This machine kills AI

The Hand of the Art

I was busy looking through some pinterest photos when I came across a diagram that had been stalking my feed for a while. it was a diagram that showed a hand, the right, and had the planetary seals on it. The issue was that the hand only had six seals, which meant that if the Solar Seal was on the first (the seal of Michaell), then the Lunar Seal had to be somewhere.

Looking at the diagram proper, it would appear that the back of the hand would also represent the Sun, or the Active Component of the Self, which is interesting because it still reflects the left hand, rather than the right. If we were to go by traditional interpretations, then the right hand would be masculine/projective/expansive and thus Sol would take place on the palm and Luna on the back of the hand. Beyond that, the diagrams still remain similar in terms of the planets placement:

The Pinkie is given to Mercury, the Thumb to Venus, the Index to Jupiter, the Middle to Saturn and the ring to Mars.

This does present us with an interesting idea. Some occult groups split the art into two categories: "Dayside" and "Nightside". I've mostly seen this in reference to groups that worked with spiritual vampirism but it does carry over into referencing the exoteric and the more antinomian esoteric. The other end is more extreme, referring to the "light" aspects of an item and its nightside referring to its "darker" and occult facilities. Assuming that the qualities are just reversed, the Moon being on the palm (the moving) on the Left and the Sun on the right, then we find a tradition.

Most consider the left hand to be used in acts of dispersal but also cursing and more active and occult magics, as compared to the right hand which was considered more benefic. This may be because Christ was regarded as sitting at the Right Hand so since the embodiment of all good is at the Right, it stands to reason that His Counterpart sits at the left. This is also found in some superstitions about left-handed people. I do find it interesting that the middle finger is regarded as the cursing finger and is attributed to Saturn which is the planet associated with reaping-what-you-sow but also occultism and necromancy.

100% Disagree

It’s an underdog story about classism in which the folk hero (Johnny) is confronted by a powerful man (the Devil) who tries to exploit the hero’s perceived ignorance and inferiority by offering a great reward with impossible odds. Although Johnny warns him that looks can be deceiving, and that he’s going to regret the dare because Johnny is the “best there’s ever been”, the devil is blinded by his greed and arrogance.

The devil creates an awful cacophony of technically excellent fiddle playing that would be impossible for Johnny to replicate. It’s a trick.

But Johnny just grins at him and starts to play “simple” classic country fiddling songs - Fire On The Mountain, House Of The Rising Sun, and Daddy Cut Her Bill Off. He doesn’t rise to beat the Devil - he simply creates his own music from his home, in the style that he knows, and his love of it and the familiarity of the music make his “backwoods” fiddling more perfect than the Devil could ever achieve.

It is thus the devil’s pride, not Johnny’s, that allows Johnny to Bugs Bunny his way into a golden fiddle.

(In that sense, I do agree that it is the most American song: in a land of prejudice and inequities, great power lies - dormant but ever-present - in those we underestimate and attempt to exploit.)

Also people initially react to the devil's part like "holy shit that's badass" because he's got electric guitar and bass and a whole backing band to make him sound good. Of course he sounds amazing. But if you drill down to the actual fiddling -- and this is straight from Charlie Daniels -- it's not as technically difficult as what Johnny does. It's fast? But it's mostly just going up and down scales.

Here's a good performance -- the devil's part starts around 2:00. Check out how long Daniels just stands there holding his fiddle while the guitar and piano carry the weight. I love that piano bassline but fiddling it ain't.

It's still an American narrative: if you can afford to hire a bunch of more talented people, you, too, can look like a genius. Doesn't make you one.

The Adam Ezra Group does a fun cover that plays with the cultural references in a way that may make the story clearer if you aren't from the American South.

Wait if the devil is going down to Georgia but up to Boston...where did he start from?

It seems only reasonable it’s Washington D.C.

see, that is the reasonable conclusion, but if you observe the video shows the Devil wearing a New York Yankees cap, and i think Georgians and Bostonians would agree on that.

Ah yes, how could I be so foolish. To be fair, I think most Americans who don’t live in New York think New York is the home of the devil.

The only decent way to use white privilege

[ID: A twitter thread from Tess Sharpe (@sharpegirl).

“A few months ago, I put myself between a man of color and two police officers who were harassing him. I was able to do this calmly and automatically because my mother trained me how to do it and I’ve spent years thinking about how to react if I had to use my whiteness this way.

The first thing I did: I pulled out my phone. I made sure the officers SAW me pull out my phone. I made sure they saw me turn on the voice recording.

The next thing: I calmly but firmly contradicted the officers. They insisted that they had gotten a call saying that this man was following people trying to get them to sign petitions. I told them I had been there for a half hour and he had not done anything of the sort.

The officers then tried to get me to be quiet. I said that I would be quiet, but that their reports were wrong, they were not listening to an eyewitness, and I was not moving from this spot until they left this man alone.

I then made a VERY BIG SHOW of taking down these officers names and badge numbers on my phone. I made sure the one next to me could see that I had texted this information to someone (my mom). I’m talking craning my neck to look at their badges, tilting my phone to show the screen

Then, I just fixed the one across with me with a stare. The bitchiest, don’t fuck with me, I’m a femme white lady stare I could summon. And I did not stop staring or move from that spot until they left. And they did leave.

And then I gave the guy my phone number just in case and I called activist friends up in the community and made sure people were in the parking lot in case the cops came back so he could continue his petition work in peace.

You’ve got to be prepared. Keep your phone charged and in easy access. Know where your recording apps are. Who will you text badge numbers to so there’s a record? Go through it in your head until it feels as natural as holding your keys between your fingers in a parking lot.

This is the work we must do. Those officers never would’ve touched me. I was never in danger for a moment. Use the enormous privilege you have for good if a time comes where you need to step up and be an actual shield.

And a final thing, remember: this is not about YOUR anger. Your anger has no place here. Your job is to be calm and never escalate a situation the officers are looking for a chance to escalate. Because you won’t be the one they will escalate on. The person of color will be.

Your job is to remind the officers that white ladies can be a damn nuisance. And a lot of paperwork. And what if this one is related to somebody important? What if this one writes letters to the editor? She’s texting someone my badge number, is this really worth it?”

/end]

Weaponize whiteness against cops not minorities. Real punks know how to rebel.