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An illustration from Parents and Children (1873). The caption reads: "In a moment Maurice was on fire!"
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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An illustration from Etidorhpa, or The Strange History of a Mysterious Being and the Account of the Initiate's Remarkable Journey by John Uri Lloyd (1895). The caption reads: "Facing the open window he turned the pupils of his eyes upward."
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| [The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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An illustration from The Autobiography of a Man O' War's Bell by C. R. Low (1875). The caption reads: "I stepped forward, eagerly seized a paper, when oh, horror! there appeared before my eyes, as I hastily opened the slip, the single word— Death!"
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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"Flying from death to death": an illustration from Benita: An African Romance by Henry Rider Haggard (1906).
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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 1983's song " Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats says "Everybody look at your hands." It's a lucid dreaming technique for dancing one's fantasies clear-headedly. (This is from our former outpost at Twitter.)
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An illustration from Rambles in the Footsteps of Don Quixote by H. D. Inglis (1837).
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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A halo of hair from a 1900 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine.
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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"After an unparalleled research we are now able to reveal the great Secret of Geography. The secret is that without Geography you would be quite lost." — W. C. Sellar and R. J. Yeatman, And Now All This
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* The most profound secrets lie not wholly in knowledge, said the poet. They lurk invisible in that vitalizing spark, intangible, yet as evident as the lightning—the seeker's soul. Solitary digging for facts can reward one with great discoveries, but true secrets are not discovered—they are shared, passed on in confidence from one to another. The genuine seeker listens attentively. No secret can be transcribed, save in code, lest it—by definition—cease to be. This Book of Whispers collects and encodes more than one hundred of humankind's most cherished secrets. To be privy to the topics alone is a supreme achievement, as each contains and nurtures the seed of its hidden truth. As possessor and thereby guardian of this knowledge, may you summon the courage to honor its secrets and to bequeath it to one worthy. |
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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An illustration from An Amiable Charlatan by Edward Phillips Oppenheim (1916). The caption reads: "Ladies and gentlemen, if you please! Nothing has happened."
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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| I Found a Penny Today, So Here's a Thought |
(permalink) |
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We bemoan the rampant demythologizing of our culture, yet the trend began with our founding fathers. Originally, the immortal declaration was that all men are created eagle (a vestige endures in the word egalitarian). "The entire conceptual castle of our mind relies on this creation of abstractions by metaphor from the foundations of our bodily experience in the world" ( Piero Scaruffi, The Nature of Consciousness, 2006). The eagle has landed as Apollo has fallen, leaving a hollow nest egg. |
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"Demon Rum": an illustration from a 1907 issue of Puck magazine.
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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 "It would only be funny if the people watching knew of the erotic scene Brando took part in in the film Last Tango in Paris." — Brad Ashton, How to Write Comedy (1983)
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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| This Terrible Problem That Is the Sea |
(permalink) |
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"There is a point where the proud waves of the sea must be stopped." — Richard Polwhele, Traditions and Recollections (1826)
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,( ,( ,( ,( ,( ,( ,( ,(
`-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' ` "The sea is a cruel mistress. Yet again the sea has behaved unconscionably. It's time to address this terrible problem that is the sea." —Captain Neddie, from the hilarious BBC series Broken News |
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"Honking Headgear": an illustration from a 1909 issue of Puck magazine. |
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An illustration from an 1890 issue of The Home-Maker magazine. The caption reads: "'The Sky!' gasped Esmeé."
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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"If you want to find out if someone is indiscreet you tell him under a vow of secrecy something that isn't true. If you then hear the story from another source you know that that person broke his vow of secrecy." — Alec Waugh, The Mule on the Minaret (2011) |
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An illustration from a 1901 issue of Puck magazine.
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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We're delighted to be a part of Melbourne's Little Library: Find more meaning in x's and o's with linguist Craig Conley's 'One Letter Words, a Dictionary'. Covering scarlet letters, medieval branding marks, bra sizes, blood types and more, this handy guide offers over 1000 definitions for those 26 letters and is on the shelves at the Little Library on Level 2. |
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An illustration from She by Henry Rider Haggard. The caption reads: "I saw the fire run up her form."
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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An illustration from a 1908 issue of Putnam's magazine. The caption reads: "What did she mean when she said 'Do we Pivot?'"
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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An illustration from an 1881 issue of Frank Leslie's Sunday magazine. The caption reads: "The paraselenae, or mock moons, that appeared over Denver, Colorado on Feb. 14, 1882."
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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An illustration from an 1883 issue of Lett's Illustrated Household magazine.
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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A deep-sea diver encounters a thriving community of merfolk, from Punch, 1866.
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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An illustration from an 1865 issue of Mrs. Grundy magazine. The caption reads: One Puff, to mean: "Fellow-Citizens"—or "Hail Coumbia"
Two Puffs: "I am no speaker"—or, "Westward the star of empire takes its way."
Thee Puffs: "This is the proudest moment of my life"—or, "Long may it wave."
Four Puffs: "Good-Night."
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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Too few pick up a cornet, and fewer still seize it. "Norman seized his cornet": To-Day magazine, 1873.
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An illustration from an 1885 issue of Frank Leslie's Sunday magazine. The caption reads: "Through the white streets, while the pitiless storm raged around her."
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| *Inspired by the world's only accurate meteorological report, "Yesterday's Weather," as seen on Check It Out. |
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An illustration from a 1908 issue of Putnam's magazine. The caption reads: "A mysterious influence emanates from those wonderful columns. Not only the sight of them as you approach from London, but the queer, almost uncanny way in which they permeate the whole place. They follow you through the station, and into the train, and not for many miles can you get out from under the presence of those perfect shapes."
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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| This Terrible Problem That Is the Sea |
(permalink) |
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Hungry, pitiless, murderous sea!
Oh, what wild shrieks hath terror sent o'er thee!
How many millions, dead,
Lie waiting in thy oozy bed,
Till the last trumpet sound, and Death no more
Shall revel 'mid thy rage and maddening roar!
—Nicholas Michell, "Ocean's Changes" (1867)
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,( ,( ,( ,( ,( ,( ,( ,(
`-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' ` "The sea is a cruel mistress. Yet again the sea has behaved unconscionably. It's time to address this terrible problem that is the sea." —Captain Neddie, from the hilarious BBC series Broken News |
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An illustration from an 1874 issue of London Society Illustrated magazine. This should be of interest: Seance Parlor Feng Shui.
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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Seven flats! From London Society, 1864.
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Here's an Escheresque castle in the air from a 1909 issue of Puck magazine.
|
| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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An illustration from a 1909 issue of Putnam's magazine. The caption reads: "Jail is the most fashionable resort of the London smart set."
|
| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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"The spectacle of a man trying not to laugh at something can only be funny if we are ourselves laughing." — Sight and Sound (1957)
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Dykwynkyn is the pseudonym of theatrical maskmaker Richard Wynne Keene 1825 1887. From an 1870 issue of London Society Illustrated magazine.
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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THE INNER LIFE
Thoughts of mine, so wildly pressing
Through the mystery of my soul,
While my calm face, unconfessing,
Keeps the solemn secret whole.
Oft I ponder,
With vague wonder,
Whence ye come—and what ye mean;
Visions of my world unseen!
(London Society, Jan. 1864)
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* The most profound secrets lie not wholly in knowledge, said the poet. They lurk invisible in that vitalizing spark, intangible, yet as evident as the lightning—the seeker's soul. Solitary digging for facts can reward one with great discoveries, but true secrets are not discovered—they are shared, passed on in confidence from one to another. The genuine seeker listens attentively. No secret can be transcribed, save in code, lest it—by definition—cease to be. This Book of Whispers collects and encodes more than one hundred of humankind's most cherished secrets. To be privy to the topics alone is a supreme achievement, as each contains and nurtures the seed of its hidden truth. As possessor and thereby guardian of this knowledge, may you summon the courage to honor its secrets and to bequeath it to one worthy. |
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* * * * *A row of asterisks is the most elegant way to explain human reproduction. "In the novels I had read whenever a lovely woman stooped to folly she had a baby. The cause was put with infinite precaution, sometimes indeed suggested only by a row of asterisks, but the result was inevitable" ( W. Somerset Maugham, Cakes and Ale). As Laurence Sterne put it, "A thousand of my father's most subtle sylogisms could not have said more for celibacy" ( Tristram Shandy).
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An illustration from an 1884 issue of Penny Post magazine.
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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Orson Welles' Lady from Shanghai famously features a shootout in a hall of mirrors. A 1901 issue of Puck shows a gunslinger using his looking-glass reflections as decoys.
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Upon his arrival in hell, fresh off the Styx Ferry, the soul of a reporter is accosted by demons full of inane questions. "How do you like Hades? Did you have a pleasant voyage? What do they think of us on earth? How do you like the climate? Is this your first visit? Are you going to stay long?" From Puck, 1907.
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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"Open Sesame!" An illustration from an 1874 issue of London Society Illustrated magazine.
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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"You may find it difficult to believe, but each of us, deep down, has an innate knowledge of our personal needs, physically as well as emotionally."
— Lettie Vantol, Crystals (2007)
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The seventh best toilet trivia book: that's how our dictionary of magic words was recently ranked, even though we offer only a single reference to a toilet plunger! |
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An illustration from an 1887 issue of Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly magazine. The caption reads: "In exchange for a Soul."
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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Seven sisters wander through the echoing crypts of a castle, opening four hundred doors in their search for daylight; in one locked door they find a golden key but, afraid to open it, they knock instead: an illustration by Charles Doudelet for Maurice Maeterlinck's "Three Songs," reproduced in The Critic (1902).
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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A vaudeville comedy tragedy mask, from a 1909 issue of Puck magazine.
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| [Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost
sense of immediacy. We follow the founder of the Theater of
Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then
flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free. The images
we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.] |
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A still from the perennially hilarious Addams Family. Morticia is referring to the model of rare harpsichord that Lurch plays.
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Original Content Copyright © 2025 by Craig Conley. All rights reserved.
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