Daniel P. Ph.D: Thesis on ‘Monsters’, Fiction Writer, and Punk Band Legend

So, who is Who is Daniel Otto Jack Peterson?

Before we proceed, please let me steal a moment of your time, so I can say I did my job.

If you want to read ahead, that’s fine, but I recommend learning these two definitions I found on Google. “Ecocriticism” and “Thomism.” Don’t worry, I was confused at first.

1. “Ecocriticism”

“Ecocriticism” is the study of monsters and environment as represented by literature. I was confused at first with the word “ecocriticism.” It looked like the word “esoterism,” and this would make perfect sense given Daniel’s interests. “Esoterism” is the study of hidden and secret knowledge. For instance, “Western Esoterism” is a religion or is applicable to this line of thought. And the umbrella word “occult” definitely uses esoteric teaching.

2. “Thomism”

And finally, “Thomism” is the study of St. Thomas Aquinas’s teachings and his followers. I would have never guessed this. Thomas Aquinas is a theologian, Philosopher, and Doctor of the Church. I do not know how to pronounce “Thomism” and I’m ok with that at least for today. lol

In Daniel Peterson’s Own Words…

“I am a PhD candidate at the University of Glasgow.  My thesis is an ‘ecomonstrous’ reading of the fiction of R. A. Lafferty and Cormac McCarthy.  I study monsters, the environment as represented by literature (ecocriticism), speculative realism, and Thomism. I also try to hone the craft of writing my own fiction when I can fit it in.  I’ve had a few short stories published in indie press publications.  Amazon author page:  http://www.amazon.com/Daniel-Otto-Jack-Petersen/e/B00PMDN61A. 

Authors that interest me include R. A. Lafferty, Cormac McCarthy, H. P. Lovecraft, Arthur Machen, Charles Williams, George MacDonald, Black Elk, G. K. Chesterton, Gene Wolfe, Michael Bishop, Cordwainer Smith, George Mackay Brown, William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, Walker Percy, Jeff Vander Meer, Stephen Graham Jones, & Colson Whitehead (among many others). In the 1990s and 2000s I ‘sang’ in the punk/post-punk bands Blaster the Rocket Man and Voice of the Mysterons. I’m married to Andrea and we have five children, aged 5 to 20.”

Closing Thoughts

So, before you go, I’d like to point out one of the authors Denial listed above. Jeff Vander Meer is his name. I hardly know a thing about the guy. I just randomly searched this author to see what Daniel’s fiction interests were. Jeff Vander Meer is a fiction writer, and The New Yorker named him the “King of Weird Fiction.” So I’ll admit I’m intrigued and I hope “King of Weird Fiction” catches your eye too.

Here are Daniel Otto Jack Peterson’s official websites. The blog is a must see.
http://ridethenightmare.blogspot.com/2013/10/30-days-of-halloween-day-17-seraphim.html?m=1
https://plus.google.com/107588535665238267657

Amazon author page:  http://www.amazon.com/Daniel-Otto-Jack-Petersen/e/B00PMDN61A. 

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Dutch Anamorphic Illusions

This post is about something I find interesting. I’ve been wanting to reveal it to the world (in my own way of course) for some time now. It combines the worlds of 3D imagery and illusions.

The painting below is known as “The Ambassadors.” It is a work by Hans Holbein the Younger (c. 1497 – between 7 October and 29 November 1543). He was a German artist and print maker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style. He is best known for his numerous portraits and his woodcut series of “The Dance of Death” (Dance Macabre) and “The Body of the Dead Christ In The Tomb.” Here is a website with all of his masterfully crafted works. http://www.hans-holbein.org/. 

As you can see below, there is a protruding flattened object in the bottom most middle of the image.

“The Ambassadors”

Holbein was not the first to use the woodcut technique instead of the traditional fresco to create a dance of death. But as he changed the medium. From now on, people would learn the dance of death’s lessons alone, reading a book, and more rarely in a group, looking together at big frescoes.

Here are 15 facts about Hans Holbein’s “Ambassadors” from Mentalfloss.com.

FYI, Mental Floss is a site that discusses weird and wonderful things.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danse_Macabre

Hans Holbein is best known for his numerous portraits and his woodcut series of “The Dance of Death” (Dance Macabre). The image to the left is one such example of this art style. The Dance of Death is an artistic genre of allegory of the Late Middle Ages on the universality of death. No matter one’s station in life, the Dance Macabre unites all.

https://petermerlincane.wordpress.com makes some pretty outrageous claims about hidden messages in art, including the painting “The Ambassadors.” The hidden anamorphic skull in said painting, which I spoke of earlier, is actually supposed to belong to King Henry the VIII. So in honor of King Henry and his skull, Click Here to see hidden messages taken to a whole new level.

In Conclusion

Don’t get me wrong though, I believe hidden messages are everywhere and have occurred for most of human history. 

I really have to give this website’s owner credit for the time that was put in to it. I haven’t seen anything about hidden messages online that was so detailed.

Real Angels and Demons? Part 4: The Movies

Batman vs. Superman

“No man in the sky intervened when I was a boy to deliver me from daddy’s fist and abominations! I figured it out way back! If God is all-powerful, He cannot be all-good, and if He is all-good, then He cannot be all-powerful…and neither can you be.”

—Lex Luthor to Superman

If you’ve ever seen the movie Batman vs. Superman, with Jesse Eisenberg playing Lex Luther, then you might have noticed a painting that is on the wall behind Jesse Eisenberg. It sticks out in my mind particularly because of the performance delivered by Jesse as Lex Luther, but also because of the good vs. evil theme brought even more to life by the painting, which had been turned upside down symbolically by Lex.

It seems like I’m not the only one who has noticed it, and the movie has been out for some time now. I didn’t even realize it was a painting of heavenly or hellish things. So people are wondering What-is-the-heaven-and-hell-painting-in-Batman-v-Superman-and-is-it-real ?

To answer this, people online think the most likely candidate for the image in the movie is Gustave Doré’s illustrations for Milton’s Paradise Lost. I agree. Of course the said illustration below is not a painting, so the movie makers might have taken certain liberties.

I encourage you to visit Gustave Doré’s illustrations for Milton’s Paradise Lost to see more of his ideas and art. Keep in mind that many great artists, authors, and poets have tried to recount good vs. evil themes throughout history, like the painting of the Last Supper for instance.

Movie Trivia: Batman vs. Superman

Here is something I didn’t know!! Alexander Luthor Jr is also known as Lex Luthor, and is the son of Alexander Luther Sr. Most people call the son of Lex Luther Sr., Lex Luther, but Alexander is also perfectly fine.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Now then. I am a fan of Josh Brolin. Who isn’t? I’ve seen the Wall Street movies thus far, and they are timeless. What a blast!

One of the most revealing aspects of Money Never Sleeps is the association the film makes between corporate consumption and cannibalism. Gekko remarks at one point that, “parents are the bones on which children sharpen their teeth”. Elsewhere, Goya’s famous painting, ‘Saturn Devouring his Son’ hangs prominently in an office belonging to a rival business executive. 

Photo Courtesy of: http://paintingsinmovies.com/

The actors in the scene to the left, are Shia LaBeouf and Josh Brolin. Josh isn’t visible though. I found this photo at http://paintingsinmovies.com/The title of the URL says it all! I’m grateful that I found such a unique website. Take a look if you can.

 

 

The regular size painting of ‘Saturn Devouring his Son’ left, is seen more clearly than the photo from the movie. So there you go. Have a good day.

 

Angels and Demons Part 3: Henry Fuseli’s “Nightmare”

Who is Henry Fuseli?

Henry Fuseli was a Swiss painter, draughtsman and writer on art who spent much of his life in Britain. Many of his works, such as The Nightmare, deal with supernatural subject-matter. Some people believe Henry Fuseli had secret knowledge into the Illuminati.

Henry Fuseli has an incredible amount of art, so I urge anyone to check Google images to understand the scope of his work.

Henry Fuseli’s Art and its Meaning

The painting above is titled The Nightmare, by Henry Fuseli (1781) is thought to be one of the classic depictions of sleep paralysis perceived as a demonic visitation.

Take a look at this Wikipedia page. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_hag

The page states that “a night hag or old hag is a creature sighted by various peoples which is used to explain the phenomenon of sleep paralysis. It is a phenomenon during which a person feels a presence of a supernatural malevolent being which immobilizes the person as if sitting on his/her chest or the foot of his/her bed. The word “night-mare” or “nightmare” was used to describe this phenomenon before the word acquired its modern, more general meaning. Various cultures have various names for this phenomenon and/or supernatural character.”

Real Angels and Demons? Part 2

I have personally been told, the cleverest thing a demon can do is convince us it’s not real. On the other hand, sometimes that doesn’t seem to be true at all.

Here is a friendlier quote I like.

The Devil whispered in my ear…“You’re not strong enough to withstand the storm.” Today I whispered in the Devil’s ear, “I am the storm.”

The picture far left is Buer the demon. The picture has interested me since I found it online a few years back. It is in the public domain, so feel free to use it. The grin it has is almost a bit playful in a non-creepy way, but the legs it has on all sides is disconcerting for me.

The more powerful of the two demons, above and to the right, is Baal. The depiction of Baal having a human head, cat head, and frog head is mildly strange to me. However, the concept of a beast of that stature existing is the part that really gets to me. Not to mention the spider legs and the unhappy figure of a man wearing a crown.

The website below gives more detail into Buer the demon.

https://www.stufftoblowyourmind.com/blogs/monster-of-the-week-the-demon-buer.htm

At Stuff to blow your mind.com there are other exciting articles and images there as well. The site is nicely put together. Please visit.

In Lilith by John Collier (1892), the female demon Lilith is shown personified within the Garden of Eden

I haven’t researched this painting, but its seductive nature is a metaphor.

Real Angels and Demons? Part 1

Disclaimer: I follow my faith in God the best I can. In no way do I study angels or demons. What I have written is solely based on things I have been told or read for pure curiosity during my life so far.

The Devil’s Bible: Image source https://www.atlasobscura.com/

There have been various seemingly valid accounts of the Devil visiting people throughout history. I will not cover this in depth, but Padre Pio, whom you have probably heard of, had stigmata for staying true to his faith. Before his death, he wrote about what he believed were demons and/or Lucifer himself. He basically states that sometimes during the night, the Devil would come to him in the form of a cat or a nude woman. He also reported before his death that his blankets would be thrown off while he slept with a force that grabbed him, threw him to the ground, and beat him with vigor. Many holy women and men devoted to God have recounted similar things.

On this same topic, please check out a supernatural mystery called The Devil’s Bible. Many things are known about it, but the Codex Gigas (English: Giant Book) was created during a seemingly impossible amount of time by a Monk. What makes it so hard to fathom is the sheer size of it and the big drawing of the Devil on page 290. The website I gathered some of the info for this post is https://the-line-up.com/. Go there and get your share of bizarre books, movies, stories, and podcasts.

Some Biblical trivia I just learned

Obviously, people practice deeds in the Devils name, publicly or not, and willingly or not. Did you know the Bible states that Satan is “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4) and “the prince of this world” (John 12:31; 16:11), which begs the question: In what sense is Satan a god and a prince?

The image below is a depiction of an angel in the class called Seraphim, not the Mothman as I originally thought. Seraphim are the highest order of choir angels. They are the angels who are attendants or guardians before God’s throne. The first time I saw this image, I didn’t know what to make of it. It sure didn’t look like an angel to me. It’s not super scary, but I’d have to say it gives me more of an unsettling feeling than the movie, documentaries, and drawings I’ve seen of the Mothman. Eyes are the window to the soul, and this angel seems to mean business. As long as it’s business against my enemy.

Igor Skaletsky and Doppelgängers

A bit of background on this post.

I have had Igor Skaletsky’s artwork and website saved on my phone for at least a year. I had no idea at the time that I would be posting on it. I am happy to share!

Igor Skaletsky’s specialty is painting and collage art. He was born in Voronezh in 1978. He is a talented Russian artist who received his Bachelor’s degree in Moscow State Academic Art Institute named after V.I. Surikov….

Below you will find an example of his work. It’s delightfully creepy.

Is it a doppelgänger of a young Kristen Stewart? I don’t even know if the piece of art was fashioned after a real person.

Please visit his site and blog.
Website: https://vsemart.com/painting-collage-art-igor-skaletsky/
Blog: https://plus.google.com/+Vsemart

If you visit his site, scroll down a bit to see many more odd and startling collages. His website has many categories, which I have yet to explore! To access these categories, just click the menu drop down on his site.

As a side note, I’ve been collecting doppelgänger photos for some time now. There have been some claims that someone’s doppelganger was stalking them, and much folklore in Ireland and other such places. These superstitions, we could call them, had men killing their wives and doing other crazy things, especially after someone stepped inside a fairy ring, intentionally or not. In conclusion, I just like coincidences in general and I am good at remembering a face. I do believe in the supernatural, but doppelgängers aren’t my area of expertise.