back; we have…” a quick spat of math. “Ten days, now, to get that done. Avalir is at our disposal, Champion; what should we do first?”

“We should get you -” Vex takes him by the arm, “- inside. Before you catch your death, darling.”

He strongly doubts that death could so much as graze him in such a state, in such excellent company - and besides, Death himself would not deprive his sister of such a devoted follower. Percy is quite sure of that.

--

Percy shivers pathetically, fighting off a sneeze. 

“I really thought the chicken soup would be enough,” Scanlan laments. “Can you fix him up, Pikey?”

“Psssh, easy!”

[From the beginning] [Keep reading on AO3!]