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THE CREATOR IS A BEETLE (OR A STAR)

April 21, 2026 LRS

The evolutionary biologist J.B.S. Haldane Is famous for having repeatedly said that “the Creator must have an inordinate fondness for beetles, for the simple reason that there are just so many varieties of beetles on Earth.” (He also noted that the Creator also was “endowed with a passion for stars” – again, because there are just so darn many of them.)

Stephen Jay Gould added to this by noting:

“God is most likely to take trouble over reproducing his own image, and his 400,000 attempts at the perfect beetle contrast with his slipshod creation of man. When we meet the Almighty face to face he will resemble a beetle (or a star).”

The Coleoptera /koʊliːˈɒptərə/ order of insects is commonly called beetles. The word “coleoptera” is from the Greek κολεός,koleos, meaning “sheath”; and πτερόν, pteron, meaning “wing”, thus “sheathed wing. The Coleoptera include more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known types of animal life-forms. About 40% of all described insect species are beetles (about 400,000 species), and new species are discovered frequently. Some estimates put the total number of species, described and undescribed, at as high as 100 million, but a figure of one million is more widely accepted. ————–

According to astronomers, there are probably more than 170 billion galaxies in the observable Universe, stretching out

into a region of space 13.8 billion light-years away from us in all directions. And so, if you multiply the number of stars in our galaxy by the number of galaxies in the Universe, you get approximately 10²⁴ stars. That’s a 1 followed by twenty-four zeros. That’s a septillion stars. But there could be more than that.

It’s been calculated that the observable Universe is a bubble of space 47 billion years in all directions. This is a minimum value, the Universe could be much bigger – it’s just that we can’t ever detect those stars because they’re outside the observable Universe. It’s even possible that the Universe is infinite, stretching on forever, with an infinite amount of stars. So add a couple more zeros. Maybe an infinite number of zeroes. That’s a lot of stars in the Universe.

BULLSHIT, FREE ADVICE, MOVING PICTURES

DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME

April 21, 2026 LRS

Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Here’s something to do if you have time, money, fossil fuel to waste, and don’t care too much about living:

...and other stuff, INSIDE THE BOOK, LIVES, SHERLOCK HOLMES, SHERLOCK HOLMES: MY LIFE

A LETTER FROM MR. HOLMES TO H.P. LOVECRAFT

April 20, 2026 LRS

Republished by Blog Post Promoter

“It is my observation that immortality is a state of spiritual existence that is native to all beings, regardless of whether or not that being currently inhabits a body. A body is a only a temporary vehicle through which spirits may tour the physical universe and enjoy the sensations and adventures provided therein. Factually, the spirit enters into a body, animates the body, and departs from the body when it becomes injured, diseased or spent.

Most beings will forget about that body when it is gone, and will also forget the identity and activities of that body – out of sight, out of mind. However, I have discovered that many persons do not lose awareness of themselves between the lives of bodies they have inhabited. Through mental discipline one may overcome the common affliction of Western men to deny and forget the spiritual essence of themselves.

This forgetfulness is a disease of the soul created and maintained by stupid brutes who are compelled to dominate and control their fellow beings. They have long since lost themselves, and seek only to ensure that their disability is inflicted upon everyone. Their greatest fear is that another being may inflict pain upon them, just as they desire to inflict pain upon others.

Immortality is not sustained by a desire for revenge against the real or imagined wrongs which have been, or may be, caused by others. Immortality is realized through loving oneself and loving others as you love yourself. The possession of a body is not a factor in love or immortality.

I have learned that certain Eastern sages, and their devote disciples, have learned methods of mental and spiritual discipline that enable them to identify themselves spiritually, and maintain a constant awareness of that identity from the lifetime of one body to the next and to the next, ad infinitum. Ultimately, one may choose to inhabit a body, or not, at will.

Existence as a disembodied spiritual being is sometimes observed and acknowledged by people. They are called ghosts, or angels, or demons, or saints or poltergeists, or gods – depending upon the disposition and behavior of these spirits toward men.

Therefore, the necessity of maintaining the health or longevity of a physical body is not only an aberration of the concept of immortality, it is entirely unnecessary! Moreover, this chemical trick obviates the existence of the immortal spiritual entity. Personal spiritual immortality is self-evident.

However, the inability or unwillingness of Western priests – in a sanctuary or in a laboratory – to observe, explore and employ the potential ability of the individual spirit is nothing less than a denial of Creation itself. The animating intelligence of the universe, whether it is manifested as the life force of an amoeba or the as the raging storms of Zeus, is the primal force of all creation, volition and existence.

Let us not waste any further time or energy in the study of religion or alchemy. These are only small attempts to control manifestations of the immortal spirit. Individually we are each a spirit. Collectively, we coexist in several universes, both physical and ethereal. Universally, we share a common source. In every aspect and manifestation the spirit has always been and forever shall be. Eternity is not subject to time, past, present or future: it is no time. Likewise, the spirit is a no thing, which creates and animates all things.

Thank you very much for your confidences in consulting with me upon the subject of the letter from “Count Antoine”. I am pleased to be at your service, if indeed you discover anything of value in this reply to you.

If you have an occasion to visit England I would be delighted to entertain you as a guest at my modest lodgings near Eastbourne. The country in this region is quite pleasant, except in winter, and there are several lovely beaches upon which one may enjoy the nearby ocean.

To the end, and in new beginnings, I shall remain yours faithfully,

Sherlock Sherrinford Holmes, Sussex Downs, England“