VLVL(12) pgs 218-226

[Bekah]

Chapter 12 starts out with Weed Atman on his way to Holytail for a  
Thanatoid get-together deep in the hills of Vineland County, No  
Cal.   ("Atman" is, of course,  an Indian concept - Hindu/Buddhist -  
which refers to the "real self" - the self which is reincarnated -  
but I don't think that Atman is reincarnated yet.)
http://hinduism.iskcon.com/concepts/101.htm

Atman is to attend the 10th annual get-together, Thanatoid Roast  
'84.   (Now I'm not sure what 10th annual would refer to - I think  
Atman dies in 1969 (the year of lots of campus protests) so they  
started the reunions in 1974?  Or are then less frequent than annual?

Page  218 -  the Bardo Thadol-  Tibetan Book of the Dead
" 'The Bardo Thodol seems to be based upon verifiable data of human  
physiological and psychological experiences; and it views the problem  
of the after-death state as being purely a psycho-physical problem;  
and is, therefore in the main, scientific. ' ”[3]

It's  " '…a guidebook for spiritual practice on two levels: it helps  
the yogi and yogini develop the abilities they need to traverse the  
death crisis with skill and confidence; and it gives those who feel  
unable to prepare fully for death, and are not confident of their  
abilities, a religious sense of how to seek help from the enlightened  
and divine and angelic beings' .[4]"
I like this one:  http://tibettalk.wordpress.com/2007/12/07/bardo- 
thodol-the-tibetan-book-of-the-dead/
But this is funnier:
http://www.thomasscoville.com/BardoComix/

(Go for it Robin!)
**

So Weed is having trouble with his own death-transition  14 years  
after the "fact,"  (but what's time to a Thanatoid?)   And what with  
all the fascist elements and  paranoia (on all sides) it seems as  
though the sleepy, pot-head town of Holytail is in the dying  
transition, too.  Like Atman, they just don't know it yet.  Also,   
like the name Atman,   Holytail may have a Hindu derivation -  The  
monkey god Hanuman's tail is very important in several of his  
stories. There is also a belief that all the planets are under the  
control of Hanuman's tail.  It is, therefore, a  holy tail.
  http://www.holymtn.com/gods/Hanuman.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanuman
http://lotus-sculpture.stores.yahoo.net/39g8.html
(great photos of statue showing tail - I understand that people try  
to touch the tail but can't find the reference)

*****

Page 219 -  Best I can figure we're dealing with tiny-town of Orick  
in Humboldt County (right on Highway 101 about 50 miles north of  
Eureka).  There is a hotel there which - well ... It's old and called  
the Orick Inn -
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_GA5G_OI-7KQ/R9IDT8ZlvnI/AAAAAAAAATg/ukTFX8ZOmN4/ 
Jan+2006+-+Sonny+is+now+the+listing+agent.JPG
In the old days:
http://www.digitalpast.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/ 
lakecoun101&CISOPTR=1382&REC=14

And a little area atmosphere:
http://image06.webshots.com/6/9/57/91/82595791ZQtAsT_fs.jpg

There's a little creek called Prairie Creek north of Orick aways - 4  
or 5 miles?
(Google these on a Google map - Prairie Creek zip code is  95555)

The area ghosts are at Falk - a ghost town

It's possible that Arcata is a closer match, but it's pretty big at  
17,000 people:
http://www.hippy.com/review-14.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcata,_California

Finally,  on page 225 there's reference to the "Combo-Ork"  
arrangement - which usually refers to Dixieland but .. Orick/Ork?

Page 220 -  Great Landslide of 1964 -  Presidential election of  
LBJ?   (probably a real event on the road as well.)
Orick during the 1964 flood:
http://www.northcoastjournal.com/051602/cover0516.html


Pages 220-222  describes the intensified fascist tactics of the local  
law enforcement coordinated with the Feds.

** Page 221 -   CAMP    =  "Campaign Against Marijuana Planting"
http://www.civilliberties.org/spr97nocamp.html
(very interesting - very REAL - read on in there - set up in the  
Reagan years,  militaristic,  etc.)

**
  Pages 222-223   Parrots?  What's with the parrots?   Are they toys  
to put the kiddies to sleep?  Is the "voice" the one we hear on dolls  
and electronic gadgets?  They're very colorful,  like Atman in his  
get-up - which is a tux which might even have a tail.   :-)   (heh)    
Parrots are tropical birds - from Nicaragua or some other South  
American area where we were trying to stop drugs but they said what  
about ours?   Van Meter apparently has one - Luis - and the  
description is rather magical - surreal.     But the kids are going,  
flying,  somewhere jungle-like and meeting in their sleep so it might  
be more like a drug or television or something.   ???


**
Page 224:
"Thanatoid World" -   (sounds like a sit-com theme song but which one? )

**
Page 225  Combo-Ork - it's not just "lingo" it's sheet music:
http://www.redraspus.com/blog/2007/7/13/collecting-old-combo-orks- 
books.html

**
Page 226 - Dr. Elasmo happens in and set Atman to remembering his  
prior life.

*************