In my lifetime, the Moon will be colonized.
This is awesome. Ever since I was a child reading Science Fiction genre books, I've been watching the hard truths of reality overcome the aspirations of countless humans who took it for granted that some day we would be living on the Moon. I'm almost 40 now, and after the 90s and the first decade of the 21st century, I'd about given up on it. The last 20 years have seen some of the biggest boom times of our history, and even with all that money, we weren't living on the Moon.
But at last, they're starting to make the strides necessary to get us off the planet. It's important to us as a species. The planet's a temporary home, at best. And I don't mean spiritually, though that's true enough.
I don't know how far we'll get. We've got a lot of issues as a species that need to be worked out. What good is spreading the hatred and violence we lavish on one another to the stars going to do the universe at large? And who says we're even smart enough to manage it?
The path of Hermetics that I follow leads to joining in the choirs of angels that live beyond the terrestrial sphere. It's all about taking my place in the brotherhood of trans-material entities who travel freely between the planets. I focus my efforts in the spiritual realms, but I'm proud of my human brothers and sisters who are taking it to the material plane as well.
Head for the Red: The ongoing adventures and insights of a magician's attempts to accomplish the Great Work.
I was interested in space travel for a decade or so before I got interested in magic, and for almost twenty years I'd sort of given up hope that we'd ever go there in person (frankly, I'm not sure I'll ever get there even in the Astral, although I've now done more than 70% of the planetary angelic conjurations — Holst is wonderful, isn't he? — and I'm impressed by the events I experience just from those). THank you for pointing this story out to me.
ReplyDeleteIt IS clear that no nation can afford the mind-staggering expense of going to space alone. The shores of the cosmic ocean have been expensive enough, without worrying about bridging the lunar or planetary divides. It's also clear that the technologies that get us to the moon will eventually need material supports from further out in our Sun's embrace, and we will have to voyage further out to take advantage of what we discover when we settle the Moon.
I see the window for success on these missions to be startlingly short, though. Either we make these lunar missions work in the next 20 years or so, maybe less, or they don't work at all. And the window is closing on the idea that you and I will go personally — I'm in my 40s and it sounds like you are too, — I don't see there being lunar hotels in our lifetime, and we will probably be too old to settle. We shall see.
I plan to link to your same article, but I'll credit you with the find. And thanks for the Angelic grimoire... it's been fascinating work.
As an aside, your recatchpa for OpenID doesn't seem to work; I've tried to post this comment for a bit and kept getting an error message — if I've loaded your in-box with junk comments, I'm sorry.
I bert them spirits of the zone girdling Eart and Moon sphere are gonna pissed :D
ReplyDeleteIt gives me a little bit of hope, this latest article, but I've been fooled badly before. I think we need to see a plan swiftly develop and implemented in a short amount of time or the effort will not get the media attention it needs to attract the critical mass of additional private funding. I am convinced from the interactions between the Russian and United States space programs that even two sovereign States cannnot make these dreams a reality unless their is a radical change in the level of that cooperation. Politics will see to it in both countries that it will never happen. It's going to take private enterprise, and many sovereign States working as one to get this party started...
ReplyDeleteI just have a question regarding this:
ReplyDelete"...Today, we know enough about it. We know that there is water in its polar areas," he added. "We are now discussing how to begin [the Moon’s] exploration with NASA and the European Space Agency."
Why the hell the Europeans or Russians openly say that, when here in USA talk about that makes you like a fool in front of people? and why the hell they say that openly while the government here denies everything?
Fuck these people, really.
I have always believed in cover-ups and this "innocent" commentary puts them on evidence.
@Andrew, I don't do anything under the hood to the widgets and whatnots of blogger. They're always watching. Any errors you experience are probably features that are adding value in a googly googly way that's simply beyond our technical expertise.
ReplyDelete@Asterion, I would absolutely love to be the first magician to conjure the spirits of the Moon on the Moon.
@Val, agreed. Used to be that the reason the government did all the space stuff was because they were the only ones with the money to make it happen. These days, it's not as expensive to run a private lunar colonization corporation. East India Trading all over again. If it turns out to be anything like the colonization of the US, then at long last the dream of every Sci-Fi author and reader will come true: SPACE PIRATES!
Awww yeah!
@Fr. VL, what are you talking about?
Interesting. Durk Pearson wrote, in his "Life Extension" book ca 1982, that by the year 2000 "space colonization in high orbit will begin." He, as well as his writing partner, Sandy Shaw, also predicted "there will be man-computer direct linkup by implantation." Glad he was wrong on that last one..
ReplyDeletePeter
space pirates !!!! yes! i want to carry a laser firearm and dress in loose fitting shirts like Han Solo.
ReplyDeleteChief Seattle had this spin on it: "Your dead cease to love you and the land of their nativity as soon as they pass the portals of the tomb and wander away beyond the stars. They are soon forgotten and never return. Our dead never forget this beautiful world that gave them being. They still love its verdant valleys, its murmuring rivers, its magnificent mountains, sequestered vales and verdant lined lakes and bays, and ever yearn in tender fond affection over the lonely hearted living, and often return from the happy hunting ground to visit, guide, console, and comfort them."
ReplyDeleteI personally agree with John Michael Greer. The time of our leaving earth is gone, along with cheap and plentiful oil. Our leaving earth, at least in physical bodies. Magicians have alternatives :-)