Because of the Joycean turn that the mystery has taken of late, I’ve started rereading Finnegans Wake before bed.
Some things that catch my interest …
The relationship between brothers Shem and Shaun, penman and postman—the one who writes messages and the one who delivers them. Or. the man of traditional writing and the man of dispersed communications. Which of these is [in]visible belfast more interested in? Or, to put it differently, I keep wondering, why The Star Factory? It’s such a traditional book in so many ways, it’s difficult to know why this group or person is so interested in that book … and why they want us to be interested in it as well.
Ana Livia Plurabelle … who is associated with the river(s), the plurabilities, and so on.
Phoenix Park, in Book 1.
The importance of letters and delivering letters. The whole book seems to fit within the space of time it takes to write, deliver, and receive a letter, and the events seem to form around that central one.
The book as a literary representation of sleep and dreaming. I need to do more research on this.
Thursday, 26 May 2011
Page 322
You were right to ask about this. Here you go.
I'm getting pretty psyched for the Water Clock.
I'm getting pretty psyched for the Water Clock.
Monday, 23 May 2011
Messier 45
I’ve spent the morning doing some research on the mythologies surrounding Messier 45. Some interesting things I’ve found so far, from various sources:
From Greek myth:
The Pleiad(e)s were the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Plein means `to sail', making Pleione `sailing queen' and her daughters `sailing ones.' The cluster's conjunction with the sun in spring and opposition in fall marked the start and end of the summer sailing season in ancient Greece. Pleos means `full', of which the plural is `many.'
‘Astromorphosis: One day the great hunter Orion saw the Pleiads as they walked through the Boeotian countryside, and fancied them. He pursued them for seven years, until Zeus answered their prayers for delivery and transformed them into birds (doves or pidgeons), placing them among the stars. Later on, when Orion was killed (many conflicting stories as to how), he was placed in the heavens behind the Pleiades, immortalizing the chase.’
‘Lost Pleiad: The `lost Pleiad' legend came about to explain why only six are easily visible to the unaided eye. This sister is variously said to be Electra, who veiled her face at the burning of Troy, appearing to mortals afterwards only as a comet; or Merope, who was shamed for marrying a mortal; or Celæno, who was struck by a thunderbolt. Missing Pleiad myths also appear in other cultures … Celæno is the faintest at present.’ Celæno means `swarthy' – she had sons Lycus (``wolf'') and Chimærus (``he-goat'') by Prometheus. No other data on Celaeno.
From another source: The mythology states that only six of the stars shine brightly in the Pleiades star cluster becuase the seventh, Merope, shines dully because she is shamed for eternity for having an affair with a mortal.
Atlas – The father of the seven sisters, it is said that Atlas worked out the science of astrology and discovered the spherical nature of the stars.
Mythology of the Pirt-Kopan-noot tribe of Australia:
‘A lost Pleiad is the the queen of the remaining six. She is revered by the heavenly Crow (Canopus) and never returns to her home after she is carried away by him.’
‘As the Pleiades cluster is close to the ecliptic (within 4°) in the constellation of Taurus it is a spring and autumnal 'seasonal' object in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Being close to the ecliptic, there are frequent occultations of the cluster with the Moon and planets. To our superstitious ancestors these were, no doubt, portentious events.’
‘The heliacal (near dawn) rising of the Pleiades in spring in the northern hemisphere has from ancient times augured the opening of the seafaring and farming season: while its dawn autumnal setting marked the season's end.’
North American legends:
‘Coincidentally, a similar legend to that of the ancient Greeks is retold by the Kiowa tribe of North America. Seven maidens were transported in to the sky by the Great Spirit to save them from giant bears. The Spirit created the Mateo Tepe (the Devil's Tower National Monument, Wyoming) to place them beyond the bears. Yet the hunt continued, with the bears climbing the sheer cliffs – the vertical striations on the side of the rock formation were ascribed to be the bears' claw marks, gouged as they climbed after their prey. Seeing the bears close in on the maidens, the Spirit then placed them securely in the sky.’
‘To the Blackfoot tribe of south Alberta and north Montana the stars were known as the Orphan Boys. The fatherless boys were rejected by the tribe, but were befriended by a pack of wolves, who became their only companions. Saddened by their lives on earth they asked the Great Spirit to let them play together in the sky, and so he set them there as a group of small stars. As a reminder of their cruelty in contrast to the kindness of animals, every night the tribe were afflicted by the howling of the wolves, who pined after their lost friends.’
Other mythologies:
‘The Pleiades are among the first stars mentioned in literature, appearing in Chinese annals of about 2350 BC. The earliest European references are somewhat later, in a poem by Hesiod in about 1000 BC and in Homer's Odyssey.’
‘The Bible contains three direct references to the Pleiades in Job 9:9 and 38:31, and Amos 5:8, and a single indirect reference in the New Testament. This latter passage (Revelation 1:16) describes a vision of the coming of the Messiah – who holds, in his right hand, seven stars…’
Other names:
‘Mao (昴), the hairy head of the white tiger of the West - alternatively, the Blossom Stars and Flower Stars. (Chinese).’
‘Subaru: 'gathered together'. This was adopted as the trading name of a car manufacturer. (Japanese)’
Hoki Boshi: 'dabs of paint on the sky', literally, the brush stars. (Japanese)
The 'lost' star(s) in Kimah: The Talmud Rosh Hashanah relates that God, angered by mankind's degeneracy, reformed the work of his creation by removing two stars from Kimah and caused the cluster to rise at daybreak, out of season. The biblical flood of Noah was the direct result.
From Greek myth:
The Pleiad(e)s were the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Plein means `to sail', making Pleione `sailing queen' and her daughters `sailing ones.' The cluster's conjunction with the sun in spring and opposition in fall marked the start and end of the summer sailing season in ancient Greece. Pleos means `full', of which the plural is `many.'
‘Astromorphosis: One day the great hunter Orion saw the Pleiads as they walked through the Boeotian countryside, and fancied them. He pursued them for seven years, until Zeus answered their prayers for delivery and transformed them into birds (doves or pidgeons), placing them among the stars. Later on, when Orion was killed (many conflicting stories as to how), he was placed in the heavens behind the Pleiades, immortalizing the chase.’
‘Lost Pleiad: The `lost Pleiad' legend came about to explain why only six are easily visible to the unaided eye. This sister is variously said to be Electra, who veiled her face at the burning of Troy, appearing to mortals afterwards only as a comet; or Merope, who was shamed for marrying a mortal; or Celæno, who was struck by a thunderbolt. Missing Pleiad myths also appear in other cultures … Celæno is the faintest at present.’ Celæno means `swarthy' – she had sons Lycus (``wolf'') and Chimærus (``he-goat'') by Prometheus. No other data on Celaeno.
From another source: The mythology states that only six of the stars shine brightly in the Pleiades star cluster becuase the seventh, Merope, shines dully because she is shamed for eternity for having an affair with a mortal.
Atlas – The father of the seven sisters, it is said that Atlas worked out the science of astrology and discovered the spherical nature of the stars.
Mythology of the Pirt-Kopan-noot tribe of Australia:
‘A lost Pleiad is the the queen of the remaining six. She is revered by the heavenly Crow (Canopus) and never returns to her home after she is carried away by him.’
‘As the Pleiades cluster is close to the ecliptic (within 4°) in the constellation of Taurus it is a spring and autumnal 'seasonal' object in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Being close to the ecliptic, there are frequent occultations of the cluster with the Moon and planets. To our superstitious ancestors these were, no doubt, portentious events.’
‘The heliacal (near dawn) rising of the Pleiades in spring in the northern hemisphere has from ancient times augured the opening of the seafaring and farming season: while its dawn autumnal setting marked the season's end.’
North American legends:
‘Coincidentally, a similar legend to that of the ancient Greeks is retold by the Kiowa tribe of North America. Seven maidens were transported in to the sky by the Great Spirit to save them from giant bears. The Spirit created the Mateo Tepe (the Devil's Tower National Monument, Wyoming) to place them beyond the bears. Yet the hunt continued, with the bears climbing the sheer cliffs – the vertical striations on the side of the rock formation were ascribed to be the bears' claw marks, gouged as they climbed after their prey. Seeing the bears close in on the maidens, the Spirit then placed them securely in the sky.’
‘To the Blackfoot tribe of south Alberta and north Montana the stars were known as the Orphan Boys. The fatherless boys were rejected by the tribe, but were befriended by a pack of wolves, who became their only companions. Saddened by their lives on earth they asked the Great Spirit to let them play together in the sky, and so he set them there as a group of small stars. As a reminder of their cruelty in contrast to the kindness of animals, every night the tribe were afflicted by the howling of the wolves, who pined after their lost friends.’
Other mythologies:
‘The Pleiades are among the first stars mentioned in literature, appearing in Chinese annals of about 2350 BC. The earliest European references are somewhat later, in a poem by Hesiod in about 1000 BC and in Homer's Odyssey.’
‘The Bible contains three direct references to the Pleiades in Job 9:9 and 38:31, and Amos 5:8, and a single indirect reference in the New Testament. This latter passage (Revelation 1:16) describes a vision of the coming of the Messiah – who holds, in his right hand, seven stars…’
Other names:
‘Mao (昴), the hairy head of the white tiger of the West - alternatively, the Blossom Stars and Flower Stars. (Chinese).’
‘Subaru: 'gathered together'. This was adopted as the trading name of a car manufacturer. (Japanese)’
Hoki Boshi: 'dabs of paint on the sky', literally, the brush stars. (Japanese)
The 'lost' star(s) in Kimah: The Talmud Rosh Hashanah relates that God, angered by mankind's degeneracy, reformed the work of his creation by removing two stars from Kimah and caused the cluster to rise at daybreak, out of season. The biblical flood of Noah was the direct result.
Sunday, 22 May 2011
The Moving Staircase of the Beast
I’ve been having more dreams.
This time, I dreamed that I was trapped in a sort of hell, layered like Dante’s Inferno, and my father was leading me through it—just his voice, rather—telling me about my fate, the significance of my past, the dangers in my future. I followed his voice through the maze of pain and suffering, seeing things that were terrible … not a good dream.
“I am alone in space,” I heard my dad say at one point, “with emptiness on every side. I can see nothing but the moving staircase of the beast.”
The spiralling hell seemed to go on and on, until finally we reached the surface of earth, and my father told me, “Grey Belfast dawn illuminates you…” And then he was gone. And I woke up.
It was just a nightmare. But still, I’m left with a feeling that I don’t want to end up like my father; that he was truly alone, in the end, and that he was so sad, having destroyed the things he loved.
This game sometimes feels like a sort of maze. I’m often confused. It’s clear that some people are in their element and discover things quickly, but many like me are usually lost. I have to say, I’m not used to asking for or accepting help. I hate it, in fact, and always have. But in this case, if I’m to be any kind of proper protagonist, I do need help.
For one thing, we need more conspirators. There are just a few of us, and there is a deluge of potentially useful information all the time. Does anyone have any ideas of how to get more conspirators on board?
Maybe I’ll contact @visiblebelfast directly and ask what to do. Although it seems wrong somehow … like giving up.
This time, I dreamed that I was trapped in a sort of hell, layered like Dante’s Inferno, and my father was leading me through it—just his voice, rather—telling me about my fate, the significance of my past, the dangers in my future. I followed his voice through the maze of pain and suffering, seeing things that were terrible … not a good dream.
“I am alone in space,” I heard my dad say at one point, “with emptiness on every side. I can see nothing but the moving staircase of the beast.”
The spiralling hell seemed to go on and on, until finally we reached the surface of earth, and my father told me, “Grey Belfast dawn illuminates you…” And then he was gone. And I woke up.
It was just a nightmare. But still, I’m left with a feeling that I don’t want to end up like my father; that he was truly alone, in the end, and that he was so sad, having destroyed the things he loved.
This game sometimes feels like a sort of maze. I’m often confused. It’s clear that some people are in their element and discover things quickly, but many like me are usually lost. I have to say, I’m not used to asking for or accepting help. I hate it, in fact, and always have. But in this case, if I’m to be any kind of proper protagonist, I do need help.
For one thing, we need more conspirators. There are just a few of us, and there is a deluge of potentially useful information all the time. Does anyone have any ideas of how to get more conspirators on board?
Maybe I’ll contact @visiblebelfast directly and ask what to do. Although it seems wrong somehow … like giving up.
Friday, 20 May 2011
More Images from the Star Factory
I went through the book some more last night ... there's so much in it and I have no idea what's relevant and what's not. The best I can do is to post things that seem like they might be of interest. Here are some things I found.
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
The Locket
Sorry this took a couple of hours; I had to search through several boxes of pictures and letters that I hadn’t opened for a while.
When we left Belfast, my dad gave me this locket. I’ve had it with me ever since, always away in a box … I was so angry when he gave me to me—angry at both my parents, really—that I never bothered to wear it or even look at it really. But every time I’ve packed to move somewhere, I’ve taken it with me. I can’t say why, except that when Dad gave it to me he told me to always keep it nearby, that it was good luck.
It occurred to me when I was reading over your tweets today that it might be the significant object I have been carrying with me. I did look at the dolphin, even poked a little hole at the seam to make sure nothing was hidden inside (remember the diamond in the teddybear from The Rescuers?), but nothing is. Anyway, I opened the locket … and I think I was right.
For the first time since all of this started, I feel quite shaken by this experience. Who would know that I had this locket, other than my dad? As for the question of whether to trust @visiblebelfast ... Right now, I don't.
Make what you will of this.
When we left Belfast, my dad gave me this locket. I’ve had it with me ever since, always away in a box … I was so angry when he gave me to me—angry at both my parents, really—that I never bothered to wear it or even look at it really. But every time I’ve packed to move somewhere, I’ve taken it with me. I can’t say why, except that when Dad gave it to me he told me to always keep it nearby, that it was good luck.
It occurred to me when I was reading over your tweets today that it might be the significant object I have been carrying with me. I did look at the dolphin, even poked a little hole at the seam to make sure nothing was hidden inside (remember the diamond in the teddybear from The Rescuers?), but nothing is. Anyway, I opened the locket … and I think I was right.
For the first time since all of this started, I feel quite shaken by this experience. Who would know that I had this locket, other than my dad? As for the question of whether to trust @visiblebelfast ... Right now, I don't.
Make what you will of this.
Friday, 13 May 2011
The Star Factory
Anyone who’s following this—and now there seem to be quite a few of you—I guess you’re part of the game. And I seem to be involved in it as well, through no choice of my own.
I was just quietly living my life, and suddenly all this stuff is happened, stuff that shows that someone has been watching me, knows private things about me … I’m being contacted by strangers, online and in person. I’m still not entirely sure what to think of it. Something about it feels slightly sinister.
But, possibly against my better judgment, I did go look to see if the numbers on the book were a library code, and indeed they are, sort of. I’ll post some photos here of what I found; I’m not sure what I found, to be honest, except that it was once a book. It seems to me like it’s now something else as well.
It was The Star Factory, by Ciaran Carson. I found it in the stacks, in between astronomy and physics. It's not either of those things.
The Star Factory is a novel, but someone’s totally changed the book from what it once was ... It’s been written in, not just written in, but drawn all over, with strange diagrams and words blacked out and whole sections changed. Have a look.
The book has been planted. The decimal code is just written onto the spine of the book, not typed onto a sticker like every other library book, and there’s nothing on the inside to indicate it’s a library book.
And I know someone left it for me to find. This was written on the last page.
Appropriately, today is Friday the 13th.
I need to have a think. More later.
I was just quietly living my life, and suddenly all this stuff is happened, stuff that shows that someone has been watching me, knows private things about me … I’m being contacted by strangers, online and in person. I’m still not entirely sure what to think of it. Something about it feels slightly sinister.
But, possibly against my better judgment, I did go look to see if the numbers on the book were a library code, and indeed they are, sort of. I’ll post some photos here of what I found; I’m not sure what I found, to be honest, except that it was once a book. It seems to me like it’s now something else as well.
It was The Star Factory, by Ciaran Carson. I found it in the stacks, in between astronomy and physics. It's not either of those things.
The Star Factory is a novel, but someone’s totally changed the book from what it once was ... It’s been written in, not just written in, but drawn all over, with strange diagrams and words blacked out and whole sections changed. Have a look.
The book has been planted. The decimal code is just written onto the spine of the book, not typed onto a sticker like every other library book, and there’s nothing on the inside to indicate it’s a library book.
And I know someone left it for me to find. This was written on the last page.
Appropriately, today is Friday the 13th.
I need to have a think. More later.
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