HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: tkirby@nyx.cs.du.edu (Thomas Kirby)
Subject: Re: chrysalis by Peter Reich
Organization: University of Denver, Dept. of Math & Comp. Sci.
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 92 09:59:02 GMT

pbreton@cs.umb.edu (Peter Breton) writes:




>  Hi folks, 
> 
>  In the new "Tools for Exploration" catalog (4460 Redwood Highway Suite
>2, San Rafael CA 94903; says the catalog costs $5, but I think they'd se
d
>one for free or a buck at worst.), on page 33 there's a book by one "Pet
r 
>Reich" (yes, I think it's THAT Peter Reich) called Chrysalis: Build Your
>Own Float Tank. What's neat about it is that it lists suppliers and even
>order forms. The cost of the tank (building, not maintenance) is about 
>$550 plus $200 for Epsom salts. The bad news is that the book (if it IS 

>book, instead of just a bound pamphlet; the description really doesn't
>say) costs $40! Anybody have it, seen it, heard of it? Hope it's not jus

>a rewrite of the appendices of "The Deep Self" (John C. Lilly).
>  Also curious if anyone's built any orgone boxes, Hieronymous devices, 
>or anything else besides the typical light-and-sound fare. AND, what's 
>the dirt on the various PC mind machines? Is there hardware out there th
t
>does this kind of thing already? Let's get a little discussion going...

>  Peter
 
     I have built orgone boxes and orgone blankets.  I have also
experimented with bion cultures.  There seems to be something there,  all
right.  When I hold a culture in my hands, my arthritis pains disappear.


Xref: sparky talk.religion.newage:4296 talk.religion.misc:15988
From: gjm11@cus.cam.ac.uk (G.J. McCaughan)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.newage,talk.religion.misc
Subject: Re: PRC why?
Date: 10 Sep 92 03:11:32 GMT
Organization: U of Cambridge, England

Someone asked for uses for pi that have nothing to do with the fact that it's
the ratio of circumference to diameter for a circle. Of course (?) everything
in maths is sort of connected, so you can always argue that *anything* to do
with pi is because of this...

Actually you can probably make a fairly good case for that viewpoint. Most of
the places I can think of where pi crops up are to do with

 * The fact that exp(i.pi)=-1, which is all to do with trigonometrical functions,
   sort of, and so connected with circles;
 * Cauchy's theorem and its relatives, in which there's a factor 1/2.pi.i which
   is sort of because you're averaging things over a circle and the circumference
   of the circle is 2piR;
 * actual geometrical things, where it really truly is because it comes from the
   area of a circle, or the circumference, or whatever.

Aha! Just thought of a good example, though -- and a more-than-usually
accessible one. (But it's still got a big equation in, I'm afraid.)

 Statistics is completely dependent on the theory of the "normal distribution",
 because of (for instance) the central limit theorem, which says that if you
 take enough samples from a population with just about any distribution of some
 characteristic, and average them, the result is roughly normally distributed.

 The probability density function for a normal distribution is

                 1            /   1  /x-mu \ 2 \
   f(x) = --------------- exp | - - | ----- |  |
          root(2pi).sigma     \   2  \sigma/   /

 in which you will notice a mysterious "pi". ("mu" and "sigma" are not constants
 but parameters describing the distribution, by the way.)

There are some examples of the types I've *'ed above that, while they may be
related to the geometrical stuff underneath, don't show it on the surface;
some are in fields that apparently have nothing at all to do with circles.
For instance, the distribution of prime numbers (you know; how many primes
are there between 123987423 and 217429742334344?) is deeply tied up with
the position (in the complex plane) of the zeros of something called the
Riemann zeta-function. One of the few things that is actually known about
this is that there are about (T/2pi)log(T/2pi)-(T/2pi) zeros whose imaginary
parts are between 0 and T. Notice: lots of "pi"s there, and it's not really
got anything much to do with circles. Actually this is probably as circle-free
as that statistical one, but it's much more obscure.
-- 
Gareth McCaughan     Dept. of Pure Mathematics & Mathematical Statistics,
gjm11@cus.cam.ac.uk  Cambridge University, England.    [Research student]
Newsgroups: talk.religion.newage,alt.self-improve,alt.meditation.transcendental
From: llarsen%peruvian.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Loren Larsen)
Subject: Scientology
Date: 14 Sep 92 12:06:50 MDT
Organization: University of Utah CS Dept

I am curious about people's experience with Scientology/Dianetics.  Maybe
someone can explain the difference between the two.  I have a number of
questions.

1) What are people's direct experience?  Good or bad?  Don't bother to respond
  with what you have read in the media I've seen that too.

2) Why are engrams only formed in a state of unconsciousness?  Why do they
  always have a negative effect?

3) Why has the Church of Scientology been so aggressive in "recruiting"
  celebrities?  Tom Cruise claims that he has totally overcome dyslexia and
  can read at an incredible rate with superb comprehension now.  Other 
  celebs like Anne Archer are also members.  

4) Why is it considered a religion?

5) What about L. Ron Hubbard?  I've heard alot of nasty things about him.
  Just judging from the back of the "Dianetics" book, he looks like a 
  gangster.

Loren



Xref: sparky talk.religion.newage:4326 alt.alien.visitors:6581 sci.skeptic:16319
From: John_-_Winston@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: talk.religion.newage,alt.alien.visitors,sci.skeptic
Subject: Re: July 4, 1992 - Global Spiritual Independence Day
Date: Sat, 12 Sep 92 06:38:39 PDT
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
  <65194@cup.portal.com><65284@cup.portal.com>
  <1992Sep7.015736.21418@u.washington.edu> <65410@cup.portal.com>
  <1992Sep10.120616.8787@vax.oxford.ac.uk> <65699@cup.portal.com>

Dear World: I just got back from a unplanned astral dream that I went
to Russian and observed the people and country. They have a wonderful
heritage and I came back with tears in my eyes. Sorry to appear so
sentimental. It reminds my of one of my 14 past lives that I have 
investigated. The life I'm referring to is a life I spent after Jesus
lived in the  Holy Lands. I was a teacher of christianity and was one
of the first to be thrown in the arena in Rome. Now back to the real
world. Last week a person sent me over 102k bits of information. I
appreciated the info. but I get fined if I get more than 100k of infor-
mation on my E-mail account in a days time. I have been guilty of 
sending that amount of info. to one person in one day myself. So 
everyone send me anything you like but please limit it to about
30k bits.
Cheers.
John Winston
From: pcollac@pyrnova.mis.pyramid.com (Paul Collacchi)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.newage
Subject: Re: Sickness and Meditation/Retreats
Date: 11 Sep 92 19:26:39 GMT
Reply-To: pcollac@pyrnova.mis.pyramid.com (Paul Collacchi)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Pyramid Technologies, Mt. View, California.

In article <1992Sep8.200335.23512@cco.caltech.edu>, tt@wag.caltech.edu
(Toshi Takeuchi) writes:
|> I was talking (over the net) to a friend of mine, and she said that
|> she, too, gets some wierd symptoms/sicknesses right before a long
|> retreat with her teacher.
|> 
|> I'm assuming that we aren't the only ones who get sick before weekend
|> retreats etc...
|> 
|> 	Why is it that these illnesses occur before and during
|> 	these retreats?
|> 
|> To tell you a little about what happens to me, I get hemorrhoids and 
|> occasionally other stomach illnesses about a week before I'm 
|> going to leave.
|> 
|> 	Any of you guys have some theories about this occurence?
|> 	Anyone else have such experiences?
|> 

Yes.  My experience of it is that its quite a common and known phenomena.

My experience of deepening sense of healing and purification is that 
more false, or less permanent aspects of identity are shed.  The
symptoms are associated with the shedding.  Certain aspects become
exposed.  I cannot correlate the exposed aspect and the manifest 
symptom, but you get the picture.

One image that comes to mind is the process of creating ghee, clarified
butter.  Essentially, low-grade butter is boiled.  Impurities arise
to the surface, and are filtered away.  The butter is boiled again and
again, and the impurities are extracted again and again.  Eventually
only the pure clarified butter remains.

My fellow chelas call being together now, in retreat, and before when our
teacher was alive, being in the "stewpot."  It was precisely because of 
the known tendency for many of us to exhibit symptoms.

Paul Collacchi



Xref: sparky talk.religion.newage:4247 alt.alien.visitors:6463 sci.skeptic:16061
From: steppe@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Top Changwatchai)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.newage,alt.alien.visitors,sci.skeptic
Subject: Request for FAQ list
Date: 8 Sep 92 07:51:48 GMT
Followup-To: talk.religion.newage

Could someone please send me the FAQ list for this newsgroup?

Thanks,
Top


-- 
steppe@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu
"I'm gonna live forever or die trying."
Newsgroups: talk.religion.newage,alt.alien.visitors,sci.skeptic
From: John_-_Winston@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: talk.religion.newage,alt.alien.visitors,sci.skeptic
Subject: Re: July 4, 1992 - Global Spiritual Independence Day
Date: Tue,  8 Sep 92 18:28:43 PDT
Organization: The Portal System (TM)

Dear Folks: Here we go for the third time trying to get this information
about the Ostrich Peple on in lines of 75 charasters or less.
Subject: Ostrich People Part 3.
Since the natives are shy and elusive, little was known about them 
before Dr. C's landmark expedition. We arrived in their village with
the goal of observing the people in their day to day lives. This proved 
to be difficult at first since they were very suspicious and didn't
come out of their huts for days. But gradually, they began to lose their
fear and approached us. They became wonderful hosts, feeding us and 
giving us shelter at night.--Part 3. John Winston.
Xref: sparky talk.religion.newage:4323 alt.alien.visitors:6576 sci.skeptic:16304
From: John_-_Winston@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: talk.religion.newage,alt.alien.visitors,sci.skeptic
Subject: Re: July 4, 1992 - Global Spiritual Independence Day
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 92 17:35:49 PDT
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
  <65194@cup.portal.com><65284@cup.portal.com>
  <1992Sep7.015736.21418@u.washington.edu> <65410@cup.portal.com>
  <1992Sep10.120616.8787@vax.oxford.ac.uk>

Dear World: If a fiddler from Oxford (Julian) says the man is from
Cambridge then Cambrige it will be. Kumar succeeded in doing Astral
Travel this last week so 3 cheers for Kumar. Oh yes I didn't mention that
sometimes you meet you dead relatives during astral travel but then
there is no death.
John Winston.
Xref: sparky talk.religion.newage:4373 alt.alien.visitors:6665 sci.skeptic:16506
From: John_-_Winston@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: talk.religion.newage,alt.alien.visitors,sci.skeptic
Subject: Re: July 4, 1992 - Global Spiritual Independence Day
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 92 17:48:05 PDT
Organization: The Portal System (TM)

Subject: UFOs in the Bible. 
 To me the Bible is one of the best UFO books that there is. My opinion is 
also shared by a top theologian who wrote the book The Bible and Flying 
Saucers. This man's name is Dr Barry Downing. Here are some of the points 
that he makes; the prophet Elijah's ascent into heaven aboard a fiery 
chariot, 
Exekiel's vision-in reality a description of a space ship about to land. 
The parting of the Red Sea by Moses. It was really caused by a UFO using an 
anti-gravitational beam,
Jesus' dramatic rise into heaven. He was beamed up by a UFO."
The Star of Betlehem was a UFO.
The men followed the star till it came to rest over the place where the child 
was. But stars don't move in this manner, nor do they move and then suddenly 
stop. 
Downing insists his theories don't conflict with conventional religion, 
however.
It establishes scienfific plausibility for the biblical field, It should 
actually reinforce our faith.
  Well how about that space fans?
Information Source: Sept.15, 1992 Examiner, page 46.
John Winston.
Newsgroups: talk.religion.newage,soc.culture.asian.american,soc.rights.human,soc.culture.korean,soc.culture.asean,soc.culture.british
From: eoahmad@ntuix.ntu.ac.sg (Othman Ahmad)
Subject: Re: CALL OF THE QUR'AN TO THE PEOPLE OF THE BOOK
Organization: Nanyang Technological University - Singapore
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 02:04:21 GMT

lking@athena.mit.edu (Loren King) writes:
: 	Sorry, but I've got to stick up (albeit conditionally) for Jen Johansen. 
: He may have been rude, but he has a point: irfan@maxwell.ece.wisc.edu has been
: posting the article(s) in question on several other newsgroups, including one on
: Canadian culture!!  Granted that Canada is a multicultural nation, but I don't
: think Irfan's evangelizing relates much to culture in Canada, nor do I think it is

 Evangelizing is a call for new ideas. The difference is only in topic. I have
read a lot of articles in news groups that put forward ideas to be discussed
and studied. These ideas are usually the more controversial ones that most
people do not think about, or not bother to know.
 
: appropriate in newsgroups such as this one.  Why not move it to soc.culture.islam,
: or even talk.religion.misc?
The articles are not restricted to muslims. They are calls to people of the
book which includes christians, and jews, and according to Irfan's
 interpretation, for all learned people.

	Aren't you a learned man? Instead of stopping this post, why don't
you first read it, and see if you are really learned?

It is dull reading for a muslim because it is not designed for us, so it cannot
be appropriate for the religious newsgroups.

--
Othman bin Ahmad, School of EEE,
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 2263.
Internet Email: eoahmad@ntuix.ntu.ac.sg
Bitnet Email: eoahmad@ntuvax.bitnet

Xref: sparky talk.religion.newage:4345 alt.alien.visitors:6615 sci.skeptic:16382
From: John_-_Winston@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: talk.religion.newage,alt.alien.visitors
Subject: Re: UFOs and Newage
Date: Mon,  7 Sep 92 08:48:13 PDT
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Distribution: world

Subject: My Friend Len. Part 3.
Once he told the son of a friend that he should not take a certain trip down a certain road that night until he had checked the left side of his car. The young man checked his car and replaced a worn out tire and shock absorber on the right side of his car. He then checked with Len to see if he could have been wrong in that it was the right side of the car. Len then reassured him that it was the left side and that if he didn't fix the car there would be a fatality. The boy then in no uncetrtain terms told 

Len that he didn't know what he was talking about and hung up the phone. After a while the boy phoned up again to beg his pardon because he found that two lug bolts had come off of his front left wheel and the other lug bolt were barely still on the wheel. If he hadn't corrected it he would have surely been killed that evening.
  Len suggested that we go up into Niles Canyon. I was farmiliar with the story that is connected with Niles Canyon. About 12 to 17 years back there was a young lady who was driving down the cnayon road trying to get home to where she lived across the Dumbarton Bridge. Her car had hit a small bridge on the Niles Canyon Road and she was killed. After that time over quite a long period of time (serveral year) people had seen her ghost hitchhiking along the road. People had even stopped to pick her up and she

 would get in the back seat of their car. After going down the road for quite a while and without stopping the car the girl would no longer be in the car. The people in Niles and Fremont, Calif. have a lot of fun during the Halloween season trying to find her along that road. The local paper has written this up on different occasions and I believe I saw a similar story on a T.V. show One Step Beyond or Outter Limits hosted by Rod Sterling.
  So after all of this small talk we were on our way in his car. When we got to within about 5 miles of the area Len asked me what I was feeling. I then told him that I was feeling like something had been put on my shoulders and was pressing them down. He said that the feeling was correct because he also was wearing a spritual type of helmet. I didn't quite understand it all but had heard of people who had seen a space man by the name of Ashtar and he had a beautiful uniform on and a large helmet.
End Part 3. John Winston.
Xref: sparky talk.religion.newage:4281 alt.alien.visitors:6512 sci.skeptic:16156
From: randolph@est.enet.dec.com (Tom Randolph)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.newage,alt.alien.visitors,sci.skeptic
Subject: Re: July 4, 1992 - Global Spiritual Independence Day
Date: 9 Sep 92 19:21:58 GMT
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation


In article <26rnvhb@lynx.unm.edu>, cary@draco.unm.edu (Ithlial the Archer) writes...
>In article <1992Sep4.184948.12819@ryn.mro4.dec.com> randolph@est.enet.dec.com (Tom Randolph) writes:
>>
>>In article <3tmn!h#@lynx.unm.edu>, cary@carina.unm.edu (Ithlial the Archer) writes...

<Much cussing, swearing and carrying on deleted>

Ok, one last time... this is already a waste of bandwidth.

First of all, CHILL OUT, will ya?                 
Second of all, if we're gonna get into a "mine's bigger than yours" contest,
I've been an amateur astronomer for 20 years. I've owned five different
telescopes, two of which I built myself. I've observed the sky with everything
from binoculars to 17 inch Newtonians. I've photographed the sky through my
telescopes. I've written software to model the orbits of planets, asteroids,
comets, predict eclipses, and draw star charts. Until recently, I was an IAU
Circulars subscriber (astronomers know what those are). When I need data, I
look up the papers in professional journals. You could safely say I'm into
this in a big way, so sorry, Mr. Astronomer Sir, but there's not that much
you can tell me that would be news to me...

And third, this has nothing at all to do with physics. Obviously gravity and
drag will pull a meteor towards the Earth some, and in many cases they'll
be drawn right into the Earth - so what? The point is that meteor paths look
straight from the ground. John Winston said they don't. He was wrong.
Wanna see some meteor photos that prove it? Go ahead, show me a photo of a
curved meteor path. Bet you have trouble finding one.
-Tom R.   randolph@est.enet.dec.com
Xref: sparky talk.religion.newage:4304 alt.alien.visitors:6542 sci.skeptic:16243
From: ingria@bbn.com (Bob Ingria)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.newage,alt.alien.visitors,sci.skeptic
Subject: Re: July 4, 1992 - Global Spiritual Independence Day
Date: 10 Sep 1992 21:52:13 GMT
Reply-To: ingria@BBN.COM
NNTP-Posting-Host: bbn.com
In-reply-to: jdporter@vax.oxford.ac.uk's message of 4 Sep 92 14:07:14 GMT

In article <1992Sep4.150714.8668@vax.oxford.ac.uk> jdporter@vax.oxford.ac.uk writes:
   In article <65161@cup.portal.com>, John_-_Winston@cup.portal.com writes:
   > Dear Folks: Well it's Astral Train Wednesday at about 800 PM and I didn't 
   > get to remind everyone about the 6th weekly running.

   An Astral train???

Yes; John pulls Astral Train and brags about it.  (This is clearly
contrary to family values.)

-30-
Bob

``A mind so disordered as to be unable to arrange the letters of the
  alphabet.''
Newsgroups: talk.religion.newage
From: gpivar@maestro.mitre.org (Greg Pivarnik)
Subject: Re: Brainwashing
Reply-To: gpivar@mitre.org
Organization: The MITRE Corporation, McLean, Va
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 18:45:02 GMT

Try GUILT. The Catholic church has used it as its main stay for
hundreds of years now. Yes this does sound very cynical but I am
serious about it. The "guilt trip" is a very powerful tool. I would be 
interested in anything in depth you find out about it if you choose
to explore this avenue. Fear would obviously be another tactic.
-- 
Greg 

--  Be still, be silent...the rest is easy.  --
Newsgroups: talk.religion.newage,alt.alien.visitors,sci.skeptic
From: jcatesii@nyx.cs.du.edu (James Cates III)
Subject: Re: July 4, 1992 - Global Spiritual Independence Day
X-Disclaimer: Nyx is a public access Unix system run by the University
	of Denver for the Denver community.  The University has neither
	control over nor responsibility for the opinions of users.
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix at U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 92 01:10:01 GMT



John,

We've seen this post perhaps 4 times in the past week. It made it,
it has been seen. There's no reason to repeat this until I begin
hallucinating/


Xref: sparky talk.religion.newage:4300 alt.alien.visitors:6535 sci.skeptic:16204
From: John_-_Winston@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: talk.religion.newage,alt.alien.visitors,sci.skeptic
Subject: Re: July 4, 1992 - Global Spiritual Independence Day
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 92 06:20:36 PDT
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
  <3tmn!h#@lynx.unm.edu> <1992Sep4.184948.12819@ryn.mro4.dec.com>
  <26rnvhb@lynx.unm.edu> <1992Sep9.170823.13966@ryn.mro4.dec.com>
  <65562@cup.portal.com>

Greetings and Hallucinations: James it's good that you got the information.
I just got back from the OOBE feeling like a 30,000 year old fiddle.
I hope this day treats you all well.
John Winston.
From: nin15b63@merrimack.edu (THE WOLF)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.newage
Subject: Abraham's _A New Beginning I_
Date: 7 Sep 92 18:17:42 GMT
Organization: Merrimack College, No. Andover, MA, USA

I'm looking for an e-mail discussion of Abraham's a _New Beginning I_.
Again, e-mail only please.
-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Andy Harrington                      | nin15b63@merrimack.edu
 Computer Geek                        | aharrington@ldbvax.lotus.com
 Merrimack College, North Andover, MA | I create everything I see.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: talk.religion.newage,alt.alien.visitors
From: jim@apsicc.aps.edu (frost...)
Subject: Re: UFOs and Newage
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 92 00:36:00 GMT
Organization: Albuquerque Public Schools - Career Enrichment Center
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    

In article <65571@cup.portal.com>, John_-_Winston@cup.portal.com writes...
>Subject: My Friend Len. Part 4.
> After getting to within 1 mile of the IFO site Len checked with me again and 
>at this time I was really feeling heavy. It was just as if I was on another 
>planet that had a stronger gravity than ours. I thought of 
>Mars and how it would probubly  take short sturdy bodies to live on such a 
>planet.
> 
> End of Part 4. John Winston.
======================================================================
Let us give thanks for the end of yet another in the continuing tales from
beyond. Also, John you should get your facts straight. Mars has a considerably
weaker gravitational field than the Earth's. Either that or you must deny
that we landed, unmanned, on the planet.
======================================================================
   We are rapidly ascending through prosperity to poverty...  Twain
                    Internet:    jim@apsicc.aps.edu
       Albuquerque Public Schools - Instructional System Manager 
======================================================================
Xref: sparky talk.religion.newage:4309 alt.alien.visitors:6545 sci.skeptic:16255