Posts
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It is "politically correct" to act as if all faiths worship the exact same God. While mystics, of course, support intercultural and interfaith exchanges, and mutual support, of all kinds, it would betray the truths of history to pretend that all godimages (and there have been many) are equal and "the same."
The God of the Enlightenment Tradition-- in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and many Eastern faiths-- is Love plus nothing. This is the God that needs to be recognized by our poor little tiny nanoplanet if it is to survive, and if we are to create and maintain peace.
A careful study of both history and Scripture, if it is objective, will prove beyond reasonable doubt that this God of purest Love has not been the traditional, historical, or Scriptural god of many traditions. For these gods have actively participated in warfare, genocides, bigotries, and other acts of stupidity and terrible violence. None of this could ever have been countenanced, or tolerated, by the sweet Lord of purest Love. For He/She has nothing to do with the godimages of traditional culture, which were formulated often by soldiers and/or very primitive, backwards, and sometimes even antispiritual, people.
The being of Love has always been forced into a corner, to make a choice:
For it is impossible consistently to continue to accept godimages of the society/culture and, at the same time, truly to accept and welcome, with all your heartmind, the Lord or Lady of pure Love.
So, as usual, the person of enlightenment cannot simply go along with the crowd. For, in almost every church and religion, there exists an alarming absence of discrimination. In some, the godimage is so violent and evil that it is virtually indistinguishable from the "devil" image, although true believers always deny this.
But to cleanse our personal heartminds, and, ultimately, our poor little world, we, the people of Love, cannot compromise on this important matter.
This is true even though we generally always prefer the peaceful path of compromise to the unproductive, harmful path of confrontation. And, holding the truth in our hearts, we are still, and always, never interested in confrontation.
So, dear friends, let us insist, even in the face of enormous ignorance, that "God" cannot and must not be reduced to the common godimages of backwards, primitive cultures. Let us instead stand up for our right to believe in, and to worship, a God that is illimitable, immeasurable, quite beyond the human mind. And even though this God is beyond our imagination, we rest fully assured that She/He is the sum total of all the Love in all the heartminds on all the inhabited planets in all the galaxies.
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Monday, March 31, 2008
Untreated Post Concussion Syndrome in an Aging Vietnam Vet
Thanks to Christine Finer.
this is about McCain. A friend who suffers from traumatic brain injury shared this with me
Untreated Post Concussion Syndrome in an Aging Vietnam Vet
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this is about McCain. A friend who suffers from traumatic brain injury shared this with me
Untreated Post Concussion Syndrome in an Aging Vietnam Vet
My last blog related to lack of concern in Washington and within the VA about Vietnam era brain injury survivors. I would like to give an example of such a person, albeit a person who is hardly homeless. It has come to my attention that a Vietnam era vet has been reported to have wild temper swings and increasing difficulty remembering things. He seems to forget having met people, can show increasing difficulty remembering people and seems to be having trouble with the fluency of his speech.
I confess my own bias. I find a brain injury explanation for almost any pathology, but usually my suspicions are based in fact. One of the developments we have seen in brain injury research in the last decade is research into the relationship between early onset dementia/Alzheimer's disease in those with a history of brain damage. See for example the abstract Prog Brain Res. 2007;161:303-16. Traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer's disease: a review.click here.
This individual is 71. In college, he was a boxer, who was known for his reluctance to backup. Of course, there is long documented research on early dementia in boxers. See for example research on dementia pugilistica. For one article, click here.
After college, he first suffered a significant concussion when in a fighter jet accident, where he was knocked out when his jet crashed into a bay; he was fortunate to awaken before he drowned. Then, a year or two later, he was on an aircraft carrier when he was knocked to the ground and dazed and confused by an explosion that killed more than 100 people.
Then, in the most serious of incidents, his jet was shot down and, in the process of ejecting from the burning jet, he was knocked out. He also suffered serious orthopedic injuries in the ejection. After barely surviving this crash, he was then subjected to repeated torture and-- perhaps most seriously-- he was nearly starved to death.
Starvation can cause a condition called demand hypoxia, which can cause very serious long term brain damage, because the brain cells do not get enough nutrients to maintain health. See Neuropsychol Rev. 2001 Sep;11(3):131-41. Neuropsychological issues in the assessment of refugees and victims of mass violence and also articles on hypoglycemia and brain damage.
In looking at this history, we have a history of boxing, three serious concussions (one of which may have been a severe brain injury) and then starvation. Overlaid on this organic history, he was undoubtedly exposed to extreme emotional distress and beatings, which would be expected to result in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Is this person homeless? No. Is he in a VA rehab center? No. He has had a great recovery, one of those miracles that I often talk about. Yet, now with concerns about his emotional lability and perplexing memory issues, should the questions now be asked about approaching senility?
The man is seventy-two. Why would this be such a concern? Well, he is being considered for a high pressure job, the kind of job where he must function under the most extreme stress imaginable, at least until he is 76. He is applying for the job where he has to diplomatically deal with the world's crisis at 3 a.m. Those who have been following politics have by now recognized him. He wants to become the president of the United States. This history is of Senator John McCain.
The current news media controversy is swirling around whether McCain's history of melanoma could affect his fitness for this office. Not to dismiss that concern, but shouldn't we be more concerned about whether this man is now showing signs of the type of early dementia that his history would predict?
For a documented discussion of his biography and his medical trauma history, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McCain
See also the MSNBC documentary on his life, including actual video footage of the Forestal disaster. Also of more than passing interest in McCain's biography is where he graduated in his Naval Academy class: 894 out of 899.
For a discussion of McCain's temper issues, see http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/19991031/aponline183823_000
htm See also Ron Kessler's detailed treatment of his temper in Newsmax (and possible relationship to his POW time) at http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/1/10/182118.shtml
What these stories miss is his history of concussion even before his POW time.
Further, what we know about brain injury is that if a person has a tendency to have an emotional issue, brain damage will invariably make that worse. I will write at greater length on this issue on another day.
The last seven years of the Presidency has raised the issue: Should we not subject our presidential candidates to at least the intelligence testing that a NFL draftee would undergo? The Wonderlic IQ test. In the case of John McCain, I do not personally feel comfortable that this man can do the most difficult job in the world, until we see the results of detailed neuropsychological testing. The President of the United States is not a job for a man who has pathological problems with his temper, stress and memory. Not to decry or devalue his years of service to this country and the admiration for his survival of his years as a POW. But this job isn't a reward for past heroism. The fate of the world may lie in whom we choose.
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Thursday, March 27, 2008
Conservative Orthodoxy Vs. Radical Love
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People of a good heartmind have very often been soundly rejected by the orthodox Catholic Church, all throughout its long and rather dark history. Bias has always been the problem with the religiously orthodox, and has often slipped over into bigotry.:( I am currently finishing a book about the history of orthodoxy and its many conflicts with gnostic Christianity, called Hearts of Ecstasy, God of Love. In previous centuries, my friend, I am sure that we would have been (and, in fact,
were) dragged before a formal court and charged with the "serious sin" of "heresy." In previous centuries, this was a very dangerous, and often lethal, charge.:(
I know that the nuns are sweet and openminded. I cannot help but wonder how Brother St. Francis, or Jesus, would have been accepted or rejected by traditionalists. It is clear that the orthodox of their day rejected them both. I would much prefer to follow them than to play "follow the leader" with religious people who do not know their noses from their elbows, spiritually speaking.:):) The average orthodox person, exactly like her leaders, is kept in perpetual darkness.
The orthodox Church, supposedly the carrier and supporter of the Light, casts only a huge shadow into life, really upholding darkness and crippling conservatism. Jesus and Francis were anything but conservatives! And we can thank God that they had the courage to speak up against the disabling conservatism of their time!:) Without "radical" spirituality, our poor world would be in much worse condition than it is!
If the formal, official Church did not reject our work for Love, we would very likely be doing something very wrong! So, their responses are proof that we are on the right track.
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People of a good heartmind have very often been soundly rejected by the orthodox Catholic Church, all throughout its long and rather dark history. Bias has always been the problem with the religiously orthodox, and has often slipped over into bigotry.:( I am currently finishing a book about the history of orthodoxy and its many conflicts with gnostic Christianity, called Hearts of Ecstasy, God of Love. In previous centuries, my friend, I am sure that we would have been (and, in fact,
were) dragged before a formal court and charged with the "serious sin" of "heresy." In previous centuries, this was a very dangerous, and often lethal, charge.:(
I know that the nuns are sweet and openminded. I cannot help but wonder how Brother St. Francis, or Jesus, would have been accepted or rejected by traditionalists. It is clear that the orthodox of their day rejected them both. I would much prefer to follow them than to play "follow the leader" with religious people who do not know their noses from their elbows, spiritually speaking.:):) The average orthodox person, exactly like her leaders, is kept in perpetual darkness.
The orthodox Church, supposedly the carrier and supporter of the Light, casts only a huge shadow into life, really upholding darkness and crippling conservatism. Jesus and Francis were anything but conservatives! And we can thank God that they had the courage to speak up against the disabling conservatism of their time!:) Without "radical" spirituality, our poor world would be in much worse condition than it is!
If the formal, official Church did not reject our work for Love, we would very likely be doing something very wrong! So, their responses are proof that we are on the right track.
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The Dangerous godimage of Our Society
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I know of no God but Love.:) For me, after having grown spiritually for half a century, I have abandoned, like you, the childish godimages of our society and culture.:) I have left the Jehovah-myth in the dustbin where it belongs.:)
People become like the god(s) that they worship. So, "Jehovah" is a particularly dangerous myth to guide our culture, which has nuclear power enough to destroy the whole planet, many times! We need to grow, and we need to hurry, into the realization of a "God" Who is Love plus nothing!:)
There is no feeling quite as "high" as receiving this Love from friends.:) The world, at springtime, is full of Goddess! (The image of the Goddess is so much more satisfying than the traditional all-male, even macho, image of the old god.)
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I know of no God but Love.:) For me, after having grown spiritually for half a century, I have abandoned, like you, the childish godimages of our society and culture.:) I have left the Jehovah-myth in the dustbin where it belongs.:)
People become like the god(s) that they worship. So, "Jehovah" is a particularly dangerous myth to guide our culture, which has nuclear power enough to destroy the whole planet, many times! We need to grow, and we need to hurry, into the realization of a "God" Who is Love plus nothing!:)
There is no feeling quite as "high" as receiving this Love from friends.:) The world, at springtime, is full of Goddess! (The image of the Goddess is so much more satisfying than the traditional all-male, even macho, image of the old god.)
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Wisdom, Love,and Vegetarianism
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We are the strongest advocates for agapology! Love has real and undeniable healing Power. And it is so easy and natural; it is what everyone, deep down, wants to do, for it is what we were created to do.
Our Lady or Lord of Love is in fullest harmony with Love for animals.
This is quite unlike Jehovah. Jehovah supported not only hideous and bloody, painful "sacrifices," for "sins," but don't forget the myth of the hideous flood, in which millions of innocent animals experienced the strangling and slow death of drowning. (We no longer believe that this is history, but most Jehovists, whether Catholic, Baptist, or Jewish, do!) In harmony with professed Love for sentient (selfaware) life, I have ben a vegetarian for over thirty years.:)
I do not ask others to do this, but it saved my life. My doc told me that, if I had not been a veggie, I would be dead right now. For it is a challenge for the kidneys to process meat-protein.
In fact, a careful study of the anatomy and physiology of the human body clearly demonstrates, in comparison with other biosystems, that it was created to be a vegetarian. From every angle, analyzing teeth, saliva, stomach acid, length of the intestines, and many other factors, we are clearly vegetarians (herbivores).
Also, and this was also a deciding factor, did you know that a full 90% of all the grain grown in our country goes to the feeding of cows and pigs, so that greedy, selfish Americans can have their burgers and bacon?
If we fed this to human beings, starvation on our planet could disappear overnight! But, as it is, thirty thousand kids will drop dead this very day, from starvation!
Also, did you know that most meat is processed with over two thousand chemicals, some of which are known to be carcinogenic (cancer-causing)? In truly trying, sincerely, to maximize Love for ourselves and other creatures, vegetarianism is certainly well worth considering.
In hundreds of tests, over many decades, vegetarians have emerged stronger, smarter, more alert, with quicker reflexes, sharper senses, and less depression than carnivores. There is a biological basis for depression, and it is this: The last emotion experienced by a cow or pig, right before slaughter, is absolute, total, radical, extreme terror!
This "fearenergy" goes into every cell of its body; and when we eat them, we absorb this terrible force into our bodies. This certainly also explains the wide prevalence of "panic attacks" and general "panic disorders." (Vegetarians almost never suffer from either condition.)
I am not interested in changing or "converting" you, or anyone else, as this "jw" attitude is not healthy. I simply want sincerely to share something that has made my own life so much more delightful. Other creatures can "see the energy-field," and know whether you are a carnivore. So, this path has also increased personal peace with llamas, elephants, horses, dogs, cats, cows, pigs, birds, and other
critters!:)
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We are the strongest advocates for agapology! Love has real and undeniable healing Power. And it is so easy and natural; it is what everyone, deep down, wants to do, for it is what we were created to do.
Our Lady or Lord of Love is in fullest harmony with Love for animals.
This is quite unlike Jehovah. Jehovah supported not only hideous and bloody, painful "sacrifices," for "sins," but don't forget the myth of the hideous flood, in which millions of innocent animals experienced the strangling and slow death of drowning. (We no longer believe that this is history, but most Jehovists, whether Catholic, Baptist, or Jewish, do!) In harmony with professed Love for sentient (selfaware) life, I have ben a vegetarian for over thirty years.:)
I do not ask others to do this, but it saved my life. My doc told me that, if I had not been a veggie, I would be dead right now. For it is a challenge for the kidneys to process meat-protein.
In fact, a careful study of the anatomy and physiology of the human body clearly demonstrates, in comparison with other biosystems, that it was created to be a vegetarian. From every angle, analyzing teeth, saliva, stomach acid, length of the intestines, and many other factors, we are clearly vegetarians (herbivores).
Also, and this was also a deciding factor, did you know that a full 90% of all the grain grown in our country goes to the feeding of cows and pigs, so that greedy, selfish Americans can have their burgers and bacon?
If we fed this to human beings, starvation on our planet could disappear overnight! But, as it is, thirty thousand kids will drop dead this very day, from starvation!
Also, did you know that most meat is processed with over two thousand chemicals, some of which are known to be carcinogenic (cancer-causing)? In truly trying, sincerely, to maximize Love for ourselves and other creatures, vegetarianism is certainly well worth considering.
In hundreds of tests, over many decades, vegetarians have emerged stronger, smarter, more alert, with quicker reflexes, sharper senses, and less depression than carnivores. There is a biological basis for depression, and it is this: The last emotion experienced by a cow or pig, right before slaughter, is absolute, total, radical, extreme terror!
This "fearenergy" goes into every cell of its body; and when we eat them, we absorb this terrible force into our bodies. This certainly also explains the wide prevalence of "panic attacks" and general "panic disorders." (Vegetarians almost never suffer from either condition.)
I am not interested in changing or "converting" you, or anyone else, as this "jw" attitude is not healthy. I simply want sincerely to share something that has made my own life so much more delightful. Other creatures can "see the energy-field," and know whether you are a carnivore. So, this path has also increased personal peace with llamas, elephants, horses, dogs, cats, cows, pigs, birds, and other
critters!:)
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Occupational Therapy
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Depression is the most common challenge in our very unspiritual society.
"Occupational therapy" can be most effective. It really helps, in this life, if you have a passion that is greater than yourself!:) Depression is not solved by thinking about it, figuring it out, obsessing about it.
It is solved by only compassion or Love-- losing yourself in the challenges of another, where her problems become more important than your own. This is true agapology (Love-psychology) in action!:)
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Depression is the most common challenge in our very unspiritual society.
"Occupational therapy" can be most effective. It really helps, in this life, if you have a passion that is greater than yourself!:) Depression is not solved by thinking about it, figuring it out, obsessing about it.
It is solved by only compassion or Love-- losing yourself in the challenges of another, where her problems become more important than your own. This is true agapology (Love-psychology) in action!:)
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Irresistible Grace
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Grace comes from the immutable, unlimited Mind of God. It is a fact of the cosmos, and nothing has the power to erase or neutralize it. Grace, as expression of Love, is the determination of the cosmic Mind (God) to bring all His children into "salvation," regardless of ignorance.
From what are we "saved"? From ignorance, and the domination of the lower (humanimal) nature.
But is it possible to "backslide"? Certainly it is. We can use, abuse, or misuse free will to reject grace, to turn away from it, to even deny it. In fact, we are free to do this several times. Many religious people, as well as many "atheists," deny the very existence of grace. In the history of religion, this denial is called the "works" doctrine, for it teaches the lie that we "save ourselves" by working, and becoming "superior" to others.
This has zero effect on grace itself. If a million zillion people denied the existence of the moon, it would still shine brightly in the night sky. But if anyone denies grace, in her own life, she effectively deactivates it-- but for only herself. It is exactly as if she were living "outside" of grace-- although no one can, really.
Grace is the irreversible and irresistible decision of divine Love to save all beings. But we all must learn first. We must learn hundreds, or thousands, of lessons, and then, we must take "exams" to prove that we have learned. This is what the "school of earth" is all about.
So, although anyone is free to deny grace or its Power at any time, no one can "undo" it, cancel it, or neutralize it. For it is an expression of limitless and infinite divine Love. There is no power, including the power of denial, that is greater!
As human beings, we often believe that we are "saved" by what we do. And it is certainly "common sense" to do good rather than evil. But we must get the sequence correct. Good works in themselves do not produce salvation; but grace produces good works. Therefore, it does not matter how "lost" and confused a Soul becomes in its various life-journeys. It has no effect on indestructible, invincible grace.
If it takes a Soul a hundred thousand, or a million, years to grow into the perfect realization of grace, that is just fine. The cosmos has forever, and the great Mind (Tao) is in no hurry.
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Grace comes from the immutable, unlimited Mind of God. It is a fact of the cosmos, and nothing has the power to erase or neutralize it. Grace, as expression of Love, is the determination of the cosmic Mind (God) to bring all His children into "salvation," regardless of ignorance.
From what are we "saved"? From ignorance, and the domination of the lower (humanimal) nature.
But is it possible to "backslide"? Certainly it is. We can use, abuse, or misuse free will to reject grace, to turn away from it, to even deny it. In fact, we are free to do this several times. Many religious people, as well as many "atheists," deny the very existence of grace. In the history of religion, this denial is called the "works" doctrine, for it teaches the lie that we "save ourselves" by working, and becoming "superior" to others.
This has zero effect on grace itself. If a million zillion people denied the existence of the moon, it would still shine brightly in the night sky. But if anyone denies grace, in her own life, she effectively deactivates it-- but for only herself. It is exactly as if she were living "outside" of grace-- although no one can, really.
Grace is the irreversible and irresistible decision of divine Love to save all beings. But we all must learn first. We must learn hundreds, or thousands, of lessons, and then, we must take "exams" to prove that we have learned. This is what the "school of earth" is all about.
So, although anyone is free to deny grace or its Power at any time, no one can "undo" it, cancel it, or neutralize it. For it is an expression of limitless and infinite divine Love. There is no power, including the power of denial, that is greater!
As human beings, we often believe that we are "saved" by what we do. And it is certainly "common sense" to do good rather than evil. But we must get the sequence correct. Good works in themselves do not produce salvation; but grace produces good works. Therefore, it does not matter how "lost" and confused a Soul becomes in its various life-journeys. It has no effect on indestructible, invincible grace.
If it takes a Soul a hundred thousand, or a million, years to grow into the perfect realization of grace, that is just fine. The cosmos has forever, and the great Mind (Tao) is in no hurry.
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Tuesday, March 25, 2008
"Satanic" Paranoia
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The "satanic paranoia" is a name for the disorder expressed by the Catholic lady, in her delusion that God "punishes" people by murdering them. Human beings are simply not that important in the vast cosmos. God can never be "upset" by anything that they (we) say-- although we can certainly wreck our own lives!
The belief that God is continually upset by atheists, "liberals," agnostics, and other nontraditional types of people arises from believing in a god who is tiny, petty, and psychotic. (He uses murder to "solve problems.")
Let's work to remove these paranoiac people from all our schools, including the religious ones! For they are dangerous in how they darken the name of the Lord of Light. The problem is, her illusions and delusions are supported by an ignorant orthodox Church which, like her, has also mistaken Jehovah for the sweet Lord of Love! Our work is cut out for us, man!:)
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The "satanic paranoia" is a name for the disorder expressed by the Catholic lady, in her delusion that God "punishes" people by murdering them. Human beings are simply not that important in the vast cosmos. God can never be "upset" by anything that they (we) say-- although we can certainly wreck our own lives!
The belief that God is continually upset by atheists, "liberals," agnostics, and other nontraditional types of people arises from believing in a god who is tiny, petty, and psychotic. (He uses murder to "solve problems.")
Let's work to remove these paranoiac people from all our schools, including the religious ones! For they are dangerous in how they darken the name of the Lord of Light. The problem is, her illusions and delusions are supported by an ignorant orthodox Church which, like her, has also mistaken Jehovah for the sweet Lord of Love! Our work is cut out for us, man!:)
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Monday, March 24, 2008
Your Deeper Mind
Your Deeper Mind
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There is a deep part of your mind, in the very profound "Unconscious," that already understands the mysteries of God. But there is a lower nature in our minds also, and it includes the "conscious" mind. This is the part of our minds that we can "hear internally." It is the part where we think our everyday thoughts, and we know its full contents. But this is only a thin layer of the whole Mind.
This is why spiritual people practice meditation. They want to get in touch with the deeper levels of Mind, usually hidden or "unconscious."
The very deepest part of your own mind is shared with all other beings. This is so deep in Mind that almost no one ever touches It. This is the Mind-level called "Spirit." It is purest, stainless beauty and Love unlimited. When you begin to integrate your Mind with It, you can become an instrument of pure Love. But you must first get rid of all those pesky, unnecessary thoughts, which are like "baggage" on your back, crushing the awareness of your higher (deeper) Mind.
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There is a deep part of your mind, in the very profound "Unconscious," that already understands the mysteries of God. But there is a lower nature in our minds also, and it includes the "conscious" mind. This is the part of our minds that we can "hear internally." It is the part where we think our everyday thoughts, and we know its full contents. But this is only a thin layer of the whole Mind.
This is why spiritual people practice meditation. They want to get in touch with the deeper levels of Mind, usually hidden or "unconscious."
The very deepest part of your own mind is shared with all other beings. This is so deep in Mind that almost no one ever touches It. This is the Mind-level called "Spirit." It is purest, stainless beauty and Love unlimited. When you begin to integrate your Mind with It, you can become an instrument of pure Love. But you must first get rid of all those pesky, unnecessary thoughts, which are like "baggage" on your back, crushing the awareness of your higher (deeper) Mind.
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Jesus' Death and Resurrection
Jesus' Death and Resurrection
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Christ "resurrected himself" because he never really died. He just shifted form, from an apparently "material" form into a "spiritual" form. The "material, physical, and external" world is all the Mind, as is the spiritual world. So, at death, the enlightened leaves nothing behind but one "psychoholographic" world to enter another.
The mystical classic Bhagavad-Gita says that death is like changing clothes. As Jesus resurrected himself to enter the parallel universe called the "Homeworld," this is also exactly what we all do. We continue to participate actively in our lives after "death."
But, with the resurrection to immaterial Soul-life, Jesus had a special need. For he came here to demonstrate to the world that death is a survivable experience. There is life after death.
So, his special need was to materialize at least one "physical" body. On the road to Emmaeus, the disciples did not at first recognize him. So, it is possible that he materialized a body in a different form than the one he had used in his personal incarnation. But when Thomas touched his hands, he had apparently used the same body, for it still bore the marks of Crucifixion.
These bodies were only "semi-physical." He was able to walk through walls, for example, and, when he was finished, he was able to lift it into the air, into the clouds. (This is all provided that the Gospel accounts, and those of Acts, were historical, and not merely allegorical.)
Being the incarnation of the One, he was the embodiment of Love. He was also in "perfect control" of his life and his death. Paradoxically, this "perfect control" arose because he had, in Love and faith, "let go" of everything, in fullest trust of the "Father" (his highest spiritual Self). Living totally free of all anxiety, which he forbade in the "Sermon on the Mount," he lived a life of full faith, a life of actions initiated by the interior Spirit of Love. That is why he said, after all his busy life and activity, "I do nothing." For the Father of grace was doing all the work through the man Jesus.
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Christ "resurrected himself" because he never really died. He just shifted form, from an apparently "material" form into a "spiritual" form. The "material, physical, and external" world is all the Mind, as is the spiritual world. So, at death, the enlightened leaves nothing behind but one "psychoholographic" world to enter another.
The mystical classic Bhagavad-Gita says that death is like changing clothes. As Jesus resurrected himself to enter the parallel universe called the "Homeworld," this is also exactly what we all do. We continue to participate actively in our lives after "death."
But, with the resurrection to immaterial Soul-life, Jesus had a special need. For he came here to demonstrate to the world that death is a survivable experience. There is life after death.
So, his special need was to materialize at least one "physical" body. On the road to Emmaeus, the disciples did not at first recognize him. So, it is possible that he materialized a body in a different form than the one he had used in his personal incarnation. But when Thomas touched his hands, he had apparently used the same body, for it still bore the marks of Crucifixion.
These bodies were only "semi-physical." He was able to walk through walls, for example, and, when he was finished, he was able to lift it into the air, into the clouds. (This is all provided that the Gospel accounts, and those of Acts, were historical, and not merely allegorical.)
Being the incarnation of the One, he was the embodiment of Love. He was also in "perfect control" of his life and his death. Paradoxically, this "perfect control" arose because he had, in Love and faith, "let go" of everything, in fullest trust of the "Father" (his highest spiritual Self). Living totally free of all anxiety, which he forbade in the "Sermon on the Mount," he lived a life of full faith, a life of actions initiated by the interior Spirit of Love. That is why he said, after all his busy life and activity, "I do nothing." For the Father of grace was doing all the work through the man Jesus.
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Learning, Intellect, and Love
Learning, Intellect, and Love
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God (Love) does not command us to "understand" everything. She/He does not even direct us to understand everything about Christianity! Most people are quite limited, and cannot understand, or even read, all the complexities involved, for example, in Scriptural studies. To know them all, in fact, you would have to read tens of thousands of books.
God is Love, not intellect. So, God commands us to love, and not to become "walking encyclopedias." It is not what you know, or what you believe, that moves you into "salvation." It is the Love (grace) of God, acting in and through your heart.
Ministers, in order to minister effectively, do have to learn a great deal. And there is so very much to learn! But whether you are studying early history, ancient manuscripts, the books of the Bible, or various explanations of spirituality and religion, this "study" is all worthless if you do not add compassion, empathy, goodness, and kindness-- all Lovexpressions-- to your life.
A person who loves once is a thousand times as "valuable" to God, and a thousand times more enlightened, than anyone who knows a billion facts.
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God (Love) does not command us to "understand" everything. She/He does not even direct us to understand everything about Christianity! Most people are quite limited, and cannot understand, or even read, all the complexities involved, for example, in Scriptural studies. To know them all, in fact, you would have to read tens of thousands of books.
God is Love, not intellect. So, God commands us to love, and not to become "walking encyclopedias." It is not what you know, or what you believe, that moves you into "salvation." It is the Love (grace) of God, acting in and through your heart.
Ministers, in order to minister effectively, do have to learn a great deal. And there is so very much to learn! But whether you are studying early history, ancient manuscripts, the books of the Bible, or various explanations of spirituality and religion, this "study" is all worthless if you do not add compassion, empathy, goodness, and kindness-- all Lovexpressions-- to your life.
A person who loves once is a thousand times as "valuable" to God, and a thousand times more enlightened, than anyone who knows a billion facts.
*******
"Sin" and "Repentance"
*******
Our heavenly Father/Mother is Love, purest Love. She/He delights in forgiving us. Unlike the grumpy old Jehovah, the "Father of the All" is eager to forgive. He can hardly wait to forgive!
So, we need not grovel before Him, and we need not "repent" in sackcloth and ashes, as the ancients did with their god.
But, to keep our karmic record as clear and stainless as it is possible for a human being to do, "repentance" is a good idea.
Repentance is an attitude, a way of viewing your "sins." Most sins are indeliberate, but even though these create zero karma, we still want to feel sincerely sorry for any way in which we have ever hurt ourselves or anyone else. This takes an attitude of humility and realistic assessment.
We also must be completely honest. If we ignore, try to hide, our sins, or pretend that they simply do not exist, we are committing an even worse
error-- lying, to ourselves, and perhaps, to others.
Still, let us recognize that "sin" is not a commitment to "evil." It is more like a "processing error" in cybertech. The ancient Greek word used in the Christian Scriptures verifies this. It is a word from archery, and means "missing the target." Archers do not miss a target because they are "bad" or "evil," but because of imperfection; they are truly trying to hit the bull's eye. So, "sin" is error or mistake, not voluntary rebellion against the good. When a computer or other cyberdevice makes an error, we do not sledge-hammer it into bits and then toss it away! No, instead, we use reason and patience, and seek to repair it; computers are worth a lot!
You are worth a zillion times as much as any cyberdevice. God treasures you infinitely. That is why it is His pleasure and delight to forgive.
There is no sin greater than the Power of God's grace to forgive; to suggest that there is, is simple and sheer blasphemy! We see this unlimited forgiveness all the time in the ministry of Jesus. While the selfrighteous and religious people looked down snobbishly on "sinners," Jesus ate and drank with them on a regular enough basis that it became a scandal. And he often forgave a person on the spot! One woman whom he forgave instantly was even caught in the act of fornication! Now, as sins go, this is quite a serious one, and it has always received special attention and consideration from the old men who judged. (They needed to get lives!:)
Jesus' attitude was one of infinite and unlimited forgiveness. He told us to imitate God, and to forgive our brother "seventy times seven"-- a number that, numerologically, represents the unlimited state of infinity.
Our forgiveness should have no limits. For, he warned, we are forgiven only as we forgive others. (Mt. 6:12) He prophesied, in fact, that all sins, no matter how serious, would be forgiven. (Mk. 3:28).
So, if we are repentant, the Lord of Love joyfully releases us from the terrible bondage to sin. "Sin" is any action that deliberately harms any living creature, including yourself. The only attitude of a kind, good, just person is "repentance," or sorrowful regret and remorse for any sin.
Free and enlightened people do not believe in guilt, which is simple selftorment, a selfcreated hellstate. It is the service of fear, Love's conceptual opposite; so it is the service to the lower nature. But we do believe in the wisdom of repentance. (If the repentance is genuine, it will include not only remorse, but recompense; we must do all that we can to "undo" whatever damage that we have done.)
*******
Our heavenly Father/Mother is Love, purest Love. She/He delights in forgiving us. Unlike the grumpy old Jehovah, the "Father of the All" is eager to forgive. He can hardly wait to forgive!
So, we need not grovel before Him, and we need not "repent" in sackcloth and ashes, as the ancients did with their god.
But, to keep our karmic record as clear and stainless as it is possible for a human being to do, "repentance" is a good idea.
Repentance is an attitude, a way of viewing your "sins." Most sins are indeliberate, but even though these create zero karma, we still want to feel sincerely sorry for any way in which we have ever hurt ourselves or anyone else. This takes an attitude of humility and realistic assessment.
We also must be completely honest. If we ignore, try to hide, our sins, or pretend that they simply do not exist, we are committing an even worse
error-- lying, to ourselves, and perhaps, to others.
Still, let us recognize that "sin" is not a commitment to "evil." It is more like a "processing error" in cybertech. The ancient Greek word used in the Christian Scriptures verifies this. It is a word from archery, and means "missing the target." Archers do not miss a target because they are "bad" or "evil," but because of imperfection; they are truly trying to hit the bull's eye. So, "sin" is error or mistake, not voluntary rebellion against the good. When a computer or other cyberdevice makes an error, we do not sledge-hammer it into bits and then toss it away! No, instead, we use reason and patience, and seek to repair it; computers are worth a lot!
You are worth a zillion times as much as any cyberdevice. God treasures you infinitely. That is why it is His pleasure and delight to forgive.
There is no sin greater than the Power of God's grace to forgive; to suggest that there is, is simple and sheer blasphemy! We see this unlimited forgiveness all the time in the ministry of Jesus. While the selfrighteous and religious people looked down snobbishly on "sinners," Jesus ate and drank with them on a regular enough basis that it became a scandal. And he often forgave a person on the spot! One woman whom he forgave instantly was even caught in the act of fornication! Now, as sins go, this is quite a serious one, and it has always received special attention and consideration from the old men who judged. (They needed to get lives!:)
Jesus' attitude was one of infinite and unlimited forgiveness. He told us to imitate God, and to forgive our brother "seventy times seven"-- a number that, numerologically, represents the unlimited state of infinity.
Our forgiveness should have no limits. For, he warned, we are forgiven only as we forgive others. (Mt. 6:12) He prophesied, in fact, that all sins, no matter how serious, would be forgiven. (Mk. 3:28).
So, if we are repentant, the Lord of Love joyfully releases us from the terrible bondage to sin. "Sin" is any action that deliberately harms any living creature, including yourself. The only attitude of a kind, good, just person is "repentance," or sorrowful regret and remorse for any sin.
Free and enlightened people do not believe in guilt, which is simple selftorment, a selfcreated hellstate. It is the service of fear, Love's conceptual opposite; so it is the service to the lower nature. But we do believe in the wisdom of repentance. (If the repentance is genuine, it will include not only remorse, but recompense; we must do all that we can to "undo" whatever damage that we have done.)
*******
Friday, March 21, 2008
The Sermon on the Mount, Parts XXX and XXXI of XL
The Sermon on the Mount, Part XXX of XL
*******
TEXT: Continuing with Matthew 6:
COMMENTARY: Again, Jesus forbids or prohibits the bad, destructive, unhealthy habit of worry, a form of fear.
TEXT:
COMMENTARY: All that the person of Love has to do in this life is offer her Love to all suffering creatures-- to everyone. If she seeks Love "first," makes it her first priority, she need never worry about anything else, for the cosmos will provide for her.
The Sermon on the Mount, Part XXXI of XL
*******
TEXT:
COMMENTARY: Just in case that we did not "get" it, Jesus again repeats his prohibitions and recommendations against worry. There is a great Pattern, a great Mind, which already regulates everything in the cosmos! If we can but learn the simple lesson of trusting this profound Mind, we will be liberated forever from worry, and from struggling and striving to control events, other people, and situations. This is the breath-taking liberty offered by the Spirit of Love. It is a gift of the Spirit, as faith, and is a "superhuman" state of profound relaxation into the great Mind. This is also, btw, the essence of Taoist mysticism.
*******
TEXT: Continuing with Matthew 6:
31. Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
COMMENTARY: Again, Jesus forbids or prohibits the bad, destructive, unhealthy habit of worry, a form of fear.
TEXT:
33. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.
COMMENTARY: All that the person of Love has to do in this life is offer her Love to all suffering creatures-- to everyone. If she seeks Love "first," makes it her first priority, she need never worry about anything else, for the cosmos will provide for her.
The Sermon on the Mount, Part XXXI of XL
*******
TEXT:
34. "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.
COMMENTARY: Just in case that we did not "get" it, Jesus again repeats his prohibitions and recommendations against worry. There is a great Pattern, a great Mind, which already regulates everything in the cosmos! If we can but learn the simple lesson of trusting this profound Mind, we will be liberated forever from worry, and from struggling and striving to control events, other people, and situations. This is the breath-taking liberty offered by the Spirit of Love. It is a gift of the Spirit, as faith, and is a "superhuman" state of profound relaxation into the great Mind. This is also, btw, the essence of Taoist mysticism.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Listening to Your Donkey (Body)
*******
Have you managed to respond to your body's (Sister Donkey's) call and signal to slow down? It is hoped very sincerely that you listen to your body.:) Of course, we all must leave this planet someday, but things much, much worse than death can happen to you. There are a thousand ways in which these donkeys can "go wrong." So, please listen, and respond, to the warnings that your donkey is giving you.:)
*******
Have you managed to respond to your body's (Sister Donkey's) call and signal to slow down? It is hoped very sincerely that you listen to your body.:) Of course, we all must leave this planet someday, but things much, much worse than death can happen to you. There are a thousand ways in which these donkeys can "go wrong." So, please listen, and respond, to the warnings that your donkey is giving you.:)
*******
Cheney Violates Ethics Law
Thanks to Mick Gallagher.
ABOUT HALLIBURTON
*******
ABOUT HALLIBURTON
Cheney Violates Ethics Law
***
These are not times for leaders who shift with the political winds, saying one thing one day and another, the next. -- Dick Cheney
On the Sept. 14, 2003 edition of NBC's Meet the Press, Vice President Dick Cheney said, "And since I left Halliburton to become george bush's vice president, I've severed all my ties with the company, gotten rid of all my financial interest. I have no financial interest in Halliburton of any kind and haven't had, now, for over three years."
But, just as Cheney's wild claims about weapons of mass destruction turned out to be untrue, and his claim that Halliburton had no ties to Saddam Hussein was bogus, his denial about profiting from Halliburton as vice president was also a bald-face lie. So while Cheney denied any relationship with Halliburton as vice president, he conveniently forgot to mention that he continues to receive from the company deferred salary of over $150,000 while maintaining 433,333 shares of unexercised stock options. Certainly, Cheney has a "financial interest in Halliburton" while working as vice president.
When confronted with the proof of his ongoing financial ties with Halliburton, Cheney responded by claiming his deferred salary and stock options are not actually a "financial interest" as defined by federal ethics standards, and therefore not a conflict of interest. This prompted the Congressional Research Service to issue a report which confirmed Cheney's ongoing financial interest in Halliburton "is considered among the 'ties' retained in, or 'linkages to, former employers' that may 'represent a continuing financial interest' in those employers, which makes them potential conflicts of interest."
Caught in another lie, Cheney manufactured another excuse: He said the financial interest in Halliburton is not tied to the success or failure of the company because of an insurance policy. In other words, the insurance policy, which guarantees his financial interest will be paid to him regardless of Halliburton's success.......
It's clear that Cheney broke the ethics law, but both the president and vice president are exempt from the enforcement of such laws. Therefore, Cheney cannot be prosecuted for his conflict of interest or his lie.
DEFERRED SALARY: Cheney received $205,298 in deferred salary from Halliburton in 2001, $162,392 from the company in 2002, and $178,437 in 2003. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) said, "Deferred salary is not a retirement benefit or a payment from a third party escrow account, but rather an ongoing corporate obligation paid from company funds."
STOCK OPTIONS: ...Should Halliburton's stock price increase over the next few years, the Vice President could exercise his stock options for a substantial profit, benefiting not only his designated charities, but also providing Halliburton with a substantial tax deduction.
Halliburton Stock Options Held by Cheney (end of 2002): 100,000 shares at $54.5000 (vested), expire 12-03-07; 33,333 shares at $28.1250 (vested), expire 12-02-08; 300,000 shares at $39.5000 (vested), expire 12-02-09.
Cheney's deferred compensation and stock option benefits are in addition to a $20 million retirement package paid to him by Halliburton after only five years of employment; a $1.4 million cash bonus paid to him by Halliburton in 2001; and additional millions of dollars in compensation paid to him while he was employed by the company.
In 2002, Cheney's total assets were valued at between $19.1 million and
$86.4 million!
*******
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
A Nightmarish War
*******
Today is March 19, 2008. That means that today is the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the war in Iraq. I am not one of those extremists, who can be both dangerous and wrong, who say that the U.S. is always wrong, that it is the "big bad guy."
But in this case, the U.S., a military giant, did attack pre-emptively, a third-world country. (Among its "soldiers" were twelve-year-olds.) The U.S., in other words, began this war. That in itself is indefensible.
During the war, its aftermath, and in conflicts, skirmishes, and other extenuating circumstances, it has been estimated that a full one million people-- many of them women and children-- have been murdered during the "shock and awe" of this nightmare. Also, four thousand American girls and boys (never to become women and men) have been slaughtered. These will, tragically, never again kiss their mothers or hold their babies.
They will never contribute a penny to the struggling American economy; they will never make important discoveries that could help the world.
They will never again do anything on earth. Each of these four thousand could have changed history for the better.
And, on top of those Americans murdered senselessly by this war, there are tens of thousands who have suffered permanent and irreversible injuries-- including many serious, incurable brain-injuries. These will live the rest of their lives in hell-- in institutions and/or in bodies with brains that no longer serve them.
And, speaking of the struggling economy, in which two million plus families are being thrown out on the street (73% are African or Hispanic American), this nasty, wasteful, destructive war has sucked a full one trillion dollars from the American economy! That is one thousand billion, or one million million, dollars! This is enough money that the government could afford to send you, me, and each and every other American man, woman, and child a check for over three thousand dollars!
It is also enough to rebuild most of our roads, bridges, schools, libraries, and other infrastructure within our country.
So, in terms of both human and financial resources, this war has been hideously expensive! Nothing can un-do the horrors created by it, or its irreversible effects on millions of lives.
As george bush's recent defense of torture proves, war is the opposite of Love. We need to embrace in Love our Middle Eastern sisters and brothers, not to label them "enemies," and then, slaughter them!
In the end, we must ask, Why was this war even begun?
A couple of viable and reasonable answers are suggested by the available
data:
The war did rid our planet of a cruel dictator. But why was this dictator selected from among the dozens of others that stain our world? Simple: He put out a contract on the life of george bush, sr. This is never mentioned, but it was a major reason, imperialism aside, for the war. The incompetent georgie wanted to make sure that his daddy was not in trouble.
Also, secondly, there was the weird fantasy that, if the U.S. could grab the land, its leaders would own the oil beneath it! So, they grabbed the land, expecting to get millions of barrels of free oil, which bush and his buddies could sell for a whopping, immense, gigantic profit! (They will not rest until we are all paying $10 for a gallon of gas.) It was as if the naive attackers/invaders actually believed that the whole population would welcome them with garlands of roses! It was as if they believed that there would be no resistance, no so-called "insurgents,"
which might be called "patriots" in Iraq. (If this country were invaded by a greedy foreign country, would not our "best patriots" resist with everything that they've got?)
It was because of these two, and other, sick fantasies that the American people were lied into this nefarious and greedbased war. And it was the "commander-in-thief" himself who lied us into it. For bush cares nothing for Americans generally; he cares,and has always cared, for only the very rich, and for corporations, as well as for his own bank-account. (He has become enormously, but secretly, very wealthy as president.)
So, the U.S. started a war; it did it for all the wrong reasons; and it ruined the economy in order to pay for it. Our children's children will look back on us, laughing and crying, and wonder what plague of insanity infected our brains that we could ever have stupidly followed a very stupid leader into an extremely stupid war.
Let us think, meditate, and pray seriously over this matter. For thousands of girls and boys have paid the ultimate price for the greed of a few old men. And that is so very sad that words cannot even express it.
*******
Today is March 19, 2008. That means that today is the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the war in Iraq. I am not one of those extremists, who can be both dangerous and wrong, who say that the U.S. is always wrong, that it is the "big bad guy."
But in this case, the U.S., a military giant, did attack pre-emptively, a third-world country. (Among its "soldiers" were twelve-year-olds.) The U.S., in other words, began this war. That in itself is indefensible.
During the war, its aftermath, and in conflicts, skirmishes, and other extenuating circumstances, it has been estimated that a full one million people-- many of them women and children-- have been murdered during the "shock and awe" of this nightmare. Also, four thousand American girls and boys (never to become women and men) have been slaughtered. These will, tragically, never again kiss their mothers or hold their babies.
They will never contribute a penny to the struggling American economy; they will never make important discoveries that could help the world.
They will never again do anything on earth. Each of these four thousand could have changed history for the better.
And, on top of those Americans murdered senselessly by this war, there are tens of thousands who have suffered permanent and irreversible injuries-- including many serious, incurable brain-injuries. These will live the rest of their lives in hell-- in institutions and/or in bodies with brains that no longer serve them.
And, speaking of the struggling economy, in which two million plus families are being thrown out on the street (73% are African or Hispanic American), this nasty, wasteful, destructive war has sucked a full one trillion dollars from the American economy! That is one thousand billion, or one million million, dollars! This is enough money that the government could afford to send you, me, and each and every other American man, woman, and child a check for over three thousand dollars!
It is also enough to rebuild most of our roads, bridges, schools, libraries, and other infrastructure within our country.
So, in terms of both human and financial resources, this war has been hideously expensive! Nothing can un-do the horrors created by it, or its irreversible effects on millions of lives.
As george bush's recent defense of torture proves, war is the opposite of Love. We need to embrace in Love our Middle Eastern sisters and brothers, not to label them "enemies," and then, slaughter them!
In the end, we must ask, Why was this war even begun?
A couple of viable and reasonable answers are suggested by the available
data:
The war did rid our planet of a cruel dictator. But why was this dictator selected from among the dozens of others that stain our world? Simple: He put out a contract on the life of george bush, sr. This is never mentioned, but it was a major reason, imperialism aside, for the war. The incompetent georgie wanted to make sure that his daddy was not in trouble.
Also, secondly, there was the weird fantasy that, if the U.S. could grab the land, its leaders would own the oil beneath it! So, they grabbed the land, expecting to get millions of barrels of free oil, which bush and his buddies could sell for a whopping, immense, gigantic profit! (They will not rest until we are all paying $10 for a gallon of gas.) It was as if the naive attackers/invaders actually believed that the whole population would welcome them with garlands of roses! It was as if they believed that there would be no resistance, no so-called "insurgents,"
which might be called "patriots" in Iraq. (If this country were invaded by a greedy foreign country, would not our "best patriots" resist with everything that they've got?)
It was because of these two, and other, sick fantasies that the American people were lied into this nefarious and greedbased war. And it was the "commander-in-thief" himself who lied us into it. For bush cares nothing for Americans generally; he cares,and has always cared, for only the very rich, and for corporations, as well as for his own bank-account. (He has become enormously, but secretly, very wealthy as president.)
So, the U.S. started a war; it did it for all the wrong reasons; and it ruined the economy in order to pay for it. Our children's children will look back on us, laughing and crying, and wonder what plague of insanity infected our brains that we could ever have stupidly followed a very stupid leader into an extremely stupid war.
Let us think, meditate, and pray seriously over this matter. For thousands of girls and boys have paid the ultimate price for the greed of a few old men. And that is so very sad that words cannot even express it.
*******
Monday, March 17, 2008
Spitzer Exposes Bush and Cronies
Thanks to Mick Gallagher.
NOTE: This is an article based upon, and derived from, one written by Greg Palast.
***
Spitzer Exposes Bush and Cronies
***
Greg Palast, former investigator of financial fraud, is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Armed Madhouse and The Best Democracy Money Can Buy.
*******
NOTE: This is an article based upon, and derived from, one written by Greg Palast.
***
Spitzer Exposes Bush and Cronies
***
With all the negative attention being paid to New York governor Eliot Spitzer, the real story of deep corruption and evil behind the scenes goes ignored by much of the media. George Bushs new Federal Reserve Board Chairman, Ben Bernanke, was secretly handing over $200 billion to crooked bankers, in league with the bush administration. It is directly due to this horrible rip-off that millions of Americans are now being thrown out of their own homes.
And while the governor was using his own checkbook, the bankers were using yours. For the billions given to the bank, secretly, came straight from taxpayer funds. The bush administration was wantonly, immorally using the money of the very people whom it was forcing into homelessness.
This week, Bernankes Fed loaned selected banks one-fifth of a trillion dollars. This vast sum of money was given to banking predators who have brought two million families to, in some cases, irreversible economic disaster. Until his "pr catastrophe," the only politician who stood directly in the path of this gross evil was Eliot Spitzer. He was the one honest, and major, obstacle in the greedbased, nightmarish scheme to steal from the United States population. So, the public and media "lynching" of Spitzer was no mere coincidence, but was engineered by filthy rich criminals, cooperating with the full support of the bush administration.
The media have bought into Wall Streets lie that U.S. families are about to be ejected from their homes because they bought homes that they simply could not afford. They, says thhis lie, took out loans too big for their budgets. But the victim is not the culprit here.
Since the bush regime came to power, a new type of subtly dishonest loan appeared, with its full blessing. It was called "the sub-prime."
This was a type of mortgage. This included loans with very small introductory interest rates.
Abruptly, a company called "Countrywide" grew into Americas Number One mortgage lender.
For example, the Family with average household income got a $200,000 mortgage at 4% for two years. Their monthly payback-payment was only $955. Their banker "kindly and generously" promises them a new mortgage at this inexpensive rate, in two more years. But when that time has passed, the promise is unveiled as a lie. They are ordered to evacuate their house, because it is worth less than the mortgage, which now zooms to 9% or $1,609!
Which Americans became the special victims of this government-backed lying scam? Not surprisingly, 73% of higher-income African American and Hispanic American borrowers were victimized by the "sub-prime" packet of lies versus only 17% of caucasians of comparable income! They were "steered," as its called in the "mortgage sharking" world. This kind of cruel and nightmarish dishonesty, which ruins families, is called "fraudulent conveyance" or "predatory lending" under U.S. law. This kind of activity was almost completely forbidden during the Clinton Administration. But when the bush regime took over, this obscene activity received only a wink and a nod from those officials who were supposed to prohibit these insidious acts.
But there was a "buzzkill" among politicians who refused to play this nefarious game: Attorney General of New York, Eliot Spitzer! He threatened the nice comfy evil by actually suing these criminals!
Instead of conforming to the law, bush's regulators declared "war" on Spitzer! The bushies twisted a law called federal pre-emption" to order the states not to enforce their consumer protection laws. The feds actually went so far as to file a lawsuit to block Spitzers investigation of this ugly racial steering! Bushs bestial banking buddies were ferociously angry that Spitzer relentlessly pursued these shoddy banking practices nationally!
Countrywide's leader, Angelo Mozilo, will receive $77 million bonus this year, plus $656 million from 1998 through 2007. Much of this greed arose from the Gulf sheiks who control most of the shares in the companies involved.
Then, on Wednesday, Carlyle Capital went bankrupt. This shady company included James Baker, george bush, the bin laden family, and various assorted other dictators, clowns, and pirates.
This is when bush came to the rescue, and dumped two hundred billion dollars into the laps of criminal bankers. Not a single family-home was saved, but not a single banker suffered! Mozilos Countrywide stock rose 17% in one day. The stock of the Citi sheiks increased $10 billion in one afternoon. The bush regime did absolutely nothing to protect consumers. In fact, it did the opposite: it initiated an aggressive campaign to prevent states from protecting their residents from the challenging problems! The bushies turned a blind eye to the whole problem! Shades of Katrina!
Spitzer unmasked and exposed bush as the "predators' partner in crime"! He was a fugitive from justice, Spitzer said plainly, mocking the fact that the "emperor" had no clothes! Spitzer was in Washington to launch a campaign to take on the Bush regime and the biggest financial powers on the planet. Spitzer wrote that history would damn the bush administration for its callous criminality.
************
Greg Palast, former investigator of financial fraud, is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Armed Madhouse and The Best Democracy Money Can Buy.
*******
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Responsibility for "Sin"
*******
Responsibility is a complex rather than simple concept. As human beings, human minds, and human activities are quite complex, this is really no surprise.
Responsibility might never be an "all or nothing" proposition. In view of the incredible complexity of the human brainervousystem, it might be foolish for us to seek "black and white," "yes or no" simplistic answers to such an involved and complicated question. For one activity, a person might be 93% responsible, and for another, 27%.
Due to genetic, karmic, environmental, and neurological factors, as well as others, it might be that few human beings are responsible one hundred percent for their activities.
I agree fully, and very practically, that a person who does an evil deed towards another needs to be held both legally and morally responsible. The universe itself is designed along the lines of this moral reciprocation. That is, in fact, the meaning of karma.
Older Western (Christian and Jewish) theologians distinguished between what they called a "deliberate" and an "indeliberate sin." This is a valuable and useful distinction.
The language of the Christian Scriptures, in their ancient form, was called koine Greek. (This implies that Greek was the "common" language of the time.)
In that language, the word that we translate as "sin" was amartyrion.
This was a term borrowed from archery, and it meant "missing a target."
The meaning of this word implies that much, or all, of "sin" is error, miscalculation, mismanagement, or mistake, rather than a deliberate action. In many cases, then, "sin" is not a deliberate, fully aware, intentional action.
It was because of this fact that Jesus forgave sins so easily, and immediately, telling people, "All your sins are forgiven." And early Christians called it the "good news" (Greek, evaggelion) that "all our sins are forgiven."
Jesus prophesied, in Mark 3:27,28, the following astonishing condition:
"Every sin and every blasphemy, no matter how serious, will be forgiven."
And it is true that, in the larger life, that of the Soul, we are allowed to gain a deep spiritual education that allows our hearts to accept forgiveness. This is the famous "grace" (Love) of God in a practical sense.
So, a person is held responsible karmically, and in eternity, for any action that is deliberate, voluntary, a matter of choice or intention.
But the justice of the cosmos is purer and more perfect than any human mind can match. And people are not held responsible for an "indeliberate" action-- one that was not voluntarily willed or intended.
They are, instead, covered by the infinite forgiveness of the tender and infinitely loving Mind of God.
This article could, and perhaps should, go on for several more pages in order completely to address this most important question. But it is better to have mercy on your mind, your heart, and your time, and bring it to an end. But if, of course, you have any further feedback, it will be a delight to discuss it with you, as it is precisely such profound spiritual inquiries that give life its "flavor" and deeper meaning.:)
*******
Responsibility is a complex rather than simple concept. As human beings, human minds, and human activities are quite complex, this is really no surprise.
Responsibility might never be an "all or nothing" proposition. In view of the incredible complexity of the human brainervousystem, it might be foolish for us to seek "black and white," "yes or no" simplistic answers to such an involved and complicated question. For one activity, a person might be 93% responsible, and for another, 27%.
Due to genetic, karmic, environmental, and neurological factors, as well as others, it might be that few human beings are responsible one hundred percent for their activities.
I agree fully, and very practically, that a person who does an evil deed towards another needs to be held both legally and morally responsible. The universe itself is designed along the lines of this moral reciprocation. That is, in fact, the meaning of karma.
Older Western (Christian and Jewish) theologians distinguished between what they called a "deliberate" and an "indeliberate sin." This is a valuable and useful distinction.
The language of the Christian Scriptures, in their ancient form, was called koine Greek. (This implies that Greek was the "common" language of the time.)
In that language, the word that we translate as "sin" was amartyrion.
This was a term borrowed from archery, and it meant "missing a target."
The meaning of this word implies that much, or all, of "sin" is error, miscalculation, mismanagement, or mistake, rather than a deliberate action. In many cases, then, "sin" is not a deliberate, fully aware, intentional action.
It was because of this fact that Jesus forgave sins so easily, and immediately, telling people, "All your sins are forgiven." And early Christians called it the "good news" (Greek, evaggelion) that "all our sins are forgiven."
Jesus prophesied, in Mark 3:27,28, the following astonishing condition:
"Every sin and every blasphemy, no matter how serious, will be forgiven."
And it is true that, in the larger life, that of the Soul, we are allowed to gain a deep spiritual education that allows our hearts to accept forgiveness. This is the famous "grace" (Love) of God in a practical sense.
So, a person is held responsible karmically, and in eternity, for any action that is deliberate, voluntary, a matter of choice or intention.
But the justice of the cosmos is purer and more perfect than any human mind can match. And people are not held responsible for an "indeliberate" action-- one that was not voluntarily willed or intended.
They are, instead, covered by the infinite forgiveness of the tender and infinitely loving Mind of God.
This article could, and perhaps should, go on for several more pages in order completely to address this most important question. But it is better to have mercy on your mind, your heart, and your time, and bring it to an end. But if, of course, you have any further feedback, it will be a delight to discuss it with you, as it is precisely such profound spiritual inquiries that give life its "flavor" and deeper meaning.:)
*******
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Fame and Publicity
*******
There is here zero interest in any kind of publicity. For Jesus made it crystalclear in his famous "Sermon on the Mount" that, if a person obtains "rewards" through any form of publicity, her "rewards" with "the Father" (good karma, and afterlife-rewards) can be totally neutralized.
Giving up eternal rewards (good feelings, good selfesteem, good karma generally) in order to grab for fame on this nanoplanet is like trading in gold and platinum for mud.:) Actually, if Jesus is right-- and no one would know better-- fame is one of the worst possible outcomes for a spiritual teacher!
I do appreciate your desire to publicize a message that would aid many, many people on this sick little planet. The challenge is to make the message wellknown but to keep the messenger out of the process.:) So, if you have any ideas, they are being actively sought!:)
*******
There is here zero interest in any kind of publicity. For Jesus made it crystalclear in his famous "Sermon on the Mount" that, if a person obtains "rewards" through any form of publicity, her "rewards" with "the Father" (good karma, and afterlife-rewards) can be totally neutralized.
Giving up eternal rewards (good feelings, good selfesteem, good karma generally) in order to grab for fame on this nanoplanet is like trading in gold and platinum for mud.:) Actually, if Jesus is right-- and no one would know better-- fame is one of the worst possible outcomes for a spiritual teacher!
I do appreciate your desire to publicize a message that would aid many, many people on this sick little planet. The challenge is to make the message wellknown but to keep the messenger out of the process.:) So, if you have any ideas, they are being actively sought!:)
*******
Friday, March 14, 2008
The "Unforgivable" Sin?
*******
There is no such thing as the "unpardonable sin." The idea that there is cannot make sense.
For it implies that there is a "sin" greater than God's ability to forgive, greater than God's grace or Love. This is a blasphemous suggestion, as it makes "sin" greater than God!
There is one text, in Mark 3:28, where Jesus talks about a "sin against the Holy Spirit." In the original Greek, he says that it will last "into the ages." This is a voluntary sin, harming many; and its karma lasts a long time indeed. But ultimately, in eternity, that karma, like all other, is balanced and disappears.
The problem arose with the word aionian, a Greek adjective found in the ancient manuscripts of the Bible. This word has often been mistranslated "everlasting" or "forever." This is not the meaning of the word.
For example, in most translations of the Bible, Jesus promises "everlasting" life as a reward for following him. But spiritual people such as Jesus know that all life is already everlasting; so, it would make no sense for him to promise that as a reward.
This is a mistranslation of aionian. For what Jesus promised was "timeless" life-- the life of the mystical consciousness, in the "eternal now," free of time.
And so, in Mark, Jesus says that "every sin and every blasphemy that men commit will be forgiven." Take a second, careful look at what he says:
Every sin, bar none, will be forgiven.
Then, in most translations, he contradicts himself by saying something like, "But the sin against the Holy Spirit will last forever..." or, "...will never be forgiven."
Is Jesus really selfcontradicting? No, for the latter half of this is the result of inaccurate translation. What he really said, in the ancient Greek text, is, "Every sin and every blasphemy will be forgiven, but there is one sin whose effects will last into the ages." This is very different from the mistranslation which makes Jesus say that its effects are "forever," or that it will "never be forgiven."
A "sin against the Holy Spirit" is a serious and deliberate act that harms many people. Its karmic effects can last for centuries, even millennia. They go on for "ages," to use Jesus' term. But, in the infinity of God's Love and grace, as Jesus said, every sin will be forgiven.
Why? People do not "sin" because they are evil. The word for "sin" in Greek means "to miss a target." When we miss a target, we are trying to hit it; we do not miss it deliberately. And sin is like this. Most people are doing the very best that they can. But we all slip up all the time, because we are imperfect human beings. Our imperfections, of both mind and body, are many.
Sin is not deliberate rebellion against the good; it is error, mistake, flaw. Imagine a beautiful little four-year-old girl who says, "Two plus two is five," and imagine a teacher so psychotic that she beats the child to death. Is this how God, the Compassionate, Who is Love, responds to our errors? Does not the kind, good teacher gently correct the child, and give her another chance-- in fact, many chances, to get it right?
So, the whole idea of an "unpardonable" or "unforgivable" sin is a teaching that disrespects the Love of God, for it turns It into a weak and feeble thing. In reality, the Love of God, expressed as grace, is the most powerful force in the universe!
This teaching was invented by politicians, tyrants, and sick religious leaders in order to scare, and to control, the people. But we can find comfort in the words (indeed, the prophecy) of Jesus, who assures us that "every sin will be forgiven."
*******
There is no such thing as the "unpardonable sin." The idea that there is cannot make sense.
For it implies that there is a "sin" greater than God's ability to forgive, greater than God's grace or Love. This is a blasphemous suggestion, as it makes "sin" greater than God!
There is one text, in Mark 3:28, where Jesus talks about a "sin against the Holy Spirit." In the original Greek, he says that it will last "into the ages." This is a voluntary sin, harming many; and its karma lasts a long time indeed. But ultimately, in eternity, that karma, like all other, is balanced and disappears.
The problem arose with the word aionian, a Greek adjective found in the ancient manuscripts of the Bible. This word has often been mistranslated "everlasting" or "forever." This is not the meaning of the word.
For example, in most translations of the Bible, Jesus promises "everlasting" life as a reward for following him. But spiritual people such as Jesus know that all life is already everlasting; so, it would make no sense for him to promise that as a reward.
This is a mistranslation of aionian. For what Jesus promised was "timeless" life-- the life of the mystical consciousness, in the "eternal now," free of time.
And so, in Mark, Jesus says that "every sin and every blasphemy that men commit will be forgiven." Take a second, careful look at what he says:
Every sin, bar none, will be forgiven.
Then, in most translations, he contradicts himself by saying something like, "But the sin against the Holy Spirit will last forever..." or, "...will never be forgiven."
Is Jesus really selfcontradicting? No, for the latter half of this is the result of inaccurate translation. What he really said, in the ancient Greek text, is, "Every sin and every blasphemy will be forgiven, but there is one sin whose effects will last into the ages." This is very different from the mistranslation which makes Jesus say that its effects are "forever," or that it will "never be forgiven."
A "sin against the Holy Spirit" is a serious and deliberate act that harms many people. Its karmic effects can last for centuries, even millennia. They go on for "ages," to use Jesus' term. But, in the infinity of God's Love and grace, as Jesus said, every sin will be forgiven.
Why? People do not "sin" because they are evil. The word for "sin" in Greek means "to miss a target." When we miss a target, we are trying to hit it; we do not miss it deliberately. And sin is like this. Most people are doing the very best that they can. But we all slip up all the time, because we are imperfect human beings. Our imperfections, of both mind and body, are many.
Sin is not deliberate rebellion against the good; it is error, mistake, flaw. Imagine a beautiful little four-year-old girl who says, "Two plus two is five," and imagine a teacher so psychotic that she beats the child to death. Is this how God, the Compassionate, Who is Love, responds to our errors? Does not the kind, good teacher gently correct the child, and give her another chance-- in fact, many chances, to get it right?
So, the whole idea of an "unpardonable" or "unforgivable" sin is a teaching that disrespects the Love of God, for it turns It into a weak and feeble thing. In reality, the Love of God, expressed as grace, is the most powerful force in the universe!
This teaching was invented by politicians, tyrants, and sick religious leaders in order to scare, and to control, the people. But we can find comfort in the words (indeed, the prophecy) of Jesus, who assures us that "every sin will be forgiven."
*******
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Jehovah and the Hebrew Scriptures
*******
Is it possible that Moses was under the influence of some psychotropic drug when he had the "experience" recorded at Mt. Sinai? Yes, it is certainly possible, and even probable. But it is more common, among many scholars, to see the event as legend, rather than a literal (historical) event.
It is a part of the larger allegory called the "Hebrew Scriptures."
(This is usually mislabeled the "Old Testament," according to a Christian bias.) I can see, though, where the Scriptures could be either an allegorical (symbolic) tale, or else, a distorted and false "history."
Fundies assume that it is all history, and always literally true, even infallible. I would never go to this unhealthy extreme.
But if it is history, it seems to be the story of a primitive group of backwards, illiterate nomads who contacted one of the Elohim. This is the group of superbeings, "gods," or highly advanced extraterrestrials who colonized and brought life to earth. Earth became a vast biolab, for the creation of creatures that could be selfaware and even spiritual.
NOTE: The word translated "God" in Genesis is actually plural. It is not "God," then, but "gods." This is the word in Hebrew elohim, which means more than one god. But it was deliberately mistranslated in the King James Version of 1611, for the translators thought that polytheism (more than one god) was blasphemy!
One of the Elohim "went bad," and became obsessed with his ego. This grew into the Jehovah-myth, which some modern Christians, and a few modern Jews, still mistake for "God."
Early gnostics, mystics of the Christian tradition in the first two centuries, used to mock and dismiss Jehovah as the lower "creator," the creator of the "illusionworld." He was recognized as "father" by traditional, orthodox Jews, and it was of Jehovah that Jesus said, "Your father is an illusionist, and has been one from the beginning." It was also this Jehovah that Paul later identified as "the god of this age." (2 Cor. 4:4)
Mistaking Jehovah, the god of the Hebrew Scriptures, for the Lord of Love is the most serious, and one of the most absurd, errors in the history of Christianity. Again, the gnostics recognized Jehovah as a limited, ignorant, and even negative being-- provided that "He" ever really existed!
Legends and mythologies proliferated wildly and madly around Moses, Abraham, and other famous folk-heroes of the Jewish faith. We have no sound, reliable documents of pure history from those early times-- circa four millennia ago. All that we have is the Hebrew Scriptures, a document that has been amended, altered, and rewritten dozens of times.
That is why it is so good, and so dependable, to hold a faith that is not, in any way, text-dependent!
*******
Is it possible that Moses was under the influence of some psychotropic drug when he had the "experience" recorded at Mt. Sinai? Yes, it is certainly possible, and even probable. But it is more common, among many scholars, to see the event as legend, rather than a literal (historical) event.
It is a part of the larger allegory called the "Hebrew Scriptures."
(This is usually mislabeled the "Old Testament," according to a Christian bias.) I can see, though, where the Scriptures could be either an allegorical (symbolic) tale, or else, a distorted and false "history."
Fundies assume that it is all history, and always literally true, even infallible. I would never go to this unhealthy extreme.
But if it is history, it seems to be the story of a primitive group of backwards, illiterate nomads who contacted one of the Elohim. This is the group of superbeings, "gods," or highly advanced extraterrestrials who colonized and brought life to earth. Earth became a vast biolab, for the creation of creatures that could be selfaware and even spiritual.
NOTE: The word translated "God" in Genesis is actually plural. It is not "God," then, but "gods." This is the word in Hebrew elohim, which means more than one god. But it was deliberately mistranslated in the King James Version of 1611, for the translators thought that polytheism (more than one god) was blasphemy!
One of the Elohim "went bad," and became obsessed with his ego. This grew into the Jehovah-myth, which some modern Christians, and a few modern Jews, still mistake for "God."
Early gnostics, mystics of the Christian tradition in the first two centuries, used to mock and dismiss Jehovah as the lower "creator," the creator of the "illusionworld." He was recognized as "father" by traditional, orthodox Jews, and it was of Jehovah that Jesus said, "Your father is an illusionist, and has been one from the beginning." It was also this Jehovah that Paul later identified as "the god of this age." (2 Cor. 4:4)
Mistaking Jehovah, the god of the Hebrew Scriptures, for the Lord of Love is the most serious, and one of the most absurd, errors in the history of Christianity. Again, the gnostics recognized Jehovah as a limited, ignorant, and even negative being-- provided that "He" ever really existed!
Legends and mythologies proliferated wildly and madly around Moses, Abraham, and other famous folk-heroes of the Jewish faith. We have no sound, reliable documents of pure history from those early times-- circa four millennia ago. All that we have is the Hebrew Scriptures, a document that has been amended, altered, and rewritten dozens of times.
That is why it is so good, and so dependable, to hold a faith that is not, in any way, text-dependent!
*******
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
The Election: A Few Considerations
*******
Either of the Democratic candidates would be far superior to the lunkhead, deadhead, and cementhead that has "bought" with daddy's help, the office! McKane looks like a genius when compared to bush, but so does the average vegetable.:) And if there is a lifeform lower than bush-- and this is incredibly debatable-- it is a bush wannabe, like mccain.:)
I like hilary and obama. Either will be fine. One reason that Obama was chosen is that Hilary is a scorpio-- sometimes difficult to get along with, and often, reticent to forgive. Obama is a leo-- often stuck on the self, or conceited.
Nobody is ever "perfect," of course.:) But what really tilted the scales for us was not the sunsigns, but the "jupitersigns." The jupitersign influences dealings with the public. Hillary's is sagittarius-- often, not very responsible. Obama's is aquarius-- the futuristic or technological thinker. With the neoenergic systems that we will have to develop, to move towards energy-independence, aquarius is simply a better sign.:)
We are both in fullest agreement that the numbskull, the incompetent pretender, needs immediate replacement-- and badly!:) Our country just might be able once again to lift its collective head, and it might no longer be an "international shame" to be an American!:) Let us, at any rate, hope and pray so!:):)
*******
Either of the Democratic candidates would be far superior to the lunkhead, deadhead, and cementhead that has "bought" with daddy's help, the office! McKane looks like a genius when compared to bush, but so does the average vegetable.:) And if there is a lifeform lower than bush-- and this is incredibly debatable-- it is a bush wannabe, like mccain.:)
I like hilary and obama. Either will be fine. One reason that Obama was chosen is that Hilary is a scorpio-- sometimes difficult to get along with, and often, reticent to forgive. Obama is a leo-- often stuck on the self, or conceited.
Nobody is ever "perfect," of course.:) But what really tilted the scales for us was not the sunsigns, but the "jupitersigns." The jupitersign influences dealings with the public. Hillary's is sagittarius-- often, not very responsible. Obama's is aquarius-- the futuristic or technological thinker. With the neoenergic systems that we will have to develop, to move towards energy-independence, aquarius is simply a better sign.:)
We are both in fullest agreement that the numbskull, the incompetent pretender, needs immediate replacement-- and badly!:) Our country just might be able once again to lift its collective head, and it might no longer be an "international shame" to be an American!:) Let us, at any rate, hope and pray so!:):)
*******
Sunday, March 09, 2008
John McCain... with a LOT of help from his "friends"
John McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, and yet he said "I'm the only one the special interests don't give any money to."
Sign the petition demanding McCain return the millions of dollars raised by lobbyists.
We use humor, we use pop culture, we use McCain's insistent use of the word "friends!" We hope you will send it along to your friends, foes, and media outlets.
Best,
Robert Greenwald
and the crew at Brave New Films
P.S. Jonathan has vowed to stay in the editing room for as long as it takes to create Fox Attacks Obama, part 2. Showing the merciless and obscene non-stop attacks from Murdoch and Co. Want to send a message to Murdoch? Send in $100 to help us make the video, and we'll include your name and message right in the video itself.
https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/552/p/10040/paywhatyouwantcredits
The first installment of Fox Attacks Obama got over 1 million views!
Let's continue to get our message across.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
This Election
030808 Sat,
Dear Friends, Buds, and Pals,
I have decided to endorse Barack Obama because I feel that he is not corrupted by being "owned" by corporate America. He seems genuinely interested in truly serving the people.
Love,
Shi
Dear Friends, Buds, and Pals,
I have decided to endorse Barack Obama because I feel that he is not corrupted by being "owned" by corporate America. He seems genuinely interested in truly serving the people.
Love,
Shi
Friday, March 07, 2008
The Sermon on the Mount, Parts XXVIII and XXIX of XL
The Sermon on the Mount, Part XXVIII of XL
*******
TEXT: Continuing with Matthew 6:
COMMENTARY: This is perhaps the "least practical," and most "Taoist" aspects of the Sermon. For Jesus dares recommend unqualified, thought-free faith, or trust, in the cosmic Mind behind creation, and deep within your own mind. To live, literally, just like the birds would be to live in an upside-down bowl of grass in a tree, and Jesus does not ask this of anyone. But one aspect of life that we can and should learn from Sister Bird is how she lives so thoughtfree, and thus, care-freely.
She never worries, never lives in constant fear of death. Instead, she applies each moment to productivity and survival. She does not gather great quantities of food or other necessities, and Jesus also recommended against this. In fact, her mind is so very simple that it is "thoughtfree." This condition or state is the one for which experienced meditators search the mind, for it is utter stillness, utter tranquility.
So, Jesus' intent was that we live every day, or at least, portions of every day, in thoughtfree Mind, and in complete trust of the universal
Mind-- neither questioning, demanding, nor worrying.
The Sermon on the Mount, Part XXIX of XL
*******
TEXT:
COMMENTARY: Some inquire about Jesus and the simplicity of
the trust (faith) that he recommends. For example, they say, no one can live with the utter simplicity and the thoughtfree state of birdmind.
And it is impossible practically to live with a "flowermind"! And perhaps they are right. But if we cannot live as the birds, our challenge is made even greater by his recommendation that we live as "lilies of the field." So, the implication is, we must strive to move beyond even the birds in our thoughtfree simplicity. Is the person of Love's ideal a catatonic? No, for when she successfully becomes thoughtfree, a greater Mind, the cosmic Spirit, will begin to move, speak, think, and act through her. She will be as Its marionette.
It/She/He will guide her thoughts, words, and actions. And the more that she relaxes into Its guidance, and surrenders to It, the more that this profound Lovemind will "use her" to express Its creativity, brilliant intelligence, and Love. So, the enlightened being of Love PLAYS her way through life. This is an acronym for: Permits, Lets, Allows, Yields, and Surrenders. She renounces all illusion of any personal control of her life, and relaxes into the cosmic Flow. She does watch her life, to make sure that she always responds with a blend of noninjury (ahimsa) and Love; she dare not be careless. But she lets go of rigid control and micromanagement of her life. For "her" life is no longer "hers"; she belongs to Love!
*******
TEXT: Continuing with Matthew 6:
26. Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life?
COMMENTARY: This is perhaps the "least practical," and most "Taoist" aspects of the Sermon. For Jesus dares recommend unqualified, thought-free faith, or trust, in the cosmic Mind behind creation, and deep within your own mind. To live, literally, just like the birds would be to live in an upside-down bowl of grass in a tree, and Jesus does not ask this of anyone. But one aspect of life that we can and should learn from Sister Bird is how she lives so thoughtfree, and thus, care-freely.
She never worries, never lives in constant fear of death. Instead, she applies each moment to productivity and survival. She does not gather great quantities of food or other necessities, and Jesus also recommended against this. In fact, her mind is so very simple that it is "thoughtfree." This condition or state is the one for which experienced meditators search the mind, for it is utter stillness, utter tranquility.
So, Jesus' intent was that we live every day, or at least, portions of every day, in thoughtfree Mind, and in complete trust of the universal
Mind-- neither questioning, demanding, nor worrying.
The Sermon on the Mount, Part XXIX of XL
*******
TEXT:
28. And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith?
COMMENTARY: Some inquire about Jesus and the simplicity of
the trust (faith) that he recommends. For example, they say, no one can live with the utter simplicity and the thoughtfree state of birdmind.
And it is impossible practically to live with a "flowermind"! And perhaps they are right. But if we cannot live as the birds, our challenge is made even greater by his recommendation that we live as "lilies of the field." So, the implication is, we must strive to move beyond even the birds in our thoughtfree simplicity. Is the person of Love's ideal a catatonic? No, for when she successfully becomes thoughtfree, a greater Mind, the cosmic Spirit, will begin to move, speak, think, and act through her. She will be as Its marionette.
It/She/He will guide her thoughts, words, and actions. And the more that she relaxes into Its guidance, and surrenders to It, the more that this profound Lovemind will "use her" to express Its creativity, brilliant intelligence, and Love. So, the enlightened being of Love PLAYS her way through life. This is an acronym for: Permits, Lets, Allows, Yields, and Surrenders. She renounces all illusion of any personal control of her life, and relaxes into the cosmic Flow. She does watch her life, to make sure that she always responds with a blend of noninjury (ahimsa) and Love; she dare not be careless. But she lets go of rigid control and micromanagement of her life. For "her" life is no longer "hers"; she belongs to Love!
Thursday, March 06, 2008
The Lifedesign: Bookwriting and the Pneumariumfamily
*****
A lot of thinking and reflection have moved the mind back to the Day of Personal Incarnation. A very vivid time is remembered when, in Incarnation Park, in the Homeworld, we had a small preincarnational gathering with my dearest friends, to lay out the lifedesign of the life just to come. We knew that it was going to be one rollercoaster of a life. We also knew that it was going to be so challenging that it could leave faith in tattered shreds and shattered pieces, without some cohesive factor. That is when we came up, together, with the idea of the bookwriting and the Pneumariumfamily. And thank Love that we wove these two factors into this lifedesign. For they have prevented huge damage to the Soul.:):)
*******
A lot of thinking and reflection have moved the mind back to the Day of Personal Incarnation. A very vivid time is remembered when, in Incarnation Park, in the Homeworld, we had a small preincarnational gathering with my dearest friends, to lay out the lifedesign of the life just to come. We knew that it was going to be one rollercoaster of a life. We also knew that it was going to be so challenging that it could leave faith in tattered shreds and shattered pieces, without some cohesive factor. That is when we came up, together, with the idea of the bookwriting and the Pneumariumfamily. And thank Love that we wove these two factors into this lifedesign. For they have prevented huge damage to the Soul.:):)
*******
Karma and Grace
*******
The dance between karma and grace is a complex one. Every sentient
(selfaware) creature that exists, on this and every other planet, already exists in perfect grace (forgiveness from God or Love). But creatures vary in their capacities to receive grace. Just as a man can starve within a few meters of food, if he does not know that it is there, so our ignorance of grace can serve as an effective block to its reception. The problem is not in the food, but in the mind. (It is ignorance.)
So, although everyone exists in one hundred percent grace (forgiveness, zero karma), karma teaches us how to grow into this realization. So, one might live as if she were only in twenty percent, another fifty percent, grace. They are so limited by only their minds, not by grace, for grace is unlimited. And, as Jesus said, God does not give the Spirit "by measure." God gives one hundred percent of the Spirit to everyone who requests It.
And karma is not a mindless boomerang. There is another kind of karma, called selective karma, which the Soulmind might choose voluntarily in order to accelerate natural growth. A plethora of saintmystics and even masterteachers have suffered various body-limitations, for example, in this kind of karma.
The "boomerang" karma (reflective of previous behaviors) is completely, totally, absolutely erased and deleted by grace. But the elective karma still remains, for it was voluntarily chosen by the Soulmind before incarnation. But this kind of karma is extremely rare, and most people are still suffering, in ignorance, from the "usual," reflective, karma.
God's perspective is grace. Early Christians used the phrase, "All our sins are forgiven," and this was the exact same phrase used by Jesus.
This is an intrinsic or inherent aspect of reality ("truth").
But each Soul (deep part of the Unconscious) must go through spacetime often enough, and long enough, to allow the realization of this grace fully to flower within the heart of Light.
*******
The dance between karma and grace is a complex one. Every sentient
(selfaware) creature that exists, on this and every other planet, already exists in perfect grace (forgiveness from God or Love). But creatures vary in their capacities to receive grace. Just as a man can starve within a few meters of food, if he does not know that it is there, so our ignorance of grace can serve as an effective block to its reception. The problem is not in the food, but in the mind. (It is ignorance.)
So, although everyone exists in one hundred percent grace (forgiveness, zero karma), karma teaches us how to grow into this realization. So, one might live as if she were only in twenty percent, another fifty percent, grace. They are so limited by only their minds, not by grace, for grace is unlimited. And, as Jesus said, God does not give the Spirit "by measure." God gives one hundred percent of the Spirit to everyone who requests It.
And karma is not a mindless boomerang. There is another kind of karma, called selective karma, which the Soulmind might choose voluntarily in order to accelerate natural growth. A plethora of saintmystics and even masterteachers have suffered various body-limitations, for example, in this kind of karma.
The "boomerang" karma (reflective of previous behaviors) is completely, totally, absolutely erased and deleted by grace. But the elective karma still remains, for it was voluntarily chosen by the Soulmind before incarnation. But this kind of karma is extremely rare, and most people are still suffering, in ignorance, from the "usual," reflective, karma.
God's perspective is grace. Early Christians used the phrase, "All our sins are forgiven," and this was the exact same phrase used by Jesus.
This is an intrinsic or inherent aspect of reality ("truth").
But each Soul (deep part of the Unconscious) must go through spacetime often enough, and long enough, to allow the realization of this grace fully to flower within the heart of Light.
*******
Sunday, March 02, 2008
God and Goddess
*******
God does not have a physical body. God is not even localized, so that She has a particular place in the universe. For God is Mind, and Mind is everywhere.
Mind without a body cannot, by definition, be either male or female.
Ideas that insist that God is "male" have deep roots in our society, but they are nothing but a primitive, ancient cultural artifact. They are unfortunately reinforced by references to God as "Father." For God is not "Father" alone, but both Mother and Father.
God often expresses as Mother Nature. Ancient and very early Christians recognized a Goddess whom they called "Sophia."
But we have regressed to the very backward, and very archaic, view of God as all-male. This assumption arises directly from the Jehovah-myth of the Hebrew Scriptures. Like many other factors of the myth, it is mistaken.
For God is both, and equally, Goddess. In fact, the Enlightenment Tradition favors strongly the "feminine" qualities of God, such as Love, tenderness, gentleness, kindness, etc. The earliest Christians were gnostics (mystics), and the gnostic traditions also completely renounced and rejected the Jehovah-myth of an angry, frustrated male god. They taught that Jehovah was a limited and ignorant spiritual being, and that the material world was one of his "failed experiments." It was, they said, in full agreement with Hindu and Buddhist mysticsages, an illusion or dream only.
So, when referring to the One, the Ultimate, the Absolute, or great Mind, it is often more satisfying, and more accurate, to refer to God as "Goddess." God and Goddess are thus synonymous, not two different beings. There is only one God, and She is also Goddess.
*******
God does not have a physical body. God is not even localized, so that She has a particular place in the universe. For God is Mind, and Mind is everywhere.
Mind without a body cannot, by definition, be either male or female.
Ideas that insist that God is "male" have deep roots in our society, but they are nothing but a primitive, ancient cultural artifact. They are unfortunately reinforced by references to God as "Father." For God is not "Father" alone, but both Mother and Father.
God often expresses as Mother Nature. Ancient and very early Christians recognized a Goddess whom they called "Sophia."
But we have regressed to the very backward, and very archaic, view of God as all-male. This assumption arises directly from the Jehovah-myth of the Hebrew Scriptures. Like many other factors of the myth, it is mistaken.
For God is both, and equally, Goddess. In fact, the Enlightenment Tradition favors strongly the "feminine" qualities of God, such as Love, tenderness, gentleness, kindness, etc. The earliest Christians were gnostics (mystics), and the gnostic traditions also completely renounced and rejected the Jehovah-myth of an angry, frustrated male god. They taught that Jehovah was a limited and ignorant spiritual being, and that the material world was one of his "failed experiments." It was, they said, in full agreement with Hindu and Buddhist mysticsages, an illusion or dream only.
So, when referring to the One, the Ultimate, the Absolute, or great Mind, it is often more satisfying, and more accurate, to refer to God as "Goddess." God and Goddess are thus synonymous, not two different beings. There is only one God, and She is also Goddess.
*******
The End of the World in 2012?
*******
Ever since human beings have kept written records, someone somewhere has been predicting great catastrophes, including several thousand predictions of the "end of the world." Almost needless to say, each and every one has been a lie, a falsehood, a false prophecy.
But why do they keep predicting? Some embrace the belief because they are so hopeless: They feel that human beings are not smart enough to solve the real problems of the world, so God will bring the whole of civilization to an end.
Some believe because they think that Jesus taught this idea. But he did not. Jesus did speak about the "end of the aion," and the King James Bible of 1611 mistranslated this Greek word aion as "world." So, Matthew 24:3, where his disciples ask about the "end of the age," in the King James Version, it is mistranslated to make them ask about the "end of the world."
But this phrase, "end of the world," is not found a single time, anywhere in the whole Bible. It is not found a single time in even Revelation.
So, Jesus did not teach the end of the world.
Yet, have not many Christians, particularly the desperate fundamentalists, taught this? Yes, and many Christians have taught many other doctrines, ideas, and concepts never taught by Jesus! So, the claim is not being here made that no so-called "Christian" has ever taught the end of the world; many have. But neither Jesus nor his followers taught this idea in the Christian Bible.
What about the older, Jewish Bible? Many Jewish sects and cults have taught the end, but the Jewish Bible Itself does not teach it.
The idea has been resurrected and recycled among many new-agers. These people are likely still suffering from their fundamentalist backgrounds.
Many "channelers," over decades, have predicted the end-- and they have done so several times. In 1992, the followers of Elizabeth Prophet waited in the desert for the ufo's to pick them up, and for the world to end. In 1999, the end of the world was expected by probably the majority of people. For Edgar Cayce and Nostradamus, two of the most respected "prophets" of the New Age Community, specifically pointed this year as that of the end of the world.
Several hundred channelers also jumped on this shameful bandwagon, and had red faces in the year twenty hundred. Several native American prophecies were also interpreted to say that the end was coming in that "blessed" year, 1999. Hundreds of hucksters, frauds, phonies, mediums, gurus, and so-called "teachers" assured people, with great enthusiasm, that 1999 would be the last year of civilization as we know it, pointing nervously to the so-called "y2k" crisis (the breakdown of computers).
In fact, there has hardly been a single year in the history of the world that has not seen some guru, "prophet," priest, preacher, minister, rabbi, or imam predicting the end.
Everyone could argue forever about this subject.
But I have come up with a way that one can truly test her faith in this latest prophecy.
I do not believe that the end of this world is coming in 2012.
But if you do, or if you know anyone who claims to, please share the
following:
I challenge any true believer to do the following:
I will have a legal and formal document drawn up by a lawyer.
That document will state that anyone who is a true believer will, on January 1, 2013, sign over to Love Ministries, Inc., every material possession and all money that he/she owns.
I do not believe that anyone believes the prophecy enough to do this.
But if you know any teacher, prophet, guru, channeler, or anyone else who is teaching, as a dogma, that the world will end in the year 2012, please present this document, or a copy, to him/her.
I do not believe that anyone will sign! Why? Because, although people love soap-operas, and love to talk about the end of the world, I do not believe that anyone believes it enough to put everything on the line.
But if anyone does, I will be astonished! Not only that, but after 2013, I will share my enormous riches with the poor of the world!
*******
Ever since human beings have kept written records, someone somewhere has been predicting great catastrophes, including several thousand predictions of the "end of the world." Almost needless to say, each and every one has been a lie, a falsehood, a false prophecy.
But why do they keep predicting? Some embrace the belief because they are so hopeless: They feel that human beings are not smart enough to solve the real problems of the world, so God will bring the whole of civilization to an end.
Some believe because they think that Jesus taught this idea. But he did not. Jesus did speak about the "end of the aion," and the King James Bible of 1611 mistranslated this Greek word aion as "world." So, Matthew 24:3, where his disciples ask about the "end of the age," in the King James Version, it is mistranslated to make them ask about the "end of the world."
But this phrase, "end of the world," is not found a single time, anywhere in the whole Bible. It is not found a single time in even Revelation.
So, Jesus did not teach the end of the world.
Yet, have not many Christians, particularly the desperate fundamentalists, taught this? Yes, and many Christians have taught many other doctrines, ideas, and concepts never taught by Jesus! So, the claim is not being here made that no so-called "Christian" has ever taught the end of the world; many have. But neither Jesus nor his followers taught this idea in the Christian Bible.
What about the older, Jewish Bible? Many Jewish sects and cults have taught the end, but the Jewish Bible Itself does not teach it.
The idea has been resurrected and recycled among many new-agers. These people are likely still suffering from their fundamentalist backgrounds.
Many "channelers," over decades, have predicted the end-- and they have done so several times. In 1992, the followers of Elizabeth Prophet waited in the desert for the ufo's to pick them up, and for the world to end. In 1999, the end of the world was expected by probably the majority of people. For Edgar Cayce and Nostradamus, two of the most respected "prophets" of the New Age Community, specifically pointed this year as that of the end of the world.
Several hundred channelers also jumped on this shameful bandwagon, and had red faces in the year twenty hundred. Several native American prophecies were also interpreted to say that the end was coming in that "blessed" year, 1999. Hundreds of hucksters, frauds, phonies, mediums, gurus, and so-called "teachers" assured people, with great enthusiasm, that 1999 would be the last year of civilization as we know it, pointing nervously to the so-called "y2k" crisis (the breakdown of computers).
In fact, there has hardly been a single year in the history of the world that has not seen some guru, "prophet," priest, preacher, minister, rabbi, or imam predicting the end.
Everyone could argue forever about this subject.
But I have come up with a way that one can truly test her faith in this latest prophecy.
I do not believe that the end of this world is coming in 2012.
But if you do, or if you know anyone who claims to, please share the
following:
I challenge any true believer to do the following:
I will have a legal and formal document drawn up by a lawyer.
That document will state that anyone who is a true believer will, on January 1, 2013, sign over to Love Ministries, Inc., every material possession and all money that he/she owns.
I do not believe that anyone believes the prophecy enough to do this.
But if you know any teacher, prophet, guru, channeler, or anyone else who is teaching, as a dogma, that the world will end in the year 2012, please present this document, or a copy, to him/her.
I do not believe that anyone will sign! Why? Because, although people love soap-operas, and love to talk about the end of the world, I do not believe that anyone believes it enough to put everything on the line.
But if anyone does, I will be astonished! Not only that, but after 2013, I will share my enormous riches with the poor of the world!
*******
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Let There Be (Fluorescent) Light
Let There Be (Fluorescent) Light
February 2008
A provision in the 2007 energy bill requires lightbulbs to be 30 percent more energy-efficient starting in 2012—a standard that will effectively phase out traditional incandescent bulbs. But why wait? Today’s compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) already use 50 to 80 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs. If every U.S. household replaced just one incandescent bulb with a CFL, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates we would reduce global warming pollution by an amount equivalent to taking more than 800,000 cars off the road.
Most CFLs on the market today offer the same performance, versatility, and light output as incandescent bulbs. Look for the following product information to ensure you find the right bulb for your needs:
* Whiteness: Like incandescent bulbs, CFLs can produce light in many shades of white. Color temperature (or the perceived “warmth” of the light) is measured in kelvins (K); the lower the color temperature, the warmer the color. These temperatures range from about 2700 K (a “warm” yellow-white) to 5000 K (a “cool” blue-white). If the temperature is not listed, look for the terms “warm white” and “cool white” (or “daylight”).
* Brightness: Because CFLs use less energy (as measured in watts) to produce the same amount of light as an incandescent bulb, look for lumens (a measure of light output) on the product label to find CFLs that will match or exceed the brightness of the incandescent bulbs you have been using. For example, a 60-watt incandescent bulb and a 15-watt CFL each produce about 800 lumens. The Energy Star website (see the related links) lists the lumens produced by common incandescent wattages, and CFL packages often mention the equivalent incandescent wattage as well.
* Compatibility: CFLs are available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, for both standard and smaller (candelabra) sockets. There are even CFLs designed to accommodate three-way, dimmable, motion-sensor, and outdoor fixtures.
CFLs last up to 10 times as long as incandescent bulbs, but because frequent on/off cycles can reduce their useful life, target high-usage areas of your home first (that is, where lights stay on for long periods of time). This will ensure you get the most energy savings right away.
CFLs and Mercury
CFLs do contain a small amount of mercury, so they cannot be thrown out in the trash. However, the mercury in CFLs represents a much less significant environmental hazard than incandescent bulbs because CFLs require much less electricity, and more than half of our nation’s electricity is generated by coal-fired power plants—the largest U.S. source of mercury emissions.
In other words, the average coal-fired power plant emits only 3.2 milligrams of mercury for each CFL running six hours per day for five years, but emits nearly 15 milligrams of mercury for an incandescent bulb running the same amount of time, according to UCS research. The difference far exceeds the approximately five milligrams present inside a CFL. Properly disposing of CFLs ensures the mercury in them remains contained.
Materialism, Greed, and "New-agers"
*******
There are many, and some immense, spiritual principles-- such as karma and its associated linkages with lifedesign-- that people do not realize.
If they did educate themselves in these matters, their interior universe would expand breath-takingly!
There are many items in the traditional (and now, paradoxically "old") "New Thought" Movement that are questionable from the mystical perspective. For the main "objection," much of it is virtually obsessed with the ego-- the opposite of truest and deepest spirituality. Many new-agers are very much like their business or "worldly" counterparts, for they are both obsessed with the impressive home, career, new car, best computer, etc.
And so many, directly contrary to Jesus, in his famous "Sermon on the Mount," are also obsessed with egofame! These are not only nonspiritual, but, much worse, antispiritual concepts.
They always talk about "abundance," but this can be a secret code-word for greed. Jesus commanded the opposite, again, by saying, "Do not store up treasures upon the earth." He called us, not to a pressure-filled life in which we tried to control everything mentally, but to a pressure-free life in which we did not try to control anything! For "faith" is trusting Goddess (Tao) to control Her universe! Some of the material written by Ernest Holmes does fall, or has slipped, into these sad categories. The ego is sneaky and subtle; and if all else fails, it will disguise itself and its message as "spirituality."
Yes, many followers of his Science of Mind Church are wonderful, openminded, tolerant, giving, compassionate people! Some do not even realize that the ego sits at the very heart of the philosophy. But the ego thrives on fear, and this is the subtle, often hidden, fear that they will not be able to control the world mentally. So, people who put all their eggs in the basket of "positive thinking" live in perpetual fear of having "bad" thoughts. Happily, however, our conscious thoughts are not that powerful!:)
This kind of pseudospiritual material soon becomes an endless rerun all about "prosperity," "abundance," and "right thinking." Soon, Love gets pushed aside, and ultimately, ignored. Jesus spoke much and often about Love; but it is significant that he never gave a sermon on "right thinking," and never implied that the conscious mind could control the world. In fact, he said quite the opposite: We cannot change the color of a single hair on our own heads.
*******
There are many, and some immense, spiritual principles-- such as karma and its associated linkages with lifedesign-- that people do not realize.
If they did educate themselves in these matters, their interior universe would expand breath-takingly!
There are many items in the traditional (and now, paradoxically "old") "New Thought" Movement that are questionable from the mystical perspective. For the main "objection," much of it is virtually obsessed with the ego-- the opposite of truest and deepest spirituality. Many new-agers are very much like their business or "worldly" counterparts, for they are both obsessed with the impressive home, career, new car, best computer, etc.
And so many, directly contrary to Jesus, in his famous "Sermon on the Mount," are also obsessed with egofame! These are not only nonspiritual, but, much worse, antispiritual concepts.
They always talk about "abundance," but this can be a secret code-word for greed. Jesus commanded the opposite, again, by saying, "Do not store up treasures upon the earth." He called us, not to a pressure-filled life in which we tried to control everything mentally, but to a pressure-free life in which we did not try to control anything! For "faith" is trusting Goddess (Tao) to control Her universe! Some of the material written by Ernest Holmes does fall, or has slipped, into these sad categories. The ego is sneaky and subtle; and if all else fails, it will disguise itself and its message as "spirituality."
Yes, many followers of his Science of Mind Church are wonderful, openminded, tolerant, giving, compassionate people! Some do not even realize that the ego sits at the very heart of the philosophy. But the ego thrives on fear, and this is the subtle, often hidden, fear that they will not be able to control the world mentally. So, people who put all their eggs in the basket of "positive thinking" live in perpetual fear of having "bad" thoughts. Happily, however, our conscious thoughts are not that powerful!:)
This kind of pseudospiritual material soon becomes an endless rerun all about "prosperity," "abundance," and "right thinking." Soon, Love gets pushed aside, and ultimately, ignored. Jesus spoke much and often about Love; but it is significant that he never gave a sermon on "right thinking," and never implied that the conscious mind could control the world. In fact, he said quite the opposite: We cannot change the color of a single hair on our own heads.
*******
Lovebooks and Death
*******
Love Ministries, Inc. now has written, published, and distributes twenty books about the fascinating subjects of spiritual psychology and practical lifedesign, ennucleated around Love.
The diabetes continues to be a challenge, but has not yet been lethal-- although I've little doubt that it will, mercifully and ecstatically, take me out of this world, in time.:):) But the being of Love must work hard to shake off the tough cultural program that death is "bad." For it is a process as natural as the shining dewdrop's reflecting the bright morning sun on the petal of a new rose. And the afterlife is fantastic!
(I've written a novel about the Afterlife world, called the "Homeworld,"
if you would like to receive a copy. It is an "adult" novel about real life, and is not recommended for kids. It is called Luminous Ecstasies and Passions: Journeys Into Afterlife. And if you do want a copy, please just send along your snailmail address.
*******
Love Ministries, Inc. now has written, published, and distributes twenty books about the fascinating subjects of spiritual psychology and practical lifedesign, ennucleated around Love.
The diabetes continues to be a challenge, but has not yet been lethal-- although I've little doubt that it will, mercifully and ecstatically, take me out of this world, in time.:):) But the being of Love must work hard to shake off the tough cultural program that death is "bad." For it is a process as natural as the shining dewdrop's reflecting the bright morning sun on the petal of a new rose. And the afterlife is fantastic!
(I've written a novel about the Afterlife world, called the "Homeworld,"
if you would like to receive a copy. It is an "adult" novel about real life, and is not recommended for kids. It is called Luminous Ecstasies and Passions: Journeys Into Afterlife. And if you do want a copy, please just send along your snailmail address.
*******
Healing and Energy-fields
*******
If the chakras exist, they are a part of nature. So, asking whether they "fit in with" Christianity is like asking whether stars, oceans, winds, or electricity "fit in" with the Christian Way.
Medical evidence for their existence, within the realms of our Western science, is not yet complete. But the fact that acupressure, phototherapies, chromotherapies, and other nontraditional healing paths do work successfully does indicate that the body is surrounded by several interactive, reactive and responsive energy-fields.
Those who made these discoveries were not Christians, for no one was in those ancient times. For they lived before the birth of Jesus.
But it would be simple bigotry not to use a technology for this "excuse" of a "reason." Not all computerparts are made by Christians, but all modern Christians use them in their educational and other ministries.
The chakras (pronounced not "shock'-rahs," but, "chuck'-ruhs") are a part of nature, and nature is the "Second Book of Revelation." That is, it reveals God. A study of these energy-vortices can help us to love our bodies by caring for them better.
There is implicit evidence that even the great healer Jesus knew about the energy-bodies and chukras, and likely used them in some healing.
*******
If the chakras exist, they are a part of nature. So, asking whether they "fit in with" Christianity is like asking whether stars, oceans, winds, or electricity "fit in" with the Christian Way.
Medical evidence for their existence, within the realms of our Western science, is not yet complete. But the fact that acupressure, phototherapies, chromotherapies, and other nontraditional healing paths do work successfully does indicate that the body is surrounded by several interactive, reactive and responsive energy-fields.
Those who made these discoveries were not Christians, for no one was in those ancient times. For they lived before the birth of Jesus.
But it would be simple bigotry not to use a technology for this "excuse" of a "reason." Not all computerparts are made by Christians, but all modern Christians use them in their educational and other ministries.
The chakras (pronounced not "shock'-rahs," but, "chuck'-ruhs") are a part of nature, and nature is the "Second Book of Revelation." That is, it reveals God. A study of these energy-vortices can help us to love our bodies by caring for them better.
There is implicit evidence that even the great healer Jesus knew about the energy-bodies and chukras, and likely used them in some healing.
*******
The Sermon on the Mount, Part XXVI and XXVII of XL
*******
TEXT: Continuing with Matthew 6:
COMMENTARY: This is not a reference to the physical eyes, but to interior "in-sight," or "interior sight." This is made possible by the opening of the sixth chakra, the so-called "third eye." (It is also known as the ajna chakra.) The only way that this interior "vision" is triggered is through regular meditation, through quieting the "monkey mind," the part of the humanimal mind that is continually jumping around from one topic, thought, or memory to another. This kind of mind never knows rest, or peace.
TEXT:
COMMENTARY: Again, as usual, Jesus seems to point a barb towards the selfrighteous and hypereligious, who consider themselves "enlightened," or filled with the Light of Love (Holy Spirit). But this egocentric attitude of selfcongratulation actually makes their interior darkness even darker, more impenetrable to the Light of Love.
The Sermon on the Mount, Part XXVII of XL
*******
TEXT:
COMMENTARY: "Mammon" was the ancient demon of gold. So, Jesus repeats more strongly and dramatically his clear and previous warning against materialism, whose influence can be subtle. Like Mammon in Jewish mythology, it is indeed a "demon" that can master you and take over your heartmind and life. The people of Love are unique precisely because they avoid service to this demon, which permeates most business and money-making enterprises. So, beyond the minimum necessary for life and comfort, Jesus prohibits what most people would regard as "material success"!
TEXT:
COMMENTARY: Jesus is actually forbidding worry! And the only Way to overcome the demon of fear, expressed as worry, is to center the self, repeatedly, in the eternal now. The past is dead, and does not exist.
The future is not yet born, and also, does not exist. Only the now actually exists. And it is paradoxical: It is so tiny that, as soon as it is thought, it seems to disappear into the past. But it is so huge that it contains everything! And it is always now! So, the free and enlightened person of Love liberates herself from slavery to the past or future by altering her thoughts.
TEXT: Continuing with Matthew 6:
22. "The eye is the lamp of the body.
So, if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light; 23 but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness.
COMMENTARY: This is not a reference to the physical eyes, but to interior "in-sight," or "interior sight." This is made possible by the opening of the sixth chakra, the so-called "third eye." (It is also known as the ajna chakra.) The only way that this interior "vision" is triggered is through regular meditation, through quieting the "monkey mind," the part of the humanimal mind that is continually jumping around from one topic, thought, or memory to another. This kind of mind never knows rest, or peace.
TEXT:
If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
COMMENTARY: Again, as usual, Jesus seems to point a barb towards the selfrighteous and hypereligious, who consider themselves "enlightened," or filled with the Light of Love (Holy Spirit). But this egocentric attitude of selfcongratulation actually makes their interior darkness even darker, more impenetrable to the Light of Love.
The Sermon on the Mount, Part XXVII of XL
*******
TEXT:
24. "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
COMMENTARY: "Mammon" was the ancient demon of gold. So, Jesus repeats more strongly and dramatically his clear and previous warning against materialism, whose influence can be subtle. Like Mammon in Jewish mythology, it is indeed a "demon" that can master you and take over your heartmind and life. The people of Love are unique precisely because they avoid service to this demon, which permeates most business and money-making enterprises. So, beyond the minimum necessary for life and comfort, Jesus prohibits what most people would regard as "material success"!
TEXT:
25. "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
COMMENTARY: Jesus is actually forbidding worry! And the only Way to overcome the demon of fear, expressed as worry, is to center the self, repeatedly, in the eternal now. The past is dead, and does not exist.
The future is not yet born, and also, does not exist. Only the now actually exists. And it is paradoxical: It is so tiny that, as soon as it is thought, it seems to disappear into the past. But it is so huge that it contains everything! And it is always now! So, the free and enlightened person of Love liberates herself from slavery to the past or future by altering her thoughts.
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