Escobar: Al-Qaeda agents worm into Syrian rebel army - Feb 18, 2012
The EU states are calling for creating humanitarian corridors in Syria, which some fear could open the door to foreign intervention. But Asia Times correspondent Pepe Escobar says it's already underway.
'Beijing will not tolerate US pressure on Syria' - Feb 18, 2012
Crisis-locked Syria finds itself caught between two very different diplomatic efforts. As the U.S. and its allies pile pressure on the government, Russia and China are trying to mediate a negotiated solution. One of Beijing's top diplomats is in Damascus for talks, calling on all sides to halt the violence, and work out a peace deal. The Chinese effort follows up on months of attempts by Moscow to bring the warring sides together. But the rebels refuse to negotiate, unless Assad gives up power. Violence is escalating almost daily now, with dozens reportedly killed over the past 24 hours. Political science professor Joseph Cheng says U.S. dominance in the region is forcing some world powers onto the defensive.
Battle for Mideast: Syria proxy war can make Iran bite - Feb 18, 2012
With crisis-locked Damascus feeling the squeeze from within the country and abroad, its crucial ally in the region is also feeling the strain. Experts warn that the collapse of the Syrian regime, would be a devastating blow to Iran, making Tehran extremely isolated - and compelled to act.
Free Syrian Arms: US gives guns to Al-Qaeda protege - Feb 16, 2012
The conflict in Syria is intensifying and the UN is unable to agree on a solution to end the bloodshed. Meanwhile, US politicians are calling to arm opposition forces, amid suspicions the US may already be supplying weapons through its Arab allies. In spite of the fears that providing anti-governmental rebels in Syria could lead to an irreversible escalation of the conflict and descent into civil war, US politicians are starting to put pressure on Washington.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar push for UN decision on Syria - Feb 13, 2012
Almost a week ago China and Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution to expel Bashar al-Assad's government. In the fear that this resolution may lead to regime change in Syria, China and Russia vetoed the notion. The vetoes didn't sit well with the remaining members of the UN Security Council and China and Russia were criticized. Many members came forward to blame the bloodshed that followed on Russia and China. Now the talks continue to find a solution to the ongoing violence and Anastasia Churkina joins us with the latest.
US selling arms to Syrian rebels? - Feb 13, 2012
After months of violence and bloodshed between anti-government rebels and Bashar al-Assad's government, many global leaders are looking for an answer to end the aggression in Syria. According to some reports, Turkey is smuggling weapons to the anti-government rebels, but the US sells arms to Turkey. Ivan Eland, senior fellow at the Independent Institute, helps us follow the arms trade trail.
Pentagon plans attack on Syria despite the UN - Feb 13, 2012
Nearly a week ago, China and Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution to oust the Bashar al-Assad's government. The remaining members of the UN Security Council criticized the two countries for the veto, but Russia and China fear Syria will share the same fate as Libya. Russia took matters into their own hands by offering to host peace talks between the Rebels and the Syrian government but the rebels have refused the offer. But despite the UN Security Council's failed resolution the US prepares for military actions against Syria ignoring the UN. Here is our report.
Arms Trade Hypocrisy - Feb 13, 2012
According to some reports, the US has sold over $400 billion worth of arms to Middle-Eastern countries since the 1960s. At the same time, US officials have spoken out about their opposition to supply weapons to terrorist groups. Major purchasers of US weaponry include Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Israel, and some skeptics believe the US is supplying guns and heavy artillery to Syrian anti-government rebels. Marina Portnaya examines the role America plays in arms dealing.
'US backs Al-Qaeda to mutually destroy Syria' - Feb 12, 2012
The Arab League is mulling over what further action to take on the crisis in Syria, with reports of escalating violence. Meanwhile, the head of the group's observer mission has resigned - just as a proposal is being considered to again send monitors from the League and the UN to the country. Political analyst Dr Adel Samara says the U.S. and Al-Qaeda have similar goals in Syria.
Mossad vs Assad? 'CIA death squads behind Syria bloodbath' - Nov 21, 2011
Moscow has accused the west of stirring up tensions in the Arab world by calling for the overthrow of the Syrian regime. Russia says calls from certain states for the Syrian opposition to avoid dialogue with the government, are only provoking further violence. Author and journalist Webster Tarpley, who's in Damascus, says, it's very simple, western powers are behind the violence in Syria.
'West tries to redraw map & split Syria from Iran' - Dec 3, 2011
Syria's main opposition group has vowed to cut ties with Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas, if the current government goes. Professor Johan Galtung, the rector of the Transcend Peace University, told RT, that agenda goes very well with the regional interests of some other countries.
Is Syria slipping into a civil war? Can the international community do something to end the violence without forcing a regime change? The US happens to be on the same side with Al Qaeda in the conflict, does it mean resorting to all means in order to protect civilians? Or does it mean empowering Al Qaeda perceived as the primary enemy of the US? CrossTalking with Rami Jarrah, Kurt Werthmuller and Patrick Hayes.
CrossTalk on Syria: Victim of Conspiracy? - Jan 13, 2012
Has Assad reached the point of no return? And who will take advantage of it? Will the opposition forces really be able to take a grip on power? Or are they too weak to defend Syria against Assad? And therefore will they continue to woo the international community? Is there a case for a no-fly zone, this time in Syria? And what are the expectations of those who spearhead military action?
CrossTalk: Syrian Series - Feb 10, 2012
Why is the Arab League so concerned about the protests in Syria? How far will the Turks go? Should the international community help the rebels, and what options does it have? Is there any way to stop violence in the country without turning it into a new Libya or Iraq? CrossTalking with James Carafano, Nick Ottens and James Morris
Biography Source from: Spiritual Regression Michael Newton, Ph.D is the Founder of The Michael Newton Institute for Life Between Lives Hypnotherapy (TNI) and served from 2002-2005 as the first President. Our organization began as the Society for Spiritual Regression (SSR) but this name was later changed to TNI to honor our Founder.
Dr. Newton continues to serve on the TNI Board. He holds a doctorate in Counseling Psychology, is a certified Master Hypnotherapist and is a member of the American Counseling Association. He has been on the faculty of higher educational institutions as a teacher and counselor while also active in private practice. In addition, Dr. Newton has been a corporate consultant and worked as a behavioral counselor and group therapy director for community mental health centers and spiritual renewal organizations in cooperation with hospital and social service agencies. He has been a hypnotherapist for over 50 years and a LBL therapist for over 40 years. He is considered a pioneer in uncovering the mysteries about life after death through the use of Spiritual Regression.
In 1998 Dr. Newton received the National Association of Transpersonal Hypnotherapists annual award of "Most Unique Contribution by a Hypnotherapist" for his years of soul memory research and mapping the cosmology of the afterlife. He is the author of three best selling books, Journey of Souls: Case Studies of Life Between Lives (1994), Destiny of Souls: New Case Studies of Life Between Lives (2000) and Life Between Lives Hypnotherapy (2004) published by Llewellyn. These books have been translated into over 25 languages. In 2001 his second book was awarded "Metaphysical Book of the Year" by the independent publishers association at their annual Book Exposition of America meeting. He is also the editor of the new book Memories of the Afterlife (2009), which includes intriguing case studies written by members of his growing network of Life Between Lives therapists.
Dr. Newton has appeared on numerous radio and television shows and was an active speaker on the lecture circuit before his retirement, explaining his discoveries and beliefs about our immortal life in the spirit world. He is now retired from active practice, devoting his time to TNI, especially our LBL training programs. Dr. Newton can be reached through his publisher c/o Llewellyn Worldwide, Inc. 2143 Wooddale Drive Woodbury, MN 55125-2989. For a response you must include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. A return international stamp coupon must be included if you live outside the USA.
A message from Michael Newton Source from: Spiritual Regression "If you have come this far in your search for meaning, purpose and a divine plan in your life, I sincerely believe you are in the right place. Our organization is devoted to helping people access their higher soul self through a unique process involving deep hypnosis developed over many years.
By using our referral list of Certified Life Between Lives Hypnotherapists, all of whom are bound by our Code of Ethics, you have an excellent opportunity for personal exposure to the age-old questions: Who am I? Where do I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going after death? Thousands of our clients have benefited from learning the answers to these compelling questions. I feel that unlocking this sacred information, held in your own mind, through a life-between-lives (LBL) spiritual regression session will be one of the most profound experiences of your life. " With best wishes... Michael
The Newton Institute was founded by Dr. Michael Newton, author of the best-selling books Journey of Souls, Destiny of Souls and Life Between Lives Hypnotherapy. Our organization began as The Society for Spiritual Regression but this name was later changed to TNI to honor its Founder. The Newton Institute (TNI for short) is the home of certified practitioners who provide the experience of Life Between Lives Hypnotherapy (LBL) to individuals throughout the world who wish to find out more about their immortal identity. Life Between Lives Hypnotherapy is a method, pioneered by Michael Newton, using a deep state of hypnosis, whereby individuals can access soul memories.
For hidden within are memories of your life as a soul, between incarnations, your life with soul friends and family, planning your future lives on earth. This technique offers you an opportunity to experience a trance-induced "superconscious" state of awareness that brings a deep sense of love, compassion and an understanding of your life purpose. Everyone's experience is unique and personal so you can be confident of a spiritual journey that will fulfill your own needs and wishes.
The Dr. Michael Newton Institute for Life Between Lives Hypnotherapy was founded by Dr. Michael Newton, author of the best-selling books Journey of Souls and Destiny of Souls. The Newton Institute provides information, support, education, therapist training and referral services to individuals desiring an experiential understanding of their nature as an eternal spiritual being through the process of Life-Between-Lives Spiritual Regression. This method offers you a means to access soul memories through a trance-induced "super conscious" state of awareness that brings a deep sense of love, compassion and an understanding of our life purpose
Past Life Therapy: Journey Between Lives - Part 1 of 5
Past Life Therapy: Journey Between Lives - Part 2 of 5
Past Life Therapy: Journey Between Lives - Part 3 of 5
Past Life Therapy: Journey Between Lives - Part 4 of 5
Past Life Therapy: Journey Between Lives - Part 5 of 5
Dr Michael Newton has been a hypnotherapist for over 50 years and a Life Between Lives therapist for over 40 years. He is considered a pioneer in uncovering the mysteries about life after death through the use of Spiritual Regression. This is an interview with Kelly Howell on Theater Of The Mind.
Dr. Michael Newton is the founder of The Michael Newton Institute for Life Between Lives Hypnotherapy,here he talks about his research into past lives and where a soul goes before being reincarnated on earth. Over many years, Dr. Newton developed his own intensive age regression techniques in order to effectively take hypnosis subjects beyond their past life memories to a more meaningful soul experience between lives. He is considered to be a pioneer in uncovering the mysteries about life after death through the use of spiritual hypnotic regression. He now trains other advanced hypnotherapists in his techniques.
Michael Newton - Life between Lives - Part 1 of 6
Michael Newton - Life between Lives - Part 2 of 6
Michael Newton - Life between Lives - Part 3 of 6
Michael Newton - Life between Lives - Part 4 of 6
Michael Newton - Life between Lives - Part 5 of 6
Michael Newton - Life between Lives - Part 6 of 6
Deepak Chopra - Life after Death - Part 1 of 3
Deepak Chopra - Life after Death - Part 2 of 3
Deepak Chopra - Life after Death - Part 3 of 3
Past Lives: Reincarnation, Memory & Karma of the Soul
William Blake (28 November 1757–12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. His prophetic poetry has been said to form "what is in proportion to its merits the least read body of poetry in the English language". His visual artistry has led one contemporary art critic to proclaim him "far and away the greatest artist Britain has ever produced". Although he lived in London his entire life except for three years spent in Felpham he produced a diverse and symbolically rich corpus, which embraced the imagination as "the body of God", or "Human existence itself".
Considered mad by contemporaries for his idiosyncratic views, Blake is held in high regard by later critics for his expressiveness and creativity, and for the philosophical and mystical undercurrents within his work. His paintings and poetry have been characterised as part of both the Romantic movement and "Pre-Romantic", for its large appearance in the 18th century.
Early Life William Blake was born on 28 November 1757 at 28 Broad Street (now Broadwick St) in the Soho district of London. He was the third of seven children, two of whom died in infancy. Blake's father, James, was a hosier. William did not attend school, and was educated at home by his mother Catherine Wright Armitage Blake. The Blakes were Dissenters, and are believed to have belonged to the Moravian Church. The Bible was an early and profound influence on Blake, and would remain a source of inspiration throughout his life.
Blake started engraving copies of drawings of Greek antiquities purchased for him by his father, a practice that was then preferred to actual drawing. Within these drawings Blake found his first exposure to classical forms through the work of Raphael, Michelangelo, Marten Heemskerk and Albrecht Dürer. His parents knew enough of his headstrong temperament that he was not sent to school but was instead enrolled in drawing classes. He read avidly on subjects of his own choosing. During this period, Blake was also making explorations into poetry; his early work displays knowledge of Ben Jonson and Edmund Spenser.
Apprenticeship to Basire On 4 August 1772, Blake became apprenticed to engraver James Basire of Great Queen Street, for the term of seven years. At the end of this period, at the age of 21, he was to become a professional engraver. No record survives of any serious disagreement or conflict between the two during the period of Blake's apprenticeship. However, Peter Ackroyd's biography notes that Blake was later to add Basire's name to a list of artistic adversaries—and then cross it out. This aside, Basire's style of engraving was of a kind held to be old-fashioned at the time, and Blake's instruction in this outmoded form may have been detrimental to his acquiring of work or recognition in later life.
Royal Academy On 8 October 1779, Blake became a student at the Royal Academy in Old Somerset House, near the Strand. While the terms of his study required no payment, he was expected to supply his own materials throughout the six-year period.
Marriage In 1782, Blake met John Flaxman, who was to become his patron, and Catherine Boucher, who was to become his wife. At the time, Blake was recovering from a relationship that had culminated in a refusal of his marriage proposal. He recounted the story of his heartbreak for Catherine and her parents, after which he asked Catherine, "Do you pity me?" When she responded affirmatively, he declared, "Then I love you." Blake married Catherine – who was five years his junior – on 18 August 1782 in St. Mary's Church, Battersea. Illiterate, Catherine signed her wedding contract with an 'X'. The original wedding certificate may still be viewed at the church, where a commemorative stained-glass window was installed between 1976 and 1982. Later, in addition to teaching Catherine to read and write, Blake trained her as an engraver. Throughout his life she would prove an invaluable aid to him, helping to print his illuminated works and maintaining his spirits throughout numerous misfortunes.
A very quick look at the history and work of William Blake. A short by Stephen Barker, Chu Ya Hwang, and Margarita Romanenko, produced in Flash and Final Cut Pro, 2005.
Multimedia Artist - Part 1 of 2
Multimedia Artist - Part 2 of 2
Blake: The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Sketches of William Blake's Inner World from His Pictures and Poems with Anne Baxter as Catherine Blake and George Rose as William Blake
London, 1827 For 45 years, William Blake wrote, illustrated, & printed his books of visionary poems, assisted by his wife, Catherine.
He is now in his final days ...
Dramatized sketches based on the poems and paintings of William Blake illuminate his visionary world of mythological beings. Like a one-act play, the film suggests what life was like for the Blakes, William and Catherine, while they worked together printing and painting a copy of The Marriage of Heaven and Hell in William's last days. A portrayal of artist/poet William Blake's effort to capture "an eternal world of the permanent realities of everything we see reflected in the vegetable glass of nature." Winner of the Columbus Film Festival "Chris" and the Cine Golden Eagle. With Academy Award-winner Anne Baxter and Tony Award-winner George Rose. New York, NY : Swedenborg Foundation, Inc., 1987. (30 min.) Visionary dimensions series Writers: Harvey F. Bellin, Tom Kieffer.
Marriage of Heaven and Hell 1 of 3
Marriage of Heaven and Hell 2 of 3
Marriage of Heaven and Hell 3 of 3
Here is a virtual movie of the great William Blake reading his much loved poem "The Tiger"
"The Tiger" is a famous poem by the English poet William Blake. The poem was published as part of his collection Songs of Experience in 1794. It is one of Blake's best known and most analyzed poems.
William Blake (November 28, 1757 -- August 12, 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognized during his lifetime, Blake's work is now considered seminal in the history of both poetry and the visual arts.
The poem is read superbly by Marius Goring........ All rights are reseserved on this video recording copyright Jim Clark 2009
The Tiger TIGER, tiger, burning bright In the forests of the night, What immortal hand or eye Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies Burnt the fire of thine eyes? On what wings dare he aspire? What the hand dare seize the fire?
And what shoulder and what art Could twist the sinews of thy heart? And when thy heart began to beat, What dread hand and what dread feet?
What the hammer? what the chain? In what furnace was thy brain? What the anvil? What dread grasp Dare its deadly terrors clasp?
When the stars threw down their spears, And water'd heaven with their tears, Did He smile His work to see? Did He who made the lamb make thee?
Tiger, tiger, burning bright In the forests of the night, What immortal hand or eye Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
The Tiger
Auguries of Innocence To see a world in a grain of sand, And a heaven in a wild flower, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour.
A robin redbreast in a cage Puts all heaven in a rage.
A dove-house fill'd with doves and pigeons Shudders hell thro' all its regions. A dog starv'd at his master's gate Predicts the ruin of the state.
A horse misused upon the road Calls to heaven for human blood. Each outcry of the hunted hare A fibre from the brain does tear.
A skylark wounded in the wing, A cherubim does cease to sing. The game-cock clipt and arm'd for fight Does the rising sun affright.
Every wolf's and lion's howl Raises from hell a human soul.
The wild deer, wand'ring here and there, Keeps the human soul from care. The lamb misus'd breeds public strife, And yet forgives the butcher's knife.
The bat that flits at close of eve Has left the brain that won't believe. The owl that calls upon the night Speaks the unbeliever's fright.
He who shall hurt the little wren Shall never be belov'd by men. He who the ox to wrath has mov'd Shall never be by woman lov'd.
The wanton boy that kills the fly Shall feel the spider's enmity. He who torments the chafer's sprite Weaves a bower in endless night.
The caterpillar on the leaf Repeats to thee thy mother's grief. Kill not the moth nor butterfly, For the last judgement draweth nigh.
He who shall train the horse to war Shall never pass the polar bar. The beggar's dog and widow's cat, Feed them and thou wilt grow fat.
The gnat that sings his summer's song Poison gets from slander's tongue. The poison of the snake and newt Is the sweat of envy's foot.
The poison of the honey bee Is the artist's jealousy.
The prince's robes and beggar's rags Are toadstools on the miser's bags. A truth that's told with bad intent Beats all the lies you can invent.
It is right it should be so; Man was made for joy and woe; And when this we rightly know, Thro' the world we safely go.
Joy and woe are woven fine, A clothing for the soul divine. Under every grief and pine Runs a joy with silken twine.
The babe is more than swaddling bands; Every farmer understands. Every tear from every eye Becomes a babe in eternity;
This is caught by females bright, And return'd to its own delight. The bleat, the bark, bellow, and roar, Are waves that beat on heaven's shore.
The babe that weeps the rod beneath Writes revenge in realms of death. The beggar's rags, fluttering in air, Does to rags the heavens tear.
The soldier, arm'd with sword and gun, Palsied strikes the summer's sun. The poor man's farthing is worth more Than all the gold on Afric's shore.
One mite wrung from the lab'rer's hands Shall buy and sell the miser's lands; Or, if protected from on high, Does that whole nation sell and buy.
He who mocks the infant's faith Shall be mock'd in age and death. He who shall teach the child to doubt The rotting grave shall ne'er get out.
He who respects the infant's faith Triumphs over hell and death. The child's toys and the old man's reasons Are the fruits of the two seasons.
The questioner, who sits so sly, Shall never know how to reply. He who replies to words of doubt Doth put the light of knowledge out.
The strongest poison ever known Came from Caesar's laurel crown. Nought can deform the human race Like to the armour's iron brace.
When gold and gems adorn the plow, To peaceful arts shall envy bow. A riddle, or the cricket's cry, Is to doubt a fit reply.
The emmet's inch and eagle's mile Make lame philosophy to smile. He who doubts from what he sees Will ne'er believe, do what you please.
If the sun and moon should doubt, They'd immediately go out. To be in a passion you good may do, But no good if a passion is in you.
The whore and gambler, by the state Licensed, build that nation's fate. The harlot's cry from street to street Shall weave old England's winding-sheet.
The winner's shout, the loser's curse, Dance before dead England's hearse.
Every night and every morn Some to misery are born, Every morn and every night Some are born to sweet delight.
Some are born to sweet delight, Some are born to endless night.
We are led to believe a lie When we see not thro' the eye, Which was born in a night to perish in a night, When the soul slept in beams of light.
God appears, and God is light, To those poor souls who dwell in night; But does a human form display To those who dwell in realms of day.
Auguries of Innocence
The meaning and purpose of blackness according to William Blake presented by Samuel Godfrey George.
The Little Black Boy My mother bore me in the southern wild, And I am black, but oh my soul is white! White as an angel is the English child, But I am black, as if bereaved of light.
My mother taught me underneath a tree, And, sitting down before the heat of day, She took me on her lap and kissed me, And, pointed to the east, began to say:
"Look on the rising sun: there God does live, And gives His light, and gives His heat away, And flowers and trees and beasts and men receive Comfort in morning, joy in the noonday.
"And we are put on earth a little space, That we may learn to bear the beams of love And these black bodies and this sunburnt face Is but a cloud, and like a shady grove.
"For when our souls have learn'd the heat to bear, The cloud will vanish, we shall hear His voice, Saying, 'Come out from the grove, my love and care And round my golden tent like lambs rejoice',"
Thus did my mother say, and kissed me; And thus I say to little English boy. When I from black and he from white cloud free, And round the tent of God like lambs we joy
I'll shade him from the heat till he can bear To lean in joy upon our Father's knee; And then I'll stand and stroke his silver hair, And be like him, and he will then love me.
The Little Black Boy
One of the twelve songs from the CD Blake Songs. Twelve William Blake poems set to music by Paul Howard and Jo Clack.
London
Words written by William Blake
Music by Charles Hubert Hastings Parry
Jerusalem And did those feet in ancient time Walk upon England's mountains green And was the holy lamb of God On England's pleasant pastures seen
And did the countenance divine Shine forth upon our clouded hills And was Jerusalem builded here Among those dark Satanic mills
Bring me my bow of burning gold Bring me my arrows of desire Bring me my spears o'clouds unfold Bring me my chariot of fire
I will not cease from mental fight Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand 'Til we have built Jerusalem In England's green and pleasant land 'Til we have built Jerusalem In England's green and pleasant land
Jerusalem
Blake poured his whole being into his work. The lack of public recognition sent him into a severe depression which lasted from 1810-1817, and even his close friends thought him insane.
Unlike painters like Gainsborough, Blake worked on a small scale; most of his engravings are little more than inches in height, yet the detailed rendering is superb and exact. Blake's work received far more public acclaim after his death, and an excerpt from his poem Milton was set to music, becoming a sort of unofficial Christian anthem of English nationalism in the 20th century.
The Divine Image
To Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love All pray in their distress; And to these virtues of of delight Return their thankfulness. For Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love Is God, our father dear, And Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love Is Man, his child and care.
For Mercy has a human heart, Pity a human face, And Love, the human form divine, And Peace, the human dress.
Then every man, of every clime, That prays in his distress, Prays to the human form divine, Love, Mercy, Pity, Peace.
And all must love the human form, In heathen, turk, or jew; Where Mercy, Love, & Pity dwell There God is dwelling too.
The Divine Image
Voice of the Devil (performed by Ulver)
God is The Imagination
Visions of the Daughters of Albion
The Lamb
As a nineteenth century English poet Blake depicts the concept of child just after the industrial revolution.
Chimney Sweeper
The Garden of Love
William Blake Meets Thomas Paine Gnostic Drama - Part 1
Gnostic Drama - Part 2
Gnostic Drama - Part 3
Gnostic Drama - Part 4
Gnostic Drama - Part 5
Many attempts have been made to set Blake's "Songs of Innocence and Experience" to music, including classical composers, William Bolcom (1984), Benjamin Britten and Ralph Vaughan Williams, and folk singers Greg Brown (1987), and Finn Coren." The attempt I am most familiar with is by hip poet, Allen Ginsberg, who accompanied himself on harmonium on his 1970 recording.
As a lover of Blake's poetry I decided to try recording the complete collection of poems, set partly to original music and partly to adaptations of folk tunes. It is presented here in eight videos, with some assistance from my sister, Annette, also a lover of Blake, and my nephew, Lachlan.
William Blake (1757-1827), now famous for his unique poetic and artistic vision, was not recognised in his own lifetime. His incredibly rich and imaginative poetry expresses a romantic and mystical view of the world, and, though he loved the Bible, an extreme hostility to established religion and the conventional view of marriage, which earned him a reputation for madness or at least eccentricity.
Blake believed Innocence and Experience were the two contrary states of the human soul, and both essential for life. The poems in "Songs of Innocence" either express a child's point of view or are about children. Many have a matching poem in "Songs of Experience", giving a different and darker perspective.Though Blake believed children needed to become experienced, he blamed social exploitation, such as child labour, and dogmatic religion for their loss of innocence.
Part One 1. Introduction - Songs of Innocence (with Annette and Lachlan) 2. The Shepherd - Songs of Innocence 3. Introduction - Songs of Experience 4. Earth's Answer - Songs of Experience 5. The Echoing Green - Songs of Innocence 6. The Garden of Love - Songs of Experience
Blake was very much aware of the irony of presenting songs, basically ephemeral because of their oral nature, not only in written form, but elaborately engraved. His "Introduction" to "The Songs of Innocence" seems to cast doubt on the Romantic notion that the spoken voice could be truly captured in writing. The three instructions given by the child to the piper - to play his pipe, to sing his songs, and to write them down - implies a descent from the pure essence of music, through singing, still spontaneous but restricted by language, to the written word, which, once created, can exist on its own without the need for a human being to bring it to life. The act of writing itself, it is suggested, leads us away from nature to "experience".
The song of "The Shepherd" is a simple description of the shepherd's joyful relationship with his flock, obviously a reference to the love of God in the eyes of an innocent child. The image of people or animals guarding their children is a major motif in these songs.
Whereas the Introduction to "Songs of Innocence" presents the song-writer as a piper, the Introduction to "Songs of Experience" shows him as an ancient bard, asking the sinful earth to return to God. Whether he is a benevolent prophet weeping for the fallen world or a jealous tyrant, he does not represent Blake, who values the world of experience as an essential part of life. Rather, he is Urizen, a figure who turns up many times in Blake's works.
The Introduction is followed by the complex song, "Earth's Answer." Earth perhaps represents the world of experience. Whether she should take the bard's advice or try to remain free in her fallen state depends on our interpretation of the bard's motives in the Introduction. She seems to see herself as imprisoned by his jealousy in a world of darkness.
"The Echoing Green" presents a day in the life of a group of children playing, beginning with the rising sun and ending with its descent. The cyclic nature of the song is reinforced by the "old folk" who watch the children and remember playing on the Green themselves as children, so the daily cycle is a metaphor for the cycle of life from birth to death. The image of the children returning to their mothers at the end of the day on the "darkening green" suggests the joyful return to God when life is over.
"The Garden of Love" shows that the natural Eden-like setting for the childrens innocent play has now been destroyed by the institutions of organised religion, with its rules and restrictions. We find that "the gates of the chapel were shut / And 'Thou Shalt Not' writ over the door," and the final lines beautifully express this restrictiveness not only in the imagery, but also In the tight internal rhymes: "Priests in black gowns were walking their rounds / And binding with briars my joys and desires". The priests have turned the Garden of Love, "where I used to play on the green," into a garden of punishment and death, where the flowers have been replaced by graves.
A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees.
A truth that's told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent.
Active Evil is better than Passive Good.
Always be ready to speak your mind, and a base man will avoid you.
Art can never exist without naked beauty displayed.
Art is the tree of life. Science is the tree of death.
As a man is, so he sees. As the eye is formed, such are its powers.
Better murder an infant in its cradle than nurse an unacted desire.
Both read the Bible day and night, but thou read black where I read white.
Can I see another's woe, and not be in sorrow too? Can I see another's grief, and not seek for kind relief?
Christ's crucifix shall be made an excuse for executing criminals.
Do what you will, this world's a fiction and is made up of contradiction.
Energy is an eternal delight, and he who desires, but acts not, breeds pestilence.
Eternity is in love with the productions of time.
Every harlot was a virgin once.
Excessive sorrow laughs. Excessive joy weeps.
Exuberance is beauty.
For everything that lives is holy, life delights in life.
Fun I love, but too much fun is of all things the most loathsome. Mirth is better than fun, and happiness is better than mirth.
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
He who binds to himself a joy Does the winged life destroy; But he who kisses the joy as it flies Lives in eternity's sun rise.
He who desires, but acts not, breeds pestilence.
He who would do good to another must do it in Minute Particulars: general Good is the plea of the scoundrel, hypocrite, and flatterer, for Art and Science cannot exist but in minutely organized Particulars.
He whose face gives no light, shall never become a star.
I am in you and you in me, mutual in divine love.
I have no name: I am but two days old. What shall I call thee? I happy am, Joy is my name. Sweet joy befall thee!
I must create a system or be enslaved by another mans; I will not reason and compare: my business is to create.
I was angry with my friend: I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow.
If a thing loves, it is infinite.
If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.
If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise.
If the Sun and Moon should ever doubt, they'd immediately go out.
Imagination is the real and eternal world of which this vegetable universe is but a faint shadow.
In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.
It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend.
It is not because angels are holier than men or devils that makes them angels, but because they do not expect holiness from one another, but from God only.
Lives in eternity's sun rise.
Love seeketh not itself to please, nor for itself hath any care, but for another gives its ease, and builds a Heaven in Hell's despair.
Man has no Body distinct from his Soul; for that called Body is a portion of Soul discerned by the five Senses, the chief inlets of Soul in this age.
No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings.
One thought fills immensity.
Opposition is true friendship.
Poetry fettered, fetters the human race. Nations are destroyed or flourish in proportion as their poetry, painting, and music are destroyed or flourish.
Prisons are built with stones of Law. Brothels with the bricks of religion.
Prudence is a rich, ugly, old maid courted by incapacity.
That the Jews assumed a right exclusively to the benefits of God will be a lasting witness against them and the same will it be against Christians.
The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship.
The difference between a bad artist and a good one is: the bad artist seems to copy a great deal; the good one really does.
The eye altering, alters all.
The fool who persists in his folly will become wise.
The foundation of empire is art and science. Remove them or degrade them, and the empire is no more. Empire follows art and not vice versa as Englishmen suppose.
The glory of Christianity is to conquer by forgiveness.
The hours of folly are measured by the clock; but of wisdom, no clock can measure.
The man who never alters his opinions is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind.
The man who never in his mind and thoughts travel'd to heaven is no artist.
The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.
The soul of sweet delight, can never be defiled.
The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest.
The tigers of wrath are wiser than the horses of instruction.
The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity... and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself.
The true method of knowledge is experiment.
The weak in courage is strong in cunning.
Think in the morning. Act in the noon. Eat in the evening. Sleep in the night.
Those who restrain their desires, do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained.
To generalize is to be an idiot.
To see the world in a grain of sand, and to see heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hands, and eternity in an hour.
To the eyes of a miser a guinea is more beautiful than the sun, and a bag worn with the use of money has more beautiful proportions than a vine filled with grapes.
Travelers repose and dream among my leaves.
Want of money and the distress of a thief can never be alleged as the cause of his thieving, for many honest people endure greater hardships with fortitude. We must therefore seek the cause elsewhere than in want of money, for that is the miser's passion, not the thief s.
What is a wife and what is a harlot? What is a church and what is a theatre? are they two and not one? Can they exist separate? Are not religion and politics the same thing? Brotherhood is religion. O demonstrations of reason dividing families in cruelty and pride!
What is grand is necessarily obscure to weak men. That which can be made explicit to the idiot is not worth my care.
What is now proved was once only imagined.
What is the price of experience? Do men buy it for a song? Or wisdom for a dance in the street? No, it is bought with the price of all the man hath, his house, his wife, his children.
When a sinister person means to be your enemy, they always start by trying to become your friend.
When I tell the truth, it is not for the sake of convincing those who do not know it, but for the sake of defending those that do.
Where mercy, love, and pity dwell, there God is dwelling too.
Without contraries is no progression. Attraction and repulsion, reason and energy, love and hate, are necessary to human existence.
You cannot have Liberty in this world without what you call Moral Virtue, and you cannot have Moral Virtue without the slavery of that half of the human race who hate what you call Moral Virtue.
You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough.
Source from:Trueman Tuck
“God created Sovereign Spiritual / Human Beings as children of God. God's children cannot and should not claim to have sovereign supremacy with their creator.
The Sovereign Children of God created artificial entities, which are all sole or aggregate corporations including rulers, governments, parliaments, senates, judges, etc.
THEY do not posess any sovereign supremacy and cannot and should not claim to be equal or greater than their creators.”
Trueman of the Tuck clan (aka Trueman Tuck), is a son of God and a Sovereign Spiritual / Human Being that is purpose driven to educate, assist and defend the unalienable rights, freedoms and liberties of other sons and daughters of God.
If you are having problems and need to hire professional assistance you can contact Trueman at Tuck's Professional Services. Trueman's e-mail is trueman@tucksprofessionalservices.com.
Trueman is a non-lawyer, legal, political and sovereign rights advocate and has been instrumental in creating activist groups such as Friends of Freedom International, Alliance of Natural Health Suppliers, canadiangrassroots.ca, Live Longer Educational Foundation and a new Ontario registered political Party - the Republican Party of Ontario.
Trueman has successfully assisted hundreds of small family enterprises in winning their legal cases. He has been involved in the natural health industry as a marketing and management consultant, trainer, retailer, wholesaler, manufacturer, legal and health practitioner and entrepreneur for over 35 years.
Today, Trueman is one of Canada's leading federal regulatory crisis / case managers and sovereign rights and lobbyist, and has access to and knows a large number of MLAs, MPPs, MPs and Senators in all provincial and federal levels.
Trueman has attended many international events including Codex, and is involved in defending human rights in a number of different countries.
If you are a caring, concerned Sovereign Spiritual / Human Being who wants to make the world a better place for all of human kind / children of God, please contact Trueman and join forces with the global "BEEHIVE" of freedom advocates that Trueman works with [see www.tucksprofessionalservices.com, www.friendsoffreedominternational.org, www.allianceofnaturalhealthsuppiers.com, www.livelongereducationalfoundation.com, www.taxtyranny.ca, www.republicanpartyofontario.ca, www.directdemocracyfederation.ca, www.freedomofchoiceinhealthcare.ca, www.healthcanadaabuse.com, www.injusticescanada.ca].
If you are a small, medium or large family owned enterpriseand have regulatory problems in any area, Trueman is your go to expert to assist you and your team in resolving the crisis [see www.tucksprofessionalservices.com].
If you are interested in Trueman's writings and publications be sure to visit www.matrixverite.com.
