Simon Cleveland's Blog
April 16, 2011
The Basenji Revelation Has A Book Trailer
The Basenji Revelation
The Basenji Revelation has a book trailer now.
Check it out at:
The Basenji Revelation Book Trailer
The Basenji Revelation has a book trailer now.
Check it out at:
The Basenji Revelation Book Trailer
July 26, 2009
What is Existential Meditation?
Existential MeditationNo, it’s not a book on Yoga , nor is it a book on how to practice meditation. This book is a reflection, a perspective on life derived partly from the latest scientific theories in cosmology and quantum mechanics and partly from personal analysis of the works of some of the greatest writers and philosophers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
What would you find in the book? I’ve explored topics such as the meaning of time, consciousness and the development of the human essence. I’ve examined the genesis of the concept of immortality and how various world religions define the idea of being immortal. I wrote this book with one thing in mind - to arouse your curiosity. If a reader chooses to abandon the indifference, if he or she chooses to withdraw from the mundane perspectivism in search of valuable reasons to the meaning of existence, then I'd consider my work partially done.
Remember, the moment a person becomes aware of his or her own existence is the moment one begins to look for ways to preserve and extend it. It is in this attempt to prolong the awareness of life that human beings create the illusion of immortality. Immortality then becomes the main instrument for defining the human essence.
The book has been called “...bold and courageous! Thought provoking and sure to be controversial..." by a psychology expert. A Professor of Philosophy at The George Washington University once said “…the whole concept that the idea of the immortality and thus the whole edifice of the human religion and mythology is historically conditioned and is not immanent to the humanity as such is quite a promising one...The poetic part of [the:] book is really very good it gets you involved, it persuades… just by the magic of the words…” about the book.
A Midwest Book Reviewer even commented: “Simon Cleveland has penned what could be considered a highly controversial subject and... through quality research, quotes, theories, and opinions, the author presents to you a book poised with thought-provoking ideas that make an enormous amount of sense. …[the author:] asks us to take the time to answer the questions we are faced with everyday. Questions of who we are, why we react the way we do, why we internalize everything…Why we do not trust our own instincts and question what we know to be right?”
I hope this book offers answers to the questions you’ve been asking yourself. I hope in its pages you'll find what the Meaning Of Life is.
June 29, 2009
The Basenji Revelation - My debut novel and the story behind it
Here is how the Basenji mystery began
The Basenji Revelation
I wish I could tell you that a razor thin line divided fact from fiction. I wish I could show you this line, so tiny now, almost unrecognizable. It has faded with time. When I try to recollect how the gruesome account emerged from the all-encompassing suburban madness, I’m always reminded of the day I saw the piece of paper. Indeed now I know it all began that day.
A couple of years ago I went out for a walk in one of Northern Virginia’s parks. On the way back, I lost the main path and wandered for nearly an hour amidst the thick shrubs and tall trees, while the sunlight slowly faded away. In the midst of my distress and quite accidentally I stepped on something. ‘A leaf,’ I thought and the story would’ve ended there had I not bent down to remove it form my shoe.
It wasn’t a leaf. It was a picture, a bit faded, torn in a couple of places (perhaps by winds of the late winter of that year) and its corners a bit yellowish (perhaps scorched by the sunlight of recently departed Indian summer). Someone must have cut it out from a magazine and later lost it on a picnic trip. Who knew? Curious to examine the image on it, I brought it closer to my face and then…gasped. The imprint (in black and white) was of a statue - a dog-headed creature with a torn male torso.
Was it the ugliness of this incompatible combination that stirred the chill in me at that moment? Probably not. It was most likely the cold wind that blew across my face, or the drizzle that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Whatever the reason, it called out of the darkness a vision and with it a horrific tale began to emerge in my mind.
I found my way out of the forest that evening, but could not shake the tale away. At first it clung desperate with its tiny roots to the back of my brain, struggling to survive the torments of the ensuing confusion. With time, it purposefully implanted itself on my cortex, where it remains until today.
But back then, it tormented me. It forced me to look for answers. In a branch of the Fairfax County Public Library, buried under books on Egyptology, African religions, human and animal sacrifices the essence of the vision took shape. Soon after, The Basenji Revelation was born.
And what about the fact? Indeed, there are facts. Plenty of them. The key was held in the discovery of the Ancient Egyptian Tomb - KV39 (its entrance pictured below).
But before I found what the key was, I had to reread the account of the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb by Howard Carter. One of the first pictures the archaeologist took when he uncovered the tomb shows the statue of Anubis guarding the Pharaoh's sarcophagus. Was Anubis the god of the Basenjis?
I found evidence of unexplained human sacrifices in Ancient Egypt that bear witness to rituals involving the killing of human beings. In several fragmented scrolls kneeling figures sticks weapons into the chests of bound victims. Bowl between the assailants and their victims may have been intended to catch the latter.
Also present in the drawings is some kind of fence-like sign, drawn above the sacrificial scenes. On the label fragment discovered in the area of Egyp called Aha, a figure of authority, identified by his long stick, observes the killing. Behind the victim there is an image of the same statue I found in the park - that in later periods was associated with the god Anubis (the Basenji god). It is not known if this fetish may have been related to the practice of human sacrifice or not, but it certainly fired up my curiosity.
The more I researched the history, the more I stumbled upon grizzly details that beckoned me to dig deeper. I found out that the rulers of the 1st Egyptian Dynasty were not only buried along with food, drink and objects, but with people who had been sacrificed along with them, to be with them in the afterlife. There were 33 sacrificial burials (as pictured below) in Aha, 68 in Semerkhet, 136 in Den and 512 in Djer.
Next, I stumbled up a few surviving scrolls that shed some dark light on the perpetrator of these inhumane deeds. Some believed it was Apep the Serpent. This carving from an ancient tomb depicts the Serpent Apep, Osiris' eternal foe. Here, a deceased and his three sons attempts to placate Apep, who eats the souls of the dead in the Underworld.
But who was Apep and more importantly why were there some many references inscribed upon the Pharaohs' tombs about a diety called Sutekh (or Seth)? I kept searching and searching and found a page from the Papyrus Jumilhac that Anubis (also named Khentamentiu), the Sons of Horus and other deities defeated and imprison Sutekh. In this page from the Papyrus, Sutekh (far right) is shown upside down below the throne of Osiris.
You may wonder how The Basenji Dogs played a role in this ancient testament. I did. The answer came to me one day when I stumbled upon a discovery listed in an old encyclopedia. It was about a discovery of an ancient mummy called "Unknown Man E" in 1881 found along with numerous royal mummies in the Dier el-Bahri cache.
When Egyptologists unwrapped the body of the "Unknown Man E," a horrible sight awaited them. Even before the unwrapping, they knew there was something unusual about this mummy. It had been enshrouded with a sheep skin (a material the ancient Egyptians considered ritually unclean in a funerary context) and placed in an unmarked coffin magical symbols deemed necessary to ensure the deceased's survival in the afterlife. And, worse, the body emitted a horrible odor unlike the often aromatic fragrance of many other Egyptian mummies. Yet even these indications failed to prepare the unwrappers for the gruesome sight that emerged when the bandages came off. An account written by a certain Dr. Mathey, an eyewitness at the unwrapping, gives the unpleasant details:
"It is difficult to give an adequate description of the face thus laid bare. I can only say that no countenance has ever more faithfully recreated a picture of such affecting and hideous agony. His features, horribly distorted, surely showed that the wretched man must have been deliberately asphyxiated, most probably by being buried alive."
The fact that the man had his hands and feet tightly bound, and that his internal organs had not been removed in accordance with the normal embalming practices of the times, seemed at to support this disturbing conclusion.
.. I needed to tell people about the Besenji Revelation. The book I wrote contains the account of my discoveries.
..A heed of caution..
There is a certain kind of search for meaning in the midst of any horror story. This book is my attempt to portray this search and I truly hope that it’ll serve as a wake-up call to all fans of the mysterious, metaphysical and supernatural. I hope readers will get caught up in the helplessness and vulnerability exhibited in the actions of the main characters. I hope they’ll remember the confusion and insanity that takes place in the story. I hope they’ll soak up the all consuming human emotions. And I truly hope they’ll ask themselves ‘Why not accept the unacceptable, that life is as frail as its emotions and if so, why not worship this frailty?’
The Basenji RevelationI wish I could tell you that a razor thin line divided fact from fiction. I wish I could show you this line, so tiny now, almost unrecognizable. It has faded with time. When I try to recollect how the gruesome account emerged from the all-encompassing suburban madness, I’m always reminded of the day I saw the piece of paper. Indeed now I know it all began that day.
A couple of years ago I went out for a walk in one of Northern Virginia’s parks. On the way back, I lost the main path and wandered for nearly an hour amidst the thick shrubs and tall trees, while the sunlight slowly faded away. In the midst of my distress and quite accidentally I stepped on something. ‘A leaf,’ I thought and the story would’ve ended there had I not bent down to remove it form my shoe.
It wasn’t a leaf. It was a picture, a bit faded, torn in a couple of places (perhaps by winds of the late winter of that year) and its corners a bit yellowish (perhaps scorched by the sunlight of recently departed Indian summer). Someone must have cut it out from a magazine and later lost it on a picnic trip. Who knew? Curious to examine the image on it, I brought it closer to my face and then…gasped. The imprint (in black and white) was of a statue - a dog-headed creature with a torn male torso.
Was it the ugliness of this incompatible combination that stirred the chill in me at that moment? Probably not. It was most likely the cold wind that blew across my face, or the drizzle that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Whatever the reason, it called out of the darkness a vision and with it a horrific tale began to emerge in my mind.
I found my way out of the forest that evening, but could not shake the tale away. At first it clung desperate with its tiny roots to the back of my brain, struggling to survive the torments of the ensuing confusion. With time, it purposefully implanted itself on my cortex, where it remains until today.
But back then, it tormented me. It forced me to look for answers. In a branch of the Fairfax County Public Library, buried under books on Egyptology, African religions, human and animal sacrifices the essence of the vision took shape. Soon after, The Basenji Revelation was born.
And what about the fact? Indeed, there are facts. Plenty of them. The key was held in the discovery of the Ancient Egyptian Tomb - KV39 (its entrance pictured below).
But before I found what the key was, I had to reread the account of the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb by Howard Carter. One of the first pictures the archaeologist took when he uncovered the tomb shows the statue of Anubis guarding the Pharaoh's sarcophagus. Was Anubis the god of the Basenjis?
I found evidence of unexplained human sacrifices in Ancient Egypt that bear witness to rituals involving the killing of human beings. In several fragmented scrolls kneeling figures sticks weapons into the chests of bound victims. Bowl between the assailants and their victims may have been intended to catch the latter.
Also present in the drawings is some kind of fence-like sign, drawn above the sacrificial scenes. On the label fragment discovered in the area of Egyp called Aha, a figure of authority, identified by his long stick, observes the killing. Behind the victim there is an image of the same statue I found in the park - that in later periods was associated with the god Anubis (the Basenji god). It is not known if this fetish may have been related to the practice of human sacrifice or not, but it certainly fired up my curiosity.
The more I researched the history, the more I stumbled upon grizzly details that beckoned me to dig deeper. I found out that the rulers of the 1st Egyptian Dynasty were not only buried along with food, drink and objects, but with people who had been sacrificed along with them, to be with them in the afterlife. There were 33 sacrificial burials (as pictured below) in Aha, 68 in Semerkhet, 136 in Den and 512 in Djer.
Next, I stumbled up a few surviving scrolls that shed some dark light on the perpetrator of these inhumane deeds. Some believed it was Apep the Serpent. This carving from an ancient tomb depicts the Serpent Apep, Osiris' eternal foe. Here, a deceased and his three sons attempts to placate Apep, who eats the souls of the dead in the Underworld.
But who was Apep and more importantly why were there some many references inscribed upon the Pharaohs' tombs about a diety called Sutekh (or Seth)? I kept searching and searching and found a page from the Papyrus Jumilhac that Anubis (also named Khentamentiu), the Sons of Horus and other deities defeated and imprison Sutekh. In this page from the Papyrus, Sutekh (far right) is shown upside down below the throne of Osiris.
You may wonder how The Basenji Dogs played a role in this ancient testament. I did. The answer came to me one day when I stumbled upon a discovery listed in an old encyclopedia. It was about a discovery of an ancient mummy called "Unknown Man E" in 1881 found along with numerous royal mummies in the Dier el-Bahri cache.
When Egyptologists unwrapped the body of the "Unknown Man E," a horrible sight awaited them. Even before the unwrapping, they knew there was something unusual about this mummy. It had been enshrouded with a sheep skin (a material the ancient Egyptians considered ritually unclean in a funerary context) and placed in an unmarked coffin magical symbols deemed necessary to ensure the deceased's survival in the afterlife. And, worse, the body emitted a horrible odor unlike the often aromatic fragrance of many other Egyptian mummies. Yet even these indications failed to prepare the unwrappers for the gruesome sight that emerged when the bandages came off. An account written by a certain Dr. Mathey, an eyewitness at the unwrapping, gives the unpleasant details:
"It is difficult to give an adequate description of the face thus laid bare. I can only say that no countenance has ever more faithfully recreated a picture of such affecting and hideous agony. His features, horribly distorted, surely showed that the wretched man must have been deliberately asphyxiated, most probably by being buried alive."
The fact that the man had his hands and feet tightly bound, and that his internal organs had not been removed in accordance with the normal embalming practices of the times, seemed at to support this disturbing conclusion.
.. I needed to tell people about the Besenji Revelation. The book I wrote contains the account of my discoveries.
..A heed of caution..
There is a certain kind of search for meaning in the midst of any horror story. This book is my attempt to portray this search and I truly hope that it’ll serve as a wake-up call to all fans of the mysterious, metaphysical and supernatural. I hope readers will get caught up in the helplessness and vulnerability exhibited in the actions of the main characters. I hope they’ll remember the confusion and insanity that takes place in the story. I hope they’ll soak up the all consuming human emotions. And I truly hope they’ll ask themselves ‘Why not accept the unacceptable, that life is as frail as its emotions and if so, why not worship this frailty?’
June 22, 2009
Words carry vibrational patterns that light up neuronal pathways connected with the memories of the reader...
Rereading sections of Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections I’m instantly teleported into the world of subjective essences and objective observation. It isn’t easy to describe the sense of familiarity and closeness I feel as I absorb the words describing the substances of Franzen’s objects and the emotions of his characters (no, I don’t have a parent battling Parkinson, or a single sibling who’s still looking to find himself even at age 39). It’s his exceptional mastery at burdening otherwise meaningless words with deep meaning that attracts my curiosity and intellectual craving. And he accomplishes that by simply arranging these words in a tonal way in which sequence plays an exceptionally important role. In Franzen’s writing words carry vibrational patterns that light up neuronal pathways connected with the memories of the reader. For example, there is nostalgia in the pages that whooshes and rustles ones hair the moment his or her eyes land on and trace a sentence till its end. Try finding that sensation in the latest #1 best selling thriller.
Inexperienced or casual readers who are only after the wholeness of a story would greatly miss the underlying richness of Franzen’s writing, hence Franzen in my opinion is an acquired taste in the literary world. I recommend The Corrections only to those of you in love with the authority words have on your psyche.
Inexperienced or casual readers who are only after the wholeness of a story would greatly miss the underlying richness of Franzen’s writing, hence Franzen in my opinion is an acquired taste in the literary world. I recommend The Corrections only to those of you in love with the authority words have on your psyche.
June 19, 2009
What makes people happy?
Do you ever wonder what counts for happy well adjusted individuals? The studies in this book
[image error]
reveal the following factors:
1) Social connections - less lonely individuals reported being happier than their lonelier counterparts (no surprise here)
2) Household income - this is associated with happiness, but higher income does not increase levels of happiness. Interestingly enough higher levels of happiness predicted a stronger potential for higher income in the near future.
3) Age - people actually get happier as they grow older. This has to do with the aging of the brain's amygdale that regulates the emotional responses and as a result older people just don't get too worked up about what may be otherwise stressful condition, resulting in less stress over the little things. Additionally, knowing that they have less time on earth causes older people to focus more on the more important things of life - like building the social connections with other.
Quite fascinating read.
View all my reviews.
Loneliness Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection [image error]
1) Social connections - less lonely individuals reported being happier than their lonelier counterparts (no surprise here)
2) Household income - this is associated with happiness, but higher income does not increase levels of happiness. Interestingly enough higher levels of happiness predicted a stronger potential for higher income in the near future.
3) Age - people actually get happier as they grow older. This has to do with the aging of the brain's amygdale that regulates the emotional responses and as a result older people just don't get too worked up about what may be otherwise stressful condition, resulting in less stress over the little things. Additionally, knowing that they have less time on earth causes older people to focus more on the more important things of life - like building the social connections with other.
Quite fascinating read.
View all my reviews.
Loneliness Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection [image error]
June 12, 2009
Book Giveaway - Did you sign up to get a free copy of 'Descent The R. Connors Story'
Did you know that you can win a free copy of
Descent The R.Connors Story?
Indeed, you have until June 15 to >>Enter and Win<< your copy.
So what are you waiting for? Quick, click and sing up.
Descent The R.Connors Story?Indeed, you have until June 15 to >>Enter and Win<< your copy.
So what are you waiting for? Quick, click and sing up.
June 4, 2009
Fresh off the presses
Link Found Between Hurricanes and 3,500 Year-Old Clay Disk
What if an ancient clay disk holds the key to predicting hurricanes, or uncovering the mystery of human identity?
Bonita Springs, FL, June 04, 2009 --In his latest fiction novel Descent The R. Connors Story Simon Cleveland reveals the answers to these riddles as he connects Phaistos Disk’s mysterious symbols to Hurricane Ivan’s devastating path.
Roy Connors, the protagonist of the novel, is consultant for a top technology company and the quintessential pursuer of the American dream. Through sheer perseverance Roy gains a unique perspective on life. When his only entrusted friend falls in love with a hot brunette, Roy's stressful life suddenly spirals out of control. Obsessed with the ancient symbols carved on the Phaistos disk and ridden by jealousy, Roy follows the happy couple to their Cayman Island retreat where the fates of the three collide with the arrival of the deadliest hurricane in the islands' history.
Descent The R. Connors Story is a psychological suspense delivering a rare glimpse into the minds of identity-shattered individuals. Written in a vibrant style it reconciles the mysteries of self, sexual duality, and the raw forces of Nature.
Says Evelyn David, author of Murder Takes The Cake, “Descent is a dark mystery buried in layers of memory, allegory, emotional turmoil, and the possibility that the hero's reality is just another's delusion. A cross between the Twilight Zone and Kafka's Metamorphosis, Simon Cleveland's Descent takes the reader on a bizarre ride into the nether regions of one man's mind.”
She adds, “You won't soon forget this novel!”
Descent The R. Connors Story is [authro:Simon Cleveland]’s third book. His debut novel The Basenji Revelation won the critics with its engaging plot and solid character development. Simon Cleveland’s second book, a nonfiction work entitled Existential Meditation explored the concepts of immortality and the meaning of life. Critics dubbed it bold, courageous and controversial.
Simon Cleveland is a member of the National Writers Union and of the ‘Amazon-Vine’ literary circle. He is a graduate of George Mason and The George Washington Universities. An avid reader of psychological suspense, historical, esoteric and philosophical literature, he resides in Florida with his wife Marisa.
Visit www.simon-cleveland.com for more information.
Descent The R. Connors Story is available through Amazon.com and most online book retailers. ISBN-10: 0557061024 and ISBN-13: 9780557061020
To save a three, you can download it at a fraction of the cost in PDF format at:
Save a Tree!
Descent The R. Connors Story
What if an ancient clay disk holds the key to predicting hurricanes, or uncovering the mystery of human identity?
Bonita Springs, FL, June 04, 2009 --In his latest fiction novel Descent The R. Connors Story Simon Cleveland reveals the answers to these riddles as he connects Phaistos Disk’s mysterious symbols to Hurricane Ivan’s devastating path.
Roy Connors, the protagonist of the novel, is consultant for a top technology company and the quintessential pursuer of the American dream. Through sheer perseverance Roy gains a unique perspective on life. When his only entrusted friend falls in love with a hot brunette, Roy's stressful life suddenly spirals out of control. Obsessed with the ancient symbols carved on the Phaistos disk and ridden by jealousy, Roy follows the happy couple to their Cayman Island retreat where the fates of the three collide with the arrival of the deadliest hurricane in the islands' history.
Descent The R. Connors Story is a psychological suspense delivering a rare glimpse into the minds of identity-shattered individuals. Written in a vibrant style it reconciles the mysteries of self, sexual duality, and the raw forces of Nature.
Says Evelyn David, author of Murder Takes The Cake, “Descent is a dark mystery buried in layers of memory, allegory, emotional turmoil, and the possibility that the hero's reality is just another's delusion. A cross between the Twilight Zone and Kafka's Metamorphosis, Simon Cleveland's Descent takes the reader on a bizarre ride into the nether regions of one man's mind.”
She adds, “You won't soon forget this novel!”
Descent The R. Connors Story is [authro:Simon Cleveland]’s third book. His debut novel The Basenji Revelation won the critics with its engaging plot and solid character development. Simon Cleveland’s second book, a nonfiction work entitled Existential Meditation explored the concepts of immortality and the meaning of life. Critics dubbed it bold, courageous and controversial.
Simon Cleveland is a member of the National Writers Union and of the ‘Amazon-Vine’ literary circle. He is a graduate of George Mason and The George Washington Universities. An avid reader of psychological suspense, historical, esoteric and philosophical literature, he resides in Florida with his wife Marisa.
Visit www.simon-cleveland.com for more information.
Descent The R. Connors Story is available through Amazon.com and most online book retailers. ISBN-10: 0557061024 and ISBN-13: 9780557061020
To save a three, you can download it at a fraction of the cost in PDF format at:
Save a Tree!
Descent The R. Connors Story
May 31, 2009
Descent is Out - Long Live Descent!
Descent The R. Connors Story just hit Amazon.com. It's official, the story is sweeping the nation by surprise.
Ok, perhaps the storm is more like a quiet breeze on a warm summer day, yet even breezes deserve a chance at experience.
Snnipets of Descent's story came to life in 2004 following the havoc caused by The Basenji Revelation's release. While The Midwest Book Review and newspapers throughout Eastern Europe hailed it as 'THE' runaway best seller it seemed unlikely that another story could surpass its success. I'd like to this this one will.
A-a-h the premise?
Roy Connors, consultant for a top technology company and the quintessential pursuer of the American dream, through perseverance gains a unique mental disorder. When his only entrusted friend falls in love with a hot brunette, Roy's already fragile life suddenly spirals out of control. Obsessed with the ancient symbols carved on a 3,500 year-old clay disk and ridden by jealousy, Roy follows the happy couple to their Cayman Island retreat. The fates of the three collide with the arrival of the deadliest hurricane in the islands' history. Descent The R. Connors Story is a psychological suspense delivering a rare glimpse into the minds of identity-shattered individuals. It reconciles misconceptions about self, sexual duality, and the mysterious raw forces of Nature.
But don't let me spoil it for you. Descent is indeed a thriller, but of the kind that infuses itself with the core of your awareness. Once inside, it nests and then it multiplies.
Try it, you may be surprised.
Simon Cleveland
March 29, 2009
My third book 'Descent: The R. Connors Story' is a month away from publication
I'm excited about this upcoming work of mine. It took me some two years to finalize the story as it is quite unconventional in nature (even when compared to The Basenji Revelation) as it examines a mental disorder. Be on the lookout for it.
