Monday, May 01, 2006

May Day Gamma Ray Burst: Message from Cygnus...

SWIFT detected a Gamma Ray Burst this morning at 4:44a.m.EST.
Here is the link for the basic information:
Today's Gamma Ray Burst

The points of origin of these bursts always fascinates me, especially the mythic origins. Nothing happens randomly. We have many ways of getting our own attention. So I stop to ponder and here's what I see.

GRB060501A originated within the constellation Cygnus. Cygnus is the Swan. It is also referred to as the Northern Cross. Basic info on Cygnus is at this link among others:
Cygnus

The most fascinating connection I'm making regards lyrics of two songs/epics by the band Rush.

Here's a summary:

In the constellation of Cygnus lies a mysterious black hole that is simply titled "Cygnus X-1". An explorer aboard the ship "Rocinante" is curious about the black hole as it draws him in ("The x-ray is her siren song..."). Eventually, the pull of gravity is too great, and the explorer is sucked into a mysterious land.The traveler finds himself in a world caught up in the struggle between Heart and Mind. The logical thinkers are led by Apollo and the emotional people are ruled by Dionysus. Apollo has his people build cities and explore the depths of science and knowledge, but Dionysus lures many of them into the "forests" and provides love, which many felt that Apollo's society was missing.

Civil war breaks out as the two different ways of life clash. This leads up to the point where the Rocinante spins through the black hole of Cygnus X-1 and into this mysterious land. When the explorer (now referred to as a "God") enters the land, he notices the fighting and becomes upset. At this point, the explorer has become invisible with no physical mass at all. Troubled by all the fighting, the "spirit" of the lost hero lets out a silent scream, which is felt by the warriors. This causes the people to cease their struggle and unite together. The explorer is regarded as a hero, and is deemed "Cygnus, the God of Balance" for his arrival that brought the two sides together.

Although the storyline revolves around this science fiction world, it uses Greek mythology to explain the double meaning. Cygnus X-1 is primarily about the discovery of two conflicting ways of life, and two vastly different ways in which the human mind thinks (logic and emotion are separated into separate sides, or hemispheres, of the brain). The balance point (Cygnus) allows the mind to think with some logic and emotion at the same time, allowing people to be analytical, but not unemotional.
SOURCE

Here are the finale lyrics:

"I have memory and awareness,
But I have no shape or form.
As a disembodied spirit,
I am dead and yet unborn.
I have passed into Olympus
As was told in tales of old,
To the city of Immortals,
Marble white and purest gold.

I see the gods in battle rage on high,
Thunderbolts across the sky.
I cannot move, I cannot hide,
I feel a silent scream begin inside.
Then all at once the chaos ceased.
A stillness fell, of sound and peace.
The warriors felt my silent cry
And stayed their struggle, mystified.

Apollo was atonished;
Dionysus thought me mad.
But they heard my story further,
And they wondered, and were sad.
Looking down from Olympus
On a world of doubt and fear,
Its surface splintered
Into sorry Hemispheres.

They sat a while in silence,
Then they turned at last to me.
"We will call you Cygnus,
The god of Balance you shall be."
---RUSH

My conclusions are always morphing, but it seems that the "God of Balance" has sent a message of sorts. May Day is traditionally a day of conflict between established forces and the common man, kings and peasants, clergy and parishoner, newcomers and native populations...Mind and Heart. Today isn't much different. Perhaps the Swan's energy calls us to awake, to reconsider, to seek the balance. Even the time of the burst begs consideration... 4:44am. I don't really know... you will have to decide these things as we all do.

Just wanted to put this out as it came to me...Would also like to hear your thoughts...
Vim

1 comment:

Claire Vimala Anderson said...

This response was posted by pinkcomputercat at a forum I am on. I am posting it here for your info and consideration... Enjoy
Vim
-------
Hi Vim, no doubt about it, Rush always put some meaning into thier
songs and thier albums usually contained a theme..my favorite was 2112, but hemispheres was also a favorite..I wish I could figure out how to put sound into a post..pcc

....from hemispheres..

RUSH
Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres

I. Prelude

When our weary world was young
The struggle of the ancients first began.
The gods of Love and Reason
Sought alone to rule the fate of Man.

They battled through the ages,
But still neither force would yield.
The people were divided,
Every soul a battlefield.

II. Apollo/Dionysus

Apollo: Bringer of Wisdom
"I bring truth and understanding,
I bring wit and wisdom fair,
Precious gifts beyond compare.
We can build a world of wonder,
I can make you all aware.
I will find you food and shelter,
Show you fire to keep you warm
Through the endless winter storm.
You can live in grace and comfort
In the world that you transform."

The people were delighted
Coming forth to claim their prize
They ran to build their cities
And converse among the wise.
But one day the streets fell silent,
Yet they knew not what was wrong.
The urge to build these fine things
Seemed not to be so strong.
The wise men were consulted,
And the Bridge of Death was crossed
In quest of Dionysus
To find out what they had lost.

Dionysus: Bringer of Love
"I bring love to give you solace
In the darkness of the night,
In the Heart's eternal light.
You need only trust your feelings;
Only love can steer you right.
I bring laughter, I bring music,
I bring joy and I bring tears.
I will soothe your primal fears.
Throw off those chains of reason
And your prison disappears."

The cities were abandoned,
And the forests echoed song.
They danced and lived as brothers;
They knew love could not be wrong.
Food and wine they had aplenty
And they slept beneath the stars.
The people were contented
And the gods watched from afar.
But the winter fell upon them
And it caught them unprepared,
Bringing wolves and cold starvation,
And the hearts of men despaired.

III. Armageddon: The Battle of Heart and Mind

The universe divided
As the Heart and Mind collided,
With the people left unguided
For so many troubled years.
In a cloud of doubts and fears,
Their world was torn asunder into hollow
Hemispheres.

Some fought themselves, some fought each other,
Most just followed one another
Lost and aimless like their brothers
For their hearts were so unclear
And the truth could not appear
Their spirits were divided into blinded
Hemispheres.

Some who did not fight
Brought tales of old to light.
"My Rocinante sailed by night
On her final flight."
To the heart of Cygnus' fearsome force
We set our course
Spiralled through that timeless space
To this immortal place.

IV. Cygnus: Bringer of Balance

I have memory and awareness,
But I have no shape or form.
As a disembodied spirit,
I am dead and yet unborn.
I have passed into Olympus
As was told in tales of old,
To the city of Immortals,
Marble white and purest gold...

I see the gods in battle rage on high...
Thunderbolts across the sky...
I cannot move, I cannot hide...
I feel a silent scream begin inside...

Then all at once the chaos ceased
A stillness fell, a sudden peace
The warriors felt my silent cry
And stayed their struggle, mystified.

Apollo was atonished;
Dionysus thought me mad.
But they heard my story further
And they wondered, and were sad.

Looking down from Olympus
On a world of doubt and fear,
Its surface splintered
Into sorry Hemispheres.

They sat a while in silence,
Then they turned at last to me:
"We will call you Cygnus,
The god of Balance you shall be."

V.The Sphere: A Kind of Dream

We can walk our road together
If our goals are all the same.
We can run alone and free
If we pursue a different aim.
Let the Truth of Love be lighted,
Let the Love of Truth shine clear. Sensibility,
Armed with sense and liberty,
With the Heart and Mind united in a single
Perfect
Sphere.

http://www.lyricscafe.com/r/rush/034.htm