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Polar opposites: Ice Nine & I.C.E. Nein...(*)...1st Unites...2nd Divides

Updated: 6 hours ago

(*) "Nein" is German for "NO"



EXPEDITIONARY PATHS thru some occupied territories...



Ice Nine's History


Ice Nine offer us a lot of music that brings people together...while I.C.E. divides and separates loved ones and communities...Read on...


Oh...Occasionally, the band pauses to assume a prophetic role...See below...


Robert Hunter, chief lyricist of The Grateful Dead, chose the name based on Ice-9, a new form of water, which once released from its vial would crystallize all forms of water on the planet to permanent ice from Kurt Vonnegut's novel, 'Cat's Cradle'.


Rock Scully was instrumental in forming Ice Nine as a partnership of Grateful Dead's writers in 1967. The legendary San Francisco music lawyer of the time, Brian Rohan set it up. Ice Nine was registered as a corporation by the Dead’s long time attorney, Hal Kant in 1970.



Uncle John's Band: A song that UNITES us...


Bobby, Thanks for your UPlifting energy...!





FIRST, some reflections from THE DEAD guru of songs and their meanings...


[from the link that follows] Blair Jackson once wrote something to the effect that “Uncle John’s Band” is the song. I’ve thought a lot about that statement over the years. And I think I know, or feel more than know, what he meant. When the Dead played the song, the crowd came together in a huge way. We were in that band; we were coming to hear Uncle John’s band by the riverside.


Ain’t no time to hate. Barely time to wait. And, where does the time go, anyway?


Regardless: there ain’t no time to hate. In my mind, if there is just one lesson to take from all of Hunter’s poetry, that is the one. He approaches it from a number of angles, but for me, it always comes down to that. “Without love in the dream, it’ll never come true.”

Thanks, Emily (Dickinson), and thanks, Hunter.



Fulfilling this song's prophetic words...




...all three front men: JERRY, BOBBY & PHIL - have passed through the veil...






Afterthoughts on the lyrics...


"It's a buck dancer's choice my friend, better take my advice

You know all the rules by now, and the fire from the ice (ICE)"


I Ching: Collective wisdom in tough times for living and DEAD


Ice Nine's logo is the I Ching hexagram for 'Gathering Together' changing to 'Holding Together'. Source



Gathering Together



I Ching Hexagram 45: Gathering Together, astrological interpretation

 

I-Ching Category (click next link for in-article links)

Interpretation: Harmony, arbitration, and mediation should be promoted. We have to act diplomatically and with empathy, respect, and perspicacity so that we gain as much approval as possible, and we need to understand the use of gathering together, like a bunch of grapes, where each seed represents a separate individuality but together they also form an organized unit.This is a time for making propositions and finding solutions, allies, and assets, and all means of approaching dialogue should be used; openness and trust in others should be considered.It is a good idea to smooth over differences and focus more on what brings people together and unites them, that is, shared traits and goals.Being honest is a vital prerequisite, but it is also important to be conscious of the fact that a group, a community of people, or a couple cannot be dealt with in the same way that we deal with ourselves when we are isolated and alone, and this inevitably calls for some conciliation.Pooling strengths and means is helpful prior to initiating action, making a decision, or effecting change.Avoid being too individualistic and solitary in the choices you make.


Astrological points to pay attention to: Uranus’s energies come into play quite a lot in terms of mechanisms for “social harmony” or setting up a group or a community with the aim of working together, championing a cause, and creating a community of ideas.We also find Venus to be very present, especially in terms of its rulership over Libra / the 7th house, which in turn represents the qualities of exchange, seduction, politeness, kindness, and empathy, and which we also find more on an affective level.Air forces are greatly accentuated, which implicates anything that allows us to engage in sociability, exchange, communication, and transmission, so we also encounter Mercury’s energies, as well as some facets of Jupiter in terms of its likeable aspects and ability to socialize, and even some of its religious aspects.


Remarks: This hexagram represents the intermediaries that may sometimes exist in-between polar opposites, as well as the moment when we understand that different points do come together despite everything and create attraction and magnetism between them.



Holding Together



I Ching Hexagram 8: Holding Together, astrological interpretation


I-Ching Category (click next link for links in-article links)

Interpretation: This coming together is dictated by common interests and a need for exchange and socialization with reciprocated goodwill, involving dialogue, tolerance, and understanding. This is what will lead to success.You may succeed in convincing, seducing, negotiating, and reconciling, and you should make sure not to let any offers pass you by that are related to these things and which may allow your strengths to coalesce.Friendship and love are of course highlighted, as well as love of your neighbor in a broader sense, respect, a sense of commitment and honor, and a communion of affects.

Astrological points to pay attention to: First of all, many highly social Air energies are expressed here, so we will encounter Mercury/the 3rd house and of course the air-like aspect of Venus through Libra and the 7th house, which deal with partnerships, associations, and couples, adding forces of sympathy and courtesy, especially if Jupiter is involved.Once sublimated, in their upper octave, we of course encounter the forces of Neptune and Uranus, which tend to open these energies up to more absolute, humanistic, altruistic, devoted, selfless, and compassionate views, or even to forgiveness, sacrifice, sharing, and many other very “Christian” values, potentially even adding an undeniably “religious” aspect to things.The energy of a Trine may also have an effect by favoring an energetic exchange between two parts of your birth chart, in which case it would be particularly important to analyze these two sectors and work to develop them further.

Remarks: This hexagram represents lofty ideals that should be implemented, in terms of noble, wholesome, human values for an entire society or community. It is important to be able to choose that which unites over that which divides, as this is what will have the best payoff at present.



I Ching Hexagram 56: Traveler...Stranger...Wanderer...and "Fire on the Mountain"



Hexagram number 56 indicates a journey of discovery. It could be an outer journey to a new place or employment, or may reference a journey of self-discovery. This is a time to be sincere and extremely honest with yourself. What are you really looking for? Where do you think it will be found? Wandering over mountain tops, the wise person sees each step as a gift, and knows that home is always right where one stands. If you feel like staying, stay. If you feel like moving, move. Let your heart be your guide.




[from the article link that follows with my added emphases] The I Ching contains a hexagram, #56, titled variously “The Traveler,” “Travel,” “The Stranger,” and so on. It is represented by the two trigrams of fire and mountain, with fire resting on mountain. I have received quite a bit of mail over the years with convincing interpretations of how this applies or might apply to the Dead, or to the scene, or to world politics, or to the individual spiritual journey of the person writing the email, and truly, I think these are all valid ways of looking at the hexagram, in the context of “Fire on the Mountain.”

On the other hand, “Fire on the Mountain” is also a line from a nursery rhyme (a frequent source for many lines in Grateful Dead lyrics); a fiddle tune; the title of a book by Edward Abbey, and so on.



Get on the Consciousness Bus...





[from article link that follows with my emphases] This book takes a playful and insightful look at the relationship between the Grateful Dead and the I Ching. The Grateful Dead and the I Ching have a surprisingly rich history and resonance together. The Grateful Dead have been the pied pipers of consciousness expansion for generations. They lead us on a journey into the ocean of the numinous where the mythical content of the collective unconscious dwells.

As drummer Mickey hart put it, "we are in the transportation business."


The I Ching is an ancient way of accessing the collective consciousness and one that the Grateful Dead were quite familiar with. We explore the band's relationship with the I Ching and the considerable resonance between the I Ching, the Grateful Dead, their songs and the ritual of their shows.


The author is a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, a professor at Daoist Traditions College of Chinese Medical Arts and attended his first Dead show of many in the 1980's. The book includes insightful commentary from Jerry Garcia, Robert Hunter, Phil Lesh, John Perry Barlow, Ken Kesey and Terence McKenna, among many others.

Come get on the bus and enjoy the ride!



A Young Woman of Color's Cry..."There is fire on the mountain..."


There is fire on the mountain

And nobody seems to be on the run

Oh, there is fire on the mountaintop

And no one is a-runnin'


I wake up in the mornin'

Tell you what I see on my TV screen

I see the blood of an innocent child

And everybody's watchin'


Now I'm looking out my window

And what do I see?

I see an army of a soldier man

Marching across the street, yeah


Hey, Mr. Soldier man

Tomorrow is the day you go to war

But you are fighting for another man's cause

And you don't even know him

Oooh!


What did he say to make you so blind

To your conscience and reason?

Could it be love for your country?

Or for the gun you use in killing?





"Weir" Grateful for Poets...living and DEAD...


Thanks, Bobby, for your service to humankind. We miss you...


...With his ever-watchful eye on our next generation...


























"Estimated Prophet" is a song by the Grateful Dead that debuted in 1977, known for its unique themes of destiny, self-assurance, and a spiritual journey, often performed live with extended jams. Click here for more insights.


MiCl..."Rock" Salt melts I.C.E. (Micknesium Chloride)


A majority of those targeted by ICE agents are ordinary people and usually near the bottom of the food chain...


"Let's drink to the hard workin' people

Let's drink to the lowly of birth

Raise your glass to the good and the evil

Let's drink to the salt of the earth


Say a prayer for the common foot soldier

Spare a thought for his back breaking work

Say a prayer for his wife and his children

Who burn the fires and who still till the earth"









I.C.E.: NEIN! *


* "Nein" is German for "NO"













"WE don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows..."


For what it's worth...The road sign shown below is an example of paranoid leaders...




CAUTION: Next video contains scenes of violence.






A New Winter Sport: Dark ICE-Capades


Jan 28, 2026


To the Editor:

Fear has raised its ugly head in the U.S. again. Trump charged DHS/ICE with impossible quotas, while telling us only the “worst of the worse” would be deported. Instead, DHS has lowered recruitment standards and inadequately trained agents, who have netted thousands of basically law-abiding people of color.


Most deported immigrants hadn’t committed serious crimes (according to police and ICE records, only c. 4% of those deported over the past year were convicted of felonies, and c. 48% committed misdemeanors, many of them minor (e.g., traffic violations). Thus ICE is able to meet their quotas only if they arrest children, documented and undocumented people of color working/living peacefully in their community – even Native Americans and citizens.


I happen to think that ICE frightening lawful immigrants and citizens of color into staying away from work, schools, doctors, or grocery stores isn’t American, more like something you’d see in Iran.


The sheer terror ICE has created – wearing virtually faceless masks, ramming doors down, shattering car windows, often refusing to look at I.D., screaming and/or pointing guns at captives, frequently having no warrant, manhandling their captives without explanation into a vehicle (which constitutes kidnapping – a felony), shooting at runaways, has spawned profound fear and angered communities/states and our former allies. Why?


Because civil rights and other laws are ignored; because communities have lost teachers, nurses, farm workers, employees, employers; because “mistakenly” sending lawful people of color to unsanitary torture prisons outside the U.S. where they’re beaten, raped, given spoiled food and tainted water, deprived of sunlight and proper medication is unethical.


Because this isn’t normal in a democracy.


Legally, morally, we need to hold these ill-recruited and ill-trained government agents as well as DHS accountable and limit ICE to arresting only the “worst of the worst.”


Sharon Wirt

Southbury


NOW...Let's get on the bus, go out into our shared world, connect with others...and let our love FLOW...




 
 
 

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