Monday, March 11, 2024

THE SHADOW SAILOR GOES FULL ... RETREAT

  by Ray Jason




 This is fiction … or is it?

 

                                     *******


This time the Shadow Sailor found me.


Usually, I spot him hidden away in some rarely visited cove here in The Archipelago of Bliss. Although his modest 42-foot sailboat is over 30 years old, he keeps her in very good shape. Her only unusual features are a large array of solar panels and a satellite communications dome.


When I first met him, I asked him about these incongruities. Since he barely knew me, he told me that he was an avid “gamer” and was constantly competing via the Internet with opponents scattered all around the world.


Later, when I had earned his trust, he revealed the true reason for his over-sized communication package. He was dedicating himself to trying to unravel “How the world REALLY works.” The SatCom system allowed him to do his research via the World Wide Web from very remote anchorages and even from the middle of the ocean.


He is a man of no country, but he has visited many … more than many. He enters and departs quietly … and unofficially. He is a master at finding hidden spots where the authorities seldom visit. However, although he lives in the Shadows, his life is not gray and dreary and unhappy. He has managed to battle The System without letting the frustration of that combat poison him.


Thursday, February 29, 2024

THE SEA GYPSY TRIBE - 2024 UPDATE

 

  by Ray Jason

 


For over a decade I have been encouraging people around our Watery World to form Sea Gypsy Tribes. My belief is that they are the best defense against any catastrophe that may overwhelm Society. Here is my 2024 update.


The basic concept remains the same. Essentially, it provides all of the survival benefits of land-based emergency “prepping,” but with the significant advantage of not being stationary.


Human history proves that when people have to choose between starving and marauding, they always attack. Having an ocean-ready sailboat, properly equipped and stocked, allows one to “Flee to the Sea!”

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

THE QUEST FOR INNOCENT JOY

  by Ray Jason



When I need to recharge my “Faith in Humanity” batteries, I sail to a quiet little nearby cove. Then, I sit on deck each morning, happily waiting for a boatload of Innocent Joy to pass by.


It is a small cayuco being rowed by two boys. Also onboard are two sisters who are singing and clapping their hands in time with their songs. They are on their way to school, which is about a mile across the water.


The children live in a modest house on the shore of the lagoon. It was not built by contractors. It was the work of their father and some uncles and some neighbors. Their mom washes their clothes by hand with rain water that they catch from the roof of their house. She dries them in the sun.


They pick fruits, grow vegetables, keep some chickens and catch lots of fish. In other words, they live simply - just as their ancestors did for who knows how many generations.


The tranquility of this idyllic scene helps to heal my troubled spirit after too much time examining the suicidal lunacy of the Modern World.

Tuesday, January 23, 2024

THE QUEST GROWS DARKER

by Ray Jason

 


My personal Life Voyage was greatly inspired by two titans of sea literature – Joseph Conrad and Herman Melville. They wandered the Wide Waters, not just searching for riches and adventure, but also seeking deep awareness of the human condition.


They concluded that many men have a tragic tendency to succumb to the worst elements of their nature. Although there is a smattering of virtue motivating some of the characters in their novels, largely the books describe a dark and disturbed human landscape. Sadly, I now perceive the literary villains sailing those pages as only mildly malevolent, compared to the Malignant Overlords that we battle today.


Certainly, there have always been aberrant humans who want to dominate and even destroy others. Much of History is a sickening cavalcade of conquerors with an obscene lust to rule the world. That has not changed. But what is now different is their ability to achieve their hideous desires.


Friday, January 12, 2024

WHERE DOES THE QUEST LEAD?

by Ray Jason




 

 

Does taking the Red Pill inevitably lead one down the path to the Black Pill? Or is there an escape? And if Society seems destined for a grim, totalitarian future, is it at least possible for courageous Individuals to evade that fate?


Since beginning my Sea Gypsy Philosopher blog ten years ago, my goal has been to decipher “How the world really works.” In the first essay of my “Quest” series, I provided a Summing Up of my decade of research. My prognosis was not good.


Because that article was posted on January 1st, it was surrounded in the Alt-Media world by many New Year’s forecasts. Lots of commentators provided predictions that were considerably more optimistic than mine. So, I decided to elaborate more fully upon my fears for the future.

Monday, January 1, 2024

ONE MAN'S QUEST

by Ray Jason


 

 

My quest was simple. I wanted to figure out “How the world really works.” Even as I began this task, I recognized that it was probably impossible.


Take, for example, the two most monumental events that had occurred during my lifetime – the murder of JFK and the attack on 911. These were indisputable turning points in human history. The world was different the next day.


Given the magnitude of these horrors, one would expect an enormous effort to discover what had actually happened. But those who should have been searching for the Truth, were erecting a barricade of Lies. Instead of honesty, we got “magic bullets” and “box cutters.”


Saturday, December 23, 2023

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS



Dear Readers,


Here’s hoping that you are all having a joyous and wondrous holiday season.


Thank you so much for emailing me during these last several months and asking whether I was okay, since you had not seen any new essays from me.


I am fine! My Health is excellent and my Happiness is abundant.


I simply felt that after TEN YEARS of writing my Blog, I needed … and perhaps deserved … a break. So I took a voluntary sabbatical. I did not develop “writers’ block” and certainly I did not suddenly doubt the worldview that I had expressed in 167 essays. My sense was that when it was time to begin creating again, I would know. And such is the case.


My new essay will post on New Year’s Day 2024. The working title is: ONE MAN’S QUEST. I look forward to sharing it with you.


All the best,


Ray


Tuesday, April 4, 2023

THE SEA GYPSY TRIBE ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

by Ray Jason

 


PART TWO

 

The first essay in this series, which you can find here, was re-posted at many websites. The “comments” sections at those blogs generated some very lively discussions. So much so, that it makes sense for me to clarify my mission.

I am NOT trying to convince large numbers of people to abandon their lives ashore and adopt the full-time cruising lifestyle. Instead, my goal is to inspire those who are already living aboard their sailboats. My hope is that I can encourage them to band together with other like-minded sailors who believe that society-wrecking catastrophes might lie just below tomorrow’s horizon.

Groups of 5 to 8 boats, when properly prepared and equipped, have an excellent chance of surviving - and even flourishing - despite any emergency. There are 100s of anchorages scattered all around the world filled with self-reliant sea gypsies.

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

THE SEA GYPSY TRIBE ENCYCLOPEDIA

 by Ray Jason

 


For more than a decade I have been promoting a concept that I call The Sea Gypsy Tribe. The idea is that Humanity is living in an increasingly chaotic world with the possibility of extreme catastrophes looming just beyond the stormy horizon.

I firmly believe that the best way to escape from any type of emergency, is in a well-prepared, ocean-capable sailboat, along with a small group of like-minded sailors in their boats. During the last 10 years at my blog, in about a dozen essays, I have carefully described various disasters and then explained how sailing vessels can effectively respond to them.

My sincere hope is that none of us ever have to deal with such extreme situations. It would be terrific if none of us ever had to react to a currency collapse or a cyber attack or a balloon armed with an EMP! But a wise, old mariner once advised me to “Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst!”

Since I receive inquiries from cruisers all around the world, I decided to collate together the many reasons that I believe the sea gypsy life is ideal in shielding one from natural or human-caused disasters.

Therefore, I am creating this Sea Gypsy Tribe Encyclopedia. It will be spread out across a few essays. Initially, I will randomly choose the topics for discussion, but eventually, they will all be alphabetized like an encyclopedia. But don’t be alarmed – it will not be some massive tome. Instead, it will be a longish essay divided into a few segments. Let’s begin!


                                                       *******

Tuesday, December 6, 2022

A MESSAGE FROM LONG VIEW BAY

by Ray Jason


 

When The Darkness shrouds my spirit, I sail off to Long View Bay. I anchor behind a massive reef that hides itself below the surface and silently tames the waves. Because there is a vast expanse of shimmering water surrounding me, it feels like I am floating in the open sea. And yet it is completely calm. This tranquility soothes my soul. This long view sharpens my perception.

There is also powerful symbolism in this place. The dominant feature of our planet is its … wetness. This is what distinguishes us from the innumerable dry and lifeless stars gliding above us. Our Wide Waters are elemental. And so I have come here to ponder things that are … fundamental.

My belief is that the incessant Cacophony of Lunacy that the media bombards us with, is minor compared to the deeper issues that allow this societal dysfunction to occur. Stolen elections, fake pandemics and phony wars to “save democracy,” cannot be solved by elections or laws. That’s because most of the human actions that are evil, are actually caused by the deliberate, incremental destruction of humanity’s moral character.

Core values such as Honesty, Diligence, Fortitude, Kindness and Integrity, that used to define a person’s true worth, have been jettisoned in favor of expedient traits that might provide tawdry fame and tarnished fortune. It is all about “likes” and “clicks” and “re-tweets.” But here at Long View Bay, it is all about the need to restore long-abandoned virtues.

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

WE DON'T HAVE AMNESIA - SO YOU WON'T HAVE YOUR AMNESTY!

by Ray Jason

 


This is my response to the recent article in THE ATLANTIC magazine entitled “Let’s Declare a Pandemic Amnesty.” I have a superior idea. Let’s arrest, try and prosecute those who committed Crimes against Decency, Common Sense and Humanity.

The essay is written by Emily Oster, who most definitely was not an innocent bystander during the WuFlu Paranoia Op. In fact, she might easily qualify for the Obnoxious Karen Hall of Fame. In her Twitter comments she sounds like a kindergarten teacher scolding us for breaking our crayons. Here are some examples:

I think governors should consider a short term lock-down over Thanksgiving week”

“If you’re pregnant and un-vaccinated, get vaccinated.”

“Maybe vaccine requirements for things you want to do – domestic air/train travel, work, sports events. Yes.”

But she would prefer that these tweets disappear down the Memory Hole. That’s because her motivation in writing this essay is not to make a heart-felt confession that could lead to societal healing. Her actual desire is to … cover her ass!

Thursday, August 25, 2022

JAMES HOWARD KUNSTLER INTERVIEWS RAY JASON ON HIS PODCAST


 

James Howard Kunstler featured me on his podcast this week. It was a very enjoyable and hopefully informative conversation. Since we both expend much of our ink discussing serious and culture-changing events, it was a welcome relief to leave such topics astern for an hour.

Jim and I have become cyber-pen-pals over the last couple of years, but this was literally the first time that we had communicated by voice. Fortunately, it was seamless from the very outset, almost as though we had been chattering across the back fence for decades.

I admire his work immensely because he is such a superb wordsmith, who sometimes even attains a lyrical and poetic dimension in his work. As you, my regular readers know, I always strive for what I call The Three Ps – Powerful, Provocative and Poetic. There are plenty of great commentators in the Blogosphere, but not many can make the words sing like Jim.

Also, we share a philosophical attitude towards the unraveling of Western Civilization. We try to alert people to it, but we retain enough optimism to encourage everyone to seek ways to live with Joy and Meaning amid the chaos and corruption.

Here is the link to the interview at Jim’s website.

Enjoy!




 

Monday, August 1, 2022

THE CIRCUS - A CHICKEN - AND THE HUMAN SPIRIT

 

by Ray Jason


 

For several years I have been haunted by a simple photograph that I saw only one time. The image itself is not complicated, and yet its deeper meaning has eluded me and taunted me - like a riddle inside a dream.

In the photo we see a few children waiting in line at the ticket booth of a traveling circus. But instead of paying with money, each of the youngsters is offering something of real value. One has a basket of eggs, another a loaf of bread, and the third child is holding a live chicken.

The reason these kids are not buying their tickets with cash, is because they are trapped in the hyperinflation nightmare of Weimar Germany in the 1930s. We have all seen the black and white pictures of fathers pushing wheelbarrows full of Deutchmarks to the store with the hopes of feeding their families.

I just spent many hours on various search engines trying to locate that circus photo, but I failed. However, is it not the writer’s task to paint a word picture as vividly as real life? So here is what I saw in that sepia-frozen moment in time.


Tuesday, June 7, 2022

A SEA GYPSY HOWLS AT THE MOON

 by Ray Jason

 


 

Sometimes I just have to sail off by myself and howl at the moon. I anchor in a secluded spot totally removed from human society. Mountains in the background, islands in the foreground and healing water beneath me.

There my only companions live in the sea and the sky. My little sea-going monastery, with its solitude and simplicity, provides me an almost piercing perspective. Every morning I attend sunrise services in the Church of the Natural - saddened by the awareness that most of humanity is hypnotized in the Cult of the Artificial.

For a decade I have been shouting out into cyberspace, warning that demons have high-jacked the Human Voyage. For decades they did this secretly, but now they boldly proclaim their intentions from their Dark Tower of Davos.

Saturday, May 14, 2022

THE TALL SHIP AND THE SUBSTITUTE TEACHER - Part 3

 

by Ray Jason

 


QUESTIONS FOR THE WIND 

 

In Part 1, I meet the captain of a Tall Ship who runs a Semester-at-Sea program. He has just lost his onboard teacher for a couple of weeks due to Covid quarantine. It turns out that he is a fan of my Blog, and so we agree that I will be his substitute teacher for a while.


In Part 2, I deliver my first full lecture to the 16 year old sailor/students. When it is finished, I let them take a 5 minute break before we do a question and answer session. Part 3 is that Q and A dialogue. Here it is.


Welcome back, shipmates! I am delighted to see that all 15 of you returned. My worldview is pretty radical, so I worry about freaking out my new students. Especially, when I don’t have a full school year to gradually introduce you to this material. But because the societal changes that are being initiated right now are so dangerous to your futures, I feel a duty to alert you to them.

Saturday, April 23, 2022

THE TALL SHIP AND THE SUBSTITUTE TEACHER - Part 2

  

by Ray Jason

 


 NIGHT ON THE OCEAN

 

In Part 1, I met the Captain of a Tall Ship who had lost his onboard teacher for a couple of weeks due to Covid quarantine. Coincidentally, he was a fan of my unconventional Blog, and we agreed that I would be his substitute teacher for a while. This is my second lecture to the kids, who are about 16 years old.


Good morning students and shipmates. I deliberately used the term “shipmates” because even though I am not an actual crew-member on the HENRY DAVID THOREAU, I am “one of you.”

That’s because we share an extraordinary bond. We have all savored the Big Ocean - or what I like to call the Wide Waters. When you are alone on a night watch, I suspect that you have been dazzled by how vast and gorgeous the Sea is. And perhaps you were also a bit frightened by how uncaring it is.

It is the dominant feature of our planet - taking up around 70% of its surface. And it is so interconnected, that waves that lap the shores of Panama may one day break on the beaches of Polynesia.  

Sunday, March 27, 2022

THE TALL SHIP AND THE SUBSTITUTE TEACHER

by Ray Jason

 

A FICTIONAL EXPLORATION
 

The bartender gave me his nod that indicated something interesting was headed our way. I turned and watched as an old, but impeccably maintained wooden dory, approached the dock. At her oars were four attractive young people – two women and two men. In her stern was the Captain. I assumed this because he had the calm, confident air of one familiar with the joys and ordeals of command. He cordially said good-bye to his oarsmen and joined us at the bar.

“I’ll go out on a topsail yard and guess that you are from the tall ship anchored out there.”

“Indeed, I am. And I must say that this place looks as pleasant as my scouting party described her to me.”

“Are you saying that “Semester-at-Sea ships are now teaching waterfront bar reconnaissance as part of their curriculum?”

“It’s not a formal course, but it fits nicely into the Life Skills category. But they outdid themselves. Not only did they find a spot with the front on the water, but ALL SIDES are on the water. She is a genuine floating bar.”

“And a relaxed and friendly one as well. Allow me to buy your first round. Might I suggest our excellent local rum with a chaser of one of our fine local beers?”

“You buy ‘em - you pick ‘em”

Thursday, November 18, 2021

THE SEA GYPSY PURE BLOODS

by Ray Jason


 

HOW DARK ARE THEIR PLANS?

Because our shrieking rulers are so fiercely demanding that all of us must be vaccinated, I suspect that they are concealing their true agenda. Previously, I assumed that it was just the age-old quest for money and power.

But now I believe that they intend to use these “vaccines” for much more sinister reasons. My fear is that their ultimate goal is the “cyborging” of humanity. Could it be that this mRNA technology actually re-programs the human operating system? Are they injecting us with compounds that will induce submissiveness, eliminate fertility, secretly track us and potentially even instantly terminate us through sound frequencies or light impulses?

Will those who have been vaxxed be altered - without their knowledge or permission - into a Humanity 2.0.? And will the anti-vaxxers be transformed from mere resistors against Tyranny, into the last remnants of the natural, biological and un-augmented Humanity 1.0?

Will the divide become so vicious that the vaxxed will be privileged and the unvaxxed will be pariahs? And will the Pure Bloods be hunted down, shipped to “quarantine” camps … and possibly eliminated?

Sunday, October 31, 2021

SOME HELPFUL HINTS ABOUT ... DEATH

by Ray Jason

Can we talk? Can I lay a little hard love on you? It is becoming absolutely vital for you to cast off the chains of Thanatophobia. That is the term used in psychology to describe excessive fear of death.

Ever since we humans evolved (some would argue that we “devolved”) from our mostly egalitarian Hunter/Gatherer lifestyle into Civilization, we have suffered under an endless parade of tyrants. The main weapon that they use to enslave us is the fear of Thanatos or Death.

Toil in my fields,” they insist, “or you will have no bread for your table.” “Send your sons to fight my wars,” they command, “or you will be over-run by barbarians.”

It took several thousand years to finally destroy the dominant paradigm under which the rulers crushed the little people. This was achieved through The Rule of Law and through the concept of Self-Government via elected leaders.

Thursday, September 30, 2021

A SEA GYPSY READS THE CLOUDS

by Ray Jason

Embracing the "Old Ways"

 

My education as an ocean sailor was an exquisite blessing. That’s because in my early days we still learned The Old Ways. Nearly a thousand years of hard-earned wisdom was generously passed along to those who wished to wander The Wide Waters.

We could read the clouds and decipher the probable weather for the next few days. We carried barometers, and knew that a rapid decline meant a churning hell of wind and waves was headed our way.

Tragically, that ability to “read the signs” was vaporized nearly overnight as electronic devices slithered aboard almost every boat. Mariners were no longer watching the Sea and the Sky for tell-tale clues. Instead, they were staring at screens.

To go to sea, you no longer had to know how to fix your position by the stars or determine your depth by the color of the water. You just needed the latest electro-gadget.

 

                                      *******


Monday, August 30, 2021

TACTICS AGAINST TYRANTS

by Ray Jason


 

As many of my readers know, I have lived a very contrary to ordinary life. During one of my more exotic chapters, I spent decades as a San Francisco street juggler. It was rewarding … in so many ways.

Often, I was asked to perform at benefits. Usually, I gladly did so. One of those events is firmly etched into my memory. It was an anniversary for the University of California at San Francisco Medical Center.

Just as I was about to go onstage in front of hundreds of children and their parents, I heard an unusual loud thumping sound. As I searched for the location of the noise, I witnessed an astonishing spectacle. Before me, I beheld a tightly-packed battalion of black-robed Grim Reapers. They marched silently and slowly to the solemn throbbing of a solitary drummer boy.

They were protesting the animal testing program at the medical center. Some of them held poles aloft with stuffed kittens and puppies swinging from nooses. It was grim and disturbing. But there was no denying that it was powerful messaging.

Monday, July 19, 2021

THE HUMANITY HURRICANE

by Ray Jason

 

As a longtime ocean sailor, I abide by this simple but wise maxim: “Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst!” When the sky darkens and the sea swells, I ready my ship and myself for the possibility of “heavy weather.” By initiating basic precautions, I can greatly increase my chances of surviving even the most vicious tempest.

Besides sailing The Seven Seas, I have also spent much of the last decade voyaging on the Information Ocean. And all of that research has led me to conclude that a Category Six hurricane is rapidly bearing down on Humanity.

But this catastrophic storm is not being generated by Mother Ocean. It is being created by a tiny, ruthless, sliver of Humanity. I call these creatures The Malignant Overlords. They desire to re-shape Earth into a NEO-TECHNO-PLANTATION.

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

THE SEA GYPSY TRIBE - PAST AND FUTURE

by Ray Jason

 


It has been nearly a decade since I first started sharing my Sea Gypsy Tribe concept on the World Wide Web. My belief is that ocean-going sailboats are the best survival platform for any catastrophe that might arise. And I am convinced that small groups of like-minded, well-prepared sailors banding together are an excellent option for dealing with disasters. That conviction remains as solid as a light-house.

However, something quite significant has changed during the intervening ten years. The scenarios that deeply concerned me back then have diminished in severity. But these have been replaced by even more frightening dangers.

Monday, May 17, 2021

WONDERFUL MEMORIES FROM MY JUGGLING YEARS

 

 

I recently had an enjoyable evening reminiscing about my two decades as a street juggler in San Francisco.  The man who conducted the interview, Dan Holzman, is also an excellent juggler himself, and we crossed paths through the years.  He now does a series of historical podcasts about noteworthy jugglers from around the world.

I believe that you will find our conversation well worth your time.

Anyone who has a memory of seeing my show through the years, is welcome to email me at the address at the top of the right hand column. 

 

https://www.juggle.org/ray-jason-on-drop-everything-podcast-with-host-dan-holzman/ 

 

Friday, May 14, 2021

THE VOYAGE BEGINS

by Ray Jason

 

This is a fictional exploration of the near future.



It was the Field of Gold incident that convinced me that it was time. That was when I sailed away … probably forever.


For years, many truth-tellers had warned that there was a gigantic, half-hidden Evil steadily suffocating Humanity. Many pointed out that when the Malignant Overlords proclaimed that “You will own nothing, and be happy” this also meant that THEY would own everything … and be ecstatic. I was one of those who were shouting such warnings from the World-Wide Watchtowers.

But I was different. I could escape. This was not an accident. I had mastered the art of living aboard a self-sufficient sailboat that could flee to any of our ocean planet’s uninhabited islands. There are thousands of them. For years, I had been charting hundreds of possible options. I achieved this by gleefully using satellite images from the very same technocrats who were trying to enslave me.

Sunday, April 18, 2021

GOING FOR THE GUIDESTONES


 

 by Ray Jason

 

The realization hit me like a bolt of mental lightning. The bastards are GOING FOR THE GUIDESTONES! They are betting that their long campaign to dumb down the global population combined with their evil-eye surveillance grid, will now allow them to stomp Humanity into total submission.

These soulless predators, who I scornfully and gleefully, describe as our Malignant Overlords, are not particularly motivated by greed. They all have more than enough money. What they truly desire is POWER – the sickest variety – the type that allows them to utterly control the lives of ordinary people.

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

INOCULATION HILL

 

Ray Mid-Pacific 1990

by Ray Jason
 

Sailing alone through the night, on the deep ocean, under a big moon, is almost inconceivably sublime. A properly prepared boat, with well-trimmed sails, in a moderate breeze, is a quiet, purposeful being. The only noticeable sound is the song of the waves sliding along the hull. This serenity, this enormity, this solitude, provides the ideal haven for a wandering soul with a philosopher’s curiosity.

Although I rarely feel lonely on long passages, when I do need to conjure up a companion, my favorite shipmate is Henry David Thoreau. He is one of my life-long heroes; and my belief is that if he was alive today he too would choose the sea gypsy life as the best path to freedom and contemplation. This intuition was reinforced when I discovered a few years ago that his final words on his deathbed were, “Now comes good sailing!”

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