The Illuminati in mass media and my Catholic two cents on the matter

I know, I haven't finished my story and it's been weeks since I've written anything, but please allow me to finish things in my own time and order! And I apologize.... happy?

OK OK, enough of the fluff. Let's get on with it, shall we?

So as most everybody knows conspiracy theories and crazy assumptions about our everyday media have been thriving in Internet conversation. Talk about the Illuminati and dark forces behind the latest music video aren't only contained in small Internet threads or major blogs such as the Vigilant Citizen, no, it is even talked about on news networks, but often in a negative or downgrading sort of way. Discussion of Beyonce's performance during the halftime 2013 Super Bowl, for example, was especially hot. It has drawn more, how you say, awareness on the subject of conspiracies. Still, the possibility of such things is something many blow off or think is a bunch of bologna. 

But what exactly is everyone talking about? For those of you who don't know, I'll lightly inform you. 

So basically some people have made claims that there very specific things that are almost always present in your favorite tv show, movie, music video, advertisement, tech toy, snack, or song; things that are laced with evil and demonic intentions. 

What these theorists have seen are these specific objects (or symbols) are repeated EVERY-frickin-WHERE in media and we never notice them. I'll put a few picture links to show examples. Some of these objects include:

- A triangle or a pyramid [1, 2, 3, 4...]

- Hexagon (or beehive) pattern

- Blood

- Black and white tiled floors [1, 2...]

- Butterflies or bees [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...]

- Covering up (or emphasizing) one eye [1, 2, 3, 4, 5...]

- Devil horns [1, 2...] 

- Some type of metamorphosis 

- Skulls

- Human advancement/robotizing

Just to name a few...

There is far more detail, symbolism, and explanation behind all this, and there is no way to sum it all up, and it's not worth it either. I'll work with what I got...

Anyway, these things are supposedly symbols that could represent slavery, mind control, freemasonry, demonic possession, a culture of death, the antichrist, Satan worship, war, and things of the like. Many ask how does this affect anything? Apparently these symbols are supposed to affect our subconscious or us in a spiritual way. And a WHOLE LOT of work and research has been put into this to back it up. 

Blah blah blah, so just how legit is this stuff? Is it real? Do these things really happen?

I believe it. 

I don't think you will turn into some mindless drone after watching a Disney movie or anything, and I also don't think there is any need to panic or shove this stuff down people's throats. I also think that there is some stuff in these theories that is crap, but if you look at how fame has changed individuals in scary ways you have to eventually stop and wonder what exactly is going on. 

Another good question is WHY? Why are these things so heavily laced in everyday things? As far as human beings go my answer is money and power. Simple. With money and power, you can do almost anything. Or, so people think....

Every legend must eventually die. And when someone mega rich dies, they can't take their money with them. People like Adolf Hitler lose all their power as soon as they go to the grave. It's an obsession with gaining the world and losing as much of the soul as possible in order to make that happen. And as for us innocent everyday human beings who get our daily dose of mass produced media, well, we buy this stuff. Sin sells, and is made again and again and again and again. See? Money money money. That's why God told us to guard our hearts because sometimes we really DON'T know what we're letting into our hearts and minds.

As far as spiritual forces go, the Devil is always out to corrupt the church and the truth in any way that he can. Music, talents, stories, imagination, were all built by God, and the Devil tries to claim those things by putting sin in the picture. But just because Jay-Z sung about Satan in a song doesn't mean that Satan now has claims to music. It's quite hilarious actually how lame Satan's attempts are at dominating things. 

Some people claim that these symbols are prophetic and lead to evidence of a very scary future. Truth is we humans really don't know what the future holds. One thing we Christians do know is that Jesus will come again and set everything right. It WILL be a great and terrible day, but we really don't know when exactly that will be or what it will look like. Besides that, if these symbols really are demonic, why should we trust them? Isn't Satan a LIAR? 

As for us Christians searching and warning others about this symbolism, well, I think God wants every Christian to be on the lookout for His signs and wonders, not the Devil's. It's ok to be aware of it, I think, but to purposefully dig them up and spend all our time and labor on it isn't our calling. One thing I've personally discovered is that God is also very evident is mass media too! He CAN speak through everyday things! Messages of love, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, and self control can be seen everywhere! It's like what 80's Christian rock band Petra said in Judas' Kiss (ironically and hilariously) in a subliminal back masking message.

Also as a catholic, I know that the church is, like mass media, heavily composed of symbols with various meanings. That's why many theorists attack the church as well. But unlike mass media the church's symbols all contain messages of love that all point towards the depth and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Kingship of God, and the influence of the Holy Spirit. It makes sense to me that Satan would try to mirror that in an evil way. 

So what do you do now? Start looking and searching for God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength! Be careful what you do, act out of love, and ask God to make you clean from all your sins. He will! Believe it, bro. :)

Within Chaos - Chapter 2

After what felt like hours, the ongoing shouts finally seemed to fade away. Janet stood up, brushed herself off, and figured, there was nothing else to do around here.

"May as well sleep," she said as she headed for the bedroom. "I could just sleep away my problems. I can ignore them... They'll just drift away... "

She saw her nightstand clock. It was 10 PM.

"Perfect timing," she said. As she plopped down on the bed, the picture of her and her boyfriend fell off the nightstand and crashed onto the floor.

"No!" she cried, picking up the pieces. Explosive feelings flowed through a short rage as the glass cut her hands. She went over to the trash can and dropped the tear and blood covered shards into it.

"How could he...? I mean, he used me.... Why.... how...." She then gathered the remaining parts of the broken frame, tossed it, and then took the crumpled up photograph. It had already been torn up multiple times before, with only a few small pieces of tape holding it together.

"What a jerk," Janet said, wiping her eyes. "Why do I even miss him?" She sighed, tore up the photo for the final time and let the pieces flip and float down into the trash can. Relief showered her like gust of wind. Janet was done crying over him. After covering her hands with a few Band-Aids, it was finally time for a snooze. Janet lay down and immediately fell into a deep sleep.



----



Janet rolled over and glanced at the clock. 11 PM.

"Hmm," she thought, "I've only been asleep for an hour." She felt refreshed but gross, and wondered why her head hurt. She picked up her phone and checked the calendar. Two days had passed.

"I've overslept!" she yelled, slapping her forehead. She leaped out of bed and hurried into the shower. Violently, she scrubbed herself so hard that her pouf left scratches all over her body. She dumped more soap on, scrubbing, scrubbing, scratching... For some reason, her efforts to become clean did not make her feel clean. Angry, she reached for the soap and shook the bottle hard, only to find that all of the soap was gone.

"All gone?" Janet said. "This bottle is brand new..."

The water was off and she was drying herself. She wrapped the towel around her body and walked into her room to get clothes on, but she had no clean clothes in her dresser.

Janet fell to the floor. "I am thirsty... I am hungry... My life is out of control... Who am I??" A pool of teardrops collected on the floor.

Eeeeeeeee buzz buzz buzz eeeeeeeeeeee......

A subtle whine of a fly began to be noticeable to Janet. She glanced up, but she couldn't see the fly, perhaps because her vision was cloudy. She let her head back down. The fly began to circle her head, and the volume of the whine increased.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...... Buzzzzzzzz......

...it became louder....

BUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZEEEEEEEBUZZBUZZEEEEE......

...and louder...

BUUUUUUUUUUZZZ EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE......

...AND LOUDER.... The squeal was piercing her eardrums...

"SHUT UP!!!!!" Janet screamed.

She panted. The whine had stopped, but the fly was still there. This time, Janet could see it, just sitting there on the floor, facing her. It was an unusually large fly, and Janet said to it, "I have never seen a fly quite like you before!"

The fly nodded, and in a smooth voice it said, "I know."

Janet gasped. Did the fly just... speak? 

Within Chaos - Chapter 1

Janet made a cup of decaf and carefully balanced it atop of a stack of books that was lying on her coffee table. She stepped over a pile of dirty laundry that was sitting between the coffee table and her couch, shoved stacks of papers over to other side of the couch, and sat down. She then tilted her head back and tried to relax. It was hard to do that with all her things just laying around.

"I should clean up one of these days," Janet said. She had been telling herself that ever since she moved out of her parents' household seven years ago. This messy apartment has been her home ever since, and lately she's been quite lonely. Oh, Janet had friends, and she certainly had the magnetic personality that drew all kinds of people to her. To everyone who had the pleasure of making her acquaintance, she appeared to be bold and fiery, with her intense red hair and bright smile. Her clothes were unusual but suited her well, and many men found her sweetness and unique characteristics refreshing.  She was truly a genuine young woman; literally unlike any other.

But her apartment... that dreaded, dusty old apartment...

Janet sipped her coffee and grimaced. That Half and Half was older than she thought. She arose and sighed, and hobbled over to the kitchen where she dumped the liquid into the overflowing sink. She opened her cupboard and saw that there were no clean glasses left, so she drank water straight from the faucet, holding her long hair up so that it wouldn't touch the grey dishwater below. 

Janet sat back down on the couch, this time with a magazine that was three years old. She didn't read the articles, didn't pay attention to what the words meant, didn't look at the pictures, she just stared blankly at it. After a while, she shut the magazine and tried to lie down. Those papers on the other side of the couch were in the way. Frustrated, she kicked the pile hard and the papers scattered all over the place. Suddenly, a loud series of knocks sounded from the door: 

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Startled, Janet fell off the couch and hit the floor. The tall mound of laundry laying there made her back hurt from the impact. She whined in pain.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"Janet! Janet! Are you in there? Janet?"

Janet continued to lay there, motionless. This peculiar noise frightened her greatly, and she never answered the door when this particular stranger came by. To Janet the voice was threatening and dark, and she couldn't bear it.

"Janet! Let me in! JANET!"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Janet hid under the heap of dirty clothes and buried her head into a torn up hoodie. 

"LET ME IN!!!"

"Never," she whispered. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------

I AM GOOD I AM GREAT I AM WONDERFUL

I AM HORRIBLES.

I haven't made a blog post in like, three years.

I am also in an exaggerated mood right now.

So hey guys. I has a job, that keeps me pretty dang busy, and soon school is also going to start, AND I am going to move in a couple of months. Day-yang. Transcending into being all-grown-up is kind of tricky! But hey.....

I am a grown-up now!!!

Actually no I'm not.

I'm still a kid.

Especially compared to older wiser people like my awesome parents and grandparents. They've lived life longer and have experienced and grown far more than I have. Sometimes (like all we kiddos tend to do) we just don't wanna listen to our day-yang elders. My piece of advice? Listen to them, or you'll die. OK, maybe not, but most likely they've got the power of guidance in your life, if you'd let them.

Anyway, a lot of things that I am going to need to start taking way more seriously is budgeting and managing money. This is the sort of thing every teen (well, me at least) would roll eyes over and kinda ignore. Now that money is starting to actually matter to me (like getting a car, gas, rent, utilities, insurance, groceries, tithing, tuition, textbooks, setting a good foundation for the future, etc etc etc), I've been learning to buy only what I need at the store and then splurge....... very, very, VERY sparingly.

I'm trying to store up a whole buncha money over a long period of time. This is a slow but surefire way of building wealth. My ultimate goal is not to be wealthy, but to have a solid financial foundation for the future, that being the possibility of marriage, kids, and (what's guaranteed) emergencies. Yup, I've become quite the goal-setter and dreamer lately.

Besides that, I've also been learning to be more under control, positive, and determined as life rapidly progresses. All of this hasn't been possible without the help and guidance of my Father, God. So thanks to Him for EVERYTHING! :)

That's basically it.

Yeah, it's good news for ME at least.

Thanks for reading!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bye, DUDEZ.

Mallory the Overdone

1.
Mallory stared at her computer with a Google doc open on the screen. No words could come to her mind. She didn't know what to write. She watched as the thin, black typing line blinked on and off, on, off...

She hadn't typed a single word. Her creativity well had gone completely dry.

Last week she wrote a short story. It had taken her several hours of hard work to get it just right, then she proudly put it up on her blog for all of her friends to see. Mallory was quite a daydreamer, and oftentimes after a personal accomplishment she would imagine several people congratulating her and telling her she's one heck of a writer. She had friends to support her, and they would be the start for getting word out about her stories!

...Mallory's friends didn't read it. She'd ask them,

"So, whadjya think of it?"

They'd nod politely in an obviously-I'm-bluffing manner and say, "Yeah! It was -" pause, " - good..." followed by an awkward silence or an immediate change of subject. That, to Mallory, was far worse than them not reading it at all.

_______________________________________________________________

2.Mallory groaned, closed the vacant window and decided to check her Facebook.

Typety, typety.... username..... Typety, typety.... password... Enter.

Ah! A notification!

Mallory's excitement died when it was only some person she didn't know inviting her to an unknown group event. She closed Facebook. Mallory didn't get it; she posted brilliant statuses, famous quotes, and viral videos but never get any "likes" or comments. She even tried to make her profile pic look sexy but apparently that did nothing. Somehow though, Mallory was not surprised.

Ever since she started high school her popularity went down the drain. Well, she never was popular, she just had a lot of really close friends and got along well with everybody. Now she feels invisible. Her "friends" apparently have better things to do like go talk with the blonds or the jocks.

Mallory got up and went to the mirror. She adjusted her glasses and frowned.

"This story feels so typical," she said to herself, "I've heard it many times before. What can I possibly do to change it?"

She was referring to herself as she picked at her teeth, hair and clothes.

_______________________________________________________________

3.

Mallory had written up a new fan-fiction about the latest hero movie that sold for about a zillion dollars. She actually hadn't seen it (unlike everyone else), but she looked up the basic plot line and characters and understood generally what it was all about.

Once again she hit up Facebook and her blog. Typety, typety... Enter.

Story posted.

After she finished watching a couple of hours of Cartoon Network and MTV downstairs she went back up to her room, checked her computer and, same as before, zilch.

"ARGGH!" Mallory screamed, "What is wrong with me?!?!?!?"

She plopped onto her bed and buried her head in her pillow. Soon the pillowcase was soaked.

"Tears are so typical..." she whimpered, "This is so lame... There is nothing to cry about... I am better than that... Why can't they just see that?"
 
_______________________________________________________________

4.

A couple of years ago Mallory's mom gave her a diary that came with a gel pen. The cover was pink and had obnoxiously orange flowers peppered all over it.

"This is for you," her mom said, "You're going through a lot of changes now and you will be for the next few years. I think it'd be good for you to write down your feelings and experiences here."

"Thanks," Mallory said hesitantly.

Mallory hadn't actually used it until she started making internet stories a few months ago. She didn't like to document what had happened in the day, because her life was simply too boring and repetitive, and frankly she wasn't into history to begin with. She instead would write poems on her better days, create short stories on neutral days, and  scribble violently across a page on bad days.  

Today Mallory was sick of the annoyingly bright diary cover.

"I've gotta trash this," she said.

Mallory wasn't much of an artist (but she could draw a nice stick-figure), so she glued cut-outs from her magazines to illustrate the front. Next she put a picture of herself on top.

"Something's missing..."

She reached for the Sharpie and added a mustache, top hat, buck teeth, and a speech bubble on the photo.

"Much better," she said, "this isn't my diary, it's my story."

_______________________________________________________________

5.

"Cloudy with a fifty percent chance of showers and thunderstorms," a weather guy said on the radio, "so as you plan for your day please be cautious and aware of that..."

"Honey, what's the matter?" Mallory's mom asked as she slowed down for a red light.

Mallory grunted, "Nothing, Mom."

"Your arms are crossed and you're not looking at me."

 "I said, nothing, Mom."

"You've been like this for the past few days. Is everything OK in school?"

"I'm FINE, Mom." 

Silence, except for the radio:"High of 50 today, low of 35..."

Her mom proceeded through the green light.

"I'm here if you want to talk about whatever whenever, alright, sweetie?"

Mallory sighed. "OK, Mom." Then she thought to herself: "I wish I could tell you everything, but I don't even know what's wrong with me."



_______________________________________________________________

6.
 After school, Mallory waited outside on a bench for her mom to pick her up. It was quite chilly, so she wrapped her big coat around her tightly. Suddenly, the wind picked up and blew her homework  loose! She chased after it until she collected each and every page.

Returning to sit back down, another person was sitting on the bench, picking up her story book.

The stranger asked: "May I?"

Most people would probably snatch their personal belongings away from the snoopy weirdo while shouting, "GIVE THAT BACK!" or, "That's private you idiot! Have you no respect for other people's privacy?" or perhaps, "STOP! THEIF! Help, police!!" For some reason, Mallory didn't seem to care.

"Go ahead," she replied, "but you're not going to like it."

The girl scanned the first few pages which had Mallory's internet stories glued on top.

"This sucks," said the girl.

Mallory blinked at her.

"This sucks big time."

Mallory looked at her shoes. "Yeah... I know...."

"Have you ever been taught how to write? This is pretty bad..."

Mallory began to defend herself, "Of course I've been taught how to write! What do you think I do at school?"

The girl giggled at that. Mallory had to also. Their school wasn't the best in the world...


_______________________________________________________________

7.


"What's your name?" Mallory finally asked.

"My name is Naomi."

Mallory smirked. "Sure beats the name, Mallory."

Naomi was a naturally beautiful Asian girl who appeared to be a senior. Mallory hadn't really noticed her before, even though she had seen her in the halls of school often.

"Hmmm...." Naomi said, turning a page. "Actually, this part isn't so bad."

Mallory looked up and saw that the girl was looking at... the scribbled up pages? On the next page, Naomi read some poems.

"Wow! This is actually very good." The girl finished the book and closed it. "Would've been a great story if it weren't for the beginning part."

"You actually thought it was good?" Mallory asked. "What about the original 'this sucks big time'? Also, this is like my notebook full of randomness. It's not like they're made to be well-constructed or nice or sell big or anything like that..."

The girl set the book down.

"As a fellow writer, might I make a suggestion to you?"

Mallory nodded.

"Maybe if you stopped trying so hard to please everyone you'd do better."


_______________________________________________________________

8.


Mallory thought about this. Huh, that's strange, all this time she had been working only for the sake of winning everyone's approval, to get attention. Why hadn't she seen it before?

"Your opinion sways so much from what other people do or don't do that you get confused and upset. You can't even rely on your own gifts and natural abilities anymore."

Mallory's eyes got wide, "You know, you're right! That's EXACTLY how I feel! How did you know? I couldn't even figure it out, myself!"

Naomi laughed, "Girl, I was in the same boat. I only wrote for the sake of gratitude. In the end I wasn't happy with myself. And I still struggle with it now. Just remember, you're not being selfish for expressing yourself, because you have a lot to offer, so just be original."

Mallory smiled. "Dude, you don't know how glad I am that I talked to you."

After a few minutes they chitchatted on their favorite TV shows, books, bands, and the like. Then at last Mallory's mom showed up.

"Better go," Mallory said as she stood and slung her backpack on.

"Wait!" Naomi said. "Have a Facebook?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Add me, and we can talk more." She quickly scrawled her name down on a sticky note and handed it to Mallory. "Glad to have met you."

"Yeah, same here!" Then Mallory got in the car.


_______________________________________________________________

9.

"Today it looks like things are going to clear up and be sunny with a high of 83 and a low of 74..."

Mallory skipped her usual afternoon of TV and went outside for a change. She hadn't worn her shorts in a while, and they felt great. It's been a week since she had met Naomi, and ever since then a lot more stories have been written. Something about Mallory had changed, it was like a new season had started for her.

Mallory posted her first story on Facebook - her first real story. It was quite random with whimsical characters dealing with unusual situations in a surreal world... But it felt good to put into words, and it turned out quite funny, actually. Later that evening Mallory wanted to check her Facebook to see if anyone had read it.

Typety, typety.... username..... Typety, typety.... password... Enter.

There was one notification that read: "Naomi Ono liked your post."

It was a start. Mallory left a quirky comment on one of Naomi's statuses and then shut down her computer.

Mallory went to the mirror. She looked the same as ever. Yet she was smiling, with her eyes.

"Every story has got to have a beginning," Mallory said to herself, "pfft. So typical. Good thing that's all over."

Mallory left the mirror and skipped down the stairs.

"Climax, here I come!"