A chapter in the book "Jesus the Son of Man" by Kahlil Gibran
I was a stranger in Jerusalem. I had come to the Holy City to behold the great temple, and to sacrifice upon the altar, for my wife had given twin sons to my tribe.
And after I had made my offering, I stood in the portico of the temple looking down upon the money-changers and those who sold doves for sacrifice, and listening to the great noise in the court.
And as I stood there came of a sudden a man into the midst of the money-changers and those who sold doves.
He was a man of majesty, and He came swiftly.
In His hand He held a rope of goat's hide; and He began to overturn the tables of the money-changers and to beat the pedlars of birds with the rope.
And I heard Him saying with a loud voice, "Render these birds unto the sky which is their nest."
Men and women fled from before His face, and He moved amongst them as the whirling wind moves on the sand-hills.
All this came to pass in but a moment, and then the court of the Temple was emptied of the money-changers. Only the man stood there alone, and His followers stood at a distance.
Then I turned my face and I saw another man in the portico of the temple. And I walked towards him and said, "Sir, who is this man who stands alone, even like another temple?" And he answered me, "This is Jesus of Nazareth, a prophet who has appeared of late in Galilee. Here in Jerusalem all men hate Him."
And I said, "My heart was strong enough to be with His whip, and yielding enough to be at His feet."
And Jesus turned towards His followers who were awaiting Him. But before He reached them, three of the temple doves flew back, and one alighted upon His left shoulder and the other two at His feet. And he touched each one tenderly. Then He walked on, and there were leagues in every step of His steps.
Now tell me, what power had He to attack and disperse hundreds of men and women without opposition? I was told that they all hate Him, yet no one stood before Him on that day. Had He plucked out the fangs of hate on His way to the court of the temple?
JESUS THE SON OF MAN - his words and his deeds as told and recorded by those who knew him.
BY KAHLIL GIBRAN
Courtesy of Kahlil Gibran Online – www.kahlil.org
Showing posts with label jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jesus. Show all posts
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
Jesus: The Son of Man, by Kahlil Gibran
I recently found a book in the Source Bookstore in Davenport, Iowa. It is amazing, beautiful and something that we all might benefit from reading. I feel that the stories related in this book are the Truth of who Jesus was and what he taught.
I gravitated to this book because my mother had given me only one book, that I can remember. When I was 18 she gave me Kahlil's book The Prophet and had written a beautiful message in the front about the book best representing the life philosophy of her and my father. I guess this "knowing" is embedded in me, as I have often thought that the one thing my mother really made me understand is what I am now calling "The Golden Way" (previously we have been told it is the Golden Rule). For those who might want to digress, here are the tributes I Shared about my Mother and Father when they passed.
I have read Jesus, The Son of Man his words and his deeds as told and recorded by those who knew him and I felt very compelled to share some of the passages. I cried more than once reading this book. At times I felt I was there where the stories took place. I also was able to find the book electronically, so those inclined to get the book, just click the link on the bottom of this post.
With Great Love! - Andy
The book is arranged as Sharings by various people who lived with and experienced this Great Being.
Joseph Of Arimathea: On The Primal Aims Of Jesus
You would know the primal aim of Jesus, and I would fain tell you. But none can touch with fingers the life of the blessed wine, nor see the sap that feeds the branches.
And though I have eaten of the grapes and have tasted the new vintage at the winepress, I cannot tell you all.
I can only relate what I know of Him.
Our Master and our Beloved lived but three prophet's seasons. They were the spring of His song, the summer of His ecstasy, and the autumn of His passion; and each season was a thousand years.
The spring of His song was spent in Galilee. It was there that He gathered His lovers about Him, and it was on the shores of the blue lake that He first spoke of the Father, and of our release and our freedom.
By the Lake of Galilee we lost ourselves to find our way to the Father; and oh, the little loss that turned to such gain.
It was there the angels sang in our ears and bade us leave the arid land for the garden of heart's desire.
He spoke of fields and green pastures; of the slopes of Lebanon where the white lilies are heedless of the caravans passing in the dust of the valley.
He spoke of the wild brier that smiles in the sun and yields its incense to the passing breeze.
And He would say, "The lilies and the brier live but a day, yet that day is eternity spent in freedom."
And one evening as we sat beside the stream He said, "Behold the brook and listen to its music. Forever shall it seek the sea, and though it is for ever seeking, it sings its mystery from noon to noon.
"Would that you seek the Father as the brook seeks the sea."
Then came the summer of His ecstasy, and the June of His love was upon us. He spoke of naught then but the other man -- the neighbour, the road-fellow, the stranger, and our childhood's playmates.
He spoke of the traveller journeying from the east to Egypt, of the ploughman coming home with his oxen at eventide, of the chance guest led by dusk to our door.
And He would say, "Your neighbour is your unknown self made visible. His face shall be reflected in your still waters, and if you gaze therein you shall behold your own countenance.
"Should you listen in the night, you shall hear him speak, and his words shall be the throbbing of your own heart.
"Be unto him that which you would have him be unto you.
"This is my law, and I shall say it unto you, and unto your children, and they unto their children until time is spent and generations are no more."
And on another day He said, "You shall not be yourself alone. You are in the deeds of other men, and they though unknowing are with you all your days.
"They shall not commit a crime and your hand not be with their hand.
"They shall not fall down but that you shall also fall down; and they shall not rise but that you shall rise with them.
"Their road to the sanctuary is your road, and when they seek the wasteland you too seek with them.
"You and your neighbour are two seeds sown in the field. Together you grow and together you shall sway in the wind. And neither of you shall claim the field. For a seed on its way to growth claims not even its own ecstasy.
"Today I am with you. Tomorrow I go westward; but ere I go, I say unto you that your neighbour is your unknown self made visible. Seek him in love that you may know yourself, for only in that knowledge shall you become my brothers."
Then came the autumn of His passion.
And He spoke to us of freedom, even as He had spoken in Galilee in the spring of His song; but now His words sought our deeper understanding.
He spoke of leaves that sing only when blown upon the wind; and of man as a cup filled by the ministering angel of the day to quench the thirst of another angel. Yet whether that cup is full or empty it shall stand crystalline upon the board of the Most High.
He said, "You are the cup and you are the wine. Drink yourselves to the dregs; or else remember me and you shall be quenched."
And on our way to the southward He said, "Jerusalem, which stands in pride upon the height, shall descend to the depth of Jahannum the dark valley, and in the midst of her desolation I shall stand alone.
"The temple shall fall to dust, and around the portico you shall hear the cry of widows and orphans; and men in their haste to escape shall not know the faces of their brothers, for fear shall be upon them all.
"But even there, if two of you shall meet and utter my name and look to the west, you shall see me, and these my words shall again visit your ears."
And when we reached the hill of Bethany, He said, "Let us go to Jerusalem. The city awaits us. I will enter the gate riding upon a colt, and I will speak to the multitude.
"Many are there who would chain me, and many who would put out my flame, but in my death you shall find life and you shall be free.
"They shall seek the breath that hovers betwixt heart and mind as the swallow hovers between the field and his nest. But my breath has already escaped them, and they shall not overcome me.
"The walls that my Father has built around me shall not fall down, and the acre He has made holy shall not be profaned.
"When the dawn shall come, the sun will crown my head and I shall be with you to face the day. And that day shall be long, and the world shall not see its eventide.
"The scribes and the Pharisees say the earth is thirsty for my blood. I would quench the thirst of the earth with my blood. But the drops shall rise oak trees and maple, and the east shall carry the acorns to other lands."
And then He said, "Judea would have a king, and she would march against the legions of Rome.
"I shall not be her king. The diadems of Zion were fashioned for lesser brows. And the ring of Solomon is small for this finger.
"Behold my hand. See you not that it is over-strong to hold a sceptre, and over-sinewed to wield a common sword?
"Nay, I shall not command Syrian flesh against Roman. But you with my words shall wake that city, and my spirit shall speak to her second dawn.
"My words shall be an invisible army with horses and chariots, and without axe or spear I shall conquer the priests of Jerusalem, and the Caesars.
"I shall not sit upon a throne where slaves have sat and ruled other slaves. Nor will I rebel against the sons of Italy.
"But I shall be a tempest in their sky, and a song in their soul.
"And I shall be remembered.
"They shall call me Jesus the Anointed."
These things He said outside the walls of Jerusalem before He entered the city.
And His words are graven as with chisels.
Click this link for a digital version of Kahlil's book, Jesus: The Son of Man
I gravitated to this book because my mother had given me only one book, that I can remember. When I was 18 she gave me Kahlil's book The Prophet and had written a beautiful message in the front about the book best representing the life philosophy of her and my father. I guess this "knowing" is embedded in me, as I have often thought that the one thing my mother really made me understand is what I am now calling "The Golden Way" (previously we have been told it is the Golden Rule). For those who might want to digress, here are the tributes I Shared about my Mother and Father when they passed.
I have read Jesus, The Son of Man his words and his deeds as told and recorded by those who knew him and I felt very compelled to share some of the passages. I cried more than once reading this book. At times I felt I was there where the stories took place. I also was able to find the book electronically, so those inclined to get the book, just click the link on the bottom of this post.
With Great Love! - Andy
The book is arranged as Sharings by various people who lived with and experienced this Great Being.
Joseph Of Arimathea: On The Primal Aims Of Jesus
You would know the primal aim of Jesus, and I would fain tell you. But none can touch with fingers the life of the blessed wine, nor see the sap that feeds the branches.
And though I have eaten of the grapes and have tasted the new vintage at the winepress, I cannot tell you all.
I can only relate what I know of Him.
Our Master and our Beloved lived but three prophet's seasons. They were the spring of His song, the summer of His ecstasy, and the autumn of His passion; and each season was a thousand years.
The spring of His song was spent in Galilee. It was there that He gathered His lovers about Him, and it was on the shores of the blue lake that He first spoke of the Father, and of our release and our freedom.
By the Lake of Galilee we lost ourselves to find our way to the Father; and oh, the little loss that turned to such gain.
It was there the angels sang in our ears and bade us leave the arid land for the garden of heart's desire.
He spoke of fields and green pastures; of the slopes of Lebanon where the white lilies are heedless of the caravans passing in the dust of the valley.
He spoke of the wild brier that smiles in the sun and yields its incense to the passing breeze.
And He would say, "The lilies and the brier live but a day, yet that day is eternity spent in freedom."
And one evening as we sat beside the stream He said, "Behold the brook and listen to its music. Forever shall it seek the sea, and though it is for ever seeking, it sings its mystery from noon to noon.
"Would that you seek the Father as the brook seeks the sea."
Then came the summer of His ecstasy, and the June of His love was upon us. He spoke of naught then but the other man -- the neighbour, the road-fellow, the stranger, and our childhood's playmates.
He spoke of the traveller journeying from the east to Egypt, of the ploughman coming home with his oxen at eventide, of the chance guest led by dusk to our door.
And He would say, "Your neighbour is your unknown self made visible. His face shall be reflected in your still waters, and if you gaze therein you shall behold your own countenance.
"Should you listen in the night, you shall hear him speak, and his words shall be the throbbing of your own heart.
"Be unto him that which you would have him be unto you.
"This is my law, and I shall say it unto you, and unto your children, and they unto their children until time is spent and generations are no more."
And on another day He said, "You shall not be yourself alone. You are in the deeds of other men, and they though unknowing are with you all your days.
"They shall not commit a crime and your hand not be with their hand.
"They shall not fall down but that you shall also fall down; and they shall not rise but that you shall rise with them.
"Their road to the sanctuary is your road, and when they seek the wasteland you too seek with them.
"You and your neighbour are two seeds sown in the field. Together you grow and together you shall sway in the wind. And neither of you shall claim the field. For a seed on its way to growth claims not even its own ecstasy.
"Today I am with you. Tomorrow I go westward; but ere I go, I say unto you that your neighbour is your unknown self made visible. Seek him in love that you may know yourself, for only in that knowledge shall you become my brothers."
Then came the autumn of His passion.
And He spoke to us of freedom, even as He had spoken in Galilee in the spring of His song; but now His words sought our deeper understanding.
He spoke of leaves that sing only when blown upon the wind; and of man as a cup filled by the ministering angel of the day to quench the thirst of another angel. Yet whether that cup is full or empty it shall stand crystalline upon the board of the Most High.
He said, "You are the cup and you are the wine. Drink yourselves to the dregs; or else remember me and you shall be quenched."
And on our way to the southward He said, "Jerusalem, which stands in pride upon the height, shall descend to the depth of Jahannum the dark valley, and in the midst of her desolation I shall stand alone.
"The temple shall fall to dust, and around the portico you shall hear the cry of widows and orphans; and men in their haste to escape shall not know the faces of their brothers, for fear shall be upon them all.
"But even there, if two of you shall meet and utter my name and look to the west, you shall see me, and these my words shall again visit your ears."
And when we reached the hill of Bethany, He said, "Let us go to Jerusalem. The city awaits us. I will enter the gate riding upon a colt, and I will speak to the multitude.
"Many are there who would chain me, and many who would put out my flame, but in my death you shall find life and you shall be free.
"They shall seek the breath that hovers betwixt heart and mind as the swallow hovers between the field and his nest. But my breath has already escaped them, and they shall not overcome me.
"The walls that my Father has built around me shall not fall down, and the acre He has made holy shall not be profaned.
"When the dawn shall come, the sun will crown my head and I shall be with you to face the day. And that day shall be long, and the world shall not see its eventide.
"The scribes and the Pharisees say the earth is thirsty for my blood. I would quench the thirst of the earth with my blood. But the drops shall rise oak trees and maple, and the east shall carry the acorns to other lands."
And then He said, "Judea would have a king, and she would march against the legions of Rome.
"I shall not be her king. The diadems of Zion were fashioned for lesser brows. And the ring of Solomon is small for this finger.
"Behold my hand. See you not that it is over-strong to hold a sceptre, and over-sinewed to wield a common sword?
"Nay, I shall not command Syrian flesh against Roman. But you with my words shall wake that city, and my spirit shall speak to her second dawn.
"My words shall be an invisible army with horses and chariots, and without axe or spear I shall conquer the priests of Jerusalem, and the Caesars.
"I shall not sit upon a throne where slaves have sat and ruled other slaves. Nor will I rebel against the sons of Italy.
"But I shall be a tempest in their sky, and a song in their soul.
"And I shall be remembered.
"They shall call me Jesus the Anointed."
These things He said outside the walls of Jerusalem before He entered the city.
And His words are graven as with chisels.
Click this link for a digital version of Kahlil's book, Jesus: The Son of Man
Sunday, January 8, 2012
I have a Vision
I have a Vision of a new reality. One where people choose their path for realizing their own dreams, the true fulfillment of the desires of the love in their hearts placed there by the One Infinite Creator.
Non-resistance is the means by which this will be created. People simply do what they want to do, without focusing on that which might oppose or prevent them from accomplishing their aims. If their actions are guided by the principle of Reverence for Life (Albert Schweitzer), Service to Others (as opposed to service to self - as presented in the Law of One Series from Ra), and the Golden Way, "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise" (Luke 6:31), and opposition arises, it will be overcome by non-resistance as stated by Lao Tsu "The submissive and weak will overcome the hard and strong." (full passage below 1), or even active acquiescence as taught by Jesus, "But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also" Matthew 5:39.
So many messages through innumerable sources have presented this approach such as ancient teachings to modern day movies such as The Matrix or Star Wars. One wins simply through surrender, or letting go. This is the ultimate act of faith, or trust where a person puts their state of being in the hands of the One Infinite Creator, God or All That Is. A simple act of stopping resisting and yielding to the progressive or "dominant" force sets up nature to do her thing - re-create. In other words, allow love to do its most natural act to bring forth new "When the uncarved block shatters it becomes vessels, The sage make use of these and becomes the lord over officials." (Lau Tsu, full quote below 2).
"Evil", or the progressive force always speaks loudly, and claims that evil, or the devil is at work. Its primary tool, or motivator is fear. This is an ironic circumstance to observe in this world. Those most claiming the religious "high ground" are the agents of their own demise. Evil consumes itself, eventually. Love patiently waits knowing that storms always subside, resting in "this too shall pass". Always after threats of destruction and death, strong wind and billowing sails will be the peace, and calm seas, the eternal calm, the peace that reside within "All That Is" - that which does all, and yet nothing to obtain "I have not work to do in all the worlds, Arjuna - for these worlds are mine. I have nothing to obtain, because I have all. And yet I work" (Bhagavad Gita. 3:22).
When one situates oneself in a state of knowing and surrender, they need not question. Following Ones heart, which resides within, just doing the best that you can, even at your current station in life, prepared to "let go" and not fight, following honest intent to do Love's beckoning cannot fail. This will reveal itself as the True path of salvation.
There are no enemies that can defeat God, Source, Love - because there are no enemies. All That Is is One Love, the One Infinite Creator watching the "wheels go round' and round" through your eyes.
Residing in the Now, the Present, the only true place of power, a person can come to experience and know truly how powerful they are, and following the Vision placed in their heart, in love, they will observe the manifestation of One Divine Harmonic Symphonic Orchestration that has been in the Mind and Heart of the One Infinite Creator for Eternity. And You are part of it.
"Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." John 14:10 KJV
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." John 14:12, KJV
"The Lord of the world is beyond the works of the world and their working, and beyond the results of these works; but the work of Nature rolls on." Bhagavad Gita 5: 14
"This body, Arjuna, is called the field. He who knows this is called the knower of the field. 13:2 Know that I am the knower in all fields of my creation: and that the wisdom which sees the field and the knower of the of the field is true wisdom. Bhagavad Gita 13: 1
One need not lament, worry or decry day to day observances. Just rest when confronted with the dancing shadows on the wall, in one conscious deep breath at a time, if needed, knowing that you too, are an important, beautiful living tapestry designed, managed, supported, sustained, guided and created by Divine Love.
Full verse as cited above.
1. XXXVI - Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching, translated by D.C. Lau
If you have a thing shrink,
You must first stretch it;
If you would have a thing weakened,
You must first strengthen it;
If you would have a thing laid aside,
You must first set it up'
If you take from a thing,
You must first give to it.
This is called subtle discernment:
The submissive and weak will overcome the hard and strong.
The fist must not be allowed to leave the deep;
The instruments of power in a state must not be revealed to anyone.
2. XXVIII - Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching, translated by D.C. Lau
Know the male
But keep to the role of the female
And be a ravine to the empire.
If you are a ravine to the empire,
Then the constant virtue will not desert you
And you will again return to being a babe.
Know the wite
But keep to the role of the black
And be a model to the empire.
If you are a model to the empire,
Then the constant virtue will not be wanting
And you will return to the infinite.
Know honor
But keep to the role of the disgraced
And be a valley to the empire.
If you are a valley to the empire,
Then the constant virture will be sufficient
And you will return to being the uncarved block.
When the uncarved block shatters it becomes vessels. The sage make use of these and becomes the lord over officials.
Hence the greatest cutting
Does not sever.
Non-resistance is the means by which this will be created. People simply do what they want to do, without focusing on that which might oppose or prevent them from accomplishing their aims. If their actions are guided by the principle of Reverence for Life (Albert Schweitzer), Service to Others (as opposed to service to self - as presented in the Law of One Series from Ra), and the Golden Way, "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise" (Luke 6:31), and opposition arises, it will be overcome by non-resistance as stated by Lao Tsu "The submissive and weak will overcome the hard and strong." (full passage below 1), or even active acquiescence as taught by Jesus, "But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also" Matthew 5:39.
So many messages through innumerable sources have presented this approach such as ancient teachings to modern day movies such as The Matrix or Star Wars. One wins simply through surrender, or letting go. This is the ultimate act of faith, or trust where a person puts their state of being in the hands of the One Infinite Creator, God or All That Is. A simple act of stopping resisting and yielding to the progressive or "dominant" force sets up nature to do her thing - re-create. In other words, allow love to do its most natural act to bring forth new "When the uncarved block shatters it becomes vessels, The sage make use of these and becomes the lord over officials." (Lau Tsu, full quote below 2).
"Evil", or the progressive force always speaks loudly, and claims that evil, or the devil is at work. Its primary tool, or motivator is fear. This is an ironic circumstance to observe in this world. Those most claiming the religious "high ground" are the agents of their own demise. Evil consumes itself, eventually. Love patiently waits knowing that storms always subside, resting in "this too shall pass". Always after threats of destruction and death, strong wind and billowing sails will be the peace, and calm seas, the eternal calm, the peace that reside within "All That Is" - that which does all, and yet nothing to obtain "I have not work to do in all the worlds, Arjuna - for these worlds are mine. I have nothing to obtain, because I have all. And yet I work" (Bhagavad Gita. 3:22).
When one situates oneself in a state of knowing and surrender, they need not question. Following Ones heart, which resides within, just doing the best that you can, even at your current station in life, prepared to "let go" and not fight, following honest intent to do Love's beckoning cannot fail. This will reveal itself as the True path of salvation.
There are no enemies that can defeat God, Source, Love - because there are no enemies. All That Is is One Love, the One Infinite Creator watching the "wheels go round' and round" through your eyes.
Residing in the Now, the Present, the only true place of power, a person can come to experience and know truly how powerful they are, and following the Vision placed in their heart, in love, they will observe the manifestation of One Divine Harmonic Symphonic Orchestration that has been in the Mind and Heart of the One Infinite Creator for Eternity. And You are part of it.
"Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." John 14:10 KJV
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." John 14:12, KJV
"The Lord of the world is beyond the works of the world and their working, and beyond the results of these works; but the work of Nature rolls on." Bhagavad Gita 5: 14
"This body, Arjuna, is called the field. He who knows this is called the knower of the field. 13:2 Know that I am the knower in all fields of my creation: and that the wisdom which sees the field and the knower of the of the field is true wisdom. Bhagavad Gita 13: 1
One need not lament, worry or decry day to day observances. Just rest when confronted with the dancing shadows on the wall, in one conscious deep breath at a time, if needed, knowing that you too, are an important, beautiful living tapestry designed, managed, supported, sustained, guided and created by Divine Love.
Full verse as cited above.
1. XXXVI - Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching, translated by D.C. Lau
If you have a thing shrink,
You must first stretch it;
If you would have a thing weakened,
You must first strengthen it;
If you would have a thing laid aside,
You must first set it up'
If you take from a thing,
You must first give to it.
This is called subtle discernment:
The submissive and weak will overcome the hard and strong.
The fist must not be allowed to leave the deep;
The instruments of power in a state must not be revealed to anyone.
2. XXVIII - Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching, translated by D.C. Lau
Know the male
But keep to the role of the female
And be a ravine to the empire.
If you are a ravine to the empire,
Then the constant virtue will not desert you
And you will again return to being a babe.
Know the wite
But keep to the role of the black
And be a model to the empire.
If you are a model to the empire,
Then the constant virtue will not be wanting
And you will return to the infinite.
Know honor
But keep to the role of the disgraced
And be a valley to the empire.
If you are a valley to the empire,
Then the constant virture will be sufficient
And you will return to being the uncarved block.
When the uncarved block shatters it becomes vessels. The sage make use of these and becomes the lord over officials.
Hence the greatest cutting
Does not sever.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Enjoying and Asking Questions
Today's Heaven Letters inspired me to write the following.
From a life changing event when I was 21 I have lived by the simple philosophy of 1) each day Be the best Andy that I can be, and 2) always believe in ever expanding possibilities. Life presents opportunities.
All of my apparent experiences that one might call negative have resulted in the greatest benefits, if I took the time to discern the lesson. The people who have been associated with my times of greatest sorrow, and challenge have helped me become a better lover. Like my son Joshua said when he was 7, "pain makes us stronger".
This world has many conditions that "seem" to be out of order, however, I see them as opportunities for us to create the world that we might dream about. Job security so to speak. Great teachings say "work for the entire world" and leave the results to themselves.
My entire life I have known the simple and profound truth that happiness, as a general state of Being, is the measure of whether we are heading in the direction that we will appreciate the most. We can be happy even during challenging times, or when conditions appear to not be in order - (ultimately we don't know how each condition is guiding us down our own evolutionary path).
In any case, I will be creating whatever I am focusing my energies and attention on. The question then comes, what am I giving my attention to, the things that I would like to see in my life, and appreciating the treasures that come to me in every moment, or something else? Interpreting each moment , experience, event (sometimes the smallest) is one of the greatest gifts life offers me, it is an act of "free-will".
So, the question becomes, what story am I spinning as I go about my day, am I noticing the intuitional guidance that is built into my Being, guiding me to the best results that I am yearning to attain - or something else?
Questions are a great way to get to the bottom of things. Socrates knew what he knew because he asked so many questions - did you know that he knew that we don't "learn", we "remember", because, ultimately we are connected to the One Infinite Creator. Another great teacher pointed to the power of asking questions, or even asking for a little help from the Divine, unseen operating all of this "seen stuff" we think we know so much about in "Ask and it shall be given, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened for you".
What you appreciate, appreciates.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Realization of Self Love
This is a very personal description of a great discovery about self-love and the teachings of Jesus and the ten commandments.
About twelve years ago (1997), I was recovering from divorce. It turned out to be one of the most challenging times in my life. This process literally took years. I am not sure why I drug it out so long, but that was just the process. I mostly felt myself to have been a failure as a father. Not upholding the social agreement of marriage, mostly for the sake of my son.
I struggled a great deal financially, probably a form of self punishment. I also had periods of deep sorrow- even so far as contemplating the end of my life. I never went so far to actually do anything, just going to that place of desperate resignation. The most profound of these times I actually went to the place of no feelings. Ambivalence, numbness, not caring. That I discovered is a much more desperate and dangerous place than anger or depression.
When I was at the lowest place I was in my apartment and I picked up the Bible. Now, I have never read the Bible to any great extent. I have tried a number of times, but found the language difficult to comprehend. Plus I have come to believe that much of the greatest truths to have been culled out. However, I still believe that it is filled with great wisdom and truth, it is just difficult for me to decipher what might have been added or deleted. Not the best use of my time, this is my opinion.
However, on this occasion I opened up the book at random, dropped my finger on the passage where the disciples are asking Jesus to speak on the commandments, I remember reading "and what of the ten commandments"? And Jesus's response, in my recollection "There are only two. Love God with all your being. And Love your neighbor as yourself".
Reading this caused great realizations for me, and insights on my perspectives on love of self, and also my access to the love of God. You see, I read in that passage in the Bible, having a scientific mind, a case of deductive reasoning. The bottom line, or the basic challenge of Jesus' message relates to Self love. The deduction, or the leap of reasoning comes because he did not mention three points - 1) Love God, 2) Love Yourself, and 3) Love Your Neighbor as Yourself. The second step in this reasoning is missing.
Why? I assume that Jesus "assumed" that we would love ourselves. But is this the case in our world? I think mostly not. For many reasons - one is that it has become "tabu" in many ways to "Love ourselves" (e.g. narcissism, arrogance, selfishness). However, as I have since discovered, if I don't harbor Love in my heart for myself, how can I truly Love others? And I am not talking about "selfish" love. I'm talking about the Love for God and for all others. For if I truly Love Andy in the true sense of Love then I do not have to worry about selfish love. My brother-in-law many years ago (1981) confronted me on this. I think I said something him to about loving my girlfriend more than I loved myself. And he replied, "Andy how can you expect others to Love you, if you don't Love yourself?" This I have realized over the years is one of the most powerful questions a person can ask - either of themselves, or of a dear one.
This reverie from the quote from Jesus made me think why I might have arrived at the point of not Loving myself. I thought that it probably had something to do with pain - and pain being a sign of being excluded from God's Love, which to me is the greatest fear. Much greater than the fear of death. (a little digression, imagine the world of people living day to day their greatest fear as their truth!)
I thought back to my first unconscious "comprehension" of God - which would have been my parents. They were bigger than me, took care of all my needs, protected me, loved me. But did they love me when they punished me? I think I came to understand/feel that when I did "bad", I was being excluded from Love. When I felt pain, either external or internal, I began to separate myself from Love. I began to believe that I could actually do something and become un-Lovable. A ridiculous notion as I understand today, but for most of my life I believed, I felt this. As my friend Tom says "little Andy", had programmed this idea into the very core of my being. This is the idea that the church has placed on us. The idea of "original sin", or at least the way that I interpreted it. And, if I look at many people in the world, I think others believe it too.
In any case, I examined this idea of doing things, and being "out of Love". And it explained my behaviors. You see, once I was out of Love, or had excluded myself consciously, it doesn't matter. Bad in degrees is immaterial. And, because of the internal pain, the need to blot it out became more and more necessary. Thus, in my case, I turned to drugs and alcohol as a young person. However, at the time of this experience reading the Bible, in 1997, I had been 16 year sober.
I think I somehow got the idea or belief that if I felt pain, I wasn't being Loved. Of course it started with my parents, but then I think it extended to God, and of course to everyone. Because, how or why would I feel pain (which is "bad") if I was Loved?
Pain is a sign of being a "sinner" and "sinners" can't be Loved by God, right? Because we have to become an "un-sinner" for God to really Love us, right? We have to become totally clean to be accepted into the Love of God. And this only happens when you "do something", and are transformed into being "white as snow". But if I feel pain inside, then I feel that I am the same. I know that this is not the case, and this seems like a very childish way of understanding. However, I think this childish "program" was actually running in my life - it explained my behaviors.
In truth, I do not think God condemns. It is a man made construct, like so many other concepts that have imprisoned us - but these are OK, because there is a purpose to all.
I also realized at this moment that pain is not "bad". It is merely an aspect on a continuum. And, in actuality, it can be very, very good. In fact, it was deep and desperate pain that lead me to "no pain", no cares, no feeling which was the stimulus for all of these epiphanies about "Self Love". And in that moment, and in previous moments, I realized that "pain" can be exquisite. And then I wasn't sitting in judgment about my feelings, about my actions, which would result in me being excluded from God's Love, which is not possible.
Whether I consciously bought into the idea of "sin" and condemnation, I think at some level I believed that I had done things that had placed me out of God's Love. Divorce.
Abandoning my son (this was my "programmed" belief). Having a tendency to be somewhat
of a "womanizer". But this actually tied to my own condemnation of myself. It became a self fulfilling prophecy. It was like, OK, I'm already a "screw-up" (a sinner) so fuck it! And I had come to believe that I was the kind of person to do those things. So, if I believe myself to be that kind of person, how could I do anything else? But in reality all I was doing in that process was trying to find love. Love from others. Love to fill the void in me. But no other person can ever fill that void. Because that was a void created by my lack of Love for my Self.
And I think Loving my Self first is actually one of the most gracious things that I could ever do. I am God's first gift to me. To my person. This physical, spiritual and intellectual being was God's gift to me first. And from there, all other expressions arise, at least in my conscious experience.
I realized this in another way a few years ago when I heard the song by Bad Company "Feel like making Love". I realized that we are supposed to be "Love factories". But how could I generate Love if I don't have the first ingredient - Love for the being, the gift that God gave me - me, myself and I. Isn't it a tremendous lack of gratitude to not love what God gave me, first?
Through all of this thinking I realized that "Self love" was to "Love God with All My Being" - and that if I could accomplish Self Love in the most pure and profound way, then "Love Others as Your Self" would flow naturally and effortlessly. That was the "missing deduction" in Jesus's statement about there only being two commandments.
I also realized that maybe, these feelings, were God experiencing itself through me. I imagined my joys, sorrows, and the agelessness of the feelings. I imagined how my body, and my mind seem to age, but my feelings don't. I thought of the loves and deepness of those profound feelings that I had experienced in my life and felt that that truly was a God living through me. And those forces are the ones that have motivated me, truly to seek Love with all my being. To be Love in all ways that I can.
So what next? Forgiveness. Yes, but if God doesn't condemn why would I need forgiveness?
I don't really know, but for me at that (and this) moment, the forgiveness was to know that God's Love was immediately available to me - all-ways, always. It happened to me long ago when I realized my life was in the "shitter", I was a drunk and a junkie, mostly because of my dishonesty with myself. When I had this realization that dishonesty had created my twisted little life, and admitted I was lying, and committed to take a different path, and said the prayer "God help me". My life began to be totally different.
All I had to do, I guess, was to accept the Love to flow. It was there waiting. I didn't grow any new Love acceptance organs.
Oh, you may be thinking, why do I say that God doesn't judge - well for me, it's about Love. Love Loves it doesn't judge. And if God is Love then God doesn't judge. God just Loves.
So what I had to do at that moment was look at Andy, and see him for who he was, and just appreciate that he never meant to hurt anyone - on purpose. That many times he was confused, and did things that resulted in apparent "problems" but that those really don't matter to Love. That no matter what I think that I do that is bad, and no matter how bad I might feel, I am always Loved by God. Period. There is no way out of it. It is everywhere and always.
And today, I have learned more and more about my feelings and their connection to the Divine. That they are actually the "program" the "guidance system" that I was given in order to know how to avoid doing the things that were contrary to my, and others, best interest. But I didn't learn this until about 2 years ago.
About twelve years ago (1997), I was recovering from divorce. It turned out to be one of the most challenging times in my life. This process literally took years. I am not sure why I drug it out so long, but that was just the process. I mostly felt myself to have been a failure as a father. Not upholding the social agreement of marriage, mostly for the sake of my son.
I struggled a great deal financially, probably a form of self punishment. I also had periods of deep sorrow- even so far as contemplating the end of my life. I never went so far to actually do anything, just going to that place of desperate resignation. The most profound of these times I actually went to the place of no feelings. Ambivalence, numbness, not caring. That I discovered is a much more desperate and dangerous place than anger or depression.
When I was at the lowest place I was in my apartment and I picked up the Bible. Now, I have never read the Bible to any great extent. I have tried a number of times, but found the language difficult to comprehend. Plus I have come to believe that much of the greatest truths to have been culled out. However, I still believe that it is filled with great wisdom and truth, it is just difficult for me to decipher what might have been added or deleted. Not the best use of my time, this is my opinion.
However, on this occasion I opened up the book at random, dropped my finger on the passage where the disciples are asking Jesus to speak on the commandments, I remember reading "and what of the ten commandments"? And Jesus's response, in my recollection "There are only two. Love God with all your being. And Love your neighbor as yourself".
Reading this caused great realizations for me, and insights on my perspectives on love of self, and also my access to the love of God. You see, I read in that passage in the Bible, having a scientific mind, a case of deductive reasoning. The bottom line, or the basic challenge of Jesus' message relates to Self love. The deduction, or the leap of reasoning comes because he did not mention three points - 1) Love God, 2) Love Yourself, and 3) Love Your Neighbor as Yourself. The second step in this reasoning is missing.
Why? I assume that Jesus "assumed" that we would love ourselves. But is this the case in our world? I think mostly not. For many reasons - one is that it has become "tabu" in many ways to "Love ourselves" (e.g. narcissism, arrogance, selfishness). However, as I have since discovered, if I don't harbor Love in my heart for myself, how can I truly Love others? And I am not talking about "selfish" love. I'm talking about the Love for God and for all others. For if I truly Love Andy in the true sense of Love then I do not have to worry about selfish love. My brother-in-law many years ago (1981) confronted me on this. I think I said something him to about loving my girlfriend more than I loved myself. And he replied, "Andy how can you expect others to Love you, if you don't Love yourself?" This I have realized over the years is one of the most powerful questions a person can ask - either of themselves, or of a dear one.
This reverie from the quote from Jesus made me think why I might have arrived at the point of not Loving myself. I thought that it probably had something to do with pain - and pain being a sign of being excluded from God's Love, which to me is the greatest fear. Much greater than the fear of death. (a little digression, imagine the world of people living day to day their greatest fear as their truth!)
I thought back to my first unconscious "comprehension" of God - which would have been my parents. They were bigger than me, took care of all my needs, protected me, loved me. But did they love me when they punished me? I think I came to understand/feel that when I did "bad", I was being excluded from Love. When I felt pain, either external or internal, I began to separate myself from Love. I began to believe that I could actually do something and become un-Lovable. A ridiculous notion as I understand today, but for most of my life I believed, I felt this. As my friend Tom says "little Andy", had programmed this idea into the very core of my being. This is the idea that the church has placed on us. The idea of "original sin", or at least the way that I interpreted it. And, if I look at many people in the world, I think others believe it too.
In any case, I examined this idea of doing things, and being "out of Love". And it explained my behaviors. You see, once I was out of Love, or had excluded myself consciously, it doesn't matter. Bad in degrees is immaterial. And, because of the internal pain, the need to blot it out became more and more necessary. Thus, in my case, I turned to drugs and alcohol as a young person. However, at the time of this experience reading the Bible, in 1997, I had been 16 year sober.
I think I somehow got the idea or belief that if I felt pain, I wasn't being Loved. Of course it started with my parents, but then I think it extended to God, and of course to everyone. Because, how or why would I feel pain (which is "bad") if I was Loved?
Pain is a sign of being a "sinner" and "sinners" can't be Loved by God, right? Because we have to become an "un-sinner" for God to really Love us, right? We have to become totally clean to be accepted into the Love of God. And this only happens when you "do something", and are transformed into being "white as snow". But if I feel pain inside, then I feel that I am the same. I know that this is not the case, and this seems like a very childish way of understanding. However, I think this childish "program" was actually running in my life - it explained my behaviors.
In truth, I do not think God condemns. It is a man made construct, like so many other concepts that have imprisoned us - but these are OK, because there is a purpose to all.
I also realized at this moment that pain is not "bad". It is merely an aspect on a continuum. And, in actuality, it can be very, very good. In fact, it was deep and desperate pain that lead me to "no pain", no cares, no feeling which was the stimulus for all of these epiphanies about "Self Love". And in that moment, and in previous moments, I realized that "pain" can be exquisite. And then I wasn't sitting in judgment about my feelings, about my actions, which would result in me being excluded from God's Love, which is not possible.
Whether I consciously bought into the idea of "sin" and condemnation, I think at some level I believed that I had done things that had placed me out of God's Love. Divorce.
Abandoning my son (this was my "programmed" belief). Having a tendency to be somewhat
of a "womanizer". But this actually tied to my own condemnation of myself. It became a self fulfilling prophecy. It was like, OK, I'm already a "screw-up" (a sinner) so fuck it! And I had come to believe that I was the kind of person to do those things. So, if I believe myself to be that kind of person, how could I do anything else? But in reality all I was doing in that process was trying to find love. Love from others. Love to fill the void in me. But no other person can ever fill that void. Because that was a void created by my lack of Love for my Self.
And I think Loving my Self first is actually one of the most gracious things that I could ever do. I am God's first gift to me. To my person. This physical, spiritual and intellectual being was God's gift to me first. And from there, all other expressions arise, at least in my conscious experience.
I realized this in another way a few years ago when I heard the song by Bad Company "Feel like making Love". I realized that we are supposed to be "Love factories". But how could I generate Love if I don't have the first ingredient - Love for the being, the gift that God gave me - me, myself and I. Isn't it a tremendous lack of gratitude to not love what God gave me, first?
Through all of this thinking I realized that "Self love" was to "Love God with All My Being" - and that if I could accomplish Self Love in the most pure and profound way, then "Love Others as Your Self" would flow naturally and effortlessly. That was the "missing deduction" in Jesus's statement about there only being two commandments.
I also realized that maybe, these feelings, were God experiencing itself through me. I imagined my joys, sorrows, and the agelessness of the feelings. I imagined how my body, and my mind seem to age, but my feelings don't. I thought of the loves and deepness of those profound feelings that I had experienced in my life and felt that that truly was a God living through me. And those forces are the ones that have motivated me, truly to seek Love with all my being. To be Love in all ways that I can.
So what next? Forgiveness. Yes, but if God doesn't condemn why would I need forgiveness?
I don't really know, but for me at that (and this) moment, the forgiveness was to know that God's Love was immediately available to me - all-ways, always. It happened to me long ago when I realized my life was in the "shitter", I was a drunk and a junkie, mostly because of my dishonesty with myself. When I had this realization that dishonesty had created my twisted little life, and admitted I was lying, and committed to take a different path, and said the prayer "God help me". My life began to be totally different.
All I had to do, I guess, was to accept the Love to flow. It was there waiting. I didn't grow any new Love acceptance organs.
Oh, you may be thinking, why do I say that God doesn't judge - well for me, it's about Love. Love Loves it doesn't judge. And if God is Love then God doesn't judge. God just Loves.
So what I had to do at that moment was look at Andy, and see him for who he was, and just appreciate that he never meant to hurt anyone - on purpose. That many times he was confused, and did things that resulted in apparent "problems" but that those really don't matter to Love. That no matter what I think that I do that is bad, and no matter how bad I might feel, I am always Loved by God. Period. There is no way out of it. It is everywhere and always.
And today, I have learned more and more about my feelings and their connection to the Divine. That they are actually the "program" the "guidance system" that I was given in order to know how to avoid doing the things that were contrary to my, and others, best interest. But I didn't learn this until about 2 years ago.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Unusual Love messages - toilet paper
Well, this is a strange experience. Here I was, thinking of my post for Facebook - (And Source asks "what will you share for me today, what thoughts, feelings, Sharings?"). Then I went into the bathroom and was still thinking about this.
I have known and learned so much that what is going on here, as we experience it, and as science proves, it is about vibrational frequency. As we live and yearn to create a new world, the way that it all plays out in our "light forms", which is what we really are made of, is our vibrational energy. Our world has been stuck, for a long time, in a low vibrational, dense energetic vibration that has prevented us from creating a world that aligns with all those things we desire - as expressed in our feelings - in our lives. The dominant energy reducing emotion is "fear" which stems all the other "negative" emotions (negative does not mean bad - if there weren´t duality of experience we wouldn´t be here as we know it - but that is a whole other story).
Anyway, back to my morning story. So I am contemplating this profound thought - about what we bring to the world each day. How we create our day. What do we share? - Fear, complaining, conflict - or happiness, joy, wonder - excitement at the mystery, adventure in the uncertainty?
And then I go a little deeper as I walk to the bathroom to sit on one of my contemplation thrones. Now, as of late, I have been getting more and more open about where my messages might come from. For years I have been aware of synchronicities - what Carl Jung described as the "acausal connecting principle". I have learned to be open. And in the past few weeks the messages, important messages for my personal path have been coming in from totally unexpected sources. But, I never ever could have been prepared to receive a message from "toilet paper".
What message and how, you ask? Very simple, I sat down for just a minute or two (seriously), was thinking about this deep, deep (and I´m serious about that too) question of how we raise the vibrational, or light quotient of the planet. This is the issue my dear brothers and sisters. If we want the new world, we have to create it. We have to invite it. We, each one of us, day after day, moment after moment have to raise our own vibrational energy. And how do we do that? Well first we learn about the guidance system we were programmed with. Then we have to do what the toilet paper told me.
There, on the toilet paper were flowers and hearts - but there was one particular heart that caught my attention. Here it is.
Now how in the world this message got on a roll of toilet paper - I don´t know. But I am sure that the message came to me for the specific purpose for me to focus on just what I needed to do - today.
Blessings friends,
Andy
I have known and learned so much that what is going on here, as we experience it, and as science proves, it is about vibrational frequency. As we live and yearn to create a new world, the way that it all plays out in our "light forms", which is what we really are made of, is our vibrational energy. Our world has been stuck, for a long time, in a low vibrational, dense energetic vibration that has prevented us from creating a world that aligns with all those things we desire - as expressed in our feelings - in our lives. The dominant energy reducing emotion is "fear" which stems all the other "negative" emotions (negative does not mean bad - if there weren´t duality of experience we wouldn´t be here as we know it - but that is a whole other story).
Anyway, back to my morning story. So I am contemplating this profound thought - about what we bring to the world each day. How we create our day. What do we share? - Fear, complaining, conflict - or happiness, joy, wonder - excitement at the mystery, adventure in the uncertainty?
And then I go a little deeper as I walk to the bathroom to sit on one of my contemplation thrones. Now, as of late, I have been getting more and more open about where my messages might come from. For years I have been aware of synchronicities - what Carl Jung described as the "acausal connecting principle". I have learned to be open. And in the past few weeks the messages, important messages for my personal path have been coming in from totally unexpected sources. But, I never ever could have been prepared to receive a message from "toilet paper".
What message and how, you ask? Very simple, I sat down for just a minute or two (seriously), was thinking about this deep, deep (and I´m serious about that too) question of how we raise the vibrational, or light quotient of the planet. This is the issue my dear brothers and sisters. If we want the new world, we have to create it. We have to invite it. We, each one of us, day after day, moment after moment have to raise our own vibrational energy. And how do we do that? Well first we learn about the guidance system we were programmed with. Then we have to do what the toilet paper told me.
There, on the toilet paper were flowers and hearts - but there was one particular heart that caught my attention. Here it is.
Now how in the world this message got on a roll of toilet paper - I don´t know. But I am sure that the message came to me for the specific purpose for me to focus on just what I needed to do - today.
Blessings friends,
Andy
Monday, October 18, 2010
Realization of Self Love
This is a very personal description of a great discovery about self-love and the teachings of Jesus and the ten commandments.
About twelve years ago (1997), I was recovering from divorce. It turned out to be one of the most challenging times in my life. This process literally took years. I am not sure why I drug it out so long, but that was just the process. I mostly felt myself to have been a failure as a father. Not upholding the social agreement of marriage, mostly for the sake of my son.
I struggled a great deal financially, probably a form of self punishment. I also had periods of deep sorrow- even so far as contemplating the end of my life. I never went so far to actually do anything, just going to that place of desperate resignation. The most profound of these times I actually went to the place of no feelings. Ambivalence, numbness, not caring. That I discovered is a much more desperate and dangerous place than anger or depression.
When I was at the lowest place I was in my apartment and I picked up the Bible. Now, I have never read the Bible to any great extent. I have tried a number of times, but found the language difficult to comprehend. Plus I have come to believe that much of the greatest truths to have been culled out. However, I still believe that it is filled with great wisdom and truth, it is just difficult for me to decipher what might have been added or deleted. Not the best use of my time, this is my opinion.
However, on this occasion I opened up the book at random, dropped my finger on the passage where the disciples are asking Jesus to speak on the commandments, I remember reading "and what of the ten commandments"? And Jesus's response, in my recollection "There are only two. Love God with all your being. And Love your neighbor as yourself".
Reading this caused great realizations for me, and insights on my perspectives on love of self, and also my access to the love of God. You see, I read in that passage in the Bible, having a scientific mind, a case of deductive reasoning. The bottom line, or the basic challenge of Jesus' message relates to Self love. The deduction, or the leap of reasoning comes because he did not mention three points - 1) Love God, 2) Love Yourself, and 3) Love Your Neighbor as Yourself. The second step in this reasoning is missing.
Why? I assume that Jesus "assumed" that we would love ourselves. But is this the case in our world? I think mostly not. For many reasons - one is that it has become "tabu" in many ways to "Love ourselves" (e.g. narcissism, arrogance, selfishness).
However, as I have since discovered, if I don't harbor Love in my heart for myself, how can I truly Love others? And I am not talking about "selfish" love. I'm talking about the Love for God and for all others. For if I truly Love Andy in the true sense of Love then I do not have to worry about selfish love. My brother-in-law many years ago (1981) confronted me on this. I think I said something him to about loving my girlfriend more than I loved myself. And he replied, "Andy how can you expect others to Love you, if you don't Love yourself?" This I have realized over the years is one of the most powerful questions a person can ask - either of themselves, or of a dear one.
This reverie from the quote from Jesus made me think why I might have arrived at the point of not Loving myself. I thought that it probably had something to do with pain - and pain being a sign of being excluded from God's Love, which to me is the greatest fear. Much greater than the fear of death. (a little digression, imagine the world of people living day to day their greatest fear as their truth!)
I thought back to my first unconscious "comprehension" of God - which would have been my parents. They were bigger than me, took care of all my needs, protected me, loved me. But did they love me when they punished me? I think I came to understand/feel that when I did "bad", I was being excluded from Love. When I felt pain, either external or internal, I began to separate myself from Love. I began to believe that I could actually do something and become un-Lovable. A ridiculous notion as I understand today, but for most of my life I believed, I felt this. As my friend Tom says "little Andy", had programmed this idea into the very core of my being. This is the idea that the church has placed on us. The idea of "original sin", or at least the way that I interpreted it. And, if I look at many people in the world, I think others believe it too.
In any case, I examined this idea of doing things, and being "out of Love". And it explained my behaviors. You see, once I was out of Love, or had excluded myself consciously, it doesn't matter. Bad in degrees is immaterial. And, because of the internal pain, the need to blot it out became more and more necessary. Thus, in my case, I turned to drugs and alcohol as a young person. However, at the time of this experience reading the Bible, in 1997, I had been 16 year sober.
I think I somehow got the idea or belief that if I felt pain, I wasn't being Loved. Of course it started with my parents, but then I think it extended to God, and of course to everyone. Because, how or why would I feel pain (which is "bad") if I was Loved?
Pain is a sign of being a "sinner" and "sinners" can't be Loved by God, right? Because we have to become an "un-sinner" for God to really Love us, right? We have to become totally clean to be accepted into the Love of God. And this only happens when you "do something", and are transformed into being "white as snow". But if I feel pain inside, then I feel that I am the same. I know that this is not the case, and this seems like a very childish way of understanding. However, I think this childish "program" was actually running in my life - it explained my behaviors.
In truth, I do not think God condemns. It is a man made construct, like so many other concepts that have imprisoned us - but these are OK, because there is a purpose to all.
I also realized at this moment that pain is not "bad". It is merely an aspect on a continuum. And, in actuality, it can be very, very good. In fact, it was deep and desperate pain that lead me to "no pain", no cares, no feeling which was the stimulus for all of these epiphanies about "Self Love". And in that moment, and in previous moments, I realized that "pain" can be exquisite. And then I wasn't sitting in judgment about my feelings, about my actions, which would result in me being excluded from God's Love, which is not possible.
Whether I consciously bought into the idea of "sin" and condemnation, I think at some level I believed that I had done things that had placed me out of God's Love. Divorce.
Abandoning my son (this was my "programmed" belief). Having a tendency to be somewhat of a "womanizer". But this actually tied to my own condemnation of myself. It became a self fulfilling prophecy. It was like, OK, I'm already a "screw-up" (a sinner) so fuck it! And I had come to believe that I was the kind of person to do those things. So, if I believe myself to be that kind of person, how could I do anything else? But in reality all I was doing in that process was trying to find love. Love from others. Love to fill the void in me. But no other person can ever fill that void. Because that was a void created by my lack of Love for my Self.
And I think Loving my Self first is actually one of the most gracious things that I could ever do. I am God's first gift to me. To my person. This physical, spiritual and intellectual being was God's gift to me first. And from there, all other expressions arise, at least in my conscious experience.
I realized this in another way a few years ago when I heard the song by Bad Company "Feel like making Love". I realized that we are supposed to be "Love factories". But how could I generate Love if I don't have the first ingredient - Love for the being, the gift that God gave me - me, myself and I. Isn't it a tremendous lack of gratitude to not love what God gave me, first?
Through all of this thinking I realized that "Self love" was to "Love God with All My Being" - and that if I could accomplish Self Love in the most pure and profound way, then "Love Others as Your Self" would flow naturally and effortlessly. That was the "missing deduction" in Jesus's statement about there only being two commandments.
I also realized that maybe, these feelings, were God experiencing itself through me. I imagined my joys, sorrows, and the agelessness of the feelings. I imagined how my body, and my mind seem to age, but my feelings don't. I thought of the loves and deepness of those profound feelings that I had experienced in my life and felt that that truly was a God living through me. And those forces are the ones that have motivated me, truly to seek Love with all my being. To be Love in all ways that I can.
So what next? Forgiveness. Yes, but if God doesn't condemn why would I need forgiveness?
I don't really know, but for me at that (and this) moment, the forgiveness was to know that God's Love was immediately available to me - all-ways, always. It happened to me long ago when I realized my life was in the "shitter", I was a drunk and a junkie, mostly because of my dishonesty with myself. When I had this realization that dishonesty had created my twisted little life, and admitted I was lying, and committed to take a different path, and said the prayer "God help me". My life began to be totally different.
All I had to do, I guess, was to accept the Love to flow. It was there waiting. I didn't grow any new Love acceptance organs.
Oh, you may be thinking, why do I say that God doesn't judge - well for me, it's about Love. Love Loves it doesn't judge. And if God is Love then God doesn't judge. God just Loves.
So what I had to do at that moment was look at Andy, and see him for who he was, and just appreciate that he never meant to hurt anyone - on purpose. That many times he was confused, and did things that resulted in apparent "problems" but that those really don't matter to Love. That no matter what I think that I do that is bad, and no matter how bad I might feel, I am always Loved by God. Period. There is no way out of it. It is everywhere and always.
And today, I have learned more and more about my feelings and their connection to the Divine. That they are actually the "program" the "guidance system" that I was given in order to know how to avoid doing the things that were contrary to my, and others, best interest. But I didn't learn this until about 2 years ago.
About twelve years ago (1997), I was recovering from divorce. It turned out to be one of the most challenging times in my life. This process literally took years. I am not sure why I drug it out so long, but that was just the process. I mostly felt myself to have been a failure as a father. Not upholding the social agreement of marriage, mostly for the sake of my son.
I struggled a great deal financially, probably a form of self punishment. I also had periods of deep sorrow- even so far as contemplating the end of my life. I never went so far to actually do anything, just going to that place of desperate resignation. The most profound of these times I actually went to the place of no feelings. Ambivalence, numbness, not caring. That I discovered is a much more desperate and dangerous place than anger or depression.
When I was at the lowest place I was in my apartment and I picked up the Bible. Now, I have never read the Bible to any great extent. I have tried a number of times, but found the language difficult to comprehend. Plus I have come to believe that much of the greatest truths to have been culled out. However, I still believe that it is filled with great wisdom and truth, it is just difficult for me to decipher what might have been added or deleted. Not the best use of my time, this is my opinion.
However, on this occasion I opened up the book at random, dropped my finger on the passage where the disciples are asking Jesus to speak on the commandments, I remember reading "and what of the ten commandments"? And Jesus's response, in my recollection "There are only two. Love God with all your being. And Love your neighbor as yourself".
Reading this caused great realizations for me, and insights on my perspectives on love of self, and also my access to the love of God. You see, I read in that passage in the Bible, having a scientific mind, a case of deductive reasoning. The bottom line, or the basic challenge of Jesus' message relates to Self love. The deduction, or the leap of reasoning comes because he did not mention three points - 1) Love God, 2) Love Yourself, and 3) Love Your Neighbor as Yourself. The second step in this reasoning is missing.
Why? I assume that Jesus "assumed" that we would love ourselves. But is this the case in our world? I think mostly not. For many reasons - one is that it has become "tabu" in many ways to "Love ourselves" (e.g. narcissism, arrogance, selfishness).
However, as I have since discovered, if I don't harbor Love in my heart for myself, how can I truly Love others? And I am not talking about "selfish" love. I'm talking about the Love for God and for all others. For if I truly Love Andy in the true sense of Love then I do not have to worry about selfish love. My brother-in-law many years ago (1981) confronted me on this. I think I said something him to about loving my girlfriend more than I loved myself. And he replied, "Andy how can you expect others to Love you, if you don't Love yourself?" This I have realized over the years is one of the most powerful questions a person can ask - either of themselves, or of a dear one.
This reverie from the quote from Jesus made me think why I might have arrived at the point of not Loving myself. I thought that it probably had something to do with pain - and pain being a sign of being excluded from God's Love, which to me is the greatest fear. Much greater than the fear of death. (a little digression, imagine the world of people living day to day their greatest fear as their truth!)
I thought back to my first unconscious "comprehension" of God - which would have been my parents. They were bigger than me, took care of all my needs, protected me, loved me. But did they love me when they punished me? I think I came to understand/feel that when I did "bad", I was being excluded from Love. When I felt pain, either external or internal, I began to separate myself from Love. I began to believe that I could actually do something and become un-Lovable. A ridiculous notion as I understand today, but for most of my life I believed, I felt this. As my friend Tom says "little Andy", had programmed this idea into the very core of my being. This is the idea that the church has placed on us. The idea of "original sin", or at least the way that I interpreted it. And, if I look at many people in the world, I think others believe it too.
In any case, I examined this idea of doing things, and being "out of Love". And it explained my behaviors. You see, once I was out of Love, or had excluded myself consciously, it doesn't matter. Bad in degrees is immaterial. And, because of the internal pain, the need to blot it out became more and more necessary. Thus, in my case, I turned to drugs and alcohol as a young person. However, at the time of this experience reading the Bible, in 1997, I had been 16 year sober.
I think I somehow got the idea or belief that if I felt pain, I wasn't being Loved. Of course it started with my parents, but then I think it extended to God, and of course to everyone. Because, how or why would I feel pain (which is "bad") if I was Loved?
Pain is a sign of being a "sinner" and "sinners" can't be Loved by God, right? Because we have to become an "un-sinner" for God to really Love us, right? We have to become totally clean to be accepted into the Love of God. And this only happens when you "do something", and are transformed into being "white as snow". But if I feel pain inside, then I feel that I am the same. I know that this is not the case, and this seems like a very childish way of understanding. However, I think this childish "program" was actually running in my life - it explained my behaviors.
In truth, I do not think God condemns. It is a man made construct, like so many other concepts that have imprisoned us - but these are OK, because there is a purpose to all.
I also realized at this moment that pain is not "bad". It is merely an aspect on a continuum. And, in actuality, it can be very, very good. In fact, it was deep and desperate pain that lead me to "no pain", no cares, no feeling which was the stimulus for all of these epiphanies about "Self Love". And in that moment, and in previous moments, I realized that "pain" can be exquisite. And then I wasn't sitting in judgment about my feelings, about my actions, which would result in me being excluded from God's Love, which is not possible.
Whether I consciously bought into the idea of "sin" and condemnation, I think at some level I believed that I had done things that had placed me out of God's Love. Divorce.
Abandoning my son (this was my "programmed" belief). Having a tendency to be somewhat of a "womanizer". But this actually tied to my own condemnation of myself. It became a self fulfilling prophecy. It was like, OK, I'm already a "screw-up" (a sinner) so fuck it! And I had come to believe that I was the kind of person to do those things. So, if I believe myself to be that kind of person, how could I do anything else? But in reality all I was doing in that process was trying to find love. Love from others. Love to fill the void in me. But no other person can ever fill that void. Because that was a void created by my lack of Love for my Self.
And I think Loving my Self first is actually one of the most gracious things that I could ever do. I am God's first gift to me. To my person. This physical, spiritual and intellectual being was God's gift to me first. And from there, all other expressions arise, at least in my conscious experience.
I realized this in another way a few years ago when I heard the song by Bad Company "Feel like making Love". I realized that we are supposed to be "Love factories". But how could I generate Love if I don't have the first ingredient - Love for the being, the gift that God gave me - me, myself and I. Isn't it a tremendous lack of gratitude to not love what God gave me, first?
Through all of this thinking I realized that "Self love" was to "Love God with All My Being" - and that if I could accomplish Self Love in the most pure and profound way, then "Love Others as Your Self" would flow naturally and effortlessly. That was the "missing deduction" in Jesus's statement about there only being two commandments.
I also realized that maybe, these feelings, were God experiencing itself through me. I imagined my joys, sorrows, and the agelessness of the feelings. I imagined how my body, and my mind seem to age, but my feelings don't. I thought of the loves and deepness of those profound feelings that I had experienced in my life and felt that that truly was a God living through me. And those forces are the ones that have motivated me, truly to seek Love with all my being. To be Love in all ways that I can.
So what next? Forgiveness. Yes, but if God doesn't condemn why would I need forgiveness?
I don't really know, but for me at that (and this) moment, the forgiveness was to know that God's Love was immediately available to me - all-ways, always. It happened to me long ago when I realized my life was in the "shitter", I was a drunk and a junkie, mostly because of my dishonesty with myself. When I had this realization that dishonesty had created my twisted little life, and admitted I was lying, and committed to take a different path, and said the prayer "God help me". My life began to be totally different.
All I had to do, I guess, was to accept the Love to flow. It was there waiting. I didn't grow any new Love acceptance organs.
Oh, you may be thinking, why do I say that God doesn't judge - well for me, it's about Love. Love Loves it doesn't judge. And if God is Love then God doesn't judge. God just Loves.
So what I had to do at that moment was look at Andy, and see him for who he was, and just appreciate that he never meant to hurt anyone - on purpose. That many times he was confused, and did things that resulted in apparent "problems" but that those really don't matter to Love. That no matter what I think that I do that is bad, and no matter how bad I might feel, I am always Loved by God. Period. There is no way out of it. It is everywhere and always.
And today, I have learned more and more about my feelings and their connection to the Divine. That they are actually the "program" the "guidance system" that I was given in order to know how to avoid doing the things that were contrary to my, and others, best interest. But I didn't learn this until about 2 years ago.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Wake Up America!
Last night and today I just got a little fed up with all of my friends moaning, bickering, missing the point of the Gulf situation on Facebook.Monday, April 12, 2010
Love is the Motivator
Love is the Motivator, Manifester
This morning, as I spent some time getting ready for the day, my one year old son came and layed on my chest. He fell asleep again. I was doing my breathing, and meditating. Then my mind was taken to a thought related to something my dear friend Desmond Green and I have been talking about.
Desmond is one of the most spiritually enlightened people that I have ever met. He seems to exist in two realities. But the point of this blog is to introduce his idea that we are physical spirit manifested from Source, or God. That is what we are. And our experiences are the point of us being here. Our experience manifests through all of the things that our bodies do to interact with this material creation, even the ones that do not appear to have physical form. The tangible "experiences", or interactions, occur with our five senses (seeing, touch, smell, hearing, and taste). The non-physical are through our thoughts and feelings. But the manifestation is from Spirit.
Now, what is so important, or why does this matter you ask? Well, from our conversations, and understand the Truth is really hard to grasp with our minds so this isn´t simple to relate, but what is happening to humanity at this time is that we are becoming conscious of this fact - "that we are physical spirit", that is that we are physical expression of the "Divine" (or God if you prefer) (this means the universe and all of “creation). This is another description for what is occurring that has been referred to in many different ways, but most commonly known as "ascension", the “second coming of Christ”, or the "new age".
Desmond is a very persistent messenger, and we have been discussing this idea in its various implications, but this morning, as I layed heart to heart with this beautiful soul, Benjamin, the idea came to me that Love, is the motivator of this process. It is Love that accomplishes the movement of Spirit into physical.
It is Love that performs this magic that physicists have been observing where, apparently, our molecules are zapping in and out of our universe. Laboratory experiments have proven that all matter disappears and reappears, faster than the speed of light, apparently going between two places. They can see our side, physical manifestation (the universe, matter, creation) but they don´t know where they go. But Spirit does.
Now I don´t know if this idea is right. I may never know. But as it came to me, I thought I should share it here. If I consider this idea, it does make sense. Love is ever present, whether my experience seems positive or negative. In fact, in my life experiences the most negative, or painful, have been the ones that pushed me to Love. Otherwise I would just stay in once place and just keep doing the same thing. I wouldn´t grow. I wouldn´t yearn and be in angst to express just one small portion of the Love the Jesus was able to demonstrate. I would continue to live in ignorance. But the troubled times, like my most recent traverse across the "valley of the shadow of death", really cause me to search for the Truth, for understanding, for how I can relate better to life, and my higher power.
I´m going to put this idea out there in hopes that it might help others. If I contemplate this, and I haven´t had but more than about 30 minutes, but if love is the motivator, and I make a connection or relationship with it, doesn´t it demonstrate that I must take action? Isn´t it really the light in the lantern? What brings my life, and all of creation out of the unmanifest to what we are blessed to experience on this side of the veil comes through action! This is a lesson for me.
Of course, talking, or writing about love is an action. But how can I do more. How can I each day seek the perfection that I know the ONE has created because I see it in the balance of nature and the cosmos. How can I continue to challenge myself to ascend this ladder, the one that love says, at least to me - Andy, is this the most loving that you can be in this moment? How do I do that day to day?
I do it by being present in each moment. By resisting the patterned, habituated reactions in my relationships with the people whom I love (who by the way see my worst behavior). I do it by persistently and patiently following through on the dreams and aspirations that I have to make a difference. The ones that I feel have come directly from my heart. By the way, these are usually the ones that ask me to take the biggest risks, or to challenge conventions.
I´m not sure where this idea the "Love is the Motivator" came from, Benjamin´s heart, my heart, my head? Well, it doesn´t matter really. But it is some food for thought.
With Great Love,
Andy
Thursday, April 8, 2010
How do we simplify the model?
When one looks at all of the world´s situations they look so complex. So many complexities in our lives, in the world, and if taken as a complete seems overwhelming. The key is to take it one step at a time. The best analogy is that of a mountain climber. He doesn´t take the whole trip in his head before he starts, otherwise he wouldn´t do it. He makes up his mind to go, takes the right tools, adapts, makes adjustments, in process, and step by step, one foothold and handhold at a time makes his way to the peak.
But what is our guide for our metaphorical journey to some desired destination. We have gotten so far off track, or down a dead-end road, that it is difficult to know what tools we have at our disposal to guide us toward a more harmonious world. Even our thinking is skewed. The knowledge, or what we know that we are, and what All That Is is, is quite skewed. So how do we get out of this culdesac, this dead-end situation?
I think it is a matter of finding a principle by which we can guide our thinking and actions and move toward improvement of our situation on a day by day basis. As we look at the various systems that we have created, they do not work. The evidence is all around us.
Now we may envision a new reality, one that we might call perfect, but we are so far away from that reality that we lose all hope which we have seen is another obstacle for progress. We must not work against ourselves, we must not allow ourselves to create barriers for us to achieve what our desired outcomes are. So how we accomplish this is to develop ways by which we can move progressively out of our collective conundrum, but this only happens on an individual basis! So, by what principle can we guide ourselves? I believe it is the Golden Rule – but what I believe is actually the most important universal law of the Universe.
A digression might be to talk about how just using the Word “rule”, (very likely it was supposed to be law) has made us forget, or not comprehend the true importance of this. The ten commandments were described as “rules” to live by. But as Emmet Fox wrote about in his book 10 commandments is the fact that they are actually laws. People have been inclined to break rules, because they really don´t understand that by doing things against rules they are really mostly hurting themselves. ¨Rules are meant to be broken” is a tongue in cheek saying, but who of us does not secretly believe this to be true. This may be a case where all of the things that we aren´t supposed to do, actually become very attractive and we secretly do these things but pretend that we are not. We then begin to hide from ourselves, dishonesty sets in, and then we are down the slippery slope of how can a person base a life on lying to oneself. We can see the results of this erroneous thinking by what we see in the world.
So, back to the Golden Law. It is a law. If I hurt you, I hurt me and you. But likely more me, because in the end, since the universe cannot operate on “fuzzy”, happenstance, fickle, occasional, or non-solid principles, or “laws”. For every action there will be a reaction. So if I steal something from you, at some time in the future I will pay that price (if not in this life, then in a future life). Most of us do not really understand the Golden Law. And it is not the point to follow this principle for selfish purposes, because if I am being nice just to serve myself, not concerned about the impacts on others, that is another trap.
To move out of this “far from the desired situation” in the world, I believe the Golden Law is the foundation.
Let us continue with our analogy, and imagine that our collective being has truly taken a trip down a street and we took a wrong turn and found ourselves in a culdesac, or dead-end. And for several milennia we have been circling around in the cul-de-sac.
How do we get out?
The only way to get out of a dead end is to turn around and walk back out. We start to walk step by step out. But we need some sort of guide. How will we know if we have turned back around, and started to go back to the dead-end?
It is the Golden Law.
Albert Schweitzer called it reverence for life. This idea is that we do not harm any form of life. This includes other people, insects, plants, animals, the planet. This also very much relates to Free Will. If we impose our Will, on anothers Free Will, in the end, we are going to have to rectify, or deal with the repercussions.
But as one looks at the world, most of what we do ends up damaging something. This is the evidence of how far off track we have gotten. It seems that all of our “systems” hurt something. As we observe this situation we could become totally discouraged and not even want to start the journey back. But this is the wrong perspective. We must be like the mountain climber. Take the tools, how to think, common sense and the Golden Law and begin the journey step by step.
In essence the Golden Rule becomes our measuring stick, our guide in the process. We can measure each of our steps, thoughts, actions against this Universal principle which was given to us by Jesus, and step by step, day by day begin the journey back to create the new world. All that is required is the honest and sincere desire to take the journey. As we go along we can know, that in fact we are being guided by the perfect “program” – our feelings. Also circumstance, or repercussions are a guide. They have always been here, but this is evidence of how misinformed we have been. We have not even known that God had installed an operating system that guides us perfectly, constantly providing feedback in the form of “good” or “bad” feelings, or vibrational reactions showing us whether or not we are moving in the direction of what is in our best interest.
Self reflection is another key tool We have to be able to look back on what we do and evaluate whether or not we are making progress. This should be a continual, on going process.
Also, we need to be aware that our “knowledge base” and what we have to work with will be continually improving as we go along in this process. We will gain new insights, better understanding, better skills as we continually seek improvement and progress. We essentially tap into the Divine power of Love that will continually endow more of what we need to continue on our journey toward the perfect expression of the Golden Law. This is Law. And we cannot attempt to do something, with an honest and sincere desire to do good, and not be given, directly from Source the tools, education, resources, motivation, etc. to move toward our goal.
One of the most difficult issues is the principle of measuring, or judging our progress based upon the existing thinking and dualistic system that currently operates in our world, in our “human” thinking system. We have to be astute to watch ourselves from not beating ourselves up for not learning the lessons “we think” we should have learned. Feeling guilty, getting angry at ourselves, or others, again, is a huge sign that we are heading in the wrong direction. The key to the success of this process is to be gentle with ourselves and others as almost all of us have been battered by our own judgment of ourselves. We have become masters with a whip, constantly beating our own backs, having the mistaken belief that this might be an effective way to motívate ourselves, pushing ourselves along our journey in constant oppressive judgment of our progress. We are not pack animals (in fact this is not how we should treat animals either). This is the same method that was used to submit the slaves. If we are to become loving and kind to others, we must practice it first and foremost with ourselves. Of course, we must always practice this with others, the planet, and animals as well. For all really is just One. This is the great truth contained in the Golden Law. What we do to others we do to ourselves, the others, to the One, or to God.
But we need not become discouraged when we see how far off the track we have gotten. This, apparently, is the whole point of the journey. This is what God wanted. Rome was not built in a day. A 1000 mile journey starts with one step. And with the powerful, and all present One, guiding us, and loving us while we utilize the Golden Law as our guide, we will find ourselves on a joyous journey, day by day to our visión. Our destination. But the point is not about getting somewhere, but the journey.
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I had posted a link about the media "black out", and a person who has been making the most noise gave a very elaborate explanation about why they have to "control the situation", blah, blah, blah. I dreamed last night that I have to begin to speak up with what I have learned.
Usually my voice when I write is very kind and aims to the highest energies/vibrations, but the voice on this one is more direct. It just typed out of me so I suspect it is not fully of my origin.
By no means is this directed to anyone here at Unity. I just felt is was a powerful summation, the most concise to date, about what I have experienced and learned from my powerful prayer request some two years ago. I believe this is the kind of thing that all Americans must face. How far we have let "our country" get out of our control. After I sent the message I contemplated that this is like throwing some folks a "life line". They are so far out of any clarity about what is really going on, but there just isn´t that much time left. Hmmm, I just got an idea pop in my head that the movie "Titanic" may be a metaphor for what we are dealing with.
Anyway, I just share this to share.
Posted as a comment to a discussion at Facebook
The American people are great (as are all salt of the earth peoples), if you think it is the American people who have been representing our country overseas you are not well informed at all. There actions have had devastating effects in ways that we cannot imagine. Our government has not been in "the peoples" hands since FDR was president. In order ... Ver más to change paradigms and get out of this model of government and corporations run amok, we have to wake up and see the Truth.
I did this in the last couple years. I prayed earnestly, really seriously for knowing what was going on in the world, why things were they way they are, and what was happening. What I discovered was shocking, maddening, and incredible, but it explained so many things that were previously not explained. After the initial shock and then coming to understand more of what and who we are did I begin to understand that it is not about getting all caught up in the drama and trauma, but to ACT and make the new world that we envision. We are not just blobs of protoplasm here on this paradise world. We are very, powerful beings who are using our energies for trivial and counterproductive purposes - essentially bringing on our own demise. Our potentials, if learned about and comprehended are almost limitless.
Our energies affect everything that we experience. How far from the vision of Jesus have we gotten? We are responsible. It is up to us to change, if that is what we desire. But nothing is going to change if we keep playing the same game. We have been coerced, cheated, stolen from by a small group of elite, that have wanted to create their "new world order" - just look at the one dollar bill. Believe it or not it is an instrument of magic. That is why it´s design has not changed (it is the foundational instrument) since it was implemented in 1928 by the Federal Reserve Bank, which is an illegal corporation, as is the IRS and Washington DC. None of these things were supposed to exist from the Constitution, but it too was designed by a bunch of rich white guys who thought the people were sheep. This model did not originate in the U.S. it comes out of a system that very likely goes back to Rome or Babylon, but has been brought to a real art in recent European history. There are credible academic studies that look into this if you will take the time to look.
The interesting thing when I heard Frank Zappa´s song "I Am The Slime" in 1974, and then I took Mr. Schnieder´s American Gov. class at Ames High, I started to realize. Mr. Schnieder had us read "Common Sense Two" which was a call for a revolution from corporations. If you don´t believe this is a serious issue you need to watch Eisenhower´s (a general) speech when he left office in 1958. It is on Youtube. Now these groups have had 40 years free reign. You actually think you have elected presidents and that our policies are affected by what we want?
There are also a series called Coincidences 911 at YouTube that will just blow your mind. Almost 3 million people have watched these so more of us are beginning to pull their heads out, but we have a long way to go.
The best analogy for our world situation is a drunk hitting his bottom. We are experiencing things that are supposed to bring us together in the Spirit of Love as Jesus was trying to prepare the garden, or we will perish. Those are the signs and experiences that are contained in these accelerating events - financial crisis, natural events. They are not going to diminish. Many of them are not accidents. The level of secrecy in our military, and the amount of money that has been spent (10s of trillions of $) with no oversight has gone way beyond what we could ever imagine.
These beings, it´s hard to call them humans, keep us feeling powerless, and fighting among ourselves, probably even pulling our energies out of us as we stay in states of desperartion, fear, anger, etc.
Our job is to recognize that these feelings are God guiding us away from the thinking and actions that creates this types of feelings. This is the "operating system" that was installed in us that we were never taught about. It´s a program, and it guides us by our feelings, and the resulting experiences are the repercussions. A simple analogy would be like a bell ringing - as we get further from the "correct" actions the bell gets louder. Anybody here the bell ringing?
When we feel happy and peaceful that means we are going in a direction that will serve us and creation. If we feel shitty, then we are headed in the wrong direction. Why we are so confused is because we´ve been watching all of the other people who don´t know this simple fact thinking that is how we learn to live - outside of ourselves. It doesn´t work that way. The programs works from within our own heart. This was, in essence, what Jesus and many other Spiritual teachers were trying to tell us.
It is time to pull our head out of the sand. And begin acting, believing and knowing that we can do this. We are the future of the world and we are making it NOW.