Cybermonk September 7, 2022. Note February 20, 2023: I just found this page, a dup with recent Saint Martin’s page, so am cross-linking via See Also section.
Contents:
- Simply Read the Signs
- The Wisdom of the Academics
- My Post to Brown at Academia.edu
- Image Crops: Left Hands Associated with Branching/Splaying
- Image Crops: Right Hands Associated with Non-Branching/ Non-Splaying (by cut or by parallel or by singleness)
- Brown’s Superior Bold Italic in Article vs. Inferior Italic in Book at “Break Off/Cut Branches”
- Martin and Eadwine Both Have Set of Images Placing Banquet Next to Removing Mushroom Tree Branching
- Jesus Left Fingers Splayed Branching, Right Fingers Together Nonbranching Like Group of Branches Held
- Plural “knives used to cut through the mushroom stemson the Towers of Jerusalem”? Only one knife can be made out cutting one stem [found later]
- Additional, Curved Perseus Medusa Pruning Knife Spotted in Tree in (Fuller) Jerusalem Epiphany Scene [empty heading]
- Brown Hallucinates Sword Held by Mid-Blade(!!) Instead of Removed Branch
- heading
- heading
- Brown Crops Judas’ Mushroom 😡
- See Also
Browns’ 2019 article: https://www.academia.edu/40412411/Entheogens_in_Christian_art_Wasson_Allegro_and_the_Psychedelic_Gospels
Simply Read the Signs
The Key Is Given
The Wisdom of the Academics
Let’s check in on the wisdom from the academics regarding branching-message mushroom trees:
The leading anthropologist teaching about psychoactive mushrooms in a religious context since 1975 – Brown & Brown, 2016, p. 120:
“But when it comes to interpreting the frescoes at Saint Martin and elsewhere, the art historians are the ones who “remain blind” — who, due to their lack of knowledge of ethnomycology, mistake psychoactive mushrooms for trees and branches — and sometimes err in the interpretation of Romanesque religious paintings.” – Brown & Brown
Panofsky’s 2nd letter, photograph of it published in Brown 2019 p. 146:
“Some especially ignorant craftsman may have misunderstood the finished product, the “Pilzbaum”, as a real mushroom. But even that is not very probably because even the most mushroom-like specimens show at least some trace of ramification; if the artists had labored under the delusion that the model before him was meant to be a mushroom rather than a schematized tree he would have omitted the branches altogether.” – The most influential art historian, Erwin Panofsky
My Post to Brown at Academia.edu
Your March 21, 2022 email gave a quoted passage with 2 phrases with better, more vivid use of italic and bold than in your 2016 book, about:
“Youths … clamor up trees to break off branches … or cut away at the treetops“.
That’s one reason why the book didn’t awaken my mytheme-detection (2.5 years after my Nov. 2013 “tree vs snake” non-branching breakthrough) but your email’s copy/paste from the article did.
9:27 pm September 6, 2022: After around April 2022, I’m looking again for your possible garbled/puzzling claim that there are multiple knives at trees – where?
Now I think I know what you’re referring to.
Hypothesis for me to examine by Finding your word “knife”, “sword”, “knives”: You’re mis-seeing a diamond-leaved, removed branch (removed possibility branching) as if the branch is a sword. [It’s a spear pointing at Jesus’ side. https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=spearhead ]
[This mistake prevents Brown from seeing the contrast that’s being presented: left hand holds multi-branch tree while in contrast, right hand holds a different, single-branch, non-branching tree.]
Or the branch could be intended as both removed branch and a sword [spear] to specifically to remove branching, like God’s sword at the major cut branch of the psilocybin branching-message mushroom tree in in Eadwine’s nonbranching-initiation image, in which the youth after ingesting psilocybin at the banquet (brought to by the higher controller) looks at God (higher control level) just like in Brinckmann’s plate & in your St. Martin fresco.
I’m also decoding at the moment – again, but better – your article’s interpretation:
“We can only speculate why a mushroom tree is growing on top (or out of) the roof of a stone tower. Perhaps, the artist is using this device to show the significance of these psychoactive mushrooms in the drama of the Christology unfolding before our eyes.”
I wrote before: “because the analogy-based descriptive mytheme {rock} = the Eternalism block universe per modern physics (Minkowski) in the eternalism-experiencing/ revealing/ perceiving psilocybin altered state.
Now I also add this decoding (identifying the ASC referent of myth-analogies/ descriptions): the {gated city wall} mytheme refers to the altered-state cognitive phenomenon: BOUNDARY OF GNOSIS; you can’t cross into the altered state without control-seizure until you repudiate the possibility-branching worldmodel of control-in-world.
The {wall} mytheme describes those minds that perceive and understand non-branching due to psilocybin loosened perception; wall / gate = crossing the boundary from possibilism-thinking to eternalism-thinking, requires a state-transition sacrificing youthful thinking to gain mature control-stability in the psilocybin altered state of loose cognitive association binding of mental constructs & mental construct processing.
Compare 2016 book vs 2019 article.
Image Match: Mushroom Tree with Sword, Affirming Cutting/Removing Branching and Affirming Right Limb:
Image Crops: Left Hands Associated with Branching/Splaying
1. Jesus’ left hand splayed branching
2. holding mushroom tree branching in left hand
3, 4: holding branching diamond frond in left hand, and out-of-view figure holding a branch in left hand
5. Towers: holding branch in left hand
Image Crops: Right Hands Associated with Non-Branching/ Non-Splaying (by cut or by parallel or by singleness)
Carrying off the youthful delusion upon experientially perceiving/ understanding branching illusion (left) vs. non-branching truth (right).
1. Jesus’ right hand fingers together, not splayed branching
2. holding non-branching, non-splaying set of branches in right hand
3. holding single, non-branching diamond frond in right hand
3:14 a.m. September 7, 2022 Cybermonk – the well-formed diamond-shaped spearhead points directly at Jesus’s right side; the other 3 point nowhere.
Non-branching spearhead held in right hand points to Jesus’ right side. Jesus dies but doesn’t die. Through this sacrifice as of Isaac come life and fecundity together with wisdom.
3:14 a.m. September 7, 2022 Cybermonk – the well-formed diamond-shaped spearhead points directly at Jesus’s right side; the other 3 point nowhere.
Brown’s “sword” — “a long slightly curved sword in his right hand … the sword shown under the diamond shaped frond in the prior fresco” (Brown 20109) – never mind the curved pruning knife in upper right above it, no mention of that.
4. out-of-view figure holding curved pruning knife in right hand
5. towers: holding knife in right hand
veil / cloak the walls – hammer right hand, nails left hand
Image Match: Mushroom Tree with Sword, Affirming Cutting/Removing Branching and Affirming Right Limb
Photo credit: Julie M. Brown. Used with permission. Crop & image enhancement of youth in tree with knife by Cybermonk.
Brown’s Superior Bold Italic in Article vs. Inferior Italic in Book at “Break Off/Cut Branches”
Dr. Brown emailed me a copy from the article, not the book, and this shows I need to read the article (and earlier book) more. Brown wrote:
“The reluctance of classicists to admit mushrooms into their idealized version of the birth of civilizations is similar to the ignorance of art historians. As Julie and I point out in “Entheogens in Christian Art”:
In her discussion of Christ’s Entry to Jerusalem, art historian Marcia Kupfer is ostensibly unaware of the prominent mushrooms painted in the upper right-hand corner of this fresco in the Church of Saint Martin (Figure 8). According to Kupfer (1993), [inserted break -cm]
as Christ rides the ass followed by his disciples “several youths excitedly clamor up trees to break off branches, while others unfurl their mantels at his feet. The second phase of the episode on the west wall isolates the walled city of Jerusalem…Youths, their mouths open in song, crowd the gates; others within the city drape the walls or cut away at the treetops” [emphasis added] (p. 122).
2016 book page 119 with weaker italic & no bold:
as Christ rides the ass followed by his disciples “several youths excitedly clamor up trees to break off branches, while others unfurl their mantels at his feet. The second phase of the episode on the west wall isolates the walled city of Jerusalem…Youths, their mouths open in song, crowd the gates; others within the city drape the walls or cut away at the treetops” [emphasis added].
Martin and Eadwine Both Have Set of Images Placing Banquet Next to Removing Mushroom Tree Branching
Martin’s Mushroom Banquet Scene
Brown cuts off the right-side mushroom in the book and article, and then says it’s indistinguishable what Jesus feeds him. Just like we have no idea what could possibly be in Eadwine’s bowls – I can’t think of anything suitable.
Eadwine’s Mushroom Banquet Scene
Martin’s Mushroom Tree Cut Branch Scenes
left guy trimming Bonzai branching tree (held in left hand) with clippers to remove the branching (held in right hand)
Upper left: curved pruning knife in right hand.
Middle: non-branching single-branch plant in right hand.
“a long slightly curved sword in his right hand … the sword shown under the diamond shaped frond in the prior fresco” (Brown 20109)
Brown’s “slightly curved sword” is no such thing (it’s a non-branching tree/branch), but there’s a very curved pruning knife, not mentioned by Brown.
Eadwine’s Mushroom Tree Cut Branch Scene
Jesus Left Fingers Splayed Branching, Right Fingers Together Nonbranching Like Group of Branches Held
11:13 pm Sep (check recording 4038 for what time, if i mentioned aloud the time, when I mentioned splaying fingers vs holding them together) 6 2022:
Plural “knives used to cut through the mushroom stemson the Towers of Jerusalem”? Only one knife can be made out cutting one stem
Update Feb 20 2023: panorama shows knife to the right of the missing paint. See newer Martin page in See Also.
From 2019 article:
“On the table, there are four knives (three to the left of Jesus and one to the far right) similar in length, shape, and handle design to the knives used to cut through the mushroom stems on the Towers of Jerusalem.”
One knife is cutting diamond-leaf
Additional, Curved Perseus Medusa Pruning Knife Spotted in Tree in (Fuller) Jerusalem Epiphany Scene
Brown Hallucinates Sword Held by Mid-Blade(!!) Instead of Removed Branch
12:33 am Sep 7 2022 Cybermonk – left hand holds branching tree (false tree with pruning knife in action to correct it); right hand hold single, non-branching tree’s branch (which leans/points toward higher control level, Jesus).
Upper right figure off right margin: holds curved Perseus pruning knife in right hand, holding a branch in left hand.
pink key tree confirms “left = branching, right = non-branching”
I can’t believe Brown claims “the sword shown under the diamond shaped frond in the prior fresco.”
12:06 am sep 7 2022 Cybermonk – the branches are held together, thus NONBRANCHING BRANCHES, matching Jesus’ right-hand fingers.
Brown Crops Judas’ Mushroom 😡
Mushroom on right side hem behind Judas
Right legs down. Right hands affirm non-branching.
Sep 6 2022 Cybermonk: left fingers splayed branching, right fingers together nonbranching, removed branches held in a nonbranching way (non-splayed, like right fingers held together)
https://www.france-voyage.com/visuals/photos/saint-martin-vic-church-18394_w800.webp
right foot down, raised garment on right = altered state
“Christ is riding on an ass with his arms outstretched [left fingers splayed branching, right fingers held together nonbranching -cm Sep. 6, 2022] to receive a plant-like gift [removed possibility branching -cm] (of which only the stems are visible), offered [RIGHT HAND!!] by one of the youth who with his other [LEFT HAND!!] hand is holding the stem of one of the mushrooms. [BRANCHES]
On the far right of the fresco stands another youth holding the stem of a diamond-shaped frond (possibly a palm frond) in his left [good mention] hand and a long slightly curved sword in his right hand [good mention].
Given that the caps are convex-shaped and without dots and that the main stem spreads out to form several branches,[like Jesus’ left fingers] this is what Samorini labels a Saint Savin-type mushroom tree, which contains psilocybin.”
…
” the Towers of Jerusalem. Standing on the roof of the tower [on right legs -cm] are two men, both dressed in mantels similar to those worn by the youth in Christ’s Entry.
“One of them is cutting through the stem of a mushroom tree (Figure 10 ), using a knife that is distinctly shorter than the sword shown under the diamond shaped frond in the prior fresco.”
holding a sword by the blade ??!! like an angel?
See Also
Saint Martin Frescos 🌴🔪🍄🖼🔍🔬🧐
February 11, 2023
https://egodeaththeory.wordpress.com/2023/02/11/saint-martin-frescos-%e2%9e%b3%f0%9f%96%96%f0%9f%8c%b4%f0%9f%94%aa%f0%9f%8d%84%f0%9f%96%bc%f0%9f%94%8d%f0%9f%94%ac%f0%9f%a7%90/
The Egodeath theory 
I would like to know more about the 2nd to the last drawing shown with the angel coming from the sky, and his left hand around the blade stopping the man from using it on the small figure.
The blade cannot cut the left hand of the angel, because angels are debranched and there is nothing more to cut.
The angel’s right hand points down with one finger pointing toward the pink tree with the ox standing in it, as if telling the tall man holding the blade handle in his right hand getting ready to use it on the small figure with hands tied, ” not so fast you idiot, you can’t get rid of child-like possibilism in one swipe. Look down and behind you at the pink tree with all the branches, and with the ox in it, you haven’t finished your work there yet.”
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briefly it is the “sacrifice of Isaac” scene with ram caught in mushroom bush – mind is made to demonstrate control vulnerability in God-mode override-of-control-limits state, threatening one’s child-thinking to death, cross the boundary that transforms the control model into recognizing the two distinct levels of control, reaching the control stability boundary violation, perceive underlying dependent control not autonomous control
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Thank you so much. Your ability to decipher artistic patterns representing altered state experience is enviable. Overall though, I think I prefer simplicity. Two-level model. Those three words in one word – simplicity.
Watching you and others decipher the artwork is like watching a chess game.
I’m having to wonder why it is significant to know about ‘Isaac’ et al. Is it for the sake of validating the two level model?
If it’s not for the sake of validating the two level model, than the less personifications made or required the better.
It was through the personification of Jesus that literalist religion was born.
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briefly – helpful re: 2-level as the foundation & center.
Greedy 3-level model results in losing all understanding, rather than “twice the transcendence”.
Erik Davis proves that simplicity is the foundation, p 118 122 Led Zep IV book.
Look at Hanegraaff’s confusion as if enlightenment is switching from initial eternalism-thinking to final possibilism-thinking – 3-level overreach backfires into incomprehension.
Sacrifice of Isaac is firmly 2-level in focus & emphasis.
Understanding the mytheme-set {Isaac and disempowered bush-caught ram} is basic/essential.
Even if the Egodeath theory is a clear simple explanatory model, still it is challenging to describe/ map to non-poetic direct explanation of control-transcendence {threatening the child} – new mytheme to add to the Key Mythemes catalog.
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It’s also good to remember that they were monks who did the drawings, totally cloistered and immersed in religion, so of course they used religious metaphor.
I understand what you are saying. But for someone like Hanegraaff, who is non-religious, the monk’s artwork could repell him. He might say that if the Egodeath Theory relies on religion to explain itself, then that makes the Egodeath Theory a religion too. (which in reality, it reveals authentic religion, just not literalist religion.)
That’s what new age spirituality is trying to avoid. The two level model. Just like you have shown.
So they turn to the three level model in avoidance.
I do understand the need for metaphor as expression for altered state experience. And how that can be a difficult task for you. I just think there needs to be care in what direction is taken. It’s like a ‘slippery slope.’ Very challenging..
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The Egodeath theory is, since its start in 1985, emphatically disdainful of poetic analogy as a foundation; such an approach is the problem and is the reason why we effectively didn’t have Transcendent Knowledge in the way we have increasing science and technology. There are two legs of the Egodeath theory but really it stands on its right leg only (STEM, Loose Cog Science) and never stood on the leg of mythemes/ poetic analog as a basis. Hanegraaff is an outright Newage spiritualist/ religionist compared to me.
He talks about a scientific foundation for study of history of religion then he fabricates and imagines (a theme of his book) a fantasy backwards version of spirituality and a mystic cosmos that contradicts all science and mystic sensible coherent tradition too.
I’m the actual science-grounded theory, which enables me to do a better, correct job of resolving myth, accurately identifying its referent in the loose cognitive intense mystic altered state of consciousness. Per the non-myth-grounded, entheogen mytheme theory.
My 1997 attempt to condense the cybernetic theory of ego transcendence failed, kept ballooning not converging, until I distinctly incorporated mythic metaphorical description 2003-2006.
Douglas Hofstadter has two books advocating in the title that analogies are the essence of thinking. STEM aims for the most direct and clear expression,using analogies to clarify the actual referent clearly identified, not to cloud and fog it all up in an Atman Substitution project (Wilber) to protect the mind from revealed knowledge that the mind desires to reject and avoid and deny.
God is defined as the higher control level, in the Egodeath theory; the uncontrollable source of control-thoughts.
I find it constitutionally easy because my thinking is based in STEM and practical figuring stuff out, easy and natural for me to distinguish between my STEM-type core theory vs. its decoding/mapping/ recognizing of mythic metaphor analogy poetic descriptive mythemes. Two legs; stand on the right leg, to gain Transcendent Knowledge straightforwardly.
I am glad the Egodeath Community supports a streamlined powerful clear 2-level model.
The Egodeath theory is the definitive seminal 2-level and 3-level explanation of mind and myth – and explaining avoidance strategies to preserve lower thinking in a foggy haze.
Any multi-state scientific theory of religious myth must be excellent at explaining both 2-level & 3-level models, to be relevant; that is the explanandum that is given to us. Resolve it to its non-hazy, non-avoidant, non-poetic, non-substitutive referent – identify how a set of mythemes is analogous to things of the transformation trajectory in the loose cognitive state.
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