Double Rainbow All The Way!

The Rainbow (or Gay Pride) Flag was created by artist and vexillographer Gilbert Baker, a friend of the late Harvey Milk, in 1978. The flag debuted at the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day Parade. While we queers like to think we “own” it, the symbol is shared by everything from leprechauns to unicorns, breakfast cereal to cartoons. A favorite with little girls, the rainbow is all things bright, cheerful, sunny and daffodils.

It is also the sign of global cataclysm and judgment. Yes, the rainbow has a dark side. Mythically, the rainbow is associated with the previous great human extinction event - the Flood. Something about unending wickedness, when even the Creator regretted making the race of men. A time perhaps much like our own?

The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. --Genesis 6:5-6

Kauhuhu, the Hawaiian shark God of Molokai, is also associated with rainbows and justice. Kauhuhu is one of those fierce archetypes who would sooner smite you than help you. But help you he will, as long as you leave your ego at the door... DOA. In this famous myth, the vain Chief Kupa murders the two sons of Kamalo, his high priest, for the sin of sacrilege against his temple. The priest seeks revenge against the chief, and he goes on a quest to find someone who will help him. He finds no one, all the priests of the various Gods are either indifferent to his suffering or fear Chief Kupa. Finally he meets the priest of Kauhuhu, who gives him at least a shred of hope. He meets the dragon guardians of the God, who become his allies, and they tell him to hide in the garbage, and wait for the eighth wave to break.

"Speak to Kauhuhu from there, but be quick."

Kamalo tells his story, and he finds a sympathetic audience in the Shark God. The God agrees to help him, and avenge the deaths of his sons.

"They would see a white cloud on the island of Lanai, unlike any they had seen before. When the cloud grew to cover the island, it would move against the wind until it reached the peaks above Mapulehu Valley. Then a great RAINBOW would reach across the valley and Kauhuhu would be there to mete out punishment and avenge Kamalo's sons."

Image from Island Tales.

As it turned out, Var and I did not go to the big gay pride parade in Seattle on Sunday, June 27, but instead popped up to La Conner to meet Eunus Noe (rhymes with Noah) at the Next Chapter bookstore and coffeehouse (See The Second Chapter of Acts). But no escaping rainbows that day, because he was staying with relatives on an island that happened to be spanned by the ‘Rainbow Bridge’!

Eunus was wearing a retro ’70’s jacket that day, pinging with the “Back to the Future” meme. He also “lost his sandal” during out meeting (one of his flip flops blew out). Jason (of the Argonauts), revenger of Hera (Mary, Gaia, Isis) also lost a sandal, and an oracle had warned (the unjust) King Pelias:

"Beware a stranger who wears but a single sandal."

The STRANGER is the local Seattle weekly rag, and that week was their annual Queer issue. Actually, every week is 'queer week' at the Stranger, being the home of Dan SAVAGE, but they really pull out all the stops during Pride Week. The Stranger decided to accept a rabidly homophobic ad from the KHM Families Foundation, the organ of Pastor Ken Hutcherson (former Seahawks linebacker, recently officiating at Rush Limbaugh's fourth traditional marriage between a man and woman). Sorry for all the backstory, because really I’m just focused on their line at the end of the ad:

Oh, by the way, God wants His rainbow back!

So I had a double rainbow that day, connected by the mythic Greek hero Jason and his single sandal. All three heroes, Noah, Jason and Kamalo, are associated with divine vengeance.

On July 6, Queen Elizabeth II made a strange peace offering at Ground Zero, and I wonder if it wasn’t a peace offering to Kauhuhu? No doubt the ceremony was all perfectly timed by the Queen’s astrologers. Being the figurehead of economic and political power - the oil drilling, ocean killing, profit taking, poverty making, brown man enslaving, earth destroying monster that it is - perhaps she was playing the part of Kupa, the unjust king - who knows the jig is up.

“Seven great waves would signal his approach, and he would arrive on the eighth.”

On July 8, Hungrybear9562 (Landshark 22?) gave his answer, as we all hid within the taro peelings. The double rainbow epiphany that was heard round the world. Rock on, Kauhuhu.

--



'Double Rainbow' is destined to become this summer's monster dance hit at the clubs. Lady Gaga will probably do a version and take it Platinum.

Britain Roles Out Their Own Foo Fighter

"Lord Vader, your ship is ready." Britain unveils its obviously 'Independence Day' UFO reverse-engineered killer flying drone.

Tired of not having their own manless killer plane, Britain just rolled out the $216 million Taranis, a flying deathbot drone named after the Celtic god of thunder.

"[The Taranis has] been dubbed the 'pinnacle' of British engineering and aeronautical design."

The pinnacle of British engineering, huh? I guess that's not too difficult seeing how the last pinnacle was the MG. Hoho -- burn! Kidding, I know you make Jaguars. Whoa whoa whoa -- you made DeLoreans too?! Well slap my ass and call me a Tardis. --Geekologie

Ha! I hope it doesn't use Lucas Electronics like my old MG: "If Lucas made guns, wars would not start." The aliens have nothing to fear.

The Love Gun - Part 2

A continuation of my probing examination of The Iron Giant. For previous raving, see The Love Gun - Part 1.

Hogarth finds a temporary refuge for the iron giant at his friend Dean’s junkyard. Dean makes metal art from scrap. Dean is angered when the giant cannot tell the different between his art and the scrap - it all tastes fine to the robot. Again, we see the ego choosing between "good" and "bad".

Dean is a father/priest/shaman character who helps guide and initiate Hogarth into the “mysteries”. Here we see him in his kimono with the yin/yang (experience of duality) symbol, the Eastern equivalent of the Christian cross.

Dean offers Hogarth a strange brew (espresso) that I see as standing in for the sacred plant entheogen of religious tradition. Note the tribal shaman masks on the wall.

When Dean befriends the Id robot, he soon begins to use him to help create his art, which is a classic function of the Id. However, when Hogarth sees this, he feels it is a bit undignified for a “giant robot” to be doing “arts and crafts”.

“Do you have a better idea, little man?”

Indeed he does - and turns the robot into an amusement park thrill ride!

Hogarth turns a junked '59 Cadillac Eldorado (a neat trick since the movie was set in 1957) into a “rocket” that the robot SPINS around him, and that's when I snorted coffee up my nose, because: In Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, we visit the fabled city of ELDORADO that features a central obelisk (the masculine Id) about which SPINS some kind of alien UFO stargate?

The Erection

"The obelisk. The obelisk is the key?"

Indeed. Every key has a key hole, and this would be the spinning Eldorado, AKA the Holy Grail - the Divine Feminine.

Meanwhile, in the Ballroom of the Gateway Plaza hotel...

Here is hapless Deimos, the fallen angel from Class Comics, in an episode called “The Phallus Key” - which features our hero assaulted by wicked occult types who plug a golden phallus up his “divine feminine” in order to open a GATE to hell! (It must be said that the hell of Class Comics is full of brawny, super hung demons who are always fucking each other. Heaven or hell? You decide.)

If Hogarth were older, he would have undoubtably tried to have sex with the robot, which would be very Id-like, I think. When it comes to the Id, art is lovely and amusement park thrills are great, but sex sells. It is unfortunately true that you simply cannot get an accurate picture of the Id within the constraints of a PG rating.

Which brings me to Dom Orejudos' (AKA Etienne, Stephen) homoerotic classic that envisions sex with a giant robot - the porn version of the Iron Giant!

The Army is helpless!

Hunky student Moose McMacho builds a super robot in order to win the campus science fair. He unwittingly presses the “sex maniac” button when selecting the robot’s personality type, and soon the Id is running amok in the streets, fucking every ass in sight!

The dis-arming button

Id sees the Eldorado. AKA "booty".

We see that our hero, Meat Man has to surrender his ass to the Id in order to save the world. In the end, the robot is destroyed, but his phallus is firmly lodged within Moose. God, that’s just beautiful.

NOTE: Today has been a day of dazzling synchs, some are calling it a "synch storm". One personal example was that as I drove through town this afternoon, I saw a red '59 Cadillac Eldorado parked on the street, in mint condition. Of course, I didn't have a camera.

Ugly to the Bone

What the hell IS it with beauty pageant queens and their relentless hatred of the gays? According to Joe.my.god, Anita Bryant has been let off her leash, in YUKON, Oklahoma:

The controversial Queen of Gay Hate, Anita Bryant, will be returning to the stage on July 9, 2010 for a patriotic performance in Yukon, OK before an Oklahoma-based group that has become nationally known for its malevolent attacks on gays and whose members include the husband of leading homophobe State Rep. Sally Kern. Bryant’s appearance is part of a two-day conference spanning July 9th and 10th calling for a return to America’s Christian heritage, a crusade against Muslims and gays, and will coincide with the first ever Patriot Pastors Tea Party.

I can see it now: Anita Bryant will become Sarah Palin’s running mate! And I dunno, maybe Carrie Prejean will be first runner up.

Freud would have a field day.

Seven Eleven World Cup

Sunny Spain is getting plenty of top level sporting attention this year. First, the 33rd America Cup was held in Valencia, famous for their oranges (solar symbol - remember that "a breakfast without orange juice is like a day without sunshine", thank you Anita, you homophobic bitch). Second, Wimbledon saw Spaniard Rafael Nadal victorious on the lawn, and today (7/7), Spain defeated Germany in the World Cup semi-finals, bringing them to the finals against the Netherlands!

That’s awesome! It’s like Supes (solar hero) vs. Batman (Lord of the underworld). The match is scheduled for 7-11. Since, I believe, that we are currently experiencing a reconciliation of these two archetypes, I will be watching, between the lines, for an example. A secret love affair between opposing team mates, rumored about in the tabloid press would be perfect, but we shall see....

UPDATE 7-9: Well, well, well... gay intelligentsia report that Spain, Netherlands, and South Africa all grant full marriage rights to their LGBT citizens. In fact, they're the only countries competing in the World Cup that do. Click map to engorge.

The Love Gun - Part 1

A Boy and His Robot - The Iron Giant

I finally watched The Iron Giant last week. Considering how prophetic this little box office bomb has been, I’m glad I finally got around to it. The film is beautifully made, and director Brad Bird eventually went on to great success at Pixar with The Incredibles and Ratatouille. The plot:

In 1957, During the height of the Red Scare, a giant alien robot crash lands off the coast of Maine. Struck with amnesia it is found and befriended by a nine year old boy. Eventually the robot comes to the attention of an FBI agent, who assumes the robot is an enemy weapon. As it turns out, the robot is a sort of weapon, though from where and aimed at what target is never made explicit. However, thematically and symbolically, the robot represents the mighty Id, and it is aimed squarely at the ego.

The story is essentially about two egos and their responses to a sudden manifestation of Id consciousness. The protagonist is 9 year old Hogarth Hughes, who while at first is terrified, soon welcomes and befriends the intimidating giant. The antagonist is FBI agent Kent Mansley, who can see the robot only as a threat. Released in 1999, the film is a sort of bridge from the McCarthy years to the post 911 ‘reign of terror’. Interesting that Brad Bird was born on Sept. 11, 1957.

Much has already been written about this film, but I’ll try to add my own two cents, starting with the name of the protagonist: Hogarth Hughes. A brilliant HH (see the Double H Ranch) the name is a tribute to William Hogarth, English Freemason, cartoonist and satirist credited with the invention of ‘sequential art’; and Ted Hughes, the author of the book “The Iron Man” upon which the film was based.

The Iron Man/Tin Man resonate the alchemical 42, Jupiter, the Rod of Iron... the will of Creation. In other words, this robot is not just any robot - he is that divine Phallus you’ve heard tell about. When the giant falls to earth, he makes a bulls-eye directly into the eye of a hurricane, representing the Divine Feminine. A virgin birth is soon to follow.

The first to witness the earthly manifestation of Id is a fisherman, being the aquatic equivalent of the shepherds who first saw the Star of Bethlehem. He is roundly mocked when he tells his tall tale in the local greasy spoon, though he finds an unlikely ally in the local beatnik - Dean McCoppin, who stands up for the old salt. The beatnik is a metal artist and junk yard owner, who makes art out of old scrap, which he can’t sell. Something about pearls before swine here, and speaking of pigs, they are all over this movie.

When Hogarth first follows the Id giant robot into the dark woods (the Id is always found lurking about the dark woods), he brings his army helmet and a BB gun. These are all ego defensive weapons, and they prove predictably useless. His gun is broken by the foot of the monster, leaving the message: Hog Hug. Hug your hog? Hog is yet another euphemism for the masculine organ.

This giant robot has the ability to repair himself when dismembered, recalling the myth of Osiris, cut into 14 pieces by his jealous brother. When the robot is first dismembered and repaired, the final piece to be integrated is a screw. The screw could represent the golden phallus made for Osiris by Isis, and curiously, it is the screw to his “jawbone”.

And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men. --Judges 15:16

Hmmm... bones as weapons: it would be remiss not to synch in with the great ape from 2001: A Space Odyssey - thus spoke Zarathustra.

After Hogarth realizes the giant metal man isn’t going to kill him, he attempts communication, teaching him simple words and eventually how to speak, which makes perfect sense, because language is a left-brain, egoic ability - the Id “has no British”. After that, he tackles the little stuff like the experience of duality, right and wrong, life and death and the belief in an eternal soul - again, all egoic concepts that would be completely foreign to a creature from the Id! Fortunately, the Id is a quick study.

"Who controls the Metal Monster?"

When the boy’s Id is introduced to egoic duality, the robot is given the choice of playing Atomo, the giant robot villain, or Superman, the hero (We note that at first glance, the giant robot more closely resembles the villain, not the hero). However, it is actually the boy who chooses. The ego chooses the role that the Id will play.

“You’re not like him. (Atomo) You’re a good guy. Like Superman.”

The film’s climax envisions Armageddon, when the weapons of the collective ego are arrayed agains the Id. Pitiful they are against the ultimate power of penis! The robot swats away tanks as if they were flies and even takes out battleships!

The Army realizes it has only one more chance, which is its own Shekinah - a nuke from the Nautilus submarine! The collective ego launches a missile targeted directly at the Id robot, which happens to be standing in the same place as the army - one ego-death coming right up! At the last minute, the giant Id sacrifices himself for the sake of the egos who have come to love him. He is destroyed, but the town of Rockwell is saved, one might even say “born again”. I admit to a little crying at this part.

At the end of the movie, Hogarth is given the only remaining artifact of the robot - a tiny screw. Once again, the phallus that Isis made, representing the phallus firmly attached to Hogarth. The Golden Phallus, (or should I say... Compass?) is the mini Me, the Id within - pin the God on the monkey.

“He said it was the only part recovered.”

Meanwhile, on the Langjökull glacier in Iceland (Ultima Thule), The Id robot has begun to re-assemble himself, once again. Unbeknownst to Hogarth, the giant survived the apocalypse, and has begun calling his various parts back to himself. This is represented by the “awakening” of the screw (puberty) and the tapping on the window glass to be let out. The boy’s phallus goes to seek his master, and we know that the boy will not be far behind.

Makes me wonder about that Iceland volcano. Stay tuned for Part 2, when we do a pole shift.

LINKS:

For an alternative interpretation of The Iron Giant, see The Open Scroll blog, where the insidious, “beast” agenda of this film is detailed... in 14 parts.

Wired magazine: A Decade Later, The Iron Giant's Weaponized Soul Still Stirs.