In sharp contrast to the examples of men’s unstable egos dominating our world, as covered below, the Gaia’s Majesty Trilogy (available for purchase from Amazon.com) illustrates how empowered women can serve and create a brilliant future.

What Has America Become?

    For decades I’ve been fascinated by American politics.  Not because as a youth I was well versed in political conflict, but because it was interesting to see and to question the meaning of the conflicts.  Aside from our Civil War we were largely peaceful internally at least at a large scale.  Certainly there were small eruptions but we did not go to war with Canada and outer excursions occurred in such places as Korea and Vietnam.  Near to home, peace was more our way.

More recently there has been cause for alarm.  There were few of us expecting to see an attack on our nation’s capital by internal forces.  But there they were, scaling the front of the capital building, smashing windows and threatening our elected representatives.  And there was a former president (who could believe it?) supporting the insurrection.  I had to wonder why the national guard or some of our other military forces were not called out to defend our country.  This was not a gentle problem deserving of study and a possible eventual day in court.  It appears to have come to that now.  But to my mind it deserved an earlier and more definitive set of responses.  It seems we suffered disbelief and denial.

Of course, one of the key people to support this movement was Donald Trump.  I was pleased to see his niece (also a clinical psychologist like myself) publish a book in which she diagnosed her uncle as an unstable narcissistic sociopath.  Spot on from the viewpoint of this clinical psychologist!

In fact, though, I am not amused.  Trump has broken the law as he tried to manipulate secret and top secret documents to serve his own purposes.  He has gone against the law and we can only hope he will be forced to face the consequences.  Yes, he is unstable.  Yes, he believes he gets whatever he wants and he has no moral grounding.  And we had elected him president!  He may believe he is above the law but he is not.  Now, for his own purposes, he wants to suspend the constitution.  That would probably take him off the hook but our country would be left with terrible consequences. We would cease to be a functional country.  It might serve a Get Smart comedy sketch as Nicolai Khokhlov portrayed them to us.  Except it is not funny and we can only hope over time the true tragic nature of Trump and his colleagues will be fully recognized and acted upon for Justice.

And just before our eyes in Europe is a tragic war and series of events devastating the people of the Ukraine by Vladimir Putin and his comrades.  The men who are supporting this tragedy bear a lot in common with Trump and his colleagues except Trump has not gotten that far.  Both share the sociopathy and when I think of the book The Seven Ages of Paris by Alistair Horne it brings to mind the same type of male ego going out of control which sustained tragedy in Europe for hundreds of years.  We can only hope and work for an affirmation of values and distinct commitment to our fine country.  And that men will learn to get themselves under control.

While we tend to enjoy fiction, we often fail to focus on the truth or facts behind it.  The true fact is that fiction and reality may hold the same truths.  Each deserve questioning and exploration. We may see these matters in the Gaia’s Majesty Trilogy (available on Amazon.com) and in  our day to day lives.

 

Questioning Truth and Reality

I’ve posted previously about my friend from graduate school Nikolai Khokhlov. Let me now enhance what I learned.

Let me review. One day at Duke University I was introduced to a new graduate student by the name of Nicolai.  His heavy Russian accent was intriguing.  Later it came  out that he had been the head of the Russian KGB for Eastern Europe.  Finally, after much searching, he defected. His story is dramatic and sad as our intelligence service  was to rescue his family and take them out of the country when he went on Radio Free Europe to announce his defection. Our people failed him and he lost his family forever.  Later when he was in Germany, Russian Intelligence poisoned him with a radioactive substance.  He survived.

The Truth Is Spoken

Then there is another part.  One evennig Nicolai talked at length about his experiences. He spoke his conclusions about propaganda and political intelligence.  He said,  “You think it is like, James Bond.  It is, in fact like Get Smart.”

(For the younger generation, Get Smart was a television show that satirized intelligence services.)

Nicolai’s words continue to resonate with me. Especially in our current political environment.  What we are seeing often displayed is incompetence, disregard for country and corruption among many  other things.  The display to the world is embarrassing.

How are We To Assess What Nicolai Shared?

NiKolai’s story resonates in this campaign. We may dismiss the process as a form of comic opera or are we seeing life as it is?  Many of us are shocked at what we are seeing, but is the truth that this was there all along and we have not seen or experienced it this openly?

Get smart was meant to be funny but what we are seeing now is often stunning but hardly funny.  Or is it that we should be honest with ourselves and that we are seeing fundamental truths bout humanity?  It is sobering to realize that these kind of political beings were there all along and we need to attend to the fact of their existence and assess it more deeply.  The recognitions should be uplifting and useful.

Remember, Nikolai’s job was to safeguard the underbelly of the Soviet Union in Europe. He was to gather intelligence, kill people if necessary and build an underlying defense force for his country.  In the end he felti t was all a lie and his job violated his sense of humanity.  And so he followed the guidance of his conscience. Wouldn’t it be nice if we had more politicians with  his integrity?

Another Form of a Reality Show

The lesson for us is that this is not comic opera.  It is reality and is often dysfunctional and displays the faults and frailties of humanity in their worst forms.  We may laugh or accept it but often should cry  at what is  revealed. We will see ourselves for who we are including our vulnerability and what is lurking under the surface?  That in itself, is valuable.

Get Smart was for fun but as is often the case with comedy, it displays lessons to which we need to attend,  Again, we come back to our view of reality.  We have to decide how we interpret the events of this season and what we do with it is another matter.  And to me Nicolai is a role model. Is it up to us collectively to bring this under control?

 

 

Women of Our Earth.  Earth Mother Gaia selected women to preserve our future.  Those living in the sea are called Mermaids.  The guardian body on land is called the Andromeda.  (Gaia’s Majesty Trilogy – Available on Amazon)

The decisions about women’s reproductive rights has been receiving a lot of attention and, while I find it engaging, I am also finding it infuriating.  What I read seems like a debate among men and that immediately brings up the issue of how often women’s opinions and rights are excluded from the debate.

As I’ve said previously, this intuitive clinical psychologist feels strongly in regard to women’s rights.  And there are some things I wish to add here,  When it comes to reproduction, it is women who end up being most important.

Let me just focus one area – rape.  Some of the debate focuses on her rights to terminaye  a pregnancy even when rape is involved.  But she has a particular position,

Previously I noted the turmoil is often focused on “who comes to live at my house”.  That issue often focuses on whether it is a boy or girl and who each parent wants.Ive seen countless marriages torn apart over who is waned and who actually comes. I have seen great difficulty on the part of just onr parent.  I have always found such devision hard to accept.

Now let us turn to pregnancy from rape.Are we even going to make a woman bear that child of the rapist?  I understand the sanctity of life, but under such circumstances are we to take away a woman’d rights altogether?

Here is realty.  Over the years I have seen parents get a boy or a girl they don’t want.  Okay, they cllose to have that child or it is part of their marriage,  But too often I have seen great difficukty  tearing up the marriage and yielding enduring damage to the child emotionally. Under those circumstances the parents must work in behalf of the child and themselves.

But in regard to raising the rapist’s child the problems are mulyiplied and demands of the mother bearing that child is a terribly hard choice.  It must be her choice, possibly in conjuncion with her husband.  These are exceedingly and even cruel circumstances and I find outsiders deciding the outcome highly unfortunate.

 

 

 

 

Beginning  today and every Tuesday morning, a sample from the first book of the Gaia’s Majesty Trilogy (Mission Called, Women in Power) will be posted on cuspofreality.com. Enjoy!

The Myth of Gaia’s Majesty

Our Earth Mother, Gaia, was intrigued by clever creatures evolving on her earth. They held great promise, but also danger for themselves and Earth.

Since women were generative in agriculture, the arts, tended culture and produced the children, she chose a selected population of them and gave them the mission to be stewards of our planet and to guard the future of humankind. To serve them, she provided protected cities in the sea called Tethys. They also could live on the land as needed.

The ones living in the sea were called Progenitors.  The ones who came to land to form families were called Primals and among them was a warrior class called the Andromeda who stood in defense.  Altogether they were called Tethyans.

As earth falls deeper into social and ecological crises, the day of the fulfillment of the Tethyan mission is upon us.  This is the story of our future.

Chapter 1

WE WILL HAVE JUSTICE

The West Coast of Ireland

The woman’s flight across Ireland felt endless.  Only her determination sustained her in escaping the men chasing her.  On the edge of the seaside village of Gaelach she’d concealed her car behind a barn.  From ditch to alley to doorway she ran watching for anything or anyone behind her. Dogs barked from small whitewashed cottages.  Soaked to the skin from the pelting rain, she thanked Gaia for the weather that helped hide her and surely slowed down the men pursuing her.  The information in the waterproof package she carried held the key to the fate of one of the world’s largest trading conglomerates.

The  small shop, located on a side road, had a “Closed” sign in the window.  She paused, appreciating the welcoming roar of the angry ocean nearby.  She listened for hints of danger, then knocked.  Inside an old woman held her waterproof packet as she shed her sodden clothes, leaving her naked except for an arm holster holding a Gerber combat knife.  She tied her long wet hair into a knot, and the old woman strapped the packet tight to her back.  Once outside the back door, she melted into the sheets of rain and raced for the sea.

Just yards away from the waves, the men hunting her closed in.  One man was upon her as she pitched herself into the waves.  She took him down with her, driving her knife deep into his side.

A strong swimmer, she dove deep.  Her strokes strengthened as webbing between her fingers and a fish tail blossomed behind her.  Crisp chips guided her to a series of waterworn pillars far under the sea.  She was joined by another woman who swam next to her.  They exchanged high-pitched greetings, but her focus was on getting her package to the ultimate security of the Tethys.

As they passed through the pillars, the blackness of the ocean dissolved and a glorious city, shimmering in a soft light unfolded in front of them.  All around were plants and marine animals glowing in rich hues.  It was no longer nigh time along the Irish coast.  It was now midday of the day before-a time differential that helped secure the city’s inhabitants.

At last she could relax.  She was home. The precious information she had brought was safe and would soon be transferred into the hands of those who would exact justice.

Retribution for  the conglomerate of predatory commodity traders was swift.  The markets came alive in ways that proved devastating to the avaricious Overlords. Traders and their greedy investors were brought to their knees.  The battle for the world was taking on a new dimension.

See you next week as we meet with VERY SPECIAL WOMEN.

 

 

At last the winter holidays are over. It is now time to resume publication of the Cuspofreality.com

 

Once again, in this post, we see destructive men leading the world into conflict.  In the Gaia’s Majesty Trilogy (available for purchase at amazon.com) we see a story in which our Earth Goddess Gaia supports the development of powerful women in behalf of our future.

The Struggle For Our Future

It seems that the great tragedy of Donald Trump is not just coming to a head but, hopefully to an end.  He presumed the future was to be however he wished and willed it to be.  Such is the case with an egotistical sociopath.  Nothing matters to him but what he wants and because of his narcissism he believes he deserves it.  It is bad enough that he is a sociopath but that he is unstable as well.  And it is stunning that he now wishes to suspend the constitution.  In his own behalf of course.

This potentially highly damaging Trump based trauma leads me back to Horne’s book The Seven Ages of France.  Century after century Europe experienced devastating wars.  They did not affect just Paris but all of Europe. Fortunately, America did not experience the effect of a long line of unstable sociopaths.  That is until we elected Donald Trump.  Fortunately, we had realistic opposition to help insure our future.

After reading Horne’s book it was clear to me that what we call World War  I and World War II were a continuation of centuries long processes.  Many of us had hoped this devastating process had come to an end.

Of course coming to an end is unlikely since the self interested pathological types still exist and it may be that the public may not have the power to stop them or may simply not recognize the damaging pathology.  With what is now happening with Trump it appears we will be able to avoid a travesty such has happened in Europe in the past.

However, we are seeing continuity of tragedy under Vladimir Putin.  And it is not creating a Get Smart type of humorous outcome.  There is nothing conceivably humorous about what is being done to the Ukraine and its people.

It is very difficult to see an enduring and substantial benefit Russia might be gaining from this destructive incursion into the Uktaine.  As I understand it they have seized ten thousand tons of grain but that does not seem enough  to be worthwhile risking World War III. I have been relieved that our politicians are not mentioning such a possibility. Restraint in sprculation demonstrates suitable caution.

But having read that history about war in France and Europe in general I can see that the attack on the Ukraine is an extension of a dark and damaging past.  And from everything I’ve seen and heard, it seems Putin is following in a long history of egotistical sociopathic men and sometimes women.

The Ukrainian people are heroic and there seems to be reason to believe it will end without Russia taking total control of their country.  Many of us had hoped Europe’s history of  war might be fading.  But when unstable narcissistic sociopaths are in charge our hopes are dimmed.  At least America appears to be remaining under the control of our people.

 

Given the intense activity of the holidays we are suspending posting after 11/21/22 through 1/7/23.  Have happy holidays.

Roger Burt

Gaia’s Majesty Trilogy (Available on Amazon) – Unique fantasy trilogy blending mythology with women taking their rightful place in the world. Related to essential world changes.

Older White Men – Facing the Future at last

I’m now an older white man and I’ve been upset with and at odds with my male colleagues for over fifty years.  And now I believe the issues are coming to a head and we are finding and seeing bad alternatives such as with Trump and his demonstration of the behavior of an unstable sociopath. Fortunately, while I’ve had my problems with  older white men they were usually at least manageable.

An Enduring Lesson 

I hadn’t thought about men and power much until I took a job in the inner city of Baltimore in the 1960s.  At the time the Women’s Liberation Movement was beginning and I found myself working with young, bright women among the men.  Our mission in behalf of delivering mental health services to impoverished citizens in the inner city brought it all to a head.

Naturally the heads of the program were older white men and my perception was that they  had little dedication to our mission to serve the people of Baltimore.  They wanted the grant money, preservation of their status and continuation of the type of programs they had been offering. We had a major confrontation when they wanted to bring in medical students to give the people we were serving a week of therapy and drugs.  It was so outrageous to us that there was a major, direct confrontation. Higher class medical student could do nothing in a week for lower class people and medication suddenly offered indicated no utility. To the surprise of the older white men we made our objections prevail.

See It For What It Is

       The fight continues and this fall it seems there my be what is called “a blue wave” in the interim election. I object to the term because it represents politcalization of changes which should not be politicized.Certainly there is politics involved but we are seeing a worldwide movement to empower women at last which should have a major impact.  That is the type of wave that interests me the most.

     The power of older white men shows up on many avenues and I would prefer it be seen for what it is.  Attention to women coming to equality and power interests me much more and should bring much needed changes.Together with attention to our growing minorities would be much more useful as well.

Waves of Change

      There are truly waves of change and I relish these waves we have seen over human history.  There is an ongoing wave within the black community.  Yes, I am referring to them as black because I was part of the reform movement the year Martin Luther King, Jr. was  assassinated. That was the year black was declared to be beautiful.  It has special meaning.

Time For Men to Face the Future

      Now it is time for men to choose a revolution of their own. And I do not mean choosing to fight to retain their hold on power only. Instead I strongly recommend introspection of alternative benefits and devotion to study the male culture and all its flaws.  Surely there are benefits but there have also been marked negatives. But the biggest benefits will come by embracing all our people and empowering women.

      These changes are coming at us and we would do well to tend the benefits and seek understanding.  It will benefit us all in unforeseen ways.  It is time for change and to turn away from the rigid grasp on power to a more diverse and glorious future!

Gaia’s Majesty Trilogy (available on Amazon) – Our Earth goddess Gaia believed the clever creatures developing on her Earth were dangerous but precious.   She recognized that women needed to be empowered.

                                 Transformation: A World to be Imagined

What Lies Ahead?

     America seems to be at a profound choice point.   Will there be something beautiful and inspiring emerging in the end or a transfixing horror in our future? I prefer something glorious.  We may begin to see it unfold shortly or a nightmare may materialize in the mist.  In the end it is my belief that women hold the balance and wIll be the key.  They must be recognized.

My view of Life has Changed

     Earlier events led me to suspend the blog but now events are leading me to reopen the blog and the focus has changed.  We are facing totally unexpected crises that bring us the possibility of transformation.  Whether in the end it will be ruinous or uplifting is yet to become clear.  We will be exploring what might be and there are many emerging alternatives.  I have also found that I have been led to a life review.  As I studied my experiences I found clarity regarding events and avenues that profoundly affect our collective future as well as my personal future.

Returning to the Moment

     For the moment let me return to present reality. And I must make a statement that is not political, but rather clinical.  I am a clinical psychologist with a Ph.D from Duke University and have had decades of experience.  I was stunned and pleased when the book by Donald Trump’s niece came out. She is also a clinical psychologist and we agree on the diagnosis of him as a narcissistic sociopath who is unstable.  His focus on himself leads him away from the needs of our country.

     And even worse, many of our citizenry seem unwilling to face the devastation of our future that might come not just from such a thing as a pandemic but from failures of our government and a leader such as Trump. The problems extend beyond the White House to many of our political leaders. But it is important to remember that we may also be facing a grand fulfilling opportunity that we the people of this country may direct.

Conservatives and Progressives Together

     It is my view that for decades now we have been inadequately attentive to the needs of our country. In addition to the grasp on power by white men, a major contributor to the inattention for our broad needs has been a conservative movement that has become dismissive of their responsibility.

    

     To be clear, I have a high regard for true conservatives.  I consider myself to be a progressive and believe progressives and conservatives working together form an important source of benefit and balance.  It is inappropriate for conservatives to simply hold onto the past as if it were stone and it is inappropriate for progressives to simply hurl themselves into an unproven future. Together we form an essential balance as we consult and negotiate together.

    It is time for us to reach out to each other with respecting openness to diverse views and values. Yes, there may be a dark future but we may also direct it to the benefit of us all.  We must come together with respect and seize a grand vision of transformation that just may lie before us.

My Personal Response to Our Looming Crises

    I’m what is called an intuitive personality and it is intuition rather than pure logic that guides me.  The truth is that when I began to write my Gaia’s Majesty Trilogy I did not understand where it would lead me.  I knew my attention on the future but I didn’t understand the depths of feminism that would guide me.

    My life has led to the full recognition of the centrality of the grasp of older white men on power.  Now that I am an older white man I’m going to demonstrate my objection to their hold on our world.  My  books called Gaia’s  Majesty Trilogy will be one form and this blog will also give the history of my objections among many other themes.  My concerns are deep and my hopes for our future, especially when women are empowered, will be fully displayed.

     It is time to move forward but, in what we call the real world, it is hard to know to what.

We can receive guidance and wisdom from our earth mother Gaia as seen in The Gaia’s Majesty Trilogy (available for purchase on amazon.com).  In this series, powerful women lead the way into a promising future. These women include Mermaids in the sea and the women of the Andromeda on land.

—————

Who Is Coming To Live At your House?

     In most cases when we get married we expect to have children and many people don’t speak honestly of whom they hope is coming. There may be a clear statement regarding a boy or a girl and sometimes it is very specific as in a husband who is a sports fan and wants a son.

     In many cases people rarely express honest specifics.  As to it being a boy or a girl, they often speak about their hopes later, after the birth. The expression may be naive about the sex of the unborn child even to the self. The fact is, regardless of who you want, it is important to accept and love whomever comes.  Such is not a total reality and the effect on the chid may not become apparent for many years. And it is possible at times that either the man or the woman want no children. All of us have heard such honest statements and it deserves approval and support to seek self emotional solutions. The raising of children is not a simple process regardless.

      In my practice as a clinical psychologist I saw some strange examples. A man says, “I want a son.” He gets two sons and then sheds his wife, wanting to keep only the boys. A woman says she will accept who comes and with a second son or second daughter she leaves the marriage. The problems may occur with either parent at unexpected times and part of the problem may be that they may have never even been honest with themselves.

     In my practice I learned there were no common rules or clearly defined outcomes in regard to children. And many times when I saw a depressed child or adult it could often go back to not being wanted but it was not admitted at the time. What gets played out may be totally unexpected.

     Raising children is not easy.  The time needed is lengthy and difficult and they go through marked phases but we cannot define when those times may come. And children may have  a personality with nothing in common with either parent.

     Not wanting a child is often difficult for a parent whether it is a boy or a girl or just any child at all. Parental rejection is often hard to see and the effects may show up at almost any later date.

     Self examination is not generally declared as desirable for a parent, But deep inside it is important for us to declare whether we want a boy or a girl or if we don’t want either or none at all. Self ownership of feelings and perspectives is important and may be declared to the other parent.  Solutions are available but require the issue to be on the table.

                                             

Our  Earth Mother Gaia selected women to preserve our future.  Those living in the sea are called Mermaids and the guardian body on land is called the Andromeda. They come to be before us in the books of the Gaia’s Majesty Trilogy (Available for purchase from Amazon.com)                              

 

Transformation  A World to be Imagined

What Lies Ahead?

   America seems to be at a profound choice point. Will there be something beautiful emerging in the end or a transfixing horror in our future?  I prefer the dream offered by the picture above.  We may begin to see it unfold shortly or a nightmare may materialize in the mist. In the end women will be the key and must be recognized.

Recent Events

For the moment let me return to the present reality.  And I must make a statement that is not political, but rather clinical.  I am a clinical psychologist with a Ph.D. from Duke University and have had decades of experience.  I was stunned and, I must say, pleased when the book by Donald Trump’s niece came out.  She is also a clinical psychologist and we agree on the diagnosis of him as a narcissistic sociopath who is unstable. His focus on himself leads him away from the needs of our country.

And even worse, many of our citizenry seem unwilling to face the devastation of our future that can come not just from such a thing as a pandemic but from failures of our government.  The problems extend beyond the White House to many of our political leaders.  But it is important to remember that we may also be facing a grand fulfilling opportunity that we the people of this country may direct.

Our problems are numerous and include the fact that we have a substantial gig workforce.  We say we have an unemployment rate of a specific kind but true reality is otherwise. A gig workforce includes people who are  without an ongoing and  stable employer.  The gig workers face short term and multiple forms of employment.  At the same time tragic events have mobilized the black and brown communities to make demands that are wholly justified.  This white man is clear that white men have dominated this country from its beginning, often with dire and corrupt consequences.  That needs to change and I will not forget the crucial growth of the empowerment of women.

Conservatives and Progressives Together

It is my view that for decades now we have been inadequately attentive to the needs of our country.  In addition to the grasp on power by white men, a major contributor to the inattention to our broad needs has been a conservative movement that has become dismissive of their responsibility.

To be clear I have a high regard for true conservatives.  I consider myself to be a progressive and believe that progressives and conservatives working together form an important source of benefit and balance.  It is inappropriate for conservatives to simply hold onto the past as if it were stone and it is inappropriate for progressives to simply hurl themselves into the future.  Together we form an essential balance as we consult and negotiate together.

It is time for us to reach out with respect and openness to diverse views and values. Yes, there may be a dark future but we may also direct it to the benefit of us all.  We must come together with respect and seize a grand vision of transformation that just may lie before us.

My Personal Response to Our Looming Crises

I’m what is called an intuitive personality and it is intuition rather than pure logic that guides me.  The truth is that when I began to write my Gaia’s Majesty Trilogy I did not understand where it would lead me.  I knew my attention was on the future but I didn’t understand the depths of feminism that would guide me.

My life has led to the full recognition of the centrality of the grasp of older white men on power. Now that I am an older white man I’m going to demonstrate my objection to their hold on our world.  The Gaia’s Majesty Trilogy will be one form and this blog will also give some of the history of my objections among many other themes.  My concerns are deep and my hopes for our future especially when women are empowered will be fully displayed.

It is time to move forward but, in what we call the real world, it is hard to know to what exactly. But it should be up to us to seek constructive ways to shape it to benefit all of us.