We now live in a world, even in America, where freedom is only an idea. "Freedom isn't free" is a popular slogan. Well, if this freedom spoken of isn't free then it isn't freedom is it?

We have enslaved ourselves. We have cuffed our own hands into bondage. The average American will tell you how powerless they feel. Just ask someone if they feel like they have control over their job, let alone if that particular job is truly where they want to be.

We have crafted a world where one can no longer take his or her "God given right" to walk out into nature and fend for him or herself. That is now illegal. Think about that. It is even illegal to pull down your zipper and spring a leak on a "public" tree. In certain cities, you must actually pay to use the rest room.

If we honestly want change, then we must look within and see what it is about ourselves that continually recreates the same reality. The scarcity, crime, terror, and horrors we face today are only reflections of inner our state. They are not the result of some mountain man in Afghanistan or the seedy government that seeks to dominate or, for Zeus' sake, the fault of an inanimate object brainwashing your mind or your child's. Remember, as a country, we wanted to be the best "above" the rest. We wanted a television in every home, with an endless selection of channels. What we have is exactly what we wanted.

Now, tell me what you want, what you really, really want… okay, if you've picked that joke up I won't torture you any longer. However, I am here to propose a question: What if you have gotten everything you've wanted. More vital a question, perhaps, is: What if America, we as a collective society, has attained the dream we have set out to achieve. Think about it, we wanted to be the best in the world. We wanted to have any and everything on our demand. We wanted an endless supply of resources to use at our leisure regardless of the consequences.

Perhaps the above is not how our forefathers would have worded their desires but that is exactly what we've wanted. People tend to complain today about the ignorance of our children. There is dissatisfaction with the collective over the usurpation into material living. No, it is not the media's fault for your child's addiction to electronics. That is only natural in a world where children have no leadership; when the parents are so busy working or finding a morsel of free time that their only option is to plop their little ones in front of a digital nanny…

To Be Continued………………

Ever feel frustrated on this journey we call life? Have you ever felt stuck, under the rule of a force beyond your control? Perhaps you've sought help, attended leadership seminars, read self-help books; perhaps you've consulted your pastor or rabbi, your imam or spirit guide. Yet, for some reason you still remain or return to that place of powerlessness.

Why? Why are we doomed to a life of mental slavery? How can we avoid living like we are helpless to rise above the forces that seem to straddle our spirits to the ground?

Perhaps the answer lies within the question. Perhaps the problem is we are fighting phantoms. There may be bills coming in the mail and the threat of your boss firing you from your ever so needed job. But it is the stress that tears you into pieces. It is the stress that must be dealt with.

That stress is not the enemy. It is a conglomeration of emotions habitually injected upon mental reaction. And in order to relieve stress, without the aid of mind numbing medicine, we must not fight it, because there is nothing to fight.

Think about it, how can you fight something you have created, albeit unconsciously?

 

I'd like to return to the subject of vibrations, especially in regards to people. If you've gone to a sporting event with a substantial amount of people you will notice how the general mood or vibration of the crowd can and will change the individual. People are very susceptible to public opinion and often without noticing it. It is as if the people around them are projecting a sort of energy frequency that says "join me or perish". However, must we fall victim to this sort of psychic bullying? Is there a way to transcend such low or negative vibrations?

I say: Yes!

The way to transcend is to do just that: Transcend. You must raise your vibration to a higher level or, in other words, rise above reaction. If you pay attention, negative emotions carry a heavy vibration of energy and, oddly, happiness (in some forms) also carries a heavy vibration, though not as low. However, peace, understanding, forgiveness, insight and awareness, all of which are intertwined, carry a very light vibration.

Try this: Next time you encounter someone who brings a heavy frequency and seems to try to bring you into it, use one of the above transcendental vibrations to counteract their frequency. See if this will almost make you impervious to their "energy projection". It might in fact make you transparent to them in total.

In the midst of madness, when all seems lost, the world can feel like it is crashing down on top of you. But, is it just me or do you seem to make sense of the world when it is falling apart. It is as if the madness is the collective veil covering your eyes and has now reached its breaking point. As it all falls to pieces you begin to see the veil for what it is: a cloak covering your eyes, a shield to reality. Sometimes I find that when I've reached such tipping points I feel extremely healthy, as if suddenly awakened from a dream. At these points I tend to appreciate the madness and see just how helpful it was. Would I have reached the same point without it? Did I need to distortion to see what I now see? I would argue yes. The question I now ask is: once going through such craziness, do you still need the madness in your life?

While having a conversation the other day about life and death it occurred to me that there was a serious misconception about subject. Most people think that the two are opposites; after you live your life you die, hence the term life and death. But, these two are not opposites. Life encompasses all that happens and death is a part of our journey. Birth is the opposite of death. We are born. We live our life. We die. The importance comes in to play when we worry about what will happen to us. Some believe (including myself) that we move on to a new journey in some new form, whatever that may be. Others feel that your existence is over and your body is churned back with the rest of the planetary particles. Either way it is a process, not an end. So, next time you are fearing the opposite of life, perhaps it might help to ask the question, is the end to my life coming or am I simply moving on to a different stage?

Whether you are religious, spiritual (that's spiritual without claiming a religion), or a flat out atheist there will most likely come a point in your life when you struggle between staying clear headed or getting wrapped up in sexual desire. Some practices tell you that in order to be fully faithful you must sustain abstinence indefinitely. Some Buddhists believe they must not look at a woman if she is attractive, even if she is handing them something. Some Christians believe that sex, though by nature is pleasurable (as that is the drive to keep the species going) they must not have sex for fun, only for procreation.

I find that the root of such practices stem from people getting saturated in sex, they become lost or controlled by their desires. However, how can anyone "attain" enlightenment or "become" whole if they deny or punish a natural part of their being. It seems to me that part of the human journey is to learn to steer our own ships not become afraid of its power. It's like having a Ferrari and being afraid to drive it because of what it might do. Instead, I suggest that we learn how to drive these vehicles properly, understand their potential and respect the power innate within them.

Ah yes Valentine's Day; the day couples come together and express their love for each other, the day romance blossoms and affection grows, the day you buy your significant other a gift so they know just how much you love them. Uhhh, well maybe not that last one, right? However, is it just me or does that seem to be the case? I guess the first thing wrong here is that the first two on the list above really seem as if they are an automatic. Also, aren't they best practiced daily and not on one day out of the year? It seems as if we need specific days to which we forget about our issues and express unconditional love for one another. Wouldn't this be best practiced on a daily level? If not for the mental enjoyment do it at least for the physical. I mean, come on, if this is the one day you let passion cut loose then it might be time for a little self reflection.

I guess, to leave off with a positive note, let this day not be the one day you really show some love, but let this day be a reminder that unconditional love is the best way to communicate. And, perhaps a cheesy romance flick wouldn't hurt either.

Anyone with eyes to see can find a divine presence in this world. No matter what you may call it (or deny, for that matter) God, the universal way, attraction, manifestation, Darwin's theory of evolution, they all describe an act of magnificence so beyond what the average man is capable of on his own. Yet, somehow we are a part of that magnificence. And so, when the words are uttered "That was just the will of (fill in the blank)" you gotta wonder, would you say the same thing if that happened to you? Now, I for one do know that there is a force at work much grander than myself. However, I dare not say that the supernatural powers at work are somehow on my side, as if somehow others have sinned and so "deserved" what they had coming. A particular scenario is the one in Haiti. I listened as a young woman so poetically informed me that "It was the will of God" yet turned around and complained two seconds later about something trivial. Yes, there is the possibility that all things happen for a reason. However, to say that someone "willed" an event so terrible seems a little inconsiderate.

If involved in a car crash which proved fatal for several loved ones, would you dare tell that person that the grand force of the universe willed that upon them? Doesn't that seem a little harsh?

Society today is a bundle of wasted potential. So many people are forced to live their lives for a dollar. So much talent wasted behind the counter of a grocery store. Yes, those are jobs that are, in ways, needed. But, is that the best we can do as a whole? The people working these mundane positions are not truly able to add their creative abilities. It is not as if they have a true stake in the Kroger Corporation. Whilst walking into a Meijer, one of the greeters very monotonously blurted "Welcome to Meij-ER". Her voice elevated in the same manner with every customer and I doubt she was truly cognitive of her actions. My friend said to me "Perhaps that is the best she can give to society."

Now, I am belittling no one by intention while writing this. But I refuse to believe that that is the best that woman had to offer. A parrot can provide such a task and be far more entertaining. I am willing to bet that she was not able to do something different because she was never empowered to take action in her life. People seem to beat down those who are already less fortunate and so keep many stuck in a place of seeming powerlessness. But you are not powerless. Taking action itself is indeed empowering. Once you taste the flavor of action, you will know that you hold more in your hands than you realize.

If this is you or if you are stuck in any situation, ask yourself if there is anything you can do to take action to change. Would that not be better than remaining stuck in an abyss of dread.

Whilst walking through the mall the other day I noticed a young woman staring at some hand bags. She was a beautiful girl, her face well powdered, her body well dressed. Her hair was so meticulously trimmed and edged, almost reminding me of a well cut hedge. Even her stance was postured in such a manner that only a debutante could reflect. This girl was, as they say, picture perfect. But, that makes me wonder, with so much invested in looking attractive was there any more to her? So much of what we do is an attempt to raise our status within the eyes of others. This sex symbol aside, so much of what we do is designed to grab the approval of others. And being an introvert is only the opposite side to the same coin. Instead of trying to get attention you may shy away and curse those of the opposite nature. Still, by its implication, that shyness is rooted in the desire to be wanted, perhaps you feel too inadequate to acquire it.

What are some of the things you do to get approval?

Not always do we have the foresight to anticipate future events. Often we feel powerless or helpless in situations. Even the most confident individual can experience the down turn of a high streak. To say the least, bad things happen to even the most positive of folk, no matter how much preparation we have. The down side is, as I've stated in prior blogs, necessary in our dualistic world. If you are finding there to be a gloomy feeling in the pit of your stomach after reading that, fear not, down sides, negativity, and all else associated with the unwanted, are actually a beneficial thing or event. Not only is it required for our inner growth or enlightenment, but often we cannot see what that downturn will bring. Much like the hurricane that necessarily releases pent up heat in the atmosphere, a bad event or situation can be the golden egg from an ugly duck.

In short, sometimes waiting it out is the best solution. After all, patience is truly a virtue.