3 Questions for Becky

My friend Becky, who is a wonderful and talented painter, doesn't have a lot of time to spare so when I asked her if she would do the 5 Questions thing with me, I cut her questions down to three:

Q: What do you think the theme is of 2012?

I feel that the world this year has been, and will continue to be going through several major transitional events that will not seem as huge in the present as they will in the future.  For instance, the LHC’s findings stepping us closer to understanding the origins of life, the imminent transition in the English monarchy, the collapse of the world economic system, climate change and potential pole reversal, solar flares, and the privatization of space travel all seem to be huge themes for this year, among many others. In a nutshell, it appears that 2012 is all about change – major change.  Perhaps even phoenix-style, rising-from-the-ashes kind of change.

Q: What have you noticed to be a "warning sign" for the upcoming Summer Olympics?

There has been a strong association of the Olympics with Cyclops.  The single eyed mascots Wenlock and Mandeville resemble the circumpunct symbol in Dan Brown’s last book, the Lost Symbol.  It is the all-seeing eye, the sun, Ra, the symbol of Target, the symbol of The Who, alchemical gold – all very pervasive themes around this year.  Does this mean the sun will send out a huge flare and wipe out our technology? Does it mean that we will unlock the mystery of the creation of life via the LHC and the creation of antimatter?  Will the alchemical process of purifying mankind finally reach the phase of gold?  I don’t know, but this symbol is important.

Cyclops made an appearance during the commercials for the 44^th Super Bowl, as well, with Target’s giant orange one-eyed sock monkey.  Those ads also featured an asteroid, several “pants on the ground” references, several “mini-me” references, a destroyed bridge, human dolphins leaping through a ring of fire, and chickens screaming that the sky was falling because Denny’s was running a special (Denny – St. Denis, who was beheaded).  The repeated themes can make one’s head spin. 

Q: What do you think of when you see "Work no. 1197" and bells ringing all over England for 3 minutes at 8:12 am on July 27?

“Big Ben” is actually the name of the bell inside the tower, not the tower itself.  It symbolizes British Parliament.  Parliament, of course, represents the People.  All the bells would mean to me all the people. But I see a lot of signs here that I haven’t figured out  For example, tied in with all of this repeatedly is the zombie theme, and the movie “Zombieland” opens with the song “For whom the bell tolls,” and while the song plays, normal people become zombies in the midst of their everyday activities and attack those around them.  

“For whom the bell tolls” also happens to be the title of a Hemingway novel about civil war and a man assigned the task of blowing up a bridge – more themes that are pervasive in the current times.  The real message of the book and the origins for the title is the concept that we are all interconnected, and that when the bell tolls for someone else, it is also tolling for us. 

The time of 3 minutes beginning at 8:12 is particularly interesting because 8:15, when the bells cease to toll, is a consistent theme in “Lost.”  For instance:  The plane that crashed on the island was Oceanic 815. During the season 2 episode "Man of Science, Man of Faith", Jack is giving care to two people who have been in a car crash. After one of them dies, a voice is heard in the background saying, "Time of death, 8:15 AM".  August 15 is also Assumption of Mary Day (the day the Virgin Mary was taken to Heaven), V-Day (Victory over Japan Day), and the first day of the Flooding of the Nile – again, all these events touch on common themes at this time.  The “V-Day” especially interests me because of “V for Vendetta,” which fits in perfectly with the themes of Big Ben, Parliament, and civil war. 

Why the number 1197?  I am not sure, although if it is a date – November 1997 – then some other things could be significant.  For instance, in 2001: A Space Oddity, HAL is activated on Jan. 17, 1997.  Jan. 17, for anyone unfamiliar with that date, has repeatedly been prominent in Goro Adachi’s work.  In the Terminator film series, Skynet’s nuclear attack on mankind occurs August 29, 1997.  And most interesting, the events in the film “V for Vendetta” begin November 5, 1997. 

I haven’t been able to really delve into researching these clues as I used to, so I’m sure I am missing a lot of information.  However, the themes are clear as they have been for the past several years, the clues are enticing, and there is no doubt that we live in interesting times!