Mark Morford, our patron-saint columnist, strikes again!

The vampires of Facebook

In psychic workshops, they teach you all about cords.

Cords that bind. Cords that connect. Cords that can invigorate as well as consume, excite your spirit and yet also leech life from your very soul, cords made of simple psychic energy that run like invisible cables straight from your heart and your mind and your various energetic G-spots straight out to the world, and back again.

But most of all, they run straight into other people. Or from them, straight into you. It happens all the time, every day, in every interaction you have, psychic energy instantly passing between individuals as you move through the world and through your thoughts and memories and dreams, energy cords established even over long distances, phone calls, handshakes, gropings, co-ed showers, not to mention fantasies, hatreds, unwanted desires and just about everything in between. It's just what we do.

Usually the cords last only a short time before fading away, a constant swarm of insta-circuits made and broken, effortless and normal -- just the everyday thrum of life.

But not always. Energy cords are also potent, dangerous motherfrickers.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2009/04/29/notes042909.DTL&nl=fix

Damn, I love this man. And he shames me as a writer. My last blog entry was about Facebook, but he comes along and does it SO MUCH BETTER!!!! I need my bowing-down smiley...

BTW, there's a thread about this in GD, but I don't think it's shaping up to be very respectful, IF you know what I mean.

No one had even commented at that point, but I didn't want to stick around for the stoning.

I think what he describes is what happens to my when I engage in some kind of flame war over human rights abuses, there is always someone who wants to find excuses to ignore various abuses and I tend to step my foot in it. Then I feel spent, like a part of me has been temporarily eaten up. I've been connecting cords with jackasses! Barf! That's no good!

I read recently that kids that are most active on Facebook have lower grades. It makes me wonder if these multi-connections have anything to do with it. I know that they are probably using up a lot of study time, but I would bet intense interactions stick with them.

Sorry MorningGlow. I just kept getting sucked into making stupid comments to 'rational' people, LOL.

I'm actually glad most people in our culture don't believe in metaphysics. It beats witch burning.

DU skeptic vs. spiritual debates are perpetual and, as far as I can tell, pointless, because neither side is going to give in. I saw your posts--brava!--and I realized that even if you mailed them your old paperwork from Duke, the skeptics would just say you forged them.

Thanks for letting me know that you put the thread on ignore, because I was just about to respond to one of your posts in it but I'll do it here instead--I wanted to apply to the metaphysics program at Duke! My mom nixed the idea--not because of the subject matter (I don't think she knew what metaphysics meant--and still doesn't), but because Duke was "too far from home". As for the CIA recruiting--yes indeed--my former elder and a friend of hers were recruited. My former elder passed the tests with flying colors (she's an amazing psychic) but didn't want to work for the government, so she bailed out before she got too deep into it. :hi:

I knew someone who had. I took 'Parapsychology 101' at Temple University where I was getting my Fine Arts degree. We wrapped up the class by walking on broken glass! I have college credits in walking on broken glass! LOL

Do you know if they still have that program at Duke? The time I was aware of it was back in the 70's

I don't think I'd like working for the government doing psychic work! Creepy.

Cool that multiple universities have parapsychology and metaphysics courses, though. And another correction--it was a parapsychology department at Duke. Very scientific research, IIRC. Alas, I think I remember reading a news blurb a few years ago that they shut down the program. Sad. Not sure why--lack of funding in the fundie Bush era? I'd put my money on that.

Yeah, my former elder was completely creeped out by the CIA dudes doing the testing. But she put her foot down when they asked her point blank if she would do anything--that's ANYthing--she was ordered to, in the name of her country. Envisioning being ordered to kill, plant images, or perhaps lie to/manipulate someone about what she saw psychically in order to undermine them, she said no, knowing that would be a deal-breaker. And it was. She was happy to get out.

that's why I stopped responding! I realized the same thing - no amount of documentation is going to alter people's beliefs. It never ceases to amaze me how the level of reaction is so rooted in belief and not 'science' or 'rationality' like people think.

I also stopped responding because I started getting snarky and personal, which isn't good.

It was a well written article anyway. Glad you posted it. Funny, my partner is going through something like that - an old high school acquaintance looked him up and has been emailing him a lot, clearly stuck in the past. He sent her a list of links to his favorite (very esoteric, surreal and odd) you-tube videos and figures that if she has anything good to say about them he might consider getting a coffee with her.

in a couple of weeks. I have no interest in going. I have no grudges or anything, but the people who are going to be there were never my friends in high school--I find it downright hysterical that some people have sent me messages on Facebook calling me their friend--"So good to hear from you again, my friend!" We never said two words to each other back in high school!
:wtf: :rofl:

So yeah, I don't know if we'd have anything in common today, but we sure don't share memories, I know that much. We lived totally separate lives in h.s.

Then again, I have reconnected with some of my peeps from "back in the day", and I'm getting together with two of them for lunch next month. Now THAT I'm looking forward to, and I'll be interested to see if we still have anything in common!

So I guess Facebook is just like any other high-tech toy--neutral in is intention and can be positive or negative depending on how you use it.

The people from high school contacting me on FB were scary enough -- I'm not the same person I was in high school; I wasn't sure if they'd accept that. The really objectionable stuff is people from my former fundamentalist Christian lifestyle contacting me.

It's been twenty years since I left the church. I do not see them for a reason. I do not want to "have coffee", be "buddies", whatever. It took years (and therapy) to walk away. If I wanted them in my life, they'd be there, and I just don't.

MorningGlow, I hope that lunch with your school friends goes really well. They'll be so glad to see you again!

You're right -- FB is all in how one uses it.

Catholic girls' school alum here. LOTS of ignorance and intolerance when I was in high school. I wan't a witch then, but I wrote a term paper on ESP one year and then a couple of years later I wrote an essay on the concept of hell as having to reincarnate on earth (I don't believe that anymore). Those two writing assignments pegged me as a freak of nature, in the eyes of my classmates. One girl even dared to ask me (after the teacher read the reincarnation essay aloud to the class) if I was a witch. And she was shaking the whole time. :eyes: I was SOOOOO harmless in high school it wasn't even funny (and I still am)--it's not like I walked around with black eyeliner and a cape, hexing people in the hallways, you know?
:rofl:

I'm sure now, 25 years on, my former classmates are a bit more educated (I hope, anyway). Heck, I even noticed on some of their profiles that they now belong to--gasp--PROTESTANT churches!!! Still, I'm not going to actively find out, if you know what I mean. Life's too short to seek out people you really can't be bothered with (although I'm sure they're very nice now).
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Missy, I'm sorry you had such a rough time. I realize that breaking away from a fundie church takes a massive amount of strength and willpower, and I honor you for that. It's completely understandable why you wouldn't want to "go back". I wonder if you'll ever connect with any other people who broke away...hm... Well, if it's to be, I hope you find one another. :hug:

I wasn't really friends with any of them. But I find if I tell them I've become a Sufi and am now Ayesha, they sort of freak out and leave me alone. I figure if I ever say that and get a reply that that is cool, I've discovered a friend I didn't know I had back in high school.

All I'd need to do is tell 'em I'm a witch, and I'd get all the "personal space" I need AND THEN SOME!
:rofl:

I dreamed of one of the skeptics with whom I've actively engaged several times. It was a really neat dream overall with all sorts of people joining together, and he was one of them. At one point, he and I went to the buffet together, he took his pony tail down (long hair), and ordered something besides beer saying if I wasn't drinking beer, he didn't have to. Astounding. Since I believe all dream images are facets of self, I felt a real sense of healing from that.

My editor and I HAAAATED each other. I mean really, truly despised one another. We didnt' see eye-to-eye on anything, and he was terribly antagonistic--didn't set an example as my superior whatsoever. We even had shouting matches (him and me) with slamming doors (me). It was ugly.

And then one night I had a dream that he and I were sitting around, just talking, and laughing like crazy. We were the best of friends. And it wasn't wish fulfillment, because IRL I DIDN'T want to be his friend!
:rofl:

When I woke from that dream, I was left with the lesson that he and I truly were friends and even loved one another dearly (platonically) on another level, because we were part of the same soul group. And that we have even BEEN friends and loved ones to each other in other lifetimes. But this lifetime, his role was to get me to the next phase of my life--he pushed me so hard (in a less-than-desirable way, but oh well) to be a better writer, which helped me land my dream job that I have now (freelancing for a New Age magazine). And he was such a pain in my ass that he made sure I got out of the FT job when I was supposed to, instead of trying to stay there past my time (which I had been trying to do).

Fascinating, isn't it?

And in a way I appreciate the skeptics because their presence makes me think very carefully about how I describe what I believe. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I don't, but having that other point of view looking over my shoulder is helpful.

but I was here on the side lines during that time, often encouraging you to 'think about' making that change and engaging you in conversation about it. ;)

eta: I also appreciate them. They are obviously here for a reason. Comparison, contrast.
Gratitude :evilgrin:

You were a great help to me--ASAH as a whole was my rock! You and other ASAH-ers were the best sounding board and gave magnificent advice. You guys got me through leaving my coven and then leaving my job--my one-two punch "dark night of the soul" a couple of years back. It would have been impossible to get through that without you. Love you guys. :loveya: :grouphug:

You took a lot of abuse from those two sources. Glad you found the strength to make the changes.
:grouphug:

If you were freaked out at the onset of that thread, don't check it out NOW. Train wreck No. 2,985, now occurring on Track 3...
:rofl:

I was just looking at the GD thread on the same article and it was turning into a pointless flame war with the professional skeptics/debunkers.

What I wanted was to discuss the article. I looked at the comments section, and EVERYONE seems to be agreeing with Mr. Morford...except me! It appears that I have a minority opinion on the subject, and so far I haven't found one other person who agrees with me.

I believe we are all actually or potentially connected with every other human being on the planet, and probably with all non-human beings as well, as in the Hindu story of the Net of Indra. Or in the psychic exercise we've done on this board and elsewhere for world peace, the "Firing the Grid" exercise. I have participated in it a couple of times. What is "The Grid" but the Net of Indra? And Facebook and the other social networking sites (in fact the whole Internet) is another manifestation of the Net of Indra.

In other words, I don't believe a cord is ever destroyed or dissolved once it has been created, and it can be created by any kind of contact, real or virtual. Now it can be dormant or inactive literally for decades, like a telephone wire with no signal traveling through it. But the link itself is always there and can be reactivated at any time.

That seems to be what's been happening to me on Facebook. I first activated my account about a month ago. I have been a little bit slow about adding friends to my network, because the contacts I did renew have been so overwhelming that I went on psychic overload for a while. Mark Morford is right in that respect. But that's because these are people I really cared about...and still do.

Lately I've been finding that it's simply impossible to pay attention to everyone on my network at the same time. Fortunately, they don't expect me to and wouldn't even want it, for exactly the same reason I don't want it. I guess I've been fortunate (so far!) in not having any psychic vampires trying to monopolize my attention and feed off my energy. The professional skeptics in GD fit that description much better than any of my friends...but then so do ALL trolls!

That sounds really fascinating, Raksha. I'll have to read up on it! (My knowledge of Hindu mythology and metaphysics is sorely lacking. :blush: )

I agree that we are all connected. The illusion of separate identities runs deep, however, and we truly believe we are individual entities. I suppose we take on individual identities when we choose to incarnate, but before and after that, it's all one.

Thank you for mentioning dormant or inactive cords!!!! You have solved a mystery that's been affecting my life for several months now. To put it as briefly as possible, someone has entered my life after...oh lordy...ages...but only ethereally. Our cord was suddenly no longer dormant and took me by surprise (okay, it blindsided me). I think I have figured out why we are actively connected again, but the jury is still out on the specifics. I'm still studying the matter. It's fascinating though.

As for Facebook, it can be overwhelming. All the silly little apps are making me :crazy: and I may have to send messages to the most active of my friends--the ones who keep sending me fish and candy and shite. I know these apps raise money, so I'd feel bad about ending the "accept your (fish, candy, egg, etc.) and send one back to your friend!" cycle, but it's so damned time consuming...!

I have also been fortunate in that nobody has been bothering me on FB. I do hope it stays that way. It helps that I went to an all-girl high school--no former boyfriends stuck in their teen memories or anything.
:rofl:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indra's_net

Francis Harold Cook describes the metaphor of Indra's net from the perspective of the Huayan school in the book Hua-Yen Buddhism: The Jewel Net of Indra:

"Far away in the heavenly abode of the great god Indra, there is a wonderful net which has been hung by some cunning artificer in such a manner that it stretches out infintely in all directions. In accordance with the extravagant tastes of deities, the artificer has hung a single glittering jewel in each "eye" of the net, and since the net itself is infinite in dimension, the jewels are infinite in number. There hang the jewels, glittering like stars in the first magnitude, a wonderful sight to behold. If we now arbitrarily select one of these jewels for inspection and look closely at it, we will discover that in its polished surface there are reflected all the other jewels in the net, infinite in number. Not only that, but each of the jewels reflected in this one jewel is also reflecting all the other jewels, so that there is an infinite reflecting process occurring."<7>

This is fascinating. So many people take the term "web of life" at face value--that in the 3D world, all of life is interdependent on one another for survival purposes--but it's so much more than that. We are bound to one another spiritually; we ARE creation. As Jesus said, "Whatever you do to the least of my brothers, you do to me."

Hey, I'm also interested in the subcategory in the Wikipedia entry: Gödel, Escher, Bach. Mr. MG has that book kicking around. Perhaps I should take a lil' peeksie...

I had that problem I wrote you all about earlier:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=245x90266

This is definately a cord that keeps tugging at me from time to time; and I guess I can't figure out exactly why this one remains active at all. Make any sense?

Boy, I sure did put some energy into it a week or two ago, though. Sheesh.

You and I are experiencing the same thing, although with different trappings. I wonder...why now, you know?

I understand about putting energy into it--but it's like...hard not to. It's like a mystery you want to solve, right? Hoomins love a good mystery.

Has yours calmed down at all? Mine has, a great deal. On the one hand it's a bit of a relief; on the other, I kinda miss his presence. (Yeesh.)
:rofl:

I likes ya "feisty" :rofl:

The comments were mostly about facebook. Glad you posted it here.

Morford is the funniest! (and sexy as all get out) :blush:

I don't know where Feisty came from, but I like her too. I think it's a manifestation of what Rick told me a while back--my chart shows that I'm in a time where I have to "reclaim my own", which includes speaking up for what I believe in, in my own way. I'm not an argumentative person (much), so I was puzzled by that, but now that I think about it, goofing on the pissypants crowd on DU could turn out to be a lot of fun...!

I love Morford too. (And YES he is hot--good looking, a terrific writer, AND believes in esoterica?! What a triple threat!) I've been reading his column for years.

Jesus talked about them in the personal spiritual practice he did, which has come down to us as the Lord's Prayer. The lines "forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us", when said in the original Aramaic and then translated directly to English, really say--loose the cords of doubt, hatred, and fear that bind us to another, that they, too, may do the same and we can both be free".

The concept of cords has been around for quite a while. :)

:thumbsup:

I remember a long time ago an actually very good psychic said that when you sexually engage with someone it takes at least 2-3 weeks to 'shake clear/cleanse' their vibrations/karmic condition' out of your auric field.