Remember the Future

Remember the future. Not your future - THE future.

There's an unfolding that's bigger than the universe and older than eternity. It IS the universe; or more accurately, the dynamic impetus that manifests as time and space, happening and being. It's unimaginably vast, inconceivably ancient and will exist beyond all comprehension. It is, itself, “alive”. But in terms of the stuff of the universe, life, is the rarest element in all of existence.

To disrespect the sanctity of this wee bubble of life suspended in inhospitable emptiness (that we're infinitely blessed to be a part of), and to act in a harmful manner toward its well being – to discount, deface and destroy the most precious of ALL creations - is the most flagrant and violent moral offense that I can imagine. How can anyone possibly justify feelings of superiority toward that which enables his very existence? To imagine that one's personal drama is a higher priority than all else, is like the splash of a single raindrop thinking it's superior to all of human history.

It requires turning a deaf ear to the voice in/of one's soul to harbor such hubris. Once one's own ethical sensibilities have been dismissed in favor of self aggrandizing reasoning, his/her capacity to discern right from wrong is lost. And the disconnect doesn't remain isolated or turn itself on and off, depending on the situation. For those who have committed to rules or beliefs at the cost of muting their consciences, all perceptions are filtered through personal preconceptions, and judgments and decisions are motivated by selfish interests.

If we owe anything to something other than ourselves, we owe our lives, not merely to past generations, but to all life on earth, now and into the future - above all else. Please, in all your seeing and thinking and prioritizing and planning and acting and speaking and dreaming, respect the whole, seek to be (and live a life) of benefit for something bigger, and remember the future that you're creating.

The Machinery

There are, of course, no particular groups or individuals that are responsible for how the machinery works. Its been evolving, via the contributions of generations of people - and societies. But its grown up with inadequate supervision and guidance, and is now a self serving, short sighted, uncaring adolescent punk who's only concerned about meaningless nonsense that makes it happy, because that's what it's “supposed” to want. No concern for how its actions affect other, no thoughts of being intrinsically “better than yesterday”, no sense of obligation to history. It has no morals, no ethics, no sense of justice or virtue – it has no soul. It's machinery. Men just maintain it. The machine is the master - a self appointed master, at that.

Early on in our development, we lived hand to mouth. Our needs and possessions were simple and few. The first societies we formed were tribes or clans. Many experiments failed, but most that did, were done in by their more powerful neighbors. Initially, desires and conflicts were primarily about resources. But at some point, “things” became more important to us. “If things are good, then more things is more good.” Thus evolved the habit of acquiring more than one's needs.

It was soon learned that these “extras” could be used as commodities to bargain with. “I'll trade you this pregnant goat and three yak skins for your services/daughter/allegiance/... whatever” And the machinery slowly began to chug along. “More stuff, more leverage. More leverage, more stuff. More stuff, more leverage. More leverage, more stuff. More stuff, more leverage. More leverage, more stuff.”

Nowadays the “stuff” is mostly numbers in a computer and little intricately printed pieces of paper. But it's still the same chug – only, now, its screaming along, out of control, at breakneck speed. “Morestuffmoreleveragemoreleveragemorestuffmorestuffmoreleverage...”

And what, you might ask, powers this almighty machinery? Well, the answer is - you. You and me and all the other drones that tend to the bits and pieces of the hive. It's human a powered machine. The theory going in (in America, anyway) was that it was going to be controlled by humans. But it seems like the machinery has turned into Frankenstein's monster. It has no concern whatsoever for its reason for being or its creators needs. It feels no mercy for those who feed it, or remorse for all the wrongs it's done or is doing.

It appears as though those who we see through the windows, sitting inside of the machine, are to blame. But they're just obeying the system, too. The anger we direct at them is misguided. They're more hopelessly lost in the illusion than the rest of us. (It would be really, really hard to face the fact that one was partly to largely responsible for the miserable state of things; so, eyes remain tightly closed.) Granted, it'd be much easier to fix the gears from the inside, but those within are still just mindlessly serving the machinery's will. (And, enjoying the perks of being such obedient and conveniently located slaves.)

And like slaves with no means to take care of themselves (and their's) in the immediate future, people feel trapped in the paradigm created by the machinery's momentum. We were all born into cultures that were already hypnotized into submission. It's all we've ever known. Many can't even fathom the possibility of another way. The “world order” seems as irrefutable as the weather - but it's not.

We have to dis-empower and reinvent it, now. It's time ... past time.

For societies to function, there has to be some sort of stability and consistency. Some basic education, “monetary” system, guidelines for all to live by and means to deal with those who do harm. Basically, we need some kind of machinery. The process of fixing what's obviously broken is a highly daunting task. One that must begin with many questions:

What do we want the machine to do for us? How can we ensure transparency and avoid corruption? Is there any means to keep con men away from the tiller? Can we instill a heart into it? Which parts should be saved and which ones scrapped? Who will decide? How will decisions be made and operations guided? Would we be better off to keep many machines going and try to operate them sympathetically, or should there be only one machine? Will we be able to involve everyone in the process of recreation? Should it be reevaluated and/or recreated on a regular basis? And many more.

As with anything else in life, you can't get what you want until you define what that is. So, let's get started. What kind of machinery do you want governing humanity and caring for the planet? 

The Dawning of an Old Day

Everyone will obviously have their own unique process leading to the acceptance their true nature. But this is a rough accounting of what seems to be a fairly typical progression.

It begins when one starts to get a sense that there's something missing in their life, some bigger meaning they need to find or some purpose that they need to fulfill. The spark may come from meeting someone inspirational, hearing tales from others or an intense personal experience.

“I want to be calm, happy, grounded, respected, commendable, empowered, balanced, inspired … and I've heard tales that meditation could be a way for me to de-stress, find inner peace, train my focus, hone my intentions, connect with others and life, achieve some extraordinary knowledge or power …”

So, the journey begins with the “little self”, wearing the “big Self's” shoes and fancying itself to be the big Self. Consequently, the motivation has to be something that the little self finds alluring. Practice begins. It's momentum may strengthen or stray, but some exploration takes place.

For some, this is about as far as they get, as they have an aversion to what they sense they will find, or haven't the patience to persevere long enough to make meaningful progress.

But if one continues, sooner or later, (s)he will begin to be surprised by fleeting moments of clarity, quietude and connectedness. These will be taken as proof of one's “greatness”, and an indication of one's nearing success or a source for personal gain.

This attitude is an impediment that can be too strong for some to penetrate. There's so much invested in one's character, world view and belief system that facing the notion of disempowering it, can seem unbearable/unimaginable/unthinkable. But if one presses on through that fear fueled near sightedness, attitudes slowly soften.

“When “I'm” gone, there remains a presence, which isn't the self professed “me”. In fact, it doesn't waste its time acknowledging “me”. It sees without any concern for “my” circumstances or personal whims. It's seems to be always there, watching, absorbing, knowing, caring. It's overwhelming in its simultaneous inspiration of awe and wonder (and fear).”

There's an awareness of this “greater than me” presence. Yet, the belief in the self's realness perpetuates an idea of separation that interferes with the full integration of the truth of one's full nature.

In time, the spaces of quiet get longer and more common place. As one learns to settle in, it becomes undeniably clear (as it always was) that “I'm” just a fairy tale that's been composing itself throughout the entire progression of this life. “I” am a child's role playing game that's grown into an overwhelming obsession. Superman, after having a kryptonite anvil land on his head, believing that he's Clark Kent. And this clarity of vision dispels the illusion of the conceived self, like a strong breeze to a puff of smoke.

Then, it's apparent that, that mysterious, un-graspable, ever-elusive, separate being from another realm that's been one's quarry for all these years, has been the “real me” all along. There's not something that has to be learned, done or achieved, it just needs to be seen, accepted and allowed.

There are those who feel lost without the structure that their habits provided for them, and do their best to continue to ignore what is plainly known. But for most, the illusion has been dispelled, understanding abounds, inspiration bubbles and momentum seems perpetual.

The irony is undeniable ... and irresistibly laughable, as one realizes the relative irrelevance of what set him/her on the path in the first place.

Then, living is practice, and success is as simple as a smile.

Little Nudges

It's easy to ignore the little happenings in life. You intend to go one way, but since there's an obstacle, you take a new route. You pause to hold the door open for others, and that little shift in timing shuffles the deck of the rest of your day. Do you make eye contact and say hello, or do you walk on by? Little insignificant things, with the potential to change a day, and a life.

When I was 16, I bought myself a motorcycle. If anything was to convince me of some beneficent overseeing power looking after my well being, it'd be that I survived that era. When my bike died, as a result of a blind eyed old lady (that I thought was going to die of a heart attack on the spot) pulling out in front of me, I decided that, with winter coming on, I'd better go for a car this time.

I was drooling over this Pinto that the guy had dropped a 302 small block into. But since he wouldn't allow this young whelp to drive his insanely overpowered machine, I passed on it. Then I took the 64 Falcon convertible out for a spin. 289, header pipes down the sides, 3 on the floor, kicked me back in the seat when I punched it at 90. If he'd o' come down a dew hundred, that would have been one sweet ride. Then my dad called. “I found you the perfect car.”

So he takes me to meet this little old lady and her 1964 Corvair Manza. 30,000 miles. Fashionably retro. Great condition. Now, some Corvairs were coupes with rag tops and turbo charged engines. Pretty sporty for their time, except for the whole flipping into the air at high speeds thing. But the Manza was a sedan with big wrap around windows and a whopping 90 horse power from the factory. (Hard to say how much that had dropped by the time I adopted it, as it was almost as old as me.) It was the complete opposite of what I was looking for, and I knew immediately that pops was right. It was the perfect car for me.

My whole attitude toward the road changed, over night. I became one of the pokeyodos. No hurry. No more video game inspired sporting about. No need for the rush, of the rush. Take in the sights. Enjoy the air. (That was a few years, and many cars less, ago.) Share some stories or do a little dharma dueling with some friends. A leisurely drive up the river to sit by the falls and get really zen, before tooling home, at what felt like a walking pace.

It was just a car - one small decision, “I'll take what's behind door number B”. But how much of an influence was that in my becoming the character that I am today?

Each choice, each action, each thought, each focus nudges your trajectory. Some a little, some drastically. Hence, the value of refining both one's intuitive skills, and one's greatest intentions.

The stronger ones sense of purpose, the truer the course. If you choose to let the winds blow you about, you'll have a lovely journey, but won't end anyplace in particular. If you feel that specific things are truly important, then setting and maintaining a course will more likely get you to your desires.

“But the goal is to be here, now”, I hear echoing in some readers' minds. And while this is true, we still have our lives to live, and not everyone is content to just let it happen to them. (The illusion of control/choice being an argument for another day)

Back on point: The clearer people are about their priorities, the clearer their intuitive “voice” will be, in guiding them toward their wishes. We can adopt teeny temporary priorities, mid range ones and aims beyond this life, too. And the list is always a work in progress – whether one's aware of it, or not. (That one bears repeating) They're a work in progress, all the time – whether one's aware of it, or not. Our attention subbing for our intention, whenever we're not minding our energies.

So, if you're not mindful about your goals, your guidance system will have no given guidelines to direct from, or to. So it's signals get murky, and it's largely dismissed and allowed to atrophy. Then, as it remains unused, it becomes ignored and forgotten.

Each choice, each action, each thought, each focus nudges your trajectory. The thinker is woefully inadequate to calculate all the variables. Fortunately, we can develop and use an “ESP”, if you will, that can help us to determine which little nudges will likely move us in the “right” direction.

Your choice … worlds consequences.

Calibrating my compass:

May my presence on this earth help to shift humanities communal consciousness toward a more compassionate and harmonious way of being, and encourage other individuals into actions that are more compassionate and harmonious toward the earth and all other living beings, now and into the future. And, may I pick the perfect papaya from the pile at the market place.

Om, shanti, shanti, shanti.

Trail Markers

Language is brilliant, but it often falls short. Police know full well that a crowd witnessing the same event will all have their own interpretations and descriptions of it. A sketch artist would wind up with as many faces as there were witnesses. And that's talking about a very tangible and shared experience. What does that say about worldly words describing personal ethereal experiences, when there's no basis for common comparison? “The color was crasple. It felt quite inglie, and was highly hraskish.” No? OK then, well use old words that label other things to describe the unknown. Will that work better for you? Right.

The teachings of the masters are not intended to be the lessons, in and of themselves. They're more like trail markers to let us know that we're on the right track. The words attempt to paint unknowns and indescribables, with an inadequate vocabulary in the wrong language. It's just not possible to understand some things through another's words, no matter how eloquent and inspiring they may be. Beyond the inherent short comings of words, some things simply can't be grappled with by the contemplative mind, at all. They can only be experienced.

If you've never been in a hot tub, I could try to explain what it's like to you. That would create a mental image for the thinker's appeasement - perhaps acurate-ish, perhaps not. If you'd never taken a warm bath or had someone massage you, the challenge would be even greater. But no matter how detailed the descriptions and how refined your images, they'd be no substitute for the actual experience, itself. A no brainer, eh? Of course. No one would seek to learn about hot tubbing through spending years studying other's recalling their hot tubbing experiences. They'd slip into one and have their own. Yet, people spend their entire lives reading about spiritual experiences and talking to others about how they might be, what it means, if it's real, whose version is right, … without ever settling into stillness, themselves.

This is partly due to the fact that others' recountings often sound like old seafarers tales, with gargantuan serpents, bottomless whirlpools and tidal wave tossing deities. Something that would require epic commitment and decades to undertake. It's also impossible to adequately communicate the full value of inner silence. And the inner dialog presents as many distractions as times square, in order to retain its illusion of superiority.

Face the fact. The cognitive mind is incapable of knowing true nature. Not to dismiss it or disregard its understanding. Just to acknowledge its limitations. To be open to other possibilities. To allow yourself to be greater than your thoughts would. To receive and understand in new ways. To be your Self. Not your preferred character, but your undefined and open ended authentic nature.

Let go of the words. Stop labeling and defining and explaining and judging and categorizing and speculating and calculating and regretting and worrying and fantasizing and all of it. Just let it be what it is. You may even spy a trail marker or three. The world is really quite capable of maintaining its integrity without your thoughts holding it together - as are you. ~~~ Shhhhh.

No. I said Shhhh. Don't do, don't try, just let go and allow.

Shhhh. It's right here.

Potential Incarnate

If I had to attempt to say what we are on our most basic level, I'd say that we're “potential incarnate”. I like to imagine, unlimited potential. Exactly how we came to be, how we're related to the whole and what happens when we die are issues of much conjecture, speculation, prosthelytization and belief. But many of the theories espoused have both self and universally limiting angles woven into their narratives.

 A widely embraced idea is that we are all segments/facets/windows of one consciousness. A consciousness that is solely responsible for manifesting us and all of existence. And, one that we (as “individual essences”) are destined to be fully reintegrated with, when our corporeal vessels have expired. With a little squinting, this generalization accommodates many pre-existing molds of religious and philosophical presumptions. But this assumption/philosophy/belief is based on a closed system theory – everything always self contained. As challenging as that may be to comprehend, it may be easier for the limited mind to grapple with, than what I'm postulating here.

 Consider this as a possible alternative:

We are of a “one consciousness”, in the same way that shoots, springing up from roots, are of their parent plants. Clones, in the image of our “maker”. Offshoots, with the potential to grow into universe spinners, with prolific root systems, ourselves. Not destined to grow back into the mother trunk; but, born with the potential to grow into our own unique specimens, standing alone, amid a forest of universes.

 As far as “spiritual” possibilities go, this one lends itself well to physic's, ever more popular, “multiverse” theories; whereas, most others clash with them. (without significant adaption) And, if it initially seems like an unreasonable possibility, consider that an infinite, entirely unlimited consciousness could easily spin off an infinite number of other unlimited consciousnesses from itself, on an ongoing basis. Ultimately, infinity is conceptually impossible to grasp, but that's the way it works. “God” could make a billion more equivalent gods out of itself in a snap, without being lessened, in the least.

Unlimited potential, incarnating, as potential incarnating, with the potential to manifest another unique everything, full of unlimited potentials, entirely from itself … ad infinitum.

You are not of god, as god. You are of god, as a sapling god, yourself.

Steeping in Spaces

When meditating on the breath,
it's helpful to bid your mind to pause in the spaces between the movements of the breath.
This acquaints one with a sense of quiet stillness.

When meditating on the mind,
it's helpful to invite your attention to rest in the spaces between the thoughts and feelings.
This acquaints one with a sense of unbiased observance.

When meditating on consciousness,
it's helpful to allow your awareness to linger in the spaces between inspiration and conceptualization.
This acquaints one with a sense of expansive awareness.

When meditating on awareness,
it's helpful to let your being abide in the spaces between perceiving and acknowledging.
This acquaints one with a sense of selfless space/time.

When suspended in selflessness,
meditation is no longer applicable.

Practically speaking

Harmonious action
doesn't have to be motivated
by morality, spirituality or lawfulness.

As a general rule,
what's best for the whole,
is what's best for the individual.

Acting for the good of others
is acting for the good of oneself
and that, of one's relations.

It's that simple.

Being Without Character

When we're young, we have inclinations, but we're open to the possibility of being anything/one. We're content with just hovering in our existence and trying on different personalities to see how they fit.

But as people grow they stake claim on certain characters or roles, or settle into a habit of wearing “the same outfit”, every day. And, why not? It's easy to remember a character and play the role. No need to judge situations or people, individually. Just follow the guidelines, do it like you did it before. Morality, doesn't even require a soul check anymore, we have a rule book for that one, too. Just push the button labeled “Auto Pilot”, and kick back for the ride.

Or we can actually participate in our life, as it's happening. Dust off the “Soul Check” button. Look into people's eyes, listen to what they're saying, and feel what they're actually saying. Appreciate the shades of gray on a cloudy day, as much as a sunny sky. Recover our intuition. Befriend our bodies.

But in order to do this, we have to step out of character; and, many have forgotten that they're only acting. They believe, with all their might, that they are the part they've grown accustomed to playing. They have so much invested in their fantasies that they've cleverly blinded themselves to anything that might contradict the illusion. Their greatest fear is that of losing their script. It ranks right next to death, except the universe is constantly telling us where we've got it wrong, so it's always in their faces. Consequently, defenses are strongly fortified and guards are always on high alert.

The solution is surprisingly simple. All one need do is nurture a stronger desire to know the truth, than anything else. Mind you, simple, isn't necessarily quick or easy. It usually takes much time and perseverance to overwrite all the obsolete programing that obstructs openness.

But it's good work, it feels right in the doing, it progressively proves its own value and it actually makes the world look and react differently to us.

Conditional Bliss

I often hear people on a spiritual trek speak of the nature of existence, as being pure light and love and joyful bliss. And while this may be great PR, it's not exactly true. This will be a tough pill to swallow, for those who derive their motivation from such claims, but the multidimensional universe is really quite neutral.

How can this be? Could so many “masters” be wrong? Well, truth can be subjective. From the plains, the foothills look quite tall, but from the mountain top, they seem notably small.

To someone whose been lost in the desert, a glass of water will offer the sweetest taste in the world. Yet water has no flavor. One whose been subjected to sound torture (like the 10th back to back playing of a “Barney” video) will think that silence sounds sweeter than a symphony of angels - even though the “tune” is the absence of sound. When a splinter is pulled, that glorious feeling of relief, is the feeling of nothing being there.

People generally live their lives engulfed in a non-stop banter of judging and worrying and scheming and wondering and the million other activities, that happen between their ears. When all that stops, even for a brief second, the open spaciousness, that is the vacuum left by thought's absence, feels like the embrace of heaven. But it's only emptiness.

It takes acknowledgment, judgment and presumption to say what “being without self” actually is. We can only know it, as an immediate experience. And as with anything else that you've experienced multiple times, “being, without doing” becomes normal, common place and matter of fact, after sufficient exposure.

Such experiences are as natural as the sunrise. Awesome and amazing, and as ordinary as air. There, for no reason, other than for the sake of just being. Obvious and apparent, as the only way it could possibly be. Perfect, just as it is, right then and there. Both magical and mundane. Stunningly spectacular and sublimely simple.

The newbie brain's bewildered and bedazzled outlook mellows, as the experience becomes more familiar and comfortable. There's no serenade of trumpets, no blinding white light, no life altering epiphanies, no accompanying permanent state of bliss – just an irrationally comforting equanimity, born of openly imbibing the universe, as it's unfolding around and throughout one, in “real time”.

If it feels like this is taking the wind out of your sails, it shouldn't. Nothing has changed. The goal is the same, as is the feeling while “there”. The only change required is in one's thoughts about, or interpretations of, it.

Now, why would anyone want to burst such a lovely bubble? Do I spend my leisure time stealing candy from babies? Not at all. I'm just pointing out that indulging in sweet thoughts isn't actually very helpful when one's trying to grow into a full and healthy being.

One of the main obstacles to “achieving” inner freedom, is the notion of what that means. People strive to have an experience that jibes with their preconceptions about what it should be like. And the more fanciful the notions, the less likely their realization will be. In fact, since it's created in the individual's mind, the whole concept involves the illusory self having an experience of awakening; when the experience doesn't happen, until that self has dissolved - for, the experience IS the dissolution and absence of the illusory self.

Fanciful notions are for the benefit of the little mind. The more tantalizing the vision, the harder it is to let go of it. And the more communally agreed upon a story is, the more difficult it becomes to accept it as being whatever it is, or may become. So, in one sense, the better the story is, the worse it is for delivering on its promise.

It's a tricky balancing act. On one level we want to motivate people and get them moving in the right direction. On another, we need to avoid filling their minds with fanciful and misleading notions, so that they can successfully relinquish their delusions and bask in the ultimate contentment that arises when we empty out enough to make room for the universe to flow through us, unimpeded.

What the mind conceives of as love and light and eternal benevolence, what it strives to define and aspires to attain, pales in comparison to slipping into the clean clear water of perfect neutrality.

Question(s) D'jour

What are you going to tell your grandchildren
when they ask you how you tried to stop
the ecological destruction
before it was too late?

Question(s) D'jour

Question. Always question. Question everything; and then, do it again.

Don't get me wrong, answers are great. But their greatness is relative to the greatness of the questions that summoned them. The most profound discoveries are made by those who are both fearless, and merciless, in their questioning. Those who are not, and can not be, satisfied by solving others quandaries, but feel a deep and ever present compulsion to understand more about themselves and their world, just for the sake of learning … and, hopefully, understanding.

If you could receive the answers to any seven questions, what would they be?

Bumper Sticker Spirituality

You can't be who you want to be
until you let go of “who you are”.

Bumper Sticker Spirituality

Beliefs are incompatible with seeking truth.

Thought for Food

Time and again, I hear people say that we're all one. The consciousness that views the world through my eyes is the same one that views it through yours. One consciousness shared between all of humanity. And this gives rise to thoughts and actions of kindness, brotherhood and compassion - all very good.

But how incredibly arrogant it is, to think that the one consciousness is segregated only to illuminating humanity. Hello? What consciousness do you think is viewing the world through the eyes of animals? What awareness do you suppose enlivens insects? How do you imagine plants know how to grow?

Yet the mantra rings out, far and wide, “Praise the Lord, and pass the pork!” Meat, flesh, muscle, the bodies of God's other children, our brethren. Hmmm. That's an unpleasant thought. “I'll just ignore and forget that one. It would take entirely too much adjustment to accommodate that into my beliefs and actions.”

Since my earliest memories, I've felt my direct relationship with all of the living world. Somehow, I didn't see the discordance between my feelings and my diet until I was 11. I had been brought up eating animals. It was culturally expected. So I dined on pork and beef and poultry and whatever manner of my kin landed on my plate. Then, like the sun breaking through the clouds, I opened my eyes and mended my ways.

Leaving attire, product testing and environmentally sustainable practices out of the equation, I understand that we have to eat to live. And, that we have to kill to do so. But, what or who are we going to kill? How should their lives be ended? And what kind of life should they be entitled to before we kill them?

People go to the store and find conveniently packaged and pre-cleaned pieces of skillet ready flesh. Quick and easy … and thoughtless. There's no consideration of where it came from, who it was, what it ate or what its life and death were like. And this thoughtless consumerism has invited an industry that breeds our brethren into lives of misery, where they're given chemicals to make them grow unnaturally huge and to counteract the consequences of their lives spent sleeping in their own feces. They're fed processed pseudo food. They can't find a mate and propagate. They don't get to move, because muscular development makes for tough meat. They're considered property, and get less respect and care than the forklifts that move their carcasses into the meat mills.

I'm sorry. I know this is all very unpleasant to consider. But if you eat meat, every time you load your shopping cart, that's exactly what you're supporting. Every time you prepare a meal, that's exactly what you're handling. Every time you sit down at the table, that's exactly what you're looking at. Every time you take fork to plate, that's exactly what you're eating. That anonymous slab of meat used to have a face; one, illuminated by the same spark that animates you and yours.

If you've made it to the end of this piece without tuning out, then there's a chance that you'll continue to chew on these ideas; and just maybe, have a change of heart and amend your choices and/or lifestyle.

All life is sacred. All beings deserve respect. All of us need to be conscious of our decisions, their implications, and the consequences of what we do.

Poised Posture

People go to yoga classes to “tune up” their posture. They make a point of expressing it well, when a potential mate is passing by. Seeing one's self reflected in mirrors, provides passing reminders to stand tall and open wide. Many things bring momentary recognition and adjustment, but it takes diligence to constantly remind one's self to maintain good posture, all the time. Eventually, it becomes the default way to hold one's self, needing only periodic attention to make it “just so”.

People go to yoga class to “tune up” their state of mind. They make a point of balancing it well, when in front of anyone who “matters”, or someone who can peer through their facade. Seeing one's self reflected in others, provides passing reminders to be clear, kind and open. Many things bring momentary recognition and adjustment, but it takes diligence to constantly remind one's self to maintain a positive state of mind, all the time. Eventually, it becomes the default way to hold one's self, needing only periodic attention to make it “just so”.

People go to yoga class to “tune in” to the present moment. They make a point of being here when the occasion is very precious. Seeing one's self reflected in the organically unfolding world, provides passing reminders to open wide, right now. Many things bring momentary recognition and attunement, but it takes diligence to constantly remind one's self to linger in the present, all the time. Eventually, it becomes the default way to hold one's self, needing only periodic attention to make it “just so”.

Just Thinkin'

Science is grappling with the mysterious forces of “dark matter” and “dark energy”. These forces act, both, to attract matter, and to propel it. They call them “dark”, because they can't be seen, in the blackness of space. I suspect that “invisible”, “ethereal” or “non-material” forces would be more fitting.

As I pause to imagine what they could be, my initial instinct, is to surmise that they are effects of consciousness. The compulsion to understand, drawing things together, trying to form some sort of tangible, recognizable order. And the yearning of curiosity, perpetually seeking newness, pushing beyond boundaries and into the vast expanses of the unknown.

The yin and yang of minds most basic, primordial drives. Greater influences, by far, than all the matter in the perceivable universe. Condensing and dissipating everything that is, in an eternal dance of creation and dissolution. Perfectly paired opposites, responsible for all movement, and all of existence. Infinite mind, willing the universe's very being.

But that's just me ... thinkin' through my fingers.

You are Cordially Invited to a Party on the Hill

In the society of nations, America has assumed the role of the power broker - the same persona that is being vilified by the occupy movement. Millions of Americans are proud of this attitude and think that it's vital to the nation's integrity that we have more power, more money, more respect, more influence and more more than anyone else in the global community. If we want to foster an air of fairness and equality within our boarders, we have to adopt a philosophy of global fairness and equality, at the same time. A healthy community is created from communion, not competition. Compassionate and empathetic people will bring rise to national compassion and empathy, which will inspire a nation of compassion and empathy, which will infect the globe with virtuous inspiration.

It's true that the governmental and national operating systems are dysfunctional, but they've been built around an assumption that the underlying goal is to be “the king of the hill”. It's that underlying current that needs to be addressed. This is what those who say, “The occupiers are just an unruly mob with no clear agenda” seem unable to fathom. When the hill is formed into a sharp peak, there's only room for one at the top. Once we've rounded the top off, there will be enough room for a dance party there. The drummers are already jamming to a danceable beat. Yes, there are many structural issues that will need to be corrected along the way, but the primary agenda that needs to be addressed, is the attitudes of the nation, and its citizens. We have to stop climbing on and over others to get to the top, and start to help each other up the hill, to the festival that's awaiting us all.

Growing Pains

Don't blame the bankers, brokers, corporate leaders and politicians. They're just playing their roles. It's another expression of survival of the fittest. A squirrel is bound to harvest as many nuts as it can. It's not keeping count. It just knows that more is better. Our present society has been evolving into this unjust, unsightly and inhumane manifestation since before its inception. The current faces of our economic, industrial and political systems have been raised to play the parts they've adopted. The name of their game is “more”. More power, more money, more influence, more more. It's no wonder that they haven't developed the compassion of saints. It's not in their job description. They were taught and encouraged to become the greedy little squirrels that they are. If they weren't filling the ranks, someone else would. Our current society demands it. As one occupier's sign read - “The system's not broken, it was built this way”.

Our species is in its uncomfortable adolescence, and we're going through growing pains. Like a snake aching to shed its skin, we're finally feeling a compulsion to shed habituated self serving attitudes that don't actually serve our higher aspirations or best interests. A young child is only concerned with its immediate wants and needs. As it grows, it learns that friends, family and community are important, in and of themselves, as well as, for the individual's well being and happiness. The young child doesn't see that its constant demands take a toll on its mother's health, just as humans have largely been oblivious to how our demands on our mother have been detrimental to her health. And a sick mother can't properly tend to her children's needs. A mature child can see when its mother is failing, feel empathy toward her and act more compassionately – even to the point of becoming the caretaker. Humanity has had voices of conscience pleading to attend its mothers needs for hundreds of years and they've been growing increasingly more insistent over the last half a century. Finally, it's starting to sink into our collective consciousness enough to begin to overwrite the attitudes of childish self obsession. And like a child, who would live solely on candy, oblivious to the warnings and consequences, we have been living for pleasure and immediate gratification to the detriment of our growth and health, too. As a child can't imagine acting in the best interests of it future self, we seem unable to act in the best interests of our future generations. It's time to adopt more intelligent directives and make choices that nurture and serve us over the long run, if we want to be healthy, grow strong and live long as a species. Children are fooled by appearances, and think others can be fooled by the same. So toys are shoved under the bed to give the illusion of cleanliness, vegetables are tucked under a napkin to make it look like they've been eaten and over sized shoes are donned to make it seem as though they're all grown up. But putting on mom's shoes doesn't qualify a kid to drive her car, and we've been behind the wheel without a license for some time. Now we've left the road and are heading toward catastrophe.

Plowing through the ditch has slowed us down a little, but as the eyes of reason and compassion strain to see over the steering wheel the body of society is trying to stand on the feet of power brokers, which is pushing the gas pedal down even more. And there are tall trees directly in front of us. The talking heads keep referring to our getting back to where we were, intimating that it was a healthy intelligent way to be. But the cause of our current dilemma is that we were driving too fast, in the first place. We need to spend more energy on choosing our course and less on increasing our speed. The societal model of consumerism that we've all grown up in was ill conceived from the beginning. It requires exponentially compounding consumerism to work. And that's simply not realistic, for myriad reasons. The priorities that have governed our ambitions are skewed by our presumption that this model is practical, functional and sustainable. We're children with blankets tied around our necks, believing that we can fly. The bankers, brokers and politicians are cheering us on and urging us to jump, but (mostly) we're all complicit in perpetuating the fantasy that's been handed down from previous generations, who'd been blinded by the delusion they were sold. Let's just hope that we out grow the juvenile fantasy before we jump off of the precipice that we're so precariously poised on the edge of.

The transition from childhood to adulthood is rarely easy, seamless or without angst. Now is the time for humanity to grow into a sensible, respectful, mature species, that will intelligently and compassionately tend to the needs of the greater whole, while respecting the needs and rights of all individuals. This is no small order; but, in the same way that a teen or an adult is bound for catastrophe if he doesn't act with maturity, it's well past time for us to “act our age” unless we want to live with the extreme consequences that are bound to come as a result of our negligence.

Bumper Sticker Spirituality

Wisdom is just common sense,
with a birds eye view.