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January
2008
1.01.08 - Here
we are in a new year, time continuing on, and as we become more conscious of our
Being, it is becoming more and more clear on getting rid of everything that
lessens Being. Now is the time to begin assessing what is important to us and
what nourishes our well Being.
Here is a link to Judith's YouTube mini
video courses: http://www.youtube.com/judithorloffmd
1.04.08 - Here
are some more links from Emilie Conrad on video/audio. This woman is 73 and
brings up a great deal of awareness that is much needed in our dysfunctional
culture in regards to the body and its inherent link to the cosmos:
http://www.continuummovement.com/media.htm
Also some other practitioners of Continuum and Breath Work:
http://www.bonniegintis.com/index.html
http://www.jamesjealous.com/missionstatement.html
Emilie brought up this interesting context of how new ideas
relating to raising our awareness/consciousness can be frightening to the egoic
mind. She mentioned Stravinsky creating a whole new different approach to ballet
music that literally created a riot within the opera house. Imagine how just
creating different music rhythms and ballet movements could actually frighten
people. Here's the story http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rite_of_Spring.
With that said, this happens even to this day. Look at how religions and
politics do the same sort of knee jerk reactions to traditional ways of
thinking. This also occurs in education, business, and every other aspect of our
civilization and existence as we currently know it within a limiting
perspective.
Each of us is Being asked to rise above the egoic
notion of what we "think" we know, to be as young children in terms of
allowing ourselves to be inquisitive, curious, explorative, and open to new
possibilities. Nature is totally in this flow of new possibilities. You don't
see arguments occurring over what is going to work or not. You don't see one
aspect of Nature withholding information from the others. It is all connected
into the Oneness of which we also participate in, in and ongoing dance of
"co-operation." We would do well to look at how we have been taught to
co-operate from a limited perspective based on one or more areas of our beliefs,
which creates our paradigm.
Thomas Kuhn defines a paradigm as: “an entire constellation of beliefs, values
and techniques, and so on, shared by the members of a given community.”
This collection of beliefs, values, and techniques create a
paradigm and paradigms are closed systems, which in general shut out any
competing information that would challenge the paradigm. The ego would be
similar to this, in fact it is what creates the systemic problem of resistance
against change. In some ways this has value in order to prevent us from
psychological overload. We are in this mess in the first place due to resist to
what is and from forces that have created dysfunction for their own purpose.
With that said, perhaps you can better understand what it is that the Continuum
Movement and other body, mind, soul, spirit work are striving to assist us in
birthing.
As Beings, we are truly here to let go of the resistance
(fear), we have been taught to embody that has shut down our higher
consciousness states that were available to us in our early years. If we take an
honest look at what drives us, what we are feeling, then we can better
understand that where we have been coming from, living from, has been of a great
limitations of our full potential to be. Look at the very young. They do not
complain, they are very much alive, present, aware, understanding, much more
able to show/live compassion in ways that we adults in general are crippled from
expressing.
The resistance to avoid looking at these deeper
perspectives is nothing more than ego busy trying to distract one to do other
easier things like avoiding the truth, through a systematic process of getting
one to focus on short term gratifications that are endless in their capacity to
distract. If one wants to Be free of pain and suffering, then one has to take
the effort to train the ego by realizing that they have the power to not react
to the impulses of thoughts by ego to distract one in the first place. That is
the only power ego has, which is to distract. Ego does not force one to follow
its dysfunctional impulses. We have been allowing our focus of attention, our
intention, to go where it is suggesting. Any idea that this is not so is purely
egoic in source. When one begins to realize that they have been unconsciously
been led around like a donkey with a stick dangling over its head, with an apple
at the end of it, as a metaphor for dysfunctional thoughts, one then begins to
rethink other possibilities consciously by BEING present in the NOW.
This is the true power we have as Beings, to be able to
consciously disentangle ourselves from the web of illusion surrounding this
dysfunctional dance we are all engaged in. When you begin to stay present, one
begins to realize how the illusion has been unfolding all along. As children we
were not allowed to deviate from the dysfunctional cultural norms and so we had
to follow the rules, had to follow the egoic impulses, whether we liked it or
not. Eventually these conscious actions on our part began to cause us pain and
suffering due to going against our own innate knowing. In order to facilitate
obeying the rules and at the same time avoiding the pain and suffering, a split
occurred so that the pain and suffering part submerged into our subconscious.
We didn't do this consciously, the higher Being created
this so that we just fell asleep so to speak; cultural amnesia would be a good
term to describe this phenomenon. At the same time, the lower self that is
asleep re-enforces these cultural rules in order to remain unconsciousness at
all costs. If we had to live our entire early years and teen years conscious of
the insanity in our world, we would not have survived long. These are psychological
buffers created to protect us from the insanity. When we get older and are out
on our own, the process of reclaiming our wholeness begins. This occurs via
projection, where we act out the dysfunctional cultural beliefs towards others,
who are also reflecting their dysfunctional cultural beliefs. This reflection is
what projection is all about. This is how each of us becomes conscious, how we
awaken and integrate the split; insanity/schizophrenia.
There is no way one can avoid reflection/projection because
it is inherent in unconsciousness. When one has split, those hidden aspects
naturally begin to arise through interactions with others. There is a quote that
touches on this, "Children came to be reflected, instead they got
corrected." As children are natural spontaneous Being just radiated its
essence out into the world. This included moving, singing, dancing, expressing,
exploring, sharing, cuddling, and anything else that spontaneously desired to
arise without intending to harm others. At first this is allowed due to the
irrational thinking of adults, who think of it as a stage to eventually be
outgrown. What causes this stage of authentic Being to be corrected is the
reflections of true Being threatening adult egos.
Children are the closest source to showing/teaching us what
the adult world has lost. And from an ego perspective is a threat to the forces
that dominate egoic thought that imprisons humanity in lower levels of
consciousness. This is why abuse is rampant surrounding children and why it is
still a systemic problem. This is why so many adults are living in this insanity
because they truly are brain washed to "think" it is sane. This is
what conditioning does to one's lower mind. When a young person has no place to
go, cannot support themselves, and is dependent on adults, then the only choice
is to rebel or to submit. In essence we go through life holding our breath,
which stops us from experiencing now and all the potential new experiences that
would allow us to continue the process of transformation that all of us have
ingrained in our Being.
I use the idea of breath as a metaphor, but is through
breath that we connect with spirit. Not the normal breath we are accustomed too,
but the deeper full breathing where the whole torso is free and limber to
breathe uninhibited. This is why breath work can be so freeing. This is not easy
work as long as one is not aware of the egoic reactions that can and do
interfere with the Being trying to break through the resistance of ego to
express its authentic nature beyond the false self of cultural indoctrination.
If this word is bothersome, then I would suggest taking the time to look at our
culture, specifically those in government and corporations (really one in the
same) continue to do very little in regards to the pain and suffering in the
world. Begin to ask yourself why they continue to not care, to take away
rights, to take away opportunities, to engage in violence, to train others how
to be violent, continuing to distort the truth and to keep secrets. How can they
continue to do these things and then profess to care, or profess to be loving?
One cannot care/love and then perpetuate crimes against
their brothers and sisters. One cannot be loving and turn a blind eye. One
cannot love and lie or love and steal or love and support violence. This is just
not possible. So, the only way it can be possible is to wake up to the fact that
their words do not match their actions. We are taught that what one says is more
important or other wise we would not have so many people supporting the current
state of insanity. This is what occurs when we are forced to submit to the rules
of insanity. We have to "believe" that the rules are just and true,
when in fact they are not at all. This idea we have in our constitution about
justice has been enacted in support of cultural norms.
We can see how this idea of justice has enacted throughout
history. Perhaps history can be rewritten, but the facts are right there in the
world if one is willing to see, hear, and feel. Our true history is felt as we
walk amongst our sisters and brothers of humanity. We avoid eye contact, we
judge, we discriminate, we hate, we avoid, we shame, we guilt others, we hit, we
kill for a zillion different reasons. Our political/religious structures are
power bases for those who decide what the rules of engagement will be. This
power structure is based on material goods, on external aspects, which have
nothing to do with authentic self. If we were all to be in touch with authentic
self, the charade of insanity would be healed rather quickly, as the truth
spread like wild fire. One can then understand why the leaders and media give
little attention to information that would empower people to Be authentic.
Has anyone given thought as to why those in government work
in luxury, get paid a great deal of money, have the best medical/dental plans
money can buy, and a host of other perks, while those at the bottom have little.
I would like to suggest that if government leaders lived like those at the
bottom of the ladder, you would see significant changes in government and the
world. But until they are held accountable for their insane insatiable desires
for more money, more power, more control, then the world as we know it will self
destruct.
I want to be clear about this issue of insanity. Insanity
is self-hatred. It's opposite is self-love. Self-hate arises when we are forced
to go against our authentic Being. I want to affirm again, that authentic Being
does not harm others. When we are forced to go against our authentic Being, we
begin a process of going unconscious. When one goes unconscious, a split occurs
and with that split arises self hatred. There would be no need to self-hate if
we self-loved. Ponder on this deeply. Any resistance to who you are as an
authentic Being is self-hatred. Any kind of judgments towards aspects of what
arises within authentic Being is self-hatred. Just a little bit of self-hatred
moves one into insanity. Until you purge the self-hatred, begin to become
conscious of authentic Being, and learn to self-love all aspects of your Being,
then you have one foot in insanity.
Paul Williams states in his book "Das
Energi":
"You
must choose:
Do
you wish to see (perceive) nothing, or do you want to
see things as they really are?
It is
not hard to see things as they really are, it is simply
a matter of tearing down walls, riddling oneself of defenses
and presumption, rendering oneself vulnerable, an idiot, a fool.
But is
not easy to see things as they really are, because it
is painful, it is real, it requires response, it's an incredible commitment.
To go
nine-tenths of the way is to suffer at every moment
utter madness.
To go
all the way is to become sane."
I
first read this book back in 1991 and thought it was a great book. I thought I
understood most of it. As I continued to read it over the years, it began to
sink in to deeper levels of understanding as my awareness began to arise out of
my culturally induced dysfunction. The more work I did no waking up, the more
sense it made to me. After my near death experiences in 1999 and 2000 his words
began to take on an even deeper understanding. Today as I read this it is rather
sobering as I understand this from a place of waking up out of the insanity
completely. One cannot hold onto a tiny bit of this dysfunction, for it will
taint your consciousness absolutely. It is similar to how viruses work on your
computer.
One
virus, one Trojan can get into the operating system and create havoc. So one can
see how anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-phishing, and firewall software are
metaphors of similar techniques used to take back our authentic Being, our
operating system, so that we can begin the work to recall our login password to
re-connect to the spiritual network we all have within our authentic Being. This
is why it is important to pay attention, to be still, to do healing work on the
body, mind, and soul. This connection is not going to come at the hands of ego.
Intellect does not have the capacity to login. Intellect cannot enter the
Kingdom, cannot enter the realm of Spirit. Entering is a non-linear context, it
is a right brain process, but more specifically, it requires a both left and
right hemispheres to be in sync.
One
has to understand it is not the physical brain itself that does this. The brain
is nothing more than an organic device that channels universal
thoughts/information, much like wiring throughout the body. It is like a transceiver.
We have the ability to receive and transmit. Nature is this way and is what
instincts truly touch upon. Each of us has access to the Universe for
information, guidance, and other spiritual aspects. You do not need another
person to tell you what truth is. As a finely tuned Being, you know truth, sense
everything you need to know to navigate this world from a place of authentic
Being. This is what true power is. True power is not power over others, but
self-empowerment. True power is about tapping into the greater Being you are and
expressing that Being. What you know to be who you are at the moment is but a
small aspect of what you really are.
You
are not a who, but a what. Who you have been has been a compilation of cultural
rules on conformity. It is why so many identify with status, orientation, money,
religion, political, job, or other external identity tags. True power recognizes
its own sovereignty, which is about self-love and self-respect. This is the only
sovereignty that exists because true sovereignty only exists when one has
self-love and self-respect. From this perspective and state of Being, one then
loves all others and respects all others and allows them to Be in their own
sovereignty. True enlightenment or Being Awakened (to be awake) (to be sane) (to
have self-love/self-respect) as a society is nothing more than everyone
respecting and loving all as they would themselves.
There
is this idea that we are here so that God can know itself. Each of us is an
aspect of the Divine; and I want to say emphatically that GOD is not a male or
female in its totality. However, each of us is an aspect, a divine spark of GOD.
So, it is each of us who has to awaken to our GODHOOD; And that Godhood is
nothing more than being logged into the spiritual network via our Being. The
sort of God that religion preaches about is a God based on human qualities,
based on the insane version of humans. No sane person would by into the ideas
that religion presents to their followers. Anyone with any Being would expect
each person to know for themselves what true spirit is. Any Being would allow
anyone to choose for themselves to make sense of their Being, the world, and all
that arises between the two.
Our
current leaders are not interested in you thinking for yourself. They have a
vested interest in your being stuck in ego mindsets, in believing in shame,
guilt, and fear. insanity needs these aspects of unconsciousness in order to
imprison Being from outer expression. In order for another to control one or
more others, they have to convince you to agree with their beliefs. If you
don't, then the next step is to force you to conform. True spiritual awareness
doesn't require needing others in that way. Why? Because the only things of any
value whatsoever is self-love and self-respect. Without them you have nothing;
are nothing.
Shame
and guilt need to be understood from the standpoint of living within insanity.
Shame is the idea that there is something wrong with your Being. In our
dysfunctional society, one's Being is shamed in order to facilitate the
enforcement of cultural rules. As a child, there is something wrong with you,
hence the need to correct your Being into lesser being. In this sense GOD
becomes god. We have an entire world of shame based human beings who have had
their will broken, their connection to spirit broken. Guilt is the idea that one
should feel guilty for Being, and this process of one person giving another a
guilt trip is another tool used to enforce cultural rules and conformity. Shame
and guilt are inclusive with fear. All three are not separate, for they operate
in such a way as to create seeds of doubt, which then cause one to not trust in
their Being.
This
is important because each child then begins to feel like they have to avoid
aspects of their being in order to get their needs met. The child begins to
alienate itself from their spiritual connection as more and more corrections
occur. Eventually this alienation shuts off awareness or focuses attention away
from the non-linear to exclusive linear thinking alone. This is what Tolle
discusses in regards to moving out of the present and living for the most part
in the past and future. The only way one can be present all the time is to be
connected in body, mind, spirit; linear and non-linear processing.
It is
important to understand that in order for unconsciousness to exist, one has to
convince others, enforce others, intimidate others into disconnecting from the
body, mind, and spirit. Those who profess to be religious are mostly
intellectualizing spirit. Their egos have convinced them they know and you can
use discernment to see this in others. Again, it is not words we pay attention
to, it is the actions of those who profess to know spirit. If fear, guilt,
shame, anger, hatred, judgment, ostracizing, punishment, imprisonment, prejudice
or denying others the right to Be is present, then be assured that Ego is
dominating their actions. Again, those coming from self-love and self-respect
have no need for these egoic manipulations.
There
is much more to this egoic element, but for now it is important to understand
that underlying its reactions is fear. Ego was created to basically hate Being.
All of its endeavors are a product derived from the split and are geared towards
ensuring one's survival. In essence, waking up requires that we realize this and
begin the journey back to self-love and self-respect. We do this by Being
present, so as to become acquainted with the now again. If one pays enough
attention in silence, one will notice that most of the thoughts dominate past
events or possible future events, none of which exist. These perspectives exist
to ensure we follow the past memories of conformity to cultural beliefs. So
instead of just Being present enjoying the unfoldment of consciousness, we are
constantly in state of alert scanning for any possible deviation from the norms
or attacks on our false personality self that was created to fit in. While this
scanning is occurring, all data is being run against past memories looking for
possible conflicts, running any number of potential outcomes; sort of like the
military commands that are always scrutinizing possible threat scenarios and
preparing for them.
This
is how most human beings spend their days. Being unconscious requires an
incredible amount of energy to suppress the Divine. It is exhausting work to say
the least and one has to realize all dis-ease arises from this suppression of
Being. I would like to recommend reading about Louise
Hay and her books, tapes, and workshops. I have used her book, "Heal
Your Body," since the mid-90-'s to assist myself in understanding what is
going on with my body. The book focuses on the mental causes for physical
illness and the metaphysical way to overcome them. There are many well known
people in the self-help movement that support this perspective.
One
must begin to understand that the insane way our world has been operating under
has come directly from political and religious powers undermining the Power of
Now, the Power of Being. This process of stifling higher consciousness at all
costs has been going on for thousands of years. They would have you believe the
problem is those who don't support religion and politics. They would have you
believe that their way is the only way. But wait, if it is the only true way,
then why is there so much pain and suffering? Look around you; get present;
settle into your feelings. Do not think about the problem, because that is the
problem. Thinking is like a continually playing tape of all the cultural rules.
It is like sitting in front of your TV set 24/7 thinking all you need to know is
coming from it.
One
thing about TV is that most of it is fantasy, a very specific sort of ideology
geared towards dumbing you down to conformity. Advertising, media news,
business, politics, sports, religion, shows and other programming are just that;
programming. Truth doesn't come from television, it comes from within, and let
know one tell you what truth is until you know that resonates in your heart.
What we have been knowing for truth for a long time is what others have told us.
And we are taught to NOT question those truths. In fact, if we were to really be
aware of what has been going and is going on we would be appalled at the level
of suppression of true critical thinking. True critical thinking is inner
listening, includes being intuitive, and a great deal of thinking.
If you
haven't listened to Judith
Orloff's videos, then please do so, for they offer some critical
understanding of the functions of intuition and feelings. I would also recommend
reading Doreen Virtue's book Divine Guidance as well or any other books on
intuition. David Viscott has an excellent book called The
Language Of Feelings that I highly recommend too. There's a lot of excellent
information out there about intuition/feelings and one can do a web search to
find articles as well. Waking up is your choice, your business, in your own
way.
Trust
that there is an inner guidance to lead you to people, places, and things that
will assist you in putting together the pieces that will re-integrate your
Being. In my own life, I can look back to various people who gave me
information, recommended books, and mentioned ideas to me. I can see where many
of the thousands of books I read, both non-fiction, fiction, and sci-fi, as well
as academic oriented books offered opportunities to integrate knowledge with
experiential opportunities to become more aware. It was through the synchronicity/coincidence
that led me to learn about body work, breath work, body movement, and other
modalities of healing, such as alternative medicine in my own awakening process.
And for the record, awakening is nothing more than seeing the world with an open
heart and mind.
In
this open mind/heart perspective one begins another level of awareness of
unfolding into higher levels of consciousness. One becomes more conscious of
choices in regards to all areas of their life. The Universe is infinite and as
such, there is never an end to the possibilities that exist. With this
realization, it becomes evident that there is little need for feeling less than
or greater than others. One either is in a state of hatred or love. In love, one
would want to learn, grow, understand, make sense of, explore, be curious, and
enjoy this unfolding process. Children have this down pat, of being curious and
inquisitive, of asking questions and Being open to the wonder and magic of Being
with all it has created and will create.
One
would desire to assist others, be of service to the greater whole, and desire to
radiate love and compassion towards all Beings. One would take the initiative to
ensure that everyone has decent food, clothing, shelter, education,
medical/dental care, warmth, support, nurturing, caring communities, meaningful
work, and unconditional love. One would realize the need for solitude, silence,
and clarity to nurture the inner connection so as to deepen this connection for
the unfoldment of bringing in more light, harmony, balance, and alignment with
higher spiritual values and goals. What those values and goals are different for
each person and yet similar in that they resonate with the higher frequencies of
heart, love, and compassion.
I have
had opportunities to tap into these at times. I was not looking for them when
they appeared. One is ready to the point of being willing to let go of
assumptions, let go of needing to control, and being willing to be humbled.
Often, when these situations got difficult, it was due to egoic influences being
frightened as it encountered something vastly greater than it could
intellectualize, because the Divine is enormous, and even all the best words to
describe it fail in the end. They simply cannot describe the actual experience.
I can recall having experiences back when I was in my twenties still living at
home. These continued over time in normal waking time, dream time, shamanic work
and with the use of spiritual tools. All of the experiences offered the same
perspectives, depth, guidance, and challenges.
I can
say without question or doubt that I no longer have a vested interest in the old
ways that I was indoctrinated with. While attending Fairhaven College, I had
some rude awakenings to the many who worship intellect within the academic world
and in many ways they are as ruthless as any religious or political organization
bent on intellectual prowess; meaning power over others. That is not to say that
I didn't have my own issues, because I did, and having been indoctrinated from
birth, who wouldn't. After graduating, I began a long hard road to becoming
aware of the finer points of spirituality being taught. I attended Naropa
University's Oakland Campus, where I had the opportunity to attend Matthew Fox's
Creation Spirituality program.
To say
that I was gullible and naive is an understatement. For the program was mostly
intellectual in nature and superficial at best. Using people and their ideas is
something that I cannot condone. The inner politics of that place were a great
eye opener to me, as were the personalities of many of the teachers in
attendance. Our group of 30+ students wound up calling into question a great
many things in the program. Instead of opening up a true dialogue and embrace
transformation, the administrators booted out certain individuals and disallowed
any meaningful dialogue. It is one thing to have dialogue and another to intend
doing nothing about it. In the end, after trying repeatedly to fit my thesis
into their box, I chose to quit the program.
It
took awhile to understand that many of the administrators and faculty were
pastors, priests or nuns, so how could their be true open dialogue beyond a
Christian based paradigm. Yes, there were others with backgrounds in Sufism,
Hinduism, Native American, and others, but it was always through the filters of
Christianity, a borrowing of other traditions to expand Christianity. What was
needed was getting rid of the past templates. What was needed was letting go of
the egoic need to intellectualize. What was needed was a vast undertaking of
ridding one of arrogance, ignorance, dysfunction, and the cravings for
power/greed.
As
human beings we are relegated the response ability to embrace our deeper roots
in the divine. it is ironic that we do this for the most part from intellect
alone, and often pretend we are doing the deeper experiential work. While
attending Naropa, I was going through a Kundalini opening and in that process
one can often feel like they are losing their mind. And in many ways one is; the
ego mind, for any fear based reactions are only ego beginning its dying to make
room for the true Being. I approached quite a few faculty members, only to be
looked at like I was nuts. In hindsight, I can see their own egos were
uncomfortable because I was going beyond their own egoic comfort zones.
I can
say that what has transpired from this mystical path has been an awakening to
the incredible fathoms of spirit. And by incredible, I don't mean like a
vacation, because it has not been a vacation, nor a leisurely tour, or a weekend
warrior sort of voyage. What occurs is finding bit by bit your courage to
continue to seek and look, knowing that there is more to be revealed, as it gets
more challenging and difficult to continue on. The idea of this can be seen in
churches, synagogues, and temples across this planet, who sit in quiet
desperation pretending to have faith of the unseen that they only fathom in
timid egoic thoughts geared towards shrinking down the Divine Abyss of Joy,
Ecstasy, and Bliss into consumable bits of information to intellectualize and
fantasize about.
The
direct experience terrorizes them because ego is reacting to anything that would
challenge its domain of intellectual superiority. Hence why so many who profess
to be spiritual continue to purge the world with violence, greed, and control
that knows no bounds nor truly cares about the masses. This is what insanity
does. The great distraction that professes that mere money, goods, sex, and
privilege is all that is needed to be content and happy. But, this is not true,
because the world has been doing this for thousands of years and it is still not
enough. It is an endless consuming of self-loathing, that is like a black hole
sucking in anything in a vain attempt to fill the void. But, the void cannot be
filled from without. It can only be filled from within.
In
essence, what is needing to occur, is a letting go, a falling into the
wonder-filled essence that waits patiently within. the sense of peace that comes
with this letting go is so awing, so fulfilling, that realizations begin to dawn
on you how insignificant the current world is with all its glitter, pomp, and so
forth. When you begin to realize how badly damaged everyone is, how unhappy, how
empty, how fearful the many live, you begin to understand a little bit of what
love and compassion is about. This past summer I was in a lucid dream where I
recalled forgotten memories. What I remembered was a big part of why I came to
this planet. After it surfaced, I lay there sobbing and after a half hour or so
another opening occurred where I recalled where I came from. The level of
compassion I experienced was so profound that I just started to sob even
more.
There
are no words to describe this. My response was a great sorrow, a great pain to
bear in regards to how far removed we are on this planet to experience what our
birth right is. Our birth right is not what we go about telling people we are.
It is not the icons or symbols or any other external thing. Our birth right, our
only true treasure and gift to give is our unconditional love and compassion.
And I would remiss if I have been forth right in my own meager attempts at
shining my own light. The hardest thing we have to do is Be true to the light,
to embrace it as if it were who we are because in fact it is who and what we
are. All the pain and suffering arises from ignoring this One truth of the
Light.
Light
cannot be extinguished; ever. It is non-extinguishable, sort of like those silly
birthday candles that can't be blown out. Yes, light can be denied entry into
the material world and that has been going on for far too long. The
Catholic Church, along with other religions, made it their mission to extinguish
the Light in millions upon millions of human beings. Empires have been carved
out of other peoples hides and lands, with purpose of ensuring darkness reigned.
We can see the effects of this mission by all those who are quite well off, who
do nothing, but continue on unabated in destroying any attempt of the Light to
surface. One could picture this as a bunch of mad fools running around trying to
stomp out any fires that begin to appear around the world. This in essence is
what history reveals, the systematic destruction of any culture that was rooted
in Light.
I am
appalled at those in high places who still continue to turn away from the Light,
with the mission of taking and hording as much as they can. In some ways, those
who have the most are the most insane, the most lost, who are so possessed by
darkness, that their inner Being has no chance to shine. It must be said that
all who are intent with egoic notions are possessed with darkness. There is no
one home so to speak in terms of Light, for it is suppressed by self hate. The
true power to eradicate this darkness arises from the individual acts of
self-love and self-respect first and foremost. Then when one is anchored in this
enough, then to radiate this out into the world around us. There are those who
will not like your shining, who will make it difficult for you, who will
verbally assault you, or ignore you. Let them, but don't make it your business
what they think of you.
Don't
confuse what I am saying here with what Christians and others are obsessed with
doing, of going around proselytizing the "good word." There is nothing
one need do but love the other. This is most evident in Peter Russell's prose:
Love
Love is not something you do,
It is not how you behave.
There's nothing you can do that constitutes loving another,
No action that is of itself loving.
Love is a way of being.
And more than that.
It is simply being,
Being with another person, however they may be.
Holding no judgments, having no agendas,
No need to have them experience your love,
No desire to demonstrate love,
No intrusion upon their soul.
Nothing but a total acceptance of their being,
Born of your total acceptance of yours.
This is not an idea, it is not something you think about or
do. Compassion arises from within, is an energy that comes from self-love and
self-respect. Compassion is the ability to know your self, to understand your
pain and suffering, to heal it, and to merge into one's Being. This process is
not intellectual. There are elements of moving through stuck emotional patterns,
repressed feelings, and regaining the ability to intuit, feel, and be empathic.
We do have the ability to feel others pain. I have had this occur on many
occasions. These abilities arise as we learn to open up to the flow of energy
and allow it flow unimpeded through our bodies. Compassion and love are
energetic in nature, therefore one feels them, because feelings are energetic in
nature. Compassion flows from our Being out into the world. This is the Light
that we shine.
This might make more sense if you can begin to watch the
children. They are already shining naturally and are doing so, so those who are
asleep can experience the Light. Children are extremely forgiving, even after
being horribly mistreated. What is required of us is to re-acquaint ourselves
with our own Light. We arrive at this inner discovery by letting go of the ego
and all of its self-hatred. It is the judgments that we have taken on and
believed that created this self-hatred. Let me be clear on this. Those who go
about wearing their religion on their sleeves like they are chosen or saved are
most assuredly coming from self-hatred, because ego is the only thing that needs
to judge and make itself better than another. There are no right organizations
or groups or chosen people. Compassion and love arise from Being and is the core
of the entirety of the Universe. There is nothing on this planet that is
man-made that has any bearing on this compassion and love.
Light is not Republican, Democrat, Vegan, Christian,
Jewish, Female, Male, Heterosexual, Homosexual, Young, Old, Black, White, Rich,
Poor, or any other intellectualized scientifically recognized or culturally
induced category. These are the delusions created by the many egos in the world.
Behind these facades are certain categories of information that has been formed
to create a particular belief in order to justify non-loving acts in the world.
Compassion and love require nothing from anyone. It is something one gives from
a place of self-love and self-respect. When each of us realizes that we are
enough, then there is no need to take from another or a need to get. Two or more
people come together in giving and each one gets without needing to take.
Do you understand this? If we focus on taking we are not
giving and there in lies the rub. We are a planet of mostly people in taking
mode, each egoic entity struggling in vain to manipulate the other in giving so
as to get. Ego focus is on getting; Being is on giving. When one begins to grasp
this, one begins the hard task of undoing all the patterns that were learned to
get. I am still working on this from years of conditioning from my upbringing. I
know I am not alone in this issue. Becoming aware of it is most of the struggle
to overcome the blind spot in our consciousness. When you are in the throes of
struggling with giving and feeling like you are not getting, it is important to
realize, become aware of, the fact that it is ego creating all that inner
dialogue.
If you feel depressed, lonely, angry, hateful, resentful,
jealous, it is all old tapes, old patterns, same old egoic context acting out,
working diligently to pull you into the charade and delusion. Understanding this
will, becoming aware of this is what Tolle discusses in taking back your power.
It is awareness of what ego is doing that takes away egos power and returns your
power back to your Being. It is important to understand that egoic structure
convinces you through distraction and illusion into identifying with its
thoughts as if they arise from your Being. This is an illusion of great
proportions. It is crucial to your freedom in understanding this process and to
start discerning what the thoughts are vibrating; fear or love.
I mentioned this before; one feels light and the other
heavy. We all know what being in a good mood and bad is like. Compare these to
the thoughts. If they bring you down, know they are fear. Light opens you up and
fear shuts you down. If you have a hard time with this, then take up the task of
watching the world at large going on around you. Begin to experience what
situations feel like. What goes on in your chest and stomach as you watch people
arguing or yelling or physically fighting? What occurs when you hear a child
crying or being yelled at? What occurs when you hear someone shaming or guilting
another. Paying attention is being present, is noticing what your feelings are
sensing. You are a highly sensitive Being capable of picking up so much
information that it would stagger you what you might really be tuning into.
Learn to trust yourself. Expect lots of trials and errors, for we each have to
undo a great deal of conditioning and brain washing.
1.06.08 - Here's
a link to the site of Miceal Ledwith, who was featured on "What
The Bleep" movie awhile back and whom I watched on the recent movie
called "The Orb Project."
http://www.hamburgeruniverse.com/articles.html.
He has some interesting articles on GOD and Jesus, which are rather interesting.
I spent some time scouring the Internet
yesterday and ran across some amazing sites of Baptist ministers and others who
spew out a lot of garbage. They most certainly don't practice what they preach.
I am always amazed at the lack of critical thinking that goes for intelligence.
I was reading Tolle's book last night and he got into talking about human
intelligence:
"Until now, human intelligence, which
is no more than a minute aspect of universal intelligence, has been distorted
and misused by the ego. I call that "intelligence in the service of
madness." Splitting the atom requires great intelligence. Using that
intelligence for building and stockpiling atom bombs is insane or at best
extremely unintelligent. Stupidity is relatively harmless, but intelligent
stupidity is highly dangerous. This intelligent stupidity, for which one could
find countless obvious examples, is threatening our survival as a species."
This intelligent stupidity is all around
us, built into our culture at every level of its structure. If you haven't
figured it out by now, I have no interest in the structure of organized
religion, at least not how it is currently organized. There only claim to fame
all these years has been to run rough shod over anyone who didn't agree with
their idea of truth. They have made no real heart felt effort at undoing the
damage they have wreaked upon the planet or its inhabitants. They are not
interested in assisting people in thinking for themselves or showing them how to
find truth. They make their business to keep people out of the dark on how to
have their own inner connection to the divine, instead ensuring that the masses
are dependent on religious leaders for guidance. They make alliances with
individuals to ensure the masses remain obedient and docile to their desires for
greed and power. In addition, they have made it their business to create and
foster dysfunction which has ensured the suffocation of any higher consciousness
in the masses for quite some time. Those who lead are dishonest and lacking a
great deal integrity, not only at the intellectual level, but also the spiritual
level. In essence, they have taken the arrogant stance to "think" they
know what is best for each and every person on the planet in regards to their
own individuated spiritual connection within. These religious leaders
continually strive to eradicate any attempt at those who seek to BE.
The traditional mainstream political
structure in the world has also been in step with these same religious leaders
in general. While there are different approaches to how these two go about doing
their business, they are in fact connected together in mutual self-serving ways.
This may not seem so obvious, but Church and State are not separate, because
every day religious people go to government and make decisions based on their
ideology, which has been formed by religious pressures for a long time. Power
and greed is the same, whether it be in politics or religion. Politics is in
essence business and what those who have money are the ones who get to make the
decisions for the masses. It has been the misfortune for many people to have
been enslaved by these political/religious leaders and their ideology has caused
more pain and suffering than is currently known, let alone understood.
The basic rules of conformity are created
from the needs and wants of these so called leaders. At the root of the rules is
what serves them best in terms of greed and power; control. If one truly
understood how little power these people have, they would be startled out of
their ignorance in a heart beat. The heart is the issue, for it is in this
essence that we Become Being. One must understand how much effort has gone into
stifling awareness in the masses. This is no mere small undertaking, for it has
required pain staking efforts at squashing humanities consciousness at every
step of the way until they crippled the many into obedience, through fear,
shame, guilt, intimidation, manipulation, coercion, violence, killing,
torturing, lying, and brain washing. It is also imperative that one understand
that there is more at stake here than there accrual of money and power.
Their accrual of power comes from the
energies each person gives them from living in fear or unconsciousness. Being is
not interested in accruing power from others, it already has its own infinite
source from within. Fear based leaders require energy from you in order to be
empowered. Without your realizing it, you give your energy away to leaders from
living in fear. Please read more about this at http://www.celestinevision.com/
where you will find eleven insights that touch on this subject. There are two
perspectives to understand here; fear takes and love gives. Fear is quite
complicated in its functions. Fear usually stems from the following; fear of not
being good enough, fear of not getting what you want; fear of being hurt; and
fear of being abandoned. The only two fears we are born with are fear of loud
noises and of heights. All the rest are culturally learned from growing up in
dysfunctional insane societies. The learned fears are ego based and are
directed at suffocating consciousness.
We are at the cross roads of new structures
being built as the old ones crumble. What we are witnessing is the terror of
those who are violently opposed to changes in the way consciousness has been.
Great violence is great fear, it is the ego acting in defense of keeping the
traditions of insanity in place by structures that have been self-serving to
small groups of people. The new structures are about sustaining a sane world
society where all are allowed to BE in service of all humankind equally to
ensure health and well-being for all peoples. The only rules are those that
support honesty and integrity in body, mind, soul, and spirit. Self-respect and
self-love are the two guiding principles that are to be taught, nurtured, and
embodied in this new structure. These will arise to the return of sovereignty,
of respecting each person's sovereign right to BE. This response-ability of
sovereignty arises when we begin to love and respect who we are.
Being is self-love and self-respect. In
this state of Being there is no fear, hence no need to harm others in any way.
When one has self-respect they respect all other Beings. Being doesn't identify
with material goods as self-identification and self-value. Being requires no
external thing for validation. Validation is an egoic need arising from the
illusion/delusion of not being good enough. Being is already everything. As
Beings we are here to create in accordance with Universal laws of unconditional
love, compassion, and the pursuit of the well-being of all. Being has no need
for any structures that serve the few or create polarizations via half truths.
One is either in full compliance with unconditional love or they are in
compliance with conditional love based egoic actions. This is the only process
necessary for deciding truth; is one's actions coming from love or fear?
Loves response to fear is love and
compassion, without swaying from the truth of Being. In Being, where one has
mastered staying centered in love, fear has no power whatsoever over Being.
This religious thing is simply incredible,
where individuals spend endless ours reading over and over versus and chapters
within the bible looking for answers that in truth are not there. In my mind if
one is needing to work on the car you go and get a Chilton's manual. If you are
needing financial information, you go see a financial advisor, or for a health
issue a doctor. There are many people out there who take this book literally,
run their entire lives from it. To put this in another perspective, have you
ever noticed that churches rarely if ever bring up dysfunction, how it got
started, where its roots are, and the impact on families and society? Do you
ever hear pastors, preachers, or whomever discuss the ramifications of guilt,
shame, and fear?? Do they bring up topics of sexual shame? How about verbal or
emotional abuse?
Another example of this intelligent
stupidity arose while I was visiting my childhood home in Rochester, NY the
Summer of 1999. I was aware of ecology, sustainability, and permaculture at the
time. I was flabbergasted to read a story in the newspaper about how the State
of New York was allowing wetlands to be filled in for homes to be built as long
as the contractors created new wetlands elsewhere to compensate for the loss.
The lunacy of this was not lost on me. First of all, there is no human who has
complete awareness of how Nature builds wetlands. Secondly, with what we know
today about wetlands, to realistically re-create a wetland would be cost
prohibited. So, the idea that one is going to build a wetland is ridiculous. A
sane person would leave the wetland, which took hundreds of thousands of years
to create and go build on the land that doesn't have wetlands on it. But an idea
like that is scorned by so called intelligent people; not only the contractors,
but those who work for the state ecology department. Ironically, I wrote a
letter to the state and never received a reply.
I could go on and on about this. Human
beings are not present to be able to make informed choices, nor are they able to
think outside the box. All they know how to do is follow the cultural software
they were forced to learn as children. Every day millions upon millions of
people profess that they are conscious and know what truth is. The truth they
know is the one they were taught to believe in and this truth has no bearing on
their heart. Because when one is conscious, one sees through the distorted lies
of insanity. When Europeans invaded other indigenous peoples lands, the natives
had to be dealt with because they knew the invaders were insane. So began the
killing, torturing, imprisoning, enslaving, the breaking of wills, and brain
washing the young, to wipe out their consciousness.
I find it rather sardonic that most of
these invaders professed to be Christian. Even the church officials and clergy
had their hands in this mess. Where was the love? The sort of love they were
wielding had nothing to do with Being or unconditional love. The brutality that
was wielded was based on individuals who were insane. Just as current
governmental leaders are insane in their daily progress of undermining any
country that doesn't do things their way. By the way what is common from the
past and present insane leaders was the accrual of money, property, resources,
and power. I find it amazing that our fellow citizens are just as insane in that
they go right along with the fairy tales that are given by these insane mad
leaders. Ironically, the citizens then argue amongst themselves about who is
right and wrong, spending countless time, energy, and money supporting those
insane leaders.
At this point, it is time to call into
question what the various political and religious groups are proselytizing. It
is time to begin to question the roots of their beliefs and stop believing
because certain people say so. Nobody has the right to tell anyone that they
must listen to them. Becoming conscious requires one to research what one is
being told as truth. In doing so, you find out for yourself. The most important
function each person must learn to do is to discern truth for themselves from
their heart; not the ego mind, but the heart. When one is sufficiently
conscious, they will know truth without needing to find an expert or leader. be
wary of those who try to legalize their truth, for they are busy ensuring that
the masses stay unconscious. Be wary of those leaders and groups of people who
profess to know the truth and who force others to obey their truths.
It is ironic that Being requires none of
this non-sense. Being doesn't require others to believe or follow or obey. Being
is quite satisfied in Being, of loving unconditionally, being compassionate to
others, willing to assist and support others, willing to nurture and respect
others, willing to allow others to Be true to their own selves with the explicit
understanding that Being does not force or harm others into obedience; insanity
does this.
Be aware of those who force others to
pickup the tab of their corporate crusades in the world. Be aware of those who
create conflicts between people. Be aware of those who use guilt, shame, and
fear to manipulate others. Being is all that is required, for when one is in
this state, one is not interested in the madness, because Being is state of
wholeness, of sanity. One becomes interested in creating win/win situations in
the world that serve the highest good for all. Tolle talks about how our true
purpose is to become conscious to use this higher awareness of bringing peace to
the Earth. Being is not interested in what your political, religious, corporate,
class, or other persuasions are. Being is only interested in whether you love
unconditionally. Being has no need for punishment, for it is only blindness by
ego that causes a human being to cause harm to another. The only right action is
to assist the other in reclaiming their Being to enter into sanity, which is to
say to enter back into Heaven; Sanity is Heaven, Insanity is Hell.
The two perspectives are not external
events, they are internal events. There are many who truly believe they are
going to heaven, but in reality it is only an egoic notion that has blinded them
from creating heaven in this moment, in this now. When one believes this sort of
idea, that heaven is some future reward for good behavior, then one is
essentially insane. In Being, one is already in the presence of the divine,
which is always an inner connection. This divine connection to Being is not
outside of us, it is not a thinking process, it is not a set of beliefs, or set
of actions. There is nothing that is required of you except to let go and allow
the Being within to arise from a state of being present in the now. Ironically,
there are millions upon millions who profess to be present and yet their actions
betray their motivating thoughts; egoic.
The same applies for those who believe they
are going to hell. Ironically, it is those who believe they are going to heaven
who have passed judgments on others damning them to hell. The profoundness of
this is that both are living in hell due to believing in egoic non-sense that
dis-allows them access to being present in the now. Each one is living in a
future context. While on the outside it may seem the person going to heaven is
calm and collect, it is only an illusion based on their own egoic construct
imprisoning them from knowing heaven now. Ego needs to be believe its better
than another, so in creating those who go to hell and those who go to heaven,
there is an inflated ego of superiority over others. At some point all balloons
deflate or get popped.
Your daily mantra might be, "There is
no balloon." In reality there is no balloon only Being. To Be or not to Be,
that is the question. It is only ego that raises the question, so if you notice
this question arising within, let it go and relax back into Being;
I've also been reading a book called,
"Bi Any Other Name: bisexual people speak out." It brought up some
interesting perspectives in regards to this whole religious fervor about
morality. First of all, we have been living within a social construct that has
been insane for a very long time. If one were to spend a bit of time looking
back on our collective insane his-story, one would begin to come to realize how
most of those thousands of years up to today have been lived in a constant state
of fear requiring one to engage in anger, hatred, resentment, violence, killing,
stealing, hording, and a host of other morbid actions on our brothers and
sisters. Wars have been waged upon others for not looking the same, not acting
the same, not believing the same, not thinking the same, not loving the same way
as the other. Just realize the countless untold millions upon millions who have
been done in by this insane thinking. It is sobering.
Go out into the streets and walk around or
if you are frightened, then drive around in your car with the doors locked. Take
a really good look around. Notice the fences, the guarded security gates,
alarms, defensive postures and intimidating caricatures etched on your fellow
human beings. People pass by each other on the sidewalks without making eye
contact or greeting each other in general. When we do greet each other, rarely
is it warm and authentic. This my friends is just the superficial crust of the
surface. Go ride your bike or walk down through those minority neighborhoods and
notice the looks you get, and then realize that you and your kind give their
kind the same looks when they are in your neighborhood. Always one perspective
against another, one right, one wrong.
Oddly enough, this sort of lower
consciousness mentality has battered humanity into such a chaotic state of
insanity that we have been dwindled down to a catatonic state of morality that
is lifeless, empty of warmth, void of Being, and so anti-life that it's no
wonder the world is the way it is. Collectively we have been so shut down and
have had so much of our aliveness imprisoned into mental straight jackets, that
we cannot get out of our own way; we have become our own prisoners, prison
guards, and judges all in one shot. The term tight-assed morality is not lost on
me as I assess how unloving our societies are. I have never seen so many people,
spending so much time, effort, and money judging and condemning others to live
in a morality that is worse than solitary confinement. At least with solitary
confinement you have the opportunity to meditate.
Ironically, we think of prison as this
horrible place where you get beat up, raped, murdered, intimidated, robbed, and
very unsafe. It is also a mirror image of our so called free society. This goes
on all the time in real life. It also goes on in our minds on a regular basis.
How often do we get beat up verbally or have our creativity murdered, or our
sexuality intimidated? These are interesting questions, that I ask because as I
watch so called modern society rumbling along in its insanity, I also notice the
amount of damage that has been done by the insane in their attempt to play the
game. The insane have become so tightly wound up that they do not know how to
let go. Letting go is not only physical, but also involves letting go
emotionally, mentally, sexually, physiologically, energetically, creatively and
finally spiritually. These are all so tightly wound up due to being taught to
shut down our Being, that we literally wind up spending most of our time
correcting anyone who isn't as tight-assed as we are. We have become a mass of
insane individuals who spend all their moments ensuring everyone else is as
miserable as we are.
There are some who would argue this point,
and to be honest they have to or else their ego would have to face itself.
People who spend a lot of time concerning themselves about what others do in bed
and with whom have a problem. Their problem is that they are not enjoying
themselves in bed nor are they content with their partners. If they were, they
would be busy in bed with those people doing what two people usually do
together. But, it should be also noted that most of the religious are seriously
in need of letting go of their own guilt, shame, and fear surrounding sex. It
should also be noted that sexuality is spirituality. The act of being sexual
with another always brings up guilt, shame, and fear issues. Sex is the one
thing that opens us back up to spirit if we can get past the dogmatic rules of
sexual engagement.
Sex is a procreational act when living at
the bottom of Maslow's
Hierarchy of Needs, for it ensures the continuation of the species. But, we
are not just animals. We are spiritual beings in human bodies. We were blessed
with the ability that set us apart from animals, yet we still have one foot in
the animal kingdom. We are animals none the less. Only ego would go out of its
way to hide this obvious fact. Humans have a great many similar traits with
animals; all of them. Intelligent stupidity has gotten humanity to be literally
blind to any of the higher aspects of Maslow's Hierarchy. If you really look at
each of these levels, and come to realize that we really don't exist in them
when we are insane, then one has to awaken to the fact that we have been living
in the lower regions for some time. Perhaps some have attained higher ones, but
in general the many have not, nor have the leaders who have been leading us in
insanity.
It is not possible to exist in intellect
exclusively and profess to have reached those heights. No one can claim to be in
Being mode and profess that sex is for procreation alone and only fit for
male/female copulation. When one is aware, they can begin to notice how much
time, effort, energy, and "legal" action is spent to ensure that
everyone obeys the rules on what sex is. Sexuality has always been a spiritual
context, not in a thinking context, but in connecting one to higher states of
consciousness, which is what spirituality is. The many traditional moralists
would have us believe that they are in the know of what true spirituality is.
The real truth is they have made it after their own insane notions that have
allowed their ego to retain a stranglehold over their own true spiritual essence
in Being.
When two people come together, it is not
the bodies that are the key, but the spirits within that hold the true spiritual
key of connecting to the divine. Connection to the Divine source is the other
half of having sex. This idea that sex is only for procreation has been done so
to keep people from finding out about this divine connection. This divine
connection heals the insanity, breaks through all the walls, facades, and fears.
What opens up during the sexual act is higher states of energy, which open doors
to higher states of consciousness. It is important to understand that how we
operate sexually as human beings is in the lower chakra areas or genital areas.
For the most part, when one is living in ego mode, the body is shut down to
varying degrees. It is not possible to have the body open with the ego in place.
When a person begins to clear away the
guilt, shame, and fear, they start beginning to make way for higher states of
consciousness. As one begins healing themselves of this insanity, it begins to
heal the sexuality and spirituality at the same time, for each are connected to
the other. When we interact with others in an intimate way, one can quickly
assess whether the other person is open or closed down by the level of intimacy
they are comfortable with. There are those who don't like to kiss, don't
cuddling, don't get into the touchy/feely thing, aren't interested in feelings
and a host of other maladies that arise from egoic insanity. Also, the ability
to let go in orgasm into a full-bodied release is also indicative of egoic
insanity. This full-bodied release arises from re-connecting with the Divine via
one's own body, but also via the connection with the partner's body too.
Experiencing this is nothing one can imagine, because it is not an intellectual
act, it is an energetic act our spiritual Beings connecting. One can have this
experience by themselves via masturbation or with another partner of either sex.
Now what arises in this conflict of
interest in the insane world is that this truth about sexuality and spirituality
sheds light on the dark insanity of trying to maintain rigid control on
effectively shutting down any possibility of Being entering into this dimension.
This is why sex has been so rigidly controlled. Religion has had to create this
illusion that God is a male. If you listen to the ludicrous explanation of Adam
and Eve in the bible, you can begin to understand the implications and the need
to distort the truth of what that passage truly meant. The issue is not about
man or woman being better than the other. The issue is not about sex being bad.
The issue is about consciousness, specifically higher states of consciousness.
In order to deconstruct the truth, one has to create half truths.
Our true spiritual Being is not a male or
female form at all. GOD is not a male for that matter either. The greater truth
is that there is a father AND mother principle, a consciousness of higher
intelligence. This intelligence does not need form as we know it to create.
Procreation is a necessary principle required for a soul to incarnate into the
material plane. Life was never meant to be fear based, nor filled with guilt,
shame or the varied forms of violence. These arose from certain sources to
prevent human beings from retaining their spiritual connection to the Divine
Parents. These Divine Parents are nothing like the parents that we know of on
this planet. They, along with other Divine beings are not interested in all this
religious dogma that has kept humanity imprisoned and separated from their own
inner connection.
We were born onto this particular planet to
bring our particular vibration of spirit to do the work of which we are uniquely
qualified to create and implement. Each of us has this embedded into our Being;
our unique expression of Being is our gift to this world. Somewhere along the
line, a particular situation occurred where others found a way to circumvent
this inner connection. Trauma severs this link and this can occur with injuries,
falls, natural disasters. By far the biggest area that is the most traumatizing
is birth and the early childhood years. Ironically, it is here that the work of
disconnecting the child from its inner knowing occurs. I believe this is why
violence is so prevalent in this planet due to how effective it is for inducing
extensive trauma.
Culture itself is nothing more than the
concerted efforts of groups of people to coerce others by forcing them to
conform to defined rigid behaviors, beliefs, and physical movements. All of
these are interconnected by the way, because when you force one to act contrary
to their inner Being at an early age, it sets up a resistance against their true
self. Eventually doing something out of character is embodied, meaning it
becomes defined not only in their belief, but in their behaviors and ultimately
in how they hold themselves in their body. If one begins to study body movement,
one realizes that in living against Being we begin to create a false self. This
false self then has to be embodied, meaning we have act a certain way, carry
ourselves in a particular way. The body can be seen as a template for how we are
imprisoned. Body workers can see holding patterns in the body as to how we shut
down our natural flow of consciousness.
This flow of consciousness can be shut down
via trauma and enculturation. Fear is nothing more than the restriction of
energy, which occurs at the mental level, then the emotional level, energetic
level, physiological level, physical level, and eventually the spiritual level
is limited. One can be psychically intuned but still be out of touch to higher
spiritual levels where Being resides. When this is done consistently within a
societies, then more and more people become insane. It is through sexuality that
cultures are formed. How one curtails sexuality through morality, meaning to
dictate what is acceptable norms of sexual expressions, then it determines how
those in a particular culture express their limited spirituality.
Since we are formless as souls, this idea
of penis and vagina is nothing more than a cultural construct meant to limit the
full expression of spirituality. One cannot limit sexuality without it affecting
spirituality, which is why religion and politics have been bedfellows in
ensuring that a very limited form of sexual expression be allowed. This is why
taboos are present, why sex is often so taboo in our cultures, because it is
hiding the fullness of our spiritual expression. Healthy sexuality heals the
body, mind, soul, and spirit. This idea that we are born into sin is nothing
more than a guilt and shame trip to put you into fear, so as to lower your
consciousness, to ensure you do on access true Being.
The real taboo on this planet is to not Be.
The real taboo is about suppressing spirit and keeping humanity in the dark
about it by erecting barriers to prevent the full expression of Being. Legal law
is nothing more than an attempt to force people into limited ways of Being. Peer
pressure is another one, where we all begin to police each other to enforce our
own limited spirituality. The insane enforce those who are sane or those who try
to wake up out of the insanity. If the legal laws and the peer pressure doesn't
work, then violence comes into play next. It's no wonder there is such a fear of
people expressing their authentic selves. The idea that spirituality is only for
heterosexually oriented people is a lie. Prior to the late 1800's the terms
heterosexual and homosexual didn't exist. Both were created, much like the egoic
need to create good/bad, right/wrong.
What we have in our cultures are
individuals who have taken ancient teachings, usually re-writing them to suite
their own ideology of control of the masses, who then go out into the world and
create another set of beliefs/dogmas based on their interpretations of the
writings, conveniently overlooking the basic tenets. This same thing goes on in
our current government. We have the Constitution, Bill of Rights and other
documents that have been superceded by congressional law, presidential orders
and judicial distortions of legal law to represent whatever insanity that is
currently in vogue. If you don't think this is true, then go back in the early
1900's when women didn't have the right to vote, Africans were slaves, and
Chinese worked as slaves as well. The sanitized world we have been convinced
exists, only exists in our minds and on paper. Our hearts have very little say
in the matter. So called Christians were doing some pretty horrible things to
many different kinds of people, much like they are doing today.
Our society is set up under the same insane
constructs that suppress our awareness of Being within. The facts are all there
in front of those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. If one connects to
their Being on a regular basis, they can begin to experience what insanity feels
like, because everyone who is insane is in pain and suffering. Even the so
called leaders who are at the top. The only reason they don't show fear is
because they continue to get what they want. If they don't, notice what sort of
reactions arise from their normal act. Arrogance arises when one continually
gets what they want and those who want usually don't care what has to happen to
get it. Ego knows no bounds in creating a world of fear. We believe in this fear
from a very early age and grow up with it etched in our psyches. Our spiritual
tasks as adults is to awaken from this stupor of illusion and learn to undo the
fear response patterns and anchor ourselves back into the love source that Being
occupies.
In closing, it is important to know that
the issue isn't about body parts, material goods or any other man-made
circumstance or rule. The issue is about love period. A love that is based in
Being is all that matters. One must also understand that when you are working at
anchoring yourself in Being, there will be attempts by other ego's who will work
diligently to stop you. The power of the ego arises from a collective unified
energy field of lower vibrational consciousness. When people are insane, they
are operating in this lower vibrational field, which are usually the first three
chakras. This is why it is so difficult to awaken out of that lower energy
field. As more people wake up it begins to dissipate the strength of the field.
This why 9/11 and other acts of violence have been occurring to impede this
awakening process.
When one gets anchored in sufficiently to
Being, others will no longer bother you, because the higher states of energy
connect you to the Divine energy field. This field protects you from losing your
connection to Divine wisdom, guidance, intuition, dreams, and assistance at all
levels. The more grounded you are in Being the better things get. Remember this
work is about win/win and joy, bliss, and abundance. There is no right way as
long as you are in accordance with your Being. When in Being we do not harm
another being. In this context how you express your sexuality/spirituality is
your divine right in expressing unconditional love and all that arises from the
divine within.
Look around you at all the miserable
people. What makes them happy is that they are following the rules and getting
rewarded for it. Unfortunately the way the ego works and the way the ego made
world operates, one is guaranteed to lose stuff and that means losing happiness.
The many follow rules that severely cripple their spiritual being, which is why
they are so motivated to want money and things, because this is used as a
distraction to fill the emptiness of playing the game of illusion/delusion. You
always have the choice to decide whether to play the game of ego. When you have
had enough, you will begin to realize that a new game is under way and you will
be led to people, places, things, and information that will lead you to Being.
On another note, I spent some time today
watching a movie on the life of Louise L. Hay.
The movie is well worth watching if you can find it at your local DVD rental
shop or buying it. Here is the link to the movie site: http://www.youcanhealyourlifemovie.com/.
1.07.08 - The
idea of truth in our culture is defined by egoic insanity. Most of what you are
told in the media is based on this insanity. The major media corporation leaders
know all about how to use fear to manipulate. This what the advertising industry
is all about. They hire the best psychologists to figure out how to manipulate
the egoic mechanisms in order to gain control of the masses. There are quite a
lot of books about this out there. All one need do is do a Google search. I no
longer watch mainstream media due to its biases of supporting the political
agendas of our insane leaders, as well as corporate agendas. It is not uncommon
to find that European news is more aware of what our government is doing than we
are. Corporate media only allows information that has been approved for the
masses.
I would suggest finding other sources of
news. There are many non-profit organizations on the Internet who are dedicated
to bringing you the information and stories that are blocked by mainstream
media. I recommend http://www.democracynow.org/
as for keeping abreast of what is going on. I have other sources as well, but
don't spend a great deal of time reading everything. I believe in using my
intuition to guide me to read particular stories at different times. Today's
stories were interesting, pointing out how the media blocked particular senators
from participating on the debates. If we truly lived in a democratic system, no
one would be denied from the debates. This is how our democratic system has been
undermined. There are gate keepers who make their business to block access to
the masses.
These same corporate leaders are the ones
who participate in the power circle in Washington D.C. Every time there is a new
election for president, there is a power struggle to see what group of power is
going to take over the White House and occupy the various seats with corporate
or political appointees who are in alignment with the power agenda of these
elites. I have been sobered by the realizations of how many of the various
departments in the U.S. government, such as the FDA, USDA, have open door
policies with corporate interests. Those appointees allow the corporations to
write their own policies, while ensuring the public has little to know input in
this process. This is how it has always been. These groups are interested in
only one thing, and that is to ensure they make as much money as possible and to
avoid any protect themselves from any liability. Corporate interests have no
problem with hiding the truth about side effects or any other issues related to
health or safety concerns. You won't hear about this in the mainstream news.
Did you know that the FDA and the USDA
allow Genetically Modified Organisms in most foods and have bee working
diligently to avoid any labeling of foods and medicines so that you the consumer
can make informed choices about what you want to put in your body? This also
occurring with organic foods as well. I recently wrote General Mills to find out
if their granola bars used sugar derived from sugar beets. Here's the response I
got:
Dear
Mr. Buck:
Thank
you for recent inquiry regarding General Mills’ position on the use of
ingredients that have been modified through biotechnology.
First
and foremost, all food must be safe.
It is not only the law, but also an issue of ultimate importance to all
food manufacturers.
Second, the Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of
Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency have all concluded that food
using ingredients from biotechnologically-improved crops is completely safe and
no different in any meaningful way from other food.
For that reason, the FDA does not require special labeling for it.
However, if food has been significantly altered in composition or
nutrient content, or if biotechnology introduces allergens into food, special
labeling is required.
None of our products requires special labeling.
Accordingly, we do not test them for the presence of this material.
Because
of the growing use of biotechnology by farmers and the way that grain gets
commingled in storage and shipment, it’s certainly possible that some of our
products may contain ingredients that have been improved through biotechnology.
We can assure you, though, that every major regulatory agency, as well as
independent scientific groups like the American Medical Association, has
concluded that these ingredients are safe.
For more information, you may wish to visit The Alliance for Better Foods
website at www.betterfoods.org.
General
Mills also believes in providing consumers with a variety of food options.
Toward that end, we do offer organic products that, by definition, do not
use ingredients that have been improved through biotechnology.
Please look for organic Gold Medal flour and a wide range of products
from our Cascadian Farm and Muir Glen brands.
To get more information about our organic products, please visit us at
www.smallplanetfoods.com.
Thank
you again for taking the time to contact us.
Sincerely,
Kristi
Goodman
General
Mills
Consumer
Services
Did you know that the link they gave me http://www.betterfoods.org
- Alliance for Better Foods, was created by the following organizations to
represent the truth:
The Alliance for Better Foods (ABF)
was created to promote public
acceptance and to oppose labelling of genetically modified foods. It is run
by the Washington office of BSMG
Worldwide, a full service PR firm whose clients include Monsanto,
the Chemical
Manufacturers Association, Procter
& Gamble, Philip
Morris, and numerous other large food, chemical and pharmaceutical
corporations.
Here is a link to SourceWatch
where I found this information:
"SourceWatch is a collaborative
project of the Center
for Media and Democracy to produce a directory of the people, organizations
and issues shaping the public agenda. A primary purpose of SourceWatch is
documenting the PR and propaganda activities of public
relations firms and public
relations professionals engaged in managing and manipulating public
perception, opinion and policy. SourceWatch also includes profiles on think
tanks, industry-funded
organizations and industry-friendly
experts that work to influence public opinion and public policy on behalf of
corporations,
governments and special
interests. Over time, SourceWatch has broadened to include others involved
in public debates including media outlets, journalists and government agencies.
Unlike some other wikis, SourceWatch has a policy of strict
referencing, and is overseen by a paid
editor. SourceWatch has 32,255 articles."
I would also recommend looking at
this site too: http://www.prwatch.org/.
My original intent was to write
about appearances as it relates to what I wrote yesterday. Appearances are
carefully constructed from an egoic standpoint. Image is everything in regards
to how one represents what they want the public to buy. No expense is spared
when it comes to pulling the wool over the citizens or consumers.
Appearances are deceiving because
they create an illusion that goes against what the actions are of anyone who has
an agenda. Having an agenda is an egoic process geared towards undermining
others right to make informed choices and to live in Being. Egoic agendas
require appearances to cover up their true motives. Politics and religion have
been doing this for some time with disastrous results for the common people,
while increasing profits and power for the elites.
This might seem ridiculous and in
fact those in power will spend a great deal of time convincing you how much they
care about you and what they are doing to assist you. If you listen to the
words, they seem legitimate, but its the actions that are telling of the real
agenda. For example, news reporters who interview George Bush are carefully
screened and no embarrassing questions are allowed to be asked. The whole
interview is controlled to ensure alignment with the agenda. We the people watch
this on TV and it is really nothing more than a carefully crafted version of
truth. The really important questions will never be asked. Ironically, the sort
of questions one asks determine the outcome desired.
This goes on every day in politics
and religion. No one ever asks the real questions or holds the leaders
accountable for their actions. This continues to occur because there are not
enough people awake to walk away and stop supporting such non-sense. The only
reason these insane people are in power is because they continue to be supported
by insane people who are under the power of egoic insanity. People have a hard
time getting past this idea of the masses being insane. Insanity is thought of
as those who get locked up in mental wards. Consider this quote:
"When
asked on U.S. television if she [Madeline Albright, U.S. Secretary of State]
thought that the death of half a million Iraqi children [from sanctions in Iraq]
was a price worth paying, Albright replied: "This is a very hard choice,
but we think the price is worth it."" -- John Pilger, "Squeezed
to Death", Guardian, March 4, 2000
These people who lead us, as well as
those around us in our every day interactions, are under the delusion of their
egos. They are not present to the choices they make every day that effect
countless others. The higher up the ladder they are, the more people they
influence positively or negatively. Positive influences do happen and there are
moments when people snap out of their insanity. But in general they tend to be
under the influence of ego on a regular basis. We have been so conditioned to
"normalize" our dysfunctional behaviors that we don't even call them
into question, which is why we do not see these sort of behaviors as insane.
The Christian movement has been
under the direction of a great many insane people who have done and continue to
do some pretty dysfunctional things to others. Slowly as more people awaken out
of this insanity, they begin to open their minds, which allows them to open
their hearts. It is through an open heart that people begin to realize the
ignorance of their belief systems. People start to realize how they have been
oppressing others who do not conform to their way of thinking with disastrous
results.
The importance of this is essential
in getting to Being, because I am believer in Jesus, but also Buddha, Mohammad,
and many other males AND females who have helped raise consciousness. I do not
believe that Jesus was the only person who was awake and I most certainly
believe that there are people on this planet who are quite as capable as Jesus
or the others. Christian leaders for a long time on up to the present have
preached a great many half truths surrounding Jesus. They have created a program
of indoctrination that has caused a great many people to believe in a great deal
of non-sense based on egoic notions.
All one need do is compare the
actual quotes in the bible Jesus made to all the rest of the bible and what
Christian leaders teach. Here is a site that lists them http://www.leeellis.com/Jesusquotes.html.
My point here has to do with realizing that what Jesus is actually quoted as
saying is in conflict with the rest of the bible and Christianity's teachings.
How can it be possible to believe in Jesus teachings and in the same breath,
support the exact opposite of his teachings?
Jesus said, "Love the Lord your
God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence. Love others as well as
you love yourself." How can Christians profess to be followers of Jesus,
profess to be saved, profess to know what love is and in the same breath turn
around and hate the other, judge the other, condemn the other, ostracize the
other, kill the other? Ask yourself these questions, because they will shed
light upon the egoic non-sense that masquerades as love and compassion for your
fellow humans.
Jesus said, "Let him without
sin cast the first stone." There have been countless professed Christians
who in their egoic non-sense have acted in this way towards others, all the
while avoiding their own sin.
Jesus said, "Blessed
are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called the Sons (and Daughters) of
God." Let's look at our current leaders in both politics and religion.
Peace is not just about wars, it is about every aspect of our societies,
therefore we need to bring peace into all things that we create. When egoic
non-sense is present there is no peace, and the works we do are not done with
peace in our minds and ultimately our hearts. There are no true children of God
because the many are caught up in their egoic insanity. Peace requires one to be
coming from a place of unconditional love; no if's, and's or but' have any
bearing. If they do, it is important to understand they arise from egoic
non-sense.
Jesus said,
"Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds
of evil against you falsely on my account." This by far is the worse sin of
Christians who profess to know what God approves of, who turn around and use
their limited cultural beliefs/biases to condemn the other. I've watched
Christians do this to those who do not follow their egoic Christian
interpretations of what God approves of and doesn't. This is absolutely
non-sense, that God would hate someone is the most ridiculous thing imaginable.
This is where it becomes important to begin to look at what beliefs people hold
and where they learned them. This is why one book doesn't have all the answers,
why each must seek out wisdom in other books that have been shown to resonate
with the heart.
In addition, to be
told that the bible is the only absolute truth is to deny that the heart might
know better. Isn't the heart that directly connects to the Divine/God/Goddess?
How can a book supersede this inner knowing? The answer is there is no book that
supersedes the heart and inner knowing. This is the lie that has been
perpetuated for eons by politics and religion. The lie requires one to give up
this inner connection to listen to a "greater" truth external to each
persons direct inner connection to the spiritual divine. This distortion of
truth has created such a fragmentation of egoic conflicts that the many are
unable to truly critical think themselves out of the limiting box of the egoic
mind. This limiting box is full of all the distorted truths that the many have
been conditioned to believe as absolute truth.
If people spent more
time looking into their hearts and realizing how far removed they are from
loving unconditionally versus how often they judge others, they might be getting
closer to the real truth of the Divine. The difference is intellectualizing what
God is rather than experiencing the Divine directly. I am reposting an article
that discusses these perspectives: http://shermanbuck.com/Doreen_Virtue.html
as well as this chart outlining ego versus spirit voices: http://shermanbuck.com/ego_spirit.htm.
If one is going to be believing in something, then it is important to understand
what the sources of information are and does it resonate with one's heart. The
rub here is that the many "think" that they are resonating information
with their hearts, but in these situations, the ego has taken on the role of the
heart as well, which is why so many believe and support so many unloving deeds
and words.
New Spirit
Journal, an excellent spiritual newspaper; also has archives of past issues.
1.12.08 - I
was trying to find a book title by Deepak Chopra that I'd read awhile back and
found that he also wrote a book called, "The
Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore." I've included a copy of the
editorial reviews by prominent people, including Michael Beckwith (The Secret)
and Miceal Ledwith (What the Bleep):
Editorial Reviews
"In this book, Deepak Chopra
proposes a Copernican revolution in our understanding of Christianity by
replacing the theological version of the holy trinity with the triptych of
Jesus as possessing a human, an institutional and a mystical dimension. By
emphasizing the mystical dimension and identifying Jesus as a spiritual
revolutionary, he invites Christianity to perform yet another miracle in his
name- that of transforming the world once again."
- Arvind Sharma, Birks Professor of Comparative Religion, Faculty of
Religious Studies, McGill University
"The hardest thing to see is what is hidden in plain sight. After 20
centuries of doctrine and dogma we have nearly lost sight of the Jesus who
was a wandering teacher of mystical truths. In his imaginative
reconstruction of the inner meaning of the gospels, Deepak Chopra reminds us
of The Third Jesus, the enlightened master of God-consciousness. It
will disturb the minds of the orthodox, and delight the spirits of mystics
and progressive Christians."
- Sam Keen, Philosopher and Author, Sightings: Extraordinary Encounters
with Ordinary Birds
"An insightful and clarifying glimpse into the life of one of the most
radical spiritual teachers the world has known. Chopra gives us the gift of
knowing that we may walk in the enlightened footsteps of our brother, Jesus
the Christ."
- Michael Bernard Beckwith, founder Agape International Spiritual Center and
author of Inspirations of the Heart, 40 Day Mind Fast Soul Feast,
A Manifesto of Peace
"In The Third Jesus Deepak Chopra unfolds for us the
spirit of Jesus and with a reverence that is at once simple and profound
makes his spirit accessible to us in our everyday lives."
- Father Paul Keenan, Host, "As You Think," The Catholic
Channel/Sirius 159
“Distinguishing between the historical Jesus and the Christ of Theology
and Philosophy developed over 17 centuries Dr. Chopra captures an intriguing
vision of a “Third Jesus,” who, while living on Earth, developed a deep
relationship with God. Deepak calls this “God-consciousness.” Dr. Chopra
brilliantly uses the sayings of Jesus to demonstrate how his basic mission
and ethic of love grew out of his God-consciousness. Through Jesus’ own
words and spiritual exercises Deepak beautifully elucidates a beginning,
middle and unity pathway for growing in deep God-consciousness to anchor our
life on earth and our life after death.”
- Rev. Edward J. Ruetz, retired Catholic priest of the Diocese of Fort
Wayne/South Bend in Indiana
"Dr. Deepak Chopra's analyses and interpretations of the sayings of
Jesus, in the form of "Comment," breathe renewed life into those
sayings. Chopra's work brings the teachings of Jesus into sharp focus with a
marvelous, modern touch of insight from the vantage of both Eastern and
Western thought. With the thought of Jesus's model in hand, Chopra provides
the reader with a spiritual path of exercises -- a remarkably renewed
practice in search of a higher reality, helping to cause a connection
between reader and God. The views Chopra imparts are definitely worth the
effort to undertake this enlightening journey of reading and practice."
- Ben Christensen, Ph.D., Prof. Emeritus Dean of the San Diego School of
Christian Studies First United Methodist Church of San Diego, CA
Jesus has now long since escaped the confines of church, Christianity and
even "religions." Chopra's book thoughtfully presents a Jesus who
is paradoxically both closer to the original and more available to
post-modern people than the stained glass version. The book is bound to
provoke both admiration and condemnation which, come to think of it, the
maverick Galilean rabbi also did.
- Harvey Cox, author, When Jesus Came to Harvard, Hollis Professor of
Divinity at Harvard
Chopra’s book The Third Jesus reminds me of the theological work of one of
history’s greatest humanitarians and the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate,
Dr. Albert Schweitzer. Schweitzer wrote extensively about Jesus
and challenged much of the prevailing theology regarding Jesus’ life and
ideas. Chopra is Schweitzer’s equal in bringing to light a fresh and
profound way to experience the teachings of Jesus..
- David T. Ives, Executive Director of the Albert Schweitzer Institute at
Quinnipiac University
"In this book a man shaped by the religions of the East introduces the
West to a Jesus we have either lost or have never known. That is
itself a stunning concept, but Deepak Chopra is a stunning man. He
explores what he calls the "Christ Consciousness," which can be
identified neither with the Jesus of history nor with the Jesus of the
creeds, the doctrines and the dogmas of the ecclesiastical institution.
This "Third Jesus" can be seen only when we move into a new human
awareness that will carry us beyond tribe, prejudice and even beyond our
religious systems. As a Christian, I welcome his insights into my
Jesus and his provocative call to me to enter the "Christ
Consciousness" and thus to become more deeply and completely
human."
- John Shelby Spong, Retired Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark,
Author, Jesus for the Non-Religious
In this intriguing study of the sayings of Jesus, Deepak Chopra gently
releases this highly evolved spiritual teacher, light of the world and son
of God from the limitations of dogmatic theology. With profound wisdom and
clarity Deepak offers the amazing suggestion that the same God-consciousness
embodied in the human Jesus is present in all of us individually and
collectively. In a spirit of humble knowingness Deepak encourages us to look
deep into the mirror of our collective souls and ponder the question Jesus
continues to ask “Who do YOU say that I AM “?
- Sister Judian Breitenbach, Catholic order of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus
Christ, Founder of the Sari Asher Namaste’ Center in LaPorte, Indiana
The book makes God accessible to those who find God distant, troublesome, or
both. Chopra rescues Jesus from the confusion of the ever multiplying
schools of Biblical criticism. The book shows us how to investigate, in a
new way, Jesus--the mysterious man with divine awareness. Chopra resolves
contradictions in Jesus' sayings, sharpens our understanding of Jesus'
teachings, and guides us in the application of Jesus' teachings. Jesus comes
into focus. We gain new expectations of what the spiritual life looks like.
The book calls even to those who have lost any sense of God. By following
the book's practical applications, they, too, may find the universe
meaningful instead of indifferent. This is a book to read, re-read, and
incorporate into one's life.
- Bonnie Bobzien, MD, Member of board of directors of San Diego School of
Christian Studies
Literate, mainstream Christians will welcome Chopra’s championing before
the world, the meaning of their commitment to action, practice,
“ortho-praxis,” following the only absolutely unambiguous demands of
Jesus on his followers recorded in the New Testament: serving the poor,
loving neighbor and even enemies. It is the most effective response to the
Dawkins’ crowd who never even mention the Bishop Robinsons, Martin King,
Dietrich Bonhoeffers, Mother Teresas who by their actions, have shown their
faith in this Jesus Christ.
- Rustum Roy, Evan Pugh Professor of the Solid State Emeritus, Professor of
Science Technology and Society Emeritus, The Pennsylvania State University
“God created man and woman in His image,” a biblical poet reminds us.
Deepak Chopra has returned the compliment. He joins other incisive minds who
have reflected on Jesus as “the true light who enlightens every person”
(John 1:9). Jefferson, for example, revered Jesus as “the first of
human Sages.” He looked like Jefferson–dignified, brainy and humorless.
Assertive, rabble-rousing Malcolm X told Playboy magazine in 1963
“Christ was a black man.” Was it coincidental that his ebony Jesus
bristled at the status quo as he flashed revolutionary rhetoric?
Chopra engagingly describes Jesus as looking much like Deepak. Jesus
enlightens us, creating a helpful “path to God-consciousness.” Jesus
can’t be contained within stultifying Christian creeds and arid Church
traditions that deify him. Yes, he is divine, for Chopra in the sense that
he divines a way to Cosmic Consciousness. Here’s energy within that
settles us down, excites our passions we look up to capture them and points
us back to Jesus, the savant who makes us conscious of the good, the true
and the beautiful.
- Reverend Dr. Jack R. Van Ens,
Creative Growth Ministries, Christian dramatist and commentator for the Vail
Daily
The message of Jesus was clear, simple and direct. But within a
generation of his passion it was compromised in order to accommodate the
widely conflicting views among those who claimed to follow him. In Deepak
Chopra’s new book you will find much thought- provoking material related
to this compromise which will elucidate many sensitive issues that have
perplexed believers for centuries. In contrast to a message originally
intended to inspire people to the wonders of a world reborn in God, the
emphasis nowadays makes it almost impossible to think of Jesus or even
Christianity itself except in terms of the suffering savior who died to
appease God’s anger against us. The terrible toll this emphasis has
exacted on the message is sensitively treated in a most compelling way in
this very valuable new work.
- Miceal Ledwith, L.Ph., L.D., D.D., LL.D, Former President and Professor of
Theology, Maynooth University, Served as a Member of the Vatican's
International Theological Commission for seventeen...
Here's some reflections from Ingrid Naiman:
Dear Subscribers,
Years ago, I was studying the regulations governing treatment facilities in
Hawaii. The red tape and hurdles seemed horribly complex, as if intended
to obstruct rather than promote quality health care. Curious as I am, I
looked into how this situation could have come to pass and it traced back to the
days of the monarchy when leprosy control became the number one official concern
of the islands. A point came when 90% of the budget of Hawaii was
channeled into measures to control leprosy, not 90% of the budget of the
Department of Health but rather 90% of the monarchy's total budget. Furor
over leprosy was so severe that agents could enter a home in the middle of the
night, drag someone from his bed, and while still in pajamas, put him on board a
ship and dump him off the shores of Molokai to fend for himself, never to
reunite with friends or family.
Around the same time I was discovering these horrid facts, there were murmurs
from the Vatican that Father Damien might be canonized and there was a fabulous
one-man play that was televised shortly thereafter.
Leprosy, now usually referred to as Hansen's disease, was never regarded as
curable in Hawaii and even to this day, it is practically criminal to have
leprosy, so great is the fear.
My own relationship to this stigmatizing disease revolves around the pivotal
experience of St. Francis when through the agonizing events of his life, he
knelt in surrender to the divine and offered himself as a servant, withholding
only one part of himself. When he arose, a leper stood beside near and
Francesco realized he could not withhold anything from God.
These transformative moments are what keep religion and religious movements
pure, but this morning, someone sent me the completely unsettling health
"agenda" of Mike Huckabee. His "political" argument
was coherent: never in history have we allowed infected persons who are
capable of causing epidemics to move freely in society. Actually, while
this is partly true, it is obviously not completely true. The problem was
these statements were made in the context of AIDS and his views on marriage,
sexual orientation, and rights or lack thereof of people who do not fit into his
world view.
http://direland.typepad.com/direland/2008/01/beware-the-huck.html
However, what is different about AIDS and influenza is that the mechanism of
transmission is consensual so really his medical concerns border more on
hysteria than sound epidemiology. This said, there can be little doubt but
that the spread will be consistent with behavior that occurs in the privacy of
our personal lives rather than in the schools or places of employment that would
be affected by the veto power of whoever next sits in the Oval Office, not to
mention who is appointed to the Supreme Court.
Once again, I urge people to be thoughtful.
In this country, we continue to debate, hotly but seldom particularly
brilliantly, such matters as vaccines, mercury, fluoridation, chlorination,
health care insurance, etc., etc. Since Michael Moore has put Norway into
the spotlight, it might be noted that mercury is banned in Norway because it
"is among the most dangerous environmental toxins" and safer
substitutes are available, even for measuring devices that contain mercury.
Here, however, it is likely that the only reason we continue to debate rather
than act on what is known is that corporate interests lobby heavily and reward
mightily those who are willing to set aside facts so as to profit on the
suffering of others.
We must therefore ask who are the politicians who can spin the studies so
skillfully that the truth is completely obfuscated?
More to follow.
Blessings,
Ingrid
http://www.sacredmedicinesanctuary.com
I want to write about the current presidential
primary and in particular on Mike Huckabee and his particular conservative
Christian ideology. Here is a piece from an article on Newsweek:
"The latest fuel on the fire: his views
on marriage. In June 1998, the Southern Baptist convention amended its official
statement of beliefs for the first time in 35 years to declare that "a wife
is to submit graciously to the servant leadership of her husband." And
Huckabee, a former Southern Baptist minister then serving as governor of
Arkansas, signed a full-page ad in USA Today in support of the statement (along
with 129 other evangelical leaders)."
Being conscious as a sovereign Being does not
include being submissive to another. Those who profess to be conscious who
believe in this sort of non-sense, are not in accord with the Divine, but are
locked into egoic beliefs, which require control over another. If one is needing
to control one person, then the many are naturally in line for domination.
People who want others to obey them have a problem; it's called insecurity,
low-esteem, closed mindedness, control issues, conditional love. They are driven
by an ego that is in constant need of stifling others awareness in order to have
others obey them. This is the movement of darkness that has been guiding the
world for quite along time.
Huckabee represents someone worse than Bush,
in that he has made it clear where he stands. His conservative Christian
ideology would have those with AIDS locked up away from the public. Huckabee
states that AIDS is a plague and is busy trying to insinuate that it is like the
plagues that killed many over the centuries. His stance is about condemning
homosexuality and hopefully outlawing it. First off, AIDS is not like plagues,
having taken AIDS required training to be a registered counselor, the only way
to get AIDS is from unprotected sexual activity. What Huckabee and other
homophobic people are trying to infer is that AIDS can be acquired from airborne
particles. They are using fear to force others who are uninformed to buy into
hysteria produced by closed minded Christian identified individuals.
I have always found it amazing that so many
people spend so much time, effort, and money on stomping out homosexuality.
First off no one can't be a desire; one can only experience desire, therefore
whatever desires are within the Being cannot be judged, nor are they wrong, or as
the many would suggest, immoral, an abomination, and other ignorant labels.
Those who spend their waking hours worrying about how others express their love,
truly do not have any idea what unconditional love is. Christians profess to
know what love is, yet they rarely follow up with actions that support their
words. As I recall, Moses came down from the mount with ten commandments, one of
which stated, Thou Shalt Not Judge. I also note that a great many Christians
seem to overlook another commandment, Thou Shalt Not Kill.
Judgments arise from an egoic mind...
Christian dogma has always required obedience
and most of Jesus original teachings have been weaved into larger writings by
others centuries later professing to know what Jesus was about. In all of Jesus
teachings, condemnation was never apparent, nor was judging others. Jesus was
about love period. All the rest that has arisen out of Christianity has had
nothing to do with Jesus teachings. About the closest the Church as come to love
is the part where you obey their rules (not Jesus), and then you will know Jesus
love. Unfortunately, the love they ascribe to is akin to the very thing Tolle
discusses about how the ego operates; the need to judge and need to control for
beginners.
What they pass off as love is about the
domination of spirit by egoic mindsets that want to silence true unconditional
love. We do not live in a loving society. Our culture and others similar to it
are not based in love, they are based in self-hatred. Self-hatred is the true name of ego.
Self-hatred seeks to stifle anything that would arise from authentic Being. In
fact, if a way could be found to create babies without sexual intercourse, the
Church and State would probably ban sexual contact altogether, because sex itself has the incredible
potential to heal and trigger awareness; something that egoic minds don't want.
Did you know that masturbation is health?
This whole homophobia frenzy stems from those
who are frightened by their own inner homo-erotic desire. In fact, If they weren't, they
wouldn't be spending so much t