We inevitably, when we want to change psychologically, tend to change according to the parameters and goals that constitute our brains’ contents. In other words, we change according to our brains’ attributes. So changes in our lives are based on what our old-style brains have been for millions of years. We change according to past accumulations, knowledge, experiences, and stored-up presuppositions and acceptances. Such change may be no real (fundamental) change at all. It may just likely be an altered version — an extension — of the same old thing. It may be clinging to the past, as we have done for centuries.
It may be highly prudent to be open to change that is not merely the product of past accumulations, past expectations, and past conditioning. Then the “old brain” is not merely calculating what should be (according to past patterns, and past conditioning). Then something completely new and genuinely revolutionary can perhaps take place. And it would not take place merely within the realm of the circumscribed accumulations that were poured into one in the past.
We cling to what others poured into us, via having beliefs and plans for change, etc. But that very “clinging” is preventing us from going profoundly deep (beyond ordinary, inherited, cause-and-effect formulations and acceptances). And that miraculous, timeless, ineffable immensity exists far from our sequential (old-style) concoctions and attachments.
[Note: In order to get the full effect of this Halloween Spider — and, for that matter, of any of my previous photos — it is advisable to go to the original post, and (there) look at the larger featured image photo.]
Halloween Surprise … Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2022
[Note: The two large fangs (i.e., chelicerae) of this spider can be seen here. The lower one (of this tilted arachnid) is more in shadow, but the upper one can be seen a bit better. It extends from just under that little red-orangish area to where it curves (fang-like) to the right and backwards.]
Halloween Love Spider … Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2021
[NOTE: This poem and this posting is just designed for some innocent, scary, Halloween fun. It is not meant to reinforce anyone’s hatred of spiders. When i see a spider in the house, i gently grab it in a soft Kleenex and subsequently release it (gently) out-of-doors. Spiders are generally harmless, are great pest removers, and can be admired for their own intrinsic beauty; humans probably look ugly to a lot of perceptive animals!]
Well, you can clearly see that her cerebral area has expanded significantly thanks to help from her mother having had ingested my blood DNA in the distant past. The many offspring in the large egg sac that she is now carrying will undoubtedly have the same attributes.
(See Tuesday’s post, if you haven’t, to clarify this ongoing Halloween mystery. Maybe you’ll get bitten next!)
Fishing Spider (2) Ain’t She a Beauty?! Photo by Thomas Peace c.2019
[Over the weekend, i had a heart attack and went to the hospital. I’ve been a strict vegetarian since 1973, and this sudden heart thing — with arterial blockage and all — certainly came as a big shock; this is especially since, lately, i’ve been eating mostly just whole, organic foods… and i was no longer eating eggs, while the cheese that i ate, twice a week, was “no-fat cheese,” with just a little organic regular cheese sprinkled on top (additionally). I’ve been exercising daily, for years, on an indoor Schwinn bike. Heart disease runs in my family and, apparently, heredity plays a way bigger role in this than i had suspected. I didn’t get any stents; i had 40% to 50% blockage (in a curved area that is an undesirable site to place stents in); additionally, i had 100% blockage in a much smaller but significant artery. So they are treating me with medication. One of the medications that they are giving me is Lipitor, to help reduce LDL cholesterol, but my LDL levels are already low. I am back home and am doing well so far. I will not likely be making comments to my blogs (like i did in the past) for a while, and i probably will not be visiting other blogs as much, like i did in the past. The upcoming posts that i had made and had prescheduled (such as this one, below) will continue for a little while; after that, i will likely just post once or twice a week at the most. Thank you for your consideration and support! Tom]
A few years back, around this time of year, i was taking a little nap on the living room floor while Marla, my wonderful wife, was watching television. I was wearing shorts, and when i woke up and looked toward my legs, i saw a really huge spider suddenly run from my leg area. Since i’ve been a nature-lover all of my life, constantly examining and appreciating insects, spiders, frogs, snakes, and stuff on an ongoing basis, i did not panic. I caught the very large spider and put it in a glass jar. I did take photos of it back then. It was a Fishing Spider. Fishing Spiders tend to live around water, and we live right on a river. This spider was so very huge; i wondered how on earth it could have gotten into our modern, well-sealed house, but it did! This one looked like a tarantula; Fishing Spiders can get to be over 3 inches (8 cm) across. Anyway, i released the spider safely into our backyard by the river.
Later that evening, i noticed that on one of my legs, i had two sizable fang marks. No doubt, they were from the huge spider. I kid you not — and Marla can verify this — i had those fang mark scars on my leg for 3 to 4 months. I did not have any swelling or noticeable side-effects (except for a little craving to eat insects now and then)…tee-hee. So, this large spider probably ingested some of my blood (and blood DNA). Fishing Spiders can inject venom, but it is not dangerous to humans unless you are allergic to it.
So, the story ends… NOT! Just a little while ago, Marla spotted a big Fishing Spider on the front outside wall of our home. I took pictures of it, thinking that it would be perfect for Halloween. It had a big egg-case that it was protecting. I did not disturb it or harm it, of course, since it could be an offspring from the aforementioned spider that bit me. Epidemiological studies suggest that DNA ingested by animals can directly influence future generations and future evolutionary trends for that animal. These spiders could be carrying around my DNA.
Come home to papa! Thanks for showing me the egg-case of the little babies you have made! I feel so proud! 🙂 (I’ll post another photo of this beauty on Wednesday.)
Fishing Spider (1) Ain’t She A Beauty?! Photo by Thomas Peace c.2019
[Note: This is a very unusual (very rare) Praying Mantis for our north-central Illinois area. It is probably a Carolina Mantis. These are southern mantids but, due to global warming, are moving more north. This one has wonderful chameleonic abilities. Note how it amazingly blends in with the different color tones of the park bench. It is a female and seems to be loaded with fertile eggs. It may not have mated with a male at any time whatsoever. Female mantises can lay many completely fertile eggs without a male. When this happens, the offspring are perfect clones of the mother.]
Chameleonic Praying Mantis. … Photo by Thomas Peace c.2019
We represent the Lollypop Guild, The Lollypop Guild, The Lollypop Guild And in the name of the Lollypop Guild, We wish to welcome you to Munchkinland. We welcome you to Munchkinland,
Tra la la la la, la la la, la la la, Tra la la la la, la la.
The Munchkins Lollipop Guild …. Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2019
Then the wolf showed his teeth and said:
“Then I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house down.”
“Well, then please use mouthwash,” said the three little pigs, “Your breath is strong enough to kill an elephant.”
The Three Little Pigs … Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2019
Yet another truly horrifying story:
You, having a bad hair day, reading this stupid Halloween Blog while at your computer.
You, at your computer. … Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2019
And here is an excerpt from the Monster in the Mirror song sung by Grover… (not that i ever watch Sesame Street with my big bird friends).
If your mirror has a monster in it, do not shout This kind of situation does not call for freaking out And do nothing that you would not like to see him do ‘Cause that monster in the mirror he just might be you
Singing “Wubba wubba wubba wubba woo woo woo” Wubba wubba wubba and a doodly do Wubba wubba wubba you can join in too
Halloween Delight … Note the series of long, fine hairs on this spider’s hind legs; they are likely used for web construction. … Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2019
Don’t be a torpid, sluggish mind, indifferent about the environment, about others, and about goodness. We’ve been donating a lot, over the years, to all of the Hurricane victims (both to charities for humans and for dogs), including (recently) Dorian. These hurricanes are worsening over the years due to global warming. I see some bloggers who claim to love nature, yet they travel — in jets and planes that spew out tons of pollutants — to distant countries or far distant places to get “great nature photos.” I’ve been unfollowing such hypocritical behavior blogs. I’m not afraid of devils or goblins around Halloween. I’m more concerned about people who treat the earth wrongly, indifferently. We all can do more to help nature; we all could do less harmful things. Please watch the following Greta Thunberg video. I feel very sorry for kids these days; if things do not change, they — because of the increase in carbon dioxide — will not be able to breathe properly in a few short decades. 30% of all birds in North America (alone) have gone extinct in the last 50 years; they are the canaries in the coal mine, but most adults just don’t see it enough.
During the Halloween season, this is the new greeter at Walmart stores. … Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2019
Fourteen steps climbed to the top from the bottom An hour and fifteen minutes moved a short hand and a long hand One fishing line ignorantly reeled in what it thought it wasn’t Three opinions typed what was surely right Seven sayings scanned the screen in a zigzag fashion Thirty-seven pieces of candy looked forward to Halloween Twenty-five Black-Eyed Susans were arrested for trespassing
A breach on humanity. … Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2019
Neil Armstrong didn’t realize that he had a spider hitching a ride on his spacesuit (and that it jumped off and was what actually took the first lunar step). 🙂
Neil Armstrong didn’t realize that he had a spider hitching a ride on his spacesuit (and that it jumped off and was what actually took the first lunar step). 🙂 … Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2019
In reality, Elongate Long-Jawed Orb Weavers are not at all dangerous. People who turn their backs on the environment (and who vote for those that do) are what is extremely dangerous.
Elongate Long-jawed Orb Weaver … Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
At the very bottom of my gorgeous face you may see what looks like a dreadful mouth and a little above that a large nose and a little above that two glaring eyes
And if you happen to be one of the lucky ones who is able to see these things then I will crawl into your midnight dream and come again around Halloween to get a taste of your warm bloodstream
These Tiger Spiders,Argiope trifasciata, are very large and are common web-weavers in our Illinois area. They are so common in our Illinois area (in the fall) that i have — during nature photography outings — gotten used to inadvertently walking into their webs and having them crawling on me. They, in reality, are perfectly harmless and get off of me (on their own) before i need to bother to remove them myself. However, they are not harmless to grasshoppers and — nevertheless, during this U.S. holiday season — they may be visiting you tonight! Lots of them!
Tiger Spider (Argiope trifasciata) … Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
Here’s a cozy little poem for you in this Halloweenish time of year:
Sleep well tonight my little darlings Here’s a little factoid to dream about tonight… Scientists say that people during sleep each swallow an average of around 8 spiders yearly
A nice warm dark moist place to visit Bon Appetit!
It’s not little spiders that will really harm you and your children, it’s miseducated, traditional, ordinary people who let the environment go to hell.
Spider on Wildflower … Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
Today i will be going to the annual Halloween Party at the school for the multiply handicapped (where i had worked as a teacher before i retired); it should be a hauntingly fun day!
I knocked out all
of my teeth last night
to cash in big with the Tooth Fairy
and fill my pockets right
I’ll be buyin’ candy wid all of dat cash
which i’ll sweetly eat right away
(and the beauty is dat
i’ll not have to worry about tooth decay!)
Halloween Tooth Fairy Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2017
“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Halloween is a candylicious
fun for kids time of year
and the ugly monster
with the orangish hair
(who is a reflection of a sick national immorality)
is mostly what we should fear
Halloween Spider (1) Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2017
Halloween Spider (2) Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2017
Happy Halloween… and here’s a huge, new threat to horses! Remember, however, nothing is quite as scary as the presidential campaign in the U.S. around now! Ahhhhhhhhhh!
A Huge New Threat To Horses! Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2016
To be in rapport with truth, one must (obviously) be parallel to the nature and dimension of truth. Profound (not relative) truth may not at all be something that is merely acquired… like some kind of result (by way of a process), like some type of petty thing that comes about (by way of accumulation or calculated endeavor). The immensity of profound truth is not of the realm of standard and ordinary results. So, in a very real way, this negates a lot of what people do (in terms of ordinary meditation and orthodox religion… all of which provide you with concrete ways to come upon truth).
A very serious, truly intelligent person (unlike the indifferent masses who are caught and lost in rather superficial details) is extremely interested in the profound truth. If that interest is a deep passion to find out without merely depending on others, then that passion may be beyond mere accumulation and calculated endeavor. The others depend on people of “authority” to tell them what to do, how to behave, what and how to think, etc. However, an individual with that rare passion (that does not depend) is truly standing alone. (“Individual” means single and not dependent.) An individual who does not merely depend upon the symbols, images, and patterns that others provide regarding truth… may be truly standing alone.
You know, when I was a follower, going along with the crowd regarding orthodox traditions and all that popular stuff… nothing happened. Nothing truly miraculous occurred whatsoever. It was only after one had gone beyond all the bourgeois orthodoxy, beyond all the popular cults, beyond all the gurus, experts, and specialists, that something very special, immense, enlightening, and extraordinary happened. Of course, people can say, “Well this bloke is merely deluding himself, imagining something or fantasizing about something profound.” There exists palpable proof consisting of reflections (over the years) of the actuality of this; but people need to go in depth and discover it for themselves. People each need to take the initiative and examine deeply for themselves; if they don’t do it (with tremendous passion) there is plenty of the ordinary for them to mundanely continue to experience (and remain as).
Most of us do not realize the depth of the accumulations that we have psychologically absorbed from others (who, themselves, absorbed from previous others). With this stockpile from the antiquated past, we look; and what we perceive is circumscribed by the extreme limitations of symbols, patterns, images, and fragmentary, archaic concepts. (One has stated this time and time again.) To be truly independent calls for going far deeper than merely going beyond outside authority… because the processes and ways of outside authority are in (and constitute) what you actually are. (Our “inside authority” is an extension of — and it is — the outside authority.) Our very concepts of self and of time are composed of crass, primitive patterns stemming from the musty past. (When you look through the lens of the musty past, what you see will be very distorted.) Only in the unconditioned intelligence of standing alone does the deepest magic truly manifest. This standing alone does not merely seek a result; it does not merely attempt to catch truth in its web designed for contrived results to acquire; there may then be (within it) intrinsic beauty that is not merely acquired through calculation.
A highly prejudicial mind is like a coldly crafted puppet or a thoughtlessly made, prefabricated building; it was constructed to be what it is (by others).
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[This is a very large Fishing Spider on a post of our Gazebo (at night) guarding its large egg sac. This Fishing Spider must have been over 2 inches long and its egg sac was also very large. It looks like it must have took a long time to carefully and skillfully form that huge egg sac. I was looking for spiders to photograph and was resting the camera against the post to get a steady shot of a smaller spider… when I suddenly came face to face with this huge creature! Nothing easily startles me… but this kind of did!]
Not an itsy bitsy spider by any means! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
[This bat-like moth looks like it could be a Waved Sphinx Moth. Larvae of the Waved Sphinx Moth feed on Ash, Privet, and Lilacs. (Don’t look too closely above the moth, to the right; a little webbing seems to be face-like… which won’t help one’s dreams!)]
Bat-like Waved Sphinx Moth. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
A Spider sewed at Night Without a Light Upon an Arc of White.
If Ruff it was of Dame Or Shroud of Gnome Himself himself inform.
Of Immortality His Strategy Was Physiognomy.
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[This is a Black and Yellow Argiope Spider. We call them Banana Spiders here in the Midwest. Each Black and Yellow Argiope Spider carries an ominous, rather demonic set of images on its dorsal side… a clear message saying: “Don’t mess with me!”]
Positioned “head down” as is typical for these and related species. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog 