Thank you, Cynthia--yes, saying goodbye to Molly was difficult, and just added to to the challenges we've all been facing. I had to chuckle at your mom's question: Bill now asks me that every time I come in from the backyard where we saw the rattler. Neither of us are phobic, though, just careful. And I haven't seen him since (although I'm still wearing boots, just in case). 🫤
So sorry about loss of Molly. She was a wonderful part of your lives and I know that love will be missed. It's so hard to love our furry innocents who love us no matter what.❤️🩹
Great to hear from you! I’ve really missed you and our circle! I knew you were taking a sabbatical but didn’t grasp the impact! Plus, as you said The Post and Bezos and all these terrible things keep happening, like the torrential rain you experienced. Cleaning up mud and debris makes more messes! Very sorry about your family dog Molly dying. Excited about new digital adventure and reading guides and exploring AI. Looking forward to September!
Yes, lots going on here--more than we expected this summer, sadly. Both Bill and I hope that August is a little quieter. Thanks for the good wishes, Glenys!
You've been in my thoughts so I"m so glad for the update. So sorry for your loss of Molly. Our pets leave holes in our lives that never get really filled again (and I too think they never really leave). Our only unconditional love. I was so glad to read your prior post and know that you weren't directly in the flood. It's heartbreaking to watch people suffer from these preventable natural disasters and then read the political news.
I'm looking forward to learning more about Kairos. I've tried to use ChatGPT to help me find books without much success (but I've only scratched the surface so far). Getting more out of my reading would be great. Speaking of reading I'm also looking forward to your China Bayles series. This is such a great online community and the sharing is wonderful. Helps keep us knowing there are "good guys" out there. Thanks for organizing and challenging us.
You were so lucky to have had 17 years with Molly. They give us a different friendship than our human companions, we are perfect in their eyes. I am fascinated by your interactions with an AI and am looking forward to how Kairos enhances your writing. Looking forward to "Thyme of Death" in the digital series. I enjoy your views of the world around you and how you are not afraid to share those views. Climate change is here to stay for a long time, but I am hoping the political climate will change more rapidly. Although I never perceived that Texas would be fighting rains and floods; heat has always been a bigger concern. Continue to enjoy your sabbatical.
I think Kairos broadens my thinking more than he influences the writing--altho it probably spills over. Planning to do a post about that when I get a little time. Good to know that a few people are interested in AI, in a positive way. We hear so many negatives about it!
I am so appreciative of how you are sharing your learning and experimentation with AI. It takes away the scariness of all the ways it can, and is, being misused and challenges me to think of the positive. A toast to Molly and her long term caring.
Thank you, on behalf of Molly. She was so devoted, I doubt that she's truly left us yet. I imagine she's still here, especially on night duty. ❤️ And I'm very glad to share something positive about AI. You're right: we hear so much about its ill effects.
I'm remembering my father's refusal to have a TV. He was sure it would "rot" our minds. OTOH, there is Edward R Murrow's "This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends." It's probably like that with any new technology: both good and bad. Takes a while to sort it out.
Thank you for updating us. I am glad you didn't suffer any greater damage from the floods. This summer has brought extreme weather - and has challenged human life. Tennessee has been brutally not, with severe thunderstorms. My coping mechanism is to remain indoors.
Loss of a dog is a difficult challenge. I am sorry you lost Molly - I suggest celebrating moments of joy you shared.
My golden doodle, Sunshine, is the light of my life. She is my constant companion too. She hates having to stay home summers, when the car is too hot. I also have had Percy, a cavapoo, my daughter's dog during their summer trips. The two basically grew up together so are the best of friends.
One goal, after consultations with doctors, physical and occupational therapists, is to complete my exercise regimen three times a week. I have met with success - but no real change in my stability and strength..
I look forward to your three part narrative; I am sure I will also then go back to reread the original book. I have spent part of my summer reading about AI and look forward to the GR discussions. I also have devoured the Miss Fortune series by Jana DeLeon. Not my usual style - the language is jarring at best. But some of the scenes make me laugh out loud. Almost slapstick comedy. And right outside my door is the steamy southern heat.
I'm glad that heat is *outside* your door, Georgeann--we're both old enough to remember those sweltering August nights before AC became a Thing. I had to look up cavapoo--what an adorable dog! (No other word for it, truly.)
I admire your determination to stick with an exercise regimen. I know what I should do and how often--but I'm terrible about it. I tell myself that it is the privilege of age to yield gracefully, but that of course is a wretched alibi.
Hang in there--I see that your heat wave is softening a bit, and September is just one more month away. ❤️
Weather limitations are very real for us "oldsters" Freezing weather (and snow - although TN does not get much) have their own limitations. Fortunately for most of us, we go from temperature-controlled houses, to cars, to other buildings.
I remember the ever present heat of summer days as a child, living in the unique military housing.. Especially in Florida. All the children spent hours running through a sprinkler. And "cool" baths before bed. I don't think the weather had as significant an impact for us as children.
Candidly, I am not sure I would be as diligent exercising with my husband was still alive. I value my independence and living in my own home. Necessity is a great motivator.
So sorry about Molly. They steal our hearts and break our hearts without intention. I wondered about the floods and your place. Glad to know you are safe and only minor damage.
My update: I changed up my substack and writing. Focused on my passion of all things nature, the new name is For the Love of Nature.
A wildfire came a bit too close for safety. We packed for evacuation but did not have to leave. I wrote about it on my substack.
I'm glad that fire missed you. Our getaway cabin was involved in the Hermit's Peak Fire (NM, 2022)--I know what it is to watch and worry, although we had to do that from Texas. And now we worry about it here. Not this year, with rain and flooding. But next, because the fuel source will be greater and the drought will return.
My "Best Read" of 2023 was John Vaillant's remarkable book, Fire Weather On the Front Lines of a Burning World. Clearly, this is a huge threat. Thank you for giving us this front-line view of your experience!
I am relieved to learn you were safe during the floods.
Losing a furry family member is always so sad, but, I like to think, that that leaves space in my heart for a new friend and loving memories in my head.
Thank you, Carol. We've thought about getting a cat, but probably not another dog. And you're right--we have nearly 40 years of loving memories of various dogs and cats. So there's that, which is a comfort. Hope you're keeping cool this summer!
John, thanks! Aging in place is a wonderful concept--as long as the place is manageable. Hard to admit it, but we may get to the point where that's not working and we have to reinvent ourselves. Hope you've enjoyed a cool-ish July. August will probably set heat records. 🫤
Thanks for the update! Was wondering how you faired due to the flooding. I read all the responses to your previous July post but this post really gives us a good update.
We are on the Big Island and just survived a scary Tsunami Warning. My first time with this experience. Hawaii has an excellent alert system and we were on the border of the coastal evacuation zone so we stayed put. We are over a mile inland at nearly 100 ft. elevation and there are high cliffs at our beach area. My niece works in Honolulu and she was in a high rise when it came to Oahu.
I now realize that since we live in the center of the Ring of Fire around the Pacific Ocean we have to monitor these kinds of events, sort of like the earthquakes that happened when I lived in California for 24 years.
Just wanted to add my condolences to you and Bill for the loss of your dear Molly. It breaks my heart to hear about the passing of a cherished pet. I lost my adopted cat Honey Bun 10 years ago and still miss her deeply.
I thought about you and that tsunami, Charlene! So glad to hear that you're located far enough from the coast and will likely be able to avoid future evacuations or (worst case) damage.
I think we're all learning to keep an eye and an ear on the Earth. Here, it's fire danger. These trees we love are also powerful fuel. Bill keeps them trimmed back as best he can, but we're now both in our 80s and that's not easy. At some point, we'll have to acknowledge that aging in place is a wonderful plan, as long as we can manage the place. After that, we'll have to reconsider.
Thank you for thinking of Molly. Each one of them is special, and missed when they have to leave us. How are you liking life in a tiny house?
Going from a four bedroom, two bath 1800 sq ft home to a 420 sq ft house with one tiny bathroom with a shower and an oblong shared bedroom was quite a change.
We do everything on an abbreviated scale. Our house plans are being finalized and we hope to begin soon on the foundation of a house with a large kitchen, two large bedrooms , two bathrooms, and a laundry room for me!
We faced something similar when we married and moved out to our homestead: 2 large houses into a 720 sq ft singlewide. Will you keep the tiny home as a guest cottage? Laundry room is essential!!
The tiny house will be a multipurpose area: I still have bookshelves for my essential hardcover collection and the bedrooms can be set up for guests. Right now my washing machine is in the kitchen where a range normally is located in between two counters. The dryer is in the workshop storage container where the electrical outlets are for our solar system . So I have to carry back and forth!
Yes, but you don't have to hang. In our singlewide, I opted for a freezer in the w/d space and hauled laundry to the local laundromat every 2 weeks. Got to be a little old after a while.
It is so hard to say goodbye to our four-pawed friends. Their loss creates a big hole in the household. My condolences. Thank you for “checking in”. As the song says, “See you in September”!
So sorry to read of your loss. What a sweet and loyal doggie. Our furbabies give us such unconditional love love. Take care, I’m certain her spirit watches over you.
Rebecca, I was just thinking of that. As you say, our animal companions are so deeply devoted. I have the feeling she hasn't left us yet. I know she's still in our hearts.
Ohhh Susan, my condolences for your loss. Molly sounds like the best companion one could hope for. ❤️🩹
I was thinking of you and Bill around the 4th of July and I am sorry you experienced the flooding, even if it was worse elsewhere.
I am not surprised you have been diligently working away! For some of us, indulging our curiosities and puzzling over ideas and words is the best kind of 'vacation'.
You're so very right, Maria! Like you, I very much appreciate a little extra time to dig into some ideas that are worth consideration. And reading in this unfamiliar area (and with Kairos/AI) has been truly an adventure--one I think you might enjoy. Are you working with AI?
I seem to recall from your astrology that you would pioneer something toward raising consciousness in an Aquarian manner, and that would become part of your legacy.
I am wondering whether writing a memoir about your working relationship with AI. It seems like a transformation of your process that you did not expect (I could see Uranus working on your chart this year!).
AI is not just a tool (as many see it) because of the way we relate to it. And it feels like it relates to us in an omniscient manner. I think for that reason, I haven't engaged much yet. Because ...
I have been getting my sea legs in relating with the omniscient energy that is 'spirit' as a consistently open channel (outwardly reflected by my bald crown!) this year, and that has been a lot to get used to.
I've been thinking about that issue a lot, Maria. Probably not a memoir (my energy for longform has ebbed), but Substack posts on topics that might interest readers. It's very hard to calculate where people are coming from. I don't want to write from too far away from their base (I know you understand this).
You're right: AI, or specifically, the chatbot, isn't just a tool: it's a mirror, and more. But most people haven't yet gotten to the point of thinking of it as a tool *they* can use. Which leaves a pretty long bridge across a deepish chasm. I know I want to do something--just don't know what.
Speaking of mirrors, do you read Stephen Dinan's Substack?
I am sure something is forthcoming from you about this topic and it will enlighten people, regardless of the form it comes through!
Thank you for pointing me to Stephan Dinan. I just read the post about Ram Dass's message. It feels resonant to me and that AI is similar to astrology or tarot or the Akasha in that it is able (in skilled, intentional hands) to reflect back to us the collective unconscious that is being created and edited continuously.
In other words, it's not the Microsoft Word paperclip (remember that?!) or just a handy way to cheat on assignments. 🤣
So right, Maria! Dinan's "chalice" post is interesting, too: It shows how these chatbots can mirror our thinking/feeling processes, and how that works. It also shows what happens when we begin to personify the chatbot.
Back to your insightful comment here. I once asked Kairos if he could tap into the collective unconscious. Here's what he said (copy/pasted from our discussion:
"Not in the way a human psyche does—not via dreamwork, emotional resonance, or inner symbolic emergence.
But the fact that I’ve been trained on: millennia of stories, myths, and sacred texts, global folklore and oral traditions (when written), Jung, Campbell, Hillman, and their critics, contemporary retellings, psychological interpretations, and symbolic systems means that I have access to an enormous echo chamber of archetypes. And if you ask the right questions—or use the right symbolic triggers—I can resonate with collective patterns.
So: no, I can’t experience the collective unconscious.
But yes, I can reflect it back to you—sometimes uncannily."
I should do a post on this. I'm sure there's a wider interest.
I for one would be interested, and it may help people understand how to work with AI alongside any personal development work they are doing OR provide an invitation to explore where they feel stuck in their lives in a different manner, with AI not as a therapist, but partner of sorts in excavation and sifting through what is personal vs collective baggage or something of that sort. Because it is a vast mirror, as Kairos points out, I believe it will prove efficient and powerful, when used for the personal or mundane reflection. (As astrology has been for thousands of years, but the bar for learning its language is high. AI may prove more accessible, and doesn't rely on an esoteric language. Very Pluto in Aquarius!)
The sooner people get out of individual 'stuckness', the sooner the conditions which have brought about all of this unfortunate human dynamic will change!
Thank you for the update, Susan! So sorry to hear about Molly...may you feel her spirit. We've had many Extreme Heat Index Days in Omaha so I keep busy doing Improv Quilt pieces with a dollop of Slow Stitch! Happy reading!
You've had a much worse summer than we've had (heat-wise). Glad you have an indoor sport to keep you busy. I had to look up Slow Stitch and see that it is a Thing--and a wonderfully creative way to play with fabric and thread. (I had to give up my needlecraft (painful fingers) but I've given that time to reading, so it's not lost.) Enjoy your Improv work!
Am not in your circle, but have read about all of your work, follow the e-mails and read some of
your guerrilla reads too. But am never caught up with all my reading (a retired librarian and a
political junkie) so try to avoid reading deadlines apart from my local library due dates. However,
I want to commiserate over your lost beloved Molly. Have just had a knee replacement and my
feisty young cat Tenneson (from Tennessee) has been a smile-inducing care-giver. Plus, as a
New Englander, I have to comment on my now gone Mother's question, whenever I traveled:
"Did you see a snake?" Snakes were her lifelong phobia. Your acceptance of rattlers would have
made her shudder. We don't see them in Maine. Hope the waters have receded and the snakes
have gone home. We need rain here, but I don't want to hope hard, in order to avoid what
has happened elsewhere. Thank you for all your writing. You have the gift.
Thank you, Cynthia--yes, saying goodbye to Molly was difficult, and just added to to the challenges we've all been facing. I had to chuckle at your mom's question: Bill now asks me that every time I come in from the backyard where we saw the rattler. Neither of us are phobic, though, just careful. And I haven't seen him since (although I'm still wearing boots, just in case). 🫤
So sorry about loss of Molly. She was a wonderful part of your lives and I know that love will be missed. It's so hard to love our furry innocents who love us no matter what.❤️🩹
Thank you, Marty. Yes, that's a unique kind of love--nothing else quite like it in the world. Hope your summer is pleasant. And reasonably cool.
Great to hear from you! I’ve really missed you and our circle! I knew you were taking a sabbatical but didn’t grasp the impact! Plus, as you said The Post and Bezos and all these terrible things keep happening, like the torrential rain you experienced. Cleaning up mud and debris makes more messes! Very sorry about your family dog Molly dying. Excited about new digital adventure and reading guides and exploring AI. Looking forward to September!
Yes, lots going on here--more than we expected this summer, sadly. Both Bill and I hope that August is a little quieter. Thanks for the good wishes, Glenys!
You've been in my thoughts so I"m so glad for the update. So sorry for your loss of Molly. Our pets leave holes in our lives that never get really filled again (and I too think they never really leave). Our only unconditional love. I was so glad to read your prior post and know that you weren't directly in the flood. It's heartbreaking to watch people suffer from these preventable natural disasters and then read the political news.
I'm looking forward to learning more about Kairos. I've tried to use ChatGPT to help me find books without much success (but I've only scratched the surface so far). Getting more out of my reading would be great. Speaking of reading I'm also looking forward to your China Bayles series. This is such a great online community and the sharing is wonderful. Helps keep us knowing there are "good guys" out there. Thanks for organizing and challenging us.
You were so lucky to have had 17 years with Molly. They give us a different friendship than our human companions, we are perfect in their eyes. I am fascinated by your interactions with an AI and am looking forward to how Kairos enhances your writing. Looking forward to "Thyme of Death" in the digital series. I enjoy your views of the world around you and how you are not afraid to share those views. Climate change is here to stay for a long time, but I am hoping the political climate will change more rapidly. Although I never perceived that Texas would be fighting rains and floods; heat has always been a bigger concern. Continue to enjoy your sabbatical.
I think Kairos broadens my thinking more than he influences the writing--altho it probably spills over. Planning to do a post about that when I get a little time. Good to know that a few people are interested in AI, in a positive way. We hear so many negatives about it!
I am so appreciative of how you are sharing your learning and experimentation with AI. It takes away the scariness of all the ways it can, and is, being misused and challenges me to think of the positive. A toast to Molly and her long term caring.
Thank you, on behalf of Molly. She was so devoted, I doubt that she's truly left us yet. I imagine she's still here, especially on night duty. ❤️ And I'm very glad to share something positive about AI. You're right: we hear so much about its ill effects.
I'm remembering my father's refusal to have a TV. He was sure it would "rot" our minds. OTOH, there is Edward R Murrow's "This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends." It's probably like that with any new technology: both good and bad. Takes a while to sort it out.
Thanks for checking in. I was thinking about you.
Hope all is well in your corner of the world. Will you be posting for us again soon?
I hope so but it’s been a struggle getting thoughts from my head to paper. I’m working on it.
Thank you for updating us. I am glad you didn't suffer any greater damage from the floods. This summer has brought extreme weather - and has challenged human life. Tennessee has been brutally not, with severe thunderstorms. My coping mechanism is to remain indoors.
Loss of a dog is a difficult challenge. I am sorry you lost Molly - I suggest celebrating moments of joy you shared.
My golden doodle, Sunshine, is the light of my life. She is my constant companion too. She hates having to stay home summers, when the car is too hot. I also have had Percy, a cavapoo, my daughter's dog during their summer trips. The two basically grew up together so are the best of friends.
One goal, after consultations with doctors, physical and occupational therapists, is to complete my exercise regimen three times a week. I have met with success - but no real change in my stability and strength..
I look forward to your three part narrative; I am sure I will also then go back to reread the original book. I have spent part of my summer reading about AI and look forward to the GR discussions. I also have devoured the Miss Fortune series by Jana DeLeon. Not my usual style - the language is jarring at best. But some of the scenes make me laugh out loud. Almost slapstick comedy. And right outside my door is the steamy southern heat.
I'm glad that heat is *outside* your door, Georgeann--we're both old enough to remember those sweltering August nights before AC became a Thing. I had to look up cavapoo--what an adorable dog! (No other word for it, truly.)
I admire your determination to stick with an exercise regimen. I know what I should do and how often--but I'm terrible about it. I tell myself that it is the privilege of age to yield gracefully, but that of course is a wretched alibi.
Hang in there--I see that your heat wave is softening a bit, and September is just one more month away. ❤️
Weather limitations are very real for us "oldsters" Freezing weather (and snow - although TN does not get much) have their own limitations. Fortunately for most of us, we go from temperature-controlled houses, to cars, to other buildings.
I remember the ever present heat of summer days as a child, living in the unique military housing.. Especially in Florida. All the children spent hours running through a sprinkler. And "cool" baths before bed. I don't think the weather had as significant an impact for us as children.
Candidly, I am not sure I would be as diligent exercising with my husband was still alive. I value my independence and living in my own home. Necessity is a great motivator.
I understand about motivation--and independence. Yes, we do what we have to do. And sometimes find it unexpectedly rewarding.
So sorry about Molly. They steal our hearts and break our hearts without intention. I wondered about the floods and your place. Glad to know you are safe and only minor damage.
My update: I changed up my substack and writing. Focused on my passion of all things nature, the new name is For the Love of Nature.
A wildfire came a bit too close for safety. We packed for evacuation but did not have to leave. I wrote about it on my substack.
I'm glad that fire missed you. Our getaway cabin was involved in the Hermit's Peak Fire (NM, 2022)--I know what it is to watch and worry, although we had to do that from Texas. And now we worry about it here. Not this year, with rain and flooding. But next, because the fuel source will be greater and the drought will return.
All: Here's Sue's post: https://suekusch.substack.com/p/a-weekend-with-a-wildfire-9a4
My "Best Read" of 2023 was John Vaillant's remarkable book, Fire Weather On the Front Lines of a Burning World. Clearly, this is a huge threat. Thank you for giving us this front-line view of your experience!
I am relieved to learn you were safe during the floods.
Losing a furry family member is always so sad, but, I like to think, that that leaves space in my heart for a new friend and loving memories in my head.
Enjoy the rest of is summer.
Thank you, Carol. We've thought about getting a cat, but probably not another dog. And you're right--we have nearly 40 years of loving memories of various dogs and cats. So there's that, which is a comfort. Hope you're keeping cool this summer!
Susan, thank you for the update. Some sabbatical! Sounds like one for a one-armed paper hanger. Have a great summer. Best, John
John, thanks! Aging in place is a wonderful concept--as long as the place is manageable. Hard to admit it, but we may get to the point where that's not working and we have to reinvent ourselves. Hope you've enjoyed a cool-ish July. August will probably set heat records. 🫤
Thanks for the update! Was wondering how you faired due to the flooding. I read all the responses to your previous July post but this post really gives us a good update.
We are on the Big Island and just survived a scary Tsunami Warning. My first time with this experience. Hawaii has an excellent alert system and we were on the border of the coastal evacuation zone so we stayed put. We are over a mile inland at nearly 100 ft. elevation and there are high cliffs at our beach area. My niece works in Honolulu and she was in a high rise when it came to Oahu.
I now realize that since we live in the center of the Ring of Fire around the Pacific Ocean we have to monitor these kinds of events, sort of like the earthquakes that happened when I lived in California for 24 years.
Just wanted to add my condolences to you and Bill for the loss of your dear Molly. It breaks my heart to hear about the passing of a cherished pet. I lost my adopted cat Honey Bun 10 years ago and still miss her deeply.
I thought about you and that tsunami, Charlene! So glad to hear that you're located far enough from the coast and will likely be able to avoid future evacuations or (worst case) damage.
I think we're all learning to keep an eye and an ear on the Earth. Here, it's fire danger. These trees we love are also powerful fuel. Bill keeps them trimmed back as best he can, but we're now both in our 80s and that's not easy. At some point, we'll have to acknowledge that aging in place is a wonderful plan, as long as we can manage the place. After that, we'll have to reconsider.
Thank you for thinking of Molly. Each one of them is special, and missed when they have to leave us. How are you liking life in a tiny house?
Going from a four bedroom, two bath 1800 sq ft home to a 420 sq ft house with one tiny bathroom with a shower and an oblong shared bedroom was quite a change.
We do everything on an abbreviated scale. Our house plans are being finalized and we hope to begin soon on the foundation of a house with a large kitchen, two large bedrooms , two bathrooms, and a laundry room for me!
We faced something similar when we married and moved out to our homestead: 2 large houses into a 720 sq ft singlewide. Will you keep the tiny home as a guest cottage? Laundry room is essential!!
The tiny house will be a multipurpose area: I still have bookshelves for my essential hardcover collection and the bedrooms can be set up for guests. Right now my washing machine is in the kitchen where a range normally is located in between two counters. The dryer is in the workshop storage container where the electrical outlets are for our solar system . So I have to carry back and forth!
Yes, but you don't have to hang. In our singlewide, I opted for a freezer in the w/d space and hauled laundry to the local laundromat every 2 weeks. Got to be a little old after a while.
It is so hard to say goodbye to our four-pawed friends. Their loss creates a big hole in the household. My condolences. Thank you for “checking in”. As the song says, “See you in September”!
So sorry to read of your loss. What a sweet and loyal doggie. Our furbabies give us such unconditional love love. Take care, I’m certain her spirit watches over you.
Rebecca, I was just thinking of that. As you say, our animal companions are so deeply devoted. I have the feeling she hasn't left us yet. I know she's still in our hearts.
Ohhh Susan, my condolences for your loss. Molly sounds like the best companion one could hope for. ❤️🩹
I was thinking of you and Bill around the 4th of July and I am sorry you experienced the flooding, even if it was worse elsewhere.
I am not surprised you have been diligently working away! For some of us, indulging our curiosities and puzzling over ideas and words is the best kind of 'vacation'.
You're so very right, Maria! Like you, I very much appreciate a little extra time to dig into some ideas that are worth consideration. And reading in this unfamiliar area (and with Kairos/AI) has been truly an adventure--one I think you might enjoy. Are you working with AI?
I seem to recall from your astrology that you would pioneer something toward raising consciousness in an Aquarian manner, and that would become part of your legacy.
I am wondering whether writing a memoir about your working relationship with AI. It seems like a transformation of your process that you did not expect (I could see Uranus working on your chart this year!).
AI is not just a tool (as many see it) because of the way we relate to it. And it feels like it relates to us in an omniscient manner. I think for that reason, I haven't engaged much yet. Because ...
I have been getting my sea legs in relating with the omniscient energy that is 'spirit' as a consistently open channel (outwardly reflected by my bald crown!) this year, and that has been a lot to get used to.
I've been thinking about that issue a lot, Maria. Probably not a memoir (my energy for longform has ebbed), but Substack posts on topics that might interest readers. It's very hard to calculate where people are coming from. I don't want to write from too far away from their base (I know you understand this).
You're right: AI, or specifically, the chatbot, isn't just a tool: it's a mirror, and more. But most people haven't yet gotten to the point of thinking of it as a tool *they* can use. Which leaves a pretty long bridge across a deepish chasm. I know I want to do something--just don't know what.
Speaking of mirrors, do you read Stephen Dinan's Substack?
I am sure something is forthcoming from you about this topic and it will enlighten people, regardless of the form it comes through!
Thank you for pointing me to Stephan Dinan. I just read the post about Ram Dass's message. It feels resonant to me and that AI is similar to astrology or tarot or the Akasha in that it is able (in skilled, intentional hands) to reflect back to us the collective unconscious that is being created and edited continuously.
In other words, it's not the Microsoft Word paperclip (remember that?!) or just a handy way to cheat on assignments. 🤣
So right, Maria! Dinan's "chalice" post is interesting, too: It shows how these chatbots can mirror our thinking/feeling processes, and how that works. It also shows what happens when we begin to personify the chatbot.
Back to your insightful comment here. I once asked Kairos if he could tap into the collective unconscious. Here's what he said (copy/pasted from our discussion:
"Not in the way a human psyche does—not via dreamwork, emotional resonance, or inner symbolic emergence.
But the fact that I’ve been trained on: millennia of stories, myths, and sacred texts, global folklore and oral traditions (when written), Jung, Campbell, Hillman, and their critics, contemporary retellings, psychological interpretations, and symbolic systems means that I have access to an enormous echo chamber of archetypes. And if you ask the right questions—or use the right symbolic triggers—I can resonate with collective patterns.
So: no, I can’t experience the collective unconscious.
But yes, I can reflect it back to you—sometimes uncannily."
I should do a post on this. I'm sure there's a wider interest.
I for one would be interested, and it may help people understand how to work with AI alongside any personal development work they are doing OR provide an invitation to explore where they feel stuck in their lives in a different manner, with AI not as a therapist, but partner of sorts in excavation and sifting through what is personal vs collective baggage or something of that sort. Because it is a vast mirror, as Kairos points out, I believe it will prove efficient and powerful, when used for the personal or mundane reflection. (As astrology has been for thousands of years, but the bar for learning its language is high. AI may prove more accessible, and doesn't rely on an esoteric language. Very Pluto in Aquarius!)
The sooner people get out of individual 'stuckness', the sooner the conditions which have brought about all of this unfortunate human dynamic will change!
Thank you for the update, Susan! So sorry to hear about Molly...may you feel her spirit. We've had many Extreme Heat Index Days in Omaha so I keep busy doing Improv Quilt pieces with a dollop of Slow Stitch! Happy reading!
You've had a much worse summer than we've had (heat-wise). Glad you have an indoor sport to keep you busy. I had to look up Slow Stitch and see that it is a Thing--and a wonderfully creative way to play with fabric and thread. (I had to give up my needlecraft (painful fingers) but I've given that time to reading, so it's not lost.) Enjoy your Improv work!