Smarties, Beetles, Moths and Money

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Originally Posted April 2, 2007

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Talk about making a short story long. I have this one little dream and end up with a couple dozen pages of “thinking out loud” and still no concrete answers. Lots of different theories and conjecture, but nothing tangible enough to note as of yet.
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Miss Scarlet ~ April 1, 2007

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Well I had a creepy and funny dream last night. A lot of it I don't remember but the parts I do mostly involved bugs. The first part was BWB and I sleeping in my old room at my mom's. I was sleeping on the side of the bed against the wall and woke to find myself face to face with a big bug who was slowly making his way up the wall. It reminded me of those other bugs we saw in another dream that looked like a praying mantis. Very black and very shiny and you could tell the shell was hard as a rock. I was trying to figure out what kind of bug it was and at first I thought it was a cockroach but then realized there were no cockroaches here for some reason. I took a closer look and decided it was a beetle.

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I freaked and woke up BWB to check out this bug and get rid of it. He looked at it and said "I'm not killing that" and fell back asleep. I somehow knew my dad was in the room sleeping on the floor, as were a bunch of other people sleeping all over the place, and I started yelling "Daddy, daddy help me". I don't think I called him daddy much past the age of 5 or 6 so that was kind of weird. He didn't get up to help me either so I watched the bug crawl along the wall and realized it wouldn't hurt me and there was no need to kill it. So I just watched it make its way to wherever it was going.

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Next thing I'm laying in our own bed only we have a chandelier over the bed which we don’t have in waking life (where would we hang the trapeze?) I was just laying there staring at the ceiling trying to wake up when I see all these miniature Smartie boxes, the kind that usually only come out at Halloween.
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I laid there looking at the Smartie boxes wondering WTF? and then I see them start to move and some kind of bugs that looked like moths are metamorphisizing out of the boxes. Some of the bugs started to fly away with the boxes still attached but they fell off soon after. It was like the Smartie boxes were a skin they were shedding as they morphed. I then looked at the nightstand on BWB’s side and there was one there too under the lamp on the nightstand. I was a little freaked.

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I could hear BWB and Randy in the dining room talking or playing a game or putting something together or ripping something apart. Whatever it was they were having fun at it. I get up and go to the dining room and ask them what the hell is with the Smarties boxes and the moths? Apparently on the back of the box they had this contest or game. You had to leave one Smartie in the box, then put it near a source of light and warmth, like an incubator, and hope it would hatch. BWB and Randy figured the chandelier would make the perfect hatchery. I had to agree but still wished they would have let me know before this. I also told them they knew this was supposed to be for kids right? Not middle-aged men? Judging by the looks on their faces this was the craziest statement they had ever heard. What did that have to do with anything?
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The most integral part of the game was guessing the correct Smartie that held the larvae. BWB and Randy were both elated to hear the news of the births and asked me how many hatched. The more that hatched the more you won. I didn't remember how many but I did remember not all of them hatched.
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I realized I needed smokes so I head out the front door to go to the store, but I'm not in my neighbourhood. I don't know where I was but all the buildings were kind of a Mediterranean design of a coral or light pink stucco. I looked straight ahead and saw a very long road that disappeared over the horizon lined on each side with the stucco buildings. I wondered how far I was going to have to walk to find a store because I had that drugged heavy feeling in my legs again.

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I made my way down the road and all of a sudden I'm in downtown Ridgeway and right in front of a store that sells smokes. I smoke menthol and a lot of stores don’t carry my brand (Kool), but the store window was full of cartons of nothing but menthol cigarettes. Cameo really stood out. In waking life the store was called David's Menswear for years and years, then changed to a dollar type store selling all kinds of novelties.

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I asked the lady at the counter for a pack of Kools and first thought they wouldn't have them, but then worried I didn't bring enough money with me. I had a five dollar bill and 3 quarters which were our new quarters celebrating the Olympics in Vancouver in 2010. I asked the lady if they had Kools and she laughed and said of course they did, then I asked how much they were and she said she wouldn't know until she scanned them. I thought that was weird and she should at least have a ballpark figure. I got the impression they were like the stock market with prices fluctuating constantly and she really had no idea. I said, “Okay then, I don't know if I have enough money but I guess ring them in, if I do I'll buy them, if not I guess we cancel the transaction”. She rang them in and they were $5.69. I thought, “Awesome, that's really cheap for smokes because in Alberta they're more like $10.69”. I gave her the 5 and three quarters and was figuring out the change in my head, one penny and a nickel, only it wasn't called a penny but a copper. I got the impression coppers were very rare and mostly out of circulation, and this particular transaction was unusual. The lady said something about the combination of the price of the smokes, the amount of money I had and the change I was receiving being a very rare occurrence.
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And that's all I remember.
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When I woke up one of the first thoughts I had was, if you didn't guess the right Smartie, then that meant you had eaten the larvae. Yuck!

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The second thing was the beetle. I had a dream over 20 years ago where I found a beetle trying to burrow its way into my heel. I grabbed it and it ended up breaking in half, but the other half continued to burrow and disappear. That was it. I still haven’t figured that one out but is was creepy and has stayed with me all these years. This morning while pondering this new dream I wondered if it didn’t represent a Beatle. And since BWB and dad would have nothing to do with hurting it, then it must be a good Beatle. And maybe the one in my foot is a good Beatle too, not the sinister “bug” I thought it might be.
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What stood out the most in the dream were:

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Smarties
Beetle
Moth / Butterfly
Cameo
Metamorphosis
Commodities
Chandelier
Olympic Games
The money, both the denominations and composition, as well as the rarity of the transaction (I wondered if it could represent some sort of astronomy related convergence)

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The various numbers shown:
-534?
-5¾?
-5.75?
-5:45?
-569
-1069
-2010
-15 (one copper and one nickel)
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More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Smarties

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Smarties conjure up two different but equal memories for me. One, I didn’t know until a short time ago, 5 years maybe, they were not available in the U.S. I learned this after my nephew, who had relocated to Memphis, came for a visit and stocked up before returning home.
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The other recollection is of an old friend who always ate Smarties before an exam. He claimed they helped his intelligence quotient. I thought of him because of another part of the dream too and I haven’t seen him in a few years so maybe I’ll be hearing from him soon.
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Smarties Historically Speaking:

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Nestlé Smarties are a colourful sugar-coated chocolate confectionery popular in Australia, Austria, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Malaysia, South Africa, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and other countries. They are similar to M&M's produced by Mars; in fact, M&Ms were based upon them.
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They are distributed in the United States, where another type of confectionery uses the "Smarties" name, only by specialist importers.

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Smarties are oblate spheroids with a minor axis of about 5 mm (0.2 in) and a major axis of about 15 mm (0.6 in). They come in eight colours: red, orange, yellow, green, mauve (or purple), pink, brown and white in the UK. In Canada, blue Smarties are included in place of white. In the UK, orange Smarties contain orange flavoured chocolate. Blue Smarties are no longer available in the UK as Nestlé have removed all artificial colourings from the product.

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Smarties were introduced in 1937 as "Chocolate Niblet Beans" by Rowntree's of York and renamed as Smarties in the following year. They became known as "Nestlé Smarties" in 1993, five years after the company Rowntree Mackintosh was acquired by Nestlé. Smarties are still manufactured in York but production is now moving to Germany, where currently a third of them are already made.

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In the original range of colours, there was a light-brown Smartie. This was replaced in 1988 with the blue Smartie. Before 1958, the dark-brown Smarties had a plain-chocolate centre, while the light-brown one tasted of coffee. The orange Smarties contained, and still contain, orange-flavoured chocolate.

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In 1997, larger-sized Giant Smarties were introduced, and, in 2004, Fruity Smarties.
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In 2006 it was announced that Nestle were removing all artificial colours from Smarties in the UK, owing to consumer concerns over chemical dyes producing hyperactivity in young children - various theories had circulated concerning which colours were better or worse for one's health. In answer to this controversy, Nestle decided to replace all chemical dyes with natural ones. As they were unable to source a natural blue dye, blue Smarties were replaced with white. Nestlé now uses cochineal, a derivative of the Cochineal insect, to dye red Smarties, which are therefore not kosher or vegetarian.
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In 2005, 570,000 tubes of Smarties were being manufactured each day, with an average of 48 to a tube. In the UK, an average of 307 tubes are consumed every minute.

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Smarties in the UK were traditionally sold in cardboard tubes, capped with a colourful lid usually having a letter of the alphabet on it. The purpose of this, according to a Rowntree’s' spokesperson in the 1980s, was for them to be useful as a teaching aid to encourage young children to recognise the letters.

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Over the last 25 years, Nestle has manufactured five billion Smarties lids. Some lids are very rare and are now regarded as collectors' items. Sales of Smarties are worth £73 million each year.
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In February 2005, it was announced that the traditional cylindrical tube was to be replaced with a new six-sided "Hexatube" packaging in the summer. Nestlé have stated that the redesign is in order to keep the brand interesting and fresh to children; the new packaging is also lighter and more compact. The last 100 tubes to leave the factory in York have a certificate inside them.

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Smarties are also made with fruit chews inside: these are called Smarties Fruity.
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Smarties are also sold in the form of chocolate bars and eggs with bits of Smarties in them and they are also sold in with ice cream (Smarties ice cream is chocolate and vanilla with bits of Smarties pieces in it).

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Current colours:
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Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Mauve (or purple)
Pink
Dark Brown
White
Blue (Canada & Australia only)
Black (Halloween and Happy Feet version only)

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Trivia
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On packages of Canadian Smarties, a Smarties 'Fun Fact' states that Canadians eat enough Smarties each year to circle the Earth "350 times". However, a grade 6 math class in Thunder Bay, Ontario proved otherwise in December 2005. The math class calculated that the amount of Smarties Canadians eat in a year would circle the Earth only once. Nestlé Canada has promised to amend the packaging.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smarties_(Nestl%C3%A9)

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Smarties: Meltdown is a third person game, apparently aimed at young children. The game is set on a giant Nestlé Smartie shaped factory ship which orbits the Earth. Dr. Soursweet is the main villain in the game, who aims to take over the Smarties factory. The main hero, the character played by the player, is Big Blue, who must battle to save the factory and the Smarties.

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The game was only released in Europe and received generally poor reviews. The Official PlayStation 2 Magazine UK gave Smarties: Meltdown its lowest possible score, 1/10.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smarties:_Meltdown

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Sometimes the manufacturers print pictures on the Smarties themselves. Many people have written in asking about this practice. Here is one recent British sample:

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http://www.classaxe.com/smarties/

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And who can forget the popular jingle?

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When you eat your Smarties do you eat the red ones last?
Do you suck them very slowly, or crunch them very fast?
It’s the candy-coated chocolate, so tell me when I ask
When you eat your Smarties, do you eat the red ones last?
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“Only Smarties have the answer” seems to be their newest marketing slogan. So tell me Smarties, what’s up with this dream? Am I supposed to have a séance with a bowl of Smarties?
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In the dream I told BWB and Randy this was a kid’s thing, and Smarties appears to be all about kids, which is not unusual. Redesigning the box “in order to keep the brand interesting and fresh to children” might be though. We don’t get Smarties in tubes here except on special occasions such as Christmas. This is the box we’re accustomed to:
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And there's usually a game or an interesting fact (even if wrong), on the back of the box. Again that part was not at all unusual. What was unusual is the boxes in the dream were shaped similar to the type that makes an appearance only on special occasions such as Halloween.

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Then I went to Rowntree UK and saw the new “Hexatube” and wondered if that wasn’t what I saw in the chandelier. All I knew was the boxes were smaller and different than normal.
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And even that still isn’t super woo woo. What I find super woo woo is the email Purpleaura just sent a short time ago:

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I had to laugh at Rowntree (York) and Smarties. LOL guess where my mum used to work at? You’re right! When we were younger it was cool because mum used to come home with tons of candy, I think us kids were the first in the world to have lion bars, the boss let her have them for us.

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Purpleaura also noted the hex boxes seemed odd to her, before knowing my thoughts on it (or at least before I told her), so that makes me think something’s up with that.

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Another thing I wasn’t completely sure of was if the creatures I saw coming out of the boxes were moths or butterflies. They looked furry so I assumed they were moths. But while still in the half-asleep half-awake state I was thinking about a couple of movies and Ashton Kutcher. The two movies were the Mothman Prophecies and The Butterfly Effect, but I knew he wasn’t in the Mothman Prophecies, so I was still unsure what to think about that. In the email from Purpleaura was a link with a list of Rowntree’s confections, and on that list are Beetles and Butterflies.

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I was also a little more than stunned to read about the Cochineal insect extract used in Smarties:

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Cochineal is the name of both crimson or carmine dye and the cochineal insect (Dactylopius coccus), a scale insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha, from which the dye is derived.
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History
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The cochineal dye was used by the Aztec and Maya peoples of Central and North America. Eleven cities conquered by Montezuma in the 15th century paid a yearly tribute of 2000 decorated cotton blankets and 40 bags of cochineal dye each. During the colonial period the production of cochineal (grana fina) grew rapidly. Produced almost exclusively in Oaxaca, Mexico by indigenous producers, cochineal became Mexico's second most valued export after silver. The dyestuff was consumed throughout Europe and was so highly prized that its price was regularly quoted on the London and Amsterdam Commodity Exchanges.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochineal
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So all that seems kind of weird, the Smarties, the bugs, UK Smarties contain bug extract, Purpleaura’s mum worked at Rowntree and made Smarties, the smokes were a commodity, the cochineal dye was a commodity. And this all involved a game and then I learn about Smarties: Meltdown. That doesn’t sound good at all… the meltdown part.

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I find it interesting the hero is Big Blue, and blue Smarties are only available in Australia and Canada. But that’s not necessarily a good thing because the blue dye is danger. Not sure what to make of that. A wolf in sheep’s clothing is about all that’s coming to me right now.
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Mothman Prophecies the Book

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The Mothman Prophecies is a 1976 book by parapsychologist John Keel, described as nonfiction.

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The book's subject matter mostly concerns events in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, during 1966 and 1967, focusing on sightings of a creature dubbed Mothman. It also includes Keel's theories about UFOs, Men in Black, ghosts, and other paranormal phenomena, as well as the December 15, 1967, collapse of the Silver Bridge across the Ohio River from Point Pleasant to Gallipolis, Ohio.

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The book was the basis of a 2002 film of the same name.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mothman_Prophecies
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Mothman Prophecies the Movie

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Richard Gere plays John Klein, a hot shot reporter whose life is suddenly changed after a car accident. It's discovered his wife has a tumor, and will likely die from it. Shortly after his wife's passing, he discovers a strange assortment of drawings she made of a strange creature they encountered the night of the accident. Two years later, John suddenly finds himself in the small town known as Point Pleasant, West Virginia where several people have reported strange supernatural encounters. Along with weird lights, and phone calls, John begins to investigate the encounters and realizes more.

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Apparently these strange encounters are from a creature known as the Mothman which foretells cataclysmic events. John realizes there may be a tragedy in store for the small town, but can he stop it before it's too late?

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mothman_Prophecies_%28film%29
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The Butterfly Effect

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A young man (Kutcher) blocks out harmful memories of significant events of his life. As he grows up, he finds a way to remember these lost memories and a supernatural way to alter his life.

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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289879/
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I think I’ve veered far enough away from Smarties now.
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The Big Nickel is a nine-metre (30-foot) replica of a 1951 Canadian nickel, located at the grounds of Dynamic Earth in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. It is listed in the Guinness Book of Records, as the world's largest coin.
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Money

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As with the Smarties a Canadian 5 dollar bill also conjures up two equal memories. The guy I mentioned above who thought Smarties helped him before an exam pulled a little fraud scam as a youngster of about 10. He and his friend really wanted to go to the arcade but had no coin. They knew the guy in the change booth was not much older than them and probably stoned. Combined with the fact the lights in the arcade were dim they figured this mission would be easy to pull off.
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They snuck a fiver out of mom’s purse, photocopied it, COLOURED IT WITH CRAYONS, crumpled it up and off they went. Everything went as planned and they enjoyed their day at the arcade. Oh to have been a fly on the wall when the boss found that in the deposit.
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The other recollection concerns Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the man whose face adorns the 5 dollar bill. All I have ever known up until this evening about Sir Wilfrid Laurier is that he was a prime minister of Canada and has a university named after him. The reason I know his name is rather comical.
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Wilfred Laurier is the name of the university my brother went to. When he started it was called Waterloo Lutheran University, then about halfway through his attendance the school wanted to break away from the church influence, so they renamed it Wilfred Laurier University. And the funny thing about that is, I don’t think it had much to do with Laurier doing anything spectacular, the school simply didn't want to have to change their logo on anything, it remained WLU. That's what our government means to us, as long as we don’t have to have new stationary printed it’s all good.
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As it turns out, Laurier was quite an accomplished politician and well respected leader:
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Sir Wilfrid Laurier, PC, GCMG, KC, BCL, DCL, LLD, DLitt, baptized Henri-Charles-Wilfrid Laurier (November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was the seventh Prime Minister of Canada from July 11, 1896, to October 5, 1911.
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Often considered one of Canada's greatest statesmen and the first francophone prime minister, Laurier is well known for his policies of conciliation, nation building, and compromises between French and English Canada. He argued for an English-French partnership in Canada. "I have had before me as a pillar of fire," he said, "a policy of true Canadianism, of moderation, of reconciliation."

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Laurier was also well regarded for his efforts to establish Canada as an autonomous country within the British Empire. His efforts were continued by his successor as Prime Minister, Robert Borden.
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Laurier is the fourth-longest serving Prime Minister of Canada, behind William Lyon Mackenzie King, John A. Macdonald, and Pierre Trudeau. A Maclean's historical ranking of the Prime Ministers placed Laurier third behind King (first) and Macdonald. Laurier also holds the record for the most consecutive federal elections won, and his 15 year tenure remains the longest unbroken term of office among Prime Ministers. In addition, his nearly 45 years (1874-1919) of service in the House of Commons is an all-time record in Canadian politics, unmatched by any other politician. Finally, at 31 years, 8 months, Laurier was the longest-serving leader of a major Canadian political party, surpassing King by over two years.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilfrid_Laurier
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Wilfred Laurier University
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Wilfrid Laurier University's history as an institution of higher learning dates back to 1911 when the Evangelical Lutheran Seminary of Canada opened its doors to students. This was a result of the agreement made between the Canada Synod and the Synod of Central Canada of the Lutheran Church who decided they wanted to open a Lutheran Seminary. Waterloo was selected as the location of the seminary for two main reasons, the first being that land was offered by the citizens of Waterloo on the boundary of town for the seminary and the second being that most of the Lutherans in Canada at the time resided in Waterloo and Berlin (now known as Kitchener).

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilfrid_Laurier_University
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Well a few things stuck out there for me. 1911 being a trigger year for us, it’s interesting the university was founded in 1911, the same year Wilfrid Laurier concluded his prime ministerial ship. And on October 5th to boot, which seems to have become a date of interest lately. Especially where Canadian history is concerned.
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But the university and the man didn’t have any sort of connection until long after his death. It wasn’t until November 1, 1973 that the two became connected and WLU became WLU.
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$5 Bill
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The Canadian five-dollar bill is one of the most common banknotes of Canadian currency. It is the lowest denomination banknote currently issued in Canada.

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The current five-dollar bill is dominantly blue in colour. The front features a portrait of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the coat of arms, and a picture of the West Block of the Parliament buildings. A security feature visible from the front consists of three shiny maple leaves. The reverse side depicts children engaged in winter sports, including sledding, ice skating, and hockey; this is accompanied by a quotation from Roch Carrier's short story "The Hockey Sweater".

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Yellow dots representing the EURion constellation can be found on both sides (and on all 2001 series notes). As well as textured printing, this new 2002 design incorporates a special tactile feature similar to Braille dots for the blind indicating the denomination. On 15 November 2006 the Bank of Canada released an updated version of the $5 bill with the updated security features, including a holographic stripe, found in the rest of the series.

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Security features include 'BANK OF CANADA' and 'BANQUE DU CANADA' only visible under ultraviolet light. The coat of arms is also on the bill.
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As with all modern Canadian banknotes, all text is in both English and French.

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In 2005, the Canadian government polled its citizens on the idea of retiring the five dollar bill, replacing it with a five dollar coin. The money saved in making the coin would then fund the Canadian Olympic team. Canadians resoundedly rejected and ridiculed the idea of a five-dollar coin. Some pointed out the bill's most recent redesign had only been four years previously, while many others were averse to the idea of carrying yet another heavy coin in their wallets and pockets. Due to the overwhelmingly negative response, the plans for the five dollar coin were scrapped.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_five-dollar_bill
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2010 Olympic Quarters

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These coins have been issued by the Royal Canadian Mint to commemorate the winter games in Vancouver, B.C. in 2010. Until I read the paragraph above I had no idea what the official reason for minting the $5 coin was, so there’s another reference to Olympics and money.

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So far only one of the circulation coins has been issued and that was on February 24, 2007. Since I had three in the dream, these are the first three to be released, the next two in April and July, 2007.

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The hologram coin has no meaning whatsoever to this dream, I just thought it was eye-catching.

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One of the other factors emphasized in the dream was the rare transaction I thought might relate to astronomy. The reference to a constellation in the article on five dollar bills was odd and I wondered why EUR was capitalized:
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Yellow dots representing the EURion constellation can be found on both sides

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Not having a clue what this constellation was:

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The EURion constellation is a pattern of symbols found on a number of banknote designs since about 1996. It is added to help software detect the presence of a banknote in a digital image. Such software can then block the user from reproducing banknotes to prevent counterfeiting using colour photocopiers.
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The name "EURion constellation" was coined by Markus Kuhn, who discovered the pattern in early 2002 while experimenting with a Xerox colour photocopier that refuses to reproduce banknotes. The word is a portmanteau of Orion, a constellation of similar shape, and EUR, the euro's ISO 4217 designation.

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The EURion constellation first described by Kuhn consists of a pattern of five small yellow, green or orange circles, which is repeated across areas of the banknote at different orientations. The mere presence of five of these circles on a page is sufficient for some colour photocopiers to refuse processing. Andrew Steer later noted simple integer ratios between the squared distances of nearby circles, which gives further clues as to how the pattern is meant to be detected efficiently by image-processing software.

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The EURion constellation is most prominent and was therefore first recognised on the 10 Euro banknote.

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Some banks integrate the constellation tightly with the remaining design of the note. On German banknotes, the EURion circles formed the innermost circles in a background pattern of fine concentric circles. On the front of former English Elgar £20 notes, they appear as green heads of musical notes, however on the Smith £20 notes of 2007 the circles merely cluster around the '£20' text. On U.S. dollar bills, they form the digit zero in little yellow numbers that show the value of the note.

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Technical details regarding the EURion constellation remain kept secret by its inventors and users. A patent application suggests that the pattern and detection algorithm were designed at OMRON Corporation.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurion_constellation
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Well obviously that doesn’t work because a 10-year-old with a couple of crayons and a black and white copier seems to have cracked that code.
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Cameo

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Cameo is a method of carving, or an item of jewellery made in this manner. It features a raised (positive) relief image; contrast with intaglio, which has a negative image. The effect of "cameo" also refers to a proof coin that has frosted lettering and features, providing attractive contrast with the mirrored fields of the coin.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameo

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2010

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There’s already lots planned for 2010 according to Wikipedia, this is January so far, speaking of money and rare celestial occurrences:

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January 1 - Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to establish and introduce monetary union.

January 1 - Bulgaria, Lithuania and Estonia are set to adopt the euro.

January 10 - Deadline for the America's Space Prize for private manned orbital spaceflight.

January 14 - The Space Shuttle Endeavour launches from LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center, beginning the Space Shuttle's final flight, STS-132.

January 15 - Annular solar eclipse (The longest lasting annular eclipse of the 21st century.)

Late January - The Space Shuttle Endeavour returns to Earth after STS-132, concluding the Space Shuttle Program.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010
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2010 The Movie
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2010: The Year We Make Contact, also known as 2010, is a science fiction film released in 1984 directed by Peter Hyams. It was based on the novel 2010: Odyssey Two by Arthur C. Clarke. The film, like the novel, is a sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010:_The_Year_We_Make_Contact
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Revelations 20:10

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Then the Devil, who betrayed them, was thrown into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

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http://www.allaboutgod.com/truth/revelation-20.htm
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Symbol 20:10

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http://www.symbols.com/encyclopedia/20/2010.html
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When I see things in dreams, I first turn to Google to search for a reasonable facsimile, as was the case with the chandelier. I came across this fixture most resembling the object in the dream, actually it’s almost exactly what I saw in the dream. The only difference being the fixture in the dream had decorative chandelier bulbs. I didn’t see the top of the chandelier partly because of my viewpoint and partly because the Smartie boxes and light bulbs were in the way. So I can’t say for sure this was an exact match, but the lower portion was pretty darn close.

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Some interesting facts:

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The chandelier which is shown in The Art of Painting probably dates from the end of the sixteenth century, as does this one from Mechelen, Belgium. On page 323 the author states that the bird on top is not an eagle but a phoenix (compare the Arnold Bon poem on Fabritius and Vermeer as mentioned by Blankert, Vermeer, 1975/1978)

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The chandelier has been exhibited early on in Delft and later on in Ghent in 1961 but a photo has probably not been published in Vermeer literature until now. An astonishing comparison indeed!

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Van der Auwera's central thesis is that the chandelier has a deep meaning within the complex Vermeer painting (and he gives ample documentary proof in contemporary paintings and books): "Still without light, it represents the first necessary but not yet sufficient phase of the training program of the painter, who portrays himself as such: in his studio and surrounded by the tools of his trade."(p.332).

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http://www.johannesvermeer.info/verm/house/hz-chandelier-eng.htm
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Vermeer's ultimate masterwork with its thrilling chandelier was 'The Art of Painting' painted ca. 1666-1668, now in the Vienna Kunsthistorisches Museum (detail on the right). It was in Vermeer's possession at his death but it was kept hidden from the 1676 inventory. The painting was transferred to the possession of her mother Maria Thins on February 24, 1676. The painting was then sold in a Delft auction on March 15, 1677.

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Note : Montias 1989, pp. 338-339 (doc no 363). This object was omitted from the Vermeer-inventory as listed by the clerk working for Delft notary public J. van Veen on February 29, 1676, in the Thins/Vermeer home located on Oude Langendijk on the corner of Molenpoort. The painter Johannes Vermeer had died there at the end of December 1675. His widow Catherina and their eleven children still lived there with her mother Maria Thins.

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http://www.johannesvermeer.info/verm/house/hz-schilderkunst-eng.htm

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Art of Painting ~ Johannes Vermeer

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Johannes Vermeer or Jan Vermeer (baptized October 31, 1632, died December 15, 1675) was a Dutch painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of ordinary bourgeois life. His entire life was spent in the town of Delft. Vermeer was a moderately successful provincial painter in his lifetime. He seems to have never been particularly wealthy, perhaps due to the fact that he produced relatively few paintings, leaving his wife and eleven children in debt at his death. Virtually forgotten for nearly two hundred years, in 1866 the art critic Thoré Bürger published an essay attributing 66 pictures to him (only 34 paintings are firmly attributed to him today). Since that time Vermeer's reputation has grown astronomically, and he is now acknowledged as one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age, and is particularly renowned for his masterly treatment and use of light in his work.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Vermeer
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Eternal Hexagon, from the portfolio Ten Works x Ten Painters
1964
Robert Indiana
Publisher: Wadsworth Atheneum
Printer: Ives-Sillman
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Museum purchase
1965.37.1A
Not currently on view

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I’m not sure what’s up with the painting above, but the Smithsonian purchased it in 1965 so it must be important.

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1069

I couldn’t really find much on 1069 but it made me think of October 1969 so just for fun I Googled October 5th, 1969. I think it’s apparent by now how I feel about Ron Hubbard and his religion.

The Sunday Times 5 October 1969
Spectrum

SCIENTOLOGY: Revealed for the first time. . .
The odd beginning of Ron Hubbard's career

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Above: "In 1946 Aleister Crowley (left), the sorcerer and mystic whose dabblings in black magic earned him the title The Wickedest Man in the World, found a new disciple and welcomed him to one of his occult communities in California. The extraordinary activities of this new and enthusiastic disciple are described in a vast collection of papers owned by a former admirer of Crowley which we have examined. The man in question is Lafayette Ron Hubbard (right), head of the now notorious Church of Scientology."

JOHN WHITESIDE Parsons, a brilliant rocket fuel scientist, joined the American branch of Crowley's cult in 1939. He struck up earnest correspondence with "The Beast 666," as Crowley was known by his followers, and soon became his outstanding protégé in the United States. By January, 1946, Parsons was impatient to break new frontiers in the occult world. He decided to take the spirit of Babylon, the "whore of Babylon," and invest it in a human being.

But to carry out this intricate mission Parsons needed a female sexual partner to create his child in the astral (spiritual) world. If this part of the fixture went successfully Parsons would be able to call down the spiritual baby and direct it to a human womb. When born, this child would incarnate the forces of Babylon. During his magical preparations for this incarnation Parsons found himself overwhelmed with assistance from a young novitiate named Ron Hubbard.

(Does this sound to anybody else like something Tom might try?)

Parsons wrote to Crowley at the beginning of 1946. "He (Hubbard) is a gentleman, red hair, green eyes, honest and intelligent and we have become great friends. Although he has no formal training in magic he has an extraordinary amount of experience and understanding in the field. Ron appears to have some sort of highly developed astral vision. He describes his angel as a beautiful winged woman with red hair whom he calls the Empress and who has guided him through his life and saved him many times." He concluded almost ecstatically, "He is in complete accord with our own principles. I have found a staunch companion and comrade in Ron."

But within two months the bonds of friendship were under some strain: Ron claimed Parsons girlfriend Betty. With admirable restraint Parsons wrote to Crowley, "She has transferred her sexual affection to Ron. I cared for her rather deeply but I have no desire to control her emotions." As if to cement their loyalties Parsons, Hubbard and Betty decided to pool their finances and form a business partnership.

Meanwhile preparations for the mystical mission were well under way. From January 4 to 15, 1946, Parsons and Hubbard engaged in a nightly ritual of incantation, talisman-waving and other black magic faithfully described in Parson’s diary as Conjuration of Air, Invocation of Wand and Consecration of Air Dagger. With a Prokofiev violin concerto blaring away the two of them pleaded with the spirits for "an elemental mate" -- a girl willing to go through sexual rites to incarnate Babylon in the spirit world.

Parson mentions that windstorms occurred on a couple of nights and one night the power supply failed. But nothing seriously responsive until January 14, when Ron was struck on the right shoulder and had a candle knocked out of his hand. "He called me," Parsons wrote, "and we observed a brownish yellow light about seven feet high. I brandished a magical sword and it disappeared. Ron's right arm was paralyzed for the rest of the night.

The following night was even more portentous. Hubbard apparently saw a vision of one of Parsons' enemies. Parsons wrote, "He attacked the figure and pinned it to the door with four big throwing knives with which he is expert." For four days Parsons and Hubbard were in a state of tension. Then, on January 18, Parsons turned to Ron and said, "It is done." He added, "I returned home and found a young woman answering the requirements waiting for me."

The incarnation ritual set out in Parsons' manuscript, The Book of Babylon, is difficult reading for the unconfirmed spiritualist. Broadly interpreted, Parsons and Hubbard constructed an altar and Hubbard acted as high priest during a series of ceremonies in which Parsons and the girl shared sex. The owner of the documents, who is an expert on Crowley's magic, says that Parsons at this stage was completely under Hubbard's domination. How else can one explain Hubbard's role as High priest in the rites after only a few weeks in the trade?

For the first of the birth ceremonies which began on March 1 Hubbard wore white and carried a lamp while Parsons was cloaked in a black, hooded garment carrying a cup and dagger. At Hubbard's suggestion they played Rachmaninoff's Isle of the Dead as background music.

Parsons account of the start of the birth ritual is as follows: "The Scribe (Hubbard) said, 'The year of Babylon is 4063. She is the flame of life, power of darkness, she destroys with a glance, she may take thy soul. She feeds upon the death of mean. beautiful -- horrible.' The scribe, now pale and sweating rested awhile, then continued." There are two possible reasons why Hubbard showed anxiety at this stage of the ceremony, the owner of the papers says. He was either deeply moved by the spiritual depth of the ceremony or he couldn’t think what to say next.

Hubbard further instructed Parsons: "display thyself to our lady; dedicate thy organs to her; display thy mind to her; dedicate thy soul to her, for she shall absorb thee. Retire from human contact until noon tommarro. Speak not of this ritual. Discuss nothing of it. Consult no book but thine own mind. Thou art a god. Behave at this alter as one before another."

On the third day the ritual began four hours before dawn. Ron tells his companion, "lay out a white sheet. Place upon it blood of birth. Envision her approaching thee. Think upon the lewd, lascivious things thou couldn’t do. All is good to Babylon. All. Preserve the material basis. Thus lust is hers, the passion yours. Consider thou the Beast raping." These invocations along with other passages in the ritual indicates that Parsons had collected specimens of his own sperm and the girls menstrual fluid.

The climax of the ceremony occurred the following day with Ron at the altar working his two subjects into a sexual frenzy. Over Rachmaninoff he intoned such gems as:

Her mouth is red and her breasts are fair and her loins are full of fire,
And her lust is strong as a man is strong in the heat of her desire.

An exalted Parsons wrote the next day, "Babylon is incarnate upon the earth today awaiting the proper hour of her manifestation. And in that day my work will be accomplished and I shall be blown away upon the breath of the father even as it is prophesied." (In fact, Parsons was "blown away" in a rocket experiment laboratory in Pasadena in 1952.)

Unable to contain his joy, Parsons decided to tell Crowley what had happened. On March 6 he wrote, "I can hardly tell you or decide ho much to write I am under command of extreme secrecy. I have had the most important, devastating experience of my life." Crowley was dumbfounded by the news of the incarnation ceremony. He wrote back, "You have me completely puzzled by your remarks. I thought I had the most morbid imagination but it seems I have not. I cannot form the slightest idea what you can possibly mean"

With a distinct note of concern he dashed off a letter on the same day to the head of his American cult saying, "Apparently Parsons or Hubbard or somebody is producing a Moonchild. I get fairly frantic when I contemplate the idiocy of these louts." (This acid rebuke comes from a man whose activities were once summed up by a judge like this: "I have never heard such dreadful, horrible, blasphemous and abominable stuff as that which has been produced by the man who describes himself as the greatest living poet.")

By May that same year Crowley was not only concerned about Parsons spiritual well-being. There was a smaller matter of certain moneys. When the trio formed their business enterprise, Parsons is believed to have put in 17,000 dollars, Hubbard about 1,000 dollars, and Betty nothing. Using about 10,000 dollars of the money, Hubbard and his newly acquired girlfriend, Betty, bought a yacht. A report to the head of the American branch by another cult member says, "Ron and Betty have their boat at Miami, Florida, and are living the life of Riley, while Brother John (Parsons) is living at rock bottom and I mean rock bottom.

In a more sinister way, the report added: "Let is consider this matter of the magical child which Jack Parsons is supposed to turn loose on the world in nine months (now seven). Ron, the Seer, was the guy who laid down the main ideas, technic (sic), etc., of said operation."

On reading Parson's accounts of the ceremony and the reports from branch headquarters in America, Crowley cabled his U S office on May 22: "Suspect Ron playing confidence trick -- Jack Parsons weak fool -- obvious victim prowling swindlers." In a letter a few days later he said, "It seems to me on the information of our brethren in California that Parsons has got an illumination in which he lost all his personal independence. From our brother's account, he has given away both his girl and his money. Apparently it is the ordinary confidence trick."

A much-chastened Parsons wrote to Crowley on July 5, "Here I am in Miami pursuing the children of my folly. I have them well tied up. They cannot move without going to jail. However, I am afraid that most of the money has already been spent. I will be lucky to salvage 3,000 to 5,000 dollars." Just how Parsons managed to capture the errant lovers is in keeping with the other extraordinary chapters of this story. "Hubbard attempted to escape me," Parsons wrote, "by sailing at 5 p.m. and performed a full invocation to the Bartzabel within the circle at 8 p.m. (a curse). At the same time, however, his ship was struck by a sudden squall off the coast which ripped off his sails and forced him back to port where I took the boat in custody."

Parsons recovered financially and possibly as a backlash to his experience with Hubbard, he took the Oath of the AntiChrist in 1948 and changed his name to Belarion Armiluss Al Dajjal AntiChrist. In his scientology publications Hubbard says of the period, "Crippled and blinded at the end of the war I resumed studies of philosophy and by my discoveries recovered so fully that I was reclassified in 1949 for full combat duty."

Hubbard claims that more than two dozen thinkers, prophets and psychologists influenced scientology (which he launched in 1951); everyone from Plato, Jesus of Nazareth to Sigmund Freud whom he says he studied under in Vienna. The record can now be righted with the inclusion of Aleister Crowley, the Beast, 666.

Alexander Mitchell

http://www.lermanet.com/scientologynews/crowley-hubbard-666.htm
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Beetles

A fascinating part of God’s wonderful creation, dung beetles roll balls of animal dung along the ground. These balls are rolled into holes, whereupon the beetle deposits its larvae which, being hatched, feed upon the dung. According to Egyptian doctrine, the dung beetle rolling his ball was considered illustrative of the Sun’s heavenly circuit and its daily self-renewal. Hence, a symbolical scarab carrying a solar disk upon its back represented the Sun’s cycle through the sky.

Scarabs were also symbolic of resurrection. This too was directly linked with the rising of the Sun. In fact, since the scarab was spiritually connected with the Sun-rise, it became closely associated with the Egyptian deity Khepri–"god of the rising Sun." In every aspect, scarabs and Egyptian Solar worship were inseparable.

http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/2002/carl-teichrib/11scarab.htm
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Hexagon

28:23 · the regular hexagon, a uniform, six-sided, geometrical design, is used in Western ideography in the contexts of chemistry and electricity and in engineering to represent a flow restriction.

http://www.symbols.com/encyclopedia/28/2823.html

Could that mean the new Smarties box, specifically designed to the keep the brand interesting and fresh to children, is in reality restrictive in some way?
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A bizarre six-sided feature encircling the north pole of Saturn near 78 degrees north latitude has been spied by the visual and infrared mapping spectrometer on NASA's Cassini spacecraft. This image is one of the first clear images ever taken of the north polar region as seen from a unique polar perspective.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/multimedia/pia09188.html

One of the most bizarre weather patterns in the solar system has been photographed at Saturn, where astronomers have spotted a huge, six-sided feature circling the north pole.

"This is a very strange feature, lying in a precise geometric fashion with six nearly equally straight sides," Kevin Baines, atmospheric expert and member of Cassini's visual and infrared mapping spectrometer team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said Tuesday in an image advisory. "We've never seen anything like this on any other planet. Indeed, Saturn's thick atmosphere, where circularly shaped waves and convective cells dominate, is perhaps the last place you'd expect to see such a six-sided geometric figure, yet there it is."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17816192/
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From the Blog Semi-Charmed Life

A Journeyman's take on everything under the Sun ranging from Philosophy to Supermodels.........

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

666 = Taurus

Even I felt a little weird about this, 666 is supposed to be the lucky number for the Bulls. I have always been fascinated by this so called number of the beast (Bull is a beast). I found this interesting article about how this 666 is a number for bulls.

The lucky number for Taurus is six (also known as the Hexad). It is the mystic number of Venus and a number which Taurus shares with those individuals born under the Sign of Libra. Six represents family and symbolizes the home, parents, healers and counselors. It is representative of domestic bliss, responsibility, compassion, marriage and devotion. Six is also associated with fraternity and brotherhood...or sorority and sisterhood. It is the common bond of closeness between people, representing love, nurturing, harmony and justice. Six is the perfect divider of the circle and the radius of a circle divides its circumference into the six points of the hexagon to form the Seal of Solomon...the hexagram. In geometry, six is the hexagon...two triangles which share a common side. Similarly, in mathematics, six is two threes, also known as the second perfection. A mystic number represented in nature by the formation of crystals, honeycomb, snowflakes and flowers, six is a happy number with the power to ward off evil. It is said the cycle of life has six periods (birth, growth, decay, death, absorption and metamorphosis) and that there are six states of man (love, chastity, death, fame, time and eternity). Six is also perfection in the form of power, expressed by the symbolism of six equilateral triangles in a circle. In a biblical sense, the world was created in six days (man being created on the sixth) and in Jewish tradition, took six thousand years. Six is the number of points found on the Star of David and in the Cabala, it is the center of equilibrium...the junction of two perfect triangles. This number has also been designated as the mark of the Beast...the Anti-Christ. In China, the number six was, above all else, the number of Heaven. In Mayan lore, six was considered to be unlucky...the day of the rain and storm god and the number of death. If the divisors of six are added (1+2+3), the answer is the number six...there is hardly any other number which will give such a result. Not only does adding the divisors make six, so does their multiplication (1x2x3). It is also the center of the first five even numbers (2-4-6-8-10) and is often called a "pivoting number" which creates a cycle of sorts.

In biblical numerology, six is the Number of Man. Man was created on the sixth day and labors for six days only. The Serpent was also created on the sixth day. The Sixth Commandment is, "Thou shalt not murder." Six words are used for man: Adam; ish; Enosh; gehver; anthropos and anar. In addition, 6 x 6 = 36. 36 + 35 + 34 + 33 + 32 . . . 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 666. 666 is the number of the Antichrist, meaning that the name of the Antichrist in Greek adds up to 666. This is generally considered to be a mockery of the Trinity.

Six is feminine in nature and, when associated with Taurus, resides in the Second House of Money and Possessions, governing all things lucrative. It is the number of luck and chance...life and strength...honesty and beauty...a number which is capable of both creation and destruction. In short, it may have an equally strong tendency toward evil as it does toward good...toward rebellion as it does toward union with God. It is the number of mutual hating and giving...of mystic destiny. The colors associated with the number six are all those within the blue family. Its peak tends to be during the daylight hours, with its natural element being earth and its associated gems being emeralds and turquoise.

http://theravikshow.blogspot.com/search/label/Conspiracy
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I thought I was done with Smarties, but did anybody else notice the game on the back of the box was comprised of two triangles?

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Moths & Butterflies as Totems

Moths live in all but polar regions. The wings, bodies, and legs of the moth are covered with numerous touch hairs that come off if it is handled. Because of this the moth is highly sensitive to touch. They can feel, smell, taste and determine temperatures with their feathery antennae. The tiny pegs upon them serve as receptors. This gives the moth the ability to perceive everything with clarity. Those with this totem usually have strong psychic and healing abilities. They must be careful not to pick up other peoples problems and carry them around in their own energy field. If this happens confusion and irritability can set in.

The process of metamorphosis is part of the magic the moth holds. The egg stage symbolizes the birth of an idea. The larvae stage indicates the laying of a foundation. The chrysalis stage represents the process of creating, and the winged stage allows it to take flight and explore new territory.

One of the most interesting characteristics of the moth is how it wraps its wings around itself. When resting, they either fold their wings, wrap them around their body, or hold them extended by their sides. This suggests a basic nurturing quality and those with this medicine often find themselves in some sort of care giving role.

The hearing ability of the moth is acute. They are capable of detecting ultra sound because their hearing organs are found on their legs. These enable them to sense vibrations emitted around them. Paying attention to what is being said and what isn't being said is part of the teachings the moth holds. Observing the body language of others is helpful.

When the moth appears in our life it is asking us to pay attention to issues of sensitivity. Are you overly sensitive or insensitive to those around you? Are you involved in a situation that needs to be reevaluated? Are you honoring the integrity of all concerned?

The transformative qualities of the moth are numerous. It shows us how to develop and refine our psychic gifts. The moth is an optimist and an opportunist. It can teach us how to release unwanted influences and fly into the discovery of our personal joy.

http://www.sayahda.com/cyc3.html
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Scientific research has shown that the butterfly is the only living being capable of changing entirely its genetic structure during the process of transformation: the caterpillar's DNA is totally different from the butterfly's. Thus, it is the symbol of total transformation.

http://www.crystalinks.com/totemanimals.html

Throughout history the butterfly has been admired for their delicate beauty. Most adult butterflies live just one or two weeks except for the monarch and angel wing which can live for six months or more. This is very symbolic. It suggests that a person with this medicine will experience tremendous soul growth in their earlier years. A difficult childhood is common. Life lessons are revealed to the consciousness while in the womb of the mother - the cocoon stage - and are completed when the caterpillar emerges into the butterfly and takes flight. Butterflies are symbols of freedom and creativity. They hold the gift of transformation and soul evolution.

Butterflies have a pair of large compound oval eyes made up of thousands of individual lenses. They can see a single image clearly and are able to perceive ultraviolet wavelengths of light. This suggests clairvoyant abilities for those that hold this totem.

The antennae of the butterfly has small knobs on each end which is said to play a role in orientation. When one antennae is missing the butterfly will fly in circles unable to find its way. Those with this medicine need to stay consciously connected to spirit at all times in order to arrive at their desired destination.

The butterfly represents the process of transformation and shape shifting. When butterfly shows up, make note of the most important issues confronting you at the moment. What state of change are you at in regard to them?

To the Native Americans the butterfly is a symbol of joy. They remind us not to take life so seriously. They feed on flowers that they help pollinate, thereby further spreading beauty. They represent the element of air, quickly changing and ever moving, so gracefully. Butterflies are messengers of the moment. They come in a variety of colors. To understand the message that the butterfly holds for you a study of its colors can be helpful.

Whenever an eco system is damaged, butterfly is usually the first to leave. They are especially sensitive to the harmony of earth. If butterfly comes to you in a hurt, trapped or ill way, you are being asked to stop disturbing the natural design of life and to flow with events in a more gentle, natural way.

http://www.sayahda.com/cycle.htm
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What more can I say? I’m sure I’ll think of something.