Guest speaker: Lorenzo
PROGRAM NOTES:
Date this lecture was recorded: January 30, 2017
In today’s podcast Lorenzo explains how he came to his decision to not vote in last year’s presidential election. He begins by quoting part of a poem by William Butler Yeats which read:
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
And by changing a single word in the final two lines of that poem, it would conclude:
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Washington to be born?
Full Text (PDF) of Lorenzo’s remarks
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“Deeper Down the Rabbit Hole”
by Jack Lukeman
from his new CD, Magic Days
I agree with others that this was a moving talk. I have walked through much of the same history and while my own choices and points of departure were different, we share a deep mistrust of the current arrangement. You layered a lot of information into the talk which was important in understanding how far we are from functional democracy. I have thought lately how all through my life as an American there always seems to be some big fear looming on the horizon: nukes, Russians, commies, child abductors, terrorists, China, debt. Decade after decade people watch over half their taxes go to the military and CIA , despite the fact that the actual problems never come from invading armies. This mind-sapping fear dominates politics and is more like a disease than the dream of informed self rule.
I too had a wild hope for a change of direction with Bernie but had decided from the start to vote green if Bernie lost the primary. Voting green is pretty much the same as not voting, but feels to my own conscience like a more emphatic rejection of the 2 oil-banks-and-war parties. I think there is still a chance of a sea change. The battle is for the hearts and minds. Your show offers some of the outsider voices that speak to that battle. Thanks for a Lorenzo podcast with heart.
Thank you Lorenzo for making these episodes of the podcast. Please keep them coming. They have opened my mind to new ideas that I would have never heard at school. Or from people I talk to that are too scared to talk about these things.or they simply don’t know or care. I am greatfull to here your opinion.
Thanks.
Thanks Lorenzo. I’ve never commented on anything but I loved your eloquent, intelligent and heartfelt essay. You are one of the keepers of the flame.
Much Love and Respect!
Lorenzo, I also wanted to tell you that you said something about you tried to tell the truth to people about the war (V.N.).. you felt nobody heard you. I’m a little younger than you so the timing would be right, I heard you…. I must have heard someone because by high school I knew not to trust our government. That they had lied to us about POW’s and the #’s of guys that went in…. so you don’t know if anyone heard you or not. Now, you know how you always say, “it’s important that you do it.” So you DID it. Somebody was listening because I heard about it. So, when I had children I made sure they never joined any military. They pick the schools to target… the rich kids get college visits, the rural kids get the military coming handing out the candy. My kids are doing great so… it influenced me. So, you did good. Plus, I like listening to you now 🙂
[COMMENT by Lorenzo: Thank you for telling that story. It means a lot to me to hear it.]
I like you Lorenzo. I really liked the music “Deeper Down the Rabbit Hole”. Excellent. I also understand your feelings on the whole election thing. However, I’m going with President Trump, I’ll tell you why.. first off “that woman” Clinton I suspect she is a reptilian shape shifter, because she can’t be human (she either lost that years ago or never had it). But, we had 2 choices, just was and since I can’t watch this country go down without a fight…… going to take it back the best we can. IF we can get some of the criminals out of office (and I suspect there are many besides the Clinton’s)…. we need borders & a common language. As far as “culture” I know Terrance said, “it isn’t your friend.” But he is wrong, proof is we are the top of the food chain… nature put us there.. now it’s our job to get out to the stars.
Oh what fun! In a post-truth alt-facts world we can have it however we want…
I really enjoyed your talk Lorenzo. I especially liked your reference to edge-walkers which reminded me of the hedge-rider, the pagan hægtesse.
If interested here is the etymological roots of the hag taken from the Online Etymology Dictionary which you may find interesting.
hag (n.)
early 13c., “repulsive old woman” (rare before 16c.), probably from Old English hægtes, hægtesse “witch, sorceress, enchantress, fury,” shortened on the assumption that -tes was a suffix. The Old English word is from Proto-Germanic *hagatusjon, which is of unknown origin. Dutch heks, German Hexe “witch” are similarly shortened from cognate Middle Dutch haghetisse, Old High German hagzusa.
The first element probably is cognate with Old English haga “enclosure, portion of woodland marked off for cutting” (see hedge (n.)). Old Norse had tunriða and Old High German zunritha, both literally “hedge-rider,” used of witches and ghosts. The second element in the prehistoric compound may be connected with Norwegian tysja “fairy; crippled woman,” Gaulish dusius “demon,” Lithuanian dvasia “spirit,” from PIE *dhewes- “to fly about, smoke, be scattered, vanish.”
One of the magic words for which there is no male form, suggesting its original meaning was close to “diviner, soothsayer,” which were always female in northern European paganism, and hægtesse seem at one time to have meant “woman of prophetic and oracular powers” (Ælfric uses it to render the Greek “pythoness,” the voice of the Delphic oracle), a figure greatly feared and respected. Later, the word was used of village wise women.
Haga is also the haw- in hawthorn, which is an important tree in northern European pagan religion. There may be several layers of folk etymology here. Confusion or blending with heathenish is suggested by Middle English hæhtis, hægtis “hag, witch, fury, etc.,” and haetnesse “goddess,” used of Minerva and Diana.
If the hægtesse once was a powerful supernatural woman (in Norse it is an alternative word for Norn, any of the three weird sisters, the equivalent of the Fates), it might originally have carried the hawthorn sense. Later, when the pagan magic was reduced to local scatterings, it might have had the sense of “hedge-rider,” or “she who straddles the hedge,” because the hedge was the boundary between the civilized world of the village and the wild world beyond. The hægtesse would have a foot in each reality. Even later, when it meant the local healer and root collector, living in the open and moving from village to village, it may have had the mildly pejorative Middle English sense of hedge- (hedge-priest, etc.), suggesting an itinerant sleeping under bushes. The same word could have contained all three senses before being reduced to its modern one.
[COMMENT by Lorenzo: Thank you for this post. I wasn’t aware of this before, and now I feel even better about my edge walker comments. I appreciate you taking the time to properly explain this.]
Yes, Sanders was robbed. Yes, Clinton and the Dems are big-business, pro-war and increasingly not a party for the people. But… But, the damage to planet and the ever-increasing stranglehold on its resources that are already being implemented by the Trump administration are potentially irreparable.
Already they are taking action to repeal Dodd Frank. Already they are taking action to reverse emission caps on coal and fuel burning plants. Already they are taking action to sell public land to developers (i.e., their business allies and their themselves)… And on and on. How many pipelines laid, how many mountain tops removed, how much rain forest eradicated? A staggering amount and damage can be done by Trump, Rex Tillerson et al. in four years or—god forbid—eight… What kind of diabolical carnage have we unleashed? And all because we were cry-babying over Bernie? Damn… They will steal our future right from under us in no time at all.
I haven’t worked in the corporate and/or tech world. I’ve been blue-collar all my life. I don’t have savings, a military pension, a retirement, or any kind of financial station to fall back on. And I voted for Clinton—not because I was under any delusion that she was a virtuous politician—but because I don’t have the time or resources to lay up while Trump & pals snatch everything up. Enough with the “protest vote” excuse. The electorate fucked up.
I agree completely. Trump and Bannon are going to lead us into another war anyway.
I still think Clinton would have been better for the overall world. Trump is just as much of a corporatist but he’s also a bigot and will be willing to destroy the environment. Clinton wouldn’t have done that.
Hi Lorenzo,
Spot on. Thanx man, you bardish Irishman. Inspiring mindcandy.
Greetz from Holland.
Jerry
That was an entertaining and edifying talk, Lorenzo. The narrative of your life, times, and experience with American politics was fascinating. My generation (millennials) has not grown up with the fear of imminent nuclear war. Also, as a veteran myself, it was heartbreaking to hear of American POWs knowingly forsaken by Washington. How inhumane. I appreciated your positive vision of a festival culture. But I would say that it has historical precedents, specifically in Ancient Greece. In some ways I feel that the modern psychedelic community is the Dionysian movement reborn. The ecstatic religion still lives: I’ve seen its vibrancy and virility on display at festivals. Doctrines and hierarchy notwithstanding, it would be grand to see the resurgence of that spirit on a large scale. Be well, Lorenzo 🙂
Really inspiring talk, Lorenzo. Paradoxically, one of the more hopeful I’ve heard in recent months, and as eloquent as anything by Terence. As a young(er) person finding myself in confusing times, I think I can say with confidence that you are one of the elders we need.
Putin hacked the election, he has blackmail material on our malignant narcissist illegitimate president. He has been running a smear on Hillary since she called out his theft of his 2012 election. I don’t see how what you presented shows any difference between previous elections
you voted in and the most recent which you didn’t. Living in permanent burning man world might
be nice but it seems like we could a lot better. Oh, and vaccines here are only made in FDA monitored labs, not in China.
[COMMENT by Lorenzo: We seem to be in complete disagreement about everything.]
The US is not Moldova. It’s always good to have a scapegoat though, eh? Wake up mate. If anyone has a claim on “theft”, it sure as hell is Mr. Sanders. Unlike the accusations against Putin, which may or may not be true, there is hard evidence to back it up. If you want to blame someone, maybe you should take a look at the DNC and the two-party sham of a system we have. Shaft Sanders, get Trump – got it? You reap what you sow.
Many thanks Lorenzo, and keep on truckin’!
Bernie was sadly, politically manipulated by the DNC. Hillary (running on most of Bernie’s platform) was, by well established fact hacked & smeared by external powers aimed at defeating not only her but our democracy fundamentally. In any case this is now old news. We are in a moment in psychedelic history and the intrinsic psychedelic
mind will always prevail. Love all, always.
“Putin hacked the election?” ehhhh no. What did he have some kind of mind melting machine to get in our heads? Rigged the voting machines? Wikileaks? No, no and no. We voted for Trump. Willingly. HilTheBeast wow, you’d have to do a lot more reading on her my friend, she is evil in the flesh. From the C.Foundation to my God, the list is just too long… I’m not here to educate but no she was NEVER a possible choice.
You have had the Yin, now you are about to get the Yang.
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I’m 23 an engineering student in Florida Iv been listening weekly for about 2 Years now this is my first post I decided to do this as a result of Lorenzo’s outstanding commentary when you described us the psychedelic community as dancing on the edge of the crater bringing light to the darkness your message moved me to stand up and cheer that was all so eloquent I was feeling electric because at the same time I felt a deep resonation with what I had been doing with my life up to this point. Thank you Lorenzo I have such gratitude for all that you have done.
Well said Lorenzo! I would love to hear your talks in more podcasts.
The world is as we dream it, Lorenzo. You don’t have to dream it so desolate, or give up dreaming and leave it to others. This is the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love. I’m dreaming of another. In any case, the world is a lot more nuanced and complex than them vs us.
Big hug