I have said many serious things about Gaga in my Gagafesto and she deserves it and I appresicate her serious and mystical elements. I could and probably will go on and on about "meaning" but of course Gaga is not so serious. Or, as serious as she is, revealing deep secrets and growing the world in a masterful way, she is even more fun.
And this is one of the great things that is hard to describe, but easily felt. For anyone who loves Gaga, my ramblings could be annoying but they might smile at them, because this gagablog is one way I show my love for her, and she inspires so much love, of different types, that I think other little monsters have a lot to say about her too and can understand me for it. My point, however, is that she is so cool and so much fun that no amount of nerdiness or seriousness can "spoil it". I appreciate that Gaga is so amazing to inspire all sorts of ideas and that she herself is a nerd and outkast and brings us all together, recently saying she still feels like a loser at times and relies on the love of her fans. I think this speaks to the wonderful, direct love that Gaga gives and everymonster feels. She brings us together and helps us realize we are not alone and she gets the same love and support from each other. To me, love and fun are abundant and the evils of the world are from society hiding and repressing them, so the people who make them abundant again are keys to life. I go on and on about what can be wrong with the world, in personal relationships and world events, and I love Gaga for being so complex to address these issues, but it is all within the context of Love, which overcomes all difficulties, personal and social.
I wonder if the magic I seek, the personal transformation I suspect I can make in myself that will have an accord with a transformation of the world, is a change of focus. I love talking about Gaga and all this serious shit, but my real message is that Love overcomes all of these things. Love itself is complex and can inspire a lot of serious ideas, but it is also fun. It is obvious that Gaga is fun, everymonster feels it, and maybe not as obvious what complex implications she has, so I like to talk about it, but maybe I will do better when I transform. Maybe instead of saying "hey everyone, here are some lessons about love, lets learn them!" over and over, I learn the lessons myself and get better, more in love, then I will be that transforming power I anticipate.
When Gaga brings us together, we may initilly appreciate each other for our common interest in her and other commonalities in ourselves related to that. But we come to love and appreciate each other as individuals, and for what we do. And we have fun together. Partying and concerts in general can be so much fun and the Monster Ball seems to be some of the most fun you can have. The reason for this has everything to do with Gaga and her musical and artistic genius, but also shows the power of love. She put so much of her earnings into making an amazing show for her fans, an experience like no other. And bringing so many people together does so much for us monsters, personally, but can also do wonderful things in the world. All her charity and activism work shows this, but I think the larger effect will be the "cultural baptism" she refers to. The critical mass of monster gathered together in Love will do so much good for the world, and the fun we have is both a reward for and means of doing thins good. This is the prize of love, the tranforming gem that allows everything, even our loneliness, to become beautiful when we come together, and we can renew ourselves and the world with this harmony, and it will be fun.
I was defending buying some Gaga mechandise yesterday that might "make me look gay" then I heard a great story on the radio later. It was about the "Rock against Racism" movement in the UK that started with a concert and march in 1978. I want to mention it because it relates directly to what I wanted to say about Gaga, that she brings us together with fun to do good things in the world and ourselves. And they made the point, in an interview with a musician/organizer from the 78 event, that one of their points was that they had better music. As it always has, music was a form for multiculturalism, and maybe especially at that time with social conflict of racist conservatives and the emerging musical styles. We still have the same issues of racism and homophobia to address, and Gaga is leading the concert and march against them in this era. I love her for this and wanted to mention something someone said in the radio program. He had marched to the concert and there was a performer who played a song with a name like "It's So Great to Be Gay" and he said that when the line about kissing another man came up, all the men around him kissed each other. He said he had not known gay people and had always felt like different in his community for not being racist so he was proud to be with so many thousands of people at the march. But he was surprised by everyone kissing and turned around and saw that he had been marching, and arrived at the concert, in front of a banner for gay pride. He said he wondered "why are there gay people here? I thought this was about racism." Then he said he realized, in that moment, that it was about the rights of all people who are oppressed for being different. And he said that he decided then that he wanted to be with the different people.
While it is true that many advancements in Civil Rights were achieved in the past generations, there is much that still needs to be done. It is not like we are past racism in America, it is still a terrible problem, despite many improvements, we have a lot we need to do. And it seems a shame that homophobia is still so strong in America and that gay rights are the current forefront of civil rights. It makes me sad when I think about what that man said, that he realized in an instant that it was about standing and partying with the "different" people, and while in many ways racism became more socially unacceptable after the Civil Rghts movement, it is only 40 years later that homophobia is becoming socially unacceptable, and it is a corner we are turning with a lot of resistance from fearful people.
Love and fun are a means of overcoming this fear, of overcoming the fear instilled by a society that has too much repression of love that it seems rare, and overcoming fear of loneliness by finding others like you, and even realizing hwo much you are like other people you previously considered "different" before you came together. I love Gaga so much for providing this love and fun in the world.
And I think that it is silly to wring my hands about what could have been done in the past or what anyone else needs to do, when I can accept and feel this love and act on it. In this way, I can be a source for showing people more love as well, bringing more people together, and become a living source for Love as well as a messenger for it. Gaga is both, to me, and shows me this beautiful way in the world that makes everything wonderful. Even the sadness in the past becomes a source for beauty and love in the future, and in the moment.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Gagafesto, "Loving Judas, Gaga the Holy Fool" gagablog 20
Gaga has done it again, meeting my expections yet surprising them with a twist, and even exceeding them, again. Judas is amazing, I love it. And I see what all the fuss is about, but the fussers are so silly! Gaga has a great message with Judas on a number of levels.
I was hoping it would not be a song about "a Judas", someone who betrayed you, and a "typical love song". Someone suggested in an article I read that it was a song about loving the "wrong" person or bad boy, and while I think it is silly to think that is all it is, I am glad that it does have that message in a sense and is kind of like a "normal" pop song about love. There is so much more to it, though.
The lyrics themselves do not seem to refer to the Gospel of Judas, but some of the other statements she has made about it suggest she is aware of it, or maybe even carrying out what if prophesied without "meaning" to. The song is about more than loving the "bad guy" it goes deeper than that to suggest a redeemed idea of Judas, as his gospel does. She does mention "he's so cruel" and mentions lies and betrayal. Judas seems clearly portrayed as the one who is cruel, but the first verse is more cryptic, as it is unclear that Judas is the one forgiven for lying, and the three times betrayed could refer to Peter.
Paparazzi is one of my favorite Gaga songs, in part because she works this magic where she changes roles, playing with identity, throughout the song in a way that is spiritual to me. She does the same in other songs, but especially in Judas she takes advantage of a changing identity and associations. At first she is like Mary, washing Jesus' feet with her hair, to which Judas objected and was rebuked. But the second half of the first verse casts Gaga as Jesus, the one to forgive the liar and betrayer, whether it refers to Judas or Peter. This is ironic in itself, because while even within the Bible, and certainly in the Gospel of Judas, Jesus does forgive Judas, or even tells him to do what he does so it is not betrayal, within the traditions of many churches Judas is not forgiven or understood but vilified. If Gaga is really identifying with Mary, not Jesus, it could be that the forgiveness referred to is Mary's forgiveness that she gives later for Judas (or Peter's) role in Jesus crucifixion, that she is capable of with the understanding of Jesus. But Gaga also seems to identify with Jesus near the end of the song when she says "Judas kiss me if offensed" in which she is taking the role of Jesus and saying if you are offended by what she says, go ahead and condemn her, but you will be showing yourself as a betrayer of the true message of Jesus if you do so. The line "even darkness forgave his broken way" implies that there is a way of understanding and loving Judas that is Christlike, and I think the main message of Judas, on the surface, is of Love as Jesus intended and Gaga is fully expressing.
Its no wonder that some people are jealous or afraid of Gaga, as they always have been, but all they manage to do by criticizing her is reveal the limitations of their own understanding. It is funny to me that Gaga is so blatant about this, and it is not like she is "just" trying to trick them but they cartainly took the bait. She says she is a holy fool, which should be a clue to the church and a warning not to make themselves look silly, but at least one Catholic "spokesperson" has tried to make fun of Gaga while the joke is on him. And she tells everyon right there in the song she is a Holy Fool, which I just double-checked on Wikipedia, so anyone can find out, means she does outlandish things even inviting criticism to make powerful points about Love. Even, or especially, if someone does not understand her message, she gives them fair warning not to make themselves look foolish, yet people reveal their pettiness and lack of perception. And her verse "Judas kiss me if offensed or wear ear condom next time" seems directed at past critics who are not capable of understanding her true message and significance, a warning to people who can't handle her to not even try to get impregnated with her meaning, just let the sounds bounce off. And the use of the word "ear condom" is hilraious, especially if she is referring to the Catholic Church for their past criticism of her for Alejandro, since it is good advice to tell Catholics to wear condoms, even on their ears, its a start.
The holy fool acts in ways that invite social condemnation in order to teach lessons about spirituality and judgement, including being half-naked or overtly sexual, according to Wikipedia. For me, Gaga has always filled this role, since my view is that sexuality has been repressed and removed from spirituality and Gaga is restoring both realms to their proper harmony. It is funny that she is saying directly that she is a holy fool, and while such Blessed people in the past were abused throughout life then honored after their death and people learned the real meaning of their lives (again, Wikipedia) Gaga is being honored by many today yet some of those who claim religious authority are making fools of themslves abusing her. And she is telling them openly that she is a Holy Fool, yet they are falling for it! And if she is predicting condemnation from the Catholic Church, which has already happened from some catholics, then she is associating them with Judas, for trying to condemn her out of their lack of understanding or merely their role in a mystery play. I've heard that Judas turned Jesus in because he did not truly understand what Jesus was going to do and was hoping that Jesus would use greater power and overthrow the government, like he wanted to force his hand. Most ideas of how Judas could be tempted to betray Jesus suggest that he did not understand Jesus. The same could be said of church people who criticize Gaga. And the irony is that, the people who are acting like Judas and succumbing to condemnation and judegement, whether from misunderstanding, fear, or greed, who Judas Kiss Gaga to condemn her, she is saying sh still loves them! In a simple sense, if "Judas" is a message to the Catholic Church, it is that though they are betraying and condemning her, misunderstanding her, or just playing their role in a mystery, she still loves them. Even if they are the "bad boy". And it is interesting to me that the refrence to "three times" in the first verse implies Peter, who is the father of the Catholic Church. Also, Peter is the one who argues with Mary in the Gospel of Mary. I think that Gospel is very important in its own right and as pertains to Gaga's message, but since there is already criticism from the Catholic Church about Gaga as Mary (Magdeline, I think) in the video for Judas that has not even come out yet, maybe I will wait and address that when it comes out - if I can wait, it is all so exciting! The idea of the Catholic Church as Judas makes the line "I want to love you but something is pulling me away from you" make more sense in a way, too, and many can relate to it who feel the church lied to and betrayed them.
The greatest, simplest message of Judas is that Gaga is presenting Christlike love, either as Jesus himself or as Mary with the wisdom of Jesus, as the true heir of his most secret teaching as the Gospel of Mary suggests, who was supplanted by Peter when the church took a wrong turn, leading to repression of women and sexuality. She is saying she still loves Judas, she forgives him, as Jesus would, or does. Even in the Bible Jesus either understands, literally sends, or forgives Judas by calling him "friend". In the Gospel of Judas, Jesus tells him to do it and that he will be hated for centuries then honored in the greatest way. Im sure Judas, or anyone, is pleased that Gaga is his redeemer! I must also mention a limitation in the understanding of people who would complain that Gaga released Judas on Easter weekend, like it will spoil their holiday. In fact, "Judas" has led to me reading the Bible more than I have in years, and I am eager to study more of it and try to undertsand this interesting mystery of Judas betraying Jesus, and other mysteries as well. Like any holy fool, Gaga is using unconventional methods to draw attention to important spiritual truths.
There is a particularly mysterious passage in the Gospel of John where Jesus gives Judas bread dipped in suace to identify him to one disciple, the one who the end of John says lives a long time and is writing it down. It syas that Satan entered into Judas as soon as he took the bread into his mouth from Jesus' hand, which to me just seems strange, and reminds me of priests and preachers giving communion. It makes me think it seems contradictory that Satan would enter Judas in the "form" of communion from Jesus' hand, but suggests their is a yin-yang relationship of good and evil. And this comes full circle for the idea of loving the virtue of Jesus and clinging to the demon of Judas. It is really all about this point of an even greater understanding of love, that even includes forgiving a betrayer, or the one who had to play a role that was long misunderstood, and loving Everyone. Wanting to not leave anyone behind or out of love. In this way it is once again a "simple" love song about loving both the good and bad in people, and love as something that can save us and something that we cling to, "a brick you can build a house with or sink a dead body".
I must say with some satisfaction that Gaga does make some of my prediction come true. While the lyrics of Judas do not suggest any obvious familiarity with the Gospel of Judas, some of the other things she has said about it do. She may even be unaware of the Gospel of Judas, but she seems to be carrying out the prophecy of redeeming him, and also restoring the authority of Mary from the Gospel of Mary. She could "just" be playing her role in a mystery play. She introduced Judas by saying something like "get ready for a cultural baptism" like this song will transform our culture's spiritual beliefs. She then asked something like "If the things they are teaching you turn out not to be true, will you still believe?" This can mean either that she is aware that there is another version of the Judas story in which he is a hero, but who is hated (a holy fool in his own right), or that she is criticizing faith that is based on or contains false principles, like if your belief contains misunderstanding that allows you to be a Judas and betray the real thing, but saying that there is still a good belief within that, asking if you will still seek it out even if your "faith" is shaken, as in people losing faith in the church but still seeking Love. She is exemplifying a holy fool when she says she is a "fame hooker, prostitute wench (who) vomits her mind" - in the eyes of judgement, which she is drawing out to show it is wrong. And then she says that "culturally" she "just speak in future tense", meaning that in freeing people of judgement and effecting culture, which can change and grow as opposed to "traditional biblical understanding", she is just representing what the future will be when we outgrow some misconceptions. If we take the Gospel of Judas seriously, it is quite revolutionary for Gaga to say "I'll take him down" and say that love can be used "like a brick you can....sink a dead body with." I am reminded of Jesus saying that he would build the true church from the stone that the builders rejected, and how this could apply to Judas and the prophecy in the Gospel of Judas. If all the "church builders" got it wrong by rejecting Judas then he is restored, to be the foundation of the new true church, then Gaga is the one restoring him and truly following Jesus so those who mock her reveal their own falseness. But she also implies that she has this stone out, now, and "can build a house with it(.....) or sink a dead body". "I'll take him down" and "sink a dead body" could refer to the church, which may need to be destroyed to be restored.
A cryptic refrence is to a "king with no crown", which could imply Jesus, or Gaga/Mary - a "king" denied authority for being female, or Judas. If it refers to Judas I see an implication that he is and has been a king, who was without a crown, but now she is crowning him. This gives another, positive implication to the line "I'll take him down" - to "crown him" - which also seems sexually suggestive, taking him down, once I am thinking positively about it. If it is Jesus, it is kind of funny, since he was given a crown of thorns, but with this interpretation it suggests the uderstanding of Jesus as a king who serves and wears no crown. If it refers to Mary, Gaga herself, it seems to suggest that she is just a badass and does not need a crown, or is gaining it back by "taking him down" and re-asserting her authority.
I can't wait to talk about Gaga as Mary Magdeline, as she will appear in the new video for "Judas", and to talk about the importance of the Gospel of Mary and the new emerging spiritual authority, the belief we will have, that Gaga will share with us, when we realize that some of the things "they" are teaching are not true. Once again, Gaga is fulfilling and exceeding my greatest hopes, and in such fantastic style.
I wonder if the Catholic Church will persist in statements against Gaga, taken in by this Holy Fool. If they do, they will have so much egg on their face come Easter!
Oh, I love Gaga so much, both for starting the church I was hoping for, making spirituality sexy again and vice versa, and for making such awesome music - kudos to her collaborators, too! I really love the music, but have so much to say about the messaged I never get to talking about it - but it's great!
Thanks so much, Gaga. I was initially turned off to church at an early age by some inherent hypocricies, and I found rich spirituality elsewhere, but also continued to find it in my understanding and relationship with Jesus, though I was far from most christian bounds. I love you so much for speaking so openly in these terms, both addressing the evils of misunderstanding and judgement, and for reminding me of the rich mysteries of Jesus and HIS little monsters, and giving me, other monsters and many other people a reason to talk about all this ona deeper level.. You take such great care of us, mommy monster, of the whole world, and I hope someday you will hear the songs I write about you! "Im still in love with Gaga, baby"
I was hoping it would not be a song about "a Judas", someone who betrayed you, and a "typical love song". Someone suggested in an article I read that it was a song about loving the "wrong" person or bad boy, and while I think it is silly to think that is all it is, I am glad that it does have that message in a sense and is kind of like a "normal" pop song about love. There is so much more to it, though.
The lyrics themselves do not seem to refer to the Gospel of Judas, but some of the other statements she has made about it suggest she is aware of it, or maybe even carrying out what if prophesied without "meaning" to. The song is about more than loving the "bad guy" it goes deeper than that to suggest a redeemed idea of Judas, as his gospel does. She does mention "he's so cruel" and mentions lies and betrayal. Judas seems clearly portrayed as the one who is cruel, but the first verse is more cryptic, as it is unclear that Judas is the one forgiven for lying, and the three times betrayed could refer to Peter.
Paparazzi is one of my favorite Gaga songs, in part because she works this magic where she changes roles, playing with identity, throughout the song in a way that is spiritual to me. She does the same in other songs, but especially in Judas she takes advantage of a changing identity and associations. At first she is like Mary, washing Jesus' feet with her hair, to which Judas objected and was rebuked. But the second half of the first verse casts Gaga as Jesus, the one to forgive the liar and betrayer, whether it refers to Judas or Peter. This is ironic in itself, because while even within the Bible, and certainly in the Gospel of Judas, Jesus does forgive Judas, or even tells him to do what he does so it is not betrayal, within the traditions of many churches Judas is not forgiven or understood but vilified. If Gaga is really identifying with Mary, not Jesus, it could be that the forgiveness referred to is Mary's forgiveness that she gives later for Judas (or Peter's) role in Jesus crucifixion, that she is capable of with the understanding of Jesus. But Gaga also seems to identify with Jesus near the end of the song when she says "Judas kiss me if offensed" in which she is taking the role of Jesus and saying if you are offended by what she says, go ahead and condemn her, but you will be showing yourself as a betrayer of the true message of Jesus if you do so. The line "even darkness forgave his broken way" implies that there is a way of understanding and loving Judas that is Christlike, and I think the main message of Judas, on the surface, is of Love as Jesus intended and Gaga is fully expressing.
Its no wonder that some people are jealous or afraid of Gaga, as they always have been, but all they manage to do by criticizing her is reveal the limitations of their own understanding. It is funny to me that Gaga is so blatant about this, and it is not like she is "just" trying to trick them but they cartainly took the bait. She says she is a holy fool, which should be a clue to the church and a warning not to make themselves look silly, but at least one Catholic "spokesperson" has tried to make fun of Gaga while the joke is on him. And she tells everyon right there in the song she is a Holy Fool, which I just double-checked on Wikipedia, so anyone can find out, means she does outlandish things even inviting criticism to make powerful points about Love. Even, or especially, if someone does not understand her message, she gives them fair warning not to make themselves look foolish, yet people reveal their pettiness and lack of perception. And her verse "Judas kiss me if offensed or wear ear condom next time" seems directed at past critics who are not capable of understanding her true message and significance, a warning to people who can't handle her to not even try to get impregnated with her meaning, just let the sounds bounce off. And the use of the word "ear condom" is hilraious, especially if she is referring to the Catholic Church for their past criticism of her for Alejandro, since it is good advice to tell Catholics to wear condoms, even on their ears, its a start.
The holy fool acts in ways that invite social condemnation in order to teach lessons about spirituality and judgement, including being half-naked or overtly sexual, according to Wikipedia. For me, Gaga has always filled this role, since my view is that sexuality has been repressed and removed from spirituality and Gaga is restoring both realms to their proper harmony. It is funny that she is saying directly that she is a holy fool, and while such Blessed people in the past were abused throughout life then honored after their death and people learned the real meaning of their lives (again, Wikipedia) Gaga is being honored by many today yet some of those who claim religious authority are making fools of themslves abusing her. And she is telling them openly that she is a Holy Fool, yet they are falling for it! And if she is predicting condemnation from the Catholic Church, which has already happened from some catholics, then she is associating them with Judas, for trying to condemn her out of their lack of understanding or merely their role in a mystery play. I've heard that Judas turned Jesus in because he did not truly understand what Jesus was going to do and was hoping that Jesus would use greater power and overthrow the government, like he wanted to force his hand. Most ideas of how Judas could be tempted to betray Jesus suggest that he did not understand Jesus. The same could be said of church people who criticize Gaga. And the irony is that, the people who are acting like Judas and succumbing to condemnation and judegement, whether from misunderstanding, fear, or greed, who Judas Kiss Gaga to condemn her, she is saying sh still loves them! In a simple sense, if "Judas" is a message to the Catholic Church, it is that though they are betraying and condemning her, misunderstanding her, or just playing their role in a mystery, she still loves them. Even if they are the "bad boy". And it is interesting to me that the refrence to "three times" in the first verse implies Peter, who is the father of the Catholic Church. Also, Peter is the one who argues with Mary in the Gospel of Mary. I think that Gospel is very important in its own right and as pertains to Gaga's message, but since there is already criticism from the Catholic Church about Gaga as Mary (Magdeline, I think) in the video for Judas that has not even come out yet, maybe I will wait and address that when it comes out - if I can wait, it is all so exciting! The idea of the Catholic Church as Judas makes the line "I want to love you but something is pulling me away from you" make more sense in a way, too, and many can relate to it who feel the church lied to and betrayed them.
The greatest, simplest message of Judas is that Gaga is presenting Christlike love, either as Jesus himself or as Mary with the wisdom of Jesus, as the true heir of his most secret teaching as the Gospel of Mary suggests, who was supplanted by Peter when the church took a wrong turn, leading to repression of women and sexuality. She is saying she still loves Judas, she forgives him, as Jesus would, or does. Even in the Bible Jesus either understands, literally sends, or forgives Judas by calling him "friend". In the Gospel of Judas, Jesus tells him to do it and that he will be hated for centuries then honored in the greatest way. Im sure Judas, or anyone, is pleased that Gaga is his redeemer! I must also mention a limitation in the understanding of people who would complain that Gaga released Judas on Easter weekend, like it will spoil their holiday. In fact, "Judas" has led to me reading the Bible more than I have in years, and I am eager to study more of it and try to undertsand this interesting mystery of Judas betraying Jesus, and other mysteries as well. Like any holy fool, Gaga is using unconventional methods to draw attention to important spiritual truths.
There is a particularly mysterious passage in the Gospel of John where Jesus gives Judas bread dipped in suace to identify him to one disciple, the one who the end of John says lives a long time and is writing it down. It syas that Satan entered into Judas as soon as he took the bread into his mouth from Jesus' hand, which to me just seems strange, and reminds me of priests and preachers giving communion. It makes me think it seems contradictory that Satan would enter Judas in the "form" of communion from Jesus' hand, but suggests their is a yin-yang relationship of good and evil. And this comes full circle for the idea of loving the virtue of Jesus and clinging to the demon of Judas. It is really all about this point of an even greater understanding of love, that even includes forgiving a betrayer, or the one who had to play a role that was long misunderstood, and loving Everyone. Wanting to not leave anyone behind or out of love. In this way it is once again a "simple" love song about loving both the good and bad in people, and love as something that can save us and something that we cling to, "a brick you can build a house with or sink a dead body".
I must say with some satisfaction that Gaga does make some of my prediction come true. While the lyrics of Judas do not suggest any obvious familiarity with the Gospel of Judas, some of the other things she has said about it do. She may even be unaware of the Gospel of Judas, but she seems to be carrying out the prophecy of redeeming him, and also restoring the authority of Mary from the Gospel of Mary. She could "just" be playing her role in a mystery play. She introduced Judas by saying something like "get ready for a cultural baptism" like this song will transform our culture's spiritual beliefs. She then asked something like "If the things they are teaching you turn out not to be true, will you still believe?" This can mean either that she is aware that there is another version of the Judas story in which he is a hero, but who is hated (a holy fool in his own right), or that she is criticizing faith that is based on or contains false principles, like if your belief contains misunderstanding that allows you to be a Judas and betray the real thing, but saying that there is still a good belief within that, asking if you will still seek it out even if your "faith" is shaken, as in people losing faith in the church but still seeking Love. She is exemplifying a holy fool when she says she is a "fame hooker, prostitute wench (who) vomits her mind" - in the eyes of judgement, which she is drawing out to show it is wrong. And then she says that "culturally" she "just speak in future tense", meaning that in freeing people of judgement and effecting culture, which can change and grow as opposed to "traditional biblical understanding", she is just representing what the future will be when we outgrow some misconceptions. If we take the Gospel of Judas seriously, it is quite revolutionary for Gaga to say "I'll take him down" and say that love can be used "like a brick you can....sink a dead body with." I am reminded of Jesus saying that he would build the true church from the stone that the builders rejected, and how this could apply to Judas and the prophecy in the Gospel of Judas. If all the "church builders" got it wrong by rejecting Judas then he is restored, to be the foundation of the new true church, then Gaga is the one restoring him and truly following Jesus so those who mock her reveal their own falseness. But she also implies that she has this stone out, now, and "can build a house with it(.....) or sink a dead body". "I'll take him down" and "sink a dead body" could refer to the church, which may need to be destroyed to be restored.
A cryptic refrence is to a "king with no crown", which could imply Jesus, or Gaga/Mary - a "king" denied authority for being female, or Judas. If it refers to Judas I see an implication that he is and has been a king, who was without a crown, but now she is crowning him. This gives another, positive implication to the line "I'll take him down" - to "crown him" - which also seems sexually suggestive, taking him down, once I am thinking positively about it. If it is Jesus, it is kind of funny, since he was given a crown of thorns, but with this interpretation it suggests the uderstanding of Jesus as a king who serves and wears no crown. If it refers to Mary, Gaga herself, it seems to suggest that she is just a badass and does not need a crown, or is gaining it back by "taking him down" and re-asserting her authority.
I can't wait to talk about Gaga as Mary Magdeline, as she will appear in the new video for "Judas", and to talk about the importance of the Gospel of Mary and the new emerging spiritual authority, the belief we will have, that Gaga will share with us, when we realize that some of the things "they" are teaching are not true. Once again, Gaga is fulfilling and exceeding my greatest hopes, and in such fantastic style.
I wonder if the Catholic Church will persist in statements against Gaga, taken in by this Holy Fool. If they do, they will have so much egg on their face come Easter!
Oh, I love Gaga so much, both for starting the church I was hoping for, making spirituality sexy again and vice versa, and for making such awesome music - kudos to her collaborators, too! I really love the music, but have so much to say about the messaged I never get to talking about it - but it's great!
Thanks so much, Gaga. I was initially turned off to church at an early age by some inherent hypocricies, and I found rich spirituality elsewhere, but also continued to find it in my understanding and relationship with Jesus, though I was far from most christian bounds. I love you so much for speaking so openly in these terms, both addressing the evils of misunderstanding and judgement, and for reminding me of the rich mysteries of Jesus and HIS little monsters, and giving me, other monsters and many other people a reason to talk about all this ona deeper level.. You take such great care of us, mommy monster, of the whole world, and I hope someday you will hear the songs I write about you! "Im still in love with Gaga, baby"
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Gagafesto, "Hope and Suspicion for Judas ", gagablog 19
I feel like the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, "I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date!" Gaga is hard to keep up with to begin with, and with my tendency to "save things" until I can properly enjoy them, I am getting behind her -and not in the way I'd like to! "Judas" was released yesterday, and I have not even heard it yet. I was determined to write what I hoped and suspected it would be about before I actually heard it and demonstrate that I was in tune with the truths that Gaga presents, prophetic or whatever, but I'm both busy and lazy at times and did not get to it before the song came out. So I'm delaying listening to it until I finish writing this, forgive the eagerness. I just returned from the store where I got the Born This Way single and The Remix album (I am listening to the different vocals for Paparazzi now and I love it so much!) so I'm pretty happy for catching up some, but I can't wait to hear Judas!
I don't mind making a fool of myself talking about my intuition before I hear "Judas" instead of listening to it first and then talking about what she actually says. But I have to say, Gaga is so amazing and influential I feel like I will be cheating if I try to say it is intuition because no matter how much I try to avoid hearing about it, Gaga is everywhere. I went to google her name yesterday and the first thing that came up was that "Judas" had upset the Catholic Chruch, which seemed to confirm some of my suspicions.
I can't wait to hear it, so I will try to make this brief (again, "try") but I'm already so pleased with hearing remixed Gaga, it makes a short delay to hear the new song so sweet. Of course my first reaction to hearing that she had a song called "Judas" coming out was to think of the Gospel of Judas, the translation of which was recently made public (what they have of it, anyway). When I read the Gospel of Judas I had a strong impression that it was important, especially the suggestion that a "vindication" of Judas would overturn existing churches and start a new and better version. I can see how it could be the theology/psychology of an outkast cult that associated with Judas, that one day their church would take over. But I had the suspicion that it could be true, that Jesus had asked Judas to carry a secret, to "betray" him on purpose. Again, it is possible that people in Jesus time had the same "rational" disbelief I had as a kid that Jesus could be betrayed, that he would not "know" everything that would happen to him, and this was their way of explaining it. But the other option is that the accounts of the Gospel of Judas was true, that Jesus asked Judas to be hated for centuries then glorified at a pivotal moment in the future. It seemed true to me because the timing of its discovery and revelation seemed right: centuries had passed in which most thought of Judas as a hated character but at this time churches are crumbling under various ills and it seems time for their transformation.
Now, I know I will seem very foolish for making this connection, especially considering a glaring contradiction in the Gospel that I would rather not address unless my suspicion that the song is related proves to be true. It could be that Gaga is taking a typical, negative view of Judas, or talking about "a Judas", a betrayer in her life, and the Catholic Church could just be mad she is using the name at all. I really don't think so, though, both because of my first instinct about the song and because I imagine the song has upset the church for a deeper reason, possibly for this connection to the long-lost, "heretical" Gospel.
While I feel a little foolish for getting excited about the major announcement Gaga was going to make on Good Morning America and made some predictions what it would be, I should feel priveleged because the reason I was "disappointed" that the announcement turned out to be that she would perform on that show was that I already knew that, from word of mouth from little monsters, and I should be glad to be "in the loop" somewhat, for once. It does seem silly to have predicted that she would announce a new church, but I do wonder if that is not what she has done with "Judas" and I can't wait to find out.
I guess one reason I jumped right to this conclusion that the song Judas would have a new perspective on the man and what he represents is that, especially if the gospel is true, he represents the hated, misjudged, and outkasted. I feel like Gaga represents us too, at least I feel like that sometimes and Gaga makes me feel better about it and makes me feel like there are other people like me to relate to, and actually brings us together. I think it would make perfect sense for her to start a new kind of church, she is the Goddess to me after all, and I feel bad that my use of the word church or biblical people could turn people off to this idea, but I would like to say that the things that have made people hate church and christianity would not be part of this kind of church. I think it will take place more as a spiritual and cultural movement, but it will include people gathering together, at the Monster Ball and future and other artists concerts, but maybe in other ways and places as well, who knows. These days many churches are turning to an online presence, and Gaga's and the little monsters' online presence is huge and does manifest in online churches of different levels, such as my "Lady Gaga my religion is you: Monsterites Unite!" facebook page. I have this kind of religious response to Gaga because she embodies esoteric love, esoterotic love, that I see as a path to freedom and restoring a harmony with nature that we need to survive. For Gaga and myself, for the society we grew up in, christian religious imagery comes into play with some of these ideas, but they are within all spiritual traditions and I hope to talk about them in many ways. The surprise twist in the Gospel of Judas reminds me of the nature of the mystery of love, that one can never be too sure of oneself (except in love) or judgemental, and should always have respect for the other person and their side of the story, including the untold parts that could help us understand, but might not be revealed for decades or even millinea.
In christianity, at least, "not judging people" is a very strong message that people have gotten really wrong or seemed to entirely miss. Gaga is restoring this principle with her new race of people she gives birth to who are "beyond judgement" and if my suspicions are corrent she is using Judas to make this message of love and tolerance and resisting judgement to restore a spiritual quality and respect to people's lives that will result in a new religious movement as foretold in the Gospel of Judas. I will go into detail, and explain what I think of the contradition in what appears to be homophobic in the Gospel of Judas, once I hear what the song is about, but I could not resist the chance to try and appear intuitive, or foolish.
I have to say, whatever it is, I get some delight that the Catholic Church is upset with her for it, it just gives me a sly sense of glee. I guess they feel threatened by women, and Gaga is the Goddess, so it was bound to happen (again). I love you, Gaga, thanks for all the music and love, and for the amazing remixes, especially where you do more vocals - I love you so much, you give us so much. I can't wait, now it is my turn to experience the release of "Judas"! Thank you, Gaga!
I don't mind making a fool of myself talking about my intuition before I hear "Judas" instead of listening to it first and then talking about what she actually says. But I have to say, Gaga is so amazing and influential I feel like I will be cheating if I try to say it is intuition because no matter how much I try to avoid hearing about it, Gaga is everywhere. I went to google her name yesterday and the first thing that came up was that "Judas" had upset the Catholic Chruch, which seemed to confirm some of my suspicions.
I can't wait to hear it, so I will try to make this brief (again, "try") but I'm already so pleased with hearing remixed Gaga, it makes a short delay to hear the new song so sweet. Of course my first reaction to hearing that she had a song called "Judas" coming out was to think of the Gospel of Judas, the translation of which was recently made public (what they have of it, anyway). When I read the Gospel of Judas I had a strong impression that it was important, especially the suggestion that a "vindication" of Judas would overturn existing churches and start a new and better version. I can see how it could be the theology/psychology of an outkast cult that associated with Judas, that one day their church would take over. But I had the suspicion that it could be true, that Jesus had asked Judas to carry a secret, to "betray" him on purpose. Again, it is possible that people in Jesus time had the same "rational" disbelief I had as a kid that Jesus could be betrayed, that he would not "know" everything that would happen to him, and this was their way of explaining it. But the other option is that the accounts of the Gospel of Judas was true, that Jesus asked Judas to be hated for centuries then glorified at a pivotal moment in the future. It seemed true to me because the timing of its discovery and revelation seemed right: centuries had passed in which most thought of Judas as a hated character but at this time churches are crumbling under various ills and it seems time for their transformation.
Now, I know I will seem very foolish for making this connection, especially considering a glaring contradiction in the Gospel that I would rather not address unless my suspicion that the song is related proves to be true. It could be that Gaga is taking a typical, negative view of Judas, or talking about "a Judas", a betrayer in her life, and the Catholic Church could just be mad she is using the name at all. I really don't think so, though, both because of my first instinct about the song and because I imagine the song has upset the church for a deeper reason, possibly for this connection to the long-lost, "heretical" Gospel.
While I feel a little foolish for getting excited about the major announcement Gaga was going to make on Good Morning America and made some predictions what it would be, I should feel priveleged because the reason I was "disappointed" that the announcement turned out to be that she would perform on that show was that I already knew that, from word of mouth from little monsters, and I should be glad to be "in the loop" somewhat, for once. It does seem silly to have predicted that she would announce a new church, but I do wonder if that is not what she has done with "Judas" and I can't wait to find out.
I guess one reason I jumped right to this conclusion that the song Judas would have a new perspective on the man and what he represents is that, especially if the gospel is true, he represents the hated, misjudged, and outkasted. I feel like Gaga represents us too, at least I feel like that sometimes and Gaga makes me feel better about it and makes me feel like there are other people like me to relate to, and actually brings us together. I think it would make perfect sense for her to start a new kind of church, she is the Goddess to me after all, and I feel bad that my use of the word church or biblical people could turn people off to this idea, but I would like to say that the things that have made people hate church and christianity would not be part of this kind of church. I think it will take place more as a spiritual and cultural movement, but it will include people gathering together, at the Monster Ball and future and other artists concerts, but maybe in other ways and places as well, who knows. These days many churches are turning to an online presence, and Gaga's and the little monsters' online presence is huge and does manifest in online churches of different levels, such as my "Lady Gaga my religion is you: Monsterites Unite!" facebook page. I have this kind of religious response to Gaga because she embodies esoteric love, esoterotic love, that I see as a path to freedom and restoring a harmony with nature that we need to survive. For Gaga and myself, for the society we grew up in, christian religious imagery comes into play with some of these ideas, but they are within all spiritual traditions and I hope to talk about them in many ways. The surprise twist in the Gospel of Judas reminds me of the nature of the mystery of love, that one can never be too sure of oneself (except in love) or judgemental, and should always have respect for the other person and their side of the story, including the untold parts that could help us understand, but might not be revealed for decades or even millinea.
In christianity, at least, "not judging people" is a very strong message that people have gotten really wrong or seemed to entirely miss. Gaga is restoring this principle with her new race of people she gives birth to who are "beyond judgement" and if my suspicions are corrent she is using Judas to make this message of love and tolerance and resisting judgement to restore a spiritual quality and respect to people's lives that will result in a new religious movement as foretold in the Gospel of Judas. I will go into detail, and explain what I think of the contradition in what appears to be homophobic in the Gospel of Judas, once I hear what the song is about, but I could not resist the chance to try and appear intuitive, or foolish.
I have to say, whatever it is, I get some delight that the Catholic Church is upset with her for it, it just gives me a sly sense of glee. I guess they feel threatened by women, and Gaga is the Goddess, so it was bound to happen (again). I love you, Gaga, thanks for all the music and love, and for the amazing remixes, especially where you do more vocals - I love you so much, you give us so much. I can't wait, now it is my turn to experience the release of "Judas"! Thank you, Gaga!
Gagafesto "Happy 420, Born to be Brave!", gagablog 18
Happy 420 ya'll! I hope you are having a wonderful holiday and are able to celebrate well. I am behind on my gagablog, I have not even heard Judas yet, which came out yesterday, and I want to say one more thing about Born this Way, though I will be returning to it and songs from the Fame Monster, too.
Bravery is an essential aspect of freedom, and I am reminded of the bravery of people coming together to smoke pot even though it is against the law on this holiday of weed festivals around the country. I admire Gaga's boldness and bravery, including talking openly about her past experiences with drugs and about currently smoking weed when she writes (and maybe regretting not being able to when she performs because it is bad for her voice, I think she said.) I am an advocate of herbs for many reasons and one of the main ones is the creativity and inspiration associated with it. And I think it is indicative of the ills of our society that such a benign plant is illegal, and that people have to take bold action for freedom and justice, and for their health and recreation.
This is one reason I want to highlight bravery today, to honor the bravery of the simple act of smoking a bowl in public, and to give credit ti Gaga for being a positive role model in so many ways, including the responsible use of herbs and responsible use or abstinence from other drugs. But I also want to finish a point I brought up in gagablog 17 and end the discussion (and practice) of evil, even "justified" evil.
I mentioned the buddha giving his life to the hungry tiger mother so that she and her cubs could live. This reminds me of such great Love, but at the same time an amazing kind of bravery. Love and Bravery are the same in this story, in a powerful way that I think shows that Loving is the bravest thing we can do. When Gaga says "I was born to be brave" in Born this Way, I think of something within us all that calls us to bravery, to freedom, something that makes us truly ourselves. I have been talking about evil in regards to trying to protect the people of Lybia from evil and using a justified evil of violence to do this, but I resent myself for not finishing that line of thought, ending it, and I resent that there is fighting going on still today in Lybia and other places. There certainly is bravery in the actions of people who are literally fighting for freedom, but there are two tragedies as well: one, that the situation is such that such bravery is required in the first place and change our role so that we take responsibility for the negative effects of persuing "our" self-interest in the region and truly act for principles, towards helping the people have what is best for them. The other tragedy is that bravery to fight is held in such high regard, while the bravery of self sacrifice, of putting oneself aside for another's well-being, is not thought of as often as bravery. But I believe it is the greatest bravery, the boldness to love in a way that puts others first, and I think it is the true solution to problems.
There is a bold path to freedom that requires fierce love. Gaga is a great example of this to me, and I can hear scoffs and groans of "hypothetical" naysayers who think "she made so much money and has so many fans, what did she 'sacfrifice'?" and I hear this sometimes and it always makes me think of how jealous people are and how little love we feel like we have in the world that when someone is offering great love people are so often afraid of it. Gaga has truly sacrificed a lot in the sense of putting a lot of time and effort into becoming who she is, and maybe her path came with hurt and suffering for her art along the way, but that was a labor of love for art and music, I am sure. The sacrifice of privacy that some celebrities complain of does not seem to bother Gaga, but Im sure has its drawbacks. I think she wanted and embraces the positive influence she has on people, but one thing I consider a true sacrifice is bearing the negativity of "haters". And I only see two reasons for hating Gaga, jealousy and fear. People are jealous of her fame and success, but even deeper than that I think people are afraid of love and she represents love that is powerful, free, creative and passionate and it simply scares people, or reminds them of something they don't want to deal with.
This is where bravery is required, for all of us to love as much and as well as we are able, as we were born to do. But it does require getting "on the right track" and rediscovering our true natures and having the bravery to live up to them.
I'm really trying to make these shorter, and have so much to say about herbs that I will have plenty to say as time and the gagablog go on, but I do feel like I'm not quite doing it justice here - I just don't have time. But I will mention the quality of the herb that induces peace and understanding and how unfortunate it is that our society has repressed this plant and how much violence we perpetuate and how much could be reduced if we weren't opposed to this natural peacemaker. I formed a Peacepipe Party in response to the Tea Party, to bring people together for common interest, honoring nature and seeking peace. I think herb can be wonderful in these persuits and gaining understanding between each other and with nature. Again, I am only touching on something that needs much more discussion, but I want to for the auspicious day and for good luck for the people gathered and since I am writing this and getting other things done instead of joining them and I want to show my support. I feel it has certainly helped me get and stay "on the right track." And the good thing, silver lining wise, of it being illegal is that is taught people the importance of being brave and gave a measure of understanding and solidarity with people who had to seek freedom for other reasons.
One nice effect of smoking weed is that it allows us to relax and not think of ourselves so much, to think of other things, which can result in greater consideration for others. Tolkein wrote a fragment in which Gandalf tells Saruman that the Hobbit's leave allows one to listen to rash counsel with patience, soomething like that. He is not saying it confuses you, as Sauruman was suggesting, because he still knows that the words he is hearing are rash - maybe he can even recognize that better when he is stoned. But he is saying he can listen to them with patience, so the anger and fear of the speaker, Saruman, does not effect him. This is what is required in these delicate negotiations that can deteriorate into violence. The people debating don't have to smoke herbs, but it would help if they could put themselves aside enough to see the other's view, and to have that perspective that allows them to stay calm in the face of anger and fear, of rash counsel.
I love herbs both for increasing calm and reducing anxiety, fear, and anger, but also for actively promoting love in many ways. No, it does not always inspire the boldest physical activity, though it can at times (look at basketball players, snowboarders, and other atheletes, plus many other examples) but it does often inspire bold thought. And this is what we truly need. We have not honored the qualities of understanding and love as we should have, we have given in too much to self interest and even believe that love and other resources are limited or even scarce. In fact, I think that is is our fear and displacement of love that makes some people hoard resources and acually make them scarce where they don't have to be. But we somehow have been duped into thinking love is rare, when it is the most abundant thing there is. Sunlight and water are also very abundant and we are not utilizing them or spoiling them, in ways analogous to diregarding or ruining love.
But the nature of love requires being able to think differently to make the most of it, which is why I feel herbs help me in more mystical and deeper understanding of love. And it takes boldness and bravery to go for it, both to seek romantic love or persue lust, or to resolve a conflict between people or nations. It takes being ready and willing, brave and strong enough, to put yourself aside and see another view and honor it, respect it, and seek the best outcome for the other person or nation, not yourself or your country over theirs, and know that this is love and that love can make anything possible. But we have to first be open and creative enough, free from fear, to imagine the best outcome, then we must be brave to resist self-interest and see others well-being first and persue that goal and reach it.
I am proud of myself for always advocating herbs and having faith that one day it would be less oppressive in society to smoke them. And I am proud of Colorado, where I live now for making it so that "some people" can smoke with less fear. But I want to give as much credit to Obama and liberals in general because it was his election that really made things take off here. I think he could do so much good on so many fronts by changing our national policy on herbs. I also think the perspective it brings could lead to solutions to dire and violent conflicts - because whatever I said before about a measure of evil being necessary at times to prevent a greater evil, there is a better, non-violent way. And it requires transformation, but transformation is possible.
Because we were Born this Way, born to be brave and we are made ot love and strong enough to do it. Love is what overcomes fear, and the things we are afraid of are reminders how much we need it. We all have the capacity for love, and most of us seem to be hurt by losses of it, but there is a "right track" we can get back on where we are in love, and not just as a destination but as a journey. We have to be brave and powerful to undertake it, and we are, we just need reminders. Some of the terrible things in the world are reminders how badly we need to persue love, personally and at large. For me, Gaga and herbs are reminders of how this is possible, how we really can do it, and how we are meant to, naturally.
Bravery is an essential aspect of freedom, and I am reminded of the bravery of people coming together to smoke pot even though it is against the law on this holiday of weed festivals around the country. I admire Gaga's boldness and bravery, including talking openly about her past experiences with drugs and about currently smoking weed when she writes (and maybe regretting not being able to when she performs because it is bad for her voice, I think she said.) I am an advocate of herbs for many reasons and one of the main ones is the creativity and inspiration associated with it. And I think it is indicative of the ills of our society that such a benign plant is illegal, and that people have to take bold action for freedom and justice, and for their health and recreation.
This is one reason I want to highlight bravery today, to honor the bravery of the simple act of smoking a bowl in public, and to give credit ti Gaga for being a positive role model in so many ways, including the responsible use of herbs and responsible use or abstinence from other drugs. But I also want to finish a point I brought up in gagablog 17 and end the discussion (and practice) of evil, even "justified" evil.
I mentioned the buddha giving his life to the hungry tiger mother so that she and her cubs could live. This reminds me of such great Love, but at the same time an amazing kind of bravery. Love and Bravery are the same in this story, in a powerful way that I think shows that Loving is the bravest thing we can do. When Gaga says "I was born to be brave" in Born this Way, I think of something within us all that calls us to bravery, to freedom, something that makes us truly ourselves. I have been talking about evil in regards to trying to protect the people of Lybia from evil and using a justified evil of violence to do this, but I resent myself for not finishing that line of thought, ending it, and I resent that there is fighting going on still today in Lybia and other places. There certainly is bravery in the actions of people who are literally fighting for freedom, but there are two tragedies as well: one, that the situation is such that such bravery is required in the first place and change our role so that we take responsibility for the negative effects of persuing "our" self-interest in the region and truly act for principles, towards helping the people have what is best for them. The other tragedy is that bravery to fight is held in such high regard, while the bravery of self sacrifice, of putting oneself aside for another's well-being, is not thought of as often as bravery. But I believe it is the greatest bravery, the boldness to love in a way that puts others first, and I think it is the true solution to problems.
There is a bold path to freedom that requires fierce love. Gaga is a great example of this to me, and I can hear scoffs and groans of "hypothetical" naysayers who think "she made so much money and has so many fans, what did she 'sacfrifice'?" and I hear this sometimes and it always makes me think of how jealous people are and how little love we feel like we have in the world that when someone is offering great love people are so often afraid of it. Gaga has truly sacrificed a lot in the sense of putting a lot of time and effort into becoming who she is, and maybe her path came with hurt and suffering for her art along the way, but that was a labor of love for art and music, I am sure. The sacrifice of privacy that some celebrities complain of does not seem to bother Gaga, but Im sure has its drawbacks. I think she wanted and embraces the positive influence she has on people, but one thing I consider a true sacrifice is bearing the negativity of "haters". And I only see two reasons for hating Gaga, jealousy and fear. People are jealous of her fame and success, but even deeper than that I think people are afraid of love and she represents love that is powerful, free, creative and passionate and it simply scares people, or reminds them of something they don't want to deal with.
This is where bravery is required, for all of us to love as much and as well as we are able, as we were born to do. But it does require getting "on the right track" and rediscovering our true natures and having the bravery to live up to them.
I'm really trying to make these shorter, and have so much to say about herbs that I will have plenty to say as time and the gagablog go on, but I do feel like I'm not quite doing it justice here - I just don't have time. But I will mention the quality of the herb that induces peace and understanding and how unfortunate it is that our society has repressed this plant and how much violence we perpetuate and how much could be reduced if we weren't opposed to this natural peacemaker. I formed a Peacepipe Party in response to the Tea Party, to bring people together for common interest, honoring nature and seeking peace. I think herb can be wonderful in these persuits and gaining understanding between each other and with nature. Again, I am only touching on something that needs much more discussion, but I want to for the auspicious day and for good luck for the people gathered and since I am writing this and getting other things done instead of joining them and I want to show my support. I feel it has certainly helped me get and stay "on the right track." And the good thing, silver lining wise, of it being illegal is that is taught people the importance of being brave and gave a measure of understanding and solidarity with people who had to seek freedom for other reasons.
One nice effect of smoking weed is that it allows us to relax and not think of ourselves so much, to think of other things, which can result in greater consideration for others. Tolkein wrote a fragment in which Gandalf tells Saruman that the Hobbit's leave allows one to listen to rash counsel with patience, soomething like that. He is not saying it confuses you, as Sauruman was suggesting, because he still knows that the words he is hearing are rash - maybe he can even recognize that better when he is stoned. But he is saying he can listen to them with patience, so the anger and fear of the speaker, Saruman, does not effect him. This is what is required in these delicate negotiations that can deteriorate into violence. The people debating don't have to smoke herbs, but it would help if they could put themselves aside enough to see the other's view, and to have that perspective that allows them to stay calm in the face of anger and fear, of rash counsel.
I love herbs both for increasing calm and reducing anxiety, fear, and anger, but also for actively promoting love in many ways. No, it does not always inspire the boldest physical activity, though it can at times (look at basketball players, snowboarders, and other atheletes, plus many other examples) but it does often inspire bold thought. And this is what we truly need. We have not honored the qualities of understanding and love as we should have, we have given in too much to self interest and even believe that love and other resources are limited or even scarce. In fact, I think that is is our fear and displacement of love that makes some people hoard resources and acually make them scarce where they don't have to be. But we somehow have been duped into thinking love is rare, when it is the most abundant thing there is. Sunlight and water are also very abundant and we are not utilizing them or spoiling them, in ways analogous to diregarding or ruining love.
But the nature of love requires being able to think differently to make the most of it, which is why I feel herbs help me in more mystical and deeper understanding of love. And it takes boldness and bravery to go for it, both to seek romantic love or persue lust, or to resolve a conflict between people or nations. It takes being ready and willing, brave and strong enough, to put yourself aside and see another view and honor it, respect it, and seek the best outcome for the other person or nation, not yourself or your country over theirs, and know that this is love and that love can make anything possible. But we have to first be open and creative enough, free from fear, to imagine the best outcome, then we must be brave to resist self-interest and see others well-being first and persue that goal and reach it.
I am proud of myself for always advocating herbs and having faith that one day it would be less oppressive in society to smoke them. And I am proud of Colorado, where I live now for making it so that "some people" can smoke with less fear. But I want to give as much credit to Obama and liberals in general because it was his election that really made things take off here. I think he could do so much good on so many fronts by changing our national policy on herbs. I also think the perspective it brings could lead to solutions to dire and violent conflicts - because whatever I said before about a measure of evil being necessary at times to prevent a greater evil, there is a better, non-violent way. And it requires transformation, but transformation is possible.
Because we were Born this Way, born to be brave and we are made ot love and strong enough to do it. Love is what overcomes fear, and the things we are afraid of are reminders how much we need it. We all have the capacity for love, and most of us seem to be hurt by losses of it, but there is a "right track" we can get back on where we are in love, and not just as a destination but as a journey. We have to be brave and powerful to undertake it, and we are, we just need reminders. Some of the terrible things in the world are reminders how badly we need to persue love, personally and at large. For me, Gaga and herbs are reminders of how this is possible, how we really can do it, and how we are meant to, naturally.
Monday, April 4, 2011
"Happy Birthday Gaga! Love those Ruby Slippers!" gagablog 17
You have to be quick to keep up with Gaga. I was so blown away by what happened on her birthday, it has taken me 6 days now to even wish her happy birthday - and I still am not ready to put it into words, but since she has a "major announcement" coming out in a few hours on Good Morning America, I need to try and catch up with her whirlwind pace now.
Gaga got the Ruby Slippers that Judy Garland wore in the Wizard of Oz for her birthday. I know this means a lot to Gaga, and her speech about it was wonderful - how she has the slippers now, not the bully who got the part of Dorothy that Gaga wanted in the school play. It means a lot for this statement against bullying, which we certainly need, but Im sure it means so much to Gaga because of her love for Oz, as any lover of Oz can imagine. And if possible it means even more to me, because I love Gaga and I love Oz. Gaga and Oz are the epitome of magic and wonder to me. Both show us what we can be. Gaga's example and messages, and the residents and stories of Oz, lead us to the best possibilities of creativity.
I have been espousing a principle of things coming together for a transformative moment throughout this blog. To me, the present of the Ruby Slippers for Gaga is a more literal example of this merging of worlds than I could ever have dreamed.
These are fairylands, Oz and the world of Gaga. Those who know them already know what I mean, those who dont may be perplexed or think I am saying nothing. But for all, let me say that there is not much I can say that is not already said better in the Oz books and by Gaga. Yes, I would love to ramble on about these things and my understanding and ravings about them, but the best thing I can say is "read the Oz books" and "listen to Gaga". Once you've done these things you will know much of what I am trying to say.
If you have done neither of these things, get started. If you have already done one, listened well to Gaga or read the Oz books, you probably understand what I mean by "magic". Gaga and Oz are magical - both are real fairylands that are open and free to those willing to enter. Like Jesus as a gate to heaven, but without the added obnoxious insistence of evangelism. Oz is presented as "hard to get to" but the main thing that allows people to experience Oz is being "young at heart" - a type of and willingness to believe. Gaga is so fantastic that a 5 year old girl asked me "is Lady Gaga real?" and yet she is inescapable, she is everywhere. Gaga is in no way "hard to come by". The whole world, and everyone in it, seems to be surrounded by Gaga. But being young at heart and willing to believe may what determines how "into Gaga" one gets. I feel like Gaga and Oz are both worlds within the heart that expand Love and extend acceptance.
I started reading L. Frank Baum's Oz books when I was 11 and fell in love. I was deeply impressed and greatly inspired by the vision of a land where there is no death, no fear, no money - where all work is done out of love and all people are cared for. It was ideal, but also possible to me, even real. Because just as the willingness to believe can allow someone a path deep into mystery, be it Gaga or any other mystery or myth, the strongest belief in the possibility of ideal society is what can best make it reality. Which is why I'm so saddened by those who dismiss ideas because they are idealist. I have been trying to tell people about the Oz books and the great messages in them all my life, with very little reception or even recognition of the book. To me they have perfect messages, and knowing how popular they were a century ago makes me wonder why people are so unfamiliar with them now. I suspect actual suppression of these great Oz messages, in the same way that there has been an attempt to dilute Gaga's influence with shallow mockeries - although Gaga is so strong even this plan backfires and some of those "contenders" get spiked with Gaga themselves - and all have their own creative sparks as well even if they are not yet ablaze as Gaga is, or are serving a more wordly agenda. But I really think the great truth of creativity is revealed in dramatic fashion and will always return. The Goodness of Oz, for instance, includes just enough evil and misunderstanding to make interesting stories. Gaga was bullied by the girl who got to play Dorothy in the school play, but that pain made the story that much sweeter than if Gaga had just been a fan. Some misunderstandings, evil even, is "needed" to make things dramatic and make us appreciate things, but the lesson here is how much greater a power the Good is. That bully was rude to Gaga, flaunting her school play slippers to rub it in that she got the part Gaga wanted, but Gaga believed in herself and what she knew to be true and ended up with the Real Ruby Slippers. To me, this is an metaphor: there is pettiness and evil, but compared to it Good is so much better, more powerful and glorious, and will prevail in time.
I am so in love with the wordlview of L. Frank Baum in his Oz books, and they were so widely read in the early 1900's, I believe we could have taken a path that would have led us to Utopia, a society without money, for one example, like Oz. Just as Gaga's bully was wrong, it is wrong that America went against this possibility to get more people to do more work they did not like for another century - but we have long been ready to move into Utopian society we are just holding back. Modern events make it even more apparent that we need to live and work together harmoniously and we truly need Utopian ideals because we can go for our dreams and make them real, as individuals or as societies.
I believe we are meant to love and care for each other and I know that we really can do it. I see the worst influences as those that try to scare us into thinking we must be self-centered, and the best are those that remind us to love each other. Oz has always done this so well for me, reminding me what we can really be - but no one seems to know much about it 100 years later. When Gaga showed, to me, the same creative path of freedom, the same fairyland to escape to but also to live and flourish in, I fell in love with her. As I have always said here, she exemplifies all the qualities I call divine: inspiration, Art, creativity, genius, beauty, sexiness, caring, support, bravery, etc. It is no suprise that it is the same Wonderful, marvelous divinity that I respond to in Oz, that so may of the themes are similar. But it is a wonderful Surprise, a great Present, that Gaga recieved the Ruby Slippers for her birthday.
For her, it is special because of her story, but mostly just because she has these most fantastic shoes on the planet and if anyone deserves the very best shoes its Gaga - wonderfully appropriate because of the true magic of Oz, of Dorothy, of Judy Garland, of everything involoved that make it the perfect symbol of the divine. But for me, it is a great present because Oz is always in my heart and while I would love nothing more than to share it with more people, they just don't know. Since Gaga made her speech about loving Oz and since she has the Ruby Slippers people will think about Oz more than ever in the last century. To me, the messages are a perfect combination, and in the same way that Gaga will set a whole new generation of Oz fans in motion, the Ruby Slippers will give her great power. They will not only be a symbol of her magic power, they will be magical for her. And she will use them to remind us of the divine home we all belong to, and when she taps them she will take us all home to that place with her.
Once again, I can't say enough about the merging of the worlds of Oz and Gaga - "there's too much gold here for us to use" as I say in my song "Bonus Track" (youllis on youtube). I can go on forever about the Goodness of Oz and the Goodness of Gaga and how they relate, but let me just say please read the Oz books, if you have not, and please pay attention to Gaga if you have not yet paid her the best kind. There is so much goodness there, you will get as much as you seek.
And I love how Gaga urges us to follow the yellow brick road to our dreams. Because sometimes I feel like the Tin Man, a hollow drum beating for Love. Or the scarecrow, easily scattered, clumsy, and succeptible to fire. Or scared of my own destiny like the Lion. I know that I too can be like Dorothy and have my over the rainbow and no place like home, but I love it that Gaga is Dorothy so perfectly and is really bringing two worlds together, making an over-the-rainbow home. I want to be her Toto, always with her for comfort and love and I want her to take me in her arms. And he is supercute and only ever says one thing.... But read the books, then ya'll will know about the one I really identify with, the Shaggy Man.
I love you so much, Gaga, and I'm so happy for you! I am superexcited to hear your new announcement in a few hours on Good Morning America and wonder what it could be.... a new song release? Getting Married? Running for office? Starting an official Gaga church? starring in a movie? A major philanthropic or environemental effort? Im giddy with possibilities, maybe it is about the upcoming performance on "glee" - whatever it is, it will be Gaga, I will be happy. And knowing Gaga has the Ruby Slippers, and now and for all time has the "role" of Dorothy that she deserves to play, well this makes me so happy - knowing she has them and their power, and knowing that through Gaga Oz will become real to millions of new people who are "young at heart"
As I hear Born this Way in the radio in the background, I am reminded how much I have to say about these lyrics, and also her lyrics for the Fame Monster albums - so much to talk about! And with Gaga there is always more, and Im sure the new announcement will have epic implications - I will trot along with her on this Yellow Brick Road and together all our dreams will come true.
Gaga got the Ruby Slippers that Judy Garland wore in the Wizard of Oz for her birthday. I know this means a lot to Gaga, and her speech about it was wonderful - how she has the slippers now, not the bully who got the part of Dorothy that Gaga wanted in the school play. It means a lot for this statement against bullying, which we certainly need, but Im sure it means so much to Gaga because of her love for Oz, as any lover of Oz can imagine. And if possible it means even more to me, because I love Gaga and I love Oz. Gaga and Oz are the epitome of magic and wonder to me. Both show us what we can be. Gaga's example and messages, and the residents and stories of Oz, lead us to the best possibilities of creativity.
I have been espousing a principle of things coming together for a transformative moment throughout this blog. To me, the present of the Ruby Slippers for Gaga is a more literal example of this merging of worlds than I could ever have dreamed.
These are fairylands, Oz and the world of Gaga. Those who know them already know what I mean, those who dont may be perplexed or think I am saying nothing. But for all, let me say that there is not much I can say that is not already said better in the Oz books and by Gaga. Yes, I would love to ramble on about these things and my understanding and ravings about them, but the best thing I can say is "read the Oz books" and "listen to Gaga". Once you've done these things you will know much of what I am trying to say.
If you have done neither of these things, get started. If you have already done one, listened well to Gaga or read the Oz books, you probably understand what I mean by "magic". Gaga and Oz are magical - both are real fairylands that are open and free to those willing to enter. Like Jesus as a gate to heaven, but without the added obnoxious insistence of evangelism. Oz is presented as "hard to get to" but the main thing that allows people to experience Oz is being "young at heart" - a type of and willingness to believe. Gaga is so fantastic that a 5 year old girl asked me "is Lady Gaga real?" and yet she is inescapable, she is everywhere. Gaga is in no way "hard to come by". The whole world, and everyone in it, seems to be surrounded by Gaga. But being young at heart and willing to believe may what determines how "into Gaga" one gets. I feel like Gaga and Oz are both worlds within the heart that expand Love and extend acceptance.
I started reading L. Frank Baum's Oz books when I was 11 and fell in love. I was deeply impressed and greatly inspired by the vision of a land where there is no death, no fear, no money - where all work is done out of love and all people are cared for. It was ideal, but also possible to me, even real. Because just as the willingness to believe can allow someone a path deep into mystery, be it Gaga or any other mystery or myth, the strongest belief in the possibility of ideal society is what can best make it reality. Which is why I'm so saddened by those who dismiss ideas because they are idealist. I have been trying to tell people about the Oz books and the great messages in them all my life, with very little reception or even recognition of the book. To me they have perfect messages, and knowing how popular they were a century ago makes me wonder why people are so unfamiliar with them now. I suspect actual suppression of these great Oz messages, in the same way that there has been an attempt to dilute Gaga's influence with shallow mockeries - although Gaga is so strong even this plan backfires and some of those "contenders" get spiked with Gaga themselves - and all have their own creative sparks as well even if they are not yet ablaze as Gaga is, or are serving a more wordly agenda. But I really think the great truth of creativity is revealed in dramatic fashion and will always return. The Goodness of Oz, for instance, includes just enough evil and misunderstanding to make interesting stories. Gaga was bullied by the girl who got to play Dorothy in the school play, but that pain made the story that much sweeter than if Gaga had just been a fan. Some misunderstandings, evil even, is "needed" to make things dramatic and make us appreciate things, but the lesson here is how much greater a power the Good is. That bully was rude to Gaga, flaunting her school play slippers to rub it in that she got the part Gaga wanted, but Gaga believed in herself and what she knew to be true and ended up with the Real Ruby Slippers. To me, this is an metaphor: there is pettiness and evil, but compared to it Good is so much better, more powerful and glorious, and will prevail in time.
I am so in love with the wordlview of L. Frank Baum in his Oz books, and they were so widely read in the early 1900's, I believe we could have taken a path that would have led us to Utopia, a society without money, for one example, like Oz. Just as Gaga's bully was wrong, it is wrong that America went against this possibility to get more people to do more work they did not like for another century - but we have long been ready to move into Utopian society we are just holding back. Modern events make it even more apparent that we need to live and work together harmoniously and we truly need Utopian ideals because we can go for our dreams and make them real, as individuals or as societies.
I believe we are meant to love and care for each other and I know that we really can do it. I see the worst influences as those that try to scare us into thinking we must be self-centered, and the best are those that remind us to love each other. Oz has always done this so well for me, reminding me what we can really be - but no one seems to know much about it 100 years later. When Gaga showed, to me, the same creative path of freedom, the same fairyland to escape to but also to live and flourish in, I fell in love with her. As I have always said here, she exemplifies all the qualities I call divine: inspiration, Art, creativity, genius, beauty, sexiness, caring, support, bravery, etc. It is no suprise that it is the same Wonderful, marvelous divinity that I respond to in Oz, that so may of the themes are similar. But it is a wonderful Surprise, a great Present, that Gaga recieved the Ruby Slippers for her birthday.
For her, it is special because of her story, but mostly just because she has these most fantastic shoes on the planet and if anyone deserves the very best shoes its Gaga - wonderfully appropriate because of the true magic of Oz, of Dorothy, of Judy Garland, of everything involoved that make it the perfect symbol of the divine. But for me, it is a great present because Oz is always in my heart and while I would love nothing more than to share it with more people, they just don't know. Since Gaga made her speech about loving Oz and since she has the Ruby Slippers people will think about Oz more than ever in the last century. To me, the messages are a perfect combination, and in the same way that Gaga will set a whole new generation of Oz fans in motion, the Ruby Slippers will give her great power. They will not only be a symbol of her magic power, they will be magical for her. And she will use them to remind us of the divine home we all belong to, and when she taps them she will take us all home to that place with her.
Once again, I can't say enough about the merging of the worlds of Oz and Gaga - "there's too much gold here for us to use" as I say in my song "Bonus Track" (youllis on youtube). I can go on forever about the Goodness of Oz and the Goodness of Gaga and how they relate, but let me just say please read the Oz books, if you have not, and please pay attention to Gaga if you have not yet paid her the best kind. There is so much goodness there, you will get as much as you seek.
And I love how Gaga urges us to follow the yellow brick road to our dreams. Because sometimes I feel like the Tin Man, a hollow drum beating for Love. Or the scarecrow, easily scattered, clumsy, and succeptible to fire. Or scared of my own destiny like the Lion. I know that I too can be like Dorothy and have my over the rainbow and no place like home, but I love it that Gaga is Dorothy so perfectly and is really bringing two worlds together, making an over-the-rainbow home. I want to be her Toto, always with her for comfort and love and I want her to take me in her arms. And he is supercute and only ever says one thing.... But read the books, then ya'll will know about the one I really identify with, the Shaggy Man.
I love you so much, Gaga, and I'm so happy for you! I am superexcited to hear your new announcement in a few hours on Good Morning America and wonder what it could be.... a new song release? Getting Married? Running for office? Starting an official Gaga church? starring in a movie? A major philanthropic or environemental effort? Im giddy with possibilities, maybe it is about the upcoming performance on "glee" - whatever it is, it will be Gaga, I will be happy. And knowing Gaga has the Ruby Slippers, and now and for all time has the "role" of Dorothy that she deserves to play, well this makes me so happy - knowing she has them and their power, and knowing that through Gaga Oz will become real to millions of new people who are "young at heart"
As I hear Born this Way in the radio in the background, I am reminded how much I have to say about these lyrics, and also her lyrics for the Fame Monster albums - so much to talk about! And with Gaga there is always more, and Im sure the new announcement will have epic implications - I will trot along with her on this Yellow Brick Road and together all our dreams will come true.
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