*updated!!!* a very cool find w/some pics – Richard Alpert
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By Lost_Dbutz
- *updated!!!* a very cool find w/some pics – Richard Alpert
- Created: May 4, 2008
- Last updated: Oct 2, 2008
- After episode: 4.10: Something Nice Back Home
- Status: Current
- Flag this theory:
Some cool images from Richard Alpert’s book
— Lost_Dbutz
*more photos added!
So I’ve been reading theories that talk about Dr. Richard Alpert and through that I checked him out on Wiki and learned that he wrote the book ‘Be Here Now.” I decided to bust the book out and see what kind of connections I could find.
I found a lot of things that seemed related to concepts that we see in Lost. I took some pictures so I thought I would share them with the folks here on LT. Here are the ones that I thought were the most related to the show:
This first one is the cover of Dr. Alpert’s book. Notice the chair in the center of a circle with lines drawn across several points. This chair looks something like Jacob’s chair (yet not a rocking chair, I know). What I like is the lines through the circle. The lines all meet on the perimeter at 12 different points. I think the circle represents the earth and the 12 points are Vile Vortices.
This second picture just talks about the distribution of profits made from the book sales. A percentage goes to the Lama Foundation (Hanso?) and there’s the sentence at the end, “Yours in the dharma.” Connection?
This third picture is the preface page to the section that describes the journey of the transformation from Dr.Richard Alpert to Baba Ram Dass. I think this whole concept has a lot to do with Lost. The writers are trying to tell us a character story and, much like Alpert/Ram Dass, our characters are making a transition in their lives. They must all reflect and learn to be better people, and for some it has been difficult.
This fourth one says Namaste.
The Heart Cave…hmmm. I wonder if it has any connection to the cave that Jack and Kate found that contained the bodies of Adam and Eve.
Open for discussion. Consciousness as defined by BRD.
“Astral Plane” and the Yin & Yang concept, I’ve heard these before.
More on Yin & Yang and the Astral plane. Talks about duality and this is something that is ever present in Lost.
This one is interesting. It is about a universal guru (Jacob?) and “a Level of consciousness, a frequency of vibration, a connection on another plane.” More below.
And this final picture was found just below the previous one about the guru. It has an empty chair, yet there are footprints below the chair. Is there someone in the chair that cannot normally be seen? Looks familiar. The quote about “blessed are those that have not seen and yet have believed.” I this this could be related to Jacob.
*updated from here:
So I saw that some folks mentioned that this might be related to the Room 23 video that was used to brainwash Karl. I think this may be right. I looked a little further and found a few things. Here is a link to the brainwashing video just for a reminder:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gar6JyV6800&NR=1
OK, first of all, look at the very beginning, there is a picture of faces and eyes and it makes a strange square shape with indented edges. It looks very similar to the shape below (this is the cover page to the second part of the book, From Bindu To Ojas):
Next thing in the video that I noticed is the quote, “Plant a good seed and you’ll joyfully gather fruit.” This picture from the book may relate to the same concept:
And this next one looks similar to an images that is flashed several times in the video, which almost looks like the Oceanic 6 symbol. It is also the cover page to part 3 of the book, Cook Book for a Sacred Life.
That’s all for now on the room 23 video references, I’ll try to find more for you all later. But I’ll continue with other interesting pages that I found.
Interestingly enough, the second part of the book, From Bindu to Ojas, has exactly 108 pages. Here is a shot of the final, and 108th page:
And while I’m at it, might as well show you all pages 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42:
Here is page 4, drama of nature, maybe a reference to the show in general:
Here is page 8, very interesting. Talks about a gate to get to another side and says that you must die in the process. Probably a symbolic death of ones current, selfish, self. It seems to relate to that fact that they should have died in the plane crash. Maybe in a sense, the point is for them all to die, to rise above and become a better person.
Here is page 15, it talks about a trip “frought with paradox,” which is very much related to the show. I like the part that mentions “as long as you have an ego, you are on a limited trip.” Sounds like the battle that Jack is fighting, and ego that keeps him from seeing truth..
Here is page 16, this one is interesting. Talks about going crazy, which may relate to Hurley.
Here is page 23, It talks about being in the moment, which is a main theme of the book.
And here is page 42, it’s about being in a prison in our minds, not 100% sure how it relates.
Here are the more pages that I think relate to the show:
The one above talks about time and space and gravitational field…very interesting.
The above shows, we must tune our receive mechanisms to the correct frequency to understand the secret.
Well these pictures could spark all sorts of discussion, I’m interested to hear what you all think. Thanks.
Key characters
| Short Name | Full Name | Episodes | Theories |
|---|---|---|---|
| John | John Locke | 3.3, 2.17, 1.4, 1.19, 3.13, 3.19, 4.11, & 3” href=”/episodes/theres-no-place-home-parts-2-3/”>4.13 | 1182 |
Key episodes
| # | Title | Aired | Central character | Theories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.20 | The Man Behind The Curtain | 5-9-2007 | Ben | 400 |
Key locations
| Theme | Relevant Episodes | Theories |
|---|---|---|
| Jacob’s Cabin | 4.1, 3.20 | 147 |
Ok this is really cool and that final quote is definetaly Jacob because not everyone has seen him and yet all the others believe in him and Locke didnt believe until he heard Jacob speak and then Hurley has seen him because I feel that Jacob is connected with the numbers which we know originated from hurley as far as the tv series is concerned so +1
very interesting indeed. well done. enjoyable post.
If only the footprints had four toes though!
+1
Very cool find and comparisons, LostDbutz! +1
Very reminiscent of Room 23 during the Karl rescue. That scene was crazy! It’s also one of the only times we saw direct Biblical references/scripture which I thought was risky because it opens up a can of worms — the “reeducation film” may have been tipping its hat more to this book than the Bible. Thanks for finding and for posting! +1
locke did not see but yet he belives in jacob. is he blessed?
i like this post lost_dubz!! you did all the leg work on some research i’ve been meaning to do. thanks +1
LostDbutz, +1 for a great presentation and great find. I do believe this is something the writers drew from.
Nice job!!!
Cool, I’m glad you folks are enjoying the pictures from Dr. Alpert’s book. I’ll read on and maybe come back with some more connection that I have found.
Does anyone think these picture mean anything more?
Lost_Dbutz — can you take a look at that episode with Room 23 when you get a chance? I think the film is totally based on your find — same ‘70’s kind of font and everything. I’d love to see if you gain insight on that episode. You’ve definitely cracked the mystery of that film in my opinion — now open it! Thanks again for this post! I’d +1 again if I could.
Wow. Awesome find. Definitely seems related. If only there was a chapter that was entitled “If anyone ever makes a TV show with me as a character, here are some major spoilers.” Hahaha
Great work.
Anyone think the new dharma logo and the third picture look very similar?
Here is a picture: http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn44/lostscreencap/LOST-1.jpg
Perhaps clues regarding the Orchid Station?
Amazing find! I love this kind of stuff! +1
I’ll bet someone in the Lost production teeam has seen this book .
The text pages remind me a lot of the things seen in re-programming room that Sawyer and Juliette pulled Carl from.
Good find Lost_Dbutz
+1
Hey this is my first time posting as I’m more of a reader who looks at all your great ideas to fill the blanks in my daft mind! So forgive me if this has been said ages ago or is complete rubbish!…. but when I looked at the comparison of the new dharma logo and the one from the book I couldn’t help recognising those black lines around the edge…it was today when I was researching flag symbolism (for my degree not in my spare time!!) It’s very similar to the South Korean flags symbols…so I had a little search on wiki and it seemed to fit the whole ying and yang bit too…. also the original design of the flag from 1882 has the whole swirly pattern thing going on! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_ofSouthKorea
So, again really sorry if this has been said a thousand times before or it sounds like complete rubbish….but I wouldn’t be able to sleep otherwise!! and keep up the good work!!
ohh I looked harder on google and I’m probably the last person to realise my above post! sorry!!
Excellent work. It at least shows that the Lost people have some clear inspiration for their show - and namechecking Richard Alpert as a prominent Other was their way of letting people in on it. +1
I was inspired enough after reading this to order these books
and this one:
http://www.newfrontier.com/2/Ram_Dass.htm
There has also been another book that has been mentioned that has been compared to Lost “Flash Forward by Robert J Sawyer ” which I bought. In my opinion the Ram Dass books are a lot closer in comparison! +1
Speaking of the relevance of several names on the show, specifically Locke, Rousseu and Hume. (I’m sure that this has been brought up in the past so I’ll apologize in advance):
John Locke Western Philosophers 17th-century philosophy (Modern Philosophy)
John Locke Name John Locke Birth August 29, 1632 Wrington, Somerset, England Death October 28, 1704 (aged 72) Essex, England School/tradition British Empiricism, Social contract, Natural law Main interests Metaphysics, Epistemology, Political philosophy, philosophy of mind, Education
Notable ideas tabula rasa, “government with the consent of the governed”; state of nature; rights of life, liberty and property Influenced by Plato, Aristotle, Avicenna, Ibn Tufail, Aquinas, Grotius, Samuel Rutherford, Descartes, Hooker, Hobbes, Polish Brethren Influenced Hume, Kant, Berkeley, Paine, Smith and many political philosophers after him, especially the American Founding Fathers, Arthur Schopenhauer
Signature John Locke (August 29, 1632 – October 28, 1704) was an English philosopher. Locke is considered the first of the British Empiricists, but is equally important to social contract theory. His ideas had enormous influence on the development of epistemology and political philosophy, and he is widely regarded as one of the most influential Enlightenment thinkers and contributors to liberal theory. His writings influenced Voltaire and Rousseau, many Scottish Enlightenment thinkers, as well as the American revolutionaries. This influence is reflected in the American Declaration of Independence.
Locke’s theory of mind is often cited as the origin for modern conceptions of identity and “the self”, figuring prominently in the later works of philosophers such as David Hume, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Immanuel Kant. Locke was the first philosopher to define the self through a continuity of “consciousness.” He also postulated that the mind was a “blank slate” or “tabula rasa”; that is, contrary to Cartesian or Christian philosophy, Locke maintained that people are born without innate ideas.
When you brought up page 42, and it about being in a prison in our minds, it could be refering to Kate. She was sposed to go to prison, but as we all have seen she gets out due to Aaron. Maybe she has some guilt for not going, or possibly for “using” Aaron as a get out of jail free card. Good insight Lost_Dbutz. +1
LaMer, that is a good find too. That symbol does look VERY similar to the new Dharma logo, and I’m guessing it is more than coincidence. Thanks for all of the positive feedback folks.
Shame is, the post is almost on page 3 now, so I’m thinking some people might miss out on seeing this. Well, for full understanding it requires close observation…
very busy with my final exams at the moment, but enough time to say brilliant find! thoroughly engrossing and like old rammy, looks like you are ‘on the right path’! +!
I know I already posted, but this was such a brilliant post! look I have posted a third time! marvellous mate marvellous.
Anyone else notice from the cover of the book that one of the words is “Nowhere”?
Depending on where you start reading (I chose from the bottom) it will read “Be Here Now / Be Here Now / Be Here Now / Here Be Now / Be nowhere Now” or alternately: “Now Be Here / Now Be Here / Now Be Here / Now Here Be / Now Be nowhere”
Just wondered if anyone else saw this and if it may somehow be indicative of the state of the person in the chair. BTW Lost_Dbutz, great post, I registered and came out of lurker mode for this one.
Hey guys, thanks so much for the kind words, I’m glad you all are enjoying the post. I’ve been reading through the whole book. I’m not done yet, but I just past a part when Dr.Richard Alpert sees an apparition of his Mother at night, very much like Ben did.
Richard felt his mother’s presence around him and thought of her very much under the stars. His mother died of an enlarged spleen. The next day, Richard visited a holy man somewhere in India, and the man described the apparition to Richard, which is something Richard spoke about with no-one. I’m seeing so many connections to Lost in this book. I recommend everyone read it if they get a chance.
Well, Cabin fever will be on tonight, so I expect this post to be on page 15 or 16 by tomorrow. Enjoy the episode, and remember, be here now!
This is an amazing find and im not quite sure what all of it means but thanks for posting this.
I think it’s clear this book (and Baba Ram Dass in general) is a huge inspiration for the Lost mythology, based on the striking similarities. Even the cover is reminiscent of Daniel Faraday’s notebook drawing:
http://www.impossiblefunky.com/screenshots/journalhatch2.jpg
And there’s another notable connection — if you read more about Ram Dass at http://www.ramdasstapes.org/biography.htm, you’ll find the number 108 in the Maharajji section: “Maharajji established at least 108 temples”
I’d bet there are many many other connections too.
NTK, I agree man. The number 108 shows up a lot, and is a very common number among these types of spiritual groups. I think I mentioned up above, but the middle section with all of these pictures had a total of 108 pages. That number shows up in all sorts of places.
Nice link on Faraday’s drawing. It may or may not be related to the cover, but either way, it’s cool.
On another note, take a look again at the third picture “Journey, the transformation.” Not only do I agree with LaMer that it looks very similar to the Orchid station symbol (check his link above), but I also found some meaning behind that symbol in the middle. That symbol is knows as the Aum ( or Om) and it marks the beginning of many spiritual practices and text. Check out the link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Om
beautiful theory +1 for you.I believe you have cracked the numbers. they refer to pages in the book where there are lessons we need to learn before we can move on.”Yours in the Dharma” refers to the Dharmapada which would be the path/teachings that Buddhists would follow.The Lama Foundation that is referred to is that of the Dalai Lama Look at my theory if you get time I explain where they get the Dharma logo from. Namaste translates as “I greet the Divine within you”This refers to the Divine spark that we all have inside of us. The picture of the serpent refers to that of the Kundalini Serpent which runs along the spine and is the base for the seven main chakras. the root chakra is that of materialism while the crown chakra is that of your connection to the Divine. The middle chakra is that of the heart which is shown in the picture of the heart cave which is the balance between your higher self and lower self. Its symbols in the picture are that of infinity and the winged heart which is a major symbol in the teachings of Sufism which would be the mystic side of Islam. To move yourself to the astral plane you need to balance all these chakras. The lotus flower which it is on is a symbol in buddhist teachings while the star of David/Seal of Solomon with the flames coming out of it is the spark of the Divine that is referred to when you say Namaste. On the page titled From Bindu to Ojas this is a picture of a major Buddhist temple. It is made up of 108 pieces which is symbolic of 108 sins. Also there are 108 acupressure points in chinese medicine. (pg103) This is why Desmond has to wait 108 minutes to press the button to realise the electromagnetic pulse which symbolises the negative energy being built up on the island. Om which you use in the mantra Aum mani padme hum to connect to the Divine has a frequency. Why mantras are used is because of the vibrational frequency that the spoken word has. This is why his book says your mechanism’s have to be tuned to the frequency. The picture of the Buddha with no face is because anyone can become a Buddha/Bodhisattava. When you reach this state you exist in everything and also nowhere hence the word in the title of his book. richard ALPERT in the series IS A bodhisattava. A Bodhisattava is someone who has reached the stage of enlightenment but has chosen to stay on the earthly plane to help others on their path. This is portrayed by him not aging. This is referred to on page eight of your pictures and the hieroglyphics symbolise the journey that has to be taken to reach this point. The eye of Ra watching the journey is the Divine guiding us on our path. This is also shown by the empty chair and the bible quote. Also on the cover of the book where the metatron matrix is in front of the chair ie you may not see Him but He touches every part of your life. last picture is talking about reincarnation. Would like to hear your opinion of my interpretation
DeSOL, that was a great explanation to the details of what these pictures mean. I love the interpretation of Richard Alpert as the Bodhisattiva who has reached a point of higher being. I’m glad someone that is more educated in these teachings could come and comment on my post so well, thank you and namaste. May all of your chakras remain open and balanced.
WTF ! This is really freaky… I’ve got the same book, but I got it from someone on my holiday 2 weeks ago. (by coincidents) So i read the book and had a feeling this could be connected to lost. I went to this site and found out that, at the same moment somebody else half way around the world found out the same thing, that I thought about this book. (freaky but this is not a Coincidence)
Lost_Dbutz —> I think you should take a look at the ”cook book” part of this book (3rd part) at page 90… ”Time and Space” —> and then think of Jacob. There IS a connection.
for now, be here, namaste… +1
from_holland–> I have read through some of the cook book part. It doesn’t seem as cohesive as the rest of the book, but all very interesting things. I will take a look at the page you are talking of and perhaps update this post again. Did you get a chance to read through the first part, his transformation? There seems to be so much that relates to LOST, and hey, it WAS written by Richard Alpert (or rather Baba Ram Dass).
What a fantastic post - just came across this ! +1 from me
Wow this incredible and very interesting. However I am starting to understand that no matter how much we try to guess about where the show is heading and why things have happened but we will pretty much always be wrong. I mean ya we can find some of the inspiration for the show but as to why and how it relates to LOST we won’t know until the end of the show. Kudos though!! plus 1
Thanks for the comments. I agree lifeonanisland1020, we might be wrong with most of our guesses, but a lot of them are right or close. Lost has so much tied into it, and it is a result of JJ Abrams, who has experience with so many of these concepts. I actually just got finished watching the Alias series and finding so many things that relate to so many theories I have read here before.
With Alias, JJ Abrams was able to skim over several interesting concepts. I think he put some of the most interesting into the back of his mind and saved them for Lost. Alias has moments where they talk about star mapping, electromagnetic phenomena, DNA manipulation, chosen ones, prophecies. There are even things in Alias that are so similar, like terms of The Looking Glass and The Orchid.
Combine in all of the greatest influences for mankind, as they do in Lost, and you’ll be able to find so many things that relate. They tied in religion (theology), mythology, science and entertainment. All things that allow us viewers to find a link to Lost and just about anything. As for the specifics of all of these things, I’m not sure if all of them will ever be explained, just out there for us hardcore viewers to find and point out, giving us more insight than the standard viewer.
Wow, just…wow. Good find