In your mind you have capacities you know
To telepath messages through the vast unknown
Please close your eyes and concentrate
With every thought you think
Upon the recitation we’re about to sing
Calling occupants of interplanetary craft
Calling occupants of interplanetary most
extraordinary craft
Another reason to adopt moderate skepticism concerns the very real danger that we might be deceiving ourselves in our beliefs, even when we think our beliefs are based on sound evidence.
One way in which this can happen is well captured by a lyric from “Nowhere Man.” We are told that the Nowhere Man is blind because he “just sees what he wants to see.”
To some degree or another, probably all of us suffer from this problem, a point that the Beatles note by saying of the Nowhere Man, “isn’t he a bit like you and me?”
People tend to notice those cases in their perceptual environment that conform to their beliefs, and simply not to notice cases that stand as evidence against those beliefs.
The Beatles and Philosophy
Nothing You Can Think That Can’t Be Thunk
Here, am I nowhere now?
Here’s a little ghost for the offering
Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
living for today
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
living life in peace, you
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope some day you’ll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
sharing all the world, you
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope some day you’ll join us
And the world will live as one
Fantasy fills my mind
To leave this place before my time
Release myself from earthly care
My dream may be your nightmare
Indeed, imagination, linked to the right brain, is one of the central pillars of the esoteric tradition. As the historian of esotericism Antoine Faivre writes, imagination is “a kind of organ of the soul, thanks to which humanity can establish a cognitive and visionary relationship with an intermediary world,” what Faivre’s fellow esoteric scholar Henry Corbin called the “Mundus Imaginalis,” the “Imaginal World,” an inner yet nonetheless objective symbolic territory, having its own rules and inhabitants.
Slip inside the eye of your mind
Don’t you know you might find
A better place to play
Come with me and you’ll be
In a world of pure imagination
Take a look and you’ll see
Into your imagination
The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
Psalms 19:1
Let it be know, there is a fountain
That was not made by the hands of men
If you could see it then you’d understand
Oh, when you see it then you’ll understand
Humans for the most part don’t have a clue.
They don’t want one or need one either.
They’re happy.
They think they have a good bead on things.
Why the big secret?
People are smart, they can handle it.
A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals, and you know it.
Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe.
Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat.
They had to imagine the sun as something that does not move in relation to the earth and the earth even as something moving.
I look at the world,
and I notice it’s turning –
While my guitar gently weeps
Don’t ask if they are real
The men in black,
their lips are sealed
Imagine what you’ll know tomorrow.
I realized quickly
when I knew I should
That the world was made up
of this brotherhood of man
Notes & References
🎥 Imagine
💬 Quote Library
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The Firmament Sheweth His HandyworkThe heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.Sources
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🎼 Song Excerpts
I Did Not Believe the InformationI did not believe the information I just had to trust imaginationSource: Solsbury Hill by Peter Gabriel
I Look at the World, and I Notice It’s TurningI look at the world, and I notice it's turning - While my guitar gently weepsSource: While My Guitar Gently Weeps by The Beatles
My Dream May Be Your NightmareFantasy fills my mind - To leave this place before my time - Release myself from earthly care - My dream may be your nightmareSource: Take Me Away by Blue Öyster Cult
Slip Inside the Eye of Your MindSlip inside the eye of your mind, don't you know you might find, a better place to playSource: Don’t Look Back in Anger by Oasis
Telepath Messages Through the Vast UnknownIn your mind you have capacities you know, to telepath messages through the vast unknown - Please close your eyes and concentrate, with every thought you think, upon the recitation we're about to sing - Calling occupants of interplanetary craft - Calling occupants of interplanetary most, extraordinary craftSource: Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft by Klaatu
That Was Not Made by the Hands of MenLet it be know, there is a fountain, that was not made by the hands of menSource: Ripple by Grateful Dead
- The Men in Black, Their Lips Are SealedDon't ask if they are real - The men in black, their lips are sealed
Source: Take Me Away by Blue Öyster Cult
The World Was Made Up of This Brotherhood of ManI realized quickly when I knew I should, that the world was made up of this brotherhood of manSource: What’s Up? by 4 Non Blondes
When You See It Then You’ll UnderstandIf you could see it then you'd understand - Oh, when you see it then you'll understandSource: Speed of Sound by Coldplay
You Didn’t Get to Heaven but You Made It CloseYou thought you might be a ghost - You didn't get to Heaven but you made it close- You May Say I’m a DreamerYou may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us - And the world will be as one
Source: Imagine by John Lennon
You’ll Be in a World of Pure ImaginationCome with me and you'll be in a world of pure imagination - Take a look and you'll see into your imaginationSource: Pure Imagination by Willy Wonka
📖 Excerpts Library
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Humans for the Most Part Don’t Have a ClueHumans for the most part don't have a clue. They don't want one or need one either. They're happy. They think they have a good bead on things. Why the big secret? People are smart, they can handle it. A...
Source: Men in Black
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One of the Central Pillars of the Esoteric TraditionIndeed, imagination, linked to the right brain, is one of the central pillars of the esoteric tradition. As the historian of esotericism Antoine Faivre writes, imagination is “a kind of organ of the soul, thanks to which humanity can establish...Source: The Secret Teachers of the Western World by Gary Lachman
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They Had to Imagine the Sun as Something That Does Not MoveThey had to imagine the sun as something that does not move in relation to the earth and the earth even as something moving.Sources
The Rudolf Steiner ArchiveCopernicus and His Time in the Light of Spiritual ScienceWebsiteCopernicus and His Time in the Light of Spiritual Science -
We Think Our Beliefs Are Based on Sound EvidenceAnother reason to adopt moderate skepticism concerns the very real danger that we might be deceiving ourselves in our beliefs, even when we think our beliefs are based on sound evidence. One way in which this can happen is well...Source: The Beatles and Philosophy by David Detmer
🔎 Lexicon
Confirmation BiasThe tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms or supports one's prior beliefs or values.- DreamA state of mind marked by abstraction or release from reality.
- EsotericDesigned for or understood by the specially initiated alone.
- ImaginationThe ability to confront and deal with reality by using the creative power of the mind; resourcefulness.
- SkepticismThe ancient school of Pyrrho of Elis that stressed the uncertainty of our beliefs in order to oppose dogmatism.
