Does it go on forever? In a continuous loop of recycling and playing over and over. An endless stream of lives, or only a few? Many cultures talk of reincarnation, but could it be that we do have to do it again? Completing another level towards where you are actually going? There is another idea on that, but will be another article. This one is along the lines of games, films and I guess the simulation theory. Games you play of a simulated world, films you can watch repeatedly, creating the over and again experience yourself. And it is in those games and films, the ideas of the end not quite being the end is put forward time and time again. I thought the way they keep resurrecting ‘dead’ characters was ridicuolous and served no purpose other than to milk it for all they could, or lacked imagination for new characters or ideas. But now I am not so sure.

Jumanji (welcome to the jungle) – the new film, upgraded and computerised, with the twist of having three lives before you die in the game and supposedly ‘expire’ in real life. Bit less intense I guess compared to the first film, where in the manual version, one was it and he was in fear of it the whole time.

Edge of tomorrow/Live, die, repeat. The title is a bit of a giveaway there, but it’s an interesting film. Of being stuck in a repeating loop but with memory each time it starts again and being able to change it.

The Cube (1997) – an odd film, and one very much of levels, puzzles, and a grim outcome if you fail to solve it and move on. Dwindling the ‘players’ one by one.

If you don’t solve the puzzle, learn the lesson, or gain the experience you are here for, you are doomed to repeat it they say. Or it may be there are multiple times or ‘lives’, for different experiences, getting to play ‘different characters’ each time you ‘reset’ to gain said experience. Possibly accounting for apparent past life ‘memories’, or even deja-vu. What some might come call ‘a glitch in the matrix’ these days. Or are we a simulated version already of something that once was, copied and repeated until it recycles down to nothing? They say it’s possible we are in a simulated existence, or we are part of the simulation too and not just a separate entity within in, which is quite outrageous stuff when you think about it. But these are outrageous times, so all avenues of thought are being explored.

(c) K Wicks

Seven pops up a lot, and I have already covered it a bit with articles Seven and Seven Again. But a few more thoughts have gathered since, and how numerology and symbolism appear to play an interesting, if not pivotal role in what we see around us.

7 of 9 – A borg character from Star Trek, and a popular one. She fit well into her uniform I remember, but just as with the android ‘Data’, there was something so very cold about her, and it was always about trying to make her ‘more human’.

7 Horcrux – in the Harry Potter series, there were seven items that had been imprinted with a piece of the lead villain’s soul. Which made me wonder about why there would be 7 pieces to the ‘soul’.

9 (Tim Burton film – following on from the above idea, there were nine creations in this film, all parts of the scientist’s personality, or soul. Separated and each of them to embody a different ‘quality’ of what it is to be human. But because each of them were only part, none of them were anywhere near whole, but still actioned the human like responses of its encoded or transferred behaviour.

9 Realms – Norse mythology – there is another article underway with this in mind, but there are nine very specified realms, inhabitants, locations and history.

9 Circles of Hell, Dante’s inferno – “Hell is depicted as nine concentric circles of torment located within the Earth”.

9 planets, or at least there used to be. And although it’s now 8, it’s part of the reason I realised that even if you believe something, and they say it is so, that can also be subject to change.

9 Muses – the daughters of Zeus, and the inspiration for all areas of the creative arts they say.

9 lives of a cat – turns out this is to do with Atem/Atum, that Egyptian God I mention now and again. It is said he represents nine lives, of him and his 8 descendants who were also gods, and when he visited the underworld did so as a feline. “The Egyptians regarded Atum-Ra, the cat god, as the embodiment of nine lives in one form.”

(c) K Wicks

It seems we are in a very strange social landscape, where things are being redefined for purpose, and twisted to fit the prevailing agenda or narrative being pushed, or in some cases enforced. And it would appear that was always the case, demonising those who do not ‘play ball’ or go along with it. Conveniently being able to label people with whatever you have decided is the next thing to discredit, belittle, control or in some instances, destroy people.

When thoughts are being brought into the arena as punishable, it’s a very dangerous and Slippery Slope to be going down. It used to be actions that got you in trouble, or wanting to action thoughts and planning to do so, that seemed quite clear cut and easy to understand. But the era of the ‘Thought Police’ as mentioned in the book 1984, and frequently referenced on social media these days, seems to be coming about. People being deemed a danger because of thoughts and needing to be sent on re-education programs. Sounds crazy, but that’s where we’re at. And it does seem that any area of thought, society or ideas can be targeted and can suddenly become ‘unauthorised’, even more worryingly is they can be deemed so without any understanding of them. Being able to control what and how people think has been a long running project that will have changed and adapted for the times. Indoctrinating and conditioning generations for purpose, a repeated teaching and expectation through traditions, rituals and ceremonies, history and institutions there to amplify and centralise that.

So on top of ‘wrong think’, we have real life consequences for it would seem. Arrests for silent praying, and a Canadian psychologist being told he will be sent for re-education for his public opinions are two examples we have seen in the media. Although technically only one counts, and if no-one knew that person was silently praying, how would you know? Is it a thing where we are to be conditioned to be afraid of people’s thoughts? Before they even turn into intentions or actions? Fear of what people think has been a long running issue with people, I won’t deny that and try and make it a new problem. And people reactions to what they think someone else is thinking can be a problem. But that is where we used to have the line, that unless someone acted upon those thoughts, either the fearful one or who they were worried about, then nothing would happen. It’s well known that people can’t mind read as a general skill, and often misread social cues, emotions, facial expressions and even plain old words can be misunderstood.

There are some extra serious and dark implications to all this as well, along the lines of A Witch, How Convenient and of certain type of people being targeted. What if they decide a miscarriage is actually the women’s fault, or that they caused it through ‘bad thoughts’ or of wanting it to happen – and it might sound far-fetched, but that is where it seems to be headed. Where someone gets a headache, and blames a curse or a person they don’t like or are paranoid about, for sending them bad vibes. As does happen in certain cultures and traditions in modern times, of witch-doctors and spells. People used to laugh at other cultures being so ‘primitive’ with that type of thinking, yet employ the same thought process when it comes to fearing someone from afar when there is no physical danger or threat of it even present. Thinking they can infect your thought or life by just existing, not even being anywhere near you, yet there is a fear. And one that seems to be growing…

(c) K Wicks