Sunday, August 29, 2010

Part 16 - Rochester, NY - Magickal Midtown Plaza

Signs of demonic dominion and ceremonial magick appear in concrete form, expressed in the tangible art and architecture of a region. The signs also appear in abstract or intangible form, expressed through the events and literature produced under it's influence. When reading what others have written about Rochester, NY and its celebrated Midtown Plaza and "Clock of Nations" you will discover the occasional instance of allusion to the enchantment of Babylon. I'll present a few examples here, to be followed (Lord willing) by one in particular that was highlighted to me in very dramatic way.

"Older Rochesterians often remember the downtown of the 1950s as a magical place." ([PDF] The Life and Times of Midtown Plaza by Karen McCally, Ph.D. - Rochester History (Magazine) - A Publication of the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County and the Rochester Historical Society)

"As a centerpiece he ordered a big central clock (Meet me under the clock) that contains puppetry: every half-hour, shoppers see a little "show" keyed to the folkways of a different nation. Midtown's overall effect, says one entranced lady shopper, "is that it's glamorous. You can get all gussied up and have lunch downtown and make a real shopping spree out of it." (Time Magazine - The City: Filling the Doughnut - Friday, Apr. 20, 1962) The word "entranced" means, "To put into a trance."

"The final Christmas season at Midtown Plaza took place in 2007. A 40-foot Douglas Fir was donated to the mall by Dave Manioci, Midtown's Chief Engineer. A tribute to Midtown took place on December 1, 2007, which attracted thousands of people from Rochester, NY and the surrounding areas to what was called "a magical event." ... On July 29, 2008 Midtown Plaza closed its doors to the public for the last time, as scheduled." (Midtown Plaza (Rochester) Wikipedia)

This kind of colorful language isn't uncommon, and, normally, the use of such descriptive words doesn't suggest that we should take them literally, yet, knowing what I've been presenting in this series, there does seem to be the perception of a genuine supernatural dynamic, a "vibe," if you will. Such a perception has been the testimony of some who have contacted me recently in response to this blog series. This perception is what I want to highlight here as an evidence of the spiritual condition.

I'm going to draw attention to the language used in a promo from 1963, introduced a couple posts back. You can watch it again, if you like, but I'll be quoting from it so there's no real need. In some contexts, the embedded video below might not appear. You can always use this link Midtown Plaza Mall (1963) to launch it on YouTube.


That promo's narrative begins: "Meet me at the "Clock of the Nations" in Midtown Plaza, Rochester, NY, where each passing hour is gaily saluted in the carnival spirit that is universal with people everywhere, and I'll acquaint you with *" (* As a substitute for saying these words, there's a musical fanfare with the words "Rochester a city of quality" appearing as though "Rochester" is ascending.)

OK. Someone with "carnival spirit" is literally a candidate for exorcism. (See here, where the same carnival spirit is leveraged in this occult Olympic ceremony.) Sadly, it is almost "universal with people everywhere." Note that this is what's identified with the regular action of the clockworks.

The image here is of Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan, seated in front of his calliope. Before founding the church he played it professionally at carnivals.

In the last minute or so of the promo you'll hear the narrator say these words. "Midtown Plaza is simply the most dramatic ingredient of the Rochester recipe for good living. There are thousands more, maybe not so fancy, but, certainly just as important as the song and dance of our fabled timepiece. In Rochester, even these marionettes have "Genesee Fever." They perform every hour, on the half-hour too, in the carnival spirit that is the timeless magic of the marketplace since cities began. A delight to the children, an intriguing interlude to shoppers and visitors from all over the world."

Reading between the lines, reference is made to Midtown Plaza's role in Rochester, NY's pharmakeia as "the most dramatic ingredient of the Rochester recipe." The word "recipe" relates to the ubiquitous pharmaceutical prescription symbol. "Rx is an abbreviation for the Latin word 'recipere' or 'recipe,' which means 'Take, thou.'" (What does the pharmacist's symbol "Rx" mean?) (Revelation 18:23 - "...for by thy sorceries (pharmakeia, drug spells or enchantments) were all nations deceived.")

"...the song and dance of our fabled timepiece." As an idiomatic expression, a "song and dance" is a deceptive ploy intended to mislead. Musical spells are another form of pharmakeia. Interpret this as a hint that the clock is simply not what it appears to be.

In what way was the newly commissioned and installed timepiece "fabled"? If you consider the variety of meanings of the word it seems that other definitions beyond what might have first come to mind may be more appropriate.

Reading between the lines of these two sentences is revealing! "In Rochester, even these marionettes have "Genesee Fever." They perform every hour, on the half-hour too, in the carnival spirit that is the timeless magic of the marketplace since cities began." When you read, "in the carnival spirit that is the timeless magic of the marketplace since cities began", well, this just has mystery Babylon written all over it! This supernatural dynamic is explicitly  associated with the animated marionettes, which are "unhidden" and perform for one rotation/orbit of the clock every half hour.

The name given to this particular spirit is regional, "Genesee Fever." Historically, this term referred to both a malaria-like sickness and something akin to "gold rush fever."

"Genesee Fever" was a malaria-like sickness infamously associated with the area. The first settlement in what would become known as Rochester was called King's Landing. Founded in 1796-97 on the Genesee River, this was where the first American schooner on the Great Lakes was built. In 1803, its population was nearly wiped out by the fever and subsequently abandoned. In 1809, the tract was resettled as Hansford's Landing, then abandoned in 1816 after many contracted the fever and died.

The expression "Genesee Fever" was also used to refer to the large scale migration of people from New England to Upstate New York in the 1790s. (New England's Migration Fever: The Expansion of America - Ancestry Magazine - July/August 2000)



The civic-minded (think Cain and Nimrod) marketing copy writer(s) dubbed the local enchantments of Mystery Babylon, "Genesee Fever." Is the infectious motivational spirit attributed to the animated marionettes of Midtown Plaza's "Clock of Nations" like what I've described as the effect of Hermes' caduceus wand? Is this the magick of "Rochester General" or the prince of Rochester?

The signs of demonic dominion and ceremonial magick appear in concrete form expressed in the tangible art and architecture of a region. The signs also appear in abstract or intangible form, expressed through the events and literature produced under it's influence.

More coming, Lord willing!

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